cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interconnect delay minimization through interlayer via placement in 3-D ICs

The dependence of the propagation delay of the interlayer 3-D interconnects on the vertical through via location and length is investigated. For a variable vertical through via location, with fixed vertical length, the optimum vertical through via location that minimizes the propagation delay of an interconnect line connecting two circuits on different planes is determined. The optimum vertical through via location and length or, equivalently, the number of physical planes traversed by the vertical through via, are determined for varying the placement of the connected circuits. Design expressions for the optimal via locations and lengths have been developed to support placement and routing algorithms for 3-D ICs.
Pacific Decadal Variability: The Tropical Pacific Mode and the North Pacific Mode*

Pacific decadal variability is studied in a series of coupled global ocean‐atmosphere simulations aided by two ‘‘modeling surgery’’ strategies: partial coupling (PC) and partial blocking (PB). The PC experiments retain full ocean‐atmosphere coupling in selected regions, but constrain ocean‐atmosphere coupling elsewhere by prescribing the model climatological SST to force the atmospheric component of the coupled system. In PB experiments, sponge walls are inserted into the ocean component of the coupled model at specified latitudinal bands to block the extratropical‐tropical oceanic teleconnection. Both modeling and observational studies suggest that Pacific decadal variability is composed of two distinct modes: a decadal to bidecadal tropical Pacific mode (TPM) and a multidecadal North Pacific mode (NPM). The PC and PB experiments showed that the tropical Pacific mode originates predominantly from local coupled ocean‐atmosphere interaction within the tropical Pacific. Extratropical‐tropical teleconnections, although not a necessary precondition for the genesis of the tropical decadal variability, can enhance SST variations in the Tropics. The decadal memory in the Tropics seems to be associated with tropical higher baroclinic modes. The North Pacific mode originates from local atmospheric stochastic processes and coupled ocean‐atmosphere interaction. Atmospheric stochastic forcing can generate a weaker NPM-like pattern in both the atmosphere and ocean, but with no preferred timescales. In contrast, coupled ocean‐atmosphere feedback can enhance the variability substantially and generate a basin-scale multidecadal mode in the North Pacific. The multidecadal memory in the midlatitudes seems to be associated with the delayed response of the subtropical/subpolar gyre to wind stress variation in the central North Pacific and the slow growing/decaying of SST anomalies that propagate eastward in the Kuroshio Extension region. Oceanic dynamics, particularly the advection of the mean temperature by anomalous meridional surface Ekman flow and western boundary currents, plays an important role in generating the North Pacific mode.
Is the Title Appropriate

To the Editor: I read with interest the excellent article by Jadon, et al … Address correspondence to Dr. A. Danve, e-mail: drdanve{at}hotmail.com
Health Insurance Portability: Access and Affordability

This Issue Brief provides summary data on the nation's insured and uninsured populations. It describes the characteristics of those whose health insurance status changed between 1994 and 1995. The report also presents the characteristics of groups that did not experience a change in insurance status. Finally, it examines the implications of the current health care reform debate on the issues of access and affordability.The March 1995 Current Population Survey (CPS) is the first CPS to ask questions about health insurance status during a point in time. The data indicate that 127.3 million nonelderly Americans, or 55.8 percent, had some form of employment-based health insurance. Most of those reporting employment-based health insurance (30.5 percent) received coverage through their own employer. Approximately 61.2 million nonelderly Americans (26.8 percent) were uninsured during the reference week in March 1995. This number is in contrast with the data showing that 50.7 million individuals lacked health insurance for at least one month during a 32-month period between 1991 and 1993 and 39.4 million were uninsured during the 1994 calendar year.One clear element of the current health reform debate is an interest in making health insurance more portable. Portability would allow workers and their families to change insurers without being subject to a new waiting period for preexisting conditions. EBRI tabulations indicate that 19.5 million nonelderly Americans had employment-based health insurance in 1994 and were uninsured in 1995. This represents 8.5 percent of the nonelderly population. Not all of these individuals will benefit from increased portability. Some may not have preexisting conditions, and others may not have had employment-based coverage long enough to qualify for portability.The recent health reform legislation would remove barriers to portability of health insurance and increase access. The reforms are driven by the belief that individuals who have been covered by prior health insurance should not be penalized when they change jobs or insurance companies. Current reforms to remove barriers to health insurance also include provisions that may make health insurance more affordable. Ultimately, these reforms will do little to significantly increase health insurance coverage and make health insurance more affordable if the gap between health care cost inflation and overall inflation is not eliminated. However, for those who can afford health insurance coverage, access will be improved.
Photoreflectance Characterization of the Semi-Insulating InP Substrate Interface with InGaAs and InAlAs Epilayers

Photoreflectance (PR) has been performed on a series of undoped and n-type, InGaAs and InAlAs molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) grown layers with different In mole fractions, and epilayer thicknesses on Fe-doped semi-insulating (SI)-InP substrates. From investigations of the temperature dependence, time constant dependence and an additional cw light beam intensity dependence, three substrate peaks are identified as an excitonic transition from the substrate, a free electron transition near the interface which gives a Franz-Keldysh oscillation (KFO), and a transition from the spin-orbit split-off valence band. The results are indicative of a redistribution of charge near the substrate interface in the process of MBE growth; the associated PR signal (phase) could be used for in-situ monitoring of epilayer growth on SI-InP wafers.
Sacrificial Silver Nanoparticles: Reducing GeI2 To Form Hollow Germanium Nanoparticles by Electroless Deposition

Herein we report the electroless deposition of Ge onto sacrificial Ag nanoparticle (NP) templates to form hollow Ge NPs. The formation of AgI is a necessary component for this reaction. Through a systematic study of surface passivating ligands, we determined that tri-n-octylphosphine is necessary to facilitate the formation of hollow Ge NPs by acting as a transport agent for GeI2 and the oxidized Ag+ cation (i.e., AgI product). Annular dark-field (ADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging of incomplete reactions revealed Ag/Ge core/shell NPs; in contrast, completed reactions displayed hollow Ge NPs with pinholes which is consistent with the known method for dissolution of the nanotemplate. Characterization of the hollow Ge NPs was performed by transmission electron microscopy, ADF-STEM, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, UV–vis spectrophotometry, and Raman spectroscopy. The galvanic replacement reaction of Ag with GeI2 offers a versatile method for controlling the structure of Ge na...
Many-Europes and the problem of power

The rival of many-Europes’ is a super-power Europe that reprises but redefines core concepts – peuple, frontier, sovereignty and national power – that many-Europes contests. At the heart of this rivalry is the problem of power. Efforts to define a specifically European style of power, as civilian, tranquil, or normative, would seem to cater to the post-national Europe that many-Europes advocates. But the word ‘power’ is haunted by the signifying trace of threatening performance and by the undecidability that this performance engenders. This trace of performative threat endows the word ‘power’ with aesthetic effect and causes it to co-exist in conceptual tension with the adjectives (civilian, tranquil, normative and others) that are supposed to domesticate it. I suggest that many-Europes represent itself to the world as an anti-power, and explore the writings of Patocka and Levinas to give this concept definition.
TMEM2 is a SOX4 regulated gene that mediates metastatic migration and invasion in breast cancer

The developmental transcription factor SOX4 contributes to the metastatic spread of multiple solid cancer types, but its direct target genes that mediate cancer progression are not well defined. Using a systematic molecular and genomic approach, we identified the TMEM2 transmembrane protein gene as a direct transcriptional target of SOX4. TMEM2 was transcriptionally activated by SOX4 in breast cancer cells where, like SOX4, TMEM2 was found to mediate pro-invasive and pro-migratory effects. Similarly, TMEM2 was sufficient to promote metastatic colonization of breast cancer cells and its expression in primary breast tumors associated with a higher likelihood of metastatic relapse. Given earlier evidence that genetic inactivation of SOX4 or TMEM2 yield similar defects in cardiac developmental, our findings lead us to propose that TMEM2 may not only mediate the pathologic effects of SOX4 on cancer progression but also potentially its contributions to embryonic development.
Stimulus statistics change sounds from near-indiscriminable to hyperdiscriminable

Objects and events in the sensory environment are generally predictable, making most of the energy impinging upon sensory transducers redundant. Given this fact, efficient sensory systems should detect, extract, and exploit predictability in order to optimize sensitivity to less predictable inputs that are, by definition, more informative. Not only are perceptual systems sensitive to changes in physical stimulus properties, but growing evidence reveals sensitivity both to relative predictability of stimuli and to co-occurrence of stimulus attributes within stimuli. Recent results revealed that auditory perception rapidly reorganizes to efficiently capture covariance among stimulus attributes. Acoustic properties per se were perceptually abandoned, and sounds were instead processed relative to patterns of co-occurrence. Here, we show that listeners' ability to distinguish sounds from one another is driven primarily by the extent to which they are consistent or inconsistent with patterns of covariation among stimulus attributes and, to a lesser extent, whether they are heard frequently or infrequently. When sounds were heard frequently and deviated minimally from the prevailing pattern of covariance among attributes, they were poorly discriminated from one another. In stark contrast, when sounds were heard rarely and markedly violated the pattern of covariance, they became hyperdiscriminable with discrimination performance beyond apparent limits of the auditory system. Plausible cortical candidates underlying these dramatic changes in perceptual organization are discussed. These findings support efficient coding of stimulus statistical structure as a model for both perceptual and neural organization.
Children as Subject and Object: Shelley v. Westbrook

Before any of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s six children was born, he had already invested into his ideas of childhood a complicated schema of power and influence that both objectifies and subjectifies the child, fictive or actual. Shelley’s ideas about children and childhood included, as biographer James Bieri notes, Socrates’s doctrine that reminiscences from an earlier life were the basis of knowledge and prompted him to stop a young mother carrying her infant across the Magdalen Bridge, inquiring of the dumbfounded woman, “Will your baby tell us anything about pre-existence, Madam?” (Bieri 131). In A Vindictztion of the Vegetable Diet (1813), the child brings an “unerring wisdom” of dietary choices; in Shelley’s poetry, the child presents an impervious and cheerful confidence or becomes a tragic victim found amidst the debris of the world. The Shelley v. Westbrook custody trial following the suicide of Shelley’s wife, Harriet Westbrook Shelley, was a watershed event in the poet’s life, an event that deepened and exacerbated his view of himself as a father and sharpened his purposes for images of the child in his poetry and prose. Shelley objectifies children as symbols and subjectifies them as parts of himself, especially in the role of victim. His letters before and during the trial offer a perspective through which to view this effect in his writings. In the letters, Shelley warns their recipients to protest against the destructive moral forces of the world, including their legal agency in the Court of Chancery that ruled against him.
Science, Innovation, and Social Work: Clash or Convergence?

Social work as a human services profession has been distinctive for its inclusion of research as a required element of practice and instrument in instigating reform. At the present time, the relati...
The Holocaust and Compensated Compliance in Italy: Fossoli di Carpi, 1942 to 1952

Emphasizing Italian participation in the development, administration, operation, postwar recasting, and memorialization of the Fossoli di Carpi camp, Alexis Herr’s monograph contributes to a body o...
On the effective rate of MISO/TAS systems in Rayleigh fading

The effective rate is an important metric that takes delay quality of service (QoS) requirements into consideration while analyzing the performance of wireless systems. In this paper we analyze the effective rate of multiple-input single-output (MISO) systems with transmit antenna selection (TAS) subject to Rayleigh fading. Specifically, we derive an analytical expression for the effective rate of MISO/TAS systems and closed form expressions for the effective rate in asymptotically high and low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regimes. Furthermore, we analyze the effective rate of MISO/TAS systems with large number of transmit antennas and derive an asymptotic analytical expression for it.
Influence of hydrophilic groups and metal-ion adsorption on polymer-chain conformation of amidoxime-based uranium adsorbents.

Abstract This study focuses on the influence of hydrophilic groups and metal-ion loading on adsorbent polymer conformation, which controls access to adsorption sites and may limit adsorption capacity. Gaining a better understanding of the factors that influence conformation may yield higher-capacity adsorbents. Polyamidoxime (PAO), deuterated-PAO polyacrylic acid diblock copolymers (d-PAO-b-PAA), and randomly configured copolymers (PAO-co-PAA) were synthesized and characterized by neutron reflectometry in air and D2O. For d-PAO-b-PAA, characterization was also performed after alkali conditioning and in simulated seawater. PAO and PAO-co-PAA, with similar molecular weight and grafting density, extended from 95-A thickness in air to 180 and 280-A in D2O, respectively. This result suggests that polymer swelling may cause the additional adsorption capacity observed when polymer hydrophilicity increases. Two d-PAO-b-PAA samples, A and B, with a d-PAO thickness of 55-A swelled to 110-A and 140-A, respectively, with an overall thickness increase of ∼160% in D2O. After alkali conditioning, molecular interactions increased the density of PAA near the PAO-PAA interface, while the d-PAO thickness only decreased by ∼10 A. The d-PAO thickness of both samples declined to ∼90-A after adsorption in simulated seawater due to polymer-chain crosslinking. These results are expected to aid in improving adsorbent synthesis to increase uranium capacity.
Negative urgency is correlated with the use of reflexive and disengagement emotion regulation strategies

Negative urgency predicts both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Although it is hypothesized that urgency is characterized by reflexive responses to negative emotion that focus on im...
On Neck Formation in the Cold Drawing of Viscoelastic Fibers

An asymptotic expression has been obtained for the axial tension in a slender rod of a non-linear viscoelastic material undergoing inhomogeneous stretch. This expression, which is valid to within an error of fourth order in diameter, gives the tension per unit cross-sectional area as a functional of the history of the local stretch and its first two spatial derivatives. The theory that results from treating the expression as exact is consistent with thermodynamical principles, and it yields a functional-differential equation for the stretch field that is amenable to numerical analysis. Computed solutions for creep under static loads show that for an appropriate class of materials with slowly fading memory there is a range of applied loads for which an initially homogeneous deformation evolves into a well defined neck whose edges, after a period of relatively quiescent incubation, advance rapidly along the fiber and in so doing transform moderately stretched material into highly stretched, i.e., drawn, material. The calculated fiber profiles and the predicted dynamics of neck formation and growth are in good accord with familiar observations.
Cohesive crack with rate-dependent opening and viscoelasticity: I. mathematical model and scaling

The time dependence of fracture has two sources: (1) the viscoelasticity of material behavior in the bulk of the structure, and (2) the rate process of the breakage of bonds in the fracture process zone which causes the softening law for the crack opening to be rate-dependent. The objective of this study is to clarify the differences between these two influences and their role in the size effect on the nominal strength of stucture. Previously developed theories of time-dependent cohesive crack growth in a viscoelastic material with or without aging are extended to a general compliance formulation of the cohesive crack model applicable to structures such as concrete structures, in which the fracture process zone (cohesive zone) is large, i.e., cannot be neglected in comparison to the structure dimensions. To deal with a large process zone interacting with the structure boundaries, a boundary integral formulation of the cohesive crack model in terms of the compliance functions for loads applied anywhere on the crack surfaces is introduced. Since an unopened cohesive crack (crack of zero width) transmits stresses and is equivalent to no crack at all, it is assumed that at the outset there exists such a crack, extending along the entire future crack path (which must be known). Thus it is unnecessary to deal mathematically with a moving crack tip, which keeps the formulation simple because the compliance functions for the surface points of such an imagined preexisting unopened crack do not change as the actual front of the opened part of the cohesive crack advances. First the compliance formulation of the cohesive crack model is generalized for aging viscoelastic material behavior, using the elastic-viscoelastic analogy (correspondence principle). The formulation is then enriched by a rate-dependent softening law based on the activation energy theory for the rate process of bond ruptures on the atomic level, which was recently proposed and validated for concrete but is also applicable to polymers, rocks and ceramics, and can be applied to ice if the nonlinear creep of ice is approximated by linear viscoelasticity. Some implications for the characteristic length, scaling and size effect are also discussed. The problems of numerical algorithm, size effect, roles of the different sources of time dependence and rate effect, and experimental verification are left for a subsequent companion paper.
Initial Value Problems for ODEs: One-Step Methods

Initial value problems for ordinary differential equations (ODEs) occur in almost all the sciences, notably in mechanics (including celestial mechanics), where the motion of particles (resp., planets) is governed by Newton’s second law – a system of second-order differential equations.
Learning to Rank on a Cluster using Boosted Decision Trees

We investigate the problem of learning to rank on a cluster using Web search data composed of 140,000 queries and approximately fourteen million URLs, and a boosted tree ranking algorithm called LambdaMART. We compare to a baseline algorithm that has been carefully engineered to allow training on the full dataset using a single machine, in order to evaluate the loss or gain incurred by the distributed algorithms we consider. Our contributions are two-fold: (1) we implement a method for improving the speed of training when the training data fits in main memory on a single machine; (2) we develop a training method for the case where the training data size exceeds the main memory of a single machine that easily scales to far larger datasets, i.e., billions of examples, and is based on data distribution. Results of our methods on a real-world Web dataset indicate significant improvements in training speed.
Gypsy Music: The Balkans and Beyond

Attempts to describe and analyze Gypsy culture, let alone music played by Roma people in the 21st century, are crippled by a lack of written historical record and context, and the paucity of materi...
Audio Classification Based on Weakly Labeled Data

Audio event detection and classification are critical tasks in the analysis of multimedia data. Most current research on this topic focuses on processing strongly labeled data and using fully supervised machine learning techniques. However, many sources of multimedia data lack detailed annotation and rather have only high-level meta-data describing the main content of various long segments of the data. We propose a novel framework to perform audio classification when working with such weakly labeled data. A traditional approach to this problem is to use techniques for strongly labeled data and then to deal with the weak nature of the labels via post-processing. In contrast, our approach directly addresses the weakly labeled aspect of the data by classifying longer windows of data based on the clustering behavior of the acoustic features over time. We evaluate the proposed framework using both synthetic datasets and real data and demonstrate that our method can significantly outperform the traditional approach.
Natural pattern-recognition-receptor agonists in prophylactic vaccines for in situ vaccination of lymphoma.

e14516Background: In patients with advanced-stage lymphoma, in situ vaccination has yielded partial and complete remissions in phase I/II clinical trials. Though responses have been observed with v...
Quality and Feasibility of Automated Digital Retinal Imaging in the Emergency Department

Abstract Background Emergency physicians (EPs) frequently evaluate patients at risk for sight-threatening conditions but may have difficulty performing direct ophthalmoscopy effectively. Digital fundus photography offers a potential alternative. Objective We sought to assess the performance of an automated digital retinal imaging platform in a real-world emergency department. Methods We performed a prospective, observational study of emergency department patients who were at risk for acute, nontraumatic, posterior segment pathology. Photographs were obtained using an automated digital retinal camera and were subsequently reviewed by an ophthalmologist. We recorded the number of attempts required, total time required, patient comfort, and findings on EP-performed direct ophthalmoscopy, if performed. Results Of 123 participants completing the study, 93 (75.6%) had ≥1 eye with a diagnostically useful image, while 29 (23.6%) had no photographs of diagnostic value. The mean number of attempts required to obtain images was 1.45 (range 1–3) and the mean elapsed time required to complete photography was 109.6 s. The mean patient comfort score was 4.6 on a 5-point scale, where 5 was the most comfortable. Direct ophthalmoscopy was performed by an emergency department provider for 19 (15.4%) patients. Acute findings were noted in 14 patients during expert review of fundus photographs, though in only 2 of these cases was direct ophthalmoscopy performed by an EP with only 1 finding ultimately identified correctly. Conclusions Automated digital imaging of the ocular fundus is rapidly performed, is well tolerated by patients, and can be used to obtain diagnostic quality images without the use of pharmacologic pupillary dilation in most emergency department patients who are at risk for acute posterior segment pathology.
Management of multiple myeloma during COVID-19 pandemic

At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus was identified as the cause of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, a city in the Hubei Province of China. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern and, in March 2020, began to characterize it as a pandemic. The virus that causes COVID-19 is designated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) In February 2020, the World Health Organization designated the disease COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019.
Research Productivity of Foot and Ankle Fellowship Faculty

BackgroundContribution to literature is critical for progress in the field of orthopaedics. No previous study has yet examined the academic productivity of foot and ankle surgery fellowship faculty...
Subungual Schwannoma, a Rare Entity: A Case Report and Literature Review

We present a case of a 26-year-old right hand dominant male landscaper with a slow growing right ring finger subungual mass. MRI confirmed a 0.9 × 1.5 × 0.9 cm well circumscribed subungual mass believed to be consistent with a glomus tumor, although size and symptoms were not consistent with that diagnosis. The mass was completely excised and diagnosis of schwannoma was confirmed by H&E histology. A literature search was performed utilizing the term "subungual schwannoma." Four case reports were found describing this diagnosis in the hand as well as a single case report describing it in the foot. In summary, this is a 26-year-old male who presents with a schwannoma in the unusual subungual location. Although rare, based on our case and the existing literature, subungual schwannomas should be included in the differential diagnosis of a slow growing subungual mass, particularly if symptoms and exam are inconsistent with more common etiologies.
Identifying possible surrogate markers of COVID19 as a supplement to diagnostic testing in Upstate New York

Introduction COVID19 has raised concerns for resource allocation across various sectors of healthcare. At the frontlines, emergency departments are required to triage a wide range of acuity and non-specific symptomology. Methods This retrospective study aimed to pave the way for more concrete detection and triage of patients by analyzing symptomology, physical findings, diagnostic testing and relevant hospital course of the 458 suspected cases that initially presented to an academic level one trauma center emergency department between March and August 2020. A total of 202 COVID positive cases were analyzed. Results The most common symptoms were cough (70.63%), fatigue (77%), and shortness of breath (59%). There was a significantly higher percentage of abnormal chest imaging in inpatient groups compared to the ED discharge group (42.86% vs 79%, p < 0.01). Laboratory studies, especially markers of inflammation (CRP, ESR), markers of tissue damage (lactic acid, troponin), and markers of infection were markedly higher and above normal reference ranges in complicated cases (p < 0.01). While there is limited data on the sensitivity and specificity of the current nasopharyngeal PCR test, there was no permutation of symptoms, physical findings, diagnostic testing that was more sensitive than that of the current PCR test calculated at 66.1% in our cohort. Conclusion Laboratory studies that otherwise are more commonly conducted inpatient, including markers of inflammation, tissue damage, and infection, may be useful in disposition planning of ED patients in conjunction with clinical correlation of presentation and chest imaging.
A Decision Guidance System for COVID-19 Comprehensive Mitigation with Pareto-Optimal Health, Cost and Productivity Outcomes

This paper reports on the design and development of a decision guidance system to make actionable recommendations on a COVID-19 comprehensive mitigation protocol that is Pareto-Optimal in terms of health outcomes, mitigation cost and productivity loss. The comprehensive mitigation protocol includes personal protection and social distancing; use of smart applications for symptom reporting and contact tracing; targeted testing based on identification of individuals with possible exposure and/or infection via symptom reporting and contact tracing; random surveillance testing, and; shelter, quarantine and isolation procedures. The decision guidance system (1) gets, as input, expert-generated configurations of epidemiological parameters and assumptions on population behavior, (2) precomputes a database of discretized Pareto-optimal mitigation protocol alternatives based on which it (3) provides decision makers an iterative methodology of (a) Pareto-optimal KPI graphing and trade-off analysis (between health, cost and productivity outcomes), (b) detailed comparison of selected Pareto-optimal mitigation protocol alternatives, and (c) what-if analysis for selected protocol alternatives, including disease progression over the time horizon and sensitivity analysis to refine and converge on the mitigation protocol to be used.
Spatially Covarying Patterns of Gray Matter Volume and Concentration Highlight Distinct Regions in Schizophrenia

Introduction: Individuals with schizophrenia have consistent gray matter reduction throughout the cortex when compared to healthy individuals. However, the reduction patterns vary based on the quantity (concentration or volume) utilized by study. The objective of this study was to identify commonalities between gray matter concentration and gray matter volume effects in schizophrenia. Methods: We performed both univariate and multivariate analyses of case/control effects on 145 gray matter images from 66 participants with schizophrenia and 79 healthy controls, and processed to compare the concentration and volume estimates. Results: Diagnosis effects in the univariate analysis showed similar areas of volume and concentration reductions in the insula, occipitotemporal gyrus, temporopolar area, and fusiform gyrus. In the multivariate analysis, healthy controls had greater gray matter volume and concentration additionally in the superior temporal gyrus, prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, calcarine, and thalamus. In the univariate analyses there was moderate overlap between gray matter concentration and volume across the entire cortex (r = 0.56, p = 0.02). The multivariate analyses revealed only low overlap across most brain patterns, with the largest correlation (r = 0.37) found in the cerebellum and vermis. Conclusions: Individuals with schizophrenia showed reduced gray matter volume and concentration in previously identified areas of the prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and thalamus. However, there were only moderate correlations across the cortex when examining the different gray matter quantities. Although these two quantities are related, concentration and volume do not show identical results, and therefore, should not be used interchangeably in the literature.
Mining and Using Glycan Array Data with the GlycoSearch Analysis Program and GlycanBinder Database

Glycan array technology has revolutionized the study of the glycan-binding specificities of lectins. Developers of glycan arrays are continually increasing the diversity and scope of the arrays, bringing the potential to better determine the rules that govern lectin binding. But with this opportunity comes the challenge of increased difficulty in understanding what the data mean. This article gives an overview of a bioinformatics tool for analyzing and mining glycan array data. The GlycanBinder database contains analyzed data, raw data, and metadata from thousands of glycan array experiments, and the GlycoSearch program enables mining of the experiments and the database. We describe some ways to use this tool: delving into individual data sets, analyzing the relationships between various lectins and antibodies, finding lectins or antibodies that bind to particular glycans, and using the output of the analyses in the interpretation of lectin experiments.
Analyses of beta-thalassemia mutant DNA interactions with erythroid Krüppel-like factor (EKLF), an erythroid cell-specific transcription factor.

We describe functional tests and molecular modeling of erythroid Kruppel-like factor (EKLF) interactions with its DNA binding site. EKLF, a zinc finger-containing, erythroid-specific transcription factor, binds and transactivates from the CACCC element, an evolutionarily conserved DNA sequence present within a large number of erythroid-specific promoters and enhancers. This DNA binding element is the site of naturally occurring point mutations that give rise to beta-thalassemia. We have directly tested whether CAC site point mutations (including two of the beta-thalassemia mutants) affect EKLF transactivation and DNA binding function. In vivo analyses demonstrate that EKLF is unable to transactivate a reporter plasmid that contains these mutations. In vitro analyses reveal a 40-100-fold decrease in binding affinity for these sites that accounts for the in vivo observations. The homology between the three EKLF and Zif268 zinc fingers and their conserved sequence-specific contacts to their target site allowed us to formulate a molecular model of the EKLF/CAC site complex, based primarily on energy minimization/refinement of the Zif268/DNA co-crystal structure. These models suggest that both specific and nonspecific hydrogen bonding play a critical role in the ability of EKLF to prefer binding to its cognate site. Analysis of sequence-specific contacts by EKLF to its target site within the beta-globin promoter verified the residues predicted to be important by the functional and modeling data. Together these results demonstrate that EKLF displays a strong discriminatory ability among potential DNA target sites consistent with the beta-thalassemia data. They also suggest that lack of EKLF binding to these sites may play a determining role in its phenotype, and they strengthen the evidence in favor of EKLF's proposed role in erythroid-specific transcriptional activation through the CACCC elements.
Patterned compliance in robotic finger pads for versatile surface usage in dexterous manipulation

The design of finger pads for robotic and prosthetic hands is often overlooked, with relatively simple shapes and mechanical properties typically used. The finger pad geometry and mechanical properties are especially important for within-hand dexterous manipulation, and human finger usage patterns suggest extending robotic finger pad usage onto side surfaces could enable a wider range of manipulation motion. In this work, we propose a novel finger pad design that combines a ridged stiff inner structure with air gaps and a flexible outer skin to facilitate both grasp stability and versatile usage of the finger surface. The air gaps enable objects to displace the outer skin and stably settle between two adjacent ridges. During manipulation, the ridges can also serve as predictable pivot points. Experimental results comparing three ridged finger designs to a conventional solid core design show that the ridged designs consistently outperform the reference solid core design for all objects, in terms of the ability to stably manipulate objects through a large motion range without ejection (losing grip on the object). Designs with larger spaces between ridges performed better overall than designs with closer spacing, showing that larger “wells” allow objects to more stably settle into the space between ridges. We anticipate the novel finger pad designs and the analysis of their behavior will inform future robotic hand designs, especially designs which aim to incorporate side finger usage.
A new structural induction scheme for proving properties of mutually recursive concepts

Structural induction schemes have been used for mechanically proving properties of self-recursive concepts in previous research. However, based on those schemes, it becomes very difficult to automatically generate the right induction hypotheses whenever the conjectures are involved with mutually recursive concepts. This paper will show that the difficulties come mainly from the weak induction schemes provided in the past, and a strong induction scheme is needed for the mutually defined concepts. Furthermore, a generalized induction principle is provided to smoothly integrate both schemes. Thus, in this mechanical induction, hypotheses are generated by mixing strong induction schemes with weak inductions schemes. While the weak induction schemes are suggested by selfrecursive concepts, the strong induction schemes are suggested by mutually recursive concepts.
Threat Signatures of Explosive Materials

This article describes how the properties of explosive compounds and materials can place them into categories for their detection (trace or bulk technologies) and for the application (detection of explosives carried by humans or contained in inanimate objects such as packages or vehicles). Because some bulk techniques employ ionizing radiation for creating images of the suspect item, they are unsafe for human application and therefore trace detection methodologies, including chemical analysis or canine investigation, are more appropriate. The article identifies commonly employed explosive compounds and how current technologies exploit their inherent properties to detect the presence of explosives, in either residue (microscopic) or bulk (macroscopic) quantities. Keywords: high explosives; trace explosives detection; bulk explosives detection; vapor pressure; probing radiation source; taggants
Vibrational Excitations of Low Energy e-CO Scattering

Hybrid theory, proposed by Chandra and Temkin1 and reformulated by Choi and Poe,2 was applied to the study of the vibrational transitions for low energy e-CO scattering. In this theory, the vibrational states of target molecules were coupled dynamically through the close-coupling approximation but with the direction of molecular axes fixed. The simultaneous vibrational and rotational transitions are then obtained from the adiabatic-nuclei approximation.
A resonance suppression method for GaN-based single-phase quasi-Z-source PV inverter with high switching frequency

By utilizing next-gen wide band-gap (WBG) devices, such as GaN and SiC, at high switching frequency in a single-phase Quasi-Z-Source PV inverter (qZSI), the impedance network can be significantly reduced. Although, the reduced qZS impedance network will decrease cost and improved power density, it will also result in frequency resonance that will introduce oscillations in the capacitor voltage and increase system losses. Thus, these resonances must be properly mitigated. Traditional methods only apply to two-stage power conditioning systems and/or require a low voltage control bandwidth, which is unsuitable for the GaN-based qZSI. Therefore, this paper proposes an active damping control method to suppress the high frequency resonance that results from the reduced impedance network in a single phase qZSI. A 1-kW prototype is built and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed control method.
IURead: a new computer-based reading test.

Purpose To develop a computer-based single sentence reading test especially designed for clinical research enabling multiple repeat trials without reusing the same sentences. Methods We initially developed 422 sentences, with an average of 60 characters and 12 words. Presentation controls were improved by employing computer-based testing and the oral reading was recorded by visual inspection of digital audio recordings. Variability in reading speed of normally sighted adults between sentences, between charts, between subjects, between formats, and between display devices was quantified. The impact of display size and pixel resolution on test geometry was assessed, and the impact of reduced retinal image quality and retinal illuminance were compared for reading and standard letter acuities. Eleven visually normal subjects (age: 18–60 years) participated in this study. Results Stopwatch timing of sentences reliably underestimated reading times by about 0.3 s, and exhibited coefficients of repeatability 17 times larger than those estimated from visual inspection of digital recordings. A slight relaxing of the lexical content constraints had no effect on reading speed; neither did sentence format (single vs three lines) or display size or distance. Within subject standard deviations of reading speed for different sentences were small (between 6% and 9% of the mean speed) requiring only small samples sizes to achieve typical statistical reliability and power when comparing conditions within individual subjects. The greater variability associated with stopwatch timing necessitates larger sample sizes. As defocus and light level were varied, reading acuity and standard letter acuity were highly correlated (r2 = 0.99), and reading acuity was slightly better. Discussion A computer-based IURead reading test provides a useful reading speed and reading acuity tool for clinical research involving multiple conditions and repeat testing of individual subjects. Ready to use IURead files for use with a computer, tablet or cell phone can be downloaded from our lab website (https://www.opt.indiana.edu/Bradley/Downloads.aspx).
Starvation Ketoacidosis: A Cause of Severe Anion Gap Metabolic Acidosis in Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a diabetogenic state characterized by relative insulin resistance, enhanced lipolysis, elevated free fatty acids and increased ketogenesis. In this setting, short period of starvation can precipitate ketoacidosis. This sequence of events is recognized as “accelerated starvation.” Metabolic acidosis during pregnancy may have adverse impact on fetal neural development including impaired intelligence and fetal demise. Short periods of starvation during pregnancy may present as severe anion gap metabolic acidosis (AGMA). We present a 41-year-old female in her 32nd week of pregnancy, admitted with severe AGMA with pH 7.16, anion gap 31, and bicarbonate of 5 mg/dL with normal lactate levels. She was intubated and accepted to medical intensive care unit. Urine and serum acetone were positive. Evaluation for all causes of AGMA was negative. The diagnosis of starvation ketoacidosis was established in absence of other causes of AGMA. Intravenous fluids, dextrose, thiamine, and folic acid were administered with resolution of acidosis, early extubation, and subsequent normal delivery of a healthy baby at full term. Rapid reversal of acidosis and favorable outcome are achieved with early administration of dextrose containing fluids.
Cardiac arrhythmias during peritoneoscopy under local anesthesia.

Thirty consecutive patients undergoing diagnostic peritoneoscopy using carbon dioxide (CO2) pneumoperitoneum with local anesthesia were studied to determine the incidence and types of cardiac arrhythmias occurring during the procedure. All patients received heavy sedation with diazepam intravenously and parenteral analgesics when necessary, but no general anesthesia. There was no mortality or unusual morbidity resulting from the procedure. None of the patients developed serious cardiac arrhythmias despite the presence of underlying cardiovascular disease in 16 of them, and none of the patients developed significant carbon dioxide retention or hypoxemia. A potentially dangerous finding was temporary diastolic hypertension occurring in 6 patients. It is concluded that if properly performed, peritoneoscopy with carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum in the conscious patient, despite heavy sedation and analgesia to combat peritoneal irritation, produces no dangerous cardiac arrhythmias. Previous reports of cardiac arrhythmias occurring during the same procedure performed under general anesthesia are discussed.
Sin3 interacts with Foxk1 and regulates myogenic progenitors.

We have previously reported Foxk1 as an important transcription factor in the myogenic progenitors. SWI-independent-3 (Sin3) has been identified as a Foxk1 binding candidate using a yeast two-hybrid screen. In the present study, we have identified the Foxk1 N-terminal (1–40) region as the Sin3 interacting domain (SID), and the PAH2 of Sin3 as the Foxk1 binding domain utilizing yeast two-hybrid and GST pull-down assays. Further studies revealed that knockdown of Sin3a or Sin3b results in cell cycle arrest and upregulation of cell cycle inhibitor genes. In summary, our present studies have shown that Foxk1 interacts with Sin3 through the SID and that Sin3 has an important role in the regulation of cell cycle kinetics of the MPC population. The results of these studies continue to define and assemble the networks that regulate the MPCs and muscle regeneration.
Regional analysis of electricity demand growth

Abstract This paper presents the regional electricity demand-forecasting model developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The model forecasts electricity demand and price by sector and by state. Econometric models are estimated for each of the nine census regions separately, using pooled time-series and cross-sectional (state) data. Thus, the estimated demand elasticities used in the forecasting model vary from region to region. The paper also presents and analyzes the most recent forecasts for nine selected states. The results show that electricity demand will continue to grow in all sectors and in all states. However, the rates of growth will be considerably lower than those observed in the 1950s and 1960s. Furthermore, the forecasted rates of growth in electricity demand vary considerably from state to state. The reasons for these variations being the different patterns of projected future growth in population, income, and industrial activities, as well as the different degrees of demand responsiveness to price changes among states. These regional variations of electricity demand growth suggest that forecasts at the national level should not be used as the basis for making energy policies at the regional or state level.
Effects of Nicarbazin in Diet on Mottled Yolks 2. Lipids

Abstract THE complex chemical nature of normal egg yolk material is well documented; however, few reports are available on the comparative chemical composition of mottled egg yolks. Silvestrini et al. (1965) reported in Part 1 of this study that mottled yolks could readily be obtained by feeding Nicarbazin3 to laying hens, and that the severity of mottling increased during shell egg storage. Differences in the lipoproteins between normal and mottled egg yolks were also reported. Since egg yolks contain a high percentage of lipid material, changes in ether or alcohol extractable lipids might occur during the mottling process. This study was conducted to determine differences, if any, in egg yolk lipids between normal and mottled yolks. Romanoff and Romanoff (1949) reported that egg yolk lipids contained 62.3 percent neutral fats, 32.8 percent phospholipids, 4.9 percent sterols and a trace of cerebrosides. Yolk fatty acid fraction was composed of approximately 50 percent…