cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tin oxide overcoats for thin film magnetic recording media

Material and tribological properties of reactively sputtered tin oxide films were determined as a function of deposition conditions. Increased substrate deposition temperature is shown to improve hardness and to lower wear rate. An oxygen partial pressure of around 0.01 Pa yields maximum hardness and minimum stress and wear rate. Films prepared at these partial pressures and at 150 degrees C are stoichiometric and crystalline. Thin-film magnetic recording media with lubricated tin oxide overcoats have low static friction and good start/stop features. >
O-GlcNAc Cycling Enzymes Associate with the Translational Machinery and Modify Core Ribosomal Proteins

Protein synthesis is globally regulated through posttranslational modifications of initiation and elongation factors. Recent high-throughput studies have identified translation factors and ribosomal proteins (RPs) as substrates for the O-GlcNAc modification. Here we determine the extent and abundance of O-GlcNAcylated proteins in translational preparations. O-GlcNAc is present on many proteins that form active polysomes. We identify twenty O-GlcNAcylated core RPs, of which eight are newly reported. We map sites of O-GlcNAc modification on four RPs (L6, L29, L32, and L36). RPS6, a component of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, follows different dynamics of O-GlcNAcylation than nutrient-induced phosphorylation. We also show that both O-GlcNAc cycling enzymes OGT and OGAse strongly associate with cytosolic ribosomes. Immunofluorescence experiments demonstrate that OGAse is present uniformly throughout the nucleus, whereas OGT is excluded from the nucleolus. Moreover, nucleolar stress only alters OGAse nuclear staining, but not OGT staining. Lastly, adenovirus-mediated overexpression of OGT, but not of OGAse or GFP control, causes an accumulation of 60S subunits and 80S monosomes. Our results not only establish that O-GlcNAcylation extensively modifies RPs, but also suggest that O-GlcNAc play important roles in regulating translation and ribosome biogenesis.
A true random number generator using time-dependent dielectric breakdown

A true random number generator (tRNG) is proposed that, for the first time, uses the random physical process of time to oxide breakdown under voltage stress. Time to breakdown is repeatedly measured with a counter and serialized into a bitstream. The 1200 µm2 tRNG, called OxiGen, was fabricated in 65 nm CMOS, passes all 15 NIST randomness tests without post-processing and in a 3 month run generated sufficient bits for worst-case expected internet use while being &#60; 10% exhausted.
Indian transportation: A sectoral approach to developmental constraints

Abstract : The mode-by-mode analysis of Indian transportation has turned up two principal problems, the likelihood of unnecessary investment in the railroads due to an inappropriate rate structure and discrimination against highway transportation. Generalizations can be made as to the underlying reasons for these and other transportation problems discussed. Perhaps two themes can be discerned. One is the continuing position of dominance that the Railways have been able to maintain in many areas by virtue of the fact that they are a well established government ministry rather than the economic merits of their services. The other is the conflicting transportation policies pursued by different branches of the Indian Government. While the general country constraints have a role to play in formulating broad development strategy, there is sufficient difference between them and the more specific problems brought out to suggest the importance of sectoral analyses of constraints. The importance of such a sectoral analysis for developing a policy for administering foreign aid to transportation is evidence; studies of a number of sectors will also greatly aid in reaching valid conclusions about the more general constraints on Indian development. (Author)
Caenorhabditis elegans Galphaq regulates egg-laying behavior via a PLCbeta-independent and serotonin-dependent signaling pathway and likely functions both in the nervous system and in muscle.

egl-30 encodes the single C. elegans ortholog of vertebrate Gα q family members. We analyzed the expression pattern of EGL-30 and found that it is broadly expressed, with highest expression in the nervous system and in pharyngeal muscle. We isolated dominant, gain-of-function alleles of egl-30 as intragenic revertants of an egl-30 reduction-of-function mutation. Using these gain-of-function mutants and existing reduction-of-function mutants, we examined the site and mode of action of EGL-30. On the basis of pharmacological analysis, it has been determined that egl-30 functions both in the nervous system and in the vulval muscles for egg-laying behavior. Genetic epistasis over mutations that eliminate detectable levels of serotonin reveals that egl-30 requires serotonin to regulate egg laying. Furthermore, pharmacological response assays strongly suggest that EGL-30 may directly couple to a serotonin receptor to mediate egg laying. We also examined genetic interactions with mutations in the gene that encodes the single C. elegans homolog of PLCβ and mutations in genes that encode signaling molecules downstream of PLCβ. We conclude that PLCβ functions in parallel with egl-30 with respect to egg laying or is not the major effector of EGL-30. In contrast, PLCβ-mediated signaling is likely downstream of EGL-30 with respect to pharyngeal-pumping behavior. Our data indicate that there are multiple signaling pathways downstream of EGL-30 and that different pathways could predominate with respect to the regulation of different behaviors.
Studies of molecular properties at the surface of a liquid jet by second harmonic generation

Abstract We report the use of second harmonic generation (SHG) to study kinetics of adsorption of p -nitrophenol at the air/water interface of a flowing jet. Measurements of the SH signal strength and the polarization of the SH light at various distances (times) along the jet axis yield information about the development of the population density and orientation of nitrophenol at the air/water interface. The kinetics of adsorption are consistent with the Langmuir theory. The free energy of adsorption obtained from the jet experiments was the same as that obtained from static experiments. The orientation of nitrophenol at the jet air/solution interface was the same as for the static (equilibrium) interface; orientational equilibrium is rapidly achieved.
Local Correlations in Codon Preferences Do Not Support a Model of tRNA Recycling

Summary It has been proposed that patterns in the usage of synonymous codons provide evidence that individual tRNA molecules are recycled through the ribosome, translating several occurrences of the same amino acid before diffusing away. The claimed evidence is based on counting the frequency with which pairs of synonymous codons are used at nearby occurrences of the same amino acid, as compared to the frequency expected if each codon were chosen independently from a single genome-wide distribution. We show that such statistics simply measure variation in codon preferences across a genome. As a negative control on the potential contribution of pressure to exploit tRNA recycling on these signals, we examine correlations in the usage of codons that encode different amino acids. We find that these controls are statistically as strong as the claimed evidence and conclude that there is no informatic evidence that tRNA recycling is a force shaping codon usage.
Forecast of VLSI processing&#8212;A historical review of the first dry-processed IC

The principles of the flat-plate, radial flow plasma reactor and its rapid proliferation into production at Texas Instruments will be reviewed. From this foundation it was logical to attempt the fabrication of a semiconductor integrated circuit by all dry means. An electrically operating double-level metal CCD shift register was fabricated in late 1975 with no liquids other than DI water and photoresist. Silicon, oxide, nitride, and aluminum were all plasma-etched. Photoresist was both developed and removed by novel dry means.
3D Measurements in Cargo Inspection with a Gamma-Ray Linear Pushbroom Stereo System

In this paper we present a practical approach for 3D measurements in gamma-ray (or X-ray) cargo inspection. The linear pushbroom sensor model is used for such a gamma-ray scanning system. Thanks to the constraints of the real scanning system, we model the system by using a linear pushbroom model with only one rotation angle instead of three. This greatly simplifies the calibration procedure and increases the robustness of the parameter estimation. Using only the knowledge of the dimensions of a cargo container, we automatically calibrate the sensor and find all the sensor parameters, including the image center, the focal length, the 3D sensor starting location, the viewing direction, and the scanning speed. Then, a semi-automated stereo reconstruction approach is proposed to obtain 3D measurements of objects inside the cargo by using two such scanning systems with different scanning angles to construct a pushbroom stereo system. Experimental results of 3D measurements and visualization of a 3D cargo container and the objects inside are presented. With both the interactive matching procedure and the 3D visualization interface, the 3D measurements could add more value to todays cargo inspection systems.
Heterogeneous die stacking of SRAM row cache and 3-D DRAM: An empirical design evaluation

As DRAM scaling becomes more challenging and its energy efficiency receives a growing concern for data center operation, an alternative approach— stacking DRAM die with thru-silicon vias (TSV) using 3-D integration technology is being undertaken by industry to address these looming issues. Furthermore, 3-D technology also enables heterogeneous die stacking within one DRAM package. In this paper, we study how to design such a heterogeneous DRAM chip for improving both performance and energy efficiency, in particular, we propose a novel floorplan and several architectural techniques to fully exploit the benefits of 3-D die stacking technology when integrating an SRAM row cache into a DRAM chip. Our multi-core simulation results show that, by tightly integrating a small row cache with its corresponding DRAM array, we can improve performance by 30% while saving dynamic energy by 31% for memory intensive applications.
Development and use of a floristic quality index for coastal Louisiana marshes

The Floristic Quality Index (FQI) has been used as a tool for assessing the integrity of plant communities and for assessing restoration projects in many regions of the USA. Here, we develop a modified FQI (FQI(mod)) for coastal Louisiana wetlands and verify it using 12 years of monitoring data from a coastal restoration project. Plant species that occur in coastal Louisiana were assigned a coefficient of conservatism (CC) score by a local group with expertise in Louisiana coastal vegetation. Species percent cover and both native and non-native species were included in the FQI(mod) which was scaled from 0-100. The FQI(mod) scores from the long-term monitoring project demonstrated the utility of this index for assessing wetland condition over time, including its sensitivity to a hurricane. Ultimately, the FQI developed for coastal Louisiana will be used in conjunction with other wetland indices (e.g., hydrology and soils) to assess wetland condition coastwide and these indices will aid managers in coastal restoration and management decisions.
People and policies: transforming the human-computer partnership

Policy-driven systems represent a significant change in the human-computer partnership as substantial responsibility is shifted from people to systems. In fact, the shift to policy-driven systems may be understood as a set of specific, distinctive changes in this partnership. This paper describes six such distinctive features of mature policy-driven systems from the human viewpoint and discusses the implications of these for the development of policies and the operation of policy-driven systems.
Truncated Activin Type I Receptor Alk4 Isoforms Are Dominant Negative Receptors Inhibiting Activin Signaling

Activin, a member of the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) superfamily of cytokines, inhibits cell proliferation in a variety of cell types. The functions of activin are mediated by type I and type II serine/threonine kinase receptors. The main type I receptor mediating activin signaling in human cells is ActRIB, also called Alk4. We have previously reported that several truncated Alk4 receptor isoforms are exclusively expressed in human pituitary tumors, and that the majority of such tumors did not exhibit activin-induced growth arrest in culture. We therefore studied the function of these truncated receptor isoforms. Transient expression of these truncated receptors inhibited activin-activated transcription from an activin-responsive reporter construct, 3TPLux. When each of these truncated Alk4 receptors was stably transfected into K562 cells, activin-induced expression of an endogenous gene, junB, was blocked, indicating that inhibition of gene expression also occurred at the chromosomal level. Furth...
International Communism and the Spanish Civil War: Solidarity and Suspicion

Introduction: being communist Part I. International Communists and the Soviet Union, 1930-6: 1. Learning to be Bolshevik 2. Imagining, seeing, feeling the revolution Part II. Being Bolshevik, Making History in Spain, 1936-9: 3. 'All advanced and progressive humanity' 4. True Bolsheviks and Trotskyite bastards 5. Best comrades, tough guys, and respectable communists Part III. International Communists and the Memory of the Spanish Civil War, 1939-53 6. From 'our war' to the great fatherland war 7. The early Cold War and the fate of 'progressive humanity' Epilogue: internationalism and the Spanish Civil War after Stalin.
Other LMSType Algorithms

This chapter contains sections titled: Non-Blind Algorithms Blind Algorithms Some Properties
Rapid identification and authentication of closely related animal cell culture by polymerase chain reaction

Animal cell lines are important resources for research and diagnostic applications. Cross-contamination and misidentification of cell lines, however, can cause major problems for research (for example, false results that come from contamination cells may mislead the science). Hence, it is imperative to routinely monitor cell lines for identity and authenticity. Here, we extend our previous work on identification and authentication of animal cell culture by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and DNA sequencing. A PCR-based method for rapid identification and authentication of closely related cell lines was described. In this method, two new primers were designed based on high homology in the aldolase gene family. Used together with our previous primers, the combinations of primers were able to differentiate closely related species, including human from monkey and mouse from rat. This PCR assay provides a rapid, simple, sensitive, and cost-effective method for authentication of closely related cell lines.
Assessing intra-basin spatial variability in geochemical and isotopic signatures in the sediments of a small neotropical lake

We examined intra-basin spatial variability of sedimentary geochemical and isotopic signals using a network of five sediment cores from a small lake in southern Costa Rica with a history of prehistoric maize agriculture in its watershed. All cores show a similar pattern of agricultural activity (2000–1000 cal yr BP), a transitional period of forest recovery (1000–675 cal yr BP), and a period after forest reestablishment (675–400 cal yr BP). During the agricultural period, bulk sediment stable carbon isotope ratios (δ13CTOC) indicate significant forest clearance, percent total organic carbon (%TOC) is low due to accelerated erosion and dilution from mineral inputs to the lake, and carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratios are consistent with increased productivity. At the conclusion of the agricultural period, δ13CTOC and %TOC indicate rapid forest recovery and reduced mineral inputs and C/N ratios suggest lower lake productivity. There is little between-core variation in the magnitude of the agricultural signal for the four cores taken near the shore, but these cores indicate different timing for the end of widespread agriculture in the watershed. Three of these four cores indicate nearly all agriculture ended by 1000 cal yr BP, but in the fourth core agricultural indicators persist until 675 cal yr BP. The core from the center of the lake shows a gradual decline in proxies indicating agriculture from 950 to 650 cal yr BP, which suggests sediment-reworking processes are integrating material from the entire basin as it is transported to the deeper portions of the lake. Differences between the records from the cores recovered near the shore illustrate the potential of multiple core studies to create spatially explicit paleoenvironmental reconstructions, while the delayed and less abrupt changes in the core from the center of the lake highlight the importance of sediment reworking of paleoenvironmental indicators.
Strategizing the End-Game: Palliative Medicine and the Law

This paper analyzes the consequences of not strategizing or planning for one’s death by use of a testamentary disposition, health care proxy or other advance medical directive which sets out the course of medical treatment which is to be given or withheld during the end-stage of life. When instruments of this nature are absent, the judiciary is brought - all too often - into controversies among health care providers and family members who take opposing views regarding the nature and extent of therapeutic or palliative care which should be extended. Traditionally, in order to resolve these conflicts, two decision making models are utilized by the courts: best interests and substituted judgment. Stated otherwise, the courts attempt to ascertain - based largely upon medical evidence - what is in the best overall interests of an incurable, incompetent patient or, alternatively, what course of care such a patient would have chose if he were to be competent to make a present health care decision. For the competent patient, the best approach to managing his care at the end-stage of life is to exercise his common law right to refuse treatment. Determining patient life values are central to both of these two models. For the incompetent patient, ascertaining and evaluating these values is of particular consequence to any and all effective approaches to palliative care. This paper suggests, through a comparative analysis of British and the American legal frameworks, that - absent clear legislative direction or judicial recognition of physician assistance in dying - the most sensible and compassionate approach to end-stage care is to be realized by wider acceptance and application of the doctrine of medical futility. This doctrine can be strengthened, in turn, humanely, through use of deep or palliative sedation which is seen as efficacious and medically appropriate in cases of intractable somatic and non somatic pain and suffering during terminal illness. Indeed, such a practice is consistent with a ethic of adjusted care. To invite or continue medically futile treatment should be recognized as simply wrong; for, acting in such a manner not only denies the fact of human finitude, but it imposes unnecessary effort, expense, and emotional trauma on both the patient and other affected third parties. When physicians attempt to treat futile medical conditions, such actions are a total abnegation of one of the cardinal principles of medical ethics - beneficence.
Bayesian reasoning in residents’ preliminary diagnoses

Whether and when humans in general, and physicians in particular, use their beliefs about base rates in Bayesian reasoning tasks is a long-standing question. Unfortunately, previous research on whether doctors use their beliefs about the prevalence of diseases in diagnostic judgments has critical limitations. In this study, we assessed whether residents’ beliefs about the prevalence of a disease are associated with their judgments of the likelihood of the disease in diagnosis, and whether residents’ beliefs about the prevalence of diseases change across the 3 years of residency. Residents were presented with five ambiguous vignettes typical of patients presenting on the inpatient general medicine services. For each vignette, the residents judged the likelihood of five or six possible diagnoses. Afterward, they judged the prevalence within the general medicine services of all the diseases in the vignettes. Most importantly, residents who believed a disease to be more prevalent tended to rate the disease as more likely in the vignette cases, suggesting a rational tendency to incorporate their beliefs about disease prevalence into their diagnostic likelihood judgments. In addition, the residents’ prevalence judgments for each disease were assessed over the 3 years of residency. The precision of the prevalence estimates increased across the 3 years of residency, though the accuracy of the prevalence estimates did not. These results imply that residents do have a rational tendency to use prevalence beliefs for diagnosis, and this finding also contributes to a larger question of whether humans intuitively use base rates for making judgments.
FDG PET/MR Imaging Coregistration Helps Predict Survival in Patients with Glioblastoma and Radiologic Progression after Standard of Care Treatment.

Metabolic activity in the residual tumor at fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET is associated with survival time in patients with glioblastoma after standard concomitant adjuvant temozolomide chemotherapy.
Employment in the Age of Em: Simulated Brains and the Economics of Labor

One of the most dramatic possibilities for future changes to the demand for human labor is the potential arrival of strong substitutes for human labor in the form of artificially intelligent computers. And one of the most dramatic versions of this scenario, and one of the easiest to analyze, is that of brain emulations, or “ems.” Compared with us, ems would be more capable in most ways. In the em era, human labor markets would become very simple: they basically wouldn’t exist. That is, few ordinary humans could earn wages in competition with em workers. Humans could still work for meaning and enjoyment, however. Thus, a reasonable hope is that ordinary humans would become the retirees of this new world.
Sinus hypoplasia in the cystic fibrosis rat resolves in the absence of chronic infection

Background Sinus hypoplasia is a hallmark characteristic in cystic fibrosis (CF). Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is nearly universal from a young age, impaired sinus development could be secondary to loss of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) or consequences of chronic infection during maturation. The objective of this study was to assess sinus development relative to overall growth in a novel CF animal model. Methods Sinus development was evaluated in CFTR−/− and CFTR+/+ rats at 3 stages of development: newborn; 3 weeks; and 16 weeks. Microcomputed tomography (microCT) scanning, cultures, and histology were performed. Three-dimensional sinus and skull volumes were quantified. Results At birth, sinus volumes were decreased in CFTR−/− rats compared with wild-type rats (mean ± SEM: 11.3 ± 0.85 mm3 vs 14.5 ± 0.73 mm3; p < 0.05), despite similar weights (8.4 ± 0.46 gm vs 8.3 ± 0.51 gm; p = 0.86). CF rat weights declined by 16 weeks (378.4 ± 10.6 gm vs 447.4 ± 15.9 gm; p < 0.05), sinus volume increased similar to wild-type rats (201.1 ± 3.77 gm vs 203.4 ± 7.13 gm; p = 0.8). The ratio of sinus volume to body weight indicates hypoplasia present at birth (1.37 ± 0.12 vs 1.78 ± 0.11; p < 0.05) and showed an increase compared with CFTR+/+ animals by 16 weeks (0.53 ± 0.02 vs 0.46 ± 0.02; p < 0.05). Rats did not develop histologic evidence of chronic infection. Conclusion CF rat sinuses are smaller at birth, but develop volumes similar to wild-type rats with maturation. This suggests that loss of CFTR may confer sinus hypoplasia at birth, but normal development ensues without chronic sinus infection. ©2017 ARSAAOA, LLC.
Office Evaluation of Pelvic Pain

The history and physical examination are important keys to diagnosis and treatment of patients with chronic pelvic pain. The comprehensive history should include questioning regarding patient's pain complaint and a thorough history and review of any body system that may be involved, including neuromusculoskeletal, obstetric, gynecologic, gastrointestinal, urologic, dermatologic, infectious, oncologic, and psychiatric. The physical examination should also follow a focused systems-based approach and includes examination of gastrointestinal, dermatologic, neurologic, and musculoskeletal (including lumbosacral spine, sacroiliac joints, pelvis, and hips) systems, and the pelvic floor (internal and external examination, including neuromuscular anatomy).
Brief Cognitive Psychotherapy of Panic Disorder

In the clinical treatment of panic disorder, the standard course of cognitive therapy has been shown to be an effective alternative to psychopharmacotherapy (Beck & Greenberg, 1988). Further, outcome studies have shown response to treatment to often be quite rapid, with reported panic attacks significantly reduced-and sometimes eliminated altogether-after only a few sessions (Sokol, Beck, Greenberg, Berchick, & Wright, 1989). Consistent with these findings, brief, focused cognitive psychotherapy may be the treatment of choice for certain uncomplicated panic disorder cases where agoraphobia is not severe (Alford, Beck, Freeman, & Wright, 1990).
Trends in Urologic Indications for Pediatric Renal Transplantation Over a 27-Year-period United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) Database

Objective To elucidate the trends in urologic causes for renal transplant in the pediatric population using a national database. Little is known about the specific pediatric urologic conditions and resultant trends that precede renal transplantation. Material and Methods We reviewed the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database for pediatric patients ( Results Over 27 years, 7291 of 20,213 children (36%) underwent renal transplant secondary to a urologic condition. The 2 most common indications were hypoplasia/dysplasia/dysgenesis/agenesis (HDDA, 35.1%) and congenital obstructive uropathy (COU, 25.7%). The incidence of COU has increased from 18% to 30%, and the incidence of Wilms tumor has remained relatively consistent at 1.8% per year. In addition, 68% of all urologic renal transplants were performed in men compared with women. However, a higher percentage of women required transplantation because of Wilms tumor (3.1% vs 1.2%) and chronic pyelonephritis (17.6% vs 7.9%). Overall, the majority of patients (61.5%) who underwent renal transplantation were white, 18.8% Hispanic, and 15.3% black. Conclusion HDDA and COU consistently have been the most common urologic indications for renal transplantation. Both are the leading causes in men, whereas HDDA and chronic pyelonephritis are predominant in women. Higher rate of renal transplant during the ages of 11-17 years is suggestive of increased burden on poorly functioning kidneys during times of adolescent growth.
The value of fixed rasburicase dosing versus weight-based dosing in the treatment and prevention of tumor lysis syndrome:

BackgroundRasburicase is a recombinant urate oxidase enzyme used for the treatment and prevention of tumor lysis syndrome. Our objective was to assess the efficacy of indication-based, low-dose ras...
Who Still Likes Socialism and Why? Time Variation of Political Opinions in Poland

In Poland, ten years after the collapse of the socialist (com munist) system, about one-third of the adult population expressed posi tive attitudes toward the past system. In this article, we attempt to ana lyze the determinants of positive assessment of socialism and its changes through time. We use the data from a panel survey, conducted in Poland in 1987-88, 1993, and 1998, among adult men and women (N = 1,760). Results suggest that, although the overall proportion of persons provid ing positive assessments of socialism is relatively stable over time, dif ferent people make this assessment at the time of each data collection. Generally, those who are winners in the transition?managers, experts, owners, and supervisors?are likely to shift from a positive to a negative assessment of socialism. In contrast, those who are losers in the transi
Patents and the Evaluation of R&D

RD overviews of this research (Basberg, 1987) and the ways in which patent statistics have been “used and abused” (Pavitt, 1988) are typical of the review literature. Missing is instruction on the techniques, utility, and limitations of patent analysis for different kinds of R&D assessments.
Loaded and Unloaded Optical Response of Polyester Model Materials

The optical behavior of mixtures of rigid and flexible polyester resins when loaded and unloaded under constant strain-rate and varying test temperature are characterized. New evidence about the photoplastic method of analyzing deformed but unloaded models is presented through experiments with tensile or compressive uniaxial specimens, diametrically compressed disks and beams under pure bending, which were analyzed during loading, unloading and after being unloaded.
Robustness of Boundary Observers for Radial Diffusion Equations to Parameter Uncertainty

Boundary observers for radial diffusion equations can be derived to achieve exponential convergence of the estimation error system provided that coefficients are known; which can be either constant or possibly spatially and time varying. When the coefficients depend on the state, their values are not longer known and this might prevent the estimation error to converge to zero. Here, we address the state estimation problem for a radial diffusion equation in which the diffusion coefficient depends on the spatial average of the state value; using an observer with a constant diffusion coefficient. The error introduced to the observer, in this particular situation, can be quantified from an input-to-state stability (ISS) analysis. This study is motivated mainly by the problem of state estimation from electrochemical models of lithium-ion batteries, namely the Single Particle Model (SPM). In this application, the variation in the diffusion coefficient as a function of the spatial average of the states is of several orders of magnitude. We consider this result an additional effort in the broader goal of designing estimation algorithms from electrochemical models of lithium-ion batteries without relying in the discretization of the PDEs in these models.
DFT Mechanistic Investigation of an Enantioselective Tsuji–Trost Allylation Reaction

A comprehensive mechanistic examination of an asymmetric palladium-catalyzed Tsuji–Trost allylation reaction that identifies the enantioselective step was completed utilizing DFT computational tools and the nudged elastic band method. Key components of the study include (a) plausible reaction pathways for the full interconversion of a square-planar palladium allyl enolate intermediate with low barriers relative to the subsequent enantioselectivity-determining reductive C–C coupling step, thereby disputing the previously identified mechanism, (b) a detailed analysis of the factors influencing the stereochemical control involved in forming the preferred configuration via the reductive C–C coupling step, (c) a comprehensive examination of the competing outer-sphere mechanism that includes a metal counterion as an escort to the nucleophile in order to modulate the effects of modeling the reaction step of oppositely charged species, and (d) examination of the possible role water plays in stabilizing a keto-coordinated adduct of PdII-?1-allyl, formed early in the catalytic cycle, relative to a carboxylate-coordinated adduct, the known resting state of the reaction. Barrier energies for the enantioselective C–C coupling are investigated with several levels of theory, and together they support a reaction mechanism consistent with the preferred formation of the correct enantiomer on the basis of the enantiomer of the ligand selected.
Correspondence between bone mineral density and intervertebral disc degeneration across age and sex

The distribution of bone tissue within the vertebra can modulate vertebral strength independently of average density and may change with age and disc degeneration. Our results show that the age-associated decrease in bone density is spatially non-uniform and associated with disc health, suggesting a mechanistic interplay between disc and vertebra. While the decline of bone mineral density (BMD) in the aging spine is well established, the extent to which age influences BMD distribution within the vertebra is less clear. Measures of regional BMD (rBMD) may improve predictions of vertebral strength and suggest how vertebrae might adapt with intervertebral disc degeneration. Thus, we aimed to assess how rBMD values were associated with age, sex, and disc height loss (DHL). We measured rBMD in the L3 vertebra of 377 participants from the Framingham Heart Study (41–83 years, 181 M/196 F). Integral (Int.BMD) and trabecular BMD (Tb.BMD) were measured from QCT images. rBMD ratios (anterior/posterior, superior/mid-transverse, inferior/mid-transverse, and central/outer) were calculated from the centrum. A radiologist assigned a DHL severity score to adjacent intervertebral discs (L2–L3 and L3–L4). Int.BMD and Tb.BMD were both associated with age, though the decrease across age was greater in women (Int.BMD, − 2.6 mg/cm3 per year; Tb.BMD, − 2.6 mg/cm3 per year) than men (Int.BMD, − 0.5 mg/cm3 per year; Tb.BMD, − 1.2 mg/cm3 per year). The central/outer (− 0.027/decade) and superior/mid-transverse (− 0.018/decade) rBMD ratios were negatively associated with age, with similar trends in men and women. Higher Int.BMD or Tb.BMD was associated with increased odds of DHL after adjusting for age and sex. Low central/outer ratio and high anterior/poster and superior/mid-transverse ratios were also associated with increased odds of DHL. Our results indicate that the distribution of bone within the L3 vertebra is different across age, but not between sexes, and is associated with disc degeneration.
Impact of obesity upon the survival of cholangiocarcinoma patients.

288Background: Obesity is a risk factor for developing cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). However, the effect of obesity on survival of CCA is unclear. The primary aim of this study was to analyze the impac...
Composition, Texture and Diagenesis of Carbonate Sediments: Effects on Benthic Optical Properties

Abstract : Our long-range objective is to understand how physical, chemical and biological characteristics of bottom sediment affect the optical properties of the shallow sea floor. Of particular interest is the identification of sedimentological parameters that can be resolved using optical methods of remote sensing. Our research focuses on carbonate sediments.
Cost-effectiveness of a peer mentoring intervention to improve disease self-management practices and self-efficacy among African American women with systemic lupus erythematosus: analysis of the Peer Approaches to Lupus Self-management (PALS) pilot study.

ObjectiveThe Peer Approaches to Lupus Self-management (PALS) program was developed as a peer mentoring tool to improve health behaviors, beliefs, and outcomes in African American women with systemi...
Signal Detection Theory

Signal detection theory (SDT) is used to analyze data coming from experiments where the task is to categorize ambiguous stimuli which can be generated either by a known process (called the signal) or be obtained by chance (called the noise in the SDT framework). In particular, SDT is used to analyze experiments where a binary answer (e.g., Yes vs No) needs to be provided. For example, if we need to decide whether an education program is effective or not, we can use SDT.
Reducing Germinal Matrix-Intraventricular Hemorrhage: Perinatal and Delivery Room Factors

Germinal matrix hemorrhage-intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is the most common form of brain injury in preterm infants. Although severe IVH has declined over the years, it still affects approximately 6% of infants born before 32 weeks of gestation. Most IVH cases are detectable by the first 24 hours after birth; therefore interventions to prevent IVH should focus on antenatal management for pregnant women and delivery room management. Obstetrical interventions, including antenatal corticosteroids, maternal rather than infant transport, and possibly elective cesarean delivery have been associated with a decreased risk of IVH. Neonatal interventions in the delivery room, including delayed cord clamping or umbilical cord milking, maintaining normothermia, avoiding fluctuations in cerebral blood flow, and optimal ventilation management are associated with a decreased risk of IVH. Multiple clinical trials are under way to further identify IVH risk factors, ability to monitor or predict IVH, and ideally prevent IVH altogether. This discussion will focus on reviewing current obstetric and neonatal management practices and their associations with germinal matrix hemorrhage-IVH.
An Evaluation of Production Versus Error-Recognition Techniques for Teaching APA-Style Citations and References:

American Psychological Association (APA)-style writing is an essential part of the undergraduate psychology curriculum. However, little is known about the effectiveness of specific techniques for i...
Advancing Safety and Equity Together

Advancing Safety and Equity Together There are widespread inequities in health outcomes in the United States based on race, sex, language, and other factors. But there is no such thing as high-qual...
Development and validation of a sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS analytical method for venetoclax in mouse plasma, and its application to pharmacokinetic studies.

Abstract A rapid and sensitive analytical method was developed to quantify venetoclax, an oral BH3-mimetic that blocks the anti-apoptotic protein BCL-2, in mouse plasma using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric detection. Plasma protein precipitation was performed on 5 µL samples, and separation of the analytes was accomplished on an Accucore aQ column using gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. The calibration curve was linear (R2 ≥ 0.99) over the concentration range of 5–1,000 ng/mL, and the lower limit of quantitation was 5 ng/mL. The intra-day and inter-day precisions (RSD%) were
Prenatal consults with illustrated literature (PnCIL): a RCT studying visual aids during prenatal consults.

We hypothesize that addition of illustrated handouts during prenatal consultations decreases maternal anxiety and improves maternal knowledge. Inpatient gravid women at 25 0/7–34 6/7 weeks gestation were randomized to Standard or Illustrated consults, verbal consults supplemented with a visual handout. Post consult surveys were administered assessing maternal anxiety and knowledge acquisition. We enrolled 82 women; 54 to Standard Consult, 28 to Illustrated Consult. Consult duration was the same across arms. Anxiety and knowledge were not impacted by the intervention overall. We found higher mean knowledge by 17% for consults ≥31 min (P = 0.006; 95% CI 0.67–3.82), and 13% in primigravids (P = 0.032; 95% CI 0.15–3.21) in the intervention arm. Using illustrated handouts is feasible and does not increase duration of prenatal consults. It may improve knowledge acquisition in long consults and in primigravida women, although it does not impact anxiety and knowledge overall.
How Narrative Engagement with Young Adult Literature Influences Perceptions of Anorexia Nervosa.

Narratives have been shown to alter health beliefs through a process called narrative engagement; however, this process has yet to be empirically investigated for how the increasingly popular young...
Performance of Impure Calcined Clay as a Pozzolan in Concrete

Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are natural or industrial by-product materials which are used to improve the performance, durability, and sustainability of concrete mixtures. Motivated ...
Spaces of rational curves on complete intersections

We prove that the space of smooth rational curves of degree e in a general complete intersection of multidegree (d1,...., dm) in Pn is irreducible of the expected dimension if Σi=1m di < 2n/3 and n is large enough. This generalizes the results of Harris, Roth and Starr, and is achieved by proving that the space of conics passing through any point of a general complete intersection has constant dimension if Σi=1m di is small compared to n.
The functional form of specialized predation dramatically affects whether Janzen-Connell effects can prevent competitive exclusion

Janzen Connell Effects (JCEs), specialized predation of seeds and seedlings near conspecific trees, are hypothesized to promote high species richness. While past modeling studies show JCEs can maintain higher diversity than a neutral community, recent theoretical work indicates JCEs may weakly inhibit competitive exclusion when species exhibit interspecific fitness variation. However, recent models make somewhat restrictive assumptions about the functional form of specialized predation -- that JCEs occur at a fixed rate when seeds/seedlings are within a fixed distance of a conspecific tree. Using a theoretical model, I show that the functional form of JCEs largely impacts their ability to promote coexistence. If specialized predation pressure increases additively with adult tree density and decays exponentially with distance, JCEs maintain considerably higher diversity than predicted by recent models. Parameterizing the model with values from a Panamanian tree community indicates JCEs can maintain high diversity in communities exhibiting high interspecific fitness variation.
Detection of vessel bifurcations in CT scans for automatic objective assessment of deformable image registration accuracy.

Purpose Objective assessment of deformable image registration (DIR) accuracy often relies on the identification of anatomical landmarks in image pairs, a manual process known to be extremely time-expensive. The goal of this study is to propose a method to automatically detect vessel bifurcations in images and assess their use for the computation of target registration errors (TREs). Materials and methods Three image datasets were retrospectively analyzed. The first dataset included 10 pairs of inhale/exhale phases from lung 4DCTs and full inhale and exhale breath-hold CT scans from 10 patients presenting with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, with 300 corresponding landmarks available for each case (DIR-Lab). The second dataset included six pairs of inhale/exhale phases from lung 4DCTs (POPI dataset), with 100 pairs of landmarks for each case. The third dataset included 28 pairs of pre/post-radiotherapy liver contrast-enhanced CT scans, each with five manually picked vessel bifurcation correspondences. For all images, the vasculature was autosegmented by computing and thresholding a vesselness image. Images of the vasculature centerline were computed, and bifurcations were detected based on centerline voxel neighbors' count. The vasculature segmentations were independently registered using a Demons algorithm between representations of their surface with distance maps. Detected bifurcations were considered as corresponding when distant by less than 5 mm after vasculature DIR. The selected pairs of bifurcations were used to calculate TRE after registration of the images considering three algorithms: rigid registration, Anaconda, and a Demons algorithm. For comparison with the ground truth, TRE values calculated using the automatically detected correspondences were interpolated in the whole organs to generate TRE maps. The performance of the method in automatically calculating TRE after image registration was quantified by measuring the correlation with the TRE obtained when using the ground truth landmarks. Results The median Pearson correlation coefficients between ground truth TRE and corresponding values in the generated TRE maps were r = 0.81 and r = 0.67 for the lung and liver cases, respectively. The correlation coefficients between mean TRE for each case were r = 0.99 and r = 0.64 for the lung and liver cases, respectively. Conclusion For lungs or liver CT scans DIR, a strong correlation was obtained between TRE calculated using manually picked or landmarks automatically detected with the proposed method. This tool should be particularly useful in studies requiring assessing the reliability of a high number of DIRs.
A Pilot Study on Voice-Conditioned Vowel Raising Comparison in the Hockey Community of Practice

This project investigates vowel raising in the hockey community of practice, specifically English-speaking athletes who are were born and raised in Central Canada or in the Northern Cities region of the United States. Research done on “Canadian raising” in North America looks at the type and location of use; I chose a narrow group of speakers based on the dominance of Canadian-born athletes in the community and the stereotype that they “sound Canadian.” The effect of the voicing of a post-vocalic consonant could have a deeper sociolinguistic connection regarding identity and speakers’ occupation. I compared their place of origin with their current place of residence to determine who has more contact with Canadian English speakers and would be influenced by their speech patterns to focus on the sociophonetic question. My research question is about the cross-linguistic influence of English-speaking hockey players who are, through professional contact, exposed primarily to Canadian monolingual English speakers. The present study is motivated by sociophonetic considerations, and a focus on groups of athletes for sociolinguistic reasons influenced my choice to investigate this question. Because the raising can also be found in Inland North American English, I chose to include athletes from that region in this data. I recorded and measured examples of the athletes’ connected speech from video interviews and ran t-tests comparing the Canadian-born and American-born athletes together, and then dividing them by current place of residence for additional comparison. The results show promising preliminary results in line with speakers residing in Canada “sounding more Canadian” regardless of place of origin, however the t-tests are not significant. More data being collected in an appropriate setting would enhance these results and further study of multilingual athletes would further inform the sociophonetic aspect pertaining to sense of belonging and conformity in the hockey community of practice.