cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Divergent trajectories of democratic deepening: comparing Brazil, India, and South Africa

This article argues that democratic deepening is shaped by shifting civil society-state relations that can only be understood by disaggregating democratic deepening into its component parts of participation, representation, and stateness. This frame is used to explore the divergent democratic trajectories of Brazil, India, and South Africa. Through the examples of local government transformation and social movement mobilization, I argue that a “project” civil society in Brazil has deepened democracy and transformed the state. In contrast, in South Africa and India civil society is increasingly being subordinated to political society. In South Africa, an active civil society has largely been sidelined as a politically consequential actor (containerization) and in India much of civil society has been fragmented and instrumentalized (involution).
Theoretical study of the low-lying electronic states of iron hydride cation.

Both FeH and FeH+ are predicted to be abundant in cool stellar atmospheres and proposed to be molecular components of the gas phase interstellar medium (ISM). However, experimental and simulated data for both species are lacking, which have hindered astronomical detection. There are no published laboratory data for the spectroscopy of FeH+ in any frequency regime. It is also not established if FeH+ possesses salient multireference character, which would pose significant challenges for ab initio modeling of geometric and spectroscopic properties. With a set of high-level coupled cluster and multireference configuration interaction computations, a study of the electronic structure of the ground state and seven excited states of FeH+ was carried out. An X 5Δi electronic ground state of FeH+ is found, in agreement with previous theoretical studies. Including corrections for spin-orbit coupling and anharmonic vibrational effects, the Ω = 3, ν = 0 spin ladder of the A 5Πi electronic state lies 872 cm−1 higher in energy than the Ω = 4, ν = 0 spin ladder of the ground state. Combined with previous work in our laboratory, the ionization energy of FeH is computed to be 7.4851 eV. With modern multireference configuration interaction and coupled cluster methods, spectroscopic constants (re, Be, ωe, ωexe, αe, and D¯e) for several bound excited states (A 5Πi, B 5Σi+, a 3Σr−, b 3Φi, c 3Πi, d 3Δr, and 7Σ+) were characterized. This study will lead efforts to identify FeH+ in the ISM and help solve important remaining questions in quantifying metal-hydride bonding.
Activation of STAT5 contributes to tumor growth and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in head and neck cancer

4830 Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 5 (STAT5) is activated in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). However, the role of STAT5 activation in SCCHN carcinogenesis is incompletely understood. In this study, the effects of constitutive STAT5 activation in SCCHN were investigated using stable clones expressing constitutively active mutants of STAT5a or STAT5b isoforms in SCCHN cell lines. The growth rate of the stable clones expressing the activating mutations (STAT5a 1*6 and STAT5b 1*6) was about 49 % and 68% higher than that of the vector control (pUSEamp), respectively. Constitutive activation of STAT5 also significantly increased the transforming efficiency of the SCCHN cells in vitro (by soft agar-transformation assay). The activated STAT5 clones showed increased tumor growth in vivo in a xenograft model of SCCHN. At day 25 after tumor inoculation, the tumor volumes of the activating STAT5 mutant clones were twice of that of the vector-transfected controls. STAT5 activation also resulted in increased invasion of SCCHN cells through Matrigel. Finally, the STAT5a 1*6 and STAT5b 1*6 clones demonstrated changes consistent with an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) including decreased expression of E-cadherin and increased vimentin, in comparison to the pUSEamp control. These results suggest that constitutive STAT5 signaling enhances tumor growth, invasion and EMT in SCCHN.
SME filter approach to multiple target tracking in cluttered environments

The symmetric measurement equation (SME) filter approach to track maintenance in multiple target tracking (MTT) is extended to the case when there are false and/or missing detections. In the SME filter approach to MTT there is no need to consider target/measurement association or to identify which data points in the measurement set are missing or are due to false detections. As a result, there is a substantial reduction in the computational complexity of the tracking filter, and in fact the computational requirements for implementing the filter are comparable to that of a standard Kalman filter of dimension 6N where N is the number of targets. In this paper the SME tracking filter is formulated for the case of N targets moving with constant velocities and with position measurements given in Cartesian coordinates. It is assumed that the measurement noises are zero mean, white, and independent (of each other), so that target motion can be decoupled into x, y, z components. A computer simulation is given in the case of three targets with false and missing measurements.
Ophthalmic Emergencies for the Clinician

Primary care physicians are at the forefront of patient care and often are the first clinicians to triage and diagnose any eye-related complaints. They must be able to quickly identify vision-threatening pathologies, as delay in treatment of an ocular emergency can result in permanent vision loss. This concise review describes the definition, presentation, examination, and management of various ophthalmic emergencies including blunt ocular trauma, chemical ocular injury, orbital cellulitis, endophthalmitis, acute angle closure glaucoma, optic neuritis, giant cell arteritis, central retinal artery occlusion, retinal detachment, and homonymous hemianopia in a succinct manner.
Sybil: A Divinatory Home Device

Sybil is a divinatory technology that offers a critical and playful way of interacting with the mystery generated by technical systems around us. It delivers AI-generated prophecies based on the participants' breathing patterns. By layering two modes of prediction -oracular traditions and machine learning- it invites the extramundane into daily domestic experience. Sybil's design cultivates attention, attunement and physical presence, and invites a ritualization of our interactions with digital assistants. Its aim is to explore relationships with technical objects and systems that are less based on utility and more on playfulness, interpretation, and care. This project is part of a larger project to develop a toolkit for re-enchantment, after Max Weber's description of modernity as the "disenchantment of the world."
Does minimally invasive spine surgery reduce the rate of perioperative medical complications? A retrospective single-center experience of 1435 degenerative lumbar spine surgeries.

It is unclear if minimally invasive techniques reduce the rate of perioperative complications when compared to traditional open approaches to the lumbar spine. Our aim was to evaluate perioperative complications in patients that underwent MIS and conventional open techniques for degenerative lumbar pathology. A retrospective review of a prospectively collected database identified 1435 patients that underwent surgery for degenerative lumbar pathology from January 2013–2016. We evaluated the rates of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, urinary tract infection, and pneumonia. Groups were analyzed based on decompression alone as compared with decompression and fusion for both MIS and traditional open techniques. Patients that underwent traditional open lumbar decompression surgery were more likely to develop a DVT (P = .01) than those undergoing MIS decompression. There was no significant difference in rates of PE (P = .99), UTI (P = .24), or pneumonia (P = .56). Patients that underwent traditional open lumbar fusion surgery compared to MIS fusion were also more likely to have a PE (P = .03). There was no significant difference in rates of DVT (P = .22), UTI (P = .43), or pneumonia (P = .24). Minimally invasive spinal surgery was found to reduce the rate of DVT for decompression surgeries and reduce the rate of PE for fusion surgeries.
Video Object Detection With Two-Path Convolutional LSTM Pyramid

One of the major challenges in video object detection is drastic scale changes of objects due to camera motion. In this paper, we propose a two-path Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory (convLSTM) pyramid network designed to extract and convey multi-scale temporal contextual information in order to handle object scale changes efficiently. The proposed two-path convLSTM pyramid consists of a stack of multi-input convLSTM modules. It is updated in top-down and bottom-up pathways so that the temporal contextual information for small-to-large and large-to-small scale changes is exploited. The proposed multi-input convLSTM module uses two input feature maps of different resolutions to store and exchange temporal contextual information of different scales between neighboring convLSTM modules. The outputs of the proposed convLSTM pyramid network constitute a feature pyramid where each feature map contains multi-scale temporal contextual information from earlier frames. The proposed convLSTM pyramid can be combined with various still-image object detectors to improve the performance of video object detection. Experimental results on ImageNet VID dataset show that the proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance and can handle scale changes efficiently in video object detection.
The Casein Kinase II catalytic subunit CSNK2A1 interacts with TTBK2 to regulate ciliary trafficking and stability

Cilia biogenesis is a complex, multi-step process involving the coordination of multiple cellular trafficking pathways. Despite the importance of ciliogenesis in mediating the cellular response to cues from the microenvironment, we have only a limited understanding of the regulation of cilium assembly. We previously identified a kinase that acts as a key regulator of ciliogenesis, TTBK2. In the course of efforts to identify additional players in the TTBK2 pathway, we identified the CK2 subunit CSNK2A1. Super-resolution microscopy revealed that CSNK2A1 is a centrosomal protein predominantly concentrated at the mother centriole and associated with the distal appendages. CSNK2A1 and TTBK2 interact both physically and functionally: Csnk2a1 knockout in Ttbk2 hypomorphic cells partially corrects defects in cilia formation and length. In addition, Csnk2a1 mutant cilia are longer than those of control cells and exhibit instability, particularly at the tip. Csnk2a1 mutant cilia also abnormally accumulate key cilia assembly and SHH-related proteins including IFT, GLI2, KIF7, and Smoothened (SMO). De novo mutations of Csnk2a1 were recently linked to the human genetic disorder Okur-Chung neurodevelopmental syndrome (OCNDS). Consistent with the role of CSNK2A1 in cilium stability, we find that expression of OCNDS-associated Csnk2a1 variants in wild-type cells caused ciliary structural defects. Our findings provide new insights on mechanisms involved in ciliary length regulation, trafficking, and stability that in turn shed light on the significance and implications of cilia instability in human disease.
A second chance for a first impression: Lexically guided perceptual learning reflects cumulative experience with a talker's phonetic input

Listeners use lexical knowledge to modify the mapping from acoustics to speech sounds, but the timecourse of experience that informs lexically guided perceptual learning (LGPL) is unknown. Some data suggest that learning depends on initial exposure to atypical productions, while other data suggest that learning reflects only the most recent exposure. Here we seek to reconcile these findings by assessing the type and timecourse of exposure that promote robust LGPL. In experiment 1, listeners were exposed to ambiguous fricatives embedded in either /s/- or /∫/-biasing contexts and then categorized items from an ashi-asi continuum at test. Learning was observed; the /s/-bias group showed more asi responses compared to the /∫/-bias group. In experiment 2, listeners heard both clear and ambiguous productions. Order and lexical bias were manipulated between-subjects, and perceptual learning occurred regardless of the order in which the productions were heard. In experiment 3, listeners heard both /s/- and /∫/-biased productions. Order differed between two exposure groups, and no difference between groups was observed at test. Moreover, the results showed a monotonic decrease in learning across experiments, in line with decreasing exposure to stable lexically biasing contexts, and were replicated across novel stimulus sets. The current results did not replicate previous findings showing that either initial or most recent experience are critical for LGPL. Rather, LGPL appears to reflect an aggregation of a talker's input over time.
Pursuit of the Abscopal Effect

Evasion of immune recognition is a hallmark of cancer that facilitates tumorigenesis, maintenance, and progression. Systemic immune activation can incite tumor recognition and stimulate potent antitumor responses. While the concept of antitumor immunity is not new, there is renewed interest in tumor immunology given the clinical success of immune modulators in a wide range of cancer subtypes over the past decade. One particularly interesting, yet exceedingly rare phenomenon, is the abscopal response, characterized by a potent systemic antitumor response following localized tumor irradiation presumably attributed to reactivation of antitumor immunity.
Investigation of the limit of discovery using tile-based Fisher ratio analysis with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Abstract Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) is followed by tile-based Fisher ratio (F-ratio) analysis to investigate the “limit of discovery” for low concentration levels of sulfur-containing compounds in JP8 jet fuel. A mixture of 14 sulfur-containing compounds was spiked at 30 ppm, 15 ppm, 3 ppm and 1.5 ppm into the neat fuel prior to GC×GC-TOFMS analysis with a “reversed” column format (aka polar first dimension (1D) and non-polar second dimension (2D) column). Prior standard implementation of tile-based F-ratio analysis utilized an average F-ratio requiring a minimum of 3 mass channels (m/z) with the highest F-ratios. Herein, we explore the notion that use of the top F-ratio m/z for hitlist ranking is superior to the standard implementation for analytes near their limit-of-quantitation (LOQ), defined as an analyte concentration that produces a signal equal to ten times the standard deviation of the baseline noise (10σn). Hitlist ranking comparisons revealed that using only the top F-ratio m/z resulted in impressive improvements in discoverability for the low concentration comparisons. Specifically, for the 3 ppm versus neat hitlist, 1,4-oxathiane (LOQ = 2.5 ppm) improved from hit 114 via standard F-ratio analysis, to hit 25. For the 1.5 ppm versus neat hitlist, 2-propylthiophene (LOQ = 0.64 ppm) improved from hit 59 to 17, benzo[b]thiophene (LOQ = 1.1 ppm) from hit 98 to 28, and 2,5-dimethylthiophene (LOQ = 1.3 ppm) from hit 262 to 39. Additional hitlist ranking comparisons revealed the importance of proper tile size selection, as analyte discoverability deteriorated upon using either an inappropriately too small or too large of a tile.
Ultrafast photo-driven charge transfer exciton dynamics in mixed-stack pyrene-perylenediimide single co-crystals

Electron donor-acceptor cocrystals are receiving increasing interest because of their many useful optoelectronic properties. While the steady-state properties of many different cocrystals have been characterized, very few studies have addressed how crystal morphology affects the dynamics of charge transfer (CT) exciton formation, migration, and decay, which are often critical to their performance in device structures. Here we show that cocrystallization of a pyrene (Pyr) electron donor with either N,N′-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)- or N,N′-bis(3-pentyl)-perylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (diisoPDI or C5PDI) electron acceptors, respectively, yields mixed π-stacked Pyr-diisoPDI or Pyr-C5PDI donor-acceptor cocrystals. Femtosecond transient absorption microscopy is used to determine the CT exciton dynamics in these single crystals. Fitting the data to a one-dimensional charge transfer CT exciton diffusion model reveals diffusion constants that are two orders of magnitude higher in the Pyr-diisoPDI cocrystal compared to the Pyr-C5PDI cocrystal. By correlating the cocrystal structures to their distinct excited-state dynamics, the effects of each mixed stacked structure on the exciton dynamics and the mechanisms of CT exciton diffusion are elucidated.
Effect of Fatty Acid Composition in Polysorbate 80 on the Stability of Therapeutic Protein Formulations

Polysorbate excipients are commonly used as surfactants to stabilize therapeutic proteins in formulations. Degradation of polysorbates could lead to particle formation and instability of the drug formulation. We investigated how the fatty acid composition of polysorbate 80 impacts the degradation profile, particle formation, and product stability under stress conditions. Two polysorbate 80-containing therapeutic protein formulations were reformulated with either Polysorbate 80 NF synthesized from a fatty acid mixture that contains mainly oleic acid (≥58%) or a version of polysorbate 80 synthesized with high oleic acid (>98%). Stress conditions, including high temperature and esterase spiking, were applied and changes to both the polysorbate and the therapeutic protein product were investigated for stability, purity, innate immune response and biological activity. The addition of esterase and storage at 37°C led to significant hydrolysis of the polysorbate and increases in sub-visible particle formation for both polysorbates tested. The fatty acid composition of polysorbate 80 did not directly alter the stability profile of either therapeutic protein as measured by size exclusion chromatography, or significantly impact innate immune response or biological activity. However, formulations with Polysorbate 80 NF showed greater propensity for sub-visible particle formation under stress conditions. These results suggest that composition of fatty acids in polysorbate 80 may be a promoter for sub-visible particulate formation under the stress conditions tested but may not impact protein aggregation or biological activity.
Treatment of Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder in Home and Community Settings

Youth with serious and persistent conduct problems receive treatment in primary care and mental health clinics, foster group homes, residential treatment centers, foster family homes (see Chapter 23, this volume), family homes, and the public schools. Such settings are often operated or funded through public agencies legally mandated to treat (mental health), rehabilitate (juvenile justice), educate (special education), or protect (social services) youth. Irrespective of the service system (e.g., mental health, juvenile justice) or setting (clinic, foster home) in which youth presenting with Conduct Disorder (CD)* receive treatment, psychotherapy of some type generally bears the burden of producing change (Kazdin, 1994)
Geocrowdsourcing and accessibility for dynamic environments

A consequence of modern society’s increasing reliance on digital communication is the concurrent multiplication and narrowing of information streams, with many channels of digital information, but channels which are difficult or impossible for some individuals to access. Blind and visually-impaired individuals are often left out of this communication, unless accommodations are carefully planned and made to present the information in a usable form. The context of this research is the realm of assistive geotechnology, where web mapping technology and geographic information systems are used to provide access to enabling information and services. This paper presents research on the development of tools to provide transient obstacle information to blind, visually-impaired, and mobility-impaired individuals through crowdsourcing, and research on the general accessibility of local pedestrian networks under constraints presented by transient and permanent navigation obstacles. We discuss the social and technological dynamics associated with the creation and use of our crowdsourcing system and present our effort for comprehensive quality assessment. We conclude that crowdsourcing is a crucial technique for successful deployment of assistive geotechnology, particularly those that involve navigation, wayfinding, and travel in public space. We find that many public health services and other important resources cannot be accessed dependably without the use of crowdsourcing and other techniques for capturing dynamic, changing environmental conditions. More broadly, this paper concludes by addressing the progression of user-generated and crowdsourced content from static data contributions to dynamic place-based services and the enabling role of assistive geotechnology in providing access and help to blind, visually-impaired, and mobility-impaired individuals.
Influence of Melatonin on the Rate of Rana pipiens Tadpole Metamorphosis In Vivo and Regression of Thyroxine‐Treated Tail Tips In Vitro

Metamorphosis of Rana pipiens tadpoles may be retarded when the light phase of the light/dark (LD) cycle is shortened or when thyroxine (T4) is given in the dark because melatonin peaks during the dark. Injection of premetamorphic tadpoles in spontaneous metamorphosis with melatonin (15 μg) retarded tail growth and hindlimb development on 18L:6D but had no significant effect on 6L:18D. During induced metamorphosis (30 μg/liter T4), melatonin injections retarded tail resorption on 18L:6D and accelerated it on 6L:18D, but did not affect the hindlimb. When melatonin was injected during T4 immersion at different times in the photophase on 18L:6D (L onset 0800 hr), tail regression was retarded by melatonin at 1430 or 2030 hr. At 0830 hr, shrinkage of tail length was accelerated whereas tail height was not affected. Tail tips in vitro induced to resorb by 0.2 μg/ml T4 in Niu-Twitty solution regressed more slowly in the presence of melatonin (10 or 15 μg/ml) than with T4 alone on both 6L:18D and 18L:6D. The findings implicate melatonin in LD cycle effects on tadpole metamorphic rate in vivo, show the importance of the time of melatonin injections, and indicate that melatonin antagonizes the metamorphic action of T4 at the tissue level.
Regulatory variant in FZD6 gene contributes to nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate in an African-American family

Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCLP) is a common birth defect affecting 135,000 newborns worldwide each year. While a multifactorial etiology has been suggested as the cause, despite decades of research, the genetic underpinnings of NSCLP remain largely unexplained. In our previous genome-wide linkage study of a large NSCLP African-American family, we identified a candidate locus at 8q21.3-24.12 (LOD = 2.98). This region contained four genes, Frizzled-6 (FZD6), Matrilin-2 (MATN2), Odd-skipped related 2 (OSR2) and Solute Carrier Family 25, Member 32 (SLC25A32). FZD6 was located under the maximum linkage peak. In this study, we sequenced the coding and noncoding regions of these genes in two affected family members, and identified a rare variant in intron 1 of FZD6 (rs138557689; c.-153 + 432A>C). The variant C allele segregated with NSCLP in this family, through affected and unaffected individuals, and was found in one other NSCLP African-American family. Functional assays showed that this allele creates an allele-specific protein-binding site and decreases promoter activity. We also observed that loss and gain of fzd6 in zebrafish contributes to craniofacial anomalies. FZD6 regulates the WNT signaling pathway, which is involved in craniofacial development, including midfacial formation and upper labial fusion. We hypothesize, therefore, that alteration in FZD6 expression contributes to NSCLP in this family by perturbing the WNT signaling pathway.
Brucella spp. Virulence Factors and Immunity

Brucellosis, caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella, is an important zoonotic infection that causes reproductive disease in domestic animals and chronic debilitating disease in humans. An intriguing aspect of Brucella infection is the ability of these bacteria to evade the host immune response, leading to pathogen persistence. Conversely, in the reproductive tract of infected animals, this stealthy pathogen is able to cause an acute severe inflammatory response. In this review, we discuss the different mechanisms used by Brucella to cause disease, with emphasis on its virulence factors and the dichotomy between chronic persistence and reproductive disease.
Asymmetric Reduction of α,β‐Acetylenic Ketones with B‐3‐Pinanyl‐9‐Borabicyclo[3.3.1]Nonane: (R)‐( + )‐1‐Octyn‐3‐Ol

Asymmetric reduction of α,β-acetylenic ketones with B-3-pinanyl-9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane: (R)-( + )-1-octyn-3-ol reactant: 35.3 g (0.285 mol) of 1-octyn-3-one product: 1-octyn-3-ol Keywords: addition, to CO; hydroboration; reduction, CO CHOH; assay methods, for thiophosgene; assay methods, of enantiomeric purity by NMR analysis with shift reagent; pinene, ( − )-α-, purification by distillation from LiAlH4; shift reagents, chiral; hydrogen peroxide
Response to “Comment on ‘Rethinking first-principles electron transport theories with projection operators: The problems caused by partitioning the basis set’” [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 177103 (2014)]

The thesis of Brandbyge's comment [J. Chem. Phys. 140, 177103 (2014)] is that our operator decoupling condition is immaterial to transport theories, and it appeals to discussions of nonorthogonal basis sets in transport calculations in its arguments. We maintain that the operator condition is to be preferred over the usual matrix conditions and subsequently detail problems in the existing approaches. From this operator perspective, we conclude that nonorthogonal projectors cannot be used and that the projectors must be selected to satisfy the operator decoupling condition. Because these conclusions pertain to operators, the choice of basis set is not germane.
Comparison of Methods for the Computation of Multivariate t Probabilities

This article compares methods for the numerical computation of multivariate t probabilities for hyper-rectangular integration regions. Methods based on acceptance-rejection, spherical-radial transformations, and separation-of-variables transformations are considered. Tests using randomly chosen problems show that the most efficient numerical methods use a transformation developed by Genz for multivariate normal probabilities. These methods allow moderately accurate multivariate t probabilities to be quickly computed for problems with as many as 20 variables. Methods for the noncentral multivariate t distribution are also described.
Chronological orderings of interval graphs

Abstract If an undirected graph is the intersection graph of a set of intervals of the real line, it is called an interval graph and the set of intervals is called an interval representation of the graph. An interval graph typically has many representations that differ in the order of the endpoints of the intervals along the line. This paper gives three methods for describing these differences and shows how these methods can be used to determine whether a graph has a representation satisfying various restrictions on the relative positions of the intervals. It concludes with an application of these results to the subject of interval counts of interval graphs.
Drosophila arc encodes a novel adherens junction-associated PDZ domain protein required for wing and eye development.

Abstract Loss of arc function results in a downwardly curved wing and smaller eyes with a reduced number of ommatidia. Consistent with this phenotype, molecular analysis shows that arc mRNA and protein are expressed in the wing imaginal disc and in clusters of cells in the morphogenetic furrow of the eye imaginal disc. The 36-kb arc transcription unit contains 10 exons that are spliced to form a 5.5-kb mRNA. The encoded Arc protein is 143,000 Da and contains two PDZ (PSD-95, Discs large, ZO-1) domains; there is no close structural similarity to other PDZ proteins. In addition to its expression in imaginal discs, arc is expressed during embryogenesis in epithelia undergoing morphogenesis, including the invaginating posterior midgut, evaginating Malpighian tubule buds, elongating hindgut, invaginating salivary glands, intersegmental grooves, and developing tracheae. Arc protein colocalizes with Armadillo (β-catenin) to the apical (luminal) surface of these developing epithelia, indicating that it is associated with adherens junctions. Genes that are required for patterning of embryonic epithelia (e.g., tailless, Kruppel, fork head, and brachyenteron) or for progression of the morphogenetic furrow (i. e., hedgehog) are required to establish or maintain the regional expression of arc. Misexpression of arc in the eye imaginal discs results in rough and larger eyes with fused ommatidia. We propose that arc affects eye development by modulating adherens junctions of the developing ommatidium.
First-Principles Analysis of the Activity of Transition and Noble Metals in the Direct Utilization of Hydrocarbon Fuels at Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Operating Conditions

The direct on-cell use of hydrocarbon fuels in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) involves many thermochemical and electrochemical reactions that occur on anode electrocatalysts, both at and away from the three-phase boundary. We have used first-principles density functional theory calculations and kinetic modeling to investigate relevant reactions associated with the direct utilization of methane on different electrocatalysts at SOFC operating conditions. The investigated reactions are steam and dry reforming of methane, electrochemical oxidation of H 2 and CO, and direct electrochemical oxidation of methane. These studies allowed us to compare the relative activity of different metals and to identify those metals that offer optimal performance. Our analysis shows that under relevant operating conditions, there exists a family of metals (mainly Ni, Co, Rh, Ru, and Ir) that offer maximum activity for all relevant reactions. The findings suggest that a fairly simple anode design including only one material in combination with yttria-stabilized zirconia performing multiple reactions should offer close to optimal performance. While we outline our results for methane in detail, we also comment on the direct utilization of other hydrocarbons.
The lattice of congruences on a band of groups

It is implicit in a result of Kapp and Schneider [3] that, if S isa completely simple semigroup, then the lattice Λ( S ) of congruences on S can be embedded in the product of certain sublattices. In this paper we consider the problem of embedding Λ( S ) in a product of sublattices, when S is an arbitrary band of groups. The principal tool is the θ-relation of Reilly and Scheiblich [7]. The class of θ-modular bands of groups is definedby means of a type of modularity condition on Λ( S ). It is shown that the θ-modular bands of groups are precisely those for which a certain function is an embedding of Λ( S ) into a product of sublattices. The problem of embedding the inverse semigroup congruences into a certain product lattice is also considered.
Environmentally-controlled microtensile testing of mechanically-adaptive polymer nanocomposites for ex vivo characterization.

Implantable microdevices are gaining significant attention for several biomedical applications1-4. Such devices have been made from a range of materials, each offering its own advantages and shortcomings5,6. Most prominently, due to the microscale device dimensions, a high modulus is required to facilitate implantation into living tissue. Conversely, the stiffness of the device should match the surrounding tissue to minimize induced local strain7-9. Therefore, we recently developed a new class of bio-inspired materials to meet these requirements by responding to environmental stimuli with a change in mechanical properties10-14. Specifically, our poly(vinyl acetate)-based nanocomposite (PVAc-NC) displays a reduction in stiffness when exposed to water and elevated temperatures (e.g. body temperature). Unfortunately, few methods exist to quantify the stiffness of materials in vivo15, and mechanical testing outside of the physiological environment often requires large samples inappropriate for implantation. Further, stimuli-responsive materials may quickly recover their initial stiffness after explantation. Therefore, we have developed a method by which the mechanical properties of implanted microsamples can be measured ex vivo, with simulated physiological conditions maintained using moisture and temperature control13,16,17. To this end, a custom microtensile tester was designed to accommodate microscale samples13,17 with widely-varying Young's moduli (range of 10 MPa to 5 GPa). As our interests are in the application of PVAc-NC as a biologically-adaptable neural probe substrate, a tool capable of mechanical characterization of samples at the microscale was necessary. This tool was adapted to provide humidity and temperature control, which minimized sample drying and cooling17. As a result, the mechanical characteristics of the explanted sample closely reflect those of the sample just prior to explantation. The overall goal of this method is to quantitatively assess the in vivo mechanical properties, specifically the Young's modulus, of stimuli-responsive, mechanically-adaptive polymer-based materials. This is accomplished by first establishing the environmental conditions that will minimize a change in sample mechanical properties after explantation without contributing to a reduction in stiffness independent of that resulting from implantation. Samples are then prepared for implantation, handling, and testing (Figure 1A). Each sample is implanted into the cerebral cortex of rats, which is represented here as an explanted rat brain, for a specified duration (Figure 1B). At this point, the sample is explanted and immediately loaded into the microtensile tester, and then subjected to tensile testing (Figure 1C). Subsequent data analysis provides insight into the mechanical behavior of these innovative materials in the environment of the cerebral cortex.
Protection of swine by live and inactivated vaccines prepared from a leader proteinase-deficient serotype A12 foot-and-mouth disease virus

Previously, we demonstrated that a genetically engineered variant of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype A12 lacking the leader proteinase-coding region (A12-LLV2) was attenuated and induced an immune response that partially protected cattle from FMD. In this study, A12-LLV2 was tested in swine as a live or chemically inactivated vaccine. Animals vaccinated with chemically inactivated A12-LLV2 or wild-type (WT) virus in oil adjuvant developed high levels of neutralizing antibodies and were protected from FMD upon challenge. Animals vaccinated with live A12-LLV2 did not exhibit signs of FMD, did not spread virus to other animals, developed a neutralizing antibody response and antibodies to nonstructural protein 3D, and were partially protected from FMD. Animals given a similar dose of chemically inactivated A12-LLV2 in the absence of adjuvant developed a poor immune response and were not protected from FMD, indicating that limited replication was responsible for the improved immune response found in animals vaccinated with live A12-LLV2. The results demonstrate the potential of A12-LLV2 as a live-attenuated vaccine as well as a safe source of antigen for chemically inactivated vaccines.
Diagonalization of the Chiral Invariant {Gross-Neveu} Hamiltonian

The Hamiltonian of the chiral-invariant Gross-Neveu model is diagonalized, without approximation, using a modified Bethe Ansatz.
Hybrid-powered RFID sensor networks

RFID sensor networks comprising batteryless devices that are passively powered by RFID readers present exciting possibilities for ubiquitous computing applications. They require minimal maintenance, are cheap to manufacture and have small form factor. However, their lack of autonomy due to the need for constant power from an RFID reader hinders their deployment. We demonstrate that RFIDs augmented with ambient energy-harvesting capabilities may be used as a first-class sensor platform, allowing them to operate untethered from reader infrastructure. Specifically, we show that a CRFID-based accelerometer sensor can provide both real-time and delayed access to time-stamped sensor data when provided with a small amount of solar energy. The data is collected using a standard RFID reader and displayed in a graphical interface.
Death diverted, but to what?

The role of the coreceptor CD28 in thymic clonal deletion has been controversial. New evidence suggests that CD28 deficiency impairs the clonal deletion of self-reactive T cells but also results in their developmental diversion to an anergic lineage that ends up in the gut.
Detection of immobilized protein on latex microspheres by IR-visible sum-frequency generation and scanning force microscopy

The molecular-level detection and behavior ofbovine serum albumin (BSA)covalently bound to polystyrene microspheres at the air-liquid and air-solid interfaces are reported by infrared-visible sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy and scanning force microscopy. SFG spectra contain signals corresponding to CH-stretching modes at both the air-liquid and air-solid interfaces, indicating that some amino acid residues in BSA are well-ordered. It is also observed that the orientation and ordering of phenyl rings at the microsphere surface are affected by the presence of BSA. At the air-liquid interface, the interaction of BSA with the substrate alters the orientation of the phenyl groups in the microsphere, relative to bare polystyrene. At the air-solid interface, however, the SFG signal intensity of the CH-stretch mode for the phenyl rings attenuates after BSA adsorption, disrupting the previously ordered phenyl rings in the underlying, bare surface. Scanning force microscope images show that bare microspheres self-assemble into a two-dimensional hexagonal packing, whereas protein-modified microspheres randomly aggregate on the silica surface. Differences in surface tribology were also recorded between interfacial conditions for microspheres with and without BSA attached. Increases in the friction signal of 12 ′ 3% and 26 ′ 5% over the bare state were found for BSA-modified microspheres at the air-liquid and air-solid interfaces, respectively. The difference in friction values suggests that BSA interacts more strongly with the microsphere at the air-solid interface.
A simple derivation of Ngas, a correction in Awall, and other comments on the AAPM Task Group 21 protocol

The new AAPM Task Group 21 dosimetry protocol is a useful document that will no doubt result in improved accuracy in radiotherapy beam standardization when it is generally understood and widely adopted. It does however, require some "debugging." The present paper clarifies the derivation of Ngas, points out an error in the Awall data, and discusses the impracticality of applying the gradient approach in correcting for ion chamber perturbation of dose in phantoms irradiated by electron beams.
MPT.BR: A Brazilian Maturity Model for Testing

The discipline of software testing is increasingly drawing industry's attention to itself due to the demand for quality products and the high level of competition in the market. This scenario can be supported by a maturity model that continuously improves the discipline of testing when applied to the software development lifecycle. Therefore, MPT.BR, the acronym in Portuguese for Improving Test Processing. Brazil, is presented as a maturity model for testing to help when introducing testing disciplines in software organizations. It can be seen as an alternative for companies that aim to increase their product quality and ROI. MPT.BR has been applied over the last 3 years in small and medium-sized software organizations, the results of which will be discussed in this paper.
Predictors of Hemodynamic Instability During Surgery for Pheochromocytoma

Resection of pheochromocytoma is often associated with hemodynamic instability (HDI). We examined patient and tumor factors that may influence HDI. The effect of pretreatment with nonselective α blockade phenoxybenzamine (PXB) versus selective α blockade on HDI and outcomes was also evaluated. The records of 91 patients who underwent adrenalectomy between 2002 and 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. HDI was determined by number of intraoperative episodes of systolic blood pressure (SBP) > 200 mmHg, those greater than or less than 30 % of baseline, heart rate > 110 bpm, and the need for postoperative vasopressors. Fishers exact, t test and regressions were performed. Among 91 patients, 78 % received PXB, 18 % selective α blockade and 4 % no adrenergic blockade. Patient demographics, tumor factors and surgical approach were similar among the blockade groups. On multivariate analysis, increasing tumor size was associated with a significant rise in the number of episodes of SBP > 30 % [rate ratio (RR) 1.40] and an increased postoperative vasopressor requirement [odds ratio (OR) 1.23]. Open adrenalectomy and use of selective blockade were associated with an increased number of episodes of SBP > 200 mmHg (RR 27.8 and RR 20.9, respectively). Open adrenalectomy was also associated with increased readmissions (OR 12.3), complications (OR 5.6), use of postoperative vasopressors (OR 4.4) and hospital stay (4.6 days longer). There were no differences in other HDI measurements or postoperative outcomes among the blockade groups. Tumor size, open adrenalectomy, and type of α blockade were associated with intraoperative HDI during pheochromocytoma resection. Selective blockade was associated with significantly more episodes of intraoperative hypertension but no perioperative adverse outcomes.
The Newport line off Oregon – Studies in the North East Pacific

Abstract The Newport Hydrographic (NH) Line along 44.65°N off central Oregon was sampled seasonally during two epochs: 1961–1971 through the TENOC program and 1997–2003 through the GLOBEC Northeast Pacific Long Term Observations Program (LTOP); some observations are available for 2004 and 2005. During TENOC, the line extended 305 km offshore to 128°W, with stations 18 km apart over the continental shelf and 36 km offshore. During LTOP, the line was shorter (to 126°W) with closer station spacing over the continental shelf (9 km apart) and slope (18 km apart). LTOP cruises included biochemical sampling and underway current measurements. During both TENOC and LTOP, the seasonal cycle is very strong (accounting for >50% of the variance in surface layer properties), with rapid transitions in spring and fall. The summer regime is subject to coastal upwelling driven by southward winds, equatorward surface currents, and advection of low-salinity waters from the Columbia River. The winter regime off Newport is subject to coastal downwelling and poleward surface currents driven by northeastward winds. Comparison between TENOC and LTOP summer regimes shows the near-surface layer (0–100 m) at most locations is significantly warmer and fresher during LTOP than TENOC, and steric heights over the continental margin are significantly higher. Comparison of LTOP and TENOC winters shows that average differences at most locations were not statistically significant, but that the variance of steric height and shelf-break temperatures was significantly higher during LTOP than TENOC. Interannual variability of climate indices is also stronger during LTOP, which included a rare Subarctic invasion in 2002 as well as the strong 1997–1998 El Nino. During both TENOC and LTOP, interannual variability of steric height is closely related to the El Nino/La Nina cycle. Nutrient concentrations and nitrate-to-phosphate ratios of upwelling-source waters vary inversely with halocline temperature. Both reflect alongshore advection by coastal currents: southward currents bring cool, nitrate-rich waters in summer (especially during the Subarctic invasion), and northward currents bring relatively warm, nitrate-poor waters to the NH line in winter (especially during El Nino). Seasonal and interannual variations in the nutrient level of upwelling-source water are reflected in time series of vertically-integrated chlorophyll over the LTOP survey region (about 150 km by 300 km). Seasonal variations in chlorophyll and currents are congruent with seasonal variations in copepod biomass and diversity. We were not successful in establishing a clear connection between chlorophyll levels and interannual variations in copepod biomass or diversity, nor in explaining the large decrease in the survival rate of coho salmon between TENOC (6%) and LTOP (3%).
Integrating Cutting Edge Devices to Increase Student Retention in Programming (Abstract Only)

Literature has estimated that about 33% of students who start a computer science degree program eventually drop or fail their first programming course. With the decreasing number of college graduates entering the computing industry, the workforce is missing out on the wealth and breadth of innate student ability and skills that are switching to non-STEM fields. This project developed, implemented and researched the effects of an innovative instructional strategy that integrated cutting-edge devices into an intermediate programming curriculum. Assignments were designed with the Java Software Ddevelopment Kkit for Java to strengthen student motivation and engagement by tapping into their creativity, collaborative skills, and critical thinking by using the InterAxon Muse, Oculus Rift, and the LeapMotion devices. Preliminary data indicates that although students may have enough motivation and interest in programming to persevere through the course, the implementation of this teaching methodology positively impacted their views and beliefs about programming skills and their relevance to their education. As well, survey data shows that student self-efficacy increased immediately after this educational intervention. Finally, instructor reflections point to a general shift in class morale and engagement with the inclusion of the assignments where students were required to solve problems without documentation. Future implications are also presented in this poster.
A Retrospective Examination of the Role of Parental Anxious Rearing Behaviors in Contributing to Intolerance of Uncertainty

Worry is a central component to anxiety, and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is an identified factor contributing to worry. It has been noted that parenting behaviors play a role in the anxious development of youth, specifically with regard to these constructs. We sought to examine the relationship of parenting behaviors in the development of IU. Internet-based assessments of current anxiety, worry, and depression were correlated with retrospective reports of parental behavior. It was found that IU was significantly correlated with worry, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, in several mediation analyses, it was noted that IU was a mediator between perceived anxious rearing and both worry and anxiety, but not depression. The implications of these results and internet-based methodology are discussed, particularly in terms of the novel findings from IU mediation analyses.