cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Task-based detectability in CT image reconstruction by filtered backprojection and penalized likelihood estimation.

Purpose: Nonstationarity is an important aspect of imaging performance in CT and cone-beam CT (CBCT), especially for systems employing iterative reconstruction. This work presents a theoretical framework for both filtered-backprojection (FBP) and penalized-likelihood (PL) reconstruction that includes explicit descriptions of nonstationary noise, spatial resolution, and task-based detectability index. Potential utility of the model was demonstrated in the optimal selection of regularization parameters in PL reconstruction. Methods: Analytical models for local modulation transfer function (MTF) and noise-power spectrum (NPS) were investigated for both FBP and PL reconstruction, including explicit dependence on the object and spatial location. For FBP, a cascaded systems analysis framework was adapted to account for nonstationarity by separately calculating fluence and system gains for each ray passing through any given voxel. For PL, the point-spread function and covariance were derived using the implicit function theorem and first-order Taylor expansion according toFessler [“Mean and variance of implicitly defined biased estimators (such as penalized maximum likelihood): Applications to tomography,” IEEE Trans. Image Process. 5(3), 493–506 (1996)]. Detectability index was calculated for a variety of simple tasks. The model for PL was used in selecting the regularization strength parameter to optimize task-based performance, with both a constant and a spatially varyingmore » regularization map. Results: Theoretical models of FBP and PL were validated in 2D simulated fan-beam data and found to yield accurate predictions of local MTF and NPS as a function of the object and the spatial location. The NPS for both FBP and PL exhibit similar anisotropic nature depending on the pathlength (and therefore, the object and spatial location within the object) traversed by each ray, with the PL NPS experiencing greater smoothing along directions with higher noise. The MTF of FBP is isotropic and independent of location to a first order approximation, whereas the MTF of PL is anisotropic in a manner complementary to the NPS. Task-based detectability demonstrates dependence on the task, object, spatial location, and smoothing parameters. A spatially varying regularization “map” designed from locally optimal regularization can improve overall detectability beyond that achievable with the commonly used constant regularization parameter. Conclusions: Analytical models for task-based FBP and PL reconstruction are predictive of nonstationary noise and resolution characteristics, providing a valuable framework for understanding and optimizing system performance in CT and CBCT.« less
Validation of a New Finite Element Model for Human Knee Ligaments for Use in High Speed Automotive Collisions

A finite element model of knee human ligaments was developed and validated to predict the injury potential of occupants in high speed frontal automotive collisions. Dynamic failure properties of ligaments were modeled to facilitate the development of more realistic dynamic representation of the human lower extremities when subjected to a high strain rate. Uniaxial impulsive impact loads were applied to porcine medial collateral ligament-bone complex with strain rates up to145 s−1. From test results, the failure load was found to depend on ligament geometric parameters and on the strain rate applied. The information obtained was then integrated into a finite element model of the knee ligaments with the potential to be used also for representation of ligaments in other regions of the human body. The model was then validated against knee ligament dynamic tolerance tests found in literature. Results obtained from finite element simulations during the validation process agreed with the outcomes reported by literature findings encouraging the use of this ligament model as a powerful and innovative tool to estimate ligament human response in high speed frontal automotive collisions.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The effect of microstructure, temperature, and hold-time on low-cycle fatigue of As HIP P/M Rene 95

The effects of microstructure, temperature, plastic strain range, and hold time on the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) life were studied for Rene 95, an important Ni base superalloy used in jet engine disks. It was shown that the life could be varied by approximately an order of magnitude at elevated temperatures by simple heat treatments. The life was largest for the microstructure that promoted the most homogeneous deformation mode. The results are explained using the concept of a synergistic interaction between the deformation mode and boundary oxidation.
The use of spreadsheets in teaching undergraduate mathematics

Abstract The use of spreadsheets in teaching undergraduate mathematics is discussed, with examples of specific topics. The range of application includes Calculus, Differential Equations, Probability and Numerical Analysis. The advantages and disadvantages of spreadsheets are discussed.
ACTIVATION OF A PP2A-LIKE PHOSPHATASE AND DEPHOSPHORYLATION OF TAU PROTEIN CHARACTERIZE ONSET OF THE EXECUTION PHASE OF APOPTOSIS

The execution phase is an evolutionarily conserved stage of apoptosis that occurs with remarkable temporal and morphological uniformity in most if not all cell types regardless of the condition used to induce death. Characteristic features of apoptosis such as membrane blebbing, DNA fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and cell shrinkage occur during the execution phase; therefore, there is considerable interest in defining biochemical changes and signaling events early in the execution phase. Since onset of the execution phase is asynchronous across a population with only a small fraction of cells in this stage at any given time, characterizing underlying biochemical changes is difficult. An additional complication is recent evidence suggesting that the execution phase occurs after cells commit to die; thus, agents that modulate events in the execution phase may alter the morphological progression of apoptosis but will not affect the time-course of death. In the present study, we use a single cell approach to study and temporally order biochemical and cytoskeletal events that occur specifically in the execution phase. Microtubules de-acetylate and disassemble as terminally differentiated PC12 cells enter the execution phase following removal of nerve growth factor. Using phosphorylation sensitive antibodies to tau, we show that this microtubule-stabilizing protein becomes dephosphorylated near the onset of the execution phase. Low concentrations of okadaic acid inhibit dephosphorylation suggesting a PP2A-like phosphatase is responsible. Transfecting (tau) into CHO cells to act as a ‘reporter’ protein shows a similar dephosphorylation of (tau) by a PP2A-like phosphatase during the execution phase following induction of apoptosis with UV irradiation. Therefore, activation of PP2A phosphatase occurs at the onset of the execution phase in two very different cell types following different initiators of apoptosis which is consistent with activation of PP2A phosphatase being a common feature of the execution phase of apoptosis. Experiments using either taxol to inhibit microtubule disassembly or okadaic acid to inhibit tau dephosphorylation suggest that microtubule disassembly is necessary for tau dephosphorylation to occur. Thus, we propose that an early step in the execution phase (soon after a cell commits to die) is microtubule disassembly which frees or activates PP2A to dephosphorylate tau as well as other substrates.
Ancestry-informative markers on chromosomes 2, 8 and 15 are associated with insulin-related traits in a racially diverse sample of children

Type 2 diabetes represents an increasing health burden. Its prevalence is rising among younger age groups and differs among racial/ethnic groups. Little is known about its genetic basis, including whether there is a genetic basis for racial/ethnic disparities. We examined a multi-ethnic sample of 253 healthy children to evaluate associations between insulin-related phenotypes and 142 ancestry-informative markers (AIMs), while adjusting for sex, age, Tanner stage, genetic admixture, total body fat, height and socio-economic status. We also evaluated the effect of measurement errors in the estimation of the individual ancestry proportions on the regression results. We found that European genetic admixture is positively associated with insulin sensitivity (SI), and negatively associated with the acute insulin response to glucose, fasting insulin levels and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance. Our analysis revealed associations between individual AIMs on chromosomes 2, 8 and 15 and these phenotypes. Most notably, marker rs3287 at chromosome 2p21 was found to be associated with SI (p = 5.8 × 10-5). This marker may be in admixture linkage disequilibrium with nearby loci (THADA and BCL11A) that previously have been reported to be associated with diabetes and diabetes-related phenotypes in several genome-wide association and linkage studies. Our results provide further evidence that variation in the 2p21 region containing THADA and BCL11A is associated with type 2 diabetes. Importantly, we have implicated this region in the early development of diabetes-related phenotypes, and in the genetic aetiology of population differences in these phenotypes.
Housing Rehabilitation as an Urban Policy Alternative

Economic and social changes in central cities have made physical decay widespread, and housing rehabilitation has become an increasingly important strategy for reversing this decay. The principal factor which affects the design and impact of housing rehabilitation programs is the income group at which they are targeted. Programs directed at the housing poor face a series of problems related to the lack of resources of these groups, while the principal problem of programs aimed at middle-income groups is reversing the pattern of neighborhood disinvestment. All types of rehabilitation programs share problems of low productivity due to the complexity of the rehabilitation process and to the overall lack of resources committed to them. As a part of a larger community development process, housing rehabilitation programs must embrace and reconcile the sometimes conflicting goals of maximum physical revitalization and the provision of improved housing services for the poor. This does not require radical new programs but rather a sophisticated mix of existing approaches coupled with the funding commitments necessary to execute them. The current trend towards fiscal retrenchment will seriously interfere with further efforts to utilize housing rehabilitation as an effective tool for revitalization.
A new deterministic algorithm for DS-CDMA signature sequence generation

This paper presents a novel deterministic technique for the generation of DS-CDMA signature sequences with a wide range of correlation properties that is based on the well-known Viterbi search algorithm. This approach provides a fast, low-complexity method of generating binary or polyphase codes with no constraints on code length or size of the codeset. In addition, the algorithm is iterative and provides increasingly better codes in terms of average mean-square aperiodic correlation properties as the number of iterations increase. The algorithm is shown to outperform existing complex-code design techniques and provides codes with similar correlation properties to well-known codesets while using significantly fewer unique phases.
A Reassessment of the Defense of Parenthood

Whereas parents typically believe that their children increase their happiness (e.g., Eibach & Mock 2011), decades of research have found little support for this contention (Dolan et al. 2008). In a recent paper, Nelson et al. (2013) address the issue with analyses of the World Values Survey (WVS; 2006) and an experience-sampling dataset (Carstensten et al. 2010). Though the authors carefully avoid making causal claims, they nevertheless conclude that the results provide (page 8) “...strong evidence challenging the widely held perception that children are a source of reduced well-being.”
Home Blood Pressure Monitoring International Recognition

See related article, p 675–682 Measurement of blood pressure outside of the clinic is recognized for providing superior accuracy in predicting future fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular and renal disease. The gold standard for these predictions is 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring that measures daytime and night- time pressures.1 Home blood pressure monitoring has rapidly made progress because devices for recording pressures taken at home have improved and become widely available.2 The advantages for this strategy are that pressures can be recorded during many days, weeks, and months. The newer devices can send results to a data center or individual care providers for review and management.3 In this sense, telemedicine has arrived for care of hypertension and seems to have made a successful landing. With the increasing need for primary care physicians, especially in the United States, telemedicine for hypertension may become a valuable alternative for management of hypertension.4 An important issue for management of hypertension has been whether the relationship between the clinic pressures and out-of-clinic pressures provides useful information. When this comparison discloses that clinic pressure is significantly higher than out-of-office pressure, that is, a white- coat effect, is the prognosis truly better? When the office pressure is lower than the out-of-office pressure (masked effect), is the predicted outcome worse? The accuracy of these classifications …
Color Vision and the Four-Color-Map Problem

Four different colors are needed to make maps that avoid adjacent countries of the same color. Because the retinal image is two dimensional, like a map, four dimensions of chromatic experience would also be needed to optimally distinguish regions returning spectrally different light to the eye. We therefore suggest that the organization of human color vision according to four-color classes (reds, greens, blues, and yellows) has arisen as a solution to this logical requirement in topology.
The Short-Term and Decade-Long Effects of Divorce on Women's Midlife Health∗:

We hypothesize that divorce immediately increases psychological distress and has long-term negative consequences for the physical health of divorced people. In addition, we hypothesize that divorce indirectly causes long-term increases in distress through stressful midlife events. The hypotheses are tested using data from 416 rural Iowa women who were interviewed repeatedly in the early 1990s when they were mothers of adolescent children; the women were interviewed again in 2001. The data support the hypotheses. In the years immediately after their divorce (1991-1994), divorced women reported significantly higher levels ofpsychological distress than married women but no differences in physical illness. A decade later (in 2001), the divorced women reported significantly higher levels of illness, even after controlling for age, remarriage, education, income, and prior health. Compared to their married counterparts, divorced women reported higher levels of stressful life events between 1994 and 2000, which led to higher levels of depressive symptoms in 2001.
Roles of LEF-4 and PTP/BVP RNA Triphosphatases in Processing of Baculovirus Late mRNAs

The baculovirus Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus encodes two proteins with RNA triphosphatase activity. Late expression factor LEF-4, which is an essential gene, is a component of the RNA polymerase and also encodes the RNA capping enzyme guanylyltransferase. PTP/BVP is also an RNA triphosphatase, but is not essential for viral replication, possibly because its activity is redundant to that of LEF-4. To elucidate the role of these proteins in mRNA cap formation, a mutant virus that lacked both RNA triphosphatase activities was constructed. Infection studies revealed that the double-mutant virus was viable and normal with respect to the production of budded virus. Pulse-labeling studies and immunoblot analyses showed that late gene expression in the double mutant was equivalent to that in the wild type, while polyhedrin expression was slightly reduced. Direct analysis of the mRNA cap structure indicated no alteration of cap processing in the double mutant. Together, these results reveal that baculoviruses replicate and express their late genes at normal levels in the absence of its two different types of RNA triphosphatases.
Dosimetric comparison of brachyablation and stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy in the treatment of liver metastasis

PURPOSE: We compared the dosimetry of brachyablation (BA) and stereotactic ablative radio- therapy (SABR) in the treatment of liver metastases. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Treatment plans for 10 consecutive liver metastasis patients, treated with SABR, were replanned for BA. BA treatment was planned using five 12 Gy fractions to the same planning target volume (PTV) used for SABR. Dosimetric parameters were compared using a Student's paired t test. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: BA and SABR plans had similar mean volume receiving 100% of the prescribed dose (94.1% vs. 93.9% of PTV, p 5 0.8). Mean volume receiving 150% of the prescribed dose for BA was 63.6%, whereas for SABR it was 0. The minimum dose to the PTV was 65.8% for BA, whereas for SABR it was 87.4% (p 5 0.0002). Liver volume receiving $15 Gy was similar for BA and SABR (278 vs. 256 cc, p 5 0.3). Small bowel mean dose, as percent prescription dose, was higher for BA (10.8% vs. 7.1%, p 5 0.006). Stomach mean dose was similar (4.9% vs. 4.8% of prescription dose, p 5 0.98). Right kidney mean dose was greater for BA (6.7% vs. 4.2%, p 5 0.07). BA leads to a higher target dose, similar dose to organs at risk, but potentially with lower target coverage compared with SABR. Further work is needed to determine ideal suitability for mono vs. combination therapy with this approach. 2015 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Male Infertility and Variation in CAG Repeat Length in the Androgen Receptor Gene: A Meta-analysis

Context: Many studies have investigated the association between male infertility and trinucleotide repeat polymorphisms in the androgen receptor (AR) gene, but no comprehensive meta-analysis of all published studies has been conducted. Objective: Our goals were to summarize published data on associations between AR CAG and GGC repeat lengths and male infertility and investigate sources of variation between study results. Data Sources: We searched for reports published before October 2006 using Medline, PubMed, and Web of Science. Study Selection: All selected studies included the following: a case group with infertility as measured by semen parameters, a control group of known or presumed fertile men, and measurement of CAG and/or GGC repeat lengths among cases and controls. Thirty-nine reports were selected based on these criteria, and 33 were ultimately included in the meta-analysis. Data Extraction: One investigator extracted data on sample size, mean and sd of trinucleotide repeat length, and study ch...
Functions of C2D macrophage cells after adoptive transfer

Macrophage function depends on their in situ location. To test this hypothesis, we examined functional changes of the C2D macrophage cell line after adoptive transfer. In vitro, C2D macrophages reside early in the macrophage lineage and show little functional activity. After in vivo i.p. culture, C2D macrophage cells switch their cytokine/chemokine profile from primarily Th2 cytokines produced in vitro to a Th1 profile including MIP-1alpha, IL-6, and TNF-alpha. The in vivo environment also caused C2D macrophage cells to become more phagocytic than their in vitro counterparts. These data indicate that C2D macrophage cells exhibit distinct functions because of in vivo signals that are absent during in vitro culture.
Single Crystal Growth and Thermoelectric Properties of Ce5Cu19P12

Single crystals of the known ternary cerium intermetallic Ce5 Cu19 P12 were grown by Sn flux and I2 transport methods. The long axis of the black hexagonal needles was confirmed to be the c-axis by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Electrical resistivity of both single crystals and a pressed pellet was measured from 4 - 300 K; the room temperature resistivity is about 400 μΩ-cm for the needle axis of the crystals and about 5 mΩ-cm for the pressed pellet. The thermopower of the pressed pellet was found to be 34 μV/K at room temperature.
Fast viscoelastic behavior with thin features

We introduce a method for efficiently animating a wide range of deformable materials. We combine a high resolution surface mesh with a tetrahedral finite element simulator that makes use of frequent re-meshing. This combination allows for fast and detailed simulations of complex elastic and plastic behavior. We significantly expand the range of physical parameters that can be simulated with a single technique, and the results are free from common artifacts such as volume-loss, smoothing, popping, and the absence of thin features like strands and sheets. Our decision to couple a high resolution surface with low-resolution physics leads to efficient simulation and detailed surface features, and our approach to creating the tetrahedral mesh leads to an order-of-magnitude speedup over previous techniques in the time spent re-meshing. We compute masses, collisions, and surface tension forces on the scale of the fine mesh, which helps avoid visual artifacts due to the differing mesh resolutions. The result is a method that can simulate a large array of different material behaviors with high resolution features in a short amount of time.
TIBIAL SPUR FEEDING IN GROUND CRICKETS: LARGER MALES CONTRIBUTE LARGER GIFTS (ORTHOPTERA: GRYLLIDAE)

Abstract Many male insects provide somatic nuptial gifts that may strongly influence reproductive fitness by insuring an effective copulation or by increasing paternal investment. In the striped ground cricket, Allonemobius socius (Scudder), females receive a nuptial gift by chewing on a specialized spur on the male’s hind tibia during copulation. Using a series of no-choice trials, we attempted to quantify gift magnitude and to determine the relationships between male size, gift contribution, and male mating success. Tibial spur chewing duration was a significant predictor of gift contribution (F1,17 = 17.02, P < 0.001) and the magnitude of the gift ranged between 0.2% and 8% of the male’s body mass, implying that females receive mostly hemolymph. Large males produced bigger gifts than small males (2.52 ± 0.59 mg vs. 1.33 ± 0.28 mg, t17 = 1.88, P < 0.05, respectively) and females were more likely to mate with larger males (F1,39 = 4.76, P < 0.05). If gift size is shown to influence female reproductive fi...
Ultrafast 2D-IR and simulation investigations of preferential solvation and cosolvent exchange dynamics.

Using a derivative of the vitamin biotin labeled with a transition-metal carbonyl vibrational probe in a series of aqueous N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solutions, we observe a striking slowdown in spectral diffusion dynamics with decreased DMF concentration. Equilibrium solvation dynamics, measured with the rapidly acquired spectral diffusion (RASD) technique, a variant of heterodyne-detected photon–echo peak shift experiments, range from 1 ps in neat DMF to ∼3 ps in 0.07 mole fraction DMF/water solution. Molecular dynamics simulations of the biotin–metal carbonyl solute in explicit aqueous DMF solutions show marked preferential solvation by DMF, which becomes more pronounced at lower DMF concentrations. The simulations and the experimental data are consistent with an interpretation where the slowdown in spectral diffusion is due to solvent exchange involving distinct cosolvent species. A simple two-component model reproduces the observed spectral dynamics as well as the DMF concentration dependence, enabl...
Possible Role of psbJ in Photosystem H: Site-Directed Mutagenesis in the Cyanobacterium, Synechocystis 6803

The unicellular transformable cyanobacterium Svnechocvstis 6803 is ideally suited for genetic analysis of the photosystem II complex in thylakoid membranes (1–3). Initially, we used a homologous probe from spinach chloroplasts to clone two neighboring genes psbE and psbF. encoding the a and the β subunits of the cytochrome b559 protein of PS II. During our examination of the organization of these two genes and the neighboring DNA regions, we have discovered the presence of two open reading frames downstream of the psbF gene. Northern analysis indicate that a ~1kb mRNA, transcribed from the entire psbEFIJ region is present in spinach (4), Euglena (5), as well as Svnechocvstis 6803 (H. Pakrasi, unpublished observation). Since cotranscribed genes usually encode proteins of the same complex, these ORF’s are thought to be related to PSII and are thus termed psbl and psbJ, respectively.
Action of Curare on the Brain of the Frog

ConclusionCurare produces in frogs a brain narcosis simultaneous with a peripheral motor paralysis. The former may be recognized in the gradual alteration and final disappearance of electrical brain waves, and after a period of several hours and even days in a complete restoration of the normal electrical pattern. The peripheral and central actions are independent of each other.We are indebted to Dr. Israel S. Wechsler for the use of the electroencephalographic apparatus.
Defect Tolerance in Methylammonium Lead Triiodide Perovskite

Photovoltaic applications of perovskite semiconductor material systems have generated considerable interest in part because of predictions that primary defect energy levels reside outside the bandgap. We present experimental evidence that this enabling material property is present in the halide-lead perovskite, CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3), consistent with theoretical predictions. By performing X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, we induce and track dynamic chemical and electronic transformations in the perovskite. These data show compositional changes that begin immediately with exposure to X-ray irradiation, whereas the predominant electronic structure of the thin film on compact TiO2 appears tolerant to the formation of compensating defect pairs of VI and VMA and for a large range of I/Pb ratios. Changing film composition is correlated with a shift of the valence-band maximum only as the halide–lead ratio drops below 2.5. This delay is attributed to the invariance of MAPbI3 electronic structure to distributed def...
Fatigue failure mechanisms of vanadium alloy/stainless steel brazed joints

Vanadium alloys are under consideration for use in fusion energy systems as structural materials for the construction of first wall and divertor because they have significant advantages over other iron based alloys in several areas. Typical advantages of the vanadium alloys include low initial level of induced activity; high strength and plasticity at elevated temperatures; high radiation strength and high corrosion resistance in liquid metals [1–3]. The first wall and divertor components of a nuclear reactor may contain kilometers of welds. Utilization of vanadium alloys in fusion reactor applications also requires dissimilar joints between vanadium alloys and other materials. Thus, vanadium alloy parts must be joined together or to lower cost dissimilar metallic alloys such as stainless steel to construct an effective and economic power generating system. There exist technical challenges in welding or brazing vanadium to vanadium or to stainless steel due to their affinity to interstitial elements such as oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. The hydrogen uptake of vanadium alloys after exposure in hydrogen-containing environments can result in serious degradation of ductility [4]. Compound of Ti-oxycarbonitrides (Ti-OCN) in V-Cr-Ti based alloys have been found in the form of banded grain structure which is considered as the origin of microstructural inhomogeneities [5, 6]. Arc welding processes such as gas tungsten arc (GTA), YAG and CO2 laser welding and brazing are expected to play a major role in fabrication of structures using vanadium alloys [7]. Using gettered protective gas such as argon will inevitably introduce those elements with detrimental effects. Vanadium alloy weldments produced using gas tungsten arc, laser and electron beam welding have been found to have poor toughness properties [8]. Brazing can be a viable joining process for dissimilar materials. It offers flexibility to overcome the chemical incompatibilities of dissimilar joints and provides reasonable joint strength. At the present time, vanadium alloys can be brazed under high vacuum conditions. Brazing of vanadium alloys and characterization of the brazed joints have been carried out [9]. Several filler alloys were investigated to determine the optimum braze composition to join V-5Cr-5Ti to 304 stainless steel [10]. Filler alloys based on the alloy
Nothing Left to Lose? Changes Experienced by Detroit Low- and Moderate-Income Households During the Great Recession

The Financial Crisis and ensuing Great Recession caused enormous hardship for households. Using original datasets, we examine the effects of the recession on a population many might think had nothing left to lose: low- and moderate-income households in the Detroit metropolitan area. We find that the Great Recession in fact imposed significant costs on these households, reducing employment and assets and increasing hardships in a wide variety of ways. Our findings suggest the need for more robust safety net policies and financial services that can help cushion the blows from sharp reductions in incomes and assets.
Theoretical Investigation of Structural Effects on the Charge Transfer Properties in Modified Phthalocyanines

For efficient charge separation and charge transport in optoelectronic materials, small internal reorganization energies are desired. While many p-type organic semiconductors have been reported with low internal reorganization energies, few n-type materials with low reorganization energy are known. Metal phthalocyanines have long received extensive research attention in the field of organic device electronics due to their highly tunable electronic properties through modification of the molecular periphery. In this study, density functional theory (DFT) calculations are performed on a series of zinc-phthalocyanines (ZnPc) with various degrees of peripheral per-fluoroalkyl (-C3F7) modification. Introduction of the highly electron withdrawing groups on the periphery leads to a lowering in the energy of the molecular frontier orbitals as well as an increase in the electron affinity. Additionally, all molecules studies are found to be most stable in their anionic form, demonstrating their potential as n-type materials. However, the calculated internal reorganization energy slightly increases as a function of peripheral modification. By varying the degree of modification we develop a strategy for obtaining an optimal balance between low reorganization energy and high electron affinity for the development of novel n-type optoelectronic materials.
Re-envisioning Management Education and Training for Information Professionals

The evolving demand for workforce skills has often been a topic of discussion at various professional library and information science (LIS) conferences and in the academic literature. Although LIS schools tend to highlight the goal of preparing future members of the LIS profession to be effective leaders, a management and leadership curriculum gap still exists worldwide. Most LIS schools are still falling short when it comes to offering advanced management courses on a regular basis as identified in international studies. Consequently, this lack of adequate management education and training in LIS schools tends to contribute to the development of “accidental managers.” A review of the online program and course descriptions of the 58 American Library Association (ALA) accredited graduate schools demonstrates the current landscape of LIS education in relation to the demand for leadership and management skills and the increasing significance of these competencies for information professionals. This research also shows how regular interaction and engagement with the LIS professional community resulted in the development of an online advanced certificate program in management for information professionals. Although this study primarily reviewed LIS schools in the U.S. and Canada, it has wider implications given the need for advanced management courses expressed in the literature worldwide. It is vitally important for LIS schools to bridge the existing gaps in LIS education in order to meet professional demands for leadership and management skills, and this paper demonstrates one way in which LIS schools can accomplish this.
Vremiere: In-Headset Virtual Reality Video Editing

Creative professionals are creating Virtual Reality (VR) experiences today by capturing spherical videos, but video editing is still done primarily in traditional 2D desktop GUI applications such as Premiere. These interfaces provide limited capabilities for previewing content in a VR headset or for directly manipulating the spherical video in an intuitive way. As a result, editors must alternate between editing on the desktop and previewing in the headset, which is tedious and interrupts the creative process. We demonstrate an application that enables a user to directly edit spherical video while fully immersed in a VR headset. We first interviewed professional VR filmmakers to understand current practice and derived a suitable workflow for in-headset VR video editing. We then developed a prototype system implementing this new workflow. Our system is built upon a familiar timeline design, but is enhanced with custom widgets to enable intuitive editing of spherical video inside the headset. We conducted an expert review study and found that with our prototype, experts were able to edit videos entirely within the headset. Experts also found our interface and widgets useful, providing intuitive controls for their editing needs.
White working-class politics and the consequences of declining unionization in the age of Trump

ABSTRACTThis essay discusses the various conceptualizations and political behavior of the white working class. Using Katherine J. Cramer's The Politics of Resentment: Rural Consciousness in Wisconsin and the Rise of Scott Walker and Justin Gest's The New Minority: White Working Class Politics in an Age of Immigration and Inequality, I critically engage literature on political behavior and class politics in light of declining class-based organizations. Overall, while pundits have pointed to a white working class with clear political preferences, definitions in empirical literature are often wide ranging, suggesting differences in expected behavior.
Towards a Framework for Developing Cyber Privacy Metrics: A Vision Paper

systems for providing data privacy, there is no general methodology for determining the extent to which these techniques, tools and systems reduce practical privacy risks. We need a comprehensive framework where the privacy and utility of multiple privacy-preserving techniques could be measured. This vision paper provides directions for designing such a framework.
Near-field flame dynamics of liquid oxygen/kerosene bi-swirl injectors at supercritical conditions

Abstract The flame dynamics of liquid bi-swirl injectors are numerically investigated using the large eddy simulation technique. Liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene at subcritical temperatures are injected into a supercritical pressure environment. The theoretical framework is based on the full conservation laws and accommodates real-fluid thermodynamics and transport theories over the entire range of fluid states. Turbulence/chemistry interaction is modeled with a laminar flamelet library approach, the validity of which is demonstrated in the present work. The near-field flow and flame characteristics are carefully studied. The flame is anchored in the wake of the inner injector post by two counter-rotating vortices, and further stabilized by center and corner recirculation zones in the downstream region. Differences in the flow patterns between the cold-flow and combustion cases are recognized. Various geometric parameters, including recess region, post thickness, and kerosene annulus width, are examined in depth to explore their influence on flame characteristics. A recess region is found to be necessary to achieve efficient mixing and combustion. The absence of a recess region increases the penetration depth of the kerosene stream in the downstream region and reduces the thermal protection provided to the injector faceplate. On the other hand, a thicker LOX post or a wider kerosene annulus protects the faceplate more efficiently, and introduces larger recirculation zones near the LOX post surface and thus higher flow residence time to better anchor the flame. However, the flame attachment for thicker post and wider annulus induces a stronger heat flux to the post surface, and thus increases the risk of thermal failure of the injector device. The dynamic characteristics of the flame field are also discussed. The flow oscillations within the injector are found to be dominated by a quarter acoustic wave, while the oscillatory field near the injector exit is characterized by vortex shedding. The characteristic frequency of the vortex shedding is similar for different LOX post thicknesses and annulus widths, and is determined by the exit velocity profiles.
Paternal Anxiety in Relation to Toddler Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Maternal Behavior.

Despite robust investigations examining the impact of maternal anxiety and parenting behaviors and child anxiety risk, less is understood about the impact of paternal anxiety and parenting behaviors on child anxiety risk, particularly within the broader family context. An Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) was used to examine whether paternal anxiety longitudinally predicted child anxiety risk indirectly through maternal and paternal parenting behaviors, while controlling for maternal anxiety. Both fathers and mothers of 12- to 30-month-olds (n = 94) provided self-report of their anxiety and parenting behaviors. Child inhibited temperament (i.e., anxiety risk) was coded. Two APIMs separately considering encouragement of independence and overprotection were examined. These models revealed no direct relation between parent and child anxiety while controlling for parenting behaviors. Models did suggest that paternal anxiety is indirectly linked with future child anxiety through lower maternal encouragement of independence, but not through maternal overprotection or paternal parenting behaviors.
Agonists of the γ-aminobutyric acid type B (GABAB) receptor derived from β-hydroxy and β-amino difluoromethyl ketones.

Abstract β-Hydroxy difluoromethyl ketones represent the newest class of agonists of the GABA-B receptor, and they are structurally distinct from all other known agonists at this receptor because they do not display the carboxylic acid or amino group of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In this report, the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of additional analogues of β-hydroxy difluoromethyl ketones characterized the critical nature of the substituted aromatic group on the lead compound. The importance of these new data is interpreted by docking studies using the X-ray structure of the GABA-B receptor. Moreover, we also report that the synthesis and biological evaluation of β-amino difluoromethyl ketones provided the most potent compound across these two series.
Modeling Physical Activity Behavior Change

This chapter reviews the use of body sensors for physical activity behavior change modeling. It begins by presenting the need for individual-specific personalized strategies for motivating physical activity behavior change. Next, it discusses the current capabilities as well as challenges for body sensors to inform behavioral interventions, including presenting two existing models focused on understanding exercise performance. The chapter then discusses conceptual models for behavior change, focusing on the transtheoretical model of behavior change, health coaching, and motivational interviewing as examples. Current assessment approaches used to identify the stage in which a person belongs along the spectrum of adopting a behavior change are presented. Next, a study design and modeling framework are provided that utilize both questionnaire response and sensor data to estimate parameters associated with physical activity behavior change. The chapter finishes with a brief mention of remaining challenges in the field, including issues of usability and the risks associated with sensors and personal privacy.
Food Webs, Microbial

Microbes, single-celled organisms in the domains Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, interact in complex food webs in terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Most research on microbial food webs has been in aquatic ecosystems, and especially in the ocean. Primary production by photosynthetic and chemosynthetic microbes forms the base of food webs in most aquatic habitats. A large fraction of primary production, up to 50% or more, is utilized by heterotrophic prokaryotes. Prokaryotes in oxic, hypoxic, and anoxic habitats in aquatic water columns and sediments carry out significant biogeochemical transformations, completing major elemental cycles in the biosphere. As major predators of prokaryotic and algal cells, as consumers of biomass at the base of food webs, as regenerators of inorganic nutrients from the organic matter of their prey, and as a food resource for larger consumers, phagotrophic protists play a central role in the structure and functioning of aquatic food webs. Microbes also form interspecific symbioses that facilitate the growth of the host and symbiont, and interact via chemical signals in the environment or in other microbial cells. Models of the roles of microbes and known pathways of interaction in microbial food webs are continuing to evolve.
Burdened or Efficacious? Subgroups of Chinese American Language Brokers, Predictors, and Long-Term Outcomes.

Despite growing research on youth language brokering in immigrant families, evidence regarding its developmental outcomes remains mixed. This study took a person-centered approach, exploring subgroups of language brokers and identifying predictors and long-term outcomes of the subgroup membership. Participants were Chinese American adolescents (N = 350 at Time 1; Mage = 17.04; SD = 0.72; 59% female) followed over two waves spaced four years apart (longitudinal N = 291). Two distinct subgroups of adolescent language brokers were identified using latent profile analyses on language brokering feelings: efficacious and burdened brokers. Adolescents proficient in both English and Chinese were more likely to be efficacious brokers. Furthermore, burdened brokers reported higher parent–child alienation, and in turn, more depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood, compared to efficacious brokers and non-language-brokers. The current findings inform future interventions that burdened language brokers may be most at risk and that improving parent–child relationships may be one way to promote the well-being of young brokers.
Methodology for co-creating provider-centered interventions for mitigating interruptions in the emergency department:

The high uncertainty of the emergency department (ED) and intermittent time-critical activities creates unpredictable staff workloads. Frequent interruptions are inherent to this acute care work en...
Rearranging the Furniture

According to Peter van Inwagen, there are, from the point of view of serious metaphysics, no (non-living) composites, only simples. Saying that we have built a ship is a misleading (even if ordinarily acceptable) way of saying that we have rearranged some simples ship- wise. However, the notion of rearranging simples is problematic, and van Inwagen’s resort to “honorary simples” does not make it less so. Simples can be rearranged only by way of rearranging these, making talk of them not merely a convenient facon de parler, as van Inwagen claims, but ineliminable even when we are in the “ontology room.”
Cross-leg latissimus dorsi free flap with chimeric serratus anterior bridge for lower extremity trauma: Case report and reconstructive algorithm

Gustilo Grade IIIB and IIIC open fractures of the lower extremity often involve complex wounds requiring bony fixation and soft tissue reconstruction. We present a case of a 32 year-old male who suffered a traumatic Gustilo Grade IIIB open fracture of the tibia and fibula with an extensive soft tissue defect. Reconstruction was first attempted with a turbocharged anterolateral thigh flap that failed due to venous thrombosis. Due to vascular injury, limited reconstructive options were available from the ipsilateral leg. Limb salvage was subsequently achieved with a chimeric cross-leg latissimus dorsi-serratus anterior (LD-SA) free flap based off the contralateral healthy leg, using the serratus for pedicle bridge coverage so that the latissimus could be fully used for defect coverage. Though not extensively described in the literature, this flap is a versatile reconstructive option for limb salvage in patients with Gustilo IIIB or IIIC injuries to the lower extremity.
Characterization of the Basic Membrane Properties of Neurons of the Rat Dorsal Motor Nucleus of the Vagus in Paraquat-Induced Models of Parkinsonism

Abstract Most of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients experience gastrointestinal dysfunctions, including gastric hypomotility. The dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) modulates the motility of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Paraquat (P) administration induces Parkinsonism in experimental models, and we have developed recently an environmental model of Parkinsonism in which rats are treated with subthreshold doses of P and lectins (P + L), in both models rats develop reduced gastric motility prodromal to the full extent of motor deficits. The aim of the present study was to examine whether the membrane properties of DMV neurons in these two experimental models of Parkinsonism were altered. Whole cell recordings in slices containing DMV neurons were conducted in male Sprague Dawley rats which received either injections of paraquat (10 mg/kg i.p.; 10P), or oral administration of paraquat (1 mg/kg) and lectin (0.05% w/v; P + L). Morphological reconstructions of DMV neurons were conducted at the end of the recordings. The repolarization kinetics of the afterhyperpolarization phase of the action potential was accelerated in 10P neurons vs control, while the phase plot revealed a slower depolarizing slope. At baseline, the amplitude of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents was increased in P + L neurons. No differences in the morphology of DMV neurons were observed. These data indicate that the membrane and synaptic properties of DMV neurons are altered in rodent models of Parkinsonism, in which neurons of 10P and P + L rats demonstrate an increased excitatory transmission, perhaps in an attempt to counteract the paraquat-induced gastric hypomotility.