cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanical Properties Of Compositionally Modulated Au-Ni Thin Films Using Indentation And Microbeam Deflection Techniques

The “supermodulus effect” has been reported as an anomalous increase of as much as several hundred percent in the elastic moduli of compositionally-modulated thin metal films in a narrow range of modulation wavelength. The direct measurement of this effect has, however, been limited due to the very small dimensions of the test material. The mechanical properties of compositionally-modulated Au-Ni thin films (one of the first systems in which the supermodulus effect was reported) were studied on their substrates by indentation and microbeam-deflection techniques using a Nanoindenter. The films were fabricated by alternately sputtering Au and Ni onto [100] Si substrates for the indentation tests and onto prefabricated SiO2 cantilever beams with an initial Cr layer (for adhesion) for the beam deflection tests. All of the films have strong [111] textures and exhibit the structural characteristics of the films for which the modulus enhancement was reported. In particular, an increase in the average lattice parameter normal to the plane of the film over a narrow range of modulation wavelengths near 2 nm was noted. The modulation wavelengths range from 0.8 to 4.5 nm. The results from both indentation and microbeam deflection tests reveal no unusual plastic or elastic properties in these samples.
When District of Columbia Representation Collides with the Constitutional Amendment Institution

Although most American political institutions have been studied to death, virtually no systematic attention has been paid to constitutional amendment politics. The Framers in 1787 showed audacity and foresight by creating an amendment institution for constitutional change in Article Five of the Constitution. This provision went to work quickly as ten of twelve proposed amendments were ratified in 1791 as the Bill of Rights. This glorious start for amendments soon yielded to other means of constitutional change--ordinary legislation, administrative acts and, most of all, judicial review. Observing these rival forms, the discerning legal philosopher Edmond Cahn wrote in 1954 that this planning for change was the greatest American contribution to constitution-making in the 18th century.'
Amorphous Silicon Thin Film Transistors on Kapton Fibers

The textile industry uses weaving to create very large quantities of fabric very quickly. The goal of our research is to use this well established technology to create complex large-area circuits quickly and efficiently. In our laboratory we have previously shown that amorphous silicon (a-Si) can be used to make thin-Film transistors (TFTs) on Kapton (a highly temperature-resistant polyimide from DuPont). We also previously showed that these TFTs can survive mechanical loads. A process has been designed to make “TFT fibers” by fabricating a-Si TFTs on Kapton. A special TFT geometry has also been developed. The structure consists of 3 large gold contact pads–one for each terminal of the TFT–running along the fiber. These contact pads allow connections to be made between TFT fibers using conductor fibers–Kapton fibers coated only with gold. The TFT fabrication process is based on a low temperature (150°C) Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) process. The TFTs are fabricated on a Kapton sheet from which flat fibers are made by the slit film technique. So far the best method for cutting a Kapton sheet into fibers has been plasma etching. We will describe the electronic characteristics of these TFTs as well as the electrical characteristics of the contacts between TFT fibers.
Response of Female White-Tailed Deer to Scrapes and Antler Rubs

ground squirrel species (Sciuridae): an evolutionary approach. Canadian J. Zool., 54:1294-1306. LINSDALE, J. M. 1946. The California ground squirrel. Univ. California Press, Berkeley, 475 pp. MAZDER, E., M. R. CAPONE, AND L. C. DRICKAMER. 1976. Conspecific odors and trappability in deer mice (Peromyscus leucopus noveboracensis). J. Mamm., 57:607-609. MULLER-SCHWARZE, D. 1974. Olfactory recognition of species, groups, individuals and physiological states among mammals. Pp. 316-326, in Pheromones (M. C. Birtch, ed.). North Holland, Amsterdam, 495 pp. OWINGS, D. H., M. BORCHERT, AND R. VIRGINIA. 1977. The behavior of the California ground squirrel. Anim. Behav., 25:221-230. RALLS, K. 1971. Mammalian scent marking. Science, 171:443-449. ROWE, F. P. 1970. The response of wild mice (Mus musculus) to live traps marked by their own and foreign mouse odour. J. Zool., 162:517-520. SALMON, T. P. 1979. The anal gland of the California ground squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi). Unpubl. Ph.D. dissert., Univ. California, Davis, 139 pp. STEINER, A. L. 1974. Body rubbing, marking, and other scent related behavior in some ground squirrels (Sciuridae): a descriptive study. Canadian J. Zool., 52:889-906. . 1975. "Greeting" behavior in some Sciuridae, from an ontogenetic, evolutionary and sociobehavioral perspective. Nat. Canadian, 102:737751. STODDART, D. M. 1982. Does trap odour influence estimation of population size of the short-tailed vole, Microtus agrestis? J. Anim. Ecol., 51:375386.
The van der Waerden complex

Abstract We introduce the van der Waerden complex vdW ( n , k ) defined as the simplicial complex whose facets correspond to arithmetic progressions of length k in the vertex set { 1 , 2 , … , n } . We show the van der Waerden complex vdW ( n , k ) is homotopy equivalent to a CW -complex whose cells asymptotically have dimension at most log ⁡ k / log ⁡ log ⁡ k . Furthermore, we give bounds on n and k which imply that the van der Waerden complex is contractible.
Analysis on epidemiological characteristics of rabies in Fuyuan County of Yunnan Province during 2003-2009.

[Objective]To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of rabies in Fuyuan County during 2003-2009,provide scientific basis for prevention and control of rabies.[Methods]All epidemic data and individual case reports of rabies were analyzed with descriptive epidemiology.[Results]During 2003-2009,there were 23 cases of rabies in Fuyuan County,the incidence peak occurred in 2006 ( 20 cases) with the incidence rate of 2. 87 /lakh. There was 1 case of rabies in 2003,2007 and 2009 respectively. No rabies case was reported in 2004,2005 and 2008. The range of incidence rate was 0 ～ 2. 87 /lakh,and the average annual incidence rate was 0. 46 /lakh. There were more male patients than female patients,most of patients were children and young adults,and incidence rate of farmers was the highest. The majority cases occurred in summer and autumn. 95. 65% of cases were dog bite injury,and 4. 35% of cases were cat bite. 86. 96% of cases did not received standard treatment after trauma,and 78. 26% did not conduct vaccination.[Conclusion]The main reasons of increasing incidence rate of rabies in Fuyuan County were large number of dog with low immunization rate,absence of standard treatment after trauma and low usage rate of rabies vaccine.
The Analysis of the Valuation Model Based on EVA Index

The enterprise's valuation model is the use of index of EVA in the enterprise's valuation area.First the article defines the meaning of enterprise's valuation,then uses the index of EVA to construct the valuation model based on it,at last the author tries to do some research to give a new way to investors and managers to evaluate the enterprise's value.
Elite-level issue dynamics Assessing perspectives on party issue change

We analyze elite-level issue dynamics of culture war issues in the US from 1971 to 2008 to compare and contrast three theories of issue change: issue evolution, conflict extension, and ideological ...
Looking at faces: autonomous perspective invariant facial gaze analysis

Eye-tracking provides a mechanism for researchers to monitor where subjects deploy their visual attention. Eye-tracking has been used to gain insights into how humans scrutinize faces, however the majority of these studies were conducted using desktop-mounted eye-trackers where the subject sits and views a screen during the experiment. The stimuli in these experiments are typically photographs or videos of human faces. In this paper we present a novel approach using head-mounted eye-trackers which allows for automatic generation of gaze statistics for tasks performed in real-world environments. We use a trained hierarchy of Haar cascade classifiers to automatically detect and segment faces in the eye-tracker's scene camera video. We can then determine if fixations fall within the bounds of the face or other possible regions of interest and report relevant gaze statistics. Our method is easily adaptable to any feature-trained cascade to allow for rapid object detection and tracking. We compare our results with previous research on the perception of faces in social environments. We also explore correlations between gaze and confidence levels measured during a mock interview experiment.
Characterization of Human Brain Phenol Sulfotransferase

The biogenic amine neurotransmitters are inactivated in the central nervous system by several enzymatic reactions including deamination by monoamine oxidase (MAO), 0-methylation by catechol-0-methyltransferase (COMT) and 0-sulfation by phenol sulfotransferase (PST). The properties and location of both MAO and COMT have been extensively studied in human brain whereas the enzyme or enzymes involved in sulfate conjugation have received relatively little attention. Recent evidence (Anderson and Weinshilboum, 1980; Tyce et al., 1980; Renskers et al., 1980) has suggested that sulfate conjugation may contribute significantly to the overall inactivation of the putative amine neurotransmitters, especially dopamine. However, quantitative information as to the magnitude of this enzymatic process in human brain has not been assessed.
Infusing Feminist Disability Studies in Our Teaching

Over the past 20 years, disability studies has become a vibrant, interdisciplinary field. The five co-authors have worked together to examine the work of feminist disability scholarship with the goal of incorporating disability studies into our current intersectional approach to teaching. We begin with a brief introduction to feminist disability studies, paying particular attention to issues of identity and embodiment, and the ways in which disability, like gender, is socially constructed. We then share how the incorporation of a disability studies lens has influenced each of our courses, providing concrete examples. We examine the creation of new courses, such as the Sociology of Disability and Disability Studies in Education, which both explore disability through a gender, race, and class lens. Additionally, we discuss the integration of disability into existing courses, including an intersectional theory course, and a course on class, stratification, and power. Finally, we present an example of how disability studies perspectives can transform the teaching of a specific subject widely taught in gender-related courses—reproductive justice and the politics of choice. Bringing disability studies into the dialogue does not simply add to the curriculum and make it more inclusive, it also transforms it.
Coda: Nature Poets and Fiat Money

Just as fiat money is backed by no promise of redemption to be convertible on demand into gold, Thomas Love Peacock’s Paper Money Lyrics (1837) allege that the poets sought to benefit from ‘tactics of making large promises in order to make paper money out of little or nothing.’1 If the collection is seriously intended as such, how are we to evaluate this as a criticism of ‘Wordsworthian’ nature poetry, especially as it takes on meaning through reception in (paradoxically, deracinating) time?
Arnold Heidsieck, Das Groteske und das Absurde im modernen Drama

(1970). Arnold Heidsieck, Das Groteske und das Absurde im modernen Drama. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 45, No. 4, pp. 302-303.
Evaluating Display Modalities Using a Mixed Reality Game

We design and study a mixed reality game, PhotoNav, to investigate wearable computing display modalities. We study game play, varying display modality: head-mounted, handheld, and wrist-worn. PhotoNav requires the player to split attention between the physical world and display by using geotagged photographs as clues for navigation. Our results showed that participants using the head-mounted display exhibited poor performance in one of the courses and that players preferred handheld and wrist-worn displays, likely due to their familiarity with them. We derive design implications from the study and discuss problems faced in designing mixed reality games and interfaces that require users to split their attention.
Forecasting Epidemiological Consequences of Maternal Immunization.

BACKGROUND The increase in the incidence of whooping cough (pertussis) in many countries with high vaccination coverage is alarming. Maternal pertussis immunization has been proposed as an effective means of protecting newborns during the interval between birth and the first routine dose. However, there are concerns regarding potential interference between maternal antibodies and the immune response elicited by the routine schedule, with possible long-term population-level effects. METHODS We formulated a transmission model comprising both primary routine and maternal immunization. This model was examined to evaluate the long-term epidemiological effects of routine and maternal immunization, together with consequences of potential immune interference scenarios. RESULTS Overall, our model demonstrates that maternal immunization is an effective strategy in reducing the incidence of pertussis in neonates prior to the onset of the primary schedule. However, if maternal antibodies lead to blunting, incidence increases among older age groups. For instance, our model predicts that with 60% routine and maternal immunization coverage and 30% blunting, the incidence among neonates (0-2 months) is reduced by 43%. Under the same scenario, we observe a 20% increase in incidence among children aged 5-10 years. However, the downstream increase in the older age groups occurs with a delay of approximately a decade or more. CONCLUSIONS Maternal immunization has clear positive effects on infant burden of disease, lowering mean infant incidence. However, if maternally derived antibodies adversely affect the immunogenicity of the routine schedule, we predict eventual population-level repercussions that may lead to an overall increase in incidence in older age groups.
VIPR: an interactive tool for meaningful visualization of high-dimensional data

Analysis, pattern discovery, and decision support all can benefit greatly from informative and interpretable visualizations, especially of high-dimensional data. Informative Projection Ensemble (IPE) methodology has proven effective in finding interpretable renderings of high-dimensional data that reveal hidden low-dimensional structures in data if such structures exist. In this demonstration, we present a powerful analysis tool that uses IPE methodology in support of fundamental machine learning tasks: regression, classification, and clustering. Our tool is an interactive web application operating on 2D and 3D projections of data automatically selected by IPE algorithms as informative for the user-specified data and task. It also provides RESTful APIs enabling remote users to seamlessly integrate our service with other tools and to easily extend its functionality. We show in examples how it can discover hidden interpretable structures embedded in high-dimensional data.
Use of Video Recording to Facilitate Peer-to-Peer Learning in a Prelicensure Nursing Program

Abstract Peer-to-peer learning in a prelicensure nursing program allows students to critique one another with decreased stress and anxiety. The use of video recording technology affords students the opportunity to engage in reflective practices of physical assessment and psychomotor skills checkoffs outside of a traditional instructor proctored evaluation session. Students reported improved learning associated with peer-to-peer feedback. Instructor-proctored evaluation, although more authentic, produced more stress and anxiety.
Image-Guided Sinus Endoscopy

Over the last two decades, image guidance has become an essential component of endoscopic sinus surgery. After years of being used primarily within the neurosurgical field, image guidance has been modified to aid otolaryngologists during sinonasal and skull base procedures. While not replacing surgical skills or knowledge of anatomical structures, image guidance allows for greater operative confidence for both novice and expert surgeons. There have been two basic types of image guidance systems used in sinus surgery—an electromagnetic system and an optical system—neither of which has proven far superior to the other. With image guidance now a vital component of sinus surgery, manufacturers continue to advance technology to improve the devices. Image guidance has proven useful across a wide array of pathologies within the sinonasal cavity and skull base region, in both adult and pediatric populations. There have also been several reports on intraoperative image-guided therapy, with both CT-based and MRI-based devices being reported. Image guidance is now state of the art for sinonasal and skull base surgery and a valuable teaching tool for resident training.
Optimum Measurement of Program Path Frequencies and its Applications

Abstract In this paper a unified theory of path frequency counting for paths of different lengths in a program graph is formulated. The optimal sites for path frequency instrumentation are located with the aid of a higher order graph of the program graph, which represents the relationship of the flow through the paths of a given length. Starting from the optimal measurement of are frequencies, the optimal measurement of path frequencies is given, including node frequency monitoring. The applications of the statistics collected by frequency measurement in program optimization and program testing are presented.
High-temperature p-type polarization doped AlGaN cladding for sub-250 nm deep-UV quantum well LEDs by MBE

Deep UV (DUV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are finding increased application in many areas including water purification and sterilization. Sub-270 nm emission is ideal for these applications since bacterial DNA absorbs strongly in this wavelength regime. To extract high energy photons (∼5 eV), the LED cladding regions must be transparent and therefore consist of high Aluminum content (>60%) n- and p-AlGaN. Ensuring high electrical conductivity in such cladding regions becomes increasingly difficult with increasing Al content due to the large dopant activation energies, especially for the acceptor dopant, Magnesium (Mg) [1]. To maximize Mg incorporation by MBE, a commonly utilized approach is to grow the p-cladding region at a low temperature (∼630 °C [2]). A low growth temperature causes defects and undesired compositional inhomogeneity, leading to inferior vertical hole transport (Fig. 1). To address these issues, a combination of high temperature MBE growth of the p-AlGaN cladding and polarization-induced doping is employed. While high growth temperature ensures good crystal quality and compositional uniformity for the Al-rich p-AlGaN, the polarization-induced doping compensates for the reduced Mg incorporation at high temperature. A sub-250 nm DUV LED is demonstrated for the first time using MBE-grown p-AlGaN layers at a high temperature of 730 °C. SIMS analysis (Fig. 2) showed that Mg incorporation decreases by ∼5 times over the temperature range from 650–730°C for 75% AlGaN, and that Mg incorporation decreases at high Al content, consistent with thermodynamic principles [3]. Based on the observations from Fig. 1 and 2, a substrate temperature of 730 °C was chosen for the p-cladding layer for a sub-250 nm DUV LED structure.
Dual-band planar spiral monopole antenna for 28/38 GHz frequency bands

This paper presents a dual-band spiral planar monopole antenna working in 5G candidate bands of 28 and 38 GHz. Structure of the proposed antenna is a spiral that has two arms, each one responsible for a different resonant frequency. The antenna has a peak gain of 4.73 dBi and efficiency greater than 90% in both bands. The proposed antenna has a size of 4×8 mm2. A very high gain of 12.7 dBi is obtained when the antenna is used in an 8-element array configuration. The overall antenna array has a size of 8×48 mm2. The radiation patterns exhibit a very narrow beam-width of as narrow as 8 degrees. The high gain and small size makes this antenna suitable for future 5G mobile phones.
Quadratic Model of Reciprocal Causation for Monitoring, Improving, and Reflecting on Design Team Performance

Design team performance is a complex phenomenon that involves person, behavior and environment parameters interacting with and influencing each other over time. In this chapter, we propose a quadratic model for team performance that allows for monitoring, improving, and reflecting on design teams at the individual, interactional and environmental levels. This model is an extension of Bandura’s theory of reciprocal causation and a synthesis of concepts from psychology, semiotics, improvisational theater, evolutionary biology, design thinking and innovation practice. We describe the development of the model based on cases of student behavior from a graduate level design course, and discuss its implications for design practice and design research.
Formal Approaches to Hardware Trust Verification

Trust establishment in semiconductor designs has become a major challenge for design houses and government since several countries and companies are involved during different stages of a design life cycle. The variety of vendors increases the risk of security vulnerabilities within the supply chain of integrated circuits. Hardware Trojans are malfunctions which can be inserted during any stage of design such as defining specification, designing intellectual properties (e.g., high-level models, RTL modules, and gate-level netlists), layout extraction, and manufacturing. A triggered hardware Trojan can severely affect the integrity and security of the circuit by causing system failures such as deadlock, denial of service, or granting an unauthorized access to secret information. Hardware Trojans are designed in a way that they are inactive most of the time and can be triggered with a very rare input sequence. Therefore, using simulation-based validation is not effective to detect potential Trojans in a design because of the Trojan’s stealthy nature. In other words, the rare trigger conditions may not be tested during validation time, and a Trojan-inserted circuit cannot be differentiated from a Trojan-free one. From the security perspective, a useful validation approach is the one that can prove the correct functionality of a design, nothing more nothing less. Formal methods are promising to prove the security properties; however, the conventional formal methods suffer from scalability concerns. There are several scalable formal approaches to detect hardware Trojans based on satisfiability solvers, model checkers, theorem provers, symbolic algebra, and combination of them. In this chapter, we discuss hardware trust validation techniques based on formal methods.
Change in Physical Properties of Pine Bark and Switchgrass Substrates Over Time

Alternatives to pine bark for nursery crop substrates have been proposed, including the use of straw materials such as switchgrass. While straw substrates can be developed with suitable physical properties measured immediately after mixing, little is known about how the physical properties of straw-based substrates change over time. The objective of this research was to measure the change in air space (AS), container capacity (CC), total porosity (TP), and bulk density (Db) over time of a switchgrass-based substrate compared to a pine bark substrate. Switchgrass and pine bark substrates were packed into 15 cm (6 in) tall aluminum cores and placed in a production greenhouse with or without a single hibiscus plant. Physical properties of the substrates were measured at the beginning of the experiment and 9 to 10 weeks later when the plants were nearly too large for their containers. Air space decreased over time, primarily as a function of root growth and shrinkage. Container capacity increased slightly across all treatments over time. Bulk density changed very little over time. The switchgrass substrate was more prone to shrinkage than the pine bark substrate, although vigorous hibiscus root growth reduced shrinkage in switchgrass substrates.
Extracellular vesicles and aging

Aging and the chronic diseases associated with aging place a tremendous burden on our healthcare system. As our world population ages dramatically over the next decades, this will only increase. Hence, there is a great need to discover fundamental mechanisms of aging to enable development of strategies for minimizing the impact of aging on our health and economy. There is general agreement that cell autonomous mechanisms contribute to aging. As cells accrue damage over time, they respond to it by triggering individual cell fate decisions that ultimately disrupt tissue homeostasis and thus increase risk of morbidity. However, there are numerous lines of evidence, including heterochronic parabiosis and plasma transfer, indicating that cell non-autonomous mechanisms are critically important for aging as well. In addition, senescent cells, which accumulate in tissues with age, can display a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) that contributes to driving aging and loss of tissue homeostasis through a non-cell autonomous mechanism(s). Given the diverse roles of blood-borne extracellular vesicles (EVs) in modulating not only the immune response, but also angiogenesis and tissue regeneration, they likely play a key role in modulating the aging process through cell non-autonomous mechanisms. The fact that senescent cells release more EVs and with a different composition suggests they contribute to the adverse effects of senescence on aging. In addition, the ability of EVs from functional progenitor cells to promote tissue regeneration suggests that stem cell-derived EVs could be used therapeutically to extend healthspan. This review focuses on the potential roles of EVs in aging, the potential of EV-based therapeutic applications for extending healthspan and the potential for use of circulating EVs as biomarkers of unhealthy aging.
Mycophenolic acid induces senescence of vascular precursor cells

Objective Endothelial dysfunction is central to the pathogenesis of many rheumatic diseases, typified by vascular inflammation and damage. Immunosuppressive drugs induce disease remission and lead to improved patient survival. However, there remains a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease in these patients even after adequate disease control. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of mycophenolic acid (MPA), a commonly used immunosuppressive drug in rheumatology, on blood vessel or circulating endothelial colony forming cell number and function. Methods We tested whether mycophenolic acid exerts an inhibitory effect on proliferation, clonogenic potential and vasculogenic function of endothelial colony forming cell. We also studied potential mechanisms involved in the observed effects. Results Treatment with MPA decreased endothelial colony forming cell proliferation, clonogenic potential and vasculogenic function in a dose-dependent fashion. MPA increased senescence-associated β-galactosidase expression, p21 gene expression and p53 phosphorylation, indicative of activation of cellular senescence. Exogenous guanosine supplementation rescued diminished endothelial colony forming cell proliferation and indices of senescence, consistent with the known mechanism of action of MPA. Conclusion Our findings show that clinically relevant doses of MPA have potent anti-angiogenic and pro-senescent effects on vascular precursor cells in vitro, thus indicating that treatment with MPA can potentially affect vascular repair and regeneration. This warrants further studies in vivo to determine how MPA therapy contributes to vascular dysfunction and increased cardiovascular disease seen in patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease.
Insertion Reaction Electrodes

The topic of insertion reaction electrodes did not even appear in the discussions of batteries and related phenomena just a few years ago, but is a major feature of some of the most important modern battery systems today. Instead of reactions occurring on the surface of solid electrodes, as in traditional electrochemical systems, what happens inside the electrodes is now recognized to be of critical importance.
Escape and Swimming in Goldfish: A Model System for Studying Interactions Between Motor Networks

Interactions between the motor networks for different behaviours occur in all vertebrates, but little is know about how these are accomplished at a cellular level. A useful model for studying these interactions would be one in which two well defined, interacting motor behaviours can be elicited in a fictive preparation in which a cellular analysis is possible. One such model system is the interactions between escape and swimming networks in goldfish. Fish can perform escapes in the midst of swimming, using some of the same axial muscles for both. Fictive versions of both swimming and escape can also be elicited in paralyzed fish in which intracellular recordings are possible. Studies of the interactions between escape and swimming indicate a powerful ability of escape circuits to override the swimming motor pattern in both freely swimming fish and in fictive preparations. A single spike in the Mauthner cell that initiates the escape can produce an output appropriate for escape regardless of the phase of the swimming rhythm at which the cell is fired. The Mauthner cell can not only override the swimming output, it can also reset the swimming motor rhythm in a way that may allow a smooth transition from escape into subsequent swimming. Similarities between the cellular organization of escape and swimming networks suggest neurones at which the interactions between the two circuits might occur. The goldfish preparation therefore offers a unique opportunity to study the cellular basis of interactions between the output of a single cell (the Mauthner cell involved in escape) and a rhythm generating network (swimming), in a situation that mimics an interaction that occurs during behaviour. The similarities between these interactions and those observed between the reticulospinal system and spinal rhythm generating networks in mammals indicate that the goldfish model may provide broad insights into interactions between the motor networks of vertebrates.
Centrosomal Functions and Dysfunctions in Cat Spermatozoa

The cat sperm centrosome is a paternally inherited organelle essential to successful fertilization and early embryo development. While there are structural and functional commonalities with other mammals, we have discovered original traits in the cat sperm centrosome that have offered new insights into sperm maturation as well as possible treatments for certain types of infertility. In contrast to ejaculated counterparts, cat testicular spermatozoa contain an immature centrosome preventing the formation of a large sperm aster post fertilization, which increases the incidence of early arrest in embryonic development. Emerging techniques that involve cellular desiccation or preservation in a liquid environment can adversely impact centrosomal properties of normal, mature spermatozoa. Most importantly, our investigations of the sperm centrosome in the cat model (1) re-emphasize the significance of this organelle in achieving successful reproduction and (2) are laying groundwork for overcoming centrosomal immaturity or dysfunctions using gamete micromanipulations or alternative, new in vitro sperm maturation systems.
Cyclosporin A-induced cholestasis: The mechanism in a rat model

Abstract Cyclosporin A (CyA) causes cholestasis in a significant proportion of transplant patients. Doses of 5, 10, and 15 mg CyA/kg body wt or the Miglyol 812 vehicle were administered intraperitoneally for 1, 2, and 3 wk to separate groups of rats to investigate the mechanism of this cholestasis. At 1 wk a doseresponse relationship between serum CyA levels and increasing CyA doses was noted. A maximum CyA blood level was achieved by 2 wk with the 10- and 15-mg/kg doses. Subsequent studies were performed using the smaller (10 mg/kg) dose administered for 3 wk. This dose resulted in a marked increase in serum bile acid levels compared with vehicle-treated controls (24.6 ± 4.0 vs. 4.3 ± 1.2 μmol/L, p
Ribonuclease H renaturation gel assay using a fluorescent-labeled substrate

Ribonucleases H (RNases H) are enzymes that specifically degrade the RNA of RNA-DNA hybrids. These enzymes are involved in DNA replication, reverse transcription (RT) and antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotide-mediated arrest of translation. One of the most valuable tools for assaying RNase H activity is the renaturation gel assay with which such activities can be detected using purified protein preparations or crude extracts. Radioactive substrates [32P labeled poly(rA)-poly(dT) hybrid] are commonly used with exposure of the gel to X-ray film; this is possible at any time without disturbing the renaturation-degradation process. Here, we describe a method using fluorescent-labeled substrates. RNA-DNA substrates are synthesized by first transcribing DNA with T7 RNA polymerase using Bodipy-TR-14-UTP and the four normal nucleoside triphosphates. The run-off transcript is annealed to a short oligomeric DNA complementary to the 3'-end of the transcript, and the DNA portion of the hybrid is formed by RT. This RNA-DNA is added to the polyacrylamide mixture before polymerization, and SDS-PAGE is performed as usual. After various periods of renaturation, the gel is scanned to detect fluorescent substrate using the red-excited laser of a fluorescence scanner. This fluorescence method has all of the advantages of using radio-labeled substrates and none of its disadvantages, and the sensitivities of the two methods are comparable. In addition, we show that the sensitivity of this procedure can be increased if damaging chemicals remaining in the gel after polymerization are eliminated by simultaneous electrophoresis of the RNase H and a protein with higher mobility.
Examination of Prostaglandin H Synthase-1 Topology in the Endoplasmic Reticulum Membrane

Prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS) is a key enzyme in biosynthesis of prostaglandins, thromboxane, and prostacyclin (1). Two forms of PGHS are known; their amino acid identity is about 60% overall, but there is almost complete conservation of residues implicated in catalytic function (2–4). Both PGHS-1 and PGHS-2 have been localized to the ER in murine fibroblasts (5). PGHS-1 is an intrinsic membrane protein (6).
Open Source Task Profiling by Extending the OpenMP Runtime API

The introduction of tasks in the OpenMP programming model brings a new level of parallelism. This also creates new challenges with respect to its meanings and applicability through an event-based performance profiling. The OpenMP Architecture Review Board (ARB) has approved an interface specification known as the “OpenMP Runtime API for Profiling” to enable performance tools to collect performance data for OpenMP programs. In this paper, we propose new extensions to the OpenMP Runtime API for profiling task level parallelism. We present an efficient method to distinguish individual task instances in order to track their associated events at the micro level. We implement the proposed extensions in the OpenUH compiler which is an open-source OpenMP compiler. With negligible overheads, we are able to capture important events like task creation, execution, suspension, and exiting. These events help in identifying overheads associated with the OpenMP tasking model, e.g., task waiting until a task starts execution or task cleanup etc. These events also help in constructing important parent-child relationships that define tasks’ call paths. The proposed extensions are in line with the newest specifications recently proposed by the OpenMP tools committee for task profiling.
Affinity, Additivity and the Reification of the Bond

In her unique study of the semiotics of chemistry the chemist and linguist Renee Mestrallet pays particular attention to structural formulas and the characteristics they share with natural languages. As she notes, these formulas can be reduced to just two building blocks, atoms and bonds, and she explores the similarities and differences between these symbols and alphabetic characters, the fundamental building blocks of most natural languages (Mestrallet, Communication). In Mestrallet’s analysis atoms and bonds thus acquire representational parity. One might even accord a higher status to bonds because to an increasing extent the presence of atoms in molecular formulas is only implied by the intersection of lines that represent bonds (Fig. 1). This trend has been nicely illustrated in Pierre Laszlo and Roald Hoffmann’s exploration of the various representations of camphor (Hoffmann and Laszlo, “Representation”).
Germ cell tumors: Survival analysis and experience from a low- to middle-income country.

e16044Background: We performed a retrospective analysis of Germ-Cell Tumor patients presenting to Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital, Pakistan to have a greater understanding of the presentation & outc...
Social and environmental impacts of landslides

The term landslide defines the “movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a slope.” However, landslides are not limited either to the “land” or to “sliding.” Landslides are natural phenomena that cause societal disruptions when humans place parts of the built environment in their path. Slope instability along transportation routes and in mountain valleys poses dangers and is a source of considerable economic losses. Landslide velocities vary over ten orders of magnitude from extremely slow (a few mm/year) to extremely rapid (more than 5 m/s). Large numbers of fatalities can be expected from very rapid and extremely rapid landslides which move faster than a person can run. In contrast, buildings on “very slow” and “extremely slow” landslides may remain in use for hundreds of years with only minimal damage and repair costs. The volume of individual landslides similarly ranges over many orders of magnitude. The product of landslide volume and speed approximates its “power” (or energy). It is a useful measure of the destructive potential of landslides. Landslides are local events; even the largest and most spectacular landslides exist under the radar and rarely result in national disaster declarations. Landslide losses include direct and indirect costs. Direct costs are damages directly attributable to the landslide. Indirect costs include travel detours, economic restrictions, and environmental impacts. Indirect costs often equal or exceed the direct costs. Activities that prevent or reduce the adverse effects of landslides are termed mitigation. Mitigation includes structural and geotechnical measures, as well as political, legal, and administrative measures to protect endangered populations. Reducing the global impact of landslides on risk-prone populations and critical infrastructure is an economic, social, and environmental necessity. Loss data show that, while losses are increasing everywhere, the consequences are much higher in developing countries than in developed countries.
Materials are the key

State-of-the-art electronic components for innovative safety features, such as the new yaw rate sensor from Bosch, which is designed to detect an impending roll-over scenario, are being manufactured with ceramic technology to ensure performance and reliability.
Liquid-Infused Nitric-Oxide-Releasing Silicone Foley Urinary Catheters for Prevention of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections.

Urinary catheterization is one of the most common medical procedures that makes a patient susceptible to infection due to biofilm formation on the urinary catheter. Catheter associated urinary trac...
Extremal solutions in systems of variational inequalities with multivalued mappings

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we use a sub-supersolution method to study systems of variational inequalities of the form: ⟨Ak(uk)+Fk(u),vk−uk⟩≥0,∀vk∈Kkuk∈Kk, (k=1,…,m), where Ak and Fk are multivalued map...
Hardware Trojans in Emerging Non-Volatile Memories

Emerging Non-Volatile Memories (NVMs) possess unique characteristics that make them a top target for deploying Hardware Trojan. In this paper, we investigate such knobs that can be targeted by the Trojans to cause read/write failure. For example, NVM read operation depends on clamp voltage which the adversary can manipulate. Adversary can also use ground bounce generated in NVM write operation to hamper another parallel read/write operation. We have designed a Trojan that can be activated and deactivated by writing a specific data pattern to a particular address. Once activated, the Trojan can couple two predetermined addresses and data written to one address (victim’s address space) will get copied to another address (adversary’s address space). This will leak sensitive information e.g., encryption keys. Adversary can also create read/write failure to predetermined locations (fault injection). Simulation results indicate that the Trojan can be activated by writing a specific data pattern to a specific address for 1956 times. Once activated, the attack duration can be as low as 52.4μs and as high as 1.1ms (with reset-enable trigger). We also show that the proposed Trojan can scale down the clamp voltage by 400mV from optimum value which is sufficient to inject specific data-polarity read error. We also propose techniques to inject noise in the ground/power rail to cause read/write failure.
Modelling Wealth from Call Detail Records and Survey Data with Machine Learning: Evidence from Papua New Guinea

Call detail records (CDRs) provide a significant opportunity to understand human development at a high spatiotemporal resolution, specifically in developing countries, which face financial, human, and capacity constraints. This study attempts to model and identify features derived from CDRs that can best predict relative wealth and poverty across Papua New Guinea (PNG), by combining it with tele-survey data. Our findings show promising results on the prediction of dichotomous variables consisting of self-reported household assets with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) score is equal to 0.88 or higher. Meanwhile, the prediction of the numerical wealth index, which was built using a dimensional reduction method did not provide satisfactory results. For the target variable Principle Component Analysis (PCA) derived numerical wealth index, the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) 0.69 is lower compared to its standard deviation 0.74. The numerical index was further classified into quintiles, and this was also used as a response variable separately and was subjected to a multi-class classification approach. The best F1 score for multiclass-classification of the quintiles derived from PCA was 0.7. Findings from the Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) derived index and quintiles add the robustness to our study. The overall results suggest that in the case of PNG, CDRs are better suited for developing proxy indicators related to individual household assets and classified quintiles based wealth index, but not for a numerical relative wealth index. In general, our results add more confidence in harnessing mobile network data to predict wealth and poverty.
Astrocytes and microglia play orchestrated roles and respect phagocytic territories during neuronal corpse removal in vivo

Cell death is prevalent throughout life; however, the coordinated interactions and roles of phagocytes during corpse removal in the live brain are poorly understood. We developed photochemical and viral methodologies to induce death in single cells and combined this with intravital optical imaging. This approach allowed us to track multicellular phagocytic interactions with precise spatiotemporal resolution. Astrocytes and microglia engaged with dying neurons in an orchestrated and synchronized fashion. Each glial cell played specialized roles: Astrocyte processes rapidly polarized and engulfed numerous small dendritic apoptotic bodies, while microglia migrated and engulfed the soma and apical dendrites. The relative involvement and phagocytic specialization of each glial cell was plastic and controlled by the receptor tyrosine kinase Mertk. In aging, there was a marked delay in apoptotic cell removal. Thus, a precisely orchestrated response and cross-talk between glial cells during corpse removal may be critical for maintaining brain homeostasis.
FPGA Implemented Real Time Computational Coherent Averaging Algorithm for Dual-Comb Spectroscopy

We report a FPGA implementation of coherent averaging for dual comb spectroscopy and demonstrate with free-running combs a 7 times improvement in random noise as compared with post-processed raw data given the same acquisition time.
CORONAE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF LARGE-SCALE MAGNETIC FIELDS IN TURBULENT ACCRETION DISKS

Non-thermal X-ray emission in compact accretion engines can be interpreted to result from magnetic dissipation in an optically thin magnetized corona above an optically thick accretion disk. If coronal magnetic field originates in the disk and the disk is turbulent, then only magnetic structures large enough for their turbulent shredding time to exceed their buoyant rise time survive the journey to the corona. We use this concept and a physical model to constrain the minimum fraction of magnetic energy above the critical scale for buoyancy as a function of the observed coronal to bolometric emission. Our results suggest that a significant fraction of the magnetic energy in accretion disks resides in large-scale fields, which in turn provides circumstantial evidence for significant non-local transport phenomena and the need for large-scale magnetic field generation. For the example of Seyfert active galactic nuclei, for which ~30% of the bolometric flux is in the X-ray band, we find that more than 20% of the magnetic energy must be of large enough scale to rise and dissipate in the corona.
Which Tongue To Speak With? Philippine Poetry and the Nature of Language

In attempting to examine and imagine the intertwined relationship between language, literature, and community, the Philippines provides an illuminating case because it is one of the few countries in the world where books are published in both an indigenous and a colonial language at comparable rates. This paper examines the work of one poet, Cirilo F. Bautista, because not only is he one of the leading figures in contemporary Philippine poetry, but he has established his reputation by writing in both his native Tagalog and borrowed English. The paper questions these oppositions of nativeness and foreignness along both linguistic and cultural lines. By focusing on two of Bautista's works, Boneyard Breaking and Sugat ng Salita (Wounds of Words), collections of lyric poems written at around the same time, the paper shows how language affects literary production and perceptions of community. Specifically, this paper demonstrates that a native language has the ability to imagine a community outside its own boundaries at both a thematic and a linguistic level, thereby questioning the opposition between native and foreign, as well as a metaphoric that places native language in close proximity to a biological function. For Bautista, it is precisely the combination of an appeal to the commonality of biological observation and strategic use of language that allows him to transcend the boundaries of a native/foreign dichotomy. However, this paper also argues that Bautista accomplishes this transcendence in more nuanced ways through Tagalog, and must thus also speculate on the conditions under which these nuances can become translatable to an English-speaking readership.