cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Habitat relationships and management implications for Lesquerella filiformis Rollins (Missouri bladderpod) on a xeric limestone prairie1,,2

Abstract In xeric limestone prairies (XLPs, also known as “glades”), soil depth and fire are commonly posited to affect plant community composition and structure. Through mediating plant competition, these factors may explain plant distribution in XLPs, including mechanisms driving edaphic endemism. In a XLP in southwest Missouri, the abundance of Lesquerella filiformis Rollins (Missouri bladderpod), a rare winter annual, was higher in open sites, where competition was presumably low, than in Juniperus virginiana L. (eastern redcedar) or hardwood canopy cover types; L. filiformis density in the latter two cover types varied among years. Open, J. virginiana, and hardwood canopy cover types were distributed along an increasing soil depth gradient. During flowering of L. filiformis in April, photosynthetically active radiation was highest in open sites, intermediate below hardwood canopy (prior to leaf-out), and lowest below J. virginiana canopy. Removing J. virginiana was associated with greater increases i...
Aladdin, present and future

The Synchrotron Radiation Center (SRC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison operates a 1 GeV electron storage as the synchrotron radiation source, Aladdin. Operation at 800 MeV (200 mA) or 1 GeV (180 mA) is the standard for the user experimental periods. The present status of the ring is discussed. Improvement of the stored beam lifetime by implementation of a fourth harmonic RF cavity, ring corrections for a high field permanent magnet undulator, and the global orbit control system are presented. Future plans for Aladdin include the installation of two electromagnetic undulators (one already undergoing magnetic field measurement), full implementation of an infrared beamline, and a 120 kV electron gun for the Aladdin microtron injector.
Conserving Old-Growth Forest Diversity in Disturbance-Prone Landscapes

A decade after its creation, the Northwest Forest Plan is contributing to the conservation of old-growth forests on federal land. However the success and outlook for the plan are questionable in the dry provinces, where losses of old growth to wildfire have been relatively high and risks of further loss remain. We summarize the state of knowledge of old-growth forests in the plan area, identify challenges to conserve them, and suggest some conservation approaches that might better meet the goals of the plan. Historically, old-growth forests in these provinces ranged from open, patchy stands, maintained by frequent low-severity fire, to a mosaic of dense and open stands maintained by mixed-severity fires. Old-growth structure and composition were spatially heterogeneous, varied strongly with topography and elevation, and were shaped by a complex disturbance regime of fire, insects, and disease. With fire suppression and cutting of large pines (Pinus spp.) and Douglas-firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirbel] Franco), old-growth diversity has declined and dense understories have developed across large areas. Challenges to conserving these forests include a lack of definitions needed for planning of fire-dependent old-growth stands and landscapes, and conflicts in conservation goals that can be resolved only at the landscape level. Fire suppression has increased the area of the dense, older forest favored by Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) but increased the probability of high-severity fire. The plan allows for fuel reduction in late-successional reserves; fuel treatments, however apparently have not happened at a high enough rate or been applied in a landscape-level approach. Landscape-level strategies are needed that prioritize fuel treatments by vegetation zones, develop shaded fuel breaks in strategic positions, and thin and apply prescribed fire to reduce ladder fuels around remaining old trees. Evaluations of the current and alternative strategies are needed to determine whether the current reserve-matrix approach is the best strategy to meet plan goals in these dynamic landscapes.
An efficient numerical method for computing the topological sensitivity of arbitrary‐shaped features in plate bending

The objective of this paper is to introduce an efficient numerical scheme to compute the topological sensitivity (TS) of arbitrary-shaped features in plate bending. The proposed method captures the first-order change in quantities of interest (example: plate compliance) when an arbitrary-shaped feature is created within a plate. Both the theory and algorithms are provided to rapidly compute the feature-specific TS for the classic Kirchhoff–Love plate models. An important application of the proposed method is in design exploration/optimization wherein a designer can explore the impact of including plate features, without recourse to repeated finite element analysis. The proposed method is illustrated and validated through numerical experiments. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Robotic model for simulating upper body movement

A model of the human upper limb was developed for predicting the motion of the human upper limb while performing activities of daily living. This study focuses on the effect of a joint limit function on the ability of the model to perform human like movements. This measurement was analysed by comparing the modelled joint movements with recorded movements of subjects while drinking from a cup, opening a door, turning a steering wheel, and lifting a box. The joint limit function was tested with four weighting factors: 0.00, 0.01, 0.05, and 0.10. The model showed that, for the joint limit function used, that the best results occurred when the weighting factor was 0.00. This shows that the joint limit function had a negative effect on the ability of the model to perform human like movements.
Evaluating the Use of Paraprofessionals at the Reference Desk 27

Abstract Medium-sized academic libraries have been experimenting with the use of paraprofessionals in reference services for over twenty years. The University of Dayton participated in the Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evaluation Program (WOREP) in 1988 and in 1997, one year after implementing a reference model using paraprofessionals. The factors influencing the development of a new model of reference, a description of the model, training procedures, and the evaluation results are described.
Performance Prediction of High-Inlet-Blockage Diffusers

AMETHOD, based on "full viscous calculations" (i.e., the flow is calculated without separating it into a boundary layer and a core), is presented to predict the performance of straight two-dimensional diffusers. The method predicts adequately the experimental pressure recovery data up to the point of maximum pressure recovery, for both low and high inlet blockages. It is shown that, at the point of maximum pressure recovery, the streamwise velocity in the near wall region varies as Z0-22, where Z is the distance from the wall. Contents A considerable amount of experimental work has been carried out to determine the performance of straight twodimensional diffusers. Attempts to theoretically predict diffuser performance, in particular with high inlet blockage, have so far met with limited success. The difference between the calculated pressure recovery Cpt and the measured pressure recovery Cpm (see, for example, Fig. 1) is due to the partial flow separation that occurs in the real flow but is not accounted for in the theoretical calculations. Based upon the fraction of diffuser wall area from which the flow has separated, Fox and Kline1 have classified various flow regimes. As can be seen from Fig. 1 and in greater details in the figures in Ref. 2, Cpt is reasonably close to Cpm up to the point where Cpm reaches its maximum. The agreement is even closer up to the regime of no appreciable stall, which occurs at a lower area ratio for a given diffuser length. However, because the partial separation is not accounted for in the theoretical calculations, these various flow regimes cannot be identified directly from the calculated values of Cpt. To predict the performance of a diffuser theoretically, one needs to use some other calculated flow parameter to determine when a desired flow regime has been reached. The first effort along these lines was made by Reneau.3 He found that for diffusers with small inlet blockage the line of no appreciable stall is reached when d<52/dx, the streamwise gradient of the boundary-layer momentum thickness, reaches a value approximately equal to 0.012. This correlation did not hold for diffusers with appreciable inlet blockage and the present author has confirmed these results. In the present study the point of maximum Cpm was selected as the flow regime for correlation. This is the only flow regime that can be unambiguously identified in the experimental data over the entire range of the inlet blockages. The point of maximum Cpm was correlated with the calculated parameter m, defined by the relation «~ZW, where u is the streamwise velocity in the near wall region just outside the viscous sublayer and the transition zone and Z the normal
Changes in dendritic spine density on layer 2/3 pyramidal cells within the cingulate cortex of late pregnant and postpartum rats.

Abstract A rapid upregulation of astrocytic protein expression within area 2 of the cingulate cortex (Cg2) of the maternal rat occurs within 3 h postpartum and persists throughout lactation. Previous studies have shown that similar changes in astrocytic proteins can signal changes in local synapses and dendritic spines. Thus, here we used the Golgi–Cox impregnation technique to compare spine density in layer 2 and 3 pyramidal cells of Cg2, the CA1 region of the hippocampus and the parietal cortex (ParCx) among metestrus, late pregnant (LP), 3-hour postpartum (3H PP) and 16-day postpartum rats (D16 PP). Rats in the 3H PP group had higher numbers of dendritic spines/10 μm on the apical dendrites of pyramidal neurons in both Cg2 and CA1 than the other groups, which did not differ. A similar pattern was observed in basilar dendrites but this failed to reach significance. In Cg2, Sholl analysis revealed that rats in the D16 PP group had a significantly greater extent of dendritic arborization in the basilar region than any other group. These data suggest that the changes in astrocytic proteins that occur in Cg2 in the postpartum period are associated with neuronal plasticity in pyramidal layers 2 and 3.
Supporting Joint Human-Computer Judgment Under Uncertainty

In this paper we present a concept and interface design aimed at combining expert human judgment with computational support. The goal of this design is to leverage the strengths and simultaneously compensate for the weaknesses of both the expert and a computational model. In order to test the design, we created a task modeled after fantasy baseball, which requires competitors to predict the performance of actual Major League Baseball (MLB) players over the course of the season. The most substantial and challenging aspects of the design involved how to both welcome expert input on a case-by-case basis, yet also provide visual guidance for how these inputs should reflect an appropriate degree of regression to the mean, or reliance on base-rate information. Results showed that the joint human-model system resulted in better performance than a model, which was based, in part, on past performance. The joint system also outperformed unaided or partially-aided experts in some cases but only equally as well in other cases. Design implications and future directions are discussed.
Pulse current trimming of polysilicon resistors

The practical application of pulse current trimming of polysilicon resistors has been investigated and successfully implemented in large scale integrated circuit production. In-package pulse current trimming of heavily doped polysilicon resistors allows precise control of the final resistor value and can effectively compensate for process variation in polysilicon sheet resistance. The technique requires no additional process complexity, is layout efficient, remarkably accurate, and is quick and inexpensive from a test perspective. Resistance reduction occurring during the trim process is shown to be reversible to a small, but usable, extent for n-type polysilicon. Thermal modeling of the resistor trim process shows that the peak temperature reached within the polysilicon film must exceed the highest temperature encountered during wafer fabrication before any permanent resistance change occurs. As the resistor is further trimmed, the film temperature approaches the melting point of silicon. >
Adjoint sensitivity analysis for differential-algebraic equations: algorithms and software☆

An efficient numerical method for sensitivity computation of large-scale differential-algebraic systems is developed based on the adjoint method. Issues that are critical for the implementation are addressed. Complexity analysis and numerical results demonstrate that the adjoint sensitivity method is advantageous over the forward sensitivity method for applications with a large number of sensitivity parameters and few objective functions.
Mathematics Lectures as Narratives: Insights from Network Graph Methodology.

Although lecture is the traditional method of university mathematics instruction, there has been little empirical research that describes the general structure of lectures. In this paper, we adapt ideas from narrative analysis and apply them to an upper-level mathematics lecture. We develop a framework that enables us to conceptualize the lecture as consisting of collections of narratives to identify connections between the narratives and to use the narrative structure to identify key features of the lecture. In particular, we use the idea of framing and embedded narratives to identify central ideas in the lecture and to understand how examples, diagrams, and smaller claims contribute to the development of those ideas. Additionally, we create a graph structure for the lecture using the repetition of mathematical ideas across embedded narratives, and we employ graph-theoretic analysis to support our identification of framing narratives and to highlight particular roles of embedded narratives.
Ampersand, Tornillo, and Citizens United: The First Amendment, Corporate Speech, and the NLRB

Contrary to the Citizens United validation of a firm’s speech rights, and disregarding the possibility that government speech/press regulation could conceivably facilitate the outright regulation of the press, the NLRB recent opinion in Ampersand shrinks a newspaper’s First Amendment rights. Although it is possible that press activity plays an important role in public affairs as an antidote to government overreach and abuses of power, the NLRB deploys its power in a way that may threaten the free press. The NLRB’s decision in Ampersand fits conveniently, accidentally, or consciously within an arrangement illuminated by the dissent in Citizens United. This arrangement implies that when rights-bearing individuals pool their economic and ideological resources to form a firm that enters into commerce, their constitutional rights do not necessarily remain intact for a variety of public welfare reasons. Whether the latter claim is correct or not, the NLRB’s Ampersand opinion materializes as part of a wide-ranging labor movement effort to resuscitate unionization, premised on the thesis that workers’ yearning for an effective voice in the governance of their workplace has not waned in the face of union decline.Opposing the NLRB’s decision-making in Ampersand, this Article defends Ampersand as a “person” within the meaning of the Constitution; a “person” that is, and ought to be entitled to control the editorial content of its newspaper despite the counterclaims of reporters seeking to organize within the meaning of the NLRA. Lastly, this Article concedes that any defense of speech/press rights for employers must contend with the persistent efforts of labor advocates to diminish what the Constitution appears to protect. This maneuver suggests that speech/press rights are likely to remain contingently unstable in our postmodern world, which teeters between freedom and government coercion.
Tender offers and disclosure: the history and future of the Williams Act

Since the 1960s, cash tender offers, stock accumulations, and the disclosure relating to such transactions have invoked significant debate. Preceding the adoption of the Williams Act, law and economic experts, like the legendary Professor Henry Manne, argued that cash tender offers and undisclosed stock accumulations help to provide a check on management. Conversely, other experts, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, argued that the lack of disclosure relating to cash tender offers and stock accumulations potentially harmed shareholders. Today, as we approach the 50th Anniversary of the Williams Act, these same arguments for and against disclosure continue to be raised. This paper (a chapter in the forthcoming Research Handbook on Mergers and Acquisitions), details the macroeconomic and M&A environment preceding the adoption of the Williams Act in 1968 and compares it to today’s dramatically different environment. This chapter further summarizes the aforementioned arguments for and against disclosure under the Act, including the impact of disclosure on corporate governance issues. Although the Williams Act has remained static in a dynamic environment, the impact of the existing Act on tender offers, stock purchases, and corporate governance should be comprehensively studied prior to any amendments. In addition, any revisions should be considered on a holistic basis taking into consideration changes in the macroeconomic environment and corporate governance developments since the 1960s as well as the policy arguments raised by both proponents and opponents of the Act.
Contribution of Nicotine and Nornicotine toward the Production of N′-Nitrosonornicotine in Air-Cured Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)

N′-Nitrosonornicotine (6) is a potent and organ-specific carcinogen found in tobacco and tobacco smoke in substantial amounts. Nicotine (1) and nornicotine (2) are proposed to be the precursors of 6 in tobacco. Since 1 can be rapidly demethylated to 2 in tobacco, to distinguish between the direct formation of 6 from these potential precursors is difficult. A gas chromatography/thermal energy analyzer method using two columns in series was developed to separate the enantiomers of 6, N′-nitrosoanabasine (7), and N′-nitrosoanatabine (8). Tobacco lines with different combinations of three nicotine demethylases inhibited were grown in the field. Air-cured leaves were analyzed for the enantiomeric composition of four main alkaloids and their corresponding tobacco-specific nitrosamines. The percentage of (R)-6 of total 6 varied from 7% to 69% in mutant lines. The measured 6 had the same enantiomeric composition as 2, rather than 1, even when the level of 2 was reduced to 0.6% of 1 in a triple mutant line. The pa...
Spurious velocities in dynamically-cold systems due to the gravitational redshifts of their constituent stars

The Doppler effect is commonly used to infer the velocity difference between stars based on the relative shifts in the rest-frame wavelengths of their spectral features. In dynamically-cold systems with a low velocity dispersion, such as wide binaries, loose star clusters, cold stellar streams or cosmological mini-halos, the scatter in the gravitational redshift from the surface of the constituent stars needs to be taken into account as well. Gravitational redshifts could be important for wide binaries composed of main sequence stars with separations >0.01 pc or in mini-halos with velocity dispersions <1 km/s. Variable redshift could also lead to a spurious "detection" of low-mass planets around a star with periodic photospheric radius variations.
Method and Technique in Three-dimensional Dental Surface Reconstruction of Spiral CT

Objective To explore the practical method and skill in three-dimensional dental surface reconstruction of spiral CT.Methods Using GE Hispeed NX/I spiral CT and ADW4.0 workstation,42 cases scaned in maxillary with different reasons were retrospectively studied in our hospital since August 2002.Results In all cases three-dimensional dental surface reconstruction could clearly demonstrate the whole or single dental surface from the different points.The shape,size,location,eruption orientation and the angle of all impacted teeth were displayed.Conclusion The three-dimensional dental surface reconstruction of spiral CT is liable and effective for orthodontic.A high quality three-dimensional image depends on the parameters properly selected during scan and reconstruction as well as methods correctly used during image processing.
The High-Density Lipoprotein Puzzle Why Classic Epidemiology, Genetic Epidemiology, and Clinical Trials Conflict?

Classical epidemiology has established the incremental contribution of the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol measure in the assessment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk; yet, genetic epidemiology does not support a causal relationship between HDL cholesterol and the future risk of myocardial infarction. Therapeutic interventions directed toward cholesterol loading of the HDL particle have been based on epidemiological studies that have established HDL cholesterol as a biomarker of atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk. However, therapeutic interventions such as niacin, cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitors increase HDL cholesterol in patients treated with statins, but have repeatedly failed to reduce cardiovascular events. Statin therapy interferes with ATP-binding cassette transporter-mediated macrophage cholesterol efflux via miR33 and thus may diminish certain HDL functional properties. Unraveling the HDL puzzle will require continued technical advances in the characterization and quantification of multiple HDL subclasses and their functional properties. Key mechanistic criteria for clinical outcomes trials with HDL-based therapies include formation of HDL subclasses that improve the efficiency of macrophage cholesterol efflux and compositional changes in the proteome and lipidome of the HDL particle that are associated with improved antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These measures require validation in genetic studies and clinical trials of HDL-based therapies on the background of statins.
Home Visiting in Two Cultures.

ABSTRACTThe home visiting component of early childhood education programs provides an important portal through which to observe family interactions as well as gain insights about the ethnotheories of the home visitor. Home visits were videotaped in the United States and in Turkey to analyze training and program effectiveness. One striking feature of this comparison was the role played by the home visitor in interpreting the cultural values associated with the intervention program. The videos portrayed home visits as cultural windows into intervention priorities. To capture the perspectives represented in the home visit videos, a video-cued multivocal ethnographic method was used to investigate cultural meanings attributed to home visiting practices. Focus groups of Turkish home visitors watched a video from an American home visiting program and focus groups of American home visitors watched a video from Turkish home visiting program. A semistructured set of discussion questions followed the videos, and th...
The Efficient Use of Cable-Telemetry EEG/Video during the Intracarotid Sodium Amytal Procedure

ABSTRACT.When EEG monitoring is performed during an intracarotid sodium amytal procedure (IAP), there is usually a significant commitment of resources from the EEG department in the form of equipment and personnel. An EEG machine, an EEG technologist, and an electroencephalographer may all be required to spend several hours committed to the performance of this test. A high percentage of that time is spent waiting for the period around the injection. With the use of cable-telemetry technology and our remote monitoring methods, we have established a more efficient method of providing EEG/video coverage and interpretation at the crucial moment of the procedure. The use of cable-telemetry equipment also frees the conventional EEG machine for routine use in the lab.
The permissibility of nudging for sustainable energy consumption

Abstract Nudges modify decision frameworks in order to steer people's choices in particular directions. Modifying energy consumption choices through nudging has shown significant promise for promoting sustainable consumption behaviors. However, policy makers have been reluctant to embrace nudges, due to concerns over potential ethical objections. This paper argues that the major ethical objections to nudging are not ultimately convincing when applied to energy production and consumption. The most common ethical objections claim that nudging is paternalistic and reduces human autonomy. It is argued here that energy production and consumption are “massively architectured,” which means that they are strongly influenced by factors external to individuals. The infrastructure and framework for producing and consuming energy is largely determined prior to human decision-making. As a result, it is not clear how nudging for sustainable energy consumption could be paternalistic or autonomy-reducing. Ethical objections should thus not be a deterrent for policy makers pursuing nudges for sustainable energy consumption.
Threading is Sticky: How Threaded Conversations Promote Comment System User Retention

The Guardian ---the fifth most widely read online newspaper in the world as of 2014---changed conversations on its commenting platform by altering its design from non-threaded to single-level threaded in 2012. We studied this naturally occurring experiment to investigate the impact of conversation threading on user retention as mediated by several potential changes in conversation structure and style. Our analysis shows that the design change made new users significantly more likely to comment a second time, and that this increased stickiness is due in part to a higher fraction of comments receiving responses after the design change. In mediation analysis, other anticipated mechanisms such as reciprocal exchanges and comment civility did not help to explain users' decision to return to the commenting system; indeed, civility did not increase after the design change and reciprocity declined. These analyses show that even simple design choices can have a significant impact on news forums' stickiness. Further, they suggest that this influence is more powerfully shaped by affordances---the new system made responding easier---than by changes in users' attention to social norms of reciprocity or civility. This has an array of implications for designers.
Significant suppression of radiation dermatitis in breast cancer patients using a topically applied adrenergic vasoconstrictor.

Our previous studies showed that vasoconstrictor applied topically to rat skin minutes before irradiation completely prevented radiodermatitis. Here we report on a Phase IIa study of topically applied NG12-1 vasoconstrictor to prevent radiodermatitis in post-lumpectomy breast cancer patients who received at least 40 Gray to the whole breast using standard regimens. Patients had undergone surgery for Stage Ia, Ib, or IIa infiltrating ductal or lobular carcinoma of the breast or ductal carcinoma in situ. NG12-1 formulation was applied topically to the same 50-cm2 treatment site within the radiation field 20 min before each daily radiotherapy fraction. Scores indicated significant reductions in radiodermatitis at the NG12-1 treatment site versus control areas in the same radiotherapy field. The mean dermatitis score for all subjects was 0.47 (SD 0.24) in the NG12-1-treated area versus 0.72 (SD 0.22) in the control area (P = 0.022). Analysis by two independent investigators indicated radiodermatitis reductions in 9 of the 9 patients with scorable radiodermatitis severity, and one patient with insufficient radiodermatitis to enable scoring. There were no serious adverse events from NG12-1 treatment. Thirty, daily, NG12-1 treatments, topically applied minutes before radiotherapy, were well tolerated and conferred statistically significant reductions in radiodermatitis severity (P = 0.022). NCT01263366 ; clinicaltrials.gov
The health beliefs and skin cancer prevention practices of Wisconsin dairy farmers.

Purpose/objectives To assess and describe health beliefs, level of knowledge about skin cancer, current skin cancer prevention practices, and cues to preventive action of Wisconsin dairy farmers. Design Descriptive survey. Setting Rural Wisconsin. Sample A stratified random sample of 535 male dairy farmers from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture mailing list; 202 farmers (38%) returned the survey. Methods A survey instrument developed by the researcher was mailed to the farmers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Main research variables Susceptibility, seriousness, benefits, barriers, current practices, knowledge, and cues to preventive action in regard to skin cancer. Findings Farmers were knowledgeable about skin cancer and felt that they were susceptible, that it was a serious disease, and that protective actions were beneficial; however, they did not practice sun protection. "Too hot to wear" was the most frequent reason given for not wearing protective clothing, and "I forget to wear it" was the most common reason for not using sunscreen. Conclusions Barriers to the use of sunscreen may be the most amenable to intervention. The utility of the Health Belief Model with this population is questioned and may require additional research. Implications for nursing practice Farming-related magazines and newspapers can be used to provide health information. Skin cancer education should be provided at schools, work sites, outpatient clinics, hospitals, and community screening events to remind farmers to practice sun protection.
Prejudice and Discrimination

Clearly, prejudice is very much alive, and it affects virtually all of us in one way or another. Most people evaluate certain groups negatively, while at the same time they themselves are targets of other people’s animosity. Such prejudices have consequences. The slaughter of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany is perhaps the most blatant example in recent history. However, almost any American black, Indian, or Chicano can talk at length about the suffering that results from being a victim of social and economic discrimination.
Chapter 2 Radical methods in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses radical methods in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. Radical reactions have found increased application in the preparation of simple as well as complex heterocyclic compounds. Heterocycle syntheses, in which radical reactions are used for the key bond construction, are discussed in this chapter. An interesting method for the preparation of epoxides using radical methodology has been reported. Formation of five-membered heterocycles through radical methodologies has been investigated extensively. Inter-, intramolecular, and cascade reactions have been reported for the synthesis of heterocycles. In the case of intramolecular cyclizations, 5-exo pathway is the preferred mode of reactivity. Rate constant for the formation of pyrrolidine by radical ring closure has been reported. An efficient modification of the manganese (III) mediated malonate radical addition to styrene has been examined. Intramolecular radical cyclization reactions are extensively used for the formation of heterocycles. These reactions are generally carried out under reductive conditions using tin or silicon hydride reagents. The tin hydride reagent can be used catalytically.
Large- N c relationships among two-derivative pionless effective field theory couplings

We analyze two-derivative two-nucleon interactions in a combined pionless effective field theory and large-${N}_{c}$ expansion. At leading order in the large-${N}_{c}$ expansion, relationships among low-energy constants emerge. We find these to be consistent with experiment. However, it is critical to correctly address the subtraction-point dependence of the low-energy constants. These results provide additional confidence that the dual-expansion procedure is useful for analyzing low-energy few-body observables.
Early Real-World Experience with EndoAnchors by Indication

Background The Heli-FX EndoAnchor (EA) system is a transmural aortic fixation device with Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval for treatment of endoleaks, endograft migration, or high-risk seal zones. Published data are primarily from industry-sponsored registries highlighting safety and efficacy. Our objective is to evaluate real-world outcomes of EA usage after FDA approval across a variety of stent grafts and indications at a single institution. Methods We retrospectively reviewed our prospectively maintained aneurysm database for patients undergoing endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) with Heli-FX EAs. Technical success was defined as successful EA deployment, while procedural success was defined as absence of endoleak on completion aortogram. Cohorts were divided by indication and outcomes assessed via review of clinical and radiographic data. Results From 2016 to 2018, 37 patients underwent EA fixation. We divided the cohort by indication: Group A (prior EVAR with endoleak), B (intraoperative type 1A endoleak), C (high-risk seal zone), and D (thoracic EVAR). In Group A (n = 11), all endoleaks were type 1A and a mean of 10 EAs were deployed with 100% technical and 45.4% procedural success. Two perioperative reinterventions were performed (translumbar coil embolization and proximal graft extension with bilateral renal artery stents). At a mean 10.6 months of follow-up, 45.4% of patients had persistent endoleaks, with 100% aortic-related survival. In Group B (n = 10), a mean of 8.7 EAs were used with 100% technical and procedural success. One immediate adverse event occurred (right iliac dissection from wire manipulation, treated with a covered stent). At 13.6-month mean follow-up, there was significant sac regression (mean 9.75 mm) with no type 1A endoleaks. In Group C (n = 10), a mean of 9.5 EAs were deployed with 100% technical and procedural success. At 11.2-month mean follow-up, there were no residual endoleaks and significant sac regression (mean 3.4 mm). Overall survival was 100%. In Group D (n = 6), a mean of 8.3 EAs were used with 83.3% technical and 66.6% procedural success. One immediate adverse event occurred, in which an EA embolized to the left renal artery. At 9.4-month mean follow-up, overall survival was 83.3% with a mean 2.2-mm increase in sac diameter. Conclusions Early experience suggests that EAs effectively treat intraoperative type 1A endoleaks and high-risk seal zones, with significant sac regression and no proximal endoleaks on follow-up. In patients treated for prior EVAR with postoperative type 1A endoleaks, fewer than half resolved after EA attempted repair. Further experience and longer term follow-up will be necessary to determine which patients most benefit from postoperative EA fixation.
Development of an Outdoor Concentrating Photovoltaic Module Testbed, Module Handling and Testing Procedures, and Initial Energy Production Results

This report addresses the various aspects of setting up a CPV testbed and procedures for handling and testing CPV modules.
Strange Bedfellows but Not for Long: The Industrial Workers of the World and the Communist International

In 1919, the Soviet Union founded the Communist International (Comintern). Predictably, the Russia Revolution had captured the imagination of left-wing radicals, including in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or Wobblies), so Wobblies attended the first Comintern, yet hesitated to join. Subsequently, Lenin savagely attacked anarchists and syndicalists as ultra-leftists; thereafter, Moscow established the Red International of Labor Unions (Profintern). Although the IWW attended its first congress in 1921, the Profintern rejected the ‘dual unionism’ model the IWW embraced. Accordingly, the IWW, and most other syndicalists, refused to join. The Comintern and Profintern congresses proved a turning point in the history of the global Left as Communism rose while other, revolutionary working-class groups—including the IWW—were marginalised or destroyed.
Perceptions of forced sex

Women report that they are the victims of sexual assault at a higher rate than men report that they perpetrate sexual assault. For example, Koss, Gidycz, and Wisniewski1 collected data from a large, representative sample of American college students. Fifty-four percent of the women reported that they had experienced some type of sexual assault; 27.5% reported that they had experienced an event that meets standard United States legal definitions of rape. In contrast, 25% of the men reported that they perpetrated some type of sexual assault; 7.7% reported perpetrating an act that meets standard legal definitions of rape.
Symmetry of the phononic landscape of twisted kagome lattices across the duality boundary

In this Rapid Communication, we investigate the symmetry of the phonon landscape of twisted kagome lattices across their duality boundary. The study is inspired by recent work by Fruchart et al. [Nature (London) 577, 636 (2020)], who specialized the notion of duality to the mechanistic problem of kagome lattices and linked it to the existence of duality transformations between configurations that are symmetrically located across a critical point in configuration space. Our first goal is to elucidate how the existence of matching phonon spectra between dual configurations manifest in terms of observable wave-field characteristics. To this end, we explore the possibility of aggregating dual kagome configurations into bidomain lattices that are geometrically heterogeneous but retain a dynamically homogeneous response. Our second objective is to extend the analysis to structural lattices of beams, which are representative of realistic cellular metamaterials. We show that, in this case, the symmetry of the phonon landscape across the duality boundary is broken, implying that the conditions for dual behavior do not merely depend on the geometry, but also on the dominant mechanisms of the cell, suggesting a dichotomy between geometric and functional duality.
Effect of Insulations and Coatings on Hypersonic Heat Flux Reconstruction

The present study investigates the effects of material discontinuities and thermal resistances on the temperature reconstruction and heat flux evaluation via an inverse heat transfer method in hype...
Code-switching and loan translation in German-American: A cognitive-constructional account

Abstract This squib applies and extends insights from (Diasystematic) Construction Grammar to the code-switching and loan-translation of English verbs (and verbal constructions) in US-German dialects. After presenting recent findings about the nature and interaction of language contact phenomena, I introduce the constructional principles guiding the analysis and the data sources. I then present a wide array of data and formulate hypotheses regarding the processes and motivations underlying each type, appealing to a constructional and usage-based view of the bilingual’s mental lexicon.
Chapter 14 – Superoperator many-body theory of molecular currents: Non-equilibrium Green functions in real time

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses development of the nonequilibrium superoperator green function theory (NESGFT) and applied it to the computation of molecular current. The Liouville space-time ordering operator provides an elegant way for performing calculations in real time, thus avoiding the artificial backward and forward time evolution required in Hilbert space (Keldysh loop). Wick's theorem for superoperators is used to compute the self-energies perturbatively to the second order in phonon–electron coupling. Recently, Galperin et al. have used a fully self-consistent solution to study the influence of different interactions on molecular conductivity for a strong electron–phonon coupling. The main aim of the present work is to demonstrate that by doing calculations in Liouville space one can avoid the backward/forward time evolution (Keldysh loop) required in Hilbert space. This originates from the fact that in Liouville space both ket and bra evolve forward in time. Thus, one can couple the system with two independent, “left” and “right” fields. This property of Liouville space can be used to construct real (physical) time generating functionals for the nonperturbative calculation of the self-energies. The present model ignores electron-electron interactions. These may be treated using the GW technique formulated in terms of the superoperators and extended to nonequilibrium situations. All nonequilibrium observables can be obtained from a single generating functional in terms of “left” and “right” operators.
Teaching Your Students How to Manipulate Molten Glass. Lampworking: Chemistry’s Original “Maker Movement”

Lampworking is a valuable skill for students in Chemistry and others in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) related fields. The activity described here provides instructors the resources to both learn and teach the fundamentals of lampworking. Soft glass, which can be shaped and fused with a Bunsen burner, is used to improve the accessibility of this activity. The Bunsen burners have been modified so that the angle of the flame is between 45 and 60° rather than 90° relative to the base. This modification significantly improves the lampworking experience according to student feedback. Students ranging from Freshmen to Seniors have participated in this activity. This activity introduces students to skills that can be later used with borosilicate glass for scientific glassblowing projects. This activity is both educational and fun for students in STEM fields as well as nonscience majors. Furthermore, this is an excellent professional development opportunity for educators.
Synchronized Heterogeneous Indentation Behavior of Viscoelastic Materials Upon Macroscopic Compression via a Distributed-Deflection Sensor

Built upon a distributed-deflection sensor, an experimental technique is presented in this paper that allows for measuring the synchronized heterogeneous indentation behavior of viscoelastic materials upon macroscopic compression. The core of the distributed-deflection sensor is a whole polymer microstructure embedded with a resistive transducer array underneath. A cylinder probe is utilized to exert macroscopic compression on a material sample placed on the distributed-deflection sensor, and the synchronized heterogeneous indentation behavior of the sample is then translated to distributed deflections of the microstructure and is recorded as distributed resistances by the transducer array. In a measurement, the input signal is the indentation depth of the probe, the output signals are the macroscopic compression load and the distributed resistance changes of the sensor. From the measured distributed load-deflection relations of a sample along its length at multiple indentation depths with the same 5s hold time and 5s recovery time, the instant and the 5s relaxed indentation modulus of a sample are extracted, revealing non-negligible effect of the neighboring regions on the indentation behavior at a location in a sample.
Lassa Fever Virus

Lassa virus, a member of the Arenaviridae family, is an enveloped virus with a bisegmented, linear, single-stranded ribonucleic acid genome. Infection with Lassa virus can result in a range of outcomes from a mild or asymptomatic infection to Lassa fever, a severe and often fatal viral haemorrhagic fever. Human infection with Lassa virus occurs through contact with the reservoir Mastomys natalensis or infected humans. There are an estimated 300 000–500 000 cases of Lassa fever in West Africa each year, with most recorded cases occurring in Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Presently, there is no licensed vaccine or immunotherapy available for preventing or treating this disease. Although the antiviral drug ribavirin can be beneficial, it must be administered at an early stage of infection to successfully alter the disease outcome, thereby limiting its utility. Key Concepts: Lassa virus, a member of the Arenaviridae family, is the aetiologic agent of Lassa fever. Infection with Lassa virus can result in a range of outcomes from a mild or asymptomatic infection to severe and often fatal viral haemorrhagic fever. Signs and symptoms of Lassa fever are highly variable, which challenges early diagnosis. Lassa virus has an enveloped virion with a bisegmented, linear, single-stranded ribonucleic acid genome. The Lassa virus virion contains nucleoprotein NP, zinc protein Z, glycoproteins GP1 and GP2 and an unusually long and stable signal peptide SSP. Human infection with Lassa virus occurs through contact with its reservoir Mastomys natalensis or infected humans. An estimated 300 000–500 000 cases of Lassa fever occur in West Africa each year, with most recorded cases occurring in Sierra Leone and Nigeria. No licensed vaccine or immunotherapy is presently available for preventing or treating Lassa fever. The antiviral drug ribavirin can be beneficial, but must be administered early, limiting its utility. Keywords: Lassa fever; Lassa virus; arenavirus; arenaviridae; viral haemorrhagic fever; Mastomys natalensis; Sierra leone; Nigeria; ribavirin
Pairwise statistical significance versus database statistical significance for local alignment of protein sequences

An important aspect of pairwise sequence comparison is assessingthe statistical significance of the alignment. Most of the currentlypopular alignment programs report the statistical significance ofan alignment in context of a database search. This database statisticalsignificance is dependent on the database, and hence, the same alignmentof a pair of sequences may be assessed different statistical significancevalues in different databases. In this paper, we explore the use of pairwisestatistical significance, which is independent of any database, andcan be useful in cases where we only have a pair of sequences and wewant to comment on the relatedness of the sequences, independent of anydatabase. We compared different methods and determined that censoredmaximum likelihood fitting the score distribution right of the peak is themost accurate method for estimating pairwise statistical significance. Weevaluated this method in an experiment with a subset of CATH2.3, whichhad been previoulsy used by other authors as a benchmark data set forprotein comparison. Comparison of results with database statistical significancereported by popular programs like SSEARCH and PSI-BLAST indicate that the results of pairwise statistical significance are comparable,indeed sometimes significantly better than those of database statisticalsignificance (with SSEARCH). However, PSI-BLAST performs best,presumably due to its use of query-specific substitution matrices.
Telecommunications earnings estimation model (TEEM)

TEEM is a corporate simulation model developed for the Security Analysts of Wells Fargo Bank. It is a probabilistic interactive model designed to estimate an income statement and a funds flow analysis for any manufacturing or distribution firm for which history data is readily available. The primary objective is to generate more accurate, systematic, and consistent estimates for companies which are of investment interest to Trust accounts. Both the analyst and the computer contribute unique and complementary facilities to the process: the computer contributes its abilities to organize and recall data, to calculate and to structure an estimation process, while the analyst contributes his information gathering abilities and his ability to integrate into the structure of the model.