cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of environments on degradation of molding compound and wire bonds in PEMs

Degradation of wire bonds (WBs) is one of the major factors limiting reliability of plastic encapsulated microcircuits (PEMs) at high temperatures. Use of PEMs in military and aerospace applications requires extended and thorough evaluation of encapsulating materials and reliability of packages in harsh environments. However, the effect of environmental conditions on characteristics of molding compounds (MCs) and reliability of wire bonds has not been studied sufficiently to date. In this work, two types of PEMs in QFP-style packages have been stored in different environments at temperatures from 130 /spl deg/C to 225 /spl deg/C for up to 4,500 hours in some cases. To assess the effect of oxygen, the parts were aged at 198 /spl deg/C in air and vacuum chambers. The effect of humidity was evaluated during long-term highly accelerated temperature and humidity stress testing (HAST) at temperatures of 130 /spl deg/C and 150 /spl deg/C. Thermo-mechanical and thermo-gravimetrical analyses were used to evaluate the effect of environment on characteristics of molding compound used. Measurements of contact resistances of wire bonds and their mechanical strength were employed to monitor degradation of wire bonds throughout the testing. Correlation between degradation of MC and WB failures has been analyzed. The effect of environmental conditions on accelerating factors of WB failures has been assessed, and the mechanism of wire bond degradation due to the presence of moisture and oxygen is discussed.
On Using the ISO Standard To Evaluate the Ride Quality of Broad-Band Vibration Spectra in Transportation Vehicles

Comparisons are made between the ISO standard, the Urban Tracked Air Cushion Vehicle (UTACV) specification, and measured vibrations at the floorboard and seat of an automobile over smooth and rough roads. The data indicate that the ISO standard is less restrictive than the UTACV specification, and generally not restrictive enough to indicate the roughness of an automobile ride on a rough country road.
Results of the CAPRIE trial: efficacy and safety of clopidogrel

The recent CAPRIE trial (clopidogrel versus aspirin in patients at risk of ischaemic events) compared clopidogrel with aspirin in reducing the risk of vascular events in 19,185 patients with clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis. Participants were randomized to receive daily oral clopidogrel (75 mg) or aspirin (325 mg). Treatment periods ranged from 1 to 3 years. The primary outcome measurement was an aggregate of myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke and vascular death. Event rates of 5.32% and 5.83% were associated with clopidogrel and aspirin therapy, respectively. Clopidogrel therapy resulted in a relative risk reduction of 8.7% (CI 0.3-16.5%) compared with aspirin therapy (p = 0.043). Gastrointestinal hemorrhages occurred in 1.99% of patients treated with clopidogrel and 2.66% of patients treated with aspirin (p < 0.002). There were no significant treatment-based differences in the rates of intracerebral hemorrhages and hemorrhagic deaths or thrombocytopenia. These results indicate that clopidogrel is more effective and safer than aspirin in reducing adverse cardiovascular events in patients with atherosclerosis.
SnS thin-films by RF sputtering at room temperature

article i nfo Tin monosulfide (SnS) is of interest as a potential solar cell absorber material. We present a preliminary investigation of the effects of sputtering conditions on SnS thin-film structural, optical, and electronic properties. Films were RF sputtered from an SnS target using an argon plasma. Resistivity, stoichiometry, phase, grain size and shape, bandgap, and optical absorption coefficient can be varied by modifying argon pressure for a fixed deposition time. Most films have an indirect bandgap in the range of 1.08-1.18 eV. XRD patterns confirmed the films as mostly crystalline, and grain morphology was examined using profile and surface SEM images.
Use of multivitamins and prostate cancer mortality in a large cohort of US men

Objective: To assess the association between the use of multivitamins and prostate cancer mortality.
A young adult with a fulminant Staphylococcus aureus infection and multiple thrombi

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) can cause skin and soft tissue infection and necrotizing pneumonia. We report a patient who developed ankle cellulitis following minor trauma and developed MRSA bacteremia, necrotizing pneumonia, respiratory failure, shock, and multiple thrombi. This case highlights the fulminant course, the possible need for empiric antibiotic coverage on admission for MRSA, and the high likelihood of thrombotic complications in these patients.
Novel Nonlinear Control Design for a Two-Dimensional Airfoil Under Unsteady Flow

In this paper, a particular class of trailing-edge flap-controlled two-dimensional aeroelastic systems with structural nonlinearities in plunging and pitching, and operating in an unsteady aerodynamic incompressible flowfield, is considered. By using the flap hinge torque of the trailing edge flap surface as the control input, a partial state feedback continuous adaptive controller is proposed in order to suppress the aeroelastic vibrations of the wing section model. It is shown that the control design with respect to an appropriately chosen output variable yields an asymptotic stability result for all three of the pitching, plunging, and flapping degrees of freedom. Numerical simulation results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the control strategy toward suppressing aeroelastic vibration at both pre- and post-flutter flight speed regimes.
Active destruction of defective ribosomes by a ubiquitin ligase involved in DNA repair

Progression of DNA replication forks through damaged DNA requires a ubiquitin ligase comprised of the cullin Rtt101, the RING finger protein Hrt1, and the adaptor protein Mms1. Rtt101 and Mms1 were implicated recently by Fujii and colleagues (pp. 963–974) in the degradation of catalytically inactive mutant 25S ribosomal RNAS (rRNAs) in mature 60S ribosomal subunits, a process that requires ubiquitin and is accompanied by ubiquitination of 60S components. It now seems likely that the same ubiquitin ligase is enlisted to deal with defective rRNA and damaged DNA.
Time-stretch and wavelength-division sampling: photonic preprocessing techniques for ultrafast analog-to-digital conversion

The paper has outlined two novel applications of time-wavelength mapping techniques in analog-to-digital conversion. The general approach is to increase the performance of an electronic digitizer by optical signal reprocessing. Presently, the time-stretch technique appears to be the most promising in enabling ultra wideband analog-to-digital conversion with moderate resolutions.
KES-F Characterization and Hand Evaluation of Oxygen Plasma-Treated Wool Fabrics Dyed at Temperature Below the Boil:

In our previous works, we investigated the possibility of reducing the dyeing temperature of wool fabrics with oxygen low-temperature plasma pre-treatment. Fabrics were dyed replicating an industrial process on a laboratory-scale machine, and it was found that pre-treated fabrics could be dyed at 85°C with no worsening of their dyeing performances compared with fabrics conventionally dyed at the boil. In this work, the physical, low-stress mechanical and surface properties of untreated fabrics, untreated fabrics conventionally dyed at 98°C, and plasma-treated fabrics dyed at 85°C, were measured using Kawabata’s Evaluation System for Fabrics. In particular, there were significant increases in bending and shearing characteristic values for plasma-treated fabrics dyed below the boil (85°C). Moreover, subjective hand tests highlighted that these fabrics were stiffer and crisper than the other two types of fabric, thus confirming the results of objective measurements.
Transcriptome analysis of the entomopathogenic oomycete Lagenidium giganteum reveals putative virulence factors

A combination of 454 pyrosequencing and Sanger sequencing was used to sample and characterize the transcriptome of the entomopathogenic oomycete Lagenidium giganteum. More than 50,000 high-throughput reads were annotated through homology searches. Several selected reads served as seeds for the amplification and sequencing of full-length transcripts. Phylogenetic analyses inferred from full-length cellulose synthase alignments revealed that L giganteum is nested within the peronosporalean galaxy and as such appears to have evolved from a phytopathogenic ancestor. In agreement with the phylogeny reconstructions, full-length L. giganteum oomycete effector orthologs, corresponding to the cellulose-binding elicitor lectin (CBEL), crinkler (CRN), and elicitin proteins, were characterized by domain organizations similar to those of pathogenicity factors of plant-pathogenic oomycetes. Importantly, the L. giganteum effectors provide a basis for detailing the roles of canonical CRN, CBEL, and elicitin proteins in the infectious process of an oomycete known principally as an animal pathogen. Finally, phylogenetic analyses and genome mining identified members of glycoside hydrolase family 5 subfamily 27 (GH5_27) as putative virulence factors active on the host insect cuticle, based in part on the fact that GH5_27 genes are shared by entomopathogenic oomycetes and fungi but are underrepresented in nonentomopathogenic genomes. The genomic resources gathered from the L. giganteum transcriptome analysis strongly suggest that filamentous entomopathogens (oomycetes and fungi) exhibit convergent evolution: they have evolved independently from plant-associated microbes, have retained genes indicative of plant associations, and may share similar cores of virulence factors, such as GH5_27 enzymes, that are absent from the genomes of their plant-pathogenic relatives.
Pattern generation of a microfluidic-based biosensor to detect C-reactive protein using the competitive protein adsorption

We report a microfluidic-based protein sensing technique using pattern generation of a mixture of multiple proteins based on the competitive protein adsorption. We prepared four pre-adsorbed surfaces: lysozyme, albumin, transferrin, and IgG, on a gold surface, to obtain a selective and sensitive detection of a target protein, C-reactive protein (CRP) in a controlled cocktail. The microfluidic device was coupled with a Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), to monitor molecular reaction in real time. A matrix of proteins mixtures (α1-antitrypsin, haptoglobin, CRP, and IgM) was generated to characterize the biosensor. Each surface interacted differently with a given sample and as a set generated a specific pattern based on individual SPR angle shifts. Using Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), we classified each protein and identified CRP selectively with an identification accuracy of 95 %.
Noninvasive assessment of mitochondrial organization in three-dimensional tissues reveals changes associated with cancer development

Mitochondrial organization is often altered to accommodate cellular bioenergetic and biosynthetic demands. Changes in metabolism are a hallmark of a number of diseases, including cancer; however, the interdependence between mitochondrial metabolic function and organization is not well understood. Here, we present a noninvasive, automated and quantitative method to assess mitochondrial organization in three-dimensional (3D) tissues using exclusively endogenous two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and show that mitochondrial organization reflects alterations in metabolic activities. Specifically, we examine the organization of mitochondria within live, engineered epithelial tissue equivalents that mimic normal and precancerous human squamous epithelial tissues. We identify unique patterns of mitochondrial organization in the different tissue models we examine, and we attribute these to differences in the metabolic profiles of these tissues. We find that mitochondria are clustered in tissues with high levels of glycolysis and are more highly networked in tissues where oxidative phosphorylation is more dominant. The most highly networked organization is observed within cells with high levels of glutamine consumption. Furthermore, we demonstrate that mitochondrial organization provides complementary information to traditional morphological hallmarks of cancer development, including variations in nuclear size. Finally, we present evidence that this automated quantitative analysis of endogenous TPEF images can identify differences in the mitochondrial organization of freshly excised normal and pre-cancerous human cervical tissue specimens. Thus, this method could be a promising new modality to assess the role of mitochondrial organization in the metabolic activity of 3D tissues and could be further developed to serve as an early cancer clinical diagnostic biomarker.
A Risk-Based Approach to Strategic Decision-Making for Software Development

In any software system development, the most important strategic decisions are, by definition, those made early in the lifecycle. However, these early lifecycle decisions are generally made in a data-starved environment. The best sources of data are those based on historical information (if the current project is sufficiently similar to past systems), and the judgments of domain experts. At NASA, we have been developing and applying a risk-based model to capture information from domain experts and to study and plan for systems that use advanced technology. Here we describe the "Defect Detection and Prevention" (DDP) model and software tool. This model and the custom built tool that implements it initially arose from needs in the hardware domain. However, current spacecraft systems are a complex combination of hardware and software. In this paper, we describe some initial work investigating the applicability of this model and tool to software components.
Who should manage the dying patient?: Rescue, shame, and the surgical ICU dilemma.

Advances in surgery and critical care have extended our therapeutic options and the range of patients offered those options. Physiologically brittle patients, including the elderly and the chronically ill, are operated on with increasing frequency using progressively complex procedures. Nearly all initially survive their operations. Complications are infrequent. But when complications occur, they can accumulate and inexorably culminate in the death of the patient, despite the application of ag
Expression, modulation, and clinical correlates of the autophagy protein Beclin-1 in esophageal adenocarcinoma

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is characterized by rapidly increasing incidence and mortality rates and poor survival. Efficacious preventive and treatment options are urgently needed. An increasing number of pharmacologic agents targeting cancer cell death via autophagy mechanisms are being evaluated in hopes of circumventing apoptotic and therapeutic resistance. We report for the first time, loss of Beclin-1, a key mediator of autophagy, was significantly linked to prognostic factors in EAC. Specifically, Beclin-1 expression loss occurred in 49.0% of EAC patients versus 4.8% of controls. There was a significant inverse correlation between loss of Beclin-1 with histologic grade and tumor stage supporting a tumor suppressive role for Beclin-1. Autophagy modulation linked to cell death was examined in EAC cell lines following treatment with a proanthocyanidin-rich cranberry extract, C-PAC, and the commonly used autophagy inducer, rapamycin. C-PAC induced Beclin-1-independent autophagy in EAC cells characterized by reduced phosphorylation at serine 15 and 93, and significant cell death induction. In contrast, rapamycin-induced autophagy resulted in concomitant, increases in total Beclin-1 levels as well as Beclin-1-phosphorylation in a cell line specific manner, leading to long-term cell survival. Furthermore, autophagic LC3-II was induced by C-PAC following siRNA suppression of Beclin-1 in EAC cells. Together these data support a prognostic role of Beclin-1 in EAC with evidence that Beclin-dependent autophagy induction is agent specific. Future studies are necessary to fully interrogate the role autophagy plays in the progression of normal tissue to EAC and how specific agents targeting autophagic mechanisms can be efficaciously applied for cancer prevention or treatment. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Kierkegaard's Arguments Against Objective Reasoning in Religion

Robert Adams Versions of this paper have been read to philosophical colloquia at Occidental College and California State University, Fullerton. I am indebted to participants in those discussions, to students in many of my classes, and particularly to Marilyn McCord Adams, Van Harvey, Thomas Kselman, William Laserow, and James Muyskens, for helpful comment on the ideas which are contained in this paper (or which would have been, had it not been for their criticisms). ____________________________
Recording and evaluation of an American dialect version of the Four Alternative Auditory Feature test.

Background The Four Alternative Auditory Feature test (FAAF) is a word-based closed-set speech recognition test. Because the original test materials were recorded in British English dialect, it is not appropriate for use in the United States. Purpose The purpose of this study was to produce an American dialect FAAF (AFAAF). Research design The AFAAF materials spoken by a native American-English speaking male were recorded and digitally edited. In the validation study, the AFAAF was administered monaurally at five signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) in both ears for each listener. Study sample A total of 20 young adults with normal hearing participated in the validation study. Data collection and analysis For each participant, speech recognition scores were collected in one session. The speech level was fixed at 70 dB SPL and the steady-state talker-matched noise level was varied, resulting in five SNRs from -15 to -5 dB. One full list (80 words) was used for each SNR. For each participant, a performance-intensity (PI) function was fit to the discrete mean percent correct scores for the five SNRs according to a best-fit, three-parameter sigmoid function. In addition, scores for the left and right ears were compared to examine test-retest reliability. Results RESULTS show that the slope of the PI function is 6% per dB, the mean test-retest difference scores for the five SNRs are within 3 rationalized arcsine units (rau), and the 95% critical difference for the 80-word scores is 12 rau. Compared with the FAAF, the slope of the PI function for the AFAAF is slightly less steep. Test-retest reliability of the AFAAF is at least equal to that of the FAAF. Conclusions It is concluded that the AFAAF is similar but not identical to the FAAF. The AFAAF is now available for measuring speech recognition performance in listeners who use American English as a native language.
Coordination, Moderation, and Institutional Balancing in American Presidential and House Elections

Voters have been coordinating their choices for president and House of Representatives in recent presidential election years, with each voter using a strategy that features policy moderation. Coordination is defined as a noncooperative rational expectations equilibrium among voters, in which each voter has both common knowledge and private information about the election outcome. Stochastic choice models estimated using individual-level NES data from 1976–96 support coordination versus a model in which voters act nonstrategically to moderate policy. The empirical coordinating model satisfies the fixed-point condition that defines the common knowledge expectation voters have about the outcome in the theoretical equilibrium. The proportion of voters who split their ticket in order to balance the House with the president has been small but large enough to affect election outcomes. Moderation has usually been based on voters' expectations that the president will be at least an equal of the House in determining postelection policy.
Determination of vitamin C by coulonmetric titrimetry

A method for determination of vitamin C by coulometric titrimetry has been developed. The troche of vitamin and of in the food have been determined by the method. The result of determination of the samples showed that the method is simple, accurate and rapid.
Statistical Analysis of Projects Funded by Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province: 1998-2007

Fujian Province Natural Science Foundation funded projects from 1998 to 2007 were used as study objects,this paper analyzes funded the intensity of the breadth,talent training,conclusion management,subjects construction and other multi-disciplinary perspective for statistical analysis.Discuss the problems found in the operation of Fujian Provincial Natural Science Foundation combined with the specific economic and social conditions and try to give the corresponding solution to the problems,improve fund management.
Assessment of Vascular Disease Prevention Practices in Urban Women

Abstract Background: Women suffer higher rates of death due to stroke compared to men. In addition, previous studies suggest that women are treated less aggressively for vascular risk factors compared to men. We assessed the quality of primary and secondary vascular prevention at multiple primary care sites within a single region. Methods: Women more than age of 40 years were eligible for the study. Data from the electronic medical record at multiple primary care locations (internal medicine, family medicine, and geriatrics) were analyzed to assess quality of vascular preventative care. Specific attention was devoted to use of antithrombotic agents, statins, and estrogen. Results: 1,815 women with a mean age of 61 years were reviewed. Seventy-five percent were African American. Patients in the urban practices had higher rates of vascular risk factors and existing vascular disease (heart disease or stroke) compared to the suburban locations. Seventy-one percent of patients with diabetes were receiving stat...
Characterization of hyperelliptic period matrices

The goal of this section is to prove that the fundamental Vanishing property of §6 characterizes hyperelliptic Jacobians. The method will be to show that any abelian variety XΩ which has the Vanishing property must have a covering of degree 2g+1 which occurs as an orbit of the g commuting flows of the Neumann dynamical system.
Left ventricular performance after mitral reconstruction for mitral regurgitation

Depressed left ventricular performance is often observed after mitral valve replacement for mitral regurgitation and is generally attributed to increased impedance to left ventricular ejection. We analyzed preoperative and postoperative catheterization data in 10 of 18 patients who underwent mitral reconstruction with preservation of the native valves and found a significant (p less than 0.05) fall in left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (from 143 +/- 39 to 84 +/- 21 ml/m2) and end-systolic volume index (from 50 +/- 24 to 32 +/- 12 ml/m2), with no significant change in ejection fraction (0.66 +/- 0.1 versus 0.62 +/- 0.1). These findings contrast with studies reported by others in comparable patients who had mitral valve replacement with no improvement in volume indices and a decline in ejection fraction postoperatively. We suggest that some of the left ventricular dysfunction observed after mitral replacement may be due simply to excision of the native valve. Mitral repair retains the tethering effect of chordal attachments and may thus prevent postoperative left ventricular dilatation and moderate the increase in wall stress that results from increased impedance to left ventricular ejection.
Agriculture on the Brink: Climate Change, Labor and Smallholder Farming in Botswana

Botswana is a semi-arid, middle-income African country that imports 90 percent of its food. Despite its relative prosperity, Botswana also suffers from one of the highest measures of income inequality in the world, persistent poverty, and relatively high levels of food insecurity. The objective of this paper is to explore how political economy, climate change and livelihood dynamics are synergistically impacting household food security. The major finding is that the marginalization of smallholder farming in Botswana has as much or more to do with domestic, regional and international political economy as it does with climate change. As such, international efforts to support climate change adaptation in Botswana will have a limited effect on smallholder farming livelihoods and rural food security unless such efforts take account of political economic constraints. Effective support must be based on a grounded understanding of the real drivers of marginalization and food insecurity. One initiative that merits further exploration is the government’s backyard gardening initiative, which could be viewed as a pro-poor climate adaptation strategy. The findings of this paper are based on semi-structured interviews with policymakers and surveys with urban, peri-urban and rural households undertaken in 2012 and 2015.
Operational data are missing, incorrect, and decontextualized

Big data is upon us and the data scientist is the hottest profession. In software engineering, analyzing software development data from social networks, issue trackers, or version control systems is proliferating.
TFH cells progressively differentiate to regulate the germinal center response

Germinal center (GC) B cells undergo affinity selection, which depends on interactions with CD4(+) follicular helper T cells (TFH cells). We found that TFH cells progressed through transcriptionally and functionally distinct stages and provided differential signals for GC regulation. They initially localized proximally to mutating B cells, secreted interleukin 21 (IL-21), induced expression of the transcription factor Bcl-6 and selected high-affinity B cell clones. As the GC response evolved, TFH cells extinguished IL-21 production and switched to IL-4 production, showed robust expression of the co-stimulatory molecule CD40L, and promoted the development of antibody-secreting B cells via upregulation of the transcription factor Blimp-1. Thus, TFH cells in the B cell follicle progressively differentiate through stages of localization, cytokine production and surface ligand expression to 'fine tune' the GC reaction.
A tabu search with gradual evolution process

The paper investigates a new framework for executing tabu search (TS).The framework changes the nature of the problem dynamically during optimization run.The basic idea is inspired by the recent viral transmission incidents.Numerical experiments showed interesting results. We investigate a new framework for executing tabu search (TS). A unique aspect of this framework is that it performs multiple small-scale TS runs iteratively to identify the most promising area of the feasible region before executing the final TS run. The basic idea is inspired by recent viral transmission incidents, which showed that a virus would often go through an indirect and gradual evolution process to transform itself into a new form. Numerical experiments conducted with randomly-generated vehicle routing instances demonstrate interesting results.
Quickest Fault Detection in Photovoltaic Systems

Photovoltaic (PV) systems play an important role in contemporary electricity production as a ubiquitous renewable energy source. However, the performance of a PV system is susceptible to unexpected faults that occur inside its various components. In this paper, we propose a quickest fault detection algorithm for PV systems under the sequential change detection framework. In particular, multiple meters are employed to measure different output signals of the PV system. The time correlation of the faulty signal and the signal correlation among different meters are exploited by a vector AR model in modeling the post-change signal. In order to tackle the difficulty that no prior knowledge about the fault is available, we develop a change detection algorithm based on the generalized local likelihood ratio test. Extensive simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves high adaptivity and fast detection in dealing with various types of faults in PV systems.
The Rate-Dependent Fracture Behavior of High Performance Sulfone Polymers

Many fiber-reinforced composite systems have been given considerable attention for potential aerospace and advanced ship applications. This is primarily because of the superior specific modulus and tensile strength the composite materials exhibit. For many applications conventional polymer matrix materials such as polyesters and epoxies are not suitable since they have maximum use temperatures of only 90°C to 120°C. Recently, many “high performance polymers”, which offer 170°C to 260°C temperature capability, have become available. These include tetrafunctional epoxies, thermosetting polyimides and some thermoplastic polymers such as polysulfone. One of the important mechanical properties that need to be evaluated for these polymers is their resistance to crack propagation. Bascom, Bitner and Cottingtonl determined the fracture energy of many high performance polymers and concluded that the thermoplastics are much “tougher” than the thermosetting materials. While this would certainly be translated into superior impact properties, the thermoplastics are also attractive because they can be formed easily and possess good storage and handling capability at room temperatures. In this paper, the rate-dependent fracture behavior of two high performance sulfone polymers is reported.
Calcium or sodium leakage channels in cultured mammalian myotubes.

Calcium or sodium leakage currents (1.2 to 3.1 msec, 6 to 16 pS) were recorded in mammalian myotubes at hyperpolarized membrane potentials.
Representing Self-organization and Nonstationarities in Dyadic Interaction Processes Using Dynamic Systems Modeling Techniques

Dynamic systems modeling techniques provide a convenient platform for representing multidimensional and multidirectional change processes over time. Central to dynamic systems models is the notion that a system may show emergent properties that allow the system to self-organize into qualitatively distinct states through temporal fluctuations in selected key parameters of interest. Using computer vision-based measurement of smiling in one infant-mother dyad’s interactions during a face-to-face interaction, we illustrate the use of generalized additive modeling techniques to fit multivariate dynamic systems models with self-organizing, time-moderated dynamic parameters. We found evidence for systematic over-time changes in the infant → mother cross-regression effect, which provided a glimpse into how the dyad self-organized into distinct states over the course of the interaction, including periods where the mother’s positivity was reinforced and strengthened by the infant’s positivity, as well as periods where the mother’s positivity was inversely related to the infant’s past positivity levels.
Expanded phenotypes and outcomes among 256 LGI1/CASPR2-IgG–positive patients

Objective: To describe an expanded phenotypic spectrum and longitudinal outcome in 256 LGI1-IgG or CASPR2-IgG seropositive patients. Methods: Patients were identified through service neural autoantibody evaluation. Ninety-five had longitudinal follow-up (7-456 months; median 35). Results: Among 3,910 patients tested, 196 were LGI1-IgG-positive; 51 were CASPR2-IgG-positive and 9 were dual-positive. CSF-testing was less sensitive than serum-testing, detecting only 24/38 LGI1-IgG-positive (63%) and 5/6 CASPR2-IgG-positive (83%). LGI1-IgG-positive specimens had higher VGKC-IgG immunoprecipitation values [0.33 nmol/L (0.02-5.14)] than CASPR2-IgG-positives [0.10 nmol/L (0.00-0.45; p 50 years; OR 15, p<0.001). “Paroxysmal-dizziness-spells,” a unique LGI1-IgG accompaniment (14% of patients), frequently delayed the diagnosis. T2-mesiotemporal hyperintensity was more common in LGI1-IgG-positives (41%) than in CASPR2-IgG-positives (p=0.033). T1-bright basal ganglia were confined to LGI1-IgG-positives with faciobrachial-dystonic seizures 9/39 (31%). Cancer was found in 44% of LGI1-IgG/CASPR2-IgG dual-seropositive patients (one third thymoma). Response to initial immunotherapy was favorable in 97%; mean onset modified-Rankin score was 3 (range 1-5), and at last follow-up was 1.74 (range 0-6), with 9% having severe refractory disability, 20% asymptomatic, 28% receiving immunotherapy and 58% antiepileptic medication. Interpretations: Older age is a strong predictor of CNS involvement in patients seropositive for CASPR2-IgG or LGI1-IgG. Pain, peripheral manifestations and stereotypic “paroxysmal-dizziness-spells” are common with LGI1-IgG. Response to initial immunotherapy is often favorable, but some patients remain severely disabled, requiring long-term immunotherapy and/or antiepileptic medications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Outcomes of Liver Transplant Recipients With Autoimmune Liver Disease Using Long-Term Dual Immunosuppression Regimen Without Corticosteroid.

BACKGROUND Liver transplant (LT) recipients with autoimmune liver disease (primary sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis) are at increased risk of developing acute cellular rejection (ACR), and in many cases graft failure due to recurrent disease. We describe our experience with dual immunosuppression without steroid maintenance and analyze its effect on disease recurrence; ACR; patient and graft survivals; and complications, such as sepsis and de novo malignancy. METHODS We included 74 consecutive LT recipients (April 2006 to April 2013) with autoimmune liver disease (primary sclerosing cholangitis, 20; primary biliary cholangitis, 23; autoimmune hepatitis, 31) from a single transplant center. Immunosuppression protocol included rabbit antithymocyte globulin for induction and mycophenolate mofetil with tacrolimus or sirolimus/everolimus indefinitely for maintenance. RESULTS Overall 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year patient survival was 95.9%, 90.4%, 82,2% and 74.9%, re-graft-free survival was 93.2%, 86.3%, 79.9%, and 72.8%, respectively (median follow-up, 5.5 years). In a multivariate Cox regression analysis, sepsis during post-LT period (P = 0.040; hazard ratio [HR], 2.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-6.11), steroid use for ACR (P = 0.037; HR, 2.60; 95% CI, 1.06-6.34), and younger age (<40 years) at LT (P = 0.038; HR, 2.53; 95% CI, 1.05-6.10) predicted graft survival, whereas steroid use for ACR was the only variable that was predictive of overall patient survival (P = 0.004; HR, 4.10; 95% CI, 1.59-10.52). Overall, 34 biopsy-proven ACR was noted in 22 LT recipients (30%), 13 (17.5%) had disease recurrence, and 34 episodes of sepsis occurred in 19 patients. CONCLUSIONS Dual immunosuppression protocol in LT recipients with autoimmune liver disease without corticosteroid maintenance had acceptable rates of survival and ACR without predisposing patients to the adverse effects of long-term steroid therapy.
Analyzing achievable stiffness control bounds of robotic hands with coupled finger joints

The mechanical design of robotic hands has been converging towards low-inertia, tendon-driven strategies. As tendon driven robotic fingers are serial chain systems, routing strategies with compliant tendons lead to multi-articular coupling between the degrees of freedom. We propose a generalized analysis of such serial chain linkages with coupled passive joint stiffnesses. We analyze the effect of such coupling on maximum achievable stiffness control boundaries while maintaining passivity at the actuators by analytically deriving the boundaries. We believe that we can use this information to form mechanical design guidelines for intelligently selecting arrangements of compliance elements (mechanical springs) and transmission strategies, i.e. tendon routing and pulley radii, to provide intrinsic stability and customizable controller stiffness limits for high performance manipulation in robotic hands.
Michael T. Westrate. Living Soviet in Ukraine from Stalin to Maidan: Under the Falling Red Star in Kharkiv.

Book review of Michael T. Westrate. Living Soviet in Ukraine from Stalin to Maidan: Under the Falling Red Star in Kharkiv . Rowman & Littlefield, 2016. xx, 232 pp. Illustrations. Appendices. Bibliography. Index. $85.00, cloth.
Role of Membrane Receptors in Stimulus-Secretion Coupling

In the last two decades there has been an exponential increase in our fundamental knowledge of hormone receptors. The literature accumulated is so vast that it is impossible to cover in any depth, in a short review, all the aspects of hormone-receptor interaction. In this chapter we will consider only two aspects. First, the modulation of the membrane-bound enzyme system adenylate cyclase, and, second, the perturbation of the phosphoinositide cycle caused by neurotransmitters involved in the neural control of catecholamine and insulin secretion. To this end, a mechanism for the generation of intracellular signals resulting from the activation of adrenergic and cholinergic receptors will be also considered, and illustrative examples of receptor-controlled electrical activity and ATP secretion will be presented.
From Signaling Pathways to Behavior: The Light and Dark Sides of Alcohol

Understanding the mechanism of action of drugs of abuse, including alcohol, is central for the development of treatments for addiction. Most drugs of abuse possess very specific modes of action, that is, binding to discrete receptors in certain subsets of neurons to precipitate a singular, defined effect. Alcohol, on the other hand, exerts a multitude of effects on various receptors and signaling pathways. As a result, instead of discovering a simple mode of action, exploration into alcohol’s biological influence has unveiled an intriguing dichotomy in this drug’s effects. Although some signaling pathways altered by alcohol underlie the adverse phenotypes associated with alcohol-use disorders (what we term the “dark side” of alcohol), others serve to protect and/or delay the development of alcohol-abuse disorders (what we term the “light side” of alcohol). A better understanding of these opposing forces and the implied balancing act between them is a much-needed step towards an effective treatment for alcohol-use disorders. Because alcohol’s action on signaling has recently been reviewed in detail, this review focuses on the bridge between the molecular actions of alcohol and behavior. Recently published findings on the acute and long-term molecular adaptations that occur following the exposure of awake, behaving vertebrates and invertebrates to alcohol are described. The signaling cascades described herein are activated in response to alcohol in specific brain regions, resulting in synaptic plasticity events and/or changes in transcription and translation as well as epigenetic modifications that mediate either the dark or light sides of this drug.
In-vivo fluorescence detection of breast cancer growth factor receptors by fiber-optic probe

Breast cancer treatment options often include medications that target the overexpression of growth factor receptors, such as the proto-oncogene human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/neu) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) to suppress the abnormal growth of cancerous cells and induce cancer regression. Although effective, certain treatments are toxic to vital organs, and demand assurance that the pursued receptor is present at the tumor before administration of the drug. This requires diagnostic tools to provide tumor molecular signatures, as well as locational information. In this study, we utilized a fiber-optic probe to characterize in vivo HER2 and EGFR overexpressed tumors through the fluorescence of targeted dyes. HER2 and EGFR antibodies were conjugated with ICG-Sulfo-OSu and Alexa Fluor 680, respectively, to tag BT474 (HER2+) and MDA-MB-468 (EGFR+) tumors. The fiber was inserted into the samples via a 30-gauge needle. Different wavelengths of a supercontinuum laser were selected to couple into the fiber and excite the corresponding fluorophores in the samples. The fluorescence from the dyes was collected through the same fiber and quantified by a time-correlated single photon counter. Fluorescence at different antibody-dye concentrations was measured for calibration. Mice with subcutaneous HER2+ and/or EGFR+ tumors received intravenous injections of the conjugates and were later probed at the tumor sites. The measured fluorescence was used to distinguish between tumor types and to calculate the concentration of the antibody-dye conjugates, which were detectable at levels as low as 40 nM. The fiber-optic probe presents a minimally invasive instrument to characterize the molecular signatures of breast cancer in vivo.
Integrated Strategy: Residual Market and Exchange Imperfections as the Foundation of Sustainable Competitive Advantage

Market imperfections are central to understanding the mechanisms that permit firms to capture value. Many of these imperfections are competed away when firms struggle to attain and defend competiti...
Adenosine and glutamate in neuroglial interaction: implications for circadian disorders and alcoholism.

Recent studies have demonstrated that the function of glia is not restricted to the support of neuronal function. In fact, astrocytes are essential for neuronal activity in the brain and play an important role in the regulation of complex behavior. Astrocytes actively participate in synapse formation and brain information processing by releasing and uptaking glutamate, d-serine, adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP), and adenosine. In the central nervous system, adenosine-mediated neuronal activity modulates the actions of other neurotransmitter systems. Adenosinergic fine-tuning of the glutamate system in particular has been shown to regulate circadian rhythmicity and sleep, as well as alcohol-related behavior and drinking. Adenosine gates both photic (light-induced) glutamatergic and nonphotic (alerting) input to the circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. Astrocytic, SNARE-mediated ATP release provides the extracellular adenosine that drives homeostatic sleep. Acute ethanol increases extracellular adenosine, which mediates the ataxic and hypnotic/sedative effects of alcohol, while chronic ethanol leads to downregulated adenosine signaling that underlies insomnia, a major predictor of relapse. Studies using mice lacking the equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 have illuminated how adenosine functions through neuroglial interactions involving glutamate uptake transporter GLT-1 [referred to as excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2) in human] and possibly water channel aquaporin 4 to regulate ethanol sensitivity, reward-related motivational processes, and alcohol intake.
The Politics of ‘Suggestions of Immunity’: An Empirical Analysis of the State Department’s Sovereign Immunity Decisions from 1952 to 1977

In a major shift of customary international law, in 1952 the United States adopted a restrictive theory of sovereign immunity. After this shift in policy, the State Department had the power to determine if a foreign government deserved a “suggestion of immunity” that would grant it relief from the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. In 1977, however, Congress stripped the State Department of this power due to concerns that political considerations were overshadowing the rights of plaintiffs. Despite the perfect opportunity that this period presents to study what considerations motivate American foreign policy, this topic has not been the subject of a single empirical study. As a result, I have created an original dataset of suggestions of immunity filed with the State Department from 1952 to 1977. After estimating a series of models, my results suggest that extending favors to NATO allies was a significant concern of the State Department during this period.
Developments in Illinois and Indiana in 1954

In Illinois and Indiana, 4,181 wells were drilled for oil and gas in 1954, as compared with 3,474 in 1953, an increase of 20 per cent. Total oil production increased 8.6 per cent, from 71,606,000 barrels in 1953 to 77,813,000 barrels in 1954. Exploratory drilling increased 5 per cent, from 949 completions in 1953 to 999 completions in 1954. Thirty-seven new pools, 79 extensions, and 48 new pays in producing areas were discovered in the two states in 1954. As in previous years, most of the discoveries in 1954 were in Mississippian formations. Three new pools produced from Pennsylvanian sandstone, 20 from Mississippian sandstone and limestone, 6 from Devonian limestone, and 7 from Silurian limestone.
Impact of Donor to Recipient Size Match on Survival after Heart Transplant Bridged with Continuous Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device

Purpose Heart transplant for patients with left ventricular assist device (LVAD) often requires long cardiopulmonary bypass and increased blood product use. Hypothesis was made that a donor heart should not be undersized so that it can tolerate complicated surgery. We evaluated the impact of donor-to-recipient size matching on outcome after heart transplantation bridged with LVAD. Methods We reviewed UNOS registry data on patients who received heart transplant bridged with continuous flow LVAD (CF-LVAD). Patients were divided into three groups based on donor and recipient weight ratio; 1.2 (Oversized group). Pre-Transplant characteristics were compared among the groups. The primary outcome was post-transplant survival. Secondary outcomes included graft failure, dialysis requirement post-transplant and stroke. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and the log-rank test was used to predict and compare survival among 3 groups. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to identify independent predictors of mortality. Results From 2009 to 2015, 4020 patients were bridged to heart transplant with CF-LVAD. Undersized group included 586 patients (14.6%), Matched group included 2699 patients (67.1%) and Oversized group included 735 patients (18.3%). Incidence of post-transplant dialysis was higher in Undersized group (16%) than Matched (11.8%) or Oversized group (10%, p=0.003). Incidence of graft failure was significantly greater in Undersized group (18%) than Matched (13.4%) or Oversized group (15%, p=0.019). On univariate analysis survival of Undersized group was lower than other two groups (p=0.022). Pre-transplant serum creatinine (p=0.001), height (0.002) and weight (p=0.007) were independent predictors of mortality but use of undersized heart was not. Conclusion Survival of heart transplant recipients of undersized donor is lower than that of size matched or oversized donor. Pre-transplant serum creatinine, height and weight were predictors of mortality but use of undersized heart itself was not.
Revealing Cluster Hierarchy in Gate-level ICs Using Block Diagrams and Cluster Estimates of Circuit Embeddings

Contemporary integrated circuits (ICs) are increasingly being constructed using intellectual property blocks (IPs) obtained from third parties in a globalized supply chain. The increased vulnerability to adversarial changes during this untrusted supply chain raises concerns about the integrity of the end product. The difference in the levels of abstraction between the initial specification and the final available circuit design poses a challenge for analyzing the final circuit for malicious insertions.Reverse engineering presents one way to help reduce the difficulty of circuit analysis and inspection. In this work, we provide a framework that given (i) a gate-level netlist of a design and (ii) a block diagram for the design with relative sizes of the blocks, outputs a matching between the partitions of the circuit and blocks in the block diagram. We first compute a geometric embedding for each node in the circuit and then apply a clustering algorithm on the embedding features to obtain circuit partitions. Each partition is then mapped to the high-level blocks in the block diagram. These partitions can then be further analyzed for malicious insertions with much reduced complexity in comparison with the full chip. We tested our algorithm on different designs with varying sizes to evaluate the efficacy of algorithm, including the open-source processor OpenSparc T1, and showed that we can successfully match over 90% of gates to their corresponding blocks.