cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variability-Aware Multilevel Integrated Spiral Inductor Synthesis

To successfully design spiral inductors in increasingly complex and integrated mixed-signal systems, effective design automation techniques must be created. In this paper, the authors develop an automated synthesis methodology for integrated spiral inductors to efficiently generate Pareto-optimal designs based on application requirements. At its core, the synthesis approach employs a scalable multilevel single-objective optimization engine that integrates the flexibility of deterministic pattern search optimization with the rapid convergence of local nonlinear convex optimization. Multiobjective optimization techniques and surrogate functions are utilized to approximate Pareto surfaces in the design space to locate Pareto-optimal spiral inductor designs. Using the synthesis methodology, the authors also demonstrate how to reduce the impact of process variation and other sources of modeling error on spiral inductors. The results indicate that the multilevel single-objective optimization engine locates near-optimal spiral inductor geometries with significantly fewer function evaluations than current techniques, whereas the overall synthesis methodology efficiently optimizes inductor designs with an improvement of up to 51% in key design constraints while reducing the impact of process variation and modeling error
Manipulation practice for upper-limb amputees using virtual reality

We developed a novel interface that gives upper-limb amputees a virtual hand that can manipulate objects in a challenging environment. The interface registers specific myokinetic activity of the residual limbs, and encodes the intended voluntary movements that are then actualized as virtual hand motions. The composite myokinetic interface-virtual reality (MKI-VR) system consists of an array of pressure sensors mounted in an arm sleeve, sensors of elbow- and shoulder-joint angles, a trained filter derived from the pseudoinverse of a response matrix, and a virtual hand model, programmed in Java 3D. Users can manipulate virtual objects such as balls and pegs in a 3D training environment, while their performance at various difficulty levels is scored. In preliminary tests, upper-limb amputees readily gained the ability to grasp and release virtual objects. We propose the utility of the MKI-VR system both as an assessment tool for rehabilitation engineers, and as a motivator for amputees to exercise and thereby maintain their residual motor ability.
Hypotheses Regarding the Role of Pericytes in Regulating Movement of Fluid, Nutrients, and Hormones Across the Microcirculatory Endothelial Barrier

A decade ago, we initiated studies to define relationship(s) between products of 5-lipoxygenase-mediated arachidonic acid metabolism and altered microvascular permeability. Patients with permeability (nonhydrostatic) pulmonary edema (adult respiratory distress syndrome) and intact animal models of permeability edema, produced with agents that required neutrophils (phorbol myristate acetate) and those that did not (ethchlorvynol), invariably revealed the presence of leukotrienes; in contrast, leukotrienes were not detected in cases of hydrostatic pulmonary edema. In isolated perfused canine lung, we identified increases in microvascular permeability coefficients in response to the injurious agent. Permeability coefficients were not increased when injurious agents were given in the presence of 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors. To define further the relationships between leukotriene generation and edema formation, we postulated that leukotrienes effected contraction of capillary pericytes, thereby increasing pore size of endothelial intercellular junctions and enhancing movement across the microvascular barrier. We isolated pericytes from bovine retinas, identified them morphologically and by staining characteristics, and, in preliminary experiments, found that they do not possess the 5-lipoxygenase enzyme; however, when cocultured with neutrophils, which possess 5-lipoxygenase but cannot synthesize sulfidopeptide leukotrienes because of their lack of glutathione S-transferase, sulfidopeptide leukotriene synthesis ensued. In view of the anatomic position of pericytes, evidence that they participate in endothelial transport, their ability to contract, and evidence of cell-to-cell communication, we propose that pericytes control the movement of fluid, solutes, hormones, and small and large molecules across the microvascular endothelium.
New ride on an old wave

A technique that applies inversion theory to tsunamis has led to a new branch of seismology and a tool for studying earthquakes that have left records on tide gauges but not on seismographs. For many years seismic waves have been used to piece together the complex tectonic motions of faults that create earthquakes. Now a Japanese seismologist has shown that the same methodology can be applied to tsunamis (Japanese for harbor wave), the powerful, sometimes catastrophic ocean waves that can result from submarine earthquakes. The method is potentially important because it is independent of seismic analysis and can be used to look at past earthquakes for which no seismic data are available.
Household responses to adverse income shocks: Pensioner out-migration and mortality in South Africa

How do poor households respond to the cessation of cash transfers in developing countries? South Africa"s generous social pension system results in most of the poor elderly being the primary "breadwinner" in the household. I estimate the magnitude of the changes in household composition and labour force activity amongst the resident members of the household, that correlate with a pensioner leaving the household. I use nationally representative matched panel data from several waves of the South African Labour Force Surveys. Compositional changes include the out-migration of school-aged children, and in-migration of middle aged females and older adults of either gender. More than 1 in 4 losing households get an additional older adult. For people who maintain their residency status across waves, I nd large and statistically signi cant increases in employment rates for middle aged females and males (9.3 and 8.1 percentage points in each case), as well as for older adult females and males (10.3 percentage points in each case). For middle aged adults, this is not accompanied by a corresponding increase in labour supply.
Toxicities of azinphosmethyl and selected orchard pesticides to an aphid predator, Aphidoletes aphidimyza.

Toxicities of azinphosmethyl and 27 other pesticides to Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rondani), a predator of apple aphids, were evaluated by using contact and residue methods. Among life stages, there was a six fold difference in susceptibility to azinphosmethyl; 1st instars were most susceptible, and eggs were least susceptible. Egg mortality was greatest in embryos exposed just before eclosion. Mortalities to azinphosmethyl in eggs from 14 field sites revealed significantly higher LC50 values in populations from commercial vs. unsprayed orchards. The largest resistance level found was 12.2-fold between a laboratory-reared vs. a field-collected strain. In eggs and 3rd instars, mortalities to pesticides revealed three elasses of compounds, i.e, those causing: high mortality (>50%) in both stages (diazinon, methomyl, carbaryl, demeton, dimethoate, azinphosmethyl); high mortality in one stage (oxythioquinox, phosmet, permethrin, fenvalerate, oxamyl); and low mortality (<30%) in both stages (phosalone, phosphamidon, carbophenthion, pirimicarb, plus several fungicides and miticides).
The production of decarborane-14 from diborane by laser induced chemistry

n-Hexylcarborane (NHC) is the proposed burning rate modifier for improved propellants to be used in the next generation of missiles. The synthesis of this material requires decaborane-14, a material that is not commercially available in large quantities now. Therefore, the cost-effectiveness of synthesized NHC, as it relates directly to the missile cost, depends upon a low-cost synthesis of decaborane-14. Laser induced chemistry, a revolutionary new kind of chemistry, offers a much more efficient and less expensive way to synthesize compounds than conventional thermochemistry provides. Using this technique, we have synthesized decaborane-14 from diborane in high yields and high purity using both CO2 and DF laser frequencies. The products are decaborane-14 formed as white crystals and pentaborane-9 in the gaseous state; thus, isolation of the decaborane-14 is a simple chemical engineering procedure.
PREBASIC MOLT AND MOLT-RELATED MOVEMENTS IN ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS

Abstract We describe the timing and location of the prebasic molt in the Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens), a hawking insectivore with resident populations in Mexico and migrant populations that breed in the western United States. The timing of fall molt with respect to migration is of particular interest for Ash-throated Flycatchers from the United States because they breed in arid lowland habitats that are probably unproductive in late summer, and because time constraints on molt might force northern populations to leave their breeding grounds before molting. Adults and juveniles depart their breeding grounds to arrive and molt in the region of the Mexican monsoon shortly after the monsoon rains begin. Diminishing food on the breeding grounds and increasing food in the monsoon region seem more important than time constraints for explaining molt-related movements by northern populations, because more southerly breeding birds east and west of the monsoon region also move to the monsoon regio...
Fetal ethanol exposure increases ethanol intake by making it smell and taste better

Human epidemiologic studies reveal that fetal ethanol exposure is highly predictive of adolescent ethanol avidity and abuse. Little is known about how fetal exposure produces these effects. It is hypothesized that fetal ethanol exposure results in stimulus-induced chemosensory plasticity. Here, we asked whether gestational ethanol exposure increases postnatal ethanol avidity in rats by altering its taste and odor. Experimental rats were exposed to ethanol in utero via the dam's diet, whereas control rats were either pair-fed an iso-caloric diet or given food ad libitum. We found that fetal ethanol exposure increased the taste-mediated acceptability of both ethanol and quinine hydrochloride (bitter), but not sucrose (sweet). Importantly, a significant proportion of the increased ethanol acceptability could be attributed directly to the attenuated aversion to ethanol's quinine-like taste quality. Fetal ethanol exposure also enhanced ethanol intake and the behavioral response to ethanol odor. Notably, the elevated intake of ethanol was also causally linked to the enhanced odor response. Our results demonstrate that fetal exposure specifically increases ethanol avidity by, in part, making it taste and smell better. More generally, they establish an epigenetic chemosensory mechanism by which maternal patterns of drug use can be transferred to offspring. Given that many licit (e.g., tobacco products) and illicit (e.g., marijuana) drugs have noteworthy chemosensory components, our findings have broad implications for the relationship between maternal patterns of drug use, child development, and postnatal vulnerability.
Extraposition via Complex Domain Formation

We propose a novel approach to extraposition in German within an alternative conception of syntax in which syntactic structure and linear order are mediated not via encodings of hierarchical relations but instead via order domains. At the heart of our proposal is a new kind of domain formation which affords analyses of extraposition constructions that are linguistically more adequate than those previously suggested in the literature.
A comparison of Eocene climate model results to quantified paleoclimatic interpretations

Abstract The integration of climate model results and geologic information offers considerable potential for deriving greater insight into the geologic record. In this study, climate model results and quantified climatic interpretations derived from proxy data are compared, to assess model capabilities and to examine proxy data interpretations. Atmospheric general circulation model experiments were used to produce a range of “possible” representative Eocene climate states, based on current knowledge of the Eocene record. The climate model experiments incorporate two idealized endmembers of Eocene ocean-surface temperature distributions characterized by very different latitudinal gradients. Model results are compared to quantified interpretations of the climate of early Eocene North America in an attempt to identify one of the sea-surface temperature distributions as more likely to have existed during the Eocene. The comparisons do not produce a conclusive match between inferred paleoclimatic information and any single case of model results, but some interesting insights become apparent. Model predictions of mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation compare favorably to interpretations from geologic evidence, but there are large differences between model results and interpreted paleoclimatic parameters of minimum surface temperature and mean annual temperature range. Several possible causes for these differences are discussed.
Accurate computation of shear viscosity from equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations

The accuracy of the Green – Kubo formulation for computing shear viscosity from equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations depends on the quality of the potential and on how the viscosity computation is carried out. We examine the role of the duration of the simulation, the number of particles used, and how the correlations are accumulated on the accuracy of the computed viscosity. We propose as a measure of the accuracy the standard deviation of five independently computed shear viscosity values based on independent components of the stress tensor. Using this measure, we examine the shear viscosity calculation for molten NaCl to determine the values of the run length, window width, and spacing between windows and obtain a good compromise between calculation time and viscosity quality. Significantly we note that even though viscosity can be calculated using relatively few particles, reducing state point uncertainty requires more, rather than less, particles.
Facilitating family group inquiry at science museum exhibits

We describe a study of programs to deepen families' scientific inquiry practices in a science museum setting. The programs incorporated research-based learning principles from formal and informal educational environments. In a randomized experimental design, two versions of the programs, called inquiry games, were compared to two control conditions. Inquiry behaviors were videotaped and compared at pretest and posttest exhibits. Family members were also interviewed about their perceptions and use of the inquiry games. Results indicated that visitors who learned the inquiry games improved their inquiry more than those who did not. Effect sizes ranged from 0.3σ to 0.7σ, depending on the assessment measure. Visitors who learned the collaborative inquiry game showed even more improvement than those who learned the individualized game, spending more time investigating the posttest exhibit, making more frequent and more abstract interpretations of their experiments, building more collaborative explanations, and engaging in more coherent inquiry investigations than controls. Qualitative analysis suggested that the collaborative inquiry game was superior because it required all family members to participate, work together, and explicitly articulate their interpretations. Visitors in all conditions enjoyed their experience, varied in what they liked and disliked, and reported applying what they had learned at new exhibits. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed94:710–742, 2010
Azimuth Measuring System for a Meteor-Trails Radar

A system for measuring azimuth angle of a target (meteor trail at height of 80 to 110 km) is described. The system is part of a larger system that uses pulsed radar to determine doppler shift, slant range, elevation angle and antenna boresight information for each meteor trail recorded. The angle measuring system uses the technique of radar interferometry (thus depending on phase measurements), which has the advantages that the uncorrelated receiver noise is averaged out, increased angular resolution is obtainable, and calibration of the system is much easier than with systems which depend on amplitude measurements. Data are presented which verify the system operation.
Multiple Personality Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder Distinct Entities or Variations On a Common Theme

We report data from a comparison of 14 subjects with multiple personality disorder (MPD) and 13 subjects with borderline personality disorder (BPD). There were few significant differences between the groups. The authors discuss the concept of MPD as an epiphenomenon of BPD, and argue their fundamental similarity.
A Quasi-Analytical Method for Fluid Flow in a Multi-Inlet Collection Manifold

This paper sets forth a fully validated quasianalytical method for determining the fluid flow in a multi-inlet collection manifold. The method is based on first principles, which are the conservation laws for mass and momentum. Although it is necessary to use numerical means to extract results from the model, the solution task is accomplished by the use of a spreadsheet, without the need for complex software or large computer assets. The validation of the method was achieved by comparing the key results with those from a numerically exact simulation. The comparison included both local results and global results. For the local results, the accuracy of the model was found to be in the 1% range, while the global results from the model were accurate to about 4%. The investigated manifold was a case study drawn from a problem involving thermal management of electronic equipment, in which an array of coldplates discharged spent air into the manifold. It was found, from both the quasianalytical method and the numerical simulation, that there is a variation in the per-coldplate flowrate due to axial pressure variations in the manifold. These pressure variations can be attributed to the streamwise acceleration of the manifold flow due to the accumulation of the flow entering the manifold from the coldplate array. The utility of the quasianalytical method was further demonstrated by applying it to a number of other cases. In particular, the method was used to design a manifold capable of producing a uniform mass flowrate through all of its ports. DOI: 10.1115/1.2717620
Photonic crystal device sensitivity analysis and optimization with Wannier basis gradients

We present a powerful photonic crystal device sensitivity analysis and optimization method utilizing efficient matrix techniques. We optimize the performance of a compact (8.2/spl times/13.3 /spl mu/m) waveguide mode demux with the method. FDTD simulations validated the design.
Achilles is not alone!!! Ciprofloxacin induced tendinopathy of gluteal tendons.

Learning Points for Clinicians Physicians should have high degree of suspicion of Fluoroquinolones-induced tendinopathy in any patient who develops muscular or joint pain after receiving the fluoroquinolones Tendinopathy is a rare adverse effect of fluoroquinolones use and occurs only in ∼0.4% of patients taking these medications. Fluoroquinolones-induced tendinopathy (FIT) most commonly involves Achilles tendons but involvement of other tendons has also been rarely described in literature. Here, we describe a rare case of Ciprofloxacin induced tendinopathy involving gluteal tendons. A 72-year-old male with past medical history of Diabetes mellitus type 2 and end stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis presented to emergency department with complaints of lower back pain of 2 weeks duration which was radiating to both his legs. Pain was insidious in onset, gradually progressive …
Isothermal Aging Effects on the Thermal reliability Performance of Lead-Free Solder Joints

Electronics assemblies containing solder joints are often exposed to elevated temperatures for prolonged periods of time. The time-at-temperature stress impacts the overall package reliability of the assembled circuitry due to evolving materials, microstructural, and mechanical properties. It is especially important to understand the impact of isothermal aging on the long term behavior of lead (Pb)-free solder joints which operate in harsh environments. In this study, we have explored the effects of elevated temperature isothermal aging on the reliability of Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) assemblies on board level packages. As the isothermal aging temperature increases, the Weybull characteristic lifetime for SAC 105 and 305 solder joints is drastically reduced compared to Sn-37Pb.In parallel mechanical studies on bulk solder specimens, the creep rate for SAC105, 305 rapidly increases with aging. A full test matrix with varying aging temperatures and solder alloys was considered. Package sizes ranged from 19mm, 0.8mm pit...
Urinary concentrating function in mice lacking EP3 receptors for prostaglandin E2.

The actions of prostaglandin (PG) E2 are mediated by four distinct classes of PGE2E-prostanoid (EP) receptors (EP1through EP4). However, the in vivo functions of the individual EP receptor subtypes have not been delineated. To study the functions of one of these subtypes, the EP3 receptor, we generated EP3-deficient (−/−) mice by gene targeting. EP3 −/− animals survived in expected numbers, reproduced, and had no obvious abnormalities in their major organ systems. Because the EP3 receptor is expressed at high levels in the renal medulla and cortical collecting duct, and because previous studies have suggested that the EP3 receptor might antagonize the effects of vasopressin in the distal nephron, we examined urinary concentrating functions in EP3−/− mice. Basal urine osmolality (UOsm) was similar in groups of EP3 −/− and wild-type (EP3 +/+) mice. However, after inhibition of endogenous PGE2 production by indomethacin, UOsm increased significantly in EP3 +/+ but not in EP3 −/− mice. Despite this insensitiv...
Composition, 1900–2000

By 1900, composition as a university subject was already a century old. Writing instruction and the writing of regular “themes” were part of the university curriculum in the United States throughout the nineteenth century, with goals and methods perhaps best represented in Blair’s Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres (1783), Newman’s A Practical System of Rhetoric (1827), Parker’s Aids to English Composition (1844), Boyd’s Elements of Rhetoric and Literary Criticism (1844), and Quackenbos’s Advanced Course of Rhetoric and English Composition (1855). Composition courses, usually required, are among the most distinguishing features of the North American version of university education. They represent a distinctively democratic ideal, that writing belongs to everyone, and a contract between the institution and the public — a bargain that, over time, made English departments large and central to the American university and to the American idea of an undergraduate education.
Capture of Male and Female Cabbage Loopers in Field Traps Baited with Synthetic Sex Pheromone

Large numbers of male and female cabbage looper months, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), were captured during the late spring of 1971 at Hastings, Fla., in field traps baited with the synthetic cabbage looper sex pheromone. cis -7-dodecen-1-ol acetate (Berger 1966). The capture of significant numbers of female moths in traps baited only with cis -7-dodecen-1-ol acetate was unusual and to our knowledge has not been reported previously. The circumstances and conditions associated with this phenomenon are described here.
Design, Testing and Modeling of the Direct Reactor Auxiliary Cooling System for AHTRs

The principal objective of this research is to test and model the heat transfer performance and reliability of the Direct Reactor Auxiliary Cooling System (DRACS) for AHTRs. In addition, component testing of fluidic diodes is to be performed to examine the performance and viability of several existing fluidic diode designs. An extensive database related to the thermal performance of the heat exchangers involved will be obtained, which will be used to benchmark a computer code for the DRACS design and to evaluate and improve, if needed, existing heat transfer models of interest. The database will also be valuable for assessing the viability of the DRACS concept and benchmarking any related computer codes in the future. The experience of making a liquid fluoride salt test facility available, with lessons learned, will greatly benefit the development of the Fluoride Salt-cooled High-temperature Reactor (FHR) and eventually the AHTR programs.
A Vicious Circle? Altered Carbon and Nutrient Cycling May Explain the Low Resilience of Caribbean Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are economically important ecosystems that have suffered unprecedented losses of corals in the recent past. Why have Caribbean reefs in particular transitioned to coral-depleted systems and exhibited less coral resilience? A synthesis of recent research from diverse sources provides novel insights into the reciprocal interactions among sponges, seaweeds, and microbes. We propose that coral loss resulted in more abundant seaweeds that release dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which is consumed by sponges. Sponges return carbon to the reef but also release nutrients that further enhance seaweed growth. Both seaweeds and sponges compete for space with the remaining corals, and the cycling of carbon and nutrients alters microbial activity, with negative consequences for the coral microbiome. Adding to these interactions are geographic factors that enhance nutrients and DOC on Caribbean reefs, such as river discharge and windblown dust. Relatively higher abundances of sponges and the absence of phototrophic species suggest that sponge communities on Caribbean reefs have adapted to a different nutritional environment than is present elsewhere. This synthesis sheds new light on past hypotheses seeking to explain the disparity in the recovery of coral reefs across the tropics, provides new directions for research, and has implications for the conservation of Caribbean coral reefs that are related to fisheries and watershed management.
Vehicle Flow Detection Algorithm Based on Colour Histogram from Video

By analyzing the video data of the spot traffic flow,the goal of vehicle flow detection and traffic control are achieved.A method based on colour histogram from video and image processing is proposed,the velocity of the vehicles and the vehicle flow through the field of vision can be extracted from the video image.After getting color histogram of each frame in the video,the differential value of these histograms can be computed to count the vehicles quantity,and calculate the speed according to the frequency shift.This algorithm extends the existing histogram analytical method of monochrome video,increases the flexibility,satisfies real-time demand of the application system,guarantees the precision of detection data,and it has a desirable effect in the accuracy and the speed.
Abstract B05: Invadopodium formation is enriched in perivascular niches and leads to cancer cell intravasation

Invadopodia are actin-rich protrusions used for cancer cell movement across obstacles. In the past, they were mostly studied in cell cultures, where they form in contact with extracellular matrix. Our past work has suggested that elimination of key molecular components of invadopodia in cancer cells can lead to elimination of metastasis. In the current study, we use high resolution multiphoton microscopy to understand how the tumor microenvironment controls formation of invadopodia, followed by cancer cell locomotion, intravasation and metastasis. We demonstrate that the motile cancer cells in breast carcinoma in vivo can exhibit either invadopodium-related, slow locomotion or invadopodium-independent rapid locomotion along collagen fibers. These two phenotypes occur in spatially separate tumor regions, the location of which can be predicted from measurements of microenvironmental features. For example, cancer cells form invadopodia predominantly in perivascular niches, regions surrounding major blood vessels and characterized by cross-linked collagen fibers and dense macrophages. Invadopodia in vivo extend towards blood vessels and their density decreases with blood vessel distance. We observe that only cells with invadopodia are capable of intravasation, while fast locomotion results in cell dispersal throughout tumor. Further, either invadopodium-specific TkS5 knock-down or short-term inhibition of metalloproteases eliminate invadopodia and stop dissemination to lung. Interestingly, external modulation of collagen cross-linking also inhibits invadopodia, switching the cancer cell phenotype to fast locomotion. Our results suggest that the perivascular niche is the site of invadopodium formation and cancer cell intravasation. Moreover, invadopodia and hence metastasis, can be inhibited by external modulation of the microenvironment. In summary, the presence of invadopodia is a great candidate for a novel early-metastasis marker, while their elimination via microenvironment modulation has therapeutic potential. Citation Format: Aviv Bergman, John Condeelis, Bojana Gligorijevic. Invadopodium formation is enriched in perivascular niches and leads to cancer cell intravasation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research; 2015 Oct 23-26; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(3 Suppl):Abstract nr B05.
Detecting and Dismantling Composite Visualizations in the Scientific Literature

We are analyzing the visualizations in the scientific literature to enhance search services, detect plagiarism, and study bibliometrics. An immediate problem is the ubiquitous use of multi-part figures: single images with multiple embedded sub-visualizations. Such figures account for approximately 35 % of the figures in the scientific literature. Conventional image segmentation techniques and other existing approaches have been shown to be ineffective for parsing visualizations. We propose an algorithm to automatically recognize multi-chart visualizations and segment them into a set of single-chart visualizations, thereby enabling downstream analysis. Our approach first splits an image into fragments based on background color and layout patterns. An SVM-based binary classifier then distinguishes complete charts from auxiliary fragments such as labels, ticks, and legends, achieving an average 98.1 % accuracy. Next, we recursively merge fragments to reconstruct complete visualizations. Finally, a scoring function is used to choose between alternative merge trees. For the multi-chart figure detection, we utilize the output of the splitting algorithm as image features to train a classifier. It can avoid unnecessary time consuming by applying the complete algorithm to determine a multi-chart visualization. To evaluate our approach, we randomly collected 880 single-chart scientific figures and 1067 multi-chart scientific figures from the PubMed database. For the detection, we achieve 90.2 % accuracy via 10-fold cross-validation on the entire corpus. To evaluate the decomposition algorithm, we randomly extracted 261 multi-chart figures as a testing set. Our algorithm achieves 80 % recall and 85 % precision of perfect extractions for the common case of eight or fewer sub-figures per figure. Further, even imperfect extractions are shown to be sufficient for most chart classification and reasoning tasks associated with bibliometrics and academic search applications.
The effects of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids on prostate cancer: Unbiased proteomic and phosphoproteomic studies

Abstract A line of evidence has suggested that early inference and dietary prevention are beneficial in prostate cancer (PCa) patient care. Fish oil (FO), which contains mostly omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, is one of the most widely studied candidate supplements for PCa prevention; however, the molecular mechanism remains elusive. The goal of this study is to evaluate the regulatory role of FO on PCa through a global unbiased proteomic analysis and a global phosphoproteomic profiling. In the global protein expression study, we found only a few proteins with statistically significant changes, including sequestosome-1 (p62), MSMP, a newly identified proinflammation factor, and a few in the glycolysis pathway. In the global phosphoproteomic study, we confidently identified 828 phosphopeptides from 361 phosphoproteins with FDR
Response of rats to diets of equal chemical score: effect of lysine or threonine as the limiting amino acid and of an amino acid excess.

The effect of lysine or threonine deficiency with or without excesses of all other amino acids was evaluated in a 21-d feeding study with male rats. Four amino acid mixtures were designed to be first limiting for the rat in lysine or threonine and contained either 0 or 50% excess of nonlimiting amino acids. These mixtures were incorporated into purified diets to provide seven levels [20-140% of the National Research Council (NRC) requirement] of the limiting amino acid. Food intake, body weight gain and carcass composition were measured for each rat to determine the effects of the identity of the limiting amino acid and of amino acid excess on the response to dietary chemical score. Significant effects and/or interactions of the identity of the limiting amino acid (i.e., Lys or Thr) and the presence of excess amino acids were seen for each of the measured responses. At equivalent dietary percentages of the NRC requirement, threonine deficiency supported greater body weight gain than did lysine deficiency. At equivalent deficiencies (Lys vs. Thr) threonine-deficient rats were more susceptible to adverse effects of excess amino acids. When the limiting amino acids were incorporated into the diet through incremental addition of the deficient amino acid mixture, rats responded to levels of lysine or threonine in excess of the NRC requirement. These results suggest that the current NRC requirements for these amino acids are too low and that aspects of the dietary amino acid composition other than the percentage deficit of the limiting amino acid can be important determinants of animal response.
A new approach for evaluating the performance of a symbol timing recovery system employing a general type of nonlinearity

A new technique is presented for evaluating the jitter performance of a symbol timing recovery (STR) subsystem for binary synchronous data transmission systems. The STR system consists of any even-symmetric zero-memory nonlinear device followed by a narrowband filter tuned to the pulse repetition frequency. The exact analytical expressions are derived for the mean and the mean-squared values of the timing wave, based on the high-order moments of the input signal. The root-mean-square jitter performance is then computed as a function of various system parameters such as the power series expansion of the zero-memory nonlinear device, prefiltering, and postfiltering. The numerical results obtained from some specific examples serve to illustrate several aspects of the timing recovery problem. >
Silver complexes of ligands derived from adamantylamines: Water-soluble silver-donating compounds with antibacterial properties.

Abstract Two new silver(I) complexes, namely [Ag(qyAm)2](CF3SO3) (1) and [Ag(qyTAm)2](CF3SO3) (2), (qyAm = 2-(quinonyl)iminoadamantane, qyTAm = 2-(quinonyl)iminotriazaadamantane) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, 1H NMR, IR, electronic absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The coordination geometry of the silver center in both complexes is distorted tetrahedral where their respective qyAm and qyTAm ligand bind in a bidentate fashion using the imine and quinoline nitrogen atoms. Complex 2 is soluble in water and exhibits strong antimicrobial actions on both Gram-negative (E. coli, and P. aeruginosa) and Gram-positive (S. aureus) bacteria. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for complex 2 (4, 4, and 8 μg for E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus, respectively) are comparable to MIC values of silver nitrate and silver sulfadiazine.
Radioactive Iodine Therapy of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: Redesigning the Paradigm

Radioactive iodine therapy has evolved over the past 70 years from treatment of known metastatic thyroid carcinoma to include adjuvant use to decrease the incidence of recurrent disease and to ablation of normal remnant tissue following thyroidectomy, even for minimal tumor involvement. Advances in laboratory testing, development of drugs useful in radioiodine treatment, as well as advances in radiation detection and imaging instrumentation, have progressively improved the utility of radioiodine therapy of differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Guidelines have proliferated and they have become more detailed and complex. This trend is likely to continue as the science and technology involved increases in sophistication and efficacy.
Active metamaterial incorporating gain device/medium: A review

Metamaterials intrigue many exciting applications in the broad electromagnetic spectrum ranging from microwave to optics. However, many of the envisaged applications still remain in theory, largely because of the intrinsic loss and dispersion associated with passive metamaterials. Incorporating active devices or media into conventional passive metamaterial structures for loss compensation, as well as dispersion control, is very attractive and may finally enable many desired applications. In addition, because of the added design degree of freedom in active metamaterials, new and rich physical phenomena and insights can be discovered. In this paper, we review the recent progress in the realm of active, gain-assisted metamaterials. Physical limitations on loss and bandwidth of metamaterials are firstly discussed. Recent experimental efforts in transmission-line and volumetric metamaterials with net gain in the microwave and optical regime are then examined. The idea of utilizing non-Foster active devices to reduce the dispersion and achieve broad bandwidth is also presented. Finally, one of the important issues of active metamaterial design, stability, is briefly discussed.
Total number of oocytes and zygotes are predictive of live birth pregnancy in fresh donor oocyte in vitro fertilization cycles

Objective To evaluate the association of oocyte donor–recipient characteristics, oocyte donor response, and live birth pregnancy rate following fresh donor oocyte IVF-ET. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Academic reproductive medicine practice. Patient(s) Two hundred thirty-seven consecutive fresh donor oocyte IVF-ET cycles from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2013 at the Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Center. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Live birth rate per cycle initiated. Result(s) The mean (±SD) age of oocyte donors and recipients was 27.0 ± 3.7 and 41.4 ± 4.6 years, respectively. Oocyte donor demographic/reproductive characteristics, ovarian reserve testing, and peak serum E 2 during ovarian stimulation were similar among cycles which did and did not result in live birth, respectively. Overall implantation, clinical pregnancy, and live birth pregnancy rates per cycle initiated were 40.5%, 60.8%, and 54.9%, respectively. The greatest probability of live birth was observed in cycles with >10 oocytes retrieved, mature oocytes, oocytes with normal fertilization (zygote–two pronuclear stage), and cleaved embryos. Conclusion(s) The number of oocytes (total and mature), zygotes, and cleaved embryos are associated with live birth following donor oocyte IVF cycles. These findings suggest that specific peri-fertilization factors may be predictive of pregnancy outcomes following donor oocyte IVF cycles.
The beliefs and willingness of men who have sex with men to comply with a one-year blood donation deferral policy: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration ended the lifetime blood donation deferral for men who have sex with men (MSM) and replaced it with a 1-year deferral period. It is currently unknown how many MSM may meet the new deferral policy and how many are willing to comply with it. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS An anonymous survey was shared on MSM-focused social media sites between May and July 2016 and enrolled self-identified American MSM who were at least 18 years old. The survey assessed the willingness of MSM to donate blood, donation history, and knowledge regarding current blood donation needs and testing limitations. RESULTS A total of 764 men met criteria to be included in the final data set. Only 8.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.9%-10.9%) met the current 12-month deferral criteria, yet 90.6% (95% CI, 88.5%-92.7%) were interested in donating. Among men interested in donating blood, 57.9% (95% CI, 54.3%-61.4%) would consider donating blood without meeting the 12-month deferral criteria. Overall, 26.7% (95% CI, 23.6%-29.8%) admitted to donating blood at least once in the past despite not meeting deferral criteria. CONCLUSIONS Few MSM met the current deferral criteria, yet many were interested in donating, even without meeting deferral criteria. Possible motivations to donate without meeting deferral criteria may include a perceived shortage of donated blood and infallibility of current blood testing technology to detect human immunodeficiency virus. If the current 1-year deferral is maintained, it is essential that there is outreach to the MSM community to explain and educate why this policy exists.
Pericardial Effusion and Cardiac Tamponade

Pericardial tamponade occurs when the pressure in the pericardial space exceeds the pressure in the cardiac chambers, impairing cardiac filling. The lower-pressure atria are affected first, followed by the right and then left ventricles. In tamponade, ventricular interdependence is exaggerated. During spontaneous breathing, inspiration causes a disproportionate reduction in left ventricular (LV) filling and an increase in right ventricular (RV) filling, with the reverse occurring during expiration. This is associated with marked changes in stroke volume during the respiratory cycle, with an inspiratory reduction and expiratory augmentation of LV stroke volume (pulsus paradoxus).
Transitional Justice as Universal Narrative

In a society where transitional justice is subject to political constraints that thwart the documentation of crimes through ordinary legal trials, truth commissions can offer an alternative. Do they, or any other constituents of transitional justice, engender reconciliation and healing?
Effects of compiler optimizations in OpenMP to CUDA translation

One thrust of the OpenMP standard development focuses on support for accelerators. An important question is whether or not OpenMP extensions are needed, and how much performance difference they would make. The same question is relevant for related efforts in support of accelerators, such as OpenACC. The present paper pursues this question. We analyze the effects of individual optimization techniques in a previously developed system that translates OpenMP programs into GPU codes, called OpenMPC. We also propose a new tuning strategy, called Modified IE (MIE), which overcomes some inefficiencies of the original OpenMPC tuning scheme. Furthermore, MIE addresses the challenge of tuning in the presence of runtime variations, owing to the memory transfers between the CPU and GPU. MIE, on average, performs 11% better than the previous tuning system while restricting the tuning system time complexity to a polynomial function.
The Action Potential

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the concept of action potential. From a scientific viewpoint, the totality of man's conscious activity, thoughts, and emotions as well as the control of all bodily functions depends on the transmission along nerve and muscle fibers of small electrochemical impulses, conventionally termed action potentials, impulses, or spikes. The chapter discusses the action potentials. Action potentials result from short-lasting but relatively cataclysmic changes in cell membrane properties. The resulting local ionic currents initiate similar changes in adjacent membrane so that the disturbance spreads throughout the accessible membrane of the same cell, very much like the spread of burning in a length of fuse. Because of the tidy cylindrical geometry that most of the involved cells have developed, the quantitative explanation of the propagation process turns out to be remarkably straightforward but the local membrane changes are not so simple. The chapter describes the resting potentials, passive membrane properties, and the basic phenomenon of excitation.
Mucociliary Clearance in Former Tobacco Smokers with Both Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Chronic Bronchitis and the Effect of Roflumilast

Background: Little is known of the repeatability and reliability of mucociliary clearance (MCC) in former tobacco smokers who have both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic bronchitis (CB). Less is known of the effect of roflumilast, a selective inhibitor of PDE4, on MCC in these patients. Methods: Former tobacco smokers with COPD and CB were treated for 4 weeks with either roflumilast, or placebo, in a randomized, crossover trial. The following were measured on two baseline and two posttreatment visits: MCC values through 90 minutes, following inhalation of 99mtechnetium sulfur colloid and gamma camera imaging; outer:inner (O:I) deposition ratio; forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1); and symptom scores. Comparisons included: MCC measures through 30 minutes (MCC30), 60 minutes (MCC60), and 90 minutes (MCC90) on the two baseline visits (n = 9) and mean change [(roflumilast - baseline)-(placebo - baseline)] for MCC30, MCC60, MCC90, and FEV1 (n = 8). Associations between MCC measurements, FEV1 and O:I ratio with symptom scores were also examined. Results: Pearson correlation tests indicated good repeatability for baseline measures of MCC30, MCC60, and MCC90 and intraclass correlation coefficients indicated good reliability. Only FEV1 (percent predicted) improved significantly following roflumilast treatment. There were no statistically significant correlations between MCC measures and symptom scores. Lower FEV1 values were significantly associated with increased shortness of breath (dyspnea), and lower O:I ratios (more inner region deposition) were significantly associated with increased cough and sputum. Conclusions: Measurements of MCC30, MCC60, and MCC90 are repeatable and reliable in former tobacco smokers with both COPD and CB. One month of treatment with roflumilast did not improve MCC in this limited study. Airway narrowing in the larger, central airways of these subjects could lead to decreased FEV1, increased inner region deposition of the radiolabeled particles, and the associated increase in symptoms of dyspnea, cough, and sputum.
Fast Multilayer Laplacian Enhancement

A novel, fast, and practical way of enhancing images is introduced in this paper. Our approach builds on Laplacian operators of well-known edge-aware kernels, such as bilateral and nonlocal means, and extends these filter's capabilities to perform more effective and fast image smoothing, sharpening, and tone manipulation. We propose an approximation of the Laplacian, which does not require normalization of the kernel weights. Multiple Laplacians of the affinity weights endow our method with progressive detail decomposition of the input image from fine to coarse scale. These image components are blended by a structure mask, which avoids noise/artifact magnification or detail loss in the output image. Contributions of the proposed method to existing image editing tools are: 1) low computational and memory requirements, making it appropriate for mobile device implementations (e.g., as a finish step in a camera pipeline); and 2) a range of filtering applications from detail enhancement to denoising with only a few control parameters, enabling the user to apply a combination of various (and even opposite) filtering effects.