cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Bioinspired Active Micropump

A preliminary design concept is provided for a bioinspired active micropump. The proposed micropump uses light energy to activate the transporter proteins (bacteriorhodopsin protein and sucrose/sugar transporter proteins), which create an osmotic pressure gradient and drive the fluid flow. The purpose of the bacteriorhodopsin protein is to pump proton from the pumping section to the sucrose source for a proton gradient. This proton gradient is used by the sucrose transporter proteins to transport sugar molecules from the sucrose solution chamber to the pumping channel, which generates an osmotic pressure in the pumping section. A numerical model is used to evaluate the performance of the micropump where the concentrations of proton and sucrose molecules are calculated using the conservation of chemical species equations. The fluid flow and pressure field are calculated from momentum and mass conservation equations. Simulation results predict that the micropump is capable of generating a pressure head that is comparable to other non-mechanical pumps. The proposed bioinspired self-sustained micropump will be most effective at low flow rate.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Perhaps a wee bit of sugar would help

A new genetic disorder might be treatable through consumption of a simple sugar, but the relative contributions of endogenous and dietary sources are mostly unknown. It's time to change that.
Awakening The Sleeping Giant: Market Oriented Reforms in Brazil

The 1990s are seeing a business revolution taking place south of the Rio Grande border (Baker et al. 1992). Latin American countries are making strong efforts to recuperate the ground lost in the 1980s, the “lost decade.” The inward economic growth model pursued by these countries show clear signs of exhaustion in the 1980s, with Latin American economies lagging behind South East Asian tigers.
Temperature-dependent shape anisotropy in patterned ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As films with low Mn concentration

We discuss magnetic properties of lithographically patterned nanoscale stripes of dilute ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As aligned with [110] crystallographic direction, i.e., perpendicular to the easy axis of uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy of this material. We find that at temperatures where uniaxial anisotropy becomes dominant, shape-induced effects strongly compete with this intrinsic property, tending to align the total magnetization along the stripe direction. The present study revealed, however, that low-temperature annealing of the stripes markedly reduces such shape-induced effects. This effect of annealing is not presently understood, and will require further detailed study.
Utility of a standardized postcardiopulmonary bypass epicardial echocardiography protocol for stage I Norwood palliation.

Objective Stage 1 Norwood palliation is one of the highest risk procedures in congenital cardiac surgery. Patients with superior technical performance scores have more favorable outcomes. Intraoperative epicardial echocardiography may allow the surgeon to address residual lesions prior to leaving the operating room, resulting in improved technical performance. The ability of intraoperative epicardial echocardiography to visualize the relevant anatomy and its association with outcomes is not known. Design A standardized intraoperative epicardial echocardiography protocol was developed and performed at the conclusion of Stage 1 Norwood palliation. Data pertaining to visualization of relevant anatomy, and comparison of intraoperative echocardiogram findings with other postoperative investigations was performed. Clinical outcomes, including technical performance, were collected. A historical cohort who received either no echocardiogram or a nonstandardized examination was used as a comparison group. Results Thirty on-protocol and 30 preprotocol patients, 22 of whom had a nonstandardized intraoperative epicardial echocardiogram, were studied. Compared with preprotocol, visualization of the relevant anatomy was significantly increased for the Damus-Kaye-Stansel anastomosis (93% vs. 68% P = .03) and branch pulmonary arteries (70% vs. 36%, P = .02). One residual lesion requiring immediate operative reintervention was diagnosed in the preprotocol group. There were 5 patients in each cohort with residual lesions during the postoperative hospitalization that were not appreciated on the intraoperative echocardiogram. Technical performance, rates of reintervention and clinical outcomes were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusions Intraoperative epicardial echocardiography is technically feasible and increases visualization of the relevant anatomy. Larger investigations may be warranted to determine if there is clinical benefit to such an approach.
Understanding social interactions with socially assistive robotics in intergenerational family groups

We present a pilot study of a socially assistive robot interacting with intergenerational groups. The system is designed to improve the social well-being of older adults by supporting interactions within families. Six intergenerational family groups interacted with the robot in four tablet-based games. Users' behavior during the sessions was used to compare the games and understand how members of different generations and different families interact with the robot. Interviews with users provide insight into users' priorities for in-home deployment of socially assistive robots, as well as preferences about the activities, appearance, and behavior of the robot.
Evaluation of nonthermal effects of electricity on inactivation kinetics of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli during ohmic heating of infant formula

This study investigated the nonthermal effects of electricity on microbial inactivation kinetics of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli during ohmic heating (OH) of infant formula. For this, temperature profiles during OH and conventional heating (CV) processes were matched, and the kinetic parameters were compared at temperatures ranging from 57.5 to 65.0 °C. The inactivation kinetics were analyzed using an inactivation model, which allowed the definition of the thermal tolerance from kmax and D values. For S. aureus, significant differences (p < .05) between D and kmax values were observed when OH and CV treatment were compared in all temperatures. The results demonstrated a higher efficiency of OH over CV, indicating that microbial inactivation may have been caused by electroporation in addition to thermal effects. For E. coli, a significant difference (p < .05) between D values was observed only at 57.5 °C. Moreover, D values for both heating technologies were lower at 65 °C, which suggests a faster inactivation and, therefore, a lower degradation of nutritional compounds. Taking into consideration both microbial species, the best treatment for human milk pasteurization is OH at 65 °C. Practical applications The low-temperature long-time pasteurization (62.5 °C for 30 min) is the currently recommended method for heat treatment of human milk in human milk banks (HMB) because it is simple to be applied and guarantees microbiological safety. However, it can promote significant losses of nutritional and organoleptic quality due to the slow conduction of heat transfer. Therefore, alternative technologies for human milk pasteurization need to be explored. OH is a faster heating technology, appropriate for heat-sensitive products. Although already established in the food industry, the OH advantages have not been considered for human milk pasteurization. The objective is to provide an alternative technology to the HMB that ensure safety and lower-impact on nutritional compounds. This study contributes for the correct understanding of the nonthermal effects associated with passage of electricity through foodstuff on microorganism's inactivation. Moreover, it has significant economic consequences to industry, supporting modeling and optimization to produce safe products with higher nutritional and sensory characteristics.
We Appreciate You, Heidi Byrnes!

The author discusses Professor Heidi Byrnes and thanks her for her service as the former Editor-in-Chief of the publication.
Generation of tumorigenic porcine pancreatic ductal epithelial cells: toward a large animal model of pancreatic cancer

Background. A large animal model of pancreatic cancer would permit development of diagnostic and interventional technologies not possible in murine models, and also would provide a more biologically-relevant platform for penultimate testing of novel therapies, prior to human testing. Here, we describe our initial studies in the development of an autochthonous, genetically-defined, large animal model of pancreatic cancer, using immunocompetent pigs. Methods. Primary pancreatic epithelial cells were isolated from pancreatic duct of domestic pigs; epithelial origin was confirmed with immunohistochemistry. Three transformed cell lines subsequently were generated from these primary cells using expression of oncogenic KRAS and dominant negative p53, with/without knockdown of p16 and SMAD4. We tested these cell lines using in vitro and in vivo assays of transformation and tumorigenesis. Results. The transformed cell lines outperformed the primary cells in terms proliferation, population doubling time, soft agar growth, 2D migration, and Matrigel invasion, with the greatest differences observed when all four genes (KRAS, p53, p16, and SMAD4) were targeted. All three transformed cell lines grew tumors when injected subcutaneously in nude mice, demonstrating undifferentiated morphology, mild desmoplasia, and staining for both epithelial and mesenchymal markers. Injection into the pancreas of nude mice resulted in distant metastases, particularly when all four genes were targeted. Conclusions. Tumorigenic porcine pancreatic cell lines were generated. Inclusion of four genetic hits (KRAS, p53, p16, and SMAD4) appeared to produce the best results in our in vitro and in vivo assays. The next step will be to perform autologous or syngeneic implantation of these cell lines into the pancreas of immunocompetent pigs. We believe that the resultant large animal model of pancreatic cancer could supplement existing murine models, thus improving preclinical research on diagnostic, interventional, and therapeutic technologies.
Poliovirus RNA replication.

The biosynthesis of RNA directed by an RNA template is a reaction that is unique to RNA viruses. Although studies of polio virus RNA synthesis have been conducted in a somewhat intermittent fashion during the past 25 years in several different laboratories, no clear picture has yet emerged regarding the biochemistry of RNA replication for this or any other RNA virus. Upon entry into the cell, the positive strand, infecting RNA genome directs the synthesis of viral proteins which are required for replication of the RNA. The replication process involves first the synthesis of a negative strand RNA molecule; subsequent transcription of this negative strand produces new copies of the positive strand RNA. Historically, the experimental approach initially utilized to analyze the poliovirus RNA replication reaction was enzymological; efforts were made to isolate and purify an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity from virus-infected cells. Indeed, at that time, the only tools available for RNA replication studies were biochemical. The biochemistry, however, proved difficult. RNA replication was found to occur in intracellular structures that are tightly associated with or in membranes, and these proved intractable to purification and dissection. Disruption of the membrane structure in order to isolate template or enzyme components often appeared to alter their properties and/or structures. Thus, the initial approach yielded little information about the mechanism of RNA replication, and it has been only quite recently that alternative approaches have been applied.
EFFECTS OF LIMBIC SYSTEM STIMULATION ON NEUROSECRETORY NEURONS OF SUPRAOPTIC NUCLEUS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses that electrical stimulation of structures in the olfactory system affected the majority of neurosecretory cells in supraoptic nucleus (SON). The observations that some neurons are “driven” by stimulation of olfactory tubercle, prepyriform cortex, and some amygdaloid nuclei indicate that there are strong connections between these areas for impulse transmission. The long latency of these “evoked” responses suggests rather long polysynaptic pathways to SON. However, in the majority of SON neurons, the effect exerted by electrical stimulation of the olfactory system was inhibitory in nature and often its latency was shorter than that of the excitatory response. Even in those neurons receiving excitatory input, their spontaneous discharges were inhibited for several 100 msec following excitation of a short period. Morphological studies indicate that direct descending pathway from the olfactory bulb passes via the olfactory paleocortex—pyriform cortex and olfactory tubercle—and the medial forebrain bundle to the lateral preoptic hypothalamic area.
Evening and morning transition of katabatic flows

An experimental investigation of the evening and morning transition phases of katabatic slope flows has been conducted to identify the mechanisms for their development and destruction over an isolated slope. The momentum and energy equations of the flow have been used to describe these mechanisms for the particular topographic features of the studied slope, and to outline the differences from the dynamics of well-developed simple slope flows. In the lowest portion of the slope, frontal characteristics have been identified in early evening periods when the local pre-existing near-surface thermal structure does not impose a katabatic acceleration. The frontal shape is determined by the near-surface thermal stability and ambient wind. The flow initiation is distinctly different when it is linked to the local surface cooling, in which case it develops gradually and produces a slight local warming.
Medical-Risk-Management

Ein Fehlermanagement ist in Hochrisikobereichen wie z. B. Luftfahrt und Atomindustrie lange etabliert, bewahrt und nicht wegzudenken. Obwohl die Medizin ebenfalls einen Hochrisikobereich darstellt, gibt es in Deutschland noch kein flachendeckendes Risiko- bzw. Fehlermanagement. Die Ursachen hierfur sind vielfaltig. So gilt es, bei der Einfuhrung eines Fehlermanagements u. a. psychologische Hurden zu uberwinden und finanzielle Mittel einzusetzen, die sich nicht unmittelbar erkennbar, sondern erst auf lange Sicht auszahlen. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, anhand vorliegender Studien einen Uberblick uber den aktuellen Kenntnisstand uber Fehler in der Medizin sowie eine Einfuhrung in Ansatze zur systematischen Fehlerbeschreibung, -detektion und -pravention zu geben.
Wartime neurology: Serving the neediest in an austere environment.

The civil war in Syria has been recognized as possibly the greatest humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.1 According to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 511,000 people (2.33% of Syria's prewar population of 22 million) have been killed in the war from March 2011 to the present,2 and more than 1.9 million have been injured.3 The public health infrastructure has been decimated, partly because hospitals, health workers, and medical supplies have been targeted, which has rendered a large number of health care facilities nonfunctional.4 The magnitude of morbidity and mortality in this region has overwhelmed the local response system, which has made Syria dependent on foreign aid for medical care. Traditionally, responders to mass casualty events such as this one have included government/military physicians, trauma surgeons, intensivists, and emergency department physicians; however, over the past decade, there has been increasing awareness of the role of the neurologist in humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) missions,5,6 as well as the significant role that neurologists can play by volunteering in low- and middle-income countries.7 The role of neurologists in both natural and man-made disasters is one that the practicing neurologist should be aware of.
K–12 Blended Teaching Readiness: Model and Instrument Development

An increasing number of K–12 schools have adopted blended learning approaches. Current empirical research has been sparse regarding preparing teachers for blended teaching, including the skills the...
Efficacy of platinum-pemetrexed combination chemotherapy in ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer refractory to second-generation ALK TKIs.

9067Background: Second-generation (gen) ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are standard first- and second-line therapies in patients (pts) with advanced ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ...
Synthesis of gold allyloxysulfonium complexes and elimination to form an α,β-unsaturated aldehyde.

Treatment of the gold vinyl carbene/allylic cation complex (E)-[(IPr)AuC(H)C(H)C(4-C6H4OMe)2]+ OTf− with sulfoxides at −95 °C formed the corresponding gold allyloxysulfonium complexes [(IPr)AuC(H)(OSR2)C(H)C(4-C6H4OMe)2]+ OTf− [R = Me, –(CH2)4–, Ar] in ≥95 ± 5% NMR yield. Allyloxysulfonium gold complexes underwent elimination at or below room temperature to form 3,3-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)acrylaldehyde in ≥67% yield.
You May Not Need Order in Time Series Forecasting.

Time series forecasting with limited data is a challenging yet critical task. While transformers have achieved outstanding performances in time series forecasting, they often require many training samples due to the large number of trainable parameters. In this paper, we propose a training technique for transformers that prepares the training windows through random sampling. As input time steps need not be consecutive, the number of distinct samples increases from linearly to combinatorially many. By breaking the temporal order, this technique also helps transformers to capture dependencies among time steps in finer granularity. We achieve competitive results compared to the state-of-the-art on real-world datasets.
Electrical, Mechanical, and Thermal Co‐Design

As antenna element size and pitch are in the order of millimeters, i.e. comparable to wavelength at millimeter‐wave (mmWave) frequencies, antenna‐in‐package (AiP) solutions are more feasible for design and manufacturing than at other frequencies. This chapter first discusses the needs and challenges of performing electrical, mechanical, and thermal co‐design for AiP modules with a particular focus on mmWave front‐end module implementation in 28‐GHz high‐speed wireless data transmission applications. Furthermore, it reviews the thermal management considerations for next‐generation heterogeneous integrated systems that are also applicable to phased array front‐end modules. Different cooling methodologies are discussed for future communication devices under various power dissipation conditions. During the design iterations, simulation and measurement of key aspects such as antenna performance (bandwidth, gain, radiation patterns), cooling solutions, and warpage conditions need to be evaluated and optimized to ensure that performance meets the overall system specifications.
Feasibility of 3D motion-compensated needle guidance for TIPS procedures

X-ray fluoroscopy is commonly used to guide needles during transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedures. Respiratory motion and the 2D nature of the x-ray projections, however, make it difficult to accurately guide the needle from a hepatic vein, through the liver parenchyma, and into the portal vein, which is not visible on x-ray images in the absence of continuous contrast-enhancement. Due to these challenges, multiple needle passes are often required, which increase the risk for perforation of the liver capsule and hemorrhage. To overcome these challenges, we propose a motion-compensated 3D needle guidance system, which generates a respiratory motion model of the portal venous system using a 3D DSA and a contrast enhanced 2D x-ray sequence acquired under free breathing conditions. The respiratory motion is tracked during the needle pass based on brightness variations above and below the diaphragm in the 2D images, which allows for creation of a motion-compensated surface model of the target vasculature. Additionally, a 3D needle reconstruction algorithm from two 2D x-ray images is presented, which allows for motion-compensated 3D device imaging. A preliminary pig study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed techniques. The biplane needle reconstruction was compared to conventional cone beam CT acquisitions, where a root mean squared distance of 0.98 mm and a tip localization error of 1.22 mm were measured. The maximum error of the estimated vascular motion per frame in the two pig studies was 0.63 mm and 1.63 mm respectively. If successfully translated to clinical TIPS procedures, the proposed needle guidance could result in fewer unnecessary needle passes and therefore shorter procedure times and lower risk to the patient.
Novel Murine Models of Cerebral Cavernous Malformations

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are ectatic capillary-venous malformations that develop in approximately 0.5% of the population. Patients with CCMs may develop headaches, focal neurologic deficits, seizures, and hemorrhages. While symptomatic CCMs, depending upon the anatomic location, can be surgically removed, there is currently no pharmaceutical therapy to treat CCMs. Several mouse models have been developed to better understand CCM pathogenesis and test therapeutics. The most common mouse models induce a large CCM burden that is anatomically restricted to the cerebellum and contributes to lethality in the early days of life. These inducible models thus have a relatively short period for drug administration. We developed an inducible CCM3 mouse model that develops CCMs after weaning and provides a longer period for potential therapeutic intervention. Using this new model, three recently proposed CCM therapies, fasudil, tempol, vitamin D3, and a combination of the three drugs, failed to substantially reduce CCM formation when treatment was administered for 5 weeks, from postnatal day 21 (P21) to P56. We next restricted Ccm3 deletion to the brain vasculature and provided greater time (121 days) for CCMs to develop chronic hemorrhage, recapitulating the human lesions. We also developed the first model of acute CCM hemorrhage by injecting mice harboring CCMs with lipopolysaccharide. These efficient models will enable future drug studies to more precisely target clinically relevant features of CCM disease: CCM formation, chronic hemorrhage, and acute hemorrhage.
Side-viewing rotational IVUS imaging of slow flow with adaptive SVD filtering

Coronary artery disease is a leading cause of mortality, however, it is challenging to determine the functional significance of a given plaque, i.e. the likelihood of plaque rupture and major adverse cardiac events. One indicator of plaque vulnerability is intra-plaque neovascularization. If neovascularization within the plaque could be visualized with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) imaging, it might be possible to stratify risk of rupture and determine appropriate treatment for patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) while the patient is undergoing diagnostic catheterization. While side-viewing IVUS is commonly used in the cardiac catheterization lab, current methods for imaging blood flow are limited to large vessels and are not sensitive slow flow in smaller vessels (< 1 mm). We propose a power Doppler approach for imaging blood flow in smaller vessels using side-viewing, mechanically-steered IVUS and singular value decomposition (SVD) filtering. This imaging approach was tested using a laboratory setup in which porcine blood was introduced at a rate of 5.6 mm/s within a 200 µm-diameter microtube positioned adjacent to the inner wall of an ex vivo porcine artery while acquiring pulse-echo data. SVD filtering allowed sufficient tissue suppression to visualize flow in the microtube, resulting in a Doppler CNR of 13.1 ± 1 dB. In the future, such an approach may allow identification of microvasculature within plaques during IVUS exams in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization.
Predicting charge transport in the presence of polarons: The beyond-quasiparticle regime in SrTiO 3

In materials with strong electron-phonon (e−ph) interactions, the electrons carry a phonon cloud during their motion, forming quasiparticles known as polarons. Predicting charge transport and its temperature dependence in the polaron regime remains an open challenge. Here, we present first-principles calculations of charge transport in a prototypical material with large polarons, SrTiO₃. Using a cumulant diagram-resummation technique that can capture the strong e−ph interactions, our calculations can accurately predict the experimental electron mobility in SrTiO₃ between 150–300 K. They further reveal that for increasing temperature the charge transport mechanism transitions from bandlike conduction, in which the scattering of renormalized quasiparticles is dominant, to a beyond-quasiparticle transport regime governed by incoherent contributions due to the interactions between the electrons and their phonon cloud. Our work reveals long-sought microscopic details of charge transport in SrTiO₃, and provides a broadly applicable method for predicting charge transport in materials with strong e−ph interactions and polarons.
X u Fuguan: Realizing the Human Spirit

Xu Fuguan is less known than his contemporaries and friends Mou Zongsan and Tang Junyi. He never developed a philosophical system on the order of theirs, feeling that the core of Confucianism is found in practice and not developing philosophical theory. Instead he wrote widely on Chinese intellectual history, literature, and aesthetics. Nevertheless, in many of his writings he defends a distinct perspective on Confucian thought and argues for its continued relevance in a modernizing world. This chapter focuses on three major areas of concern in Xu’s writings: his claim that humanistic study generally and Confucianism in particular must be related to practical concerns, his analysis of Confucian theories of human nature, and his claim that democracy can best realize the spirit of Confucian humanism. Sharing the common New Confucian views that human nature is good and that democracy is form of government most suited to Confucian societies, Xu had his own understanding and defense of these claims less reliant on elaborate metaphysical views. Instead he focused on practice and moral cultivation. In this regard, Xu departed from his mentor Xiong Shili as well as Mou and Tang. As he himself believed, this less metaphysical view is arguably closer to the classical thought of Kongzi and Mengzi. Though receiving less attention in Anglophone scholarship, Xu’s thought is more creative than commonly supposed.
Structural Basis of the Modulation of the Voltage-Gated Calcium Ion Channel Ca v 1.1 by Dihydropyridine Compounds*

1,4-Dihydropyridines (DHP), the most commonly used antihypertensives, function by inhibiting the L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ (Cav ) channels. DHP compounds exhibit chirality-specific antagonistic or agonistic effects. The structure of rabbit Cav 1.1 bound to an achiral drug nifedipine reveals the general binding mode for DHP drugs, but the molecular basis for chiral specificity remained elusive. Herein, we report five cryo-EM structures of nanodisc-embedded Cav 1.1 in the presence of the bestselling drug amlodipine, a DHP antagonist (R)-(+)-Bay K8644, and a titration of its agonistic enantiomer (S)-(-)-Bay K8644 at resolutions of 2.9-3.4 A. The amlodipine-bound structure reveals the molecular basis for the high efficacy of the drug. All structures with the addition of the Bay K8644 enantiomers exhibit similar inactivated conformations, suggesting that (S)-(-)-Bay K8644, when acting as an agonist, is insufficient to lock the activated state of the channel for a prolonged duration.
Correlates of suicidal thoughts and attempts in males engaging in muscle dysmorphia or eating disorder symptoms.

Objective Despite the high rates of suicidality in body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders (EDs), research on suicidality in a related disorder, muscle dysmorphia (MD), is essentially nonexistent. Thus, this study tested relations between suicidal thoughts and behaviors and MD and ED symptoms in an online male community sample. Method A total of 464 males (Mage = 40.3; 85% Caucasian) recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk completed measures that evaluated ED symptoms, MD symptoms, current suicidal ideation, and past suicide attempts. Results Most MD and ED symptoms were correlated with current suicidal ideation and previous suicide attempts. In multivariate regression models, vomiting and appearance intolerance remained significantly related to suicidal ideation, while hard exercise and lower functional impairment were significantly related to prior suicide attempts. Conclusion Results indicate that appearance dissatisfaction, a core MD criterion, and hard exercise, a common behavioral symptom of MD, are associated with suicidality.
Causal Gene Selection Using Marginal Independencies

Most causal learning algorithms, especially the ones using conditional independence tests, suffer in the low sample regime. In this paper, we examine the possibility of causal discovery using only the pairwise dependency structure of a domain and investigate if this approach can lead to more robust and reliable solutions to causal discovery when the sample size is limited. We show that marginal independence relations can be used to construct a novel causal discovery tool capable of distinguishing between direct and indirect causal effects and detecting a lower bound on direct causal effects. In our simulations we found that causal discovery using marginal independency information can be significantly more accurate than causal knowledge obtained through conditional independence tests when the sample size is limited: our experiments suggests avoiding conditional independence tests can reduce error rate by up to 30 percent. Finally, using this marginal independency based causal discovery tool, we propose four candidate genes that possibly contain the causal mutation in Major Depressive Disorder utilizing a database of only 59 samples.
Potentially Polluting Marine Sites GEODB: An S-100 Geospatial Database as an Effective Contribution to the Protection of the Marine Environment

Potentially Polluting Marine Sites (PPMS) are objects on, or areas of, the seabed that may release pollution in the future. A rationale for, and design of, a geospatial database to inventory and manipu-late PPMS is presented. Built as an S-100 Product Specification, it is specified through human-readable UML diagrams and implemented through machine-readable GML files, and includes auxiliary information such as pollution-control resources and potentially vulnerable sites in order to support analyses of the core data. The design and some aspects of implementation are presented, along with metadata requirements and structure, and a perspective on potential uses of the database.
Strategies for scheduling experiments at a Neutron Scattering Facility

Abstract Strategies for scheduling user experiments taking into consideration reliability issues at a neutron scattering facility were investigated. The facility produces beams of neutrons for experiments in materials science. Ideally, neutron beams produced continuously as scheduled; however, unforeseen outages occur. From data accumulated over a three-year period, a sequence of facility time-on and time-off for a twenty-year period was generated. This sequence was used to test several scheduling strategies for a range of short and long experiments. The tests identified a simple strategy that noticeably increases the chance that a user is able to complete an experiment. The tests were repeated ten times (equivalent to a 200 year period of operation) in order to show the of the study.
Translational Research in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic cancer is ranked as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States despite intensive basic and clinical research over the last decade. In this paper we summarize the Abstracts #176, #234, and #206 presented at the 2014 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium focussing on BRCA 1 and 2 mutations, PABL gene mutations and expression of microRNAs to matrix metalloproteinase. There is an intense need for new findings in the translational research field with prognostic, predictive and therapeutic value. Image: Survival vs. intensity of microRNA-21 staining plus severity of cancer (Figure 1)
Exact-IEBP: A New Technique for Estimating Evolutionary Distances between Whole Genomes

Evolution operates on whole genomes by operations that change the order and strandedness of genes within the genomes. This type of data presents new opportunities for discoveries about deep evolutionary rearrangement events, provided that sufficiently accurate methods can be developed to reconstruct evolutionary trees in these models [3,11,13,18]. A necessary component of any such method is the ability to accurately estimate the true evolutionary distance between two genomes,which is the number of rearrangement events that took place in the evolutionary history between them. We improve the technique (IEBP) in with a new method, Exact-IEBP, for estimating the true evolutionary distance between two signed genomes. Our simulation study shows Exact-IEBP is a better estimation of true evolutionary distances. Furthermore, Exact-IEBP produces more accurate trees than IEBP when used with the popular distance-based method, neighbor joining [16].
Future of Social Sciences and Humanities in Corporate Universities: Curricula, Exclusions, Inclusions, and Voice

During three preceding sessions of the Institute for European Studies (IES) Topical Seminar, three themes were discussed: (1) The university as a corporation, focusing on faculty involvement and partnership with the corporation and the corporate world beyond the university, (2) the students as inheritors of culture and the university as the means of perpetuating cultural norms, and (3) the economic base of higher education. In my focus on the curriculum, I am basically looking at the philosophical, ethical, and pedagogical dynamics of all the above elements when mapping and disseminating knowledge. I am also looking at how knowledge itself, a main asset of the university, is manipulated between research, teaching, and learning by the old and new guard of academia. Though the three essays (Barazangi, 1993; hooks, 1994, Middleton, 1993) being analyzed under the curriculum theme were written for different cases and from different worldviews, they share the same historical context. A time when the New Right movements were back lashing at the different cultural groups, including women, as these groups voiced their concerns about curricular inclusions and exclusions, these reactions were manifested in the multicultural vs. mainstream curricula, in the affirmative action admission and testing practices, and in social welfare policies. The contemporary context consists, in addition, in recent emphases by funding agencies on educational components in research proposals even by NSF, especially in K-12. Residential learning among college students, is replacing ethnic-based dorms or language houses. Yet, the old philosophy of dichotomized subject matters and fields of studies still prevails in recent discussions of liberal arts curricula. A recent report by the Curriculum Committee of the Cornell College of Arts and Sciences still classifies reasoning skills into quantitative and qualitative, with an add-on of moral reasoning. Furthermore, engagement in learning is mainly still treated as a practical skill for the arts and sciences and not part of their main mission, and so on.
Plasma Calcium Assay, with Use of the Jellyfish Protein, Aequorin, as a Reagent

A previously proposed assay for plasma calcium, suitable for routine clinical measurements, has been investigated. The method is based on the calcium-sensitive luminescence of a jellyfish protein, aequorin. Advantages of this method are low cost, simplicity, and the suitability of most currently available fluorometers and spectrophotometers for the assay. Disadvantages are that aequorin may not be readily available, and that the assay apparently yields only the total and (with suitable sample preparation) the diffusible calcium concentrations.
Application of the first-order bipolar model to harmonic distortion analysis of HBT's

Although large-signal models for GaAs MESFETs have been developed extensively, the same is not true for heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT's). A first-order model, based on first-order device physics, is used for harmonic distortion analysis of an InGaAs/InAlAs/InP inverted HBT. It is shown that the first-order model is adequate at medium power levels and inadequate at higher power levels where the device is driven into hard saturation and cutoff. >
Impact of U.S. Federal welfare reform law on children with mental disorders receiving SSI.

An analysis of statistical reports from the Social Security Administration's Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics suggests that the Federal welfare reform law had a negative impact on the number of children under age 18 with mental disorders receiving SSI benefits. This was evident about a year after the enactment of welfare reform. Over a three-year time frame, 65 percent of the SSI children under age 18 were disabled based on a mental disorder. The study focused on the three diagnostic groups that are reported by the Social Security Administration within the diagnostic category of mental disorders: schizophrenia, psychiatric diagnoses, and mental retardation. By the end of the second year after the enactment of welfare reform, an increase was noted in the number of children with mental disorders receiving SSI, but the number was still less than the number before the enactment of welfare reform.
Dynamics and Control of a Biomimetic Vehicle Using Biased Wingbeat Forcing Functions

A wingbeat forcing function and control method are presented that allow six-degree-of-freedom control of a flapping-wing micro air vehicle using only two actuators, each of which independently actuate a wing. Split-cycle constant-period frequency modulation with wing bias is used to produce nonzero cycle-averaged drag. The wing bias provides pitching-moment control and, when coupled with split-cycle constant-period frequency modulation, requires only independently actuated wings to enable six-degree-of-freedom flight. Wing bias shifts the cycle-averaged center-of-pressure locations of the wings, thus providing the ability to pitch the vehicle. Implementation of the wing bias is discussed, and modifications to the wingbeat forcing function are made to maintain wing position continuity. Instantaneous and cycle-averaged forces and moments are computed, cycle-averaged control derivatives are calculated, and a controller is developed. The controller is designed using a simplified aerodynamic model derived with blade-element theory and cycle averaging. The controller is tested using a simulation that includes blade-element-based estimates of the instantaneous aerodynamic forces and moments that are generated by the combined motion of the rigid-body fuselage and the flapping wings. Simulations using this higher-fidelity model indicate that the cycle-averaged blade-element-based controller is capable of achieving controlled flight.
PRIMARY PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS Report on a Conference held at Argonne National Laboratory, November 1971

Summary In conclusion, the conference was judged to be extremely useful for the 230 persons who attended, and all departed with an optimistic enthusiasm about the certainty of progress in this field over the next 5 to 10 years. A statistic that perhaps represents a new record and should be shared to underscore the significance of the meeting to researchers in this area of photosynthesis is that out of 59 scheduled speakers all were in attendance and only one had to be replaced because of a commitment to take part in ceremonies for the 150th anniversary of a famous university in the East. From our experience with the form of the meeting, we feel that the open attendance but limited subject concept is a highly desirable meeting form and should be used for most scientific meetings.
Narratives of Student Engagement in an Alternative Learning Context

The concept of student engagement is critical in the discussion of school reform. This issue is particularly important in dropout prevention programs such as the alternative high school, although little empirical work guides intervention efforts. In this qualitative research, ethnographic observations were combined with interviews with 24 students and 12 teachers to examine how the offerings of the learning environment interact with the processes of engagement through the perspective of students in a high-functioning alternative high school. Youth narratives provide an account of the development of engagement in the context of supportive relationships and a caring school community. Findings suggest that affective engagement precedes school identification and behavioral commitments to learning. Their narratives aid in understanding how students construct stories of transition in the schooling process, and help to contextualize current theories that describe engagement in learning for youth placed at risk.
Effects of mirror reflectivity in excitonic optical bistability

The intensity-dependent nonlinearity of the dielectric function resulting from two-photon generation of excitonic molecules has been used to predict optical bistability in CuCl. The prediction is shown numerically to be highly affected by the mirror reflectivity in the Fabry–Perot cavity. In general, the reflectivity makes optical bistability possible at less stringent conditions.
U.S. tour operators and travel agencies: barriers encountered when providing package tours to people who have difficulty walking.

Abstract The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to explore the services and package tours for people who have difficulty walking provided by U.S. tour operators and travel agencies, and to identify barriers encountered when planning and operating the tours. Accommodations and eating-drinking establishments were the least desirable environments for people who have difficulty walking due to inaccessibility and negative staff attitudes. Attractions and transportation staff displayed higher attitudes but facilities were not accessible. The graphical display of data of accessibility barriers and staff attitude barriers indicated that the four tourism sectors did not comply with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.
Micro-CT analysis of myocardial blood supply in young and adult rats

This study addresses whether the vasculature grows in proportion to the myocardium as the rat heart develops. The volume of myocardium and coronary vessels were estimated from micro-CT images of the hearts injected with Microfil(R) contrast agent. Young (n=5) and adult (n=5) hearts were scanned, resulting in 3D images comprised of 20μm on-a-side cubic voxels. The myocardial muscle and vessel lumen volumes were measured for all vessels 40 to 320μm in diameter by an erosion and dilation method applied to the binary images in which the contrast in the vessels were assigned "1" and all non-opacified entities were assigned "0". The average total muscle volume increases by 50%, 129.4 to 237.4mm 3 , from young to adult rats, while the luminal volume increases by 10%, 16.6 to 18.6mm 3 . The vessel volume is 12% of the total muscle volume in young and 8% in adults. For a given vessel volume, the muscle volume in the young is 82% of the muscle volume in adults. We conclude that as the heart matures, the myocardium grows more rapidly than the vasculature. This may result in greater angles of separation between vessel branches, and the increase in myocardial coronary volume. The ratio suggests either higher blood flow velocity or a lower metabolic rate in adults.
Membrane technology for postharvest processing of fruits and vegetables

Purpose of the review: This article reviews current membrane technology in postharvest processing of fruits and vegetables and provides practical guidelines for selecting membrane technology for postharvest processing. An overview of the current state-of-the-art membrane technology in fruit and vegetable processing and a practical guideline for designing and scaling-up membrane systems are provided. Findings: Fruit juice clarification and concentration with membrane filtration dominate current application of membrane technology in postharvest processing; however, flavor compound retention and recovery by pervaporation and osmotic distillation has started gaining foothold in the industry. Other membrane-based concentration processes show a promising future. There is a strong interest in the food research community to utilize membrane technology to recover valuable food components from waste streams. Limitations/Implications: Wide acceptance of membrane technology in the food industry is not only limited by lack of “track record”, due to relative newness of the technology, but also limited by lack of suitable membrane systems or membrane materials. Many commercial membranes and modules are designed to accommodate the needs of water treatment comm.unities (for example desalination) although there is evidence that the manufacturers are heeding the call from the food processing and biopharmaceutical industries. There is also a tendency for some individuals and membrane suppliers to exaggerate what membrane technology can accomplish and, as a result, the food industry as a whole is wary of any new membrane process that appears on the scene. Directions for future research: Future research should focus on the fundamental study of membrane fouling, particularly on interactions among biopolymers, inorganic matters, and the membrane surface. Manufacturers should develop a food-oriented evaluation and assessment protocol for constructing membrane property data sheets and improve the reliability and renew-ability of their membranes. The food science community needs to actively involve in basic research on membrane separations, not just run-of-the-mill type of study on concentration of yet another new exotic fruit (or vegetable) juice with a well-studied commercial membrane.
Look before leaping: combined opioids may not be the rave

The use of combinations of potent opioids is a common clinical practice. The addition of one potent opioid to another has been recommended to reduce opioid side effects, improve pain control, and limit dose escalation of the first opioid. The advantages of using combined opioids have been reported to be relative to differences in receptor activation versus endocytosis (RAVE). However, the advantages and detriment to combining opioids are related to naturally occurring opioid receptor dimers. Dimers and oligomers result in a unique opioid pharmacodynamics which influence opioid binding, G protein interactions, desensitization, receptor trafficking, and endocytosis. The pharmacodynamics of dimers may lead to positive or negative cooperativity when two opioids are combined. The use of multiple opioids in practice can lead to increased risk for dosing errors, reduced patient compliance, increased drug interactions and cost. Opioid combinations should not be used until prospective randomized trials clarify the benefits and safety.