cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differentiation of Strains of Xylella fastidiosa Infecting Grape, Almonds, and Oleander Using a Multiprimer PCR Assay

Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-limited, nutritionally fastidious bacterium that causes several plant diseases including Pierce's disease (PD) in grape and leaf scorch in almond (ALS) and oleander (OLS). OLS strains belong to X. fastidiosa subsp. sandyi, PD strains belong to X. fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa, and strains from almond designated as ALS strains are of two general types belonging either to X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex or X. fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa. The ALS strains assigned to X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex belong to two different genotypes (ALSI and ALSII) below the subspecies level. The OLS strains do not infect grape or almond. PD strains produce diseases in grape, alfalfa, almond, and some weeds, but they do not infect oleander, oak, peach, or citrus. ALS strains that belong to X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex do not produce disease on grape. In this study, a relatively simple polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based method was developed to distinguish among PD, OLS, and ALS strains. PCR performed with primers XF1968-L and XF1968-R amplified a 638-bp fragment from OLS strains but not from PD strains or ALS strains that belong to X. fastidiosa subsp. fastidiosa. PCR with primers XF2542-L and XF2542-R amplified a 412-bp fragment from PD strains, but not from OLS strains. PCR with primers ALM1 and ALM2 produced a fragment of 521 bp from strains isolated from almond that belong to X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex. The combination of the three primer sets allowed the distinction of the two ALS genotypes of X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex. These results are in agreement with those obtained from analysis of sequences of 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer regions sequence analysis and with previous results based on randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis.
Explicit measurements with almost optimal thresholds for compressed sensing

We consider the deterministic construction of a measurement matrix and a recovery method for signals that are block sparse. A signal that has dimension N = nd, which consists of n blocks of size d, is called (s, d)-block sparse if only s blocks out of n are nonzero. We construct an explicit linear mapping Phi that maps the (s, d) -block sparse signal to a measurement vector of dimension M, where s - d < N (1- (1- M/N)d/d+1) - o(1). We show that if the (s,d)- block sparse signal is chosen uniformly at random then the signal can almost surely be reconstructed from the measurement vector in O(N3) computations.
Further Unraveling the Regulatory Twist by Elucidating Metabolic Coinducer-Mediated CbbR-cbbI Promoter Interactions in Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA010

The cbbI region of Rhodopseudomonas palustris (Rp. palustris) contains the cbbLS genes encoding form I ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase oxygenase (RubisCO) along with a divergently transcribed regulator gene, cbbR. Juxtaposed between cbbR and cbbLS are the cbbRRS genes, encoding an unusual three-protein two-component (CbbRRS) system that modulates the ability of CbbR to influence cbbLS expression. The nature of the metabolic signals that Rp. palustris CbbR perceives to regulate cbbLS transcription is not known. Thus, in this study, the CbbR binding region was first mapped within the cbbLS promoter by the use of gel mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting. In addition, potential metabolic coinducers (metabolites) were tested for their ability to alter the cbbLS promoter binding properties of CbbR. Gel mobility shift assays and surface plasmon resonance analyses together indicated that biosynthetic intermediates such as RuBP, ATP, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, and NADPH enhanced DNA binding by CbbR. These coinducers did not yield identical CbbR-dependent DNase I footprints, indicating that the coinducers caused significant changes in DNA structure. These in vitro studies suggest that cellular signals such as fluctuating metabolite concentrations are perceived by and transduced to the cbbLS promoter via the master regulator CbbR.
Assessment of Visual Status of the Aeta, a Hunter-Gatherer Population of the Philippines (An AOS Thesis)

Results: A total of 225 individuals were screened from 4 villages. Visual acuity, both uncorrected and pinhole corrected, was significantly worse among older vs younger age-groups for women, men, and when combined (P < .001). Visual impairment was present in 48% of uncorrected and 43% of pinhole corrected eyes in the oldest age-group. Six percent of the screened population was bilaterally blind. The major causes of blindness were readily treatable. The most common etiologies as a proportion of blind eyes were cataract (66%), refractive error (20%), and trauma (7%). No cases of primary open-angle, primary angle-closure, or exfoliation glaucoma were observed in this population. Discussion: Visual impairment and blindness were common in the Aeta population. Primary forms of glaucoma, a major cause of blindness found in most population-based studies, were not observed. The absence of primary glaucoma in this population may reflect random sampling error. However, based on similar findings in the Australian Aborigine, this raises the possibility that these two similar populations may share genetic and/or environmental factors that are protective for glaucoma..
Surface-enhanced electric intensities on transition- and noble-metal spheroids

The electromagnetic intensity is known to be greatly enhanced at the surface of small Ag particles and to be less enhanced for larger Ag particles. Electrodynamic results show that the enhancement for other large metal particles (Au, Pt, Ni, Pd, Rh, and Ir) can be comparable with that for large Ag particles. Specifically, the calculated enhancement for Ag and Au prolate spheroids with a:b = 2 confirms earlier experimental results that show similar enhancements in spite of large differences in the Im ∊(ω). Results for catalytic metals in air and water show that significant enhancements can exist. These electrodynamic results indicate that surface-enhanced Raman scattering should be an effective approach for in situ monitoring of catalytic reactions at the surface of appropriately shaped metallic particles.
Self-aligned High Density Low Voltage P-Channel Trench MOSFET with Ultra Low Resistance and Robust Ruggedness

The presented device structure offers novel features of recessed interlevel dielectric (ILD) into the active device trench and perpendicular N+ body design. This allows for the device self alignment and unit size shrink to 1mum and below without compromising gate and device switching ruggedness. Key parameter optimization achieved is the device on-resistance while ensuring robust avalanche energy capability. The additional device trade-off of trench depth and its implication of on-resistance vs. breakdown voltage is also being considered. The optimized for commercial application version of the proposed device structure has achieved 30 V blocking voltage with 25V gate rating and the best in the class specific on-resistance (rsp) of 17mohm*mm2
Oxygen vacancy in cubic WO3 studied by first-principles pseudopotential calculation

Abstract In this work, the oxygen vacancy in WO 3 has been studied by an ab initio pseudopotential method within the local density approximation (LDA). It is shown that with the charge state change of the vacancy, a strong lattice relaxation, swing from one to the other side of the un-relaxed position, is found for the nearest W ions, accompanied by large changes in the electronic structure of the vacancy. It is found that an oxygen vacancy in WO 3 gives rise to three types of defect states: a donor-like state near the fundamental band gap, derived from the top valence bands, a hyper-deep resonant state in the valence band and a high-lying resonant state in the conduction band, derived from the oxygen 2s bonding and anti-bonding band, respectively. The existence of the donor-like defect state offers a possible explanation for the dependence of the conductivity and the mid-gap absorption on the O deficiency.
Exploiting Close-to-the-Sensor Multipath Reflections Using a Human-Hearing-Inspired Model

We propose a simple three-dimensional (3-D) direction-finding system that exploits multipath reflections close to the sensors to improve performance by increasing the effective array aperture. Such close-range multipath reflections can originate, for example, from parts of the platform on which the sensor is mounted. Our system is inspired by the human auditory system where multipath reflections from the external ear (pinna) enable 3-D direction finding. To demonstrate the advantage of exploiting multipath reflections, we consider a simple example of a passive system with only one sensor and two nearby reflectors. First, we present a parametric measurement model and then compute the asymptotic Cramer-Rao bound on the 3-D direction estimates for a stochastic source signal of unknown parametrized spectrum. We provide a few numerical examples to illustrate our analytical results. We find that for this example additional reflectors and a wider source spectrum can achieve better direction estimates.
Electron and photon interactions in the regime of strong Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal suppression

Most searches for ultra-high-energy astrophysical neutrinos look for radio emission from the electromagnetic and hadronic showers produced in their interactions. The radio frequency spectrum and angular distribution depend on the shower development, and so are sensitive to the interaction cross sections. At energies above about ${10}^{16}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$ (in ice), the Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal effect significantly reduces the cross sections for the two dominant electromagnetic interactions: bremsstrahlung and pair production. At higher energies, above about ${10}^{20}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$, the photonuclear cross section becomes larger than that for pair production, and direct pair production and electronuclear interactions become dominant over bremsstrahlung. The electron interaction length reaches a maximum around ${10}^{21}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$, and then decreases slowly as the electron energy increases further. In this regime, the growth in the photon cross section and electron energy loss moderates the rise in ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{e}$ shower length, which rises from $\ensuremath{\sim}10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{m}$ at ${10}^{16}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$ to $\ensuremath{\sim}50\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{m}$ at ${10}^{19}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$ and $\ensuremath{\sim}100\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{m}$ at ${10}^{20}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$, but only to $\ensuremath{\sim}1\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{km}$ at ${10}^{24}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$. In contrast, without photonuclear and electronuclear interactions, the shower length would be over 10 km at ${10}^{24}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$.
Practical Significance in Special Education Research

Whereas statistical significance indicates whether a difference is a difference, additional information signifying whether the difference is large enough to make the results worth acting upon is included in practical significance. Statistical measures of practical significance report the extent to which variation in the dependent variable can be explained by the independent variable. Measures of practical significance are seldom reported in The Journal of Special Education, although sometimes issues of practicality are discussed using the estimate of statistical significance. Practical significance, however, may vary greatly among samples even though statistical significance estimates are similar.
Amplification of the amoA Gene from Diverse Species of Ammonium-Oxidizing Bacteria and from an Indigenous Bacterial Population from Seawater.

Because the chemolithotrophic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria are an integral component of nitrogen biogeochemistry, a sensitive and accurate method to detect this ecologically important group of microorganisms is needed. The amoA gene of these organisms encodes the active site of ammonia monooxygenase, an enzyme unique to this group of nitrifying bacteria. We report here the use of the PCR technique to detect the amoA gene from pure cultures of chemolithotrophic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria, ammonium oxidizers introduced into filtered seawater, and the natural bacterial population of an unfiltered seawater sample. Oligonucleotide primers, based on the published amoA sequence from Nitrosomonas europaea, were used to amplify DNA from pure cultures of Nitrosomonas europaea, Nitrosomonas cryotolerans, and Nitrosococcus oceanus and from bacteria in seawater collected offshore near the Florida Keys. Partial sequencing of the amplification products verified that they were amoA. These primers, used in conjunction with a radiolabeled amoA gene probe from Nitrosomonas europaea, could detect Nitrosococcus oceanus inoculated into filter-sterilized seawater at 10(4) cells liter-1. Native marine bacteria containing amoA could also be detected at their naturally occurring titer in oligotrophic seawater. Amplification of the gene for ammonia monooxygenase may provide a method to estimate the distribution and relative abundance of chemolithotrophic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria in the environment.
The Role of the Academe in Sports Integrity: The Objectives and Shape of a Sports Integrity Training Course

Reformers are issuing multiple proposals to boost integrity in sports. So far, the potential contributions of the academe to this effort have been largely glossed over. Yet the academe is a unique source of expertise in teaching ethics and can reach many more stakeholders than athletes, which is all most existing sports integrity training programs do. This chapter outlines the ways in which the academe can enhance sports integrity. It offers ideas on the possible goals and shapes of a sports integrity course and discusses ways in which to increase the ethical awareness of those involved in sports, elevate their level of moral reasoning, and give them the skills to navigate the situational pressures encountered in the world of sports.
Assessing the Library Needs and Preferences of Off-Campus Students

In order to have a successful library program for distance-education students, librarians must understand who their students are, as well as what their students want and need. Of course, the best way to get this information is to ask the students. The ACRL Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services emphasize this point, encouraging librarians to regularly survey students involved in distance-education and off-campus programs. This paper is based on two student surveys, one conducted by the Coordinator of Library Services for Distance Education at the University of Iowa and the other conducted by the Distance Librarian at University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. The paper focuses on the issues that librarians confront when they conduct a survey of distance-education students. In addition, it covers details on writing and developing a survey instrument, including the need to ask the right questions in a proper manner and the need to arrange the questions and information in a user-friendly format. The results of the two surveys are presented, including a comparison of some data between the two programs.
Catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with ischemic heart disease: a systematic review and a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Patients with ischemic heart disease may have implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) implanted for primary or secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death. Although ICD shocks can be life saving, in some patients, they have been associated with increased mortality and/or morbidity. Several studies have suggested that catheter ablation may be superior to non-ablative strategies at preventing ICD shocks delivered for ventricular arrhythmias; however, this is still controversial. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing catheter ablation with non-ablative strategies in treatment of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with ischemic heart disease and an ICD. The primary endpoints of interest were recurrent episodes of VT and death. We used a binary random effects method to calculate the cumulative odds ratios (OR) for recurrent VT and deaths. Of a total of 643 potential citations, our search yielded three citations that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the three trials, a total of 262 patients were randomized to ablation (n = 129) or non-ablative interventions (beta-blockers ± use of antiarrhythmics) (n = 133) group. The cumulative OR for recurrent VT was 0.471 (95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.176–1.257) for catheter ablation compared with non-ablative strategies, and for death, it was 0.766 (95 % CI = 0.351–1.674). Excluding one study for being appreciably smaller than the other two, the OR for recurrent VT was 0.298 (95 % CI = 0.164–0.543). In this meta-analysis, the rate of recurrent VT was lower with VT catheter ablation compared with non-ablative strategies. There was not a significant difference in rate of death among patients receiving catheter ablation versus non-ablative strategies for management of VT. Given the lack of adequately powered RCTs comparing ablation versus medical management of VT in patients with ischemic heart disease and an ICD, larger studies with longer follow-up are needed.
Program Synthesis and Extension

Over the years, researchers have tried to gain insight into the haphazard art of programming. This has led to the development of “structured programming,” which has been defined as “the task of organizing one’s thought in a way that leads, in a reasonable time, to an understandable expression of a computing task.”p1 One of the guidelines of structured programming is that “one should try to develop a program and its proof of correctness hand-in-hand.”p2 Much has been written on the subject, including [Dijkstra68], [Wirth71], pahlDijkstraHoare72], [Wirth73], [Wirth74], [ConwayGries75], [Dijkstra76], [Gries81], and others.
Public Economics, Market Failure, and Voluntary Exchange

The core of public economics traditionally addresses two situations of market failure: externalities and public goods. The desirability of government action in these cases hinges on decisions made in the revenue-expenditure process. How this process is envisioned can tell us quite a lot about conceptions and understandings of market failure. Reaching back nearly a century to the European continental public finance tradition, Public choice scholars revived voluntary exchange theory as a response to market failure. This theory suggests that the revenue-expenditure process should be determined by the same fundamental laws and procedures that govern market prices in the private aspects of the economy. Voluntary exchange became an ideological anchor for public choice, despite the oddity of suggesting a market-analogous solution for market failure. In this paper, I examine the treatment of Voluntary Exchange Theory in Public choice, as compared to mainstream public economics. Considered are Voluntary Exchange as a theory versus an analogy, the role beliefs about the nature and role of government have on theory-making and theory acceptance, and reactions to failures/inconsistencies/gaps pointed out in voluntary exchange theory conceptions (real or claimed). By exploring these topics, we can see the extent to which the debate over voluntary exchange theory illuminates deeply held and often buried ideological assumptions. One can also see that the nature and extent of market failure in public economics is, on a fundamental level, very closely tied to preconceptions about the economic role of government.
Simple reaction time as a function of response complexity: memory drum theory revisited.

The prediction emanating from memory drum theory (Henry & Rogers, 1960) that simple reaction time (SRT) increases as a response becomes more complex (i.e., increases in number of movement parts) was investigated. Experiments 1 (N = 20) and 3 (N = 16) indicated that SRT was longer for responses consisting of two and three parts than it was for a one-part response and this may be interpreted as support for the prediction. Failing to support the prediction, however, was the finding that SRT was essentially the same for responses consisting of two and three parts. This may not be too damaging to the theory because it could simply be reflecting an upper limit in terms of numbers of parts or response duration for causing an increase in SRT. Experiments 2 (N = 20) and 3 revealed an SRT effect between two responses that were supposed to be equal in complexity. At first, this finding appeared to be contrary to the prediction, but it may be interpreted as support for it because one of the responses defined as havin...
Development and piloting of a brief intervention for suicidal american indian adolescents

American Indian (AI) adolescents have the highest suicide death and attempt rates of any U.S. group, yet few interventions have been developed or evaluated for this population. This paper presents the first adaptation of a brief evidence-based intervention for AI adolescents from one reservation who made a suicide attempt. We describe our community-driven approach to intervention development and a small pilot study (n = 13). Preliminary findings indicate reductions in adolescents' negative thinking, depression, and suicidal ideation, and an increase in psychological service utilization. Key innovations include delivery by AI paraprofessionals and potential to strengthen the continuum of care between emergency department and outpatient settings.
Heme Oxygenase Biology (During the Perinatal Period): Part 1: Prenatal Considerations

Heme oxygenase (HO), the rate-limiting enzyme in heme degradation, and its byproducts have antioxidative, antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective properties. The expression of the inducible isoform, HO-1, in various tissues is increased in newborns, decreases toward adulthood, and may be of pivotal importance during the perinatal period. During pregnancy, it may mediate the regulation of maternal blood pressure, placental development, and vascularization, and, therefore, the maintenance of a healthy pregnancy. Pregnancy disorders, such as intrauterine growth restriction and preeclampsia, contribute significantly to preterm births as well as to perinatal morbidity and mortality and manifest even into adulthood. They stem from placental defects mediated by fetal genetic defects, maternal factors, or both. HO-1 has been shown to play a role in the maintenance of maternal inflammatory homeostasis and normal placental vasculature development by regulating angiogenesis and matrix remodeling in early pregnancy. Therefore, a genetic deficiency in HO-1 gene expression may be an underlying cause of pregnancy disorders, in particular, those attributed to placental dysfunction.
22,25-Bisdeoxyecdysone: Pathological Effects on the Mexican Bean Beetle and Synergism with Juvenile Hormone Compounds

All 4 instars of Epilachna varivestis Mulsant, when confined with bean plants dipped in solutions containing the ecdysteroid 22,25-bisdeoxyecdysone (BDE), exhibited lethal molting abnormalities. Treated 4th instars molted precociously into dwarf neotenic forms, often with abnormal wing pad extension. Newly emerged females con fined for 10 days With beans that had been dipped into a solution containing 100 ppm of BDE were sterilized permanently. Ovipositing females confined for 7 days Stopped oviposition by the 3rd day and gradually reduced their feeding to 17% that of the controls 8-10 days after Treatment began. Several juvenile hormone compounds and insecticide synergists synergized BDE on 4th instars and adult females. Males. When ovipositing females were confined in field cages with beans sprayed once with a mixture of 50 ppm of BDE + 250 ppm each of sesamex and ( E )-4-[(6,7-epoxy-3-ethyl-7-Uethyl-2-nonenyl)oxyl-1,2-(methylenedioxy) benzene, viable egg production did not exceed 12% that of the controls for any 5-day period during the following 30 days.
The Shape of Problems to Come: Troubleshooting Visibility Problems in Remote Technical Communication

In this article, I argue that remote technical communicators increasingly encounter problems with making their work visible to others. This article offers a methodology to help remote workers and t...
Beyond Course Evaluations: YayNay Sheets

Collecting student evaluation data is a common practice among law professors, but the evaluation data can come too late if not collected until the end of a semester. Opportunities for student feedback happen in every class; at the end of each class period, students can evaluate what just happened in class, and professors can use this information to make immediate adjustments to their teaching. This article argues that law teachers should take advantage of these opportunities for collecting student feedback to improve both the students’ learning experience and the teacher’s teaching experience. The article gives an example of one way to do this feedback collection through daily or weekly “Yay/Nay Sheets.”
Negative pressure breathing enhances nitrogen elimination

Background The rate of nitrogen elimination during decompression is primarily dependent on tissue perfusion and, therefore, cardiac output (CO). Negative pressure breathing (NPB) is thought to increase CO by enhancing venous return and, consequently, the rate of nitrogen elimination. This notion was investigated in the present study. Methods Nitrogen elimination was measured in five subjects lying supine while breathing a nitrogen free gas (79% Ar, 20% O2) supplied at -15 cm H2O (-1.5 kPa) or at atmospheric pressure. Results Over a 2-h washout period, NPB increased nitrogen elimination by 39.2 +/- 21.7% (mean +/- SD), increased calf blood flow by 34.1 +/- 34.6%, and elevated BP slightly during the last half of the experiment. Negative pressure breathing did not significantly change CO; the increase in nitrogen elimination may have been due to redistribution of blood flow. Conclusions Negative pressure breathing appears to be a useful means of increasing nitrogen elimination and should be considered in situations such as decompression or treatment of decompression sickness where this effect may be beneficial.
S11.3 Use of whole genome sequencing to determine the probability of antimicrobial resistance in neisseria gonorrhoeae

Neisseria gonorrhoeae has demonstrated remarkable ability to rapidly develop antimicrobial resistance to each antimicrobial class used for therapy including the currently recommended class of antimicrobials, the cephalosporins. Emerging resistance to cephalosporins will severely complicate treatment of gonorrhoea. Advanced Molecular Detection approaches, such as whole genome sequencing to determine mechanisms of resistance, have the potential to advance our understanding of gonorrhoea. To date, we have sequenced >1,000 genomes from N. gonorrhoeae isolates with elevated cefixime or azithromycin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) or resistance to previously recommended antimicrobials, and isolates collected from multiple geographic sites to accomplish the following objectives: (1) to identify mutations that confer antimicrobial resistance or increased MICs; (2) to inform the development of molecular assays for resistance determinants through insights gleaned from WG from which point-of-care assays for resistance markers will be developed. Such assays will change the paradigm of gonorrhoea treatment. Use of real-time results on the presence or absence of resistance determinants will allow clinicians to personalise treatment for patients, and prevent inadvertent use of agents that are no longer routinely recommended because of resistance. Such assays can also substantially expand the reach of surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and allow public health officials to rapidly detect and respond to outbreaks of resistant strains; and (3) to develop and maintain a microbial library, a web-accessible and searchable database that will include bacterial and viral genomic sequences and associated meta-data, such as basic de-identified demographic characteristics of patients and phenotypic susceptibility data. In the long term, knowledge of the genetic mechanisms responsible for resistance or deceased susceptibility in N. gonorrhoeae gained from sequencing may translate into the identification or development of new therapeutic agents.
AN EXTENSION OF THE M-SEQUENCE TECHNIQUE FOR THE ANALYSIS OF MULTI-INPUT NONLINEAR SYSTEMS

White-noise analysis and related methods of nonlinear systems identification describe a physical system’s response to its input in terms of “kernels” of progressively higher orders. A popular analytic scheme in the laboratory uses a class of pseudorandom binary sequences, m-sequences, as a test signal. The m-sequence method has several advantages for investigating linear and nonlinear systems: ease of implementation, rapid calculation of system kernels, and a solid theoretical framework. One difficulty with this method for nonlinear analysis comes from the algebraic structure of m-sequences: linear and nonlinear terms can be confounded, especially in the analysis of systems with many inputs. We have developed a modification of the m-sequence method which allows control of these anomalies. This method is based on input signals consisting of a superposition of m-sequences whose lengths are relatively prime. The fast computational methods which facilitate kernel calculation for a single m-sequence input are readily extended to this new setting. We describe the theoretical foundation of this method and present an application to the study of ganglion cells of the macaque retina.
Intersubband semiconductor lasers without population inversion

We propose a new class of intersubband lasers and amplifiers that achieve net gain without population inversion, as well as parametric amplifiers that realize resonantly enhanced χ(2) without absorption. Gain calculations and data from emission and absorption measurements on unipolar double-quantum-well structures are presented.
Dynamic generation containment systems (DGCS): A Moving Target Defense approach

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems are critical assets to public utility and manufacturing organizations. These systems, although critical, are prone to numerous cyber security related threats and attacks. To combat such challenges, we propose a Dynamic Generated Containment System (DGCS), a moving target defense model as a method of threat evasion. Under the proposed approach, we employ the use of intrusion detection systems (IDS) in conjunction with virtualization solution—Docker. The proposed approach provides an individual Docker container for each threat detected by our IDS. We conduct several experiments using high performance computing systems to measure and demonstrate our proposed approach.
Electrochemical stability of aluminum current collector in aqueous rechargeable lithium-ion battery electrolytes

Aqueous rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (ARLBs) use aqueous electrolytes, which create conditions where corrosion may occur when aluminum is used as the current collector. The electrochemical stability of AA1085 in 2 M Li2SO4 and 5 M LiNO3 aqueous electrolytes was evaluated over a range of pH conditions by cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammetry, and chronoamperometry. Aluminum presented high corrosion resistance at pHs 5, 7, and 9 within the stability windows of both electrolytes. At the pH 11 condition, 2 M Li2SO4 is capable of inhibiting aluminum from pitting but the inhibiting effect is not sustainable and crystallographic pitting occurs under a continuously applied anodic potential. Aluminum was well passivated against pitting in 5 M LiNO3 electrolyte at pH 11 due to the formation of a thick corrosion product barrier layer. Raman spectra depicted the presence of sulfate and nitrate anions on aluminum surface after cyclic voltammetry at pH 11. Inductively coupled plasma results showed that the amount of dissolved aluminum in electrolyte after cyclic voltammetry increases when pH increases from 5 to 11. The chemical adsorption mechanisms of sulfate and nitrate anions on aluminum were proposed to explain the dependency of electrochemical stability of aluminum on pH, anodic potential, and type of anions. The applicability of aluminum as current collector in ARLB using the 2 M Li2SO4 and 5 M LiNO3 electrolytes is discussed.
Unified Approach for Open-Loop Optimal Control with Applications to Aerospace Systems

Abstract We propose the development of a unified approach for the necessary conditions for optimization of open-loop control systems. The unified approach results are simultaneously applicable to both shift (q)-operator-based discretetime systems and the derivative (d/dt)-operator-based continuous-time systems. It is shown that the optimal condition results that are now obtained separately for continuous-time and discrete-time systems can be easily obtained from the unified approach. The analytical results are applied to a typical aerospace problem such as F-16 aircraft model
The Optical Model in Nuclear and Particle Physics

(1964). The Optical Model in Nuclear and Particle Physics. Nuclear Science and Engineering: Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 417-417.
Sleep Disturbance and Fatigue Are Associated With More Severe Urinary Incontinence and Overactive Bladder Symptoms

Objective To investigate the relationship between sleep disturbance, fatigue, and urinary incontinence (UI) and overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms among patients with OAB. Methods Patients who were diagnosed with OAB and age-matched control subjects without OAB were enrolled. Sleep disturbance and fatigue symptoms were assessed using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) short forms. UI and OAB symptoms were assessed using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire—Urinary Incontinence (ICIQ-UI), the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire—Overactive Bladder (ICIQ-OAB), the Overactive Bladder Questionnaire (OAB-q), the Urogenital Distress Inventory Short Form (UDI-6), and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire Short Form (IIQ-7). Psychosocial health (depression, anxiety, and perceived stress level) was also assessed. Results Patients with OAB reported a significantly greater sleep disturbance compared with controls (PROMIS 8b T-scores: 54.3 ± 10.3 vs 43.8 ± 9.2). Patients with OAB also reported a significantly greater fatigue compared with controls (PROMIS 7a T-scores: 54.7 ± 9.6 vs 46.0 ± 6.4). After adjusting for nocturia, the differences in sleep disturbance between OAB and controls became insignificant (P = .21), whereas the differences in fatigue between OAB and controls remained significant (P = .014). Among patients with OAB, there were positive correlations between sleep disturbance and the severity of OAB symptoms (ICIQ-OAB), poorer health-related quality of life (OAB-q QOL), the severity of UI symptoms (ICIQ-UI), greater incontinence impact (IIQ-7), and urinary bother (UDI-6). Positive correlations were also observed between fatigue and worse UI and OAB symptoms and quality of life. Both sleep disturbance and fatigue were associated with poor psychosocial health (depression, anxiety, and higher stress level) among patients with OAB. Conclusion Sleep disturbance and fatigue are present in substantial percentages of patients with OAB. Among patients with OAB, sleep disturbance and fatigue were associated with more severe UI and OAB symptoms, worse health-related quality of life, and poorer psychosocial health.
Dynamic 3T pelvic floor magnetic resonance imaging in women progressing from the nulligravid to the primiparous state.

The objective was to prospectively characterize dynamic pelvic 3-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (dp3T MRI) findings in nulligravida women and characterize changes 6 months after delivery in the same woman. In this prospective study, nulligravida women seeking assisted reproductive technology for pregnancy were recruited. After physical examination by Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q), Brink assessment and measures including the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 and Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7, pre-pregnancy dp3T MRI at rest, with strain, and evacuation were performed. Assessments were repeated ≥6 months postpartum. Analysis included Welch and paired t tests for continuous variables, Fisher’s exact test for differences in categorical outcomes, and paired t tests for postpartum symptoms. Nineteen subjects (mean ± SD age, 31 ± 5 years) completed baseline clinical and dp3T MRI studies, 15 delivered and 10 (30.5 ± 3 years) completed pre-pregnancy and post-delivery clinical and dp3T MRI assessments. There were no significant changes in scores of validated questionnaires (all p > 0.05) or on POP-Q measures post-delivery. Two (20%) subjects without pre-pregnancy levator tears had tears on MRI post-delivery. MRI measures of pelvic organ descent were increased post-delivery. Seventeen pelvic soft-tissue parameters increased by greater than 10% post-delivery, including 5 out of 70 (7.1%), 17 out of 110 (15.5%), and 50 out of 110 (45.5%) values exceeding thresholds at rest, strain, and evacuation respectively. Dynamic pelvic 3T MRI detected levator tears and increased pelvic organ descent, which can be directly attributed to pregnancy and delivery.
Ghrelin as a Survival Hormone

Ghrelin administration induces food intake and body weight gain. Based on these actions, the ghrelin system was initially proposed as an antiobesity target. Subsequent studies using genetic mouse models have raised doubts about the role of the endogenous ghrelin system in mediating body weight homeostasis or obesity. However, this is not to say that the endogenous ghrelin system is not important metabolically or otherwise. Here we review an emerging concept in which the endogenous ghrelin system serves an essential function during extreme nutritional and psychological challenges to defend blood glucose, protect body weight, avoid exaggerated depression, and ultimately allow survival.
Women's Health Endocrine Update

Abstract The clinical update serves as a brief review of recently published, high-impact, and potentially practice changing journal articles summarized for our readers. Topics include menopause, sexual dysfunction, breast health, contraception, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease. In this clinical update, we selected four recent high-impact publications related to endocrine issues in women. We have chosen to highlight research on subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including cognitive outcomes in offspring; the progression of metabolic syndrome severity during the menopausal transition; and the association of diabetes and metformin use with cancer risk and mortality.
Bemerkungen zu Lakatos

Die Einladung, die mich herbrachte, um den Aufsatz1) von Professor Lakatos zu kommentieren, hat mich sehr gefreut; denn schon seit langem bin ich ein Bewunderer seines Werks, besonders seines fruhen vierteiligen Aufsatzes ‘Proofs and Refutations’. Das bedeutet naturlich nicht, das wir oft einer Meinung waren, aber ich habe die Argumente geschatzt, die daraus hervorgingen, und mich darauf gefreut. Mein Vergnugen wurde weiterhin betrachtlich erhoht, als ich entdeckte, das Lakatos mir — zu meiner angenehmen Uberraschung — seinen Aufsatz vorzeitig zuganglich machte. Das ist ein Privileg, das nur wenigen Kommentatoren gewahrt wird, und ich bin entsprechend dankbar dafur.
EVALUATION OF SOMETRIBOVE (METHIONYL BOVINE SOMATOTROPIN) IN TOXICOLOGY AND CLINICAL TRIALS IN EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the evaluation of sometribove in toxicology and clinical trials in Europe and the United States. Somatotropin purified from bovine pituitary glands consistently increases milk yields when administered to lactating dairy cows. High doses of sometribove were administered to dairy cows to assess both the safety and margin for error in dosing of sometribove. In the most extreme experiment, cows were administered two doses of 15 g of sometribove at a one week interval. This represented a lifetime amount of sometribove at the commercial dose of 500 mg in one week. During the first weeks of sometribove administration, milk yields are increased immediately and the increase in voluntary feed intake lags behind the requirements for milk synthesis. Cows respond by increasing adipose mobilization reflected in increased plasma nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and sparing protein catabolism, which results in lower concentrations of blood urea N and creatinine in the sometribove groups. There was no evidence of subclinical ketosis and both short and long term betahydroxybutyrate concentrations were not different from controls.
Foundations of Research in Internet Cartography

Publisher Summary Within a matter of a few years, the Internet has become the major means for map distribution. Millions of maps are now transmitted through the Internet every hour. Cartographers have responded to this new medium by exploring the potential and limits of the Internet for map distribution. The development of cartography is largely based on this new medium. This chapter reviews past and present research in cartography and relates this research to the emerging area of Internet Cartography. The chapter discusses the theory and paradigms in cartography, cartographic communication, analytical cartography, and cartographic visualization. The Internet has already improved the distribution of maps. If done properly, the Internet also has the potential to improve the quality of maps as a form of communication, thereby changing both the mental representations that people have of the world and how people mentally process ideas about spatial relationships.
Rehabilitation-Bracing as a Conservative Treatment Option

The goals of rehabilitation efforts in the cancer setting include relieving symptoms, improving quality of life, enhancing functional independence, and preventing further complications. Achieving these goals involves an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team including physiatry, nursing, physical and occupational therapists, speech therapists, social workers, and case managers. Incorporation of a certified prosthetist/orthotist should also be included as bracing can represent a step in conservative rehabilitation care for selected patients. Many different off-the-shelf and custom bracing options are available. Selection of brace is based on a patient’s needs, medical and oncologic status, surgical status, and stability, goals, and mobility.
A Versatile Strategy for Transparent Stimuli-Responsive Interference Coloration.

The bioinspired stimuli-responsive structural coloration offers a wide variety of potential applications, ranging from sensing to camouflage to intelligent textiles. Because of its design simplicity, which does not require multilayers of materials with alternative refractive indices or micro- and nanostructures, thin film interference represents a promising solution toward scalable and affordable manufacturing of high-quality responsive structural coloration systems. However, thin films of polymers with appropriate thickness generally do not exhibit visible structural colors if they are directly deposited on transparent substrates such as glass. In this work, a versatile new strategy that enables transparent stimuli-responsive interference coloration (RIC) in the polymer–metal–substrate system is presented. The key concept is to use an ultrathin metal layer as an optical filter instead of high refractive index substrate or highly reflective substrate. Such an optical filter layer allows tuning of the degr...
Faculty of Color Unmask Color-Blind Ideology in the Community College Faculty Search Process

This qualitative study explored the systemic barriers to hiring faculty of color in the community college. A phenomenological design was used to examine the community college full-time faculty sear...
Enhancing the ligand efficiency of anti-HIV compounds targeting frameshift-stimulating RNA.

Abstract Ribosomal frameshifting, a process whereby a translating ribosome is diverted from one reading frame to another on a contiguous mRNA, is an important regulatory mechanism in biology and an opportunity for therapeutic intervention in several human diseases. In HIV, ribosomal frameshifting controls the ratio of Gag and Gag-Pol, two polyproteins critical to the HIV life cycle. We have previously reported compounds able to selectively bind an RNA stemloop within the Gag-Pol mRNA; these compounds alter the production of Gag-Pol in a manner consistent with increased frameshifting. Importantly, they also display antiretroviral activity in human T-cells. Here, we describe new compounds with significantly reduced molecular weight, but with substantially maintained affinity and anti-HIV activity. These results suggest that development of more “ligand efficient” enhancers of ribosomal frameshifting is an achievable goal.
Language-Agnostic Optimization and Parallelization for Interpreted Languages

Scientists are increasingly turning to interpreted languages, such as Python, Java, R, Matlab, and Perl, to implement their data analysis algorithms. While such languages permit rapid software development, their implementations often run into performance issues that slow down the scientific process. Source-level approaches for parallelization are problematic for two reasons: first, many of the language features common to these languages can be challenging for the kinds of analyses needed for parallelization; and second, even where such analysis is possible, a language-specific approach implies that each language would need its own parallelizing compiler and/or constructs, resulting in significant duplication of effort.
A Classroom Study on the Role of Prior Knowledge and Retrieval Tool in the Testing Effect

This quasi-experimental study investigated the role of prior psychology knowledge and in-class retrieval activity in the testing effect. Undergraduate introductory psychology students (N = 53) from...
What’s all the fuss about? The inheritance of acquired traits is compatible with the Central Dogma

The Central Dogma of molecular biology, which holds that DNA makes protein and not the other way around, is as influential as it is controversial. Some believe the Dogma has outlived its usefulness, either because it fails to fully capture the ins-and-outs of protein synthesis (Griffiths and Stotz in Genetics and philosophy Cambridge introductions to philosophy and biology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2013; Stotz in Hist Philos Life Sci 28(4):533-548, 2006), because it turns on a confused notion of information (Sarkar in Molecular models of life, MIT Press, Cambridge, 2004), or because it problematically assumes the unidirectional flow of information from DNA to protein (Gottlieb, in: Oyama, Griffiths, Gray (eds), Cycles of contingency: developmental systems and evolution, MIT Press, Cambridge, 2001). This paper evaluates an underexplored defense of the Dogma, which relies on the assumption that the Dogma and the Inheritance of Acquired Traits, a principle which dates as far back as Jean Baptiste-Lamarck, are incompatible principles (Smith in The theory of evolution, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1993; Judson in The eighth day of creation, Jonathan Cape, London, 1979; Dawkins in The extended phenotype, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1970; Cobb in PLoS Biol 15(9):e2003243, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003243 ; Wilkins in BioEssays 24(10):960-973, 2002. https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.10167 ; Graur The fallacious commingling of two unrelated hypotheses: 'the central dogma' and 'dna makes rna makes protein'. Judge Starling., 2018. http://judgestarling.tumblr.com/post/177554581856/the-fallacious-commingling-of-two-unrelated ). By appealing to empirical evidence in molecular science, I argue that this apparent incompatibility is indeed merely apparent. I conclude by briefly demonstrating how these considerations bear on the topic of conceptual pluralism in the philosophy of science (Stencel and Proszewska in Found Sci 23(4):603-620, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10699-017-9543-x ; Lu and Bourrat in Br J Philos Sci 69(3):775-800, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjps/axx019 ).