cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Classification of communication signals of the little brown bat

Little brown bats, Myotis lucifugus, are known for their ability to echolocate and utilize their echolocation system to navigate, and locate and identify prey. Their echolocation signals have been characterized in detail but their communication signals are less well understood despite their widespread use during social interactions. The goal of this study was to develop an automatic classification algorithm for characterizing the communication signals of little brown bats. Sound recordings were made overnight on five individual male bats (housed separately from a large group of captive bats) for 7 nights, using a bat detector and a digital recorder. The spectral and temporal characteristics of recorded sounds were first analyzed and classified by visual observation of a call’s temporal pattern and spectral composition. Sounds were later classified using an automatic classification scheme based on multivariate statistical parameters in MATLAB. Human- and machine-based analysis revealed five discrete classes of bat’s communication signals: downward frequency-modulated calls, steep frequency-modulated calls, constant frequency calls, broadband noise bursts, and broadband click trains.
Objective quantification of acetylcholine receptor aggregation using fast Fourier transforms

A new approach for objectively analyzing the aggregation of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) through power spectrum analysis derived from fast Fourier transform (FFT) of images has been developed. Presently, detection of AChR aggregates at neuromuscular junctions is not easily accomplished. Though the formation of AChR clusters results in periodic gray-level variations that differ with time, no study reporting their correlation with frequency information in the Fourier domain for aggregates' detection purposes exists. To this end, we processed time-lapse images of AChR aggregates' formation on murine myotubes to extract peak values of power spectra. To validate interpretation of the Fourier spectra analysis, a computer routine was developed to semi-automatically count AChR aggregates. We found: (1) logarithmic maxima of Fourier spectra correlated significantly with experimentation time; (2) cluster count correlated significantly with time only after clusters were discernable from images, signifying that this method heavily depended on definitive growth data and thresholding values; (3) exponents of Fourier maxima versus time and cluster count versus time profiles during this phase compared favorably, indicating that both methods were analyzing identical cluster growth rates. Our observations suggest that analysis via FFT power spectrum is sensitive and robust enough to automatically quantify AChR aggregates.
Evaluating Highway Capacity Investments Using a Geographic Information Systems-Based Tool: Trip-Based Full Marginal Cost Approach

This paper presents an interactive computer tool based on geographic information systems (GIS) and developed for the evaluation and analysis of full marginal costs (FMC) of highway transportation in New Jersey. The first part of the paper is concerned with the implementation of a trip-based FMC estimation methodology in the GIS environment. A constrained k-shortest-path algorithm is proposed to estimate the trip-based FMC of a trip along not only the shortest travel time path but also a set of feasible paths between each origin-destination (O-D) pair that can be attractive to the travelers. The second part of the paper deals with estimation of various transportation cost categories, including vehicle operation, congestion, accident, air pollution, noise, and maintenance. This estimation uses New Jersey-specific data. The methodology is then implemented in ArcGIS, with the use of Visual Basic and C-programming language. The developed GIS-based tool not only estimates FMC between a selected O-D pair but als...
Predicting the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE).

To optimize patient outcomes with anticoagulation for venous thromboembolism (VTE), it is essential to assess patients for their recurrence risk. In this article, I will review the impact of clinical and laboratory risk factors for recurrent VTE. The presence or absence of VTE risk factors at the time of the index thrombotic event provides important information regarding recurrence risk. Patients with potent situational risk factors for thrombosis (e.g., surgery) are at low risk for recurrence while patients suffering unprovoked events are at high risk for recurrence. The presence of non-surgical clinical risk factors place patients at intermediate recurrence risk. Other clinical risk factors of variable recurrence potential include age, sex, cancer, pregnancy/puerperium, hormonal therapy and obesity. Laboratory risk factors for recurrence include thrombophilia, D dimer and other global coagulation assays as well as residual venous obstruction. Several multivariate VTE risk assessment models have been developed that combine clinical and laboratory risk factors of recurrence. If validated, these risk scores may allow for personalized anticoagulation therapy tailored to patients’ individual recurrence risk.
Inverting a Laplacian Topography Map

There are some occasions when it is better to use the Laplacian of the scalp voltages (e.g., for topographic displays and dipole source localization) and other occasions when it is better to use the original voltages (e.g., for comparison to non-Laplacian topography maps). This paper presents a simple algorithm for going between these two representations of the data. The inverse Laplacian involves iterative feedback. An Excel spreadsheet implementation of the algorithm is presented.
Heterojunction fabrication by selective area chemical vapor deposition induced by synchrotron radiation

We have fabricated a B5C, boron‐carbide/Si(111) heterojunction diode by the synchrotron radiation‐induced decomposition of orthocarborane. This diode can be compared with similar boron‐carbide/Si(111) heterojunction diodes fabricated by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The synchrotron radiation induced chemical vapor deposition is postulated to occur via the decomposition of weakly chemisorbed species and the results suggest that ‘‘real‐time’’ projection lithography (selective area deposition) of boron‐carbide devices is possible.
Energy Recovery Linacs

The success and continuing progress of the three operating FELs based on energy recovery linacs (ERLs), the Jefferson Lab IR FEL upgrade, the Japan atomic energy agency (JAEA) FEL, and the Novosibirsk high power THz FEL, have inspired multiple future applications of ERLs, which include higher power FELs, synchrotron radiation sources, electron cooling devices, and high luminosity electron-ion colliders. The benefits of using ERLs for these applications are presented. The key accelerator physics and technology challenges of realizing future ERL designs, and recent developments towards resolving these challenges are reviewed.
Transient Photoconductivity in Silver Chloride at Low Temperatures

Primary photoconductivity has been investigated down to 6.5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K in single crystals of pure AgCl using low intensity, monochromatic light pulses and a sensitive electrometer. Results are presented which are in agreement with a theory of the transient response taking into account light absorption and electron trapping. The electron yield per absorbed photon (quantum efficiency) is found to be high, somewhat less than one, in the long-wavelength tail and through the first peak of optical absorption for all crystals and temperatures down to 6.5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. These results agree with the proposed band scheme if one allows for direct and indirect transitions as discussed in Sec. V. Electron trappping properties are strongly dependent on sample preparation, but certain features are believed characteristic of the silver halides. Whereas the density of deep (0.5 ev) traps may be very low in well-annealed AgCl, a high density of very shallow (0.1 ev) traps exists in the crystals prepared so far. Prominent electrical glow peaks have been observed at 15\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K, 35\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K, and 178\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. No evidence for hole mobility has been found and upper limits on possible hole ranges are given.
Scanning motions of an atomic force microscope tip in water

Integral equation techniques are used to study scanning motions of a single-atom tip of the atomic force microscope (AFM) over a rigid, hydrophobic monolayer substrate in water. The calculated force curve is found to be oscillatory, in agreement with recent AFM experiments, which can lead to multiple scanning trajectories for the tip under a constant load. The unique trajectory along which the system is thermodynamically stable is revealed. This study shows that the tip may take a hopping motion over a defect-free substrate due to layering of water molecules between the tip and substrate. [S0031-9007(97)03741-1]
Intracellular multiplication and human macrophage killing by Legionella pneumophila are inhibited by conjugal components of IncQ plasmid RSF1010

Previously we have reported that Legionella pneumophila can mediate plasmid DNA transfer at a frequency of about 10(-3) transconjugants per donor and that this process is dependent on several icm genes. Here we characterize the icm-dependent conjugal ability of L. pneumophila and study its relationship to intracellular multiplication and host cell killing. We found that three icm genes and the RSF1010 mobA gene are completely required and that three icm genes and the RSF1010 mobC gene are partially required for conjugation. Conjugation occurred during lag phase and stopped when the cell number increased. Inhibition of transcription or translation in the donor had only a minor effect on conjugation frequency. These results suggest that stationary-phase bacteria contain a functional icm complex that can mediate conjugal DNA transfer and probably can initiate infection of human macrophages as well. We also found that a functional RSF1010 mobilization system inhibits intracellular multiplication and killing of human macrophages by L. pneumophila. The strongest inhibition was observed in icm insertion mutants complemented with wild-type icm genes on an RSF1010-derived plasmid. These results suggest that the conjugation substrate probably competes with the natural substrate of the L. pneumophila icm system for transfer outside the bacterial cell. We propose that the function of the L. pneumophila icm system is to transfer effector molecules to the host cell. These effector molecules may interact with components of the host cell that are involved in phagosome formation and fate.
Design of DNA origami

The generation of arbitrary patterns and shapes at very small scales is at the heart of our effort to miniaturize circuits and is fundamental to the development of nanotechnology. Here I review a recently developed method for folding long single strands of DNA into arbitrary two-dimensional shapes using a raster fill technique - 'scaffolded DNA origami'. Shapes up to 100 nanometers in diameter can be approximated with a resolution of 6 nanometers and decorated with patterns of roughly 200 binary pixels at the same resolution. Experimentally verified by the creation of a dozen shapes and patterns, the method is easy, high yield, and lends itself well to automated design and manufacture. So far, CAD tools for scaffolded DNA origami are simple, require hand-design of the folding path, and are restricted to two dimensional designs. If the method gains wide acceptance, better CAD tools will be required.
Hate, Non-retaliation, and Love 1 QS x, 17–20 and Rom. 12:19–21

“I will not return evil to anybody, with good will I pursue man, for with God rests the judgment of every living being and he is the one to repay man for his deeds. … And the trial of a man of perdition I will not handle until the Day of Vengeance. But my anger I will not turn away from the men of deceit, and I will not be content until He has established judgment.” 1 QS x, 17-20.
Constitutional Documents of East-Central Europe

The new constitutions of the countries which now compose the so-called Soviet satellites, and of the ex-satellite, Yugoslavia, are set in a historical background which helps to explain their nature and their draftsmanship. Constitutional government, as it is known in Western Europe and in the United States, is unknown in Eastern Europe, with the exception of Czechoslovakia and of Finland. The latter country, however, is not included in our consideration. Stabs at western-type constitutionalism have been made occasionally. At a surprisingly early date, in 1879, the so-called Tirnovo constitution of Bulgaria included many liberal stipulations. Similarly, the Polish constitution of 1921, which was written primarily in order to curb Josef Pilsudski, was a democratic document. But neither of them prevailed in theory nor in practice, and the people of Communist Europe may therefore be expected to take constitutional documents in their stride even if their governments rule as they please and the civil "rights" enumerated thereunder remain a constant mockery to reality. There is a basic difference between constitutions in a democracy and a dictatorship. In a democracy a constitution, whether written or unwritten, whether supported by judicial review or under a system of legislative supremacy, is designed to limit, to restrain.' Constitutional government in the western sense is therefore limited, restrained government. But limitation and dictatorship are mutually exclusive terms, and while satellite Europe has a number of interesting constitutions, it does not have constitutionalism. It follows that constitutions of democratic countries present different questions to the analyst than is the case with those of dictatorships. When studying democratic constitutions, we are concerned with the organization of state and government, with the relations between government and citizens, and with the basic rights of the citi-
MCMV induces neointima in IFN-γR-/- mice: Intimal cell apoptosis and persistent proliferation of myofibroblasts

CMV infections have been linked to vasculopathies like atherosclerosis and Scleroderma. CMV infects vascular endothelium with intermittent shedding of the virus and the development of latency. We adopted a model of arteritis, developed by Presti et al. (1998), triggered by murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection. Our studies focused on neointima formation. Groups of mice include: 1) immunocompetent 129S, 2) immunocompetent 129S receiving whole body irradiation and MCMV, 3) IFN-γR-/- receiving MCMV, and 4) IFN-γR-/- receiving MCMV and whole body irradiation. Mice were inoculated with MCMV (5 x 104 or 1 x 105 PFU's) by i.p. injection; hearts and abdominal aortas were collected and histopathology evaluated. Infected immunocompetent animals exhibited widespread perivascular inflammation, which subsided by 8 weeks. Intimal pathology was not observed in any control group. Immunocompetent animals receiving MCMV and irradiation developed mild to moderate intimal lesions associated with medial and adventitial inflammation. IFN-γR-/- mice infected for 4 months and receiving whole body irradiation 2 months after infection developed pathology characterized by extensive adventitial and medial infiltrate and significant neointima, suggesting that infection and immunosuppression were co-requisites of neointima formation. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed myofibroblasts as a major component of neointima. The disease is characterized by up-regulation of growth factors (TGF-β1, PDGF-A and B). Apoptosis was detected in the intimal layer of affected aortas. Active proliferation of myofibroblasts and infiltrating cells was also detected. These results indicate that CMV infections may lead to intimal injury that results in the formation of neointima characteristic of autoimmune vasculopathies.
Time-multiplexed droplet manipulation via vibrating ratcheted micro-channels

In this paper, we demonstrate time-multiplexed movement of droplets confined in asymmetrically ratcheted SU8 channels on top of a silanized glass or silicon surface actuated through an external sinusoidal vibrating shaker. We show the motion of droplets (5~8mul) and characterize its dependence on shaking (amplitude and frequency) and channel (height and direction with respect to the vibrating angle) parameters. A maximum droplet moving speed of 100 mm/s is achieved with a vibration frequency and amplitude of 50 Hz and 3.5 mm, respectively. Due to the limited engagement force, under the testing conditions mentioned above, the droplets did not move in the channels with a height of less than 100 mum.
On Optimum Digital Phase-Locked Loops

This paper gives the design procedure of optimum digital filters for analog-digital phase-locked loops. The inputs considered are the step and ramp change in phase. The digital filters can easily be realized on the digital computer or otherwise. Design curves are given to choose proper noise bandwidth, sampling period, and loop parameters. It is shown that the optimum digitalanalog phase-locked loop is not the discrete version of the optimum continuous phase-locked loop.
Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling of JAZ, a New Cargo Protein for Exportin-5

Exportin-5 is a nuclear export receptor for certain classes of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), including pre-micro-RNAs, viral hairpin RNAs, and some tRNAs. It can also export the RNA binding proteins ILF3 and elongation factor EF1A. However, the rules that determine which RNA binding proteins are exportin-5 cargoes remain unclear. JAZ possesses an unusual dsRNA binding domain consisting of multiple C2H2 zinc fingers. We found that JAZ binds to exportin-5 in a Ran-GTP- and dsRNA-dependent manner. Exportin-5 stimulates JAZ shuttling, and gene silencing of exportin-5 reduces shuttling. Recombinant exportin-5 also stimulates nuclear export of JAZ in permeabilized cells. JAZ also binds to ILF3, and surprisingly, this interaction is RNA independent, even though it requires the dsRNA binding domains of ILF3. Exportin-5, JAZ, and ILF3 can form a heteromeric complex with Ran-GTP and dsRNA, and JAZ increases ILF3 binding to exportin-5. JAZ does not contain a classical nuclear localization signal, and in digitonin-permeabilized cells, nuclear accumulation of JAZ does not require energy or cytosol. Nonetheless, low temperatures prevent JAZ import, suggesting that nuclear entry does not occur via simple diffusion. Together, these data suggest that JAZ is exported by exportin-5 but translocates back into nuclei by a facilitated diffusion mechanism.
A signaling framework for time-varying multipath fading channels

This paper develops a general framework for communication over time-varying multipath fading channels via orthogonal short-time Fourier (STF) basis functions. In general, STF basis functions interfere with each other due to the loss of orthogonality by channel dispersion. It is shown that the channel spread factor, the product of multipath and Doppler spreads, plays a key role in determining system performance. Smaller spread factors result in lower interference. A simple and approximately optimal pulse scale adaptation rule is derived to minimize interference by matching pulse properties to channel characteristics. For sufficiently small channel spread factors, a scale-adapted STF basis serves as a set of approximate eigenfunctions of the channel. However, for relatively larger spread factors, residual interference may cost a large degradation in performance. A highly effective iterative interference cancellation technique, sequential iterative interference cancellation (SIIC), is proposed to mitigate the residual interference between basis functions. Analytical and simulation results demonstrate the excellent performance of the proposed signaling framework.
Allowing state changes in specifications

We provide a static analysis (using both dataflow analysis and theorem proving) to allow state changes within specifications. This can be used for specification languages that share the same expression sub-language with an implementation language so that method calls can appear in preconditions, postconditions, and object invariants without violating the soundness of the system.
An Experimental Investigation of the Origin of Increased NOx Emissions When Fueling a Heavy-Duty Compression-Ignition Engine with Soy Biodiesel

It is generally accepted that emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) increase as the volume fraction of biodiesel increases in blends with conventional diesel fuel. While many mechanisms based on biodiesel effects on in- cylinder processes have been proposed to explain this observation, a clear understanding of the relative importance of each has remained elusive. To gain further insight into the cause(s) of the biodiesel NOx increase, experiments were conducted in a single- cylinder version of a heavy-duty diesel engine with extensive optical access to the combustion chamber. The engine was operated using two biodiesel fuels and two hydrocarbon reference fuels, over a wide range of loads, and using undiluted air as well as air diluted with simulated exhaust gas recirculation. Measurements were made of cylinder pressure, spatially integrated natural luminosity (a measure of radiative heat transfer), engine-out emissions of NOx and smoke, flame lift-off length, actual start of injection, ignition delay, and efficiency. Adiabatic flame temperatures for the test fuels and a surrogate #2 diesel fuel also were computed at representative diesel-engine conditions. Results suggest that the biodiesel NOx increase is not quantitatively determined by a change in a single fuel property, but rather is the result of a number of coupled mechanisms whose effects may tend to reinforce or cancel one another under different conditions, depending on specific combustion and fuel characteristics. Nevertheless, charge-gas mixtures that are closer to stoichiometric at ignition and in the standing premixed autoignition zone near the flame lift- off length appear to be key factors in helping to explain the biodiesel NOx increase under all conditions. These differences are expected to lead to higher local and average in-cylinder temperatures, lower radiative heat losses, and a shorter, more-advanced combustion event, all of which would be expected to increase thermal NOx emissions. Differences in prompt NO formation and species concentrations resulting from fuel and jet-structure changes also may play important roles.
Impact of eating restriction on gastrointestinal motility in adolescents with IBS.

Objective Gastrointestinal disturbances as a result of changes in eating patterns have been described in eating disorders. Many patients who experience irritable bowel syndrome report changes in eating patterns as a way to cope with their symptoms. Little is known about the consequences of these practices. The aim of this study was to explore whether repeated eating restriction (defined as not eating ≥ 4 hours while hungry) is associated with motility disturbances. Methods Of 17 patients with irritable bowel syndrome, subjects were divided into those who habitually restrict their eating (n = 8) and those without eating restriction (n = 9) (age range 15-21, mean 19.2; 64.7% girls). Whole-gut transit time was measured by radiopaque markers, gastric sensitivity was measured by water load test (drinking max of 800 mL of water in 5 minutes or until full), and gastric dysrhythmias by an electrogastrogram. Results Restrictors drank less water (mean 464.4 mL) than nonrestrictors (mean 613 mL; P = 0.02). No difference was found in gastric dysrhythmias (62.5% vs 77.8%; P = 0.5). Whole-gut transit tended to be slower in the restrictors (mean 51.0 hours) than in nonrestrictors (mean 37.5 hours), but this was not significant. Conclusions Eating restriction appears to be associated with increased gastric sensation. More data are needed from larger studies to determine whether eating behaviors are associated with other motility disturbances.
Goodput analysis and link adaptation for IEEE 802.11a wireless LANs

Link adaptation to dynamically select the data transmission rate at a given time has been recognized as an effective way to improve the goodput performance of the IEEE 802.11 wireless local-area networks (WLANs). Recently, with the introduction of the new high-speed 802.11a physical layer (PHY), it is even more important to have a well-designed link adaptation scheme work with the 802.11a PHY such that its multiple transmission rates can be exploited. In this paper, we first present a generic method to analyze the goodput performance of an 802.11a system under the distributed coordination function (DCF) and express the expected effective goodput as a closed-form function of the data payload length, the frame retry count, the wireless channel condition, and the selected data transmission rate. Then, based on the theoretical analysis, we propose a novel MPDU (MAC protocol data unit)-based link adaptation scheme for the 802.11a systems. It is a simple table-driven approach and the basic idea is to preestablish a best PHY mode table by applying the dynamic programming technique. The best PHY mode table is indexed by the system status triplet that consists of the data payload length, the wireless channel condition, and the frame retry count. At runtime, a wireless station determines the most appropriate PHY mode for the next transmission attempt by a simple table lookup, using the most up-to-date system status as the index. Our in-depth simulation shows that the proposed MPDU-based link adaptation scheme outperforms the single-mode schemes and the autorate fallback (ARF) scheme-which is used in Lucent Technologies' WaveLAN-II networking devices-significantly in terms of the average goodput, the frame drop rate, and the average number of transmission attempts per data frame delivery.
Neural network modeling of reactive ion etching using principal component analysis of optical emission spectroscopy data

In this paper, neural networks trained by the error back-propagation algorithm are used to build models of etch rate, uniformity, selectivity and anisotropy as a function of optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data in a reactive ion etching process. The material etched is benzocyclobutene (BCB), a low-k dielectric polymer, which is etched in an SF/sub 6/ and O/sub 2/ plasma in a parallel plate system. Neural network training data are obtained from a multi-way principal component analysis (MPCA) of the OES data. These data are acquired from a 2/sup 4/ factorial experiment designed to characterize etch process variation with controllable input factors consisting of the two gas flows, RF power and chamber pressure. Evaluation of the trained neural networks is performed in terms of root mean square (RMS) error, and less than 3% prediction errors are achieved.
Parsing citations in biomedical articles using conditional random fields

Citations are used ubiquitously in biomedical full-text articles and play an important role for representing both the rhetorical structure and the semantic content of the articles. As a result, text mining systems will significantly benefit from a tool that automatically extracts the content of a citation. In this study, we applied the supervised machine-learning algorithms Conditional Random Fields (CRFs) to automatically parse a citation into its fields (e.g., Author, Title, Journal, and Year). With a subset of html format open-access PubMed Central articles, we report an overall 97.95% F1-score. The citation parser can be accessed at: http://www.cs.uwm.edu/~qing/projects/cithit/index.html.
Cerebrovascular stenoses with cerebral infarction in a child with Williams syndrome

We report on a patient with Williams syndrome who suffered a cerebrovascular accident. Clinical evaluation demonstrated the presence of carotid and cerebral arterial stenoses. We believe these lesions led to acute cerebrovascular ischemia and a non-hemorrhagic cerebral infarction. It is possible the stenoses were exacerbated by a vasculitis. The stenoses were identified by both invasive and noninvasive imaging studies. These studies may have a role in the evaluation of persons with Williams syndrome. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Synergid degeneration in Nicotiana: a quantitative, fluorochromatic and chlorotetracycline study

Synergid degeneration was examined in the isolated embryo sac and egg apparatus of Nicotiana tabacum using quantitative cytology, fluorochromatic reaction (FCR) and chlorotetracycline (CTC). Most synergid degeneration occurs after pollen tubes (PT) arrive in the ovarian chamber between 42 and 48 h after pollination; synergid degeneration was precluded when PT were prevented from entering the ovary by stylar excision indicating that the signal that triggers synergid degeneration travels only relatively short distances in this plant. There was no evidence for any preferentiality between right or left synergids with regard to cell size or degeneration pattern. FCR staining confirms that synergid degeneration involves the loss of membrane integrity and is a reliable indicator of the onset of degeneration. CTC labeling of the degenerated synergid reveals that a concentrated reserve of membrane-bound calcium is present in the receptive synergid, possibly aiding in the attraction, arrest and discharge of the PT, releasing the sperms into the receptive ES.
Prolonged recoverability of desiccated adenovirus type 19 from various surfaces.

Abstract Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis is a highly contagious disease whose transmission has been linked to the ophthalmologists office. The authors studied the ability of adenovirus 19 (ADV 19) to survive on surfaces commonly found in the office setting. An initial in vitro laboratory experiment demonstrated that ADV 19 in a desiccated state could be recovered up to 8 days from paper, and up to 10 days from cloth, metal, and plastic. The amount of recovered ADV 19 was significantly greater (analysis of variance, P
Carbon isotopes and lipid biomarkers from organic-rich facies of the Shuram Formation, Sultanate of Oman

The largest recorded carbon isotopic excursion in Earth history is observed globally in carbonate rocks of middle Ediacaran age. Known from the Sultanate of Oman as the ‘Shuram excursion’, this event records a dramatic, systematic shift in δ^(13)C_(carbonate) values to ca. −12‰. Attempts to explain the nature, magnitude and origin of this excursion include (i) a primary signal resulting from the protracted oxidation of a large dissolved organic carbon reservoir in seawater, release of methane from sediment-hosted clathrates, or water column stratification; and (ii) a secondary signal from diagenetic processes. The compositions and isotope ratios of organic carbon phases during the excursion are critical to evaluating these ideas; however, previous work has focused on localities that are low in organic carbon, hindering straightforward interpretation of the observed time-series trends. We report carbon isotope data from bulk organic carbon, extracted bitumen and kerogen, in addition to lipid biomarker data, from a subsurface well drilled on the eastern flank of the South Oman Salt Basin, Sultanate of Oman. This section captures Nafun Group strata through the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary in the Ara Group and includes an organic-rich, deeper-water facies of the Shuram Formation. Despite the high organic matter contents, the carbon isotopic compositions of carbonates – which record a negative δ^(13)C isotope excursion similar in shape and magnitude to sections elsewhere in Oman – do not covary with those of organic phases (bulk TOC, bitumen and kerogen). Paired inorganic and organic δ^(13)C data only display coupled behaviour during the latter part of the excursion's recovery. Furthermore, lipid biomarker data reveal that organic matter composition and source inputs varied stratigraphically, reflecting biological community shifts in non-migrated, syngenetic organic matter deposited during this interval.
The Geometry of the Master Equation and Topological Quantum Field Theory

In Batalin–Vilkovisky formalism, a classical mechanical system is specified by means of a solution to the classical master equation. Geometrically, such a solution can be considered as a QP-manifold, i.e. a supermanifold equipped with an odd vector field Q obeying {Q, Q} = 0 and with Q-invariant odd symplectic structure. We study geometry of QP-manifolds. In particular, we describe some construction of QP-manifolds and prove a classification theorem (under certain conditions). We apply these geometric constructions to obtain in a natural way the action functionals of two-dimensional topological sigma-models and to show that the Chern–Simons theory in BV-formalism arises as a sigma-model with target space $\Pi\mathcal{G}$. (Here $\mathcal{G}$ stands for a Lie algebra and Π denotes parity inversion.)
Managing Public Financial Resources in a Changing World: Analyzing a Budget

This paper uses statistical method to analyzing a budget to managing public financial resources, including revenue change, non tax resources, General Operating Fund Revenues, etc.
A Cancer Cell Spheroid Assay to Assess Invasion in a 3D Setting

The invasive nature of cancer cell lines is thought to correlate with their metastatic potential. Most traditional assays, however, do not examine these invasive features in a three-dimensional environment and the resulting data suffer from reduced biological applicability. Here an approach is presented to visualize the invasive ability of cell lines in a physiologically relevant setting. The cancer cell spheroid invasion assay first utilizes gravity to generate spheroids within drops of media that hang from the lid of a cell culture dish. Next, these spheroids are embedded in a 3D matrix consisting of a mixture of basement membrane materials and type I collagen. Cancer cell egression from the spheroids into the surrounding matrix is then monitored over time. The method described here can be modified to examine invasion after coculture of different cell types, inclusion of drugs/inhibitors, or alterations in extracellular matrix (ECM) constituents.
Thermodynamically consistent microstructure prediction of additively manufactured materials

Additive manufacturing has risen to the top of research interest in advanced manufacturing in recent years due to process flexibility, achievability of geometric complexity, and the ability to locally modify and optimize materials. The present work is focused on providing an approach for incorporating thermodynamically consistent properties and microstructure evolution for non-equilibrium supercooling, as observed in additive manufacturing processes, into finite element analysis. There are two primary benefits of this work: (1) the resulting prediction is based on the material composition and (2) the nonlinear behavior caused by the thermodynamic properties of the material during the non-equilibrium solution is accounted for with extremely high resolution. The predicted temperature response and microstructure evolution for additively manufactured stainless steel 316L using standard handbook-obtained thermodynamic properties are compared with the thermodynamic properties calculated using the CALculation of PHAse Diagrams (CALPHAD) approach. Data transfer from the CALPHAD approach to finite element analysis is discussed.
Meeting the Challenge of Sustainable Supply Chain Management

The pressures of social and environmental responsibility require companies to consider sustainability issues across the full product life cycle, from the conduct of upstream suppliers to the disposition of obsolete products. Leading companies have adopted a variety of sustainable business practices that reduce their supply chain footprint while generating increased value for stakeholders. Systems thinking and life cycle management are key elements in achieving measurable improvements in sustainability and profitability, and new life cycle assessment methods enable an understanding of supply chain dependencies on ecosystem services. However, incremental supply chain efficiency improvements are insufficient to slow the increases in carbon emissions and other adverse ecological impacts. Both developed and emerging economies will benefit from efforts by progressive multi-national companies to collaborate with governments and non-governmental organizations in order to decouple material flows from economic value creation. Current patterns of industrialization are unsustainable, and innovative breakthroughs will be needed to shift the global economy to a sustainable growth path. In this context, broad corporate adoption of sustainable supply chain management practices is a critical step in achieving a transition to a sustainable global economy.
The Parameters of Performance

This chapter outlines and interrelates the primary parameters of technique, interpretation, expression, and analysis, along with their respective subparameters. Such categorization renders an extremely complex discipline more comprehensible and achievable, laying a concrete foundation from which more subtle, less quantifiable abilities and sensibilities can emerge. I argue that, since all parameters are either arranged or employed hierarchically, they are all roughly analogous. For example, fingering, which occupies a relatively low technical level, is a correlate of local dynamic and temporal inflections, of articulation, and of gestural meaning.
Improved Method of Preparing Bacillus Typhosus Toxic Substances Necessary for Local Skin Reactivity.

ConclusionIt is possible to obtain highly potent skin preparatory and reacting factors in filtrates of washings of 20-22 hour old Bacillus typhosus cultures on plain agar. Under these conditions there is avoided much of the extraneous material present in tryptic digest broth previously employed, as well as much of the bacterial autolysis occurring in the older method. This would indicate that the skin preparatory and reacting factors are bacterial soluble substances, the production of which is independent of massive cell destruction.The filtrates prepared in this manner produce negligible primary effect upon the skin (erythema, swelling), notwithstanding their high skin preparatory potency. This is in agreement with the view previously expressed1,25 that the skin preparatory potency of a given filtrate bears no relation to its primary effect on the skin.It is of considerable interest to note that there exists a distinct reciprocal quantitative relationship between the skin and intravenous (loses. This obs...
No Apparent Cardiac Conduction Effects of Acute Treatment with Risperidone in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Abstract Objectives: Risperidone is approved for the treatment of serious behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined the effects of risperidone on cardiac conduction in children with ASD. Methods: Data were collected from an 8-week, five-site trial conducted by the Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology Autism Network. Children (age 5–17 years) were randomly assigned to risperidone (n = 49) or placebo (n = 52) under double-blind conditions. Risperidone was superior to placebo in reducing serious behavioral problems. A standard 12-lead, electrocardiogram (ECG) was obtained in most subjects at screening and week 8. A pediatric electrophysiologist blind to treatment assignment reviewed all available ECGs for readability, abnormalities, and cardiac conduction parameters, including QTc. The electrophysiologist measurements were compared to machine readings. A second blinded electrophysiologist examined all available ECGs for abnormalities and a 20% random s...
Conflict Resolution in the Genome: How Transcription and Replication Make It Work

The complex machineries involved in replication and transcription translocate along the same DNA template, often in opposing directions and at different rates. These processes routinely interfere with each other in prokaryotes, and mounting evidence now suggests that RNA polymerase complexes also encounter replication forks in higher eukaryotes. Indeed, cells rely on numerous mechanisms to avoid, tolerate, and resolve such transcription-replication conflicts, and the absence of these mechanisms can lead to catastrophic effects on genome stability and cell viability. In this article, we review the cellular responses to transcription-replication conflicts and highlight how these inevitable encounters shape the genome and impact diverse cellular processes.
THE PRAIRIE PENINSULA: A CLIMATIC PERSPECTIVE

The adequacy of climate to explain the distribution of the tallgrass-prairie—oak-hickory forest in the United States has been investigated and it is shown that the prairie peninsula originated due to a unique combination of climatic conditions prevailing in the Middle West. The climate which is unique to the peninsula has been defined in terms of effective moisture as determined by soil moisture deficit, water surplus, and the index of moisture using the Thornthwaite's water budget procedure. The results of this study demonstrate that definite quantities of soil moisture deficit, water surplus, and the index of moisture restrict the growth and development of the tallgrass-prairie-oak-hickory forest to a well-defined geographic region in the United States. Vegetational response to effective climate is expressed in the closeness of fit between the critical isolines of soil moisture deficit, water surplus, and the index of moisture and the boundaries of the prairie peninsula. In particular, the moisture inde...
Elevation of Fumarate Levels Compromise Redox Control and Viability in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

In this issue of Cell Chemical Biology, Ruecker et al. (2017) show that fumarase depletion in Mycobacterium tuberculosis leads to fumarate, a TCA cycle intermediate, accumulation, causing succination of a range of thiol-containing metabolites and proteins. Fumarate is bactericidal to the pathogen, and its accumulation may enhance the bactericidal effector mechanisms of other TCA cycle intermediates that accumulate due to activation of infected macrophages.
Hair follicle specific ACVR1/ALK2 critically affects skin morphogenesis and attenuates wound healing

The bone morphogenic protein signaling (BMP) is intricately involved in the quiescence and regulation of stem cells through activation of BMP receptors. Hair follicle stem cells play a critical role in cutaneous homeostasis and regeneration. Here, we utilize a novel mouse model with targeted overexpression of the BMP receptor ALK2/ACVR1 in hair follicle stem cells, to characterize its role in skin development and postnatal wound healing. Initial histologic evaluation demonstrated significant dysregulation in hair follicle morphogenesis in mutant mice. These demonstrated increased numbers of individual hair follicles with altered morphology and localization. Mutant follicles were found to exhibit elevated proliferative activity as well as increased prevalence of CD34 and ITGA6 positive follicle stem cells. Interestingly, constitutive overexpression of ALK2 resulted in attenuation of cutaneous wound healing. These findings demonstrate that hair follicle specific ALK2 is intricately involved in maintenance of the stem cell niche and wound healing.
Hosting Syrian Refugees: Resources Exist in Our Communities.

The article discusses the authors' claim that the communities across the U.S. have the resources that are needed to help refugee families from places such as Syria, and it mentions a "Food As Medicine" advocacy group for refugees and families, as well as empathy for the physical and emotional needs of refugees. A Syrian civil war-related humanitarian crisis is examined, along with refugees resettlement and donations of clothing, money, and household appliances.
A general approach to decomposition of Petri nets

This thesis introduces a general approach to decomposition of Petri nets, i.e., an approach that can be applied to any Petri net. Previous decompositions are applicable only to certain Petri nets, and are associated with the concern that a Petri net may not be decomposable. This thesis removes that concern. Further, a typical previous decomposition does not result in a unique set of components, and needs a decision for choosing a set of components. For example, one decomposition decomposes a Petri net into a set of certain subnets that cover the Petri net, but a Petri net can be covered by more than one possible set of subnets. In contrast, this thesis's approach results in a unique set of components. First, a Petri net is decomposed into sequential components, i.e., components each of which presents a sequence of precedence-ordered events, rather than concurrent events. Two decompositions, which are different in level of detail and in computational complexity, are presented. The simpler of the two can be computed in polynomial time with respect to the Petri net size; the other can be computed in NP-time. A third decomposition adds a recomposability advantage to the first two decompositions. Using the third, any property or problem in a Petri net, such as deadlock, can be completely inspected based on the components. Each decomposition is presented in a graphical form. These decompositions are applicable to verification of a complex system design. Duality is incorporated into the decompositions. In a Petri net dual flow helps trace or monitor the regular token flow. Associated with the above three decompositions are three dual decompositions. Each of the three dual decompositions decomposes a Petri net based on the dual flow. The three dual decompositions simplify the complexity in the dual flow, whereas the first three decompositions simplify the complexity in the regular token flow. In contrast to this thesis, other existing dual decompositions are obtained based on exchanging transitions with places. This thesis adopts a decomposition theory by Naylor, which helps obtain a general decomposition, incorporate one decomposition with another, and incorporate duality.
Learning robust general radio signal detection using computer vision methods

We introduce a new method for radio signal detection and localization within the time-frequency spectrum based on the use of convolutional neural networks for bounding box regression. Recently, this class of approach has surpassed human-level performance on computer vision benchmarks for object detection, but similar techniques have not yet been adopted for radio applications. We introduce the basic approach explain how labeled training data containing wideband spectrum annotated with masks and bounding boxes can be used to train a highly effective radio signal detector which achieves higher levels of contextual understanding and improved sensitivity performance when compared with more traditional nave energy thresholding based signal detection schemes. We extend prior work from the computer vision field, employing a variation of the You Only Look Once (YOLO) architecture which is a fast and accurate visual object detector. Results are shown from illustrating the effectiveness from our entry into the DARPA Battle-of-the-ModRecs competition and over the air datasets.
In Situ Probing of Laser Annealing of Plasmonic Substrates with Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

In this work, we in situ monitor the laser annealing of template-fabricated silver substrates using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA) as a molecular probe. The annealing process, which exhibits a strong dependence on the laser power, yields a large (>50×) increase in the SERS of the immobilized 4-MBA. This increased SERS response is correlated with the changing substrate morphology using optical and scanning electron microscope images. We attribute the large enhancement to the formation of nanogaps facilitated by binding of the 4-MBA through both thiol and COO- groups in a sandwich structure, resulting in both electromagnetic and chemical enhancement. This annealing effect, associated with the continuous increase of SERS intensity, was not limited to the AgNP arrays but included Ag films deposited on a variety of nanoporous templates. This study provides a simple strategy for in situ optimization of plasmonic SERS substrates.