cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of photoperiod and temperature on the induction of diapause in Aedes atropalpus (Díptera : Culicidae).

Daylength was shown to control embryonic diapause in Aedes atropalpus. A northern and southern strain were studied and their critical photoperiods reflected differences of latitude between the sources of the strains. The sensitive for light reception was the fourth larval instar and pupa of the maternal generation. This is the first instance of maternal induction of diapause to be reported in the family Culicidae. The effect of long photoperiods was shown to be independent from that of low temperature, thereby emphasizing that the deposition of diapausing eggs during fall is clearly an expression of the influence of shorter days on the mosquito. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG DER EINFLUSS VON PHOTOPERIODE UND TEMPERATUR AUF DIE INDUKTION DER DIAPAUSE BEI AEDES ATROPALPUS (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE) Es wurde nachgewiesen, das die embryonale Diapause von Aedes atropalpus von der Tageslange beherrscht wird. Ein nordlicher, aus einer Wildpopulation von 42° N isolierter Stamm wurde mit einem sudlichen, aus einer Population von 30° N isolierten, verglichen. Die kritischen Photoperioden der beiden Stamme spiegeln den Breiten-Unterschied ihrer Herkunft wider. Die kritische Photoperiode lag fur den nordlichen Stamm zwischen 14 und 15 Stunden Licht pro Tag, die fur den sudlichen nahe 13 Stunden. Nondiapause-Eier wurden von dem nordlichen Stamm auch bei sehr kurzen Photophasen, von 6 Stunden Licht und weniger, abgelegt. Das sensible Stadium fur die Photoperiode-Wahrnehmung lag im 4. Larven-und im Puppenstadium der mutterlichen Generation. Dies ist der erste Fall mutterlicher Vererbung' der Diapause, der fur Culiciden nachgewiesen wird. Die Wirkung langer Photophasen erwies sich als unabhangig von niederen Temperatur, wodurch deutlich wird, das die Ablage diapausierender Eier wahrend des Herbstes ein eindeutiger Ausdruck des Einflusses der Kurztage auf die Mucken ist.
A graphical simulation system for modeling and analysis of sensor networks

Formal model and verification techniques can be used to design and analyze many kinds of systems. However, there are few formal models for verification and analysis of sensor networks in the literature. In this paper, we present a graphical simulation system for modeling and analysis of sensor networks. A formal model of sensor networks is proposed based on Space Time Petri Net (STPN). STPN is a formal model language which is extended from time Petri Nets (TPN) and colored Petri nets (CPN). The idea is to add space information to the places of the original TPN to model the space information in sensor networks, such as the locations of sensor nodes. And based on this modeling idea, a set of new concepts are proposed, such as space place, broadcast transition, and dynamic topology. The STPN not only can model the various characteristics of sensor networks, such as temporal and spatial information, but also can simulate the different behavior of sensor networks. A prototype system has been implemented to model and analyze the behavior of sensor networks systems.
Knowledge-based controller for intelligent mobile robots

An overview of the recent results in the area of Autonomous Control Systems is given in this paper. A concept of hierarchical nested controller is introduced, and an application of this concept is shown for control of intelligent mobile robots.
Assessment of Business Analytics Trust Through Examination of Personal IT Use

IT consumerization has brought social media (SM) and personal mobile devices into many workplaces. This has prompted researchers to examine the benefits and risks of this trend. However, little research has examined how personal experiences with technology such as social media may affect decision making on the job. This study examines the potential impact of individuals’ trusting beliefs (competence, benevolence, and integrity) regarding algorithms and social media communities (SMC) on initial trust in SM-based business analytics (BA), as well as on relative advantage over non-SM based BA. Study results suggested that the initial trust was influenced by the belief in the competency of personal algorithms as well as trust in SMC. It also indicates that increased trust in SMC influences relative advantage. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Assimilation of HF radar-derived surface currents on tidal-timescales

A surface current observation system based on high-frequency (HF) radar has been developed for Raritan Bay and the coastal waters of New York and New Jersey. An HF radar network provides synoptic surface current maps in near-real-time that can be optimally combined with ocean circulation models using data assimilation (DA) framework to obtain the best possible estimate of a three-dimensional ocean state. A nudging or Newtonian damping scheme has been developed to assimilate HF radar data into an estuarine and coastal ocean circulation model. This model, with an extensive embedded real-time observational network, is called the New York Harbour Observing and Prediction System (NYHOPS). A nudging parameter is introduced into the equations of motion which affects the model dynamics. The data is imparted to neighbouring (three-dimensional) grid points via model dynamics. The impact of HF radar DA is analysed by computing the DA skill score (DAskill) based on the mean-square-error (mse). The DAskill is computed...
Broadband Absorption Enhancement in Solar Cells with an Atomically Thin Active Layer

We numerically demonstrate broadband absorption enhancement in the visible in monolayer MoS2 placed on a photonic crystal slab, backed by a perfect electric conductor mirror. The absorption enhancement arises from interaction between the MoS2 and the guided resonances of the photonic crystal slab. Through consideration of light trapping theory and parametric studies of the design parameters, it is shown that the optimal photonic crystal slab has a grating period that is subwavelength to most of the frequency region of interest, has large air holes, and is thin. The optimal design features an average absorption of 51% at normal incidence in the visible above the band gap of MoS2 (400–690 nm) and is less than 100 nm thick. We also comment on the angular response of the optimal device.
The role of diversity in complex ICA algorithms for fMRI analysis.

Abstract Background The widespread use of data-driven methods, such as independent component analysis (ICA), for the analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging data (fMRI) has enabled deeper understanding of neural function. However, most popular ICA algorithms for fMRI analysis make several simplifying assumptions, thus ignoring sources of statistical information, types of “diversity,” and limiting their performance. New method We propose the use of complex entropy rate bound minimization (CERBM) for the analysis of actual fMRI data in its native, complex, domain. Though CERBM achieves enhanced performance through the exploitation of the three types of diversity inherent to complex fMRI data: noncircularity, non-Gaussianity, and sample-to-sample dependence, CERBM produces results that are more variable than simpler methods. This motivates the development of a minimum spanning tree (MST)-based stability analysis that mitigates the variability of CERBM. Comparison with existing methods In order to validate our method, we compare the performance of CERBM with the popular CInfomax as well as complex entropy bound minimization (CEBM). Results We show that by leveraging CERBM and the MST-based stability analysis, we are able to consistently produce components that have a greater number of activated voxels in physically meaningful regions and can more accurately classify patients with schizophrenia than components generated using simpler models. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the advantages of using ICA algorithms that can exploit all inherent types of diversity for the analysis of fMRI data when coupled with appropriate stability analyses.
Influence of Loose-Shell Kernels and Foreign Material on Insect Damage in Stored Peanuts

Loose-shell kernels (LSK) and foreign material (FM) were added to, or removed from, farmers stock peanuts to produce combinations of 0% LSK-FM, 5% LSK-10% FM, and 10% LSK-20% FM. Peanuts were treated with either 20 ppm pirimiphos-methyl or distilled water, placed in a metal shed, and infested with almond moths, Cadra cautella (Walker), Indianmeal moths, Plodia interpunctella (Hubner), red flour beetles, Tribolium Castaneum (Herbst), merchant grain beetles, Oryzaephilus mercator (Faurel), and cigarette beetles, Lasioderma serricorne (F.). Samples were taken at 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 mo after treatment. The number of insect-damaged kernels from cracked pods in untreated peanuts was ca. 20-30% higher in peanuts with 0% LSK-FM than in either of the other two LSK-FM combinations. The number of insect-damaged kernels was significantly lower in treated versus untreated peanuts, but percent damage was greater in peanuts with 0% LSK-FM. LSK from untreated peanuts had ca. 40-60% damage throughout the year. The number of live insects in untreated peanuts was greater in the 5% LSK-10% FM and 10% LSK-20% FM than in peanuts with 0% LSK-FM at 2 mo, but the number of insects in all three combinations declined until 12 mo.
Jones Very, The Transcendentalists, and the Unitarian Tradition

Although he considered himself set apart from the world, a man through whom the Spirit revealed a higher truth, Jones Very has consistently provided his critics with an irresistible challenge to classify him historically in a tradition that would explain his unique poetry and personality. Histories and descriptions of American Transcendentalism usually list him hesitatingly as a peripheral member of the movement, but Very seems to worry recent historians in much the same way he worried Emerson and the other members of “Hedge's Club,” who were both attracted and repelled by his spiritual intensity. His association with Emerson was undoubtedly a fortunate historical accident for him—Emerson both encouraged him in his poetry, valiantly tried to give him editorial assistance, and used his influence to find a publisher for the only collection of poems Very was to publish in his lifetime. Yet this close personal association has helped to perpetuate the historical assumption of Very's ties with Transcendentalism. This assumption, both when it has been affirmed or vigorously rejected, has obscured the kind of objective reading that is necessary to our understanding of Very's poetry and his place in American letters.
Sex and the night shift

Sex differences in sleep and circadian rhythms have been reported in both animals and humans. Observed sleep and circadian differences between males and females include the duration of slow wave sleep, endocrine modulation of circadian control, and the timing of clock gene expression rhythms in the
Research on Legal Problems of Sex-change Surgery

As the treatment for transsexualism,sex-change surgery should be certificated.But the area is in disorder for no related law,which is not favourable to protect transsexual and results chaos for some legal relationship.After studied the over-seas related legislation and domestic surgeon’s clinical experience,the author brought forward some suggestion for the condition and legal procedure of sex-change surgery from law,human rights and medicine.The suggestion has scientific value and maneuverability to do beneficial discussion for the sex-change surgery legislation.
Do Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) and tufted titmice (Baeolophus bicolor) attend to the head or body orientation of a perched avian predator

Individuals of many prey species adjust their foraging behavior in response to the presence of a predator. Responding to predators takes time away from searching for and exploiting food resources. To balance between the need to avoid predation and the need to forage, individuals should attend to cues from predators that indicate risk. Two such cues might be the predator's head orientation (where it might be looking) and body orientation (where it might be moving). In the current study, flocks of Carolina chickadees, Poecile carolinensis, and tufted titmice, Baeolophus bicolor, were presented with perched hawk and owl models. Predator model head and body orientation were independently manipulated relative to a feeding station birds were using. Chickadees and titmice avoided the feeders more when the heads of the models were facing toward the feeders compared to facing away from the feeders. Calling behavior of birds was also affected by head orientation of the models. No effect of predator body orientation on chickadee and titmouse behavior was detected. The results indicate that when chickadees and titmice detect a perched avian predator, they assess risk primarily based upon its head orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record
Nitric oxide as a regulator of adrenal blood flow.

To determine whether nitric oxide (NO) is involved in adrenal medullary vasodilation during splanchnic nerve stimulation (NS)-induced catecholamine secretion, blood flow (Q) and secretory responses were measured in pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs before and after administration of the NO synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). L-NAME (40 mg/kg iv over 5 min, followed by 40 mg.kg-1.h-1) reduced NO synthase activity of medullary and cortical homogenates from 5.2 +/- 0.3 to 0.7 +/- 0.1 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1 and from 1.2 +/- 0.2 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1 to undetectable levels, respectively. L-NAME reduced resting medullary and cortical Q by 42 and 60%, respectively. NS before L-NAME increased medullary Q from 181 +/- 16 to 937 +/- 159 ml.min-1.100 g-1 and epinephrine secretion from 1.9 +/- 0.8 to 781 +/- 331 ng/min. NS after L-NAME had no effect on medullary Q (103 +/- 14 vs. 188 +/- 34 ml.min-1.100 g-1), while epinephrine secretion increased to the same extent as in control animals (1.9 +/- 0.7 vs. 576 +/- 250 ng/min). L-NAME also unmasked NS-induced cortical vasoconstriction; cortical Q decreased from 96 +/- 8 to 50 +/- 5 ml.min-1.100 g-1. Administration of hexamethonium (30 mg/kg iv), a nicotinic receptor antagonist, reduced NS-induced epinephrine secretion by 90%. These data suggest independent neural control of medullary Q and catecholamine secretion, the former by NO and the latter by acetylcholine.
An Update on the Concept of the Marketing Mix

Marketing academics make extensive use of the marketing mix as educators and researchers. Since the marketing mix was first proposed around 1950 much has been done to develop the concept. The objective in writing this paper is to bring together in one place the basic current thinking concerning the concept of the marketing mix.
A POMDP approach to influence diagram evaluation

We propose a node-removal/arc-reversal algorithm for influence diagram evaluation that includes reductions that allow an influence diagram to be solved by a generalization of the dynamic programming approach to solving partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs). Among its potential advantages, the algorithm allows a more flexible ordering of node removals, and a POMDP-inspired approach to optimizing over hidden state variables, which can improve the scalability of influence diagram evaluation in solving complex, multi-stage problems. It also finds a more compact representation of an optimal strategy.
Photochemical Generation of Strained Cycloalkynes from Methylenecyclopropanes.

The hydrocarbons 1-cyclopentylidene-1a,9b-dihydro-1H-cyclopropa[l]phenanthrene and 1-cyclobutylidene-1a,9b-dihydro-1H-cyclopropa[l]phenanthrene undergo photolysis in solution at ambient temperature to produce cyclohexyne and cyclopentyne, respectively. These strained cycloalkynes, formed via the putative cycloalkylidenecarbenes, were intercepted as Diels–Alder adducts. Calculations at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/6-31+G* level of theory show that singlet cyclopentylidenecarbene has to overcome a barrier of 9.1 kcal mol−1 to rearrange into cyclohexyne (with ΔE for ring expansion=−15.1 kcal mol−1). By contrast, cyclobutylidenecarbene only needs to surmount a barrier of 1.6 kcal mol−1 to rearrange into cyclopentyne (with ΔE for ring expansion=−6.2 kcal mol−1).
Dynamic masquerade with morphing three-dimensional skin in cuttlefish

Masquerade is a defence tactic in which a prey resembles an inedible or inanimate object thus causing predators to misclassify it. Most masquerade colour patterns are static although some species adopt postures or behaviours to enhance the effect. Dynamic masquerade in which the colour pattern can be changed is rare. Here we report a two-step sensory process that enables an additional novel capability known only in cuttlefish and octopus: morphing three-dimensional physical skin texture that further enhances the optical illusions created by coloured skin patterns. Our experimental design incorporated sequential sensory processes: addition of a three-dimensional rock to the testing arena, which attracted the cuttlefish to settle next to it; then visual processing by the cuttlefish of physical textures on the rock to guide expression of the skin papillae, which can range from fully relaxed (smooth skin) to fully expressed (bumpy skin). When a uniformly white smooth rock was presented, cuttlefish moved to the rock and deployed a uniform body pattern with mostly smooth skin. When a rock with small-scale fragments of contrasting shells was presented, the cuttlefish deployed mottled body patterns with strong papillae expression. These robust and reversible responses indicate a sophisticated visual sensorimotor system for dynamic masquerade.
Improving hepatitis B screening prior to rituximab at a multispecialty urban hospital.

176Background: Rituximab(R) is a novel anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody used in multiple hematologic and rheumatologic diseases. Patients who are hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) positive are at risk for hepatitis-B reactivation with R-based treatments. Therefore, the VA’s medication use evaluation tracker recommends serological testing for HBsAg, HBsAb and HBcAb within 6 months prior to initiating R. We conducted a PDSA cycle to improve Hepatitis-B serological testing in patients receiving R at Birmingham VA medical center (BVAMC). Methods: For baseline evaluation, patients at BVAMC who were treated with R between 2004- march 2014 were retrospectively evaluated for HBV serology results 6 months prior to first treatment. Presence of all 4- HBsAg, HBsAb and HBcAb (IgM and total) was complete; absence of all 4 was ‘not done’ with remaining being incomplete. After conducting a RCA, 3 pharmacy-based interventions were implemented- 1) pharmacy education; 2) pharmacist auton...
Pion Phase-Shift Information from K l 4 Decays

The structure of the ${K}_{l4}$ decay spectrum is displayed in its full generality as a function of a complete set of five kinematic variables; polarization effects are in part similarly described. The nontrivial dynamical aspects of ${K}_{l4}$ decay reside in certain form factors, which depend on only three of the variables. It is shown that, with large cuts at the two remaining variables, the measurement of the decay spectrum alone suffices to overdetermine the form factors. On certain standard assumptions, these form factors carry information relating to the phase shifts for pion-pion scattering. It is an important practical matter to extract something of this information under conditions of limited statistics, where the spectra have to be treated in partially integrated form. We find that this can be accomplished, with surprising economy, for the energy-dependent phase-shift difference ${\ensuremath{\delta}}_{s}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\delta}}_{p}$, on the single additional assumption that the dipion system is produced chiefly in $s$- and $p$-wave states. The information emerges from the intensity spectrum for ${K}_{e4}$ decay, and again from the polarization spectrum for ${K}_{\ensuremath{\mu}4}$ decay, the spectra being treated as functions of only three variables. Moreover, the structure in two of these variables is simple and therefore relatively undemanding in a statistical sense.
Microglia and macrophages in brain homeostasis and disease

Microglia and non-parenchymal macrophages in the brain are mononuclear phagocytes that are increasingly recognized to be essential players in the development, homeostasis and diseases of the central nervous system. With the availability of new genetic, molecular and pharmacological tools, considerable advances have been made towards our understanding of the embryonic origins, developmental programmes and functions of these cells. These exciting discoveries, some of which are still controversial, also raise many new questions, which makes brain macrophage biology a fast-growing field at the intersection of neuroscience and immunology. Here, we review the current knowledge of how and where brain macrophages are generated, with a focus on parenchymal microglia. We also discuss their normal functions during development and homeostasis, the disturbance of which may lead to various neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases.
Safety and Efficacy of PD-1 Inhibitors Among HIV-Positive Patients With Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract Introduction Despite widespread administration of programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) pathway inhibitors among individuals with NSCLC, little is known about the safety and activity of these agents among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) – infected patients since this population has largely been excluded from immunotherapy clinical trials. Methods Here, we describe seven patients with metastatic NSCLC and HIV infection who were treated with PD-1 inhibitors nivolumab (two cases) or pembrolizumab (five cases with three in the first-line setting). Results Partial responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors were observed in three of seven cases. Among four patients with a programmed death ligand-1 tumor proportion score ≥50%, three partial responses were observed. All patients received antiretroviral therapy while on anti–PD-1 treatment. None of the patients experienced grade 3 or 4 immune-related adverse events or immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, and none required PD-1 inhibitor dose interruption or discontinuation due to toxicity. Conclusions Nivolumab and pembrolizumab can be safe and effective among patients with NSCLC and HIV. Larger studies will be needed to determine the overall safety and efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors among cancer patients with HIV.
Effects of roughage source and concentration on intake and performance by finishing heifers.

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of roughage source and concentration on intake and performance by finishing heifers. In Exp. 1, 12 medium-framed beef heifers (average BW = 389 kg) were used in three simultaneous 4 x 4 Latin square intake trials to evaluate the effects of dietary NDF supply from alfalfa hay, sudan hay, wheat straw, or cottonseed hulls fed in each Latin square at 5, 10, or 15% of dietary DM. Within each roughage concentration, roughage NDF accounted for the majority of variation in NEg intake/kg of BW0.75 among the roughage sources. Averaged across roughage concentrations, NEg intake/kg of BW0.75 tended to be greater (P 0.10) among roughage sources, which we interpreted to suggest that 90% concentrate diets containing alfalfa, cottonseed hulls, and sudan silage do not differ in the amount of chewing required during eating. In Exp. 3, 105 medium-framed beef heifers (average BW = 275 kg) were used in a 140-d finishing trial to evaluate three methods of dietary roughage exchange. Alfalfa at 12.5% of the dietary DM (ALF12.5) was used as a standard, and cottonseed hulls and sudan silage were each fed at three different levels: exchanged with ALF12.5 on an equal percentage DM basis, an equal NDF basis, or an equal NDF basis, where only NDF from particles larger than 2.36 mm (retained NDF) were considered to contribute to the NDF. No differences (P > 0.10) in ADG, DMI, gain:feed ratio, or NEg intake/kg of BW0.75 were detected between alfalfa and cottonseed hulls exchanged on an equal NDF basis. For sudan silage, exchanging with ALF12.5 on an equal retained NDF basis resulted in no differences (P > 0.10) in ADG, DMI, or NEg intake/kg of BW0.75. These data provide a preliminary indication that depending on the roughage sources evaluated, roughage NDF content and(or) roughage NDF from particles larger than 2.36 mm might provide a useful index of roughage value in high-concentrate finishing diets.
Acute Nonlymphocytic Leukemia

Acute nonlymphocytic leukemias (ANLL) represent approximately 20%–25% of all the leukemias seen in childhood; therefore they account for approximately 400–500 newly diagnosed cases of childhood leukemia in the United States each year. Unlike acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), which has a peak occurrence at approximately age 4 years, the incidence of ANLL is constant from birth through age 10 years. However, most congenital leukemias are due to ANLL. Furthermore, there appears to be no sex-related or racial difference in the incidence of ANLL.
Mechanisms of Immunopathology of Leishmaniasis

While cutaneous leishmaniasis is characterized by lesions proximal to the site of the sandfly bite, visceral leishmaniasis is associated with immunopathology in the liver and spleen of the infected host. This chapter offers a brief overview of the immune responses generated during infections with cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. Insights on how the immune responses generated during cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis coupled with other host- and pathogen-derived factors determine the clinical pathology and outcome of the disease are also discussed.
Influence of milk protein concentrates with modified calcium content on enteral dairy beverage formulations: Physicochemical properties.

ABSTRACT Because of their high protein and low lactose content, milk protein concentrates (MPC) are typically used in the formulation of ready-to-drink beverages. Calcium-mediated aggregation of proteins during storage is one of the main reasons for loss of storage stability of these beverages. Control and calcium-reduced MPC [20% calcium-reduced (MPC-20) and 30% calcium-reduced (MPC-30)] were used to evaluate the physicochemical properties in this study. This study was conducted in 2 phases. In phase I, 8% protein solutions were prepared by reconstituting the 3 MPC and adjusting the pH to 7. These solutions were divided into 3 equal parts, 0, 0.15, or 0.25% sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) was added, and the solutions were homogenized. In phase II, enteral dairy beverage formulations containing MPC and a mixture of gums, maltodextrin, and sugar were evaluated following the same procedure used in phase I. In both phases, heat stability, apparent viscosity, and particle size were compared before and after heat treatment at 140°C for 15 s. In the absence of SHMP, MPC-20 and MPC-30 exhibited the highest heat coagulation time at 30.9 and 32.8 min, respectively, compared with the control (20.9 min). In phase II, without any addition of SHMP, MPC-20 exhibited the highest heat coagulation time of 9.3 min compared with 7.1 min for control and 6.2 min for MPC-30. An increase in apparent viscosity and a decrease in particle size of reconstituted MPC solutions in phases I and II with an increase in SHMP concentration was attributed to casein micelle dissociation caused by calcium chelation. This study highlights the potential for application of calcium-reduced MPC in dairy-based ready-to-drink and enteral nutrition beverage formulations to improve their heat stability.
The Impact of Older Siblings on Vocabulary Learning in Bilingual Children.

This study examined the effects of older siblings’ L1/L2 use on the vocabulary and fast mapping skills in preschool-age children who learn Cantonese (L1) as a home language and start to learn Engli...
Objective Value and Requirements

Ernest Sosa is best known for his work in epistemology and metaphysics, but in his long and distinguished career, he has made significant contributions to ethics and value theory. These include his early work with Roderick Chisholm on the logic of intrinsic value and, in later essays, defenses of objectivity in ethics and value theory. In the first section, I will present some of his replies to arguments against the objectivity of evaluative and normative claims. In the second and third sections, I will explore some issues in value theory in light of his views.
Near-collinearity in linear regression revisited: The numerical vs. the statistical perspective

The article compares the numerical and statistical perspectives on the problem of near-collinearity with a view to investigate whether assigning statistical interpretation to numerical measures cha...
Comparative Study of Three Control Strategies of Hybrid Excited Flux-Switching Machine

This paper compares three control strategies of hybrid excited flux-switching machine (HEFSM). First, the topology, operating principle and mathematical models of HEFSM are introduced. Then vector control, direct torque control based on hysteresis comparison and SVPWM are analyzed in detail. Finally, detailed simulations of three control strategies are carried out based on Matlab/Simulink. The steady-state and dynamic performance of three control strategies are compared and analyzed comprehensively. Some conclusions are drawn at last.
W hat is a City

Cities are mysteriously attractive. The more we get used to being citizens of the world, the more we feel the need to identify ourselves with a city. Moreover, this need seems in no way distressed by the fact that the urban landscape around us changes continuously: new buildings rise, new restaurants open, new stores, new parks, new infrastructures… Cities seem to vindicate Heraclitus’s dictum: you cannot step twice into the same river; you cannot walk twice through the same city. But, as with the river, we want and need to say that it is the same city we are walking through every day. It is always different, but numerically self-identical. How is that possible? What sort of mysterious thing is a city? The answer, I submit, is that cities aren’t things. They are processes. Like rivers, cities unfold in time just as they extend in space, by having different temporal parts for each time at which they exist. And walking though one part and then again through another is, literally, walking through the same whole.
A new global perspective: Geographic variations in the use of preimplantation genetic technologies to screen human embryos

Abstract Based on a literature review and personal experience in the science and clinical practice of reproductive medicine in different settings, variations in the use of preimplantation genetic technologies to screen human embryos during in vitro fertilization are presented.
The Vietnam Veteran

Vietnam veterans must be distinguished from Vietnam era veterans. Vietnam era veterans are those who served in the armed forces of the United States during the period of the Vietnam conflict. Although this group includes those who served in Vietnam itself, it also includes those who never left the United States or who served in other geographical areas. Like any unselected group of veterans from any era, this group can suffer a wide variety of psychiatric illnesses, from the anxieties and somatoform disorders to the personality disorders to the mood and thought disorders. Hearst, Newman, and Helley (1986) reported that having served in the armed forces during the Vietnam era increases the likelihood of suicide by 65% and the likelihood of dying in a motor vehicle accident by 49%.
Iron Lewis acid catalyzed reactions of ethyldiazoacetate with styrene and α-methylstyrene: Formation of cyclopropanes with cis selectivity

Abstract The iron Lewis acid, (η5-C5H5)Fe+(CO)2(THF)BF4− catalyzes the reaction of ethyldiazoacetate with styrene and α-methylstyrene to provide cyclopropanes with a preference for the cis isomer.
An Angular Method with Position Control for Block Mesh Squareness Improvement.

We optimize a target function defined by angular properties with a position control term for a basic stencil with a block-structured mesh, to improve element squareness and mesh spacing in 2D and 3D. Comparison with the condition number method shows that besides a similar mesh quality regarding orthogonality can be achieved, the new method converges faster, provides a more uniform global mesh spacing, and is more perturbation resistant.
Direct observations of submarine melt and subsurface geometry at a tidewater glacier

Ice loss from the world's glaciers and ice sheets contributes to sea level rise, influences ocean circulation, and affects ecosystem productivity. Ongoing changes in glaciers and ice sheets are driven by submarine melting and iceberg calving from tidewater glacier margins. However, predictions of glacier change largely rest on unconstrained theory for submarine melting. Here, we use repeat multibeam sonar surveys to image a subsurface tidewater glacier face and document a time-variable, three-dimensional geometry linked to melting and calving patterns. Submarine melt rates are high across the entire ice face over both seasons surveyed and increase from spring to summer. The observed melt rates are up to two orders of magnitude greater than predicted by theory, challenging current simulations of ice loss from tidewater glaciers.
Analysis of racial disparities in the treatment and outcomes of colorectal cancer in young adults.

Abstract Background The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in young adults is increasing. Minority populations with CRC are known to have worse survival outcomes. The aim of this study is to evaluate adults under age 50 years with CRC by race and ethnicity. Methods Data were obtained from all US hospitals that contributed to the National Cancer Database (NCDB) between 2004 and 2013. Univariate and multivariable testing was done to identify factors associated with patient outcome. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards models were used for association between patient characteristics and survival. Results A total of 83,449 patients between 18 and 50 years of age were identified. Median age was 45 years (SD ± 6), with male preponderance (53.9%). 72% were non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), Blacks (AA) were 15.1% and Hispanics (who did not identify as Blacks) were 8.3% of the study population. Distribution across stages I IV was 15.6%, 22.4%, 33.9% and 27% consecutively. 41.8% of NHW and 28.4% of AA had rectal cancers (p Conclusion Despite comparable rates of SOC utilization, AA young adults had worse survival outcomes compared to other races. More colon (compared to rectal) cancers in AA may have contributed to their worse outcomes.
Ecology, Evidence, and Objectivity: In Search of a Bias-Free Methodology

For at least the past 25 years or so, there has been a twofold sense of “crisis” in ecology. One indication of this is the spate of articles and books calling for a reformation of the discipline and bearing such titles as “The New Ecology.” On the part of practitioners, the unease concerns its theories, concepts, and methods. On the part of the general public, the unease concerns the perceived “bias” of its results. This paper is an attempt by two philosophers of science to clarify one critical methodological issue – hypothesis/model testing – and in the process to identify ways to gird the objectivity of ecological claims. What is significant about our approach is a distinction between the tasks appropriate to Bayesian Inference and Evidential Statistics – confirming hypotheses on the one hand and measuring evidence for models on the other. These two inferential paradigms are contrasted with the testing methods long-dominant in the discipline – Fisher-Neyman-Pearson Significance Testing and Popper Falsificationism – and a case made for a much greater use of Bayesian and Evidentialist Methods. In particular, it is argued that Evidential Statistics, here in the form of the likelihood ratios of competing predictive and explanatory multiple models avoids the main forms of otherwise unsettling cognitive bias. It also provides a Darwinian alternative to the “convergence” accounts of objectivity associated with the development of physics which is more appropriate to ecology. Keywords: Scientific method, Bayesian inference, evidential statistics, confirmation, evidence, significance testing, falsificationism, hypothetico-deductivism, convergence, objectivity
Polyelectrolyte character of rigid rod peptide bundlemer chains constructed via hierarchical self-assembly

Short α-helical peptides were computationally designed to self-assemble into robust coiled coils that are antiparallel, homotetrameric bundles. These peptide bundle units, or 'bundlemers', have been utilized as anisotropic building blocks to construct bundlemer-based polymers via a hierarchical, hybrid physical-covalent assembly pathway. The bundlemer chains were constructed using short linker connections via 'click' chemistry reactions between the N-termini of bundlemer constituent peptides. The resulting bundlemer chains appear as extremely rigid, cylindrical rods in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) shows that these bundlemer chains exist as individual rods in solution with a cross-section that is equal to that of a single coiled coil bundlemer building block of ≈20 A. SANS further confirms that the interparticle solution structure of the rigid rod bundlemer chains is heterogeneous and responsive to solution conditions, such as ionic-strength and pH. Due to their peptidic constitution, the bundlemer assemblies behave like polyelectrolytes that carry an average charge density of approximately 3 charges per bundlemer as determined from SANS structure factor data fitting, which describes the repulsion between charged rods in solution. This repulsion manifests as a correlation hole in the scattering profile that is suppressed by dilution or addition of salt. Presence of rod cluster aggregates with a mass fractal dimension of ≈2.5 is also confirmed across all samples. The formation of such dense, fractal-like cluster aggregates in a solution of net repulsive rods is a unique example of the subtle balance between short-range attraction and long-rage repulsion interactions in proteins and other biomaterials. With computational control of constituent peptide sequences, it is further possible to deconvolute the underlying sequence driven structure-property relationships in the modular bundlemer chains.
The local translation of KNa in dendritic projections of auditory neurons and the roles of KNa in the transition from hidden to overt hearing loss

Local and privileged expression of dendritic proteins allows segregation of distinct functions in a single neuron but may represent one of the underlying mechanisms for early and insidious presentation of sensory neuropathy. Tangible characteristics of early hearing loss (HL) are defined in correlation with nascent hidden hearing loss (HHL) in humans and animal models. Despite the plethora of causes of HL, only two prevailing mechanisms for HHL have been identified, and in both cases, common structural deficits are implicated in inner hair cell synapses, and demyelination of the auditory nerve (AN). We uncovered that Na+-activated K+ (KNa) mRNA and channel proteins are distinctly and locally expressed in dendritic projections of primary ANs and genetic deletion of KNa channels (Kcnt1 and Kcnt2) results in the loss of proper AN synaptic function, characterized as HHL, without structural synaptic alterations. We further demonstrate that the local functional synaptic alterations transition from HHL to increased hearing-threshold, which entails changes in global Ca2+ homeostasis, activation of caspases 3/9, impaired regulation of inositol triphosphate receptor 1 (IP3R1), and apoptosis-mediated neurodegeneration. Thus, the present study demonstrates how local synaptic dysfunction results in an apparent latent pathological phenotype (HHL) and, if undetected, can lead to overt HL. It also highlights, for the first time, that HHL can precede structural synaptic dysfunction and AN demyelination. The stepwise cellular mechanisms from HHL to canonical HL are revealed, providing a platform for intervention to prevent lasting and irreversible age-related hearing loss (ARHL).
Retinal slip compensation of pitch-constrained blue bottle flies flying in a flight mill.

ABSTRACT In the presence of wind or background image motion, flies are able to maintain a constant retinal slip velocity by regulating flight speed to the extent permitted by their locomotor capacity. Here we investigated the retinal slip compensation of tethered blue bottle flies (Calliphora vomitoria) flying semi-freely along an annular corridor in a magnetically levitated flight mill enclosed by two motorized cylindrical walls. We perturbed the flies9 retinal slip by spinning the cylindrical walls, generating bilaterally averaged retinal slip perturbations from −0.3 to 0.3 m s−1 (or −116.4 to 116.4 deg s−1). When the perturbation was less than ∼0.1 m s−1 (38.4 deg s−1), the flies successfully compensated the perturbations and maintained a retinal slip velocity by adjusting their airspeed up to 20%. However, with greater retinal slip perturbation, the flies9 compensation became saturated as their airspeed plateaued, indicating that they were unable to further maintain a constant retinal slip velocity. The compensation gain, i.e. the ratio of airspeed compensation and retinal slip perturbation, depended on the spatial frequency of the grating patterns, being the largest at 12 m−1 (0.04 deg−1).
Immune Selection Pressure Contributes to Pancreatic Cancer Immune Evasion

Abstract Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Pancreatic tumors are minimally infiltrated by T cells and are largely refractory to immunotherapy. Accordingly, the role of T cell immunity in pancreatic cancer has been somewhat overlooked. Here, we hypothesized that immune evasion in pancreatic cancer is induced in response to T cell-based immune selection pressure, and that understanding how pancreatic tumors respond to immune attack may facilitate the development of more effective therapeutic strategies. We now provide the first evidence that T cell-dependent host immune responses induce a PDAC-derived myeloid mimicry phenomenon and stimulate immune evasion. mT3-2D cells derived from a Kras+/LSL-G12D; Trp53+/LSL-R172H; Pdx1-Cre (KPC) mouse model of pancreatic cancer were grown in immunocompetent and immunodeficient C57BL/6 mice, and analyzed to determine the impacts of adaptive immunity specifically on malignant epithelial cells as well as on whole tumors. We found that immune selection pressure, via signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), stimulates malignant epithelial pancreatic cells to induce the expression of genes typically expressed by myeloid cells and alters intratumoral immunosuppressive myeloid cell profiles. Targeting the Janus Kinase (JAK)/STAT signaling pathway using the FDA approved drug, ruxolitinib, overcomes these tumor-protective responses and improves anti-PD1 antibody therapeutic efficacy. These findings provide future directions for treatments that specifically disable this mechanism of resistance in PDAC.
It’s Getting Warm Down Here

We know it’s getting warm. I provide an overview of what we know about climate change, how we know it, how well we know it, and what we know about specific effects on mountain climate. Key concepts to understand are the greenhouse effect, climate feedbacks, and climate sensitivity. I describe the three sources of our understanding: basic physics, observations both current and paleological, and climate models. I also introduce the ideas of limitations and uncertainties, which will be pervasive throughout the book. The last section focuses on the distinctive properties of mountains, mainly landforms and topography, and how they interact with regional-scale climate to modulate the effects of climate change on mountains.
Oligo(L-Glutamic Acids) in Calcium Phosphate Precipitation: Chain Length Effect

The understanding of calcium phosphate precipitation is of major interest in different fields of science, including medicine, biomaterials, and physical chemistry. The presence of additive biomacromolecules has been known to influence various stages of the precipitation process from nucleation to crystal growth. In the current work, well-defined sequences of short, negatively charged peptides, oligo(l-glutamic acids), were utilized as a model, inspired by contiguous sequences of acidic amino acids in natural biomineralization proteins. The precipitate morphology and phases, the element time profile in solution and in the precipitates, as well as the kinetics during the precipitation process were analyzed to explain the effect of these short peptides on calcium phosphate precipitation. The results show that peptides can delay the phase transformation of an amorphous precursor phase to hydroxyapatite and that there is an optimal chain length for this effect at a given concentration of peptide. This study is the first part of a two-part series and is followed by a subsequent work to reveal the mechanism by which these short peptides influence the calcium phosphate precipitation.
Effect of Forecaster Performance on Peak Shaving in a University Building by Battery Scheduling

The objective of this project is to develop and evaluate a load forecasting technique that gives input to a demand management algorithm for a building in the presence of a Time-of-Use demand rate structure. The objective of the demand management controller is to minimize the annual electricity bill with the help of behind-the-meter energy storage by shifting the load partially from peak pricing periods. The forecasting algorithm uses a two-stage method where a deterministic part uses an exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) model accounting for longer-term trends and a third-order regression model (AR3) accounting for the short-term variations. It is shown that a very small increase in forecasting error can result in a significant loss of the annual savings achieved by a demand response controller. A building in University Campus with a highly dynamic load profile is considered for studies.