cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rigid/Flexible Transparent Electronics Based on Separated Carbon Nanotube Thin-Film Transistors and Their Application in Display Electronics

Transparent electronics has attracted numerous research efforts in recent years because of its promising commercial impact in a wide variety of areas such as transparent displays. High optical tran...
AN INTELLIGENT ENVIRONMENT FOR SIMULATING MECHANICAL ASSEMBLY OPERATIONS

Rapid technical advances in many dierent areas of scientic computing provide the enabling technologies for creating a comprehensive simulation and visualization environment for assembly design and planning. We have built an intelligent environment in which simple simulations can be composed together to create complex simulations for detecting potential assembly problems. Our goal in this project is to develop high delity assembly simulation and visualization tools that can detect assembly related problems without going through physical mock-ups. In addition, these tools can be used to create easy-to-visualize instructions for performing assembly and service operations.
Chromatin insulator bodies are nuclear structures that form in response to osmotic stress and cell death

Chromatin insulators assist in the formation of higher-order chromatin structures by mediating long-range contacts between distant genomic sites. It has been suggested that insulators accomplish this task by forming dense nuclear foci termed insulator bodies that result from the coalescence of multiple protein-bound insulators. However, these structures remain poorly understood, particularly the mechanisms triggering body formation and their role in nuclear function. In this paper, we show that insulator proteins undergo a dramatic and dynamic spatial reorganization into insulator bodies during osmostress and cell death in a high osmolarity glycerol–p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase–independent manner, leading to a large reduction in DNA-bound insulator proteins that rapidly repopulate chromatin as the bodies disassemble upon return to isotonicity. These bodies occupy distinct nuclear territories and contain a defined structural arrangement of insulator proteins. Our findings suggest insulator bodies are novel nuclear stress foci that can be used as a proxy to monitor the chromatin-bound state of insulator proteins and provide new insights into the effects of osmostress on nuclear and genome organization.
Sieving of double-stranded DNA during agarose gel electrophoresis

Agarose gel electrophoresis is used to fractionate linear, double-stranded DNA by its length. Sieving of the gel is the cause of this fractionation and has been investigated by developing theoretical models and by quantifying sieving observed during electrophoresis. Here are reviewed the following aspects of the fractionation of linear, double-stranded DNA by agarose gel electrophoresis: (1) the basic observations that qualitatively characterize these fractionations, (2) evidence for the deformation of DNA's random coil, (3) quantitative analysis of the relationship of observed electrophoretic mobility to the DNA's length, (4) theoretical models that have been developed to explain data presented in Sections 1-3, (5) observations not yet quantitatively explained by models, and (6) some aspects of the use of a variable electrical field (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) to improve separations.
Global Gene Expression Analysis in Human Uterine Epithelial Cells Defines New Targets of Glucocorticoid and Estradiol Antagonism

In preparation for embryo implantation and pregnancy, the uterine epithelium undergoes a genomic and biological transition that mediates adhesion and invasion of the blastocyst. These events resemble an inflammatory response, and the immune system likely takes an active role in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Although glucocorticoids are primary mediators of the immune system, the functional role of glucocorticoid signaling in the uterine epithelium is not well defined. To investigate the dynamic relationship between glucocorticoids and reproductive hormones, we performed whole-genome microarray analysis in a human uterine endometrial cancer cell line (ECC1 cells) treated with the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (Dex) alone or in combination with estradiol (E2). Over 10 000 genes were significantly regulated in the presence of Dex and/or E2. Surprisingly, unique targets of Dex and E2 together represented the largest group of regulated genes. Ingenuity pathway analysis found both overlapping and independent regulated networks for each hormone. Several hundred genes were found to be coregulated by Dex and E2, including several that were antagonistically regulated. The effects of glucocorticoids and E2 are mediated primarily through the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) and estrogen receptor (ESR1), respectively. In silico promoter analysis revealed that NR3C1 and ESR1 response elements are enriched in antagonistically regulated genes, and signaling through these receptors was required for antagonism. Glucocorticoid and E2 antagonism of target genes may represent a critical junction between the immune system and female reproductive system. Moreover, identification and ontology analysis of glucocorticoid-regulated genes in a uterine epithelial-like cell line suggests that glucocorticoid signaling regulates important biological functions, including immune cell trafficking and embryonic development.
Multimodal networks in biology

A multimodal network (MMN) is a novel mathematical construct that captures the structure of biological networks, computational network models, and relationships from biological databases. An MMN subsumes the structure of graphs and hypergraphs, either undirected or directed. Formally, an MMN is a triple (V, E, M) where V is a set of vertices, E is a set of modal hyperedges, and M is a set of modes. A modal hyperedge e = (T, H, A, m) ∈ E is an ordered 4-tuple, in which T, H, A ⊆ V and m ∈ M. The sets T, H, and A are the tail, head, and associate of e, while m is its mode. In the context of biology, each vertex is a biological entity, each hyperedge is a relationship, and each mode is a type of relationship (e.g., 'forms complex' and 'is a'). Within the space of multimodal networks M , structural operations such as union, intersection, hyperedge contraction, subnetwork selection, and graph or hypergraph projections can be performed. A denotational semantics approach is used to specify the semantics of each hyperedge in MMN in terms of interaction among its vertices. This is done by mapping each hyperedge e to a hyperedge code algo V (e), an algorithm that details how the vertices in V (e) get used and updated. A semantic MMN-based model is a function of a given schedule of evaluation of hyperedge codes and the current state of the model, a set of vertex-value pairs. An MMN-based computational system is implemented as a proof of concept to determine empirically the benefits of having it. This system consists of an MMN database populated by data from various biological databases, MMN operators implemented as database functions, graph operations implemented in C++ using LEDA, and mmnsh, a shell scripting language that provides a consistent interface to both data and operators. It is demonstrated that computational network models may enrich the MMN database and MMN data may be used as input to other computational tools and environments. A simulator is developed to compute from an initial state and a schedule of hyperedge codes the resulting state of a semantic MMN model.
Swing up control of the Acrobot

Investigates the problem of swing up control of the Acrobot, a two-link, underactuated robot that is a useful vehicle to study problems in nonlinear control. The author develops a swing up strategy based on partial feedback linearization. The algorithm works by creating "unstable zero dynamics" which drives the first link of the Acrobot away from its open loop stable equilibrium toward the inverted position. Control is switched to a linear controller, designed to balance the arm about the inverted configuration, whenever the swing up controller moves the Acrobot into the near vertical position. Simulation results are presented showing the performance of the system. >
Antimicrobial peptides and periodontal disease

Gorr S-U, Abdolhosseini M. Antimicrobial peptides and periodontal disease. J Clin Periodontol 2011; 38 (Suppl. 11): 126–141. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-051X.2010.01664.x. Abstract Aims: The goal of this review is to identify the antimicrobial proteins in the oral fluids, saliva and gingival crevicular fluid and identify functional families and candidates for antibacterial treatment. Results: Periodontal biofilms initiate a cascade of inflammatory and immune processes that lead to the destruction of gingival tissues and ultimately alveolar bone loss and tooth loss. Treatment of periodontal disease with conventional antibiotics does not appear to be effective in the absence of mechanical debridement. An alternative treatment may be found in antimicrobial peptides and proteins, which can be bactericidal and anti-inflammatory and block the inflammatory effects of bacterial toxins. The peptides have co-evolved with oral bacteria, which have not developed significant peptide resistance. Over 45 antibacterial proteins are found in human saliva and gingival crevicular fluid. The proteins and peptides belong to several different functional families and offer broad protection from invading microbes. Several antimicrobial peptides and proteins (AMPs) serve as templates for the development of therapeutic peptides and peptide mimetics, although to date none have demonstrated efficacy in human trials. Conclusions: Existing and newly identified AMPs may be developed for therapeutic use in periodontal disease or can serve as templates for peptide and peptide mimetics with improved therapeutic indices.
Aerosciences, Aero-Propulsion and Flight Mechanics Technology Development for NASA's Next Generation Launch Technology Program

The Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) program, Vehicle Systems Research and Technology (VSR&T) project is pursuing technology advancements in aerothermodynamics, aeropropulsion and flight mechanics to enable development of future reusable launch vehicle (RLV) systems. The current design trade space includes rocket-propelled, hypersonic airbreathing and hybrid systems in two-stage and single-stage configurations. Aerothermodynamics technologies include experimental and computational databases to evaluate stage separation of two-stage vehicles as well as computational and trajectory simulation tools for this problem. Additionally, advancements in high-fidelity computational tools and measurement techniques are being pursued along with the study of flow physics phenomena, such as boundary-layer transition. Aero-propulsion technology development includes scramjet flowpath development and integration, with a current emphasis on hypervelocity (Mach 10 and above) operation, as well as the study of aero-propulsive interactions and the impact on overall vehicle performance. Flight mechanics technology development is focused on advanced guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) algorithms and adaptive flight control systems for both rocket-propelled and airbreathing vehicles.
Time-Reversal Detection Using Antenna Arrays

The paper studies detection of a target buried in a rich scattering medium by time reversal. We use a multi-static configuration with receive and transmit arrays of antennas. In time reversal, the backscattered field is recorded, time reversed, and retransmitted (mathematically or physically) into the same scattering medium. We derive two array detectors: the time-reversal channel matched filter when the target channel response is known; and the time-reversal generalized-likelihood ratio test (TR-GLRT) when the target channel response is unknown. The noise added in the initial probing step to the time-reversal signal makes the analysis of the TR-GLRT detector non trivial. The paper derives closed form expressions for the signal-to-noise ratio gain provided by this detector over the corresponding conventional clutter subtraction energy detector in the two extreme conditions of weak and strong (electronic additive) noise and shows that time reversal provides, under weak noise, the optimal waveform shape to probe the environment. We analyze the impact of the array configuration on the detection performance. Finally, experiments with electromagnetic data collected in a multipath scattering laboratory environment confirm our analytical results. Under the realistic conditions tested, time reversal provides detection gains over conventional detection that range from 2 to 4.7 dB.
P-56: The Impact of Environment on Dimensional Reproducibility of Polyester Film during Flexible Electronics Processing

DuPont Teijin Films(DTF) have developed engineered substrates specifically for the flexible electronics market. Teonex ®Q65 is a biaxially oriented crystalline polyester with a tailored surface and it is emerging as a competitive material for the base substrate in OLED displays and active matrix backplanes. Given the demanding dimensional reproducibility requirements in the more demanding display applications, uncontrolled moisture absorption during the processing cycle could potentially be far more significant than the inherent shrinkage of the base substrate. Understanding the impact of this effect and optimising the processing steps involved in device manufacture will be critical to achieving the ultimate performance that can be achieved with the base substrate. This contribution will discuss the impact of the processing environment on dimensional reproducibility of polyethylene naphthalate film (Teonex® Q65) and give examples of the film in use.
The vectorcardiographic QRSsE-loop findings in chronic cor pulmonale.

Abstract Four QRSsE-loop patterns observed in the vectorcardiograms of patients with chronic cor pulmonale due to emphysema are described in this paper and related to the associated electrocardiographic QRS findings. These clinical observations in the vectorcardiogram and electrocardiogram have been found to have a good correlation with the pathologically demonstrated evolution of anatomic cardiac abnormalities in chronic cor pulmonale.
Short seeking control with minimum jerk trajectories for dual actuator hard disk drive systems

This paper is concerned with short seeking control for hard disk drives with a dual actuation servo system consisting of a coarse actuator (voice coil motor, VCM) and a fine actuator (piezoelectric actuator, PZT). Short seeking refers to moving the recording head over a few tracks. The primary elements in short seeking control are the feedback controller, the feedforward controller and the reference input. These elements must be determined for each of the coarse and fine actuators. The unique feature of the proposed short seeking control scheme is on the use of two minimum jerk trajectories as reference inputs: one with a seek time typical for VCM and the other with a shorter seek time. The first one is used as the reference input for VCM and the difference between the two is used as the reference input for PZT, which makes the second faster trajectory set the actual seek time of the dual actuator system. Single rate and multi rate implementations of the proposed scheme are presented along with experimental results. The motivation for multi-rate implementation is saving of computation.
Improving the workability and strength of silica fume concrete by using silane-treated silica fume

Mortar with high workability even without a water-reducing agent and with high tensile and compressive strengths (3.1 and 78 MP a, respectively) was obtained by using as an admixture silica fume that had been surface treated with a silane coupling agent. The t reatment enhanced the wettability of silica fume by water, thereby increasing the workability of the mortar mix. It also enhanced the bond between silica fume and cement, thereby increasing the strength and modulus, both under tension and compression. In particular, the tensile st rength was increased by 31% and the compressive strength was increased by 27%. Moreover, the flexural storage modulus, loss tangent, and d ensity were increased. © 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Bone Pain, Growth Failure, and Skin Rash After an Upper Respiratory Illness in a Boy with Autism: Possible Association with Altered Retinoid Metabolism

Symptoms of bone pain and skin rashes are not uncommon following a variety of infectious illnesses, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. The case of a 9-year-old boy with autism was recently described, who was hospitalized because of pain in the right hip, refusal to walk, fatigue, irritability, skin rash, and subsequent gingival swelling after an unspecified upper respiratory illness. The boy was diagnosed with scurvy. However, the gingival symptoms occurred after treatment with indomethacin, which lowers vitamin C levels; severe bone pain and fatigue are also well-documented symptoms of hypervitaminosis A. This review of a case report of a boy with autism provides an opportunity to present a new hypothesis of the mechanism of these postinfection symptoms in the context of an increasingly common condition of childhood.
Physical Activity and Coronary Heart Disease

Physical inactivity, permitted or encouraged by mechanization within this century, is often mentioned as one of the factors contributing to the reported major increase in the morbidity and mortality of coronary heart disease in many developed countries. Although not as extensively investigated as elevated blood pressure, serum lipids and smoking within the prospective population studies that have provided the basis for the concept of a multifactorial etiology for coronary heart disease, there are many reports that suggest that physical inactivity is important and an increase in habitual physical activity will contribute to a preventive approach.
Characteristics, Restoration, and Enhancement of Southern California Lagoons

Abstract The successful enhancement and restoration of coastal lagoons requires a comprehensive understanding of the physical and biological conditions in each lagoon and the processes that influence the lagoon's performance. Since lagoons differ substantially from one location to another, the problems that affect lagoon performance differ as well. Coastal lagoons in Southern California (Figure 1) tend to be small with surface areas of a few hundred hectares or less and mean water depths of less than 2m. Careful monitoring studies of lagoons, together with historical reviews and data from previous studies, enable wetland scientists to recommend successful, cost-effective, environmentally sound plans for enhancement and restoration of Southern California lagoons. Recent understanding of the settings and physical processes controlling lagoon performance will enable us to produce improved schemes to enhance these systems. Usually the biological performance of a wetland depends on improvement of the physical ...
Uptake of evidence-based physical activity programs: comparing perceptions of adopters and nonadopters

Translating evidence-based physical activity interventions into practice have been problematic. Limited research exists on the adoption decision-making process. This study explored health educator perceptions of two evidence-based, physical activity programs—one was developed through an integrated research-practice partnership approach (FitEx) and the other was research-developed, Active Living Every Day (ALED). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 health educators who were trained on either ALED (n = 6) or FitEx (n = 6) and had either delivered (n = 6) or did not deliver (n = 6) the intervention. Program adopters identified with program characteristics, materials, processes, implementation, fit within system, and collaborations as more positive factors in decision-making when compared to those that did not deliver. FitEx health educators were more likely to deliver the program and found it to be a better fit and easier to use. An integrated research-practice partnership may improve adoption of physical activity programs in typical practice settings.
Effect Of Verbal Association On Averaged Auditory Evoked Response

The influence of affective association on the auditory a verged evoked response (AER) was investigated. By using vaerbal conditioning, affective loadings of pleasant, upleasant and neutral were grafted onto pure tones. Auditory AER were obtained for frequencies of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 kHz. The N1P2 amplitude chnge (re the 0.5-kHz response) was found to be significant when the pleasant and unpleasant qualities were grafted to the low or mid frequencies. The results suggest that only pure tones that produce the largest disturbance in the cochlea will reflect significant electroencephalic effects. In the significant conditions the pleasant quality was found to evoke a greater amplitude change than the unpleasant quality. It was concluded that previous conditioning can result in stimuli attention by verbal association.
Judge Higginbotham Will Be Sorely Missed

This short work reviews the life and achievements of the late Judge A. Leon Higginbotham. The article is a good starting point for those interested in a brief but succinct summary of this man's amazing achievements despite humble beginnings.
Polarized protons on $sup 3$He at 13.6 MeV

Accurate analyzing powers for the scattering of polarized protons by $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ have been measured at 13.600 MeV. They confirm previous measurements and leave a significant difference between $n+^{3}\mathrm{H}$ and $p+^{3}\mathrm{He}$ analyzing powers at 22 MeV unexplained. The data are currently being used in a general energy-dependent analysis of the $p+^{3}\mathrm{He}$ system.
QL (ℂ n ) determines n

This addendum to [2] shows that the set of tautological quantum logical propositional formulas for a finite dimensional vector space ℂ n is different for every n , affirmatively answering a question posed therein.
The Role of MgCl2 as a Lewis Base in ROMgCl–MgCl2 Electrolytes for Magnesium‐Ion Batteries

A series of strong Lewis acid-free alkoxide/siloxide-based Mg electrolytes were deliberately developed with remarkable oxidative stability up to 3.5 V (vs. Mg/Mg(2+)). Despite the perception of ROMgCl (R=alkyl, silyl) as a strong base, ROMgCl acts like Lewis acid, whereas the role of MgCl2 in was unambiguously demonstrated as a Lewis base through the identification of the key intermediate using single crystal X-ray crystallography. This Lewis-acid-free strategy should provide a prototype system for further investigation of Mg-ion batteries.
Ethical Issues Related to the Use of Humans in Human Factors and Ergonomics

As professionals, we must be aware of our ethical responsibilities when engaged in research and testing. The purpose of this paper is threefold: 1) to increase the reader's awareness of some of the issues specific to our discipline, 2) to provide some guidelines and references regarding the use of human subjects, and 3) to increase the dialog in this critical area. The material discussed focuses on Federal Regulations related to the protection of human subjects. The changing role of the human subject from “research material” to “participant partners” is also discussed.
Customer Perceptions of Corporate Responses to Product Complaints: The Role of Explanations

Using the justice and impression management literatures as a guide, we examined company responses to customer complaints in a field study. Explanations in which a company accepted responsibility fo...
A Maximal Generalization of Fermat's Theorem

I shall show that VII gives the congruence of lowest degree of the form: for all a, aT=a8 (mod m), r7s. Some information on the size of X(m)+N(m) will be obtained and V and VI will be shown to follow easily from these results. Some applications to polynomial functions (mod m) will be given. Proof of the theorem. Let m=p11p12 . . . pen, and let mi=Pi. Then X(m) is defined for all integers by the following: X(pe) =4(pe), except that X(2e) = 10(2e), whenever e >3; X(m) = [(mii), X(m2), * * X(mn)] where the brackets indicate the LCMI.
Spatial confinement effects in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

It is very important to improve the detection sensitivity of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. In this work, spatial confinement effects of laser-induced Al plasmas using cylindrical walls have been investigated by emission spectra and fast imaging.
Optically pumped 1-D and 2-D photonic crystal lasers based on poly (2-5-dialkoxy-phenylene-vinylene)

Lasing action in 1-D and 2-D photonic crystal lasers based on the conducting MEH-PPV polymer is reported. First and second order periodic structures were fabricated using UV interferometric lithography. The polymer diluted in a toluene was spin coated and pumped with a pulsed second-harmonic Nd:YAG to observe stimulated emission.
Tandem use of PCR and synthetic peptides to map helper T-cell epitopes on 27-kDa sexual stage antigen of Plasmodium falciparum

Monoclonal antibodies recognizing two overlapping linear epitopes (amino acid residues 10 to 25) on the 27-kDa sexual stage antigen of Plasmodium falciparum (Pfg 27) effectively reduce the infectivity of the parasites to mosquitoes. Although malaria transmission-blocking immunity is largely antibody-mediated, T cells play critical roles in the regulation of antibody-secreting B cells. In order to facilitate the development of a malaria transmission-blocking subunit vaccine, studies were undertaken to map epitopes on Pfg 27 recognized by T-helper lymphocytes. Pfg27-specific T-cell hybridoma clones were produced from rPfg27-immunized BALB/c (H-2d) and C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice, and used in studies to map antigenic determinants using PCR-generated Pfg27 gene fragments expressed in E. coli and synthetic peptides based on the Pfg27 sequence. We identified and mapped five distinct T-cell epitopes that are recognized by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-restricted T-cell hybridoma clones. A single peptide (21 residues) was shown to contain two tandem or partially overlapping epitopes recognized by T-cell hybridomas in the context of I-Ad and I-Ab, respectively. Synthetic peptides representing epitopes recognized by T-cell hybridoma clones elicited strong IgG responses in immunized mice, suggesting that T-cells of the helper phenotype were stimulated in vivo by these peptides. These studies represent the first detailed T-cell epitope analysis of a malaria sexual-stage antigen.
British and Netherlands Interests in South-East ASIA

At the outbreak of the French Revolution, the Dutch had possessed an extensive colonial empire with possessions in both East and West Indies. When the Netherlands fell to France, the British seized these territories as a war measure to prevent the French from enjoying their fruits. Meanwhile, from his exile during the Napoleonic years, the Prince of Orange, who became the Stadhouder William VI upon the death of his father in 1806, had sought to assure his country’s future status in various ways, eventually as a client of Britain’s; and since Netherlands independence coincided with one of the objectives of British policy, it had received Lord Castlereagh’s support. Thanks to the Dutch uprising against French domination in November 1813, Holland did not owe her liberation wholly to the arms of the allies and was therefore able to emerge among the victorious nations as an independent state. Completing the metamorphosis, on 16 March 1815, the head of the House of Orange, having previously (2 December 1813) taken the title of Sovereign Prince, now assumed royal rank as King William I.1
Towards a New Europe?: Structural Change in the European Economy

(1993). Towards a New Europe?: Structural Change in the European Economy. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 1281-1283.
Enhanced Piezoelectric Response in Hybrid Lead Halide Perovskite Thin Films via Interfacing with Ferroelectric PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3

We report a more than 10-fold enhancement of the piezoelectric coefficient d33 of polycrystalline CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) films when interfacing them with ferroelectric PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 (PZT). Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) studies reveal [Formula: see text] values of 0.3-0.4 pm/V for MAPbI3 deposited on Au, indium tin oxide, and SrTiO3 surfaces, with small phase angle fluctuating at length scales smaller than the grain size. In sharp contrast, on samples prepared on epitaxial PZT films, we observe large-scale polar domains exhibiting clear, close to 180° PFM phase contrasts, pointing to polar axes along the film normal. By separating the piezoresponse contributions from the MAPbI3 and PZT layers, we extract a significantly higher [Formula: see text] of ∼4 pm/V, which is attributed to the enhanced alignment of the MA molecular dipoles promoted by the unbalanced surface potential of PZT. We also discuss the effect of the interfacial screening layer on the preferred polar direction.
Money Design in Global Perspective Response Paper

This paper responds to 3 discussion questions asked of participants in the Research Conference.1) How do you define "money," and how does that definition inform your work?2) Does your definition lead you to prioritize certain institutions as objects of study? Why? How does your institutional focus relate the conceptualization of money and its practices? What do you hope to accomplish by your institutional focus? 3) How does your approach to money and its institutions illuminate the travel of value across borders? How do you conceptualize the international (or now global) dimensions of the monetary system given the domestic character of many of its elements?
Rapid detoxification via glutathione S‐transferase (GST) conjugation confers a high level of atrazine resistance in Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri)

BACKGROUND Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) is an economically troublesome, aggressive and damaging weed that has evolved resistance to six herbicide modes of action (MOA) including photosystem II (PS II)-inhibitors, such as atrazine. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism and inheritance of atrazine resistance in Palmer amaranth. RESULTS A population of Palmer amaranth from Kansas (KSR) had a high level (160–198 fold more; SE ± 21–26) of resistance to atrazine compared to the two known susceptible populations MSS and KSS, from Mississippi and KS, respectively. Sequence analysis of the chloroplastic psbA gene did not reveal any known mutations conferring resistance to PS II-inhibitors, including the most common serine264glycine substitution for triazine resistance. However, the KSR plants rapidly conjugated atrazine at least 24 times faster than MSS via glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity. Furthermore, genetic analyses of progeny generated from reciprocal crosses of KSR and MSS demonstrate that atrazine resistance in Palmer amaranth is a nuclear trait. CONCLUSION Although triazine resistance in Palmer amaranth was reported more than 20 years ago in the US, this is the first report elucidating the underlying mechanism of resistance to atrazine. The non-target-site based metabolic resistance to atrazine mediated by GSTs activity may predispose the Palmer amaranth populations to have resistance to other herbicide families, and the nuclear inheritance of the trait in this dioecious species further exacerbates the propensity for its rapid spread.
Effects of loading modes on densification efficiency of spark plasma sintering: sample study of zirconium carbide consolidation

AbstractTheoretical studies on the densification kinetics of the new spark plasma sinter-forging (SPS-forging) consolidation technique and of the regular SPS have been carried out based on the continuum theory of sintering. Both modelling and verifying experimental results indicate that the loading modes play important roles in the densification efficiency of SPS of porous ZrC specimens. Compared to regular SPS, SPS-forging is shown to be able to enhance the densification more significantly during later sintering stages. The derived analytical constitutive equations are utilised to evaluate the high-temperature creep parameters of ZrC under SPS conditions. SPS-forging and regular SPS setups are combined to form a new SPS hybrid loading mode with the purpose of reducing shape irregularity in the SPS-forged specimens. Loading control is imposed to secure the geometry as well as the densification of ZrC specimens during hybrid SPS process.
Nordihydroguaiaretic Acid, a Lignan from Larrea tridentata (Creosote Bush), Protects Against American Lifestyle-Induced Obesity Syndrome Diet-Induced Metabolic Dysfunction in Mice.

To determine the effects of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) on metabolic and molecular changes in response to feeding a typical American fast food or Western diet, mice were fed an American lifestyle-induced obesity syndrome (ALIOS) diet and subjected to metabolic analysis. Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to the ALIOS diet, the ALIOS diet supplemented with NDGA (NDGA+ALIOS), or a control diet and were maintained on the specific diet for 8 weeks. Mice fed the ALIOS diet showed increased body, liver, and epididymal fat pad weight as well as increased plasma alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels (a measure of liver injury) and liver triglyceride content. Coadministration of NDGA normalized body and epididymal fat pad weight, ALT and AST levels, and liver triglycerides. NDGA treatment also improved insulin sensitivity but not glucose intolerance in mice fed the ALIOS diet. In mice fed the NDGA+ALIOS diet, NDGA supplementation induced peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor α (PPARα; the master regulator of fatty acid oxidation) and mRNA levels of carnitine palmitoyltransferases Cpt1c and Cpt2, key genes involved in fatty acid oxidation, compared with the ALIOS diet. NDGA significantly reduced liver endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response C/EBP homologous protein, compared with chow or the ALIOS diet, and also ameliorated ALIOS diet–induced elevation of apoptosis signaling protein, caspase 3. Likewise, NDGA downregulated the ALIOS diet–induced mRNA levels of Pparg, fatty acid synthase Fasn, and diacylglycerol acyltransferase Dgat2. NDGA treatment of ALIOS-fed mice upregulated the hepatic expression of antioxidant enzymes, glutathione peroxidase 4, and peroxiredoxin 3 proteins. In conclusion, we provide evidence that NDGA improves metabolic dysregulation by simultaneously modulating the PPARα transcription factor and key genes involved in fatty acid oxidation, key antioxidant and lipogenic enzymes, and apoptosis and ER stress signaling pathways.
Fixed-Parameter tractability, a prehistory,

Many of the foundational parameterized tenets discussed in this festschrift actually predate by over a decade the first systematic treatments of fixed-parameter tractability. In this frank, firsthand account I will, to the best of my recollection, describe some of the earliest research avenues Mike Fellows and I pursued that would turn out later to be highly relevant to parameterized complexity. Although we did not know it at the time, these were the origins and formative years of this burgeoning new field. Readers unfamiliar with the history of fixed-parameter tractability may be surprised to learn that its initial motivations arose from, of all things, automation and optimization for integrated circuit design.
Exchange Rate Overvaluation and Currency Crises: Lessons from Latin America and East Asia

In the aftermath of the currency crises of the 1990s there has been widespread discussion on the need to create a “new financial architecture.” The debate has been largely centered on grand schemes, such as the creation of a global lender of last resort, and the reform of some of the multilateral institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Much of the official discussion has rapidly become highly bureau-cratized, focusing on formal procedures. In fact, in my view, one of the most interesting aspects of the 1999 Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago-Bank of International Settlements conference on “Lessons from Recent Global Financial Crises,” was the emphasis placed by so many participants on formality. Many, if not most, of the issues addressed revolved around questions such as: Which international committee has the authority to do what? When are the deputies getting together? How will the agenda be determined? This emphasis on formality is particularly frustrating to the emerging countries. After all, they rarely participate in the key committees, and are almost never consulted on the key reforms.
The Macroeconomic Impacts of Fiscal Decentralization

There is a potential for conflict between macroeconomic reform and decentralization. Specifically, the degree of devolution of spending and revenue-raising responsibilities has significant implications for the central government’s ability to stabilize the budget. Recent literature has identified three main sources contributing to the potential unstable central government fiscal position as a result of decentralization: principal-agent problems, resulting from the delegation of fiscal powers to lower levels of government, and “common pool” problems, associated with revenue-sharing arrangements common in decentralization programs. Both are indicative of coordination failures in intergovernmental fiscal relations (de Mello, 2000.) A third source of potential macroeconomic destabilizing effect of decentralization consists of the sequencing of its implementation.
Implementation of Technology Education in New York State

In New York, a new school discipline is emerging. Technology Education is taking its place alongside longstanding Mathematics and Science programs. Technology Education has the potential to actively engage students in design-and-construct activities that help them to synthesize the knowledge and skills in math, science, social science, and other subjects. As an emerging subject area in the school curriculum, Technology Education faces several issues that impede implementation. These issues relate to its roots in the craft tradition, its relatively recent evolution, and the present lack of public awareness and support. Current trends in New York focus on the use of Technology Education as a vehicle through which integrated Mathematics, Science, and Technology (MST) programs can be implemented.
Depressive disorders and alcohol dependence in a community population.

This cross-sectional study examines sociodemographic, clinical and functional correlates of comorbid depression in a community sample of 268 individuals with alcohol dependence. Results of analyses comparing drinkers with either current or past depression to never-depressed drinkers showed that respondents in the former two groups were more likely to be female and report more comorbid drug use disorders. In addition to marked functional impairment for currently depressed drinkers, we also found that respondents with past depression were significantly less likely to have health insurance coverage. This lack of insurance for previously depressed persons calls for future work examining the potential influence of this barrier to access care on both clinical and functional outcomes.
2-D Pole Balancing with Recurrent Evolutionary Networks

The success of evolutionary methods on standard control learning tasks has created a need for new benchmarks. The classic pole balancing problem is no longer difficult enough to serve as a viable yardstick for measuring the learning efficiency of these systems. In this paper we present a more difficult version to the classic problem where the cart and pole can move in a plane. We demonstrate a neuroevolution system (Enforced Sub-Populations, or ESP) that can solve this difficult problem without velocity information.
Invertibility of Convolutional Generative Networks from Partial Measurements

In this work, we present new theoretical results on convolutional generative neural networks, in particular their invertibility (i.e., the recovery of input latent code given the network output). The study of network inversion problem is motivated by image inpainting and the mode collapse problem in training GAN. Network inversion is highly non-convex, and thus is typically computationally intractable and without optimality guarantees. However, we rigorously prove that, under some mild technical assumptions, the input of a two-layer convolutional generative network can be deduced from the network output efficiently using simple gradient descent. This new theoretical finding implies that the mapping from the low- dimensional latent space to the high-dimensional image space is bijective (i.e., one-to-one). In addition, the same conclusion holds even when the network output is only partially observed (i.e., with missing pixels). Our theorems hold for 2-layer convolutional generative network with ReLU as the activation function, but we demonstrate empirically that the same conclusion extends to multi-layer networks and networks with other activation functions, including the leaky ReLU, sigmoid and tanh.
Unsupervised Deep Clustering for Source Separation: Direct Learning from Mixtures Using Spatial Information

We present a monophonic source separation system that is trained by only observing mixtures with no ground truth separation information. We use a deep clustering approach which trains on multichannel mixtures and learns to project spectrogram bins to source clusters that correlate with various spatial features. We show that using such a training process we can obtain separation performance that is as good as making use of ground truth separation information. Once trained, this system is capable of performing sound separation on monophonic inputs, despite having learned how to do so using multi-channel recordings.
Microstructured hydrogel scaffolds containing differential density interfaces promote rapid cellular invasion and vascularization

Abstract Introduction Insufficient vascularization of currently available clinical biomaterials has limited their application to optimal wound beds. We designed a hydrogel scaffold with a unique internal microstructure of differential collagen densities to induce cellular invasion and neovascularization. Methods Microsphere scaffolds (MSS) were fabricated by encasing 1% (w/v) type 1 collagen microspheres 50–150 μm in diameter in 0.3% collagen bulk. 1% and 0.3% monophase collagen scaffolds and Integra® disks served as controls. Mechanical characterization as well as in vitro and in vivo invasion assays were performed. Cell number and depth of invasion were analyzed using Imaris™. Cell identity was assessed immunohistochemically. Results In vitro, MSS exhibited significantly greater average depth of cellular invasion than Integra® and monophase collagen controls. MSS also demonstrated significantly higher cell counts than controls. In vivo, MSS revealed significantly more cellular invasion spanning the entire scaffold depth at 14 days than Integra®. CD31+ expressing luminal structures suggestive of neovasculature were seen within MSS at 7 days and were more prevalent after 14 days. Multiphoton microscopy of MSS demonstrated erythrocytes within luminal structures after 14 days. Conclusion By harnessing simple architectural cues to induce cellular migration, MSS holds great potential for clinical translation as the next generation dermal replacement product. Statement of Significance Large skin wounds require tissue engineered dermal substitutes in order to promote healing. Currently available dermal replacement products do not always adequately incorporate into the body, especially in complex wounds, due to poor neovascularization. In this paper, we present a hydrogel with an innovative microarchitecture that is composed of dense type I collagen microspheres suspended in a less-dense collagen bulk. We show that cell invasion into the scaffold is driven solely by mechanical cues inherent within this differential density interface, and that this induces robust vascular cell invasion both in vitro and in a rodent model. Our hydrogel performs favorably compared to the current clinical gold standard, Integra®. We believe this hydrogel scaffold may be the first of the next generation of dermal replacement products.
Statins in the perioperative period.

In this review, we discuss clinical evidence-based data regarding the potential benefit of statin therapy in the perioperative period of non-cardiac surgery. Results from meta-analyses of prospective observational studies have provided conflicting evidence. Moreover, comparison among studies is complicated by varying data sources, outcome definitions, types of surgery, and preoperative versus perioperative statin therapy. However, results of two recent large prospective cohort studies showed that statin use on the day of or the day after non-cardiac surgery (or both) is associated with lower 30-day all-cause mortality and reduction in a variety of postoperative complications, predominantly cardiac, compared with non-use during this period. There is a paucity of data from randomized controlled trials assessing the benefit of statin therapy in non-cardiac surgery. No randomized controlled trials have shown that initiating a statin in statin-naive patients may reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications in non-cardiac surgeries. One randomized clinical trial demonstrated that the use of a preoperative statin in patients with stable coronary heart disease treated with long-term statin therapy had a significant reduction in the incidence of myocardial necrosis and major adverse cardiovascular events after non-cardiac surgery. In conclusion, it is important that all health-care professionals involved in the care of the surgical patient emphasize the need to resume statin therapy, particularly in patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, initiating a statin in statin-naive patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery needs more evidence-based data.
Magnetic Evidence for the Aromaticity and Antiaromaticity of Charged Fluorenyl, Indenyl, and Cyclopentadienyl Systems

High level ab initio and density functional theory computations have been used to assess the aromaticity and antiaromaticity of the cations and anions derived from cyclopentadiene (C5H6), indene (C...
Transient Paralysis: A Novel Expression of Kratom Toxicity in Humans.

Intoxication with kratom, an emerging drug of abuse, may present with transient paralysis. Clinicians should be aware of this drug and its deleterious effects.