cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Note on “Superlarge” Structures and Their Phase Problem

Work carried out over the last few years1 suggests that it may be possible to extend x-ray diffraction techniques to the determination of structures of non-crystalline specimens of microti size, such as single small biological cells. Work to date has concentrated on showing that the diffraction from microscopic non-crystalline objects, while extremely faint, can be observed by employing high-intensity synchrotron x-ray sources, shifting to longer wavelengths, and increasing the coherence of the radiation. Assuming undulator radiation with high spatial coherence it is mainly the temporal coherence of the radiation which is at issue; assuming radiation of monochromaticity M the maximum resolution to which diffraction from a specimen of diameter a will normally extend is of the order of a/M. Using radiation with M=150 and individual cells of Minutocellus polymorphus with a=3µm we have observed pattern in 18A radiation to approximately 200A resolution, in good agreement with the above. Fig. 1 shows a portion of such a pattern. In certain special cases we have observed diffraction to 70A resolution.
The Curious Disappearance of Sociological Research on Probation Supervision

At the start of the prison boom, scholars in the U.S. vigorously debated the future of “alternative” sanctions, particularly community supervision, and whether they represented a true avenue for potential decarceration or a widening of the net of social control. Community supervision, particularly probation, was central to these debates and the empirical literature. Yet as the carceral state ballooned, sociological scholarship on punishment shifted almost entirely to imprisonment (and, to a lesser extent, parole supervision), despite the fact that probationers comprise nearly 60 percent of the correctional population. This article invites criminologists to turn their attention to sociological or macro-level questions around mass probation. To help start this new wave of research, I provide an intellectual history of sociological research on probation and parole, review the national-level data available on probationers and probationer supervision today, and outline an agenda for future research.
Interspecies Communication between Pathogens and Immune Cells via Bacterial Membrane Vesicles.

The production of extracellular vesicles is a universal mechanism for intercellular communication that is conserved across kingdoms. Prokaryotes secrete 50–250 nm membrane vesicles (MVs) in a manner that is regulated by environmental stress and is thought to promote survival. Since many types of host-derived stress are encountered during infection, this implies an important role for MV secretion in bacterial pathogenesis. Accordingly, MVs produced by gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens contain toxins, virulence factors, and other molecules that promote survival in the host. However, recent studies have also shown that bacterial MVs are enriched for molecules that stimulate innate and adaptive immune responses. As an example, MVs may serve multiple, important roles in regulating the host response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), an intracellular pathogen that infects lung macrophages and resides within modified phagosomes. Previously, we demonstrated that Mtb secretes MVs during infection that may regulate infected and uninfected immune cells. Our present data demonstrates that Mtb MVs inhibit the functions of macrophages and T cells, but promote MHC-II antigen presentation by dendritic cells. We conclude that bacterial MVs serve dual and opposing roles in the activation of and defense against host immune responses to Mtb and other bacterial pathogens. We also propose that MV secretion is a central mechanism for interspecies communication between bacteria and host cells during infection.
Th1 cytokines stimulate RANTES chemokine secretion by human astroglial cells depending on de novo transcription.

β-Chemokines induce the directional migration of monocytes and T lymphocytes that are implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions. RANTES is a member of the β-chemokine family that has been detected in the lesions of MS patients. However, the cellular sources of RANTES message and the molecular basis for the regulation of its production in MS lesions are not well understood. Glial cells may be a major source of RANTES in vivo and have been shown to produce RANTES in vitro. Thus, the objective of this study was to establish a model system for studying the regulation of RANTES expression by cytokines in cultured human glial cells, and to determine the mechanism involved in the process. We show that the Th1 cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β independently induce RANTES mRNA and chemokine levels in human U-251 MG astroglial cells, and that these effects are time- and concentration-dependent. In addition, we demonstrate that both cytokines increased the rate of transcription of the RANTES gene, as estimated by in vitro nuclear transcript elongation assays. The transcriptional activity in TNF-α-treated U-251 MG cells started to increase at 2 h and peaked at 8 h, with levels more than 14 times greater than controls. We further show that NF-κB may play a critical role in the up-regulation of human RANTES gene expression in this system. Gel shift assays revealed an induction of in vitro nuclear extract binding activity to the NF-κB element of RANTES in cells incubated with the Th1 cytokines. These observations suggest that human astroglia, within diseased brain, may be stimulated to produce RANTES chemokine in response to TNF-α and IL-1β, and that this effect of the Th1 cytokines is attributed to increase of transcription.
Aqueous solution of [EMIM][OAc]: Property formulations for use in air conditioning equipment design

Abstract Liquid desiccant air conditioning (LDAC) is a promising alternative to vapor compression refrigeration based space cooling and dehumidification for the reduction of energy consumption and the improvement of indoor air quality. However, its use in the air conditioning market is still very limited due to its high installation cost, intensive carryover, and high cost of operation and maintenance associated to the corrosion of the current desiccant liquids. Substitutes for the traditional desiccant liquids with better properties and no corrosion are highly needed. Ionic liquids, which are salts comprised of organic cations and inorganic anions or organic anions, have high thermal stability, negligible or no vapor pressure, varied solubility in water, low or no corrosion to metals, and low driving temperatures to achieve dew point temperatures. All of those characteristics make them as perfect substitutes for traditional desiccant liquids. Up to date, a very few research groups investigated ILs as potential alternatives to traditional desiccant liquids for LDAC. The study in the paper aimed to identify the ionic liquids as ideal desiccant liquids to achieve better cost-effectiveness and higher system performance of LDAC. There were 13 different ionic liquids (IL) identified and screened for the most promising candidate. 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, [EMIM][OAc], was selected as an ideal candidate for the capable of the most adsorption and desorption. The paper was mainly focused on the development of calculation models for the thermo-physical properties of the aqueous solution of [EMIM][OAc] to represent the property data needed for use as the desiccant liquid in sorption-based air conditioning equipment. It aims to provide convenient methods for use in the design and model of the sorption-based air conditioning. The calculation models for the following thermo-physical properties of the aqueous solution of [EMIM][OAc] were proposed and presented in the paper: the vapor pressures, specific heat capacity, density, and dynamic viscosity at various temperatures and concentrations.
On Multiscaled and Unified.

I thank Linda Hayes, Maria Malott, and Jack Marr for organizing a most stimulating conference, and for inviting me to participate. I also thank Billy Baum and Charlie Shimp for their interesting and provocative papers, and the B. F. Skinner Foundation for permission to reprint the material shown in Figure 1. Finally, I thank Christine Hughes and Kim Sawrey for serving as sounding boards for some of my thoughts on the issues raised by these papers.
Wikipedia Evolution: Trends and Phases

In the previous chapters, we presented a theoretical framework to explain the emergence and transformation of complex organizational configurations from an integrated perspective. We suggested that structural differentiation is an early and constitutive process by which online social organizations emerge, grow, and become stable. In this chapter, we explore some empirically measurable trends on Wikipedia that more concretely reveal structural differentiation through the lens of organizational configurations. We analyze data across the five dimensions of inbound and outbound degree centralization, betweenness centralization, assortativity, and entropy to track the ways in which Wikipedia has changed over time. We also propose a statistical method that may be used to determine the moments at which internal and external phenomena triggered revolutionary shifts in an organization’s development, and we subsequently use that method to identify transformative changes in the social structure of the online group that built Wikipedia.
Enacting "Smoke, Lilies, and Jade" as Black Gay Print Culture

This essay offers a comparative analysis of the ways that Isaac Julien9s Looking for Langston (1989) and Rodney Evans9s Brother to Brother (2005) inscribe Richard Bruce Nugent9s landmark short story “Smoke, Lilies, and Jade” (1926). Both films are examples of how “Smoke,” which was first published in the short-lived but infamous journal FIRE!!, now functions as much more than an artifact from the Harlem Renaissance9s dynamic print culture. As I contend through this analysis, “Smoke” is a central diegetic element in both films. It enables Looking9s visual depiction of the sojourn that Nugent9s protagonist Alex has with his male lover “Beauty” and Brother9s depiction of an intergenerational collaboration that honors Nugent as a black gay male artist. Through honorific interpretations of “Smoke, Lilies, and Jade,” Looking for Langston and Brother to Brother affirm a black gay print culture as indispensable to black gay film.
Mismeasuring Our Lives: The Case against Usefulness, Popularity, and the Desire to Influence Others

Early in 2008, in the early throes of the coming worldwide financial crisis, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy established a commission, led by Nobel laureates Joseph Stiglitz and Amartya Sen and French economist Jean-Paul Fitoussi, to study whether Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a valid measure of social and economic progress. In the Commission’s report, Mismeasuring Our Lives: Why GDP Doesn’t Add Up (Stiglitz, Sen, & Fitoussi, 2010), a new, alternative set of measures was proposed. This essay revisits the question of how we should measure the things that matter, at a time when we continue to mismeasure our lives, as we hold fast to the outworn myths of usefulness, popularity, and the desire to influence others. Three central, unquestioned presumptions have come to govern much of contemporary society, education, and the professions. They are: the high value placed on usefulness, on the passion to achieve popularity, and on the desire to influence others. In this essay, the psychologist-philosopher author makes the case against these presumptions, presumptions which lead to exclusionary commitments that stand in the way of human cultural development.
Adoptive Immunotherapy of Melanoma

Adoptive immunotherapy involves the ex vivo manipulation and expansion of lymphocytes to treat cancer. These lymphocytes, or effector cells, are “adoptively” transferred into the recipient and may be infused alone or as part of a regimen that includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, exogenous cytokines and/or other biologic agents (e.g., antibodies) designed to enhance their survival and killing potential in vivo.
The Che of South-Central Chile

Chapter 3 contains the ethnographic background of the Araucanians/Che in southern Chile and western Argentina. It is broken down into discussions about the political, economic, social, and ideological structures and organization that developed in pre-Hispanic times and are maintained in many areas today. These developments, beginning around AD 150, will be touched on briefly to provide background information for the development of Araucanian/Che culture leading to modern-day Mapuche society.
Metal-Mediated Cyclization of Alkynes and Carbenes: A New Route Toward Highly Substituted Cyclopentanoids

The synthesis and reactivity of metallacycle-carbene complexes is presented within the context of a potential route toward cyclopentadiene molecules. We also discuss our recent results on the successful cyclization of two alkynes and a carbene moiety. This latter chemistry involves cobaltacyclopentadiene complexes which are converted to η4-cyclopentadiene compounds upon reaction with ethyl diazoacetate.
Gene disruption in mice: Models of development and disease

Gene targeting technology in mice by homologous recombination has become an important method to generate loss-of-function of genes in a predetermined locus. Although the inactivation is limited to irreversible alteration of chromosomal DNA and a surprising variety of genes have given unexpected and disappointing results, modification of the basic technology now provides additional choices for a more specific and variety of manipulations of the mouse genome. This includes conditional cell-type specific gene targeting, knockin technique and the induction of the specific balanced chromosomal translocations. In the past decade this technique not only generated a wealth of knowledge concerning the roles of growth factors, oncogenes, hormone receptors and Hox genes but also helped to produce animal models for several human genetic disorders. In the future it may provide more powerful and necessary tools to dissect the psychiatric disorders, understanding the complex central nervous system and to correct the inherited disorders.
Parental Responsibility and Self-image of African American Fathers:

The author investigated the relationship between self-image and parental behavior of adolescent fathers. The study included a convenience sample of 43 African American unwed adolescent fathers. Dat...
Continuum Robot Control Based on Virtual Discrete-Jointed Robot Models

Continuum (continuous backbone) robots are suitable for operation in unstructured environments thanks to their inherent compliance. They can adjust their shape to navigate through complex environments and grasp a wide variety of payloads with their compliant backbones. However, controller design for continuum robots is challenging due to their complex dynamics. In this paper, we introduce a new and novel strategy for trajectory control of continuum robot sections. The approach is based on a virtual discrete-jointed robot whose degrees of freedom are directly mapped to those of a continuum robot section. A conventional control strategy is developed for the virtual robot, for which inverse kinematics and dynamic equations are formulated and exploited, with appropriate transformations developed for implementation on the continuum robot. Simulations of the virtual robot computed torque control were executed and results indicate that the control method has good trajectory tracking performance. The control algorithm was implemented on a three degree of freedom section of the OctArm continuum manipulator, with decent tracking performance (steady state tracking error of merely 3mm during extension).
The Role of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 in Energy Homeostasis

Energy homeostasis is coordinated by bidirectional communication pathways between the brain and peripheral organs, including adipose tissue, muscle, the pancreas, liver, and gut. Disruption of the integrated chemical, hormonal, and neuronal signals that constitute the gut-brain axis significantly contributes to disorders of metabolism and body weight. Initial studies of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a gut hormone released in response to the ingestion of nutrients, focused on its incretin actions to improve postprandial glucose homeostasis by enhancing meal-induced insulin secretion. However, GLP-1 is also a key player in the gut-brain regulatory axis with multiple effects on appetite and energy metabolism outside of its peripheral glucoregulatory actions. In this review, we explore the function of GLP-1 as a component of the gut-brain axis in the regulation of energy homeostasis, and consider the implications of this role for the development of therapeutic treatment options for obesity.
Spin Interconversion of Heme-Peroxo-Copper Complexes Facilitated by Intramolecular Hydrogen-Bonding Interactions

Synthetic peroxo-bridged high-spin (HS) heme-(μ-η2:η1-O22−)-Cu(L) complexes incorporating (as part of the copper ligand) intramolecular hydrogen-bond (H-bond) capabilities and/or steric effects are herein demonstrated to affect the complex’s electronic and geometric structure, notably impacting the spin state. An H-bonding interaction with the peroxo core favors a low-spin (LS) heme-(μ-η1:η1-O22–)-Cu(L) structure, resulting in a reversible temperature-dependent interconversion of spin state (5 coordinate HS to 6 coordinate LS). The LS state dominates at low temperatures, even in the absence of a strong trans-axial heme ligand. Lewis base addition inhibits the H-bond facilitated spin interconversion by competition for the H-bond donor, illustrating the precise H-bonding interaction required to induce spin-crossover (SCO). Resonance Raman spectroscopy (rR) shows that the H-bonding pendant interacts with the bridging peroxide ligand to stabilize the LS but not the HS state. The H-bond (to the Cu-bound O atom...
Mammalian Orthologs of C. elegans unc-119 Highly Expressed in Photoreceptors

PURPOSE. TO characterize orthologous human and murine cDNAs isolated through separate screens designed to identify genes expressed preferentially in retina. METHODS. By screening bovine, murine, and human retinal cDNA libraries, human UNC-119 clones of two varieties and a murine cDNA clone corresponding to the most abundant human transcript were isolated. Northern blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses were used to determine tissue distribution of UNC-119 expression; in situ hybridization localized it in retina to photoreceptors. Fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to map the human structural gene, and its intron- exon boundaries were elucidated by polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing genomic DNA. RESULTS. UNC-119 was expressed at high levels in photoreceptors and at low levels elsewhere. The most abundant transcript encoded a protein of 240 amino acids with homology to Caenorhabditis elegans UNC-119- Rat and human cDNAs of UNC-119 have been previously reported as human retinal gene 4 and rat retinal gene 4 (HRG4 and RRG4). An alternative splice form in humans arose from retention of the 3'-most intron, seemed to be retina-specific, and encoded a protein of 220 amino acids. The human structural gene mapped to 17qll.2 and comprised at least five exons and four introns. A patient with neurofibromatosis type 1, which also maps to 17qll.2, and cone-rod dystrophy was examined for a deletion of UNC-119 but no abnormalities were found. CONCLUSIONS. Given its strong degree of evolutionary conservation and abundant and nearly exclusive expression in photoreceptors, it is likely that UNC-119 plays an important role in vision and is a strong candidate gene for retinal diseases that map to 17qll.2. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1998;39: 2085-2094)
Traffic-Aware Adaptive Routing for Minimizing Fuel Consumption

Fuel consumption in the vehicles are dependent on two variables of the route-deterministic and stochastic variables. The deterministic variable comprises length, elevation, curvature of road and stop signs along the route. The stochastic variable comprises variability in the velocity due to traffic and traffic lights. In this paper, we formulate the problem of traffic aware adaptive routing as a Markov decision problem (MDP) with total cost criterion featuring a continuum of state and finite actions. We show that the value iteration algorithm associated with our model would converge. Since it is impractical to implement value iteration on continuous spaces, we use Q learning with function approximation to perform numerical simulations to learn routing policies.
On Large Deformations of Rock-type Transversely Isotropic Materials

Based on the micromechanically motivated suggestion by Mandel and Kratochvil to provide constitutive relations for the plastic spin in a macroscopic formulation of finite strain plasticity, the invariance requirements and the representation theorems for isotropic functions are used to obtain a physically plausible expression for the plastic spin in relation to rock-type transversely isotropic dilatant materials. The micromechanical interpretation of a pertinent macroscopic parameter is discussed, and its effect illustrated by the analysis of a specific example.
Diagnosis and surgical management of Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome

Abstract Abdominal pain in the adolescent population is rarely attributed to anatomic variance. Minimal consideration placed on this pathology can present a diagnostic dilemma and delay in care if such options are not investigated. Our case report describes the workup, step-by-step imaging and multidisciplinary approach to a twelve-year-old female who presented with abdominal pain at an outside facility, where she was originally diagnosed with a pelvic mass seeming to arise from the left ovary on ultrasound. Subsequent CT at the authors’ institution indicated a hydrometrocolpos and possible uterine and vaginal duplication; exam under anesthesia revealed uterine didelphys with obstructed left hemivagina. MRI confirmed the diagnosis of Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich Syndrome and return to the operating room resulted in successful evacuation of the obstructed hemivagina by vaginal septum resection. Post-operatively, she is doing well, menstruating without difficulty, and has not had recurrence of symptoms. This case elucidates the need for consideration of Mullerian duct anomalies in female pediatric patients presenting with lower abdominal pain.
Extracardiac Fontan Fenestration Device Closure with Amplatzer Vascular Plug II and Septal Occluder: Procedure Results and Medium-Term Follow-Up.

The objective of this study was to determine medium-term morbidity and mortality of patients who have undergone device closure of an extracardiac Fontan fenestration with an Amplatzer Vascular Plug II (AVPII) or Septal Occluder (ASO). A secondary objective was to compare medium-term morbidity and mortality between these patients and other fenestrated Fontan patients. A retrospective chart review was performed on patients who underwent an extracardiac fenestrated Fontan procedure between 1992 and 2015 at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. Procedural and follow-up data were obtained and compared between those who underwent fenestration closure and those who did not. Additional outcome measures included whether the fenestration had spontaneously closed, morbidity and mortality, oxygen saturations, and hemodynamics pre- and post-closure. Fifty-nine of 118 patients (50%) with a fenestrated Fontan underwent 60 device closures of the fenestration. Thirty-two (53%) of these were with the AVPII and 28 (47%) with the ASO. There was one device embolization. At a median follow-up of 3.9 years, five patients suffered morbidity, including 2 with arrhythmias, 1 with plastic bronchitis, 1 with protein losing enteropathy, and 1 with stroke. There were no cardiopulmonary deaths in this group. Twenty-three of 118 patients (19%) had spontaneous closure. There was no difference in morbidity and mortality between patients who underwent percutaneous fenestration closure and those who either had spontaneous closure or a persistently patent fenestration. Device closure of Fontan fenestrations is a safe and effective procedure with minimal morbidity and mortality comparable to other patients with fenestrations.
Modeling the historical distribution of American chestnut (Castanea dentata) for potential restoration in western New York State, US

Abstract American chestnut (Castanea dentata) once held great economic and ecological importance in eastern US forests before its demise due to an invasive blight fungus. Backcross breeding and genetic engineering methods are currently developing a blight-resistant tree with mostly American chestnut traits. With the potential reintroduction of chestnut, research has sought to understand the geographic distribution of chestnut to locate potential restoration sites, but less research has compared ideal restoration sites to underlying land ownership. This research models the historical distribution of chestnut in western New York State (NYS, approximately 27,617 km2), containing a portion of the original range of chestnut, in order to determine suitable areas for chestnut reintroduction. This study models chestnut distribution using original land survey record (OLSR) data (ca. 1797–1799 CE) and species distribution models (SDMs), then compares model predictions to current protected lands. Results indicate that depending upon modeling technique, predicted suitable habitat for chestnut ranges 27.9–49.7% of the study area, and that 8.0–11.5% of suitable area is within protected land parcels. SDMs suggest that within the study area, the two predictors most important to chestnut distribution are soil pH and terrain slope, with chestnut favoring acidic soils and steeper slopes. By identifying sites for potential reintroduction of chestnut, this study highlights that reintroduction will depend upon cooperation of private landowners along with governments and non-governmental agencies. This study offers a revision to the historical distribution of chestnut in western NYS, and provides insight into land ownership and management issues facing its restoration.
Early-stage Management of Complex Wounds Using Negative Pressure Wound Therapy With Instillation and a Dressing With Through Holes.

Introduction An early-stage decision clinicians often make in the management of complex wounds is which method of wound preparation will be appropriate for the patient. This decision can be affected by numerous wound and patient risk factors that present challenges and may make surgical debridement difficult in patients with complex wounds. Recently, negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) using a novel reticulated open-cell foam dressing with through holes (ROCF-CC) was shown to aid in the loosening and removal of thick exudate and nonviable tissue from wounds. Objective The authors present their experiences of using NPWTi-d with ROCF-CC, along with rationales for wound care decisions. Materials and methods Patients received antibiotics and surgical debridement when appropriate. Therapy selection and parameters were based on a decision-tree model for wound care management that takes into consideration patient and wound information. Most patients received NPWTi-d with ROCF-CC for a duration of 5 to 8 days; however, 1 patient received NPWTi-d with ROCF-CC for more than 30 days due to the wound extent and severity. Therapy consisted of instilling saline or quarter-strength sodium hypochlorite solution with dwell times of 3 to 10 minutes, followed by 2 hours or 3.5 hours of NPWT either at -100 mm Hg or -125 mm Hg. Results There were 6 patients (3 men, 3 women; average age, 58.5 years) treated. Wound types included 3 pressure ulcers, 1 necrotizing soft tissue infection, 1 perianal abscess, and 1 large abdominal wound. Patient comorbidities included obesity, type 2 diabetes, and radiation therapy. In all cases, progression of wound healing was observed with no complications. This method produced viable granulation tissue and wound bed preparation; however, patients were not followed to closure or grafting. Conclusions These cases help support the use of NPWTi-d with ROCF-CC as a viable option for wound care providers in the early-stage management of complex wounds.
A Note on Decomposition of Sources of Variability in Perceptual Decision-making.

Abstract Information processing underlying human perceptual decision-making is inherently noisy and identifying sources of this noise is important to understand processing. Ratcliff, Voskuilen, and McKoon (2018) examined results from five experiments using a double-pass procedure in which stimuli were repeated typically a hundred trials later. Greater than chance agreement between repeated tests provided evidence for trial-to-trial variability from external sources of noise. They applied the diffusion model to estimate the quality of evidence driving the decision process (drift rate) and the variability (standard deviation) in drift rate across trials. This variability can be decomposed into random (internal) and systematic (external) components by comparing the double-pass accuracy and agreement with the model predictions. In this note, we provide an additional analysis of the double-pass experiments using the linear ballistic accumulator (LBA) model. The LBA model does not have within-trial variability and thus it captures all variabilities in processing with its across-trial variability parameters. The LBA analysis of the double-pass data provides model-based evidence of external variability in a decision process, which is consistent with Ratcliff et al.’s result. This demonstrates that across-trial variability is required to model perceptual decision-making. The LBA model provides measures of systematic and random variability as the diffusion model did. But due to the lack of within-trial variability, the LBA model estimated the random component as a larger proportion of across-trial total variability than did the diffusion model.
Roll-to-roll production of catalyst coated membranes for low-temperature electrolyzers

Abstract This work demonstrates a roll-to-roll (R2R) process for direct coating of anode catalyst layers on a polymer electrolyte membrane for low-temperature water electrolysis. To develop this process, catalyst ink formulation, ink-membrane interactions, and coating quality were studied. The catalyst inks were a mixture of iridium oxide (IrO2) and Nafion in a water and alcohol dispersion medium. The type of alcohol (methanol, ethanol, propanols) and water-to-alcohol ratio were varied to determine their influence on membrane swelling, dispersion quality, and coatability. Small-scale coating samples were prepared to understand coating uniformity and formation of irregularities. Subsequently, two water/1-propanol ratios (90:10 and 75:25) were down-selected for R2R slot-die coating. The R2R catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) coating process increased catalyst layer production throughput by over 500x compared to our standard lab-scale spray coating. The CCMs obtained from this process were tested as single-cell membrane electrode assemblies. They exhibited a cell voltage of 1.91 V at a current density of 2 A/cm2, which is comparable to spray-coated CCMs. In conclusion, the work presented here demonstrates a continuous, scalable manufacturing process that eliminates the need for the decal-transfer step typically used in CCM production.
‘The Incomparable Curiosity of Every Feather!’: Cotton Mather’s Birds

This chapter examines Cotton Mather’s writing about birds. Drawing primarily on his physico-theological writing, his transatlantic correspondence, and his sermons, it argues that Mather’s bird writing reveals a relatively easy and harmonious merging of scientific and religious approaches. His thinking, reading and writing about both scriptural and actual birds was interwoven and mutually reinforcing. This ‘refusal to restrict himself to one mode of knowing’ highlights an often-neglected aspect of Mather’s work and of the intersection of science and theology in the early eighteenth century. Critical accounts which take Mather’s scientific efforts seriously often position them in tension and competition with the biblical hermeneutic tradition in which he was raised. In Mather’s bird writing, however, we see a minister not anxiously but delightedly drawing connections between early ornithology, the birds in the Bible, and North American avian specimens. His evident pleasure should remind us not to distinguish too confidently and completely between ways of knowing birds in the eighteenth century.
Preterm Birth Impedes Structural and Functional Development of Cerebellar Purkinje Cells in the Developing Baboon Cerebellum

Human cerebellar development occurs late in gestation and is hindered by preterm birth. The fetal development of Purkinje cells, the primary output cells of the cerebellar cortex, is crucial for the structure and function of the cerebellum. However, morphological and electrophysiological features in Purkinje cells at different gestational ages, and the effects of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience on cerebellar development are unexplored. Utilizing the non-human primate baboon cerebellum, we investigated Purkinje cell development during the last trimester of pregnancy and the effect of NICU experience following premature birth on developmental features of Purkinje cells. Immunostaining and whole-cell patch clamp recordings of Purkinje cells in the baboon cerebellum at different gestational ages revealed that molecular layer width, driven by Purkinje dendrite extension, drastically increased and refinement of action potential waveform properties occurred throughout the last trimester of pregnancy. Preterm birth followed by NICU experience for 2 weeks impeded development of Purkinje cells, including action potential waveform properties, synaptic input, and dendrite extension compared with age-matched controls. In addition, these alterations impact Purkinje cell output, reducing the spontaneous firing frequency in deep cerebellar nucleus (DCN) neurons. Taken together, the primate cerebellum undergoes developmental refinements during late gestation, and NICU experience following extreme preterm birth influences morphological and physiological features in the cerebellum that can lead to functional deficits.
Congenital Mitral Valve Diseases

A 66-year-old woman has a history of coronary artery bypass grafting in 1987, when she had left main stenosis and underwent bypass with anastomosis of the left internal mammary artery to the left anterior descending artery and a saphenous vein graft to the obtuse marginal branch. The patient now returns with symptoms of congestive heart failure. She is found to have an atrioventricular canal defect including mitral valve regurgitation with mitral valve cleft, primum atrial septal defect, and severe tricuspid regurgitation. She also has a left-sided superior vena cava, into which she has an anomalous left upper pulmonary vein. She has recently noticed a significant decline and can now walk only half a block at a slow pace before having to stop. She was referred to our institute for surgical correction of her complex congenital heart disease (Figs. 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6, 9.7, 9.8, 9.9, and 9.10).
Ethmoid pneumocele presenting with exophthalmos 15 years after endoscopic sinus surgery.

INTRODUCTION: A pneumocele is an abnormal dilation of an air-containing sinus beyond the normal margins of bone, with associated bony thinning. A delayed ethmoid pneumocele after sinus surgery has not previously been reported. METHODS: A case report of a patient with a delayed ethmoid pneumocele after sinus surgery. The diagnostic workup, operative approach, and postoperative results were evaluated. RESULTS: A 57-year-old female with a history of endoscopic sinus surgery 15 years prior presented with right eye proptosis and severe orbital and facial pressure. A maxillofacial computed tomography showed a markedly expanded air-filled right anterior ethmoid space with a dehiscent lamina papyracea, consistent with a pneumocele. Marsupialization of the pneumocele as well as a revision ethmoidectomy were performed, with a visible return of the orbital contents to a more natural position. The patient experienced worsened diplopia immediately postoperatively that resolved within two weeks. CONCLUSIONS: This case demonstrates that a pneumocele can present even years after endoscopic sinus surgery, and acute but temporary development or worsening of diplopia can result from surgical decompression of the pneumocele as the eye returns to its natural position.
Observing the effects of strong gravity with future X-ray missions

Spectroscopy of the broad iron iron with ASCA and BeppoSAX has up opened the innermost regions of accreting black hole systems to detailed study. In this contribution, I discuss how observations with future X-ray missions will extend these studies and all us to observationally address issues which are currently only in the realm of the theorists. In particular, high-throughput spectroscopy with XMM and, eventually, Constellation-X will allow the full diagnostic power of iron line variability to be realized. Instabilities of the inner accretion flow, the geometry of the variable X-ray source, and the black hole mass and spin will all be open to study. Eventually, X-ray interferometry will allow direct imaging of the black hole region in nearby active galaxies, thereby providing the ultimate probe of black hole astrophysics.
Elevated Levels of Both Sucrose-Phosphate Synthase and Sucrose Synthase in Vicia Guard Cells Indicate Cell-Specific Carbohydrate Interconversions

A long series of reports correlate larger stomatal aperture size with elevated concentration of sucrose (Suc) in guard cells. To assess the role and autonomy of guard cells with respect to these changes, we have determined quantitatively the cellular distribution of the synthetic enzyme, Suc-phosphate synthase (SPS) and the degradative enzyme Suc synthase (SS) in Vicia leaflet. As expected for Suc-exporting cells, the photosynthetic parenchyma had a high SPS:SS ratio of approximately 45. Also as expected, in epidermal cells, which had only few and rudimentary plastids, the SPS:SS ratio was low (0.4). Of all cells and tissues measured, those that had the highest specific activity of SPS (about 4.8 [mu]mol mg-1 of protein h-1) were guard cells. Guard cells also had a very high relative specific activity of SS.
Aesthetic reconstruction of the severely disfigured burned face: a creative strategy for a “natural” appearance using pre-patterned autogenous free flaps

The author reviews his pioneering work in aesthetic restoration of the severely disfigured burn face first introduced in 1995 and refined over the past two decades. The reader will be exposed to the step by step approach to achieving cosmetic enhancement and functional rehabilitation of advanced facial burns. The “keystone” of the autogenous reconstruction is the pre-patterned, sculpted microvascular free flap designed to fit like the “piece of a puzzle” into the aesthetic units of the face to replace disfiguring burn scars. Aggressive intraoperative “sculpting” is employed both “in situ” at the donor site and during the flap transfer to simulate the normal facial contours and planes. Comparisons of the author’s approach are made to the whole spectrum of reconstructive modalities ranging from conventional grafting to expanded pre-fabricated flaps and even to CTA face transplants; advantages/disadvantages of each are discussed. The pre-patterned, sculpted microvascular (MV) free flap offers the benefit of a single-stage transfer of composite skin/soft tissue hiding the seams at the junction of facial planes. When harvested from distant donor sites, the donor deformities can easily be concealed. The MV free tissue transfer offers the substrate that can be sculpted into nuanced facial components as well as the “palette” upon which the face can be painted with creative camouflage makeup. The soft contour and texture of the autogenous patterned transfers translates into a “natural” facial appearance while preserving fluid motions of facial expression.
Consistency without borders

Distributed consistency is a perennial research topic; in recent years it has become an urgent practical matter as well. The research literature has focused on enforcing various flavors of consistency at the I/O layer, such as linearizability of read/write registers. For practitioners, strong I/O consistency is often impractical at scale, while looser forms of I/O consistency are difficult to map to application-level concerns. Instead, it is common for developers to take matters of distributed consistency into their own hands, leading to application-specific solutions that are tricky to write, test and maintain. In this paper, we agitate for the technical community to shift its attention to approaches that lie between the extremes of I/O-level and application-level consistency. We ground our discussion in early work in the area, including our own experiences building programmer tools and languages that help developers guarantee distributed consistency at the application level. Much remains to be done, and we highlight some of the challenges that we feel deserve more attention.
A phase II study of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum and 5-fluorouracil in advanced upper aerodigestive neoplasms

Thirty patients with advanced head and neck cancer of diverse histologies received the combination of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (CDDP) (100 mg/m2) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (1,000 mg/m2/24 hours X 4 days) at 3-4 week intervals. Among all study participants, the median time to progression was 3.9 months and the median survival was 7.2 months. Among 20 patients with squamous cell carcinoma, we observed five objective regressions (25%). None of the responders had prior chemotherapy; four had extensive prior radiation therapy. Among 10 patients with non-squamous cell carcinoma neoplasms, we detected three objective responses (30%). Histopathology of the responding patients included poorly differentiated sarcoma, anaplastic carcinoma, and malignant mixed parotid tumor. Significant gastrointestinal toxicities included moderate-to-severe nausea (60%), vomiting (43%), and stomatitis (57%). Leukopenia (less than 4,000 cells/mm3) and thrombocytopenia (less than 130,000 cells/mm3) affected 78% and 41% of patients, respectively, without sepsis or hemorrhage.
Complexity analysis of the cost effectiveness of PI-led NASA science missions

For the last 20 years, NASA has allowed Principal Investigators (PIs) to manage the development of many unmanned space projects. Advocates of PI-led projects believe that a PI-led implementation can result in a project being developed at lower cost and shorter schedule than other implementation modes. This paper seeks to test this hypothesis by comparing the actual costs of NASA and other comparable projects developed under different implementation modes. The Aerospace Corporation's Complexity-Based Risk Assessment (CoBRA) analysis tool is used to normalize the projects such that the cost can be compared for equivalent project complexities. The data is examined both by complexity and by launch year. Cost growth will also be examined for any correlation with implementation mode. Defined in many NASA Announcements of Opportunity (AOs), a PI-led project is characterized by a central, single person with full responsibility for assembling a team and for the project's scientific integrity and the implementation and integrity of all other aspects of the mission, while operating under a cost cap. PIs have larger degrees of freedom to achieve the stated goals within NASA guidelines and oversight. This study leverages the definitions and results of previous National Research Council studies of PI-led projects. Aerospace has defined a complexity index, derived from mission performance, mass, power, and technology choices, to arrive at a broad representation of missions for purposes of comparison. Over a decade of research has established a correlation between mission complexity and spacecraft development cost and schedule. This complexity analysis, CoBRA, is applied to compare a PI-led set of New Frontiers, Discovery, Explorers, and Earth System Science Pathfinder missions to the overall NASA mission dataset. This reveals the complexity trends against development costs, cost growth, and development era.
Exporting causal knowledge in evolutionary and developmental biology

In this article I consider the challenges for exporting causal knowledge raised by complex biological systems. In particular, James Woodward’s interventionist approach to causality identified three types of stability in causal explanation: invariance, modularity, and insensitivity. I consider an example of robust degeneracy in genetic regulatory networks and knockout experimental practice to pose methodological and conceptual questions for our understanding of causal explanation in biology.
On the Slowing of S Phase in Response to DNA Damage in Fission Yeast

Eukaryotic cells slow their progression through S phase upon DNA damage. The mechanism that leads to this slowing is called the intra-S-phase checkpoint. Previous studies demonstrated that in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe this checkpoint is mediated by a pathway that includes Rad3 (similar to human ATR and ATM) and Cds1 (similar to human Chk1 and Chk2). Here we present evidence that a major downstream target of this pathway is the cyclin-dependent kinase, Cdc2. We also present evidence suggesting that the intra-S-phase checkpoint makes a relatively minor contribution to the survival of cells with damaged DNA.
Growth and phosphorus, zinc, and manganese content of tomato, muskmelon, and honey locust at high root‐zone temperatures 1

Abstract Horticultural species vary in growth response to root‐zone temperature (RZT) that exceed 30°C, but little is known about the effects of RZT on nutrient absorption. We determined the amount of phosphorus (P), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) in plants of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. ‘Jet Star'), muskmelon (Cucumis melo L. ‘Gold Star'), and thornless honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos L. var. inermis Willd.) grown in an Hoagland No. 1 nutrient solution that was held at 24°, 27°, 30°, 33°, and 36°C RZT. Tomato dry mass and P and Mn contents were highest at 27°C RZT, but tomato Zn content did not show a response to RZT. Muskmelon dry mass and P, Zn, and Mn contents, however, were highest at 36°C. Honey locust dry mass and P and Zn contents did not vary with RZT, but honey locust Mn content decreased linearly with increasing RZT. Growth and P, Zn, and Mn absorption by muskmelon were increased by continuous exposure to RZT > 30°C, whereas honey locust growth and P, Zn, and Mn acquisition were no...