cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modularity of the angiosperm female gametophyte and its bearing on the early evolution of endosperm in flowering plants

The monosporic seven-celled/eight-nucleate Polygonum-type female gametophyte has long served as a focal point for discussion of the origin and subsequent evolution of the angiosperm female gametophyte. In Polygonum-type female gametophytes, two haploid female nuclei are incorporated into the central cell, and fusion of a sperm cell with the binucleate central cell produces a triploid endosperm with a complement of two maternal and one paternal genomes, characteristic of most angiosperms. We document the development of a four-celled/four-nucleate female gametophyte in Nuphar polysepala (Engelm.) and infer its presence in many other ancient lineages of angiosperms. The central cell of the female gametophyte in these taxa contains only one haploid nucleus; thus endosperm is diploid and has a ratio of one maternal to one paternal genome. Based on comparisons among flowering plants, we conclude that the angiosperm female gametophyte is constructed of modular developmental subunits. Each module is characterized by a common developmental pattern: (1) positioning of a single nucleus within a cytoplasmic domain (pole) of the female gametophyte; (2) two free-nuclear mitoses to yield four nuclei within that domain; and (3) partitioning of three uninucleate cells adjacent to the pole such that the fourth nucleus is confined to the central region of the female gametophyte (central cell). Within the basal angiosperm lineages Nymphaeales and Illiciales, female gametophytes are characterized by a single developmental module that produces a four-celled/four-nucleate structure with a haploid uninucleate central cell. A second pattern, typical of Amborella and the overwhelming majority of eumagnoliids, monocots, and eudicots, involves the early establishment of two developmental modules that produce a seven-celled/eight-nucleate female gametophyte with two haploid nuclei in the central cell. Comparative analysis of ontogenetic sequences suggests that the seven-celled female gametophyte (two modules) evolved by duplication and ectopic expression of an ancestral Nuphar-like developmental module within the chalazal domain of the female gametophyte. These analyses indicate that the first angiosperm female gametophytes were composed of a single developmental module, which upon double fertilization yielded a diploid endosperm. Early in angiosperm history this basic module was duplicated, and resulted in a seven-celled/eight-nucleate female gametophyte, which yielded a triploid endosperm with the characteristic 2:1 maternal to paternal genome ratio.
The Significance of Narcissism

This essay briefly reviews the significance of Pleshette DeArmitt's book, The Right to Narcissism. The essay, originally presented at the 2015 Kristeva Circle, was part of a panel celebrating the work of Pleshette.
A new detection mechanism involving keto–enol tautomerization: selective fluorescence detection of Al(III) by dehydration of secondary alcohols in mixed DMSO/aqueous media

A new mechanism for the fluorescence detection of metal cations in solution is introduced involving a unique keto–enol tautomerization. Reduction of 1,8-anthraquinone-18-crown-5 yields the doubly reduced secondary alcohol, 2. Compound 2 acts as a chemodosimeter for Al(III) ions producing a strong blue emission due to the formation of the anthracene fluorophore, 3, via dehydration of the internal secondary alcohol in DMSO/aqueous solution. The enol form is not the most thermodynamically stable form under these conditions however and slowly converts to the keto form 4. Reduction of 1 with Fe/AcOH or the reaction of 2 with HCl directly yields compound 4, the keto tautomer of 3, which also produces the same blue emission in more polar solvents. Competition studies reveal that compound 2 produces a blue emission exclusively in the presence of the strong Lewis acidic Al(III) ion and at relatively low pH.
Robust Secret Sharing Schemes Against Local Adversaries

We study robust secret sharing schemes in which between one third and one half of the players are corrupted. In this scenario, robust secret sharing is possible only with a share size larger than the secrets, and allowing a positive probability of reconstructing the wrong secret. We focus on the most challenging case where the number corruptions is just one less than the number of honest players. In the standard model, it is known that at least $$m+k$$ bits per share are needed to robustly share a secret of bit-length m with an error probability of $$2^{-k}$$; however, to the best of our knowledge, no efficient scheme matches this lower bound: the one that gets closest has share size $$m+\widetilde{O}n+k$$, where n is the number of players in the scheme. We show that it is possible to obtain schemes with close to minimal share size in a model of local adversaries, i.e. in which corrupt players cannot communicate between receiving their respective honest shares and submitting corrupted shares to the reconstruction procedure, but may coordinate before the execution of the protocol and can also gather information afterwards. In this limited adversarial model, we prove a lower bound of roughly $$m+k$$ bits on the minimal share size, which is somewhat surprisingly similar to the lower bound in the standard model, where much stronger adversaries are allowed. We then present efficient scheme that essentially meets our lower bound, and has shorter share size than any known efficient construction in the standard model for the same set of parameters. For our construction, we introduce a novel procedure that compiles an error correcting code into a new randomized one, with the following two properties: a single local portion of a codeword leaks no information on the encoded message itself, and any set of portions of a codeword reconstructs the message with error probability exponentially low in the set size.
A Numerical Method to Predict Boundary Distortion and Interference of Open Jet Test Sections

The effect of the boundary distortion on the open test section interference is addressed through a numerical study performed using a panel method. The method is based on the concepts of the boundary measurement approach and the adaptive wall test sections. The numeri cally predicted flow properties at the test section boundaries are used to simulate the boundary distortion. The deformation process utilizes the one -step method, an interface matching method used with the adaptive wall test sections. The interference of t wo - and three -dimensional lifting models inside open test sections are presented and validated against the classical method of images. The study includes several model sizes and test section lengths with deformed and fixed boundaries. Finally, some unusual applications are briefly discussed.
Polarized light in birefringent samples (Conference Presentation)

Full-field polarized light imaging provides the capability of investigating the alignment and density of birefringent tissue such as collagen abundantly found in scars, the cervix, and other sites of connective tissue. These can be indicators of disease and conditions affecting a patient. Two-dimensional polarized light Monte Carlo simulations which allow the input of an optical axis of a birefringent sample relative to a detector have been created and validated using optically anisotropic samples such as tendon yet, unlike tendon, most collagen-based tissues is significantly less directional and anisotropic. Most important is the incorporation of three-dimensional structures for polarized light to interact with in order to simulate more realistic biological environments. Here we describe the development of a new polarization sensitive Monte Carlo capable to handle birefringent materials with any spatial distribution. The new computational platform is based on tissue digitization and classification including tissue birefringence and principle axis of polarization. Validation of the system was conducted both numerically and experimentally.
RDataTracker and DDG Explorer - Capture, Visualization and Querying of Provenance from R Scripts.

Scientific data provenance is gaining interest among both scientists and computer scientists. The current state of the art of provenance capture requires scientists to adopt new technologies, most commonly workflow systems such as Kepler [BML06], Vistrails [SKS08] or Taverna [MBZ08], among others. While there are likely additional benefits to adopting these systems, they present a hurdle to scientists who are more interested in focusing on science than in learning new technologies. The work described in this poster is aimed at exploring the extent to which we can support scientists while expecting a minimal investment in terms of additional effort on their part. This work has been developed in collaboration with ecologists at Harvard Forest, a 3500 acre facility operated by Harvard University and serving as a Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site funded by the National Science Foundation. Many of these ecologists perform data analysis using R, a widely used scripting language that includes extensive statistical analysis and plotting functionality. These scientists are committed to understanding their data, making sure that their data analyses are done in an appropriate manner, and sharing their data and results with others. For these reasons, they appreciate the value that collecting data provenance may have, but they are not enthusiastic about learning new tools. In this poster, we present two tools aimed at this audience: RDataTracker and DDG Explorer. RDataTracker [LB14] is used to collect data provenance during the execution of an R script. DDG Explorer is the tool that is used to examine and query the resulting data provenance.
Reviving Laurence Hope

In late October of 1904, Thomas Hardy received a letter from Madras, India, from someone he had never met: a retired member of the Indian Civil Service named W. Francis Grahame. The letter concerned a woman named Violet Nicolson whom he had met — briefly, the previous summer — at one of Mrs Blanche Crackanthorpe’s London literary salons. The letter informed Hardy that Mrs Nicolson — better known to the world by her pseudonym, ‘Laurence Hope’ — had committed suicide by swallowing poison. ‘My excuse for writing to you — being an absolute stranger,’ Grahame wrote, ‘is that the very day before she died I had a very long conversation with her, in the course of which she showed me your letter to her acknowledging her last volume of poems.’1
The Power in Pleasure: Practical Implementation of Pleasure in Sex Education Classrooms

ABSTRACTPleasure is an important aspect of healthy sexual development. Moreover, public health researchers and feminist scholars suggest that pleasure-inclusive sex education is effective for reducing pregnancy and rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and may create a more inclusive classroom environment for underserved individuals. Although scholars have called for the integration of pleasure into sexual health education, these theoretical suggestions have rarely translated into classroom practices. Educators often face myriad challenges in including positive messages about pleasure in sex education curricula. Resources are needed to make the inclusion of pleasure easier for educators. This article helps address this gap in two ways. The first part offers a new, holistic definition of pleasure, exposes deficits in current classroom practices, and explores how including pleasure may address many axes of inequality and enhance classroom experiences for diverse adolescents. The second part...
Performance Measurement of KMI 30 and KSE 30 Index in Karachi Stock Exchange

There is a dramatic shift in the investment preference of investors from conventional to Shariah-complaint companies in the last decade. This study provides evidence on the performance measurement of Karachi Meezan Index which represents Shariah-complaint stocks in comparison to KSE 30 which represents conventional stocks registered under Pakistan Stock Exchange formerly known as Karachi Stock Exchange. Daily index prices are incorporated in the analysis from 21 March 2012 to 7 September 2015. Independent sample t-test model is employed to measure the difference in the risk and return of each index. Regression analysis is used to study the relationship between stock return and financial ratios. Results showed that KMI stocks generate higher average return and lower risk as compared to KSE 100 index. Moreover, KMI 30 index shows higher risk-adjusted return of Treynor ratio as compared to conventional counterpart. In regression analysis, net income margin shows a significant negative relationship with KSE 30 index return. However, DER shows negative relationship with KMI 30 index but not significant.
The Rise and Fall of Need-Based Grants: A Critical Review of Presidential Discourses on Higher Education, 1964–1984

Recent economic histories by Benjamin Friedman and Robert Fogel argue that America’s economic future depends on a return to policy of the 1970s, including a major reinvestment in Pell Grants, which have steadily declined as a proportion of total financial aid spending since 1978. To evaluate the adequacy of purely economic rationales for reinvesting in grants today, this review uses historiography and discourse analysis of US presidential speeches to critically review rationales for student aid policy between 1964 and 1984. Along with economic arguments based on human capital theory, presidents’ rationales for aid spending were grounded in leaders’ political ideologies and views of equity and excellence as desired sociopolitical ends of education. Economic arguments themselves varied to alternately emphasize individual and national returns on investment. More importantly for contemporary debates about a renewed federal role in supporting college opportunities, these rationales were combined in various ways throughout the period, suggesting the need today for multidimensional and balanced arguments that are relevant to the present social, economic, and political contexts.
Proactive and dynamic event-driven disruption management in the manufacturing domain

Within the last few years, event processing has been gaining a lot of attention as it represents a powerful technology to establish a real-time monitoring and situation detection. The real-time detection of situations allows a timely reaction and helps to reduce the damage made by harmful situations or increase the benefit of opportunities. Through the mind shift of companies from reactivity towards proactivity, also the used systems have to carry out a shift. Instead of just detecting situations, we search for possibilities to predict them and even go one step further and recommend a suitable reaction with the smallest possible impact on the production process as a whole. In this paper we introduce our concept of a proactive and dynamic event-driven disruption management system.
Psychoeducational Intervention Program about Posttraumatic Growth for Japanese High School Students

ABSTRACTThis study evaluates the effect of a psychoeducational intervention about posttraumatic growth (PTG) among Japanese adolescents. Study 1 examined whether those who learned about changes related to stress would report higher growth than those who did not. Study 2 examined whether those who learned about PTG perceived more growth than those who learned about negative changes or those who did not learn about potential changes. Findings from both studies indicated that PTG was higher in those who received the intervention program than those who did not. These studies demonstrate the potential effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention program in fostering adolescents’ perceptions and understanding of their personal growth following stressful experiences. Implications are that the knowledge about not only stress reactions or coping but the possibility of PTG can be integrated into the health education.
Comparison of umbilical cord tissue and meconium for the confirmation of in utero drug exposure

Abstract Objectives Drug screening in neonates is traditionally performed using meconium, but cord tissue has been proposed as an alternative specimen. This study compares the detection of drugs in a large number of paired meconium and umbilical cord tissue samples from subjects at risk of in utero drug exposure. Design and Methods Physician-ordered toxicology results and clinical information were collected in a retrospective review of subject medical records. All toxicology testing was performed by a national reference laboratory using a combination of immunoassays and chromatography-mass spectrometry. The comparison was limited to drugs present in both cord and meconium panels. Results Overall agreement between cord and meconium ranged from 76% (cannabinoids) to 100% (barbiturates), but Cohen's kappa was Conclusions This study reveals different sensitivities of drug detection in umbilical cord tissue and meconium. For the drugs studied here, meconium provides greater sensitivity, and is likely to remain the specimen of choice when sensitivity is of greatest importance. These results can help clinicians, laboratorians, and epidemiologists to (1) select the most appropriate test to confirm a suspected drug exposure and (2) interpret discordant results when testing is performed in multiple matrices.
Multilayer technologies for piezo-ceramic materials

Abstract Multilayer structures have been introduced in the piezoelectric actuator primarily because of the following advantages: much lower drive voltage, making them safer to use, and a cheaper power supply, and higher capacitance/lower impedance—n2 times for the n-layer device. However, the following problems are also involved: more expensive manufacturing costs, both the processing cost and the electrode materials cost (typically rare-metal), and they are mechanically weak due to the electrode insertion.
Insights and challenges of Salmonella infection of laying hens

Salmonella infection of laying hens and subsequent contamination of eggs continues to be a public health concern. The focus of this review is to discuss some of the current and future issues that impact Salmonella association with laying hens and egg contamination. Among these issues are the impact of shifting to alternative cage free layer hen housing and away from cage batteries. Most of the focus will be on Salmonella Enteritidis as the serotype primarily associated with laying hens and the mechanisms that ensure its successful colonization, infection and subsequent contamination of table eggs. The variability in virulence and survival characteristics among S. Enteritidis strains will also be discussed including studies on detailed characterization at the molecular level. Finally, the comprehensive assessment of the laying hen gastrointestinal tract microbiota to better understand S. Enteritidis colonization and the subsequent host response will be examined.
Case report of combined surgical oncologic and bariatric procedures.

Abstract Introduction Morbidly obese patients may require a laparotomy to resect a malignancy. In some patients the cancer resection can be combined with the bariatric procedure to concomitantly treat both diseases. Presentation of case A morbidly obese patient with peritoneal metastases from an appendiceal mucinous neoplasm was evaluated and definitively treated with Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), at the same time the patient was treated for morbid obesity with sleeve gastrectomy and removal of a previous laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB). Discussion The clinical features and treatments of a cancer patient who underwent a combined surgical oncologic and bariatric procedure is presented. A second-look cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) preceded a sleeve gastrectomy. At the time of surgical exploration the prognosis from an oncologic perspective was acceptable. The near total gastric resection was performed without complications. Conclusions With short term follow-up, this patient’s outcome was favorable suggesting that surgical oncologic and bariatric procedures can be combined. Further, clinical investigations are indicated in this common clinical setting.
Nacre of abalone shell: a natural multifunctional nanolaminated ceramic-polymer composite material.

When materials are manufactured with an emphasis on tailoring their properties through microstructural control, the extent of this control is generally at a specific length scale. For instance, the mechanical properties of most metallic materials are controlled through the manipulation of dislocation dynamics at the nanometer length scale (Cottrell 1953), whereas the mechanical properties of ceramic materials are controlled through the propagation of cracks that are initiated from defects of micrometer length scale (Evans and Marshall 1989).
Chapter 1 creatine monohydrate.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on creatine monohydrate, its history and therapeutic aspects, its formulae, synthesis, physical properties, analytical methods, stability, degradation, pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and toxicity. Creatine in its free or phosphorylated form plays an important role in the regulation and homeostasis of muscle energy metabolism. Creatine is synthesized in the liver and kidneys and released into the blood stream to be taken up into muscle cells via a protein-based transport system. Creatine is stable under ordinary conditions of use and storage. Solid creatine monohydrate dehydrates to anhydrous creatine after the evolution of 1 mol of water by heating at 97–125oC. Anhydrous creatine undergoes an intramolecular cyclization accompanied by a loss of 1 molecule of water to form creatinine, which undergoes melting with decomposition around 280–310oC. In presence of water, creatine forms creatine monohydrate, which crystallizes out from solution on long term storage because of its poor solubility relative to that of soluble di-creatine citrate. Creatine supplementation has been investigated as a possible therapeutic approach for the treatment of muscular, neurological, and neuromuscular diseases. The success of creatine in the treatment of various diseases is dependent on the understanding of its pharmacokinetic—volume of distribution, clearance, bioavailability, mean residence time, absorption rate, and half-life—behavior. Creatine monohydrate outsells all other forms of creatine.
Development of a synthetic cumate-inducible gene expression system for Bacillus

A novel inducible gene expression system using p-isopropyl benzoate (cumate) as an inducer was developed for the industrial production hosts, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus megaterium. Cumate is non-toxic to the host, inexpensive, and carbon source-independent inducer which provides an economical option for large-scale production of valuable proteins and chemicals from Bacillus strains. The synthetic cumate-inducible system was constructed by combining the strong constitutive Bacillus promoter Pveg with regulatory elements of the Pseudomonas putida, CymR repressor, and its operator sequence CuO. The designed expression cassette containing a sfGFP reporter under the cumate-inducible promoter was assembled into a Bacillus-E. coli shuttle and gene expression investigated in the two Bacillus strains. Characterization of gene expression levels, expression kinetics, and dose-response to cumate inducer concentration confirmed high-level, but tightly controlled GFP reporter expression in tunable, cumate concentration-dependent manner. Unexpectedly, this expression system works equally well for Escherichia coli, resulting in a platform that can be used both in gram-positive and gram-negative expression host. Its tight regulation and controllable expression makes this system useful for metabolic engineering, synthetic biology studies as well industrial protein production.
Delayed-Interval Delivery of Twin Gestation via Cesarean Section: A Case Report

BACKGROUND Multifetal pregnancies are at high risk for preterm delivery. Under certain circumstances, delayed vaginal delivery of the second twin is performed to improve morbidity and mortality. Most of the information on optimal management of delayed-interval delivery comes from published case reports in which the first twin was delivered vaginally. This case report is unique in that twin A was delivered via cesarean section. CASE REPORT Our patient was a 21-year-old G2P1, with dichorionic diamniotic twins of unknown gestational age, with prenatal care at a different facility, who presented with preterm prelabor rupture of membranes and cord prolapse. Twin A, with an estimated weight by ultrasound of 528 g, was delivered via cesarean section and twin B was left in utero until the patient went into preterm labor 10 days later. Obstetrical management included tocolytic protocol from the Management of Myelomeningocele Study trial, preterm prelabor rupture of membrane antibiotics with broad-spectrum coverage, and judicious use of fetal lung maturity steroids and magnesium sulfate. CONCLUSIONS This case is important as we have demonstrated that cesarean section in the setting of delayed-interval delivery may be an option to improve survival at the limits of viability. We also discussed our treatment approach and how we delayed delivery of the second twin by 10 days. Unexpectedly, the surviving twin was the one born first, at 22 4/7 weeks determined 2 days after birth by prenatal records.
Incentivizing Collaboration in Heterogeneous Teams via Common-Pool Resource Games.

We consider a team of heterogeneous agents that is collectively responsible for servicing, and subsequently reviewing, a stream of homogeneous tasks. Each agent has an associated mean service time and a mean review time for servicing and reviewing the tasks, respectively. Agents receive a reward based on their service and review admission rates. The team objective is to collaboratively maximize the number of "serviced and reviewed" tasks. We formulate a Common-Pool Resource (CPR) game and design utility functions to incentivize collaboration among heterogeneous agents in a decentralized manner. We show the existence of a unique Pure Nash Equilibrium (PNE), and establish convergence of best response dynamics to this unique PNE. Finally, we establish an analytic upper bound on three measures of inefficiency of the PNE, namely the price of anarchy, the ratio of the total review admission rate, and the ratio of latency, along with an empirical study.
Literary journalism and world war I marginal voices

The link between World War I and literature is well known and well explored. The novels and memoirs that grew out of the war are still studied and revered, but the wartime press is routinely dismis...
Predictions of the glass transition temperature and viscosity of organic aerosols from volatility distributions

Abstract. Volatility and viscosity are important properties of organic aerosols (OA), affecting aerosol processes such as formation, evolution, and partitioning of OA. Volatility distributions of ambient OA particles have often been measured, while viscosity measurements are scarce. We have previously developed a method to estimate the glass transition temperature ( Tg ) of an organic compound containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Based on analysis of over 2400 organic compounds including oxygenated organic compounds, as well as nitrogen- and sulfur-containing organic compounds, we extend this method to include nitrogen- and sulfur-containing compounds based on elemental composition. In addition, parameterizations are developed to predict Tg as a function of volatility and the atomic oxygen-to-carbon ratio based on a negative correlation between Tg and volatility. This prediction method of Tg is applied to ambient observations of volatility distributions at 11 field sites. The predicted Tg values of OA under dry conditions vary mainly from 290 to 339 K and the predicted viscosities are consistent with the results of ambient particle-phase-state measurements in the southeastern US and the Amazonian rain forest. Reducing the uncertainties in measured volatility distributions would improve predictions of viscosity, especially at low relative humidity. We also predict the Tg of OA components identified via positive matrix factorization of aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) data. The predicted viscosity of oxidized OA is consistent with previously reported viscosity of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) derived from α -pinene, toluene, isoprene epoxydiol (IEPOX), and diesel fuel. Comparison of the predicted viscosity based on the observed volatility distributions with the viscosity simulated by a chemical transport model implies that missing low volatility compounds in a global model can lead to underestimation of OA viscosity at some sites. The relation between volatility and viscosity can be applied in the molecular corridor or volatility basis set approaches to improve OA simulations in chemical transport models by consideration of effects of particle viscosity in OA formation and evolution.
Increasing access to primary health care through distributed leadership

Background: Primary health care is a vital component of an effective health-care system. However, there are challenges in access to primary health care. The leadership approach adopted in primary h...
An ecological framework for understanding HIV- and AIDS-related stigma among Asian American and Pacific Islander men who have sex with men living in the USA

Despite the fact that HIV- and AIDS-related stigma is consistently identified as an impediment to HIV prevention, a multilevel conceptualisation of HIV- and AIDS-related stigma continues to be poorly understood. The role of multilevel HIV- and AIDS-related stigma in the HIV prevention and intervention behaviours of Asian American and Pacific Islander who have sex with men in the USA is particularly overlooked. Psychology has contributed significantly to the identification of individual or interpersonal level factors influencing HIV- and AIDS-related stigma, while sociology has contributed to a more societal perspective. This dichotomy has led to the absence of a multilevel conceptual framework for analysing the HIV- or AIDS-related stigma experienced by Asian American and Pacific Islander who have sex with men in the USA. In this paper, we argue for need to develop such a model which is culturally grounded and bridges the individual, interpersonal and societal conceptualisations of stigma prominent in the social science literature. To that end, we use Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory to explore the manifestation of HIV stigma at the micro, meso and macro levels and how these might impact on HIV testing and HIV service utilisation among Asian American and Pacific Islander men who have sex with men. We conclude by identifying some practice and research implications.
The Antiracist, Propatient Pledge of Emergency Medicine.

Recognized as a specialty by the American Board of Medical Specialties over 40 years ago, emergency medicine is unique since its inception-providing care to all patients in all times of unscheduled, time-sensitive need. Members of our specialty-whether working in an academic or private practice setting-provide this care without regard to a patient's sex, sexual orientation, gender, creed, physical ability, ability to pay, or race/ethnicity. The last human determinant of health bears emphasis in our current climate of a race-based inequity crisis.
Localizing Placement of Cardiomechanical Sensors during Dynamic Periods via Template Matching

Captured with a chest-mounted sensor, the seismo- cardiogram (SCG) is a useful signal for assessing cardiomechanical function. However, the reliability of information obtained from this signal often depends upon sensor location. This has important practical implications, as consistent placement is not guaranteed in at-home and other uncontrolled settings. Building on prior research that localized SCG sensor placement when the patient was at rest — which may not be the case in practical settings — this work presents a more robust method which is able to localize sensor placement during dynamic periods, specifically exercise recovery. This was accomplished via a template-based signal quality index (SQI), which was used to infer sensor location using a variety of classifiers. While prior work generated synthetic templates for this task using an averaging method, it is shown that selecting representative templates from the training set instead enables, for the first time, SCG sensor localization during dynamic periods without patient-specific calibration. With this method, a peak accuracy of 83.32% was achieved for correctly classifying sensor position among five tested positions, with avenues for improvement of these results also presented.
Environmental influence on cracking and debonding of electrically conductive adhesives

Abstract Electrically conductive adhesives (ECAs) are starting to replace metallic solders in recent designs of photovoltaic (PV) modules. This transition represents a significant material change, and a proper understanding of the durability and reliability of the new interconnect needs to be established. This paper presents our continued work on developing a degradation model for ECA interconnects in PV modules. Here, we characterize the fracture mechanics properties of an epoxy-based ECA, for both critical and subcritical, mode I and mode II loading conditions. Emphasis is on the influence of different environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. We use the Finite Element Method to account for residual stresses, induced by temperature changes and moisture absorption, and correct the apparent fracture toughness. We found that high moisture levels not only can weaken the fracture resistance of the ECA interconnect, but can also promote subcritical debonding at significantly lower driving forces than in dry environments.
Specific unknowns: A case study of epistemic indefinites in Cantonese

This paper concerns how languages bundle an existential claim and>an ignorance inference in a nominal expression. I present a case study on epistemic indefinites (EIs) in Cantonese and show that Cantonese EIs have a different morphological makeup ( m + zi + WH ‘not + know + WH’), when compared to other more discussed EIs. I suggest that the ignorance component associated with mzi -WH is a conventional implicature and that m-zi obtains an adnominal usage via grammaticalization. It denotes a choice function that comes with an ignorance component that is inherited from the predicative meaning of m-zi .
Complexity and the Future of Economics

The neoclassical era in economics has ended. Based on the views presented in this book, I think an argument can be made that it has been replaced by the the complexity era. This new era has not arrived through a revolution. Instead, it has evolved out of the many strains of neoclassical work, along with work done by less orthodox mainstream and heterodox economists. It is the wave of the future.
The use of live food as a vehicle of soybean meal for nutritional programming of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides

Nutritional Programming (NP) has been studied as a means of improving dietary plant protein (PP) utilization in different fish species. This study investigated the use of enriched live feed as a vehicle for NP in larval fish. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of NP induced during the larval stage via PP-enriched live feed on: (1) growth performance; (2) expression of genes associated with inflammation and any morphological changes in the intestine; and (3) muscle free amino acid composition in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) during its later life stages. Two diets were used in this study, a fish meal (FM)-based diet, and a soybean mean (SBM)-based diet, serving as the PP diet. There were 4 groups in this study. The two control groups, ( +) Control and (−) Control, were not programmed and received the FM-diet and SBM-diet, respectively throughout the whole trial after the live feed stage (27–122 days post hatch (dph). The next group, programmed, was programmed with SBM-enriched Artemia nauplii during the live feed stage (4–26 dph) and challenged with the SBM-diet during the final stage of the study (79–122 dph). The final group, non-programmed, did not receive any programming and, was challenged with the SBM-diet during the final stage of the study. The programmed group experienced a significantly higher (%) weight gain during the PP-Challenge than the non-programmed group. In addition, the live feed programming resulted in significantly longer distal villi, and a higher villi length to width ratio, compared to the non-programmed group. No significant effects on free amino acid composition and gene expression were observed between the programmed and non-programmed group, except for an increased post-prandial concentration of free proline in the programmed group. The results of this study support use of live feed as a vehicle for nutritional programming and improving the growth performance of largemouth bass fed with a SBM-based diet.
Nuclear fission chain reaction in cooling white dwarf stars

The first solids that form as a white dwarf (WD) starts to crystallize are expected to be greatly enriched in actinides. Previously [PRL 126, 1311010] we found that these solids might support a nuclear fission chain reaction that could ignite carbon burning and provide a new Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) mechanism involving an {\it isolated} WD. Here we explore this fission mechanism in more detail and calculate the final temperature and density after the chain reaction and discuss a number of open physics questions.
Processing Speed and Attentional Resources

The brain’s transmission rate and speed of information processing influence the quantity of information that can be evaluated and consequently constrain attentional capacity. Processing speed, as measured by reaction time, was studied intermittently as an indicator of individual differences in mental function in the late nineteenth century, but this line of investigation was essentially abandoned until the 1970s [1].
Sex Differences in Behavioral Outcomes Following Temperature Modulation During Induced Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Injury in Rats

Neonatal hypoxia ischemia (HI; reduced oxygen and/or blood flow to the brain) can cause various degrees of tissue damage, as well as subsequent cognitive/behavioral deficits such as motor, learning/memory, and auditory impairments. These outcomes frequently result from cardiovascular and/or respiratory events observed in premature infants. Data suggests that there is a sex difference in HI outcome, with males being more adversely affected relative to comparably injured females. Brain/body temperature may play a role in modulating the severity of an HI insult, with hypothermia during an insult yielding more favorable anatomical and behavioral outcomes. The current study utilized a postnatal day (P) 7 rodent model of HI injury to assess the effect of temperature modulation during injury in each sex. We hypothesized that female P7 rats would benefit more from lowered body temperatures as compared to male P7 rats. We assessed all subjects on rota-rod, auditory discrimination, and spatial/non-spatial maze tasks. Our results revealed a significant benefit of temperature reduction in HI females as measured by most of the employed behavioral tasks. However, HI males benefitted from temperature reduction as measured on auditory and non-spatial tasks. Our data suggest that temperature reduction protects both sexes from the deleterious effects of HI injury, but task and sex specific patterns of relative efficacy are seen.
Population Genetics: Multilocus

Multilocus population genetics is the study of the distribution and dynamics of genetic variation at several loci in biological populations. Keywords: multilocus selection; linkage equilibrium; linkage disequilibrium; epistasis haplotype
The State of Children's Health and the Environment

(2007). The State of Children's Health and the Environment. Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health: Vol. 62, No. 2, pp. 53-57.
Groundwater response to changing water‐use practices in sloping aquifers

[1] Groundwater flow is examined for recharge and extraction within a sloping aquifer. Fundamental equations are commonly formulated either in s-n coordinates where s is tangent to the base or in x-z coordinates where x is horizontal. Consistency between these two formulations is achieved here by incorporating the slope of the base directly into the hydraulic conductivity and aquifer diffusivity terms. A stepping model is developed for steady and transient flow, and comparisons between stepping and sloping models show that the stepping model approaches the exact solutions as the number of steps increases. This model is used to develop a set of nomographs and dimensionless parameters relating drawdown over time to distance upgradient or downgradient from a point of water use. While upgradient and downgradient responses differ with respect to the quantity of water removed or injected, it is shown that the response proportional to the change in saturated thickness is the same in both directions.
Volume of Distribution at Pseudo‐distribution Equilibrium: Relationship between Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Parameters and Terminal Half‐life of Drug

The terminal half-life, t 1/2, is proportional to the ratio of the volume of distribution at pseudo-equilibrium (Vdβ) and systemic clearance, when the plasma concentration-time profile of a drug exhibits a biphasic decline. As there is little known about the effects of various physiologically based pharmacokinetic parameters of the drug on t 1/2, due to a limited understanding of the relationship between Vdβ and those parameters, it was considered that Vdβ, a ratio between clearance and slope of terminal phase, can only serve as a proportionality constant to relate plasma concentration to the total amount of drug present in the body during the terminal phase, and it is difficult to make an explicit description of the relationship between Vdβ and physiologically based pharmacokinetic parameters, other than by numerical approximation. A simple equation describing Vdβ as a function of elimination (CL) and distributional (CLd) clearances, volume of distribution in the central compartment (Vc) and volume of distribution at steady state (Vdss) was derived for a two-compartment model. The equation indicated that Vdβ and Vdss of drug can be significantly different, when there is a large difference between CL and CLd, or Vc and Vdss. Significant differences in t 1/2 of drugs exhibiting similar CL and Vdss, therefore, could be due to differences in CLd or Vc between those drugs. The new equations can be useful for a better understanding of various pharmacokinetic parameters important in determining t 1/2 values.
Role for protein kinase in Ca2+-dependent feedback modulation of divalent cation influx in internal-Ca2+-store-depleted rat parotid gland cells

Divalent cation (Ca2+ and Mn2+) influx, stimulated by internal Ca2+ store depletion, into rat parotid acinar cells is inhibited by conditions which increase protein phosphorylation [T. Sakai and I.S. Ambudkar (1996) Am J Physiol 271:C284–C294]. The present study examines the involvement of this protein phosphorylation and Ca2+ in the store-dependent inactivation of divalent cation entry. Internal Ca2+ store depletion, achieved by incubation (30 min) of cells in nominally Ca2+-free medium containing either carbachol or thapsigargin, stimulated Ca2+, and Mn2+, influx into cells. In either case, inclusion of 1.5 mM Ca2+ for the last 5 min of incubation resulted in a decrease in Ca2+ (33–41%) and Mn2+ (50%) influx, which could not be accounted for by internal Ca2+ store refill. The inhibition was prevented when internal-store-depleted cells were treated (prior to incubation with Ca2+) with either staurosporine or K-252a, but not with H-7 or KN-93. Refilling of internal Ca2+ store(s) in carbachol-treated cells (incubation with Ca2++atropine) induced complete inhibition of divalent cation influx, which was not prevented by treatment with protein kinase inhibitors. These data suggest the staurosporine-sensitive (and K-252a-sensitive) protein phosphorylation is not involved in Ca2+-store-refilling-dependent inactivation of Ca2+ influx but mediates a Ca2+-dependent feedback modulation of divalent cation influx in rat parotid gland acinar cells.
Nucleoprotein complexes that regulate gene expression in adipocyte differentiation: direct participation of c-fos

Adipocyte differentiation is accompanied by the transcriptional activation of many new genes, including a putative lipid-binding protein termed adipocyte P2 (aP2). The aP2 gene contains a regulatory element (FSE2) 124 bases 5' to its start of transcription. This element binds nuclear factors in sequence-specific and differentiation-dependent fashion as determined by altered mobility in gel retardation assays. Deletion analysis of promoter-linked transfection assays and competition of these constructions in cells with a synthetic FSE2 element suggest that trans-acting factors bind to this region and act as negative regulators of aP2 gene activity in preadipocytes. c-fos appears to participate directly in this nucleoprotein complex, as demonstrated by the ability of antibodies to c-fos to disrupt specific binding of factors to the FSE2 sequence but not to factor-binding sequences from several other genes. Antibodies to c-fos specifically immunoprecipitate protein complexes covalently bound to FSE2 DNA via UV cross-linking.
Tyrosine phosphorylation and cadherin/catenin function

Cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion is perturbed in protein tyrosine kinase (PTK)-transformed cells. While cadherins themselves appear to be poor PTK substrates, their cytoplasmic binding partners, the Arm catenins, are excellent PTK substrates and therefore good candidates for mediating PTK-induced changes in cadherin behavior. These proteins, p120ctn, beta-catenin and plakoglobin, bind to the cytoplasmic region of classical cadherins and function to modulate adhesion and/or bridge cadherins to the actin cytoskeleton. In addition, as demonstrated recently for beta-catenin, these proteins also have crucial signaling roles that may or may not be related to their effects on cell-cell adhesion. Tyrosine phosphorylation of cadherin complexes is well documented and widely believed to modulate cell adhesiveness. The data to date, however, is largely correlative and the mechanism of action remains unresolved. In this review, we discuss the current literature and suggest models whereby tyrosine phosphorylation of Arm catenins contribute to regulation or perturbation of cadherin function.
Improving the Performance of Hybrid Wireless Mesh Protocol

Recently, IEEE 802.11s has been ratified as an amendment to the IEEE 802.11 standard. It adds the ability to establish a wireless mesh network. The amendment makes provisions for a routing protocol called Hybrid Wireless Mesh Protocol(HWMP). In this paper we study the impact of asymmetric bidirectionallinks on the performance of HWMP. We show through experiments using real hardware on a test bed and the open80211simplementation of HWMP that such links significantly impact the performance of the protocol. We describe in detail the cause of decline in performance and attribute it to implementation issues and more importantly the inadequacy of the routing metric. Moreover, we propose solutions to the identified problems, implement those solutions by making modifications to the Linux kernel mac80211 stack and show the achieved performance gains through detailed experiments.