cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compensation of breathing motion artifacts in thoracic PET images by wavelet-based deconvolution

In biological imaging of thoracic tumors using FDG-PET, blurring due to breathing motion often significantly degrades the quality of the observed image, which then obscures the tumor boundary. The effect could be detrimental in small lesions. We demonstrate a deconvolution technique that combines patient-specific motion estimates of tissue trajectories with wavelet decomposition to compensate for breathing-motion induced artifacts. The lung motion estimates were obtained using a breathing model that maps spatial trajectories in CT data as a function of tidal volume and airflow measured by spirometry. Initial results showed good improvement in the spatial resolution, especially in the direction of major lung motion (craniocaudal) on phantom data as well as on clinical data with large or small tumors.
Wall Heat Flux Partitioning During Subcooled Flow Boiling: Part 1—Model Development

In this work a mechanistic model has been developed for the wall heat flux partitioning during subcooled flow boiling. The premise of the proposed model is that the entire energy from the wall is first transferred to the superheated liquid layer adjacent to the wall. A fraction of this energy is then utilized for vapor generation, while the rest of the energy is utilized for sensible heating of the bulk liquid. The contribution of each of the mechanisms for transfer of heat to the liquid—forced convection and transient conduction, as well as the energy transport associated with vapor generation has been quantified in terms of nucleation site densities, bubble departure and lift-off diameters, bubble release frequency, flow parameters like velocity, inlet subcooling, wall superheat, and fluid and surface properties including system pressure. To support the model development, subcooled flow boiling experiments were conducted at pressures of 1.03 ‐3.2 bar for a wide range of mass fluxes ~124‐926 kg/m 2 s!, heat fluxes ~2.5‐90 W/cm 2 ! and for contact angles varying from 30° to 90°. The model developed shows that the transient conduction component can become the dominant mode of heat transfer at very high superheats and, hence, velocity does not have much effect at high superheats. This is particularly true when boiling approaches fully developed nucleate boiling. Also, the model developed allows prediction of the wall superheat as a function of the applied heat flux or axial distance along the flow direction. @DOI: 10.1115/1.1842784#
Technical Issues Related to Propulsion Systems for Launch Vehicles

provide sufe cient margin, and use a balance of inherited technology and advanced technology. Multiple-engine vehicles can rely on active redundancy, in which the failure of a single engine is overcome by operating the other engines at higherthan-nominal thrust levels. Single-engine vehicles require higher design margins, more extensive system-level tests, and pad holddown with engine shutdown capability at launch. To enhance reliability and safety, a health-monitoring system can be used to measure and diagnose engine operation. Health monitoring also provides an opportunity to shorten maintenance time and reduce costs. The development of the healthmonitoring system should be concurrent with the development of the propulsion system, at which time basic data on engine characteristics and operating parameters are obtained. The most important technology requirements for launch vehicles are specie c impulse and engine thrust-to-weight ratio, which is related to mass fraction. Specie c impulse and mass fraction fundamentally characterize the performance of a rocket engine and, therefore, improvements in their values have been sought for years. The maximum specie c impulse that can be obtained with a rocket engine is ultimately dependent on the propellant combination. The propellant combinations under consideration today must also meet increasingly stringent cost and environmental requirements. For a given propellant combination, improvements in combustion efe ciency, engine dry weight, and system operating pressure are needed. Combustion efe ciency depends to a great extent on injector patterns, propellant physical conditions, and propellant properties. The propellants entering a combustion chamber can be generally categorized as being in one of three modes: gas/gas, gas/liquid, or liquid/liquid. The mode is determined by the power cycle employed. In theory and practice it has been shown that the combustion efe ciency of injection systems that use gas/liquid propellants is higher than that of liquid/liquid injection, and that gas/gas injection offers the highest efe ciency when all of the other conditions remain identical. Table 1 lists the characteristic exhaust velocity (c*) efe ciency of several engines with different injection modes and propellant combinations. It is clear that improvements in combustion efe ciency should be sought, particularly for engines that use liquid/liquid propellants. The reduction of engine dry weight, which should result in an increase in the engine thrust-to-weight ratio, has particular signie cance for SSTO vehicles. Table 2 lists the thrust-to-weight ratios of several representative engines. The thrust-to-weight ratios for cryogenic propellant engines are generally lower than those of storable engines, and gas-generator (GG) cycle engines
YAG laser treatment of experimental bleeding canine gastric ulcers

Abstract The neodymium-YAG laser was used to treat Weeding experimental canine gastric ulcers in four separate studies: (a) Extensive investigation by using the 1.06-μm YAG laser wavelength was performed to determine optimal YAG laser treatment parameters to maximize hemostatic efficacy while minimizing associated tissue injury. Eight out of 43 combinations of power, pulse duration, and spot size, with and without coaxial CO 2 were found to be best. The range of settings tested were 30–90 W for power; 0.2–21 sec pulse duration; and 2.0- and 3.4-mm spot sizes, with and without coaxial CO 2 . (b) Five of these treatment combinations were studied in more detail to assess the respective effect of spot size, pulse duration, and presence or absence of coaxial CO 2 on tissue injury. In spite of optimizing treatment parameters and conditions, each combination caused significant damage to the gastric wall. No acute perforations occurred. (c) Endoscopic YAG laser treatments were applied successfully. Efficacy and total energy requirements were compared with similar treatments previously done at laparotomy. (d) In an attempt to reduce tissue damage, the YAG laser was modified to produce a 1.3-μm wavelength. YAG laser treatment using this alternative wavelength caused more immediate damage than the 1.06-μm wavelength. From these studies we conclude: (a) YAG laser photocoagulation effectively stopped experimental gastric ulcer bleeding when applied both at laparotomy and endoscopy; (b) compared to untreated ulcers, YAG laser treatment caused significant tissue damage despite control of several important variables (power output, spot size, pulse duration, and coaxial CO 2 ); (c) increased total energy, larger spot size, and longer pulse duration appeared related to increased tissue injury with YAG laser treatment; total energy was the single most important factor. (d) Successful hemostasis with endoscopic application of the YAG laser required more total energy than treatment at laparotomy. (e) Modification of the YAG laser wavelength to 1.3 μm did not reduce tissue injury.
Behavioural guidance of child dental patients

Fear of dental treatment is still one of the major blocks to optimal dental health. Too often the child visits the dentist for the first time because of an emergent problem, and the distress associated with the treatment either sours him on dental care for life or requires much effort and patience to alter his attitudes. An early first visit, between the ages of 2& and 3 years, before serious troubles develop and an understanding dentist who promptly establishes good relations with the child will do much to create favourable attitudes toward dental care that will last a lifetime.
Can vascular closure devices reduce complications

Vascular closure devices have demonstrated their ability to reduce hemostasis and ambulation times, as well as improve patient comfort, without increasing vascular complications in their initial industry-sponsored, randomized clinical trials. However, in the early years of first-generation closure devices, there was an initial concern about the risk of higher complication rates. As devices have improved, it appears that there may now be a trend towards reduced vascular complications compared with manual compression, especially in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions.
Practice in the “Private Sphere”: Two Recent Studies of Private Life in Germany, 1770–1840

The years 1770 to 1840 worked profound changes in the fundamental organization of European society: the development of civil society, the relation between it and state power, the transformation in relations among its citizens, and not least, the organization and self-understanding of these citizens' private lives. Until recently, historians neglected "private" rela? tions in favor of obviously public ones, thus obscuring their mutual interdependence and the integrity of the new system of public/private. Those historians who wrote about the private did so mostly based upon prescriptive evidence. The two books under review focus instead on private life as it was lived?one on domestic relations in marriage, the other on the shadow side of privacy: prostitution and illicit sexual relations. Anne-Charlott Trepp calls her insightful and scrupulous book "Sanfte Mannlichkeit und selbstandige Weiblichkeit," after a phrase from the ro? mantic ideologue Friedrich Schlegel. But Trepp's study is not about ideo? logy, but practice. It is based on a remarkable, possibly unique, series of documents, the voluminous personal papers (letters, diaries, memoirs, etc.) of 38 married couples from the upper crust of Hamburg's merchant and lawyer class, from 1770 to 1840. These three generations, who often knew one another and whose comments thus provide cross-checks for the subjective views in diaries and letters, lived an experiment whose
Relationship of Genotype to Phenotype in Fibroblast-derived Transmitochondrial Cell Lines Carrying the 3243 Mutation Associated with the Melas Encephalomyopathy: Shift towards Mutant Genotype and Role of mtDNA Copy Number

Transmitochondrial cell lines were isolated by fusing mtDNA-less rho degrees 206 cells with enucleated fibroblasts derived from four members of a pedigree carrying in their muscle varying proportions of the mutation at position 3243 in the tRNA(Leu(UUR)) gene associated with the MELAS encephalomyopathy. The mitochondrial transformants derived from an asymptomatic individual were all homoplasmic for wild-type mtDNA. The proportion of wild-type transformants derived from clinically affected members of the pedigree appeared to decrease in correspondence with an increase in severity of the clinical symptoms of the cell donor. Furthermore, the average proportion of wild-type mtDNA in the transformants derived from each member of the pedigree was very similar to that found in mtDNA from the fibroblasts of that individual, suggesting that the distribution of genotypes in the transformants reflected fairly closely that in the fibroblasts. The genotype and phenotype of ten transformants derived from one severely affected individual were investigated during continuous culture up to 17-24 weeks after the transformation step. Six heteroplasmic clones showed a progressive increase in the proportion of mutant mtDNA, whereas the mitochondrial genotype remained constant in four clones apparently homoplasmic for wild-type mtDNA or nearly homoplasmic for mutant mtDNA. An analysis of the rate of repopulation of rho degrees 206 cells with fibroblast-derived mtDNA revealed a large variability among different transformants, with the full re-establishment of the control ratio of mtDNA to nuclear DNA being observed between approximately 6 weeks and more than 22 weeks after the transformation step. An increase in rate of O2 consumption generally accompanied the increase in mtDNA copy number of the transformants, pointing to the important role of the mtDNA copy number in determining the phenotype of a cell. The observation that a very small amount of wild-type mtDNA (2 to 5% of the control level), coexisting with strongly predominant mutant mtDNA, conferred upon the transformants a substantial respiratory capacity (50% or more) and the evidence of proportionality between O2 consumption rate and mtDNA copy number, which occurred at widely different mutant to wild-type mtDNA ratios, strongly suggest a contribution of the mutant mtDNA to the cell respiratory competence.
Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microprobe analysis with bending magnets and insertion devices

The synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) microprobe allows nondestructive trace element microanalyses of geological, biological and manmade materials. SXRF is complementary to other microanalytic techniques, such as PIXE and SIMS, and is advantageous because of its ppm sensitivity, low energy deposition, and ease of quantification. Disadvantages include the difficulty in producing micrometer-sized beams and the relatively large sampling depth (typically, tens of micrometers). Synchrotron source type is an important consideration in designing an X-ray microprobe and optimizing analytical conditions for a particular experiment. Bending magnet sources offer high polarization, reliability and availability. Superconducting wigglers offer higher flux at high energy (excitation of K fluorescence from heavy elements) but access is limited and polarization may be poorer. High energy undulators, such as those being built for the Advanced Photon Source (Argonne), provide very intense, broad band pseudo-monochromatic radiation that can be tuned to the absorption edge of interest. Recent experiments with the XRM on each of these sources are described as well as applications relevant to SXRF-PIXE intercomparisons.
Photoemission Evidence for a Remnant Fermi Surface and a d-Wave-Like Dispersion in Insulating Ca2CuO2Cl2

An angle-resolved photoemission study is reported on Ca2CuO2Cl2, a parent compound of high-Tc superconductors. Analysis of the electron occupation probability, n(k), from the spectra shows a steep drop in spectral intensity across a contour that is close to the Fermi surface predicted by the band calculation. This analysis reveals a Fermi surface remnant, even though Ca2CuO2Cl2 is a Mott insulator. The lowest energy peak exhibits a dispersion with approximately the |coskxa – coskya| form along this remnant Fermi surface. Together with the data from Dy-doped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ, these results suggest that this d-wave–like dispersion of the insulator is the underlying reason for the pseudo gap in the underdoped regime.
Anisotropic gravity and the binary pulsar PSR 1913 + 16

If anisotropic post-Newtonian metric potentials exist, celestial bodies will possess anisotropic inertial and/or gravitational masses. The binary pulsar system PSR 1913+16 puts stringent limits on such anisotropies through its observable perihelion precession rate and hence offers a Hughes-Drever-type experiment for massive celestial bodies. (AIP)
Suppression of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 with RNA interference substantially attenuates 3T3-L1 adipogenesis

11beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1), which regulates the local level of glucocorticoids, has been suggested to be involved in the development of obesity. A definitive functional role for 11beta-HSD1 in adipogenesis, however, remains to be established. We developed 3T3-L1 cell lines stably transfected with a small hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting 11beta-HSD1. A shRNA containing two nucleotide substitutions was used as a control. Silencing of 11beta-HSD1 substantially attenuated the accumulation of lipid droplets and the expression of adipogenesis marker genes, which was induced by a mixture containing either corticosterone or dexamethasone. Silencing of 11beta-HSD1 increased the concentration of 11-dehydrocorticosterone in the culture supernatant but did not significantly affect the levels of corticosterone or dexamethasone. Translocation of glucocorticoid receptors to the nucleus in response to glucocorticoids was significantly attenuated by silencing 11beta-HSD1. The number of cells entering the S phase of the cell cycle following the induction of adipogenesis was significantly reduced by silencing 11beta-HSD1. 11beta-HSD1 shRNA delivered by lentiviral vectors after the induction of differentiation, however, did not affect the progression of adipogenesis. These results indicate that 11beta-HSD1 plays a significant functional role in the initiation of 3T3-L1 adipogenesis and provide new mechanistic insights into the role of 11beta-HSD1 in the development of obesity and related diseases.
Investigating host dependence of xylose utilization in recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains using RNA-seq analysis.

Background Xylose-based ethanol production by recombinant S. cerevisiae is of great interest to basic and applied bioenergy research. By expressing three different fungal pathways in two S. cerevisiae hosts respectively, we found that the xylose utilization efficiency by recombinant S. cerevisiae depends not only on the choice of xylose pathway but also on the choice of host, exhibiting an obvious host or context dependence. To investigate molecular mechanisms of this context dependence, we applied RNA-seq analysis in this study for a systematic characterization of the xylose utilization via different pathways in different S. cerevisiae hosts.
Implications for Development Communications

A synopsis of WARC issues focuses on developing countries’ access to reliable, affordable communication technology appropriate for their development needs.
Position Statement: Methodology to Support Dependable Survivable Cyber-Secure Infrastructures

Information systems now form the backbone of nearly every government and private system. Increasingly these systems are networked together allowing for distributed operations, sharing of databases, and redundant capability. Ensuring these networks are secure, robust, and reliable is critical for the strategic and economic well being of the Nation. This paper argues in favor of a biologically inspired approach to creating survivable cyber-secure infrastructures (SCI). Our discussion employs the power transmission grid.
Can data center become water self-sufficient?

To curtail data centers' huge cooling power consumption and water demand (for cooling), air-side economizer has been increasingly adopted to cool down servers. Recently, another sustainability practice, rainwater harvesting, has also seen a growing adoption in data centers, potentially leading to water self-sufficiency without connecting to water utilities to supply cooling water. Nonetheless, various factors, e.g., unpredictable rain falls and limitations on water harvesting area, make water self-sufficiency challenging. In this paper, we present a first-of-its-kind study to evaluate whether it is feasible to achieve water self-sufficiency in data centers. We find that although water self-sufficiency depends on noncontrollable factors such as weather; improving power proportionality (via power management) and increasing water tank size will increase the feasibility, relieving the requirement on water harvesting area and making water self-sufficiency a reality in different locations.
Development of Next Generation Sequencing automation for illumina’s Trusight HLA sequencing panel

Aim Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) requires multiple sample manipulation steps. Experience during illumina’s TruSight HLA beta test emphasized the need for automation. The aim is to develop NGS automation to reduce manual testing errors, test variability, and increase setup flexibility. Method Custom workflow, pre and post PCR automation programs were developed and tested. Tray maps were designed to be flexible and efficient for automation. Eleven samples and negative controls were run twice for all 11 loci. Plate locations for the negative controls were varied between runs. Run to run variability and well to well contamination were evaluated. Typings were compared to Sanger or rSSO results. Results PCR is 15 min manual testing and 30 min of automation. Post PCR is 30 min manual testing and 3 h of automation. All negative control wells were negative as verified by agarose gel and software analysis. HLA-A, B, DPB1, DQA1, and DQB1 were concordant. One HLA-C typing required two manual adjustments that were flagged by the software. Three HLA-DPA1 samples rendered no typing despite quality sequence, resolution is pending. Two HLA-DRB1 samples with the same typing required one adjustment. One HLA-DRB3 sample required exclusion of all exons except 2 and 3. Greater than 90% of the reads had a Q30 or higher. The average read depth was slightly higher for run 1 than 2 but both passed the cutoff of 100. Conclusion The workflow and automation required minimal hands on time. Testing concordance was high. No well to well contamination was detected and run to run variability was low. The analysis software flagged problems, which required minimal adjustments. The custom workflow and automation is suitable for clinical implementation of NGS. Download full-size image Download full-size image
Power, performance and energy models and systems for emergent architectures

Massive parallelism combined with complex memory hierarchies and heterogeneity in high-performance computing (HPC) systems form a barrier to efficient application and architecture design. The performance achievements of the past must continue over the next decade to address the needs of scientific simulations. However, building an exascale system by 2022 that uses less than 20 megawatts will require significant innovations in power and performance efficiency. A key limitation of past approaches is a lack of power-performance policies allowing users to quantitatively bound the effects of power management on the performance of their applications and systems. Existing controllers and predictors use policies fixed by a knowledgeable user to opportunistically save energy and minimize performance impact. While the qualitative effects are often good and the aggressiveness of a controller can be tuned to try to save more or less energy, the quantitative effects of tuning and setting opportunistic policies on performance and power are unknown. In other words, the controller will save energy and minimize performance loss in many cases but we have little understanding of the quantitative effects of controller tuning. This makes setting power-performance policies a manual trial and error process for domain experts and a black art for practitioners. To improve upon past approaches to highiii performance power management, we need to quantitatively understand the effects of power and performance at scale. In this work, I have developed theories and techniques to quantitatively understand the relationship between power and performance for high performance systems at scale. For instance, our system-level, iso-energy-efficiency model analyzes, evaluates and predicts the performance and energy use of data intensive parallel applications on multi-core systems. This model allows users to study the effects of machine and application dependent characteristics on system energy efficiency. Furthermore, this model helps users isolate root causes of energy or performance inefficiencies and develop strategies for scaling systems to maintain or improve efficiency. I have also developed methodologies which can be extended and applied to model modern heterogeneous architectures such as GPU-based clusters to improve their efficiency at scale.
AFRICA, EAST | Foragers

This article reviews major issues and evidence related to hunter-gatherers in East Africa, including archaeological sites of the Middle and Later Stone Age and the archaeological record of the transition to food production. The relevance of the ethnographic record to our understanding of ancient hunter-gatherers is also discussed.
Biometrics, A Critical Consideration in Information Security Management

This article examines biometrics as a critical consideration in information security management. The specific biometric technologies we examine include iris and retina scanning, fingerprint and hand scanning, facial recognition, and voice recognition. We compare and contrast these biometrics in terms of budget consciousness, ease of use, uniqueness, difficulty of circumvention, space savings, constancy over time, accuracy, and acceptability by users. Finally, we explore future applications and research areas in biometrics.
Male With Post-Prostatectomy Incontinence

A 64-yr-old man is 2 yr postradical retropubic prostatectomy for prostate cancer. He currently leaks and uses two to three thick pads per day. He does not leak at night while in bed and can sleep through the night without needing to urinate. Prostate-specific antigen is undetectable.
Synthesis of enantiopure 10-nornaltrexones in the search for Toll-like receptor 4 antagonists and opioid ligands.

10-Nornaltrexones (3-(cyclopropylmethyl)-4a,9-dihydroxy-2,3,4,4a,5,6-hexahydro-1H-benzofuro[3,2-e]isoquinolin-7(7aH)-one, 1) have been underexploited in the search for better opioid ligands, and their enantiomers have been unexplored. The synthesis of trans-isoquinolinone 2 (4-aH, 9-O-trans-9-methoxy-3-methyl-2,3,4,4a,5,6-hexahydro-1H-benzofuro[3,2-e]isoquinolin-7(7aH)-one) was achieved through a nonchromatographic optimized synthesis of the intermediate pyridinyl compound 12. Optical resolution was carried out on 2, and each of the enantiomers were used in efficient syntheses of the “unnatural” 4aR,7aS,12bR-(+)-1) and its “natural” enantiomer (−)-1. Addition of a 14-hydroxy (the 4a-hydroxy) group in the enantiomeric isoquinolinones, (+)- and (−)-2), gave (+)- and (−)-10-nornaltrexones. A structurally unique tetracyclic enamine, (12bR)-7,9-dimethoxy-3-methyl-1,2,3,7-tetrahydro-7,12b-methanobenzo[2,3]oxocino[5,4-c]pyridine, was found as a byproduct in the syntheses and offers a different opioid-like skelet...
Thermal Propagation and Reflection in Solids Induced by Laser Radiation Absorption

Most studies of heat transfer pertaining to a planar medium subjected to spatially and temporally decaying laser incidence along with external surface cooling are based on the diffusion theory (parabolic heat conduction equation), an approximation that implies a nonphysical infinite speed of energy transport. In this study, temperature distributions within one-dimensional plates subjected to the aforementioned heating and cooling conditions, but with thermal energy propagation at a finite speed, are presented. Incident energy that is partially absorbed at the external surface is transferred through the plate by conduction, while the remaining energy is convectively cooled to the environment. The present investigation will examine both a continuously operating constant and a pulsed laser source. The temperature results were obtained by using a simple and concise finite-difference algorithm based on the Godunov scheme, a method developed for the solution of resulting characteristic equations that govern thermal wave propagations within the solid. Nomenclature c = thermal wave propagation speed, m/s cp = specific heat, J/kg K d = laser beam diameter, m g ′ ′ ′ & = internal heat generation, W/m g = dimensionless internal heat generation, r cI g / 4 ' ' ' & α go = function, Eq. (9b) ga = function, Eq. (9c) gp = function, Eq. (9d) h = convective heat transfer coefficient, W/m·K Io = amplitude of laser peak power density, W/m Ir = reference laser power density, W/m j = space index k = thermal conductivity, W/m·K L = plate thickness, m M = number of space nodes n = time step N = number of time steps Nc = convection number, Eq. (10c) q* = heat flux, W/m q = dimensionless heat flux, r I q / * R = surface reflectivity R = region of interest t* = time, s t = time at position of interest, s t = dimensionless time, α 2 / * 2t c T* = temperature, K * c T = external environment temperature for convective exchange, K * o T = initial temperature, K Copyright © 2009 by T.T. Lam. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., with permission. Director, Spacecraft Thermal Department, Vehicle Systems Division, Engineering and Technology Group, P.O. Box 92957, Mail Stop M4/908. Associate Fellow AIAA.
Generalized Solutions for Laterally Loaded Piles

Determination of nonlinear force-deformation characteristics of soil may be done by repeated application of elastic theory; soil modulus constants are adjusted for each successive trial until satisfactory compatibility is obtained in structure-pile-soil system; equations and methods of computations are given for elastic- and rigid-pile theory; design recommendations.
Protocol for Constructing Tissue Arrays by Cutting Edge Matrix Assembly

We present a protocol for construction of high-density tissue microarrays, cutting edge matrix assembly, which is based on repetitive sectioning and bonding of tissues. Maximized array density is achieved by a scaffold-free, self-supporting construction with rectangular array features that are bonded edge-to-edge, resulting in minimal wasted space between samples. Construction of the tissue array blocks from paraffin-embedded tissue involves initial bonding of primary tissue plates into multiple primary tissue stacks. This is achieved by taking a shaving of desired thickness from the face of each specimen block, trimming the shavings into a set of rectangular primary tissue plates, and bonding multiple plates into primary stacks of tissue. Each resulting primary tissue stack is then transversely cut to produce a set of secondary tissue plates that contains elements of each tissue represented in the primary stacks. Secondary plates from multiple primary sample stacks are then restacked and bonded into a secondary stack. The assembled secondary stack represents a laminate of laminates, which becomes the final array block. The final array block is then reembedded in paraffin and can be sectioned transversely using a microtome to yield micrometer thin sections that are transferred to glass slides for array display and analysis. This technology has facilitated the construction of arrays containing more than 10,000 tissue features on a standard glass slide.
Affordable, sustainable local economic research for small urban areas: 22 years of evolution and refinement

This article details the evolution and refinement of a low-cost study of economic conditions in a small metropolitan area over the past 22 years. Annually, the chamber of commerce of the study area collaborates with faculty members at a local university to conduct the research, which is shared with business and community leaders at a regional economic summit. The study addresses the unique information needs for a local economy that are not filled by existing federal and state data. Specific measures include projected changes in employment and an “optimism scale” for local organizations. Over time, the study’s methodology has evolved from a paper survey to include an online survey option, as well as the addition of new measures to address changing community needs. The approach is technically and financially sustainable and within the reach of local organizations with modest research budgets. The study could be adopted easily in other small communities.
Is everything all right at night? Measuring user response to overnight library services

ABSTRACTA multiple methods study was conducted over three academic terms during the 2015 fiscal year at Santa Clara University Library to assess the impact and value of overnight library hours. A survey was conducted after midnight during times the Library was open 24 hours, five days a week (24/5), the last two weeks of the quarter. The survey was further informed by patron counts conducted hourly by library floor and type of activity. Survey questions were based on Sowell and Nutefall's study (2014); activity counts used categories similar to Johnson and McCallister's overnight study (2015). This SCU research queried service needs in overnight hours, finding, as others studies have, that late-night users are primarily seeking a quiet space with comfortable amenities conducive to concentrated study. This conclusion was supported by patron count data that documented user activity between midnight and 7 a.m. showing patrons overwhelmingly working on personal laptops (53%) or library PCs (14%). Over 90% of ...
Piezoelectric Floating Element Shear Stress Sensor for the Wind Tunnel Flow Measurement

A piezoelectric (PE) sensor with a floating element was developed for direct measurement of flow induced shear stress. The PE sensor was designed to detect the pure shear stress while suppressing the effect of normal stress generated from the vortex lift up by applying opposite poling vectors to the PE elements. During the calibration stage, the prototyped sensor showed a high sensitivity to shear stress (91.3 ± 2.1 pC/Pa) due to the high PE coefficients ( $d_{{31}}=- $ 1330 pC/N) of the constituent 0.67Pb(Mg $_{1/3} $ Nb $_{2/3} $ )O3–0.33PbTiO3 (PMN–33%PT) single crystal. By contrast, the sensor showed almost no sensitivity to normal stress (less than 1.2 pC/Pa) because of the electromechanical symmetry of the sensing structure. The usable frequency range of the sensor is up to 800 Hz. In subsonic wind tunnel tests, an analytical model was proposed based on cantilever beam theory with an end-tip-mass for verifying the resonance frequency shift in static stress measurements. For dynamic stress measurements, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and ambient vibration-filtered pure shear stress sensitivity were obtained through signal processing. The developed PE shear stress sensor was found to have an SNR of 15.8 ± 2.2 dB and a sensitivity of 56.5 ± 4.6 pC/Pa in the turbulent flow.
Co-editors’ introduction: Research on language planning—30 years plus

In memory of a distinguished advocate for bilingual education, Dr. Richard Ruiz (1948–2015), the premier peer-reviewed journal of the National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE), the Bilingu...
Semi-analytical Model of Charge Domain Propagation and Its Device Application

A semi-analytical theory is presented to describe the growth and propagation of generalized charge carrier instabilities in materials exhibiting negative differential drift velocity. This theory is applied to study the operation of a GaAs-based device, and its interaction with a resonant circuit. Results indicate the significance of an unstable accumulation domain, and are compared with Monte Carlo simulation.
Using Design Thinking to Differentiate Useful From Misleading Evidence in Observational Research.

Few issues can be more important to physicians or patients than that treatment decisions are based on reliable information about benefits and harms. While randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are generally regarded as the most valid source of evidence about benefits and some harms, concerns about their generalizability, costs, and heterogeneity of treatment effects have led to the search for other sources of information to augment or possibly replace trials. This is embodied in the recently passed 21st Century Cures Act, which mandates that the US Food and Drug Administration develop rules for the use of “real world evidence” in drug approval, defined as “data…derived from sources other than randomized clinical trials.”1 A second push toward the use of nontrial evidence is based on the perception that the torrent of electronic health-related data—medical record, genomic, and lifestyle (ie, “Big Data”)—can be transformed into reliable evidence with the use of powerful modern analytic tools
Acute intravenous exposure to silver nanoparticles during pregnancy induces particle size and vehicle dependent changes in vascular tissue contractility in Sprague Dawley rats.

Abstract The use of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) raises safety concerns during susceptible life stages such as pregnancy. We hypothesized that acute intravenous exposure to AgNP during late stages of pregnancy will increase vascular tissue contractility, potentially contributing to alterations in fetal growth. Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to a single dose of PVP or Citrate stabilized 20 or 110 nm AgNP (700 μg/kg). Differential vascular responses and EC50 values were observed in myographic studies in uterine, mesenteric arteries and thoracic aortic segments, 24 h post-exposure. Reciprocal responses were observed in aortic and uterine vessels following PVP stabilized AgNP with an increased force of contraction in uterine artery and increased relaxation responses in aorta. Citrate stabilized AgNP exposure increased contractile force in both uterine and aortic vessels. Intravenous AgNP exposure during pregnancy displayed particle size and vehicle dependent moderate changes in vascular tissue contractility, potentially influencing fetal blood supply.
Apremilast and Cyclosporine Combination Therapy for a Patient with Both Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis: A Case Report:

A 45-year-old male with both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis was treated successfully with the combination of apremilast and cyclosporine. This was a very treatment-resistant case in which the pa...
Can Listeners Hear Who Is Singing? The Development of Voice Category Perception.

Summary Objective and Hypothesis This study sought to investigate if a small amount of training in identification of voices elicits the development of prototypical vocal categories. Study Design This study used a between-group design. Methods This study used an ABX paradigm where listeners heard two different singers singing “ah” at the same pitch. Listeners identified which of the two singers was the producer of a third “ah” at a different pitch. Stimuli were recorded from two baritones, two tenors, two mezzo-sopranos, and two sopranos across a 1.5-octave range. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups, one group that received a training session using voices that were different from those in the experimental session, but of the same voice category, and one group that received no training. Results Training listeners with voices that are different from those of singers presented in the experiment did not significantly improve the ability to discriminate individual voices of the same voice category, but did significantly improve that ability to discriminate individual voices when the voices being compared were of different voice categories. Conclusions Small amounts of purposeful exposure to human voices appear to result in the beginnings of listener voice category formation, providing listeners with prototypical categories that can aid them in discrimination of novel voices of those same categories.
Modular ipso/ ortho Difunctionalization of Aryl Bromides via Palladium/Norbornene Cooperative Catalysis.

Palladium/norbornene (Pd/NBE) cooperative catalysis has emerged as a useful tool for preparing poly substituted arenes; however, its substrate scope has been largely restricted to aryl iodides. While aryl bromides are considered as standard substrates for Pd-catalyzed cross coupling reactions, their use in Pd/NBE catalysis remains elusive. Here we describe the development of general approaches for aryl bromide-mediated Pd/NBE cooperative catalysis. Through careful tuning the phosphine ligands and quenching nucleophiles, ortho amination, acylation and alkylation of aryl bromides have been realized in good efficiency. Importantly, various heteroarene substrates also work well and a wide range of functional groups are tolerated. In addition, the utility of these methods has been demonstrated in sequential cross coupling/ortho functionalization reactions, consecutive Pd/NBE-catalyzed difunctionalization to construct penta-substituted aromatics and two-step meta functionalization reactions. Moreover, the origi...
The Stark Effect in Photosynthetic Reaction Centers from Rhodobacter sphaeroides R-26, Rhodopseudomonas viridis and the D1D2 Complex of Photosystem II from Spinach

At the predecessor of this conference in Feldafing (1985) great interest in the Stark effect in photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) was expressed [1]. At that time only an abstract [2] had been published showing that the bacteriochlorophyll dimer (BChl2; the primary donor) had a large Stark effect compared to the other (accessory) chromophores. In the intervening period, several groups have contributed to this topic [3–5]. In this report we present detailed spectra and quantitative data on RCs from several organisms, and compare the results with those obtained by other groups and with theoretical predictions. Since much of the work has already been published, we shall endeavor to minimize duplication and focus on newer developments, qualitative and quantitative discussions, and prospects for the future.
Learning and Verification of Feedback Control Systems using Feedforward Neural Networks

Abstract We present an approach to learn and formally verify feedback laws for data-driven models of neural networks. Neural networks are emerging as powerful and general data-driven representations for functions. This has led to their increased use in data-driven plant models and the representation of feedback laws in control systems. However, it is hard to formally verify properties of such feedback control systems. The proposed learning approach uses a receding horizon formulation that samples from the initial states and disturbances to enforce properties such as reachability, safety and stability. Next, our verification approach uses an over-approximate reachability analysis over the system, supported by range analysis for feedforward neural networks. We report promising results obtained by applying our techniques on several challenging nonlinear dynamical systems.
Group Battlefield Acupuncture in Primary Care for Veterans with Pain

Objective To obtain preliminary data on the short- and intermediate-term effects of battlefield acupuncture (BFA) on self-reported pain intensity in a relatively large cohort of veterans to assess whether a more comprehensive clinical trial evaluation is warranted. Methods The treatment, in an outpatient group setting, consisted of up to five auricular semipermanent needles inserted into each ear at prespecified points. Efficacy of treatment was measured by self-reported pain, using the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale, just before treatment and at posttreatment days 0, 1, 7, and 30. Results A total of 112 patients attended the group clinics. The mean pretreatment pain score was 6.8, with an immediate postprocedure decrease of 2.4 points. The proportion of patients reporting decreased pain was 88.4%, 80.7%, 52.4%, and 51% at posttreatment days 0, 1, 7, and 30, respectively. Conclusions The short- and intermediate-term beneficial effect of BFA on chronic pain is clinically meaningful. The large proportion of patients reporting decreased pain even 30 days after treatment suggests that the long-term effect of BFA merits further investigation.
Control of Shell Morphology in p–n Heterostructured Water-Processable Semiconductor Colloids: Toward Extremely Efficient Charge Separation

This article describes p-n heterostructured water-borne semiconductor naonoparticles (NPs) with unique surface structures via control of shell morphology. The shell particles, comprising PC60-[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PC61 BM) composite, having n-type semiconductor characteristics, notably influence the charge carrier behavior in the core-shell NPs. A one- or two-phase methodology based on a PC60 surfactant-water phase and PC61 BM n-type semiconductor-organic phase provides highly specific control over the shell structure of the NPs, which promote their superior charge separation ability when combined with poly-3-hexyl-thiophene (P3HT). Moreover, the resulting water-borne NP exhibits shell morphology-dependent carrier quenching and stability, which is characterized via luminescence studies paired with structural analysis. Corresponding to the results, outstanding performances of photovoltaic cells with over 5% efficiency are achieved. The results suggest that the surrounding shell environments, such as the shell structure, and its electronic charge density, are crucial in determining the overall activity of the core-shell p-n heterostructured NPs. Thus, this work provides a new protocol in the current fields of water-based organic semiconductor colloids.
Systems biology approaches to defining transcription regulatory networks in halophilic archaea

To survive complex and changing environmental conditions, microorganisms use gene regulatory networks (GRNs) composed of interacting regulatory transcription factors (TFs) to control the timing and magnitude of gene expression. Genome-wide datasets; such as transcriptomics and protein–DNA interactions; and experiments such as high throughput growth curves; facilitate the construction of GRNs and provide insight into TF interactions occurring under stress. Systems biology approaches integrate these datasets into models of GRN architecture as well as statistical and/or dynamical models to understand the function of networks occurring in cells. Previously, these types of studies have focused on traditional model organisms (e.g. Escherichia coli, yeast). However, recent advances in archaeal genetics and other tools have enabled a systems approach to understanding GRNs in these relatively less studied archaeal model organisms. In this report, we outline a systems biology workflow for generating and integrating data focusing on the TF regulator. We discuss experimental design, outline the process of data collection, and provide the tools required to produce high confidence regulons for the TFs of interest. We provide a case study as an example of this workflow, describing the construction of a GRN centered on multi-TF coordinate control of gene expression governing the oxidative stress response in the hypersaline-adapted archaeon Halobacterium salinarum.
ZIP-5/bZIP transcription factor regulation of folate metabolism is critical for aging axon regeneration

Aging is associated with reduced capacity for tissue repair, perhaps the most critical of which is a decline in the ability of aged neurons to recover after injury. Identifying factors that improve the regenerative ability of aging neurons is a prerequisite for therapy design and remains an enormous challenge, yet many of the genes that play a role in regeneration of youthful axons do not regulate axon regeneration in older animals, highlighting the need to identify aging-specific regeneration mechanisms. Previously, we found that increased DAF-16/FOXO activity enhances the regenerative ability of mechanosensory axons in aged animals. Here we show that DAF-16/FOXO mediates its pro-regenerative effects by upregulating folate metabolism genes via the ZIP-5 bZIP transcription factor. Remarkably, dietary folic acid supplementation improves the regeneration of aging C. elegans axons. Enzymes regulating folate metabolism are also up-regulated in regenerating zebrafish fins, and we show that dietary folic acid supplementation post-amputation enhances fin regrowth in aging zebrafish. Our results demonstrate that boosting folate metabolism is a conserved and non-invasive approach to increase the regenerative capacity of aging neurons and tissues. Given that lower folate status has been linked with reduced cognition in the elderly, maintaining optimal folate metabolism may be a general strategy to achieve healthy brain aging.