cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spatial distribution of inhibitory synaptic connections during development of ferret primary visual cortex.

Intracortical inhibition in the primary visual cortex plays an important role in creating properties like orientation and direction selectivity. However, the development of the spatial pattern of inhibitory connections is largely unexplored. This was investigated in the present study. Tangential slices of layers 2/3 of ferret striate cortex were prepared for whole-cell patch clamp recordings, and presynaptic inhibitory inputs to pyramidal neurons were scanned by local photolysis of Nmoc-caged glutamate. Inhibitory synaptic currents (IPSCs) were first detected around postnatal day (P) 17. They originated locally around the recorded cells. Both the number and the total areas supplying the inhibitory inputs increased thereafter and peaked at the time around and shortly after eye opening (P29–37). A refinement period then followed in which the areas providing the majority of inhibitory inputs shrank from 600 µm around the recorded neurons to 200–300 µm in more mature animals (≥P38). The amplitude of IPSCs increased progressively with increasing age. Long-range inhibitory inputs (>600 µm) were present around eye opening and they often developed into a clustered patchy pattern in more mature animals (≥P38). In summary, our results show a refinement and clustering in the spatial pattern of inhibitory connections during postnatal development of ferret visual cortex.
E-optimal incomplete block designs with two distinct block sizes

Abstract Sufficient conditions are derived for the determination of E-optimal designs in the class D(v,b1,b2,k1,k2) of incomplete block designs for v treatments in b1 blocks of size k1 each and b2 blocks of size k2 each. Some constructions for E-optimal designs that satisfy the sufficient conditions obtained here are given. In particular, it is shown that E-optimal designs in D(v,b1,b2,k1,k2) can be constructed by augmenting b2 blocks, with k2 − k1 extra plots each, of a BIBD(v,b = b1 + b2,k1,λ) and GDD(v,b = b1 + b2,k1,λ1,λ2). It is also shown that equireplicate E-optimal designs in D(v,b1,b2,k1,k2) can be constructed by combining disjoint blocks of BIBD(v,b,k1,λ) and GDD(v,b,k1,λ1,λ2) into larger blocks. As applications of the construction techniques, several infinite series of E-optimal designs with small block sizes differing by at most two are given. Lower bounds for the A-efficiency are derived and it is found that A-efficiency exceeds 99% for v ⩾ 10, and at least 97.5% for 5 ⩽v
Visible structure of buoyant diffusion flames

Natural gas diffusion flames stabilized on 0.10, 0.19 and 0.50 m. diameter porous bed burners have been studied for heat release rates ranging from 10 to 200 kW. Flame heights were measured from video tape recordings and by eye averaged techniques. The dependence of flame height on a dimensionless heat addition parameter shows a transition for values of the parameter around unity. For flames taller than three burner diameters, the initial diameter of the fire does not affect the length of the flame whereas for short flames, initial geometry becomes important. Another prominent feature of these flames is the presence of large scale axisymmetric structures which are formed close to the burner surface with more or less regular frequency and which rise through the flame region. These structures are responsible for the fluctuations of the flame top and strongly influence the geometry of the flame.
The electrical properties of sulfur-passivated and rapidly thermally annealed GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor structures with the oxide layer grown anodically

Abstract The effects of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) and sulfur passivation of GaAs on the electrical properties of GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures were investigated. The oxide layers were grown by anodization. Annealing was performed after oxidation and before aluminum evaporation. Passivation improved the electrical properties. Further improvements were obtained after RTA. The MOS structures on passivated GaAs showed good thermal stability compared with those on unpassivated GaAs. The bond model and possible modifications in the structure of the oxide were used to explain the observations.
Use of covariates in randomized response settings

Abstract First, a method is presented for the study of the conditional prevalence rate of a sensitive attribute, as a function of covariates. Then this method is also applied to estimation of the unconditional prevalence rate. It is demonstrated that this permits recovery of some of the usual loss in accuracy due to randomization.
Origin of atomic clusters during ion sputtering.

Previous studies have shown that the size distributions of small clusters ( n or = 500) sputtered by high-energy ion impacts. These new measurements also yield an inverse power law, but one with an exponent of -2 and one independent of sputtering yield, indicating that the large clusters are produced when shock waves, generated by subsurface displacement cascades, ablate the surface.
Relationship between two concepts of equivalence for finite-state machines

In the letter, the relationship between the well-known concept of `equivalence´ and the less well known but important concept of `relational equivalence´ of finite-state machines is examined, It is shown that, for two strongly connected finite-state machines, the two concepts are the same. Also for two non-degenerate finite-memory finite-state machines it is shown that the two concepts of equivalence are the same. These results, together with some results already known, lead to a table of relationship between equivalence and relational equivalence of finite-state machines.
System capacity and performance modelling of finite buffer queueing networks

Estimating the performance measures of queues and queueing networks with finite buffers and general service times is a complex and challenging problem. This paper presents an effective two-moment approach for calculating the state probability distribution of the performance measures of the queues in these systems. Performance measures of throughput (), the work-in-process (WIP) and sojourn or cycle time () are estimated. The generalised expansion method is employed to calculate the network performance measures of the topologies and extensive computational experiments are provided. It is shown that the performance measures of WIP and sojourn time for multi-server exponential systems have an s-shaped function and this measure is extended to networks. It is argued that this relates directly to the system capacity of queues in finite buffer queueing networks. Series, merge and splitting topologies of finite buffer multi-server queueing networks are then examined. Numerous experiments involving the given topol...
A note on the statistical properties of aggregate q measures

Abstract Many different measures of Tobin's q have been proposed which differ in measurement methods and data sources. This paper evaluates the similarities and differences in the statistical properties of the different measures using ARIMA and factor analysis methods. The statistical properties of average and marginal q measures are found to be quite different.
Atomic Energy Levels and Spectra of Neutral and Singly Ionized Phosphorus (P i and P ii)

The spectrum of a hollow-cathode discharge in a mixture of phosphorus vapor and helium has been photographed and measured from 500–10 000 A. This source gave new lines of P ii and a much more complete P i spectrum than has hitherto been observed. The P ii spectrum of 401 lines is essentially classified by combinations of 38 even and 54 odd levels. Thirty-six of these levels are new, and 29 previously listed levels have been rejected. The 3s2 3p 3d, 4d, 4p, 4f, and 3s3p3 configurations are now complete. Several 5d and 6s levels and most of the expected 5p levels have been found. Except for 3s3p3 and 3s23p·nd, which show interaction, the configurations are in good agreement with first-order Russell-Saunders theory. The P ii ionization potential is 19.72 v. The previous analyses of P i have been revised and extended to include 98 even and 43 odd levels classifying 382 of 490 lines. New terms belonging to the configurations 3s2 3p24–7s, 4–6p, 3–7d and 4,5f have been found. Wherever feasible, the results have been confronted with the predictions of theory. Several series allow the calculation of a new ionization potential, which is 10.484 v.
Ichnologic study of the lockatong formation (late Triassic), Newark basin, southeastern Pennsylvania

Lake‐margin deposits of the Upper Triassic Lockatong Formation of the Newark Supergroup, Newark Basin, southeastern Pennsylvania, have yielded an assemblage of trace fossils. Dominated by burrows, specimens include: Cochlichnus anguineus, Lockeia siliquaria, Planolites montanus, Scoyenia gracilis, Spongeliomorpha milfordensis, Treptichnus pollardi, and an arthropod trackway. The assemblage is considered to belong to the Scoyenia ichnofacies. The greatest diversity and abundance of trace fossils are present in reddish brown to gray and black siltstones and mudstones formed during lake regression. During this time newly exposed lake‐margin organic‐rich sediments provided an opportunistic time for ‘feeding and trace‐making. Subsequent desiccation of the sediment followed by rapid sediment influx due to flooding favored preservation of these traces. However, largely “redbed”; deposits formed during lake low stand and the beginning of lake transgression yielded evidence of only two forms, Scoyenia and Spongeli...
Veins in the Lockport dolostone: Evidence for an Acadian fluid circulation system

The orientation and spatial distribution of veins in the Lockport dolostone attest to a fluid circulation system active during the Acadian orogeny in western New York and southern Ontario. Outcrops east of the Clarendon-Linden fault zone are cut by a prominent east-northeast systematic calcite-filled vein set, whereas these systematic veins are absent west of the fault zone, except in two quarries. Systematic veins display distinct characteristics: the mean vein orientation rotates clockwise from 067° in the east to 086° farther west, veins do not propagate into the basal Lockport Group, and calcite vein δ 18 O PDB values are significantly lighter to the east of the Clarendon- Linden fault zone. Maximum horizontal stress ( S H ) trend lines drawn parallel to the strike of the systematic veins are incompatible with S H inferred from Alleghanian plateau and other post-Paleozoic structures. However, because east-west S H trend lines are compatible with an Acadian tectonic event in western New England, our interpretation is that systematic veins in the Lockport Group are a cratonward signature of the Acadian orogeny.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Anxiety in the Aging Woman

The peri- and postmenopausal periods represent a window of vulnerability for emergence of anxiety symptoms and disorders in the life cycle of adult women. Compared to depression, anxiety symptoms and disorders remain largely unexplored during this phase of a woman's life, despite the significant impact on quality of life if not diagnosed and treated. Here, we review the literature to present our current understanding of the epidemiology, causal factors, diagnosis, and treatment of anxiety in the aging woman.
Robust rare-event performance analysis with natural non-convex constraints

We consider a common type of robust performance analysis that is formulated as maximizing an expectation among all probability models that are within some tolerance of a baseline model in the Kullback-Leibler sense. The solution of such concave program is tractable and provides an upper bound which is robust to model misspecification. However, this robust formulation fails to preserve some natural stochastic structures, such as i.i.d. model assumptions, and as a consequence, the upper bounds might be pessimistic. Unfortunately, the introduction of i.i.d. assumptions as constraints renders the underlying optimization problem very challenging to solve. We illustrate these phenomena in the rare event setting, and propose a large-deviations based approach for solving this challenging problem in an asymptotic sense for a natural class of random walk problems.
Cotorsion radicals and projective modules

We study the notion (for categories of modules) dual to that of torsion radical and its connections with projective modules. Torsion radicals in categories of modules have been studied extensively in connection with quotient categories and rings of quotients. (See [8], [12] and [13].) In this paper we consider the dual notion, which we have called a cotorsion radical. We show that the cotorsion radicals of the category R M correspond to the idempotent ideals of R . Thus they also correspond to TTF classes in the sense of Jans [9]. It is well-known that the trace ideal of a projective module is idempotent. We show that this is in fact a consequence of the natural way in which every projective module determines a cotorsion radical. As an application of these techniques we study a question raised by Endo [7], to characterize rings with the property that every finitely generated, projective and faithful left module is completely faithful. We prove that for a left perfect ring this is equivalent to being an S -ring in the sense of Kasch. This extends the similar result of Morita [15] for artinian rings.
Treating Homosexuality: A Response to Yarhouse

Professor Mark A. Yarhouse proposes an ‘identity synthesis’ model of sexual modification therapy for homosexuals. This model is meant primarily to target the process by which one’s sexual identity is synthesized, rather than the changing of sexual orientation itself. I highlight some of the advantages of Yarhouse’s model along with some of its potential pitfalls. My primary point of departure with Yarhouse concerns how one ought to direct those self-identified homosexual clients who fall within our clinical sphere of influence and who, in the end, contrary to our better judgment, decide that they would like to pursue a course of “homosexualization.” Based on the “autonomy”-emphasizing aspects of the identity synthesis model, it appears that Yarhouse is willing to sanction the referral of certain clients to “therapists” who are willing to facilitate these clients’ homosexualization. I do not believe that Christians involved in the care of homosexuals can licitly participate in such referrals.
Effect of aqueous extracts from vermicomposts on attacks by cucumber beetles (Acalymna vittatum) (Fabr.) on cucumbers and tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) (L.) on tomatoes

Vermicomposts are produced through interactions between earthworms and microorganisms in the breakdown of organic wastes. Aqueous extracts were prepared in commercial brewing equipment from vermicomposts produced from super-market food wastes. The ratio of vermicompost to water was one to five v:v, to produce a 20% aqueous solution which could be diluted to 5% and 10% concentrations. The effects of soil drenches applied at dilutions of 20%, 10%, and 5% vermicompost aqueous extracts, were compared with those of deionized water, in the suppression of cucumber beetles (Acalymna vittatum) attacking cucumbers and tobacco hornworms (Manduca sexta) attacking tomatoes, in greenhouse cage experiments. Tomatoes and cucumber seedlings were germinated and grown for 4 weeks in 25 cm diameter pots containing a soil-less growth medium – Metro-Mix 360 – and thinned to four plants per pot. They were placed under 0.2 mm mesh cages (40 cm 40 cm 40 cm), with one pot containing four plants in each treatment cage. At germination, plants were treated with soil drenches of 5%, 10%, or 20% vermicompost extract or a deionized water control to field capacity and thereafter at weekly intervals. A complete nutrient solution was applied weekly to all plants. In each experiment, eight cucumber beetles or eight tobacco hornworms were released onto the leaves of the appropriate plant species in each cage (four pests per test plant). All treatments were replicated four times per pest experiment, in a randomized complete block design. Numbers of pests were counted and damage rated (0-none to 5-total) on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 14 after the release of pests into the cages. All of the concentrations of vermicompost extracts significantly suppressed the establishment of and the damage caused by the two pests on the plants. The higher the rate of aqueous extract application the greater was the suppression of the pests. We concluded that the most likely cause for the unpalatability of the plants to pests was the uptake of soluble phenolic compounds from the vermicompost aqueous extracts into the plant tissues. These compounds are known to make plants unattractive to pests and to affect pest reproduction and survival rates. Published by Elsevier GmbH.
Quark and Gluon Structure of Nuclei

Using primarily the tool of deep inelastic lepton scattering, I outline some of the major features of our understanding of the quark and gluon structure of nuclei. The natural progression is from nucleons to deuterium to heavier nuclei. Among other topics, I address the quark-parton model, x-scaling, y-scaling, quark cluster model, and the nuclear equation of state at high density and low temperature.
Detection of NaCl and KCl in TRPV1 Knockout Mice

Both amiloride-sensitive and -insensitive mechanisms contribute to NaCl taste transduction. The amiloride-sensitive mechanism relies on the epithelial Na(+) channel ENaC, which is widely expressed on the apical membrane of fungiform taste cells. The amiloride-insensitive mechanism, which predominates in circumvallate and foliate taste buds, was recently reported to involve a variant of the nonselective cation channel TRPV1. We performed 2-bottle preference and threshold experiments with TRPV1 knockout mice and wild-type (C57BL/6J) controls to test for NaCl preference and detection thresholds in the presence and absence of amiloride. Surprisingly, TRPV1 knockout mice not only detected NaCl in the presence of amiloride but they preferred NaCl over water at concentrations avoided by the wild-type mice. NaCl detection thresholds were between 2 and 3 mM for both genotypes. Amiloride increased the detection thresholds of wild-type mice but not knockout mice. The knockout mice also preferred 100 mM KCl compared with wild-type controls, suggesting that TRPV1 receptors may mediate a general aversive response to salts. Analyses of consumption data also revealed that TRPV1 knockout mice ingested more of the NaCl, with and without amiloride, and KCl solutions than the wild-type mice. However, comparisons of preference ratios and consumption volumes indicated that both wild-type and TRPV1 knockout mice avoided citric acid in quite a similar manner, suggesting that TRPV1 receptors do not mediate the detection of citric acid. These data, taken together, suggest that additional mechanisms must contribute to the amiloride-insensitive NaCl response.
Harnessing the Cloud for Securely Solving Large-Scale Systems of Linear Equations

Cloud computing economically enables customers with limited computational resources to outsource large-scale computations to the cloud. However, how to protect customers' confidential data involved in the computations then becomes a major security concern. In this paper, we present a secure outsourcing mechanism for solving large-scale systems of linear equations (LE) in cloud. Because applying traditional approaches like Gaussian elimination or LU decomposition (aka. direct method) to such large-scale LE problems would be prohibitively expensive, we build the secure LE outsourcing mechanism via a completely different approach -- iterative method, which is much easier to implement in practice and only demands relatively simpler matrix-vector operations. Specifically, our mechanism enables a customer to securely harness the cloud for iteratively finding successive approximations to the LE solution, while keeping both the sensitive input and output of the computation private. For robust cheating detection, we further explore the algebraic property of matrix-vector operations and propose an efficient result verification mechanism, which allows the customer to verify all answers received from previous iterative approximations in one batch with high probability. Thorough security analysis and prototype experiments on Amazon EC2 demonstrate the validity and practicality of our proposed design.
Experience with BXGrid: a data repository and computing grid for biometrics research

Research in the field of biometrics depends on the effective management and analysis of many terabytes of digital data. The quality of an experimental result is often highly dependent upon the sheer amount of data marshalled to support it. However, the current state of the art requires researchers to have a heroic level of expertise in systems software to perform large scale experiments. To address this, we have designed and implemented BXGrid, a data repository and workflow abstraction for biometrics research. The system is composed of a relational database, an active storage cluster, and a campus computing grid. End users interact with the system through a high level abstraction of four stages: Select, Transform, AllPairs, and Analyze. A high degree of availability and reliability is achieved through transparent fail over, three phase operations, and independent auditing. BXGrid is currently in daily production use by an active biometrics research group at the University of Notre Dame. We discuss our experience in constructing and using the system and offer lessons learned in conducting collaborative research in e-Science.
Exploring genetic regulatory networks in metazoan development: methods and models.

One of the foremost challenges of 21st century biological research will be to decipher the complex genetic regulatory networks responsible for embryonic development. The recent explosion of whole g...
The effect of Fe and other promoters on the activity of Pd/ceria for the water-gas shift reaction

Abstract The effect of adding oxide promoters, at monolayer coverages, to Pd/ceria catalysts was studied for the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction in 25 Torr each of H 2 O and CO under differential conditions. Oxides of Fe, Tb, Gd, Y, Sn, Sm, Pr, Eu, Bi, Cr, V, Pb, and Mo were added to ceria by wet impregnation of aqueous salts and calcined to 873 K prior to addition of 1 wt.% Pd. While most of the oxides had a negligible effect on the water-gas shift rates, rates on the Fe-promoted sample were 8 times higher than on the unpromoted Pd/ceria at 473 K, while rates on the Mo- and Pb-promoted cerias were significantly lower than on pure Pd/ceria. By varying the Fe loading, it was found that the maximum catalytic activity was achieved at the monolayer coverage. Addition of Fe in bulk ceria through sol–gel and preparation of Fe 2 O 3 –CeO 2 physical mixtures had no effect on the catalytic activity.
Probing Majorana physics in quantum-dot shot-noise experiments

We consider a quantum dot coupled to a topological superconductor and two normal leads and study the transport properties of the system. Using a Keldysh path-integral approach, we study current fluctuations (shot noise) within the low-energy effective theory. We argue that the combination of the tunneling conductance and the shot noise through a quantum dot allows one to distinguish between the topological (Majorana) and nontopological (e.g., Kondo) origin of the zero-bias conduction peak. Specifically, we show that, while the tunneling conductance might exhibit a zero-bias anomaly due to Majorana or Kondo physics, the shot noise is qualitatively different in the presence of Majorana zero modes.
Tem Observations of AG-TI Bilayers After Thermal Aging Treatment in a Reducing Ambient

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in both cross sectional and plan view is used to study the effect of annealing Ag-Ti bilayers deposited on SiO2/Si substrates in an NH3 ambient. The resulting structure, texture and grain size are investigated. Comparisons are made between films annealed at 400, 500 and 600°C. Silver films show increasingly strong 〈111〉 texture with annealing temperature while exhibiting a bamboo-like grain structure at 600°C. Considerable grain growth with lateral grain sizes of up to 5 times the thickness of the Ag film is observed at 600°C. The grains typically extend through the Ag film thickness. The Ti/SiO2 interface uniformity and the absence of voids at the substrate surface are positive indicators of the role of titanium as a good adhesion promoter. At 600°C, a uniform TiN encapsulation layer is observed on the Ag surface.
Internet-based Spousal Communication during Deployment: Does it Increase Post-deployment Marital Satisfaction?

The purpose of this study was to explore the question: Is a service member’s post-deployment marital satisfaction correlated with frequency and mode of communication during deployment? This study used an anonymous exploratory design with a sample of 119 Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) married veterans. Service members who communicated daily during deployment with their spouses had higher marital satisfaction scores than those who communicated less than once per week. Additionally, participants who used US mail had the highest marital satisfaction scores compared to telephone and internet-based communication. This study expands the overwhelmingly qualitative current literature to include quantitative analysis of this topic. This study also depicts the veterans’ experiences since many of the previous studies of this topic used samples of spouses.
Lysis-deficient bacteriophage therapy decreases endotoxin and inflammatory mediator release and improves survival in a murine peritonitis model

Background Lysis-deficient (LyD) bacteriophages (phages) kill bacteria without endotoxin (Et) release. This may minimize systemic cytokine responses and limit inflammation in bacterial sepsis. We determined the effects of t amber A3 T4 LyD and virulent wild-type (WT) phages on mouse bacterial peritonitis. Methods Balb/c mice were injected with B40sul Escherichia coli, treated intraperitoneally with LyD, WT, or a β-lactam antibiotic [latamoxef sodium (LMOX)], and followed for survival. We measured Et release, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6, as well as bacterial counts and peritoneal exudative cells (PECs) in peritoneal lavage fluid at 6 and 12 hours after infection. Results LyD mice showed significantly greater survival compared with other groups. Et levels were significantly lower in the LyD mice at 6 and 12 hours after infection. TNF-α and IL-6 levels were lower in LyD mice compared with control (untreated) mice at 12 hours. Compared with controls, bacteria counts in peritoneal lavage fluid were lower in all treatment groups (LyD, WT, or LMOX) at 6 and 12 hours. PEC counts were highest in LyD mice at 6 hours but significantly lower than that in WT phage– and LMOX-treated mice at 12 hours. Conclusions LyD phage therapy significantly improves survival and attenuates the systemic effects of bacterial sepsis by minimizing Et release and pro-inflammatory mediators in murine bacterial peritonitis. Further studies may find phage therapy useful in treating peritonitis and multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.
Role of US-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration with On-Site Cytopathologic Evaluation in Management of Nonpalpable Breast Lesions

Abstract Rationale and Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasound (US)–guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA), with radiographic follow-up or surgical excision, in conjunction with on-site cytopathologic support in the management of nonpalpable breast lesions. Materials and Methods The findings of 266 consecutive mammographically or sonographically identified, nonpalpable lesions (228 patients) that underwent US–guided FNA were examined retrospectively. Clustered microcalcifications did not undergo biopsy with this method. Patients who underwent follow-up excisional biopsy or mammography with a duration of at least 24 months were included in the study. Results In all, 117 lesions met criteria for inclusion, of which 85 (73%) were diagnosed as benign at cytopathologic evaluation and underwent mammographic follow-up of at least 24 months (range, 24–67 months; mean, 36 months). Thirty-two lesions (27%) had either malignant or atypical cytopathologic findings, for which surgery was recommended. Eleven (9%) of the 32 had malignant cytopathologic findings from initial US–guided FNA, which were confirmed at surgical excision. The remaining 21 lesions (18%) were diagnosed as atypical on the basis of US–guided FNA results. Of these, 18 lesions underwent excisional biopsy: Two were diagnosed as carcinoma (not otherwise specified), and 16 were diagnosed with a variety of benign disorders. The remaining three patients with atypical lesions chose mammographic follow-up rather than surgical diagnosis, and their conditions have remained stable for more than 24 months. Of the 85 benign cases, one changed during follow-up (12 months) and underwent repeat biopsy, with malignancy noted. The sensitivity of US–guided FNA in identifying malignant lesions was 93% (13 of 14), and the specificity of a benign finding was 100% (102 of 102). The positive and negative predictive values of US–guided FNA supported by on-site cytopathologic evaluation were 100% (13 of 13) and 99% (102 of 103), respectively. Conclusion Supported by appropriately trained on-site cytopathologists and in conjunction with follow-up mammography, US–guided FNA appears to be efficacious in the management of patients with abnormal radiographic findings. It is quick, relatively inexpensive, and minimally invasive, and, in the presence of competent cytopathologists, should be the modality of choice.
Feedlot Wastes to Useful Energy — Fact or Fiction—

The large quantities of wastes generated in commercial feedlots have been receiving attention as to their possible energy value. Research has indicated however that on the typical open lot much of the potential energy source is reduced by the natural degradation of the organic matter during the up to 150 days that the material may remain on the lot. Anaerobic digestion was studied as the system for energy recovery. Three case studies for a 35,000-head feedlot were looked at: a dirt lot, a concrete lot, and a total confinement system with fresh manure removal. Anaerobic digestion of dirt lot waste will produce no net gas. Anaerobic digestion of freshly collected wastes may produce excess gas at a cost nearly that of existing natural gas prices. Even at this price it must be approached with caution since other considerations such as cost and energy requirements of confined feeding and sludge disposal must still be considered for each installation.
Changes in protein synthesis in heart.

Our initial decision to undertake an investigation of protein synthesis in cardiac muscle as a function of age was prompted by the conviction that the general question of age related changes in protein synthesis might usefully be studied in a tissue obviously essential to the survival of the animal. Heart certainly meets that criterion, and it offers some other advantages, too. The perfused heart system we selected occupies what is (to us at least) a satisfying intermediate position between whole-animal studies and their problems in controlling conditions, and cell-free preparations with their argueable physiological significance. There was one small problem at the start of this research; no one had reported procedures for the perfusion of isolated mouse hearts, but we were reasonably confident that it would be possible to adapt the standard rat system we had been using for some time (Florini and Dankberg, 1970) to studies on the mouse heart. Surprisingly, this turned out to be true.
Contemporary art and fashion: from Pop to Populist

During the 1970s and 1980s, a number of American artists have made use of clothing as an art medium. Their work constitutes a new art movement, drawing on, and straddling divisions between, Pop Art, performing arts, popular culture, and fashion; it merits more thorough and accessible documentation, and there is a need for art libraries to make available the elusive information which does exist.
On the nature of the Møller-Plesset critical point.

It has been suggested [F. H. Stillinger, J. Chem. Phys. 112, 9711 (2000)] that the convergence or divergence of Moller-Plesset perturbation theory is determined by a critical point at a negative value of the perturbation parameter z at which an electron cluster dissociates from the nuclei. This conjecture is examined using configuration-interaction computations as a function of z and using a quadratic approximant analysis of the high-order perturbation series. Results are presented for the He, Ne, and Ar atoms and the hydrogen fluoride molecule. The original theoretical analysis used the true Hamiltonian without the approximation of a finite basis set. In practice, the singularity structure depends strongly on the choice of basis set. Standard basis sets cannot model dissociation to an electron cluster, but if the basis includes diffuse functions then it can model another critical point corresponding to complete dissociation of all the valence electrons. This point is farther from the origin of the z plane than is the critical point for the electron cluster, but it is still close enough to cause divergence of the perturbation series. For the hydrogen fluoride molecule a critical point is present even without diffuse functions. The basis functions centered on the H atom are far enough from the F atom to model the escape of electrons away from the fluorine end of the molecule. For the Ar atom a critical point for a one-electron ionization, which was not previously predicted, seems to be present at a positive value of the perturbation parameter. Implications of the existence of critical points for quantum-chemical applications are discussed.
A Bidentate Carbene Ligand Stabilizes a Low-Coordinate Iron(0) Carbonyl Complex

The bulky bis(carbene)borate ligand Ph2B(tBuIm)2– stabilizes low-coordinate and low-valent iron complexes. The four-coordinate iron(II) complex Ph2B(tBuIm)2FeCl(THF) is a precursor to the low-spin iron(I) complex Ph2B(tBuIm)2Fe(CO)3. Despite a reversible reduction wave in the cyclic voltammogram, access to the iron(0) complex [Ph2B(tBuIm)2Fe(CO)3]− requires reduction under a CO atmosphere. Without excess CO, KC8 reduction leads to formation of the dimer K2[Ph2B(tBuIm)2Fe(CO)2] along with loss of CO. Each iron center in this complex adopts a distorted-square-planar geometry. Spectroscopic analysis of these carbonyl complexes reveals the very high strength of the bis(carbene)borate ligand.
A Revised Approach for the Detection of Sight-Threatening Diabetic Macular Edema.

Importance Diabetic macular edema is one of the leading causes of vision loss among working-age adults in the United States. Telemedicine screening programs and epidemiological studies rely on monoscopic fundus photography for the detection of clinically significant macular edema (CSME). Improving the accuracy of detecting CSME from monoscopic images could be valuable while recognizing the limitations of such detection in an era of optical coherence tomography detection of diabetic macular edema. Objective To evaluate the screening test accuracy of radially arranged sectors affected by hard exudates in the detection of CSME. Design, Setting, and Participants This investigation was a cross-sectional study of CSME grading in monoscopic images using a sectors approach. The Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study criteria were used to confirm the presence of CSME by the following 2 methods: stereoscopic fundus photography (method 1) and dilated biomicroscopy in combination with optical coherence tomography (method 2). Participants were recruited at a university-based practice between June 14, 2014, and December 28, 2015. Main Outcomes and Measures Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. Results A total of 207 eyes from an ethnically/racially diverse group of 207 patients (mean [SD] age, 53.6 [10.8] years; 58.9% [122 of 207] female) were included in the analysis. Twelve eyes (5.8%) were diagnosed as having CSME based on method 1. The intermethod and intergrader agreement for CSME diagnosis and sector count was substantial (κ range, 0.66 [95% CI, 0.47-0.85] to 0.75 [95% CI, 0.53-0.97]; P Conclusions and Relevance A sectors approach shows good screening test characteristics for the detection of CSME. Its implementation in the existing telemedicine programs would require minimal resources. This approach will have the greatest effect in a setting where implementation of optical coherence tomography, a more objective and sensitive way to detect retinal thickening, is not feasible. The proposed method also may be easily incorporated in the automated diabetic retinopathy detection algorithms.
Synthetic Pot: Not Your Grandfather's Marijuana.

In the early 2000s in Europe and shortly thereafter in the USA, it was reported that ‘legal' forms of marijuana were being sold under the name K2 and/or Spice. Active ingredients in K2/Spice products were determined to be synthetic cannabinoids (SCBs), producing psychotropic actions via CB 1 cannabinoid receptors, similar to those of Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 9 -THC), the primary active constituent in marijuana. Often abused by adolescents and military personnel to elude detection in drug tests due to their lack of structural similarity to Δ 9 -THC, SCBs are falsely marketed as safe marijuana substitutes. Instead, SCBs are a highly structural diverse group of compounds, easily synthesized, which produce very dangerous adverse effects occurring by, as of yet, unknown mechanisms. Therefore, available evidence indicates that K2/Spice products are clearly not safe marijuana alternatives.
miR-145: Revival of a Dragon in Pancreatic Cancer.

Emergence of the role of MicroRNA-145 (miR-145) as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic cancer, offers its potential for novel therapeutic interventions. Our recently published studies demonstrate clinical significance of miR-145 in pancreatic cancer and suggest that the dysregulation of miR-145 in human pancreatic tumors draws in parallel with the aberrant expression of an oncogenic mucin, MUC13. These studies also present a novel therapeutic strategy of restoring the downregulated levels of miR-145 in pancreatic cancer via nanoparticle mediated efficient delivery system. Journal of Nature and Science (JNSCI), 3(3):e332, 2017
Sidelining Big Business in Intercollegiate Athletics

The world of intercollegiate sports today is characterized by an insatiable desire for money and winning. Universities are in an arms race to outspend one another on lavish facilities and coaching contracts in order to gain the upper hand in recruitment. The commercialization of college sports has created tension between the NCAA’s defense of amateurism and antitrust litigation. This Article seeks to provide a way to de-escalate the arms race while also providing a way for the NCAA to reinvest in its principle of amateurism. Specifically, this Article proposes the NCAA adopt a budgetary allocation for its member institutions’ athletic departments. This Article advocates that funds be split 50/50 between revenue programs and non-revenue programs. This will enable the NCAA and its member institutions to focus on emphasizing education and playing sports for recreation. By adopting a budgetary allocation, the NCAA will be able to balance its goals of supporting education and student athleticism while also remaining antitrust compliant. Part I of the Article focuses on the intercollegiate athletics arms race problem. Part II discusses how difficult it is to chill the arms race without violating antirust law. Part III lays out the budgetary allocation model. Part IV provides reasons why the proposed budgetary allocation works as a viable method for the NCAA. The section discusses how this Article’s proposal (1) reinforces the application of Title IX; (2) is viable under antitrust law; and (3) alleviates the pressure on the intercollegiate arms race.
Easyml: Easily Build And Evaluate Machine Learning Models

The easyml (easy machine learning) package lowers the barrier to entry to machine learning and is ideal for undergraduate/graduate students, and practitioners who want to quickly apply machine learning algorithms to their research without having to worry about the best practices of implementing each algorithm. The package provides standardized recipes for regression and classification algorithms in R and Python and implements them in a functional, modular, and extensible framework. This package currently implements recipes for several common machine learning algorithms (e.g., penalized linear models, random forests, and support vector machines) and provides a unified interface to each one. Importantly, users can run and evaluate each machine learning algorithm with a single line of coding. Each recipe is robust, implements best practices specific to each algorithm, and generates a report with details about the model, its performance, as well as journal-quality visualizations. The package9s functional, modular, and extensible framework also allows researchers and more advanced users to easily implement new recipes for other algorithms.
How do nonprofits respond to negative wealth shocks? The impact of the 2008 stock market collapse on hospitals

The theory of cost shifting posits that nonprofit firms “share the pain” of negative financial shocks with their stakeholders, for example, by raising prices. We examine how nonprofit hospitals responded to the sharp reductions in their assets caused by the 2008 stock market collapse. The average hospital did not raise prices, but hospitals with substantial market power did cost shift in this way. We find no evidence that hospitals reduced treatment costs. Hospitals eliminated but left unchanged their offerings of profitable services. Taken together, our results provide mixed evidence on whether nonprofits behave differently from for-profits.
Beyond hookup culture: Current trends in the study of college student sex and where to next

A prominent body of sexuality research on college-enrolled students in the twenty-first century focuses on “hookup” culture, marked by the prevalence of sexual encounters between students with no expectation for a relationship to develop. This article will review and respond to current themes in the literature on hookup culture on college campuses. I argue that this literature privileges the White, middle-class heterosexual experience, although less is known about how students who cannot or choose not to participate in this culture experience sexual relationships on college campuses. I place studies of hookup culture in conversation with those attentive to the effects of race, class, gender, and sexuality on access to, and experience of, hookup culture. I conclude with suggestions for future research, to include a renewed interest in sexual relationships forged outside of hookup cultures.
Revisiting the bis(dimethylamido) metallocene complexes of thorium and uranium: improved syntheses, structure, spectroscopy, and redox energetics of (C5Me5)2An(NMe2)2 (An = Th, U).

The reaction of (C5Me5)2AnCl2 (An = Th, U) with 2.8 or 4 equivalents of LiNMe2, respectively, affords (C5Me5)2An(NMe2)2 in high yields. In addition to improved syntheses, the solid-state structures, voltammetric data, and UV-visible–NIR spectra for these classic actinide bis(dimethylamido) complexes are presented for the first time.
Ethics in the Sharing Economy: Creating a Legitimate Marketing Channel

The sharing economy is a regulatory-disruptive business model in transportation, accommodation, household services, and other service sectors. In this article, we examine the ethical issues in the sharing-economy business model that depends on trust and reputation. We draw from the stakeholder, trust, and institutional theory literature to explore ways to encourage conformity of practices in the relatively infant marketing channel of the sharing economy.
Population-based study of ischemic stroke risk after trauma in children and young adults.

Objective: To quantify the incidence, timing, and risk of ischemic stroke after trauma in a population-based young cohort. Methods: We electronically identified trauma patients ( Results: From 1,308,009 trauma encounters, we confirmed 52 trauma-related ischemic strokes. The 4-week stroke incidence was 4.0 per 100,000 encounters (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.0–5.2). Trauma was multisystem in 26 (50%). In 19 (37%), the stroke occurred on the day of trauma, and all occurred within 15 days. In 7/28 cases with cerebrovascular angiography at the time of trauma, no abnormalities were detected. In unadjusted analyses, head, neck, chest, back, and abdominal injuries increased stroke risk. Only head (OR 4.1, CI 1.1–14.9) and neck (OR 5.6, CI 1.03–30.9) injuries remained associated with stroke after adjusting for demographics and trauma severity markers (multisystem trauma, motor vehicle collision, arrival by ambulance, intubation). Conclusions: Stroke risk is elevated for 2 weeks after trauma. Onset is frequently delayed, providing an opportunity for stroke prevention during this period. However, in one-quarter of stroke cases with cerebrovascular angiography at the time of trauma, no vascular abnormality was detected.