cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modulation of IL‐27 in adipocytes during inflammatory stress

Objective While it is well established that adipose tissue-derived inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenic mechanisms linking obesity with metabolic dysfunction, the inflammatory mediators involved have not been fully elucidated. Here, we explored IL-12 family cytokines with a focus on IL-27 during obesity-induced inflammation in mice and cultured adipocytes (ADs) following exposure to inflammatory stimuli. Methods Relative mRNA abundance of IL-12 cytokines was assessed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in genetically obese B6-ob/ob mice as well as C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet and in ADs following exposure to inflammatory stimuli. Protein secretion of cytokines into culture media was assessed by ELISA, and the biological outcome of IL-27 stimulation was assessed by RT-PCR and immunoblotting. Results Heterodimeric subunits constituting IL-27 were significantly induced in obese mice. While all IL-12 genes were markedly induced by inflammatory stress in cultured ADs, IL-27 protein was the only cytokine secreted into culture media in response to inflammatory stress. Cultured ADs also responded to IL-27 stimulation with divergent outcomes that were dependent on the inflammatory milieu of target cells. Conclusions These findings support the premise of autocrine/paracrine mechanisms involving IL-27 in ADs under conditions of inflammatory stress that may link obesity with inflammatory diseases.
Erosion Resistance of Cohesive Soils

An experimental study is described that concerned the surface erosion of an illitic silty clay (Grundite) at selected salinities and water contents; the study was designed to test the applicability of rate process and double layer theories. Both velocity increment and temperature increment tests were run in a refrigerated water tunnel. Experimental activation energies and flow volumes were computer from test results. Values for experimental activation energies range from 14 to 32 kcal/mole, suggesting that interparticle contacts are essentially solid to solid as for soil deformation at higher stress levels. The mechanisms controlling resistance to surface erosion are fundamentally similar to the mechanisms controlling soil strength.
Identity Development in Personal Branding Instruction: Social Narratives and Online Brand Management in a Global Economy

Increased technology, integration of the global economy, and the shift from investing in long-term employees to hiring temporary contract workers have spawned pervasive employment insecurity. This trend has led to a growing industry of career and marketing professionals, who have found a career niche in helping job seekers create personal brands and apply marketing tactics to their personal identities. This article looks critically at the use of narrative identity development activities in materials used to teach personal branding to emerging adults and some of the challenges personal branders face in marketing an extended self in virtual space.
Seismological studies at Parkfield III; microearthquake clusters in the study of fault-zone dynamics

Abstract More than half of the microearthquakes that occur near Parkfield, California, when located with high-resolution methods, are seen to define some 80 small clusters of 2 to 12 similar events. Each cluster occupies a patch typically 100 to 200 m in length within the fault zone. Cluster members have nearly identical waveforms (correlation coefficient of 0.9 or greater) to frequencies of 50 to 100 Hz, as recorded by the borehole-installed seismographic network. The clusters are distributed throughout the fault zone around the presumed nucleation region, in the locked section to the SE and in the creeping part of the NW of the previous M 6 hypocenter. They are also found in the Salinian block several kilometers SW of the fault zone. The total area occupied by all of the clusters constitutes only a small fraction (1 to 2%) of the fault zone approaching failure at Parkfield. Such clusters provide insight into the dynamics of the failure process through their spatial-temporal characteristics and their mechanisms. They also serve as highly repetitive sources distributed throughout the fault zone suitable for monitoring the nucleation zone for possible precursory changes in physical properties that affect wave propagation. In this article we demonstrate these applications with a detailed analysis of selected clusters.
Diabetes distress in adults with type 1 diabetes: Prevalence, incidence and change over time

Abstract Aims To document the prevalence and 9-month incidence of elevated diabetes distress (DD) and the stability of DD over time using both single threshold and minimal clinically important differences (MCID) approaches. Methods Adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) (N=224) completed the 28-item T1-Diabetes Distress Scale (T1-DDS) at baseline and 9months. A T1-DDS threshold was identified with spline analysis and MCID was calculated from the standard error of measurement. Results Analyses supported a cut-point of ≥2.0 for elevated DD. The prevalence and 9-month incidence of elevated DD was 42.1% and 54.4%, respectively. MCID was ±0.19 but varied by subscale (.26 to .50). Elevated DD was stable: only 20% crossed 2.0 over 9months. MCID analyses showed that change also occurred among those who remained either below or above 2.0 over time. Change varied by source of distress, with Powerlessness the most prevalent and stable. Using MCID, only participant age, gender and number of complications predicted change. Conclusions The prevalence, 9-month incidence and stability of elevated DD are high among adults with T1D, with change based on source of DD. We propose a combined cut-point/MCID framework for measuring change in DD, since each approach reflects unique characteristics of change over time.
Effect of Domain Structure on the Magnetoresistance of Epitaxial Thin Films of Ferromagnetic Metallic Oxide SrRuO3

We have grown epitaxial ferromagnetic metallic oxide SrRuO3 thin films with different domain structures on (001) LaAlO3 and miscut (001) SrTiO3 substrates. The effect of crystallographic domain structures on the magnetization and magnetoresistive behavior of epitaxial SrRuO3 thin films has been studied. Magnetization measurements on the single domain film on 2° miscut (001) SrTiO3 substrate showed that the in-plane [110] direction, which is aligned along the miscut direction, is the easier axis for magnetization compared to the [001] direction. This film also showed a strong anisotropie magnetoresistance (AMR) effect of ~8% in magnitude. In contrast, the SrRuO3 thin film on (001) LaAlO3 substrate shows identical magnetization and magnetoresistance behavior in two orthogonal directions on the film due to the presence of 90 domains in the plane. For both the films, large negative magnetoresistance effects (-10%) were observed when the current and the applied magnetic field are parallel. The magnetoresistance behavior is explained in terms of suppression of spin fluctuations near Tc and the AMR effect.
Dietary prevention of obesity and cardiometabolic disease.

A new study suggests that an energy-dense dietary pattern that is high in saturated fat and low in fibre is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, but not incident cardiovascular disease, among people with severe obesity, which highlights the urgent need for obesity prevention. Analysis of dietary patterns can bolster the evidence base for prevention-oriented dietary recommendations.
Near-Optimal Distributed Algorithms for Fault-Tolerant Tree Structures

Tree structures such as breadth-first search (BFS) trees and minimum spanning trees (MST) are among the most fundamental graph structures in distributed network algorithms. However, by definition, these structures are not robust against failures and even a single edge's removal can disrupt their functionality. A well-studied concept which attempts to circumvent this issue is Fault-Tolerant Tree Structures, where the tree gets augmented with additional edges from the network so that the functionality of the structure is maintained even when an edge fails. These structures, or other equivalent formulations, have been studied extensively from a centralized viewpoint. However, despite the fact that the main motivations come from distributed networks, their distributed construction has not been addressed before.In this paper, we present distributed algorithms for constructing fault tolerant BFS and MST structures. The time complexity of our algorithms are nearly optimal in the following strong sense: they almost match even the lower bounds of constructing (basic) BFS and MST trees.
Unicorns cartoons: marketing sweet and creamy e-juice to youth.

In 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned characterising flavours for cigarettes with the exception of menthol and tobacco.1 New regulations, released in May 2016, deemed electronic cigarettes to be tobacco products under the FDA's regulatory authority.2 Nicotine-containing liquid (e-juice) used in e-cigarettes is marketed in thousands of flavours. While the initial set of FDA rules did not address e-juice flavours, future FDA action may do so. The agency's determination on whether or not e-cigarettes should be subject to flavour regulations similar to those already in place for traditional combustible cigarettes will depend on evidence of differential appeal of these products to youth. Unicorns are mythological creatures which permeate popular culture, especially children's literature (eg, The Princess and the Unicorn), television (eg, My Little Pony) and games (eg, Rainbow Unicorn).3 A search for ‘unicorn children's’ in the Amazon.com book section returned 5223 items (15 May 2016). The number one item is titled: ‘Sparkly the Unicorn: Cute Bedtime Story for Kids with a Lesson About Caring and Love’. The purpose of this article is to describe unicorn-themed flavoured e-juice and their associated advertising messaging. In analysing over 12 000 e-cigarette advertisements, we have encountered a remarkable assortment of unicorn-themed e-juice products4 ,5 (table 1). Most illustrations of unicorns show them as happy, playful and cuddly creatures. Unicorn e-juice products most often are named after the creature's supposed secretions and excretions: milk, breath, tears, blood, puke, vomit, poop, piss, spew and jizz \[sic\] (figures 1⇓⇓–4). In advertisements, the e-juice emanates from the appropriate bodily orifice of the unicorn in the form of an …
Current concepts in bone metastasis, contemporary therapeutic strategies and ongoing clinical trials.

Elucidation of mechanisms regulating bone metastasis has progressed significantly in recent years and this has translated to many new therapeutic options for patients with bone metastatic cancers. However, the rapid rate of progress in both the basic science literature and therapies undergoing clinical trials makes staying abreast with current developments challenging. This review seeks to provide an update on the current state of the science in bone metastasis research and give a snap shot of therapies in clinical trials for bone metastatic cancer. Bone metastasis represents a difficult to treat clinical scenario due to pain, increased fracture risk, decreased quality of life and diminished overall survival outcomes. Multiple types of cancer have the specific ability to home to the bone microenvironment and cause metastatic lesions. This osteotropism was first described by Stephen Paget nearly 100 years ago as the ‘seed and soil’ hypothesis. Once cancer cells arrive at the bone they encounter a variety of cells native to the bone microenvironment which contribute to the establishment of bone metastatic lesions. In the first part of this review, the ‘seed and soil’ hypothesis is revisited while emphasizing recent developments in understanding the impact of native bone microenvironment cells on the metastatic process. Next, approved therapies for treating bone metastasis at the systemic level as well as those that target the bone microenvironment are discussed and current National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines relating to treatment of bone metastases are summarized. Finally, all open interventional clinical trials for therapies relating to treatment of bone metastasis have been complied and categorized. Understanding the recent advancements in bone metastasis research is important for continued development of novel bone targeted therapies. The plethora of ongoing clinical trials will hopefully translate into improved treatments options for patients suffering from bone metastatic cancers.
Venous Thromboembolism in Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplant: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Abstract Hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) is associated with a proinflammatory, procoagulant environment that places recipients at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Although the incidence of VTE in adult HCT recipients has been extensively studied, similar data for children are lacking. We conducted a multicenter retrospective study to analyze the prevalence of VTE and associated risk factors in a large cohort of patients who underwent HCT at tertiary care US children's hospitals. The Pediatric Health Information System database, a large administrative database that contains clinical and resource utilization data from 49 freestanding children's hospitals in the United States, was used to extract data. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes were used to identify HCT recipients, VTE events, post-HCT complications, and associated risk factors up to 1 year post-transplant. Data on patients who received HCT from January 2010 through September 2014 were collected. A total of 4158 unique patients mean ± standard deviation age at transplant admit, 8.8 ± 6.5 years; range, birth to 33.4 years) were identified. After HCT 290 subjects (6.9%) developed VTE. VTE prevalence was greater in patients aged ≥ 13 versus
Multiple Stakeholders and Multiple Bottom Lines

Why the nonprofit sector over the private or public sectors? Nonprofit organizations differ from both for-profit and public-sector organizations in several ways. Whether you can articulate these differences easily from reading textbooks and research articles, or whether you have learned them implicitly through your own work as a nonprofit practitioner, you will no doubt agree with this claim. These differences may in fact be part of what has sparked your interest in the sector. In this chapter, we talk about two characteristics of nonprofit organizations—multiple stakeholders and multiple bottom lines—that not only distinguish them from other types of organizations but also reveal ethical questions that we must consider when studying and working in the sector.
Evaluating Water Reactivity at Silica Surfaces Using Reactive Potentials

Understanding the interactions between amorphous silica surfaces and water provides insight into material degradation of silicate glasses and minerals in aqueous environment. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of water and nanometer sized silica structures were used in this work to evaluate the reactivity of flat silica surface and surfaces with curvature. We compared two dissociable water/silica potentials, namely the Reactive Force Field (ReaxFF) and the Mahadevan–Garofalini water/silica force field (MGFF) that have been in development over the past decade, to study their performance in simulating bulk water as well as silica–water interactions. Significant differences in the properties of bulk water as well as surface interactions were observed between the two types of potentials, as well in the same potential type with two parametrizations for ReaxFF, suggesting a need for improvement of the existing water/silica ReaxFF potentials. Our simulation results show that a majority of the silanols were form...
Rural Status, Suicide Ideation, and Telemental Health: Risk Assessment in a Clinical Sample

Objective Individuals living in rural areas die by suicide at higher rates than those living in metropolitan areas. Telemental health interventions provide rural residing individuals with access to needed care. Identifying telemental health clients at risk for suicide is an important task for clinicians and policymakers. This study evaluated to what degree rural status and other demographic variables predicted suicide ideation in clients seeking services at a telemental health clinic. Methods Study participants included 457 low-income clients residing in the medically underserved, geographically diverse Brazos Valley region of Texas. Clients completed the patient health questionnaire during their initial counseling appointment, which assessed depression severity and suicide ideation in the 2 weeks prior to assessment. Results Suicide ideation was common among telemental health clients, with approximately 40% of clients in all demographic groups reporting some recent thoughts of suicide. Rates of suicide ideation did not significantly differ by geographic designation (ie, rural/metropolitan status), gender, or race/ethnicity. However, depression was a strong predictor of recent suicide ideation. Conclusions Telemental health programs can effectively connect clinicians with rural residing clients who are otherwise isolated from health care services. However, clinicians working in high-need, historically underserved areas should be prepared to encounter a high prevalence of suicide ideation and depression. In these regions, clinical and diagnostic features may be better indicators of suicide ideation than demographic variables.
Diagnostic radiation dose after the implementation of digital breast tomosynthesis screening

Our clinical practice transitioned from digital mammography (DM) to digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) screening in 2011. This study analyzes the radiation dose of diagnostic exams after recall from screening in two cohorts, before (I) and after (II) the transition to screening with four Hologic Selenia Dimensions DM/DBT systems. We considered four different imaging modes: DM, magnification DM, and the 2D and 3D components of DBT. Diagnostic exams were classified into four groups based on screening recalled finding: asymmetry, architectural distortion, masses, and calcifications. The study set consisted of 7,409 images from 1,857 women (mean age 55.3±10 yrs.) acquired at two time periods (2010-11, cohort I; 2012-13, cohort II). The average glandular dose (AGD) for the population was computed from the sum of all exposures and analyzed by finding type. The AGD, breast thickness, and exposure settings were obtained using an automated dose-reporting software that stores DICOM metadata in a database for real-time data exploration. The average AGD per patient was 5.82 mGy for cohort I (4.95, 5.40, 6.01 and 8.96 mGy for masses, asymmetry, architectural distortion and calcifications, respectively) and 7.15 mGy for cohort II (6.23, 7.19, 7.61 and 9.03 mGy, respectively). While the AGD for calcifications remained the same after the transition, a dose increase of 23% was found due to the addition of 3D imaging for the other findings. The implementation of DBT in the diagnostic setting results in increased radiation dose to the diagnostic population. However, due to the reduction of recalled patients from screening, we achieved a 15.4% reduction in the utilization of diagnostic imaging. This resulted in a net increase of only 4.0% in the total radiation dose to the screening population arising from diagnostic imaging at recall.
Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Computations of a Synthetic Jet in a Turbulent Boundary Layer

An unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) computation is performed for the flow of a synthetic jet issuing into a turbulent boundary layer through a circular orifice. Several numerical parameters are investigated, and the effects of three different turbulence models are explored. Results are compared to experiment.
Electronic and Polar Properties of Vanadate Compounds Stabilized by Epitaxial Strain

Recent experimental and computational studies have demonstrated pressure and epitaxial stabilization of polar PbVO3 phases with perovskite-derivative crystal structures. In this study, we demonstra...
An fMRI Investigation of the Neural Correlates Underlying the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR)

Introduction: The "autonomous sensory meridian response" (ASMR) is a neologism used to describe an internal sensation of deep relaxation and pleasant head tingling which is often stimulated by gentle sounds, light touch, and personal attention. Methods: An fMRI-based methodology was employed to examine the brain activation of subjects prescreened for ASMR-receptivity (n=10) as they watched ASMR videos and identified specific moments of relaxation and tingling. Results: Subjects who experienced ASMR showed significant activation in regions associated with both reward (NAcc) and emotional arousal (dACC and Insula/IFG). Brain activation during ASMR showed similarities to patterns previously observed in musical frisson as well as affiliative behaviors. Conclusion: This is the first study to measure the activation of various brain regions during ASMR and these results may help to reveal the mechanistic underpinnings of this sensation.
Cultural Analysis of Corporate Social Action

Previous studies of corporate environmental and social action identify exactly three similar patterns of activity. They provide divergent structural explanations for these patterns, as networks of institutional constraint, and networks of local inter‐dependence, respectively. A theory of sociocultural viability, known in anthropology and policy science as Cultural Theory, explains that social systems consist of four patterns of social interaction, shaped by two distinct structural factors. Our own analysis of 45 items of environmental, social, and governance factors reconcile extant studies’ findings with Cultural Theory’s expectations. Although earlier studies of corporate social action observed only three patterns of activity, our analysis uncovered the fourth, and that diverging structural explanations of earlier studies are partial and complementary, clarified by Cultural Theory. Our call for further study leverages the normative dimension of Cultural Theory, which specifies policy processes that privilege human decency over parochial preference functions.
Missing Red Supergiants and Carbon Burning

Recent studies on direct imaging of Type II core-collapse supernova progenitors indicate a possible threshold around M_(ZAMS) ∼ 16–20 M⊙, where red supergiants (RSG) with larger birth masses do not appear to result in supernova explosions and instead implode directly into a black hole. In this study, we argue that it is not a coincidence that this threshold closely matches the critical transition of central carbon burning in massive stars from the convective to radiative regime. In lighter stars, carbon burns convectively in the centre and result in compact final pre-supernova cores that are likely to result in explosions, while in heavier stars after the transition, it burns as a radiative flame and the stellar cores become significantly harder to explode. Using the keplerkepler code we demonstrate the sensitivity of this transition to the rate of ¹²C(α, γ)¹⁶O reaction and the overshoot mixing efficiency, and we argue that the upper mass limit of exploding RSG could be employed to constrain uncertain input physics of massive stellar evolution calculations. The initial mass corresponding to the central carbon burning transition range from 14 to 26 M⊙ in recently published models from various groups and codes, and only a few are in agreement with the estimates inferred from direct imaging studies.
Mitigating the effects of flaky tests on mutation testing

Mutation testing is widely used in research as a metric for evaluating the quality of test suites. Mutation testing runs the test suite on generated mutants (variants of the code under test), where a test suite kills a mutant if any of the tests fail when run on the mutant. Mutation testing implicitly assumes that tests exhibit deterministic behavior, in terms of their coverage and the outcome of a test (not) killing a certain mutant. Such an assumption does not hold in the presence of flaky tests, whose outcomes can non-deterministically differ even when run on the same code under test. Without reliable test outcomes, mutation testing can result in unreliable results, e.g., in our experiments, mutation scores vary by four percentage points on average between repeated executions, and 9% of mutant-test pairs have an unknown status. Many modern software projects suffer from flaky tests. We propose techniques that manage flakiness throughout the mutation testing process, largely based on strategically re-running tests. We implement our techniques by modifying the open-source mutation testing tool, PIT. Our evaluation on 30 projects shows that our techniques reduce the number of "unknown" (flaky) mutants by 79.4%.
Does the Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism Defeat God’s Beliefs?

Alvin Plantinga has famously argued that the naturalist who accepts evolutionary theory has a defeater for all of her beliefs, including her belief in naturalism and evolution. Hence, he says, naturalism, when conjoined with evolution, is self-defeating and cannot be rationally accepted. This is known as the evolutionary argument against naturalism (EAAN). However, Tyler Wunder (Religious Studies 51:391–399, 2015) has recently shown that if the EAAN is framed in terms of objective probability and theism is assumed to be non-contingent, then either theism is necessarily false or the EAAN is unsound. Neither option is attractive to the proponent of the EAAN. Perry Hendricks (Religious Studies 1–5, 2018) has responded to Wunder’s criticism, showing that the EAAN can be salvaged and, indeed, strengthened, by framing it in terms not of naturalism (N), but of a proposition that is entailed by N that is also consistent with theism. We will show that once Hendricks’ solution to Wunder’s objection is accepted, a puzzle ensues: if the EAAN provides the naturalist with a defeater for all of her beliefs, then an extension of it appears to provide God with a defeater for all of his beliefs. After bringing out this puzzle, we suggest several ways in which the proponent of the EAAN might solve it, but also show some potential weaknesses in these purported solutions. Whether the solutions to the puzzle that we consider ultimately succeed is unclear to us. (Translation: the authors disagree. One author thinks that the solutions (or, at least, some of them) that we consider do solve the puzzle while the other author does not.) However, it is clear to us that this is an issue that proponents of the EAAN need to address.
Synthesis and crystal structure of two manganese-based 12-metallacrown-4 complexes: Na2(3-chloro-benzoate)2[12-MCMn(III)N(shi)-4](DMF)6 and MnNa(3-chloro-benzoate)3[12-MCMn(III)N(shi)-4](DMF)(H2O)4·4DMF·0.72H2O.

Similar synthetic schemes yield two different metallacrown (MC) complexes: bis­(μ-3-chloro­benzoato)hexa­kis­(di­methyl­formamide)­tetra­kis­(μ4-N,2-dioxido­benzene-1-carboximidato)tetra­manganese(III)disodium(I), [Mn4Na2(C7H4ClO2)2(C7H4NO3)4(C3H7NO)6] or Na2(3-chloro­benzoate)2[12-MCMn(III)N(shi)-4](DMF)6, 1, and tetra-μ-aqua-tris­(μ-3-chloro­benzoato)(di­methyl­formamide)­tetra­kis­(μ4-N,2-dioxido­benzene-1-carboximidato)penta­manganese(III)sodi­um(I) di­methyl­formamide tetra­solvate 0.72-hydrate, [Mn5Na(C7H4ClO2)3(C7H4NO3)4(C3H7NO)(H2O)4]·4C3H7NO·0.718H2O or MnNa(3-chloro­benzo­ate)3[12-MCMn(III)N(shi)-4](DMF)(H2O)4·4DMF·0.72H2O, 2, where shi3− is salicyl­hydrox­imate and DMF is N,N-di­methyl­formamide. Both complexes have the same framework consisting of four MnIII ions in the MC ring and four shi3− ligands, resulting in an overall square-shaped mol­ecule. The MnIII ions are either five- or six-coordinate with elongated bond lengths in the apical or axial direction, respectively. The structure of 1 is nearly planar, and the MC binds two Na+ ions on opposite faces of the MC central cavity. The 3-chloro­benzoate anions also bind on opposite faces of the MC and form bridges between the central Na+ ions and the ring MnIII ions. For 1 the metallacrown mol­ecule, except for the central Na+ ion, exhibits whole mol­ecule disorder over two sets of sites. Both moieties are centrosymmetric and are related to each other by a pseudo-mirror operation with opposite sense of rotation around the Na⋯Na axis. The occupancy ratio of the main disorder of the metallacrown mol­ecules and 3-chloro­benzoate anions refined to 0.9276 (9):0.0724 (9). The structure of 2 is slightly domed, and the MC binds both an MnII ion and an Na+ ion in the MC central cavity. The MnII ion is located on the convex side of the MC, while the Na+ ion binds to the concave side. Complex 2 represents the first instance of a [12-MCMn(III)N(shi)-4] mol­ecule binding both 3d transition metal and alkali metal ions in the central cavity. In addition, three 3-chloro­benzoate anions bind on the convex side of the MC and connect the MnII ion to three of the ring MnIII ions.
Out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy engineered via band distortion in two-dimensional materials

We unveil the connection between magnetic anisotropy and band structures in $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$-specialized ${\mathrm{In}}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}/{\mathrm{Fe}}_{3}{\mathrm{GeTe}}_{2}$ heterostructure, through first-principles calculations. A significant band distortion occurs near the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ point with a formed valley. As the band-distortion-caused valley moves relative to the quasivalence band maximum, the magnetic anisotropy switches between in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy. Such a rule applies to either the strained or polarization-switched ${\mathrm{In}}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}/{\mathrm{Fe}}_{3}{\mathrm{GeTe}}_{2}$ heterostructure. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of predicting the magnetic anisotropy by band structure modification in two-dimensional magnetic systems.
Longer-term impacts of fuel reduction treatments on forest structure, fuels, and drought resistance in the Lake Tahoe Basin

Abstract Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests have undergone significant changes in structure and composition and are increasingly vulnerable to altered disturbance regimes and climate-related extreme events. Fuel reduction treatments, including thinning and follow-up surface fuel treatments, can reduce this vulnerability by creating forest structural and woody fuel conditions that not only allow forest stands to mitigate wildfire, but also alleviate individual tree stress. However, direct observations that quantify these longer-term effects are lacking. This study compares observed changes in forest structure, tree species composition, and downed woody fuel loads across three distinct time periods: pre-treatment, 1 yr post-treatment, and 10 yr post-treatment. Additionally, using tree ring data, we assessed whether treatments affected individual tree resistance to a severe statewide drought (2012–2015). Thinning treatments were able to effectively reduce tree density and basal area, increase the retention of both larger-sized and shade-intolerant trees, and mitigate tree mortality. Treatments were also associated with significantly lower coarse woody fuel and snag basal area. Snag basal area and time since treatment were related to the accumulation of fine and coarse woody surface fuel loads. Tree ring information indicated that treatments improved drought resistance as well, especially in units with lower residual live basal area. This study complements previous studies on fuel reduction thinning by demonstrating that these treatments have lasting effects on forest structure, which also confers a degree of drought resistance.
Algorithm-Hardware Co-Design of Adaptive Floating-Point Encodings for Resilient Deep Learning Inference

Conventional hardware-friendly quantization methods, such as fixed-point or integer, tend to perform poorly at very low precision as their shrunken dynamic ranges cannot adequately capture the wide data distributions commonly seen in sequence transduction models. We present an algorithm-hardware co-design centered around a novel floating-point inspired number format, AdaptivFloat, that dynamically maximizes and optimally clips its available dynamic range, at a layer granularity, in order to create faithful encodings of neural network parameters. AdaptivFloat consistently produces higher inference accuracies compared to block floating-point, uniform, IEEE-like float or posit encodings at low bit precision ( ≤8-bit) across a diverse set of state-of-the-art neural networks, exhibiting narrow to wide weight distribution. Notably, at 4-bit weight precision, only a 2.1 degradation in BLEU score is observed on the AdaptivFloat-quantized Transformer network compared to total accuracy loss when encoded in the above-mentioned prominent datatypes. Furthermore, experimental results on a deep neural network (DNN) processing element (PE), exploiting AdaptivFloat logic in its computational datapath, demonstrate per-operation energy and area that is 0.9× and 1.14×, width, respectively that of an equivalent bit NVDLA-like integer-based PE.
COBRAC: a fast implementation of convex biclustering with compression

Biclustering is a generalization of clustering used to identify simultaneous grouping patterns in observations (rows) and features (columns) of a data matrix. Recently, the biclustering task has been formulated as a convex optimization problem. While this convex recasting of the problem has attractive properties, existing algorithms do not scale well. To address this problem and make convex biclustering a practical tool for analyzing larger data, we propose an implementation of fast convex biclustering called COBRAC to reduce the computing time by iteratively compressing problem size along the solution path. We apply COBRAC to several gene expression datasets to demonstrate its effectiveness and efficiency. Besides the standalone version for COBRAC, we also developed a related online web server for online calculation and visualization of the downloadable interactive results. AVAILABILITY The source code and test data are available at https://github.com/haidyi/cvxbiclustr or https://zenodo.org/record/4620218. The web server is available at https://cvxbiclustr.ericchi.com. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Making Peace" with Bodies and Sexual Selves: Changes during COVID-19 among Adults in the United States."

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the physical and mental health of many and has necessitated widespread societal shifts, including changes to work and family activities. These changes have impacted individuals' identity, including their sexual self-image and body image, yet research on perceptions of these changes is missing. This study reports on quantitative and qualitative data from an electronic survey with adults in the United States (N = 326) to examine these perceptions. Body appreciation did not significantly differ between demographic groups. Themes emerging from the qualitative results included changes in general self-image (becoming more restricted or disempowered), changes in sexual self-image (deepening, becoming more sexy/sexual, or less sexy/sexual), and changes in body image (positive, negative, and neutral). Our findings point to positive, negative, and neutral effects on sexual self-image and body image, implying that nuanced approaches are needed to understand how identity has transformed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Review of “Lesbian and Gay Parents and Their Children: Research on the Family Life Cycle”

In the nearly 40 years since homosexuality was removed from the American Psychiatric Association's list of mental illnesses, social development in the United States for nonheterosexual individuals ...
Ratings of Training and Experience:: Evaluating Accomplishments Not Credentials

The behavioural consistency approach, a new procedure for evaluating the training and experience of job candidates, produces candidate ratings that are considerably more reliable than those based on traditional measures of training and experience. The initiation of the project and the role of the industrial psychologist involved is discussed, the principles of the approach are outlined and the construction and use of a behavioural consistency rating scale are described.
Symbolic diagnosis for intelligent control

The results of research intended to create a symbolic diagnostician to support intelligent control of numerical processors and/or processes are reported. Example applications include real-time signal processors, industrial automation, and aerospace power systems. The approach is to create a generic, symbolic inference engine to interpret data from real-time numerical processes. The interpreted data are then utilized by companion symbolic and numeric modules resulting in a dynamic, intelligent real-time control architecture. General results are obtained while focusing research efforts on an initial target application-a software-intensive radio receiver/processor. Object-oriented programming techniques are used due to ease of knowledge engineering and potential parallels to hardware implementation. >
Response of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 to UV Energy

To determine the efficacy of a UV light treatment at 253.7 nm (UVC light) on microbial growth, plates containing tryptic soy agar plus 50 ppm of nalidixic acid (TSAN) were inoculated with known concentrations of five-strain cocktails of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 and subjected to different UVC treatments. The concentration of the cocktail inoculum was determined with TSAN prior to inoculation. Serial dilutions were carried out, and inoculation levels of 10° to 10 8 CFU/ ml were tested for each pathogen. Multiple replications of doses of UV light ranging from 1.5 to 30 mW/cm 2 were applied to different cocktail concentrations, and doses of >8.4 mW/cm 2 resulted in a 5-log reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7, while a 5-log reduction of Salmonella was observed with doses of >14.5 mW/cm 2 . Results for both organisms yielded sigmoidal inactivation curves. UVC light is effective in reducing microbial populations of pathogens on agar surfaces.
Warehousing and Studying Open Source Versioning Metadata

In this paper, we describe the downloading and warehousing of Open Source Software (OSS) versioning metadata from SourceForge, BerliOS Developer, and GNU Savannah. This data enables and supports research in areas such as software engineering, open source phenomena, social network analysis, data mining, and project management. This newly-formed database containing Concurrent Versions System (CVS) and Subversion (SVN) metadata offers new research opportunities for large-scale OSS development analysis. The CVS and SVN data is juxtaposed with the SourceForge.net Research Data Archive [5] for the purpose of performing more powerful and interesting queries. We also present an initial statistical analysis of some of the most active projects.
Coliform Behavior in Frozen Foods I. Rapid Test for the Recovery of Escherichia coli from Frozen Foods

An assortment of 496 samples of frozen foods consisting of fish or marine products, variety types, and cream pie desserts were subjected to four parallel examinations for the recovery of Escherichia coli. The test procedures consisted of two low-temperature (35 C) and two high-temperature (44 C) presumptive tests, followed by an E C confirmatory test at 45.5 C. Of all the test methods examined, a single Lauryl Sulfate Tryptose (LST) presumptive test at 44 C gave best E. coli recovery (425). This recovery compared favorably with the lengthier Association of Official Analytical Chemists test with which only 420 E. coli cells were recovered. The LST (44 C) test saves much time, since it renders a follow-up 48-hr confirmatory test unnecessary. Moreover, since 96% of all the E. coli are recovered within 24 hr by LST (44 C), it is essentially a 24-hr test. The results of this study also confirmed earlier findings, in that it is possible to describe a specific coliform bacteriological test method by simple reproducible productivity ratios. E. coli recovery dilution data and coliform group behavior were also examined.
(Invited) Past, Present and Future: SiGe and CMOS Transistor Scaling

This paper discusses the historical role that SiGe has played in driving the CMOS scaling roadmap, including discussion of NMOS biaxial strain and PMOS uniaxial strain. The paper also discusses the potential future role that Ge or SiGe may play in CMOS scaling as a high mobility replacement for the Si channel. Challenges such as poor quality germanium oxide and the small Ge bandgap are reviewed in light of recent developments (high-k metal gate, and ultra-thin body devices) in MOSFET scaling.
Malcolm Quantrill 1931–2009

(2010). Malcolm Quantrill 1931–2009. Journal of Architectural Education: Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 143-143.
A Study of Human Relations Training Groups Leadership Style and Outcome

Five human relations training groups were studied using a theoretical model developed by Andrews (1978, p. 86) to assess group leaders' styles and to predict outcomes. Participants'gains were assessed from changes in self-esteem (self-ideal discrepancy reduction) and social sensitivity (self-other discrepancy reduction) over the course of the group. Participants also responded to a questionnaire about the most significant learning that occurred for them during the group. The results showed two distinct types of group experience: One involved leaders who used more interpersonal interventions. Members gave each other more feedback and showed more gains on the sensitivity measures and less on the self-esteem measure. They also reported more "critical incidents "having to do with increased awareness of how others viewed them and tended to be more critical of the experience. The other type involved leaders with a more interpersonal style, with members giving each other little feedback. Here, members showed mor...
Sector: A high performance wide area community data storage and sharing system

We introduce Sector, a system that provides data storage and sharing services over high performance wide area networks. There is now a critical need for such systems, given the rapidly increasing sizes of scientific datasets. Meanwhile, developing such systems is becoming practical because of the rapid growth of optical networks. The goal of Sector is to serve a community where users can upload and store large datasets, easily share their data with others, and perform distributed data processing over it using a very simple API. Sector uses a peer-to-peer routing mechanism to organize the participating nodes. Sector servers provide very simple and basic functions for storing, locating, and accessing data. Users can use a Sector client to access data or use the Sector client API to write distributed applications. We have successfully used Sector to store and distribute various products from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to astronomers around the world.
Spontaneous meal patterns in female rats with and without access to running wheels

Rats display strong behavioral rhythms during the ovarian cycle. During estrus, food intake is minimal due to a decrease in meal size, and locomotor activity is maximal. To investigate how activity influences feeding patterns across the ovarian cycle, we used a computerized system to monitor spontaneous meal patterns in intact, cycling female rats with and without access to running wheels. We found that running wheel access decreased dark meal frequency, increased dark meal size, and increased 24-h water intake during each phase of the ovarian cycle. In contrast, body weight, 24-h food intake, and the ovarian rhythms of reduced food intake, meal size, and body weight during estrus were not affected by running wheel access. In particular, the reduction in food intake during estrus was due to a selective reduction in dark meal size, not dark meal frequency, and this occurred independent of wheel access. These data indicate that estrus-related changes in spontaneous meal patterns and locomotor activity are independently controlled and that the reduction in food intake during estrus involves a selective change in the neurobiological controls of meal size.
Histochemical and spectrophotometrical studies on several dehydrogenases of carbohydrate metabolism in Oniscus asellus

Abstract Virtually no measurable dehydrogenase activities occur within the hepatopancreas, and the highest levels of those found within the digestive tract are located in the vicinity of the typhlosole and in the median midgut; the greatest occur within the muscles of the body wall. The two leading enzymes of the pentose cycle are present but their activities are very low. In view of a very active lactic dehydrogenase and a weak α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase, glycolysis presumably follows the pattern found in muscle tissue of metazoa other than insects. Isocitric dehydrogenase, along with highly active malic and lactic dehydrogenases, suggest oxidation of six carbon compounds in accordance with the Krebs cycle. The malic dehydrogenase in crude enzymic extracts had a reaction velocity constant approximately four times greater than that of the lactic dehydrogenase at substrate concentrations permitting maximum velocity for both enzymes. Lactic dehydrogenase showed substrate concentration independency in the presence of phosphate.
Deep space one: NASA's first Deep-Space technology validation mission

Abstract Under development for launch in July 1998, Deep Space One (DS1) is the first flight of NASA's New Millennium Program, chartered to validate selected technologies required for future low-cost space science programs. Advanced technologies chosen for validation on DS1 include solar electric propulsion, high-power solar concentrator arrays, autonomous on-board optical navigation, two low-mass science instrument packages, and several telecommunications and microelectronics devices. Throughout the two year primary mission, the technology payload will be exercised extensively to assess performance so that subsequent flight projects will not have to incur the cost and risk of being the first users of these new capabilities. An important component of the DS 1 mission is diagnosing any in-flight anomalies or failures. Although DS1 is driven by the requirements of the technology validation, it also presents an important opportunity to conduct solar system science. During the primary mission, the spacecraft will fly by asteroid 3352 McAuliffe, Mars, and comet P/West-Kohoutek-Ikemura. The two science instruments that are being validated, an integrated infrared/visible/ultraviolet package and a plasma physics package, will be used to collect science data during the cruise and encounters. In addition, a suite of fields and particles sensors included to aid in the quantification of the effects of the solar electric propulsion on the spacecraft and near-space environment will be used for science measurements complementary to those of the plasma instrument. The return of science data will demonstrate that the technologies are compatible with the demands of future scientific missions and will ensure that this rare opportunity to encounter such a variety of solar system targets during a short mission will be fully exploited.