cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of ESI-MS Selectivity and Sensitivity Enhancements When Detecting Anions in the Positive Mode Using Cationic Pairing Agents

Recently, we have shown that dilute multivalent cationic reagents can be paired with analyte anions in ESI-MS, thereby allowing them to be detected in the positive mode at very low limits of detection. However, there can be differences in the efficiency of this technique depending on the nature of the cationic pairing agent and the anion being analyzed. In this study, three dicationic ion-pairing agents and four singly charged anionic species were examined in a series of experiments to elucidate the mechanism of action that allows for such sensitive detection and the profound differences in the selectivity of this ion-pairing method. The binding constants for the dication/anion complexes were determined by NMR and ESI-MS. The results indicated that the binding of these species is greatly enhanced as they move from the solution phase to the gas phase. Furthermore, surface tension measurements for the complexes were performed. This test revealed that, as the dication pairs with the anion, it creates a surface-active species within the ESI droplet. This is determined to be one of the major factors that leads to the overall sensitivity enhancement. This has led to a better understanding of how this ion-pairing technique produces unprecedented limits of detection for anions and why there are selectivity differences in pairing agents of different structures.
A New Topology Optimization Method for Simultaneous Design of Component Layout and Frame Structure of Aircraft Wing

This paper proposes a new system level topology optimization method based on the global search algorithm and morphing mesh technique in order to determine the optimal layout of components as well as the frame structure in the aircraft wing system. In this method, two types of design variablesmorphing design variables (xs) and topology design variables (xt)are defined for simultaneous design optimization of the component relocation and frame structure topology. In the first step of the proposed methodology, the genetic algorithm is used for global search on component locations considering multiple system-level performances such as aerodynamic stability (weight balance), structural safety, and proximity. Handling multiobjectives, multiple solutions can be obtained in this step. Then, in the second step, a morphing FE mesh with a sensitivity-based algorithm is used to determine the optimal topology of supporting frame structure. In this step, the component locations can be readjusted using FE Morphing approach implemented by HyperMesh, and the frame structure is found for compliance minimization using the SIMP method. This design strategy is applied to the commercial Boeing 757 aircraft wing. The wing design is intended to obtain effective packaging of multiple components while satisfying load-carrying performance and minimizing weight for energy efficiency. It is verified that the involvement of global search step expands the design space by increasing the degree of freedom to locate the components and increases the possibility of obtaining enhanced compliance. Also, topology optimization by morphing mesh improves compliance performance by 19~32%.
Response of Sexually Inactive Chicken Males to Pregnant Mare’s Serum

Abstract The experimental and therapeutic use of gonadotropic hormone has met with some success in the stimulation of sexual activity and subsequent fertility in humans and in certain of the domesticated animals. Administration of gonadotropic hormone has induced precocious sexual development in young chicks up to a certain point which includes an increase in the size of the gonads and consequent rapid development of secondary sexual characters. Asmundson and Wolfe (1935) report that although the precocious development in White Leghorn chicks injected with pregnant mare’s serum was pronounced, no spermatogenic or ovulatory activity was observed in treated birds up to 115 days of age. It is not an uncommon experience to find that certain males desired for breeding purposes are sexually immature or are sexually inactive due to adverse environmental conditions. The cases cited below are somewhat typical of problems encountered. The foregoing trials were not intended as critical experiments, but . . .
Mechanical measurements from isolated cardiac myocytes using a pipette attachment system

Single rat left ventricular myocytes were attached at both ends using a newly described double-barreled micropipette technique. This attachment procedure enabled the measurement of the active and passive mechanical properties of chemically skinned cells that showed little structural deformation. The force and oscillatory stiffness (100 Hz) of the cells were measured with a high signal-to-noise ratio, and the sarcomere length throughout the entire cell was monitored using image analysis. The passive properties were investigated from the resting sarcomere length to > 3 microns. Analysis of the sarcomere behavior indicated a high level of homogeneity throughout the cell. The attachment method supported the full activation of the cells by increased free Ca2+ (pCa 4.5), which produced 22.3 mN/mm (mean sarcomere length 2.11 microns). A force/pCa relationship was determined, which, when fitted according to the Hill equation, gave parameters of nH = 2.62 and pCa50 = 5.58. The described techniques allow the accurate study of the mechanical properties of single myocytes with increased fidelity and reliability over the preexisting methods.
Dielectric Spectroscopy Test Analysis of Power Transformer

In order to detect moisture in transformer's insulating medium,the dielectric spectroscopy test method,which combined polarization and depolarization current(PDC) with frequency domain dielectric spectroscopy(FDS),was used in transformers field test.The PDC and FDS test method could distinguish between the moisture content in the insulating oil and that of the insulating paper,which provided the basis for transformer insulation assessment.The combined test method can effectively shorten the time of field test and the test instance proves that the transformer dielectric spectroscopy test is feasible.
Role of Energy Storage Technologies in the Construction of Strong Smart Grid

The energy storage technology is an important part of smart grid technologies.Based on the actual situation of China,the role and the working principle of energy storage technology in strong smart grid are presented,together with the ordinary energy storage technologies and their development.The prospect of energy storage in China is pointed,and policy suggestions promoting the large-capacity energy storage industry are submitted.
Impact of regional meteorology on ozone levels in the Lake Tahoe Basin

The Lake Tahoe Basin is located on the California-Nevada border and occasionally experiences elevated levels of ozone (O3) exceeding the California Air Resources Board ambient air quality standard (8-h average). Previous studies indicate that both the local generation and long-range transport from out-of-basin sources are important in contributing to O3 exceedances, but little is known about the impact of regional meteorology on O3 source regions. To develop a better understanding of the factors affecting O3 levels and sources in the Lake Tahoe Basin, a comprehensive field study was performed in the summer of 2010. Included in this effort was a meteorological analysis addressing potential regional meteorological influences leading to periods of elevated levels of O3. Three approaches were used to conduct the analysis: (1) regional atmospheric pressure difference (i.e., the Washoe Zephyr) to access potential transport, (2) back trajectory modeling using the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model to determine where the air masses originated and, (3) composite soundings to evaluate in-Basin atmospheric influences. These analyses indicate the Washoe Zephyr did not strongly impact O3 levels; however, higher O3 levels were found to correspond with both a more southerly wind component and a dip in dew point temperature around 400 hPa. The results also indicate that if transport does occur, it is more likely to come from the San Joaquin Valley and move to the southern part of the Basin, rather than originating in the large cities to the west (i.e., Sacramento and San Francisco).
Social Isolation, Depression, and Psychological Distress Among Older Adults:

Objective: To investigate the impact of objective and subjective social isolation from extended family members and friends on depressive symptoms and psychological distress among a national sample ...
Yield of computed tomography of the cervical spine in cases of simple assault

Abstract Background Computed tomography (CT) of the cervical spine (C-spine) is routinely ordered for low-impact, non-penetrating or “simple” assault at our institution and others. Common clinical decision tools for C-spine imaging in the setting of trauma include the National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study (NEXUS) and the Canadian Cervical Spine Rule for Radiography (CCR). While NEXUS and CCR have served to decrease the amount of unnecessary imaging of the C-spine, overutilization of CT is still of concern. Methods A retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed of the electronic medical record (EMR) database at an urban, Level I Trauma Center over a 6-month period for patients receiving a C-spine CT. The primary outcome of interest was prevalence of cervical spine fracture. Secondary outcomes of interest included appropriateness of C-spine imaging after retrospective application of NEXUS and CCR. The hypothesis was that fracture rates within this patient population would be extremely low. Results No C-spine fractures were identified in the 460 patients who met inclusion criteria. Approximately 29% of patients did not warrant imaging by CCR, and 25% by NEXUS. Of note, approximately 44% of patients were indeterminate for whether imaging was warranted by CCR, with the most common reason being lack of assessment for active neck rotation. Conclusions Cervical spine CT is overutilized in the setting of simple assault, despite established clinical decision rules. With no fractures identified regardless of other factors, the likelihood that a CT of the cervical spine will identify clinically significant findings in the setting of “simple” assault is extremely low, approaching zero. At minimum, adherence to CCR and NEXUS within this patient population would serve to reduce both imaging costs and population radiation dose exposure.
Using Purposefully Created Stories to Teach Academic Vocabulary

Students’ knowledge of vocabulary affects their reading comprehension. Despite abundant research findings in vocabulary learning, practical instructional methods for use in schools are typically underdeveloped. This article proposes a research-based method for teaching the meanings of base academic vocabulary (i.e., Tier 2) words. The method utilizes stories that are purposefully created by using research findings regarding directive and explicit contexts in elaborated narrative texts to teach the meanings of base words. The impact of this method is discussed, and suggestions for implementation are provided.
A unified Bayesian model of scripts, frames and language

We present the first probabilistic model to capture all levels of the Minsky Frame structure, with the goal of corpus-based induction of scenario definitions. Our model unifies prior efforts in discourse-level modeling with that of Fill-more's related notion of frame, as captured in sentence-level, FrameNet semantic parses; as part of this, we resurrect the coupling among Minsky's frames, Schank's scripts and Fill-more's frames, as originally laid out by those authors. Empirically, our approach yields improved scenario representations, reflected quantitatively in lower surprisal and more coherent latent scenarios.
The Temporal Ordering of Cell-Cycle Phosphorylation

Cell-cycle phosphorylation is temporally ordered, at least in part, through the sequential expression of different cyclins. Recent studies by Swaffer et al. (2016) and Godfrey et al. (2017) show that intrinsic properties of the substrate proteins contribute as well: good kinase substrates tend to be phosphorylated early, and good phosphatase substrates tend to be phosphorylated late.
Electrostatic Repulsion between Unique Arginine Residues Is Essential for the Efficient in Vitro Assembly of the Transmembrane Domain of a Trimeric Autotransporter.

Haemophilus influenzae adhesin (Hia) belongs to the trimeric autotransporter family and mediates the adherence of these bacteria to the epithelial cells of host organisms. Hia contains a passenger and a transmembrane domain. The transmembrane domain forms a 12-stranded β-barrel in which four strands are provided by each subunit. The β-barrel has a pore that is traversed by three α-helices. This domain has a unique arginine cluster, in which the side chains of the three arginine residues located at position 1077 (Arg1077) protrude into the pore of the β-barrel. This arrangement seems to be unfavorable for assembly, because of repulsion between the positive charges. In this study, we investigated the in vitro assembly of the Hia transmembrane minimum domain (mHiaTD) and found that the dissociated mHiaTD reassembled in detergent solution. To investigate the role of Arg1077 in trimer assembly, we generated mutant proteins in which Arg1077 was replaced with methionine or lysine. The reassembly kinetics of the ...
Water loss and metabolic activity in bed bug eggs (Cimex lectularius)

Few studies have evaluated water loss and respiratory activity of insect eggs, particularly insects that are known to live within indoor environments. The present study quantifies water loss and respiratory activity for the eggs of a re-emerging indoor pest of human environments Cimex lectularius (L.). Water loss is measured gravimetrically and calculated as a function of chorion permeability. For these studies, bed bug eggs are placed at 0% relative humidity and repeatedly weighed over 48 h. Temperature effects and bed bug strain differences on the standard metabolic rate (SMR) and respiratory quotient are measured using closed system respirometry. The SMR (V˙o2; mL g−1 h−1) is measured for two field strain bed bugs and compared with a laboratory strain held at one temperature (25 °C). The standard metabolic rate is measured for Harlan (laboratory) strain bed bug eggs at six different temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 39 °C). Total water loss is not significantly different between all three strains. However, water loss across the chorion (chorion permeability) is significantly different between the Harlan laboratory strain and the two field collected strains. Standard metabolic rates for Harlan (laboratory) strain bed bug eggs increase with temperatures from 15 to 35 °C but decline at 39 °C. Overall, the Harlan bed bug eggs have the largest standard metabolic rates (0.18 ± 0.05 mL g−1 h−1) compared with the Epic Center strain eggs (0.14 ± 0.03 mL g−1 h−1) and Richmond strain eggs (0.16 ± 0.04 mL g−1 h−1), although this difference is not significant.
Propagation and control of gene expression noise with non-linear translation kinetics.

Abstract Gene expression is a stochastic process involving small numbers of molecules. As a consequence, cells in a clonal population vary randomly and sometimes substantially from one another in the concentration of mRNA and protein species, a phenomenon known as gene expression noise. Previous theoretical models of gene expression noise assumed that translation is first-order (linear) in mRNA concentration, leading to unfiltered propagation of mRNA noise to the protein level. Here I consider the biological ramifications of relaxing this assumption. Specifically, I solve for the noise statistics of gene expression assuming that translation obeys hyperbolic, Michaelis–Menten kinetics with respect to mRNA concentration. I generalize previous stochastic gene expression models by allowing the kinetic order of translation, denoted here by a, to vary continuously from zero-order (a = 0), where ribosomes are fully saturated with mRNA, to first order (a = 1), where ribosomes are unsaturated and mRNA is limiting for translation. In general, hyperbolic translation acts as a high-amplitude filter of mRNA noise. This hyperbolic filtering greatly attenuates the propagation of transcriptional noise to the protein level and qualitatively changes the selective and synthetic targets of noise control. In principle, natural selection or synthetic biologists could exploit this feature to limit or amplify gene expression noise by tuning mRNA and ribosome levels to control the kinetic order of translation.
Electroencephalogram-Based Brain–Computer Interface and Lower-Limb Prosthesis Control: A Case Study

Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish the feasibility of manipulating a prosthetic knee directly by using a brain-computer interface (BCI) system in a transfemoral amputee. Methods: A transfemoral amputee subject was trained to activate a knee-unlocking switch through mental imaging of the movement of his lower extremity. Surface scalp electrodes transmitted brain wave data to a software program that was keyed to activate the switch when the event-related desynchronization (ERD) in electroencephalography (EEG) reached a certain threshold. After achieving more than 90 percent reliability for switch activation by EEG rhythm-feedback training managed in 4 visits with each visit about one and half hours, the subject then progressed to activating the knee-unlocking switch on a prosthesis that turned on a motor and unlocked a prosthetic knee. The project took place in the prosthetic department of a Veterans Administration medical center. The pilot study consisted of one participant who has a transfemoral amputation, adequate cognition and the physical capacity to engage in the study. The subject walked back and forth in the parallel bars and unlocked the knee for swing phase and for sitting down. The success of knee unlocking through this system was measured. Additionally, the subject filled out a questionnaire on his experiences. Results: The success of unlocking the prosthetic knee mechanism ranged from 50% to 100% in eight test segments. Conclusion: The performance of the subject supports the feasibility for BCI control of a lower extremity prosthesis using surface scalp EEG electrodes.
A Novel Approach to Medical Student Peer-assisted Learning Through Case-based Simulations.

Author(s): Jauregui, Joshua; Bright, Steven; Strote, Jared; Shandro, Jamie | Abstract: Introduction: Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is the development of new knowledge and skills through active learning support from peers. Benefits of PAL include introduction of teaching skills for students, creation of a safe learning environment, and efficient use of faculty time. We present a novel approach to PAL in an emergency medicine (EM) clerkship curriculum using an inexpensive, tablet-based app for students to cooperatively present and perform low-fidelity, case-based simulations that promotes accountability for student learning, fosters teaching skills, and economizes faculty presence. Methods: We developed five clinical cases in the style of EM oral boards. Fourth-year medical students were each assigned a unique case one week in advance. Students also received an instructional document and a video example detailing how to lead a case. During the 90-minute session, students were placed in small groups of 3-5 students and rotated between facilitating their assigned cases and participating as a team for the cases presented by their fellow students. Cases were supplemented with a half-mannequin that can be intubated, airway supplies, and a tablet-based app (SimMon, $22.99) to remotely display and update vital signs. One faculty member rotated among groups to provide additional assistance and clarification. Three EM faculty members iteratively developed a survey, based on the literature and pilot tested it with fourth-year medical students, to evaluate the course. Results: 135 medical students completed the course and course evaluation survey. Learner satisfaction was high with an overall score of 4.6 on a 5-point Likert scale. In written comments, students reported that small groups with minimal faculty involvement provided a safe learning environment and a unique opportunity to lead a group of peers. They felt that PAL was more effective than traditional simulations for learning. Faculty reported that students remained engaged and required minimal oversight. Conclusion: Unlike other simulations, our combination of brief, student-assisted cases using low-fidelity simulation provides a cost-, resource- and time-effective way to implement a medical student clerkship educational experience.
Adolescent Girls' Experiences With Sexual Pressure, Coercion, and Victimization: #MeToo.

Background The #MeToo social media campaign in the United States has highlighted what is a pervasive problem in many cultures-the sexual intimidation and victimization of women by men, especially those in roles of authority. Methods In a study of 735 girls, ages 15-19 years, enrolled in a sexual risk reduction randomized controlled trial, we captured baseline data using audio-computer assisted self-interviews to increase validity and reliability of responses to questions regarding such behaviors. Results Despite their age, one-half of these girls reported being coerced into sex acts (excluding intercourse) with 1 in 5 reporting such victimization by a man who used his position of authority. Alarmingly, 12-28% of girls reported being forced into penetrative sex acts against their will. Far too many girls reported they had had multiple episodes of such violence. Linking evidence to action It is clear that this study captures a common, but minimally documented, threat faced by adolescent girls ranging from men pressuring them to engage in sex activities through the use of victimization, intimidation, or provision of substances to underage girls to gain compliance. Using such evidence to enhance and tailor sexual risk reduction, health, safety, and communication interventions for both males and females is essential. Identifying triggers to at-risk situations, providing skill building in communication, negotiation and refusal skills, as well as clearly discussing consent issues among both genders are important components in evidence-based interventions if we are to impact positively the next generation to curtail sexual pressure, coercion, and violence.
Cooperative behavior and information sharing in the e-commerce age

Abstract In this research, we consider a supplier-e-tailer supply chain where the e-tailer offers a full return policy (i.e., full refund) to its consumers and both the supplier and the e-tailer have their own information about the product demand of online selling. In this setting, we investigate what effective mechanism can be utilized to motivate the supplier and the e-tailer to share their information and also eliminate information distortion simultaneously, and how the e-tailer's return policy impacts the value of information sharing. Our results show that when the two-part tariff mechanism is implemented, both the supplier and the e-tailer would share their information conditionally. As a result, both the supplier and the e-tailer have their motivations to distort the shared information. However, the cooperative wholesale price with profit sharing is an effective mechanism to be utilized to motivate the supplier and the e-tailer to share their information truthfully and create a win-win solution. Furthermore, our results show that comparing to the two-part tariff mechanism, the cooperative wholesale price mechanism has a competitive advantage to help both the supplier and the e-tailer achieve higher profits. In addition, our results also indicate that both the supplier and the e-tailer have stronger motivation to implement an information sharing arrangement when a full return policy is offered to consumers.
Stability of RAPD markers for determining cultivar specific DNA profiles in rye (Secale cereale L.)

Cultivar specific DNA profiles in rye were revealed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) sequences. Ten base primers were used for the amplification of genomic DNA of rye cultivars by PCR. RAPD analysis was found to be reproducible among samples between PCR runs. When amplification profiles of different rye cultivars were compared using various primers, the overall profiles were cultivar specific. However, not all primers revealed polymorphisms. These primers appear to amplify conserved sequences in all rye cultivars. Intracultivar studies were conducted on two of the cultivars. In the cultivar Imperial, no polymorphisms were observed among ten plants analyzed with five primers. In the cultivar Balboa, polymorphisms were observed among fifty plants with four of the ten primers analyzed. Despite the small amount of intracultivar variability, RAPD analysis has the potential to be a rapid and reliable method of cultivar identification in this outcrossing species.
Nucleotide Sequence Change in A Cole1 Copy Number Mutant

Despite a great deal of knowledge about the enzymology of DNA replication, the elements that regulate initiation of DNA replication are largely unknown. The definition and ultimate analysis of such elements depends initially on genetic identification of mutations affecting their function. In turn, the genetic analysis requires that the mutant be viable under certain conditions. For complex replicons such as the IS. coli chromosome, such mutants have not been described. We have studied the multicopy plasmid ColEl and its derivatives as a model system for the analysis of replication control elements. This plasmid is stably inherited and exists at a characteristic copy number of 10–15 copies per host chromosome. Our approach has been to perturb the control mechanism by isolating plasmid mutants which have altered copy number and then investigating the molecular consequences of the lesion. We have studied a high copy number mutant of the ColEl-derived cloning vehicle pBGP120 (Polisky, Bishop and Gelfand, 1976). The mutant plasmid, pOPl, and its derivatives, such as pOPlA6, comprise about 30% of intracellular DNA, compared to about 5% for the parent, pBGP120 (Gelfand et al., 1978). Previously, we localized the mutation to a 2kb region near the plasmid replication origin and demonstrated that the mutation was recessive, i.e., in cells containing both a copy number mutant and a wild-type plasmid, the copy number of the mutant was lowered to wild-type levels (Shepard, Gelfand and Polisky, 1979). The turn-down of copy number in trans was not observed when an unrelated plasmid co-resided with the mutant, suggesting the existence of a specific, plasmid-encoded, negative regulator of replication (Pritchard, 1978).
METABOLIC AND THERAPEUTIC LESSONS FROM GENETIC MANIPULATION OF GLUT4

This review focuses on the effects of varying levels of GLUT4, the insulin-sensitive glucose transporter, on insulin sensitivity and whole body glucose homeostasis. Three mouse models are discussed including MLC-GLUT4 mice which overexpress GLUT4 specifically in skeletal muscle, GLUT4 null mice which express no GLUT4, and the MLC-GLUT4 null mice which express GLUT4 only in skeletal muscle. Overexpressing GLUT4 specifically in the skeletal muscle results in increased insulin sensitivity in the MLC-GLUT4 mice. In contrast, the GLUT4 null mice exhibit insulin intolerance accompanied by abnormalities in glucose and lipid metabolism. Restoring GLUT4 expression in skeletal muscle in the MLC-GLUT4 null mice results in normal glucose metabolism but continued abnormal lipid metabolism. The results of experiments using these mouse models demonstrates that modifying the expression of GLUT4 profoundly affects whole body insulin action and consequently glucose and lipid metabolism.
A Random Keys Based Genetic Algorithm for the Target Visitation Problem

The objective of the target visitation problem is to determine a path for an unmanned aerial vehicle that begins at a point of origin and needs to visit several targets before returning to its starting point. An optimal visitation sequence is one which minimizes the total distance traveled and maximizes the utility of the visitation order. This utility measure is defined for each pair of targets and represents the relative value of visiting a particular target before another. In this chapter, we present the results of a preliminary study investigating the effectiveness of a genetic algorithm for the target visitation problem. The encoding scheme is based on random keys. Numerical results are presented for a set of randomly generated test problems and compared with the optimal solutions as computed by a commercial integer programming package.
Dry Etching of InP Vias

Advanced monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuits (MMICs) benefit by having through-wafer connections (known as via holes) from the frontside to the backside of the wafer [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. MMICs are commonly fabricated on GaAs or InP substrates as these materials have advantages for high speed operation. Figure 13.1 shows a typical via hole structure for backside wafer contacts. These vias provide a common ground and a low inductance path from the source contact of a field effect transistor (FET) (or other frontside contacts) to the backside ground plane. When developing a process for via hole etching, a high etch rate and selectivity, and a nearly vertical profile are desired. For MMIC applications, via etch depths can be 50 to 100 µm. Due to the large etch depth, etch rates of several µm min-1 are desired for high throughput.
Early Exposure to Child Maltreatment and Academic Outcomes

Early childhood trauma increases the risk of academic difficulties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of early contact with child protection services (CPS) and to determine whether early exposure to maltreatment investigations was associated with important academic outcomes. The authors focused specifically on standardized test scores (math and reading), grade retention, and special education status in third grade. The sample was diverse and included all children born between 2000 and 2006 and enrolled in Michigan's public schools ( N = 732,838). By the time these students reached third grade, approximately 18% were associated with a formal CPS investigation. In some school districts, more than 50% of third graders were associated with an investigation. African American and poor students were more likely to be investigated for maltreatment. Children associated with maltreatment investigations scored significantly lower on standardized math and reading tests, were more likely to be identified as needing special education, and were more likely to be held back at least one grade. These findings indicate that involvement with CPS is not an infrequent event in the lives of young children and that within some school districts, maltreatment investigations are the norm. Child welfare and educational systems must collaborate so that the early academic struggles experienced by victims of maltreatment do not mature into more complicated difficulties later in life.
Energy-Efficient Phase Change Memory Programming by Nanosecond Pulses

Phase change memory (PCM) is an important storage-class memory technology and a promising candidate for neuromorphic applications. PCM is based on the reversible resistance change in chalcogenide glasses, like Ge2Sb 2 Te5 (GST), which can be induced with Joule heating pulses. However, PCM often suffers from large programming energy during the reset (amorphization) process which requires heating the chalcogenide above its melting temperature $(T_{\mathrm{m}}\sim 600^{\circ}\mathrm{C})$ . Recently, significant reductions in reset energy were achieved by scaling down cell dimensions thanks to the non-filamentary nature of PCM [1].
Pre-sleep protein in casein supplement or whole-food form has no impact on resting energy expenditure or hunger in women.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a whole-food protein (cottage cheese, CC) consumed before sleep on next-morning resting energy expenditure (REE), RER and appetite compared with an isoenergetic/isonitrogenous casein protein (CP) supplement and placebo (PL) in active women. In a beverage-blinded, randomised, cross-over design, ten active women (age, 23·1 (sd 1·9) years; body fat, 22·0 (sd 4·6) %) consumed pre-sleep CC (30 g of protein, 10 g of carbohydrate and 0 g of fat) or energy- and protein-matched liquid CP or PL (0 kJ). Participants arrived at 18.00 hours for an overnight stay in the laboratory. At 30–60 min before normal bed time (2 h post standard meal), participants consumed CC, CP or PL before measurement of REE. Upon waking (05.00–08.00 hours), REE was repeated and subjective appetite was recorded. Statistical analyses were conducted using repeated-measures ANOVA (SPSS). Significance was accepted at P≤0·05. There were no significant differences in acute REE (CC, 7217 (sd 1368); CP, 7188 (SD 895); PL, 7075 (sd 1108) kJ/d, P=0·95), acute RER (0·79 (sd 0·05), P=0·56), morning REE (CC, 5840 (sd 1225); CP, 5694 (sd 732); PL, 5991 (sd 903) kJ/d, P=0·79) or morning RER (0·77 (sd 0·03), P=0·52). Subjective measures of appetite were not different between groups. In active women, pre-sleep consumption of CC does not alter REE or RER more than a CP or PL beverage. These data suggest that the metabolic response from whole-food protein do not differ from the metabolic response of liquid protein.
Dell Appraisal and the Business Judgement Rule

This paper addresses problems with certain valuation issues in mergers, and “fair value” calculations in appraisal proceedings. All the variables in valuation models have inherent uncertainties and these are discussed using specific illustrations from the 2016 Dell appraisal decision. The paper shows why these uncertainties are inescapable and why any conclusions based on them must depend on someone’s business judgment. Whose business judgment that should be is the critical question and after considering several alternatives the paper concludes that the judgment of a corporation’s directors should prevail, which is also a well-established legal principle known as the business judgement rule.
Accounting for physicians’ gender expectations improves men's health medicine

ABSTRACT The field of men's health seeks to improve men's health outcomes by accounting for the specific ways that gender influences male health behaviors. To meet this goal, physicians must also account for the ways that their own cultural assumptions about masculinity influence their clinical practice. Gender is not solely biological. It is a way of acting out masculinity or femininity that varies across individual and cultural contexts. Thus, doctors and patients might have different ideas about how a man should feel and act. These attitudes can influence whether men's bodily changes are viewed as pathological versus normal. Two simple interventions are proposed to enable physicians to identify their own assumptions about masculinity and differentiate these from their patients’ in order to make more appropriate treatment decisions. The first is advocating for medical guidelines for their specialty that account for gender as context-specific rather than universal. The second is incorporating attention to gender into their daily clinical practice by asking rather than assuming what patients want in order to base treatment decisions on patients’ rather than physicians’ ideas of how men should feel and behave.
C9orf72 Poly(PR) Dipeptide Repeats Disturb Biomolecular Phase Separation and Disrupt Nucleolar Function.

Repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene is the most common cause of the neurodegenerative disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (C9-ALS) and is linked to the unconventional translation of five dipeptide-repeat polypeptides (DPRs). The two enriched in arginine, poly(GR) and poly(PR), infiltrate liquid-like nucleoli, co-localize with the nucleolar protein nucleophosmin (NPM1), and alter the phase separation behavior of NPM1 in vitro. Here, we show that poly(PR) DPRs bind tightly to a long acidic tract within the intrinsically disordered region of NPM1, altering its phase separation with nucleolar partners to the extreme of forming large, soluble complexes that cause droplet dissolution in vitro. In cells, poly(PR) DPRs disperse NPM1 from nucleoli and entrap rRNA in static condensates in a DPR-length-dependent manner. We propose that R-rich DPR toxicity involves disrupting the role of phase separation by NPM1 in organizing ribosomal proteins and RNAs within the nucleolus.
Max-value Entropy Search for Multi-Objective Bayesian Optimization

We consider the problem of multi-objective (MO) blackbox optimization using expensive function evaluations, where the goal is to approximate the true Pareto-set of solutions by minimizing the number of function evaluations. For example, in hardware design optimization, we need to find the designs that trade-off performance, energy, and area overhead using expensive simulations. We propose a novel approach referred to as Max-value Entropy Search for Multi-objective Optimization (MESMO) to solve this problem. MESMO employs an output-space entropy based acquisition function to efficiently select the sequence of inputs for evaluation for quickly uncovering high-quality solutions. We also provide theoretical analysis to characterize the efficacy of MESMO. Our experiments on several synthetic and real-world benchmark problems show that MESMO consistently outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms.
Examination of the Human Motor Endplate after Brachial Plexus Injury with Two‐Photon Microscopy

INTRODUCTION After traumatic nerve injury, neuromuscular junction remodeling plays a key role in determining functional outcomes. Immunohistochemical analyses of denervated muscle biopsies may provide valuable prognostic data regarding clinical outcomes to supplement electrodiagnostic studies. METHODS We performed biopsies on nonfunctioning deltoid muscles in two patients after gunshot wounds and visualized the neuromuscular junctions using two-photon microscopy with immunohistochemistry. RESULTS Although the nerves in both patients showed evidence of acute Wallerian degeneration, some of the motor endplates were intact but exhibited significantly decreased surface area and volume. Both patients exhibited substantial recovery of motor function over several weeks postinjury. DISCUSSION Two-photon microscopic assessment of neuromuscular junction integrity and motor endplate morphometry in muscle biopsies provided evidence of partial sparing of muscle innervation. This finding supported the clinical judgment that eventual recovery would occur. With further study, this technique may help to guide operative decisionmaking after traumatic nerve injuries.
Big Old Theory: Introductory Note

The opening Keynote event at the Sous les paves conference was a roundtable discussion designed to commemorate a generation’s relationship with what was known as “French Theory,” and the role playe...
Didn't hear that coming: Effects of withholding phonetic cues to code-switching

Code-switching has been found to incur a processing cost in auditory comprehension. However, listeners may have access to anticipatory phonetic cues to code-switches (Piccinini & Garellek, 2014; Fricke et al., 2016), thus mitigating switch cost. We investigated effects of withholding anticipatory phonetic cues on code-switched word recognition by splicing English-to-Mandarin code-switches into unilingual English sentences. In a concept monitoring experiment, Mandarin–English bilinguals took longer to recognize code-switches, suggesting a switch cost. In an eye tracking experiment, the average proportion of all participants' looks to pictures corresponding to sentence-medial code-switches decreased when cues were withheld. Acoustic analysis of stimuli revealed tone-specific pitch contours before English-to-Mandarin code-switches, consistent with previous work on tonal coarticulation. We conclude that withholding anticipatory phonetic cues can negatively affect code-switched recognition: therefore, bilingual listeners use phonetic cues in processing code-switches under normal conditions. We discuss the implications of tonal coarticulation for mechanisms underlying phonetic cues to code-switching.
Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment and Breastfeeding

Objective Osteopathic physicians, or doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs), routinely counsel patients on the clinical benefits of breastfeeding in their capacity as medical doctors. However, when a mother presents with a complaint of feeding difficulty in her newborn, osteopathic physicians are uniquely equipped to assess and treat the infant with osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). Methods OMT is the practice of manual medicine developed by A.T. Still in the late 19th century, founded on the principle that the human body's structure and function are reciprocally interrelated. The osteopathic discipline encompasses a variety of musculoskeletal techniques, ranging from gentle myofascial release to high-velocity/low-amplitude thrusts. A complete osteopathic assessment of a breastfeeding infant should include evaluation of the skull and cranial base, cervical spine, thoracic spine, oral cavity and tongue, hyoid bone, and mandible. Results All treatments directed at newborns, infants, and children are very gentle, following the tissues in their position of ease to allow for a release of the restriction. A variety of techniques can be employed, including condylar decompression, Still technique for cervical spine dysfunction, balancing of the hyoid bone, myofascial release of the thoracic inlet, and treatments in the cranial field. Conclusion Osteopathic manipulation should be initiated when the first-line interventions do not result in improved nursing, and other causes such as hypoglycemia or maternal factors have been excluded.
Polyhydroxybutyrate production and increased macromolecule content in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cultivated with xylose and reduced nitrogen levels.

Abstract The aim of the current study was to evaluate the production of macromolecules such as polyhydroxybutyrate under pentose supplementation and reduced nitrogen levels in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Two batches of experiments were carried out: (1) reduction in the nitrogen (NH4Cl) concentration to 6 and 4 g L−1 and (2) supplementation of 10, 20 and 30 mg L−1 D-xylose together with a reduction in the NH4Cl concentration (6 and 4 g L−1). The addition of 20 mg L−1 D-xylose together with 6 g L−1 NH4Cl resulted in polyhydroxybutyrate production (206.0 mg L−1). The reduction of 8 to 6 g L−1 NH4Cl did not trigger a reduction in the production of either proteins (68.3% w w−1) or carbohydrates (23.3% w w−1) in the cells. The current study demonstrated that nutritional modifications, which until now have been unexplored in C. reinhardtii, triggered the production of macromolecules (polymers, carbohydrates and proteins) with high biotechnological potential.
Automatic Generation and Integration of Equations of Motion for Flexible Multibody Dynamical Systems

In this paper, we consider a new direction for generating and simultaneously solving equations of motion for dynamical systems, using automatic differentiation. We overview the current computational approaches for solving multibody dynamics problems and discuss several choices for equation of motion formulation. We present an operator-overloading method for generating equations of motion automatically via Lagrange’s Equations and solve them in a direct fashion. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the method for simulating the motion of multibody dynamical systems.
More than just a platelet factory

Megakaryocytes are found in the lungs of mice and nonhuman primates, where they have a tissue-dependent antigen-presenting cell role and can activate CD4+ T cells.
Dysphagia in Parkinson's disease patients prior to deep brain stimulation: Is screening accurate?

Abstract Background Swallowing problems are common in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and aspiration pneumonia is the leading cause of death. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery can successfully manage the motor symptoms of PD when pharmacological management begins to fail. Before DBS it is important to identify baseline dysfunction, but no consensus regarding swallowing screening exists. Objectives This study was undertaken to: 1) identify the prevalence of dysphagia prior to DBS; and 2) determine if screening measures or other characteristics were predictive for reduced airway protection. Methods A standardized protocol was performed for 137 consecutive patients with idiopathic PD and no confounding medical conditions, including those referred for work-up of dysphagia (n = 57) and those prior to DBS (n = 80). Three validated screening measures were completed before videofluoroscopic evaluation. Results On videofluoroscopy, there were significant differences in reduced airway protection by group (dysphagia group: 44 %; pre-DBS group: 21 %). Aspiration also differed by group (dysphagia group: 18 %; pre-DBS group: 8 %) although not significantly. Although there were significant between-group differences, none of the screening measures was predictive of reduced airway protection or aspiration in the sample overall. Male gender, previous videofluoroscopic evaluation, history of pneumonia, and previous DBS surgery were associated with increased aspiration-risk. Age also showed a modest correlation. Conclusions Dysphagia is not uncommon prior to DBS. No screening measure accurately predicted reduced airway protection on videofluoroscopy. Abnormal findings on clinical assessment prior to DBS, particularly in patients that are older, male, or have a history of pneumonia, may identify individuals requiring an objective dysphagia evaluation.
It’s their fault: Partisan attribution bias and its association with voting intentions:

This research examined how people explain major outcomes of political consequence (e.g., economic growth, rising inequality). We argue that people attribute positive outcomes more and negative outc...
The value of 68 Gallium-DOTATATE PET/CT in sinonasal neuroendocrine tumor management: A case series.

BACKGROUND 68 Gallium-DOTATATE (68 Ga-DOTATATE) is a somatostatin analog used as a PET tracer to successfully identify neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Due to the rarity of sinonasal NETs, there are few recommendations for 68 Ga-DOTATATE imaging in these patients. METHODS We discussed the impact of 68 Ga-DOTATATE imaging on the management of six sinonasal NET cases and reviewed existing literature. RESULTS 68 Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT revealed an unknown primary in one case and identified metastatic disease in a primary sinonasal small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SNEC) patient missed on conventional imaging. In two esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) patients, 68 Ga-DOTATATE detected abnormal radiotracer uptake not present on 18F-FDG PET/CT and identified a patient for treatment with 177 Lu-DOTATATE. CONCLUSIONS This is the one of the first few reports, and the largest series to our knowledge, demonstrating the utility of 68 Ga-DOTATATE imaging for primary sinonasal SNEC and ENB. Further study is required to determine its role in sinonasal NET management.