cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A simple thermodynamic model of the liquid-ordered state and the interactions between phospholipids and cholesterol.

A theoretical model is proposed to describe the heat capacity function and the phase behavior of binary mixtures of phospholipids and cholesterol. The central idea is that the liquid-ordered state (Lo) is a thermodynamic state or an ensemble of conformations of the phospholipid, characterized by enthalpy and entropy functions that are intermediate between those of the solid and the liquid-disordered (Ld) states. The values of those thermodynamic functions are such that the Lo state is not appreciably populated in the pure phospholipid, at any temperature, because either the solid or the Ld state have much lower free energies. Cholesterol stabilizes the Lo state by nearest-neighbor interactions, giving rise to the appearance of the Lo phase. The model is studied by Monte Carlo simulations on a lattice with nearest-neighbor interactions, which are derived from experiment as much as possible. The calculated heat capacity function closely resembles that obtained by calorimetry. The phase behavior produced by the model is also in agreement with experimental data. The simulations indicate that separation between solid and Lo phases occurs below the melting temperature of the phospholipid (Tm). Above Tm, small Ld and Lo domains do exist, but there is no phase separation.
Sudras in Ancient India: A Social History of the Lower Order Down to Circa A.D. 600

Although the study hinges on the history of the sudras, it also works out a framework for the history of social differentiation and mark the main stages in the evolutions of ancient Indian society.
Emergency and Critical Care of Small Psittacines and Passerines

Abstract Small psittacines, such as cockatiels, budgerigars, and lovebirds, and passerines, such as canaries and finches, are commonly presented to the avian veterinarian on an emergency basis. Their diminutive size makes accurate assessment and initial supportive care essential for a favorable outcome. Techniques for handling, emergency procedures, and supportive care of small psittacines and passerines are reviewed in the first part of this article. Most birds in this group weigh less than 100 g, limiting the diagnostic tests and procedures that can be performed. Familiarity with common diseases affecting small psittacines and passerines and their presentation will allow for timely assessment and maximization of diagnostic tests increasing the probability for an accurate diagnosis. Common causes of emergency clinical presentations, recommended diagnostic procedures and treatment protocols are reviewed in the second part of this article. Lastly, quick reference tables that overview normal biological parameters, guidelines for tube feeding, etiologies of dyspnea, oral and respiratory medication regimens, emergency drugs, and the equipment necessary for handling the small avian emergency patient also are included to facilitate emergency care and treatment of these species.
Use of serial FDG PET to measure the response of bone-dominant breast cancer to therapy.

Rationale and Objectives The authors performed this study to determine the feasibility of using quantitative 2-[fluorine-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) to monitor the response of breast cancer bone metastases to therapy. Materials and Methods Twenty-four women with stage IV bone-dominant breast carcinoma were included in this study. Whole-body FDG PET imaging was performed at serial time points during the course of therapy. FDG PET scans were interpreted quantitatively by using the maximum standard uptake value (SUV) of the most conspicuous bone lesion at baseline FDG PET. PET results were compared to the overall assessment of response (response, stable disease, progressive disease) with a combination of conventional imaging, change in tumor marker values, and subjective symptom changes by experienced medical oncologists blinded to the findings at FDG PET. Changes in FDG SUV were also correlated quantitatively to the changes in a particular tumor marker (CA 27.29). Results The changes in FDG SUV with therapy showed correlation with the overall clinical assessment of response (P < .01). The percentage change in FDG uptake with therapy showed strong correlation with the percentage change in tumor marker value (P < .01). Conclusion Preliminary results indicate that serial whole-body FDG PET can help quantitatively assess the response of breast cancer bone metastases to therapy. Prospective trials are needed to further investigate its accuracy.
Effects of mild traumatic brain injury on narrative discourse production

Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and postconcussive syndrome can result in difficult to document complaints regarding subtle language use. Narrative discourse production has been shown to be a sensitive index of linguistic and cognitive deficits in the more severe TBI population. The narrative discourse production of MTBI subjects was investigated to determine whether cognitive changes were reflected in linguistic production. Eight MTBI, five moderate TBI, and five neurologically normal subjects were matched for age, education, and gender. The TBI subjects were matched on a number of neuropsychological measures. The subjects produced marratives about their correct picture sequences on five items from the Wechsler Adult Intelligenbce Scale Revised picture arrangement subtest. The narratives were scored for correct arrangement, content essential information, correct story, and implied meaning. Significant differences were found between the normal control group and both the TBI groups on accuracy of narrat...
Endothelial cell high-enrichment from endovascular biopsy sample by laser capture microdissection and fluorescence activated cell sorting.

Background and purpose Endovascular sampling and characterization from patients can provide very useful information about the pathogenesis of different vascular diseases, but it has been limited by the lack of an effective method of endothelial cell (EC) enrichment. We optimized the EC yield and enrichment from conventional guide wires by laser capture microdissection (LCM) and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) technique, and addressed the feasibility of using these enriched ECs for downstream gene expression detection.
An analysis of new and existing FDTD methods for isotropic cold plasma and a method for improving their accuracy

Over the past few years, a number of different finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods for modeling electromagnetic propagation in an isotropic cold plasma have been published. We have analyzed the accuracy and stability of these methods to determine which method provides the greatest accuracy for a given computation time. For completeness, two new FDTD methods for cold plasma, one of which is based on the concept of exponential fitting, are introduced and evaluated along with the existing methods. We also introduce the concept of cutoff modification which can be easily applied to most of the FDTD methods, and which we show can improve the accuracy of these methods with no additional computational cost. Von Neumann's stability analysis is used to evaluate the stability of the various methods, and their accuracy is determined from a straightforward time-and-space harmonic analysis of the dispersion and dissipation errors. Results of numerical experiments to verify the accuracy analysis are presented. It is found that for low-loss plasma, the piecewise linear recursive convolution method (PLRC) method is the most accurate, but the method of Young (see Radio Sci., vol.29, p.1513-22, 1994) can use less memory and is nearly as accurate. In this low-loss plasma regime, cutoff modification can significantly reduce the error near cutoff at the expense of slightly greater error at lower frequencies. For strongly collisional plasmas, the PLRC method also provides the most accurate solution.
Predictions of steady state and transient landscape morphology using sediment‐flux‐dependent river incision models

[1] Recent experimental and theoretical studies support the notion that bed load in mountain rivers can both enhance incision rates through wear and inhibit incision rates by covering the bed. These effects may play an important role in landscape evolution and, in particular, the response of river channels to tectonic or climatic perturbation. We use the channel-hillslope integrated landscape development (CHILD) numerical model with two different bedrock incision models that include the dual role of the sediment flux to explore the transient behavior of fluvial landscapes. Both models predict that steady state channel slopes increase in landscapes with higher rock uplift rates. However, the incision models predict different transient responses to an increase in uplift rate, and the behavior of each incision model depends on both the magnitude of change in uplift rate and the local drainage area. In some cases, the transient channel behavior is indistinguishable from that predicted for transport-limited alluvial rivers. In other cases, knickpoints form in some or all of the drainage network, as predicted by the detachment-limited stream power model. In all cases the response in the lower parts of the network is highly dependent on the response in the upper parts of the network as well as the hillslopes. As the upper parts of the network send more sediment downstream, channel incision rates may rise or fall, and slopes in the lower parts of the channel may, in fact, decrease at times during the transient adjustment to an increase in rock uplift rate. In some cases, channel incision in the upper parts of the network ceases during the transient while the hillslopes adjust to the new uplift rate; drainage density may also change as a function of uplift rate. Our results suggest that if the sediment flux strongly controls bedrock incision rates, then (1) the transient fluvial response will take longer than predicted by the detachment-limited stream power model, (2) changes in channel slope may be much more complex than predicted by the detachment-limited stream power model, and (3) changes in the fluvial system will be closely tied to sediment delivery from the hillslopes. Importantly, our results outline quantitative differences in system behavior produced by competing models and provide a framework for identifying locations in natural systems where differences in channel morphology can be used to discern between competing fluvial erosion models.
Herbivory from Individuals to Ecosystems

Herbivores not only consume resources, but they are resources for other consumers. Consequently, they have much potential to mediate effects that cascade up and down trophic chains in ecosystems. The way those effects are mediated depends on individual-scale properties of herbivores including constraints determining resource limitation, herbivore feeding mode, the adaptive trade-off to balance nutrient intake and predation risk avoidance, and the need to maintain homeostatic balance of elemental chemistry in the face of widely varying elemental composition of plant resources. These factors determine the rates of ecosystem functions such as production, decomposition and nutrient cycling. This review integrates those factors to build a conceptual framework for looking at herbivore-mediated effects in ecosystems. The framework systematically resolves how herbivores and carnivores directly and indirectly interact with plants to shape ecosystem functions. It can be used to motivate new field experimentation aimed at elucidating mechanisms of trophic control of ecosystem function.
Analysis of voltage dips in PWM AC-DC converters

This paper presents results from about comparative analysis of the effect of voltage dip on AC-DC converters. Voltage dip analysis is a complex stochastic issue, since it involves a large variety of random factors, such as: type of short-circuits in the power system, location of faults, protective system performance and atmospheric discharges. Among all categories of electrical disturbances, the voltage dip (sag) and momentary interruption are the nemeses of the automated industrial process. In particular, the paper analyzes the effect of dip types A, C and D on the minimum dc-bus voltage of PWM boost rectifier compared with traditional diodes rectifier. The principal conclusion from the analysis is that the AC-DC converters can be unaffected by the most generalized voltage dips with small dc-bus capacitance if a relatively low-cost boost follower pre-regulator is added at the front end of the diode bridge
EXTREME: an online EM algorithm for motif discovery.

Motivation: Identifying regulatory elements is a fundamental problem in the field of gene transcription. Motif discovery—the task of identifying the sequence preference of transcription factor proteins, which bind to these elements—is an important step in this challenge. MEME is a popular motif discovery algorithm. Unfortunately, MEME’s running time scales poorly with the size of the dataset. Experiments such as ChIP-Seq and DNase-Seq are providing a rich amount of information on the binding preference of transcription factors. MEME cannot discover motifs in data from these experiments in a practical amount of time without a compromising strategy such as discarding a majority of the sequences. Results: We present EXTREME, a motif discovery algorithm designed to find DNA-binding motifs in ChIP-Seq and DNase-Seq data. Unlike MEME, which uses the expectation-maximization algorithm for motif discovery, EXTREME uses the online expectation-maximization algorithm to discover motifs. EXTREME can discover motifs in large datasets in a practical amount of time without discarding any sequences. Using EXTREME on ChIP-Seq and DNase-Seq data, we discover many motifs, including some novel and infrequent motifs that can only be discovered by using the entire dataset. Conservation analysis of one of these novel infrequent motifs confirms that it is evolutionarily conserved and possibly functional. Availability and implementation: All source code is available at the Github repository http://github.com/uci-cbcl/EXTREME. Contact: ude.icu.sci@xhx Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
TRAUMATIC FLAP DISLOCATION 4 YEARS AFTER LASER IN SITU KERATOMILEUSIS

We present a case of late traumatic flap dislocation 47 months after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). This is the latest reported case of traumatic LASIK flap dislocation to date. The patient was examined 5 days after being struck in the face and found to have a flap dislocation. The flap was repositioned surgically, and postoperatively the patient had 20/20 visual acuity and no visual complaints.
Interactions of Itraconazole with Amphotericin B in the Treatment of Murine Invasive Candidiasis

The interactions of amphotericin B and itraconazole were studied in murine invasive candidiasis. Candida albicans-infected mice were treated for 10 consecutive days, 24 h after infection. Survival was monitored over 30 days and kidney cultures were done. Mice treated with amphotericin B (0.2 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally) or itraconazole (100 mg/kg/day by oral gavage in two divided doses/ day) had a 30-day survival of 20% or 40%. Concomitant administration of both drugs resulted in 100% mortality; 90% of mice treated with amphotericin B (1 mg/kg/day) survived. With the combination, 100% were dead by day 28 (P < or = .001 vs. amphotericin B). With sequential therapy (i.e., 5 days with one drug and then 5 days with the other), survival was inferior to that with amphotericin B alone but similar to that with itraconazole alone. Kidney culture results confirmed the antagonism of the combination compared with amphotericin B alone. In treatment of murine invasive candidiasis, the concomitant or sequential use of amphotericin B and itraconazole results in a negative interaction.
Tumor regression after intralesional injection of emulsified trehalose-6,6'-dimycolate (cord factor): efficacy increases with oil concentration.

Injection of emulsified trehalose-6,6′-dimycolate (TDM), a mycobacterial glycolipid, into transplants of an established, syngeneic murine fibrosarcoma induced complete regression of tumor in a number of animals. The number of animals in which tumor regressed completely depended on the amount of oil in the emulsion. The anti-tumor activity of the TDM emulsion containing the highest concentration of oil was equivalent to that of living BCG.
Modeling and simulating human teamwork behaviors using intelligent agents

Abstract Among researchers in multi-agent systems there has been growing interest in using intelligent agents to model and simulate human teamwork behaviors. Teamwork modeling is important for training humans in gaining collaborative skills, for supporting humans in making critical decisions by proactively gathering, fusing, and sharing information, and for building coherent teams with both humans and agents working effectively on intelligence-intensive problems. Teamwork modeling is also challenging because the research has spanned diverse disciplines from business management to cognitive science, human discourse, and distributed artificial intelligence. This article presents an extensive, but not exhaustive, list of work in the field, where the taxonomy is organized along two main dimensions: team social structure and social behaviors. Along the dimension of social structure, we consider agent-only teams and mixed human–agent teams. Along the dimension of social behaviors, we consider collaborative behaviors, communicative behaviors, helping behaviors, and the underpinning of effective teamwork—shared mental models. The contribution of this article is that it presents an organizational framework for analyzing a variety of teamwork simulation systems and for further studying simulated teamwork behaviors.
Measures of Language Development in Fictional Narratives of Latino Children

Purpose: This preliminary study was designed to determine whether commonly used measures of language productivity, sentence organization, and story structure were sensitive to developmental differences in narratives produced by Latino preschool children from a low-socioeconomic status (SES) community. Method: Twenty-four children, divided equally into younger and older groups, produced oral narratives that corresponded with the wordless picture book, Frog, Where Are You? (Mayer, 1969). Their narratives were analyzed for productivity (total number of words, total number of different words), sentence organization (number of utterances, mean length of C unit in words, and percentage of grammatically acceptable utterances), and story structure (complete and incomplete narrative episodes). Results: The length of children’s narratives did not differ significantly by age. However, older Latino children produced stories that contained longer sentences, a higher proportion of grammatically acceptable sentences, an...
Fundamental approach to the design and optimization of static mixers

Mixing in the Kenics static mixer is optimized using computational analysis and theoretical concepts. A total of 54 cases were examined to consider the effect of mixer geometry and inertia on flow and mixing performance. The effect of varying the standard geometry is discussed for a broad range of Reynolds numbers. While only the twist angle affects performance at low flow rates (Re≅1), both the element aspect ratio and the twist angle are shown to be important at high flow rates (Re⩽1,000). The energetic mixing efficiency decreases with increasing flow rate. Finally, a quality-driven design method is developed based on stretching calculations, and is illustrated for the standard mixer design.
Correlates of Response Outcomes among Organizational Key Informants

Response rate research among individual respondents is applied to key-informant methodology in organizational research. Five organizational samples (two industry-specific samples and three cross-industry samples) are examined to assess the extent to which research procedures, informant characteristics, and organizational characteristics affect response outcomes. Three response outcomes are of interest: response rates (proportion of sample participating), response speed (number of days to respond), and amount of missing data. Response rates in the five samples ranged from 19% to 71%. Research procedures are related to response outcomes, but the data are mostly suggestive and not conclusive with respect to the relationships of informant and organizational characteristics to response outcomes. Implications of these results for key-informant methodology are discussed.
A Representation Theory for Ranking Functions

This paper presents a representation theory for permutation-valued functions, which in their general form can also be called listwise ranking functions. Point-wise ranking functions assign a score to each object independently, without taking into account the other objects under consideration; whereas listwise loss functions evaluate the set of scores assigned to all objects as a whole. In many supervised learning to rank tasks, it might be of interest to use listwise ranking functions instead; in particular, the Bayes Optimal ranking functions might themselves be listwise, especially if the loss function is listwise. A key caveat to using listwise ranking functions has been the lack of an appropriate representation theory for such functions. We show that a natural symmetricity assumption that we call exchangeability allows us to explicitly characterize the set of such exchangeable listwise ranking functions. Our analysis draws from the theories of tensor analysis, functional analysis and De Finetti theorems. We also present experiments using a novel reranking method motivated by our representation theory.
Lessons Learned from an Initial E-Commerce Failure by A Catalog Retailer

As companies rushed into E-commerce in the late 1990s, many predicted that existing catalog retailers would have a natural advantage over physical store retailers. However, confusing market signals and incorrect management assumptions led to some poor decisions. This article explores what went wrong with a successful catalog retailer, Fingerhut Inc., as it initially embraced E-commerce in the late 1990s, and some of the lessons learned.
Reliability and predictive value of the national institute of diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases liver transplantation database nomenclature and grading system for cellular rejection of liver allografts

Abstract Pathologists participating in the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Liver Transplant Database (LTD) created a histopathological grading system for acute liver allograft rejection, and tested it first for inter- and intra-rater reliability among a group of five pathologists experienced in liver and transplantation pathology. Specimens from post-transplantation biopsies from 48 patients with rejection, hepatitis, or other diagnosis(es) were reviewed. There was moderate to good (kappa = 0.40 to 0.55) inter-rater and good (kappa = 0.55 to 0.58) intrarater agreement for the diagnosis and exact grading of mild, moderate, or severe acute rejection, which improved when a short clinical history was provided. Thus, the scheme was reproducible, and few of the disagreements among the pathologists would have affected treatment decisions. Secondly, the ability of the grading system to predict an unfavorable short- or long-term outcome from the initial histopathological diagnosis of cellular rejection was tested on groups of 168 and 133 patients, respectively, from the three LTD clinical centers, who were followed up for at least 6 months after the first onset of rejection. This analysis showed that a higher histopathological grade of acute rejection on first biopsy diagnosis was significantly associated (P
DC-bus voltage control for hybrid 4-port high frequency parallel-connected sustainable energy conversion system

In this paper, a performance analysis of a dc-bus voltage control for hybrid parallel-connected sustainable energy conversion system is presented. The hybrid system is the combination of fuel cell (FC), wind turbine, and battery storage via a common dc-bus. These hybrid sources are interfaced to dc-bus through high frequency-based power converters. The main advantages of the proposed topologies are: simplicity, robustness, and high efficiency due to high frequency converter operation as well as reduced number of elements. The complete operation for each converter and theoretical analysis are presented. The concept of the hybrid system and its control is described. Experimental results are presented and discussed.
ACG Clinical Guideline: Diagnosis and Management of Barrett's Esophagus

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is among the most common conditions encountered by the gastroenterologist. In this document, the American College of Gastroenterology updates its guidance for the best practices in caring for these patients. These guidelines continue to endorse screening of high-risk patients for BE; however, routine screening is limited to men with reflux symptoms and multiple other risk factors. Acknowledging recent data on the low risk of malignant progression in patients with nondysplastic BE, endoscopic surveillance intervals are attenuated in this population; patients with nondysplastic BE should undergo endoscopic surveillance no more frequently than every 3-5 years. Neither routine use of biomarker panels nor advanced endoscopic imaging techniques (beyond high-definition endoscopy) is recommended at this time. Endoscopic ablative therapy is recommended for patients with BE and high-grade dysplasia, as well as T1a esophageal adenocarcinoma. Based on recent level 1 evidence, endoscopic ablative therapy is also recommended for patients with BE and low-grade dysplasia, although endoscopic surveillance continues to be an acceptable alternative. Given the relatively common recurrence of BE after ablation, we suggest postablation endoscopic surveillance intervals. Although many of the recommendations provided are based on weak evidence or expert opinion, this document provides a pragmatic framework for the care of the patient with BE.
The impact of classroom demonstrations and online discussions on student achievement

Abstract While researchers have documented many benefits of various active learning activities, the relative effectiveness of such techniques is still up for debate in the literature. This paper analyses the results of a two-year study involving ten sections of microeconomics principles classes in which face-to-face lectures are supplemented with in-class pen-and-paper practice problems (the control group), in-class demonstrations, or online discussions. The Test of Understanding in College Economics (TUCE) is used to measure learning outcomes. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) in-class demonstrations have a positive effect on student learning, with the exception of African–American students; (2) female students perform better having participated in online discussions; and (3) traditional pen-and-paper recitation questions “teach to the test” but do not impart as much economic intuition as the two alternative pedagogical methods.
Combining Q T and small-x resummations

We analyze transverse momentum ($Q_T$) resummation of a colorless final state, e.g. Higgs production in gluon fusion or the production of a lepton pair via the Drell-Yan mechanism, in the limit where the invariant mass of the final state is much less then the center-of-mass energy, i.e. $Q^2\ll s$. We show how the traditional resummation of logarithms of $Q_T/Q$ can be supplemented with the resummation of the leading logarithmic contributions at small $x=Q^2/s$ and we compute the necessary ingredients to perform such joint resummation.
On The Possibility Of Possible Worlds

The notion of possible worlds once an abstruse offspring of Leibnizian theology seems to enjoy a new lease on life in the hands of contemporary modal logicians and semanticists. The phrase "possible world" crops up with increasing frequency, and, as it is the case with many philosophical catchwords, its very familarity creates a presumption of understanding. Yet, although some related problems, particularly the one concerning cross-world identification of individuals, have received some critical scrutiny, the very idea of possible worlds has been borrowed from Leibniz, and its intelligibility taken for granted even without its theological roots. My misgivings about this notion are not due to a prejudice against the concept of the possible itself: far from "passing" away, it remains a fundamental and irreplaceable element of human thought. It is not just the word "possible" which is used to convey this idea; the notion of the possible obviously pertains, in an essential way, to the semantic import of such auxiliaries as "can" and "may," of such adjectives as "likely" and "probable," not to speak of the key terms of moral discourse, e.g., "choice" and "obligation," "praise" and "blame," "merit" and "guilt." "Ought"implies "can," we are told; morality lives in the sphere of the possible. And we all live in a world governed by possibilities, probabilities, and a few certainties. We do have, then, an established concept of the possible, consequently any claim of possible entities of any kind must be evaluated in terms of this concept lest we indulge in senseless talk or metaphor. And the weed of nonsense not even in the Garden of Semantics smells like roses. How are we supposed to conceive of a possible world? It is agreed on all hands, of course, that possible but unactualized worlds are beyond the scope of empirical discovery: they are not like foreign
Pathogenesis of Influenza D Virus in Cattle

ABSTRACT Cattle have been proposed as the natural reservoir of a novel member of the virus family Orthomyxoviridae, which has been tentatively classified as influenza D virus (IDV). Although isolated from sick animals, it is unclear whether IDV causes any clinical disease in cattle. To address this aspect of Koch9s postulates, three dairy calves (treatment animals) held in individual pens were inoculated intranasally with IDV strain D/bovine/Mississippi/C00046N/2014. At 1 day postinoculation, a seronegative calf (contact animal) was added to each of the treatment animal pens. The cattle in both treatment and contact groups seroconverted, and virus was detected in their respiratory tracts. Histologically, there was a significant increase in neutrophil tracking in tracheal epithelia of the treatment calves compared to control animals. While infected and contact animals demonstrated various symptoms of respiratory tract infection, they were mild, and the calves in the treatment group did not differ from the controls in terms of heart rate, respiratory rate, or rectal temperature. To mimic zoonotic transmission, two ferrets were exposed to a plastic toy fomite soaked with infected nasal discharge from the treatment calves. These ferrets did not shed the virus or seroconvert. In summary, this study demonstrates that IDV causes a mild respiratory disease upon experimental infection of cattle and can be transmitted effectively among cattle by in-pen contact, but not from cattle to ferrets through fomite exposure. These findings support the hypothesis that cattle are a natural reservoir for the virus. IMPORTANCE A novel influenza virus, tentatively classified as influenza D virus (IDV), was identified in swine, cattle, sheep, and goats. Among these hosts, cattle have been proposed as the natural reservoir. In this study, we show that cattle experimentally infected with IDV can shed virus and transmit it to other cattle through direct contact, but not to ferrets through fomite routes. IDV caused minor clinical signs in the infected cattle, fulfilling another of Koch9s postulates for this novel agent, although other objective clinical endpoints were not different from those of control animals. Although the disease observed was mild, IDV induced neutrophil tracking and epithelial attenuation in cattle trachea, which could facilitate coinfection with other pathogens, and in doing so, predispose animals to bovine respiratory disease.
Mode-II Fatigue Fracture of Bi-material Bonded Interfaces Using Tapered ENF Specimens

Hybrid or bi-materials (e.g., wood-FRP and concrete-FRP) are increasingly used in structural applications, and the integrity and strength of the bi-material interfaces are of great concerns. An inadequate interface bond strength and integrity may lead to premature failure of bi-material bonded interfaces, and therefore, a need exists to develop efficient test methods to characterize the bond strength of the adhesive at the adherend-composite interface. In this study, the shear mode (mode-II) fatigue fracture of bi-material bonded interface (wood-FRP) using a unique linear tapered end-notched flexure (TENF) specimen is presented. A tapered beam on elastic foundation (TBEF) model developed for design and analysis of the TENF specimens is briefly introduced. A combined analytical and experimental fracture mechanics method is developed to evaluate the fracture fatigue behavior of wood-FRP bonded interfaces under mode-II constant cyclic loading conditions. The possible effects of loading variables (i.e., load ratio, waveform and frequency) on crack propagation rate are investigated. By applying the compliance method with the unique feature of TENF specimen (i.e., a constant compliance rate change) and modifying the original Paris Law equation, the fatigue fracture behavior of wood-FRP interface bond-line under mode-II loading is effectively evaluated. A modified Paris Law equation is proposed to include both the frequency and load ratio effects. The proposed mode-II fatigue fracture testing methodology using the unique TENF specimen can be used effectively to characterize the bi-material interface in general and provide the fatigue life prediction of hybrid materials.
Migration Phenotype of Brain-Cancer Cells Predicts Patient Outcomes

Glioblastoma multiforme is a heterogeneous and infiltrative cancer with dismal prognosis. Studying the migratory behavior of tumor-derived cell populations can be informative, but it places a high premium on the precision of in vitro methods and the relevance of in vivo conditions. In particular, the analysis of 2D cell migration may not reflect invasion into 3D extracellular matrices in vivo. Here, we describe a method that allows time-resolved studies of primary cell migration with single-cell resolution on a fibrillar surface that closely mimics in vivo 3D migration. We used this platform to screen 14 patient-derived glioblastoma samples. We observed that the migratory phenotype of a subset of cells in response to platelet-derived growth factor was highly predictive of tumor location and recurrence in the clinic. Therefore, migratory phenotypic classifiers analyzed at the single-cell level in a patient-specific way can provide high diagnostic and prognostic value for invasive cancers.
The effects of race on diagnosis and disposition from a psychiatric emergency service.

Background Previous studies have reported that racial differences exist in patterns of clinical psychiatric diagnoses as well as the distribution of mental health services resources. The psychiatric emergency service serves as an entry point into the mental health system, so it plays a potentially important role in addressing racial disparities in diagnosis and disposition. To address this disparity, the authors studied two specific questions: (1) are there racial differences in diagnosis and (2) are there racial differences in disposition of patients visiting a psychiatric emergency service? Method Demographic and clinical data were obtained by retrospective chart review of 490 patients randomly selected from 9500 visits to a large psychiatric emergency service during a 1-year period. All clinical information had been recorded by the primary treaters who had no knowledge of this study. Results Black patients were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia and substance abuse than similar white patients, although less likely to be diagnosed with a personality disorder. Black patients were significantly more likely to be hospitalized, particularly at a public hospital, although there were no significant differences in insurance coverage or measures of suicidal or homicidal ideation. Conclusion Despite the availability of DSM-III-R criteria, black patients continue to be disproportionately diagnosed with schizophrenia. In this sample, this diagnosis may have been given in lieu of a personality disorder or affective illness diagnosis. Black patients are also more likely to be hospitalized. These observations suggest that further research is needed to clarify the effects of race on the decision-making process in diagnosis and disposition from the psychiatric emergency service.
Will American Needle Burst the NFL's Balloon?

For decades, the National Football League pooled their intellectual property and issued nonexclusive blanket licenses. No one complained. When the National Football League decided to award an exclusive license to Reebok for headwear production, one of the former licensees, American Needle, filed suit. In this paper, we analyze the competitive significance of exclusive licensing as well as joint marketing of trademark licenses. We suggest that the decision to issue an exclusive license has no anticompetitive potential. Pooling the thirty-two clubs' trademarks, however, cast potential anticompetitive problems. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Low temperature excitonic spectroscopy and dynamics as a probe of quality in hybrid perovskite thin films.

We have developed a framework for using temperature dependent static and dynamic photoluminescence (PL) of hybrid organic–inorganic perovskites (PVSKs) to characterize lattice defects in thin films, based on the presence of nanodomains at low temperature. Our high-stability PVSK films are fabricated using a novel continuous liquid interface propagation technique, and in the tetragonal phase (T > 120 K), they exhibit bi-exponential recombination from free charge carriers with an average PL lifetime of ∼200 ns. Below 120 K, the emergence of the orthorhombic phase is accompanied by a reduction in lifetimes by an order of magnitude, which we establish to be the result of a crossover from free carrier to exciton-dominated radiative recombination. Analysis of the PL as a function of excitation power at different temperatures provides direct evidence that the exciton binding energy is different in the two phases, and using these results, we present a theoretical approach to estimate this variable binding energy. Our findings explain this anomalous low temperature behavior for the first time, attributing it to an inherent fundamental property of the hybrid PVSKs that can be used as an effective probe of thin film quality.
Enter Turkey and Qatar

This chapter discusses how the post-9/11 regional context paved the way for Turkey and Qatar to play more active roles. The chapter details how Turkey and Qatar pursued similar policies and employed similar tools in the 2000s and expanded their influences in the region. The chapter also discusses how Turkey and Qatar had developed stronger relations with the Muslim Brotherhood movement and its offshoot in the Palestine, Hamas, during the same period. The chapter shows that by the time the Arab Spring erupted, Turkey and Qatar had become the most active regional players in the Middle East.
Pattern Classification and Analysis of Memory Processing in Depression Using EEG Signals

An automatic, electroencephalogram (EEG) based approach of diagnosing depression with regard to memory processing is presented. EEG signals are extracted from 15 depressed subjects and 12 normal subjects during experimental tasks of reorder and rehearsal. After preprocessing noisy EEG signals, nine groups of mathematical features are extracted and classification with support vector machine (SVM) is conducted under a five-fold cross-validation, with accuracy of up to 70 %–100 %. The contribution of this paper lies in the analysis and visualization of the difference between depressed and control subjects in EEG signals.
All-optical ADC and its applications in future communication satellites

Design issues of digitally beamformed multibeam phased array antennas at V-band is discussed. Important functions of direct down-conversion, timing synchronization, analog-to-digital conversion using all-optical ADC, and high-speed data networking are raised in future communication systems.
Comparing Patrons’ Renewal Behavior Before and After Implementing More Permissive Loan Rules

ABSTRACTThis article reports on a study of how long library patrons at 28 college and university libraries kept books checked out before and after a policy change allowing for longer circulation periods and more renewals. The behavior of most patrons remained similar before and after the policy change, with only a slight (7–14 day) lengthening of the length of circulation for many patrons. A significant minority of patrons made more extensive use of the longer loan periods, demonstrating the usefulness of the policy change for many users.
Spectral neighbor analysis method for automated generation of quantum-accurate interatomic potentials

We present a new interatomic potential for solids and liquids called Spectral Neighbor Analysis Potential (SNAP). The SNAP potential has a very general form and uses machine-learning techniques to reproduce the energies, forces, and stress tensors of a large set of small configurations of atoms, which are obtained using high-accuracy quantum electronic structure (QM) calculations. The local environment of each atom is characterized by a set of bispectrum components of the local neighbor density projected onto a basis of hyperspherical harmonics in four dimensions. The bispectrum components are the same bond-orientational order parameters employed by the GAP potential 1]. The SNAP potential, unlike GAP, assumes a linear relationship between atom energy and bispectrum components. The linear SNAP coefficients are determined using weighted least-squares linear regression against the full QM training set. This allows the SNAP potential to be fit in a robust, automated manner to large QM data sets using many bispectrum components. The calculation of the bispectrum components and the SNAP potential are implemented in the LAMMPS parallel molecular dynamics code. We demonstrate that a previously unnoticed symmetry property can be exploited to reduce the computational cost of the force calculations by more than one order of magnitude. We present results for a SNAP potential for tantalum, showing that it accurately reproduces a range of commonly calculated properties of both the crystalline solid and the liquid phases. In addition, unlike simpler existing potentials, SNAP correctly predicts the energy barrier for screw dislocation migration in BCC tantalum.
SQUID-based current sensing noise thermometry for quantum resistors at dilution refrigerator temperatures

We present a dc Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID)-based current amplifier with an estimated input referred noise of only 2.3 fA/Hz. Because of such a low amplifier noise, the circuit is useful for Johnson noise thermometry of quantum resistors in the kΩ range down to mK temperatures. In particular, we demonstrate that our circuit does not contribute appreciable noise to the Johnson noise of a 3.25 kΩ resistor down to 16 mK. Our circuit is a useful alternative to the commonly used High Electron Mobility Transistor-based amplifiers, but in contrast to the latter, it offers a much reduced 1/f noise. In comparison to SQUIDs interfaced with cryogenic current comparators, our circuit has similar low noise levels, but it is easier to build and to shield from magnetic pickup.
Analyses of N-linked glycans of PrPSc revealed predominantly 2,6-linked sialic acid residues.

Mammalian prions (PrPSc) consist of misfolded, conformationally altered, self-replicating states of the sialoglycoprotein called prion protein or PrPC. Recent studies revealed that the sialylation status of PrPSc plays a major role in evading innate immunity and infecting a host. Establishing the type of linkage by which sialic acid residues are attached to galactose is important, as it helps to identify the sialyltransferases responsible for sialylating PrPC and outline strategies for manipulating the sialyation status of PrPSc. Using enzymatic treatment with sialidases and lectin blots, the current study demonstrated that in N-linked glycans of PrPSc, the sialic acid residues are predominantly 2,6-linked. High percentage of 2,6-linked sialic acids were observed in PrPSc of three prion strains 22L, RML and ME7, as well as PrPSc from brain, spleen or N2a cells cultured in vitro. Moreover, the variation in the percentage of 2,3- versus 2,6-linked sialic acid was found to be relatively minor between brain-, spleen- or cell-derived PrPSc, suggesting that the type of linkage is independent of tissue type. Based on the current results, we propose that sialyltransferases of St6Gal family, which is responsible for attaching sialic acids via 2,6-linkages to N-linked glycans, controls sialylation of PrPC and PrPSc. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Audio-susceptibility of inner loop of true-average current-mode controlled buck dc-dc converter

The audio-susceptibility of the average current-mode controlled buck dc-dc converter in continuous-conduction mode is presented in this paper. The average current-mode control scheme used in this paper regulates the true average component of the sensed inductor current and is not affected by a high inductor current ripple at low duty ratios. The principle of negative feedback for converters with the average current-mode control is discussed in brief. The input voltage-to-inductor current disturbance transfer function is derived using the averaged, linear small-signal model. The loop gain transfer function has been analyzed to satisfy the closed-loop requirements. The closed-inner-loop input voltage-to-inductor current transfer function and the closed-inner-loop input-to-output voltage transfer functions are determined. An example buck converter is used and the characteristics are analyzed in detail. Simulation results are presented for the designed buck converter validating the theoretical predictions.
Master of Minimal Access Surgery (MMAS)

Credit: BSIP/RASTOIN/SPL FURTHER INFORMATION Dr Fiona Carter, director of Cuschieri Skills Unit, Ninewells Teaching Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 9SY Tel 01382 645857 Fax 01382 646042 This one year masters course is designed for medical graduates with an interest in minimal access surgery. The Cuschieri Skills Centre is based at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, and is a national training centre with expertise in providing practical courses in laparoscopic surgery. The degree is awarded by the University of Dundee. The course provides a period of study and academic research to …
Threats won’t work

AbstractThere is significant debate over Iran’s nuclear program and their potential for weaponization. One camp of scholars and policy makers argue that a nuclear Iran would bring stability to the region while others argue that the regime will become a more aggressive threat. To better analyze the situation we must understand Iran’s intentions. To investigate Iran’s intentions I use a multimethod approach, employing operational code and image theory, to examine the worldview of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, in regards to how he perceives the international system broadly, and the United States specifically. Understanding Khamenei’s perceptions and motivations provides a foundation on which to analyze the issue of a nuclear Iran. The results suggest that Khamenei is moderate and seeks to compromise and work with other actors, provided the other actors negotiate without making threats, consistent with prior research positing that nuclear weapons are sought to increase influence on the world stage.