cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Covariant spectator theory of np scattering: Deuteron magnetic moment

The deuteron magnetic moment is calculated using two model wave functions obtained from 2007 high-precision fits to $np$ scattering data. Included in the calculation are a new class of isoscalar $np$ interaction currents, which are automatically generated by the nuclear force model used in these fits. After normalizing the wave functions, nearly identical predictions are obtained: model WJC-1, with larger relativistic P-state components, gives 0.863(2), while model WJC-2 with very small P-state components gives 0.864(2). These are about 1% larger than the measured value of the moment, 0.857 n.m., giving a new CST prediction for the size of the $\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ exchange, and other purely transverse interaction currents that are largely unconstrained by the nuclear dynamics. The physical significance of these results is discussed, and general formulas for the deuteron form factors, expressed in terms of deuteron wave functions and a new class of interaction current wave functions, are given.
Generation and Kinematics of the Internal Tide in the Strait of Gibraltar

Observations from moorings and hydrographic surveys during the Gibraltar Experiment are used to describe the structure in space and time of the internal tide in the strait. By internal tide is meant those fluctuations of the interface (separating inflowing Atlantic from outflowing Mediterranean waters) that have a persistent and demonstrable phase relationship to the barotropic tide. Two modes of fluctuation dominate the variance at semi-diurnal frequency: rising and falling of the interface throughout the strait, which explains about half of the total variance, and fluctuations in the cross-strait slope of the interface, which explains about 25% of the variance. The largest amplitude fluctuations are found at the Camarinal sill. The interface rises and falls approximately in quadrature with the barotropic current, and a kinematic argument for why that should occur is presented. The cross-strait slope of the interface changes approximately in phase with the barotropic tidal currents, corresponding to changes in the vertical shear, in what may be an incomplete geostrophic adjustment in the cross-strait direction.
New Concepts for Sandwich Structures

This paper summarizes a number of presumably new concepts within the general area of sandwich structures. The concepts have been analyzed numerically and/or analytically, manufactured, and tested. The concepts include strip or grid skin sandwich for light weight structures; graded or laminated sandwich cores; “artificial” balsa cores with higher strength and stiffness than conventional end grain balsa; and steel truss / sandwich skin hybrid ship hulls.
Building Empirical Multiagent Models from First Principles When Fieldwork Is Difficult or Impossible

This Chapter informs the reader about how to create and parameterize empirical multiagent models from first principles when fieldwork is difficult or impossible to conduct and data is primarily of qualitative nature. Empirical multiagent models have become ever more popular over the last decade. While informing models using statistical and geospatial data can orient itself on more established techniques and standards, methodological challenges persist in regards to using qualitative data for informing and parameterizing models. Protocols such as ODD are welcome and helpful devices—and hence used in this Chapter—but qualitative data comes with its own peculiarities. The most important of which is, for modeling purposes, that qualitative data tends to inform the logic of agent behavior. The emphasis I thus put on qualitative data to make model design decisions based on evidence and first principles will be reflected by soft adaptations of the ODD protocol. Arguably this may amount to a deeper insight the Chapter is providing: Whereas the usage of such frameworks as ODD increases model reliability, validity is built using qualitative empirical data for informing and parameterizing the agent and model behavior.
A multi-year survey of helminths from the gastrointestinal tract of wild saddleback (Leontocebus weddelli) and emperor (Saguinus imperator) tamarins

Abstract Noninvasive monitoring of gastrointestinal parasites from wild primates demonstrates that parasite-host relationships are altered during habitat or climatic disturbances. Interpreting changes in parasite measures for population health monitoring is problematic, since wild primates are infected with multiple parasites that fluctuate temporally and seasonally. Individual parasite infection data from two wild populations of New World primates, the saddleback (Leontocebus weddelli) and emperor (Saguinus imperator) tamarin, were collected over three years to: 1) establish baseline levels of parasite species richness (PSR) and variation across demography; 2) test for non-random associations of parasite co-occurrence; and 3) test hypothesized relationships between group size and PSR. Ten distinguishable parasite taxa were identified from 288 fecal samples by light microscopy following centrifugation and ethyl-acetate sedimentation. These samples represented 105 unique individuals (71 saddleback and 34 emperor tamarins), across 13 saddleback and seven emperor groups. Of the parasites identified in this study, none were confirmed as host specific, and only two parasites had statistically different prevalence between the host species. With few exceptions, individual infection status remained relatively unchanged over the study period. Considering yearly pair-wise parasite associations, we detected no marked differences between expected and observed levels of co-infection, nor did we detect statistically significant associations between group size and parasite species richness over 30 group-years. Logistic models of individual infection status did not identify a sex bias; however, age or species predicted the presence of four and three parasite taxa, respectively. Our model found higher PSR for saddleback tamarins. Considering the two most common parasites, one is typically pathogenic and the other is not, reinforcing caution when translating clinical findings of pathology to real-world systems. We now have reliable baseline data for future monitoring of these populations. Next steps should involve the molecular characterization of these parasites, and the exploration of linkages with health parameters.
Numerical Analysis of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Wavy and Hybrid-Slit-Wavy Fin-and-Tube Heat Exchangers

This numerical study pertains to characterizing flow and heat transfer interactions for an interrupted fin design with wavy profile in a compact tube-and-fin heat exchanger. Sinusoidal wavy fin is ...
Simple Phenolic Acids in Solution Culture I: pH and pK a

In this chapter the author explores the potential roles of solution pH, pKa of phenolic acids and the pH-pKa relationships in modifying the behavior of cucumber seedlings (Cucumis sativus) treated with simple phenolic acids and/or mixtures of simple phenolic acids in solution culture.
Integrating sleep, neuroimaging, and computational approaches for precision psychiatry

In advancing precision psychiatry, we focus on what imaging technology and computational approaches offer for the future of diagnostic subtyping and personalized tailoring of interventions for sleep impairment in mood and anxiety disorders. Current diagnostic criteria for mood and anxiety tend to lump different forms of sleep disturbance together. Parsing the biological features of sleep impairment and brain circuit dysfunction is one approach to identifying subtypes within these disorders that are mechanistically coherent and offer targets for intervention. We focus on two large-scale neural circuits implicated in sleep impairment and in mood and anxiety disorders: the default mode network and negative affective network. Through a synthesis of existing knowledge about these networks, we pose a testable framework for understanding how hyper- versus hypo-engagement of these networks may underlie distinct features of mood and sleep impairment. Within this framework we consider whether poor sleep quality may have an explanatory role in previously observed associations between network dysfunction and mood symptoms. We expand this framework to future directions including the potential for connecting circuit-defined subtypes to more distal features derived from digital phenotyping and wearable technologies, and how new discovery may be advanced through machine learning approaches.
3-μm Q-switch operation assisted by cascade lasing at 1.6 and 1.7 μm in Er-doped YLF

We studied Q-switching at the 3 μm, assisted by CW lasing at the 1.7 μm and the gain-switched cascade lasing at the 1.6 μm. The former increases pulse energy, the latter allows increasing pulse frequency.
SMT-COP: Defeating Side-Channel Attacks on Execution Units in SMT Processors

Recent advances in side-channel attacks put intoquestion the viability of Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) architectures from the security standpoint. To address this problem, we propose SMT-COP—a system that eliminates all known side-channels through shared execution logic, including ports and functional units, on SMT processors. At the core of SMT-COP is a small modification to the instruction scheduling logic that allows support for both spatial and temporal partitioning of the execution units to prevent controllable contention for these resources that causes side-channel attacks. We demonstrate thatthe security benefits of SMT-COP are achieved with modest performance overhead and hardware complexity, and without relying on software support. Further performance improvements can be achieved when SMT-COP is applied selectively, and we consider three forms of such selective application: a) in response to detecting resource contention; b) in response to detecting manipulations with time measurement infrastructure; and c) in response to explicit requests by applications. This study represents a step towards making SMT processors more secure.
Report on Discussion Session: Techniques of Polarization Measurements; Standards

Several interesting points were brought out in this discussion cession, as follows. Most of these relate to the various contributed papers and details can usually be found there.
Low temperature effect on selective fertilization by pollen mixtures of wild and cultivated tomato species

In vitro pollen germination of cultivated tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., is inhibited by an ambient temperature of 5°C, more so than pollen from a Peruvian ecotype of Lycopersicon hirsutum Humb. & Bonpl. originating from an altitude of 3200 m. The frequency of L. hirsutum gametes contributing to hybrid zygote formation is more than doubled when controlled fertilizations with pollen mixtures of the two species occurs at 12/6°C as compared to crosses with the same mixtures at 24/19°C. The results suggest that differential selection at the gametophytic level occurs in response to low temperature regimes. To our knowledge this is the first time in higher plants that alteration of an environmental factor has been demonstrated to change selection values of male gametophytes in a fashion predicted by the ecology of the parental sporophytes.
IoT Devices in the Workplace: Assessing Emerging Challenges for the Enterprises - A Systematic Meta-Analysis

The Internet of Things (IoT) is reshaping industries and so is the employees' range of informal-IT usage in the workplace. This research study assesses the emerging risks and threats that arise from the increasing prevalence of employee-owned IoT devices in the new wave of IT-consumerism within enterprise premises. Most enterprises have adapted to the change brought by the personal-IT devices such as laptops, smartphones, and cloud applications, and have introduced security policies of either allowing under Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) environment, or completely restricting its usage in preventing unauthorized access to sensitive information assets. Existing research has started focusing on possible threats of employee use of IoT devices that are outside the control of IT management. This study presents a theoretical explanation of three key aspects that are discussed in the existing scholarship: threat dimension, detection, and prevention of IoT enabled Insider threat.A systematic meta-analysis comprising of 15 research studies in current scholarship examining IoT enabled Insider threats in the workplace. Through analyzing the reported measurements and consolidating findings through systematic classification in various themes, this document identifies and systematically highlights various specific attack vectors, detection mechanism of IoT enabled malicious and unintentional threats, attack incidents/scenarios and ways and means to prevent the insider threat emerging from employee use of personal/consumer IoT devices. Based on the findings, a framework of IS research and responses to IoT enabled Insider threat by integrating and extending the work done on understanding such risks. The framework highlights the gravity of risk areas and challenges in preventing sensitive data assets of enterprises for future research.
Efficient targeted mutagenesis in allotetraploid sweet basil by CRISPR/Cas9

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) is an economically important herb and its global production is threatened by basil downy mildew caused by the obligate biotrophic oomycete Peronospora belbahrii. Effective tools are required for functional understanding of its genes involved in synthesis of valuable secondary metabolites in essential oil and disease resistance, and breeding for varieties with improved traits. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 gene editing technology has revolutionized crop breeding and functional genomics. The applicability and efficacy of this genomic tool in the allotetraploid sweet basil were tested by editing a potential susceptibility (S) gene ObDMR1, the basil homolog of Arabidopsis DMR1 (Downy Mildew Resistant 1) whose mutations conferred nearly complete resistance against Arabidopsis downy mildew pathogen, Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis. Two single guide RNAs targeting two different sites of the ObDMR1 coding sequence were designed. A total of 56 transgenic lines were obtained via Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation. Mutational analysis of 54 T0 transgenic lines identified 92.6% lines carrying mutations at target 1 site, while a very low mutation frequency was detected at target 2 site. Deep sequencing of six T0 lines revealed various mutations at target 1 site, with a complete knockout of all alleles in one line. ObDMR1 homozygous mutant plants with some being transgene free were identified from T1 segregating populations. T2 homozygous mutant plants with 1-bp frameshift mutations exhibited a dwarf phenotype at young seedling stage. In summary, this study established a highly efficient CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing system for targeted mutagenesis in sweet basil. This system has the capacity to generate complete knockout mutants in this allotetraploid species at the first generation of transgenic plants and transgene-free homozygous mutants in the second generation. The establishment of this system is expected to accelerate basil functional genomics and breeding.
Extreme Right Atrial Disc Expansion of Septal Occluder Post Iatrogenic Atrial Septal Defect Closure

A 72-year-old male with multiple comorbidities including severe pulmonary hypertension, torrential mitral regurgitation (MR) and severe tricuspid regurgitation underwent successful MitraClip (Abbot...
Intracardiac Thrombus in Sinus Rhythm: A Case of Missed Cardiac Amyloidosis

Intracardiac thrombus in patients with amyloid cardiomyopathy in sinus rhythm is a rare phenomenon, and no guidelines currently exist regarding screening, diagnosis, or management. We describe a case of a 59 year-old female who presented to the hospital with dyspnea on exertion, orthopnea, pedal edema, and weight gain. She had a one year history of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, treated with metoprolol, bumetanide, and metolazone, and three month history of AL amyloidosis, treated with Bortezomib and Dexamethasone. Upon admission, labs showed leukocytosis, thrombocytosis, and elevated troponin and BNP. Electrocardiogram revealed sinus rhythm with left atrial enlargement. CT chest angiography showed pulmonary edema and a hypodense mass in the right atrium/atrial appendage. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated moderate concentric hypertrophy, elevated native T1 (1126 ms), diffuse late gadolinium enhancement, and elevated ECV (52%) consistent with cardiac amyloidosis. A right atrial mass consistent with a thrombus was visualized. Intracardiac thrombus was treated with intravenous heparin, which was transitioned to warfarin. Volume overload secondary to AL-cardiac amyloidosis was managed with diuresis. She was discharged home with hospice and passed approximately one month later. This case illustrates a missed diagnosis of cardiac involvement of systemic AL amyloidosis, ultimately resulting in death within nearly one year from initial diagnosis of heart failure. It also explores the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of an intracardiac thrombus in patients with cardiac amyloidosis in sinus rhythm. Therefore, this case demonstrates the need for evidence-based guidelines regarding stratification of thrombotic risk and serial monitoring in patients with cardiac amyloidosis without arrythmia. Furthermore, it exemplifies the importance of high suspicion for cardiac amyloidosis to guide early diagnosis and management of patients with cardiac involvement of systemic amyloidosis, in addition to screening and monitoring of associated comorbidities, to improve prognosis and overall survival.
RFA and benign thyroid nodules: Review of the current literature

Benign thyroid nodules (BTNs) are commonly found in the general population. They are usually asymptomatic and their incidence has increased as a result of wide-spread use of ultrasound. Benign nodules are typically monitored clinically until they increase in size, resulting in compressive symptoms warranting surgery. However, although surgery is generally well-tolerated and of low-risk, it is associated with a small risk for several complications including hypothyroidism, nerve injury, hematoma, injury to other structures and wound infection. Recently, newer image-guided ablation techniques including radiofrequency ablation (RFA) have been introduced. RFA has a similar safety profile when compared to surgery and has shown promising results in challenging surgical candidates. Though several studies have been published in Asian and European countries on the efficacy of RFA, limited data is available on the North American population. The aim of the study is to review the current literature establishing the clinical outcomes and safety of RFA for benign nodules. Level of evidence V.
Do Patients with Back Pain-Dominant Symptoms Improve After Lumbar Surgery for Radiculopathy or Claudication?

ABSTRACT Background: Currently, few studies have examined whether patients with back or leg pain-predominant symptoms fare better clinically after lumbar spine surgery; therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether patients with back pain-dominant symptoms improved to a similar degree as patients with mixed or leg pain-dominant symptoms after lumbar surgery. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a single academic center, in which patients were stratified into three groups: (1) back pain-dominant group (B) (visual analog score [VAS] back – VAS leg ≥ 1.0 point), (2) neutral group (N) (VAS back – VAS leg 1.0). Patient outcomes, including physical component score of the short form-12 survey (PCS-12), mental component score of the short form-12 survey (MCS-12), and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), were identified and compared between groups using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: There were no significant differences in preoperative, postoperative, or delta scores for PCS-12 or ODI scores between groups. In patients undergoing decompression surgery, those with back pain-dominant or mixed symptoms (B, N, or NLPD groups) did not improve with respect to MCS-12 scores after surgery (P > .05), and those with leg pain-dominant symptoms (LPD group) had greater delta MCS-12 scores (P = .046) and greater recovery rates (P = .035). Multiple linear regression did not find LPD to be an independent predictor of PCS-12 or ODI scores. Conclusion: Patients undergoing lumbar decompression surgery and leg pain-dominant symptoms noted a greater improvement in MCS-12 scores; however, there were no differences in PCS-12 or ODI scores. Level of Evidence: 3. Clinical Relevance: Patients undergoing lumbar decompression surgery demonstrate no major clinically significant differences when split up by pain-dominance groups.
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and Emergency Contraception Access in Emergency Departments in the United States: A National Survey

Background: Despite the rise in sexual assault presentations in emergency departments (ED) in the United States, real-world access to sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) and emergency contraception medication is unknown. We aimed to determine the real-world access of emergency sexual assault care by surveying EDs in the United States. Methods: EDs listed in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services database were contacted telephonically by anonymous callers trained to collect responses from ED personnel. The study employed a cross-sectional survey to ascertain the availability of SANE and emergency contraception in EDs nationwide. Additional variables collected included regional demographics, urban status, hospital size, faith affiliation, academic affiliation, and existence of legislative requirements to offer emergency contraception to sexual assault patients. Findings: Of the 4360 eligible hospitals, 960 (22.0%) were contacted. SANE availability and emergency contraception access were reported to be available in 48.9% (95%CI: 45.5, 52.0) and 42.5% (95%CI: 39.4, 45.7) of hospitals, respectively. Emergency contraception access was a strong predictor of SANE availability. Hospitals reporting SANE availability were more likely to be large, rural, and academic affiliation. Hospitals reporting patient access to emergency contraception in the ED were more likely to be located in the Northeast, large, rural, academic affiliation, and in states with legislative requirements. Interpretation: Our results suggest that access to sexual assault services including emergent SANE and contraceptive medication in EDs remains poor with disparities. Geographic region, hospital size, and legislative status of the state are important predictors. Funding: None to declare. Declaration of Interest: None to declare.
Machine learning assisted filtering of Focused Ultrasound pulse-induced interference in Harmonic Motion Imaging (HMI) derived displacement

Harmonic Motion Imaging (HMI) is an acoustic radiation-force (RF) based elasticity imaging technique which can be used to monitor focused ultrasound (FUS) induced ablation without interruption. Our group has previously demonstrated frequency domain filtering in removing FUS interference from imaging data. However, FUS interference becomes more pronounced at increased intensities and durations, and various imaging and tracking transducer configurations may cause an overlap in frequency spectra between the FUS and imaging pulse, making frequency domain filtering unsuitable. FUS-net, a CNN-based UNET autoencoder developed by our group, was previously shown to be able to reduce FUS artifacts in RF data acquired with single acoustic radiation force (ARF) pulses with a duration of 1 to 2 ms. In this study, FUS-net was applied to reduce FUS artifacts in an RF dataset acquired during HMI, with continuous wave oscillating pulses for a duration of 6s. The FUS-net model was trained and tested on beamformed RF data acquired from an in vivo breast cancer mouse model (N=3) and ex vivo human fibroadenoma breast tissue (N=1). Notch filtered beamformed RF data was used as ground truth. Displacement estimated from FUS-net processed data was compared to displacement estimated from notch filtered RF data. We showed less noise in the focal area of HMI displacement maps in the FUS-net filtered dataset as compared with frequency-based filtering, with a median coefficient of variation of 0.7 and 0.2 in displacement calculated from notch filtered RF data and FUS-net filtered data respectively.
Abstract WP246: Time of Onset of Acute Ischemic Stroke As Determined by EMS Personnel is Congruent With Physician-Determined Time of Onset

Background: Finding witnesses for determination of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) time of onset (ToO) is often time-consuming and prolongs door-to-needle time (DNT). Physicians are reluctant to trust the ToO provided by EMS personnel due to little data available on its accuracy. We measured the congruence of EMS-provided ToO relative to physician-determined ToO in suspected AIS patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). Methods: From March 2010 to September 2011, research coordinators prospectively collected the EMS-provided ToO for each arriving acute stroke patient. The difference between the EMS-provided ToO and physician-determined ToO was calculated for each patient. Summary statistics were examined for the entire patient cohort and the subgroup of tPA-treated patients. Results: Of the 209 acute stroke alerts, the absolute mean difference in EMS- and physician-ToOs was 16 ± 80 min (median [IQR] = 0 [0,0] min). EMS- vs. physician-ToO was congruent within 15 min 87% of the time. Figure shows histogram of absolute differences for the cohort. Of the 46 patients with any difference (≥1 min) in ToO’s, only 2 patients (4.3%) could have been given tPA incorrectly if EMS-provided time had been used (solely based on time-related inclusion criteria for IV tPA up to 4.5 hours). In the subgroup of IV tPA-treated patients (N=40) the absolute mean difference in EMS- and physician-ToOs was 10 ± 27 min (median [IQR] = 0 [0,2.8] min) and were congruent within 15 minutes 88% of the time. None of these patients would have been incorrectly excluded from tPA if EMS-provided times had been used. Conclusions: In this convenience sample, EMS-provided ToOs were similar to physician-determined ToOs and. If EMS times had been used in place of physician-determined times, this might have resulted in a 1% tPA error rate. Given that determining the ToO often leads to delays in tPA delivery, further studies are needed to confirm that EMS- ToO’s are reliable for clinical decision-making.
A New Flat-Fielding Technique for X-Ray Radiography of Low-Z Samples Using Xradia MicroXCT Microscope

High image resolution (˜1.3 μm/pixel) and precision positioning capability make the Xradia X-ray microscopy an attractive platform on which to study X-ray opacity variations. It can complement prec...
SU-E-J-249: Characterization of Gynecological Tumor Heterogeneity Using Texture Analysis in the Context of An 18F-FDG PET Adaptive Protocol

Purpose: We propose a method to examine gynecological tumor heterogeneity using texture analysis in the context of an adaptive PET protocol in order to establish if texture metrics from baseline PET-CT predict tumor response better than SUV metrics alone as well as determine texture features correlating with tumor response during radiation therapy. Methods: This IRB approved protocol included 29 women with node positive gynecological cancers visible on FDG-PET treated with EBRT to the PET positive nodes. A baseline and intra-treatment PET-CT was obtained. Tumor outcome was determined based on RECIST on posttreatment PET-CT. Primary GTVs were segmented using 40% threshold and a semi-automatic gradient-based contouring tool, PET Edge (MIM Software Inc., Cleveland, OH). SUV histogram features, Metabolic Volume (MV), and Total Lesion Glycolysis (TLG) were calculated. Four 3D texture matrices describing local and regional relationships between voxel intensities in the GTV were generated: co-occurrence, run length, size zone, and neighborhood difference. From these, 39 texture features were calculated. Prognostic power of baseline features derived from gradientbased and threshold GTVs were determined using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Receiver Operating Characteristics and logistic regression was performed using JMP (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) to find probabilities of predicting response. Changes in featuresmore » during treatment were determined using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Of the 29 patients, there were 16 complete responders, 7 partial responders, and 6 non-responders. Comparing CR/PR vs. NR for gradient-based GTVs, 7 texture values, TLG, and SUV kurtosis had a p < 0.05. Threshold GTVs yielded 4 texture features and TLG with p < 0.05. From baseline to intra-treatment, 14 texture features, SUVmean, SUVmax, MV, and TLG changed with p < 0.05. Conclusion: Texture analysis of PET imaged gynecological tumors is an effective method for early prognosis and should be used complimentary to SUV metrics, especially when using gradient based segmentation.« less
Epicardial Lineage: Origins and Fates

Publisher Summary This chapter provides a brief overview of anatomical, embryological, and molecular aspects of epicardial development. Epicardium and epicardium-derived coronary vasculature develops through several distinct morphogenetic steps during early cardiogenesis. A wealth of physiological, cell biological, and molecular information has been accumulated on the role of the epicardium in heart development, and it is now well established that nonmuscle cells present in the myocardium are to a large extent derived from the proepicardium. There are data suggesting that at least in vitro a subpopulation of proepicardium cells have the ability to modify their cell fate, depending on the environment. For example, proepicardium cells can differentiate into cardiac myocytes in vitro. This has not been observed by cell fate analysis to occur in the chick embryo; however, differentiation of epicardial cells to the myocardial lineage was recently reported in the mouse embryo. What restricts proepicardium cell fate decisions in vivo, and why this is more relaxed in vitro? Identification of further genes that are expressed in the proepicardium may provide hints for gaining better understanding of these unresolved issues. Additionally, promoter analysis of proepicardium marker genes would facilitate the identification of novel signaling pathways and transcription factors that are involved in specifying this important cell lineage.
Retrofitting of mass exchange networks with temperature effects

Publisher Summary A systematic procedure for the retrofitting of mass-exchange networks (MENs) with temperature effects is developed. Alternative structural configurations of interest are examined, and both series and parallel structures are discussed. Two primary retrofitting strategies are employed: those restricted by no-capital constraints and those involving capital expenditure. The no-capital alternatives include enhancing the performance of current system and solvent substitution. The capital-based alternatives include the addition of new equipment. A new type of temperature-based mass-pinch retrofitting analysis is developed to maximize the utilization of existing capital while reconciling added capital with operating cost. The main concept in this novel pinch diagram is identifying maximum performance as dictated not only by thermodynamic limitations but also by physical­-size limitations. Different process alternatives are considered and screened to attain the optimum design.
Comparison of six strains of Trichomonas foetus. I. Serum agglutination reactions.

Abstract High-titer antisera against six trains of Trichomonas foetus were produced in rabbits and each was compared by agglutination reactions with its homologous organism and with the five heterologous organisms. There were similarities, but all six strains showed some general differences in their antigenic makeup. These differences were indicated either by the quality of antiserum produced or their agglutination characteristics with heterologous antiserum, or both.
Oxide-ion conducting ceramics for solid oxide fuel cells

Realization of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) operating at 700°C on a hydrocarbon fuel or gaseous H2 is an outstanding technical target. For the past 25 years, efforts to achieve this goal have been based on yttria-stabilized zirconia as the electrolyte, a NiO + electrolyte composite as the anode, a porous La0.85Sr0.15MnO3 (LSM) metallic perovskite as the cathode, and a La1−xSrxCrO3 ceramic as the interconnect material. This paper reviews progress in our laboratory on an alternate approach that would use a Sr- and Mg- doped LaGaO3 perovskite as the electrolyte, a Sm-doped ceria (SDC) as the anode or as a buffer layer with a NiO + SDC composite as the anode, a mixed oxide-ion/electronic conductor (MIEC) as the cathode, and a stainless steel as the metallic interconnect.
Current-mode and voltage-mode VLSI fuzzy processor architecture

Architectures of VLSI fuzzy processors based on voltage-mode and novel current-mode defuzzification schemes are discussed. The processors use fully programmable circuits building blocks. The proposed schemes allow modular expansion of the fuzzy processor. SPICE simulations are shown that verify the processors.
Effects of high frequency electrical stunning and decapitation on early rigor development and meat quality of broiler breast meat

Abstract Three independent trials were conducted to determine the effects of high frequency electrical stunning followed by decapitation on broiler breast meat rigor development and meat quality. All birds were stunned and half of the birds were killed using a conventional unilateral neck cut, half were killed by decapitation, and both groups were allowed to bleed for 90 s prior to scalding and picking. New York dressed carcasses were chilled in a static ice-water bath for 90 min and held at 2 degrees C prior to deboning. Breast fillets were removed from the carcasses at 2, 4, and 24 h postmortem. From the right breast fillet, R-values and pH were determined at time of deboning. The left fillet was wrapped in plastic and held for 24 h at 2 degrees C prior to determining lightness (L*), redness (a*), yellowness (b*), cook yield, and Allo-Kramer shear. Deboning time affected raw meat pH, R-value, cook loss, and shear value but had no effect on color. The breast meat from the decapitated birds had significantly higher pH values at 2 and 24 h postmortem than the conventionally killed birds. Other than for the effect on breast meat pH, decapitation had no effect on rigor development, R-value, meat color, or meat quality as measured by cooked-meat yield and Allo-Kramer shear.
Acquiring implicit knowledge in a complex domain

Abstract This article describes GDCA-II, a machine learning-based system that acquires implicit knowledge through model abstraction in a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) domain. GDCA-II employs an integrated strategy involving conceptual clustering and case-based learning to acquire knowledge relevant for solving domain problems. Threshold values and bottleneck resource examples are used to demonstrate the necessity of acquiring implicit knowledge for improved decision making. Simulation results indicate that by acquiring implicit knowledge in problem solving considerable improvements in FMS performance can be achieved.
Distortion of magnetic evoked fields and surface potentials by conductivity differences at boundaries in brain tissue.

We investigated the conditions under which inhomogeneity in electrical conductivity may significantly modify the magnetic evoked field (MEF) due to primary currents (i.e., neuronal currents) in the brain. In the case of an isolated turtle cerebellum immersed in a large bath of physiological saline, our theoretical analysis showed the cerebellar surface to significantly enhance the MEF due to a primary current, by a factor of as much as two, for experimentally determined values of the conductivities of the cerebellar tissue and saline. A further parametric investigation of the conductivity effect revealed that conductivity boundaries may significantly modify the MEF due to neuronal currents located within 1 mm of a conductivity boundary, as would be the case for active neurons near an edema, an anoxic fringe such as might occur during stroke, or a ventricle in the human head. For a stationary neural source, conductivity boundaries may modify the magnitude of its MEF without affecting its temporal waveform. However, this boundary effect was found to be small for a model geometry locally approximating cortical sources in a sulcus or a fissure, where the boundary effects from adjacent sulcal walls tend to cancel each other.
A Variable Density Single-Fluid Model for Two-Phase Flow With Particular Reference to Steam-Water Flow

A physical model is proposed for the bubble-flow regime of liquid- gas flow which is in good agreement with the important features of the process. In this model it is conceived that the mixture flows as a suspension of bubbles in the liquid, where radial gradients exist in the concentration of bubbles. The bubble concentration is assumed maximum at the center of the pipe, decreasing monotonically in a radial direction, and vanishing at the pipe wall. An important concept introduced is that the gas and liquid have the same velocity at any radial position. The flow parameter assumes different forms for flow in circular pipes and for flow between two flat plates. (M.C.G.)
Innovative Systems for Front-End and Back-End Automation

in medical laboratories today. Only a few of these systems, however, provide equipment or software to automate procedures such as sorting, aliquoting, and decapping/recapping sample tubes before and after analysis. Automating these procedures can make routine work easier, increase operator safety, and simplify laboratory processes. The company PVT, develops, manufactures, and distributes innovative automatic systems and software for medical laboratories, for handling front-end and back-end workflow. Their equipment includes systems for assessing, centrifuging, sample quality, decapping, aliquoting, sorting, and recapping. Individual systems can be connected in various combinations to suit customer needs. Customers include many types of laboratories and blood banks, with approximately 330 systems now operating worldwide.
Seasonal occurrence of the bont tick (Amblyomma hebraeum) in the southern lowveld of Zimbabwe.

The seasonal occurrence of the bont tickAmblyomma hebraeum was recorded over 2 years on 20 Brahman cattle held in a 240-ha paddock at Mbizi in southeastern Zimbabwe. The cattle were infested with all life cycle stages throughout the study period, and no clearly defined seasonal patterns were recorded. Males remained attached for up to about 6 months, and consequently accumulated on the cattle and outnumbered females considerably. The cattle did not acquire resistance toA. hebraeum and the abundance of the adults increased steadily over the 2 years of sampling. The occurrence of adults and nymphs on hosts appeared to be largely independent of weather, and these stages were active over the entire range of temperature and relative humidity recorded during the study period. It was concluded that unfed adults and nymphs are able to engage in host-seeking irrespective of weather conditions as they do not await hosts on the vegetation but emerge from protected microhabitats in response to specific stimuli from hosts, notably, carbon dioxide and the aggregation-attachment pheromone emitted by attached males. This behavior may explain the reported absence of a consistent pattern of seasonal occurrence ofA. hebraeum at different locations in southeastern Africa.
Ethyl[tris(3-tert-butyl-5-methylpyrazol-1-yl)hydridoborato]zinc(II).

The X-ray crystal structure of the title compound, [Zn(C2H5)(C24H40BN6)], or TptBu,MeZnEt [TptBu,Me is tris­(3-tert-butyl-5-methyl­pyrazol­yl)hydridoborate], reveals a distorted tetra­hedral geometry around the Zn atom. The Zn center is coordinated by three N atoms of the borate ligand and by one C atom of the ethyl group. The present structure and other tetra­hedral Tp zinc alkyl complexes are compared with similar Ttz ligands (Ttz is 1,2,4-triazolylborate), but no major differences in the structures are noted, and it can be assumed that variation of the substitution pattern of Tp or Ttz ligands has little or no influence on the geometry of alkylzinc complexes. Refinement of the structure is complicated by a combination of metric pseudosymmetry and twinning. The metrics of the structure could also be represented in a double-volume C-centered ortho­rhom­bic unit cell, and the structure is twinned by one of the ortho­rhom­bic symmetry operators not present in the actual structure. The twinning lies on the borderline between pseudomerohedral and nonmerohedral. The data were refined as being nonmerohedrally twinned, pseudomerohedrally twinned and untwinned. None of the approaches yielded results that were unambiguously better than any of the others: the best fit between structural model and data was observed using the nonmerohedral approach which also yielded the best structure quality indicators, but the data set is less than 80% complete due to rejected data. The pseudomerohedral and the untwinned structures are complete, but relatively large residual electron densities that are not close to the metal center are found with values up to three times higher than in the nonmerohedral approach.
Martian blue haze clearings and flash phenomena.

Martian blue haze clearings and flash phenomena meteorological mechanism, considering atmospheric clearing due to water precipitation
Mechanisms of ceramide-mediated repression of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter via deacetylation of Sp3 by histone deacetylase 1

In this study, distinct roles of de novo-generated endogenous ceramides and mechanisms by which deacetylated Sp3 regulates the hTERT promoter activity in response to ceramide signaling were explored. The generation of C18-ceramide via the expression of ceramide synthase 1 (CerS1), and not C16-ceramide by CerS5 or CerS6 expression, resulted in repression of the hTERT promoter via deacetylation of Sp3 by histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Then roles and mechanisms of action of ceramide-mediated deacetylation of Sp3 in inhibiting the hTERT promoter were determined using constitutively deacetylated or acetylated Sp3 mutants at lysine (K) 551. Expression of the deacetylated Sp3 mutant resulted in repression, whereas its acetylated mutant induced basal hTERT promoter activity in Drosophila S2 cells, which do not express any endogenous Sp3, and in A549 cells. Remarkably, chromatin immunoprecipitation data revealed that acetylated Sp3 mutant (K551Q-Sp3) did not bind whereas deacetylated Sp3 (K551R-Sp3) mutant bound strongly to the promoter DNA, resulting in the recruitment of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and inhibition of the association of RNA polymerase II with the promoter. Mechanistically, increased generation of C18-ceramide by hCerS1 expression, but not by its catalytically inactive mutant, mediated the association and recruitment of the deacetylated Sp3/HDAC1 complex to the hTERT promoter DNA, resulting in the local histone H3 deacetylation and repression of the promoter.
A comparison of serum free estriol with spontaneous urine total estrogen and estrogen/creatinine ratio

Abstract A mathematical comparison was made between the serum free estriol levels, the urine total estrogen, and the total estrogen/creatinine ratio in 83 pregnant women during the last trimester of pregnancy. The blood serum and spontaneous urine samples were obtained simultaneously, and each woman was sampled once. The serum estriol was measured by radioimmunoassay and the urine estrogen levels measured by the aqueous fluorometric Kober technique. The group averages of the three different measurements paralleled each other throughout the third trimester. Linear regression and correlation studies of the measured levels for each subject by the different methods were statistically significant ( P ≤ 0.0001). The correlation factor between serum free estriol and spontaneous urine total estrogen was +0.5991, and between serum free estriol and the spontaneous urine total estrogen/creatinine ratio was +0.8086. The very high correlation between the two urine and the serum method suggest that spontaneous urine samples may be used to measure estrogen changes during pregnancy.
Characters of Algebras Containing a Jones Basic Construction: The Temperley-Lieb, Okada, Brauer, and Birman-Wenzl Algebras

Abstract We begin by determining, in a general form, the characters of irreducible representations of a Jones basic construction and use this result to compute the characters of the Temperley-Lieb algebras and the Okada algebras. In the case of the Birman-Wenzl algebra some of the characters are determined by the general theorem and the others are computed by using the duality between the Birman-Wenzl algebras and the Drinfeld-Jimbo quantum groups of types B and C . The computations involve certain characters of the quantum group; these are polynomials invariant under the Weyl group of type B . We are able to decompose these Weyl group symmetric functions and obtain a combinatorial rule for computing the irreducible characters of the Birman-Wenzl algebras. The combinatorial rules for computing the irreducible characters of the Iwahori-Hecke algebras and the combinatorial rule for computing the irreducible characters of the Brauer algebras are both special cases of our rule for the Birman-Wenzl algebras.
SEC14 and Spectrin Domains 1 (Sestd1) and Dapper Antagonist of Catenin 1 (Dact1) Scaffold Proteins Cooperatively Regulate the Van Gogh-like 2 (Vangl2) Four-pass Transmembrane Protein and Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) Pathway during Embryonic Development in Mice

The planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway is a conserved non-canonical (β-catenin-independent) branch of Wnt signaling crucial to embryogenesis, during which it regulates cell polarity and polarized cell movements. Disruption of PCP components in mice, including Vangl2 and Dact1, results in defective neural tube closure and other developmental defects. Here, we show that Sestd1 is a novel binding partner of Vangl2 and Dact1. The Sestd1-Dact1 interface is formed by circumscribed regions of Sestd1 (the carboxyl-terminal region) and Dact1 (the amino-terminal region). Remarkably, we show that loss of Sestd1 precisely phenocopies loss of Dact1 during embryogenesis in mice, leading to a spectrum of birth malformations, including neural tube defects, a shortened and/or curly tail, no genital tubercle, blind-ended colons, hydronephrotic kidneys, and no bladder. Moreover, as with Dact1, a knock-out mutation at the Sestd1 locus exhibits reciprocal genetic rescue interactions during development with a semidominant mutation at the Vangl2 locus. Consistent with this, examination of Wnt pathway activities in Sestd1 mutant mouse embryonic tissue reveals disrupted PCP pathway biochemistry similar to that characterized in Dact1 mutant embryos. The Sestd1 protein is a divergent member of the Trio family of GTPase regulatory proteins that lacks a guanine nucleotide exchange factor domain. Nonetheless, in cell-based assays the Sestd1-Dact1 interaction can induce Rho GTPase activation. Together, our data indicate that Sestd1 cooperates with Dact1 in Vangl2 regulation and in the PCP pathway during mammalian embryonic development.