cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thin-film morphology and transistor performance of alkyl-substituted triethylsilylethynyl anthradithiophenes

Studies of soluble small-molecule semiconductors based on pentacene and anthradithiophene chromophores have generally shown that molecules with strong two-dimensional solid-state interactions yield high-performance thin-film transistors, while similar compounds with one-dimensional solid-state interactions form thin-film devices with significantly worse performance. As a further exploration of this issue, we describe here the synthesis and device characterization of soluble anthradithiophene derivatives functionalized at the periphery of the chromophore with small (C1–C3) alkyl chains that subtly alter the solid-state arrangements of the molecules. We demonstrate that these changes in crystal packing have significant impact on both thin-film formation and field-effect mobility. In general, materials with even nominal two-dimensional close contacts between molecules tended also to exhibit two-dimensional film growth, and generally better device performance than those with strictly one-dimensional interactions.
Juvenile Nephila (Araneae, Nephilidae) Use Various Attack Strategies For Novel Prey

Abstract Nephila clavipes (Linnaeus 1767) and N. pilipes (Fabricius 1793) juveniles exposed to a novel and potentially dangerous prey item frequently attack using thrown silk. To quantify the frequency with which N. clavipes opt to use thrown silk, naive hand-reared small N. clavipes juvenile females were observed attacking a new prey type, stingless bees. Repeated exposure to the stingless bees suggests that the spiders incorporate prior experience into prey attack strategies, as experienced spiders attacked using the more usual Nephila long-bite.
Modulation of Basal and Postischemic Leukocyte-Endothelial Adherence by Nitric Oxide

Background and Purpose —Recent studies indicate that leukocytes are important contributors to secondary vascular and parenchymal injury after cerebral ischemia. The present study was undertaken to define nitric oxide (NO)−based mechanisms that regulate leukocyte-endothelial interactions in the cerebral vasculature, how these mechanisms are affected by cerebral ischemia, and whether NO-based therapies can affect postischemic leukocyte dynamics. Methods —Leukocyte adherence to pial venules of anesthetized newborn piglets was quantified by in situ fluorescence videomicroscopy through closed cranial windows during basal conditions and during reperfusion after 9 minutes of asphyxia. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was inhibited by local window superfusion of l-nitroarginine; superfusion of sodium nitroprusside was used to donate NO. Results —Local inhibition of NOS under resting conditions increased leukocyte-endothelial adherence 2.2-fold and 3.9-fold over baseline values after 1 hour and 2 hours, respectively; this response was completely blocked by cosuperfusion with l-arginine. Cosuperfusion of superoxide dismutase reversed l-nitroarginine−induced leukocyte adherence by 89% and 63% at these respective time points. The extent of acute leukocyte adherence elicited by NOS inhibition was similar in magnitude to that observed during the initial 2 hours of reperfusion after asphyxia. Leukocyte adherence was not additionally increased in asphyxic animals treated with l-nitroarginine. Sodium nitroprusside robustly inhibited asphyxia-induced leukocyte adherence back to control levels. Conclusions —NO exerts a tonic antiadherent effect in the cerebral microcirculation by inactivation of adherence-promoting superoxide radical formation. Cerebral ischemia is associated with an inhibition of NOS or lower levels of NO, which results in leukocyte-endothelial adherence that can be prevented by NO donors. The latter may be useful therapeutically to prevent the purported vascular and parenchymal dysfunction and injury caused by activated leukocytes in ischemic brain.
Thin-film EL phosphor development

Recent developments in improving the performance of SrS based blue thin film EL phosphors are reported. A model approach to optimizing EL material is presented, which considers activator incorporation, charge compensation, defect reduction and energy transfer processes. We demonstrate how the flexibility and accuracy of physical vapor deposition and modern characterization techniques, used in a systematic and cost effective research methodology, can improve the understanding of these issues and be used to develop more efficient thin film EL phosphors. For example, the growth of specialized materials system coupled with PL and PLE, EPR measurements were successfully used to understand the defect structure due to the valence mismatch from the doping of 3+ Ce onto the 2+ Sr site. Successful incorporation of 1+ Ag into SeS:Ce was shown not only to improve both the blue chromaticity from x equals 0.31, y equals 0.52, to x equals 0.26, y equals 0.46, and the EL brightness, but also to eliminate the thermal quenching of the emission intensity. QDLTS was used to identify the trap states and density to help the development of a low temperature annealing process for SeS:Cu. A reduction in the thermal quenching behavior due to codoping was also observed in this material.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Decreased DNA Repair Efficiency by Loss or Disruption of p53 Function Preferentially Affects Removal of Cyclobutane Pyrimidine Dimers from Non-transcribed Strand and Slow Repair Sites in Transcribed Strand

The tumor suppressor protein p53 plays a central role in modulating the cellular responses to DNA damage. Several recent studies, undertaken with the whole genomic DNA or full-length gene segments, have shown that p53 is involved in nucleotide excision repair and it selectively influences the adduct removal from the non-transcribed strand in the genome. In this study, we have analyzed the damage induction at nucleotide resolution by ligase-mediated polymerase chain reaction and compared the repair of ultraviolet radiation-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers within exon 8 of p53 gene in normal and Li-Fraumeni syndrome fibroblasts as well as in normal and human papillomavirus 16 E6 and E7 protein-expressing human mammary epithelial cells. The results demonstrate that (i) loss or disruption of p53 function decreases efficiency of DNA repair, by preferentially affecting the repair of non-transcribed strand and of intrinsically slow repair sites in transcribed strand; (ii) mutant p53 protein affects DNA repair, at least of non-transcribed strand, in a dominant negative manner; and (iii) pRb does not have an effect on the repair of DNA damage within transcribed or non-transcribed strand. The overall data suggest that p53 could regulate excision repair or related events through direct protein-protein interaction.
Pricing and Reimbursement of Biopharmaceuticals and Medical Devices in the USA

In the US, no central body regulates prices of drugs and devices, but reimbursement rules critically influence manufacturer pricing decisions. For pharmaceuticals, reimbursement rules differ depending on where a drug is dispensed (inpatient, retail pharmacy, or physician office); whether it is an onpatent brand or generic; and health plan type (primarily Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance). These different reimbursement rules influence manufacturers' incentives in setting list prices and negotiating discounts. For pharmacy-dispensed drugs, both private health plans and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans (PDPs) use tiered formularies with tiered copayments to negotiate discounts off list prices. For physician-dispensed drugs, which include many biologics, Medicare Part B (and many private plans) reimburses at the manufacturer's average sales price plus 6%, which creates financial incentive for use of high-priced drugs. Drugs and devices that are used in an inpatient setting are included in the payment for the admission, which makes provider–purchasers price sensitive. Overall, this system relies largely on providers and/or payers to negotiate prices, combined with patient cost-sharing. Although cost-sharing is often nominally high by international standards, especially for expensive specialty drugs and biologics, most patients are protected by catastrophic caps, supplementary insurance, and/or manufacturer copay coupons. If appropriate financial protection makes patients largely price insensitive, payers may ultimately seek more constraints on prices or access.
Subsequent Productivity of Beef Heifers That Received Creep Feed for 0, 28, 56, or 84 d Before Weaning

Abstract Ninety Angus x Hereford rotational cross cows and their backcross heifer calves were used to evaluate the effects of length of time receiving creep feed on subsequent heifer fertility and milk production. Heifer calves (156 ± 16 d of age) were randomly assigned to receive creep feed for 0, 28, 56, or 84 d before weaning while nursing dams grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue, red clover pastures. All heifers were managed alike after the 84-d treatment period. Increasing the length of time receiving creep feed increased rate of gain by 0.33 kg/d when the heifers had access to creep for 84 d compared to controls (linear, P
The Performance of Private Equity-Backed Initial Public Offerings in Germany

This paper investigates the long-term stock price performance of initial public offering (IPO) firms in Germany that were previously owned by private equity (PE) funds. A sample of 138 PE-backed IPOs (33 buyout- and 105 venture-backed) and 383 non-PE-backed IPOs between 1990 and 2007 is analysed for the long-term performance of these offerings. The analysis suggests that PE-backed IPOs outperform the stock market over the three-year term. On a risk-adjusted basis, returns are positive over a five-year post-IPO period. Within the PE-backed sample, venture capital-backed IPOs outperform buyout-backed offerings.
Odorous Constituents of Penicillium Decumbens

The following compounds have been isolated from Penicillium decumbens: thujopsene, 3-octanone, nerolidol, l-octen-3-ol, and phenylethyl alcohol. The compounds were identified by gas chromatography,...
Characterizing rhinitis subtypes.

BackgroundAllergic rhinitis (AR) is estimated to affect 20–25% of the United States population and thus accounts for a significant portion of our annual total health care expenditure, especially wh...
Structural Modifications to Quaternary Ammonium Polymer Coagulants to Inhibit N-Nitrosamine Formation

Quaternary ammonium cationic polymers, such as poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (polyDADMAC) and epichlorohydrin-dimethylamine (Epi-DMA), are commonly used by water utilities to enhance removal of particles and dissolved organic matter (DOM) from raw waters. Unfortunately, chloramination of waters treated with quaternary ammonium polymers leads to the formation of carcinogenic N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA). In this study, two approaches were developed to modify polyDADMAC and Epi-DMA to inhibit N-nitrosamine formation. The first approach involved treatment of polymers with methyl iodide (MeI), an alkylating agent, to convert polymer-bound tertiary amine groups to less chloramine-reactive quaternary ammonium groups. The second approach involved synthesis of polymers bearing less chloramine-reactive quaternary ammonium groups with dipropylamino (DPA) substituents. Treatment with MeI reduced NDMA formation from polymers by ∼75%, while synthesis of DPA-based polymers eliminated NDMA formation and formed N-nitrosodipropylamine, which is 10-fold less carcinogenic than NDMA, at 20-fold lower yields. Bench-scale jar tests demonstrated that both MeI-treated and DPA-based polymers achieved similar removal of particles and DOM as the original polyDADMAC and Epi-DMA at both low and high doses, but formed significantly less N-nitrosamines. This work demonstrates two approaches for modifying quaternary ammonium cationic polymers, which may enable water utilities to meet potential future regulations on N-nitrosamines while maintaining polymer usage to meet existing regulations.
Survey of Physical, Chemical, and Microbial Water Quality in Greenhouse and Nursery Irrigation Water

The objective was to analyze the physical, chemical, and biological water quality in horticulture irrigation systems in 24 ornamental plant greenhouses and nurseries in the United States. At each greenhouse or nursery, water was collected from up to five points (‘‘Sample Types’’) which included 1) ‘‘Source’’ from municipal or private well supplies, 2) ‘‘Tank’’ from enclosed storage containers, 3) ‘‘Subirrigation’’ from water applied to crops in ebb-and-flood systems, 4) ‘‘Furthest Outlet’’ that were irrigation emitters most distant from the Source, and 5) ‘‘Catchment Basin’’ from open outdoor retention areas. On average, Source water had the highest physical and microbial quality of Sample Types including the highest ultraviolet (UV) light transmission at 86%, lowest total suspended solids (TSS) at 3.1 mg L, and lowest density of aerobic bacteria with 1108 cfu/mL of water. Average quality of recycled water from Subirrigation or Catchment Basins did not meet recommended levels for horticultural irrigation water for UV transmission (68% to 72% compared with recommended 75%), microbial counts (>100,000 cfu/mL compared with recommended <10,000 cfu/mL), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) (48.2 to 61.3 mg L compared with recommended <30 mg L). Irrigation water stored in Tanks or applied at Furthest Outlets had lower physical and biological water quality compared with Source water. Level of aerobic bacteria counts highlighted a risk of clogged microirrigation emitters from microbial contaminants, with highest bacteria levels in recirculated irrigation water. The physical, chemical, and microbial water quality results indicate a need for more effective water treatment to improve biological water quality, particularly with recirculated irrigation.
Proceedings of the thirty-eighth annual ACM symposium on Theory of computing

For nearly four decades, the annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing has been a forum for the presentation of some of the most significant advances in the theory of computing. It is a pleasure to be able to take part in continuing this tradition. The 78 papers in this volume were presented at the 38th ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC), held May 21--23, 2006 in Seattle, and sponsored by the ACM Special Interest Group on Algorithms and Computation Theory (SIGACT). In addition to the papers, the symposium also featured two invited talks, by Prabhakar Raghavan (Yahoo! Research) and Russell Impagliazzo (UC San Diego).The papers at the conference were selected by the program committee from among 288 submissions. The program committee's initial discussions were carried out electronically; following this, the committee met at Columbia University January 20-21 to decide on the final set of accepted papers. In keeping with longstanding convention, the papers at the conference have not been formally refereed, and it is expected that more extended versions of most of them will be published in journals.From among many outstanding contributions, the committee selected Irit Dinur's paper, "The PCP Theorem via Gap Amplification," as the recipient of the Best Paper Award. The Danny Lewin Best Student Paper Award was shared by two papers: "Extractors for a Constant Number of Polynomial Min-Entropy Independent Sources" by Anup Rao, and "Narrow Proofs May Be Spacious: Separating Space and Width in Resolution" by Jakob Nordstrom.
Culturally responsive computing as brokerage: toward asset building with education-based social movements

ABSTRACTBridging schools and communities has been a goal, if not hurdle, for reformers who aim to improve the education of low-income and underrepresented students from the bottom-up. Strategies to create these connections are often characterized as ‘brokerage’, where individuals or organizations bridge two or more social worlds. This paper details the design and implementation of educational technologies that support the brokering of school–community connections using a ‘culturally responsive computing’ (CRC) framework. Culturally responsive education is often limited to content and learning styles, which misses the opportunities it creates for a brokerage process that also connects to education-based social movements for economic access in underrepresented communities. This paper provides empirical support for the claim that the CRC framework is well suited for both purposes. It allows schools and communities to build assets together, translating the knowledge and skills of underrepresented communities ...
Specialized Bone Marrow Endothelium Defines Microdomains for Tumor and Stem Cell Engraftment.

Abstract The organization of cellular niches has been shown to play a key role in regulating normal stem cell differentiation and regeneration, yet relatively little is known about the architecture of microenvironments that support malignant proliferation. Using dynamic in vivo confocal and multi-photon imaging, we show that the bone marrow contains unique anatomic regions defined by specialized endothelium. This vasculature expresses the adhesion molecule E-selectin and the chemoattractant SDF-1 in discrete, discontinuous areas that localize the homing and early engraftment of both leukemic and normal primitive hematopoietic cells. Real-time imaging of cell-cell interactions in SCID mice bone marrow was performed after injection of fluorescently-labeled leukemic and other malignant cell lines. Progressive scanning and optical sectioning through the marrow revealed the existence of unique, spatially-restricted vascular domains to which the majority of marrow-homing tumor cells rolled and arrested. Serial imaging of mice on days 3 – 14 demonstrated that leukemic (Nalm-6 pre-B ALL) extravasation and early proliferation were restricted to these vascular beds. To define the molecular basis of these homing interactions, in vivo labeling of key vascular cell adhesion molecules and chemokines using fluorescent antibodies was performed. We observed that while ICAM-1, VCAM-1, PECAM-1 and P-selectin were expressed diffusely throughout the marrow vasculature, the expression of E-selectin and the chemokine receptor CXCR4 ligand SDF-1 was distinctly limited to vessels that supported leukemic cell engraftment. In vivo co-localization experiments confirmed Nalm-6 binding was restricted to vascular beds expressing both E-selectin and SDF-1. In functional studies, disruption of E-selection had a modest effect on leukemic homing (
Emerging trends in social media and plastic surgery.

Social media has increasingly changed the landscape of medicine and surgery and is rapidly expanding its influence in most peoples’ lives. The average person spends nearly 2 hours per day using social media, consuming information about everything from family updates to entertainment news to presidential elections. The concentration of consumers on social media platforms has resulted in direct medicine and medical products marketing to consumers. Similarly, social media is increasingly becoming a platform for interaction between physicians and potential patients. Some physicians have taken this opportunity to better educate patients, while allowing patients to learn more about their surgeons online. These tools can increase internet traffic online to bonafide internet sites, as well as bolster marketing for many hospitals, hospital systems, and individual doctors. It can also serve to increase knowledge about procedures and conditions through direct outreach to patients. Social media is a powerful tool which needs to be utilized wisely to avoid pitfalls.
FLEET Velocimetry Measurements on a Transonic Airfoil

Femtosecond laser electronic excitation tagging (FLEET) velocimetry was used to study the flowfield around a symmetric, transonic airfoil in the NASA Langley 0.3-m TCT facility. A nominal Mach number of 0.85 was investigated with a total pressure of 125 kPa and total temperature of 280 K. Two-components of velocity were measured along vertical profiles at different locations above, below, and aft of the airfoil at angles of attack of 0 deg, 3.5 deg, and 7deg. Measurements were assessed for their accuracy, precision, dynamic range, spatial resolution, and overall measurement uncertainty in the context of the applied flowfield. Measurement precisions as low as 1 m/s were observed, while overall uncertainties ranged from 4 to 5 percent. Velocity profiles within the wake showed sufficient accuracy, precision, and sensitivity to resolve both the mean and fluctuating velocities and general flow physics such as shear layer growth. Evidence of flow separation is found at high angles of attack.
Predicting human ageing with Masters athletics: 'one size doesn't fit all'.

Scientific understanding of human ageing is confounded by lifelong differences in physical activity, exercise training, disease, nutrition and a myriad of other environmental and physiological factors. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Design of health insurance purchasing cooperatives

At the pivot of the managed competition approach to health care reform is a new and distinctive organization: the health insurance purchasing cooperative (HIPC). To turn managed competition from a set of principles into a national program requires spelling out the basic methods of operation of the purchasing cooperatives, their organizational structure, and a plan for their development across the country. The purchasing cooperatives are not intended to provide insurance, much less medical care. Instead, they contract with health plans and offer consumers a choice. HIPCs are the managers of managed competition—a phrase that refers not to managed care, but to the HIPCs' role in maintaining a framework of choice that holds all plans accountable for their performance and rewards the more efficient ones with more enrollees.
A New InSAR Persistent Scatterer Selection Technique Using Top Eigenvalue of Coherence Matrix

Differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) time-series processing relies on identifying coherent pixels in SAR image stacks that show the persistent scatterer (PS) or distributed scatterer (DS) behavior. Accuracy of InSAR time-series estimates is dependent on the quality of selected PS/DS pixels. Current pixel selection techniques perform well when identifying highly coherent pixels but produce many false alarms in low coherence regions due to the inherent bias in residual phase estimation. Therefore, pixels with low coherence may have the appearance of noise and be rejected if the coherence threshold is too high. In contrast, lowering the threshold increases the number of false alarms introduced in processing giving noisier time-series as a result of incorrect phase unwrapping. The multidimensional SAR data acquisition can be described as a zero mean Gaussian process fully described by the covariance matrix. In this paper, we investigate the covariance matrix using a random matrix theory approach to find the statistical properties of the eigenvalues for simulated and real SAR data. The probability distribution of all the eigenvalues in this case is limited by the Marcenko–Pastur distribution. The histogram of the highest eigenvalue follows a Tracy–Widom distribution. Thus, by adopting a pixel selection strategy based on a threshold on the highest eigenvalue of the coherence matrix, we can differentiate between low coherence and noise pixels. In addition, our technique provides a methodology to detect the number of targets present in multiscatterer layover pixels and extract time-series information from double bounce response of bridges. Applying the technique for TerraSAR-X data over Berlin shows the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Pulmonary arterial stiffness assessed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging is a predictor of mild pulmonary arterial hypertension

Early detection of mild pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) based on clinical evaluation and echocardiography remains quite challenging. In addition to enhanced right ventricular (RV) assessment, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging may accurately reflect deleterious remodeling and increased stiffness of the central pulmonary arteries based on pulsatility, or percent change of the PA during the cardiac cycle. The purpose of this study is to assess the utility of measuring PA pulsatility by CMR as a potential early maker in PAH. We hypothesize that pulsatility may help discriminate mild PAH from normal control subjects. Consecutive patients with PAH (n = 51) were prospectively enrolled to receive same day CMR and right heart catheterization (RHC). PA stiffness indices including pulsatility, distensibility, compliance, and capacitance were calculated. Comparisons were made between patients with varying severities of PAH and normal controls (n = 18). Of the 51 subjects, 20 had mild PAH, and 31 moderate-severe based on hemodynamic criteria. PA pulsatility demonstrated a progressive decline from normal controls (53%), mild PAH (22%), to moderate-severe PAH (17%; p < 0.001). There was no difference in RV size, function or mass between mild PAH and normal controls. PA pulsatility below 40% had an excellent ability to discriminate between mild PAH and normal controls with a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 94%. CMR assessment of PA stiffness may noninvasively detect adverse pulmonary vascular remodeling and mild PAH, and thus be a valuable tool for early detection of PAH. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01451255; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01451255 .
A METHOD OF AUTOMATED HZE-PARTICLE Z-SPECTRA MEASUREMENT IN PLASTIC NUCLEAR TRACK DETECTORS

ABSTRACT Although high-accuracy particle Z-spectrum measurements, such as those striving for isotope resolution, still require detailed manual measurement of track parameters in plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTD), it is possible to almost completely automate the process by a combination of special processing techniques and digitized, computerized data readout. With the proper configuration of detector layers, accuracies of ±1 in Z can be achieved for all stopping particles with Z ≥ 6. Typical digitizing speeds are 1−10 cm2 of sample area per minute at track densities of 10–100 tracks per cm2. Prior to the data readout, the PNTDs are given a very long etch which removes a large fraction of the original layer thickness and produces relatively large, contrasty etched-through holes. The projected area of these holes varies monotonically with the particle ionization rate and is also a function of the particle dip angle and detector and processing parameters. It is therefore possible to use this area to determine the ionization rate in much the same way that track etch rate is used in the more conventional methods. The data readout and processing occurs in four steps. 1) The detectors are digitized. At low magnification, a number of relatively large (5−100 mm2) fields are scanned in a raster pattern under computer control of the stepping stage. Track positions and opening areas are measured. 2) The measured positions of individual particle tracks on sequential layers are correlated to obtain particle trajectories. 3) The track area data are least-squares analyzed to obtain the particle Z values and stopping points. 4) The measured particle events are statistically analyzed to produce distributions such as Z and LET spectra. The automated HZE analysis produces results which exceed the demands of dosimetric applications for which it was developed and are also useful for many other purposes, such as surveys of particles to be measured at higher accuracy by other techniques.
Soft Implementation of Cascaded Control Architectures Using the Youla Parameterization

Implementation can often be a major barrier for the adoption of new control strategies. Issues can stem from computational complexity to difficulties in the tuning process. In previous work, nested PID controllers have shown several benefits for building heating and air-conditioning controls including low order linearization and multi-input, multi-output decoupling. Tuning procedures for such cascaded control designs have also been developed to help select inner and outer loop gains for specific benefits. This paper proposes to use a Youla parameterization of nominal PI control to provide a soft implementation of cascaded control. Tuning of cascaded controllers can be done smoothly using a simple continuous switching variable, thereby creating a window in which test gains can be evaluated before the onset of unrecoverable behavior. The Youla framework also provides inherent stability guarantees at each frozen point during the transition.
Use of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) to Determine Binding Affinities and Kinetic Parameters Between Components Important in Fusion Machinery

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) can be used to analyze both binding affinities and kinetic parameters between a ligand and an analyte. SPR can be performed by either cross-linking a given ligand to a sensor chip covalently or utilizing high-affinity non-covalent interactions to secure a ligand in a particular conformation to a chip, both of which have their potential advantages. SPR measurements are mass based and reflect the proportional amount of analyte bound to a given ligand at a given concentration when flowed at a set rate in order to determine the binding parameters of a given biochemical interaction. The resultant sensorgram can indicate different types of binding events as well as provide both ka and kd, which can be used to determine an equilibrium dissociation constant KD. SPR can be used to measure binding affinity of proteins involved in fusion such as between SNAREs, SNAREs, and proteins that interact with them such as Sec18 (NSF) or Sec17 (alpha-SNAP), or to measure the binding of any fusion-related protein to a specific lipid or other small molecules; however, KDs are determined by SPR using a titration of concentrations of analyte and a maximum point on the sensorgram signifying saturation of the protein in order to determine a steady-state KD.
A large HCV transmission network enabled a fast-growing HIV outbreak in rural Indiana, 2015.

Abstract Background A high prevalence (92.3%) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection among HIV patients identified during a large HIV outbreak associated with injection of oxymorphone in Indiana prompted genetic analysis of HCV strains. Methods Molecular epidemiological analysis of HCV-positive samples included genotyping, sampling intra-host HVR1 variants by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and constructing transmission networks using Global Hepatitis Outbreak and Surveillance Technology (GHOST). Findings Results from the 492 samples indicate predominance of HCV genotypes 1a (72.2%) and 3a (20.4%), and existence of 2 major endemic NS5B clusters involving 49.8% of the sequenced strains. Among 76 HIV co-infected patients, 60.5% segregated into 2 endemic clusters. NGS analyses of 281 cases identified 826,917 unique HVR1 sequences and 51 cases of mixed subtype/genotype infections. GHOST mapped 23 transmission clusters. One large cluster (n = 130) included 50 cases infected with ≥2 subtypes/genotypes and 43 cases co-infected with HIV. Rapid strain replacement and superinfection with different strains were found among 7 of 12 cases who were followed up. Interpretation GHOST enabled mapping of HCV transmission networks among persons who inject drugs (PWID). Findings of numerous transmission clusters, mixed-genotype infections and rapid succession of infections with different HCV strains indicate a high rate of HCV spread. Co-localization of HIV co-infected patients in the major HCV clusters suggests that HIV dissemination was enabled by existing HCV transmission networks that likely perpetuated HCV in the community for years. Identification of transmission networks is an important step to guiding efficient public health interventions for preventing and interrupting HCV and HIV transmission among PWID. Fund US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and US state and local public health departments.
Scrabble: transferrable semi-automated semantic metadata normalization using intermediate representation

Interoperability in the Internet of Things relies on a common data model that captures the necessary semantics for vendor independent application development and data exchange. However, traditional systems such as those in building management are vertically integrated and do not use a standard schema. A typical building can consist of thousands of data points. Third party vendors who seek to deploy applications like fault diagnosis need to manually map the building information into a common schema. This mapping process requires deep domain expertise and a detailed understanding of intricacies of each building's system. Our framework - Scrabble - reduces the mapping effort significantly by using a multi-stage active learning mechanism that exploits the structure present in a standard schema and learns from buildings that have already been mapped to the schema. Scrabble uses conditional random fields with transfer learning to represent unstructured building information in a reusable intermediate representation. This reusable representation is mapped to the schema using a multilayer perceptron. Our novel semantic model based active learning mechanism requires only minimal input from domain experts to interpret esoteric, idiosyncratic data points. We have evaluated Scrabble on five buildings with thousands of different entities and our method outperforms prior work by 59%/162% higher Accuracy/Macro-averaged-F1 in a building when 10 examples are provided by an expert in both cases. Scrabble achieves 99% Accuracy with 100--160 examples for buildings with thousands of points while the other baselines cannot.
Influence of Scale on the Constitutive Behavior of Sea Ice

The development of physically based constitutive models for sea ice has proven difficult because of a lack of knowledge about the underlying deformation mechanisms, and the lack of unambiguous experimental data at meaningful sizes. However, these shortcomings have been addressed to a measurable extent by the development of effective cyclic loading techniques for laboratory and in-situ experiments, coupled with an improved knowledge of the underlying deformation mechanisms. This progress has made it possible to develop a physically based constitutive model and verify it at meaningful scales. The paper examines the cyclic loading response of in-situ specimens of first-year sea ice ranging in size from 4 × 4 m2 to 30 x 30 m2 in the horizontal plane, along with results from laboratory experiments on field cores. The model predictions compare favorably with the field observations, and an essentially scale-independent constitutive response emerges. The in-situ experiments provide insight regarding the relaxation time distribution, and the anelastic and viscous components of strain. The results from acoustic emission monitoring during the in-situ experiments are also presented.
Effectiveness of short-term feeding strategies for altering conjugated linoleic acid content of beef.

A steer finishing trial was performed to determine the effect of short-term dietary regimens on conjugatedlinoleicacid(CLA)contentofmuscletissues. The experimental design was an incomplete 3 × 2 facto- rial, with three levels of soybean oil (SBO; 0, 4, and 8% of diet DM) and two levels of forage (20 vs. 40% of diet DM). Forty Angus × Hereford steers averaging 504 ± 29.0kgwereallottedrandomlytooneoffourtreatments for the last 6 wk of the finishing period. Treatments were: 80:20 concentrate:forage control diet (C); 80:20 concentrate:forage + 4% SBO (C4); 60:40 concen- trate:forage + 4% SBO (F4); and 60:40 concentrate:for- age + 8% SBO (F8). After 42 d on the experimental diets, steers were sacrificed and samples were collected from the chuck, loin, and round muscle groups. Fatty acid(FA;mg/100mgofFA)compositionwasdetermined by gas-liquid chromatography. Data were statistically analyzed with mixed models procedures. The perfor- mance and carcass quality model included the effects of SBO and forage. The model for FA composition in- cluded the effects of SBO, forage, muscle group, and interactions. Orthogonal contrasts were used to deter-
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Reasons for Breastfeeding Cessation Among Women Participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Introduction Breastfeeding rates among women participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are lower compared with those of nonparticipants. The objective of this study was to assess racial and ethnic differences in self-reported reasons for breastfeeding cessation during the first year postpartum. Methods This was a secondary analysis of data from women participating in the WIC Infant and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2. Women specified reasons that influenced their decision to stop breastfeeding during telephone interviews between 1 and 13 months postpartum. Logistic regression models for each racial and ethnic group explored the effects of sociodemographic variables on each reason. Results The sample for this analysis included 4095 women (34.1% non-Hispanic white, 25.5% non-Hispanic black, and 40.4% Hispanic). Across all race and ethnic groups, food security status was a predictor of some but not all reasons for breastfeeding cessation. Compared with their counterparts who were food secure, white women with low food security and black women with very low food security were more likely (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% CI, 1.04-3.35 and OR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.19-2.90, respectively) to stop breastfeeding because they wanted or needed someone else to feed their infants. Hispanic women with very low food security were more likely to stop breastfeeding because they felt they did not have enough milk. Compared with their multiparous counterparts, primiparous black and white women were almost twice as likely to stop breastfeeding because of trouble sucking or latching. Hispanic and black women born outside the United States had significantly higher odds of breastfeeding cessation because of the infant losing interest compared with US-born women. Education and marital status significantly predicted reasons for breastfeeding cessation among Hispanic and white women. Discussion Among women participating in WIC, food security, parity, country of birth, education, and marital status were significant predictors of reasons for breastfeeding cessation across racial and /ethnic groups. Incorporating these findings in education, counseling, and interventions may help overcome breastfeeding barriers.
Understanding Risk and Reliability Adjustment in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgical Quality Profiling

Surgical quality profiling is the art and science of measuring surgical quality to provide performance assessments for surgical providers to guide quality improvement. This chapter serves as a nontechnical introduction to the field of surgical quality profiling in the context of metabolic and bariatric surgery and is primarily intended for clinicians, administrators, and other quality improvement stakeholders as a guide to assist in understanding and interpreting risk and reliability-adjusted surgical quality performance assessments. The development, meaning, and interpretation of surgical quality measures and performance assessments are discussed, with a focus on the outcomes, techniques, and methodologies currently utilized by the Metabolic and Bariatric Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). Particular emphasis is given to motivating the need for risk and reliability adjustments in the construction of fair assessments of surgical quality. From the observation of raw, unadjusted complication rates to the implementation of modern statistical models that incorporate risk and reliability adjustment, the evolution of surgical quality profiling methodology is also examined in detail.
Kidney Supportive Care: Core Curriculum 2020

Kidney supportive care is the application of palliative medicine principles and practices to patients with kidney disease. The goal is alleviation of suffering through treatment of symptoms, empathic communication, and support for psychosocial distress. Kidney supportive care includes primary palliative care provided by nephrology teams, as well as referral of patients with complex distress for comanagement by an interprofessional specialty palliative care team, when available. The team may include physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and dieticians. Comanagement with nephrologists offers an additional layer of support to patients and families as prognostic awareness, patient preferences, and care decisions are explored. Kidney supportive care can be offered to patients experiencing acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease, including those with kidney failure treated by kidney replacement therapy (dialysis and transplantation). Kidney supportive care includes but is not limited to end-of-life care. This installment of the Core Curriculum in Nephrology outlines several practical applications of kidney supportive care, with a focus on the nephrologist's approach to symptom management, active medical management of kidney failure without dialysis (also known as comprehensive conservative care), acute kidney injury in seriously ill patients, and withdrawal from dialysis.
Dynamics of cholera epidemic models in fluctuating environments

Based on our deterministic models for cholera epidemics, we propose a stochastic model for cholera epidemics to incorporate environmental fluctuations which is a nonlinear system of Ito stochastic ...
Commitment and Compliance: The Role of Non-Binding Norms in the International Legal System (Introduction)

The introductory chapter of this book describes a study undertaken to determine the extent to which states comply with non-binding legal principles as compared to rules of law and focused on environmental soft law. The leaders of the study provided four factors they predicted would have an effect on compliance with soft law: institutional setting, regional diversity, the type of obligation, and generality and specificity. The chapter next describes the international legal system and its recent expansion, then describes a variety of methods for resolving international issues. Next, the chapter notes a few possible reasons why states prefer to undertake international obligations in terms of soft law and concludes that soft law’s role in the international system is increasing.
Time- and Site-Resolved Dynamics in a Topological Circuit

The surface states of topological insulators are protected from backscattering, making them a promising resource for computing and materials science. This topological protection is now demonstrated in a radio-frequency circuit.
Steering Control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle using SMC Techniques

This paper presents the problem of steering control for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). A six degrees-of-freedom (DOF) system of coupled equations of motion of an AUV is first decoupled as a lateral model to control steering angle of an AUV. Sliding Mode Control (SMC) technique is used to stabilize the system and track a constant reference yaw angle in presence of model perturbations and uncertainties. Using numerical simulations, it is shown that the closed-loop system under the proposed control scheme is stable and the tracking error converges to zero in presence of model perturbations and uncertainties.
Lay Judgments of Legal Decision-Making: The Ineffectiveness of General-Interest Intermediaries

In a previous study (presented at CELS 2009; in press, JELS), we tested how lay people evaluate judicial decision-making. Participants were presented with three judicial decisions, and were asked to evaluate the acceptability of those decisions, focusing on the decision-making process and on the courts’ legitimacy. One of the central findings of that study was that lay people’s judgments of judicial decision-making are highly contingent on the outcome of the courts’ decisions, regardless of the procedures followed (which were described as favorable). Participants found the decision-making highly acceptable when they agreed with the judges’ decisions, but deemed them relatively unacceptable when they disagreed with them. That study left open the possibility that lay judgments of judicial decision-making are not derived directly from the decisions themselves, as in real life, few people read the actual texts of judicial decisions. Rather, the public’s judgments may be mediated by professional legal commentators who communicate judicial decisions and comment on them in the media. As these “general-interest intermediaries” are likely to be more sensitive to procedural fidelity and legal reasoning, they may afford lay people a basis to make more principled and less outcome-contingent judgments of the judiciary’s work. This study tested this possibility by presenting lay participants with legal commentators’ evaluations of judicial decisions in the media. We found that the commentaries did not alter participants’ evaluations of the courts’ decisions, as these judgments continued to be influenced strongly by the participants’ agreement with the outcomes of the decisions. Moreover, lay reactions to the intermediaries themselves were dominated by the participants’ preferred outcomes in a similar manner: the commentators were deemed to be competent and their commentaries were deemed to be fair and objective when their conclusions were congruent with the participants' preferred outcomes. The opposite was true when the participants disagreed with the intermediaries’ conclusions. These findings suggest that the dependency of lay judgments of judicial decision-making on the decision outcomes cannot easily be fixed by means of “general-interest intermediaries.”
Competing market makers,liquidity provision,and bid-ask spreads $

Abstract This paper develops a dynamic market microstructure model of liquidity provision in which M strategic market makers compete in price schedules for order flow from informed and uninformed traders. In equilibrium, market makers post price schedules that are steeper than efficient ones, and the market bid–ask spreads can be decomposed into two components, one due to adverse selection and the other due to imperfect competition. At any time, the two components are proportional to each other with a coefficient of proportionality depending on M. Several testable hypothesis are derived regarding the time-series and cross-sectional properties of prices and the bid–ask spreads. In particular, a new empirical measure of market competitiveness is proposed which can be estimated from the history of transaction prices and trading volumes. Finally, the properties of continuous market are also investigated.
High Temperature Alloys

High temperature alloys are combinations of metals used specifically for their heat resisting properties. Applications in the aircraft, automotive, power generation, and space-related industries include use in steam and gas turbine engines, as cutting tools, and as various spacecraft parts. The alloys most often used at high temperatures include steels, superalloys, refractory metal alloys, and new materials such as aligned eutectics and intermetallic compounds. These alloys, their properties and surface stability, mechanical behavior, and the strengthening mechanisms employed are discussed. Various plain carbon and low alloy steels are employed as are modified stainless steels. Superalloys may have nickel, cobalt, or iron–nickel bases. The nickel-base superalloys are most often used for high temperature structural applications in air. The Group 6 (VIB) metals and their alloys and various new materials are often employed as cutting tools and in spacecraft. Keywords: Nickel alloys; Strengthening mechanisms; Precipitation hardening; Surface stability; Specific alloy systems; Stainless steel; Refractory metals; Molybdenum; Titanium; Aluminum; Iron-nickel superalloys; Carbon; Coatings; Cobalt-base superalloys