cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statistics of natural scenes and cortical color processing

We investigate the spatial correlations of orientation and color information in natural images. We find that the correlation of orientation information falls off rapidly with increasing distance, while color information is more highly correlated over longer distances. We show that orientation and color information are statistically independent in natural images and that the spatial correlation of jointly encoded orientation and color information decays faster than that of color alone. Our findings suggest that: (a) orientation and color information should be processed in separate channels and (b) the organization of cortical color and orientation selectivity at low spatial frequencies is a reflection of the cortical adaptation to the statistical structure of the visual world. These findings are in agreement with biological observations, as form and color are thought to be represented by different classes of neurons in the primary visual cortex, and the receptive fields of color-selective neurons are larger than those of orientation-selective neurons. The agreement between our findings and biological observations supports the ecological theory of perception.
Investigation of microstructure and mechanical properties of low dose neutron irradiated HT-9 steel

HT-9 steel samples have been irradiated with fast neutrons (E > 0.1 MeV) to a low dose (1.2 × 10−3 dpa). Microstructure of the unirradiated and irradiated samples has been characterized by X-ray diffraction line profile analysis using different model-based approaches. The domain size and density of dislocations of the irradiated steel have been estimated. Different types of tensile tests have been carried out at room temperature to assess the changes in mechanical properties of HT-9 steel due to neutron irradiation.
Piccolo Directs Activity Dependent F-Actin Assembly from Presynaptic Active Zones via Daam1

The dynamic assembly of filamentous (F) actin plays essential roles in the assembly of presynaptic boutons, the fusion, mobilization and recycling of synaptic vesicles (SVs), and presynaptic forms of plasticity. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the temporal and spatial assembly of presynaptic F-actin remain largely unknown. Similar to other F-actin rich membrane specializations, presynaptic boutons contain a set of molecules that respond to cellular cues and trans-synaptic signals to facilitate activity-dependent assembly of F-actin. The presynaptic active zone (AZ) protein Piccolo has recently been identified as a key regulator of neurotransmitter release during SV cycling. It does so by coordinating the activity-dependent assembly of F-Actin and the dynamics of key plasticity molecules including Synapsin1, Profilin and CaMKII. The multidomain structure of Piccolo, its exquisite association with the AZ, and its ability to interact with a number of actin-associated proteins suggest that Piccolo may function as a platform to coordinate the spatial assembly of F-actin. Here we have identified Daam1, a Formin that functions with Profilin to drive F-actin assembly, as a novel Piccolo binding partner. We also found that within cells Daam1 activation promotes Piccolo binding, an interaction that can spatially direct the polymerization of F-Actin. Moreover, similar to Piccolo and Profilin, Daam1 loss of function impairs presynaptic-F-actin assembly in neurons. These data suggest a model in which Piccolo directs the assembly of presynaptic F-Actin from the AZ by scaffolding key actin regulatory proteins including Daam1.
Modelling neurodegeneration in Saccharomyces cerevisiae : why cook with baker's yeast?

In ageing populations, neurodegenerative diseases increase in prevalence, exacting an enormous toll on individuals and their communities. Multiple complementary experimental approaches are needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these complex diseases and to develop novel therapeutics. Here, we describe why the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a unique role in the neurodegeneration armamentarium. As the best-understood and most readily analysed eukaryotic organism, S. cerevisiae is delivering mechanistic insights into cell-autonomous mechanisms of neurodegeneration at an interactome-wide scale.
Phase-aligned multiple spin-echo averaging: a simple way to improve signal-to-noise ratio of in vivo mouse spinal cord diffusion tensor image.

Abstract Purpose To improve signal-noise-ratio of in vivo mouse spinal cord diffusion tensor imaging using-phase aligned multiple spin-echo technique. Material and methods In vivo mouse spinal cord diffusion tensor imaging maps generated by multiple spin-echo and conventional spin-echo diffusion weighting were examined to demonstrate the efficacy of multiple spin-echo diffusion sequence to improve image quality and throughput. Effects of signal averaging using complex, magnitude and phased images from multiple spin-echo diffusion weighting were also assessed. Bayesian probability theory was used to generate phased images by moving the coherent signals to the real channel to eliminate the effect of phase variation between echoes while preserving the Gaussian noise distribution. Signal averaging of phased multiple spin-echo images potentially solves both the phase incoherence problem and the bias of the elevated Rician noise distribution in magnitude image. The proposed signal averaging with Bayesian phase-aligned multiple spin-echo images approach was compared to the conventional spin-echo data acquired with doubling the scan time. The diffusion tensor imaging parameters were compared in the mouse contusion spinal cord injury. Significance level (p-value) and effect size (Cohen’s d) were reported between the control and contused spinal cord to inspect the sensitivity of each approach in detecting white matter pathology. Results Compared to the spin-echo image, the signal-noise-ratio increased to 1.84-fold using the phased image averaging and to 1.30-fold using magnitude image averaging in the spinal cord white matter. Multiple spin-echo phased image averaging showed improved image quality of the mouse spinal cord among the tested methods. Diffusion tensor imaging metrics obtained from multiple spin-echo phased images using three echoes and two averages closely agreed with those derived by spin-echo magnitude data with four averages (two times more in acquisition time). The phased image averaging correctly reflected pathological features in contusion spinal cord injury. Conclusion Our in vivo imaging results indicate that averaging the phased multiple spin-echo images yields an 84% signal-noise-ratio increase over the spin-echo images and a 41% gain over the magnitude averaged multiple spin-echo images with equal acquisition time. Current results from the animal model of spinal cord injury suggest that the phased multiple spin-echo images could be used to improve signal-noise-ratio.
Estimation of microbial reductive transformation rates for chlorinated benzenes and phenols using a quantitative structure–activity relationship approach

A set of literature data was used to derive several quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSARs) to predict the rate constants for the microbial reductive dehalogenation of chlorinated aromatics. Dechlorination rate constants for 25 chloroaromatics were corrected for the effects of hydrophobic partitioning and adjusted for the observed distribution of product species. A number of physicochemical properties and molecular parameters were considered for inclusion in the QSARs. Multivariate statistical analyses were used to select the optimal set of descriptors to minimize multicollinearity between the descriptors, as well as to minimize the p-value of the regression coefficients. The final QSAR included four descriptors: The logarithm of the octanol–water partition coefficient (Kow), the summation of the Hammett sigma constants, and the sigma induction constants in the ortho and meta positions relative to the transformation reaction center. The predictive ability of this QSAR was evaluated using 24 site-specific rate constants that were measured in five separate studies and were not used to derive the expression. The peer-reviewed literature was screened carefully to ensure that all rate constant data were representative of environmentally relevant conditions.
The Welfare Effects of Use-or-Lose Provisions in Markets with Dominant Firms

Abstract A use-or-lose provision requires that firms employ a certain minimum fraction of their productive capacity. Variants have been used by regulators in the airline and wireless communications...
Intermittent diffusion on the reconstructed Si(111) surface

The diffusion of an extra-adatom on reconstructed Si(111) surfaces is investigated using density-functional total-energy pseudopotential calculations. The diffusion path is characterized by a basin of attraction in which the extra-adatom is localized until an intermittent jump to a nearby basin of attraction occurs. The energy barrier between the neighboring basins is 1.12 eV, while the energy barrier within a basin is 0.56 eV. Our theoretical predictions for stable and activated configurations provide a natural explanation for the scanning tunneling microscopy images of an extra silicon atom on the Si(111)-(7 × 7) surface, which is radically different from the simple models proposed in the literature.
A quantitative analysis of the osmolytes in the hemolymph of the larval gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar

Abstract In spite of the growing number of in vitro studies conducted with the gypsy moth there are no reports which describe its hemolymph composition. For this reason we have conducted a quantitative analysis of the osmolytes in the hemolymph of the fifth-instar gypsy moth larva reared on a wheat-germ diet. The osmotic pressure of hemolymph is 313 mOsm/kg water and the hemolymph pH is 6.6. The dominant inorganic cations are potassium (29.1 mM), magnesium (25.9 mM), calcium (6.8 mM) and sodium (5.0 mM). The dominant inorganic anions are chloride (14.9 mM), sulfate (12.3 mM), and phosphate (5.7 mM). The electrical conductivity of the hemolymph (4.52 ms/cm) is equivalent to the conductivity of a 98.8 mOsm/kg water NaCl solution. Since the sum of the measured hemolymph cations and anions approaches this osmolality, more than 200 mOsm/kg water of hemolymph solutes are non-electrolytes. Among these non-electrolytes we have identified 18 amino acids (112.0 mM), trehalose (21.1 mM), glucose (2.4 mM) and urea (4.8 mM). Organic solutes such as arginine (0.9 mM), histidine (3.9 mM), lysine (13.9 mM), tyrosine (2.5 mM), aspartic acid (0.3 mM), glutamic acid (1.6 mM), organic phosphates (29.6 mM) and uric acid (0.2 mM) are expected to exist in ionized forms at the hemolymph pH. Together the identified electrolytes and non-electrolytes account for nearly 85% of the measured hemolymph osmolality.
Theory of third-harmonic generation in metal vapors under two-photon resonance conditions

The density-matrix formalism is used to develop the theory of two-photon-resonant third-harmonic generation in metal vapors taking into account saturation, ionization, laser-induced Stark shifts, and variations in the wave-vector mismatch as a result of population redistribution. It is shown that for third-harmonic generation in the ultraviolet and the vacuum-ultraviolet regions, where $3\ensuremath{\omega}$ exceeds the ionization limit of the metal vapor, two-photon-resonant three-photon ionization will be the main limiting process. This will also be true for four-wave parametric processes. For efficient energy conversion, the two-photon-resonant metal vapor must be phase matchable to allow large vapor density and cell length. Otherwise, the low incident intensity limits, set by the saturation and the ionization effects, cannot be efficiently converted in only one coherence length. The theory is applied to two-photon-resonant tripling of the ruby laser in cesium vapor.
Donor Shock and Its Influence on Canine Cadaver Heart Transplants

In this study the effects of premortem hypotension and postmortem anoxia on the viability of canine cadaver hearts were evaluated. Donor dogs were maintained in hemorrhagic shock for either 30 minutes or two hours preceding death. Postmortem hearts were then subjected to total anoxia for 30 minutes at 37° C. Four experimental groups were considered: 1) 30 minutes postmortem anoxia alone; 2) two hours premortem shock alone; 3) 30 minutes premortem shock and 30 minutes postmortem anoxia; and 4) two hours premortem shock and 30 minutes postmortem anoxia. Viability was determined by performance during resuscitative intermediate host perfusion and survival following orthotopic homotransplantation. Nine of nine recipient animals survived orthotopic transplantation in groups 1, 2, and 3, whereas none of three host dogs survived transplantation with group 4 hearts. These results indicate that a prolonged interval of premortem shock when in combination with a brief period of postmortem anoxia adversely influences the viability of canine cadaver hearts.
Rationales in the Development of Dissolution Testing for Solid Oral Dosage Forms - An Industrial, Biopharmaceutical and Regulatory Perspective

AbstractThis article encompasses various concepts, methods and procedures used in the dissolution testing of solid oral dosage forms. Regulatory considerations during the dissolution method development, including the application of new Biopharmaceutics Classification System have been discussed. The use of mathematical expressions in comparing dissolution profiles and setting Q value specifications form an imperative part of the discussion. The importance of these during developmental stages has been highlighted. Dissolution testing parameters that include choice of medium, apparatus and agitation speed have been recommended based on the recent FDA guidance. A biopharmaceutical perspective to the selection of media has also been presented.
Enzyme-dependent pausing during in vitro replication of O4-methylthymine in a defined oligonucleotide sequence

We had previously reported that an oligonucleotide containing a site-specifically incorporated O4-methylthymine (m4T) was replicated under kinetic conditions by the Klenow fragment of E. coli DNA polymerase I (Kf) (Dosanjh et al., 1993). Using other polymerases for complete replication, but with limiting enzyme, a pause site before the m4T was observed. In order to investigate whether such a pause could be due to enzyme dissociation or stalling, trapping experiments were designed to aid in differentiating the two mechanisms. Rather than the generally used heparin or sheared DNA trap, these experiments utilized as the acceptor the same oligonucleotide containing unmodified thymine. It was observed that, under enzyme-limiting conditions, the nature of the enzyme played a major role in replication of m4T. With a running start, Kf and calf-thymus polymerase alpha-primase allowed replication beyond the m4T, while Sequenase and T7 showed a strong pause site at the base before m4T. When the oligonucleotide trap was added after different times of replication, it was found that Sequenase remained bound to the template-primer, regardless of whether T or m4T was present. In contrast, Kf dissociated and re-associated rapidly. Thus, m4T appears to be a strong replication block when using limiting amounts of a highly processive enzyme such as Sequenase or T7. This may imply that such enzymes discriminate against forming a poor basepair but remain bound to the primer-template or become inactivated.
Emergence of vegetative propagules of Potamogeton nodosus, Potamogeton pectinatus, Vallisneria americana, and Hydrilla verticillata based on accumulated degree-days

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop equations that predict emergence from vegetative propagules for four species of aquatic plants. We established artificial propagule banks by growing monoecious and dioecious Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle, Potamogeton pectinatus L., Potamogeton nodosus Poiret in outdoor tanks in Davis, California. Dioecious H. verticillata, P. pectinatus, P. nodosus and Vallisneria americana L. were grown in similar tanks in Lewisville, Texas. Emergence of undisturbed propagules was monitored the following spring. In California, P. pectinatus tubers, P. nodosus winter buds, and axillary turions formed by monoecious H. verticillata began to sprout at about the same time in mid-February, while dioecious H. verticillata tubers did not begin to emerge until mid-August. The distinct separations of emergence times for propagules in the Texas experiment were similar to those observed in California, and V. americana showed the earliest emergence time. Using sediment temperature data from each location, we calculated degree-days using the single triangle method. We fit a single logistic equation relating cumulative emergence to accumulated degree-days for each species-propagule combination from the two locations.
Intrinsic relations in the structure of linear congruential generators modulo 2β

Abstract We derive two different general relationships that exist among terms of the linear congruential generator xi+1 = axi + b mod 2β that are separated by powers of two. These two relationships are not equivalent except in one special case which turns out to be Marsaglia's result.
Momentum density for Compton scattering from random alloys

We derive an explicit expression for the average momentum density $〈\ensuremath{\rho}(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{p}})〉$ measured by a Compton-scattering experiment on a disordered binary alloy. Our treatment is based on the use of muffin-tin atomic potentials within the framework of the average $t$-matrix approximation. In the case of a perfect crystal the momentum density is also derived directly from the usual Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker wave functions, and the formula so obtained is shown to be identical to the crystalline limit of $〈\ensuremath{\rho}(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{p}})〉$.
THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF PHOSPHINE COMPLEXES OF NICKEL (II) DIHALIDES

Abstract Thermogravimetric measurements show that complexes of nickel (II) dihalides with alkyl and aryl substituted phosphines in an oxygen containing atmosphere start to decompose near or above 200°C yielding solid phases based on nickel oxide and phosphorus pentoxide.
From risk-limited to risk-loving mortgage markets: origins of the U.S. subprime crisis and prospects for reform

This paper examines the origins of the U.S. subprime crisis that reached clear national scale in early 2007, but it does so with somewhat more historical perspective than has been done in many places. It describes the shift during the latter decades of the twentieth century of the U.S. mortgage market from a risk-limited market to a risk-loving one and demonstrates that this shift was the result of what often appeared to be fairly obscure federal policy decisions. It also points out that the 2007 subprime crisis was preceded by an earlier, “first” subprime crisis in the late 1990s that had severe effects on many minority neighborhoods in the U.S., but that had much smaller effects on financial markets. The later crisis was partly the result of policymakers failing to respond to the earlier and quite severe problems in the subprime market. Finally, proposals since late 2008 to increase regulation of the U.S. mortgage market are described, and the evolution of those proposals toward actual legislation and regulatory impact is discussed.
The Effects of Race, Gender, and Survey Methodologies on Giving in the US

This study examines the effects of race and gender on philanthropy and interaction effects between race or gender and survey methodologies. Results indicate differences in philanthropic behaviors by gender but not by race. We also find significant interaction effects between survey methodologies and race and gender, which may have important implications for social science research in which race and/or gender explain or predict behaviors. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Blood‐Surface Interactions During Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Approximately 15 years ago, we began to investigate what happens to blood during extracorporeal circulation. We were discouraged by attempts to develop a nonthrombogenic synthetic surface and observed that only the endothelial cell possesses this attribute [50]. Endothelial cells have a vast surface area in contact with blood [51] and achieve the property of nonthrombogenicity by active metabolic processes. We concluded that short-term development of a synthetic, nonthrombogenic surface was unlikely, and decided to look at the other side of the blood-surface relationship. Over the next 10 years, we presented evidence supporting our hypothesis that complete inhibition of the initial reactions of blood constituents that are activated directly by surface contact will prevent all subsequent reactions of blood elements during cardiopulmonary bypass [31]. This strategy offers the possibility of controlling both the bleeding problems and the “whole body inflammatory response” associated with clinical cardiopulmonary bypass. This “overview” will summarize some of the data relevant to this hypothesis and present our current concept of what is happening during clinical cardiopulmonary bypass.
Neural correlates of skill acquisition: Decreased cortical activity during a serial interception sequence learning task

Abstract Learning of complex motor skills requires learning of component movements as well as the sequential structure of their order and timing. Using a Serial Interception Sequence Learning (SISL) task, participants learned a sequence of precisely timed interception responses through training with a repeating sequence. Following initial implicit learning of the repeating sequence, functional MRI data were collected during performance of that known sequence and compared with activity evoked during novel sequences of actions, novel timing patterns, or both. Reduced activity was observed during the practiced sequence in a distributed bilateral network including extrastriate occipital, parietal, and premotor cortical regions. These reductions in evoked activity likely reflect improved efficiency in visuospatial processing, spatio-motor integration, motor planning, and motor execution for the trained sequence, which is likely supported by nondeclarative skill learning. In addition, the practiced sequence evoked increased activity in the left ventral striatum and medial prefrontal cortex, while the posterior cingulate was more active during periods of better performance. Many prior studies of perceptual–motor skill learning have found increased activity in motor areas of the frontal cortex (e.g., motor and premotor cortex, SMA) and striatal areas (e.g., the putamen). The change in activity observed here (i.e., decreased activity across a cortical network) may reflect skill learning that is predominantly expressed through more accurate performance rather than decreased reaction time.
Technique for reducing the masking probability in transition count testing

Abstract A two-phase technique to reduce the masking probability of transition count testing is presented. The technique can reduce the probability of masking by 50% compared with the traditional transition count testing scheme. The first phase of the technique is identical to the traditional scheme. In the second-phase, the last bit of a response pattern is stored and compared with that of the reference pattern. Thus, the proposed technique requires only minimal overhead lo reduce the masking probability.
Microgenetic Study of Change: What Has It Told Us?:

The microgenetic method has been advocated by developmentalists as a promising tool in the study of change Despite convergence of findings across investigators and diverse domains, however, several fundamental questions need to be answered (a) Is the potential for change specific to periods of developmental transition? (b) Is change domain-general or domain-specific? (c) Why and how does change occur? Answers to these questions bear on the extent to which microgenetic study of change can be interpreted as providing insight into the natural change process
An unusual coccidian parasite causing pneumonia in a northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis).

In June 1993 an unusual coccidian parasite was identified in lung tissue from a northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) collected near Tucson, Arizona (USA), which died in respiratory distress. Histologically, there was evidence of severe, generalized interstitial pneumonia, associated with the parasite. Both asexual and sexual stages were seen. Schizonts, gamonts, and sporulated oocysts were seen in lung tissue. The parasite most closely resembled coccidia of the genus Lankesterella. This is the first report of such a coccidian parasite in the alveolar tissue of a cardinal.
Device-Optimization Technique for Robust and Low-Power FinFET SRAM Design in NanoScale Era

In this paper, we propose a methodology to model and optimize FinFET devices for robust and low-power SRAMs. We propose to optimize the gate sidewall offset spacer thickness to simultaneously minimize leakage current and drain capacitance to on-current ratio in FinFET. With the source/drain extension doping controlled at the outer edges of the spacer, the thickness of the spacer determines the channel length. Optimization reduces the sensitivity of the device threshold voltage to the fluctuations in silicon thickness (by 32%) and gate length (by 73%). Our analysis shows that optimization of spacer thickness results in 65% reduction in SRAM cell leakage and improves cell read-failure probability (by 200 X) compared to conventional FinFET SRAM. Access time of an SRAM cell designed with optimized devices is comparable to conventional SRAM. We also compared the optimized-spacer-thickness SRAM cell with one designed using longer gate length and minimum-spacer-thickness transistors. The long-channel-device-based SRAM cell is marginally robust than optimized SRAM; however, increased gate-edge direct-tunneling leakage and parasitic capacitances degrade the power consumption and access time.
Sudden-onset asthma exacerbations: clinical features, response to therapy, and 2-week follow-up

Sudden-onset asthma exacerbations may have different triggers and responses to treatment than slower-onset exacerbations. The authors studied this hypothesis among patients with severe asthma exacerbations. The Multicenter Airway Research Collaboration prospectively enrolled patients presenting to 64 North American emergency departments with asthma exacerbations. Of 1,847 patients aged 18-54 yrs, 900 had severe exacerbations (peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) 3 h of symptoms) groups. Fourteen per cent (95% confidence interval, 11-16%) of patients with severe asthma exacerbations had sudden-onset exacerbations. Sudden-onset patients were similar to slower-onset patients, except triggers of their exacerbations were more often respiratory allergens, exercise or psychosocial stress and less often respiratory infections. Sudden-onset patients were more likely to have used oral beta-agonists and salmeterol in the preceding 4 weeks. Although initial PEFRs and management were similar, sudden-onset patients had a greater improvement in PEFR (35 versus 28% p<0.001). Sudden-onset patients were less often discharged on systemic corticosteroids, but had similar 2-week relapse rates compared with slower-onset patients. Among patients presenting with severe asthma exacerbations, sudden-onset exacerbations had a different pattern of triggers and greater improvement with treatment than slower-onset exacerbations.
Sex- and brain region-specific acceleration of β-amyloidogenesis following behavioral stress in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Background: It is hypothesized that complex interactions between multiple environmental factors and genetic factors are implicated in sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (AD); however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Importantly, recent evidence reveals that expression and activity levels of the b-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1), which initiates amyloid-b (Ab) production, are elevated in AD brains. In this study, we investigated a molecular mechanism by which sex and stress interactions may accelerate b-amyloidogenesis and contribute to sporadic AD. Results: We applied 5-day restraint stress (6 h/day) to the male and female 5XFAD transgenic mouse model of AD at the pre-pathological stage of disease, which showed little amyloid deposition under non-stressed control conditions. Exposure to the relatively brief behavioral stress increased levels of neurotoxic Ab42 peptides, the b-secretase-cleaved C-terminal fragment (C99) and plaque burden in the hippocampus of female 5XFAD mice but not in that of male 5XFAD mice. In contrast, significant changes in the parameters of b-amyloidosis were not observed in the cerebral cortex of stressed male or female 5XFAD mice. We found that this sex- and brain region-specific acceleration of b-amyloidosis was accounted for by elevations in BACE1 and APP levels in response to adverse stress. Furthermore, not only BACE1 mRNA but also phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor eIF2a (a proposed mediator of the post-transcriptional upregulation of BACE1) was elevated in the hippocampus of stressed female 5XFAD mice. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the higher prevalence of sporadic AD in women may be attributable to the vulnerability of female brains (especially, the hippocampus) to stressful events, which alter APP processing to favor the b-amyloidogenesis through the transcriptional and translational upregulation of BACE1 combined with elevations in its substrate APP.
FOLIAR APPLICATION OF INSECTICEDS FOR SOYBEAN APHID MANAGEMENT IN SOUTH DAKOTA, 2013

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, can be a serious problem of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill., production in South Dakota. The economic threshold is 250 soybean aphids on 80% of sampled plants around the R4 soybean development stage. When the threshold is reached, it may warrant an insecticide treatment to prevent potential yield loss through R5 soybean development stage. During the 2015 growing season, we conducted a field study near Brookings, South Dakota, using four foliar applied insecticides for control of soybean aphid. The insecticides were applied at 16 gallons per acre (GPA) using a bicycle push …
Design, Fabrication, and Evaluation of a Distributed Piston Strain-Energy Accumulator

AbstractBy utilizing multiple energy domains, hybrid vehicles seek to harness the strengths of each domain in order to make up for the weaknesses of the other. Hydraulic hybrids in particular offer a solution to regenerative braking that exploits the power density, transmission flexibility, and rugged efficiency that hydraulic technology offers. Hydraulic regeneration utilizing an accumulator is not hampered by the relatively low power density of electric batteries, and offers greater opportunity for safer, more distributed storage than strictly mechanical regeneration techniques. This paper presents the design and experimental results-based projected performance of a distributed piston strain energy accumulator. By storing energy as strain energy in a material, strain energy accumulators offer the potential of increased energy density, efficiency and lower maintenance over gas-charged accumulators. Material selection for a strain energy accumulator is discussed for polyurethane materials with regard to h...
Packability of Five Spheres on a Sphere Implies Packability of Six

* . . . f Whlle trylng to determlne how many nonoverlapplng spheres of radlus r2 can be tangent to (and outside of) a sphere of radius r1, we discovered a startling fact: If r1 and r2 are such that it is not possible to pack (i.e., place) six spheres as described, then it is not possible to pack five spheres either; the maximum number for which one can hope drops from six to four, skipping five, as rJr1 increases from 1 + 4. Stated alternately, whenever r1 and r2 are such that five spheres can be packed, then it is always possible to rearrange the packing to make room for a sixth sphere. We believe that this result is of interest because it can be understood by people with little mathematical background, and at the same time it illustrates how counterintuitive mathematics can be at times. The proof also nicely illustrates the usefulness of using different coordinate systems, among other things. The idea of packing spheres around another sphere has its beginnings from an apparent conversation between Isaac Newton and t)avid Gregory in 1694. The question that arose between them was: "Can a rigid material sphere be brought into contact with 13 other spheres of the same size?" Gregoxy thought the answer was yes, while Newton thought no. 180 years later in 1874, Newton's answer was shown to be the case [1]. Our results follow from the following two-part theorem.
Design of an Intelligent Charger of Ni-MH Batteries

In view of problems that charger of Ni-MH batteries based on MAX713 is only used in charging for 1~16 Ni-MH batteries and exists virtual filling,the paper proposed a design scheme of intelligent charger of Ni-MH batteries which can charge for more than 16 Ni-MH batteries.The charger takes MAX713 as basis and uses serial way to link batteries,and is added timing detection function which can ensure fully filling of Ni-MH batteries through controlling relay by single-chip microcomputer.The actual application showed that the charger has certain practicability.
Bandsaw: Log-powered test scenario generation for distributed systems

Software testing is a widely used technique to eliminate defects and improve software quality. Testing is especially useful in the context of large distributed systems, which are notoriously difficult to reason about formally and remain out of reach for many existing analysis tools. A key problem in formulating a test case is identifying scenarios that can be (1) induced by a valid execution of the system under test, and are (2) different from the scenarios exercised by the suite of existing test cases. Today, this is done manually — a developer writes the code for a test case after considering the system implementation and the existing test suite. For a distributed system, this mental effort can be overwhelming since test cases are usually concurrent, involve multiple nodes and numerous message interleavings. Moreover, when coming up with a new test case, the developer usually focuses on the code artifacts and rarely, if ever, thinks about the abstract scenarios that the testing code represents. The goal of our tool, Bandsaw, is to automate test scenario generation for distributed systems by considering the log of system’s test suite executions. Bandsawgenerated scenarios are intended to be converted into test cases by the developer, which can then be run to test the implementation. Bandsaw, therefore, saves the developer the mental effort involved in coming up with a new test case. Test scenarios are also more abstract and simpler than the underlying testing code. These scenarios help developers to more easily reason about their test suites. Bandsaw takes as input a console log file generated by the existing test suite, and outputs a new scenario. By construction, this scenario is (1) different from the ones already encoded in the test suite and (2) plausible — likely to be induced by a valid run of the system. Bandsaw generates scenarios by exploring different interleavings of concurrent events and stitching together previously observed scenarios at those points when the system is likely to be in a common state. The generated scenarios satisfy a set of automatically-mined, key temporal properties that are true of all the existing scenarios. The careful stitching of scenarios and the preservation of the mined properties make the resulting scenarios plausible. buy search search available
Sugino Public Elementary School

Sugino Public Elementary School is located in a large subsidized housing project. Because of its location and the subsidized apartments, the school has an unusually high proportion of foreign-national students for a public school. Of the 226 students, 99 (or 43 percent) are language minority students (66 are of foreign nationalities and 33 naturalized Japanese). Fifty-three percent of the foreign-national students are Chinese, and the others are mostly the children of war refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The majority came to Japan at a young age or were born in Japan. The Chinese children are mostly family members and relatives of war orphans, who are given priority in settling in the housing project. The high concentration of refugees — a small portion of the foreign population in Japan — in the housing project has to do with the existence of a refugee settlement center in the vicinity. Although the center closed several years before, many of the Indochinese refugees, who spent their first days in Japan at the center, have since settled and found jobs in the area. Many of Sugino’s children, both Japanese and non-Japanese, come from single-parent homes and families on welfare, since eligibility for the housing project is limited to low-income families. The first time I walked to the school from the nearby train station, I wondered why I was passing by so many people in wheelchairs.
Detection of local DNA copy number changes in lung cancer population analyses using a multi-scale approach

Emerging advances in genomic sequencing have prompted the development of new computational methods for studying the genomic sources of human diseases. This paper presents a recent statistical approach for detection of local regions with significant copy number alterations (CNAs) in lung cancer population. Mapping such regions is of interest as they are potentially associated with lung cancer. Conventional application of multiple testing methods corresponds to testing for CNAs at each probe separately and thresholding the t-statistics as test statistics. Due to the large number of probes, this approach often fails to detect CNA regions. In contrast, the proposed method uses the heights of located peaks and improves the detection power. This is achieved by taking advantage of the spatial structure in the data as well as reducing the number of tests in the multiple comparisons problem. In copy number analysis, it is common to apply segmentation or change detection tools to each individual genomic sample. However, since segmentation results vary among subjects, it becomes difficult to find the common genomic regions in population analyses. Our approach solves this problem by performing the analysis using summary statistics to study at population level directly. Hence, the region detection is performed on the summary t-statistic map. The proposed method is applied to lung cancer data and shows promise for detection of local regions with significant CNAs.
Taking the Home

This essay juxtaposes two Supreme Court cases, Kelo v. City of New London, and Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales. Both reflect on the meanings of home as simultaneously the source of security against the focal point of anxieties about crossing between the categories of the private and the public. This essay traces the specter of doubleness that haunts the home in the law: the uncanny ways in which the home emerges as the exemplary private institution and the exemplary public concern in our society.
Money and Assets

Capital is saved-up labor and saved-up land. Interest is the difference between the marginal productivity of saved-up labor and land and of current labor and land.
Infant gastrostomy outcomes: The cost of complications.

Abstract Purpose Comparative outcomes of enhanced percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) and laparoscopic gastrostomy (LG) have not been elucidated in infants. We describe the outcomes and procedural episodic expenditures of PEG versus LG in this high-risk population. Methods One hundred eighty-three gastrostomies in children under 1year were reviewed from our institution spanning 1/2011–6/2015. Pertinent demographics and 3-month complications (mortality, gastrocolic fistula, reoperation, cellulitis, granulation, pneumonia, and tube dislodgement Results Seventy-eight PEG and 105 LG infants were compared. LG infants were significantly younger, had higher ASA class, and increased frequency of cardiopulmonary disease. Significant major complications included a 3.8% incidence of gastrocolic fistula among PEGs (3.8% vs 0%, p =0.04) and 7.6% early tube dislodgements among LG infants (0 vs. 7.6%, p =0.01), resulting in $86,896 of additional charges with PEG complication. Incorporating complication frequency, average charges and variable cost per case were $8964 and $253 greater using PEG. Conclusions Despite a healthier cohort, infants undergoing enhanced PEG have more morbid and costly complications. LG may be the less burdensome approach to gastrostomy in infants. Level of evidence: Case–Control Study/Retrospective Comparative Study – Level III.
Computational electromagnetic simulation and performance analysis of reconfigurable antennas for outdoor 60 GHz applications

A number of measurement based studies have demonstrated that adaptive steering of highly directional antenna beams can overcome higher path loss of signals at millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies. In this paper, we present a novel 60 GHz pattern reconfigurable antenna capable of steering its beams in both the azimuth and the elevation directions. The performance of this steerable antenna is evaluated via ray tracing simulations of an urban city model. In both the line of sight (LOS) and non line of sight (NLOS) scenarios, the proposed antenna outperforms a conventional omni-directional antenna in terms of received power and delay spread characteristics.
When Am I Ever Going to Use This in the Real World? Cognitive Flexibility and Urban Adolescents' Negotiation of the Value of Mathematics

Many adolescent learners have difficulty understanding the relevance of mathematics for their lives. This problem is particularly pernicious among Black and Latino adolescents who often face cultural stigma that can affect their perceived value of mathematics. The present study used concurrent nested mixed methods to explore this issue in 419 urban Black and Latino adolescents. Structured classroom observations, a computerized cognitive assessment, and surveys were used to examine how teacher math applications (TMAs) and adolescent cognitive flexibility interact to predict students’ valuing of mathematics. From a subset of the larger sample (n = 37), semistructured qualitative interviews were used to understand how these adolescents came to view mathematics as a transformative tool in their lives, particularly in the face of cultural stigma. The quantitative results revealed that TMAs were associated with students’ value of mathematics. However, these results also illustrated how TMAs interacted with adolescent cognitive flexibility to predict students’ growth in valuing mathematics over the school year. The qualitative interviews corroborated the quantitative findings, but also revealed 3 themes that extended the quantitative results, uncovering racialized facets of valuing mathematics. The 3 themes that emerged were: utility orientations, alternative messengers, and resisting stigma and protecting collective identity. Altogether, these results demonstrated the role real-world applications, race, and adolescent cognition can have in urban mathematics classrooms. These findings suggest teachers’ sensitivity to these issues can support Black and Latino adolescents’ persistence in mathematics and understanding of self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Angular momentum of free variable mass systems is partially conserved

Variable mass systems are a classic example of open systems in classical mechanics with rockets being a standard practical example. Due to the changing mass, the angular momentum of these systems is not generally conserved. Here, we show that the angular momentum vector of a free variable mass system is fixed in inertial space and, thus, is a partially conserved quantity. It is well known that such conservation rules allow simpler approaches to solving the equations of motion. This is demonstrated by using a graphical technique to obtain an analytic solution for the second Euler angle that characterizes nutation in spinning bodies.
Participant Perceptions of Potential Employers

This study was designed to examine participants' perceptions of targets who varied in Likelihood to Sexually Harass (LSH; J. B. Pryor, 1987) scores. Ninety-four Caucasian participants were shown videotapes of male targets who had scored either high or low on the LSH scale. In half of the sessions, the participants watched the videotapes without sound and in the other half the participants watched the videotapes with the sound on. Participants then generated open-ended responses to a question asking them to imagine what it would be like to have this man as an employer. Judges who were unaware of the purpose of the study independently rated the open-ended responses for their evaluative implications (positive or negative), context (professional or interpersonal), as well as their domain (affiliative or dominant). Results indicate that overall men who were high in LSH were viewed most negatively and least positively compared to their low LSH counterparts. This is consistent with previous research by D. M. Driscoll, J. R. Kelly, and W. L. Henderson (1998) on identification of men with sexual harassment proclivity. Men who are high or low in LSH behave in different ways and participants are able to pick up on the cues associated with this important personality factor.
Telling Untold Stories: Digital Textual Recovery Methods

As digital environments are increasingly being subsumed by corporations, the digital cultural memory of humanity is in danger of becoming a product of corporate interests. Yet, within Digital Humanities, a long-standing tradition of digital editing emphasizes the need to recover and represent the work of writers outside of the dominant cultures of the Global North. This chapter discusses the development of The Harlem Shadows Project, a critical digital edition of Claude McKay’s poetry. Contextualizing this work as digital textual recovery, it discusses using the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) guidelines for digitized texts, describes the process of developing the edition, considers alternatives to TEI, and offers guidance for those who want to begin building a critical digital edition.
atSNP Search: a web resource for statistically evaluating influence of human genetic variation on transcription factor binding.

Summary Understanding the regulatory roles of non-coding genetic variants has become a central goal for interpreting results of genome-wide association studies. The regulatory significance of the variants may be interrogated by assessing their influence on transcription factor binding. We have developed atSNP Search, a comprehensive web database for evaluating motif matches to the human genome with both reference and variant alleles and assessing the overall significance of the variant alterations on the motif matches. Convenient search features, comprehensive search outputs and a useful help menu are key components of atSNP Search. atSNP Search enables convenient interpretation of regulatory variants by statistical significance testing and composite logo plots, which are graphical representations of motif matches with the reference and variant alleles. Existing motif-based regulatory variant discovery tools only consider a limited pool of variants due to storage or other limitations. In contrast, atSNP Search users can test more than 37 billion variant-motif pairs with marginal significance in motif matches or match alteration. Computational evidence from atSNP Search, when combined with experimental validation, may help with the discovery of underlying disease mechanisms. Availability and implementation atSNP Search is freely available at http://atsnp.biostat.wisc.edu. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on hospitalizations for pneumonia in the United States.

Introduction: Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children and older adults. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) were introduced into the US routine infant va...