cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SPICE macro models for annular MOSFETs

MOSFETs with annular, or enclosed, geometries are now finding frequent use in rad-hard by design (RHBD) approaches to designing custom CMOS ASICs for aerospace applications. Unfortunately, these devices are not accurately modeled by the BSIM3 models normally provided for devices with ordinary rectangular gates. We present a SPICE macro model for an annular n-channel MOSFET to account for the annular geometry effects on gate overlap capacitance and output conductance.
Children's Coping and Adjustment in High-Conflict Homes: The Reformulation of Emotional Security Theory

Repeated exposure to interparental conflict increases children's vulnerability to a range of psychological problems by undermining their emotional security in the relationship between parents. However, emotional security theory in its original form lacks the depth and precision to guide hypotheses regarding individual differences in the nature, precursors, and sequelae of children's emotional security. In this article, we summarize a reformulated version of the theory to address this gap. Specifically, we focus on the ways in which the reformulated theory can elucidate: (a) the nature and developmental implications of systematically characterizing the inner workings of emotional security as a goal system, (b) the relative potency of family characteristics as sources of individual differences in children's emotional security, and (c) processes associated with developmental cascades that account for how and why emotional insecurity is linked to a range of psychological problems.
Cdc42p and Fus2p act together late in yeast cell fusion

Cell fusion is the key event of fertilization that gives rise to the diploid zygote and is a nearly universal aspect of eukaryotic biology. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, several mutants have been identified that are defective for cell fusion, and yet the molecular mechanism of this process remains obscure. One obstacle has been that genetic screens have mainly focused on mating-specific factors, whereas the process likely involves housekeeping proteins as well. Here we implicate Cdc42p, an essential protein with roles in multiple aspects of morphogenesis, as a core component of the yeast cell fusion pathway. We identify a point mutant in the Rho-insert domain of CDC42, called cdc42-138, which is specifically defective in cell fusion. The cell fusion defect is not a secondary consequence of ineffective signaling or polarization. Genetic and morphological data show that Cdc42p acts at a late stage in cell fusion in concert with a key cell fusion regulator, Fus2p, which contains a Dbl-homology domain. We find that Fus2p binds specifically with activated Cdc42p, and binding is blocked by the cdc42-138 mutation. Thus, in addition to signaling and morphogenetic roles in mating, Cdc42p plays a role late in cell fusion via activation of Fus2p.
Acid Sphingomyelinase–Deficient Human Lymphoblasts and Mice Are Defective in Radiation-Induced Apoptosis

Abstract Stress is believed to activate sphingomyelinase to generate ceramide, which serves as a second messenger in initiating the apoptotic response. Conclusive evidence for this paradigm, however, is lacking. In the present study, we used a genetic approach to address this issue directly. We show that lymphoblasts from Niemann–Pick patients, which have an inherited deficiency of acid sphingomyelinase activity, fail to respond to ionizing radiation with ceramide generation and apoptosis. These abnormalities are reversible upon restoration of acid sphingomyelinase activity by retroviral transfer of human acid sphingomyelinase cDNA. Acid sphingomyelinase knockout mice also expressed defects in radiation-induced ceramide generation and apoptosis in vivo. Comparison with p53 knockout mice revealed that acid sphingomyelinase–mediated apoptosis and p53-mediated apoptosis are likely distinct and independent. These genetic models provide definitive evidence for the involvement of acid sphingomyelinase in one form of stress-induced apoptosis.
Phase diagrams of lattice gauge theories with Higgs fields

We study the phase diagram of lattice gauge theories coupled to fixed-length scalar (Higgs) fields. We consider several gauge groups: ${Z}_{2}$, U(1), and $\mathrm{SU}(N)$. We find that when the Higgs fields transform like the fundamental representation of the gauge group the Higgs and confining phases are smoothly connected, i.e., they are not separated by a phase boundary. When the Higgs fields transform like some representation other than the fundamental, a phase boundary may exist. This is the case for $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ with all the Higgs fields in the adjoint representation and for U(1) with all the Higgs fields in the charge-$N(Ng1)$ representation. We present an argument due to Wegner that indicates the stability of the pure gauge transition. Another phase, free charge or Coulomb, is generally present. In this regime, the spectrum of the theory contains massless gauge bosons (for continuous groups) and finite-energy states that represent free charges.
Short-Term Convective Mode Evolution along Synoptic Boundaries

Abstract This paper investigates the relationships between short-term convective mode evolution, the orientations of vertical shear and mean wind vectors with respect to the initiating synoptic boundary, the motion of the boundary, and the role of forcing for ascent. The dominant mode of storms (linear, mixed mode, and discrete) was noted 3 h after convective initiation along cold fronts, drylines, or prefrontal troughs. Various shear and mean wind vector orientations relative to the boundary were calculated near the time of initiation. Results indicate a statistical correlation between storm mode at 3 h, the normal components of cloud-layer and deep-layer shear vectors, the boundary-relative mean cloud-layer wind vector, and the type of initiating boundary. Thunderstorms, most of which were initially discrete, tended to evolve more quickly into lines or mixed modes when the normal components of the shear vectors and boundary-relative mean cloud-layer wind vectors were small. There was a tendency for stor...
Aflatoxicosis: the presence of aflatoxins or their metabolites in livers and skeletal muscles of chickens.

Abstract INTRODUCTION FOLLOWING the discovery of aflatoxins, which are produced by certain strains of Aspergillus flavus (Sargeant et al., 1961), interest has developed in mycotoxicological investigations. Aflatoxin is composed of at least 4 difurano coumatin derivatives which, when separated by thin layer chromatography (TLC), fluoresce under long-wave ultraviolet light in descending order as blue (B1 and B2) and green (G1 and G2) spots (Asao et al., 1963Asao et al., 1965; de Iongl et al., 1962; Hartley et al., 1963). Of the 4 derivatives, B1 is the most toxic, with an LD50 of 18.2 μg. in day old ducklings, (Carnaghan et al., 1963). Metabolism of aflatoxin occurs primarily in the liver, but metabolic pathways are not fully understood. Although numerous reports have been published on the biological, chemical and toxic properties of aflatoxin, its presence in food of animal origin and destined for human consumption has not been adequately established (Hesseltine et al., 1966).…
Interim analyses in clinical trials: Classical vs. bayesian approaches

This paper concerns interim analysis in clinical trials involving two treatments from the points of view of both classical and Bayesian inference. I criticize classical hypothesis testing in this setting and describe and recommend a Bayesian approach in which sampling stops when the probability that one treatment is the better exceeds a specified value. I consider application to normal sampling analysed in stages and evaluate the gain in average sample number as a function of the number of interim analyses.
Learning Business Process Simulation Via Experiential Learning

The use of discrete event simulation as a process analysis and improvement tool is no longer limited to industrial engineering curricula. With advancements in desktop computing power, we have seen user-friendly simulation software packages become available (e.g. ProModel, Arena, ProcessModel). However, we have found it desirable that students still learn the very basic concepts behind these simulation models in order to better understand their development and use. We present a simple classroom game that teaches students the basic discrete-event simulation concepts and processes without requiring them to learn all the underlying mathematics and scientific theory.
MMM: a sequence-to-structure alignment protocol

Motivation: Accurate alignment of a target sequence to a template structure continues to be a bottleneck in producing good quality comparative protein structure models. Results: Multiple Mapping Method (MMM) is a comparative protein structure modeling server with an emphasis on a novel alignment optimization protocol. MMM takes inputs from five profile-to-profile based alignment methods. The alternatively aligned regions from the input alignment set are combined according to their fit in the structural environment of the template structure. The resulting, optimally spliced MMM alignment is used as input to an automated comparative modeling module to produce a full atom model. Availability: The MMM server is freely accessible at http://www.fiserlab.org/servers/mmm Contact: andras@fiserlab.org
Mitochondrial distribution and glycogen dynamics suggest diffusion constraints in muscle fibers of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus.

The scaling of mitochondrial distribution, citrate synthase activity, and post- contractile glycogen recovery was examined in muscle fibers of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. The fast-twitch muscle fibers of C. sapidus can reach extremely large dimensions, which may impose constraints on aerobic metabolic processes. However, muscle cells from small crabs are not giant, meaning that during development muscle fibers cross and greatly exceed the surface area to volume (SAV) and diffusion threshold that is adhered to by the cells of most organisms. Cell diameters in the smallest size class were C100 mm, while the largest size class had cell diameters in excess of 500 mm. In the smallest cells, the fractional area of subsarcolemmal and intermyofibrillar mitochondria was similar. However, in the largest cells, mitochondria were almost exclusively subsarcolemmal. Total fractional area of mitochondria was highest in the largest cells due to a proliferation of subsarcolemmal mitochondria. In contrast, citrate synthase activity decreased as cell size increased. Following burst contractile activity, glycogen concentrations decreased significantly and remained depressed for several hours in muscle comprised of giant cells, consistent with previous findings that anaerobic glycogenolysis fuels certain components of post-contractile recovery. However, in muscle composed of the smallest muscle cells, glycogen levels did not decrease significantly following burst activity. While normal scaling of aerobic metabolism would predict a slower aerobic recovery in larger animals, the present results suggest that cellular organization, SAV, and intracellular diffusion distances also impose constraints on aerobic processes in C. sapidus. J. Exp. Zool. 297A:
Optical Control of Reconfigurable Antennas and Application to a Novel Pattern-Reconfigurable Planar Design

This paper discusses techniques for optical control of reconfigurable antennas using commercially available devices. These techniques are applied to a pattern-reconfigurable planar antenna that integrates optical control circuitry to switch folded microstrip radiators arranged in each of the quadrants. By switching between the microstrip elements, the designed antenna can generate a single omnidirectional or four directional patterns, maintaining good impedance matching within the 2.4 GHz WiFi band. We investigated two possible strategies for optical control: 1) p-i-n photodectors based switching, and 2) phototransistor controlled RF p-i-n diodes switches. Extended numerical and experimental analysis was carried out for the latter technique, discussing advantages and limitations when employed as RF switch on reconfigurable antennas. Finally, measurements of input impedance and radiation patterns were collected to validate the proposed optically controlled antenna design and compared to standard electronic control.
Quantitative elastography and its application to blood pressure estimation: Theoretical and experimental results

Elastography is a method that can be used to measure the elasticity of soft biological tissue and, ultimately, to detect cancerous tumors. In this paper, quantitative elastography is developed using a fast multi-scale approach. Results are presented in simulation and preliminary results are presented in experiment. The optimization methods of elastography are applied to measure noninvasively the arterial wall stiffness of a vessel as well as blood pressure. Simulation results are presented that confirm the accuracy of methods, and preliminary experimental results are presented that measure pressure within a cylindrical cavity in a phantom. Using ultrasound, these methods could provide noninvasive continuous measurement of blood pressure in major arteries and could give doctors another method with which to gather information about a patient's cardiovascular health.
Splenic SPECT Images Confirm Splenosis: A Case Report

Objective: Although uncommon, accessory spleens may be visualized on the splenic images using 99mTc-sulfur colloid. Splenic trauma is relatively common in patients who have received trauma to the upper abdomen or the left lower rib cage (1). In such patients who experience severe trauma to the spleen, splenic tissue may spill into the peritoneal cavity and remain viable. This entity is called splenosis and is visualized as the viable splenic tissue retains its reticuloendothelial function (2). Methods: We report on a female patient with prior splenic trauma and a history of breast cancer who was referred for a computed tomographic (CT) scan of the abdomen. Multiple abnormal masses were identified in the mesentery. The pathology of these masses was considered to be either splenic tissue or metastatic carcinoma. Results: A sulfur colloid scan of the abdomen and SPECT images correlated to the CT scans confirmed reticuloendothelial function within these masses, thus splenosis. Conclusions: Splenosis can be successfully identified using 99mTc-sulfur colloid due to the reticuloendothelial function of these tissues.
Fecundity and fertility changes in adult codling moth (Lepidoptera : Tortricidae) exposed to surfaces treated with tebufenozide and methoxyfenozide

The effects on the fecundity and fertility of codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), exposed as adults to surfaces treated with the ecdysone agonists tebufenozide (RH-5992) and methoxyfenozide (RH-2485) were examined. The 1st part of the study consisted of recently emerged moths being exposed to treated surfaces continuously throughout their lives (including mating and oviposition). Continuous exposure to tebufenozide- or methoxyfenozide-treated surfaces significantly reduced the mean number of eggs laid and the percentage of eggs that hatched. The 2nd part of the study involved exposure of recently emerged virgin moths (by sex) to treated surfaces for 24 h, after which, the exposed moths were paired with a nontreated partner to mate and oviposit on nontreated surfaces. In this experiment, significant reductions in mean fecundity and fertility to tebufenozide-treated surfaces occurred only when the female moth was treated (exposed). However, exposure to methoxyfenozide-treated surfaces, regardless of whether only the female or male was treated, significantly reduced moth fecundity and fertility.
Amorphous Hydrogenated Silicon Carbide Prepared from DC-Biased RF-Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition

We present evidence that an independently applied dc bias voltage has a significant effect on the plasma deposition of amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide. Deposition rates increase with either positive or negative dc voltages applied to the powered rf electrode. The microstructure of the films (as determined by infrared absorption) can be reduced by increasing the plasma potential (positive dc bias voltages). Negative dc biases, or excessively high positive biases, result in increased amounts of film microstructure. Film carbon content is increased when positive biases are applied, but the optical band gaps decrease suggesting increased amounts of graphitic bonding configurations. Negative biases do not change the carbon content of the films, but do increase both deposition rate and microstructure.
Mechanical Properties of B4C-SiC Whisker Composite Ceramics

Composite ceramics of B4C containing up to 30vol% SiC whisker were fabricated by hot pressing at 2000°-2200°C under 30MPa for 30min. The mechanical properties (bending strength, fracture toughness, hardness, elastic modules) of the hot pressed bodies were measured. Fully dense B4C-SiC whisker composite ceramics were obtained at the whisker contents up to 30vol% at a sintering temperature above 2100°C. These composites had maximum strength at the whisker content of 10 or 20vol% depending upon the hot pressing temperature. The composite containing 10vol% SiC whisker, fired at 2100°C, had the highest strength (about 830MPa), which was 40% larger than that of monolithic B4C. Slight increase of fracture toughness were obtained in the composites because there was no pull-out of whiskers and no crack deflection in the fracture process. The strength and fracture toughness of the composites containing whiskers with a small diameter were lower than those of the composites with a large diameter, since the whiskers with a small diameter could not maintain their original morphology after sintering. The hardness and elastic modulus were 30GPa and 430GPa, respectively, independent of whisker addition.
Computer-Assisted Measurement and Identification of Honey Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

A procedure is described for rapid measurement and identification of honey bees, Apis mellifera L. Parts of bees are slide mounted, and the images are projected optically onto a digitizer tablet that communicates with a computer. Point coordinates for measurements are entered by hand with the digitizer. The computer calculates the various measurements and then determines by discriminant analysis whether the bees are likely to be European or Africanized in origin. The procedure significantly reduces the time and errors in making measurements. Blind tests of field identifications versus analytical identifications agreed in 95.6% of 135 collections. Five other collections with intermediate discriminant scores could have been caused by mixtures of Africanized and European bees, recent hybridization, or unusual environmental stresses that caused a reduction in the size of European honey bees.
Police officers’ attitudes toward diversity issues Comparing supervisors and non-supervisors on multicultural skills, values, and training

Policing in a multicultural society presents particular challenges both to officers and community residents. This study addresses police officers’ perceptions of multicultural skills, values, and training needed to serve diverse communities better. Of particular interest is whether police supervisors and non-supervisors differ in their attitudes toward multicultural skills, multicultural values, and receptiveness toward diversity training. Results of a web-based survey from over 500 police officers in Rhode Island suggest perceptions of multicultural skills, multicultural values, and training varied by supervisory status and years of experience.
‘Prolonged coasting’: an effective method for preventing severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in patients undergoing in-vitro fertilization

Over a 4 year period ending 1 January 1995, 51 women scheduled for in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer were inadvertently severely overstimulated with menotrophins, as evidenced by the development of > 29 ovarian follicles in association with peak plasma oestradiol concentrations of > 6000 pg/ml. Accordingly, these women were at great risk of developing life-endangering complications associated with severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Treatment involved withholding the administration of both menotrophins and human chorionic gonadotrophin for a number of days, while continuing gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist until the plasma oestradiol concentration fell to < 3000 pg/ml ('prolonged coasting'). The mean number of oocytes retrieved was 21.0, while the mean number of embryos transferred per procedure was 5.4. There were 21 clinical pregnancies (i.e. pregnancy rate of 41% per oocyte retrieval), 19 of which resulted in live births (i.e. a live birth rate of 37% per oocyte retrieval). Two pregnancies miscarried and there were four multiple gestations (three sets of twins and one set of triplets). None of the women developed severe OHSS. Prolonged coasting is an effective method of preventing the occurrence of severe OHSS without necessitating the cancellation of the IVF cycle or compromising success rates.
Comparison between two kinds of EMTP line models in steady-state calculations

Two kinds of EMTP line models in common use were compared. The calculation errors of normal π-circuit and constant parameter line model were analyzed. A calculation method was proposed to verify the accuracy of these models. The results show that normal-circuit is considerably accurate for lines of moderate length in power-frequency steady-state simulations. However, many EMTP users are in favor of constant parameter line model for un-transposed lines in steady-state calculations. The transformation matrix is complex and frequency dependent and must be approximated as a real matrix in this model. Therefore, large errors occur in some special cases with constant parameter line model. This problem should be deserved extra attention.
Do existing controlled vocabularies contain terminology needed for patient records

A 1996-97 study conducted by the National Library of Medicine and the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research aimed to determine how well existing vocabularies cover the concepts and terms needed in health information systems. The author describes the hypothesis underlying the study, how the process worked, its findings, and implications for future vocabulary development.
Gestational Weight Gain: Results from the Delta Healthy Sprouts Comparative Impact Trial

Introduction. Delta Healthy Sprouts trial was designed to test the comparative impact of two home visiting programs on weight status, dietary intake, and health behaviors of Southern African American women and their infants. Results pertaining to the primary outcome, gestational weight gain, are reported. Methods. Participants (n = 82), enrolled early in their second trimester of pregnancy, were randomly assigned to one of two treatment arms. Gestational weight gain, measured at six monthly home visits, was calculated by subtracting measured weight at each visit from self-reported prepregnancy weight. Weight gain was classified as under, within, or exceeding the Institute of Medicine recommendations based on prepregnancy body mass index. Chi-square tests and generalized linear mixed models were used to test for significant differences in percentages of participants within recommended weight gain ranges. Results. Differences in percentages of participants within the gestational weight gain guidelines were not significant between treatment arms across all visits. Conclusions. Enhancing the gestational nutrition and physical activity components of an existing home visiting program is feasible in a high risk population of primarily low income African American women. The impact of these enhancements on appropriate gestational weight gain is questionable given the more basic living needs of such women. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01746394, registered 4 December 2012.
Identify the differential response of Kupffer cell subsets during liver inflammation

Kupffer cells (KC) are the resident macrophages that reside within the lumen of the liver sinusoid. Based on the origin there are two different sub sets of liver kupffer cells. The long-lived, radio-resistant subset also known as the sessile KC, derives from the progenitor cells generated during development in the yolk sac and maintains through self-renewal. The short-lived, radio-sensitive subset originates from hematopoietic stem cells. KCs play a major role in liver homeostasis, hepatic injury and induction of fibro-genesis as well as resolution of inflammation and fibrosis. Determination of the exact role of those ontogenetically different KC subpopulations in those critical liver functions is eluded by the inability to distinguish between the two subsets. Sessile KCs cannot be isolated and hence need an in situ method to study their gene expression. We propose to use the Ribo tag approach combined with Cre recombinase driven by a macrophage specific promoter (Emr1) to isolate actively translating polyribosomes using a ribo immunoprecipitation technique. The isolated KC subset-specific RNA will be used to analyze the transcriptome during both steady state conditions and liver inflammation.
Processing-In-Memory Architecture Design for Accelerating Neuro-Inspired Algorithms

There has been a lot of work on accelerating neuro-inspired algorithms on the platforms of GPU, FPGA, and ASIC. Most prior work lies in the traditional processor-coprocessor architecture, in which data are accessed from main memory in a conventional way. This chapter introduces a novel processing-in-memory (PIM) architecture based on the resistive crossbar array structure for accelerating neuro-inspired algorithms, called PRIME. As the computing paradigm shifts from the computation-centric to the data-centric, PIM or near data computing (NDC) has become a promising solution to address the “memory wall” challenges by placing computation capabilities in or near memory. PRIME is a PIM architecture based on RRAM main memory design. It moves the computing resources to the memory side by adapting a portion of RRAM crossbar arrays in the main memory for efficient weighted sum and weight update operations in neuro-inspired algorithms. Moreover, it provides a set of circuit and microarchitecture design as well as system-level support to implement various deep neural networks (DNNs). Benefiting from both the PIM architecture and the efficiency of using RRAM crossbar arrays for neuro-inspired computing, PRIME can achieve significant performance improvement and energy saving compared with prior hardware acceleration work.
Report estimated quake death tolls to save lives

Earthquake survivors could be rescued more quickly if the media communicated the number of likely fatalities from the outset, argues Max Wyss.
Silica Nanoparticle as a Lymph Node Targeting Platform for Vaccine Delivery

Nanoparticles have emerged as the platform of choice to improve the efficacy and safety of subunit vaccines. A major challenge underlying the use of nanomaterials in vaccines lies in the particle designs that can efficiently target and activate the antigen-presenting cells, especially dendritic cells. Here we show a toll-like receptor 9 (TLR-9) agonist and antigen coloaded, silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) are able to accumulate in antigen presenting cells in the draining lymph nodes after injection. Vaccine loaded SiNPs led to dramatically enhanced induction of antigen-specific B and T cell responses as compared to soluble vaccines, which in turn drove a protective antitumoral immunity in a murine tumor model. Additionally, SiNP vaccines greatly reduced the production of systemic proinflammatory cytokines and completely abrogated splenomegaly, key systemic toxicities of TLR-9 agonists that limit their advances in clinical applications. Our results demonstrate that structure-optimized silica nanocarriers can ...
Contralesional Hemisphere Regulation of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation-Induced Kinetic Coupling in the Poststroke Lower Limb.

Background: The neural constraints underlying hemiparetic gait dysfunction are associated with abnormal kinetic outflow and altered muscle synergy structure. Recent evidence from our lab implicates the lesioned hemisphere in mediating the expression of abnormally coupled hip adduction and knee extension synergy, suggesting a role of cortical networks in the regulation of lower limb motor outflow post stroke. The potential contribution of contralesional hemisphere in regulating paretic leg kinetics is unknown. The purpose of this study is to characterize the effect of contralesional hemisphere activation on aberrant across joint kinetic coupling of the ipsilateral lower-extremity muscles post stroke Methods: Amplitude matched adductor longus motor evoked potentials were elicited using single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the lesioned (L-H) and contralesional hemispheres (CON-H) during an isometric adductor torque matching task from 11 stroke participants. For 10 control participants, TMS of the contralateral and ipsilateral hemisphere were given during the same task. TMS induced torques were characterized at the hip and knee joints to determine the differential regulation of abnormal kinetic synergies by each motor cortices. The TMS induced ratio of knee extension/ hip adduction torques was quantified during 40% and 20% of maximum adduction torque. Findings: For both the 40% and 20% target adduction tasks, we find that contralesional stimulation significantly reduced but did not eliminate the TMS induced ratio of knee extension/hip adduction torques for the stroke group (p=0.0468, p=0.0396). In contrast, the controls did not present a significantly different TMS evoked torque following stimulation (p=0.923) of the hemisphere ipsilateral to the test leg. Interpretation: The reduced expression of abnormal across joint kinetic coupling suggests that the contralesional hemisphere may contribute an adaptive role in lower limb control post stroke. Future study of neuromodulation paradigms that leverage adaptive CON-H activation may yield clinically relevant gains in lower limb motor function post-stroke.
Two types of aggression in human evolution.

Two major types of aggression, proactive and reactive, are associated with contrasting expression, eliciting factors, neural pathways, development, and function. The distinction is useful for understanding the nature and evolution of human aggression. Compared with many primates, humans have a high propensity for proactive aggression, a trait shared with chimpanzees but not bonobos. By contrast, humans have a low propensity for reactive aggression compared with chimpanzees, and in this respect humans are more bonobo-like. The bimodal classification of human aggression helps solve two important puzzles. First, a long-standing debate about the significance of aggression in human nature is misconceived, because both positions are partly correct. The Hobbes–Huxley position rightly recognizes the high potential for proactive violence, while the Rousseau–Kropotkin position correctly notes the low frequency of reactive aggression. Second, the occurrence of two major types of human aggression solves the execution paradox, concerned with the hypothesized effects of capital punishment on self-domestication in the Pleistocene. The puzzle is that the propensity for aggressive behavior was supposedly reduced as a result of being selected against by capital punishment, but capital punishment is itself an aggressive behavior. Since the aggression used by executioners is proactive, the execution paradox is solved to the extent that the aggressive behavior of which victims were accused was frequently reactive, as has been reported. Both types of killing are important in humans, although proactive killing appears to be typically more frequent in war. The biology of proactive aggression is less well known and merits increased attention.
A smoothed particle hydrodynamics model for electrostatic transport of charged lunar dust on the moon surface

The behavior of lunar dust on the Moon surface is quite complicated compared to that on the Earth surface due to the small lunar gravity and the significant influence of the complicated electrostatic filed in the Universe. Understanding such behavior is critical for the exploration of the Moon. This work develops a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) model with the elastic–perfectly plastic constitutive equation and Drucker–Prager yield criterion to simulate the electrostatic transporting of multiple charged lunar dust particles. The initial electric field is generated based on the particle-in-cell method and then is superposed with the additional electric field from the charged dust particles to obtain the resultant electric field in the following process. Simulations of cohesive soil’s natural failure and electrostatic transport of charged soil under the given electric force and gravity were carried out using the SPH model. Results obtained in this paper show that the negatively charged dust particles levitate and transport to the shadow area with a higher potential from the light area with a lower potential. The motion of soil particles finally comes to a stable state. The numerical result for final distribution of soil particles and potential profile above planar surface by the SPH method matches well with the experimental result, and the SPH solution looks sound in the maximum levitation height prediction of lunar dust under an uniform electric field compared to theoretical solution, which prove that SPH is a reliable method in describing the behavior of soil particles under a complicated electric field and small gravity field with the consideration of interactions among soil particles.
Instrumentation and Monitoring

Instrumentation has many uses in the successful evolution and operation of advanced coal utilization schemes, all of which involve promoting chemical reactions between coal and other reactants, such as air or oxygen, steam, hydrogen, limestone, or catalysts, in closed vessels. “Instrumentation” refers to any system by means of which information is obtained about the conditions inside these vessels or the pipes leading to and from them. This chapter will discuss the types and uses of instrumentation in advanced coal utilization systems and the special difficulties in making instruments operate in the hostile conditions present in advanced coal systems. Each major process variable (flow, temperature, composition, etc.) is then considered and surveyed for available and developmental instrumentation to monitor that variable, describing the principle of operation, limitations and major problems associated with use of that instrument, and the current status of the instrument. The reader who wishes more detail on available instrumentation used in the processing industries is referred to the two volume Instrument Engineer’s Handbook edited by Liptak (1969).
Litter chemistry influences decomposition through activity of specific microbial functional guilds

Niche differentiation among species is a key mechanism by which biodiversity may be linked to ecosystem function. We tested a set of widely invoked hypotheses about the extent of niche differentiation in one of the most diverse communities on Earth, decomposer microorganisms, by measuring their response to changes in three abundant litter resources: lignin, cellulose, and nitrogen (N). To do this, we used the model system Arabidopsis thaliana to manipulate lignin, cellulose, and N availability and then used high‐throughput sequencing to measure the response of microbial communities during decay. Resequencing the decomposer communities after incubation of decomposed litter with pure substrates showed that groups of species had unique substrate use profiles, such that species organized into functional “guilds” of decomposers that were associated with individual litter chemicals. Low concentrations of lignin, cellulose, or N in the litter caused unique shifts in decomposer community composition after 1 yr of decay. Low cellulose plants had low levels of fungi in all decomposer guilds, low lignin plants had high levels of fungi in all decomposer guilds, and low N plants had low levels of fungi in decomposer guilds associated with sucrose and lignin. The relative abundance of decomposer guilds correlated with the total loss of individual litter chemicals during litter decay in the field. In addition, N fertilization shifted decomposer communities during both the early and later stages of decay to those dominated by decomposers in the cellulose guild. Our results contrast the assumption that major carbon (C) and N degradation mechanisms are uniform across whole decomposer communities and instead suggest that decomposition arises from complementarity among groups of metabolically distinct taxa.
Stress Intensity Factors and Paths for Cracks in Photoelastic Motor Grain Models Under Internal Pressure

Abstract : Computational analysis and two-dimensional tensile tests on single motor grain fins suggest that cracks in fin tips are most likely to originate at the coalescence of a fin end tip radius, with a small radius from the side of the fin. Some manufacturers have also noticed defects formed during casting at the fin tip on the fin axis. The following is an experimental investigation utilizing frozen stress photoelastic models of an existing motor grain geometry in order to clarify stress intensity factor (SIF) values and crack growth paths for cracks emanating from the two above- noted potential critical loci. Comparisons between results from cracks grown from the two loci will be made, suggesting interesting conclusions.
Retinoblastoma Protein, Gene Expression, and Cell Cycle Control

Regulation of cell proliferation is achieved by the tight control of the progression through the cell cycle which controls the transition of cells between quiescent and growing states. This regulation relies on the coordinated balance between inhibitory and stimulatory signals. The stimulatory factors (e.g., growth factors) and their receptors are often encoded by a class of genes called proto-oncogenes. Cells also contain several inhibitory proteins, encoded by tumor suppressor genes which act as either censors or pacers (Marx, 1994).
Curb Your Enthusiasm for Pigouvian Taxes

Pigouvian (or "corrective") taxes have been proposed or enacted on dozens of products and activities that may be harmful in excess: carbon, gasoline, fat, sugar, guns, cigarettes, alcohol, traffic, zoning, executive pay, and financial transactions, among others. Academics of all political stripes are mystified by the public’s inability to see the merits of using Pigouvian taxes more frequently to address serious social harms. This enthusiasm for Pigouvian taxes should be tempered. A Pigouvian tax is easy to design — as a uniform excise tax — if one assumes that each individual causes the same amount of harm with each incremental increase in activity on the margin. This assumption of uniform marginal social cost pairs well with the limited information and enforcement capacity of tax institutions. But when marginal social cost varies significantly, a Pigouvian tax will not lead to an optimal allocation of economic resources. Focusing on carbon emissions, where the assumption of uniform marginal social cost happens to be reasonable, obscures this common design flaw. Broadly speaking, Pigouvian taxes should be employed only when (1) the harm is (or is properly analogized to) global pollution, and where the harm does not vary based on the source, or (2) the variation in marginal social cost is easily observed and categorized, as with traffic congestion charges. This straightforward insight has broad implications for how we design any targeted tax or subsidy. It explains why a carbon tax would work reasonably well, but some other environmental taxes would not. It explains why most food taxes are doomed to fail. It explains why most sin taxes are designed to raise revenue, not change behavior. It explains why so many tax subsidies are ineffective. And, more constructively, it identifies the limited conditions when Pigouvian taxes or subsidies should be employed.
Behavior and Physiology of the Redside Dace, Clinostomus elongatus, a Threatened Species in Michigan

The threatened status of redside dace, Clinostomus elongatus, in Michigan inhibits study and management of remnant populations of the species. We present a phenotypic approach to evaluate the use of redside dace from New York as behavioral and physiological models for Michigan populations. We evaluated behavioral similarity by comparing patterns of microhabitat use and physiological similarity by comparing resting routine metabolic rates measured in the field. Variation between sites in available microhabitat made direct comparisons difficult; however, redside dace in Michigan and New York showed a common preference for mid-water positions in the deepest parts of pools under overhanging structure. Field measurements at 10°C showed that Michigan fish had higher metabolic rates than rates predicted for New York fish at the same temperature, though biological significance of this difference is questionable. In laboratory experiments, we measured metabolic rate and upper thermal tolerance in relation to acclimation temperatures of 6–20°C using redside dace collected from four streams in New York. Redside dace showed a significant increase in metabolic rate as acclimation temperature increased (Q10=2.3). Critical thermal maxima (CTM) of New York redside dace also increased with acclimation temperature. Obstacles related to the transferability of habitat use data and variation in physiology due to uncontrolled and unmeasured environmental factors in the field lead us to urge caution when extrapolating behavioral and physiological characteristics between widely-separated populations of a species. Despite these obstacles, we described useful patterns of microhabitat use and provided estimates of physiological tolerances that will assist resource managers in the recovery of Michigan redside dace.
Informed Shared Decisions for Patients with Aortic Stenosis.

Valve replacement is the only effective treatment for adults with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis. The ideal prosthetic valve would be associated with minimal risk and discomfort at implantatio...
Photosynthetic parameters of Juglans nigra trees are linked to cumulative water stress

The influence of water deficits and drought on tree physiological processes, growth, and survival has been the focus of substantial research efforts and debate over the past decades, but there is s...
Granulomatous reaction to autologous gluteal fat transfer.

Autologous fat transfer is an increasingly popular surgical procedure with many applications in the cosmetic realm and beyond. It is found to be an efficacious procedure, but there is growing concern over adverse effects.1, 2 Potential risks include common complications such as fat necrosis, seroma formation, and cellulitis.1 More serious complications have also been reported, including life-threatening infections and potentially fatal fat emboli, especially in gluteal fat transfer.1, 3 The American Society of Plastic Surgeons recently issued a warning identifying gluteal fat grafting as the aesthetic procedure with the highest mortality rate (1 in 3000 procedures).4 Historically, use of silicone for gluteal enhancement has resulted in numerous cases of granulomatous foreign body–like reactions.5, 6 Theoretically, the use of autologous tissue would decrease the incidence of these reactions. Here we report the first case, to our knowledge, of a granulomatous reaction to autologous fat transfer in the gluteal region.
Spatial Attention Mechanism for Weakly Supervised Fire and Traffic Accident Scene Classification

During the past ten years, on average there were near 16.5 thousands of hazardous materials (hazmat) transport incidents per year resulting in $82 millions of damages. Prompt, accurate, objective assessment on hazmat incidents is important for the first-responders to take appropriate actions timely, which will reduce the damage of hazmat incidents and protect the safety of people and the environment. Therefore, one of the most important steps is to automatically detect transport incidents, such as fire and traffic accidents. In this paper, we introduce a simple and yet effective framework that integrates the convolutional feature maps of deep Convolutional Neural Network with a spatial attention mechanism for fire and traffic accident scene classification. Our spatial attention model learns to highlight the most discriminative convolutional features, which is related to the regions of interest in the input image. We train our network in a weakly supervised way. In other words, without the requirement of precise bounding box annotating the exact location of fire or traffic accidents in the image, our network can be learned from the only image-level label. In addition to the image-based traffic scene classification, the model is also applied on a set of collected videos for real-world applications. The proposed model, a simple end-to-end architecture, achieves promising performance on fire scene classification from images, and traffic accident scene classification from both images and videos.
Frozen Red Blood Cells

Cryopreservation of red blood cells (RBCs) is performed by the addition of glycerol and can be frozen for up to 37 years. Prior to use, they must be thawed and the glycerol removed. Interest in frozen RBCs reached its height in the 1960s and 1970s due to the 21-day shelf life of liquid RBCs, as they proved to be a viable alternative to liquid RBCs in the event of emergencies, have less hepatitis infections, and was useful in the preservation of rare blood types. Clinical studies have shown frozen RBCs to have less pro-inflammatory molecules. Enthusiasm in frozen RBCs began to dwindle after the doubling of liquid RBC storage time to 42 days and improved screening of donor blood. However, frozen RBCs still play an important role for rare blood storage and as a backup in times of emergencies.
Molecular and genetic basis of azole antifungal resistance in the opportunistic pathogenic fungus Candida albicans.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic yeast and the major human fungal pathogen in the USA, as well as in many other regions of the world. Infections with C. albicans can range from superficial mucosal and dermatological infections to life-threatening infections of the bloodstream and vital organs. The azole antifungals remain an important mainstay treatment of candidiasis and therefore the investigation and understanding of the evolution, frequency and mechanisms of azole resistance are vital to improving treatment strategies against this organism. Here the organism C. albicans and the genetic changes and molecular bases underlying the currently known resistance mechanisms to the azole antifungal class are reviewed, including up-regulated expression of efflux pumps, changes in the expression and amino acid composition of the azole target Erg11 and alterations to the organism’s typical sterol biosynthesis pathways. Additionally, we update what is known about activating mutations in the zinc cluster transcription factor (ZCF) genes regulating many of these resistance mechanisms and review azole import as a potential contributor to azole resistance. Lastly, investigations of azole tolerance in C. albicans and its implicated clinical significance are reviewed.
In the Service of World Revolution: Vietnamese Communists’ Radical Ambitions through the Three Indochina Wars

The terms “decolonization” and “Cold War” refer to specific processes and periods in the international system, but they do not capture the full agency of local actors such as Vietnamese Communists....