cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variable expression of GFP in different populations of peripheral cholinergic neurons of ChATBAC-eGFP transgenic mice

Immunohistochemistry is used widely to identify cholinergic neurons, but this approach has some limitations. To address these problems, investigators developed transgenic mice that express enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) directed by the promoter for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the acetylcholine synthetic enzyme. Although, it was reported that these mice express GFP in all cholinergic neurons and non-neuronal cholinergic cells, we could not detect GFP in cardiac cholinergic nerves in preliminary experiments. Our goals for this study were to confirm our initial observation and perform a qualitative screen of other representative autonomic structures for the presences of GFP in cholinergic innervation of effector tissues. We evaluated GFP fluorescence of intact, unfixed tissues and the cellular localization of GFP and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT), a specific cholinergic marker, in tissue sections and intestinal whole mounts. Our experiments identified two major tissues where cholinergic neurons and/or nerve fibers lacked GFP: 1) most cholinergic neurons of the intrinsic cardiac ganglia and all cholinergic nerve fibers in the heart and 2) most cholinergic nerve fibers innervating airway smooth muscle. Most cholinergic neurons in airway ganglia stained for GFP. Cholinergic systems in the bladder and intestines were fully delineated by GFP staining. GFP labeling of input to ganglia with long preganglionic projections (vagal) was sparse or weak, while that to ganglia with short preganglionic projections (spinal) was strong. Total absence of GFP might be due to splicing out of the GFP gene. Lack of GFP in nerve projections from GFP-positive cell bodies might reflect a transport deficiency.
Adult nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma: treatment modality utilization and survival

Early-stage nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) is associated with a favorable prognosis. Our aim was to evaluate the patterns of care of radiotherapy utilization in this disease and to define the relationship between treatment modality and survival. The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with stages I-II NLPHL diagnosed from 2004 to 2012. Patients were compared based on primary therapy into four categories: radiotherapy, chemotherapy, both, or neither. Covariate-adjusted and propensity score-weighted (PS) Cox proportional hazards models were used, adjusting for potential factors confounding survival. After exclusions, 1420 patients were evaluated, 571 (40%) received radiotherapy alone, 318 (22%) received chemotherapy alone, 351 (25%) received both, and 180 (13%) received neither. Younger patient age (P = 0.001), female gender (P = 0.019), and chemotherapy use (P < 0.001) were associated with decreased radiotherapy utilization. On PS, radiation alone (HR = 0.298, P < 0.001) and chemoradiotherapy (HR = 0.258, P < 0.001) were associated with improved survival compared to no upfront therapy, but the use of chemotherapy alone did not statistically differ compared to no initial therapy (HR = 0.784, P = 0.078). In this large database analysis, over one-third of patients with early-stage NLPHL did not receive radiotherapy as a component of initial therapy. The omission of upfront radiotherapy was associated with inferior survival.
Lecture Notes on Software Process Improvement

Abstract : Software process improvement is not usually covered in standard software engineering textbooks. However, because it is a topic of great interest to the software industry, both faculty and students should be familiar with it. The goal of this package is to provide the basis for an introductory 30 to 60 minute lecture on the software process and its improvement. The material in the main body of the document is intended primarily for instructors. In conjunction with the student-oriented document described below, it provides technical information from which an instructor can prepare a lecture. Two appendices provide additional information for instructors. Appendix A is a brief description of the use of the software process material in a university software engineering class at the University of Texas at Austin. This classroom example might be used as an illustration for students to relate the process concepts to their own software development work. Appendix B presents the Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) process maturity questionnaire from which instructors and students can gain some insight into how a software process is assessed.
Design principles for resource management systems for intelligent spaces

The idea of ubiquitous computing and smart environments is no longer a dream and has long become a serious area of research and soon this technology will start entering our every day lives. There are two major obstacles that prevent this technology from spreading. First, different smart spaces are equipped with very different kinds of devices (e.g. a projector vs. a computer monitor, vs. a TV set). Second, multiple applications running in a space at the same time inevitably contend for those devices and other scarce resources. The underlying software in a smart space needs to provide tools for self-adaptivity in that it shields the rest of the software from the physical constraints of the space, and that it dynamically adjusts the allocation of scarce resources as the number and priorities of active tasks change. We argue that a resource manager can provide the necessary functionality. This paper presents a set of guiding principles for building high-level resource management tools for smart spaces. We present conclusions we arrived at after two years of exploring the topic in the Intelligent Room Project at the MIT AI Lab. The paper is based on a number of implemented and tested tools.
Fermented Foods as a Dietary Source of Live Organisms

The popularity of fermented foods and beverages is due to their enhanced shelf-life, safety, functionality, sensory, and nutritional properties. The latter includes the presence of bioactive molecules, vitamins, and other constituents present in the initial food substrates. Many fermented foods also contain live microorganisms that may improve gastrointestinal health and provide other health benefits, including lowering the risk of type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The number of organisms in fermented foods can vary significantly, depending on how products were manufactured and processed, as well as conditions and duration of storage. In this review, we surveyed published studies in which lactic acid and other relevant bacteria were enumerated from the most commonly consumed fermented foods, including cultured dairy products, cheese, fermented sausage, fermented vegetables, soy-fermented foods, and fermented cereal products. Most of the reported data were based on retail food samples, rather than experimentally produced products made on a laboratory scale. Results indicated that many of these fermented foods contained 105-7 lactic acid bacteria per mL or gram, although there was considerable variation based on region and sampling time. In general, cultured dairy products consistently contained higher levels, up to 109/mL or g. Although few specific recommendations for what constitutes a relevant dose exist, the findings from this survey revealed that many fermented foods are a good source of live lactic acid bacteria, including species that reportedly provide human health benefits
Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Future Maternal Cardiovascular Risk.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) complicate 5% to 10% of pregnancies and are increasing with the rising prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases in younger women.1 Normal pregnancy is marked by an initial drop in mean arterial pressure, with an eventual rise in blood pressure (BP) to prepregnancy levels.2 The development of HDP involves a number of factors that result in volume and hemodynamic alterations that fail to adapt to the changes accompanying pregnancy. There are well established associations between HDP and the development of maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life. Although the associations between preeclampsia and future CVD have long been known, newer evidence suggests that there are also long‐term CVD risks associated with gestational hypertension (GH), although the etiology of GH is thought to be distinct from that of preeclampsia. Whether preeclampsia and GH result as manifestations of already preexisting CVD risk or whether they contribute to the pathogenesis of later CVD development is unclear. A history of HDP has the unique potential to identify women at higher risk of future CVD, for whom targeted risk‐reduction interventions may be particularly helpful. In this review, we discuss the evidence for the long‐ and short‐term risks of maternal CVD associated with HDP, with a focus on preeclampsia and GH. We also outline current recommendations for screening and prevention of CVD in women with a history of HDP and highlight important areas in which additional research is needed.
Predictors of cardiorespiratory fitness improvement in phase II cardiac rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events and death. However, data about predictors of fitness improvement during CR are limited and conflicting. The objective of this study was to determine predictors of improvement in metabolic equivalents of task (METs) based on formal exercise testing throughout phase II CR. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 20 671 patients enrolled in phase II CR at our center from 2006 to 2016. Patients who completed 36 sessions and had entry and exit exercise stress tests were included for study. The short form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire was used to assess quality-of-life. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to determine independent predictors of METs improvement. RESULTS Of the full cohort, 827 patients completed 36 sessions and had entry/exit stress test data. The majority of patients (N = 647, 78.2%) had improvement in METs (mean Δ 2.0 ± 1.2 METs), including patients ≥65 and 5 METS) both had improvement, with no statistical difference between the groups (P = 0.36). CONCLUSIONS In a large cohort of phase II CR patients, improvement in CRF was seen in the majority of patients across all ages, genders, and levels of baseline fitness.
Revolution in Gene Medicine Therapy and Genome Surgery.

Recently, there have been revolutions in the development of both gene medicine therapy and genome surgical treatments for inherited disorders. Much of this progress has been centered on hereditary retinal dystrophies, because the eye is an immune-privileged and anatomically ideal target. Gene therapy treatments, already demonstrated to be safe and efficacious in numerous clinical trials, are benefitting from the development of new viral vectors, such as dual and triple adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors. CRISPR/Cas9, which revolutionized the field of gene editing, is being adapted into more precise “high fidelity” and catalytically dead variants. Newer CRISPR endonucleases, such as CjCas9 and Cas12a, are generating excitement in the field as well. Stem cell therapy has emerged as a promising alternative, allowing human embryo-derived stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells to be edited precisely in vitro and then reintroduced into the body. This article highlights recent progress made in gene therapy and genome surgery for retinal disorders, and it provides an update on precision medicine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) treatment trials.
Experimental synthesis and characterization of rough particles for colloidal and granular rheology

Abstract We review the experimental synthesis of smooth and rough particles, characterization of surface roughness, quantification of the pairwise and bulk friction coefficients, and their effect on the rheology of wet particulate flows. Even in the absence of interparticle attraction or cohesion, such types of flows are broadly ubiquitous, spanning enormous length scales ranging from consumer and food products to earth movements. The increasing availability of model frictional particles is useful to advancing new understanding of particulate rheology. Although hard-sphere particles remain the most widely studied system due to their simplicity, their rigid and frictionless nature cannot predict many of the complex flow phenomena in colloidal and granular suspensions. Besides a myriad of interparticle forces, the presence of tangential interparticle friction arising from either hydrodynamics or solid contacts of asperities is now thought to be responsible for commonalities in shear thickening and jamming phenomena at high volume fractions and shear stresses. The overall richness of the suspension mechanics landscape points to the reunification of colloidal and granular physics in the near future: one in which it may become possible to apply a universal set of physical frameworks to understand the flows of model rough particles across multiple spatiotemporal scales. This can only be accomplished by properly distinguishing between microscopic and bulk friction and by decoupling hydrodynamics and contact contributions within the context of experimental observations.
TSA-Seq 2.0 reveals both conserved and variable chromosomal distances to nuclear speckles

Summary TSA-Seq measures chromosomal distances from specific nuclear compartments genome-wide but requires ≥100 million cells. We report 10-20-fold increased sensitivity using TSA-Seq 2.0 which deliberately saturates protein-labeling but preserves distance mapping by the still unsaturated DNA-labeling. Mapping nuclear speckle distances in four cell lines reveals highly transcriptionally active, conserved speckle-associated chromosome domains but relative shifts of a small fraction of the genome that highly correlates with changes in gene expression.
Student Interest in a Primary Care of Underserved Populations Course

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Medical students often lack curricular offerings specific to the care of underserved populations. We surveyed first- and second-year students to inform the development of a 4-week course on the skills necessary to care and advocate for underserved populations within a primary care context. This study assessed students' interest in the potential course, interest in primary care (PC) and underserved care (UC), and factors that would make the course more or less interesting to students. METHODS The authors designed and offered a survey examining UC, PC, and course interest to all first- and second-year students at one institution. Open-ended free-text survey responses were qualitatively analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS Response rate was 72% (271/374). Most responding students (90%; 198/220) were very to somewhat interested in UC; 60% (132/220) were very to somewhat interested in PC; and 79% (173/220) were very to somewhat interested in the described course. Very interested students were more likely to endorse interest in learning about community advocacy, having a faculty mentor, clinical care experience, and loan repayment than those with low course interest (P<.001). Analysis of open-ended responses revealed an emphasis on advocacy and career feasibility, resulting in the inclusion of these topics in the final course curriculum. CONCLUSIONS This manuscript outlines potential areas of engagement for students demonstrating low or high interest in a Caring for Underserved Patients course. Our study may inform educators seeking to develop similar curricular interventions, particularly those who aim to recruit students to PC or UC careers.
Larval Performance of a Major Forest Pest on Novel Hosts and the Effect of Stressors

Novel hosts lacking a coevolutionary history with herbivores can often support improved larval performance over historic hosts; e.g., emerald ash borer [Agrilus planipennis (Fairmaire) Coleoptera: Buprestidae] on North American ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees. Whether trees are novel or ancestral, stress on plants increases emerald ash borer preference and performance. White fringetree [Chionanthus virginicus (L.) Lamiales: Oleaceae] and olive [Olea europaea (L.) Lamiales: Oleaceae] are closely related non-ash hosts that support development of emerald ash borer to adulthood, but their relative suitability as hosts and the impact of plant stress on larval success has not been well studied. In a series of experiments, survival and growth of emerald ash borer larvae on these novel hosts were examined along with the impact of stress. In the first experiment, larvae grew more slowly in cut stems of olive than in green ash [Fraxinus pennsylvanica (Marshall) Lamiales: Oleaceae] and several adults successfully emerged from larger olive stems. In two experiments on young potted olive with photosynthesizing bark, larvae died within a week, but mechanical girdling increased the rate of gallery establishment. The final two experiments on field-grown fringetrees found increased larval survivorship and growth in previously emerald ash borer attacked and mechanically girdled plants than in healthy stems or stems treated with the defense hormone, methyl jasmonate. Our results demonstrate that these non-ash hosts are less suitable for emerald ash borer than preferred ash hosts, but previous emerald ash borer attack or girdling led to better survival and growth demonstrating the importance of stress for larval success. In potted olive, high mortality could be due to higher loads of toxic compounds or the presence of chlorophyllous tissue.
Assessing the effects of bus stop relocation on street robbery

Abstract A number of studies have revealed a correlation between bus stops and crimes, especially street robberies. However, few have looked into the impact of bus stop location changes on the distribution of street robberies. Will newly added bus stops attract more street robberies? Will the removal of existing bus stops reduce street robberies? By assessing the change of street robberies in relation to the spatial change of bus stops of Cincinnati, OH, with the consideration of the controls from socioeconomic characteristics, point of interests (POI) and spatial heterogeneity, this study uses before-and-after comparisons and the difference-in-differences (DID) analysis in the context of quasi-experiment to answer these questions. This study assesses not only the influences of the relocation of bus stops, but also the influence on street robberies of the time elapsed from the addition or removal of bus stops. Besides the three typical variables representing the presence or absence of the intervention, before or after the intervention and the interaction of the two, we add the time from addition/removal to the DID analysis. Results suggest that, on average, adding bus stops to a new location significantly increases street robberies in the areas surrounding the stops. The longer the time from the addition of a new bus stop, the more the street robberies in its surrounding areas. Removing all bus stops from a location decreases street robberies in the areas nearby; however, this influence is not statistically significant. This suggests that the relationship between street robbery and time from removal may not be linear. There are multiple studies exploring the static relationship between the bus stop and street robbery, but none looked into their dynamic relationship. This study represents the first attempt to do so. Its findings add new evidence to the theories of rational choice, routine activity, crime pattern, and crime displacement.
Development of Ultra Lightweight, Corrosion Resistant Mg Alloys

The corrosion behavior of BCC Mg–11Li–xGe (x = 0, 0.3, 0.5 wt%) alloys was evaluated in quiescent 3.5 wt% NaCl(aq) via potentiodynamic polarization, in situ optical imaging, and hydrogen volume capture in comparison with commercial Mg alloy AZ31B-H24. It is shown that Mg–11Li and Mg–11Li–0.3 Ge alloys possessed a lower corrosion rate after 24 h immersion at open circuit potential with respect to AZ31B-H24. Mg–11Li–0.3Ge alloy possessed the lowest corrosion rate due to simultaneous reduction of cathodic kinetics and an improved pseudo passive film. Increasing the Ge concentration to 0.5 wt% was found to be detrimental to cathodic kinetics and passive film stability due to micro-galvanic coupling.
Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease: longitudinal assessment of a large cohort and implications of diagnostic delay.

BACKGROUND Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) refers to the combination of asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), and acute respiratory tract reactions to ingestion of aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). There have been no in the literature investigating diagnostic delay in AERD. We aimed to investigate whether delay of diagnosis of AERD is associated with poorer clinical outcomes as well as to characterize the role of specialty evaluation in diagnosis. METHODS We conducted a retrospective observational study of 254 subjects with incident AERD diagnoses between 2009 and 2016 among Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) members. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were employed to analyze clinical characteristics and outcomes of AERD subjects with and without delay in diagnosis (defined as 1 year or greater from symptom onset to diagnosis). RESULTS Of the 254 patients in the AERD cohort, 24.4% had a delayed diagnosis. Patients with allergies were significantly less likely to have a delay in diagnosis (p < 0.01). Patients with a delay in diagnosis were more likely to have 2 or more courses of systemic steroids (p = 0.04). Allergists, otolaryngologists, and primary care physicians diagnosed 56%, 36%, and 8% of patients, respectively. There was no association between provider specialty at time of diagnosis and delay in diagnosis (p = 0.22). CONCLUSION A substantial proportion of AERD patients have a diagnostic delay. Patients with allergies have a lower risk for this delay. This study is the first to describe diagnostic delay in AERD patients.
3D fluorescence deconvolution with deep priors (Conference Presentation)

The goal of this work is to incorporate Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) into the 3D deconvolution process without training. CNNs are well suited to the problem of 2D deconvolution, however training a CNN on 3D volumes requires excessive time and impractical amounts of training data. To circumvent these problems, we use a CNN architecture as if it were a handcrafted prior, similar to the work deep image prior. Using this method, we achieve high SSIM and PSNR metrics relative to other modern techniques for deconvolving through-focus fluorescence measurements to recover a 3D volume with no training data and minimal hyperparameter tuning.
Model-based meta-analysis to compare primary efficacy-endpoint, efficacy-time course, safety and tolerability of opioids used in the management of osteoarthritic pain in humans

Background Despite recent therapeutic advances, osteoarthritis continues to be a challenging health problem, especially in the elderly population. Opioids, which are potent analgesics, have shown an extraordinary ability to reduce intense pain in many osteoarthritic clinical trials; however, there is an increased need for a study to integrate the reported outcomes and utilize them to achieve a better understanding. Herein, efficacy and safety aspects of opioids used to manage osteoarthritic pain were assessed and compared using a model-based meta-analysis (MBMA). Methods To perform the analysis, a comprehensive database consisting of pain relief compounds with information on summary-level of efficacy over time, adverse events and dropout rates was compiled from multiple sources. MBMA was conducted using a nonlinear mixed-effects modeling approach. Results The results of primary efficacy endpoint analysis indicated that the doses of oxycodone, oxymorphone, and tramadol required to produce 50% of the maximum effect were 47, 84, and 247 mg per day, respectively. Efficacytime course analysis showed that opioids had rapid time to efficacy onset, suggesting potentially powerful painrelieving effects. It was also found that gastrointestinal adverse events were the most opioid-associated and dosedependent adverse effects. In addition, the analysis revealed that opioids were well-tolerated at low to moderate doses. Conclusion This MBMA provides clinically meaningful insights into the efficacy and safety profiles of oxycodone, oxymorphone, and tramadol. Resultantly, the presented framework analysis can have an impact in the clinic on drug development where it can guide: the optimization of doses of opioids required to manage osteoarthritic pain; the making of precise key decisions for the positioning of new drugs, and; the design of more efficient trials.
Prospect Theoretic Pricing For QoE Modeling In Wireless Multimedia Networking

One of the biggest challenges in wireless multimedia communications is to provide satisfactory Quality of Experience (QoE) to the users. Recently, numerous QoE maximization metrics and techniques have been proposed to jointly improve the network performance and user satisfaction. However, these methods are built upon postulates of Expected Utility Theorem (EUT). In this paper, we discuss the limitations of EUT in modeling QoE and explore the nuances in Prospect Theory (PT) such as asymmetrical s-shaped value function and reference point dependence to develop a prospect-theoretic QoE maximization framework by incorporating price in QoE model. An algorithm to determine the amount of data that users should purchase at any given cost such that their QoE is maximized, is also presented. As an exemplary scenario, we consider a simplified multimedia communication network with two users, where both users request the same multimedia content and aim to achieve the best possible QoE. Traditional EUT-based price-QoE model has been adopted for the first user, while the proposed PT-based prospect theoretic multimedia pricing QoE model has been used for the second user. Simulation studies conducted with H.265 multimedia codec data reveal that PT user achieved higher QoE in comparison to EUT user at a lower cost. Results also indicated that PT-based modeling can improve system throughput and network revenue.
Visualization, understanding, and mitigation of process-induced-membrane irregularities in gas diffusion electrode-based polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Abstract Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) show substantial promise for their application in electric vehicles. For large-scale manufacturing of PEMFCs, roll-to-roll coated gas-diffusion-electrodes (GDE) offer certain advantages over other production pathways. Procedures including hot pressing and coating an ionomer overlayer may be necessary for this manufacturing pathway to enable a suitable catalyst layer/membrane interface. The same procedures may potentially introduce membrane irregularities, especially when thin membranes are used. Limited understanding exists regarding if and to what extent such irregularities impact PEMFC performance and lifetime, and therefore be considered defects. In this study, NREL's customized fuel cell hardware that enables quasi in-situ infrared (IR) thermography studies was utilized to visualize spatial hydrogen crossover and identify membrane irregularities that originated from the GDE-based MEA fabrication process. The structure of these membrane irregularities was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and its impact on initial H2/air performance was determined. Accelerated stress testing (AST) revealed that these irregularities develop into failure point locations. These results were validated across many MEAs with identified process-induced membrane irregularities. By selecting specific gas diffusion media properties and by fine tuning the MEA hot pressing parameters, the formation of such membrane irregularities was mitigated.
Cardiac and ophthalmic malformations and in utero exposure to dilantin.

The report by Bartoshesky et al1 prompts me to make the following comments. The authors provided inadequate information to conclude that the infant they described was malformed due to prenatal exposure to diphenylhydantoin. Neither an absence of exposure to other teratogens nor a negative family history permits one to conclude that the ingestion of diphenyihydantoin by the mother caused the infant9s malformations. Similarly, the subsequent birth of a normal child after the drug was stopped suggests nothing.
Heat Spreading and Heat Removal Needs of a Novel Power Electronics Package with Integrated Cooling

Power electronics modules increasingly require compact and high-performance thermal packaging solutions capable of handling the resulting higher power densities. Double-sided cooled packages have been a promising solution to significantly reduce overall thermal resistance of packages below 0.2 K.cm2/W. However, components with only single function prevent further reduction in the overall volume of the package. In this paper, a novel integrated cooling strategy is introduced for further miniaturization of power electronics package, where copper leads or vapor chambers are utilized as multi-functional layers for both power delivery and heat spreading. Parametric thermo-mechanical modeling is carried out with heat conduction-based models to understand the heat spreading and heat removal behavior of the integrated cooling solution. Despite the reduced number of package layers in the integrated cooling solution, thermomechanical performance enhancement is demonstrated over the standard package when vapor chambers are used to spread heat more effectively. Relative variation of one-dimensional and spreading thermal resistances of vapor chambers shows that an increase in the overall thickness of vapor chambers is only useful up to a certain cutoff thickness, beyond which thermal performance is reduced and package volume is increased excessively. If sufficiently high effective lateral thermal conductivity is achieved, use of ultra-thin vapor chambers is found to be even more advantageous to maximize power density of future power modules.
Simulating fluid flow in complex porous materials by integrating the governing equations with deep-layered machines

Fluid flow in heterogeneous porous media arises in many systems, from biological tissues to composite materials, soil, wood, and paper. With advances in instrumentations, high-resolution images of porous media can be obtained and used directly in the simulation of fluid flow. The computations are, however, highly intensive. Although machine learning (ML) algorithms have been used for predicting flow properties of porous media, they lack a rigorous, physics-based foundation and rely on correlations. We introduce an ML approach that incorporates mass conservation and the Navier–Stokes equations in its learning process. By training the algorithm to relatively limited data obtained from the solutions of the equations over a time interval, we show that the approach provides highly accurate predictions for the flow properties of porous media at all other times and spatial locations, while reducing the computation time. We also show that when the network is used for a different porous medium, it again provides very accurate predictions.
A new type of mouse gaze shift is led by directed saccades

Abstract Animals investigate their environments by directing their gaze towards salient stimuli. In the prevailing view, mouse gaze shifts are led by head rotations that trigger compensatory, brainstem-mediated eye movements, including saccades to reset the eyes. These “recentering” saccades are attributed to head movement-related vestibular and optokinetic cues. However, microstimulating mouse superior colliculus (SC) elicits directed head and eye movements that resemble SC-dependent sensory-guided gaze shifts made by other species, raising the possibility mice generate additional types of gaze shifts. We investigated this possibility by tracking eye and attempted head movements in a head-fixed preparation that eliminates head movement-related sensory cues. We found tactile stimuli evoke gaze shifts involving directed saccades that precede attempted head rotations. Optogenetic perturbations revealed SC drives touch-evoked gaze shifts. Thus, mice make sensory-guided, SC-dependent gaze shifts led by directed saccades. Our findings uncover diversity in mouse gaze shifts and provide a foundation for studying head-eye coupling.
Recent progress in studies of one-dimensional gravitating systems

We review the results of recent investigations of the dynamics of one-dimensional gravitational systems carried out at Texas Christian University. Two types of systems are considered: (1) parallel mass sheets of infinite spatial extent and (2) concentric, spherically symmetric, irrotational mass shells confined between two rigid spherical barriers. By studying the kinetic energy equipartition of a sheet system consisting of two distinct populations with a fixed mass ratio, we show that the system approaches equilibrium on a long time scale. We show that the system of spherical shells has stronger ergodic properties than the planar sheets and that it approaches equilibrium on a much shorter time scale. In addition, for sufficiently small inner barrier radius, it undergoes a phase transition to a state with a greatly condensed core as the energy passes through its phase equilibrium value.
The Influence of Corporate Culture on Managerial Ethical Judgments

The contention that organizational culture influences ethical decision making is not disputable. However, the extent to which it influences ethical decision making in the workplace is a topic for scholarly debate and investigation. There are scholars who argue that, though corporate values are a powerful force in explaining the behavior of individuals and groups within organizations, these values are unperceived, unspoken, and taken for granted. However, there are others who argue that the formalization of corporate values facilitates job and role clarity and is the key to influencing employee behavior. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent of the influence of organizational codes of ethics. The findings suggest that, depending upon the particular situation, corporate culture and ethics may mitigate individual personal moral convictions about right and wrong.
How Discrimination Impacts Sociopolitical Behavior: A Multidimensional Perspective

The conventional wisdom regarding the impact of discrimination on political behavior is that the perception of prejudiced treatment motivates individuals to take political action. This study challenges this common conception by demonstrating that the source of discrimination can play a significant role in whether perceived or experienced injustice leads to activism or withdrawal from sociopolitical life. Drawing from political science and social psychology literature, this study provides a new perspective on the potential effects of discrimination on a relatively new marginalized group in the United States. Specifically, an important distinction is drawn between political (systematic) and societal (interpersonal) discrimination in analyzing the sociopolitical behavior of American Muslims in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The results will hopefully encourage scholars to take a deeper look at the nexus between discrimination and democratic engagement, which is an important, complex, multidimensional, and understudied topic.
Elements of Quantum Defect Theory. I. Introduction and Formalism

The term quantum defect theory (QDT) has been conventionally used to describe an analysis which interrelates phenomena in the discrete and continuum state regions of an atomic system consisting of a positive ion and an electron [1,2]. The analysis rests heavily on analytical properties of Coulomb wavefunctions. In view of the complexities associated with these functions, it is useful for pedagogic purposes to illustrate the basic ideas of QDT in simpler contexts. This is how we will begin, with Sections 1.1–1.3 of this paper treating examples in which there is no long-range potential.
Molecular characterization of an anion pump. The arsA gene product is an arsenite(antimonate)-stimulated ATPase.

The products of the arsenical resistance operon of resistance plasmid R733 form an efflux system for arsenicals. Detoxification results from active efflux of the oxyanions, preventing their concentration from reaching toxic levels. The largest polypeptide encoded by the ars operon was purified. From N-terminal sequencing the purified protein, termed the ArsA protein, was shown to correspond to the product of the arsA gene. The purified protein was demonstrated to bind ATP by two methods. First, a photoadduct of the protein with [alpha-32P]ATP was formed by irradiation at 254 nm. Second, the purified protein bound a fluorescent ATP analogue, 2‘,3‘-o-(2,4,6)trinitrophenyl ATP, with a half-maximal affinity of 2 microM. By both assays competition was observed with ATP or ADP, but not with AMP, GTP, CTP, or UTP. In both nucleotide binding assays, Mg2+ was required, but neither arsenite nor antimonate had any affect. In contrast, the ArsA protein exhibited an ATPase activity which was dependent on the presence of arsenite or antimonate. The results suggest that the ArsA protein is the catalytic subunit of an oxyanion-translocating ATPase.
Advanced Analytical Methods for Interpreting Crack Run-arrest Events in Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels*

ABSTRACT Experimental and analytical studies to improve the understanding of conditions that govern the initiation, rapid propagation, arrest and ductile tearing of cracks in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels are presented. Large-scale experiments are performed to generate crack-arrest toughness data for RPV steels at temperatures approaching and above the onset of Charpy upper-shelf behavior. Analytical studies included considerations of the role of nonlinear rate-dependent effects in crack run-arrest events in these ductile materials. A summary of experimental results and analytical interpretations of two series of large nonisothermal wide-plate crack-arrest tests is presented. The importance of incorporating viscoplastic effects as well as dynamic modeling into the analyses of the wide-plate data is examined.
High-resolution, ultrafast laser pulse shaping and its applications

Publisher Summary It is now possible to generate laser pulses, with extremely sophisticated phase and amplitude modulation, or to generate complex laser pulse sequences, with well-defined phase relationships, between the pulses. This has been proved useful in a wide range of spectroscopic applications, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which has evolved into an extraordinarily important technique for monitoring structure and dynamics and a diagnostic tool of outstanding clinical value and it is now possible to create staggeringly complex excitation sequences. Useful sequences do not require anything approaching state-of-the-art radiofrequency (rf) capabilities; commercially available arbitrary waveform generators (AWGs) can give possible voltage waveform with ≈1 ns rise time, covering the radiofrequency spectrum at one time. The nanosecond switching time of common digital components is far faster than NMR relaxation times, but far slower than optical relaxation times. The most commonly used laser pulse sequences work, because they do not require specific pulse shapes or bandwidths and are unaffected by phase shifting any individual pulse in the sequence. The rapid rise times of ultrafast laser pulses implies a far greater bandwidth than is conceivable at microwave frequencies. With the addition of a laser and a few optical components a commercial NMR spectrometer could shape femtosecond laser pulses. In this chapter, it is shown that this approach has advantages of rapid waveform update rates (100 kHz–1MHz), commercially available components, simplicity (the phase and amplitude modulation is encoded with a single rf pulse), and extremely high resolution pulse shaping ( ≈ 1000 independently adjustable amplitudes and phases). A variety of applications in quantum control and optical communications have been discussed in the chapter. The chapter discusses various optical modulation techniques, characterization of shaped laser pulses, effective resolution limits, with acousto-optic pulse shaping, and optimal design for maximum resolution without distortions.
Allocating solder-paste printing inspection in high-volume electronics manufacturing

The paper describes an optimization model for allocating solder-paste printing inspection that explicitly considers the economic tradeoff between board yield and inspection accuracy. The paper also shows that the use of a heuristic solution method for solving the post-printing inspection allocation model is effective and efficient for high-volume electronics manufacturing. The model has been developed using real production and visual inspection data provided by a high-volume electronics manufacturer located in Huntsville, AL. In addition, randomly generated problems are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed heuristic. Results from a large case study show that when compared with a full post-printing inspection, the heuristic approach provides a solution that can increase the total expected gains by 15%.
Mammalian aging: Theoretical implications of changes in brain and endocrine systems during mid- and late-life in rats

Abstract Endocrine theories of aging have historically focused on altered peripheral or central regulatory mechanisms and, more recently, on the possibility that hormones may modulate the rate of brain aging itself. However, few systematic tests of such hypotheses have been conducted—partly due, perhaps, to a lack of clear criteria for putative endocrine mechanisms of aging. Simple criteria proposed here include: universality and similarity of fundamental patterns among mammals and detectable alterations early in mature life. Data are reviewed which indicate a possible role for elevated adrenocorticoid activity in aging of the mammalian brain. Additionally, recent data are summarized which show that, as early as mid-life in aging rats, widespread alterations occur in hypothalamic peptides and catecholamines and in peripheral endocrine systems. The pattern of these changes suggests that central and peripheral changes are linked. These findings are consistent with the view that early alterations in neural-endocrine processes may play a role in mammalian aging. Moreover, they provide possible insights into the specific nature of relevant alterations.
The formation of secondary sporangia by Pythium ultimum: The influence of organic amendments and Pythium nunn

Abstract Sporangia of Pythium ultimum were placed in polycarbonate membrane sandwiches and buried in raw Nunn sandy loam amended with increasing concentrations of bean leaves, oatmeal, glucose + l -asparagine (4:1 w/w) or glucose alone. After 24 h, there was a significant negative correlation between the concentration of substrates added to the soil and the formation of secondary sporangia. Glucose + l -asparagine also inhibited the formation of secondary sporangia in an axenic system. The formation of secondary sporangia in soil amended with P. nunn (300 cfu g − ) + 0.3% (w/w), bean-leaf or oatmeal was significantly greater than in the amended treatments without P. nunn at 7, 14 and 21 days after amendments were added to the soil. Results suggest that competitive saprophytric activity of P. nunn rapidly depletes substrates usually utilized by P. uttimum . This results in sporangial germination then immediate formation of survival structures (in some instance of lower inoculum potential) by the latter fungus.
Photoluminescence due to isoelectric oxygen and tellurium traps in II–VI alloys

Abstract Photoluminescence spectra at 4.2°K due to oxygen and tellurium isoelectronic traps have been observed in the following II–VI solid solutions prepared by annealing powder mixtures of the binary compounds: O in ZnTe1−xSex, ZnTe1−xSx, and Zn1−yCdyTe; Te in Zn1−yCdyS, Zn1−yCdySe, ZnS1−xSex, CdS1−xSex, and ZnTe1−xSex. In all cases the qualitative change in trapping energy with alloy composition, as indicated by the change in photolumunescence energy relative to the energy gap, is consistent with the isoelectronic trap model. According to this model, the trapping energy for an exciton bound to the trap should depend primarily on the difference in electronegativity between the impurity and the host atom which it replaces. For alloys involving substitution on the anion sub-lattice, the trapping energy decreases markedly with increasing x except for Te in ZnTe1−xSex, where the opposite change occurs. For alloys involving substitution on the cation sub-lattice, the trapping energy does not depend strongly on y.
Indomethacin, Lipolysis and Cyclic AMP Accumulation in White Fat Cells1

Indomethacin, which is considered to be an effective inhibitor of prostaglandin formation, did not affect lipolysis in white fat cells isolated from rats. Exposure of fat cells to indomethacin for periods ranging from 20 to 120 min at either 25 or 37 C did not enhance the subsequent lipolytic response to catecholamines during incubations of from 5 to 120 min. Prior exposure of fat cells to indomethacin also had no effect on the stimulation of cyclic AMP accumulation due to norepinephrine, theophylline, or the combination of both agents. In fat cells previously exposed to norepinephrine, an inhibitor accumulates which interferes with the ability of norepinephrine in the presence of theophylline to stimulate cyclic AMP accumulation. Indomethacin also failed to block the accumulation of this inhibitor. These results indicate that indomethacin (5 to 50 μg/ml) has little, if any, effect on lipolysis and suggest that prostaglandins are not important feedback regulators of adenylate cyclase or lipolysis in isola...
ONE RELATION OF GLYCOSURIA TO KIDNEY PERMEABILITY

The presence of sugar in the urine per se is not sufficient proof that one is a diabetic. Many normal persons show glycosuria without fasting hyperglycemia, the sugar in the urine in such a case indicating merely that the renal filter is permeable to a low blood sugar content. Thus in a series of 714 observations, 13.8 per cent showed glycosuria in the presence of normal blood sugar content.* On the other hand, an inverse relation is sometimes found, viz., aglycosuria in the presence of hyperglycemia. In fact, this is quite a common condition, for, while in the early stages of diabetes the kidneys may be permeable to sugar at a blood sugar level of between 160–180 mg./100 cc, after the hyperglycemia has persisted for several years the kidney will not be permeable until the blood sugar content is above 200 mg./100 cc.
Task-Based Lead Exposures and Work Site Characteristics of Bridge Surface Preparation and Painting Contractors

This study of bridge painters working for small contractors in Massachusetts investigated the causes of elevated blood lead levels and assessed their exposure to lead. Bridge work sites were evaluated for a 2-week period during which personal and area air samples and information on work site characteristics and lead abatement methods were gathered. Short-duration personal inhalable samples collected from 18 tasks had geometric means (GM) of 3 μg/m3 to 7286 μg/m3. Full-shift, time-weighted average (TWA) inhalable samples (⩾6 hours) collected from selected workers and work sites had GMs of 2 μg/m3 to15,704 μg/m3; 80% of samples exceeded the permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 50 μg/m3, on average by a factor of 30. Area inhalable samples collected from three locations ranged from 2 μg/m3 to 40,866 μg/m3 from inside the containment, 2 μg/m3 to 471 μg/m3 from a distance of 6 meters from the containment. Seventy nine percent of the area samples from inside the containm...