cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Engineering biorefinery residues from loblolly pine for supercapacitor applications

Recycling agricultural waste biomass into high-value-added products is of great importance to offset the cost of biofuel production. Here, we make biochar-based activated carbons (BACs) from loblolly pine chips via different carbonization recipes and chemical activations. BACs were then assembled into electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) as electrode materials. Surprisingly, pyrolysis at lower temperatures (300 °C and 350 °C) rendered better electrochemical performance of BACs than those done at higher temperatures (500 °C and 700 °C). This is mainly due to the large surface area and high pore volume generated at the lower temperatures. Among all the pyrolysis recipes, flash pyrolysis at 300 °C produced the BAC with the highest specific capacitance (74 F g−1 at 20 mV s−1), exceeding the specific capacitance of commercial activated carbon (NORIT®) by 45%. This report demonstrates the great potential of our refinery recipe to engineer BACs from the sustainable, affordable, and abundant natural wastes for energy-storage applications, which opens the door for a group of biorefinery residues for value-added applications.
Measuring higher-order drug interactions: A review of recent approaches

Abstract Using drugs in combination can be important in therapeutic strategies, both to decrease the risk of toxic side effects as well as to decrease the likelihood of resistance evolving. These properties are largely affected by interactions among drugs. Given the increased use of three or more drugs in clinics, we provide a review of challenges researchers face when studying higher-order drug interactions together with a review of current theoretical and methodological advances in resolving these issues. The challenges include deriving theoretical measures for interaction effects compared with single drug efficacies, disentangling higher-order emergent effects from lower-order interactions, enhancing the resolution of data to better classify interaction types, and considering practical difficulties such as measuring responses to drug combinations across a range of concentrations. The systems biology and interaction modeling approaches reviewed here offer ways to go beyond-pairwise interactions and to quantify and better understand higher-order drug interactions. However, there are many research directions yet to pursue to provide mechanistic insights and to determine the consequences of these interactions.
Interactive Systems and the MVC Architecture

So far we have seen examples and case-studies involving relatively simple software systems. This simplicity enabled us to use a fairly general step-by-step approach, viz., specify the requirements, model the behaviour, find the classes, assign responsibilities, capture class interactions, and so on. In larger systems, such an approach may not lead to an efficient design and it would be wise to rely on the experience of software designers who have worked on the problem and devised strategies to tackle the problem.
Organic Molecules in Lunar Ice: A Window to the Early Evolution of Life on Earth

Water ice at the lunar poles likely contains organic molecules that provide insights into the early evolution of life on Earth and cometary composition. In fact, since meteorite impacts on Earth may have delivered biogenic material to the surface of the Moon, this is the only place where we might find clues about prebiotic molecules of early Earth and the early evolution of life. In addition, this water may be utilized as drinking water and oxygen for a future human base on the Moon. Here I outline the rationale for exploring this resource, lay out evidence for large amounts of water ice to be present in the polar areas of the Moon, and provide a first design attempt on how to extract the organic molecules from the lunar ice.
Curriculum content in geriatric dentistry in USA dental schools.

Objectives The aim of this study was to re-examine the teaching of geriatric dentistry in the USA dental schools, to identify curriculum content and compare the findings to previous reports. Methods All dental schools in the United States were contacted via email with a questionnaire to assess the teaching of geriatric dentistry. Non-responding schools were sent a minimum of three reminder emails to complete the survey. A statistical analysis was performed. Descriptive statistics were conducted to profile the variables of interest. Bivariate analysis was performed to explore if any of the variables were related using Fisher's exact test, non-parametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test and the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results Fifty-six of the 67 dental schools completed the questionnaire. Geriatric dentistry was taught in all dental schools; for 92.8%, the course was compulsory. We found that 62.5% were teaching it as an independent course, 25% as an organised series of lectures and 8.9% as occasional lectures in parts of other courses. Clinically, 84.2% have some form of compulsory education in geriatric dentistry. Public schools were marginally associated with an increased interest in expanding the geriatric dentistry curriculum (P = .078). No differences were found between these variables and school location. Conclusions Geriatric dentistry is now required in 92.8% of dental schools. The teaching of traditional topics has not changed much; however, the number of gerontological topics has increased. Clinical teaching needs to be expanded, as in only 57.1% of schools was it a requirement. The ageing imperative will require research to determine the impact of teaching on services to the geriatric community.
Blood transfusion is a critical determinant of resource utilization and total hospital cost in liver transplantation.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to identify factors associated with increased resource use and total hospital cost (THC) after liver transplantation (LT). METHODS A study of LT patients undergoing surgery between January 2008 and December 2013 was performed. Main end points were LOS, intensive care unit length of stay (ICU LOS), days on the ventilator, THCs, service area costs. RESULTS A total of 191 patients undergoing LT were included in the analysis. Creatinine and blood transfusion were significantly associated with prolonged LOS, ICU LOS, and days on the ventilator. Multivariable analysis of predictors of THC demonstrated creatinine as a strong pre-operative factor. Creatinine was also a significant predictor of OR, ICU, pharmacy, in-patient (floor), diagnostics, and ancillary services cost. After controlling for intra-operative factors such as operative time and blood transfusions, we found that transfusions were the strongest independent predictors of total cost. Patients receiving <5 units of PRBCs had a median LOS of 7 days. ICU LOS doubled and ICU total cost increased by 50% if patients required more than five transfusions of PRBCs. CONCLUSIONS Elevated serum creatinine and blood transfusions are the most critical determinants of increased resource utilization and hospital expenditure in LT.
CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in human hematopoietic stem cells

This protocol describes the use of Cas9 ribonucleoproteins and AAV6 donor templates to enable precise genome editing of human hematopoietic stem cells by homologous recombination (HR), including in vitro and in vivo assays for determining HR frequencies in HSPCs. Genome editing via homologous recombination (HR) (gene targeting) in human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) has the power to reveal gene–function relationships and potentially transform curative hematological gene and cell therapies. However, there are no comprehensive and reproducible protocols for targeting HSCs for HR. Herein, we provide a detailed protocol for the production, enrichment, and in vitro and in vivo analyses of HR-targeted HSCs by combining CRISPR/Cas9 technology with the use of rAAV6 and flow cytometry. Using this protocol, researchers can introduce single-nucleotide changes into the genome or longer gene cassettes with the precision of genome editing. Along with our troubleshooting and optimization guidelines, researchers can use this protocol to streamline HSC genome editing at any locus of interest. The in vitro HSC-targeting protocol and analyses can be completed in 3 weeks, and the long-term in vivo HSC engraftment analyses in immunodeficient mice can be achieved in 16 weeks. This protocol enables manipulation of genes for investigation of gene functions during hematopoiesis, as well as for the correction of genetic mutations in HSC transplantation–based therapies for diseases such as sickle cell disease, β-thalassemia, and primary immunodeficiencies.
Do Better ImageNet Models Transfer Better

Transfer learning is a cornerstone of computer vision, yet little work has been done to evaluate the relationship between architecture and transfer. An implicit hypothesis in modern computer vision research is that models that perform better on ImageNet necessarily perform better on other vision tasks. However, this hypothesis has never been systematically tested. Here, we compare the performance of 16 classification networks on 12 image classification datasets. We find that, when networks are used as fixed feature extractors or fine-tuned, there is a strong correlation between ImageNet accuracy and transfer accuracy (r = 0.99 and 0.96, respectively). In the former setting, we find that this relationship is very sensitive to the way in which networks are trained on ImageNet; many common forms of regularization slightly improve ImageNet accuracy but yield features that are much worse for transfer learning. Additionally, we find that, on two small fine-grained image classification datasets, pretraining on ImageNet provides minimal benefits, indicating the learned features from ImageNet do not transfer well to fine-grained tasks. Together, our results show that ImageNet architectures generalize well across datasets, but ImageNet features are less general than previously suggested.
A facile approach for the in vitro assembly of multimeric membrane transport proteins

Membrane proteins such as ion channels and transporters are frequently homomeric. The homomeric nature raises important questions regarding coupling between subunits and complicates the application of techniques such as FRET or DEER spectroscopy. These challenges can be overcome if the subunits of a homomeric protein can be independently modified for functional or spectroscopic studies. Here, we describe a general approach for in vitro assembly that can be used for the generation of heteromeric variants of homomeric membrane proteins. We establish the approach using GltPh, a glutamate transporter homolog that is trimeric in the native state. We use heteromeric GltPh transporters to directly demonstrate the lack of coupling in substrate binding and demonstrate how heteromeric transporters considerably simplify the application of DEER spectroscopy. Further, we demonstrate the general applicability of this approach by carrying out the in vitro assembly of VcINDY, a Na+-coupled succinate transporter and CLC-ec1, a Cl-/H+ antiporter.
The Role of Fibrinogen-Like Protein 2 on Immunosuppression and Malignant Progression in Glioma

BACKGROUND Virtually all low-grade gliomas (LGGs) will progress to high-grade gliomas (HGGs), including glioblastoma, the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults. A key regulator of immunosuppression, fibrinogen-like protein 2 (FGL2), may play an important role in the malignant transformation of LGG to HGG. We sought to determine the mechanism of FGL2 on tumor progression and to show that inhibiting FGL2 expression had a therapeutic effect. METHODS We analyzed human gliomas that had progressed from low- to high-grade for FGL2 expression. We modeled FGL2 overexpression in an immunocompetent genetically engineered mouse model to determine its effect on tumor progression. Tumors and their associated microenvironments were analyzed for their immune cell infiltration. Mice were treated with an FGL2 antibody to determine a therapeutic effect. Statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS We identified increased expression of FGL2 in surgically resected tumors that progressed from low to high grade (n = 10). The Cancer Genome Atlas data showed that LGG cases with overexpression of FGL2 (n = 195) had statistically significantly shorter survival (median = 62.9 months) compared with cases with low expression (n = 325, median = 94.4 months, P < .001). In a murine glioma model, HGGs induced with FGL2 exhibited a mesenchymal phenotype and increased CD4+ forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)+ Treg cells, implicating immunosuppression as a mechanism for tumor progression. Macrophages in these tumors were skewed toward the immunosuppressive M2 phenotype. Depletion of Treg cells with anti-FGL2 statistically significantly prolonged survival in mice compared with controls (n = 11 per group, median survival = 90 days vs 62 days, P = .004), shifted the phenotype from mesenchymal HGG to proneural LGG, and decreased M2 macrophage skewing. CONCLUSIONS FGL2 facilitates glioma progression from low to high grade. Suppressing FGL2 expression holds therapeutic promise for halting malignant transformation in glioma.
Enhanced legume root growth with pre-soaking in α-Fe2O3 nanoparticle fertilizer

The rising demand for food and energy crops has triggered interest in the use of nanoparticles for agronomy. Specifically, iron oxide-based engineered nanoparticles are promising candidates for next-generation iron-deficiency fertilizers. We used iron oxide and hybrid Pt-decorated iron oxide nanoparticles, at low and high concentrations, and at varied pHs, to model seed pre-soaking solutions for investigation of their effect on embryonic root growth in legumes. This is an environmentally friendly approach, as it uses less fertilizer, therefore less nanoparticles in contact with the soil. Analysis from varied material characterization techniques combined with a statistical analysis method found that iron oxide nanoparticles could enhance root growth by 88–366% at low concentrations (5.54 × 10−3 mg L−1 Fe). Hybrid Pt-decorated iron oxide nanoparticles and a higher concentration of iron oxide nanoparticles (27.7 mg L−1 Fe) showed reduced root growth. The combined materials characterization and statistical analysis used here can be applied to address many environmental factors to finely tune the development of vital nanofertilizers for high efficiency food production.
Angiography of pontine hemorrhage.

The differentiation between cerebellar and pontine hemorrhage is important for prognostic and therapeutic reasons. Yet this distinction is often difficult to make on clinical grounds alone. Pontine hemorrhage can be located accurately by means of angiography.
Field criteria used in deteriming the vigor of seed corn (Zeq mays L.) as induced by drying injury

G#n#r#l agreement does not exist regarding the influence of seed oom (Zea mays L.) vigor on subsequent crop performance. A study was conducted to determine th# characters through whioh seed oom vigor is expressed, how long the influence persists and the relationship between the characters identified. Seeds of two com hybrids A6)2 X (H99 X H95) and B73 X (HS9 X H95) dried at 35° C and 50® C were grown in the field for 2 years and in the growth chamber in Ames, Iowa. A complete range of growth parameters were measured in the field, laboratory and growth chamber. Of these parameters, emergence, emergence rate, plant height, stem diameter, shoot dry matter at 4 and 6 weeks and penultimate leaf length and width were characters found to be influenced by seed vigor. As the plant aged, the influence of seed vigor decreased. Positive and negative relationships were found to exist between some of the characters influenced by seed vigor. However, seed vigor had no influence on yield.
Contemporary Mechanisms of Social Change

This chapter examines four distinct but interrelated mechanisms of social change operative today: Capitalist relations of competition; information and networks; global warming; and developments in international relations. Although it does not account for them completely, capitalist relations of competition, it is argued, play a large role in the emergence of the other mechanisms. These, however, are not simply effects but, it is shown, effects with their own causal powers for morphogenesis.
Antidepressants and Movement Disorders

In this article antidepressants used in movement disorder patients are described. Their effective doses, best time of day for dosing, and selected side effects are noted. Following this, ‘pearls’ are given for each medication. The article also discusses which antidepressant to use, combinations, and maximizing treatment for depression, anxiety, or irritability.
Classification of Retinal Damage by a Neural Network Based System

The objective of this research is to provide an ophthalmologist with a helpful system, capable of classifying a degree of patients' retinal hemorrhage. The system is composed of four modules: (a) data acquisition module, (b) image Database module, (c) image processing module, (d) image classification module. The system was trained with a modular neural network on a set of 25 images, and tested on a set of 160 images. A training performance of greater than 95% was achieved. The classifying part of the system showed 79% recognition accuracy. Since the testing images were taken from independent sources, we assume that the system should also provide an accurate classification of other image types.
[Myasthenia gravis: diagnosis and treatment].

Introduction Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder characterized by fluctuating muscle weakness and fatigue of different muscle groups. Myasthenia gravis may affect persons of all ages, but especially women aged 20 to 40 years. Development and conclusions The ocular, facial and bulbar muscles are most often involved in this disease. The muscle weakness of patients with myasthenia gravis becomes worse with intercurrent episodes of infection, fever and physical or emotional exhaustion. Respiratory infection (bacterial or viral) is the most frequent trigger factor. The presence of antibodies to acetylcholine receptors in a patient with the clinical features of myasthenia gravis, confirms the diagnosis. Treatment is controversial. Each patient therefore has to be treated individually, as no single treatment is suitable for all patients. Treatment may include anticholinesterase drugs, corticosteroids, plasmapheresis, immunoglobulin, immunosuppressive drugs and thymectomy.
Gene Level Regulation of Na,K-ATPase in the Renal Proximal Tubule Is Controlled by Two Independent but Interacting Regulatory Mechanisms Involving Salt Inducible Kinase 1 and CREB-Regulated Transcriptional Coactivators

For many years, studies concerning the regulation of Na,K-ATPase were restricted to acute regulatory mechanisms, which affected the phosphorylation of Na,K-ATPase, and thus its retention on the plasma membrane. However, in recent years, this focus has changed. Na,K-ATPase has been established as a signal transducer, which becomes part of a signaling complex as a consequence of ouabain binding. Na,K-ATPase within this signaling complex is localized in caveolae, where Na,K-ATPase has also been observed to regulate Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor (IP3R)-mediated calcium release. This latter association has been implicated as playing a role in signaling by G Protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs). Here, the consequences of signaling by renal effectors that act via such GPCRs are reviewed, including their regulatory effects on Na,K-ATPase gene expression in the renal proximal tubule (RPT). Two major types of gene regulation entail signaling by Salt Inducible Kinase 1 (SIK1). On one hand, SIK1 acts so as to block signaling via cAMP Response Element (CRE) Binding Protein (CREB) Regulated Transcriptional Coactivators (CRTCs) and on the other hand, SIK1 acts so as to stimulate signaling via the Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2 (MEF2)/nuclear factor of activated T cell (NFAT) regulated genes. Ultimate consequences of these pathways include regulatory effects which alter the rate of transcription of the Na,K-ATPase β1 subunit gene atp1b1 by CREB, as well as by MEF2/NFAT.
Optical Knife-Edge Displacement Measurement With Sub-Picometer Resolution for RF-MEMS

The optical knife-edge displacement measurement technique can be used to quantify in-plane vibrations of microstructures at radio frequencies. This paper presents an analytical model and experimental results for this technique that demonstrate precise displacement measurements for electrostatic microelectromechanical resonators at frequencies ranging from 13 MHz to 895 MHz. It is also shown that high-resolution spatial mapping of displacement mode shapes for fundamental and higher order vibration modes can be achieved. The optical knife-edge measurements have a resolution as low as 455 fm/ $\surd$ Hz at 13.6 MHz, and under 1 pm/ $\surd$ Hz up to 1.4 GHz. This paper expands the capabilities of the knife-edge technique by working with all types of in-plane microelectromechanical resonators, improving the resolution by at least a factor of 2, and increasing the frequency range by a factor of 60. [2018-0094]
Autonomously designed free-form 2D DNA origami

Scaffolded DNA origami offers the unique ability to organize molecules in nearly arbitrary spatial patterns at the nanometer scale, with wireframe designs further enabling complex 2D and 3D geometries with irregular boundaries and internal structures. The sequence design of the DNA staple strands needed to fold the long scaffold strand to the target geometry is typically performed manually, limiting the broad application of this materials design paradigm. Here, we present a fully autonomous procedure to design all DNA staple sequences needed to fold any free-form 2D scaffolded DNA origami wireframe object. Our algorithm uses wireframe edges consisting of two parallel DNA duplexes and enables the full autonomy of scaffold routing and staple sequence design with arbitrary network edge lengths and vertex angles. The application of our procedure to geometries with both regular and irregular external boundaries and variable internal structures demonstrates its broad utility for nanoscale materials science and nanotechnology.
Body fat distribution in Chinese Adults

BackgroundThere is mounting evidence that body fat percentage (BF%) are well known as indicator of nutritional status. A growing literature also suggests that BF% maybe a more important predictors ...
End-of-Life Care

Mesothelioma is a complex disease and manifests with physical and emotional symptoms as well as social issues. These symptoms and issues can be more burdensome to those with mesothelioma, family caregivers, and other carers than other diseases. One issue that is unfortunately common is that a patient or family member of this rare disease is often treated in a setting where there are few, if any, other patients with mesothelioma. This experience can exacerbate the symptoms and problems due to isolation, lack of support, and lack of specialized services. The process of this disease has additional layers of complexity as the vast majority of people diagnosed with mesothelioma were exposed at work and the reality that the current outcome of the disease is death. This chapter presents information on how people respond to an upcoming death, the actual dying process, and after the person with mesothelioma has died. This chapter includes the typical physical symptoms that are often the hallmark of the beginning of the end of life. Information about decisions that can be made to promote as much comfort care as possible at the end of life by both the patient and the caregiver is offered. The process that must be followed after death from mesothelioma, including information on whom to call and the differences between being in the United States vs. some countries in Europe, is presented in the Addendum. The goal of this chapter is to offer healthcare professional an understanding of what the end of the disease process might look like and how patients and their families may feel and concrete tasks that can be done in the least complicated and most sensitive manner.
Nationwide Analysis of 30-Day Readmissions After Esophagectomy: Causes, Costs, and Risk Factors.

Background Postsurgical readmissions are an increasingly scrutinized marker of health care quality. We sought to estimate the rate, risk factors, causes, and costs associated with readmissions after esophagectomy in a large, nationally representative cohort. Methods We studied patients from the Nationwide Readmissions Database undergoing esophagectomy from 2010 to 2014. Data were collected on the prevalence and indications for readmission within 30 days as well as the hospital-, procedure-, and patient-level risk factors as determined by multivariable logistic regression. Results Among 13,282 cases, the rate of 30-day readmission was 19.4%, with the most common indications for readmission being pulmonary (20.6%) and gastrointestinal complications (20%). Median cost of readmission was $9660 (interquartile range, $5392 to $20,447), and pulmonary complications accounted for the greatest total cost burden at 25.8% of all readmission-related costs. Independent risk factors for readmission on multivariable analysis included perioperative blood transfusion (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08 to 1.65; P = .008), discharge to a nursing facility (AOR 1.83; 95% CI, 1.41 to 2.39; P Conclusions Nearly 1 in 5 patients undergoing esophagectomy are readmitted within 30 days of discharge, at a median cost of $9660 per readmission. Pulmonary complications account for the greatest number of readmissions and the greatest total cost burden. Targeting the causes of readmission, especially pulmonary causes, may help significantly reduce the total morbidity and health care costs associated with esophagectomy.
Role of gender and urban/rural divide in language shift in Pakistani Punjab

Despite positive attitudes towards Punjabi in the urban areas of Pakistani Punjab, there is a shift towards the Urdu language in almost all domains. This study shows that significant differences in...
Chapter XIV – QUESTION ANSWERING

Publisher Summary The problem of responding intelligently to facts is closely tied to language comprehension. Computers will execute exactly the orders that are given them, provided that one sticks to a very formal language and providing that there is no ambiguity whatsoever in the order. This chapter describes the problem of getting computers to act in a more intelligent manner. Message comprehension is the first problem to be faced by the intelligent machine. In conventional computing, the human speaker learns to write in a precisely defined formal language. Programming is too hard. There are many thoughts in one's natural language which one cannot put in computing terms. Establishing the correct reference by analogy to other questions being asked at the same time is a subtle bit of reasoning quite within the capability of people and quite outside that of most information-retrieval systems. Machine comprehension is deeply involved with machine analysis of natural language.
Charge transfer via spin flip configuration interaction: Benchmarks and application to singlet fission

Charge transfer and multi-exciton states are among the most difficult to characterize using electronic structure theories. Previously, restricted active space-spin flip (RAS-SF) methods have been applied to describe multi-exciton states, but these have not yet been shown to be useful for charge-transfer states. Herein, a variant of RAS-SF is introduced to treat charge-transfer states and electronic couplings. This approach relies on partitioning of the full RAS-SF Hamiltonian into charge-transfer and non-charge-transfer blocks, allowing the different types of diabatic states to be resolved in a straightforward fashion. To demonstrate this approach in practice, model dimer systems, intramolecular charge-transfer dyads, and an intramolecular singlet fission system were examined. Being low-cost and relatively accurate, RAS-SF provides important insight into electron transfer pathways in conventional donor–acceptor systems, as well as characterizations of charge transfer mechanisms involving strongly correlated multi-exciton states. Studies of electron transfer from an intramolecular singlet fission chromophore to an anthraquinone acceptor demonstrate the unique capabilities of the proposed RAS-SF method.
Nuclear physics probability code: OpenMC

Abstract This chapter will describe in detail some important methodologies of nuclear physics probability code, including general introduction, recently developed probability codes, important methodologies applied in OpenMC, including random number generator, random walk, tallies and statistics, and eigenvalue and fixed-source calculations. Moreover, fuel pin modeling for OpenMC is presented, including definition of geometry, materials, tallies, settings. And also running OpenMC in parallel and postprocessing the simulated results are described. Finally, the advanced features of Python API are introduced.
Electrodeposition and characterization of NiCoP

The influence of the mass transfer effects, the applied current density, the solution pH and temperature, and bath composition on the current efficiency of the deposit was determined. Cyclic voltammetry on the deposition bath was conducted to understand the mechanism of deposition. The films were characterized by x-ray diffraction spectroscopy and were found to be generally amorphous with small amounts of crystalline phases dispersed depending upon the phosphorous content. The corrosion resistance of the deposits in a chloride medium was observed to increase with the phosphorous content. The knoop hardness of the electrodeposits was studied as a function of the phosphorous content as well.
Can Archaeology Help Decolonize the Way Institutions Think? How Community-Based Research is Transforming the Archaeology Training Toolbox and Helping to Transform Institutions

Engagement with communities is increasing within universities, museums, and other institutions, including state, federal, and local agencies. Scholarly literature is filled with case studies of the challenges and positive outcomes of community-based research projects. The next necessary step is systemic change within our discipline and our institutions to transform them toward more decolonized models and systems that are collaborative and sustainable in a world that’s in a time of tremendous crisis and change. I argue that, due to two decades of experience engaging with communities, community-based archaeologists have skills that can help transform institutions.
Sex-specific effects of in vitro fertilization on adult metabolic outcomes and hepatic transcriptome and proteome in mouse

Although in vitro fertilization (IVF) is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes, there is increasing concern about the long-term and sex-specific health implications. Augmenting our IVF mouse model to longitudinally investigate metabolic outcomes in offspring from optimal neonatal litter sizes, we found sex-specific metabolic outcomes in IVF offspring. IVF-conceived females had higher body weight and cholesterol levels compared to naturally conceived females, whereas IVF-conceived males had higher levels of triglycerides and insulin, and increased body fat composition. Through adult liver transcriptomics and proteomics, we identified sexually dimorphic dysregulation of the sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) pathways that are associated with the sex-specific phenotypes. We also found that global loss of DNA methylation in placenta was linked to higher cholesterol levels in IVF-conceived females. Our findings indicate that IVF procedures have long-lasting sex-specific effects on metabolic health of offspring and lay the foundation to utilize the placenta as a predictor of long-term outcomes.
Shale weathering profiles show Hg sequestration along a New York-Tennessee transect.

Shale-derived soils have higher clay, organic matter, and secondary Fe oxide content than other bedrock types, all of which can sequester Hg. However, shales also can be Hg-rich due to their marine formation. The objectives of this study were to determine the concentration and phase partitioning of Hg in seven upland weathering profiles from New York to Tennessee USA and use geochemical normalization techniques to estimate the extent of Hg inheritance from weathering of shale bedrock or sequestration of atmospheric Hg. Total Hg concentrations in unweathered shale ranged from 3 to 94 ng/g. Total Hg concentrations decreased with depth in the Ultisols and Alfisols, with total Hg concentrations ranging from 18 to 265 ng/g. Across all shale soils and rocks, the oxidizable fraction of Hg (15% H2O2 extraction) comprised a large portion of the total Hg at 68% ± 8%. This fraction was dominated by organic matter as confirmed with positive correlations between Hg and %LOI, but could also be impacted by Hg sulfides. Across all sites, the reducible fraction of Hg (citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite extraction) was only 10% ± 4% of the total Hg on average. Thus, secondary Fe oxides did not contain a significant portion of Hg, as commonly observed in tropical soils. Although colder sites had a higher organic matter and sequestered more Hg, τ values for Hg indexed to Ti suggest that atmospheric deposition, such as pollution sources in Ohio River Valley, drove the highest enrichment of Hg along the transect. These results demonstrate that shale-derived soils have a net accumulation and retention of atmospheric Hg, primarily through stabilization by organic matter.
An introduction to many-valued and fuzzy logic :: semantics, algebras, and derivation systems

Preface 1. Introduction 2. Review of classical propositional logic 3. Review of classical first-order logic 4. Alternative semantics for truth-values and truth-functions 5. Three-valued propositional logics: semantics 6. Derivation systems for three-valued propositional logic 7. Three-valued first-order logics: semantics 8. Derivation systems for three-valued first-order logics 9. Alternative semantics for three-valued systems 10. The principle of charity reconsidered and a new problem of the fringe 11. Fuzzy propositional logics: semantics 12. Fuzzy algebras 13. Derivational systems for fuzzy propositional logics 14. Fuzzy first-order logics: semantics 15. Derivation systems for fuzzy first-order logics 16. Extensions of fuzziness 17. Fuzzy membership functions.
The Parser's Window

Publisher Summary However the human listener manages to parse sentences, he or she must frequently manage to do so without ever having simultaneous access to the entire surface of the input sentence. This follows from two very simple and undisputed facts. First, the physical speech signal fades extremely rapidly. The complex wave form that carries speech is damped almost immediately upon delivery. Mercifully, perhaps, the air at the surface of the earth has no resonant properties by which to provide echoes of words, phrases, or sentences. With the exception of caves and canyons, the physical circumstances of speech ordinarily guarantee a transient life for the speech signal. To a certain extent, the human cognitive apparatus compensates for the rapid demise of the physical signal. Short term memory provides some of the resonant capacity that the speech environment lacks. However, the second fact intrudes for human short term memory is notoriously limited. Although exact estimates of short term memory capacity disagree, still there are no estimates of the capacity of immediate memory that would even remotely suggest that the human listener can hold in mind (say) the entire 15-25 words of a modestly complicated spoken sentence. There are two consequences that follow directly from the fact that the human parser's simultaneous access to the surface of the sentence—“window-is frequently too narrow to encompass a sentence, which it nevertheless parses successfully.” These consequences take the form of constraints that any empirically adequate model of parsing must obey. The first such constraint might be called the weak left-to-right constraint. The second constraint might be called the left accessibility constraint.
2-Fusion Systems with Components of Type SL2(q)

We study a problem in fusion systems designed to mimic, simplify, and generalize parts of the Classification of Finite Simple Groups. A 2-fusion system is a 2-group S with a family of injective homomorphisms on subgroups of S. Fusion systems arise in the study of modular representations and classifying spaces, and our results have potential ramifications beyond finite group theory. One problem is to determine S or, whenever possible, the entire 2-fusion system from the knowledge of certain subgroups and maps. We consider the case where S contains a subgroup and maps that arise in the Classification with standard component of type SL2(q).
Somite chondrogenesis in vitro. Stimulation by exogenous extracellular matrix components.

Abstract Glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans were assayed during induced and noninduced in vitro somite chondrogenesis. Proteoglycan aggregates and monomers can be detected during the first day of culture, with the monomeric form being the predominant molecule. Stimulation with notochordal tissue, exogenous collagens, proteoglycans, or matrices composed of collagen bound to proteoglycans resulted in qualitative and quantitative changes in proteoglycan synthesis. There was a quantitative increase in the amount of proteoglycan synthesized by the induced somites. The somites responded only to embryonic chick proteoglycans, whereas collagens from a variety of sources were effective. The process of chondrogenic differentiation in embryonic somites can be described as an increase in the size of the proteoglycan monomers synthesized and a progressive increase in the synthesis of proteoglycan aggregates. Of the exogenous agents used, collagen Type II (the type of collagen synthesized by the in vivo inducer, the notochord) was the most effective inducer of chondrogenesis.
Indirect Association: Mining Higher Order Dependencies in Data

This paper introduces a novel pattern called indirect association and examines its utility in various application domains. Existing algorithms for mining associations, such as Apriori, will only discover itemsets that have support above a user-defined threshold. Any itemsets with support below the minimum support requirement are filtered out. We believe that an infrequent pair of items can be useful if the items are related indirectly via some other set of items. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for deriving indirectly associated itempairs and demonstrate the potential application of these patterns in the retail, textual and stock market domains.
Considerations for the Interpretation of Infrared Emission from Molecular Clouds

The last years have seen a remarkable growth in observational data relating to the dense interstellar clouds composed of molecular hydrogen in which star formation occurs. Though molecular hydrogen itself has no observable radio frequency transitions, the gaseous component in these regions has been mapped using the millimeter wavelength rotational lines of trace molecules like CO. And where the associated dust grains have been heated to temperatures above 30°K, adjacent to either an HII region or an embedded “star”, their emission has been detected in the far infrared. In the absence of such a heat source this emission would be unobservable at wavelengths shorter than 200µ. The far infrared measurements are, therefore, most useful in delineating regions of active star formation. The CO observations (reviewed in §5) indicate that the gas is also heated in the vicinity of the luminous sources. The dust grains and their infrared emission are, therefore, also critical to the energetics and energy transfer in molecular clouds. In this review I would like to describe an analysis we have recently made of the infrared radiative transfer in these molecular cloud sources (Scoville and Kwan 1976). We hope that this study not only aids in interpretion of the infrared data but also may shed light on the relationship between the dust and gas in these fascinating regions.
From Dialogue to Bakhtin’s Dialogue: A Critical Review in Learning Disability Research

The purpose of this study was to understand the nature of dialogue used in peer-refereed research articles related to learning disabilities (LD) and instruction. We attempted to evaluate the quality of dialogue in these articles through a lens that Bakhtin and various disability studies scholars offer. In addition, we suggest that disability scholars’ concepts and uses of dialogue provided a way for us to frame our Bakhtinian critique in the broader context of theorizing the social model of disability. From a critical review of these articles, we identified various limitations in ways that dialogue is used to conduct the studies and also in the ways that dialogue is represented by the authors. The studies often minimized the voices of the students labeled as LD. We offer many suggestions for how to present their voices in research and how to improve teaching through conceptualizing learning in a different, more sensitive way as informed by Bakhtin’s notion of dialogue.
Platelet storage pool deficiency associated with inherited abnormalities of the inner ear in the mouse pigment mutants muted and mocha

Several inherited human syndromes have combined platelet, auditory, and/or pigment abnormalities. In the mouse the pallid pigment mutant has abnormalities of the otoliths of the inner ear together with a bleeding abnormality caused by platelet storage pool deficiency (SPD). To determine if this association is common, two other mouse pigment mutants, muted and mocha, which are known to have inner ear abnormalities, were examined for hematologic abnormalities. Both mutants had prolonged bleeding times accompanied by abnormalities of dense granules as determined by whole mount electron microscopy of platelets and by labeling platelets with mepacrine. When mutant platelets were treated with collagen, there was minimal secretion of adenosine triphosphate and aggregation was reduced. Lysosomal enzyme secretion in response to thrombin treatment was partially reduced in muted platelets and markedly reduced in mocha platelets. Similar reductions in constitutive lysosomal enzyme secretion from kidney proximal tubule cells were noted in the two mutants. These studies show that several mutations that cause pigment dilution and platelet SPD are associated with abnormalities of the inner ear. Also, these mutants, like previously described mouse pigment mutants, are models for human Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome and provide additional examples of single genes that simultaneously affect melanosomes, lysosomes, and platelet dense granules.
A Pattern Specification and Optimizations Framework for Accelerating Scientific Computations on Heterogeneous Clusters

Clusters with accelerators at each node have emerged as the dominant high-end architecture in recent years. Such systems can be extremely hard to program because of the underlying heterogeneity and the need for exploiting parallelism at multiple levels. Thus, easing parallel programming today requires not only high-level programming models, but ones from which hybrid parallelism can be extracted. In this paper, we focus on the following question: "can simple APIs be developed for several classes of popular scientific applications, to ease application development and yet maintain parallel efficiency, on clusters with accelerators?". We approach this problem by individually considering popular patterns that arise in scientific computations. By developing APIsfor generalized reductions, irregular reductions, and stencil computations, we show that several complex scientific applications can be supported. We enable compact specification of these applications (40% of the code size of MPI), while also enabling parallelization across nodes and devices within a node, and with work distribution across CPU and GPU cores. We enable a number of optimizations that are normally implemented by hand by scientific programmers. We compare well against existing MPI applications while scaling across nodes, and against handwritten CUDA applications for executions on a single GPU, and yet can scale by using all parallelism simultaneously. On a cluster with 64GPUs, we achieve speedups between 600 and 1800 over sequential(single CPU core) versions.
If Obscenity Were to Discriminate

This essay responds to Professor Elizabeth Glazer’s thoughtful essay, When Obscenity Discriminates, and its three-pronged argument that the Supreme Court's First Amendment obscenity doctrine is unconstitutional because (1) current obscenity doctrine leaves open the possibility that, in application, juries or judges might find gay sex portrayals obscene simply because they involve same-sex acts; (2) this possibility in turn encourages censorship of sexual expression involving gay sex by private actors; and (3) in view of the Court’s decision in Lawrence v. Texas, the obscenity doctrine violates the Equal Protection Clause by causing such private discrimination, and also violates the First Amendment because such discrimination is directed against the viewpoint that gay sex is equally acceptable as heterosexual sex. This essay contends that this argument is deficient because it rests on flawed legal and empirical premises. First is the notion that existing constitutional doctrine of the Court can itself be unconstitutional because it might be applied in a manner that violates other constitutional doctrines. Next is the idea that potential unconstitutional applications of a doctrine that purportedly encourage private actors to discriminate create sufficient state action on which to establish a constitutional violation. Another is the lack of empirical evidence of discriminatory behavior by private entities purportedly resulting from potential unconstitutional applications of the obscenity doctrine. The author presents an alternative argument to that made by Professor Glazer: if the discriminatory application of the obscenity doctrine against gay sex portrayals were to become an issue (something Glazer fails to establish), the demands of a principled and coherent jurisprudence might require the Court to revisit the doctrine to clarify that, standing alone, the gay or lesbian nature of such portrayals would not be a constitutional basis for deeming such expression to be obscene. However, such an argument would most properly rest on basic equal protection and First Amendment principles rather than on any changes in the law wrought by Lawrence.