cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RAT STRAIN AND STOCK COMPARISONS USING A FUNCTIONAL OBSERVATIONAL BATTERY : BASELINE VALUES AND EFFECTS OF AMITRAZ

Abstract A functional observational battery (FOB) was utilized to assess the effects of 3-day exposure to the formamidine pesticide amitraz in outbred Sprague-Dawley-derived and inbred Fischer-344-derived (F344) rats (both from Charles River Laboratories) and in outbred Long-Evans rats obtained from two commercial suppliers (Charles River Breeding Laboratories and Blue Spruce Farms). Significant strain and stock differences were obtained in baseline values for one-third of the FOB measures. In most cases, F344 rats were different from the others. Characteristic signs of amitraz exposure consisting of increased excitability, hyper-reactivity and physiological and autonomic changes were evident in all treated rats. These effects increased with repeated dosing, and many were still present 6 days after dosing. On individual measures, there were differences between the strains and stocks in terms of sensitivity and time course of amitraz effects. In general, Blue Spruce Long-Evans rats displayed more effects of amitraz and F344 rats recovered more quickly than others. Although Sprague-Dawley rats showed the least effect overall, they displayed the largest increases in the sensorimotor responses to stimuli. These data indicate that although some behavioral and physiological parameters showed strain and supplier differences, in both baseline values and the effects of amitraz, conclusions concerning its neurotoxic potential in a screening context would be similar.
Environmental monitoring and health surveillance activities at Parachute Creek Shale Oil Project, 1986–1990

Abstract Since 1986, the Parachute Creek Shale Oil Project has collected compliance and supplemental data, as outlined in an environmental monitoring plan. Highlights of this information are discussed. No problems were identified in the areas of water or solid emissions; air emissions meet permit requirements but compounds of concern may be released during non-routine operating conditions.
Estimation of the effects of adverse selection and moral hazard on income-contingent loan plans for professional and graduate students

Abstract The increasing repayment burden of conventional student loans and the rapid growth of attendance costs are concerns that should spark renewed interest in income-contingent loans, especially for students in high-cost graduate and professional programs. This paper provides a model of the demand for income-contingent loans that can be used to estimate the possible effects of adverse selection and moral hazard on the financial viability of income-contingent loan plans. Simulations based on the loan-demand model are presented for medical students, and the results are discussed in terms of alternative options for reducing the effects of adverse selection and moral hazard.
A method for measuring the titania surface area on mixed oxides of titania and silica

We have used temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of 2-propanol to characterize several silica, titania, and silica-supported titania samples. Upon evacuation, most of the 2-propanol desorbed intact from the silica samples. This is in contrast to the results on titania and on silica-supported titania, where a significant amount remained on the surface following evacuation, with a fraction of this reacting to propene and water. The coverages of 2-propanol are approximately proportional to the titania surface area, corresponding to between 2.4 and 6.1×1018 molecules/m2 of titania, depending on the form of the titania. The results suggest that selective adsorption of 2-propanol may be useful for determining the surface area of titania in titania-silicates.
A Comparison of Expert and Novice Music Teachers' Preparing Identical Band Compositions: An Operational Replication

This replication is the third causal-comparative study of expert and novice instrumental music teachers seeking to determine characteristics that may define successful, outstanding band directors, using methodology refined in two previous studies (Goolsby, 1996, 1997). Here, 10 expert and 10 novice teachers prepared an identical composition for a rated performance. A total of 216 rehearsals were analyzed to establish frequency distributions for 30 teaching and performance variables and for sequential patterns of instruction. Results showed that novices used more time overall and spent more time in verbal instruction while preparing the composition. The expert teachers spent a greater percentage of the rehearsals performing than novices did. Differences for frequency distributions indicate that novice teachers stopped and restarted more frequently without providing instruction; experts addressed balance, style, tone, and intonation more than did novices.
Failure to Complete as a Family Characteristic: A College Sample

AbstractCollege freshman males whose fathers and mothers failed to complete educational undertakings more often discontinued their education than males whose parents had a converse educational history. Level of academic aptitude did not appear to be an influential factor in this relationship. Freshman females appeared to be similarly influenced by fathers, but this finding is not clearly unrelated to academic aptitude.
Patterns of diet and growth in co-occurring populations of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass

Abstract Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and smallmouth bass M. dolomieu both undergo ontogenetic diet shifts from insects and zooplankton (as juveniles) to fish and crayfish (as adults). This diet similarity leads to the expectation that the growth rates of co-occurring largemouth bass and smallmouth bass should covary positively. However, the relative abundance of the two species varies widely among lakes, suggesting that there are important ecological differences and making it difficult to predict how the individual growth rates of the two species will covary among systems. We quantified the diets and growth rates of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass in a set of lakes in New York State that varied in the relative abundance of the two species. Despite changing diets as a function of size, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass consumed similar prey across the size range. As expected based on diets, the growth rates of the two species were also positively correlated among lakes for most size-classes...
Convenient preparation and manipulation of Me3SnH from Me3SnCl. Formation and use of mixed trimethylstannylcuprates via transmetalation reactions

Details for the straightforward generation of Me3SnH in either the neat state or in solution are presented. Treatment of Me3SnH with a higher order cyanocuprate affords a mixed trimethylstannylcuprate which selectively delivers the Me3Sn moiety to organic substrates. The process bypasses prior formation of Me3SnLi from Me3SnCl, Me3SnH, or (Me3Sn)2.
Changing diversity in U.S. schools: The impact on elementary student performance and achievement

Schools in the United States have experienced changes in their demographic profile during the last half century. During this changing time, schools have experienced court-involved desegregation and have experienced fluctuations in their populations with regard to both race and socioeconomic status. Existing studies on segregation have focused primarily on Black and White students, neglecting the increasing Hispanic population of U.S. schools. This study provides more data to the expanding research on the impact of diversity on student performance. The study examines whether diversity and teacher quality of a school can predict academic performance on state-mandated tests, while controlling for school level poverty. In this quantitative study, the researcher also analyzes whether a difference exists between the predictability of pass rates and advanced pass rates for African American, Hispanic, and White students in Virginia's elementary schools. The data reveal that the impact of poverty is difficult to disentangle from the issues of diversity and teacher quality but that differences exist among student racial groups in their academic performance response based on school-level poverty, diversity, and teacher quality.
Continuous current capacity of bundled cables for aircraft

Electric cables installed in aircraft are normally tied together in bundles for a portion of the cable run from the bus to the individual load device. As a consequence, the temperature of a particular cable depends not only on the current which it carries but also on the currents which flow simultaneously in other cables of the group. The problem of the current capacity of cables in bundles can be stated as follows: given any set of currents, how shall individual cables of the proper size be selected so that their limiting temperature is not exceeded when the cables are arranged in a bundle; or, stated conversely, given any specified bundle of cables, what is the combination of currents which may be carried by the cable group.
Modulus of Soil Reaction Values Measured in Ohio Thermoplastic Pipe Deep Burial Project

AbstractThe researchers at Ohio University examined various aspects of the buried plastic pipe-soil interaction problem through their thermoplastic pipe deep burial project. This paper addresses on...
Quantification, Persistence, and Status of Dodine Resistance in New York and Michigan Orchard Populations of Venturia inaequalis.

Isolates of Venturia inaequalis were sampled from apple orchards during 1990 to 1996 and isolate sensitivities to dodine were determined by testing the relative growth (RG) of mycelial colonies at a discriminatory dose of 0.2 μg ml-1. Sensitivities were not significantly different for a wild-type population and several populations sampled from orchards never or rarely treated with dodine, and respective data were combined to provide a reference for baseline populations. The baseline sensitivity was compared with sensitivities determined for four orchards with evidence for practical dodine resistance. At these sites, increases of phenotype frequencies were most pronounced for isolates with RG values >90; they had increased from a baseline level of 0.9 to >30% and, therefore, were rated dodine-resistant. For two orchards with confirmed cases of previous dodine resistance, frequencies of resistant isolates had declined to 11 and 14% after dodine use was discontinued for 13 and 4 years, respectively. Sensitivities had not returned to baseline levels, and indirect evidence suggested that practical dodine resistance could recur rapidly in response to resumed dodine usage. Monitoring of commercial orchards in New York and Michigan revealed that dodine sensitivities were not uniform throughout regions where dodine resistance was widespread in the late 1970s. Sensitivities ranged from baseline to dodine-resistant and appeared to reflect the dodine use history at particular sites. Because the history of dodine use is not always known to growers, applications of dodine remain risky when accurate historical records are not available.
HashCache: cache storage for the next billion

We present HashCache, a configurable cache storage engine designed to meet the needs of cache storage in the developing world. With the advent of cheap commodity laptops geared for mass deployments, developing regions are poised to become major users of the Internet, and given the high cost of bandwidth in these parts of the world, they stand to gain significantly from network caching. However, current Web proxies are incapable of providing large storage capacities while using small resource footprints, a requirement for the integrated multi-purpose servers needed to effectively support developing-world deployments. Hash-Cache presents a radical departure from the conventional wisdom in network cache design, and uses 6 to 20 times less memory than current techniques while still providing comparable or better performance. As such, Hash-Cache can be deployed in configurations not attainable with current approaches, such as having multiple terabytes of external storage cache attached to low-powered machines. HashCache has been successfully deployed in two locations in Africa, and further deployments are in progress.
Intersectionality, Quotas, and Minority Women's Political Representation Worldwide

The majority of the world's countries have implemented policies designed to advance the political representation of women and/or minority groups. Yet we do not yet understand how these disparate policies affect the election of minority women. In this article, I draw on theories of intersectionality to conduct the first worldwide analysis of the effects of gender and minority quotas on minority women's representation in national legislatures. Using hierarchical linear modeling, I analyze how quotas influence the election of women from more than 300 racial, ethnic, and religious groups across 81 countries. I find that policies designed to promote the political representation of women and minority groups interact to produce diverse but predictable outcomes for minority women. Although quotas are ostensibly designed to promote diversity and inclusiveness, the quota policies in effect today rarely challenge majority men's dominance of national legislatures.
Square-root free orthogonalization algorithms

This paper is concerned with the derivation and analysis of higher order algorithms of polynomial type for computing an orthonormal basis of a subspace. These algorithms are derived from unconstrained optimization of certain cost functions. The proposed methods are efficient and do not require square root computation. Based on these, algorithms for orthonormalization with respect to a positive definite matrix and principal and minor subspace methods are developed. Numerical experiments illustrate the theoretical results.
Student construction of anatomic models for learning complex, seldom seen structures

many anatomic structures and morphological relations are difficult to appreciate because they can be difficult or impossible to dissect. Furthermore, two-dimensional pictures may not replicate the anatomy in three dimensions or communicate how components relate spatially. Accordingly, anatomic
Developing a Multi-Joint Upper Limb Exoskeleton Robot for Diagnosis, Therapy, and Outcome Evaluation in Neurorehabilitation

Arm impairments in patients post stroke involve the shoulder, elbow and wrist simultaneously. It is not very clear how patients develop spasticity and reduced range of motion (ROM) at the multiple joints and the abnormal couplings among the multiple joints and the multiple degrees-of-freedom (DOF) during passive movement. It is also not clear how they lose independent control of individual joints/DOFs and coordination among the joints/DOFs during voluntary movement. An upper limb exoskeleton robot, the IntelliArm, which can control the shoulder, elbow, and wrist, was developed, aiming to support clinicians and patients with the following integrated capabilities: 1) quantitative, objective, and comprehensive multi-joint neuromechanical pre-evaluation capabilities aiding multi-joint/DOF diagnosis for individual patients; 2) strenuous and safe passive stretching of hypertonic/deformed arm for loosening up muscles/joints based on the robot-aided diagnosis; 3) (assistive/resistive) active reaching training after passive stretching for regaining/improving motor control ability; and 4) quantitative, objective, and comprehensive neuromechanical outcome evaluation at the level of individual joints/DOFs, multiple joints, and whole arm. Feasibility of the integrated capabilities was demonstrated through experiments with stroke survivors and healthy subjects.
A novel modeling algorithm for shape recovery of unknown topology

This paper presents a novel modeling algorithm that is capable of simultaneously recovering correct shape geometry as well as its unknown topology from arbitrarily complicated datasets. Our algorithm starts from a simple seed model (of genus zero) that can be arbitrarily initiated by users within any dataset. The deformable behavior of our model is governed by a locally defined objective function associated with each vertex of the model. Through the numerical computation of function optimization, our algorithm can adaptively subdivide the model geometry, automatically detect self-collision of the model, properly modify its topology (because of the occurrence of self-collision), continuously evolve the model towards the object boundary, and reduce fitting error and improve fitting quality via global subdivision. Commonly used mesh optimization techniques are employed throughout the geometric deformation and topological variation in order to ensure the model both locally smooth and globally well conditioned. We have applied our algorithm to various real/synthetic range data as well as volumetric image data in order to empirically verify and validate its usefulness. Based on our experiments, the new modeling algorithm proves to be very powerful and extremely valuable for shape recovery in computer vision, reverse engineering in computer graphics, and iso-surface extraction in visualization.
Painful to playful: Quotidian frames in the conversational discourse of older Japanese women

Conversations about serious life changes in old age may be expected to sound painful, but data of conversational narratives by elderly Japanese women even on topics related to illnesses or the death of a husband show highly engaging, lively exchanges, frequently accompanied by humor and laughter among the participants. The common feature in the conversations recounting psychologically intense experiences is a shift to detailed depictions of specific scenes from the quotidian perspective. This phenomenon, which I call quotidian reframing, is signaled by linguistic and paralinguistic quotidian framing cues. Quotidian reframing can function as a useful discourse strategy to relieve tension and let the participants regain the feeling or stance of quotidian self, the identity that they consider “normal.” A detailed account of the quotidian frame draws on such ideas as frame, footing, lamination, and positioning. (Discourse analysis, frame, identity, humor and laughter, older Japanese women)*
Polyethylene glycol: Catalytic effect on the crystallization of phosphoglucomutase at high salt concentration☆

A cold, aqueous solution containing (NH4)2SO4 at 53% of saturation and 5.9% w/v polyethylene glycol-400 (PEG) produces PEG-rich coacervate droplets (16%(NH4)2SO4 and 37% PEG) when warmed to 25°C. In partition experiments conducted at low protein concentration, phosphoglucomutase and several other common proteins concentrate at least 20-fold in the PEG-rich phase. A temperature-induced phase separation similar to that above, but conducted in the presence of 5 mg/ml of phosphoglucomutase, can produce coacervate droplets in which the concentration of protein is about 500 mg/ml and thus approaches that in the crystal phase. The nucleation and subsequent conversion of such droplets into micrometer-size crystals of phosphoglucomutase were studied by light microscopy. Nucleation usually occurs in the periphery of these droplets, and neither phase nucleates efficiently by itself, although both support growth. Most droplets do not nucleate and subsequently dissolve as the protein concentration in the surrounding medium is depleted by incorporation into growing srystals. A major role of PEG in the nucleation/crystallization process is to repress the formation of salt-induced, disordered aggregates whose non-lattice protein-protein interactions presumably are less mobile than those in the droplet phase. In this sense, PEG acts as a nucleation catalyst. Such a mode of action is supported by studies on the effect of PEG in the conversion of salt-induced aggregates of phosphoglucomutase into protein crystals. An analogous role in the nucleation and slow growth of much larger crystals under somewhat different conditions is inferred. Such a PEG-induced effect may be general for proteins that crystallize from concentrated salt solutions.
Implication of dropping packets from the front of a queue

When congestion occurs in a packet queuing system, packets can be dropped from the rear or the front of the queue. It is demonstrated that the probability of a packet being dropped is the same in systems with rear and front packet dropping. It is shown that the probability of a packet being delayed longer than a given value in a system with front dropping is less than or equal to that in a system with rear dropping. It is further illustrated that front dropping not only improves the delay performance on an internodal link, but also provides the overall loss performance for time constrained traffic such as packet voice. >
Accuracy of approx confidence bounds using censored Weibull regression data from accelerated life tests

For censored Weibull regression data arising from typical accelerated life tests (ALTs), the performance of small-sample normal-theory confidence intervals is summarized by three points: (1) they have highly asymmetric error rates; (2) they can be extremely anti-conservative; and (3) these effects worsen when higher confidence levels are used. Likelihood-ratio-based confidence intervals have much more symmetric error rates which are not as extremely anti-conservative as normal-theory intervals can be. For typical ALTs, likelihood-ratio-based confidence intervals are better than those based on asymptotic normal theory. Likelihood-ratio-based confidence intervals require more computation than intervals based on the asymptotic normality of the maximum-likelihood estimators. The resource spent on computing is, however, usually very small compared to the other costs involved in an ALT. >
1 Introduction: Inalienability, Value, and the Construction of Social Difference

Annette Weiner's concept of “inalienable wealth” is a powerful theoretical construct that can help archaeologists understand how artifacts gained value, were used to foster group identity, and created social difference. In this chapter we first review the concept of inalienable wealth as conceptualized by Weiner for use in understanding cultural practices of contemporary societies in Melanesia. We then discuss why inalienable wealth holds potential for archaeological datasets, how archaeologists have used it in the recent past, and how contributors to this volume employ the concept.
A dynamic force and moment analysis system for brachiation.

We describe a transducer system and analysis strategy that allows the determination of dynamic forces and moments applied by an arm-swinging animal during locomotion. We have employed readily available technology and analysis procedures to produce a low-cost but effective system. The solutions to several problems in the design of the system are provided, and the functional characteristics of the system are demonstrated using both an inert pendulum and an actively brachiating gibbon (Hylobates lar). Summary
Two Ontologies of Power: A Comparison of Santayana and Tillich

The positions of George Santayana and Paul Tillich disclose remarkable strands of congruent concern and approach. In spite of obvious differences in temperament and philosophical heritage, both thinkers see their philosophies as the culmination of traditional perspectives in Western thought and also as modern criticisms of them. Neither thinker is interested in a radical originality of thought severed from its roots in the past. Both rather want to formulate a general philosophy of culture that is eclectic in the best sense of that abused word.Working independently of each other, both finally focus their attention on a similar concern that they see operating in the tradition and which is considered by them to have a continuing importance in the present. This is the problem of power and the appropriate human response to its manifestations. The intriguing features of agreement and disagreement in this common exploration are examined in the present essay.
Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: the impact of paroxetine.

Abstract The past decade has seen remarkable advances in our ability to treat patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, we are now much more aware of the prevalence of PTSD in civilian populations, and treatment studies now reflect the broad spectrum of patients with PTSD. Findings of studies conducted with the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), mood stabilizers, and benzodiazepines suggest varying degrees of efficacy, with the MAOIs being particularly efficacious. However, the adverse-effect profiles of these agents, especially the TCAs and the MAOIs, limit their widespread use. The efficacy and tolerability of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), paroxetine, sertraline, and fluoxetine, also have been demonstrated in clinical trials. Paroxetine is especially well studied in this regard, with demonstrated efficacy in men and women, in both short-term and long-term studies, and in combat veterans and civilians. Paroxetine also has been shown to improve quality of life, and to improve sleep disturbances, which can be remarkably disabling, in patients with PTSD. Emerging evidence also suggests that long-term treatment with paroxetine reverses the reductions in hippocampal volume and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis abnormalities associated with PTSD.
An interview with Bryan Lask

As part of a series of interviews that I conducted with prominent figures in the eating disorders field, I interviewed Bryan Lask at the British Royal Society of Medicine in London in 2006. Lask, o...
Our Chosen Destiny

T o ask an individual his purpose in life leads only to confusion. The pressure of our society prompts us almost always to overstate or understate our aims. Our asserted goals, furthermore, tend to become the goals of our self-delusion. For a group a more realistic definition is possible, especially if there is a record of performance. For the people of the United States many attempts have been made to define the national goals, and there are 358 years of behavior against which this posturing may be checked. To Jamestown the first Virginians came in a spirit of adventure. They also hoped to get rich, or at least to better their lot. That attitude has characterized America ever since. Though inconsistent on other matters, Americans have remained true to the cult of economic progress. Last November, when the landslide of votes came in, the President agreed that it amounted to a mandate. When asked, "For what?" he had a ready answer. "Why," he said, "I believe everybody understands-Peace and Prosperity." The Pilgrims came to Plymouth hoping to make a better living. They also hoped to have greater freedom than they could count on in England. In particular they sought religious freedom, by which they meant escape from the tyranny of an established church. John Winthrop and his companions in the Massachusetts Bay Colony envisioned a New Canaan where they might erect a Light to the World. Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson challenged the enforced orthodoxy of the Massachusetts Puritans. Williams made Rhode Island a model of religious freedom. Freedom of religion in America benefited because Charles I granted a colony to a Roman Catholic and Charles II used land to settle a debt to a Quaker. Lord Baltimore's policy of toleration was a necessity if his fellow Catholics were to have a refuge they could depend on. William Penn clearly believed in freedom in religious belief and practice for non-Quakers
Insiders and Outsiders and Insider(s) Again in the (In)fertility World

At 28, while studying the history of women’s health in graduate school, I attended a panel examining the relationship between feminism and reproductive technology. When a panelist said, “We’ve been...
Anabolic and Catabolic Pathways of Parathyroid Hormone on the Skeleton

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is essential for the maintenance of the serum calcium concentration within narrow, normal limits, a feat that is achieved, in part, by its ability to regulate bone resorption. In addition to this traditional catabolic role, the osteoanabolic actions of PTH are also well known. Clinically, the catabolic effect of PTH is best represented by primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), whereas its osteoanabolic effect is best seen when PTH or its biological amino-terminal fragment [PTH(1–34)] is used as a therapy for osteoporosis. At the cellular level, PTH favors bone resorption, mostly by affecting the RANKL–OPG–RANK system and ultimately increasing both osteoclast recruitment and osteoclast activity. On the osteoanabolic level, PTH increases bone formation, a feat mediated, in part, by control of sclerostin, a regulator of the osteoanabolic Wnt signaling pathway. This chapter focuses on the cellular bases by which PTH exerts these dual anabolic and catabolic actions on the skeleton.
Organizational change, politics, and the official statistics of punishment

Most organizational researchers characterize politics as a force organizations experience from outside and administration as the practices managers adopt in response to the uncertain environment. To assess that approach, this paper examines a crisis that changed California criminal justice agencies' administrative practices and their communication of statistical information to outsiders. In 1976, managers and wardens supported conservative reform bills that effectively ended professional criminal rehabilitation and quantitative evaluation studies, and they shifted administration toward bureaucratic controls, using routine population counts. Changes in agency statistical activities clarify how members of government organizations act politically to maintain or change administrative practices.
Novex-3, the tiny titin of muscle

The giant multi-functional striated muscle protein titin is the third most abundant muscle protein after myosin and actin. Titin plays a pivotal role in myocardial passive stiffness, structural integrity and stress-initiated signaling pathways. The complete sequence of the human titin gene contains three isoform-specific mutually exclusive exons [termed novel exons (novex)] coding for the I-band sequence, named novex-1 (exon 45), novex-2 (exon 46) and novex-3 (exon 48). Transcripts containing either the novex-1 or novex-2 exons code for the novex-1 and novex-2 titin isoforms. The novex-3 transcript contains a stop codon and polyA tail signal, resulting in an unusually small (∼700 kDa) isoform, referred to as novex-3 titin. This ‘tiny titin’ isoform extends from the Z-disc (N-terminus) to novex-3 (C-terminus) and is expressed in all striated muscles. Biochemical analysis of novex-3 titin in cardiomyocytes shows that obscurin, a vertebrate muscle protein, binds to novex-3 titin. The novex-3/obscurin complex localizes to the Z-disc region and may regulate calcium, and SH3- and GTPase-associated myofibrillar signaling pathways. Therefore, novex-3 titin could be involved in stress-initiated sarcomeric restructuring.
Tyrosine phosphatase inhibition attenuates early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats.

Purpose: Sodium orthovanadate (SOV) is a representative tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor and has been shown to ameliorate neuronal injury in cerebral ischemia. We hypothesized that tyrosine phosphatase inhibition by SOV might attenuate early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in this study.
Fabrication security and trust of domain-specific ASIC processors

Application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) are commonly used to implement high-performance signal-processing systems for high-volume applications, but their high development costs and inflexible nature make ASICs inappropriate for algorithm development and low-volume DoD applications. In addition, the intellectual property (IP) embedded in the ASIC is at risk when fabricated in an untrusted foundry. Lincoln Laboratory has developed a flexible signal-processing architecture to implement a wide range of algorithms within one application domain, for example radar signal processing. In this design methodology, common signal processing kernels such as digital filters, fast Fourier transforms (FFTs), and matrix transformations are implemented as optimized modules, which are interconnected by a programmable wiring fabric that is similar to the interconnect in a field programmable gate array (FPGA). One or more programmable microcontrollers are also embedded in the fabric to sequence the operations. This design methodology, which has been termed a coarse-grained FPGA, has been shown to achieve a near ASIC level of performance. In addition, since the signal processing algorithms are expressed in firmware that is loaded at runtime, the important application details are protected from an unscrupulous foundry.
Conservation procurement auctions with bidirectional externalities

Abstract This study analyzes a conservation procurement auction with bidirectional externalities, that is, conservation output can affect the costs of individuals dedicated to market production, and vice versa. The procurer does not observe bidders’ efficiency in conservation or market production. Each market failure alone (asymmetric information or the presence of externalities) deviates optimal output away from the first best. Their coexistence, however, rather than producing larger output inefficiencies, can move optimal output closer to the first best when negative conservation externalities are minor. In this setting, the benefit from acquiring information about bidders’ types is small. In contrast, when conservation externalities are substantial, the procurer would have strong incentives to acquire information before designing the auction.
Ratiometric pH Imaging with a CoII2 MRI Probe via CEST Effects of Opposing pH Dependences.

We report a Co2-based magnetic resonance (MR) probe that enables the ratiometric quantitation and imaging of pH through chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST). This approach is illustrated in a series of air- and water-stable CoII2 complexes featuring CEST-active tetra(carboxamide) and/or hydroxyl-substituted bisphosphonate ligands. For the complex bearing both ligands, variable-pH CEST and NMR analyses reveal highly shifted carboxamide and hydroxyl peaks with intensities that increase and decrease with increasing pH, respectively. The ratios of CEST peak intensities at 104 and 64 ppm are correlated with solution pH in the physiological range 6.5–7.6 to construct a linear calibration curve of log(CEST104 ppm/CEST64 ppm) versus pH, which exhibits a remarkably high pH sensitivity of 0.99(7) pH unit–1 at 37 °C. In contrast, the analogous CoII2 complex with a CEST-inactive bisphosphonate ligand exhibits no such pH response, confirming that the pH sensitivity stems from the integration of amide and hydro...
Characteristics of women with recurrent endometriosis pain after laparoscopy and levonorgestrel intrauterine device placement

IntroductionThe levonorgestrel (LNG)-intrauterine device (IUD) is effective for many, but not all, women with endometriosis in managing pelvic pain. The aim of this study was to explore the characteristics associated with recurrent endometriosis pain within 12 months after operative laparoscopy and LNG-IUD placement.MethodsThis retrospective case series was performed at a university-affiliated infertility and reproductive surgery practice and included women who underwent operative laparoscopy and LNG-IUD placement by a single surgeon from January 1, 2012 to October 7, 2015 (n = 32). Within 12 months post-operatively, the primary surgeon assessed pain reported by the patient and prescribed adjunctive oral hormonal therapy for recurrent pain symptoms. Data were collected using the patients’ electronic medical records. The main outcome was the presence of recurrent endometriosis pain within 12 months after operative laparoscopy with LNG-IUD placement.ResultsOf the 32 women who underwent laparoscopy and LNG-I...
Novel Use of Fluorescence Lymphangiography During Robotic Groin Dissection for Penile Cancer.

Objective To describe a novel technique of robotic inguinal lymphadenectomy with near infrared fluorescence imaging (NIRF) using indocyanine green (ICG) to facilitate lymph node identification during robotic groin dissection for penile cancer. Materials and Methods The patient is placed in lithotomy position with access to the groin. Three robotic ports and 1 assist port are placed in a V configuration below the tip of femoral triangle. Intradermal ICG is injected at the base of the penis (0.5 mL of 2 mg/kg concentration in normal saline), and the lymphatic channels and nodes are visualized using NIRF in the robotic console approximately 15 minutes after injection. The surgical template established in the open approach is then replicated using NIRF to ensure complete resection of the affected nodes. Results A total of 10 groin dissections in 5 patients have been completed using this technique, with an average lymph node yield of 7 per groin (range 5-13 lymph nodes). Mean operative time per groin was 207 minutes (range 164-258 minutes) and estimated blood loss was 38 mL (range 25-50 mL). Mean length of hospital stay was 1.8 days (range 0-4 days). Identification of the lymphatic drainage pattern from the superficial to deep groin nodes to pelvic nodes underneath the inguinal ligament was identified in all patients. With a mean follow-up of 10 months (range 3-16 months), there have been no postoperative infections, lymphatic leaks, wound breakdown, or necrosis. Pathologically involved lymph nodes were identified using NIRF. Conclusion Our novel technique of robotic inguinal lymphadenectomy with fluorescence lymphangiography allows for identification and excision of both superficial and deep groin nodes with a significant reduction in morbidity compared with the open approach. Prospective studies are required to ensure long-term efficacy and results of this procedure.
THE SEARCH FOR THE STRUCTURAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENE AND ENZYME

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the research conducted to search for the structural relationship between gene and enzyme. At a time, tryptophan synthetase was one of the two partially characterized biosynthetic enzymes of N. crassa for which mutant strains had been isolated. The author's approach in studying tryptophan synthetase was greatly influenced by the rigorous training in enzymology attained at Yale in tutorial and laboratory courses with the biochemist Joseph Fruton. It was found that the growth in the control flask was in fact due to a suppressor mutation at a locus unlinked to the tryptophan synthetase locus. It also indicates that extracts of the suppressed mutant contained low but detectable levels of tryptophan synthetase activity. Observations provided convincing support for the hypotheses that a genetic map is a linear representation of DNA structure and that mutations involve changes of single nucleotide pairs. The results suggest that the finding that transfer RNAs can acquire new coding specificities as a consequence of single base changes leads one to wonder why the genetic code is universal.
Could Upfront Chemotherapy Substitute Preoperative Radiochemotherapy

In patients with locally advanced, resectable rectal adenocarcinoma, preoperative long course chemoradiation or short-course radiation are currently considered the standards of care. Neoadjuvant radiotherapy, along with improvements in surgical techniques and imaging have dramatically reduced the risk of local recurrence. Disappointingly, these advances have not translated into reduction of risk of distant relapse or improvement in overall survival for these patients. Furthermore, pelvic radiation may be associated with several toxicities, both short and long-term. Recent data suggest that not all patients may need neoadjuvant radiotherapy, and that advances in systemic chemotherapy could be leveraged in the neoadjuvant setting to improve risk of both local and distant relapse. Based on these emerging data, several, ongoing, randomized trials are evaluating neoadjuvant approaches limiting the role of radiotherapy. In this chapter, we summarize the current state of knowledge and ongoing trials in this area. We propose that until the results of these trials are available, neoadjuvant chemotherapy without radiation should be considered investigational or only limited to those with clear contraindications to pelvic radiation. We believe these trials will likely show that preoperative chemoradiation may be more appropriate for certain groups of patients, while preoperative chemotherapy may be appropriate for other groups of patients.
Maternal obesity alters the expression of embryonic regulatory transcripts in the preimplantation ovine conceptus.

Abstract The influence of exposure to overfeeding-induced maternal obesity around the time of conception on early embryogenesis was examined in the day 14 ovine conceptus. The relative abundance of FGFR2 and DNMT1 was influenced by maternal obesity status and conceptus sex, and the abundance of PPARG and PTGS2 transcripts was greater in male conceptuses regardless of the obesity status of the ewe. These observations demonstrated that short-term exposure to maternal obesity impacts early conceptus transcript patterning.
The Effects of Integrating Cognitive Feedback and Multi-attribute Utility-Based Multicriteria Decision-Making Methods in GDSS

Cognitive conflicts arise within groups because the members of a group view a problem from different perspectives, even when they have similar interests in achieving a goal. Disagreement within a group may occur due to: (a) differing judgment policies among the members, (b) inconsistency by any member in using a judgment policy, (c) group process losses that prevent group members from understanding each other better, or (d) limited processing capability which may prevent group members from processing all information effectively. Disagreement is especially likely when policies, processes, or information are conflicting in nature.
Virtual interrupted suturing exercise with the Endo stitch suturing device

This paper presents the surgical suturing simulator for wound closure, which is designed for education and training purposes. Currently it is designed specifically to support a simulation of the Autosuture™ Endo Stitch™ suturing, but could be extended for other surgical instruments designed for intracorporeal suturing. The simulator allows a trainee to perform a virtual wound closure by interrupted suture with real surgical instrument handles customized to fit on haptic devices. The wound simulation is based on a triangular surface mesh embedded in a linear hexahedral finite element mesh, whereas the suture simulation is based on a simplified Cosserat theory of elastic rods. Our novel heuristic combination of physically-based and control-based simulations makes the simulator run efficiently in real time on mid-level desktop PCs and notebooks.
Do We See Machines The Same Way As We See Humans? A Survey On Mind Perception Of Machines And Human Beings

With machines taking on increasingly diverse roles in human society, such questions rise as whether machines will become one of us. Considering that interaction is based on perception, the study aims to examine whether machines have the same kind of perceived minds as humans, that is, how do machines differ from other human beings along the dimensions of mind perception - experience and agency. An online survey was conducted and recruited 522 respondents. The study found that we still see other human with more minds in both dimensions. However, machines in human-resemblance were perceived highest in both dimensions than other types of machines. Moreover, people familiar with technology in general tended to saw more agency and less experience among machines than those unfamiliar with technology.
Fluorescent charge-neutral analogue of xanthosine: synthesis of a 2'-deoxyribonucleoside bearing a 5-aza-7-deazaxanthine base.

A concise route is described to prepare the 5-aza-7-deazapurine 2‘-deoxyriboside (4), which presents the puADA hydrogen-bonding pattern, analogous to the hydrogen-bonding pattern presented by 2‘-deoxyxanthosine (2). The route begins with the commercially available 1-α-chloro-2-deoxy-3-5-bistoluoyloxyribofuranose (10), which proves to be a versatile point of entry to β-2‘-deoxyribofuranosides. In the first step, 2-nitroimidazole (8) is coupled with 10 to yield intermediate 11. Reduction of the nitro group to an amino group yields 12, which is treated with phenyl isocyanatoformate to complete the nucleobase to yield 13. Removal of the toluoyloxy protecting groups of 13 yields the target nucleoside 4 in 40% overall yield in four steps. In an alternative strategy, convergent coupling of 14 with 10 under basic conditions was attempted but found to yield the heterocycle glycosylated at the undesired position. Compound 13 displays potentially useful fluorescence properties. After excitation at 250 nm, a solution...
Potassium channel opening and coronary vasodilation by halothane.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the studies on halothane vasodilation in the presence and absence of glyburide or 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD), pharmacological blockers of ATP-sensitive K+ channels (K ATP ) to establish whether halothane relaxes intact epicardial coronary arteries by opening vascular smooth muscle (VSM) K + channels. Halothane is known to be a less effective vasodilator during high-K + coronary contraction than with receptor agonist-induced precontraction. Alternatively, halothane could directly decrease Ca 2+ influx through Ca 2+ channels. It is observed that halothane vasodilation of K + -contracted epicardial coronary VSM, in the absence of agonists or other stimuli, does not involve processes sensitive to the transsarcolemmal K + gradient or membrane potential. This finding is not consistent with halothane possessing either a K + channel- or a voltage-sensitive Ca 2+ channel-dependent mechanism. It implies that the vasodilator effect of halothane under these conditions may be mediated by other intracellular processes, such as the inositol trisphosphate (IP 3 )-regulated sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca 2+ release channel or non-Ca 2+ -dependent processes that regulate myosin light chain phosphorylation and contraction, such as protein kinase C. It is also observed that cyclooxygenase blockade with indomethacin abolishes halothane vasodilation, both in the presence and absence of glyburide. Other notable findings from this study include the observation that 100 μM 5-HD that is reported to completely inhibit K ATP channels of cardiomyocytes, did not attenuate cromakalim vasodilation. This suggests that 5-HD is not an effective blocker of K ATP channels in VSM preparations.
Connecting Thermoelectric Performance and Topological-Insulator Behavior: Bi 2 Te 3 and Bi 2 Te 2 Se from First Principles

Future solid-state energy applications rely on high-performance thermoelectrics, and as in many fields progress requires intensive materials-design analysis. Here the authors compare calculations for bismuth telluride and its selenium-doped cousins, and find that highly efficient thermoelectric materials have complex nonparabolic band structures--a property shared with topological insulators. Recognizing this connection between high thermoelectric efficiency and topological insulators may benefit future searches for technologically promising materials in both areas.