cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of electrical properties for complex mixtures with a low-frequency periodic technique

This paper presents an efficient numerical technique in evaluating the homogenized anisotropic electrical properties of mixtures with arbitrary inclusions at low-frequency region. The method is based on a low-frequency finite-different method in conjuncture with periodic boundary conditions. Using the developed method, the relationship between micro-scale inclusions and macro-level mixture electrical properties are explored. It is observed that in addition to inclusion volume, inclusion shape and spacing among inclusion objects can also significantly change the homogenized mixture electrical properties.
Glass Science in the United States: Current Status and Future Directions

We review the current state of academic research in glass science in the United States. Our analysis is based on an evaluation of the number of journal articles published across the major segments of glass research. While the great majority of commercial opportunity is in silicate glasses and glass ceramics, together these represent less than one-quarter of publication activity. Academic research activity in glass ceramics is essentially nonexistent in the United States, while the attention given to metallic and chalcogenide glasses is disproportionately larger than the current industrial value for such glasses. We identify areas of glass research that are presently less explored, yet highly promising in terms of both industrial application and training students for future careers in industry.
Different shades of racial colorblindness: The role of prejudice

Supporters of racial colorblindness are united by their opposition to racial categorization. However, we suggest that the nature of the relationship between racial colorblindness and racial policy ...
Design and implementation of a low cost UAV controller

This paper discusses the design, modeling, implementation, and testing of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) controller. The controller is based on a single-chip stand-alone embedded system (E-controller). The system uses a sensor pack, Global Positioning System (GPS) and an RF transceiver to monitor and report crucial parameters such as altitude, speed, pitch, roll, and position. An embedded software algorithm has been developed to enable the aerial vehicle accomplish the required autonomy and maintain satisfactory flight operation.
Quantum chemical characterization of the mechanism of an iron-based water oxidation catalyst

Theoretical models are used to demonstrate a catalytic cycle for the generation of O2 from an iron(III)-centered tetraamido macrocycle in water that is consistent with experimentally observed energetics in the presence of a sacrificial oxidant. Application of density functional theory and multireference second-order perturbation theory indicates that two proton-coupled electron transfer steps followed by an electron-transfer step first generate a reactive species that is well described as an iron(V)-oxo supported by a macrocycle that has also suffered a one-electron oxidation. Subsequent O–O bond formation occurs through water nucleophilic attack on the iron-oxo with the local solvent shell serving to relay a proton away from the reacting partners. Subsequent steps of proton-coupled electron transfer and low-energy water displacement of O2 complete the catalytic cycle. Modification of the TAML ligand to reduce the likely instability of the non-innocent aromatic radical may prove useful in future catalyst design.
Designing SCIT architecture pattern in a Cloud-based environment

Cloud Computing has gained momentum in the IT world, due to its inherent elasticity that allows flexible on-demand computing resources such as CPU time, memory and storage size. However, Cloud security is a challenge. In this paper, we leverage Cloud services to design C-SCIT (Cloud-based Self-Cleansing Intrusion Tolerant) scheme that can provide enhanced intrusion tolerance to applications and services deployed in the Cloud. Challenges and issues of such an approach are analyzed against the traditional implementation, which relies solely on servers internal to an organization. We will show how we can control and adapt the design to satisfy different levels of intrusion tolerance.
A Study of Dog-Coyote Hybrids and Implications Concerning Hybridization in Canis

A female, mongrel, black and white, 25-pound terrier dog bred to a captive male Kansas coyote gave birth on 20 April 1954 to six F1 hybrid “coy-dogs” From 1956 through 1961 these produced four litters of F2 hybrids. Five of the F1 generation resembled melanistic, short-legged coyotes; the sixth was similarly colored but shaggy like the mother. The F2 generation was more varied, dog-like to somewhat coyote-like animals. Behavior varied, but all of the animals were intermediate, with some coyote-like traits, including howling. They were aggressive among themselves and had a dominance hierarchy in males and probably in females, with males dominating females. They displayed no submissive behavior adequate to inhibit a dominant individual from attacking an inferior. No trace of male parental care (which is strong in coyotes and absent in dogs) was noted in the coy-dogs. The generally small size of the F2 litters (mean 2.25, range 1 to 3) and their small number in relation to the possible number, suggests some decrease in fecundity but might also have resulted from crowding or other suboptimal conditions inducing prenatal mortality. There was a rather high incidence of dental anomaly among the hybrids. Both sexes of the hybrids, as in the comparatively few comparable studies, displayed a late autumnal, annual mating season (in this case in December), differing from that of coyotes, which breed in late winter (mainly February). The literature of dog-coyote hybridism is summarized and the implications of the peculiar reproductive timing of hybrids are discussed with respect to the possibility of hybridization in the wild leading (a) to the establishment of hybridswarms of coy-dogs and intermediate individuals; (b) to the introgression of dog genes into coyote populations; and (c) to the probable source of the extremely large size and remarkably great variation of a population of wild, coyote-like animals recently established in New England. It is concluded that the phase shift in the breeding season of F1 hybrids, requiring the young of animals presumably less fit than coyotes to be reared in midwinter and in the absence of male parental care should form an effective, if not absolute, block to the development of hybrid swarms and to the introgression of dog genes into the coyote gene pool. Application of discriminant functions analysis—here applied also to various hybrids—to a series of wild Kansas coyotes (which are as much exposed to dogs as any coyotes) shows that these specimens have none of the unusual variability characterizing the New England population. It is therefore concluded that the variability and large size of the New England canids result from the introgression of wolf genes, probably in Ontario, into coyote stock. Recent proof that these species can in fact hybridize is cited. Also, two captive-reared coyote-wolf hybrids, long ago reported but later widely over-looked, seem likely in fact to represent this cross if judged by discriminant functions analysis and by their small size.
Noncooperative games for decentralized integration architectures in modular systems

Describes a novel integration architecture for decentralized decision making in modular intelligent sensor systems. In contrast to previous approaches, this framework preserves the decentralized and coexisting natures of the objectives and is analytically and computationally tractable. The starting point for this approach is noncooperative N-player game theory. >
Reversal of Blue Light-Stimulated Stomatal Opening by Green Light

Blue light-stimulated stomatal opening in detached epidermis of Vicia faba is reversed by green light. A 30 s green light pulse eliminated the transient opening stimulated by an immediately preceding blue light pulse. Opening was restored by a subsequent blue light pulse. An initial green light pulse did not alter the response to a subsequent blue light pulse. Reversal also occurred under continuous illumination, with or without a saturating red light background. The magnitude of the green light reversal depended on fluence rate, with full reversal observed at a green light fluence rate twice that of the blue light. Continuous green light given alone stimulated a slight stomatal opening, and had no effect on red light-stimulated opening. An action spectrum for the green light effect showed a maximum at 540 nm and minor peaks at 490 and 580 nm. This spectrum is similar to the action spectrum for blue light-stimulated stomatal opening, red-shifted by about 90 nm. The carotenoid zeaxanthin has been implicated as a photoreceptor for the stomatal blue light response. Blue/ green reversibility might be explained by a pair of interconvertible zeaxanthin isomers, one absorbing in the blue and the other in the green, with the green absorbing form being the physiologically active one.
Integrating Service Release Management with Service Solution Design

Web-delivered services such as Web or Cloud services are often made available to users in a fast cadence of releases, taking advantage of the single deployment environment of a centrally controlled service. This enables organizations to bring service enhancements to customers in a timely way and respond quickly to market demands. Organizations use multiple Web-delivered services by one or multiple vendors to compose complex solutions to their business problems in conjunction with standard applications and custom implementation and delivery services. Designing these complex solutions often takes considerable time and multiple new releases of a service and a changed service roadmap may have influence on a customer’s solution design. Existing IT service management and software development best practices do not consider the relationship between service release management and service design sufficiently to address frequent releases and changes to a service roadmap. This paper discusses the relationship from both the point of view of the service provider and the service customer and proposes an approach to manage those interdependencies between service design and release management.
The tryptophan metabolism enzyme L-kynureninase is a novel inflammatory factor in psoriasis and other inflammatory diseases

Background Many human diseases arise from or have pathogenic contributions from a dysregulated immune response. One pathway with immunomodulatory ability is the tryptophan metabolism pathway, which promotes immune suppression through the enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and subsequent production of kynurenine. However, in patients with chronic inflammatory skin disease, such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis (AD), another tryptophan metabolism enzyme downstream of IDO, L-kynureninase (KYNU), is heavily upregulated. The role of KYNU has not been explored in patients with these skin diseases or in general human immunology. Objective We sought to explore the expression and potential immunologic function of the tryptophan metabolism enzyme KYNU in inflammatory skin disease and its potential contribution to general human immunology. Methods Psoriatic skin biopsy specimens, as well as normal human skin, blood, and primary cells, were used to investigate the immunologic role of KYNU and tryptophan metabolites. Results Here we show that KYNU + cells, predominantly of myeloid origin, infiltrate psoriatic lesional skin. KYNU expression positively correlates with disease severity and inflammation and is reduced on successful treatment of psoriasis or AD. Tryptophan metabolites downstream of KYNU upregulate several cytokines, chemokines, and cell adhesions. By mining data on several human diseases, we found that in patients with cancer, IDO is preferentially upregulated compared with KYNU, whereas in patients with inflammatory diseases, such as AD, KYNU is preferentially upregulated compared with IDO. Conclusion Our results suggest that tryptophan metabolism might dichotomously modulate immune responses, with KYNU as a switch between immunosuppressive versus inflammatory outcomes. Although tryptophan metabolism is increased in many human diseases, how tryptophan metabolism is proceeding might qualitatively affect the immune response in patients with that disease.
Skepticism and the Law

Jerome Frank was but one figure in the movement known as legal realism, which attracted some of the most fertile legal minds in America.1 Realism dominated American jurisprudence in the 1920’s and 1930’s and has had a lasting effect on the legal thinking of the nation since that time. But before investigating Jerome Frank’s legal realism and evaluating his contributions to legal philosophy, it is necessary to discover the reasons for the development of realism and the intellectual forces which stimulated its growth.
Beyond the Realm of Social Consensus: New Meanings of Reconstruction for American History

The Civil War and Reconstruction era remains a center of historical controversy. Perhaps the best indication of the generally unsettled nature of the field lies in the continuing absence of a satisfactory general synthesis. Not since the 1930s when James G. Randall first published his magisterial Civil War and Reconstruction have students of this period agreed widely about its significance in the broad sweep of American history. Part of the difficulty in assessing the meaning of Reconstruction comes from the fact that the termination of political Reconstruction in 1877 did not itself mark a definitive moment in the unfolding of more basic changes. For by transforming all aspects of American life, the post-Civil War years produced such profound alterations that Allan Nevins cogently describes the period 1865-1878 as The Emergence of Modem America.1 Not only urbanization and industrialization but also a host of other changes such as European and Asian immigration, emancipation, and westward migration sparked an epochal social and economic revolution. It was this revolution and its attendant dislocations that formed the chaotic social context for the more familiar political events of Reconstruction. In fact, the conflicts relating to agrarian, labor, and racial unrest so prominent during Reconstruction assumed even greater significance in the period after 1877.2 Political Reconstruction thus presents the historian with a familiar problem: the necessity of imposing periodization upon an evolving social process, a process that overlaps both ends of the period in question. The dilemmas of periodization render it all the more essential that students of Reconstruction
Infectious SIV resides in adipose tissue and induces metabolic defects in chronically infected rhesus macaques.

Background HIV reservoirs pose major challenges to viral eradication. The main cellular reservoirs include CD4 T cells and macrophages, whereas anatomic reservoirs are thought to be primarily lymphoid tissues. Adipose tissue represents a potentially important non-lymphoid location for HIV replication and persistence because the stromal-vascular-fraction (AT-SVF) contains activated innate and adaptive immune cells that increase in number during infections, obesity, and chronic inflammation.
Treatment of Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer in Older Patients

Treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer in older patients is challenging. Definitive therapy of localized disease requires either surgery or radiation therapy, ideally combined with systemic chemotherapy. However, current population data suggest that less than half of patients older than age 70 are offered such treatments. We will review tools available to assess the fitness of older patients for surgery, alternatives, and tips for perioperative patient treatment.
Origin and Diversification of Angiosperms

The origin and subsequent diversification of the angiosperms have been poorly understood even though they are of enormous significance to our ecosystem. Together, they have become known as the “abominable mystery” of Charles Darwin. Considerable effort has been focused on understanding these phenomena. Despite emphasis on the glamorous problem of angiosperm origins, no clear ancestral group has yet been identified. More progress has been made in understanding the pattern of radiation in the flowering plants and its implications as angiosperm history has been illuminated through a better understanding of germane fossil evidence and its integration with breakthroughs in molecular genetics.
Non-contact differential-mode on-wafer device characterization in the mmW and THz bands

We present a novel on-wafer metrology technique for characterization of differential Millimeter-wave and Terahertz Monolithic Integrated Circuits (MMIC and TMICs) using a contact-free setting that relies on quasi-optical coupling of test signals onto the device on chip. Due to their advantages over single-ended topologies, differential circuits are typically preferred, particularly for superior noise performance. However, lack of characterization equipment at sub-mmW frequencies severely inhibits the proliferation of differential MMIC and TMICs. Currently, balun-integrated wafer contacting probes are most commonly used for mixed mode S-parameter measurements. Nevertheless, these probes are commercially available only up to 110 GHz with prototypes proposed up to 140 GHz. In this paper, initial validation of novel, non-contact, differential-mode on-wafer probes is presented with validations for the 220–325 GHz.
The Evolution of Mutualism in Grass-Endophyte Associations

Mutualisms are interspecific interactions between individuals in which each participant receives a net benefit from the association (Thompson, 1994). The concept of mutualism is broad encompassing a wide variety of non-antagonistic and non-commensal interspecific interactions. Generally, these interactions involve and exchange of goods or services (e.g. nutrition, protection, dispersal of gametes or progeny). By definition the goods or services provided by a partner should be of low cost relative to the benefits it receives from the association. Therefore, to demonstrate that an association is mutualistic it is necessary to show a relative increase in the fitness of each partner.
PLANET 10: A Space Odyssey

PLANET 10 is a first person intergalactic space odyssey game, specifically designed for rehabilitation purposes. Currently, PLANET 10 is played using bio-medical sensor and treadmill. However, the game can be easily controlled with different types of equipment, used for rehabilitation purposes. The player performs certain body movements to initiate control actions in the game. The goal in each level is to complete a given task within a given time limit to unlock the next level. Scenarios in the game are designed by using recommendations made by the therapist. The overall aim is to create an enthusiast among stroke patient to carry out regular exercises.
Opportunities to Develop Programs and Engage Amish Youth in Safety Education

Understanding and designing appropriate educational youth safety programs for the Amish requires an appreciation of their history, their distinctiveness in an American society built on economic, social and cultural change, and how the Amish themselves have changed over the years. The qualitative research study highlighted in this paper sought to determine culturally and age-appropriate curricula useful to community educators interested in youth safety programs for Amish and other conservative Anabaptist groups. Researchers identified rural safety topics of interest to Amish families to include lawn mowers, string trimmers, chemicals, water, livestock, confined spaces, tractors and skid loaders. Parents regularly involved children in daily farm chores, where they made assignments based on the child’s physical development, maturity, interest in the task, and birth-order. Findings suggest opportunities for cooperative extension professionals to develop and engage Amish children in safety education programs.
Juan del Valle y Caviedes. Guerras físicas, proezas medicales, hazañas de la ignorancia

Desde los primeros estudios documentados sobre la vida de Juan del Valle y Caviedes publicados en los anos cuarenta del siglo XX, los criticos empezaron una larga tarea, no terminada aun, de desmon...
Consumer involvement in ethnic restaurants: a measure of satisfaction/dissatisfaction

(1994). Consumer Involvement in Ethnic Restaurants: A Measure of Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction. Hospitality & Tourism Educator: Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 73-74.
Home and Sexuality: Queering the Notions of Parenting and Space in Cachorro (2004)

In this analysis of Cachorro (dir. Miguel Albaladejo 2004), the author proposes that the gay protagonist contests notions of what is ‘allowed’ in public and/or private spaces. As he blurs social constraints imposed on gay men, the author shows how the heteronormative, private, domestic spaces are problematized. The film portrays a link between the protagonist’s identity and development and the apartment and city he inhabits, and the character’s queering and de-queering personal space has a corresponding effect on his openness and inhibition about his homosexuality. It is by accepting his parenting role, as well as sharing with his nephew the social spaces that he inhabits, that Pedro finds a balance between both his gay identity and his father figure role.
Role of Gay Neighborhood Status and Other Neighborhood Factors in Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Retention in Care and Viral Load Suppression Among Men Who Have Sex with Men, Florida, 2015

This study‘s objective was to examine the role of gay neighborhood residence and other neighborhood factors in racial/ethnic disparities in retention in HIV care and viral load suppression during 2015. Florida residents diagnosed 2000–2014 with HIV infection and with transmission mode of men who have sex with men (MSM) were included in multi-level logistic regression models. Of 29,156 MSM, 29.4% were not retained and 34.2% were not virally suppressed. Non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) had a higher likelihood of not being retained (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.24–1.38, p value < 0.0001) and not being virally suppressed (aPR 1.82, 95% CI 1.67–1.98, p value < 0.0001) compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Among NHBs, rural residence was protective for both outcomes. Although gay neighborhood residence was not associated with either outcome, the role of other neighborhood factors suggests that individual and neighborhood barriers to HIV care and treatment should be addressed among MSM.
Derivation of the Governing Equations for Thin Shells

After the brief introduction to curvilinear coordinates in Chapter 1, one can now describe the equations of elasticity in curvilinear coordinates, and systematically reduce them to the governing equations for shells in curvilinear coordinates, employing the assumptions of shells in the process.
Lipid Peroxides in the Free Radical Pathophysiology of Brain Diseases

1. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential for normal neural cell membrane functioning because many membrane properties, such as fluidity and permeability, are closely related to the presence of unsaturated and polyunsaturated side chains. Lipid peroxidation results in loss of membrane polyunsaturated fatty acids and oxidized phospholipids as polar species contributing to increased membrane rigidity.
Hydrometallurgical Extraction of Rare Earth Elements from Coal

Rare earth elements (REEs) contained in coal and associated mineral matter exist in several forms including micro-dispersed minerals, ion adsorption onto clay surfaces, and chemically bound. Tests found that REEs can be effectively recovered from certain components of three coal sources by leaching under mild conditions followed by solvent extraction. A range of pH values were evaluated at solution temperatures of 25 and 75 ℃. When using 1.2 M of sulfuric acid, nearly 85% recovery of the REEs was extracted from the middlings material collected from an operating plant. Acid leaching of a second middling source from another plant resulted in 60% of the total REEs being recovered under the same leaching conditions. Solvent extraction treatment of the leachate produced from six different coal sources resulted in products containing up to 50% total REEs from feedstocks starting with around 300 ppm.
Quantitative Analysis of the Correlation between Cell Size and Cellular Uptake of Particles.

Abstract The size of a cell is central to many functions, including cellular communication and exchange of materials with the environment. This modeling and experimental study focused on understanding how the size of a cell determines its ability to uptake nanometer-scale extracellular materials from the environment. Several mechanisms in the cell plasma membrane mediate cellular uptake of nutrients, biomolecules, and particles. These mechanisms involve recognition and internalization of the extracellular molecules via endocytic components, such as clathrin-coated pits, vacuoles, and micropinocytic vesicles. Because the demand for an external resource could be different for cells of different sizes, the collective actions of these various endocytic routes should also vary based on the cell size. Here, using a reaction-diffusion model, we analyze single-cell data to interrogate the one/one mapping between the size of the MDA-MB 231 breast cancer cells and their ability to uptake nanoparticles. Our analysis indicates that under both reaction- and diffusion-controlled regimes, cellular uptake follows a linear relationship with the cell radius. Furthermore, this linear dependency is insensitive to particle size variation within 20–200 nm range. This result is counterintuitive because the general perception is that cellular uptake is proportional to the cell volume (mass) or surface area and hence follow a cubic or square relationship with the cell radius. A further analysis using our model reveals a potential mechanism underlying this linear relationship.
Radiologist Preferences, Agreement, and Variability in Phrases Used to Convey Diagnostic Certainty in Radiology Reports.

Abstract Purpose To understand radiologists’ preference and variability in phrases for expressing diagnostic certainty in radiology reports. Materials and Methods This institutional review board–approved study was part of a quality improvement initiative to improve the quality of radiology reports at a tertiary academic hospital. Sixteen phrases commonly used in radiology reports to convey diagnostic certainty were extracted from prior publications. The degree of diagnostic certainty was divided into six arbitrary categories by an expert panel. We used an anonymous online survey to query 239 radiologists at our institution regarding their preferred phrase for each category. We evaluated the distribution of preferred phrases, performed cluster analysis to find groups of phrases used to describe specific diagnostic certainty categories, and calculated Krippendorff’s α to evaluate how reliably radiologists use various phrases to express diagnostic certainty. Findings In all, 59.4% (142 of 239) of radiologists completed the survey. The most commonly preferred phrases were “consistent with” (45.1%; 64 of 142) for 100% confident, “highly suggestive of” (46.5%; 66 of 142) for very high likelihood, “most likely” (31.0%; 44 of 142) for high likelihood, “may represent” (50.7%; 72 of 142) for intermediate likelihood, “unlikely” (47.2%; 67 of 142) for low likelihood, and “very unlikely” (40.1%; 57 of 142) for very low likelihood. Cluster analysis identified six groups of phrases used to indicate a similar level of diagnostic certainty; however, Krippendorff’s α was 0.217, indicating radiologists do not consistently use the same phrases for similar degrees of confidence. Conclusion Wide variability persists among radiologists’ preferences for phrases used to convey diagnostic certainty. Interventions to improve consistency of use of these phrases may help reduce ambiguity and improve quality of radiology reports.
Time Optimal Multi-UAV Path Planning for Gathering its Data from Roadside Units

In this paper, we address the problem of path planning for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to gather data from a number of roadside units (RSUs). The problem involves finding time-optimal paths for multiple UAVs so that they collectively visit all the RSUs, while also exchanging information at their own point when they fly from a starting point to the final location. We solve the problem by applying modified evolutionary methods based on genetic algorithm (GA) and harmony search (HS). The modified search methods seek to determine the overall shortest path utilizing various evolutionary operators regarding each UAV which has identical properties at the start location. Numerical results are introduced under different scenarios and the performances of the proposed algorithms are evaluated.
Multiplexing Angiogenic Receptor Quantification via Quantum Dots.

Clinical and biomedical research seeks single-cell quantification to better understand their roles in a complex, multicell environment. Recently, quantification of vascular endothelial growth facto...
Toward Distributed Heterogeneous Simulation Using Internet of Things

Parallel discrete event simulation frameworks have been widely used to analyze the performance of traditional applications under different scenarios. The existing frameworks are designed to work on a cluster and cloud-based computing environments. With the current advances in the Internet of Things, there is a strong need to revamp such traditional frameworks and make use of the smart connected-devices as an underlying infrastructure to perform simulations. In this article, we propose a new simulation framework, which has been specifically designed to work with diverse heterogeneous devices. The framework allows these heterogeneous mobile devices to participate in a distributed simulation while managing network latency, using device profiles that are maintained by the simulation framework. Moreover, in the proposed framework, random and context-aware simulation task distributions have been explored to manage the devices’ sporadic connectivity. Evaluation results using the well-known PHOLD benchmark demonstrate a gain in the overall efficiency of the proposed simulation system.
Distribution of herbicide-resistant waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) across row crop production systems in Texas

We conducted a survey in the major row-crop production regions of Texas to determine the response of waterhemp to glyphosate (5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase [EPSPS] inhibitor), atrazine (photosystem II [PSII] inhibitor), pyrithiobac (acetolactate synthase [ALS] inhibitor), tembotrione (hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase [HPPD] inhibitor), fomesafen (protoporphyrinogen oxidase [PPO] inhibitor), and dicamba (synthetic auxin). We evaluated 127 accessions for these herbicides. Resistance was confirmed on the basis of plant survival within an accession, and the injury ratings of surviving plants were used to categorize each accession as resistant (<50% injury) or less sensitive (50% to 89% injury). For glyphosate, approximately 27% of all tested accessions were resistant and 20% were less sensitive. The Gulf Coast region had the most glyphosate-resistant accessions (46% of the accessions from this region), followed by the Blacklands region (9%). A dose-response assay of the most resistant waterhemp accession (TX-25) exhibited 17-fold resistance to glyphosate when compared with a susceptible standard. Waterhemp resistance to atrazine also was common in the Gulf Coast region. The accession with the greatest atrazine resistance (TX-31) exhibited 47- and 68-fold resistance to this herbicide when applied POST and PRE, respectively. Widespread resistance to pyrithiobac was observed in waterhemp accessions throughout the Blacklands and Gulf Coast regions. The most resistant accession identified in this study was 61-fold resistant compared with a susceptible standard. No high-level resistance was detected for tembotrione, dicamba, or fomesafen, but high variability in sensitivity to tembotrione and dicamba was observed. One waterhemp accession exhibited reduced sensitivity to fomesafen; the rest were sensitive. Overall, at least two accessions exhibited resistance or reduced sensitivity to herbicides with five different sites of action. The study illustrates the prevalence of multiple herbicide resistance in waterhemp accessions in Texas and emphasizes the need to implement diversified management tactics.
Opioid addiction, opioid addiction treatment, and HIV infection

Available data indicate that opioid substitution treatment can successfully reduce rates of HIV transmission and that patients receiving such treatment can adhere to therapies for HIV, hepatitis C, and tuberculosis infection. Integration of opioid substitution treatment into the HIV clinic setting can make such treatment easier and improve retention in treatment. This article summarizes a presentation by R. Douglas Bruce, MD, MA, MS, at the IAS-USA continuing education program held in Chicago, Illinois, in May 2018.
Si Nanocrystals/ZnO Nanowires Hybrid Structures as Immobilized Photocatalysts for Photodegradation

Numerous semiconductor-based hybrid nanostructures have been studied for improved photodegradation performance resulting from their broadband optical response and enhanced charge separation/transport characteristics. However, these hybrid structures often involve elements that are rare or toxic. Here, we present the synthesis and material characterization of hybrid nanostructures consisting of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) and silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs), both abundant and environmentally benign, and evaluate them for photodegradation performance under various illumination conditions. When incorporating Si-NCs into the vertically-aligned ZnO NWs immobilized on substrates, the resulting photocatalysts exhibited a narrowed band gap, i.e., more responsive to visible light, and enhanced charge separation at the interface, i.e., more reactive species produced for degradation. Consequently, the hybrid Si-NCs/ZnO-NWs displayed a superior photodegradability for methylene blue under UV and white light in comparison to the pristine ZnO NWs. Based on the optical measurements, we hypothesize the band structures of Si-NCs/ZnO-NWs and the potential mechanism for the improved photodegradability.
God Comes to Her: St. Teresa of Ávila, Simone Weil, and the Kantian Conception of Modern Religious Experience

What does god mean to have a mystical experience of god? Does it entail the ecstasy or affliction? In this essay, I present St. Teresa of A vila and Simone Weil’s somatic accounts of religious experience in light of the idea of the highest good. The highest good aligns virtue with happiness to ensure that those who are good are rewarded and the evil suffer. For Teresa, she primes herself for divine visitation by cultivating a patient orientation towards the heavens and visits from god can assume a physically gratifying form, whereas Weil confronts the presence of god through the experience of affliction, that is, the extreme suffering of the innocent at the hands of others. I then offer a Kantian reflection on why the experience of affliction present a distinct challenge for the cultivation of moral agency: How can those who have experienced affliction keep intact the moral faith that goodness can (re)appear in the world in the aftermath of affliction.
Some Monitoring and Analytical Techniques for the Study of Locomotor Responses of Fish to Environmental Variables

The adaptive significance of locomotor, specifically orientation responses in fishes to environmental stimuli, is emphasized. General locomotor behavior is usually extremely variable over time whereas the responses mentioned are, most frequently, very subtle. Techniques are described to detect and quantify these responses by comparing locomotion before stimulation with that during exposure to the environmental variable(s) under study. Models for such comparison are based on time series analysis of relevant locomotor variables, such as frequency and size of turns, length and orientation of steps, velocity, and others. Two techniques for data acquisition of these variables, by means of electronic monitoring of locomotion under controlled physical and chemical conditions, are described in some detail. Attention is called to the possible interaction of environmental conditions and the behavioral responses of fish, an aspect which, hitherto, has received too little consideration in studies on biological effects of environmental variables.
scGCN: a Graph Convolutional Networks Algorithm for Knowledge Transfer in Single Cell Omics

Abstract Single-cell omics represent the fastest-growing genomics data type in the literature and the public genomics repositories. Leveraging the growing repository of labeled datasets and transferring labels from existing datasets to newly generated datasets will empower the exploration of the single-cell omics. The current label transfer methods have limited performance, largely due to the intrinsic heterogeneity and extrinsic differences between datasets. Here, we present a robust graph-based artificial intelligence model, single-cell Graph Convolutional Network (scGCN), to achieve effective knowledge transfer across disparate datasets. Benchmarked with other label transfer methods on totally 30 single cell omics datasets, scGCN has consistently demonstrated superior accuracy on leveraging cells from different tissues, platforms, and species, as well as cells profiled at different molecular layers. scGCN is implemented as an integrated workflow as a python software, which is available at https://github.com/QSong-github/scGCN.
Diffusion MRI Changes in the Healthy Aging Canine Brain

White matter dysfunction and degeneration have been a topic of great interest in healthy and pathological aging. While ex vivo studies have investigated age-related changes in canines, little in vivo canine aging research exists. Quantitative diffusion MRI such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has demonstrated aging and neurodegenerative white matter changes in humans. However, this method has not been applied and adapted in vivo to canine populations. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that white matter diffusion changes frequently reported in human aging are also found in aged canines. The study used Tract Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) and a region of interest (ROI) approach to investigate age related changes in fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AxD) and radial diffusivity (RD). The results show that, compared to younger animals, aged canines have significant decreases in FA in parietal and temporal regions as well as the corpus callosum and fornix. Additionally, AxD decreases were observed in parietal, frontal and midbrain regions. Similarly, an age-related increase in RD was observed in the right parietal lobe while MD decreases were found in the midbrain. These findings suggest that canine samples offer a model for healthy human aging as they exhibit similar white matter diffusion tensor changes with age.
Understanding and interpreting a PRRS diagnosis in the context of “disease stages”

The article discusses issues related to the effectiveness of diagnostics of persistent infections. Using PRRS as an example, the relationship between “disease stages” and “diagnostic stages” is discussed on the basis of a meta-analysis of data from diagnostic studies (n = 4307 results) presented in refereed scientific papers to understand the key points. Despite the ongoing improvement of diagnostic methods, none of them individually can be recognized as the only correct decision: the choice of the type of sample and test for research depends on the specific task. In most cases, to establish the true picture of an epizootic, it is necessary to use several research methods and / or types of samples.
Applying a cumulative risk and protective framework to assess early learning in Ghana

Many children in developing countries do not acquire functional literacy skills despite being in school. We apply a cumulative risk (aggregate over a range of risk) and protection framework to asse...
Marking Time for a Kingdom

The tau mutation in hamsters was recognized more than 12 years ago when a shipment of Syrian hamsters were found to have a short-period circadian rhythm of 20 hours. As [Young][1] explains in a Perspective, although the intervening 12 years has revealed that the product of the tau gene is a crucial player in the intricate workings of the mammalian clock, its identity has remained a mystery. Now new findings ([ Lowrey et al .][2]) definitively show that tau encodes a casein kinase Ie and is a homolog of the clock gene double-time in the fruit fly. In wild-type hamsters, the casein kinase Ie phosphorylates the crucial circadian clock protein, PER, which is retained in the cytoplasm and degraded. In tau hamsters, phosphorylation of PER is defective and so PER may be able to move to the nucleus and repress transcription of per genes prematurely, speeding up the circadian clock. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/288/5465/451 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/288/5465/483
A GaAs MESFET voltage reference

A precision temperature-insensitive voltage reference technique for use in monolithic GaAs A/D (digital/analog) and D/A (digital/analog) converter subsystems has been developed. The principle of operation is the summation of two temperature-dependent drain current terms of equal magnitudes but opposite signs. A negative dI/dT term is obtained from one GaAs MESFET operated in the square-law region, while a positive dI/dT term comes from a second MESFET operated in the subthreshold saturation region. By summing these currents into an on-chip temperature-insensitive NiCr resistor, a reference voltage with a temperature coefficient of only 65 p.p.m./ degrees C over a 200 degrees C temperature range is obtained. The circuit has been implemented in a 0.25- mu m buried-channel recessed-gate depletion-mode GaAs technology. >
Simulation-Based Optimization: An Overview

The purpose of this short chapter is to discuss the role played by computer simulation in simulation-based optimization. Simulation-based optimization revolves around methods that require the maximization (or minimization) of the net rewards (or costs) obtained from a random system. We will be concerned with two types of optimization problems: (1) parametric optimization (also called static optimization) and (2) control optimization (also called dynamic optimization).
A Influência do Trabalho de Delsarte nos Estados Unidos a Partir do Final do Século XIX

This paper discusses the influence of Francois Delsarte on bodily motion, theater, and elocution in the United States from the late nineteenth century. It presents his main ideas and how they were developed and transformed in the country since 1870, becoming, in their last phase, which began in the 1880s, a theory that was applied to all aspects of life, independent from its European form. The contributions of Steele Mackaye, Genevieve Stebbins, Henrietta Hovey and others are mentioned.
Rethinking how volatiles are released from plant cells

For plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to be emitted, they must cross membrane(s), the aqueous cell wall, and sometimes the cuticle, before moving into the gas phase. It is presumed that VOC movement through each barrier occurs via passive diffusion. However, VOCs, which are primarily nonpolar compounds, will preferentially partition into membranes, making diffusion into aqueous compartments slow. Using Fick's first law, we calculated that to achieve observed VOC emission rates by diffusion alone would necessitate toxic VOC levels in membranes. Here, we propose that biological mechanisms, such as those involved in trafficking other hydrophobic compounds, must contribute to VOC emission. Such parallel biological pathways would lower barrier resistances and, thus, steady-state emission rates could be maintained with significantly reduced intramembrane VOC concentrations.
The Relationship between Extracellular pH and Control of Blood Platelet Serotonin Secretion

Hydroxyl ions (OH-) have been proposed as the permeant anions responsible for triggering serotonin release from blood platelets. This hypothesis is based on the observations that (i) platelets exhibit a much higher efficiency of secretion at pH 8.2 than at pH 6.8 and (ii) agents which block anion channels are inhibitors of release. We have investigated this mechanism by testing two predictions of the hypothesis. First, the model implies that the pH of the medium at the time of exocytosis is the determining factor in release. We have observed that platelets do secrete serotonin at pH 6.8 if they are pretreated with a secretagogue at pH 7.6. Second, the hypothesis predicts that the actions of OH- should be confined to the interior of the secretory granule. We have found this not to be the case, since the cellular processes of shape change and protein phosphorylation, neither of which is confined to granules, are markedly dependent on extracellular pH. These results demonstrate that hydroxyl ions affect platelets at a more general and probably earlier stage of activation than would be required by the "hydroxyl as permeant ion" hypothesis.
Different effects of valence neutrons on the isospin character of transitions to the first 2+ and 3− states of 90,92,94,96Zr

Abstract We have used the 90,92,94,96 Zr( 6 Li, 6 Li) reaction at E = 70 MeV to deduce the ratio of M n M p for transitions to the first 2 + and 3 − excited states. For the first 2 + state, we find M n M p increases from less than N Z to greater than N Z going from 90 Zr to 96 Zr. However, for the 3 − state we find that M n M p is significantly smaller than N Z for all four isotopes, a result which is in sharp disagreement with previous work. We find that our measured values of M n M p are well reproduced by random-phase-approximation calculations including pairing.
Ontogenetic changes in laminar distribution of ornithine decar☐ylase during development of cerebellar cortex: autoradiographic localization with [3h]α-difluoromethylornithine

Abstract Ornithine decar☐ylase is the first enzyme in the biosynthesis of the polyamines, which control macromolecule synthesis during cellular development. Polyamines appear to play a critical role in the development of the rat cerebellar cortex, since postnatal treatment with the specific irreversible ornithine decar☐ylase inhibitor, α-difluoromethylornithine, arrests cell division and migration in this region. To determine whether the distribution of omithine decar☐ylase within the developing cerebellar cortex correlates with specific maturational events, [ 3 H]α-difluoromethylornithine, a specific marker for ornithine decar☐ylase activity, was localized autoradiographically in 3–13-day-old rats. The density of autoradiographic grains within the cerebellar cortex as a whole paralleled the postnatal rise and fall of biochemically determined ornithine decar☐ylase activity. Superimposed on this pattern was a selective laminar distribution of label which indicated specific association of ornithine decar☐ylase with cell replication, as shown by preferential labeling of the superficial (mitotic) zone of the external granule cell layer. In addition, ornithine decar☐ylase activity was temporally associated with regions in which post-mitotic cells were undergoing migration, axonogenesis and dendritic arborization, as shown by the patterns obtained in deeper layers. In contrast, there was no evidence for an association between ornithine decar☐ylase activity and synaptogenesis, gliogenesis or myelination. These results, in combination with previous biochemical and morphological data, support the view that the ornithine decar☐ylase/polyamine system plays an important role in both mitotic and post-mitotic events within the nervous system.