cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advances in Materials for Recent Low-Profile Implantable Bioelectronics

The rapid development of micro/nanofabrication technologies to engineer a variety of materials has enabled new types of bioelectronics for health monitoring and disease diagnostics. In this review, we summarize widely used electronic materials in recent low-profile implantable systems, including traditional metals and semiconductors, soft polymers, biodegradable metals, and organic materials. Silicon-based compounds have represented the traditional materials in medical devices, due to the fully established fabrication processes. Examples include miniaturized sensors for monitoring intraocular pressure and blood pressure, which are designed in an ultra-thin diaphragm to react with the applied pressure. These sensors are integrated into rigid circuits and multiple modules; this brings challenges regarding the fundamental material’s property mismatch with the targeted human tissues, which are intrinsically soft. Therefore, many polymeric materials have been investigated for hybrid integration with well-characterized functional materials such as silicon membranes and metal interconnects, which enable soft implantable bioelectronics. The most recent trend in implantable systems uses transient materials that naturally dissolve in body fluid after a programmed lifetime. Such biodegradable metallic materials are advantageous in the design of electronics due to their proven electrical properties. Collectively, this review delivers the development history of materials in implantable devices, while introducing new bioelectronics based on bioresorbable materials with multiple functionalities.
Dual Mao: Dong Xiwen and National Oil Painting

In 1950 the State Administration of Cultural Heritage started to plan a National Museum of Chinese Revolution and elected a committee to collect materials and documents relating to Chinese history of the previous hundred years (1950a). The oil painter Dong Xiwen was selected along with other artists to create works that commemorated significant events in the Communist Party’s history to complement the displays in the museum. The theme assigned to Dong was the founding ceremony of the People’s Republic of China, which had taken place in Beijing’s Tian’anmen Square on October 1, 1949.
Abnormal coherence and sleep composition in children with Angelman syndrome: a retrospective EEG study.

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability, speech and motor impairments, epilepsy, abnormal sleep, and phenotypic overlap with autism. Individuals with AS display characteristic EEG patterns including high-amplitude rhythmic delta waves. Here, we sought to quantitatively explore EEG architecture in AS beyond known spectral power phenotypes. We were motivated by studies of functional connectivity and sleep spindles in autism to study these EEG readouts in children with AS. We analyzed retrospective wake and sleep EEGs from children with AS (age 4–11) and age-matched neurotypical controls. We assessed long-range and short-range functional connectivity by measuring coherence across multiple frequencies during wake and sleep. We quantified sleep spindles using automated and manual approaches. During wakefulness, children with AS showed enhanced long-range EEG coherence across a wide range of frequencies. During sleep, children with AS showed increased long-range EEG coherence specifically in the gamma band. EEGs from children with AS contained fewer sleep spindles, and these spindles were shorter in duration than their neurotypical counterparts. We demonstrate two quantitative readouts of dysregulated sleep composition in children with AS—gamma coherence and spindles—and describe how functional connectivity patterns may be disrupted during wakefulness. Quantitative EEG phenotypes have potential as biomarkers and readouts of target engagement for future clinical trials and provide clues into how neural circuits are dysregulated in children with AS.
Analyzing collusive and opportunistic voting strategies in an academic department P & T decision using low-dimensional spectral embedding

Merit based promotion & tenure (P&T) decisions that is prevalent in North American universities, have always been controversial. This paper suggests an approach to visualize the outcome of the first stage of the decision-making process. The voting faculty (agents) are the vertices of an undirected, weighted graph, whose edge weights are determined based on the extent of collaborative research between them, as well as their mutual social interactions. The model assumes that service-oriented and informal social interactions are complementary to research activities. Unfair voting patterns can be readily observed using low dimensional spectral embedding, a commonly used approach in data analysis, where the eigenvectors of the Laplacian of the underlying graph are used as the coordinates.
Implementation of Mixed-Mode Simulation

This chapter describes the issues involved in implementing a mixed-mode simulator. The iSPLICE3 program [SAL89A] is used as a case study since it uses many of the algorithms described in the previous three chapters. The chapter begins with an overview of the architecture of iSPLICE3. Then, the issues associated with the implementation of an event scheduler are presented. Following this, the event scheduling issues during the transient analysis are described. Next, the techniques used to obtain the dc solution are provided. Finally, a number of simulation results using industrial examples are presented to indicate the performance of the program compared to SPICE2.
Evidence For A Sex Pheromone in Bark Beetle Parasitoid Roptrocerus xylophagorum

Male Roptrocerus xylophagorum (Ratzeburg) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) exhibited courtship and mating behaviors including wing fanning, antennation, mounting, and copulation attempts when exposed to glass bulb decoys coated with a whole-body extract of females in hexane, acetone, or methanol. Activity of extract-treated decoys declined gradually over one week. Males responded much less strongly to freeze-killed female cadavers extracted with solvents than to unextracted cadavers; treatment of extracted cadavers with female extract restored male responses. The pheromone was found to be equally present over the surface of both the abdomen and head/thorax of females, and the origin of the pheromone could not be conclusively localized to any single body region. The activity of pheromone on females increased between day 1 and days 3–5 following eclosion; otherwise, pheromone activity was not significantly affected by either female age or mating. Males were arrested within the zone of a glass surface on which females had walked, suggesting that the pheromone might be substrate-borne. Recent exposure to females reduced male responsiveness, but responsiveness was fully restored after a few hours of male isolation from females. When hexane extracts of whole females were fractionated on silica gel, the pheromone's activity was largely recovered with the first, most nonpolar fraction. Female extracts and fractions were analyzed by coupled gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Cuticular hydrocarbon alkanes were identified as the extract components whose concentrations correlated best with male responses. Evidence of the pheromone's long persistence, low volatility, low polarity, and presence over the insect's entire body surface further supported the hypothesis that the pheromone was composed of one or more cuticular hydrocarbons.
Avoiding the Headache: Laboratory Considerations for Implementation, Utilization, and Interpretation of Multiplex Molecular Panels for the Diagnosis of Meningitis and Encephalitis, Part II

Abstract Meningitis and encephalitis are infections of the central nervous system (CNS) that can range in severity from mild and self-limiting to severe and life threatening. These infections can be caued by a number of bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens. Appropriate management of these infections is dependent upon an accurate and rapid identification of the infecting organism. Despite diagnostic advances with improved detection and turnaround time, currently, the etiological pathogen in central nervous system infections is identified in only 30 to 50% of symptomatic patients. The development of targeted molecular tests has begun to address these shortcomings, and the recent FDA clearance of the first broadly multiplexed test for meningitis/encephalitis has great potential to improve laboratory diagnosis of these infections. However, a thorough understanding of the performance and limitations of these tests is critical to ensure maximal patient benefit and to mitigate the reporting of potentiality erroneous or misleading results. Part II of this article presents an overview of quality within the diagnostic laboratory and specific approaches to ensure the reliability and the appropriate utilization and interpretation of results generated using targeted and multiplexed molecular diagnostics for meningitis/encephalitis.
Matchings, Random Walks, and Sampling

The maximum matching problem is among the most well-studied problems in combinatorial optimization with many applications. The matching problem is well-known to be efficiently solvable, that is, there are algorithms that solve the matching problem using polynomial space and time. However, as large data sets become more prevalent, there is a growing interest in sublinear algorithms -- these are algorithms whose resource requirements are substantially smaller than the size of the input that they operate on. In this talk, we will describe some results that illustrate surprising effectiveness of randomization in solving exact and approximate matching problems in sublinear space or time.
Combined Mineral Intakes and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Postmenopausal Women

Background: Despite considerable biological plausibility, other than for calcium, there are few reported epidemiologic studies on mineral intake–colorectal cancer associations, none of which investigated multiple minerals in aggregate. Methods: Accordingly, we incorporated 11 minerals into a mineral score and investigated its association with incident colorectal cancer in the Iowa Women9s Health Study, a prospective cohort study of 55- to 69-year-old women who completed a food frequency questionnaire in 1986. In the analytic cohort (n = 35, 221), 1,731 incident colorectal cancer cases were identified via the State Health Registry of Iowa. Participants9 calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, selenium, potassium, and iodine intakes were ranked 1 to 5, with higher ranks indicating higher, potentially anticarcinogenic, intakes, whereas for iron, copper, phosphorus, and sodium intakes, the rankings were reversed to account for their possible procarcinogenic properties. The rankings were summed to create each woman9s mineral score. The mineral score–incident colorectal cancer association was estimated using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: There was decreasing risk with an increasing score (Ptrend = 0.001). The hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for those in mineral score quintiles 2 to 5 relative to those in the lowest were 0.91 (CI, 0.88–1.08), 0.85 (CI, 0.75–0.95), 0.86 (CI, 0.75–0.97), and 0.75 (CI, 0.71–0.95), respectively. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that a predominance of putative anti- relative to pro-colorectal carcinogenic mineral intakes may be inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk. Impact: These results support further investigation of colorectal cancer etiology using composite mineral intake scores.
POWER: A Parallel-Optimization-Based Framework Towards Edge Intelligent Image Recognition and a Case Study

To improve the intelligent image recognition abilities of edge devices, a parallel-optimization-based framework called POWER is introduced in this paper. With FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) as its hardware module, POWER provides well extensibility and flexible customization capability for developing intelligent firmware suitable for different types of edge devices in various scenarios. Through an actual case study, we design and implement a firmware prototype following the specification of POWER and explore its performance improvement using parallel optimization. Our experimental results show that the firmware prototype we implement exhibits good performance and is applicable to substation inspection robots, which also validate the effectiveness of our POWER framework in designing edge intelligent firmware modules indirectly.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction Is Inducible in Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines From Children With Autism and May Involve the TORC1 Pathway

We previously developed a lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) model of mitochondrial dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder (ASD); some individuals with ASD showed mitochondrial dysfunction (AD-A) while other individuals (AD-N) demonstrated mitochondrial respiration similar to controls (CNT). To test the hypothesis that mitochondrial dysfunction could be a consequence of environmental exposures through chronic elevations in reactive oxygen species (ROS), we exposed LCLs to prolonged ROS. We also examined expression of metabolic regulatory genes and the modulating effect of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Prolonged ROS exposure induced or worsened mitochondrial dysfunction in all LCL groups. Expression of genes associated with ROS protection was elevated in both AD-N and AD-A LCLs, but mitochondrial fission/fusion and mitoplasticity gene expression was only increased in AD-N LCLs. Partial least squares discriminant analysis showed that mTOR, UCP2 (uncoupling protein 2), SIRT1 (sirtuin 1), and MFN2 (mitofusin-2) gene expression differentiated LCL groups. Low-dose rapamycin (0.1 nM) normalized respiration with the magnitude of this normalization greater for AD-A LCLs, suggesting that the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway may have a different dynamic range for regulating mitochondrial activity in individuals with ASD with and without mitochondrial dysfunction, potentially related to S6K1 (S6 kinase beta-1) regulation. Understanding pathways that underlie mitochondrial dysfunction in ASD may lead to novel treatments.
Diabetes and Atherogenic Dyslipidemia

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in people with diabetes, and dyslipidemia is an important risk factor. Although people with diabetes can have all the variants of dyslipidemias observed in nondiabetic people, the typical dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetes is manifested as high plasma triglyceride and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations and increased small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol particles. This phenotype is the result of insulin resistance and increased inflammatory adipokines in obese type 2 diabetic people. In addition to lifestyle modifications, management should include high intensity statins for those with established coronary artery disease or those with 10-year risk of ≥7.5%. If high-dose statins are not tolerated, moderate intensity statin with ezetimibe and a PCSK9 inhibitor can be prescribed. When serum triglyceride level is over 5.65–11.3 mmol/L (500–1000 mg/dl), fenofibrate with and without omega-3 fatty acids is recommended to reduce the risk of pancreatitis. In rare cases with severe familial hypercholesterolemia, mipomersen, a novel antisense oligonucleotide inhibitor of apo B100 synthesis, or lomitapide, a microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitor, is now available. In addition to managing the hyperlipidemia, other risk factors frequently associated with diabetes, such as hypertension, obesity, and smoking cessation, should also be addressed.
Advances in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases by Phytosterol

Cardiovascular diseases, mainly atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, are crucial causes for worldwide morbidity and mortality. Unhealthy lifestyle and diet with high low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol level are the major risk factors. Preventions of CVDs need to be taken early in age by changing to more phytosterol-enriched diet. Phytosterol is plant-derived compound with similar structure and function as cholesterol, but when supplied with food, it can lower the serum cholesterol concentration. Studies recommend the daily intake of 2g to 2.5g supplement of phytosterol can significantly reduce plasma LDL-cholesterol level. There are many researches on the mechanisms of cholesterol-lowering effect of plant sterol and plant stanol. It has been found that the differences in solubility and hydrophobicity enable phytosterol to intervene cholesterol from incorporating into micelles and to co-precipitate with cholesterol into solid crystals in intestinal lumen and reduce the absorption of cholesterol. Phytosterol also promotes the transporter gene expression to increase the cholesterol excretion back into small intestine. Furthermore, phytosterol also affects cholesterol metabolism and its transport in blood stream. Therefore, food enriched with phytosterol can be an efficient and safe method of preventing CVDs.
Dysembryoplastic Neuroepithelial Tumor with Enlarging Heterogeneously Enhancing Organizing Hematoma

This report portrays an unusual presentation of a dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor characterized by a chronic, enlarging, heterogeneously enhancing organizing hematoma. Differential diagnoses included the malignant transformation of a low-grade glioma, radiation necrosis, and radiation-induced cavernoma. A dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor may have atypical characteristics and behavior, so continued follow-up with serial imaging is recommended.
Immune Effects of M51R Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Treatment of Carcinomatosis From Colon Cancer

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to analyze the oncolytic and immunomodulatory functions of an M protein mutant of vesicular stomatitis virus (M51R VSV) in a murine model of peritoneal surface dissemination from colon cancer (PSD from CRC). Methods Luciferase-expressing CT26 peritoneal tumors were established in Balb/c mice to evaluate the impact of M51R VSV treatment on intraperitoneal tumor growth and overall survival. The mice were treated with either intraperitoneal phosphate buffered saline (n = 10) or 5 × 106 PFU M51R VSV (n = 10) at 5 d after tumor implantation. Tumor bioluminescence was measured every 3 d during the 60-day study period. The immunomodulatory effect of M51R VSV treatment was evaluated in mice treated with either intraperitoneal phosphate buffered saline (n = 21) or M51R VSV (n = 21). Peritoneal lavages were collected at days 1, 3, and 7 after M51R VSV treatment for flow cytometry and multiplex cytokine bead analysis. Results A single, intraperitoneal treatment with M51R VSV inhibited the growth of PSD from CRC as evidenced by decreased bioluminescence and improved survival. This treatment approach also resulted in significantly higher frequencies of peritoneal CD4+ T (10.95 ± 1.17 versus 6.19 ± 0.44, P = 0.004) and B1b cells (5.01 ± 0.97 versus 2.20 ± 0.2, P = 0.024). On the other hand, treatment with M51R VSV resulted in fewer myeloid-derived suppressor cells relative to controls (10.66 ± 1.48 versus 14.47 ± 1.06, P = 0.035). M51R-treated peritoneal cavities also contained lower concentrations of immunosuppressive monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and interleukin 6 cytokines relative to controls. Conclusions Our findings suggest that M51R VSV alters the innate and adaptive immune responses in PSD from CRC. Future studies will delineate specific components of antitumor immunity that result in its therapeutic effect.
Intracranial mechanical thrombectomy without extracranial revascularization for a tandem occlusion with robust Circle of Willis: Case report

Abstract A 59-year-old male presented with a severe left middle cerebral artery (MCA) syndrome, a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) of 17, and was last known well 26 h prior. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) of the head demonstrated a tandem extracranial ICA and intracranial ICA/MCA occlusion. Computed tomography perfusion (CTP) demonstrated a large mismatch. The patient underwent a mechanical thrombectomy using a stent retriever resulting in a modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) score of 2b. A balloon angioplasty of the extracranial carotid occlusion only resulted in temporary restoration of flow so stent placement was considered. Prior to stent placement, however, cerebral angiography revealed good collateral supply to the left MCA territory via the Circle of Willis. The procedure was thus terminated given good collateral supply from the right side and the unknown risk of dual antiplatelet therapy in a patient with an unknown stroke burden. Postoperatively, the patient immediately improved and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain revealed minimal stroke burden. The patient was discharged to acute rehab with an NIHSS of 6. At 4 weeks, the patient’s NIHSS was 2 and his modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was 1. This case highlights important considerations, as well as one potential option, when treating tandem occlusions in patients with a robust Circle of Willis.
Evaluating the effect of pile spacing and configuration on the lateral resistance of pile groups

In this study, the effects of pile spacing and pile group (PG) configuration on the static lateral resistance of PGs are investigated using finite element (FE) numerical modeling. Three-dimensional...
DC (Optimal) Power Flow-Based Models for Simulation and Mitigation of Overload Cascading Failures

Overload cascading failures in a power system can evolve into a blackout if no timely and effective measures are taken when the failures are still local events. In this paper, two overload cascading failure models are proposed based on DC power flow (DCPF) and DC optimal power flow (DCOPF). The DCPF-based model uses the equal incremental cost method as the power dispatch strategy to minimize the total generation cost. The DCOPF-based model minimizes the total operation cost, which consists of generation and load shedding costs, with system security constraints. The two models are applied to simulate a cascading process, respectively, in the IEEE 39-bus New England system. Results show that the DCOPF-based model has a better performance than the DCPF-based model in both the topological integrity and the economic aspect, and the DCOPF-based model can help mitigate the severity of overload cascading failures and, therefore, help prevent power systems from blackout.
Radius of Curvature Measurement Using Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers

This work presents the concept, basic theory, fabrication and testing results of the non-contact radius of curvature (RoC) measurement of a surface using piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUT). The system is composed of a minimum of three side-by-side transducer arrays composed of $4\times 20$ pMUTs with $208\mu \mathrm{m}$ in diaphragm radius made of $2\mu \mathrm{m}$ -thick AlN and a natural frequency of 462.83 kHz are utilized for the measurement scheme, and the extracted electromechanical coupling factor for AlN pMUT is 1.58%. Dual-electrode bimorph (DEB) pMUTs were fabricated using a CMOS compatible fabrication process with two $1\ \mu \mathrm{m}$ -thick layers of active piezoelectric AlN and 130nm Mo electrode layers. Experiments show good measurement accuracy for 3D-printed curved surfaces up to RoC of 200mm at a distance of about 5cm away. These results indicate that the proposed method have the potential to measure surface curvature inside a media that light cannot penetrate such as beams and columns inside the buildings, and implants inside the human bodies.
Coming Out in the Classroom: A Return to the Hard Place.

he fascination with the "secret" of lesbian and gay identity and with the abyss a gay or lesbian teacher crosses to come out in the classroom should have spent itself by now. More than a quarter-century after Stonewall, what was once transgressive should have lost its pedagogical shock value and assumed its place alongside other milestones of America's troubled social history. Indeed, testimonials to the positive purposes and effects of coming out appear more and more often in journals such as Radical Teacher and Feminist Teacher, at conferences, in collections of essays on feminist pedagogy, and in the avalanche of recent work on gay and lesbian studies. Most recent work on coming out assumes a political position that privileges disclosure over non-disclosure and self-naming over a pretense to "neutrality," seeing these as strategies that resist conservative institutional pressures to preserve the silence and invisibility enshrouding gay and lesbian identities.
Testing Multiple Gluon Dynamics at the Fermilab Tevatron

We propose the measurement of the ratio R{sub CSS}(Q{sub T}{sup min}){equivalent_to}{sigma}(Q{sub T}{gt}Q{sub T}{sup min})/{sigma}{sub total} to study the effects of multiple soft gluon radiation, predicted by QCD, on the transverse momentum (Q{sub T}) distribution of the weak gauge bosons W{sup {plus_minus}} and Z{sup 0} produced at the Tevatron. We compare the prediction of the extended Collins-Soper-Sterman resummation formalism with the next-to-leading and next to next-to-leading order calculations. We show that both the rich dynamics of the QCD multiple soft gluon radiation and the non perturbative sector of QCD can be tested by measuring R{sub CSS} . {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
The Motivative Augmental Effects of Verbal Stimuli on Cooperative and Conformity Responding under a Financially Competing Contingency in an Analog Work Task

The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) is an assessment tool designed to measure one’s learning history with respect to preexisting verbal relations (Barnes-Holmes, Hayden, Barnes-Holmes, & Stewart, 2008). Responses to stimuli are regarded as implicit because they are measured with respect to the associated response latencies and accuracy, or brief and immediate relational responding (BIRRs; Hughes & Barnes-Holmes, 2013, p. 104). This study used the modified (MD) IRAP to select stimuli that were presented in motivational statements in a simulated work task to increase cooperative and conformity responding. Participants came into contact with customized motivational statements promoting cooperative and conformity responding in conditions with a competing pay-for-performance contingency using an alternating treatments design. Results showed that motivational statements temporarily increased cooperative and conformity responding. Moreover, those participants identified as having a stronger history with particular stimuli, as identified in the MD IRAP, chose to cooperate and conform at higher and more sustained rates. The coherence between implicit responding, as demonstrated in the MD IRAP, and explicit responding, as demonstrated in the simulated work task, and the implications it has on prosocial behaviors will be discussed.
Disability and Contingency Care.

McGuire et al. (2020) compellingly outline an array of complex ethical issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the most widely discussed of these is the issue of how persons with disabilitie...
Transport properties of lithium-ion in green nonaqueous solutions and polymer ionic exchange membranes: an attempt to elaboration of ecological Li-ion battery

Organic solutions are considered as good electrolytes yielding higher lithium-ion (Li-ion or Li+) transference numbers for lithium-ion batteries during charge and discharge processes. However, owing to ecological reasons, the transference numbers of this metal ion in green viscous solvent such as glycerol at various concentrations and temperatures have been measured by means of the concentration cell and Bruce–Vincent techniques. An average value of the transport number less than 0.5 was obtained at 298.15 K, suggesting that the solvated Li+ carries less electric charges than the larger size chloride anion. The results were then compared to a recent study utilizing molecular dynamics simulation where it was confirmed the smallness values of the Li+ transference number. Besides, Hittorf’s method using the polymer cation exchange membrane (nafion 117) has been also investigated and shows the highest transport, suggesting its advantageous utilization in ecological lithium-ion batteries. Furthermore, the concentration polarization of membrane equilibrated with the electrolyte solution of lithium was carried out by means of voltamperometry that allowed recording the current–voltage characteristic. It yielded, however, low limiting current density, indicating that the polarization is more pronounced with such light metal, in contrast to larger diffusion constant and average transport number.
Effects of temperature variability and extremes on spring phenology across the contiguous United States from 1982 to 2016

Warming climate and its impact on vegetation phenological trends have been widely investigated. However, interannual variability in temperature is considerably large in recent decades, which is expected to trigger an increasing trend of variation in vegetation phenology. To explore the interannual phenological variation across the contiguous United States (CONUS), we first detected the onset of vegetation greenup using the time series of the daily two-band Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) observed from the AVHRR Long-Term Data Record (1982-1999) and the MODIS Climate Modeling Grid (2000-2016). We then calculated the interannual variation in greenup onset during four decadal periods: 1982-1989, 1990-1999, 2000-2009 and 2010-2016. Further, the trend of interannual variation in greenup onset from 1982 to 2016 was analyzed at pixel and state levels. Extreme phenological events were also determined using a greenup onset anomaly for each pixel. Similar approaches were applied to spring temperatures to detect extreme years and to the temporal trend of interannual variation to explain the phenological variation. The results revealed that 62% of pixels show an increasing interannual variation in greenup onset, and in 44% of pixels, this variation could be explained by the temperature. Although extreme phenology occurred locally in different years, three nationwide extreme phenological years were distinguished. The extreme warm spring that occurred in 2012 resulted in the occurrence of greenup onset as much as 20 days earlier than normal in large parts of the CONUS. In contrast, greenup onset was much later (up to 30 days) in 1983 and 1996 due to cool spring temperatures. These findings suggest that interannual variation in spring phenology could be much stronger in the future in response to climate variation, which could have more significant impacts on terrestrial ecosystems than the regular long-term phenological trend.
Polypeptide Composition of Mesophyll Chloroplast Envelopes from C4 Subgroup Representatives

Chloroplast envelopes were isolated from intact organelles from spinach and Panicum bisulcatum (C3 species), P. miliaceum and P. virgatum (NAD-malic enzyme-type C4 species), P. antidotale and Digitaria sanguinalis (NADP-malic enzyme-type C4 species) P. maximum (PEP carboxykinase-type C4 species), P. milioides (C3/C4 intermediate) and from the inducible malic enzyme-type CAM plant Mesembryanthemum crystallinum operating in either the C3 or CAM mode. Analysis of the envelopes on SDS polyacrylamide gradient slab gels stained with silver revealed that all of the species possessed a 29 kD polypeptide which has been identified as the phosphate translocator in spinach. A 32 kD polypeptide was also prominant in the C4 preparations and in the profile obtained for chloroplasts from M. crystallinum performing pronounced CAM. These data suggest the possibility that a 32 kD polypeptide could be a transport protein which is required in C4 photosynthesis and Crassulacean Acid Metabolism, but not in C3 photosynthesis. Unlike the complex polypeptide profile observed for other species studied, most of the silver-positive material in P. miliaceum envelope preparations was concentrated in the 32 and 27 kD bands.
Out-diffusion of Pd as part of degradation mechanisms in RF AlGaN-GaN HEMTs with Ni-Pd-Au Schottky contacts: part II

GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) on SiC substrates are produced for both commercial and defense applications that require high voltage, high power, and high efficiency operation. Although leading GaN HEMT manufacturers have reported excellent RF power characteristics and encouraging reliability, long-term reliability in the space environment remains a major concern due to unknown degradation mechanisms. For the present study, we continued to investigate degraded RF GaN HEMTs using micro-analytical techniques. Our RF AlGaN-GaN devices grown on SiC substrate had a Ni-Pd-Au Schottky gate length of 0.25 μm, a total gate width of 6 × 150 μm periphery, and a field plate. First, we performed DC bias-temperature stress tests on GaN HEMTs and some GaN HEMTs were thermally stressed as control samples. Second, we employed focused ion beam (FIB) to prepare TEM cross sections from degraded and control devices for defect analysis using a high resolution TEM. Pits, cracks, and pockets of palladium were found at the edge of the drain side of the gate. We report our detailed analysis results including our understanding on the out-diffusion of Pd as a potential degradation mechanism in our RF GaN HEMTs.
Mechanisms underlying dorsolateral prefrontal cortex contributions to cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia

Kraepelin, in his early descriptions of schizophrenia (SZ), characterized the illness as having "an orchestra without a conductor." Kraepelin further speculated that this "conductor" was situated in the frontal lobes. Findings from multiple studies over the following decades have clearly implicated pathology of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as playing a central role in the pathophysiology of SZ, particularly with regard to key cognitive features such as deficits in working memory and cognitive control. Following an overview of the cognitive mechanisms associated with DLPFC function and how they are altered in SZ, we review evidence from an array of neuroscientific approaches addressing how these cognitive impairments may reflect the underlying pathophysiology of the illness. Specifically, we present evidence suggesting that alterations of the DLPFC in SZ are evident across a range of spatial and temporal resolutions: from its cellular and molecular architecture, to its gross structural and functional integrity, and from millisecond to longer timescales. We then present an integrative model based upon how microscale changes in neuronal signaling in the DLPFC can influence synchronized patterns of neural activity to produce macrocircuit-level alterations in DLPFC activation that ultimately influence cognition and behavior. We conclude with a discussion of initial efforts aimed at targeting DLPFC function in SZ, the clinical implications of those efforts, and potential avenues for future development.
Comparing the carbon footprint of monocrystalline silicon solar modules manufactured in China and the United States

This work discusses the life-cycle impact of manufacturing silicon monocrystalline (c-Si) (PV) panels in the United States compared to China. We compare the results using country average and regional data accounting for the location of each manufacturing stage. The carbon footprint based on the national average for the USA is 515 g CO 2 /kWp compared to 740 g CO 2 /kWp for China. Producing c-Si modules in China from US polysilicon reduces the carbon footprint by 9.5% compared to Chinese modules. Manufacturing modules entirely in the US modules could reduce the carbon footprint by 30%. PV modules supply chain is in regions with slower decarbonization than the rest of the country for both US and China, slowing down the reduction in carbon footprint for c-Si in the future.
Enzymic, Metabolic, Electron Microscopic, and Clinical Characteristics of a Human Malignant Blue Nevus

The ordinary malignant melanoma constitutes only about one to two per cent of the overall cancer incidence in the United States [4]. The malignant blue nevus is a considerably rarer form of pigmented neoplasm, occurring as less than one per cent of the usual pigmented tumor category. Out of over 1,700 melanomas of the ordinary type seen by one of the authors, only seven malignant blue nevi were observed. It was therefore of obvious interest to obtain preliminary information on the metabolic, enzymic, and electron microscopic aspects of this rare and intriguing lesion.
An economic analysis of mandatory mediation and the disposition of medical malpractice claims

The conventional tort litigation system for resolving medical malpractice claims is criticized as being slow, costly and unreliable. This paper uses claims data to analyze a tort reform process known as "mandatory mediation," which was designed to alleviate some of the problems arising in the litigation of malpractice cases. Mediation outcomes, based on the parties, responses to the mediation evaluation, and claim disposition, based on the eventual outcome of the case, are analyzed. OLS and Probit estimates are used to identify characteristics that affect mediation awards, and the disputants' propensity to accept the mediation awards. The results show that injury severity and the type of injury being alleged are significant in determining awards and the propensity to accept awards. Few malpractice cases are resolved by mediation and the final settlement or trial awards are significantly different from the mediation awards. However, it appears that mediation provides an avenue whereby disputants are making informed decisions on whether to continue litigation.
Apoptosis and Cell Volume Regulation

The understanding of programmed cell death or apoptosis has become one of the most studied and fastest growing fields in the life science area. The implication of volume regulatory mechanisms, ion channels as well as ion movements, are recognized as playing an important role during the activation of programmed cell death and for the regulation of the cell shrinkage characteristic of apoptosis. The knowledge gained through decades of studying cellular volume regulation and the mechanisms counterbalancing osmo-changes provide a great resource in the current application to identify and characterize apoptosis related ion fluxes and regulated ion channels. Although many similarities between RVD and AVD are known, obvious differences exist between these two responses. Understanding the mechanisms regulating apoptosis related volume changes and the ion movements resulting in the activation of the cell death program may lead to the development of drugs that target ion channels or transporters and tip the balance between cell life and death.
Chapter 7 – Laser Safety

This chapter discusses some of the physiological effects of laser radiation emphasizing on the mechanisms through which laser radiation may be harmful to the human body. It reviews the safety measures and describes some of the regulatory standards for laser safety. The body structures that are at greatest risk for laser light exposure are the retina, the cornea, and the skin. Accidental exposure of the eye during the alignment of a laser beam is the most common cause of laser accidents. Skin burns can also be produced by high-power lasers. Laser light can be focused to a small spot on the retina, and thus may be a greater eye hazard than a nonlaser source of the same power. Light in the wavelength range of 0.4 to 1.4 μm penetrates through the anterior structures of the eye and reach the retina. With a well-designed safety program, the potential dangers can be reduced to a minimum for scientific, engineering, and industrial applications.
ARCTIC: A Rotary Compressor Thermally Insulated µCooler

Microscale cooling to date relies largely on passive on-chip cooling in order to move heat from hot spots to alternate sites. Such passive cooling devices include capillary pump loops (CPL), heat pipes, and thermosiphons. Recent developments for active cooling systems include thermal electric coolers (TECs) for heat removal. This paper focuses on the design of an active microscale closed loop cooling system that uses a Rankine vapor compression cycle cooling system. In this design, a rotary compressor will generate the high pressure required for efficient cooling and will circulate the working fluid to move heat away from chip level hot spots to the ambient. The rotary compressor will leverage technology gained from the Rotary Engine Power System (REPS) program at the UC Berkeley, most specifically the 367 mm3 displacement platform. The advantage of a Wankel (Maillard) compressor is that it provides six compression strokes per revolution rather than a single compression stroke common to other popular compressors such as the rolling piston. The current Wankel compressor design will achieve a theoretical compression ratio of 8:1. The ARCTIC (A Rotary Compressor Thermally Insulated μCooler) system will be a microscale hybrid system consisting of some microfabricated (or MEMS) components including microchannels, in plane MEMS valves, and potentially MEMS temperature, pressure and flow sensors integrated with mesoscale, traditionally machined steel components, including the compressor itself. The system is designed to remove between 25-35 W of heat at 1000 rpm using R-134a but the system is easily scaleable through a speed increase or decrease of the compressor. Further, the current compressor design has a theoretical coefficient of performance (C.O.P.) of approximately 2, a significant improvement over comparable TECs with C.O.P.s of approximately .05-.1. Finally, a thermal circuit analysis determines that the time constant to achieve refrigeration temperature in 12 seconds is possible.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Genetic analysis workshop III: Simple methods for accurate gene mapping with multipoint data

Linkage groups and orders are established through two-point analysis; gene order is verified through simple three-point analysis; linkage maps are obtained through weighted least squares, fitting observed θ values to those predicted by a parametric mapping function.
Power sensor networks by wireless energy — Current status and future trends

Traditional battery-powered wireless sensor networks face many challenges to meet the requirements of a wide range of demanding applications nowadays due to their limited energy. Although energy harvesting techniques can scavenge energy from the environment to sustain network operations, dynamics from the energy sources may lead to service interruption or performance degradation when the sources are unavailable. Recent advances in wireless energy transfer have opened up a new dimension to resolve the network lifetime problem. In this paper, we present an overview of the wireless energy transfer techniques and recent developments to apply these techniques in various sensing applications. We also show how this novel technology can be integrated with classic data collection applications and envision future directions in this area.
Reconstructive techniques in radical pelvic surgery

Abstract The use of reconstructive surgical techniques accelerates recovery from radical pelvic surgery. It also allows the surgeon greater latitude in the type of procedure and the selection of patients for extended pelvic surgery. The techniques involved in three such reconstructive procedures are described, and their applicability is illustrated with case reports. The use of the compound myocutaneous flap, the axial cutaneous flap, and the omental island flap is discussed.
Some implications of the modified forms of the first and the second laws of thermodynamics and the variational principles in chemically reactive systems

The application of a scale-invariant statistical theory of fields to statistical thermodynamics is discussed. Defining the Boltzmann constant as Kk = k = mk c =1.381×10-23 J/K, Kelvin absolute temperature scale becomes a length scale. The thermal equilibrium between matter and radiation fields is described. The modified definition of temperature results in the speed of sound in atmosphere 358 m/s and a modified mechanical equivalent of heat equal to the universal gas constant J = Ro. The physical foundation of the first and the second laws of thermodynamics are described in terms of two new state variables defining the reversible heat Qrev = TS and the reversible work Wrev = PV. The variational principles in reactive systems are described in terms of an invariant Lagrangian defined as Lβ =Uβ = Qβ - Wβ + Gβ = Kβ - Πβ + Lβ-1.
The Necessities of Perfect Freedom

This article is a reflection on Augustine's suggestion that Christians have significant theological reasons to accept that freedom need not be correlated with having choices. Following his lead, I explore questions about freedom and agency raised by the perfect freedom of the saints in heaven, Jesus' sinless earthly life and the freedom with which the triune God is eternally blessed. My thesis is that those who worship the triune God and praise the sinless perfection of Christ and the heavenly saints have reason to accept a ‘normative’ conception of freedom, according to which certain kinds of necessity are not merely compatible with perfect freedom but intrinsic to it.
Traversing the Adaptive Landscape in Snapdragons

The genetic changes that underlie adaptive evolution of species are not easy to determine. Snapdragon species with different flower colors that coexist in the Pyrenees offer a promising system for analyzing them.
Orthogonal U(1) symmetries, proton stability, and extra dimensions

In models with a low quantum gravity scale, one might expect that all operators consistent with gauge symmetries are present in the low-energy effective theory. If this is the case, some mechanism must be present to adequately suppress operators that violate baryon number. Here we explore the possibility that the desired suppression is a consequence of an additional, spontaneously broken, nonanomalous U(1) symmetry that is orthogonal to hypercharge. We show that successful models can be constructed in which the additional particle content necessary to cancel anomalies is minimal and compatible with the constraints from precision electroweak measurements and gauge unification. If unification is sacrificed, and only the new U(1) and its associated Higgs fields live in the bulk, it is possible that the gauge field zero mode and first few Kaluza-Klein excitations lie within the kinematic reach of the Fermilab Tevatron. For gauge couplings not much smaller than that of hypercharge, we show that these highly leptophobic states could evade detection at run I, but be discovered at run II. Our scenario presents an alternative to the ``cartographic'' solution to baryon number violation in which leptons and quarks are separated in an extra dimension.
Sporogenesis in Conifers

Publisher Summary In a microsporangium there are several hundred sporogenous cells that consequently yield many pollen grains, while in a megasporangium the single tetrad is formed from only one. The term sporogenous cell may then be applied to any destined to give rise to a meiotic cell once the archaesporium has differentiated, the remainder forming the tapetum. The sporogenous cells in both microsporangia and megasporangia undergo a finite number of divisions. The final division gives rise to a spore mother cell or meiocyte within which meiosis takes place. This brings to a close the diploid phase of the life cycle, but the haploid spores subsequently acquire elaborate surface architecture. This chapter focuses on these subjects at greater detail. It is noteworthy that the conifers are generally difficult subjects for study because the reproductive cells of interest are often inaccessible to experimental manipulation and difficult or impossible to isolate. For these reasons the most profitable approach has been an in situ one, using a variety of microscopical techniques.