cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A population based approach to model the lifetime and energy distribution in battery constrained wireless sensor networks

The residual power levels of the nodes in a wireless sensor network determine its important performance metrics like the network lifetime, coverage, and connectivity. In this paper, we present a general framework to model the availability of power at sensor nodes as a function of time, based on models for population dynamics in biological studies. Models are developed for sensors with and without battery recharging and expressions are derived for the network lifetime as well as the distribution and moments of random variables describing the number of sensors with different levels of residual energy as a function of time. The model is also extended to the case where new sensors are periodically added to the network to substitute older sensors that have expended their energy. Finally, the effect of the packet arrival rates and a sensor's geographical location are modeled. Simulation results to verify the accuracy of the proposed models are presented.
Entropy and Correlation: Some Comments

For measuring the degree of association or correlation between two nominal variables, a measure based on informational entropy is presented as being preferable to that proposed recently by Horibe [1]. Asymptotic developments are also presented that may be used for making approximate statistical inferences about the population measure when the sample size is reasonably large. The use of this methodology is illustrated using a numerical example.
Runtime Visualization of the Human Arterial Tree

Large-scale simulation codes typically execute for extended periods of time and often on distributed computational resources. Because these simulations can run for hours, or even days, scientists like to get feedback about the state of the computation and the validity of its results as it runs. It is also important that these capabilities be made available with little impact on the performance and stability of the simulation. Visualizing and exploring data in the early stages of the simulation can help scientists identify problems early, potentially avoiding a situation where a simulation runs for several days, only to discover that an error with an input parameter caused both time and resources to be wasted. We describe an application that aids in the monitoring and analysis of a simulation of the human arterial tree. The application provides researchers with high-level feedback about the state of the ongoing simulation and enables them to investigate particular areas of interest in greater detail. The application also offers monitoring information about the amount of data produced and data transfer performance among the various components of the application.
Congruency in Abortion Consideration and Perceptions of Supportive Coparenting

SYNOPSIS Objective . This study examined the association between abortion consideration in pregnancy and mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of supportive coparenting over time among families from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Design . Using multiple linear regressions, this study examined the association between parents’ retrospective reports at the time of their child's birth of their abortion consideration during pregnancy and perceptions of supportive coparenting when their focal child was 3, 5, and 9 years old. Parental sociodemographic characteristics were examined as moderators of the associations. Results . Consideration of abortion was associated with mothers’ reports, and to a lesser degree, fathers’ reports of less supportive coparenting over time. Although not consistent across time, interactions between abortion consideration and mother age, education, and relationship status were associated with mothers’ reports of coparenting. Conclusion . Abortion consideration in pregnancy...
Predictors and Trends of Gross Motor Skill Performance in At-Risk Elementary School-Aged Children

-The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors and trends of gross motor skills in children from low-income families. The participants were 1,460 children (M age=8.39 yr., SD=1.83; K-6th grade) recruited from three Title I schools. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2nd Edition (TGMD-2) assessed motor skills, FITNESSGRAM assessed health-related fitness, and pedometers and accelerometers measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Multi-level modeling revealed that TGMD-2 scores predicted aerobic capacity, but no other relationships were found with other Healthy Fitness Zone parameters or MVPA. TGMD-2 performance was 4.8 and 4.7% greater in successively higher grade levels for girls and boys, respectively. In conclusion, TGMD-2 scores predict aerobic capacity and TGMD-2 scores improved between 4 and 5% in older grade cohorts separated by 1 year.
Atomistic simulation of steep subthreshold slope Bi-layer MoS 2 transistors

The push for transistors with low standby power, marked by a sub-threshold swing (SS) less than 60mV/dec, has led to the investigation of exotic materials and novel mechanisms for FETs. Atomi-cally thin MoS 2 has unique features which make it good candidate for future integrated circuits: having small body thickness and high mobility at the same time [1]. Bi-layer MoS 2 is particularly interesting as its band gap can be tuned dynamically with an external field. This work investigates possible ways of lowering SS of the bi-layer MoS 2 transistors such as using band-to-band-tunneling (BTBT) and dynamic band gap (DBG) tuning.
Optical and Charge Transport Properties of Water/Alcohol-Soluble Quinacridone Derivatives for Application in Polymer Light Emitting Diodes

Sodium N,N′-bis(3-sulfonylpropyl)quinacridone (Na+QPSO3–), tetraphenylphosphonium N,N′-bis(3-sulfonylpropyl)quinacridone (Ph4P+QPSO3–), sodium N,N′-bis(6-sulfonylhexyl)quinacridone (Na+QHSO3–), and tetraphenylphosphonium N,N′-bis(6-sulfonylhexyl)quinacridone (Ph4P+QHSO3–) are employed as solution-processable electron injection layers (EILs) in multilayer polymer light emitting diodes utilizing poly(2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene) (MEH-PPV) as the emissive layer. The electron mobilities of these oligoelectrolytes are comparable with conjugated polyelectrolytes, but the synthesis is much simpler. The choice of counterion can be used to tune electron mobilities and optical properties. Increased aggregation in solution positively influences device performance, yielding devices that outperform those that use a barium cathode with no barrier for electron injection. These oligoelectrolyte EILs were also tested in devices utilizing a blue emissive small molecule. The ease of synthesis of th...
Changes in Measured Intelligence of Academic Low Achievers in a Process-Oriented Learning Program

79 students enrolled in a process-oriented learning program for academic low achievers completed the CTMM 1 mo. prior to enrollment and again 14 wk. later. The results show that, as a group, IQs of these Ss improved significantly (p < .001), that men and women improved equally but appreciably (p < .001), and that Ss initially scoring in the lower 42% of pretest scores improved more (p < .001) than Ss initially scoring in the higher 42%, as might be expected.
Effects of simulated and insect herbivory on nitrogen and protein precipitable phenolic concentration of two legumes

ABSTRACTProtein-precipitating polyphenolics (PPPs) serve as a plant defense against herbivory, increasing with stress. We studied how varying intensities of simulated and Melanoplus differentialis herbivory affected (1) PPP concentration; (2) protein bound by PPP (PB); and (3) N concentration of panicled tick-clover (Desmodium paniculatum; PTC) and sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata; SL) leaf regrowth. Leaves of PTC that were submitted to simulated herbivory had lesser (p ≤ .05 for all significant differences) PPP concentration than the control for most treatments. For PTC, PPP concentration decreased with increasing herbivory intensity for both herbivory types. For SL, PPP was similar between herbivory types for Harvest 1 but not for 2, decreasing as herbivory intensity increased for both herbivory types. Simulated herbivory resulted in lower PB concentrations for PTC and SL compared to the grasshopper herbivory. Nitrogen concentration was similar for PTC and SL between herbivory types but variable amo...
A new species of Absidia from an alkali bee brood chamber

(1990). A New Species of Absidia from an Alkali Bee Brood Chamber. Mycologia: Vol. 82, No. 4, pp. 523-526.
Speech recognition robust against speech overlapping in monaural recordings of telephone conversations

Monaural (single-channel) recording is sometimes used for telephone conversations in call centers. Generally speaking, the accuracy of automatic speech recognition of a monaural recording is worse than that of the multi-channel recording of the same conversation where each speaker's voice is separately recorded. The major reason is that the recognition system fails not only at the overlapping segments where the voices of the multiple speakers overlap, but also at the neighboring segments surrounding the overlapping segments. In this paper, we tackle this problem by using a combination of garbage modeling and noise-robust monaural acoustic modeling. Our proposed method trains the models by making use of multi-channel recordings and transcripts, which are relatively easy to prepare than monaural recordings and transcripts. We present experimental results where the proposed methods reduced the error rates by approximately 3% relative to the baseline methods for both of GMM-HMM and CNN-HMM cases. Because the proposed method is quite simple, the proposed method is easy to deploy to wide range of ASR systems for monaural speech transcription.
Knowing about your food from the farm to the table

HighlightsStudied purchase intention in retail settings using food traceability systems (FTS).Typified FTSs as voluntary, direct consumer-use decision support systems.Theoretical constructs from principal agent theory and technology acceptance model.Perceived regulatory effectiveness an information asymmetry reducing antecedent.Willingness to pay price premium an important mediator between trust and intentions. We combined the most relevant variables from the principal agent theory and the technology acceptance model to develop a parsimonious model of technology acceptance for food traceability systems, which are voluntary, direct consumer-use decision support systems that reduce health risks for consumers by reducing information asymmetry between consumers and sellers in retail settings. Results from a survey about a beef traceability system show novel findings about the important roles played by consumers' perceived regulatory effectiveness as an exogenous antecedent, and by their trust in seller and willingness to pay a price premium as mediators, that shape their intentions to use a BTS and conduct a purchase transaction.
MR imaging of exercise-induced lower leg pain.

SUMMARY MR imaging of the leg has a useful role in the assessment of the active patient with lower leg pain. When the physician is provided with clinical history, tailored examinations can be performed, and diagnosis of these varied disorders can be facilitated.
IMAGES IN CLINICAL MEDICINE. Giant Thrombosed Intracranial Aneurysm.

A 79-year-old woman presented with gradual neurologic decline involving confusion, memory loss, imbalance, and incontinence. On examination, she was oriented only to self and had mild nonfluent aphasia. CT revealed a large left frontotemporal mass with areas of calcification.
Purveying the past : Structure and strategy in the American antiques trade

The business of selling antiques is a popular arena in which modern Americans curate much of the country's cultural patrimony, define what is important and valuable about the national past, and decide the condition of the things that will survive into the future. A study of the antiques market in Lincoln, Nebraska reveals how the trade in antiques organizes and presents widely dispersed goods with a marketing channel composed of four steps that can be described as surfacing, picking, dealing, and matchmaking. These steps add different kinds of value to the objects they handle and operate with distinctive strategies.
Critical Care Management of Severe Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is a common gastrointestinal disease that results in a significant physical, psychosocial, and financial toll [2, 3]. It has become the leading gastroenterology discharge diagnosis in the United States and its incidence appears to be increasing [2, 4, 5]. The cost of caring for these patients is greater than 2 billion dollars annually, and the cost of a single survivor of severe acute pancreatitis has been estimated at $129,000 [3, 6]. There is a spectrum of disease from the mild edematous form to severe acute necrotizing pancreatitis with associated multiple organ system dysfunction. The most common form of the disease is mild with a 3–4-day self-limited course and a low mortality and occurs in nearly 80 % of patients [7, 8]. Unfortunately, 20 % of patients will develop severe acute pancreatitis with a fulminant clinical course. Those with the severe form of the disease often require prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital lengths of stay, invasive support and procedures for organ failure, and management of pancreatic necrosis and mortality rates that approach 30 % [8–11].
Vascular Responses to Intestinal Inflammation

The microcirculation both responds and contributes to an inflammatory response. The inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) provide a useful example of the profound reactivity of all segments (arterioles, capillaries, venules) of the microvasculature to inflammation, and illustrate how changes in microvascular function can influence the intensity and progression of disease activity. This chapter describes the key alterations in gut microvascular function that accompany human and experimental IBD, and addresses the prevailing views on the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the altered vascular function. Impaired blood flow regulation (impaired vasomotor function), an increased adhesion of leukocytes and platelets to the vessel wall, activation of the coagulation cascade, enhanced thrombus formation, increased vascular permeability, and an accelerated rate of vascular proliferation (angiogenesis) are characteristic features of the phenotypic changes that occur in the gut vasculature during inflammation. These changes have been linked to the activation of cells that normally circulate in blood (leukocytes, platelets) or reside in the vessel wall (endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle) or in the perivascular space (macrophages, mast cells). The chemical messengers elaborated from these activated cells stimulate different signaling pathways that ultimately elicit the phenotypic microvascular responses that accompany inflammation. Pharmacological interventions directed towards preventing some of the microvascular alterations in inflammation (e.g., angiogenesis) provide novel and potentially effective targets for treatment of IBD.
Criminology’s Modern Synthesis: Remaking the Science of Crime with Darwinian Insight

For over a century and half now, the biological sciences have been moored to a unifying set of principles—that life on earth is ancient; that all life is descended from a common ancestor; that the diversity of species on the planet is the product of random genetic mutations and a combination of random genetic drift and nonrandom selection favoring alleles promoting survival and reproduction; and that these processes apply to every living organism (Buss, 2015; Darwin, 1859; Dennett, 1995; Goetz & Shackelford, 2006; Pinker, 1997; Stearns, 2000; Wright, 1994). Yet, for decades (and decades) in the social sciences, scholars have conducted their work as if humans, for all practical purposes, were exempted from these universal evolutionary processes (Horowitz, Yaworsky, & Kickham, 2014; Maynard, Boutwell, Vaughn, Naeger, & Dell, 2015; Pinker, 2002). At most, these scholars allowed for the fact that our bodies may have been historically sculpted by natural selection, but the instant we invented culture we were freed from the laws of nature and exempted from the pressures of selection forces (Cochran & Harpending, 2009). Consequently, the role of biology in some disciplines has come a distant second to the role of culture and socialization in exploring and explaining human nature and human differences (Pinker, 2002; Winegard, Winegard, & Boutwell, 2017).
The politics of local resistance in urban South Africa: Evidence from three informal settlements:

Between 2009 and 2014, South Africa experienced widespread protests. In contrast to prominent examples of global protest during the same period, they were localized and did not push for broad polit...
Asymmetrical interlingual influence in the production of Spanish and English laterals as a result of competing activation in bilingual language processing

Abstract This study examines the phonetic and phonological knowledge of Spanish and English /l/ by early and late Spanish-English bilinguals along a continuum of language dominance. Forty early Spanish-English bilinguals, divided into groups as a function of their immigrant generation (G1.5, G2, G3), and twenty L2 Spanish learners produced word-initial and word-final laterals in three separate sessions: monolingual Spanish session, monolingual English session, and bilingual Spanish/English session. Results indicate that all participants acquired the phonetic and allophonic characteristics of the lateral variants in each language, and that language dominance strongly predicts these bilinguals’ acoustic realization of Spanish and English laterals. The acoustic analyses reveal phonetic convergence as a result of language mode, but it is especially the laterals in the non-dominant language that are altered in bilingual mode. This study provides evidence of language dominance effects on the acoustic realization of Spanish and English laterals, and demonstrates the impact of language mode on the phonetic abilities of early and late bilinguals. It is proposed that a model of bilingual processing based on the principles of episodic frameworks, in which exemplars in a bilingual lexicon develop connections across languages and lexical processing activates the words of both languages non-selectively, can explain these findings.
Forest aging, disturbance and the carbon cycle.

Contents Summary 1188 I. Introduction 1188 II. Forest aging and carbon storage 1189 III. Successional trends of NEP in northern deciduous forests 1190 IV. Mechanisms sustaining NEP in aging deciduous forests 1191 Acknowledgements 1192 References 1192 SUMMARY: Large areas of forestland in temperate North America, as well as in other parts of the world, are growing older and will soon transition into middle and then late successional stages exceeding 100 yr in age. These ecosystems have been important regional carbon sinks as they recovered from prior anthropogenic and natural disturbance, but their future sink strength, or annual rate of carbon storage, is in question. Ecosystem development theory predicts a steady decline in annual carbon storage as forests age, but newly available, direct measurements of forest net CO2 exchange challenge that prediction. In temperate deciduous forests, where moderate severity disturbance regimes now often prevail, there is little evidence for any marked decline in carbon storage rate during mid-succession. Rather, an increase in physical and biological complexity under these disturbance regimes may drive increases in resource-use efficiency and resource availability that help to maintain significant carbon storage in these forests well past the century mark. Conservation of aging deciduous forests may therefore sustain the terrestrial carbon sink, whilst providing other goods and services afforded by these biologically and structurally complex ecosystems.
The Epidemiology of Eating Problems in Nonreferred Children and Adolescents

This article explores the variations in eating patterns, feeding difficulties, and eating disorders seen in nonreferred adolescents, children, and infants. The correlation between these earlier eating problems and the later appearance of eating disorders is considered.
Leveraging accreditation to integrate sustainable information literacy instruction into the medical school curriculum

Background: While the term “information literacy” is not often used, the skills associated with that concept are now central to the mission and accreditation process of medical schools. The simultaneous emphasis on critical thinking skills, knowledge acquisition, active learning, and development and acceptance of technology perfectly positions libraries to be central to and integrated into the curriculum. Case Presentation: This case study discusses how one medical school and health sciences library leveraged accreditation to develop a sustainable and efficient flipped classroom model for teaching information literacy skills to first-year medical students. The model provides first-year medical students with the opportunity to learn information literacy skills, critical thinking skills, and teamwork, and then practice these skills throughout the pre-clerkship years. Conclusions: The curriculum was deemed a success and will be included in next year’s first-year curriculum. Faculty have reported substantial improvements in the information sources that first-year medical students are using in subsequent clinical reasoning conferences and in other parts of the curriculum. The effectiveness of the curriculum model was assessed using a rubric.
Spasticity of the Lower Urinary Tract: Therapeutic Strategies

Continence during bladder filling is maintained by sympathetic activity in the hypogastric nerves (path 4, Fig. 1), which prevents involuntary detrusor contractions, and by tonic innervation of slow-twitch muscle fibers of the so-called rhabdosphincter — the intramural part of the striated urinary sphincter. Micturition is initiated by reflex activation of parasympathetic efferents which originate in the intermediolateral column of the sacral cord and are contained in the pelvic nerves. In addition, secondary reflexes mediated via urine flow in the urethra reinforce the micturition reflex and ensure complete voiding while the urinary sphincter is relaxed (de Groat 1990). An intact sacral micturition center consisting of parasympathetic and pudendal motoneurones was previously thought to provide for sufficient emptying of the bladder (Denny-Brown and Robertson 1933; Lapides 1970). Under this scheme, the result of a suprasacral transverse section of the spinal cord should be a pure reflex or automatic bladder in which involuntary detrusor contractions occur due to increasing bladder distention, and where sufficient relaxation of sphincter muscles is provided by recurrent inhibition of pudendal motoneurones. However, in the majority of patients with suprasacral spinal cord lesions voiding remains incomplete. Numerous clinical and experimental studies (Bradley et al. 1975; Blaivas 1982; Holstege et al. 1986; de Groat et al. 1990) have shown that micturition depends on a spinobulbospinal reflex, and that directly projecting descending pathways between the pontine and the sacral micturition center are essential for adequate urine storage and coordinated bladder emptying (path 2, Fig. 1). Their damage leads to spasticity of the lower urinary tract, characterized by overactivity of both the detrusor and the sphincter. This is correctly termed detrusor hyperreflexia—sphincter dyssynergia (DSD), according to the nomenclature of the International Continence Society (Bates et al. 1981).
Neonatal gene therapy. transfer and expression of exogenous genes in neonatal sheep following direct injection of retroviral vectors into the bone marrow space.

Abstract Objective We investigated whether gene transfer into hematopoietic cells could be achieved by direct injection of retroviral vector supernatant into the bone marrow space of newborn sheep. Materials and Methods Six sheep (5 weeks old) were injected bilaterally with either 1 mL of G1nBgSvNa8.1 vector supernatant (titer: 1 × 10 7 ) in each hip (n = 5) or with 3 mL of the same vector preparation/hip (n = 1). In addition, one 3-month-old sheep was injected unilaterally with 1 mL of the same vector preparation. Blood and marrow of these animals were analyzed for the transgene before injection and at intervals thereafter. Results At 1 week postinjection, an average of 11.6% of the lymphocytes and 25.5% of the granulocytes/monocytes in the marrow, and an average of 0.9% of the lymphocytes and 1.8% of the granulocytes/monocytes in the blood contained and expressed the LacZ gene. The presence/expression of the transgene has persisted for at least 13 months within the blood and bone marrow of these animals. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that the direct injection of small volumes of high-titer retroviral supernatant into the bone marrow of newborn sheep results in transduction of hematopoietic cells that persists for at least 13 months postinjection.
HIV Entry Inhibitors: Entering the Treatment Paradigm

There are 21 antiretroviral drugs approved for the treatment of HIV infection. Current drugs fall into 3 mechanistic classes: the 2 traditional classes – HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitors and HIV protease inhibitors and the newest class – HIV entry inhibitors. Current antiretroviral regimens are effective in suppressing viral replication, enhancing immune function, and preventing clinical progression of HIV disease. However, current antiretroviral drugs may be compromised by suboptimal antiretroviral activity; drug resistance and cross-resistance; complexity; acute, chronic and life-threatening toxicities; and drug-drug interactions. Newer antiretroviral agents, such as the HIV entry inhibitors, are needed to improve antiretroviral activity (particularly against drug-resistant strains), avoid the selection of drug resistance, improve convenience, improve tolerability and reduce toxicity, and minimize drug-drug interactions. With demonstrated safety and effectiveness against drug-resistant viruses, HIV entry inhibitors quickly may become part of treatment regimens for treatment-experienced patients. With additional safety, tolerability, convenience, and antiretroviral activity data, HIV entry inhibitors could become part of standard treatment regimens for treatment-naive patients. from 2005 International Meeting of The Institute of Human Virology Baltimore, USA, 29 August – 2 September 2005
Welcoming Address by John R. Mitchell, Director, the U.S. Army Institute for Research in Management Information, Communications, and Computer Sciences

It is my pleasure to welcome you on behalf of the Army Institute for Research in Management Information, Communications, and Computer Sciences (AIRMICS). AIRMICS and Georgia Tech co- sponsored the first and second EFISS symposia and I am pleased that we can co-sponsor this fourth symposium.
Anti-Sense Antibiotic Agents as Treatment for Bacterial Infections.

Background: Conventional antibiotic agents are overused, leading to decreased efficacy because of a rising incidence in antimicrobial resistance. Further, conventional antibiotic agents result in widespread effects to human microbiota, which can lead directly to adverse events such as Clostridium difficile infection. Methods: This review provides a narrative summary of anti-sense therapies, an approach to managing bacterial infections by pursuing specific molecular targets that disrupt the flow of information from deoxyribonucleic acid to ribonucleic acid to protein, leading to the loss of bacterial functions. Included in this article is the rationale for this approach, the current data supporting its further investigation, and the challenges and future directions in this area of research. Results: There is a compelling proof-of-concept against both gram-positive and gram-negative organisms to commend the use of modified anti-sense oligonucleotides as antimicrobial therapy. There are data demonstrating that anti-sense therapies are capable of killing bacteria, silencing antimicrobial resistance mechanisms to restore sensitivity to conventional antibiotic agents, and to target virulence pathways such as biofilm production. Further, these drugs have a significantly greater degree of organismal specificity, limiting antibiotic-associated diarrhea and lowering the risk of antibiotic-related infections such as C. difficile infection. Conclusions: Anti-sense therapies show promise as a new class of antibiotic agents, providing molecular precision that leads to specific targeting of bacterial species and bacterial functions, including virulence mechanisms beyond the reach of current antibiotic agents. Further, changing the sequence of an anti-sense oligonucleotide provides a method of dealing with antimicrobial resistance that is more time- and cost-flexible than the available options with current conventional antibiotic agents.
Spin-orbit torque from a ferromagnetic metal

The switching of magnetization by current-induced spin-orbit torque (SOT) has potential applications for energy-efficient spintronic devices. In the past, most conventional works have been focused on SOT in heavy metals. Here the SOT from a ferromagnetic metal is investigated, and two mechanisms of the field-free SOT induced magnetization switching are demonstrated to be from the interlayer exchange coupling and the tilted perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. We exclude the spin torque contribution from the anomalous Hall effect and the interfacial Rashba effect combined with spin precession. A spin Hall angle ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\mathrm{SH}}=\ensuremath{-}0.022$ of CoFeB is obtained by the current-induced hysteresis loop shift method, and the obtained ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\mathrm{SH}}$ is comparable with heavy metals. This work demonstrates that a considerable SOT can come from a ferromagnetic metal, and indicates the unconventional origin of spin-orbit coupling.
Induced cardiac pacemaker cells survive metabolic stress owing to their low metabolic demand.

Cardiac pacemaker cells of the sinoatrial node initiate each and every heartbeat. Compared with our understanding of the constituents of their electrical excitation, little is known about the metabolic underpinnings that drive the automaticity of pacemaker myocytes. This lack is largely owing to the scarcity of native cardiac pacemaker myocytes. Here, we take advantage of induced pacemaker myocytes generated by TBX18-mediated reprogramming (TBX18-iPMs) to investigate comparative differences in the metabolic program between pacemaker myocytes and working cardiomyocytes. TBX18-iPMs were more resistant to metabolic stresses, exhibiting higher cell viability upon oxidative stress. TBX18-induced pacemaker myocytes (iPMs) expensed a lower degree of oxidative phosphorylation and displayed a smaller capacity for glycolysis compared with control ventricular myocytes. Furthermore, the mitochondria were smaller in TBX18-iPMs than in the control. We reasoned that a shift in the balance between mitochondrial fusion and fission was responsible for the smaller mitochondria observed in TBX18-iPMs. We identified a mitochondrial inner membrane fusion protein, Opa1, as one of the key mediators of this process and demonstrated that the suppression of Opa1 expression increases the rate of synchronous automaticity in TBX18-iPMs. Taken together, our data demonstrate that TBX18-iPMs exhibit a low metabolic demand that matches their mitochondrial morphology and ability to withstand metabolic insult. The heart’s pacemaker cells contain mitochondria that are smaller than average and require less energy than other heart cells, properties that help make them naturally resilient to stress. Cardiac pacemaker cells constitute a tiny proportion of the heart’s cells, yet play a critical role in maintaining a steady heartbeat. However, quite how pacemaker cells maintain their automatic rhythm is unclear because their scarcity makes them difficult to study. To examine the cells’ metabolic state further, Hee Cheol Cho at Emory University, Atlanta, and Brian Foster at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and co-workers therefore induced pacemaker cells by adding an embryonic protein to heart muscle cells. The induced pacemaker cells survived well under oxidative stress. The team identified a protein in the pacemakers’ mitochondrial membranes, the expression of which directly influences rhythm responses.
Dual inhibition of BRAF and MEK increases expression of sodium iodide symporter in patient-derived papillary thyroid cancer cells in vitro

Abstract Background The majority of papillary thyroid cancers are driven by acquired mutations typically in the BRAF or RAS genes that aberrantly activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. This process leads to malignant transformation, dedifferentiation, and a decrease in the expression of the sodium-iodide symporter (NIS; SLC5A5), which results in resistance to radioactive iodine therapy. We sought to determine whether inhibition of aberrant mitogen-activated protein kinase-signaling can restore NIS expression. Methods We prospectively developed cultures of papillary thyroid cancers derived from operative specimens and applied drug treatments for 24 hours. Samples were genotyped to identify BRAF and RAS mutations. We performed quantitative PCR to measure NIS expression after treatment. Results We evaluated 24 patient papillary thyroid cancer specimens; BRAFV600E mutations were identified in 18 out of 24 (75.0%); 1 patient tumor had an HRAS mutation, and the remaining 5 were BRAF and RAS wildtype. Dual treatment with dabrafenib and trametinib increased NIS expression (mean fold change 4.01 ± 2.04, P Conclusion Dual treatment with BRAF and MEK inhibitors upregulated NIS expression, suggesting that this treatment regimen may increase tumor iodine uptake. The effect was greatest in tumor cells from younger patients.
Correction: Legal Consciousness in Action: Lay People and Accountability in the Jury Room

The original version of this article unfortunately contained mistakes in Excerpts 6 and 8 in terms of text alignment. These mistakes were not present in the proofs provided to the author and were introduced during the final stages of article production.
A Pediatric Hospital Policy for Medical Marijuana Use.

Most US states have now legalized medical marijuana (MMJ) use, giving new hope to families dealing with chronic illness, despite only limited data showing efficacy. Access to MMJ has presented several challenges for patients and families, providers, and pediatric hospitals, including the discrepancy between state and federal law, potential patient safety issues, and drug interaction concerns. Colorado was one of the first states to legalize MMJ and has remained at the forefront in addressing these challenges. Children’s Hospital Colorado has created and evolved its MMJ inpatient use policy and has developed a unique consultative service consisting of a clinical pharmacist and social worker. This service supports patients and families and primary clinical services in situations in which MMJ is actively being used or considered by a pediatric patient. The first 50 patients seen by this consultative service are reported. Eighty percent of patients seen had an oncologic diagnosis. Symptoms to be ameliorated by active or potential MMJ use included nausea and vomiting, appetite stimulation, seizures, and pain. In 64% of patients, MMJ use was determined to be potentially unsafe, most often because of potential drug-drug interactions. In 68% of patients, a recommendation was made to either avoid MMJ use or adjust its administration schedule. As pediatric hospitals address the topic of MMJ use in their patients, development of institutional policy and clinical support services with specific expertise in MMJ is a recommended step to support patient and families and hospital team members.
Convergence and a Case for Broadband Rate Regulation

There is an important but underappreciated tension between transmission-layer services and application-layer services in the design of prior telecommunications statutes. These statutes were designed for a different technological era, one where discrete networks served distinct purposes—e.g., coaxial cable for television, copper wires for telephony. But these distinct physical networks have since converged into a single multipurpose internet, making nonsense out of some statutory provisions. These rules, conflating applications with transmissions services, yield illogical outcomes—including both deregulated monopoly markets and overregulated competitive ones. One consequence of such persistent, deregulated monopolies is a stubborn digital divide, driven by higher costs for critical transmissions services, such as broadband carriage. Indeed, this essay’s novel study reveals that consumers served by monopoly providers—about 20% of the American population—face significantly higher prices for comparatively worse internet access services, transferring billions of dollars in monopoly profits to broadband carriers annually. But this data also suggests that broadband rate regulation, where it exists, helps move rates and quality closer to competitive levels. The next telecommunications statutes must thus better account for the convergence across physical networks, the distinctions between the applications layer and the broadband transmission layer, and the concomitant consequences for competition and regulation. Competition, where it exists (as in many applications markets) should thrive, and regulators should properly refrain from meddling in competitive markets for broadband carriage. Yet Congress and the Commission should protect consumers from monopoly carriers—including, most importantly, broadband carriers. Broadband rate regulation offers one promising path for doing so
A genetic algorithm-assisted deep learning approach for crop yield prediction

The world population continues to increase which imposes rising demand in agriculture production. How to improve crop breeding to feed the growing population is a significant challenge. The traditional crop breeding is resource-intensive and time-consuming. Predictive modeling on crop yield can speed up the breeding process and make it resource-efficient. In this paper, a genetic algorithm (GA)-assisted deep learning solution method is proposed for the crop yield prediction. The proposed method consists of two phases, i.e., the global search phase and the local search phase. In the global search phase, GA is used to search for the best initial weights of the neural network. In the local search phase, random perturbation is added to avoid the local optimum and vanishing gradient problems. A case study of crop yield prediction is conducted to compare the proposed method and other gradient-based methods. The results show that the proposed method outperforms the gradient-based methods in terms of convergence speed and prediction accuracy.
Chapter 8 The ATP-Dependent Component of Gastric Acid Secretion

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews two outstanding facts about transport ATPases. First, plasma membrane ATPases and mitochondrial ATPases differ greatly in both structure and reaction mechanism. Second, even among plasma membrane ATPases, reaction mechanisms appear to differ with regard to the degree of internal charge coupling-that is, the degree of electrogenicity. The phosphate group may be regarded as central to the transport mechanisms of these proteins, whether or not it is actually covalently bound. In all cases, the phosphate group determines the affinity transitions during transport and determines the sidedness of the transport “channels.” The chapter reveals that Na + ,K + - ATPase, the plant membrane H + -ATPases, and mitochondrial-type ATPases all generate ion gradients that are subsequently used for coupled transport processes. Although the chemical gradients of these ions may vary widely under physiological conditions, the electrogenic component in the pump reaction should allow the total electrochemical gradient to be invariant, or at least large, during wide swings of the concentration gradient.
Physics in industry: The historical context of current events

Industrial research in physics and in other sciences has changed its character over the last two decades. The significance of these changes can best be understood in the context of the evolution of science, advanced technology, and national economies over the last three and one-half centuries. For the first time, science has come into dynamic “equilibrium” with the economy as a whole, with consequent uncertainties in the optimal management of science, both in society at large and in industry. In my talk I shall describe this historical context, the current state of industrial physics, opportunities for research of benefit to society, and how best to organize research in physics, given current circumstances, to realize those benefits.
Wilson-Mikity Syndrome in a Full-Term Male Twin

In 1960 Wilson and Mikity1 reported a syndrome of chronic respiratory distress in premature infants. Signs of hyperpnea, intercostal retractions, and cyanosis develop insidiously during the first several weeks of life. Episodes of apnea and rales on auscultation can occur. Respiratory distress persists for the first month or two and slowly subsides in the infants who survive. The chest radiographs show progressive distinctive changes.2 During the acute phase, the radiographs show a diffuse streaky infiltrate, multiple small cyst-like foci, and often hyperaeration. The intermediate stage is characterized by coarse streaks radiating from the hilus, primarily to the upper lobes, with basilar clearing.
Women's Experiences With Domestic Violence and Their Attitudes and Expectations Regarding Medical Care of Abuse Victims

ABSTRACTBackground.Although domestic violence (DV) is recognized as a serious crime, only recently has it been acknowledged as a critical public health problem.Methods.To develop appropriate medical intervention methods to stop abuse, we interviewed 406 female patients in the ambulatory clinics at t
Selected Photographs from the 19th Century

Joseph Nicephore Niepce has been credited with creating the first photograph, titled “View from the Window at Le Gras.” It was taken in 1826 in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes, France. This picture, a heliograph on pewter, was made using a camera obscura. After an exposure of at least 8 hours, the camera obscura created a single, one-of-a-kind image. Reproduced here are three versions of that image. The first version was made at the Kodak Research Laboratory in Harrow, England. The rephotographing process produced a gelatin silver print in March 1952. The second version was created by Helmut Gernsheim and the Kodak Research Laboratory in Harrow, England. The second version, a gelatin silver print with applied watercolor reproduction was created March 20-21, 1952. It is interesting to note that Gernsheim, a well-know photographic collector, historian, and author had written several essays and consulted this encyclopedia's first edition before creating the print. The most recent version of Niepce's piece, produced in June 2002, was completed by the Harry Ransom Center and J. Paul Getty Museum.
Influence of length of dry period on subsequent lactation in the rat.

Abstract Rats given a four-day dry period produced approximately 28 (P 0.05) heavier litters between Days 8 and 16 of lactation than rats given zero-day or longer (8, 12, or 16 days) dry periods, respectively. On the first day of lactation mammary glands of rats given an eight- or zero-day dry period contained 14% (P
Adenosine Triphosphate Pools in Methanobacterium

Certain aspects of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) metabolism in the strict anaerobe Methanobacterium strain M.o.H. have been investigated. Results of growth yield studies suggest that ATP conservation is very inefficient (0.06 mole of ATP per mole of hydrogen) under the conditions used to grow the bacterium in a fermentor. Experiments designed to demonstrate net ATP formation in cell-free extracts were negative. In whole-cell studies, substances which decreased ATP pool levels and increased adenosine monophosphate (AMP) pool levels were air, chloroform, 2,4-dinitrophenol, carbonylcyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone, and pentachlorophenol. The results suggest that the latter compounds act either as inhibitors of electron transport or as uncouplers of an energy-linked process. All the above compounds also inhibit methane formation in cell-free extracts, an ATP-requiring process. Methods are described for estimation of ATP, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and AMP in whole cells, with a sensitivity in the range of 10 to 200 pmoles. An apparatus for quick sampling from an anaerobic suspension of whole cells also is described.
Temporal Trends in Presentation for Outpatient HIV Medical Care 2000–2010: Implications for Short-term Mortality

Background Many newly diagnosed patients present to outpatient care with advanced HIV infection. More timely HIV diagnosis and initiation of care has the potential to improve individual health outcomes and has public health implications.
Selenium uptake by sulfur-accumulating bacteria

Abstract Selenium is a trace metal in many rock-forming minerals but is a major environmental contaminant worldwide. Uptake of selenium by S-accumulating bacteria was examined in both pure cultures of Chromatium vinosum and in co-culture with Desulfovibrio desulfuricans . We used dual cultures including these bacteria to concentrate selenium into intracellular globules. The bacterium D. desulfuricans reduces sulfate [SO 4 2- (aq)] to sulfide [H 2 S(aq)] and also reduces selenate [SeO 4 2- (aq)] to selenide [H 2 Se (aq)]. Once reduced, sulfide is enzymatically oxidized and formed into intracellular globules by C. vinosum . We found that the selenium also forms an intercellular solid but the reaction is thermodynamically driven and proceeds by reducing S° (s) with H 2 Se(aq). Relative to the initial molar ratio of selenate and sulfate in the medium, selenium is concentrated 4.5 to 32-fold in the globules. Because solid selenium is so much more stable than sulfur at growth conditions, other S-depositing bacteria, such as Beggiatoa and Chlorobium , should also concentrate selenium via this reaction, providing a strategy for eliminating contamination or for concentrating low natural levels into a usable form.