cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species trigger hypoxia-induced transcription

Transcriptional activation of erythropoietin, glycolytic enzymes, and vascular endothelial growth factor occurs during hypoxia or in response to cobalt chloride (CoCl2) in Hep3B cells. However, neither the mechanism of cellular O2 sensing nor that of cobalt is fully understood. We tested whether mitochondria act as O2 sensors during hypoxia and whether hypoxia and cobalt activate transcription by increasing generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Results show (i) wild-type Hep3B cells increase ROS generation during hypoxia (1.5% O2) or CoCl2 incubation, (ii) Hep3B cells depleted of mitochondrial DNA (ρ0 cells) fail to respire, fail to activate mRNA for erythropoietin, glycolytic enzymes, or vascular endothelial growth factor during hypoxia, and fail to increase ROS generation during hypoxia; (iii) ρ0 cells increase ROS generation in response to CoCl2 and retain the ability to induce expression of these genes; and (iv) the antioxidants pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate and ebselen abolish transcriptional activation of these genes during hypoxia or CoCl2 in wild-type cells, and abolish the response to CoCl2 in ρ° cells. Thus, hypoxia activates transcription via a mitochondria-dependent signaling process involving increased ROS, whereas CoCl2 activates transcription by stimulating ROS generation via a mitochondria-independent mechanism.
CURRENT CONFLICTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PROSTATIC CANCER

In summary, 5-, 10-, and 15-year actuarial survival can be achieved in 81, 60, and 35% of patients with disease limited to the prostate and in 61, 36, and 18% of those with extracapsular extension. In various subgroups of patients with nodular disease who were selected by the same criteria applied in the selection for surgical resection, survival of 60% can be achieved. Conversely, local control may not be achieved following irradiation because of cell survival within the target volume. More sophisticated boost therapy using interstitial implants, high energy particles, radiosensitizers, and/or hyperthermia may improve local control and hence longer term survival. Local control may not be achieved following surgical resection because of transection of tumor at the surgical margin. Case selection for surgery might be improved by pre-operative transrectal ultrasonography or MRI examination. In situations in which pathologic examination demonstrates frank tumor transection, local control still may be achieved by prompt and judicious salvage by X-ray therapy.
A Geospatial Methodology to Identify Locations of Concentrated Runoff from Agricultural Fields

A geospatial methodology has been developed that utilizes high resolution lidar-derived DEMs to help track runoff from agricultural fields and identify areas of potential concentrated flow through vegetated riparian areas in the Coastal Plain of Virginia. Points of concentrated flow are identified across 74 agricultural fields within the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. On average, 70% of the surface area of the agricultural fields analyzed drains through less than 20 m of the field margin, and on average 81% of the field surface area drains through 1% or less of the field margin. Within the riparian buffer, locations that were predicted by the geospatial model to have high levels of concentrated flow were found to exhibit evidence of channelization. Results indicate that flow concentration and channelized flow through vegetated riparian areas may be common along the margin of agricultural fields, resulting in vegetated riparian areas that are less effective at sediment trapping than assumed. Additional results suggest that the regulations governing the location and width of vegetated riparian may not be sufficient to achieve goals for reducing sediment and nutrient runoff from nonpoint agricultural sources. Combined with the increasing availability of lidar-derived DEMs, the geospatial model presented has the potential to advance management practices aimed at reducing nonpoint source pollution leaving agricultural fields.
Two new flea beetle genera: Alasia alpina gen. et sp. nov. from a Costa Rican cloud forest and Pseudostenophyma gen. nov. from Brazil (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae)

Alasia alpina is described as a new genus and species from high altitude cloud forests in Heredia, Costa Rica. Morphologically it is distinctive by its overall smooth shiny surface, dark-brown to black coloration, elongate body form; very long antennae, long, slender femora, broadly triangular, subconcave frons with shagreened surface, elytra weakly striate, and structure of the genitalia and metafemoral spring. It apparently prefers Melastomataceae host plants in the forest understory. It is most similar to Pseudostenophyma modesta com. nov. from which it differs in morphology, color, size, altitude of occurrence, and habitat. Stenophyma elegans Baly (type species) was discovered not to be congeneric with the other species in that genus S. modesta Weise, resulting in Pseudostenophyma being established as a new generic name for this taxon (P. modesta).
Abelian intertwining algebras, third cohomology and duality

In this chapter, starting from a pair of lattices L0⊂L with L0 even and 〈L0, L〉 ⊂ Z, we construct certain nontrivial intertwining operators for the vertex algebra VL0 , acting on V L , and we compute the corresponding fusion rules and the corresponding fusion algebra. We also combine these intertwining operators into a structure similar to, but not quite, a generalized vertex algebra, and we abstract and study the properties of this structure of “abelian intertwining algebra.” Third cohomology of the finite abelian group L/L0 enters intrinsically. At the end of this chapter, we mention the important special case of vertex superalgebras based canonically on integral lattices.
Monocytic cell necrosis is mediated by potassium depletion and caspase-like proteases

Apoptosis is a physiological cell death that culminates in mitochondrial permeability transition and the activation of caspases, a family of cysteine proteases. Necrosis, in contrast, is a patholog...
The Hastate Setae of Certain Derniestid Larvae: an Entangling Defense Mechanism

Segmented, spear-headed setae are characteristically borne in prominent abdominal tufts on many larval Anthreninae (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). These larvae respond to contact or strong chemical stimuli at close range with directional striking movements of the abdomen. The behavior of larval Trogoderma variabile Ballion was observed in a series of encounters with various potential arthropod and vertebrate predators. When attacked, a larva strikes so that masses of hastisetae are detached and adhere to the appendages of the predator. The hastisetae become randomly oriented and interlocked, thus effectively repelling or hopelessly entangling small insect predators, particularly ants and small beetles. Toads, lizards, small birds, and rodents readily eat the larvae without showing signs of distaste for them. In old or large infestations of Trogoderma detached hastisetae become felted into spongy mats which may reduce competition by trapping other small insects interested in the same food supply.
Sexual dimorphism inSebastes

Sexual dimorphism and factors that may cause it were investigated in 34 species of the genusSebastes. Sexual dimorphism in standard length and morphometric characters are fairly common in rockfish. In many species males are shorter than females. However in males head length, width of orbit, interorbital width, length of upper jaw, longest pectoral fin ray and longest dorsal spine tend to be larger at a specified size than in females. Water-column species tend to be more dimorphic than demersal species. We suggest that the observed differences in dimorphism in standard length may be related to differences in mating and territorial behavior. Dimorphisms in morphometric measurements may be related to compensation in feeding ability for reduced standard length of males, mating and territorial behavior.
Understanding Transportation as a System-of-Systems Design Problem

*The purposes of this paper are to introduce an emerging class of problems called systemof-systems, present the primary traits of the class, and then described the relevant implications for the aerospace design community. Two primary traits, evolutionary and emergent behavior, are highlighted since they call attention to a network-of-systems, dynamic-behavior focus as opposed to an individual system, static-behavior focus. Further, methodological needs for investigation of these traits lie outside present capability in the community. To explore these implications in depth, the casting of future transportation concepts as a system-of-systems is described. A recently developed “proto-method” for this class of problems is presented and explored in the context of the transportation domain, including promising approaches for building effective modeling and simulation. The casting of civil transportation as a system-of-systems problem is important as much of the literature on system-of-systems (limited as it is) resides primarily in the defense systems domain. I. Introduction ROBLEMS of significant complexity are facing decision-makers within government and industry, and the moniker of “system-of-systems” (heretofore shortened to SoS) is increasingly being applied to problems of this type. Effective system analysis for decision-support quickly becomes unmanageable in this context, with multiple, heterogeneous, distributed systems involved and couched in networks at multiple levels. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that most organizations (and their processes) remain in the “stovepipe” mode- their people and tools are configured to study within narrow bins with little or no analysis across those bins. Current frames of reference, thought processes, analysis, and design methods are not complete for these SoS problems, exemplified in this paper by future national transportation system realizations. A holistic framework is needed that enables decision makers to discern whether related infrastructure, policy, and/or technology considerations together are good, bad (or indifferent) over time. 1 And this need is urgent, for the SoS type almost always involves decisions that commit large amounts of money, for which ultimate failure or success carries heavy consequences over several generations, and that impact large segments of the public. The costs associated with a chosen path may still be high, but the intent is to maximize the probability that these costs result in good consequences rather than bad. P
Homology analysis of strains of Vibrio cholerae serotype Inaba isolated in Guangzhou by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis (PFGE)

Objective To analyze the characteristics of pathogenicity-associated genes and PFGE features of 40 strains of Vibrio cholerae(V.cholerae)serotype Inaba isolated in Guangzhou,and study homology and features of cholera epidemic caused by V.cholerae.Methods Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR)assay was utilized to detect the four pathogenicity-associated genes of these isolates.PFGE using restriction enzyme Not I was employed in the molecular subtyping of V.cholerae isolates and PFGE patterns were analyzed by BioNumerics Version 4.0 software to perform cluster analysis and homology analysis.Pattern profiles were compared by utilizing the Dice coefficient and UPGMA(unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averages).Results Genotype A strains were found in most of the epidemic involved V.cholerae serotype Inaba.Most of environmentally isolated strains belonged to genotype C and genotype B.Eighteen distinct pulsotypes were distributed among 40 isolates typeable by PFGE.Closely related pulsotypes existed among V.cholerae isolates from cholera epidemic(with similarity value above 98%) and pulsotypes of environmental strains demonstrated obvious diversity.Conclusions One of the major differences of V.cholerae serotype Inaba from cholera epidemic and the environment is whether they carry ctxA gene.Relative low homology was observed among V.cholerae serotype Inaba strains from these two sources,but it is still necessary to enforce the homology analysis and track the source of V.cholerae.
Discussion the nursing action in of bronchoscope check and treatment for children

Objective:To discuss nursing action of bronchoscope treatment and check for children. Methods:To analysis and sum up nursing measures of 1266 cases with bronchoscope therapy ,such as prepared before operation,take out the foreign body and pulmonary lavement in operation and to observe the conditions of disease after operation.Results:There were 1266 patients who have the treatment of bronchoscope,the disease includes foreign body,it was 125 children have it,and others were got lavage for chronic coughing,wheezing,severe pneumonia,Hemoptysis but reason do not known,idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis; biopsy for diagnose diseases and so on.Conclusion:Nurse coordinated with doctors do well observation and nursing in bronchoscope check and treatment could reduce complication.
Intratubular malignant germ cells (carcinoma in situ) accompanying invasive testicular germ cell tumors.

AbstractWe examined 111 radical orchiectomy specimens from patients with germ cell tumors of the testis treated between 1971 and 1981 for the presence of intratubular malignant germ cells (so-called carcinoma in situ) in adjacent testicular tissue. Of the specimens 12 were unevaluable because the entire specimen was tumor, while 36 of 44 cases of pure seminoma (82 per cent) and 41 of 55 mixed or nonseminomatous tumors (75 per cent) had intratubular malignant germ cells. Of the 22 cases without intratubular malignant germ cells 10 had severe atypia that suggested an earlier or borderline stage of development. These data support the contention that germ cell tumors originate as intratubular neoplasms or so-called carcinoma in situ in the seminiferous tubules.
Molecular recognition of emerald ash borer infestation using leaf spray mass spectrometry

RATIONALE The introduction of the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) (EAB) from Asia to Michigan, USA, in the 1990s caused the widespread death of ash trees in two Canadian provinces and 24 US states. The three current methods for the detection of emerald ash borer infestation, visual surveys, tree girdling and artificial traps, can be unreliable, and there is clearly a need for a rapid, dependable technique for the detection of emerald ash borer infestation. METHODS Leaf spray, an ambient ionization method for mass spectrometry (MS), gives direct chemical information on a leaf sample by applying a high voltage to a naturally or artificially sharply pointed leaf piece causing ions to be generated directly from the leaf tip for MS analysis. RESULTS Leaflets from 23 healthy and EAB-infested ash trees were analyzed by leaf spray mass spectrometry in an attempt to distinguish healthy and EAB-infested ash trees. In negative ion mode, healthy ash trees showed an increased abundance of ions m/z 455.5, 471.5 and 487.5, and ash trees infested with the EAB displayed an increased abundance of ions m/z 181 and 217. The identities of the chemical discriminators ursolic acid and oleanolic acid in healthy ash trees, and six-carbon sugar alcohols in infested ash trees, were determined by tandem mass spectrometry and confirmed with standards. CONCLUSIONS This preliminary study suggests that leaf spray mass spectrometry of ash tree leaflets provides a potential tool for the early detection of ash tree infestation by the emerald ash borer. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Putting the “You” in “Thank You” Examining Other-Praising Behavior as the Active Relational Ingredient in Expressed Gratitude

Although positive emotions as a class can build interpersonal resources, recent evidence suggests a unique and direct role for gratitude. In the current research, we shine the spotlight on what happens between a grateful person and the benefactor to illuminate what can build a bridge between them. Specifically, we draw on work calling gratitude an "other-praising" emotion. In an original study and a conceptual replication that included two independent samples, couples had video-recorded conversations in which one member expressed gratitude to the other (n = 370). Expresser's other-praising behavior was robustly positively associated with the benefactor's postinteraction perception of expresser responsiveness, personal good feelings in general, and felt loving in particular. Several practical and theoretical alternative explanations are ruled out. By clarifying the specific behavioral and subjective psychological mechanisms through which expressed gratitude promotes relationships, this work advances affective and relationship science, two domains that cut across disciplines within psychology.
Exercise, oxidative stress, and antioxidants: a review

Elemental and gaseous oxygen presents a conundrum in that it is simultaneously essential for and potentially destructive to human life. Traditionally the ability to consume large volumes of oxygen has been assumed to be totally beneficial to the organism. In the past 10 years it has become clear that oxygen radicals are generated even during normal resting metabolism. Nevertheless, such radicals are usually of no appreciable threat since a wide array of protective biochemical systems exist. However, under certain circumstances aerobic exercise may increase free radical production to a level that overwhelms those defenses. A broad array of nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and so forth are known to suppress such radical events. This paper reviews the status of our knowledge relative to the potential benefits of nutritional modification in augmenting the organism's normal defense against harmful radical chemistry.
Background and Assumptions

We may express the investor’s preferences in terms of expectations because we shall use the expected utility maximization hypothesis as the explanation of how the decision maker evaluates rewards. This hypothesis, developed by Ramsey and Von Neumann and Morgenstern, is now the standard approach used by economists and psychologists to problems of decision making under uncertainty.1 With this approach, the individual’s preferences are described in terms of a utility function which has gambles as arguments and which conforms to the probability calculus, so that the most preferred gamble is the one with the highest expected utility.
A Participatory Development-Oriented Research Methodology

Implicitly if not explicitly, all development theories incorporate a methodology, an agenda of steps for deciding what policy to propose. This chapter assesses the three different methodologies policy-oriented researchers commonly use: ends-means, creeping incrementalism, and problem-solving. Of these, problem-solving provides the most rational foundation for development policy- and law-making.
Asymmetrisch überlegene Stockouts als Phantomprodukte

In this article we describe possibilities to benefit from stockouts. We define positions of stockouts which can be regarded as phantom alternatives. In our theoretical framework we discuss possible effects of range or frequency increasing phantoms on preferences for different available options. In an empirical study we prove the relevance of the phantom’s positions successfully. Finally we recommend to use known phantoms and to avoid unrecognized phantoms if preferences among the remaining products shall be influenced significantly by stockouts. Furthermore we offer guidelines how to position a stockout as an optimal known phantom alternative.
Uniform Li2S precipitation on N,O-codoped porous hollow carbon fibers for high-energy-density lithium–sulfur batteries with superior stability

A lithium-polysulfide cell with superior stability is reported with N,O-codoped carbon hollow fiber (NCHF) sheets as a current collector. Due to the highly effective chemisorption and physical adsorption of lithium polysulfides on doped NCHF and a uniform Li2S precipitation during cycling, the Li2S6-impregnated NCHF electrodes exhibit high sulfur utilization and superior cycling stability even with a high areal sulfur loading of 6.2 mg cm(-2).
Moral Character or Character of War? American Public Opinion on the Targeting of Civilians in Times of War

Since the end of the Vietnam War, the United States has refrained from the widespread, intentional targeting of civilian populations in times of war. Public opinion polls seem to reflect a marked decline in American support for targeting foreign civilians since that time. Drawing on original public opinion surveys, as well as other historical material, this essay explores several explanations for these changes. Although there is some evidence that the public's views about the morality of civilian targeting have shifted, I argue that two other explanations also play an important role in the changes in the conduct of American wars. First, a mounting skepticism, especially within the U.S. military, about the efficacy of killing civilians, has undercut the primary motivation to even consider such tactics. Indeed, many U.S. military leaders now perceive that killing adversary civilians in large numbers – intentionally or unintentionally – usually backfires, making the adversary fight harder or driving more civ...
Transients in the Synchronization of Asymmetrically Coupled Oscillator Arrays

We consider the transient behavior of a large linear array of coupled linear damped harmonic oscillators following perturbation of a single element. Our work is motivated by modeling the behavior of flocks of autonomous vehicles. We first state a number of conjectures that allow us to derive an explicit characterization of the transients, within a certain parameter regime Ω. As corollaries we show that minimizing the transients requires considering non-symmetric coupling, and that within Ω the computed linear growth in N of the transients is independent of (reasonable) boundary conditions.
Qualitative Research Methods

This chapter provides information about some of the philosophical assumptions related to qualitative research in parental involvement. The importance of qualitative research is discussed, and readers are provided with examples of qualitative works. It examines strengths and limitations of frequently used qualitative methods while discussing important contributions to the field via qualitative studies. Lastly, this chapter connects qualitative methods, theories, research questions, and data collection strategies.
Disease severity and treatment does not affect satisfaction in diverticulitis.

Abstract Background Patient satisfaction is widely reported and impacts satisfaction despite a limited understanding of the clinical and structural determinants. Patients with diverticulitis are admitted to various services, with variable disease severities. They, therefore, represent a unique group to delineate relationships between these factors and satisfaction. We examined the factors that impact hospital satisfaction in patients with diverticulitis. Materials and methods Patients admitted between 2009 and 2012 were identified using International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision (ICD-9) codes. The primary outcome of patient satisfaction was the Press Ganey Survey overall hospitalization satisfaction question because of a high response rate. This is a precursor survey to the widely available Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Systems and Providers Survey. There was high concordance between these items. Clinical and structural variables were collected retrospectively. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether they gave the topbox response for the overall hospital rating. Results Sixty-six patients were identified (56% female, 63 ± 14 years, length of stay: 5 ± 5 d). Seventy-four percent patients rated the hospitalization as topbox. Forty-four percent were admitted to a surgical service, and 21% of all patients underwent an operation. When comparing the topbox to the nontopbox group, demographics and disease severity were similar. Treatment modality, admitting service, and outpatient intravenous antibiotics did not influence patient satisfaction. Conclusions Clinical and structural variables did not impact overall hospital satisfaction for patients admitted with diverticulitis. This indicates that less-tangible aspects of in-hospital care may be the primary determinants of hospital satisfaction in this group. Efforts aimed at defining these variables are needed to improve patient satisfaction.
The Physiological Significance of Brown Adipose Tissue and the Beiging of White Adipose Tissue in People

The recent discovery of functional brown adipose tissue (BAT) in adults has stimulated intense interest for its therapeutic potential against obesity and its related metabolic conditions. Although rodent studies support the importance of brown and beige adipocytes in metabolic health, a smaller number of clinical investigations have examined their physiological significance in people. This chapter provides a critical overview of the published research regarding the metabolic role of BAT and the beiging of white adipose tissue (WAT) in people. In summary, the current available evidence supports the physiological relevance of human BAT in energy, glucose and lipid metabolism. The ability of human WAT to undergo beiging has only recently been demonstrated in patients with severe burn trauma, while its metabolic role remains currently unknown. Future research is needed to gain deeper understanding of the regulating mechanisms and metabolic role of brown and beige adipocytes in health and disease.
LABORATORY EVALUATION OF HYPERCOAGULABLE STATES IN PATIENTS WITH CENTRAL RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION WHO ARE LESS THAN 56 YEARS OF AGE.

Purpose:To investigate whether the results of early tests for hypercoagulability are correlated with the development of central retinal vein occlusion risk factors later in life and to evaluate the necessity of these tests in younger patients.Methods:This was a retrospective, observational case seri
Tunable band structures in digital oxides with layered crystal habits

We use density functional calculations to show that heterovalent cation-order sequences enable control over band-gap variations up to several eV and band-gap closure in the bulk band insulator ${\mathrm{LaSrAlO}}_{4}$. The band-gap control originates from the internal electric fields induced by the digital chemical order, which induces picoscale band bending; the electric-field magnitude is mainly governed by the inequivalent charged monoxide layers afforded by the layered crystal habit. Charge transfer and ionic relaxations across these layers play secondary roles. This understanding is used to construct and validate a descriptor that captures the layer-charge variation and to predict changes in the electronic gap in layered oxides exhibiting antisite defects and in other chemistries.
Timing of initiating manual therapy and therapeutic exercises in the management of patients after hindfoot fractures: a randomized controlled trial*

AbstractStudy designRandomized clinical trial.BackgroundPatients with fractures to the talus and calcaneus report decreased functional outcomes and develop long-term functional limitations. Althoug...
Augmentation of Myc-Dependent Mitotic Gene Expression by the Pygopus2 Chromatin Effector

Mitotic segregation of chromosomes requires precise coordination of many factors, yet evidence is lacking as to how genes encoding these elements are transcriptionally controlled. Here, we found that the Pygopus (Pygo)2 chromatin effector is indispensable for expression of the MYC-dependent genes that regulate cancer cell division. Depletion of Pygo2 arrested SKOV-3 cells at metaphase, which resulted from the failure of chromosomes to capture spindle microtubules, a critical step for chromosomal biorientation and segregation. This observation was consistent with global chromatin association findings in HeLa S3 cells, revealing the enrichment of Pygo2 and MYC at promoters of biorientation and segmentation genes, at which Pygo2 maintained histone H3K27 acetylation. Immunoprecipitation and proximity ligation assays demonstrated MYC and Pygo2 interacting in nuclei, corroborated in a heterologous MYC-driven prostate cancer model that was distinct from Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Our evidence supports a role for Pygo2 as an essential component of MYC oncogenic activity required for mitosis.
Cation/proton antiport systems in Escherichiacoli

Three distinct systems which function as proton/cation antiports have been identified in E.coli by the ability of the ions to dissipate the ΔpH component of the protonmotive force in everted vesicles. System I exchanges H+ for K+, Rb+ or Na+; System II has Na+ and Li+ as substrates; and System III catalyzes proton exchange for Ca2+, Mn2+ or Sr2+.
SMRP and HE4 as Biomarkers for Ovarian Carcinoma When Used Alone and in Combination with CA125 and/or Each Other

Assays measuring SMRP (mesothelin) and HE4 (a secreted protease) in serum and other body fluids (including urine for SMRP) are likely to be clinically useful for patients with ovarian cancer, as data indicate that they complement CA125 for diagnosis and monitoring of patients. Both markers have temporal stability, as does CA125, which may be utilized to facilitate earlier diagnosis by performing longitudinal studies on high risk subjects. Preliminary data show autoantibodies to native mesothelin in some patients with ovarian carcinoma and in some healthy women. We are presently studying their relationship to the patients' clinical state to learn whether measurements of antibody levels provide information that can aid diagnosis and monitoring of treated patients. Prospective studies are needed to establish the clinical relevance of our findings.
A Bayesian decision-making framework for replication

Replication is the cornerstone of science – but when and why? Not all studies need replication, especially when resources are limited. We propose that a decision-making framework based on Bayesian philosophy of science provides a basis for choosing which studies to replicate.
Return to Learn After Sport-Related Concussion: A Survey of Secondary School and Collegiate Athletic Trainers

Context Recent recommendations have emphasized return-to-learn (RTL) protocols to aid athletes in recovery from sport-related concussion (SRC) but have been based primarily on anecdotal evidence. O...
Decorrelating the errors of the galaxy correlation function with compact transformation matrices

Covariance matrix estimation is a persistent challenge for cosmology, often requiring a large number of synthetic mock catalogues. The off-diagonal components of the covariance matrix also make it difficult to show representative error bars on the 2-point correlation function (2PCF), since errors computed from the diagonal values of the covariance matrix greatly underestimate the uncertainties. We develop a routine for decorrelating the projected and anisotropic 2PCF with simple and scale-compact transformations on the 2PCF. These transformation matrices are modeled after the Cholesky decomposition and the symmetric square root of the Fisher matrix. Using mock catalogues, we show that the transformed projected and anisotropic 2PCF recover the same structure as the original 2PCF, while producing largely decorrelated error bars. Specifically, we propose simple Cholesky based transformation matrices that suppress the off-diagonal covariances on the projected 2PCF by ~95% and that on the anisotropic 2PCF by ~87%. These transformations also serve as highly regularized models of the Fisher matrix, compressing the degrees of freedom so that one can fit for the Fisher matrix with a much smaller number of mocks.
Educating Changemakers: Cross Disciplinary Collaboration Between a School of Engineering and a School of Peace

This Innovative Practice Work In Progress Paper reports on a course that challenged interdisciplinary teams of students from a School of Engineering and a School of Peace to design and build drones as platforms for social good. Here, we provide a brief review of other efforts to offer similar interdisciplinary courses. We then report on our pedagogical approach for the course, examining the ways in which student learning was enhanced in a course co-taught by faculty from the School of Engineering and School of Peace. We describe a successful approach for engaging faculty across departments and piloting a pedagogical approach to engineering education that is explicitly sociotechnical in nature. Qualitative and quantitative data suggest the class was successful in meeting the learning objectives. Based on our experience, we offer insights for others interested in trying a similar course at their own institutions.
Effect of soil water‐repellent layer depth on post‐wildfire hydrological processes

Soil water repellency induced by wildfires can alter hydraulic properties and hydrologic processes; however, the persistence and vertical position (i.e., depth) of water‐repellent layers can vary between systems and fires, with limited understanding of how those variations affect infiltration processes. This study occurred in two forested locations in the south‐central Appalachian Mountains that experienced wildfires in late 2016: Mount Pleasant Wildfire Refuge, Virginia, and Chimney Rock State Park, North Carolina. In each location, sites were selected to represent unburned conditions and low to moderate burn intensities. At each site, we measured the soil water repellency at the surface (ash layer or O horizon) and ~2 cm below the surface (A horizon) using the water drop penetration time method (n = 10–14). Soil water content was also measured over the upper 10 cm of the soil (n = 10), and infiltration tests were conducted using a tension infiltrometer (n = 6–8). The results showed that soil repellency was highest in the surface layer at the Mount Pleasant location and was highest in the subsurface layer at the Chimney Rock location. Soil water content was lower in unburned soil than in burned soil, especially for measurements taken immediately postfire, with soil water content negatively correlated with water repellency. Water repellency in the surface layer significantly reduced relative infiltration rates (estimated as differences between initial and steady‐state rates), whereas subsurface water repellency did not affect relative infiltration. As a result, water repellency persisted longer in sites with surface as opposed to subsurface water repellency. Finally, differences between burned and unburned sites showed that although the wildfires increased the occurrence of water repellency, they did not alter the underlying relationship between relative infiltration and water repellency of the surface soil.
Biochemical analysis of a sugar 4,6‐dehydratase from Acanthamoeba polyphaga Mimivirus

The exciting discovery of the giant DNA Mimivirus in 2003 challenged the conventional description of viruses in a radical way, and since then, dozens of additional giant viruses have been identified. It has now been demonstrated that the Mimivirus genome encodes for the two enzymes required for the production of the unusual sugar 4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-d-glucose, namely a 4,6-dehydratase and an aminotransferase. In light of our long-standing interest in the bacterial 4,6-dehydratases and in unusual sugars in general, we conducted a combined structural and functional analysis of the Mimivirus 4,6-dehydratase referred to as R141. For this investigation, the three-dimensional X-ray structure of R141 was determined to 2.05 A resolution and refined to an R-factor of 18.3%. The overall fold of R141 places it into the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) superfamily of proteins. Whereas its molecular architecture is similar to that observed for the bacterial 4,6-dehydratases, there are two key regions where the polypeptide chain adopts different conformations. In particular, the conserved tyrosine that has been implicated as a catalytic acid or base in SDR superfamily members is splayed away from the active site by nearly 12 A, thereby suggesting that a major conformational change must occur upon substrate binding. In addition to the structural analysis, the kinetic parameters for R141 using either dTDP-d-glucose or UDP-d-glucose as substrates were determined. Contrary to a previous report, R141 demonstrates nearly identical catalytic efficiency with either nucleotide-linked sugar. The data presented herein represent the first three-dimensional model for a viral 4,6-dehydratase and thus expands our understanding of these fascinating enzymes.
First Iteration Communications Circuit for a Long-Lived In-situ Solar System Explorer (LLISSE)

The first iteration communication system circuitry for the Venus Long-Lived In-situ Solar System Explorer (LLISSE) lander was developed using NASA Glenn Research Center SiC JFET technology. The atmosphere of Venus is a harsh environment that experiences temperatures upward of 460 °C, pressures of 1344 psi, and a dense, corrosive atmosphere composed of CO 2 , N2, SO 2 , HF, HCl, CO, OCS, H2S, and H 2 O making Venus a challenging environment for electronics. Previous missions to Venus have lasted for less than two hours, but LLISSE is being planned and developed to survive 60 Earth days. The communications circuit was designed in Keysight Advance Design Systems (ADS), using three stages of differential amplifiers with the bias circuit designed to be turned on and off for On-Off Keying (OOK) modulation. Buffer amplifiers are integrated into the circuit to facilitate testing. Based on JFET SiC technology developed at NASA Glenn Research Center, it's designed to operate at 5 MHz at room temperature, and 2 MHz at 460 °C. OOK gives the advantage of low power consumption and is ideal for the low frequency transmission. The SiC JFET has been shown to survive 60 days in a simulated Venusian environment. The circuits are tested in the laboratory on a high temperature probe station. The die is mounted and wirebonded on an alumina carrier for probing. Two output ports provide positive and negatively swinging signals to supply a balanced signal to the antenna; the input ports are for bias and a control signal that will come from a digital output of the sensors. The oscillation frequency, output power, phase noise, and data rate are measured as a function of temperature. The output power and phase noise are shown as a function of frequency. The output voltage is measured as a function of time at room temperature and Venus temperature for different bit rates. As a result, this paper demonstrates the first SiC-based communication circuit designed to operate on a long-lived Venus lander.
Non-Reciprocal Lithium Niobate-on-Silicon Acoustoelectric Delay Lines

This work demonstrates the first implementation of lithium niobate-on-silicon (LNoSi) non-reciprocal acoustic delay lines (ADL) with tunable insertion loss (IL) utilizing the acoustoelectric (AE) effect. Due to the AE effect, the direction-and the intensity-dependent momentum exchange between the drifting electrons in the Si layer and the acoustic phonons can be utilized to break the intrinsic reciprocity of the ADLs in order to control their frequency response. A 5.2 dB improvement in the IL and a 14.2 dB increase in the reverse isolation (i.e. a 19.4 dB non-reciprocal transmission ratio) is achieved through injecting a 400 µA current in one of the ADLs presented here. This opens up possibilities of merging long delays, tunable attenuators, and switches in a single miniaturized device which is a critical stepping stone in fulfillment of full-duplexed microwave systems.
Clinicopathologic Characteristics of Thyroid Nodules Positive for the THADA-IGF2BP3 Fusion on Preoperative Molecular Analysis

Background: Thyroid adenoma-associated (THADA)-IGF2BP3 fusions have been identified as an oncogenic event in thyroid neoplasms. However, the prevalence of this gene fusion and associated phenotypic...
Reduced-order Nonlinear Observer Design for Two-time-scale Systems

Abstract A two-time-scale system involves both fast and slow dynamics. This paper studies the design of nonlinear observers for general nonlinear two-time-scale systems and presents a reduced-order observer design approach. The reduced-order observer is derived based on a lower dimensional model to reconstruct the slow states, along with the algebraic slow-motion invariant manifold function to reconstruct the fast states. Through an error analysis, it is shown that even though the observer is designed based on the reduced model by neglecting the fast dynamics, it is capable of providing accurate estimation of the states of the original detailed system. It will render a vanishing estimation error, with exponential convergence rate governed by the subsystem of fast dynamics and the chosen observer design parameters.
Banking the Black community: an analysis of banking among Baltimore’s predominately Black communities

For decades, Baltimore has been negatively impacted by concentrated poverty, high levels of segregation, and crime. But the stereotypes of the city often identified as “Charm City” suffer from a di...
A layer-wise approach for the bifurcation problem in laminated composites with delaminations

The delaminations are assumed to extend through the width of the composite. A finite element method based on a layer-wise plate theory is developed
All-dielectric Nanoantenna for Low Power Optical Trapping of Nanoscale Objects with Ultra-low Heat Generation

We report a dielectric nanoantenna system for the low-power optical trapping of nanoscale objects with ultra-low photothermal heating effect and enhanced trapping stability.
Chamber Bioaerosol Study: Outdoor Air and Human Occupants as Sources of Indoor Airborne Microbes

Human occupants are an important source of microbes in indoor environments. In this study, we used DNA sequencing of filter samples to assess the fungal and bacterial composition of air in an environmental chamber under different levels of occupancy, activity, and exposed or covered carpeting. In this office-like, mechanically ventilated environment, results showed a strong influence of outdoor-derived particles, with the indoor microbial composition tracking that of outdoor air for the 2-hour sampling periods. The number of occupants and their activity played a significant but smaller role influencing the composition of indoor bioaerosols. Human-associated taxa were observed but were not particularly abundant, except in the case of one fungus that appeared to be transported into the chamber on the clothing of a study participant. Overall, this study revealed a smaller signature of human body-associated taxa than had been expected based on recent studies of indoor microbiomes, suggesting that occupants may not exert a strong influence on bioaerosol microbial composition in a space that, like many offices, is well ventilated with air that is moderately filtered and moderately occupied.
Biomedical applications of gold nanomaterials: opportunities and challenges.

In the past few years, there has been an unprecedented development of gold nanomaterials (AuNMs) for potential clinical applications. Owing to their advantageous physical, chemical, and biological properties, AuNMs have attracted great attention in the nanomedicine arena for applications in biological sensing, biomedical imaging, drug delivery, and photothermal therapy. Their tunable size, shape, and surface characteristics coupled with excellent biocompatibility render them ideal candidates for translation from bench-top to bedside. This review summarizes the recent research on the applications of AuNM with a focus on biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics. The bio-interaction of these NM with cells and their in vivo responses are presented. After reviewing these potential applications, future challenges and prospects are discussed and the suitability of how AuNMs are used as effective tools in clinical medicine is assessed. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2015, 7:779–796. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1341 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Blink 'Em All: Scalable, User-Friendly and Secure Initialization of Wireless Sensor Nodes

Wireless sensor networks have several useful applications in commercial and defense settings, as well as user-centric personal area networks. To establish secure (point-to-point and/or broadcast) communication channels among the nodes of a wireless sensor network is a fundamental security task. To this end, a plethora of so-called key pre-distribution schemes have been proposed in the past, e.g., [25][9][19][8][5]. All these schemes, however, rely on shared secret(s), which are assumed to be pre-loaded onto the sensor nodes, e.g., during the manufacturing process. In this paper, we consider the problem of user-assisted secure initialization of sensor network necessary to bootstrap key pre-distribution. This is a challenging problem due to the level of user burden involved in initializing multiple (often large number of) sensor nodes and lack of input and output user-interfaces on sensor motes. We propose a novel method for secure sensor node initialization based on a visual out-of-band channel that utilizes minimal output interface in the form of LED(s) already available on most off-the-shelf sensor motes. The proposed method requires only a little extra cost, is efficient and reasonably scalable. Moreover, based on a usability study that we conducted, the method turns out to be quite user-friendly and easy to administer by everyday computer users.
Exploring the impact of task allocation strategies for global software development using simulation

We describe a hybrid computer simulation model of the software development process that is specifically architected to study alternative ways to configure global software development projects, including phased-based, module-based, and follow-the-sun allocation strategies. The model is a hybrid system dynamics and discrete event model. In this paper, test cases have been developed for each allocation strategy, and project duration under each configuration is computed under a range of plausible assumptions for key parameters. The primary finding is that although under ideal assumptions, follow-the-sun is able to produce impressive reductions in time-to-market, under more realistic assumptions the reverse is true, thus corroborating findings by other researchers. Further analysis reveals the presence of some interaction between the assumptions, but the results remain robust.
A Rose by Any Other Name? Explaining the Absence of Constitutional Environmental Rights in Sri Lanka

Why do some countries adopt constitutional environmental rights while other do not? The results of a large-N survival analysis indicate that the likelihood that a country adopts a constitutional environmental right is related to at least five factors — GDP per capita, international civil society influence, level of democracy, population density, and protection of civil liberties. However, in order to reveal factors not captured by quantitative techniques and better understand the specific causal mechanisms, a more granular approach to understanding the phenomenon is needed. Therefore, in this paper I offer an analysis of Sri Lanka, a most-likely case (based on the statistical model) which does not have constitutional environmental rights. Through a qualitative content analysis of seven interviews conducted in Colombo and evidence from scholarly literature, I find that constitutional environmental rights were not included in any of Sri Lanka’s governing charters mainly due to the existing capacity of domestic law and policy to address environmental issues, politicization of the constitutional reform process, and the emphasis placed on certain controversies during the drafting of a new constitution. This research provides important insights into constitutional design and how international norms translate into domestic contexts.