cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies in Non-Specific Complement Fixation. IV. The Relation of Serum Lipoids and Proteins to Non-Specific Complement Fixation with Normal Rabbit and Dog Sera

Since ether and chloroform during anesthesia have been found to influence the substances in normal rabbit and dog sera responsible for absorbing complement in a non-specific manner,1 probably through some influence on the serum lipoids, we have continued this investigation to determine more definitely the relation of these lipoids to the process by extractions of serum with lipoid solvents, as ether and chloroform, and by feeding and immunizing experiments with various lipoids.
Differentiation of breast tumors by ultrasonic tissue characterization

The ability of ultrasonic tissue characterization to differentiate and classify benign and malignant breast tissues in vivo in patients with palpable breast masses and in vitro in excised breast tissue was evaluated. One-hundred and twenty-four in vivo and 89 in vitro studies were performed using a technique of UTC based on parameters from the power spectrum of backscattered echoes. Sensitivities and specificities for diagnosing carcinoma were 86 and 84% for in vivo studies and 94 and 92% for in vitro studies. These UTC parameters provided threshold values for color-coding breast lesion images. The results of this preliminary investigation suggest that UTC provides a basis for assessing more accurately lesions suspected of being malignant prior to biopsy and possibly for evaluating breast lesions noninvasively.
Principal Control Methods of Harmonic Level in Power System

To control harmonic voltage lever in power system,there are different stipulations related to the connection of large and medium-size nonlinear consumers to power grid in the standards of IEC,IEEE and U.K.standard G5/4 and so on.On the basis of briefly presenting related stipulations in above-mentioned standards,the features of them are analyzed and corresponding suggestions for the revision of national standard,namely the GB/T 14549—1993,are propounded.
PCR Detection of the Onion Pathogen Pantoea ananatis on Various Weeds and Crops in Georgia, USA

Center rot of onion, caused by Pantoea ananatis (Serrano) Mergaret, was first observed on sweet, Vidalia onions in Georgia, U.S.A. late in the season (May) in 1997 and accounted for 100% loss in some individual fields (3). Symptoms generally include water-soaked, white streaks running the length of the leaf. Initially only one or two leaves in the center of the plant are affected. As the bulb interior becomes diseased and discolored, it is frequently colonized by secondary microbes that result in liquifaction of tissue and the production of a foul odor. A similar disease of onion, caused by P. agglomerans (syn. Erwinia herbicola), was reported from South Africa in 1981 (5). Since P. agglomerans and P. ananatis are closely related (at one time they were considered to be the same species) and the seed of the onion variety that center rot was first observed on was produced in South Africa, we speculated that P. ananatis may have been introduced into Georgia via seedborne contamination. In addition, recent and first-time outbreaks in Colorado (6) and Michigan(7) could be explained by the seedborne theory. However there also was presumptive evidence that the bacterium was endemic to the southeastern U.S., as bacteriophages specific for P. ananatis had been recovered from several lakes in Florida and Texas in 1995 (1). Our objective was to locate a source of inoculum for center rot. To that end, we developed specific primers for PCR and surveyed various seedlots and environmental habitats for a source of P. ananatis.
Trading Timeliness and Accuracy in Geo-Distributed Streaming Analytics

Many applications must ingest rapid data streams and produce analytics results in near-real-time. It is increasingly common for inputs to such applications to originate from geographically distributed sources. The typical infrastructure for processing such geo-distributed streams follows a hub-and-spoke model, where several edge servers perform partial computation before forwarding results over a wide-area network (WAN) to a central location for final processing. Due to limited WAN bandwidth, it is not always possible to produce exact results. In such cases, applications must either sacrifice timeliness by allowing delayed---i.e., stale---results, or sacrifice accuracy by allowing some error in final results. In this paper, we focus on windowed grouped aggregation, an important and widely used primitive in streaming analytics, and we study the tradeoff between staleness and error. We present optimal offline algorithms for minimizing staleness under an error constraint and for minimizing error under a staleness constraint. Using these offline algorithms as references, we present practical online algorithms for effectively trading off timeliness and accuracy under bandwidth limitations. Using a workload derived from an analytics service offered by a large commercial CDN, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our techniques through both trace-driven simulation as well as experiments on an Apache Storm-based implementation deployed on PlanetLab. Our experiments show that our proposed algorithms reduce staleness by 81.8% to 96.6%, and error by 83.4% to 99.1% compared to a practical random sampling/batching-based aggregation algorithm across a diverse set of aggregation functions.
Clean Power Policy in the United States

Within the last year, the Obama administration has taken two significant and dramatic steps addressing the challenges of climate change and demonstrating a renewed leadership role for the US. First, as a signatory to the Paris climate agreements, the US has stepped forward to participate in that global effort after years of recalcitrance. The US, for example, signed the Rio Declaration in 1992 but five years later would not ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Now, though, the US has reversed course and has reentered the international climate conversation.The second significant climate initiative came on the domestic front as the Obama administration issued its Clean Power Plan (CPP), which promises to transform US energy policy and facilitate the ongoing transition to a clean power economy. Indeed, President Obama has called the CPP “the biggest, most important step we’ve ever taken to combat climate change.” His administration has now committed the federal government to engaging this global problem. A new narrative is developing that is attentive to emerging energy technologies, cognizant of environmental consequences of the fuel cycle, and is committed to developing a wider range of energy resources, markets, and participants on both the supply and demand sides of the meter. The CPP, then, promises to be major chapter in that new narrative.
‘Access without Fear!’: Reconceptualizing ‘Access’ to Schooling for Undocumented Students in Toronto:

This paper uses Chela Sandoval’s (2000) concept of meta-ideologizing to examine how definitions of ‘access’ are reframed to further the goals of social justice activists. Meta-ideologizing refers t...
Factors associated with parent depressive symptoms and family quality of life in parents of adolescents and young adults with and without Spina Bifida.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to explore factors related to parental depressive symptoms (PDS) and family quality of life (FQOL) in parents of adolescents and young adults (AYA) with and without a specific chronic health condition (CHC), spina bifida. METHODS Two hundred and nine parents of AYA (112 with SB; and 97 without) and their AYA (46% males and 54% females) took part in a multi-site cross-sectional descriptive correlational study. In telephone interviews parents reported on measures of family satisfaction, resources, cohesion, stress, demographic and clinical data. RESULTS In the multivariate analyses, 38% of the variance of PDS was explained by family income, family resources and parent stress. Having a child with SB was not predictive of PDS. However, having a child with SB, along with family satisfaction, parent stress and PDS explained 49% of the variance of FQOL. PDS partially mediate the relationship of family resources and FQOL. CONCLUSION PDS, family stress, and resources should be evaluated routinely, especially for those with low income. Parents of AYA with SB who have elevated PDS are at increased risk of having lower reported FQOL.
Desired Outcomes Through Deliberate Design: How the Communication Perspective Enhances Organizational Development

The study includes an analysis and results of a Deliberately Developmental Organization (DDO) effort in an academic department. In this studyKegan and Lahey’s conception of a DDO is coupled with the Circular Questioning technique to deepen the intensity of the employees’ participation. The ultimate goal of a DDO is to enhance the employees’ personal development and thus improve the organization. The authors point to the communication perspective as a way to understand the centrality of dialogue in the DDO process. It was found that Circular Questioningas a means of intervention allowed the members to generate new thoughts and actionsthus building an understanding of their interdependence. It was clear their communication acted as a constitutive force, shaping the lives of the interactants and their future understanding and work in the organization.
Practice of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in hospitalized cancer patients at a comprehensive cancer center.

149 Background: VTE prophylaxis measures are endorsed by the National Quality Forum in alignment with quality indicators from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Accordingly, documentatio...
Navigating the Chiral Pool in the Total Synthesis of Complex Terpene Natural Products

The pool of abundant chiral terpene building blocks (i.e., “chiral pool terpenes”) has long served as a starting point for the chemical synthesis of complex natural products, including many terpenes themselves. As inexpensive and versatile starting materials, such compounds continue to influence modern synthetic chemistry. This review highlights 21st century terpene total syntheses which themselves use small, terpene-derived materials as building blocks. An outlook to the future of research in this area is highlighted as well.
Potassium Starvation Limits Soybean Growth More than the Photosynthetic Processes across CO2 Levels.

Elevated carbon dioxide (eCO2) often enhances plant photosynthesis, growth, and productivity. However, under nutrient-limited conditions the beneficial effects of high CO2 are often diminished. To evaluate the combined effects of potassium (K) deficiency and eCO2 on soybean photosynthesis, growth, biomass partitioning, and yields, plants were grown under controlled environment conditions with an adequate (control, 5.0 mM) and two deficient (0.50 and 0.02 mM) levels of K under ambient CO2 (aCO2; 400 µmol mol-1) and eCO2 (800 µmol mol-1). Results showed that K deficiency limited soybean growth traits more than photosynthetic processes. An approximately 54% reduction in leaf K concentration under 0.5 mM K versus the control caused about 45% less leaf area, biomass, and yield without decreasing photosynthetic rate (Pnet). In fact, the steady photochemical quenching, efficiency, and quantum yield of photosystem II, chlorophyll concentration (TChl), and stomatal conductance under 0.5 mM K supported the stable Pnet. Biomass decline was primarily attributed to the reduced plant size and leaf area, and decreased pod numbers and seed yield in K-deficient plants. Under severe K deficiency (0.02 mM K), photosynthetic processes declined concomitantly with growth and productivity. Increased specific leaf weight, biomass partitioning to the leaves, decreased photochemical quenching and TChl, and smaller plant size to reduce the nutrient demands appeared to be the means by which plants adjusted to the severe K starvation. Increased K utilization efficiency indicated the ability of K-deficient plants to better utilize the tissue-available K for biomass accumulation, except under severe K starvation. The enhancement of soybean growth by eCO2 was dependent on the levels of K, leading to a K × CO2 interaction for traits such as leaf area, biomass, and yield. A lack of eCO2-mediated growth and photosynthesis stimulation under severe K deficiency underscored the importance of optimum K fertilization for maximum crop productivity under eCO2. Thus, eCO2 compensated, at least partially, for the reduced soybean growth and seed yield under 0.5 mM K supply, but severe K deficiency completely suppressed the eCO2-enhanced seed yield.
Big Box Stores and Urban Land Prices: Friend or Foe?

Using a spatial difference-in-differences research design, this paper examined the effect of a new Walmart store on nearby U.S. urban land prices and found that, within one quarter mile of a new Walmart store locale, land prices increased by almost 39% over the four-year development time period (from site negotiation to the store opening) compared with land located from one to three miles from the new store site. The analysis found that land prices increased almost geometrically over the development period as information leakage implied that a new store would actually be built and that demand for nearby land would increase. The positive effects were found to dissipate with distance from the new store, suggesting that the Walmart effect is highly localized. The analysis also found that supercenters, as opposed to discount stores, and commercial land sales, as opposed to residential land sales, were instrumental in driving the positive price effects. Also, robustness tests found a positive land price effect with other big-box stores, suggesting that the land price effect was not limited to Walmart stores, but in fact, was a big-box store effect. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Prospect Theory-Based Active Consumer Behavior Under Variable Electricity Pricing

Active consumers who engage in energy consumption, production and provide ancillary services in a dynamic and interactive manner will be an integral part of the future grid. This paper models and analyzes interaction between active consumers and aggregators with a specific focus on consumer actions in response to real-time electricity pricing and their impacts on grid voltage. First, this paper introduces a unique prospect theory-based consumer behavior model that captures wide range of consumers each with their individual preferences. Second, the interaction between consumers and aggregators is modeled as a Stackelberg game. However, unlike existing game theoretic efforts that assume rational behavior of consumers, the prospect theory-based models systematically incorporate realistic consumer behavior including irrationality. Another unique aspect of the formulation is the inclusion of the physical grid constraints (in terms of voltage violations) within the analysis. In contrast to prior approaches that limit themselves to economic aspects, the proposed techno-economic perspective provides an understanding of the impact of large scale penetration of active consumers on the physical grid. The proposed model is analyzed using simulations on the IEEE 69 bus test system and the impact of irrationality on both consumer/aggregator payoffs and voltage violations is quantified.
Proton pump inhibitors not associated with hypomagnesemia, regardless of dose or concomitant diuretic use.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most commonly prescribed medications worldwide, with dramatic efficacy for upper gastrointestinal acid-related disorders. In recent years, however, the safety of long-term PPI use has been questioned. One issue based on scant and conflicting literature is the possibility of PPI-related hypomagnesemia. Our purpose was to assess for any clinically significant alteration in serum magnesium levels in large groups of patients taking different PPIs in varying doses, with or without diuretics. METHODS This was a retrospective review of patient records at time of hospitalization, from February 2012 to December 2014. Two thousand four hundred patients were randomly selected from a pool of 12 058 magnesium levels performed at or within 24 h of hospital admission. Patients were categorized in six groups based on outpatient PPI and/or diuretic use. The main outcome studied was hypomagnesemia, defined as serum magnesium level < 1.6 mg/dL. RESULTS Mean magnesium levels were normal in PPI users (1.84 ± 0.29 mg/dL [normal 1.6 to 2.5 mg/dL]) and PPI nonusers (1.85 ± 0.30 mg/dL), P = 0.40, and there was no statistical difference in the prevalence of hypomagnesemia (14.7% vs 15.1%, P = 0.77). In separate groups, there were also no significant differences in serum magnesium levels between those taking PPIs of varying doses, with or without concomitant diuretics, and those not taking PPIs or diuretics. CONCLUSION Regardless of PPI dosage or concomitant diuretics prescribed, magnesium levels were unaffected. Routine screening of serum magnesium in PPI patients appears unnecessary.
Harmonic Analysis of Digital Data Bases

Digital databases can be represented by matrices, where rows (say) correspond to numerical sensors readings, or features, and columns correspond to data points. Recent data analysis methods describe the local geometry of the data points using a weighted affinity graph, whose vertices correspond to data points. We consider two geometries, or graphs – one on the rows and one on the columns, such that the data matrix is smooth with respect to the “tensor product” of the two geometries. This is achieved by an iterative procedure that constructs a multiscale partition tree on each graph. We use the recently introduced notion of Haar-like bases induced by the trees to obtain Tensor-Haar-like bases for the space of matrices, and show that an l p entropy conditions on the expansion coefficients of the database, viewed as a function on the product of the geometries, imply both smoothness and efficient reconstruction. We apply this methodology to analyze, de-noise and compress a term-document database. We use the same methodology to compress matrices of potential operators of unknown charge distribution geometries and to organize Laplacian eigenvectors, where the data matrix is the “expansion in Laplace eigenvectors” operator.
DNA Binding Properties of Myc

Recent studies have finally substantiated the long-held hypothesis that c-Myc binds to specific DNA sequences. Myc binds the palindromic consensus sequence CANNTG that is recognized by all basic regions of members of the bHLHZip family.1 Studies using pools of random oligonucleotides, the polymerase chain reaction, and recombinant fusion Myc protein along with electrophoretic mobility gel shift assay indicate that the preferred core binding site for Myc is CACGTG.1 Full length c-Myc is unable to bind DNA by itself, unless a significant portion of its N-terminal is removed.2 Although truncated c-Myc binds the consensus sequence as a homodimer in vitro only when present at very high protein concentrations, full-length c-Myc binds DNA more efficiently as a heterodimer with its partner protein Max.1–3 The core sequence CACATG was also bound by Myc-Myc, Myc-Max, and Max-Max to similar extent.2,4–8 Additional studies indicate that the binding of Myc to this core hexanucleotide shows preference for specific flanking nucleotides as well: GAC(cacgtg)GTC.9,10 The flanking sequences may be important in Myc DNA binding as another bHLHZip protein, USF, recognizes the same canonical sequence, but prefers alternative flanking nucleotides.11,12
Seasonal Variation in the Diets of White-Faced and Bearded Sakis ( Pithecia pithecia and Chiropotes satanas ) in Guri Lake, Venezuela

Variation in rainfall provides the most readily quantifiable method to interpret seasonal influences on plant production and animal response to environmental change. But the effects of rainfall on an animal’s behavior are complex, indirect, and less predictable, than the simple measurement of rainfall might convey. From the perspective of the primate consumer (or the human observer), periods of perceived stress or food shortage often correspond to periods of lower than average rainfall, but successful “response” depends on variables that may only be indirectly related to rainfall. Knowledge of an animal’s diet, morphological or physiological adaptations of the digestive tract, variability in local plant production, duration of food shortage, body weight at the onset of the season, and reproductive or general health status all might help predict the degree of stress individuals might experience during seasonal changes in the resource base. Indeed, some examples of responses to seasonality by primates are well known, including apparent detrimental direct effects (e.g. weight loss presumably due to reduced food intake: Goldizen et al, 1988; Morland 1992) as well as indirect effects (e.g. timing of weaning: Pereira, 1992; Wright and Meyers, 1992). But there are also reports of an insignificant or lack of effect of seasonality on other population and environmental variables: infant mortality (Crockett & Rudran 1987), diet and range use (Chapman 1988), diversity of resource used in the diet (Garber 1993). Even when seasonality does appear to affect feeding behavior, the expectation of the dry season as the most stressful season is not always borne out (Cords, 1993).
Proximate Mechanisms of Sexual Selection in the Firefly Photinus pyralis (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

Male competition in courtships of the firefly Photinus pyralis is intense. Morphometric analysis revealed that male size is variable, possibly exhibiting alternative body plans. We examined the outcomes of courtships to determine the proximate mechanisms of selection that may have led to male allometry. Two distinct selective events exist within mate competition: (1) searching and (2) scramble competition. Although many courtships failed, those without rivals were shorter and successful males spent less time in the “mate-guarding” position than when several males were in competition. Winners outflashed rivals, but flash dialogs occurred at similar frequencies across rival densities, indicating that females require some quantum of information before mating. Female flash preference was examined in choice tests to evaluate female discrimination ability. Females preferred flashes of greater intensity and precedence. This suggests that flash “synchronization” is a competitive display rather than a cooperative behavior to maintain female responsiveness. Selection for male size was density dependent: females preferred large males in searching, while small males were favored in scrambles. Simulated scrambles showed that small males have superior locomotor abilities, allowing them to reach the female rapidly. Comparison with a species lacking scrambles, P. macdermotti, revealed that selection in P. pyralis is disruptive, targeting traits alternately, and may have led to the evolution of higher allometric ratios in a species with direct male competition. Both male competition and female choice are important determinants of the outcome of P. pyralis courtships.
Ionic Permeability and the Open Channel Structure of the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor

Rat myotubes, clonal BC3H-1 cells, and frog neuromuscular junctions were studied using electrophysiological techniques. The permeation properties of inorganic monovalent, inorganic divalent, and large organic cations were examined in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channel. Three results indicated there is one main ion binding site within the pore directly in the permeation pathway. This finding was explained by streaming potential measurements, which indicated that the narrowest cross section of the pore is very short. The narrow region is where the protein can best coordinate around the permeant to form a binding site. Since the narrow region is very short, electrostatic repulsion allows only one cation to bind there at a time. Other results indicated more complicated aspects of permeation. The channel was found to have a high affinity for divalent cations and large organic cations. In addition, some single-channel measurements were not consistent with a transport model simply having one binding site. Even these more complicated results were explained by an ion transport model that accounted for the size, shape, and net negative charge of the pore. In summary, the results were consistent with the channel having wide funnel-shaped vestibules containing net negative charge. The charged residues in the vestibules attract cations and provide binding sites. Although these binding sites and local potentials in the vestibule influence permeation, the binding sites may not be directly in the permeation pathway. The narrowest cross section provides one main ion binding site in the permeation pathway. The tapering region and narrowest region of the pore are lined by transmembrane alpha-helices with a low charge density. Since the narrowest cross section is very short, it is possible that the transmembrane helices are tilted in the open pore. Away from the narrowest region, the helices lining the pore spread out. A second set of helices could then be exposed to the pore at the interstices between the first set of helices.
Helicity Fluctuations and Coherence in Developed Turbulence

Arguments are presented indicating the existence of large fluctuations of helicity and reflectional asymmetry of turbulence. Available numerical and experimental data to support this conjecture is reviewed.
Parallel (A)Symmetries And The Internal Structure Of Negative Expressions

In many Romance languages, negative expressions exhibit a robust distributional asymmetry.When in post-verbal positions, they require theco-presence of negation; when in pre-verbal positions,they are incompatible with it. In the same languages, bare nominals exhibit a distribution that parallels the negativeone in some striking respects. They are possible in post-verbal positions, but infelicitous as pre-verbal subjects. Similar distributionalparallelisms between these expressions are shown toobtain cross-linguistically and diachronically and are argued to derive from their common internal syntactic and semantics properties. Both expressions have a 'deficient' DP, lack quantificational force, and are unable to check the D feature of EPP. Bare nominals may lack D0, but negative expressions contain a null D0syntactically licensed under DP internal Spec Headagreement or head movement. As these operations result from parametricoptions in DP syntax and have consequences on the semantic nature of these expressions, the central result of the paper isto derive cross-linguistic variations in negative concord from independentchoices in DP syntax.
Arc digraphs and traversability

digraph D and its arc digraph L(D) Introduction. The line-graph L(G) of a graph G is a graph whose point set can be placed in one-to-one correspondence with the line set of G in such a manner that adjacency is preserved. Line-graphs and their properties (particularly those involving traversability) have been studied by Chartrand [1,2]. In [3], Harary and Norman introduced'the analogous concept of the arc digraph (or line digraph). The arc digraph L(D) of a digraph D is one whose point set can be put in one-to-one correspondence ~ with the arc set of D so that point u is adjacent to (from) point v in L(D) if and only if arc ~(u) is adjacent to (from) arc ~(v) in D. In Figure i, a are shown.
Epithelial-stromal crosstalk and fibrosis in eosinophilic esophagitis

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a food allergen-induced inflammatory disorder. EoE is increasingly recognized as a cause of swallowing dysfunction, food impaction and esophageal stricture. Inflammation of the esophageal mucosa involves immune cell infiltrate, reactive epithelial changes and fibroblast activation, culminating in robust tissue remodeling toward esophageal fibrosis characterized by excess collagen deposition in the subepithelial lamina propria. Fibrosis contributes to a unique mechanical property of the EoE-affected esophagus that is substantially stiffer than the normal esophagus. There is a great need to better understand the processes behind esophageal fibrosis in order to foster improved diagnostic tools and novel therapeutics for EoE-related esophageal fibrosis. In this review, we discuss the role of esophageal inflammatory microenvironment that promotes esophageal fibrosis, with specific emphasis upon cytokines-mediated functional epithelial-stromal interplays, recruitment and activation of a variety of effector cells, and tissue stiffness. We then explore the current state of clinical methodologies to detect and treat the EoE-related esophageal stricture.
Ambulatory Fontan pressure monitoring: Results from the implantable hemodynamic monitor Fontan feasibility cohort (IHM-FFC).

Abstract Background Implantable invasive hemodynamic monitoring (IHM) using the CardioMEMS™ HF system has been shown to reduce heart failure (HF) hospitalizations. IHMs have not yet been used in congenital heart disease (CHD). We aimed to evaluate feasibility and mid-term outcomes of IHM use in the single ventricle/Fontan population. Methods Six adult Fontan patients (>1 HF admission, NYHA FC >3) were enrolled (30 ± 7 years old, mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPA) 16 ± 4.7 mm Hg). Heart failure mediated events (HFME) were evaluated for 12 months: CV medication change, hospital admission, paracentesis, and change in orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) listing status. Results The IHM device was successfully placed in all participants. In total there were 671 IHM transmissions and 25(3.7%) HFME. The mean PA pressure across all episodes was 18.2 ± 6.6 mm Hg (range 6–40 mm Hg). Higher mPA pressures were associated with greater odds of having a HFME (OR 1.17 [1.09, 1.25], p 24 mm Hg or individual mPA change >4 mm Hg, best discriminating transmissions associated with HFME. Conclusions In the first feasibility series of adult Fontan patients undergoing CardioMEMS™ implantation we demonstrate early technical success and no device-related adverse events. We propose that ambulatory mean PA pressures >24 mm Hg or individual mPA change >4 mm Hg may be associated with more HFME. Further large-scale studies in this population are recommended.
A Markovian Model for Analyzing Opportunistic Request Routing in Wireless Cache Networks

In this paper, we investigate the request routing delay of opportunistic routing for cache-enabled wireless networks considering uncorrelated and temporally correlated wireless channels. We model wireless channel variation at different time scales via two approaches: an abstract modeling approach where we model the variation considering Rayleigh fading and shadowing channel models and an empirical approach where the variation is modeled directly using signal strength measurements. We develop Markovian models to analyze the performance of opportunistic forwarding, leverage the wireless channel models to determine the packet transmission success probabilities and then utilize them to obtain the request routing delay. We first perform numerical experiments and simulations considering Rayleigh fading and shadowing channel models and then conduct a trace-based evaluation using signal strength measurements collected over a wireless sensor network testbed. Our experiments demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of our Markovian model in determining the request routing delay in real-world settings. Our work takes a step forward in providing network operators a tool for analyzing network performance before deploying their networks.
Nonlinear integral models with delays: Recent developments and applications

Abstract The authors examine contemporary integral dynamic models of biological, environmental, and technological systems with heterogeneous components. The models contain two-dimensional control functions, nonlinearities, and delays in system inputs. The paper demonstrates the versatility of integral equations and their importance to various applications. Connections and advantages of integral and differential models are discussed. A survey of optimal control strategies for such models is provided.
Grading Trump’s China Trade Strategy

Although much has been written about the ongoing trade war between China and the United States from 2017 to early 2019, this literature omits detailed examination of the substance of the US trade complaints about China. This article seeks to fill that gap in the literature by unpacking the 20 most prominent complaints that are being levelled by the Trump Administration. The article finds that half of the complaints involve behaviour that is contrary to WTO rules and yet the Trump Administration has lodged only three WTO cases against that behaviour. The Trump Administration justifies this omission on the ground that WTO dispute settlement is not capable of resolving legal complaints against China’s nonmarket economy and that many of the Chinese measures characterized in this article as WTO-illegal are actually permitted by the WTO. The article suggests that the real reason why the Administration chose not to bring multiple new WTO cases against China is that the Administration prefers to confront China with power-based measures in the form of unilateral tariffs. Moreover, robust WTO dispute settlement is viewed by the Trump Administration as unwanted international control over disguised trade protectionism long favoured by US trade officials.
Bad News Bankers: Underwriter Reputation and Contagion in Pre-1914 Sovereign Debt Markets

This paper uses new bond-level data on sovereign borrowing and defaults during 1869-1914 to quantify a channel of contagion via banks' reputation for monitoring borrowers. Concerns over reputation incentivized Britain's merchant banks (who underwrote sovereign bonds) to monitor and exert influence over sovereigns. Default signaled to investors that a bank was less willing or able to write and support quality issues, indicating that its other bonds may underperform in the future. Consistent with reputation-based contagion, I find that comovement between defaulting and non-defaulting bonds is six times larger when the bonds share an underwriter. To isolate the causal effect of a shared underwriter, I exploit within-country variation in bonds' underwriters. Testing predictions from a dynamic game where underwriters build a reputation for monitoring, I find further evidence supporting reputation as the mechanism -- as opposed to alternative explanations such as wealth effects. These findings highlight that the reputation of intermediaries that monitor and intervene in crises can be a powerful source of contagion unrelated to a borrower's fundamentals.
Parvovirus B19 Infection

The human parvovirus B19 (B19) was discovered in 1975. Parvovirus B19 is the only known human pathogenic parvovirus. Unlike many virus infections, the disease manifestation of infection with parvovirus B19 varies widely with the immunologic and hematologic status of the host. In individuals with underlying hemolytic disorders, B19 is the primary cause of aplastic crisis. In immunocompromised patients, persistent B19 viremia may develop that manifests as pure red cell aplasia and chronic anemia, and in the fetus, where the immune response is immature infection, it may lead to fetal death in utero or hydrops fetalis. The major disease manifestation in normal, immunocompetent individuals is erythema infectiosum (EI), also called fifth disease or “slapped-cheek” disease. Generally this is an innocuous rash disease of childhood, but in adults it may also be associated with an acute symmetrical polyarthropathy, which can mimic acute rheumatoid arthritis.
Prospects for detecting individual defect centers using spatially resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy

We consider the prospects of locating and characterizing individual defect centers in bulk materials using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). We simulate STEM-EELS maps for two important defect centers in diamond, namely, the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy defect and the neutral silicon-vacancy defect. We use density-functional theory to compute the defect electronic structure and a M\o{}ller potential formalism to compute the inelastic electron scattering. Our results indicate that it should be possible to use STEM-EELS to obtain the transverse locations of these defects to within about 1 nm. We calculate the plane-wave scattering cross sections for these individual defects to be of the order of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ \AA{}${}^{2}$, which indicates that the EELS signals should be within detectable limits. Calculated spectral maps and scattering cross sections are given as a function of the defect orientation, and we show that the results can be interpreted using a tight-binding description of the defect electronic structure.
Identification of potent water soluble purine-scaffold inhibitors of the heat shock protein 90

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 4733 Hsp90 is a chaperone protein that allows cancer cells to tolerate the many components of dysregulated pathways. Its inactivation may result in targeting multiple molecular alterations and thus, in reverting the transformed phenotype. The PU-class, a purine-scaffold Hsp90 inhibitor series designed by our laboratory has been reported to be potent and selective against Hsp90 both in vitro and in vivo models of cancer. Here, a series of this class was synthesized and evaluated as inhibitors of the chaperone. The structure-activity relationship and selectivity for tumor Hsp90 of compounds within the series is presented. The study identifies water soluble derivatives (> 5 mM in PBS pH 7.4) of nanomolar potency (IC50 ∼ 50 nM) in cellular and animal models of cancer. Binding affinities of these compounds for Hsp90 correlate well with their biological activities. When administered in vivo to mice bearing MDA-MB-468 human breast cancer xenografted tumors, these agents result in pharmacologically relevant concentrations and accordingly, in modulation of Hsp90-client proteins in tumors.
Constructing Gene Regulatory Networks using Epigenetic Data

The biological processes that drive cellular function can be represented by a complex network of interactions between regulators (transcription factors) and their targets (genes). A cell9s epigenetic state plays an important role in mediating these interactions, primarily by influencing chromatin accessibility. However, effectively leveraging epigenetic information when constructing regulatory networks remains a challenge. We developed SPIDER, which incorporates epigenetic information (DNase-Seq) into a message passing framework in order to estimate gene regulatory networks. We validated SPIDER9s predictions using ChIP-Seq data from ENCODE and found that SPIDER networks were more accurate than other publicly available, epigenetically informed regulatory networks as well as networks based on methods that leverage epigenetic data to predict transcription factor binding sites. SPIDER was also able to improve the detection of cell line specific regulatory interactions. Notably, SPIDER can recover ChIP-seq verified transcription factor binding events in the regulatory regions of genes that do not have a corresponding sequence motif. Constructing biologically interpretable, epigenetically informed networks using SPIDER will allow us to better understand gene regulation as well as aid in the identification of cell-specific drivers and biomarkers of cellular phenotypes.
Quantitative Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics for Biomarker Development in Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy among women. Approximately 70–80% of patients with advanced ovarian cancer experience relapse within five years and develop platinum-resistance. The short life expectancy of patients with platinum-resistant or platinum-refractory disease underscores the need to develop new and more effective treatment strategies. Early detection is a critical step in mitigating the risk of disease progression from early to an advanced stage disease, and protein biomarkers have an integral role in this process. The best biological diagnostic tool for ovarian cancer will likely be a combination of biomarkers. Targeted proteomics methods, including mass spectrometry-based approaches, have emerged as robust methods that can address the chasm between initial biomarker discovery and the successful verification and validation of these biomarkers enabling their clinical translation due to the robust sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of these versatile methods. In this review, we provide background information on the fundamental principles of biomarkers and the need for improved treatment strategies in ovarian cancer. We also provide insight into the ways in which mass spectrometry-based targeted proteomics approaches can provide greatly needed solutions to many of the challenges related to ovarian cancer biomarker development.
Spatiotemporal distribution of seasonal snow water equivalent in High Mountain Asia from an 18-year Landsat–MODIS era snow reanalysis dataset

Abstract. Seasonal snowpack is an essential component in the hydrological cycle and plays a significant role in supplying water resources to downstream users. Yet the snow water equivalent (SWE) in seasonal snowpacks, and its space–time variation, remains highly uncertain, especially over mountainous areas with complex terrain and sparse observations, such as in High Mountain Asia (HMA). In this work, we assessed the spatiotemporal distribution of seasonal SWE, obtained from a new 18-year HMA Snow Reanalysis (HMASR) dataset, as part of the recent NASA High Mountain Asia Team (HiMAT) effort. A Bayesian snow reanalysis scheme previously developed to assimilate satellite-derived fractional snow-covered area (fSCA) products from Landsat and MODIS platforms has been applied to develop the HMASR dataset (at a spatial resolution of 16 arcsec ( ∼500 m) and daily temporal resolution) over the joint Landsat–MODIS period covering water years (WYs) 2000–2017. Based on the results, the HMA-wide total SWE volume is found to be around 163 km 3 on average and ranges from 114 km 3 (WY2001) to 227 km 3 (WY2005) when assessed over 18 WYs. The most abundant snowpacks are found in the northwestern basins (e.g., Indus, Syr Darya and Amu Darya) that are mainly affected by the westerlies, accounting for around 66 % of total seasonal SWE volume. Seasonal snowpack in HMA is depicted by snow accumulating through October to March and April, typically peaking around April and depleting in July–October, with variations across basins and WYs. When examining the elevational distribution over the HMA domain, seasonal SWE volume peaks at mid-elevations (around 3500 m), with over 50 % of the volume stored above 3500 m. Above-average amounts of precipitation causes significant overall increase in SWE volumes across all elevations, while an increase in air temperature ( ∼1.5 K) from cooler to normal conditions leads to an redistribution in snow storage from lower elevations to mid-elevations. This work brings new insight into understanding the climatology and variability of seasonal snowpack over HMA, with the regional snow reanalysis constrained by remote-sensing data, providing a new reference dataset for future studies of seasonal snow and how it contributes to the water cycle and climate over the HMA region.
Intracranial Tubular Retractor Systems: A Comparison and Review of the Literature of the BrainPath, Vycor, and METRx Tubular Retractors in the Management of Deep Brain Lesions.

In neurosurgery, parenchymal injury resulting from focal exertion of pressure on retracted tissue is a common complication associated with the use of plate and self-sustaining retractors to access deep intraparenchymal lesions. Tubular retractors, including Vycor, BrainPath, and METRx, were developed to reduce retraction injuries via radial dispersion of force. Our study seeks to compare these retraction systems and assess their respective indications, benefits, and associated complications. A systematic review of PubMed MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews was performed. Twenty-nine articles (n = 289 patients) for BrainPath, 12 articles (n = 106 patients) for Vycor, and 3 articles for METRx (n = 31 patients) met the inclusion criteria. This report is the first formal comparison of the BrainPath, Vycor, and METRx tubular retraction systems. We found that all 3 retractors were effective in accessing intraparenchymal lesions. Although we found that the retractor systems were used more commonly in different locations and for different diseases, there was no significant difference in complications or mortality among the 3 retractors.
Genomic Evidence for Rare Hybridization and Large Demographic Changes in the Evolutionary Histories of Four North American Dove Species.

Introductions and invasions provide opportunities for interaction and hybridization between colonists and closely related native species. We investigate this phenomenon using the mitochondrial DNA COI and 81,416 base-pairs of overlapping nuclear variation to examine the evolutionary histories and signatures of hybridization among introduced feral Rock Pigeon and Eurasian Collared-Dove and native White-winged and Mourning doves in southwestern North America. First, we report all four species to be highly divergent across loci (overall pair-wise species ΦST range = 0.17–0.70) and provide little evidence for gene flow at evolutionary timescales. Despite this, evidence from multiple population genetics analyses supports the presence of six putative contemporary late-stage hybrids among the 182 sampled individuals. These putative hybrids contain various ancestry combinations, but all involve the most populous species, the Mourning Dove. Next, we use a novel method to reconstruct demographic changes through time using partial genome sequence data. We identify recent, species-specific fluctuations in population size that are likely associated with changing environments since the Miocene and suggest that these fluctuations have influenced the genetic diversity of each dove species in ways that may impact their future persistence. Finally, we discuss the importance of using multiple marker types when attempting to infer complex evolutionary histories and propose important considerations when analyzing populations that were recently established or of domestic origins.
Nutrient comparisons of margarine/margarine-like products, butter blend products and butter in the US marketplace in 2020 post-FDA ban on partially hydrogenated oils.

Objective To evaluate the fatty acid profiles and relevant vitamin and mineral compositions of margarine/margarine-like products and butter blend products available in the U.S. marketplace, and to compare with butter. Design Analysis of the food and nutrient composition information available for margarine/margarine-like products, butter blend products, and butter in the 2021 version of the University of Minnesota Nutrition Coordinating Center (NCC) Food and Nutrient Database. Setting The U.S. retail food marketplace in 2020. Participants A selection of 83 margarine/margarine-like or butter blend products available in the U.S. in 2020 and regular and whipped butter (both salted and unsalted). Results All products contained no or negligible amounts of trans fat. Mean Daily Values (DVs) for saturated fatty acids (SFA) per 1 tablespoon ranged from 11% for margarine/margarine-like tub and squeeze products to 18% for margarine/margarine-like stick products and butter blend products. In contrast, 1 tablespoon butter provides 36% of the DV for SFA. Results from ANOVAs comparing the percent of total fat from SFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) by product type indicated significant differences for SFA (p Conclusions Leading brands of margarine/margarine-like and butter blend products examined in this study were found to be in greater alignment with current dietary recommendations for fatty acids and cholesterol than butter. Margarine/margarine-like tub and squeeze products were found to be optimal over margarine/margarine-like stick products and butter blend products. Future research should include an examination of private label products.