cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Electrode Composition and Microstructure on Impedancemetric Nitric Oxide Sensors Based on YSZ Electrolyte

The role of metal (Au, Pt, and Ag) electrodes in yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte-based impedancemetric nitric oxide (NO) sensors is investigated using impedance spectroscopy and equivalent circuit analysis. Focus on the metal/porous YSZ interface is based on previous studies using a symmetric cell (metal/YSZ porous /YSZ dense /YSZ porous /metal) and attempts to further elucidate the important processes responsible for sensing. The current test cell consists of a rectangular slab of porous YSZ with two metal-wire loop electrodes (metal/YSZ porous /metal), both exposed to the same atmosphere. Of the electrode materials, only Au was sensitive to changes in NO concentration. The impedance behavior of porous Au electrodes in a slightly different configuration was compared with dense Au electrodes and was also insensitive to NO. Although the exact mechanism is not determined, the composition and microstructure of the metal electrode seem to alter the rate-limiting step of the interfering O 2 reaction. Impedance behavior of the O 2 reaction that is limited by processes occurring away from the triple-phase boundary may be crucial for impedancemetric NO sensing.
Field experiment evidence of substantive, attributional, and behavioral persuasion by members of Congress in online town halls.

Do leaders persuade? Social scientists have long studied the relationship between elite behavior and mass opinion. However, there is surprisingly little evidence regarding direct persuasion by leaders. Here we show that political leaders can persuade their constituents directly on three dimensions: substantive attitudes regarding policy issues, attributions regarding the leaders’ qualities, and subsequent voting behavior. We ran two randomized controlled field experiments testing the causal effects of directly interacting with a sitting politician. Our experiments consist of 20 online town hall meetings with members of Congress conducted in 2006 and 2008. Study 1 examined 19 small meetings with members of the House of Representatives (average 20 participants per town hall). Study 2 examined a large (175 participants) town hall with a senator. In both experiments we find that participating has significant and substantively important causal effects on all three dimensions of persuasion but no such effects on issues that were not discussed extensively in the sessions. Further, persuasion was not driven solely by changes in copartisans’ attitudes; the effects were consistent across groups.
Analytical and Experimental Results for Bonded Single Lap Joints with Preformed Adherends

A theoretical and experimental study is conducted to investigate the load transfer of a single lap joint in which the adherends are preformed so that the angle between the line of action of the applied in-plane force and the bond line is reduced. The preforming of the adherend reduces the moment resultant in the ad here nd at the edge of the overlap region, which reduces both the maximum peel and shear stresses in the adhesive and gives a more uniform shear distribution in the adhesive. An increase in static load transfer of up to 120% is shown, and several orders-of-magnitude increase in fatigue life are achieved with modest preform angles. Thus, sizable benefits can be obtained in the fatigue life or additional load capacity of bonded single lap joints by preforming the adherends. Results are presented from an analytical and experimental investigation to determine the effect that preforming the adherend has on the stress distributions and strengths of bonded single lap joints. The analytical investigation used a closed-form analysis similar to that of the classical analysis of Goland and Reissner3 and a two-dimensional quasi-nonlinear finite-element analysis similar to that of Ref. 4 to study in detail the stress distributions in the ASTM D 1002-72 specimen5 with a 1.27-cm (0.50-in.) overlap and preformed adherends. The finite element analysis is used to check the accuracy of the closed-form analysis. A parametric study is conducted using the closed-form analysis to determine the optimum adherend preform angle for typical adherend and adhesive material properties and joint geometries. The ex- perimental investigation includes numerous tension-to-failure tests to determine the effect that preforming the adherends has on the ultimate static strength of typical bonded joints. A photoelastic test is also conducted to show the changes in the stress distribution in the joint due to preforming the adherends. Due to the high stress concentrations near the edge of the overlap region in the adhesive, joints are usually designed for fatigue rather than static strength. In fact, design-allowable stresses for single lap joints are generally taken to be 30% of the static ultimate strength because of fatigue. The reductions in stress concentrations obtained by preforming the adherends of single lap joints should significantly improve the fatigue strength. Thus, fatigue tests are also conducted to determine the effect of preforming the adherends on the fatigue strength of typical bonded single lap joints. Because of program and time constraints, only a limited number of low-cycle fatigue tests are performed. Test variables include both preform angle and overlap length.
T- AND B-CELL MEMORY ON MUCOSAL SURFACES

The secretory immune system exhibits memory responses in both B- and T-cell systems. Booster immunization mediates rapid activation of immune lymphocytes that may be important for host protection. Local memory responses may be generated following application of the antigen systemically or at other distant mucosal sites. The dichotomy between the systemic and local immune systems could be overcome, at least partially, in memory responses, depending upon the route and amount of antigen employed for the booster immunization.
Peculiar Pigmented Polyp

Gastro Question: A 55-year-old woman with chronic constipation underwent screening colonoscopy. The colonic mucosa had a diffuse brown pigmentation consistent with melanosis coli. In the cecum a 1-cm, Paris class IIa lesion with a yellowish hue and concomitant brown discoloration was found (Figure A). The superficial lesion was completely resected using standard hot-snare polypectomy technique. Histopathology is shown (Figure B). What is the lesion and cause of the pigmentary changes in the polyp? See the Gastroenterology web site (www.gastrojournal.org) for more information on submitting your favorite image to Clinical Challenges and Images in GI.
Redescription mining: structure theory and algorithms

We introduce a new data mining problem--redescription mining--that unifies considerations of conceptual clustering, constructive induction, and logical formula discovery. Redescription mining begins with a collection of sets, views it as a propositional vocabulary, and identifies clusters of data that can be defined in at least two ways using this vocabulary. The primary contributions of this paper are conceptual and theoretical: (i) we formally study the space of redescriptions underlying a dataset and characterize their intrinsic structure, (ii) we identify impossibility as well as strong possibility results about when mining redescriptions is feasible, (iii) we present several scenarios of how we can custom-build redescription mining solutions for various biases, and (iv) we outline how many problems studied in the larger machine learning community are really special cases of redescription mining. By highlighting its broad scope and relevance. we aim to establish the importance of redescription mining and make the case for a thrust in this new line of research.
Abstract 4198: MiR-17-92 cluster promotes human cholangiocarcinoma growth upon the activation of STAT3 signaling pathway.

MiR-17-92 cluster is a potent oncogenic miRNA which has been shown to promote cell proliferation, increase angiogenesis and sustain cell survival in several cancer types. However, the potential role of miR-17-92 cluster in hepatic carcinogenesis has not been investigated. This study was designed to examine the impact of miR-17-92 in hepatic cancer cells. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the expression of miR-17-92 cluster is increased in several human hepatic cancer cell lines compared to the transformed, non-cancerous hepatic cell line, THLE-2. In addition to that, paraffin slides from human hepatic cancer sample also show higher expression of miR-19a as a result of in situ hybridization. The miR-17-92 inhibitors (blocking each individual miRNAs within the cluster) prevented hepatic cancer cell growth. In contrast, stable transfection of pri-miR-17-92 cluster increased cholangiocarcinoma cell (CCLP-1) proliferation. IL-6 treatment greatly upregulates the miR-17-92 cluster mRNA and each individual miRNA level. However, blocking IL-6/STAT3 signaling by STAT3 siRNA or STAT3 phosphorylation inhibitor both inhibit upregulation of miR-17-92 by IL-6 stimulation. Since there is a reported binding site on promoter region of miR-17-92 cluster for STAT3, we used synthesized DNA probe to precipitate STAT3, and found IL-6 treatment increases the STAT3 binding to the promoter of miR-17-92. IL-6 stimulates CCLP-1cell growth, but blocking miR-17-92 will abolish this effect. Targetscan and other prediction tools were used to predict many possible targets of miR-17-92, such as PTEN. Western blot analysis showed decreased PTEN protein level in CCLP-1 cells transfected with the pri-miR-17-92 cluster, suggesting that PTEN may represent one of the miR-17-92 downstream targets. Further experiments are undergoing to show the IL-6 activates STAT3 and thus promote cholangiocarcinoma cell growth through increasing miR-17-92 cluster level. Citation Format: Hanqing Zhu, Chang Han, Tong Wu. MiR-17-92 cluster promotes human cholangiocarcinoma growth upon the activation of STAT3 signaling pathway. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4198. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4198
Revealing Complex Traits with Small Molecules and Naturally Recombinant Yeast Strains

Here we demonstrate that natural variants of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are a model system for the systematic study of complex traits, specifically the response to small molecules. As a complement to artificial knockout collections of S. cerevisiae widely used to study individual gene function, we used 314- and 1932-member libraries of mutant strains generated by meiotic recombination to study the cumulative, quantitative effects of natural mutations on phenotypes induced by 23 small-molecule perturbagens (SMPs). This approach reveals synthetic lethality between SMPs, and genetic mapping studies confirm the involvement of multiple quantitative trait loci in the response to two SMPs that affect respiratory processes. The systematic combination of natural variants of yeast and small molecules that modulate evolutionarily conserved cellular processes can enable a better understanding of the general features of complex traits.
Effect of signal sequence alterations on export of levansucrase in Bacillus subtilis.

A series of alterations in the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens levansucrase signal peptide were made by in vitro mutagenesis, and their effect on the secretion of levansucrase in Bacillus subtilis was studied. Some of the alterations resulted in a completely defective signal peptide. These included the removal of positively charged residues from the N-terminus and disruption of the hydrophobic core of the signal peptide either by introducing a charged residue or by deleting five or more amino acids. Analysis of the signal peptide processing-site alterations revealed that small residues are preferred at the -1 and -3 positions. However, a wide variety of amino acids are tolerated at the +1 position. Images
The role of moisture and hydrogen in hot-salt cracking of titanium alloys.

This study investigated the role of moisture and hydrogen in the stress corrosion cracking of Ti-8Al-1Mo-1V exposed to hot chloride salts. The adsorption and retention of moisture during the application of salt deposits and subsequent heating, and the extent of HCl and hydrogen generation during corrosion were studied using radiotracer techniques and mass spectrographic analysis of volatile corrosion products.
Transmission of electromagnetic waves into time-varying media

Expressions are obtained for the electromagnetic fields transmitted into the time-varying medium when a plane wave is incident upon either a dielectric or dispersive half-space. Solutions are obtained for the case when the medium is changed in a stepwise fashion, and also for the case when the medium varies slowly and continuously.
Full-Vectorial Matched Interface and Boundary (MIB) Method for the Modal Analysis of Dielectric Waveguides

This paper introduces the matched interface and boundary (MIB) method for the eigenmode analysis of two dimensional step-index waveguides. The MIB method distinguishes itself from other existing interface methods by avoiding the use of the Taylor series expansion and by introducing the concept of the iterative use of low-order jump conditions. The difficulty associated with other interface approaches in extending to ultrahigh order is thus bypassed in the MIB method. In solving rectangular waveguide with a single straight interface, the MIB interface treatment can be carried out systematically so that the resulting scalar approach is of arbitrarily high order, in principle. Orders up to 12 are confirmed numerically for both transverse magnetic and transverse electric modes. In dealing with rectangular waveguide with a dielectric corner, a novel full-vectorial MIB method is proposed, in which an advanced corner handling technique is applied to accommodate the singular behavior of field near the corner. Benchmark problems are employed to validate the proposed full-vectorial approach. Higher order convergence is achieved numerically.
Phylogenetic comparison of protein-coding versus ribosomal RNA-coding sequence data: A case study of the Lecanoromycetes (Ascomycota)

The resolving power and statistical support provided by two protein-coding (RPB1 and RPB2) and three ribosomal RNA-coding (nucSSU, nucLSU, and mitSSU) genes individually and in various combinations were investigated based on maximum likelihood bootstrap analyses on lichen-forming fungi from the class Lecanoromycetes (Ascomycota). Our results indicate that the optimal loci (single and combined) to use for molecular systematics of lichen-forming Ascomycota are protein-coding genes (RPB1 and RPB2). RPB1 and RPB2 genes individually were phylogenetically more efficient than all two- and three-locus combinations of ribosomal loci. The 3rd codon position of each of these two loci provided the most characters in support of phylogenetic relationships within the Lecanoromycetes. Of the three ribosomal loci we used in this study, mitSSU contributed the most to phylogenetic analyses when combined with RPB1 and RPB2. Except for the mitSSU, ribosomal genes were the most difficult to recover because they often contain many introns, resulting in PCR bias toward numerous and intronless co-extracted contaminant fungi (mainly Dothideomycetes, Chaetothyriomycetes, and Sordariomycetes in the Ascomycota, and members of the Basidiomycota), which inhabit lichen thalli. Maximum likelihood analysis on the combined five-locus data set for 82 members of the Lecanoromycetes provided a well resolved and well supported tree compared to existing phylogenies. We confirmed the monophyly of three recognized subclasses in the Lecanoromycetes, the Acarosporomycetidae, Ostropomycetidae, and Lecanoromycetideae; the latter delimited as monophyletic for the first time, with the exclusion of the family Umbilicariaceae and Hypocenomyce scalaris. The genus Candelariella (formerly in the Candelariaceae, currently a member of the Lecanoraceae) represents the first evolutionary split within the Lecanoromycetes, before the divergence of the Acarosporomycetidae. This study provides a foundation necessary to guide the selection of loci for future multilocus phylogenetic studies on lichen-forming and allied ascomycetes.
Cardiac MRI of acute coronary syndrome

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. New serological biomarkers, such as troponins, have improved the diagnosis of ACS; however, the diagnosis of ACS can still be difficult as there is marked heterogeneity in its presentation and significant overlap with other disorders presenting with chest pain. Evidence is accumulating that cardiac MRI provides information that can aid the detection and differential diagnosis of ACS, guide clinical decision-making and improve risk-stratification after an event. In this review, we present the relevant cardiac MRI techniques that can be used to detect ACS accurately, provide differential diagnosis, identify the sequelae of ACS, and determine prognostication after ACS.
A pivotal method for affine variational inequalities

We explain and justify a path-following algorithm for solving the equations ACx = a, where A is a linear transformation from Rn to Rn, C is a polyhedral convex subset of Rn, and AC is the associated normal map. When AC is coherently oriented, we are able to prove that the path following method terminates at the unique solution of ACx = a, which is a generalization of the well known fact that Lemke's method terminates at the unique solution of LCPq, M when M is a P = matrix. Otherwise, we identity two classes of matrices which are analogues of the class of copositive-plus and L-matrices in the study of the linear complementarity problem. We then prove that our algorithm processes ACx = a when A is the linear transformation associated with such matrices. That is, when applied to such a problem, the algorithm will find a solution unless the problem is infeasible in a well specified sense.
Level sets and stable manifold approximations for perceptually driven nonholonomically constrained navigation

This paper addresses problems of robot navigation with nonholonomic motion constraints and perceptual cues arising from onboard visual servoing in partially engineered environments. We focus on a unicycle motion model and a variety of artificial beacon constellations motivated by relevance to the autonomous hexapod, RHex. We propose a general hybrid procedure that adapts to the constrained motion setting the standard feedback controller arising from a navigation function in the fully actuated case by switching back and forth between moving "down" and "across" the associated gradient field toward the stable manifold it induces in the constrained dynamics. Guaranteed to avoid obstacles in all cases, we provide some reasonably general sufficient conditions under which the new procedure guarantees convergence to the goal. Simulations are provided for perceptual models previously introduced by other authors.
Heparan Sulfate Is a Selective Attachment Factor for the Avian Coronavirus Infectious Bronchitis Virus Beaudette

The avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strain Beaudette is an embryo-adapted virus that has extended species tropism in cell culture. In order to understand the acquired tropism of the Beaudette strain, we compared the S protein sequences of several IBV strains. The Beaudette strain was found to contain a putative heparan sulfate (HS)-binding site, indicating that the Beaudette virus may use HS as a selective receptor. To ascertain the requirements of cell-surface HS for Beaudette infectivity, we assayed for infectivity in the presence of soluble heparin as a competitor and determined infectivity in mutant cell lines with no HS or glycosaminoglycan expression. Our results indicate that HS plays a role as an attachment factor for IBV, working in concert with other factors like sialic acid to mediate virus binding to cells, and may explain in part the extended tropism of IBV Beaudette.
Leveraging appearance priors in non-rigid registration, with application to manipulation of deformable objects

Manipulation of deformable objects is a widely applicable but challenging task in robotics. One promising nonparametric approach for this problem is trajectory transfer, in which a non-rigid registration is computed between the starting scene of the demonstration and the scene at test time. This registration is extrapolated to find a function from ℝ3 to ℝ3, which is then used to warp the demonstrated robot trajectory to generate a proposed trajectory to execute in the test scene. In prior work [1] [2], only depth information from the scenes has been used to compute this warp function. This approach ignores appearance information, but there are situations in which using both shape and appearance information is necessary for finding high quality non-rigid warp functions. In this paper, we describe an approach to learn relevant appearance information about deformable objects using deep learning, and use this additional information to improve the quality of non-rigid registration between demonstration and test scenes. Our method better registers areas of interest on deformable objects that are crucial for manipulation, such as rope crossings and towel corners and edges. We experimentally validate our approach in both simulation and in the real world, and show that the utilization of appearance information leads to a significant improvement in both selecting the best matching demonstration scene for a given test scene, and finding a high quality non-rigid registration between those two scenes.
Who is to blame?: the impact of views of causal agency on reasoning and decision making

Research on people's understanding of causality has focused mainly on science and has not fully examined the effects of views of causality on patterns of reasoning. This paper addresses this gap in the literature by investigating the impact of individuals' views of causality on their reasoning about social events. We have focused on beliefs about causal agency (i.e., what drives causation in an event). We propose a taxonomy of views of causal agency and their implications for reasoning and decision making. Like Grozter and Perkins (2000), Chi (in press), and Resnick (1996), we are concerned with issues of decentralized causality, but our taxonomy is focused squarely on the social world and is extended to the effects of causal views on patterns of decision making.
POSTNATAL BEHAVIORAL EFFECTS OF IN UTERO EXPOSURE TO DRUGS WHICH MODIFY CATECHOLAMINES AND/OR SEROTONIN

The past twenty years has witnessed an information explosion in the developmental psychobiology literature, encompassing experiments designed to determine those important variables whose manipulation early in life would result in long-lasting, perhaps permanent effects upon brain function and ultimately behavior. The scope of the interdisciplinary nature of this rediscovered area of endeavor has emerged from an emphasis upon structure and function in various species, including man (Minkowski, 1922; Coghill, 1929; Windle, 1930; Kuo, 1932) through interactions between genetic and environmental factors (Thompson et al., 1962; Joffe, 1965) to an emphasis upon biochemical bases for genetic expression of control mechanisms in intermediary metabolism and transmitter function. (This symposium).
FDA drug classification system

The purpose and use of the FDA's classification system for new drug products are described. Investigational new drug applications (INDs) and new drug applications (NDAs) are submitted to the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. To establish the priority of the product in the review process, expert reviewers classify each product according to chemical type and therapeutic potential. Drug products that receive a high therapeutic rating (e.g., 1AA or 1A) are reviewed for approval more quickly than drugs that receive a lower therapeutic rating (e.g., 1B or 1C). Because this system is the only national therapeutic rating system for drug products, it has been used in legislation, in clinical evaluation of new drug products as they are approved, and in formulary decisions. However, caution is needed because the therapeutic rating assigned at the time of the product's approval may not reflect its importance relative to all agents available at a later date. The FDA classification system was designed to guide new drug products through the application process and should be used only with caution for other purposes.
Design and fabrication of biodegradable polymer devices to engineer tubular tissues.

Engineering new tissues by transplanting cells on polymeric delivery devices is one approach to alleviate the vast shortage of donor tissue. However, it will be necessary to fabricate cell delivery...
293 THE INTERRATER RELIABILITY OF APGAR SCORES AT 1 AND 5 MINUTES.

Background The Apgar score was developed to evaluate the physical condition of neonates after delivery, and assignment was done in real time by an observer to help guide the need for resuscitation. To our knowledge, the interrater reliability (IRR) of this scoring tool has not been investigated. Objective To describe the IRR of 1- and 5-minute Apgars scored in real time. Methods A digital video recorder was used to record high-risk resuscitations; consent was obtained and the study was approved by the Internal Review Board. Twenty recorded resuscitations were selected; the video recordings at 1 and 5 minutes were cropped to 15 seconds each. Ten practitioners (2 senior pediatric residents, 2 pediatric nurse practitioners, 2 neonatal nurse practitioners, 2 neonatal fellows, and 2 neonatal attending physicians) with 1 to 16 years experience in Apgar scoring volunteered to assign Apgar scores to the 1- and 5-minute video recordings. No information was given about the delivery, birth history, or outcome of the subjects in the video. Scores were confidentially recorded on a standardized form after each 15-second video clip. The Apgar score assigned in the delivery room was used as the gold standard and percent agreement, using an absolute agreement definition, was calculated for all raters. Results Comparison of 10 raters. The Apgar scoring tool demonstrates high internal consistency (measured by Cronbach9s alpha) of 0.986. Conclusion The Apgar scoring tool demonstrates strong internal consistency and IRR at both 1 and 5 minutes when experienced raters assign Apgar scores in real time. The 1-minute assessment of color had the lowest IRR. Because Apgar scores are not typically assigned in real time, the impact retrospective scoring has on IRR and internal consistency needs to be investigated.
Clonal origin of human erythro-eosinophilic colonies in culture

We have observed the presence of erythropoietic bursts containing eosinophils and their precursors in methylcellulose culture of human peripheral blood and marrow nucleated cells in the presence of erythropoietin and medium conditioned by phytohemagglutinin-stimulated leukocytes (PHA-LCM). It was possible to identify these bursts (colonies) in situ in methylcellulose culture on the basis of their unique red and black colors. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the constituent erythroid and eosinophilic cells lay intermixed with each other, and through close intercellular connections formed compact colonies and bursts consisting of several sub-colonies. Differential counts of individual erythro-eosinophil colonies (EEo colonies) revealed only a small percentage of blast cells in most of the colonies. Replating experiments of single EEo colonies yielded only eosinophilic colonies and clusters and erythroid colonies. The clonal nature of the EEo colonies was documented by analysis of Y-chromatin- positive cells in individual EEo colonies derived from cocultures of male and female peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Comparison of conditioned media indicated that PHA-LCM is the best stimulator for EEo colonies. These studies suggest that the differentiation capabilities of the progenitors for EEo colonies are restricted to erythroid and eosinophilic differentiation.
Seven-day versus a five-day week: a comparative utilization analysis.

(1969). Seven-day versus a five-day week: a comparative utilization analysis. Hospital Topics: Vol. 47, No. 12, pp. 26-36.
Watermelon Whitefly Insecticide Efficacy Trial, 2015

The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of various insecticides, insecticide rotations, types of application (soil injections or foliar sprays) and timing of applications for insect control and for suppression of watermelon vine decline (WVD) disease fruit symptoms caused by the SPW-transmitted Squash vein yellowing virus (SVYV) on watermelon under desert growing conditions. An insecticide trial was established at the University of California Desert Research and Extension Center, Holtville, CA using a stand of watermelon variety ‘Sugar Baby’ direct seeded into single row beds, 80 inch centers, on 25 Mar 2015. Stand establishment was achieved using drip irrigation, which was used thereafter. Plots were two beds wide (13.33 ft) by 50 ft long and bordered by one untreated bed. Included were an untreated check and nine insecticidal treatments, applied …
Small Molecules Modulate Chromatin Accessibility to Promote NEUROG2-Mediated Fibroblast-to-Neuron Reprogramming

Pro-neural transcription factors and small molecules can induce the reprogramming of fibroblasts into functional neurons; however, the immediate-early molecular events that catalyze this conversion have not been well defined. We previously demonstrated that neurogenin 2 (NEUROG2), forskolin (F), and dorsomorphin (D) can reprogram fibroblasts into functional neurons with high efficiency. Here, we used this model to define the genetic and epigenetic events that initiate an acquisition of neuronal identity. We demonstrate that NEUROG2 is a pioneer factor, FD enhances chromatin accessibility and H3K27 acetylation, and synergistic transcription activated by these factors is essential to successful reprogramming. CREB1 promotes neuron survival and acts with NEUROG2 to upregulate SOX4, which co-activates NEUROD1 and NEUROD4. In addition, SOX4 targets SWI/SNF subunits and SOX4 knockdown results in extensive loss of open chromatin and abolishes reprogramming. Applying these insights, adult human glioblastoma cell and skin fibroblast reprogramming can be improved using SOX4 or chromatin-modifying chemicals.
Optimal power flow for distribution systems under uncertain forecasts

This paper focuses on distribution systems featuring renewable energy sources and energy storage devices, and develops an optimal power flow (OPF) approach to optimize the system operation in spite of forecasting errors. The proposed method builds on a chance-constrained multi-period AC OPF formulation, where probabilistic constraints are utilized to enforce voltage regulation with a prescribed probability. To enable a computationally affordable solution approach, a convex reformulation of the OPF task is obtained by resorting to i) suitable linear approximations of the power flow equations, and ii) convex approximations of the chance constraints. Particularly, the approximate chance constraints provide conservative bounds that hold for arbitrary distributions of the forecasting errors. An adaptive optimization strategy is then obtained by embedding the proposed OPF task into a model predictive control framework.
Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors participate in small intestinal mucosal homeostasis.

Abstract Background Intestinal mucosal homeostasis is controlled by multiple factors and an intact, functional mucosa is essential for survival. Maintenance of the epithelium begins with crypt base stem cells which eventually give rise to all epithelial cell types. Evidence suggests an important role of the enteric cholinergic nervous system in these processes. We hypothesized that mice with altered muscarinic signaling would exhibit differences in mucosal morphometric and proliferative parameters compared to wild-type mice. Methods Mouse lines specifically deficient in one of the five muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (M1KO-M5KO) were used for experiments. Distal ileal segments were obtained and histologic sections created. Villus height and crypt depth were measured using H&E-stained sections, while crypt proliferation index (CPI) was calculated using Ki67-stained sections. Results The ileal mucosa from mice deficient in mAChRs exhibited differences from wild-type ileal mucosa in nearly all measured parameters. Knockout of mAChR2, mAChR3 and mAChR5 resulted in changes in all measured parameters. Ileal mucosa from M2KO mice showed an unexpected combination decreased VH but paradoxically increased CD and CPI. Conclusions Alterations in mAChR signaling causes change in ileal mucosal morphometry and crypt cell proliferation. While all mAChR subtypes may be involved, mAChR2, mAChR3, and mAChR5 appear to be critical for mucosal homeostasis. Further characterization of these pathways is warranted.
Experimental Investigation of Triplet Correlation Approximations for Fluid Water.

Abstract Triplet correlations play a central role in our understanding of fluids and their properties. Of particular interest is the relationship between the pair and triplet correlations. Here we use a combination of Fluctuation Solution Theory and experimental pair radial distribution functions to investigate the accuracy of the Kirkwood Superposition Approximation (KSA), as given by integrals over the relevant pair and triplet correlation functions, at a series of state points for pure water using only experimental quantities. The KSA performs poorly, in agreement with a variety of other studies. Several additional approximate relationships between the pair and triplet correlations in fluids are also investigated and generally provide good agreement for the fluid thermodynamics for regions of the phase diagram where the compressibility is small. A simple power law relationship between the pair and triplet fluctuations is particularly successful for state points displaying low to moderately high compressibilities.
Differential Equations in Multicomplex Spaces

We use Ehrenpreis’ Fundamental Principle to give different representations of holomorphic functions in multicomplex spaces, and we give the first elements of a theory of constant coefficients differential equations, of finite and infinite order, in the multicomplex setting.
Locally-weighted regression for estimating the forward kinematics of a geometric vocal tract model.

Task-space control is well studied in modeling speech production [1, 2, 3, 4]. Implementing control of this kind requires an accurate kinematic forward model. Despite debate about how to define the tasks for speech (i.e., acoustical vs. articulatory), a faithful forward model will be complex and infeasible to express analytically. Thus, it is necessary to learn the forward model from data. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have previously been suggested for this [3, 4, 6]. We argue for the use of locally-linear methods, such as Locally-Weighted Regression (LWR). While ANNs are capable of learning complex forward maps, LWR is more appropriate. Common formulations of control assume locally-linearity, whereas ANNs fit a nonlinear model to the entire map. Likewise, training LWR is simple compared to the complex optimization for ANNs. We provide an empirical comparison of these methods for learning a vocal tract forward model, discussing theoretical and practical aspects of each.
Food-Associated Stress Primes Foodborne Pathogens for the Gastrointestinal Phase of Infection

The incidence of foodborne outbreaks and product recalls is on the rise. The ability of the pathogen to adapt and survive under stressful environments of food processing and the host gastrointestinal tract may contribute to increasing foodborne illnesses. In the host, multiple factors such as bacteriolytic enzymes, acidic pH, bile, resident microflora, antimicrobial peptides, and innate and adaptive immune responses are essential in eliminating pathogens. Likewise, food processing and preservation techniques are employed to eliminate or reduce human pathogens load in food. However, sub-lethal processing or preservation treatments may evoke bacterial coping mechanisms that alter gene expression, specifically and broadly, resulting in resistance to the bactericidal insults. Furthermore, environmentally cued changes in gene expression can lead to changes in bacterial adhesion, colonization, invasion, and toxin production that contribute to pathogen virulence. The shared microenvironment between the food preservation techniques and the host gastrointestinal tract drives microbes to adapt to the stressful environment, resulting in enhanced virulence and infectivity during a foodborne illness episode.
Pole-zero analysis of scattering resonances of multilayered nanospheres

We demonstrate a general pole-zero method for the design of the scattering resonances of multilayered nanospheres, and we apply it to the relevant cases of strongly dispersive light scattering from metal-dielectric-metal and all-dielectric nanostructures. The pole-zero method is based on the full-wave iterative solution of the Mie scattering theory of multilayered spheres, which is valid beyond the conventional quasistatic limit. By investigating scattering resonances in the complex frequency plane, we show how to engineer anomalous Fano-like dipolar line shapes from complex pole-zero interactions controlled by the geometrical parameters of the structures. The pole-zero method is then applied to the design of the backscattering and forward-scattering efficiencies beyond the dipolar approximation. The engineering of scattering and absorption resonances with customized line shapes in metal-dielectric nanostructures provides unique opportunities for active devices including optical sensors, light emitters, and nonlinear elements.
Appendico-ileal fistula presenting as an ileal mass. Report of a case.

A report of a case of appendico-ileal fistula presenting as a submucosal mass in the terminal ileum is presented. We have not seen any other patient in whom the lesion presented as a small bowel tumor. This case is also particularly unusual in that the patient had never experienced any symptoms consistent with appendicitis.
Correlates of Opioid Abstinence in a 42-Month Posttreatment Naturalistic Follow-Up Study of Prescription Opioid Dependence.

Objective The natural course of prescription opioid use disorder has not been examined in longitudinal studies. The current study examined correlates of opioid abstinence over time after completion of a treatment trial for prescription opioid dependence. Methods The multisite Prescription Opioid Addiction Treatment Study examined different durations of buprenorphine-naloxone treatment and different intensities of counseling to treat prescription opioid dependence, as assessed by DSM-IV; following the clinical trial, a longitudinal study was conducted from March 2009-January 2013. At 18, 30, and 42 months after treatment entry, telephone interviews were conducted (N = 375). In this exploratory, naturalistic study, logistic regression analyses examined the association between treatment modality (including formal treatment and mutual help) and opioid abstinence rates at the follow-up assessments. Results At the 3 follow-up assessments, approximately half of the participants reported engaging in current substance use disorder treatment (47%-50%). The most common treatments were buprenorphine maintenance (27%-35%) and mutual-help group attendance (27%-30%), followed by outpatient counseling (18%-23%) and methadone maintenance (4%). In adjusted analyses, current opioid agonist treatment showed the strongest association with current opioid abstinence (odds ratios [ORs] = 5.4, 4.6, and 2.8 at the 3 assessments), followed by current mutual-help attendance (ORs = 2.2, 2.7, and 1.9); current outpatient counseling was not significantly associated with abstinence in the adjusted models. Conclusions While opioid agonist treatment was most strongly associated with opioid abstinence among patients with prescription opioid dependence over time, mutual-help group attendance was independently associated with opioid abstinence. Clinicians should consider recommending both of these interventions to patients with opioid use disorder. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00316277​.
Two-Dimensional Gel Profiling of Posttranslationally Modified Proteins by in vivo Isotope Labeling

Publisher Summary This chapter describes protocols for 2D gel mapping of post-translationally modified proteins as applied to the analysis of phosphorylated, glycosylated, and lipidated proteins from human keratinocytes and transformed human amnion cells (AMA). AMA cells are grown in complete Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) containing 10% fetal calf serum (FCS). The protocols for metabolic labeling of post-translationally modified proteins are illustrated using noncultured unfractionated human epidermal keratinocytes and AMA cells, but can be applied to other cultured cell lines. The volumes given in the following procedure are for labeling in a single well of a 24-well plastic culture plate. Eukaryotic protein phosphorylation is a reversible covalent addition of phosphate to a protein molecule by means of formation of an ester bond between the phosphoryl group and serine, threonine, or tyrosine residues. Protein phosphorylation is one of the most common post-translational modifications and is of crucial importance for many regulatory processes.
Condition of larval anchovy ( Engraulis mordax ) in the Southern California Bight, as measured through lipid analysis

Northern anchovy larvae, Engraulis mordax, were collected on five cruises covering the Southern California Bight, one cruise in April 1984, four cruises in January, February and May 1986. The amounts of triacylglycerol, cholesterol and polar lipid were measured in individual anchovy larvae as indicators of their nutritional condition. There was a significant difference in each of the size-specific lipid components between the stations for four of the five cruises. This indicates that all the ocean habitats within a cruise were not equal in promoting growth (and presumably survival) in the anchovy larvae. There were also differences between cruises, where the percentage of the larvae judged to be in poor condition varied from 8 to 27%. Canonical correlation analyses revealed a significant relationship in most cases between the larval fish parameters and the physical and biological data collected from each occupied station. Cholesterol and triacylglycerol were the most important larval components, and the short-term energy storage component in the copepod Calanus pacificus was the most important station component. The data, however, are not sufficient to identify and characterize stations in the field which produce anchovy larvae in good condition.
When the "selfish herd" becomes the "frozen herd": spatial dynamics and population persistence in a colonial seabird

Aggregations are common in ecological systems at a range of scales and may be driven by exogenous constraints such as environmental heterogeneity and resource availability or by "self-organizing" interactions among individuals. One mechanism leading to self-organized animal aggregations is captured by Hamilton's "selfish herd" hypothesis, which suggests that aggregations may be driven by an individual's effort to minimize their risk of predation by surrounding themselves with conspecifics. We demonstrate that aggregations observed in Adelie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) colonies are a convolution of both self-organized dynamics and external forcing arising from landscape terrain. In fluid, highly mobile aggregations, individuals are constantly moving in response to changing environmental conditions, the locations of predators, or the movements of conspecifics. However, when the ability to rearrange is limited and spatial reconfiguration occurs on slower time scales than changes in population size, systems may become trapped in suboptimal arrangements. We use simulated annealing to demonstrate that Adelie Penguin colonies are frozen in suboptimal spatial arrangements, and employ an individual-based modeling approach to demonstrate that this suboptimal spatial configuration is driven by a convolution of nest site fidelity and stochastic events at the level of individual nests. The resulting spatial dynamics are responsible for a hysteretic response to long-term changes in abundance. We find that declining abundance leads to fragmentation even in a homogeneous environment, which has population-level consequences for reproductive success because predation is biased towards colony edges. Strong edge effects from heterogeneous predation coupled with fragmentation in response to population declines create a positive feedback cycle that can accelerate population decline. This work provides a mechanistic understanding of complex spatial structuring in penguin colonies, provides a link between current spatial patterning and past dynamics, and suggests the possibility of critical collapse in seabird populations.
Film Ontology: Extension, Criteria and Candidates

What sort of thing is film? Before we can answer this question, we’ll have to first determine which things count as “films” in the relevant sense and work out what we ought to look for in an acceptable answer. There is little consensus among philosophers of film on any stage of this process. Here I make the case for a particular understanding of “film” to investigate as well as a particular set of criteria to use in that investigation. I then apply those criteria to a number of available candidate theories. In the end, I do not offer an answer to our question so much as an approach to it, along with some strategies for future research.
Machine Current Sensor FDI Strategy in PMSMs

This work proposes a machine current sensor fault detection and isolation (FDI) strategy in permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) resilient to multiple faults. The fault detection is performed by comparing the measured and estimated DC link currents. The fault isolation is achieved according to machine phase signal estimation and the corresponding residual examination. Single sensor fault, multiple sensor faults and non-sensor fault are covered by the proposed FDI method. The proposed sensor FDI method is not influenced by machine imbalance, feasible for FDI of both single and multiple machine current sensor faults, and capable of distinguishing between machine current sensor fault and non-sensor fault. The proposed method is validated with simulation studies in MATLAB, and the studies demonstrate that the proposed machine current sensor FDI method, different from existing methods, has a unique feature of being able to handle multiple sensor faults with the consideration of non-sensor fault disturbance.