cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor regulates leupaxin localization and Pyk2 activity

4503 Recent evidence suggests G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) interact with proteins in addition to heterotrimeric G proteins. The carboxyl terminal domains (CTD) of GPCRs share less homology and therefore may be responsible for distinct signaling properties of different GPCRs. To search for proteins that interact with gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPr) CTD, we screened a human B cell cDNA library using GRPr CTD as bait in the yeast two-hybrid system. We identified leupaxin (LPXN) as a potential binding partner of GRPr CTD. LPXN contains two types of protein interaction domains, 4 LD motifs and 4 LIM domains, and shares high homology with the focal adhesion protein, paxillin. Bombesin (BN, a GRPr agonist) stimulates GFP-tagged LPXN translocation from cytoplasm to focal adhesions in BALB/c mouse fibroblasts stably-expressing GRPr and GFP-LPXN. BN also stimulates LPXN translocation in PC3 human prostate cancer cells that express endogenous GRPr and LPXN. Using a fluorescent BN analog to identify GRPr, we find GRPr and GFP-LPXN might co-localize on the plasma membrane before BN treatment, but GRPr internalizes into cytosol while GFP-LPXN translocates to focal adhesions after addition of BN. We are currently determining if GRPr and LPXN co-immunoprecipitate (co-IP). Transient transfection analyses of GFP-tagged LPXN deletion mutants reveal the principle focal adhesion targeting/localizing domain lies in LIM3 and LIM4 since GFP-LIM (containing all 4 LIM domains) translocates to focal adhesions while a construct missing LIM3/4 fails to. In contrast to the cytoplasmic localization of full length LPXN, GFP-LIM is expressed in both nucleus and cytosol, suggesting that LD domain contains a nuclear export sequence. Phosphorylation of paxillin is important for its targeting to focal adhesions and LPXN is reported to be tyrosine phosphorylated. We incubated cells with 32PO4 and treated with and without BN to compare IPed GFP-LPXN complexes. GFP-LPXN phosphorylation does not detectably change, but other proteins that co-IP show increased phosphorylation after BN treatment. LPXN interacts with a focal adhesion kinase family member, Pyk2. Although BN does not affect the association between LPXN and Pyk2, BN stimulates endogenous Pyk2 phosphorylation in both transfected BALB cells and PC3 cells. GF109203X (a PKC inhibitor) fails to inhibit BN-induced Pyk2 activation, demonstrating that Pyk2 activation in PC3 cells does not require PKC. BN stimulates Pyk2 phosphorylation as well as GFP-LPXN translocation to focal adhesions in BALB cells expressing distal CTD mutants of GRPr, indicating that the distal CTD is not required for these two functions although an intact proximal CTD may be. Because focal adhesion proteins are involved in tumor metastasis and cell motility, these data suggest that BN/GRPr signaling might contribute to prostate cancer metastasis/cell motility by regulating LPXN location and Pyk2 activity.
Ultrasonic investigation of granular materials subjected to compression and crushing

Abstract Ultrasonic wave propagation measurement has been used as a suitable technique for studying the granular materials and investigating the soil fabric structure, the grain contact stiffness, frictional strength, and inter-particle contact area. Previous studies have focused on the variations of shear and compressional wave velocities with effective stress and void ratio, and lesser effort has been made in understanding the variation of amplitude and dominant frequency of transmitted compressional waves with deformation of soil packing. In this study, continuous compressional wave transmission measurements during compaction of unconsolidated quartz sand are used to investigate the impact of soil layer deformation on ultrasonic wave properties. The test setup consisted of a loading machine to apply constant loading rate to a sand layer (granular quartz) of 6 mm thickness compressed between two forcing blocks, and an ultrasonic wave measurement system to continuously monitor the soil layer during compression up to 48 MPa normal stress. The variations in compressional wave attributes such as wave velocity, transmitted amplitude, and dominant frequency were studied as a function of the applied normal stress and the measured normal strain as well as void ratio and particle size. An increasing trend was observed for P-wave velocity, transmitted amplitude and dominant frequency with normal stress. In specimen with the largest particle size (D50 = 0.32 mm), the wave velocity, amplitude and dominant frequency were found to increase about 230%, 4700% and 320% as the normal stress reached the value of 48 MPa. The absolute values of transmitted wave amplitude and dominant frequency were greater for specimens with smaller particle sizes while the normalized values indicate an opposite trend. The changes in the transmitted amplitude were linked to the changes in the true contact area between the particles with a transitional point in the slope of normalized amplitude, coinciding with the yield stress of the granular soil layer. The amount of grain crushing as a result of increase in the normal stress was experimentally measured and a linear correlation was found between the degree of grain crushing and the changes in the normalized dominant frequency of compressional waves.
Triarchic psychopathy and deficits in facial affect recognition

OBJECTIVE Impaired socialization due to amygdala dysfunction has been proposed as a factor underlying psychopathy. Supporting this hypothesis, some research indicates that psychopathy is associated with deficits in facial affect recognition, but other studies have failed to find such a relationship. This study investigated whether healthy young adults elevated in psychopathic traits displayed deficits in identifying facial affective displays overall as well as deficits specific to fear recognition. METHOD Facial affect recognition was measured in a sample of 110 undergraduate men (n = 36) and women (n = 74). Participants completed the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure, and participants' eye gaze was measured using ASL Eye Trac 6. The facial affect recognition task was created using the NimStim facial expression stimuli. RESULTS Individuals elevated in psychopathic traits did not display deficits in recognition of emotional faces overall or for fearful faces compared to individuals lower in psychopathic traits. However, meanness was negatively correlated with fear identification. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that deficient emotion processing in psychopathic individuals may be specific to ambiguous affective expressions. We discuss implications for the study of psychopathy and emotion processing.
Abstract P241: Antenatal Betamethasone Exposure Increases Oxidative Stress in African-American Adolescents Born Prematurely

Antenatal glucocorticoids administered to expectant mothers in jeopardy of pre-term delivery are reported to have detrimental effects on kidney development and function in the offspring. Indeed, African-Americans experience a disproportionately higher incidence of pre-term birth, hypertension and chronic kidney disease compared to their Caucasian counterparts. As oxidative stress has been linked to the development of renal disease, the current study determined levels of the oxidative stress marker 8-isoprostane in the urine of African American (AA) adolescents who were born prematurely ( in utero to betamethasone (BMX; N = 22), born prematurely but not exposed (PRE; N = 32) or born at term (>37 weeks; N = 19). Urinary 8-Isoprostane was determined by ELISA and normalized to urinary creatinine levels. In comparison to term AA, urinary 8-Isoprostane tended to be higher in PRE [1.5 + 0.3 vs. 2.0 + 0.2 pg/g creatinine; P = 0.07], but was significantly greater in the BMX cohort [2.4 + 0.4 pg/g creatinine; P = 0.03]. Oscillometric blood pressure percentiles (BPpct) were determined according to age and height. Systolic BPpct was significantly higher in PRE [51 + 4; P
Embryonic stem cells, nuclear transfer and parthenogenesis-derived stem cells for urological reconstruction

Abstract Regenerative medicine has made substantial progress in addressing congenital and acquired diseases that result in end organ failure by combining the principles of cell biology, materials science, engineering, and transplantation. This chapter will discuss the basic principles of tissue engineering and the contemporary use of stem cells in the field of urological research. It will also provide a review of leading stem cell procurement techniques utilized in contemporary tissue engineering labs. These include embryonic stem cell harvest, parthenogenesis, nuclear transfer, and most recently, induced pluripotent stem cells.
Adult Returning Students and Proportional Reasoning: Rich Experience and Emerging Mathematical Proficiency

i List of Tables v List of Figures vi Chapter 1: Introduction and Rationale for the Study
Metal-Semiconductor Schottky-Barrier Diodes

In a metal-semiconductor junction the difference between the work function of the metal φm and the electron affinity χs of an n type semiconductor, Fig. 2.1 (a), determines the barrier height (φm − χs) for the simple model shown on Fig. 2.1(b). This barrier forms by equalization of the Fermi levels across the junction due to the movement of electrons from the semiconductor to the metal interface. The barrier in the semiconductor itself is qV D = φm − φs and the junction conducts in the forward direction by movement of electrons over this barrier when the n type semiconductor is made negative with respect to the metal. If the work function of the metal is less than that of the n type semiconductor the barrier does not exist in this model and the junction is ohmic. However, if the semiconductor is p type and φ m < φ s then, as in Fig. 2.1(c) and (d), a rectifying junction is expected, and forward current flows when the semiconductor is positively biased with respect to the metal.
Underwater video mosaicing using topology and superpixel-based pairwise stitching

Abstract Expert and intelligent systems based on computer-vision algorithms are becoming a common part of our daily lives, as they help us solve problems in areas such as medicine, agriculture, transportation, and ecology. In this paper, we focus on the application of computer vision in marine ecology. Here, we propose a new algorithm for mosaicing images of coral reefs captured by scuba divers using hand-held cameras during reef surveys. Such images often capture partial views of the surveyed area that are then collated into mosaics of the reef assemblages. Accurate mosaics will help coral-reef researchers rapidly assess not only the status of coral reefs, but also determine rates of recovery or rates of decline using longitudinal data. Most standard mosaicing algorithms distort the images, however, and moving objects and parallax errors, which usually happen in underwater images, hinder mosaic construction. To overcome these issues, our new algorithm uses a two-step approach that first detects and then removes loops and low-quality regions from an estimated camera trajectory. The algorithm then stitches the remaining images by warping parallax-affected image regions with a geometric transformation different from the one used for parallax-unaffected regions. We tested our method on images captured during a large spatial survey of coral reef sites throughout the Caribbean region. Our method obtained better-quality mosaics than other state-of-the-art algorithms.
Individual essentialism in biology

A few philosophers of biology have recently explicitly rejected Essential Membership, the doctrine that if an individual organism belongs to a taxon, particularly a species, it does so essentially. But philosophers of biology have not addressed the broader issue, much discussed by metaphysicians on the basis of modal intuitions, of what is essential to the organism. In this paper, I address that issue from a biological basis, arguing for the Kripkean view that an organism has a partly intrinsic, partly historical, essence. The arguments appeal to the demands of biological explanation and are analogous to arguments that I have given elsewhere that a taxon has a partly intrinsic, partly historical, essence. These conclusions about the essences of individuals and taxa yield an argument for Essential Membership. Finally, I cast doubt on LaPorte’s objection to that doctrine arising from the view that a species cannot survive having a daughter.
Experimentally Derived and Computationally Optimized Backbone Conformational Statistics for Blocked Amino Acids

Experimentally derived, amino acid specific backbone dihedral angle distributions are invaluable for modeling data-driven conformational equilibria of proteins and for enabling quantitative assessm...
Using the Dermatology Life Quality Index to Assess How Breast Radiodermatitis Affects Patients' Quality of Life.

Purpose:The purpose of this study is to report the initial validation process for using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) for radiodermatitis of the breast.Methods:This is an additional ana...
GP239 Case report: an irish male with bilateral fibular aplasia tibial campomelia and oligosyndactyly (FATCO) syndrome

Introduction FATCO (Fibular Aplasia, Tibial Campomelia and Oligosyndactyly) syndrome is a rare descriptive diagnosis first defined by Courtens et al. in 2005, who recognised a comparable pattern of malformations with his own case and 4 others described in the literature.1 Aetiology remains unknown, however defects involved in SHH (Sonic hedgehog) gene expression have been proposed.2 Case description We report on a term male infant born with severe malformations. On examination, there was absence of the left radius and ulna, bilateral anterior angulation of lower limbs with skin dimpling overlying. Both ankle joints were dysplastic and there was oligosyndactly of both feet. Right upper limb was normal. X-rays of the limbs revealed dysplastic tibiae, absence of both fibulae, a right foot containing 3 ossified metatarsals with 2 formed digits, and a left foot with a single ossified metatarsal and two soft tissue digits with small bony elements. The infant had no other associated anomalies, and is developmentally appropriate at 1 year. Management included Symes amputation, prosthetics and following genetic referral, FATCO syndrome was suggested as the best fitting diagnosis. Whole genome sequencing of infants blood is currently being performed. Discussion This is an important case to report as there are very few descriptions in the literature,1–5 In keeping with the majority of reports, this case appears to be sporadic and development is normal.1,3,4 Our case is male, keeping with preponderance.1,3–5 Treatment aims at optimising functionality of limbs and stabilisations of joints.1–5 References Courtens W, Jespers A, Harrewijn I, Puylaert D, VAnhoenacker F. Fibular aplasia, tibial campomelia, and oligosyndactyly in a male newborn infant: a case report and review of the literature. Am J Med Genet A 2005;134(3):321–5. Bieganski T, Jamsheer A, Sowinska A, Baranska D, Niedzielski K, Kozlowski K, Czarny-Ratajczak M. 2012. Three new patients with FATCO: Fibular agenesis with ectrodactyly. Am J Med Genet Part A 158A:1542–1550. Petricevic J, Curic A, Karaman I, Forempoher G, Definis-Gojanovic M ( 2017) First Case of Bilateral Fibular Aplasia, Tibial Campomelia and Oli- godactyly Syndrome (FATCO Syndrome). J Clin Stud Med Case Rep 4: 046. Karaman A, Kahveci H. A male newborn infant with Fatco syndrome (fibular aplasia, tibial campomelia and oligodactyly): a case report. Genet Couns 2010;21(3):285–8. Goyal, Navendu, et al. ‘FATCO Syndrome Variant - Fibular Hypoplasia, Tibial Campomelia and Oligosyndactyly –– A Case Report.’ Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research: JCDR 8.9 (2014): LD01–LD02. PMC. Web.
Evaluation of the Biofire FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis assay for the detection of Cryptococcus neoformans/gattii.

Abstract Objectives Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised patients. Laboratory diagnostics for CM includes antigen detection, staining and culture. Data on the performance of the Biofire® FilmArray® meningitis/encephalitis (ME) panel for detecting Cryptococcus neoformans/gattii is limited, with several reports describing false negativity for this target. Methods A retrospective analysis of 1384 physician-ordered ME panel tests ordered between January 2017 to October 2018 was performed. ME panel results were compared to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) and CSF culture testing and clinical significance of cryptococcal detection was determined. Results There were 34 patients positive for cryptococcal detection by either ME panel, CSF CrAg or CSF culture in 2.7% of CSF specimens tested (38/1384). Of the 34 patients positive for cryptococcal detection, 85.3% were human immunodeficiency virus positive (29/34). The ME panel detected 32/38 (84.2%) cryptococcal-positive specimens, culture detected 28/38 (73.7%) and CSF CrAg was positive in 37/38 specimens (97.4%). The ME panel had a sensitivity and specificity of 96.4% (95% CI 81.7–99.9%) and 99.6% (95% CI 99.2–99.9%) compared with culture, and 83.8% (95% CI 68.0–93.8%) and 99.9% (95% CI 99.6–100.0%) compared to CSF CrAg testing, respectively. CrAg titres were lower among ME panel-negative, culture-negative specimens compared with ME panel-positive, culture-negative specimens (reciprocal median end-point titres of 128 ± 60 vs. 1920 ± 1730, p 0.04). All five CrAg-positive, ME panel- and culture-negative specimens were obtained from previously treated CM patients. Discussion The ME panel had high correlation with CSF culture and a somewhat lower correlation with CSF CrAg testing. The potential utility of using negative ME panel test results to predict culture sterility among patients undergoing treatment for CM warrants further study.
Pose optimization in robotic machining using static and dynamic stiffness models

Abstract Industrial robots are typically not used for milling of hard materials due to their low stiffness compared to traditional machine tools. Due to milling being a five degree of freedom (dof) operation, a typical six dof serial manipulator introduces a redundant degree of freedom in the robot pose. This redundancy can be exploited to optimize the pose of the robot during milling to minimize force-induced deflections at the end-effector. Stiffness modeling and optimization techniques for industrial robots utilizing both static (no mass and damping terms) and dynamic (mass and damping terms included) models exist. This paper presents a comparative study of robot pose optimization using static and dynamic stiffness models for different cutting scenarios. Milling experiments show that while a dynamic model-based robot pose optimization yields significant improvement over a static model-based optimization for cutting conditions where the time varying cutting forces approach the robot's natural frequencies, a static model-based optimization is sufficient when the frequency content of the cutting forces are not close to the robot's natural frequencies.
Toxoplasmosis chorioretinitis mimicking acute retinal necrosis associated with local corticosteroid

The cases discussed highlight the atypical presentation and diagnostic dilemmas of toxoplasmosis with fulminant retinal necrosis and the potentially devastating visual outcomes of toxoplasma chorioretinitis following local corticosteroid exposure. We report a series of three patients who presented with toxoplasmosis mimicking severe acute retinal necrosis. Patients were between 59 and 77 years old and had been exposed to local corticosteroids preceding our evaluation. All patients demonstrated diffuse retinal whitening with severe vision loss on presentation. Polymerase chain reaction testing (PCR) was diagnostic in two patients, and histopathologic examination of a vitrectomy specimen was diagnostic in one patient. All cases of retinitis resolved with anti-parasitic medication; however, visual acuity failed to improve in all patients due to disease severity and presentation. Local corticosteroid injection may trigger or exacerbate toxoplasmosis chorioretinitis, leading to fulminant retinal necrosis and severe vision loss. Toxoplasma chorioretinitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with clinical features of acute retinal necrosis, particularly following local corticosteroid injection regardless of their baseline systemic immune status. Diagnostic vitrectomy may be helpful in patients in whom PCR testing is negative and ocular toxoplasmosis is suspected.
Endoscopic Study of the Distribution of Olfactory Filaments: A Cadaveric Study:

ObjectiveProvide a detailed anatomical description of the olfactory filaments (OF) and their distribution in the nasal cavity through endoscopic endonasal dissection.MethodsFour cadaveric specimens...
Selective and efficient infrared detection by plasmonically heated vanadium-dioxide nanowire

Phase-changing materials are promising due to their sharp temperature dependent characteristics and have high potential of being integrated in optical switching and sensing techniques. Among such materials, vanadium dioxide (VO2) is the most utilitarian because of its transition temperature being close to the room-temperature. VO2-based bolometers utilize the material’s large temperature coefficient of resistivity to detect infrared radiation. However, to achieve large sensitivity, the active radiation absorption area needs to be large enough that allows sufficient temperature buildup from incident radiation absorbed by VO2, thus requiring large pixel dimen- sion and degrading the spatial resolution of bolometric sensing. Moreover, the absorption by the VO2 material is not optimized for a specific frequency band in most of the applications. On the other hand, plasmonic nanos- tructures can be tuned and designed to selectively and efficiently absorb a specific band of the incident radiation for local heating and thermal imaging. In this work, we propose to incorporate plasmonic nanostructures with VO2 nanowires that amplifies the slope of impedance change due to the thermal variations to achieve a higher sensitivity. We present the numerical analysis of the mid-infrared electromagnetic radiation absorption by the proposed detector showing near-perfect absorption by the plasmonic absorbers. Besides, the thermal buildup and the nanowire resistance change is predicted for different substrate, as the substrate plays a big role in heat distribution. We show high sensitivity and ultra-low noise equivalent temperature difference (NEDT) by our novel bolometric detector. We also discuss the fabrication of the VO2.
Prevalence, Outcome, and Management of Risk Factors in Patients With Breast Cancer With Peripheral Arterial Disease: A Tertiary Cancer Center’s Experience

Abstract Introduction The risk factors of breast cancer overlap with those of peripheral arterial disease (PAD), with increasing prevalence. In addition, there is under-utilization of risk factor modification measures in patients with PAD. Materials and Methods Electronic medical records of patients with breast cancer with International Classification of Diseases 9/10 codes for PAD spanning 10 years from June 1, 2009 to June 1, 2019 were reviewed. Results A total of 248 patients, 98% women, with a median age of 75 years and with a median follow-up of 76 months, were included. PAD risk factors were identified as smoking (44%), obesity (38%), hyperlipidemia (68%), hypertension (HTN) (74%), and diabetes (42%). Overall, survival was significantly impacted by smoking (P = .0301) and HTN (P = .0052). In a Cox proportion hazard ratio regression, HTN (overall death hazard ratio [HR], 3.1784; 95% CI, 1.0291-6.7490; P = .0070; cancer-related death HR, 2.6354; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0291-6.7490; P = .0434) and smoking (overall death HR, 1.7452; 95% CI 1.0707-2.8444; P = .0255; cancer-related death HR, 2.7432; 95% CI, 1.4190-5.3030; P = .0027) were predictors of overall death and cancer-related death. Of all patients, 48% were on statins and 54% were on antiplatelet therapies. Of the patients, 62% of current smokers were offered a smoking cessation program, 27% of obese patients were offered a nutrition consult, 42% of patients with diabetes had blood glucose controlled, and 54% of patients with HTN had blood pressure controlled. Conclusion Smoking and HTN are risk factors associated with decreased survival and predictive of overall death and cancer-related death. In this population, risk factor modification was under-utilized.
Experiences and perceptions of referrals to a community-based physical activity program for cancer survivors: a qualitative exploration

Physical activity rates in cancer survivors continue to be low despite the known benefits and availability of evidence-based programs. LIVESTRONG at the Y is a national community-based physical activity program offered cost-free to cancer survivors, though is underutilized. We explored perceptions and experiences of staff and participating survivors to better understand program awareness, referrals and participation. LIVESTRONG at the Y program staff [directors (n = 16), instructors (n = 4)] and survivors (n = 8) from 8 United States YMCAs took part in 30-min semi-structured phone interviews between March–May 2019. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and evaluated using a thematic analysis approach. Program staff themes included: 1) Program awareness should be further developed for both the general public and medical providers; 2) Strong relationships with medical providers increased program referrals; 3) Electronic referral systems between providers and LIVESTRONG would help to streamline the referral process; and 4) Bi-directional communication between program staff and medical providers is key to providing patient progress updates. Survivor themes included: 1) Survivors trust their medical team and the information they provide about physical activity; 2) Providers need to incorporate an action plan and referrals for survivors to be active once treatments are completed; and 3) Personal experiences of those who participated in LIVESTRONG resonate with survivors and increase participation. LIVESTRONG staff reported the need for an integrated electronic referral system and bi-directional communication with providers about participant progress. Survivors want physical activity education, electronic referrals and follow-up from their healthcare team, coupled with peer support from other survivors. Cancer care provider knowledge and electronic referrals during and after treatment may expedite and increase participation in this community-based program.
Milk and Other Intoxicating Choices: Official State Symbol Adoption

Although the practice of adopting official state symbols is widespread, little has been written on what legislators, when tasked with choosing a state symbol, should take into consideration. This article will contribute to an understanding of what official state symbols are, the purpose they serve, the qualities they should reflect, and how the value of symbols adopted may be improved through the application of recommended best practices.
Target Tracking and Following from a Multirotor UAV

In this paper, we present a general target tracking and following architecture for multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and provide pointers to related work. We restrict our discussions to tracking ground-based objects using a monocular camera that is not gimballed. Target tracking is accomplished using a novel visual front end combined with a recently developed multiple target tracking back end. The target following is accomplished using a novel, nonlinear control algorithm. We present an end-to-end target tracking and following architecture that uses a visual front end to obtain measurements and compute the homography, a tracking algorithm called Recursive Random Sample Consensus (R-RANSAC) to perform track initialization and tracking, a track selection scheme, and a target-following controller. Target tracking and following is accomplished using a monocular camera, an inertial measurement unit, an on-board computer, a flight control unit, a sensor to measure altitude, and a multirotor UAV under the assumption that the target is moving on fairly planar ground with nearly constant velocity.
It Takes a Tiny House Village: A Comparative Case Study of Barriers and Strategies for the Integration of Tiny House Villages for Homeless Persons in Missouri:

Although interest in addressing homelessness with tiny house villages continues to grow, they face numerous barriers, from land use laws to resident concerns about homeless populations. This resear...
Bromodomain containing 9 (BRD9) regulates macrophage inflammatory responses by potentiating glucocorticoid receptor activity

In macrophages, homeostatic and immune signals induce distinct sets of transcriptional responses, defining cellular identity and functional states. The activity of lineage-specific and signal-induced transcription factors are regulated by chromatin accessibility and other epigenetic modulators. Glucocorticoids are potent antiinflammatory drugs; however, the mechanisms by which they selectively attenuate inflammatory genes are not yet understood. Acting through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), glucocorticoids directly repress inflammatory responses at transcriptional and epigenetic levels in macrophages. A major unanswered question relates to the sequence of events that result in the formation of repressive regions. In this study, we identify bromodomain containing 9 (BRD9), a component of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, as a modulator of glucocorticoid responses in macrophages. Inhibition, degradation, or genetic depletion of BRD9 in bone marrow-derived macrophages significantly attenuated their responses to both liposaccharides and interferon inflammatory stimuli. Notably, BRD9-regulated genes extensively overlap with those regulated by the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone. Pharmacologic inhibition of BRD9 potentiated the antiinflammatory responses of dexamethasone, while the genetic deletion of BRD9 in macrophages reduced high-fat diet-induced adipose inflammation. Mechanistically, BRD9 colocalized at a subset of GR genomic binding sites, and depletion of BRD9 enhanced GR occupancy primarily at inflammatory-related genes to potentiate GR-induced repression. Collectively, these findings establish BRD9 as a genomic antagonist of GR at inflammatory-related genes in macrophages, and reveal a potential for BRD9 inhibitors to increase the therapeutic efficacies of glucocorticoids.
A Structural Model of a Multitasking Salesforce: Incentives, Private Information, and Job Design

This paper broadens the focus of empirical research on salesforce management to include multitasking settings with multidimensional incentives, where salespeople have private information about cust...
New monitoring and control scheme for preventing cascading outage

This paper presents a new approach for preventing cascading outage by coordinated system and local monitoring and control scheme. System monitoring evaluates the vulnerability and security of the power system during dynamic changing conditions. It finds the vulnerable power system components indicating that their protective relays need to be monitored closely. Local monitoring can provide the exact disturbance information and monitor the correctness of the actual relay operations. If the relays act improperly, the proposed approach enables one to mitigate the disturbance or prevent the possible cascading outage. Further system control actions may be chosen based on the local information update. Several examples using the IEEE test system demonstrate the advantages of this approach.
Molecular Dynamics Analysis of Antibody Recognition and Escape by Human H1N1 Influenza Hemagglutinin

The antibody immunoglobulin (Ig) 2D1 is effective against the 1918 hemagglutinin (HA) and also known to cross-neutralize the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza HA through a similar epitope. However, the detailed mechanism of neutralization remains unclear. We conducted molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the interactions between Ig-2D1 and the HAs from the 1918 pandemic flu (A/South Carolina/1/1918, 18HA), the 2009 pandemic flu (A/California/04/2009, 09HA), a 2009 pandemic flu mutant (A/California/04/2009, 09HA_mut), and the 2006 seasonal flu (A/Solomon Islands/3/2006, 06HA). MM-PBSA analyses suggest the approximate free energy of binding (ΔG) between Ig-2D1 and 18HA is −74.4 kcal/mol. In comparison with 18HA, 09HA and 06HA bind Ig-2D1 ∼6 kcal/mol (ΔΔG) weaker, and the 09HA_mut bind Ig-2D1 only half as strong. We also analyzed the contributions of individual epitope residues using the free-energy decomposition method. Two important salt bridges are found between the HAs and Ig-2D1. In 09HA, a serine-to-asparagine mutation coincided with a salt bridge destabilization, hydrogen bond losses, and a water pocket formation between 09HA and Ig-2D1. In 09HA_mut, a lysine-to-glutamic-acid mutation leads to the loss of both salt bridges and destabilizes interactions with Ig-2D1. Even though 06HA has a similar ΔG to 09HA, it is not recognized by Ig-2D1 in vivo. Because 06HA contains two potential glycosylation sites that could mask the epitope, our results suggest that Ig-2D1 may be active against 06HA only in the absence of glycosylation. Overall, our simulation results are in good agreement with observations from biological experiments and offer novel mechanistic insights, to our knowledge, into the immune escape of the influenza virus.
Near-Rational Alternatives and the Empirical Evaluation of Real Business Cycle Models

This paper shows that if the consumers in a “standard” real business cycle (RBC) model are permitted to use near-rational decision rules—that is, decision rules from which they suer trivial utility losses—then it is dicult to distinguish the standard model from several competing extensions on the basis of the models’ implications for a small set of key time series statistics. Moreover, there exist near-rational alternatives to the standard model which reproduce exactly the values of these statistics in observed time series. These findings suggest that RBC researchers should examine much larger sets of second moments when evaluating the empirical performance of RBC models.
The planar filament equation

The planar filament equation and its relation to the modified Korteweg-deVries equation are studied in the context of Poisson geometry. The structure of the planar filament equation is shown to be similar to that of the 3-D localized induction equation, previously studied by the authors.
Temperature and rate dependent thermomechanical modeling of shape memory polymers with physics based phase evolution law

Abstract The thermomechanical constitutive models are critical for shape memory polymers (SMPs) in analyzing their shape memory behaviors under different conditions. Recently, the phase evolution modeling approach proposed by Liu et al. (2006) has been extended and widely used due to its simplicity and generality. However, the lack of physical explanation has become its major limitation. In this study, a phase evolution law was proposed from the physics perspective. The shape memory polymer was then treated as a frozen-phase matrix with active-phase inclusions embedded in it and the Mori-Tanaka approach was used to predict the effective mechanical properties. The theoretical predictions were compared with available experimental results and reasonable agreement was found. The influence of the intrinsic material structures and the thermomechanical conditions on the shape memory behavior were evaluated by parametric studies.
Psychological traumas of war: training school counselors as home-front responders.

Purpose: With nearly 3 million US troops having deployed for Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) since the conflicts began, an estimated 2 million children have been separated from a parent. This manuscript describes a collaborative project between a state's Veterans Healthcare System, a branch of the American Counseling Association, and a medical university on the OEF/OIF/OND deployment experience. Methods: The project sought to educate school counselors about experiences of OEF/OIF/OND families and learn from their observations as home-front responders in public schools during a 2-day summer workshop. This manuscript describes the framework of the workshop, pre/post evaluation results, and implications for counselors, educators, and supervisors. Findings: School counselors identified childcare and parenting, emotions and behaviors, finances, and barriers to counseling services as challenges for military children and families. Following the workshop, school counselors reported a greater knowledge concerning understanding aspects of outreach for schools and communities in working with veterans and their families. They also reported a better understanding of the impact of war on military families and knowledge of local and state resources for this population. Specifically, attendees felt they could better identify issues and needs of OEF/OIF/OND families with young children, recommend parenting skills to assist these families, and recognize their psychiatric or medical issues. Conclusion: In addressing the mental health disparities of military children experiencing combat-related parental separation, it is important to identify protective environments that could provide prevention interventions for this population. Collaboration between the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and Department of Education could help support military families and a society facing continued conflicts abroad.
SIMULINK modules that emulate digital controllers realized with fixed-point or floating-point arithmetic

Hardware issues that must be considered in computer simulations of digital controllers are presented. Both fixed-point and floating-point arithmetic formats are discussed and analyzed with respect to the emulation of digital controllers. The integration of specialized programming routines with the SIMULINK software system is presented. These specialized programs perform fixed-point and floating-point arithmetic emulation. >
Rescuing the Budget Process

There is no doubt that the budget process is broken. Congress has not even tried to agree on a Budget Resolution—the normal first step in the annual budget process–for several years. Instead, hopes of a major agreement designed to stabilize the rising debt have rested on the creation of special mechanisms outside the regular budget process. First there was the President’s Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (the Simpson Bowles Commission) in 2010. When no legislative action followed that report, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden tried to hammer out a deal withHouse and senate leadership. ThenU.S. President Barack H. Obama and U.S. Speaker John Boehner worked together on a “grand bargain” both political parties could accept. After these efforts failed—and the debt ceiling debacle in the fall summer of 2011 showed how deeply broken regular congressional processes had become—hopes were pinned on yet another special committee. Legislation created the Joint Select Committee (JSC), dubbed the “Super Committee,” and gave it a tight deadline and truly extraordinary powers. Optimists thought that the JSC might succeed. If it had had strong from the president and the leadership in both houses, it might indeed have been able to agree on actions to stabilize the rising debt and use its powers to set the federal budget on a sustainable path. But that support did not materialize, gridlock prevailed, and the JSC became one more entry on a list of failures. Gridlock is likely to last at least through the 2012 presidential election, perhaps longer. But even if one of these extraordinary mechanisms had succeeded in reaching a “grand bargain,” this dismal history simply illustrates how completely the normal budget process has failed. Our much-vaunted democracy should not have to abandon its normal decision processes and concentrate power in the hands of an ad hoc group to solve a budget problem.
Beam Plug for Radiation Shielding Penetrations

A beam line plug has been designed to fill the cylindrical hole formed by beam lines which pass through radiation shielding walls. The plug consists of multiple steel discs held together along their cylindrical axis by a steel cable forming a flexible snake-like structure. Other disc materials including laminates may be used to solve a variety of radiation shielding problems. When the beam line is to be used, the plug is pneumatically withdrawn into a vertical extension of vacuum line that is connected through a 90° bend to the beam line. Upon release, the plug is reinserted by pneumatic action. The beam plugs being used at the Brookhaven Three-stage MP Tandem Van de Graaff Facility are 7.6 cm diameter and provide 80 cm equivalent thickness of steel to fill penetrations through a 120 cm thick concrete wall. Fast-neutron measurements at the shielding wall surface show that the beam plug is indistinguishable from concrete shielding. A description of the beam plug mechanism, failsafe features, test results, and performance data is presented.
New Cytotoxic Fatty Acid from Desmos cochinchinensis (Annonaceae)

Abstract Desmosic acid, a novel cytotoxic fatty acid, was isolated from Desmos cochinchinensis Lour. (Annonaceae). Its structure was established by spectroscopic and chemical methods.
A framework for characterizing overlap of communication and computation in parallel applications

Effective overlap of computation and communication is a well understood technique for latency hiding and can yield significant performance gains for applications on high-end computers. In this paper, we propose an instrumentation framework for message-passing systems to characterize the degree of overlap of communication with computation in the execution of parallel applications. The inability to obtain precise time-stamps for pertinent communication events is a significant problem, and is addressed by generation of minimum and maximum bounds on achieved overlap. The overlap measures can aid application developers and system designers in investigating scalability issues. The approach has been used to instrument two MPI implementations as well as the ARMCI system. The implementation resides entirely within the communication library and thus integrates well with existing approaches that operate outside the library. The utility of the framework is demonstrated by analyzing communication-computation overlap for micro-benchmarks and the NAS benchmarks, and the insights obtained are used to modify the NAS SP benchmark, resulting in improved overlap.
Covariation of Cochlear Implant Users' Perception and Production of Vowel Contrasts and Their Identification by Listeners With Normal Hearing

This study investigates covariation of perception and production of vowel contrasts in speakers who use cochlear implants and identification of those contrasts by listeners with normal hearing. Formant measures were made of seven vowel pairs whose members are neighboring in acoustic space. The vowels were produced in carrier phrases by 8 postlingually deafened adults, before and after they received their cochlear implants (CI). Improvements in a speaker's production and perception of a given vowel contrast and normally hearing listeners' identification of that contrast in masking noise tended to occur together. Specifically, speakers who produced vowel pairs with reduced contrast in the pre-CI condition (measured by separation in the acoustic vowel space) and who showed improvement in their perception of these contrasts post-CI (measured with a phoneme identification test) were found to have enhanced production contrasts post-CI in many cases. These enhanced production contrasts were associated, in turn, ...
Rheological characterization and electrokinetic phenomena of charged whey protein dispersions of defined sizes

Abstract A multi-step processing technique produced large colloidal particles from whey proteins, prompting instantaneous thickening upon hydration. Analysis of the rheological characteristics and zeta potential of the modified whey suspensions of defined particle sizes allowed investigation into the role of size on ingredient functionality. Preliminarily, the modified protein powders were sieved to achieve three size ranges, and analyzes were conducted on each of the three distributions and the non-sieved fractions. Following hydration, steady and oscillatory shear analyzes were performed using a controlled stress rheometer to determine rheological characteristics. Intrinsic viscosity was determined with a capillary viscometer and application of the Huggins equation. Zeta potential was calculated from colloidal electrophoretic mobility, measured with a ZetaPALS analyser. After thorough hydration, particle-size analysis revealed a size increase of >1.3 times for each fraction. When analysed on a protein basis, increasing particle size yielded an increase to intrinsic viscosity, flow behavior index, zero shear viscosity, and a decreased zeta potential and consistency coefficient. Knowledge of the interrelationship between zeta potential, rheological properties, and particle size of the modified whey ingredient will further advance an understanding of the functionality of this protein ingredient.
Antenatal Steroids (AS) Accentuate the Increase in Functional Residual Capacity (FRC) in Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) Infants Treated With Dexamethasone (D). † 1071

Antenatal Steroids (AS) Accentuate the Increase in Functional Residual Capacity (FRC) in Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) Infants Treated With Dexamethasone (D). † 1071
An Evidence-Based Approach to Improving Performance Standards of the Charge Nurse Role in a Union Environment

Abstract Background At Stanford and Lucille Packard Hospitals, the role of the Charge Nurse was not standardized. There were no competencies, formal training, nor mentoring. This impeded unit workflow; continuity of care; and the ability to provide adequate clinical support to staff, physicians, and patients. In addition, the role was being assigned to multiple staff, which decreased accountability and commitment. It was evident that the role needed to be more clearly enhanced and defined. Methods Making improvements to this position would be challenging in a union environment; therefore, staff participation and collaboration was the key. Fueled by a review of best practices found in the literature, a team of nurses including union representatives, Advanced Practice Nurses, and managers was convened to work on role development. The work entailed an assessment of current practice, identification of characteristics of best and worst performance, development of competencies, defining the job description, and gaining consensus to decrease the number of staff performing in this capacity. Subsequently, staff were expected to reapply for this position and given a 3-month trial to meet the new competency expectations. Staff that met the new criteria or showed improvement were provided formal classroom training and informal mentoring. Surveys are currently being conducted to assess the perceived improvement in Charge Nurse performance. Results Outcomes from role restructure, structured classroom training, informal mentoring, and increased opportunities to perform the role has resulted in perceived and anecdotal evidence of increased accountability, satisfaction, and proficiency in role performance. Conclusions There has been a dramatic change in the performance of nurses in the Charge Nurse role. Results included an increased anticipation of workflow issues, a more proactive vs reactive approach to problem solving, smoother unit operations, and improvements in staff and physician satisfaction.