cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study on antitussive substance of sinapis alba seeds based on the relationship between drug processing and activity

Aim To study the antitussive substance of sinapis alba seeds through the relationship between processing and the activity.Methods Compare the ingredient content between fresh and roasted sinapis alba seeds by HPLC.The experimental animal cough symptoms were evoked by 0.25 ammonia.Researohers com-pared the antitussive effects between fresh and roasted sinapis alba seeds by cough latent period and cough frequency within 2 minutes.The p-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile that increased markedly after roasting was seperated,and the antitussive effect of p-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile was tested.Results After being roasted,the antitussive effect and the p-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile content of sinapis alba seeds were markedly enhanced.Compared with the negative group,p-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile had stronger antitussive effect,and the difference was statistically significant(P 0.05).Compared with roasted sinapis alba seeds group,middle and high dose p-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile produced higher antitussive effect.Conclusions The antitussive effect and the level of p-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile in sinapis alba seeds increased after being roasted.The antitussive effects of p-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile is significant,and p-hydroxyphenylacetonitrile is antitussive substance of sinapis alba seeds.
Absorption of the Successful Entrepeneur: Challenges and Complexities Leading to Further Achievement

Entrepreneurs are potentially valuable resources for any organization seeking to gain competitive advantage, enter new markets, and/or develop new and innovative products and/or product lines. The absorption of an entrepreneur into another organization is considered to be a difficult or even impossible task. We seek to understand how entrepreneurs and their companies can be successfully absorbed into new organizations. A sample of 21 successful entrepreneurs were interviewed for this research. As the entrepreneurs’ companies were acquired and merged with the new organizations, what criteria allowed for the successful absorption of the entrepreneur? We seek to understand from their experiences those events resulting in their successful or unsuccessful inclusion. The study incorporates two perspectives. The first is that of the entrepreneur, obtained from the interviews. The literature review provides us with the perspective of the acquiring firm. Two significant findings emerge. Any successful manager may have the same skills and capabilities that allow entrepreneurs to be successful. The merger and acquisition process directly impacts the level of successful integration of the entrepreneur into the new organization. The research suggests that the successful absorption of the entrepreneur into the new firm can be accomplished with several key steps.
Identification of multiple conformers of the ionic liquid [emim][tf2n] in the gas phase using IR/UV action spectroscopy

In this study we investigate the effect of deuteration and molecular beam temperature on the hydrogen bond in the ionic liquid [emim][tf2n]. Using IR/UV double resonance spectroscopy, we probe the microscopic structure of the [emim][tf2n] ion pair and its mono-deuterated, [emim-d1][tf2n], analog. Comparisons of the infrared absorption frequencies between these two species show that there are multiple conformers of the ion pair present in the gas phase and trapped through the molecular beam cooling process. Furthermore, each conformer has a characteristic red shift in the frequency of its C2–H group that reveals the variation in strength of a hydrogen bond between the cation and anion.
Effects of Lithotripter-Generated High Energy Shock Waves on Mammalian Cells in Vitro

AbstractThe effects of high energy shock waves on an established human prostatic carcinoma cell line (PC-3) were investigated. HESW were administered to PC-3 cell suspensions using an electrohydraulic lithotripter (Dornier HM3). Experimental variables included the number of shocks to which the cells were exposed, spark generator potential, and the position of the cell sample in the acoustic field. Two types of cellular damage were observed: immediate cell destruction (lysis) as measured by electronic particle counting and the loss of reproductive capacity (viability) among the remaining cells as determined by colony formation assay. Over the range of the experimental variables studied, cell lysis was dependent to a greater extent on the number of shocks administered than the generator potential. Viability was affected less but was also dependent on both the generator potential and shock number. Cell lysis was strongly dependent on the position of the sample in the acoustic field with the extent of damage ...
Spaceborne and airborne sensors in water quality assessment

Remotely sensed data can increase the ability of water resources researchers and decision-makers to monitor waterbodies more effectively. In recent decades, remote-sensing techniques have been widely used to measure the qualitative parameters of waterbodies i.e. suspended sediments, coloured dissolved organic matter CDOM, chlorophyll-a, and pollutants. A large number of different sensors on board various satellites and other platforms, such as aeroplanes, are currently used to measure the amount of radiation at various wavelengths reflected from the water’s surface. In this review article, the more commonly employed spaceborne and airborne sensors used in water quality investigations are introduced and their utility in the quantitative assessment of the quality parameters of waterbodies is discussed. Various properties spectral, spatial and temporal, etc. of spaceborne and airborne sensors are tabulated to be used as a sensor selection guide. These tables are helpful when designing water quality assessment studies, and can be used for the selection of appropriate sensors among many other available sensors in the market. Finally, based on the literature survey, a compilation of sensors used to measure various water quality parameters is presented.
Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation After Acute Myocardial Infarction in the Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Era

Ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is a term used to denote MR (mitral regurgitation) that occurs secondary to ischemic heart disease. Although transient ischemia can provoke IMR that is reversible with relief of ischemia, the most common form of IMR in clinical practice is associated with chronic ischemic cardiomyopathy. In such patients, global or regional left ventricular (LV) remodeling leads to a combination of leaflet tethering, reduced LV closing force, and annular dilation.1,2 LV dyssynchrony may also play a role when there is left bundle branch block. It has been demonstrated in multiple studies that IMR is associated with a poor prognosis in ischemic cardiomyopathy. Importantly, the initiating event that leads to ischemic cardiomyopathy is usually a first myocardial infarction (MI). Lamas et al3 reported that IMR in the setting of acute MI was associated with adverse prognosis SAVE trial (Survival And Ventricular Enlargement). Subsequently, Grigioni et al4 reported the effect of IMR on prognosis in the late phase post MI. However, those trials were performed before the routine use of acute percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as treatment of acute MI. See Article by Nishino et al In this issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging , Nishino et al5 report a serial evaluation of the degree of MR in the setting of first-onset acute MI treated with successful PCI, from the first access to the emergency room to 6 to 8 months later. In 546 patients, the prevalence of significant IMR in the acute MI phase was 35%, defined semiquantitatively (vena contracta method). The authors evaluated the changes of IMR severity …
Managing Microbial Communities in Caves

Microbial communities in caves vary from striking microbial mats observed in many lava tubes worldwide, to occasional colonies on the wall, to invisible biofilms on rock walls and ceilings of caves, to microbial end products, such as manganese oxides. The investigations of the last decade, using culture-independent techniques in which we extract DNA from environmental samples and sequence clones to identify organisms present based on their genetic sequence, have revealed a wealth of microbial species never before described. These microorganisms represent a minimally explored treasure trove of organisms that can be impacted by the actions of humans living above caves and exploring within caves. The degree to which we impact cave microbial communities depends on the nature of the cave. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, USA, and other similar caves, have rivers or streams running through major portions of the cave. Water flowing into caves may either bring plumes of pollutants to many parts of the cave and/or may help to wash away some impact caused by human visitation. Arid-land caves, such as Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico, USA, that lack much in the way of flowing water, may be subjected to other kinds of impacts. Several strategies have been suggested to lower the impact that we explorers, scientists, and people living above caves have on cave microbial communities in order to preserve them for future study. Cave microbial communities can represent an extremely valuable resource that is worth protecting by modifying our behavior in visiting and living above caves.
Inferring the behavior of distributed energy resources with online learning

In this paper, we apply an emerging method, online learning with dynamics, to deduce properties of distributed energy resources (DERs) from coarse measurements, e.g., measurements taken at distribution substations, rather than household-level measurements. Reduced sensing requirements can lower infrastructure costs associated with reliably incorporating DERs into the distribution network. We specifically investigate whether dynamic mirror descent (DMD), an online learning algorithm, can determine the real-time controllable demand served by a distribution feeder using feeder-level active power demand measurements. In our scenario, DMD incorporates various controllable demand and uncontrollable demand models to generate real-time controllable demand estimates. In a realistic scenario, these estimates have an RMS error of 8.34% of the average controllable demand, which improves to 5.53% by incorporating more accurate models. We propose topics for additional work in modeling, system identification, and the DMD algorithm itself that could improve the RMS errors.
CAPACITY, POTENTIAL, AND ABILITY: INTEGRATING DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO STUDYING ANIMAL VS HUMAN CREATIVE PROCESSES

For all of the differences between studying animal and human creativity and innovation, there are enough similarities that we can gain insight by integrating both perspectives. Both research approaches focus on creative ability, but animal studies favor the concept of creative capacity whereas human scholars prefer the idea of creative potential. We explore here the implications of these differences and what each field can learn from the other.
Strategies for characterizing highly polymorphic markers in human gene mapping.

Abstract Before new markers are thoroughly characterized, they are usually screened for high polymorphism on the basis of a small panel of individuals. Four commonly used screening strategies are compared in terms of their power to correctly classify a marker as having heterozygosity of 70% or higher. A small number of typed individuals (10, say) are shown to provide good discrimination power between low- and high-heterozygosity markers when the markers have a small number of alleles. Characterizing markers in more detail requires larger sample sizes (e.g., at least 80-100 individuals) if there is to be a high probability of detecting most or all alleles. For linkage analyses involving highly polymorphic markers, the practice of arbitrarily assuming equal gene frequencies can cause serious trouble. In the presence of untyped individuals, when gene frequencies are unequal but are assumed to be equal in the analysis, recombination-fraction estimates tend to be badly biased, leading to strong false-positive evidence for linkage.
“You Can't Run Into a Burning Building Without Getting Burned Yourself”: An Ecological Systems Perspective of Parents Choosing Out-of-Home Care for an Intercountry Adopted Child

Increasingly, intercountry adopted children have special needs similar to children adopted from foster care in the United States. Out-of-home placement may be necessary when less restrictive servic...
Thermo-optical properties of packed nanoparticle thermal interface materials

Heat dissipation has become one of the biggest challenges to improving the performance, reliability and power density of electronic devices. One of the crucial components in electronics packaging that must be further developed to address this challenge is thermal interface materials (TIMs). Recently, packed SiO2 nanoparticles, which could serve as TIMs when embedded in a polymer matrix, have been shown to greatly enhance thermal transport due to near-field electromagnetic interactions. Here we investigate the optical excitations of these types of nanoparticle configurations by solving Maxwell's equations by applying the Finite Difference Frequency Domain technique. We show that near-field thermal energy enhancement between the nanoparticles is affected by different configurations of nanoparticles. We also show that by changing the particle spacing, the surface plasmonic effects could be tuned to achieve high absorption in a narrow spectral range, corresponding to a high density of states of thermal emission. Results are compared to first-principle calculations of the near-field spectral thermal emission with excellent agreement. These results give insight into the electromagnetic interactions in high thermal conductivity packed particle beds and will aid in the design of new TIM materials.
Clinical trials of exon skipping in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

ABSTRACTIntroduction: DMD is most common form of severe childhood muscular dystrophy. The large size of the DMD gene challenges DNA repair or replacement. However, experimental in vitro and in vivo studies using antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) showed that exon skipping could result in production of a truncated dystrophin protein with potential to modify the dystrophic phenotype. This provided the impetus for clinical testing as discussed in this review.Area covered: Clinical trials were begun using alternative strategies employing antisense oligonucleotides to correct the reading frame of the mutant DMD gene. Exon 51 was target for skipping because it potentially captures the largest subgroup of DMD patients estimated to be 13% of the affected patients. One strategy used drisapersen, a 2′-O-methyl-phosphorothioate oligonucleotide (2OMePS) while the other employed a phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO) called eteplirsen.Expert opinion: Drisapersen initially introduced by intramuscular injection a...
A phase I, randomized, single-dose study evaluating the pharmacokinetic equivalence of biosimilar ABP 215 and bevacizumab in healthy adult men.

This study compared the pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles of the proposed biosimilar ABP 215 with bevacizumab in healthy males. In this randomized, single-blind, single-dose, three-arm, parallel-group study, healthy subjects were randomized to receive ABP 215 (n = 68), bevacizumab (US) (n = 67), or bevacizumab (EU) (n = 67) 3 mg/kg intravenously. Primary endpoints were area under the serum concentration–time curve from time 0 extrapolated to infinity (AUCinf) and the maximum observed concentration (C max). Secondary endpoints included safety and immunogenicity. AUCinf and C max were similar across the three groups. Geometric means ratio (GMR) for C max and AUCinf, respectively, was 0.98 and 0.99 for ABP 215 versus bevacizumab (US); 1.03 and 0.96 for ABP 215 versus bevacizumab (EU); and 1.05 and 0.97 for bevacizumab (US) versus bevacizumab (EU). The 90% confidence intervals for the GMRs of AUCinf and C max were within the prespecified standard PK bioequivalence criteria of 0.80 to 1.25. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) was 47.1, 32.8, and 61.2% in the ABP 215, bevacizumab (US) and bevacizumab (EU) groups, respectively. When analyzed by investigational site, the incidence and severity of AEs were comparable in the ABP 215 and bevacizumab groups. There were no AEs leading to study discontinuation. No binding or neutralizing anti-drug anti-bodies was detected. This study demonstrated the PK similarity of ABP 215 to both bevacizumab (US) and bevacizumab (EU), and of bevacizumab (US) to bevacizumab (EU). Safety and tolerability were comparable between treatments and no subject developed binding or neutralizing anti-drug anti-bodies.
The Laws and Economics of Confucianism: Kinship and Property in Preindustrial China and England

Tying together cultural history, legal history, and institutional economics, The Laws and Economics of Confucianism: Kinship and Property in Preindustrial China and England offers a novel argument as to why Chinese and English preindustrial economic development went down different paths. The dominance of Neo-Confucian social hierarchies in Late Imperial and Republican China, under which advanced age and generational seniority were the primary determinants of sociopolitical status, allowed many poor but senior individuals to possess status and political authority highly disproportionate to their wealth. In comparison, landed wealth was a fairly strict prerequisite for high status and authority in the far more 'individualist' society of early modern England, essentially excluding low-income individuals from secular positions of prestige and leadership. Zhang argues that this social difference had major consequences for property institutions and agricultural production.
Pharmacy-level barriers to implementing expedited partner therapy in Baltimore, Maryland.

Background Addressing record high rates of Chlamydia trachomatis incidence in the United States requires the utilization of effective strategies, such as expedited partner therapy, to reduce reinfection and further transmission. Expedited partner therapy, which can be given as a prescription or medication, is a strategy to treat the sexual partners of index patients diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection without prior medical evaluation of the partners. Objective There are multiple steps in the prescription–expedited partner therapy cascade, and we sought to identify pharmacy-level barriers to implementing prescription–expedited partner therapy for Chlamydia trachomatis treatment. Study Design We used spatial analysis and ArcGIS, a geographic information system, to map and assess geospatial access to pharmacies within Baltimore, MD, neighborhoods with the highest rates of Chlamydia trachomatis (1180.25–4255.31 per 100,000 persons). Expedited partner therapy knowledge and practices were collected via a telephone survey of pharmacists employed at retail pharmacies located in these same neighborhoods. Cost of antibiotic medication in US dollars was collected. Results Census tracts with the highest Chlamydia trachomatis incidence rates had lower median pharmacy density than other census tracts (26.9 per 100,000 vs 31.4 per 100,000, P Conclusion Limited geographic access to pharmacies, lack of pharmacist awareness of expedited partner therapy, and wide variation in expedited partner therapy medication cost are potential barriers to implementing prescription–expedited partner therapy. Although most Baltimore pharmacists were unaware of expedited partner therapy, they were generally receptive to learning about and filling expedited partner therapy prescriptions. This finding suggests the need for wide dissemination of educational material targeted to pharmacists. In areas with limited geographic access to pharmacies, expedited partner therapy strategies that do not depend on partners physically accessing a pharmacy merit consideration.
Predictors for patients understanding reason for hospitalization

Author(s): Weerahandi, Himali; Ziaeian, Boback; Fogerty, Robert L; Jenq, Grace Y; Horwitz, Leora I | Abstract: ObjectiveTo examine predictors for understanding reason for hospitalization.MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of a prospective, observational cohort study of patients 65 years or older admitted for acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, or pneumonia and discharged home. Primary outcome was complete understanding of diagnosis, based on post-discharge patient interview. Predictors assessed were the following: jargon on discharge instructions, type of medical team, whether outpatient provider knew if the patient was admitted, and whether the patient reported more than one day notice before discharge.ResultsAmong 377 patients, 59.8% of patients completely understood their diagnosis. Bivariate analyses demonstrated that outpatient provider being aware of admission and having more than a day notice prior to discharge were not associated with patient understanding diagnosis. Presence of jargon was not associated with increased likelihood of understanding in a multivariable analysis. Patients on housestaff and cardiology teams were more likely to understand diagnosis compared to non-teaching teams (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.30-4.61, pl0.01 and OR 3.83, 95% CI 1.92-7.63, pl0.01, respectively).ConclusionsNon-teaching team patients were less likely to understand their diagnosis. Further investigation of how provider-patient interaction differs among teams may aid in development of tools to improve hospital to community transitions.
Is This Pilot Test Over

Beginning in 1994, members of the Financial Services Technology Consortium collaborated to design eCheck, an Internet-based payment mechanism. In the fall of 1997 a pilot project was launched involving the United States Treasury and U.S. Department of Defense. This case describes the issues involved in soliciting participants and resolving intellectual property, system architecture, regulatory, strategic and other issues. In July 2001 a server failed, prompting the eCheck team to question whether it was time to officially declare an end to the pilot. This case was prepared for use in an MBA-level class on IT Management or Project Management. The case provides a vehicle for discussing the following topics: Regulatory, business, technical, and project management challenges in managing complex IT initiatives. The project life-cycle. Guidelines for effectively learning from IT projects. Stakeholder analysis for consortium-led IT initiatives. Unique issues that arise in multi-organization systems development initiatives.
Cardiovascular manifestations of Erdheim–Chester disease

Introduction Erdheim-Chester disease is a rare, multisystem hematologic disease. Cardiovascular involvement is seen in patients with Erdheim-Chester disease and can lead to increased morbidity and mortality. In this series, we report various cardiovascular manifestations of patients with Erdheim-Chester disease. Methods This study includes patients with Erdheim-Chester disease who were referred to our institution from 12/3/2009 through 12/13/2017. All patients had biopsy-proven Erdheim-Chester disease. Clinical data, multimodality imaging, and cardiac tests were reviewed. Results Cardiovascular findings in 24 patients with Erdheim-Chester disease were included in the study. We reviewed available transthoracic echocardiograms, whole body PET/CT scans, and CMR studies. Most patients were male and mean age at the time of diagnosis was 58 years. Pericardial involvement (13%), myocardial infiltration (25%), endocardial involvement (4%), valvular disease (17%), aortic/vascular disease (17%), conduction system infiltration (8%), and coronary artery disease (25%) were present. At a median follow-up of 5.5 years, mortality was 17%. Conclusions Erdheim-Chester disease can involve various cardiovascular structures and is frequently diagnosed on an imaging modality. Some patients had asymptomatic involvement, but others presented with ischemic heart disease, heart failure, valvular disease, and conduction system abnormalities. Early recognition of cardiovascular involvement of Erdheim-Chester disease is needed because of high morbidity and mortality.
8 – Static Analysis of Plane Frames

A frame structure is an assembly of prismatic members that are rigidly connected at their ends. The joints where the members are interconnected and the points at which the frame is supported are called nodes. External loads can be applied to either the nodes or the interior points of the members. Thus, a frame member may undergo both longitudinal and transverse deflections. The chapter explores a commonly used plane frame model. A frame member is modeled as an elastic prismatic element that can sustain both transverse and longitudinal deformations. The longitudinal displacement and transverse displacement of such a member are governed by the given differential equations. A fundamental problem of a plane frame determining its static response—displacements, internal forces, and reactions at supports—subjected to external loads and support settlement. The chapter provides a toolbox of MATLAB functions for the solution of the problem.
Fast pressure-jump all-atom simulations and experiments reveal site-specific protein dehydration-folding dynamics

As theory and experiment have shown, protein dehydration is a major contributor to protein folding. Dehydration upon folding can be characterized directly by all-atom simulations of fast pressure drops, which create desolvated pockets inside the nascent hydrophobic core. Here, we study pressure-drop refolding of three λ-repressor fragment (λ6-85) mutants computationally and experimentally. The three mutants report on tertiary structure formation via different fluorescent helix-helix contact pairs. All-atom simulations of pressure drops capture refolding and unfolding of all three mutants by a similar mechanism, thus validating the nonperturbative nature of the fluorescent contact probes. Analysis of simulated interprobe distances shows that the α-helix 1-3 pair distance displays a slower characteristic time scale than the 1-2 or 3-2 pair distance. To see whether slow packing of α-helices 1 and 3 is reflected in the rate-limiting folding step, fast pressure-drop relaxation experiments captured refolding on a millisecond time scale. These experiments reveal that refolding monitored by 1-3 contact formation indeed is much slower than when monitored by 1-2 or 3-2 contact formation. Unlike the case of the two-state folder [three-α-helix bundle (α3D)], whose drying and core formation proceed in concert, λ6-85 repeatedly dries and rewets different local tertiary contacts before finally forming a solvent-excluded core, explaining the non-two-state behavior observed during refolding in molecular dynamics simulations. This work demonstrates that proteins can explore desolvated pockets and dry globular states numerous times before reaching the native conformation.
The Impact of Psychological Contract Breach on Student-Athlete Perceived In-Role Performance and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors

Recent research has demonstrated that breached psychological contracts between student-athletes and their coaches can have negative consequences for team members (Barnhill, Czekanski, & Turner, 2013; Barnhill & Turner, 2013, 2014). While these studies are informative, they have been focused on student-athlete attitudes. The purpose of this study was to explore how psychological contracts affect student-athletes' behaviors and performance. The results indicated that neither psychological contract breaches, nor psychological contract violation are significantly related to organizational citizenship behaviors or in-role performance of studentathletes. Implications and suggestions for future results are discussed.
David Oliver: Doctors with drink problems deserve help.

On Victoria Derbyshire’s BBC Radio 5 show in 2011, a report on alcoholism featured a live on-air conversation with an anaesthetic trainee using the pseudonym of Rachel, who had contacted the show.1 She was in great distress, brought to her knees by alcohol addiction. While awaiting a taxi to residential rehabilitation she opened another can on air, hoping to stave off withdrawal. Doctors are more susceptible to substance misuse and addiction than the general population,2 and in the NHS increasing numbers have been seeking help from specialist services.3 Workload, working conditions, staffing gaps, emotional demands, and perfectionism leave doctors at high risk of mental health problems and burnout. A 2019 BMJ Open study of 417 NHS doctors found 44% resorting to binge drinking, 5% meeting the criteria for alcohol dependence, and others using food or recreational drugs as coping strategies for occupational stress.45 Our medical knowledge of the problems of addiction seems to be no defence. When “Rachel” appeared on the …
Dominant chiral optical forces in the vicinity of optical nanofibers

Transverse spin angular momentum (SAM) of light and associated transverse chiral optical forces have received tremendous attention recently, as the latter may lead to an optical separation of chiral biomolecules. In this context, the relative magnitude of chiral and non-chiral forces is a challenge when implementing chiral separation schemes. In this work we have demonstrated that, by spatially separating the maxima of transverse spin density from the gradient of field intensity, it is possible to dominate chiral-specific components of the force over non-chiral ones. To that end, we studied optical nanofibers and nanowires as candidates for such a scheme and demonstrated that in their vicinity, chiral optical forces can emerge that are stronger than gradient and scattering forces. This finding may be of significance in the design of improved optical separation schemes for chiral biomolecules.
What Do We Know About Creativity

![Figure][1] The quantification of creativity in advertising is an ongoing challenge that seems to remain just beyond the grasp of proper marketing research. The good news is that both academics and practitioners are closing the gap between execution and evaluation, and four papers in a
A bipartite element with allele-specific functions safeguards DNA methylation imprints at the Dlk1-Dio3 locus

SUMMARY Dysregulation of imprinted gene loci also referred to as loss of imprinting (LOI) can result in severe developmental defects and other diseases, but the molecular mechanisms that ensure imprint stability remain incompletely understood. Here, we dissect the functional components of the imprinting control region of the essential Dlk1-Dio3 locus (called IG-DMR) and the mechanism by which they ensure imprinting maintenance. Using pluripotent stem cells carrying an allele-specific reporter system, we demonstrate that the IG-DMR consists of two antagonistic regulatory elements: a paternally methylated CpG-island that prevents the activity of Tet dioxygenases and a maternally unmethylated regulatory element, which serves as a non-canonical enhancer and maintains expression of the maternal Gtl2 lncRNA by precluding de novo DNA methyltransferase function. Targeted genetic or epigenetic editing of these elements leads to LOI with either bi-paternal or bi-maternal expression patterns and respective allelic changes in DNA methylation and 3D chromatin topology of the entire Dlk1-Dio3 locus. Although the targeted repression of either IG-DMR or Gtl2 promoter is sufficient to cause LOI, the stability of LOI phenotype depends on the IG-DMR status, suggesting a functional hierarchy. These findings establish the IG-DMR as a novel type of bipartite control element and provide mechanistic insights into the control of Dlk1-Dio3 imprinting by allele-specific restriction of the DNA (de)methylation machinery. HIGHLIGHTS The IG-DMR is a bipartite element with distinct allele-specific functions A non-canonical enhancer within the IG-DMR prevents DNA methyltransferase activity Targeted epigenome editing allows induction of specific imprinting phenotypes CRISPRi reveals a functional hierarchy between DMRs that dictates imprint stability
Teaching information literacy: Developing an online course for faculty

As part of the profession’s ongoing efforts to integrate information literacy into the curriculum, some librarians have taken an approach centered on teaching disciplinary faculty to teach information literacy. Indeed, some have argued that the best way for librarians to ensure that students are developing information literacy is to focus primarily on faculty, rather than on providing instruction to students. Although most librarians do not seem prepared to stop all direct instruction to students, there are many examples of libraries offering faculty development programming. While many of these programs involve face-to-face interactions between librarians and disciplinary faculty, there are examples of librarians creating online information literacy workshops or courses for faculty.
The Community Eligibility Provision: Continuing the Century-Long Debate Over Universal Free School Meals

School meals provided through the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program are a central part of the social safety net, contributing an important share of low-income children's nutritional intake 1 The structure of school meal programs is a tenuous balance between two goals that have jostled for primacy for more than a century-feeding the hungry and promoting nutrition for all children (p 1405) in this issue of AJPH, is the latest manifestation of this tension in the school meal programs Since the earliest school meal programs in the United States, there have been strong proponents ofa universal model-who have seen providing healthy food as a logical component of what schools should provide to all students-and equally strong opponents-who have viewed the idea of universal free meals as a triumph of socialism and a threat to traditional family roles 2,3 Until recently, the means-tested vision largely won out: the National School Lunch Program was formally launched in 1946, and by the early 1970s it took on the broad framework that persists today [ ]school meals over time became viewed as a welfare program for the poor, and the associated stigma has been a longstanding barrier to participation among poor and nonpoor students alike 2 The CEP was intended to increase participation in school meals by making breakfast and lunch free to all students in eligible schools that opt in to the program-simultaneously removing income barriers, stigma, and the logistical and administrative roadblocks of eligibility determination that siphon time and resources away from the provision of meals
REAL-TIME MECHANISTIC BAYESIAN FORECASTS OF COVID-19 MORTALITY

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWThe COVID-19 pandemic emerged in late December 2019. In the first six months of the global outbreak, the US reported more cases and deaths than any other country in the world. Effective modeling of the course of the pandemic can help assist with public health resource planning, intervention efforts, and vaccine clinical trials. However, building applied forecasting models presents unique challenges during a pandemic. First, case data available to models in real-time represent a non-stationary fraction of the true case incidence due to changes in available diagnostic tests and test-seeking behavior. Second, interventions varied across time and geography leading to large changes in transmissibility over the course of the pandemic. We propose a mechanistic Bayesian model (MechBayes) that builds upon the classic compartmental susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered (SEIR) model to operationalize COVID-19 forecasting in real time. This framework includes non-parametric modeling of varying transmission rates, non-parametric modeling of case and death discrepancies due to testing and reporting issues, and a joint observation likelihood on new case counts and new deaths; it is implemented in a probabilistic programming language to automate the use of Bayesian reasoning for quantifying uncertainty in probabilistic forecasts. The model has been used to submit forecasts to the US Centers for Disease Control, through the COVID-19 Forecast Hub. We examine the performance relative to a baseline model as well as alternate models submitted to the Forecast Hub. Additionally, we include an ablation test of our extensions to the classic SEIR model. We demonstrate a significant gain in both point and probabilistic forecast scoring measures using MechBayes when compared to a baseline model and show that MechBayes ranks as one of the top 2 models out of 10 submitted to the COVID-19 Forecast Hub. Finally, we demonstrate that MechBayes performs significantly better than the classical SEIR model.
The effect of an electric field on ion separation and water desalination using molecular dynamics simulations

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we analyze ion separation and water purification through a piston-driven graphene/carbon-nanotube filter in the presence of an external electric field. Three different magnitudes of electric field are applied along the nanotube's axial direction with the goal of separating sodium and chloride ions in a NaCl aqueous solution. For comparison purposes, we also study the same system in zero fields. Our results show that sufficiently large values of the electric field strength greatly improve the ion separation process. At the highest field strength, the theoretical efficiency of the filter in removing salt from water exceeds 95% indicating its applicability in commercial filtration processes to produce fresh water. These results suggest that the proposed set-up can be used to design highly efficient nanostructured membranes for water desalination.
Switchgrass biomass yield and composition and soil quality as affected by treated wastewater irrigation in an arid environment

Abstract Freshwater (FW) scarcity as a result of prolonged drought has reduced FW availability to agriculture in the arid west Texas region in order to meet demands from other sectors. Alternatively, there is enormous potential to utilize treated urban wastewater (TWW) for agricultural irrigation. However, the soil salinization potential of TWW is a concern as it can be detrimental to crops and soil quality. Alternative crops that are both less water-intensive and salt-tolerant are therefore needed to sustain this region's agriculture. Switchgrass is a perennial grass that is well adapted to grow on marginal lands and is a novel crop for lignocellulosic bioenergy feedstock. However, its performance when irrigated with TWW on arid soils of far west Texas is largely unknown. This field study evaluated the yield potential and composition of switchgrass biomass as affected by TWW along with soil quality changes, using a split-plot experimental design. Results indicate that biomass yields were not affected by TWW irrigation and there were no significant differences between TWW and FW across years. With respect to biomass composition, cellulose and lignin contents were lower, while ash content was significantly higher in TWW treatment. Theoretical ethanol production was not affected. Soil salinity and sodicity increased overtime but this increase was more prominent under TWW irrigation. However, application of gypsum and sulfur significantly reduced soil sodicity. These results indicate that switchgrass can tolerate soil salinity induced by TWW application and therefore can be successfully grown on these marginal arid soils as a bioenergy feedstock.
Demobilization Minus Disarmament and Reintegration: Iraq’s Security Sector from the US Invasion to the Covid-19 Pandemic

This article argues that ethno-sectarian exclusion undermined the post-invasion attempts at security sector reform (SSR) in Iraq by the US and successive local governments. While corruption, poor m...
Citizen Analytics: Statistical Tools for Studying Multicultural Environments and Distributed Cognition on Social Media

People of all cultures depended largely on the mainstream media to report the details and the progress of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Such reports caused anxiety, depression, and helplessness. I attribute these negative attitudes partly to the lack of ability in citizens to self-analyze the current and the projected state of the virus, both locally and globally. This paper explores the research question: What skills do citizens need to self-analyze the current and projected state of a pandemic, and to report their analyses to the public? I use a data ethnography of my experience analyzing the JHU CSSE Data repository to report on five categories of key analytic skills: preparation, visualization, comparison, prediction, and socialization along with the details of their code implementation.
Evaluating Experiential Avoidance in terms of COVID-19 Fear and Pandemic Emotional Distress Symptoms Among Latinx Adults.

The outbreak of the novel 2019 SARS2-Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to substantial psychological distress across the United States and the world. However, emerging work suggests that prominent COVID-19 consequences such as fear of COVID-19 infection and emotional distress resulting from economic adversity and social distancing may afflict the Latinx population disproportionately. The current study sought to investigate the influence of experiential avoidance (EA), or an individual’s tendency to rigidly avoid negative internal experiences (i.e. feelings, thoughts, etc.), on the severity of COVID-19 fear and emotional distress symptoms due to economic adversity and social distancing. Participants included 188 Latinx persons recruited via an online survey panel program. Results indicated that EA was a statistically significant contributing factor to fear of COVID-19 and emotional distress associated with economic adversity and social distancing. These effects were evident over and above the variance accounted for by gender, years living in the United States, education, and COVID-19 related work and home life stress. Overall, the present work is the first to document empirically EA as it relates to fear of COVID-19 infection and related emotional distress resulting from economic adversity and social distancing among Latinx persons.
Erbium Chloride Complexation in Aqueous DMF

In water or mixed aqueous solvents, ErCl2+ complexation occurs via the following multi-step mechanism:
Retinoic acid metabolism in cultured retinal pigment epithelial cells.

PURPOSE: To examine the stability of retinoic acid administered to cultured bovine retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and to determine if RPE cells metabolize retinoic acid by a cytochrome P-450 mechanism. METHODS: Retinoic acid metabolism was examined in cultured RPE cells and subcellular fractions quantitatively by a thin-layer chromatography procedure and qualitatively by normal and reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Cultured bovine RPE cells were found to have an activity that converts retinoic acid into more polar metabolites rapidly released from the cell. The highest specific activity for this process is found in the post-mitochondrial pellet (100,000g), is induced by retinoic acid, and is inhibited by ketoconazole. The major product of the RPE cell-mediated metabolism of retinoic acid is 4-oxo-retinoic acid, a known P-450 monooxygenase product of retinoic acid. The retinoic acid metabolizing activity is greatest in primary RPE cultures and decreases with aging in culture. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that a cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase is involved in the metabolism of retinoic acid in RPE cells, and this is similar to the findings of other investigators using other cells and tissues. The authors' findings suggest that the RPE may be important in the deactivation of this biologically potent retinoid in the retina.
Recognition of tRNA by the enzyme ATP/CTP:tRNA nucleotidyltransferase. Interference by nucleotides modified with diethyl pyrocarbonate or hydrazine.

Abstract Treatment of tRNA with diethyl pyrocarbonate or hydrazine prior to incubation with the enzyme ATP/CTP:tRNA nucleotidyltransferase and [alpha-32P]ATP results in exclusion of modified bases from labeled molecules. Purines modified with diethyl pyrocarbonate, which interfere with enzyme recognition, cluster at the corner of the tRNA molecule, where the D- and psi-loops are juxtaposed in all 15 tRNAs used in this study. When the enzyme is isolated from Escherichia coli, few other sites of interference are evident near the 3'-end; when the homologous enzyme from yeast is used, more exclusions are apparent near the 3'-end. Modification of uridines with hydrazine has no effect on interaction with the enzyme, except for one uridine near the 3'-end of tRNA(Gly). Interference of enzyme activity by modified bases can be overcome by longer incubation times or increased concentrations of enzyme.
Overcoming the “Ideology of Openness”: Probing the Affordances of Social Media for Organizational Knowledge Sharing

This study explores the ways in which the affordances of social media not only increase open communication and knowledge sharing, but also promote covert behavior, creating dialectical tensions for distributed workers that must be communicatively managed. Drawing on a case study of the engineering division of a distributed high tech start-up, we find our participants navigate tensions in visibility-invisibility, engagement-disengagement, and sharing-control and strategically manage these tensions to preserve both openness and ambiguity. These findings highlight ways in which organizational members limit as well as share knowledge through social media, and the productive role of tensions in enabling them to attend to multiple goals.
A fast learning algorithm for Gabor transform with applications to image data reduction and pattern classification

A simple neural network-based approach is introduced, which allows the computation of the coefficients of the generalized non-orthogonal 2D Gabor transform representation. The network is trained using a recursive least squares (RLS) type algorithm. This RLS learning algorithm offers better accuracy and faster convergence when compared to the least mean squares based algorithms. The aim is to achieve minimum mean squared error for the reconstructed image from the set of the Gabor coefficients. Applications of this scheme in image data reduction and pattern classification are demonstrated in the simulation results. >
Content and Context: The Contributions of William Van Alstyne to First Amendment Interpretation

William Van Alstyne's contributions to First Amendment interpretation, like his contributions to all of American constitutional law, are characterized by a piercing intellectual honesty and an impish play of intelligence. One feels relentlessly pulled by the elegant currents of Professor Van Alsytne's arguments, yet, at the same time, restlessly resistant, a resistance borne of the vague but certain wariness that one is but an apprentice forever consigned to a level of awareness several moves behind the master, who almost certainly will produce surprises at the end. In this essay I explore two defining themes of Professor Van Alsytne's First Amendment thought, themes that occupy cornerstone placements in the modern architecture of First Amendment law. The first theme deals with the core content of the First Amendment's