cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of proteins with defined posttranslational modifications using the genetic noncanonical amino acid incorporation approach

Posttranslational modifications modulate the activities of most eukaryotic proteins and play a critical role in all aspects of cellular life. Understanding functional roles of these modifications requires homogeneously modified proteins that are usually difficult to purify from their natural sources. An emerging powerful tool for synthesis of proteins with defined posttranslational modifications is to genetically encode modified amino acids in living cells and incorporate them directly into proteins during the protein translation process. Using this approach, homogenous proteins with tyrosine sulfation, tyrosine phosphorylation mimics, tyrosine nitration, lysine acetylation, lysine methylation, and ubiquitination have been synthesized in large quantities. In this review, we provide a brief introduction to protein posttranslational modifications and the genetic noncanonical amino acid (NAA) incorporation technique, then discuss successful applications of the genetic NAA incorporation approach to produce proteins with defined modifications, and end with challenges and ongoing methodology developments for synthesis of proteins with other modifications.
Chromatin Memory in the Development of Human Cancers

Cancer is a complex disease with acquired genomic and epigenomic alterations that affect cell proliferation, viability and invasiveness. Almost all the epigenetic mechanisms including cytosine methylation and hydroxymethylation, chromatin remodeling and non-coding RNAs have been found associate with carcinogenesis and cancer specific expression profile. Altered histone modification as an epigenetic hallmark is frequently found in tumors. Understanding the epigenetic alterations induced by carcinogens or infectious agents may help us understand early epigenetic changes prior to the development of cancer. In this review, we focus on chromatin remodeling and the associated histone modifiers in the development of cancer; the application of these modifiers as a cancer therapy target in different clinical trial phases is also discussed.
Evaluating the service quality of local businesses as an experiential learning project

This paper describes an experiential learning project used as part of a second course in operations management. Two student teams conducted a service quality analysis of local service businesses. The project was incorporated into the course to provoke the students to consider how the five dimensions of service quality proposed by Parasuraman et al. (1988) could be evaluated in service businesses. The other objectives of the project were for students to learn how to solicit customer evaluations of service quality, integrate statistical skills, develop professional interaction skills and improve presentation skills. Smaller student groups were formed within each team to complete five major activities required as part of the project. Both clients were pleased with the student’s findings, and the students advocated the continued use of this type of project in this course. Suggestions from both the students and instructor for improving the project are also included.
A correction to the pp reaction

These descriptive comments are made to encourage detailed three-body, relativistic, quantum collision calculations for the pp reaction. In stars, coulomb barrier tunneling, as in the pp reaction, is not a two-body process. Tunneling is mediated by an energetic electron that interacts with the colliding particles. The presence of such an electron lowers the potential barrier and increases the probability of tunneling by orders of magnitude. The solar luminosity can be maintained with a central temperature near 10 million K where the neutrino production rates correspond to the observed rates. Current stellar interior and evolutionary models need substantial revision.
Natural Isolates of Simian Virus 40 from Immunocompromised Monkeys Display Extensive Genetic Heterogeneity: New Implications for Polyomavirus Disease

Simian virus 40 (SV40) DNAs in brain tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of eight simian immunodeficiency virus-infected rhesus monkeys with SV40 brain disease were analyzed. We report the detection, cloning, and identification of five new SV40 strains following a quadruple testing-verification strategy. SV40 genomes with archetypal regulatory regions (containing a duplication within the G/C-rich regulatory region segment and a single 72-bp enhancer element) were recovered from seven animal brains, two tissues of which also contained viral genomes with nonarchetypal regulatory regions (containing a duplication within the G/C-rich regulatory region segment as well as a variable duplication within the enhancer region). In contrast, PBMC DNAs from five of six animals had viral genomes with both regulatory region types. It appeared, based on T-antigen variable-region sequences, that nonarchetypal virus variants arose de novo within each animal. The eighth animal exclusively yielded a new type of SV40 strain (SV40-K661), containing a protoarchetypal regulatory region (lacking a duplication within the G/C-rich segment of the regulatory region and containing one 72-bp element in the enhancer region), from both brain tissue and PBMCs. The presence of SV40 in PBMCs suggests that hematogenous spread of viral infection may occur. An archetypal version of a virus similar to SV40 reference strain 776 (a kidney isolate) was recovered from one brain, substantiating the idea that SV40 is neurotropic as well as kidney-tropic. Indirect evidence suggests that maternal-infant transmission of SV40 may have occurred in one animal. These findings provide new insights for human polyomavirus disease.
Synonyms, Antonyms, and Retroactive Inhibition with Meaningful Material.

In the paired-associate literature negative transfer paradigms, e.g., (A—B, A—C), impede List 1 recall. Positive transfer paradigms, e.g., (A—B, A—B synonym), do not contribute to List 1 forgetting...
Transitioning from development to maintenance

It is pointed out that the life cycle of many large software systems includes a major milestone for delivery and a transition phase during which the software item ceases to be the responsibility of the developer and becomes the responsibility of some other organization. The author identifies management and technical issues which arise as a part of this transition. These issues include the transfer of project management functions, the provision for future development/maintenance technical support, the establishment of new user-maintainer interfaces, and the installation and implementation of the hardware, software, tools, and procedures in the maintenance facility which are necessary so that maintenance may commence. >
Incisional Biopsy and Seeding in Hamster Cheek Pouch Carcinoma

Surgical blades were contaminated by doing incisional biopsies on DMBA-induced cheek pouch carcinomas in hamsters. Contaminated blades were then used to: (1) make cytologic smears; (2) make incisions in the mucosal surface of the lower lip; (3) make incisions in the ventral surface of the tongue; (4) make incisions in the untreated left cheek pouch; and (5) make incisions in the pre-shaved back. One group of animals was killed three hr post-surgery. The second group was killed seven wk post-surgery. Tissues were excised and processed for microscopic study. Malignant cells were found in many of the incision sites of animals from the first group. In the animals of the second group, several tumors growing from the transplanted tumor cells were observed in the incision sites of the lower lips and the tongue. None was observed in the incision sites of the left cheek pouch or the back. Cervical lymph node metastases were found in approximately 50% of the animals of the second group.
Stem Cell Markers in Gliomas

Gliomas are the most common tumours of the central nervous system (CNS) and a frequent cause of mental impairment and death. Treatment of malignant gliomas is often palliative because of their infiltrating nature and high recurrence. Genetic events that lead to brain tumours are mostly unknown. A growing body of evidence suggests that gliomas may rise from cancer stem cells (CSC) sharing with neural stem cells (NSC) the capacity of cell renewal and multipotency. Accordingly, a population of cells called “side population” (SP), which has been isolated from gliomas on the basis of their ability to extrude fluorescent dyes, behaves as stem cells and is resistant to chemotherapeutic treatments. This review will focus on the expression of the stem cell markers nestin and CD133 in glioma cancer stem cells. In addition, the possible role of Platelet Derived Growth Factor receptor type α (PDGFR-α) and Notch signalling in normal development and tumourigenesis of gliomas are also discussed. Future work elucidating the mechanisms that control normal development will help to identify new cancer stem cell-related genes. The identification of important markers and the elucidation of signalling pathways involved in survival, proliferation and differentiation of CSCs appear to be fundamental for developing an effective therapy of brain tumours.
Fast Computation of Temperature Profiles of VLSI ICs with High Spatial Resolution

The reality of high temperature non-uniformity has become a serious concern in the CMOS VLSI industry limiting both the performance and the reliability of packaged chips. Thus the surface temperature profile of VLSI ICs has become critical information in chip design flow. for fast computation of surface temperature profile, power blurring (PB) method has been developed. This method can be applied to simulations with high spatial resolution, which have been prohibitively expensive with conventional methods. Comparative case studies with different levels of resolution illustrate that not only localized small hot spots can be overlooked but even the average chip temperature can be underestimated, and hence the necessity of thermal simulation with high spatial resolution. Using our PB method, we obtained transistor level thermal map (5times5 mum2 grid) of a 5times5 mm2 chip with a computation time of 20 seconds.
Software for quantitative trait analysis

This paper provides a brief overview of software currently available for the genetic analysis of quantitative traits in humans. Programs that implement variance components, Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), Haseman-Elston (H-E) and penetrance model-based linkage analyses are discussed, as are programs for measured genotype association analyses and quantitative trait transmission disequilibrium tests. The software compared includes LINKAGE, FASTLINK, PAP, SOLAR, SEGPATH, ACT, Mx, MERLIN, GENEHUNTER, Loki, Mendel, SAGE, QTDT and FBAT. Where possible, the paper provides URLs for acquiring these programs through the internet, details of the platforms for which the software is available and the types of analyses performed.
Long copulations and post-copulatory ‘escort’ behaviour in the locust leaf miner, Odontota dorsalis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

The adult behaviour of Odontota dorsalis on its host plant Robinia pseudo-acacia was studied by following marked individuals in nature. Copulations often lasted several hours, and were characterist...
Diagnosis of meningioma by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy

We investigate the use of time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) as an adjunctive tool for the intraoperative rapid evaluation of tumor specimens and delineation of tumor from surrounding normal tissue. Tissue autofluorescence is induced with a pulsed nitrogen laser (337 nm, 1.2 ns) and the intensity decay profiles are recorded in the 370 to 500 nm spectral range with a fast digitizer (0.2 ns resolution). Experiments are conducted on excised specimens (meningioma, dura mater, cerebral cortex) from 26 patients (97 sites). Spectral intensities and time-dependent parameters derived from the time-resolved spectra of each site are used for tissue characterization. A linear discriminant analysis algorithm is used for tissue classification. Our results reveal that meningioma is characterized by unique fluorescence characteristics that enable discrimination of tumor from normal tissue with high sensitivity (>89%) and specificity (100%). The accuracy of classification is found to increase (92.8% cases in the training set and 91.8% in the cross-validated set correctly classified) when parameters from both the spectral and the time domain are used for discrimination. Our findings establish the feasibility of using TR-LIFS as a tool for the identification of meningiomas and enables further development of real-time diagnostic tools for analyzing surgical tissue specimens of meningioma or other brain tumors.
An Extra Dimension to Decision-Making in Animals: The Three-way Trade-off between Speed, Effort per-Unit-Time and Accuracy

The standard view in biology is that all animals, from bumblebees to human beings, face a trade-off between speed and accuracy as they search for resources and mates, and attempt to avoid predators. For example, the more time a forager spends out of cover gathering information about potential food sources the more likely it is to make accurate decisions about which sources are most rewarding. However, when the cost of time spent out of cover rises (e.g. in the presence of a predator) the optimal strategy is for the forager to spend less time gathering information and to accept a corresponding decline in the accuracy of its decisions. We suggest that this familiar picture is missing a crucial dimension: the amount of effort an animal expends on gathering information in each unit of time. This is important because an animal that can respond to changing time costs by modulating its level of effort per-unit-time does not have to accept the same decrease in accuracy that an animal limited to a simple speed-accuracy trade-off must bear in the same situation. Instead, it can direct additional effort towards (i) reducing the frequency of perceptual errors in the samples it gathers or (ii) increasing the number of samples it gathers per-unit-time. Both of these have the effect of allowing it to gather more accurate information within a given period of time. We use a modified version of a canonical model of decision-making (the sequential probability ratio test) to show that this ability to substitute effort for time confers a fitness advantage in the face of changing time costs. We predict that the ability to modulate effort levels will therefore be widespread in nature, and we lay out testable predictions that could be used to detect adaptive modulation of effort levels in laboratory and field studies. Our understanding of decision-making in all species, including our own, will be improved by this more ecologically-complete picture of the three-way tradeoff between time, effort per-unit-time and accuracy.
Creating Realistic Data Sets with Specified Properties via Simulation

Summary We explain how to simulate both univariate and bivariate raw data sets having specified values for common summary statistics. The first example illustrates how to ‘construct’ a data set having prescribed values for the mean and the standard deviation – for a one-sample t test with a specified outcome. The second shows how to create a bivariate data set with a specified correlation coefficient.
Barriers to Creating a More Culturally Diverse Nursing Profession: Linguistic Bias in Multiple-Choice Nursing Exams

Abstract As part of a grant to recruit and retain multicultural and economically disadvantaged nursing students, funding was approved for a study analyzing multiple-choice nursing course exams for linguistic and cultural bias. Nineteen exams, for a total of 673 multiple-choice test items, were analyzed for this study. The categories of analysis used to identify flaws in the test items were: testwise flaws, irrelevant difficulty in stem, irrelevant difficulty in option, linguistic/structural bias, and cultural bias. Twenty-eight types of flaws occurred at least 10 times in the reviewed exams. Flaws from each of the categories are presented and discussed; specific examples are analyzed and revised.
Comment on Michael A. Stegman, Walter R. Davis, and Roberto Quercia's “The Earned Income Tax Credit as an instrument of housing policy”

Abstract Using the housing affordability issue to advocate for an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit as part of a broader working families agenda is politically shrewd. The American public strongly supports the idea that those who “work and play by the rules” (207) should be able to afford the basic essentials of life, and housing is obviously one of them. From a policy analysis standpoint, however, there are too many unanswered questions to recommend such an expansion as a means of reducing housing cost burdens, although it may have merit on other grounds. Remarkably little is known about the causes and consequences of unaffordable housing for lower‐income working families. It is puzzling, for example, why so many lower‐income renters are experiencing affordability problems when the rental vacancy rate is at an all‐time high. Without a solid understanding of the problem, premature efforts to fix it could have unintended consequences.
Glacier maxima in Baffin Bay during the Medieval Warm Period coeval with Norse settlement

The climatic mechanisms driving the shift from the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) to the Little Ice Age (LIA) in the North Atlantic region are debated. We use cosmogenic beryllium-10 dating to develop a moraine chronology with century-scale resolution over the last millennium and show that alpine glaciers in Baffin Island and western Greenland were at or near their maximum LIA configurations during the proposed general timing of the MWP. Complimentary paleoclimate proxy data suggest that the western North Atlantic region remained cool, whereas the eastern North Atlantic region was comparatively warmer during the MWP-a dipole pattern compatible with a persistent positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation. These results demonstrate that over the last millennium, glaciers approached their eventual LIA maxima before what is considered the classic LIA in the Northern Hemisphere. Furthermore, a relatively cool western North Atlantic region during the MWP has implications for understanding Norse migration patterns during the MWP. Our results, paired with other regional climate records, point to nonclimatic factors as contributing to the Norse exodus from the western North Atlantic region.
Never giving up: Outcomes and presentation of emergency general surgery in geriatric octogenarian and nonagenarian patients

Abstract Background Aging of the population necessitates consideration of the increasing number of older adults requiring emergency care. The objective of this study was to compare outcomes and presentation of octogenarian and/or nonagenarian emergency general surgery (EGS) patients with younger adults. Methods Based on a standardized definition of EGS, patients in the 2007 to 2011 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-Nationwide Inpatient Sample were queried for primary EGS diagnoses. Included patients were categorized into older (≥80 years) vs younger ( Results Of 3,707,465 included patients, 17.2% (n = 637,588) were ≥80 years. Relative to younger adults, older patients most frequently presented for gastrointestinal-bleeding (odds ratio [95% confidence intervals]: 2.81 [2.79 to 2.82]) and gastrostomy care (2.46 [2.39 to 2.53]). Despite higher odds of mortality (1.67 [1.63 to 1.69]), older adults exhibited lower risk-adjusted odds of morbidity (.87 [.86 to .88]), shorter LOS (4.50 vs 5.14 days), and lower total hospital costs ($10,700 vs $12,500). Conclusions Octogenarian and/or nonagenarian patients present differently than younger adults. Reductions in complications, LOS, and cost among surviving older adults allude to a “survivorship tendency” to never give up, despite collectively higher mortality risk.
Uniaxial stress-strain curves from a bending test

A method which can be used to obtain both tension and compression stress-strain curves from a single bend test was first proposed in 1910. Curiously, this apparently useful technique has been very little application since that time. For this reason, the present investigation was conducted to examine the merits and shortcomings of the test. Three materials which show different stress-strain curves in tension and compression, beryllium, cast iron and prestrained copper, were studied to test the versatility of the method. A special four-point bend fixture, designed to minimize loading errors, was designed for this study and is described. Generally, the stress-strain curves obtained from bending and conventional tests showed good agreement for strains less than about five percent. Finally, some advantages and disadvantages of the bending tests are pointed out.
Targeting the mTOR Pathway in Leukemia

Optimal function of multiple intracellular signaling pathways is essential for normal regulation of cellular transcription, translation, growth, proliferation, and survival. Dysregulation or aberrant activation of such cascades can lead to inappropriate cell survival and abnormal cell proliferation in leukemia. Successful treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeting the BCR-ABL fusion gene is a prime example of effectively inhibiting intracellular signaling cascades. However, even in these patients resistance can develop via emergence of mutations or feedback activation of other pathways that cause refractory disease. Constitutive activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway has been observed in different types of leukemia, including CML, acute myeloid leukemia, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Abnormal mTOR activity may contribute to chemotherapy resistance, while it may also be effectively targeted via molecular means and/or development of specific pharmacological inhibitors. This review discusses the role of PI3K/Akt/mTOR dysre-gulation in leukemia and summarizes the emergence of preliminary data for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. J. Cell. Biochem. 117: 1745-1752, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Laser-Ultrasonics for Materials Characterization

Several material properties and microstructural features can be determined or monitored by measuring ultrasonic velocity and/or ultrasonic attenuation. Conventional techniques which use piezoelectric transducers for generation and reception have several limitations, in particular in the case of materials at elevated temperature, of samples of complex shapes, and in regard to the detection bandwidth. These limitations are eliminated by laser-ultrasonics, a technique which uses lasers for generation and detection of ultrasound. Following a review of the various principles and methods used for generation and detection, we discuss the use of laserultrasonics for velocity and attenuation measurement. Examples of application to various materials are presented.
Acetic Acid Reduction by H2 on Bimetallic Pt–Fe Catalysts

Abstract Vapor-phase acetic acid hydrogenation was studied over a family of supported Pt–Fe catalysts. These catalysts were characterized by Mossbauer spectroscopy, successive H 2 –O 2 –H 2 –O 2 titration cycles at 300 K, and DRIFTS (diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopy) to determine the Fe phases present during the titration reactions as well as prior to and under reaction conditions, to count surface metal atoms and estimate the average surface composition of the bimetallic particles, and to observe surface species formed after acetic acid adsorption, respectively. Although the metallic mole fraction of Pt in the bimetallic Pt–Fe/SiO 2 catalysts varied from 0.04 to 0.64, the estimated surface composition in the bimetallic particles ranged from 0.39 to 0.70. The addition of small amounts of Pt to Fe/SiO 2 catalysts (i) increased Fe reducibility during the reduction pretreatment, (ii) enhanced activity more than 10-fold and turnover frequencies 10- to 100-fold, (iii) eliminated the induction period, (iv) lowered the apparent activation energy by 8–10 kcal/mol, and (v) still maintained a high selectivity to acetaldehyde of over 70%. The addition of Pt to an Fe/C catalyst prevented the severe deactivation that has been associated with iron carbide formation. Under reaction conditions, the best bimetallic catalyst contained both Fe 0 and Fe 2+ phases, which is a combination that seems to be required for stable selective acetaldehyde formation. A model consistent with our previous studies of Pt and Fe catalysts, which invokes one type of active site on a reduced metal surface and another type on a metal oxide phase, successfully describes this reaction on a bimetallic catalyst. It is proposed that the reaction sequence involves a rate-determining step between a hydrogen atom from the metallic site and an acyl species on the FeO surface.
Not ready, not set…discharge: Patient-reported barriers to discharge readiness at an academic medical center

BACKGROUND Planning for discharge from the hospital should begin early in each patient's stay and focus on the patient's needs. OBJECTIVE To determine how often patient-reported barriers to discharge on admission were resolved by discharge and to explore associations between barriers and readmission. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A prospective observational study of patients admitted to an academic medical center. INTERVENTION AND MEASUREMENTS Patients completed a barriers to discharge survey from the start of hospitalization to discharge. Primary outcomes were the prevalence of discharge barriers, rates of resolution of barriers during hospitalization, and comparisons between barriers identified in admission and discharge surveys. RESULTS One hundred sixty-three patients were enrolled, and 68 patients (42%) completed an admission survey and discharge survey ≤48 hours before discharge. Patients completed on average 1.82 surveys (standard deviation, 1.10; range, 1–8). Total and mean numbers of barriers were highest on the admission survey and decreased until the fourth survey. On average, the total number of barriers to discharge decreased by 0.15 (95% confidence interval: 0.01-0.30) per day (P = 0.047). Ninety percent of patients were discharged with at least 1 issue. The 3 most common barriers on the admission and discharge survey remained the same: pain, lack of understanding of recovery plan, and daily-living activities. CONCLUSIONS Patient-reported barriers to discharge are prevalent and incompletely addressed. This suggests an opportunity for improved discharge planning and a framework for communication between providers and patients. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2016. © 2016 Society of Hospital Medicine
Use of Computer Models and Animations to Teach about B Cell (antibody) and T Cell Recombination (TCR)

This manuscript presents a technique on how to use both computer models and animations to teach about the process of recombination. This is a traditionally difficult topic taught in both microbiology and immunology classes. Active learning techniques are presented to help teach the students about this process. In more introductory classes, the instructor can teach the students about how antibody molecules are made. In more advanced classes, this topic can be expanded and the students can also learn how T cell receptors are made. Initially, the students are shown an animation of antibody recombination where they can select to see the different segments coming together which are randomly generated. Then, they look at their computers to see the different segments of antibodies shown in different colors and they can select one fragment from the different sections. We feel that the use of these different techniques is important in reinforcing the topic.
Childhood toilet fears as an early behavioral indicator of anxiety

ABSTRACTA rapid measure of anxiety, such as distress in novel toileting situations, may identify at-risk children in community practice. Parents of children 8- to 12-years-old completed demographics surveys, a retrospective toilet fear (TF) survey, the Spence Anxiety Scale, and the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17. 17 percent of children reportedly had persistent fear of toilets, associated with higher anxiety and attention problems scores. The presence of TF may be a meaningful indicator when evaluating a child’s risk for anxiety. Because toileting difficulties are primarily reported to physicians, primary case-based, prevention-oriented treatments for these children may capitalize upon this early manifestation of anxiety.
Bivariate Right Fractional Pseudo-Polynomial Monotone Approximation

In this article we deal with the following general two-dimensional problem: Let f be a two variable continuously differentiable real valued function of a given order, let \(\overline{L}\) be a linear right fractional mixed partial differential operator and suppose that \(\overline{L}\left( f\right) \ge 0\) on a critical region. Then for sufficiently large \(n,m\in \mathbb {N}\) , we can find a sequence of pseudo-polynomials \(Q_{n,m}^{*}\) in two variables with the property \(\overline{L}\left( Q_{n,m}^{*}\right) \ge 0 \) on this critical region such that f is approximated with rates right fractionally and simultaneously by \(Q_{n,m}^{*}\) in the uniform norm on the whole domain of f. This restricted approximation is given via inequalities involving the mixed modulus of smoothness \(\omega _{s,q}\), \( s,q\in \mathbb {N}\), of highest order integer partial derivative of f.
TU-A-BRB-00: PANEL DISCUSSION: SBRT/SRS Case Studies - Brain and Spine

Brain stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and spine stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) are commonly treated by a multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, and medical physicists. However the treatment objectives, constraints, and technical considerations involved can be quite different between the two techniques. In this interactive session an expert panel of speakers will present clinical brain SRS and spine SBRT cases in order to demonstrate real-world considerations for ensuring safe and accurate treatment delivery and to highlight the significant differences in approach for each treatment site. The session will include discussion of topic such as clinical indications, immobilization, target definition, normal tissue tolerance limits, and beam arrangements. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the differences in indications and dose/fractionation strategies for intracranial SRS and spine SBRT. 2. Describe the different treatment modalities which can be used to deliver intracranial SRS and spine SBRT. 3. Cite the major differences in treatment setup and delivery principles between intracranial and spine treatments. 4. Identify key critical structures and clinical dosimetric tolerance levels for spine SBRT and intracranial SRS. 5. Understand areas of ongoing work to standardize intracranial SRS and spine SBRT procedures. Schlesinger: Research support: Elekta Instruments, AB; D. Schlesinger, Elekta Instruments, AB - research support; B. Winey, No relevant external funding for this subject.
Forests in China

The land mass of China extends from the boreal Siberian forests of Heilongjiang in the north, to the moist tropical forests on the banks of the Mekong river in the south. The climate is generally humid on the eastern coast, with decreasing precipitation towards the interior and almost no measurable rainfall in the arid wastes of the Central Asian deserts such as the Taklamakan.1 The country contains an unusual diversity of phytogeographic regions, vegetation types, and endemic species which have attracted Western botanists since they first had the opportunity to travel inland during the nineteenth century.2
Limit Theorems for Quantile and Depth Regions for Stochastic Processes

Since contours of multi-dimensional depth functions often characterize the distribution, it has become of interest to consider structural properties and limit theorems for the sample contours [see Zuo and Serfling (Ann. Stat. 28(2):483–499, 2000) and Kong and Mizera (Stat. Sin. 22(4):1589–1610, 2012)]. In particular, Kong and Mizera have shown that for finite dimensional data, directional quantile envelopes coincide with the level sets of half-space (Tukey) depth. We continue this line of study in the context of functional data, when considering analogues of Tukey’s half-space depth (Tukey, Mathematics and the picturing of data, in Proceedings of the International Congress of Mathematicians (Vancouver, BC, 1974), vol. 2 (Canadian Mathematical Congress, Montreal, QC, 1975), pp. 523–531). This includes both a functional version of the equality of (directional) quantile envelopes and quantile regions as well as limit theorems for the sample quantile regions up to \(\sqrt{n}\) asymptotics.
Stitched together, torn apart: The keffiyeh as cultural guide:

While the political and cultural importance of the keffiyeh, as well as its attendant commodification as a fashion accessory in the West, is established, this article seeks to analyze the precise t...
The efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure therapy in reducing cardiovascular events in obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review

Prospective studies show an association between obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the treatment of choice and effectively reduces subjective sleepiness and apneic and hypopneic events. However, randomized trials have not shown a reduction in cardiovascular outcomes with CPAP therapy. We review the past 10 years of randomized trial evidence regarding the therapeutic efficacy of CPAP on cardiovascular outcomes and mortality in adults with obstructive sleep apnea. The majority of studies found no significant improvement in cardiovascular outcomes with CPAP, although many noted nonsignificant benefits. Adjusted analysis in several trials showed significant cardiovascular benefit in those patients with higher CPAP compliance. Existing trials may lack sufficient follow-up and CPAP compliance, among other limitations.
Digest: Stabilizing selection on an animal weapon in a wild population.

How does sexual selection act on exaggerated traits in the wild? O'Brien et al. (2017) examined selection patterns in a wild population of weapon-bearing beetles and how selection acts on weapon size in relation to reaction norms. The analysis revealed directional selection for larger weapon size when considered individually and stabilizing selection for weapon size in proportion to body size. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Queue Length at Signalized Intersections from Red-Time Formula and the Highway Capacity Manual Compared with Field Data

This study compared the Highway Capacity Manual 2010 (HCM 2010) procedure (the procedure in HCM 2016 is the same) and the red-time formula (RTF) estimations of the back-of-queue with field data results. The comparisons were made for the 50th and 95th percentile field queue lengths at four signalized intersections along a corridor in one off-peak period and a.m., noon, and p.m. peak periods. For the 50th percentile queue length, the HCM estimates had significant differences from the field data in 52% of the cases (major and minor street cases combined); in 93% of which the HCM overestimated the queue length and in 7% it underestimated the queue length. For the major street, in 28% of the cases the HCM significantly overestimated the queue length on average by 66%, and in 4% of the cases the HCM significantly underestimated on average by 42%. For minor streets, in 70% of the cases the HCM significantly overestimated the queue length on average by 44%, and in 5% of the cases it significantly underestimated o...
Design of a separation section in an ethanol-to-butanol process

Abstract A complete separation scheme has been designed for the effluent of a high-pressure ethanol-to-butanol catalytic reactor, producing 250,000 tonnes of n-butanol per year. The effluent contains water, hydrogen and a diverse range of C2-C4 oxygenates: unconverted ethanol, n-butanol, acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, and acetal. Fundamental phase equilibrium relationships suggested use of conventional, extractive, and heterogeneous azeotropic distillation units to perform the separations. All reactor effluent species exit the separation process at mole purities of at least 99%. Separation costs are estimated to range from 9.0 to 10.6 MJ/kg n-butanol, which is comparable with the separation costs of n-butanol obtained from established acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) separation process.
Design and optimization of nanoparticle-pigmented solar selective absorber coatings for high-temperature concentrating solar thermal systems

We present a systematic approach for the design and optimization of nanoparticle-pigmented solar selective absorbers for operation at 750 °C. Using the scattering and absorption cross-sections calculated by Lorenz-Mie scattering theory as input, we employ a four-flux radiative transfer method to investigate the solar selectivity mechanism and optimize the optical-to-thermal conversion efficiency (ηtherm) as a function of the metallic nanoparticle material, the nanoparticle diameter, the volume fraction, and the coating thickness. Among the nanoparticle material candidates in this study, C54-TiSi2 is the best option with an optimized ηtherm = 87.0% for a solar concentration ratio of C = 100 and ηtherm = 94.4% for C = 1000 at 750 °C. NiSi is also a promising candidate comparable to TiSi2 in thermal efficiency. Experimentally, an un-optimized 200 nm-diameter TiSi2 nanoparticle-silicone solar selective coating has already achieved ηtherm = 89.8% for C = 1000 at 750 °C. This performance is consistent with the theoretical model and close to the thermal efficiency of the commercial Pyromark 2500 coatings (90.1%). We also demonstrate that Ni/NiSi core-shell structures embedded in the SiO1.5 matrix is thermally stable at 750 °C for 1000 h in air. These results indicate that silicide cermet coatings are promising to achieve high optical performance and high temperature thermal stability simultaneously.
Sound, Affect, and Visual Autokinesis:

Sound and the absence of sound were used during the adaptation period of a conventional experiment on autokinetic effect conducted in anechoic and reverberation rooms of equal size. Only the room condition led to significantly different results: more visual autokinesis in the reverberation room. The data are discussed in light of the results of an earlier, similar experiment where the reverberation room yielded less visual autokinesis. It is suggested that affect rather than sound influenced the autokinetic phenomenon.
Regional Growth in the United States: Correlates with Measures of Human and Creative Capital

This paper presents a new classification scheme for looking at industrial structure in the United States, and explores patterns of growth related to this new classification scheme, with an eye towards examining the role of human and creative capital in the growth process. The paper begins with a background discussion that is intended to motivate the need for the development of a new industry classification scheme. This section is followed by a description of the process of developing this new industry classification scheme, a description of regional trends in the clusters developed in this paper, and then by a section that reports on correlates of regional growth and indicators of human and creative capital. The paper ends with some concluding comments.
Fiber Optic Strain Gage Verification and Polyethylene Hip Liner Testing

To optimize stability in total hip arthroplasty, the use of larger femoral heads necessitates a polyethylene liner of reduced thickness. An understanding of the mechanical properties, particularly resistance to fatigue failure, of highly-crosslinked polyethylene is critical to determine the optimal parameters for clinical use. The primary purposes of this study were to characterize the X3TM highly cross-linked polyethylene (HCLPE) liner peripheral face strain field in multiple orthopaedic acetabular shell constructs under physiological loading and to evaluate the usefulness of fiber optic strain gages in this type of biomedical application. The first phase of this study involved measuring X3 HCLPE material properties in tension and compression using uniaxial fiber optic strain gages and resistance based uniaxial and multi-axial (rosette) strain gages to gain greater insight into the complexities and limitations of the use of fiber optic strain gages with X3 HCLPE. In the second phase, physical testing was used to evaluate the effect of HCLPE thickness on the hoop strain field of liner samples of three different thicknesses at three inclination angles and three head offsets that simulate potential in vivo clinical scenarios occurring in hip replacement. The results from these studies will be presented in this paper.
Prefixed Tableau Systems

In Kripke’s original papers on modal logic semantic tableaus were used extensively. But they were quite different from the ones we have been investigating. Instead of “updating” a branch, a new alternate tableau was created. This in turn could give rise to other alternate tableaus, and so on. The final proof was often more of a forest than a single tree. The disadvantages of such an approach include, of course, complexity. On the other hand, there are certain clear advantages. Branch updating techniques of the sort we have been using cause one to forget the past. Thus they are less than ideal for logics in which you can go home again, logics like B for example. They are also inappropriate for first order constant domain logics in which, so to speak, the discovery that something exists in an alternate world makes one realize it must have existed in the world we left behind. Keeping track of all the various alternate tableaus avoids these problems, since there is then have the potential for interaction.
Endocrine cell type sorting and mature architecture in the islets of Langerhans require expression of Roundabout receptors in β cells

Pancreatic islets of Langerhans display characteristic spatial architecture of their endocrine cell types. This architecture is critical for cell-cell communication and coordinated hormone secretion. Islet architecture is disrupted in type-2 diabetes. Moreover, the generation of architecturally correct islets in vitro remains a challenge in regenerative approaches to type-1 diabetes. Although the characteristic islet architecture is well documented, the mechanisms controlling its formation remain obscure. Here, we report that correct endocrine cell type sorting and the formation of mature islet architecture require the expression of Roundabout (Robo) receptors in β cells. Mice with whole-body deletion of Robo1 and conditional deletion of Robo2 either in all endocrine cells or selectively in β cells show complete loss of endocrine cell type sorting, highlighting the importance of β cells as the primary organizer of islet architecture. Conditional deletion of Robo in mature β cells subsequent to islet formation results in a similar phenotype. Finally, we provide evidence to suggest that the loss of islet architecture in Robo KO mice is not due to β cell transdifferentiation, cell death or loss of β cell differentiation or maturation.
Overqualification Moderates the Effects of Age Discrimination on Withdrawal and Somatic Symptoms

Based on relative deprivation theory, this study examines the moderating effect of perceived overqualification in the relationships between perceived age discrimination from one’s supervisor and tw...
An asymptotic definition of K-groups of automorphisms and a non-Bernoullian counter-example

Let G≅Zn be a group of measure preserving transformations of a Lebesgue space. J. P. Conze [1] has developed an entropy theory for such groups and described a class of groups obeying a form of the Kolmogorov “zero-one” law called K-groups. A Bernoulli group is a group isomorphic to the group of translates (shifts) of elements of the space $$\prod\limits_{g \in G} {X_g } $$ with product measure where X g =X is a probability space. Bernoulli groups are also K-groups. Katznelson and Weiss [3] have shown entropy is a complete invariant for isomorphism classes of Bernoulli groups. We give an asymptotic definition of K-groups in terms of finite σ-algebras and justify this definition in terms of entropy and Conze's formulation. This definition s used to help us construct a K-group G≅Z n that is completely non-Bernoulli, that is one that contains no Bernoulli subgroup.
Blockchain for the Common Good: A Digital Currency for Citizen Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship

We present a distributed ledger application for the world of citizen philanthropy and social entrepreneurship, with stakeholder incentives designed to increase social good through accountability, transparency, and flexibility. In this system, called Directed Cash, individual donors specify conditions (the “Directed” part) attached to their donation or investment (“Cash”), that are then efficiently paired with interested recipients or aggregators of recipients (charities, social entrepreneurs) using distributed consensus so that the intent and pairing are open while maintaining donor anonymity. Furthermore, Directed Cash flows both ways to promote accountability and transparency: after receipt, a validation flows backwards to return to the donor so that the donor receives a report of how their donation was spent. While some elements of the system borrow from existing cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies, we propose alternative incentives for distributed consensus that are better aligned with the application and promote social good through the stakeholders. This paper describes the goals and concepts, and a system design to achieve these goals, a primary feature of which is a simple SQL-like language to enable specifying conditions, pairing, aggregation and publicly-verifiable reporting.
Optimization of water-cement ratio in concrete contains recycled polypropylene (PP) plastic waste

Recently, the use of recycled plastic waste in civil engineering applications has been increased. This paper aims to investigate the effect of water-cement ratio on the compressive strength of concrete that contents 2.5 % polypropylene (PP) as plastic waste. Two references concrete mixes were prepared. The first mix had a water-cement ratio of 0.45 with 2.5% plastic waste, the second mix with 0.45 water cement ratio but without plastic waste. Three concrete mixes with water cement ratios of (0.5, 0.4, and 0.3) were also used as parametric study cases. The results indicated that decreasing the water-cement ratio from 0.45 to 0.4 increases the compressive strength by 20.2%. Also, the compressive strength increases by 36.2% with decreasing of water cement ratio from 0.45 to 0.3. While the compressive strength decreases by 12% with the increase of water-cement ratio from 0.45 to 0.5.
Verbal Aggression Among Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Teacher Perceptions of Harm, Levels of Concern, and Relationship With Certification Status:

Students who exhibit emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) typically have high frequencies of disruptive and noncompliant behavior including physical and verbal aggression (VA). Physical aggress...
Divergent Psychological Consequences of Gender Discrimination in the Workplace Among Women and Men

We examine whether the psychological consequences of perceived workplace discrimination differ between women and men. We argue that the types of experiences that women vs. men view as discriminator...