cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Centralized Clearinghouse Design: A Quantity-Quality Tradeoff

Stable matching mechanisms are used to clear many two-sided markets. In practice, these mechanisms leave many agents on both sides unmatched. What factors determine the number of unmatched agents, and the quality of matches that do form? This paper answers this question, with a particular focus on how match outcomes depend on correlations in agent preferences. I consider three canonical preference structures: fully idiosyncratic preferences, common preferences (agents agree on the attractiveness of those on the opposite side), and aligned preferences (potential partners agree on the attractiveness of their match).I find that idiosyncratic preferences result in more matches than common preferences do. Perhaps more surprisingly, the case of aligned preferences results in the fewest matches. Regarding match quality, the story reverses itself: aligned preferences produce the most high quality matches, followed by common preferences. These facts have implications for the design of priority rules and tie- breaking procedures in school choice settings, as they point to a fundamental tradeoff between matching many students, and maximizing the number of students who get one of their top choices.
Navier Stokes Equations: A Quick Reminder and a Few Remarks

We describe briefly some mathematical problems related to the Navier-Stokes and Euler equations.
10 nm gap bowtie plasmonic apertures fabricated by modified lift-off process

Bowtie plasmonic apertures, with gap sizes down to 11 nm and silver film thickness of up to 150 nm (aspect ratio ∼14:1), were fabricated on a silicon nitride membrane. Transmission spectra feature the aperture resonances ranging from 470 to 687 nm, with quality factors around 10. The mode area of the smallest gap aperture is estimated to be as small as 0.002 (λ/n)2 using numerical modeling. Importantly, our fabrication technique, based on an e-beam lithography and a lift-off process, is scalable which allows fabrication of many devices in parallel over a relatively large area. We believe that the devices demonstrated in this work will find application in studying and engineering light-matter interactions.
Drug discovery: Chemical diversity targets malaria.

A molecule selected from a library of compounds that have structures similar to natural products targets several stages of the malarial parasite's life cycle, offering single-dose treatment of the disease in mouse models. See Article p.344 Antimalarial drugs have thus far been mainly derived from natural products and synthetic 'drug-like' compounds. This study describes the discovery, following screens against libraries of compounds reminiscent of natural products, of promising small molecules that are highly active against the malaria parasite. Of particular interest is a series of bicyclic azetidines that inhibit a novel malaria target, phenylalanine tRNA–ligase. The bicyclic azetidines can cure mice from all life stages of the Plasmodium parasite with a single low-dose in different mouse infection assays, including a humanized mouse model of malaria liver-stage disease. These compounds have the potential to cure and prevent transmission of the disease in a single oral exposure.
A Qualitative Assessment of Return to Sport After Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement

Background:Hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is known to produce excellent outcomes, yet some patients do not return to their preinjury level of sport participation. Much liter...
Development of a Particulate Mass Measurement System for Quantification of Ambient Reactive Mercury.

The Teledyne Advanced Pollution Instrumentation (TAPI) model 602 BetaPlus particulate system provides nondestructive analysis of particulate matter (PM2.5) mass concentration. This instrument was used to determine if measurements made with cation exchange membranes (CEM) were comparable to standard methods, the β attenuation method at two locations in Reno, NV and an environmental β attenuation method and gravimetric method at Great Basin National Park, NV. TAPI PM2.5 CEM measurements were statistically similar to the other three PM2.5 methods. Once this was established, the second objective, a destructive method for measurement of reactive mercury (RM = gaseous oxidized and particulate bound Hg), was tested. Samples collected at 16.7 L per min (Lpm) for 24 h on CEM from the TAPI were compared to those measured by the University of Nevada, Reno-Reactive Mercury Active System (UNRRMAS, 1 Lpm) CEM and a Tekran 2537/1130/1135 system (7 Lpm). Given the use of CEM in the TAPI and UNRRMAS, we hypothesized that ...
CRT-800.56 Prevalence & Impact of Obstructive Sleep Apnea & Mitral Valve Insufficiency in Patients With Diastolic Heart Failure

The association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and cardiovascular disease is well recognized. The impact of OSA on the outcomes of patients hospitalized with diastolic heart failure remains unexplored. In this analysis of National Inpatient sample, we intended to assess the prevalence and
Identifying and Navigating Social and Institutional Challenges of Transgender Children and Families

The purpose of this article is to highlight the voices and lived experiences of four families and their transgender children (male to female). The methodology consists of a qualitative case study approach and ethnographic research methods over the course of 1 year. With a focus on mezzo and macro-level issues, the results of this article illustrate some of the ways that these families navigate their child’s transition, the social challenges that they experience from a society that adheres to the gender binary, and institutional challenges that this community faces in the realms of education, religion, medicine, and mental health. A discussion follows of the ways in which social workers can promote the health, happiness and the well-being of gender-variant children and their families within the community. We conclude with advocating for re-conceptualizing rigid and binary definitions of gender and challenging institutions that perpetuate oppression against trans children and their families.
Fear of Movement and Associated Factors Among Adults With Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis

Objective To examine the frequency of and factors associated with fear of movement (FOM) among patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA), using the new Brief Fear of Movement (BFOM) measure. Methods Participants (n = 350) enrolled in a clinical trial completed the BFOM scale prior to randomization. The relationships of BFOM with the following characteristics were examined: age, sex, race, education, pain and activities of daily living (ADL) subscales of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), knee symptom duration, depressive symptoms (8-item Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-8]), history of falls and knee injury, family history of knee problems, self-efficacy for exercise (SEE), and unilateral balance test. A proportional odds logistic regression model examined multivariable associations of participant characteristics with a 3-level BFOM variable (agreement with 0, 1–2, or ≥3 items). Results The majority of participants (77%) agreed with at least 1 item on the BFOM scale, and 36% endorsed 3+ items, suggesting a high degree of FOM. In the multivariable model, the following remained significant after backward selection: age (odds ratio [OR] 0.79 per 10-point increase, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.66–0.95), KOOS ADL (OR 0.86 per 10-point increase, 95% CI 0.76–0.97), PHQ-8 (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.08–1.22), and SEE (OR 0.87 per 10-point increase, 95% CI 0.78–0.96). Conclusion FOM was common among patients with symptomatic KOA, and this could negatively impact physical activity. Psychological variables were significantly associated with FOM, suggesting behavioral and psychological interventions may decrease FOM and improve outcomes among individuals with symptomatic KOA.
Stuttering on function words in bilingual children who stutter: A preliminary study

Evidence suggests young monolingual children who stutter (CWS) are more disfluent on function than content words, particularly when produced in the initial utterance position. The purpose of the present preliminary study was to investigate whether young bilingual CWS present with this same pattern. The narrative and conversational samples of four bilingual Spanish- and English-speaking CWS were analysed. All four bilingual participants produced significantly more stuttering on function words compared to content words, irrespective of their position in the utterance, in their Spanish narrative and conversational speech samples. Three of the four participants also demonstrated more stuttering on function compared to content words in their narrative speech samples in English, but only one participant produced more stuttering on function than content words in her English conversational sample. These preliminary findings are discussed relative to linguistic planning and language proficiency and their potential contribution to stuttered speech.
Memory Sub-System Design Considerations

The most critical bus in a DSP system today is the memory bus where a large amount of ultra high speed data is being transferred from the DSP to the physical memory devices and vice versa. The data on this bus are switching very fast. The rise and fall times of the data, memory clocks, control signals are approaching sub-nanosecond range. These fast transients generate noise, radiation, power supply droops, signal integrity, and memory timing issues. This chapter covers memory sub-system design techniques to minimize the effects of the high speed data propagating.
Semi-Markovian Stochastic Timed Petri Nets

Semi-Markovian stochastic Petri nets are a class of STPN’s which can be mapped into a semi-Markov process. Due to the memoryless property of exponentially distributed firing times, the analysis of SPN’s is highly simplified since a wide gamut of results based on CTMC are available. However, exponential timing may in some cases imply a gross approximation of the system characteristics. Although in GSPN models exponentially distributed firing times coexist with firing delays that are deterministically equal to zero, this doesn’t represent a significant extension of the type of firing distributions available in the model. Semi-Markovian SPN models, however, permit the existence of transitions with non-exponentially distributed firing times. Such an extension to SPN models helps increase the modeling power of STPN’s.
Endocytosis is required for CXC chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4)-mediated Akt activation and antiapoptotic signaling.

Signaling activated by binding of the CXC motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) to its cognate G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR), chemokine CXC motif receptor 4 (CXCR4), is linked to metastatic disease. However, the mechanisms governing CXCR4 signaling remain poorly understood. Here, we show that endocytosis and early endosome antigen 1 (EEA1), which is part of the endosome fusion machinery, are required for CXCL12-mediated AKT Ser/Thr kinase (Akt) signaling selective for certain Akt substrates. Pharmacological inhibition of endocytosis partially attenuated CXCL12-induced phosphorylation of Akt, but not phosphorylation of ERK-1/2. Similarly, phosphorylation of Akt, but not ERK-1/2, stimulated by CXCL13, the cognate ligand for the chemokine receptor CXCR5, was also attenuated by inhibited endocytosis. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated depletion of the Rab5-effector EEA1, but not of adaptor protein, phosphotyrosine-interacting with PH domain and leucine zipper 1 (APPL1), partially attenuated Akt, but not ERK-1/2, phosphorylation promoted by CXCR4. Attenuation of Akt phosphorylation through inhibition of endocytosis or EEA1 depletion was associated with reduced signaling to Akt substrate forkhead box O1/3a but not the Akt substrates TSC complex subunit 2 or glycogen synthase kinase 3β. This suggested that endocytosis and endosomes govern discrete aspects of CXCR4- or CXCR5-mediated Akt signaling. Consistent with this hypothesis, depletion of EEA1 reduced the ability of CXCL12 to attenuate apoptosis in suspended, but not adherent, HeLa cells. Our results suggest a mechanism whereby compartmentalized chemokine-mediated Akt signaling from endosomes suppresses the cancer-related process known as anoikis. Targeting this signaling pathway may help inhibit metastatic cancer involving receptors such as CXCR4.
Self-Efficacy and Outcome Expectancies

Paraphrasing Ebbinghaus’s comment about psychology, self-efficacy has a short history, but a long past. Self-efficacy is a judgment about personal capabilities that is intimately tied to expectancies about the outcome of contemplated actions. Expectancy has been explored extensively by many psychological theorists and researchers (e.g., Atkinson, 1957; Edwards, 1954; Lewin, 1936; Rotter, 1954; Tolman, 1955; Vroom, 1964) and has led to many important applications. The term expectancy was used in a very broad sense, however. Expectancies derived from self-efficacy judgments were not distinguished from those derived from beliefs about contingencies in the social environment. Thus, drawing a theoretical distinction between these constructs was an important theoretical contribution (Bandura, 1977a). At the same time, because many early measures of “expectancy” were indistinguishable from contemporary measures of self-efficacy, careful reading of the earlier literature reveals many important facts about self-efficacy. For example, studies conducted prior to 1970 reveal that (1) the debilitating effect of failure on self-efficacy is greater than the facilitating effect of success, (2) spaced practice weakens the effect of the most recently experienced performance feedback on self-efficacy and strengthens that of prior feedback, (3) induced changes in self-efficacy for a particular task generalize to other tasks, and (4) self-efficacy is correlated across dissimilar tasks. (See Kirsch, 1986, for a detailed review of these and other findings from early research on self-efficacy.)
Soil Drying by Microwave Oven

An investigation of the usefulness of the microwave oven for water content determination and for drying of soil before testing was performed. Soils ranging from highly plastic clays to clean sand were used. The influencesof initial water content, amount of soil, and soil type on the drying time were investigated. Differences between water content determined using a microwave oven and a conventional oven decreased with decreasing plasticity of the soils. The microwave oven can be used for quick drying of soil, but accurate determinations of water content may only be achieved for nonplastic soils such as coarse silts, sands, and gravels. The change in classification according to the Atterberg limits was taken as a measure of the effects of heating by microwaves. The plasticity and swelling potential of the soils decreased after preheating in the microwave oven, and these effects are comparable to the effects of drying the soils in a conventional oven at high temperatures.
Early administration of parenteral estrogen suppresses the deleterious local and systemic inflammatory response in severe burns.

Soon after severe burns, deleterious cytokines are produced and found in the burned skin, including dead tissue in third-degree injuries. This is followed by a systemic surge in these markers and correlated with subsequent multiorgan failure (MOF). In animal models, this response can be somewhat blunted by early debridement, but such early intervention is not usually feasible in most clinical settings. As estrogen is a powerful anti-inflammatory/anti-apoptotic agent, we tested parenteral 17β-estradiol (E2) as a feasible early alternative intervention to dampen the proinflammatory response.
A λ/4-lnverted N-path Filter in 45-nm CMOS SOI for Transmit Rejection with Code Selective Filters

This paper demonstrates transmit rejection with a quarter-wave $(\lambda/4)$ transformer that inverts the response of a shunt $N$ -path filter to break the inherent $N$ -path trade-offs between switch resistance and rejection. A 45-nm CMOS SOI filter supports both frequency and code selective filtering modes. The chip consumes a power of 9.37 mW from I-V and 1.8-V supplies at frequency of 0.9-1.1 GHz and the chip area is 1.77mm2. The transmit rejection is 21.9 dB with 3.3 dB insertion loss. The in-band third-order-intercept point (IIP3) is 22.6 dBm.
Politics, Implementation, and Impact of the Atlanta Compromise

This chapter draws the reader’s attention to the politics, impact, and desegregation of the Atlanta Public Schools. The impact of the desegregation process on students, teachers, and the community is a focal point of this chapter. Furthermore, a critical analysis and reflection of the desegregation process is discussed.
When Should Investors Short the Stocks of Acquiring Firms? Big-Data Insights from Joining CAR and EVA Style Analysis

The authors examine the announcement timing as to when investors should execute a short-selling strategy on the stocks of acquiring firms. The authors assess the gains (or losses) from executing a short-selling strategy immediately at the acquisition announcement or in a “wait to execute” short strategy during the post-acquisition announcement. The authors conduct a big-data empirical analysis with 14,636 acquisitions on the stocks of acquiring firms over the 17-year period, 1990–2016, to assess shorting gains or losses experienced by two major types of deals. Specifically, the authors look at acquirers doing deals with public targets and acquirer deals with private targets. The authors assess the acquirer gains or losses over several sub-periods, including years prior to the global financial crisis (1990–2007), during the financial crisis (2008–2009), and in the post financial crisis period (2010–2016). The authors find that the gains to shorting (or longing) the stocks of acquirers are dependent on the particular deal type (acquirer, public target; acquirer, private target) and whether or not the acquirer is a pre-classified wealth creator or wealth destroyer according to EVA style analysis.
Blinded and confused: uncovering systemic flaws in device telemetry for smart-home internet of things

The always-on, always-connected nature of smart home devices complicates Internet-of-Things (IoT) security and privacy. Unlike traditional hosts, IoT devices constantly send sensor, state, and heartbeat data to cloud-based servers. These data channels require reliable, routine communication, which is often at odds with an IoT device's storage and power constraints. Although recent efforts such as pervasive encryption have addressed protecting data intransit, there remains little insight into designing mechanisms for protecting integrity and availability for always-connected devices. This paper seeks to better understand smart home device security by studying the vendor design decisions surrounding IoT telemetry messaging protocols, specifically, the behaviors taken when an IoT device loses connectivity. To understand this, we hypothesize and evaluate sensor blinding and state confusion attacks, measuring their effectiveness against an array of smart home IoT device types. Our analysis uncovers pervasive failure in designing telemetry that reports data to the cloud, and buffering that fails to properly cache undelivered data. We uncover that 22 of 24 studied devices suffer from critical design flaws that (1) enable attacks to transparently disrupt the reporting of device status alerts or (2) prevent the uploading of content integral to the device's core functionality. We conclude by considering the implications of these findings and offer directions for future defense. While the state of the art is rife with implementation flaws, there are several countermeasures IoT vendors could take to reduce their exposure to attacks of this nature.
Gene pyramids and the balancing act of keeping pests at bay

This article comments on:Kamphuis LG, Klingler JP, Jacques S, Gao L-l, Edwards OR, Singh KB. 2019. Additive and epistatic interactions between AKR and AIN loci conferring bluegreen aphid resistance and hypersensitivity in Medicago truncatula. Journal of Experimental Botany 70, 4887-4902 .
A specific amino acid context in EGFR and HER2 phosphorylation sites enables selective binding to the active site of Src homology phosphatase 2 (SHP2)

The Src homology phosphatase 2 (SHP2) is a cytoplasmic enzyme that mediates signaling induced by multiple receptor tyrosine kinases, including signaling by the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family (EGFR1–4 or the human homologs HER1–4). In EGFR (HER1) and EGFR2 (HER2) signaling, SHP2 increases the half-life of activated Ras by blocking recruitment of Ras GTPase-activating protein (RasGAP) to the plasma membrane through dephosphorylation of docking sites on the receptors. However, it is unclear how SHP2 selectively recognizes RasGAP-binding sites on EGFR and HER2. In this report, we show that SHP2-targeted pTyr residues exist in a specific amino acid context that allows selective binding. More specifically, we show that acidic residues N-terminal to the substrate pTyr in EGFR and HER2 mediate specific binding by the SHP2 active site, leading to blockade of RasGAP binding and optimal signaling by the two receptors. Molecular modeling studies revealed that a peptide derived from the region of pTyr992-EGFR packs well and makes stronger interactions with the SHP2 active site than with the SHP1 active site, suggesting a built-in mechanism that enables selective substrate recognition by SHP2. A phosphorylated form of this peptide inhibits SHP2 activity in vitro and EGFR and HER2 signaling in cells, suggesting inhibition of SHP2 protein tyrosine phosphatase activity by this peptide. Although we do not expect this peptide to be a strong inhibitor by itself, we foresee that the insights into SHP2 selectivity described here will be useful in future development of active-site small molecule-based inhibitors.
Variation in seedling budburst phenology and structural traits among southwestern ponderosa pine provenances1

We used a common garden study to investigate genetic variation in spring budburst phenology, growth, and structural traits of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Lawson & C. Lawson var. scopulorum Enge...
Van Wyk-Grumbach syndrome in a female pediatric patient with trisomy 21: a case report.

Children with hypothyroidism typically present with delayed growth and development, but on rare occasions can present with signs of precocious puberty. This presentation is called Van Wyk-Grumbach syndrome. Van Wyk-Grumbach syndrome has seldom been described in patients with trisomy 21. We present the case of a 4-year-old girl with trisomy 21, who recently moved to the United States from Guyana, and presented to the emergency room with recurrent vaginal bleeding. She was eventually diagnosed with hypothyroidism and Van Wyk-Grumbach syndrome. She was noted to have Tanner I breasts and pubic hair. A pelvic ultrasound was performed, which showed a simple cyst in the right adnexa. Subsequent laboratory evaluation revealed a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) of > 150 mIU/ml along with low free thyroxine of 0.3 ng/dl, suggesting longstanding untreated hypothyroidism. Estradiol and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were elevated. Bone age was delayed. The patient was diagnosed with Van Wyk-Grumbach syndrome and was started on levothyroxine therapy with subsequent resolution of vaginal bleeding. Estradiol and AFP both normalized after initiating levothyroxine therapy. This case emphasizes the importance of recognizing the presence of precocious puberty, delayed bone age and ovarian cyst as a manifestation of primary hypothyroidism. In addition, it highlights the need for thyroid function screening in patients with Trisomy 21. Tumor markers may be elevated in Van Wyk-Grumbach syndrome with subsequent normalization after treatment.
POPLAR: Parafac2 decOmPosition using auxiLiAry infoRmation

PARAFAC2 is a powerful method for analyzing multi-modal data consisting of irregular frontal slices. In this work, we propose POPLAR method that imposes graph Laplacians constraints induced by the similarity symmetric tensor as auxiliary information to force decomposition factors to behave similarly and the method is developed using AO-ADMM for 3-way PARAFAC2 tensor decomposition. To the best of our knowledge, POPLAR is the first approach to incorporate graph Laplacians constraints using auxiliary information. We extensively evaluate POPLAR’s performance in comparison to state-of-the-art approaches across synthetic and real dataset, and POPLAR clearly exhibits better performance with respect to the Fitness (better 3−8%), and F1 score (better 5−20%) among the state-of-the-art factorization method. Furthermore, the running time for the method is comparable to the state-of-art method.
Development of small-scale unmanned hydrofoil boats

Unmanned boats have gained a lot of interest in the maritime community during the last decade. Most hydrodynamic platforms employed for unmanned boats are based on traditional relatively simple hul...
Temporal Structures of Justification in the Economic Analysis of Law: Legal Philosophy and Free Will

In an appropriation of jurisprudence away from moral philosophy in the name of advancing positive science, the economic analysis of law repudiates judicial responsibility in regard to human freedom and rights. I argue that the moral freedom and responsibility presupposed by a system of legal rights should not be eclipsed by narrow causal determinism but instead upheld by proper judicial discernment of wider temporally balanced structures of legal rights within such a system. Indeed, this is part of a wider claim that moral philosophy at large proceeds at its best by means of a temporally holistic reasoning process. I am interested in exposing and challenging theoretical bias and unacknowledged assumptions about time-value – in particular the privileging of future outcomes – lurking behind the economic analysis of law philosophy.
The Effects of Fire Intensity, Aspect and Substrate on Post-Fire Growth of Californian Coastal Sage Scrub

The rapidity and nature of vegetative recovery after fire affects both long-term productivity and the potential for biomass utilization of Mediterranean-climate shrublands. While it has long been surmised that the pattern of post-fire succession is affected by the intensity of a burn in southern California shrublands (e.g. Keeley, 1977; Vogl, 1977), data are lacking on the threshholds of fire intensity above which particular shrub species will fail to resprout. Such information would be useful in predicting and managing the composition of shrublands under various fire frequency regimes. At the same time the effects of fire intensity are superimposed on those of other habitat factors in influencing the heterogeneous patterns of post-fire recovery in Californian shrublands.
Tobacco quitline engagement and outcomes among primary care patients reporting use of tobacco or dual tobacco and cannabis: An observational study

Dual use of tobacco and cannabis is increasingly common, but it is unclear how it impacts individuals’ interest in or ability to stop smoking. If dual users fail to engage in treatment or have wors...
Energy-balancing AC and DC grid-forming control for power converters

Control strategies for grid-connected power converters can be broadly categorized into (i) grid-forming strategies that form a stable AC voltage (i.e., magnitude and frequency) at the converter terminal but assume that the DC voltage is stabilized by a fully controllable power source, and (ii) grid-following controls that form a stable DC voltage but assume that the AC voltage is stabilized by other devices in the grid. Consequently, grid-following is often fragile and frequently fails when the power system is under stress. In contrast, grid-forming power converters are commonly seen as a robust solution that is envisioned to replace synchronous machines as the cornerstone of future power systems. However, requiring a stable DC voltage is a significant obstacle in several application scenarios such as highvoltage DC transmission, low-frequency AC networks with converter-based frequency conversion, flywheel energy storage systems, and grid-connected renewable generation with limited flexibility. Instead, we propose control strategies that simultaneously form the converter's DC side and AC side voltage while ensuring power balance between the two sides and discuss theoretical results and applications in power systems consisting of interconnected AC and DC grids and grid-connected renewable generation.
Eliciting an immune-mediated antitumor response through oncolytic herpes simplex virus-based shared antigen expression in tumors resistant to viroimmunotherapy.

Background Oncolytic virotherapy (OV) is an immunotherapy that incorporates viral cancer cell lysis with engagement of the recruited immune response against cancer cells. Pediatric solid tumors are challenging targets because they contain both an inert immune environment and a quiet antigenic landscape, making them more resistant to conventional OV approaches. Further complicating this, herpes simplex virus suppresses host gene expression during virotherapy infection. Methods We therefore developed a multimodal oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) that expresses ephrin A2 (EphA2), a shared tumor-associated antigen (TAA) expressed by many tumors to improve immune-mediated antitumor activity. We verified the virus genotypically and phenotypically and then tested it in an oHSV-resistant orthotopic model (including immunophenotypic analysis), in flank and in T cell-deficient mouse models. We then assessed the antigen-expressing virus in an unrelated peripheral tumor model that also expresses the shared tumor antigen and evaluated functional T-cell response from the treated mice. Results Virus-based EphA2 expression induces a robust acquired antitumor immune responses in both an oHSV-resistant murine brain and peripheral tumor model. Our new multimodal oncolytic virus (1) improves survival in viroimmunotherapy resistant tumors, (2) alters both the infiltrating and peripheral T-cell populations capable of suppressing tumor growth on rechallenge, and (3) produces EphA2-specific CD8 effector-like populations. Conclusions Our results suggest that this flexible viral-based platform enables immune recognition of the shared TAA and improves the immune-therapeutic response, thus making it well suited for low-mutational load tumors.
Slide-hold-slide protocols and frictional healing in Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations of granular fault gouge

The empirical constitutive modeling framework of Rate- and State-dependent Friction (RSF) is commonly used to describe the time-dependent frictional response of fault gouge to perturbations from st...
Planning Derry: Planning and Politics in Northern Ireland

'Gerald McSheffrey's account of the troubled birth and implementation of a strategy for Londonderry is suprisingly rich reading...the tale of progress on the face of deeply entrenched conservatism is a breath of fresh air' - "The Belfast Telegraph".
Computing the Tutte polynomial of lattice path matroids using determinantal circuits

We give a quantum-inspired O ( n 4 ) algorithm computing the Tutte polynomial of a lattice path matroid, where n is the size of the ground set of the matroid. Furthermore, this can be improved to O ( n 2 ) arithmetic operations if we evaluate the Tutte polynomial on a given input, fixing the values of the variables. The best existing algorithm, found in 2004, was O ( n 5 ) , and the problem has only been known to be polynomial time since 2003. Conceptually, our algorithm embeds the computation in a determinant using a recently demonstrated equivalence of categories useful for counting problems such as those that appear in simulating quantum systems.
Ambition Driven Strategy™ — Strategieentwicklung in Zeiten rasanten Wandels

Stillstand bei der Strategischen Planung? Der Eindruck konnte entstehen. Portfolios verschiedener Art, eindimensionale Punktschatzungen und extrapolierte Wachstumsraten — vielerorts begegnet man den neuen Anforderungen eines immer rasanteren Wandels unverandert mit traditionellen Werkzeugen. Den Folgen dieses Stillstands begegnen wir taglich: der Umsetzungsgrad von Strategien ist gering; viele Mitarbeiter bringen sich nicht mehr personlich in den Planungsprozes ein, sondern erachten diesen als notwendiges Ubel eines administrativen Planungsapparates, hochstens noch als Kampfstatte um interne Ressourcen; Strategien fuhren nicht zu durchgreifenden Veranderungen des Unternehmens. Vor dem Hintergrund einer wachsenden Dynamik des Umfelds macht sich Angst vor der Zukunft breit: „Wo sind die Innovationen und Wachstumstrager der Zukunft?“
Development and application of ELISA assays for the detection of two members of the family Luteoviridae infecting legumes: Pea enation mosaic virus (genus Enamovirus) and Bean leafroll virus (genus Luteovirus)

An antigen-coated plate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ACP-ELISA) method was developed and validated for the detection of Bean leafroll virus (BLRV) and Pea enation mosaic virus (PEMV), two of the important viral pathogens of several legume crops. The coat protein (CP) gene of each of the viruses was bacterially expressed as a fusion protein containing an N-terminal hexa-histidine tag and used as an antigen to produce antisera in rabbits. The antiserum to BLRV could detect the virus in leaf samples in up to 1:1000 dilution, and the PEMV antiserum detected the homologous virus in leaf samples of dilutions up to 1:6400. No serological cross-reactivity was observed between anti-BLRV and anti-PEMV sera. The ACP-ELISA assays were then used for estimating the prevalence of these two viruses in alfalfa, pea and vetch over a three-state area in the US Pacific Northwest over a 2-year period and virus incidence was mapped. Availability of rapid and sensitive ELISA assays facilitate virus disease mapping efforts and screening germplasm for virus resistance.
Reactivity of p-[18F]fluorophenacyl bromide for radiolabeling of proteins and peptides

Abstract Radiolabeling of the somatostatin analog octreotide was attempted with p-[ 18 F ] fluorophenacyl bromide ([18F]FPB). Following these unsuccessful trials, the reactivity of FPB was studied using benzyl mercaptan, phenyl acetic acid, benzyl alcohol, and benzyl amine as model compounds for amino acid functional groups. Structure and purity of products, relative reactivity of FPB in competition reactions, and radiolabeling experiments are described. In addition, improvement in labeling efficiency of HSA using [18F]FPB was achieved by pretreatment 2ith 2-iminothiolane.
Macrophages as effector cells of protective immunity in murine schistosomiasis. IV. Coincident induction of macrophage activation for extracellular killing of schistosomula and tumor cells

Abstract Peritoneal macrophages from Schistosoma mansoni -infected mice are activated both for nonspecific tumor cytotoxicity and for killing of skin-stage schistosomula in vitro . In the current study, mechanisms for induction of macrophage tumoricidal and schistosomulacidal activity have been compared. Examination of macrophages activated in vivo by BCG infection or C. parvum treatment, or in vitro by exposure to lymphokine prepared from antigen-stimulated BCG-immune spleen cells, showed that these effector functions were closely linked. Indeed, fractionation of lymphokine-rich supernatant fluids by Sephadex G-100 gel filtraction showed that activities responsible for induction of schistomula killing by inflammatory macrophages and for induction of tumoricidal activity cochromatographed as a single peak in the 50,000 MW region. Thus, development of macrophage-mediated cytotoxicity against these two extracellular (tumor cell or helminth) targets was coincident in several cell populations activated in vivo or in vitro . However, activation for tumoricidal and schistosomulacidal capacity appeared to be quantitatively dissociated in macrophages from mice with chronic schistosomiasis; those cells demonstrated low, yet significant, levels of larval killing ( 1 3 to 1 5 those of BCG or lymphokine-activated cells) but maximal levels of tumor cell cytotoxicity. Furthermore, cytotoxicity by peritoneal cells from S. mansoni -infected mice was not increased in vitro by exposure to lymphokine. Identification of this functional alteration in S. mansoni -activated cells may help to clarify the role of macrophages in the partial immunity against challenge infection which is demonstrated by mice with chronic primary S. mansoni infection.
CTLA-4 Regulates Tolerance Induction and T Cell Differentiation In Vivo

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte Ag-4 (CTLA-4; CD152) is an important T cell regulatory molecule. In vitro experiments have shown that the blockade of signals through CTLA-4 augments T cell expansion, while CTLA-4 cross-linking results in decreased T cell proliferation due to decreased IL-2 production. However, less is known about the role of CTLA-4 in regulating an ongoing immune response. In this study, we examined the role of CTLA-4 in the expansion, decline, tolerization, and differentiation of T cells following treatment with staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). Anti-CTLA-4 treatment resulted in increased numbers of SEB-reactive T cells and blockade of subsequent tolerance induction. Further examination of the SEB-reactive cells from anti-CTLA-4-treated mice demonstrated that both the CD4 + and CD8 + V β 8 + T cells produced IL-4, providing evidence that not only do signals through CTLA-4 regulate T cell-tolerizing events, but they also play an important role in the differentiation of T cells in vivo.
A glutamine- and N-acetyl-L-glutamate-dependent carbamyl phosphate synthetase activity in the teleost Micropterus salmoides.

Abstract 1. 1. Livers of the teleost fish Micropterus salmoides possess carbamyl phosphate synthetase activity which utilizes l -glutamine as the nitrogen source and requires the presence of N- acetyl- l -glutamate for activity. 2. 2. The apparent Km for l -glutamine is 0·3 mM. Half-maximal activity is obtained when the concentrations of N- acetyl- l -glutamate and ATP-Mg2+ are 0·14 mM and 4 mM, respectively. 3. 3. Synthetase activity with ammonia as the source of nitrogen is less than 8% of that observed with l -glutamine.
Regulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase by wounding and methyl jasmonate

HMGR (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase; E.C. 1.1.1.34) supplies mevalonate for the synthesis of many plant primary and secondary metabolites, including the terpenoid component of indole alkaloids. Suspension cultures of Camptotheca acuminata and Catharanthus roseus, two species valued for their anticancer indole alkaloids, were treated with the elicitation signal transducer methyl jasmonate (MeJA). RNA gel blot analysis from MeJA treated cultures showed a transient suppression of HMGR mRNA, followed by an induction in HMGR message. Leaf disks from transgenic tobacco plants containing a chimeric hmg1::GUS construct were also treated with MeJA and showed a dose dependent suppression of wound-inducible GUS activity. The suppression of the wound response by MeJA was limited to the first 4 h post-wounding, after which time MeJA application had no effect. The results are discussed in relation to the differential regulation of HMGR isogenes in higher plants.
DNA vaccines: Fundamentals and practice

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the fundamentals of DNA vaccines. DNA vaccines have a number of advantages and some disadvantages as compared with other forms of immunization, such as protein vaccines or viral vector delivery systems. One of the greatest advantages of genetic vaccines is the relative ease with which they can be constructed. The simplicity of molecular biology techniques with which DNA can be manipulated also allows modifying the antigenicity of a protein. Certain antigenic epitopes can be reintroduced or deleted from a given gene of interest. Alternatively, antigenic proteins may be fused to other biologically active molecules to alter their immunogenicity. In addition, more than one plasmid may be co-injected at a time to manipulate the desired immune response to the antigen. The synthesis and purification of pDNA are also relatively simple as compared with the conventional vaccines using attenuated pathogens or recombinant proteins. DNA is relatively heat stable, which is especially beneficial for developing nations where refrigeration is not readily available. The chapter discusses the science of gene immunization and the principles of DNA immunization. It also discusses the pros and cons of DNA vaccination.
Multilingualism and the education of minority children

Linguicism, the domination of one language at the expense of others, is a reflection of an ideology, associated with racismo. The majority of almost 200 states of the world are officially monolingual, yet, these states contain speakers of sorne 4,000 to 5,000 languages. A comparative analysis of the success of educational programs in different countries in reaching the goals of bilingualism, shows that most European and europeanized countries do not organize the education of minory children so that they will succeed in becoming bilingual. Instead, the ohildrem themselves, their parents, their group and their culture are blamed for the failure. In the author's opinion, it should be the duty of the educational systems globally to help these children to become bilingual. To counteract linguicism, a dec:laration of children' s linguistic human rights is proposed. The autor concludes that it is not a question of information but one of power structure. Thus, it is the job of linguists to produce information, but unless the right questions are asked in their research and why, their arguments might be supporting linguicism and racismoA linguistic science wich is aware of these political involvements can only be militant. And it is the tudy of linguists in their respective countries and regions to assume responsability for this task, this struggle for the defense and development of their own language and cultures. (posuace to L-J. Calvet, Linguistique et Colonialisme).
Exploring Women's Agency and Empowerment in Developing Countries: Where do we stand?

ABSTRACTWhile central notions around agency are well established in academic literature, progress on the empirical front has faced major challenges around developing tractable measures and data availability. This has limited our understanding about patterns of agency and empowerment of women across countries. Measuring key dimensions of women's agency and empowerment is complex, but feasible and important. This paper systematically explores what can be learned from Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data for fifty-eight countries, representing almost 80 percent of the female population of developing countries. It is the first such empirical investigation. The findings quantify some important correlations. Completing secondary education and beyond has consistently large positive associations, underlining the importance of going beyond primary schooling. There appear to be positive links with poverty reduction and economic growth, but clearly this alone is not enough. Context specificity and multidimension...
Standing Room Only at the Quantum Scale

Atoms may be bosons and fermions depending on their isotopic mass, and this determines their behavior at very low temperatures. Bosons form quantum degenerate gases called Bose-Einstein condensates. In their Perspective, O9Hara and Thomas highlight the work by Truscott et al., who have made a degenerate fermionic gas through a method called "sympathetic cooling." Such studies will shed light on many processes from superconductivity to the mechanisms driving neutron stars.
The matter of assessor variance in early childhood education—Or whose score is it anyway?

Abstract Useful assessment outcomes (as manifest through assigned scores) must show reasonable variation across children because it is that variation that presumably defines children's individual differences. Alternatively it is conceivable that some portion of the variability in assessment outcomes does not reflect child differences but rather differences in the performance of the assessors who carry out assessments. Hierarchical linear modeling is applied in this article to identify the amount of score variation attributable to assessors rather than children. Working with multiple cohorts of Head Start and kindergarten children, score variation is analyzed for measures administered outside of classrooms by extramural assessors and for teacher-administered measures within classrooms. The amount of assessor variance (vs. actual child variance) was negligible as associated with extramural assessors but substantial for teacher assessors, indicating that large portions of the variability in teacher-administered assessments have nothing to do with children's unique performances. Recommendations are provided to assist the interpretation of assessment outcomes in future research and practice.
Central canal area in the early postnatal rat: Normal development and radiation-induced changes

Abstract The spinal central canal area in the early postnatal rat differs markedly in appearance from that in the adult. Dorsally and ventrally, the walls of the canal lack nuclei and appear to be composed of processes from cell bodies at some distance from the lumen. Additionally, a densely packed cluster of cells similar to those in the lateral walls is situated ventral to the canal area. Preliminary data indicated that the cells in this cluster were extremely susceptible to ionizing radiation; the present study: (1) characterizes these cells ultrastructurally in the normal animal; and (2) examines radiation-induced changes. Ultrastructurally, the cells forming this cluster in the normal 3-day-old rat were tightly packed, and their outlines followed the contours of adjacent cells. The cytoplasm, which contained an abundance of organelles, including distinct, wide-bore endoplasmic reticulum with darkly stained cisternae, occasionally surrounded bundles of axons. Synapses and junctional complexes were absent. Both nuclear and cytoplasmic characteristics are those of immature astrocytes 9 . By 6 h following irradiation of the 3-day-old, many cells in this cluster were pyknotic, and by 24 h the cluster had essentially disappeared. The number of cells surrounding the lumen decreased less rapidly than in the cluster. By 10 days post-irradiation (P-I) this number was approximately 39% less than in the control. These changes indicated a differential sensitivity to ionizing radiation between the cells of the ventral cluster and those elsewhere in the central canal area.
Low-loss LiNbO(3)waveguide bends with coherent coupling.

Low bending losses have been achieved in single-mode Ti:LiNbO3 channel waveguides by utilizing coherent coupling effects between closely spaced abrupt bends. A variety of multiple-bend structures has been evaluated. Losses as low as 0.08 dB per coupled 1° abrupt bend have been measured, as compared with 0.8 dB per isolated 1° abrupt bend.
Phantom limb pain — a re-afferentation syndrome

Abstract The physiological mechanism of the deafferentation pain of brachial plexus avulsion is unknown. The recent neurophysiological documentation of dorsal horn neuroplasticity following primary afferent destruction predict a variety of anomalous sensory phenomena. The case presented here demonstrates that these predicted sensory phenomena do occur following brachial plexus avulsion and they can be eliminated by dorsal horn coagulation. Based on the consistency of the neurophysiological and clinical observations, a hypothesis involving dorsal horn neuroplasticity following deafferentation is presented to explain phantom limb pain. In brief, the hypothesis states that deafferented high-threshold second-order dorsal horn neurons become ‘re-afferented’ by low-threshold primary afferents, either mono- or polysynaptically from adjacent and distant dermatomes.