cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Membrane Fluidity Modulates Thermal Stability and Ligand Binding of Cytochrome P4503A4 in Lipid Nanodiscs

Cytochrome P4503A4 (CYP3A4) is a peripheral membrane protein that plays a major role in enzymatic detoxification of many drugs and toxins. CYP3A4 has an integral membrane N-terminal helix and a localized patch comprised of the G′ and F′ helix regions that are embedded in the membrane, but the effects of membrane composition on CYP3A4 function are unknown. Here, circular dichroism and differential scanning calorimetry were used to compare the stability of CYP3A4 in lipid bilayer nanodiscs with varying ratios of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine to 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC). These lipids differ in the acyl-chain length and their degree of unsaturation. The thermal denaturation of CYP3A4 in nanodiscs occurs in a temperature range distinct from that of the nanodisc denaturation so it can be monitored calorimetrically. Melting temperatures (Tm), heat capacities (ΔCp), and calorimetric enthalpies (ΔHcal) for denaturation of CYP3A4 each increased with an increasing fractio...
Nonviolent civil insecurity is negatively associated with subsequent height-for-age in children aged <5 y born between 1998 and 2014 in rural areas of Africa.

BACKGROUND Civil wars and wars between states have occurred less frequently since the start of the 21st century, but civil insecurity outside the contexts of official wars continues to plague many parts of the world. The nutritional consequences of civil insecurity may disproportionately affect children, especially if experienced during sensitive developmental periods. OBJECTIVES This study estimated the associations between localized nonviolent and violent civil insecurity during key child nutritional periods and subsequent height-for-age z scores (HAZs) in 145,948 children born between 1998 and 2014 in Africa and examined the type of place of residence as a mediating factor. DESIGN A collection of 61 geo-referenced Demographic and Health Surveys implemented between 1998 and 2014 were merged with data from the high-resolution Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project to construct a repeat cross-sectional database, which was analyzed by using a difference-in-differences model with maternal fixed-effects. RESULTS Exposure to 1 nonviolent localized civil insecurity event (mean ± SD: 0.42 ± 1.87 events) during pregnancy for children living in rural areas was associated with a reduction of 0.01 SD in HAZ (P = 0.024). Exposure to 5 localized civil conflict fatalities (mean ± SD: 1.41 ± 10.21 fatalities) for children living in rural areas during the complementary feeding stage was associated with a 0.002-SD decrease in HAZ (P = 0.030). There were no measurable associations between civil insecurity and child heights in urban areas, even though children in urban areas experience more civil insecurity. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to both violent and nonviolent civil insecurity had negative associations with subsequent HAZ, but only in rural areas. The associations found were small in magnitude but still meaningful from a child-development perspective, because these events do not necessarily occur in the context of official wars, they are often nonviolent, and they are endemic to the region.
Changing Climate Change, 2009-2016: A Preliminary Report

In 2009, the Obama Administration entered office in the midst of a serious economic recession. Nonetheless, one of its priorities was to address the problem of climate change. It ultimately did a great deal -- producing, with the aid of market forces, significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, which ultimately helped make an international agreement possible. This essay offers a preliminary account of some of the central domestic reforms, including the “endangerment finding”; the selection of a social cost of carbon; fuel economy regulations for motor vehicles; controls on new and existing power plants; and energy efficiency regulations. At various points, potentially challenging issues of law and policy are identified, and different imaginable paths are specified. The essay can be taken as an account of the extent to which the executive branch, relying on pre-existing regulatory authorities, can accomplish a great deal in an area in which the national legislature is blocked. To that extent, the climate change initiatives offer an illuminating case study in the contemporary operation of the system of separation of powers. There is a brief discussion of whether the reforms are likely to prove enduring. Appendices offer an assortment of tables on relevant costs and benefits.
A Cyber-Provenance Infrastructure for Sensor-Based Data-Intensive Applications

This paper focuses on cyber infrastructures composed on sensor networks and conventional host-based systems and applications. In such an infrastructure, assuring data trustworthiness is critical and requires the acquisition and recording of provenance information. This paper discusses research directions to be addressed towards the development of effective provenance management systems. Directions that are discussed include: services for provenance queries, provenance compression and encryption in sensor-based networks, and provenance interoperability and security in host-based systems.
Understanding the Interdependencies Between Composition, Microstructure, and Continuum Variables and Their Influence on the Fracture Toughness of α/β-Processed Ti-6Al-4V

The fracture toughness of a material depends upon the material’s composition and microstructure, as well as other material properties operating at the continuum level. The interrelationships between these variables are complex, and thus difficult to interpret, especially in multi-component, multi-phase ductile engineering alloys such as α/β-processed Ti-6Al-4V (nominal composition, wt pct). Neural networks have been used to elucidate how variables such as composition and microstructure influence the fracture toughness directly (i.e., via a crack initiation or propagation mechanism)—and independent of the influence of the same variables influence on the yield strength and plasticity of the material. The variables included in the models and analysis include (i) alloy composition, specifically, Al, V, O, and Fe; (ii) materials microstructure, including phase fractions and average sizes of key microstructural features; (iii) the yield strength and reduction in area obtained from uniaxial tensile tests; and (iv) an assessment of the degree to which plane strain conditions were satisfied by including a factor related to the plane strain thickness. Once trained, virtual experiments have been conducted which permit the determination of each variable’s functional dependency on the resulting fracture toughness. Given that the database includes both K 1 C and K Q values, as well as the in-plane component of the stress state of the crack tip, it is possible to quantitatively assess the effect of sample thickness on K Q and the degree to which the K Q and K 1 C values may vary. These interpretations drawn by comparing multiple neural networks have a significant impact on the general understanding of how the microstructure influences the fracture toughness in ductile materials, as well as an ability to predict the fracture toughness of α/β-processed Ti-6Al-4V.
Chemical Modification of CRISPR gRNAs Eliminate type I Interferon Responses in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells.

Objectives: CRISPR/Cas9 is currently the primary tool used for genome editing in mammalian cells. To cleave and alter genomic DNA, both the Cas9 nuclease and a guide RNA (gRNA) must be present in the nucleus. One preferred method of introducing these reagents is direct transfection of a recombinant Cas9 protein complexed with a synthetic gRNA as a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex. It is well established from prior work in RNA interference that synthetic RNAs can induce a type I interferon (IFN) response that can limit the application of such methods both in vitro and in vivo. While the immunological properties of short siRNAs are well understood, little is known about the immune recognition of longer CRISPR gRNAs. The objective of our in vitro study was to investigate how the composition of the gRNA influences its recognition by human immune cells.Methods: The study was performed in vitro in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The PBMCs from healthy donor volunteers were treated with gRNA for 24 h, and the levels of type I IFNs in culture supernatants were measured by a multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent chemiluminescent assay. Prior to the analysis in PBMCs, the physicochemical parameters and functionality of all nucleic acid constructs were confirmed by electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing assessment in HEK293-Cas9 cells, respectively.Results: We found that unmodified synthetic CRISPR gRNAs triggered a strong IFN response in PBMC cultures in vitro that could be prevented with chemical modification. Likewise, in vitro–transcribed single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) also triggered a strong IFN response that could only be partially suppressed by phosphatase removal of the 5’-triphosphate group. However, the process by which the gRNA is prepared (i.e., chemically synthesized as a two-part crRNA:tracrRNA complex or in vitro–transcribed as an sgRNA) does not directly influence the immune response to an unmodified gRNA. When experiments were performed in the HEK293 cells, only in vitro–transcribed sgRNA containing 5’-triphosphate induced IFN secretion.Conclusion: The results of our structure–activity relationship study, therefore, suggest that chemical modifications commonly used to reduce the immunostimulation of traditional RNA therapeutics can also be used as effective tools to eliminate undesirable IFN responses to gRNAs.
Update on the Non-Pharmacological Management of Stroke Prevention in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Non-surgical left atrial appendage occlusion has emerged as an alternative to anticoagulant therapy in the management of stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation. This review reports on some of the more common devices that are currently being used to manage patients in this challenging group.
Long-Term Effects of Distraction Osteogenesis of the Mandible.

Purpose 1) To assess the fate of the permanent teeth in and adjacent to the regenerate in pediatric patients who underwent mandibular distraction osteogenesis (DO) and 2) to compare the postoperative growth of the distracted mandible with age- and gender-matched controls. Patients and Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of children who underwent mandibular DO during the primary or mixed dentition period and before completion of somatic growth (boys aged ≤14 years and girls aged ≤12 years) at Massachusetts General Hospital from 1996 to 2014. From the DO registry, patients were selected who had complete clinical and radiographic records and at least 1 year of follow-up. Patients with disorders of dental development (eg, ectodermal dysplasia) were excluded. Panoramic radiographs were used to assess changes in morphology, eruption, and orientation of the dentition. Standardized digital lateral cephalograms were used to assess the mandible (sella–nasion–B point, mandibular unit length, ramus height, body length) preoperatively, at the end of distraction, at 1 year after device removal, and at longest follow-up. Results A total of 118 patients of all ages in the registry underwent some form of DO during the study period. For assessment of the effects on dentition, 26 subjects, who had 36 osteotomies and distraction wounds, met the inclusion criteria. In this sample, 22 of 26 subjects (85%) had 52 adverse effects in 38 of 90 permanent teeth (42.2%) assessed. Cephalometric measurements indicated that there was net mandibular growth at longest follow-up, after a period of skeletal relapse from the end of distraction to 1 year after device removal; however, only 2 of 25 subjects (8%) regained a growth rate in the vector of DO that matched or exceeded normal age- and gender-matched controls. Conclusions DO commonly results in adverse effects on the dentition within and adjacent to the DO gap, with only a minority resolving over time. Net growth of the mandible occurs after DO but at a slower rate and lesser magnitude than that of age- and gender-matched controls.
Connected speech and language in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: A review of picture description tasks.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The neuropsychological profile of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia includes a history of decline in memory and other cognitive...
Electrophoretic Isolation and Growth Activity of Indole-3-Acetic Acid Oxidation Products

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is oxidized by peroxidase enzymes. The physiological significance ascribed to this reaction is that it controls or regulates the biological activity of IAA. There are two views as to the function of auxin oxidases, one degradative and the other an activation role. The prevailing concept is that the oxidation of IAA represents a detoxification reaction considered necessary for plant to keep the level of IAA at an optimum for maximal physiological response (Galston and Davies 1969). Contrary to the concept of inactivation of IAA, it is proposed that the oxidative transformation of IAA also activates IAA (Meudt, 1965 and 1967). Furthermore, the function of an IAA oxidase, in a system other than for the inactivation of IAA, is suggested by our findings that binding of IAA, first shown by Siegel and Galston (1953), depends on prior oxidation of IAA (Meudt and Galston, 1962). It was suggested that the binding of IAA depended on at least two reactions; (1) enzymatic transformation of IAA by the IAA oxidase system followed by; (2) the binding of a primary oxidation product to RNA, (Galston, et al 1964). In 1967, Meudt and Gaines proposed that the binding involved an indolenine derivative conjectured to be an early oxidation product of IAA (Ray and Thimann, 1955 and Hinman and Lang, 1965). The IAA oxidase system thus assumes a new significance. The present paper collates data on the isolation, electrophoretic mobility, and biological activity of 3 oxidation products of IAA.
The Psychiatrically Hospitalized Adolescent as Victim

The admission of an adolescent to a psychiatric unit is a traumatic process for everyone. No one wishes to see a child at a tender age, suffering or even worse, admitted to a hospital. It is obviously a painful trauma to the child and the family but it is also a source of anxiety to mental health professionals—the caregivers.
Re-evaluation of the Neuronal Centrosome as a Generator of Microtubules for Axons and Dendrites

A typical vertebrate neuron extends a single axon and multiple dendrites, both of which are rich in highly organized arrays of microtubules that serve essential functions. In simpler cell types, microtubules are organized by their attachment to a centralized nucleating structure such as the centrosome. In axons and dendrites, however, microtubules are not attached to the centrosome or any recognizable organizing structure. Over a decade ago, we proposed that the neuronal centrosome acts as a “generator” of microtubules for the axon and dendrites. Our studies suggested that the neuronal centrosome is highly active, especially during development, nucleating and releasing microtubules into the cell body. The released microtubules are then actively transported into the axon and dendrites by molecular motor proteins. In migrating neurons, most of the microtubules are attached to the centrosome, suggesting that significant changes in the nucleation or release of microtubules from the centrosome occur as neurons cease migration and begin to form their axonal and dendritic arbors. Recent studies suggest that the centrosome eventually becomes inactive as neurons mature, and that microtubule numbers are increased by other mechanisms, such as the severing of existing microtubules. Exactly how important the centrosome is for early stages of differentiation remains unclear, and the possibility exists that the centrosome may be re-activated in more mature neurons to meet particular challenges that may arise. Here we review historical as well as contemporary data on the neuronal centrosome, with emphasis on its potential role as a generator of microtubules.
Universal compulsory service in medical research.

Despite the prominence of healthcare-relatedconcerns in public debate, the ground remainsinfertile for the idea of conscripting citizensinto medical research. Reluctance to entertainthe thought of a system where nearly everyonecould be selected for service might reflectuncertainty about what the project wouldinvolve. There might also be a fear that themore crucial issue is how to protect researchsubjects within current, voluntary systems. Nodoubt reluctance to explore a system ofuniversal service results from the common hopethat each of us might avoid research in anycapacity besides researcher. A system of fullcivic participation might, however, avoid manyof the usual objections. Ethics regulations,including informed-consent guidelines, couldfor the most part remain in force. Though thesystem would compel people to serve, it couldremain responsive to principles of autonomy andjustice if it centered on broad publiceducation, community representation, and alottery-type selection process. The systemcould draw from the largest possiblecross-section of society, and offer conscriptsthe widest possible range of service. In thisway, a compulsory system might reconcile theexpectations about healthcare with researchneeds.
Shareholder approval thresholds in acquisitions: Evidence from tender offers

Abstract We exploit a 2013 Delaware law that reduces the shareholder support threshold for two-step tender offers to investigate the impact of differing levels of shareholder support on deal structures and outcomes. After the legal change, Delaware acquisitions, as opposed to other states, are more likely to be completed via tender offer, and Delaware targets collectively receive greater acquisition premiums and returns relative to firms incorporated in other states. Our results caution that supermajority shareholder approval thresholds can increase the risk of shareholder holdup and have little (if any) effect on managerial self-dealing.
Doctors Need to Speak Up More

On a day that marked the start of a new academic year for hospitals around the country, an editorial1 published by a fellow physician sparked a lively public debate. Titled “Doctors Need to Shut Up More,” the article was received by some as sage advice for both newly minted interns and their veteran mentors. However, its thesis, that doctors should limit their scope of practice to the biology and physiology of the human body, was met by many of our colleagues with vocal opposition. The author’s proposition, a version of the popular “stay in your lane” reproach, was that physicians and medical organizations should not comment on contemporary, hot-button issues such as immigration or nuclear disarmament, because these are outside of their fields of expertise and may harm their institutional credibility. However, what the author neglected to consider is that physicians are bound by an oath2 to protect the health of all humans, not just those in the examination room. It is our adherence to this pledge that opens the door for a … Address correspondence to John R. McLaren, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, 175 Cambridge St, Fifth Floor, Room 591, Boston, MA 02114. E-mail: jmclaren2{at}mgh.harvard.edu
Pre-trained deep convolutional neural networks for the segmentation of malignant pleural mesothelioma tumor on CT scans

Pre-trained deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have shown promise in the training of deep CNNs for medical imaging applications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of partially pre-trained deep CNNs for the segmentation of malignant pleural mesothelioma tumor on CT scans. Four network configurations were investigated: (1) VGG16/U-Net network with pre-trained layers fixed during training, (2) VGG16/U-Net network with pre-trained layers fine-tuned during training, (3) VGG16/U-Net network with all except the first two pre-trained layers fine-tuned during training, and (4) a standard U-Net architecture trained from scratch. Deep CNNs were trained separately for tumor segmentation in left and right hemithoraces using 4259 and 6441 contoured axial CT sections, respectively. A test set of 61 CT sections from 16 patients excluded from training was used to evaluate segmentation performance; the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) was calculated between computer-generated and reference segmentations provided by two radiologists and one radiology resident. Median DSC on the test set was 0.739 (range 0.328–0.920), 0.772 (range 0.342–0.949), 0.777 (range 0.216–0.946), and 0.758 (range 0.099–0.943) across all observers for network configurations (1), (2), (3) and (4) above, respectively. The median DSC achieved with configuration (3) when compared with the standard U-Net trained from scratch was found to be significantly higher for two out of three observers. A fine-tuned VGG16/U-Net deep CNN showed significantly higher overlap with two out of three observers when compared with a standard U-Net trained from scratch for the segmentation of malignant pleural mesothelioma tumor.
Cryptococcal hepatitis mimicking primary sclerosing cholangitis. A case report.

A case of cryptococcal hepatitis is reported which initially appeared to be primary sclerosing cholangitis. The correct diagnosis was made after neurological symptoms developed, and appropriate therapy was instituted. An approach to the patient with granulomatous hepatitis is discussed.
DNA damage measurements within tissue samples with Repair Assisted Damage Detection (RADD)

Exposures to genotoxic carcinogens and reactive species result in strand breaks and a spectrum of covalent modifications to DNA that can induce mutations and contribute to the initiation and progression of cancer. Measurements of DNA damage within tissue or tumor samples can serve as a biomarker for exposures or assess changes in DNA repair capacity relevant in cancer development and treatment. Numerous methods to characterize DNA damage exist. However, these methods are primarily applicable to isolated DNA or cultured cells, often require a substantial amount of material, and may be limited to the detection and quantification of only a handful of DNA adducts. Here, we used the Repair Assisted Damage Detection (RADD) assay to detect and excise DNA adducts using a cocktail of DNA repair enzymes, then the damage site within the genome are tagged for detection using a modified nucleotide. We previously demonstrated the RADD assay can detect lesions within isolated DNA and fixed cells, and now RADD can be used to detect DNA adducts and DNA strand breaks in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples. We verified the ability of the RADD assay to detect DNA damage in tissue by exogenously inducing DNA damage with X-rays and restriction enzymes. We also showed that RADD can be multiplexed with antibodies to detect cell cycle markers or other proteins of interest. Finally, we showed that RADD can detect DNA damage within clinically relevant ovarian tumor samples. RADD is a flexible and easy-to-use assay that allows relative damage levels to be determined within FFPE samples and allows the heterogeneity of DNA adducts and strand breaks within clinically relevant samples to be measured.
Extending OpenMP Map Clause to Bridge Storage and Device Memory

Heterogeneous architectures for high performance computing, particularly those systems that have GPU devices attached to the host CPU system, offer accelerated performance for a variety of workloads. To use those systems, applications are commonly developed to offload most computation and data onto an accelerator while utilizing host processors for helper tasks such as I/O and data movement. The approach requires users to program I/O operations for reading and writing data from and to storage, and to and from host memory. Then users are required to program operations for moving data between host memory and device memory. In this paper, we present our extension to the OpenMP map clause for programming directly reading and writing data between storage and device memory. The extension includes mechanism for handling metadata such that metadata can be manipulated independently from data itself. This work demonstrates a prototype runtime, and the support for binary and image data format, including jpeg and png, with OpenCV. Experiments on matrix and image processing kernels show that the designed extension can significantly reduce programming efforts for manipulating data and metadata among storage, host memory, and device memory.
Position: Building Blocks for Agent-based Modeling Can Scaffold Computational Thinking Engagement in STEM Classrooms

Computational models and simulations can be powerful tools to help learners understand a wide variety of natural phenomena. However, understanding and learning from computational models requires learners to comprehend the rules agents follow that lead to emergent outcomes. Blocks-based programming is useful in scaffolding learners in the early stage of programming tasks. We posit that students can authentically interact with agent-based modeling via a blocks-based dialect of the popular ABM language NetLogo, dubbed NetTango, across many difficulty levels. Specifically, we discuss three different activities in which we have integrated blocks-based programming into STEM classrooms that show blocks can be used for activities of increasing computational engagement and difficulty.
Technology, telehealth and nephrology: The time is now

The global health emergency of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought telemedicine to the forefront of the US health system and transformed the way health care is delivered. Although the need for telehealth to improve social distancing, and protect both patients and providers, was first and foremost in this transition, it has provided a great opportunity to rethink the future of health care with telehealth fully integrated as an option for patients. Some of the known benefits of telehealth include improved access to care, decreased travel time, and cost savings (1), and as we have clearly understood with COVID-19, provision of care during an infectious disease epidemic/pandemic. Patients with CKD and ESKD have a high disease burden, limited resources, and require care in different settings from multiple health care providers, thus contributing to their burden of disease; this may be an ideal patient population to benefit from telemedicine. Technology-based strategies to improve care such as remote patient monitoring, synchronous telehealth visits for both CKD patients and dialysis rounds, and asynchronous dialysis education platforms can be applied to nephrology care to great effect (2,3). Here, we discuss some such strategies that have been used successfully to improve nephrology care and have come to the forefront during this current pandemic. Remote monitoring of treatment adherence has been shown to achieve better BP readings in hypertensives and glycemic control in diabetics, both leading causes of CKD (4). A smartphone-based system to enhance self-care was successfully promoted in advanced CKD patients; prebuilt algorithms provided real-time feedback to patients and alerts to providers when treatment thresholds were exceeded or critical changes occurred (5). Telemedicine, with remote synchronous video visits, has demonstrated equivalent outcomes and reductions in cancelled or “no show” visits in two separate studies conducted at Veteran Affairs health systems (3). The …
OCT-Based Evaluation of Changes in Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness following Peeling of Membrane in Patients with Idiopathic Epiretinal Membrane

Background: Retina is the light-sensitive layer of tissue, forming the inner surface of the eye. Epiretinal membrane (ERM) is a semitransparent membrane between vitreous and the internal limiting membrane. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a procedure used for diagnosis and follow up of macular disorders. Objective: To determine the changes in the retinal nerve fiber layer thickness after epiretinal membrane peeling in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane with the help of optical coherence tomography. Study Design: It was a descriptive case series. Settings: Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Hospital Lahore Pakistan. Duration: Six months from January 2018 to June 2018. Methodology: The study involved 80 eyes of 40 patients; 1 affected eye planned for surgery and contralateral unaffected eye taken as control. OCT was performed before surgery and RNFL thickness was noted in each eye. Vitrectomy with peeling of ERM was performed and post-operative changes in the thickness of RNFL were reassessed by OCT at 1 and 3 months post-operatively. An informed written consent regarding participation in the study was taken from all the patients. Results: The mean age of the patients was 58.30±8.22 years. We observed a male predominance among these patients with male to female ratio of 1.9:1. Following surgery, the mean RNFL thickness at 1 and 3 months post-operatively increased significantly in superior and nasal quadrant while decreased significantly in inferior and temporal quadrant of the affected eye while it remained unchanged in the unaffected follow eye. Conclusion: In the present study, vitrectomy with ERM peeling was found to induce change in RNFL thickness which increased significantly in the superior and nasal quadrants while decreased significantly in inferior and temporal quadrant of the affected eye which warrants routine monitoring of such patients with OCT in the post-operative period.
Robots as Moral Advisors: The Effects of Deontological, Virtue, and Confucian Role Ethics on Encouraging Honest Behavior

We examined how robots can successfully serve as moral advisors for humans. We evaluated the effectiveness of moral advice grounded in deontological, virtue, and Confucian role ethics frameworks in encouraging humans to make honest decisions. Participants were introduced to a tempting situation where extra monetary gain could be earned by choosing to cheat (i.e., violating the norm of honesty). Prior to their decision, a robot encouraged honest choices by offering a piece of moral advice grounded in one of the three ethics frameworks. While the robot's advice was overall not effective at discouraging dishonest choices, there was preliminary evidence indicating the relative effectiveness of moral advice drawn from deontology. We also explored how different cultural orientations (i.e., vertical and horizontal collectivism and individualism) influence honest decisions across differentially-framed moral advice. We found that individuals with a strong cultural orientation of establishing their own power and status through competition (i.e., high vertical individualism) were more likely to make dishonest choices, especially when moral advice was drawn from virtue ethics. Our findings suggest the importance of considering different ethical frameworks and cultural differences to design robots that can guide humans to comply with the norm of honesty.
On the statics and dynamics of granular-microstructured rods with higher order effects:

Granular-microstructured rods show strong dependence of grain-scale interactions in their mechanical behavior, and therefore, their proper description requires theories beyond the classical theory ...
Telomeric 8-Oxoguanine Drives Rapid Premature Senescence In The Absence Of Telomere Shortening

SUMMARY Oxidative stress is a primary cause of cellular senescence and contributes to the pathogenesis of numerous human diseases. Oxidative damage to telomeric DNA is proposed to trigger premature senescence by accelerating telomere shortening. Here we tested this model directly using a precision tool to produce the common base lesion 8-oxo-guanine (8oxoG) exclusively at telomeres in human fibroblast and epithelial cells. A single induction of telomeric 8oxoG is sufficient to trigger multiple hallmarks of p53-dependent senescence. Telomeric 8oxoG activates ATM and ATR signaling, and enriches for markers of telomere dysfunction in replicating, but not quiescent cells. Acute 8oxoG production fails to shorten telomeres, but rather generates fragile sites and delayed mitotic DNA synthesis at telomeres, indicative of impaired replication. Based on our results we propose that oxidative stress promotes rapid senescence by producing oxidative base lesions which drive replication-dependent telomere fragility and dysfunction in the absence of shortening and shelterin loss.
Geometric model of the fracture as a manifold immersed in porous media

In this work, we analyze the flow filtration process of slightly compressible fluids in porous media containing fractures with complex geometries. We model the coupled fracture-porous media system where the linear Darcy flow is considered in porous media and the nonlinear Forchheimer equation is used inside the fracture. We develop a model to examine the flow inside fractures with complex geometries and variable thickness on a Riemannian manifold. The fracture is represented as the normal variation of a surface immersed in R3. Using operators of Laplace–Beltrami type and geometric identities, we model an equation that describes the flow in the fracture. A reduced model is obtained as a low dimensional boundary value problem. We then couple the model with the porous media. Theoretical and numerical analyses have been performed to compare the solutions between the original geometric model and the reduced model in reservoirs containing fractures with complex geometries. We prove that the two solutions are close and, therefore, the reduced model can be effectively used in large scale simulators for long and thin fractures with complicated geometry.
Accounting and control procedures in risk assessment of information environment distortion

Accounting and control is the foundation of prosperous business. It is impossible to create an effective internal control system without taking into account the organizational and methodological aspects of the accounting process. Therefore, there appears a need for an integrated assessment of accounting and control procedures as a single unified system. The application and introduction of state-of-the art digital technologies is of great importance during the development of high-technology business. In this regard, there is a need to find a system or technology that could make it possible to generalize accounting and control procedures to reduce the risk of the information environment distortion. One of such technologies that implements the formation of a continuous sequential chain of blocks is the blockchain technology. The present article specifies the structure and content of accounting and control procedures blocks using the blockchain technology. The selected blocks include accounting and control procedures based on the sequence of the accounting process. As a rule, control procedures applied by an economic entity do not cover all the risks of accounting information distortion. For that reason, one needs to assess them in order to determine the risks and minimize them. To assess the risks of the information environment distortion, a methodology based on the evaluation of their coverage completeness by accounting and control procedures has been developed. Through a well-rounded assessment of the information environment distortion risk, the proposed methodology will allow one to form accounting information systematically as well as in a quality manner and manage control procedures in order to make effective management decisions.
Expected Outcomes of Surgical Treatment in Obstetrical Brachial Plexus Injuries

Surgical techniques to restore nerve function in infants with brachial plexus birth injuries (BPBI) include nerve grafting, neurolysis, and nerve transfers. These techniques result in reliable recovery of shoulder abduction, shoulder flexion, and elbow flexion in infants with upper and middle trunk injuries who have delayed or absent nerve recovery (Gilbert et al. Microsurgery. 26(4):334–342, 2006; Lin et al. Plast Reconstr Surg. 123(3):939–948, 2009; Manske et al. Plast Reconstr Surg. 143(5):1017e–26e, 2019; Boome and Kaye, J Bone Joint Surg Br. 70(4):571–576, 1988; Pondaag et al. Neurosurgery, 57(3):530–537, 2005; Malessy, J Bone Joint Surg Am. 96(20):e174, 2014). Infants with global brachial plexus injuries, for whom reconstructive strategies include reconstruction of hand function, experience more variable results, with less robust recovery of shoulder and elbow function compared with upper and middle trunk injuries; although some recovery of hand motor function is expected, it is not clear that children recover meaningful hand use. (Gilbert and Whitaker, J Hand Surg Edinb Scotl. 16(5):489–491, 1991; Kirjavainen etal. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 90(3):349–355, 2008; Haerle and Gilbert, J Pediatr Orthop. 24(2):194–200, 2004; Pondaag and Malessy, J Neurosurg. 105(1 Suppl):33–40, 2006; Terzis and Kokkalis, Plast Reconstr Surg. 122(2):516–526, 2008; Maillet and Romana, J Child Orthop. 3(2):101–108, 2009). However, each infant’s injury is unique, and despite postoperative improvements, persistent upper extremity impairment and the need for further intervention are common in both groups (upper trunk and global palsies), regardless of surgical technique.
A New Hail Product for GPM DPR

The profile classification module in GPM DPR level-2 algorithm has developed various products using rich information from the dual-frequency observations. These products perform functions in rain type classification, melting layer detection, identifying surface snowfall as well as graupel hail (GH). Extensive evaluation and validation activities have been performed on these products and illustrate excellent performance. Extreme precipitation such as hail has raised interest due to its huge impact on society. In the coming new version of GPM DPR algorithm, we will introduce a new hail product to identify hail along a vertical profile. Different from the existing “flagGraupelHail” product, which combines graupel and hail together, the new product will separate them. It should be noted here that presence of hail in the storm does not mean hail on the ground.
Addressing medical and social needs to reduce unnecessary health care utilization and costs: a qualitative study

Background: There are few if any well-known approaches to reducing avoidable health care utilization and costs in patients with social needs. This study9s objective was to explore the goals, and approaches to organizing and delivering care, of interventions attempting to reduce avoidable resource use by addressing patients9 medical and social needs. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with study investigators about early interventions in the peer-reviewed literature. A template analysis approach was used to review interview transcripts for common themes and create a final code list. Coder dyads separately coded each interview and resolved any discrepancies. Results: Interviews were conducted with 15 investigators of interventions that delivered a variety of health services and addressed several individual social needs. Participants frequently described their overall goal as meeting patients9 diverse needs to prevent unnecessary acute care utilization. Reported approaches to addressing medical needs included assistance with receipt of primary care and care coordination across settings. Social needs were described as tightly linked with medical needs; addressing social support and housing were perceived as distinct from addressing other social needs. Participants described their overall approach to meeting patients9 needs in terms of establishing connections, partnership, respect, and being adaptable to patients9 priorities. Conclusions: Findings shed new light on how to simultaneously address medical and social needs. Opportunities for future research include evaluating different approaches to addressing medical needs (primary care versus care coordination), separately evaluating the impacts of housing or social support, and hiring and training procedures to promote trauma-informed, patient-centered care.
A programmable microcomputer for real time speech processing

The implementation of a programmable microprocessor for real time speech processing is described. The design of a fast special-purpose computer operating at 150 nsec per instruction time reduces the problem of speech encoding and decoding to a software problem. Each instruction is a twelve-bit word, and the information conveyed by a word is explained. The microprocessor is controlled by two clocks - the A/D clock, or input sampling clock, which loads the digital input into the input register and presets the counter to a value set by the external switches; and the instruction clock, or system clock, which operates at 6 MHz. At this system clock rate and a sampling clock rate of 30 KHz, 200 instructions can be executed between samples, and for many speech encoding and decoding algorithms, 200 instructions are more than enough. The microcomputer is being used to test various delta modulator encoding algorithms.
Minimization of Spring Torque in Flexible Connections to Instruments

Precision electromechanical measuring instruments of various kinds often require establishing electrical connection to the suspended part of the instrument, with minimum introduction of disturbing torques. Requirements are especially demanding in the case of gyroscopes. Gyroscopes of high-precision type, as used in inertial-guidance systems and in advanced flight-control systems, generally take the form of a gimbal member which contains the rotor and which is supported relative to the case by some form of minimum-friction bearings. Usually, at least three electrical connections are required (for the polyphase rotor drive motor), which take the form of wires or ribbons extending from the case to the gimbal member. Disturbing-torque levels about the gimbal axis or axes must be kept to extremely low values; the total tolerable disturbing torque from all sources whatever is often of the order of one dyne-cm or less. Special attention must be given to the electrical lead-in connections (a) to minimize mechanical hysteresis effects, which result in erratic bias changes, and (b) to minimize spring rate. While spring coercion is a conservative type of force, it nevertheless must he kept very small, otherwise a shift of null of the pickoff which detects gimbal displacement will result in a steady spring bias.
The lens capsule. Studies on the carbohydrate units.

Abstract A study has been made of the carbohydrate units present in the anterior and posterior portions of the lens capsules of calf and cow eyes. Digestion of the capsules with purified collagenase resulted in the solubilization of more than 90% of the carbohydrate and peptide portions. Further digestion with Pronase was employed to obtain the carbohydrate units in the form of glycopeptides with a minimum number of amino acids attached. Fractionation of the collagenase-Pronase digests by gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography permitted the isolation of glycopeptides containing a glucosylgalactose disaccharide linked to hydroxylysine, glycopeptides containing heteropolysaccharide units, and some incompletely digested material believed to contain both of these types of carbohydrate units. Chemical (periodate oxidation, methylation, and graded acid hydrolysis) and enzymatic characterization of the glycopeptides containing glucose and galactose, as well as of the disaccharide isolated from them by partial acid hydrolysis, indicated that the structure of the disaccharide unit is 2-O-α-d-glucosyl-d-galactose and that it is linked by a β-glycosidic bond to the hydroxyl group of hydroxylysine. Measurement of the number of such disaccharide units was achieved on the amino acid analyzer as glucosylgalactosylhydroxylysine after alkaline hydrolysis of the lens capsules. The migration of the glucosylgalactosylhydroxylysine from the lens capsules was identical, both by ion exchange and paper chromatography, with that of the glucosylgalactosylhydroxylysine previously obtained from the gomerular basement membrane. The lens capsules were found to have a large number of hydroxylysine-linked disaccharide units (37 per 1000 amino acid residues for the calf anterior capsule and 45 per 1000 for cow anterior capsule). All of the glucose and a large portion of the galactose of the lens capsule was accounted for in the form of this disaccharide unit. Approximately 85% of the hydroxylysine residues of the capsules were involved in these carbohydrate linkages. The glycopeptides containing the heteropolysaccharide units were excluded from Sephadex G-25, penetrated Sephadex G-50, and contained galactose, mannose, hexosamines, sialic acids, and fucose. Their composition and behavior during gel filtration was similar to the glycopeptides containing the heteropolysaccharide unit from the gomerular basement membrane. The ratio, on a weight basis, of disaccharide units to heteropolysaccharide units varied with age and position in the capsule, being 69:31 for the calf anterior capsule, 63:37 for the calf posterior capsule, 85:15 for the cow anterior capsule, and 77:23 for the cow posterior capsule.
Petroleum hydrocarbons in Narragansett Bay: I. Survey of hydrocarbons in sediments and clams (Mercenaria mercenaria)

Abstract Analyses of hydrocarbons in surface sediments from eight stations and in clams (M. mercenaria) from three stations in Narrangansett Bay show that both contain a very complex mixture of hydrocarbons which is not present in clams from Charlestown Pond, a relatively unpolluted coastal pond. This complex mixture of hydrocarbons is present in crude oils and fuel oils, and it is not a likely product of recent biosynthesis by marine organisms. This suggests that the sediments and clams from the areas sampled in Narrangansett Bay are contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons. Sewage effluents and small oil spills are the most probable sources of the petroleum hydrocarbons.
A Small Sample Study of Goodness-of-fit Tests for Time Series Models

We study the small sample behaviour of two goodness-of-fit tests for time series models whichhave been proposed recently in the literature. Both tests are generalizations of the popular Box-Ljung-Pierce portmanteau test, one in the time domain and the other in the frequency domain.The tests are found to be oversized under the null of white noise but undersized under othernull hypotheses. The cause for this effect is investigated and a finite sample correction proposedwhich ameliorates this effect. It is found that the corrected versions of the tests have markedlybetter size properties. The correction is also found to result in an overall increase in power whichcan be significant in certain alternatives. Furthermore, the corrected tests also have uniformlybetter power than the Box-Ljung-Pierce portmanteau test, unlike the uncorrected versions.
Bank funding modes: Securitization versus deposits

Abstract We examine a bank's choice of whether to fund the loans it originates by emitting deposits or to sell the loans to investors. With common knowledge of loan quality and laissez faire banking, we find that the choice is irrelevant. With asymmetric information but without government intervention, we find that better quality assets will be sold (securitized) and poorer quality assets will be funded with deposits. Public regulation can influence the bank's choice; subsidies can cause a bank to favor deposit funding, but mutual funds and third-party insurers may mitigate the effects of governmental subsidies.