cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Signal-Level Transfer Learning Framework for Autonomous Reconfiguration of Wearable Systems

Machine learning algorithms, which form the core intelligence of wearables, traditionally deduce a computational model from a set of training data to detect events of interest. However, in the dynamic environment in which wearables operate, the accuracy of a computational model drops whenever changes in configuration or context of the system occur. In this paper, using transfer learning as an organizing principle, we propose a novel design framework to enable autonomous reconfiguration of wearable systems. More specifically, we focus on the cases where the specifications of sensor(s) or the subject vary compared to what is available in the training data. We develop two new algorithms for data mapping (the mapping is between the training data and the data for the current operating setting). The first data mapping algorithm combines effective methods for finding signal similarity with network-based clustering , while the second algorithm is based on finding signal motifs . The data mapping algorithms constitute the centerpiece of the transfer learning phase in our framework. We demonstrate the efficacy of the data mapping algorithms using two publicly available datasets on human activity recognition. We show that the data mapping algorithms are up to two orders of magnitude faster compared to a brute-force approach. We also show that the proposed framework overall improves activity recognition accuracy by up to 15 percent for the first dataset and by up to 32 percent for the second dataset.
Increasing Safe Outpatient Management of Emergency Department Patients With Pulmonary Embolism: A Controlled Pragmatic Trial.

Background Many low-risk patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) in the emergency department (ED) are eligible for outpatient care but are hospitalized nonetheless. One impediment to home discharge is the difficulty of identifying which patients can safely forgo hospitalization. Objective To evaluate the effect of an integrated electronic clinical decision support system (CDSS) to facilitate risk stratification and decision making at the site of care for patients with acute PE. Design Controlled pragmatic trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03601676). Setting All 21 community EDs of an integrated health care delivery system (Kaiser Permanente Northern California). Patients Adult ED patients with acute PE. Intervention Ten intervention sites selected by convenience received a multidimensional technology and education intervention at month 9 of a 16-month study period (January 2014 to April 2015); the remaining 11 sites served as concurrent controls. Measurements The primary outcome was discharge to home from either the ED or a short-term (<24-hour) outpatient observation unit based in the ED. Adverse outcomes included return visits for PE-related symptoms within 5 days and recurrent venous thromboembolism, major hemorrhage, and all-cause mortality within 30 days. A difference-in-differences approach was used to compare pre-post changes at intervention versus control sites, with adjustment for demographic and clinical characteristics. Results Among 881 eligible patients diagnosed with PE at intervention sites and 822 at control sites, adjusted home discharge increased at intervention sites (17.4% pre- to 28.0% postintervention) without a concurrent increase at control sites (15.1% pre- and 14.5% postintervention). The difference-in-differences comparison was 11.3 percentage points (95% CI, 3.0 to 19.5 percentage points; P = 0.007). No increases were seen in 5-day return visits related to PE or in 30-day major adverse outcomes associated with CDSS implementation. Limitation Lack of random allocation. Conclusion Implementation and structured promotion of a CDSS to aid physicians in site-of-care decision making for ED patients with acute PE safely increased outpatient management. Primary Funding Source Garfield Memorial National Research Fund and The Permanente Medical Group Delivery Science and Physician Researcher Programs.
Mosaic modularity: an updated perspective and research agenda for the evolution of vascular cambial growth

Secondary growth from a vascular cambium, present today only in seed plants and isoetalean lycophytes, has a 400-million-yr evolutionary history that involves considerably broader taxonomic diversity, most of it hidden in the fossil record. Approaching vascular cambial growth as a complex developmental process, we review data from living plants and fossils that reveal diverse modes of secondary growth. These are consistent with a modular nature of secondary growth, when considered as a tracheophyte-wide structural feature. This modular perspective identifies putative constituent developmental modules of cambial growth, for which we review developmental anatomy and regulation. Based on these data, we propose a hypothesis that explains the sources of diversity of secondary growth, considered across the entire tracheophyte clade, and opens up new avenues for exploring the origin of secondary growth. In this hypothesis, various modes of secondary growth reflect a mosaic pattern of expression of different developmental-regulatory modules among different lineages. We outline an approach that queries three information systems (living seed plants, living seed-free plants, and fossils) and integrates data on developmental regulation, anatomy, gene evolution and phylogeny to test the mosaic modularity hypothesis and its implications, and to inform efforts aimed at understanding the evolution of secondary growth.
The Invisible Hand of the Market and Invincible Hand of the Raider

The threat of predatory raiding has the potential to become the single most important source of additional transaction costs in Russia. This chapter clarifies whether predatory raiders in Russia can be considered as positive and useful market agents. This chapter also clarifies institutional aspects of raiding, by considering such issues as legitimacy of property rights and illegality of raiding. A periodically mentioned potential threat of renationalization that comes primarily from the state and voiced by different political groups keeps the legitimacy of property rights on both political and business agendas. Claims about property redistribution, dispersion, renationalization, or other possible actions in regard to property rights worry the business community. The Russian ruling political regime does not guarantee the stability of property rights and may serve the interests of predatory raiders.
Closing the Experience Gap: The Influence of an Immersed Methods Course in Science

This exploratory case study centered on 3 beginning elementary science teachers who experienced variations in practice-based instructional approaches within their elementary teacher development seq...
Factors relating to teachers’ intention to change school: A multilevel perspective:

The high turnover rates in public schools, especially in those hard-to-staff schools, remains a growing problem and has become the largest component of teacher supply problems in the US school syst...
The impact of chlorhexidine gluconate on the skin microbiota of children and adults: A pilot study

We examined the effect of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing on the skin microbiota of adult and pediatric patients. We observed no differences in pediatric patients; however, multiple genera of bacteria were observed to be significantly less abundant in the adults bathing with CHG. Further research is needed to determine the long-term impact of CHG use on the skin microbiota.
The Study of Global Business Ethics of Taiwanese Enterprises in East Asia: Identifying Taiwanese Enterprises in Mainland China, Vietnam and Indonesia as Targets

The study explores the traits and influences on global business ethics practiced by Taiwanese enterprises in East Asia in order to provide those enterprises with a ready guide to contemporaneous standards of ethical management overseas and, in particular, in East Asia. The study randomly sampled 1496 Taiwanese enterprises in Mainland China, Vietnam and Indonesia. One questionnaire per enterprise was answered by Taiwanese owners or senior administrators. Some 375 valid responses, or 25% of the sample, were returned. Taiwanese enterprises in East Asia were found to be ethically inclined in respect of their local environments and generic human rights, though one-third of participants identified themselves as "ethically lax". The study identified various influences on global business ethics viz. personnel localization, employment partnership, marketing ethics and the competitiveness of Taiwanese enterprises.
Natural history and clinical outcomes of inappropriate sinus tachycardia

Background Limited data are available regarding the demographics, disease associations, and long-term prognosis of patients with inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST). Objective To establish epidemiologic data for patients with IST, including symptom onset, comorbid disease, and long-term outcomes. Methods We retrospectively reviewed all patients with an IST diagnosis at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) during a 20-year period (1998-2018). We extracted demographic data and clinical outcomes compared to an age and gender-matched control group with atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT). Results Within the study period, a total of 305 patients with IST were identified (mean follow-up 3.5 years) with 92.1% female and mean age 33.2 ± 11.2 years. The most frequently identified circumstances triggering the condition included pregnancy (7.9%) and infectious illness (5.9%) while the most common comorbid conditions were depression (25.6%) and anxiety (24.6%). At diagnosis, the mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 62.3 ± 6.2%, with 77 patients having follow-up echocardiographic data. No significant difference in LVEF was seen after a mean 4.9 ± 4.3-year follow-up (baseline LVEF 59.8 ± 10.7% vs subsequent 61.4 ± 8.1%; P = .2971). Two deaths occurred within the study period, with one related to myocardial infarction and the other noncardiac; compared to an age and gender-matched AVNRT control group there was no excess mortality during the follow-up period. Conclusions In our study cohort, IST predominately affects young females with structurally normal hearts and modest coexistent psychiatric disease. In most cases of IST, a major event occurring just before or at the time of diagnosis could not be identified, although nearly 8% of patients first noted symptoms during or shortly after pregnancy. In our cohort, there was no evidence of cardiomyopathy or mortality related to IST.
On the absence or presence of 3D tuned head direction cells in rats: a review and rebuttal.

A major question in the field of spatial cognition is how animals represent three-dimensional (3D) space. Different results have been obtained across various species and may depend on whether the s...
“I Didn’t Become a Professor to Teach High School”: Examining College Educators’ Perceptions of Culture in Early College High Schools

Early College High Schools (ECHSs) represent a unique approach for educating minoritized students. As a hybrid, joining a traditional high school with a college or university, the central mission o...
Human ecology, paleogeography, and biodiversity on California’s small Islands

The island laboratory concept has long been an important construct in island archaeology, with an emphasis on human biogeography and issues of isolation, connectivity, interaction, evolution, and e...
Class III Obesity Increases Risk of Failure to Achieve the 1-Year Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score-Physical Function Short Form Minimal Clinically Important Difference Following Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background The relationship between obesity and failure to achieve a minimal clinically important difference (MCID) following total hip arthroplasty (THA) has not been well defined. The aims of this study are to determine whether increasing body mass index (BMI) is associated with failure to achieve the 1-year Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score-Physical Function Short Form (HOOS-PS) MCID and to determine a threshold BMI beyond which this risk is significantly increased. Methods A multi-institutional arthroplasty registry was queried for THA patients from 2016 to 2018 with completion of preoperative and 1-year postoperative HOOS-PS. A previously defined anchor-based MCID threshold of 23 was used. Variables collected included demographics and patient-reported outcome measures. BMI was analyzed continuously and categorically. The association was analyzed via logistic regression. A BMI threshold was determined using the Youden index and receiver operating characteristic curve. Results A total of 1256 THAs were included. The average HOOS-PS improvement was 27.6 ± 18 points. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for BMI and risk of failure to achieve HOOS-PS MCID was 0.54 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50-0.57). Increasing BMI assessed continuously was a significant risk factor (odds ratio [OR], 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.05; P value = .010). When BMI was analyzed categorically, this association was only observed for obese class III patients (>40 kg/m2) (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.21-5.3; P value = .010). Conclusion This study found an association between increasing BMI and failure to achieve the 1-year HOOS-PS MCID. Obese class III patients (>40 kg/m2) face a near 3-fold increased risk of suffering this adverse outcome.
Genome Editing-Mediated Utrophin Upregulation in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Stem Cells.

Utrophin upregulation is considered a promising therapeutic strategy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). A number of microRNAs (miRNAs) post-transcriptionally regulate utrophin expression by binding their cognate sites in the 3′ UTR. Previously we have shown that miRNA: UTRN repression can be alleviated using miRNA let-7c site blocking oligonucleotides (SBOs) to achieve utrophin upregulation and functional improvement in mdx mice. Here, we used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing to delete five miRNA binding sites (miR-150, miR-296-5p, miR-133b, let-7c, miR-196b) clustered in a 500 bp inhibitory miRNA target region (IMTR) within the UTRN 3′ UTR, for achieving higher expression of endogenous utrophin. Deleting the UTRN IMTR in DMD patient-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (DMD-hiPSCs) resulted in ca. 2-fold higher levels of utrophin protein. Differentiation of the UTRN edited DMD-hiPSCs (UTRNΔIMTR) by MyoD overexpression resulted in increased sarcolemmal α-sarcoglycan staining consistent with improved dystrophin glycoprotein complex (DGC) restoration. These results demonstrate that CRISPR/Cas9-based UTRN genome editing offers a novel utrophin upregulation therapeutic strategy applicable to all DMD patients, irrespective of the dystrophin mutation status.
Differing Progression to Posterior Glottic Stenosis in Autoimmune and Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis

Objectives/hypothesis We sought to characterize rates of progression to posterior glottic stenosis (PGS) from autoimmune or idiopathic subglottic stenosis. Study design This was a retrospective review. Methods Patients from a tertiary-care laryngology practice over a 10-year period with autoimmune or idiopathic subglottic stenosis (SGS) were included. Patients with a history of prolonged intubation or other causes of iatrogenic stenosis were excluded. PGS was confirmed on videostrobolaryngoscopy recordings by a fellowship-trained laryngologist. PGS type (1-4) was also recorded. Demographic information was recorded, and if applicable, autoimmune disease type was specified. Time until PGS was recorded along with the number of interventions. Chi-squared analysis was used to compare PGS in autoimmune and idiopathic SGS. Results A total of 77 patients were identified with autoimmune (32 patients) or idiopathic (45 patients) subglottic stenosis. Autoimmune pathologies included systemic lupus erythematosus, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), rheumatoid arthritis, relapsing polychondritis, and sarcoidosis, with GPA the most common (14/32). Patients with autoimmune SGS had a higher rate of PGS (10 of 32) compared to idiopathic subglottic stenosis (1 of 45) for an odds ratio of 20 (95% CI: 2.4-166.4, P = .006). Patients with idiopathic SGS were more likely to be female (all 45 compared to 29/32 autoimmune, P = .07) and older (mean 53 (range 29-75) compared to 46 (20-82), P = .02). Conclusions In this large patient cohort, autoimmune SGS patients were found to have a higher likelihood of developing PGS compared to their idiopathic counterparts, suggesting that counseling for this progression may be warranted. Level of evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 131:1816-1820, 2021.
Fourier-Plane Vortex Laser Holography for Robust, Small-Brain Machine Learning and Image Classification

We show that the optical vortex illumination of objects undergoing diffraction performs simultaneous corner detection and image compression to be exploited in machine learning applications immune to adversarial attacks and robust to background noise.
Signal detection in turbid water using temporally encoded polarimetric integral imaging

To improve signal detection in a turbid medium, we propose temporally encoded single shot polarimetric integral imaging. An optical signal is temporally encoded using gold coded sequences and transmitted through a turbid medium. The encoded signals are captured as a sequence of elemental images by two orthogonal polarized image sensor arrays. Polarimetric and polarization difference imaging are used to suppress the partially polarized and unpolarized background noise such that only the polarized ballistic signal photons are captured at the sensor. Multidimensional integral imaging is used to obtain 4D reconstructed data, and multidimensional nonlinear correlation is performed on the reconstructed data to detect the optical signal. We compare the effectiveness of the proposed polarimetric underwater optical signal detection approach to conventional (non-polarimetric) integral imaging-based and 2D imaging-based signal detection systems. The underwater signal detection capabilities are measured through performance metrics such as receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, the area under the curve (AUC), and the number of detection errors. Furthermore, statistical measures, including the Kullback-Leibler divergence, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and peak-to-correlation energy (PCE), are also calculated to show the improved performance of the proposed system. Our experimental results show that the proposed polarimetric integral-imaging approach significantly outperforms the conventional imaging-based methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on temporally encoded single shot polarimetric integral imaging for signal detection in turbid water.
A Convex Optimization Approach to Learning Koopman Operators.

Koopman operators provide tractable means of learning linear approximations of non-linear dynamics. Many approaches have been proposed to find these operators, typically based upon approximations using an a-priori fixed class of models. However, choosing appropriate models and bounding the approximation error is far from trivial. Motivated by these difficulties, in this paper we propose an optimization based approach to learning Koopman operators from data. Our results show that the Koopman operator, the associated Hilbert space of observables and a suitable dictionary can be obtained by solving two rank-constrained semi-definite programs (SDP). While in principle these problems are NP-hard, the use of standard relaxations of rank leads to convex SDPs. Further, these SDPs exhibit chordal sparsity leading to algorithms that scale linearly with the number of data points.
English-Only Treatment of Compensatory Speech Errors in a Bilingual Adoptee With Repaired Cleft Palate: A Descriptive Case Study

Purpose The purpose of this clinical focus article is to provide a descriptive case study of a late-adopted, bilingual adolescent with cleft palate speech errors. Specifically, we examined the cross-linguistic generalization of remediated compensatory cleft errors, following treatment in English (second language) only. The overarching goal of this study is to gain insights into the complexity of speech intervention for the adopted population with delayed cleft palate repair. Method A 14-year-old female adopted from China with a repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate and maladaptive articulation errors underwent 55 one-hour sessions of a motor-based, speech therapy approach over a 15-month span, targeting English phonemes only. Pre-, mid-, and posttreatment evaluation included perceptual and instrumental assessment of speech and resonance. Outcome measures at each time point included perceptual speech and resonance ratings, nasometry scores, and percent consonants correct (PCC) in both English and Mandarin. Results PCC in English improved from 60% in single words and 35% in sentences pretreatment to 100% in single words and sentences during posttreatment assessment. Without direct treatment in Mandarin, PCC in Mandarin improved from 56% in single words and 50% in sentences pretreatment to 100% in single words and 99% in sentences during posttreatment assessment. Posttreatment nasometry scores decreased by 20% for the nasal sample and 17% for the oral sample compared to pretreatment. Conclusions This descriptive case study demonstrated successful remediation of cleft palate speech errors, following 15 months of treatment in a late-adopted bilingual adolescent using a motor-based therapy approach. Treatment of errors in English (second language) led to generalization of correct productions in Mandarin (first language). This study presents the potential for bilingual late adoptees to achieve intelligible speech in both languages when motor-based therapy principles are applied to intervention.
An Emergent Understanding of Mentor Strategies for Career Development in Emerging Fields

Mentoring is a key part of career development, especially in emerging fields such as social entrepreneurship. Internet technologies have made it easier for novice social entrepreneurs to identify and connect with mentors online. Yet, we do not know the strategies mentors use to advise professionals navigating emerging fields. Knowing these strategies would allow us to create technologies for more effective career mentoring. This paper presents an expert model of career mentoring for novice social entrepreneurs. To build the model, we conducted a retrospective cognitive task analysis with 9 mentors who have at least 5 years of experience advising novice social entrepreneurs. We found that mentors help novice social entrepreneurs regulate career-related stress and make decisions about next career steps. Our findings suggest that further exploration of career mentoring strategies might allow designers to develop technologies based on the expert model, such as intelligent agents, to support and scale mentorship in emerging fields.
Making the invisible visible: documenting slow violence through photovoice with youth in Nevada

Conditions for slow violence, a type of environmental injustice that is hidden and occurs over time, are rife in Nevada. Research can be used to make these hidden problems visible in order to solve...
Maintenance of community function through compensation breaks down over time in a desert rodent community

Understanding the ecological processes that maintain community function in systems experiencing species loss, and how these processes change over time, is key to understanding the relationship between community structure and function and predicting how communities may respond to perturbations in the Anthropocene. Using a 30-year experiment on desert rodents, we show that the impact of species loss on community-level energy use has changed dramatically over time, due to changes in both species composition and in the degree of functional redundancy among the same set of species. Although strong compensation, initially driven by the dispersal of functionally redundant species to the local community, occurred in this system from 1996-2010, since 2010, compensation has broken down due to decreasing functional overlap within the same set of species. Simultaneously, long-term changes in sitewide community composition due to niche complementarity have decoupled the dynamics of compensation from the overall impact of species loss on community-level energy use. These results highlight the importance of explicitly long-term, metacommunity, and eco-evolutionary perspectives on compensatory dynamics, zero-sum constraints, and the link between species-level fluctuations and community function in a changing world. Original submissionThis submission analyzes long-term data on rodent community abundance and energy use from the Portal Project. Sections of this timeseries have been analyzed in numerous other publications, but this is the first to analyze data from 2007-2020 on compensation on experimental and control plots. No prior publicationThis submission is posted as a preprint on bioRxiv at [bioRxiv]. Animal welfareRodent censuses were conducted with IACUC approval, most recently under protocol 201808839_01 at the University of Florida. Open researchAll data and code to reproduce these analyses are archived on Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5544362 and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5539881. Analytic methodsAll analyses were conducted in R version 4.0.3.
Mechanisms of Metastable Atom Quenching on GaAs(100)

Metastable quenching spectroscopy (MQS) with He*(1S), He*(3S), and Ne*(3P) metastable atoms was used to probe the surface electronic structure of gallium-rich c(8×2) surfaces of GaAs(100). The study of n-type versus p-type GaAs and the addition of adsorbates provided further information which was useful in interpreting the MQ spectra. We find that an electronic band with binding energy 2.8–2.9 eV below the valence band maximum (VBM) dominates the quenching, which takes place by both the Auger deactivation (AD) and the resonance ionization (RI) + Auger neutralization (AN) mechanisms. The data suggests that RI of He*(3S) and Ne*(3P) occurs via a previously observed Ga dangling bond state lying in the band gap 0.9 eV above the VBM.
Neurasthenia: Transpacific Comparisons

This paper reports key findings from two large-scale studies examining the clinical features, epidemiological characteristics, and cultural meaning of neurasthenia as defined by ICD-10. These studies are: (1) the Chinese American Psychiatric Epidemiologic Study, an ECA type community-wide survey (n = 1747) using stratified sampling methods and standardized structured instruments including the CIDI; and (2) a multinational comparative study (n = 448) utilizing standardized clinical and anthropological instruments to systematically study neurasthenia patients recruited from sites (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Los Angeles) divergent in socioeconomic development and political structures. Issues explored include the clinical features, pattern of distress, perceived cause, help-seeking patterns, stigma, and other sociocultural factors related to the phenomenon of neurasthenia. The results showed that ICD-10 neurasthenia is highly prevalent both in the clinical and community settings and can be distinctively differentiated from other psychiatric conditions. The symptom profiles of neurasthenia are strikingly similar among patients studied at divergent sites, as well as between Chinese neurasthenic and non-Chinese CFS patients. However, sociocultural correlates of neurasthenia diverge remarkably across sites and study groups. These results have important implications regarding the validity of ICD-10 definition of the condition, as well as the care of a large number of patients with clinical features compatible with such a diagnosis.
PATCH: An Example of Community Empowerment for Health

(1992). PATCH: An Example of Community Empowerment for Health. Journal of Health Education: Vol. 23, PATCH: Community Health Promotion, pp. 179-182.
Differential Requirements for Endosomal Reduction in the Presentation of Two H2-Ed-Restricted Epitopes from Influenza Hemagglutinin

We examined the role of reduction in the presentation of two H2-E d -restricted epitopes (site 1 epitope (S1) and site 3 epitope (S3)) occupying distinct domains of the influenza hemagglutinin major subunit that contains four intrachain disulfide bonds and is connected to the virion by one interchain bond. S3 is situated within the stalk region that unfolds in response to mild acidification, and loads onto recycling H2-E d in the early endosome, while S1, located in the structurally constrained globular domain, loads onto nascent H2-E d in the late endosome. Predicting dependence upon reduction for either epitope seemed plausible but the results from several approaches were clear: presentation of S1 but not S3 is reduction dependent. Surprisingly, IFN-γ-inducible lysosomal thiol reductase (GILT), the only reductase thus far known to be involved in MHC class II-restricted processing, is not necessary for the generation of S1. However, GILT is necessary for presentation of either epitope when the virus is pretreated with a reducible cross-linker. The results suggest that unfolding of the Ag, perhaps a prerequisite for proteolytic processing in many cases, proceeds either spontaneously in the early endosome or via reduction in a later endosome. They further imply mechanisms for GILT-independent reduction in the late endosome, with GILT perhaps being reserved for more intractable Ags.
Temporal and Spatial Expression of 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylate Oxidase mRNA following Pollination of Immature and Mature Petunia Flowers

Pollination of petunia (Petunia hybrida) flowers induces a rapid increase in ethylene production by styles, which subsequently leads to increased ethylene production by the corolla, inducing senescence. We have investigated the temporal and spatial expression of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) oxidase transcripts in petunia styles in an attempt to elucidate its role in increased ethylene biosynthesis following pollination. Previously, we reported that the development of petunia flowers was associated with increased ACC oxidase mRNA localized specifically in the stigmatic regions of the style (X. Tang, A.M.T. Gomes, A. Bhatia, W.R. Woodson [1994] Plant Cell 6: 1227–1239). The rapid increase in ethylene production by styles within the 1st h following pollination was correlated with the expression of ACC oxidase mRNAs during development. Pollination of petunia flowers prior to anthesis and the expression of ACC oxidase mRNA led to a substantial increase in ethylene production, but this was delayed by several hours in comparison with flowers at anthesis. This delayed increase in ethylene production by pollinated styles from immature flowers was associated with an increased ACC oxidase transcript abundance. Treatment with the ethylene action inhibitor 2,5-norbornadiene did not affect the early increase in ethylene production or the expression of ACC oxidase mRNAs. No differences in the rate of pollen germination or tube growth were detected when applied to stigmas from immature or mature flowers, indicating that the delay in ethylene production was likely the result of limited ACC oxidase activity. Localization of ACC oxidase mRNAs following pollination by in situ hybridization revealed an abundance of transcripts in transmitting tract tissue within 4 h of pollination of both immature and mature styles, in contrast to their localization in stigmatic cells during development.
Hochschild cohomology and complex reflection groups

A concrete description of Hochschild cohomology is the first step toward exploring associative deformations of algebras. In this dissertation, deformation theory, geometry, combinatorics, invariant theory, representation theory, and homological algebra merge in an investigation of Hochschild cohomology of skew group algebras arising from complex reflection groups. Given a linear action of a finite group on a finite dimensional vector space, the skew group algebra under consideration is the semidirect product of the group with a polynomial ring on the vector space. Each representation of a group defines a different skew group algebra, which may have its own interesting deformations. In this work, we explicitly describe all graded Hecke algebras arising as deformations of the skew group algebra of any finite group acting by the regular representation. We then focus on rank two exceptional complex reflection groups acting by any irreducible representation. We consider in-depth the reflection representation and a nonfaithful rotation representation. Alongside our study of cohomology for the rotation representation, we develop techniques valid for arbitrary finite groups acting by a representation with a central kernel. Additionally, we consider combinatorial questions about reflection length and codimension orderings on complex reflection groups. We give algorithms using character theory to compute reflection length, atoms, and poset relations. Using a mixture of theory, explicit examples, and calculations using the software GAP, we show that Coxeter groups and the infinite family G(m,1,n) are the only irreducible complex reflection groups for which the reflection length and codimension orders coincide. We describe the atoms in the codimension order for the groups G(m,p,n). For arbitrary finite groups, we show that the codimension atoms are contained in the support of every generating set for cohomology, thus yielding information about the degrees of generators for cohomology.
Discovery of another anti-HIV protein in the search for the CD8+ cell anti-HIV Factor.

Nearly three decades ago, soon after the recognition of AIDS and its causative agent, HIV, the first immune response against the AIDS virus was identified: an unexpected anti-HIV activity of CD8+ cells that did not involve cell killing (1). This immune response differed from the classic CD8+ cell antiviral activity in which cytotoxic T lymphocytes kill virus-infected cells (2). The CD8+ cell noncytotoxic anti-HIV response (CNAR) became evident in HIV-infected individuals who were healthy without any clinical signs but had serologic evidence of HIV infection. Although, initially, these asymptomatic individuals were expected to develop AIDS, several continued to remain healthy. Later it was determined that it takes about 10 y for 50% of infected individuals to develop AIDS (3). From these, about 5–8% are asymptomatic long-term survivors (LTS) with normal CD4+ cells and low plasma viral loads (4, 5). CNAR was discovered when the peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the LTS were placed in culture and only released infectious virus when the CD8+ cells were removed. Adding back the CD8+ cells to the infected CD4+ cells inhibited virus replication without affecting the viability of the CD4+ cells (1).
The Selection of 13th‐Century Disputes for Litigation

Priest and Klein's seminal 1984 article argued that litigated cases differ systematically and predictably from settled cases. This article tests the Priest-Klein selection model using a data set of 13th-century English cases. These cases are especially informative because juries rendered verdicts even in settled cases, so one can directly compare verdicts in settled and litigated cases. The results are consistent with the predictions of the Priest-Klein article, as well as with the asymmetric-information selection models developed by Hylton and Shavell.
Gastrointestinal and pancreatic complications associated with severe pancreatitis

Objective: To study the outcomes of gastrointestinal fistulas and pancreatic ductal disruption in severe pancreatitis. Setting: University tertiary referral center. Patients: One hundred thirty-six patients from 1982 to 1994. Intervention: Diversion followed by resection and ostomy closure for gastrointestinal fistulas, pancreaticojejunostomy for pancreatic fistulas, and excision, external drainage, or internal drainage for pseudocysts. Results: The incidence of infection was 24% (8/33) for peripancreatic fluid collections and 59% (61/103) for patients with necrosis plus fluid collections or necrosis without fluid. Sixty-nine patients developed 25 gastrointestinal fistulas and 51 complications caused by pancreatic ductal disruption. Necrosis and infection but not the open packing technique were associated with increased risk of gastrointestinal fistulas. In patients with pancreatic ductal disruption, pancreatic fistulas developed following necrosectomy and external drainage, while pancreatic pseudocysts evolved from undrained peripancreatic fluid collections. Gastrointestinal fistulas required prompt operative intervention, whereas pancreatic ductal disruption was treated nonoperatively initially. The mortality rate was 13% (3/23) in patients with gastrointestinal fistulas, similar to the overall mortality rate of 10.3% (14/136). There was no mortality in patients with pancreatic fistulas or pseudocysts. Length of hospital stay was prolonged by the presence of necrosis and infection, not by gastrointestinal fistulas or ductal disruption. Thirty-eight of the 69 patients with these complications required readmission for operative management of their complications. To date, only 18 (13.2%) of 136 patients with severe pancreatitis have not required surgical intervention. Conclusions: Gastrointestinal fistulas and pancreatic ductal disruption are common in severe pancreatitis. Although these complications are not associated with increased mortality or prolonged initial length of stay, readmission for elective surgical correction is necessary in most patients. Severe pancreatitis is a surgical disease, requiring both acute and long-term surgical care. (Arch Surg. 1995;130:817-823)
An organizational futurist role for integrating foresight into corporations

Abstract Integrating foresight into corporations has proved to be challenging and rare. The paper proposes an organizational futurist role as an internal champion and broker to facilitate the integration process. It builds on the direct experience of one of the authors in crafting the role by revisiting and critically reviewing the papers reporting on findings from that experience. A literature review is then used to reflect on the gaps identified and to stimulate new conceptualizations in order to ground the role in a more suitable academic approach. The paper proposes several tangible approaches for how an organizational futurist role might respond to three principal challenges to the integration of foresight identified and confirmed by a review of the literature. The paper concludes with a research agenda to explore those approaches.
Clinical and cytogenetic characteristics of myelodysplastic syndrome in patients with HIV infection.

a b s t r a c t We report eight patients of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with HIV infection. Compared to a historical cohort of HIV-uninfected MDS patients, HIV/MDS were younger (p = 0.019), had more complex cytoge- netics (p = 0.015), and more often had 7q deletion or monosomy 7 (p = 0.011). In five patients, HIV/MDS transformed to acute myeloid leukemia, with a median time to transformation of 7 months. Also, the median overall survival was shorter in the HIV/MDS than in their HIV-uninfected counterparts (8 vs. 22 months; p = 0.003). These results suggest that HIV/MDS is a high-risk MDS necessitating thorough cytogenetic analysis and follow-up. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Constitutive phosphorylation mutation in Fas-associated death domain (FADD) results in early cell cycle defects.

Fas-associated death domain (FADD) is an adaptor molecule for the death receptor subfamily of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, but it is also required for cell proliferation. Cell cycle-specific regulation of FADD phosphorylation plays an important role in FADD proliferative function since mice with a mutant form of FADD mimicking constitutive phosphorylation at serine 191 (FADD-D) exhibit defective T cell proliferation. Here we characterized these mice in detail and found that T cell development in 2-4-week-old mice is relatively normal, although mature FADD-D T cells manifest defective G0 and G1 to S transition with abnormalities in regulation of p130, p27 degradation, retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation, and CDK2 kinase activity. These downstream defects are further associated with the failure to up-regulate the forkhead box M1 cell cycle transcription factor, FoxM1. FADD-D protein is also mislocalized during cell cycle progression. Thus, regulation of FADD phosphorylation is crucial for proper cell cycle entry.
Purpose and guidelines for toxicokinetic studies within the National Toxicology Program.

Toxicokinetic studies undertaken within the National Toxicology Program are intended to aid the design of toxicology and carcinogenicity studies, help interpret the results of toxicology and carcin...
Field ion microscope observations of surface reconstructions on Pt(100) and Ir(100)

Abstract The reconstruction of the Pt(100) and Ir(100) plane has been studied by field ion microscopy. Small clusters of atoms produced by low-temperature field evaporation transform to new structures at temperatures above 270 K for Pt and 470 K for Ir. The atomic structure of reconstructed images is not resolved, but the shapes of the clusters suggest reconstructions consistent with current models based on low energy electron diffraction studies. Field evaporation of the reconstructed surfaces indicates that the restructuring extends to the second layer of atoms.
A Relation Between Liquid Roll Moment and Liquid Side Moment

Abstract : Spinning projectiles carrying liquid payloads and performing large coning motion have uniformly been observed to experience rapid despin. For linear fluid mechanics, it has been shown that the ratio of the magnitudes of the liquid roll moment to the liquid side moment is the tangent of the coning angle. The validity of this relationship is demonstrated by gyroscope data obtained by M. C. Miller and flight data for twelve projectiles analyzed by R. L. Pope.
A Window Illuminating the Reservations of Black Men Who Have Sex with Men in Fully Embracing the Institution of Same-Sex Marriage

The goal of this discussion is to examine some of the variables that impact black men who have sex with men (MSM) embracing the institution of same-sex marriage. At the cornerstone of this discussion is the notion that one must embark upon a contextual analysis if one hopes to understand human behavior and attitudes. This contextual analysis explores socio-cultural influences, dispositional characteristics, constitutional factors, and systemic influences. A discussion of same-sex marriage and the need for social advocacy within the context of this social justice movement is explored.
Endothelin-1 induction of cyclooxygenase-2 expression in rat mesangial cells

Endothelin-1 induction of cyclooxygenase-2 expression in rat mesangial cells. Prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) may be an important negative feedback modulator of endothelin-1 (ET-1)-stimulated mesangial cell proliferation and contraction. Recent studies suggest that ET-1 may induce prolonged mesangial cell PGE 2 production, however the mechanism of this effect is unknown. The current study was undertaken, therefore, to examine the long-term effect of ET-1 on mesangial cell PGE 2 synthesis. ET-1 markedly increased PGE 2 release by rat mesangial cells for at least six hours. Cyclooxygenase (COX) activity was increased by one hour and persisted for at least six hours. ET-1 increased COX-2, but not COX-1, protein and mRNA levels. Actinomycin D reduced ET-1-stimulated PGE 2 synthesis and COX-2 mRNA expression, while cycloheximide superinduced COX-2 mRNA. Dexamethasone decreased ET-1-stimulated PGE 2 release and COX-2 protein and mRNA levels. ET-1-stimulated PGE 2 release was prevented by BQ-123, an endothelin receptor A antagonist. We conclude that ET-1, via activation of the endothelin A receptor, causes a prolonged increase in mesangial cell PGE 2 production that is partially dependent on induction of dexamethasone-inhibitable COX-2.
Anoikis triggers Mdm2-dependent p53 degradation.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key role in cell–cell communication and signaling, and the signals it propagates are important for tissue remodeling and survival. However, signals from disease-altered ECM may lead to anoikis—apoptotic cell death triggered by loss of ECM contacts. Previously, we found that an altered fibronectin matrix triggers anoikis in human primary ligament cells via a pathway that requires p53 transcriptional downregulation. Here we show that this p53 reduction is suppressed by transfecting cells with Mdm2 antisense oligonucleotides or small interfering RNA. Similar results were found in cells treated to prevent p53 and Mdm2 interactions. When p53 was overexpressed in cells lacking Mdm2 and p53, p53 levels were unaffected by anoikis conditions. However, cells cotransfected with p53 and wild type Mdm2, but not a mutant Mdm2, exhibited decreased p53 levels in response to anoikis conditions. Thus, cells under anoikis conditions undergo p53 degradation that is mediated by Mdm2.
Language Examinations for Ph.D. Candidates

Author's summary.— On the basis of an extended experience with language examinations for Ph.D. candidates, the article discusses 1) the best time in the candidate's career, when they should be taken; 2) the requirements to be met; 3) the most advisable preparation for these requirements; 4) the form in which the examinations should be given.
Morphing Bus: A New Paradigm in Peripheral Interconnect Bus

Modern digital peripheral interconnect buses are typically described as one of the two types, serial or parallel, based on whether or not the physical data channel(s) is (are) shared across the bits of a coherent data word. Conventional serial and parallel buses operate in a time-multiplexed mode, allowing access to only one peripheral device at a time. PCIexpress expanded this simple bifurcation by combining serial data channels with simultaneous access to multiple peripheral devices (or multiple regions of the same peripheral). Moving to that nontime-multiplexed mode opened a new dimension by which bus architectures could be classified. Under this taxonomy of serial versus parallel and time-multiplexed versus nontime multiplexed, our Morphing Bus presents a new paradigm that fills the parallel, nontime multiplexed interconnect niche. Furthermore, the Morphing Bus eliminates the notion of an intermediate data format and thereby obviates the need for bus interface circuitry. Instead of a common data format to which all the sensors and actuators are translated, the Morphing Bus transforms-or morphs-its signal lines to meet the needs of the connected sensors or actuators. For digital sensors and actuators, this morphing is achieved through a field-programmable gate array on the processor side of the bus. As programmable devices begin to incorporate analog signal paths, the Morphing Bus paves the way for integrating analog and digital signals into a single bus paradigm. The efficacy of the Morphing Bus is verified via implementation on a miniature robot and the bandwidth of the bus implementation is experimentally characterized. Its unique physical I/O stack in the form of a helical structure provides efficient cooling and power distribution for compact embedded systems in addition to the novel interconnect paradigm.
Local approximation of control systems

Abstract Given two control systems where the control enters linearly, a sufficient condition is derived that one system locally approximates the other, i.e., there exists a map between the state spaces which carries the trajectory of the first system for any control into the trajectory of the second system for the same control with an error that grows like a power of t .