cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of EPC-1 growth state–dependent expression, specificity, and conservation of related sequences

The transcript for EPC-1 (early population doubling level (PDL) cDNA-1) is induced under conditions of growth arrest due to density-dependent contact inhibition and/or serum deprivation in early-passage but not in senescent WI-38 fibroblasts. We have characterized the EPC-1 transcript with respect to its cell-cycle regulation, tissue specificity, and interspecies conservation of related genomic sequences. In low density, quiescent (serum-deprived), early-passage fibroblasts that are stimulated to proliferate with fresh serum, steady-state EPC-1 transcript levels are steadily reduced until they reach a basal level approximately 24 h after stimulation. However, when early-passage fibroblasts are made quiescent by both serum deprivation and density-dependent contact inhibition and then stimulated with serum, steady-state EPC-1 transcript levels remain relatively constant throughout a 36 h period following serum stimulation. Senescent WI-38 cells (> 95% life span completed) do not express EPC-1 under these conditions. We show that differences in the regulation of EPC-1 transcript levels in early-passage cells are due to differences in growth state rather than changes in cell density or contact. We also show that expression of the EPC-1 transcript is limited to specific cell types and that related genomic sequences are found in all mammalian species examined as well as in the chicken.
Absence of p16/MTS1 gene mutations in human prostate cancer

The tumor suppressor gene p16/MTS1, located on chromosome 9p21, is a cell cycle regulatory gene which is frequently altered in human cancers. The role of this gene in prostate cancer is unknown. To determine the frequency of deletions and point mutations of p16/MTS1 in human prostate cancer, we examined 18 cancer and matched benign and hyperplastic tissue specimens. Deletions of p16/MTS1 were detected by semi-quantitative multiplex polymerase chain reaction in which a portion of exon 2 of the p16/MTS1 gene and a control marker, the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene, were amplified simultaneously. 'Cold' single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis was performed to examine exons 1 and 2 of the p16/MTS1 gene for point mutations. Our data indicate no evidence for intragenic homozygous deletion in the prostate tumors. One prostate tumor and matched benign tissue showed mobility shifts. Direct DNA sequencing of the SSCP positive samples showed a G --> A transition in codon 140 which would result in an amino acid change from alanine to threonine. Our results indicate that deletions and point mutations in the p16/MTS1 gene are rare and do not play a major role in human prostate carcinogenesis.
Varicella vaccine: still at the crossroads.

Dr Saul Krugman was and continues to be a teacher, mentor, and inspiration to many in the field of infectious diseases, particularly with regard to viral infections and immunizations. It is therefore a great privilege to play a role in celebrating his 80th birthday, and it also seems appropriate to honor him with a presentation concerning live attenuated varicella vaccine. Dr Krugman was greatly responsible for bringing about clinical trials with varicella vaccine in the United States, and in fact, without his input it is unlikely that this vaccine would ever have been tested here. His recognition, in the 1950s, of the potential severity of varicella in adults was a landmark paper in the realization that varicella is not always a benign disease and is worth preventing.1 The conventional wisdom, however, has been that there was no need for a varicella vaccine because the disease is too mild to warrant immunization. There are, nevertheless, numerous well-recognized complications of varicella. The most common is bacterial superinfection which may be local and mild but on occasion may be systemic and even fatal (such as staphylococcal pneumonia). In 1984, Preblud and his colleagues2 estimated that each year in the United States, as the result of chickenpox, 56 otherwise healthy children die, 46 develop encephalitis, more than a quarter of a million children visit a physician, and physicians write a similar number of prescriptions for antipruritics and antibiotics. Moreover, children at high risk to develop severe or chronic forms of chickenpox, such as leukemics, those who have had organ transplants, and those with human immunodeficiency virus infection, are often denied such activities as attending school and social functions for fear of an unrecognized exposure to varicella.
Backhauling in TV White Spaces

Since the FCC's approval of unlicensed use of TV white spaces, the issue of how to use these white spaces has led to innovative technologies such as cognitive radios as well as a variety of spectrum policy proposals. There have been proposals to devise alternate rules for spectrum usage citing the overly conservative restrictions on secondary transmissions to protect incumbents. In this paper, instead, we propose to utilize white spaces for a backhaul network for internet traffic based on existing restrictions. Using the available white spaces and backhaul traffic demands in New Jersey as a case study, we evaluate the feasibility of such backhauling and present a methodology that can be used for other areas as well. Using a basic design involving fixed towers and directional antennas, our results show that the TV white spaces can be an effective medium for radio backhaul as an alternative to the costly laying of optical fiber. We also show that meeting FCC requirements on sensing and avoiding harm to wireless microphones will have only a minor impact on capacity.
Design aspects of a 94 GHz extended interaction Klystron

High power microwave generation at 94 GHz has several advantages compared to lower frequencies in radar and in communications. The resolution in radar is proportional to the wave length and there is a transmission window in air at 94 GHz. The size of the antenna scales with the wavelength and the bandwidth increases with frequency. One of the main difficulties in producing a 94 GHz klystron, running at the fundamental mode, is the manufacturing of the very small resonator. Several cavities are needed to extract the energy from the electron beam. Another difficulty arises from the small aperture available for the beam. Only a small beam loss inside the cavities can be tolerated. This requires a high-brightness beam. A combination of mechanical and chemical machining is suggested for production of the cavities. The envisioned extended interaction klystron will be excited by a 50 keV, 10 to 100 mA electron beam. The beam will be bunched by a 4-cell resonator operating in the /spl pi/-coupling and TM/sub 010/-cavity mode. The energy of the bunched beam will be extracted in a sequence of 4-cell resonators similar to the bunching resonator. It is assumed that a standing wave electric field amplitude of at least 10 MV/m on axis can be achieved. The expected microwave power is of order 1 kW.
Living Together in the Plankton: A Survey of Marine Protist Symbioses

Our best evidence is that life arose in the marine environment, and over many millennia of evolutionary proliferation, punctuated by occasional massive extinctions, marine protists have developed remarkably elegant and sometimes complex relationships with prokary- otic and eukaryotic symbionts. Current evidence of the range of marine protist taxa possessing symbionts, including their diversity and physiological functional relationships, is reviewed within an ecological context. Some perspectives are presented on potential opportunities for new avenues of research in unraveling the remarkable adaptive value of two or more genetically diverse marine unicellular organisms living in a close structural and physiological relationship.
Modeling the Client's World Through Brief Solution-Focused Therapy

The shift to a managed care philosophy means that clients with psychiatric needs are likely to have both fewer and briefer inpatient hospitalizations. Identification of focused goals and measurable outcomes may not translate easily into inpatient programs that have been more process oriented or have based definitions of improvement on complete or near-complete remission of the admission diagnosis. In the context of these shifts, nursing's focus on maintaining a safe environment, developing a therapeutic relationship, providing information, and valuing holistic and individualized care may be lost in programs that treat all clients in the same “packaged” programs. This article describes the philosophical assumptions that underlie the brief inpatient program. The next article in this issue describes how solution-focused therapeutic modalities are used in the continuum of care.
What remains to be done

My main motivation for developing PHASER has been to lay a modest foundation for a “work station for experimental dynamics,” one where students can not only get a taste of the current excitement in this field, but also perhaps discover new dynamical phenomena in an environment free from extensive programming efforts. Although the present version of PHASER has been successful in fulfilling my original goals, it has been difficult to resist adding new capabilities. However, as Hanns Sach has said, “an analysis terminates when the patient realizes that it could go on forever.”
Organic osmolytes as compatible, metabolic and counteracting cytoprotectants in high osmolarity and other stresses

counteract perturbations by urea (e.g. in elasmobranchs and mammalian kidney), inorganic ions, and hydrostatic pressure in deep-sea animals. Trehalose and proline in overwintering insects stabilize membranes at subzero temperatures. Trehalose in insects and yeast, and anionic polyols in microorganisms around hydrothermal vents, can protect proteins from denaturation by high temperatures. Third, stabilizing solutes appear to be used in nature only to counteract perturbants of macromolecules, perhaps because stabilization is detrimental in the absence of perturbation. Some of these solutes have applications in biotechnology, agriculture and medicine, including in vitro rescue of the misfolded protein of cystic fibrosis. However, caution is warranted if high levels cause overstabilization of proteins.
Regulation of peptide import through phosphorylation of Ubr1, the ubiquitin ligase of the N-end rule pathway.

Substrates of the N-end rule pathway include proteins with destabilizing N-terminal residues. These residues are recognized by E3 ubiquitin ligases called N-recognins. Ubr1 is the N-recognin of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Extracellular amino acids or short peptides up-regulate the peptide transporter gene PTR2, thereby increasing the capacity of a cell to import peptides. Cup9 is a transcriptional repressor that down-regulates PTR2. The induction of PTR2 by peptides or amino acids involves accelerated degradation of Cup9 by the N-end rule pathway. We report here that the Ubr1 N-recognin, which conditionally targets Cup9 for degradation, is phosphorylated in vivo at multiple sites, including Ser300 and Tyr277. We also show that the type-I casein kinases Yck1 and Yck2 phosphorylate Ubr1 on Ser300, and thereby make possible (“prime”) the subsequent (presumably sequential) phosphorylations of Ubr1 on Ser296, Ser292, Thr288, and Tyr277 by Mck1, a kinase of the glycogen synthase kinase 3 (Gsk3) family. Phosphorylation of Ubr1 on Tyr277 by Mck1 is a previously undescribed example of a cascade-based tyrosine phosphorylation by a Gsk3-type kinase outside of autophosphorylation. We show that the Yck1/Yck2-mediated phosphorylation of Ubr1 on Ser300 plays a major role in the control of peptide import by the N-end rule pathway. In contrast to phosphorylation on Ser300, the subsequent (primed) phosphorylations, including the one on Tyr277, have at most minor effects on the known properties of Ubr1, including regulation of peptide import. Thus, a biological role of the rest of Ubr1 phosphorylation cascade remains to be identified.
Regulatory role of natural killer (NK) cells on antibody responses to Brucella Abortus

Our previous studies have indicated an important regulatory role for natural killer (NK) cells, a major constituent of the innate immune system in modulating antigen-specific responses. Herein, we have investigated the possible participation of these cells in regulating the polyclonal response as well. For these studies we have utilized heat-killed Brucella abortus (HKBA). Brucella abortus is a facultative intracellular bacterium that is pathogenic for both humans and animals. An outstanding feature of the infectious process is the rapid production of polyclonal antibodies, particularly of the IgG2c subclass, that bypasses the requirement for clonally specific antigen recognition. We report here that NK-cell depletion profoundly reduced the production of these polyclonal antibodies suggesting that activation of B cells by HKBA requires help from NK cells. This help may not be solely derived from NK-cell amplification of the cytokine circuit initiated by HKBA but may involve direct NK-B-cell interactions as suggested by results of in vitro analyses of NK induction of γ2a mRNA by B cells. These findings have therapeutic implications in that the induction of polyclonal Ig production may be more important for altering the chronic phase rather than the acute stage of infection by B. abortus.
Analysis of bone X-rays using morphological fractals

The authors have applied mathematical morphology for fractal analysis on bone X-ray images. The digitized gray level image is treated as a three-dimensional surface whose fractal dimension is calculated by performing a series of dilations on this surface and plotting the area of the resulting set of surfaces against the size of the structuring element. This approach has the added advantage of encoding structural information via the use of a structuring element. The algorithm has been applied to several bone radiographs, and the results demonstrate that the fractal dimension using mathematical morphology gives a robust texture measure of trabecular bone structures. >
The Correlation of Interface Defect Density and Power-Law Exponent Factor on Ultra-thin Gate Dielectric Reliability

Interface defect density on 90 nm PFET ultra-thin gate dielectric is checked by using a near flat band SILC in this work. Although power-law model has been successfully adopted to explain the gate oxide breakdown phenomenon below 2.0nm in industry field (Wu et al., 2000), (Ohgata et al., 2005), (Naoyoshi et al., 2003) and (Mariko et al., 2001), a correlation between power-law model with interface defect density has been made first time in this investigation. Critical defect density (NBD) shows strong correlation with power-law exponent factor due to SILC leakage increasing ratio (dJ/J0) dominate dielectric breakdown on our decouple plasma nitridation (DPN) power splits. A preliminary model is proposed to explain the nitridation-induced oxide reliability degradation mechanism. Since larger concentration of Nitrogen incorporation will cause excess interface states, those energy levels may reduce proton tunneling barrier in anode hydrogen release (AHR) behavior, thus further enhance AHR effect to degrade oxide breakdown strength
Outperforming the Conventional Scaling Rules in the Quantum-Capacitance Limit

We present a study on the scaling behavior of field- effect transistors in the quantum-capacitance limit (QCL). It will be shown that a significant performance improvement in terms of the power delay product can be obtained in devices scaled toward the QCL. As a result, nanowires or nanotubes exhibiting a 1-D transport are a premier choice as active channel materials for transistor devices since the QCL can be attained in such systems.
Toward a theory of deaf ethnos: deafnicity -- D/deaf (Homaemon - Homoglosson - Homothreskon).

Should ethnicity be used to interpret relations between the Deaf community and the hearing people? Recent scholarship questioning the merits of Deaf ethnicity suggests a need to reexamine the use of ethnicity when describing Deaf identity and culture. This article provides an overview of key contributions to race and ethnicity discourse in the 20th century, identifies epistemological and ontological errors to avoid, suggests adherence to the classical Greek concept of ethnos as an alternative to ethnie, and argues for the continuing significance of Deaf ethnicity. Specifically, I propose that Deaf ethnicity is a triadic relational nexus that approximates communities of origin, language, and religion. This is expressed as Deafnicity approximately D/deaf (Homaemon * Homoglosson * Homothreskon). Deafnicity offers a promising alternative for examining relations between Deaf and hearing communities, exploring variance between nationalized Deaf communities, and expanding our understanding of audism.
A generalized thermodynamic correlation based on three‐parameter corresponding states

The volumetric and thermodynamic functions correlated by Pitzer and co-workers analytically represented with improved accuracy by a modified BWR equation of state. The representation provides a smooth transition between the original tables of Pitzer et al. and more recent extensions to lower temperatures. It is in a form particularly convenient for computer use.
Optimization of a fluorescence sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in apple juice.

Sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, especially when coupled with biosensor technology, is a simple methodology that can rapidly screen juices for Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination. However, sampling directly from apple juice and ciders has been postulated to reduce immunoassay sensitivity. In fluorescence sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays using commercially available polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies, sampling pasteurized apple juice spiked with E. coli O157:H7 compared to spiked phosphate-buffered saline shifted the range of detection. The spiked apple juice range of detection was 10 4 to 10 6 CFU/ml, whereas that for spiked phosphate-buffered saline was 10 6 to 10 8 CFU/ml, representing a hundredfold difference in sensitivity. Apple juice also increased background fluorescence intensity ( P , 0.001) while reducing the net fluorescence intensity per CFU ( P , 0.001). The addition of the polymer polyvinylpyrrolidone to apple juice significantly improved assay performance by increasing sensitivity and net fluorescence intensity per CFU and by reducing background fluorescence. Adjusting pH of apple juice from 3.9 to 7.4 improved assay performance but not to the degree seen with phosphate-buffered saline or polyvinylpyrrolidone-treated apple juice samples. The apple juice polyphenol, epicatechin, reduced net fluorescence intensity in a concentration-dependent manner, a change that was reversed by polyvinylpyrrolidone. Taken all together, these results suggest that polyvinylpyrrolidone can improve detection of O157:H7 in juices by reducing the effect of polyphenols on fluorescence sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay performance.
An Outcome Model for Intravenous rt-PA in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Most early phase trials in stroke and brain trauma have failed in phase 3, including efforts to improve acute ischemic stroke outcomes beyond that achieved by intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) (IVT). With the exception of more recent stent retriever trials, most subsequent phase 3 trials failed. We previously showed that baseline imbalances, non-linear relationships of these factors to outcome, and unrepresentative control populations invalidate traditional statistical analysis in early trials of heterogeneous diseases such as stroke. We developed an alternative approach using a pooled outcome model derived from control arms of randomized clinical trial (RCTs). This model then permits comparing treatment trials to an expected outcome of a pooled population. Here, we hypothesized we could develop such a model for IVT and tested it against outcomes without IVT. We surveyed literature for all trials involving one arm with IVT reporting baseline National Institute Stroke Scale (NIHSS), age, and outcome. A non-linear fit was performed including multi-dimensional statistical intervals (±95 %) permitting visual comparison of outcomes at their own baselines. We compared models derived from non-IVT control arms. Models from 24 IVT RCTs representing 3195 subjects were successfully generated for functional outcome, modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-2 (r(2) = 0. 83, p < 0.001), and mortality (r(2) = 0.54; p = 0.001). We confirmed better outcomes compared to no IVT and mixed use IVT models across the range of baseline factors. It was possible to generate an expected outcome model for IVT from existing literature. We confirmed benefit compared to placebo. This model should be useful to compare to new agents without the need for statistical manipulation.
CHAPTER 7 – Epiphyseal Growth Plate Fracture–Separations

This chapter outlines the varying approaches to growth-plate fracture separations. It also presents the pathophysiologic approach to growth-plate fracture separations and reviews its development as an extension of the work from the pre-radiographic and patho-anatomic eras. The projected therapeutic benefits of the pathophysiologic approach involve earlier detection and more biological treatments of negative growth plate sequelae. From the 1930s to the 1990s, several classifications of epiphyseal fracture-separations were proposed. These are referred to as patho-anatomic because they are based on the pattern of fracture as determined on plain radiographs. One of the therapeutic benefits of the pathoanatomic approach is the recognition that anatomic open reduction and rigid internal fixation are helpful in minimizing growth problems in certain fracture separations. The current focus in relation to growth-plate injuries is moving toward more dynamic assessment of these injuries and utilization of pathophysiologic approaches at the time of initial assessment, during the healing phase, and in the months immediately following healing.
Analysis and Research on Inspection Methods of Drilling Holes in Power Transmission Line Foundation

At present, the quality inspection of drilling holes in power transmission line foundations is mainly completed by manpower with the help of the measuring rope, reinforcing cage, etc. This is a rough measuring method with low accuracy, and even the workers have to enter into deep holes to measure verticality and similar values, which brings danger to personal safety. The measuring equipment and methods for foundation holes have mature application in the industry and civil building sector, which are mainly divided into two categories, contact and non-contact measurements. The inspection methods for drilling holes in power transmission line foundation are to be proposed by referring to inspection means used in the sector.
Effect of Ply Stacking Sequence on Structural Response of Symmetric Composite Laminates

In this work, the effect of ply stacking sequence on the structural response of multi-ply unidirectional fiber-reinforced composite laminates was evaluated using finite element analysis. The objective of this study was to develop a computational model to analyze the stress response of individual plies in a composite laminate for a given stacking sequence. A laminated composite plate structure under tensile loading was modeled in ANSYS. Stress profiles of the individual plies were obtained for each lamina. An Epoxy matrix with both unidirectional Graphite and Kevlar fibers was considered for the model. Three dimensional sectioned shell elements (SHELL181) were used for meshing the model. Several sets of stacking sequences were implemented, symmetrical to the mid-plane of the laminate. Symmetric stacking configurations of 6 layers stacked in ply angles of [0/45/-45]s, [0/60/-60]s, [0/45/90]s, and an 8-layered arrangement of [0/45/60/90]s were modeled for the analysis. The layer thickness was maintained at 0.1 mm. The results were compared against an analytical model based on the generalized Hooke’s law for orthotropic materials and classical laminate theory. A numerical formulation of the analytical model was implemented in MATLAB to evaluate the constitutive equations for each lamina. The stress distributions obtained using finite element analysis have shown good agreement with the analytical models in some of the cases.© 2014 ASME
Legal Justification for Licensure of Pharmacy Technicians

OBJECTIVE To review the facts and legal rationale of a lawsuit in which a hospital was held liable for discharging a pharmacy technician from employment. SUMMARY The hospital and the pharmacy technician previously had disagreed about several matters. The technician believed he was being discriminated against based on his need to be away from work to serve in the National Guard. On one occasion, the technician reported to work in what appeared to be a drug-impaired state. The technician subsequently was discharged from employment. He sued, contending that the discharge was in retaliation for his asserting his rights as a National Guard member. The technician won the lawsuit. CONCLUSIONS Employment law bends over backward to protect employees. When an employee is not licensed, the only effective peer review is within the employment relationship. The public may not be effectively protected from harm that might be caused by employees who are not competent. Strong laws that protect employees restrict the ability of employers to oversee employee conduct. Therefore, for employees whose incompetence may pose a threat to the public, licensure provides a necessary additional level of protection.
The association between obesity and short sleep duration: a population-based study.

Study Objectives: To assess the association between nightly total sleep time (TST) and obesity in an epidemiologic sample of metropolitan De- troit, Michigan. Methods: Data were collected through telephone interviews completed using a population-based sample of 3158. The self-reported average nightly TST during the 2 weeks before the interview was used to divide the sample into 6 groups (hours per night of sleep; ≤ 5, > 5 ≤ 6, > 6 ≤ 7, > 7 ≤ 8, > 8 ≤ 9, > 9). Obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥ 30. Health and demographic variables were also assessed. Results: The overall prevalence of obesity was 24.8% and was signifi- cantly higher in individuals with lower amounts of TST. Compared with those with 7 to 8 hours of TST, individuals obtaining 5 hours or less and more than 5 but 6 hours or less of TST had significantly increased odds of being obese, after controlling for age, sex, loud snoring, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and alcohol intake (odds ratio = 1.7, 95% confidence interval = 1.3-2.3 and odds ratio = 1.4, 95% confidence interval = 1.1- 1.8, respectively). A low TST was a significant predictor of a high body mass index. Furthermore, a low TST was also a significant predictor of diabetes, prior to controlling for body mass index. Interestingly, the prevalence of reduced habitual TST (≤ 5 hours) was higher in African Americans, in comparison with Caucasians (18.7% vs 7.4%; p < .001). Conclusions: Our population-based data suggest that short sleep dura- tion is associated with elevated prevalence of obesity and adds to the growing body of evidence supporting this relationship.
The Threat of Model Risk for Insurance Companies

Insurance companies have increasingly used quantitative decision-making tools for a number of years. They have routinely taken advantage of models for a large number of business activities (underwriting policies, transferring risks, determining reserve adequacy, managing assets and liabilities, valuing risk exposures and financial instruments,..), but they now appeal to models for more ambitious ends like development of new products or strategic planning. Moreover, the new quantitative regulatory requirements of Solvency II, as well as various stakeholders’ expectations (including rating agencies, analysts, financial markets,...) push companies to develop more and more sophisticated models, not only for more complex products, but also for improved enterprise risk management. The expanding use of models reflects the range to which models can improve business decisions. But they also can lead to wrong decisions and potential adverse consequences when they are incorrect or misused, which is known as model risk. An active management that addresses these consequences has to be organised by insurance companies. In this chapter, we first try to understand what model risk is. In a second part, we discuss several approaches to measure model risk. In a third part, we raise the problem of model risk management and present several procedures to mitigate it. In a last part, we discuss the issue of model risk for the new regulatory framework Solvency II.
Economic Planning Models for India in the 1960s

In the 1960s two major linear programming models were constructed to provide guidance for planning the economic development of India. These multi-sectoral, multiperiod models, although modest in size compared to present linear programming applications, were regarded as large according to the standards and computing capabilities of that time. We review the experiences with these two applications and discuss how they demonstrate the need for Geoffrion’s subsequent research in large-scale mathematical programming, data aggregation in models, and structured modeling.
Dissecting the Influence of Protein Flexibility on the Location and Thermodynamic Profile of Explicit Water Molecules in Protein-Ligand Binding

Explicit water molecules in the binding site of proteins play a crucial role for protein–ligand association. Recent advances in computer-aided drug discovery methodology allow for an accurate prediction of the localized position and thermodynamic profile of water molecules (i.e., hydration sites) in the binding site. The underlying calculations are based on MD simulations of explicit water molecules in a restrained protein structure. However, the ligand-binding process is typically associated with protein conformational change that influences the position and thermodynamic properties of the hydration site. In this manuscript, we present the developments of two methods to incorporate the influence of protein conformational change on hydration sites either by following the conformational transition step-by-step (method I) or to match the hydration sites of the two transition end states using local coordinate systems (method II). Using these methods, we highlight the difference in the estimated protein desol...
Beams of the Future? [AP-S Turnstile]

Which technology offers all of the following advantages? (1) full-duplex gigabit Ethernet throughput (2) no RF-spectrum licensing (3) immunity to EMI (4) low-cost installation in less than a day. The answer is free-space optics (FSO), a line-of-sight optical link. Like all technologies, free-space optics is not without its problems. Fog can absorb and scatter light, seriously degrading the optical link. Atmospheric turbulence can result in scintillation, a temporal and spatial variation in light intensity that leads to high bit-error rates in data transmission. Seismic activity and wind currents (eddies) can cause the optical beam to wander, resulting in potential signal loss. Notwithstanding the above challenges, recent activity in both academic (such as Oxford and Harvard) and corporate sectors (for example, Lightpointe and Cablefree Solutions) suggests that free-space optics may, indeed, become the "beams of the future."
Non-Destructive and Failure Responses of Cervical Spine Artificial Disc Surgery for Military Applications

Ossification patters, non-destructive and failure responses of cervical artificial discs were determined using an in vivo Caprine model. The animals were anesthetized, discectomies were done at C3–C4, and Bryan disc, ProDisc-C, or anterior discectomy and fusion with plating (ACDF) was done. They were euthanized after monitoring for six months. Non-destructive loads were applied to the excised cervical columns in flexion, extension and lateral bending, combined with compression. The failure test was done under compression-flexion. X-rays and computed tomography scans were used to determine fusion. Force-displacement data for both artificial discs were grouped based on the presence or absence of heterotopic ossifications. They were compared with the ACDF specimens. Heterotopic ossifications occurred in both discs. Patterns of ossification were similar to those reported in civilian patients. Force-displacement responses of ossified spines were stiffer in all modes for both discs. However, differences were non-uniform. Biomechanical corridors are presented for all cases. The present preliminary study should be extended to discern the role of the disc type, loading mode and spinal level in future research.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Altered fractionation for head and neck cancer

A conventional course of radiation for squamous cell carcinoma in the United States is generally 70 Gy in 7 weeks, with a once-daily dose of 1.8 to 2 Gy. This schedule has a modest success rate in curing head and neck cancer. The past several decades have seen numerous investigations into altering this schedule to optimize the results of radiation. Two approaches, founded on radiobiologic principles and clinical observations, have been tested with overlap between both concepts. Hyperfractionation is based on the ability to deliver radiotherapy in small fractions and increased total doses, while not adding to late toxicity. Accelerated fractionation is based on the observations that radiation injury causes accelerated tumor clonogen repopulation and that shortening the overall treatment time helps overcome this phenomenon. Both approaches have been shown to result in modest gains when tested in randomized trials, culminating with the completion of a Radiation Therapy Oncology Group trial (RTOG 9003). This randomized trial of more than 1,000 patients addressed various fractionation schedules proposed to improve results for head and neck cancer patients treated with radiation.
Dynamic In-Hand Sliding Manipulation

This paper presents a framework for planning the motion of an $n$ -fingered robot hand to create an inertial load on a grasped object to achieve a desired in-grasp sliding motion. The model of the sliding dynamics is based on a soft-finger limit surface contact model at each fingertip. A motion planner is derived to automatically solve for the finger motions for a given initial and desired configuration of the object relative to the fingers. Iterative planning and execution are shown to reduce the errors that occur due to the modeling and trajectory tracking errors. The framework is applied to the problem of regrasping a laminar object held in a pinch grasp. We propose a limited surface model of the contact pressure distribution at each finger to predict the sliding directions. Experimental validations are shown, including iterative error reduction and repeatability of the experiment.
Impact of the Microbiota on Bacterial Infections during Cancer Treatment

Patients being treated for cancer are at high risk for infectious complications, generally due to colonizing organisms that gain access to sterile sites via disrupted epithelial barriers. There is an emerging understanding that the ability of bacterial pathogens, including multidrug-resistant organisms, to colonize and subsequently infect humans is largely dependent on protective bacterial species present in the microbiome. Thus, herein we review recent studies demonstrating strong correlations between the microbiome of the oncology patient and infections occurring during chemotherapy. An increased knowledge of the interplay between potential pathogens, protective commensals, and the host immune system may facilitate the development of novel biomarkers or therapeutics that could help ameliorate the toll that infections take during the treatment of cancer.
The Attitudes About Parenting Strategies for Anxiety Scale: A Measure of Parenting Attitudes About Protective and Intrusive Behavior.

Protective and intrusive parenting behaviors consistently relate to children’s anxiety development. We present two studies describing the development of the Attitudes about Parenting Strategies for...
Data-driven reduced-order models for rank-ordering the high cycle fatigue performance of polycrystalline microstructures

Abstract Computationally efficient estimation of the fatigue response of polycrystalline materials is critical for the development of next generation materials in application domains such as transportation, health, security, and energy industries. This is non-trivial for fatigue of polycrystalline metals since the initiation and growth of fatigue cracks depends strongly on attributes of the microstructure, such as the sizes, shapes, orientations, and neighbors of individual grains. Furthermore, regions of microstructure most likely to initiate cracks correspond to the tails of the distributions of the microstructure features. This requires the execution of large numbers of experiments or simulations to capture the response of the material in a statistically meaningful manner. In this work, a linkage is described to connect polycrystalline microstructures to the statistically signified driving forces controlling the high cycle fatigue (HCF) responses. This is achieved through protocols that quantify these microstructures using 2-pt spatial correlations and represent them in a reduced-dimensional space using principal component analysis. Reduced-order relationships are then constructed to link microstructures to performance characteristics related to their HCF responses. These protocols are demonstrated for α-titanium, which exhibits heterogeneous microstructure features along with significant elastic and inelastic anisotropies at both the microscale and the macroscale.
Unstable Angina and Non-Q Wave Myocardial Infarction: Pathogenetic Mechanisms and Morphology of the Unstable Plaque

The acute coronary syndromes, which include unstable angina, non Q wave (NQMI), and Q wave myocardial infarction, constitute the most frequent clinical manifestations of the major disease process observed in clinical cardiology. Un stable angina and NQMI are clinically distinct syndromes of acute ischemia implying the presence of further jeopardized myocardium. Indeed, regardless of whether a small degree of myocardial necrosis has occurred (as measured by the release of creatine kinase and MB isoenzyme in the blood), both diagnoses have in common the likely potential for recur rent angina and infarct extension. Hence, these entities uniquely suggest the possibility of further hazard, rather than the necessity of accepting and managing the consequences of loss of function. The appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are governed by these characteristics1-5.
Discussion Keith Ord

Dr. Krolik provides an interesting overview of a number of time series problems arising in astronomy and describes some of the difficulties that arise in trying to analyze series that are noisy, irregularly recorded, and relatively short. Finally, he reviews several attempts to deal with these difficulties and asks how well these methods may be expected to perform.
Software systems engineering

An Introduction to Software Systems Engineering. Models for the Software Development Lifecycle. System Requirements Identification and Software Requirements Specification. Conceptual and Logical Design and Detailed Design. Programming Languages, and Testing. Software Reliability, Maintainability, and Quality Assurance. Operational Implementation, System Integration, and Environments for Software Systems Engineering. Prototyping, Reusability, and Expert Systems. Management of the Software Systems Engineering Process. Software Cost and Value Models. Bibliography for Software Systems Engineering. Index.
Queuing cues in rapid cortical processing.

How the brain processes parallel streams of information has been widely researched, yet remains unsolved. A new study shows that the brain processes informative cues in serial even when they are presented simultaneously, and that patterns of cortical activity shift under the constraints of rapid decisions to optimize processing.
Resonant Characteristics of Birdbath Shell Resonator in n =3 Wine-Glass Mode

In this paper, we present the design, fabrication and resonance characteristic of an axisymmetric 3D birdbath shell resonator operating in the n=3 wine-glass mode. Long ring-down time constant of 93 seconds, high quality factor of 10 million at nearly 34 kHz frequency, and large effective mass of 12.34 mg is achieved in the n=3 mode. This mode of operation has the potential to give lower noise performance as compared to the n=2 mode for a shell with similar quality factor. The resonator presented in this research can lead to a high performing navigation-grade MEMS gyroscope.
Food insufficiency and children with special healthcare needs

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of food insufficiency, a more severe form of food insecurity, across levels of special healthcare needs among a nationally representative sample of children in the United States. The study also investigates whether medical home access serves as a possible protective mechanism against food hardship. Study design The study involves analysis of nationally representative cross-sectional data. Methods The data used are the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health, a cross-sectional nationally representative sample of the US children (N = 48,709). Descriptive analyses and logistic regression analysis are used to estimate food insufficiency and its correlates by complexity of children's special healthcare needs. Results Analysis showed that children with more complex special healthcare needs experienced roughly twice the rate of food insufficiency compared with children with no special healthcare needs or children with less complex healthcare needs. Multivariate analysis indicated that children with more complex healthcare needs face an increased risk of food insufficiency net of demographic and economic characteristics. Interaction models revealed that medical home access protects children with medical complexity from food insufficiency. Conclusions These findings document significantly elevated risk of food insufficiency among families with a child facing more complex special healthcare needs. Interventions in healthcare settings could include referrals to resources already in place to combat hunger such as food bank agencies and other resources that might help at-risk families obtain assistance through programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Women, Infants, and Children.
Chapter 13 – Electrophoresis of RNA

Electrophoresis is a chromatography technique by which a mixture of charged molecules is separated according to size when placed in an electric field. The accurate determination of the size of RNA species is just as important as deduction of the molecular weight of any other macromolecules subjected to electrophoresis. This is accomplished by comparing the electrophoresis of an RNA sample against molecular weight standards. The successful electrophoresis of RNA is accomplished in two parts: RNA is denatured prior to loading the gel; and during the electrophoresis, conditions that support and maintain the denatured state are established. These steps will ensure that like species of RNA co-migrate, and the best possible resolution is achieved when gels are poured thinly and run at low voltage. The choice of denaturing system and gel matrix is determined primarily by the size range of the RNAs to be separated and the most commonly used RNA denaturants for agarose gel electrophoresis are formaldehyde and urea. Several gel staining techniques are used for the visualization of nucleic acids in agarose gels such as ethidium bromide, SYBR green, SYBR gold, SYBR safe, GelStar, silver staining, acridine orange, and methylene blue. The proper maintenance and use of electrophoresis gel boxes and power supplies is of utmost importance for the safety of all.
Activated Extracellular Vesicles as New Therapeutic Targets

A recent study by Genschmer et al. (Cell 2019;176:113–126) presents provocative new evidence that extracellular vesicles/exosomes released by activated neutrophils can degrade extracellular proteins. Elastase that is produced by neutrophils both coats the exosomes and is protected by the exosomes from inactivation by α1 antitrypsin, ultimately causing the pathological degradation of extracellular protein fibrils in lung alveoli.
Drug use in the year after prison

With poor health and widespread drug problems in the U.S. prison population, post-prison drug use provides an important measure of both public health and social integration following incarceration. We study the correlates of drug use with data from the Boston Reentry Study (BRS), a survey of men and women interviewed four times over the year after prison release. The BRS data allow an analysis of legal and illegal drug use, and the correlation between them. We find that illegal drug use is associated with histories of drug problems and childhood trauma. Use of medications is associated with poor physical health and a history of mental illness. Legal and illegal drug use are not strongly correlated. Results suggest that in a Medicaid expansion state where health coverage is widely provided to people leaving prison, formerly-incarcerated men and women use medications, not illegal drugs, to address their health needs.
Social bullying in nursing academia: Addressing the phenomenon

Social Bullying is a phenomenon that is becoming far too prevalent in nursing academia. It can steal the joy out of teaching and leave faculty feeling disrespected and marginalized. This article reviews the consequences of social bullying in nursing academia and cites the importance of nursing academia working together to find solutions to this problem.
Continuous Phase Tuning of Vanadium Dioxide Films Using Robust Feedback Mechanism

Vanadium dioxide ( $VO_{2}$ ) undergoes a metal-insulator transition (MIT) around a temperature close to 68° C, which enables many digital-like applications including memory devices, sensors, phase change switches, etc. However, the digital-like abruptness of the MIT of $VO_{2}$ across a sharp and narrow temperature window limits its usage in the development of applications that demand an analog operation mode with continuously tunable properties. Achieving precise and continuous phase tuning of $VO_{2}$ films will enable more powerful and capable devices for analog applications in different fields. Unlike the traditional chemical doping approach which sacrifices the modulation depth, this work incorporates a robust feedback control mechanism into $VO_{2}$ films to achieve continuous phase tuning of the intermediate states within the entire phase transition region. In order to attenuate the adverse effect of hysteresis nonlinearity and manufacturing uncertainties associated with the phase transition of $VO_{2}$ , the uncertainty and disturbance estimator (UDE)-based robust output feedback control approach is developed to achieve the precise continuous phase tuning without using detailed hysteresis modeling information. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is then verified through an experimental validation.