cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Error-free DWDM transmission and crosstalk analysis for a silicon photonics transmitter

Individual channels of a five-channel microring silicon photonics transmitter are used for bit error ratio analysis and demonstrate error-free transmission at 10Gb/s. Two channels of the same transmitter are concurrently modulated using an 80GHz channel spacing comb laser and demonstrate open eye diagrams at 10Gb/s and 12.5Gb/s. Finally, concurrent modulation with tunable lasers is done to quantify optical power penalty for link bit error ratio versus channel spacing from +100GHz to −100GHz. When using a comb laser for concurrent modulation, no direct power penalty is observed for an 80GHz channel separation.
Hormones, Cell Calcium and Cyclic Amp

During the past eight to ten years there has been increasing evidence that hormones, both steroid and polypeptide, influence either the cellular exchange or intracellular distribution of many ions including calcium. In the case of the steroid hormones, cortisol and vitamin D, there is considerable in vitro evidence that prior treatment of animals with either of these hormones leads to changes in transcellular transport of calcium (Schacter, 1970; Harrison & Harrison, 1960) as well as to changes in the uptake and release of calcium ions by isolated liver and kidney mitochondria (DeLuca, Engstrom & Rasmussen, 1962; Kimberg & Goldstein, 1966).
Management of Pelvic Chondroblastic Osteosarcoma after Urgent Spinal Decompression - A Report of 2 Cases.

INTRODUCTION Pelvic sarcoma presenting with neurologic symptoms is rare. Workup of neurological deficits, whether elective or emergent should address the possibility of a space occupying lesion including pelvic sarcoma. Poor biopsy technique and incomplete workup of musculoskeletal tumors results in misdiagnosis or major errors in 18% of biopsies. The sequelae of a suboptimal biopsy include local recurrence, a more extensive resection, or extremity amputation. Pelvic chondroblastic osteosarcoma presenting with neurological deficits has not been previously reported. We report two cases of chondroblastic osteosarcoma that were treated with urgent decompression of the lumbar spine due to neurologic symptoms. CASE PRESENTATIONS Our two cases, a 25 year old Hispanic female and 22 year old Hispanic male, both presented with neurologic changes due to a space occupying tumor in the lumbar spine and pelvis. Both underwent spinal decompression following incomplete workup. A repeat biopsy was required in both cases due to a questionable initial diagnosis. Once the diagnosis was confirmed, they underwent definitive resection and treatment that was more morbid due to the primary decompressions. CONCLUSION We stress the importance of proper biopsy techniques as well as the need to complete a full preoperative staging workup prior to any surgical procedures involving musculoskeletal tumors. We review the current literature on lumbar chondroblastic osteosarcomas and review the issues surrounding biopsy of musculoskeletal tumors. Our cases underline the need for complete workup and correct biopsy techniques to ensure patients have the best chance at tumor free survival with minimal morbidity.
CMB signatures of metal-free star formation and Planck 2015 polarization data

Standard analyses of the reionization history of the universe from Planck cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization measurements consider only the overall optical depth to electron scattering ($\tau$), and further assume a step-like reionization history. However, the polarization data contain information beyond the overall optical depth, and the assumption of a step-like function may miss high redshift contributions to the optical depth and lead to biased $\tau$ constraints. Accounting for its full reionization information content, we reconsider the interpretation of Planck 2015 Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) polarization data using simple, yet physically-motivated reionization models. We show that these measurements still, in fact, allow a non-negligible contribution from metal-free (Pop-III) stars forming in mini-halos of mass $M \sim 10^5-10^6 M_\odot$ at $z \gtrsim 15$, provided this mode of star formation is fairly inefficient. Our best fit model includes an early, self-regulated phase of Pop-III star formation in which the reionization history has a gradual, plateau feature. In this model, $\sim$20\% of the volume of the universe is ionized by $z \sim 20$, yet it nevertheless provides a good match to the Planck LFI measurements. Although preferred when the full information content of the data is incorporated, this model would spuriously be disfavored in the standard analysis. This preference is driven mostly by excess power from E-mode polarization at multipoles of $10 \lesssim \ell \lesssim 20$, which may reflect remaining systematic errors in the data, a statistical fluctuation, or signatures of the first stars. Measurements from the Planck High Frequency Instrument (HFI) should be able to confirm or refute this hint and future cosmic-variance limited E-mode polarization surveys can provide substantially more information on these signatures
Regeneration of Plants from Protoplasts of Hemerocallis (Daylily)

Daylilies (Hemerocallis species and cultivars) are herbaceous perennials much sought after for their showy, albeit very short-lived, blooms. The genus has traditionally been classified in the family Liliaceae but now is placed in the Hemerocallidaceae comprising a single genus and some 14 or 15 species (Dahlgren et al. 1985). The family is endemic to the temperate regions of Asia, but ranges from eastern and southern Europe to northern, eastern, and central China, to Korea and Japan. Hemerocallis assumes the gross habit of other clump-forming perennial monocotyledons. The mature plant is composed of fans (ramets) which consist of an underground stem (rhizome), roots, leaves, and a flowering scape. The crown of the plant, referred to horticulturally as the vegetative stem or rootstock, sometimes and erroneously called a pseudobulb, produces long, strap-shaped leaves above andfibrous roots below. Axillary buds may grow or remain dormant and can be forced to yield vegetative separations. The crown is said to be slowly pulled into the ground with continued contractile root growth (Wilkins 1985). An expansive fibrous or fibrous-tuberous root system anchors the plant. The foliage, which may be deciduous or evergreen, consists of sheathed-at-the-base, heavily ribbed leaves which when mature (Fitter and Krikorian 1985; Smith et al. 1989) are long and two-ranked (distichous). Flowers are borne on afloral stalk or scape which is often branched and largely leafless but with some leaf-like bracts, and shoot propagules called proliferations. The number of flower buds per scape may vary (approx. 5 to 12). Flowers are hypogynous, trimerous (3+3 petaloid) and basally connate into a tube; tepals may be apically recurved. Theflowers are perfect and fairly large and last only 1 day (Bielski and Reid 1992). The plants are genetically heterozygous and hence seedlings must be raised to maturity before their qualities are assessable. This generally takes 3-4 years for varieties that are “fast” and longer for those that are “slow”. When a plant with a desirable phenotype is obtained, it is invariably multiplied vegetatively so as to fix the genotype.
The clinical utility of anti-chromatin antibodies as measured by BioPlex 2200 in the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus versus other rheumatic diseases.

Background: The detection of autoantibodies is indispensable to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Bio- plex 2200 ANA screen is a multiplex immunoassay system that allows simultaneous determination of autoantibodies to extractable nuclear antigens (ENA) including anti-chromatin antibodies (ACAs). However, the clinical significance of the ACAs by this new method in SLE patients has not been studied in comparison with other rheumatic disorders. We performed a retrospective study of patients with rheumatic diseases to assess the diagnostic value of the ACAs by Bioplex 2200 method in SLE. Methods: Adult patients with rheumatic complaints seen by rheumatologists at the Cleveland Clinic between January 2008 and February 2010 were screened for positive anti-ENA antibodies by the Bioplex 2200. Patients with positive anti-ENA antibodies were classified into two populations based upon the pres- ence and absence of the ACAs. We retrospectively studied the clinical and laboratory data of these patients. Results: A total of 764 subjects with positive anti-ENA antibodies were screened, including 115 with positive ACAs. There were 93 SLE patients consisting of 58 with positive ACAs and 35 with negative ACAs. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the ACAs in SLE were 62.4%, 91.5%, 50.4% and 94.6% respectively. Apart from SLE, positive ACAs were associated with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)/undifferentiated CTD (UCTD) and other autoimmune diseases. No correlation was found between the ACAs and lupus glomerulonephritis or anti-dsDNA antibodies. Conclusions: Measurement of the ACAs by the Bioplex 2200 is specific for diagnosing SLE but not useful for differentiating between SLE and MCTD/UCTD.
Market Commodities and Human Capital: What Happened to Democracy and Sharing of Knowledge?

In the second decade of the twenty-first century, debates regarding the role and purpose of higher education in the US are at the forefront of public discussion due to economic and international challenges. In response, the American Graduation Initiative (2009) and America’s College Promise (2015) are policy initiatives that may have a profound impact on higher education and reflect the social purpose to re-create a stratified national identity that reduces its citizenry to human capital to maintain power in the global knowledge-based economy. Higher education stands at a crossroads—it can either create human and technological commodities, or serve the traditional purpose of sharing knowledge freely for the benefit and perpetuation of a nation that prides itself on the search for knowledge, equality, and justice.
Maternal Factors Affecting the Vitamin D Content of Human Milk

The antirachitic activity of human milk has been estimated using a variety of techniques during the past several years (1–9). The earlier studies were dependent upon the rat line biological assay to provide crude estimates of total antirachitic activity (1–3). Later studies utilized chemical methods that proved to be totally unreliable in estimating the vitamin D content of human milk (4–6). Only recently has the actual vitamin D content of human milk been determined using procedures based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and/or competitive protein binding assay (CPBA) (7–13). These techniques have demonstrated: 1) that vitamin D sulfate does not contribute to the antirachitic activity of human milk; 2) that many vitamin D compounds exist in human milk; 3) of the vitamin D compounds in human milk 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D) contributes the vast majority of antirachitic activity; 4) that maternal factors such as diet, ultraviolet light exposure and race greatly affect the vitamin D content of human milk. This last aspect, the effect of maternal vitamin D status on the vitamin D content of her milk, is relatively new and has not been reported in great detail. Thus, it is the purpose of this report to provide a detailed and comprehensive review of this area of nutritional investigation.
A Family of Early English Oculists (1600-1751), With a Reappraisal of John Thomas Woolhouse (1664-1733/1734).

Introduction:John Thomas Woolhouse (1666-1733/1734), who practiced in Paris, was part of a family with 5 generations of English oculists. Some historians have derided him as a “charlatan” and have criticized him for adhering to the old notion that a cataract was a membrane anterior to the lens.Methods:We reviewed treatises and digital records related to Woolhouse and his family and the handwritten notes of his 1721 lecture series at the Royal Society of Medicine.Results:We have identified 5 generations of oculists in Woolhouse’s family, by the names of Atwood, Stepkins, Ivy, and Beaumont. Woolhouse taught students from across Europe. He was one of the early proponents in Europe, inspired by Asian medical practices, to perform paracentesis to release aqueous for a new condition called hydrophthalmia. In Woolhouse’s system, some of these cases probably described angle-closure glaucoma. He was the first to attach the name glaucoma to the palpably hard eye in 1707. He may also have been the first to teach tha...
An entrepreneurial approach to a senior design course

Most senior project based design courses focus on demonstrating that students have shown an ability to design a system, component, or process that meets desired needs within realistic constraints as described in ABET Criterion 3(c). This paper describes an approach that has been used for the past four years in a senior project based design course which embeds these criteria within an entrepreneurial approach to design. The entire class functions as a startup company with management, marketing and two design divisions. The instructor and teaching assistant play the role of the Venture Capitalists (VCs) investing in the company. The goal of the company is to develop two first generation working prototypes that could be used by the VCs to attract additional funds to produce the final product. All prototypes were successfully tested and evaluated against the appropriate standards and major performance requirements. Course evaluations indicate that this entrepreneurial approach is well received by the students.
Antenatal pomegranate juice rescues hypoxia-induced fetal growth restriction in pregnant mice while reducing placental cell stress and apoptosis

Abstract Introduction There is a need for prophylaxis to reduce placental-associated intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Pomegranate juice (PJ) is replete with phytochemicals having biological effects at non-pharmacological concentrations. We test the hypothesis that exposure of pregnant mice to hypoxia late in gestation induces cellular stress in the placenta, which can be ameliorated by antecedent maternal consumption of PJ. Materials and methods We exposed pregnant mice to 12% or 21% oxygen, with food ad libitum or restricted, and with consumption of PJ or glucose between 12.5 and 18.5 days post conception (dpc). We examined the outcomes of the nine groups (n = 10) at 18.5 dpc, quantifying fetal and placental weights and placental labyrinthine and junctional zone depths and areas. We assayed cellular stress by expression of Hsp90 and apoptosis by TUNEL staining and expression of cleaved caspase 3. Results Maternal exposure to 12% oxygen or food restriction in 21% oxygen, induced IUGR, compared to control. The labyrinth to junctional zone ratio was lower in hypoxic ad libitum, compared to normoxic food-restricted, placentas. Antenatal PJ prior to and during hypoxic exposure significantly improved fetal growth, reduced Hsp90 expression, and limited apoptosis in the labyrinth, while enhancing junctional zone apoptosis. Discussion Maternal exposure to hypoxia induces IUGR, cell stress, and apoptosis in mouse placentas. The labyrinth and junctional zone of the mouse placenta are differentially sensitive to FiO2 and to PJ. PJ offers benefits in the prophylaxis of IUGR in the mouse, but PJ effects on the junctional zone require further study.
Classification of Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women

In 1948, the USA Public Health Service initiated the Framingham Heart Study to assess the epidemiology and risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). It was the first such study of its kind—a well-constructed and longitudinally observed cohort. Men and women between the ages of 30 and 62 (5,209 individuals in total), free of CVD, were recruited from Framingham, MA beginning in 1948. Publications from the late 1950s and early 1960s associated with the Framingham Heart Study became some of the first publications to use of the term “risk factor.” The term was thus broadly coined and accepted, used today as generalized patterns that suggest a predilection to developing heart disease. Analyses looked at patterns of elevated cholesterol, higher levels of blood pressure, and cigarette smoking and found that these identified elements combined to increase one’s risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) over 6 years of follow up [1].
Improved multi B-value diffusion-weighted MRI of the body by simultaneous model estimation and image reconstruction (SMEIR).

Diffusion-weighted MRI images acquired with multiple b-values have the potential to improve diagnostic accuracy by increasing the conspicuity of lesions and inflammatory activity with background suppression. Unfortunately, the inherently low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of DW-MRI reduces enthusiasm for using these images for diagnostic purposes. Moreover, lengthy acquisition times limit our ability to improve the quality of multi b-value DW-MRI images by multiple excitations acquisition and signal averaging at each b-value. To offset these limitations, we propose the Simultaneous Model Estimation and Image Reconstruction (SMEIR) for DW-MRI, which substantially improves the quality of multi b-value DW-MRI images without increasing acquisition times. Our model introduces the physiological signal decay model of DW-MRI as a constraint in the reconstruction of the DW-MRI images. An in-vivo experiment using 6 low-quality DW-MRI datasets of a healthy subject showed that SMEIR reconstruction of low-quality data improved SNR by 55% in the liver and by 41% in the kidney without increasing acquisition times. We also demonstrated the clinical impact of our SMEIR reconstruction by increasing the conspicuity of inflamed bowel regions in DW-MRI of 12 patients with Crohn’s disease. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the inflamed regions in the SMEIR images was higher by 12.6% relative to CNR in the original DW-MRI images.
Hypoxia-Inducible Factors and Adenosine Signaling in Vascular Growth

Low oxygen environment or hypoxia is conducive towards vascular growth and endothelial proliferation. Therefore it is an essential element in both disease and development. Hypoxia stabilizes the hypoxia-inducible transcription factors -1α and -2α and also increases adenosine levels thereby activating the adenosine receptor signaling pathways. While these pathways have been described independently to a greater extent, increasing evidence suggests that there is significant crosstalk. Here we will summarize the contributions and interdependence of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors and the adenosine receptor pathways in vascular growth.
Impact of early FDG-PET directed intervention on preoperative therapy for locally advanced gastric cancer: A Cooperative Group random assignment phase II study (Alliance A021302) Impac.

TPS4135Background: Gastric cancer is a prevalent and morbid illness for which new treatment strategies are needed. Peri-operative therapy is a standard approach that is associated with only a 15% i...
A Short Assessment of Select Remediation Issues at the Russian Research Center-Kurchatov Institute, Moscow, Russia

At the invitation of the National Academies, Roy Gephart traveled to Russia with an eight-member U.S. team during June, 2008 to participate in a workshop hosted by the National Academies and the Russian Academy of Sciences on radiation contamination and remediation issues in the former Soviet Union. Cleanup problems were assessed by the American participants for six Russian sites: Kurchatov Institute, Lakes 10 and 11 at Mayak, Andreev Bay, Krasnokamensk Mining Enterprise (Siberia), Almaz Mining Enterprise (North Caucasus), and one site for testing peaceful nuclear explosions. Roy lead the Russian Research Center-Kurchatov Institute review session and wrote an assessment of key cleanup issues. Kurchatov is the leading institute in the Former Soviet Union devoted to military and civilian nuclear programs. Founded in 1943 in the outskirts of Moscow, this 100 hectare site of nearly undeveloped, prime real estate is now surrounded by densely populated urban and business districts. Today there are growing concerns over the public safety and environmental security of the site resulting from increasingly obsolete nuclear facilities and a legacy of inadequate waste management practices that resulted in contaminant releases and challenging remediation problems. In addition, there is growing concern over the presence of nuclear facilities within urbanmore » areas creating potential targets for terrorist attacks.« less
Toward a luxury service value taxonomy: empirical evidence and future directions.

AbstractThis study examines how well an improved version of Vigneron and Johnson’s Brand Luxury Index (BLI) operates in a service context. A representative sample of 253 U.S. consumers evaluated th...
Dynamic Response of Composite Structures in Extreme Loading Environments

A review of some recent advancements in knowledge of composite shell and sandwich structures subjected to extreme loading conditions in complex air and underwater environments is presented. Studies include polyurea (PU) coatings for mitigation of the response of these structures. Composite structures subjected to in-air blast loading included E-Glass Vinyl-Ester (EVE) plates, EVE sandwich structures with single and graded Corecell™ foam cores, and EVE plates with PU coatings. An in-depth analysis of the fluid-structure interaction between the shockwave and the structure is presented and applied to predict reflected pressure profiles, with close correlation to experimental results. Advances in underwater implosion research of both thin shell and sandwich composite structures are also presented. The mechanics of the hydrostatic collapse, as well as the emitted pressure pulses released during implosion, are characterized for the two structures respectively in free-field. Mitigation strategies are explored to reduce the strength of the implosion pulse from the collapse of the shell composites. Studies which address implosions in composite materials initiated by shock or explosive loading are also presented.
Mouse T cell priming is enhanced by maturation-dependent stiffening of the dendritic cell cortex.

T cell activation by dendritic cells (DCs) involves forces exerted by the T cell actin cytoskeleton, which are opposed by the cortical cytoskeleton of the interacting antigen-presenting cell. During an immune response, DCs undergo a maturation process that optimizes their ability to efficiently prime naive T cells. Using atomic force microscopy, we find that during maturation, DC cortical stiffness increases via a process that involves actin polymerization. Using stimulatory hydrogels and DCs expressing mutant cytoskeletal proteins, we find that increasing stiffness lowers the agonist dose needed for T cell activation. CD4+ T cells exhibit much more profound stiffness dependency than CD8+ T cells. Finally, stiffness responses are most robust when T cells are stimulated with pMHC rather than anti-CD3e, consistent with a mechanosensing mechanism involving receptor deformation. Taken together, our data reveal that maturation-associated cytoskeletal changes alter the biophysical properties of DCs, providing mechanical cues that costimulate T cell activation.
Bempedoic Acid: A Novel LDL Cholesterol-Lowering Agent.

Hypercholesterolemia is commonly associated with diabetes. In combination with diabetes, it puts patients at an increased risk for premature coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis (1). Lipoproteins are developed in one of two ways, via the exogenous or endogenous pathways. LDL cholesterol is a product of VLDL metabolism via the endogenous pathway. Levels of LDL in the plasma are determined by the rate of LDL production and clearance. The LDL production rate from VLDL depends on LDL receptor activity. High receptor activity leads to a decrease in LDL production. Alternatively, low LDL receptor activity leads to an increase in LDL production. These levels of receptors in the liver are regulated by the cholesterol content of the hepatocytes. If the content is low, LDL receptor activity increases to allow for the increased uptake of cholesterol. If the content is higher, LDL receptor activity is decreased, and the LDL uptake is diminished (2). Many medications are available today to manage hypercholesterolemia. The most commonly used are statins, fibrates, bile acid sequestrants, niacin, and dietary cholesterol uptake inhibitors. Less commonly used therapies for cholesterol management include PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) inhibitors, MTP (microsomal triglyceride transfer protein) inhibitors, CETP (cholesteryl ester transfer protein) inhibitors, and apolipoprotein B-100 antisense oligonucleotides. None of these therapies have the same mechanism of action as the novel therapy bempedoic acid (Esperion Therapeutics). Bempedoic acid has been shown to significantly lower LDL cholesterol levels when added to maximally tolerated statin therapies compared with ???
Reconstitution of IgG Subclasses Following Immunoglobulin Administration in Adult Patients with Common Variable Immune Deficiency.

BACKGROUND Immunoglobulin (Ig) therapy reduces the frequency and severity of infection among patients with antibody deficiency disorders. However, a subset of patients lacks adequate clinical response. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine in adult common variable immune deficiency (CVID) patients (A) if lack of clinical response to Ig therapy correlates with lack of reconstitution of IgG subclass (es), (B) correlation between Ig dosing and/or IgG trough levels and IgG subclass reconstitution, (C) and most common impaired Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) serotype antibody response. METHODS Single-institution, retrospective chart review for CVID patients at immunology clinics from 2015 to 2019. Patients were monitored every 3-6 months for IgG dosage, IgG trough levels, IgG subclass reconstitution, infectious episodes (chronic sinusitis, bronchitis, upper respiratory, and lower respiratory tract infections), urinary tract infections, and antibiotic use. Follow-up was calculated in patient years. RESULTS Twenty-five of 41 patients achieved complete reconstitution of all IgG subclasses, and 16/41 demonstrated intermittent or lack of reconstitution. There were significantly less (p < 0.001) infections among fully reconstituted patients (0.66 ± 0.19 infections per patient year) as compared to those with intermittent or lack of reconstitution (1.26 ± 0.13 infections per patient year). There was a significant correlation between IgG trough levels and IgG subclass reconstitution. Most common impaired S. pneumoniae serotype included 3, 4, 9n, 10a, 11a, 12f, and 15b. CONCLUSIONS Incomplete IgG subclass reconstitution was associated with increased frequency of infections. IgG trough levels correlate with IgG subclass reconstitution. A limited number of S. pneumoniae serotype antibodies are commonly impaired in CVID.
Training deep neural networks for binary communication with the Whetstone method

The computational cost of deep neural networks presents challenges to broadly deploying these algorithms. Low-power and embedded neuromorphic processors offer potentially dramatic performance-per-watt improvements over traditional processors. However, programming these brain-inspired platforms generally requires platform-specific expertise. It is therefore difficult to achieve state-of-the-art performance on these platforms, limiting their applicability. Here we present Whetstone, a method to bridge this gap by converting deep neural networks to have discrete, binary communication. During the training process, the activation function at each layer is progressively sharpened towards a threshold activation, with limited loss in performance. Whetstone sharpened networks do not require a rate code or other spike-based coding scheme, thus producing networks comparable in timing and size to conventional artificial neural networks. We demonstrate Whetstone on a number of architectures and tasks such as image classification, autoencoders and semantic segmentation. Whetstone is currently implemented within the Keras wrapper for TensorFlow and is widely extendable. Neuromorphic processors promise to be a low-powered platform for deep learning, but require neural networks that are adapted for binary communication. The Whetstone method achieves this by gradually sharpening activation functions during the training process.
Social Support Protects Against Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: Key Variations in Latinx and Non-Latinx White College Students

Social support protects against perceived stress and its harmful effects on psychological well-being. College students in general are at high risk for mental health disorders, and Latinx college students face unique stressors placing them at greater risk of psychological distress. Social support may be a key construct in improving outcomes for college students; however, few studies have empirically tested whether the protective effect of social support is equivalent across racial/ethnic groups. Using a series of regression models, we investigated whether social support moderates the relationship between perceived stress and endorsement of depression and anxiety symptoms in Latinx (n = 265) and non-Latinx White college students (n = 216) and whether this moderating effect varied by group membership. Participants completed a series of questionnaires measuring social support, perceived stress, and depression and anxiety symptoms. The moderating effects of social support varied by group membership and outcomes (i.e., depression and anxiety). Social support moderated the relationship between perceived stress and depression symptoms for both Latinx and non-Latinx White students. However, social support only buffered the effect of perceived stress on anxiety symptom endorsement for Latinx college students. These findings suggest that social support does not function uniformly across racial/ethnic groups or the endorsement of depression and anxiety symptoms. Social support may be particularly important for Latinx students by providing a buffer between perceived stress and symptoms of anxiety.
New frontiers in pharmacologic obstructive sleep apnea treatment: A narrative review.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common form of sleep-disordered breathing characterized by intermittent partial or complete closure of the upper airway during sleep. If left untreated, OSA is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart failure, cardiac arrhythmia, stroke, and death. Positive airway pressure (PAP) is often considered the first-line treatment for OSA. While PAP can be very effective in reducing the number of obstructive apneas and hypopneas, its impact on prevention of adverse cardiovascular consequences remains controversial, and treatment adherence is often poor. Hence, the necessity for novel treatment options to help those who cannot adhere to positive airway pressure treatment. Different classes of medications have been tested with regards to their effect on OSA severity. This review 1) provides an update on the epidemiology and pathophysiology of OSA, 2) outlines the mechanistic rationale for medication classes tested as OSA treatment and 3) discusses the effects of these medications on OSA. Several wake-promoting medications are approved for management of persistent sleepiness despite OSA treatment; discussion of these symptomatic treatments is outside the scope of this review. Herein, the authors review the current evidence for pharmacological management of OSA and provide future directions.
From student-to-student confirmation to students’ self-determination: an integrated peer-centered model of self-determination theory in the classroom

In the current study, we applied self-determination theory within a cross-sectional research design to test a latent variable model in order to explore how peer relationships in the classroom might...
Simulating Nanoscale Heat Transport

In this book chapter we provide the definition of "Simulating Nanoscale Heat Transport", broadly regarded as modeling heat conduction beyond Fourier's law. We primarely focus on incoherent transport, which is dominated by scattering between phonons and the boundaries of a given material. After introducing the Boltzmann Transport Equation (BTE) for phonons, we elaborate on different numerical techniques for solving nanoscale heat transport includind deterministic and Monte Carlo based method. A discussion on the need for multiscale modeling concludes the chapter.
Adaptive guidance system design for the assistive robotic walker

As seniors are the fastest growing populations in the world, walking assistive robots have recently received much attention. In this paper, we proposed an effective motion guidance system equipped upon a robotic walking assistant to emulate the biological rhythm for the practical daily use. This system consists of a pair of force-sensing handles for measuring user's applied force and an intelligent learning scheme to derive the proper driving force from the measured grip force. The handles are designed to be of low cost and with high reliability. The learning scheme is combined with an assistive strategy offering adaptive motion guidance for the various elderly in walking. The feasibility of the proposed system is demonstrated via a series of movement assistance experiments based on a developed walking robot.
Acquisition of a pyloric septum or pyloric duodenal fistula.

A patient with active upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage and previous radiological evidence of duodenal deformity was found to have a gastric ulcer. Nineteen days later, a pyloric septum was observed gastroscopically in the same area. The radiological examinations of the upper gastrointestinal tract were consistent with these endoscopic observations, and a prepyloric mucosal septum was found during surgery. The formation of this prepyloric septum in our patient appears to be the result of peptic ulcer disease with the formation of a fistulous tract connecting the pylorus to the duodenum.
Great Big Hairy Bees! Regulating the European Bumblebee, Bombus Terrestris L. What does it say about the Precautionary Principle?

The previous Commonwealth Minister for the Environment, Mr Garrett, recently rejected a request to allow the importation of live bumblebees (Bombus terrestris L.) to mainland Australia. New South Wales and Victoria had already listed the introduction of bumblebees as, respectively, a key threatening process and a potentially threatening process. The Commonwealth, however, had previously declined an application to list the introduction of bumblebees as a key threatening process, although its Threatened Species Scientific Committee urged ‘that extreme caution be shown in considering any proposal to introduce this species to the mainland.’ The potential threat from bumblebees would appear to beg the questions posed by the precautionary principle. Would the presence of bumblebees to mainland Australia pose a threat of serious or irreversible environmental damage? Should a lack of full scientific certainty be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation? This paper considers the role of the precautionary principle in regulatory approaches to the bumblebee. It seeks to establish the application of the precautionary principle to this particular potential environmental threat, including its relationship to the principle of conservation of biological diversity. It concludes that, despite widespread adoption of the precautionary principle in policy, legislation and case law in Australia, its impact on regulating bumblebees has not been consistent.
Efficient Timing Analysis of a Class of Petri Nets

We describe an algebraic technique for performing timing analysis on a restricted class of Petri nets with interval time delays specified on the places of the net. The timing analysis we perform determines the extreme separation in time between specified occurrences of pairs of transitions for all possible timed executions of the system. We present the details of the timing analysis algorithm and demonstrate polynomial running time on a non-trivial parameterized example. Petri nets with 3000 nodes and 1016 reachable states have been analyzed using these techniques.
On simulation studies of jamming threats against LTE networks

In this paper, we investigate the impact of jamming threats on the performance of LTE networks. First, we develop a three dimensional theoretical space to explore various jamming attacks. Next, we construct a set of attack scenarios by utilizing the dimensions of this space. To observe the impact on LTE network performance, we use ns-3 to implement the scenarios and to evaluate the attacks based on standard network metrics. The results demonstrate that our investigated jamming attacks can introduce significant performance degradation into LTE networks.
Determining what Questions to Ask, with the Help of Spectral Graph Theory.

This paper considers questions and the objects being asked about to be a graph and formulates the knowledge goal of a question-asking agent in terms of connecting this graph. The game of twenty questions can be thought of as a testbed of such a question-asking agent’s knowledge. If the agent’s knowledge of the domain were completely specified, the goal of questionasking would be to find the answer as quickly as possible and could follow a decision tree approach to narrow down the candidate answers. However, if the agent’s knowledge is incomplete, it must have a secondary goal for the questions it plans: to complete its knowledge. We claim that this secondary goal of a question asking agent can be formulated in terms of spectral graph theory. In particular, disconnected portions of the graph must be connected in a principled way. We show how the eigenvalues of a graph Laplacian of the the question-object adjacency graph can identify whether a set of knowledge contains disconnected components and the zero elements of the powers of the question-object adjacency graph provide a way to identify these questions. We illustrate the approach using an emotion description task.
Sensitivity of Solar P-Modes To Solar Envelope Structure

We present a study of the effects of diffusion of helium and heavy elements from the convection zone into the radiative layer immediately below the convection zone, on the structure of the solar envelope. A comparison is made of the p-mode oscillation spectrum and the run of the speed of sound in a model with diffusion, in a standard model, and with observation.
The Future of Work-Family Policy: Is 'Choice' the Right Choice?

This article reviews the new, interdisciplinary book, Women and Employment: Changing Lives and New Challenges, which contains a set of empirical studies and policy proposals on work-family balance. This review uses the book’s research and analysis as a springboard for considering the role that gender equality should play in advancing a coherent work-family policy agenda, and more specifically, what “gender equality” means in the context of care work and labor force participation. Until recently, work-family discourse has been influenced by two dominant perspectives: one that seeks to achieve equal employment outcomes for women and men, and one that focuses on achieving equal valuation of unwaged care work with work performed in the paid labor market. In an attempt to bridge this divide and forge a way forward, some work-family scholars have begun to shift away from calls for particular substantive outcomes and towards a more process-based conception of gender equality. This new perspective focuses on equality of choice amongst a range of combinations of market work and care work. This review examines how the book’s empirical findings may advance our understanding of the existing constraints on “choice” in women’s and men’s work-family balance solutions, and it explores what the book’s analysis may reveal about the viability of an “equal choice model” as a path forward in work-family policy debates.
Baseline Optimization for the Measurement of CP Violation, Mass Hierarchy, and $\theta_{23}$ Octant in a Long-Baseline Neutrino Oscillation Experiment

Next-generation long-baseline electron neutrino appearance experiments will seek to discover $CP$ violation, determine the mass hierarchy and resolve the ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{23}$ octant. In light of the recent precision measurements of ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{13}$, we consider the sensitivity of these measurements in a study to determine the optimal baseline, including practical considerations regarding beam and detector performance. We conclude that a detector at a baseline of at least 1000 km in a wide-band muon neutrino beam is the optimal configuration.
The origin of natural antibody (LYM6P.764)

Natural antibody is constitutively present in the serum of all mammals. This unique IgM plays an important role in the clearance of cellular debris, the early control of viral and bacterial expansion, and the initiation of T-dependent humoral responses. Despite decades of study, the origins of natural antibody have not been precisely defined. Transfer experiments have shown a close correlation between peritoneal cells, including B1a cells, and natural antibody, but peritoneal B1 cells do not secrete adequate amounts of IgM to support the levels found in mouse serum. Here, we show that a discrete population of IgM plasmacytes in the bone marrow produces all serum IgM in resting mice. These plasmacytes originate from cells in the peritoneal cavity, but not from B1a B cells, and transfer of these progenitors completely restores serum IgM and the specific compartment of bone marrow plasmacytes in Rag1 deficient mice. This plasmacyte compartment contains a substantial fraction of non-dividing, long lived cells that do not occupy the IgG plasmacyte survival niche in the bone marrow but instead depend on IL-5. Genetic analysis of these IgM plasmacytes reveals an unmutated, clonally diverse population strongly enriched for VH11 rearrangements. We propose that these natural IgM plasmacytes represent an “innate B-cell” population descended from yolk sac progenitors, and that natural IgM plasmacytes are not the progeny of B1 B cells but instead share an earlier common ancestor.
BITE availability under operational constraints

An operational system (OS) supported by a built-in test equipment (BITE) string is embedded in an operating environment that requires a high level of OS and BITE string availability. The BITE string availability expression is derived using a model with operational constraints posed by both the OS requirements and the support-logistics system. The resultant BITE availability expression is formulated as a function of the BITE string MTBF, mean fault detection delay of the BITE string test scenario and the mean logistics delay of the support system. The OS availability requirement/specifications is partitioned into the constituent elements of MTBF and MTTR where the fault isolation time element of MTTr is coupled to the BITE string availability. BITE availability calculations are subsequently carried out using the developed methodology. >
Purification and characterization of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus isocitrate lyase.

Abstract Acinetobacter calcoaceticus is capable of growing on acetate or compounds that are metabolized to acetate. During adaptation to growth on acetate, A. calcoaceticus B4 exhibits an increase in NADP(+)-isocitrate dehydrogenase and isocitrate lyase activities. In contrast, during adaptation to growth on acetate, Escherichia coli exhibits a decrease in NADP(+)-isocitrate dehydrogenase activity that is caused by reversible phosphorylation of specific serine residues on this enzyme. Also, in E. coli, isocitrate lyase is believed to be active only in the phosphorylated form. This phosphorylation of isocitrate lyase may regulate entry of isocitrate into the glyoxylate bypass. To understand the relationships between these two isocitrate-metabolizing enzymes and the metabolism of acetate in A. calcoaceticus B4 better, we have purified isocitrate lyase to homogeneity. Physical and kinetic characterization of the enzyme as well as the inhibitor specificity and divalent cation requirement have been examined.
Effects of Fiber Bending and Twisting Resistance on the Mechanics of Fiber-reinforced Elastomers

A model of nonlinearly elastic solids reinforced by continuously distributed embedded fibers is formulated in which elastic resistance of the fibers to extension, bending and twist is taken into account explicitly.
Phosphorylation on Thr-55 by TAF1 mediates degradation of p53 : a role for TAF1 in cell G1 progression

The largest subunit of TFIID, TAF1, possesses an intrinsic protein kinase activity and is important for cell G1 progression and apoptosis. Since p53 functions by inducing cell G1 arrest and apoptosis, we investigated the link between TAF1 and p53. We found that TAF1 induces G1 progression in a p53-dependent manner. TAF1 interacts with and phosphorylates p53 at Thr-55 in vivo. Substitution of Thr-55 with an alanine residue (T55A) stabilizes p53 and impairs the ability of TAF1 to induce G1 progression. Furthermore, both RNAi-mediated TAF1 ablation and apigenin-mediated inhibition of the kinase activity of TAF1 markedly reduced Thr-55 phosphorylation. Thus, phosphorylation and the resultant degradation of p53 provide a mechanism for regulation of the cell cycle by TAF1. Significantly, the Thr-55 phosphorylation was reduced following DNA damage, suggesting that this phosphorylation contributes to the stabilization of p53 in response to DNA damage.
Antimicrobial activity of anethole and related compounds from aniseed

The antimicrobial activities of anethole, anisic acid, and eugenol characterized from aniseed were tested against 18 organisms including both bacteria and yeasts. As far as their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were compared, they are nearly comparable but act in different ways. For example, anethole was noted to be effective against Saccharomyces cerevisiae with a minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of 200 µg mL−1 but the activity was observed only when this yeast was growing on fermentable carbon sources in a hypoxic condition. On the other hand, eugenol was effective against S. cerevisiae with an MFC of 800 µg mL−1 in any growing conditions. Anisic acid showed fungistatic activity against this yeast with an MIC of 400 µg mL−1, but not fungicidal up to 1600 µg mL−1. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry
The Dynamics of Constituency Electoral Control in the House

This study offers a longitudinal analytic model designed to tap the degree to which members of the U.S. House of Representatives are responsive to constituency opinion in a dynamic sense. This, aft...
"Competing" for a robotics education

A strategy for integrating robot design competitions into courses in order to maximize learning experience and promote intellectual development is presented. The use of competitions fosters students' intellectual maturity, showing, inter alia, that there may be more than one correct answer to a problem.