cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Receptors and Other Signaling Proteins Required for Serotonin Control of Locomotion in Caenorhabditis elegans

A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of signaling by the neurotransmitter serotonin is required to assess the hypothesis that defects in serotonin signaling underlie depression in humans. Caenorhabditis elegans uses serotonin as a neurotransmitter to regulate locomotion, providing a genetic system to analyze serotonin signaling. From large-scale genetic screens we identified 36 mutants of C. elegans in which serotonin fails to have its normal effect of slowing locomotion, and we molecularly identified eight genes affected by 19 of the mutations. Two of the genes encode the serotonin-gated ion channel MOD-1 and the G-protein-coupled serotonin receptor SER-4. mod-1 is expressed in the neurons and muscles that directly control locomotion, while ser-4 is expressed in an almost entirely non-overlapping set of sensory and interneurons. The cells expressing the two receptors are largely not direct postsynaptic targets of serotonergic neurons. We analyzed animals lacking or overexpressing the receptors in various combinations using several assays for serotonin response. We found that the two receptors act in parallel to affect locomotion. Our results show that serotonin functions as an extrasynaptic signal that independently activates multiple receptors at a distance from its release sites and identify at least six additional proteins that appear to act with serotonin receptors to mediate serotonin response.
Rethinking heritability of the microbiome

For almost a century, heritability has been routinely used to predict genetic influences on phenotypes such as intelligence, schizophrenia, alcoholism, and depression ( 1 ). However, there has been relatively little work on heritability of the human microbiome—defined here as the number and types of microorganisms and viruses present in or on the human body. This question has become increasingly more interesting as research reveals that humans and their microbial communities interact in complex and often beneficial networks. An underlying question is the degree to which environment versus human genotype influences the microbiome. A central goal of quantifying microbiome heritability is to discern genetic from environmental factors that structure the microbiome and to potentially identify functionally important microbial community members.
Schizosaccharomyces pombe proliferating cell nuclear antigen mutations affect DNA polymerase delta processivity.

We introduced nine site-directed mutations into seven conserved fission yeast proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) residues, Leu2, Asp63, Arg64, Gly69, Gln201, Glu259, and Glu260, either as single or as double mutants. Both the recombinant wild type and mutant PCNAs were able to form homotrimers in solution and to sustain growth of a null pcna strain (Δpcna). Wild type Schizosaccharomyces pombe PCNA and PCNA proteins with mutations in Asp63, Gln201, Glu259, or Glu260 to Ala were able to stimulate DNA synthetic activity and to enhance the processivity of calf thymus DNA polymerase δ holoenzyme similar to calf thymus PCNA. Mutations of Leu2 to Val or Arg64 to Ala, either singly or as a double mutant, yielded PCNA mutant proteins that had reduced capacity in enhancing the processivity of DNA polymerase δ but showed no deficiency in stimulation of the ATPase activity of replication factor C. S. pombe Δpcna strains sustained by these two mutant-pcna alleles had moderate defects in growth and displayed elongated phenotypes. These cells, however, were not sensitive to UV irradiation. Together, these in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that the side chains of Leu2 and Arg64 in one face of the PCNA trimer ring structure are two of the several sites involved in tethering DNA polymerase δ for processive DNA synthesis during DNA replication.
THE EFFECTS OF INCOMPLETE INFORMATION ON CONSUMER CHOICE

Abstract Two current trends, information overload and marketers’ increased control over the manner in which their products are sold and presented to buyers (e.g., on the Internet), suggest that deciding what information to provide or not to provide can determine a product’s success in the marketplace. Although it has long been recognized that most purchase decisions are made with incomplete information, researchers still know little about the effect of missing information on consumer choice. Building on prior work by Slovic and MacPhillamy (1974), the authors demonstrate that a tendency to give more weight to attributes on which all considered options have values (common attributes), compared with attributes for which not all options have values (unique attributes), can often lead to intransitive preferences. Using process measures, the authors further show that buyers tend to interpret missing attribute values in a way that supports the purchase of the option that is superior on the common attribute. The...
Herpes Simplex Virus Downregulates Secretory Leukocyte Protease Inhibitor: a Novel Immune Evasion Mechanism

Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), an anti-inflammatory mediator of mucosal immunity, inhibits human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) in cell culture. Epidemiological studies demonstrate that higher concentrations of SLPI in mucosal secretions are associated with a reduced risk of HIV transmission. The current studies were designed to test the hypothesis that HSV triggers a loss of SLPI to evade innate immunity and that this response may contribute to the increased risk of HIV infection in the setting of HSV infection. Exposure of human cervical epithelial cells to HSV-1 or HSV-2, but not HIV or vesicular stomatitis virus, triggered a significant and sustained reduction in SLPI levels. The reduction persisted when cells were infected in the presence of acyclovir but not following infection with UV-inactivated virus, indicating that viral gene expression, but not replication, is required. Reverse transcriptase PCR studies demonstrated that the loss of SLPI is mediated by downregulation of gene expression. SLPI downregulation was associated with activation of NF-B signaling pathways and upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, consistent with the known inhibitor effects of SLPI on NF-B pathways. The downregulation mapped to viral early-gene expression, as variants impaired in expression of the ICP4 or ICP0 immediate-early gene failed to downregulate SLPI or activate NF-B. Together, these results identify a novel role for HSV immediate-early-gene expression in regulating mucosal immune responses.
High-Repetition-Rate Pulsed-Pump Optical Parametric Amplification in Silicon Waveguides

The net parametric gain evolution inside the silicon waveguides for high speed optical communications is investigated. Pulsed-pump parametric amplification can be a chip-scale solution for high bit rate DWDM systems with pulse width <;1 ps.
Magnetic loading of EBG AMC ground planes and ultrathin absorbers for improved bandwidth performance and reduced size

This paper demonstrates the advantages of magnetic loading within the substrate of an electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) surface. A conventional EBG surface has been shown to act as an artificial magnetic conductor over a narrow bandwidth. This paper demonstrates that by magnetic loading of the substrate, increased operating bandwidth is achieved for each resonant frequency. In addition, previous research has revealed that an ultrathin electromagnetic absorber design can be obtained by introducing loss into the frequency selective surface of an EBG absorber. It is now shown that a further reduction in thickness is possible by including a small amount of magnetic permeability within the dielectric substrate material. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 2468–2471, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21972
Basic principles of electrolyte chemistry for microfluidic electrokinetics. Part I: Acid–base equilibria and pH buffers

We review fundamental and applied acid-base equilibrium chemistry useful to microfluidic electrokinetics. We present elements of acid-base equilibrium reactions and derive rules for pH calculation for simple buffers. We also present a general formulation to calculate pH of more complex, arbitrary mixtures of electrolytes, and discuss the effects of ionic strength and temperature on pH calculation. More practically, we offer advice on buffer preparation and on buffer reporting. We also discuss "real world" buffers and likely contamination sources. In particular, we discuss the effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide on buffer systems, namely, the increase in ionic strength and acidification of typical electrokinetic device buffers. In Part II of this two-paper series, we discuss the coupling of acid-base equilibria with electrolyte dynamics and electrochemistry in typical microfluidic electrokinetic systems.
Market Pricing Beyond the Efficient Market Hypothesis

The first part of this paper derives the Market Pricing Maxim (MPM): market transaction prices fully reflect available information. This is not the same as the efficient market hypothesis (EMH). The MPM holds whether prices are unbiased estimates of fundamental value, as the EMH hypothesizes, or whether prices depart from fundamental values, as behavioral and noise models suggest.The MPM is put forward as a correct description of market pricing that can't be rejected, that is not an hypothesis, and that needs no testing to be known to be true. The EMH and behavioral models do not conflict over whether or not prices fully reflect available information. Prices have to and they do. They conflict over how prices reflect the information. The argument is over how close prices are to something called “fundamental value.” The paper goes on to discuss how various concepts are interpreted in an MPM world. There is discussion of value, propagation and meaning of information, prices, fundamental value, speculative profits, buying and issuing securities, risk, and a framework for empirical research.Next comes an extensive critique of the EMH (and to some extent behavioral models) in light of the MPM. A great deal of finance thinking that derives from EMH has to be substantially revised. For example, market prices are correct prices in the sense of reflecting all information, but this does not mean that prices are unbiased estimates of the true future prices. It is therefore dangerous to accept current prices at all times as the EMH suggests. Speculation is critical to markets, but the difficulty in making speculative profits arises not because prices are unbiased estimates of the true future prices or because properly discounted present values of assets vibrate randomly. It is because critical elements of the future that influence prices are mostly unknowable in changing ways that are unpredictable. The EMH notion that it is less than ideal (bad) if prices do not fully reflect all available information (that is, allow profits in the EMH view) is faulty. These judgments hinge on the notion that buyers and sellers can or should be able to allocate capital accurately in an efficient market without concern over whether prices are too high or too low. The sufficient conditions thought to produce market efficiency are all untenable, false, and highly misleading.The paper closes with a brief contrast between a more helpful ideal for capital markets than efficient markets, namely, free capital markets.
scn1bb, a Zebrafish Ortholog of SCN1B Expressed in Excitable and Nonexcitable Cells, Affects Motor Neuron Axon Morphology and Touch Sensitivity

Voltage-gated Na(+) channels initiate and propagate action potentials in excitable cells. Mammalian Na(+) channels are composed of one pore-forming alpha-subunit and two beta-subunits. SCN1B encodes the Na(+) channel beta1-subunit that modulates channel gating and voltage dependence, regulates channel cell surface expression, and functions as a cell adhesion molecule (CAM). We recently identified scn1ba, a zebrafish ortholog of SCN1B. Here we report that zebrafish express a second beta1-like paralog, scn1bb. In contrast to the restricted expression of scn1ba mRNA in excitable cells, we detected scn1bb transcripts and protein in several ectodermal derivatives including neurons, glia, the lateral line, peripheral sensory structures, and tissues derived from other germ layers such as the pronephros. As expected for beta1-subunits, elimination of Scn1bb protein in vivo by morpholino knock-down reduced Na(+) current amplitudes in Rohon-Beard neurons of zebrafish embryos, consistent with effects observed in heterologous systems. Further, after Scn1bb knock-down, zebrafish embryos displayed defects in Rohon-Beard mediated touch sensitivity, demonstrating the significance of Scn1bb modulation of Na(+) current to organismal behavior. In addition to effects associated with Na(+) current modulation, Scn1bb knockdown produced phenotypes consistent with CAM functions. In particular, morpholino knock-down led to abnormal development of ventrally projecting spinal neuron axons, defasciculation of the olfactory nerve, and increased hair cell number in the inner ear. We propose that, in addition to modulation of electrical excitability, Scn1bb plays critical developmental roles by functioning as a CAM in the zebrafish embryonic nervous system.
The Political Life Cycle of Technological Controversies

Many models have been developed to explain public attitudes toward nuclear energy. Data from France, Sweden, and the United States are used to evaluate these models, and most are either falsified or shown to apply only to limited periods. Public support for the technology is traced across the life cycle of the nuclear controversies, and different dynamics are found to influence opinion in different periods. Political context is the master variable explaining these differences: confidence in experts dominates prepolitical periods; media attention leads to politicization; basic values are key to attitudes in fully politicized periods; issue attention cycles explain depoliticization. Once conflict is over and a clear policy path has been taken, public opinion tends to support that path rather than simply returning to its prepolitical patterns. Sustained, visible controversy over technologies may reflect serious debate over political and social goals rather than irrational fears stirred by the mass media. In the last twenty years new technologies have become a major source of political conflict in the advanced industrial societies. Despite much research into how the public develops attitudes to technologies, the question remains of whether technological controversies reflect irrational and emotional fears, stirred up by the mass media, or whether they are genuine debates over important political and social goals. Nuclear energy has been taken as a paradigmatic case, and several models have been developed to explain public attitudes toward it. In evaluating these models, this
Anatomy-based registration of CT-scan and intraoperative X-ray images for guiding a surgical robot

Describes new methods for rigid registration of a preoperative computed tomography (CT)-scan image to a set of intraoperative X-ray fluoroscopic images, for guiding a surgical robot to its trajectory planned from CT. Our goal is to perform the registration, i.e., compute a rotation and translation of one data set with respect to the other to within a prescribed accuracy, based upon bony anatomy only, without external fiducial markers. With respect to previous approaches, the following aspects are new: (1) the authors correct the geometric distortion in fluoroscopic images and calibrate them directly with respect to the robot by affixing to it a new calibration device designed as a radiolucent rod with embedded metallic markers, and by moving the device along two planes, while radiographs are being acquired at regular intervals; (2) the registration uses an algorithm for computing the best transformation between a set of lines in three space, the (intraoperative) X-ray paths, and a set of points on the surface of the bone (imaged preoperatively), in a statistically robust fashion, using the Cayley parameterization of a rotation; and (3) to find corresponding sets of points to the X-ray paths on the surfaces, the authors' new approach consists of extracting the surface apparent contours for a given viewpoint, as a set of closed three-dimensional nonplanar curves, before registering the apparent contours to X-ray paths. Aside from algorithms, there are a number of major technical difficulties associated with engineering a clinically viable system using anatomy and image-based registration. To detect and solve them, the authors have so far conducted two experiments with the surgical robot in an operating room (OR), using CT and fluoroscopic image data of a cadaver bone, and attempting to faithfully simulate clinical conditions. Such experiments indicate that intraoperative X-ray-based registration is a promising alternative to marker-based registration for clinical use with the authors' proposed method.
Specific activity and isotope abundances of strontium in purified strontium-82

A linear accelerator was used to irradiate a rubidium chloride target with protons to produce strontium-82 (Sr-82), and the Sr-82 was purified by ion exchange chromatography. The amount of strontium associated with the purified Sr-82 was determined by either: ICP-OES or method B which consisted of a summation of strontium quantified by gamma spectroscopy and ICP-MS. The summation method agreed within 10% to the ICP-OES for the total mass of strontium and the subsequent specific activities were determined to be 0.25–0.52 TBq mg−1. Method B was used to determine the isotope abundances by weight% of the purified Sr-82, and the abundances were: Sr-82 (10–20.7%), Sr-83 (0–0.05%), Sr-84 (35–48.5%), Sr-85 (16–25%), Sr-86 (12.5–23%), Sr-87 (0%), and Sr-88 (0–10%). The purified strontium contained mass amounts of Sr-82, Sr-84, Sr-85, Sr-86, and Sr-88 in abundances not associated with natural abundance, and 90% of the strontium was produced by the proton irradiation. A comparison of ICP-OES and method B for the analysis of Sr-82 indicated analysis by ICP-OES would be easier to determine total mass of strontium and comply with regulatory requirements. An ICP-OES analytical method for Sr-82 analysis was established and validated according to regulatory guidelines.
Integration of science into orthopaedic practice: implications for solving the problem of articular cartilage repair.

President Peterson, thank you for the honor of presenting the Fourth International Cartilage Repair Symposium Presidential Guest Lecture. I appreciate the opportunity to address the fascinating subject of integrating science into orthopaedic practice, a subject that should be the primary concern of surgeons and scientists seeking to restore damaged and diseased articular cartilage. It took more than 2000 years for a few thoughtful practitioners of the art of orthopaedics to value and apply principles and observations derived from basic research 1. Yet, in the short time since this occurred, the understanding that optimal patient care depends on science as well as art has transformed orthopaedic practice from a disparate array of manipulations and operations, best characterized as well-intentioned savagery, to a range of treatments that, in many instances, can be considered civilized. Equally important, we live in a time when the integration of knowledge from new basic research into orthopaedic practice has the potential to solve the most daunting clinical problems, including the pain and loss of mobility caused by the limited capacity of human joints to repair themselves. Individuals with varying experience and qualifications have practiced orthopaedics for more than twenty-five centuries 1,2. It would be reasonable to expect that, over this period of time, orthopaedic treatments would have become generally safe and effective. Yet, only 250 years ago, John Hunter (1728-1793), the individual regarded as the father of scientific surgery 3, noted that "surgery, namely operations, is like an armed savage that attempts to get by force that which civilized men would get by stratagem." 2 Orthopaedic operations in Hunter's day were painful, bloody, brutal, and extremely dangerous: the typical results, for patients who survived the operations, were disappointing and disabling 1. It was a situation that led to Hunter's comment that …
Autoradiography of Soluble [2-14C]Thymidine Derivatives During Meiosis And Microsporogenesis in Lilium Anthers

A dry autoradiographic method suitable for locating soluble tracers has been used to follow the fate of [2- 14 C]thymidine supplied to detached buds and inflorescences of Lilium henryi and a related cultivar. During the interval from the archesporial phase until pachytene, the derivative (or derivatives) reaching the anther loculi moved freely into the meiocytes. Subsequently, the tracer was excluded from the mother cells until the dissolution of the tetrads. The young spores readily took up tracer in the thecal fluid upon their release, and yielded strongly localized autoradiographs. These observations are interpreted as indicating that access of materials to the meiocytes is related to the formation of cytoplasmic links between mother cells in the early meiotic prophase, and the later severance of these links through the growth of the isolating callose wall which comes to invest the tetrads. Judged from the tracer retained in preparations extracted with trichloroacetic acid, thymidine incorporation occurs mostly in the premeiotic and early leptotene period, although there is some slight evidence of incorporation later in prophase. In the tapetal cells, incorporation occurred in most of the stages tested, but there was no indication of a transfer of labelled materials from tapetum to spores in the post-meiotic period.
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission V. United States: Dam If You Do, Dam If You Don't

This case note provides a detailed description of the facts, procedural history, and the overall issues presented in Arkansas Game and Fish Commission v. United States. It covers the rules and precedents for takings under the Fifth Amendment, both permanent and temporary, and discusses the ramifications and impacts of the Court's decision on local, state, and federal government officials.
Improving the Performance of Rolling Element Bearings with Nanocomposite Tribological Coatings

This study summarizes the development, characterization, and application of nanocomposite tribological coatings on rolling element bearings. Nanocomposite coatings consisting of nanocrystalline metal carbides embedded in amorphous hydrocarbon or carbon matrices (MC/aC:H or MC/aC) have been used to increase the fatigue life under boundary layer lubrication, provide debris tolerance, eliminate false brinelling, increase the operational speed, decrease the friction, and provide oil-out protection to rolling element bearings. MC/aC:H coatings are applied by magnetron sputtering at substrate temperature less than 180 °C, have small friction coefficients, high fracture strength, and can have hardness and modulus values twice and half that of carburized steel, respectively.
The Rap Guide to Evolution

The Rap Guide to Evolution, brainchild of the Canadian rap artist Baba Brinkman, is a series of 10 music videos produced with support from the Wellcome Trust. Brinkman also did a rap version of the Canterbury Tales. I liked the off-Broadway performance of this self-described “hip-hop tour of evolutionary biology.” Teachers may present science in surprising contexts in order to captivate a non-science-major or those with a border line interest. A high point of my intro genetics lecture on Mendel is the YouTube video of rapping “monks,” cassocks swirling, dervishlike (“Peas, brothers”). Teachers may also be familiar with Pete Weatherall’s songs on DNA and cell division. Brinkman’s energetic performance videos, containing clever lyrics, engaging animations, choreography, and splashy graphics, may be used as hooks to spark interest in a genetics or science history lesson. The menu-selectable videos include “ Natural Selection,” “Artificial Selection,” “I’m a African,” “Creationist Cousins,” “Survival of the Fittest,” and six others. Some selections are suitable only for adult audiences: “Hypnotize,” “Darwin’s Acid,” “Worst Comes to Worst,” and “DNA” include images, lyrics, or graphics of a sexual nature. Students will sing along with parts of “Natural Selection,” when the chorus intones the principle of natural selection: “The weak and the strong, Darwin got it goin’ on... whoever leaves the most spawn,” as the bearded rapper Darwin gyrates and twirls. A copy of the lyrics could be provided by the teacher in order to facilitate this singalong. In “Artificial Selection,” Brinkman describes Darwin as “the first to translate his amazement at the wonder of life into a way to explain it.” My favorite video, and the best produced, is “I’m a African,” in which Brinkman raps the origins of mankind: “Africa is where my momma got her mitochondria” accompanied by wild graphics. Don’t expect to hear the word “mitochondria” in a 50 Cent or Jay-Z rap. I’ve been humming “The fossil record has gaps but no contradictions” all morning. In “Performance, Feedback, Revision,” Professor Baba compares the process of writing a rap with evolution and natural selection, showing how random changes due to mutations alter the text or performance piece (the genetic code). The altered text sees the light of day in the organism’s phenotype (the performance), which is accepted or rejected by natural selection (or the audience), feeding back on the endless creative cycle of life. The songs can be downloaded at http://bababrinkman.bandcamp.com/album/ the-rap-guide-to-evolution. Roberta Batorsky Department Editor
Arabic Spelling: Errors, Perceptions, and Strategies

This study investigated common spelling errors among first language English speakers who study Arabic at the college level. A sample of 63 students (45 males and 18 females) was asked to write texts about a variety of topics and then to answer survey questions regarding their perceptions and strategies. Their writing produced 457 spelling errors, which were examined and classified. The results demonstrate that the spelling skill is developmental and that it offers a necessary structure for students to master key elements of Arabic. The wide variety of spelling errors made by participants points to their unsatisfactory awareness of the language's phonology, morphology, and orthography aspects. Participants perceived an important connection between the spelling skill and such other skills as reading, writing, and pronunciation, but they perceived its development as challenging, due to insufficient practice. Their strategies for memorizing words included using textbooks and online dictionaries, repetition and practice, and simply sounding out the words. The results indicated potential implications that current and future Arabic instructors can use to help students develop the spelling skill.
Metabolic Risk Factors and Type 2 Diabetes Incidence in American Indian Children.

Context: Data are lacking on how metabolic risk factors during childhood affect the long-term risk of type 2 diabetes. Objectives: Assess four metabolic risk factors as predictors of type 2 diabetes and determine whether the risk differs between younger and older children. Design: In a prospective cohort study conducted between 1965 and 2007, participants were followed for development of diabetes. Baseline measurements included body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and 2-hour plasma glucose after an oral glucose tolerance test. Additional analyses divided subjects into two groups according to baseline age, 5–11 and 12–19 years. Setting: Gila River Indian Community in Arizona. Participants: A total of 5532 nondiabetic Pima Indian children 5–19 years old. Results: A total of 1281 children developed diabetes (median follow-up, 12.4 years). Diabetes incidence was higher in overweight children (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) than in nonoverweight children. Nonoverweight children had the lowest risk...
Insights for Prevention Campaigns: The Power of Drinking Rituals in the College Student Experience From Freshman to Senior Year

ABSTRACTUsing a ritual behavior model and in-depth interviews, this qualitative study examined the role of alcohol in the lives of college students as they transitioned from freshmen to senior year. Key differences in the drinking ritual emerged across the four years, and insights were noted in students' use of alcohol to form a community of friends, to find order in their lives, and to transition from ill-at-ease adolescents to confident adults. A key campaign strategy emerged based on students' desire to avoid being the one who drinks the most or the one who drinks the least.
Replication of a Modified Procedure for Administering the WAIS

The modified WAIS, an abbreviated scoring procedure presented by Vincent in 1979, was evaluated in a replication study of 45 subjects. Information subtest scores were used to determine starting points for questioning on 5 other subtests. Modified WAIS and WAIS IQs correlated highly for Verbal (.996) and Performance (.999) scales, and Full Scale (.998). The results of this study support Vincent's conclusion that the modified WAIS can be considered as an alternative to short forms.
MODERN TRENDS IN UROLOGY.

Although much remains to be done in solving urologic problems, significant progress has been made in the last 20 years, particularly in three areas.Cineroentgenography has made it possible to demonstrate vesicoureteral reflux, and studies have clarified its role in pyelonephritis. An operative procedure to check reflux has produced excellent results in more than 150 patients.Total urinary incontinence remains a distressing problem; however, certain technics have proved successful in correcting incontinence from various causes.The transvesicocapsular technic, an operation which combines the best features of suprapubic and retropubic prostatectomy, has improved results in this type of surgery.
Premarketing clinical safety assessment for drugs intended for long-term treatment

With the increasing demand for drugs intended for broad,long-term treatment of non-life threatening diseases,safety is of special concern in the research and development of new drugs in these areas.This article raise the main points to consider for clinical safety evaluation in referring to the relevant ICH and FDA pre-market risk assessment guidelines.
Delayed Spectrum Allocation for Advance Reservation in Elastic Optical Networks

In response to bandwidth-hungry applications, the field of Elastic Optical Networks (EON) has emerged. In this paper we investigate the provisioning and allocation problem in EONs, which presents a number of new and exciting challenges not otherwise present in optical networking solutions. We propose a novel technique for solving the Routing and Spectrum Allocation (RSA) problem which improves resource allocation efficiency for scheduled demands. This approach, called Delayed Spectrum Allocation (DSA) promises network resources to each demand upon request for scheduling, but delays the selection and allocation of those specific resources until immediately before transmission begins. Through simulation, we are able to conclude that DSA improves resource consumption efficiency and lowers call blocking.1
Phenology of the adult angel lichen moth (Cisthene angelus) in Grand Canyon, USA

Abstract We investigated the phenology of adult angel lichen moths (Cisthene angelus) along a 364-km long segment of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, using a unique data set of 2,437 light-trap samples collected by citizen scientists. We found that adults of C. angelus were bivoltine from 2012 to 2014. We quantified plasticity in wing lengths and sex ratios among the two generations and across a 545-m elevation gradient. We found that abundance, but not wing length, increased at lower elevations and that the two generations differed in size and sex distributions. Our results shed light on the life history and morphology of a common, but poorly known, species of moth endemic to the southwestern United States and Mexico.
Exosomes in Immunoregulation of Chronic Lung Diseases

Exosomes are nano-sized, membrane-bound vesicles released from cells that transport cargo including DNA, RNA, and proteins, between cells as a form of intercellular communication. In addition to their role in intercellular communication, exosomes are beginning to be appreciated as agents of immunoregulation that can modulate antigen presentation, immune activation, suppression, and surveillance. This article summarizes how these multifaceted functions of exosomes may promote development and/or progression of chronic inflammatory lung diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary fibrosis. The potential of exosomes as a novel therapeutic is also discussed.
Patient and clinical characteristics that heighten risk for heart failure readmission

Abstract Background Within 30 days of hospital discharge, heart failure (HF) readmission rates nationally accumulate to more than 20%. Due to this high rate of unplanned re-hospitalization, predictive models are needed to identify patients who pose the highest readmission risk. Objective To evaluate the diagnosis and timing and to identify patient and clinical characteristics associated with 30 day readmissions among HF patients. Methods A retrospective analysis of electronic health records was conducted to study HF admissions during the period October 2008 to November 2014. Patients with a primary discharge diagnosis consistent with HF were included. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the readmitted and non-readmitted cohorts. Logistic regression was used to develop a predictive model to determine patient and clinical variables associated with 30 day readmission. Results Characteristics of the study cohort (n = 2420) are: a mean age of 72, predominantly male (55%), white (55%), currently not employed (91%), and utilizing Medicare as a payer (68%). Overall, 42% were married. Over the study time period there were 394 (16.3%) 30 day readmissions after 2420 hospitalizations. The 3 most common reasons for readmission were HF (36.0%), renal disorders (8.4%), and other cardiac diseases (6.9%). Analysis showed that 11.9% of patients readmitted during days 0–3, 15.2% during days 4–7, 31.5% during days 8–15, and 41.4% during days 16–30. The final multivariate predictive model included 5 variables that were associated with an increased risk for 30-day readmission: employment status as retired or disabled, > 1 emergency department visit in the past 90 days, length of stay >5 days during index visit, and a BUN value > 45 mg/dL. Conclusion This study provides a deeper understanding of patient and clinical characteristics that are associated with readmission in HF. Evaluation of these characteristics will provide additional information to guide strategies meant to reduce HF readmission rates.
Die Entstehung der Arten wird gesammelt

Zu den beliebtesten Hobbys gehort das Sammeln verschiedenster Dinge. Man denke nur an ein beliebiges Objekt, das es in mehreren Varianten gibt, so findet man mit ziemlicher Sicherheit jemanden, der diese Varianten sammelt, und vermutlich wird die Sammlertatigkeit in mindestens einem Internetforum in allen Einzelheiten erortert, ganz gleich, um was fur Gegenstande es geht.
Solid Contact Ion-Selective Electrodes for in Situ Measurements at High Pressure

Solid contact polymeric ion-selective electrodes (SC-ISEs) have been fabricated using microporous carbon (μPC) as the ion-to-electron transducer, loaded with a liquid membrane cocktail containing both ionophore and additive dissolved in plasticizer. These SC-ISEs were characterized and shown to be suitable for analysis in aqueous environments at pressures of 100 bar. Potassium ISEs, prepared in this manner, showed excellent performance at both atmospheric and elevated pressures, as evaluated by their response slopes and potential stability. These novel SC-ISEs were shown to be capable of measuring K+ at pressures under which traditional liquid-filled ISEs fail. Furthermore, the effect of pressure on the response of these sensors had little or no effect on potential, sensitivity, or limit of detection. High pressure sensor calibrations were performed in standard solutions as well as simulated seawater samples to demonstrate their usefulness as sensors in a deep-sea environment. These novel SC-ISE sensors s...
Patterns and predictors of persistent opioid use following hip or knee arthroplasty.

Summary Objective The relationship between arthroplasty and long-term opioid use in patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis is not well studied. We examined the prevalence, patterns and predictors of persistent opioid use after hip or knee arthroplasty. Method Using claims data (2004–2013) from a US commercial health plan, we identified adults who underwent hip or knee arthroplasty and filled ≥1 opioid prescription within 30 days after the surgery. We defined persistent opioid users as patients who filled ≥1 opioid prescription every month during the 1-year postoperative period based on group-based trajectory models. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine preoperative predictors of persistent opioid use after surgery. Results We identified 57,545 patients who underwent hip or knee arthroplasty. The mean ± SD age was 61.5 ± 7.8 years and 87.1% had any opioid use preoperatively. Overall, 7.6% persistently used opioids after the surgery. Among patients who used opioids in 80% of the time for ≥4 months preoperatively ( n = 3023), 72.1% became persistent users. In multivariable analysis, knee arthroplasty vs hip, a longer hospitalization stay, discharge to a rehabilitation facility, preoperative opioid use (e.g., a longer duration and greater dosage and frequency), a higher comorbidity score, back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraine and smoking, and benzodiazepine use at baseline were strong predictors for persistent opioid use (C-statistic = 0.917). Conclusion Over 7% of patients persistently used opioids in the year after hip or knee arthroplasty. Given the adverse health effects of persistent opioid use, strategies need to be developed to prevent persistent opioid use after this common surgery.
Advancing an Open Ethos with Open Peer Review

Open source. Open access. Open data. Open notebooks. Open government. Open educational resources. Open access workflows. To be open is to have a disposition favoring transparent and collaborative efforts. Open is everywhere. Since the late 90’s when developers in Silicon Valley adopted the term ‘open source’ (suggested by Christine Peterson), the open movement has grown by leaps and bounds. The developers, who met after the web browser company Netscape made its source code open, articulated that ‘open’ “…illustrated a valuable way to engage with potential software users and developers, and convince them to create and improve source code by participating in an engaged community.” 1 It also separated ‘open source’ “…from the philosophically- and politically-focused label ‘free software.’” 2
A sensitivity study of the Navier–Stokes-α model

Abstract We present a sensitivity study of the Navier Stokes- α model with respect to perturbations of the differential filter length α . The parameter-sensitivity is evaluated using the sensitivity equations method. Once formulated, the sensitivity equations are discretized and computed alongside the NS α model using the same finite elements in space, and Crank–Nicolson in time. We provide a complete stability analysis of the scheme, along with the results of several benchmark problems in both 2D and 3D. We further demonstrate a practical technique to utilize sensitivity calculations to determine the reliability of the NS α model in problem-specific settings. Lastly, we investigate the sensitivity and reliability of important functionals of the velocity and pressure solutions.
Functional role for stable microtubules in lens fiber cell elongation

The process of tissue morphogenesis, especially for tissues reliant on the establishment of a specific cytoarchitecture for their functionality, depends a balanced interplay between cytoskeletal elements and their interactions with cell adhesion molecules. The microtubule cytoskeleton, which has many roles in the cell, is a determinant of directional cell migration, a process that underlies many aspects of development. We investigated the role of microtubules in development of the lens, a tissue where cell elongation underlies morphogenesis. Our studies with the microtubule depolymerizing agent nocodazole revealed an essential function for the acetylated population of stable microtubules in the elongation of lens fiber cells, which was linked to their regulation of the activation state of myosin. Suppressing myosin activation with the inhibitor blebbistatin could attenuate the loss of acetylated microtubules by nocodazole and rescue the effect of this microtubule depolymerization agent on both fiber cell elongation and lens integrity. Our results also suggest that acetylated microtubules impact lens morphogenesis through their interaction with N-cadherin junctions, with which they specifically associate in the region where lens fiber cell elongate. Disruption of the stable microtubule network increased N-cadherin junctional organization along lateral borders of differentiating lens fiber cells, which was prevented by suppression of myosin activity. These results reveal a role for the stable microtubule population in lens fiber cell elongation, acting in tandem with N-cadherin cell-cell junctions and the actomyosin network, giving insight into the cooperative role these systems play in tissue morphogenesis.
Scapular Fractures in the Pan-scan Era

Background Scapular fractures have been traditionally taught to be associated with significant injuries and major morbidity. As we demonstrated with sternal fracture, pulmonary contusion, and rib fracture, increased chest computed tomography (CT) utilization and head-to-pelvis CT (pan-scan) protocols in blunt trauma evaluation, however, may diagnose minor, clinically irrelevant scapular fractures, possibly rendering previous teachings obsolete. Objectives The objectives were to determine the 1) percentages of scapular fractures seen on chest CT only (SOCTO) versus seen on both chest x-ray (CXR) and CT and of isolated scapular fracture (scapular fracture without other thoracic injuries); 2) frequencies of associated thoracic injury with scapular fracture; and 3) proportion of patients admitted, mortality, hospital length of stay, and injury severity scores (ISS), comparing four patient groups: scapular fracture, nonscapular fracture, scapular fracture SOCTO, and isolated scapular fracture. Methods We conducted a preplanned analysis of patients prospectively enrolled in the NEXUS Chest CT study at nine Level I trauma centers with the following inclusion criteria: age > 14 years, blunt trauma within 6 hours of ED presentation, and receiving chest imaging during ED trauma evaluation. Results Of 11,477 subjects, 4,501 (39.2%) patients who had both CXR and chest CT and 2.7% of these had scapular fractures; 60.3% of these were SOCTO and 23 (19.0%) were isolated scapular fracture. The most commonly associated thoracic injuries were rib fracture, pulmonary contusion, pneumothorax, and thoracic spine fracture and all injuries were more common in scapular fracture patients than nonscapular fracture patients. Although scapular fracture patients had higher admission rates (86.8% vs. 47.4%; difference in proportions = 39.4% [95% confidence interval {CI} = 32.8% to 44.1%]), ISS (21 vs. 5), and length of stay (9.2 days vs. 5.6 days; mean difference = 3.4 days [95% CI = 2.1 to 4.7 days]) than patients without scapular fracture, their hospital mortality was not significantly different (5.6% vs. 3.0%; difference in proportions = 2.6% [95% CI = -8.2% to 0.3%]; unadjusted odds ratio = 1.9 [95% CI = 0.9 to 4.2]). Patients with scapular fracture SOCTO and isolated scapular fracture had higher admission rates and median ISS than nonscapular fracture patients, but their mortality was similar. Conclusions Under current blunt trauma imaging protocols that commonly include chest CT, most scapular fractures are SOCTO and most are associated with other thoracic injuries. Although patients with scapular fracture SOCTO and isolated scapular fracture have higher admission rates and ISS than nonscapular fracture patients, their hospital mortality is similar.
I Was Once a Fetus: That Is Why Abortion Is Wrong

I am going to argue that abortion is wrong in the same circumstances in which it is wrong to kill an adult. To argue further that abortion is always wrong would require showing that it is always wrong to kill an adult or that the circumstances in which it is not wrong—say, capital punishment—never befall a fetus. Such an argument will be beyond the scope of this paper, but since it is wrong to kill an adult human being for the sorts of reasons for which most abortions are performed, it still follows that most abortions are wrong.
Ipsilateral femoral shaft and hip fractures.

Summary A midshaft femoral fracture in a high-energy trauma victim should prompt the orthopedist to search carefully for an ipsilateral fracture of the femoral neck. This fracture will be present in 5 per cent of patients, and the incidence may be increasing. Management of the femoral neck fracture should include emergent capsulotomy, anatomic reduction, and rigid fixation with compression. Management of the femoral shaft should not interfere with these goals because of the risk of post-traumatic necrosis of the femoral head. Successful methods of management of the femoral shaft fracture have included compression plating, retrograde Kuntscher nailing, and interlocking nails. Approaches to the treatment of concomitant intertrochanteric and femoral shaft fractures should be selected according to the skill and experience of the surgeon and the availability of equipment.
On the Mechanism of the Brain Serotonin Depletion in Experimental Phenylketonuria

Considerable evidence supports the view (1) that the primary metabolic lesion in phenylketonuria is a block in the conversion of phenylalanine to tyrosine due to the absence of a labile protein component of the liver hydroxylating system (2). However, the mechanism by which this metabolic defect in liver is translated into the mental retardation which clinically characterizes this disease is unclear. Several approaches to the problem have been made and the experimental model introduced by Auerbach (3) has proven particularly useful in nutritionally simulating some biochemical features of this genetic disease. More recent neurochemical and behavioral studies (4, 5) have demonstrated that animals fed diets rich in phenylalanine have diminished brain serotonin accompanied by impaired behavior in some, but not all, problem-solving tasks. A necessary connection between these two phenomena has not yet been established, although suggestive evidence has been presented from several sources. The metabolism of serotonin from tryptophan to 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid is well established and all the intermediate steps are known to occur in brain with the exception of 5.hydroxylation of tryptophan. To date, attempts to demonstrate this reaction in nervous tissue have been unsuccessful. This failure, together with the observation that 5-hydroxytryptophan easily transverses the blood-brain barrier while serotonin does not, suggests that serotonin synthesis in the central nervous system may be intimately related to peripheral disposition of tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptophan. Based on the known observations, several explanations