cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Covering the Hypercube with a Bounded Number of Disjoint Snakes

We present a construction of an induced cycle in the n-dimensional hypercube I(n) (n 2), and a subgroup Hn of I(n) considered as the group Z n, such that |Hn| 16 and the induced cycle uses exactly one element of every coset of Hn. This proves that for any n 2 the vertices of I(n) can be covered using at most 16 vertex-disjoint induced cycles.
Shelley's Frankenstein: A Possible Source for Poe's “MS. Found in a Bottle”

This section is devoted to notes, comments, and replies. We wish to provide here an outlet for source studies and focused interpretations that do not feature the extended argument and proof customary in articles, for items of special interest that otherwise might not appear, and for formal exchanges on relevant scholarly and critical issues. Contributions should generally be from one to four paragraphs in length, although notes extending to typescript pages are acceptable; all documentation should be in brackets within the text.
AFD MULTIPLIER ALGEBRAS

We show that the multiplier algebra of a simple stable nuclear C*-algebra has a property similar to that of an AFD or hyperfinite von Neumann algebra. Specifically, we prove the following: Theorem 0.1. Let be a unital simple separable C*-algebra. Let be the multiplier algebra of the stabilization of . Then is nuclear if and only if has the AFD-type property. We also study a stronger property called the "strong AFD-type property". We show that if is a unital simple real rank zero AT-algebra with unique trace, then the multiplier algebra of the stabilization of has the strong AFD-type property, and we raise the question of whether this is true more generally.
Hormesis and stage specific toxicity induced by cadmium in an insect model, the queen blowfly, Phormia regina Meig.

Abstract Hormesis is an adaptive response, commonly characterized by a biphasic dose–response that can be either directly induced, or the result of compensatory biological processes following an initial disruption in homeostasis [Calabrese and Baldwin, Hum. Exp. Toxicol., 21 (2002), 91]. Low and environmentally relevant levels of dietary cadmium significantly enhanced the pupation rate of blowfly larvae, while higher doses inhibited pupation success. However, dietary cadmium at all exposure levels adversely affected the emergence of the adult fly from the pupal case. Such findings represent the first report of a heavy metal displaying a hormetic-like biphasic response for pupation success, while at the same time displaying stage-specific toxicity at a later developmental period. These conclusions are based on substantial experimentation of over 1750 blowflies, in seven replicate experiments, involving 10 concentrations per experiment. These findings indicate the need to assess the impact of environmental stressors over a broad range of potential exposures as well as throughout the entire life cycle.
Systemic Priming-Boosting Immunization with a Trivalent Plasmid DNA and Inactivated Murine Cytomegalovirus (MCMV) Vaccine Provides Long-Term Protection against Viral Replication following Systemic or Mucosal MCMV Challenge

We previously demonstrated that vaccination of BALB/c mice with a pool of 13 plasmid DNAs (pDNAs) expressing murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) genes followed by formalin-inactivated MCMV (FI-MCMV) resulted in complete protection against viral replication in the spleen and salivary glands following sublethal intraperitoneal (i.p.) challenge. Here, we found that following intranasal (i.n.) challenge, titers of virus in the lungs of the immunized mice were reduced approximately 1,000-fold relative to those for mock-immunized controls. We next sought to extend these results and to determine whether similar protection levels could be achieved by priming with a pool of three pDNAs containing three key plasmids (IE1, M84, and gB). We found that the three-pDNA priming elicited IE1- and M84-p65-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes and, following FI-MCMV boost, high levels of virion-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) and virus-neutralizing antibodies. When mice were i.n. challenged 4 months after the last boost, titers of virus in the lungs of immunized mice were reduced 1,000- to 2,000-fold from those for controls during the peak of viral replication. Additionally, titers of virus were either at or below the detection limits for the salivary glands, liver, and spleen of the majority of the immunized mice. Following sublethal i.p. challenge, virus was undetectable in all of the above target organs of the immunized mice. Virion-specific IgA in the lungs was consistently detected by day 6 post-i.n. challenge for the immunized mice and by day 14 for controls. These results demonstrate the immunity and high levels of protection of the priming-boosting vaccination against both systemic and mucosal challenge.
Potential radiation protective agents IV. Sulfur analogs related to norephedrine

Condensation of 2-amino-1-chloro-1-phenylpropane with potassium ethyl xanthate gave 4-methyl-5-phenylthiazolidine-2-thione. Reaction of 2-amino-1-chloro-1-phenylpropane with sodium thioacetate gave 2-acetamido-1-mercapto-1-phenylpropane, which oxidized in air to the corresponding disulfide. The amide group of the latter compound, bis-(2-acetamido-1-phenyl-1-propyl) disulfide, was cleaved by refluxing with acid.
The Effects of Academic and Interpersonal Stress on Dating Violence Among College Students A Test of Classical Strain Theory

This study examines Merton's Classical Strain Theory (1938) as a causative factor in intimate partner violence among college students. We theorize that college students experience general life strain and cumulative strain as they pursue the goal of a college degree. We test this strain on the likelihood of using intimate partner violence. Strain due to unrealistic expectations of intimate partnership and economic strain are also examined. The analysis examines the following causative factors representing strain: 1) the College Undergraduate Stress Scale (Renner & Mackin, 1998); 2) cumulative academic strain measured by college classification; 3) cumulative intimate partner strain measured as the length of time in the relationship; 4) academic strain measured by number of hours studied weekly, and 5) economic strain measured by number of hours worked weekly. Additionally, we examine the extent to which gender and race/ethnicity differentially affect intimate partner in the context of these measures of strain. The Conflict Tactics Scales II (Straus et al, 1996) are used to measure dating violence and include indicators for sexual coercion, physical aggression, injury, and psychological aggression. Data were collected from 142 students in lower-division classes from Texas Tech University. Results show that general strain and cumulative intimate partner strain increase the use of dating violence among college students. The longer dating partners are in a relationship, the higher the chances of psychological aggression, physical assault, and sexual coercion. Converse to our expectations, time spent working reduces psychological aggression due to reducing time spent together rather than reflecting economic strain.
High resolution ultrasound features of prostatic rib metastasis: a prospective feasibility study with implication in the high-risk prostate cancer patient.

Objective In a prior study, high resolution ultrasound (US) was shown to be accurate for evaluating rib metastasis detected on bone scan. However, that study did not address the specific US appearance typical of osteoblastic rib metastasis. Our objective was to determine the specific US imaging appearance of osteoblastic prostate carcinoma rib metastasis using osteolytic renal cell carcinoma rib metastasis as a comparison group.
Hydrogel properties influence ECM production by chondrocytes photoencapsulated in poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels.

When using hydrogel scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering, two gel properties are particularly important: the equilibrium water content (q, equilibrium swelling ratio) and the compressive modulus, K. In this work, chondrocytes were photoencapsulated in degrading and nondegrading poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogels to assess extracellular matrix (ECM) formation as a function of these gel properties. In nondegrading gels, the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content was not significantly different in gels when q was varied from 4.2 to 9.3 after 2 and 4 weeks in vitro. However, gels with a q of 9.3 allowed GAGs to diffuse throughout the gels homogenously, but a q < or = 5.2 resulted in localization of GAGs pericellularly. Interestingly, in the moderately crosslinked gels with a K of 360 kPa, an increase in type II collagen synthesis was observed compared with gels with a higher (960 kPa) and lower (30 kPa) K after 4 weeks. With the incorporation of degradable linkages into the network, gel properties with an initially high K (350 kPa) and final high q (7.9) were obtained, which allowed for increased type II collagen synthesis coupled with a homogenous distribution of GAGs. Thus, a critical balance exists between gel swelling, mechanics, and degradation in forming a functional ECM.
Direct laser writing for creating porous graphitic structures and their use for flexible and highly sensitive sensor and sensor arrays

Abstract One-step direct laser writing (DLW) method has been applied to fabricate flexible and conductive graphitic porous patterns or arrays from polyimide. With assistance of electron microscopy, Raman and energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray scattering, and the coupled electrical and mechanical test, a systematic processing-structure-property relationship study was performed to investigate the effect of laser power and scanning speed on the piezoresistive performance of the DLW generated graphitic sensor or sensor arrays. Within the range of processing conditions being studied, the sensor gauge factor showed an exponential dependence on the ratio of the laser power to the scanning speed. This finding allowed for the achievement of a high gauge factor of ∼112. Lastly, the versatility of the one-step DLW generated graphitic sensors were demonstrated in different sensing applications, which include strain mapping of the high-performance polymeric composites, flexible and wearable sensor for gesture registration and man-machine interactions.
Management of orbital tumors: Introductory lecture

An overview of the developments in the diagnosis and management of orbital tumors since the previous symposium on orbital disorders is presented which includes: the immunologic study of lymphoproliferative diseases of the orbit and the need to reclassify orbital pseudotumor and orbital lymphoma on the basis of such research, the role of autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of Graves' ophthalmopathy, the use of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging in orbital disease, the surgical management of orbito-facial neurofibromatosis, and the growth of orbitology as an entity among surgical specialties.
Delayed opportunistic infections in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients: a surmountable challenge

Changes in the transplantation procedure and the implementation of effective supportive care strategies have decreased the incidence of infectious complications early after conditioning therapy for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) and have extended the duration of risks later. Therefore, the types of infections that cause significant morbidity and the timing of risks have changed. These late infections are caused by all types of organisms, bacterial, viral, and fungal, but risks are predictable and surmountable with the use of tailored prevention strategies. Specifically, recent studies document prolonged risks for bacterial infections in the setting of GVHD, especially those caused by encapsulated organisms and those secondary to impaired Ab responses. Both prophylaxis and vaccination strategies can be used as a means to prevent infections, which typically manifest in the respiratory tract. Multiple viruses cause infection later after HCT, including several herpesviruses (eg, CMV and varicella zoster virus) and other respiratory viruses such as influenza and adenovirus. These infections can cause severe disease with diagnostic challenges, but prevention strategies using enhanced monitoring and/or prophylaxis may be effective. Finally, fungi also cause disease late after HCT, especially filamentous fungi (eg, Aspergillus species and Mucormycoses) and Pneumocystis jiroveci; prophylactic strategies may be used successfully to prevent invasive infection. Late infections and methods to prevent them are reviewed herein.
Should psychiatrists self disclose

The extent to which psychiatrists disclose personal information about their feelings, their pasts, and themselves to their patients has always been an important ethical and clinical question. In the past, psychiatrists tended to believe they should not self disclose personal information to their patients, mainly to help patients by exploring their transference. More recent work has suggested that self disclosing by the psychiatrist may benefit some patients and cause harm to other patients. This article presents the author's present understanding of some of the core pros and cons of self disclosing by the psychiatrist, as well as some specific contexts in which self disclosure is indicated or should be avoided.
AM Quick Scan: a simple but effective Daily QC test for PET/CT and SPECT/CT

2510 Objectives Separate quality control (QC) tests are normally performed for each modality portion of a hybrid scanner(PET/CT or SPECT/CT) at the beginning of an operation day. This work will demonstrate a way to create a daily quick scan, a combined, simple and effective daily QC test to address certain issues for a hybrid scanner. Methods For a PET/CT, a cylindrical volumetric Ge68 phantom source (half life=271days) is used for the daily quick scan. The activity is between 1-2 mCi. If the Ge68 source is difficulty to obtained, it can be replaced with a cylindrical phantom filled with solution containing 1-2 mCi F18. The scan would be performed each day before the start of scanning patients. The same scan parameters set for a typical PET/CT patient scan should be used to scan the phantom. A two bed scan should be performed on the phantom so that any image misregistration in axial direction would be detected. A similar set up can be used for a SPECT/CT. A cylindrical phantom filled with Tc99m(half life=6 hr) solution is used. The phantom would be scanned with a same setup for a typical SPECT/CT patient scan. Results The scan itself is simple and fairly quick to perform. The resulting images can be viewed individually for uniformity for CT and PET or CT and SPECT. The registered emission and transmission images should be observed for any misregistration in the radial direction as well as in the transaxial direction. With the attenuation correction applied, an averaged SUV value can also be calculated for an emission transverse slice as well as for a coronal or sagittal slice. Conclusions The proposed daily quick QC scan may not substitute for the individual QC tests normally performed for each modality of a hybrid scanner but can serve as a good supplement test to yield a quick check for certain parameters such as image misregistration and SUV, , thereby providing extra assurance that the scanner is operating properly. Research Support None
Abstract 323: Mean Arterial Pressure predicts Heart Failure Morbidity in a predominantly Minority Cohort

Background: Hypertension is a well-established risk factor for the development of heart failure (HF), however some studies have suggested that higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) in patients with HF is associated with better survival. It is unclear how this applies to morbidity in HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) versus HF with reduced EF (HFrEF). We sought to examine this using the more physiologic measure of perfusion pressure - mean arterial pressure (MAP). Methods: The study data was derived from the Meharry HF registry at Nashville General Hospital, which is comprised of patient care data from January 2006 to December 2008. The population consists of 72% African-American, 19% Caucasian. 321 medical records were analyzed and 29.5% had a LVEF 40% (HFpEF). MAP categories used includes, MAP 110. Outcomes were assessed using a univariate and multivariate analysis, and were defined as number of HF readmissions (HFA), emergency room (ER) visits, and non-HF readmissions (nHFA). Further analysis was performed using t-test and one-way ANOVA. Results: The HFrEF group had a significantly higher MAP and lower nHFA (p<0.0001; P<0.01) respectively, when compared to HFpEF. Also, there was a trend towards a lower HFA and ER visit in those with HFrEF. In this group, increasing MAP up to 100, was associated with a decreased rate of HFA and ER visits. In the HFpEF group, MAP greater than 110 was associated with an increased rate of HFA (p<0.035). Conclusions: Our study suggests that in a predominantly-minority cohort of HF patients, MAP can be used to predict long-term morbidity. Patients with HFrEF did better with MAP close to 100 while MAP less than 110 was associated with better outcomes in the HFpEF group. Confirmation of these findings in larger prospective studies will provide clinicians additional objective and cost-effective bedside tool in improving HF outcomes.
Bounding the Peak Sidelobe Level of Binary Sequences of All Lengths

Improving upon 2010 results of Alon et al. , it was shown in 2014 by Schmidt that asymptotically, almost all binary sequences of length $n$ have peak sidelobe level close to $({2n\log n})^{1/2}\vphantom {\sum ^{R^{R}}}$ . One specific result of Alon et al. is that if we fix $ \varepsilon >0$ , then almost all binary sequences of length $n$ have peak sidelobe level at most $({2n(\log n-(1.5- \varepsilon )\log \log n)})^{1/2}$ , in the sense that the probability of not satisfying that bound approaches 0 as $n$ approaches infinity. In this note, we prove that for all sequence lengths $n>1$ , there is a binary sequence of length $n$ with peak sidelobe level at most $({2n(\log n-\log \log n+0.862)})^{1/2}$ .
Sun Exposure and Reduced Risk of Multiple Sclerosis

The association between red hair color (RHC) melanocortin 1 receptor genotype, past environmental sun exposure, and risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) was investigated in a population-based case-control study in Tasmania, Australia, involving 136 cases with MS and 272 controls.
Intelligent distributed autonomous power systems (IDAPS) and their impact on critical electrical loads

The transition toward deregulation and profit-driven operation of power systems has led to a decrease of reserves and reliability levels in various parts of the electric power network which is the backbone of the nationwide critical infrastructure. In order to improve the adequacy and security of power systems, we propose the concept of intelligent distributed autonomous power systems (IDAPS). IDAPS is a network of several interconnected sub-networks that are cellular in structure and can operate autonomously in the event of a system fault. Each sub-network (cell) is given enough generating capacity to secure critical loads, as well as the ability to communicate internally among generation, loads and electronic control devices. The IDAPS concept, therefore, ensures an uninterrupted supply of electricity to the high priority loads, thus maintaining the integrity of the critical infrastructure. This paper defines the concept, components and architecture of IDAPS, and demonstrates how the electronic control concept can be applied.
Adults blink more deeply: a comparative study of the attentional blink across different age groups.

The attentional blink (AB) is thought to help the visual system parse and categorize rapidly changing information by segmenting it into temporal chunks, and is elicited using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation. It is reflected in a decrease in accuracy at detecting the second of two targets presented within 200-500 ms of the first, and its development appears to be protracted on tasks that require set-shifting. Here, younger (M = 8.5 years) and older (M = 12.8 years) children and adults (M = 19.13 years) completed a simple AB task with no set-shift requirement in which participants detected two letters in a stream of numbers presented at a rate of 135 ms/item. In addition to assessing the developmental course of the AB on this simple task, we also assessed temporal order errors, or swaps. The AB and its associated characteristics are present in both groups but developmental differences were noted in the depth of the AB, and the presence or absence of lag-1 sparing. These developmental changes were explained by changes in a single parameter, inhibition, using the eTST model, which suggests that the AB is an adaptive function of the visual system.
Improvement of paracellular transport in the Caco-2 drug screening model using protein-engineered substrates.

The Caco-2 assay has achieved wide popularity among pharmaceutical companies in the past two decades as an in vitro method for estimation of in vivo oral bioavailability of pharmaceutical compounds during preclinical characterization. Despite its popularity, this assay suffers from a severe underprediction of the transport of drugs which are absorbed paracellularly, that is, which pass through the cell-cell tight junctions of the absorptive cells of the small intestine. Here, we propose that simply replacing the collagen I matrix employed in the standard Caco-2 assay with an engineered matrix, we can control cell morphology and hence regulate the cell-cell junctions that dictate paracellular transport. Specifically, we use a biomimetic engineered extracellular matrix (eECM) that contains modular protein domains derived from two ECM proteins found in the small intestine, fibronectin and elastin. This eECM allows us to independently tune the density of cell-adhesive RGD ligands presented to Caco-2 cells as well as the mechanical stiffness of the eECM. We observe that lower amounts of RGD ligand presentation as well as decreased matrix stiffness results in Caco-2 morphologies that more closely resemble primary small intestinal epithelial cells than Caco-2 cells cultured on collagen. Additionally, these matrices result in Caco-2 monolayers with decreased recruitment of actin to the apical junctional complex and increased expression of claudin-2, a tight junction protein associated with higher paracellular permeability that is highly expressed throughout the small intestine. Consistent with these morphological differences, drugs known to be paracellularly transported in vivo exhibited significantly improved transport rates in this modified Caco-2 model. As expected, permeability of transcellularly transported drugs remained unaffected. Thus, we have demonstrated a method of improving the physiological accuracy of the Caco-2 assay that could be readily adopted by pharmaceutical companies without major changes to their current testing protocols.
Other Modeling Aspects and Trends

This chapter discusses various aspects and recent trends related to modeling and querying information systems. It provides a brief introduction to data warehousing and online analytical processing. Online transaction processing (OLTP) systems are used for typical database applications involving frequent updates and queries. Conceptual query languages allow queries to be formulated either in natural language or by selecting and constraining paths on a conceptual schema. Conceptual query tools automatically transform these high-level queries into queries in a lower-level language such as SQL. This chapter outlines some ways of performing schema abstraction, enabling the modeler to focus on various aspects of a schema by hiding other details and presents an overview of process modeling and external schema design. Often, the design of external interfaces can be viewed in terms of operations on the major object types abstracted from the conceptual data model. This chapter also discusses meta-modeling in which conceptual schemas may be treated as application models for which a conceptual meta-schema is required.
A Chaining Analogue to Delayed Matching to Sample

Pigeons were trained on an analogue to a delayed matching-to-sample procedure requiring explicit, sample-specific, mediating responses during the delay. Each trial consisted of a three-link chain. The first and third links of the chain were the sample and choice components respectively of matching to sample. During the second link, different mediating pecks, dependent on the sample, were reinforced with the presentation of the choice component on a variable-interval schedule (VI 1.5 sec to VI 70 sec). Incorrect mediating pecks resulted in a timeout (TO). Matching accuracy during the third link was over 90% even with average delays of 70 sec, while accuracy of second-link mediating pecks tended to decrease as the delay interval increased. These findings were confirmed using fixed-interval and variable-time schedules during the second link of the chain. The results suggest that mediating behavior may function as a discriminative stimulus for correct choices under delayed matching to sample.
Characterizing optimal security and round-complexity for secure OR evaluation

Secure multi-party computation allows mutually distrusting parties to compute securely over their private data. However, even in the semi-honest two-party setting, most interesting functions cannot be computed securely in the information-theoretic plain model. Intuitively, the objective of accurately evaluating the output of such functions is inherently inimical to the privacy concerns of the parties. Securely evaluating OR of the input bits of two parties is the simplest example, and captures the essence of the hardness in securely evaluating most functions. This work studies the interplay between accuracy and privacy of secure 2-party function evaluation in the information-theoretic plain model. We provide an optimal accuracy versus privacy tradeoff for computing OR(x, y), where x and y are, respectively, the private input bits of Alice and Bob. In particular, we construct a round-optimal two-party protocol for OR that has maximum semi-honest security in the information-theoretic plain model. Prior results exhibit only weak tradeoffs that are far from the optimal. We generalize our techniques to obtain a tight accuracy-versus-privacy tradeoff characterization for a stronger notion of security, namely differentially-private semi-honest security. The technical heart of our result is a new technique to derive inequalities for distributions of transcripts generated by protocols. This approach reduces the domain of the optimization problem from an unbounded number of transcripts to a constant size while preserving the optimal solution to the original problem. We believe that these techniques for analyzing protocols in the information-theoretic plain model will be of independent interest.
Study of in vitro transcriptional binding effects and noise using constitutive promoters combined with UP element sequences in Escherichia coli.

UP elements (upstream element) are DNA sequences upstream of a promoter that interact with the α-subunit of RNA polymerase (RNAP) and can affect transcription by altering the binding RNAP to DNA. However, details of UP element and binding affinity effects on transcriptional strength are unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of UP element sequences on gene transcription, binding affinity, and gene expression noise. Addition of UP elements resulted in increased gene expression (maximum 95.7-fold increase) and reduced gene expression noise (8.51-fold reduction). Half UP element sequences at the proximal subsite has little effect on transcriptional strength despite increasing binding affinity by 2.28-fold. In vitro binding assays were used to determine dissociation constants (Kd) and in the in vitro system, the full range of gene expression occurs in a small range of dissociation constants (25 nM < Kd < 45 nM) indicating that transcriptional strength is highly sensitive to small changes in binding affinity. These results demonstrate the utility of UP elements and provide mechanistic insight into the functional relationship between binding affinity and transcription. Given the centrality of gene expression via transcription to biology, additional insight into transcriptional mechanisms can foster both fundamental and applied research. In particular, knowledge of the DNA sequence-specific effects on expression strength can aid in promoter engineering for different organisms and for metabolic engineering to balance pathway fluxes.
CactusTree: A tree drawing approach for hierarchical edge bundling

This paper introduces CactusTree, a novel visualization technique for representing hierarchical datasets. We introduce details about the construction of CactusTrees and describe how they can be used to represent nested data and relationships between elements in the data. We explain how our design decisions were informed by tasks common to a range of scientific domains. A key contribution of this article is the introduction of descriptive features that can be used to characterize trees in terms of their structural and connective qualities.
Baseline King-Devick scores for adults are not generalizable; however, age and education influence scores.

ABSTRACTObjective: To establish normative values for the King–Devick (K–D) test to be used as a reference for determining impairment related to concussion when individual baseline scores are lacking. Method: Baseline K–D scores were collected for 243 participants aged 18–86.Results: The mean age of subjects was 40.46; range 18–86 years. The mean time was 42.2 seconds; 26.19–75.96 seconds. There was a relationship (r = 0.376) between K–D score and age; scores increased (worsened) with age. There was also a relationship between score and education with scores decreasing as education increased (r = −0.194; p = 0.002). The K–D score was not influenced by sex or concussion history. A regression equation using education and age to predict K–D time explained 0.418 of the variance in K–D test time.Conclusion: Although this research established a relationship between K–D score and age and education, the range in scores was too broad to establish normative values. In the absence of a baseline score, the use of a re...
Conversations on restorative justice: a talk with Gabrielle Maxwell and Paul Howard

Gabrielle Maxwell is well known for her research and writing on youth and restorative justice. In addition to many reports and journal articles on these topics, she is the editor of Restorative jus...
Feasibility of Using a Constant Acceleration Rate for Freeway Entrance Ramp Acceleration Lane Length Design

AbstractWhen estimating the required acceleration length of vehicles accelerating from a stopped position, a constant acceleration rate is sometimes assumed for the sake of simplicity. Nevertheless...
The HPV E2 Transcriptional Transactivation Protein Stimulates Cellular DNA Polymerase Epsilon.

The papillomavirus (PV) protein E2 is one of only two proteins required for viral DNA replication. E2 is the viral transcriptional regulator/activation protein as well as the initiator of viral DNA replication. E2 is known to interact with various cellular DNA replication proteins, including the PV E1 protein, the cellular ssDNA binding complex (RPA), and topoisomerase I. Recently, we observed that cellular DNA polymerase e (pol e) interacts with the PV helicase protein, E1. E1 stimulates its activity with a very high degree of specificity, implicating pol e in PV DNA replication. In this paper, we evaluated whether E2 also shows a functional interaction with pol e. We found that E2 stimulates the DNA synthesis activity of pol e, independently of pol e’ s processivity factors, RFC, PCNA, and RPA, or E1. This appears to be specific for pol e, as cellular DNA polymerase δ is unaffected by E1. However, unlike other known stimulatory factors of pol e, E2 does not affect the processivity of pol e. The domains of E2 were analyzed individually and in combination for their ability to stimulate pol e. Both the transactivation and hinge domains were found to be important for this stimulation, while the E2 DNA-binding domain was dispensable. These findings support a role for E2 beyond E1 recruitment in viral DNA replication, demonstrate a novel functional interaction in PV DNA replication, and further implicate cellular pol e in PV DNA replication.
Anthropological Perspectives on Physical Appearance and Body Image

Anthropology has long engaged the study of human appearance and body image in all of its major subfields (cultural, physical or biological, linguistic, and archaeological), though cultural anthropology has been most engaged in these areas. Research in cultural anthropology uses ethnography to investigate in-depth insider understandings of human appearance and body image. While objective measures may be included in ethnographic research, gaining a subjective understanding of local cultural context is emphasized. In this way, anthropologists have sought to understand and communicate about a cross-cultural diversity of human behaviors and beliefs related to human appearance and its adornment and modification as well as body image and its pathology. Two contemporary trends in the study of human appearance and body image are bringing anthropologists and psychologists closer together in research. First, as current psychological study of human appearance and body image becomes more interested in working with groups different from those with whom standardized measures were created (e.g., cross-cultural research, ethnic and racial minority groups, and younger children), anthropological methods and theories are increasingly useful to psychologists. Second, as more anthropologists in this field are engaged with questions of global health, psychological measures that show cross-cultural validity are being engaged by anthropologists for better comparison and reliability. Thus, the engagement of anthropological and psychological methods and theories is a useful direction of the field.
House Officers’ Housekeeping Guidelines

Intensive care units embody the miraculous advances of modern medicine. An ICU provides an environment where high-quality, compassionate, physiologically orientated, and evidence-based medicine can be practiced. The ICU is an exciting and challenging place to work and provides a remarkable learning environment. The keys to a successful rotation in the ICU are (1) teamwork and (2) a systematic, disciplined, and organized approach to patient care.
Behavioral Syndromes: A Behavioral Ecologist’s View on the Evolutionary and Ecological Implications of Animal Personalities

Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in animal personalities (also known as behavioral syndromes) in a broad range of taxa, where individuals exhibit within-individual behavioral consistency (i.e., individuals have a behavioral type, BT) and different individuals differ consistently in BT across a range of situations or contexts. Most of the study on animal personalities has focused on individual variation in boldness, aggressiveness, activity, or exploratory tendency, with a growing interest in sociability. Because behavioral syndromes clearly influence fitness, often in complex, context-dependent ways, they can have important ecological and evolutionary implications. Perhaps most intriguingly, some studies show that having a BT can be associated with limited plasticity and suboptimal behavior. Here, I report on three frontline areas of interest in the study of behavioral syndromes. First, I review literature on proximate and ultimate approaches to understanding patterns about the existence, stability and structure of animal personalities. I present a new conceptual framework that integrates proximate and ultimate approaches, emphasizing the importance of positive feedback loops between proximate mechanisms and adaptive behavior. Second, I discuss emerging ideas on the social ecology of behavioral syndromes – on how social interactions and social situations influence the expression of BTs, and in turn, how the mix of BTs in a social group influences social dynamics. Finally, I discuss the ecological implications of behavioral syndromes – how individual or species’ BTs affect ecological interactions, how variation in BTs or BTs of particular keystone individuals affect population/community level patterns, and most interestingly, how behavioral correlations affect population/community level phenomena. A particularly intriguing example of the latter involves the importance of BT-dependent dispersal in ecological invasions. I conclude with a list of suggestions on exciting areas for future study.
Compositional and beam‐size‐dependent effects on pressure baseline in clumped isotope mass spectrometry

RATIONALE The analysis of carbonate samples for the application of clumped isotopes to paleoclimate reconstruction necessitates smaller beam intensities. However, there is a relationship between beam intensity and pressure-dependent baseline (PBL), and therefore between beam intensity and the correction for PBL. Here we explain the relationship between PBL and beam intensity to develop a better correction protocol and an improved understanding of clumped isotope mass spectrometry. METHODS We describe a beam size experiment using our Isoprime isotope ratio mass spectrometer in which samples of the carbonate standard IAEA-C1 were analyzed at 30, 50, and 70 nA to establish an optimal protocol and a new method to correct for PBL using the theoretical constraint of invariable Δ47 over a range of δ47 (bulk isotope composition) values. We also explore the effects of both over- and under-correction of PBL on equilibrated and heated gas samples to understand the effect of mis-correction of PBL. RESULTS The results of our beam size experiments showed that a direct measurement of the baseline consistently introduced variability to measurements of the Δ47 of heated gases, equilibrated gases, and carbonate standards. These results necessitated a new protocol to account for PBL in our system. Our new approach flattens the reference frame line slope to 0 and, importantly, reduces the variability of data points about the heated gas line. We also describe, for the first time, an empirically derived description of the compositional effect of PBL. CONCLUSIONS A seemingly small change in our isotope ratio mass spectrometer resulted in a better understanding of PBL, for which we have developed an empirically based correction protocol to apply. Our new protocol has the potential to reduce analytical time for laboratories measuring PBL, and supports the need for carbonate mineral-based clumped isotope standards.
Machine Learning, Health Disparities, and Causal Reasoning

Rajkomar and colleagues warn us that the introduction of machine-learned predictive algorithms into medicine might inadvertently reinforce or create inequitable treatment of protected groups, for w...
A Comparative Study of Coreless-Type PM Linear Synchronous Machines With Non-Overlapping Windings

This paper presents the comparative study of coreless-type permanent magnet linear synchronous machines with non-overlapping windings. An analytical expression that can be applied to any combinations of pole and coil numbers is developed for evaluating the electromagnetic performances. Subsequently, a simple factor called thrust factor is introduced to find the best ${\boldsymbol{C}_{\boldsymbol{pp}}}$ family depending on the variation of coil width ratio. From the comparative study, a significant result is reported that ${\boldsymbol{C}_{\boldsymbol{pp}}} = 1/4$ , i.e., multiple 4-pole/3-coil, is the best non-overlapping winding configuration of coreless-type permanent magnet machines owing to the highest value of thrust factor. Finally, the validity of the key analyses is confirmed by optimal results, finite element results, and experimental results from prototype machines.
A Novel Global Optimization Approach to the Multiperiod Blending Problem

Abstract In this paper, we introduce a generalized multiperiod version of the pooling problem to represent time varying blending systems, and also propose novel approaches to solve these problems to global optimality. The primary difficulties in solving this optimization problem are the presence of bilinear terms inherent in blending operations, as well as binary decision variables required to impose the operational constraints over multiple time periods. A general nonconvex MINLP formulation is presented that is used to globally optimize small systems, but quickly becomes intractable as problem size increases. A novel approximation of specified precision for the nonconvex bilinear terms is developed (a radix-based discretization scheme), with which the problem can be reformulated as an MILP. Solving this new formulation requires much less computational time than when the MINLP model is solved directly with a global optimization solver such as BARON. This then allows for the global optimization of larger blending systems. A comparison of the two formulations is presented, along with detailed computational results of each approach.
Spectrum of Trained Innate Immunity Induced by Low-Virulence Candida Species against Lethal Polymicrobial Intra-abdominal Infection.

ABSTRACT Polymicrobial intra-abdominal infections (IAI) are clinically prevalent and cause significant morbidity and mortality, especially those involving fungi. Our laboratory developed a mouse model of polymicrobial IAI and demonstrated that coinfection with Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus (C. albicans/S. aureus) results in 80 to 90% mortality in 48 to 72 h due to robust local and systemic inflammation. Surprisingly, inoculation with Candida dubliniensis and S. aureus resulted in minimal mortality, and rechallenge of mice with lethal C. albicans/S. aureus conferred >90% protection up to 60 days postinoculation. Protection was mediated by Gr-1+ polymorphonuclear leukocytes, indicating a novel form of trained innate immunity (TII). The purpose of this study was to determine the microbial requirements and spectrum of innate-mediated protection. In addition to Candida dubliniensis, several other low-virulence Candida species (C. glabrata, C. auris, and C. albicansefg1Δ/Δ cph1Δ/Δ) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae conferred significant protection with or without S. aureus. For C. dubliniensis-mediated protection, hyphal formation was not required, with protection conferred as early as 7 days after primary challenge but not at 120 days, and also following multiple lethal C. albicans/S. aureus rechallenges. This protection also extended to a lethal intravenous (i.v.) C. albicans challenge but had no effect in the C. albicans vaginitis model. Finally, studies revealed the ability of the low-virulence Candida species that conferred protection to invade the bone marrow by 24 h post-primary challenge, with a positive correlation between femoral bone marrow fungal infiltration at 48 h and protection upon rechallenge. These results support and further extend the characterization of this novel TII in protection against lethal fungal-bacterial IAI and sepsis.
Amplified Heavy-Atom Free Phosphorescence from meta-Dimethoxy Difluoroboron β-Diketonate Charge-Transfer Materials

Difluoroboron β-diketonate materials are used for biomedical oxygen-sensing applications. These fluorophores show both fluorescence (F) and phosphorescence (P) when the dye is embedded in a polymer matrix. The fluorescence is insensitive to oxygen quenching, while the phosphorescence changes intensity depending on the oxygen concentration. This enables oxygen quantification by ratiometric methods with good spatial and temporal resolution. Here, we produce ratiometric-capable oxygen sensors without the need of a heavy atom. This is achieved by substituting methoxyl groups at the meta positions of an aromatic ring, dramatically influencing the electronic transitions of the fluorophore. Altering the aromatic group on the opposing ring tailors the absorption wavelength, luminescence colors, and relative fluorescence to phosphorescence ratio (F/P), which are important for oxygen sensing. The phosphorescence lifetimes are also hundreds of milliseconds long, achieving ultra-sensitivity to oxygen. This study pres...
Sample Preparation in Recover Physical Defects on MIM Related failure for Different Devices In Wafer Fabrication

In wafer fabrication, sample preparation is becoming increasingly challenging as IC devices evolve to smaller feature sizes and higher densities. [1] Thus, the task of performing successful failure analysis (FA) is more challenging and difficult. Sample preparation is a key activity in material and failure analysis. In semiconductor, there are many different devices, process and design according to the customer requirement. Different FA approach for different devices and failure mode plays a very important role to help identify the root cause of the failure. This paper discusses the techniques used to ensure samples are kept in the best possible condition for the failure analyst. Also, we will discussed in-depth device study and the beauty of good sample preparation methodology through mechanical/chemical parallel polishing or etching together with correct FA approach or methodology to ensure good success rate in identifying failure on MIM breakdown. Two case studies will be discussed here to demonstrate how to identify the physical defect on Cu and Al process on MIM issue.
An Odorant Encoding Machine for Sampling, Reconstruction and Robust Representation of Odorant Identity

Despite recent advances in the understanding of olfactory signal processing [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], robust odorant sensing in complex environments with time-varying odorant identities and concentrations remains an open problem. Particularly, the operational principles of biological and biomimetic olfactory sensors define a new class of sampling problems in which the odorant identity and intensity are multiplicatively coupled into a volatile signal format. We solve the sampling problem by developing the Odorant Encoding Machine (OEM), a biomimetic system based on the latest insights in the architectural organization of the fruit fly early olfactory system. The OEM provides event-driven sensing, reconstruction and robust representation of odorant identity as a combinatorial code of multidimensional spike trains. Like its biological counterpart, OEM 1) decouples odorant identity and concentration encoding via a predictive coding circuit, 2) enables real-time responses to changing odorant input through an on-off circuit, and 3) provides robust representation of odorant identity with a real-time hashing circuit. Furthermore, the OEM is directly applicable for future in silico implementations.
Interaction symmetry: Assessing augmented speaker and oral speaker performances across four tasks

This investigation examined the impact of speech-generating devices (SGDs) on the interaction dynamics (i.e., symmetry) of augmented speakers and their conversation partners while performing severa...