cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Carbodiimide modification of superhelical PM2 DNA: considerations regarding reaction at unpaired bases and the unwinding of superhelical DNA with chemical probes

Abstract Superhelical PM2 DNA I can be modified with N-cyclohexyl-N'-beta-(4-methylmorpholinium)ethyl carbodiimide (CMC). The transition of the sedimentation coefficient uncorrected for buoyant density change (S20,*) vs. % reactivity in terms of base pairs shows the following characteristics. The S20,* increases by 4.5 S units upon 1% modification. There is a plateau in S20,* between 1 and 4% reactivity. The extent of reactivity was determined by buoyant density and 14C radioactive CMC binding measurements. Further reactivity was not explored since Pulleyblank and Morgan's (22) data of S20,* vs. % reactivity from 6 to 34% was previously published. The initial results obtained in this study are complementary to the cited results of the above authors. Consequently, both sets of data taken together represent a complete description of S20,* vs. % reactivity with CMC. It is shown that the model in which superhelical DNA is proposed to contain small intrastrand hairpin regions can be extended to account for the observed transitions in S20,* vs. reactivity.
Incremental Damage Theory for Metal Matrix Composites

An incremental damage theory for metal matrix composites is introduced here. This is achieved through the use of incremental damage tensors. Damage and plastic deformations are incorporated in the proposed model that is used for the analysis of fiber-reinforced metal matrix composite materials. The proposed micromechanical damage relations are used for each of the matrix and the fiber. This is coupled with the interfacial damage between the matrix and the fiber exclusively. The damage relations are linked to the overal response through a certain homogenization procedure. Two local incremental damage tensors m m and m f are used where m m accounts for the damage in the ductile matrix such as nucleation and growth of voids, while m f reflects the incremental damage in the fibers such as fracture. An additional incremental tensor m d is incorporated in the overall formulation that represents interfacial damage between the matrix and the fiber. An overall incremental damage tensor, m, is introduced that accounts for all these separate damage tensors m m , m f and m d .
Evolution of sensory configurations for intelligent vehicles

An evolutionary design synthesis methodology was introduced with special concern for the design and optimization of distributed embodied systems. Its efficacy was validated in a case study on the design of collective sensory configurations for intelligent vehicles. Candidate sensory configurations were tested in sample traffic scenarios simulated in an embodied and sensor-based simulator, and in more abstracted and computationally efficient evaluation tests. Sample results evolved under different design preferences are presented, including approximate Pareto fronts representing the engineering design trade-offs characterizing the problem investigated in the case study.
Present and future trends in wind turbine generator designs

Various wind turbine generators have been designed and manufactured in recent years, such as the traditional induction generator, the doubly fed induction generator, the field excited synchronous generator and the permanent magnet synchronous generator. Generators are coupled to the turbine by either a gearbox or without one (so-called direct drive), and there are four different kinds of interfaces between the generator and the grid, depending on the type of power electronic converters used. This paper reviews recent developments in the different generator topologies and their connections to the turbine. A new generator design concept without a gear box or any power electronics is proposed and the feasibility is illustrated in this paper.
Do East Asians Respond More/Less Strongly to Organizational Justice Than North Americans? A Meta‐Analysis

The present study reported a meta-analysis of the relationship between justice perceptions and affective organizational commitment, job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and trust in East Asia. Based on the tripartite model of self concept, we argued that the relationship between justice perceptions and outcome variables may be influenced by the salience of the personal versus relational/collective dimensions of self concept. Specifically, we argued that the salience of the personal self concept may lead to larger effect sizes in North America. While we also argued that the salience of the relational/collective self concept may increase the effect of justice perceptions in East Asia, these effects may be potentially eclipsed by the concerns for social harmony in this region. Results of our study suggest that in general, the effects of justice on outcome variables tend to be greater in North America than in East Asia.
Can An Anger Face Also Be Scared? Malleability of Facial Expressions

Do people always interpret a facial expression as communicating a single emotion (e.g., the anger face as only angry) or is that interpretation malleable? The current study investigated preschoolers’ (N 60; 3–4 years) and adults’ (N 20) categorization of facial expressions. On each of five trials, participants selected from an array of 10 facial expressions (an open-mouthed, high arousal expression and a closed-mouthed, low arousal expression each for happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust) all those that displayed the target emotion. Children’s interpretation of facial expressions was malleable: 48% of children who selected the fear, anger, sadness, and disgust faces for the “correct” category also selected these same faces for another emotion category; 47% of adults did so for the sadness and disgust faces. The emotion children and adults attribute to facial expressions is influenced by the emotion category for which they are looking.
The effect of induced self-presentation concerns on cognitive appraisal and affect

An experiment was conducted to investigate how self-presentation imperatives can influence cognition and affect. Participants were 70 collegiate and recreational athletes who were recruited because of the relevance of self-presentation processes in sport. Athletes were asked to read either a script which de-emphasized self-presentation concerns (low self-presentation) or emphasized self-presentation concerns (high self-presentation). The scripts were developed for the purpose of the study and depicted a pre-competition scenario. The low self-presentation manipulation group reported more of a challenge state of appraisal, higher self-efficacy, lower avoidance goal focus, and more positive affect, while the high self-presentation manipulation group reported more of a threat state of cognitive appraisal and more negative affect. Nonsignificant differences were observed between groups for the perception of positive affect and negative affect. These findings provide preliminary evidence that self-presentation imperatives can impact the cognitive appraisal and affect of athletes as they prepare for competition.
A Systems Approach for Evaluating the Effectiveness of Radiological and Nuclear Detection Architectures in Urban Areas

A key mission for the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office DNDO is to build state and local capabilities through radiological and nuclear RN detection, support equipment, and training systems. To support DNDO's capabilities at local jurisdictional levels within the US interior, this study contributes to the state-of-the-art by extending the systems engineering approach toward identifying challenges to the practical effectiveness of RN detection architectures protecting potential urban area RN target and source sites. The study outcomes point to the technological challenges that need to be addressed for a viable urban detection system. Characteristics of RN target and source sites are discussed, and a detection probability model for a system of detectors is presented. Different detection layouts are evaluated, and implementation impacts are estimated in terms of vehicular delays. The methodology is illustrated in a case study application for regions within the State of California.
Transportation safety and risk assessment

The overall objective of this work is to create and test a military application of a transportation safety assessment tool for industry. The industry tool, the Fleet Operations Safety Assessment Tool (FOSAT) is being refined and is scheduled for implementation by an insurance company. The same process for evaluating safety in industry can aid the military in assessing and improving safety practices in ground transportation operations. Data generated from testing the military application will be used to develop methods for forecasting improvements in safety performance metrics. The test results will also be used by the insurance industry to refine the FOSAT.
Heart Rate Variability as a Correlate of Trauma Symptom Expression, Psychological Well-Being, and Emotion Regulation in African Americans With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

This study examined the relationship between heart rate variability, trauma symptom expression, and psychological distress in a sample (N = 28) of African Americans with traumatic spinal cord injury. Participants’ heart rate (R-R interval) was recorded at baseline, during a mental arithmetic task, and then again at recovery. Heart rate variability was indexed as the root mean square of successive difference (rMSSD) of participants’ R-R interval. Following this procedure, participants were administered a battery of surveys to assess levels of trauma and psychological distress. Findings indicated that there was a statistically significant relationship between heart rate variability, trauma symptoms, and psychological distress. Implications of the study’s findings are discussed in the context of future research and clinical interventions.
Locality vs. criticality

Current memory hierarchies exploit locality of references to reduce load latency and thereby improve processor performance. Locality based schemes aim at reducing the number of cache misses and tend to ignore the nature of misses. This leads to a potential mis-match between load latency requirements and latencies realized using a traditional memory system. To bridge this gap, we partition loads as critical and non-critical. A load that needs to complete early to prevent processor stalls is classified as critical, while a load that can tolerate a long latency is considered non-critical.In this paper, we investigate if it is worth violating locality to exploit information on criticality to improve processor performance. We present a dynamic critical load classification scheme and show that 40% performance improvements are possible on average, if all critical loads are guaranteed to hit in the Ll cache. We then compare the two properties, locality and criticality, in the context of several cache organization and prefetching schemes. We find that the working set of critical loads is large, and hence practical cache organization schemes based on criticality are unable to reduce the critical load miss ratios enough to produce performance gains. Although criticality-based prefetching can help for some resource constrained programs, its benefit over locality-based prefetching is small and may not be worth the added complexity.
An investigation of the archivability of metal particle tape

We studied the rate of degradation of the data storage capability of three commercial and two experimental metal particle (MP) tapes in an impinging jet geometry designed to eliminate irreproducibility in accelerated atmospheric testing. Both the bulk loss of saturation magnetization and a profile of the loss of magnetization through the media were measured. The most corrosion-resistant of the commercial tapes lost less than 5% of its magnetization from the top 25% of the media after 20 days of exposure to an intensified Battelle Class II environment. The experimental tapes lost even less. Thus at least one commercial MP tape exhibited substantial corrosion resistance under direct exposure to a strongly corrosion-accelerating environment. Furthermore, the loss of magnetization proceeded nearly uniformly throughout the media, which agreed with the conclusion that the particles were well-armored against corrosive species. The corrosion resistance of the best of the MP media listed above was no worse and perhaps even better than samples of chromium dioxide media that accompanied the MP coupons in every experiment. >
Interactions of Fibronectins

As already mentioned in Chapter 1, the earliest studies on plasma fibronectin (pFN) arose basically because of the copurification and/or coprecipitation of fibrinogen and pFN, especially at low temperatures; hence the term cold-insoluble globulin (Morrison et al, 1948; Edsall et al, 1955; Mosesson et al, 1968; Mosesson and Umfleet, 1970). On the basis of other work it also became clear that pFN interacted with gelatin and collagen, giving rise to the names “anti-gelatin factor” (Wolff et al, 1967; Hopper et al, 1976; Dessau et al, 1978a), and “collagen-cell attachment protein” (Klebe, 1974; Kleinman et al, 1976) and with heparin, fortunately without inducing any new names (Smith and von Korff, 1957; Stathakis and Mosesson, 1977).
Is Individual Job Performance Distributed According to a Power Law? A Review of Methods for Comparing Heavy-Tailed Distributions

It has recently been proposed that individual job performance follows a power law distribution (O’Boyle & Aguinis, 2012). We present an argument and evidence for why the conclusion does not follow from the premises. We discuss the nature of generating mechanisms of statistical distributions, and compare the normal, log-normal, and Pareto distributions. We review statistically principled methods of testing power-law distributions, and point out how it is necessary to compare them to a plausible alternative distribution (Clauset, Shalizi, & Newman, 2009). We reiterate the importance of testing the assumptions of statistical models, and review the methods that are available to organizational researchers when the norm of normality is violated.
The effect of serial founder-flush cycles on quantitative genetic variation in the housefly

The effect of serial founder-flush cycles on quantitative genetic variation in the housefly
The differential predictive validity of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory: the role of gender

Most criminogenic risk assessments are developed and empirically validated on samples of boys or samples comprised of mostly boys, and subsequently applied to girls. Using a sample of male (n = 1,2...
Exploration and Practice on Electronic Supervision of Medical Appliance in Rural Medical Institution

OBJECTIVE:To standardize the utilization management of medical appliance in rural medical institutions and improve the supervision efficiency.METHODS:Electronic supervision of medical appliance in rural medical institutions was performed in terms of purchase,acceptance and utilization of medical appliance using computers and health information network.RESULTS CONCLUSIONS:The implementation of electronic management of medical appliance in rural medical institution achieved initial success to standardize purchase channel and utilization of medical appliance and improve efficiency and level of supervision.Electronic supervision is worth of popularizing in national medical institutions while it is deficient in electronic supervision network joint,matching measures and systems,etc.
Histiocytic Sarcoma and Indeterminate Cell Tumor in a Young Adult With Mediastinal Germ Cell Tumor

Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are unique in their ability to differentiate along multiple cell lineages. The strong association between primary mediastinal non-seminomatous germ cell tumors and hematologic malignancies is well known. The most common hematologic neoplasms seen with GCTs are acute megakaryoblastic leukemia and histiocytic sarcoma. GCT patients with hematologic malignancies have a much worse prognosis than patients …
Self-assembling DNA nanotubes to connect molecular landmarks

DNA nanotubes can grow to connect two molecules attached to surfaces with arbitrary micron-scale separation.
Assessment of safety with abbreviated, weight-based bevacizumab infusions in a variety of solid tumors

19674 Background: Bevacizumab (BEV), a humanized monoclonal antibody that neutralizes vascular endothelial growth factor, has shown improved responses in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and n...
The dishonest HONEST Act.

The Trump administration aims to eliminate many regulations and make it more difficult to adopt new ones. More subtle and dangerous are attempts in Congress to undermine public health and environmental protections by limiting the use of scientific evidence under the guise of increased transparency. This effort, which as envisioned by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) leadership would greatly reduce the amount of science used in decision-making, undermines the credibility and application of scientific evidence, weakens the scientific enterprise, and imperils public and environmental health.
Automated and Automators: Human and Social costs of Technological Change

Abstract Most stugies of modernization and development ignore the differential impact of these processes on men and women. Recent resarch in developing countries indicates that women are not affected in the same way as men. This paper summarizes research on 1) women's employment patterns in corporations representing four U.S. industries and 2) the impact of automation on engineering. Mechanization and automation of factory work displaced women; simplification of craft work displaced men (telecommunications and printing); automation of clerical and service work (telecommuncations) Gisplaced both management and non-management women. Automation and mechanization in the U.S. have complex effects paralleling those in developing countries. In general, women workers are most often disadvantaged. In engineering automation decreases the demand for highly trainee engineers; increases the demand for technicians and technologists. The impact on men of such vertical differentiation in engineering is examined, as are criteria employed to “order” this process. Development does not affect all people in the same way, and may exacerbate older divisions of sex and ethnicity, divisions inappropriate in a developed society. New institutional support systems, especially for domestic activities, are suggested.
A new non-parametric estimator for instant system availability

Instant availability of a repairable system is a very important measure of its performance. Among the extensive literature in system availability of the steady state, which is the limit of instant availability as time approaches infinity, many methods and approaches have been explored. However, less has been done on instant system availability owing to its theoretical and computational challenges. A new non-parametric estimator of instant availability is proposed. This estimator is both asymptotically consistent and efficient in numerical computation. Multiple numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the performance of the new estimator.
Weak Convergence for Unconstrained Systems

In this chapter, we develop the weak convergence versions of most of the results of Chapter II. Since weak convergence methods are used, rather than the “w.p.1 convergence” methods of Chapter II, the conditions on the noise sequences are weaker than those used in Chapter II, but, in return, we no longer have convergence w.p.1. The convergence is, in many cases, stronger than convergence in probability, however. The general idea is similar to that in Chapter II, in that compactness methods (here based on weak convergence results) are used. The basic idea is to first prove tightness of {Xn(·)|, then to use the resulting compactness by extracting a weakly convergent subsequence and characterizing its limit. The limit processes satisfy the same ODE’s as in Chapter II, and, again, the properties of the ODE yield information on the asymptotic properties of {Xn|.
Advances and Barriers for Clinical Neuroimaging in Late-Life Mood and Anxiety Disorders.

Mood and anxiety disorders are very commonly experienced by older adults and are becoming a growing concern due to the rapidly aging global population. Recent advances in neuroimaging may help in improving outcomes in late-life mood and anxiety disorders. The elucidation of mechanisms contributing to late-life mental health disorders may ultimately lead to the identification of novel therapeutic interventions. Alternatively, clinically validated imaging biomarkers may allow for the prediction of treatment response and identification of better therapeutic approaches in late-life mood and anxiety disorders. In community samples, late-life depression and late-life generalized anxiety disorder occur up to 38 and 15%, respectively, while late-life bipolar disorder is less common and occur in approximately 0.5% of the population. There are significant challenges in treating and improving outcome in late-life mood and anxiety disorders. Time to treatment response and treatment resistance are increased in older adults. Novel neuroimaging techniques have the potential to improve diagnostic and therapeutic outcome in late-life mood and anxiety disorders either through “personalized pharmacotherapy” or through identifying dysfunction regions/networks to be subsequently used for direct interventions such as transcranial magnetic stimulation. This review will provide an overview of recent literature that substantiates the potential role of neuroimaging in clinical practice, as well as the barriers that must be overcome prior to clinical translation.
Damage Control: Management of Procedure-Associated Complications

Abstract There is always a risk for complication for both diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy, which is particularly true in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The list of complications ranges from perforation, bleeding, ileus, and de novo stricture formation. Stricture and fistula are common complications of Crohn's disease (CD), while colitis-associated neoplasia (CAN) is a detrimental complication of IBD-related colitis. Endoscopic balloon dilation and stricturotomy have become a valid treatment option for CD-associated and IBD surgery–associated strictures. Endoscopic therapy is increasingly used in CD-associated fistula. Endoscopic excision of CAN. Preprocedural preparations, including routine laboratory testing, imaging examination, anticoagulant management bowel cleansing, and proper sedation, are essential to ensure a successful and safe endoscopic therapy. Adverse events, such as perforation and excessive bleeding, may occur during and after the endoscopic intervention. The endoscopist should be well trained, always be cautious, anticipate for possible procedure-associated complications, be prepared for the execution of damage control during initial endoscopy and rescuing endoscopy, and have surgical backup ready.
Redundant and Nonredundant Functions of Akt Isoforms in the Retina

Serine/threonine kinase Akt is a downstream effector of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway that is involved in many processes, including providing neuroprotection to stressed photoreceptor cells. Akt exists in three isoforms designated as Akt1, Akt2, and Akt3. All of these isoforms are expressed in the retina. We previously reported that Akt2 knockout mice were susceptible to light stress-induced photoreceptor degeneration, whereas Akt1 deletion had no effect on the retina. We hypothesized that the phenotype of Akt2 knockout mice may be due to the inactivation of specific substrate(s) in the retina. Yeast two-hybrid screening of a bovine retinal cDNA library with Akt2 identified a multidomain protein, POSH (plenty of SH3s), that acts as a scaffold for the JNK pathway of neuronal death. Our results suggest a stable interaction between Akt2 and POSH. Previous studies show that overexpression of POSH leads to cell death. The cell death that we observed in Akt2 knockout mice could be due to the absence of inactivation of POSH-mediated JNK signaling in the retina.
Midlife Family Economic Hardship and Later Life Cardiometabolic Health: The Protective Role of Marital Integration.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The current study assesses the unique influences of family economic hardship (FEH) in early and late midlife on husbands' and wives' body mass index (BMI) and the influence of BMI on the onset of cardiometabolic (CM) disease in later adulthood. The protective role of marital integration is also considered in relation to the stress-response link between FEH and BMI. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Analyses were performed using structural equation modeling with prospective data from 257 husbands and wives in enduring marriages over a period of 25 years beginning when they were approximately 40 years old. A multigroup analysis tested the moderating role of marital integration. RESULTS The distal influence of FEH in early midlife on BMI in later adulthood remained statistically significant even after controlling for proximal FEH. Proximal FEH in later midlife was influential for wives', but not husbands', BMI. BMI in later midlife was related to the onset of CM disease in their later life. Moderation analysis showed that FEH and subsequent BMI were associated for couples with below average levels of behavioral integration but not for couples with above average levels of integration. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS Taken together, these findings suggest a family-health process stemming from early FEH and operating cumulatively over the life course. FEH in early midlife is a persistent determinant of physiological dysregulation as reflected by BMI. Findings identify BMI as a modifiable leverage point for the long-term reduction of CM disease risk and highlight the role of spouses as a buffer against the detrimental stress-health association.
Culture as inter- and intra-personal mediator: considering the notion of conceptual porosity and its connection to culture as a concept

This study reports a collective case study of five science education graduate students to highlight the role of culture as an influential component within their conceptual understandings of urban science education. Conceptual change theory was used as a theoretical framework to explore the negotiations that five graduate students experienced during a semester-long ‘Urban and Multicultural Science Education’ course geared toward increasing conceptual complexity (i.e., the ways students make connections between concepts). Negotiation—the way these students’ adopted, resisted, or considered new inter-conceptual complexity—was studied through how these learners activated and applied their understandings. Findings support that culture influenced the development of conceptual complexity for the themes studied by increasing the permeability of concepts to connect to one another—coined here as conceptual porosity. This complexity is represented through the inter-conceptual connectivity that developed temporally during learning experiences. Implications for these findings are discussed, as well.
Law: Economics of its Public Enforcement

This article discusses the theory of the public enforcement of law—the use of public agents (inspectors, tax auditors, police, prosecutors) to detect and to sanction violators of legal rules. We first present the basic elements of the theory, focusing on the probability of imposition of sanctions, the magnitude and form of sanctions, and the rule of liability. We then examine a variety of extensions of the central theory, including accidental harms, costs of imposing fines, mistake, marginal deterrence, settlement, self-reporting, repeat offenses, and incapacitation.
Role of Dust in Protostar Formation

We review the role of interstellar grains in the early, isothermal stages of self-initiated (due to ambipolar diffusion) star formation in massive, magnetically supported molecular clouds (up to a central density of about 1010 cm -3 ). Certain features of the formation and contraction of protostellar cores are virtually independent of the specific values of the (dimensionless) free parameters of the problem, provided that these values are kept within the observationally allowed range. (1) Core formation is a quasistatic process (i.e., one with negligible acceleration), occurring on the initial central flux-loss timescale. The neutrals contract through the essentially stationary magnetic field lines and the plasma (including grains). (2) Eventually a core becomes both thermally and magnetically supercritical and begins to contract dynamically. (3) Collapse, however, does not evolve into free fall at densities below 1010 cm -3. (4) The magnetically subcritical (but massive) cloud envelope evolves only on the much longer, local ambipolar-diffusion timescale. Beyond the well-known role of grains in the chemistry that determines the degree of ionization in static clouds, we quantify both their effect on ambipolar diffusion (hence, star formation) and the effect of the dynamics on grain abundance (hence, chemistry) in evolving dense cores. A number of commonly used assumptions are found to be incorrect.
Neer Award 2018: Benzoyl peroxide effectively decreases preoperative Cutibacterium acnes shoulder burden: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background Benzoyl peroxide (BPO) solutions effectively reduce Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes) on the face, neck, and back in nonoperative settings. This study compared preoperative application of BPO vs. chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) in decreasing shoulder C acnes skin burden in surgical patients. Methods Eighty patients undergoing shoulder surgery were prospectively enrolled in a randomized double-blind trial at 1 institution from August 2015 to April 2017. Participants were randomized to 5% BPO or 4% CHG for 3 consecutive days. The nonoperative shoulder had no intervention and served as the negative control. Skin cultures of both shoulders were obtained via a detergent scrub technique the day of surgery at anterior, lateral, and posterior sites and the axilla. Results Fewer positive cultures were obtained from the BPO-treated side compared with the contralateral side (P = .0003), and no change was shown for the CHG group (P = .80). Shoulders treated with BPO showed a statistically significant reduction in C acnes counts compared with CHG at anterior (P = .03) and posterior (P = .005) portal sites. No significant difference was found at the axilla (P = .99) or lateral portal site (P = .08). No postoperative infections or wound complications occurred in either group. Conclusions BPO is more effective than CHG at reducing C acnes on the shoulder. Decreasing the skin burden of C acnes may reduce intraoperative wound contamination and postoperative infection. BPO should be considered as an adjunctive preoperative skin preparation considering its potential benefit, low risk, and low cost.
Artist's Statement: Watershed

Artist's Statement for the cover art of IJPS volume 5, issue 2: Watershed, 2018. Music video.
Electric field-directed assembly of fullerene crystal rods into hierarchical films

Self-assembly of nanomaterials with desired material properties requires assembly control from nanometer to millimeter scales. Here, hierarchical C60 and C70 films are assembled from the nanoscale to macroscale by combining co-solvent precipitation with electric-field directed assembly. Fullerene molecular crystals are grown via seeded co-solvent precipitation with mixed organic solvents and antisolvent 2-propanol. Rods of varying aspect ratios (1.7, 2 and 3.7) are prepared as a function of injection volume, fullerene type and solution concentration. Electric fields are applied to colloidal fullerene rods confined to two dimensions. The applied field induces dipolar forces, dielectrophoretic forces, and electrohydrodynamic flows. Frequency-dependent phase transitions occur at the critical Maxwell–Wagner crossover frequency, where the effective polarizability of the particles in the medium is substantially reduced, resulting in changes in structure. Partial order phases form as a function of field strength, frequency, and confinement including tetratic, smectic, centered rectangular and string fluids.
Activation of mTOR signaling and loss of negative feedback to IRS1 are early events in development of endometrial hyperplasia in Tsc2-deficient rats

3563 Progression from normal endometrium to endometrial carcinoma (EndoCa) occurs via the intermediate stage of endometrial hyperplasia (EH). We previously reported that EH in postmenopausal women is linked to overexpression of IGF-IR, loss of a negative regulator of the IGF-I pathway (PTEN), and subsequent activation of Akt and mTOR signaling (McCampbell et al., Clin Cancer Res 2006). Additionally, a transducer of IGF signaling, IRS1, is activated (as judged by tyrosine phosphorylation) in EH. The Tuberous Sclerosis (TS) complex, composed of TSC1 and TSC2, normally functions to inhibit mTOR. TSC2 is phosphorylated and inactivated by Akt phosphorylation. Heterozygozity at the TSC2 locus predisposes Eker rats to the development of uterine leiomyoma and renal carcinoma. Our objective was to determine whether deficiency of the TSC2 tumor suppressor promoted abnormal proliferation of the endometrium and whether the molecular mechanisms identified in human EH are also involved in this rat model. We examined uterine morphology microscopically, activation of the mTOR pathway component S6 (Ser235), and regulation of the IGF pathway (as judged by serine phosphorylation of IRS1 (Ser636/639) which prevents IRS1 interaction with IGF-IR) in Eker rat endometrium. Immunohistochemistry was used to precisely analyze S6 and IRS1 expression in normal and hyperplastic endometrial epithelium. Heterozygosity at the TSC2 locus resulted in the development of EH in 100% of 16 month old Eker rats (n=10). Multiple hyperplastic foci were observed in all uteri (61 lesions/91 cross sections). Additionally, the development of hyperplastic lesions was accompanied by activation of mTOR (as judged by phosphorylation of S6) and concomitant loss of inhibitory serine phosphorylation of IRS1. Interestingly, focal areas of microscopically normal endometrial epithelium adjacent to areas of hyperplastic epithelium exhibited activation of mTOR signaling, consistent with loss of the wild-type allele of TSC2. However, the microscopically normal epithelium retained positive immunoreactivity for serine phosphorylation of IRS-1, indicative of intact negative feedback to IRS1 by the downstream mTOR effector S6K. Importantly, hyperplastic epithelium showed activation of mTOR accompanied by the absence of IRS1 serine phosphorylation, indicating that the hyperplastic lesions had lost negative feedback inhibition to IRS1. These data support a central role for Akt/mTOR signaling in the development of both human and rat EH. Both global activation of Akt/mTOR signaling and abrogation of negative-feedback to IRS1 appear to be characteristic of hyperplasia, implicating for the first time loss of negative-feedback to IRS1 as an early event in the development of a preneoplastic lesion. We propose mTOR signaling is a good target for chemoprevention of endometrial carcinoma in high-risk women.
Brief Report: Cell Cycle Dynamics of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Primed for Differentiation

Understanding the molecular properties of the cell cycle of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is critical for effectively promoting differentiation. Here, we use the Fluorescence Ubiquitin Cell Cycle Indicator system adapted into hPSCs and perform RNA sequencing on cell cycle sorted hPSCs primed and unprimed for differentiation. Gene expression patterns of signaling factors and developmental regulators change in a cell cycle-specific manner in cells primed for differentiation without altering genes associated with pluripotency. Furthermore, we identify an important role for PI3K signaling in regulating the early transitory states of hPSCs toward differentiation. Stem Cells 2019;37:1151-1157.
MRI of the Wrist: Algorithmic Approach for Evaluating Wrist Pain.

Use of an algorithmic approach to MR image interpretation for subacute or chronic wrist pain can help the radiologist classify various wrist conditions, identify clinically relevant imaging finding...
The linear stability of Reissner-Nordstr\"om spacetime for small charge

In this paper, we prove the linear stability to gravitational and electromagnetic perturbations of the Reissner-Nordstrom family of charged black holes with small charge. Solutions to the linearized Einstein-Maxwell equations around a Reissner-Nordstrom solution arising from regular initial data remain globally bounded on the black hole exterior and in fact decay to a linearized Kerr-Newman metric. We express the perturbations in geodesic outgoing null foliations, also known as Bondi gauge. To obtain decay of the solution, one must add a residual pure gauge solution which is proved to be itself controlled from initial data. Our results rely on decay statements for the Teukolsky system of spin $\pm2$ and spin $\pm1$ satisfied by gauge-invariant null-decomposed curvature components, obtained in earlier works. These decays are then exploited to obtain polynomial decay for all the remaining components of curvature, electromagnetic tensor and Ricci coefficients. In particular, the obtained decay is optimal in the sense that it is the one which is expected to hold in the non-linear stability problem.
The Impact of Student Debt on High Value Entrepreneurship and Venture Success

We find that graduates from universities that remove student loans from their financial aid policies are more likely to start entrepreneurial ventures and are more likely to subsequently get venture capital (VC) backing, particularly by reputed VCs, and get higher VC investment. Such ventures have higher sales and employment five years after founding. Our results are stronger for universities with higher tuition and greater extent of R&D activity. Overall, our results document a significant adverse effect of student loans on a crucial engine of economic growth - high impact, venture capital backed startups.
Robotic Guidance in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: a Review of Recent Literature and Commentary on a Developing Technology

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS) and robotic technology are growing in popularity and are increasing utilized in combination. The purpose of this review is to identify the current successes, potential drawbacks, and future directions of robotic guidance for MIS compared to traditional techniques. Recent literature highlights successful incorporation of robotic guidance in MIS as a consistently accurate method for pedicle screw placement. With a short learning curve and low complication rates, robot guidance may also reduce the use of fluoroscopy, operative time, and length of hospital stay. Recent literature suggests that incorporating robotic guidance in MIS improves the accuracy of pedicle screw insertion and may have added benefits both intra- and postoperatively for the patient and provider. Future research should focus on direct comparison between MIS with and without robotic guidance.
A single-index model with multiple-links.

Abstract In a regression model for treatment outcome in a randomized clinical trial, a treatment effect modifier is a covariate that has an interaction with the treatment variable, implying that the treatment efficacies vary across values of such a covariate. In this paper, we present a method for determining a composite variable from a set of baseline covariates, that can have a nonlinear association with the treatment outcome, and acts as a composite treatment effect modifier. We introduce a parsimonious generalization of the single-index models that targets the effect of the interaction between the treatment conditions and the vector of covariates on the outcome, a single-index model with multiple-links (SIMML) that estimates a single linear combination of the covariates(i.e., a single-index), with treatment-specific nonparametric link functions. The approach emphasizes a focus on the treatment-by-covariates interaction effects on the treatment outcome that are relevant for making optimal treatment decisions. Asymptotic results for estimator are obtained under possible model misspecification. A treatment decision rule based on the derived single-index is defined, and it is compared to other methods for estimating optimal treatment decision rules. An application to a clinical trial for the treatment of depression is presented.
Trends and Factors Associated with Nebulized Therapy Prescription in Older Adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease from 2008 to 2015

Background: Medical management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) includes nebulized therapy as an option for inhalational drug delivery. A broad variety of short- and long-acting bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids in the nebulized form are available. Despite this, limited information exists on the pattern and predictors of nebulized prescription. We examined the trend and factors associated with prescription of nebulized therapy among Medicare beneficiaries with COPD. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of 5% Medicare beneficiaries with COPD (n = 66,032) who were enrolled in parts A, B, and D and received nebulized prescription from 2008 to 2015 was conducted. This sample has shown to be representative of the entire fee-for-service Medicare population. The primary outcome was a prescription of nebulized medications. Reliever nebulized medications included short-acting beta agonist (SABA), short-acting muscarinic agents (SAMAs), and a combination of SABA and SAMA, while maintenance nebulized medications included long-acting beta agonists, long-acting muscarinic agents, and corticosteroid solutions as well as combinations of these agents. The secondary outcome was prescription of other inhaler respiratory medications not administered with a nebulizer. Results: Overall, 38.9% patients were prescribed nebulized medication and their prescription significantly declined from 42.4% in 2008 to 35.1% in 2015, majority of which was related to decreased prescriptions of nebulized relievers. Factors associated with the prescription of nebulized medications include female gender (odds ratio [OR] = 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02-1.09), dual eligibility or low-income subsidy beneficiaries (OR = 1.49; CI = 1.44-1.53), hospitalization for COPD in the previous year (OR = 1.29; CI = 1.25-1.34), home oxygen therapy (OR = 2.29; CI = 2.23-2.36), pulmonary specialist visit (OR = 1.24; CI = 1.20-1.27), and moderate (OR = 1.61; CI = 1.57-1.65) or high (OR = 1.52; CI = 1.46-1.59) severity of COPD. Conclusion: Between 2008 and 2015, prescriptions for nebulized therapy for COPD declined among Medicare beneficiaries, probably related to increase in use of maintenance non-nebulized medications.
Increased β-Cell Responsivity Independent of Insulin Sensitivity in Healthy African American Adults.

Background Primary insulin hypersecretion predicts type 2 diabetes (T2DM) independent of insulin resistance. Enhanced β-cell glucose responsivity contributes to insulin hypersecretion. African Americans (AAs) are at a higher risk for T2DM than non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs). Whether AAs manifest primary insulin hypersecretion is an important topic that has not been examined systematically. Objective To examine if nondiabetic AA adults have a higher β-cell glucose responsivity compared with NHWs. Methods Healthy nondiabetic AA (n = 18) and NHW (n=18) subjects were prospectively recruited. Indices of β-cell function, acute C-peptide secretion (X0); basal (Φ B), first-phase (Φ 1), second-phase (Φ 2), and total β-cell responsivity to glucose (Φ TOT), were derived from modeling of insulin, C-peptide, and glucose concentrations during an intravenous glucose tolerance test. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic glucose clamp technique. Results Glucose disposal rate (GDR) during clamp was similar in AAs and NHWs (GDR: [AA] 12.6 ± 3.2 vs [NHW] 12.6 ± 4.2 mg/kg fat free mass +17.7/min, P = .49). Basal insulin secretion rates were similar between the groups. AA had significantly higher X0 (4423 ± 593 vs 1807 ± 176 pmol/L, P = .007), Φ 1 [377.5 ± 59.0 vs 194.5 ± 26.6 (109) P = 0.03], and Φ TOT [76.7 ± 18.3 vs 29.6 ± 4.7 (109/min), P = 0.03], with no significant ethnic differences in Φ B and Φ 2. Conclusions Independent of insulin sensitivity, AAs showed significantly higher first-phase and total β-cell responsivity than NHWs. We propose that this difference reflects increased β-cell responsivity specifically to first-phase readily releasable insulin secretion. Future studies are warranted to identify mechanisms leading to primary β-cell hypersensitivity in AAs.
Understanding differences in family engagement and provider outreach in New Journeys: A coordinated specialty care program for first episode psychosis.

Abstract The present study examined clinician outreach efforts to families and family engagement; and predictors of engagement in a coordinated specialty care (CSC) for first episode psychosis. From 2015 to 2019, 211 clients experiencing their first episode of psychosis and their family members received services from New Journeys, a network of CSC programs in the United States. Analyses examined the association between race/ethnicity, insurance type, referral source, housing stability, and outreach efforts and family attendance. Overall, 70% of client family members attended at least one psychoeducation appointment and in the first month of treatment 40% of family members attended family psychoeducation. Outreach efforts including phone attempts (β=1.09; p = 0.02) and phone contact (β=1.10; p = 0.02) were significantly higher for Black families relative to White families; whereas Black families were scheduled less often for a family psychoeducation (β=-0.28; p = 0.02) compared to Whites families. Significant differences in family attendance based on insurance type were also found (p
Intelligent accuracy control service system for small-scale additive manufacturing

Abstract Ensuring the geometric accuracy of 3D printed parts has proven to be a significant challenge. A recent body of work has developed strategies for using statistical modeling and machine learning to learn from shape accuracy data of past prints to predict and compensate for errors in future prints. Unfortunately, this approach faces a number of challenges that make it difficult to translate from theory to industrial practice. This paper addresses these challenges by proposing a framework for a distributed system through which this modeling methodology could be deployed in an industrial setting. Further, a prototype of this system is illustrated.
A convergence analysis of the iteratively regularized Gauss-Newton method under the Lipschitz condition

In this paper we consider the iteratively regularized Gauss–Newton method for solving nonlinear ill-posed inverse problems. Under merely the Lipschitz condition, we prove that this method together with an a posteriori stopping rule defines an order optimal regularization method if the solution is regular in some suitable sense.