cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effects of pediatric traumatic brain injury on verbal and visual-spatial working memory.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) on verbal and visual-spatial working memory (WM). WM tasks examined memory span through recall of the last item of a series of stimuli. Additionally, both verbal and visual-spatial tests had a dual-task condition assessing the effect of increasing demands on the central executive (CE). Inhibitory control processes in verbal WM were examined through intrusion errors. The TBI group (n = 73) performed more poorly on verbal and visual-spatial WM tasks than orthopedic-injured children (n = 30) and non-injured children (n = 40). All groups performed more poorly on the dual-task conditions, reflecting an effect of increasing CE load. This effect was not greater for the TBI group. There were no group differences in intrusion errors on the verbal WM task, suggesting that problems in WM experienced by children with TBI were not primarily due to difficulties in inhibitory control. Finally, injury-related characteristics, namely days to follow commands, accounted for significant variance in WM performance, after controlling for relevant demographic variables. Findings suggest that WM impairments in TBI are general rather than modality-specific and that severity indices measured over time are better predictors of WM performance than those taken at a single time point. (JINS, 2011, 17, 1-10). Language: en
MULTIVARIATE QUANTITATIVE GENETICS OF ANTHROPOMETRIC TRAITS FROM THE BOAS DATA

Abstract The use of multivariate quantitative trait information to address questions of population relationships and evolutionary issues has a longstanding history in human anthropometry. Previous analyses have usually rested on a number of explicit or implicit assumptions that allow phenotypic information to be used as a proxy for quantitative genetic information. One (usually implicit) assumption is that the additive genetic variance-covariance matrix (G) among traits is proportional to the phenotypic variance-covariance matrix (P). In this study we discuss the implications of this assumption, demonstrating that if it is true that G = h 2 P, where h 2 is some constant of proportionality, then (1) the biological (phenotypic) Mahalanobis distance will be proportional to genetic distance, (2) phenotypic and genetic allometry coefficients will be equal, and (3) evolutionary models will become simplified. We then use a multivariate quantitative genetic analysis of 12 anthropometric traits in 5 tribes to demo...
Weak hybridization and isolated localized magnetic moments in the compounds CeT2Cd20 (T = Ni, Pd)

We report the physical properties of single crystals of the compounds CeT2Cd20 (T = Ni, Pd) that were grown in a molten Cd flux. Large separations of ∼6.7-6.8 A between Ce ions favor the localized magnetic moments that are observed in measurements of the magnetization. The strength of the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida magnetic exchange interaction between the localized moments is severely limited by the large Ce-Ce separations and by weak hybridization between localized Ce 4 f and itinerant electron states. Measurements of electrical resistivity performed down to 0.138 K were unable to observe evidence for the emergence of magnetic order; however, magnetically-ordered ground states with very low transition temperatures are still expected in these compounds despite the isolated nature of the localized magnetic moments. Such a fragile magnetic order could be highly susceptible to tuning via applied pressure, but evidence for the emergence of magnetic order has not been observed so far in our measurements up to 2.5 GPa.
Molecular Systematics of Basal Subfamilies of Ants Using 28S rRNA (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

For many years, the ant subfamily Ponerinae was hypothesized to contain the basal (early branching) lineages of ants. Recently the Ponerinae were reclassiWed into six poneromorph subfamilies based on morphological analysis. We evaluate this new poneromorph classiWcation using 1240 base pairs of DNA sequence data obtained from 28S rRNA gene sequences of 68 terminal taxa. The molecular tree supported the monophyly of the ant family Formicidae, with 100% parsimony bootstrap (PB) support and posterior probabilities (PP) of 1.00, with the ant subfamily Leptanillinae as a sister group to all other ants (PB D 62, PP D 93). However, our analyses strongly support the polyphyly of the Poneromorph subfamilies (sensu Bolton). The Ectatomminae and Heteroponerinae are more closely related to the Formicoid subfamilies than to the rest of the poneromophs (PB D 96, PP D 100). The Amblyoponinae (PB D 52, PP D 96), Paraponerinae (PB D 100, PP D 100), Ponerinae (PB < 50, PP D 71), and Proceratiinae (PB D 98, PP D 100) appear as distinct lineages at the base of the tree and are identiWed as a poneroid grade. Monophyletic origins for the poneroid subfamilies Amblyoponinae, Paraponerinae, Ponerinae and Proceratiinae are supported in our analysis. However, the genus Platythyrea forms a distinct sister group to the Ponerini within the Ponerinae. The Heteroponerinae, based on our sample of Heteroponera, are associated with the subfamily Ectatomminae (PB D 98, PP D 100). Furthermore, our data indicate the genus Probolomyrmex belongs to the Proceratiinae as suggested by recent morphological analysis (PB D 98, PP D 100).
Robust collaborative multicast service for airborne command and control environment

RCM (robust collaborative multicast) is a communication service designed to support collaborative applications operating in dynamic, mission-critical environments. RCM implements a set of well-specified message ordering and reliability properties that balance two conflicting goals: a) providing low-latency, highly-available, reliable communication service, and b) guaranteeing global consistency in how different participants perceive their communication. Both of these goals are important for collaborative applications. In this paper, we describe RCM, its modular and flexible design, and a collection of simple, light-weight protocols that implement it. We also report on several experiments with an RCM prototype in a test-bed environment.
Turbine Blade Surface Deterioration by Erosion

This paper presents the results of a combined experimental and computational research program to investigate turbine vane and blade material surface deterioration caused by solid particle impacts. Tests are conducted in the erosion wind tunnel for coated and uncoated blade materials at various impact conditions. Surface roughness measurements obtained prior and subsequent to the erosion tests are used to characterize the change in roughness caused by erosion. Numerical simulations for the three-dimensional flow field and particle trajectories through a low-pressure gas turbine are employed to determine the particle impact conditions with stator vanes and rotor blades using experimentally based particle restitution models. Experimental results are presented for the measured blade material/coating erosion and surface roughness. The measurements indicate that both erosion and surface roughness increase with impact angle and particle size. Computational results are presented for the particle trajectories through the first stage of a low-pressure turbine of a high bypass turbofan engine. The trajectories indicate that the particles impact the vane pressure surface and the aft part of the suction surface. The impacts reduce the particle momentum through the stator but increase it through the rotor. Vane and blade surface erosion patterns are predicted based on the computed trajectories and the experimentally measured blade coating erosion characteristics.
Understanding the trade-offs in a call center

Determining an adequate workforce size to achieve service level and abandonment rate targets is a complex and important decision for call center managers. Even more complex is to understand the trade-offs among the number of multiple-skill operators and the bi-criteria target; service level and abandonment. A discrete event simulation model was found to be suitable to determine an adequate level of cross-training and illustrate the trade-off effects of a large Chilean call center. From the results, valuable insights about the effects of sacrificing one of the targets can be determined as a way to reduce operational costs in a call center.
A mathematical model of the arterial baroreceptors

Through careful examination of the physiological properties of the arterial baroreceptors, a mathematical model was obtained that encompasses the results of different groups of researchers in one general equation. This equation describes the firing frequency of the baroreceptors as a function of mean arterial pressure and rate of change of arterial pressure; it allows for baroreceptor adaptation and includes a sensitivity term that a dependent on the rate of change of receptor firing with arterial pressure. >
Resource efficient computing for warehouse-scale datacenters

An increasing amount of information technology services and data are now hosted in the cloud, primarily due to the cost and scalability benefits for both the end-users and the operators of the warehouse-scale datacenters (DCs) that host cloud services. Hence, it is vital to continuously improve the capabilities and efficiency of these large-scale systems. Over the past ten years, capability has improved by increasing the number of servers in a DC and the bandwidth of the network that connects them. Cost and energy efficiency have improved by eliminating the high overheads of the power delivery and cooling infrastructure. To achieve further improvements, we must now examine how well we are utilizing the servers themselves, which are the primary determinant for DC performance, cost, and energy efficiency. This is particularly important since the semiconductor chips used in servers are now energy limited and their efficiency does not scale as fast as in the past. This paper motivates the need for resource efficient computing in large-scale datacenters and reviews the major challenges and research opportunities.
Virtual time and timeout in client-server networks

This paper proposes that virtual time and virtual time-outs should be available as tools for programming distributed systems. Virtual time is already used for event ordering in distributed systems [4,3,5,1,9], though the numeric value of virtual time is irrelevant in this context (see Section 2). Virtual time-out has not been used in distributed systems. Virtual clock, i.e., virtual time and time-outs, is used in discrete event simulation applications though such applications are usually implemented on single machines using a single virtual clock, rather than on distributed systems.
Photosynthate partitioning into leaf starch as affected by daily photosynthetic period duration in six species

Starch accumulation rates increased up to five-fold in the leaves of five out of six species examined when plants were shifted from a long (12 or 14-h) to a short (7-h) photosynthetic period. The five species that responded were corn (Zea mays L.), pangola (Digitaria decumbens Stent.), soybean (Glycine max L.) Merr.), spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), and sugarbeet (Beet vulgaris L.) However, the rate of starch accumulation in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was unaltered following a shift from a long to a short photosynthetic period. We conclude that photosynthate partitioning into chloroplast starch, at least in a wide variety of species, is a programmable process that can be manipulated by altering the length of the daily photosynthetic period.
Maximizing total upload in latency-sensitive P2P applications

Motivated by an application in distributed gaming, we define and study the latency-constrained total upload maximization problem. In this problem, a peer-to-peer overlay network is modeled as a complete graph and each node vi has an upload bandwidth capacity ci and a set of receivers R(i). Each sender-receiver pair (vi,vj), where vj ∈ R(i), is a request that should be satisfied, i.e., vi should send a data packet to each vj ∈ R(i). The goal is to find a set of at most n multicast-trees Ti of depth at most 2, such that each node can be part of multiple trees, all capacity constraints are met, and the number of satisfied requests is maximized. In this paper, we prove that the problem is NP-complete, and we present an algorithm with approximation ratio 1-2/√cmin, where cmin is the minimum upload capacity. Finally, we also study the impact of network coding on the quality and approximability of the solution.
Estimating Parameters of Logarithmic-Normal Distributions by Maximum Likelihood

Abstract This paper is concerned with the three-parameter logarithmic normal distribution; i.e., the general distribution in which the terminus is unknown. Maximum likelihood equations for estimating population parameters from random samples are derived, and an iterative method for their solution is outlined. Variances and covariances of these estimates are obtained from the information matrix. An illustrative example is included.
FOXO responses to Porphyromonas gingivalis in epithelial cells

Summary Porphyromonas gingivalis is a prominent periodontal, and emerging systemic, pathogen that redirects host cell signalling pathways and modulates innate immune responses. In this study, we show that P. gingivalis infection induces the dephosphorylation and activation of forkhead box-O (FOXO)1, 3 and 4 in gingival epithelial cells. In addition, immunofluorescence showed that FOXO1 accumulated in the nucleus of P. gingivalis-infected cells. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR demonstrated that transcription of genes involved in protection against oxidative stress (Cat, Sod2, Prdx3), inflammatory responses (IL1β) and anti-apoptosis (Bcl-6) was induced by P. gingivalis, while small-interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of FOXO1 suppressed the transcriptional activation of these genes. P. gingivalis-induced secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β and inhibition of apoptosis were also impeded by FOXO1 knockdown. Neutralization of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by N-acetyl-l-cysteine blocked the activation of FOXO1 by P. gingivalis and concomitantly suppressed the activation of oxidative stress responses, anti-apoptosis programmes and IL-β production. Inhibition of c-Jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) either pharmacologically or by siRNA, reduced FOXO1 activation and downstream FOXO1-dependent gene regulation in response to P. gingivalis. The results indicate that P. gingivalis-induced ROS activate FOXO transcription factors through JNK signalling, and that FOXO1 controls oxidative stress responses, inflammatory cytokine production and cell survival. These data position FOXO as an important signalling node in the epithelial cell–P. gingivalis interaction, with particular relevance to cell fate and dysbiotic host responses.
An Upper Gravity-Wave Absorbing Layer for NWP Applications

Although the use of a damping layer near the top of a computational model domain has proven effective in absorbing upward-propagating gravity-wave energy in idealized simulations, this technique has been less successful in real atmospheric applications. Here, a new technique is proposed for nonhydrostatic model equations that are solved using split-explicit time-integration techniques. In this method, an implicit Rayleigh damping term is applied only to the vertical velocity, as a final adjustment at the end of each small (acoustic) time step. The adjustment is equivalent to including an implicit Rayleigh damping term in the vertical momentum equation together with an implicit vertical diffusion of w, and could be applied in this manner in other time-integration schemes. This implicit damping for the vertical velocity is unconditionally stable and remains effective even for hydrostatic gravity waves. The good absorption characteristics of this layer across a wide range of horizontal scales are confirmed through analysis of the linear wave equation and numerical mountain-wave simulations, and through simulations of an idealized squall line and of mountain waves over the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Ashworthius Patriciapilittae n. sp. (Trichostrongyloidea: Haemonchinae), an abomasal nematode in Odocoileus virginianus from Costa Rica, and a new record for species of the genus in the Western Hemisphere.

A species of Ashworthius is reported for the first time in the Western Hemisphere, and A. patriciapilittae n. sp. is described on the basis of specimens in white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus from Costa Rica. Among 8 known species, A. patriciapilittae is morphologically similar to A. tuyenquangi in red muntjac Muntjacus muntjak from northern Vietnam. The synlophe in A. patriciapilittae is composed of 26 ridges in the cervical zone and is continuous to the caudal extremity in males and females. Males are characterized by a complex dorsal ray and narrow trifurcate spicules (351–356 μm long) lacking an “eyelet,” with dissimilar ventral and dorsal processes; the gubernaculum is 45–48% of the spicule length. Females have a prominent linguiform flap at the vulva and large eggs (108–142 μm long). The presence of A. patriciapilittae in Costa Rica is examined in the context of competing hypotheses for cospeciation or contemporary host-switching in cervids; either A. patriciapilittae is a component of an endem...
SEARCH FOR $D^0-\overline{D}^0$ MIXING USING SEMILEPTONIC DECAYS

Based on an 87-fb-1 dataset collected by the Babar detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B-Factory, a search for mixing has been made using the semileptonic decay modes D*+ → π+D0, D0 → Kev (+c.c.). The use of these modes allows unambiguous flavor tagging and a combined fit of the D0 decay time and D*+-D0 mass difference (ΔM) distributions. The high-statistics sample of unmixed semileptonic D0 decays is used to model the ΔM distribution and time-dependence of mixed events directly from the data. Neural networks are used to select events and reconstruct the D0. A result consistent with no charm mixing has been obtained, Rmix = 0.0023 ± 0.0012 ± 0.0004. This corresponds to an upper limit of Rmix < 0.0042 (90% CL).
The translator's sleight of hand: Robert L. Scott-Buccleuch as unreliable reader of Dom Casmurro

Robert L. Scott-Buccleuch's translation of Dom Casmurro has gained notoriety for excluding nine of the original's 148 chapters. Once this editorial imposition came to light, critics have reacted strongly against him for abridging one of the most celebrated novels of Brazil's most revered writer. The excision of nine chapters, however, cannot be disregarded as a mere error of interpretation; it was a deliberate and calculated decision on the part of a highly engaged reader. In fact, one could argue that Scott-Buccleuch's deletion imitates many of the narrative techniques of the novel's narrator-protagonist. Studying this controversial translation enhances our understanding of the underlying metanarrative structure of Dom Casmurro, especially in regards to the relationships between author, narrator, and reader.
Abstract A11: Health information needs and predictors of cancer screening status among patients with limited health literacy

Background: Primary care physician (PCP) recommendation for cancer screening is a strong predictor of adherence to screening; however, patients with limited health literacy (HL) may have difficulty understanding information about screening. We implemented a continuing medical education program to train PCPs in cancer risk communication with limited HL patients. Our main study objective is to determine whether changes in PCP communication improve patients’ adherence to cancer screening. We examined baseline patient characteristics to assess whether patients’ cancer screening information needs vary across levels of limited HL and determine which factors may influence adherence to different types of cancer screening tests. Methods: This study is part of a 4-year randomized controlled trial of a communication skills training program targeting PCPs (11 intervention vs. 8 control) who practice in safety-net clinics in New Orleans, LA and their patients with limited HL (Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine [REALM] score Results: Of 871 clinic patients screened to date, 164 met eligibility criteria (target sample size: 180). The most common reasons for exclusion were HL too high (37%), up-to-date on cancer screening (20%), or new patients to the PCP (12%). Most eligible patients are African American (90%), female (77%), insured (61%) and read at the 7th-8th grade level (67%). Only 35% of the study sample was up-to-date by chart review on mammography, 34% on pap smears, and 29% on colorectal cancer screening. Patient ratings of the level of information exchange with their PCPs varied by level of HL with patients with Although patients’ perceptions of health information exchange and cancer screening knowledge may depend on their level of health literacy, psychosocial, familial and health system related factors may ultimately influence adherence to cancer screening. Message framing for cancer risk communication should take these factors into consideration. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2011;20(10 Suppl):A11.
The Kitty Genovese Story in Introductory Psychology Textbooks: Fifty Years Later

Given the many inaccuracies in the original New York Times 38-witnesses version of the Kitty Genovese story, this study examined the accuracy of this story in current introductory psychology textbo...
An Experimental Study of Wind-Driven Water Film Flows over Roughness Array

Surface roughness would be generated during ice accretion process. The roughness over an ice accreting surface would block the surface water film/rivulet flows and subsequently affect the surface water mass transport behavior. In the present study, an experimental investigation was conducted to quantify the transient behavior of the surface water flows over a rouged surface in order to examine the water mass trapped effect due to the presence of a roughness array. A novel digital image projection (DIP) system was developed and applied to achieve time-resolved measurements of the thickness distributions of the unsteady surface water film flows over the roughness array, in comparison with those over a flat plate as the comparison baselines. The measurement results reveal clearly that, at relatively low wind speed, the roughness array would perform as a dam to block the wind-driven water film flow at the front side of the roughness array. For the cases with higher wind speeds, the trapped water mass was found to stagnate mainly at the backside of the roughness array. The time-averaged mass trapping ratio was found to be very sensitive to the wind speed, but less sensitive to the flow rate of the water film flow over the test plate.
Musicians' dystonia: the case of Gary Graffman

A professional pianist developed career-ending focal dystonia. There is a possible relationship between the pianist's syndrome and his past playing history. Although the patient has derived very little benefit from various treatment modalities, his candor regarding his impairment indirectly led to the establishment of performing arts medicine as a recognized subspecialty of occupational medicine.
Collision-Induced Coherence in Na Atoms

Four-wave light scattering experiments have been carried out, in mixtures of sodium vapor (35 mTorr partial pressure) in buffer gases of He and/or N2 (partial pressure up to 103 Torr).
Delocalization Effects in Pristine and Oxidized Graphene Substrates

It is natural to consider graphene as a polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). This name suggests that delocalized bonding should be a useful concept if one aims to gain insights into structure-property relationships in graphene. Aromatic/antiaromatic nature of small PAH can be established in a straightforward manner according to a multitude of techniques such as Clar’s rules and various measures of aromaticity. Large PAHs that are considered as realistic models of graphene can raise challenges to the aforementioned approaches due to the cost of associated calculations and conceptual difficulties. There is an apparent need for systematic studies of local and global delocalization phenomena in graphene. The present account summarizes some of the recent findings that consider certain properties of pristine and oxidized graphene substrates in the context of formation of Mobius or Huckel aromatic systems. Emergence of anti-ferromagnetic diradical states, relative stability of PAH oxyradicals, and onset of patterns of local aromaticity are discussed. Robustness of several popular approaches to characterization of delocalization effects is assessed. The harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity (HOMA) is shown to be extremely suitable for investigation of large substrates. The described results suggest that further studies of peculiarities of delocalization effects in PAHs can lead to substantial progress in development of models appealing to chemical intuition and capturing the most relevant aspects of the electronic structure of graphene.
Gender Differences in Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract Cardiac arrhythmias are an important clinical problem since it increases risk of stroke, heart failure, and overall morbidity. Treatment of arrhythmias may include blood thinners, rhythm control, as well as surgical ablation. In this review, we discuss the differences in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias in men and women. Further understanding of the gender specific differences of cardiac arrhythmias may be helpful to achieve success and more delivery of more personalized medicine.
Changing landscape of hepatitis C virus-positive donors

With the introduction of the new highly effective antiviral therapies, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of the hepatitis C virus (HCV)-positive livers in HCV-positive recipients. In the majority of studies, HCV positivity was defined as a donor testing HCV Ab positive. In 2015, all Organ Procurement Organizations were mandated to perform and report HCV Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAT) results on all deceased and living donors. Studies are not yet available on how organs are being utilized based on NAT status and whether NAT status affects recipient outcomes. Further studies are needed to maximize the use of these organs.
Comparison of staples vs subcuticular suture in class III obese women undergoing cesarean: a randomized controlled trial

Background Obesity is a risk factor for infectious morbidity and wound complications after cesarean delivery. There are currently insufficient data to determine optimal skin closure technique for cesarean delivery, specifically for those women with class III obesity, defined as a body mass index ≥40 kg/m2. Objective We sought to compare stainless steel staples vs subcuticular suture for skin closure for cesarean delivery in class III obese women with body mass index ≥40 kg/m2. Study Design We conducted a randomized controlled trial at 2 teaching hospitals from 2015 through 2016 in which women with body mass index ≥40 kg/m2 undergoing cesarean delivery were randomly assigned to stainless steel staples or subcuticular suture skin closure. The primary outcome was composite wound complication defined as superficial or deep separation and infection occurring up to 6 weeks following delivery. Secondary outcomes included operative time, and patient pain and satisfaction scores. Results A total of 242 women were enrolled. In all, 119 in the staples group and 119 in the subcuticular suture group were analyzed. Maternal demographics and characteristics were similar in both groups. The composite wound complication frequency was 19.3% in the staples group and 17.6% in the subcuticular suture group (P = .74) with an overall wound complication incidence of 18.5% in the entire study cohort. There were also no differences in the frequencies of infection, or in superficial or deep wound separation between the 2 study groups. In a univariate analysis of predictors of wound complications, only current tobacco use was a significant predictor of wound complications (relative risk, 4.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.37–18.03; P = .02). Fewer women with staple closure would choose the same method with a future delivery (P = .01), however, self-reported pain and concern about wound healing were equal between the 2 groups. Conclusion In class III obese women undergoing cesarean delivery, there was no difference in composite wound outcome up to 6 weeks postpartum between those who had staples and those who had subcuticular suture skin closure.
Implications for U.S. Trade and Nonindigenous Species Risk Resulting from Increased Economic Integration of the Asia-Pacific Region

ABSTRACTThis work investigates how potential changes in trade patterns resulting from increased economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region may affect the risk for nonindigenous species spread to the United States. We construct an invasion risk index utilizing the results from a global economic modeling framework in tandem with data for climate similarities between trade partners. The index is based on risk of introduction, determined by changes in trade, and risk of establishment, given by terrestrial and marine climate similarities between countries. The results indicate that Japan may be the riskiest trade partner for the United States in the Asia-Pacific region from a nonindigenous species perspective. This is driven by large expected changes in trade and high environmental similarity between the two countries. This research provides the basis of a risk assessment prediction system to examine the effects of changes in trade on nonindigenous species risk, an important, novel contribution to the tra...
Carbon pricing in practice: a review of existing emissions trading systems

This article analyses the implementation of emissions trading systems (ETSs) in eight jurisdictions: the EU, Switzerland, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and California in the US, Que...
Exploration of RNA Sequence Space in the Absence of a Replicase

It is generally considered that if an RNA World ever existed that it would be driven by an RNA capable of RNA replication. Whether such a catalytic RNA could emerge in an RNA World or not, there would need to be prior routes to increasing complexity in order to produce it. It is hypothesized here that increasing sequence variety, if not complexity, can in fact readily emerge in response to a dynamic equilibrium between synthesis and degradation. A model system in which T4 RNA ligase catalyzes synthesis and Benzonase catalyzes degradation was constructed. An initial 20-mer served as a seed and was subjected to 180 min of simultaneous ligation and degradation. The seed RNA rapidly disappeared and was replaced by an increasing number and variety of both larger and smaller variants. Variants of 40–80 residues were consistently seen, typically representing 2–4% of the unique sequences. In a second experiment with four individual 9-mers, numerous variants were again produced. These included variants of the individual 9-mers as well as sequences that contained sequence segments from two or more 9-mers. In both cases, the RNA products lack large numbers of point mutations but instead incorporate additions and subtractions of fragments of the original RNAs. The system demonstrates that if such equilibrium were established in a prebiotic world it would result in significant exploration of RNA sequence space and likely increased complexity. It remains to be seen if the variety of products produced is affected by the presence of small peptide oligomers.
Predictors of early mortality and readmissions among dialysis patients undergoing lower extremity amputation

Abstract Objective Patients receiving dialysis are at increased risk for lower extremity amputations (LEAs) and postoperative morbidity. Limited studies have examined differences in 30-day outcomes of mortality and health care use after amputation or the preoperative factors that relate to worsened outcomes in dialysis patients. Our objective was to examine dialysis dependency and other preoperative factors associated with readmission or death after LEA. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted of dialysis-dependent and nondialysis patients undergoing major LEA in the 2012 to 2013 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Primary outcomes included death and hospital readmission within 30 days of amputation. Results Of 6468 patients, 1166 (18%) were dialysis dependent. The dialysis cohort had more blacks (39% vs 23%), diabetes (76% vs 58%), below-knee amputations (62% vs 55%), and in-hospital deaths (8% vs 3%; all P Conclusions Readmission or death after amputation is increased among dialysis patients. Predicting which dialysis patients are at highest risk for death is feasible, whereas predicting which will require readmission is less so. Risk factor identification may improve risk stratification, inform reimbursement policies, and allow targeted interventions to improve outcomes.
More on $\sigma$ Model Beta Functions and Low-energy Effective Actions

We use the four-loop corrections to the gravitational \ensuremath{\beta} function of the N=1 supersymmetric \ensuremath{\sigma} model to compute the on-shell effective action which is relevant up to order \ensuremath{\alpha}${\mathcal{'}}^{3}$ for string amplitudes with external graviton and dilaton fields.
What Survey Modes are Most Effective in Eliciting Self-Reports of Criminal or Delinquent Behavior?

This chapter reviews the experimental research on survey modes, in which respondents are randomly exposed to different modes of delivering questions and obtaining responses, to determine which modes yield the highest rates of admission of illegal behaviors. The results indicate that telephone interviewing and face-to-face interviewing are the least effective modes in getting people to admit to illegal acts, while Web, mail, and telephone audio computer-assisted interviewing are the most effective modes.
Human genetic individuality and risk assessment.

The decline of infectious diseases and malnourishment in the Western world has made for greater attention to birth defects, genetic diseases, cancer, and various chronic diseases of later life. Good evidence exists for the involvement of various environmental agents in the etiology of many of these diseases. However, the exact contribution of environmental insults to the total health burden is poorly understood. The public is informed about ever more environmental or dietary substances which are said to cause cancer, birth defects, or other maladies and many people are alarmed about the possibility of deteriorating health condition in our society.
Distributed caching for processing raw arrays

As applications continue to generate multi-dimensional data at exponentially increasing rates, fast analytics to extract meaningful results is becoming extremely important. The database community has developed array databases that alleviate this problem through a series of techniques. In-situ mechanisms provide direct access to raw data in the original format---without loading and partitioning. Parallel processing scales to the largest datasets. In-memory caching reduces latency when the same data are accessed across a workload of queries. However, we are not aware of any work on distributed caching of multi-dimensional raw arrays. In this paper, we introduce a distributed framework for cost-based caching of multi-dimensional arrays in native format. Given a set of files that contain portions of an array and an online query workload, the framework computes an effective caching plan in two stages. First, the plan identifies the cells to be cached locally from each of the input files by continuously refining an evolving R-tree index. In the second stage, an optimal assignment of cells to nodes that collocates dependent cells in order to minimize the overall data transfer is determined. We design cache eviction and placement heuristic algorithms that consider the historical query workload. A thorough experimental evaluation over two real datasets in three file formats confirms the superiority - by as much as two orders of magnitude - of the proposed framework over existing techniques in terms of cache overhead and workload execution time.
Comparative evaluation of scatter correction techniques in 3D positron emission tomography

Much research and development has been concentrated on the scatter compensation required for quantitative 3D positron emission tomography (PET). Increasingly sophisticated scatter correction procedures are under investigation, particularly those based on accurate scatter models and iterative reconstruction-based scatter compensation approaches. The main difference among the correction methods is the way in which the scatter component in the selected energy window is estimated. Monte Carlo methods provide further insight and might in themselves offer a possible correction procedure. Five scatter correction methods were compared in this study where applicable: the dual-energy window (DEW) technique, the convolution-subtraction (CVS) method, two variants of the Monte Carlo-based scatter correction technique (MCBSC1 and MCBSC2) and our newly developed statistical reconstruction-based scatter correction (SRBSC) method. These scatter correction techniques were evaluated using Monte Carlo simulation studies, experimental phantom measurements and clinical studies. Accurate Monte Carlo modelling is still the gold standard since it allows the separation of scattered and unscattered events and comparison of the estimated and true unscattered component. In this study, our modified version of Monte Carlo-based scatter correction (MCBSC2) provided a good contrast recovery on the simulated Utah phantom, while the DEW method was found to be clearly superior for the experimental phantom studies in terms of quantitative accuracy at the expense of a significant deterioration in the signal-to-noise ratio. On the other hand, the immunity to noise in emission data of statistical reconstruction-based scatter correction methods makes them particularly applicable to low-count emission studies. All scatter correction methods gave very good activity recovery values for the simulated 3D Hoffman brain phantom, which averaged within 3%. The CVS and MCBSC1 techniques tended to overcorrect while SRBSC undercorrected for scatter in most regions of this phantom. It was concluded that all correction methods significantly improve the image quality and contrast compared to the case where no correction is applied. Generally, it was shown that the differences in the estimated scatter distributions did not have a significant impact on the final quantitative results. The DEW method showed the best compromise between ease of implementation and quantitative accuracy, but entailed a significant deterioration in the signal-to-noise ratio.
Schwann cell O-GlcNAcylation promotes peripheral nerve remyelination via attenuation of the AP-1 transcription factor JUN.

Schwann cells (SCs), the glia of the peripheral nervous system, play an essential role in nerve regeneration. Upon nerve injury, SCs are reprogrammed into unique “repair SCs,” and these cells remove degenerating axons/myelin debris, promote axonal regrowth, and ultimately remyelinate regenerating axons. The AP-1 transcription factor JUN is promptly induced in SCs upon nerve injury and potently mediates this injury-induced SC plasticity; however, the regulation of these JUN-dependent SC injury responses is unclear. Previously, we produced mice with a SC-specific deletion of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT). This enzyme catalyzes O-GlcNAcylation, a posttranslational modification that is influenced by the cellular metabolic state. Mice lacking OGT in SCs develop a progressive demyelinating peripheral neuropathy. Here, we investigated the nerve repair process in OGT-SCKO mutant mice and found that the remyelination of regenerating axons is severely impaired. Gene expression profiling of OGT-SCKO SCs revealed that the JUN-dependent SC injury program was elevated in the absence of injury and failed to shut down at the appropriate time after injury. This aberrant JUN activity results in abnormalities in repair SC function and redifferentiation and prevents the timely remyelination. This aberrant nerve injury response is normalized in OGT-SCKO mice with reduced Jun gene dosage in SCs. Mechanistically, OGT O-GlcNAcylates JUN at multiple sites, which then leads to an attenuation of AP-1 transcriptional activity. Together, these results highlight the metabolic oversight of the nerve injury response via the regulation of JUN activity by O-GlcNAcylation, a pathway that could be important in the neuropathy associated with diabetes and aging.
Buscar identidad, encontrar género. Algunas anotaciones en torno a Los topos.

Written fiction can be the space where society molds the questions of its time. One of the concerns of Argentina in recent years has been the (re) construction of the memory of the seventies past, especially from the perspective of the generation born during state terrorism. A significant case of this is the novel Los topos, by Felix Bruzzone, which deals with the daily life of a child of disappeared parents and leads to the outbreak of family and gender norms. In this way, through a content analysis and taking into account the theoretical-conceptual contribution of Judith Butler in Undo the genre, we will rehearse bridges between both works, considering both the ways in which gender crosses the constitution of identity in Topos and the potential politics of a dimension that calls us to recognize other social intelligibilities and to imagine other possible worlds.
Barbra Streisand: redefining beauty, femininity, and power

The biographies of American Jews who have excelled in show business tend to occupy a narrow range in recounting the impact of their origins. The moguls and musicians, the actors and other artists o...
Flexible and modular 3D-printed peptide models

A flexible and modular peptide modeling set was designed using freely available software tools. The set consists of space-filling models of all 20 naturally occurring amino acid side chains and a modular kit for constructing peptides employing C-alpha carbons and amide bond groups. Connectors that allow free rotation about phi and psi angles on the peptide, together with explicit representation of peptide backbone hydrogen bond donor and acceptors allows for the construction of a wide range of protein secondary structure motifs. The space-filling side chain models highlight the steric, acid-base, and polarity of these groups. These models were printed using relatively affordable commercially available fused filament fabrication printers with minimal postprinting processing. Use of these models in student group activities focused on amino acids and protein secondary structural features is described. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(4):432-437, 2019.
Monarch butterflies use an environmentally sensitive, internal timer to control overwintering dynamics

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) complements its iconic migration with diapause, a hormonally controlled developmental programme that contributes to winter survival at overwintering sites. Although timing is a critical adaptive feature of diapause, how environmental cues are integrated with genetically-determined physiological mechanisms to time diapause development, particularly termination, is not well understood. In a design that subjected western North American monarchs to different environmental chamber conditions over time, we modularized constituent components of an environmentally-controlled, internal diapause termination timer. Using comparative transcriptomics, we identified molecular controllers of these specific diapause termination components. Calcium signalling mediated environmental sensitivity of the diapause timer, and we speculate that it is a key integrator of environmental condition (cold temperature) with downstream hormonal control of diapause. Juvenile hormone (JH) signalling changed spontaneously in diapause-inducing conditions, capacitating response to future environmental condition. Although JH is a major target of the internal timer, it is not itself the timer. Epigenetic mechanisms are implicated to be the proximate timing mechanism. Ecdysteroid, JH, and insulin/insulin-like peptide signalling are major targets of the diapause programme used to control response to permissive environmental conditions. Understanding the environmental and physiological mechanisms of diapause termination sheds light on fundamental properties of biological timing, and also helps inform expectations for how monarch populations may respond to future climate change.
Arts Participation as a Context for Youth Purpose.

This article examines arts participation as a context for youth to develop purpose. Two analyses were conducted of interviews with arts-involved youth to explore the relationship between their arts...
Post-heat treatment design for high-strength low-alloy steels processed by laser powder bed fusion

Abstract A novel post-heat treatment design is implemented for additively manufactured copper-bearing high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels by understanding the processing-structure-property relationships. Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) is adopted to reduce the porosity from 3% to less than 1% for the HSLA-100 steel processed using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Quenching dilatometry is employed to design the parameters for the HIP cycle with an optimized cooling process. In order to achieve the maximum amount of martensite, drop cooling after HIP is found to be more suitable than controlled cooling. A subsequent cyclic re-austenitization is introduced to achieve effective grain refinement to compensate for the coarsened microstructure after HIP. The re-austenitization effectively leads to a 60% reduction in the prior austenite grain (PAG) size. The microstructure of the as-built and HIP HSLA steels before and after cyclic re-austenitization consists of martensite, bainite and martensite/retained austenite (M/A) islands. Tempering heat treatment is applied after HIP, to induce strengthening due to precipitation hardening, that is optimized through microhardness and microstructure characterization. The peak hardness is achieved at 5 h of aging and the microstructure consists of tempered martensite, bainite, and M/A islands. A significant increase in the tensile yield strength, as well as the ductility, is achieved in comparison with the as-built alloy with the tailored microstructure obtained after the application of the designed post-heat treatment to HSLA-100 steels processed using LPBF. As LPBF of HSLA steel is attempted for the first time, this work demostrates the significance of post-heat treatment design for the AM technique.
Proteinuria—take a closer look!

Proteinuria is a hallmark of kidney disease. Therefore, measurement of urine protein content plays a central role in any diagnostic work-up for kidney disease. In many cases, proteinuria analysis is restricted to the measurement of total protein content knowing that very high levels of proteinuria (nephrotic proteinuria) are characteristic of glomerular disease. Still, proteinuria can also be a manifestation of impaired tubular protein reabsorption or even be physiological. This review will discuss the physiology of renal protein handling and give guidance on a more sophisticated analysis of proteinuria differentiating albumin, low-molecular weight proteins and immunoglobulins. These non-invasive tests are available in most routine clinical laboratories and may guide the clinician in the diagnostic process before ordering far more expensive (molecular genetic testing) and/or invasive (kidney biopsy) diagnostics.
Privileged Accounts in the Debate over Coal-Fired Power in the United States

This paper builds on Freudenburg’s concept of “privileged accounts” and Hajer’s work on the discourse of environmental policy by analyzing the debate over coal-fired power in the United States befo...