cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Equine Arteritis Virus Uses Equine CXCL16 as an Entry Receptor.

UNLABELLED Previous studies in our laboratory have identified equine CXCL16 (EqCXCL16) to be a candidate molecule and possible cell entry receptor for equine arteritis virus (EAV). In horses, the CXCL16 gene is located on equine chromosome 11 (ECA11) and encodes a glycosylated, type I transmembrane protein with 247 amino acids. Stable transfection of HEK-293T cells with plasmid DNA carrying EqCXCL16 (HEK-EqCXCL16 cells) increased the proportion of the cell population permissive to EAV infection from <3% to almost 100%. The increase in permissiveness was blocked either by transfection of HEK-EqCXCL16 cells with small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) directed against EqCXCL16 or by pretreatment with guinea pig polyclonal antibody against EqCXCL16 protein (Gp anti-EqCXCL16 pAb). Furthermore, using a virus overlay protein-binding assay (VOPBA) in combination with far-Western blotting, gradient-purified EAV particles were shown to bind directly to the EqCXCL16 protein in vitro. The binding of biotinylated virulent EAV strain Bucyrus at 4°C was significantly higher in HEK-EqCXCL16 cells than nontransfected HEK-293T cells. Finally, the results demonstrated that EAV preferentially infects subpopulations of horse CD14(+) monocytes expressing EqCXCL16 and that infection of these cells is significantly reduced by pretreatment with Gp anti-EqCXCL16 pAb. The collective data from this study provide confirmatory evidence that the transmembrane form of EqCXCL16 likely plays a major role in EAV host cell entry processes, possibly acting as a primary receptor molecule for this virus. IMPORTANCE Outbreaks of EVA can be a source of significant economic loss for the equine industry from high rates of abortion in pregnant mares, death in young foals, establishment of the carrier state in stallions, and trade restrictions imposed by various countries. Similar to other arteriviruses, EAV primarily targets cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage, which, when infected, are believed to play a critical role in EVA pathogenesis. To this point, however, the host-specified molecules involved in EAV binding and entry into monocytes/macrophages have not been identified. Identification of the cellular receptors for EAV may provide insights to design antivirals and better prophylactic reagents. In this study, we have demonstrated that EqCXCL16 acts as an EAV entry receptor in EAV-susceptible cells, equine monocytes. These findings represent a significant advance in our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms associated with the entry of EAV into susceptible cells.
Coumarin Derivatives as Substrate Probes of Mammalian Cytochromes P450 2B4 and 2B6: Assessing the Importance of 7-Alkoxy Chain Length, Halogen Substitution, and Non-Active Site Mutations.

Using a combined structural and biochemical approach, the functional importance of a recently described peripheral pocket bounded by the E-, F-, G-, and I-helices in CYP2B4 and 2B6 was probed. Three series of 4-substituted-7-alkoxycoumarin derivatives with -H, -CH3, or -CF3 at the 4 position of the coumarin core were used initially to monitor functional differences between CYP2B4 and 2B6. 7-Ethoxy-4-(trifluoromethyl)coumarin (7-EFC) displayed the highest catalytic efficiency among these substrates. Mutants were made to alter side-chain polarity (V/E194Q) or bulk (F/Y244W) to alter access to the peripheral pocket. Modest increases in catalytic efficiency of 7-EFC O-deethylation by the mutants were magnified considerably by chlorination or bromination of the substrate ethoxy chain. A structure of CYP2B6 Y244W in complex with (+)-α-pinene was solved at 2.2 A and showed no CYMAL-5 in the peripheral pocket. A ligand free structure of CYP2B4 F244W was solved at 3.0 A with CYMAL-5 in the peripheral pocket. In bo...
Side-chain-to-tail cyclization of ribosomally derived peptides promoted by aryl and alkyl amino-functionalized unnatural amino acids

A strategy for the production of side-chain-to-tail cyclic peptides from ribosomally derived polypeptide precursors is reported. Two genetically encodable unnatural amino acids, bearing either an aryl or alkyl amino group, were investigated for their efficiency toward promoting the formation of medium to large-sized peptide macrocycles via intein-mediated side-chain-to-C-terminus cyclization. While only partial cyclization was observed with precursor proteins containing para-amino-phenylalanine, efficient peptide macrocyclization could be achieved using O-2-aminoethyl-tyrosine as the reactive moiety. Conveniently, the latter was generated upon quantitative, post-translational reduction of the azido-containing counterpart, O-2-azidoethyl-tyrosine, directly in E. coli cells. This methodology could be successfully applied for the production of a 12 mer cyclic peptide with enhanced binding affinity for the model target protein streptavidin as compared to the acyclic counterpart (KD: 5.1 μM vs. 22.4 μM), thus demonstrating its utility toward the creation and investigation of novel, functional macrocyclic peptides.
Influence of Ovarian Grafts upon Immature Castrate Rats

Hohlweg and Dohrn1 recently reported the induction of precocious sexual maturity in immature castrate female rats through the implantation of infantile ovarian tissue 3 weeks after oophorectomy. In connection with some experimental work on the anterior pituitary the writer had occasion to confirm and extend their observations.Ten to 14 day old females, each with litter mate controls both normal and castrate, were gonadectomized and allowed to run for approximately 21 days. Two immature ovaries were then implanted intramuscularly in the experimental animals, the donor age varying from 9 to 35 days. At the time of vaginal opening the animals were sacrificed and grafts and pituitaries were prepared for histological study. The results are summarized in Table I.It will be seen that in every instance in which the ovarian grafts proved successful the experimental animal matured considerably earlier than its litter mate controls, as evidenced by vaginal canalization and by an oestrous smear. When the experimental...
Design and Simulation of Unified Power Flow Controller Based on Modular Multilevel Converter

To apply unified power flow controllers(UPFC) in power transmission systems it is necessary to solve such problems as the selection,design,modulation and control of high-capacity main circuits operated in high voltage environment.Typical high-capacity multi-level converters that could be utilized for UPFC are compared and commented on.On this basis,to validate the feasibility of applying modular topological structure in UPFC,the parameter design method,structure of control system,modulation strategy and starting modes for UPFC based on modular multi-level converter(MMC) are designed and simulated by PSCAD/EMTDC,and problems to be solved are pointed out.
Characterization of fibroblast‐free CWR‐R1ca castration‐recurrent prostate cancer cell line

BACKGROUND The previously established CWR-R1 cell line has been used as an in vitro model representing castration-recurrent prostate cancer. Microscopic observation of subconfluent cells demonstrated two distinct cellular morphologies: polygonal closely aggregated epithelial cells surrounded by bipolar fibroblastic cells with long processes. This study sought to establish and characterize a fibroblast-free derivative of the CWR-R1 cell line. METHODS The CWR-R1ca cell line was established from CWR-R1 cells by removing fibroblasts using multiple cycles of short-term trypsinization, cloning, and pooling single-cell colonies. Authentication of fibroblast-free CWR-R1ca cells was demonstrated by analyzing the expression of cytodifferentiation and prostate-associated markers, DNA and cytogenetic profiling, and growth pattern in the absence or presence of androgen. RESULTS CWR-R1ca is an androgen-sensitive cell line that expresses the androgen receptor (AR) and its splice variant 7 and the luminal epithelia markers, CK-8, CK-18, and c-Met. CWR-R1fb fibroblasts isolated from CWR-R1 cells express AR, hepatocyte growth factor-α, and mouse β-actin but not AR-V7 or epithelial markers. Cytogenetic analysis of CWR-R1ca cells revealed a hyperdiploid male with numerical gains in chromosomes 1, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12, deletion of one chromosome 2 allele, structural abnormalities that include der(1)t(1:4), der(4)t(2:4), der(10)t(4:10), and an unbalanced reciprocal translocation between chromosome 6 and 14. DNA-profiling revealed that CWR-R1ca cells had significant short-tandem repeat marker homology with CWR22Pc and CWR22Rv1 cell lines, which indicated lineage derivation from CWR22 prostate cancer xenografts. CWR-R1ca cells were responsive to the growth stimulatory effects of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in the femtomolar range. CONCLUSION This study establishes CWR-R1ca cells as a fibroblast-free derivative of the castration-recurrent CWR-R1 cell line. Prostate © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Stress response, gut microbial diversity and sexual signals correlate with social interactions

Theory predicts that social interactions are dynamically linked to phenotype. Yet because social interactions are difficult to quantify, little is known about the precise details on how interactivity is linked to phenotype. Here, we deployed proximity loggers on North American barn swallows (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster) to examine intercorrelations among social interactions, morphology and features of the phenotype that are sensitive to the social context: stress-induced corticosterone (CORT) and gut microbial diversity. We analysed relationships at two spatial scales of interaction: (i) body contact and (ii) social interactions occurring between 0.1 and 5 m. Network analysis revealed that relationships between social interactions, morphology, CORT and gut microbial diversity varied depending on the sexes of the individuals interacting and the spatial scale of interaction proximity. We found evidence that body contact interactions were related to diversity of socially transmitted microbes and that looser social interactions were related to signalling traits and CORT.
Epilepsy Surgery and Tuberous Sclerosis

The results of operation for treatment of epilepsy in 5 male and 4 female patients with tuberous sclerosis (TSC) in a 5-year period from 1986-1990 are reported from the Mayo Clinic.
Likelihood window, energy window, and Bayesian window for scatter rejection in gamma cameras

All gamma cameras used in nuclear medicine have finite energy resolution. Therefore, they cannot perfectly discriminate scattered from unscattered radiation. Different scatter correction methods have been developed to reduce this effect, but it is better to reject scatter events in data acquisition instead of doing scatter correction afterwards. Most conventional ways of rejecting scatter events use energy windows (EWs). An alternative introduced by Milster et al. (1990) is the likelihood window (LW). The authors use this method in their modular gamma scintillation camera that has a 2/spl times/2 array of photomultipliers (PMTs) coupled to a NaI(Tl) crystal. The authors have developed yet another scatter rejection scheme, the Bayesian window (BW). In contrast to the LW and EW, the BW takes into account the simulated or actual scatter spectrum in making a decision to accept or reject a particular photon. The authors compare the effectiveness of scatter rejection by BW, LW, and EW. >
Reconstructing the evolution of molecular interaction networks under the DMC and link dynamics models

Molecular interaction networks have emerged as a powerful data source for answering a plethora of biological questions ranging from how cells make decisions to how species evolve. The availability of such data from multiple organisms allows for their analysis from an evolutionary perspective. Indeed, work has emerged recently on network alignment, ancestral network reconstruction, and phylogenetic inference based on networks. In this paper, we address two central issues in the area of evolutionary analysis of molecular interaction networks, namely (1) correcting genetic distances derived from observed differences between networks, and (2) reconstructing ancestral networks from extant ones. We address both issues computationally under the link dynamics and duplication-mutation with complementarity (DMC) evolutionary models. We demonstrate the utility and accuracy of our methods on biological and simulated data.
“See Media”: Coco Fusco’s Direct Address and the Performance of In/Security

AbstractA Room of One’s Own: Women and Power in the New America (2006–2008) is a multi-media performance art piece by visual artist Coco Fusco. In a lecture style performance staged at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as part of their 2007 symposium The Feminist Future: Theory and Practice in the Visual Arts, Fusco explores the use of women in US military interrogation efforts during the height of the War on Terror and – problematic and violent as it may be – mounts a parallel attack against the art world itself. Although invited to speak, Fusco speaks (performs) out of turn – and out of sync in order to level a critique at the very establishment in which the symposium was held. In doing so, Fusco directs our attention towards the interwoven workings of power, surveillance, silence, and the making and the performances of particular kinds of citizen/subjects/enemy combatants/art objects/interrogators/artists. This article seeks to address how visual culture and US military security discourses are inextricab...
Collaborative Autoethnography as a Pathway for Transformative Learning

Through the exercise of collaborative autoethnography, we propose intentional and purposeful dialogue can act as a pathway for transformative learning. We seek to first deepen our understandings of...
ΔFosB Regulates Gene Expression and Cognitive Dysfunction in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive decline and 5- to 10-fold increased seizure incidence. How seizures contribute to cognitive decline in AD or other disorders is unclear. We show that spontaneous seizures increase expression of ΔFosB, a highly stable Fos-family transcription factor, in the hippocampus of an AD mouse model. ΔFosB suppressed expression of the immediate early gene c-Fos, which is critical for plasticity and cognition, by binding its promoter and triggering histone deacetylation. Acute histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition or inhibition of ΔFosB activity restored c-Fos induction and improved cognition in AD mice. Administration of seizure-inducing agents to nontransgenic mice also resulted in ΔFosB-mediated suppression of c-Fos, suggesting that this mechanism is not confined to AD mice. These results explain observations that c-Fos expression increases after acute neuronal activity but decreases with chronic activity. Moreover, these results indicate a general mechanism by which seizures contribute to persistent cognitive deficits, even during seizure-free periods.
Category A Diseases and Agents

This chapter covers Category C diseases and agents. These emerging diseases present a very unique challenge to public health officials and infectious disease specialists. Perhaps they have been with us for millions of years, lurking in a dark corner of the environment, waiting for an opportunity to jump from their natural cycle of transmission to a human host. Or they may represent something totally new. Regardless of their origin, an emerging disease pathogen must be characterized quickly by molecular biologists and microbiologists. The dynamics of disease transmission must be investigated by teams of epidemiologists. Treatment regimens must be formulated by clinicians working on the frontlines of the outbreak. Disease prevention strategies and risk communications must be quickly formulated by public health officials. Finally, media attention for emerging disease outbreaks forces government officials at all levels to address the problem with planning and preparedness activities aimed at preserving the health of the public. Specific examples explored in this chapter include Nipah virus, hantavirus, West Nile fever virus, and the coronaviruses that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome.
The power of stories: Facilitating social communication in children with limited language abilities:

Children with limited language expression and comprehension abilities are at risk for academic failure, particularly in literacy acquisition. In addition, these children often have poor social outc...
Providing Quality Rights Metadata for Digital Collections Through RightsStatements.org

In April 2016, the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and Europeana officially introduced RightsStatements.org, a new controlled vocabulary for international, standardized, machine-operable statements about the copyright status of digital resources. This article describes the rights statements, provides guidance and examples on how to apply the most common ones, and addresses common pitfalls. It outlines how assigning rights statements fits into the digital resources workflow at Penn State, including contributing to the DPLA through PA Digital, Pennsylvania’s Service Hub. Finally, it offers suggested resources for libraries and other cultural heritage institutions to help make their own rights determinations when they lack the expertise of a copyright officer.
Words That Kill: Rhetoric and Reality in the Discourse of the Front National

Since Marine Le Pen's accession to the leadership of France’s National Front in 2011, she has concertedly sought to “normalize” the party’s far-right political platform and rhetoric. In this respect, she has been wildly successful: party membership has doubled from 40,000 to 80,000, and its electoral base has greatly expanded. Thus since the May 2014 European parliamentary elections, the National Front has become France’s leading vote getter. In the first round of the December 2015 regional elections, it attained an unprecedented 28% of the vote. Given Europe’s ongoing migration crisis as well as the spate of recent terrorist attacks that has shaken confidence in the capacity of France’s mainstream parties to keep the nation safe, many analysts have forecast a National Front victory in the upcoming 2017 presidential elections. The successful “normalization” of the National Front under Marine Le Pen’s leadership raises the important question: are the differences with the old National Front, as led by Marine’s father Jean-Marie Le Pen, disparities of substance or are they largely rhetorical? Attention to the subtleties and nuances of political language yield a results that are both revealing and highly disturbing.
Coastal Stratocumulus cloud edge forecasts

Abstract Improved coastal stratocumulus (Sc) cloud forecasts are needed because traditional satellite cloud motion vectors (CMV) do not accurately predict how Sc clouds move or dissipate in time, which often results in an underprediction of irradiance in the morning hours. CMV forecasts assume clouds move in the direction of the average regional wind field, which is not necessarily the case for Sc clouds. Sc clouds over the land form at night and typically reach their maximum coverage before sunrise. During the day, heating from solar radiation at the surface and entrainment of dry and warm air from above causes Sc clouds to dissipate. A Sc cloud edge forecast using Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite is proposed to improve Sc cloud dissipation forecasts during the day. The inland edge of the Sc clouds is tracked in time and extrapolated into the future. For coastal regions where land elevation increases away from the coast, such as coastal California, the Sc cloud inland boundary is correlated to the land elevation. Dissipation after sunrise often follows land elevation as the mass of air required to be heated to become cloud-free decreases with increasing elevation as cloud top height is fairly constant along the cloud edge. The correlation between land elevation and the Sc cloud eastern boundary is exploited by extrapolating the evolution of cloud edge elevation in time. This method is tested in central and northern California on 25 days and in southern California on 19 days. When compared to the CMV (persistence forecasts), the proposed Sc cloud edge forecasts show a reduction of 30 W m−2 (104 W m−2) in hourly mean absolute error (MAE) of global horizontal irradiance (GHI). Additionally, out of 11 stations the Sc cloud edge forecast results show a higher forecast skill than CMV (persistence) at 7 (9) stations.
Selective Isolation of Epithelial Cells in Primary Explant Cultures of Human and Animal Tissues

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the selective isolation of epithelial cells in primary explant cultures of human and animal tissues. There are many methods employed for the selective isolation of epithelial cells from fragments of human or animal tissues. Flaxman cultured pieces of human skin in plasma clots on coverslips and obtained outgrowths composed of epidermal keratinocytes in a proliferative state. Only 5% of the cultures exhibited some fibroblast outgrowth. Success in obtaining purified cultures of mammary epithelial cells occurred only when the collecting ducts were dissected free from the surrounding connective tissue prior to placing them in culture. Cole and DeVellis derived relatively pure populations of glial and nerve cells by culturing fragments of human and animal brain tissues between pieces of perforated cellophane in Petri dishes. The fibroblasts and other connective tissue cells migrated through the cellophane perforations to the floor of the dishes while the glial and nerve cells migrated and extended their processes between the two layers of cellophane. The pigskin technique involves the culture of pieces of minced tissue on pigskin. The cells that grew generally retained the morphological and functional features of the organ in vivo.
The biologic activity of enzymically-altered E. Coli transfer RNA.

Abstract Transfer RNA (s-RNA) retains the ability to both accept and transfer amino acids after heating and after exposure to 6 M urea (Takanami, et , al. , 1961). Preiss, et , al. , (1959) have shown that acceptor activity is destroyed by limited digestion with venom diesterase, whereas comparable digestion with spleen diesterase had less effect. Data are presented in this paper which show that removal of the terminal 5′-phosphate from s-RNA does not diminish these biologic activities. On the other hand, most of the transfer, as well as the acceptor, activity is lost after partial digestion by spleen phosphodiesterase.
Transport Functions of the Blood-Retinal Barrier System and the Micro-Environment of the Retina

As we shall see, the blood-retinal barrier system consists of at least three topographically, morphologically and functionally distinct components. Experimental approaches to the demonstration and definition of ocular transport processes across various regions of this barrier system are manifold, and in most cases no single approach can prove the existence of transport. Yet, it appears that with the exception of dissolved gases, virtually all normal solutes and drugs enter into or are removed from the intraocular fluids (IOFs), including the extracellular fluids (ECFs) of the retina, by facilitated or active transport processes across the blood-aqueous and blood-retinal barriers. A complete review of this field is clearly beyond the scope of this article. We shall, therefore, focus on principles rather than details, and will present data and references which are illustrative rather than inclusive.
Forms of Investment

We survey here the types of investment that are available to individuals. There are many, but by end of our tour, I hope to convince you that stocks and bonds are the optimal choices for income. Complicated investments tend to have high fees and much higher risk profiles. We’ll start with stocks and bonds and then show you other, less wonderful options.
Optimal estimation for imaging spectrometer atmospheric correction

Abstract We present a new method for atmospheric correction of remote Visible Shortwave Infrared (VSWIR) imaging spectroscopy. Our approach fits a combined model of atmospheric scattering, absorption, and surface reflectance across the solar reflected interval from 380 to 2500 nm. This can estimate spectrally-broad atmospheric perturbations such as aerosol effects that are difficult to retrieve with narrow spectral windows. A probabilistic formulation from Optimal Estimation inversion theory accounts for uncertainties in model parameters and measurement noise. This paper presents a field experiment using NASA's Next Generation Visible/Near Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-NG) with analysis of retrieval accuracy and information content. The inversion outperforms traditional approaches, achieving mean reflectance accuracy of 1.0% on diverse validation surfaces. Predicted posterior distributions fully explain the observed discrepancies, demonstrating the first closed uncertainty budget for VSWIR imaging spectrometer atmospheric correction. This shows the potential of combined surface/atmosphere fitting to advance the accuracy and statistical rigor of remote reflectance measurements.
Adsorption, Proteins with Synthetic Materials

Introduction Interfaces Proteins at Interfaces General Features of Adsorption from Single-Protein Solutions Competitive Adsorption Bibliography Keywords: adhesion; adsorption; adsorption kinetics; competitive adsorption; conformational change; exchange reaction; interface; kinetic modeling; surface energetics; synthetic materials
Getting to the Core of Close Reading: What Do We Really Know and What Remains to Be Seen?.

Due to the Common Core State Standards, close reading is becoming a common practice in today’s elementary and middle school classrooms. Qualitative content analysis of journal publications was used...
Nonlinear Instability of Periodic Traveling Waves

We study the local dynamics of $L^{2}\left(\mathbb{R}\right)$-perturbations to the zero solution of spatially $2\pi$-periodic coefficient reaction-diffusion systems. In this case the spectrum of the linearization about the zero solution is purely essential and may be described via the point spectrum of a one-parameter family of Bloch operators. When this essential spectrum is unstable, we characterize a large class of initial perturbations which lead to nonlinear instability of the trivial solution. This is accomplished by using the Bloch transform to construct an appropriate projection to capture the maximum amount of linear exponential growth associated to the initial perturbation arising from the unstable eigenvalues of the Bloch operators. This result is also extended to dissipative systems of conservation laws.
Application of neural networks in multiphase flow through porous media: Predicting capillary pressure and relative permeability curves

Abstract Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are trained to simulate two-phase capillary pressure and relative permeability data in bundles of capillary tubes with non-uniform arbitrary wettability conditions and cross-sectional shapes of different irregular convex polygons. All polygons with variable number of corners are randomly generated for a given range of inscribed radii, shape, and elongation factors. To generate the data for the training of ANNs, the minimization of Helmholtz free energy and Mayer-Stowe-Princen (MS-P) method are combined to find thermodynamically consistent threshold capillary pressures for two-phase flow. These capillary pressures are then used to determine the sequence of displacements in different capillary tubes. We calculate saturations and phase conductance at each quasi steady-state condition where no more displacements can be done for a given capillary pressure. The generated two-phase capillary pressure and relative permeability curves are then used for the training of ANNs. We test different designs of ANNs to find the optimal workflow for the training and predicting of petrophysical properties related to multiphase flow. In this work, we present the results of two different neural network structures. In the first structure, we use ANN to predict threshold capillary pressures of different capillary tubes during a drainage process (i.e., oil-to-water displacements). In the second structure, we predict capillary pressure and relative permeability curves for an arbitrary bundle of capillary tubes. The first structure of ANNs simulates a fixed property for a given capillary tube, whereas the second structure simulates time-series data format (i.e., for a given bundle of capillary tubes calculated properties vary with saturation). To do so, we have generated multi-phase flow properties for two large datasets consisting of 40,000 and 60,000 capillary tubes each. High-quality training datasets are critical in the training of high-fidelity ANN models. These models can then learn the impact of a wide variety of pore geometries (i.e., shape factors and elongations). Additionally, feature selection and preprocessing of the input data could significantly impact ANN's predictions. The multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network with three hidden layers with four outputs is adequate for predicting capillary pressure and relative permeability curves during drainage. This model is approximately an order of magnitude faster than conventional direct calculations using a desktop computer with four cores CPU. Such improvement in the speed of calculations becomes significant when dealing with larger models, more dimensions, and/or introducing pore connectivity in 3D.
Active/Reactive Locational Pricing in Distribution Networks

Electric power distribution systems are undergoing fundamental changes with the advent of distributed generation, microgrids, and proactive customers willing to exercise demand response. These new emerging phenomena create new challenges in operating distribution systems, leading to proposals calling for distribution system operators to be established to oversee the distribution system reliability, administer its operation, and serve as an interface between the resources at the distribution level with the wholesale market. The specific characteristics of distribution systems, such as low X/R ratio and radial or weakly meshed structure, necessitates special considerations when modelling their operation. This paper develops a model to operate the distribution system in a practical manner, considering voltage limitations, losses, and reactive power, to be used for marginal pricing at system nodes. A linearized power flow model is proposed and utilized to solve the distribution market operation problem, further helping the calculation of locational marginal prices and enabling sensitivity analysis with respect to losses, line congestion, and voltage limits.
Bias-Induced Threshold Voltage Instability and Interface Trap Density Extraction of 4H-SiC MOSFETs

In this paper, the results of electrical reliability measurements of commercially available 1200 V Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs are reported. The threshold voltage shift caused by interface states and the trapped charges near the SiC/SiO 2 interface is observed under positive and negative DC-bias-stress over 50 hours. Threshold voltage reduction with temperature is also reported for devices from different vendors. Negative shift of subthreshold characteristics under the negative bias stress and high drain bias at elevated temperature indicates that the threshold voltage of the devices should be increased by at least 1–2 V. Extracted interface state density using subthreshold $I-V$ curves indicates very different SiC/SiO 2 interface for devices from different vendors.
Dual antiplatelet therapy after carotid artery stenting: trends and outcomes in a large national database

Background While dual antiplatelet therapy (dAPT) is standard of care following carotid artery stenting (CAS), the optimal dAPT regimen and duration has not been established. Methods We canvassed a large national database (IBM MarketScan) to identify patients receiving carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or CAS for treatment of ischemic stroke or carotid artery stenosis from 2007 to 2016. We performed univariable and multivariable regression methods to evaluate the impact of covariates on post-CAS stroke-free survival, including post-discharge antiplatelet therapy. Results A total of 79 084 patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke or carotid stenosis received CEA (71 178; 90.0%) or CAS (7906; 10.0%). After adjusting for covariates, Conclusions Increased duration of post-CAS dAPT is associated with lower rates of readmissions for stroke, and with increased risk of hemorrhagic complications, particularly extracranial hemorrhage. The potential benefit of prolonging dAPT with regard to ischemic complications must be balanced with the corresponding increased risk of predominantly extracranial hemorrhagic complications.
Development and Application of a Core Genome Multilocus Sequence Typing Scheme for the Health Care-Associated Pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that frequently causes health care-associated infections (HAIs). Due to its metabolic diversity and ability to form biofilms, this Gram-negative nonfermenting bacterium can persist in the health care environment, which can lead to prolonged HAI outbreaks. We describe the creation of a core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) scheme to provide a stable platform for the rapid comparison of P. aeruginosa isolates using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data. We used a diverse set of 58 complete P. aeruginosa genomes to curate a set of 4,440 core genes found in each isolate, representing ∼64% of the average genome size. We then expanded the alleles for each gene using 1,991 contig-level genome sequences. The scheme was used to analyze genomes from four historical HAI outbreaks to compare the phylogenies generated using cgMLST to those of other means (traditional MLST, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis [PFGE], and single-nucleotide variant [SNV] analysis). The cgMLST scheme provides sufficient resolution for analyzing individual outbreaks, as well as the stability for comparisons across a variety of isolates encountered in surveillance studies, making it a valuable tool for the rapid analysis of P. aeruginosa genomes.
Predictors of 30- and 90-Day Readmissions After Complex Abdominal Wall Reconstruction With Biological Mesh: A Longitudinal Study of 232 Patients.

Hospital readmissions are recognized as indicators of poor healthcare services which further increase patient morbidity. The aim of this study is to analyze predicting factors for the 30-day and 90-day readmissions after a complex abdominal wall reconstruction (CAWR). A pooled analysis of the prospective study and retrospective database patients undergoing CAWR with acellular porcine dermis from 2012 to 2019 was carried out. Independent t test for continuous variables and Chi-square and Fischer's exact tests for categorical variables were used. A multivariable logistic regression model and linear regression analysis were used to analyze the independent predictors of 30-day and 90-day readmissions. A total of 232 patients underwent CAWR, and the readmission rate (RR) was 16.8% (n = 40). The 30-day and 90-day RR was 11.3% (n = 23) and 13.3% (n = 33), respectively. There were no statistical differences in age, frailty, and gender distribution between the two groups. There was no difference in ASA score, type of component separation, ventral hernia working group class, size of the biological mesh, placement of mesh, and intestinal resection rate. The Clavien–Dindo complications and mean comprehensive complication index (CCI) were higher in the readmission group as compared to no readmission group (p < 0.01). Readmitted patients had higher surgical site infections (p < 0.01) and wound necrosis (p = 0.01). Higher CCI, past or concomitant pelvic surgery, and the presence of enterocutaneous fistula were independent predictors of earlier days to readmission. Surgical site occurrences were associated with 30-day and 90-day readmissions after CAWR, while the presence of ascites and dialysis was associated with 90-day readmissions.
Heritability of acoustic startle magnitude and latency from the consortium on the genetics of schizophrenia

Abstract Background Latency of the acoustic startle reflex is the time from presentation of the startling stimulus until the response, and provides an index of neural processing speed. Schizophrenia subjects exhibit slowed latency compared to healthy controls. One prior publication reported significant heritability of latency. The current study was undertaken to replicate and extend this solitary finding in a larger cohort. Methods Schizophrenia probands, their relatives, and control subjects from the Consortium on the Genetics of Schizophrenia (COGS-1) were tested in a paradigm to ascertain magnitude, latency, and prepulse inhibition of startle. Trial types in the paradigm were: pulse-alone, and trials with 30, 60, or 120 ms between the prepulse and pulse. Comparisons of subject groups were conducted with ANCOVAs to assess startle latency and magnitude. Heritability of startle magnitude and latency was analyzed with a variance component method implemented in SOLAR v.4.3.1. Results 980 subjects had analyzable startle results: 199 schizophrenia probands, 456 of their relatives, and 325 controls. A mixed-design ANCOVA on startle latency in the four trial types was significant for subject group (F(2,973) = 4.45, p = 0.012) such that probands were slowest, relatives were intermediate and controls were fastest. Magnitude to pulse-alone trials differed significantly between groups by ANCOVA (F(2,974) = 3.92, p = 0.020) such that controls were lowest, probands highest, and relatives intermediate. Heritability was significant (p Conclusion Both startle latency and magnitude are significantly heritable in the COGS-1 cohort. Startle latency is a strong candidate for being an endophenotype in schizophrenia.
Spillover effects of central cities on sustainability efforts in a metropolitan area

Metropolitan cities can serve as laboratories of sustainable development by experimenting with innovative sustainability programs while leveraging the advantages of metropolitan areas. With the importance of cities’ sustainability efforts, scholars have increasingly explored what factors motivate local governments to implement voluntary sustainability programs by focusing on internal government and community characteristics. However, what is missing in the previous discussion is whether city governments respond to sustainability efforts by other government entities, especially neighboring local governments. Drawing on institutional and policy diffusion theories, we analyzed the sustainability programs of 251 suburban cities in 66 metropolitan areas. We find that suburban cities are likely to consider sustainability efforts of central cities in the same metropolitan area when determining the extent to which they implement their sustainability programs. However, they are not necessarily responsive to sustainability efforts of nearby suburban cities. Our research sheds light on how local governments’ sustainability policy decisions are affected by their relationships with other local governments. It also provides policy implications for the important role of central cities in facilitating collective sustainability efforts in metropolitan areas.
Effectiveness of Dual Medication Therapy (Oral Acetaminophen and Oral Ibuprofen) for the Management of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in Extremely Premature Infants: A Feasibility Trial

Objective The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of dual medication therapy (DMT) with oral acetaminophen and oral ibuprofen for the closure of a hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA). Study Design In a prospective case–control cohort study (July 2017–May 2019), infants 0.5 were eligible. Infants received 10 mg/kg oral ibuprofen followed by two additional doses of 5 mg/kg at 24 and 48 hours after the initial ibuprofen dose and concomitant treatment with 15 mg/kg oral acetaminophen every 6 hours for 3 days (12 doses). Success of PDA treatment was defined as a small or absent PDA as ascertained by echocardiographic measurements. The p-values of comparisons were adjusted for multiple comparisons to preserve an error rate of 5%. Results Overall, 20 infants received oral DMT and 11 infants received intravenous single medication therapy (SMT) with ibuprofen. The rates of successful PDA treatment following the first treatment in DMT and SMT groups were not statistically different (11/20 [55%] vs. 4/11 [36%], p = 0.46). However, DMT significantly decreased PDA size (mean difference = 0.54 mm, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.21–0.96, adjusted p-value = 0.0002) and PDA/LPA ratio (mean difference = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.10–0.47, adjusted p-value = 0.0004). We observed no evidence of hematologic, hepatic, or renal impairment. Conclusion DMT achieved a greater degree of PDA closure than SMT and did not result in abnormalities in hepatic and renal profile. Key Points
Investigating Dynamics among Complainant, Bystander, and Advocate for Service Recovery via Corporate Social Media (CSM)

The role of other consumers in webcare has been underexplored in the setting of CSM for fashion brands. The current research fills the void by portraying a dynamic network among complainant who posts the complaining message, advocate who replies to the complaint, and bystander who observes the service interaction. Specifically, this study investigates how the tones of advocate’s defensive response affect bystander’s service evaluation and how complainant-bystander’s psychological distance serves as a boundary for bystander’s information processing. Study 1 reveals consumer-to-consumer (C2C) interactional justice as a mechanism underlying the relationship between defensive response and satisfaction with complaint handling. Study 2 demonstrates that bystander’s perceived distance to the failure experience moderates his/her cognitive processing of C2C service interactions. Both theoretical and practical implications regarding service management on CSM for fashion retailers are also discussed.
Amino acid analog induces stress response in marine Synechococcus .

Characterizing the cell-level metabolic trade-offs that phytoplankton exhibit in response to changing environmental conditions is important for predicting the impact of these changes on marine food web dynamics and biogeochemical cycling. The time-selective proteome-labeling approach, bioorthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT), has potential to provide insight into differential allocation of resources at the cellular level, especially when coupled with proteomics. However, the application of this technique in marine phytoplankton remains limited. We demonstrate that the marine cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. and two groups of eukaryotic algae take up the modified amino acid l-homopropargylglycine (HPG), suggesting that BONCAT can be used to detect translationally active phytoplankton. However, the impact of HPG addition on growth dynamics varied between groups of phytoplankton. In addition, proteomic analysis of Synechococcus cells grown with HPG revealed a physiological shift in nitrogen metabolism, general protein stress, and energy production, indicating a potential limitation for the use of BONCAT in understanding the cell-level response of Synechococcus sp. to environmental change. Variability in HPG sensitivity between algal groups and the impact of HPG on Synechococcus physiology indicates that particular considerations should be taken when applying this technique to other marine taxa or mixed marine microbial communities. IMPORTANCE Phytoplankton form the base of the marine food web and substantially impact global energy and nutrient flow. Marine picocyanobacteria of the genus Synechococcus comprise a large portion of phytoplankton biomass in the ocean and therefore are important model organisms. The technical challenges of environmental proteomics in mixed microbial communities have limited our ability to detect the cell-level adaptations of phytoplankton communities to a changing environment. The proteome labeling technique, bioorthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT), has potential to address some of these challenges by simplifying proteomic analyses. This study explores the ability of marine phytoplankton to take up the modified amino acid, l-homopropargylglycine (HPG), required for BONCAT, and investigates the proteomic response of Synechococcus to HPG. We not only demonstrate that cyanobacteria can take up HPG but also highlight the physiological impact of HPG on Synechococcus, which has implications for future applications of this technique in the marine environment.
Selecting Research Advisors

If you have ever taken a long trip with a companion, particularly one that spans a number of days, you will realize the importance of having the “right” travel partner. While traveling with the right person usually results in a great trip, travel with the wrong travel companion can increase the challenges or frustrations of your trip, as well as complicate reaching your destination according to plan.
On Approximating an Implicit Cover Problem in Biology

In an implicit combinatorial optimization problem, the constraints are not enumerated explicitly but rather stated implicitly through equations, other constraints or auxiliary algorithms. An important subclass of such problems is the implicit set cover (or, equivalently, hitting set) problem in which the sets are not given explicitly but rather defined implicitly. For example, the well-known minimum feedback arc set problem is such a problem. In this paper, we consider such a cover problem that arises in the study of wild populations in biology in which the sets are defined implicitly via the Mendelian constraints and prove approximability results for this problem.
Real time video data mining for surveillance video streams

We extend our previous work [1] of the general framework for video data mining to further address the issue such as how to mine video data using motions in video streams. To extract and characterize these motions, we use an accumulation of quantized pixel differences among all frames in a video segment. As a result, the accumulated motions of segment are represented as a two dimensional matrix. Further, we develop how to capture the location of motions occurring in a segment using the same matrix generated for the calculation of the amount. We study how to cluster those segmented pieces using the features (the amount and the location of motions) we extract by the matrix above. We investigate an algorithm to find whether a segment has normal or abnormal events by clustering and modeling normal events, which occur mostly. In addition to deciding normal or abnormal, the algorithm computes Degree of Abnormality of a segment, which represents to what extent a segment is distant to the existing segments in relation with normal events. Our experimental studies indicate that the proposed techniques are promising.
The tal gene undergoes chromosome translocation in T cell leukemia and potentially encodes a helix-loop-helix protein.

Abstract We have analyzed t(1;14)(p32;q11) chromosome translocations from two patients with T cell acute lymphocytic leukemia. The chromosome 1 breakpoints of these patients lie within a kilobasepair of each other, and thus define a genetic locus (designated tal) involved in T cell oncogenesis. Moreover, we have identified sequences within tal that potentially encode an amphipathic helix-loop-helix motif, a DNA-binding domain found in a variety of proteins that control cell growth and differentiation. The homology domain of tal is especially related to that of lyl-1, a gene on chromosome 19 that has also been implicated in T cell oncogenesis. Hence, tal and lyl-1 encode a distinct family of helix-loop-helix proteins involved in the malignant development of lymphocytes.