cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Digging Deeper into CYP3A Testosterone Metabolism: Kinetic, Regioselectivity, and Stereoselectivity Differences between CYP3A4/5 and CYP3A7.

The metabolism of testosterone to 6β-hydroxytestosterone (6β-OH-T) is a commonly used assay to evaluate human CYP3A enzyme activities. However, previous reports have indicated that CYP3A7 also produces 2α-hydroxytestosterone (2α-OH-T) and that a 2α-OH-T/6β-OH-T ratio may be a unique endogenous biomarker of the activity of the enzyme. Until now, the full metabolite and kinetic profile for testosterone hydroxylation by CYP3A7 has not been fully examined. To this end, we performed a complete kinetic analysis of the 6β-OH-T, 2α-OH-T, and 2β-hydroxytestosterone metabolites for recombinant Supersome CYP3A4, CYP3A5, and CYP3A7 enzymes and monitored metabolism in fetal and adult human liver microsomes for comparison. In general, a decrease in the velocity of the reaction was observed between CYP3A4 and the two other enzymes, with CYP3A7 showing the lowest metabolic capacity. Interestingly, we found that the 2α-OH-T/6β-OH-T ratio varied with substrate concentration when testosterone was incubated with CYP3A7, suggesting that this ratio would likely not function well as a biomarker for CYP3A7 activity. In silico docking studies revealed at least two different binding modes for testosterone between CYP3A4 and CYP3A7. In CYP3A4, the most energetically favorable docking mode places testosterone in a position with the methyl groups directed toward the heme iron, which is more favorable for oxidation at C6β, whereas for CYP3A7 the testosterone methyl groups are positioned away from the heme, which is more favorable for an oxidation event at C2α. In conclusion, our data indicate an alternative binding mode for testosterone in CYP3A7 that favors the 2α-hydroxylation, suggesting significant structural differences in its active site compared with CYP3A4/5.
Optimization of optical proximity correction to reduce mask write time using genetic algorithm

The ever increasing pattern densities and design complexities make the tuning of optical proximity correction (OPC) recipes very challenging. One known method for tuning is genetic algorithm (GA). Previously GA has been demonstrated to fine tune OPC recipes in order to achieve better results for possible 1D and 2D geometric concerns like bridging and pinching. This method, however, did not take into account the impact of excess segmentation on downstream operations like fracturing and mask writing. This paper introduces a general methodology to significantly reduce the number of excess edges in the OPC output, thus reducing the number of flashes generated at fracture and subsequently the write time at mask build. GA is used to reduce the degree of unwarranted segmentation while ensuring good OPC quality. An Objective Function (OF) is utilized to ensure quality convergence and process-variation (PV) plus an additional weighed factor to reduce clustered edge count. The technique is applied to 14nm metal layer OPC recipes in order to identify excess segmentation and to produce a modified recipe that significantly reduces these segments. OPC output file sizes is shown to be reduced by 15% or more and overall edge count is shown to be reduced by 10% or more. At the same time overall quality of the OPC recipe is shown to be maintained via OPC Verification (OPCV) results.
NADPH oxidase 4-derived superoxide mediates flow-stimulated NKCC2 activity in thick ascending limbs

Luminal flow augments Na+ reabsorption in the thick ascending limb more than can be explained by increased ion delivery. This segment reabsorbs 30% of the filtered load of Na+, playing a key role i...
A cost-effective far-field antenna pattern measurement system

A low-cost far-field antenna measurement solution is developed and presented. In an increasingly wireless society, it is important to be able to characterize antennas. Unfortunately, determining antenna radiation pattern characteristics is an involved and often expensive process. The presented system provides a complete combination of hardware and software that can be used for far-field pattern measurements of an antenna operating in the 700 MHz to 18 GHz range. This would allow institutions and groups with few resources to be able to characterize the radiation pattern of antennas for many emerging applications.
Validation of the Brief Sense of Community Scale among youth of color from an underserved urban community

Neighborhood sense of community (SOC) is a key construct in the community psychology literature. While the research on neighborhood SOC has progressed significantly, there is a need to further validate the Brief Sense of Community Scale (BSCS) among youth. A critical area of scholarship, therefore, is to examine the factor structure of the BSCS among a cohort of adolescents, particularly from the United States. This study tested the factor structure of the BSCS among a sample of urban youth of color (N = 383) using SPSS AMOS, a structural equation modeling software. After testing the factor structure, we examined the relationships between each of the BSCS subscales and conceptually related variables (e.g., psychological empowerment, relational power, and school importance). Results from this study confirm the first- and second-order factor structure of the BSCS among youth. BSCS and its underlying subscales were both correlated with one another and correlated with the intrapersonal component of psychological empowerment, relational power, and school importance. Our findings have critical implications for the field of community psychology and the development and use of the BSCS among adolescents.
Beyond the Slave Narrative: Before Malcolm X, Dessalines: Postcoloniality in a Colonial World

Nous avons ose etre libres sans l'etre, par nous-memes et pour nous-memes (We dared to be free when we were not free, by ourselves and for ourselves) Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Haitian Declaration of Independence, January, 1804 … que les puissances n'accordent jamais aux peuples qui, comme nous, sont les artisans de leur propre liberte (… which powers never concede to people like us who are the authors of their own liberty) Jean-Jacques Dessalines, acceptance of his nomination as emperor, August, 1804 Struggles against colonialism and slavery are not inevitably, but rather circumstantially, aligned, even within the same hemispheric region and historical period. Haiti's literature, from the 1804 independence onward, was postcolonial: it remained infused with anti-colonial fervor and was sometimes oriented toward future regional decolonizations. In the U.S., the Afro-diasporic population focused its political imagination on emancipation from slavery. The slave narrative, despite its dominant themes of human subjugation in a racialized context, is difficult to situate with regard to colonial or postcolonial dynamics. Although William Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Tiffin proposed in 1989 that the independence of the United States from Britain constituted an example of eighteenth-century postcolonialism, independence from Britain certainly did not entail a historical rupture with racial hierarchies and contingent practices of enslavement as they had developed in this New World space.
Biliteracy of African American and Latinx Kindergarten Students in a Dual-Language Program: Understanding Students’ Translanguaging Practices Across Informal Assessments:

This article uses a translanguaging framework, together with critical case sampling and qualitative analysis, to explore how six students approached literacy in an integrated dual-language (DL) pro...
Cadaveric study investigating the mechanism of action of erector spinae blockade.

To the editor , As we work to integrate erector spinae plane (ESP) blocks into our own practice, we would like to thank Ivanusic et al [1][1] for their elegant study of the block’s mechanism of action. Our division continues to expand its application of ESP blocks, both single shots and catheters
The advantage of indices of dispersion in queueing approximations

Abstract A recent robust queueing approximation for open queueing networks exploits partial characterizations of each arrival process by its rate and index of dispersion for counts (IDC), which is a scaled version of the variance–time curve. Even though only means and variances (as functions of time) are involved, we show that the IDC provides a basis for more accurate approximations than traditional two-moment partial characterizations. For the G I ∕ G I ∕ 1 queue, this approach applied to the arrival and service processes fully characterizes the model.
The Absorption Coefficient of Hard Gamma-Rays

The relation between the frequency of hard radiations and the absorption coefficient is not experimentally well established at the present time. In order to obtain definite information it is necessary to use a radiation with high homogeneity. γ-Rays from ThC” are found to fulfill this requirement. Investigations of the absorption coefficient of these rays have been made by Russell and Soddy,(1) and Rutherford and Richardson,(2) almost 20 years ago before the modem technique of sensitive current measurement was developed.
Factor Analysis for High-Dimensional Time Series with Change Point

We consider change-point latent factor models for high-dimensional time series, where a structural break may exist in the underlying factor structure. In particular, we propose consistent estimators for factor loading spaces before and after the change point, and the problem of estimating the change-point location is also considered. Compared with existing results on change-point factor analysis of high-dimensional time series, a distinguished feature of the current paper is that our results allow strong cross-sectional dependence in the noise process. To accommodate the unknown degree of cross-sectional dependence strength, we propose to use self-normalization to pivotalize the change-point test statistic. Numerical experiments including a Monte Carlo simulation study and a real data application are presented to illustrate the proposed methods.
Revision rotator cuff repair: a systematic review

Background The incidence of revision rotator cuff repair (RCR) has increased along with the incidence of primary RCR over the past 2 decades. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review to analyze the clinical outcomes of revision RCR and chiefly to identify prognostic factors that may influence postoperative outcomes. Methods The PubMed, MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Elsevier), and Cochrane Library (Wiley) databases were searched from database inception through November 2018 for studies assessing revision RCR. All studies were screened in duplicate for eligibility. Pooled analysis correlations between mean preoperative range-of-motion measures, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores, and visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores and mean postoperative outcomes with revision RCR were examined via linear regression and reported with the strength of the Spearman correlation coefficient (rs). Results A total of 22 studies met the inclusion criteria, including 3 level III and 19 level IV studies. Mean preoperative forward flexion had the greatest correlation with the mean postoperative ASES score (rs = 0.98). A strong positive correlation was also found between mean preoperative forward flexion and mean postoperative forward flexion (rs = 0.83). The mean preoperative VAS pain score was strongly correlated with the mean postoperative VAS pain score (rs = 0.88) and demonstrated a moderate negative association with the mean postoperative ASES score (rs = –0.48). Finally, the mean preoperative ASES score was moderately correlated with the mean postoperative ASES score (rs = 0.56). Conclusions The results of this systematic review demonstrate favorable clinical outcomes following RCR revision performed both in an open manner and arthroscopically. Preoperative forward flexion was identified as a possible prognostic factor for improved outcomes.
Biosynthesis and Mechanism of Action of Antifungal Peptidyl Nucleoside Natural Products

Abstract Nikkomycins and polyoxins constitute a class of antifungal peptidyl nucleoside (PN) natural products. These compounds exhibit highly selective antifungal activities by inhibiting chitin synthase, an enzyme essential for the formation of fungal cell wall. Since chitin synthase does not exist in humans, animals, or plants, PNs have been used successfully as environmentally and human-safe fungicides for organic agriculture. Furthermore, nikkomycin Z has been under development with orphan-drug status for the treatment of endemic fungal infectious diseases. This article will comprehensively review the structure–activity relationships, mechanisms of action and resistance, and the biosynthesis of PNs and related nucleoside natural products. These topics constitute the critical basis for the successful future development of these compounds into medicinally or agriculturally useful antifungal agents.
Clinical Outcomes of Mortality, Readmissions, and Ischemic Stroke Among Medicare Patients Undergoing Left Atrial Appendage Closure via Implanted Device.

Importance Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) has emerged as a nonpharmacological alternative for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Contemporary data regarding the characteristics and outcomes of patients undergoing this procedure are limited. Objective To determine the characteristics, postprocedural mortality rate, and rates of readmission and ischemic stroke among Medicare beneficiaries who underwent LAAC via implanted device. Design, Setting, and Participants This population-based cohort study used Medicare inpatient claims from January 2015 to December 2017 for 13 627 patients older than 65 years with a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation who underwent LAAC with an implanted device from January 2015 to November 2017. Data analyses were conducted from January through August 2019. Exposure Left atrial appendage closure. Main Outcomes and Measures Mortality rates during the index admission and for 1 year after LAAC were assessed. The 30-day readmission rate and the primary reasons for readmission were also examined. In addition, the likelihood of hospitalization for ischemic stroke within 180 days among 9231 patients for whom 6 months of follow-up data were available was evaluated. Results Among the 13 627 patients undergoing LAAC, the mean (SD) age was 78.0 (6.3) years, 9406 (69.0%) were older than 75 years, 11 980 (87.9%) were white, and 5630 (41.3%) were women. The mean (SD) CHA2DS2-VASc score was 4.3 (1.4). Twenty-eight patients (0.2%) died during the index admission. Mortality rates were 0.6% (80 patients) at 30 days, 1.9% (262 patients) at 90 days, 4.0% (547 patients) at 180 days, and 7.5% (1027 patients) at 365 days. The 30-day readmission rate among 13 599 patients discharged alive was 9.4% (1284 patients). Among 9231 patients with 6 months of follow-up data, 111 (1.2%) experienced readmission for ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack within 180 days of discharge. Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study of patients older than 65 years with atrial fibrillation who underwent LAAC with an implanted device, readmission rates for ischemic strokes over the course of 6 months were lower than expected given the patients’ CHA2DS2-VASc scores in the absence of anticoagulation therapy. Mortality at 1 year was higher than that reported in previous randomized clinical trials, likely because the patients in the present study were older, had a higher number of comorbidities, and were ineligible to receive warfarin.
Manifestations and Treatment of Congenital Fibrinogen Deficiency

Fibrinogen is a complex glycoprotein that polymerizes following cleavage by thrombin to form the fibrin clot. Congenital fibrinogen disorders are heterogeneous and comprise qualitative and quantitative defects in fibrinogen. These may present as bleeding or thrombosis phenotypes. Congenital fibrinogen disorders result from mutations in any of the three genes (FGA, FGB, and FGG), and both autosomal dominant and recessive forms exist. Replacement therapy with fibrinogen concentrate may be warranted in some patients.
Feasibility of real-time serial comprehensive tumor analytics: Pilot study of olaparib and durvalumab in metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC).

e13092Background: Longitudinal analysis of serial tumor biopsies is an under-utilized approach to studying adaptive mechanisms of resistance. We have established a comprehensive analytic platform t...
Telemedicine Services Provided to Medicare Beneficiaries by Otolaryngologists Between 2010 and 2018.

Importance Clinicians are increasingly adopting telemedicine in an effort to expand patient access and efficiently deliver care. However, the extent to which otolaryngologists provide telemedicine services is unclear. Objective To characterize recent trends in the use of telemedicine by otolaryngologists to deliver care to Medicare beneficiaries. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2018, using publicly available Medicare Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary data on physicians practicing in the field of otolaryngology and benchmark specialties (dermatology and psychiatry) that provided telemedicine services to Medicare beneficiaries. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcomes were the mean annual number of telemedicine services delivered per active physician and mean annual payment per active physician for these services. Secondary outcomes included the number, setting, and complexity of telemedicine services. Results Between 2010 and 2018, otolaryngologists provided 2127 total telemedicine services (7 unique service types) to Medicare beneficiaries and received $88 574 in total payment for these services. During this period, the mean number of telemedicine services increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.0%, and the mean Medicare payment per otolaryngologist increased at a CAGR of 21.8%. In comparison, telemedicine use during this period generally increased at a higher rate in the fields of dermatology (mean number of services per active physician at CAGR of 13.0%; mean Medicare payment per active physician at CAGR of 12.5%) and psychiatry (mean number of services per active physician at CAGR of 25.8%; mean Medicare payment per active physician at CAGR of 26.6%). In 2018, outpatient evaluation and management visits accounted for most telemedicine services provided (337 of 353 [95.5%]) and the payments received ($17 542.13 of $18 470.47 [95.0%]) by otolaryngologists. In contrast, physicians in other specialties also provided substantial portions of telemedicine services in the inpatient (psychiatry, 18 403 of 198 478 [9.3%]; dermatology, 231 of 1034 [22.3%]) and skilled nursing facility settings (psychiatry, 14 690 of 198 478 [7.4%]; dermatology, 46 of 1034 [4.4%]). Conclusions and Relevance This study suggests that the extent to which otolaryngologists used telemedicine to deliver care to Medicare beneficiaries between 2010 and 2018 was rare. Although there was relative growth in the use of telemedicine by otolaryngologists during this period, absolute growth remained low. Policy makers and provider organizations should support otolaryngologists in the adoption of telemedicine technologies, especially while coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) viral suppression efforts necessitate prolonged restriction of physical clinic throughput.
A Heuristic Approach to Convex Integration for the Euler Equations

The purpose of these lecture notes is to employ a heuristic approach in designing a convex integration scheme that produces non-conservative weak solutions to the Euler equations.
Linear regression of sampling distributions of the mean

We show that the simple and multiple linear regression coefficients and the coefficient of determination R2 computed from sampling distributions of the mean (with or without replacement) are equal to the regression coefficients and coefficient of determination computed with individual data. Moreover, the standard error of estimate is reduced by the square root of the group size for sampling distributions of the mean. The result has applications when formulating a distance measure between two genes in a hierarchical clustering algorithm. We show that the Pearson R coefficient can measure how differential expression in one gene correlates with differential expression in a second gene.
Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

The Vaccine Education Center is a web site created by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. It provides users with trustworthy information about vaccines directed toward parents and other health car...
A Proxy Signature-Based Drone Authentication in 5G D2D Networks

5G is the beginning of a new era in cellular communication, bringing up a highly connected network with the incorporation of the Internet of Things (IoT). To flexibly operate all the IoT devices over a cellular network, Device-to-Device (D2D) communication standard was developed. However, IoT devices such as drones utilizing 5G D2D services could be a perfect target for malicious attacks as they pose several safety threats if they are compromised. Furthermore, there will be heavy traffic with an increased number of IoT devices connected to the 5G core. Therefore, we propose a lightweight, fast, and reliable authentication mechanism compatible with the 5G D2D ProSe standard mechanisms. Specifically, we propose a distributed authentication with a delegation-based scheme instead of the repeated access to the 5G core network key management functions. Hence, a legitimate drone is authorized by the core network via offering a proxy signature to authenticate itself to other drones. We implemented the proposed protocol in ns-3 that supports 5G D2D-based communication. We also conducted computational calculations on the RaspberryPi3 IoT device to mimic the drone calculation process and delays. The results demonstrate that the proposed protocol is lightweight and reliable.
A Phan on Phish: Live Improvised Music in Five Performative Commitments

Explored as a series of five interrelated performative commitments, the author takes seriously the notion that live musical performance, especially when it is pervaded by an improvisational ethos, can be quite powerful and well worth close examination. In particular, the band Phish, with its devout subcultural following of “phans,” is mined as a rich site for critical, theoretical, and descriptive fodder. The author writes as both a phan and a scholar, drawing from his own experiences seeing Phish live on many occasions as well as from an interdisciplinary body of scholarly literature. The essay provides insight not only into the Phish phenomenon but also into the intersections of performance, communication, popular music, and critical cultural studies.
17 O and 63 Cu NMR in Undoped and Hole Doped Cu 2 O 3 Two-Leg Spin Ladder A 14 Cu 24 O 41 ( A 14 = L a 6 Ca 8 , S r 14 , S r 11 Ca 3 )

We conducted the first ${}^{17}\mathrm{O}$ NMR in the $S\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1/2$ ${\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ two-leg spin ladder, and probed the low energy spin excitations of various momentum transfers up to 850 K. These measurements clearly demonstrate the crossover from the spin gap to the paramagnetic regime. In the hole-doped ladders, the crossover is accompanied by changes in electric field gradient tensors and charge transport properties, suggesting interplay between spin and charge degrees of freedom.
Of chicken teeth and mouse eyes, or generalized character compatibility

We propose a new model of computation for deriving phylogenetic trees based upon a generalization of qualitative characters. The model we propose is based upon recent experimental research in molecular biology. We show that the general case of determining perfect compatibility of generalized ordered characters is an NP-Complete problem, but can be solved in polynomial time for a special case.
To Be a Mighty Pirate: Guybrush Threepwood, Indiana Jones and a misspent youth of unintentional learning.

The tension between instruction and pleasure is interwoven into the heart of children’s literature. But children’s literature escapes some consequence of this battle through acceptance of the medium’s inherent value, particularly as digital media has grown as a part of children’s daily lives and offered a number of seemingly less 'valuable' alternatives to the act of reading. The same tension of instruction, or educational intent, and pleasure, or entertainment value, is inherent in our dissection of the role of new media in children’s lives, but our engagement with these works is often filled with suspicion and hierarchical judgments of the quality of newer forms, from video games to social media, against the traditional codex. The addition of video games to the landscape of early entertainment and educational experiences of youth is worth querying, particularly as it is the apparently distinctive nature of these media that has helped to give rise to the very construction of the digital native and the assumptions alongside the label. Given the increased role that video games and other digital media play in the formative experiences of youth, how do these media interrogate and reflect the dual purposes of education and entertainment? How can video games be understood in the child’s process of self-construction?
Toward the development of an intelligent tutoring system for distributed team training through passive sensing

The development of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) capable of supporting training experiences for geographically-distributed team members in shared virtual simulation environment presents considerable challenges Even human tutors face challenges in developing team cohesion, coordinating roles and assessing contributions Just as a human tutor might assess collective performance, a team ITS must be capable of passively assessing the trainees' readiness to learn and evaluating their progress toward team objectives Passive sensing methods offer the opportunity for the ITS to understand the team's cognitive and emotional state without interfering with the learning process It also helps determine their any interventions needed to optimize performance This article reviews challenges and hypothesizes functions for computer-based distributed team tutors.
El Niño–Southern Oscillation–based index insurance for floods: Statistical risk analyses and application to Peru

Received 23 June 2006; revised 18 June 2007; accepted 3 July 2007; published 17 October 2007. [1] Index insurance has recently been advocated as a useful risk transfer tool for disaster management situations where rapid fiscal relief is desirable and where estimating insured losses may be difficult, time consuming, or subject to manipulation and falsification. For climate-related hazards, a rainfall or temperature index may be proposed. However, rainfall may be highly spatially variable relative to the gauge network, and in many locations, data are inadequate to develop an index because of short time series and the spatial dispersion of stations. In such cases, it may be helpful to consider a climate proxy index as a regional rainfall index. This is particularly useful if a long record is available for the climate index through an independent source and it is well correlated with the
Hydrocarbon Oxidations Catalyzed by Bio-Inspired Nonheme Iron and Copper Catalysts

Inspired by dioxygen-activating iron or copper enzymes that catalyze a number of oxidative transformations, efforts in the past decade have focused on developing synthetic nonheme iron and copper catalysts that activate H 2 O 2 for the hydroxylation of strong C H bonds and the epoxidation and cis -dihydroxylation of C C bonds. For iron catalysts, reaction conditions have been identified that allow for their use in natural products’ syntheses, and the high stereoselectivity observed implicates a metal-based oxidant that is proposed to be an oxoiron(V) species. Progress on copper catalysts for hydrocarbon oxidation on the other hand is at a more rudimentary stage.
Efficient causal interaction learning with applications in microarray

The prediction and identification of physical and genetic interactions from gene expression data is one of the most challenging tasks of modern functional genomics. Although various interaction analysis methods have been well studied in data mining and statistics fields, we face new challenges in applying these methods to the analysis of microarray data. In this paper, we investigate an enhanced constraint based approach for causal structure learning. We integrate with graphical gaussian modeling and use its independence graph as input of next phase's causal analysis. We also present graphical decomposition techniques to further improve the performance. The experimental results show that our enhanced method makes it feasible to explore causal interactions interactively for applications with a large number of variables (e.g., microarray data analysis).
Monolingual Distributional Similarity for Text-to-Text Generation

Previous work on paraphrase extraction and application has relied on either parallel datasets, or on distributional similarity metrics over large text corpora. Our approach combines these two orthogonal sources of information and directly integrates them into our paraphrasing system's log-linear model. We compare different distributional similarity feature-sets and show significant improvements in grammaticality and meaning retention on the example text-to-text generation task of sentence compression, achieving state-of-the-art quality.
Distributed framework for instrumentation hardware/software codesign

The complexity of instrumentation components is continuously growing. Observing application constraints, a specific instrumentation module can be implemented in software and hardware at various proportions. The utility of a framework for instrumentation hardware/software codesign is manifest. To speed up the design process, distributed heterogeneous architectures were considered. So far, the distributed hardware/software codesign environments have been developed observing in house standards that were not correlated to the software standards. To increase interoperability and portability of distributed codesign components in various heterogeneous environments, an open architecture of a distributed instrumentation hardware/software codesign is proposed on the base of the most representative standards for distributed object oriented software. This paper addresses the issue of applying distributed software standards to the design and development of a framework for distributed instrumentation hardware/software codesign. Mechanisms for integrating the major codesign tasks in a framework that complies with distributed software standards are presented.
Joining forces for public engagement

Science museums and other educational institutions can provide an effective means of sharing the story of science with the public.
Nonlinear control of a shape memory alloy adaptive tuned vibration absorber

Abstract The adaptive-passive approach to vibration control shows potential for achieving superior performance when compared to classical passive solutions. On-line adaptation of passive elements is central to the adaptive-passive approach and a great deal of research has focused on determining methods to realize the physical adaptation of the vibration control system. However, very little effort has been put into designing feedback laws to close the loop and control on-line adaptation to achieve desired performance. This paper discusses the design and analysis of a controller to tune an adaptive-passive vibration control system, in this case a shape memory alloy (SMA) adaptive-tuned vibration absorber (ATVA). Tuning of the SMA ATVA is achieved through appropriate heating and cooling of SMA beam elements. The SMA ATVA controller is designed using a model developed in a previous study. A Lyapunov analysis is presented to demonstrate stability of the system under proportional–integral (PI) control when saturation of the control effort is neglected. However, severe control saturations can occur in response to excitation profiles that call for rapid cooling of the SMA beam elements. Without active cooling, integrator windup results, particularly if high gains are used. To deal with the windup, a nonlinear PI controller with integrator reset was developed. A second Lyapunov analysis is used to demonstrate stability of the modified system. Experimental results are included that demonstrate the improved performance of the system with the nonlinear controller.
Ets factors and regulation of the extracellular matrix

Ets factors are critical mediators of extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling. As the spectrum of Ets-regulated target genes widens, so does their role in various pathological and physiological processes. Regulation of matrix degrading proteases by Ets factors in tumor invasion and metastasis is well established. Emerging evidence suggests that they may also play a role in the pathology of autoimmune diseases. Newly characterized Ets target genes such as tenascin-C and collagen type I suggest their role in diseases characterized by aberrant collagen deposition (fibrosis). Ets function is also critical in bone and cartilage development. There is increasing knowledge of the complex regulatory mechanisms involved in transcription of Ets target genes. Ets factors may function as activators or as repressors via association with specific cofactors depending on the promoter context. Signaling pathways can modulate the activation status of Ets factors and their transcriptional partners. Precise understanding of the role of Ets factors in the complex cellular network governing the expression of ECM proteins and the enzymes that degrade them will be a focus of future studies.
Rapamycin induces glucose intolerance in mice by reducing islet mass, insulin content, and insulin sensitivity

Rapamycin, a specific inhibitor for mTOR complex 1, is an FDA-approved immunosuppressant for organ transplant. Recent developments have raised the prospect of using rapamycin to treat cancer or diabetes and to delay aging. It is therefore important to assess how rapamycin treatment affects glucose homeostasis. Here, we show that the same rapamycin treatment reported to extend mouse life span significantly impaired glucose homeostasis of aged mice. Moreover, rapamycin treatment of lean C57B/L6 mice reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in vivo and ex vivo as well as the insulin content and beta cell mass of pancreatic islets. Confounding the diminished capacity for insulin release, rapamycin decreased insulin sensitivity. The multitude of rapamycin effects thus all lead to glucose intolerance. As our findings reveal that chronic rapamycin treatment could be diabetogenic, monitoring glucose homeostasis is crucial when using rapamycin as a therapeutic as well as experimental reagent.
Managing the reproductive health of pediatric and adolescent patients

The field of pediatric–adolescent gynecology addresses the gynecologic needs of a female from the beginning of infancy to the young-adult years. It relies heavily upon the expertise of gynecologists, pediatricians, geneticists, surgeons and psychiatrists as well as allied health professionals. Specifically, social workers play a critical role in ensuring the welfare of this population. Issues such as abuse, neglect, poverty, nutrition and education are constant influences on the reproductive health status of children. A multidisciplinary approach to pediatric–adolescent gynecology is discussed in this article. By reviewing how to manage basic, as well as complex pathologies, guidelines for providing quality care are established, with the goal of securing healthy physical, cognitive and emotional development of children.
Impact of Middle Grades' Organization on Teacher Efficacy and Environmental Perceptions

ABSTRACT Middle grades' organizational patterns and their impact on teachers' efficacy and perceptions of their working environment were examined. The participants were 82 8th-grade teachers who were surveyed about their teaching efficacy and perceptions of their working environment. Instruments used were the Teacher Efficacy Scale and the Teacher Opinion Questionnaire. Results of the study showed that teachers on interdisciplinary teams with common planning time had significantly higher perceptions of personal teacher efficacy and more positive perceptions of their working environment than did teachers on interdisciplinary teams without common planning time or teachers who were organized departmentally. The findings failed to support a difference in general teacher efficacy among the organizational patterns.
Influence of sex, estrous cycle, and estrogen on intracranial dural mast cells.

Background: The frequency of migraine headaches is higher in women than in men and in susceptible women attacks are related to changes in ovarian hormone levels. Intracranial mast cells (MCs) are l...
Long-term Outcomes After Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction in Competitive Baseball Players Minimum 10-Year Follow-up

Background:Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (UCLR) has afforded baseball players with excellent results; however, previous studies have described only short-term outcomes.Purpose:To evaluate long-term outcomes after UCLR in baseball players.Study Design:Case series; Level of evidence, 4.Methods:All UCLRs performed on competitive baseball players with a minimum 10-year follow-up were identified. Surgical data were collected prospectively and patients were surveyed by telephone follow-up, during which scoring systems were used to assess baseball career and post–baseball career outcomes.Results:Of 313 patients, 256 (82%) were contacted at an average of 12.6 years; 83% of these baseball players (90% pitchers) were able to return to the same or higher level of competition in less than 1 year, but results varied according to preoperative level of play. Baseball career longevity was 3.6 years in general and 2.9 years at the same or higher level of play, but major and minor league players returned for lon...
A massive terraced village complex in chihuahua, mexico, 3000 years before present

Cerro Juanaquena is a residential complex with 8 kilometers of terrace walls in northwestern Mexico that was occupied at ∼3000 calendar years before present based on radiocarbon dates on maize (Zea mays L.). Most other similar sized terrace complex sites that have been found date to ∼1000 years before present. Cerro Juanaquena was contemporaneous with 10 other sites in the southwestern United States that have yielded 18 of the earliest maize or squash radiocarbon dates yet, and it is by far the largest and most complex site. The archaeological evidence from this site, combined with other recent data, implies that highly variable combinations of population aggregation, agricultural dependence, and degrees of sedentism were present during the time maize was being introduced into the American Southwest.
MTG1 Codes for a Conserved Protein Required for Mitochondrial Translation

The MTG1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, corresponding to ORF YMR097c on chromosome XIII, codes for a mitochondrial protein essential for respiratory competence. A human homologue of Mtg1p capable of partially rescuing the respiratory deficiency of a yeast mtg1 mutant has also been localized in mitochondria. Mtg1p is a member of a family of GTPases with largely unknown functions. The respiratory deficiency of mtg1 mutants stems from a defect in mitochondrial protein synthesis. Mutations in the 21S rRNA locus are able to suppress the translation defect of mtg1 null mutants. This points to the 21S rRNA or the large ribosomal subunit as the most likely target of Mtg1p action. The presence of mature size 15S and 21S mitochondrial rRNAs in mtg1 mutants excludes Mtg1p from being involved in transcription or processing of these RNAs. More likely, Mtg1p functions in assembly of the large ribosomal subunit. This is consistent with the peripheral localization of Mtg1p on the matrix side of the inner membrane and the results of in vivo mitochondrial translation assays in a temperature-sensitive mtg1 mutant.
Etalon-induced baseline drift and correction in atom flux sensors based on atomic absorption spectroscopy

Atom flux sensors based on atomic absorption (AA) spectroscopy are of significant interest in thin film growth as they can provide unobtrusive, element specific real-time flux sensing and control. The ultimate sensitivity and performance of these sensors are strongly affected by baseline drift. Here we demonstrate that an etalon effect resulting from temperature changes in optical viewport housings is a major source of signal instability, which has not been previously considered, and cannot be corrected using existing methods. We show that small temperature variations in the fused silica viewports can introduce intensity modulations of up to 1.5% which in turn significantly deteriorate AA sensor performance. This undesirable effect can be at least partially eliminated by reducing the size of the beam and tilting the incident light beam off the viewport normal.
Tone Rules in Kalam Kohistani (Garwi, Bashkarik)

In an earlier paper, evidence was presented to show that Kalam Kohistani, a Dardic language of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan, has five contrastive patterns of lexical pitch. The present paper studies how these five lexical tones (or rather melodies') may synchronically change their shapes through interaction with sentence intonation, through morphological process, and through interaction with the melodies of neighbouring words and morphemes. Attention is also devoted to interactions of tone and segmental structure
Vasopressin regulation of multisite phosphorylation of UT-A1 in the inner medullary collecting duct

Vasopressin signaling is critical for the regulation of urea transport in the inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD). Increased urea permeability is driven by a vasopressin-mediated elevation of cAMP that results in the direct phosphorylation of urea transporter (UT)-A1. The identification of cAMP-sensitive phosphorylation sites, Ser486 and Ser499, in the rat UT-A1 sequence was the first step in understanding the mechanism of vasopressin action on the phosphorylation-dependent modulation of urea transport. To investigate the significance of multisite phosphorylation of UT-A1 in response to elevated cAMP, we used highly specific and sensitive phosphosite antibodies to Ser486 and Ser499 to determine cAMP action at each phosphorylation site. We found that phosphorylation at both sites was rapid and sustained. Furthermore, the rate of phosphorylation of the two sites was similar in both mIMCD3 cells and rat inner medullary tissue. UT-A1 localized to the apical membrane in response to vasopressin was phosphorylated at Ser486 and Ser499. We confirmed that elevated cAMP resulted in increased phosphorylation of both sites by PKA but not through the vasopressin-sensitive exchange protein activated by cAMP pathway. These results elucidate the multisite phosphorylation of UT-A1 in response to cAMP, thus providing the beginning of understanding the intracellular factors underlying vasopressin stimulation of urea transport in the IMCD.
Lactose utilization byVibrio vulnificus

The ability of wild-type strains ofVibrio vulnificus to utilize lactose as a sole source of carbon and energy and produce acid in lactose-containing media is associated with the appearance of spontaneous lactose-utilizing mutants. These contain increased activities of an enzyme able to hydrolyzeo-nitrophenyl-β-d-galactoside as well as lactose. This activity is constitutive in some mutants and inducible by both lactose and isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactoside in others. A limited survey of otherVibrio species indicates thatV. pelagius also can acquire, by mutation, the ability to grow on and make acid from lactose. No immunological cross-reaction was detected between the enzymes fromVibrio and the β-galactosidases ofEscherichia coli andKlebsiella.
Modeling of Line Contacts With Degrading Lubricant

A plane isothermal elastohydrodynamic problem for a lubricated line contact is studied. The lubricant represented by a base stock with some polymer additive undergoes stress-induced degradation due to scission of polymer additive molecules. The polymer molecules have linear structure. The degradation process of a polymer additive dissolved in a lubricant while the lubricant passes through the contact is described by a kinetic equation. The kinetic equation is solved along the lubricant flow streamlines. The solution of the kinetic equation predicts the density of the probabilistic distribution of the polymer molecular weight versus polymer molecule chain length. The changes in the distribution of polymer molecules affect local lubricant properties. In particular, the lubricant viscosity changes as polymer molecules undergo scission. These irreversible changes in the lubricant viscosity alter virtually all parameters of the lubricated contact such as film thickness, frictional stresses and pressure. As a result of the polymer additive degradation the lubricant experiences a significant viscosity loss. The viscosity loss (up to 60 percent), in turn, leads to a noticeable reduction in the lubrication film thickness (up to 12 percent) and frictional stresses applied to contact surfaces in comparison with the case of a nondegrading lubricant. Moreover, the pressure distribution in degrading lubricants exhibits extremely sharp spikes of about 2.15 to 2.82 (depending on the slide-to-roll ratio) times greater than the maximum Hertzian pressure. That may lead to noticeable variations in fatigue life of the contact surfaces.
It's Time for an Urbanization Science

Today, urban areas generate more than 90% of the global economy, are home to more than 50% of the world population, consume more than 65% of the world's energy; and emit 70% of global greenhouse ga...
Changes in the lipid content of boar sperm plasma membranes during epididymal maturation

Plasma membranes of boar sperm from caput, corpus and cauda of the epididymis were purified by differential- and sucrose-density equilibrium centrifugation and were found to yield a single band at a density of 1.13 g/cm3. This fraction was enriched in acid and alkaline phosphatase, 5'-nucleotidase and (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activities, whereas it contained minimal amounts of hyaluronidase and N-acetylglucosaminidase and no succinic acid dehydrogenase activities. The plasma membrane of caput, corpus and cauda sperm had the same phospholipid/protein and cholesterol/phospholipid ratios but yielded different amounts of protein and individual lipid classes. Several changes in the plasma membrane were observed during transit of sperm through the epididymis. Within the phospholipid class a decrease in the percentage of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol was detected accompanied by an increase in amount of phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and polyphosphoinositides. In the other lipid classes there was a decrease in the amount of free fatty acid and the major glycolipid. The amount of cholesterol decreased, while the amount of desmosterol and cholesterol sulfate increased. There was an increase in the amount of diacylglycerol. In addition, the changes in the fatty acid composition of the total membrane lipid and each phospholipid were determined. The above changes in the lipid composition of the plasma membrane during epididymal maturation may help to explain the decreased resistance to cold shock and changes in membrane fluidity of sperm during transit in the epididymis.
The role of media in insurgent terrorism: Issues and perspectives

This essay discusses the promises and problems of several major approaches to studying the role of mass media in the evolution of insurgent terrorism. The question of how the coverage of media is r...