cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ROLE OF ACID PH AND DEFICIENT EFFLUX OF PYRAZINOIC ACID IN UNIQUE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS TO PYRAZINAMIDE

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is an important antituberculosis drug. Unlike most antibacterial agents, PZA, despite its remarkable in vivo activity, has no activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro except at an acidic pH. M. tuberculosis is uniquely susceptible to PZA, but other mycobacteria as well as nonmycobacteria are intrinsically resistant. The role of acidic pH in PZA action and the basis for the unique PZA susceptibility of M. tuberculosis are unknown. We found that in M. tuberculosis, acidic pH enhanced the intracellular accumulation of pyrazinoic acid (POA), the active derivative of PZA, after conversion of PZA by pyrazinamidase. In contrast, at neutral or alkaline pH, POA was mainly found outside M. tuberculosis cells. PZA-resistant M. tuberculosis complex organisms did not convert PZA into POA. Unlike M. tuberculosis, intrinsically PZA-resistant M. smegmatis converted PZA into POA, but it did not accumulate POA even at an acidic pH, due to a very active POA efflux mechanism. We propose that a deficient POA efflux mechanism underlies the unique susceptibility of M. tuberculosis to PZA and that the natural PZA resistance of M. smegmatis is due to a highly active efflux pump. These findings may have implications with regard to the design of new antimycobacterial drugs.
Using a Clinical Approach To Answer “What Communication Apps Should We Use?”

It would be impossible (and not the intent of this paper) to conduct a comprehensive review of every communication application (app) that exists as of this writing. Rather, a clinical framework for...
The Power of Gendered Stereotypes in the US Marine Corps

Gendered stereotypes in the US military context often result in the creation of barriers for women. Constant confrontation with these barriers may negatively impact a servicewoman’s career. The author argues that gendered stereotypes in the US Marine Corps (USMC) have the potential to undermine a female Marine’s performance, and sometimes the performance of others around her. Through the application of ethnographic content analysis to thirty-five in-depth interviews (seventeen female and eighteen male Marines), this article investigates the possible consequences of gendered stereotypes in the USMC. Four themes regarding the origination, socialization, and reinforcement of gender-role stereotypes in the USMC emerge through the interview process. Findings suggest gender-role stereotypes influence (1) the perceived abilities of female Marines, (2) the initial socialization of Marines, (3) camaraderie and opportunities for female Marine mentorship, and (4) a culture of double standards. The aforementioned the...
Using Fractal Analysis to Characterize Cerebral Blood Flow and Immunohistopathology for Ischemic Stroke Research

This paper presents an application of fractal analysis to characterization of global cerebral blood flow and immunohistopathology for ischemic stroke research on animal experiments. A brain's vasculature has features of a branching tree and can be modeled as a fractal system. Fractal analysis can be then employed to assess cerebral blood flow and immuno-positives on a whole brain section. Fractal analysis on experimental data from three imaging modalities under ischemic and control status is presented in this paper. Statistic analysis and correlative study prove the effectiveness of fractal analysis. An analytical description of fractal parameters for experimental ischemic stroke has been achieved
Vision inspired spatial engine (VISE): automated object registration for multisource fusion

Automated registration has been pursued for decades within academia, government, and commercial sectors as a fundamental enabling technology to support improved positioning, automated change detection, target recognition, and multi-source fusion. The focus of previous and current research has largely been on automated image-to-image registration tools. Comparatively little attention has been paid to automated registration of non-raster data (e.g., vector) stored within Geographical Information Systems (GIS) or other types of databases. The Vision Inspired Spatial Engine (VISE) is an innovative approach to automated registration. Rather than focusing on automated registration of a specific data source such as imagery, VISE uses a novel object-matching paradigm which is independent of data source. VISE assesses the fuzzy spatial similarity between two or more object patterns that can be of different shape or size by use of a top-down multiple resolution approach that simultaneously optimizes both edge and area match between vector-represented spatial features. As a by-product of the VISE pattern-matching process, object-to-object and object-to-image registration between different data sources are possible. This paper demonstrates the VISE technology applied toward the automated registration and object-level correlation of Hyperspectral (HSI), LIDAR and Electro-Optical (EO) Imagery and derived objects, and other GIS data sources.
Volume-consumption comparisons of free-space and guided-wave optical interconnections

We compare volume-consumption characteristics of free-space and guided-wave optical interconnections. System volume consumption is used as a fundamental measure of various point-to-point space-invariant and space-variant interconnections of two-dimensional arrays of N1/2 × N1/2 points. We show that, in free-space and space-invariant situations, although volume consumption for macroaperture optics is O1(N3/2), where O denotes the order, it is only O2(N) for microaperture optics. For free-space and space-variant operations only microaperture optics is possible without fundamental power losses. The corresponding minimum volume consumption is O3(N3). We show that single microaperture-per-channel implementations of either space-invariant or space-variant operations are, in general, more volume efficient than are their two-cascade microaperture-per-channel counterparts. We also show that, for minimizing volume consumption, the optimum relative apertures F#opt for space-variant optical elements are, respectively, (5N)1/2/4 for a single microaperture-per-channel geometry and (5N)1/2/2 for a two-cascade microaperture-per-channel geometry. In guided-wave or fiber interconnect cases our study shows that the volume consumption for space-invariant and space-variant operations is O4(N), with O4 < O2, and O5(N3/2), respectively. Thus an important conclusion of the study is that free-space optics is less volume efficient than is guided-wave optics in both space-invariant and space-variant interconnect applications.
Evaluation of conceptual frameworks applicable to the study of isolation precautions effectiveness.

Aims A discussion of conceptual frameworks applicable to the study of isolation precautions effectiveness according to Fawcett and DeSanto-Madeya's (2013) evaluation technique and their relative merits and drawbacks for this purpose. Background Isolation precautions are recommended to control infectious diseases with high morbidity and mortality, but effectiveness is not established due to numerous methodological challenges. These challenges, such as identifying empirical indicators and refining operational definitions, could be alleviated though use of an appropriate conceptual framework. Design Discussion paper. Data sources In mid-April 2014, the primary author searched five electronic, scientific literature databases for conceptual frameworks applicable to study isolation precautions, without limiting searches by publication date. Implications for nursing By reviewing promising conceptual frameworks to support isolation precautions effectiveness research, this article exemplifies the process to choose an appropriate conceptual framework for empirical research. Hence, researchers may build on these analyses to improve study design of empirical research in multiple disciplines, which may lead to improved research and practice. Conclusion Three frameworks were reviewed: the epidemiologic triad of disease, Donabedian's healthcare quality framework and the Quality Health Outcomes model. Each has been used in nursing research to evaluate health outcomes and contains concepts relevant to nursing domains. Which framework can be most useful probably depends on whether the study question necessitates testing multiple interventions, concerns pathogen-specific characteristics and yields cross-sectional or longitudinal data. The Quality Health Outcomes model may be slightly preferred as it assumes reciprocal relationships, multi-level analysis and is sensitive to cultural inputs.
L’Hôpital’s Rule

Even though Maple has a very capable limit command, L’Hopital’s Rule is still a conceptual necessity in the calculus. Here is an investigation that combines the insight of local linearity with the operational role of the derivative in understanding what L’Hopital’s Rule actually does.
Investments in Health and the Retirement Decision

This paper develops the first formal analysis of this length of retired life by incorporating retirement and Social Security in a simple model of health investment. We identify the determinants of length of retired life and find important interdependencies between length of life and retirement age (some of it identified in recent literature (Waldron 2001)). Using data from the Longitudinal Retirement History Survey, we find that greater benefits increase age at death by about half as much as those greater benefits increase the age at retirement. Thus, increases in Social Security benefits reduce the typical period spent as a beneficiary.
First-Principles Investigations of Hydrogen and Fluorine on Silicon Surfaces

State-of-the-art first-principles calculations allow detailed studies of the mechanisms by which hydrogen and fluorine interact with silicon. The results for hydrogen are presented in the form of an energy diagram which includes many different configurations. The theoretical values allow a discussion of issues such as hydrogen solubility, and desorption from a Si surface. For fluorine, we investigate the behavior as an interstitial impurity in the bulk, as well as Si-F interactions at or near the surface. A study of the insertion of F atoms into Si-Si bonds elucidates the microscopic mechanisms of etching, and the dependence of etch rate on doping. Thermodynamic aspects of HF etching are briefly discussed.
Assembling the myofibril: coordinating contractile cable construction with calcium.

Over the last half century, major theoretical and experimental advances have been made in understanding the molecular architecture (e.g., sarcomeric organization) and biophysics (e.g. excitation-contraction coupling) of striated muscle. Studies of how the contractile apparatus is assembled have a shorter history, but our understanding has deepened considerably over the last decade. This review focuses on spontaneous intracellular calcium (Ca2+) signals and their role in skeletal muscle myofibrillogenesis. In embryonic skeletal muscle, several classes of spontaneous Ca2+ signal occur both in vivo and in culture, and blocking their production prevents de novo sarcomere assembly. This review includes a brief overview of myofibrillogenesis, discussion of spontaneous Ca2+ signals produced in embryonic skeletal muscle, the Xenopus model system, the role of Ca2+ signals in regulating assembly of the three major filament systems (actin, titin, and myosin), integration of physiological and biochemical approaches to the problem, and the clinical relevance of basic research in this area. Interspersed throughout are suggestions for future directions and citations for reviews in closely related areas not covered herein.
Oak Bark Beetle Attacks on Oak Wilt Trees in Missouri

In Southeastern Missouri, 66 oaks, Quercus spp., infected with the oak wilt fungus, Ceratocystis fagacearum (Bretz) Hunt, were girdled, felled, or left untreated. Effects of these treatments on attacks by oak bark beetles, Pseudopityophthorus spp., were determined. All trees were attacked by bark beetles. The beetles made brood galleries in 41 of 44 girdled and felled wilt trees but made them in only 11 of 22 untreated wilt trees.
EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GBM CELL STEMNESS AND TUMOR PROPAGATING CAPACITY BY OCT4 AND SOX2

BACKGROUND: (blind field). METHODS: Experiments utilized human glioblastoma neurosphere lines and low passage (<5) primary neurospheres derived from clinical GBM specimens enriched in GBM sphere-forming stem cells. The Adherent GBM cell lines that lack stem-like tumor-propagating cells were used to test phenotype reprogramming by Oct4 and Sox2. Lentiviral and retroviral systems were used for Oct4/Sox2 and micro-RNA gene transfer, respectively. Brain cancer miRNA PCR Arrays (SABiosciences) and quantitative RT-PCR were used to evaluate miRNA expression. OCT4 and Sox2 transcriptional targets were identified and validated by ChIP-PCR and luciferase reporter assays. Micro-RNA promoter methylation was evaluated using bisulfite sequencing. GBM cell stemness was evaluated by sphere-forming assays and analyses of stem cell marker expression by qRT-PCR, immunoblotting and flow cytometry. Tumor xenograft propagating capacity was assayed in immune-deficient mice. RESULTS: In this study, we identify a novel molecular circuit linking reprogramming transcription factors, DNA methylation and microRNA that regulates glioblastoma cell stemness and tumor-propagating capacity. We show that the Oct4 and Sox2 transcription factors induce human glioma cells to transition to a stem-like tumor-propagating state through the direct induction of DNA methyl transferases leading to the methylation-dependent transcriptional regulation of microRNAs. Specifically, miR-148a expression is shown to correlate inversely with GBM cell stemness, to be repressed by Oct4/Sox2-driven DNA methylation, and to inhibit GBM cell stemness and tumor propagation by GBM sphere-forming cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results identify a new methylation-dependent transcriptional axis by which reprogramming transcription factors regulate tumor cell stemness and tumor propagating capacity. Our results also identify miR-148a as a novel tumor-suppressing inhibitor of glioma cell stemness and suggest new approaches for treating GBM by targeting stem-like tumor propagating cell populations. SECONDARY CATEGORY: n/a.
Analysis of Economic Theory Based Modeling for Distributed Resource Allocation

Research on economic theory to solve distributed resource allocation problem,especially its characteristics in distributed computing is ignored. The difference between two environments is analyzed. It is pointed out that the key elements of ignored features in distributed computing is resource,task,individual and price. The framework in neoclassical economics to make economic analysis for distributed resource allocation is given by comparing the resource allocation process in distributed market environment. The modeling method of how to use economic theory to solve distributed resource allocation is described.
Shielding effectiveness of shielding fabric woven by steel and chemical fiber composites

To research the relation between the structure of the shielding fabric and the shielding effectiveness for the design of electromagnetic shielding tent,the simplified equivalent model of the shielding fabric was established.The shielding effectiveness of the single-layer and double-layer shielding fabric was cal culated with FDTD method.There was a good agreement between the numerical results and the experimental results.The numerical results show that the shielding effectiveness of the doublelayer shielding fabric is higher than that of the single-layer shielding fabric in the frequency domain of 10 GHz.The catastrophic resonance phenomenon of the double-layer shielding fabric was analyzed and the measure of the deleting resonance was proposed.
Role of adenosine in regulation of regional cerebral blood flow in sensory cortex

We have previously demonstrated that rat pial arterioles located on the somatosensory cortex dilated in response to contralateral sciatic nerve stimulation (SNS). We hypothesized that the vasodilation was mediated by adenosine, released as a result of somatosensory cortex activation. To test this hypothesis, we examined the effects of SNS (0.15-0.2 V, 5 ms, 5 Hz for 20 s) on pial arterioles under conditions of altered adenosine availability. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) adenosine was altered by perfusing mock CSF, under a cranial window in anesthetized rats, containing either an adenosine uptake competitor (dipyridamole or inosine) or an adenosine receptor blocker (theophylline). With CSF only, SNS caused pial arterioles (resting diam, 29 +/- 1 micron) to dilate by 38 +/- 10% (peak magnitude) for 32 +/- 2 s. Dipyridamole (10(-6) M) significantly (P less than 0.02) enhanced both the magnitude (to 62 +/- 12%) and duration (to 68 +/- 10 s) of the response. Similarly, inosine (10(-3) M) significantly (P less than 0.02) potentiated the vasodilative response from resting values of 27 +/- 5% and 34.8 +/- 4.1 s to 37 +/- 6% and 89.6 +/- 14.1 s. In contrast, theophylline (5 x 10(-5) M) significantly (P less than 0.001) attenuated arteriolar vasodilation from resting values of 38 +/- 5% and 29.3 +/- 1.2 s to 18 +/- 3% and 22.0 +/- 0.9 s. Neither dipyridamole nor theophylline had a significant effect on neuronal response (sensory-evoked response) recorded from the somatosensory cortex. These results suggest that adenosine is involved in the regulation of pial vasodilation during cerebral cortical activation.
Geometric Properties of Ample Vector Bundles

This chapter is devoted to some geometric properties of positive vector bundles. We start in Section 7.1 with analogues and extensions of the theorems of Lefschetz and Barth. The next section concerns degeneracy loci: we prove that under suitable positivity hypotheses a map of bundles must drop rank (on a connected locus) whenever it is dimensionally predicted to do so, and give some applications. Finally, in the last section we briefly take up vanishing theorems for ample bundles.
Latest Results on Structure Functions, Scaling Violations, and their QCD Analysis

Nucleon structure functions have been in the list of HEP’s “hot” topics for over two decades. Studies of proton structure in 1967 revealed the qualitative and then the quantitative reality of the quark-parton model. Later experiments went on to demonstrate and measure the interaction between quarks and gluons. In the last 18 months, these sound reasons for continued scientific interest in structure func- tions have been joined by an unwelcome newcomer — serious disagreement between experiments.
Histiocytic Sarcoma in a Kidney Transplant Patient: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Objective. Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is an aggressive neoplasm with only limited number of reported series of cases and rare case reports of occurrence as a posttransplant neoplastic disorder. The etiology and pathogenesis of the disease is unknown and the optimal treatment is still under investigation. We describe an unusual case of HS in a patient with a remote history of kidney transplant. Method and Results. A 54-year-old male with a remote history of renal transplantation under maintenance immunosuppression presented with features of sepsis. CT abdomen revealed multiple heterogeneous masses in bilateral native kidneys and liver and enlarged abdominal and retroperitoneal lymph nodes. Viral serology work-up was negative. Needle core biopsy revealed a highly undifferentiated neoplasm comprised of highly atypical large cells with eosinophilic to vacuolated cytoplasm and hemophagocytosis. Extended panel of immunohistochemistry proved histiocytic lineage for the tumor cells. The patient expired 2 weeks following the diagnosis. Conclusion. Our case along with three previously published case reports raised the possibility of HS as a treatment-related neoplasm or a posttransplantation neoplastic disorder in solid organ transplant recipients.
Fingolimod Expands Human Umbilical Cord Blood Cells (UCB) in Vitro and Improves Engraftment Rate of Human UCB in Sublethally Irradiated NOD SCID Gamma (NSG) Mice

Background: Umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) has emerged as an alternative for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for patients who don9t have a matched donor. However, cell dose remains an obstacle to successful UCBT and strategies aimed at improving rate and speed of engraftment are needed. Acid sphingomyelinase (ASM), a glycoprotein enzyme that converts sphingomyelin to ceramide, was recently shown to modulate inflammatory and cell stress responses. In vitro treatment with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an ASM inhibitor, restores colony formation ability of CD34+ cells from diabetic patients and that paralleled reduction of ASM in such cells (Tikhonenko et al. PLoS One 2013). Fingolimod (FTY720) is a novel immunosuppressant that is FDA approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis. Fingolimod was shown to inhibit ASM activity in vitro through a mechanism that is similar to desipramine (a known inhibitor of ASM) yet at much lower micromolar concentrations (Dawson et al. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2011). Hypothesis: Fingolimod expands UCB cells and improves engraftment of UCB cells in NSG mice. Methods: CD34+ cells, separated by magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) from pooled human UCB units, were cultured for 72 hours at 37 °C in RPMI-1640 + 10% FBS + 100 ng/ml each of SCF, TPO, and FL. Cells were be divided into 3 plates; the third plate had fingolimod added to culture (at 1 uM concentration) and the first 2 plates had no fingolimod added. Sphingomyelinase activity was measured using the Amplex Red Sphingomyelinase Assay Kit according to the manufacture protocol (Molecular Probes, Eugene, OR). Cells were then plated into methylcellulose for 7-10 days before colony forming units (CFU) were counted. Cells from each plate were injected into a corresponding group of sublethally irradiated (225cGy) NSG mice (n=5 per group) as follows: group 1 was injected with control cells, group 2 was injected with control cells, but mice received 5 mcg/kg/day fingolimod by intraperitoneal injection starting on the day of transplant for 6 weeks, and group 3 was injected with cells cultured with fingolimod. Engraftment of human cells was measured by flow cytometry for CD45 surface marker in peripheral blood of recipient mice at 3 weeks and 8 weeks. Engraftment rate of human UCB cells in NSG mice was estimated using a mixed statistical model. Results: Adding fingolimod to cell culture resulted in a robust expansion of UCB cells as evident by doubling in CFU (p Conclusions: Fingolimod expands CFU activity of human UCB cells in culture. In addition, in vivo treatment of NSG mice with fingolimod accelerates engraftment of human CD34+ selected UCB cells. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Evolution acceptance and epistemological beliefs of college biology students

Evolutionary theory is central to biology, and scientifically accurate evolution instruction is promoted within national and state standards documents. Previous literature has identified students’ epistemological beliefs as potential predictors of evolution acceptance. The present work seeks to explore more directly how student views of evolution are related to their epistemological beliefs. We hypothesize that evolution acceptance may be related to students’ epistemological beliefs and that this relationship may vary depending on students’ relationship to the field of biology, either as an experienced major, a new major, or a non-major. Specifically, this manuscript investigates how college students’ evolution acceptance may be connected to Perry developmental levels for three distinct groups of students: upper-level majors, first-year majors, and non-majors. A sequential explanatory mixed methods approach entailing quantitative surveys followed by individual interviews was employed. In total, 395 college-level biology students from three classes were surveyed, and 44 students were interviewed. Descriptive quantitative trends were identified, and evolution acceptance varied predictably by both Perry level and Class. Qualitative analysis explained these quantitative findings in terms of participants’ identification with science, views of authority, views of the compatibility of evolution and religion, and appreciation for the tentative nature of science with respect to evolution. Potential implications for science educators at the college level are discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54: 493–519, 2017
Judicial review and the power of the executive and legislative branches

Abstract The legal system can affect what policies a government can implement. In particular, when there is separation of powers, the strength of the judiciary to review and overturn actions of the executive and legislative branches can affect such things as how much redistribution these policy-making branches can do. Surprisingly, having judicial review helps the policy-making branches—the stronger is the judiciary, the more redistribution they are able to do. This occurs because the policy-making branches must make promises on and off the equilibrium path to individuals in order to make redistribution possible. However, in many circumstances, the government wants to renege on these promises, either to do more redistribution than promised or to not carry out severe threats against any individuals who lied. Judicial review can prevent reneging on these promises, thus making them credible. We develop this in the context of an optimal income tax model with a finite number of individuals where the government knows the exact distribution of types but not which individual is of which type. In this finite model, the government can detect misrevelation by even a single individual so that an individual׳s taxes can depend not just on one׳s own actions but also on others’ actions. Piketty ( JET , 1993) showed that the government could implement any full-information Pareto optimal allocation if the government could commit to its announcements, even to infeasible allocations in circumstances after some individuals misreveal. We derive the sequential equilibrium allocations when individuals reveal their types by simple announcements when feasibility on and off the equilibrium path is imposed. Increasing the degree of judicial review expands the set of achievable allocations on the full-information utility possibility frontier. We also relate the different possible legal rules to different solution concepts in game theory.
Analysis of TID Process, Geometry, and Bias Condition Dependence in 14-nm FinFETs and Implications for RF and SRAM Performance

Total ionizing dose results are provided, showing the effects of different threshold adjust implant processes and irradiation bias conditions of 14-nm FinFETs. Minimal radiation-induced threshold voltage shift across a variety of transistor types is observed. Off-state leakage current of nMOSFET transistors exhibits a strong gate bias dependence, indicating electrostatic gate control of the sub-fin region and the corresponding parasitic conduction path are the largest concern for radiation hardness in FinFET technology. The high- $V_{\textit {th}}$ transistors exhibit the best irradiation performance across all bias conditions, showing a reasonably small change in off-state leakage current and $V_{\textit {th}}$ , while the low- $V_{\textit {th}}$ transistors exhibit a larger change in off-state leakage current. The “ worst-case” bias condition during irradiation for both pull-down and pass-gate nMOSFETs in static random access memory is determined to be the on-state ( $V_{\textit {gs}}=V_{\textit {dd}}$ ). We find the nMOSFET pull-down and pass-gate transistors of the SRAM bit-cell show less radiation-induced degradation due to transistor geometry and channel doping differences than the low- $V_{\textit {th}}$ transistor. Near-threshold operation is presented as a methodology for reducing radiation-induced increases in off-state device leakage current. In a 14-nm FinFET technology, the modeling indicates devices with high channel stop doping show the most robust response to TID allowing stable operation of ring oscillators and the SRAM bit-cell with minimal shift in critical operating characteristics.
Enriching the Circadian Proteome

Circadian clocks regulate most aspects of physiology and metabolism. Genome-wide approaches have uncovered widespread circadian rhythms in the transcriptome, cistrome, and epigenome of mice, and now two proteomics studies in this issue (Robles et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2016) reveal extensive circadian regulation of the nuclear and phosphoproteome.
The Due Process Right to Pursue a Lawful Occupation: A Brighter Future Ahead?

The ghost of Lochner hangs over due process challenges to laws that restrict entry to occupations. In an attempt to vanquish the remnants of Lochner and similar pre-New Deal cases, the Supreme Court established and applied a weak rational basis test to evaluate all economic regulation, including occupational regulations, leaving very little room for successful challenges.Recent precedent, however, suggests that courts are becoming more protective of the right to pursue an occupation. The gradual undermining of standard critiques of Lochner and its progeny on the one hand, and the spread of costly and restrictive occupational licensing to jobs that pose minimal risk to public well-being on the other, have ignited debate over whether strict judicial deference to even the most arbitrary and abusive licensing laws is appropriate.Meanwhile, the unofficial demise of the fundamental/non-fundamental rights dichotomy in the Supreme Court’s due process jurisprudence, combined with a rising generation of judges, liberal and conservative, who may not share their predecessors’ reflexive hostility to meaningful judicial oversight of occupational restrictions, provide a glimmer of hope that the right to pursue a lawful occupation free from unreasonable government regulation will soon be rescued from constitutional purgatory.
Photocatalysis versus Photosynthesis: A Sensitivity Analysis of Devices for Solar Energy Conversion and Chemical Transformations

The chemical literature often does not differentiate between photocatalytic (PC) and photosynthetic (PS) processes (including artificial photosynthesis) even though these reactions differ in their thermodynamics. Photocatalytic processes are thermodynamically downhill (ΔG 0) and require photochemical energy input to occur. Here we apply this differentiation to analyze the basic functions of PC and PS devices and to formulate design criteria for improved performance. As will be shown, the corresponding devices exhibit distinctly different sensitivities to their functional parameters. For example, under conditions of optimal light absorption, carrier lifetimes, and electrochemical rates, the performance of PCs is limited only by their surface area, while type 1 PS devices are limited by their carrier mobility and mass transport, and type 2 PS devices are limited by electrochemical charge...
Characterization of Protein Aggregation by Solid-State Nanopore

In this report, we use solid-state nanopore device to characterize native state aggregation of s-lactoglobulin variant A (βLGa) protein as a function of salt concentration, temperature, pH, and electric field strength. Silicon nitride nanopores used in this work, 5-20 nm in diameter, are fabricated by low energy ion beam sculpting method. The main component of a nanopore device is a nanopore supported by a silicon substrate which separates two PDMA chambers containing salt solution. When a charged protein molecule or a protein aggregate passes through a nanopore driven by an applied voltage across the nanopore chip, a protein aggregate that has larger volume than a single protein molecule,will generate larger current blockage, therefore a nanopore device can be used to characterize protein aggregation. We present data of βLGa self-association and aggregation at pH 4.6 as a function of temperature measured in 2M and 0.1M salt. The nanopore geometry is calibrated by a standard that has known geometry such as a long rod shaped dsDNA molecule. The volume of a translocating proteins or protein aggregates are estimated using the calibrated nanopore. We show that by using a reference dsDNA molecule, solid-state nanopore method is capable of measuring protein aggregation number and the aggregation number distribution in the conditions that is close to their native aqueous solution environment.
Africa : the future of food? : Africa

Africa's genetic wealth has been attracting increased global attention as an untapped resource for the biotech and food industries - but the commercialisation of seed patents poses a threat to food sovereignty and the biodiversity of food production.
The Epidemiology of the Concurrence of Depression and Dementia

Depression and dementia are starkly contrasting conditions in their prognosis and response to treatment, and in their etiologies as presently understood. Therefore, when symptoms of these two conditions occur together, it raises questions about the clinical implications of the hybrid syndrome, and the circumstances that could lead to concurrence of the two conditions. This paper applies the epidemiological perspective to review findings of relevance to such questions.
Perceptions of Catholic Identity: Views of Catholic School Administrators and Teachers

This article presents the results of a survey conducted in 2010 of over 3,300 administrators and teachers in Catholic elementary and secondary schools nationally about their understanding of the meaning of the term “Catholic identity.” The survey was conducted in the fall of 2010 in anticipation of a national conference on the Catholic identity of Catholic elementary and secondary schools at The Catholic University of America, October 2-4, 2011. The vast majority of respondents viewed the school’s culture or faith community as the most important component of its Catholic identity. The longer the teacher or administrator worked in Catholic schools, the higher the rating they gave to the essential nature of the school’s faith community to its Catholic identity. Other aspects of Catholic identity that received high ratings were prayer, the content of the religion course, who taught religion, liturgical celebrations, and participation in service. The respondents viewed the percentage of Catholic students as the least important aspect of Catholic identity.
When patients won’t leave or families won’t let them

All clinicians in acute medical specialties probably see some patients who are medically stable but either don’t want to leave hospital or have relatives who actively or passively stop them leaving. We worry about how to handle this appropriately. I’ve argued that doctors should rightly sometimes keep patients in a little longer if the right community services aren’t yet in place, or if they don’t feel quite well enough, if their carers are concerned, or if a move to another setting would upset them. But every decision we make about admission, discharge, or bed use has opportunity costs for other patients in need. Prolonging stays also exposes patients to many risks inherent in admission to hospital. We should minimise the number of days patients stay when hospital is no longer adding unique value. We see inpatients whom …
Lifestyle of women before pregnancy and the risk of offspring obesity during childhood through early adulthood

In women, adhering to an overall healthy lifestyle is associated with a dramatically reduced risk of cardio-metabolic disorders. Whether such a healthy lifestyle exerts an intergenerational effects on child health deserves examination. We included 5701 children (9–14 years old at baseline) of the Growing Up Today Study 2, and their mothers, who are participants in the Nurses’ Health Study II. Pre-pregnancy healthy lifestyle was defined as a normal body mass index, no smoking, physical activity ≥150 min/week, and diet in the top 40% of the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010. Obesity during childhood and adolescence was defined using the International Obesity Task Force age- and sex-specific cutoffs. Multivariable log-binominal regression models with generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the association of pre-pregnancy healthy lifestyle and offspring obesity. We identified 520 (9.1%) offspring who became obese during follow-up. A healthy body weight of mothers and no smoking before pregnancy was significantly associated with a lower risk of obesity among offspring: the relative risks [RRs; 95% confidence intervals (CIs)] were 0.37 (0.31–0.43) and 0.64 (0.49–0.84), respectively. Eating a healthy diet and regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activities were inversely related to offspring obesity risk, but these relations were not statistically significant. Compared to children of mothers who did not meet any low-risk lifestyle factors, offspring of women who adhered to all four healthy lifestyle factors had 75% lower risk of obesity (RR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.14–0.43). Adherence to an overall healthy lifestyle before pregnancy is strongly associated with a low risk of offspring obesity in childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. These findings highlight the importance of an overall healthy lifestyle before pregnancy as a potential strategy to prevent obesity in future generations.
A Ca2+ Sensor for Exocytosis

In 1992, Brose et al. showed that the synaptic vesicle (SV) protein p65/synaptotagmin (syt) 1 binds – in a mutually dependent manner – Ca2+ and anionic phospholipids, prompting the idea that it functions as a Ca2+ sensor for exocytosis. These findings now define two key aspects of excitation–secretion coupling.
Imaging of Pediatric Emergencies

The diagnosis and management of pediatric patients in the emergency department has unique challenges that often require a different approach by the clinician than with an adult patient. Although children may develop many of the same illnesses as adults, certain life-threatening diagnoses are seen more often in the pediatric population. An immature immune system, small body size, and developmental anomalies are several factors that can place children at an increased risk for specific diseases. This chapter will focus on the imaging evaluation of diagnoses that occur more often or with a unique appearance in the pediatric population.
Prenatal drug exposure and child outcome. Past, present, future.

This article provides historical context on the study of prenatal drug exposure and child outcome, traces attention to the issue over time, discusses prevalence approaches and estimates, characterizes studies of prenatal drug exposure and child outcome, and examines research challenges and directions. Challenges and directions discussed are: determination of drug exposure, with special attention to measuring levels of prenatal exposure and detecting postnatal passive exposure; assessment of child outcome, including comments on neuroimaging; changes in drug use, with comment on current methamphetamine concerns; human subjects issues; and study design and statistical analysis considerations. The article also highlights some resources directly relevant to providing services for drug-using pregnant women and their children.
Understanding and Preventing Faculty-on-Faculty Bullying: A Psycho-Social-Organizational Approach

Understanding and Preventing Faculty-on-Faculty Bullying provides a comprehensive understanding of workplace harassment, aggression, violence, bullying, and incivility in academia. Using a psychological, sociological, and organizational approach, this book explores the issue from the perspective of the individual, the department, and from the higher education organization. Providing research on the effects on victims and collegial culture, this important volume brings together interdisciplinary scholarship to present research-based suggestions for recovering from workplace bullying, recommendations for improving toxic academic environments, and practical advice about policy development to improve academic organizational culture and climate.
Operations on Monomial Ideals

In this chapter, we apply some of the operations of Appendix A to monomial ideals. We have already seen this theme for sums and products in Exercises 1.3.12 and 1.3.13. In Section 2.1 we show, for instance, that intersections of monomial ideals are monomial ideals. Since we are interested in decomposing monomial ideals into intersections, it is important to know that the set of monomial ideals in a fixed polynomial ring is closed under intersections. We show that generating sequences for intersections of monomial ideals are described using least common multiples (LCMs). This motivates the optional Section 2.2 on unique factorization domains (UFDs), which are rings where least common multiples are guaranteed to exist in general. Similarly, in Section 2.5 we show that colons of monomial ideals are monomial ideals, and we show how to compute monomial generating sequences for them, which is helpful for our work on parametric decompositions in Chapter 6.
Performance of biologically inspired algorithms tuned on TiO2 nanoparticle benchmark system

Abstract Biologically inspired optimization algorithms (BIOA), such as particle swarm optimization (PSO) and differential evolution (DE), are often applied to a specific problem with the tacit assumptions that each algorithm will have a unique set of “ideal” tuning parameters that provide “best” performance, and that, once tuned, two different optimization algorithms ought to exhibit distinct performance. This work tests those assumptions by systematically comparing PSO and DE applied to identify stable and metastable configurations of a benchmark system, a titania dimer Ti2O4, whose energy is described by a modified Matsui-Akaogi pairwise potential. The hypotheses (H) are formally expressed as: (H1) for both PSO and DE there exists a unique, optimal set of tuning parameters that maximize its performance on a given problem; (H2) when running two different BIOAs, one algorithm must demonstrate superior performance over the other. By identifying and studying an approximate Pareto-optimal set of tuning parameters for DE and PSO, H1 is shown to be strictly false for DE, and tentatively false for PSO, while H2 is shown to be false with respect to certain statistics. We further investigate the correlations between key tuning parameters and algorithm performance. Our conclusion may be implemented to further optimize and develop BIOAs applied to materials systems.
Low SWaP chemical sensing via a fabric-based spectrometer

We are currently developing a novel fabric spectrometer-based colorimetric chemical sensor that is lightweight, sensitive, and person-borne. This research will enable a new class of chemical sensors with a much flexible form factor to open up a variety of other person-borne and distributed sensing applications.
Arginine and Carnitine Metabolites Are Altered in Diabetic Retinopathy.

Purpose To determine plasma metabolite and metabolic pathway differences between patients with type 2 diabetes with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and without retinopathy (diabetic controls), and between patients with proliferative DR (PDR) and nonproliferative DR (NPDR). Methods Using high-resolution mass spectrometry with liquid chromatography, untargeted metabolomics was performed on plasma samples from 83 DR patients and 90 diabetic controls. Discriminatory metabolic features were identified through partial least squares discriminant analysis, and linear regression was used to adjust for age, sex, diabetes duration, and hemoglobin A1c. Pathway analysis was performed using Mummichog 2.0. Results In the adjusted analysis, 126 metabolic features differed significantly between DR patients and diabetic controls. Pathway analysis revealed alterations in the metabolism of amino acids, leukotrienes, niacin, pyrimidine, and purine. Arginine, citrulline, glutamic γ-semialdehyde, and dehydroxycarnitine were key contributors to these pathway differences. A total of 151 features distinguished PDR patients from NPDR patients, and pathway analysis revealed alterations in the β-oxidation of saturated fatty acids, fatty acid metabolism, and vitamin D3 metabolism. Carnitine was a major contributor to the pathway differences. Conclusions This study demonstrates that arginine and citrulline-related pathways are dysregulated in DR, and fatty acid metabolism is altered in PDR patients compared with NPDR patients.
Reducing motion sensitivity in 3D high-resolution T2*-weighted MRI by navigator-based motion and nonlinear magnetic field correction.

Abstract T2*-weighted gradient echo (GRE) MRI at high field is uniquely sensitive to the magnetic properties of tissue and allows the study of brain and vascular anatomy at high spatial resolution. However, it is also sensitive to B0 field changes induced by head motion and physiological processes such as the respiratory cycle. Conventional motion correction techniques do not take these field changes into account, and consequently do not fully recover image quality in T2*-weighted MRI. Here, a novel approach was developed to address this by monitoring the B0 field with a volumetric EPI phase navigator. The navigator was acquired at a shorter echo time than that of the (higher resolution) T2*-weighted GRE imaging data and accelerated with parallel imaging for high temporal resolution. At 4 ​mm isotropic spatial resolution and 0.54 ​s temporal resolution, the accuracy for estimation of rotation and translation was better than 0.2° and 0.1 ​mm, respectively. The 10% and 90% percentiles of B0 measurement error using the navigator were −1.8 and 1.5 Hz at 7 T, respectively. A fast retrospective reconstruction algorithm correcting for both motion and nonlinear B0 changes was also developed. The navigator and reconstruction algorithm were evaluated in correcting motion-corrupted high-resolution T2*-weighted GRE MRI on healthy human subjects at 7 ​T. Excellent image quality was demonstrated with the proposed correction method.
Improving Radiation Transport Simulation Capabilities for Nuclear Threat Detection Using SWORD

The SoftWare for Optimization of Radiation Detectors (SWORD), developed for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, allows ionizing radiation transport simulation models of complex scenarios to be created and run with minimal training in the actual radiation transport codes. SWORD consists of a vertically integrated set of modules including a CAD-like model builder, an extensive set of prebuilt models and emission spectra, and a variety of visualization and analysis tools.
Serialism: Failure of New Concepts Without Musical Impact

We discuss the serial approach, in particular exemplified on Boulez’s Structures pour deux pianos. We prove the failure of this approach in terms of musical parameters: communication, understanding, and creative power.