cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantum Clone Algorithm which uses in the Function Optimizing

In order to solve the questions of the traditional quantum evolution algorithm, which are easy to fall into precocity and the slow convergence rate in the complex function optimizing, clone operator is introduced into the quantum evolution algorithm. The quantum clone algorithm which is a kind of new evolution algorithm is proposed. This algorithm both has drawn lessons from the highly effective parallelism of quantum evolution algorithm and has used the multiplicity of clone operator increasing population. It has enhanced the overall situation optimization ability in solving function optimization question. The simulation result indicates that the algorithm is superior to the traditional quantum evolution algorithm and has solved the optimization problem of complex function.
Influence of transverse crack model on shafting's torsional shear stress

In order to study influence of transverse crack model on shafting's torsional shear stress,the mode Ⅲ stress intensity factor K_ⅢA in crack deepest point was deduced for a transverse straight crack model and a transverse semi-elliptical crack model.The calculating result indicated that the relative distinction of the torsional shear stress by using these two models might be great and the biggest distinction could reach about 60%.But in a particular range,the distinction is rather small.In addition,a critical relative distinction concerning the torsional shear stress of the two models was defined,and then the corresponding critical elliptical parameters with different crack depth ratios were comfirmed.At last,an equation with regard to the critical elliptical parameters under different crack depth ratios was fitted so as to build up a theoretical background for scientifically selecting models.
Induction of long-term potentiation and depression in individual synapses of CA1 pyramidal neurons

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) and Depression (LTD), the two major forms of long-lasting synaptic plasticity in the mammalian neurons, represent a basic step to understand neuronal development, circuit reorganization, learning and memory mechanisms. Experimental studies on LTP and LTD are usually performed using in vitro or in vivo preparations, exploiting repetitive and properly patterned stimulation protocols to induce long-lasting changes in the strength of a synaptic connection. Although the underlying molecular mechanisms are starting to be unraveled and are under intense experimental and theoretical scrutiny, especially in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, experimenters often report problems in using standard induction protocols to obtain consistent results, especially for LTD in vivo. We hypothesize that a possible source of confusion in interpreting the results, from any given experiment on synaptic plasticity, can be the intrinsic limitation of the experimental techniques, which cannot take into account the actual state and peak conductance of the synapses before the conditioning protocol. Within this context, using biophysical models of synaptic plasticity and hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, we investigate the relation between what is observed at the soma and LTP/LTD induction patterns, pre-conditioning synaptic strength, and dendritic location. Our model and the results pointed out that the outcome of an experiment, testing the amount of synaptic LTP/LTD plasticity that can be induced, strongly depends at least on the initial synaptic state and peak conductance. In addition, the model explains why LTD induction may be more critical to be obtained, with respect to LTP, especially in vivo, and suggests experimentally testable predictions on the stimulation protocols that may be more effective.
Analysis of Changes in Protein Level and Subcellular Localization During Cell Cycle Progression Using the Budding Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Methods are described here to monitor changes in protein level and subcellular localization during the cell cycle progression in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cell synchronization is achieved by an α-factor-mediated block-and-release protocol. Cells are collected at different time points for the first two cell cycles upon release. Cellular DNA contents are analyzed by flow cytometry. Trichloroacetic acid protein precipitates are prepared for monitoring levels of cell cycle regulated proteins by Western blotting. The dynamic changes in protein subcellular localization patterns are examined by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy.
God and Man

The above lines express Tennyson’s ‘Everlasting No’, his lowest spiritual state. To trace his emergence, however, is to see the way that he transformed Carlyle’s ideas. Hallam Tennyson has written that his father would not formulate his creed for people because they would not understand him if he did. ‘He considered’, concluded Hallam, ‘that his poems expressed the principles at the foundation of his faith’ (Memoir, i, pp. 308–9). Tennyson’s basic religious beliefs are, in fact, clearly discerned in his poems. There is, above all, the belief in a God who has a purpose for this world, this purpose being brought about through ‘spiritual’ evolution. Also evident are his faith in immortality and his abiding trust in a God of Love. The first of these, of course, a purposeful God was his ‘solution’ to the dilemma posed by the conflict of God and Nature. Ultimately, in spite of all the apparent setbacks to progress, God’s purpose would be achieved and that conflict would be resolved. The conclusion to In Memoriam is merely one version of that resolution, although it is, by far, the most eloquent statement of it.
Mechanism of the Ketogenic Diet

To elucidate the possible significance of ketone bodies in the mechanism of the ketogenic diet, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, examined the effect of B-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate on excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission and spontaneous seizures in rat hippocampal slices and cultured hippocampal neurons.
Guided Acoustic Wave Brillouin Scattering (GAWBS) and Slow Light in Optical Fibers

We report the nonlinear effects of Guided Acoustic Wave Brillouin Scattering on pulse delay and distortion in a special low light device.
MPTH-31CO-EXISTENCE OF TWO TERT PROMOTER REGION SOMATIC POINT MUTATIONS IN A RECURRENT GLIOBLASTOMA

BACKGROUND: Mutations in the promoter region of the telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (TERT) occur at a frequency of greater than 80% in primary GBM. The two most observed TERT promoter mutations in primary GBM, C250T and C228T, each create a de novo transcription factor consensus binding site, upregulating TERT mRNA expression, and are thought to occur in a mutually exclusive fashion. Here we describe the case of a recurrent GBM found to harbor both the C250T and C228T mutations. METHODS: A 57-year-old woman who presented with right hemiparesis and expressive dysphasia was found to have a left frontal contrast-enhancing tumor. She underwent subtotal resection, which revealed primary GBM, and went on to receive standard chemoradiation combined with intra-arterial and intravenous bevacizumab as part of an experimental protocol. She returned with disease progression ten months later and underwent second resection. Fresh tumor was preserved for histopathology, DNA extraction, and was cultured in both serum-free and adherent conditions. RESULTS: Sequencing of tumor DNA revealed that almost all cells harbored the C250T mutation, while a small fraction of cells harbored the C228T mutation. In adherent conditions at early passage, the C250T mutation continued to predominate while there was slight enrichment of C228T. Early and late passage spheres uniformly exhibited the C228T mutation, while C250T was undetectable. Late passage adherent cells exhibited only C228T and could form spheres when transferred into serum-free conditions. All cultures were genotyped and compared to the patient's germline DNA to exclude contamination. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that ongoing convergent evolution gave rise to the C228T mutation in a clone of tumor cells that did not harbor the prevailing C250T mutation of the original tumor. The clone containing C228T exhibited greater proliferation and superior sphere-forming ability in vitro compared to clones containing C250T, and may have been selected through treatment.
Bounding Methods and Applications

Using the constitutive equations which describe the rate of growth of damage, bounding theorems are developed which can he used to determine the failure life of components. An example of the technique is illustrated by determining the rupture life of a shell component subjected to cyclic loading.
Hepatitis C in alcohol dependence:drinking versus disulfiram.

Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects alcohol dependent (AD) individuals disproportionately. Disulfiram for timely abstinence in HCV+ AD cases remains controversial. Our literature review suggests that (1) active drinking accelerates HCV-related liver damage and that abstinence is associated both (2) with a slower course of HCV+ hepatic deterioration and (3) with enhanced response to antiviral HCV treatment. Further, (4) the risk of disulfiram liver injury appears much lower than that from alcohol, (5) HCV+AD individuals require close monitoring during the first 6 months of disulfiram treatment, and (6) early discontinuation of disulfiram usually reverses harmful effects when these occur. Although systematic data are sparse, continued drinking appears much more liver toxic than does disulfiram in this group. Disulfiram therapy may allow (1) prolonged abstinence leading to successful antiviral therapy for HCV, and (2) time to begin behavioral treatments that facilitate long-term abstinence. Sizeable pro...
The development and characterization of advanced broadband mirror coatings for the far-UV

We present a progress report on the development of new broadband mirror coatings that demonstrate g 80% reflectivities from 1020−5000A. Four different coating recipes are presented as candidates for future far-ultraviolet (FUV) sensitive broadband observatories. Three samples were first coated with aluminum (Al) and lithium fluoride (LiF) at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) using a new high-temperature physical vapor deposition (PVD) process. Two of these samples then had an ultrathin (10−20 A) protective coat of either magnesium fluoride (MgF2) or aluminum fluoride (AlF3) applied using atomic later deposition (ALD) at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). A fourth sample was coated with Al and a similar high temperature PVD coating of AlF3. Polarized reflectivities into the FUV for each sample were obtained through collaboration with the Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. We present a procedure for using these reflectivities as a baseline for calculating the optical constants of each coating recipe. Given these results, we describe plans for improving our measurement methodology and techniques to develop and characterize these coating recipes for future FUV missions.
The Digital Misinformation Pipeline

Digital misinformation poses a major risk to society and thrives on cognitive, social, and algorithmic biases. As social media become engulfed in rumor, hoaxes, and fake news, a “research pipeline” for the detection, monitoring, and checking of digital misinformation is needed. This chapter gives a brief introductory survey to the main research on these topics. The problem of digital misinformation does not lie squarely within a single discipline; instead, it is informed by research in several areas. An integrated research agenda devoted to the implementation of these tools should take into account a wide range of perspectives.
The Doctrine of Theosis: A Transformational Union with Christ:

The doctrine of theosis is receiving increased attention from contemporary evangelicals. In this paper, I explore theosis and its importance for our understanding and practice of the Christian mora...
Sheaths Used in Thoracic Aortic Endografting

Sheaths are hemostatic conduits inserted into the vessel which provide the safest method of maintaining access for an endovascular procedure. Sheaths allow passage of guidewires, catheters and interventional devices in and out of the body without damaging the vessel and reducing the blood loss.1–3 Sheaths are essential for planned exchange of guidewires or catheters or when any large or irregular devices are to be introduced as well as all interventional procedures. Sheaths are introduced during initial vascular access over guidewire after cannulation of the artery using the Seldinger technique. Appropriately sized dilators aid the insertion of the larger sheath into the small puncture made by the initial needle. Subsequent to insertion, all exchange or introduction of guidewires, catheters, and devices will take place through the lumen of the sheath. The benefit of the sheath lies in the exclusion of the vessel puncture site from this activity. Each guidewire or catheter introduced directly into the vessel carries a risk of localized hematoma formation or vessel trauma (enlarging the puncture site, dissection of an intimal flap, tearing of vessel walls, etc.), but the sheath serves to minimize vessel trauma and extravasation of blood while maintaining vascular access.
Global geodesic coordinates on a G 0 continuous surface

A surfaceSis given by an overlapping system of coordinates \( x = x(u,v),y = y(u,v),z = z(u,v) \). Setting \( X\left( {u,v} \right) = \left( {x\left( {u,v} \right),y\left( {u,v} \right),z\left( {u,v} \right)} \right) \)a normal to the surface is given by $$ \vec n = \frac{{{X_u} \times {X_v}}}{{\left| {Xu \times Xv} \right|}}. $$
Laurent and Toeplitz operators, singular integral operators and Jacobi matrices

In this final chapter some applications of the results obtained in the preceding work will be made.
Network Based Autonomous Robot Motor Control: from Hormones to Learning

Network models have started to be used to control physical robots. A major problem is how to control the selection of grossly different high level behaviors and how to express that selection down at the motor level. In this paper we show how to extend the subsumption architecture [Brooks 86] inspired by a model of behavior selection of [Maes 89], and incorporating a model of hormonal control [Kravitz 88]. In robotic terms a hormonal control system enables global control of a distributed system with only a very low bandwidth global communication system. This has important implications concerning the ability to fabricate intelligent silicon controllers for tiny microfabricated micro robots [Flynn, Brooks and Tavrow 89].
Closed-Form Solution and Sparsity Path for Inverse Covariance Estimation Problem

In this paper, we study the problem of determining a sparsity graph that describes the conditional dependence between different elements of a multivariate random distribution, using a limited number of samples. Graphical Lasso is one of the popular methods for addressing this problem, which imposes a soft penalty in the form of an $l_{1}$ regularization term in its objective function. The first goal of this work is to study the behavior of the optimal solution of Graphical Lasso as a function of its regularization coefficient. We show that if the number of samples is not too small compared to the number of parameters, the sparsity pattern of the optimal solution of Graphical Lasso changes gradually in terms of the regularization coefficient. More precisely, it is proved that each change in the sparsity pattern corresponds to the addition or removal of a single edge of the graph, under generic conditions. It is also shown that Graphical Lasso as a conic optimization problem has a closed-form solution if an acyclic graph is sought. This explicit formula also serves as an approximate solution for non-acyclic sparse graphs. The results are demonstrated on synthetic data and electrical systems.
Ice I h revisited: No proton tunneling observed in a quasielastic neutron scattering experiment

A large broadening ($\ensuremath{\sim}0.4\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{meV}$) of quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) signal in ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O}$ ice ${I}_{h}$ at $T=5\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$ was observed by Bove et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 165901 (2009)] and explained by a model of concerted proton tunneling. This result was rather unexpected, as prior studies never showed significant mobility in water at low temperatures and ambient pressure. There were a few attempts of theoretical understanding of the effect. Recent path-integral simulations as well as quantum lattice-gauge theory supported the possibility of the collective tunneling of protons in ice ${I}_{h}$, however other studies stated that concerted tunneling in ice ${I}_{h}$ should have very low frequency. Here, we report on QENS measurements of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O}$ ice ${I}_{h}$ at 1.8 and 5 K by using neutron scattering spectrometers with the energy resolution similar to and four times better than the energy resolution in the original experiment of Bove and co-workers. We did not observe any QENS broadening, and the measured spectra for the ice ${I}_{h}$ and the reference vanadium sample were almost identical. Therefore, we conclude that there is no proton tunneling in ice ${I}_{h}$ at temperatures down to 1.8 K measurable on an energy scale of 3.5 $\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{eV}$ and above. The literature data on low-temperature heat capacity of ice ${I}_{h}$ support this conclusion.
The Many Shapes of Lithium

Lithium metal is known to form ramified structures during electrodeposition not only at high current densities (above diffusion limit) but also, unexpectedly, at low currents. In this issue of Joule, Bai and coworkers describe an analytical approach to explain structural evolution of lithium electrode at different current densities. They find three distinct regimes as a function of current rate, such that the morphology changes from whiskers to mossy to dendrites.
High-Throughput Targeted Repeat Element Bisulfite Sequencing (HT-TREBS)

High-throughput targeted repeat element bisulfite sequencing (HT-TREBS) is designed to assay the methylation level of individual retrotransposon loci of a targeted family, in a locus-specific manner, and on a genome-wide scale. Briefly, genomic DNA is sheared and ligated to Ion Torrent A adaptors (with methylated cytosines), followed by bisulfite-conversion, and amplification with primers designed to bind the targeted retrotransposon. Since the primers carry the Ion Torrent P1 adaptor as a 5'-extension, the amplified library is ready to be size-selected and sequenced on a next-generation sequencing platform. Once sequenced, each retrotransposon is mapped to a particular genomic locus, which is achieved through ensuring at least a 10-bp overlap with flanking unique sequence, followed by the calculation of methylation levels of the mapped retrotransposon using a BiQ Analyzer HT. A complete protocol for library construction as well as the bioinformatics for HT-TREBS is described in this chapter.
Consequences of inadequate sleep during the college years: Sleep deprivation, grade point average, and college graduation

Abstract Sleep deprivation can have substantial consequences for college learning and achievement. However, prior studies on this topic are limited due to the reliance on small and convenience samples, the use of cross-sectional data, inadequate control for confounders, and the lack of outcome data from official school records. The present study used two waves of longitudinal data from the U.S. Wabash National Study (N = 3549) to examine the relationships between sleep deprivation and school-record grade point average (GPA) and college graduation. Random-effects and fixed-effects models were used to link sleep deprivation and GPA. Logistic regression was used to link sleep deprivation during the college years and college graduation. Results from the random-effects and fixed-effects models suggest that chronic sleep deprivation is associated with lower GPA. Students who experienced sleep deprivation from their freshman to senior years had a lower chance of graduation than students who were not sleep deprived. Furthermore, sleep deprivation during students' senior year was found to be more consequential for college graduation than sleep deprivation during their freshman year. Findings suggest that the ramifications of chronic sleep deprivation extend beyond short-term GPA; sleep deprivation predicts the likelihood of obtaining a college degree.
Remaking Metropolitan America? Residential Mobility and Racial Integration in the Suburbs:

This article provides estimates of white residential mobility within and between specific suburban places differentiated by ethnoracial diversity. The authors draw on intrametropolitan mobility dat...
Effect of Reynolds number on turbulent junction flow fluid dynamics and heat transfer

Abstract Turbulent junction flow is commonly seen in various turbomachinery components, heat exchangers, submarine appendages, and wing-fuselage attachments, where the approach boundary layer separates and rolls up into a coherent system of vortices upstream of a wall-mounted bluff body. One of the signature features of this flow is its tendency to switch randomly between two semi-stable states. The highly unsteady behavior causes high pressure fluctuations on the wall and obstacle surfaces and high heat transfer. Despite its prevalence, few studies have examined the Reynolds number dependence of the dynamic junction flow behavior. In this paper, the flow physics as well as heat transfer of the turbulent junction flow are investigated using high speed particle image velocimetry and time-average infrared thermography measurements. A wide range of approach momentum thickness Reynolds numbers are studied, ranging from 550 to 5740. Although the time-mean flowfield does not show significant Reynolds number dependency, the normalized turbulent kinetic energy in and around the vortex core increases with Reynolds number, and the high heat transfer associated with the junction flow moves closer to the junction. These effects are linked to the increasing randomness in the position of the primary junction flow vortex as the Reynolds number increases.
Anorexia Nervosa as a Cause of Choledocholithiasis

Case Report A 14 year-old white female presented to an outside hospital for evaluation of right upper quadrant pain of one day duration and imaging consistent with choledocholithiasis. She had been developing signs and symptoms consistent with anorexia nervosa for six months preceding her admission. Five months prior to presentation she endorsed restricting her caloric intake, counting calories and exercising up to 2 hours per day during this time in an attempt to have a “healthy” body, as well as, purging. Four months prior to presentation, she developed amenorrhea. She ceased purging when …
Diversity and Composition of Gut Microbiome of Cervical Cancer Patients by 16S rRNA and Whole-Metagenome Sequencing

Purpose: Next generation sequencing has progressed rapidly, characterizing microbial communities beyond culture-based or biochemical techniques. 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing (16S) produces reliable taxonomic classifications and relative abundances, while shotgun metagenome sequencing (WMS) allows higher taxonomic and functional resolution at greater cost. The purpose of this study was to determine if 16S and WMS provide congruent information for our patient population from paired fecal microbiome samples. Methods: Patients with locally advanced cervical cancers were enrolled on a prospective, observational clinical trial with a rectal swab sample collected prior to chemoradiation. Bacterial DNA was extracted from each sample and divided in two parts for 16S or WMS sequencing. We used measures of diversity richness and evenness as comparators of 16S and WMS sequencing. Relative abundances of the most common taxa were also compared between both datasets. Both techniques were tested against baseline patient demographics to assess associations identified with either or both methods. Results: Comparative indices were highly congruent between 16S and WMS. The most abundant genera for 16S and WMS data did not overlap. Overlap was observed at the Phylum level, as expected. However, relative abundances correlated poorly between the two methodologies (all p>0.05). Hierarchical clustering of both sequencing analyses identified overlapping enterotypes. Both approaches were in agreement with regard to demographic variables. Conclusion: Diversity, evenness and richness are comparable when using 16S and WMS techniques, however relative abundances of individual genera are not. Clinical associations with diversity and evenness metrics were similarly identified with WMS or 16S.
The effect of anticoagulation on clinical outcomes in novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia in a U.S. cohort.

Abstract Background COVID-19 infection is associated with D-dimer elevations, high rates of thrombus formation, and poor clinical outcomes. We sought to determine if empiric therapeutic anticoagulation (AC) affected survival in COVID-19 patients compared to standard prophylactic AC. Methods Retrospective analysis of 402 COVID-19 patients hospitalized between March 15 and May 31, 2020 was performed. Clinical outcomes were compared between 152 patients treated with therapeutic AC to 250 patients on prophylactic AC. An elastic net logistic regression was designed to first identify the important variables affecting mortality. These variables were then included as covariates to AC in standard multivariate logistic regression models studying the effect of AC on death. Nonparametric survival analysis was conducted, and Kaplan Meier curves were constructed. Results Increased mortality was associated with therapeutic AC [OR 3.42 (2.06, 5.67)]. The log-rank test was statistically significant at p = 0.001 showing higher mortality for patients treated with therapeutic AC compared to prophylactic AC. Subset analysis of critically ill and intubated patients had similar survival curves regardless of AC dose. The log-rank test was not significant even with Prentice modification. For non-ICU patients, the log rank test favoring prophylactic AC disappeared when the analysis was stratified by D-dimer level less or greater than 3 μg/mL. Approximately 9% of patients receiving therapeutic AC experienced clinically significant bleeding or thrombocytopenia, versus 3% in those receiving prophylactic AC. Conclusions In our cohort, therapeutic anticoagulation provided no mortality benefit over thromboprophylaxis, independent of co-morbidities or disease severity. More adverse events were observed with therapeutic AC.
Implications of Free Temporoparietal Fascial Flap Reconstruction in the Pediatric Population.

ABSTRACT The temporoparietal fascial flap (TPFF) is a versatile tool that can be used in the reconstruction of head and neck and distal upper and lower extremity defects. The TPFF may be harvested as a pedicle or free flap as well as with the temporalis muscle and/or adjacent calvarial bone as a composite flap. As a free flap, the TPFF has been used as a joint gliding surface with coverage of nerves and tendons, for extremity soft tissue repair, for tracheal and pharyngeal coverage and for defects of the nose, scalp, and auricle. This article focuses on the use of the free TPFF in the pediatric population through systemic review of the medical literature. Current perspectives on the use of this flap and microsurgery in general in pediatric patients are addressed.
Doping of gallium oxide and aluminum gallium oxide alloys

Ga2O3 is a highly promising material for power electronics, thanks to its large band gap (4.8 eV) and high breakdown voltage. Better control of doping is still an active research topic, both in Ga2O3 and in (AlxGa1-x)2O3 alloys. First-principles modeling, using advanced hybrid functional calculations within density functional theory, can greatly help in resolving experimental puzzles and guiding optimal doping conditions. Work performed in collaboration with S. Mu, J. L. Lyons, H. Peelaers, J. B. Varley, and D. Wickramaratne.
Early Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis: Further Evidence for Missed Opportunity.

The term prodrome often refers to symptoms indicating disease onset before diagnostically specific signs or symptoms emerge. Data from several recent studies have pointed toward a possible prodromal phase of multiple sclerosis (MS).1 These studies have retrospectively identified increased prevalence of symptoms, diagnoses, and health care use in patients years before a new diagnosis of MS.1 An increased prevalence of fatigue, depression, anxiety, headache, sleep disturbances, pain, musculoskeletal disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and genitourinary disorders, even when patients with diagnoses compatible with concurrent neurologic syndromes were excluded, appeared to precede diagnosis of MS. These data suggest a potential window of opportunity to affect disease trajectory if prodromal symptoms attributable MS could be recognized at the time of onset, or through screening efforts, because earlier treatment is associated with better clinical outcomes. An important limitation of earlier studies was the inclusion of cases reported since the 1980s, when MRI was not available to facilitate earlier diagnosis. The unusually older median age at diagnosis in these investigations indicates that many MS cases escaped early recognition and were diagnosed years later and that reported prodromal symptoms may not have preceded neurologic symptoms diagnostically specific for MS.
The elegant complexity of mammalian ecto-5′-nucleotidase (CD73)

Purinergic signaling is a fundamental mechanism used by all cells to control their internal activities and interact with the environment. A key component of the purinergic system, the enzyme ecto-5′-nucleotidase (CD73) catalyzes the last step in the extracellular metabolism of ATP to form adenosine. Efforts to harness the therapeutic potential of endogenous adenosine in cancer have culminated in the ongoing clinical development of multiple CD73-targeting antibodies and small-molecule inhibitors. However, recent studies are painting an increasingly complex picture of CD73 mRNA and protein regulation and function in cellular homeostasis, physiological adaptation, and disease development. This review discusses the latest conceptual and methodological advances that are helping to unravel the complexity of this important enzyme that was identified nearly 90 years ago.
Using Network-Based Machine Learning to Predict Transcription Factors Involved in Drought Resistance

Gene regulatory networks underpin stress response pathways in plants. However, parsing these networks to prioritize key genes underlying a particular trait is challenging. Here, we have built the Gene Regulation and Association Network (GRAiN) of rice (Oryza sativa). GRAiN is an interactive query-based web-platform that allows users to study functional relationships between transcription factors (TFs) and genetic modules underlying abiotic-stress responses. We built GRAiN by applying a combination of different network inference algorithms to publicly available gene expression data. We propose a supervised machine learning framework that complements GRAiN in prioritizing genes that regulate stress signal transduction and modulate gene expression under drought conditions. Our framework converts intricate network connectivity patterns of 2160 TFs into a single drought score. We observed that TFs with the highest drought scores define the functional, structural, and evolutionary characteristics of drought resistance in rice. Our approach accurately predicted the function of OsbHLH148 TF, which we validated using in vitro protein-DNA binding assays and mRNA sequencing loss-of-function mutants grown under control and drought stress conditions. Our network and the complementary machine learning strategy lends itself to predicting key regulatory genes underlying other agricultural traits and will assist in the genetic engineering of desirable rice varieties.
An implantable human stem cell-derived tissue-engineered rostral migratory stream for directed neuronal replacement

The rostral migratory stream (RMS) facilitates neuroblast migration from the subventricular zone to the olfactory bulb throughout adulthood. Brain lesions attract neuroblast migration out of the RMS, but resultant regeneration is insufficient. Increasing neuroblast migration into lesions has improved recovery in rodent studies. We previously developed techniques for fabricating an astrocyte-based Tissue-Engineered RMS (TE-RMS) intended to redirect endogenous neuroblasts into distal brain lesions for sustained neuronal replacement. Here, we demonstrate that astrocyte-like-cells can be derived from adult human gingiva mesenchymal stem cells and used for TE-RMS fabrication. We report that key proteins enriched in the RMS are enriched in TE-RMSs. Furthermore, the human TE-RMS facilitates directed migration of immature neurons in vitro. Finally, human TE-RMSs implanted in athymic rat brains redirect migration of neuroblasts out of the endogenous RMS. By emulating the brain's most efficient means for directing neuroblast migration, the TE-RMS offers a promising new approach to neuroregenerative medicine.
Chromosomal-level genome assembly of the bioluminescent cardinalfish Siphamia tubifer, an emerging model for symbiosis research

Abstract The bioluminescent symbiosis between the sea urchin cardinalfish Siphamia tubifer (Kurtiformes: Apogonidae) and the luminous bacterium Photobacterium mandapamensis is an emerging vertebrate-bacteria model for the study of microbial symbiosis. However, there is little genetic data available for the host fish, limiting the scope of potential research that can be carried out with this association. In this study, we present a chromosomal-level genome assembly of S. tubifer using a combination of PacBio HiFi sequencing and Hi-C technologies. The final genome assembly was 1.2 Gb distributed on 23 chromosomes and contained 32,365 protein coding genes with a BUSCO completeness score of 99%. A comparison of the S. tubifer genome to that of another non-luminous cardinalfish revealed a high degree of synteny, whereas a similar comparison to a more distant relative in the Gobiiformes order revealed a fusion of two chromosomes in the cardinalfish genomes. An additional comparison of orthologous clusters among these three genomes revealed a set of 710 clusters that were unique to S. tubifer in which 23 GO pathways were significantly enriched, including several relating to host-microbe interactions and one involved in visceral muscle development, which could be related to the musculature involved in the gut-associated light organ of S. tubifer. We also assembled the complete mitogenome of S. tubifer and discovered both an inversion in the WANCY tRNA gene region resulting in a WACNY gene order as well as heteroplasmy in the length of the control region for this individual. A phylogenetic analysis based on the whole mitochondrial genome indicated that S. tubifer is divergent from the rest of the cardinalfish family, bringing up questions of the involvement of the bioluminescent symbiosis in the initial divergence of the ancestral Siphamia species. This draft genome assembly of S. tubifer will enable future studies investigating the evolution of bioluminescence in fishes as well as candidate genes involved in the symbiosis and will provide novel opportunities to use this system as a vertebrate-bacteria model for symbiosis research.
Rapid electromagnetic analysis of multilayer interconnects

In this paper, a closed-form solution is presented for the individual elements of the impedance matrix generated by the application of the Method of Moments to the integral equation solution of shielded multiconductor structures. Using these expressions, impedance matrix fill time is reduced by one to four orders of magnitude.
Mechanism of Control of Hepatic Glycogenesis by Insulin

Insulin produces an increase in the conversion of the D form (glucose-6-P dependent) of liver glycogen synthase to the I form (glucose-6-P independent) when injected intravenously into fed alloxan diabetic rats. Insulin activates glycogen synthase previously inactivated by glucagon in isolated perfused livers from normal rats, while increasing [14C]glucose incorporation into glycogen and decreasing glucagon-stimulated glucose production. This change in synthase activity is associated with a decrease in synthase (protein) kinase activity and tissue adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate levels when insulin is used to antagonize the effects of glucagon. Finally, insulin alone has a direct effect on the activation of glycogen synthase (D to I shift) in perfused livers from normal rats if insulin infusion is begun after an initial 30-min perfusion period. This effect is maximal between 6 and 15 min and is no longer present after 30 min. Associated changes include an increase in [14C]-glucose incorporation into glycogen at 10 min and a decrease in synthase kinase activity at 6 and 15 min. This decrease in kinase activity is not associated with a decrease in apparent hepatic concentrations of adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate.
China and East Asian Regionalism

East Asia is steadfastly marching towards regional economic integration through a number of regional trade agreements (RTAs) and China is a major driving force behind this movement. This paper analyses China's RTAs and their impact on regionalism in Asia. It addresses the criticisms that China's RTAs are politically but not economically driven, that China's RTAs create the hub‐and‐spoke bilateralism and that China's RTAs are not World Trade Organization consistent. It discusses China's position on East Asian regionalism, pointing out that China wishes East Asia to pursue regionalism on multi‐track and at multi‐speed, that China tends to ‘do easy things first’ with low integration and liberalisation and then gradually move to deeper liberalisation and integration and that China's definition of ‘open regionalism’ does not include outside countries such as the USA and the EU. The paper makes suggestions for improving China's RTAs in the interest of establishing an East Asia free trade agreement.
Strategic Research Partnerships: Constructing Policy-Relevant Indicators

Absent a set of indicators based on a set of valid constructs, it will remain difficult to determine the importance of strategic research partnerships (SRP) for the U.S. economy and the enterprise of science and technology in general. The purpose of this paper is to identify characteristics of a desirable policy indicator for strategic research partnerships. In choosing among the many possible conceptualizations and indicators of SRP, a framing question should be: “what is the public stake?” The fact that SRP activity has great economic import (still an open question) does not imply an equivalent government or public policy importance. This seems to imply, then, that SRP indicators should focus on such factors as the composition of R&D (e.g. do they shift the balance in available public domain research?), impacts of labor and human resources, tax implications (e.g. use of tax credits, foregone revenue and its impacts), and, especially, public-private partnerships (e.g. how are government-sponsored or -brokered SRPs different from others?).
A New Way to Burn Fat

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase controls fat storage and utilization in adipose cells. An important regulator of this enzyme modulates its degradation and is a potential therapeutic target for treatment of insulin resistance and obesity.
Flibanserin for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women.

Introduction: Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is the most common form of female sexual dysfunction (FSD). Some theories suggest that HSDD has a neurobiological component linked to neurotransmitter imbalances. Flibanserin is the only FDA-approved treatment of HSDD; before its approval, the disorder was often left untreated or interventions were made using evidence-based psychological methods or ‘off-label’ use of bupropion, testosterone and other dopaminergic agents.Areas covered: Flibanserin, a multifunctional serotonin agonist/antagonist, is approved as a nonhormonal option designed specifically for the treatment of HSDD. Flibanserin has been shown to cause statistically significant increases in the number of satisfying sexual events and in sexual desire scores on standardized/validated measures while reducing FSD-related distress of premenopausal women diagnosed with HSDD. Similar efficacy has been demonstrated in a smaller group of postmenopausal women also affected by HSDD. The side effects o...
A Review of Measurements of the Solar Neutrino Flux and their Variation.

The Homestake solar neutrino experiment has observed the solar neutrino flux from 1970 to the present time. During this 24 year period an apparent variation in the neutrino flux that inversely correlates with the solar activity cycle was observed. In the course of these observations two special experiments were performed to search for an enhanced signal from supernova 1987A and from an intense flare-solar mass loss event of 4 June 1991. Neutrinos were not observed from supernova 1987A, but a strong signal was observed from the 4 June 1991 solar event. The data from the Homestake experiment were analyzed by many independent investigators to search for correlations with various solar phenomena. These studies will be summarized and reviewed.
Fluid intake of rats in constant light and during feeding restricted to the light or dark portion of the illumination cycle

Abstract Rats restricted to eating and drinking during the light phase of a 12:12 light-dark (L-D) cycle (L-drinkers) consumed much smaller volumes of saccharin and NaCl than did rats whose feeding and drinking was restricted to the dark phase (D-drinkers). The patterns of fluid intake within the respective 12-hr feeding periods were markedly different for L- and D-drinkers and the food/fluid ratios were significantly lower for D- than for L-drinkers. It was concluded that illumination affects fluid intake independently of changes in food intake and that light limits the rat's capacity for fluid ingestion. L- and D-drinkers did not differ in their preference for saccharin over water in two bottle preference tests; this suggests that light does not interfere with the rat's ability to detect and determine the quality of the taste stimulus. Differences in ingestive behavior between L- and D-drinkers may in part reflect constraints imposed by changes in the sleep-wakefulness cycle. Intake of a wide concentration range of saccharin solutions was decreased in ad lib fed rats housed in constant light (L-L); differences in fluid intake between the L-L and L-D groups varied directly with the hedonic value of the saccharin solutions. Only 44% of rats housed in constant light as compared to 100% of rats maintained in a L-D cycle decreased their intake of a saccharin solution whose ingestion was followed by injection of lithium chloride. This finding is relevant to studies of illness-induced aversions and was related to circadian rhythms in drug susceptibility and their alteration in constant light. The necessity for controlling and specifying environmental illumination in studies of ingestive behavior was emphasized and various methodological considerations related to illumination cycles were discussed.
Functional cooperativity between transcription factors UBF1 and SL1 mediates human ribosomal RNA synthesis

The human ribosomal RNA promoter contains two distinct control elements (UCE and core) both of which are recognized by the sequence-specific DNA binding protein UBF1, which has now been purified to apparent homogeneity. The purified factor activates RNA polymerase I (RNA pol I) transcription through direct interactions with either control element. A second RNA pol I transcription factor, designated SL1, participates in the promoter recognition process and is required to reconstitute transcription in vitro. Although SL1 alone has no sequence-specific DNA binding activity, deoxyribonuclease I footprinting experiments reveal that a cooperative interaction between UBF1 and SL1 leads to the formation of a new protein-DNA complex at the UCE and core elements. In vitro transcription experiments indicate that formation of the UBF1-SL1 complex is vital for transcriptional activation by UBF1. Thus, protein-protein interactions between UBF1 and SL1 are required for targeting of SL1 to cis-control sequences of the promoter.
Optics Concept for a Pair of Undulator Beamlines for MX.

Abstract We describe a concept for X-ray optics to feed a pair of macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamlines, which view canted undulator radiation sources in the same storage ring straight section. It can be deployed at NSLS-II and at other low-emittance third-generation synchrotron radiation sources where canted undulators are permitted, and makes the most of these sources and beamline floor space, even when the horizontal angle between the two canted undulator emissions is as little as 1–2 mrad. The concept adopts the beam-separation principles employed at the 23-ID (GM/CA-CAT) beamlines at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), wherein tandem horizontally deflecting mirrors separate one undulator beam from the other, following monochromatization by a double-crystal monochromator. The scheme described here would, in contrast, deliver the two tunable monochromatic undulator beams to separate endstations that address rather different and somewhat complementary purposes, with further beam conditioning imposed as required. A downstream micro-focusing beamline would employ dual-stage focusing for work at the micron scale and, unique to this design, switch to single-stage focusing for larger beams. On the other hand, the upstream, more highly automated beamline would only employ single-stage focusing.
Effect of ventromedial hypothalamic lesions on development of adrenal-regeneration hypertension in weaning female rats.

Ventromedial hypothalame Lasionen hemmen die NNR-Regenerations-Hypertonie. Dabei ist nicht eine Verschiebung in der Nahrungs- oder Elektrolyt-Aufnahme verantwortlich19,20.
Measuring the performance of adjustable x-ray optics with wavefront sensing

Post-mounting figure correction is a promising avenue to produce low-mass, high-resolution X-ray telescopes. We have demonstrated the feasibility of this approach using piezoelectrically adjustable glass mirrors. Influence functions for various piezoelectric cells have previously been measured with an optical profilometer, but with significant noise. We have improved on both the speed and accuracy of these measurements using a Shack- Hartmann wavefront sensing system. Additionally, we have altered our wavefront sensing system to investigate the mid frequency roughness of our slumped glass mirrors. We report on initial results for measurements of both influence functions and mid frequency roughness and describe our path forward.
Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine facilitates age-related cardiac inflammation and macrophage M1 polarization

To investigate the role of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) in age-related cardiac inflammation, we studied six groups of mice: young (3–5 mo old), middle-aged (10–12 mo old), a...