cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bernoulli numbers and exact covering systems

Let b(mod a) be the arithmetic progression {n = b + caa: a E Z}. An exact covering system is a set A of (disjoint) AP's such that each integer belongs to exactly one AP. For example: B = {O(mod n), 1(mod n), ... ,(n 1)(mod n)} is an exact covering system, and when we substitute it into (2) we get (1). But, for example, {O(mod 2), 1(mod 4), 3(mod 8),... ,(2n-2 1)(mod 2n-1), (2 n-1 1)(mod 2n1)} is also an exact covering system with n AP's, and there is a superabundance of other examples [2]. If the offsets bj of an exact covering system are chosen so that 0 < bj < aj then exactly one offset is equal to zero. It will be assumed to be b1. A finite set of disjoint AP's that covers the non-negative integers, or indeed the integers from 1 to lcm{aj: 1 < j < n}, automatically covers all of the integers. For any exact cover, En=1a7 = 1. See [3]. In "A New Approach to Bernoulli Polynomials" [4], D. H. Lehmer proves that the n-th Bernoulli polynomial Bn(t) is the unique monic polynomial of degree n which satisfies Raabe's multiplication identity 1 m-i k n k: =B t + = n-mBm(nt). n k-O\ n
Effect of Aspirin on the Assay of Homovanillic Acid in Urine

Acetylsalicylic acid, salicylic acid, and an unidentified salicylate metabolite have been found to interfere with the urinary homovanillic acid assay described by Sato.7
Strategy of Using Intratreatment Hypoxia Imaging to Selectively and Safely Guide Radiation Dose De-escalation Concurrent With Chemotherapy for Locoregionally Advanced Human Papillomavirus-Related Oropharyngeal Carcinoma.

Purpose To report a small substudy of an ongoing large, multi-arm study using functional imaging to assess pre-/intratreatment hypoxia for all head and neck cancer, in which we hypothesized that pre- and early-treatment hypoxia assessment using functional positron emission tomography (PET) imaging may help select which human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive (HPV + ) oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) patients can safely receive radiation de-escalation without jeopardizing treatment outcomes. Methods and Materials Patients with HPV + oropharyngeal carcinoma were enrolled on an institutional review board–approved prospective study of which de-escalation based on imaging response was done for node(s) only. Pretreatment 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose and dynamic 18 F-FMISO (fluoromisonidazole) positron emission tomography (PET) scans were performed. For patients with pretreatment hypoxia on 18 F-FMISO PET (defined as a >1.2 tumor to muscle standard uptake value ratio), a repeat scan was done 1 week after chemoradiation. Patients without pretreatment hypoxia or with resolution of hypoxia on repeat scan received a 10-Gy dose reduction to metastatic lymph node(s). The 2-year local, regional, distant metastasis–free, and overall survival rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier product-limit method. A subset of patients had biopsy of a hypoxic node done under image guidance. Results Thirty-three HPV + OPC patients were enrolled in this pilot study. One hundred percent showed pretreatment hypoxia (at primary site and/or node[s]), and among these, 48% resolved (at primary site and/or node[s]); 30% met criteria and received 10-Gy reduction to the lymph node(s). At the median follow-up of 32 months (range, 21-61 months), the 2-year locoregional control rate was 100%. One patient failed distantly with persistence of hypoxia on 18 F-FMISO PET. The 2-year distant metastasis–free rate was 97%. The 2-year OS rate was 100%. Hypoxia on imaging was confirmed pathologically. Conclusions Hypoxia is present in HPV + tumors but resolves within 1 week of treatment in 48% of cases either at the primary site and/or lymph node(s). Our 100% locoregional control rate suggests that intratreatment functional imaging used to selectively de-escalate node(s) to 60 Gy was confirmed safe using our stringent imaging criteria. Intratreatment functional imaging warrants further study to determine its ultimate role in de-escalation treatment strategies.
Thermodynamic Analysis of Boron Nitride Formation in Boron Microalloyed Steel

In aluminum killed boron steel, Ti-B steel and Nb-V-B microalloyed steel, the precipitation relation and the precipitate content of the various precipitates,and the influence of those on the solid solution boron content were thermodynamically analyzed by using the solid solubility formula of alloy elements in austenite. The results showed that the precipitation of BN is prior to the precipitation of Al N,so the effective boron content to increase the stability of austenite decreases in the aluminum killed boron steel. The addition of Ti is an effective method of increasing the solute boron content in the boron steel,because the bonding force between Ti and N is stronger than that between B and N. The contents of Nb and V have little influence on the solute B content in microalloyed steel,but the solute boron content only is related to Ti content added in the steel,and Ti content is 3. 4 ~ 3. 8 times of N content in the Ti-Nb-V-B microalloyed steel at least.
Analysis on Rice Yield Current Status and Ecological Variations of New Varieties in Liaoning

26 mid-late season varieties newly bred in Liaoning during 2004～2005 was tested on their yield trait.Result show that: There were great ecotypic variability exist in rice yield traits,which all were affected by genotype,environment and their interaction.Genotype and environment had different effects on each quality trait.G×E and environment mostly affecte yield,while Panicles and Spikelets was mainly affected by environment.Percentage of ripened grains was was mainly affected by genotype.
Enzyme–Substrate Binding Kinetics Indicate That Photolyase Recognizes an Extrahelical Cyclobutane Thymidine Dimer

Escherichia coli DNA photolyase is a DNA-repair enzyme that repairs cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) that are formed on DNA upon exposure of cells to ultraviolet light. The light-driven electron-transfer mechanism by which photolyase catalyzes the CPD monomerization after the enzyme–substrate complex has formed has been studied extensively. However, much less is understood about how photolyase recognizes CPDs on DNA. It has been clearly established that photolyase, like many other DNA-repair proteins, requires flipping of the CPD site into an extrahelical position. Photolyase is unique in that it requires the two dimerized pyrimidine bases to flip rather than just a single damaged base. In this paper, we perform direct measurements of photolyase binding to CPD-containing undecamer DNA that has been labeled with a fluorophore. We find that the association constant of ∼2 × 106 M–1 is independent of the location of the CPD on the undecamer DNA. The binding kinetics of photolyase are best described by two...
New 3D-Culture Approaches to Study Interactions of Bone Marrow Adipocytes with Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cells

Adipocytes are a major component of the bone marrow that can critically affect metastatic progression in bone. Understanding how the marrow fat cells influence growth, behavior and survival of tumor cells requires utilization of in vitro cell systems that can closely mimic the physiological microenvironment. Herein, we present two new 3D culture approaches to study adipocyte-tumor cell interactions in vitro. The first is a transwell-based system composed of the marrow-derived adipocytes in 3D collagen I gels and reconstituted basement membrane-overlayed prostate tumor cell spheroids. Tumor cells cultured under these 3D conditions are continuously exposed to adipocyte-derived factors and their response can be evaluated by morphological and immunohistochemical analyses. We show via immunofluorescence analysis of metabolism-associated proteins that under 3D conditions tumor cells have significantly different metabolic response to adipocytes than tumor cells grown in 2D culture. We also demonstrate that this model allows for incorporation of other cell types, such as bone marrow macrophages, and utilization of di-quenched collagen substrates for examination of proteolysis-driven responses to adipocyte-and macrophage-derived factors. Our second 3D culture system is designed to study tumor cell invasion towards the adipocytes and the consequent interaction between the two cell types. In this model, marrow adipocytes are separated from the fluorescently labeled tumor cells by a layer of collagen I. At designated time points adipocytes are stained with BODIPY and confocal z-stacks are taken through the depth of entire culture to determine the distance travelled between the two cell types over time. We demonstrate that this system can be utilized to study effects of candidate factors on tumor invasion towards the adipocytes. We also show that immunohistochemical analyses can be performed to evaluate the impact of direct interaction of prostate tumor cells with adipocytes. Our models underline the importance of using the appropriate culture conditions to mimic physiological interactions between marrow adipocytes and metastatic tumor cells. These systems have a potential to be utilized for analyses of various factors that may be regulated by the adipocytes in bone. Their application likely extends beyond metastatic prostate cancer to other tumors that colonize bone marrow microenvironment.
Computational and Mathematical Modeling in the Social Sciences: KKV Redux: Deriving and Testing Logical Implications

INTRODUCTION For most of this book, the focus has been on the necessity of conducting out-of-sample statistical work to sort between competing models. Models are unfortunately not unique, even when they produce identical results. We thus face the task of choosing the most likely model from the class of logically consistent models using out-of-sample comparisons. But, as detailed in Chapter 3, it is often the case that the gap between the model and the empirical referent does not allow for dispositive tests. Or worse still, the amount or quality of available data precludes out-of-sample testing with statistical methods. In these situations, deriving logical implications of a model is a parsimonious way to test the model when the data are not accommodating. King, Keohane, and Verba (1994) – henceforth KKV – emphasize the importance of deriving the logical implications of models, and I borrow heavily from their treatment in Chapter 1 of this book. Like KKV, I depend upon examples from physics to demonstrate that logical implications can be an alternative to statistical modeling. The problem, however, is that there are few examples in the social sciences of this approach to testing a model. KKV do not provide an extended example, and to this point, neither have I. To address this shortcoming, I will return to the problem of nonseparable preferences featured in the Prelude. The focus will, however, shift to a topic that is more interesting to social scientists than recipes for hot fudge sundaes: voter preferences.
The Primary Effect on the Proteome of ARID1A-mutated Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma is Downregulation of the Mevalonate Pathway at the Post-transcriptional Level

Inactivating mutations in ARID1A, which encodes a subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex, are found in over half of ovarian clear cell carcinoma cases and more broadly across most types of cancers. To identify ARID1A-dependent changes in intracellular signaling pathways, we performed proteome analyses of isogenic ovarian clear cell carcinoma cell lines with or without ARID1A expression. Knockout of ARID1A in an ovarian clear cell carcinoma cell line with wild-type ARID1A, OVCA429, primarily resulted in downregulation of the mevalonate pathway, an important metabolic pathway involved in isoprenoid synthesis, cholesterol synthesis, and other downstream pathways. In a complementary experiment, expression of wild-type ARID1A in an ovarian clear cell carcinoma cell line containing mutated ARID1A, OVISE, affected the mevalonate pathway in a reciprocal manner. A striking aspect of these analyses was that, although only 5% of the detected proteome showed significant abundance changes, most proteins in the mevalonate pathway were coordinately affected by ARID1A status. There were generally corresponding changes when comparing the proteomics data to our previously published microarray data for ectopic expression of ARID1A in the OVISE cell line. However, ARID1A-dependent changes were not detected for genes within the mevalonate pathway. This discrepancy suggests that the mevalonate pathway is not regulated directly by ARID1A-mediated transcription and may be regulated post-transcriptionally. We conclude that ARID1A status indirectly influences the mevalonate pathway and probably influences other processes including glycogen metabolism and 14-3-3-mediated signaling. Further, our findings demonstrate that changes in mRNA levels are sometimes poor indicators of signaling pathways affected by gene manipulations in cancer cells.
A preliminary study into the efficacy of antibiotic doped niobium oxide coatings on 316L prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and sol-gel synthesis

Abstract Erythromycin was incorporated into niobium oxide coatings on stainless steel via advanced sol-gel processing. The effects of drug incorporation on the coatings were evaluated via SEM imaging. The release of erythromycin was measured and short term antibacterial properties were analyzed for 3 and 24 h. Further, the adhesion of S. aureus on the drug containing surfaces were also observed. A comparative study for release and antibacterial properties of erythromycin containing niobium oxide coatings was made based on two different processing routes, variation in drug concentration and immersion time.
Brain Structural Markers and Caregiving Characteristics as Interacting Correlates of Caregiving Strain.

Objective To evaluate the association between brain structural markers and caregiving strain among older informal caregivers. Design A secondary data analysis combining data from the Caregiver Health Effects Study (1993–1994) and the Cardiovascular Health Study MRI examination (1992–1994). Setting Four United States communities. Participants Co-residing spousal caregivers (N = 237; mean age: 76.2 years, SD: 2.2 years). Measurements Visually rated ventricular and white matter (WM) grades from magnetic resonance imaging, caregiving strain defined as "emotional or physical strain associated with providing care" for any of 12 activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), plus measures of caregiving characteristics and caregiver's health. Results Overall, 56% of caregivers reported strain. We detected an interaction where strain was very common (>82%) among caregivers who helped with four or more IADLs, regardless of WM grades, and among caregivers with the worst WM grades (WM grades ≥4), regardless of the number of IADLs they helped with. Among caregivers helping with fewer than four IADLs, having WM grade 4 or greater was associated with a 55% higher prevalence ratio for reporting strain. This association remained statistically significant but was most markedly attenuated by adjustments for: care recipient's memory and behavioral problems, caregiver's depression symptoms, and caregiver's ADL impairment. Conclusions Caregiving strain is very common among older informal caregivers who provide help with many IADLs, and among caregivers who help with fewer IADLs, but have manifest signs of white matter pathology. Modern quantitative-neuroimaging studies are needed to evaluate whether more subtle variability in brain structure confers caregiving strain and the related health consequences.
Viyojit: Decoupling Battery and DRAM Capacities for Battery-Backed DRAM

Non-Volatile Memories (NVMs) can significantly improve the performance of data-intensive applications. A popular form of NVM is Battery-backed DRAM, which is available and in use today with DRAMs latency and without the endurance problems of emerging NVM technologies. Modern servers can be provisioned with up-to 4 TB of DRAM, and provisioning battery backup to write out such large memories is hard because of the large battery sizes and the added hardware and cooling costs. We present Viyojit, a system that exploits the skew in write working sets of applications to provision substantially smaller batteries while still ensuring durability for the entire DRAM capacity. Viyojit achieves this by bounding the number of dirty pages in DRAM based on the provisioned battery capacity and proactively writing out infrequently written pages to an SSD. Even for write-heavy workloads with less skew than we observe in analysis of real data center traces, Viyojit reduces the required battery capacity to 11% of the original size, with a performance overhead of 7-25%. Thus, Viyojit frees battery-backed DRAM from stunted growth of battery capacities and enables servers with terabytes of battery-backed DRAM.
Structural biology of HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) genome encodes a total of three structural proteins, two envelope proteins, three enzymes, and six accessory proteins. Studies over the past ten years have provided high-resolution three-dimensional structural information for all of the viral enzymes, structural proteins and envelope proteins, as well as for three of the accessory proteins. In some cases it has been possible to solve the structures of the intact, native proteins, but in most cases structural data were obtained for isolated protein domains, peptidic fragments, or mutants. Peptide complexes with two regulatory RNA fragments and a protein complex with an RNA recognition/encapsidation element have also been structurally characterized. This article summarizes the high-resolution structural information that is currently available for HIV proteins and reviews current structure-function and structure-biological relationships.
Abstract WP47: Dynamic Changes in MR-Defined Collateral Flow After Acute Ischemic Stroke is Associated With Larger Penumbral Signature and Improved Clinical Outcomes

Introduction: Collateral flow is postulated to play an important role in maintaining tissue viability during acute ischemic stroke (AIS), but its direct influence on the ischemic penumbra and eventual tissue outcome is not well understood. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that collateral flow is dynamic during the first 24h after AIS and that successful collateralization is associated with improved outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from a prospectively collected observational MRI study of AIS patients serially imaged at 3h (n=51), 6h (n=45), 24h (n=26), and 1 month (n=36) after stroke onset. Collateral flow was assessed with dynamic susceptibility contrast-enhanced MRI for all time-points, utilizing a previously validated method (Kim et al, 2014; grade 1=poor - grade 4=excellent). Clinical outcome (NIHSS, mRS) and tissue outcome were based on 1-month assessments and FLAIR imaging. Results: Collateral flow was dynamic during the first 24h after stroke onset, changing in 33% of patients between 3-6h, and 68% between 6-24h. Moreover, the majority of patients (62%) showed improved collaterals during the first 24h (at 3h, 12% of patients had grade 1 and 22% grade 4; at 24h, 8% had grade 1 and 35% had grade 4). At 3 and 6h there was an inverse relationship between collateral grades 1 and 4 and percent diffusion-perfusion mismatch (p= 0.0006 and 0.0015, respectively). Patients with grade 4 collaterals at 3h had greater relative improvement in NIHSS at one month compared to grade 1 (p= 0.0363). In addition, those with improving collaterals within the first 24h were more likely to have a good outcome (mRS 0-2; p= 0.0171; Figure). Conclusions: Collateral flow is dynamic in the first 24h post-stroke, and improved collateralization is associated with better radiographic and clinical outcomes
Does money talk? A framing analysis of the Chinese Government’s strategic communications in the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank1

This study investigates the public relations strategies employed by the Chinese Government to convince other countries to join the new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). A framing analysis was conducted to examine the presence, valence, and evolution of the framed messages involving soft power resources and the dimensions of the relationship between organizations and the public. The findings included the following: (a) China’s economic strength was the predominant soft power resource; (b) the relational frames disclosed China’s strategic intention in attempting to expand the narrow space that is currently available for the country’s international activities by expressing willingness to obey the rules of the existing US-dominated economic order; and (c) international newspapers showed more interest in and more negative attitudes toward the relational dimension of trust, which indicates the need for the Chinese Government to continue to dispel doubts about the geopolitical role of the AIIB.
Latrunculin-A Causes Mydriasis and Cycloplegia in the Cynomolgus Monkey

PURPOSE To determine the effect of latrunculin (LAT)-A, which binds to G-actin and disassembles actin filaments, on the pupil, accommodation, and isolated ciliary muscle (CM) contraction in monkeys. METHODS Pupil diameter (vernier calipers) and refraction (coincidence refractometry) were measured every 15 minutes from 0.75 to 3.5 hours after topical LAT-A 42 microg (approximately 10 microM in the anterior chamber [AC]). Refraction was measured every 5 minutes from 0.5 to 1.5 hours after intracameral injection of 10 microl of 50 microM LAT-A (approximately 5 microM in AC), with intramuscular infusion of 1.5 mg/kg pilocarpine HCl (PILO) during the first 15 minutes of measurements. Pupil diameter was measured at 1 and 2 hours, and refraction was measured every 5 minutes from 1 to 2 hours, after intravitreal injection of 20 microl of 1.25 mM LAT-A (approximately 10 microM in vitreous), with intramuscular infusion of 1.5 mg/kg PILO during the first 15 minutes of measurements (all after topical 2.5% phenylephrine), and contractile response of isolated CM strips, obtained <1 hour postmortem and mounted in a perfusion apparatus, to 10 microM PILO +/- LAT-A was measured at various concentrations. RESULTS Topical LAT-A of 42 microg dilated the pupil without affecting refraction. Intracameral LAT-A of 5 microM inhibited miotic and accommodative responses to intramuscular PILO. Intravitreal LAT-A of 10 microM had no effect on accommodative or miotic responses to intramuscular PILO. LAT-A dose-dependently relaxed the PILO-contracted CM by up to 50% at 3 microM in both the longitudinal and circular vectors. CONCLUSIONS In monkeys, LAT-A causes mydriasis and cycloplegia, perhaps related to its known ability to disrupt the actin microfilament network and consequently to affect cell contractility and adhesion. Effects of LAT-A on the iris and CM may have significant physiological and clinical implications.
Community-Based Wetland Management: A Case Study of Brace Bridge Nature Park (BBNP), Kolkata, India

The East India–Bangladesh region has a rich history of coastal mangrove and swamp forest systems. But these same areas are under stress from land conversion and population explosion. This case study traces the development of an urbanized wetland in east Kolkata, India, and follows its multifunctional utilization for water quality treatment, aquaculture, garbage-fed agriculture, and urban wetland park. A crucial question for such urbanized wetland systems is whether they can be sustained in the face of mounting land conversion pressure plus other environmental stresses.
Theory for the dynamics of glassy mixtures with particle size swaps

We present a theory for the dynamics of binary mixtures with particle size swaps. The general structure of the theory shows that, in accordance with physical intuition, particle size swaps open up an additional channel for the relaxation of density fluctuations. Thus, allowing particle size swaps speeds up the dynamics. To make explicit predictions, we use a factorization approximation similar to that employed in the mode-coupling theory of glassy dynamics. We calculate an approximate dynamic glass transition phase diagram for an equimolar binary hard-sphere mixture. We find that in the presence of particle size swaps, with increasing ratio of the hard-sphere diameters the dynamic glass transition line moves toward higher volume fractions, up to the ratio of the diameters approximately equal to 1.2, and then saturates. We comment on the implications of our findings for the theoretical description of the glass transition.
Site-directed mutagenesis of the genome of mouse hepatitis virus by targeted RNA recombination.

We have genetically characterized a nucleocapsid (N) protein mutant of the coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV). This mutant, designated Alb4, is both temperature-sensitive and thermolabile, and its N protein is smaller than wild-type N. Sequence analysis of the Alb4 N gene revealed that it contains an internal deletion of 87 nucleotides, producing an in-frame deletion of 29 amino acids. All of these properties of Alb4 made it ideal for use as a recipient in a targeted RNA recombination experiment in which the deletion in Alb4 was repaired by recombination with synthetic RNA7, the smallest MHV subgenomic mRNA. Progeny from a cotransfection of Alb4 genomic RNA and synthetic RNA7 were selected for thermal stability. PCR analysis of candidate recombinants showed that they had regained the material that is deleted in the Alb4 mutant. They also had acquired a five nucleotide insertion in the 3’ untranslated region, which had been incorporated into the synthetic RNA7 as a molecular tag. The presence of the tag was directly verified, as well, by sequencing the genomic RNA of purified recombinant viruses. This provided a clear genetic proof that the Alb4 phenotype was due to the observed deletion in the N gene. In addition, these results demonstrated that it is possible to obtain stable, independently replicating progeny from recombination between coronaviral genomic RNA and a tailored, synthetic RNA species. To date, we have constructed three additional mutants by this procedure. For two of these, a second-site point mutation that reverts the Alb4 phenotype has been transduced into a wild type background, which does not contain the Alb4 deletion. In the third, a portion of the region deleted in Alb4 has been replaced by its counterpart from the N protein of bovine coronavirus (BCV).
Har Gobind Khorana

This article provides a brief summary of Har Gobind Khorana’s early years in science including his years as an independent investigator at the British Columbia Research Council in Vancouver, Canada. It also includes interesting anecdotes about his career and about him as a scientist based on his own writings, including (1) how he simply showed up in the laboratory of Dr. Vladimir Prelog in Zurich, with no recommendations, and pleaded for a little space to do postdoctoral research under him, (2) how his determination and tenacity to learn the German language well introduced him to the world of a class of chemical reagents called ‘carbodiimides’, which proved pivotal for much of his early work on the synthesis of nucleotides, nucleotide coenzymes and the first synthesis of a gene, and (3) how he ended up in Vancouver, Canada for his first position as an independent investigator.
Civic obligations in medicine: does "professional" civil disobedience tear, or repair, the basic fabric of society?

Professional civil disobedience can have benefits and risks to both medical professionals and patients. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Feed the Church, starve the party? Church-state relations and religious political mobilisation in 21 Catholic-majority countries

This contribution examines the effects of state religion policy on religious political mobilisation, focusing on the case of the Catholic Church in the post-Cold War era. Catholicism remains politi...
Crystal structure of amikacin

Abstract Amikacin is one of the important aminoglycoside antibiotics used against gram-negative bacteria. Here we report the crystal structure of amikacin that has been crystallized by vapor diffusion against polyethylene glycol. The molecule exists in a long, extended conformation, with all three six-membered rings in chair conformations and connected together by α-glycosidic linkages. The orientation between the A, B and C rings of the molecule is maintained by intramolecular hydrogen bonds involving the O5 hydroxyl group and the amide NH group.
Botanical Garden of the University of Oslo, Norway

The Botanical Garden in Oslo was established in 1814 and is the oldest part of the Natural History Museum, one of the two museums of the University of Oslo. To celebrate the bicentenary, the Museum decided to launch an ambitious programme of events covering the entire year and adding several new permanent assets. This paper provides a brief history of and current information about the Garden and describes the previously existing and new features, along with a map of the Garden. The bicentenary celebrations raised the profile of the Garden enormously in Norway, and it experienced a huge increase in visitor numbers as well as extensive media coverage. The increased popularity of the Garden and the expected future rise in population in the neighbouring suburbs simultaneously challenge the Garden to satisfy the need for green space as well as providing scientifically based information which reinforces the importance of plants.
Quadcopter Flights in a Variety of Atmospheres

Quadcopters, or drones, have come into wide use recently for a variety of applications including video inspection of otherwise inaccessible areas, real estate sales, and entertainment. Students are interested in them and in some cases own their own. The combination of high mobility, relatively low price, and autonomous operation is quite compelling. Besides just flying around on Earth, could drones be useful in planetary exploration? Being able to avoid getting stuck (as the Mars rover Spirit did, although after far exceeding its life expectancy) while covering far more of a planet than a ground-based rover would be attractive.Quadcopters, or drones, have come into wide use recently for a variety of applications including video inspection of otherwise inaccessible areas, real estate sales, and entertainment. Students are interested in them and in some cases own their own. The combination of high mobility, relatively low price, and autonomous operation is quite compelling. Besides just flying around on Earth, could drones be useful in planetary exploration? Being able to avoid getting stuck (as the Mars rover Spirit did, although after far exceeding its life expectancy) while covering far more of a planet than a ground-based rover would be attractive.
Use of Language Services for Telephone Advice by Limited English Proficiency Families in a Pediatric Primary Care Setting.

BACKGROUND Families limited in English proficiency (LEP) often do not receive appropriate medical language services, resulting in health disparities. Little is known about the use and effectiveness of language services provided via telephone when families call for medical advice. OBJECTIVE To characterize language service provision to LEP families calling for medical advice in a pediatric primary care setting. METHODS A self-administered survey was given to parents of children presenting for sick visits at an urban academic pediatric primary care practice. RESULTS 277 out of 300 surveys were completed, 92% in English and 8% in Spanish. 7% (19/271) of those who answered the language proficiency question reported LEP (spoke English "not well," or "not at all"). Among LEP parents, 68% calling for advice during clinic hours received appropriate language services (a trained interpreter or a bilingual provider). 53% received these services when calling after hours. CONCLUSIONS Over half of LEP families seeking telephone advice from their pediatric primary care office received adequate language services. Future research should identify barriers to providing telephone language services to LEP families.
Labor Unions and White Racial Politics

Scholars and political observers point to declining labor unions, on the one hand, and rising white identity politics, on the other, as profound changes in American politics. However, there has been little attention given to the potential feedback between these forces. In this article, we investigate the role of union membership in shaping white racial attitudes. We draw upon research in history and American political development to generate a theory of interracial labor politics, in which union membership reduces racial resentment. Cross‐sectional analyses consistently show that white union members have lower racial resentment and greater support for policies that benefit African Americans. More importantly, our panel analysis suggests that gaining union membership between 2010 and 2016 reduced racial resentment among white workers. The findings highlight the important role of labor unions in mass politics and, more broadly, the importance of organizational membership for political attitudes and behavior.
Understanding cool flames and warm flames

Abstract Low-temperature flames such as cool flames, warm flames, double flames, and auto-ignition assisted flames play a critical role in the performance of advanced engines and fuel design. In this paper, an overview of the recent progresses in understanding low-temperature flames and dynamics as well as their impacts on combustion, advanced engines, and fuel development will be presented. Specifically, at first, a brief review of the history of cool flames is made. Then, the recent experimental studies and computational modeling of the flame structures, dynamics, and burning limits of non-premixed and premixed cool flames, warm flames, and double flames are presented. The flammability limit diagram and the temperature-dependent chain-branching reaction pathways, respectively, for hot, warm, and cool flames at elevated temperature and pressure will be discussed and analyzed. After that, the effect of low temperature auto-ignition of auto-igniting mixtures at high ignition Damkohler numbers at engine conditions on the propagation of cool flames, warm flames, and double flames as well as turbulent flames will be discussed. Finally, a new platform using low temperature flames for the development and validation of chemical kinetic models of alternative fuels will be presented. Discussions of future research of the dynamics and control of low temperature flames under engine conditions will be made.
ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY IN WINTER SQUASH FRUIT PEEL IN RELATION TO AGE RELATED RESISTANCE TO PHYTOPHTHORA CAPSICI

Abstract Age-related resistance (ARR), or ontogenic resistance, is associated with host developmental stages. Winter squash fruit (Cucurbita moschata) develops resistance to the oomycete plant pathogen, Phytophthora capsici, as they mature. ARR in winter squash to P. capsici could be exploited to assist growers in limiting crop loss due to fruit rot. The objective of this study was to determine whether preformed or pathogen-induced antifungal activity during fruit development is correlated with ARR. We examined fruit peel methanol/ethanol extracts of three cultivars of C. moschata at different developmental stages with and without P. capsici inoculation. Results indicated the presence of compounds with antifungal activity in all fruit ages tested, but the antifungal activity decreased with age indicating a lack of association between preformed antifungal activity and ARR in winter squash. In addition, no significant change was detected in the antifungal activity among fruit ages that were inoculated with P. capsici and examined at different times post inoculation, suggesting no association between the induced antifungal activity and ARR in winter squash.
Heartbeat: weight loss interventions in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and meaningful weight loss is associated with a reduction in CVD risk. Yet patients’ efforts at weight reduction often are frustratingly futile. In this issue of Heart , Tijssen and colleagues1 evaluated weight change from baseline to 12-month follow-up in the subgroup of overweight patients (BMI ≥27 kg/m2) with coronary artery disease in the Randomised Evaluation of Secondary Prevention by Outpatient Nurse SpEcialists-2 (RESPONSE-2) multicentre randomised trial. The 280 patients in the intervention arm were offered community-based programmes to achieve weight reduction, increase physical activity and stop smoking in addition usual care, which included cardiology visits, cardiac rehabilitation and counselling on secondary prevention. Although there was wide variation in weight loss for patients in both the intervention and usual care groups, participation in a weight loss programme was associated with weight loss of ≥5% (OR 3.33 compared with usual care) (figure 1). Other factors associated with meaningful weight loss were older age, lower educational level, not smoking and motivation to start weight loss at the baseline visit. Figure 1 Waterfall plots; weight change from baseline to …
Evaluating black boxes: an ad-hoc method for assessing nonparametric and nonlinear curve-fitting estimators

In many areas of science, novel curve-fitting algorithms are recommended and employed. Users often are left with little means of discerning whether or not the algorithms work as advertised. We propose an ad-hoc method for assessing the behavior of these estimators. By modifying a chemical technique called standard addition, we can assess 1) whether the estimator is responds sensibly to changes in the model and residual distribution and 2) possibly detect outliers or extreme points.
Rule of Law, Development and Human Capabilities

This paper examines the impact of the rule of law on human capabilities. Amartya Sen has argued and provided evidence that improvements in economic development do not necessarily lead to human capabilities. Human capabilities are defined as non-monetary factors that improve well-being such as life expectancy, infant mortality, malnutrition, environmental factors, and education. We estimate the impact of the rule of law on human capabilities by using an instrumental variables approach. We instrument the level of development with an index for the rule of law. There is little theoretical reason to expect the rule of law to directly impact human capabilities. We then use the predicted values of development to determine if the economic development is positively correlated with human capabilities. We find that there is a positive relationship between and most measures of human capabilities. We find no such relationship when examining environmental factors that is likely the result of the small number of observations.
Automated antenna detection and correction methodology in VLSI designs

As more and more devices are packed on a single chip and as the complexities of VLSI designs are increasing, antenna detection and correction is becoming an increasingly challenging task. The paper presents a methodology, which employs a combination of prevention and correction of antennae at various stages of ASIC (Application specific Integrated Circuits) design flow such as cell library development, block design flow and chip design flow. The methodology advocates adding protection diodes only in a certain number of cells in the library. We have implemented this methodology in our ASIC design flow and are able to solve antenna issues in designs with negligible impact on die size (24% increase in die-size in less than 5% of the designs) and performance (0.3%-0.6% worst case impact to delay). By employing this methodology, we found that the number of antennae in the final layout reduced to very small number and even to zero in some cases, and we were able to save the time involved in correcting antennae.
A multi-phase mathematical programming approach to strategic planning of an efficient reverse supply chain network

Strategic planning of a supply chain network is one of the most challenging aspects of reverse logistics. To effectively satisfy drivers such as profitability, environmental regulations and asset recovery, only the most economical used products must be reprocessed in only the recovery facilities that have the potential to efficiently reprocess them. Due to uncertainties in supply, quality and reprocessing times of used-products, the cost-benefit function in the literature that selects the most economical product to reprocess from a set of used-products is not appropriate for direct adoption. Moreover, due to the same uncertainties, any traditional forward supply chain approach to identify potential manufacturing facilities cannot be employed to identify potential recovery facilities. This paper proposes a three-phase mathematical programming approach, taking the above uncertainties into account, to completely design a reverse supply chain network. Application of the approach is detailed through an illustrative example in each phase.
Molecular cloning of bovine chemokine receptors and expression by WC1+γδ T cells

Chemokine receptors mediate leukocyte migration into secondary lymphoid tissues and localization to peripheral inflammation sites. We describe full-length cDNA sequences of bovine chemokine receptors CCR5, CCR7, CXCR3 and CXCR5 and transcript expression by WC1(+)gammadelta T cells, a unique cell population with proinflammatory characteristics that comprises a large proportion of mononuclear cells in young ruminants. Bovine chemokine sequences were more similar to those of humans than were murine sequences to humans', ranging from 84% to 91%. Transcript analysis showed that antigen stimulation of WC1(+)gammadelta T cells induced IFN-gamma production and substantially increased CCR5 and CXCR3 expression when compared with freshly isolated (ex vivo) cells. CCR7 transcripts were minimally expressed in ex vivo and proliferating WC1(+)gammadelta T cells and CXCR5 expression was negligible. These results confirm the proinflammatory nature of WC1(+)gammadelta T cells is reflected by its chemokine receptor expression and suggest WC1(+)gammadelta T cells are unlikely to transit through secondary lymphoid tissues.
Universe decay and changing the cosmological constant

If superspace time is taken to be $\sqrt{\mathrm{det}(\ensuremath{\gamma})}$, where ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{\mathrm{ij}}$ is the three-metric, then the cosmological constant plays the role of a ${(\mathrm{mass})}^{2}$ term in the Wheeler-DeWitt equation. Second quantization allows particles of different mass to decay into one another if they are interacting. Likewise, adding interactions to the third-quantized Lagrangian allows universes with different cosmological constants to decay into one another. We consider a simple model with two types of universes, one of cosmological constant zero and the other nonzero. We compute the probability of decay and production for each type of universe.
Ammonium production during hypo-osmotic stress leads to alkalinization of acidocalcisomes and cytosolic acidification in Trypanosoma cruzi

Abstract Osmotic swelling of Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes resulted in alkalinization of acidocalcisomes, as revealed by changes in acridine orange fluorescence of intact cells. Concomitant with these changes, intracellular ammonium levels increased while extracellular ammonium levels decreased significantly. Hypo-osmotic stress also resulted in cytosolic acidification. The observed changes in intracellular pH (pH i ) were independent of extracellular calcium, and other ions concentration. Taken together, these results are consistent with a stimulation of ammonium production upon hypo-osmotic stress and its accumulation in acidocalcisomes resulting in their alkalinization, which might be responsible for polyphosphate hydrolysis and osmotic changes in the organelles.
Recommendations for Outpatient Monitoring of Kidney Transplant Recipients

Clinical and laboratory outpatient monitoring is an important tool in the prevention and management of complications associated with kidney transplantation and immunosuppressive therapy. In the absence of standard protocols for outpatient surveillance of kidney transplant recipients, recommendations for frequency and type of monitoring are determined by the likelihood of problems that are unique to the individual transplant recipient and the particular posttransplantation period. In addition, it is imperative to maintain the transplant recipient's overall health by screening for conditions or diseases that can be linked to prior renal disease, immunosuppressive therapies, and general health maintenance.
Why did Affirmative Action in Housing Fail during the Nixon Era? Exploring the “Institutional Homes” of Social Policies

This paper contrasts the establishment of affirmative action in employment with the failure of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish aggressive, race-conscious policies addressing residential segregation during the Nixon Administration. Making use of previously untapped archival sources from HUD and the Nixon Presidential Materials, this paper argues that the key to understanding these divergent outcomes is consideration of these policies' “institutional homes,” which have both direct and mediating effects on policy development. Bureaucrats in the employment bureaucracies had singular missions and clear career incentives to devise aggressive approaches to employment discrimination. In contrast, the fair housing staff at HUD found itself in a disjointed bureaucracy comprised of many formerly independent agencies with multiple missions. A disadvantaged institutional home, like that faced by HUD's fair housing staff, will tend to: encourage policy feedback that constrains rather than enables aggressive action; dilute the impact of institutional activists; increase the threat of Presidential sanctions; and enhance the risk of “delegitimation” by other political actors and the media. This paper illustrates how HUD fell prey to these dangers as scandals at the Federal Housing Administration gave President Nixon the political justification to freeze housing funds and consequently derail the agency's desegregation efforts.
The synthesis of nucleic acids and proteins in the nuclei of Tradescantia root tips.

Abstract An autoradiographic and isotopic study was made of the synthesis of DNA, RNA and some nuclear proteins in root tip nuclei of Tradescantia . 1. 1. During the growth of the nucleus in early interphase, there is no incorporation of tritium labelled thymidine into DNA. After a nucleus reaches a certain size, however, there is incorporation into DNA with little or no further increase in nuclear volume. 2. 2. The incorporation of orotic acid- 14 C into both RNA and DNA of the same nucleus was studied. A plot of incorporation into RNA against incorporation into DNA for a short exposure to isotope (6 hours) shows an inverse relationship. This was interpreted to mean that the two nucleic acids are not synthesized together. 3. 3. A similar plot for a long term exposure (12 hours) is interpreted to mean that the peak of RNA synthesis occurs prior to DNA synthesis. However, a small amount of incorporation was found to take place after DNA synthesis. 4. 4. The plot of incorporation of orotic acid- 14 C into RNA of those cells with no incorporation into DNA in the short term experiment indicates that RNA is being synthesized when an increase in volume of the nucleus occurs. Since the thymidine experiments showed no incorporation into DNA during increase in nuclear volume, this is an additional, independent indication of the validity of the concept that most of the RNA synthesis occurs before DNA synthesis in this material. 5. 5. Under the conditions of this experiment, it takes a cell at least eight hours to go from the end of DNA synthesis to prophase and prophase to telophase takes approximately two hours. 6. 6. The incorporation of lysine- 14 C into nuclear proteins which are not removed by the Feulgen hydrolysis was studied. Since after a six hour exposure to isotope, nuclei of all volumes and stages of division appeared to be labelled, both in chromatin and nucleolus when present, it was concluded that protein synthesis probably occurs in all stages of the cell cycle.