cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Dual Therapeutic Approach for the Reversal of Cataracts

Over 20 million people suffer from cataracts worldwide. Currently, surgery is the only effective treatment for this condition. Although cataract surgery is routine and generally considered safe, it is neither feasible nor accessible for much of the world's population, especially in developing countries where surgeons are few and access to facilities is limited. Thus there is a high demand for an effective, topical treatment that can reverse or prevent cataracts in those for whom surgery is not a viable option. Cataract is a clouding of the lens caused by the aggregation of water-soluble proteins known as crystallins. These crystallin proteins are a major component of the lens and are responsible for its ability to refract light. Crystallin proteins are rich in sulfur-containing amino acids, and are thus susceptible to the formation of disulfide bonds upon oxidative damage. This damage results in protein misfolding and aggregation. Thiol antioxidants have the potential to protect these proteins from oxidative damage and to prevent the formation of cataracts. α-Crystallins act as chaperones for other crystallin isoforms, binding damaged β- and γ-crystallins and impeding aggregation. Recently, sterols such as lanosterol and 25-hydroxycholesterol have demonstrated the ability to stabilize the healthy, functional α-crystallin structure, preserving the function of these chaperones. The primary objective of the following studies was to target crystallin aggregation both directly (through use of a thiol antioxidant to reduce oxidized crystallins) and indirectly (by bolstering α-crystallin stability). To investigate promising thiol antioxidant candidates for incorporation into a topical cataract treatment, HPLC analysis was conducted on topically treated male Wistar rat pup lenses to determine the bioavailability of various thiols. Selected thiol antioxidants were examined for their ability to reverse cataracts when used in combination with 25-hydroxycholesterol.
Primary hydration and proton transfer of electrolyte acids: An ab initio study

Abstract Acids dissolved in solution or tethered to a polymer backbone play an important role in the performance of the electrolytes utilized in energy storage and conversion technologies. The relative acidity and acid-base interactions are influential in the design of advanced electrolyte materials such as acid-base complexes and electrospun ionomers that involving two or more types of acids. Here we present a first principles based study of the primary hydration and proton transfer of ten acid molecules commonly employed in electrolytes. Clusters consisting of a single molecule with up to five water molecules were considered and the effect of a dielectric continuum solvation model was explored. For CF 3 SO 3 H, FSO 3 H, CH 3 SO 3 H, H 2 SO 4 , HNO 3 , HF, H 3 PO 2 , H 3 PO 3 , H 3 PO 4 , and CF 3 SO 2 NHSO 2 CF 3 acids a minimum number of 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, > 5, 5, > 5, > 5, and 3 water molecules were required, respectively, to effect proton transfer in the gas phase. It was determined that stronger acids or clusters with a continuum solvation model require fewer number of water molecules to first witness proton dissociation. The hydronium ion further separated from the conjugate anion as the number of water molecules was increased. Potential energy surface scans indicated that the proton transfer energetics are controlled by the hydration structure, acid strength, and the continuum solvation model. The calculated energy barrier to transfer a proton from HF to a water molecule was determined 27 kcal/mol, more than twice the barrier for all the other acids (10–16 kcal/mol). This fundamental study may serve the purpose of designing or screening novel electrolytes featuring one or more of these acids.
Does Crowdsourced Research Discipline Sell-Side Analysts?

We examine whether increased competition stemming from technological innovation disciplines sell-side analysts. We document a decline in short-term forecast bias for firms added to Estimize, an open platform that crowdsources short-term earnings forecasts, relative to matched control firms; this decline is greater when (1) existing sell-side competition is smaller, (2) earnings uncertainty is higher, and (3) Estimize coverage is less biased and more accurate. We also document an increase in short-term forecast accuracy and representativeness. Finally, we find no change in bias for longer-horizon forecasts or recommendations, suggesting competition from Estimize rather than broad economic forces drives our results.
Extended low-rank plus diagonal adaptation for deep and recurrent neural networks

Recently, the low-rank plus diagonal (LRPD) adaptation was proposed for speaker adaptation of deep neural network (DNN) models. The LRPD restructures the adaptation matrix as a superposition of a diagonal matrix and a product of two low-rank matrices. In this paper, we extend the LRPD adaptation into the subspace-based approach to further reduce the speaker-dependent (SD) footprint. We apply the extended LRPD (eLRPD) adaptation for the DNN and LSTM models with emphasis placed on the applicability of the adaptation to large-scale speech recognition systems. To speed up the adaptation in test time, we propose the bottleneck (BN) caching approach to eliminate the redundant computations during multiple sweeps of development data. Experimental results on the short message dictation (SMD) task show that the eLRPD adaptation can reduce the SD footprints by 82% for the SVD DNN and 96% for the LSTM-RNN over the linear adaptation, while maintaining the comparable accuracy. The BN caching achieves up to 3.5 times speedup in adaptation at no loss of recognition accuracy.
Constitutive Modeling of Contact for Elastic–Plastic Materials Engaged in Micro/Macroslip

One essential model necessary to model frictional contact between two surfaces accurately is a normal contact model. Many existing numerical applications base the normal contact between two surfaces on either a piecewise-linear penalty stiffness type model (designed to prevent excessive penetration of the two surfaces) or a material model that may not be applicable to the surfaces being studied (such as an elastic model when plastic deformation is present, or a Kelvin–Voigt type model that consists of piecewise-linear stiffness and damping to introduce damping for metallic contact). This chapter presents the current state-of-the-art for contact modeling between two metallic surfaces. The model is developed to consider both frictional, oblique contact (of which normal, frictionless contact is a limiting case) and strain hardening effects. The normal contact model is assumed to only couple one-way with the frictional/tangential contact model, which results in the normal contact model being independent of the frictional effects. This assumption is validated to the extent that data is available and is a key assumption for coupling this normal contact model with different frictional models. In this chapter, the frictional, tangential contact is modeled using a microslip model that is developed to consider the pressure distribution that develops from the elastic–plastic normal contact.
On the Transformation of Economic Value: From Its Austrian Roots to Contemporary Economics

Carl Menger’s theory of subjective economic value is not only one of the greatest contributions of Austrian economics, subjective value is also the received view in mainstream economics today. However, modern-day economic theory does not explicitly address the theory advanced by Menger but merely assumes that value is subjective on the basis that the experience of valuing something is no more than an expression of preference. Accordingly, contemporary economists do not appear to recognize the distinction between this understanding of value and any other possible understanding of value, such as objective theories of moral value advanced in older strands of inquiry. Lacking the theoretical basis laid by Menger, subjectivity indeed appears deceptively simple: choices are made on the basis of preferences, and preferences are subjective. It would thus follow that further examination of the phenomenon of choice appears unnecessary. The aim of this paper is to present the Austrian philosophical foundations of the theory of subjective economic value and examine how this received theory has been quite significantly transformed in its transition to a neoclassical economics framework that has disposed of its theoretical basis.
ACCURACY OF THE POOLED COHORT EQUATION TO ESTIMATE ATHEROSCLEROTIC CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE EVENTS BY OBESITY CLASS: A POOLED ASSESSMENT OF FIVE LONGITUDINAL COHORT STUDIES

Although overweight/obesity is a risk factor for ASCVD, it is not accounted for in the pooled cohort equations (PCE). It is unknown whether the performance of the PCE varies across body mass index (BMI) categories, which is a particularly important knowledge gap given the high prevalence of obesity
Efficacy and Outcomes of Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery (PICA) Bypass for Proximal PICA and Vertebral Artery-PICA Aneurysms: A Case Series.

Background Nonsaccular vertebral artery (VA) and posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysms have high morbidity and mortality rates and are difficult to treat using standard microsurgical or endovascular techniques. Definitive revascularization can require clip trapping and/or vessel sacrifice, with PICA bypass. The published surgical experience with these approaches is limited. We herein review our recent surgical experience with PICA revascularization for complex PICA and VA/PICA aneurysms. Objective To determine the efficacy and outcomes of PICA bypass for revascularization of nonsaccular PICA and VA/PICA aneurysms. Methods Retrospective analysis of an institutional review board-approved, prospective database was performed to identify patients with PICA and VA/PICA aneurysms treated with PICA bypass at a single institution. Demographic information, aneurysm characteristics, temporary clip time, and neurological outcomes were recorded. Results Ten cases of PICA revascularization were performed for both ruptured (n = 8) and unruptured (n = 2) nonsaccular proximal PICA or VA/PICA aneurysms. Seven cases were performed without vessel grafts; 3 cases required harvest of the descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery. Mean temporary clip time was 38 min (range 27-50 min). Good outcomes (Glasgow Outcomes Scale score of 5) were achieved in 70% (n = 7) of patients at time of discharge; the remaining patients had a Glasgow Outcomes Scale of 3. Two bypass-related complications occurred in this series; a hematoma at the graft harvest site requiring evacuation, and severe bypass graft spasm requiring multiple endovascular treatments. Conclusion PICA bypass can be a safe, effective, and highly customizable tool for the revascularization of patients with nonsaccular proximal PICA and VA/PICA aneurysms.
An introduction to the Engineering Acoustics Technical Committee

The Engineering Acoustics Technical Committee's scope encompasses the theory and practice of creating tools for investigating acoustical phenomena and applying knowledge of acoustics to practical utility. This includes the design and modeling of acoustical and vibrational transducers, arrays, and transduction systems in all media and frequency ranges; instrumentation, metrology, and calibration; measurement and computational techniques as they relate to acoustical phenomena and their utility; and the engineering of materials and devices. The breadth and scope of EATC’s mission is an enabler to the other committees and to the interests of every member.The Engineering Acoustics Technical Committee's scope encompasses the theory and practice of creating tools for investigating acoustical phenomena and applying knowledge of acoustics to practical utility. This includes the design and modeling of acoustical and vibrational transducers, arrays, and transduction systems in all media and frequency ranges; instrumentation, metrology, and calibration; measurement and computational techniques as they relate to acoustical phenomena and their utility; and the engineering of materials and devices. The breadth and scope of EATC’s mission is an enabler to the other committees and to the interests of every member.
Pancreatic function after normothermic ischemia

Summary The whole pancreas in seventeen dogs and the uncinate process in twenty-seven dogs were subjected to one to five hours of ischemia. The adequacy of the ischemia was tested with intravenous methylene blue dye injections. Selected dogs were given intravenous glucose tolerance tests and all underwent intravenous tolbutamide tolerance tests. In all dogs, daily blood glucose, amylase, and insulin levels were obtained. The results showed that the canine pancreas is tolerant to one hour of normothermic ischemia, but not to two or more hours.
A Pathways Approach to Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is a major cause of human suffering and impairment in function, affecting not only individuals, but also families, productivity in the workplace and society. Selected mechanisms involved in the transformation of acute pain into chronic debilitating pain are discussed. Two cases, one of a patient with chronic migraine and another case of a sufferer of back pain are presented in detail. The multi-level Pathways Model is applied to each case. The patient with migraine had a history of sexual abuse and met criteria for major depressive disorder. The example chosen for low back pain is that of a married man whose wife is emotionally and physically ill. He is stuck in past memories of a highly successful period of his life when he was a high school star athlete. Both patients were able to reduce pain, but perhaps even more importantly, they acquired healthier lifestyle behaviors, learned coping skills, and lessened symptoms of anxiety and depression. Although the interventions did not cure their pain, their suffering from chronic pain decreased and their ability to function in their personal world improved.
Laparoscopic Urologic Surgery

Since 1990, laparoscopic surgery has gained an important role in the specialty of urology. This article provides a financial analysis of the three most common urolaparoscopic procedures compared with their open surgical counterpart. The intraoperative costs of laparoscopic surgery are more expensive, but the postoperative expenses are less compared with open surgery. The financial ramifications of a shorter period of convalescence following laparoscopic surgery must be considered.
Prediction of Traffic-Violation Using Data Mining Techniques

This paper presents the prediction of traffic-violations using data mining techniques, more specifically, when most likely a traffic-violation may happen. Also, the contributing factors that may cause more damages (e.g., personal injury, property damage, etc.) are discussed in this paper. The national database for traffic-violation was considered for the mining and analyzed results indicated that a few specific times are probable for traffic-violations. Moreover, most accidents happened on specific days and times. The findings of this work could help prevent some traffic-violations or reduce the chance of occurrence. These results can be used to increase cautions and traffic-safety tips.
Investigation of Si3N4 Microring Resonator for Bio-Chemical Sensing Applications

We design and fabricate Si3N4 microring resonator for measuring refractive index change in aqueous environment. The experimentally observed sensitivity >72 nm/RIU indicates its suitability for biochemical sensing applications.
The FLEX Study School-Based Physical Activity Programs - Measurement and Evaluation of Implementation.

Increasing children’s physical activity (PA) at school is critical to obesity prevention and health promotion. Implementing novel, low-cost PA programs offers potential to contribute to children’s in-school PA, particularly in resource-constrained schools. This evaluation describes implementation fidelity, reach, and dose of two PA programs in the Fueling Learning through Exercise (FLEX) Study. Thirteen diverse, low-income Massachusetts elementary schools were recruited and randomized to the 100 Mile Club walking/running program (n = 7) or CHALK/Just Move classroom activity break PA program (n = 6). Intervention programs were delivered across two school years. Surveys with program champions/teachers and children, in-session measurement of children’s PA by accelerometry (Actigraph GT3X) in a subset of schools, and key informant interviews were used to collect information on implementation, including fidelity, dose, reach, and sustainability, and to calculate an implementation score. Six CHALK/Just Move schools implemented the program in both years. Two schools randomized to 100 Mile Club did not implement at all, and only three schools implemented both years. Implementing schools had similar implementation scores (range = 0–3; 100 Mile Club = 2.0 vs. CHALK/Just Move = 1.9) but fidelity to core and enhanced elements differed between programs. In 100 Mile Club schools, dose of program delivered was greater than in CHALK/Just Move schools (34.9 vs. 19.7 min per week). Dose of PA received per session was also greater in 100 Mile Club schools (n = 55, 2 schools) compared with CHALK/Just Move schools (n = 160, 2 schools) (13.6 min vs. 2.7 min per session). A slightly higher proportion of eligible children participated in CHALK/Just Move compared to 100 Mile Club (54.0% vs. 31.2%). Both programs were well received by champions/teachers and students. Program implementation varied across programs and schools, and erosion in delivery was seen over the two years. However, among implementing schools, additional PA was delivered and received, and the programs were generally well-received. Although school resource issues remain barriers to implemention, this evaluation demonstrates that low-cost programs may enhance PA opportunities. Future research should evaluate how multiple programs can be implemented to increase children’s PA at school. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02810834 . Registered May 11, 2015.
Comparing Ice Jam Hindcasting Models with Tree Scar Data

AbstractHindcasting models can use historic ice jam observations and hydroclimatic data to identify conditions that form ice jams. However, historic ice jam records are often sparse or incomplete. ...
Physically Grounded Spatio-temporal Object Affordances

Objects in human environments support various functionalities which govern how people interact with their environments in order to perform tasks. In this work, we discuss how to represent and learn a functional understanding of an environment in terms of object affordances. Such an understanding is useful for many applications such as activity detection and assistive robotics. Starting with a semantic notion of affordances, we present a generative model that takes a given environment and human intention into account, and grounds the affordances in the form of spatial locations on the object and temporal trajectories in the 3D environment. The probabilistic model also allows uncertainties and variations in the grounded affordances. We apply our approach on RGB-D videos from Cornell Activity Dataset, where we first show that we can successfully ground the affordances, and we then show that learning such affordances improves performance in the labeling tasks.
An Explanation for Periphrastic Passives, or 'Why Is "Be" in the Passive?'

The aim of this preliminary paper is to show that the verb 'BE' is not a constituent of the underlying structure of the passive sentences. In the analysis that follows it is claimed that sentences with a periphrastic passive are part of the class of equational sentences. This contradicts the analyses proposed by Langacker and Munro 1975, Lakoff 1971, and partially supports the analysis of Freidin 1975. The evidence in the present paper is brought from three different language families. It seems that the analysis of English in Freidin 1975 is not in contradiction with the analysis of the present paper.
An examination of factors that affect user intentions toward cloud computing switching

We use the combination of two-factor theory, status quo theory and the rational choice theory as theoretical perspectives to investigate the factors that influence switching behaviour towards cloud computing services. Extended on Park and Ryoo's two-factor model, perceived cost savings, compatibility, perceived threat of privacy, and perceived threat of security are introduced to the research model. A total of 612 valid responses were used to empirically test a newly developed model. Unlike previous research, our findings show that user's switching intention to cloud services was mainly affected by expected switching benefits motivated by enablers including collaboration support, compatibility, and perceived cost savings. Additionally, perceived threat of security is a significant inhibitor whereas perceived threat of privacy is not. The integration of three theories enhances the understanding of user switching behaviour.
Proteomic and phosphoproteomic analysis identifies novel liver-related signaling in retinal pigment epithelial cells during epithelial-mesenchymal transition

ABSTRACT Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is associated with several potentially blinding retinal diseases. Proteomic and phosphoproteomic studies were performed on human pluripotent stem cell-derived RPE (hPSC-RPE) monolayers to better understand the pathways mediating RPE EMT. EMT was induced by enzymatic dissociation or by co-treatment with transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα; TGNF). The global and phosphoproteomes were analyzed at 1 hr post EMT induction to capture early events in kinase/phosphatase signaling cascades and at 12 hrs to define early changes in protein abundance. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that TGNF and Dissociation rapidly perturbed signaling in many of the same pathways, with striking similarity in the phosphoproteome at 1 hr. Surprisingly, functions related to liver cell proliferation and hyperplasia were strongly enriched in the phosphosites altered by both treatments at 1 hr and in protein abundance changes at 12 hrs. Hepatocyte Growth Factor-cMET signaling exhibited the strongest overall enrichment in both treatments. These signaling pathways may serve as suitable targets for the development of therapeutic strategies for the inhibition of RPE EMT, and thus progression of several debilitating visual diseases.
Generation and Validation of an Antibody to Canine CD19 for Diagnostic and Future Therapeutic Purposes

The B-cell coreceptor, CD19 is a transmembrane protein expressed throughout B-cell ontogeny from pro-B cell to plasmablast. It plays an important role in B-cell development and function and is an attractive target for antibody-directed immunotherapies against B-cell malignancies, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) in humans. With the rapid development of next-generation immunotherapies aimed at improving therapeutic efficacy, there is a pressing need for a clinically relevant, immune-competent, spontaneous animal model to derisk these new approaches and inform human immunotherapy clinical trials. Pet dogs develop spontaneous B-cell malignancies, including B-NHL and leukemias that share comparable oncogenic pathways and similar immunosuppressive features to human B-cell malignancies. Despite treatment with multiagent chemotherapy, durable remissions in canine B-NHL are rare and most dogs succumb to their disease within 1 year of diagnosis. Here we report the development and validation of an anti-canine CD19-targeting monoclonal antibody and its single-chain derivatives, which enable next-generation CD19-targeted immunotherapies to be developed and evaluated in client-owned dogs with spontaneous B-NHL. These future in vivo studies aim to provide important information regarding the safety and therapeutic efficacy of CD19-targeted mono- and combination therapies and identify correlative biomarkers of response that will help to inform human clinical trial design. In addition, development of canine CD19-targeted immunotherapies aims to provide better therapeutic options for pet dogs diagnosed with B-cell malignancies.
Keeping Your Mouth Shut: Spiraling Self-Censorship in the United States

Over the course of the period from the heyday of McCarthyism to the present, the percentage of the American people not feeling free to express their views has tripled. In 2019, fully four in ten Americans engaged in self-censorship. Our analyses of both over-time and cross-sectional variability provide several insights into why people keep their mouths shut. We find that: (1) Levels of self-censorship are related to affective polarization among the mass public, but not via an “echo chamber” effect because greater polarization is associated with more self-censorship. (2) Levels of mass political intolerance bear no relationship to self-censorship, either at the macro- or micro-levels. (3) Those who perceive a more repressive government are only slightly more likely to engage in self-censorship. And (4) those possessing more resources (e.g., higher levels of education) report engaging in more self-censorship. Together, these findings suggest the conclusion that one’s larger macro-environment has little to do with self-censorship. Instead, micro-environment sentiments — such as worrying that expressing unpopular views will isolate and alienate people from their friends, family, and neighbors — seem to drive self-censorship. We conclude with a brief discussion of the significance of our findings for larger democracy theory and practice.
Outcomes of labiaplasty in women with labial hypertrophy.

High-quality data are lacking to understand outcomes in women who undergo labiaplasty for labial hypertrophy and whether there is an association with body dismorphic disorder (BDD). This was a cross-sectional study of a retrospective cohort of women who underwent labiaplasty for labial hypertrophy at a tertiary care referral center. Women were identified by CPT codes and were included if the procedure was performed by a urogynecologist. The health record was queried for demographic, pre-, intra-, and postoperative data. For the cross-sectional component of the study, participants were contacted to complete a survey. Thirty-six women met study inclusion criteria; 21 participated in the survey, and retrospective data were available for 20. At the time of labiaplasty, the women had a mean age of 30 ± 12 years and mean BMI of 23.9 ± 4.4 kg/m2. The most common preoperative motivation for undergoing labiaplasty, based on the medical record, was pain (85.0% 17/20). Complications were uncommon and minor. No women met criteria for BDD. Participant survey-reported primary motivation for undergoing partial simple vulvectomy was “pinching” in 10 (47.6%), “pain” in 4 (19.0%), and “appearance” in 7 (33.3%). The majority of women reported that labiaplasty achieved their preoperative goal (20/21, 95.2%). Women who underwent labiaplasty were primarily motivated by functional concerns, and outcomes indicate a high satisfaction with genital appearance postoperatively as well as a positive effect on body image and quality of life. We recommend that surgeons work to understand what motivates women to pursue surgical intervention by asking about cosmetic concerns.
Crossing Boundaries for Intergovernmental Management: by Robert Agranoff, Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2017, 297 pages. ISBN: 978-1626164802

In this book, Robert Agranoff presents us with a theoretical and practical state of the field of Intergovernmental Management, building on his nearly forty years of experience researching and devel...
The Brain-Machine Interface: Nanotechnology and Cybernetics 60 Years After Norbert Wiener

Electrical stimulation has been used for at least two millennia to treat nervous system disorders. The brain-machine inter face - physical contact between brain tissue and an implanted device - has under gone dramatic refinement over a much shorter period, the past century. Feedback guided electrical stimulation (a key component of cybernetics) is more recent still-less than a quarter century. Examples of major advances in the technology employed in the brain-machine inter face are presented, for both electrical and chemical activity in the brain. A first step towards a “neural prosthesis” or implanted replacement for a principal component of the brain's network architecture - a bioinspired synapse - is described. As noted by Norbert Wiener 75 years ago, technological advancements come with the danger that they may be used for nefarious purposes.
A Comparison of Collaborative Practice and Teacher Leadership Between Low-Performing and High-Performing Rural Kentucky High Schools

This article reports the findings of the 2011 results of ‘very rural’ Kentucky high schools on the Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) Survey to determine whether differences existed between high and low performing rural schools across specific survey items. Schools with ACT scores one standard deviation (or more) above their predicted value were compared to rural high schools where students’ ACT scores were one standard deviation (or more) below their predicted value. Beale Codes of seven through nine from the United States Department of Agriculture were used to identify very rural Kentucky high schools. Very rural high schools identified as high-performing demonstrated significantly different results on survey items related to a culture of collaboration and teacher leadership than rural high schools identified as low performing. The survey suggested that in high-performing schools, the principal and teachers supported each other in their development as instructional leaders, and established communication and collaboration skills with families and community stakeholders.
Rigid Body Mechanics

Rigid Body Mechanics is a subtheory of classical mechanics, with its own body of concepts and theorems. It is mainly concerned with working out the consequences of rigidity assumptions in models of solid bodies.
The eclosion hormone system of insects.

Publisher Summary Peptides and the neurons that produce them play key roles in regulating physiology, development, and behavior of insects. This chapter describes the eclosion hormone (EH) system of insects, which coordinates the physiological and behavioral processes necessary for shedding the old exoskeleton at the end of a molt. Circulating EH has only been found just preceding the times of ecdysis, and these are the only times, when measurable EH depletions occur in the neurohemal storage sites. The nature and context of the behaviors triggered by EH are doubtlessly responsible for some of the extreme modifications of the EH system. The performance of ecdysis behavior only makes sense when an insect is covered by an old cuticle that must be shed. The appearance of EH is rapidly followed by the inactivation of the system on both the release and response sides. Both sides of the system are only then reconstituted in response to the steroid cues that also provide the physiological context for the next bout of ecdysis.
Brown University Library Meets the Preservation Challenge

L'auteur presente l'approche utilisee par la bibliotheque universitaire de Brown pour financer la preservation de ses collections en Sciences Humaines. La bibliotheque a decide de trouver des fonds en utilisant le systeme du Challenge Grant du NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities). L'article decrit le contenu du projet presente pour obtenir la dotation.
The Costs and Benefits of “Open Access”

The Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences recently joined the “open access” movement, urging its professors to post their research on an open access Harvard Web site (while adding an “opt out” choice for professors who wish to submit their work to traditional journals).
Nutritional value of a corn containing a glutamate dehydrogenase gene for growing pigs.

Eight female PIC Line 42 pigs (initial BW = 47.5 +/- 1.8 kg) were used in a two-period switchback design (n = 4 per treatment per period) to evaluate the nutritional difference between a genetically modified corn and a similar nontransgenic corn. The genetically altered corn (gdhA+) contained a glutamate dehydrogenase gene isolated from Escherichia coli. The non-transgenic corn was the same variety lacking the transgenic cassette, grown at the same two locations. Pigs were surgically fitted with steered ileocecal valve cannulas for collection of ileal digesta. Diets were made up of primarily one of the two corn sources. Dietary AA profiles were adjusted using crystalline AA to match Illinois Ideal Protein Ratios. Pigs were limit-fed at 8% of metabolic body weight (BW0.75) in two equal feedings at 0600 and 1800 daily throughout the experiment. The study consisted of two 15-d periods. Each period consisted of a 7-d acclimation period, a 3-d total collection of feces and urine, two 12-h ileal collections, and a 3-d adjustment period between ileal collections to ensure adequate hydration. Crude protein, leucine, methionine, alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and tyrosine concentrations were greater (P 0.17) BW gain. Similarly, DM digestibility, fecal N excretion (grams per day), apparent total-tract N digestibility, N balance, net protein utilization, and N retained as percentages of absorbed were not affected (P > or = 0.32) by the gene modification. Apparent ileal AA digestibility values did not differ (P > 0.31) between the two dietary treatments. Results of this study suggest corn that contains the E coli. gene for glutamate dehydrogenase was nutritionally equivalent to the unaltered variety.
Coordinated strategy for separate power systems: The case of Malaysia

Abstract This paper introduces an analytical approach to address a set of interwined policy issues in regard to the development strategies of three separate electric power systems and the natural gas sector of Malaysia. These issues are: (i) estimation of the overall benefits of a large hydro-project which can be implemented only if all three systems decide to utilize the scheme; (ii) design of the expansion programme of the three systems so that they can utilize the hydropower when optimum for the entire sector; (iii) design of the gas sector's expansion programme according to the needs of the power sector; and (iv) estimation of an economic price of gas sales to the power sector. The approach taken here is to separate systematically this complex problem into manageable pieces while taking account of all major interactions. Results of the study were sufficiently practical to be adopted by the government and the major entities in the power and gas sectors of Malaysia.
INCREMENTAL EXPENDITURE OF BIOLOGIC DISEASE MODIFYING ANTIRHEUMATIC TREATMENT USING INSTRUMENTAL VARIABLES IN PANEL DATA

SUMMARY In health care, decision makers are generally interested in simultaneous comparisons among multiple treatments or interventions available as treatment choices in real-world clinical setting. The lack of random assignment to treatment in real-world clinical settings leads to selection-bias issues when evaluating the marginal benefits of treatment. The application of instrumental variables (IV) estimation to mitigate selection bias has traditionally been limited to comparing only two treatments/interventions concurrently. Using the case of biologic treatment in rheumatoid arthritis, we describe a generalized method of moments (GMM)–based panel data IV (IV-GMM) framework, to simultaneously estimate multiple treatment effects in the presence of time-varying selection bias and time-invariant heterogeneity. To satisfy the order and rank conditions for identification with multiple endogeneity, we propose lagged values of each treatment as excluded instruments. We evaluate the validity of the IV estimation assumptions on instrument relevance and exogeneity. Results indicate that the IV-GMM model offers enhanced control over selection bias and heterogeneity, and more importantly the panel data framework can provide valid excluded instruments that satisfy the order and rank conditions for identification when dealing with multiple endogenous variables. The approach outlined in this article has broad application for comparative effectiveness and health technology assessment involving multiple treatments/interventions using real-world nonexperimental data. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Movement through Dams Facilitates Population Connectivity in a Large River

Even in heavily impounded river ecosystems, aquatic populations and communities retain limited connectivity via movement through dams. This connectivity has the potential to influence population dynamics but has been infrequently characterized. We used 1995–2008 paddlefish mark–recapture data to perform the following: (i) quantify rates of movement through dams and (ii) examine the influence of dam discharge on fish passing dams. We found that there are substantial one-way (upstream to downstream) population connections maintained via fish passing dams and that dam discharge is a key driver of downstream fish movement. Results of our study suggest that population connections maintained by fish passing dams can play an important role in population dynamics depleting upstream populations and subsidizing downstream populations, particularly in years with high flow events. We suggest that the influence of hydrology on maintaining populations in fragmented ecosystems is an increasingly important consideration for conservation and management of aquatic ecosystems in the face of predicted hydrological changes from climate change. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigations of the molecular basis for the temperature-dependent insolubility of cryoglobulins: VI. Quenching by acrylamide of the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of cryoglobulin and non-cryoglobulin IgM proteins

The acrylamide-quenching patterns of the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of six cold-soluble monoclonal immunoglobulin M (IgM) and two monoclonal IgM proteins possessing cryoglobulin properties (abnormal cold insolubility) have been compared. Static and dynamic components of quenching have been resolved by a modified form of the Stern-Volmer relationship. The unusual observation of static quenching seen with the multitryptophan containing IgM is determined to be a consequence of essentially homogeneous indole fluorescence arising from conserved tryptophan residues within each homologous immunoglobulin domain. Although the static component of the quenching of the two IgM cryoimmunoglobulins examined is similar to that of the non-cryoimmunoglobulin, IgM, some of the cryoglobulin's tryptophan residues appear to be more kinetically exposed to acrylamide than the tryptophans in the non-cryoglobulin IgM. An unusually large negative entropy of activation observed for the quenching process of both cryoimmunoglobulins suggests some abnormality in the dynamic (flexibility) properties of these proteins.
BOOTSTRAPPING A BAYES ESTIMATOR OF A SURVIVAL FUNCTION WITH CENSORED DATA

The large-sample frequentist property of a frequentist bootstrap for a posterior mean with respect to a Dirichlet prior of the survival function for a randomly censored data is given. The weak convergence of a bootstrap version of the Susarla-Van Ryzin estimator is established on the whole real line. An illustration of the technique and some Monte Carlo studies are also given.
Object-Oriented Parallel Programming.

We introduce an object-oriented framework for parallel programming, which is based on the observation that programming objects can be naturally interpreted as processes. A parallel program consists of a collection of persistent processes that communicate by executing remote methods. We discuss code parallelization and process persistence, and explain the main ideas in the context of computations with very large data objects.
Hot Zone Identification: Analyzing Effects of Data Sampling on Spam Clustering

Email is the most common and comparatively the most efficient means of exchanging information in today's world. However, given the widespread use of emails in all sectors, they have been the target of spammers since the beginning. Filtering spam emails has now led to critical actions such as forensic activities based on mining spam email. The data mine for spam emails at the University of Alabama at Birmingham is considered to be one of the most prominent resources for mining and identifying spam sources. It is a widely researched repository used by researchers from different global organizations. The usual process of mining the spam data involves going through every email in the data mine and clustering them based on their different attributes. However, given the size of the data mine, it takes an exceptionally long time to execute the clustering mechanism each time. In this paper, we have illustrated sampling as an efficient tool for data reduction, while preserving the information within the clusters, which would thus allow the spam forensic experts to quickly and effectively identify the ‘hot zone’ from the spam campaigns. We have provided detailed comparative analysis of the quality of the clusters after sampling, the overall distribution of clusters on the spam data, and timing measurements for our sampling approach. Additionally, we present different strategies which allowed us to optimize the sampling process using data-preprocessing and using the database engine's computational resources, and thus improving the performance of the clustering process.
Cerebral blood flow evaluation of arteriovenous malformations with stable xenon CT.

Twenty patients with supratentorial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) were evaluated with angiography, conventional CT, and stable xenon CT to determine cerebral blood flow. Contralateral and ipsilateral regions of interest relative to the AVM were evaluated from cerebral blood flow maps and correlated with angiography. A significant decrease in cerebral blood flow was observed in the ipsilateral cortical gray matter adjacent to the AVM relative to the corresponding contralateral cortex (mean difference = 9.52 ml/100 g/min, p less than .01). The larger AVMs (greater than 8 cm3) were associated with a more marked decrease with a mean difference of 12.22 ml/100 g/min (p less than .02). Regions of interest were also chosen on the basis of angiographic findings, which suggested areas of decreased flow. Comparison of these areas with analogous contralateral areas also showed a significant decline in cerebral blood flow (mean difference = 8.86 ml/100 g/min); this decline was greater with larger AVMs (volume greater than 8 cm3), which had a mean difference of 11.38 ml/100 g/min (p less than .01). Our correlative study enabled us to pinpoint the regions most likely to have reduced flow from an AVM.
LANDSCAPE-SCALE GEOMORPHIC INFLUENCES ON VEGETATION PATTERNS IN FOUR ENVIRONMENTS

This paper reviews and synthesizes research about geomorphic influences on vegetation patterns apparent at the landscape scale. After an overview of the effects that landforms and geomorphic processes have on plant distributions, these relationships are discussed in more detail for each of four distinct physical settings: temperate riparian environments, slopes affected by landslides and other forms of mass movement, desert alluvial fans, and nonmountainous glaciated landscapes. These four landscapes were selected because they encompass a broad range of temporal and spatial scales at which the geomorphic processes most strongly linked with vegetation patterns operate; furthermore, they collectively illustrate some of the more prominent themes in recent research on this topic. Finally, we identify four topics that particularly merit future research on geomorphic-biogeographic interactions: (1) feedback between vegetation and landforms, (2) distinctions between landform characteristics and the associated ge...
An ice-binding protein from an Antarctic sea ice bacterium.

An Antarctic sea ice bacterium of the Gram-negative genus Colwellia, strain SLW05, produces an extracellular substance that changes the morphology of growing ice. The active substance was identified as a ∼25-kDa protein that was purified through its affinity for ice. The full gene sequence was determined and was found to encode a 253-amino acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 26 350 Da. The predicted amino acid sequence is similar to predicted sequences of ice-binding proteins recently found in two species of sea ice diatoms and a species of snow mold. A recombinant ice-binding protein showed ice-binding activity and ice recrystallization inhibition activity. The protein is much smaller than bacterial ice-nucleating proteins and antifreeze proteins that have been previously described. The function of the protein is unknown but it may act as an ice recrystallization inhibitor to protect membranes in the frozen state.
C for numerical computing

The predominant programming language for numerical and scientific applications is Fortran, and super-computers are primarily used to run large-scale numerical and scientific applications. C is not widely used for numerical and scientific programming, yet C provides many desirable linguistic features not present in Fortran-77. Furthermore, the existence of a standard library and preprocessor eliminates the worst portability problems. A comparison of C and Fortran-77 shows several key deficiencies in C that reduce its desirability for some numerical problems. Some of these problems have already been addressed by the new ANSI standard for C, but others remain. C with a few extensions and modifications could be suitable for all numerical applications and could become more popular in supercomputing environments.
Temporal requirement for hedgehog signaling in ventral telencephalic patterning.

Hedgehog signaling is required for multiple aspects of brain development, including growth, the establishment of both dorsal and ventral midline patterning and the generation of specific cell types such as oligodendrocytes and interneurons. To identify more precisely when during development hedgehog signaling mediates these events, we directed the removal of hedgehog signaling within the brain by embryonic day 9 of development, using a FoxG1 Cre driver line to mediate the removal of a conditional smoothened null allele. We observed a loss of ventral telencephalic patterning that appears to result from an initial lack of specification of these structures rather than by changes in proliferation or cell death. A further consequence of the removal of smoothened in these mice is the near absence of both oligodendrocytes and interneurons. Surprisingly, the dorsal midline appears to be patterned normally in these mutants. Together with previous analyses, the present results demonstrate that hedgehog signaling in the period between E9.0 and E12 is essential for the patterning of ventral regions and the generation of cell types that are thought to largely arise from them.
Microstructure development in undercooled AlAl2Cu alloys

Abstract Following nucleation, microstructure development is dictated by competitive growth kinetics and heat flow. For the AlAl2Cu eutectic, a lamellar morphology is observed over wide ranges of solidification rate. However, in powders cooled at 0.25–500°C−1 s−1 and at undercoolings from 40 to 118°C, a two-zone morphology develops where zone A is an irregular eutectic structure and zone B is lamellar. These structures have been examined as a function of composition, undercooling and cooling rate. A symmetric coupled zone was found, with alloys of 27.5–40 wt.% Cu showing coupled eutectic growth at the highest under coolings. These results indicate that the applied cooling rate affects the zone B lamellar spacing which is considered to be controlled by heat flow, and the scale of the irregular zone A morphology at a constant level of undercooling.