cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Space-Based High Resolution Gamma Ray Telescope

We are developing and testing a high resolution, large area gamma ray telescope to be employed in a space based environment. The new concept in the telescope design is the combination of liquid and gas drift chambers with scintillation detectors for imaging and tracking the secondary particles generated by the gammas with a very high angular and energy resolution. The telescope consists of a Liquid Argon Converter, an Argon-Methane Gas Drift Chamber, and a Liquid Argon Calorimeter, and has an event by event processing and decision making feature.
Myocardial immediate early gene activation after cardiopulmonary bypass with cardiac ischemia-reperfusion

Abstract Background . The inflammatory process after cardiopulmonary bypass is accompanied by alterations in gene expression for various inflammatory mediators. Methods . To analyze differential gene expression after myocardial ischemia-reperfusion, subtraction hybridization was used to discover induction of TIS7/PC4 , an immediate early gene heretofore not observed in the heart. This prompted characterization of the related immediate early genes c-fos and c-jun , by Northern analysis and in situ hybridization in human and lamb myocardium subjected to cardiopulmonary bypass with myocardial ischemia. For comparison, we analyzed expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which requires cytokine-activation, resulting in a "delayed" response. Results . In ischemic-reperfused myocardium at end-cardiopulmonary bypass, c-fos, c-jun , and TIS7/PC4 were induced, whereas iNOS transcripts were undetectable. Expression patterns of c-fos and c-jun by in situ hybridization were markedly different; myocardial c-fos expression was diffuse and homogeneous, whereas c-jun expression was patchy with areas of intense focal localization. Conclusions . Cardiopulmonary bypass with myocardial ischemia rapidly induces the immediate early genes TIS7/PC4 (discovered by subtraction hybridization), and c-fos and c-jun (precursors to the transcriptional regulator AP-1). Immediate early genes presumably contribute to activation of inflammatory mediators after cardiopulmonary bypass and differences in their tissue expression patterns, as observed for c-fos and c-jun , presumably modulate their effect upon downstream gene activation.
P51. Identification of prostate cancer-associated antigens by oxygen manipulation

Meeting abstracts Therapeutic vaccination against prostate cancer (CaP) remains marginally effective. A reason for failure may stem from the fact that vaccine cells are usually cultured in ordinary air. Solid tumours including CaP contain regions with oxygen deficiency (hypoxia) secondary to the
A nondivergent specification of the mean treatment dose in interstitial brachytherapy

The harmonic mean formalism is investigated as a nondivergent specification of the mean treatment dose in three distinct applications of interstitial brachytherapy: (a) permanent 125I prostate implant; (b) double plane 192Ir linear source array; and (c) multiple catheter optimized high dose rate implant. In each case the harmonic treatment dose (HTD) can be calculated in regions that contain radioactive sources or otherwise high dose gradient, to yield objective and consistent results with little computational effort. The need to identify local dose minima, geometric centers, or seed planes is largely avoided, which makes the formalism suitable for automated computation. Dose distribution uniformity is analyzed in terms of the fractional spread for the HTD and, where the periphery of the target volume is delineated, the uniformity number and the peripheral uniformity number. It is shown that the harmonic mean dose formalism is a practical alternative to the ICRU dose specification parameters in certain areas of brachytherapy.
Shubnikov-De Haas oscillations under tilted magnetic fields in InAs-GaSb superlattices

Abstract Extensive experiments of Shubnikov-De Haas oscillations under tilted magnetic fields have been performed on semimetallic InAs-GaSb superlattices. Variations of the Fermi cross sections are shown to account for the observed angular dependence, which follows strictly the two-dimensional behavior for the discrete subband in the heterojunction limit but exhibits an oscillatory behavior when the subband assumes a finite dispersion. Systematic evidence of electron spin with an enhanced g -value is also observed at high fields.
Active materials embedded in photonic crystals and coupled to electromagnetic radiation

A calculational scheme is presented to model the interaction of light with active dielectric media, represented by four-level atomic materials, surrounded by photonic crystals. Optically pumped lasing is studied in three model systems: a Fabry-Perot cavity, a line of defects in a two-dimensional square lattice of rods, and a cylindrical photonic crystal. Field profiles and conversion efficiencies are calculated for these systems. It is shown that high conversion efficiency can be achieved for large regions of active material in the cavity, as well as for a single fluorescent atom in a hollow-core cylindrical photonic crystal, suggesting designs for ultralow-threshold lasers and ultrasensitive biological sensors.
The growth of crystals in solution

Abstract The crystallization of sparingly soluble salts from their aqueous supersaturated solutions is discussed from the standpoint of two important applications; scale formation and biological mineralization. Theories of crystal growth are outlined and the importance of kinetic factors in determining the nature of the growing phases is discussed. The kinetic factors can be studied by using a highly reproducible seeded growth technique and under certain conditions secondary nucleation can also be induced on the surface of the inoculating seed crystals. The kinetics of crystallization of the alkaline earth surfaces and the calcium phosphates is discussed. In the latter systems, temperature, supersaturation, surface concentration, pH, ionic strength and the presence of foreign ions are important in determining the nature of the phase which grows on the added seed crystals. The mechanism of the retardation of crystal growth by added crystallization inhibitors is illustrated by the influence of organic phosphonate molecules upon the precipitation of calcium carbonate.
American Indian Nations from Termination to Restoration, 1953–2006. By Roberta Ulrich.

American Indian Nations from Termination to Restoration chronicles the impact of US federal government policies toward 109 Indian nations from the start of the termination program (that is, the act...
Regulation of innate responses during pre-patent schistosome infection provides an immune environment permissive for parasite development.

Blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma infect over 200 million people, causing granulomatous pathology with accompanying morbidity and mortality. As a consequence of extensive host-parasite co-evolution, schistosomes exhibit a complex relationship with their hosts, in which immunological factors are intimately linked with parasite development. Schistosomes fail to develop normally in immunodeficient mice, an outcome specifically dependent on the absence of CD4+ T cells. The role of CD4+ T cells in parasite development is indirect and mediated by interaction with innate cells, as repeated toll-like receptor 4 stimulation is sufficient to restore parasite development in immunodeficient mice in the absence of CD4+ T cells. Here we show that repeated stimulation of innate immunity by an endogenous danger signal can also restore parasite development and that both these stimuli, when administered repeatedly, lead to the regulation of innate responses. Supporting a role for regulation of innate responses in parasite development, we show that regulation of inflammation by neutralizing anti-TNF antibodies also restores parasite development in immunodeficient mice. Finally, we show that administration of IL-4 to immunodeficient mice to regulate inflammation by induction of type 2 responses also restores parasite development. These findings suggest that the type 2 response driven by CD4+ T cells during pre-patent infection of immunocompetent hosts is exploited by schistosomes to complete their development to reproductively mature adult parasites.
Low-temperature dynamics in glasses and the stochastic sudden-jump model

Abstract Non-linear optical experiments in glasses exhibiting spectral diffusion give strong support for the importance of two-level system excitations (TLS). The difference in the line widths measured by these experiments and fast two-pulse photon echo experiments has been ascribed to slowly relaxing TLS. The sudden jump model is found to be an appropriate description of the dynamics; within this model, we derive new analytical results for three-pulse experiments at all temperatures. These experiments and the dynamics of TLS in glasses are discussed within the context of these results.
Quantitative inference of cellular parameters from microfluidic cell culture systems

Microfluidic cell culture systems offer a convenient way to measure cell biophysical parameters in conditions close to the physiological environment. We demonstrate the application of a mathematical model describing the spatial distribution of nutrient and growth factor concentrations in inferring cellular oxygen uptake rates from experimental measurements. We use experimental measurements of oxygen concentrations in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microreactor culturing human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cells (HepG2) to infer quantitative information on cellular oxygen uptake rates. We use a novel microchannel design to avoid the parameter correlation problem associated with simultaneous cellular uptake and diffusion of oxygen through the PDMS surface. We find that the cellular uptake of oxygen is dependent on the cell density and can be modeled using a logistic term in the Michaelis-Menten equation. Our results are significant not only for the development of novel assays to quantitatively infer cell response to stimuli, but also for the development, design, and optimization of novel in vitro systems for drug discovery and tissue engineering.
Competitive sorption kinetics of oxygen and carbon monoxide on platinum

Abstract The sorption of oxygen on a polycrystalline platinum ribbon has been studied with the aid of a quadrupole mass analyzer in an ultrahigh vacuum system in the pressure range from 5 to 10 × 10−8 Torr. An evaluation of the reaction coefficient and the total mass of oxygen sorbed indicated that oxygen competes with carbon monoxide, present as a background contaminant (P ∼- × 10−9 Torr), for the sorption sites on the flash-cleaned platinum surface. Subsequent desorption of oxygen is not observed when the platinum is flash heated to temperatures up to 1100 °K; carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are predominant species leaving the platinum surface. The relative amount of each component depends on the length of exposure of the flash-cleaned platinum ribbon to the background gas and to oxygen. The experimental results suggest a high reaction coefficient of oxygen on a clean platinum surface at room temperature (S ∼- 0.2).
Evaluation of LSCO Electrodes for Sensor Protection Devices

We have evaluated lanthanum strontium cobalt oxide (La0.5OSr0.50COOx; LSCO 50/50) as a candidate “transparent” electrode for use in an electrostatic shutter-based infrared sensor protection device. The device requires that the electrode be transparent (80% transmission) and have moderate sheet resistance (300 – 500 Δ/sq.). To meet these needs, the effects of post-deposition annealing on the resistivity and optical absorption characteristics of sputter deposited LSCO thin films were studied. The as-deposited films were characterized by an absorption coefficient of ∼ 12,500 cm1−1 and resistivities of ∼ 0.08 to 0.5 Δ-cm. With annealing at 800°C, the resistivity decreased to 350 νΔ-cm, while the absorption coefficient increased to ∼ 155,000 cm1−1. By using a post-deposition annealing step at 800°C and controlling film thickness, it appears that a standard LSCO 50/50 material may possess the requisite conductivity and optical transmission properties for this sensor protection device.
Pagerank Computation and Keyword Search on Distributed Systems and P2P Networks

This paper presents a fully distributed computation for Google's pagerank algorithm. The computation is based on solution of the matrix equation defining pageranks by a distributed implementation of asynchronous iteration. Pageranks for the documents stored on a web server or on a host in a peer-to-peer network are computed in place and stored with the documents. The matrix is never assembled and no crawls of the web are required. Continuously accurate pageranks are enabled by incremental computation of pageranks for documents as they are inserted onto a network storage host and incremental recomputation of pageranks when documents are deleted. Intrahost and intradomain dominance of document link structure is naturally exploited by the distributed asynchronous iteration algorithm.
Carboxyhemoglobinemia caused by inhalation of methylene chloride

Spray-paint inhalation, once a common and inexpensive source of drug abuse, is now rare. Newer organic solvents, such as methylene chloride, were thought to decrease the toxicity of aerosol solvents, but they carry unique toxicities of their own. Methylene chloride toxicity is difficult to diagnose, as early symptoms are similar to those associated with many intoxicants; however, a rising carboxyhemoglobin level, despite removal of the patient from the source of exposure, is pathognomonic. In dealing with industrial exposures or organic aerosol abuse, a carboxyhemoglobin level should be part of the initial diagnostic workup, and treatment with oxygen is mandatory until toxicity resolves.
An fMRI study of the interaction of stress and cocaine cues on cocaine craving in cocaine-dependent men.

Acute stress is associated with relapse in cocaine addiction, possibly through the activation of craving-related neural circuitry. Neural responses to cocaine cues and acute stress were investigated in an fMRI study. Ten male participants mentally reenacted personalized scripts about cocaine use and a neutral experience both with and without a stressor present (anticipation of electrical shock). Interaction analysis between script type and stress condition revealed greater activation of the posterior cingulate cortex and of the parietal lobe during the cocaine script in the presence of the stressor. These data suggest that stress may precipitate relapse in cocaine addiction by activating brain areas that mediate reward processing and the attentional and mnemonic bias for drug use reminders. (Am J Addict 2007;16:174–182)
Measuring instructional quality in community-orientated medical education: looking into the black box.

Objectives Decentralizing medical education to community settings has raised issues of instructional quality. The need to evaluate community-based instruction accents the need to adopt a systems perspective, moving beyond factors known to comprise general clinical teaching effectiveness to include factors that focus on instruction as a process. Application of evaluation models using traditional input–output analysis can be flawed. This approach – dubbed the ‘black box’ – typically examines inputs and outputs, but often ignores throughputs. Design In this article we open the black box, using theory to examine the underlying processes that define community-based medical education. We first describe the components and processes of an instructional model that is framed by the philosophy of quality and grounded in experiential learning theory. Without examining the critical processes at work inside the black box – i.e. how students come to acquire clinical knowledge and how behaviours are influenced – it is difficult to assess which programme features contribute to success. Tensions created by the absence of consensus on the outcomes of instruction and the challenge of developing adequate measures are highlighted. Setting State University of New York at Buffalo. Subjects Clinician-teachers, learners and patients in the environment. Results and conclusions We conclude with describing a tool for evaluating community-based instruction that is guided by the context of our model.
Slot crossing and non-native IO voltage referencing: Effectiveness of image return capacitance to address signal integrity concerns

There is a growing requirement to thoroughly understand the tradeoffs made in “real-world” applications where package cross sections provide insufficient planes for both desirable IO referencing and DC current delivery. Allowing minimal split crossings and using significant decoupling are widely known design-guide “solutions”. It is also well known that slot crossing within any high-speed application should be avoided. This paper will perform a real-world study of current return paths on various carrier referencing structures and quantify, in terms of margin degradation, how concerning slot crossings really are and what can be done to mitigate these losses. This paper will not perform a “text-book” study of slot crossing phenomena; rather it will quantify Signal Integrity tradeoffs in modern, cross-section challenged, high-speed applications. This paper will discuss IO referencing, Signal Integrity, power distribution, decoupling, and cross-section trade-offs within an exemplary system including a high-speed memory application. Analysis will use a real-world example to quantify conventional implementation compromises and how each trade-off impacts performance, cost, design risk, and breaking points. Specifically, this paper will discuss and quantify: 1) The effect of interrupted reference planes on high-speed IO as frequency and the number of simultaneous switches varies 2) Margin degradation due to insufficient cross-sections creating mismatched driver IO and implemented reference voltages 3) Effectiveness of image return capacitors against IO referencing VCC that is not native to their driver supply
Prescient Human Fetuses Thrive

Fetal detection of adversity is a conserved trait that allows many species to adapt their early developmental trajectories to ensure survival. According to the fetal-programming model, exposure to stressful or hostile conditions in utero is associated with compromised development and a lifelong risk of adverse health outcomes. In a longitudinal study, we examined the consequences of prenatal and postnatal exposure to adversity for infant development. We found increased motor and mental development during the 1st year of life among infants whose mothers experienced congruent levels of depressive symptoms during and after pregnancy, even when the levels of symptoms were relatively high and the prenatal and postnatal environments were unfavorable. Congruence between prenatal and postnatal environments prepares the fetus for postnatal life and confers an adaptive advantage for critical survival functions during early development.
The bisindolylnialeimide GF 109203X, a selective inhibitor of protein kinase C, does not inhibit the potentiating effect of phorbol ester on ethanol-induced phospholipase C-mediated hydrolysis of phosphatidylethanolamine

Abstract In fibroblasts, the protein ]kinase C (PKC) activator phorbol 12-myristate (PMA) either inhibits or stimulates phospholipase C-mediated hydrolysis of phosphatidylethanolamine in the absence or presence of ethanol, respectively. Here, we demonstrate that the specific PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide GF 109203X prevents only the inhibitory, but not the stimulatory, PMA effect.
Responding to Cultural Loss: Providing an Integral Indigenous Perspective of a “Kichwa Child”

As Indigenous populations around the world migrate, urbanize, and come into contact with a variety of other cultures, they risk loss of their ancient languages and cultural practices. In 2007, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In addition to the broader human rights like employment, security, and health care, this document identifies the right of Indigenous peoples to maintain and strengthen their existing institutions, cultures, and traditions. In a time when local languages are disappearing at alarming rates, it is critical for Indigenous groups to maintain their cultural traditions and celebrate their languages and heritage. Pride in one's heritage and family history inspires a strong sense of self in children and helps them feel secure as they grow, develop, and explore the world around them.
Microcomputers and the Dynamics of Image Making and Social Life in Three Art Classrooms

AbstractA descriptive study of computer use in two elementary and one high school art classroom was undertaken. The study focused upon the process of production and the social dynamics of computer-assisted art in school. The social conditions of the art classroom were reflected in and influenced by the use of computers as art media. The imagery emerged in relation to student interactions, growth and attitudes. Also, the peculiarities of computer graphics functions in general and the available software and hardware were vital to the students’ art.
Altered drug binding due to the use of indwelling heparinized cannulas (heparin lock) for sampling

The effect of the use of the so-called heparin lock for blood sampling on the binding of propranolol has been studied and a cumulative dose-response curve to heparin constructed. The use of this method of blood sampling introduced considerable artifactual changes into the measurement of propranolol's plasma binding. The free fraction rose from 9.9% to 13.4% after only 50 U of heparin was used to flush the cannula. The increase in the free fraction of propranolol showed excellent correlation with the increase in free fatty acid levels (p less than 0.001, r = 0.996). The importance of ensuring that sampling techniques do not introduce artifactual changes in pharmacokinetic studies is emphasized.
Beauty and disability

People often hold stereotypical notions about disability, assuming people with significant disabilities offer little in terms of friendship or contribution. Some are even repulsed by that person’s ...
Role of a pressor substance in unilateral renal hypertension.

SummaryUnilateral renal hypertension was produced by constricting the aorta of the rat between the ostia of the main renal arteries. The acute stage of hypertension probably depended on a renal humoral mechanism since during the first 2 or 3 weeks of the hypertensive state, blood from the renal vein of the ischemic left kidney contained a potent vasoconstrictor substance, probably angiotensin, which was also present in arterial blood but not in renal vein blood from the untouched right kidney. After 3 weeks the left kidney ceased to release a pressor agent and in addition no such agent was demonstrable in the general circulation by bioassay. Hence the chronic stage of unilateral renal hypertension could not be attributed to the direct vasoconstructive effect of a humoral pressor agent.
Evaluation and Management of Nutritional Status Before Surgery

Preoperative evaluation of all patients should include evaluation of nutritional status. Factors of greatest clinical usefulness are nutritional history correlated with the clinical situation, and measures of body height and weight, serum albumin concentration, and muscle mass. Depressed immune function suggested by a lack of skin test reactivity to standard antigens may correlate with the risk of postoperative complications and death, but further studies are required to determine the specific relation of nutrient deficiencies and immune function. Micronutrient deficiencies must be identified and corrected rapidly. Nutritional support in patients with nutritional deficiencies should be started preoperatively either by enteral or intravenous techniques and continued postoperatively.
Structural Dynamics Analysis and Model Validation of Wind Turbine Structures

The focus of this paper is the development of validated structural models of wind turbine structures and their substructures. A typical modern wind turbine is a large structure composed of a single tower, a nacelle located atop the tower which houses the drive train mechanical components, and three rotor blades. In very broad terms, a wind turbine design team must consider the dynamic response of the full system in the design process along with detailed design for each individual substructure. Blades are a critical substructure of a wind turbine as they carry large loads in capturing the energy from the wind, and must be designed to maximize performance and reliability while minimizing their cost. The work summarized in this paper has two major parts. First, we discuss the structural dynamics analyses that are performed to design a modern wind turbine structure. Secondly, a methodology for validating blade structural models is presented. A number of blades incorporating innovations for large blade technologies have been designed and tested at Sandia National Laboratories in recent years. Results from recent tests and validation of models for these blades will be presented.
Triphos iridium(III) halide complex photochemistry: triphos arm dissociation.

Photolysis of Ir(triphos)X3 (triphos = 1,1,1-tris(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane; X = Cl, Br) yields an insoluble product believed to be oligomeric [Ir(triphos)X3]n with bridging triphos and halide...
History-dependent dissipative vortex dynamics in superconducting arrays

We perform current ($I$)-voltage ($V$) measurements on low resistance superconductor-normal-superconductor arrays in finite magnetic fields, focusing on the dilute vortex population regime. We observe significant deviations from predicted behavior, notably the absence of a differential resistance peak near the vortex depinning current, and a broad linear $I\ensuremath{-}V$ region with an extrapolated $I$ intercept equal to the depinning current. Comparing these results to an overdamped molecular vortex model, we find that this behavior can be explained by the presence of a history-dependent dissipative force. This approach has not been considered previously, to our knowledge, yet it is crucial for obtaining a correct description of the vortex dynamics in superconducting arrays.
Special Track on Case-Based Reasoning

The CBR special track at FLAIRS has come to fill the important role of a North American symposium on CBR and it is well regarded in the community. Ths year we were pleased to accept two full papers and one poster paper.
Abstract 290: NF1 loss modulates cellular fitness in KIT-mutant gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)

Patients with inoperable GIST obtain substantial clinical benefit from imatinib and other KIT/PDGFRA inhibitors. However, secondary resistance develops in 90% of patients within 18-24 months. Reactivation of oncogenic signaling pathways at time of progression is most often due to secondary mutation in KIT or PDGFRA, but downstream RAS or BRAF mutations are occasionally alternative mechanisms of KIT/PDGFRA-inhibitor resistance. We identified deleterious NF1 mutations in 3 KIT-mutant GIST samples from patients progressing on imatinib. In genomic scale loss-of-function shRNA genomic screens, designed to identify genes involved in imatinib resistance, a shRNA targeting NF1 was the most enriched shRNA in imatinib-treated GIST cells out of 54,000 shRNAs (NF1 gene score 29/11,238). To evaluate the contribution of NF1 loss to KIT-mutant GIST resistance, NF1-deficient GIST models were generated from 2 patient-derived, KIT-mutant GIST cell lines, GIST882 and GIST-T1, by sequential cotransfection with Cas9 and 2 independent NF1-targeting CRISPR-sgRNAs. Complete loss of NF1 protein was observed after 5-10 passages due to on-target heterogeneous genomic deletion at the NF1 locus. Orthogonal validations were obtained using stable shRNA-mediated NF1 knockdown with similar results in the same GIST cell lines. NF1-deleted cells retained expression of mutant KIT but were resistant to imatinib (IC50 196 and 500nM, significantly increased from baseline 34 and 110nM, for GIST-T1 and GIST882, respectively). Notably, after interruption of imatinib treatment, NF1-deficient GIST cells showed reduced proliferation (69% and 77% growth reduction at day 7 off imatinib, for GIST-T1 and GIST882, t test p In conclusion, acquired NF1 loss induces TKI resistance in KIT-mutant GIST cells but results in reduced cellular fitness in the absence of KIT-inhibitor treatment. These findings suggest that NF1-deficient GIST subclones that expand on imatinib treatment can be destabilized by intermittently discontinuing KIT-inhibitor therapy. Citation Format: Adrian Marino-Enriquez, Bin Li, Nacef Bahri, Alexandra Lauria, Yuexiang Wang, Jonathan A. Fletcher. NF1 loss modulates cellular fitness in KIT-mutant gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 290.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in Multiple Myeloma: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapeutic Opportunities

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a membrane-bounded intracellular organelle with an essential role in protein synthesis, folding and transport. Accumulation of misfolded proteins in the ER leads to ER stress, which triggers the activation of three well-known pathways including activating inositol requiring kinase 1 (IRE1), the transcription factor activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), and double stranded RNA-activated protein kinase-like ER kinase (PERK) to induce the expression of several major ER heat shock proteins (HSPs) including gp96, grp78 and calreticulin to enhance protein folding machinery. These signaling pathways are termed unfolded protein response (UPR), which are critical for cell fates. Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell neoplasm whose pathogenesis is closely linked to dysregulated UPR in ER due to the heightened production of immunoglobulin and the metabolic demands of malignant uncontrolled proliferation. Therefore, inhibition of the ER stress response is likely to injure the MM cells, as is any further demand on an already over-worked system. In this chapter, we discuss the roles of ER stress sensors in plasma cell differentiation and MM pathogenesis. We also summarize the strategies of targeting UPR pathways and HSPs that have been proposed and tested for potential therapeutic benefit against multiple myeloma.
The Deconstruction of Supramolecular Structures Based on Modular Precise Macromolecules

To rationally design materials with desired properties, a modular approach based on volume- and shape-persistent nanobuilding blocks has been demonstrated recently. Constructing hierarchical supramolecular structures which span several length and energy scales is crucial to transfer and amplify the functionality of nanobuilding blocks to the bulk materials. Determination of soft material self-assembled structures thus plays a critical role in this approach; however, it is routinely the most time-consuming step due to the case-dependent sample preparation and insufficient number of X-ray and electron diffractions for direct structure determination. A rational thinking pathway for supramolecular structure determination is proposed in this article with covering a variety of essential concepts for a systematic case study. The scope of this article aims to guide newcomers in this field and expedite the molecular design screening for establishing a concrete relationship between molecular design and material properties—a part of the materials genome initiative.
IMPLEMENTING A FLIPPED CLASSROOM CARDIOLOGY CURRICULUM FOR INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENTS

Cardiology comprises 14% of the American Board of Internal Medicine licensing exam. At our institution, 168 internal medicine (IM) residents rotate on a cardiology service per year but the educational experience varies greatly. We hypothesized that cardiology education could be enhanced through a
Effectiveness of testosterone therapy for masculinizing voice in transgender patients: A meta-analytic review

Background: Testosterone therapy is the predominant treatment for voice masculinization in transgender patients. Although lowering of voice fundamental frequency (f0) occurs with testosterone thera...
The Potential Mediating Impact of Future Orientation on the ACE–Crime Relationship:

Prior research has established that having a low future orientation is associated with offending. Additionally, it has been found that being exposed to adverse childhood events such as physical abu...
Restoring Hope for the Future: Mentalization-Based Therapy in the Treatment of a Suicidal Adolescent

Suicide is the gravest outcome facing patients, families, and clinicians. Clinicians treating adolescent patients and their families face these life-and-death realities with justifiable fear. The e...
Multi-robot Markov random fields

We propose Markov random fields (MRFs) as a probabilistic mathematical model for unifying approaches to multi-robot coordination or, more specifically, distributed action selection. The MRF model is well-suited to domains in which the joint probability over latent (action) and observed (perceived) variables can be factored into pairwise interactions between these variables. Specifically, these interactions occur through functions that evaluate "local evidence" between an observed and latent variable and "compatibility" between a pair of latent variables. For multi-robot coordination, we cast local evidence functions as the computation for an individual robot's action selection from its local observations and compatibility as the dependence in action selection between a pair of robots. We describe how existing methods for multi-robot coordination (or at least a non-exhaustive subset) fit within an MRF-based model and how they conceptually unify. Further, we offer belief propagation on a multi-robot MRF as a novel approach to distributed robot action selection.
Literacy in Ancient China: A Culturally and Socially Situated Role in Historical Times

This chapter focuses on the unique social and cultural roles of Chinese written language in ancient China. In adopting a sociocultural perspective, the authors discuss national, cultural, and institutional identities in the context of Chinese written language and accentuate linguistic features that facilitated social and cultural functions of character writing in ancient China. They argue that characteristics of Chinese written language have lent themselves well to the formation of a Chinese cultural identity across a nation with vastly different dialects and an expansive landmass over a long history. In addition, the written language has helped to maintain political, ideological, and dynastic governance throughout history. The authors also discuss Chinese calligraphy practices and calligraphy as an art form, history writing, and verbal taboos in ancient China. The chapter ends with implications of the nature of Chinese script for policy-makers, educators, and general readers.
Introduction to Nelder and Wedderburn (1972) Generalized Linear Models

In this paper, the authors show that maximum likelihood estimates for a large class of commonly used regression models can be obtained by the method of iteratively weighted least squares, in which both the weights and the response arc adjusted from one iteration to the next. The proposed algorithm, sometimes known as “Fisher-scoring,” is an extension of Fisher’s (1935) method for computing maximum likelihood estimates in linear probit models. The same result was obtained independently by Bradley (1973) and Jennrich and Moore (1975), though not exploited to its full extent.
"On-target" cardiac effects of anticancer drugs: lessons from new biology.

The development of new biological therapeutics such as neutralizing antibodies and small molecule inhibitors of receptors signaling is revolutionizing many fields of medicine—and creating new insights into normal biology. In particular, inhibition of blood vessel growth has been vigorously pursued in a number of fields, including oncology and ophthalmology. To date, most experience with this class of drugs centers on anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents such as a neutralizing antibody bevacizumab and small molecule inhibitors of VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR2). Anti-VEGF therapies have been spectacularly successful for treatment of macular degeneration, and somewhat less so in the treatment of cancer. Hand in hand with these advances is the emergence of new cardiac illnesses directly related to the activity of these agents.
Excursions and Forward Times

This paper continues the work of [3] and [4]. As in those papers, for the principal results, one assumes given a pair of standard processes X and X with dual density relative to some σ-finite measure on their common state space E. The main results of [3] and [4] concerned the construction and properties of a family of measures px,ly which were shown to “govern” the distribution of the excursions of X from a given closed homogeneous optional set M, conditional on the excursion starting at x, ending at y, and having length l. The meaning of “govern” in the above statement was made precise for excursions straddling an arbitrary stopping T in [3] and [4].
Bacteriophage-Mediated Biocontrol of Wound Infections, and Ecological Exploitation of Biofilms by Phages

Considered in this chapter is the use of bacterial viruses, a.k.a., bacteriophages or phages, to control or eliminate unwanted bacteria, e.g., as may be found in association with wounds. Infected wounds often have a biofilm component, and as a consequence this chapter focuses in part on interactions between bacteriophages and biofilms. A growing literature exists exploring in vitro models of the treatment of biofilms using phages, and though not emphasized here a listing of relevant studies is provided. I then present an overview of the phage wound-treatment, animal-model literature. I follow this with emphasis on the clinical treatment of wound infections using phages. Lastly, as phage-biofilm interactions are inherently ecological, I explore their ecology, concluding with consideration of how ecological appreciation might help to improve anti-biofilm effectiveness.
The Lynx X-ray Surveyor

The next-generation observatory Lynx will provide an unprecedented X-ray view of the otherwise invisible Universe, directly observing the dawn of supermassive black holes, revealing the drivers of galaxy formation, tracing stellar activity including effects on planet habitability, and transforming our knowledge of the endpoints of stellar evolution.
Medications in Intrathecal Pumps

Intrathecal (IT) pumps are a critical part of cancer pain treatment. While there are currently three medications (morphine, ziconotide, and baclofen) approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for intrathecal drug use, there are other medications that can help provide pain relief. The location and characteristics of the pain should always be used in determining which drug(s) to use. Side effects and interaction of IT drugs with other medications should also be investigated prior to initiation of treatment. Starting and adjustment doses can be effectively titrated based on the individual patient’s needs.
West Germany and Israel: Foreign Relations, Domestic Politics, and the Cold War, 1965–1974

By the late 1960s, West Germany and Israel were moving in almost opposite diplomatic directions in a political environment dominated by the Cold War. The Federal Republic launched ambitious policies to reconcile with its Iron Curtain neighbors, expand its influence in the Arab world, and promote West European interests vis-a-vis the United States. By contrast, Israel, unable to obtain peace with the Arabs after its 1967 military victory and threatened by Palestinian terrorism, became increasingly dependent upon the United States, estranged from the USSR and Western Europe, and isolated from the Third World. Nonetheless, the two countries remained connected by shared security concerns, personal bonds, and recurrent evocations of the German-Jewish past. Drawing upon newly-available sources covering the first decade of the countries' formal diplomatic ties, Carole Fink reveals the underlying issues that shaped these two countries' fraught relationship and sets their foreign and domestic policies in a global context.
Chapter 11 – Incorporating Forecast Uncertainty in Utility Control Center

To improve the system control performance characteristics, maintain system reliability, and minimize expenses related to the system balancing functions, it becomes necessary to incorporate the uncertainty information into the scheduling, load following, and, to some extent, into the regulation processes. It is also important to address this problem comprehensively by considering all sources of uncertainty. This chapter considers sources of uncertainty and variability, overall system uncertainty model, a possible plan for transition from deterministic to probabilistic methods in planning and operations, and one example of uncertainty-based tools for grid operations. This chapter is based on work conducted at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).
Civic Knowledge, Engagement, and Participation Narratives of Youth of Color in Urban Schools

The issues associated with students’ civic knowledge, engagement, and participation have been heightened in intellectual debates and public discussions. However, these discussions have not focused ...
Functional Rescue of Cataract-Causing αA-G98R-Crystallin by Targeted Compensatory Suppressor Mutations in Human αA-Crystallin

The G98R mutation in αA-crystallin is associated with the onset of presenile cataract and is characterized biochemically by an increased oligomeric mass, altered chaperone function, and loss of structural stability over time. Thus, far, it is not known whether the inherent instability caused by gain-of-charge mutation could be rescued by a compensatory loss of charge mutation elsewhere on the protein. To answer this question, we investigated whether αA-G98R-mediated instability could be rescued through suppressor mutations by introducing site-specific "compensatory" mutations in αA-G98R-crystallin, αA-R21Q/G98R, αA-G98R/R116C, and αA-R157Q/G98R. The recombinant proteins were expressed, purified, characterized, and evaluated by circular dichroism (CD), intrinsic fluorescence, and bis-ANS-binding studies. Chaperone-like activities of recombinant proteins were assessed using alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and insulin as unfolding substrates. Far-UV CD studies revealed an increased α-helical content in αA-G98R in comparison to αA-WT, αA-R21Q, R157Q, and the double mutants, αA-R21Q/G98R, and αA-R157Q/G98R. Compared to αA-WT, αA-R21Q, and αA-G98R, the double mutants showed an increased intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence, whereas the highest hydrophobicity (bis-ANS-binding) was shown by αA-G98R. Introduction of a second mutation in αA-G98R reduced its bis-ANS-binding activity. Both αA-R21Q/G98R and αA-R157Q/G98R showed greater chaperone-like activity against ADH aggregation than αA-G98R. However, among the three G98R mutants, only αA-R21Q/G98R protected ARPE-19 cells from H2O2-induced cytotoxicity. These results suggest that the lost chaperone-like activity of αA-G98R-crystallin can be rescued by another targeted mutation and that substitution of αA-R21Q-crystallin at the N-terminal region can rescue a deleterious mutation in the conserved α-crystallin domain of the protein.
Written sentence context effects on acoustic-phonetic perception: fMRI reveals cross-modal semantic-perceptual interactions.

Abstract This study examines cross-modality effects of a semantically-biased written sentence context on the perception of an acoustically-ambiguous word target identifying neural areas sensitive to interactions between sentential bias and phonetic ambiguity. Of interest is whether the locus or nature of the interactions resembles those previously demonstrated for auditory-only effects. FMRI results show significant interaction effects in right mid-middle temporal gyrus (RmMTG) and bilateral anterior superior temporal gyri (aSTG), regions along the ventral language comprehension stream that map sound onto meaning. These regions are more anterior than those previously identified for auditory-only effects; however, the same cross-over interaction pattern emerged implying similar underlying computations at play. The findings suggest that the mechanisms that integrate information across modality and across sentence and phonetic levels of processing recruit amodal areas where reading and spoken lexical and semantic access converge. Taken together, results support interactive accounts of speech and language processing.
A Selenourea-Thiourea Bronsted Acid Catalyst Facilitates Asymmetric Conjugate Additions of Amines to α,β-Unsaturated Esters

β-Amino esters are obtained with high levels of enantioselectivity via the conjugate addition of cyclic amines to unactivated α,β-unsaturated esters. A related strategy enables the kinetic resolution of racemic cyclic 2-arylamines, using benzyl acrylate as the resolving agent. Reactions are facilitated by an unprecedented selenourea-thiourea organocatalyst. As elucidated by DFT calculations and 13C kinetic isotope effect studies, the rate-limiting and enantiodetermining step of the reaction is the protonation of a zwitterionic intermediate by the catalyst. This represents a rare case in which a thiourea compound functions as an asymmetric Bronsted acid catalyst.
Zwitterion Surface-Functionalized Thermoplastic Polyurethane for Antifouling Catheter Applications.

Immobilizing zwitterionic molecules on material surfaces has been a promising strategy for creating antifouling surfaces. Herein, we show the ability to surface derivatize an allyl-ether-functional...