cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Visualization of phosphatase activity in living cells with a FRET-based calcineurin activity sensor

Protein kinases and phosphatases are organized into complex intracellular signaling networks designed to coordinate their activities in both space and time. In order to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of signal transduction networks, it is important to define the spatiotemporal dynamics of both protein kinases and phosphatases within their endogenous environment. Herein, we report the development of a genetically-encoded protein biosensor designed to specifically probe the activity of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase, calcineurin. Our reporter design utilizes a phosphatase activity-dependent molecular switch based on the N-terminal regulatory domain of the nuclear factor of activated T-cells as a specific substrate of calcineurin, sandwiched between cyan fluorescent protein and yellow fluorescent protein. Using this reporter, calcineurin activity can be monitored as dephosphorylation-induced increases in fluorescence resonance energy transfer and can be simultaneously imaged with intracellular calcium dynamics. The successful design of a prototype phosphatase activity sensor lays a foundation for studying targeting and compartmentation of phosphatases.
ViVA: a visualization and analysis tool for distributed event-based systems

Distributed event-based (DEB) systems are characterized by highly-decoupled components that communicate by exchanging messages. This form of communication enables flexible and scalable system composition but also reduces understandability and maintainability due to the indirect manner in which DEB components communicate. To tackle this problem, we present Visualizer for eVent-based Architectures, ViVA, a tool that effectively visualizes the large number of messages and dependencies that can be exchanged between components and the order in which the exchange of messages occur. In this paper, we describe the design, implementation, and key features of ViVA. (Demo video at http://youtu.be/jHVwuR5AYgA)
Changes in pain catastrophizing predict later changes in fibromyalgia clinical and experimental pain report: cross-lagged panel analyses of dispositional and situational catastrophizing

Fibromyalgia (FM), characterized by wide-spread diffuse pain and sensory abnormalities, is associated with elevated indices of distress and pain-related catastrophizing compared to both pain-free samples and those with chronic pain conditions. Catastrophizing is a pervasive negative mental set, and is a strong predictor of negative pain-related outcomes such as clinical pain intensity, and physical disability. Situational catastrophizing, measured in the context of experimentally-induced pain, is strongly related to enhanced pain sensitivity, a core aspect of the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia. However, little is known regarding the temporal course of the association between catastrophizing and pain-related "outcomes". Most studies involve only static assessments of pain and catastrophizing at a single time point, which provides little insight into the direction of the observed associations. We sought to investigate the temporal relationships between catastrophizing and indices of both clinical pain (substudy 1) and experimentally-induced pain (substudy 2) in a larger randomized controlled longitudinal trial. Fifty-seven patients with FM completed catastrophizing, depression, and pain questionnaires as well as laboratory cold pressor pain testing at baseline, post-intervention and three month follow-up during a lifestyle physical activity study. Cross-lagged panel analyses were used to address these temporal relationships. In substudy 1, analyses revealed that pre-to-post changes in dispositional catastrophizing ratings prospectively accounted for unique variance in subsequent post-to-follow-up changes in clinical pain ratings (p = 0.005), while pre-to-post changes in pain ratings did not account for unique variance in post-to-follow-up changes in catastrophizing ratings. An identical pattern was observed experimentally in substudy 2, with pre-to-post changes in situational catastrophizing ratings prospectively accounting for unique variance in subsequent post-to-follow-up changes in experimental pain ratings (p = 0.014), while pre-to-post changes in pain ratings did not account for unique variance in post-to-follow-up changes in catastrophizing ratings. Specifically, initial alterations in catastrophizing were associated with subsequent alterations in clinical and experimentally induced pain. Controlling for levels of depression did not affect the results. These findings provide empirical evidence that catastrophizing processes might precede and contribute to subsequent alterations in the pain experience for FM patients. clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00383084 .
Interactions between Spathius agrili (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and Tetrastichus planipennisi (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), larval parasitoids of Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

Three hymenopteran parasitoids native to China are being released in the United States as biological control agents for the emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, an Asian buprestid species responsible for mortality of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in North America. Two of these hymenopterans, Spathius agrili Yang (Braconidae), a larval ectoparasitoid, and Tetrastichus planipennisi Yang (Eulophidae), a larval endoparasitoid, prefer late-instar EAB larvae. This overlapping host preference raises concerns that interspecific competition following field releases may compromise establishment of one or both species. In a series of laboratory and field experiments, we found S. agrili and T. planipennisi exhibited similar parasitism rates when presented alone with EAB larvae for 12–14 days. However, S. agrili was more efficient at locating and parasitizing hosts within the first 27 h, possibly explaining why S. agrili excluded T. planipennisi in the laboratory trials and nearly excluded T. planipennisi in field trials when the two species were presented together with EAB larvae. We found that S. agrili parasitized larvae previously parasitized by T. planipennisi but not the reverse. However, S. agrili offspring failed to complete development on hosts that were previously parasitized by T. planipennisi. We recommend releasing these species separately in time or space to avoid the antagonistic interactions observed in this study.
Effects of oxcarbazepine treatment on serum lipids and carotid intima media thickness in children

The aim of this study is to evaluate the carotid intima media thickness and serum lipids in pediatric patients with epilepsy treated with oxcarbazepine. The study included 21 pediatric epileptic and 22 healthy children. Intima media thickness and fasting lipid profile were assessed. Although the median value of total cholesterol was in normal limits in the oxcarbazepine group, it was significantly higher when compared with the control group. We did not observe any differences regarding triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and carotid intima media thickness. We suggest that oxcarbazepine treatment in children has a minor effect on serum lipids and it does not seem to have an atherogenic effect.
Quasiparticles and vortices in unconventional superconductors

Quasiparticles in the vortex lattice of strongly type-II superconductors are investigated by means of a singular gauge transformation applied to the tight-binding lattice Bogoliubov-de Gennes Hamiltonian. We present a detailed derivation of the gauge invariant effective low-energy Hamiltonian for the quasiparticle-vortex system and show how the physics of the ``Doppler shift'' and ``Berry phase'' can be incorporated at the Hamiltonian level by working in the singular gauge. In particular, we show that the ``Berry phase'' effect manifests itself in the effective Hamiltonian through a half-flux Aharonov-Bohm scattering of quasiparticles off vortices and stress the important role that this effect plays in the quasiparticle dynamics. Full numerical solutions in the regime of intermediate fields ${H}_{c1}\ensuremath{\ll}B\ensuremath{\ll}{H}_{c2}$ are presented for model superconductors with s-, p-, and d-wave symmetries and with square and triangular vortex lattices. For s- and p-wave cases we obtain low-energy bound states in the core, in agreement with the existing results. For the d-wave case only extended quasiparticle states exist. We investigate in detail the nature of these extended states and provide comparison to the previous results within linearized ``Dirac fermion'' model. We also investigate internodal interference effects when vortex and ionic lattices have a high degree of commensurability and discuss various specific choices for the singular gauge transformation.
Expressive query specification through form customization

A form-based query interface is usually the preferred means to provide an unsophisticated user access to a database. Not only is such an interface easy to use, requiring no technical training, but it also requires little or no knowledge of how the data is structured in the database. However, a typical form is static and can express only a very limited set of queries, Without room for change, query specification is limited by the expertise and vision of the interface developer at the time the form was created. If an available form cannot express a desired query, the user is stuck.In this paper, we propose a mechanism to let a user modify an existing form to express the desired query. These modifications are themselves specified through filling forms to create an expression in an underlying form manipulation expression language we define. The technical sophistication required to modify forms is not much greater than form filling.We have developed a form editor that implements this form manipulation language. We have also developed a query generator that modifies the form's original query based on a user's changes. We show, by means of a controlled user study, that this tool provides an effective means for specifying complex queries.
Multi-technique equation of state for Fe2SiO4 melt and the density of Fe-bearing silicate melts from 0 to 161 GPa

We have conducted new equation of state measurements on liquid Fe_(2)SiO_4 in a collaborative, multi-technique study. The liquid density (ρ), the bulk modulus (K), and its pressure derivative (K′) were measured from 1 atm to 161 GPa using 1-atm double-bob Archimedean, multi-anvil sink/float, and shock wave techniques. Shock compression results on initially molten Fe_(2)SiO_4 (1573 K) fitted with previous work and the ultrasonically measured bulk sound speed (C_o) in shock velocity (U_S)-particle velocity (u_p) space yields the Hugoniot: U_S = 1.58(0.03) u_p + 2.438(0.005) km/s. Sink/float results are in agreement with shock wave and ultrasonic data, consistent with an isothermal K_T = 19.4 GPa and K′ = 5.33 at 1500°C. Shock melting of initially solid Fe_(2)SiO_4 (300 K) confirms that the Gruneisen parameter (γ) of this liquid increases upon compression where γ = γ_o(ρ_(o)/ρ)^q yields a q value of –1.45. Constraints on the liquid fayalite EOS permit the calculation of isentropes for silicate liquids of general composition in the multicomponent system CaO-MgO-Al_(2)O_3-SiO_2-FeO at elevated temperatures and pressures. In our model a whole mantle magma ocean would first crystallize in the mid-lower mantle or at the base of the mantle were it composed of either peridotite or simplified “chondrite” liquid, respectively. In regards to the partial melt hypothesis to explain the occurrence and characteristics of ultra-low velocity zones, neither of these candidate liquids would be dense enough to remain at the core mantle boundary on geologic timescales, but our model defines a compositional range of liquids that would be gravitationally stable.
Ventricular septal defect and sudden death in early childhood

A 2% year old boy collapsed at home and was taken immediately to the local hospital in cardiorespiratory arrest where attempted resuscitation was unsuccessful. At autopsy, massive cardiomegaly was found associated with a large membranous ventricular septal defect. There was also an early acute bronchopneumonia. Although growth parameters indicated failure to thrive, no specific health problems had been noted by the family apart from an apparent mild 'upper respiratory infection' prior to death. While the occurrence of sudden and unexpected death in cases of undiagnosed isolated ventricular septal defect has not been emphasized in the literature, this case demonstrates that sudden death may be a problem in early childhood. This is particularly so in cases of untreated large defects with cardiomegaly when additional stresses such as acute infection occur.
Locus-specific control of asymmetric and CpNpG methylation by the DRM and CMT3 methyltransferase genes

Many plant, animal, and fungal genomes contain cytosine DNA methylation in asymmetric sequence contexts (CpHpH, H = A, T, C). Although the enzymes responsible for this methylation are unknown, it has been assumed that asymmetric methylation is maintained by the persistent activity of de novo methyltransferases (enzymes capable of methylating previously unmodified DNA). We recently reported that the DOMAINS REARRANGED METHYLASE (DRM) genes are required for de novo DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana because drm1 drm2 double mutants lack the de novo methylation normally associated with transgene silencing. In this study, we have used bisulfite sequencing and Southern blot analysis to examine the role of the DRM loci in the maintenance of asymmetric methylation. At some loci, drm1 drm2 double mutants eliminated all asymmetric methylation. However, at the SUPERMAN locus, asymmetric methylation was only completely abolished in drm1 drm2 chromomethylase 3 (cmt3) triple mutant plants. drm1 drm2 double mutants also showed a strong reduction of CpNpG (n = A, T, C, or G) methylation at some loci, but not at others. The drm1 drm2 cmt3 triple mutant plants did not affect CpG methylation at any locus tested, suggesting that the primary CpG methylases are encoded by the MET1 class of genes. Although neither the drm1 drm2 double mutants nor the cmt3 single mutants show morphological defects, drm1 drm2 cmt3 triple mutant plants show pleiotropic effects on plant development. Our results suggest that the DRM and CMT3 genes act in a partially redundant and locus-specific manner to control asymmetric and CpNpG methylation.
Spike timing dependent plasticity promotes synchrony in inhibitory networks in presence of heterogeneity and noise

Recently a novel form of spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP) was observed in GABAergic synaptic couplings in layer II of the entorhinal cortex. Depending on the relative timing of pre-synaptic input at time tpre and postsynaptic excitation at time tpost the synapse is strengthened (Δt = tpost-tpre>0) or weakened (Δt 40 Hz), a frequency range important for several vital neuronal tasks. In this work we study the influence of this novel STDP of inhibitory synapses on the synchronization of two mutually coupled interneurons (MCI) in the presence of heterogeneity and noise. We demonstrate analytically how this synchronization is brought about by defining the spike response curve (SRC), which measures the nonlinear response of neuron to pre-synaptic input. We present simulation results to demonstrate how the unique features of the STDP increase the robustness of synchronization even in the presence of heterogeneity and noise.
Frequency Reconfigurable U-Slot Microstrip Patch Antenna

A frequency reconfigurable microstrip patch antenna is presented. It is found that the incorporation of a U-slot in the patch can provide a flat input resistance and a linear input reactance across a wider bandwidth than the conventional patch antenna. By placing a variable capacitor and an inductor at the antenna input, the impedance matching frequency of the antenna can be varied. The fabricated prototype antenna attains a tunable frequency range from 2.6 to 3.35 GHz. The proposed antenna is simple in structure, and the control circuitry is placed underneath the ground plane. It is suitable for use in reducing the crosstalk from adjacent channels in multichannel system.
The energetic ion signature of an O-type neutral line in the geomagnetic tail

An energetic ion signature is presented which has the potential for remote sensing of an O-type neutral line embedded in a current sheet. A source plasma with a tailward flowing Kappa distribution yields a strongly non-Kappa distribution after interacting with the neutral line: sharp jumps, or ridges, occur in the velocity space distribution function f(nu-perpendicular, nu-parallel) associated with both increases and decreases in f. The jumps occur when orbits are reversed in the x-direction: a reversal causing initially earthward particles (low probability in the source distribution) to be observed results in a decrease in f, while a reversal causing initially tailward particles to be observed produces an increase in f. The reversals, and hence the jumps, occur at approximately constant values of perpendicular velocity in both the positive nu parallel and negative nu parallel half planes. The results were obtained using single particle simulations in a fixed magnetic field model.
An efficient and secure peer-to-peer overlay network

Most of structured P2P overlays exploit distributed Hash table (DHT) to achieve an administration-free, fault tolerant overlay network and guarantee to deliver a message to the destination within O(log N) hops. While elegant from a theoretical perspective, those systems face difficulties under an open environment. Not only frequently joining and leaving of nodes generate enormous maintenance overhead, but also various behaviors and resources of peers compromise overlay performance and security. Instead of building P2P overlay from the theoretical view, this paper builds the overlay network from the perspective of the physical network. By combining different network topology-aware techniques, a distinctive overlay network that closely matches the Internet topology is constructed. The P2P system based on this structure is not only highly efficient for routing, but also keeps maintenance overhead very low even under highly dynamic environment. Moreover, the system provides a new aspect to solve many security issues
High-power widely tunable thulium fiber lasers

Applications requiring long-range atmospheric propagation are driving the development of high-power thulium fiber lasers. We report on the performance of two different laser configurations for high-power tunable thulium fiber lasers: one is a single oscillator utilizing a volume Bragg grating for wavelength stabilization; the other is a master oscillator power amplifier system with the oscillator stabilized and made tunable by a diffraction grating. Each configuration provides >150W of average power, >50% slope efficiency, narrow output linewidth, and >100nm tunability in the wavelength range around 2μm.
LONG-TERM PATTERNS OF ACORN PRODUCTION FOR FIVE OAK SPECIES IN XERIC FLORIDA UPLANDS

The number of seeds produced by a population of woody plants can vary markedly from year to year. Unfortunately, knowledge of the patterns and causes of crop-size variation is limited, and most studies have examined only single species in a single mesic environment. We examined long-term patterns of acorn crop sizes for five species of shrubby oaks in three xeric upland vegetative associations of south-central peninsular Florida for evidence of regular fruiting cycles and in relation to winter temperature and precipitation. Counts of acorns on two white oak species (Quercus chapmanii and Q. geminata) and three red oak species (Q. inopina, Q. laevis, and Q. myrtifolia) were conducted annually from 1969 to 1996 (except in 1991) on grids in southern ridge sandhill, sand pine scrub, and scrubby flatwoods associations. As the result of the dissimilar timing of reproductive events in species of red and white oaks and individual species responses to climatic variables, annual acorn production of red and white oak species in a given vegetation association were not synchronized, which dampened the variability of combined annual acorn production. Consequently, acorns were produced with reasonable abundance every year by at least one species. Oaks of nearly closed-canopy scrub produced fewer acorns than similar-sized oaks of the same species in the more open-canopied sandhill and scrubby flatwoods, suggesting light limitation. We identified regular cycles of acorn production that ranged from 2 to 2.4 yr for white oak species and from 3.6 to 5.5 yr for red oak species and found evidence that annual acorn production is affected by the interactions of precipitation, which is highly variable seasonally and annually in peninsular Florida, with endogenous reproductive patterns. Multiple regression models using precipitation variables accounted for as much as 74% of crop-size variation in Q. inopina, 65% in Q. laevis, 60% in Q. chapmanii, and 44% in Q. geminata, but only 29% for Q. myrtifolia. In contrast, acorn production showed no significant association with minimum winter temperatures. Of the various hypotheses offered to explain supra-annual variation in seed crops, our data are most compatible with the nonadaptive resource-matching hypothesis.
Radiation and the thyroid

The thyroid is frequently investigated using a radionuclide of iodine and in some patients with hyperthyroidism or thyroid cancer, therapy involves radioiodine. In both of these situations, the gland is exposed to internal radiation. In the past, the thyroid was exposed to external radiation when head neck and chest lesions were treated (the range of doses was usually 500–1000 rad, 5–10 Gy) for reasons which are now not considered legitimate. There is unequivocal evidence that such doses of external radiation to the thyroid are responsible for producing an increase in the incidence of both benign thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. Both internal and external radiation, if the dose is great enough, can cause hypothyroidism.
Probing the heme-thiolate oxygenase domain of inducible nitric oxide synthase with Ru(II) and Re(I) electron tunneling wires.

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) catalyzes the production of nitric oxide from L-arginine and dioxygen at a thiolate-ligated heme active site. Although many of the reaction intermediates are as yet unidentified, it is well established that the catalytic cycle begins with substrate binding and rate-limiting electron transfer to the heme. Here, we show that Ru(II)-diimine and Re(I)-diimine electron tunneling wires trigger nanosecond photoreduction of the active-site heme in the enzyme. Very rapid generation of a reduced thiolate-ligated heme opens the way for direct observation of short-lived intermediates in the NOS reaction cycle.
Time-scale canonical model for wideband system characterization

In this paper, we propose a time-scale canonical model as a discrete characterization of wideband linear time-varying systems. This representation decomposes a system output into discrete time shifts and Doppler scalings on the input, weighted by a smoothed discrete version of the wideband spreading function. We base this formulation on the Mellin transform that is matched to scalings. We also demonstrate that our proposed model inherently affords a joint multipath-scale diversity in wideband communication channels. By properly designing the signaling and reception schemes using wavelet techniques, we can achieve this diversity over a dyadic time-scale framework.
Recent decline in prostate cancer incidence in the United States, by age, stage, and Gleason score

Prostate cancer incidence is sensitive to screening practices, however the impact of recent screening recommendations from the United States Preventative Services Task Force on prostate cancer incidence by age, stage, race, and Gleason score is unknown. This study described the timing and magnitude of changes in prostate cancer incidence trends in the United States by month of diagnosis, and evaluated trends by age, Gleason score, and stage at diagnosis. We analyzed prostate cancer incidence trends using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program data for men diagnosed with invasive prostate cancer from 2007 through 2012. JoinPoint analysis was used to detect changes in the rate of annual percent change (APC) in prostate cancer incidence for all diagnoses and by age, Gleason score, race, and stage. Prostate cancer incidence declined at an estimated -19.6% APC beginning May 2011. This decline was observed in all age groups. Low-grade tumors (Gleason score ≤6) showed a steeper decline (-29.1% APC) than high-grade tumors (Gleason score 8-10: -10.8% APC). Only stage I/II and stage III tumors saw declines (-24.2% and -16.7% APC, respectively). A sharp decline in prostate cancer incidence began before release of the United States Preventative Services Task Force October 2011 draft and May 2012 final screening recommendation. The greatest change occurred with incidence of low-grade tumors, although there is concern that some high-grade tumors may now go undetected.
The Minnesota ADR Experience: Exploration to Institutionalization

In this article about Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), McAdoo reviews the highlights of the “exploratory phase” of ADR with reference to the key pieces of legislation that fueled ADR activity in Minnesota. This review constitutes an informative chronicle of the growth of ADR and may guide other states which do not have fully developed ADR options in place. It covers (1) a brief overview giving the context for the national ADR movement; (2) a history of Minnesota’s ADR initiatives; (3) a review of the key recommendations of the Minnesota Supreme Court/State Bar Joint ADR Task Force, and (4) a listing of some of the major unresolved issues in the ADR field.
Ecosono: Adventures in interactive ecoacoustics in the world

I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. John Muir (1913) This article describes several recent projects that together illustrate an evolving practice and a philosophy of ecoacoustic sound art called EcoSono. These projects foreground adventure-the live, in-person engagement with the world. As a technological sound art practice, EcoSono uses technology to link human and environmental expression, in an attempt to define a collaborative and symbiotic relationship between humans and the natural world. At the core of this work are computational and transduction technologies enabling deeper human-environment interaction. This paper describes three projects including the MICE (Mobile Interactive Computer Ensemble) World Tour, the EcoSono Institute music/science collaboration adventure, and the Agents Against Agency series in emergent and improvised musical forms. The article also addresses several key values of interactive ecoacoustics. First, it describes the importance of 'impracticality' in creating a productive environmentalist art work. The article also makes the case that the purpose of outdoor recording is not the acquisition of material samples, but to hear the world and learn from it.
Metastatic carcinoma in tongue

Abstract A case of massive metastatic involvement of the tongue with adenocarcinoma, producing prominent symptomatic interference with deglutition and speech, has been presented. It would appear from the available data that secondary tumor in the tongue accounts for 0.1 to 0.2 per cent of all metastases. Batson's plexus or an anomaly of the lymphatic or vascular circulation is offered as a possible avenue of spread to the tongue in this case.
Hemibonding between Hydroxyl Radical and Water

The ultraviolet absorption peak commonly used to identify OH radical in liquid water is mainly due to a charge-transfer-from-solvent transition that is prominent when OH is hemibonded, rather than more stable hydrogen bonded, to H2O. This work computationally characterizes the hemibonding interaction and the extent of the geometrical region over which it is significant. Hemibonding is found to be associated with an enlarged energy separation between the two lowest-lying electronic states, which are otherwise always quite close to one another. The lower state, wherein the hemibonding occurs, retains an attractive interaction energy between OH and H2O that can be as much as one-half as strong as the optimum hydrogen-bonding interaction, while the enlarged separation between the states is mainly due to the upper state becoming repulsive over most of the hemibonding region. Hemibonding also leads to a considerable drop in the energy and a considerable increase in the oscillator strength of the characteristic ...
First-principles Study of Carbon and Vacancy Structures in Niobium

The interstitial chemical impurities hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon are important for niobium metal production and particularly for the optimization of niobium SRF technology. These atoms are present in refined sheets and can be absorbed into niobium during processing treatments, resulting in changes to the residual resistance and the performance of SRF cavities. A first-principles approach is taken to study the properties of carbon in niobium, and the results are compared and contrasted with the properties of the other interstitial impurities. The results indicate that C will likely form precipitates or atmospheres around defects rather than strongly bound complexes with other impurities. On the basis of the analysis of carbon and hydrogen near niobium lattice vacancies and small vacancy chains and clusters, the formation of extended carbon chains and hydrocarbons is not likely to occur. Association of carbon with hydrogen atoms can, however, occur through the strain fields created by interstitia...
Neural Basis for Learning Motor Skills in Mammals

The mechanisms of learning and memory has been an intriguing question among neuroscientists. Following the establishment of the neuron theory, at the turn of the century (Ramon y Cajal 1928), investigators conjectured that memories are encoded at the synapses. This notion was further advanced by Hebb who proposed that changes at the synapses constitute the basis of learning and memory (Hebb 1949). In accord with this prediction, synaptic plasticity was discovered in the hippocampus (Bliss & Lomo 1973), and it is generally thought that this plasticity (LTP) is the basis of cognitive learning and memory. However, there is still no demonstration about how LTP is encoded into learning and memory, especially in mammals. This is partly due to the difficulty of using animals in the study of cognitive memory. On the other hand, motor learning can be studied with much ease by observing the behavior of animals. Besides, it has been shown that motor learning take place somewhere outside of the hippocampus (Corkin 1968).
The spin-dipole resonance in (p, n) on 16O and 40Ca☆

Abstract The spin observable D NN ′ ( θ ) was measured for ( p , n ) at 135 MeV on 16 O, 40 Ca, 48 Ca, and 208 Pb. Data for 16 O and 40 Ca are compared with distorted-wave impulse approximation (DWIA) calculations with Tamm-Dancoff (TDA) wave functions; the D NN ′ data generally agree with the J π distribution (O − , 1 − , 2 − ) predicted for the “spin-dipole” resonance.
Seeds, Cucurbits, and Corn from Lizard Man Village

ABSTRACTUntil recently, there has been a general absence of systematic paleoeth-nobotanical studies conducted on the Northern Sinagua in the area of Flagstaff, Arizona. This paper presents the analysis of flotation and carbon sample data recovered from the Angell-Winona and Eiden phases at Lizard Man Village. Seeds, cucurbits, and corn are the archaeobotanical data used to address questions regarding Northern Sinagua diet. These data suggest a change in plant food resources utilized during these two phases. During the Angell-Winona phase, small-seeded, potentially cultivated native plants were heavily used, and there was a high reliance on corn agriculture. During the Eiden phase, small-seeded plant use diminished and corn agriculture declined. Interestingly, cultivation of cucurbits and cotton rose significantly during the later phase at Lizard Man Village.
Coordinate regulation of autophagy and the ubiquitin proteasome system by MTOR

Proteins in eukaryotic cells are continually being degraded to amino acids either by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) or by the autophagic-lysosomal pathway. The breakdown of proteins by these 2 degradative pathways involves totally different enzymes that function in distinct subcellular compartments. While most studies of the UPS have focused on the selective ubiquitination and breakdown of specific cell proteins, macroautophagy/autophagy is a more global nonselective process. Consequently, the UPS and autophagy were traditionally assumed to serve distinct physiological functions and to be regulated in quite different manners. However, recent findings indicate that protein breakdown by these 2 systems is coordinately regulated by important physiological stimuli. The activation of MTORC1 by nutrients and hormones rapidly suppresses proteolysis by both proteasomes and autophagy, which helps promote protein accumulation, whereas in nutrient-poor conditions, MTORC1 inactivation causes the simultaneous activation of these 2 degradative pathways to supply the deprived cells with a source of amino acids. Also this selective breakdown of key anabolic proteins by the UPS upon MTORC1 inhibition can help limit growth-related processes (e.g., cholesterol biosynthesis). Thus, the collaboration of these 2 degradative systems, together with the simultaneous control of protein translation by MTORC1, provide clear advantages to the organism in both growth and starvation conditions.
A flexible approach to model coupling through probabilistic pooling

Model coupling is an important approach to studying the dynamics of complex systems, but by introducing new feedback loops, the dynamics of coupled models can be artificially distorted. This paper describes a new method of model coupling which addresses this problem through a dynamic form of regularization. The method allows the time series evolution of model variables to be mutually informed by multiple models, and models to influence each other in proportion to their degree of certainty. Uncoupled forms of the coupled models can act as dynamic priors on the trajectory of coupled variables, strengthening model stability and offering additional calibration of the coupling process. Finally, models that describe different spatial scales can be coupled into multi-scale models, so that, for example, spatially-distributed models can be coupled with aggregate models, and influence one another. We apply this technique to a coupled socio-ecological system of population growth and ecosystem harvesting. A new technique is developed for stable, flexible model coupling.The technique offers an efficient approach also to multi-scale modeling.A model of socio-ecological system dynamics, with farming and foraging, is studied as a coupled and multi-scale model.
Why the grass may not be greener on the other side: a comparison of locking vs. transactional memory

The advent of multi-core and multi-threaded processor architectures highlights the need to address the well-known shortcomings of the ubiquitous lock-based synchronization mechanisms. The emerging transactional-memory synchronization mechanism is viewed as a promising alternative to locking for high-concurrency environments, including operating systems. This paper presents a constructive critique of locking and transactional memory: their strengths, weaknesses, and challenges
Effects of Obesity on Pro-Oxidative Conditions and DNA Damage in Liver of DMBA-Induced Mammary Carcinogenesis Models

The prevalence of the overweight and obesity is on the rise worldwide. Obesity can increase the risk of certain cancers and liver steatosis development. Previously, we reported that obesity increased liver steatosis in a mammary tumor model, but little is known about the effects of obesity in the liver in regard to global DNA methylation, DNA damage, and oxidative/nitrosative stress. Using a mammary tumor model, we investigated the effects of obesity on oxidative stress and DNA reaction. Five-week-old lean and obese female rats were used. At 50 days of age, all rats received 7,12-dimethylbenz(α)anthracene (DMBA) and were sacrificed 155 days later. HPLC with electrochemical and ultraviolet detection and LC-MS were used. Obesity caused higher (p < 0.0004) methionine levels, had no effect (p < 0.055) on SAM levels, caused lower (p < 0.0005) SAH levels, caused higher (p < 0.0005) SAM/SAH ratios, and increased (p < 0.02) global DNA methylation. Levels of free reduced GSH were not significantly lower (p < 0.08), but free oxidized GSSG was higher (p < 0.002) in obese rats. The GSH/GSSG ratio was lower (p < 0.0001), and oxidized guanosine was higher (p < 0.002) in DNA of obese rats compared to lean rats. Obesity caused significant oxidative/nitrosative stress, oxidative DNA damage, and change of DNA methylation pattern in the liver, and these changes may contribute to the development of liver steatosis in breast cancer models.
Do Managers Tacitly Collude to Withhold Industry-Wide Bad News?

Our paper examines voluntary disclosure choice about a different type of “news” than traditional models consider. Firms are exposed to a continuous flow of information about industry conditions that are correlated and uncertain. We predict that capital market pressure and externality costs associated with being the second mover to disclose could make coordinated withholding of adverse industry-wide signals a difficult equilibrium to sustain. A cooperative withholding equilibrium is possible, but its sustainability depends on the structure of the industry and the nature of news in the industry. We empirically document cases of increased intra-industry obfuscation of adverse signals in annual 10-Ks, controlling for changes in fundamentals. Strategic withholding is more likely in industries with greater negative tailrisk, greater equity incentives, and industry associations that foster interpersonal connections. The results have implications for understanding when economic forces are sufficient to generate voluntary disclosure of industry-wide adverse conditions.
Modernity, World War I, and Appropriations of the Colonial Gaze in John Joseph Mathews’ Sundown

Approximately 12,000 American Indians served in the armed forces of the United States during World War I, yet very few of them turned their experiences into memoirs, fictions, or poetry. A notable ...
Developmentally regulated transcription and silencing cycle of nuclear RNAi-targeted LTR retrotransposons in Caenorhabditis elegans

Small RNA-guided chromatin silencing, also referred to as nuclear RNAi, plays an essential role in genome surveillance in eukaryotes and provides a unique paradigm to explore the complexity in RNA-mediated chromatin regulation and transgenerational epigenetics. A well-recognized paradox in this research area is that transcription of the target loci is necessary for the initiation and maintenance of the silencing at the same loci. How the two opposing activities (transcriptional activation and repression) are coordinated during animal development is poorly understood. To resolve this gap, we took single-molecule RNA imaging, deep-sequencing, and genetic approaches towards delineating the developmental regulation and subcellular localization of RNA transcripts of two exemplary endogenous germline nuclear RNAi targets in C. elegans, Cer3 and Cer8 LTR retrotransposons. By examining the wild type and a collection of mutant strains, we found that transcription and silencing cycle of Cer3 and Cer8 is tightly coupled with the early embryogenesis and germline mitotic and meiotic cell cycles. Strikingly, Cer3 and Cer8 transcripts are exclusively localized in the nuclei of germ cells in both wild type and germline nuclear RNAi-defective mutant animals. RNA-sequencing analysis found that this nuclear enrichment feature is a general feature for the endogenous targets of the germline nuclear RNAi pathway. In addition, the germline and somatic repressions of Cer3 have different genetic requirement for the three H3K9 histone methyltransferases, MET-2, SET-25, and SET-32, in conjunction with the nuclear Argonaute protein WAGO- 9/HRDE-1. These results provide a first comprehensive cellular and developmental characterization of the nuclear RNAi-targeted endogenous targets throughout animal reproductive cycle. Altogether, these results support a model in which (1) both the transcriptional activation and repression steps of the germline nuclear RNAi pathway are tightly coupled with animal development, (2) the endogenous targets exhibit a hallmark of nuclear enrichment of their transcripts, and (3) different heterochromatin enzymes play distinct roles in somatic and germline silencing of the endogenous targets.
Direct speciation methods to quantify catalytically active species of AlCl3 in glucose isomerization

While homogeneous metal halides have been shown to catalyze glucose to fructose isomerization, direct experimental evidence in support of the catalytically active species remains elusive. Here, we integrate direct speciation methods with kinetics to provide strong evidence for the active species of AlCl3 in glucose–fructose isomerization in water. We investigate the effect of Lewis (AlCl3) and Bronsted (HCl) acids on aluminum hydrolysis and glucose conversion. We demonstrate the interplay between the acids using the Optimum Logic Inc. speciation model (OLI software). We measure aqueous aluminum species and protons through in situ and ex situ 27Al quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) and pH measurements, respectively, and quantify aluminum nanoparticles through a combination of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and ultrafiltration. Direct speciation measurements correlated with the glucose isomerization rate indicate that the hydrolyzed Al(III) complex [Al(H2O)4(OH)2]1+ is the active species in glucose isomerization.
Brief: Development of the Electronic Journal of Petroleum Engineering

A new electronic petroleum engineering journal with on-line submission, review, and distribution is being developed to provide an additional and needed outlet for technological developments. The primary objective of this journal is to provide a medium for rapid exchange of up-to-date advances in petroleum engineering. The Electronic Journal of Petroleum Engineering (E-JPE) will take substantially less time to publish because it will decrease the time required by traditional reviewing, printing, and distributing processes and will allow more widespread participation by international reviewers. E-JPE will be developed in phases to debug the process and to increase distribution and participation. Papers will not be subjected to the size constraints associated with some hard-copy publications and will not be limited to a fixed number of yearly volumes. Publication costs will be lower than for traditional hard-copy journals because printing and mailing are eliminated. E-JPE can provide a more efficient avenue for exchange of ideas among authors, editors, and readers through electronic networking systems. The journal will put the petroleum engineering industry at the forefront of technical publishing and pave the way into the next century.
The ACSES Model of Afghanistan: The Model Operation, Synthetic Population, Calibration, and Surprises

In this chapter, we continue the description of the ACSES model of citizen allegiance in the presence of an insurgency in Afghanistan. Here, we show how the social theories and actor models presented in the previous chapter were implemented for the specific case of the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan in an agent-based model. We address four main topics. First, we present and narrate a flowchart of the model. Second, we describe creation of the synthetic population, so that the model would have some fidelity and relevance to the target scenario. Third, we discuss how we calibrated the model using real-world data, concentrating on the genetic algorithm technique that was most fruitful. Finally, we discuss some instances of surprise that we found using the ACSES model, as an example of some of the benefits of this approach.
Aristotelian Teleology: The Bridge Between Natural Philosophy and the Problem of “The Good Life”

If Socrates was a lived embodiment of the theoretic or philosophical life, it belongs to Aristotle to establish its autonomy. For the Greek philosophers, politics was the natural continuation of ethics, as both sciences aim at the Good. Hence, given the Socratic identification of virtue with knowledge, the theoretic life was inherently bound up, for Socrates and Plato with the political life. Aristotle’s distinction between the political and theoretic life and their corresponding virtues, rests on his key concept of teleology according to which different forms of life which vary according to their end. Depending on what human beings choose as their supreme end or good – pleasure, honor, or wisdom – different kinds of lives follow – the life of enjoyment, the political life, and the theoretic life. Teleology is also the vital bridge between Aristotle’s natural philosophy and his ethics and politics. In nature there are ends or goods which are realized through natural processes. Comparably, man as part of the natural order also has an end or supreme good. Hence by using teleology, Aristotle will aim to establish the hierarchy among goods and so assess the question “which of these most fully realizes the good life?”
Optimal rates for total variation denoising

Motivated by its practical success, we show that the twodimensional total variation denoiser satisfies a sharp oracle inequality that leads to near optimal rates of estimation for a large class of image models such as bi-isotonic, Holder smooth and cartoons. Our analysis hinges on properties of the unnormalized Laplacian of the twodimensional grid such as eigenvector delocalization and spectral decay. We also present extensions to more than two dimensions as well as several other graphs. AMS 2000 subject classifications: Primary 62G08; secondary 62C20, 62G05, 62H35.
Trends and Disparities in Mortality and Progression to AIDS in the Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Era: Tennessee, 1996–2016

Objectives. To use statewide surveillance data to examine trends and disparities in mortality and progression from HIV to AIDS comprehensively in Tennessee over the past 20 years.Methods. Individua...
How early intervention practitioners describe family-centred practice: A collective broadening of the definition.

Background Given the importance of families in supporting the health and developmental outcomes of young children, current recommended practices for early intervention services advocate for a family-centred practice (FCP) approach that recognizes the importance of children's family systems. Though there is consensus in the field on the importance of this approach, there often remains a disconnection between these values and the everyday practice of early intervention practitioners. This study focuses on understanding the ways in which practitioners define FCP as this can provide valuable insight into why these belief-practice disconnections may exist. Methods Early intervention practitioners (n = 203; e.g., special education or child development teachers, therapists, audiologists, etc) were surveyed at a statewide early intervention conference. Qualitative content analyses procedures were used to analyse participants' open-ended responses. Results Three themes emerged in the analysis, including the following: (a) FCP is a distinct approach to providing early intervention services; (b) there are specific practices for best implementing FCP; and (b) there are provider qualities that are essential in order to use FCP. Conclusions Practitioners' definitions of FCP were primarily in line with recommended practices; however, they extend beyond the current definition of FCP in the early intervention literature, suggesting that the way this approach is conceptualized may be collectively broadening within the field. Opportunities, difficulties, and practical implications of this broadening definition are discussed.