cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of glucose/insulin perturbations on aging and chronic disorders of aging: the evidence.

Among changes associated with aging is a decline in glucose tolerance. The reported causes are increased insulin resistance from receptor and/or post receptor disturbances and diminished pancreatic islet B-cell sensitivity to glucose. Many recent reports indicate that insulin resistance with hyperinsulinemia and/or hyperglycemia contribute to or even causes many chronic disorders associated with aging, i.e., chronic metabolic perturbations including noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, lipid abnormalities, and atherosclerosis. How could such disturbances in glucose/insulin metabolism lead to many chronic disorders associated with aging? In aging, similar to diabetes, the elevation in circulating glucose and other reducing sugars secondary to age-induced insulin resistance can react nonenzymatically with proteins and nucleic acids to form products that affect function and diminish tissue elasticity. Also, perturbations in glucose/insulin metabolism are associated with enhanced lipid peroxidation secondary to greater free radical formation. Free radicals of oxygen are important known causes of tissue damage and have been associated with many aspects of aging including inflammatory diseases, cataracts, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Augmented free radical formation and lipid peroxidation are not uncommon in diabetes mellitus, commonly associated with "premature aging". Ingestion of sugars, fats, and sodium have been linked to decreased insulin sensitivity, while caloric restriction, exercise, ingestion of chromium, vanadium, soluble fibers, magnesium, and certain antioxidants are associated with greater insulin sensitivity. Thus, manipulation of diet by influencing the glucose/insulin system may favorably affect lifespan and reduce the incidence of chronic disorders associated with aging.
Optimization of periodic permanent magnet focusing system for traveling-wave tubes

The structure and layout of periodic permanent magnet focusing system for traveling wave tube(TWT) was optimized using Ansoft Maxwell 3D software,and the influences of magnetic ring dimensions on the axial magnetic field were investigated.Supposing a condition of unchanging properties of permanent magnet material,inside and external diameter,and period of the magnetic system,the relationship of axial peak flux density and magnetic structure sizes were studied.We found the optimum dimension matching of magnet rings and pole pieces,which can provide focusing magnetic field as high as possible.The design principles and steps of TWT periodic permanent magnet focusing system were summarized.
Entrepreneurship policy and economic growth: Solution or delusion? Evidence from a state initiative

The last two decades marked a turning point for entrepreneurship policy, highlighting the crucial role of public policy to generate the conditions that encourage business creation and expansion. As more states design and implement entrepreneurship policies of their own, understanding how these policies can support and harness the full potential of entrepreneurship becomes more critical. This paper uses a quasi-market framework for development competition (Feiock in Journal of Urban Affairs, 24, 123–142, 2002. doi:10.1111/1467-9906.00118) to report on the effects on economic growth of an entrepreneurship policy implemented in 2004 in the state of Kansas as part of the Kansas Economic Growth Act. Specifically, it studies the impact of tax credit funds provided by one of its programs, the Entrepreneurial Community (E-Community) partnership, on the economy of adopter counties between 2007 and 2010. The results from this study indicate the program has no conclusive effects on five general indicators of local economic and entrepreneurial activity.
Cross-calibration of gamma counters and PET scanners using Ge-68/Ga-68

2065 Objectives Accurate cross-calibration between NaI gamma counters and PET scanners is required for many tracer kinetic modeling studies. This calibration is isotope-dependent because the different physical characteristics of PET isotopes (positron fraction, positron energy, non-511 keV gammas) give rise to different gamma counter sensitivities. We present a method for determining isotope-specific cross calibration factors by scaling measurements made with a long-lived Ge-68/Ga-68 source. Methods Gamma counter-to-PET cross calibration factors (fi) were measured for different PET isotopes (fC11, fF18 ) using aliquots taken from a fillable 20 cm diameter cylinder. Measurements were made on a 1282 CompuGamma gamma counter and were related to image data obtained with a clinical PET scanner (separately calibrated using an NIST traceable positron source). A 20 cm diameter Ge-68/Ga-68 cylinder with well counter compatible aliquots, were also used to measure fGa68. Gamma counter measurements were made using both a narrow photopeak window (450-550 keV) and a wide window (450-2000 keV) that included both the 511 keV peak and the sum peak. Results fC11 / fGa68 and fF18 / fGa68 were 0.87 and 0.88 respectively for the narrow window and 0.99 and 1.00 for the wide window. For the narrow window, the relationship between fi and fGa68 was dominated by the difference in positron fractions. For the wide window, the effect of different positron fractions was offset by the inclusion of single photon emissions (1.08 MeV and others) from Ga-68. Compared to the narrow window, the sensitivity of the wide window was greater by factors of 2.07 (C-11), 2.07 (F-18) and 2.35 (Ga-68), implying a substantial reduction in statistical noise. Conclusions The relationship between gamma counter measurements of a long-lived Ge-68/Ga-68 source and other positron-emitting isotopes has been characterized. This relationship provides a mechanism for routinely updating calibration factors in order to reflect drifts in system performance, without the need for short-lived isotopes
A Kinematic Rupture Model Generator Using Irikura's Recipe

In this project we developed GEN_SRF4 a computer program for generating kinematic rupture models, compatible with the SRF format, using Irikura and Miyake (2011) asperity-­based earthquake rupture model (IM2011, hereafter). IM2011, also known as Irkura’s recipe, has been widely used to model and simulate ground motion from earthquakes in Japan. An essential part of the method is its kinematic rupture generation technique, which is based on a deterministic rupture asperity modeling approach. The source model simplicity and efficiency of IM2011 at reproducing ground motion from earthquakes recorded in Japan makes it attractive to developers and users of the Southern California Earthquake Center Broadband Platform (SCEC BB platform). Besides writing the code the objective of our study was to test the transportability of IM2011 to broadband simulation methods used by the SCEC BB platform. Here we test it using the Graves and Pitarka (2010) method, implemented in the platform. We performed broadband (0.1--10 Hz) ground motion simulations for a M6.7 scenario earthquake using rupture models produced with both GEN_SRF4 and rupture generator of Graves and Pitarka (2016), (GP2016 hereafter). In the simulations we used the same Green’s functions, and same high frequency approach for calculating the low-­frequency and high-­frequency parts ofmore » ground motion, respectively.« less
Mindfulness-Based Therapies in the Treatment of Somatization Disorders: A Meta-Analysis (P7.305)

OBJECTIVE: Assess the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy in treating somatization disorders. BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based therapies are the clinical application of principles found in Buddhism and other spiritual practices, involving the key element of nonjudgmental acceptance of physical pain or psychological distress, thereby reducing the tendency to ruminate over and catastrophize these experiences. Such therapy has been used effectively to treat a variety of physical and psychological disorders, including depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. Recently, several lines of research have explored the potential for mindfulness-therapy in treating somatization disorders, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and irritable bowel syndrome. DESIGN/METHODS: Thirteen studies were identified using PubMed, ScienceDirect, and the Cochrane Library as fulfilling the present criteria of employing randomized controlled trials to determine the efficacy of any form of mindfulness-based therapy in treating somatization disorders. A meta-analysis of the effects of mindfulness-based therapy on pain, symptom severity, quality of life, depression, and anxiety was performed to determine the potential of this form of treatment. The study was performed using Cochrane and PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS: While limited in power, the meta-analysis indicated a small to moderate positive effect of mindfulness-based therapies (compared to wait-list or support group controls) in reducing pain (SMD = -0.21, 95% CI: -0.37, -0.03; p<0.05), symptom severity (SMD = -0.40, 95% CI: -0.54, -0.26; p<0.001), depression (SMD = -0.23, 95% CI: -0.40, -0.07, p<0.01), and anxiety (SMD = -0.20, 95% CI: -0.42, 0.02, p=0.07) and improving quality of life (SMD = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.59; p<0.001) in patient with somatization disorders. Subgroup analyses indicated that the efficacy of mindfulness-based therapies was most consistent for irritable bowel syndrome (p<0.001 for pain, symptom severity, and quality of life). CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary evidence suggests that mindfulness-based therapies may be effective in treating at least some aspects of somatization disorders including reducing pain, symptom severity, depression, and anxiety, while improving quality of life. Further research is warranted. Disclosure: Dr. Shaheen has nothing to disclose.
Infant Feeding Decision-Making and the Influences of Social Support Persons Among First-Time African American Mothers

Background While breast milk is considered the gold standard of infant feeding, a majority of African American mothers are not exclusively breastfeeding their newborn infants. Objective The overall goal of this critical ethnographic research study was to describe infant feeding perceptions and experiences of African American mothers and their support persons. Methods Twenty-two participants (14 pregnant women and eight support persons) were recruited from public health programs and community based organizations in northern California. Data were collected through field observations, demographic questionnaires, and multiple in-person interviews. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes. Results Half of the mothers noted an intention to exclusively breastfeed during the antepartum period. However, few mothers exclusively breastfed during the postpartum period. Many participants expressed guilt and shame for not being able to accomplish their antepartum goals. Life experiences and stressors, lack of breastfeeding role models, limited experiences with breastfeeding and lactation, and changes to the family dynamic played a major role in the infant feeding decision making process and breastfeeding duration. Conclusions for Practice Our observations suggest that while exclusivity goals were not being met, a considerable proportion of African American women were breastfeeding. Future interventions geared towards this population should include social media interventions, messaging around combination feeding, and increased education for identified social support persons. Public health measures aimed at reducing the current infant feeding inequities would benefit by also incorporating more culturally inclusive messaging around breastfeeding and lactation.
Disciplinary Actions by State Boards of Accountancy 2008–2014: Causes and Outcomes

ABSTRACT: This study examined the 775 disciplinary actions taken against individual CPAs by the boards of accountancy in the four states with the largest number of CPAs between 2008 and 2014. It was determined that monetary penalties were imposed in 68 percent of individual CPA disciplinary cases, with a median penalty of less than $5,000. Non-monetary sanctions were imposed in nearly all the cases. The most severe penalty—permanent revocation or surrender of the professional license—was less likely in actions involving attest issues than for most other causes, but was invoked in a large percent of disciplinary actions based on felonies and misdemeanors including “social” crimes such as DUI. Disciplinary actions against CPA firms in the same states during the same time period were analyzed, and it was determined that only 13 of those cases were separable from the actions against individual CPAs, suggesting that firms are not disciplined in lieu of taking action against individuals. Questions are raised ab...
Investigation of coded source neutron imaging at the north carolina state university PULSTAR reactor

A neutron imaging facility is located on beam-tube #5 of the 1-MWth PULSTAR reactor at the North Carolina State University. An investigation has been initiated to explore the application of coded imaging techniques at the facility. Coded imaging uses a mosaic of pinholes to encode an aperture, thus generating an encoded image of the object at the detector. To reconstruct the image recorded by the detector, corresponding decoding patterns are used. The optimized design of coded masks is critical for the performance of this technique and will depend on the characteristics of the imaging beam. In this work, Monte Carlo (MCNP) simulations were utilized to explore the needed modifications to the PULSTAR thermal neutron beam to support coded imaging techniques. In addition, an assessment of coded mask design has been performed. The simulations indicated that a 12 inch single crystal sapphire filter is suited for such an application at the PULSTAR beam in terms of maximizing flux with good neutron-to-gamma ratio. Computational simulations demonstrate the feasibility of correlation reconstruction methods on neutron transmission imaging. A gadolinium aperture with thickness of 500 μm was used to construct the mask using a 38 × 34 URA pattern. A test experiment using such a URA design has been conducted and the point spread function of the system has been measured.
Review of Bourgeois Equality: How Ideas, Not Capital or Institutions, Enriched the World

If it’s true that Wayne Booth inspired Deirdre McCloskey’s interest in the study of rhetoric, then it’s also true — happily, in my view — that McCloskey has refused to mimic Booth’s programmatic, formulaic methods and boorish insistence on prosaic succinctness. Bourgeois Equality is McCloskey’s third volume in a monumental trilogy that began with The Bourgeois Virtues (2006) and Bourgeois Dignity (2010), each published by the University of Chicago Press. This latest volume is a Big Book, alike in kind but not in theme to Jacques Barzun’s From Dawn to Decadence (2000), Camille Paglia’s Sexual Personae (1990), or Herald Berman’s Law and Revolution (1983) and Law and Revolution II (2006). It’s meandering and personal, blending scholarship with an essayistic style that recalls Montaigne or Emerson.McCloskey’s elastic arguments are shaped by informal narrative and enlivened by her plain and playful voice. At times humorous, rambling, and deliberately erratic, she gives the distinct impression that she’s simply telling a story, one that happens to validate a thesis. She’s having fun. Imagine Phillip Lopate articulating economic history. McCloskey is, in this regard, a latter-day Edward Gibbon, adopting a mode and persona that’s currently unfashionable among mainstream historians, except that she’s more lighthearted than Gibbon, and unashamedly optimistic.
1938 Skinner and Learning

Learning can best be understood by reducing distractions from the surrounding environment and using simple reward paradigms to shape behavior. Skinner’s studies of learning fit with his adherence to the behaviorist school of psychological thought.
Wave Events: Climatology, Trends, and Relationship to Northern Hemisphere Winter Blocking and Weather Extremes

AbstractDiagnostics of finite-amplitude local wave activity (LWA) are applied to the 500-hPa geopotential height field to diagnose persistent synoptic weather events of anomalously large wave activity in the Northern Hemisphere. By considering the cyclonic and anticyclonic components of LWA separately, persistent weather systems associated with large-amplitude troughs and ridges are detected. While anticyclonic wave events are predominantly found over Europe and Alaska, cyclonic wave events usually occur over East Asia and northeastern Canada. Those preferred regions correspond to the location of planetary-scale ridges and troughs, which contribute, together with transient anomalies, to the formation of wave events. Although wave events are not blocking events per definition, they are typically associated with increased blocking in their vicinity. Their spatial relationship to blocking, however, varies depending on their cyclonic or anticyclonic nature and the type of wave-breaking signatures. Wave events...
Mucosal bacterial dissemination in a rhesus macaque model of experimental brucellosis.

Animals were experimentally infected with Brucella melitensis via aerosol. B. melitensis was cultured from the saliva and vaginal vault of infected animals, corresponding to bacterial dissemination in other target tissues. This is the first report of bacterial dissemination to these mucosal surfaces in a non-human primate model of brucellosis.
Pseudarthrosis due to galvanic corrosion presenting as subarachnoid hemorrhage

Two unlike metals near one another can break down as they move toward electrochemical equilibrium resulting in galvanic corrosion. We describe a case of electrochemical corrosion resulting in pseudarthrosis, followed by instrumentation failure leading to subarachnoid hemorrhage. A 53-year-old female with a history of cervical instability and two separate prior cervical fusion surgery with sublaminar cables presented with new onset severe neck pain. Restricted range of motion in her neck and bilateral Hoffman's was noted. X-ray of her cervical spine was negative. A noncontrast CT scan of her head and neck showed subarachnoid hemorrhage in the prepontine and cervicomedullary cisterns. Neurosurgical intervention involved removal of prior stainless steel and titanium cables, repair of cerebrospinal fluid leak, and nonsegmental C1-C3 instrumented fusion. She tolerated the surgery well and followed up without complication. Galvanic corrosion of the Brook's fusion secondary to current flow between dissimilar metal alloys resulted in catastrophic instrumentation failure and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Threshold voltage defined multi-input complex gates

Semiconductor devices are increasingly getting more vulnerable to counterfeiting due to Reverse Engineering (RE) of Intellectual Property (IP). Securing the IPs from counterfeiting is an important goal towards trustworthy computing. Camouflaging of logic gates is a well-known technique to prevent an adversary from de-layering the chip and stealing IP. Among other techniques, threshold voltage modulation has been proposed to realize 2-input camouflaging logic in both static and dynamic logic gate families. Since threshold voltages are asserted during fabrication and are difficult to identify during reverse engineering, the adversary will be forced to launch brute-force search. In this work, we extend the concept of threshold-voltage defined logic to design 3-input static camouflaged gates capable of performing six Boolean functions (NAND, NOR, AOI, OAI, XOR, XNOR). Simulation results show an average of 3.03X delay overhead and 12.33X power overhead compared to standard CMOS gates. The area benefit with respect to cumulative sum of 6 discreet normal CMOS gates is approximately 65%. A methodology to design multi-input camouflaged gate is also proposed using a similar technique. We also identify temperature sensitivity and power signature as potential side channels. Finally, a threat analysis is performed on the camouflaged gate design to assess the security and integrity of the design.
Comparative Characterization of Crofelemer Samples Using Data Mining and Machine Learning Approaches With Analytical Stability Data Sets

There is growing interest in generating physicochemical and biological analytical data sets to compare complex mixture drugs, for example, products from different manufacturers. In this work, we compare various crofelemer samples prepared from a single lot by filtration with varying molecular weight cutoffs combined with incubation for different times at different temperatures. The 2 preceding articles describe experimental data sets generated from analytical characterization of fractionated and degraded crofelemer samples. In this work, we use data mining techniques such as principal component analysis and mutual information scores to help visualize the data and determine discriminatory regions within these large data sets. The mutual information score identifies chemical signatures that differentiate crofelemer samples. These signatures, in many cases, would likely be missed by traditional data analysis tools. We also found that supervised learning classifiers robustly discriminate samples with around 99% classification accuracy, indicating that mathematical models of these physicochemical data sets are capable of identifying even subtle differences in crofelemer samples. Data mining and machine learning techniques can thus identify fingerprint-type attributes of complex mixture drugs that may be used for comparative characterization of products.
Disruption of Nuclear Receptor Signaling Alters Triphenyl Phosphate-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Zebrafish Embryos

Triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) is an unsubstituted aryl phosphate ester used as a flame retardant and plasticizer within the United States. Using zebrafish as a model, the objectives of this study were to rely on (1) mRNA-sequencing to uncover pathways disrupted following embryonic TPHP exposure and (2) high-content screening to identify nuclear receptor ligands that enhance or mitigate TPHP-induced cardiotoxicity. Based on mRNA-sequencing, TPHP exposure from 24 to 72-h postfertilization (hpf) resulted in a concentration-dependent increase in the number of transcripts significantly affected at 72 hpf, and pathway analysis revealed that 5 out of 9 nuclear receptor pathways were associated with the retinoid X receptor (RXR). Based on a screen of 74 unique nuclear receptor ligands as well as follow-up experiments, 2 compounds—ciglitazone (a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, or PPARγ, agonist) and fenretinide (a pan-retinoic acid receptor, or RAR, agonist)—reliably mitigated TPHP-induced cardiotoxicity in the absence of effects on TPHP uptake or metabolism. As these data suggested that TPHP may be activating RXR (a heterodimer for both RARs and PPARγ), we co-exposed embryos to HX 531—a pan-RXR antagonist—from 24 to 72 hpf and, contrary to our hypothesis, found that co-exposure to HX 531 significantly enhanced TPHP-induced cardiotoxicity. Using a luciferase reporter assay, we also found that TPHP did not activate nor inhibit chimeric human RXRα, RXRβ, or RXRγ, suggesting that TPHP does not directly bind nor interact with RXRs. Overall, our data suggest that TPHP may interfere with RXR-dependent pathways involved in cardiac development
Case Report: CEA Elevation Can Be a Marker of Increased Inflammation During Treatment with Oxaliplatin

Oxaliplatin is a platinum-based chemotherapy that is an integral part of several regimens for colorectal cancer. We present the case of a patient, a 58-year-old male, who had initially presented aged 56 years with rectal bleeding for several months. His serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level at the time of diagnosis was 4.6 ng/ml. His CEA level increased significantly during oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy and declined to a near normal level after completion of therapy. There was no evidence of disease during this time and he remains disease-free. Oxaliplatin has been shown to cause an inflammatory response which appears to be one of the mechanisms of toxicity and high CEA levels have been correlated with increased inflammation. We postulate that this patient's rising CEA level was secondary to an inflammatory response to oxaliplatin-based therapy, which is further supported by the subsequent decrease after completion of chemotherapy. To our knowledge, this is the first published case of oxaliplatin-induced rising CEA level.
Rotation, Drug-induced

The administration of amphetamine or apomorphine causes asymmetric stimulation of dopamine receptors in the basal ganglia, which results in rotational behavior in unilaterally 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned animals. This drug-induced circling behavior is commonly used to evaluate the degree of neurodegeneration and regeneration after treatments in a rodent model of Parkinson’s disease.
Robust motion recovery from noisy stereoscopic measurements

This study proposes a novel nonlinear motion observer for stereo vision systems subjected to significant measurement noise. In contrast with previous studies that assume noise-free measurements, the proposed scheme relies on filtered estimates of optical flow to demonstrate that the observation of at least three non-collinear point features is sufficient to yield exponentially convergent estimates of the unknown motion parameters that converge to a uniform, ultimate bound in the presence of measurement noise. The dynamics of linear and angular velocities are assumed to be imperfectly known, and optical flow estimation is accomplished using an optimal sliding-mode differentiator that minimizes noise throughput. Numerical results are used to validate and demonstrate superior observer performance compared to an alternative leading design in the presence of measurement noise.
Prey specialization and chemical mimicry between Formica archboldi and Odontomachus ants

Formica ants are not known to be prey specialists on other ant species, however, for the past 60 years, field observations on Formica archboldi in the southeastern United States have noted that their nests are scattered with body parts of Odontomachus trap-jaw ants. This study investigates the relationship between F. archboldi and Odontomachus. Through a series of behavioral experiments and a descriptive study of their chemical ecology, I find: (1) behavioral evidence that F. archboldi are more capable predators of Odontomachus in comparison to other Formica. (2) F. archboldi match the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of the native species of Odontomachus that they occur with. This includes O. brunneus and O. relictus and the intraspecific variation found across Florida populations of O. brunneus. (3) F. archboldi do not display a prey retrieval preference towards hydrocarbon-matching Odontomachus as compared to mismatching. (4) F. archboldi that match Odontomachus hydrocarbon profiles do not receive lower levels of aggression than mismatching F. archboldi. Beyond providing natural history insights into the relationship between these species, this study expands our knowledge of an important insect chemical phenotype. The intraspecific variability in F. archboldi cuticular hydrocarbon profiles is among the greatest reported for social insects and provides a unique case of how non-parasitic species can generate parasite-like chemical-mimic phenotypes.
Metabolic stress activates an ERK/hnRNPK/DDX3X pathway in pancreatic β cells.

Abstract Objective Pancreatic β cell failure plays a central role in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). While the transcription factors shaping the β cell gene expression program have received much attention, the post-transcriptional controls that are activated in β cells during stress are largely unknown. We recently identified JUND as a pro-oxidant transcription factor that is post-transcriptionally upregulated in β cells during metabolic stress. Here we seek to uncover the mechanisms underlying this maladaptive response to metabolic stress. Methods RNA-protein and protein-protein interactions were measured using RNA immunoprecipitation and co-immunoprecipitation, respectively, in Min6 cells and mouse islets. Phos-tag analyses were used to assess hnRNPK phosphorylation in primary mouse and human islets and Min6 cells. Translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) followed by RT-qPCR was used to identify changes in the ribosome occupancy of mRNAs in Min6 cells. Gene depletion studies used lentiviral delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 to Min6 cells. Apoptosis was measured in primary islets using a cell-permeable dye with a fluorescence readout of activated cleaved caspase-3 and-7. Results A de novo motif analysis was performed on a subset of genes previously found to be regulated at the level of ribosome binding during PDX1-deficiency, which identified a poly-cytosine (polyC) motif in the 3′UTR of the transcript encoding JUND. The polyC-binding protein hnRNPK bound to the mRNA encoding JUND, leading us to hypothesize that hnRNPK regulates JUND expression during glucolipotoxicity. Indeed, loss of hnRNPK blocked the post-transcriptional upregulation of JUND during metabolic stress. hnRNPK was phosphorylated in mouse and human islets during glucolipotoxicity and in islets of diabetic db/db mice. The MEK/ERK signaling pathway was both necessary and sufficient for the phosphorylation of hnRNPK, upregulation of JUND levels, and induction of pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory genes. Further, we identified the RNA helicase DDX3X as a new binding partner for hnRNPK that is required for efficient translation of JUND mRNA. Loss of hnRNPK reduced DDX3X binding to translation machinery, suggesting that these factors cooperate to regulate translation in β cells. Conclusions Our results identify a novel ERK/hnRNPK/DDX3X pathway that influences β cell survival and is activated under conditions associated with T2D.
Intergenerational contact and mediators impact ambivalence towards future selves

Intergenerational contact can promote positive attitudes towards elders. However, contact with older adults often fosters multiple stereotypes, which may contribute to ambivalence about aging and p...
Quality of life following surgery for intracranial meningiomas at Brigham and Women's Hospital: a study of 164 patients using a modification of the functional assessment of cancer therapy-brain questionnaire.

The objective of this study was to determine the subjectively reported quality of life (QOL) of patients with meningiomas surgically treated. Demographic, medical and outcomes data on 164 patients were retrospectively analyzed with the use of the Brain Tumor Center database at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. The patients were contacted via a telephone survey and were asked 26 standardized QOL questions based on a modification of the validated Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Brain (FACT–BR) Study, which used only questions adjuvant to brain tumor patients.
An experimental method to quantify local air-side heat transfer coefficient through mass transfer measurements utilizing color change coatings

Abstract This paper presents a visualization method to quantify local air-side heat transfer coefficient (HTC). It is challenging to measure local air-side HTC with good accuracy, especially for complicated geometries and real heat exchangers. The present method relies on measuring convective mass transfer and applying the analogy between heat and mass transfer. It is based on the chemical interaction between a pair of coating material and tracer gas. The coating material absorbs tracer gas and changes its color. Therefore, a visualization procedure is developed to correlate color change on the surface to the local mass transfer coefficient. In this research, the coating formulation, coating methods, and surface topography are evaluated to make sure the analogy between heat and mass transfer is valid. The experimental results of the flat plate in laminar flow show that the standard uncertainty of the local heat transfer coefficient is 15%. Furthermore, the results also show good agreement compared with the analytical Blasius solution except in the vicinity of the leading and trailing edges. Because of these promising results, it seems feasible to use this method to acquire local air-side HTC through a visualization approach for more complicated geometries.
Transcendental Anticipation: A Reconsideration of Husserl’s Type and Kant’s Schemata

In his genetic phenomenology, Husserl introduces types, pre-predicative frames of experience that guide the perception and cognition of objects. In this essay, I argue that there are two types that are functionally almost identical to Kant’s schemata. To support this conclusion, I first present an interpretation of Kant’s discussion of schemata. I argue that we must see schemata as pure, a priori cognitions that involve only pure intuition, pure concepts of the understanding, and the imagination. I offer two analogies to explain how schemata function to subsume objects under concepts and to anticipate possible objects of experience before moving on to discuss the schema of substance. Next, I present a brief explanation of Husserl’s genetic phenomenology, organizing my presentation around the idea of apperception. This paves the way for a demonstration of how the fundamental type is best understood as standing at the center of a cluster of concepts, including apperception, passive belief, natural bodies, and the one spatio-temporal horizon of experience. I argue that the fundamental type is central to Husserl’s attempt to ground logic in pre-predicative experience. Finally, I compare two specific types with schemata on the grounds cultivated in the previous sections. The first of these types, the fundamental type, functions to pre-predicatively anticipate objects of possible experience, just as schemata do. The second of these types, which is implied by but never discussed in Husserl’s work, serves to mediate between a formal system of rules and an intuitive grasp of the world, just as schemata do.
Near Infrared Spectroscopy Measurements of Mitochondrial Capacity Using Partial Recovery Curves.

Background Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been used to measure muscle mitochondrial capacity (mVO2max) as the recovery rate constant of muscle metabolism after exercise. The current method requires as many as 50 short ischemic occlusions to generate two recovery rate constants. Purpose To determine the validity and repeatability of using a 6-occlusion protocol versus one with 22 occlusions to measure muscle mitochondrial capacity. The order effect of performing multiple Mito6 test was also evaluated. Method In two independent data sets (bicep n = 7, forearm A n = 23), recovery curves were analyzed independently using both the 6 and 22 occlusion methods. A third data set (forearm B n = 16) was generated on the forearm muscles of healthy subjects using four 6-occlusion tests performed in succession. Recovery rate constants were generated using a MATLAB routine. Results When calculated from the same data set, the recovery rate constants were not significantly different between the 22 occlusion and 6 occlusion methods for the bicep (1.43 ± 0.33 min-1, 1.43 ± 0.35 min-1, p = 0.81) and the forearm A (1.97 ± 0.40 min-1, 1.97 ± 0.43 min-1, p = 0.90). Equivalence testing showed that the mean difference was not different than zero and the 90% confidence intervals were within 5% of the average rate constant. This was true for the Mito6 and the Mito5∗ approaches. Bland-Altman analysis showed a slope of 0.21 min-1 and an r of 0.045 for the bicep dataset and a slope of -0.01 min-1 and an r of 0.045 for the forearm A dataset. When performing the four 6-occlusion tests; recovery rate constants showed no order effects (1.50 ± 0.51 min-1, 1.42 ± 0.54 min-1, 1.26 ± 0.41 min-1, 1.29 ± 0.47 min-1, P > 0.05). Conclusion The Mito6 analysis is a valid and repeatable approach to measure mitochondrial capacity. The Mito6 protocol used fewer ischemic occlusion periods and multiple tests could be performed in succession in less time, increasing the practicality of the NIRS mitochondrial capacity test. There were no order effects for the rate constants of four repeated 6-occlusion tests of mitochondrial capacity, supporting the use of multiple tests to improve accuracy.
EventDTW: An Improved Dynamic Time Warping Algorithm for Aligning Biomedical Signals of Nonuniform Sampling Frequencies

The dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm is widely used in pattern matching and sequence alignment tasks, including speech recognition and time series clustering. However, DTW algorithms perform poorly when aligning sequences of uneven sampling frequencies. This makes it difficult to apply DTW to practical problems, such as aligning signals that are recorded simultaneously by sensors with different, uneven, and dynamic sampling frequencies. As multi-modal sensing technologies become increasingly popular, it is necessary to develop methods for high quality alignment of such signals. Here we propose a DTW algorithm called EventDTW which uses information propagated from defined events as basis for path matching and hence sequence alignment. We have developed two metrics, the error rate (ER) and the singularity score (SS), to define and evaluate alignment quality and to enable comparison of performance across DTW algorithms. We demonstrate the utility of these metrics on 84 publicly-available signals in addition to our own multi-modal biomedical signals. EventDTW outperformed existing DTW algorithms for optimal alignment of signals with different sampling frequencies in 37% of artificial signal alignment tasks and 76% of real-world signal alignment tasks.
The Effects of Roughness and Wetness on Salamander Cling Performance.

Animals clinging to natural surfaces have to generate attachment across a range of surface roughnesses in both dry and wet conditions. Plethodontid salamanders can be aquatic, semi-aquatic, terrestrial, arboreal, troglodytic, saxicolous, and fossorial and therefore may need to climb on and over rocks, tree trunks, plant leaves, and stems, as well as move through soil and water. Sixteen species of salamanders were tested to determine the effects of substrate roughness and wetness on maximum cling angle. Substrate roughness had a significant effect on maximum cling angle, an effect that varied among species. Substrates of intermediate roughness (asperity size 100-350 µm) resulted in the poorest attachment performance for all species. Small species performed best on smooth substrates, while large species showed significant improvement on the roughest substrates (asperity size 1000-4000 µm), possibly switching from mucus adhesion on a smooth substrate to an interlocking attachment on rough substrates. Water, in the form of a misted substrate coating and a flowing stream, decreased cling performance in salamanders on smooth substrates. However, small salamanders significantly increased maximum cling angle on wetted substrates of intermediate roughness, compared with the dry condition. Study of cling performance and its relationship to surface properties may cast light onto how this group of salamanders has radiated into the most speciose family of salamanders that occupies diverse habitats across an enormous geographical range.
Mindful Well-Being and Learning

Stress and anxiety can interfere with learning, and for many people, studying chemistry is perceived as a stressful endeavor. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided an additional source of stress and anxiety for students and has brought focus to the importance of well-being in the learning process. An improved understanding of the relationship between well-being and learning coupled with experience with ways to mitigate stress and anxiety such as mindfulness practice can benefit both instructors and students navigating stressful times. This commentary provides a brief overview of the neuroscience of learning in relation to well-being and describes the use of mindfulness in the remote classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guidance on gaining experience with mindfulness is also provided.
Three key issues for determining competence in a system of assessment

There is widespread agreement that medical education should include multi-source, multi-method, and multi-purpose forms of assessment and thus should move towards cohesive systems of assessment. On...
Microlocation for Internet-of-Things-Equipped Smart Buildings

Microlocation is the process of locating any entity with a very high accuracy (possibly in centimeters), whereas geofencing is the process of creating a virtual fence around a point of interest (PoI). In this paper, we present an insight into various microlocation enabling technologies, techniques, and services. We also discuss how they can accelerate the incorporation of Internet of Things (IoT) in smart buildings. We argue that micro-location-based location aware solutions can play a significant role in facilitating the tenants of an IoT-equipped smart building. Also, such advanced technologies will enable the smart building control system through minimal actions performed by the tenants. We also highlight the existing and envisioned services to be provided by using microlocation enabling technologies. We describe the challenges and propose some potential solutions, such that microlocation enabling technologies and services are thoroughly integrated with IoT-equipped smart building.
Charm 2010: Theory Summary

This invited summary gives some concluding remarks regarding theoretical aspects of the research presented at Charm 2010. I will specialize to the role of theory and the relative reach of theory and experiment in three of the major areas of charm physics address at this conference, specifically 1) charm production, 2) charm weak decays, and 3) charm hadron spectroscopy. After a discussion of the status of progress on representative topics in each of these areas I will conclude with a previously unrelated Feynman story from a conference in the early days of charm.
Practical Encrypted Computing for IoT Clients.

Privacy and energy are primary concerns for sensor devices that offload compute to a potentially untrusted edge server or cloud. Homomorphic Encryption (HE) enables offload processing of encrypted data. HE offload processing retains data privacy, but is limited by the need for frequent communication between the client device and the offload server. Existing client-aided encrypted computing systems are optimized for performance on the offload server, failing to sufficiently address client costs, and precluding HE offload for low-resource (e.g., IoT) devices. We introduce Client-aided HE for Opaque Compute Offloading (CHOCO), a client-optimized system for encrypted offload processing. CHOCO introduces rotational redundancy, an algorithmic optimization to minimize computing and communication costs. We design Client-Aided HE for Opaque Compute Offloading Through Accelerated Cryptographic Operations (CHOCO-TACO), a comprehensive architectural accelerator for client-side cryptographic operations that eliminates most of their time and energy costs. Our evaluation shows that CHOCO makes client-aided HE offloading feasible for resource-constrained clients. Compared to existing encrypted computing solutions, CHOCO reduces communication cost by up to 2948x. With hardware support, client-side encryption/decryption is faster by 1094x and uses 648x less energy. In our end-to-end implementation of a large-scale DNN (VGG16), CHOCO uses 37% less energy than local (unencrypted) computation.
Independent sets in n-vertex k-chromatic ℓ-connected graphs

Abstract We study the problem of maximizing the number of independent sets in n -vertex k -chromatic l -connected graphs. First we consider maximizing the total number of independent sets in such graphs with n sufficiently large, and for this problem we use a stability argument to find the unique extremal graph. We show that our result holds within the larger family of n -vertex k -chromatic graphs with minimum degree at least l , again for n sufficiently large. We also maximize the number of independent sets of each fixed size in n -vertex 3-chromatic 2-connected graphs. We finally address maximizing the number of independent sets of size 2 (equivalently, minimizing the number of edges) over all n -vertex k -chromatic l -connected graphs.
Small Bank Financing and Funding Hesitancy in a Crisis: Evidence from the Paycheck Protection Program

We study the delivery of subsidized financing to small firms through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Smaller firms are less likely to gain early PPP access, an effect attenuated in small banks and firms with prior lending relationships. Their more even treatment offers a new rationale, beyond traditional soft information arguments, for why small businesses pair with small banks. We also detect a “funding hesitancy” in PPP uptake by small businesses, partly reflecting their wariness of the extensive, subjective government powers to investigate PPP recipients. We discuss the implications of the results for research and policies on small business financing.
Incidence of Infertility and Pregnancy Complications in US Female Surgeons.

Importance While surgeons often delay pregnancy and childbearing because of training and establishing early careers, little is known about risks of infertility and pregnancy complications among female surgeons. Objective To describe the incidence of infertility and pregnancy complications among female surgeons in the US and to identify workplace factors associated with increased risk compared with a sociodemographically similar nonsurgeon population. Design, Setting, and Participants This self-administered survey questionnaire was electronically distributed and collected from November 2020 to January 2021 through multiple surgical societies in the US and social media among male and female attending and resident surgeons with children. Nonchildbearing surgeons were asked to answer questions regarding the pregnancies of their nonsurgeon partners as applicable. Exposures Surgical profession; work, operative, and overnight call schedules. Main Outcomes and Measures Descriptive data on pregnancy loss were collected for female surgeons. Use of assisted reproductive technology was compared between male and female surgeons. Pregnancy and neonatal complications were compared between female surgeons and female nonsurgeon partners of surgeons. Results A total of 850 surgeons (692 women and 158 men) were included in this survey study. Female surgeons with female partners were excluded because of lack of clarity about who carried the pregnancy. Because the included nonchildbearing population was therefore made up of male individuals with female partners, this group is referred to throughout the study as male surgeons. The median (IQR) age was 40 (36-45) years. Of 692 female surgeons surveyed, 290 (42.0%) had a pregnancy loss, more than twice the rate of the general population. Compared with male surgeons, female surgeons had fewer children (mean [SD], 1.8 [0.8] vs 2.3 [1.1];P Conclusions and Relevance This national survey study highlighted increased medical risks of infertility and pregnancy complications among female surgeons. With an increasing percentage of women representing the surgical workforce, changing surgical culture to support pregnancy is paramount to reducing the risk of major pregnancy complications, use of fertility interventions, or involuntary childlessness because of delayed attempts at childbearing.