cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SPLASH: structural pattern localization analysis by sequential histograms

Motivation: The discovery of sparse amino acid patterns that match repeatedly in a set of protein sequences is an important problem in computational biology. Statistically significant patterns, that is, patterns that occur more frequently than expected, may identify regions that have been preserved by evolution and which may therefore play a key functional or structural role. Sparseness can be important because a handful of non-contiguous residues may play a key role, while others, in between, may be changed without significant loss of function or structure. Similar arguments may be applied to conserved DNA patterns. Available sparse pattern discovery algorithms are either inefficient or impose limitations on the type of patterns that can be discovered. Results: This paper introduces a deterministic pattern discovery algorithm, called Splash, which can find sparse amino or nucleic acid patterns matching identically or similarly in a set of protein or DNA sequences. Sparse patterns of any length, up to the size of the input sequence, can be discovered without significant loss in performances. Splash is extremely efficient and embarrassingly parallel by nature. Large databases, such as a complete genome or the non-redundant SWISS-PROT database can be processed in a few hours on a typical workstation. Alternatively, a protein family or superfamily, with low overall homology, can be analyzed to discover common functional or structural signatures. Some examples of biologically interesting motifs discovered by Splash are reported for the histone I and for the G-Protein Coupled Receptor families. Due to its efficiency, Splash can be used to systematically and exhaustively identify conserved regions in protein family sets. These can then be used to build accurate and sensitive PSSM or HMM models for sequence analysis. Availability: Splash is available to non-commercial research centers upon request, conditional on the signing of a test field agreement.
Chicago Public Schools and Student Achievement.

This study examines whether students in the Chicago Public School System are at a disadvantage relative to students in suburban school systems and other school systems in Illinois after many backgr...
Induction of dominant lethal mutations for control of the facefly, Musca autumnalis DeGeer.

. 1 Application of the sterile insect technique (SIT) to the facefly, Musca autumnalis DeGeer, is considered. 2 Six-day-old pupae were exposed to ionizing irradiation at doses in the range 100–1600 rads, each treatment being replicated six times. 3 Eclosion was unaffected but fecundity and fertility was inversely proportional to the radiation dose. 4 1600 rads gave 97% dominant lethality of sperm in treated males and suppressed ovarian development in females. Irradiated flies did not recover fertility. 5 Irradiation of males and females did not affect insemination rates. 6 Sterile males showed a decline in longevity and reduced mating competitiveness. 7 Local eradication of M. autumnalis is considered to be feasible if sufficient diapausing sterile flies are stockpiled and released in early spring, followed by additional releases of non-diapausing flies in late spring and early summer, with further releases of diapausing sterile flies in late summer and autumn.
(U-Th)/He dating of volcanic phenocrysts with high-U-Th inclusions, Jemez Volcanic Field, New Mexico

We measured (U–Th)/He ages of fayalite and hedenbergite phenocrysts with britholite and chevkinite inclusions from the ~1.6 Ma Otowi (Lower) Member of the Bandelier Tuff, Jemez Volcanic Field. U and Th, the major parent nuclides of radiogenic 4 He, are concentrated in britholite and chevkinite inclusions and are essentially absent from the host grains. We analyzed 36 fayalite (21 non-abraded+15 abraded) and 13 hedenbergite (7 non-abraded+6 abraded) phenocrysts, and applied alpha-ejection corrections assuming uniform intracrystalline distributions of inclusions and parent nuclides in the phenocrysts. A subset of phenocrysts was subjected to abrasion to remove the alpha-ejection affected regions. The alpha-ejection correction factors (FT) of the non-abraded samples range between 0.90 and 0.96, whereas those of the abraded samples are virtually unity. The fayalite and hedenbergite crystals yield mean ages of 1.60F0.10 Ma (S.D.) and 1.69F0.13 Ma, respectively. The overall mean age of 1.62F0.11 Ma (S.D.) is indistinguishable from previously published 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages of 1.61F0.01 Ma (1j). Our results suggest that other inclusion
Referral marketing: Harnessing the power of your customers

Abstract The differences between traditional and referral marketing programs are so great that the two share little overlap in terms of appropriate target markets, marketing objectives, marketing organization, and overall planning and implementation strategies. Traditional marketing programs seek advocates among current employees to spread word of mouth, aim marketing efforts at high lifetime-value customers, focus on customer satisfaction, and use promotional programs that heavily rely on social media. In contrast, referral marketing relies on motivating satisfied/delighted customers as a referral base, seeking current customers that can provide referrals with a high lifetime value, using referral-based marketing programs to augment traditional promotions, and developing a compensation system for referrals based on either direct payment or increased visibility. Major advantages of referral marketing programs as compared with traditional marketing programs include greater credibility of friend/family member recommendations over paid advertisements, access to new customers that traditional marketing programs may not reach, and better matching of referred customers’ needs to a good or service. This article presents an eight-step process to develop, implement, and evaluate the success of a referral program. In addition, it discusses academic research findings and presents examples of successful referral program strategies from—among others—Dropbox, Roku, PayPal, Digitalis, and Omaha Steaks.
A Variance Decomposition and Assessment of the Effect of Educational Innovations in Introductory Economics Courses

The effects of educational innovations are estimated by two different approaches. The first is the familiar regression framework. In the second approach, the grade of a given student is decomposed into the grade due to ability and the grade due to random guessing. For a given ability distribution, we show that an educational innovation would increase the mean and decrease the variance of the observed students' grades.
Piezoelectric-Based Nanomechanical Cantilever Sensors

This chapter provides a relatively general overview of piezoelectric-based nano- mechanical cantilever sensors (NMCS) with their applications in many cantilever-based imaging and manipulation systems such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) and its varieties. Some new concepts in modeling these systems are also introduced along with highlighting the issues related to nonlinear effects at such small scale, the Poisson’s effect, and piezoelectric materials nonlinearity. More specifically, both linear and nonlinear models of piezoelectric NMCS are presented with their applications in biological and ultrasmall mass sensing and detection.
Go: the deepest game

Go** is the oldest strategy game in the world, originating thousands of years ago in China. Its rules are simpler than those of Chess, but it strategies more subtle and profound. It is also an open "grand challenge" problem in artificial intelligence: top human players can easily defeat the best computer programs. This talk will introduce you to this fascinating game and some of the related computer science, including recent breakthroughs involving Monte Carlo techniques.
Effectiveness of Intervention Into SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS in Women With Comorbid Depression

Victimization was supported by the occurrence of various forms of abuse--sexual, physical, and emotional--and the difficulty in establishing healthy intimate relationships. Because relapse is common, nurses must be alert for faulty negative thinking, behaviors, and feelings that might lead to relapse. Language: en
Translocation of Bax to mitochondria induces apoptotic cell death in indole-3-carbinol (I3C) treated breast cancer cells.

Epidemiological studies have suggested that the consumption of fruits and vegetables that provide several classes of compounds, including Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), may have chemopreventive activity against breast cancer. Several in vitro and in vivo animal studies also provide convincing evidence for the anti-tumor activity of I3C, however, the molecular mechanism(s) by which I3C exerts its biological effects on breast cancer cells has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effects of I3C in Her-2/neu over-expressing MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells and compared these results with parental cells transfected with control vector. We focused our investigation in elucidating the molecular mechanism(s) by which I3C induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Our data show that I3C inhibits breast cancer cell growth in a dose dependent manner in Her-2/neu over-expressing and in normal Her-2/neu expressing cells. Induction of apoptosis was also observed in these cell lines when treated with I3C, as measured by poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and caspase-3 activation. In addition, we found that I3C up-regulates Bax, down-regulates Bcl-2 and, thereby, increased the ratio of Bax to Bcl-2 favoring apoptosis. These results suggest that the alteration in the expression of these genes may play an important role in mediating the biological effects of I3C. Moreover, we also show the cellular localization of Bax by confocal microscopy, which showed diffuse distribution of Bax throughout the cytoplasmic compartment in breast cancer cells in control culture. However, in I3C treated cells, Bax showed a punctate pattern of distribution that was localized in the mitochondria. From these results, we conclude that the over-expression and translocation of Bax to mitochondria causes mitochondrial depolarization and activation of caspases, which may be one of the mechanism(s) by which I3C induces apoptotic processes in I3C treated breast cancer cells. Overall, our present data provide a novel molecular mechanism(s) by which I3C elicits its biological effects on both Her-2/neu over-expressing and with normal Her-2/neu expressing breast cancer cells, suggesting that I3C could be an effective agent in inducing apoptosis in breast cancer cells.
Food Accessory Factors (Vitamins) in Bacterial Culture with Especial Reference to Hemophilic Bacilli I

The importance of food accessory substances or vitamins for the proper nourishment and growth of animals has come to be generally recognized. Through the work of Eykmaan it has been clearly shown that beriberi is caused by eating polished rice and can be cured or prevented by adding rice polishings to the food. As shown by Hoist and others scurvy no doubt is a disease of a similar character due to the absence in the diet of certain substances found in fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, or fresh animal food. Several other both clinical and experimental diseases probably belong in this group. As far as the higher animals are concerned, the work of Hopkins, Funk, Osborne, and Mendel, McCollum, Moore, and Jackson, and others has now placed these deficiency diseases firmly on an experimental basis, and has shown clearly the necessity of accessory food bodies for proper development and for the maintenance of health. We may now regard these as essential food substances with proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and salts. Evidence now indicates that the nutrition of the lower animal forms
Effect of Parasitism by Meteorus leviventris on Corn Foliage Consumption and Corn Seedling Cutting by the Black Cutworm

Black cutworm larvae, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel), when parasitized by Meteorus leviventris (Wesmael), consume 24.1 % less corn foliage and cut 36.4% fewer corn seedlings than nonparasitized larvae. Reduced consumption and cutting were caused by cessation of host feeding activity following parasite emergence. Because parasitism by M. leviventris reduces potential black cutworm damage to seedling corn, treatment threshold precision can be increased by considering field rates of parasitism.
Stridulatory Apparatus and Analysis of the Acoustics of Four Species of the Subfamily Lamiinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Investigation of 4 species of the subfamily Lamiinae— Tylocerina nodosus (F.), Neacanthocinus obsoletus (Olivier), Monochamus titillator (F.), and Plectrodera scalator (F.)—shows that both sexes of each species produce a stridulatory sound when disturbed. The stridulatory apparatus of each species consists of a plectral ridge on the inner surface of the posterior margin of the pronotum and a pars stridens on the dorsal surface of the mesocutellum of the mesothorax. Scanning electron micrographs show the plectral ridges to be smooth, while the pars stridens consists of regularly spaced striae with height, width, and spacing measurements characteristic for each species. Audiospectrographic analysis of the beetle-produced sounds reveals definite frequency bands, pulse lengths, and relative intensities for each species. Investigation of behavioral aspects of the sounds indicates that they are not a necessary component of courtship and mating behavior, but they may serve as an alarm signal.
Location and Restoration of Two-phase Grounded Short-circuit in Distribution Systems

In order to solve the problem of fault treatment for two-phase grounded short-circuit,the phenomenon of two-phase grounded short-circuit is analyzed.A grounding fault location criterion based on the identification of the continuity of the over-current information of the individual grounded phase is proposed.It is pointed out that the over-current information on three phases should be individually sampled and reported to implement the location of the two-phase grounded short-circuit.On the basis of the principle of restoring the affected loads as much as possible,the approaches to achieving fault isolation and restoration steps are proposed for permissible and impermissible operation with a single phase grounded,respectively.Some examples are given to illustrate the proposed methodologies and the results show that the fault areas can be accurately located and isolated and the affected loads can be restored as much as possible.
Medicaid osteoporosis drugs utilization and expenditures: the effect of generic drugs market entry

Objectives This study assessed secular trends in utilization, expenditures and market share of all FDA approved osteoporosis drugs in the Medicaid fee-for-service program in the period 1995–2014. Methods Study data for all osteoporosis drugs approved by the FDA in the study period were derived from the Drug@FDA database. Drug utilization data were obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This study included all fee-for-service pharmacy claims for all Medicaid outpatient drugs dispensed in the United States. Analysis of osteoporosis drug utilization was performed at the level of the individual drug and by therapeutic subclasses. Findings In the period 1995–2014, the FDA approved a total of 11 osteoporosis drugs including nine different single active ingredients and two combinations. The osteoporosis drug utilization increased from 30 000 defined daily doses (DDDs) in 1995 to 7.9 million DDDs in 2005 remained stagnant in 2007–2010, and declined thereafter. Medicaid expenditures on osteoporosis drugs increased from $12.3 million in 1995 to $158.6 million in 2006 and significantly decrease thereafter. Medicare Part D resulted in a significant reduction in the Medicaid utilization of osteoporosis drugs. The average Medicaid reimbursement rate per DDD significantly decreased after the entry of bisphosphonates in the US market in 1995. Conclusions In the study period, the generic market share of osteoporosis drugs was relatively small compared to other therapeutic classes and health insurance programs. Higher use of generic osteoporosis drugs could improve the efficiency of the Medicaid program, reduce overall pharmaceutical expenditures and improve access to affordable pharmaceuticals.
Structure of Public-Private Knowledge Networks in Plant Biotechnology: An EU-US Comparison

Plant biotechnology innovation in the US and the European Union (EU) has been characterized by significant differences in the rates of commercialization (Joly and Lemarie 1998; Zechendorf 1998). Substantial differences also exist in the way the public and private sectors in these two regions collaborate for the development of new knowledge in the area of plant biotechnology. In this paper we examine the structures of the US and EU private-public knowledge networks and their impact on knowledge generation in plant biotechnology.
Nicholas Blake’s ‘Stake in the Social System’

In the late 1920s and 1930s, detective fiction, in so far as it represented metaphorically through crime what is wrong with society and through detection how it might be cured or restored, reached a large public. The use of the form to represent social value is at least as old as the fiction of Wilkie Collins (as in The Moonstone) and some of Conan Doyle’s work, like The Hound of the Baskervilles, advocates a conservative restoration of the traditional country house against new social and commercial fractures. Within the context of the social and international strains of the 1930s, however, the use of the detective novel for a critical examination of society became widespread. In the 1920s, detective fiction was more likely to concentrate on the intellectual puzzle, the metaphor of the locked room, a formal severity that led to the publication of rules and specifications to which authentic detective fiction should conform. At the turn from the twenties to the thirties, one of the most influential and innovative writers of detective fiction was Anthony Berkeley, who, under his own name and the pseudonym of Anthony Berkeley Cox, published several locked room mysteries. In 1931, under another pseudonym, Francis Iles, Berkeley combined the intellectual puzzle with the representation of social metaphor in Malice Aforethought.
Experimental Models of High Fat Obesity and Leucine Supplementation

Obesity, the most common nutritional disorders, affects the majority of adults in Western society. It has become a leading health concern due to its link to insulin resistance, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Traditionally, prevention and treatment of obesity mainly depend on caloric restriction and increasing physical activity. Although short-term weight loss can be achieved by various dietary approaches, sustainability of weight loss seems to be difficult. Recently, several studies have shown that dietary manipulation of essential amino acids, including leucine, arginine, and glutamine, improves lipid and glucose metabolism. Specifically, dietary supplementation of leucine prevents HFD-induced obesity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and insulin resistance, suggesting the potential importance of dietary supplementation of leucine in the prevention of HFD-induced metabolic disorders. In this article, we review the metabolic roles of leucine and explore the underlying mechanisms by which leucine supplementation ameliorates HFD-induced metabolic disorders.
Catalan Political Modernism: The Case of Gabriel Alomar i Villalonga (1873–1941) and Modernism on the Periphery

In this study, Bird discusses the historical development of modernism as an aesthetic and political stance in the essays of the twentieth-century Catalan essayist Gabriel Alomar i Villalonga (1873–1941). Because of the hegemonic position of the Castilian viewpoint in the modern period, the Spanish nation-state has been curiously disconnected from the Mediterranean world; by examining Alomar’s early essays, we can discover a covered-over Mediterranean perspective in Spain, the perspective of the more Mediterranean-focused Catalans. As a critical social theorist, Alomar diagnoses Spain’s self-perceived “backwardness” at the beginning of the twentieth century as an effect of Castilian isolationism, and prescribes as political therapy an integration of the more Mediterranean, more generally European outlook of the Catalan identity.
Human Tear Fluid Reduces Culturability of Contact Lens-Associated Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms but Induces Expression of the Virulence-Associated Type III Secretion System

Abstract Purpose The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a significant virulence determinant for Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Using a rodent model, we found that contact lens (CL)-related corneal infections were associated with lens surface biofilms. Here, we studied the impact of human tear fluid on CL-associated biofilm growth and T3SS expression. Methods P. aeruginosa biofilms were formed on contact lenses for up to 7 days with or without human tear fluid, then exposed to tear fluid for 5 or 24 h. Biofilms were imaged using confocal microscopy. Bacterial culturability was quantified by viable counts, and T3SS gene expression measured by RT-qPCR. Controls included trypticase soy broth, PBS and planktonic bacteria. Results With or without tear fluid, biofilms grew to ∼10 8 CFU viable bacteria by 24 h. Exposing biofilms to tear fluid after they had formed without it on lenses reduced bacterial culturability ∼180-fold ( P exsA ( P =.02), and 3.76 ± 0.36-fold for T3SS effector toxin exoS ( P =.01)]. Tear fluid further enhanced exsA and exoS expression in CL-grown biofilms, but not planktonic bacteria, by 2.09 ± 0.38-fold ( P =.04) and 1.89 ± 0.26-fold ( P Conclusions Considering the pivitol role of the T3SS in P. aeruginosa infections, its induction in CL-grown P. aeruginosa biofilms by tear fluid might contribute to the pathogenesis of CL-related P. aeruginosa keratitis.
Axel Honneth. Die Idee des Sozialismus: Versuch einer Aktualisierung. Berlin: Suhrkamp, 2015. 168 pp. ISBN: 978-3-518-58678-5.

Axel Honneth's book appears at an opportune time, especially for American readers, since it examines an idea—socialism—much under discussion since the surprisingly successful 2016 Democratic presid...
Considerations for Presence in Teleoperation

This paper provides an overview of the applications for virtual reality as a control mechanism for teleoperated robots with a specific emphasis on the concepts of immersion and presence. A conceptual model of this type of human-telerobot system is discussed as are factors that should be considered when designing these systems to reach optimal levels of presence for a given task. Additionally, several factors are highlighted regarding presence that may pertain to a particular subset of potential telerobot users.
Unraveling the Near- and Far-Field Relationship of 2D Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Substrates Using Wavelength-Scan Surface-Enhanced Raman Excitation Spectroscopy

Lithographic and nonlithographic two-dimensional (2D) substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) have gained enormous popularity as analytical platforms for detection and identification of various analytes. However, their near- and far-field properties in most cases remain poorly understood. We have previously developed a metal nanopillar film over nanospheres (FON) platform exhibiting Raman enhancement factors of ∼107. These substrates have a reproducible and predictable localized surface plasmon resonance throughout the entire visible region and much of the near-IR region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Extending upon these results, we have utilized wavelength-scan surface-enhanced Raman excitation spectroscopy to unravel the relationship between near- and far-field properties of FON surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrates. We examined by scanning electron microscopy FONs fabricated by either stationary (ST-FONs) or spun (SP-FONs) metal deposition to examine the interrelationships...
English Proficiency of First Year College Students: A Case of Colegio del Sagrado Corazon De Jesus

This study aims to identify the English proficiency of first year college students when taken as a whole and when classified according to sex and program. The study utilized the guidance office’s entrance test for incoming first year students which was administered by the guidance staff. The test covers both grammar and reading comprehension. To determine the significant difference in the English proficiency of the first year college students, the Mann-Whitney U test was employed. The findings of the study revealed that the English proficiency of the first year college students when taken as an entire group was good. When classified according to program and sex, the English proficiency of the BSHM and BSSW students is also good. The Mann-Whitney U test revealed, however, that while there was no significant difference in the English proficiency of first year students when classified according to sex, there was a significant difference when classified according to programs.
The Tip of the Iceberg

• College attainment not only creates higher incomes for graduates themselves, it creates higher income for others.• College attainment substantially reduces others' tax burdens by creating much gr...
Evolution to Catastrophe

In this chapter describes presupernova evolution. Single stars of zero-age main-sequence (ZAMS) mass up to at least 6 solar masses become white dwarfs that will not explode as supernovae. The evolution of stars of ZAMS mass 6–13 solar masses is exceedingly complex, involving degenerate cores, episodes of dredge-up of matter from their interiors, thermal pulses, off center ignition of neon and oxygen, mass loss, and more. At present, it is difficult to know which of these stars undergo collapse, and perhaps explode and whether they have carbon-oxygen or oxygen-neon-magnesium cores. Stars of ZAMS mass between 13 and about 70 solar masses undergo collapse of their iron cores. In this range, some stars explode by ejecting their envelopes while others may become black holes. More massive stars may undergo thermonuclear explosions owing to pair instabilities in their oxygen cores. A section of the chapter is devoted to the complex effects of rotation on single-star evolution. Another section addresses the equally complex topic of binary-star evolution, which is essential to understanding the origin of Type Ia supernovae and probably of most stripped-envelope supernovae (Types IIb, Ib, and Ic).
Characterization of Low‐Altitude Nightside Martian Magnetic Topology Using Electron Pitch Angle Distributions

Magnetic field lines at Mars act as direct pathways for both energy inflow and ion escape. Local variations in magnetic field topology can therefore directly impact the interaction between the solar wind and the Martian ionosphere. One method of analyzing magnetic topology is through the use of electron pitch angle distributions (PADs). Previous PAD investigations have characterized magnetic topology in the Martian system using data from the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, but these studies were orbitally constrained to ∼400 km altitude and 2 a.m./2 p.m. local time. With the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission, we are now able to extend this analysis to a larger range of altitudes and local times. Here we use electron PADs measured using the Solar Wind Electrostatic Analyzer and Magnetometer instruments on MAVEN to analyze the magnetic topology of the nightside Martian environment. We use several characteristic PAD shapes to determine where Martian magnetic field lines are open or closed to the solar wind and present frequency maps of how these PAD shapes vary both geographically and with altitude. Finally, we present an initial analysis of the variation of the PAD shapes with local time, finding that trapped electron distributions become increasingly frequent as crustal fields rotate from dusk to dawn across the nightside of Mars.
Micromachined drilling of dielectric substrates of varying bandgap using laser accelerated particles

It has been observed that absorbing particles accelerated by Continuous Wave (CW) lasers initiate catastrophic failure in the form of micromachined drill holes. This process was tested using stainless steel, PMMA, and silica particles with fused silica, sapphire, and spinel substrates. Hole drilling occurred at laser power densities as low as 250kW/cm2, far below the damage thresholds seen in typical situations. A potential dependence of accelerated particle breakdown on substrate bandgap may suggest that the underlying physical process is similar to that seen for CW laser breakdown of contaminated optical coatings.
APPLICATIONS – STATIONARY | Fuel Cells

This is a review of fuel cell (FC) systems for stationary use, in non-grid-connected or grid-connected applications (dispersed and distributed generation), with or without combined heat and power capability. Each technology is reviewed for these applications, classified by the electrolyte in its cell stack, which generates direct current electric power, but is in fact only part of the overall power system. The FC types are the phosphoric acid fuel cell, the molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), the solid oxide fuel cell, the proton-exchange membrane or polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, and the alkaline fuel cell. Except for the PAFC, which is introduced in Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells: Introduction (general history and characteristics) (273), each technology is reviewed up to that of prototype stationary systems in Introduction to FCs (221). The important issue of fuel processing (usually natural gas to H2-rich gas) is discussed in the former, while the effect of the efficiencies of different subsystems in determining the overall alternating current electrical efficiency of a given FC system is discussed in the latter. The article includes a discussion of future sources of H2 fuel for some of these FC technologies, and sections on electrical issues for stationary FCs, and economic considerations.
Nf2 Mutation in Schwann Cells Delays Functional Neural Recovery Following Injury.

Abstract Merlin is the protein product of the NF2 tumor suppressor gene. Germline NF2 mutation leads to neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), characterized by multiple intracranial and spinal schwannomas. Patients with NF2 also frequently develop peripheral neuropathies. While the role of merlin in SC neoplasia is well established, its role in SC homeostasis is less defined. Here we explore the role of merlin in SC responses to nerve injury and their ability to support axon regeneration. We performed sciatic nerve crush in wild-type (WT) and in P0SchΔ39–121 transgenic mice that express a dominant negative Nf2 isoform in SCs. Recovery of nerve function was assessed by measuring mean contact paw area on a pressure pad 7, 21, 60, and 90 days following nerve injury and by nerve conduction assays at 90 days following injury. After 90 days, the nerves were harvested and axon regeneration was quantified stereologically. Myelin ultrastructure was analyzed by electron microscopy. Functional studies showed delayed nerve regeneration in Nf2 mutant mice compared to the WT mice. Delayed neural recovery correlated with a reduced density of regenerated axons and increased endoneurial space in mutants compared to WT mice. Nevertheless, functional and nerve conduction measures ultimately recovered to similar levels in WT and Nf2 mutant mice, while there was a small (∼17%) reduction in the percent of regenerated axons in the Nf2 mutant mice. The data suggest that merlin function in SCs regulates neural ultrastructure and facilitates neural regeneration, in addition to its role in SC neoplasia.
Room Temperature Operation of Directly Patterned Perovskite Distributed Feedback Light Source under Continuous-Wave Optical Pumping

We report the first directly patterned perovskite distributed feedback (DFB) resonator with a narrow amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) at pump powers as low as 0.1W/cm2, under continuous-wave (CW) optical pumping condition at room temperature.
Cognitive Impairment, Symptoms, Social Functioning, and Vocational Rehabilitation in Schizophrenia

This study evaluated whether cognitive impairment, negative symptoms, positive symptoms (all measured with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale), and social adjustment (measured with the Social Adjustment Scale) predicted work outcomes over two years in 134 unemployed patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were randomly assigned to participate in one of three vocational rehabilitation programs: Individual Placement and Support (IPS, a supported employment model), psychiatric rehabilitation center (PSR), and standard services (Standard). Cognitive impairment predicted worse outcomes (hours worked and wags) in the PSR group, and negative symptoms predicted work outcomes for both the PSR and the IPS programs. There were no predictors of work outcome in the Standard group. The results suggest that cognitive impairments may interfere with response to social learning-based interventions, but not responses to supported employment.
Exenterative Surgery and Reconstruction

Current exenterative procedures have undergone several modifications and refinements compared with past approaches in an effort to maximize oncologic outcomes and minimize morbidity and mortality while maintaining an acceptable quality of life. The indications and contraindications to pelvic exenterative surgery are discussed along with the complex preoperative planning adopted in these challenging cases. Specific reconstructive techniques are outlined, as is the role of multimodality therapies. Issues concerning exenteration and reconstruction are highlighted, including details pertaining to soft-tissue coverage, restoration of gastrointestinal and urinary continuity, and, in some cases, genital reconstruction. This chapter should be read in association with Chap. 11.
Functional Networks for Social Communication in the Macaque Monkey.

Summary All primates communicate. To dissect the neural circuits of social communication, we used fMRI to map non-human primate brain regions for social perception, second-person (interactive) social cognition, and orofacial movement generation. Face perception, second-person cognition, and face motor networks were largely non-overlapping and acted as distinct functional units rather than an integrated feedforward-processing pipeline. Whereas second-person context selectively engaged a region of medial prefrontal cortex, production of orofacial movements recruited distributed subcortical and cortical areas in medial and lateral frontal and insular cortex. These areas exhibited some specialization, but not dissociation, of function along the medio-lateral axis. Production of lipsmack movements recruited areas including putative homologs of Broca’s area. These findings provide a new view of the neural architecture for social communication and suggest expressive orofacial movements generated by lateral premotor cortex as a putative evolutionary precursor to human speech.
Condition Monitoring of Electrical Machines with Internet of Things

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has a potential of profound impact on the move toward smart manufacturing enterprises. The IIoT combines data collected from industrial sensors with machine-to-machine communications and automation technologies to enable smart enterprise control, asset performance management and informed operators. In condition based monitoring (CBM) process, the state of machinery is determined while in operation through a three step data management process. This includes data collection, processing, and assessment for maintenance decision-making and fault diagnostics and prediction. Electrical machines are widely used in industrial manufacturing processes. These machines can develop faults due to a variety of reasons. Traditionally, electromagnetic field monitoring, temperature measurements, noise and vibration monitoring and motor current signature analysis have been used to identify these faults. In this project, we focus on sensing vibration, temperature, current and voltage of the running electrical machines to monitor and analyze its condition. The data from sensors will be wirelessly transmitted to the cloud service for processing. The data will be downloaded from the cloud and analyzed to determine the condition of the machine.
Prosthetic valve endocarditis

The diagnosis, therapy, and complications of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) in 48 patients seen between 1962 and 1978 are reviewed. Staphylococcus epidermidis and diphtheroids were the most common causes of both early and late PVE. These microorganisms were frequently resistant to the penicillins and cephalosporins but were uniformly sensitive to vancomycin. The mortality rate in this series was 69%, with 20% of the deaths attributed to central nervous system emboli and the remainder to cardiac causes. The mortality rate exceeded 75% in patients with any of the following findings: aortic valve infection, nonstreptococcal infecting microorganism, new or increased regurgitant murmurs, or significant congestive heart failure (CHF). The mortality rate was lowest in streptococcal PVE (29%) and in mitral valve PVE (49%). The unacceptably high mortality rate suggests that early replacement of infected prostheses should be considered in all patients except those with uncomplicated streptoccal or mitral valve PVE.
Thermogravimetric Characterization of Elastomers and Carbon-Filled Rubber Composites for Military Applications

A number of elastomeric materials used in Army tank track pads have been analyzed by several thermal analysis techniques including thermogravimetric analysis. More than 50 different materials have been evaluated. In general, the test specimens contained styrene-butadiene (SBR), butadiene (BR), and natural (NR) rubber in mono-, di-, or triblend systems. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to determine the percentage of highly volatile organics, elastomer(s), carbon black, and inorganic residue for each sample. An acetone extracted sample was compared to a nonextracted sample to validate the measurement of highly volatile material. The TGA data illustrated that the percent organic and percent carbon black determinations were quite consistent with the known formulations, but the percentage of inorganics was variable in a number of samples. Ash determinations obtained using larger specimens in a muffle furnace more closely approximated the known values. The DTG curve was used to determine the type of elastomer contained in each track pad. NR exhibited a peak at approximately 365°C (689°F) while SBR, BR, and SBR-BR exhibited a peak at approximately 450°C (842°F). TGA can quantify SBR and/or BR versus NR, but cannot differentiate between SBR and BR, nor can TGA differentiate between cured versus uncured systems. It is necessary to employ differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to detect uncured systems using the cure exotherm that occurs between 150 to 200°C (302 to 392°F). Finally, the application of thermogravimetric analysis to the tentative identification of foreign track rubber samples is considered.
Fundamental Limits to Radiative Heat Transfer: The Limited Role of Nanostructuring in the Near-Field.

In a previous Letter, we derived fundamental limits to radiative heat transfer applicable in near- through far-field regimes, based on the choice of material susceptibilities and bounding surfaces enclosing arbitrarily shaped objects; the limits exploit algebraic properties of Maxwell's equations and fundamental principles such as electromagnetic reciprocity and passivity. In this Letter, we apply these bounds to two different geometric configurations of interest, namely dipolar particles or extended structures of infinite area in the near field of one another. We find that while near-field radiative heat transfer between dipolar particles can saturate purely geometric ``Landauer'' limits, bounds on extended structures cannot, instead growing very slowly with respect to a material response figure of merit (an ``inverse resistivity'' for metals) due to the deleterious effects of multiple scattering between bodies. While nanostructuring can produce infrared resonances, it is generally unable to further enhance the resonant energy transfer spectrum beyond what is practically achieved by planar media at the surface polariton condition.
Anti-uniformity norms, anti-uniformity functions and their algebras on Euclidean spaces

Let $k\geq 2$ be an integer. Given a uniform function $f$ - one that satisfies $\|f\|_{U(k)}<\infty$, there is an associated anti-uniform function $g$ - one that satisfied $\|g\|_{U(k)}^{*}$. The question is, can one approximate $g$ with the Gowers-Host-Kra dual function $D_{k}f$ of $f$? Moreover, given the generalized cubic convolution products $D_{k}(f_{\alpha}:\alpha\in\tilde{V}_{k})$, what sorts of algebras can they form? In short, this paper explores possible structures of anti-uniformity on Euclidean spaces.
Towards Deciphering the Genetic Landscape in Melanoma

ABSTRACT Melanoma is the deadliest form of human skin cancer, accounting for 70% of skin-cancer related deaths although it comprises only 4% of skin cancer cases. As opposed to the steady decrease in overall rate of other cancers, the incidence of melanoma continues to rise worldwide. The median patient survival is six months following diagnosis. There is a clear need to develop improved therapy for this disease. Melanoma develops through acquired mutations in cancer genes. Cancer genome sequencing can identify recurring genetic alterations that will generate new approaches to the treatment of melanoma, enabling a more personalized approach, based on gene mutation profiles of each patient's tumor. To systematically survey mutations in melanoma, we performed whole-exome sequencing of 14 matched normal and metastatic tumor DNAs. This allowed us to discover GRIN2A, a member of the ionotropic glutamate receptor family (iGluR), to be a significantly mutated gene that had not previously been identified as playing a role in melanoma. The comprehensive nature of the acquired data in this study allowed the identification of the glutamate signaling pathway to be significantly mutated, which includes GRIN2A, GRM3 and ERBB4, found to be mutated at 25, 16 and 19 percent of melanomas, respectively GRIN2A and GRM3, a metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) are regulated by glutamate. GRIN2A, which is a ligand-gated ion channel, allows cations such as calcium to pass through the plasma membrane of the cell after the binding of glutamate to the receptor. GRM3 activates pathways such as the MEK pathway upon glutamate binding. The functional interplay between GRIN2A, GRM3 and ERBB4 in melanoma will be discussed and preliminary data presented. Our findings have potential therapeutic implications, as glutamate pathway modification has previously been shown to limit tumor growth. Further investigation of the glutamate pathway in melanoma a development of glutamate pathway inhibitors is therefore warranted. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Extending Our Reach: Integrating Librarians and Library Resources into Canvas

A team of librarians developed and implemented a plan to create coordinated library access for all students through the Canvas learning management system. Partnering with campus information technology services, librarians developed a specialized role in Canvas. Librarians also used Springshare's LibApps LTI (learning tools interoperability) to integrate research guides in Canvas, using course metadata to map guides to the appropriate subject or course. Evaluation of the impact of adding a Librarian role and mapping research guides to the Canvas LMS is ongoing and indicates these changes have affected the way students are accessing library resources.
De la «sujétion», ou Crise de la sémiotique

Resume Est-ce que la semiotique peut theoriser la subjectivite? Etant donne que tout signe communique s’inscrit dans un cadre enonciatif, l’inter-subjectivite est presupposee dans la semiosis, dont elle structure la relation deictique; mais la subjectivite telle quelle, qui releve de la psychologie cognitive et de la phenomenologie, tant existentielle que formelle, est-elle toujours a considerer comme une entite appartenant au domaine du sens et de la semiosis? Dans cette note, nous avancons l’hypothese que les semioses gravitent autour d’une colonne allant du sens symbolico-performatif au sens iconico-libidinal, en passant par le sens cogito-epistemique lie au diagrammatisme. Ce systeme psycho-semiotique organise la subjectivite en l’orientant vers la stratification ecologique de la socio-sphere, qui passe par les memes instances semiotiques, et vers l’inter-subjectivite communicante. L’occasion d’esquisser cette architecture psycho-semiotique nous a ete offerte par un article, maintenant de-publie, qui derivait la subjectivite d’un parcours generatif semiotique, et qui se trouvait, a notre humble avis, en difficulte par rapport a la cognition et la corporeite qui doivent, ontologiquement, fonder le sujet.
Small streams dominate US tidal reaches and will be disproportionately impacted by sea-level rise

Rivers and streams represent <0.6% of the Earth's land surface but play a disproportionately large role in global biogeochemical cycles and provide locally relevant ecosystem services. However, knowledge of how rivers influence material budgets and ecosystem services has major gaps due to the lack of explicit consideration of tidally-influenced reaches. Focusing on the conterminous US, we provide a foundation for understanding the role of tidal streams. We find that 66% of tidal stream length is contributed from low order streams (< 4th order), and that terrestrial ecosystem production in low-lying coastal zones is 30% greater than in adjacent terrestrial ecosystems. This prevalence of small streams indicates that small coastal watersheds dominate tidally influenced spatial domains. Furthermore, we find that relative sea-level rise (RSLR) will have a disproportionate impact on low order tidal streams and their terrestrial interfaces - 1 m RSLR will decrease the tidal stream land-water interface by 17% and the total surface area of US tidal streams by 31%. Upstream reaches of tidal zones will be extended in response to RSLR, but gains will be more than offset by coastal losses because topographic gradients become steeper moving inland, and accretion rates may not keep pace with RSLR. These results highlight previously unrecognized dominance, high productivity, and disproportionate future loss of low-order coastal ecosystems. This indicates a critical need to focus research on small tidal stream systems under contemporary and future conditions.
Fatherhood Education with Latino Fathers: A Mixed-Method Evaluation

As fatherhood education programs become more common and as the United States becomes increasingly diverse, efforts are needed to ensure that programs reach underrepresented groups. Using a mixed-me...
Consumers’ willingness to pay for organic, clean label, and processed with a new food technology: an application to ready meals

Agri-food companies face the challenge that clean labels and organic are not possible for some processed foods – such as shelf-stable ready meals – with existing processing technologies. This study...