cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Grip Span, Wrist Position, Hand and Gender on Grip Strength:

Extensive literature is available which has examined the effects of grip span, wrist position, hand, gender, and anthropometric dimensions on grasp strength, but none have looked at all the factors combined. A thorough understanding of the relations between these various factors would help minimize workplace risks and improve safety. Thus, a study was performed to relate these factors. Twenty subjects (10 male and 10 female) performed maximal exertions with both hands in three wrist positions (45° flexion, 45° extension, and neutral), for three Jamar hand dynamometer spans. Thus, the model was a 2 (gender) x 2 (hand) x 3 (wrist position) x 3 (dynamometer span) x 20 (subjects) mixed effects model with blocking on subjects. Anthropometric dimensions of the subjects' hands were utilized to establish correlation between basic hand dimensions and grasp strength. A stepwise regression analysis established correlation between basic hand dimensions with grasp strength. An R2 value of 0.82 was obtained for the reg...
Understanding the World-Christian Turn in the History of Christianity and Theology:

Growth in Christianity has spurred the appearance of the subfield of world Christianity, whose assumptions increasingly shape scholarship on Christianity. What I term the world-Christian turn, which is often linked to mission studies, yields more comprehensive approaches to the Christian past, connecting local histories of Christian communities to larger-scale historical movements and producing innovative comparative perspectives on Christianity past and present. In Catholic theology, this turn has encouraged new comparative and contextual theologies. Yet support for Christian mission and the world-Christian turn need not go together. Two cases in point: comparative theology tends to eschew mission while the work of Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI, is suspicious of some impulses behind the world-Christian turn and their potential for undermining Christian mission. Such cases notwithstanding, I argue that missiology is a promising resource for the field of world Christianity.
A dynamic firing speculation to speedup distributed symbolic state-space generation

The saturation strategy for symbolic state-space generation is very effective for globally-asynchronous locally-synchronous discrete-state systems. Its inherently sequential nature, however, makes it difficult to parallelize on a NOW. An initial attempt that utilizes idle workstations to recognize event firing patterns and then speculatively compute firings conforming to these patterns is at times effective but can introduce large memory overheads. We suggest an implicit method to encode the firing history of decision diagram nodes, where patterns can be shared by nodes. By preserving the actual firing history efficiently and effectively, the speculation is more informed. Experiments show that our implicit encoding method not only reduces the memory requirements but also enables dynamic speculation schemes that further improve runtime.
Analyses and simulations of the upper ocean's response to Hurricane Felix at the Bermuda Testbed Mooring site: 13–23 August 1995

causedalargeincreaseinkineticenergyatnear-inertialfrequencies,internalgravitywavesin the thermocline, and inertial pumping, mixed layer deepening, and significant vertical redistribution of heat, with cooling of the upper 30 m and warming at depths of 30–70 m. The temperature evolution was simulated using four one-dimensional mixed layer models: Price-Weller-Pinkel (PWP), K Profile Parameterization (KPP), Mellor-Yamada 2.5 (MY), and a modified version of MY2.5 (MY2). The primary differences in the model results were in their simulations of temperature evolution. In particular, when forced using a drag coefficient thathadalinear dependenceonwindspeed,the KPPmodelpredicted seasurface cooling, mixed layer currents, and the maximum depth of cooling closer to the observations than any of the other models. This was shown to be partly because of a special parameterization for gradient Richardson number (RgKPP) shear instability mixing in responsetoresolvedshearintheinterior.TheMY2modelpredictedmoreseasurfacecooling and greater depth penetration of kinetic energy than the MY model. In the MY2 model the dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy is parameterized as a function of a locally defined Richardson number (RgMY2) allowing for a reduction in dissipation rate for stable Richardsonnumbers(RgMY2)wheninternalgravitywavesarelikelytobepresent.Sensitivity simulations with the PWP model, which has specifically defined mixing procedures, show that most of the heat lost from the upper layer was due to entrainment (parameterized as a function of bulk Richardson number RbPWP), with the remainder due to local Richardson number (RgPWP) instabilities. With the exception of the MY model the models predicted reasonable estimates of the north and east current components during and after the hurricane passage at 25 and 45 m. Although the results emphasize differences between the modeled responsestoagivenwindstress,currentcontroversyovertheformulationofwindstressfrom wind speed measurements (including possible sea state and wave age and sheltering effects) cautions against using our results for assessing model skill. In particular, sensitivity studies show that MY2 simulations of the temperature evolution are excellent when the wind stress is increased, albeit with currents that are larger than observed. Sensitivity experiments also indicate that preexisting inertial motion modulated the amplitude of poststormcurrents,butthattherewasprobablynotasignificantresonantresponsebecauseof clockwise wind rotation for our study site. INDEX TERMS: 4504 Oceanography: Physical: Air/sea interactions (0312); 4572 Oceanography: Physical: Upper ocean processes; 4255 Oceanography: General: Numericalmodeling;4544Oceanography:Physical:Internalandinertialwaves;KEYWORDS:hurricane,tropical cyclone, mixed layer modeling, upper ocean processes, inertial currents, ocean storms
Biomechanics of Microcirculatory Blood Perfusion

The microcirculation represents a region of the circulation in which blood vessels are directly surrounded by the tissue and cells to which they supply nutrients and from which they collect metabolites. The cellular elements that make up the microcirculation have now been identified, and a large body of evidence has become available that provides molecular definitions of these elements. The blood flow is in a domain in which viscous stresses dominate, but the viscoelastic and active properties of cells lead to nonlinear problems. The ability of cells to actively control cytoplasmic mechanical properties and shape, as well as their membrane adhesion, leads to unique cell behavior in microvessels that has a direct influence on organ transport and function. There is also increasing evidence that the properties of the cells are in turn influenced by fluid shear stresses. These issues have greatly expanded the scope of microvascular analysis. The microcirculation is one of the sites in which diseases manifest themselves at an early stage. The application of biomechanical analysis of the microcirculation is starting to focus on diseases. The field is rich with problems of high significance.
A multiple feature/resolution approach to handprinted digit and character recognition

This article outlines the philosophy, design, and implementation of the Gradient, Structural, Concavity (GSC) recognition algorithm, which has been used successfully in several document reading applications. The GSC algorithm takes a quasi-multiresolution approach to feature generation; that is, several distinct feature types are applied at different scales in the image. These computed features measure the image characteristics at local, intermediate, and large scales. The local-scale features measure edge curvature in a neighborhood of a pixel, the intermediate features measure short stroke types which span several pixels, and the large features measure certain concavities which can span across the image. This philosophy, when coupled with the k-nearest neighbor classification paradigm, results in a recognizer which has both high accuracy and reliable confidence behavior. The confidences computed by this algorithm are generally high for valid class objects and low for nonclass objects. This allows it to be used in document reading algorithms which search for digit or character strings embedded in a field of objects. Applications of this paradigm to off-line digit string recognition and handwritten word recognition are discussed. Tests of the GSC classifier on large data bases of digits and characters are reported. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Finitary sequence spaces

This paper studies the metric structure of the space Hr of absolutely summable sequences of real numbers with at most r nonzero terms. Hr is complete, and is located and nowhere dense in the space of all absolutely summable sequences. Totally bounded and compact subspaces of Hr are characterized, and large classes of located, totally bounded, compact, and locally compact subspaces are constructed. The methods used are constructive in the strict sense. MSC: 03F65, 54E50.
Beauty, Whiteness, And Desire: Media, Consumption, And Embodiment In Egypt

What is the relationship among gender, embodiment, and consumption? How does the media constitute consumers, desires, and subjectivities? How are we to conceptualize the role of media representations in the making of bodies and selves without granting these representations a deterministic power? These questions were central to my anthropological work on the embodiment of femininities and masculinities in a low-income neighborhood in northern Cairo.
Fast and accurate search for non-coding RNA pseudoknot structures in genomes

Motivation: Searching genomes for non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) by their secondary structure has become an important goal for bioinformatics. For pseudoknot-free structures, ncRNA search can be effective based on the covariance model and CYK-type dynamic programming. However, the computational difficulty in aligning an RNA sequence to a pseudoknot has prohibited fast and accurate search of arbitrary RNA structures. Our previous work introduced a graph model for RNA pseudoknots and proposed to solve the structure–sequence alignment by graph optimization. Given k candidate regions in the target sequence for each of the n stems in the structure, we could compute a best alignment in time O(ktn) based upon a tree width t decomposition of the structure graph. However, to implement this method to programs that can routinely perform fast yet accurate RNA pseudoknot searches, we need novel heuristics to ensure that, without degrading the accuracy, only a small number of stem candidates need to be examined and a tree decomposition of a small tree width can always be found for the structure graph. Results: The current work builds on the previous one with newly developed preprocessing algorithms to reduce the values for parameters k and t and to implement the search method into a practical program, called RNATOPS, for RNA pseudoknot search. In particular, we introduce techniques, based on probabilistic profiling and distance penalty functions, which can identify for every stem just a small number k (e.g. k ≤ 10) of plausible regions in the target sequence to which the stem needs to align. We also devised a specialized tree decomposition algorithm that can yield tree decomposition of small tree width t (e.g. t ≤ 4) for almost all RNA structure graphs. Our experiments show that with RNATOPS it is possible to routinely search prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes for specific RNA structures of medium to large sizes, including pseudoknots, with high sensitivity and high specificity, and in a reasonable amount of time. Availability: The source code in C++ for RNATOPS is available at www.uga.edu/RNA-Informatics/software/rnatops/ Contact: cai@cs.uga.edu Supplementary information: The online Supplementary Material contains all illustrative figures and tables referenced by this article.
Global analysis of the effect of fluid flow on subduction zone temperatures

[1] Knowledge of the controls on temperature distributions at subduction zones is critical for understanding a wide range of seismic, metamorphic, and magmatic processes. Here, we present the results of ∼220 thermal model simulations covering the majority of known subduction zone convergence rates, incoming plate ages, and slab dips. We quantify the thermal effects of fluid circulation in the subducting crust by comparing results with and without advective heat transfer in the oceanic crustal aquifer. We find that hydrothermal cooling of a subduction zone is maximized when the subducting slab is young, slowly converging, steeply dipping, and the crustal aquifer is ventilated near the trench. Incoming plate age is one of the primary controls on the effectiveness of advective heat transfer in the aquifer, and the greatest temperature effects occur with an incoming plate <50 Ma. The thermal effects of fluid circulation decrease dramatically with increasing age of the incoming plate. Temperatures in the Cascadia, Nankai, southern Chile, Colombia/Ecuador, Mexico, and Solomon Islands subduction zones are likely strongly affected by fluid circulation; for these systems, only thermal models of Cascadia and Nankai have included fluid flow in subducting crust.
Cultural Demystification and Medical Anthropology: Some Answers in Search of Questions–A Commentary on Singer

s Professor Singer's essay is largely about the subjectivity of medical anthropologists, I should begin with a confession: I gag over reiterations of "critical," "praxis," "dialectical," "struggle," "Gramscian," and that most self-righteously used of offenders, "hegemony(ic)," including "counterhegemonic struggles." With apologies to Freud: Where hegemony was, there shall plain English be. Confession completed, I admit to having liked Singer's article immensely, despite the apparent chasm between our theoretical standpoints. Much of the mystery of human culture-and not only in our mixed-capitalist society-lies in human self-mystification: the lies we need and the lies that we need others to need, which we impose on them in order for ourselves to remain whole, in order that we feel less anxiety, guilt, and shame, and in order that we feel strong rather than weak. Critical, clinical, hermeneutical, and depth psychology-oriented medical anthropology need not be foes. If I understand Singer correctly, "social relations [are] the starting place of health social science"; an anthropologist is intimately involved with a group and often serves an interest within the group without even realizing it; "only the engaged observer is privy to others" in contrast with the "detached observer" who can do science; activism can extend observation and interpretation; power is at least as potent a dimension in health as a patient's values, beliefs, and behaviors; improvement in health requires that something defined in terms of the disease model must be translated into the political model; and "collaboration and coalition building" can help "offset the imbalance in social power across class, race, or other social divisions."
Cytotoxicity by tumor necrosis factor is linked with the cell cycle but does not require DNA synthesis.

AbstractThe relationship between the kinetics of cell death induced by TNF and the cell cycle in L929.10 target cells was investigated by comparison of growing, asynchronous cells with target cells synchronized at G1/S using a double thymidine block. The induction phase of lysis, the time following TNF addition but before loss of cell viability, was shortened in asynchronous cells by increasing the level of saturation of the TNF receptor. However, in synchronized target cells, the length of the induction phase showed no dependence on receptor occupancy. Almost all cell death occurred within a 3 hr period 4-7 hr after the addition of TNF regardless of the concentration of TNF. Target cell lysis in Synchronized cells was concomitant with mitosis as verified by flow cytometry and DNA staining with propidium iodide. The narrow window of cytotoxicity was not due to cell cycle-related changes in the expression of the TNF receptor as measured by [125I]TNF binding. Treatment with TNF did not accelerate or retard ...
Genomewide linkage scan in a multigeneration Caucasian pedigree identifies a novel locus for keratoconus on chromosome 5q14.3-q21.1

Purpose: Keratoconus is a corneal dystrophy with an incidence of 1 in 2000 and a leading cause for cornea transplantation in Western developed countries. Both clinical observations and segregation analyses suggest a major role for genes in its pathogenesis. It is genetically heterogenous, most commonly sporadic, but inherited patterns with recessive or dominant modes have also been reported. We studied a four-generation autosomaldominant pedigree to identify disease loci for keratoconus. Methods: A two-stage genome-wide scan was applied to 27 family members. First linkage analysis was performed with 343 microsatellite markers along the 22 autosomal chromosomes at 10 cM density. This was followed by fine mapping at 2 cM density, in regions suggestive of linkage. Multipoint linkage analysis was performed using GeneHunter2. Results: Evidence of suggestive linkage from the initial scan was observed at the 82 to 112 cM region of chromosome 5q14.1-q21.3 with a maximum lod score (LOD) of 3.48 (penetrance 0.5). Fine mapping by testing an additional 11 microsatellite markers at 1 to 3 cM intervals revealed a narrower and higher peak (99–119 cM) with LOD 3.53. By analysis of the recombination of haplotypes, the putative locus of keratoconus was further narrowed t oa6c M region (8.2 Mbp physical distance) between markers D5S2499 and D5S495. Conclusion: These results indicate a promising new locus for keratoconus in this pedigree. Because of the heterogeneous nature of keratoconus, this locus may be specific to familial autosomal-dominant keratoconus. Nevertheless, the identification of this locus may provide new insights into the pathogenesis of keratoconus. Genet Med 2005:7(6):397–405.
Programming Abstraction for Resource Aware Stream Processing for Scientific Workflows

As the volume of real time data available for use in scientific discovery explodes, the limiting factor is increasingly the amount of time and attention a scientist can give to a problem. Processing event streams from heterogeneous sources in real time adds a dimension to e-Science workflow systems that is less well understood. Considering the types of computations that scientific workflows focus on and the latencies associated with them, it is not immediately evident that scientific workflows can directly apply to high throughput real time event processing. In this paper we propose a model for extending an established scientific workflow system to incorporate event processing without losing the richness of the programming abstraction.
Molecular mechanisms underlying selective cytotoxic activity of BZL101, an extract of Scutellaria barbata D. Don, towards breast cancer cells

C59 BZL101, an aqueous extract from the herb Scutellaria barbata D. Don, has completed a phase I clinical trial in a heavily pretreated patient population with metastatic breast cancer. Results showed a favorable safety and toxicity profile, and demonstrated encouraging clinical activity. BZL101 is currently in phase II clinical trials for the treatment of advanced breast cancer. We studied the mechanism of cytotoxic activity and report here that BZL101 induces cell death in breast cancer cells but not in non-transformed mammary epithelial cells. The cytotoxic activity of BZL101 depends on the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in treated cells. The apparent specificity of BZL101 towards tumor cells is based on its ability to strongly increase the levels of endogenous ROS in tumor cells but much less so in normal cells. Consistent with the hypothesis that BZL101 induces ROS and subsequent oxidative stress responses, microarray analysis shows upregulation of clusters of genes involved in oxidative damage responses, DNA damage responses as well as cell death and NFκκB pathways. Furthermore, ATF3, one of the immediate early response genes to oxidative stress, appears to be mediating the effect of BZL101. We further studied the molecular mechanisms underlying the selective killing of tumor cells. We show that the immediate consequences of BZL101 induced generation of ROS are oxidative DNA damage and activation of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) specifically in tumor cells. This is followed by a rapid and sustained decrease in levels of NAD+/NADH in breast cancer cells but not in normal mammary epithelial cells. Within a few hours of treatment, breast cancer cells also undergo loss of ATP (energetic collapse), which is consistent with the observations that BZL101 induced death is largely necrotic in nature. Pharmacological inhibition of PARP in cells treated with BZL101 results in a delay of ATP depletion, but does not prevent cell death, merely switching the mode of death from necrosis to apoptosis. Treatment of breast cancer cells with BZL101 leads to sustained inhibition of glycolysis, as evident from the decreased enzymatic activities within the glycolytic pathway and inhibition of lactate production. Because tumor cells primarily rely on glycolysis for energy production (Warburg effect), the observed inhibition of glycolysis is likely a key factor in the depletion of ATP. Neither prolonged inhibition of glycolysis nor loss of ATP after BZL101 treatment is observed in normal cells. We conclude that BZL101 extract contains a ROS-inducing cytotoxic activity whose specificity towards tumor cells is based on different metabolic profiles of tumors versus normal tissues.
Coating nonfunctionalized silica spheres with a high density of discrete silver nanoparticles

Reducing AgNO $$_3$$ by glucose at basic pH coated the surface of silica spheres were coated with a high density of hemispherical silver nanoparticles by direct reduction. The average diameter of the nanoparticles was 3.2 $$\pm $$ 1 nm. A much lower silver concentration than is a standard favored heterogeneous nucleation of silver on the silica surface at the expense of homogeneous nucleation in solution. The slow growth rate of the nuclei promoted the formation of discrete silver particles rather than a continuous shell. Based on scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, the surface coverage of silver seed particles was as high as 25 % at 10 °C without prior functionalization of the silica. The particles were composed of metallic silver based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. There was a sharp increase in the silver surface coverage and a decrease in the particle size when the temperature was raised from 5 to 10 °C and the amount of silica was decreased from 0.2 to 0.025 V/V%. The size was controlled by the diffusion barrier through the ion shell surrounding the silica spheres and by maintaining reaction conditions where the particles on the surface compete for silver.
Theories of Open Borders

Political philosophers such as Joseph Carens, Catherine Wihtol de Wenden, and Will Kymlicka have argued for the morality of an open-borders immigration policy, yet other social theorists such as Michael Walzer, Stephen Macedo, and John Isbister dismiss this approach because of the supposed harm that unrestricted immigration would cause to natives. After exploring the normative arguments for and against open borders, the chapter concludes that the crux of many theoretical objections to unrestricted immigration is empirical. Unfortunately, however, many of the factual assumptions that immigration restrictionists make have not been fully or rigorously tested. This monograph therefore aims to see if unregulated immigration actually hurts natives. In testing this hypothesis, the book focuses on three natural experiments: Mariel Cubans in Miami; Algerian “Repatriates” in Marseille; and Eastern Europeans in Dublin.
Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Conference 2016: Pathways to Cardiovascular Therapeutics.

The 2016 edition of the Basic Cardiovascular Sciences (BCVS) Scientific Sessions was held from July 18 to July 21 in beautiful (and hot!) Phoenix, Arizona. This year’s program was put together by Program Co-chairs Raj Kishore (Temple University), Jay Zhang (University of Alabama), and Maria Kontaridis (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center). The meeting attracted ≈600 attendees representing 23 countries. Around 370 abstracts were submitted and presented at the conference. Invited speakers represented institutions from the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Latin/South America, and Saudi Arabia. Meeting opened with remarks from Dr Steven Houser, President of American Heart Association, highlighting American Heart Association’s mission to support basic sciences and discovery research. One of the highlights of the meeting was a keynote lecture delivered by Nobel Laureate Dr Brian K. Kobilka (Stanford University) on the opening day (Figure 1). Dr Kobilka’s talk focused on providing structural and mechanistic insights into G-protein–coupled receptor signaling and its implications for drug discovery. He emphasized the physiological role of G-protein–coupled receptors’ signaling, and his hope that a better understanding of G-protein–coupled receptor structure and function will eventually lead toward development of efficient drugs for a variety of diseases. Dr Kobilka’s research ethics and his love for science as a whole were a treat to watch and an inspiration for all the young fellows at the conference. Figure 1. Brian K. Kobilka, MD, discusses “Structural Insights into GPCR Signaling: Implications for Drug Discovery” at Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Scientific Sessions 2016. Photo © AHA/Todd Buchanan 2016. The quality of science presented at the meeting was incredible, with 15 sessions focused at highlighting research pathways toward development of cardiovascular therapeutics. Each …
Forebrain-selective AMPA-receptor antagonism guided by TARP γ-8 as an antiepileptic mechanism

Pharmacological manipulation of specific neural circuits to optimize therapeutic index is an unrealized goal in neurology and psychiatry. AMPA receptors are important for excitatory synaptic transmission, and their antagonists are antiepileptic. Although efficacious, AMPA-receptor antagonists, including perampanel (Fycompa), the only approved antagonist for epilepsy, induce dizziness and motor impairment. We hypothesized that blockade of forebrain AMPA receptors without blocking cerebellar AMPA receptors would be antiepileptic and devoid of motor impairment. Taking advantage of an AMPA receptor auxiliary protein, TARP γ-8, which is selectively expressed in the forebrain and modulates the pharmacological properties of AMPA receptors, we discovered that LY3130481 selectively antagonized recombinant and native AMPA receptors containing γ-8, but not γ-2 (cerebellum) or other TARP members. Two amino acid residues unique to γ-8 determined this selectivity. We also observed antagonism of AMPA receptors expressed in hippocampal, but not cerebellar, tissue from an patient with epilepsy. Corresponding to this selective activity, LY3130481 prevented multiple seizure types in rats and mice and without motor side effects. These findings demonstrate the first rationally discovered molecule targeting specific neural circuitries for therapeutic advantage.
Conservation Biology: The Importance of Wilderness

The efforts to increase protected area coverage are overlooking the importance of remaining wilderness areas.
Impotence: etiology and management.

There has never been a more favorable outlook for the patient with impotence. In the current climate of growing interest and candor regarding human sexuality, patients Eire more inclined to seek help, and physicians and other therapists are better informed. Improved understanding of pathophysiology and psychosexuality has enhanced the effectiveness of new approaches to treatment.
Change detection and classification of digital collections

People develop personal information collections consisting of distributed web resources as both reminders that resources exist and to provide rapid access to these resources. Managing such collections is necessary to preserve their value. Unexpected changes within distributed collections can cause them to become outdated, requiring revisions to or removal of no-longer-appropriate resources and replacements for lost resources. In an effort to alleviate this problem, this paper presents a categorization and classification framework including a tool that supports the management and active curation of distributed collections of Web-based resources. We assess the need for such a system and analyze how current tools affect the management of personal collections with survey of 106 participants from online and offline communities. Results of the survey show that personal collections are common and collection management is an issue for ∼20% of respondents. Additionally we examine and categorize the various degrees of change that digital documents endure within the boundaries of a distributed collection. Consequently, this paper will focus on two research questions. First, what facets of the change detection process can be automated? And second, looking at this problem from a user standpoint where each document contributes towards the overall meaning of the collection, what strategies can be used to effectively detect the consequences of the various types of change found in document collections?
ORC2A: A Proof Assistant for Undergraduate Education

There is a natural correspondence between mathematical proofs and computer programs. For instance, a recursive function and its correctness relate directly to inductive proofs in mathematics. However, many undergraduate students feel a disconnect between mathematics and computer science. There are several proof assistant tools which have been used by the educational community to introduce such concepts to students, but since these tools are not primarily created for educational purposes, students often do not benefit from them to the expected extent. We have created an educational tool that draws from the benefits of existing provers and assistants and includes a novel proof language that mimics handwritten proofs. By creating a proof assistant with an intuitive user interface and a rich mechanism for providing constructive feedback, we hope to bridge the gap that many introductory computer science students find between mathematical proofs and program correctness.
Amplifying Riboswitch Signal Output Using Cellular Wiring

If fieldable riboswitch-based biological sensors are to fulfill their potential, it is necessary to increase their signal output. Here we report a novel modular amplification system using a riboswitch to initiate signaling between a sensing strain and a reporter strain of E. coli. A quorum sensing signaling molecule biologically wires the sensing and reporter strains together. The amplification circuit increased the amount of fluorescence generated on ligand binding compared to when the riboswitch controlled fluorescence expression directly. This had the corollary effect of increasing the sensitivity of the system, and allowed riboswitch-based reporting in E. coli strains that did not produce a detectable output when the riboswitch directly controlled reporter expression. The amplification circuit also reduced the time required to detect a signal output. The modularity of this amplification system coupled with the achievable increases in output can advance the development of riboswitches and biological se...
Environmental Inequities and Neighborhood Social Process: Exploring the Mechanisms of Differential Lead Exposure in Chicago Neighborhoods

A growing body of environmental justice research consistently demonstrates an association between area race, class and the presence/level of environmental hazards. However, the mechanisms that create these environmental inequities are less understood. In the current study, we draw on criminological research on neighborhood social process to extend the environmental justice literature. Specifically, we use community survey (rather than census proxies) and public health data to explore the relationship between concentrated disadvantage, collective efficacy, organizational capacity and lead exposure in ecologically cohesive neighborhoods in the city of Chicago. Concentrated disadvantage is associated with lead exposure and the effect is mediated by neighborhood collective efficacy. The effect of organizational capacity is minimal. The theoretical and policy implications of these results are discussed.
A Top-Down Approach to Achieving Performance Predictability in Database Systems

While much of the research on transaction processing has focused on improving overall performance in terms of throughput and mean latency, surprisingly less attention has been given to performance predictability: how often individual transactions exhibit execution latency far from the mean. Performance predictability is increasingly important when transactions lie on the critical path of latency-sensitive applications, enterprise software, or interactive web services. In this paper, we focus on understanding and mitigating the sources of performance unpredictability in today's transactional databases. We conduct the first quantitative study of major sources of variance in MySQL, Postgres (two of the largest and most popular open-source products on the market), and VoltDB (a non-conventional database). We carry out our study with a tool called TProfiler that, given the source code of a database system and programmer annotations indicating the start and end of a transaction, is able to identify the dominant sources of variance in transaction latency. Based on our findings, we investigate alternative algorithms, implementations, and tuning strategies to reduce latency variance without compromising mean latency or throughput. Most notably, we propose a new lock scheduling algorithm, called Variance-Aware Transaction Scheduling (VATS), and a lazy buffer pool replacement policy. In particular, our modified MySQL exhibits significantly lower variance and 99th percentile latencies by up to 5.6× and 6.3×, respectively. Our proposal has been welcomed by the open-source community, and our VATS algorithm has already been adopted as of MySQL's 5.7.17 release (and been made the default scheduling policy in MariaDB).
Integrative Literature Review on Shame

Shame is a universal living experience that is just beginning to be explored within the discipline of nursing. Development of a broad understanding of shame is needed to aid nurse researchers in clarifying this phenomenon from a nursing perspective. Pursuant to this goal, the author in this article reviews the extant literature on shame from the disciplines of nursing, psychology, sociology, philosophy, and theology. Three themes that emerged from the scholarly literature were (a) shame propels miring in paralysis, (b) shame captures the illusionary seen-unseen, and
General Slowing Hypothesis

Age-related slowing of responses to cognitive tasks is a ubiquitous phenomenon in research on cognitive aging. The general slowing hypothesis is built upon broad observations in many studies of age-related slowing and suggests that age-related general slowing is the primary contributor to the declines in cognitive functioning associated with aging. This entry provides a brief overview of the general slowing hypothesis and its research background, the evolution of models and debates, and cognitive training research based on the hypothesis. Keywords: age-related slowing; aging and developmental psychology; cognition; processing speed; research
A longitudinal examination of social connectedness and suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adolescents

Background This study examines the relationship between three different types of social connectivity and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Methods Using the Add Health dataset, three domains of social connection were explored: parental connection, school connection, and social integration. Logistic regression was used to examine whether changes over time in connectedness predicted suicidal thoughts and behavior. Results Youth whose difference scores on social integration and parental connectedness increased were less likely to experience suicidal ideation. Increases in difference scores for perceived school connectedness protected youth who reported ideation from engaging in a suicide attempt. Conclusions Perceptions of social connection are key factors in understanding adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors. It is important to consider social connection across different relationship contexts.
Identification of FGF-1-Inducible Genes by Differential Display

Endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, the most abundant cell types in the blood vessel wall, normally have a low replication rate in the adult animal. However, endothelial cell proliferation and concomitant neovascularization is associated with tumor growth and the pathogenesis of numerous angiogenesis-dependent diseases.1 Also, accelerated smooth muscle cell replication plays a central role in atherogenesis,2 vascular graft stenosis,3 and restenosis of vessels following angioplasty or atherectomy.4 Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-1 and FGF-2, also commonly known as acidic and basic FGF, respectively, are two of the polypeptide mitogens that are likely to be important mediators of vascular cell growth in vivo. They are both potent angiogenic factors5,6 and smooth muscle cell mitogens.7,8 They are expressed by vessel wall cells9,10 and by monocyte-derived macrophages within human atheroma.9,10 FGF-2 has also been detected in human platelets11 and T lymphocytes.12 Direct evidence for the involvement of FGF-2 in rat balloon injury-induced medial smooth muscle cell proliferation was reported by Lindner and Reidy.13 Therefore, it is possible that inhibition of FGF expression or action may be of therapeutic benefit in the treatment of human cardiovascular disease. One strategy that may prove effective for inhibition of FGF mitogenic activity is to interrupt the FGF intracellular signaling pathway. In this review, we describe our approach to identify proteins that are involved in FGF-1 mitogenic signal transduction and thus potential targets for therapeutic intervention.
T-T cyclobutane dimers are misinstructive, rather than non-instructive, mutagenic lesions.

The lesions produced by SOS-dependent mutagens in Escherichia coli are commonly referred to as non-pairing or non-instructive. Although these terms are likely to be appropriate for some lesions, particularly the abasic site, for others, such as the cyclobutane dimer, their suitability is open to question. To address this question, we have compared the error frequencies and spectra that result when a uniquely located T-T sequence, carried in a single-stranded vector, contains either a cis-syn or a trans-syn cyclobutane dimer, or when either the 5′T or 3′T is converted to an abasic site. The data suggest that the high accuracy with which the dimer-containing templates are replicated is unlikely to be the consequence of polymerase preference for the non-instructive insertion of dAMP. Similarly, mis-pairing, rather than non-pairing, is likely to cause mutations. Cyclobutane dimers seem therefore to be misinstructive rather than non-instructive lesions, and the common feature shared by SOS-inducing lesions is more their ability to block replication than inability to form correct base pairs.
Optical Flow Approaches for Self-supervised Learning in Autonomous Mobile Robot Navigation

A common theme in autonomous mobile robotics is the desire to sense farther ahead of the robot than current approaches allow. This greater range would enable earlier recognition of hazards, better path planning, and higher speeds. In scenarios where the long range sensor modality is computer vision this has led to interest in developing techniques that can effectively identify and respond to obstacles at greater distances than those for which stereo vision methods are useful. This paper presents work on optical flow techniques that leverage the difference in appearance between objects at close range and the same objects at more distant locations in order to interpret monocular video streams in a useful manner. In particular, two applications are discussed: self-supervised off-road autonomous navigation, and adaptive road following in unstructured environments. Examples of the utility of the optical flow techniques discussed here in both arenas are provided.
Chapter 10 Mathnet: Preliminary Results From A Distributed Model Of Arithmetic Fact Retrieval

Summary In this chapter we explore modeling of arithmetic fact retrieval within a connectionist or “neural net” framework. We first sketch briefly some of the major empirical phenomena emerging from research on arithmetic facts, and review previous attempts to develop distributed connectionist models of arithmetic fact retrieval. We then describe a new model, MATHNET , and present preliminary findings concerning the model's ability to simulate several phenomena of human fact retrieval. We conclude by discussing limitations of our initial modeling, and directions to be pursued in subsequent work.
Secure Blockchain-Based Energy Transaction Framework in Smart Power Systems

The robustness of modern power systems depends on the level of cyber security against cyber-attacks. Since energy transactions could significantly affect the power system operation, these transactions should be evaluated through a secure system to enhance the power system reliability. In this paper, a blockchain-based energy transaction framework is introduced and the level of security for different energy transaction frameworks are evaluated by calculating the overall probability of successful attacks (PSA)to each one. PSA is defined as a successful attack to the system which can lead to the system collapse. The numerical results will demonstrate that the blockchain based energy transaction framework is the most reliable system against cyber-attacks comparing with traditional centralized and modified decentralized energy transaction frameworks.
Clinical Aspects of Dementia

Differential diagnosis of dementing diseases is very important to rule in the so-called treatable dementia. The new DSM-IV criteria for dementia include memory disturbances and one or more of aphasia, apraxia, or frontal lobe dysfunctions as essentials. Alzheimer disease requires, in addition, slowly progressive course and ruling out other brain or systemic diseases. Vascular dementia requires focal neurological or neuroimaging signs. Other diseases which cause dementia include chronic subdural hematoma, infection and brain tumor. CT or MRI can readily diagnose them if suspected and they may be treated. Systemic diseases associated with treatable dementia include electrolyte disturbances, hypothyroidism, vitamin deficiency, alcohol or drug intoxication, syphilis and HIV infection. Prevention of dementia seems to be the future problem as we could prevent cerebrovascular diseases by treating hypertension.
LATE RECURRENCE OF CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIFOCAL CHOROIDITIS: CLINICAL SURVEILLANCE IN PERPETUITY.

Purpose To report a very late recurrence of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in elderly patients with noninfectious multifocal choroiditis (MFC). Methods Retrospective case series of patients with MFC with confirmed recurrence of CNV. Choroidal neovascularization was diagnosed with multimodal imaging, including optical coherence tomography angiography. Multifocal choroiditis-associated CNV eyes were treated with intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor medication. Results Four eyes of three patients were included in our study, with a mean (range) age of 73 years (67-78). The period between the original CNV and the recurrence was 53 years, with a range of 48-60 years. The mean number (range) of injections given after the late recurrence per eye was 7 (5-11). The mean duration (range) of follow-up post-treatment initiation was 93 (40-122) weeks. All eyes improved to 20/30 visual acuity or better at 6 months after initial treatment. Conclusion Patients with MFC are never exempt from recurrent CNV, warranting follow-up in perpetuity. Age-related factors are important to consider which may increase the susceptibility for activating MFC-associated CNV in elderly people. Macular neovascularization could respond to a standard approach to management, in these patients with MFC, by a judicious use of intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy.
Skeletal Muscle Restoration Following Volumetric Muscle Loss: The Therapeutic Effects of a Biologic Surgical Mesh

Biologic surgical meshes composed of extracellular matrix (ECM) are a promising treatment option for volumetric muscle loss (VML). The advantages of ECM-based therapies include the lack of a requirement for exogenous stem cell delivery and stimulation of a constructive, pro-healing immune response. This acellular approach lowers the regulatory and technical hurdles associated with stem cell administration, has superior outcomes compared to physical therapy alone or muscle grafting, and has the potential to improve quality of life by promoting functional myogenesis. This chapter reviews the current standard of care for VML and the preclinical and clinical studies supporting the use of biologic mesh as an inductive myogenesis template.
Spaces and Journeys in Ernesto Daranas’ Conducta : Che or Martí?

In his film Conducta (Behavior 2014), Ernesto Daranas portrays the ethical and physical challenges of an aging teacher, struggling to improve the lives of her students, not just within the classroom setting, but also in their family and social spheres. Thus, in response to a top/down social structure where an unseen government exerts economic and political pressure on schools and families in crisis mode, Daranas proposes model redirecting away from Ernesto Che Guevara and back toward Jose Marti as a pedagogic strategy for modulating conduct expectations of elementary school children. However, because government censorship sensitizes the spoken word, the filmmaker is careful to avoid negative repercussions by letting markedly visual elements of his mise en scene reveal indiscreet, if not outright subversive views of home, school, and cityscape. Also, through a recurring wandering narrative format, Ernesto Daranas conducts a political inquiry analogous to how Radicant aesthetics exercise wandering narratives.