cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds (STAT) for children under 24 months An exploratory study

The study examined the properties of the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds (STAT) for children under 24 months. The STAT provides a standard context for observing social-communicative behavior in play, imitation, and communication. Seventy-one children received the STAT between 12 and 23 months of age and a follow-up diagnostic evaluation after 24 months. All had an older sibling with an autism spectrum diagnosis (n = 59) or had been referred for evaluation for concerns about autism (n = 12). Signal detection analysis resulted in a cut score of 2.75 for this sample, which yielded a sensitivity of 0.95, specificity of 0.73, positive predictive value of 0.56, and negative predictive value of 0.97. False positives were highest for the 12- to 13-month-old age group; STAT screening properties were improved when the sample was limited to children 14 months and older. Implications for using the STAT with children under 24 months are discussed.
BIP on CD-ROM, OCLC, and dBASE III + combine to improve acquisitions workflow

Abstract Books in Print Plus on CD-ROM, OCLC, and dBase III + were combined to improve acquisitions workflow. Using information downloaded from OCLC and integrating it with information downloaded from Books in Print Plus into a dBase III + file helps the library acquisitions department create an on-order database and eliminates the time-consuming task of typing book orders.
Probing structure-function relationships of tissue-type plasminogen activator by site-specific mutagenesis

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), a 65 kDa member of the chymotrypsin family of serine proteases, catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the endogenous fibrinolytic cascade: conversion of the zymogen plasminogen into the active enzyme plasmin.‘-” Plasmin, a serine protease of relatively broad specificity, efficiently degrades the fibrin that forms the meshwork of a thrombus or blood clot.‘-3 The fibrinolytic cascade, therefore, provides an important counterbalance in vivo to the blood coagulation cascade. Appreciation that inappropriate thrombosis was the focal event in the initiation of acute myocardial infarction, and the demonstration that timely administration of thrombolytic agents could restore patency to occluded coronary arteries sparked great interest in thrombolytic therapy, the endogenous fibrinolytic system and, in particular, the plasminogen activators. Current thrombolytic therapy achieves lysis of stable coronary thrombi through the intravenous administration of plasminogen activators, usually either human t-PA or the bacterial protein, streptokinase.‘.” The evidence that thrombolytic therapy is capable of rapidly lysing thrombi without undue risk of hemorrhage is now convincing; numerous studies and clinical trials have confirmed both the efficacy and the safety of thrombolytic agents in the treatment of patients with an evolving myocardial infarction.4-‘2 t-PA is synthesized and secreted by vascular endothelial cells.’ 3-16 The amino acid sequence of the human t-PA precursor, originally deduced from the nucleotide sequence of cloned cDNAs”,‘~ and subsequently confirmed by amino acid sequencing of the purified proteinI consists of 563 amino acids. As this precursor is transported along the secretory pathway, oligosaccharide groups are added at three positions (Asn 117, Asn 184, and Asn 448), and both a hydrophobic signal sequence and a hydrophilic prosequence are removed by endopeptidic cleavage. ‘9-2’ The resulting 527 amino
Cooperativity of complex salt bridges

The energetic contribution of complex salt bridges, in which one charged residue (anchor residue) forms salt bridges with two or more residues simultaneously, has been suggested to have importance for protein stability. Detailed analysis of the net energetics of complex salt bridge formation using double- and triple-mutant cycle analysis revealed conflicting results. In two cases, it was shown that complex salt bridge formation is cooperative, i.e., the net strength of the complex salt bridge is more than the sum of the energies of individual pairs. In one case, it was reported that complex salt bridge formation is anti-cooperative. To resolve these different findings, we performed analysis of the geometries of salt bridges in a representative set of structures from the PDB and found that over 87% of all complex salt bridges anchored by Arg/Lys have a geometry such that the angle formed by their Cα atoms, Θ, is <90°. This preferred geometry is observed in the two reported instances when the energetics of complex salt bridge formation is cooperative, while in the reported anti-cooperative complex salt bridge, Θ is close to 160°. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that complex salt bridges are cooperative for Θ < 90° and anti-cooperative for 90° < Θ < 180°. To provide a further experimental test for this hypothesis, we engineered a complex salt bridge with Θ = 150° into a model protein, the activation domain of human procarboxypeptidase A2 (ADA2h). Experimentally derived stabilities of the ADA2h variants allowed us to show that the complex salt bridge in ADA2h is anti-cooperative.
A closer look at the effects of subordinate–supervisor age differences

Relational demography research has emphasized a similarity–attraction paradigm in explaining employees' reactions to demographic differences from other organizational members. This study examined similarity–attraction (nondirectional age differences) and status incongruence (directional age differences) predictions of age difference effects. The nondirectional and directional differences between the age of a subordinate and the ages of his or her immediate and higher-level supervisors were used to predict employee absenteeism, citizenship, and work change behaviors. Results revealed that there were more significant and marginally significant directional age difference effects than nondirectional age difference effects on work outcomes. The implications of these results for organizations are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Probability of Survival in a Blast Environment

The probability of survival of people located in personnel shelters when subjected to the blast effects produced by the detonation of a 1-MT weapon near the ground surface is studied. Personnel shelters analyzed are buried or with the roof slab at grade. The roof slap is the weakest structural component. Its partial or total collapse results in casualties. When the shelter is thus breached, casualties can also be produced by the blast loading when overpressures are sufficiently high. The analysis formulated predicts the probability of roof slab survival when subjected to an airblast loading. Probability of people survival against slab collapse is estimated based on the fraction of shelter area unaffected by collapse. Probability of survival against blast pressure entering the shelter area is determined using available casualty data. Results are combined to yield the probability of survival against both effects. The analysis considers the variability of selected geometric parameters of the roof slab, material properties and airblast parameters.
Enhancement of Triplet Stability in Benzene by Substituents with Triple Bonds

Excitation of phenylacetylene (PA) and benzonitrile to their lowest singlet states in a molecular beam has previously been shown to immediately (only during the 8 ns laser pulse) result in long-lived species with low ionization potentials (Hofstein, J.; Xu, H.; Sears, T.; Johnson, P.M. J. Phys. Chem. A 2008, 112, 1195–1201). Using the fragmentation of ions produced by photoionization at various times after initial excitation as a diagnostic for molecular geometry evolution, the long-lived species in phenylacetylene is shown to be a PA state (most likely a triplet) rather than an isomer. Delayed fluorescence and a delayed photoelectron signal indicative of S1 are also seen, indicating a singlet–triplet mixing process that is not quite in the statistical-coupling limit and is parallel to the long-lived species channel. Electronic structure calculations indicate that the lowest triplet state of phenylacetylene is nonplanar with the ethynyl group bent in a trans-configuration out of the plane of the ring. The...
The Effect of External Influences on Mate Selection Necessity Traits: Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Chinese and American Men and Women

ABSTRACTIn the current study we conducted hierarchical regression analyses to examine the extent to which influences from parents, peers, and the media explained participants’ perceptions of their possible mates’ criteria and their own criteria for age, attractiveness, social status, and wealth in choosing a spouse. Participants included 333 Chinese individuals and 339 Americans. We found that the three external influences accounted for a significant amount of the variation in the perceptions of and the criteria for the four mate selection necessity traits. In particular, media influence was the most significant and consistent external influence predictor. We discussed the cultural and gender differences observed in this study and how our findings might fit into the existing mate selection literature.
Noncontact Elastic Wave Imaging Optical Coherence Elastography for Evaluating Changes in Corneal Elasticity Due to Crosslinking

The mechanical properties of tissues can provide valuable information about tissue integrity and health and can assist in detecting and monitoring the progression of diseases such as keratoconus. Optical coherence elastography (OCE) is a rapidly emerging technique, which can assess localized mechanical contrast in tissues with micrometer spatial resolution. In this paper, we present a noncontact method of OCE to evaluate the changes in the mechanical properties of the cornea after UV-induced collagen crosslinking. A focused air-pulse induced a low-amplitude (micrometer scale) elastic wave, which then propagated radially and was imaged in three dimensions by a phase-stabilized swept-source optical coherence tomography system. The elastic wave velocity was translated to Young's modulus in agar phantoms of various concentrations. Additionally, the speed of the elastic wave significantly changed in porcine cornea before and after UV-induced corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL). Moreover, different layers of the cornea, such as the anterior stroma, posterior stroma, and inner region, could be discerned from the phase velocities of the elastic wave. Therefore, because of noncontact excitation and imaging, this method may be useful for in vivo detection of ocular diseases such as keratoconus and evaluation of therapeutic interventions such as CXL.
The Mouse Spot Test As a Predictor of Heritable Genetic Damage and Other Endpoints

One obvious way to prioritize the testing of agents whose risk must be assessed is to use some reliable pretest. The in vivo somatic mutation test (or mammalian spot test, MST) has presented itself as a potentially attractive option in that regard, because, unlike many other pretests, it retains the whole mammal as a test object. This chapter will examine available evidence on the ability of the spot test to predict the potency of an agent in causing heritable genetic damage. Additional endpoints that might be predicted by spot-test prescreening will be examined more briefly.
Farnesyltransferase inhibitors define a role for RhoB in controlling neoplastic pathophysiology

A long-standing goal in cancer research is to identify cellular functions that have selective roles in regulating neoplastic pathophysiology. Farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs) are a novel class of cancer chemotherapeutics which have little effect on normal cell physiology but which inhibit or reverse malignant cell phenotypes. FTIs were originally developed as a strategy to inhibit oncogenic Ras, the activity of which depends upon posttranslational farnesylation. However, recent work indicates the antineoplastic effects of FTIs are not linked to Ras inhibition but instead to alteration of RhoB, a small GTPase of the Rho family of cytoskeletal regulators that controls trafficking of cell surface receptors. Rho proteins integrate signals from integrins and cytokine receptors with cell shape via the actin cytoskeleton. A connection between FTIs and Rho alteration is interesting given that histological differences have long been used to define clinical cancer. RhoB is dispensable for normal cell growth and differentiation in mice. Thus, research into the antineoplastic effects of FTIs has led to the identification of a function(s) that is unnecessary for normal cell physiology but crucial for controlling malignant phenotypes.
Bacterial Dieoff in Ponds

Quantitative data have been obtained which demonstrate the effect of representative algal species on selected enteric bacteria. The data show that individual algal species exert little influence on the dieoff of enteric bacteria; however, as the environment becomes more complex with the involvement of a greater variety of algal species, the dieoff rates increase. Laboratory and pilot-scale field tests provided similar results. The dieoff coefficients for enteric bacteria were similar for tests conducted in the laboratories using mixtures of axenic algal cultures and in the field using pilot-scale waste stabilization ponds. Tests conducted with pathogenic bacteria and algal cultures yielded results similar to those found when enteric bacteria were used. Escherichia, Pseudomonas, and Serratia exhibited aftergrowth potential while Proteus, Alcaligenes, Enterobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, and Vibrio did not. Both laboratory and field tests showed that anaerobic pretreatment in combination with facultative and maturation ponds, as compared to facultative and maturation ponds in series, resulted in higher dieoffs of enteric bacteria.
Abstract 23: Caloric restriction slows tumor growth and metastases in both hormone-sensitive and hormone-resistant prostate cancers

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of caloric restriction (CR) on prostate cancer (PCa) tumor burden, proliferation, and overall survival with and without radiation treatment (RT). Additionally, we determined if the beneficial effect of CR noted are due to a reduction in pro-inflammatory markers hypothesized to enhance PCa tumorgenesis. Methods: To assess the effect of CR in vivo, 40 male 12 week-old NCRNu-M mice were injected with LNCaP or PC3 tumor cells. Once tumors were palpable, mice were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups in cohorts of 10: ad libitum (AL) diet, 6.5Gy of radiation (RT), 30% reduction in caloric intake (CR), or CR+RT. Tumor growth and proliferation rate were measured 3 times per week via calipers and live bioluminescent imaging. Additionally, PCa tumor tissue were analyzed to determine if CR can exert its effect on tumor growth and metastases via IGF-1R signaling pathway. Results: Adding CR to RT decreased tumor progression. In the PC3 murine model, when compared to AL, RT reduced tumor size by 22%, 77% with CR, and 80% with CR+RT. In the LNCaP murine model, compared with AL, CR reduced tumor size by 49% and a 55% reduction with CR+RT. Primary tumor formation began 9 weeks post tumor injection in the radiated cohort and was delayed to 15 weeks post tumor injection in the CR and CT+ RT cohorts. Additionally, time to metastasis was delayed with CR (86 days to metastasis in AL, 93 with RT, and 108 when combining CR+RT). Molecularly, CR decreased multiple members of the IGF-1R signaling pathway. The total IGF-1 and IGF-1R levels exhibited 50% reduction with CR and CR+RT but total INSR levels. CR also induced a significant decrease of pGSK3β and pAKT levels. Conclusions: For the first time, we have shown that decreasing calories by 30% in both hormone-sensitive and hormone-refractory prostate cancer models, enhance the efficacy of radiation. Our experiments show that even CR alone and in combination with RT can improve PCa tumor proliferation rate, tumor burden, time to metastasis, and overall survival. We hypothesize that these changes are in part, due to the decrease of the IGF-1R signaling pathway. We propose that CR may be used as a novel therapeutic intervention to enhance outcomes of radiation treatment by altering the molecular profile of prostate tumors. Citation Format: Robert S. Gitman, Meredith LaRose, Edouard J. Trabulsi, Ajay Palagani, Tiziana DeAngelis, William K. Kelly, Leonard G. Gomella, Nicole L. Simone. Caloric restriction slows tumor growth and metastases in both hormone-sensitive and hormone-resistant prostate cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 23.
Reducing Soil Sampling Errors

Soil Science: Step-by-Step Field Analysis Sally Logsdon, Dave Clay, Demie Moore, and Teferi Tsegaye, editors © 2008 Soil Science Society of America, 677 S. Segoe Road, Madison, WI 53711, USA • www.soils.org 131 To collect representative soil samples the sampler should: ■ consider the variability of the parameter being measured ■ use a sampling protocol that considers how the fertilizer was applied ■ composite at least 15 to 30 individual cores from each sampling area into a single sample ■ develop sampling protocols that consider prior management (such as feedlots and old boundaries)
Regulation of phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase synthesis and degradation. II. Control of the thermal stability of the enzyme by an endogenous stabilizing factor.

The levels of rat adrenal phenylethanolamine N -methyltransferase fall dramatically following hypophysectomy and can be restored to normal values by the administration of adrenocorticotrophin or glucocorticoids. Studies using combined radiolabeling and immunochemical techniques reveal that hypophysectomy accelerates degradation of the enzyme and that proteolysis of the enzyme in vivo is under regulation by glucocorticoids. After hypophysectomy the stability of phenylethanolamine N -methyltransferase at 50° is profoundly reduced, suggesting that concomitant with the increased susceptibility of the enzyme to proteolysis in vivo is an enhanced vulnerability to thermal denaturation in vitro . The thermal stability of the enzyme seems to be regulated by a freezing-thawinglabile, dialyzable substance present in the adrenal glands of normal rats. This material, termed stabilizing factor, is lost after hypophysectomy and can be restored by the administration of ACTH or dexamethasone. The stabilizing factor appears to act by binding to phenylethanolamine N -methyltransferase and can be dissociated from the immunoadsorbed enzyme by washing. The partially purified stabilizing factor has an absorption maximum at 264 nm; preliminary results indicate that it may be S -adenosylmethionine. Thus it is possible that binding of the enzyme to S -adenosylmethionine confers stability against proteolysis in vivo and thermal denaturation in vitro .
Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies of Lipopolysaccharide Micelles

A lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is one of the major structural components of the outer membrane in gram-negative bacteria. LPS, an amphipathic molecule, consists of a hydrophobic lipid (Lipid A) and a large hydrophilic polysaccharide composed of a core oligosaccharide and an O-antigen polysaccharide. LPS plays an important endotoxic role and it can activate the host immune system. LPS tends to form micelles when it reaches a threshold concentration, therefore it is important to understand the aggregation properties of these LPS micelles. In our studies, we have used two cores of Escherichia coli LPS (R1 and K12) and performed molecular dynamics simulations of homogenous LPS-only micelles (without O-antigen) in water. The simulation results are discussed in terms of micelle density distributions of individual components, micelle shapes, radius of gyration, and other structural properties.
AirSTAR hardware and software design for beyond visual range flight research

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Airborne Subscale Transport Aircraft Research (AirSTAR) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) is a facility developed to study the flight dynamics of vehicles in emergency conditions, in support of aviation safety research. The system was upgraded to have its operational range significantly expanded, going beyond the line of sight of a ground-based pilot. A redesign of the airborne flight hardware was undertaken, as well as significant changes to the software base, in order to provide appropriate autonomous behavior in response to a number of potential failures and hazards. Ground hardware and system monitors were also upgraded to include redundant communication links, including ADS-B based position displays and an independent flight termination system. The design included both custom and commercially available avionics, combined to allow flexibility in flight experiment design while still benefiting from tested configurations in reversionary flight modes. A similar hierarchy was employed in the software architecture, to allow research codes to be tested, with a fallback to more thoroughly validated flight controls. As a remotely piloted facility, ground systems were also developed to ensure the flight modes and system state were communicated to ground operations personnel in real-time. Presented in this paper is a general overview of the concept of operations for beyond visual range flight, and a detailed review of the airborne hardware and software design. This discussion is held in the context of the safety and procedural requirements that drove many of the design decisions for the AirSTAR UAS Beyond Visual Range capability.
“My dad is Li Gang!” or seeing the state: transgressive mobility, collective visibility, and playful corruption in contemporary urban China

This article examines transgressive mobility in contemporary urban China to argue that traffic does not just provide an analogy for inequality and abuse of power, but that it is through street spectacle that people see power enacted. While state power (a la Virilio) seeks to control the circulation of people, things, and ideas, state officials and their kin exhibit their power through transgressing this control. Examination of the “My dad is Li Gang!” case – where the son of a district police chief claimed immunity from prosecution after a hit-and-run accident because of his father’s position – as well as participant observation of street crossing in the city of Kunming, illustrate that people use collective observation, language and action to critique the transgressive mobility of officials and their kin. Yet, at the same time, a rising upper middle class who can now legally purchase their own cars aspire to the luxurious lifestyles of officials and their kin by “playing at corruption” through their own ...
Self-Cleaning of Femtosecond-Pulsed Beams in Graded-Index Multimode Fiber

We observe a nonlinear spatial self-cleaning process in multimode fiber. Experiments and simulations show this effect is caused by Kerr nonlinear interactions between the modes. Several important applications will be discussed.
Three-Degree-of-Freedom Estimation of Agile Space Objects Using Marginalized Particle Filters

Several innovations are introduced for space object attitude estimation using light-curve measurements. A radiometric measurement noise model is developed to define the observation uncertainty in t...
Protecting our militaries: a systematic literature review of military human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome prevention programs worldwide.

ABSTRACT Objectives: To systematically review published studies of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) prevention programs targeting the world's military populations. Methods: We systematically searched eight electronic databases (publications from 1983 to February 2005) and hand-searched the bibliographies of HIV/AIDS prevention reviews to identify evaluative studies of HIV/AIDS prevention interventions for military personnel. Results: Five hundred eighty-four abstracts were identified, of which eight met formal acceptance criteria. Four prevention interventions were identified, with each reporting a positive intervention effect on one or more of the following outcomes: increasing soldiers' knowledge of HIV/AIDS, willingness to engage in preventive behaviors, changing their attitudes toward greater compliance with prevention guidelines, and HIV/AIDS incidence and prevalence. Conclusions: Published interventions to reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS among military personn...
Teaching Preventive Nutrition in Medical Schools

Key Points On a daily basis, most physicians need specific knowledge and skills regarding nutrition to provide optimal care for their patients. Medical organizations and nutrition educational task forces agree that medical students need to learn about all clinically relevant nutrition topics. Comprehensive nutrition education outlines the impact of dietary exposure on disease development and teaches practical diagnostic and intervention skills. Computer-assisted nutrition instruction is effective and ensures systematic coverage of the full range of knowledge and skills. Adaptive instruction can tailor content presentation to student needs and save time by avoiding unnecessary repetition.
Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery in Patients with Herpes Simplex Virus Type-2 Infections

Some concerns exist regarding the use of regional anesthesia for patients with active genital herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV) infections undergoing cesarean delivery. Previous studies have reported the safe use of epidural anesthesia in these patients; there are no reports of the use of spinal anesthesia in this setting. We performed a 6-year retrospective survey of 169 patients delivered by cesarean delivery because of HSV infection. One hundred sixty-four of these patients had the diagnosis of secondary infection and five had the diagnosis of primary infection. Fifty-nine patients received general anesthesia, 75 received spinal anesthesia, and 35 received epidural anesthesia. One patient who was diagnosed with primary herpes and who received spinal anesthesia had a transient postpartum neurologic deficit; the etiology of this deficit was not clearly related to the anesthetic technique. No patients with secondary infection had septic or neurologic complications related to the anesthetic. Both spinal and epidural anesthesia appear to be safe alternatives for patients with secondary HSV infections undergoing cesarean delivery.
HIGHER SELF-EFFICACY ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER INTERLEUKIN-6 IN OLDER ADULTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE

Although inflammation is common in older adults with chronic diseases, not all have the same amount or degree of poor health outcomes from the inflammation or chronic diseases. Self-efficacy is integral to successful disease management but it is unclear if and how this relates to inflammation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate associations between self-efficacy and Interleukin-6 (IL-6), which is an inflammatory cytokine highly associated with all-cause morbidity and mortality. We conducted a two-visit cross-sectional study with 161 community dwelling adults ages 65 and older in Maryland. All participants had at least one chronic condition (e.g. hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, etc.) Those with a terminal illness diagnosis, active cancer treatment, cognitive impairment or progressive neurological condition were excluded. Sweat IL-6, self-efficacy, number of chronic diseases, social support and other socio-demographic data were collected. Sweat was collected using a non-invasive sweat patch worn for 72 hours by each participant. We examined the effect of self-efficacy in predicting sweat IL-6 after controlling for co-variates using multiple linear regression. There was a significant relationship between self-efficacy and IL-6 (β= -.02. p=0.004) that remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, race, body mass index, number of chronic conditions and social support (β= -0.22, p=0.005). Higher self-efficacy was significantly related to lower IL-6. Although preliminary, this could shed light on the mechanistic connection between psychological and physical states. Enhancing self-efficacy might also be a viable non-pharmacological treatment to lower or slow inflammatory burden in older adults.
Temperature dependence of secondary electron emission: A new route to nanoscale temperature measurement using scanning electron microscopy

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is ubiquitous for imaging but is not generally regarded as a tool for thermal measurements. Here, the temperature dependence of secondary electron (SE) emission from a sample's surface is investigated. Spatially uniform SEM images and the net charge flowing through a sample were recorded at different temperatures to quantify the temperature dependence of SE emission and electron absorption. The measurements also demonstrated charge conservation during thermal cycling by placing the sample inside a Faraday cup to capture the emitted SEs and back-scattered electrons from the sample. The temperature dependence of SE emission was measured for four semiconducting materials (Si, GaP, InP, and GaAs) with response coefficients found to be of magnitudes ∼100−1000 ppm/K. The detection limits for temperature changes were no more than ±8 °C for 60 s acquisition time.
Dependency-Resolving Intra-Unit Pipeline Architecture for High-Throughput Multipliers

In this paper, we propose two dependency-resolving intra-unit pipeline architectures to design high-throughput multipliers. Simulation results show that the proposed multipliers achieve approximately 2.4× to 4.3× execution time reduction at a cost of 4.4% area and 3.7% power overheads for highly-dependent multiplications.
Synthesis of Isoquinolines and Pyridines by the Palladium- and Copper-Catalyzed Coupling and Cyclization of Terminal Acetylenes

3-Substituted isoquinolines have been synthesized by the coupling of aryl- and alkenyl-substituted terminal acetylenes with the tert-butylimine of o-iodobenzaldehyde in the presence of a palladium catalyst. Alkyl-substituted acetylenes fail to undergo this annulation process. However, the intermediate iminoalkynes containing aryl, alkenyl, and alkyl substituents produced from these palladium-catalyzed reactions undergo copper-catalyzed cyclization in excellent yields and short reaction times. Isoquinolines and pyridines have thus been prepared in a one-pot synthesis via coupling of aryl-, alkenyl-, and alkyl-substituted terminal acetylenes with the tert-butylimines of o-iodobenzaldehydes or 3-halo-2-alkenals in the presence of a palladium catalyst and subsequent copper-catalyzed cyclization of the resulting iminoalkynes. The total synthesis of the isoquinoline natural product decumbenine B has been accomplished in seven steps and 20% overall yield by employing this palladium-catalyzed coupling/cyclization...
Through-the-Wall Radar Imaging: Theory and Applications

Abstract Through-the-Wall radar imaging (TWRI) is emerging as a viable technology for providing high quality imagery of enclosed structures. TWRI makes use of electromagnetic waves below the S-band to penetrate through building wall materials. The indoor scene can be illuminated from each antenna, and be reconstructed using the data from the receive antennas. Due to the “see”-through ability, TWRI has attracted much attention in the last decade with a variety of important civilian and military applications. For instance, this technology is employed for surveillance and detection of humans and interior objects in urban environments, and for search and rescue operations in military situations. In this chapter, we cover signal processing algorithms that proved valuable in allowing proper imaging and image recovery in the presence of high clutter, caused by front walls, and multipath, caused by reflections from internal walls. Specifically, we focus on ground-based imaging systems which are relatively mature, and discuss wall mitigation techniques, multipath exploitation methods, change detection of moving target, and compressive sensing for fast data acquisition.
PanDA and RADICAL-Pilot Integration: Enabling the Pilot Paradigm on HPC Resources

PanDA executes millions of ATLAS jobs a month on Grid systems with more than 300,000 cores. Currently, PanDA is compatible only with few high-performance computing (HPC) resources due to different edge services and operational policies; does not implement the pilot paradigm on HPC; and does not dynamically optimize resource allocation among queues. We integrated the PanDA Harvester service and the RADICAL-Pilot (RP) system to overcome these limitations and enable the execution of ATLAS, Molecular Dy-namics and other workloads on HPC resources. This paper offer two main con-tributions: (1) introducing PanDA Harvester and RADICAL-Pilot, two systems independent developed to support high-throughput computing (HTC) on high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructures; (2) describing the integration between these two systems to produce a middleware component with unique functionalities, including the concurrent execution of heterogeneous workloads on the Titan OLCF machine. We integrated Harvester and RP by prototyping a Next Generation Executor (NGE) to expose RP capabilities and manage the execution of PanDA workloads. In this way, we minimized the reengineering of the two systems, allowing their integration while being in production.
School burnout is related to sleep quality and perseverative cognition regulation at bedtime in young adults

Abstract The relationship between school burnout and sleep is largely unexplored, especially in emerging adults. Two studies investigate this relationship, including associations with academic achievement. Study 1 (N = 350) documents robust relationships between school burnout and self-reported indices of poorer sleep quality, over and above negative affect (i.e. depression, anxiety, stress) using survey data collected from undergraduates. Higher school burnout also corresponded with lower grade point average after accounting for sleep quality. Studies 2a (N = 681) and 2b (N = 474) examined school burnout and perseverative cognition regulation across time using latent cross-lagged panel analyses and latent growth models with survey data collected three times over a semester. Findings suggested that although only a few predicted paths emerged between burnout and perseverative cognition regulation, increasing school burnout was associated with slower improvements in perseverative cognition regulation during bedtime. Limitations, study implications, and future research directions are also discussed.
Three-dimensional monolithic porous structures assembled from fragmented electrospun nanofiber mats/membranes: Methods, properties, and applications

Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) monolithic structures (i.e., aerogels/sponges/scaffolds) assembled from fragmented electrospun nanofiber mats/membranes represent an emerging research topic in the electrospinning field. Owing to extremely high porosity, as well as excellent structural flexibility and stability, these 3D nanofibrous structures have attracted significant interests for various applications. In this review, the preparation of 3D monolithic structures are thoroughly discussed; and the properties of 3D structures and their various applications in the fields of environment (e.g., organic compound removal, dye adsorption, and filtration and separation), energy (e.g., supercapacitor), electronics (e.g., pressure sensor), chemical engineering (e.g., catalyst support, thermal insulator, and Joule heater), and biomedical engineering (e.g., tissue engineering, hydrogel, and drug delivery) are summarized. Additionally, the future perspectives and challenges are also presented. It is envisioned that, this review will provide important guidance in designing novel 3D electrospun nanofibrous structures and exploring their potential applications.
The impact of channelization on macroinvertebrate bioindicators in small order Illinois streams: insights from long-term citizen science research

Channelization can have far-reaching and long-term impacts on stream ecology. In this study, we demonstrate that channelization is associated with lower stream quality as measured by macroinvertebrate bioindicators when compared to unchannelized streams. Citizen scientists collected the data for this study between 1995 and 2014, performing 3021 sampling events during the months of May and June across 567 Illinois streams. We found significantly lower taxa richness, EPT taxa richness, and macroinvertebrate biotic index values in channelized sites. Our findings also show prevalent siltation in channelized sites that is likely negatively affecting macroinvertebrates, along with a possible lower availability of quality habitat. We also measured stream velocity and found that average velocity did not differ between our channelized and unchannelized sites. Our findings suggest stream velocity was not a driving factor in determining the differences in macroinvertebrate assemblages, although we cannot comment on the possible change in velocity from pre to post channelization at each site. This study allows for a large dataset that covers diverse streams across the entire state of Illinois. Our work provides example and encouragement for other researchers to take advantage of the power of citizen science, and the existing large datasets available from these projects.
The AI-Medic: A Multimodal Artificial Intelligent Mentor for Trauma Surgery

Telementoring generalist surgeons as they treat patients can be essential when in situ expertise is not readily available. However, adverse cyber-attacks, unreliable network conditions, and remote mentors' predisposition can significantly jeopardize the remote intervention. To provide medical practitioners with guidance when mentors are unavailable, we present the AI-Medic, the initial steps towards the development of a multimodal intelligent artificial system for autonomous medical mentoring. The system uses a tablet device to acquire the view of an operating field. This imagery is provided to an encoder-decoder neural network trained to predict medical instructions from the current view of a surgery. The network was training using DAISI, a dataset including images and instructions providing step-by-step demonstrations of surgical procedures. The predicted medical instructions are conveyed to the user via visual and auditory modalities.
Arabidopsis LTR retrotransposons and their regulation by epigenetically activated small RNA

Abstract In Arabidopsis, LTR-retrotransposons are activated by mutations in the chromatin remodeler DECREASE in DNA METHYLATION 1 (DDM1), giving rise to 21-22nt epigenetically activated siRNAs (easiRNAs) that depend on RNA DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE 6 (RDR6). We purified virus-like-particles (VLPs) from ddm1 and ddm1rdr6 mutants in which genomic RNA is reverse transcribed into complementary DNA. Next generation short-read and long-read sequencing of VLP DNA (VLP DNA-seq) revealed a comprehensive catalog of active LTR-retrotransposons without the need for mapping transposition, and independent of genomic copy number. Linear replication intermediates of a functionally intact copia element EVADE revealed multiple central polypurine tracts (cPPT), a feature shared with HIV where cPPT promote nuclear localization. For one member of the ATCOPIA52 subfamily (SISYPHUS), cPPT intermediates were not observed, but abundant circular DNA indicated transposon “suicide” by auto-integration within the VLP. easiRNA targeted EVADE genomic RNA, polysome association of GYPSY (ATHILA) subgenomic RNA, and transcription via histone H3 lysine-9 dimethylation. VLP DNA-seq provides a comprehensive landscape of LTR-retrotransposons, and their control at transcriptional, post-transcriptional and reverse transcriptional levels.
IN QUEST FOR JUSTICE: SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF INCLUSION AND EQUALITY

The dream of a just society has endured in our civilization for ages. The turmoil that has engulfed America and the world today shows that this dream is very much alive. The problem of inclusion and equality is in the center of the current political unrest. The search for its solution is the main motivation for this article. The article will first provide a critical examination of the dominant theories on the origin of inequality and exclusion. It will also offer a critical analysis of the current policies on inclusion and equality pursued by the progressive liberals. The study will formulate a new perspective on the problem of inclusion and equality. Finally, it and will outline the path toward the solution of this problem.
A complex patterned-ground ecosystem in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA supports unusual habitat for American pika

A complex landscape lies on an alpine plateau in the high Sierra Nevada, California, and comprises spatially organized physical and ecological features that interact to create a unique ecosystem. A...
Epigenetic Evolution of ACE2 and IL-6 Genes as Non-Canonical Interferon-Stimulated Genes Correlate to COVID-19 Susceptibility in Vertebrates

Current novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread globally within a matter of months. The virus establishes a success in balancing its deadliness and contagiousness, and causes substantial differences in susceptibility and disease progression in people of different ages, genders and pre-existing comorbidities. Since these host factors are subjected to epigenetic regulation, relevant analyses on some key genes underlying COVID-19 pathogenesis were performed to longitudinally decipher their epigenetic correlation to COVID-19 susceptibility. The genes of host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2, as the major virus receptor) and interleukin (IL)-6 (a key immune-pathological factor triggering cytokine storm) were shown to evince active epigenetic evolution via histone modification and cis/trans-factors interaction across different vertebrate species. Extensive analyses revealed that ACE2 ad IL-6 genes are among a subset of non-canonical interferon-stimulated genes (non-ISGs), which have been designated recently for their unconventional responses to interferons (IFNs) and inflammatory stimuli through an epigenetic cascade. Furthermore, significantly higher positive histone modification markers and PWM (position weight matrix) scores of key cis-elements corresponding to inflammatory and IFN signaling, were discovered in both ACE2 and IL6 gene promoters across representative COVID-19-susceptible species compared to unsusceptible ones. Findings characterize ACE2 and IL-6 genes as non-ISGs that respond differently toinflammatory and IFN signaling from the canonical ISGs and their epigenetic properties may serve as biomarkers to longitudinally predict COVID-19 susceptibility in vertebrates and partially explain COVID-19 inequality in people of different subgroups. Funding: This work was supported by USDA NIFA Evans-Allen-1013186 and NIFA 2018- 67016-28313 to YS, and in part through reagent sharing of NIFA AFRI 2020-67016-31347 and NSF-IOS-1831988 to YS. Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Authenticity: The Capacity for Authenticity, Congruence, Genuineness, and Realness

We are constantly, at least potentially, in a state of becoming mature. Consciously or not so consciously, we are confronted with the awesome responsibility for our own process of maturation. We live authentically by being response-able to the call of maturation. We live inauthentically by not owning such a responsibility and by avoiding the anxiety that comes with living up to the responsibilities of continuing maturation and/or the guilt that comes with having failed to respond in a mature way in any given life situation. We cannot be authentic all the time. We inevitably oscillate between living authentically and living inauthentically. Living inauthentically, as in conforming, does not in itself signify a lesser way of being. But if our lives are skewed excessively on the side of living pretentiously, our maturation becomes developmentally arrested. The weight of the balance ought to be on the side of authenticity.
Cardiovascular Complications in Uremia and Dialysis

Cardiovascular complications occur frequently in patients with renal disease and are the leading cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Cardiac disease accounted for 39% of all deaths in dialysis patients between 1988 and 1990 in the U.S. (1), 37.8% of deaths in Canada (2), and up to 30% in Europe (3). U.S. Renal Data Systems (USRDS) classifies cardiac diseases as a cause of death into three categories: myocardial infarction, pericarditis, and other cardiac causes, with a death rate of 19.9, 1, and 42.4 per 1000 patients per year, respectively, during the period 1988–1990. The category other cardiac causes includes congestive heart failure, subacute and chronic ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, and valvular disease. For all patients between 45 and 65 years of age on dialysis, the death rate from cardiovascular disease was approximately 3.5 times the age-specific rate for the normal population (4).
CUSTOM, RELIGION AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Custom and religion as they relate to women's rights was the focus of a recent workshop hosted by the Women Lawyers' Association. Veni Soobrayan reports
Patterns of utilization for the Minnesota senior health options program.

Objectives: To compare the use of medical services provided under the Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO) (a special program designed to serve dually eligible older persons) with that provided to controls who received fee-for-service Medicare and Medicaid managed care. Design: Quasi-experimental design using two control groups; separate matched cohort and rolling cross-sectional analyses; regression models used to adjust for case-mix differences. Setting: Urban Minnesota community and nursing home long-term care. Participants: Dually eligible elderly MSHO enrollees in the community and in nursing homes were compared with two sets of controls; one was drawn from nonenrollees living in the same area (control-in) and another from comparable persons living in another urban area where the program was not available (control-out). Cohorts living in the community and in nursing homes were included. Measurements: Use of hospitals and emergency rooms, physician visits. Results: In the community cohort, there were no significant differences in hospital admission rates or in hospital days. MSHO enrollees had significantly fewer preventable hospital admissions and significantly fewer preventable emergency services than the control-in group. MSHO nursing home enrollees had significantly fewer hospital admissions than either control group with or without adjustment at 12 and 18 months. MSHO enrollees had significantly fewer hospital days and preventable hospitalizations than the control-in group. MSHO enrollees had significantly fewer emergency room visits and preventable emergency room visits than either control group. Conclusion: In general, the results of this evaluation are mixed but favor MSHO. The effect of MSHO was stronger for nursing home enrollees than community enrollees. The lower rate of preventable hospitalizations and emergency room visits of MSHO enrollees suggests that MSHO affected the process of care by providing more of some types of preventive and community-care services for community residents.
Linking Market Share Strategies to Salesforce Objectives, Activities, and Compensation Policies

AbstractThis article examines the linkages between the four basic market share strategies, “build,” “hold,” “harvest,” and “divest,” and corresponding functional level sales strategies. For eacn market share strategy, a sales strategy is delineated in terms of its primary sales objectives and sales activities. Compensation policies which support the market share-sales strategy linkages are also suggested.