cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
BMP regulates regional gene expression in the dorsal otocyst through canonical and non-canonical intracellular pathways

The inner ear consists of two otocyst-derived, structurally and functionally distinct components: the dorsal vestibular and ventral auditory compartments. BMP signaling is required to form the vestibular compartment, but how it complements other required signaling molecules and acts intracellularly is unknown. Using spatially and temporally controlled delivery of signaling pathway regulators to developing chick otocysts, we show that BMP signaling regulates the expression of Dlx5 and Hmx3, both of which encode transcription factors essential for vestibular formation. However, although BMP regulates Dlx5 through the canonical SMAD pathway, surprisingly, it regulates Hmx3 through a non-canonical pathway involving both an increase in cAMP-dependent protein kinase A activity and the GLI3R to GLI3A ratio. Thus, both canonical and non-canonical BMP signaling establish the precise spatiotemporal expression of Dlx5 and Hmx3 during dorsal vestibular development. The identification of the non-canonical pathway suggests an intersection point between BMP and SHH signaling, which is required for ventral auditory development.
Getting It Right the First Time

In this issue of the AJNR, Theron et al. [1] report on a retrospective analysis of carotid angioplasty in 13 patients in whom a modification of a previously described catheter system designed to protect the cerebral circulation during the procedure was used. The temporary arrest of flow within the internal carotid artery and flushing of the arterial segment proximal to the temporary occlusion balloon are key technical elements. Selection criteria for patients included a history of transient ischemic attacks or stroke (1 0 patients) and history of no augmentation in cerebral blood flow after acetazolamide challenge in cerebral blood flow analysis (three asymptomatic patients). Restoration of hemodynamic normalcy occurred in all but one patient, as inferred from the degree of residual stenosis seen on angiography and findings on postprocedure carotid Doppler studies. All patients received either aspirin or ticlopidine before the procedure and for 2 months after angioplasty. The authors also describe a variation of their standard procedure in the treatment of lesions involving adjacent segments of both the internal and common carotid arteries. No procedural complications occurred, and all patients had no new or recurrent symptoms during a mean follow-up period of 8.5 months. Theron et al. conclude that their catheter system offers several advantages over other systems. They also theorize that angioplasty may promote healing of ulcerative lesions; therefore, patients who have such lesions should not be excluded from angioplasty therapy. The authors also assert that nonaugmentation in cerebral blood flow after acetazolamide challenge is a justifiable basis for selection of asymptomatic patients for carotid angioplasty. In addition to the methodologic limitations of any retrospective study, several issues, including criteria for selection of 875
Herbicide Resistance in Higher Plants

Many agricultural systems still rely heavily on mechanical methods (tillage) for weed control. Such control methods are highly effective in reducing the density of undesirable plants but are not believed to appreciably influence weed species composition. However, weed species have evolved in response to other agricultural practices (Baker, 1974; Young and Evans, 1976), and it is likely that they have responded to tillage, as well. Recent studies by Price et al. (1980) suggest that wild oat (Avena fatua) can be genetically manipulated by cultivation practices.
Politics Matter for Black College Enrollment

This chapter summarizes the discussion, showing that political variables fill a void in higher education research and offer a bridge between academic disciplines, research, and politics. The argument is that this study provides an opportunity to apply scientific methods to mainly descriptive data, and it extends the applicability of politics to research on important social issues. This is not intended as a complete examination of all the possible influences on Black enrollment in higher education. It is one explanation among many to account for changes in enrollment patterns under the mandate of desegregation. The findings indicate that political variables are more influential than socioeconomic indicators in ensuring educational opportunity for African Americans, and increased political participation ensures participation in other areas, especially in education. In other words, politics matter in the struggle for equality in higher education.
Consumption Aspects: Empirical Findings

Consumption is a driver of the book industry, and therefore impacts profits as the state of the economy changes. The overall state is that production rates are almost twice as large as consumption rates—but prices remain high, partly because they are traditionally cost-push in nature. The highest-cost aspects of the industry have traditionally been paper, platemaking, printing, binding, and book returns. Information technology is changing those costs as book production moves online or overseas. As a result, the industry has experienced some severe short-term business cycles that have been devastating to firms like Borders Books, which exited the industry in 2011. Our empirical study shows that price is elastic for all major book categories, indicating that price competition is still alive, though the industry also practices nonprice competition.
Effects of cultural brokering on individual wellbeing and family dynamics among immigrant youth

Over 90% of immigrant youth help their parents navigate the mainstream US culture, a process known as cultural brokering. Past research has indicated that brokering can often have negative effects on development of immigrant youth and their families. The current study builds on the past literature by examining how various aspects of brokering may impact individual wellbeing and family dynamics among first generation immigrant and refugee youth from Eastern Europe (N = 197, Mage = 22.93 (SD = 2.89), 63.5% female) currently residing in the United States. The results show that family conflict mediates the relationship between brokering and youth psychological wellbeing. The findings suggest that there are distinct patterns of association between frequency of brokering and feelings toward brokering, pointing to the need to further understand the ways in which we can capitalize on positive aspects and minimize negative aspects of cultural brokering among immigrants.
Using a Placebo or Sham Procedure as a Control: Ethics and Practicalities

New surgical treatments are often introduced without proof of efficacy from randomized controlled trials, and some procedures that are perceived to be effective have never been rigorously tested. There is evidence that there is a significant placebo effect from surgical procedures and the effectiveness of some accepted procedures is due largely to this placebo effect. There is further evidence that the placebo effect from invasive procedures may be even stronger than the recognized effects of a placebo pill. An increasing number of randomized controlled trials evaluating surgical interventions have used sham, or placebo, surgeries in their control groups to account for the placebo effect. The use of placebo procedures raises important ethical and practical issues. The primary ethical concerns stem from the recognition that sham procedures necessarily cause more than minimal risk and harm, which challenges research and clinical ethics. The practical challenge of incorporating sham procedures as experimental controls involves identifying a suitable placebo procedure that can adequately maintain blinding while satisfying the ethical demands to minimize harm as much as possible.
Anti-ENA antibody profiles in patients with hepatitis C virus infection.

Background The presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) has been described following hepatitis C virus (HCV). Very few studies have investigated the presence of anti-extractable nuclear antigens (ENA) in HCV infection. Methods The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of ENA antibodies in 100 patients with HCV infection compared to the prevalence of ENA antibodies in 100 healthy control patients. Sera from patients were tested for ENA using a multiplex microbead immunoassay. Sera positive for ENA were subsequently tested for ANA using an indirect immunofluorescence assay and titered if positive. Results Fourteen (14%) of the 100 patients with HCV infection had anti-ENA antibodies: four each showed anti-SSA antibodies and anti-dsDNA antibodies, three each had RNP antibodies and Scl-70 antibodies, and one each had anti-SSB, centromere B, Sm, and Sm/RNP antibodies. Ten of the 14 patients positive for anti-ENA were positive by indirect immunofluorescence staining (IFA) with titers ranging from 1:40 to 1:160. Five had antinuclear patterns, one had combined antinuclear and cytoplasmic patterns, and four only had a cytoplasmic pattern. Three of the 100 healthy control patients had ANA positive titers (1:80 and 1:320) and anti-ENA antibodies: one anti-Scl-70 and two anti-RNP. Conclusion The prevalence of anti-ENA antibodies was significantly higher in the patients with HCV infections than in the healthy controls. Other studies of anti-ENA profiles in patients with HCV infection have identified similar patterns of positivity for anti-SSA, anti-SSB, anti-dsDNA, anti-RNP, anti- Sm/RNP, Scl-70, centromere B, and anti-Sm.
Integrating well log interpretations for lithofacies classification and permeability modeling through advanced machine learning algorithms

In this paper, an integrated procedure was adopted to obtain accurate lithofacies classification to be incorporated with well log interpretations for a precise core permeability modeling. Probabilistic neural networks (PNNs) were employed to model lithofacies sequences as a function of well logging data in order to predict discrete lithofacies distribution at missing intervals. Then, the generalized boosted regression model (GBM) was used as to build a nonlinear relationship between core permeability, well logging data, and lithofacies. The well log interpretations that were considered for lithofacies classification and permeability modeling are neutron porosity, shale volume, and water saturation as a function of depth; however, the measured discrete lithofacies types are sand, shaly sand, and shale. Accurate lithofacies classification was achieved by the PNN as the total percent correct of the predicted discrete lithofacies was 95.81%. In GBM results, root-mean-square prediction error and adjusted R-square have incredible positive values, as there was an excellent matching between the measured and predicted core permeability. Additionally, the GBM model led to overcome the multicollinearity that was available between one pair of the predictors. The efficiency of boosted regression was demonstrated by the prediction matching of core permeability in comparison with the conventional multiple linear regression (MLR). GBM led to much more accurate permeability prediction than the MLR.
Odious to the Constitution: The Educational Implications of Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer

In Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer, the Supreme Court announced a new constitutional rule: Except where such an action would violate the Establishment Clause, the Free Exercise Clause prohibits constitutional actors from conferring or denying a benefit solely because of an individual’s or entity’s religious exercise. While four justices joined a footnote suggesting the result was limited to the context of improving playground safety, the language of the Opinion of the Court establishes broad general principles, which “do not permit discrimination against religious exercise—whether on the playground or anywhere else.” If this new constitutional rule—no conferral or denial of a benefit solely because of religious exercise—applies in educational contexts, the results will be profound. Indeed, Trinity Lutheran may redefine the intersection of education and religion more than any case since the school prayer decisions early 1960’s. Its general principles reshape the meaning of the States’ sovereignty, ensure equality between private secular schools and private religious schools, and enhance the rights of student religious organizations on public university campuses. The purpose of this Article is to provide an overview of Trinity Lutheran and its implications for education. This Article has three Sections. Section I provides the legal and factual background of the controversy through the lower federal courts. Section II explores the Opinion of the Court, the three concurring opinions, and Justice Sotomayor’s angry dissent. Section III examines the educational implications of Trinity Lutheran. Specifically, it explains how Trinity Lutheran’s general principles lead to an a diminishment of the State Constitutions’ Establishment Clauses, a mandate for equal treatment of private secular and religious schools, and greater funding and autonomy for student religious groups on public university campuses.
Overlapping labour market areas based on link communities

Many urban areas around the world have expanded from monocentric to polycentric regions forming larger hierarchical structures. These regions represent functional regions or labour market areas (LMAs) that are classified as groups of counties representing mutually exclusive, non-overlapping geographies. In practice, however, a county may belong to multiple overlapping LMAs. To model this overlapping across urban hierarchies, we extend the link community method from network theory and apply it to US commuting data. Our proposed approach reliably identifies the LMAs that we would expect to find as well as core and periphery areas within them.
Super heroes, villains, and politics: Elementary youth superhero narratives in an afterschool program

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the superhero genre, when couched in a space and project that seek to act as a counter-world and is rooted in the life experiences of youth, can allow Latinx elementary school students the opportunity to create counter-stories. Such stories facilitated the process of creating “critical hope” in relation to oppressive political discourses. Design/methodology/approach This is a qualitative study conducted at an afterschool club in the Western USA. Using the superhero genre, elementary school students, grades third-fifth, participated in a project in which they created superhero and villain narratives set in their community. Findings The authors found that the superhero genre supported some Latinx students to develop counter-stories that engaged with and resisted the heightened xenophobic and racist discourse appropriated by then US presidential candidate Donald Trump in the context of the 2016 presidential campaign. These counter-stories allowed youth to engage in critical hope to imagine a better, more just world. Originality/value In a time when young Latinx students are continually subjected to racism and xenophobia promoted by political figures and taken up by popular media and the general public, it is necessary to support students in creating counter-stories and critical hope that push back against oppression. Findings suggest that the superhero genre can support Latinx students to discuss, dismantle and counter hateful discourses while striving for hope.
Atmospheric Concentrations of PCB-11 Near the Great Lakes Have Not Decreased Since 2004

3,3′-Dichlorobiphenyl (PCB-11) is thought to be a byproduct of the production of yellow pigments, and thus, it has sources to the environment that differ both in type and magnitude compared to the PCBs that made up the, now banned, Aroclor commercial products. To assess these differences, the temporal trends of atmospheric concentrations of PCB-11 relative to those of 31 specific Aroclor-related congeners and relative to those of total Aroclor-PCBs at six sites near the North American Great Lakes were investigated. About 1800 atmospheric samples were collected over the period of 2004–2015 (inclusive). A multiple linear regression approach was used to isolate the variations in the atmospheric concentrations due to the human population near the sampling sites, seasonal effects, and long-term temporal changes. The atmospheric concentrations of the Aroclor-PCBs are decreasing with halving times of about 12 years, but the atmospheric concentrations of PCB-11 have not changed significantly over this time period...
An integrated autonomous control mechanism to optimize sharing of multiple resources in Simultaneous Multi-Threading processors

Abstract Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) processors allow concurrent execution of multiple independent threads with sharing of key datapath components to enhance system performance with more efficient resource utilization. However, due to the nature of SMT processing, imbalanced distribution of critical shared resources may easily clog some pipeline stages by slower threads and lead to unexpected system performance degradation. In this paper, an integrated autonomous control mechanism is proposed to optimize the use of two critical shared resources among multiple threads based on threads’ temporal behaviors in real time, by taking into account resource utilization snapshots at various stages of the pipeline. Our simulations based on M-Sim (Sharkey, 2005) [1] show that our proposed mechanism improves IPC (Instruction Per Clock Cycle) by a very significant margin (up to 100.4%) without sacrificing execution fairness among threads. Performance improvement from the proposed integrated approach on the two shared resources easily surpasses the aggregated benefits from two control mechanisms with each considering only one individual resource at a time.
The Vindication of Lorentz

In Newton’s view absolute time, God’s time, is the seat of temporal becoming and objective tense. The A-theorist may concur with Newton on this point, seeing SR as nothing more than a theory about relative time, that is, our physical measures of time. But how, then, does A-theoretic time connect with physical time? Given our rejection of the relativity interpretation of SR, it follows from the reality of tense that a Lorentzian theory of relativity is correct after all. The A-theorist may plausibly contend that that reference frame whose associated time coincides with and thus constitutes the measure of metaphysical time is thereby privileged and that the familiar relativistic phenomena are the result of motion relative to this frame.
Variable Rate Vector Quantization

All of the lossy compression schemes considered thus far have been fixed rate schemes, systems that send a fixed number of bits for each input symbol or block or, equivalently, a fixed number of bits per unit time. The only variable rate schemes considered were the noiseless codes of Chapter 9 where channel codewords of differing sizes were assigned to different input vectors. In the noiseless code case the basic strategy is fairly obvious: by assigning short codewords to highly probable input vectors and long codewords to rare input vectors in an intelligent fashion, one can reduce the average number of bits sent. A similar strategy can be applied in vector quantization: instead of sending a fixed number, R, of bits for each input vector, one might have a code that assigns a variable number of bits to different codewords. For example, one could use several bits to describe codewords for active input vectors such as plosives in speech or edges in an image and use fewer bits for codewords describing low activity input vectors such as silence in speech or background in images. Unlike the lossless codes, however, it is not clear that here the best strategy is to assign shorter words to more probable vectors and longer words to less probable since the overall goal is now to minimize average distortion and hence both probability and distortion must be taken into account.
SPIN AND STATISTICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the authoritative paper of Wolfgang Pauli proving that the particles with half-integral spin obey the Fermi–Dirac statistics while particles with integral spin obey Bose–Einstein statistics. Very few investigators ever questioned the possibility of deviation from this rule. The chapter reviews some of those investigations. It focuses on the generalization of the usual quantization rules in quantum mechanics. According to the studies done by Messiah and Greenberg, the states of two or more identical particles are either symmetric or antisymmetric under permutations. H. S. Green investigated a generalization that involves a departure from Bose–Einstein and Fermi–Dirac statistics. Instead of the bilinear algebraic relations, H. S. Green considered trilinear relations that lead to the para-fields that give rise to the para-particles.
Visually validated semi-automatic high-frequency oscillation detection aides the delineation of epileptogenic regions during intra-operative electrocorticography.

Abstract Objective To test the utility of a novel semi-automated method for detecting, validating, and quantifying high-frequency oscillations (HFOs): ripples (80–200 Hz) and fast ripples (200–600 Hz) in intra-operative electrocorticography (ECoG) recordings. Methods Sixteen adult patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) had intra-operative ECoG recordings at the time of resection. The computer-annotated ECoG recordings were visually inspected and false positive detections were removed. We retrospectively determined the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value (PPV/NPV) of HFO detections in unresected regions for determining post-operative seizure outcome. Results Visual validation revealed that 2.81% of ripple and 43.68% of fast ripple detections were false positive. Inter-reader agreement for false positive fast ripple on spike classification was good (ICC = 0.713, 95% CI: 0.632–0.779). After removing false positive detections, the PPV of a single fast ripple on spike in an unresected electrode site for post-operative non-seizure free outcome was 85.7 [50–100%]. Including false positive detections reduced the PPV to 64.2 [57.8–69.83%]. Conclusions Applying automated HFO methods to intraoperative electrocorticography recordings results in false positive fast ripple detections. True fast ripples on spikes are rare, but predict non-seizure free post-operative outcome if found in an unresected site. Significance Semi-automated HFO detection methods are required to accurately identify fast ripple events in intra-operative ECoG recordings.
Single-Particle 3D Reconstruction beyond the Nyquist Frequency

The Nyquist frequency dictates the highest resolution of information in an image. However, this upper-limit only stands for a single image. In a set of images from the same object but with random inter-frame translation, the ensemble actually contains information beyond the Nyquist frequency. In this work, an algorithm is proposed and validated to retrieve such information in 2D and 3D space. Its application in single-particle electron microscopy can lead to high-throughput data collection and density map reconstruction at higher resolution.
Risk factors for medication non-adherence among atrial fibrillation patients.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) patients are routinely prescribed medications to prevent and treat complications, including those from common co-occurring comorbidities. However, adherence to such medications may be suboptimal. Therefore, we sought to identify risk factors for general medication non-adherence in a population of patients with atrial fibrillation. Data were collected from a large, ethnically-diverse cohort of Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern California adult members with incident diagnosed AF between January 1, 2006 and June 30, 2009. Self-reported questionnaires were completed between May 1, 2010 and September 30, 2010, assessing patient socio-demographics, health behaviors, health status, medical history and medication adherence. Medication adherence was assessed using a previously validated 3-item questionnaire. Medication non-adherence was defined as either taking medication(s) as the doctor prescribed 75% of the time or less, or forgetting or choosing to skip one or more medication(s) once per week or more. Electronic health records were used to obtain additional data on medical history. Multivariable logistic regression analyses examined the associations between patient characteristics and self-reported general medication adherence among patients with complete questionnaire data. Among 12,159 patients with complete questionnaire data, 6.3% (n = 771) reported medication non-adherence. Minority race/ethnicity versus non-Hispanic white, not married/with partner versus married/with partner, physical inactivity versus physically active, alcohol use versus no alcohol use, any days of self-reported poor physical health, mental health and/or sleep quality in the past 30 days versus 0 days, memory decline versus no memory decline, inadequate versus adequate health literacy, low-dose aspirin use versus no low-dose aspirin use, and diabetes mellitus were associated with higher adjusted odds of non-adherence, whereas, ages 65–84 years versus < 65 years of age, a Charlson Comorbidity Index score ≥ 3 versus 0, and hypertension were associated with lower adjusted odds of non-adherence. Several potentially preventable and/or modifiable risk factors related to medication non-adherence and a few non-modifiable risk factors were identified. These risk factors should be considered when assessing medication adherence among patients diagnosed with AF.
Neural Dynamics of Cognitive Control over Working Memory Capture of Attention

The contents of working memory (WM) guide visual attention toward matching features, with visual search being faster when the target and a feature of an item held in WM spatially overlap (validly cued) than when they occur at different locations (invalidly cued). Recent behavioral studies have indicated that attentional capture by WM content can be modulated by cognitive control: When WM cues are reliably helpful to visual search (predictably valid), capture is enhanced, but when reliably detrimental (predictably invalid), capture is attenuated. The neural mechanisms underlying this effect are not well understood, however. Here, we leveraged the high temporal resolution of ERPs time-locked to the onset of the search display to determine how and at what processing stage cognitive control modulates the search process. We manipulated predictability by grouping trials into unpredictable (50% valid/invalid) and predictable (100% valid, 100% invalid) blocks. Behavioral results confirmed that predictability modulated WM-related capture. Comparison of ERPs to the search arrays showed that the N2pc, a posteriorly distributed signature of initial attentional orienting toward a lateralized target, was not impacted by target validity predictability. However, a longer latency, more anterior, lateralized effect-here, termed the "contralateral attention-related negativity"-was reduced under predictable conditions. This reduction interacted with validity, with substantially greater reduction for invalid than valid trials. These data suggest cognitive control over attentional capture by WM content does not affect the initial attentional-orienting process but can reduce the need to marshal later control mechanisms for processing relevant items in the visual world.
Microflora composition in the gastrointestinal tract in patients with Barrett’s esophagus

Background: The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has been increasing over the last 40 years. While Barrett’s esophagus is a known risk factor for the development of EAC, the role of the microflora in the development of EAC is still largely unknown and is being investigated further by multiple centers. Our goal was to identify trends in microflora composition along various aspects of the upper gastrointestinal tract in patients with Barrett’s esophagus. Methods: After obtaining institutional review board approval, 12 patients agreed to participate in the study. While endoscopy was performed for surveillance Barrett’s monitoring, additional biopsies of esophageal mucosa were taken from the (I) proximal esophagus, (II) mid-esophagus, (III) distal esophagus, and (IV) Barrett’s esophagus. Additional swabs were also taken from the uvula and the endoscope used during the procedure. The swabs from the uvula and endoscope were obtained prior to the endoscope entering the stomach, to prevent exposing the endoscope to the acidic environment of the stomach. The most common bacterial elements were identified by amplifying sample DNA using a panel of 5 “universal” fusion primer pairs. The 400–500 base pair fragments created an overlap which covered 95% of the bacterial 16s gene. Results: Throughout the esophagus, 34 bacterial genera were found which had a relative abundance of >1.0. Streptococcal genera were prevalent in all aspects of the esophagus, ranging from 16% to 70% of the bacterial community. Haemophilus genera were uniquely abundant in the Barrett’s esophageal tissue but relatively absent elsewhere in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Overall, the percentage of Gram-positive organisms was much higher in the proximal than distal esophagus. The microflora pattern obtained from the uvula and endoscopic swabs did not correlate with any of the tissue biopsies along any aspect of the esophagus. Conclusions: In patients with Barrett’s esophagus, Streptococcal genera are widespread throughout the esophagus. Gram-positive genera tend to decrease as a percentage of overall flora distally. Obtaining a simple swab of the oropharynx or endoscope itself appears to be a poor substitute for tissue biopsy of esophageal mucosa when evaluating microflora patterns.
Richard Robert Madden y su glosario sobre Cuba colonial y esclavista

El medico irlandes Richard Robert Madden vivio en Cuba de 1836 a 1840 como emisario britanico con el cargo de superintendente de esclavos libertos y juez arbitro de la comision mixta anglo-hispana ...
A Critical Analysis of the Four Dimensions of Critical Literacy

This paper consists of a critical analysis of Lewison,Flint, and Van Sluys’s (2002) four dimensions of critical literacy (FDCL). FDCL is chosen for analysis because it is familiar to, and widely used by, scholars and practitioners in the field of critical literacy. The analysis focuses on what FDCL is and what limitations it has. The purpose of the analysis is to provide an in-depth examination of FDCL and to show what it can and cannot do for those interested in the research and teaching of FDCL.
Effects of 50,000 hours of thermal aging on graphite/epoxy and graphite/polyimide composites

Thermal effects on tensile strengths of advanced composite systems have been determined for exposure times of 100 to 50,000 hours (5.7 years). Exposures were conducted at both ambient and reduced pressures at two temperatures for each composite. At the completion of the various aging periods, specimens were removed from the specially constructed aging furnaces, visually examined, and tensile tested at elevated temperature. After tensile testing, many of the thermal aging specimens were examined using a scanning electron microscope. Results of these studies are presented, and the changes in properties and the degradation mechanisms during high-temperature aging are discussed and illustrated using metallographic techniques.
Discriminating an Arbitrary Number of Pure Quantum States by the Combined CPT and Hermitian Measurements.

If the system is known to be in one of two non-orthogonal quantum states, $|\psi_1\rangle$ or $|\psi_2\rangle$, $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric quantum mechanics can discriminate them, \textit{in principle}, by a single measurement. We extend this approach by combining $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric and Hermitian measurements and show that it's possible to distinguish an arbitrary number of pure quantum states by an appropriate choice of the parameters of $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric Hamiltonian.
Long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase-1 mediates the palmitic acid-induced inflammatory response in human aortic endothelial cells

Saturated fatty acid (SFA) induces proinflammatory response through a Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated mechanism, which is associated with cardiometabolic diseases such as obesity, insulin resistance, and endothelial dysfunction. Consistent with this notion, TLR2 or TLR4 knockout mice are protected from obesity-induced proinflammatory response and endothelial dysfunction. Although SFA causes endothelial dysfunction through TLR-mediated signaling pathways, the mechanisms underlying SFA-stimulated inflammatory response are not completely understood. To understand the proinflammatory response in vascular endothelial cells in high-lipid conditions, we compared the proinflammatory responses stimulated by palmitic acid (PA) and other canonical TLR agonists [lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Pam3-Cys-Ser-Lys4 (Pam3CSK4), or macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2)] in human aortic endothelial cells. The expression profiles of E-selectin and the signal transduction pathways stimulated by PA were distinct from those stimulated by canonical TLR agonists. Inhibition of long-chain acyl-CoA synthetases (ACSL) by a pharmacological inhibitor or knockdown of ACSL1 blunted the PA-stimulated, but not the LPS- or Pam3CSK4-stimulated proinflammatory responses. Furthermore, triacsin C restored the insulin-stimulated vasodilation, which was impaired by PA. From the results, we concluded that PA stimulates the proinflammatory response in the vascular endothelium through an ACSL1-mediated mechanism, which is distinct from LPS- or Pam3CSK4-stimulated responses. The results suggest that endothelial dysfunction caused by PA may require to undergo intracellular metabolism. This expands the understanding of the mechanisms by which TLRs mediate inflammatory responses in endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease.
VTOS: Management of the Contralateral Side and Asymptomatic Compression

Venous thoracic outlet syndrome (VTOS) is a rare condition with significant morbidity in those affected. While symptomatic VTOS is relatively easy to diagnose with several defined treatment options, little has been written regarding management of the contralateral limb. While patients with VTOS appear to be at an increased risk of developing contralateral VTOS, abnormal venographic evidence does not always correlate with symptomatology [Azakie et al., J Vasc Surg. 28(5):777–786 (1998); Feugier et al., Ann Vasc Surg. 15(2):212–218 (2001); Machleder, J Vasc Surg. 17(2):305–317 (1993)].
The SAT, LSAT, and Discrimination: Professor Gilmore Again Responds to Professor Subotnik

On this very website, Touro Law Professor Dan Subotnik published a response to a piece that I wrote that will be published in a forthcoming edition of the University of Minnesota’s Journal of Law and Inequality. My piece continues the debate that Professor Subotnik and I have had for the past two years over whether standardized tests like the SAT and LSAT are reliable. I argue that they are not, and he argues that they are the best indicators for success in higher education…warts and all. In doing so, he makes some comments and generalizations that I found a little distasteful, and unjustifiably harsh, thus I replied accordingly. Professor Subotnik’s response, on his SSRN page, called “Plain Talk About Testing and Race: A Reply to Professor Harvey Gilmore and a Law Review Publishing Drama,” attempts to portray himself as a poor, put upon, misunderstood victim of my alleged heavy-handed commentary. Don’t let that fool you. Dan Subotnik is a tenured law professor, an attorney, and certified public accountant. One certainly must have a thick skin to achieve the level of success that he has. Secondly, he has tangled with legal minds far more experienced and accomplished than I, a little ol’ college professor. So, I would caution anyone who reads his articles...and his latest missive against me in particular...not to be taken in by his claim of hurt feelings in our little discourse. This story takes an interesting turn when the Journal of Law and Inequality invited Professor Subotnik to write a response to my piece, which I was happy to learn and I looked forward to reading his reply. Stunningly, the journal then rejected his rejoinder. The journal then asked me to restate some of my commentary. As Professor Subotnik and I wholeheartedly agree, the most important part of any debate is to get the opposing viewpoints out and let people make their own assessments. Therefore, I have uploaded the original, unedited version of my article. This way, the readers of our respective pieces can objectively decide for themselves which one of us is right.
Ethnography, Data Transparency, and the Information Age

The conventions ethnographers follow to gather, write about, and store their data are increasingly out of sync with contemporary research expectations and social life. Despite technological advance...
A Review Study on the Use of Oculometry in the Assessment of Driver Cognitive States

Roadway fatalities are increasing with a growing population and need for reliable transportation. These fatalities can be mitigated by incorporating driver state information with current Driver Safety Systems (DSS). There are primarily two driver cognitive states: Focused and Distracted. These states can be predicted using Machine Learning algorithms (ML) such as Support Vector Machines (SVM), Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) using extracted biomedical features like Electroencephalography (EEG), Electromyography (EMG), Heart Rate and Eye Tracking. This literature review summarizes all biomedical signals that are used in the assessment of driver cognitive states. A thorough literature review in this field identifies eye tracking as the most efficient and quick technique of real time driver state identification. Hence, this paper outlines the latest techniques in eye tracking using oculometry. This review paper also highlights unique ocular feature extraction techniques that can be extremely useful for future researches conducted in the field of driver state recognition.
"Going Backward": Effects of age and fatigue on posterior-directed falls in Parkinson disease.

Background Nearly half of persons with Parkinson disease (PD) report fatigue as a factor in their fall history. However, it is unknown whether these self-reported falls are caused by a sensation of fatigue or performance fatigue. Objective We sought to investigate the influences of performance fatigue and age on postural control in persons with PD. Methods Individuals with PD (n = 14) underwent postural control assessments before (T0) and immediately after (T1) fatiguing exercise. Biomechanical data were gathered on participants completing a treadmill-induced, posterior-directed fall. Performance fatigue was produced using lower extremity resistance exercise on an isokinetic ergometer. Repeated measures ANCOVAs were used with age as a covariate to determine the effects of performance fatigue on biomechanical variables. Results After adjustment for age, there was a statistically significant difference in peak center of pressure (COP) latency during the support phase of recovery. Pairwise comparisons demonstrated a decrease in peak ankle displacement from T0 to T1. Age was also found to be significantly related to reaction time and peak knee displacement while participants were fatigued. Conclusions The decreased peak COP latency, along with decreased ankle angular displacement, suggest that persons with PD adopt a stiffening strategy in response to backward directed falls. Postural stiffening is not uncommon in persons with PD and could be a risk factor for falls. Older individuals with PD demonstrate slower mobility scores and decreased reaction times in the setting of fatigue, suggesting a combined effect of the aging and fatigue processes.
Integrating Feminist Theory, Pedagogy, and Praxis into Teacher Education:

This article discusses suggestions for integrating feminist epistemology, theory, pedagogy, and praxis even more intentionally into existing U.S. teacher education curricula. The premise is that in...
Evaluating whole-genome expression differences in idiopathic and diabetic adhesive capsulitis.

BACKGROUND Diabetic patients have a greater incidence of adhesive capsulitis (AC) and a more protracted disease course than patients with idiopathic AC. The purpose of this study was to compare gene expression differences between AC with diabetes mellitus and AC without diabetes mellitus. METHODS Shoulder capsule samples were prospectively obtained from diabetic or nondiabetic patients who presented with shoulder dysfunction and underwent arthroscopy (N = 16). Shoulder samples of AC with and without diabetes (n = 8) were compared with normal shoulder samples with and without diabetes as the control group (n = 8). Shoulder capsule samples were subjected to whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing, and differential expression was analyzed with EdgeR. Only genes with a false discovery rate < 5% were included for further functional enrichment analysis. RESULTS The sample population had a mean age of 47 years (range, 24-62 years), and the mean hemoglobin A1c level for nondiabetic and diabetic patients was 5.18% and 8.71%, respectively. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that 66 genes were differentially expressed between diabetic patients and nondiabetic patients with AC whereas only 3 genes were differentially expressed when control patients with and without diabetes were compared. Furthermore, 286 genes were differentially expressed in idiopathic AC patients, and 61 genes were differentially expressed in diabetic AC patients. On gene clustering analysis, idiopathic AC was enriched with multiple structural and muscle-related pathways, such as muscle filament sliding, whereas diabetic AC included a greater number of hormonal and inflammatory signaling pathways, such as cellular response to corticotropin-releasing factor. CONCLUSIONS Whole-transcriptome expression profiles demonstrate a fundamentally different underlying pathophysiology when comparing diabetic AC with idiopathic AC, suggesting that these conditions are distinct clinical entities. The new genes expressed explain the differences in the disease course and suggest new therapeutic targets that may lead to different treatment paradigms in these 2 subsets.
Countercyclical Risks and Portfolio Choice Over the Life Cycle: Evidence and Theory

I show that countercyclical earnings dynamics can have quantitatively important effects on saving and portfolio choice decisions over the life cycle. During expansions (recessions) when expected future earnings growth is high (low), households save less (more) and also invest a higher (lower) share of their financial wealth in the stock market. Negative skewness in the earnings process during recessions further reduces households' stock market exposure and consumption. These quantitative predictions are consistent with microeconometric evidence from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and macroeconometric evidence from the Flow of Funds. Counterfactual simulations using the calibrated model generate wealth inequality dynamics similar to their empirical counterparts.
Modeling and Designing Network Defense against Control Channel Jamming Attacks: A Passivity-Based Approach

Cyber-physical systems rely on distributed embedded wireless nodes for sensing, computation, and control, often leaving them vulnerable to intelligent attacks. Detecting and mitigating such attacks in a resource-efficient manner requires the network to identify the components under attack and adapt its response based on the observed network performance and attack impact. In this paper, we present our ongoing work on a passivity-based, control-theoretic framework for designing and evaluating adaptive network defenses against the control channel jamming attack. In this attack, an adversary makes use of information gathered from the compromised nodes to identify the location and disrupt the control messages. We present a dynamical model of the attack impact over time, and represent the network response as a feedback control action. Using passivity theory, we identify a class of linear controllers that correspond to network responses that guarantee convergence to a desired operating point. Through a numerical study, we analyze network characteristics such as robustness to uncertain observations of the network state, stability in the presence of delayed observations, and rate of convergence to the desired state. We find that, in general, higher order controllers provide increased robustness and stability, at the cost of slower overall convergence.
Notes on limits of sobolev spaces and the continuity of interpolation scales

We extend lemmas by Bourgain-Brezis-Mironescu (2001), and Maz'ya-Shaposhnikova (2002), on limits of Sobolev spaces, to the setting of interpolation scales. This is achieved by means of establishing the continuity of real and complex interpolation scales at the end points. A connection to extrapolation theory is developed, and a new application to limits of Sobolev scales is obtained. We also give a new approach to the problem of how to recognize constant functions via Sobolev conditions.
Informed Decisions: Dance Improvisation and Responsible Citizenship

This article examines a constructivist approach to integrating responsible citizenship and dance improvisation for dance majors. Essential to both is the ability to make and act on informed decisions. Through participating in improvisational and sociopolitical tasks and comprehensive written reflection, students new to improvisation were better able to understand their choice-making processes. Their participation led to increased growth as improvisers, greater sociopolitical awareness, and a better understanding of how they make informed decisions. This article offers insightful and helpful information about pedagogy that advances artistry, advocacy, and self-awareness within a constructivist methodology for dance students.
Lung compliance and pulmonary flow resistance: I. Clinical studies in symptomatic and asymptomatic asthmatic children

Abstract Lung compliance and flow resistance, as measured by simultaneous volume, flow rate, and intraesophageal pressure recordings, were studied in 20 children of the Asthma Rehabilitation Program of the Cincinnati Convalescent Hospital. The technique employed was a modification of the continuous cycling method introduced by Mead and Whittenberger. Limitations and advantages of the method were reviewed. Abnormalities in elastic and nonelastic forces were obtained in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients of this group. These data were analyzed and compared to previous clinical investigations. The persistence of mechanical defects in some of our patients who received intensive and continuous medication suggested that obstruction may not always be completely reversible. It was emphasized that the exact role of long-term mechanical defects in juvenile refractory asthma has not been established and that further longitudinal study of these parameters in this group of patients is indicated. Inconsistent relationships between these tests and timed vital capacity and maximum breathing capacity were encountered in this investigation, confirming what had been previously suspected. Thus, when timed vital capacity and maximum breathing capacity are the only methods used in an evaluation of pulmonary function, these limitations must be considered. Preliminary experience with these newer evaluative techniques has added greatly to our objective assessment of chronic asthma in a group of refractory juvenile patients. It is anticipated that these methods will also aid in provocative testing experiments now in progress.