cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Roles of RNase-L in Antimicrobial Immunity and the Cytoskeleton-Associated Innate Response.

The interferon (IFN)-regulated endoribonuclease RNase-L is involved in multiple aspects of the antimicrobial innate immune response. It is the terminal component of an RNA cleavage pathway in which dsRNA induces the production of RNase-L-activating 2-5A by the 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase. The active nuclease then cleaves ssRNAs, both cellular and viral, leading to downregulation of their expression and the generation of small RNAs capable of activating retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I)-like receptors or the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. This leads to IFNβ expression and IL-1β activation respectively, in addition to broader effects on immune cell function. RNase-L is also one of a growing number of innate immune components that interact with the cell cytoskeleton. It can bind to several cytoskeletal proteins, including filamin A, an actin-binding protein that collaborates with RNase-L to maintain the cellular barrier to viral entry. This antiviral activity is independent of catalytic function, a unique mechanism for RNase-L. We also describe here the interaction of RNase-L with the E3 ubiquitin ligase and scaffolding protein, ligand of nump protein X (LNX), a regulator of tight junction proteins. In order to better understand the significance and context of these novel binding partners in the antimicrobial response, other innate immune protein interactions with the cytoskeleton are also discussed.
The Spectral Proletariat: Class, History, and the Continued Relevance of the Communist Manifesto

In this paper, I develop a reading of the Communist Manifesto that interprets Marx's optimistic, even triumphalist rhetoric as a process of reaching out to a not-yet existing proletariat, and which thereby develops a theory of class not as a present, positive reality, but as future-oriented and spectral. I develop this reading of Marx through a critical engagement with Derrida's Specters of Marx, arguing that Marx is not as hostile to the spectral as Derrida believes, and with Laclau's New Reflections of the Revolution of Our Times, in which I argue that Marx's figuration of class does not depend on the "positivity of the social," but is instead a theory of class as a structural category that never has a fully positive existence. Through these engagements, and a close reading of the Manifesto itself, I suggest the outline of a Marxist theory of class which can respond to the political-economic reconfigurations of the past 50 years.
The Genetic Basis of Hereditary Elliptocytosis With Hemolysis

Two pedigrees containing cases of hemolytic elliptocytosis provide insight into the genetic basis of hemolytic elliptocytosis. One demonstrates non-interaction of genes for G6PD elliptocytosis. In the second, a woman with benign elliptocytosis, had children with hemolytic elliptocytosis by two unrelated fathers. Variable expression of a dominant gene is supported as the most likely explanation for the variability of spectrum of clinical severity in the hereditary elliptocytic syndromes.
Recyclability Challenges in “Abundant” Material-Based Technologies

Much current research in photovoltaic technology is directed towards using “abundant” base metals like copper and zinc (e.g., CZTS or more recently CZTSSe) to overcome the the challenges of material scarcity posed by the use of tellurium, indium, germanium, and gallium in current generation products (e.g., CdTe, CIGS, aSi/thin-film Si). The supply of these materials is limited because they are minor byproducts of the production of copper, zinc, lead. and aluminum, so that their economic production inherently is linked to that of the base metals. But, although the base metals currently are abundant, their reserves are not inexhaustible. In addition to concerns on resource availability, the main sustainability metrics for large-scale PV growth are low cost and minimum environmental impact. As the numbers of photovoltaic installations grow, greatly displacing traditional powergeneration infrastructures, recycling will play an increasingly important role in managing their end-of-life fate, so relieving pressure on the prices of critical materials. Identifying the potential issues in current technologies can help implement a take-backor recycling-program ahead of time. Our work explores the potential for material recycling of various established commercial photovoltaic technologies, along with those under development. It sheds light on a dimension of sustainability that has not been investigated before. Based on entropy analyses, documented by the experience of recycling electronic products, we show that recycling some types of PV modules based on “abundant” materials could be burdened by complexity and lack of value, thereby creating concerns about end-of-life environmental impacts, and resource availability.
Delivering Improved Nutrition Dairy Ingredients in Food Aid Products

The United States has a long history of food assistance for humanitarian need. The Food for Peace Act of 1954 established the United States' permanent food assistance program which has fed over 3 billion people in 150 countries worldwide through thousands of partner organizations. In 60 years, the program has evolved and will continue to do so. Recently, the program has gone from a focus on quantity of food shipped to quality food assistance from improved products, programs, and processes to effectively meet the needs of different vulnerable groups. The current debate focuses on the appropriateness of using fortified blended foods to prevent and treat malnutrition during the first 1000 days of life. Dairy ingredients have been at the center of this debate; they were included initially in fortified blended, removed in the 1980s, and now reincorporated into fortified therapeutic and supplemental foods. Improved quality food baskets and effective nutrition programming to prevent and treat malnutrition were developed through multisectoral collaboration between government and nongovernment organizations. The US Agency for International Development has focused on improving nutrition through development programs often tied to health, education, and agriculture. The years since 2008 have been a particularly intense period for improvement. The Food Aid Quality Review was established to update current food aid programming products, program implementation, cost-effectiveness, and interagency processes. Trials are underway to harmonize the areas of multisectoral nutrition programming and gather more evidence on the effects of dairy ingredients in food aid products.
Research and Implementation of Fault-tolerant Mechanism for Remote Mirror System

This paper designs a fault-tolerant mechanism that uses state machine to solve five kinds of the knowable faults,including disaster,disk error,running environment error,system error and network error,which exist in Remote Mirror System(FRM) based on FreeBSD.It is proved to be stable enough to ensure the data integrality and consistency when fault occurs.And it can help FRM surviving against multiple faults and continue its task of data protection.
Gabapentin for the Prevention of CINV

Gabapentin is a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) analogue initially approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993 for the treatment of seizures. Gabapentin was soon found to be highly effective for treating neuropathic pain [1] and then restless legs syndrome [2] and presently is FDA approved for all three indications. Despite its chemical structure, gabapentin has no effect on GABA receptors or GABA breakdown by GABA transaminase but does increase brain GABA synthesis in rats and humans [3, 4]. Gabapentin’s mechanism of action for treating neuropathic pain, which is its main clinical use, is dependent upon its binding to the alpha-2/delta subunit of neuronal voltage-gated calcium channels [5] and likely involves the mitigation of neuronal calcium currents [6, 7].
Abstract 434: A Novel 5-Step Model for the Mechanism of ABCA1-Mediated Nascent HDL Biogenesis

Objective— Lipid-poor apoA-I acts as an acceptor for cell cholesterol and phospholipids via the cell membrane protein ABCA1, generating nascent HDL. However, the mechanism of this process is not understood at the molecular level. Methods and Results— We propose a novel five-step model of nascent HDL biogenesis: ABCA1 remodeling of the plasma membrane lipids exposing phosphatidylserine and apoA-I binding to ABCA1 are the first two independent steps; third, ABCA1 facilitates apoA-I partial unfolding; forth, partially unfolded apoA-I inserts into the modified plasma membrane resulting in apoA-I lipidation; and fifth, nascent HDL is released from the cell. We created fluorescent apoA-I indicators that can monitor apoA-I unfolding and lipidation states. In cell free assays of reconstituted HDL (rHDL) generation from apoAI and DMPC liposomes, the fluorescent indicators demonstrated apoA-I unfolding and lipidation concurrent with rHDL formation. Next, HEK293 cells were stably transfected with different ABCA1 vectors encoding wild type (WT) and W590S and C1477R Tangier disease mutation isoforms. WT ABCA1 mediated cholesterol efflux to apoA-I (requires all steps) and sodium taurocholate (NaTC, requires only the membrane remodeling step,). Although neither mutant could efflux cholesterol efficiently to apoA-I, they were blocked at different steps. The W590S mutant bound apoAI but could not efflux cholesterol to NaTC, thus it was blocked at the membrane remodeling step. However, the C1477R mutant could not bind apoAI but could efflux cholesterol to NaTC, thus its activity was blocked at the apoAI binding step. When the lipidation indicator apoA-I was incubated with stably transfected HEK cells, we observed cell associated lipidated apoA-I in cells expressing WT ABCA1, but mostly unlipidated apoA-I was associated with the cells expressing W590S ABCA1. Conclusion— Our results support a novel five-step model for nascent HDL biogenesis: 1, 2) ABCA1 remodeling of the plasma membrane and apoA-I binding to ABCA1, which facilitate 3) apoA-I partial unfolding and 4) and lipidation by the remodeled membrane, followed by 5) the release of nascent HDL.
Optimal Design of Elastic Beams with Compliance Constraints

The method of this section applies to sandwich plates and shells as well as to sandwich beams, but for the sake of brevity only sandwich beams will be discussed in this chapter.
Existence and Strong Uncountability

On the standard view for something to exist is for one thing to exist: in slogan form, to be is to be countable (cf. van Inwagen 2009). E.J. Lowe (2009, 2003, 1998) argues something can exist without being countable as one, however. His primary example is homogenous “stuff,” i.e., qualitatively uniform and infinitely divisible matter. Lacking nonarbitrary boundaries and being everywhere the same, homogenous stuff lacks a principle of individuation that would yield countably distinct constituents. So, for Lowe, homogenous stuff is strongly uncountable. Olson (2011) rejects Lowe’s view and defends the orthodox connection between existence and number. He argues that if there is any stuff, there is a (determinate) number of portions of stuff. Sider (2011, 2001) also rejects a stuff ontology, claiming it is incompatible with his preferred view that the familiar quantifiers of predicate logic carve at nature’s joints. Against these arguments, I defend the uncountability of stuff and the possibility of existence without countability. If to be is to be countable, more is needed than the arguments that Olson and Sider provide.
Acetic acid reduction to acetaldehyde over iron catalysts. II. Characterization by mössbauer spectroscopy, DRIFTS, TPD, and TPR

Abstract Four catalysts, 1.5% Fe/SiO 2 , 3.0% Fe/SiO 2 , 5.7% Fe/carbon, and Fe 2 O 3 , exhibited different phase transformations when subjected to reduction and reaction conditions. After reduction at 673 K in H 2 for 16 h, 31% of the iron in 1.5% Fe/SiO 2 was in superparamagnetic Fe 0 particles with the remainder in Fe 2+ species, while 3.0% Fe/SiO 2 contained 91% of its iron as α-Fe 0 with the remainder as superparamagnetic Fe 2+ species. The iron in 5.7% Fe/C existed mostly as α-Fe 0 (63%) with the balance present as Fe 2+ species, which were mostly superparamagnetic, and the Fe 2 O 3 was completely reduced to α-Fe 0 . After 8 h on stream, only Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ species were detected in 1.5% Fe/SiO 2 , which gave only decomposition products; the 5.7% Fe/C catalyst contained α-Fe, Fe 2+ , Fe 3+ , and θ-Fe 3 C phases and had completely deactivated, and the two active, stable catalysts—3.0% Fe/SiO 2 and Fe 2 O 3 —showed the presence of both α-Fe and FeO phases under steady-state reaction conditions. It is proposed that the former phase provides sites to activate H 2 , and the latter provides different sites to adsorb and activate acetic acid by producing a reactive acetate intermediate. DRIFTS, coupled with TPD and TPR experiments, revealed that surface acetate species are formed during acetic acid adsorption at 300 K on iron surfaces and they appear to be an active intermediate at the reaction temperatures used here. Reaction of this surface acetate with H atoms via a Langmuir–Hinshelwood-type mechanism is proposed to be the principal reaction pathway for acetic acid reduction to acetaldehyde.
Hard carbon anodes of sodium-ion batteries: undervalued rate capability

The rate capability of hard carbon has long been underestimated in prior studies that used carbon/Na two-electrode half-cells. Through a three-electrode cell setup, we discover that it is the overpotential of the sodium counter electrode that drives the half-cells to the lower cutoff potential prematurely during hard carbon sodiation, particularly at high current rates, which prevents the hard carbon anode from being fully sodiated.
Trends in the Management of Cardiac Patients with Renal Functional Impairment

Treatment of acute decompensated heart failure is challenging, especially in that traditional diuretic approaches can worsen the cardiorenal syndrome, with activation of the renin—angiotensin—aldosterone and sympathetic nervous systems. A variety of alternative pharmacologic therapies have been used with limited success, including inotropes, natriuretics, aquaretics, and erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, and trials with adenosine receptor antagonists are ongoing. It has been proposed that salt and water removal by nonrenal or extracorporeal means would avoid maladaptive tubuloglomerular feedback neurohumoral mechanisms induced by diuretics. This has been the rationale for a growing literature supporting the use of paracentesis, ultrafiltration by peritoneal dialysis modalities, and extracorporeal therapies such as slow continuous ultrafiltration. The latter are appealing in that there is existing technology as well as newly developed machines dedicated to this technique. Use of these mechanical fluid removal therapies, however, warrants caution because of the risks of excess fluid removal, hypotension, acute kidney injury, and blood or air leaks inherent in blood—pumped modalities.
Discovery of a Small-Molecule Modulator of Glycosaminoglycan Sulfation

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) play critical roles in diverse processes ranging from viral infection to neuroregeneration. Their regiospecific sulfation patterns, which are generated by sulfotransferases, are key structural determinants that underlie their biological activity. Small-molecule modulators of these sulfotransferases could serve as powerful tools for understanding the physiological functions of GAGs, as well as potential therapeutic leads for human diseases. Here, we report the development of the first cell-permeable, small-molecule inhibitor selective for GAG sulfotransferases, which was obtained using a high-throughput screen targeted against Chst15, the sulfotransferase responsible for biosynthesis of chondroitin sulfate-E (CS-E). We demonstrate that the molecule specifically inhibits GAG sulfotransferases in vitro, decreases CS-E and overall sulfation levels on cell-surface and secreted chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), and reverses CSPG-mediated inhibition of axonal growth. These studies pave the way toward a new set of pharmacological tools for interrogating GAG sulfation-dependent processes and may represent a novel therapeutic approach for neuroregeneration.
Generating Synthetic Bitcoin Transactions and Predicting Market Price Movement Via Inverse Reinforcement Learning and Agent-Based Modeling

In this paper, we present a novel method to predict Bitcoin price movement utilizing inverse reinforcement learning (IRL) and agent-based modeling (ABM). Our approach consists of predicting the price through reproducing synthetic yet realistic behaviors of rational agents in a simulated market, instead of estimating relationships between the price and price-related factors. IRL provides a systematic way to find the behavioral rules of each agent from Blockchain data by framing the trading behavior estimation as a problem of recovering motivations from observed behavior and generating rules consistent with these motivations. Once the rules are recovered, an agent-based model creates hypothetical interactions between the recovered behavioral rules, discovering equilibrium prices as emergent features through matching the supply and demand of Bitcoin. One distinct aspect of our approach with ABM is that while conventional approaches manually design individual rules, our agentsâ€™ rules are channeled from IRL. Our experimental results show that the proposed method can predict short-term market price while outlining overall market trend.
Theory and Implications of the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect

The fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) is a remarkable many-body phenomenon which is important both in its own right and for its connections to other problems in Condensed matter physics and quantum field theory. The essence of the effect is a new and unprecedented type of condensation of the electrons into a highly correlated ground state.
Ranolazine in High-Risk Patients With Implanted Cardioverter-Defibrillators: The RAID Trial

Abstract Background Ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) remain a challenging problem in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). Objectives This study aimed to determine whether ranolazine administration decreases the likelihood of VT, VF, or death in patients with an ICD. Methods This was double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in which high-risk ICD patients with ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathy were randomized to 1,000 mg ranolazine twice a day or placebo. The primary endpoint was VT or VF requiring appropriate ICD therapy or death, whichever occurred first. Pre-specified secondary endpoints included ICD shock for VT, VF, or death and recurrent VT or VF requiring ICD therapy. Results Among 1,012 ICD patients (510 randomized to ranolazine and 502 to placebo) the mean age was 64 ± 10 years and 18% were women. During 28 ± 16 months of follow-up there were 372 (37%) patients with primary endpoint, 270 (27%) patients with VT or VF, and 148 (15%) deaths. The blinded study drug was discontinued in 199 (39.6%) patients receiving placebo and in 253 (49.6%) patients receiving ranolazine (p = 0.001). The hazard ratio for ranolazine versus placebo was 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.67 to 1.05; p = 0.117) for VT, VF, or death. In a pre-specified secondary analysis, patients randomized to ranolazine had a marginally significant lower risk of ICD therapies for recurrent VT or VF (hazard ratio: 0.70; 95% confidence interval: 0.51 to 0.96; p = 0.028). There were no other significant treatment effects in other pre-specified secondary analyses, which included individual components of the primary endpoint, inappropriate shocks, cardiac hospitalizations, and quality of life. Conclusions In high-risk ICD patients, treatment with ranolazine did not significantly reduce the incidence of the first VT or VF, or death. However, the study was underpowered to detect a difference in the primary endpoint. In prespecified secondary endpoint analyses, ranolazine administration was associated with a significant reduction in recurrent VT or VF requiring ICD therapy without evidence for increased mortality. (Ranolazine Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Trial [RAID]; NCT01215253)
Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs predicts improved patient survival for PIK3CA-altered head and neck cancer

PIK3CA is the most commonly altered oncogene in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We evaluated the impact of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on survival in a PIK3CA-characterized cohort of 266 HNSCC patients and explored the mechanism in relevant preclinical models including patient-derived xenografts. Among subjects with PIK3CA mutations or amplification, regular NSAID use (≥6 mo) conferred markedly prolonged disease-specific survival (DSS; hazard ratio 0.23, P = 0.0032, 95% CI 0.09-0.62) and overall survival (OS; hazard ratio 0.31, P = 0.0043, 95% CI 0.14-0.69) compared with nonregular NSAID users. For PIK3CA-altered HNSCC, predicted 5-yr DSS was 72% for NSAID users and 25% for nonusers; predicted 5-yr OS was 78% for regular NSAID users and 45% for nonregular users. PIK3CA mutation predicted sensitivity to NSAIDs in preclinical models in association with increased systemic PGE2 production. These findings uncover a biologically plausible rationale to implement NSAID therapy in PIK3CA-altered HNSCC.
Die Titelkupfer der Leipziger und Dresdner Künstler Peter Carl Geissler und Gustav Heinrich Naeke sowie Johannes Thomas und Friedrich Wagner zu Goethes Ausgabe letzter Hand

ABSTRACTThis contribution examines a selection of engravings in the parallel edition of frontispieces to Goethe’s last edition of his collected works, published in Leipzig by Fleischer (1829–34). S...
Comparative Analysis of Mass-Spectrometry-Based Proteomic Methods for Protein Target Discovery Using a One-Pot Approach

Recently, several mass-spectrometry- and protein-denaturation-based proteomic methods have been developed to facilitate protein target discovery efforts in drug mode-of-action studies. These method...
Relations between Everyday Executive Functioning and Language in Youth with Down Syndrome and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Language and executive functioning are major impairments in many neurodevelopmental disorders, but little is known about the relations between these constructs, particularly using parent-report. Thus, the current research sought to examine relations between executive function and language in two groups - Down syndrome (DS; n=41; Mage = 11.2) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n=91; Mage = 7.7). Results were as follows: in DS, executive function predicted pragmatic, but not structural language after covarying for age, sex, and social functioning; in ASD, executive function predicted both. Findings highlight the interrelatedness of language and executive functioning and may have implications for intervention development.
Symmetries from locality. II. Gravitation and Lorentz boosts

It is known that local, Lorentz invariant, unitary theories involving particles with spin 1 demand that the matter sector they couple to are organized by internal physical symmetries and the associated charge conservation, while spin $3/2$ demands supersymmetry. However, the introduction of a spin 2 graviton does not obviously demand new symmetries of the matter sector (although it does demand a universal coupling). In this work we relax the assumption of Lorentz boost symmetry, while maintaining a basic notion of locality that there is no instantaneous signaling at a distance. This extends and complements our accompanying work in Part 1 on related issues for spin 1 particles in electromagnetism. In order to avoid potential problems with longitudinal modes of the graviton, we choose to project them out, leaving only two degrees of freedom. We study large classes of theories that a priori may violate Lorentz boost invariance. By requiring the tree-level exchange action be local, we find that consistency demands that the Lorentz boost symmetry must be satisfied by the graviton and the matter sector, and in turn we recover general relativity at this order of analysis.
The core SWI/SNF catalytic subunit Brg1 regulates nephron progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation

Chromatin-remodeling complexes play critical roles in establishing gene expression patterns in response to developmental signals. How these epigenetic regulators determine the fate of progenitor cells during development of specific organs is not well understood. We found that genetic deletion of Brg1 (Smarca4), the core enzymatic protein in SWI/SNF, in nephron progenitor cells leads to severe renal hypoplasia. Nephron progenitor cells were depleted in Six2-Cre, Brg1flx/flx mice due to reduced cell proliferation. This defect in self-renewal, together with impaired differentiation resulted in a profound nephron deficit in Brg1 mutant kidneys. Sall1, a transcription factor that is required for expansion and maintenance of nephron progenitors, associates with SWI/SNF. Brg1 and Sall1 bind promoters of many progenitor cell genes and regulate expression of key targets that promote their proliferation.
Temporal dynamics of the neural representation of hue and luminance contrast

Hue and luminance contrast are the most basic visual features, emerging in early layers of convolutional neural networks trained to perform object categorization. In human vision, the timing of the neural computations that extract these features, and the extent to which they are determined by the same or separate neural circuits, is unknown. We addressed these questions using multivariate analyses of human brain responses measured with magnetoencephalography. We report four discoveries. First, it was possible to decode hue tolerant to changes in luminance contrast, and luminance contrast tolerant to changes in hue, consistent with the existence of separable neural mechanisms for these features. Second, the decoding time course for luminance contrast peaked 16-24 ms before hue and showed a more prominent secondary peak corresponding to decoding of stimulus cessation. These results support the idea that the brain uses luminance contrast as an updating signal to separate events within the constant stream of visual information. Third, neural representations of hue generalized to a greater extent across time, providing a neural correlate of the preeminence of hue over luminance contrast in perceptual grouping and memory. Finally, decoding of luminance contrast was more variable across participants for hues associated with daylight (orange and blue) than for anti-daylight (green and pink), suggesting that color-constancy mechanisms reflect individual differences in assumptions about natural lighting.
Four Paws to the Future: Animal-Assisted Supervision Using the Discrimination Model

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has become well known over the last few years. It has even been applied within counseling and is called animal-assisted therapy in counseling (AAT-C). It is believed b...
A collaborative small-group discussion approach to improving fifth graders’ use of academic, relational, social, and emotional vocabulary

Abstract This study examined the impacts of a collaborative small-group discussion intervention on fifth graders’ use of vocabulary as they reasoned about literature involving complex social-moral issues. A total of 250 fifth graders (120 males and 130 females) from 12 classrooms in two public middle schools in the Midwestern United States participated in this six-week quasi-experimental study. Classrooms were assigned to one of three conditions: Collaborative Social Reasoning (CSR: intervention), Read Aloud (RA), or Regular Instruction (RI). Use of vocabulary was measured through a reflective essay task before and after the intervention. Results showed that students in the CSR condition generated more academic and relational vocabulary than students in RA and RI conditions. The CSR students outperformed the RI students in the use of social and emotional vocabulary. Findings shed light on possible mechanisms of small-group discussion in promoting fifth graders’ academic and social-emotional learning.
Chemokine Regulation During Epidemic Coronavirus Infection

SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-2) is the third coronavirus to emerge as a cause of severe and frequently fatal pneumonia epidemics in humans, joining SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus). As with many infectious diseases, the immune response to coronavirus infection may act as a double-edged sword: necessary for promoting antiviral host defense, but, if not appropriately regulated, also able to incite life-threatening immunopathology. Key immunoregulatory mediators include the chemokines, a large family of leukocyte chemoattractants that coordinate leukocyte infiltration, positioning and activation in infected tissue by acting at specific G protein-coupled receptors. Here, we compare the involvement of chemokines and chemokine receptors during infection with the three epidemic coronaviruses and discuss their potential value as biomarkers and targets for therapeutic development.
Level Up: The Success Factors in Advancing African-American Women Into the C-Suite in Corporate America

Research shows that African-American women represent a small number of C-Suite positions in US Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 corporations. It appears that cracks are beginning to form in the glass ceiling. However, for African-American women, a barrier called the “Black Ceiling,” remains in place. Black women, who have made it, often are ending up in support positions, rather than the operational roles leading to CEO positions (McGirt, E. 2017). Research shows that having women on a company’s board of directors is associated with better financial performance, a better gender mix among senior managers and a link to greater financial results. According to Catalyst (2019), women made up 58% of all employees in the financial services industry between the years of 2007 and 2015. During that same period, women represented 48% of first/mid-level managers and 29% of executive/senior-level managers. Women of color, however, represented only 16.8% of first/mid-level managers and 4.8% of executive/senior-level managers. This research will examine how African-American women’s careers, in Mid-level and Senior-level management, have currently advanced in the financial services industry. What factors are helping African-American women experience career advancements/promotions, and, with minimal support, what would position them to be in the succession pipeline leading to the C-Suite level in the banking industry?
From base pair to brain.

In new research, Smith et al. identify thousands of novel genetic associations with human brain structure and function, including those on the X chromosome, by analyzing ~4,000 MRI-derived traits measured in almost 40,000 individuals from the UK Biobank resource.
Dual trajectories of cannabis and alcohol use among young adults in a state with legal nonmedical cannabis.

Background Understanding the nature of the association between cannabis and alcohol use within individuals over time in the era of legalized cannabis is of crucial importance for assessing the public health consequences of increasing cannabis use. An important unanswered question is whether cannabis and alcohol use substitute for one another. Specifically, is greater use of one substance associated with less use of the other substance (i.e., a negative association) or are the substances complementary and their association positive? Methods We used 24 consecutive months of data on a young adult sample (n = 774; 56% female, age 18-25 during the study) who drank alcohol in the year prior to enrollment. The sample was recruited in Washington State in 2015/2016 (after legalization of nonmedical cannabis) using media advertisements and community flyers and outreach. Using parallel process latent growth curve models, we assessed three types of association between cannabis and alcohol use across the 24-month period: (1) an association between average levels of cannabis and alcohol use; (2) an association between rates of change in cannabis and alcohol use; and (3) correlations between shorter-term deviations/fluctuations off of longer-term trajectories of level and change in cannabis and alcohol use. Results We found a positive association between the average frequency of cannabis and alcohol use; individuals who used cannabis more frequently on average also drank alcohol more frequently on average. Change over time in cannabis use was positively associated with change in alcohol use. There was also a contemporaneous positive association between fluctuations in cannabis and alcohol use. Conclusions Overall, we found no evidence of substitution. Rather, the results suggest a complementary relationship between cannabis and alcohol use, such that the use of cannabis and alcohol rises and falls together.
Self-diffusion in polymer systems, measured with field-gradient spin echo NMR methods

The steady gradient and pulsed gradient spin echo NMR Methods of measuring self-diffusion have for some twenty years been applied to the study of polymers. The methods are briefly described, and the principal results of this research are reviewed in three main areas: diffusion of polymers in the melt and in concentrated solutions, diffusion of polymer in dilute and semidilute solutions, and diffusion of penetrants and diluents in high polymers hosts. The theoretical interpretations of these experiments are included in the review, with particular attention to theories of dilute polymer solutions, the free-volume theory of diffusion in concentrated solutions, and power-law behavior postulated for various regimes.
Lynch syndrome and Lynch syndrome mimics: The growing complex landscape of hereditary colon cancer

Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) was previously synonymous with Lynch syndrome; however, identification of the role of germline mutations in the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes has made it possible to differentiate Lynch syndrome from other conditions associated with familial colorectal cancer (CRC). Broadly, HNPCC may be dichotomized into conditions that demonstrate defective DNA MMR and microsatellite instability (MSI) vs those conditions that demonstrate intact DNA MMR. Conditions characterized by MMR deficient CRCs include Lynch syndrome (germline MMR mutation), Lynch-like syndrome (biallelic somatic MMR mutations), constitutional MMR deficiency syndrome (biallelic germline MMR mutations), and sporadic MSI CRC (somatic biallelic methylation of MLH1). HNPCC conditions with intact DNA MMR associated with familial CRC include polymerase proofreading associated polyposis and familial colorectal cancer type X. Although next generation sequencing technologies have elucidated the genetic cause for some HNPCC conditions, others remain genetically undefined. Differentiating between Lynch syndrome and the other HNPCC disorders has profound implications for cancer risk assessment and surveillance of affected patients and their at-risk relatives. Clinical suspicion coupled with molecular tumor analysis and testing for germline mutations can help differentiate the clinical mimicry within HNPCC and facilitate diagnosis and management.
Limb-lengthening, skeletal reconstruction, and bone transport with the Ilizarov method.

Ilizarov embarked on his remarkable medical career as a general practitioner in the small industrial town of Kurgan, Siberia, after World War II69,75,96. Antibiotics were scarce, and chronic osteomyelitis associated with loss of bone, non-unions, and skeletal deformities were so common that Ilizarov found himself practicing orthopaedics although he had had no formal training in that specialty. With the use of modular-ring external fixators and transosseous wires attached to the rings under tension to stabilize the bone fragments, he introduced the concept of induction of local bone formation with a minimally invasive procedure69,75,96. Ilizarov coined the term distraction osteogenesis to describe the induction of new-bone formation between osseous surfaces that are gradually pulled apart9. His clinical successes in the salvage of limbs that would otherwise have been amputated and in the return of disabled patients to productive levels of activity eventually spread by word of mouth throughout the Communist bloc of countries69,75. By 1981, a group of Italian orthopaedic surgeons had learned of his technique9. More recently, the method was introduced in North America, where it has been adopted primarily for limb-lengthening12,49,120,125 and the correction of limb deformities as well as the treatment of non-unions and bone loss secondary to trauma, infection, or tumor39,41,43,46,76,78,99,114,124,135,142. Ilizarov practiced in an isolated area of the world without access to the many technological and medical advances that took place during the four decades after World War II. As a result, he relied on distraction osteogenesis to treat a variety of musculoskeletal conditions. The reconstruction of …
Introduction on The Use of The Drosophila Embryonic/Larval Neuromuscular Junction as A Model System to Study Synapse Development and Function, and A Brief Summary of Pathfinding and Target Recognition

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the history of the system and many of the methods that are used to study a variety of problems, from pathfinding to synapse plasticity in Drosophila. The chapter presents some of the contributions of this system to understanding pathfinding and target recognition from the earliest stages of development in the embryo of Drosophila. One important requirement during the formation of a neuronal circuit is a mechanism that allows the establishment of precise synaptic connectivity. Motoneuron cell bodies located within the Drosophila central nervous system (CNS) cortex extend dendrites into the neuropil where they receive inputs from interneurons. The motor axons travel out of the CNS and into the periphery for long stretches through segmental nerves. At the periphery, an axon establishes synaptic contacts with specific partners within the musculature field. The task of following a precise trajectory and establishing a specific interaction with a target cell implies that the growth cone must integrate multiple and diverse cues from the environment and change its behavior accordingly. Genetic studies at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction have facilitated an understanding of the molecular underpinnings that supports these mechanisms.
Mismatched Operations: The Positive Correlation between the Lack of Consistent Methods in Patient Matching and Patient Identification and Higher Administrative Costs in Health Care

Known links exist between excessive administrative costs in health care and inconsistent methods of patient matching and patient identification. Confusion with patient identity creates mistakes that bleed across the entire continuum of health care. In order to circumvent barriers, a national health care identifier was proposed. The adoption of a Voluntary Universal Healthcare Identifier (VUHID) is gaining popularity. Through research, previous problems that plagued the system have been solved. It is time to rethink how we control costs and achieve better patient outcomes. Excess costs related to administrative expenses in America continue to escalate. Like all other aspects in health care, waste and glut are no longer acceptable. Finding efficiencies in administrative complexities through the creation of a VUHID eliminates waste, reduces costs, and improves the quality of care that is being delivered in America.
A cryptographically secure image watermarking scheme

In this paper, a new cryptographic watermark embedding technique is proposed. The random watermark indices, which specify the locations where the watermark signals are embedded, are first generated based on the discrete logarithm problem and Fermat's little theorem. The random watermarking indices are then utilized to develop both spatial domain and spectrum domain digital watermarking techniques. Security analysis is presented and simulation examples are shown to illustrate the excellent transparency and robustness of the proposed approaches under common degradation and major security attacks. The novel approaches are both effective and efficient, and are suitable for general purpose commercial digital media copyright protection
Clinical, neuropsychological and neuropathology characteristics of mixed dementia among subjects with autopsy confirmed concomitant Alzheimer’s pathology (P2.175)

Objective: To determine the rate of functional decline over time of common neurodegenerative pathologies (Vascular, Lewy Body, Fronto- temporal, Hippocampal sclerosis) with concomitant Alzheimer pathology at each Braak stage and to compare their neuropsychological profile of decline to subjects with Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) alone. Background: A diagnosis of mixed dementia is made when Alzheimer pathology is thought to coexist with a second neurodegenerative pathology. It is still unclear how the presence of specific secondary neuropathology interacts with the degree of Alzheimer pathology in determining rate of cognitive and functional decline over time. This information could be helpful in understanding and predicting rate of decline among mixed dementia patients. Methods: Retrospective analyses were conducted on longitudinal data from 498 subjects from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) database. At each Braak stage of AD pathology we determined the effect of each secondary neuropathology noted above on patient9s neuropsychology profile and rate of functional decline over time on CDR-SB and CDR-Global. Results: We note that Lewy body pathology exhibits significant correlation with functional decline over time in the lower Braak stages(1-2) compared to Vascular disease and Hippocampal sclerosis which exhibit significant correlation with functional decline over time in the higher Braak stages(3-6). With Fronto-temporal dementia pathology when present in mixed dementia influencing cognitive and functional decline in both the high and low Braak stages. We further note the neuropsychology profile for some of the mixed neuropathologies could often be distinguished from cases when AD is the primary neuropathology. Conclusion: Our findings show that the significance and interaction of specific secondary neuropatholgies differs with different stages of Alzheimer pathology in determining rate of functional decline over time. Clinical awareness of these interaction effects could help in counseling patients with mixed dementias on factors determining their rate of progression and help develop focused therapies. Disclosure: Dr. Pillai has nothing to disclose. Dr. Butler has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bonner-Jackson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Leverenz has received personal compensation for activities with Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Citigroup, Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, and Piramal Group as a consultant.
Standardization of High-Wide Load Measurement Using Laser-Based Technology

Each year, thousands of open-top loads are shipped across North America over the Class I railroad network. Many of these loads are high-value, high-risk shipments, presenting considerable operational challenges for the carriers due to special handling requirements. Shipments that extend beyond a standard geometric envelope, denoted by various “plates” in the Association of American Railroads (AAR) Open Top Loading Rules (OTLR), are considered to be over dimensional, or High-Wide Loads (HWLs). Historically, railroad mechanical personnel have measured HWLs manually using a tape measure, plumb line, level, and various homemade devices. Measurement methodologies and philosophies can vary widely among mechanical inspectors. As a result, railroads have recently sought out new technologies to standardize the measurement process, resulting in greater safety, efficiency, accuracy and documentation. Taking the lead in this effort, Norfolk Southern Corp. (NS), BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad have all worked closely with InfraMeasure, Inc. in their development of a patent pending, portable, laser-based measurement system known as SafeLoad®. This paper documents the development of this technology, including the completion of successful repeatability tests and the training of dozens of car inspectors from multiple railroads on the use of the system.In 2014, laser-based measurement technology was deployed across the entire NS network and was also used extensively by Union Pacific Railroad. In addition, BNSF and other Class I railroads began testing with the thought of implementing in the near future. Repeatability tests performed among newly trained employees indicated high levels of precision, with field measurements deviating by no more than 0.25 inches among various inspectors. Additional field testing confirmed a reduction in labor time and personnel required to measure HWLs by as much as one half while significantly improving measurement accuracy and reducing fall related risks by eliminating the need to climb on HWLs. In addition to these immediate benefits, the early stages of implementation have highlighted a potential long-term need for standardized measurement training within the industry. Anticipating the growing knowledge gap left by attrition, railroad mechanical departments are placing greater emphasis on training new car inspectors to assume the safety critical task of HWL measurement. This paper explores the current state of HWL measurement in the US railroad industry and identifies potential solutions, using technology, to further standardize both the practice of measuring HWLs and the training of new inspectors.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
SWTO Analysis on the Establishment of Social Institutions by University Teachers

This paper adopts the SWOT analysis method, namely the Strength- Weakness- Opportunity- Threat model. It analyzes and judges the external environment, internal state and a series of conditions of social institutions founded by university teachers, to identify the internal strengths and weaknesses, the external opportunities and threats to determine the corresponding development strategy.
Global convergence and local divergence in e-Commerce: Cross-Country analyses

Introduction The Internet and e-commerce are recent examples of ongoing information technology innovations credited with driving the productivity revival of the past decade. Established firms such as Dell, Cisco, General Electric, IBM, and Wal-Mart, along with firms “born on the Internet,” such as Amazon and eBay, have shown the potential of IT and e-commerce to enhance customer services, streamline internal operations, and improve B2B coordination. Today, Internet use is almost universal among firms in the industrialized countries, and is growing rapidly in the developing world as well. Thus, there is global convergence in the continuing trend toward e-commerce diffusion. Yet, technology diffusion is rarely a smooth and linear process. Many firms fail to achieve deep usage beyond initial adoption. Prior studies show that an e-commerce innovation must be integrated into a firm's value chain before it can generate significant business value. Ecommerce integration encompasses using the Internet for selling, buying, and coordinating both internal and external business processes. We would expect firms that are more advanced – that integrate the Internet most extensively – would reap the greatest benefits. And because firms in developed and developing countries may be at different stages of the diffusion process, we would expect there to be divergence in the relative importance of the factors that influence each stage. Indeed, as with the earlier chapters in this book, we find that there is both global convergence and local divergence in e-commerce diffusion.