cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gorillas in Our Midst? Human Sexual Dimorphism and Contest Competition in Men

Abstract The literature on human sexual selection has historically focused on the role of female mate choice, but cumulating experimental, correlational, and cross-cultural evidence suggests that male contest competition may have been more influential in shaping men's phenotypes. Cross-species comparison has shown similarities between humans and our closest extant phylogenetic relatives, the Great Apes, in male–male aggression, and archeological evidence also indicates a great antiquity for male–male violence. Compared to women, men possess substantially greater muscle mass, strength, cranial robusticity, physical aggression, pain tolerance, risk-taking, weapons use, and participation in coalitional aggression. Men also exhibit displays of physical prowess and acuity to the formidability of male conspecifics, as well as possessing a suite of traits, such as facial hair and low vocal pitch, that increase perceptions of dominance. These traits are consistent with having been shaped by contest competition over mates: they are sexually dimorphic, appear at sexual maturity, and predict success in male contests as well as success in mating and reproduction. While alternative explanations for some of these sexually dimorphic traits are possible, contest competition among males throughout human evolutionary history is the most parsimonious.
Valproate, Learning Disorders, and Epileptiform EEG

The effect of sodium valproate (VPA) on learning and behavior problems in 8 children with EEG epileptiform discharges but without clinical seizures was determined in a randomized, bouble-blind, crossover study at Children’s Hospital, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Transplantation for Immunoglobulin Light Chain Amyloidosis. A Statistical Analysis of Factors Predicitng Outcome In Over 400 Patients

Abstract 3557 Introduction: Autologous stem cell transplantation for patients with amyloidosis results in high reported hematologic and organ response rates compared with conventional chemotherapy. Patients: Four-hundred and thirty-four patients have undergone transplantation between March 8, 1996, and April 13, 2010 Table 1. Clinical parameters seen in patients with amyloid are given in Table 2. The overall day-100 mortality seen in this group of patients is 44 of 434 patients (10%). Results: The most important determinant of outcome is stage defined by BNP and troponin levels. Figure 1 demonstrates the survival for patients for all 3 cardiac stages. Troponin 50%), or no response was analyzed. Median survival has not been reached for the complete response group, is 107 months for the partial response group, and is 32 months for the no response group (p Discussion: There is a high response rate associated with high-dose therapy that was not observed in the melphalan and prednisone era. For eligible patients who can be transplanted safely, high-dose melphalan is an effective therapy for many patients with amyloidosis. Best response and stage at diagnosis are the best predictors of overall survival. Disclosures: Lacy: Celgene: Research Funding. Dispenzieri: Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Binding Site: Honoraria. Kumar: Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Millennium: Research Funding; Merck: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Genzyme: Consultancy, Research Funding; Cephalon: Research Funding.
CXCR4 and CXCR7 play distinct roles in cardiac lineage specification and pharmacologic β-adrenergic response

CXCR4 and CXCR7 are prominent G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) for chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1/CXCL12). This study demonstrates that CXCR4 and CXCR7 induce differential effects during cardiac lineage differentiation and β-adrenergic response in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs). Using lentiviral vectors to ablate CXCR4 and/or CXCR7 expression, hiPSC-CMs were tested for phenotypic and functional properties due to gene knockdown. Gene expression and flow cytometry confirmed the pluripotent and cardiomyocyte phenotype of undifferentiated and differentiated hiPSCs, respectively. Although reduction of CXCR4 and CXCR7 expression resulted in a delayed cardiac phenotype, only knockdown of CXCR4 delayed the spontaneous beating of hiPSC-CMs. Knockdown of CXCR4 and CXCR7 differentially altered calcium transients and β-adrenergic response in hiPSC-CMs. In engineered cardiac tissues, depletion of CXCR4 or CXCR7 had opposing effects on developed force and chronotropic response to β-agonists. This work demonstrates distinct roles for the SDF-1/CXCR4 or CXCR7 network in hiPSC-derived ventricular cardiomyocyte specification, maturation and function.
Histopathology and Ultrastructural Features of Acute Hepatitis

Acute and chronic hepatitides represent liver diseases, which pose major public health problems. Since the discovery of hepatitis B surface antigen by Blumberg and colleagues more than 20 years ago,1 research in viral hepatitis has made rapid progress. Using modern knowledge of viral hepatitis as background, including hepatitis in animal models, this chapter describes its histopathology and immunopathology, employing current views on pathogenesis.
Ammonia-uptake kinetics and domain-level contributions of bacteria and archaea to nitrification in temperate forest soils

Abstract Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOA and AOB) perform the rate-limiting step of nitrification, a biogeochemical process that controls the availability of inorganic nitrogen in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We sought to investigate field values of AOA and AOB ammonia-uptake kinetics along with domain-level contributions to ammonia oxidation in temperate forest soils. To accomplish this goal, we constructed an ecosystem model that simulates ammonia oxidation in temperate forest soils based only on inorganic nitrogen pools and AOA and AOB population dynamics observed during in situ incubations. The model used Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo procedure to choose the most likely combination of in situ ammonia-uptake parameters for AOA and AOB, including Km,AOA, Km,AOB, Vmax,AOA, and Vmax,AOB. Domain-level contributions to ammonia oxidation were extracted from the best-fit solution and the model-selected values indicate that AOB was responsible for 70.0% of the simulated ammonia oxidation across sites, while AOA was responsible for the remaining 30.0%. We believe that the approach we demonstrate here can be applied to microbially-mediated biogeochemical fluxes in other elemental cycles as well.
ISO 9000 and the Software Development Life Cycle

Perhaps, one of the most significant challenges in analysis today is its role in the software life cycle. There has been much criticism of the lack of discipline applied to software development projects and personnel in general, and we continue to be an industry that has a poor reputation for delivering quality products on schedule. Although many organizations have procedures, few really follow them and fewer still have any means of measuring the quality and productivity of software development. A system of procedures should first be developed prior to implementing a life cycle that can ensure its adherence to the procedure. These procedures also need to be measured on an ongoing basis. This book restricts its focus to the set of procedures that should be employed in the analysis and design functions.
A Narrative Analysis of Sibling Grief

ABSTRACTSibling grief is linked to serious physical and mental health outcomes, yet remains the least researched of all family bereavement. This exploratory study created a shared sibling grief narrative. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 27 participants who lost a sibling. Primary themes included Shared Life: Identity Within the Sibling Arrangement; Sibling Death: Pivotal Moments in Time; Life After Sibling Loss: Emotional Suffering, Life After Sibling Loss: Missing Roles & Changing Relationships; and The Sibling Lives On. The following study findings clarify the overlooked impact that sibling death has on the surviving sibling and demonstrate the crucial need for more sibling loss research.
Inhibition of Delta-induced Notch signaling using fucose analogs

Protein O-fucosyltransferase 1 (Pofut1) regulates Notch activity by adding O-fucose residues to its extracellular domain. Fucose analogs were identified that inhibited Delta-mediated Notch binding and activation but spared Jagged1-mediated signaling.
Push or Pull: Recommendations and Alternative Approaches for Public Science Communicators

The news media is a primary way that science is communicated to American adults. News stories are driven by press releases and other communications “pushed” by institutions, publishers, organizations, and private companies. This article, from the perspective of a public science communicator, examines and critiques push communications, offers some best practices for press releases, and presents examples of other “pull” approaches to communicating science that more closely align with both the process of science and with the interests and values of public audiences.
Rydberg States of Diatomic and Polyatomic Molecules

Rydberg states clearly play an important role in the study of the electronic structure of atoms and molecules in the vacuum ultraviolet. Moreover many molecules, including diatomic and simpler polyatomic types of particular importance in astrophysics, aeronomy and photochemistry—such as H2, O2, NO, N2, CO, CO2, H2O, C6H6—have their most important and strongest electronic bands in the vacuum ultraviolet.1 Interest in this spectral region has been stimulated both by the improved resolution of optical absorption studies and by the development of techniques such as electron impact spectroscopy. From electron impact spectroscopy one can now obtain accurate spectra of molecules well into the vacuum ultraviolet quite readily. In the analysis of such electron impact spectra one must know the location and nature of several Rydberg series. From several recent experiments it has also become obvious that the Rydberg series in many molecules can perturb the intravalence region of the spectrum and lead to some unusual features in the term values and intensity distribution.2,3 We will return to this point shortly. Rydberg series also lead to several important features in photoionization cross sections.
On Some Properties of Optimum Structural Topologies

Toplogical design, where the member connectivity is sought in addition to member sizing, is perhaps the most challenging of the structural optimization tasks. Due to the basic difficulties involved in the solution process, various simplifications and approximations are often considered. The present article introduces some typical characteristics and properties of the problem.
Social Referencing, Intentional Communication, and the Interfacing of Minds in Infancy

Infant researchers have defined social referencing in a number of ways. Feinman (1982), who approaches the field from a sociological perspective, uses a very broad definition. Any situation in which infants rely on another person’s cognitive and/or emotional appraisal to form their own understanding of a situation qualifies as social referencing. The information can be actively solicited, casually observed, or actively imparted by another person, and referencing can be affective (whether to feel positively or negatively about a situation), instrumental (how to behave in or cope with a situation), or both. Feinman’s broad definition of social referencing is based on the concept of reference group, which has a venerable history in sociology and social psychology. A reference group is a “set of significant others with whom the individual may compare his attitudes, beliefs and behaviors” (Webster, 1975, p. 446). By contrast, Campos and his colleagues (Campos, 1983; Klinnert, Campos, Sorce, Emde, & Svejda, 1983) restrict the term social referencing to those situations in which an infant actively seeks an adult’s emotional expression to help interpret an ambiguous situation, thus excluding situations in which the relevant information is instrumental, and not actively solicited. The differences between the broad and narrow definitions of social referencing are important, but should not obscure what both have in common: the astounding claim that infants as young as 10 months can make deliberate and specific use of another person’s judgment to form their own appraisal of a situation.
Model-independent determination of B c + → η c ℓ + ν form factors

We derive model-independent bounds on the form factors for the decay ${B}_{c}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\eta}}_{c}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{+}\ensuremath{\nu}$ including full mass effects, i.e., $\ensuremath{\ell}=e,\ensuremath{\mu}$, and $\ensuremath{\tau}$. The bounds are obtained by using the Boyd-Grinstein-Lebed parametrization for the form factors, and fitting to the preliminary lattice data of the HPQCD Collaboration. Our main result after bounding the form factors is the Standard Model prediction for the ratio of branching fractions $R({\ensuremath{\eta}}_{c})=\mathcal{B}({B}_{c}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\eta}}_{c}{\ensuremath{\tau}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\tau}})/\mathcal{B}({B}_{c}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\eta}}_{c}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}})$. We find $R({\ensuremath{\eta}}_{c}){|}_{\mathrm{SM}}=0.3{1}_{\ensuremath{-}0.02}^{+0.04}$, and argue that a measurement of $R({\ensuremath{\eta}}_{c})$ is within the reach of LHCb during the high-luminosity run of the LHC. In addition, using the heavy-quark spin symmetry of the ${B}_{c}$ meson we relate our results for ${B}_{c}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\eta}}_{c}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{+}\ensuremath{\nu}$ to those for ${B}_{c}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}J/\ensuremath{\psi}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{+}\ensuremath{\nu}$ yielding the estimate $R(J/\ensuremath{\psi}){|}_{\mathrm{SM}}=0.26\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02$ in good agreement with other determinations.
Benefits of exercise training on cardiovascular dysfunction: molecular and integrative.

Exercise training has been shown to ameliorate a wide variety of cardiovascular disorders. The mechanisms by which long-term benefits of exercise training are mediated remains incomplete, despite i...
Large Chromosomal Rearrangements Yield Biomarkers to Distinguish Low-Risk From Intermediate- and High-Risk Prostate Cancer

Abstract Objective To test the hypothesis that chromosomal rearrangements (CRs) can distinguish low risk of progression (LRP) from intermediate and high risk of progression (IHRP) to prostate cancer (PCa) and if these CRs have the potential to identify men with LRP on needle biopsy that harbor IHRP PCa in the prostate gland. Patients and Methods Mate pair sequencing of amplified DNA from pure populations of Gleason patterns in 154 frozen specimens from 126 patients obtained between August 14, 2001, and July 15, 2011, was used to detect CRs including abnormal junctions and copy number variations. Potential CR biomarkers with higher incidence in IHRP than in LRP to cancer and having significance in PCa biology were identified. Independent validation was performed by fluorescence in situ hybridization in 152 specimens from 124 patients obtained between February 12, 2002, and July 12, 2008. Results The number of abnormal junctions did not distinguish LRP from IHRP. Loci corresponding to genes implicated in PCa were more frequently altered in IHRP. Integrated analysis of copy number variations and microarray data yielded 6 potential markers that were more frequently detected in Gleason pattern 3 of a Gleason score 7 of PCa than in Gleason pattern 3 of a Gleason score 6 PCa. Five of those were cross-validated in an independent sample set with statistically significant areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) (P≤.01). Probes detecting deletions in PTEN and CHD1 had AUCs of 0.87 (95% CI, 0.77-0.97) and 0.73 (95% CI, 0.60-0.86), respectively, and probes detecting gains in ASAP1, MYC, and HDAC9 had AUCs of 0.71 (95% CI, 0.59-0.84), 0.82 (95% CI, 0.71-0.93), and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.66-0.89), respectively (for expansion of gene symbols, use search tool at www.genenames.org). Conclusion Copy number variations in regions encompassing important PCa genes were predictive of cancer significance and have the potential to identify men with LRP PCa by needle biopsy who have IHRP PCa in their prostate gland.
Climate change communicators’ carbon footprints affect their audience’s policy support

Global warming is caused mainly by CO2 emission from burning fossil fuels and is beginning to have large negative impacts on human well-being and ecosystems (IPCC 2014; IPCC 2018). Policies that mitigate CO2 emissions will require public support. Here, we examine how support for several possible decarbonization policies varies as a function of the personal carbon footprint of a researcher who advocates the policy. We find that people are more likely to support policies if the advocate for these policies has a low carbon footprint. Replicating our prior work, we find that the communicators’ carbon footprint massively affect their credibility and intentions of their audience to conserve energy (Attari, Krantz and Weber 2016). Our new finding is that their carbon footprint also affects audience support for public policies advocated by the communicator. In a second study, we show that the negative effects of a large carbon footprint on credibility are greatly reduced if the communicator reforms their behavior by reducing their personal carbon footprints. The implications of these results are stark: effective communication of climate science and advocacy of both individual behavior change and public policy interventions are greatly helped when advocates lead the way by reducing their own carbon footprint.
The Discourse and Value of Being an Independent Publisher

Publishing did not have independents enter self-discourse until the 1960s when media conglomeration created a need to distinguish other publishers from this network of corporate giants. But rather than decimating the independent publishing landscape, the corporate conglomeration of book publishing has opened a space for independent publishers to thrive (Simon and McCarthy, 2009; Schiffrin, 2001; Hawthorne, 2014, 2016; Kogan 2007, 2010), in part because of the social currency that positioning themselves as independent in discourse affords. In order to analyze the use, purpose, and meaning of independent in publisher discourse, this article conducts a content analysis on mission statements of 39 US-based independent publishers. Through content analysis of mission statements, this article illuminates the way that certain publishers construct a particular social function and marketing appeal by the use of independent in twenty-first century book publishing discourse in the US.
Primitivism and relative fundamentality

ABSTRACTIn her Making Things Up, amongst the many other achievements of the volume, Bennett develops a rich account of relative fundamentality. She also defends a kind of deflationism about the not...
A Novel Compact Isolation Circuit Suitable for Ultracompact and Wideband Marchand Baluns

A novel compact isolation circuit (IC) is proposed for the ultracompact and wideband UHF Marchand balun topology, and exact design formulas are presented for arbitrary coupling coefficients and impedance-transforming termination impedances. The wideband Marchand balun mainly consists of two identical coupled transmission-line sections which are far shorter than 90° long, connecting segment, two or three lumped elements and the proposed IC. The novel IC features −180° phase delay between two balanced ports, and makes the ultracompact implementation possible, which is quite different from the conventional ones with 180° phase delays between two balanced ports. In addition, due to the −180° phase delays, excellent isolation performance and excellent phase responses can be performed. For the proof-of-concept demonstrations, one prototype with each coupled-line section being only 20° long and the half IC being only 20° long is tested at 700 MHz. The measured frequency responses are in good agreement with the predicted ones with the performance of the 10-dB return loss bandwidth of 40% and −15 dB isolation bandwidth of 121.4%. In terms of sizes versus bandwidths, the fabricated Marchand balun can be regarded as the best and the smallest ever recorded, based on the low-cost microstrip technology.
The Use of GLP1R Agonists for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA) have been shown to improve glucose control and diabetes-related comorbidities in patients without solid organ transplants. The effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of GLP1RA after kidney transplantation have not been adequately studied. Methods We retrospectively reviewed data on kidney transplant recipients performed in our institution, who were initiated on GLP1RA either for the treatment of type 2 diabetes diagnosed before transplantation or posttransplant diabetes. We analyzed efficacy, safety, and the effect on kidney allograft function. Results Seventeen kidney transplant recipients were initiated on GLP1RA therapy, 14 of which remained on the medication for at least 12 months. The use of GLP1RA had no significant impact on weight loss, but was associated with a significant reduction in the total daily insulin dose, from the median of 63 [interquartile range 43-113] IU to 44 [interquartile range 25-88] and reduction in the risk of hypoglycemia in patients who were on therapy for at least approximately 12 months. Kidney function remained stable and none of the recipients experienced acute rejection. Tacrolimus dose was not significantly changed. Five patients (29%) discontinued GLP1RA therapy-4 due to side effects and 1 due to uncontrolled hyperglycemia. Conclusions GLP1RA may be a relatively safe and effective treatment for kidney transplant recipients with type 2 diabetes that allows for a reduction in insulin requirements. More studies are needed to determine whether the use of these agents will translate into an improvement in allograft and patient survival.
In Barrett's epithelial cells, weakly acidic bile salt solutions cause oxidative DNA damage with response and repair mediated by p38

The frequency of esophageal adenocarcinoma is rising despite widespread use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which heal reflux esophagitis but do not prevent reflux of weakly acidic gastric juice and bile in Barrett's esophagus patients. We aimed to determine if weakly acidic (pH 5.5) bile salt medium (WABM) causes DNA damage in Barrett's cells. Because p53 is inactivated frequently in Barrett's esophagus and p38 can assume p53 functions, we explored p38's role in DNA damage response and repair. We exposed Barrett's cells with or without p53 knockdown to WABM, and evaluated DNA damage, its response and repair, and whether these effects are p38 dependent. We also measured phospho-p38 in biopsies of Barrett's metaplasia exposed to deoxycholic acid (DCA). WABM caused phospho-H2AX increases that were blocked by a reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger. WABM increased phospho-p38 and reduced bromodeoxyuridine incorporation (an index of S phase entry). Repair of WABM-induced DNA damage proceeded through p38-mediated base excision repair (BER) associated with reduction-oxidation factor 1-apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease I (Ref-1/APE1). Cells treated with WABM supplemented with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) exhibited enhanced p38-mediated responses to DNA damage. All of these effects were observed in p53-intact and p53-deficient Barrett's cells. In patients, esophageal DCA perfusion significantly increased phospho-p38 in Barrett's metaplasia. WABM exposure generates ROS, causing oxidative DNA damage in Barrett's cells, a mechanism possibly underlying the rising frequency of esophageal adenocarcinoma despite PPI usage. p38 plays a central role in oxidative DNA damage response and Ref-1/APE1-associated BER, suggesting potential chemopreventive roles for agents like UDCA that increase p38 activity in Barrett's esophagus.NEW & NOTEWORTHY We found that weakly acidic bile salt solutions, with compositions similar to the refluxed gastric juice of gastroesophageal reflux disease patients on proton pump inhibitors, cause oxidative DNA damage in Barrett's metaplasia that could contribute to the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. We also have elucidated a critical role for p38 in Barrett's metaplasia in its response to and repair of oxidative DNA damage, suggesting a potential chemopreventive role for agents like ursodeoxycholic acid that increase p38 activity in Barrett's esophagus.
Crowdsourcing, Social Media, and Intercultural Communication About Zika: Use Contextualized Research to Bridge the Digital Divide in Global Health Intervention

This article presents a case study of the Smarter Crowdsourcing project the International Development Bank and Governance Lab cohosted to cope with the emerging Zika outbreaks in Latin America coun...
Sweat monitoring beneath garments using passive, wireless resonant sensors interfaced with laser-ablated microfluidics

Sweat loss can help determine hydration status of individuals working in harsh conditions, which is especially relevant to those who wear thick personal protective equipment (PPE) such as firefighters. A wireless, passive, conformable sweat sensor sticker is described here that can be worn under and interrogated through thick clothing to simultaneously measure sweat loss volume and conductivity. The sticker consists of a laser-ablated, microfluidic channel and a resonant sensor transducer. The resonant sensor is wirelessly read with a handheld vector network analyzer coupled to two, co-planar, interrogation antennas that measure the transmission loss. A sweat proxy is used to fill the channels and it is determined that the sensor can orthogonally determine the sweat conductivity and volume filled in the channel via peak transmission loss magnitude and frequency respectively. A four-person study is then used to determine level of sensor variance caused by local tissue dielectric heterogeneity and sensor-reader orientation.
What Am I Looking for? Improving User Sentiment by Enhancing Search and the Overall End User Experience in the Mobile Environment.

Search is a popular method for mobile users to quickly find information. Thus, when search is poorly designed, it can make locating the right content a frustrating and inefficient experience that reduces user engagement. In this presentation, we will review several design changes, such as integrating cognitive capabilities directly into search to improve discoverability, which led to a significant increase in user sentiment. We will compare this approach to more traditional search methods through user testing and survey results.
Lottery-type stocks and corporate strategies at the turn of the month

We show that retail investors’ cyclical demand for lottery stocks, which tends to peak at the turn-of-the-month (ToM), has implications for firms’ financial activities. Consistent with the notion that the peak in demand is driven by a propensity to gamble that is associated with inattention, we find underreaction to earnings news issued at the ToM by lottery-type firms located in areas with many gambling investors. Lottery-type firms are more likely to issue bad earnings news at ToM, thus benefiting from a less negative price reaction. Similarly, seasoned equity offerings (SEOs) by lottery-type firms are often strategically timed at the ToM, conceivably to take advantage of local retail investors’ underreaction and thereby temper the typically negative immediate stock price reaction to the issuance news. Further suggestive of strategic exploitation of local investors peak in demand at the ToM period, lottery-type firms’ SEOs at the ToM are also more likely to be offered via an accelerated method that saves the direct marketing costs associated with other offer methods.
Toward Hardware-Based IP Vulnerability Detection and Post-Deployment Patching in Systems-on-Chip

System integrators create heterogeneous systems-on-chip (SoCs) by integrating numerous third-party intellectual property blocks (3PIPs) to achieve application-specific design goals. With increasing intellectual property (IP) complexity, 3PIPs can suffer from hardware bugs or they can inadvertently introduce other software-exploitable security threats to the SoC. To ensure the ongoing survivability of new SoCs, we need infrastructure for patching newly discovered IP issues after an SoC has been deployed. To address the increasing risks from 3PIPs, we explore the feasibility and limitations of implementing monitoring and mitigation capabilities in hardware. Our proposed monitoring and mitigation patch (MoP) blocks provide a defensive foundation against critical IP-centric issues, focusing on situations where a system integrator only has interface-level visibility of 3PIP designs. The MoPs are distributed throughout the SoC to monitor and mitigate issues directly in hardware and transparently for potentially compromised software—the MoPs are resilient against run-time compromised software and firmware. We ensure that these monitors are reconfigurable after deployment by implementing them using embedded-FPGAs or as a reprogrammable, fixed-design module. We perform a case study of numerous IP-types and model a selection of security-relevant issues and bugs in the IPs, exploring the relative complexity and potential resource overhead. Our study shows the utility of our proposed approach, with MoP blocks requiring less than ~1.5% of the adaptive logic modules (ALMs) in a Cyclone V FPGA for interface monitoring and issue mitigation per IP.
GangSweep: Sweep out Neural Backdoors by GAN

This work proposes GangSweep, a new backdoor detection framework that leverages the super reconstructive power of Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) to detect and ''sweep out'' neural backdoors. It is motivated by a series of intriguing empirical investigations, revealing that the perturbation masks generated by GAN are persistent and exhibit interesting statistical properties with low shifting variance and large shifting distance in feature space. Compared with the previous solutions, the proposed approach eliminates the reliance on the access to training data, and shows a high degree of robustness and efficiency for detecting and mitigating a wide range of backdoored models with various settings. Moreover, this is the first work that successfully leverages generative networks to defend against advanced neural backdoors with multiple triggers and their polymorphic forms.
Stepwise gating of the Sec61 protein-conducting channel by Sec63 and Sec62

The universally conserved Sec61/SecY channel mediates transport of many newly synthesized polypeptides across membranes, an essential step in protein secretion and membrane protein integration. The channel has two gating mechanisms--a lipid-facing lateral gate, through which hydrophobic signal sequences or transmembrane helices (TMs) are released into the membrane, and a vertical gate, called the plug, which regulates the water-filled pore required for translocation of hydrophilic polypeptide segments6. Currently, how these gates are controlled and how they regulate the translocation process remain poorly understood. Here, by analyzing cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of several variants of the eukaryotic post-translational translocation complex Sec61-Sec62-Sec63, we reveal discrete gating steps of Sec61 and the mechanism by which Sec62 and Sec63 induce these gating events. We show that Sec62 forms a V-shaped structure in front of the lateral gate to fully open both gates of Sec61. Without Sec62, the lateral gate opening narrows, and the vertical pore becomes closed by the plug, rendering the channel inactive. We further show that the lateral gate is opened first by interactions between Sec61 and Sec63 in both cytosolic and luminal domains, a simultaneous disruption of which fully closes the channel. Our study defines the function of Sec62 and illuminates how Sec63 and Sec62 work together in a hierarchical manner to activate the Sec61 channel for post-translational translocation.
A Soft Robotic Sleeve for Safer Colonoscopy Procedures

Colonoscopy is the gold standard for colorectal cancer diagnosis; however, limited instrument dexterity and no sensor feedback can hamper procedure safety and acceptance. We propose a soft robotic sleeve to provide sensor feedback and additional actuation capabilities to improve safety during navigation in colonoscopy. The robot can be mounted around current endoscopic instrumentation as a disposable “add-on,” avoiding the need for dedicated or customized instruments and without disrupting current surgical workflow. We focus on design, finite element analysis, fabrication, and experimental characterization and validation of the soft robotic sleeve. The device integrates soft optical sensors to monitor contact interaction forces between the colon and the colonoscope and soft robotic actuators that can be automatically deployed if excessive force is detected, to guarantee pressure redistribution on a larger contact area of the colon. The system can be operated by a surgeon via a graphic user interface that displays contact force values and enables independent or coordinated pressurization of the soft actuators upon demand, in case deemed necessary to aid navigation or distend colon tissue.
“El goze de los derechos de ciudadano”: Elecciones y ciudadanía en la América Central, ca. 1770-1850

Between 1808 and 1850, the provinces and then independent Central American states organized hundreds of elections. This article examines the electoral theory set out in the region’s constitutions and electoral regulations and explores the implementation as shown in election books, voter lists, newspapers, correspondence, and other documents that reveal voting and political practices at the municipal, state, and federal levels. The analysis shows that the surprising result of a system that privileged indirect voting and the power of the legislative body to impose results was a substantial citizen commitment to active political participation that ultimately prepared the region to expand citizen rights (at least on paper) in the second half of the nineteenth century.
Modeling Superfluid Phase Separator Systems

This report describes a model for the operation of superfluid helium (He II) phase separator systems. It is applied to the design of vent systems in low gravity. We used a systems approach to show the interactions of the various components of the vent system. Some of the assumptions and approximations that have been used in previous models are incorrect or inaccurate; thus, the equations used here differ somewhat from other reported models. We modeled the flow of He II with the one-dimensional steady-state Gorter-Mellink equations. The model includes several physical phenomena not found in other published analyses: the pressure jump at a gas-liquid interface due to evaporation; heat flow in the porous matrix; property variations due to temperature; and the internal structure of the porous material. When property variations and/or channel geometry are considered, the equations have to be solved as differential equations We modified the code SUPERFLOW to implement this model.
Text Segmentation by Topic

We investigate the problem of text segmentation by topic. Applications for this task include topic tracking of broadcast speech data and topic identification in full-text databases. Researchers have tackled similar problems before but with different goals. This study focuses on data with relatively small segment sizes and for which within-segment sentences have relatively few words in common making the problem challenging. We present a method for segmentation which makes use of a query expansion technique to find common features for the topic segments. Experiments with the technique show that it can be effective.
Indicators of Gender Equality for American States and Regions: An Update

This paper describes the methods and datasources used to update state-level indicatorsof economic, political, and legal genderequality originally developed by Sugarman andStraus (1987). Indicators were combined tocreate an updated version of the GenderEquality Index and relevant subscales. Preliminary evidence of the internalconsistency reliability and construct validityof the updated measure is presented. Acomparison of state rankings for the originaland updated versions of the Gender EqualityIndex reveal that there continue to bestatistically significant differences betweenU.S. states and regions in the degree of genderequality observed but there is evidence of atrend toward greater homogeneity among states. Scores on the overall index have not increasedsubstantially in states identified as having ahigh degree of gender equality previously. Instead, the most dramatic increases areoccurring in states characterized by lowerlevels of gender equality previously. Despiteincreases observed among states, the medianscore of 62 on the Updated Gender EqualityIndex reveals that in the typical Americanstate, women have achieved less than two-thirdsof what is needed to have equality with men.
CFD Simulations of a Large-Scale Seed Precipitation Tank Stirred with Multiple Intermig Impellers

The three-dimensional multiphase flow in a large-scale seed precipitation tank stirred with multiple Intermig impellers was simulated by CFD method. The flow field, solid particles distribution and power consumption were numerically analyzed by adopting Eulerian Granular Model (GEM) and standard k-e turbulence model. The tank was improved by lengthening the lowest impeller and adopting sloped baffles which largely promoted the solids suspension and fluid mixing. In the original tank, the maximum of relative solid concentration difference in the whole tank was less than 5% at the minimum rotational speed of 4.8r/min. Although the lowest lengthened impeller cost more power, the minimum rotational speed could be down to 3.8r/min. So in the improved tank, about 40% power could be saved to achieve the same mixing effect. The results have important meaning to industrial design and optimization.
Theatres of Torture: Martyrs, Pagans, and the Politics of Conversion in Early Seventeenth-Century France*

AbstractThis essay examines writing about and representations of pain and torture by looking specifically at two French Catholic martyr plays that appeared at the turn of the seventeenth century: Nicolas Soret’s La Ceciliade (1606) and Jean Boissin de Gallardon’s Le Martyre de saincte Catherine (1618). It interprets these plays alongside Antonio Gallonio’s Trattato degli instrumenti di martiro (1591; 1594) and Richard Verstegan’s Theâtre des cruautez des Herectiques de nostre temps (1587; 1607). On the one hand, by analysing the representations of physical torture, this article investigates the relationship between religious violence in the real world and the significance of the martyr figure on stage in La Ceciliade. On the other, it takes into account the crushing of the executioners’ bodies in Boissin’s play and in iconographical representations of St Catherine’s wheel of torture, arguing that representations of the martyrs’ and pagans’ injured bodies not only serve to profess publicly the truth of the...
The Ca2+-sensing Receptor Activates Cytosolic Phospholipase A2 via a Gqα-dependent ERK-independent Pathway

Abstract The Ca2+-sensing receptor (CaR) stimulates a number of phospholipase activities, but the specific phospholipases and the mechanisms by which the CaR activates them are not defined. We investigated regulation of phospholipase A2(PLA2) by the Ca2+-sensing receptor (CaR) in human embryonic kidney 293 cells that express either the wild-type receptor or a nonfunctional mutant (R796W) CaR. The PLA2activity was attributable to cytosolic PLA2(cPLA2) based on its inhibition by arachidonyl trifluoromethyl ketone, lack of inhibition by bromoenol lactone, and enhancement of the CaR-stimulated phospholipase activity by coexpression of a cDNA encoding the 85-kDa human cPLA2. No CaR-stimulated cPLA2 activity was found in the cells that expressed the mutant CaR. Pertussis toxin treatment had a minimal effect on CaR-stimulated arachidonic acid release and the CaR-stimulated rise in intracellular Ca2+(Ca2+ i), whereas inhibition of phospholipase C (PLC) with U73122 completely inhibited CaR-stimulated PLC and cPLA2 activities. CaR-stimulated PLC activity was inhibited by expression of RGS4, an RGS (Regulator of Gprotein Signaling) protein that inhibits Gαqactivity. CaR-stimulated cPLA2 activity was inhibited 80% by chelation of extracellular Ca2+ and depletion of intracellular Ca2+ with EGTA and inhibited 90% by treatment with W7, a calmodulin inhibitor, or with KN-93, an inhibitor of Ca2+, calmodulin-dependent protein kinases. Chemical inhibitors of the ERK activator, MEK, and a dominant negative MEK, MEKK97R, had no effect on CaR-stimulated cPLA2 activity but inhibited CaR-stimulated ERK activity. These results demonstrate that the CaR activates cPLA2 via a Gαq, PLC, Ca2+-CaM, and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase-dependent pathway that is independent the ERK pathway.
Measuring the depth of amino acid residues in membrane-inserted peptides by fluorescence quenching

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the principles and limitations of the analysis of fluorescence quenching in membranes. It also describes applications of quenching to the structure of model membrane-bound peptides. In a typical quenching experiment using model membranes, a series of quencher carrying molecules with quenchers that occupy different depths in the bilayer are incorporated into an artificial lipid bilayer that also contains the fluorescent molecule of interest. Often, the quenchers are derivatives of fatty acids or phospholipids, with the quencher attached, either to the polar headgroup or to a specific fatty acyl carbon atom. This attachment gives the quencher a relatively "fixed" depth. Fatty acids have the advantage that they can be added to preformed bilayer. On the other hand, they have the disadvantages that their binding to the bilayer must be quantitated in order to obtain accurate quenching data, and that high fatty acid levels can perturb membrane structure. The quencher groups most commonly used are dibromo or nitroxide derivatives. These groups quench only nearby fluorophores, although, contact between quencher and fluorophore is not necessarily required. The amount of quenching is determined from the ratio of fluorescence in a sample containing the quencher (defined as intensity F) to that in a similar sample in which the quencher is omitted (defined as F 0 ). The pattern of F/Fo versus depth of the quenching group is used to calculate the depth of the fluorescent group.
Scheduling communication networks carrying real-time traffic

The paper presents new methods to analyze the performance of certain scheduling algorithms for communication networks carrying real time traffic and operating in a packet switched mode. The real time traffic consists of distinct sessions, each of which transmits packets with hard deadlines. Edf and fifo scheduling policies are analyzed in detail. For the single node case, methods based on real time queueing theory and heavy traffic queueing theory are applied to develop closed form expressions for the fraction of packets which miss their deadline as a function of the characteristics of the sessions using the node. The results are extended to a two node non Jackson network. Simulations illustrate the excellent accuracy of the closed form expressions. The formulas developed are used to design system parameters that can attain desired levels of packet lateness.
Philosophies of Education from the Past and Present

Book review ofΓC£Classic and Contemporary Readings in the Philosophy of EducationΓC¥ by Steven M. Cahn
Quantitative pharmacologic MRI in mice

Pharmacologic MRI (phMRI) uses functional MRI techniques to provide a noninvasive in vivo measurement of the hemodynamic effects of drugs. The cerebral blood volume change (ΔCBV) serves as a surrogate for neuronal activity via neurovascular coupling mechanisms. By assessing the location and time course of brain activity in mouse mutant studies, phMRI can provide valuable insights into how different behavioral phenotypes are expressed in deferring brain activity response to drug challenge. In this report, we evaluate the utility of three different intravascular ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) contrast agents for phMRI using a gradient-echo technique, with temporal resolution of one min at high magnetic field. The tissue half-life of the USPIOs was studied using a nonlinear detrending model. The three USPIOs are candidates for CBV weighted phMRI experiments, with r_2/r_1 ratios ≥ 20 and apparent half-lives ≥ 1.5 h at the described doses. An echo-time of about 10 ms or longer results in a functional contrast to noise ratio (fCNR) > 75 after USPIO injection, with negligible decrease between 1.5-2 h. phMRI experiments were conducted at 7 T using cocaine as a psychotropic substance and acetazolamide, a global vasodilator, as a positive control. Cocaine acts as a dopamine-serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, increasing extracellular concentrations of these neurotransmitters, and thus increasing dopaminergic, serotonergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission. phMRI results showed that CBV was reduced in the normal mouse brain after cocaine challenge, with the largest effects in the nucleus accumbens, whereas after acetazolamide, blood volume was increased in both cerebral and extracerebral tissue.
A novel hybrid FDTD technique for efficient solution of multiscale problems

Numerical simulation of electromagnetic models with multiscale features is highly challenging due to the fact that electrically large as well as small features are simultaneously present in the model, which in turn requires that the computational domain be discretized such that the number of degrees of freedom (DOF) is very large and hence, levies a heavy burden on computational resources.
Background to the Soviet glaciological studies from the Salyut‐6 Orbital Space Station

Abstract In introducing the translated Russian article which follows, the author provides background information on the Soviet “Orbital Space Station Earth Observations Project,”; comparing it with the American “Space Shuttle Earth Observations Project.”; He also provides details on the cameras used by the Soviet cosmonauts, comparing them with American models. One of the major foci of the Soviet program is the monitoring of glaciers on a global basis, one area where it has made a significant contribution being the ice caps of the Southern Andes. In conclusion the author surveys planned initiatives by both the Soviet Union and the United States in the area of remote sensing of the world's glaciers.