cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterizing the DNA binding modes of a topoisomerase I-poisoning terbenzimidazole: evidence for both intercalative and minor groove binding properties.

We have used a broad range of spectroscopic and viscometric techniques to demonstrate that the complexation of a cytotoxic, topoisomerase I-poisoning terbenzimidazole (5PTB) with the poly(dA).poly(dT) duplex exhibits properties characteristic of both intercalation and minor groove binding. Our results reveal the following features: (i) Optical melting profiles reveal that 5PTB binding enhances the thermal stability of the poly(dA).poly(dT) duplex; (ii) Fluorescence-detected 5PTB binding to the poly(dA).poly(dT) duplex reveals four apparent "site sizes," ranging from 1 to 13 base pairs (bp) per bound drug; (iii) Flow linear dichroism data suggest conformational heterogeneity among the poly(dA).poly(dT)-bound 5PTB molecules, with substantial contributions from drug molecules bound in the minor groove; (iv) Fluorescence resonance energy transfer data reveal properties characteristic of a significant contribution from an intercalative mode of binding; (v) Viscometric, fluorescence quenching, and netropsin competition data are consistent with 5PTB binding to poly(dA).poly(dT) by "mixed" modes, which are operationally defined as single or multiple binding populations that individually and/or collectively express both intercalative and minor groove binding properties. We comment on a potential correlation between drugs that exhibit such "mixed" mode binding motifs and those that express antineoplastic activity through inhibition of topoisomerase I.
Technical Section: Feature-aware streamline generation of planar vector fields via topological methods

Methods for vector field visualization strive to have a sparse representation of the field, while encoding all of its important features. Streamline visualization is one of the most popular such methods. Traditionally, a set of streamline methods have focused on capturing the salient features of the vector field such as sources, sinks, and vortices. However, not all features are created equal, and some features of the vector field are more important than others, which could simply be mere noise. It is this problem of characterizing feature importance through streamline visualization that we try to address in this paper. Specifically, a given 2D vector field can be decomposed into a rotation-free (gradient) component, divergence-free (curl) component and a harmonic component by the so-called Hodge decomposition. Features in the original vector field, in some sense, correspond to features in the first two components. Furthermore, the gradient and curl components are each induced by a scalar field. By analyzing these two corresponding scalar fields using topological methods (in particular the contour tree and the persistent homology), we develop a simple and novel algorithm whose streamline density tends to reflect the topological importance of the features in the input vector field. Such a feature-aware streamline sketch is more informative, yet still simple both visually and in terms of its generation. It enhances our understanding of the underlying vector field, which is demonstrated here by several experimental results.
Identification of novel cell components designated “tissue organizing structures”* with potential applications in cancer prevention/therapeutics, tissue bioengineering, and gene therapy

A98 This research describes the identification of a novel cellular structure, approximately 2 microns in diameter, that was isolated from normal and malignant human tumor cell lines, but has also been found to be present in diverse mammalian and even plant species, suggesting that this represents a ubiquitous cellular component of multicellular systems. These unique entities are comprised of membrane bound vesicles that incorporate genetic material that are either “budded” from the surface of the cell, or are released by cell lysis. These novel cell-derived structures have been given the name “Tissue Organizing Structures”* or “TOS” based on their observed properties, which include numerous functions associated with homotypic/heterotypic cell-to-cell and extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions that have been studied using an in vitro system to isolate and assess their biological properties by live imaging photomicroscopy, videography and histological staining procedures. >The biological activities of TOS structures documented in this research include: >• Central role in solid tumor development in vitro assessed in brain, colon and lung tumor cell lines; >• Exchange of genetic material by recombination with cells or other TOS; >• TOS/TOS fusions to generate tubular structures as connectors to link separate tumor masses; >• TOS fusion to cell membrane associated with rapid morphogenetic changes in host cell, including induction of masses of intracellular TOS , designated “TOS bags”, released by cell lysis; >• Cell-free TOS generate complex tissue-like structures in vitro; >• Cell-free TOS isolated from lung carcinoma cells induce rapid malignant transformation of normal lung cells in vitro ; >• Cell-free TOS isolated from normal lung cells induce the rapid reversion of transformed malignant lung cells in vitro to a normal phenotype followed by the induction of cell death. >We propose a model suggesting that TOS may play a critical role in the following processes associated with solid tumor behavior: >• Role in producing genetic instability in tumors via novel forms of cell fusion and somatic recombination; >• Role in tumor spread via formation of tubules enabling tumor spread and increasing tumor network area; >• Role in somatic genetic exchange, tissue morphogenesis, intercellular communication; >• Role in metastasis as a vehicle of tumor spread and metastatic site tissue transformation; >• Role in altering tumor/stromal microenvironmental interactions associated with proposed epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions (EMTs), and tumor/stem cell interactions. >In addition to these properties associated with solid tumor behavior, this research suggests that TOS isolated from normal tissue may have important potential preventive and therapeutic applications in clinical cancer research. >*Patent Pending, 2007
The Continental Background

Sometime during the 1570s, at his hilltop château in southwestern France, Michel de Montaigne wrote that ‘Whoever seekes for anything, commeth at last to this conclusion and saith that either he hath found it, that it cannot be found, or that he is still in pursuit after it’ (Florio, 448). When Montaigne’s remarkable book of essays was subsequently published in 1580, few of its readers would have known that this particular idea had been lifted wholesale from the Hellenistic sceptic Sextus Empiricus. Virtually all of them, however, would have seen that Montaigne’s sympathies lay principally with the active seekers, those ‘still in pursuit’. And in John Florio’s Elizabethan translation of the Essays, English readers would have experienced the same response, for Montaigne’s impatience with dogmatic assertion readily transcends linguistic barriers. Thus it was, sixty years after the onset of Reformation debate, that an idiosyncratic Frenchman living in rural retirement initiated a curious and sustained engagement with the scepticism of antiquity — an engagement that not only shaped his life but helped to charge the intellectual atmosphere of Europe during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Yet the story of how Montaigne came to read Sextus, and how England came to read them both, begins much earlier.
A Highly Reactive Imidazolium-Bridged Dinucleotide Intermediate in Nonenzymatic RNA Primer Extension

Because of its importance for the origin of life, the nonenzymatic copying of RNA templates has been the subject of intense study for several decades. Previous characterizations of template-directed primer extension using 5′-phosphoryl-2-methylimidazole-activated nucleotides (2-MeImpNs) as substrates have assumed a classical in-line nucleophilic substitution mechanism, in which the 3′-hydroxyl of the primer attacks the phosphate of the incoming monomer, displacing the 2-methylimidazole leaving group. However, we have found that the initial rate of primer extension depends on the pH and concentration at which the activated monomer is maintained prior to the primer extension reaction. These and other results suggest an alternative mechanism, in which two monomers react with each other to form an imidazolium-bridged dinucleotide intermediate, which then binds to the template. Subsequent attack of the 3′-hydroxyl of the primer displaces an activated nucleotide as the leaving group and results in extension of ...
The effects of unilateral versus bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation on prosaccades and antisaccades in Parkinson’s disease

Unilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in patients with Parkinson's disease improves skeletomotor function assessed clinically, and bilateral STN DBS improves motor function to a significantly greater extent. It is unknown whether unilateral STN DBS improves oculomotor function and whether bilateral STN DBS improves it to a greater extent. Further, it has also been shown that bilateral, but not unilateral, STN DBS is associated with some impaired cognitive-motor functions. The current study compared the effect of unilateral and bilateral STN DBS on sensorimotor and cognitive aspects of oculomotor control. Patients performed prosaccade and antisaccade tasks during no stimulation, unilateral stimulation, and bilateral stimulation. There were three sets of findings. First, for the prosaccade task, unilateral STN DBS had no effect on prosaccade latency and it reduced prosaccade gain; bilateral STN DBS reduced prosaccade latency and increased prosaccade gain. Second, for the antisaccade task, neither unilateral nor bilateral stimulation had an effect on antisaccade latency, unilateral STN DBS increased antisaccade gain, and bilateral STN DBS increased antisaccade gain to a greater extent. Third, bilateral STN DBS induced an increase in prosaccade errors in the antisaccade task. These findings suggest that while bilateral STN DBS benefits spatiotemporal aspects of oculomotor control, it may not be as beneficial for more complex cognitive aspects of oculomotor control. Our findings are discussed considering the strategic role the STN plays in modulating information in the basal ganglia oculomotor circuit.
Statutory Divestiture of Tribal Sovereignty

The Supreme Court’s non-decision in Dollar General v. Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is evidence not only of disagreement on tribal civil jurisdiction but perhaps also uncertainty in how to analyze divestiture of tribal sovereignty. Most scholars (including myself) have described the Court’s behavior in tribal sovereign authority cases as one of judicial supremacy, in that the Court merely makes policy choices based on its own ideological views of tribal power. That is a mistake. Persuaded by the federal government’s argument in Dollar General, I now argue that the proper analysis rests with federal statutes. Indian law practitioners can and should reconsider the Court’s prior decisions in this vein, as the best ones already do, and analyze tribal sovereign powers in the paradigm of statutory divestiture rather than judicial supremacy.
Minocycline for the Treatment of Multidrug and Extensively Drug-Resistant A. baumannii: A Review

Acinetobacter baumannii can cause life-threatening nosocomial infections associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. In recent years, the increasing number of infections due to extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter with limited treatment options has resulted in a need for additional therapeutic agents, and a renaissance of older, neglected antimicrobials. This has led to an increased interest in the use of minocycline to treat these infections. Minocycline has been shown to overcome many resistance mechanisms affecting other tetracyclines in A. baumannii, including tigecycline. Additionally, it has favorable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, as well as excellent in vitro activity against drug-resistant A. baumannii. Available data support therapeutic success with minocycline, while ease of dosing with no need for renal or hepatic dose adjustments and improved safety have made it an appealing therapy. This review will focus on the mechanisms of action and resistance to tetracyclines in A. baumannii, the in vitro activity, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of minocycline against A. baumannii, and finally the clinical experience with minocycline for the treatment of invasive infections due to this pathogen.
Inheritance of resistance to damage byThrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Cabbage

The inheritance of resistance in cabbage (Brassica oleracea var.capitata) to damage caused byThrips tabaci Lindeman was studied in progeny from four crosses between resistant and susceptible inbred lines. In two families sharing the same susceptible parent, the narrow-sense heritability was calculated to be high (>90%), using the Warner method of calculation (Warner, 1952). The other two families, also sharing a susceptible parent, had very low narrow-sense heritability (0–11%). In three of the four families, however, the validity of the Warner calculations were called into question due to significant epistatic interactions. In all four families, the F1 populations approached or exceeded the susceptibility of the susceptible parent, indicating that susceptibility is generally dominant. The importance of epistasis and dominance suggests that tests of hybrid combinations to determine combining ability for thrips resistance may be required, rather than selecting only on the basis of thrips damage to the inbred lines. The technique of planting wheat upwind from the cabbage test plot did generate adequate levels of thrips pressure, but the infestation was uneven in two of the four blocks, so that reasonable replication of tests is required.
Prototype effects in first and second language learners: The case of English transitive semantics

According to usage-based approaches to language acquisition, linguistic constructions should display prototype effects, or graded category membership (e.g., Bybee, 2010). Using the prototype-plus-distortion methodology (Franks & Bransford, 1971), Ibbotson, Theakston, Lieven, and Tomasello (2012) have provided evidence for prototype effects in adult native English speakers, who had false-positive recognition of sentences with prototypical transitive semantics as having been previously encountered after being exposed to non-prototypical transitive semantics. In the current study, I adopted this methodology and investigated whether the effects can be replicated and additionally observed from English-as-a-second-language (ESL) learners. Results from two groups of adult native English speakers (N=20 and N=21), each exposed to a different stimuli set, suggested some, but not strong, effects and revealed the complexity of the use of this methodology with linguistic materials. Moreover, no effects were observed from advanced adult ESL learners (N=22), suggesting possible differences between first and second transitive semantic representations.
Annual Estimates of Recharge, Quick-Flow Runoff, and Evapotranspiration for the Contiguous U.S. Using Empirical Regression Equations

This study presents new data-driven, annual estimates of the division of precipitation into the recharge, quick-flow runoff, and evapotranspiration (ET) water budget components for 2000-2013 for the contiguous United States (CONUS). The algorithms used to produce these maps ensure water budget consistency over this broad spatial scale, with contributions from precipitation influx attributed to each component at 800 m resolution. The quick-flow runoff estimates for the contribution to the rapidly varying portion of the hydrograph are produced using data from 1,434 gaged watersheds, and depend on precipitation, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, and surficial geology type. Evapotranspiration estimates are produced from a regression using water balance data from 679 gaged watersheds and depend on land cover, temperature, and precipitation. The quick-flow and ET estimates are combined to calculate recharge as the remainder of precipitation. The ET and recharge estimates are checked against independent field data, and the results show good agreement. Comparisons of recharge estimates with groundwater extraction data show that in 15% of the country, groundwater is being extracted at rates higher than the local recharge. These maps of the internally consistent water budget components of recharge, quick-flow runoff, and ET, being derived from and tested against data, are expected to provide reliable first-order estimates of these quantities across the CONUS, even where field measurements are sparse.
How much have California winters warmed over the last century

Extraordinarily warm 2013-14 and 2014-15 winter temperatures in California accompanied by drought conditions contributed to low snow accumulations and stressed water resources, giving rise to the question: how much has California's climate warmed over the last century? We examine long-term trends in maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) daily temperatures in winter estimated from five gridded datasets. Resulting trends show some consistent features, such as higher trends in Tmin than Tmax, however substantial differences exist in the trend magnitudes and spatial patterns due mostly to the nature of spatial interpolation employed in the different datasets. Averaged across California over 1920-2015, Tmax trends vary from -0.30 to 1.2 °C/century while Tmin trends range from 1.2 to 1.9 °C/century. The differences in temperature strongly impact modeled changes in Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) over the last century (from -5.0 to -7.6 km3/century).
COST EFFECTIVE APPLICATIONS OF FOAMGLAS® IN PASSIVE SOLAR RETROFITS

ABSTRACT The physical and economic capability of Foamglas ® for passive solar applications, particularly retrofit applications, are discussed. The properties of this material work synergistically to provide an outstanding collecting-insulating structure. Desktop and rooftop models have been developed in the laboratories at Providence College. A major retrofit application is soon to be implemented. The progress and implications of current studies will be reported. Foamglas® is a product of the Pittsburg Corning Company.
Content Analysis Using Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM): A Guide to Capturing Causal Relationships from Secondary Sources of Data

Cognitive mapping was introduced as a method to model complex systems that reflects how experts or stakeholders understand cause-and-effect relationships. Later, fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) combined cognitive mapping with artificial neural networks (ANN), resulting in the unique capacity to capture and use qualitative data to perform quantitative analysis and study system behavior in response to changes of system elements. However, when it comes to building FCM models from qualitative data, particularly from secondary data sources, guidance for modelers is scarce. This article introduces a step by step guideline for building FCM that not only deals with causal relationships but also offers techniques to adjust the inconsistencies, and tune the granularities through parent-child relationships. It also proposes two techniques, isolated graph analysis, and receiver-only-concept analysis to investigate the completeness of the final FCM and hypothesize new connections to fill the gaps.
Virtual Patriot Games: American Football in The Times of London, 1888–1910

This study examines the American football press coverage in the Times of London from 1888 to November 1910. The time span covers the paper’s first mention of the game to the first game played in En...
A mixed methods study of the experience of older adults with multimorbidity in a Care Coordination Program

IntroductionCare Coordination Programs are designed to streamline services for older adults with multimorbidity. The Triple Aim, a conceptual model for the design and evaluation of healthcare models, stipulates that a balance of three aims—reducing costs, improving population health, and improving patient experience—are needed for high-quality, value-based care. Research is beginning to show that coordinating care across the continuum of care reduces costs and improves the health of the multimorbid older adult population. Yet little is known about older adults’ experience of care and their overall assessment of interactions with healthcare providers across the length of time of these interactions in a Care Coordination Program.MethodsTo gain a deeper understanding of older adults’ experience with a Care Coordination Program, this concurrent mixed methods research study analyzed 201 older adults’ assessment of their chronic illness care using the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC+). A subse...
The enduring influence of electoral systems: investigating Green parties’ attention to local issues in parliament

Scholars argue that members of parliament (MPs) in first-past-the-post (FPTP) systems have stronger incentives to cater to their electoral district than those in proportional representation (PR) types. Yet, few studies have explored whether MPs in PR systems or MPs from small parties engage local issues in general. I build new theory and explore its support through a case study that compares Green party behaviour in an FPTP system (the UK) to a PR system (New Zealand). Results show that MPs focus on local issues in both systems, but the distribution of attention varies in ways consistent with differing electoral incentives.
Guns vs. Medicare

Guns versus butter is the classic example of a public finance tradeoff given in a high school economics text to signify the hard choices that society must make. Guns, of course, signify investing finite public resources in military spending, while butter signifies doing so in goods and services such as health care, social services, and infrastructure. The goal of policy is to obtain the correct mix.
Television antiheroines: women behaving badly in crime and prison drama

This is a welcome and well-constructed anthology on the topic of the anti-heroine in contemporary television. Especially impressive is the global scope of the collection, which features discussions...
Durability of Endoscopic Treatment for Dysplastic Barrett’s Esophagus

This review discusses the durability of the neo-squamous esophageal epithelium following endoscopic eradication therapy of dysplastic Barrett’s esophagus. Our review will focus primarily on patients treated with radiofrequency ablation; however, we describe the known durability of cryotherapy. Additionally, we discuss the utility of novel imaging technologies and the efficacy of chemopreventive medications following endoscopic ablation. Mounting data describe the durability of the post-ablation esophagus. Dysplastic Barrett’s esophagus and adenocarcinoma following ablation are rare. New data emphasize that most recurrent disease occurs in the initial year following treatment. Additionally, recent publications suggest that a much-attenuated surveillance interval may provide adequate detection of neoplasia with many fewer surveillance endoscopies. Future guidelines will likely liberalize surveillance intervals following endoscopic eradication therapy. Additionally, further longitudinal studies will need to assess the length of time for which surveillance is indicated. The utility of chemopreventive strategies and adjunctive imaging modalities in the maintenance and surveillance of the post-ablation esophagus also remain unclear and will be areas for future investigation.
Noise Exposure and Background Noise Tolerance in Listeners With Normal Audiograms.

Purpose Tolerance for background noise when listening to speech has been found to vary greatly between individuals, despite clinically similar audiograms. Recent work suggests that listeners at ris...
Abundance, distribution, and fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in four small sub-tropical rivers of the Tampa Bay Estuary (Florida, USA)

The delivery of organic carbon (C) from rivers to the coastal ocean via estuaries is recognized as an important component of the global C budget however, smaller river systems are often overlooked and modern flux estimates are not very different from historical estimates. Here, the seasonal (wet vs. dry) concentration and fluxes of dissolved organic C (DOC) were measured in five small sub-tropical rivers that drain into the Tampa Bay (FL, USA) estuary. DOC distributions were highly variable among riverine, mesohaline, and marine end-member samples in all river catchments and no significant differences were observed among or between DOC concentrations with respect to river catchment, season, or year of sampling. In general, DOC mixed non-conservatively during the wet seasons, and conservatively during the dry seasons, with the estuarine reaches of each river serving as a sink of DOC. Fluxes were strongly tied to discharge irrespective of season, and the estuaries removed 15–65% of DOC prior to export to coastal Bay and Gulf of Mexico waters. DOC concentrations were similar to others reported for low-elevation sub-tropical rivers, and a combination of elevation, residence time, and climate appear to control the abundance and variability of DOC in sub-tropical vs. tropical river systems. The characterization of DOC in small, sub-tropical rivers, which share characteristics with both their temperate and tropical counterparts, is critical for quantitatively constraining the importance of these systems in local-to-regional scale ocean C budgets. In addition to geomorphic properties, the role of past, present, and future land cover and other environmental change in small coastal rivers also exerts control on the quantity and flux of DOC in these systems.
Scalable Cooperative Transport of Cable-Suspended Loads With UAVs Using Distributed Trajectory Optimization

Most approaches to multi-robot control either rely on local decentralized control policies that scale well in the number of agents, or on centralized methods that can handle constraints and produce rich system-level behavior, but are typically computationally expensive and scale poorly in the number of agents, relegating them to offline planning. This work presents a scalable approach that uses distributed trajectory optimization to parallelize computation over a group of computationally-limited agents while handling general nonlinear dynamics and non-convex constraints. The approach, including near-real-time onboard trajectory generation, is demonstrated in hardware on a cable-suspended load problem with a team of quadrotors automatically reconfiguring to transport a heavy load through a doorway.
Pet dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) release their trapped and distressed owners: Individual variation and evidence of emotional contagion

Domestic dogs have assisted humans for millennia. However, the extent to which these helpful behaviors are prosocially motivated remains unclear. To assess the propensity of pet dogs to actively rescue distressed humans without explicit training, this study tested whether sixty pet dogs would release their seemingly trapped owners from a large box. To examine the causal mechanisms that shaped this behavior, the readiness of each dog to open the box was tested in three conditions: 1) the owner sat in the box and called for help (distress test), 2) an experimenter placed high-value food rewards in the box (food test), and 3) the owner sat in the box and calmly read aloud (reading test). Dogs were as likely to release their distressed owner as to retrieve treats from inside the box, indicating that rescuing an owner may be a highly rewarding action for dogs. After accounting for opening ability, dogs released the owner more often when the owner called for help than when the owner read aloud calmly. In addition, opening latencies decreased with test number in the distress test but not the reading test. Thus, rescuing the owner could not be attributed solely to social facilitation, stimulus enhancement, or social contact-seeking behavior. Dogs displayed more stress behaviors in the distress test than in the reading test, and stress scores decreased with test number in the reading test but not in the distress test. This evidence of emotional contagion supports the hypothesis that rescuing the distressed owner was an empathetically-motivated prosocial behavior. Success in the food task and previous (in-home) experience opening objects were both strong predictors of releasing the owner. Thus, prosocial behavior tests for dogs should control for physical ability and previous experience.
Understanding Skill of Seasonal Mean Precipitation Prediction over California during Boreal Winter and Role of Predictability Limits

AbstractUsing extensive hindcasts from seasonal prediction systems participating in the North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME), possible causes for low skill in predicting seasonal mean precipi...
The Role of Tunneling in the Spectra of H5+ and D5+ up to 7300 cm-1

The spectra for H5+ and D5+ are extended to cover the region between 4830 and 7300 cm-1. These spectra are obtained using mass-selected photodissociation spectroscopy. To understand the nature of the states that are accessed by the transitions in this and prior studies, we develop a four-dimensional model Hamiltonian. This Hamiltonian is expressed in terms of the two outer H2 stretches, the displacement of the shared proton from the center of mass of these two H2 groups, and the distance between the H2 groups. This choice is motivated by the large oscillator strength associated with the shared proton stretch and the fact that the spectral regions that have been probed correspond to zero, one, and two quanta of excitation in the H2 stretches. This model is analyzed using an adiabatic separation of the H2 stretches from the other two vibrations and includes the non-adiabatic couplings between H2 stretch states with the same total number of quanta of excitation in the H2 stretches. Based on the analysis of the energies and wave functions obtained from this model, we find that when there are one or more quanta of excitation in the H2 stretches the states come in pairs that reflect tunneling doublets. The states accessed by the transitions in the spectrum with the largest intensity are assigned to the members of the doublets with requisite symmetry that are localized on the lowest-energy adiabat for a given level of H2 excitation.
Magician's Corner: 6. TensorFlow and TensorBoard.

A simple classifier in TensorFlow (version 2) is developed and how to use TensorBoard to monitor training progress, to recognize overfitting, and to display other useful information like images in ...
A Novel Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drive Control Strategy Based on Off-line Calculation and Curve Fitting

Interior Permanent Magnet (IPM) machines are advantageous over other kind for their wide-speed range operation by field-weakening technique. The proposed off-line calculation and curve fitting based IPM motor drive control strategy can achieve seamless transition between normal and field-weakening operations and maintaining minimum winding current. The detailed current reference generation algorithm using MATLAB curve fitting toolbox is presented. The control diagrams with the implementation of proposed strategy are also demonstrated in two cases which are real motor operation and pump-back operation. PLECS simulations have been conducted under both cases and a pump-back hardware test bench has been constructed and experimental results have been presented showing the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
The past, present and future impacts of climate and land use change on snowshoe hares along their southern range boundary

Abstract Changes in land use and climate are among the main drivers of range shifts for multiple species and taxa. While such distributional changes are often observed at broad scales, the processes driving them – colonization and extinction along range boundaries – occur at local scales. There is a need then, to identify whether these local drivers are consistent with patterns at broader scales. Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus), an important prey species in northern forest ecosystems, have experienced range contraction along much of their southern boundary. Population declines are linked to climate change via camouflage mismatch, an inability to match seasonal coat color molts with declining snow cover duration. We used data from camera traps to monitor the spatial extent and habitat associations of hares before, during and after an experimental translocation, and multi-season occupancy models to model the effects of habitat and climate on colonization and extinction patterns. We compared our contemporary occupancy models to historical patterns of extirpation and simulated future effects of timber harvest on occupancy. Colonization by hares was strongly associated with distance from source population and patch size of aspen-alder. Historical patterns of extirpation were consistent with contemporary patterns, and simulations revealed that increased frequency and magnitude of aspen harvest increased hare occupancy by creating large patches of early-successional habitat. As global change alters ecological communities, identifying mechanisms that drive range-shifts and targeting landscape features that can be manipulated to buffer those effects can be used to promote the persistence of individual species and ecological communities.
Pediatric teledermatology: A review of the literature

Skin complaints are common among pediatric patients, yet as of 2020, fewer than 400 board-certified pediatric dermatologists currently practice in the United States. Pediatric teledermatology may address barriers to dermatologic care in children, assisting with distant geographic locations and long wait times. A review of the literature was conducted to synthesize important features of teledermatology for pediatric dermatologists. We summarize types of telemedicine platforms, common dermatologic conditions seen by pediatric teledermatologists, diagnostic accuracy and concordance, and guidelines from the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Telemedicine Association regarding teledermatology. This report highlights the utility of pediatric telemedicine in both the outpatient and inpatient dermatology setting to increase access to high-quality dermatologic care.
Angular color shift and power consumption of RGB micro-LED displays

Abstract Micro-LED is a potentially disruptive display technology, while color performance and power consumption are critical metrics for all display devices. In this chapter, we discuss the angular color shift of micro-LED display which consists of individual AlGaInP-based red micro-LED and InGaN-based blue/green micro-LEDs. Due to material difference, the sidewall emissions from micro-LED chips cause mismatched angular distribution, leading to visually noticeable color shift at large viewing angle. Approaches to suppress the color shift is discussed. In addition to color shift, we discuss the power consumption of micro-LED displays under different ambient conditions. Chip size-dependent power consumption model is proposed to optimize the micro-LED sizes for power saving.
Recombinant expression and purification of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels for Cryo-EM structural studies.

Pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) are central players in synaptic neurotransmission and are targets to a range of drugs used to treat neurological disorders and pain. pLGICs are intrinsically dynamic membrane proteins that upon stimulation by neurotransmitters, undergo global conformational changes across multiple domains spanning a distance of over 165A. The inter-domain flexibility, a feature crucial for their function as signal transducers in chemical synapses, has been problematic in the efforts toward determining high-resolution structures. Earlier structural studies tackled this issue with a variety of strategies that included partial truncation of flexible domains and the use of antibodies and small-molecule inhibitors to restrict domain movement. With the recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy and single-particle analysis, many of these limitations have been overcome. Here, we describe the methods used in the recombinant expression and purification of full-length constructs of two members of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel family and the approaches used for capturing multiple conformations in cryo-EM imaging.
TSUNAMI: Translational Bioinformatics Tool Suite for Network Analysis and Mining.

Gene co-expression network (GCN) mining identifies gene modules with highly correlated expression profiles across samples/conditions. It enables researchers to discover latent gene/molecule interactions, identify novel gene functions, and extract molecular features from certain disease/condition groups, thus helping to identify disease biomarkers. However, there lacks an easy-to-use tool package for users to mine GCN modules that are relatively small in size with tightly connected genes that can be convenient for downstream gene set enrichment analysis, as well as modules that may share common members. To address this need, we developed an online GCN mining tool package: TSUNAMI (Tools SUite for Network Analysis and MIning). TSUNAMI incorporates our state-of-the-art lmQCM algorithm to mine GCN modules for both public and user-input data (microarray, RNA-seq, or any other numerical omics data), and then performs downstream gene set enrichment analysis for the identified modules. It has several features and advantages: 1) a user-friendly interface and real-time co-expression network mining through a web server; 2) direct access and search of NCBI GEO and TCGA databases, as well as user-input gene expression matrices for GCN module mining; 3) multiple co-expression analysis tools to choose from, all of which are highly flexible in regards to parameter selection options; 4) identified GCN modules are summarized to eigengenes, which are convenient for users to check their correlation with other clinical traits; 5) integrated downstream Enrichr enrichment analysis and links to other gene set enrichment tools; and 6) visualization of gene loci by Circos plot in any step of the process. The web service is freely accessible through URL: https://shiny.ph.iu.edu/TSUNAMI/. Source code is available at https://github.com/huangzhii/TSUNAMI/.
Multidisciplinary design optimisation (MDO) methods: their synergy with computer technology in the design process

The paper identifies speed, agility, human interface, generation of sensitivity information, task decomposition, and data transmission (including storage) as important attributes for a computer environment to have in order to support engineering design effectively. It is argued that when examined in terms of these attributes the presently available environment can be shown to be inadequate. A radical improvement is needed, and it may be achieved by combining new methods that have recently emerged from multidisciplinary design optimisation (MDO) with massively parallel processing computer technology. The caveat is that, for successful use of that technology in engineering computing, new paradigms for computing will have to be developed - specifically, innovative algorithms that are intrinsically parallel so that their performance scales up linearly with the number of processors. It may be speculated that the idea of simulating a complex behaviour by interaction of a large number of very simple models may be an inspiration for the above algorithms; the cellular automata are an example. Because of the long lead time needed to develop and mature new paradigms, development should begin now, even though the widespread availability of massively parallel processing is still a few years away.
Reexamining the Carolina Abecedarian Project using an antiracist perspective: Implications for early care and education research

Abstract The Carolina Abecedarian Project helped to establish the understanding that early care and education experiences can have long-term positive impacts on educational, social-emotional, and health outcomes into adulthood. This article uses an antiracist lens to reexamine this research, concluding that whereas the study has many strengths, the study's “colorblind” approach and deficit-model orientation limit its ability to inform practice and policy for promoting positive developmental outcomes in the population of Black children represented in the sample. As these limitations remain prevalent in contemporary early care and education research, implications for future research are discussed. Specifically, we propose that studies that focus on race and are based on strength-based perspectives will further understanding of developmental science. This in turn will enable researchers to better inform practice that supports and promotes positive outcomes for all children and public policy that addresses structural racism and its consequences in systems serving Black, Latine, Indigenous, and other minoritized families and communities.
Second-Generation Dual Scan Mammoscope With Photoacoustic, Ultrasound, and Elastographic Imaging Capabilities

We recently developed the photoacoustic dual scan mammoscope (DSM), a system that images the patient in standing pose analog to X-ray mammography. The system simultaneously acquires three-dimensional photoacoustic and ultrasound (US) images of the mildly compressed breast. Here, we describe a second-generation DSM (DSM-2) system that offers a larger field of view, better system stability, higher ultrasound imaging quality, and the ability to quantify tissue mechanical properties. In the new system, we doubled the field of view through laterally shifted round-trip scanning. This new design allows coverage of the entire breast tissue. We also adapted precisely machined holders for the transducer-fiber bundle sets. The new holder increased the mechanical stability and facilitated image registration from the top and bottom scanners. The quality of the US image is improved by increasing the firing voltage and the number of firing angles. Finally, we incorporated quasi-static ultrasound elastography to allow comprehensive characterization of breast tissue. The performance of the new system was demonstrated through in vivo human imaging experiments. The experimental results confirmed the capability of the DSM-2 system as a powerful tool for breast imaging.
Gas Dynamic Spray Technology Demonstration

Zinc primer systems are currently used across NASA and AFSPC for corrosion protection of steel. AFSPC and NASA have approved the use of Thermal Spray Coatings (TSCs) as an environmentally preferable alternative. TSCs are approved in NASA-STD-5008 and AFSPC and KSC is currently looking for additional applications in which TSC can be used. Gas Dynamic Spray (GDS, also known as Cold Spray) is being evaluated as a means of repairing TSCs and for areas such as corners and edges where TSCs do not work as well. Other applications could include spot repair/maintenance of steel on structures, facilities, and ground support equipment.
A Reliable Message Delivery Protocol for Mobile Agents

The abstractions and protocol mechanisms that form the basis for inter-agent communications can significantly impact the overall design and effectiveness of Mobile Agent systems. We present the design and performance analysis of a reliable communication mechanism for Mobile Agent systems. Our protocols are presented in the context of a Mobile Agent system called AGNI . We have developed AGNI communication mechanisms that offer reliable peer-to-peer communications, and that are integrated with our agent location tracking infrastructure to enable efficient, failure-resistant networking among highly mobile systems. We have analyzed the design parameters of our protocols using an in-situ simulation approach with validation through measurement of our prototype implementation in real distributed systems. Our system assumptions are simple and general enough to make our results applicable to other Agent systems that may adopt our protocols and/or design principles.
The human chorionic somatomammotropin gene enhancer is composed of multiple DNA elements that are homologous to several SV40 enhansons

Previous studies indicate that a human chorionic somatomammotropin (hCS) gene enhancer (CSEn) associated with the growth hormone (hGH) gene locus is involved in directing cell-specific expression of the hCS genes in placenta. In the current studies, we report a detailed structural analysis of this enhancer. CSEn stimulated transcription of a variety of promoters, including the hCS, human growth hormone, thymidine kinase, and Rous sarcoma virus promoters, in human choriocarcinoma cell lines (BeWo and JEG-3) but not HeLa cells or rat somatolactotrophes (GC). Maximal enhancer activity was confined to a 242-base pair DNA segment. Of several CSEn subfragments, only the En 57/242 subfragment retained activity (33.5% wild-type). The CSEn DNA sequence contained direct and inverted repeat motifs and sequences related to the SV40 enhansons, GT-IIC, GT-I, and SphI/SphII. DNase I footprint analysis revealed that most of these sites were protected by nuclear proteins derived from BeWo, JEG-3, HeLa, and GC cells. Site-specific block mutation of the GT-IIC-related and inverted repeat motifs virtually abolished enhancer activity, and mutation of all but the GT-I-related motif resulted in significant loss (30-60%) of activity. These data demonstrate that the CS enhancer is comprised of multiple elements related to SV40 enhansons that interact cooperatively to generate enhancer function.
Purification and Mechanism of Action of Hog Liver Mevalonic Kinase

Abstract Mevalonic kinase (EC 2.7.1.36), the first enzyme in the ATP-requiring sequence of cholesterol biosynthesis, has been purified from hog liver. This enzyme has a specific activity of 17 µmoles of product formed per min per mg of protein. The purified mevalonic kinase is homogeneous, or nearly homogeneous, on assay by Sephadex gel filtration, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, electrofocusing, and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The molecular weight of this enzyme is estimated to be 98,000 from its elution position on Sephadex gel filtration. From a combination of studies on the initial velocity of the reaction, inhibition by product, and inhibition by dead end inhibitor, it is concluded that (a) the phosphorylation of mevalonic acid, catalyzed by mevalonic kinase, is sequential; that is, all substrates must react with the enzyme before the first product is released, (b) mevalonate reacts with the enzyme first, followed by MgATP, and (c) the order of release of products is first mevalonate 5-phosphate and then ADP. Evidence is also presented that an —SH group is important in the phosphorylation of mevalonic acid and that the reactivity of this group is influenced by the presence of potassium mevalonate and MgATP. No evidence has been obtained for the formation of enzyme-bound intermediates in this reaction.
Novel ChIP-based strategies to uncover transcription factor target genes in the immune system.

Novel ChIP-based strategies to uncover transcription factor target genes in the immune system