cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Field Test of Optional Unrelated Question Randomized Response Models: Estimates of Risky Sexual Behaviors

Recently Gupta et al. (Involve J Math, 2013) introduced optional unrelated question randomized response models for both the binary response and quantitative response to sensitive survey questions. Asymptotic normality was established for the mean estimator of the sensitive variable and for the prevalence estimator of the sensitive characteristic. Asymptotic normality was also established for the sensitivity level estimator in each case using first order approximation. These mathematical results were validated using computer simulations. In this paper, the binary and quantitative response models are utilized in surveys of sensitive behaviors to verify that these results hold true in fieldwork applications. The two sensitive questions of interest in the survey are “Have you ever been told by a healthcare professional that you have a sexually transmitted disease?” and “How many sexual partners have you had in the last 12 months?” The target population was undergraduate students enrolled at UNC Greensboro during the 2012–2013 academic year. Subjects were asked these questions by optional unrelated question RRT, check-box survey method, and by direct face-to-face interview. The results of these three methods are compared to each other, as well as to existing published information on these two sensitive behaviors. Estimates provided by the optional unrelated question randomized response models are in line with the mathematical results in Gupta et al. (Involve J Math, 2013). This study also provides the first estimate of sensitivity level through a fieldwork survey.
The Origin of African Wave Disturbances during Phase III of GATE

Abstract Spectrum and cross-spectrum analysis are used to determine the source region of the waves observed during the period 23 August–19 September 1974. The spectra are based on time series of 6 h wind observations at 850 and 700 mb for 72 and 55 land stations, respectively, between 50°E and 20°W and 5°S and 25°N. Main findings are as follows: 1) All stations west of 10°E exhibited pronounced spectral peaks at periods of 3–4 days. The peaks were weak or absent at stations cast of 10°E. 2) The main wave amplification took place between 10°E and 0°. A second region of growth appeared near the coast. 3) The cross-spectrum analysis at 700 mb indicated that the initial weak perturbations may have originated as far east as the southern tip of the Red Sea. 4) The region of principal wave growth (0–10°E) was located close to the region of maximum instability of the mid-tropospheric easterly jet stream, as measured by the magnitudes of the vertical and lateral wind shears. 5) Across nearly the full extent of Afr...
Physiology in Perspective: Pursuing the Enchanted Loom of Motor Control

Sir Charles Sherrington was a pioneer in spinal cord and motor control research, and much of the conceptual framework that now underlies motor control research can be attributed to him. Sherrington clearly identified the motor unit, which he defined as an alpha motoneuron and the group of muscle
Time Is of the Essence: The Impact of Delayed Antibiotic Therapy on Patient Outcomes in Hospital-Onset Enterococcal Bloodstream Infections

Background. With increasing prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), appropriate antibiotic therapy for enterococcal bloodstream infections (EBSI) can be delayed. Data regarding the impact of delayed therapy on EBSI outcomes are conflicting, and the time delay most strongly associated with poor outcomes has not been defined. Methods. This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study of adult, nonneutropenic patients with hospital-onset EBSI from 2010 to 2014. Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was used to determine the delay in appropriate therapy most predictive of 30-day mortality. Appropriate therapy was defined as antibiotic therapy to which the enterococci and copathogen, where applicable, were susceptible. Outcomes and clinical characteristics were compared between patients receiving early or delayed therapy, defined by CART timepoint. Poisson regression was employed to determine the independent association of delayed therapy on 30-day mortality and predictors of delayed therapy. Results. Overall, 190 patients were included. A breakpoint in time to appropriate therapy was identified at 48.1 hours, where 30-day mortality was substantially increased (14.6% vs 45.3%; P < .001). Patients receiving appropriate therapy after 48.1 hours also experienced higher in-hospital mortality and longer EBSI duration. After adjustment for severity of illness and comorbidity, delayed therapy ≥48.1 hours was associated with a 3-fold increase in 30-day mortality (risk ratio, 3.16 [95% confidence interval, 1.96–5.09]). Vancomycin resistance was the only independent predictor of delayed therapy. Conclusions. In patients with hospital-onset EBSI, receipt of appropriate therapy within the first 48 hours was associated with reduced mortality, underscoring the potential role of rapid diagnostic testing for early identification of VRE.
Self-Assembled Multifunctional 3D Microdevices

Multifunctional 3D microstructures have been extensively investigated for the development of new classes of electronic and optical devices. Here, functionalized, free-standing, hollow, 3D, dielectric (150 nm thick aluminum oxide) microcontainers with metal patterning on their surfaces are realized by an evolved self-assembly approach. To functionalize the 3D structure and use it as a device, metal patterns, arrays of split-ring resonators (SRRs) acting as metamaterials, are defined on the surface of the 3D dielectric microcontainers. The SRRs on all six facets of a given microcube show a resonant behavior in terahertz regimes. Since desired metal and semiconductor patterns can be incorporated onto surfaces of 3D dielectric microstructures, this self-assembly process can be harnessed in developing next-generation microdevices utilizing the numerous advantages of 3D configurations.
Controlled Formation of Nanostructures with Desired Geometries. Part 4. Multiresolution Optimal Control in Dynamically Directed Self-Assembly of Nanoparticles

This paper presents an optimal control strategy that can guide any initial random configuration of nanoparticles to a final structure of desired geometry, in minimum time. It employs a multiresolut...
Cloning of TACC1, an embryonically expressed, potentially transforming coiled coil containing gene, from the 8p11 breast cancer amplicon.

Amplification of several chromosomal regions have been observed in human breast carcinomas. One such region, 8p11, is amplified in 10 – 15% of tumor samples. Although the FGFR1 gene is located close to this region, and is often included within the amplicon, the observation that tumors exhibiting 8p11 amplification do not always overexpress FGFR1 suggests that another gene located close to FGFR1 is involved in the tumorigenic process. We now report the precise location of four expressed sequence tags (ESTs) within this region and the cloning of a novel gene, designated TACC1 (transforming acidic coiled coil gene 1), which encodes an 8 kb transcript and which is expressed at high levels during early embryogenesis. Constitutive expression of this gene under the control of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter in mouse fibroblasts, results in cellular transformation and anchorage independent growth, suggesting that inappropriate expression can impart a proliferative advantage. This observation raises the possibility that amplification of TACC1 could promote malignant growth, thereby making TACC1 an attractive candidate for the gene promoting tumorigenicity as a result of the 8p11 amplification in human breast cancers.
Microbial Skin Inhabitants: Friends Forever.

To gain insight into the stability of the microbial communities that inhabit our skin, Oh et al., in a tour-de-force effort, map the human skin metagenomes over time. Remarkably, their data indicate that the individual, not the environment, primarily drives the composition of skin microbial communities.
Investigation of pesticides residues in mushrooms on the market in Nanchang in 2010

OBJECTIVE To know the situation of pesticide residues in mushrooms on the markets of Nanchang.METHODS According to the recommended items by the national food contamination monitoring manual,Gas Chromatography-Flame Photometry was applied to determine the contents of organophosphate pesticide,organochlorine pesticide,pyrethroid pesticide,carbamate pesticide in 16 kinds of randomly collected mushrooms.RESULTS The rate of detection for the pesticides was 51.67%,the main pesticide residues in mushrooms were tetradiphon,fenpropathrin,bifenthrin,tsumacide and cyhalothrin.CONCLUSION There are still pesticide pollution in mushrooms on the market of Nanchang city.Therefore,it's necessary to strengthen the surveillance and study of pesticide residues.It is necessary to strengthen the food safety control for monitoring the food pollution dynamics.
Nonlymphomatous Metastatic Tumor to the Testis

A patient with pancreatic carcinoma presented with an initial left testicular mass that proved to be metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Regional spread of the pancreatic carcinoma may have created venous and lymphatic obstruction with inferior passage of tumor emboli to the testis. A summary of nonlymphomatous secondary tumors of the testis also is presented.
A polarimetric scattering database for non-spherical ice particles at microwave wavelengths

Abstract. The atmospheric science community has entered a period in which electromagnetic scattering properties at microwave frequencies of realistically constructed ice particles are necessary for making progress on a number of fronts. One front includes retrieval of ice-particle properties and signatures from ground-based, airborne, and satellite-based radar and radiometer observations. Another front is evaluation of model microphysics by application of forward operators to their outputs and comparison to observations during case study periods. Yet a third front is data assimilation, where again forward operators are applied to databases of ice-particle scattering properties and the results compared to observations, with their differences leading to corrections of the model state. Over the past decade investigators have developed databases of ice-particle scattering properties at microwave frequencies and made them openly available. Motivated by and complementing these earlier efforts, a database containing polarimetric single-scattering properties of various types of ice particles at millimeter to centimeter wavelengths is presented. While the database presented here contains only single-scattering properties of ice particles in a fixed orientation, ice-particle scattering properties are computed for many different directions of the radiation incident on them. These results are useful for understanding the dependence of ice-particle scattering properties on ice-particle orientation with respect to the incident radiation. For ice particles that are small compared to the wavelength, the number of incident directions of the radiation is sufficient to compute reasonable estimates of their (randomly) orientation-averaged scattering properties. This database is complementary to earlier ones in that it contains complete (polarimetric) scattering property information for each ice particle – 44 plates, 30 columns, 405 branched planar crystals, 660 aggregates, and 640 conical graupel – and direction of incident radiation but is limited to four frequencies (X-, Ku-, Ka-, and W-bands), does not include temperature dependencies of the single-scattering properties, and does not include scattering properties averaged over randomly oriented ice particles. Rules for constructing the morphologies of ice particles from one database to the next often differ; consequently, analyses that incorporate all of the different databases will contain the most variability, while illuminating important differences between them. Publication of this database is in support of future analyses of this nature and comes with the hope that doing so helps contribute to the development of a database standard for ice-particle scattering properties, like the NetCDF (Network Common Data Form) CF (Climate and Forecast) or NetCDF CF/Radial metadata conventions.
Changes in Body Mass Index and the Trajectory of Depressive Symptoms Among Rural Men and Women.

Purpose This study examined the association between body mass index (BMI) changes over time and the risk of elevated depressive symptoms in a cohort of Midwestern rural adults. Methods The longitudinal study used data from a telephone survey in 2005 including 1,475 men and women enrolled in the Walk the Ozarks to Wellness Project from 12 rural communities in Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Multilevel random intercept mixed models were used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between BMI calculated from self-reported height and body weight and elevated depressive symptoms, adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioral, and medical variables. Findings Elevated depressive symptoms were common in this rural population (17%-19%) and the mean BMI was 28 kg/m2. For each unit increase in BMI over time, representing an average increase of about 5.8 pounds from baseline weight, there was a 6% increased odds of elevated depressive symptoms (aOR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02-1.12). Conclusions Our findings hold important public health implications given the increasing rates of overweight and obesity over the past couple of decades, particularly among rural adults.
Dragon at the International Space Station

With the C2/C3 flight approved, SpaceX and NASA knuckled down to the planning ahead of the November flight, but it was to prove a tortuous journey. The first black cloud on the horizon was dealing with the Russians who weren’t too enthused about allowing a commercial vehicle to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). A post on RIA Novosti’s website stated:
Postcolonial Reflection on the Christian Mission: The Case of North Korean Refugees in China and South Korea

The purpose of this paper is to challenge the dominant narrative of Christian service providers working for North Korean refugees’ welfare, and to articulate the perspectives of non-Christian aid recipients, especially North Korean refugees in China and South Korea. Drawing upon postcolonialism, I will unpack dysfunctions of Christian missions and ministries while relating them to anthropological insights and ethnographic research data. As a Christian scholar, I attempt to invite Christian leaders and field workers to engage in critical reflections on their goals, dispositions, and strategies in relating to the culturally, politically, and economically marginalized. This paper is aimed to offer opportunities for Christian missionaries to critique their colonial models and to reclaim their missions that decolonize both missionaries and the missionized.
Dynamic Equivalence of Pneumatic and Electrical Boost Converters for Exhaust Gas Energy Reclamation

Significant usable energy is discarded as exhaust gas in most pneumatic processes. The ability to recycle this energy could lead to significant improvements in system efficiency. This paper presents a method of dynamically converting the exhaust gas energy of pneumatic systems to a higher pressure so that it may be reintroduced to the pressure supply and reused, boosting energy efficiency of industrial pneumatic systems. This is the pneumatic equivalent of a boost converter, an electrical system that supplies a greater voltage to a load than the power source can supply. Each component of the electrical system can be analogized to an equivalent pneumatic component. The most apparent of these comparisons is the method of storing and transforming energy. In the electrical system, the energy is stored in an inductor which is charged in a closed loop. In the pneumatic system, energy can be stored as momentum. When this stored energy is discharged, a spike in voltage or pressure will be observed in the electrical or pneumatic system, respectively. Similarly, every component of the electrical boost converter can be linked to a pneumatic counterpart. With these relationships fully understood, a device to perform the pneumatic boost conversion is modeled. Successful realization of this result will confirm the analogy between the electrical and pneumatic systems, which will allow for the development of more complex pneumatic systems based on various well understood electrical converters. This paper presents simulations of both electrical and pneumatic boost converters. Insights regarding the energy conversion and its efficiency are drawn from the pneumatic model as well as from the dynamically similar electrical model.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Introduction: Conjectures on Undisciplined Research

This introduction explores what happens to fieldwork when it shifts discipline, shifts form, shifts audience, shifts medium, shifts end point, and shifts traditions of interaction: in short, when information gleaned from the field is routed back into an undisciplining form of inquiry. It situates the project of fieldwork in the humanities in relation to the histories of cultural studies, anthropology, area studies, and postcolonial studies. In contrast with these areas of study, fieldwork in the humanities often involves disciplinary isolation and professional incomprehension. We argue for the value of combining textual study with lived experience in transforming our scholarly practices, opening the conversation without asking that these fieldwork-inspired practices become standardized, prescriptive, or paradigmatic.
Experimental determination of solubilities of di-calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid hydrate [Ca2C10H12N2O8·7H2O(s)] in NaCl and MgCl2 solutions to high ionic strengths and its Pitzer model: Applications to geological disposal of nuclear waste and other low temperature environments

Abstract In this study, solubility measurements on di-calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid hydrate [Ca2C10H12N2O8·7H2O(s), abbreviated as Ca2EDTA·7H2O(s)] as a function of ionic strength are conducted in NaCl solutions up to I = 4.4 mol·kg− 1 and in MgCl2 solutions up to I = 7.5 mol·kg− 1, at room temperature (22.5 ± 0.5 °C). The solubility constant (logKsp0) for Ca2EDTA·7H2O(s) and formation constant (logβ10) for CaEDTA2 −, Ca2EDTA · 7H2O(s) = 2Ca2 + + EDTA4 − + 7H2O (1) Ca2 + + EDTA4 − = CaEDTA2 − (2) are determined as − 15.57 ± 0.10 and 11.50 ± 0.05, respectively, based on the Pitzer model with a set of Pitzer parameters describing the specific interactions in NaCl and MgCl2 media. The solubility measurements and thermodynamic modeling indicate that Ca2EDTA·7H2O(s) could become a solubility-controlling phase for EDTA in geological repositories for nuclear waste when the inventories of EDTA reach the saturation concentrations for Ca2EDTA·7H2O(s). The model developed in this work would also enable researchers to calculate the optimal EDTA concentrations to be used for remediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals, and to calculate the maximum EDTA concentrations that could be present in soils after an ETDA washing technology has been applied.
Project HALON: Engaging secondary students in high-altitude ballooning experiments

The United States is not recruiting, retaining, and graduating enough undergraduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors to meet the needs of employers across the nation. Another challenge comes from a university-level shortfall in preparing and supporting enough secondary school educators in the STEM fields. Project HALON (High Altitude Learning Over Nebraska) seeks to reverse this trend through a unique, interdisciplinary experiential learning opportunity that focuses on the design, development, integration, and testing of space hardware and software using high altitude ballooning (HAB) platforms for technology demonstrations and scientific experiments. While participating in Project HALON, teams of middle school and high school researchers progress through a modified version of NASA's systems engineering process to develop a near-space research experiment. Undergraduate mentors guide the teams through a series of reviews to propose an experiment to collect data and ensure that the design performs properly during ground testing. Through Project HALON, students cultivate authentic research skills, expand their knowledge of near-space science, and gain confidence to meet the challenges of more advanced STEM-related courses and learning opportunities. In addition, undergraduate STEM students and pre-service and in-service secondary school STEM educators participating in Project HALON gain expertise in mentoring and team-based problem solving that helps prepare them for more advanced space technology research.
Protonation of tyrosyl residues in the carboxy derivatives of hemoglobin, its isolated subunits, and apohemoglobin.

SUMMARY The tyrosines were titrated adding KOH or HCl to the pro- tein solutions in 0.25 M NaCl at 20”. Their ionization was followed by differential spectrophotometry at 245 rnp against a reference solution at pH 8.5. The titrations were reversible only up to pH 10.5. The back titrations from pH 12 indicated that the denaturation of the protein produced a change in the absorption spectrum of the heme in the ultraviolet region. Making correction for this transition, the AC per tyrosyl residue was calculated to be approximately 10,000 for all of the proteins investigated. Considering that only 2 out of 3 tyrosyl residues per chain ionize in the native proteins and neglecting the correction for the electrostatic interaction, the reversible part of the titrations was shown to be consistent with pK near 10.4 for hemoglobin, apohemoglobin, and the 0 chains, with pK near 9.9 for the OL chains. This difference was too large to be accounted for on the basis of the electrical charge of the various proteins. It could indicate a difference in the ionization of the tyrosyl residues of the 01 chains when these are isolated or polymerized with the ,l3 chains in the hemoglobin molecule. In a recent paper detailed comparison was made of the proton- binding behavior of hemoglobin, its isolated subunits, and apohe- moglobin. There it was shown how the (r-p interaction and the heme-globin interaction affects the titration of the histidyl and lysyl residues in hemoglobin (I). The number of tyrosyl residues was too few in comparison to other classes of ionizable groups and with a too high pK in order to have a recognizable influence on the acid-base titration of hemoglobin, which was extended only up to pH 10.4. On the other hand, their ionization can be specifically measured with the spectrophotometer. Many data already exist in the litera- ture on this subject (2-4). Unfortunately, they were all obtained in the presence of buffers of various kinds so they * This work was supported in part by National Institute of Health Grants HE 10785-02 and HE 06308. $ To whom requests for reprints should be addressed. should have been corrected in order to be translated into our experimental conditions. No back titrations are available in the literature so it was impossible to know whether the pK values reported were for the native or for the alkali-denatured protein, and no titrations have been carried out on the isolated cr chains or on native apohemoglobin. For these reasons we felt it neces- sary to reinvestigate the problem starting from the very begin- ning in order to study the effect of the c@ interaction and of the heme-apohemoglobin interaction on the ionization of the tyrosyl residues in hemoglobin.
IP3 3-Kinase B Suppresses B Cell Lymphoma by Antagonizing PI3K/mTOR in B cells

Accounting for ~4% of all cancers in the US, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) is the most prevalent blood cancer. Diffuse large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common and aggressive type of NHL. Here, we identify inositol-trisphosphate (IP 3 ) 3-kinase B (Itpkb) as a novel tumor suppressor whose deficiency triggers DLBCL in mice. We found that aging Itpkb −/− mice die prematurely with anemia and splenomegaly. 15% of these mice showed multiorgan-infiltration with neoplastic germinal-center phenotype B cells reminiscent of DLBCL. Itpkb −/− B cell lymphomas are mono-or oligoclonal, transplantable, and constitutively hyperactivate the oncogenic phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway. Growth of Itpkb −/− B cell lymphoma xenografts in immunodeficient mice is sensitive to treatment with PI3K or mTOR inhibitors. In humans, subsets of DLBCL patients carry Itpkb missense mutations, deletions or copy number reductions. Additionally, Itpkb expression is altered in several other hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic human cancers. We propose that Itpkb suppresses tumors by producing inositol-tetrakisphosphate (IP 4 ), a soluble analog of the PI3K product phosphatidylinositol-trisphosphate (PIP 3 ). We and others have previously shown that IP 4 antagonism with PIP 3 for Akt effector kinase binding prevents excessive Akt/mTORC1 signaling in hematopoietic cells. Our new results suggest that this mechanism prevents oncogenic PI3K signaling in the B cell lineage and possibly in other cell types. Thus, Itpkb might be a novel biomarker for tumor aggressiveness or prognosis, and Itpkb activating drugs or IP 4 might have therapeutic potential.
An Examination of High Schools Students' Perceptions of Sales as an Area to Study in College, and Factors Influencing Their Interest in Sales as a Career to Pursue after College.

Each year employees aggressively seek undergraduate business students to fill openings in their companies. While the number of universities offering sales programs is growing, it is apparent studen...
Marketing of Medical Technology: Ge’s Computerized Axial Tomography (Cat Scanning)

Computerized Axial Tomography helped revolutionize medial diagnostics. By using a CT machine, doctors, for the first time, could directly detect tumors in the brain and in other areas of the body that were difficult and in some cases impossible, to spot without surgically opening the patient. The concept of CT was to send many X-rays through the body. Detectors would be positioned diametrically opposite the X-ray source and these detectors would record the X-rays that passes through the body. The X-ray source and detectors would traverse around the patient in a circle taking thousands of pictures surrounding the area of the body to be examined. The X-ray picture information gathered from the detectors would then be translated by a computer to a photograph that would show different densities and sizes of tissues and other objects. The picture that a CT generates allows doctors to discern tumor location, size, and other characteristics that can be use to diagnose a patient’s malady.
Social Networking Site Use among Caregivers of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract Caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience higher levels of stress relative to those of children with other developmental disabilities and typical development. To date, little research has empirically examined the relationship between social supports, social networking site (SNS) use, and stress among caregivers of children with ASD. Using the resiliency model of family stress, adjustment, and adaptation as a theoretical framework, we explore the links between perceived social supports, SNS use, and stress among caregivers of children with ASD. We do this by conducting a cross-sectional research design and using a structural equation modeling statistical approach. Practical and theoretical implications will be revealed by this study. Keywords : Social networking site, stress, caregiver, strain, social support, coping strategies, Partial Least Squares. Introduction Research consistently demonstrates that stress among caregivers is linked with several negative outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and disease (Dyson 1997; Mausbach et al. 2012). Evidence also shows, however, that perceived social support mitigates caregiver stress (Luther et al. 2005), and can contribute to more positive outcomes for caregivers of individuals with various conditions including dementia (Kaufman et al. 2010), Alzheimer (Mausbach et al. 2012), and mental health (Mackay and Pakenham 2012). While traditional, face-to-face support groups have been shown to provide caregivers with social support thereby decreasing stress, the recent availability of social networking sites has broadened the ways in which caregivers connect with one another. For example, social media is used by patients to seek healthcare information and social support through support groups (Hamm et al. 2013). A major reason for studying the antecedents of stress among caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is the rapidly growing prevalence of the disorder. The growing prevalence of ASD in recent years has increased the interest among researchers to investigate the effect of caring for children with ASD on caregivers. Autism is arguably the fastest growing developmental disability since estimates show the number of American children diagnosed with ASD will increase by 10 t0 15 percent annually (Luther et al. 2005). Recent estimates suggest that 1 in 68 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with an ASD by the age of 8 years (CDC, 2014). Studies consistently show that caregivers of children with ASD report higher levels of stress than those of children with other developmental disabilities as well as typical development (Dykens et al. 2014; Emerson 2003; Estes et al. 2009; Harper et al. 2013). Among caregivers of children with developmental disabilities, similarly to research on caregivers of others with other disabilities, research suggests that formal social support groups partially mitigate the immense stress
Calcium, Calcium Translocation, and Specific Calcium Antagonists

It is now almost one hundred years since Sidney Ringer (1882) described the importance of Ca2+ in the maintenance of frog heart contractility. Subsequent to this observation, it has been increasingly recognized that Ca2+ plays a critical and central role in a multitude of biological events at both the intra-and extracellular levels (Duncan, 1976; Kretsinger, 1976a; Table 1). However, Ca2+ distribution across the cell membrane is far from equilibrium, since if the resting membrane potential (~-60mV) were equal to the Ca2+ equilibrium potential, then the intracellular Ca2+ activity should be some 100-fold greater than the extracellular activity. This is quite clearly not so and although accurate measurements of free ionized intracellular Ca2+ concentrations have not been made in many systems the concensus of evidence firmly indicates that [Ca int 2+ ] < 10-7M (Baker, 1972; 1976; Blaustein, 1974; Reuter, 1973). Such a low intracellular Ca2+ concentration accords with the binding constants of Ca2+ for those intracellular proteins whose activity is known to be modulated by Ca2+ (pKD values ~ 6–7; Kretsinger, 1976a,b) and indicates the “trigger” functipn of an increased intracellular Ca2+ concentration (Heilbrunn, 1956).
Party Institutionalization and Women's Representation in Democratic Brazil

Brazil's quality of democracy remains limited by enduring obstacles including the weakness of parties and underrepresentation of marginalized groups. Party Institutionalization and Women's Representation in Democratic Brazil theorizes the connections across those problems, explaining how weakly institutionalized and male-dominant parties interact to undermine descriptive representation in Brazil. This book draws on an original multilevel database of 27,653 legislative candidacies spanning six election cycles, over 100 interviews, and field observations from throughout Brazil. Wylie demonstrates that more inclusive participation in candidate-centered elections amidst raced-gendered structural inequities relies on institutionalized parties with the capacity to support women, and the will, heralded by party leadership, to do so. The book illustrates how women leaders in Brazil's more institutionalized parties enable white and Afro-descendant female aspirants to navigate the masculinized terrain of formal politics. It enhances our understanding of how parties mediate electoral rules, as well as institutional and party change in the context of weak but robustly gendered institutions.
Robust control of the current profile and plasma energy in EAST

Abstract Integrated control of the toroidal current density profile, or alternatively the q-profile, and plasma stored energy is essential to achieve advanced plasma scenarios characterized by high plasma confinement, magnetohydrodynamics stability, and noninductively driven plasma current. The q-profile evolution is closely related to the evolution of the poloidal magnetic flux profile, whose dynamics is modeled by a nonlinear partial differential equation (PDE) referred to as the magnetic-flux diffusion equation (MDE). The MDE prediction depends heavily on the chosen models for the electron temperature, plasma resistivity, and non-inductive current drives. To aid control synthesis, control-oriented models for these plasma quantities are necessary to make the problem tractable. However, a relatively large deviation between the predictions by these control-oriented models and experimental data is not uncommon. For this reason, the electron temperature, plasma resistivity, and non-inductive current drives are modeled for control synthesis in this work as the product of an “uncertain” reference profile and a nonlinear function of the different auxiliary heating and current-drive (H&CD) source powers and the total plasma current. The uncertainties are quantified in such a way that the family of models arising from the modeling process is able to capture the q-profile and plasma stored energy dynamics from a typical EAST shot. A control-oriented nonlinear PDE model is developed by combining the MDE with the “uncertain” models for the electron temperature, plasma resistivity, and non-inductive current drives. This model is then rewritten into a control framework to design a controller that is robust against the modeled uncertainties. The resulting controller utilizes EAST's H&CD powers and total plasma current to regulate the q profile and plasma stored energy even when mismatches between modeled and actual dynamics are present. The effectiveness of the controller is demonstrated through nonlinear simulations.
Human Colonoid Monolayers to Study Interactions Between Pathogens, Commensals, and Host Intestinal Epithelium

Human 3-dimensional (3D) enteroid or colonoid cultures derived from crypt base stem cells are currently the most advanced ex vivo model of the intestinal epithelium. Due to their closed structures and significant supporting extracellular matrix, 3D cultures are not ideal for host-pathogen studies. Enteroids or colonoids can be grown as epithelial monolayers on permeable tissue culture membranes to allow manipulation of both luminal and basolateral cell surfaces and accompanying fluids. This enhanced luminal surface accessibility facilitates modeling bacterial-host epithelial interactions such as the mucus-degrading ability of enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) on colonic epithelium. A method for 3D culture fragmentation, monolayer seeding, and transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) measurements to monitor the progress towards confluency and differentiation are described. Colonoid monolayer differentiation yields secreted mucus that can be studied by the immunofluorescence or immunoblotting techniques. More generally, enteroid or colonoid monolayers enable a physiologically-relevant platform to evaluate specific cell populations that may be targeted by pathogenic or commensal microbiota.
Advancements of transcriptome imputation and related transcriptome-wide association studies

Despite the progresses of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) in revealing genetic mechanisms of human complex traits, the basis through which most identified risk variants function are highly unknown and need further investigations as well as discoveries. Recent advancements of transcriptome predictions put the transcriptome-wide association studies (TWASs) forward into a new era. TWAS through imputed transcriptomes could discover more gene-trait associations and relevant joint-tissue TWAS via eQTL analysis provide insights into furthering elucidations about gene-level association studies in difficult-to-acquire tissues. This mini-review goes over the recent advancements of gene expression imputations as well as the gene-trait association studies, which highlight the importance of genetically regulated expression (GReX) in this area.
Nuclear Imaging in Cardiovascular Medicine

Nuclear cardiovascular imaging uses various radioisotopes labeled to suitable molecules to noninvasively image various biological phenomena in the intact human body under various physiological conditions. In cardiovascular medicine, we can study myocardial perfusion, function, and metabolism at rest and with exercise or pharmacological stress. Myocardial perfusion imaging is perhaps the most powerful and widely used noninvasive test for diagnosing, risk stratification, and evaluating the progress of patients with coronary artery disease. A number of advances have been made recently in the techniques and instrumentation used for myocardial perfusion imaging, to improve its diagnostic accuracy and patient comfort and reduce radiation exposure to the patients. Single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) is the conventional technique for nuclear imaging. However, positron emission tomography (PET) is increasingly being used. PET imaging offers better resolution and better image quality and less susceptibility to technical artifacts compared to SPECT imaging. A number of new molecular imaging techniques are currently under development. These techniques use novel radiopharmaceuticals and offer the possibility of noninvasive imaging of several complex biological phenomena such as myocardial ischemia; atheroma, vascular inflammation, and vascular remodeling; angiogenesis, stem cell and gene therapy, and gene expression; and myocardial injury, repair, and remodeling.
Semantic Intrusion Error Ratio Distinguishes Between Cognitively Impaired and Cognitively Intact African American Older Adults

Background Semantic intrusion errors on memory tests may represent very early cognitive changes associated with elevated Alzheimer's disease pathology within the brain, including amyloid-β (Aβ). Subscales that measure proactive semantic interference (PSI) and intrusions related to PSI on the Loewenstein Acevedo Scales of Semantic Interference and Learning (LASSI-L) have been associated with high levels of brain amyloid load, structural changes on brain MRI in Hispanic and non-Hispanic groups. It is presently unknown whether intrusion errors or other measures of the LASSI-L can differentiate between African-American (AA) older adults diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) or classified as cognitively normal (CN). Objective This study examined the extent to which a high percentage of semantic intrusion errors on LASSI-L subscales susceptible to PSI and other LASSI-L measures could differentiate between AA aMCI and CN groups. Methods Forty-eight AA older adults were recruited (27 CN and 21 aMCI) and received a through clinical and neuropsychological evaluation. The LASSI-L was administered independent of diagnostic classification. Results With and without statistical adjustment for literacy, AA aMCI participants scored lower on all LASSI-L measures. ROC analyses revealed an area under the curve exceeding 90% and correctly classified 86% of AA aMCI with 82% specificity for AA CN participants. Conclusions Percentage of intrusion errors on the LASSI-L subscales susceptible to PSI differentiated AA aMCI from AA CN. This adds to emerging evidence indicating that the LASSI-L may be culturally appropriate and can differentiate between aMCI and CN in diverse ethnic/cultural groups.
Daratumumab-Based Regimen in Treating Clonal Plasma Cell Neoplasms in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients

Abstract There is paucity of literature regarding management of clonal plasma cell neoplasms in the recipients of solid organ transplant. This is a rare group of disorders which present difficulty in diagnosis and management. In this retrospective case series, we describe the clinical and pathologic characteristics of patients with AL amyloidosis and extramedullary plasmacytoma in recipients of solid organ transplant while on immunosuppressive therapy. Although typically treated with anti-plasma cell therapy based on data from multiple myeloma studies, there is no consensus on how to treat this group of disorders in the post-solid organ transplant setting. In our series, all patients received anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody treatment with daratumumab in combination with other agents as salvage therapy with variable clinical response. Daratumumab-based therapy was associated with increased infectious complications and did not improve and prevent progressive kidney damage, despite achieving significant anti-plasma cell response. The renal progression may be multifactorial, but we suspect that the ongoing nephrotoxicity from rejection prophylaxis with calcineurin inhibitor therapy probably plays the central role. Our observation shows that infectious complications with daratumumab-based regimen deserves attention. Therefore, we recommend appropriate antimicrobial prophylaxis with close monitoring and prompt intervention for infections. Apart from infectious complications, daratumumab-based therapy appears safe for transplant recipients.
MicPrint: acoustic sensor fingerprinting for spoof-resistant mobile device authentication

Smartphones are the most commonly used computing platform for accessing sensitive and important information placed on the Internet. Authenticating the smartphone's identity in addition to the user's identity is a widely adopted security augmentation method since conventional user authentication methods, such as password entry, often fail to provide strong protection by itself. In this paper, we propose a sensor-based device fingerprinting technique for identifying and authenticating individual mobile devices. Our technique, called MicPrint, exploits the unique characteristics of embedded microphones in mobile devices due to manufacturing variations in order to uniquely identify each device. Unlike conventional sensor-based device fingerprinting that are prone to spoofing attack via malware, MicPrint is fundamentally spoof-resistant since it uses acoustic features that are prominent only when the user blocks the microphone hole. This simple user intervention acts as implicit permission to fingerprint the sensor and can effectively prevent unauthorized fingerprinting using malware. We implement MicPrint on Google Pixel 1 and Samsung Nexus to evaluate the accuracy of device identification. We also evaluate its security against simple raw data attacks and sophisticated impersonation attacks. The results show that after several incremental training cycles under various environmental noises, MicPrint can achieve high accuracy and reliability for both smartphone models.
Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in HeartMate II vs HeartMate 3 Patients

Purpose Inflammation and oxidative stress have been implicated in the pathophysiology of hemocompatibility related adverse events (HRAEs) in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) pts. HRAE profile differs between the continuous axial-flow HeartMate II (HMII) pump and the fully magnetically levitated centrifugal-flow HeartMate 3 (HM3). We aimed to compare levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers in HMII vs. HM3 pts. Methods Blood was collected at three time points: n=48 pre-LVAD; n=45 3-6 mo post-LVAD, and n=56 >6 mo post-LVAD. Biomarkers of inflammation (interleukin-6 (IL6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), endothelin-1 (ET1) and adiponectin (A)) and oxidative stress (isoprostane (I)) were measured using standard techniques. Wilcoxon and Kruskal Wallis tests were performed to assess differences in biomarker levels between pumps and among time points, respectively. Linear models adjusted by age, sex and time on support were created to assess differences in biomarker levels between HMII and HM3 at 3-6 mo and >6 mo post-LVAD. Results 89 LVAD pts (age 57±14 y, 83% M, 42 (47.2%) HM3 and 47 (52.8%) HMII) were studied. Overall trends of biomarkers levels are shown in Table 1. Circulating levels of all biomarkers of inflammatory and oxidative stress were significantly lower at 3-6 mo and >6-mo compared to pre-implant levels, albeit higher than the reference values. In adjusted models: i) IL6 and TNFα levels were higher in HM3 pts at 3-6 mo (p=0.02 and p=0.04, respectively) but not at >6 mo compared to HMII pts; and ii) levels of all other biomarkers did not differ between HMII and HM3 pts. Conclusion During long-term support (>6 mo), circulating biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress are similarly lower in HMII and HM3 pts compared to pre-implant levels. More studies are warranted to assess the impact of residual inflammatory and oxidative burden on HRAEs in this unique population.
Disparate Fine Collection: Evidence using Chicago Parking Tickets

Using a plausibly exogenous increase in the fine for failing to purchase annual vehicle registration in 2012, colloquially known as the sticker tax, I test if Chicago police disparately enforced parking compliance across black and non-black neighborhoods from 2007 to 2017. I find that police behavior is responsive to the penalty structure of the fine and are 20 to 50 percent more likely to apply the sticker fine to black neighborhoods after the increase. This disparate enforcement is robust to employment controls and is not driven by changing compliance rates across neighborhoods. In contrast, I find that parking enforcement agents do not disparately enforce the tickets across black and non-black neighborhoods. I attribute this difference in behavior between parking enforcement agents and police officers to the lack of work evaluations based on ticketing productivity for police officers. Since police officers are not evaluated by their parking citation productivity, they do not behave as revenue-maximizing agents in the context of parking enforcement.
De-Centering the Normative in the Introduction to Buddhism Class

In this article, I present an alternative method for teaching the Intro to Buddhism class. The standard way of teaching this class allows little room for non-normative aspects of Buddhism such as violence, and insofar as it does, it implicitly frames them as “aberrations” from “real Buddhism.” In my syllabus, I began by having students read The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh, which teaches them about Buddhist doctrine with a seductively modernist approach. At the mid-point of the semester, I then reveal to them that Thich Nhat Hanh’s book leaves out a great deal of what is found in actual traditional Buddhist practice, including reincarnation, gods, spirits, miracles, the supernatural, patriarchy, and violence. In the second half of the semester, we then study regional forms of Buddhism, with a special eye towards practice, including the practice of violence.