cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thin-Film Solar Cells Based on Nanostructured CdS, CIS, CdTe and Cu2S

Publisher Summary Photovoltaic devices based on thin-film cadmium sulfide (CdS), copper indium diselenide (CIS) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) are leading contenders for large-scale production of solar cells at low cost. Recent developments in nanotechnology provide new exciting opportunities for further improvements in cell performance and cost reduction in manufacturing processes in these devices. This chapter presents the historical background and basic operation of CdS/CdTe and CdS/CIS devices. It follows by the advantages offered by nanotechnology. Some promising device designs and experimental approaches are also described in the chapter. This chapter concludes that a clear theoretical understanding of the heterojunction characteristics at nanoscale is indispensable and needs to be developed further.
Random Partition of an n -Set (RANEQU)

This chapter describes an algorithm for generating random partition of an n -set. The algorithm for a random partition of the set {1, 2, …, n } follows the basic idea, in which a recurrence formula is found and it is then endowed with a probabilistic interpretation. The chapter presents an analysis, in which the recurrence is in the quantities a 0 , a 1 , …, where a n is the number of partitions of a set of n objects. The chapter presents the sample output of the subprogram RANEQU. RANEQU was called 750 times with N = 4. The chapter presents the frequencies with which each of the 15 partitions of the set {1, 2, 3, 4} occurred. The partitions are identified by the output vector Q , where Q ( I ) is the class to which I belongs (I = 1, 4). Thus, the partition (124) (3) was obtained 46 times, etc. The value χ 2 = 6.64 was calculated using the given expression. In 95% of such experiments, the value of χ 2 would lie between 5.63 and 26.12 if the 15 partitions were in fact equally probable.
Roadway Incident Analysis with a Dynamic User-Optimal Route Choice Model

The transportation system conveys interdependencies. When analysing the costs and benefits of transport investment projects, it is therefore necessary to address the question of linkages among projects. Such linkages can occur in terms of economies of scale in arising from the combination of projects during the construction phase. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), also known as Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS), are applying advanced technologies (such as navigation, automobile, computer science, telecommunication, electronic engineering, automatic information collection and processing) in an effort to bring revolutionary improvements in traffic safety, network capacity utilization, vehicle emission reductions, travel time and fuel consumption savings, etc. Within the framework of ITS, Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) and Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS) both aim to manage and predict traffic congestion and provide historical and realtime network-wide traffic information to support drivers’ route choice decisions. To enable ATMS/ATIS to achieve the above described goals, traffic flow prediction models are needed for system operation and evaluation. Linkages may also arise in supply through interaction among network components, or among the producers of transportation services. Linkages may also emerge in demand through the creation of new opportunities for interaction.
Perceptions of authority and freedom in late Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav film

The article examines the notions of authority and freedom in the cinematic spaces of the former Yugoslavia and its successor states from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. The relevant time span sa...
Challenges and Approaches for Data Collection to Understand Student Retention: (Abstract Only)

For many years, computing faculty have devoted substantial time and energy to the retention of diverse populations. But how are we doing really? The ACM Retention Committee has identified at least 5 populations of interest in tracking student retention: * Students who start college expecting to major in computing. * Students who enter college with some interest in computing, but also with other interests. * Students who enter college with interests outside computing, but who take computing early as part of a broad education. * Students who enter college with little or no interest in computing, but need a computing course to satisfy a general education requirement or a prerequisite in another discipline. * Students who transfer into a four-year university from a two-year college, partway into a computer science program. In practice, each group has different characteristics, and retention rates may vary dramatically. On some campuses, gathering data for the first group may be manageable--particularly if students declare majors as they enter college. Data collection and tracking for others is difficult, since these populations may not be known in early years. This BoF will identify approaches for tracking students and for exploring retention rates. Further, this BoF will encourage sharing and brainstorming for further mechanisms to help data collection. As we better identify retention rates among various populations, the ACM Retention Committee hopes we can better understand obstacles and opportunities related to retention. Session Agenda: Context/Introduction, Data most relevant locally, What data are currently tracked, Thoughts about a common data gathering instrument
'Well-differentiated' lymphocytic neoplasms. Immunologic findings correlated with clinical presentation and morphologic features

The authors studied 48 cases of well-differentiated lymphocytic neoplasms using a panel of monoclonal antibodies applied to frozen sections. Forty-seven tumors expressed monotypic immunoglobulin, one or more B-lineage antigens, and Ia (HLA-DR) antigen. Proliferation centers expressed the T9 antigen and increased numbers of Ki-67-positive cells. One tumor was of T-cell origin, had a cytotoxic/suppressor cell phenotype, and showed anomalous loss of Leu-1 antigen. Immunophenotypic findings were correlated to the clinical presentation and morphologic features of each neoplasm. Sixteen tumors were associated with peripheral lymphocytosis (greater than 4000/cu mm), 13 biopsies were obtained from extranodal sites, 16 tumors had proliferation centers, and 11 neoplasms had plasmacytoid features. The authors found no absolute and few statistically significant immunologic differences between the B-cell tumors according to their clinical presentation or morphologic features. Tumors associated with peripheral lymphocytosis more commonly expressed the Leu-1 antigen (P less than 0.01) and IgD (P less than 0.01) and less frequently were stained by BA-2 (P less than 0.05) and OKT9 (P less than 0.05). Plasmacytoid neoplasms more frequently expressed the Tac (P less than 0.01) and T9 antigens (P less than 0.05), and all expressed kappa light chain (P less than 0.05). Extranodal neoplasms more commonly expressed IgM (P less than 0.01). In contrast to the markedly different clinical presentation and morphologic appearance these tumors may have, the immunologic data suggest that B-cell small lymphocytic neoplasms are relatively homogeneous. For an individual case, immunophenotype does not predict clinical presentation or morphologic features.
UWB Radar Holography Applied to RCS Signature Reduction of Military Vehicles

Ultra wide band (UWB) radar holography is a unique technique developed at PNNL for the U. S. Army to obtain nearfield“3-D” images and scattering characteristics of full-size vehicles in the field and at production line facilities. The extremely high-resolution imaging capability of this technique maps a vehicle’s scattering areas and identifies the“hot spots” which dominate the far-field signature to the enemy’s radar receiver. The combination of generating near-field high resolution images and RCS measurements with the same data provides a very efficient LO signature reduction tool for the Army, Air Force and Navy.
Apds, a Network-Ready, Broad Spectrum, Environmental Pathogen Detection System

The Autonomous Pathogen Detection System (APDS) 1 is a stand-alone pathogen detection system capable of rapid, continuous, low cost environmental monitoring of multiple airborne biological threat agents. Its basic design comprises aerosol sampling, in-line sample preparation, multiplex detection and identification immunoassays, and orthogonal, multiplexed PCR (nucleic acid) amplification and detection. Its primary application is to warn civilians and emergency preparedness personnel of a terrorist attack, the same system could also have a role in protecting military personnel from biological warfare attacks. APDS instruments can be used at high profile events such as the Olympics for short-term, intensive monitoring or more permanent installation in major public buildings or transportation nodes. All of these units can be networked to a single command center so that a small group of technical experts could maintain and respond to alarms at any of the sensors. The APDS has several key advantages over competing technologies: (1) the ability to measure up to 100 different agents and controls in a single sample, (2) the flexibility and ease with which new bead-based assays can be developed and integrated into the system, (3) the presence of an orthogonal, real-time detection module for highly sensitive and selective nucleic acid amplification and detection, (4) the ability to use the same basic system components for multiple deployment architectures, and (5) the relatively low cost per assay (<$2 per 10-plex or $0.20 per assay) and minimal consumables.
Integrated Magnetooptic Bragg Cell Modules and Applications

Non-collinear magnetooptic (MO) Bragg interactions between guided-optical waves and magnetostatic waves (MSWs) in Yttrium Iron Garnet-Gadolinium Gallium Garnet (YIGGGG) waveguides have resulted in guided-wave MO Bragg cells in analogy with guided-wave acoustooptic (AO) Bragg cells. Recently, such MO Bragg cells have been miniaturized and integrated with ion-milled waveguide lenses to realize integrated optic device modules. In this paper, an up-to-date review on these integrated MO Bragg cell modules and some of their potential applications, and further research and development required are presented.
Augmented Reality Driving Using Semantic Geo-Registration

We propose a new approach that utilizes semantic information to register 2D monocular video frames to the world using 3D georeferenced data, for augmented reality driving applications. The geo-registration process uses our predicted vehicle pose to generate a rendered depth map for each frame, allowing 3D graphics to be convincingly blended with the real world view. We also estimate absolute depth values for dynamic objects, up to 120 meters, based on the rendered depth map and update the rendered depth map to reflect scene changes over time. This process also creates opportunistic global heading measurements, which are fused with other sensors, to improve estimates of the 6 degrees-of- freedom global pose of the vehicle over state-of-the-art outdoor augmented reality systems [5]–, [19]. We evaluate the navigation accuracy and depth map quality of our system on a driving vehicle within various large-scale environments for producing realistic augmentations.
A Lightweight and Fine-grained File System Sandboxing Framework

File system sandboxing is a useful technique for protecting sensitive data from untrusted binaries. However, existing approaches do not allow fine-grained control over policy enforcement, require superuser privileges, or incur high performance overhead. This paper proposes SandFS, a lightweight and fine-grained file system sandboxing framework for unprivileged users and applications. We have designed SandFS as a stackable in-kernel file system that can be safely be extended at runtime from the userspace to enforce custom security policies in the kernel and offer near-native performance. With SandFS, multiple sandboxing layers could be stacked on top of each other, with each higher layer further enforcing its own policies to provide a restricted view of the lower. Our evaluation of SandFS with real-world workload shows that it imposes less than 10% performance overhead.
Myasthenia gravis crisis coinciding with asthma exacerbation in a patient with recent heroin use: three causes of acute hypercarbic respiratory failure.

A 57-year-old woman with a history of asthma, hypertension and substance abuse disorder was admitted to the medical intensive care unit with hypercapnic respiratory failure. After the history was obtained, patient admitted heroin use earlier that day. The initial physical examination revealed right eye ptosis, diplopia, fatigability of neck flexion and extension. She also presented with wheezing and a prolonged expiratory phase. Pupils were 4 mm, with sluggish response to light bilaterally. CT chest with contrast showed a large mediastinal mass. Three different processes coexisted in this patient: simultaneous occurrence of a myasthenia gravis crisis, asthma exacerbation and a component of heroin use. This case highlights a series of overlapping clinical features that could lead to potential confounding and misdiagnosis. Respiratory symptoms improved after initial treatment for asthma exacerbation, but ptosis, diplopia and fatigability of neck muscles persisted.
TPX2 joins 53BP1 to maintain DNA repair and fork stability

In this issue, Byrum et al. (2019. J. Cell Biol. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201803003) surprisingly identify an interaction between 53BP1 and the mitotic regulators TPX2 and Aurora A that lead them to novel mechanistic insights about DNA double-stranded break repair regulation and a new fork protection pathway during replication stress.
Chapter 31 – Clinical Research Data: Characteristics, Representation, Storage, and Retrieval

Data management is a critical aspect of clinical research. The plan for management of research data must be established prior to the initiation of the actual research to demonstrate rigor and transparency, with the goal of making the research reproducible. Attention must be paid to the sources of data, the method by which they will be collected and represented, and how they will be stored and maintained. Metadata should be clearly defined and existing, accepted standards should be adopted wherever possible and reasonable. Researchers must maintain a constant awareness that the data they accrue are proxies for the actual events and objects in the real world and be on guard for biases that the collection process may introduce.
Advances in offline approaches for trace measurements of complex organic compound mixtures via soft ionization and high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry.

Abstract Complex airborne mixtures of organic compounds can contain 10,000′s of diverse compounds at trace concentrations. Here, we incorporate high-resolution mass spectrometry into our integrated offline sampling-to-analysis measurement system for routine molecular-level speciation of complex mixtures in gas- or particle-phase samples with detection limits of 2–20 pg L−1 (i.e. 0.2–1.9 ppt in 6 L samples). Analytes desorbed from custom adsorbent tubes (or filter extracts) were separated via gas chromatography (GC) and simultaneously analyzed by an electron ionization quadrupole mass spectrometer (EI-MS), and by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) combined with a high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (Q-TOF) with a resolution of 25,000–40,000 M/ΔM in HR-TOF and MS/MS modes. We demonstrated our system with simple standards, a Macondo crude oil standard as a reference for complex mixtures of common airborne compounds, and ambient samples using GC-TOF and GC–MS/MS. We speciated complex mixtures at mass accuracy error (i.e. mass tolerance) down to 8 ± 2 ppm (e.g. resolving analytes of mass 270.000 u with 0.003 u accuracy) using a targeted approach with 3000 molecular formulas, including hydrocarbons and functionalized analytes containing oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, or phosphorous. This extended from compounds with 10 to 32 carbon atoms and up to 16 hydrocarbon formulas per carbon number, and a similar range for functionalized compound classes. We also demonstrated our MS/MS capabilities to differentiate structural isomers and determine the presence of specific functional groups; and our direct-TOF capability, which bypasses high-temperature chromatographic separation to preserve functionalized analytes.
The endoderm and myocardium join forces to drive early heart tube assembly

Formation of the muscular layer of the heart, the myocardium, involves the medial movement of bilateral progenitor fields; driven primarily by shortening of the endoderm during foregut formation. Using a combination of time-lapse imaging, microsurgical perturbations and computational modeling, we show that the speed of the medial-ward movement of the myocardial progenitors is similar, but not identical to that of the adjacent endoderm. Further, the extracellular matrix microenvironment separating the two germ layers also moves with the myocardium, indicating that collective tissue motion and not cell migration drives tubular heart assembly. Importantly, as myocardial cells approach the midline, they perform distinct anterior-directed movements relative to the endoderm. Based on the analysis of microincision experiments and computational models, we propose two characteristic, autonomous morphogenetic activities within the early myocardium: 1) an active contraction of the medial portion of the heart field and 2) curling- the tendency of the unconstrained myocardial tissue to form a spherical surface with a concave ventral side. In the intact embryo, these deformations are constrained by the endoderm and the adjacent mesoderm, nevertheless the corresponding mechanical stresses contribute to the proper positioning of myocardial primordia.
Clear skies ahead: optimizing the learning environment for critical thinking from a qualitative analysis of interviews with expert teachers.

The learning environment refers to the physical, pedagogical, and psychosocial contexts in which learning occurs and critically influences the educational experience of trainees in the health professions. However, the manner in which individual faculty explicitly organize the educational setting to facilitate learning of essential competencies such as critical thinking deserves more examination; lack of attention to this component can undermine the formal curriculum. The purpose of our study was to examine how faculty shape the learning environment to advance their learners’ development of critical thinking. We took a constructivist grounded theory approach using the framework method for qualitative content analysis. Data were derived from interviews conducted with 44 faculty identified as skilled teachers of critical thinking at eight academic health professions institutions. Three major themes emerged regarding participants’ descriptions of their experiences of how they optimized the learning environment to support critical thinking: 1) Setting the atmosphere (establishing ground rules, focusing on process rather than answers, and building trust), 2) Maintaining the climate (gently pushing learners, tolerating discomfort, and adjusting to learner level), and 3) Weathering the storm (responses to challenges to learning critical thinking, including time and effort, negative evaluations, and resistance to effortful learning). An optimal learning environment for critical thinking was actively created by faculty to establish a safe environment and shared understanding of expectations. Understanding how to produce a conducive learning climate is paramount in teaching essential topics such as critical thinking. These findings have potential utility for faculty development initiatives to optimize the learning environment.
p53 Activates the Long Noncoding RNA Pvt1b to Inhibit Myc and Suppress Tumorigenesis.

Summary The tumor suppressor p53 transcriptionally activates target genes to suppress cellular proliferation during stress. p53 has also been implicated in the repression of the proto-oncogene Myc, but the mechanism has remained unclear. Here, we identify Pvt1b, a p53-dependent isoform of the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) Pvt1, expressed 50 kb downstream of Myc, which becomes induced by DNA damage or oncogenic signaling and accumulates near its site of transcription. We show that production of the Pvt1b RNA is necessary and sufficient to suppress Myc transcription in cis without altering the chromatin organization of the locus. Inhibition of Pvt1b increases Myc levels and transcriptional activity and promotes cellular proliferation. Furthermore, Pvt1b loss accelerates tumor growth, but not tumor progression, in an autochthonous mouse model of lung cancer. These findings demonstrate that Pvt1b acts at the intersection of the p53 and Myc transcriptional networks to reinforce the anti-proliferative activities of p53.
Direct therapeutic targeting of SWI/SNF induces epigenetic reprogramming and durable tumor regression in rhabdoid tumor

Purpose: Rhabdoid tumor is a pediatric cancer characterized by the biallelic inactivation of SMARCB1, a subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex. SMARCB1 inactivation leads to SWI/SNF redistribution to favor a proliferative dedifferentiated cellular state. Although this deletion is the known oncogenic driver, SWI/SNF therapeutic targeting remains a challenge. Experimental Design: We define a novel epigenetic mechanism for mithramycin using biochemical fractionation, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), and a dual spike-in assay for transposase accessible chromatin sequencing (ATAC-seq). We correlate epigenetic reprogramming with changes with chromatin A/B compartments and promoter accessibility with chromHMM models and RNA-seq. Finally, we demonstrate durable, marked tumor response in an intramuscular rhabdoid tumor xenograft model. Results: Here we show mithramycin and a second-generation analogue EC8042 evict mutated SWI/SNF from chromatin and are effective in rhabdoid tumor. SWI/SNF blockade triggers chromatin compartment remodeling and promoter reprogramming leading to differentiation and amplification of H3K27me3, the catalytic mark of PRC2. Treatment of rhabdoid rumor xenografts with EC8042 leads to marked, durable tumor regression and differentiation of the tumor tissue into benign mesenchymal tissue, including de novo bone formation. Conclusion: Overall, this study identifies a novel therapeutic candidate for rhabdoid tumor and an approach that may be applicable to the 20% of cancers characterized by mutated SWI/SNF.
Studying bilingual learners and users of spoken and signed languages: A neuro-cognitive approach

Abstract Neuro-cognitive methods and bilingual studies have much to offer as our field broadens its understanding of language processing. This chapter highlights the methodological advantages of electrophysiological techniques and event-related potentials (ERPs) in psycholinguistic research. Key studies of the N400 component are then featured to describe semantic processing for both learners and proficient users of a second spoken language. This topic is extended to studies of bimodal bilinguals, or users of both a signed and spoken language, after a brief introduction to sign language linguistics and methodological innovations for adapting ERPs for deaf participants. Similarities and differences in linguistic processing for spoken language bilinguals and bimodal bilinguals are discussed in terms of how they learn, use, and co-activate their two languages.
Ultrastructural Evidence for Direct Renal Infection with SARS-CoV-2.

Background A significant fraction of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) display abnormalities in renal function. Retrospective studies of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, report an incidence of 3%-7% progressing to ARF, a marker of poor prognosis. The cause of the renal failure in COVID-19 is unknown, but one hypothesized mechanism is direct renal infection by the causative virus, SARS-CoV-2. Methods We performed an autopsy on a single patient who died of COVID-19 after open repair of an aortic dissection, complicated by hypoxic respiratory failure and oliguric renal failure. We used light and electron microscopy to examine renal tissue for evidence of SARS-CoV-2 within renal cells. Results Light microscopy of proximal tubules showed geographic isometric vacuolization, corresponding to a focus of tubules with abundant intracellular viral arrays. Individual viruses averaged 76 µm in diameter and had an envelope studded with crown-like, electron-dense spikes. Vacuoles contained double-membrane vesicles suggestive of partially assembled virus. Conclusions The presence of viral particles in the renal tubular epithelium that were morphologically identical to SARS-CoV-2, and with viral arrays and other features of virus assembly, provide evidence of a productive direct infection of the kidney by SARS-CoV-2. This finding offers confirmatory evidence that direct renal infection occurs in the setting of AKI in COVID-19. However, the frequency and clinical significance of direct infection in COVID-19 is unclear. Tubular isometric vacuolization observed with light microscopy, which correlates with double-membrane vesicles containing vacuoles observed with electronic microscopy, may be a useful histologic marker for active SARS-CoV-2 infection in kidney biopsy or autopsy specimens.
Rules of Belief and the Normativity of Intentional Content

Mental content normativists hold that the mind’s conceptual contents are essentially normative. Many hold the view because they think that facts of the form “subject S possesses concept c” imply that S is enjoined (i.e., bound or genuinely obligated) by rules concerning the application of c in theoretical judgments. Some opponents independently raise an intuitive objection: even if there are such rules, S’s possession of the concept is not the source of the enjoinment. Hence, these rules do not support mental content normativism. Call this the “Source Objection.” This paper refutes the Source Objection, outlining a key strand of the relationship between judgments and their contents in the process. Theoretical judgment and mental conceptual content are equally the source of enjoinment; norms for judging with contents do not derive from one at the expense of the other.
Long-term outcomes of intrathecal baclofen in ambulatory multiple sclerosis patients: A single-center experience:

Background:Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) is traditionally reserved for non-ambulatory patients.Objective:To investigate outcomes of ITB in ambulatory multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.Methods:Changes i...
Use of Ketamine in Sphynx Cats

ABSTRACTSince the early 1990s, a number of deaths of Sphynx cats have been anecdotally reported following ketamine-based anesthesia. These episodes have raised concerns, between breeders and owners...
Aspirin for primary prevention.

LTX-315 is a de novo designed peptide derived from a naturally occurring host defence peptide. LTX-315 has the potential to induce long-term specific protective immune responses by stimulating immune cells, inducing tumor cell lysis with subsequent release of danger signals (e.g. HMGB1) and tumor associated antigens (TAA`s). A complete tumor regression has been obtained in several syngenic rodent tumor models by intratumoral (i.t.) injection with LTX-315. The effect was T- cell- dependent since the intervention was inefficient in immune-deficient animals. Studies on treated tumor tissue confirmed infiltration of immune cells and a switch in the cytokine profile towards a Th1 response. Successfully treated animals were protected against re-challenge with the tumor cell type treated, but not against other types of tumor cells. Moreover, tumor resistance could be adoptively transferred by spleen cells from LTX-315-treated animals. The resistance was abrogated by depletion of T- lymphocytes. Additional studies also indicate that LTX-315`s potential to locally activate the innate immune system by the immunogenic stressing of cells, in addition to the subsequent release of endogenous adjuvants and natural danger signals, provides a strong rationale for using LTX-315 as an adjuvant for vaccines based on tumor-associated antigens (TAA) and for combination with other types of immune–modulatory therapies. LTX-315 is currently being tested in a Phase I dose escalation clinical study and may represents a novel strategy for personalized in situ vaccination against cancer. Citation Format: Oystein Rekdal, Gunnar Kvalheim, Pal-Dag Line, Bent Rolstad, Ketil Camilio, Gerd Berge, Janne Nestvold, Mengyu Wang, Jihua Shi, Ali Areffard, Baldur Sveinbjornsson. Complete regression and long-term specific protective immune responses obtained in rodent tumor models after intratumoral treatment with LTX-315 . [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 474. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-474
Cometary Delivery of Hydrogen Cyanide to the Early Earth

Delivery of water and organics by asteroid and comet impacts may have influenced prebiotic chemistry on the early Earth. Some recent prebiotic chemistry experiments emphasize hydrogen cyanide (HCN) as a feedstock molecule for the formation of sugars, ribonucleotides, amino acids, and lipid precursors. Here, we assess how much HCN originally contained in a comet would survive impact, using parametric temperature and pressure profiles together with a time-dependent chemistry model. We find that HCN survival mainly depends on whether the impact is hot enough to thermally decompose H2O into reactive radicals, and HCN is therefore rather insensitive to the details of the chemistry. In the most favorable impacts (low impact angle, low velocity, small radius), this temperature threshold is not reached, and intact delivery of HCN is possible. We estimate the global delivery of HCN during a period of Early and Late Heavy Bombardment of the early Earth, as well as local HCN concentrations achieved by individual impacts. In the latter case, comet impacts can provide prebiotically interesting HCN levels for thousands to millions of years, depending on properties of the impactor and of the local environment.
Effect of menopausal hormone therapy on proteins associated with senescence and inflammation

BACKGROUND Estrogen may inhibit cell senescence that contributes to age-related disorders. This study determined the effects of menopausal hormone treatments on circulating levels of markers of cell senescence. METHODS Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1), FAS, and macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP1α) were measured in serum using multiplexed bead-based assays and compared among menopausal women participating in the Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study randomized to either placebo (n = 38), oral conjugated equine estrogen (oCEE, n = 37), or transdermal 17β-estradiol (tE2, n = 34). Serum levels of the senescent markers for each treatment were compared to placebo 36 months after randomization using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. RESULTS Serum levels of GDF15, TNFR1, and FAS, but not MIP1α, were lower in both the oCEE and tE2 groups compared to placebo. The difference in levels between treatment and placebo for GDF15, TNFR1, and FAS were greater for oCEE [-108 pg/mL (p = .008), -234 pg/mL (p = .0006), and -1374 pg/mL (p < .0001), respectively] than for tE2 [-76 pg/mL (p = .072), -105 pg/mL (p = .076), and -695 pg/mL (p = .036), respectively]. Additionally, TNFR1 showed a positive association with time past menopause (correlation = 0.255, p = .019). CONCLUSIONS Circulating levels of some markers of cell senescence were lower in menopausal women treated with oCEE and tE2 compared to placebo. Differences in the magnitude of effect of the two active treatments may reflect the differences in circulating levels of estrogen metabolites due to formulation and mode of delivery. These data generate new hypotheses with regard to the effects of menopause on the biology of aging.
Second primary breast cancer after unilateral mastectomy alone or with contralateral prophylactic mastectomy.

BACKGROUND An increasing number of patients undergo contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) for unilateral breast cancer. However, the benefit of CPM has not been quantified in the setting of contemporary breast cancer therapy. METHODS We performed an analysis of 180 068 patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, diagnosed with unilateral ductal breast carcinoma between 1998 and 2013 and treated with unilateral mastectomy (UM) or CPM. UM was performed in 146 213 patients (81.2%); CPM was performed in 33 855 patients (19.8%). Primary outcome of interest was cumulative incidence of a second primary breast cancer in the ipsilateral or contralateral breast greater than 3 months after initial diagnosis. Cumulative incidence analysis was based on a Cox proportional model to generate curves of second primary breast cancer in any breast, ipsilateral breast only, or contralateral breast only. RESULTS Patients who underwent CPM had a significantly reduced incidence of second primary breast cancer 10 and 15 years after surgery (CPM 0.93% [0.73%, 1.12%] vs UM 4.44% [4.28%, 4.60%]). Patients who underwent CPM had significantly lower adjusted hazard of second primary breast cancer when compared with UM (HR 0.38 vs 1.0, P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS CPM offers some protection from a second primary breast cancer, attributable to a reduced incidence in the contralateral breast. These findings provide additional information to providers and patients as they make decisions regarding surgical management. They should also be interpreted in the context of the absolute incidence of second primary breast cancer after UM and previous literature demonstrating no survival benefit.
Comprehensive study of charge-based motion control for piezoelectric nanopositioners: Modeling, instrumentation and controller design

Abstract High performance motion control of piezoelectric nanopositioners is crucial for a wide range of applications. The primary challenges stem from several aspects, including hysteresis and creep effects, along with the lightly damped mechanical resonance. In view of these issues, this paper proposes a comprehensive charge-based motion control solution, including a generalized electromechanical model, a charge controller with non-resistive DC stabilization and a robust charge control (RCC) strategy. The advantages of charge-based control in system identification and controller design are clearly indicated. Towards this solution, a generalized model of piezoelectric nanopositioner is first proposed, showing the effectiveness of charge control approach in the presence of arbitrarily complicated mechanical dynamics. Furthermore, we present a charge controller with a simple configuration, which eliminates the frequency-dependent performance of classical controller design. This guarantees consistently high control performance over the full operating bandwidth. Finally, to deal with the mechanical resonance and remaining nonlinearities and uncertainties, we propose a control strategy that combines charge control and robust feedback control into a single framework. Superior tracking and damping control performance of the proposed solution is confirmed by extensive experimental validations.
Predicting upper extremity motor improvement following therapy using EEG-based connectivity in chronic stroke.

BACKGROUND Uncertain prognosis presents a challenge for therapists in determining the most efficient course of rehabilitation treatment for individual patients. Cortical Sensorimotor network connectivity may have prognostic utility for upper extremity motor improvement because the integrity of the communication within the sensorimotor network forms the basis for neuroplasticity and recovery. OBJECTIVE To investigate if pre-intervention sensorimotor connectivity predicts post-stroke upper extremity motor improvement following therapy. METHODS Secondary analysis of a pilot triple-blind randomized controlled trial. Twelve chronic stroke survivors underwent 2-week task-practice therapy, while receiving vibratory stimulation for the treatment group and no stimulation for the control group. EEG connectivity was obtained pre-intervention. Motor improvement was quantified as change in the Box and Block Test from pre to post-therapy. The association between ipsilesional sensorimotor connectivity and motor improvement was examined using regression, controlling for group. For negative control, contralesional/interhemispheric connectivity and conventional predictors (initial clinical motor score, age, time post-stroke, lesion volume) were examined. RESULTS Greater ipsilesional sensorimotor alpha connectivity was associated with greater upper extremity motor improvement following therapy for both groups (p < 0.05). Other factors were not significant. CONCLUSION EEG connectivity may have a prognostic utility for individual patients' upper extremity motor improvement following therapy in chronic stroke.
Adult Stem Cells and Regeneration of Adipose Tissue

Defects in soft tissue may arise from trauma, chronic diseases, tumor resection, and congenital anomalies. Current practices of autologous grafting and native or synthetic fillers including silicone gel or saline implants have limitations and, like most foreign substances, do not represent long-term solutions. In this chapter, we discuss some of the latest findings in the field of soft tissue regeneration and interventional adipogenesis. We suggest that the field can be advanced by the (1) identification of critical areas of clinical demand and corresponding strategies for different clinical entities; (2) translational approaches that promote angiogenesis and survival of adipose tissue grafts; (3) scale-up of bioengineered adipose tissue grafts; (4) development and adoption of large animal models for testing adipose tissue grafts; and (5) establishment of success criteria for adipose tissue regeneration including the maintenance of volume and shape over time.
Toward a Writing-Centered Legal Education

The future of legal education should bridge the divide between learning and practicing the law. This requires three things. First, tuition should bear some reasonable relationship to graduates’ employment outcomes. Perhaps Harvard is justified in charging $50,000 in tuition, but a fourth-tier law school is not. Second, no school should resist infusing more practical skills training into the curriculum. This does not mean that law schools should focus on adding clinics and externships to the curriculum. The focus should be on developing critical thinkers and persuasive writers who can solve real-world legal problems. Third, law schools should be transparent about their students’ employment prospects, and actively assist students with job placement during and after graduation. To be blunt, the days when students graduate with a six-figure, non-dischargeable debt, cannot find a job, and lack the skills necessary to practice law at a minimally competent level should soon be over.
Not Everyone With an Ejection Fraction ≤30% Should Receive an ICD

Although the total number of deaths attributed to cardiovascular disease has decreased during recent decades, an increase in the percentage of cardiac deaths occurring suddenly (from 56% in 1989 to 63% in 1998) has actually resulted in an increase in the total number of sudden deaths in the United States.1 The problem of sudden death spans all racial and cultural groups and is equally important in men and women. It is now 40 years since continuous ECG monitoring revealed that ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF) are responsible for the majority of sudden deaths. Dissemination of this information resulted in a marked change in practice. Until the 1970s, physicians treated only symptomatic VTs. Therapeutic options were limited to a few antiarrhythmic drugs, administered empirically. With the advent of telemetric ECG monitoring and continuous ambulatory (Holter) ECG monitoring came the recognition that frequent and multiform ventricular ectopy often preceded episodes of VF in the acute phase of myocardial infarction (MI). Ventricular ectopy and nonsustained VT was documented 1 to 2 weeks after MI in many patients. The presence of frequent ventricular premature complexes and runs of nonsustained VT in patients with significant left ventricular dysfunction were then demonstrated to be an independent predictor of sudden cardiac death late after MI. This information then led to the practice of administering antiarrhythmic drugs to suppress ventricular ectopy under the presumption that suppression of asymptomatic ectopy would prevent sudden death. This fashion lasted almost 20 years, until the results of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST) trial demonstrated the harm caused by this approach.2 Thus, a sea change in the practice of cardiology had occurred, from treating only symptomatic patients to therapy aimed at primary prevention of sudden death. The initial efforts using antiarrhythmic drugs failed to reduce mortality. While many physicians …
Probabilistic analysis for basis selection via /spl lscr//sub p/ diversity measures

Finding sparse representations of signals is an important problem in many application domains. Unfortunately, when the signal dictionary is overcomplete, finding the sparsest representation is NP-hard without some prior knowledge of the solution. However, suppose that we have access to such information. Is it possible to demonstrate any performance bounds in this restricted setting? We examine this question with respect to algorithms that minimize general /spl lscr//sub p/-norm-like diversity measures. Using randomized dictionaries, we analyze performance probabilistically under two conditions. First, when 0/spl les/p/spl les/1, we quantify (almost surely) the number and quality of every local minimum. Next, for the p=1 case, we extend the deterministic results of D.L. Donoho and M. Elad (see Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., vol.100, no.5, 2003) by deriving explicit confidence intervals for a theoretical equivalence bound, under which the minimum /spl lscr//sub 1/-norm solution is guaranteed to equal the maximally sparse solution. These results elucidate our previous empirical studies applying /spl lscr//sub p/ measures to basis selection tasks.
Dynamo action in the ionosphere and motions of the magnetospheric plasma: I. Symmetric dynamo action

Magnetospheric plasma circulation produced by ionospheric dynamo action studied by observation of ionospheric electrostatic field distribution
Local-moment magnetism in superconducting FeTe 0.35 Se 0.65 as seen via inelastic neutron scattering

The nature of the magnetic correlations in Fe-based superconductors remains a matter of controversy. To address this issue, we use inelastic neutron scattering to characterize the strength and temperature dependence of low-energy spin fluctuations in FeTe${}_{0.35}$Se${}_{0.65}$ (${T}_{c}\ensuremath{\sim}14$ K). Integrating magnetic spectral weight for energies up to 12 meV, we find a substantial moment (${\ensuremath{\langle}{M}^{2}\ensuremath{\rangle}}_{\mathrm{LE}}\ensuremath{\sim}0.07{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B}^{2}/$Fe)that shows little change with temperature, from below ${T}_{c}$ to 300 K. Such behavior cannot be explained by the response of conduction electrons alone; states much farther from the Fermi energy must have an instantaneous local spin polarization. It raises interesting questions regarding the formation of the spin gap and resonance peak in the superconducting state.
Zero percent loss: efficient management of inventory items for the technology leaders program

The Technology Leaders Program (TLP) is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program at the University of Virginia. The program has recently received a grant to purchase materials that will support its mission of fostering a maker culture. The TLP faculty advisors recognize that the current pencil-and-paper method of tracking their assets would not effectively and efficiently work with a larger inventory, and so they developed and sponsored a project to automate the tracking process. The system described in this paper is transaction-based, as are many databases, and the following types of transactions are supported: Borrowing, Maintenance, Renewal, and Reservation. Other data include information on users, library items, and vendors. The ultimate project goal is to provide the computer-based back-office support that will enable the TLP to achieve its long-term goal of zero inventory loss.
Octreotide and Potassium Homeostasis

Somatostatin infusion causes hyperkalemia in healthy subjects and in some animal models. The purpose of this investigation was to determine what effect octreotide has on potassium homeostasis during serious illness and if there is a dose-response relationship. Sixty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats (185-225 g) were randomized to receive parenteral nutrition (PN) only, PN plus continuous infusion of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or PN plus LPS plus octreotide 10, 100, or 1000 micrograms/kg/day for 48 hours. Before randomization all animals received isocaloric, isonitrogenous, isokalemic PN. A 24-hour urine was collected and a blood sample was taken at the end of the study immediately before euthanization. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Duncan's multiple range test. Nonhemolyzed serum samples from 50 rats were available for study. Serum potassium concentrations were in the normal range for rats and did not differ significantly among the groups: 5.97 +/- 0.86, 5.96 +/- 1.58, 5.78 +/- 1.48, 5.79 +/- 1.67, 5.35 +/- 0.78 mEq/L, respectively. No differences among groups were found for fractional excretion of potassium or serum creatinine concentration. Octreotide administration in escalating dosages does not cause hyperkalemia in endotoxemic rats given intravenous potassium at a constant rate by PN.
Drug Induced Headache

Headache induced by medications used for nonheadache conditions, and more importantly, headache perpetuated by symptomatic medications used for primary headache disorders are discussed in detail in this article. The clinical features and mechanisms of drug-induced headaches are reviewed. Ergotamine and analgesic rebound phenomena are described. Management strategies for drug-induced headaches are outlined.
Effects of 2.45 GHz microwaves on meiotic chromosomes of male CBA/CAY mice

Male CBA/CAY mice were exposed daily (6 days a week) for 30 minutes in an environmentally controlled waveguide to continuous 2.45 GHz microwave radiation for 2 weeks at average whole body absorbed dose rates of 0.05, 0.5, 10, and 20 mW/g. Shan exposed animals served as controls. Chain translocations were observed at diakinesis at metaphase I in microwave exposed animals. The yield of translocations increased with exposure, and varied nonlinearly with dose rate. An increase in incidence of univalents was seen after exposure at 10 and 20 mW/g. The findings are interpreted to indicate interference with normal spermatogenesis during the exposure period.
Stochastic Hybrid Systems: Application to Communication Networks

We propose a model for Stochastic Hybrid Systems (SHSs) where transitions between discrete modes are triggered by stochastic events much like transitions between states of a continuous-time Markov chains. However, the rate at which transitions occur is allowed to depend both on the continuous and the discrete states of the SHS. Based on results available for Piecewise-Deterministic Markov Process (PDPs), we provide a formula for the extended generator of the SHS, which can be used to compute expectations and the overall distribution of the state. As an application, we construct a stochastic model for on-off TCP flows that considers both the congestion-avoidance and slow-start modes and takes directly into account the distribution of the number of bytes transmitted. Using the tools derived for SHSs, we model the dynamics of the moments of the sending rate by an infinite system of ODEs, which can be truncated to obtain an approximate finite-dimensional model.