cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A multi-agent system for autonomous supply chain configuration

This paper presents an agent-based framework for configuration of agile supply chains. The presented framework, referred to as Digital Manufacturing Market (DMM), is implemented in Java Agent DEvelopment Framework (JADE). In the DMM, supply and demand entities are represented by intelligent software agents. The DMM agents communicate and interact dynamically for solving a given supply chain formation problem. Mediator agents use their internal search and discovery algorithms to connect buyers and sellers of manufacturing services based on their semantic similarities with respect to technological capabilities and needs. Manufacturing Service Description Language (MSDL) is the ontology of the DMM that based on the Web Ontology Language (OWL). The novel aspect of this research is to demonstrate the first application of agent technology for supply chain configuration based on a formal ontology that encodes the manufacturing capabilities of manufacturing suppliers. In this implementation, distributed ontology segmentation and sharing is investigated as well. Experimental results are provided based on a sample of suppliers and customers from the contract manufacturing domain. Although the implemented procedure does not necessarily result in an optimal supply chain, it guarantees the technological viability of the resulting supply chain.
Why is nonvolatile ferroelectric memory field-effect transistor still elusive?

In principle, a memory field-effect transistor (FET) based on the metal-ferroelectric-semiconductor gate stack could be the building block of an ideal memory technology that offers random access, high speed, low power, high density and nonvolatility. In practice, however, so far none of the reported ferroelectric memory transistors has achieved a memory retention time of more than a few days, a far cry from the ten-year retention requirement for a nonvolatile memory device. This work will examine two major causes of the short retention (assuming no significant mobile ionic charge motion in the ferroelectric film): 1) depolarization field and 2) finite gate leakage current. A possible solution to the memory retention problem will be suggested, which involves the growth of single-crystal, single domain ferroelectric on Si. The use of the ferroelectric memory transistor as a capacitor-less DRAM cell will also be proposed.
A degenerate nonlinear diffusion problem in age-structured population dynamics

WE CONSIDER a degenerate nonlinear diffusion problem that arises in the modelling of agestructured populations. The derivation of such problems has been discussed in a variety of places (see [4], [5], [7] f or example) and we give only a brief description of the motivation for the equations we treat. The particular problem that we consider is discussed by MacCamy [7] who also analyses a special case of the resulting equations. Our treatment of this problem is based on the general method we developed in [l], [2] combined with variants of ideas and techniques used by Ladyshenskaya [6], MacCamy [7], Olienik [8], and Sabinina [9]. The problem is as follows. Let a denote chronological age, f denote time and x denote spatial position, and let ~(a, t, x) denote the number of individuals, per unit age and unit length, who are of age a at time t and at position X. Here, we take (a, t, x) E [0, a) x [O, Tl x (0, 1). BY FL(Q) and PC a we denote the death rate and the birth rate, per unit age, > of individuals of age a. The total population density per unit length at time t is
Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolysis

The sections in this article are: 1 Congenital Deficiencies in Initiation of Blood Coagulation 1.1 Factor XII 1.2 Plasma Prekallikrein 1.3 Plasma Kininogens 1.4 Interaction of Contact-System Proteins 1.5 Factor XI 1.6 Factor IX 1.7 Factor VIII 2 Relationship of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Blood Coagulation 2.1 Factor X 2.2 Factor VII 2.3 Thromboplastin 3 Regulation of Prothrombin Activation 3.1 Prothrombin 3.2 Factor V 3.3 Coagulant Phospholipid Surfaces 3.4 Calcium Ions 3.5 Thrombin Formation 3.6 Thrombin Specificity 3.7 Regulation of Thrombin Activity 3.8 Heparin and Antithrombin III 3.9 Interaction of Thrombin With Fibrin 3.10 Nonmammalian Inhibitors of Thrombin 3.11 Thrombinlike Enzymes in Snake Venoms 4 Electron Microscopy of Fibrinogen 5 Fibrinogen Structure 5.1 Model of Fibrinogen Molecule 5.2 Conversion of Fibrinogen to Fibrin Clot 5.3 Polymerization Sites 5.4 Cross-Linking of Fibrin 6 Interaction of Fibrinogen with Plasma Proteins 7 Interaction of Fibrinogen with Cells 8 Degradation by Proteases other than Plasmin 9 Degradation of Fibrinogen and Fibrin by Plasmin 9.1 Role of Fibrin in Clot Formation and Lysis 10 Plasminogen and Plasmin 10.1 Plasminogen Activators 10.2 Inhibitors of Plasminogen and Plasmin 10.3 Physiological Fibrinolysis
Towards the Unsupervised Acquisition of Discourse Relations

This paper describes a novel approach towards the empirical approximation of discourse relations between different utterances in texts. Following the idea that every pair of events comes with preferences regarding the range and frequency of discourse relations connecting both parts, the paper investigates whether these preferences are manifested in the distribution of relation words (that serve to signal these relations). Experiments on two large-scale English web corpora show that significant correlations between pairs of adjacent events and relation words exist, that they are reproducible on different data sets, and for three relation words, that their distribution corresponds to theory-based assumptions.
Multiple Causes of the North American Abnormal Winter 1976 77

Abstract The severe 1976–77 winter over eastern North America and the drought in the west are related to contemporary and antecedent atmospheric, oceanic and cryospheric factors. Although greatly amplified, the atmospheric flow pattern was in phase with the normal winter pattern so that the seasonal forcing by mountains, coastlines, etc., did not oppose the anomalous pattern. The autumn pattern of southerly air flow over the eastern North Pacific reduced heat losses from the ocean, induced advection of warmer waters, and reduced coastal upwelling. Meanwhile, the cold sea surface temperatures generated in spring and summer over the central North Pacific persisted. These cold waters seem to have been generated by the persistently strong Aleutian low which, following Bjerknes’ hypothesis, was associated with a persistent El Nino which began several months before and lasted through the abnormal winter. The atmospheric baroclinicity from the strong sea surface temperature gradient near 140°W strengthened front...
Optimizing the chase: scalable data integration under constraints

We are interested in scalable data integration and data exchange under constraints/dependencies. In data exchange the problem is how to materialize a target database instance, satisfying the source-to-target and target dependencies, that provides the certain answers. In data integration, the problem is how to rewrite a query over the target schema into a query over the source schemas that provides the certain answers. In both these problems we make use of the chase algorithm, the main tool to reason with dependencies. Our first contribution is to introduce the frugal chase, which produces smaller universal solutions than the standard chase, still remaining polynomial in data complexity. Our second contribution is to use the frugal chase to scale up query answering using views under LAV weakly acyclic target constraints, a useful language capturing RDF/S. The latter problem can be reduced to query rewriting using views without constraints by chasing the source-to-target mappings with the target constraints. We construct a compact graph-based representation of the mappings and the constraints and develop an efficient algorithm to run the frugal chase on this representation. We show experimentally that our approach scales to large problems, speeding up the compilation of the dependencies into the mappings by close to 2 and 3 orders of magnitude, compared to the standard and the core chase, respectively. Compared to the standard chase, we improve online query rewriting time by a factor of 3, while producing equivalent, but smaller, rewritings of the original query.
The puzzling degraded status of who free relative clauses in English

There is a puzzling asymmetry in English with respect to free relative clauses introduced by what and who , with the former (e.g. [ What Glenn said ] didn't make much sense ) intuitively being much more acceptable than the latter (e.g. [ Who Glenn married ] didn't make much money ). In this squib, we explore this degraded acceptability of who free relative clauses, and from the results of an experimental study we identify syntactic features of the sentence that influence the level of acceptability. We discuss the difficulty in finding an independently motivated solution to the puzzling asymmetry within current theories of syntax, semantic and processing. Finally, we touch on a broader theoretical question relating to the robust cross-linguistic process by which elements of the set of wh -words in a language are able to extend their function from introducing interrogative clauses to introducing other clausal constructions.
Interview Methods (Structured, Semistructured, Unstructured)

Interviews are a favored method for studying the attitudes, behaviors, and well-being of adults in middle and old age. The personal interview is a flexible means of data collection, ranging from structured, close-ended questions with predetermined response options to unstructured forms that explore new research questions. Semistructured methods occupy a middle ground for use in situations where there are open research questions but where preexisting theory can strongly guide an inquiry. Contemporary research projects often blend structured and less structured interviews to address complex questions about adult development and aging. Keywords: mixed methods; personal interviews; research methods; semistructured interviews
On the early stages of precipitation in dilute Mg–Nd alloys

Abstract We report on a first-principles and experimental study of precipitation in supersaturated solid solutions of Mg-rich Mg–Nd alloys. A cluster expansion Hamiltonian combined with Monte Carlo simulations was used to calculate a metastable HCP temperature-composition phase diagram. Aging studies were performed on dilute Mg–Nd alloys that were then characterized with HAADF-STEM. The early stage decomposition of these alloys is dominated by the thermodynamic stability of different Nd orderings on the HCP crystal structure. The observed progression of Guinier-Preston zones can be rationalized by a successive reduction of the Nd chemical potential. HAADF-STEM studies confirm the appearance of β ' -like precipitates, however, the observed Nd ordering does not exclusively consist of zig-zag Nd rows but also contains linear strips of Nd-hexagons at non-periodic intervals. First-principles calculations predict that these orderings are stable compounds that belong to a family of hybrid phases formed by combining the β ' ordering with the hexagons of β ″ (D019) along the [ 010 ] β ' direction. We label this hierarchy of orderings as β ′ ′ ′ . A high degree of degeneracy among the different β ′ ′ ′ phases is predicted. This along with a strong composition dependence of the misfit strain is likely responsible for the observed disorder of Nd-hexagon strips. Our experimental and first-principles evidence does not support the formation of Mg3 Nd having D019 ordering. Rather, the features reported as D019 are isolated hexagonal GP rods that show no long-range periodicity. Our study suggests the following precipitation sequence for binary Mg–Nd alloys: S S S S → GP Zones ( N , V , hexagons ) → β ′ ′ ′ → β 1 ( Mg 3 Nd ) → β ( Mg 12 Nd ) → β e ( Mg 41 Nd 5 ) .
The Young of Neofiber alleni

The round-tailed muskrat, Neofiber alleni , is a common microtine of Florida. While reasonably well known to mammalogists and some local residents of the area in which it occurs, the biology of this small counterpart of the muskrat is not well known. On May 15, 1951 three Neofiber (an adult female and two young males) were received from William Hegener of Sarasota, Florida. The animals were taken near Ocala, Florida and may be referred to Neofiber alleni nigrescens . The animals were housed in 25 x 36 inch cages in shaded outdoor inclosures. A nest box 8 x 11 inches, with fine wood chips for bedding, was provided the animals. They were given a …
A Moving Zonal Method in the Time-Domain Simulation for Acoustic Propagation

Conventional time-domain schemes have limited capability in modeling long-range acoustic propagation because of the vast computer resources needed to cover the entire region of interest with a computational domain. Many of the long-range acoustic propagation problems need to consider propagation distances of hundreds or thousands of meters. It is thus very difficult to maintain adequate grid resolution for such a large computational domain, even with the state-of-the-art capacity in computer memory and computing speed. In order to overcome this barrier, a moving zonal-domain approach is developed. This concept uses a moving computational domain that follows an acoustic wave. The size and interval of motion of the domain are problem dependent. In this paper, an Euler-type moving domain in a stationary coordinate frame is first tested. Size effects and boundary conditions for the moving domain are considered. The results are compared and verified with both analytical solutions and results from the non-zonal domain. Issues of using the moving zonal-domain with perfectly-matched layers for the free-space boundary are also discussed.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Measurement of Protein Kinase B Activity in Single Primary Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells

An optimized peptide substrate was used to measure protein kinase B (PKB) activity in single cells. The peptide substrate was introduced into single cells, and capillary electrophoresis was used to separate and quantify nonphosphorylated and phosphorylated peptide. The system was validated in three model pancreatic cancer cell lines before being applied to primary cells from human pancreatic adenocarcinomas propagated in nude mice. As measured by phosphorylation of peptide substrate, each tumor cell line exhibited statistically different median levels of PKB activity (65%, 21%, and 4% phosphorylation in PANC-1 (human pancreatic carcinoma), CFPAC-1 (human metastatic ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma), and HPAF-II cells (human pancreatic adenocarcinoma), respectively) with CFPAC-1 cells demonstrating two populations of cells or bimodal behavior in PKB activation levels. The primary cells exhibited highly variable PKB activity at the single cell level, with some cells displaying little to no activity and othe...
Village Planning a New Socialist Countryside Construction Problems and Countermeasures

The construction of new socialist countryside village planning problems and countermeasures from the building of new socialist rural villages in the importance of planning to proceed,and then to the new socialist countryside village planning problems were discussed,Concluded that construction of new socialist countryside village planning problems measures.Environmental conservation village planning to follow the concept of ecological civilization,using the principle of ecological priority of the planning,Rational planning of rural settlements,a long-term,step by step,science improve rural planning,strengthened the management of village planning.
Lost and Found and Lost Again: Island Utopias and Dystopias in the BioShock Series

The popularity of video games is at an all-time high among today’s population. Game designers and producers spend years on plot and character development, the creation of appropriate settings, and ...
Experience with extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma.

AbstractFrom 1955 to 1985, 20 patients presented with a total of 22 extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas (2 had multiple tumors and 2 had a malignant extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma). There were 13 male and 7 female patients, and the highest incidence was in the second decade. Although most patients presented with symptoms typical of pheochromocytoma, several presented with unusual features related to the anatomical location, such as mediastinal mass (chest tumor), upper airway obstruction (neck tumor) or gross hematuria (bladder tumor). In 5 of 6 patients in whom plasma catecholamine levels were fractionated epinephrine levels were elevated.The most common tumor location was the superior para-aortic region (13 patients). In 16 patients the location of tumors was established before treatment. Computerized tomography (9 patients) was the most accurate imaging study for tumor localization.A total of 19 patients underwent complete excision of all pheochromocytomas. Postoperative followup information (median interv...
Effects of substrate and inhibition of oxidative metabolism on contraction and myosin phosphorylation in ASM.

Steady-state active stress in smooth muscle is maintained by cross bridges which undergo continuous cycling and myosin phosphorylation, and the two processes both consume ATP. In this study, we investigated whether energy utilization by cross-bridge cycling and myosin phosphorylation is compartmentalized and examined their relative affinities for ATP in airway smooth muscle. We measured active stress, myosin phosphorylation, O2 consumption, and tissue ATP content in bovine tracheal smooth muscle activated by K+ depolarization when glucose was replaced by pyruvate and when oxidative metabolism was inhibited by hypoxia or uncoupled by 2,4-dinitrophenol. The results indicate that ATP produced from both glycolysis and oxidative metabolism is available to both cross-bridge cycling and myosin phosphorylation. However, steady-state myosin phosphorylation was insensitive to the inhibition of oxidative metabolism by hypoxia and mitochondrial uncoupling when steady-state isometric stress and tissue ATP content were...
Calibration of Sub-Threshold Evoked EPSPs in Dendritic Spines using Voltage-Sensitive Dyes

Dendritic spines are specialized structures in the brain that receive excitatory synaptic inputs. Activation of synaptic receptors on spines leads to current influx that depolarizes the activated spine, the parent dendrite and the neuron's somatic and axonal compartments. Local membrane potential fluctuations affect voltage-dependent channels producing calcium influx in an interplay of electrical and biochemical signaling. We combine 2-photon glutamate uncaging with 2-photon voltage-sensitive dye (VSD) imaging to study changes in membrane potential in individual spines. We compare two methods of calibrating these signals in spines that may be spatially distant from the somatic compartment. Subthreshold calibration signals have limited amplitude, and actual amplitudes can fall short of the expected values due to patch clamp limitations and space clamp effects, both leading to over-estimated EPSP amplitudes. Backpropagating action potentials have large amplitude but an average attenuation decay rate must be incorporated leading to some uncertainty. We measure the small but significant nonlinearity in dye response that would lead to under-estimated EPSP amplitudes if not accounted for. Calibrated evoked spine EPSP (spEPSP) amplitudes, along with somatic EPSP (soEPSP) amplitudes are input to a compartmental model (NEURON) to predict spine neck resistance (Rneck) values that are consistent with our measurements. While highly variable, predicted Rneck is centered on 200MOhm and is consistent with independent estimates based on FRAP experiments using a cytosolic dye in the absence of the VSD.
Meningotheliomatosis: A Rare Cause of Diffuse Miliary Pattern Pulmonary Opacities.

A 63 year old female presented for incidentally discovered pulmonary nodules. The Computed Tomography (CT) scan of the chest with contrast showed innumerable and diffusely distributed nodules up to 4mm in a military type pattern [Table/Fig-1]. There was no mediastinal or hilar adenopathy and she denied any respiratory complaints including dyspnea, cough or sputum production. She was born in Paraguay and moved to the United States of America in her early 30’s. Medical, social and family history was remarkable for a 10 pack-year smoking history and occupational chemical fume exposure, working in a compounding pharmacy.
Feasibility Approaches to Reduce the Unreliability of Gas, Nuclear, Coal, Solar and Wind Electricity Production

This paper examines the feasibility of three scenarios for reducing the unreliability inherent in traditional and clean energy creation. One scenario uses pumped hydro to store non-peak energy from solar or wind plants. Another scenario investigates the use of pumped hydro for storing non-peak energy from gas and coal fired plants. Another scenario explores the possibility of selling stored energy as well as meeting peak demand for all types of energy creation methods. The authors used the action research technique with a case study in USA. They applied parametric and simulation techniques to develop several models. The models include variables representing base loads at plants serving a utility, the buying and selling of electricity contracts at appropriate times, and the possibility of diverting a stream to feed the upper reservoir of a pumped storage plant.
Integral Dose-Based Inverse Optimization May Reduce Side Effects in Radiotherapy of Prostate Carcinoma.

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to apply a novel inverse optimization approach, based on utilization of quantitative imaging information in the optimization function, to prostate carcinoma. Materials and Methods: This new inverse optimization algorithm relies upon quantitative information derived from computed tomography (CT) imaging studies. The Hounsfield numbers of the CT voxels are converted to physical density, which in turn is used to calculate voxel mass and the corresponding integral dose, by summation over the product of dose and mass in each dose voxel. This integral dose is used for plan optimization through its global minimization. The optimization results are compared to the optimization results derived from most commonly used dose-volume-based inverse optimization, where objective functions are formed as summation over all dose voxels of the squared differences between voxel doses and user specified doses. The data from twenty-five prostate plans were optimized with dose-volume (DVH) and integral dose (Energy) minimization objective functions. The results obtained with the Energy- and DVH-based optimization schemes were studied through commonly used dosimetric indices (DIs). Statistical equivalence tests were further performed to establish population-based significance results. Results: Both DVH- and Energy-based plans for each case were normalized so that 95% of the PTV receives the prescription dose. The average differences for the rectum and bladder DIs ranged from 1.6% to 25%, where the Energy-based quantities were lower. For both femoral heads the Energy-based optimization derived doses were lower on average by 32%. The statistical tests demonstrated that the significant differences in the tallied dose indices range from 2.7% to more than 50% for rectum, bladder and femoral heads. Conclusions: For majority of the clinically relevant dosiemtric quantities Energy-based inverse optimization performs better than the standard of care DVH-based optimization in prostate carcinoma. The population averaged statistically significant differences range from ~3% to ~50%. Therefore, this newly proposed optimization approach, incorporating explicitly quantitative imaging information in the inverse optimization function, holds potential for further reduction of complication rates in prostate cancer.
Management and Novel Adjuncts of Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections.

Abstract Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTI) have been recognized for millennia and continue to impose considerable burden on both patient and society in terms of morbidity, death, and the allocation of resources. With improvements in the delivery of critical care, outcomes have improved, although disease-specific therapies are lacking. The basic principles of early diagnosis, of prompt and broad antimicrobial therapy, and of aggressive debridement have remained unchanged. Clearly novel and new therapeutics are needed to combat this persistently lethal disease. This review emphasizes the pillars of NSTI management and then summarizes the contemporary evidence supporting the incorporation of novel adjuncts to the pharmacologic and operative foundations of managing this disease.
Leptin Induces Mitosis and Activates the Canonical Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway in Neurogenic Regions of Xenopus Tadpole Brain.

In addition to its well-known role as an adipostat in adult mammals, leptin has diverse physiological and developmental actions in vertebrates. Leptin has been shown to promote development of hypothalamic circuits, and to induce mitosis in different brain areas of mammals. We investigated the ontogeny of leptin mRNA, leptin actions on cell proliferation in the brain, and gene expression in the preoptic area/hypothalamus of tadpoles of Xenopus laevis. The level of leptin mRNA was low in premetamorphic tadpoles, but increased strongly at the beginning of metamorphosis and peaked at metamorphic climax. This increase in leptin mRNA at the onset of metamorphosis correlated with increased cell proliferation in the neurogenic zones of tadpole brain. We found that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of recombinant Xenopus leptin (rxLeptin) in premetamorphic tadpoles strongly increased cell proliferation in neurogenic zones throughout the tadpole brain. We conducted gene expression profiling of genes induced at 2 hr following i.c.v. injection of rxLeptin. This analysis identified 2322 genes induced, and 1493 genes repressed by rxLeptin. The most enriched KEGG term was the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Using electroporation-mediated gene transfer into tadpole brain of a reporter vector responsive to the canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, we found that i.c.v. rxLeptin injection activated Wnt/β-catenin-dependent transcriptional activity. Our findings show that leptin acts on the premetamorphic tadpole brain to induce cell proliferation, possibly acting via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.
Age-associated changes in intrathymic B cell function

Autoimmune disease affects approximately 3% of the U.S. population and is the leading cause of death among young and middle-aged women. Susceptibility to autoimmune disease generally increases with age in both sexes; however, mechanisms linking aging and increased susceptibility are incompletely understood. One hallmark of the aging immune system is atrophy of the thymus, the primary site of T lymphocyte generation. We recently showed that in addition to size, critical thymic functions are lost with age, including expression of tissue restricted self-antigen (TRA) genes. Thymic TRA expression allows clonal deletion of potentially auto-reactive T cells, and loss of TRA expression during aging represents a potential mechanism for age-associated increases in autoimmunity. Until recently, only epithelial cells were known to express TRAs within the thymus, but it is now clear that IgM-IgD-intrathymic B lymphocytes can also be induced to express Aire (Autoimmune Regulator), a factor critical for TRA expression, as well as downstream Aire-dependent TRAs. Here, we find that B cell frequency increases 5-fold in the aged murine thymus, concomitant with a shift from an IgM-IgD-to an IgM+IgD+ phenotype. Using next-generation RNA sequencing, we show significant decreases in Aire and TRA gene expression in aged intrathymic B cells. Our findings indicate that age-associated changes in intrathymic B cells inhibit their ability to negatively select auto-reactive T cells, revealing a novel potential mechanism linking aging with increased susceptibility to autoimmune disease.
Introduction: Reading Out of Time—Genealogy, African-American Literature, and the Middle Ages

The Introduction reads against the grain of the predominant narrative of medievalism: as a uniform and clearly-defined means of consolidating white identity. Vernon outlines the implications of reading American history through the lens of the Middle Ages to contextualize African-American appropriations of medieval materials. This Introduction sets up the book’s broadest concerns about myth-making, the production of history as an anti-racist tactic and the formation of an African-American literary tradition.
Role of Cell Receptors for Poliovirus in Pathogenesis, Host Range and Virus Entry

Viruses initiate infection of cells by binding to cell surface receptors. The interaction of viruses with cell receptors has long been an area of great interest, because it represents the first step in virus-cell interactions. However, the identification of specific cell proteins that serve as virus receptors has only recently been successful. One of the major interests of our laboratory is to provide a molecular description of the interaction of poliovirus with its cell receptor, and to decipher the role of this interaction in viral pathogenesis. Our goals are to identify virion and receptor residues that are important for initiation of infection, and to elucidate the role of the poliovirus receptor (PVR) in poliovirus tissue tropism and spread within the host.
Toward a General Theory of Inductive Inference

This paper outlines an information processing scheme for using real (possibly “fuzzy”) observations to predict the results of other experiments within the context of a “theory.” The approach is based on the dichotomy between observer and system. It includes the explicit (geometrical) construction of “theories” from a group defining observational “degrees of freedom.” Empirical evidence is also analyzed fundamentally. Both observations and predictions involve the use of a “communication channel” linking system with observer. The quantum or classical nature of the theory is apparent in terms of channel distortion. The MEP provides the inference for the appropriate channel probability. The scheme allows the inference of stochastic processes and accommodates particle physics.
Introduction: Irritant Asthma, Irritant Rhinitis, and Related Conditions

Inhaled substances produce airway inflammation by two well-defined and distinct mechanisms. Aeroallergens are proteins on airborne particles that induce IgE antibodies with a high affinity for mast cells and basophils. Exposure causes degranulation and the release of inflammatory mediators. Respiratory irritants are chemicals that bind to chemoreceptors on sensory nerve fibers, leading to the release of mediators of neurogenic inflammation. Clinical manifestations are independent of the mechanism, have intra- and interindividual variability, and range from rhinorrhea and congestion in the upper airway to bronchospasm and bronchorrhea in the lower airway. Acute exposures to respiratory irritants are known to induce persistent upper and lower airway inflammation that have been termed reactive airways dysfunction syndrome and reactive upper-airway dysfunction syndrome, respectively. The mechanism is a remodeling of the structure of the airway mucosa, leading to pathological changes that lower the threshold for irritant sensitivity, so that chronic inflammation is induced by ongoing previously tolerated exposures.
NLRB v New Vista Nursing and Rehabilitation: The Third Circuit Further Fuels the Constitutional Conflict Over Recess Appointments

A new opinion by the Third Circuit that followed the D.C. Circuit in invalidating President Obama’s use of the recess-appointments power may actually strengthen the president’s case. The decision may focus the Supreme Court’s attention on how much legal uncertainty the Court could create by holding intrasession recess appointments invalid. Beyond that, the new decision devastates the D.C. Circuit’s textualist reading of the Recess Appointments Clause. The Third Circuit’s more policy-oriented analysis, if pursued with a more accurate view of the Framers' purposes, actually points toward upholding intrasession recess appointments under current institutional conditions.
Effects of Conformation and Environment on Bacteriochlorophyll Optical Spectra: Correlations of Calculated Spectra with Structural Results

Recent structural data for (bacterio)chlorophylls and chlorins as isolated molecules and in proteins have demonstrated the skeletal distortions of the chromophores that can be imposed by crystal packing and/or protein constraints1.
Trapping intermediates in metal transfer reactions of the CusCBAF export pump of Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli CusCBAF represents an important class of bacterial efflux pump exhibiting selectivity towards Cu(I) and Ag(I). The complex is comprised of three proteins: the CusA transmembrane pump, the CusB soluble adaptor protein, and the CusC outer-membrane pore, and additionally requires the periplasmic metallochaperone CusF. Here we used spectroscopic and kinetic tools to probe the mechanism of copper transfer between CusF and CusB using selenomethionine labeling of the metal-binding Met residues coupled to RFQ-XAS at the Se and Cu edges. The results indicate fast formation of a protein−protein complex followed by slower intra-complex metal transfer. An intermediate coordinated by ligands from each protein forms in 100 ms. Stopped-flow fluorescence of the capping CusF-W44 tryptophan that is quenched by metal transfer also supports this mechanism. The rate constants validate a process in which shared-ligand complex formation assists protein association, providing a driving force that raises the rate into the diffusion-limited regime.
EFFECT OF INDIVIDUALIZED CONSIDERATION AND INTELLECTUAL STIMULATION ON JOB SATISFACTION AMONG EMPLOYEES IN COMMERCIAL BANKS IN KENYA

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation influence job satisfaction among employees in commercial banks in Kenya. Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive research design. The target population consisted of 10,310 managerial employees in the commercial banks in Kenya. A sample of 424 employees was obtained from the population using stratified random sampling technique. Data was collected using structured questionnaires. Findings: Correlation analysis found that individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation and job security were positively and significantly correlated to job satisfaction r (347) =.595, p< .05, r (347) =.541, p< .05 and r (347) =.697, p< .05 respectively. Multiple linear regression results showed that individualized consideration significantly influenced job satisfaction of the employees (R 2 = .352, F (1, 138.779) = 188.851, p < .05). Similarly, multiple linear regression results showed that intellectual stimulation significantly influenced job satisfaction of the employees (R 2 = .290, F (1, 106.274) = 142.533, p < .05). Job security was found to significantly moderate the relationships between individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation and job satisfaction R 2 = .435, F (3, 45.168) = 87.914, p< .05). Unique contribution to the theory, practice and policy: The unique contribution of this study is the advancement of transformational leadership theory dimensions - individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation - and job satisfaction among employees in commercial Banks in Kenya. Lastly, the findings inform organizational polices touching on leadership and job satisfaction.
(354) Repurposing Druggable Targets for the Treatment of Cancer Pain: A Translational Approach

Cancer cells secrete pro-nociceptive mediators into the microenvironment that sensitize sensory neurons and cause pain. We sought to identify protein encoding genes that drive nociception. We used a preclinical mouse model, transcriptomic analysis, and a proteomic literature review to undertake this work. Cancer cell line supernatant was assigned a phenotype based on evoked nociceptive behavior in a cancer pain mouse model. Mice received 50μl injections of supernatant in the tongue for 3 days followed by orofacial behavior assessment with a dolognawmeter 1 hour after the third injection. Data from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus was used to performdifferential gene expression and pathway analysis. We identified proteins potentially responsible for nociception using a literature review of the nociceptive cell lines. Mediator targets produced by these analyses were validated with the cancer pain mouse model. We identified 4 nociceptive and 4 non-nociceptive cell lines. We subsequently identified 1760 differentially expressed genes (DEG) and 14 significantly perturbed pathways by comparing the nociceptive and non-nociceptive cell lines. Thirty of 1760 DEG were reported in the literature to yield over-expressed proteins secreted or anchored to the plasma membrane in at least one of the nociceptive cell lines tested. For these 30 DEG, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was the most commonly cited druggable target (Drug–Gene Product Interaction Database). To determine if EGFR signaling is involved in cancer supernatant-induced nociception, we administered either EGFR antagonist, Cetuximab, or saline followed by nociceptive cell line supernatant injected into the mouse tongue. Mice that received saline exhibited significantly longer gnaw-time following injection of cancer supernatant (48.8±4.5%) compared to mice that received Cetuximab (13.8±11.8%). DEG and their secreted protein products may serve as therapeutic targets for cancer pain and warrant further evaluation.
Queer Temporalities, Spacetimematterings, and a Pedagogy of Vulnerability in Qualitative Inquiry:

This interview project began with a daughter’s innocent desire to ask “Why?” but we find ourselves in an ever-looping liminality that recognizes both the impossibility of such innocence and the pow...
Postoperative Antibiotic Use Among Patients Undergoing Functional Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

ImportanceBest practices for antibiotic use after facial plastic and reconstructive procedures have been the subject of much debate, and there is a need for large-scale data to guide further develo...
Endoscopic Anterior Skull Base Reconstruction: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of Graft Type.

Objective The influence of graft type (nonautologous vs. autologous) on surgical outcomes in endoscopic anterior skull base (EASB) reconstruction is not well understood. This review systematically evaluated rates of postoperative complications of EASB repairs that utilized autologous or nonautologous grafts. Methods Original studies reporting EASB reconstruction outcomes were extracted from PubMed, Ovid, and the Cochrane Library from database inception to 2019. Risk ratios, risk differences, χ2 tests, and multivariate logistic regression were used to evaluate outcome measures: postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, meningitis, and other major complications (OMCs). Results A total of 2275 patients from 29 studies were analyzed. Rates of postoperative CSF leaks, meningitis, and OMCs were 4.0%, 1.6%, and 2.3%, respectively, using autologous grafts, and 5.0%, 0.3%, and 1.0%, respectively, using nonautologous grafts. Multivariate analysis of 118 patients demonstrated no significant differences in age, CSF flow rate, single or multilayer reconstruction, and presence of intraoperative CSF leak or lumbar drain. Meta-analyses of 6 studies yielded a risk ratio of 0.64 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.19–2.14; P = 0.47) for postoperative CSF leakage, and risk differences of −0.01 (95% CI, −0.06 to 0.05; P = 0.80) and −0.02 (95% CI, −0.09 to 0.05; P = 0.51) for postoperative meningitis and OMCs, respectively. There were no significant differences in postoperative CSF leakage (P = 0.95) and OMCs (P = 0.41) between graft types among cases with intraoperative CSF leaks. However, meningitis rates were lower (P = 0.04) in the nonautologous group. Conclusions EASB reconstructions utilizing autologous and nonautologous grafts are associated with similar rates of postoperative CSF leakage and OMCs. In cases with intraoperative CSF leakage, nonautologous grafts were associated with reduced postoperative meningitis.
Individual and joint trajectories of change in bone, lean mass and physical performance in older men.

Declines in bone, muscle and physical performance are associated with adverse health outcomes in older adults. However, few studies have described concurrent age-related patterns of change in these factors. The purpose of this study was to characterize change in four properties of muscle, physical performance, and bone in a prospective cohort study of older men. Using repeated longitudinal data from up to four visits across 6.9 years from up to 4681 men (mean age at baseline 72.7 yrs. ±5.3) participating in the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) Study, we used group-based trajectory models (PROC TRAJ in SAS) to identify age-related patterns of change in four properties of muscle, physical performance, and bone: total hip bone mineral (BMD) density (g/m2) and appendicular lean mass/ht2 (kg/m2), by DXA; grip strength (kg), by hand dynamometry; and walking speed (m/s), by usual walking pace over 6 m. We also described joint trajectories in all pair-wise combinations of these measures. Mean posterior probabilities of placement in each trajectory (or joint membership in latent groups) were used to assess internal reliability of the model. The number of trajectories for each individual factor was limited to three, to ensure that the pair-wise determination of joint trajectories would yield a tractable number of groups as well as model fit considerations. The patterns of change identified were generally similar for all measures, with three district groups declining over time at roughly similar rates; joint trajectories revealed similar patterns with no cross-over or convergence between groups. Mean posterior probabilities for all trajectories were similar and consistently above 0.8 indicating reasonable model fit to the data. Our description of trajectories of change with age in bone mineral density, grip strength, walking speed and appendicular lean mass found that groups identified by these methods appeared to have little crossover or convergence of change with age, even when considering joint trajectories of change in these factors.
Posterior petrosal approach for retrochiasmatic craniopharyngioma

Abstract Craniophyringiomas are histologically benign tumors arising from embryonic epithelial cells of the craniopharyngeal duct. They are locally aggressive and their location in the sellar/supra-sellar region is associated with a high rate of recurrence and morbidity. It is generally recognized that surgical resection is the first treatment option. Craniopharyngiomas located in the retrochiasmatic area are among the most challenging to treat. They grow superiorly pushing floor of third ventricle, and posteriorly in the prepontine and interpeduncular cisterns. Different skull base approaches have been utilized to tackle tumors in this location. In this video we illustrate the surgical steps and nuances for resection of a large retrochiasmatic craniopharyngioma in a 25 YO RHF who presented with progressive headaches and visual decline. On neurological examination she was found to have bi-temporal hemianopia. An MRI scan of the brain showed a 4.5 × 3.2 × 4.3 cm mixed solid and cystic suprasellar mass with obstructive hydrocephalus located behind the optic chiasm. A brain CTA showed no displacement of the anterior communicating artery confirming the retrochiasmatic location of the tumor. The preoperative endocrine work up showed central hypothyroidism and low cortisol levels. Postoperatively the patient was extubated in the operating room, she had intact extra-ocular movements. She developed Diabetes insipidus and oculomotor nerve palsy on postoperative day 3. Her third nerve palsy recovered when she was seen 3 weeks postoperatively. The histopathology showed an adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma. The posterior petrosal approach should be considered in treating patients with Retrochiasmatic Craniopharyngiomas. The consent was obtained.
Adipose tissue, immune aging, and cellular senescence

Obesity represents a serious health problem as it is rapidly increasing worldwide. Obesity is associated with reduced healthspan and lifespan, decreased responses to infections and vaccination, and increased frequency of inflammatory conditions typical of old age. Obesity is characterized by increased fat mass and remodeling of the adipose tissue (AT). In this review, we summarize published data on the different types of AT present in mice and humans, and their roles as fat storage as well as endocrine and immune tissues. We review the age-induced changes, including those in the distribution of fat in the body, in abundance and function of adipocytes and their precursors, and in the infiltration of immune cells from the peripheral blood. We also show that cells with a senescent-associated secretory phenotype accumulate in the AT of mice and humans with age, where they secrete several factors involved in the establishment and maintenance of local inflammation, oxidative stress, cell death, tissue remodeling, and infiltration of pro-inflammatory immune cells. Not only adipocytes and pre-adipocytes but also immune cells show a senescent phenotype in the AT. With the increase in human lifespan, it is crucial to identify strategies of intervention and target senescent cells in the AT to reduce local and systemic inflammation and the development of age-associated diseases. Several studies have indeed shown that senescent cells can be effectively targeted in the AT by selectively removing them or by inhibiting the pathways that lead to the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors.
Singling out modified gravity parameters and data sets reveals a dichotomy between Planck and lensing

Phenomenological parameterization of the perturbed Einstein's equations have become an important route to testing General Relativity (GR) at cosmological scales. This is often done by constraining a pair of modified gravity (MG) parameters associated with the growth of matter, the propagation of light, the gravitational slip, or the running of gravitational coupling. We explore here constraints on one MG parameter at a time while fixing the other at its GR value. This allows one to analyze various models while benefiting from a stronger constraining power from the data. We also explore which specific datasets are in tension with GR. We find cases with stronger tension with GR than two-MG-parameter approaches. For example, models with ($\mu=1$, $\eta$) and ($\mu$, $\eta=1$) exhibit a 3.86-$\sigma$ (or an Index of Inconsistency, IOI=7.45) and 3.77-$\sigma$ (IOI=7.11) departure from their GR values when using Planck18+SNe+BAO data, while ($\mu$, $\eta$) shows a tension of 3.42-$\sigma$ (IOI=5.85). We find no tension with GR for models with the MG parameter $\Sigma$ fixed to its GR unity value. Using a Bayesian model selection analysis, we find that some one-parameter MG models are moderately favored over $\Lambda$CDM when using all dataset combinations except Planck CMB Lensing and DES data. Namely, Planck18 shows a moderate tension with GR that only increases when adding any combination of RSD, SNe, or BAO. However, adding Planck CMB Lensing or DES data respectively diminishes or removes these tensions, which can be attributed to the ability of lensing in constraining the MG parameter $\Sigma$. The two overall groups of datasets are found to have a dichotomy when performing consistency tests with GR, which may be due to systematic effects, lack of constraining power, or modelling. These findings warrant further investigation using more precise data from ongoing and future surveys.