cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alkaline quinone flow battery

Storage of photovoltaic and wind electricity in batteries could solve the mismatch problem between the intermittent supply of these renewable resources and variable demand. Flow batteries permit more economical long-duration discharge than solid-electrode batteries by using liquid electrolytes stored outside of the battery. We report an alkaline flow battery based on redox-active organic molecules that are composed entirely of Earth-abundant elements and are nontoxic, nonflammable, and safe for use in residential and commercial environments. The battery operates efficiently with high power density near room temperature. These results demonstrate the stability and performance of redox-active organic molecules in alkaline flow batteries, potentially enabling cost-effective stationary storage of renewable energy.
Puerperal gangrene of the extremities

Abstract Puerperal gangrene is a rare and serious complication. The lower extremities are most frequently involved. It is due to obliteration of the circulation of the affected part, arterial or venous. Infection is the common etiologic factor. With the use of gynergen, an increasing number of cases are reported in the German literature. It is questionable whether gynergen is the primary factor, because in all the cases but one there was infection.
The island of Hawaii earthquakes of November 29, 1975: Strong-motion data and damage reconnaissance report

Two earthquakes occurred on the island of Hawaii on November 29, 1975, a magnitude ( Ms ) 5.7 event at 0335 (local time) and a magnitude ( Ms ) 7.2 event at 0447. During the larger event, a maximum acceleration of 0.22 g was recorded in the southern part of Hilo, 43 km north of the epicenter. A 0.05 g threshold duration of 13.7 sec was measured for the same component. Smaller amplitude accelerograph records were obtained at two other locations on the island along with four seismoscope records. During or subsequent to the larger event, a large sector of the southeastern coastline subsided by as much as 3.5 meters. A tsunami generated by the larger event caused at least one death (one person also missing), injury to 28 persons, and significant structural and nonstructural damage. Only scattered evidence of strong ground shaking was observed in the epicentral area, and most of the several dozen nearby structures sustained little or no structural damage from ground shaking. In Hilo, 45 km north of the Ms = 7.2 epicenter, structural and nonstructural damage was slight to moderate but more extensive than elsewhere on the island.
Measuring activation in adolescent depression: Preliminary psychometric data on the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale-Short Form.

In recent years, behavioral activation (BA) has been extended to the treatment of adolescent depression. However, the assessment of the proposed mechanism of change in BA—activation—has been scarce. This may be because of the lack of psychometrically valid measures of activation in this population.
cis-Acting determinants of c-myc mRNA stability

Rapid turnover of the c-myc message mediates both the low basal level of mRNA and the rapid response to changes in transcription. The primary RNA instability determinant (RID sequence) resides in the 3' untranslated region (UTR), within an 80 base region that is rich in A and U residues. In contrast to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) mRNA in which the RID sequence has been mapped to a repeating AUUUA sequence, mutation of the only copy of this sequence in the c-myc 3' UTR has no effect on RNA turnover. Thus the c-myc RID sequence appears to be quite different from that of GM-CSF, which may account for the differential regulation of half-life exhibited by these mRNAs. c-myc mRNA turnover is also tightly coupled to translation since translational inhibitors stabilize this mRNA. Mutation of the initiating AUG to a termination codon stabilizes c-myc RNA, arguing that loading with polysomes (perhaps accompanied by localization on the cytoskeleton) is also required for proper message turnover.
Is your next pediatric patient an addict

There have been decreases in the use of illicit drugs by youngsters in our country. However, the reality is that great numbers of children continue to use these substances. A review is provided of the use of illicit drugs by children. In addition, the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes by youngsters also is considered.
Past Terrestrial Response

The lesson of the past is that when climate changes, species move. For instance, as the world emerged from the last ice age, temperatures rose dramatically across North America and Europe. Areas that had been frozen under solid ice—outside the niche of virtually any organism—suddenly thawed and supported rich assemblages of life. Less dramatic changes in the tropics led to different climates replacing one another in the space of a few 1000years. Many other climate shifts have occurred throughout the Earth’s history, changing the average climate of the planet and also the living conditions of every place on the planet.
Intergenerational support and depression among Chinese older adults: Do gender and widowhood make a difference?

Using four-wave panel data of 1,327 older adults in rural China, this study examined potential gender and marital status differences in the relationships between three forms of intergenerational support (monetary, instrumental and emotional support) and the level of depression of the older adults. Results from a pooled time-series fixed-effects model showed that receiving and providing monetary support had a comparable beneficial effect on mothers and fathers, but mothers benefited more psychologically than fathers from closer relationships with their children. Exchanges in instrumental support was not related to either mothers' or fathers' level of depression. Widowhood further affected the gendered relationships between support and depression in that recently widowed fathers had a significantly higher level of depression when they received more monetary support from their children. In contrast, providing monetary support to children was associated with a significantly higher level of depression among recently widowed mothers. We explained the findings in the context of familial and gender norms in the Chinese culture and temporal needs for family support that link with bereavement coping stages among older adults. We argued that the gender and marital status patterns observed in this study are attributive to more fundamental differences in men's and women's social positions in the Chinese society.
Establishing Clinical Cutoffs for Response and Remission on the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED)

Objective To determine optimal percent reduction and raw score cutoffs on the parent- and child-report Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) for predicting treatment response and remission among youth with anxiety disorders. Method Data were obtained from youth (N = 438; 7–17 years old) who completed treatment in the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal treatment Study, a multisite, randomized clinical trial that examined the relative efficacy of medication (sertraline), cognitive-behavioral therapy (Coping Cat), their combination, and pill placebo for the treatment of separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and social phobia. The parent- and youth-report SCARED were administered at pre- and posttreatment. Quality receiver operating characteristic methods evaluated the performance of various SCARED percent reduction and absolute cutoff scores in predicting treatment response and remission, as defined by posttreatment ratings on the Clinical Global Impression scales and the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule. Results Reductions of 55% on the SCARED-Parent and 50% on the SCARED-Youth optimally predicted treatment response. Posttreatment absolute raw scores of 10 (SCARED-Parent) and 12 (SCARED-Youth) optimally predicted remission in the total sample, although separate SCARED-Parent cutoffs for children (12–13) and adolescents (9) showed greatest quality of efficiency. Each cutoff significantly predicted response and remission at 6-month follow-up. Conclusion Results serve as guidelines for operationalizing treatment response and remission on the SCARED, which could help clinicians systematically monitor treatment outcomes of youth with anxiety disorders in a cost- and time-efficient manner. Clinical trial registration information—Child and Adolescent Anxiety Disorders (CAMS); http://clinicaltrials.gov/ ; NCT00052078 .
Collusion in Restraint of Democracy: Against Political Deliberation

Recent calls to inject substantial doses of deliberation into democratic politics rest on a misdiagnosis of its infirmities. Far from improving political outcomes, deliberation undermines competition over proposed political programs–the lifeblood of healthy democratic politics. Moreover, institutions that are intended to encourage deliberation are all too easily hijacked by people with intense preferences and abundant resources, who can deploy their leverage in deliberative settings to bargain for the outcomes they prefer. Arguments in support of deliberation are, at best, diversions from more serious threats to democracy, notably money's toxic role in politics. A better focus would be on restoring meaningful competition between representatives of two strong political parties over the policies that, if elected, they will implement. I sketch the main outlines of this kind of political competition, differentiating it from less healthy forms of multiparty and intraparty competition that undermine the account...
Firmware functional validation using a Colored Petri Net model

The growing architectural complexity of Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) requires a functional validation during system testing which in turn is becoming more complex and time-consuming. Unfortunately, there are few available solutions specifically designed to address this issue. We have proposed a novel technique which can automatically generate Colored Petri Net (CPN) from the UEFI firmware source code and use CPN simulation to keep track of the UEFI execution step-by-step at run-time. The simulation can indicate where the execution departs from a normal path, which in turn helps validation engineers to quickly deduct the root cause of the problem. The implemented validation tool can be incorporated into the existing validation workflow and requires no additional hardware equipment. A case study on the functional validation of UEFI USB Bus driver of a commercial embedded platform is used to demonstrate the proposed validation technique.
A Functional View of Plant Microbiomes: Endosymbiotic Systems That Enhance Plant Growth and Survival

Over the past several decades, it has become clear that numerous nonpathogenic or weakly pathogenic microbes inhabit plants both internally and externally. The challenge for plant biologists who study endophytism lies not only in the discovery of endophytes in plants but also in articulating the precise mechanisms whereby these endophytes function to support the growth and survival of their plant hosts. In this chapter, we discuss the phenomenon of microbial endophytism from a functional perspective. We propose that endophytic microbes in plants comprise a critical part of the plant’s functional systems. We propose three broad categories of endosymbiotic systems, including (1) Defensive Endosymbiotic Systems, (2) Stress Tolerance Endosymbiotic Systems, and (3) Nutritional Endosymbiotic Systems. We will also consider potential interactions between endosymbiotic organisms of plants and relativity of function of endosymbionts. A particular endophyte may serve multiple functions in the ecology of its host plant, and predominant functions of an endophyte may change depending on the ecological circumstances affecting its host. Only now are we beginning to realize how important endophytic microbes are to plants. Much research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms of action and the roles that endophytes play in modulating host plant ecology and enhancing plant growth and survival.
Integrated Plasma Control in DIII-D

The integrated plasma control approach provides a systematic method for designing plasma control algorithms with high reliability and for confirming their performance off-line prior to experimental...
Lipid modulators of epidermal proliferation and differentiation.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a diverse group of lipids that have been implicated as effector molecules in various tissues, often including the epidermis. It also presents lipids with more established roles, including platelet-activating factor in cellular inflammation. Moreover, those lipids are also described in the chapter, which are involved with signal transduction processes, such as phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylcholine, and diacylglycerol. Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is an ether phospholipid with potent physiologic effects. PAF is produced by human dermal fibroblasts as well as by human and murine epidermal cells. Because PAF is known to induce the release and metabolism of arachidonic acid, eicosanoids may mediate some of the activities of PAF. PAF may be released from the same ether-phospholipid precursor for arachidonic acid and its metabolites.
Environmental Education Service-Learning in Science Teacher Education

Environmental service-learning offers a relevant authentic learning experience that also benefits the community. This instructional method engages students in citizenship through the development of metacognitive, decision-making, research, and community-building skills that meet the goals of both science and environmental education. Incorporating environmental service-learning into teacher education coursework can enhance the teachers’ environmental, disciplinary, and pedagogical content knowledge. This chapter explores the history, theory, and use of service-learning as it relates to environmental education and teacher preparation. Also discussed are environmental service-learning models and specific project examples from the authors’ experiences with the hope that readers will consider implementing service-learning as an instructional technique in their classrooms.
Ultrasonic Evaluation of Low Density Powder Compacts

Ultrasonic evaluation of powder compacts provides valuable information about the density of the powder and incipient defects in the compact. Since the specimens would be contaminated if they were inspected with traditional immersion or contact techniques, procedures to dry couple or vacuum bag and immerse the powder samples were implemented. With these methods ultrasonic energy was propagated through the powder compacts and the acoustic velocity and attenuation were measured. The ability to immerse the powder samples not only provides consistent coupling but allows scanning which is a valuable tool to image variations and defects in the compacts.
Morphology and biometry of three populations of Artemia (Branchiopoda: Anostraca) from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico

The morphology and biometry of two populations of Artemia sp. from the Fortuna and Botoncillo salterns in Puerto Rico and one from the Monte Cristi saltern in the Dominican Republic were compared. The genitalia, dehydrated cysts, and the male second antennae were compared between populations. Biometric differences were assessed by comparing adult morphology and body length, length of freshly hatched nauplii, and hydrated cyst diameter. All organisms used in the study were cultured under identical laboratory conditions. Significant differences were detected in the length of the adults, first instar naupliar length, and hydrated cyst diameter. Differences were detected in the general shape, ectodermal ridge structure, and spination of the brood pouch and the eversible portion of the penes. Caribbean populations were shown to differ from A. franciscana in some characters considered in this study. The results suggest that female brood pouch morphology is the most useful morphological character to discriminate between the three Caribbean populations. Breeding experiments, karyotype, protein electrophoresis and DNA sequencing studies are needed to supplement these findings and to evaluate the phylogenetic and taxonomic status of these populations.
Over- and Under-Perceiving Social Support from One’s Partner and Relationship Quality Over Time

AbstractUsing dyadic data from a national longitudinal survey in Germany (N = 3,674 couples), we tested associations between congruence/discrepancy in partners’ reports of providing and receiving s...
Research on Antennas for Biomedical Applications

In this paper, an overview of some of the research activities in the Applied Electro-Magnetics Engineering Laboratory (AEMEL) are summarized. The major topics presented here are related to our research on antennas for biomedical applications.
A 120V-to-1.8V 91.5%-Efficient 36-W Dual-Inductor Hybrid Converter with Natural Soft-charging Operations for Direct Extreme Conversion Ratios

This paper presents a new dual inductor hybrid converter (DIHC) that is capable of efficient direct non-isolated DC-DC conversions with extremely large voltage conversion ratios. The converter employs two interleaved inductors and a switched-capacitor (SC) network to bring several significant topological benefits. Capacitance of the flying capacitors of this new topology can be optimally sized to achieve natural, complete soft-charging for all capacitors. This novel capacitor soft-charging feature is a key contribution of this work and can be exploited to overcome the limitations of conventional SC converters suffering from capacitor hard charging losses. The converter topology and its operation are verified in an 36-W converter prototype for 40-120V input to 0.9V-1.8V output up to 20A of current load that achieves peak efficiencies of 91.5% for 120V-to-1.8V and 87.3% for 120V-to-0.9V conversion. Its advantages and performance at extreme conversion ratios push the limit of point-of-load converters, reducing complexity and cost for bus voltage distributions, as well as enabling fewer conversion stages and thus higher efficiency for data centers and high-performance digital systems.
Linguistic Diversity at Mason: Supporting Students in and Beyond the Classroom

BRIEF SESSION DESCRIPTION:Linguistic diversity has a significant impact on teaching and learning in and beyond the classroom. This panel discussion will begin with a brief overview of linguistic diversity at Mason and support resources available to faculty and students. Participants are invited to share their strategies and materials and will be asked to engage in activities related to effective utilization of specific Mason resources in their teaching contexts. AÂ Participants will become familiar with a range of resources, materials, and strategies for supporting their linguistically diverse student populations and will leave the session with the ideas for applying this knowledge into their teaching contexts._______________________________________________________________FULL ABSTRACT:Linguistic diversity has a significant impact on teaching and learning in and beyond the classroom. What strategies have faculty successfully used for creating inclusivity among diverse populations? What resources exist and are currently being developed to further support Mason faculty as they engage with the range of linguistic, cultural, and academic needs particular to this kind of Mason diversity? While a select few members of the Mason community are often called on to share classroom teaching strategies and while some university resources (e.g. The Writing Center, the INTO Mason Learning Resource Center, the English Department) are often utilized to further support multilingual student success, the purpose of this session is to facilitate peer-to-peer sharing of instructional practices and to collaboratively develop resource-driven responses to scenarios commonly presented in the linguistically diverse classroomAÂ The panel discussion will begin with a brief overview of linguistic diversity at Mason based on new data gathered, 2017-2018. Next, panel members will present support resources available to faculty and students, including specific Writing Center and INTO Mason Learning Resource Center services and materials, a website that showcases the experiences of multilingual Mason writers adapting to writing in the U.S. academy, handouts with pedagogical and instructional tips for working with multilingual writers and a draft of a new Mason faculty handbook for supporting multilingual students.AÂ AÂ The majority of the session will be devoted to peer-to-peer sharing of classroom strategies to support linguistically diverse populations and small-group collaborative exercises designed to help participants create resource-based responses to teaching and learning in and beyond the classroom. Participants are invited to share their strategies and materials and will be asked to engage in problem-solving activities related to effective utilization of specific Mason resources in their teaching contexts.Participants will become familiar with a range of resources, materials, and strategies for supporting their linguistically diverse student populations and will leave the session with the ideas for applying this knowledge into their teaching contexts.
An Exploration of the Combined Impact of Ethical Climate and Work Locus of Control on Job Performance and Turnover Intentions: An Abstract

Researchers prescribe that the combined influence of personal characteristics and work conditions should be examined to provide a clearer understanding of performance at work. Here we explore the combined impact of ethical climate and salespeople’s external WLOC on job meaningfulness. This study suggests that when salespeople perceive that their sales organization has a strong ethical climate, the negative impact of external WLOC is mitigated on key predictors of sales performance and turnover intentions. The following hypotheses were tested with a sample of 143 B2B salespeople from a sales organization based in the Southeastern USA: H1: External WLOC is negatively related to job meaningfulness. H2: Ethical climate is positively related to job meaningfulness. H3: Job meaningfulness is positively related to job performance. H4: Job meaningfulness is negatively related to turnover intentions. H5: Job performance is negatively related to turnover intentions. H6: Ethical climate moderates the impact of external WLOC on job meaningfulness.
The Second Amendment and the Basic Right to Transport Firearms for Lawful Purposes

This article addresses the central constitutional issue before the Supreme Court of the United States in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. City of New York, New York – that is whether the Second Amendment protects a basic right to transport firearms for certain lawful purposes. This article is comprised of three parts. Part I discusses why New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. City of New York, New York should be decided on narrow grounds, particularly if the Supreme Court should adopt a history-in-law approach to adjudicating the case. Part II examines the history of regulating the transportation of firearms and other deadly weapons. Lastly, Part III makes the brief case for striking down New York City’s transportation restriction as unconstitutional per se.
Local–global linkages: Challenges in organizing functional communities for ecosocial justice

Communities face “glocalized” ecosocial problems. Functional Community Organization bridges local problems with globalized issues, organizes community, and meets need. Models describe glocal linkag...
Artifact in pain ratings, its implications for test-retest reliability, and correction by a new scaling procedure

The conventionally employed procedure for rating ischemic pain was found to produce a degree of response bias associated with the ceiling points of the scale used. A new approach permitting open-ended ratings followed by transformation of these ratings into a common decile scale provided far greater test-retest reliability. This was explained largely in terms of the attenuation of rating artifact. The new procedure also gave rise to consistently linear functions for ischemic pain. Implications are raised for the measurement of pain as well as other psychological continua.
Women of the Year: Mary Magdalene, Wild Nights with Emily, and Other Untold Stories

Four movies, Mary Magdalene, Wild Nights with Emily, The Wife, and Slut in a Good Way, showing women as central characters are discussed. All of the movies have been made primarily by women. At thi...
À partir d’ « (Une scène primitive ?) » : « Écrire pour s’interrompre » ou le tragique chez M. Blanchot

L’article examine la presence du tragique dans la reflexion blanchotienne. A partir du commentaire des fragments de L’Ecriture du desastre intitules « (Une scene primitive ?) », l’analyse met en lumiere l’irreconciliation fondamentale de l’homme avec lui-meme, qui hante tout le travail de Blanchot. La reflexion porte dans un premier temps sur le paradoxe d’un savoir de soi a la fois necessaire et defait. Elle souligne ensuite l’importance du corps impropre et de la denaturation dans l’ecriture blanchotienne et montre que c’est tout l’etre qui se trouve mis a l’epreuve par l’intensite d’un pathos associe a une disconvenance a la fois originaire et immemoriale. L’analyse montre dans un troisieme temps que la reflexion sur le fragment comme dire de l’etre doit etre interpretee chez Blanchot comme l’experience tragique, a la fois desappropriatrice et jubilatoire, d’une errance ontologique.
Association of Formulary Prior Authorization Policies With Buprenorphine-Naloxone Prescriptions and Hospital and Emergency Department Use Among Medicare Beneficiaries.

Importance Prior authorization requirements may be a barrier to accessing medications for opioid use disorder treatment and may, therefore, be associated with poor health care outcomes. Objective To determine the association of prior authorization with use of buprenorphine-naloxone and health care outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants This comparative interrupted time series analysis examined enrollment and insurance claims data from Medicare beneficiaries with an opioid use disorder diagnosis or who filled a prescription for an opioid use disorder medication between 2012 and 2017. Over this period, 775 874 members were in 1479 Part D plans that always required prior authorization, 113 286 members were in 206 plans that removed prior authorization, 189 461 members were in 489 plans that never required prior authorization, and 619 919 members were in 485 plans that added prior authorization. Data analysis was performed from April 2019 to February 2020. Exposures Removal or addition of prior authorization and new prescriptions filled for buprenorphine-naloxone. Main Outcomes and Measures Buprenorphine-naloxone use, inpatient admissions, emergency department visits, and prescription drug and medical expenditures. Results The study population in 2012 included 949 206 Medicare beneficiaries (mean [SD] age, 57 [15] years; 550 445 women [58%]). Removal of prior authorization was associated with an increase of 17.9 prescriptions (95% CI, 1.1 to 34.7 prescriptions) filled for buprenorphine-naloxone per plan per year, which is a doubling of the number of prescriptions, on average. Each prescription filled was associated with statistically significant decreases in adverse health care outcomes: substance use disorder–related inpatient admissions decreased by 0.1 admission per plan per year (95% CI, −0.2 to −0.1 admission per plan per year), and substance use disorder–related emergency department visits decreased by 0.1 visit per plan per year (95% CI, −0.13 to −0.03 visit per plan per year) (allP Conclusions and Relevance Removing prior authorization for buprenorphine-naloxone was associated with an increase in the medication use and decreases in health care utilization and expenditures.
Explanatory Price Equations

In the 1970s and 1980s, the diversification of metals-producing companies across countries and products created a single market. For the most part, metals prices moved together in response to economy-wide forces. While the level of copper prices differed from that of aluminum, because of differences by grade in mining and milling costs, year-to-year changes in the two sets of prices moved together. When copper demand increased (while aluminum did not), copper prices rose relative to aluminum; this caused, however, a shift of resources by the diversified metals-producing companies from aluminum to copper supply until the original price differentials were restored. Such convergence of year-to-year changes in prices of one or the other metal has taken place in a general way in the last twenty years. A sufficient number of producers have operated across the different metals to expand supply where specific ore prices were relatively high and to reduce supply where prices were low relative to the overall metals price index.32
Optically super-resolved infrared imaging micro-spectroscopy (Conference Presentation)

Optically Super-resolved InfraRed Imaging micro-Spectroscopy (OSIRIS) permits the collection of fully broadband hyperspectral images at the maximum optical spatial resolution. Modulated long wavelength light is directed onto the sample, while a short wavelength probe beam senses the resultant modulation in local temperature. Thus, OSIRIS constitutes the full generalization of color vision to full spectral bandwidth with spatial resolutions up to the maximum achievable with far-field optics (λprobe/4NA). The non-contact nature of OSIRIS permits deep tomography and real-time imaging, while preserving the versatility and ease of use of optical microscopy.
Plant responses to multiple antagonists are mediated by order of attack and phytohormone crosstalk

Plants are often attacked by multiple antagonists, and traits of the attacking organisms, and their order of arrival onto hosts, may affect plant defenses. However, few studies have assessed how multiple antagonists, and varying attack order, affect plant defense or nutrition. To address this, we assessed defensive and nutritional responses of Pisum sativum plants after attack by a vector herbivore (Acrythosiphon pisum), a non-vector herbivore (Sitona lineatus), and a pathogen (Pea enation mosaic virus, PEMV). We show PEMV-infectious A. pisum induced several pathogen-specific plant defense signals, but these defenses were inhibited when S. lineatus was present in peas infected with PEMV. Sitona lineatus also increased abundance of plant amino acids, but only when they attacked after PEMV-infectious A. pisum. Feeding by S. lineatus also promoted expression of several anti-herbivore defenses, but these defenses were inhibited when PEMV was also present. Our results suggest that diverse communities of biotic antagonists alter defense and nutritional traits of plants through complex pathways that depend on the identity of attackers and their order of arrival onto hosts. Moreover, simply examining the jasmonic and salicylic acid pathways may fail to reveal more complex pathways by which plants respond to biotic stress.
Defining A Design Space of The Auto-Mobile Office: A Computational Abstraction Hierarchy Analysis:

One advantage of highly automated vehicles is drivers can use commute time for non-driving tasks, such as work-related tasks. The potential for an auto-mobile office—a space where drivers work in a...
High dose acetaminophen inhibits STAT3 and has free radical independent anti-cancer stem cell activity

High-dose acetaminophen (AAP) with delayed rescue using n-acetylcysteine (NAC), the FDA-approved antidote to AAP overdose, has demonstrated promising antitumor efficacy in early phase clinical trials. However, the mechanism of action (MOA) of AAP's anticancer effects remains elusive. Using clinically relevant AAP concentrations, we evaluated cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotype in vitro and in vivo in lung cancer and melanoma cells with diverse driver mutations. Associated mechanisms were also studied. Our results demonstrated that AAP inhibited 3D spheroid formation, self-renewal, and expression of CSC markers when human cancer cells were grown in serum-free CSC media. Similarly, anti-CSC activity was demonstrated in vivo in xenograft models - tumor formation following in vitro treatment and ex-vivo spheroid formation following in vivo treatment. Intriguingly, NAC, used to mitigate AAP's liver toxicity, did not rescue cells from AAP's anti-CSC effects, and AAP failed to reduce glutathione levels in tumor xenograft in contrast to mice liver tissue suggesting nonglutathione-related MOA. In fact, AAP mediates its anti-CSC effect via inhibition of STAT3. AAP directly binds to STAT3 with an affinity in the low micromolar range and a high degree of specificity for STAT3 relative to STAT1. These findings have high immediate translational significance concerning advancing AAP with NAC rescue to selectively rescue hepatotoxicity while inhibiting CSCs. The novel mechanism of selective STAT3 inhibition has implications for developing rational anticancer combinations and better patient selection (predictive biomarkers) for clinical studies and developing novel selective STAT3 inhibitors using AAP's molecular scaffold.
Self-Healing of a Single Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composite

Excellent mechanical properties such as high strength, low specific weight, and impact and corrosion resistance, as well as advanced manufacturing methods and tailor ability of the lay-up make fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites attractive candidates for use in many performance oriented structures. However, their use is limited due to the difficulty of damage detection and repairs, and lack of extended fatigue resistance. Healing of materials, such as glass, polymers, and concrete, has been investigated [1, 2, 3]. In these investigations, the healing process involved human intervention and thus the materials were not able to self-cure. There has been only a limited amount of research in self-healing of composite materials. Two of these suggest the inclusion of tubes in a brittle matrix material for self-repair of cracks in polymers and corrosion damage in concrete [4,5]. A more recent development at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne, which attracted a considerable amount of attention, was the incorporation of microcapsules that contained a polymer precursor into the matrix material of a composite [6]. The polymer precursor was contained in microcapsules and embedded into the matrix. The matrix contained randomly dispersed catalyst that was supposed to react with the precursor flowing through any crack formed due to damage and initiate polymerization. The polymer was then supposed to bond the crack face closed. The investigators overcame several challenges in developing microcapsules that were weak enough to be ruptured by a crack but strong enough not to break during manufacture of the composite system. The researchers have shown that it was possible to recover up to 75% of the maximum tensile strength of the virgin composites.
The Aesthetics of Molecular Representation: From the Empirical to the Constitutive

This paper examines the negative response to Dalton’s atomic symbols by situating them in the context of the normative eighteenth-century representational system of affinity tables. Aesthetic analysis of the affinity tables reveals them as schema embedded with a potent functionalist empiricism. In contrast, the aesthetics of Dalton's symbols is associated with hypothetico-deductivism and alchemical iconicism.
Rate and velocity of climate change caused by cumulative carbon emissions

International climate mitigation efforts are focused on limiting increase in global mean temperature, which has been shown to be proportional to cumulative CO2 emissions. However, the ability of natural and human systems to successfully adapt to climatic changes depends on both the magnitude and rate of change, the latter of which will depend on how quickly a given level of cumulative emissions occurs. We show that cumulative CO2 emissions of 4620 Gt CO2 (reached in 2100 in RCP4.5 and 2057 in RCP8.5) produce globally averaged warming rates that are nearly twice as fast in RCP8.5 than RCP4.5 (0.34 ± 0.08 °C per decade versus 0.19 ± 0.05 °C per decade, respectively). Similarly, the globally averaged velocity of climate change calculated according to the 'nearest equivalent climate' is greater by a factor of ~2 in RCP8.5 than in RCP4.5 (2.51 ± 0.67 km yr−1 versus 1.32 ± 0.39 km yr−1, respectively), despite equivalent cumulative emissions. These differences in the projected velocity of climate change represent uncertainty for ecosystems that may be unable to adapt to the faster changes. Particularly at risk are boreal forests, of which 48% are projected to experience rates of change beyond their expected adaptive capacity (i.e. >0.3 °C per decade) in RCP4.5, compared with 95% in RCP8.5. Thus, the same budget of cumulative carbon emissions may result in critically different impacts on natural and human systems, depending on the amount of time over which that budget is expended.
Asymptotic Tracking of Uncertain Systems in the Absence of Matching Conditions

We consider the tracking problem for linear systems with uncertainty in the system matrix and the input matrix. Previous tracking results for this problem require that certain matching conditions be satisfied. We do not impose such conditions here. Our results lead to a linear state feedback controller which guarantees that the output asymptotically tracks the command reference input for all allowable parameter values if a certain measure of mismatch does not exceed the critical mismatch threshold. An example is included to illustrate the application of the results.
Identification of the activation domain of equine infectious anemia virus rev

Several members of the lentivirus family of complex retroviruses have been shown to encode proteins that are functionally equivalent to the Rev posttranscriptional regulatory protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Furthermore, the domain organization of HIV-1 Rev, featuring a highly basic N-terminal RNA binding domain and a leucin-rich C-terminal effector domain, has also been shown to be highly conserved among Rev proteins derived from not only the primate but also the ovine and caprine lentiviruses. Although it has therefore appeared highly probable that the lentivirus equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) also encodes a Rev, the predicted amino acid sequence of this putative EIAV regulatory protein does not display any evident homology to the basic and leucine-rich motifs characteristic of other known Rev proteins. By fusion of different segments of the proposed EIAV Rev protein to the well-defined RNA binding domain of either HIV-1 or visna virus Rev, we have identified a segment of this EIAV protein that can efficiently substitute in cis for the otherwise essential activation motif. Interestingly, the minimal EIAV Rev activation motif identified in this study comprises approximately 18 amino acids located toward the protein N terminus that lack any evident similarity to the leucine-rich activation domains found in these other lentivirus Rev proteins. It therefore appears that the Rev protein of EIAV, while analogous in function to Rev proteins defined in lentiviruses of primate, ovine, and caprine origin, is nevertheless distinguished by an entirely novel domain organization.
Using Single System Design for Student Self-Assessment: A Method for Enhancing Practice and Integrating Curriculum

This article offers a strategy for students to more rigorously assess their professional growth related to assessment and planning skills, and provides an example of how a program with limited resources designed a strategy to foster curriculum integration by developing a field practicum assignment in which the goals and objectives focus on the confluence and shared mutuality of practice and research content. Discussion surrounding obstacles encountered in the implementation process and recommendations regarding future applications of the pilot model are presented.
Air Shower Experiments at MIT

The techniques of “density sampling” and “fast timing,” which have been widely used in the study of extensive cosmic ray air showers, were developed by members of the MIT Cosmic Ray Group during the period 1947–55 and applied in a number of experiments aimed at determining the composition, spectrum and arrival directions of very high energy cosmic rays. In “density sampling” the core location and size of an extensive air shower incident on an array of proportional detectors are estimated by an analysis of the amplitudes of the signals generated in the detectors by the shower particles. In “fast timing” the arrival direction of a shower is determined from the differences between the arrival times of the shower front at the various detectors in a similar array. The development of large organic scintillation detectors and improved photomultipliers in the 1950’s made it feasible to combine these techniques in very large arrays of detectors with which the properties of individual showers were measured in detail, and the energy spectrum and arrival directions of the primary particles were determined up to energies of more than one joule (1019 eV).
Workplace Culture Mediates Performance Appraisal Effectiveness and Employee Outcomes: A Study in a Retail Setting

ABSTRACT: Performance measures have long played a central role in motivating employees to help achieve organizational objectives. However, previous research regarding the effectiveness of performance measures and the performance appraisal process does not provide consistent recommendations for improvement. This study explores the effect of a positive work environment that mediates the relationship between the effectiveness of the performance appraisal process and employee outcomes. Based upon experimental findings in the growing field of positive psychology as applied to a business setting, or positive organizational scholarship, this study puts forward a new construct, workplace culture, that measures the employees' perception of a positive, holistic, transparent, and supportive workplace and examines how it affects outcomes associated with employee success. Using a large sample of sales associates from a national retailer, our results indicate that workplace culture mediates the relationship between the...
Multiple Endocrine Neoplasias

Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN), types 1 and 2 (MEN1, MEN2) are autosomal dominant hereditary syndromes that predispose to wide variety of both hormone-secreting and nonsecreting tumours throughout the body. MEN1 most classically demonstrates neoplasia of the parathyroid glands, anterior pituitary and neuroendocrine tumours of the pancreas and foregut. MEN2 has several variants, but medullary carcinoma of the thyroid is the dominant feature in all. Understanding of the molecular genetics of each disease has greatly affected treatment, especially for MEN2, which generally carries a worse prognosis. Therapy has evolved from symptomatic management of clinically detected tumours to resection of susceptible tissues even prior to tumour development based on genetic testing. This has vastly improved the outcomes for patients with these disorders. Key Concepts: The multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) syndromes are hereditary cancer syndromes that drive selected tissues in the body to develop both benign and malignant tumours. Like most other hereditary cancer syndromes, MEN syndromes cause tumour growth by causing unregulated cell growth in susceptible tissues. Unlike most hereditary cancer syndromes, MEN syndromes predominantly cause tumour growth in endocrine tissues, which can produce manifestations of hormone excess in affected patients. Although MEN syndromes are relatively rare, patients with suspicious clinical presentations should undergo genetic testing, as the consequences of a missed MEN diagnosis can be catastrophic in certain variants of the disease. Treatment of MEN syndromes is primarily via surgery, although medical therapy plays an important role for certain manifestations of the disease. The evolution of MEN therapy is a prototype for demonstrating how molecular genetics can improve disease management. Keywords: endocrine; neoplasia; tumour; genetics; tumour suppressor gene; oncogene; surgery
New‐Onset Ichthyosis and Diabetes in a 14‐Year‐Old

Diabetes has not been linked to acquired ichthyosis or ichthyosis vulgaris. We report a newly diagnosed diabetic 14-year-old girl with bilateral tibial and sacral ichthyosiform plaques and a hemoglobin A1c of 20.1%. The patient had no personal or family history of atopy or ichthyosis and lacked keratosis pilaris or hyperlinear palms. A biopsy specimen of an ichthyosiform plaque showed compact lamellar orthohyperkeratosis and hypogranulosis, histopathology consistent with either ichthyosis vulgaris or acquired ichthyosis. We speculate that our patient’s new-onset diabetes induced acquired ichthyosis.
An Integrated Network and Data Management System for Heterogeneous WSNs

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are being used in a variety of applications including environmental monitoring, event detection, object tracking, and healthcare applications. Network management of WSNs is one of the key practical challenges that arise from the increasing number of applications and technologies deployed. This work presents a web-based integrated network and data management system that is aimed at: (1) systematically supporting heterogeneous WSNs with a unified management system; (2) presenting a clear separation between WSN management and application functions; and (3) offering management functionalities with a clear user interface. In this paper we present the design and implementation of this WSN management system and report its deployment in a real-world WSN testbed for environmental monitoring.
Association of a decrease in antithrombin III activity with a perinatal elevation in aspartate aminotransferase in women with twin pregnancies: relevance to the HELLP syndrome

Abstract Background/Aims: Decreased antithrombin III (AT-III) activity and/or thrombocytopenia associated with an elevated serum level of aspartate aminotransferase in late pregnancy can threaten the lives of both the mother and the fetus. We investigated whether antenatal declines in AT-III activity and the platelet count occur in late twin pregnancy and whether reduced AT-III activity and/or thrombocytopenia precedes an increase in the serum level of aspartate aminotransferase. Methods: The platelet count, AT-III activity, and the serum level of aspartate aminotransferase were determined weekly or biweekly in 237 women with twin pregnancies in a longitudinal and partly prospective study. Results: Both AT-III activity and the platelet count decreased gradually in the last month of pregnancy, irrespective of the presence or absence of clinical signs of pre-eclampsia. A perinatal elevation in aspartate aminotransferase occurred in 36 (15%) of 237 women. The risk of a perinatal elevation in aspartate amino-transferase increased as the antenatal AT-III activity and/or the platelet count decreased. Pre-eclampsia developed in 60 women (25%). The relative risk of a perinatal aspartate aminotransferase elevation (95% confidence interval) for the 60 women with pre-eclampsia, the 60 women with a platelet count ≤the 25th percentile (164×10 9 /l), and the 60 women with AT-III activity ≤the 25th percentile (76% of normal) was 1.9 (1.0 to 3.4), 4.1 (2.3 to 7.5), and 5.9 (3.2 to 11.1), respectively, compared with the remaining 177 women. Conclusions: AT-III activity and platelet count gradually decreased in the last month of twin pregnancies. A perinatal aspartate aminotransferase elevation was preceded by marked decreases in these parameters in women with twin pregnancies. The monitoring of AT-III activity and platelet count in women who exhibit a gradual decline in these parameters may help to avoid the development of severe HELLP syndrome.