cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE ROLE OF COMPLEMENT AND COMPLEMENT RECEPTORS IN INDUCTION AND REGULATION OF IMMUNITY

Covalent attachment of activated complement C3 (C3d) to antigen links innate and adaptive immunity by targeting antigen to follicular dendritic cells (FDC) and B cells via specific receptors CD21 and CD35. Recent characterization of knockout mice deficient in complement components C3, C4, or the receptors CD21 and CD35 as well as biochemical studies of the CD21/CD19/Tapa-1 coreceptor on B cells have helped to elucidate the mechanism of complement regulation of both B-1 and B-2 lymphocytes. Interestingly, natural antibody of the adaptive immune system provides a major recognition role in activation of the complement system, which in turn enhances activation of antigen-specific B cells. Enhancement of the primary and secondary immune response to T-dependent antigens is mediated by coligation of the coreceptor and the B cell antigen receptor, which dramatically increases follicular retention and B cell survival within the germinal center. Most recent evidence suggests that complement also regulates elimination of self-reactive B cells, as breeding of mice that are deficient in C4 or CD21/CD35 with the lupus-prone strain of lpr mice demonstrates an exacerbation of disease due to an increase in autoantibodies.
Movements of "Crisis" and Movements of "Affluence": A Critique of Deprivation and Resource Mobilization Theories

In response to the empirical and theoretical weaknesses of the older social stress or deprivation theories of social movements, a new general theory of social movements—resource mobilization theory—has become increasingly popular. One of the most basic points of disagreement between theorists accepting one or the other general perspective involves the extent to which the development and growth of a social movement can be attributed to the preconditions of social stress or some form of deprivation. This article begins by describing how the two perspectives are indirectly rooted in differeing paradigms of social organization, which leads to divergent assumptions about the nature of social conflict and social order. Next, theoretical and empirical problems contained in each perspective are shown to be partially related to these assumptions. Finally, a continuum describing “movements of crisis” and “movements of affluence” is constructed to suggest that the structural conditions inviting social movement activ...
D221 in thymidylate synthase controls conformation change, and thereby opening of the imidazolidine.

In thymidylate synthase (TS), the invariant residue Asp-221 provides the only side chain that hydrogen bonds to the pterin ring of the cofactor, 5,10-methylene-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate. All mutants of D221 except cysteine abolish activity. We have determined the crystal structures of two ternary complexes of the Escherichia coli mutant D221N. In a complex with dUMP and the antifolate 10- propargyl-5,8-dideazafolate (CB3717), dUMP is covalently bound to the active site cysteine, as usual. CB3717, which has no imidazolidine ring, is also bound in the usual productive orientation, but is less ordered than in wild-type complexes. The side chain of Asn-221 still hydrogen bonds to N3 of the quinazoline ring of CB3717, which must be in the enol form. In contrast, the structure of D221N with 5-fluoro-dUMP and 5,10-methylene-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate shows the cofactor bound in two partially occupied, nonproductive binding sites. In both binding modes, the cofactor has a closed imidazolidine ring and adopts the solution conformation of the unbound cofactor. In one of the binding sites, the pterin ring is turned around such that Asn-221 hydrogen bonds to the unprotonated N1 instead of the protonated N3 of the cofactor. This orientation blocks the conformational change required for forming covalent ternary complexes. Taken together, the two crystal structures suggest that the hydrogen bond between the side chain of Asp-221 and N3 of the cofactor is most critical during the early steps of cofactor binding, where it enforces the correct orientation of the pterin ring. Proper orientation of the cofactor appears to be a prerequisite for opening the imidazolidine ring prior to formation of the covalent steady-state intermediate in catalysis.
The GeoClaw software for depth-averaged flows with adaptive refinement

Many geophysical flow or wave propagation problems can be modeled with two-dimensional depth-averaged equations, of which the shallow water equations are the simplest example. We describe the GeoClaw software that has been designed to solve problems of this nature, consisting of open source Fortran programs together with Python tools for the user interface and flow visualization. This software uses high-resolution shock-capturing finite volume methods on logically rectangular grids, including latitude–longitude grids on the sphere. Dry states are handled automatically to model inundation. The code incorporates adaptive mesh refinement to allow the efficient solution of large-scale geophysical problems. Examples are given illustrating its use for modeling tsunamis and dam-break flooding problems. Documentation and download information is available at www.clawpack.org/geoclaw.
Evaporation from a sphagnum moss surface

Abstract Peat cores, 45 cm in diameter, were collected from a sphagnum bog in northern Minnesota, and used to measure the effects of different temperatures and water levels on evaporation from a sphagnum moss surface in a growth chamber. Under all conditions, evaporation from the moss surface was greater than that from a free-water surface. Evaporation from the moss increased 92% as the temperature was raised from 9° to 25°C. The energy used in evaporation from the moss exceeded net radiation except at 9°C. Evaporation from the moss was less when the water level was at the surface of the peat than when it was lowered to 5, 10, or 15 cm below the surface. The presence of an overstory of grasses and sedges protected the moss from desiccation when the water level was 15 cm below the surface, but had no effect on total water vaporization at any water level. When the peat cores were maintained in the greenhouse for a year, changes in either the peat, the moss, or both occurred which resulted in significantly lower evaporation when measured in the growth chamber.
Thermal characteristics of the self-healing response in poly(ethylene-co-methacrylic acid) copolymers

A class of poly(ethylene- co -methacrylic acid) (EMAA) copolymers and ionomers has shown the unique ability to instantaneously self-heal following ballistic puncture. It is noteworthy that the thermomechanical healing process active in these materials appears to be significantly different in capability and mechanism than any of the other self-repairing systems studied. To better understand this phenomenon, the thermal response during EMAA self-healing was examined. Tests of various damage types, including sawing, cutting and puncture, revealed high-energy transfer damage modes to produce heat and store energy favourable to healing. DSC probed healed specimens revealing they had reached the viscoelastic melt believed requisite to healing response. Low-temperature ballistic experiments demonstrated films continue healing even when punctured at −30°C; analysis showed healing efficacy comparable to room temperature, holding significant pressures of approximately 3 MPa. At the lowest temperature, brittle fracture occurred in one material indicating insufficient heat transfer to store recoverable energy. In total, the results supported the defined healing model and provided additional information on the healing process in both its thermal dependence and general mechanism. Finally, a new DSC method was developed for probing the thermal history of healed films which may lead to a more complete mechanistic model.
The Response of the ITCZ to Extratropical Thermal Forcing: Idealized Slab-Ocean Experiments with a GCM

Using a comprehensive atmospheric GCM coupled to a slab mixed layer ocean, experiments are performed to study the mechanism by which displacements of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) are forced from the extratropics. The northern extratropics are cooled and the southern extratropics are warmed by an imposed cross-equatorial flux beneath the mixed layer, forcing a southward shift in the ITCZ. The ITCZ displacement can be understood in terms of the degree of compensation between the imposed oceanic flux and the resulting response in the atmospheric energy transport in the tropics. The magnitude of the ITCZ displacement is very sensitive to a parameter in the convection scheme that limits the entrainment into convective plumes. The change in the convection scheme affects the extratropical–tropical interactions in the model primarily by modifying the cloud response. The results raise the possibility that the response of tropical precipitation to extratropical thermal forcing, important for a variety of problems in climate dynamics (such as the response of the tropics to the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets during glacial maxima or to variations in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation), may be strongly dependent on cloud feedback. The model configuration described here is suggested as a useful benchmark helping to quantify extratropical–tropical interactions in atmospheric models.
Deformation produced by a simple tensile load in an isotropic elastic body

It is shown that a simple tensile load produces a simple extension provided the empirical inequalities (Truesdell and Noll [1], eqn. 51.27) hold.
Diminished in vitro responsiveness of circulating erythroid progenitor cells to insulin as an indicator of insulin resistance

While insulin resistance is considered characteristic of extreme obesity, it may be more difficult to demonstrate in less severe forms of obesity. We studied five moderately obese individuals [mean body mass index (MBMI), 34.1 ± 1.85 (_SE) kg/m2], one massively obese patient (BMI, 50.2 kg/m2), and seven age-matched normal subjects (MBMI, 22.4 ± 0.93 kg/m2). While two of the obese patients had normal glucose tolerance, all had fasting hyperinsulinemia (P < 0.02 vs. normal subjects) and exaggerated insulin responses after oral glucose challenge, as defined by area under the 3-h insulin response curve (P < 0.01 vs. normal subjects). That this hyperinsulinemia represented in vivo insulin resistance was supported by the glucose and insulin responses in four individuals to an iv glucose bolus analyzed by the minimal modeling technique. Study of monocyte insulin receptors revealed no reduction in total insulin binding i n the four obese patients tested. Since physiological concentrations of insulin stimulate the...
Nonverbal Expectancies and the Evaluative Consequences of Violations

This report reviews the construct of expectancy and its relevance to understanding communication phenomena. Given the shortage of empirically based knowledge about what constitute expected and unexpected interpersonal behaviors and how they are evaluated, a two-part experiment was conducted to determine the expectedness and evaluation of three nonverbal variables: touch, conversational distance, and posture. The possible moderating effects of communicator attractiveness, status, and gender were also examined. Respondents (N = 622) viewed photographs of an attractive or unattractive male or female stimulus interacting with a male or female partner, attributed to be of same, higher, or lower status, who displayed one of seven forms of touch or one of nine combinations of posture and proximity. Respondents rated the appropriateness, typicality, and desirability of the observed behavior. Results demonstrated that several behaviors are expected and positively valenced, while others qualify as positive or negative violations of expectations. Attractiveness influenced expectancies and evaluations; gender and status had limited effects. Implications for information processing and nonverbal expectancy violations theory are discussed.
Normal-eye-reduplicating spectacles for cosmetizing the exenterated patient

Currently, the orbitally exenterated patient has the choice of (1) a black patch or (2) a totally non-motile but costly, molded and customized prosthesis. The device presented here consists of a non-customized (except for the patient's refraction) internally-reflecting lens-mirror-prism system for imaging the normal, retained eye, reducing said image to a small size, transmitting the minified image over to the exenterated side, and remagnifying, re-positioning and re-shaping it (by means of high cylinder and prism lenses) so that the observer sees the reduplicated eye together with the original view of it, as if it were two separate eyes.Motility is both present and complete, as seen from the exenterated side; and coloration and tissue contour are reproduced faithfully by reflection, so that even if the patient changes his complexion, as through sun tanning or induced pallor from chemotherapy, anemia, etc., hue will still be the same bilaterally. This device, patented in the USA, is not yet available; but...
Patterns of Communication

This Sansei describes what other Japanese American scholars have observed, a marked silence surrounding the topic of the internment within the families of internees (Hosokowa, B., 1969; Kashima, 1980; Miyoshi, 1980). Yet silence represents more than the absence of communication; silence itself may carry significant meaning (Saville-Troike, 1985). In what ways and to what extent have the Sansei experienced the silence of their parents? How was the injustice of the camps conveyed across the generations? To answer these questions, the Sansei Research Project examined the communication patterns of Sansei respondents.
A Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks with Reliable Delivery of Data

Directed diffusion (DD) is a well know routing algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) that was designed in 2003. DD saves energy by sending data packets hop by hop and by enforcing paths to avoid flooding. DD does not do any effort to find the best or healthier path, hence DD can be improved by enforcing healthier paths, which will result in less power consumption since healthier and less nodes will be doing the work. In this paper we are presenting a routing protocol which collects data about the available paths and uses these data to enforce healthier paths.
Covering #SAE: A Mobile Reporting Class's Changing Patterns of Interaction on Twitter over Time

This study examined the social network that emerged on Twitter surrounding a mobile reporting class as they covered a national breaking news event. The work introduces pedagogical strategies that e...
Some Loci Connected with a Triangle

(1940). Some Loci Connected with a Triangle. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 47, No. 6, pp. 354-361.
Attempts to Create an Inter-Ethnic and Inter-Generational 'National Culture' in Kenya

The challenges of building community based on a common identity that also respects differences has two different kinds of chasms to cross. There is the division of ethnic groups, and there is also the generational gap. Given recent problems of ethnic violence that broke out during the December 2007 elections, can contemporary Kenyans build community, coming to common understanding with others on issues such as value and identity? This is not a new problem. It has often been expressed as the need to develop a common Kenyan “national culture.” After a survey including Okot p’Bitek, Frantz Fanon, Bethwell Ogot and Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s contribution to the topic in the context of the 1960s and 70s, I will then go on to discuss the contribution of Kenyan Philosophy professor Henry Odera Oruka, who was greatly influenced by the ongoing discussions regarding national culture when he began his sage philosophy project – a project he clearly described as being able to play a role in the creation of Kenyan national culture. I explore some of Odera Oruka’s unpublished work on this topic. Chaungo Barasa has continued this project. I move on to survey how current academics in Kenya are working to describe and forge national values as a meaningful alternative to Kenyan government ongoing endeavors to promote culture as a tourist commodity.
Influence of Pasteurella tularensis on enzymes involved in energy metabolism in tissues of rats.

SummaryAconitase and fumarase activity in liver tissue of tularemic rats was demonstrated to be reduced by more than 33% below normal values at height of infection. Administration of cortisone in a concentration of 5 mg per rat per day during infection supported aconitase activity at nearly normal levels for 48 hours but failed to do so beyond that time. Liver fumarase activity of rats treated with cortisone was maintained at only slightly higher levels than observed for the controls. The data presented suggest extensive adrenal involvement in tularemic rats which can be alleviated only partially and temporarily by daily administration of cortisone.
A biomimetic copper water oxidation catalyst with low overpotential.

Simply mixing a Cu(II) salt and 6,6′-dihydroxy-2,2′-bipyridine (H2L) in a basic aqueous solution afforded a highly active water oxidation catalyst (WOC). Cyclic voltammetry of the solution at pH = 12–14 shows irreversible catalytic current with an onset potential of ∼0.8 V versus NHE. Catalytic oxygen evolution takes place in controlled potential electrolysis at a relatively low overpotential of 640 mV. Experimental and computational studies suggest that the L ligand participates in electron transfer processes to facilitate the oxidation of the Cu center to lead to an active WOC with low overpotential, akin to the use of the tyrosine radical by Photosystem II to oxidize the CaMn4 center for water oxidation.
Abstract 16357: Prevalence of Left Ventricular Thrombus (LVT) One Month Post Myocardial Infarction in Patients Discharged With Negative Inpatient Echocardiography - Incremental Utility of Delayed Enhancement Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (DE-CMR) Tissue Characterization

Background: DE-CMR is well validated for LVT but echocardiography (echo) is the predominant test used for screening. LVT prevalence 1 month post MI in patients with initial negative echo during MI hospitalization is unknown. Methods: ST elevation MI patients with inpatient echo negative for LVT were prospectively enrolled. 1 month post MI, multimodality screening for LVT was performed via same day DE-CMR as well as both contrast (C) and non contrast (NC) echo - C was used in all patients without contraindication (96%). Each test (C, NC, DE-CMR) was independently read for LVT. LVT and MI size were quantified on DE-CMR. Results: 192 patients were studied; all had echo (70% NC, 30% C) negative for LVT during hospitalization (3±2 days post MI). On followup (28±6 days), 8% (n=15) had LVT on DE-CMR, including 14% with LAD culprit vessel. Patients with LVT had lower EF (42±8 vs 55±11%, p Conclusions: LVT occurs 1 month post MI in nearly 10% of patients discharged with negative inpatient echo, commonly in those with apical MI but no aneurysm. Over 1/4 of post MI patients with LVT on DE-CMR have negative C echo, for which LVT detection varies in relation to LVT size.
Toxicity Assessment of 4-Methyl-1-cyclohexanemethanol and Its Metabolites in Response to a Recent Chemical Spill in West Virginia, USA

The large-scale chemical spill on January 9, 2014 from coal processing and cleaning storage tanks of Freedom Industries in Charleston affected the drinking water supply to 300,000 people in Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan, while the short-term and long-term health impacts remain largely unknown and need to be assessed and monitored. There is a lack of publically available toxicological information for the main contaminant 4-methyl-1-cyclohexanemethanol (4-MCHM). Particularly, little is known about 4-MCHM metabolites and their toxicity. This study reports timely and original results of the mechanistic toxicity assessment of 4-MCHM and its metabolites via a newly developed quantitative toxicogenomics approach, employing proteomics analysis in yeast cells and transcriptional analysis in human cells. These results suggested that, although 4-MCHM is considered only moderately toxic based on the previous limited acute toxicity evaluation, 4-MCHM metabolites were likely more toxic than 4-MCHM in both yeast and human cells, with different toxicity profiles and potential mechanisms. In the yeast library, 4-MCHM mainly induced chemical stress related to transmembrane transport and transporter activity, while 4-MCHM metabolites of S9 mainly induced oxidative stress related to antioxidant activity and oxidoreductase activity. With human A549 cells, 4-MCHM mainly induced DNA damage-related biomarkers, which indicates that 4-MCHM is related to genotoxicity due to its DNA damage effect on human cells and therefore warrants further chronic carcinogenesis evaluation.
Practice on medical social work in peking union college hospital

Mission and functions of medical social work in peking union college hospital were introduced. Medical social work practice in peking union college hospital as well as review records, visiting outpatient, psychology consulting and mobilizing volunteer were discussed.
Exemplar-SVMs for visual object detection, label transfer and image retrieval

Today's state-of-the-art visual object detection systems are based on three key components: 1) sophisticated features (to encode various visual invariances), 2) a powerful classifier (to build a discriminative object class model), and 3) lots of data (to use in large-scale hard-negative mining). While conventional wisdom tends to attribute the success of such methods to the ability of the classifier to generalize across the positive class instances, here we report on empirical findings suggesting that this might not necessarily be the case. We have experimented with a very simple idea: to learn a separate classifier for each positive object instance in the dataset (see Figure 1). In this setup, no generalization across the positive instances is possible by definition, and yet, surprisingly, we did not observe any drastic drop in performance compared to the standard, category-based approaches.
Satisfaction with life after burn: A Burn Model System National Database Study

Abstract Objectives While mortality rates after burn are low, physical and psychosocial impairments are common. Clinical research is focusing on reducing morbidity and optimizing quality of life. This study examines self-reported Satisfaction With Life Scale scores in a longitudinal, multicenter cohort of survivors of major burns. Risk factors associated with Satisfaction With Life Scale scores are identified. Methods Data from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Burn Model System (BMS) database for burn survivors greater than 9 years of age, from 1994 to 2014, were analyzed. Demographic and medical data were collected on each subject. The primary outcome measures were the individual items and total Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) scores at time of hospital discharge (pre-burn recall period) and 6, 12, and 24 months after burn. The SWLS is a validated 5-item instrument with items rated on a 1–7 Likert scale. The differences in scores over time were determined and scores for burn survivors were also compared to a non-burn, healthy population. Step-wise regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of SWLS scores at different time intervals. Results The SWLS was completed at time of discharge (1129 patients), 6 months after burn (1231 patients), 12 months after burn (1123 patients), and 24 months after burn (959 patients). There were no statistically significant differences between these groups in terms of medical or injury demographics. The majority of the population was Caucasian (62.9%) and male (72.6%), with a mean TBSA burned of 22.3%. Mean total SWLS scores for burn survivors were unchanged and significantly below that of a non-burn population at all examined time points after burn. Although the mean SWLS score was unchanged over time, a large number of subjects demonstrated improvement or decrement of at least one SWLS category. Gender, TBSA burned, LOS, and school status were associated with SWLS scores at 6 months; scores at 12 months were associated with LOS, school status, and amputation; scores at 24 months were associated with LOS, school status, and drug abuse. Conclusions In this large, longitudinal, multicenter cohort of burn survivors, satisfaction with life after burn was consistently lower than that of non-burn norms. Furthermore mean SWLS scores did not improve over the two-year follow-up period. This study demonstrates the need for continued efforts to improve patient-centered long term satisfaction with life after burn.
Regulation of UNC-130/FOXD-mediated mesodermal patterning in C. elegans

Spatial polarity cues in animals are used repeatedly during development for many processes, including cell fate determination, cell migration, and axon guidance. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the body wall muscle extends the length of the animal in four distinct quadrants and generates an UNC-129/TGF-β-related signal that is much higher in the dorsal two muscle quadrants compared to their ventral counterparts. This pattern of unc-129 expression requires the activity of the proposed transcriptional repressor UNC-130/FOXD whose body wall muscle activity is restricted to the ventral two body wall muscle quadrants. To understand how these dorsal-ventral differences in UNC-130 activity are established and maintained, we have analyzed the regulation of unc-130 expression and the distribution of UNC-130 protein. We have identified widespread, cis-acting elements in the unc-130 promoter that function to positively regulate ventral body wall muscle expression and negatively regulate dorsal body wall muscle expression. We have defined the temporal distribution of UNC-130 protein in body wall muscle cells during embryogenesis, demonstrated that this pattern is required to establish the dorsal-ventral polarity of UNC-129/TGF-β, and shown that UNC-130 is not required post-embryonically to maintain the asymmetry of body wall muscle unc-129 expression. Finally, we have tested the impact of the depletion of a variety of transcription factors, repressors, and signaling molecules to identify additional regulators of body wall muscle UNC-130 polarity. Our results confirm and extend earlier studies to clarify the mechanisms by which UNC-130 is controlled and affects the pattern of unc-129 expression in body wall muscle. These results further our understanding of the transcriptional logic behind the generation of polarity cues involving this poorly understood subclass of Forkhead factors.
A 3-Gb/s Radar Signal Processor Using an IF-Correlation Technique in 90-nm CMOS

This paper presents a dual-mode intermediate frequency (IF) signal processing circuit for pulse compression radar (PCR) and symbol recovery. A half-duplex architecture is proposed to support modulation and demodulation of PCR signals. For data communication, the modulator and the demodulator support up to 3-Gb/s QPSK signal. For range sensing, the proposed IF correlation technique supports 1.5-GHz bandwidth (BW) and 3/5/7-b Barker codes for 10-cm range resolution. The circuit includes a high-linearity switch, a modulator, a reconfigurable demodulator/correlator, and an in-phase and quadrature clock signal generator. This proposed system is fabricated with 90-nm CMOS, and each channel can be configured to operate from 200 Mb/s to 1.5 Gb/s with different Barker codes. The maximum power consumption is 54 mW with 1.5-GHz BW (10 cm) in range sensing mode and 49 mW at a rate of 3 Gb/s in data communication mode.
Constraint-induced direct phasing method

The best and most detailed structural information is obtained when the diffraction pattern of a single crystal a few tenths of a millimetre in each dimension is analyzed, but growing high-quality crystals of this size is often difficult, sometimes impossible. However, many crystallization experiments that do not yield single crystals do yield showers of randomly oriented microcrystals that can be exposed to X-rays simultaneously to produce a powder diffraction pattern. Although single-crystal diffraction data consist of discrete spots or X-ray reflections, the diffraction of microcrystals in a powder forms rings so that the reflections overlap. Thus, the analysis is more challenging due to unavoidable errors in the structure-factor amplitudes and the low-resolution data available for structure determination. This paper introduces a constraint-induced phasing method that (i) improves structure solutions measured by success rate, quality of solutions and various figures of merit, and (ii) extends low-resolution powder diffraction data to atomic resolution by adding unmeasured reflections. Application results have shown clearly that the constraint-induced phasing method is an effective way to produce initial structure models that are suitable for further structural refinement and completion.
Diagnosing Cloud Microphysical Process Information from Remote Sensing Measurements—A Feasibility Study Using Aircraft Data. Part I: Tropical Anvils Measured during TC4

AbstractThe authors investigate whether radar remote sensing of a certain class of ice clouds allows for characterization of the precipitation rates and aggregation processes. The NASA DC-8 collected the measurements in tropical anvils during July and August 2007 as part of the Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling (TC4) experiment. Measured hydrometeor size distributions are used to estimate precipitation rates (P) and to solve the hydrodynamical collection equation. These distributions are also used to estimate radar reflectivity factors (Z) and Doppler velocities (Vd) at W, Ka, and Ku bands. Optimal estimation techniques are then used to estimate the uncertainty in retrieving P and aggregation rates (A) from combinations of Z and Vd. It is found that diagnosing information about A requires significant averaging and that a dual-frequency combination of W and Ka bands seems to provide the most information for the ice clouds sampled during TC4. Furthermore, the addition of Vd with expected unce...
Impacts of smart grid topology control on power system stability with renewable integration

Stability needs to be guaranteed when incorporating active transmission topology control (TTC) into smart grid planning and operation. In this paper, the impacts of TTC on power system stability are analyzed with wind and hydraulic power penetration. Potential stability issues caused by TTC are demonstrated. Also, a stability assessment tool based on time-domain simulation is presented to efficiently assess transient, oscillatory (linear or nonlinear) and voltage stability of a power system following a proposed line switching operation.
Morphine increases acetylcholine release in the trigeminal nuclear complex.

THE PRINCIPAL SENSORY TRIGEMINAL NUCLEUS (PSTN) IS A COMPONENT OF THE TRIGEMINAL NUCLEAR COMPLEX THAT CONVEYS INFORMATION ABOUT oral and facial sensations.1,2 Some patients with obstructive sleep apnea have abnormal orofacial sensory processing, which may contribute to development of apneas and hypopneas.3 The tooth-grinding movements of nocturnal bruxism are generated by the trigeminal motor nucleus (MoV) and create jaw pressures that are compatible with sleep only if sensory processing is somehow diminished.4,5 Sleep is disrupted by pain, and understanding neurotransmission in PSTN and MoV is relevant for clinical management of orofacial pain. For example, temporomandibular joint disorder is characterized by chronic myofacial and jaw pain, restricted range of jaw motion or jaw locking, and popping jaw sounds. The sharp, recurring pain associated with trigeminal neuralgia is also a challenge for pain management. Cancer of the head and neck is the fifth most common type of cancer,6 and cancer pain is commonly managed with opioids. Unwanted opioid side effects, including sleep disruption,7 emphasize the need for developing alternative or adjunctive drugs for pain management.8,9 Available evidence indicates a complex relationship between acetylcholine (ACh), opioids, and sensorimotor processing by the trigeminal nuclear complex. For example, recordings of trigeminal sensory neurons across states of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, non-REM (NREM) sleep, and wakefulness have revealed suppression of sensory processing during REM sleep.10 Furthermore, orofacial sensory processing also varies as a function of sensory modality.11 There are reciprocal projections between the trigeminal motoneurons and regions of the pontine reticular formation12 where ACh increases during REM sleep.13,14 Interestingly, ACh activates some and inhibits other trigeminal sensory neurons.15 These complexities, and the fact that no previous studies have measured ACh release in PSTN and MoV, encouraged the present study testing the hypothesis that opioids alter ACh release in the trigeminal nuclear complex. The results revealed that morphine increased ACh release in both PSTN and MoV. Portions of these data have been presented in abstract form.16,17
Statewide Transfer Policies and Community College Student Success

One way administrators and policymakers have responded to the complexity of the community college transfer process has been to create articulation agreements between two-year and four-year colleges in a state or region. Our study examines the effects of one such statewide articulation and transfer policy, the Ohio transfer module (TM). This agreement is intended to allow individuals who successfully complete the TM at one institution to transfer all of these credits to a receiving institution. We find that students who complete the TM are more likely to transfer to a four-year institution and earn associate's degrees than observationally similar peers who did not complete a TM. We also find suggestive evidence that students who complete the TM are able to bring more credits with them when they transfer. However, students who complete the TM also take slightly longer to complete their bachelor's degrees (B.A.s). Thus, while the TM may improve the probability that students will transfer, it may be inefficie...
Distraction/Suppression and Distress Endurance diminish the extent to which generalized conditioned fear is associated with maladaptive behavioral avoidance.

A central conditioning correlate of clinical anxiety is the over-generalization of Pavlovian fear to safe stimuli resembling conditioned danger cues (CS+). Though much of the pathogenic influence of such generalization may lie in the unnecessary behavioral avoidance it evokes, few studies have examined maladaptive avoidance associated with Pavlovian generalization. Lab-based assessments of this process, here referred to as instrumental avoidance from Pavlovian generalization (IAP-G), have recently begun. The current study represents a next step in this line of work by examining personality factors that may reduce maladaptive IAP-G. This is a clinically relevant effort, as such traits may reflect resilience factors, with high levels reducing the likelihood of maladaptive generalized avoidance following Pavlovian generalization. Here we focus on the effects of Distraction/Suppression (DS) and Distress Endurance (DE) on IAP-G. Results indicate that both DS and DE moderate IAP-G by weakening relations between Pavlovian generalization of fear-potentiated startle and maladaptive generalized avoidance. Further, moderating effects of DS were most pronounced for more ambiguous cues of threat (i.e., stimuli moderately resembling CS+), while moderating effects of DE were most pronounced for more certain cues of threat (i.e., stimuli highly resembling CS+, as well as the CS + itself). Results implicate DS and DE as protective factors against the maladaptive behavioral consequences of Pavlovian generalization, and further indicate that the protective influence of these traits may depend on the ambiguity of the threat at hand.
Active Polarimetric Measurements for Identification and Characterization of Space Debris

A bench-top polarimeter ${\rm{(\lambda}} \,= \,{\text{1064 nm)}}$ is used to measure the polarimetric bidirectional reflectance distribution function of several common spacecraft materials in both bistatic and monostatic geometries. The Mueller matrix and polarimetric properties of each material were estimated as a function of the illumination and viewing angles. The findings expand upon previous research suggesting that active polarimetry may be useful for the remote characterization and identification of space debris.
A Customizable Calculator Application with 3D-Printed Cover for the Visually Impaired in China

To date, a wide variety of applications are developed and available in iTunes App Store, Google Play and Windows App Market. However, the visually impaired are still unable to enjoy most of them because of the non-optimized design of these applications for them. Though some mobile operating systems provide auditory assistive functions, slow and tedious interaction style lead to a poor user experience. Therefore, it is necessary to design specific applications for the visually impaired, providing not only basic functions, but a good user experience as well. To achieve the goal, in this research, we focused on a frequently implemented task on the mobile phones. Specifically, a Windows Phone calculator application for visually impaired has been designed. Similar to a typical calculator, it allows users to perform some basic calculations such as addition and multiplication. However, unlike typical calculators, it has a special layout and audio clues designed for the visually impaired. To complement the application, we have also designed a 3D-printed cover with holes on it, serving as the tactile interface for the application. The application is highly customizable so that users can reassign each button according to their preferences. The entire solution, including the Windows Phone calculator application and the 3D-printed cover, can provide visually impaired users the basic function of calculations as well as a rich user experience. With this solution, a considerable improvement with respect to the operational speed was found during a simulation test. A pilot experiment has been designed to test the working efficiency using blindfolded users.
Transcription Factor Regulation In Brain: Focus on Activity and NMDA Dependent Regulation

Recent studies in invertebrate neurons indicate a role for rapid genomic responses in neurotransmitter induced synaptic plasticity (Montarolo et al. 1986). RNA and protein synthesis also appear critical for certain forms of neural plasticity in vertebrate systems (Agranoff 1989). These studies focus attention on the role of transmitter regulated gene expression in neuroplasticity. Neurotransmitters (Greenberg et al. 1986), growth factors (Lau and Nathans 1985; Milbrandt 1987) and neuroexcitatory stimuli (Morgan et al. 1987) rapidly induce genes that code for transcription regulatory proteins, demonstrating that cellular membrane events can rapidly regulate genomic function. Moreover, because transcription factors bind to DNA and regulate gene expression, these observations suggest that a regulated cascade of genomic events may be important in transmitter induced responses. To assess the postulated role of transcription factors in brain physiology, we have focused on identifying transcription factor genes that are rapidly induced in brain and on examining mechanisms involved in their regulation. We have identified a set of transcription factors that are regulated by synaptic activity and NMDA receptors and therefore may play a role in neuroplasticity.
Transcendence Matters: Do the Ways Family Members Experience God Meaningfully Relate to Family Life?

As more Americans continue to move away from an institutional approach to religion and spirituality to a more personal approach, it is important to explore the ways that personal perspectives about God influence various aspects of life including family life. This study explored how participants viewed and experienced God as an authority figure (Directive Transcendence), as a close confidant (Intimate Transcendence), or as both (Authoritative Transcendence). In-depth interviews with 198 religious families from across America were analyzed using a team-based qualitative approach. These analyses revealed that participants experienced God as both an authority figure and as a close confidant. Both types of experiences are associated with family relationships in different ways. Concepts relating to ideas of authority, parenting styles, and attachment theory are used to help understand familial impacts from how one experiences God.
Information Systems in Performance Management Transformation: A Global Survey & The Deloitte Case

Insights from a survey of 3,300 business and HR leaders in 106 countries highlight trends and challenges of performance management transformation. Eighty-nine percent of organizations indicated the...
An Introduction to the Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD)

The Saccharomyces Genome Database (SGD) is a well-established, key resource for researchers studying Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In addition to updating and maintaining the official genomic sequence of this highly studied organism, SGD provides integrated data regarding gene functions and phenotypes, which are extracted from the published literature. The vast amount and variety of data housed in the database can prove challenging to navigate for the first-time user. Therefore, this chapter serves as an introduction describing how to search the database in order to discover new information. We introduce the different types of pages on the website, and describe how to manipulate the tables and diagrams therein to display, download, or analyze the data using various SGD tools.
Finding optimal mentor-mentee matches: A case study in applied two-sided matching.

Abstract Two-Sided Matching is a well-established approach to find allocations and matchings based on the participants' preferences. While its most prominent applications are College Admissions and School Choice problems, this paper applies the concept to the matching of mentors to mentees in a higher education context. Both mentors and mentees have preferences with whom they ideally want to be matched, as well as who they want to avoid. As the general formulation for these types of preferences is NP-hard, several existing approximation algorithms and heuristics are compared with respect to their ability to find a matching with desirable properties. The results show that a combination of evolutionary heuristics and local search approaches works best in finding high-quality solutions, allowing us to find mentor-mentee pairs which are close to the respective ideal match.
Pineal function during aging: Attenuation of the melatonin rhythm and its neurobiological consequences

The pineal hormone melatonin is a potent free radical scavenger. In particular, it quenches what is generally considered the most toxic and damaging free radical produced in the organism, the hydroxyl radical (.OH). Melatonin production in the pineal gland declines progressively with age such that in old animals and elderly humans the levels of melatonin available to the organism are a fraction of that of young individuals. A prominent theory of aging claims that the anatomical and functional degeneration that organs undergo during aging is a consequence of accumulated free radical damage. This being so, melatonin may well play a significant role in aging processes. If the drop in melatonin which normally occurs as animals age could be prevented, perhaps the aging process would also be delayed. Also, supplemental administration of melatonin may be beneficial in delaying age-related degenerative conditions. Certainly, free radical damage has been implicated in a number of neurodegenerative disorders. Theoretically, melatonin administration may forestall these as well.
Fission gas bubbles in uranium-aluminide fuels

Formation of fission gas bubbles heretofore has not been observed in uranium-aluminide fuels. Recent irradiations to record high burnups offered a possibility to determine the onset of fission gas bubble formation in this type of fuel. Present experimental evidence suggests that UAl/sub 2/, UAl/sub 3/, and UAl/sub 4/ do not form fission gas bubbles at fission densities of 7 x 10/sup 21//cm/sup 3/ of fuel (60% depletion of 93% enriched /sup 235/U), and that pure uranium aluminide is likely to remain free of fission gas bubbles to very high /sup 235/U burnup at any enrichment. However, fission gas bubbles were found in these experimental fuels for the first time, but they were without exception associated with uranium-oxide inclusions that were evidently formed during fuel fabrication.
Mechanical Properties and Deformation Behavior of Nanostructured Ceramics

In the search for improved mechanical properties, researchers have explored the region of finer and finer microstructural features in recent years. Much of the early interest in increasing the strength of polycrystalline materials by reducing the grain size arose from the Hall-Petch relationship [1,2] which indicates that the flow stress should be inversely proportional to the square root of the grain diameter. The original treatments of Hall and Petch were based on models of the stress concentration produced by a pileup of dislocations at a grain boundary.
PAC-Bayesian Theory

The PAC-Bayesian framework is a frequentist approach to machine learning which encodes learner bias as a “prior probability” over hypotheses. This chapter reviews basic PAC-Bayesian theory, including Catoni’s basic inequality and Catoni’s localization theorem.
Detection of Apoptosis in the Central Nervous System

Apoptosis occurs in the nervous system during normal development, but can also be induced by disease or after exogenous insults such as DNA damage. Depending on the magnitude and timing of the stimulus, apoptosis can be sporadic or widespread. Because of the highly ordered structure of the nervous system, immunohistochemical detection approaches provide a wealth of information about the spatiotemporal nature of apoptosis in this tissue. Therefore, immunohistochemistry offers valuable insights into the neuropathology of disease processes and the identification of specific cell populations that are susceptible to apoptosis. In this chapter, we outline standard approaches for the immunohistochemical analysis of apoptosis in the nervous system, with an emphasis on methodology useful for studies involving DNA damage-induced apoptosis.