cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Uncertainty bounds in system identification with limited data

Consider the problem of determining uncertainty bounds for parameter estimates in system identification. Calculating uncertainty bounds requires information about the distribution of the estimate. Although many common parameter estimation methods (e.g., maximum likelihood, least squares, maximum a posteriori, etc.) have an asymptotic normal distribution, very little is usually known about the finite-sample distribution, even when the underlying models are linear. This paper presents a method for characterizing the distribution of an estimate when the sample size is small. The approach works by comparing the actual (unknown) distribution of the estimate with an "idealized" (known) distribution. Some discussion and analysis are included that compare the approach here with the well-known bootstrap and saddlepoint methods from statistics. Example applications of the approach are presented in the areas of signal-plus-noise modeling, nonlinear regression, and time series correlation analysis.
Absorbed heat and heat of formation of dried microbial biomassstudies on the thermodynamics of microbial growth

As represented by equations in which there is a term representing the biomass, the thermodynamics of biological growth processes is difficult to study without knowing the thermodynamic properties of cellular structural fabric. Measurement of the heat capacity data required to determine the standard entropy, S298 15
Time-domain finite-element modeling and simulation of broadband antennas

This paper discusses the numerical issues of applying the TDFEM to the modeling and simulation of broadband antennas and demonstrate its application and capability through several numerical examples. Two critical simulation components, namely the truncation of the open free space and the modeling of antenna feeds, are discussed. The implementation of perfectly matched layers (PML) are briefly described for the truncation of the TDFEM computational domain. An accurate waveguide port boundary condition (WPBC) is employed to model the commonly used coaxial feeds as well as other waveguide feeding structures. In addition, an improvement to the simplified probe feed model is developed. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the modeling and simulation of typical broadband antennas, which include a pyramidal horn antenna and a logarithmic spiral antenna.
Differential effects of ACE and AT1 receptor inhibition on chemoattractant and adhesion molecule synthesis

Ureteral obstruction causes infiltration of the kidney by monocytes/macrophages. This infiltrate is significantly reduced by administration of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor but not by a specific angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1 receptor) antagonist. Chemoattractants and cell surface adhesive molecules mediate monocyte/macrophage infiltration. Rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) of 1, 3, or 5 days duration were untreated or given enalapril or SC-51316 in the drinking water. We measured the mRNA levels of monocyte chemoatactic peptide 1 (MCP-1), a chemoattractant, and levels of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), two cell surface adhesion proteins. MCP-1 mRNA increased significantly after 1 day of UUO and increased further through 5 days of UUO in the obstructed kidney. ICAM-1 mRNA also increased significantly after 1 day but steadily declined through 5 days of UUO in the obstructed kidney. VCAM-1 mRNA did not increase significantly until after 3 days of UUO and increased further through 5 days of obstruction. Enalapril or SC-51316 treatment had no significant effect on ICAM-1 mRNA levels. MCP-1 mRNA levels were reduced but remained significantly elevated. Enalapril significantly blunted the increase in VCAM-1 mRNA levels and VCAM-1 protein determined by immunocytochemistry; SC-51316 had no significant effect. Thus changes in VCAM-1 levels may account for the differential effect of enalapril and SC-51316 on monocyte/macrophage infiltration of the kidney during ureteral obstruction.
Conserved Role of an N-Linked Glycan on the Surface Antigen of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Modulating Virus Sensitivity to Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies against the Receptor and Coreceptor Binding Sites

ABSTRACT HIV-1 establishes persistent infection in part due to its ability to evade host immune responses. Occlusion by glycans contributes to masking conserved sites that are targets for some broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). Previous work has shown that removal of a highly conserved potential N-linked glycan (PNLG) site at amino acid residue 197 (N7) on the surface antigen gp120 of HIV-1 increases neutralization sensitivity of the mutant virus to CD4 binding site (CD4bs)-directed antibodies compared to its wild-type (WT) counterpart. However, it is not clear if the role of the N7 glycan is conserved among diverse HIV-1 isolates and if other glycans in the conserved regions of HIV-1 Env display similar functions. In this work, we examined the role of PNLGs in the conserved region of HIV-1 Env, particularly the role of the N7 glycan in a panel of HIV-1 strains representing different clades, tissue origins, coreceptor usages, and neutralization sensitivities. We demonstrate that the absence of the N7 glycan increases the sensitivity of diverse HIV-1 isolates to CD4bs- and V3 loop-directed antibodies, indicating that the N7 glycan plays a conserved role masking these conserved epitopes. However, the effect of the N7 glycan on virus sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies directed against the V2 loop epitope is isolate dependent. These findings indicate that the N7 glycan plays an important and conserved role modulating the structure, stability, or accessibility of bNAb epitopes in the CD4bs and coreceptor binding region, thus representing a potential target for the design of immunogens and therapeutics. IMPORTANCE N-linked glycans on the HIV-1 envelope protein have been postulated to contribute to viral escape from host immune responses. However, the role of specific glycans in the conserved regions of HIV-1 Env in modulating epitope recognition by broadly neutralizing antibodies has not been well defined. We show here that a single N-linked glycan plays a unique and conserved role among conserved glycans on HIV-1 gp120 in modulating the exposure or the stability of the receptor and coreceptor binding site without affecting the integrity of the Env in mediating viral infection or the ability of the mutant gp120 to bind to CD4. The observation that the antigenicity of the receptor and coreceptor binding sites can be modulated by a single glycan indicates that select glycan modification offers a potential strategy for the design of HIV-1 vaccine candidates.
Therapeutic siRNA for drug-resistant HER2-positive breast cancer

HER2 is overexpressed in about 20% of breast cancers and contributes to poor prognosis. Unfortunately, a large fraction of patients have primary or acquired resistance to the HER2-targeted therapy trastuzumab, thus a multi-drug combination is utilized in the clinic, putting significant burden on patients. We systematically identified an optimal HER2 siRNA from 76 potential sequences and demonstrated its utility in overcoming intrinsic and acquired resistance to trastuzumab and lapatinib in 18 HER2-positive cancer cell lines. We provided evidence that the drug-resistant cancer maintains dependence on HER2 for survival. Importantly, cell lines did not readily develop resistance following extended treatment with HER2 siRNA. Using our recently developed nanoparticle platform, systemic delivery of HER2 siRNA to trastuzumab-resistant tumors resulted in significant growth inhibition. Moreover, the optimal HER2 siRNA could also silence an exon 16 skipped HER2 splice variant reported to be highly oncogenic and linked to trastuzumab resistance.
Eighth conference on the middle atmosphere

The Eighth Conference on the Middle Atmosphere was held in Atlanta, Georgia, on 7-10 January 1992. Over 100 papers were presented, emphasizing areas of current interest such as advances in numerical modeling, the dynamics of the tropical middle atmosphere, polar photochemistry and dynamics, and new observational techniques. Two sessions highlighted preliminary results from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite.
Joris van Speilbergen's Journal and a Site in the Huarmey Valley, Peru

An illustration of the Huarmey Valley in Joris van Speilbergen's journal from the year 1615 shows a “ruined castle, occupied by our men.” In an archaeological survey conducted by the author, a site was located which is very likely to be the one occupied by van Speilbergen. The site appears to be Chimu or Inca in date on the basis of the plan, the construction of tapia adobe, and the high percentage of reduced-fired ceramics. Despite the small size and relative unimportance of the Huarmey Valley, the site, to judge by the illustration and the existing ruins, was a large and impressive structure of some importance to the Chimu and/or the Inca Empire.
School leadership along the trajectory from monolingual to multilingual

ABSTRACTThis article explores the critical role of school leaders in language policy change, and specifically in shifting their language education policies and practices from monolingual to multilingual. We examine the process of language policy change in three schools that were involved in a project aimed at increasing the knowledge base of school leaders about bilingualism and language learning, and which required that participating schools use bilingualism as a resource in instruction and cultivate a school-wide ecology of multilingualism. The project encouraged translanguaging pedagogical strategies that engage the entire linguistic repertoire of emergent bilinguals flexibly. Our findings demonstrate that the school leaders made significant language policy changes that included structural changes in programming and pedagogy as well as ideological changes in adopting more favorable approaches towards emergent bilinguals and their languages. A significant finding to emerge is that shifts within schools ...
Academic Business Library Directors 2015 Annual Meeting

Conference Report for Academic Business Library Directors 2015 Annual Meeting at the O wen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee), from April 21 to 23, 2015. This meeting was attended by 40 business libraries directors from across North America. The theme of the conference was "Entrepreneurship and Innovation" and how the member libraries met the needs of our respective campuses.
Educating Medical Professionals to Deliver Quality Health Care to Diverse Patient Populations

Both health care providers and health care receivers bring their own cultures to their interactions. Failure to incorporate culture into the medical decision-making process can lead to misdiagnoses not only when prevalence of conditions among certain cultural groups and idiosyncratic racial or ethnic responses to medication are not considered, but also where lack of knowledge about traditional remedies, understanding of illness and wellness, family dynamics, and neighborhood characteristics are not taken into account during the assessment and diagnostic phases of the physician–patient relationship. These types of errors can be avoided through the integration of cross-cultural education into the training of our current and future health care professionals at all levels of health care. The concept of cultural competence refers to an ongoing commitment to and institutionalization of appropriate practices and policies for diverse populations. Various models have been developed to educate medical professionals in the provision of culturally competent care at the individual and systems levels. Successful training programs must first identify factors contributing to health care disparities then address them via education. Such education opportunities include training on interpreter services, recruitment, mentoring and retention of diverse health care providers, and patient–provider communication skills. Implementing these educational programs requires individual and organizational buy-in and validated assessment tools for them to be truly effective.
Inflammatory bowel disease associated neoplasia: A surgeon’s perspective

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). The risk is known to increase with longer duration of the disease, family history of CRC, and history of primary sclerosing cholangitis. The diagnosis of the neoplastic changes associated with IBD is difficult owing to the heterogeneous endoscopic appearance and inter-observer variability of the pathological diagnosis. Screening and surveillance guidelines have been established which aim for early detection of neoplasia. Several surgical options are available for the treatment of IBD-associated neoplasia. Patients' morbidities, risk factors for CRC, degree and the extent of neoplasia must be considered in choosing the surgical treatment. A multidisciplinary team including the surgeon, gastroenterologist, pathologist, and the patient who has a clear understanding of the nature of their disease is needed to optimize outcomes.
A Hawkes' eye view of network information flow

An important problem that arises in the analysis of many complex networks is to identify the common pathways that enable the flow of information (or other quantities) through the network. This is a particularly challenging problem when the only information observed consists of the timing of events in the network. We develop a framework based on multidimensional Hawkes processes that can be used to determine how events are related. This extends the capability of Hawkes process-based models to infer how network events relate. We then show how a simple dynamic program can exploit this data to recognize chains of events and provide a much deeper insight into the behavior of nodes within the network. Simulations are provided to demonstrate the capabilities and limitations of this framework.
Canonical utility functions and continuous preference extensions

Abstract I define canonical utility functions via an explicit formula that inherits semicontinuity, continuity, Cauchy continuity, and uniform continuity from preferences. This construction is used to (i) show Rader’s and Debreu’s theorems in a fast and transparent way, (ii) refine these results for Cauchy and uniformly continuous preferences on a metric space X , (iii) extend such preferences from X to any larger metric domain Y ⊃ X , while preserving Cauchy and uniform continuity respectively. By contrast, regular continuity does not guarantee that continuous preference extensions should exist even in standard decision theoretic frameworks. For example, continuous preferences over simple lotteries or finite menus need not have continuous extensions to Borel distributions or compact menus respectively.
Fast, compact and label-free electrical detection of live and dead single cells

Using a novel broadband microchamber, electrical detection of live and dead single cells was demonstrated. Tests on Jurkat cells showed that live cells had lower resistance but higher capacitance than that of dead cells. The test results were compared with the limited literature on broadband electrical detection of single cells and the discrepancies, both qualitative and quantitative, were discussed. These results indicate that, while broadband electrical detection at the single-cell level is becoming feasible, many challenges remain in impedance match, calibration, sensitivity, cell manipulation, solution effect and modeling.
An Introduction to Ocean Climate Modeling

This chapter introduces some of the science of numerical ocean climate modeling. The discussion pedagogical and self-contained, thus requiring little previous knowledge of numerical ocean modeling. It is geared towards the science, engineering, and/or mathematics student or researcher who wishes to garner a sense of the goals, methods, and some details of ocean climate modeling. Notably, it only presents a small hint at the large body of literature which supports the field of climate modeling. To do more justice would require many textbooks.
Use of 3D Prints to Compare the Efficacy of Three Different Calcaneal Osteotomies for the Correction of Heel Varus

Background:Cavovarus deformity of the hindfoot is typically caused by neurologic disorders. Multiple osteotomies have been described for the correction of varus deformity but without clinical compa...
On the robustness of constrained convolutional neural networks to JPEG post-compression for image resampling detection

Detecting image resampling in re-compressed images is a very challenging problem. Existing approaches to image resampling detection operate by building pre-selected model to locate periodicities in linear predictor residues. Additionally, if an image was JPEG compressed before resampling, existing techniques detect tampering using the artifacts left by the pre-compression. However, state-of-the-art approaches cannot detect resampling in re-compressed images initially compressed with high quality factor. In this paper, we propose a novel deep learning approach to adaptively learn resampling detection features directly from data. To accomplish this, we use our recently proposed constrained convolutional layer. Through a set of experiments we evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed constrained convolutional neural network (CNN) to detect resampling in re-compressed images. The results of these experiments show that our constrained CNN can accurately detect resampling in re-compressed images in scenarios that previous approaches are unable to detect.
Lessons from the Dojang: Student Affairs Issues from the Perspective of the Martial Arts

Thinkers have been applying long-standing martial arts philosophies to a variety of professional genres for years. Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" tends to be the most widely used, but one may also find Miyamoto Musashi's "The Book of Five Rings" and others, particularly applied in the business realm. Where these ideas find less traction though is in the realm of education, specifically higher education, as some of the philosophies operate better in the boardroom than in the classroom. However, much of the experience associated with martial arts provides an alternate prism to view conflicts and difficulties in the field of higher education, particularly student affairs. This discussion will not seek to apply Sun Tzu's, Musashi's, or any other prominent martial arts theorist's opinions to higher education. Instead, in the context of personal narrative, the author will draw upon his experience as a martial artist as well as his theoretical and experiential learning in student affairs in order to expand the discussions on a variety of concerns within the field. In particular, the work addresses some of the concerns discussed in "Contested Issues in Student Affairs: Diverse Perspectives and Respectful Dialogue," so as to provide direct, pragmatic solutions and the means for functional application.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Inhibits Reperfusion-Induced Neutrophil Polarization and Adhesion Via Plasmin-Mediated VEGF Release.

Background Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is seen in many settings such as free flap salvage and limb replantation/revascularization. The consequences-partial/total flap loss, functional muscle loss, or amputation-can be devastating. Of the treatment options available for IR injury, hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) is the most beneficial. HBO inhibits neutrophil-endothelial adhesion through interference of CD18 neutrophil polarization in IR, a process mediated by nitric oxide. The purposes of this study were to examine the involvement of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the beneficial HBO effect on CD18 polarization and neutrophil adhesion and investigate the effect of plasmin on VEGF expression in skeletal muscle following IR injury. Methods A rat gracilis muscle model of IR injury was used to evaluate the effect of VEGF in IR, with and without HBO, on neutrophil CD18 polarization and adhesion in vivo and ex vivo. Furthermore, we investigated the effects that plasmin has on VEGF expression in gracilis muscle and pulmonary tissue by blocking its activation with alpha-2-antiplasmin. Results HBO treatment following IR injury significantly decreased neutrophil polarization and adhesion ex vivo compared with the IR group. Anti-VEGF reversed the beneficial HBO effect after IR with polarization and adhesion. In vivo adhesion was also increased by anti-VEGF. HBO treatment of IR significantly increased the VEGF protein in both gracilis and pulmonary vasculature. Alpha-2-antiplasmin significantly reversed the HBO-induced increase of VEGF in gracilis muscle. Conclusions These results suggest that HBO inhibits CD18 polarization and neutrophil adhesion in IR injury through a VEGF-mediated pathway involving the extracellular matrix plasminogen system.
Cooperative Formation of Icosahedral Proline Clusters from Dimers.

Ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques were combined with quantum chemical calculations to examine the origin of icosahedral clusters of the amino acid proline. When enantiopure proline solutions are electrosprayed (using nanospray) from 100 mM ammonium acetate, only three peaks are observed in the mass spectrum across a concentration range of five orders of magnitude: a monomer [Pro+H]+ species, favored from 0.001 to 0.01 mM proline concentrations; a dimer [2Pro+H]+ species, the most abundant species for proline concentrations above 0.01 mM; and, the dimer and dodecamer [12Pro+2H]2+ for 1.0 mM and more concentrated proline solutions. Electrospraying racemic D/L-proline solutions from 100 mM ammonium acetate leads to a monomer at low proline concentrations (0.001 to 0.1 mM), and a dimer at higher concentrations (>0.09 mM), as well as a very small population of 8 to 15 Pro clusters that comprise <0.1% of the total ion signals even at the highest proline concentration. Solution FTIR studies show unique features that increase in intensity in the enantiopure proline solutions, consistent with clustering, presumably from the icosahedral geometry in bulk solution. When normalized for the total proline, these results are indicative of a cooperative formation of the enantiopure 12Pro species from 2Pro.
Early-life maltreatment predicts adult stress response in a long-lived wild bird

Persistent phenotypic changes due to early-life stressors are widely acknowledged, but their relevance for wild, free-living animals is poorly understood. We evaluated effects of two natural stressors experienced when young (maltreatment by adults and nutritional stress) on stress physiology in wild Nazca boobies ( Sula granti ) 6–8 years later, an exceptionally long interval for such studies. Maltreatment as a nestling, but not nutritional stress, was associated years later with depressed baseline corticosterone in females and elevated stress-induced corticosterone concentration [CORT] in males. These results provide rare evidence of long-term hormonal effects of natural early-life stress, which may be adaptive mechanisms for dealing with future stressors.
James McDougall on the history of modern Algeria: a book review essay

‘The aim of this book’, explains author James McDougall, ‘is to explore … what the reality of Algerian history has been for the people who have lived through it, what is motive forces have been and...
A Tale of Two Justices (Scalia and Breyer)

In "A Tale of Two Justices (Scalia and Breyer)", Professor Loewy explores the differences in Justices Scalia and Breyer after their visit to Texas Tech School of Law in November. Loewy explores them on a deeper level, rejecting the usual distinction of conservative versus liberal. Loewy argues that Scalia and Breyer differ on three fundamental issues: what is relevant, the importance of certainty, and the broad or narrow nature of opinions. Loewy praises and criticizes each of the justices for different reasons, but ultimately chooses a hypothetical all-Breyer court over an all-Scalia one, due to Scalia’s lack of recognition of the consequences of Supreme Court opinions.
How Reliable is My Wearable: A Fuzz Testing-Based Study

As wearable devices like smartwatches and fitness monitors gain in popularity and are being touted for clinical purposes, it becomes important to evaluate the reliability of Android Wear OS and apps on such devices. To date there has been no study done by systematic error injection into the OS or the apps. We address this gap in this work. We develop and open source a fuzz testing tool for Android Wear apps and services, called Qui-Gon Jinn (QGJ). We perform an extensive fault injection study by mutating inter-process communication messages and UI events and direct about 1.5M such mutated events at 46 apps. These apps are divided into two categories: health/fitness and other. The results of our study show some patterns distinct from prior studies of Android. Over the years, input validation has improved and fewer NullPointerExceptions are seen, however, Android Wear apps crash from unhandled IllegalStateExceptions at a higher rate. There are occasional troubling cases of the entire device rebooting due to unprivileged mutated messages. Reassuringly the apps are quite robust to mutations of UI events with only 0.05% of them causing an app crash.
INTRODUCTION: OVERCOMING MOTIVATION PROBLEMS IN LITERACY LEARNING: PART 2 OF 2

This overview presents the purposes and focus of articles in this and the previous issue of Reading & Writing Quarterly that constitute our mini-theme on “Learning from Students about Overcoming Motivation Problems in Literacy Learning.”
Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition: Pathogenesis and therapeutic targets for chronic pulmonary and vascular diseases

Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) is a process of transdifferentiation where endothelial cells gradually adopt the phenotypic characteristics of mesenchymal cells. This phenomenon was first discovered in embryonic heart development. The mechanisms underlying EndoMT are due to the activation of transforming growth factor-β, bone morphogenetic protein, Wingless/Integrated, or Notch signaling pathways. The EndoMT can be modulated by pathological processes, including inflammation, disturbed shear stress, vascular stiffness, and metabolic dysregulation. Recent studies have shown that EndoMT is implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic lung diseases, including pulmonary hypertension and lung fibrosis. Lung pathology of bronchopulmonary dysplasia can be mimicked in rodents exposed to hyperoxia as neonates. Although hyperoxic exposure reduces an endothelial cell marker platelet and endothelial cell adhesion molecule but increases a mesenchymal cell biomarker α-smooth muscle actin in vitro in human pulmonary endothelial cells, there is no direct evidence showing EndoMT in the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Both pulmonary hypertension and lung fibrosis occur in long-term survivors with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. In this review, we discuss the EndoMT and its modulation by pathological processes. We then focus on the role of EndoMT in the pathogenesis of these chronic lung diseases, and discuss therapeutic approaches targeting the EndoMT using its negative regulators.
Imaging Molecular Transport Through the Membrane of a Living Cell

We demonstrate that time-resolved second-harmonic (SH) light scattering, when applied as an imaging modality, can be used to spatially resolve the adsorption and transport rates of molecules diffusing across the membrane in a living cell. As a representative example, we measure the passive transport of the small amphiphilic ion, malachite green, across the plasma membrane in living human dermal fibroblast cells. Analysis of the time-resolved SH images reveals that membrane regions enduring higher stress exhibit slower transport rates. It is proposed that this stress-transport relation is a result of local enrichment of membrane rigidifiers as part of the cell response to maintain membrane integrity under high strain.
Effective Floquet Hamiltonians for periodically driven twisted bilayer graphene

We derive effective Floquet Hamiltonians for twisted bilayer graphene driven by circularly polarized light in two different regimes beyond the weak-drive, high-frequency regime. First, we consider a driving protocol relevant for experiments with frequencies smaller than the bandwidth and weak amplitudes and derive an effective Hamiltonian, which through a symmetry analysis, provides analytical insight into the rich effects of the drive. We find that circularly polarized light at low frequencies can selectively decrease the strength of AA-type interlayer hopping while leaving the AB-type unaffected. Then, we consider the intermediate frequency and intermediate-strength drive regime. We provide a compact and accurate effective Hamiltonian which we compare with the Van Vleck expansion and demonstrate that it provides a significantly improved representation of the exact quasienergies. Finally, we discuss the effect of the drive on the symmetries, Fermi velocity, and the gap of the Floquet flat bands.
Retinoic Acid-Related Orphan Receptor alpha 1 (RORα1) Induction of AKR1C3 Promotes MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation and Tamoxifen-Resistance which is Suppressed by Melatonin

The retinoic acid-related orphan receptors alpha (RORa) are members of the steroid/thyroid nuclear receptor super-family and core components of the circadian timing system. In the present study, we continue to investigate the role of RORas in human breast cancer. Assays using the RORa response element (RORE)-tk-luciferase reporter demonstrate the functionality of the RORa1 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells and that over-expression of RORa1 stimulates MCF-7 human breast cancer cell proliferation. Genomic analysis revealed that RORα1 over-expression regulated the transcription of numerous genes in MCF-7 breast cancer cells including increasing the expression of connexin 43 (CX43), aldo-keto reductases 1C1 (AKR1C1), and AKR1C3. Furthermore, administration of the pineal hormone melatonin represses RORa1 induction of CX43, AKR1C1, and AKR1C3 in MCF-7 cells. AKR1C3 has been reported to impact in intra-tumoral production of androgens and estrogens and thus, might promote Tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer. Over-expression of RORa1 and subsequently AKR1C3 does promote Tamoxifen resistance, which can be inhibited by melatonin administration.
122 In Isomers

Irradiation of enriched $^{122}\mathrm{Sn}$ with 14.8-MeV neutrons was found to produce a new radioactivity with a half-life of 1.5 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.3 sec which was assigned to an isomer of $^{122}\mathrm{In}$. The decay of the 7.5-sec $^{122}\mathrm{In}$ isomer was also studied and a new half-life of 10.0 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.5 sec determined.
Efforts Toward Unraveling Plasma-Assisted Catalysis: Determination of Kinetics and Molecular Temperatures within N2O Discharges

Plasma-assisted catalysis represents an alternative solution to pollution abatement. To be viable, a thorough understanding of plasma–catalyst synergisms must be gained, specifically establishing l...
Measures of Dietary Fat and Energy Absorption in Healthy Adults.

Objectives Existing reference ranges for stool fat and energy absorption were developed using subjects in controlled environments on precise diets. This study measured energy and fat absorption in healthy, community-dwelling adults eating a moderate-to-high fat American diet via stool- and serum-based methods. Methods This was a secondary analysis of healthy subjects recruited as the comparison group in a chronic pancreatitis study. Subjects recorded dietary intake and collected stool over 3-day periods. Stool was analyzed for fat content using the coefficient of fat absorption and for energy content using bomb calorimetry. The malabsorption blood test (MBT) was used to measure dietary fat absorption. Results Nineteen subjects had mean daily stool measures of 143 g wet weight, 4.1 g of fat, and 178 kcal. The mean coefficients of fat and energy absorption were 96% and 93%, respectively. The mean MBT area under the curve cut-point was greater than 8 mg·h/dL. Conclusions This study confirms the historical reference range for the coefficient of fat absorption in contemporary healthy, community-dwelling adults on a moderate-to-high fat diet. The study contributes to the development of reference range values for multiple bomb calorimetry-based outcomes of stool energy losses and to the serum-based MBT as a promising method for measuring fat absorption.
Optimizing Retraining of Multiple Recommendation Models

To increase recommendation accuracy we utilize multiple individual-item models instead of a single multi-classification model. Retraining all multiple models consumes significant time. To selectively retrain only models where new and historical consumers differ, we estimate the distance between historical and new consumers including both categorical and numerical consumer attributes to determine when to retrain each of the recommendation models.
Discrete coiled coil rotamers form within the EGFRvIII juxtamembrane domain

Mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) extracellular domain (ECD) are implicated in the development of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), which is a highly aggressive form of brain cancer. Of particular interest to GBM is the EGFR variant known as EGFRvIII, which is distinguished by an in-frame deletion of exons 2-7, which encode ECD residues 6-273. Included within the deleted region is an autoinhibitory tether, whose absence, alongside unique disulfide interactions within the truncated ECD, supports assembly of a constitutively active asymmetric kinase dimer. Previous studies have shown that the binding of growth factors to the ECD of wild-type EGFR leads to the formation of two distinct coiled coil dimers in the cytoplasmic juxtamembrane (JM) segment, whose identities correlate with the downstream phenotype. One coiled coil contains leucine residues at the interhelix interface (EGF-type), whereas the other contains charged and polar side chains (TGF-α-type). It has been proposed that growth-factor-dependent structural changes in the ECD and adjacent transmembrane helix are transduced into distinct JM coiled coils. Here, we show that, in the absence of this growth-factor-induced signal, the JM of EGFRvIII adopts both EGF-type and TGF-α-type structures, providing direct evidence for this hypothesis. These studies confirm that the signals that define JM coiled coil identity begin within the ECD, and support a model in which growth-factor-induced conformational changes are transmitted from the ECD through the transmembrane helix to favor different coiled coil isomers within the JM.
A retrospective study on the association of gastrointestinal symptoms in children with low lactase activity and low activity of other disaccharidases.

Disaccharides such as lactose and sucrose are sugars commonly found in human diet. They are broken down by mucosal disaccharidases in the duodenum. Previous small studies found no associations between gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and combined low disaccharidase activity. We aim to explore the associations of low activity of disaccharidase and combinations of low activity of different disaccharidases with general GI symptom presentations in a large cohort of pediatric patients. We examined a cohort (0–21 yrs.) who have undergone esophagogastroduodenoscopy and received disaccharidase activity assay from duodenal biopsy in the time period 2010 to 2012. Disaccharidase assays tested for activity of lactase, sucrase, maltase, and palatinase. GI symptoms were grouped into four categories, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and gastroesophageal reflux. Of the 347 subjects, we found an association between low lactase activity and abdominal pain (OR = 1.78; 95% CI = 1.07–2.97; p < 0.05). Subjects with a lactase/sucrase ratio < 0.2 were found to be associated with abdominal pain (OR = 2.25; 95% CI = 1.25–4.04; p < 0.05), Subjects with low pandisaccharidase may be correlated with abdominal pain and have a unique frequency of GI symptoms due to low frequency of diarrhea and weight loss, but they were not statistically significant. Low activities of certain disaccharidase combinations may be associated with GI symptoms in subjects; a prospective study may be needed to investigate further.
Time-Varying Capital Intensities and the Hump-Shaped Evolution of Economic Activity in Manufacturing

Manufacturing’s share of employment is known to follow a hump-shaped pattern as economies structurally transform. Motivated by the observation that sectoral capital intensities evolve over time, this paper examines whether such changes are important in accounting for this pattern. It does this by putting forth a structural transformation theory that allows for time-varying capital intensities, heterogeneous TFP, Engel curves and trade. The model is calibrated to South Korea (1970–2010). Whereas traditional drivers matter for various elements of development, time-varying capital intensities are critical to account for the “push” out of manufacturing and for differences between employment and value added.
Statistical Reliability/Energy Characterization in STT-RAM Cell Designs

Spin-transfer torque random access memory (STT-RAM) is a very promising candidate to replace the SRAM and DRAM based traditional memory systems. However, the development of STT-RAM is facing two major technical challenges—poor write reliability and high write energy, both of which are severely impacted by process variations and thermal fluctuations. The evaluations on STT-RAM design metrics and robustness often require a hybrid simulation flow, i.e., modeling the CMOS and magnetic devices with SPICE and Macro-magnetic models, respectively. Very often, such a hybrid simulation flow involves expensive Monte-Carlo simulations when the design and behavioral variabilities of STT-RAM are taken into account. In this chapter, we will first analyze the prominent process variations and operation uncertainty in STT-RAM design. Then, a fast and scalable semi-analytical method—PS3-RAM will be introduced to enable efficient statistical simulations in STT-RAM designs, followed by its applications on modeling the STT-RAM cell write error rate and write energy distributions. The array-level reliability-driven design exploration of STT-RAM will be also discussed.
The role of phosphatidic acid and phosphoinositide in transmembrane transport elicited by acetylcholine and other humoral agents.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the group of phosphatides known as “diacyl glycerophosphatides.” The structural feature that all of these compounds share is that they are derivatives of α-glycerophosphoric acid, the two remaining free hydroxyl groups of glycerol being esterified with long-chain fatty acids predominantly of the C 16 and C 18 varieties. The degree of unsaturation of the fatty acids varies with the source of the lipid. Esterification of the phosphate of the phosphatidic acid with any one of a variety of substances, which contain an alcoholic group, gives rise to the other glycerophosphatides. An additional glycerophosphatide—called “diphosphoinositide” because it yields inositol metadiphosphate, glycerol, and fatty acid on acid hydrolysis—is isolated from the brain. Studies on the specific physiological functions of phosphatides in the brain and other organs are discussed in the chapter. Because the phosphatides are important constituents of the cytoplasmic membranes, intracellular organelles, and myelin sheaths, a structural role is assumed as one of their functions. The chapter describes a particular aspect of physiological function in which some phospholipids play an active role. Stimulation of the secretion of sodium chloride, catecholamines, polypeptides, and proteins in a variety of endocrine and exocrine glands is associated specifically with the stimulation of the turnover of phosphatidic acid and phosphoinositide. A similar effect occurs in cholinergic synaptic tissue in response to acetylcholine. The stimulation in synaptic tissue is believed to be associated with the pumping out of sodium that enters the post-synaptic cell body on depolarization by acetylcholine. The various studies suggest that phosphatidic acid functions as a sodium carrier in what has been termed the “phosphatidic acid cycle.”
Principal Leadership for Instructional Goal Attainment.

(1988). Principal Leadership for Instructional Goal Attainment. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 62, No. 2, pp. 61-64.
Enhanced PMD mitigation using forward-error-correction coding and a first-order compensator

We demonstrate that forward-error-correction combined with a first-order compensator can greatly improve system performance over a wide range of polarisation mode dispersion (PMD). Both the experimental and theoretical results show that the system PMD tolerance limit can be increased to more than 40 ps in 10 Gb/s systems.
Theory & Methods: Weighted Wilcoxon Estimates for Autoregression

This paper explores the class of weighted Wilcoxon (WW) estimates in the context of autoregressive parameter estimation, giving special attention to three sub-classes of so-called WW-estimates. When the weights are constant, the estimate is equivalent to using Jaeckel’s estimate with Wilcoxon scores. The paper presents asymptotic linearity properties for the three sub-classes of WW-estimates. These properties imply that the estimates are asymptotically normal at rate n½. Tests of hypotheses as well as standard errors for confidence interval procedures can be based on such results. Furthermore, the estimates can be computed with an L1 regression routine once the weights have been calculated. Examples and a Monte Carlo study over innovation and additive outlier models suggest that WW-estimates can be both robust and highly efficient.
Variations in pancreatic glucoregulatory hormones in birds (1101.1)

Plasma glucose concentrations (PGlu) in birds are naturally 1.5-2 times greater on average than mammals of similar body mass. However, mechanisms regulating variations in PGlu across species with similar body mass are poorly understood. One theory is that the relative expression of the pancreatic glucoregulatory hormones insulin (lowers PGlu) and glucagon (increases PGlu) differs across species. However, evidence suggests many avian species are resistant to the glucose-lowering effects of insulin. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study was to correlate PGlu with pancreatic insulin and glucagon concentrations across diverse species of birds (pigeon, mourning dove, mallard duck, northern pintail duck, and Gambel’s quail). It was hypothesized that, similar to mammals, PGlu would be positively correlated with glucagon and negatively correlated with insulin expression in the pancreas. PGlu was measured using a commercially available kit. Pancreata were isolated, embedded in OCT compound and 12 micron cryos...
Understanding 'Depolicing': Symbiosis Theory and Critical Cultural Theory

We usually associate police officers' dis-identification with certain types of suspects with the practice of racial profiling - the systematic over policing of whole classes of suspects based on their racial status. Recently, we have seen police officers' dis-identification with certain suspects manifest itself in systematic under policing of those communities - "depolicing." Depolicing is a police response to criticism of police tactics toward racial minorities. It has two functions: avoiding further racial controversy over police tactics and threatening critics of the police. Nancy Ehrenreich's Subordination and Symbiosis: Mechanisms of Mutual Support Between Subordinating Systems helps us understand that "beat" police officers are "hybrids" of subordination - class status - and privilege - authority on the street. Officers experience public criticism of racial profiling as a loss of their usual privilege to exert authority in relations with fellow citizens. Depolicing allows officers to exercise their privilege of discretion in a way that is beyond political control: political authorities cannot punish officers for abuses of Terry discretion if no "stop" reports are filled out. Ehrenreich's symbiosis theory is especially valuable in providing a framework for understanding the perpetrator's perspective. I have written this essay, however, because I want to say "yes, and . . ." The "and" is the need to recognize the importance of cultural context. I argue for incorporating cultural studies into identity theory because it helps us understand how arguments about policing are translated into practices. First, we must understand that the "discourses" cultural studies methodology analyzes are not just a way of talking, but also influence ways of doing. Second, we must understand that discourses are "intertextual"; they respond to one another. Third, we must understand how discourses are related to cultural power. Discourses are the means by which individuals or groups convince others to consent to a certain ordering of society. By merging doctrinal analysis, identity theory and cultural studies, we arrive at a series of questions that help us fully understand the practice of depolicing: (1) What social practices does a specific doctrine encourage or discourage? (2) How has the doctrine been translated into practices in specific contexts? (3) Whom does the doctrine affect as practiced in specific cultural contexts? (4) What counter-discourses emerged from the practices? (5) How did the discourses about a doctrine and its effects relate to struggles for cultural power? Calls for reforming depolicing must be sensitive to both the problems and the opportunities created by the answers to those questions.