cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
584. Improvement of Gene Delivery By Inhibition of Endonucleases

One of the fundamental problems for gene therapy is poor gene transfer/expression efficiency resulting from DNase/endonuclease activity that plays important role of the host cell defense by degrading foreign DNA. The bulk of endonuclease activity in cells and biological fluids is formed by apoptotic endonucleases which depolymerize DNA by hydrolyzing phosphodiester bonds within the polynucleotide chain. Among the identified nine apoptotic endonucleases, deoxyribonuclease 1 (DNase I) and endonuclease G (EndoG) are the most abundant and most active in mammals. However, there is small number of available inhibitors for DNase I and EndoG, and they are mostly non-specific and inapplicable in vivo. Our in vitro experiments comparing blood plasma of DNase I or EndoG knockout mice with wild-type mice showed that DNase I and EndoG are responsible for degradation of DNA in blood plasma. The genetic inactivation of endonucleases resulted in an improvement of CFP gene expression in HCC1954 cell line after exposure with pECFP plasmid DNA with blood plasma. However using chemical inhibitors would be more translation in this regard. To search for endonuclease inhibitors, we have developed a high-throughput DNase assay using fluorophore-labeled oligonucleotide to screen a home-made chemical library and identify two inhibitors: IG-17 (1, 3-phenylene-bis-aminoguanidine hydrochloride) for DNase I and PNR-3-82 (5-((1-(2-naphthoyl)-5-methoxy-1H-indol-3-yl)methylene)-2-thioxodihydropyrimidine-4,6(1H, 5H)-dione) for EndoG. The inhibitors are found to be specific in vitro and non-toxic in cellular assays. They significantly reduced the in vitro and in vivo (total body) endonuclease activity. In addition, we found that CFP gene delivery to various mouse organs measured by real-time RT-PCR was increased if the inhibitors were administered 2 days before intravenously injection of pECFP plasmid DNA compared to the vehicle-injected mice. This finding can be utilized for further improvement of gene delivery-based therapeutic strategies.
Materials for solar fuels and chemicals

The conversion of sunlight into fuels and chemicals is an attractive prospect for the storage of renewable energy, and photoelectrocatalytic technologies represent a pathway by which solar fuels might be realized. However, there are numerous scientific challenges in developing these technologies. These include finding suitable materials for the absorption of incident photons, developing more efficient catalysts for both water splitting and the production of fuels, and understanding how interfaces between catalysts, photoabsorbers and electrolytes can be designed to minimize losses and resist degradation. In this Review, we highlight recent milestones in these areas and some key scientific challenges remaining between the current state of the art and a technology that can effectively convert sunlight into fuels and chemicals.
Molecular Dynamics Investigation into the Distribution of Cardiolipin Variants in Flat and Buckled Heterogeneous Bilayers

Cardiolipin is a unique lipid molecule, which has an unusual dimeric structure with a dual-phosphate headgroup and four acyl chains. In most eukaryotic membranes cardiolipin is absent or present only at very low concentrations, however in the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) cardiolipin constitutes approximately 10-20% the lipid composition. Cardiolipin is believed to play a role the organization and morphology of the IMM, which contains highly curved membrane regions called cristae that protrude into the matrix. Cardiolipin is also involved in cellular respiration and apoptosis, and has been shown to bind preferentially to several mitochondrial integral and peripheral proteins. During its biosynthesis in the IMM, cardiolipin undergoes a remodeling process whereby acyl chains are removed and replaced to produce mature cardiolipin species with highly unsaturated and uniform lipid tail composition. In the mitochondrial disorder Barth syndrome, defects in the remodeling machinery lead to accumulation of the three-tailed cardiolipin variant monolysocardiolipin. The phenotype of Barth syndrome cells includes abnormal mitochondrial morphology and inhibited energy metabolism. In this work we explore the relationship between the spatial distribution of lipid species and membrane curvature in cardiolipin containing heterogeneous membranes using molecular dynamics simulations. We investigate cardiolipin-containing bilayer properties both in flat lamellar environments and in highly curved (buckled) membranes, and demonstrate that clustering of cardiolipin occurs in areas of high negative curvature. We compare this clustering behavior as well as the pressure induced buckling susceptibility and other biophysical membrane properties in several bilayer systems. One goal of this study is to elucidate the effect of an accumulation of monolysocardiolipin on the physical properties of lipid bilayers.
On-Demand Dissolution of Chemically Cross-Linked Hydrogels

ConspectusThe formation and subsequent on-demand dissolution of chemically cross-linked hydrogels is of keen interest to chemists, engineers, and clinicians. In this Account, we summarize our recent advances in the area of dissolvable chemically cross-linked hydrogels and provide a comparative discussion of other recent hydrogel systems. Using biocompatible macromonomers, we developed a library of cross-linked dendritic hydrogels that possess favorable properties, including biocompatibility, tissue adhesion, and swelling. Additionally, these hydrogels possess the unique ability to dissolve on-demand via application of a biocompatible aqueous solution. Each of the three hydrogel systems described employs a thiol–thioester exchange reaction as the mechanism of dissolution. These new materials successfully decrease bleeding in in vivo models of hepatic and aortic hemorrhage and dissolve on-demand, providing easy removal. In addition, we evaluated these hydrogels as dressings for second-degree burn wounds and...
Incorporating the American Pharmacists Association's Delivering Medication Therapy Management services certificate program into an accelerated pharmacy curriculum.

Abstract Background and purpose To describe the incorporation of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Delivering Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Services program into a PharmD curriculum and to describe student perceptions of the program. Educational activity and setting The program was delivered over 12 months to students on two campuses via two didactic courses in the second professional year and during the first two advanced pharmacy practice experiences in the third professional year of an accelerated school of pharmacy program. Findings Student perceptions were assessed by review of responses to the APhA MTM program evaluation survey. Discussion and summary Incorporation of the APhA MTM program into an accelerated PharmD program required careful planning and coordination amongst faculty and course coordinators. Students perceived that the program was valuable, met their educational needs, and incorporated effective learning experiences and cases. These perceptions were reinforced by the high percentage of students who completed the program.
A Probabilistic Analysis of Defect Detection for Scanning Systems

Abstract This paper presents a method of determining the intersection probability between two random sets of curves on a plane. The analysis is based on a concept proposed by an eighteenth century mathematician named Buffon. The analysis begins with Buffon's original concept, the Buffon Needle Problem , in which the probability of intersection between a single line segment and a grid of purely horizontal lines is determined. It is then extended to the intersection of closed convex curves on a plane with the purely horizontal grid, and finally to two random sets of curves on a plane. During the course of the paper, examples are presented describing how the theory presented may be employed in modern measurement systems that scan part surfaces
Water Displacement in Shafts and Geysering Created by Uncontrolled Air Pocket Releases

AbstractUncontrolled air pocket release from water-filled shafts can lead to geysering in stormwater systems. Such occurrences are deleterious from public health and environmental standpoints and c...
O29 Effects of neuromuscular exercises targeting evertors and hip abductors on muscle volume (a mri analysis), strength, and postural control: a six-week randomised controlled trial

Study Design Randomised controlled trial. Objectives To examine effects of neuromuscular exercises targeting evertors and hip abductors on muscle volume, strength, and postural control. Background Deficits in postural control and evertor and hip abductor strength are associated with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Neuromuscular exercises seem to improve sensorimotor function, but it is unclear whether improved function is due to muscle size and strength gains or neuromuscular efficiency. Methods and Measures Fifty-one CAI patients were randomly allocated to control (n=14, 3 dropouts), strength (n=14, 3 dropouts), or strength +balance (n=15, 2 dropouts) group. Forty-three CAI patients (M=29, F=14; 22±2 years, 176±9 cm, 75±11 kg, 4.8±2.5 sprains, 82%±8% FAAM-ADL, 57%±12% FAAM-Sport, 2.7±1.5 MAII) completed the study. Both strength and strength +balance groups completed 5 or 10 neuromuscular exercises targeting evertors and hip abductors, 3 times/week for 6 weeks under supervision. Total volume of evertors and hip abductors was calculated via multi-slice 3D images acquired using a Siemens Trio MRI scanner (TE: 7.48 ms, TR: 17 ms, thickness: 5 mm) and segmented using Analyse 12.0 software. Three trials of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) was measured using an isokinetic dynamometer (100 Hz). Two trials of single-leg balance was measured using a force plate (50 Hz). A mixed model ANCOVA analysis with repeated measures was used to detect differences for muscle volume (cm3/m*kg), MVC (Nm/kg), and postural control (COP-AP and -ML velocity; m/s) over time. Results ANCOVA analyses revealed no time x group interaction in total volume of evertors (p=0.33), hip abductors (p=0.51), evertor strength (p=0.78), hip abductor strength (p=0.55), and COP-AP velocity (p=0.07), with the only exception in COP-ML velocity (p=0.0002) between the strength +balance and control group (p=0.02). Conclusion Six weeks of neuromuscular exercises failed to improve muscle volume and strength gains, but static postural control was improved. Six weeks may not be adequate to increase muscle volume and strength.
Hangup effect in unequal mass binary black hole mergers and further studies of their gravitational radiation and remnant properties

We present the results of 74 new simulations of nonprecessing spinning black hole binaries with mass ratios $q={m}_{1}/{m}_{2}$ in the range $1/7\ensuremath{\le}q\ensuremath{\le}1$ and individual spins covering the parameter space $\ensuremath{-}0.95\ensuremath{\le}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{1,2}\ensuremath{\le}0.95$. We supplement those runs with 107 previous simulations to study the hangup effect in black hole mergers, i.e. the delay or prompt merger of spinning holes with respect to nonspinning binaries. We perform the numerical evolution for typically the last ten orbits before the merger and down to the formation of the final remnant black hole. This allows us to study the hangup effect for unequal mass binaries leading us to identify the spin variable that controls the number of orbits before merger as ${\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{S}}_{\mathrm{hu}}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\stackrel{^}{L}$, where ${\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{S}}_{\mathrm{hu}}=(1+\frac{1}{2}\frac{{m}_{2}}{{m}_{1}}){\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{S}}_{1}+(1+\frac{1}{2}\frac{{m}_{1}}{{m}_{2}}){\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{S}}_{2}$. We also combine the total results of those 181 simulations to obtain improved fitting formulas for the remnant final black hole mass, spin and recoil velocity as well as for the peak luminosity and peak frequency of the gravitational strain, and find new correlations among them. This accurate new set of simulations enhances the number of available numerical relativity waveforms available for parameter estimation of gravitational wave observations.
3D MicroCT spatial and temporal characterization of thoracic aorta perivascular adipose tissue and plaque volumes in the ApoE-/- mouse model.

Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) influences vascular function and pathology. We present a protocol using micro-computed tomography (microCT), a novel imaging technique typically used for hard bio...
Electromagnetic (SETI) Searches

We have argued that UFO reports do not constitute a body of scientific fact useful for evaluating the number of extraterrestrial civilizations in the galaxy. However we found that the absence of evidence of colonization of earth by extraterrestrials could be used to put some bounds on the possible types of civilizations that might exist and, in particular was shown to indicate that civilizations with the desire and ability to migrate quickly between stars and living as much as a few million years probably do not exist.
Neurodevelopmental heterogeneity and computational approaches for understanding autism.

In recent years, the emerging field of computational psychiatry has impelled the use of machine learning models as a means to further understand the pathogenesis of multiple clinical disorders. In this paper, we discuss how autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was and continues to be diagnosed in the context of its complex neurodevelopmental heterogeneity. We review machine learning approaches to streamline ASD’s diagnostic methods, to discern similarities and differences from comorbid diagnoses, and to follow developmentally variable outcomes. Both supervised machine learning models for classification outcome and unsupervised approaches to identify new dimensions and subgroups are discussed. We provide an illustrative example of how computational analytic methods and a longitudinal design can improve our inferential ability to detect early dysfunctional behaviors that may or may not reach threshold levels for formal diagnoses. Specifically, an unsupervised machine learning approach of anomaly detection is used to illustrate how community samples may be utilized to investigate early autism risk, multidimensional features, and outcome variables. Because ASD symptoms and challenges are not static within individuals across development, computational approaches present a promising method to elucidate subgroups of etiological contributions to phenotype, alternative developmental courses, interactions with biomedical comorbidities, and to predict potential responses to therapeutic interventions.
FAIRNESS, ACCURACY AND HONESTY IN DISCUSSING HOMOSEXUALITY AND MARRIAGE

If a lie is repeated often enough, those who hear it will begin to believe that lie is the truth. Such has become the fate of fair and balanced legal academics. Some have heard for so long that homosexuality and marriage ought to be united, that many refuse to believe anything else, even when biology refutes it, the law negates it, and that statement is exposed as a lie. 1 Many academics and other communicators have indeed closed their minds 2 to both sides of this debate, determining there is no debate. That debate, however, is alive and well in the minds of open-minded legal academics. Although Stanford's Law and Policy Review solicited the other articles contained in this journal issue, its refusal to publish them has allowed Regent to inherit a fabulous law review edition. This article will introduce these well-written pieces. They are not legal research articles, but their publication is equally important. If Stanford will not publish them, Regent will gladly do so. Due to the nature of these articles, it is quite possible that the readership of this issue will be much wider than legal academia. With that readership in mind, this article, in order to more adequately introduce these pieces, will first discuss some of the fundamental concerns in discussions about homosexuality, such as what sexual orientation actually is and what it means to integrate one's experiences of same-sex attraction into a "gay"
Neurocognitive outcomes in long-term survivors of Wilms tumor : a report from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort

To examine prevalence and predictors of neurocognitive outcomes, social attainment, emotional distress, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in long-term survivors of pediatric Wilms tumor (WT). One hundred fifty-eight WT survivors (59% female; mean [SD] age 33 [9.1] years; time since diagnosis 29 [9.1] years) and 354 community controls (55.6% female; 35 [10.2] years) completed comprehensive neuropsychological testing and physical examination, including echocardiography/electrocardiography, pulmonary function tests, and endocrine evaluation. Self-report of emotional distress, HRQOL, and social attainment were collected. Impairment was defined in relation to both controls and normative data. Generalized linear models were developed to examine impact of treatment and chronic health conditions on outcomes. WT survivors performed poorer than norms and controls in 6 of 16 cognitive variables and 1 of 8 HRQOL variables, with scores ranging from − 0.64 (mathematics) to − 0.21 (verbal fluency) standard deviations below expectations. Compared to controls, WT survivors were less likely to graduate college (odds ratio 2.23, 95% confidence interval 1.46–3.41) and had more moderate to severe neurologic conditions (18.4% vs 8.2%, p < 0.001), which were associated with poor memory (β = − 0.90, p < 0.001), attention (β = − 1.02, p < 0.001), and HRQOL general health (β = − 0.80, p = 0.0015). Treatment variables and cardiopulmonary morbidity (higher in survivors) were not associated with outcomes. Survivors of WT demonstrate impairment in neurocognitive function and have lower social attainment during adulthood, with poorer neurocognitive function associated with neurologic morbidity. Survivors of WT should be offered neurocognitive evaluations and rehabilitation. Neurologic conditions should be routinely assessed, and appropriate support offered to reduce risk for functional limitations.
Leticia Alvarado. Abject Performances: Aesthetic Strategies in Latino Cultural Production.

Through case studies ranging from avant-garde visual and installation art to televised popular culture and religious testimonies, Abject Performances argues that, in contrast to art that supports i...
Chapter 11 – Intramachine Communications

Publisher Summary It is noted that there is an increasing trend in the high-performance computing world towards aggregating computing resources and performing computing over physically distributed processing engines. This trend has lead towards increasing requirements on the computer interconnects to allow close coupling among computing facilities and allow software to view them as a single distributed computing resource. This chapter describes the general characteristics of computer networks that couple distinct classic computers, central processing unit (CPU) and memory, into a single closely coupled distributed computing resource. It also describes the notion of a system area network (SAN) and enumerates characteristics that distinguish it from a local area network (LAN) and from the internal wiring of a single computer. The recent paradigm shift in the interconnect architecture of computing systems can provide opportunities for optical interconnect technology. The chapter also describes these opportunities and their requirements. Furthermore, the chapter illustrates the characteristics of optical components and optical data links that are required to satisfy the requirements of a system area network.
“We've Cared for the Dead since We Started Caring”: COVID-19 and Our Relationship to Public and Private Deathcare

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted public organizations’ challenges related to deathcare. Within the emergency management literature, and specifically within public administration, there is a gap when it comes to planning past death. Using data from interviews with 35 municipal cemetery managers throughout the United States, I show how our unwillingness to talk about or plan for death, coupled with cemetery managers who are underfunded and often left out of emergency management planning processes, needs increased attention. While many deathcare best practices were deployed to respond to the virus, cemetery managers often are not part of the planning process.
Randolph Cemetery and the Politics of Death in the Post-Civil War South

This chapter examines the creation and use of Randolph Cemetery by African Americans in Columbia, South Carolina, during Reconstruction and Jim Crow. Named after assassinated African-American state senator Benjamin F. Randolph, the cemetery became an important memorial to the political advances black people made during Reconstruction and the violence they endured to achieve that progress. During Reconstruction African Americans used the cemetery to showcase their political power and to defy white Southerners’ violent intimidation. In the Jim Crow era, when white Southerners stripped African Americans of their voting rights, black people kept the memory of black political participation alive through memorial events they organized in the cemetery. Through funerals and burials, black leaders created new martyrs to racial equality, like fifteen-year-old Wade Haynes, who was executed by the state in 1893. Ultimately, this chapter contends that Randolph Cemetery demonstrates the significant role that death played in black community building, politics, and activism.
Large Aperture Space Telescopes in Formation: Modeling, Metrology, and Control

In this paper we summarize a concept definition and feasibility analysis for formation flying a representative large space telescope composed of separated optical elements. A virtual-structure construct (an equivalent rigid body) is created by unique metrology and control that combines both centralized and decentralized methods. The formation may be in orbit at GEO for super-resolution Earth observation or it may be in an Earth-trailing orbit for astrophysics. Extended applications are envisioned for exo-solar planet interferometric imaging by a formation of very large separated optics telescopes. Space telescopes, with such large apertures and optics with focal length f/10 to f/100, are not feasible if connected by massive metering structures. Instead, the new virtual-structure paradigm of information and control connectivity between the formation elements provides the necessary spatial rigidity and alignment precision for the telescope.
Radiographic findings in children who have undergone patent ductus arteriosus ligation

Introduction: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a persistent communication between the aorta and the pulmonary artery beyond the immediate postpartum period. It occurs more frequently in premature infants < 28 weeks gestation or weighing < 1500 mg at birth. PDA closure may occur spontaneously or require medical or surgical treatments. Data on the radiographic bony abnormalities in children who have undergone surgical closure of isolated PDA are limited. The aim of this study was to describe the bony abnormalities on plain chest radiograph in children …
School Students’ Implicit Theories of Creativity and their Self Perceptions as Artists

High self-efficacy is important in the ability of students to express their creativity, especially in academic settings. However, the research on creative misconceptions that may be influencing stu...
It’s All About Power: The Deep Structure of Kant’s Categorical Imperative and Its Three Formulations

Commentators on Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals have been deeply skeptical of Kant’s claim that his first formulation of the Categorical Imperative (CI), the Formula of Universal Law (FUL), is capable of doing all the work that Kant claims it can. Against such skeptics, Marina shows that a proper understanding of the deep structure of FUL reveals the way in which it exposes contradictions in maxims of natural violence. A clue to this structure can be found through an analysis of Kant’s order of presentation of his four examples, in particular the fact that Kant begins with an analysis of the contradiction exhibited in the maxim of suicide. Marina shows that the importance of this example is that in this case the very integrity of the power of the will is dissolved through a logical contradiction of the will with itself. The same contradiction is also operative in maxims of murder and mayhem. Furthermore, a correct analysis of FUL also reveals that Kant is justified in his claim that all three formulations of CI are equivalent.
The time-varying transmission dynamics of COVID-19 and synchronous public health interventions in China.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to estimate the time-varying transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in China, Wuhan City and Guangdong province, and compared them with that of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). METHODS: Data on COVID-19 cases by March 20, 2020 in China was collected from epidemiological investigations or official websites. Data on SARS cases in Guangdong Province, Beijing and Hong Kong during 2002-2003 were also obtained. We estimated the doubling time, basic reproduction number (R0) and time-varying reproduction number (Rt) of COVID-19 and SARS. RESULTS: As of March 20, 2020, 80,739 COVID-19 indigenous cases were identified in mainland China. Most cases were reported between January 20 and February 29. The R0 of COVID-19 nationwide and in Wuhan were 5.0 and 4.8 respectively, which were greater than R0 of SARS in Guangdong (R0=2.3), Hong Kong (R0 = 2.3), and Beijing (R0 = 2.6). During the epidemic of COVID-19, the Rt nationwide first increased to a peak of 8.4 and declined quickly to below 1 in one month. In terms of SARS, the Rt curve saw a fluctuation change with more than one peak though the peak was lower than COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 has much higher transmissibility than SARS, and a series of major actions for suppressing the outbreak are effective. However, persistent efforts are needed to prevent the rebound of the epidemic in the context of the global pandemic.
High-Frequency Stimulation of Ventral CA1 Neurons Reduces Amygdala Activity and Inhibits Fear

The hippocampus can be divided into distinct segments that make unique contributions to learning and memory. The dorsal segment supports cognitive processes like spatial learning and navigation while the ventral hippocampus regulates emotional behaviors related to fear, anxiety and reward. In the current study, we determined how pyramidal cells in ventral CA1 respond to spatial cues and aversive stimulation during a context fear conditioning task. We also examined the effects of high and low frequency stimulation of these neurons on defensive behavior. Similar to previous work in the dorsal hippocampus, we found that cells in ventral CA1 expressed high-levels of c-Fos in response to a novel spatial environment. Surprisingly, however, the number of activated neurons did not increase when the environment was paired with footshock. This was true even in the subpopulation of ventral CA1 pyramidal cells that send direct projections to the amygdala. When these cells were stimulated at high-frequencies (20 Hz) we observed feedforward inhibition of basal amygdala neurons and impaired expression of context fear. In contrast, low-frequency stimulation (4 Hz) did not inhibit principal cells in the basal amygdala and produced an increase in fear generalization. Similar results have been reported in dorsal CA1. Therefore, despite clear differences between the dorsal and ventral hippocampus, CA1 neurons in each segment appear to make similar contributions to context fear conditioning.
Mesoscale metrics on approach to the clogging point

In this work we present results of the flow of monodisperse spheres in a two-dimensional silo. By taking high-speed video during the flow of grains, we are able to look at the microscopic dynamics of the individual grains. We report on how measures such as velocity fluctuations, non-affine motion, and dynamical heterogeneities change in as the system approaches clogging. While we do find changes in these metrics on approaching the clogging point, we do not see evidence to suggest that it is a critical point. We contrast the clogging transition with the jamming transition in light of these results.
Far-Field Minimum-Fuel Spacecraft Rendezvous using Koopman Operator and l 2 /l 1 Optimization

We propose a method to compute approximate solutions to the minimum-fuel far-field rendezvous problem for thrust-vectoring spacecraft. When the distance between the active and the target spacecraft is significantly greater than the distance between the target spacecraft and the center of gravity of the planet, linearization-based approximations of the nonlinear rendezvous dynamics may not be sufficiently accurate. For this reason, control methods that rely on such linearizations may not be appropriate for far-field rendezvous. In this paper, we address the control design problem based on a nonlinear state space model. To overcome the well-known challenges of nonlinear control design, we utilize a Koopman operator based approach in which the nonlinear spacecraft rendezvous dynamics is lifted into a higher dimensional space over which the nonlinear dynamics can be approximated by a linear system which is more suitable for control design purposes than the original nonlinear model. An Iteratively Recursive Least Squares (IRLS) algorithm from compressive sensing is then used to solve the minimum fuel control problem based on the lifted linear system. Numerical simulations are performed to show the efficacy of the proposed Koopman operator based approach.
Predictors of Severity and Change in Emotion Dysregulation among Children and Adolescents with ASD.

Emotion dysregulation problems are prevalent and disruptive for many with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study compared severity and perceived change in emotion dysregulation in youth with an...
Role of the Fermi-Surface Anisotropy in Angle-Dependent Magnetic-Field Oscillations for Identifying the Energy-Gap Anisotropy of A y Fe 2 Se 2 Superconductors

We present a numerical study of the field-angle resolved oscillations of the thermal conductivity and specific heat under a rotated magnetic field in the ${A}_{y}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ [$A=\mathrm{K}$, Rb, Cs, (Tl, K)] superconductors, using realistic two-band Fermi surface parametrization. Our key finding is that even for isotropic pairing on an anisotropic Fermi surface, the thermodynamic quantities exhibit substantial oscillatory behavior in the superconducting state, even much below the upper critical field. Furthermore, in multiband systems the competition of anisotropies between two Fermi surfaces can cause a double sign reversal of oscillations as a function of temperature, irrespective of gap anisotropy. Our findings put severe constraints on simple interpretations of field-angle resolved measurements widely used to identify the angular structure of the superconducting gap.
Evaluating operational benefits of terminal RNAV: Las Vegas case study

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) asked The MITRE Corporation to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing terminal area navigation (RNAV) procedures at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS). New RNAV procedures were implemented in November 2003 and have been in use for arrivals to runways at LAS since that time. MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) collected and examined flight track data from the FAAs terminal approach control facility at LAS for the purpose of this analysis. This paper presents the results of analysis of the flight track data for operations before RNAV was in use at LAS (in the year 2000) and several months after RNAV was being used at LAS (in the year 2004). The paper describes operational effects of RNAV and provides insight into these effects.
A whole sentence maximum entropy language model

Introduces a new kind of language model, which models whole sentences or utterances directly using the maximum entropy (ME) paradigm. The new model is conceptually simpler, and more naturally suited to modeling whole-sentence phenomena, than the conditional ME models proposed to date. By avoiding the chain rule, the model treats each sentence or utterance as a "bag of features", where features are arbitrary computable properties of the sentence. The model is unnormalizable, but this does not interfere with training (done via sampling) or with use. Using the model is computationally straightforward. The main computational cost of training the model is in generating sample sentences from a Gibbs distribution. Interestingly, this cost has different dependencies, and is potentially lower than in the comparable conditional ME model.
The Conceits of Our Legal Imagination: Legal Fictions and the Concept of Deemed Authorship

Legal fictions contain embedded nuggets of information about social reality and reveal important aspects of human society. However, the use of legal fictions may also obscure important information or fundamental questions about law and its role in shaping society. These fictions become institutionalized without a clear understanding of their function. When that happens, fallacious assumptions about human behavior and social relationships transform into binding principles that set the course for future legal development, potentially resulting in legal rules that are completely dissociated from social, historical, or cultural reality. This article explores the concept of deemed authorship as a legal fiction in copyright law and describes how this fiction both obscures fundamental notions about authorship and creativity and complicates copyright jurisprudence, preventing our consideration of the proper legal questions about creativity and its impact on the progress of science. This article argues that the institutionalization of this legal fiction separates an author from the defining attributes of personhood and contradicts our basic understanding about human creativity. As the fiction of deemed authorship inaccurately depicts the role of creators, it isolates rather than socializes legal language. Since this and other fictions that contradict our experiences of reality may cause more harm than benefit to our understanding of the law, they must be used with caution so that legal rules that are more consistent with institutional aspirations, individual and communal expectations, and the rule of law can develop.
Intra- and inter-population allometry of the genitalia of Sphex latreillei Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau 1831 (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) supports the one-size-fits-all hypothesis

Sexual selection could act differently in the responses observed in the genitalia and somatic traits of arthropods related to variation and allometric relationships, generating divergence on the variation at the interspecific level. At the intraspecific level, it has been observed that the allometric relationships of the genitalia in males have markedly lower values than those recorded for somatic features, thus providing support to the one-size-fits-all hypothesis, as a result of fits during mating interaction. Throughout this paper, we evaluate the allometry and variation in genitalia and somatic structures, between and within populations of the Chilean wasp Sphex latreillei Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau 1831. We found significantly lower allometric variation for genitalia in both populations compared with the allometry of somatic traits. These results support the hypothesis of standardized sizes in arthropod genitalia as a result of the action of sexual selection by fit mechanisms during copulation.
Age and metamorphism of some massive sulflde deposits in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee

Abstract Isotopic ages of vein and wall-rock samples have been determined on five massive sulflde deposits of the southern Appalachians. Vein mineral ages of about 1100 m.y. indicate that some ore bodies formed at least as early as the Grenville metamorphism, and probably soon after the formation of the enclosing gneiss and schist. Present textures of the ore were formed during subsequent metamorphic periods at about 450 m.y. and 300 to 330 m.y. ago.
The area postrema of newborn swine is activated by hypercapnia: relevance to sudden infant death syndrome?

Abstract This study was performed to investigate a role of the neonatal area postrema (AP) in the chemoreceptor response to hypercapnia which is defective in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). AP responses to CO2 inhalation were monitored in 1 to 5 week old piglets by mapping neurons that were induced to express the c-fos gene product, Fos—a marker of functional activation. Interpretive confounds were minimized by controlling for hypoxia, the effects of surgical procedures and ambient environmental stressors on neuronal activity (c-fos expression). The AP demonstrated a powerful and reproducible response in neonatal swine breathing 10% CO2 for 1 h. Intensely immunolabeled nuclei were detected throughout the longitudinal extent of the circumventricular organ, and were especially heavily concentrated at rostral levels proximal to obex. Quantitative analysis verified statistically significant increases in numbers of cells that were induced to express Fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI) in the AP of CO2- stimulated piglets as compared to control groups. No detectable age-related differences were observed in AP response patterns. Conclusions. The AP responds to hypercapnic stress in the newborn piglet. A mature circumventricular organ response in the neonate may be crucial in defending against common environmental stressors, such as nicotine exposure—an emetic agent acting via the AP and a major risk factor in SIDS. Hence, a defect of the AP or its network may underlie a loss of state-dependent controls over cardiopulmonary reflex function in SIDS.
Failure of the serum CO2 determined by automation to estimate the plasma bicarbonate.

In the daily care of pulmonary disease patients, we have often encountered large differences in the bicarbonate value calculated from blood gas determination pCO2 and pH, and the serum CO2 obtained from the Dupont Automatic Clinical Analyzer (ACA). Realizing that many clinicians utilize the automated measurement of serum CO2 ([CO2]s) in place of blood gas determinations, we felt it necessary to analyze paired sets of ACA [CO2]s and blood gas bicarbonate values QHCO-2]p) for variations which might lead to clinically significant differences in interpretation. A study of 1,841 patient samples, matched by date and within ±2 hours of sampling, and supported by a thorough chart review of 100 randomly selected patients, indicates that a statistically significant difference, which is unrelated to apparent changes in the patient clinical status, does exist. Evaluation of pK changes due to temperature failed to correct these differences in serum CO2 and plasma bicarbonate.Based on the limited information available ...
Phase equilibria in Ti3Al-Nb alloys at 1000 °C

Titanium aluminides are considered to be the future high-temperature structural materials for turbine applications. Major focus is on α2Ti3Al based and γTiAl based alloys. Niobium additions to Ti3Al alloys is found to improve the room-temperature ductility. Thus phase equilibria in Ti-Al-Nb system is of practical significance with regard to their processing and high-temperature phase stability characteristics. In the present research, four alloys with compositions Ti-22Al-12Nb, Ti-21A1-16Nb, Ti-20Al-20Nb, and Ti-25Al-25Nb (all in atom percent) were equilibrated at 1000 °C for 225 hours and then quenched in water. The quenched alloys were characterized for phase relations by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Based on the phase analysis, the ternary isotherm of the Ti-Al-Nb system at 1000 °C was constructed on the Ti3Al-rich side. The orthorhombic Ti2AlNb phase was observed in the sample with Ti-25Al-25Nb composition signifying the presence of this phase at 1000 °C.
Active pharmaceutical management strategies of health insurance systems to improve cost-effective use of medicines in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review of current evidence

Abstract Objectives Health insurance systems have great potential to improve the cost-effective use of medicines by leveraging better provider prescribing, more cost-effective use by consumers, and lower prices from industry. Despite ample evidence from high-income countries, little is known about insurance system strategies targeting medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). This paper provides a critical review of the literature on these strategies and their impacts in LMIC. Methods We conducted a systematic review of published peer-reviewed and grey literature and organized the insurance system strategies into four categories: medicines selection, purchasing, contracting and utilization management. Results In n = 63 reviewed publications we found reasonable evidence supporting the use of insurance as an overall strategy to improve access to pharmaceuticals and outcomes in LMIC. Beyond this, most of the literature focused on provider contracting strategies to influence prescribing. There was very little evidence on medicines selection, purchasing, or utilization management strategies. Conclusions There is a paucity of published evidence on the impact of insurance system strategies on improving the use of medicines in LMIC. The existing evidence is questionable since the majority of the published studies utilize weak study designs. This review highlights the need for well-designed studies to build an evidence base on the impact of medicines management strategies deployed by LMIC insurance programs.
Molar root anatomy and management of furcation defects.

Background, aims: Furcally-involved teeth present unique challenges to the success of periodontal therapy. Anatomical and morphological complicating factors dictate modifications in treatment approaches used for managing these areas. Method: Various treatment approaches are available for furcally-involved teeth, the choice of which depends on selected interdependent factors. Results: These factors, along with various approaches used in the treatment of furcally compromised teeth are discussed in this review, with particular emphasis on morphology, etiology, classification and diagnosis.
Fuzzyness And Imprecision In Software Engineering

In this paper, we study how fuzziness in software engineering emerges and how to reflect this fuzziness in measuring software qualities. Principal means in these processes are software metrics with values in categorical data represented by software metrics with values in fuzzy sets and linguistic variables. This study is aimed to support the development of high quality software. The process of program design as a transition from a problem to a program is studied. A classification of software metrics is developed with the aim of better structuring and optimization of the software fuzzy metric design. Processes of constructing new measures from existing ones often use aggregation operations. Here we study aggregation operations for fuzzy set based software metrics.
Technology Cost Modeling for the Manufacture of Printed Circuit Boards in New Electronic Products

The rapid pace of technological and material advances has made it difficult to ascertain the most cost effective plan for manufacturing new products. The decision to identify the appropriate manufacturing methods and materials selection is most timely made during the initial design stage of the product. However, tradeoffs in manufacturing and materials technology are not easily discernible to the design team, while traditional cost accounting systems do not reflect the continuous improvements nor the opportunities in increasing quality and reducing cost. Systems that have recently been developed to assist in estimating new product cost, such as Activity Based Costing (ABC) and Technical Cost Modeling, focus on a stable manufacturing environment. They presume that production is either dedicated to the new product, or that utilization and/or yields of machines are at static levels. In most modern companies, the majority of new products introduced are evolutionary in nature, attempting to gain maximum advantage of current material and manufacturing technologies while continuing to be made alongside existing productions These new products can significantly change the current manufactured product and material mix, and hence their cost. A technology based modeling approach is presented in this paper to address the issues of changes in a dynamic manufacturing environment, where each design selection can be evaluated individually based on its production impact. Elements of this approach are described in the design of electronic products using printed circuit boards. The design tean can select from a large combinations of technologies, materials and manufacturing steps, each with its particular cost, production rate and yield. A technology based cost modeling system can be developed to guide the team in the selection process by identifying the cost tradeoffs involved in each alternative design.
Prevention of intussusception in peutz jeghers syndrome

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is a familial disease characterized by mucocutaneous pigmentation and intestinal polyposis. Small-intestinal intussusception is a common complication. Preservation of small-intestinal length is essential to avoid the short-gut syndrome. A plication technique to prevent intussusception is described.
Use of Cardiopulmonary Bypass During Bronchoscopy Following Sand Aspiration: A Case Report

A 6-year-old boy with massive sand aspiration was effectively treated with femoral vein to femoral artery cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), saline bronchial lavage, and exogenous surfactant. The patient was discharged the 9th hospital day without apparent sequelae. CPB should be considered for cases of sand or gravel aspiration when gas exchange is compromised.
Distribution of income and expenditures across nations

This paper outlines a premise that state social and economic planning in recent decades were the outgrowth of Marxist doctrine, even though Marxism as an economic system failed to materialize. The paper addresses the rise of the New Left with its doctrine of radical economics and its influence for state planning. For this purpose, the paper compares 126 countries grouped by income distribution and income inequality. The findings indicate that richer economies perform better than economies of lesser income in the distribution and equality of income.
A new highly sensitive assay for breath acetaldehyde: detection of endogenous levels in humans.

Abstract We describe a new technique for measuring acetaldehyde (AcH) in the breath, by freezing out the volatile components of breath in liquid nitrogen, then assaying this concentrated specimen by gas chromatography. The method is uniquely sensitive, detecting as little as 10 pmol AcH/liter. Endogenously generated levels of AcH were detected in the breath of 14 nonalcoholic subjects, in concentrations ranging from 0.7 to 11.0 ng/liter. This technique is accurate, reproducible, and convenient to use; it offers a new approach to the study of ethanol and AcH metabolism in man.
Form and function of retroviral proviruses

Retroviruses have proved to be useful reagents for studying genetic and epigenetic (such as regulatory) changes in eukaryotic cells, for assessing functional and structural relationships between transposable genetic elements, for inducing insertional mutations, including some important in oncogenesis, and for transporting genes into eukaryotic cells, either after natural transduction of putative cellular oncogenes or after experimental construction of recombinant viruses. Many of these properties of retroviruses depend on their capacity to establish a DNA (proviral) form of their RNA genomes as a stable component of host chromosomes, in either somatic or germinal cells.