cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Octo Mom Meets Constitutional Law: Testing the Constitutionality of Restricting Fertility Treatments

On 26 January 2009, Nadya Suleman gave birth to eight children. 1 The public outpouring of support quickly turned into widespread condemnation as more information about Ms. Suleman’s multiple pregnancies and financial situation was released. 2 Once the public learned not only that Ms. Suleman had six other children but also that all fourteen children had been conceived using in vitro fertilization, the public began to question both her judgment and the judgment of her doctor. 3 The public apparently was willing to accept the birth if it was the non-deliberate product of a hormone-based fertility treatment but was less willing to accept the birth if it was the result of a deliberate choice on the part of Ms. Suleman and her physician.
Interannual variability in the surface energy budget and evaporation over a large southern inland water in the United States

[1] Understanding how the surface energy budget and evaporation over inland waters respond to climate change and variability remains limited. Here we report 2 year measurements of the surface energy budget using the eddy covariance method over Ross Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi, USA, for 2008 and 2009. Annual mean sensible (H) and latent (LE) heat fluxes in 2008 were 9.5%, and 10.0% greater than in 2009, respectively. Most of the interannual variations in the surface energy fluxes and meteorological variables primarily occurred in the cool seasons from October to March, which was enhanced by frequent large wind events associated with cold front passages. These large wind events greatly promoted H and LE exchange and produced H and LE pulses that increased variations in H and LE between these two cool seasons. In the warm seasons from April to September, H and LE pulses were also present, which largely increased variations in LE and dampened those in H between the two warm seasons. The H and LE pulses contributed to approximately 50% of the annual H and 28% of the annual LE, although they only covered about 16% of the entire year. The interannual variations in H and LE pulses contributed to about 78% of the interannual variations in H and 40% of those in LE. Our results imply that the increased interannual variability in cold front activities as a result of climate change would amplify interannual variations in the evaporation and the surface energy exchange over inland waters in this region.
Subxiphoid pericardiotomy in the diagnosis and management of large pericardial effusions associated with malignancy

To determine the safety, diagnostic value, and clinical outcome of patients with malignancy undergoing subxiphoid pericardiotomy for large pericardial effusions, we prospectively studied 25 consecutive patients with malignancy and new, large pericardial effusions diagnosed by echocardiography. Twenty-two of the 25 operations were done under local anesthesia, and no patient died at surgery. Pericardial fluid cytology revealed malignant cells in 11 patients (44 percent), while tumor was seen in only five (45 percent) of these 11 patients on pathologic examination. The remaining 14 patients showed no evidence of pericardial invasion with tumor. Evidence of intrathoracic disease by CT or MRI scanning, tamponade, a sanguineous pericardial fluid character, and an elevated serum and pericardial fluid lactate dehydrogenase level all were suggestive of malignant invasion of the pericardium. All 25 patients were followed at least 12 months postoperatively. Effusions recurred in three patients (12 percent), and one patient required reoperation. Overall mortality was 72 percent with a 91 percent (10 of 11) mortality for those with malignant effusions and a 57 percent (8 of 14) mortality for those with nonmalignant effusions. Diagnostically, subxiphoid pericardiotomy has little advantage over examination of pericardial fluid alone in this group of patients. Therapeutically, however, it is a low morbidity procedure which is safe and effective in treating patients with malignancy and large pericardial effusions.
The Mammographic Density of a Mass Is a Significant Predictor of Breast Cancer

Our study shows that, in contrast to previous research, breast mass density is significantly associated with malignancy, even after controlling for other predictive variables.
Phylogeography of wolves (Canis lupus) in the Pacific Northwest

Glacial cycles in the late Pleistocene played a dominant role in sculpting the evolutionary histories of many high-latitude organisms. The refugial hypothesis argues that populations retracted during glacial maxima and were isolated in separate refugia. One prediction of this hypothesis is that populations inhabiting different refugia diverged and then, during interglacial periods, rapidly expanded into deglaciated regions. The range of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) was modified by these expansion and contraction cycles in the late Pleistocene. Our analyses of variation of mitochondrial control region sequences corroborate previous microsatellite analyses supporting independent evolutionary histories for Coastal and Continental wolves in North America. Coastal wolves represent the remnants of a formerly widespread and diverse southern clade that expanded into coastal Southeast Alaska, likely in the early Holocene. In contrast, extant northern Continental populations appear to be admixed, composed of lineages independently arising from ancestors that persisted in either southern or northern (Beringia) refugia. This pattern of diversification suggests the possibility of 3 temporally independent colonizations of North America by wolves from Asia. Coastal wolves are the last vestige of a formerly widespread phylogroup that largely was extirpated in North America by humans during the last century. The independent phylogeographic history of these Coastal wolves has yet to be characterized. Their distinctiveness among North American wolf populations may warrant a reevaluation of their conservation status and management. DOI: 10.1644/09-MAMM-A-036.1.
Probabilistic Routing with Multi-Copies in Delay Tolerant Networks

Intermittently connected mobile networks don't have a complete path from a source to a destination at most of the time. Such an environment can be found in very sparse mobile networks where nodes meet only occasionally or in wireless sensor networks where nodes sleep most of the time to conserve energy. Current approaches in such networks are primarily based on two kinds of transmissions: multi-copy flooding scheme and single-copy forwarding scheme. However, they have either high overheads due to excessive transmission or long delays due to the possible incorrect choices during forwarding. In this paper, we propose a hybrid probabilistic routing algorithm using multi-copies called HUM, in which a packet is initially replicated to a certain number of nodes, which sequentially forward those packets to the destination node based on a probabilistic routing scheme. Simulations show that compared to Epidemic routing, Spray and wait routing, HUM routing scheme provides a nearly optimal delay performance with a stable packet arrive rate with the community mobility model.
Cell proliferation in the digestive tract of Styela clava (Urochordata: Ascidiacea) as revealed by autoradiography with tritiated thymidine

The DNA-synthesizing cells in the digestive tract of Styela clava were labeled with tritiated thymidine and detected at increasing time intervals with autoradiography. Most of the epithelia consist of renewing cell populations. These are the dorsal tubercle, dorsal lamina, branchial bars, zone 1 of the endostyle, stigmata, esophagus, stomach, intestine, and rectum. Expanding populations are the branchial tentacles, unspecialized pharyngeal cells, and pylorictubules. In the renewing populations, cell proliferation occurs in restricted germinal zones of pseudostratified cells. In the postbranchial digestive tract, these germinal zones usually occur at the bases of folds or grooves. Germinal cell nuclei migrate into the cell apex and undergo mitosis there. With time, germinal cells migrate as a band of labeled cells over the underlying connective tissue into non-proliferating mature zones of ciliated, secretory, or absorptive cells. Aging mature cells are presumably extruded into the gut lumen, maintaining the system in a steady state. Transit times are about ten days for the stigmata; two and a half weeks for the dorsal tubercle, esophageal mucous population, stomach crest population, and stomach groove population; five weeks for the intestine and rectum; and several months for zone 1 of the endostyle and esophageal band population.
Nuts 'N' Bolts: Legal-Writing Mechanics - Part II

This is the first part of a 2-part article on legal-writing mechanics. This part covers numbers, numerals, and figuers; typographic symbols; and abbreviations.
Do mass media campaigns improve physical activity? a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Mass media campaigns are frequently used to influence the health behaviors of various populations. There are currently no quantitative meta-analyses of the effect of mass media campaigns on physical activity in adults.
Development of Miniaturized Walking Biological Machines

The quest to 'forward-engineer' and fabricate biological machines remains a grand challenge. Towards this end, we have fabricated locomotive "bio-bots" from hydrogels and cardiomyocytes using a 3D printer. The multi-material bio-bot consisted of a 'biological bimorph' cantilever structure as the actuator to power the bio-bot, and a base structure to define the asymmetric shape for locomotion. The cantilever structure was seeded with a sheet of contractile cardiomyocytes. We evaluated the locomotive mechanisms of several designs of bio-bots by changing the cantilever thickness. The bio-bot that demonstrated the most efficient mechanism of locomotion maximized the use of contractile forces for overcoming friction of the supporting leg, while preventing backward movement of the actuating leg upon relaxation. The maximum recorded velocity of the bio-bot was ~236 µm s(-1), with an average displacement per power stroke of ~354 µm and average beating frequency of ~1.5 Hz.
The drosophila dorsoventral patterning gene gurken produces a dorsally localized RNA and encodes a TGFα-like protein

Summary Cell-cell interactions in the Drosophila ovary play a crucial role in the establishment of dorsoventral polarity of both the egg shell and the future embryo. Torpedo/DER (top/DER), a homolog of the vertebrate epidermal growth factor receptor, is required for this signaling process in the somatic cells of the ovary. In contrast, gurken (grk) , which also functions in this pathway, is required in the germline. We cloned the grk gene and found that it encodes a TGFα-like protein. Grk is, therefore, likely to be a ligand of top/DER, activating the receptor during oogenesis. During oogenesis, the grk transcript becomes asymmetrically localized to the dorsal corner of the oocyte. We propose that the dorsal localization of grk RNA results in a spatially restricted ligand that asymmetrically activates the receptor.
Proteolytic Enzyme Activity in Fetal Pancreas and Meconium:Demonstration of plasminogen and trypsinogen activators in pancreatic tissue

Summary Proteolytic enzyme activity was evaluated in specimens of meconium or pancreas, or both, obtained from a total of 184 infants and fetuses dying neonatally. A heated fibrin plate technique was used to screen for proteolytic activity, and specific synthetic amino acid ester substrates were utilized for assaying trypsin and chymotrypsin. Proteolytic activity began to appear in meconium at the 500-g stage of fetal development. The pancreas did not manifest spontaneous proteolytic activity until the 1500-g stage of maturation, although the addition of enterokinase to pancreatic homogenates revealed the presence of trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen in fetuses as small as 500 g. The data suggest that a trypsinogen activator appears in pancreatic tissue at the 1500-g stage of fetal development, and a role for this activator in the pathogenesis of pancreatitis is postulated. The content of proteolytic enzymes in fetal pancreas did not appear to increase progressively during fetal maturation, but an increase in pancreatic proteases did appear after approximately 1 month of extrauterine life. Plasminogen activator activity was also detected in the pancreas of extremely young fetuses where the absence of proteolytic activity allowed the assay for activator to be performed.
A clustering hybrid method to identify cellular populations and their phenotypic signatures

Flow cytometers have enabled researchers to measure 8 to 16 different cellular markers at the single-cell level. Due to the encoded complexity in flow cytometry dataset across diverse cellular subtypes, new computational methods are required to extract biological insights and potentially rare subpopulations. In this paper, we present a hybrid clustering algorithm that generates a 2-dimensional distillation of flow cy-tometry data and then automatically extracts the subtypes and their phenotypic signatures based on the markers' distribution.
Evaluating Strategic Performance: Concepts and Methodology

This paper develops a general theoretical model for the measurement of strategic performance. The concepts are universal and, by applying the methodology through specific quantitative analytic methods, measurable for all forms of strategic activity. The model distinguishes three aspects of strategic performance: (i) strategy itself relative to its goals; (ii) specific executions relative to the strategy itself; and (iii) competing or alternative strategies per se. The methodology for quantifying these aspects of strategic performance is: (i) estimate a strategy’s best potential from its actual best performances; (ii) evaluate individual executions by comparing their results to their strategies’ potentials; and (iii) compare different strategies per se based on their best potentials. These general steps can be implemented by different quantitative analytic methods; one is outlined and others are indicated.The conceptual framework and derived methods address two problems. First, they provide practicable means of evaluating the three aspects of strategic performance in practice to diagnose the causes of strategic success and failure, to identify efficacious from futile strategies and effectual from unavailing execution, and to compare competing strategies. Second, they supply a fundamental theoretical deficiency common to both academic and practitioner studies which evaluate either strategy performance or execution performance while failing to control or account for the simultaneous effect of the other. These methods can also be applied to investigate broader economic issues, like risk theory or market completeness.
Macrophages and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Monocytes and macrophages make up part of the innate immune system and provide one of the first defenses against variety of treats. Macrophages can also modulate the adaptive immune system. Efficient sensing and response to tissue environmental cues highlights the complexity and dynamic nature of macrophages and their plasticity. Macrophages may have divergent roles depending on their polarity and stimulus received. Accumulating evidence demonstrates the critical role played by macrophages in tumor initiation, development, and progression. In this review, we discuss the characteristics of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and their role in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. In addition, we give an overview on recent advances related to the therapeutic implication associated with targeting TAMs in pancreas cancer.
Biopsie optique en gynécologie : l’aspect pathologie anatomique

Optical biopsy allows living tissues to be visualized in situ and in real time. Confocal endomicroscopy is already used to detect neoplastic and pre-neoplastic gastrointestinal lesions, with a precision comparable to that of conventional biopsy. Likewise, precancerous cervical lesions can be identified with fluorescence endomicroscopy. More recently, confocal microlaparoscopy using fluorescent contrast agents has been used, both in vivo and in vitro, to identify healthy and cancerous ovaries. This technique could serve for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer and preinvasive ovarian dysplasia that has already been described by histology automated image analysis (morphometry) and immunohistochemistry, particularly in women with an elevated risk of ovarian cancer. Real-time diagnosis by optical biopsy would allow the surgeon to take appropriate action in case of positive findings, and would also help to avoid unnecessary surgery. This would particularly benefit younger women wishing to preserve their fertility.
Rev. of Mammographies: The Cultural Discourses of Breast Cancer Narratives, by MARY K. DESHAZER

Mary K. DeShazer coins the term “mammographies” to refer to what she sees as a distinct, postmillennial branch of illness narratives that includes autobiographies, memoirs, and photographic narrati...
PIV Wake Measurements of a Low Aspect Ratio Circulation Control Wing with Spanwise Variation in Efflux

A stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) system was used in a low-speed wind tunnel to measure the external flowfield of a circulation control (CC) wing having an aspect ratio of 1.1. The CC wing tested had a 20% elliptic airfoil section with a trailing edge Coanda surface to increase circulation control effectiveness through a segmented, eightplenum system that could create spanwise massflow efflux profiles. Three-component wake velocity data were acquired in six station planes a quarter-chord downstream of the trailing edge. Four spanwise variations in efflux modeled uniform, linear, zero-tip, and elliptic profiles at an overall momentum coefficient of 0.09 and a Reynolds number of 970,000. The SPIV velocity data revealed the nature of the interaction of the jet with the external flowfield through the time-averaged velocity magnitude, the temporal variability, and the vorticity distribution. The results showed that the elliptical efflux profile was the most beneficial profile not only because of a reduced and more localized unsteadiness distribution, but because of the largest lift-to-drag ratio of greater than 4. The zero-tip efflux profile, thought to show promise in lift augmentation for reduced drag and noise, turned out to be the worst of the four efflux profiles tested because of low lift, high drag, and moderately high wake unsteadiness.
Spatial-Mechanical Reasoning Skills versus Mathematics Self-Confidence as Mediators of Gender Differences on Mathematics Subtests Using Cross-National Gender-Based Items

For 187 Grade 8 students, we compared spatial-mechanical skills with mathematics selfconfidence as mediators of gender differences in mathematics. Using items showing the largest male and female advantage, respectively, on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) U.S. data, we created mathematics Male and Female subtests from items on the 8th-grade TIMSS. Using path-analytic techniques, we decomposed a significant gender/mathematics correlation, favoring males, on the TIMSS-Male subtest into direct and indirect effects. We found only indirect effects. A spatial-mechanical composite accounted for 74% of the total indirect effects, whereas mathematics self-confidence accounted for 26%. By 8th grade, girls' relatively poorer spatial-mechanical skills contribute to lower scores on types of mathematics at which boys typically excel.
Implementation of a Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plan (SCAMP) for Food Challenges

Background Oral food challenges (OFCs) are routinely used to confirm ongoing food allergy. Serum-specific IgE (sIgE) and skin prick testing (SPT) are imperfect predictors of which patients will pass OFCs. Objective The objective of this study was to describe the design and implementation of a Standardized Clinical Assessment and Management Plan (SCAMP) to study and iteratively improve sIgE and SPT thresholds to determine when and where to conduct OFCs for patients. Methods Allergists consulted recommended sIgE and SPT thresholds when ordering challenges although diversions were permitted. Criteria were iteratively improved after periodic analyses of challenge outcome and diversions. Results Over 3 years, allergists ordered 2368 food challenges for 1580 patients with histories of IgE-mediated reactions to food: 1386 in an outpatient clinic and 945 in a higher resource infusion center. Reactions to challenge were observed in 13% of clinic and 23% of infusion center challenges. Six patients challenged in clinic required treatment with epinephrine compared with 22 in the infusion center. The need for epinephrine was more common in patients with asthma—5% of asthmatic patients required epinephrine compared with 1% of nonasthmatic patients ( P Conclusions By setting and continually refining sIgE and SPT recommendations using the SCAMP method, allergists can better determine the risk of severe reaction and triage patients to the appropriate setting for an OFC.
A novel low-damage vegetable gum-based fracturing fluid and its application in low-permeability reservoirs

A novel low-damage vegetable gum-based fracturing fluid was developed to meet the demand of fracturing techniques for the low-permeability reservoirs in Daqing Oilfield.The experimental research and the application of the new low-damage fracturing fluid in the low-permeability reservoirs indicated that the new vegetable gum-based fracturing fluid compared with the widely applied hydroxypropyl guar gum-based fracturing fluid had some advantages including low concentration of polymer,less residues,low damage to reservoirs and fractures,much lower cost and remarkable increase of production.The remarkable difference between the new vegetable gum-based fracturing fluid and traditional hydroxypropyl guar gum-based fracturing fluid is resulted from the difference of molecular weight and chemical structure of polymer in fracturing fluid.
Discussions about Synthesis Factors of a Type of Cationi Gemini Surfactant

An cationi gemini surfactant ethane-1,2-bis(Bromo-Geramium),denoted 12-2-12 was synthesized from 1,2-dibromoethane and Dodecyl tertiary amine.The properties of the product were characterized.The results show that the synthetic product was the target product.The best conditions for synthesis were: The reaction temperature was 70 ℃,the dug order was 1,2-dibromoethane and dodecyl tertiary amine,and the ratio was 2∶1,the continuous heating for 20 h,and the yield was 92.6%.
Assembly of the type 1 procollagen molecule: selectivity of the interactions between the alpha 1(I)- and alpha 2(I)-carboxyl propeptides.

Assembly of the heterotrimeric procollagen I molecule is initiated by interactions between the carboxyl propeptide domains of the completed nascent pro α chains. The [pro α1(I)]2[pro α2(I)] heterotrimer is the predominant molecule, with much smaller amounts of stable [pro α1(I)]3 homotrimer also being formed. However, the [pro α2(1)]3 homotrimer has not been detected, raising questions as to the mechanism of chain assembly and why [pro α2(1)]3 homotrimers are not formed. These questions have been examined here by expressing the intact and amino- or carboxyl-terminal truncated C-propeptides of the pro α chains recombinantly in bacteria and in a coupled transcription/translation reticulocyte lysate system. Their interactions were studied in vitro by binding analyses and in vivo by using the yeast two-hybrid system. The C-pro α1(1) interacted with itself, and with C-pro α2(I), as expected. Surprisingly, the C-pro α2(I) also interacted with itself, both in vitro and in vivo. While the interaction of C-pro α2(...
Electrical Excitability and Ion Channels

Publisher Summary This chapter concerns the origin of electrical potentials in such excitable cells—potentials generated by the passive diffusion of Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Cl+ ions through highly selective molecular pores in the cell plasma membrane called ion channels. Such channels play an important role in membrane excitation that is as central as the role of enzymes in metabolism. The opening and closing of spe­cific ion channels shape the membrane potential changes. The nervous system enables animals to receive and act on internal and external stimuli with speed and coordination. Activities of the nervous system are reflected in ongoing elec­trical and chemical signals. Messages travel from skin receptors through the network as a volley of electrical disturbances, terminating in contraction of specific muscles. The membrane potential does not change unless there is a net charge movement across the membrane. During a propagated action potential, ion channels permeable to Na+ opens, some Na+ enters the fiber, and the membrane poten­tial swings transiently toward ENa. When these pores close again, the membrane potential returns to rest near EK and ECl. During activity, the extra ion fluxes impose an extra load on the Na+/K+ pump and the Ca2+ pump, consuming ATP and stimulating an extra burst of cellular oxygen consumption until the original gradients are restored.
Helium Release During Shale Deformation: Experimental Validation

This work describes initial experimental results of helium tracer release monitoring during deformation of shale. Naturally occurring radiogenic 4He is present in high concentration in most shales. During rock deformation, accumulated helium could be released as fractures are created and new transport pathways are created. We present the results of an experimental study in which confined reservoir shale samples, cored parallel and perpendicular to bedding, which were initially saturated with helium to simulate reservoir conditions, are subjected to triaxial compressive deformation. During the deformation experiment, differential stress, axial and radial strains are systematically tracked. Release of helium is dynamically measured using a helium mass spectrometer leak detector. Helium released during deformation is observable at the laboratory scale and the release is tightly coupled to the shale deformation. These first measurements of dynamic helium release from rocks undergoing deformation show that helium provides information on the evolution of microstructure as a function of changes in stress and strain. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Prosimian Primates as Models of Laterality

Abstract Prosimians are the most distantly related primates to humans and are unique subjects for studies of behavioral asymmetries. This chapter outlines the values of research from prosimians toward evolutionary models of hemispheric specialization in primates. We first review the evidence of functional asymmetries including handedness in prosimians. We next summarize the influence of posture and arousal on the strength and direction of hand preferences. In addition, the influence of age and sex on behavioral asymmetries and handedness are discussed in the context of lateralization being exhibited as a whole body phenomenon.
The interaction between EU biofuel policy and first- and second-generation biodiesel production

We build a tractable partial equilibrium model to study the interactions between the EU biofuel policies (mandate and double-counting of second-generation biofuels) and first- and second-generation biodiesel production. We find that increasing the biodiesel mandate results in a higher share of first-generation biodiesel in total diesel fuel, but leads to a lower share of second-generation biodiesel. The double-counting policy supports the production of second-generation biodiesel at the expense of a lower share of first-generation biodiesel, and increases the consumption of fossil diesel as compared to treating first- and second-generation biodiesel equally. Finally, improved collection of used cooking oil reduces the price of oilseeds and oils thereof, the prices of both biofuel types, and negligibly also the consumer fuel price.
Intelligent State Space Pruning with local search for power system reliability evaluation

A methodology called Intelligent State Space Pruning (ISSP) has recently been developed and applied in order to reduce the computational resources necessary to achieve convergence when using non-sequential Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS). The main application of this algorithm has been the probabilistic evaluation of composite power system reliability. ISSP has been shown to perform differently when implemented using different population based metaheuristic algorithms, though computation resources are typically reduced by more than 50%. This reduction in computation resources is particularly important when considering the smart grid - a system whose complexity will be far beyond that of the present power grid. In order to further this line of research, this paper focuses on four contributions: 1) The presentation of a binary version of the deterministic Central Force Optimization (CFO) optimization algorithm, 2) The role of this new algorithm regarding ISSP, 3) The integration of a local search technique with three flavors of the ISSP algorithm in order to improve performance, and 4) A discussion of the role that ISSP may play in the reliability evaluation of the smart grid.
The Allure of “Molecular Videos”: In situ Infrared Spectroscopy of Polymerization Processes

In situ infrared spectroscopy permits the real-time elucidation of polymerization kinetics and mechanisms for a wide range of polymerization processes. Both near- and mid-infrared spectroscopy have been utilized for the investigation of living ionic polymerizations. The essential determinations of pseudo first order polymerization kinetics that are consistent with living mechanisms and monomer conversion profiles facilitated the discovery of novel block and star copolymers. Real time determination of polymerization rates for stable free radical polymerizations of styrene and 2-vinylnaphthalene has provided significant insight regarding nitroxide mediation in free radical polymerization processes. Free radical alternating copolymerization of norbornenes with maleic anhydride was also investigated and In situ mid-infrared spectroscopic analysis has been vital for mechanistic studies of this copolymerization process. In addition, mid-infrared spectroscopy of melt phase polyester polymerizations via acidolysis allowed the identification of suitable polycondensation catalysts and the nature of the heterogeneous polymerization environment at 300 °C.
Ambient-Temperature Energy Storage with Polyvalent Metal-Sulfur Chemistry

Electrochemical energy storage with ambient- or room-temperature (RT) non-aqueous sulfur chemistry has attracted much attention. In addition to the great attention to lithium–sulfur chemistry and sodium–sulfur chemistry, the attention toward polyvalent metal–sulfur chemistry has increased. RT sulfur batteries with magnesium, calcium, and aluminum anodes are of particular interest. In comparison to alkali metal (lithium and sodium) anodes, magnesium, calcium, and aluminum offer multiple advantageous features in terms of safety, abundance, and cost. Therefore, rechargeable battery systems with magnesium–sulfur (Mg–S), calcium–sulfur (Ca–S), and aluminum–sulfur (Al–S) chemistries are promising low-cost options for large-scale electrical energy storage. However, the research on these battery chemistries/technologies is still in its infancy and is currently hampered by many critical challenges. Here, the historical development, fundamental principles, recent progress, and key challenges of Mg–S, Ca–S, and Al–S batteries are summarized. Similarities and differences between the alkali metal (Li, Na, and K)–sulfur chemistries and the polyvalent metal (Mg, Ca, and Al)–sulfur chemistries are discussed. Finally, future research and development directions are suggested.
Exploding the Hierarchical Fallacy: The Significance of Foundation-Level Courses.

• Reform in American higher education depends on recognizing freshman courses as the foundation of higher-order thinking and learning.• Reexamining and reassigning prestige in higher education can ...
Thermotropic Liquid Crystals VI. The Preparation and Mesophase Properties of Asymmetrically 4,4′-Disubstituted Phenyl Benzoates

We have undertaken preparation of complete series of 4,4′-di-substituted phenyl benzoates, 1, and their thermal characterization to test the effect of terminal alkyl group branching at various positions with respect to the aromatic ring. We also wished to establish which of these compounds would be most useful in more detailed physical studies of structure and conformation1–3. Some members of these series for which substituents are normal alkyl and/or alkoxyl groups have been reported by other investigators4,5.
Nonlinear frequency modulation using fourier sine series

Nonlinear Frequency Modulated (NLFM) waveforms utilize a nonlinear modulation function to achieve a tapered spectrum which results in low Auto-Correlation Function (ACF) sidelobes. Previous efforts in the literature have mostly focused on designing NLFM modulation functions which result in a spectral shape that closely resembles the many known amplitude tapering functions encountered in spectral analysis. This work presents a NLFM waveform design method where the modulation function possesses a Linear FM (LFM) component plus a nonlinear perturbation expressed as a Fourier sine series. The Fourier coefficients are used as a discrete set of parameters that may be adapted to directly synthesize NLFM waveforms with low ACF sidelobes. This paper evaluates this method by synthesizing NLFM waveforms for a variety of Time-Bandwidth Products (TBPs) and additionally analyzes the Doppler sensitivity of the resulting NLFM designs.
Abstract 476: A human scFv as a tool to understand the biogenesis of a subset of oncogenic microRNAs

Trans-acting factors such as RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and microRNAs (miRNA) have recently been recognized as prime regulators of gene expression during tumorigenesis. Nucleolin (NCL) is the most abundant nucleolar RNA-binding protein, controlling critical cellular processes such as chromatin remodeling, ribosome biogenesis and miRNA biogenesis. In the cytoplasm, NCL regulates gene expression post-transcriptionally by controlling mRNA stability and/or translation via ARE- and miRNA-mediated pathways. In contrast, NCL at the cell surface plays pivotal roles in cancer progression and metastasis in many types of tumors. Therefore, surface-NCL is an appealing target for cancer therapy. Earlier our group described 4LB5, a human-derived single chain fragment variable (scFv) that specifically targets surface-NCL exerting cytotoxic effects, both in vitro and in vivo. We have identified the central RNA-binding domains (RBD1-4) of NCL as 4LB5-interacting sites. 4LB5-mediated blocking of NCL-RBDs significantly impairs the biogenesis of a subset of oncogenic miRNAs, such as miR-21, -221 and -222, and their binding to the microprocessor complex. The structural fold of all the 4 RBDs is highly conserved, but there are significant differences in their sequences. RBD1-2 have been well studied in their mechanism and capability to form high-affinity RNA-binding complexes, but RBD 3-4 have not been explored to the same extent. We hypothesize that consecutive or selective combinations of RBDs in NCL might have distinct roles in RNA biology. NCL RBD1-2 domains are well documented in the literature for their high affinity for mRNAs and rRNAs. However, RNA-specificity on NCL-RBDs has yet to be elucidated. In this study, we used protein-antibody and protein-RNA docking analyses to identify potential differential binding affinities between multiple NCL modules (RDB1-2, RBD3-4 and RBD1-4) and either 4LB5 or miRNAs. In silico results were also evaluated by multiple biochemical assays (ELISA, Surface Plasmon Resonance, Pull-Down and Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays) using NCL Modules, 4LB5 and RNA molecules. Finally, competition assays were performed to assess ability of our scFv to impair miRNA binding to NCL. Our results indicate the importance of the NCL region targeted by 4LB5 in microRNA maturation. Functional studies will help us to better elucidate the biologic role of NCL RBDs, and their involvement in cancer pathogenesis. Citation Format: Valerio Embrione, Michael Scarpati, Zachary D. Uzzel, Rahimah Ahmad, Fortuna A. De Sury, Tyler J. Sheetz, Vincenzo Coppola, Shaneen M. Singh, Anjana D. Saxena, Carlo M. Croce, Dario Palmieri. A human scFv as a tool to understand the biogenesis of a subset of oncogenic microRNAs [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 476.
Wang Mang, the Socialist Emperor of Nineteen Centuries Ago

In the year 71 B.C., there was born in the Wang family of Yuen-ch’eng (元城) a little girl who was destined to rule over the Han Empire for almost 40 years and to found a new dynasty which was to last 15 years. This girl grew up in a family of four daughters and eight sons, and was educated in the arts of writing and harp-playing. At the age of 17, she was sent to the Imperial Court as one of the Court Maidens. In the following year, she was selected by the Emperor Hsuan Ti (宣帝) as one of the five maidens to be given to the Heir Apparent, who had been much grieved by the death of his favourite concubine. She soon won the love of the Heir Apparent and in the year 51 B.C. gave birth to a son, the first male grand-child of the Emperor. In 48 B.C., the Emperor died and the Heir Apparent came to the throne, whose posthumous title was Yuen Ti (元帝). In the same year, Lady Wang was made Empress and her son, Heir Apparent.
Integrated Irrigation and Drainage Water Management

Solutions for salinity problems of irrigated crop production in semiarid areas begin with proper on-farm water management, both irrigation and drainage. San Joaquin Valley has been in the forefront of upgrading the water use efficiencies through improvements in irrigation scheduling in time and amount of water application. To minimize the harmful impacts of drainage water disposals, the water table control and drainage water reuses are being widely adopted.
How Should Physicians Help Patients Who Are Ill Because They Work in Agriculture

Occupational health issues are not just common for farmworkers; they are practically unavoidable. Farmworkers who seek treatment for work-related injury or illness are often unable to meaningfully reduce their exposure to risk factors without further jeopardizing their already fragile well-being and tenuous livelihoods. This case commentary addresses why and how physicians presented with patients who are ill because they work in agriculture should adjust their clinical practices to better meet the unique challenges faced by this patient population. In recognition of physicians' ethical duty to participate in activities to protect and promote the health of the public, this commentary also recommends specific actions that medical professionals can take to support systemic change that would improve farmworker health and well-being.
Welcome and Introduction

On behalf of the University of Washington, the City of Seattle, the sponsors and donors, and my co-organizers, I am delighted to welcome all of you to this Conference on Genetic Control of Environmental Pollutants. My only regret is that Dr, Alexander Hollaender, who has inspired so many of us as young scientists and stimulated so many trail-blazing conferences in environmental sciences and in genetic engineering, is ill and was unable to make the trip to Seattle. He sends his warm good wishes for an outstanding meeting and a fine volume.
Temporal nature of insulin binding and insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism in isolated swine adipocytes.

Insulin binding and insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism were measured in swine adipocytes isolated from adipose tissue obtained by biopsy on 4 successive days. These characteristics were also measured in adipose tissue obtained on the 5th d immediately after exsanguination. Binding of 125I-insulin was measured at three different concentrations of unlabeled insulin (0, 1, 100 ng/ml) on each day. Specific binding (pg bound . 2 X 10(5) adipocytes-1 X 90 min-1) was not different (P greater than .05) for each insulin concentration among the 5 d. Specifically bound insulin increased (P less than .05) with increasing insulin concentration. The effects of insulin (0, 1, 100 ng/ml) on glucose oxidation and glucose conversion to lipid were also examined in biopsy (B) and postmortem (PM) adipocytes. For a respective insulin concentration, there was no difference in glucose oxidation or lipid synthesis over the 5-d (four B, one PM) sampling period. Lipid synthesis was stimulated by the presence of insulin (P less than .05; 1 and 100 ng/ml) when compared with basal incubations; however, glucose oxidation was unaffected by the presence of insulin. There was no difference in lipid synthetic rates between 1 and 100 ng/ml of insulin. The responsiveness of glucose oxidation and lipid synthesis to insulin in PM samples was identical to that for adipocytes from B samples. These results indicate: 1) that glucose metabolism and insulin binding to adipocytes isolated from swine adipose tissue obtained by biopsy did not differ from that in tissue samples obtained shortly after death and 2) that insulin-stimulated glucose metabolism and insulin binding did not fluctuate appreciably over a 5-d period when adipose tissue was obtained at the same time each day.
Therapeutic plasma exchange - A brief review of indications, urgency, schedule, and technical aspects.

Abstract The American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) regularly publishes evidence-based guidelines, with the most recent edition in 2016, to assist the requesting and/or apheresis physicians with the evaluation of therapeutic apheresis. Given that therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is one of the most common therapeutic apheresis procedures, in this review, we discuss the rationale of TPE in both ASFA category I (first-line therapy) and II (second-line therapy) indications. However, the ASFA Guidelines usually provide little guidance with regard to scheduling/urgency issues. Given that mobilizing resources to perform apheresis after-hours may be expensive and challenging, we classified the urgency of the procedures in this review into 3 distinct groups: emergent (i.e. TPE should be started as soon as possible, preferably within 4–6 h upon request), urgent (i.e. TPE should be initiated within 24 h of request), and routine (i.e. TPE may be performed during regular working hours) based on our experiences in clinical practices. A brief discussion of the technical aspects as well as important considerations for an apheresis consultation is also provided.
Mutated CALR: tails from the crypt

The discovery by exome sequencing that calreticulin ( CALR ) gene mutations are important gain-of-function myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) driver mutations 1,2 was as inexplicable as it was unexpected. In this issue of Blood , Pecquet et al 3 report that mutated CALR behaves like a rogue chaperone, usurping the role of JAK2 and promiscuously transporting immature or traffic-defective thrombopoietin receptors (TpoRs) to the cell surface from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (see figure).
Mitochondrial DNA determines androgen sensitivity in prostate cancer cell lines

1024 Prostate cancer progresses from an androgen-dependent stage to androgen-independent after androgen ablation therapy. Mitochondrial DNA plays a role in cell death and metastatic competence. Further, heteroplasmic large deletion mitochondrial DNA is very common in prostate cancer. To investigate the role of mitochondrial DNA in androgen dependence of prostate cancers, we tested the changes of normal and deleted mitochondrial DNA in accordance with the progression of prostate cancer. We demonstrate that androgen-independent cell line C4-2, established by inoculation of androgen-dependent LNCaP into castrated mice, as compared with LNCaP, have 8 times reduced expression of normal mitochondrial DNA associated with an accumulation of large deletion. C4-2 has a marked decrease in respiratory function possibly due to the change of mitochondrial DNA. Strikingly, depletion of mitochondrial DNA from androgen-dependent LNCaP resulted in a loss of androgen dependence. Reconstitution of normal mitochondrial DNA to mitochondrial DNA-depleted clone restored androgen dependence. These results indicate that mitochondrial DNA determines androgen dependence of prostate cancer cell lines. Further, mitochondrial DNA-deficient cells formed tumors in castrated athymic mice, whereas LNCaP did not. The accumulation of large deletion and depletion of mitochondrial DNA may thus play a role in the development of androgen independence and progression of prostate cancers.
An 8-Year Longitudinal Analysis of Physical Activity and Bone Strength From Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood: The Iowa Bone Development Study.

PURPOSE Most pediatric physical activity and bone health research has focused on the period immediately around puberty; few have addressed bone structural strength outcomes. This study assessed the magnitude and consistency of the longitudinal relationships between device-measured vigorous-intensity physical activity (VPA) and structural bone strength outcomes across adolescence to emerging adulthood. METHODS Participants with 3 to 5 bone scans between the age of 11 and 19 years were studied (N = 439, 220 females, 1838 records). Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans of the hip (hip structural analysis) and peripheral quantitative computed tomography scans of the tibia were obtained. Outcomes included femoral neck section modulus, femoral neck cross-sectional area, tibial Bone Strength Index, and tibial torsion strength (polar Strength Strain Index). Sex-specific bone mixed growth models were developed using biological age (chronological age - age at peak height velocity) as the time variable, and height, weight, and device-measured VPA as time-varying covariates. Models also included the VPA-biological age interaction. RESULTS Individual-centered VPA and the VPA-biological age interaction were significantly, positively associated (P < .05) with Bone Strength Index, polar Strength Strain Index, section modulus, and cross-sectional area in males and females, indicating accumulative effects of VPA throughout maturation and beyond. CONCLUSION Bone remains responsive to the mechanical loading of physical activity throughout adolescence and into emerging adulthood. Attention should be placed on promoting bone-strengthening physical activity after the prepubertal years when adult exercise patterns are likely formed.