cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Uncertain Analysis of a Stationary Solar Compound Parabolic Concentrator PV Collector System Using Fuzzy Set Theory

The uncertain analysis of fixed solar compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) collector system is investigated for use in combination with solar PV cells. Within solar CPC PV collector systems, any radiation within the collector acceptance angle enters through the aperture and finds its way to the absorber surface by multiple internal reflections. It is essential that the design of any solar collector aims to maximize PV performance since this will elicit a higher collection of solar radiation. In order to analyze uncertainty of the solar CPC collector system in the optimization problem formulation, three objectives are outlined. Seasonal demands are considered for maximizing two of these objectives, the annual average incident solar energy and the lowest month incident solar energy during winter; the lowest cost of the CPC collector system is approached as a third objective. This study investigates uncertain analysis of a solar CPC PV collector system using fuzzy set theory. The fuzzy analysis methodology is suitable for ambiguous problems to predict variations. Uncertain parameters are treated as random variables or uncertain inputs to predict performance. The fuzzy membership functions are used for modeling uncertain or imprecise design parameters of a solar PV collector system. Triangular membership functions are used to represent the uncertain parameters as fuzzy quantities. A fuzzy set analysis methodology is used for analyzing the three objective constrained optimization problems.
Sobre la música popular en la teoría poscolonial

This essay argues that while most scholars in this area treat music as an example of race, racial embodiment, and racial politics, this “example” model inaccurately treats each area (race, music, and sometimes gender) as a distinct discourse. If what is at stake in defining what constitutes music and what constitutes race is fundamentally the same issue — the determination of the relationship between raced, colonized, or resonating bodies and the social forces which operate in, through, and on these bodies— then the relationship between raced and resonating bodies is not so much exemplary or representative as it is what I call “coincident.” While Angela Davis’ Blues Legacies and Black Feminism (1998) explicitly examines the coincidence of gender, race, and class as it is “expressed” in the music of Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday, it also implicitly begins to draw out the coincidence of gender, race, and class with the discourses and practices which came to constitute “the blues.” Thus, I turn to this text as an instance of how the “example” model is transformed into a coincidental or conjectural model of the relationships among race, class, gender, and music. I have adopted the term “coincidence” to describe the relationships among race, gender, and music because it is a more accurate metaphor than the widely used and critiqued language of intersectionality.
Butterfly Mimicry Polymorphisms Highlight Phylogenetic Limits of Gene Reuse in the Evolution of Diverse Adaptations

Some genes have repeatedly been found to control diverse adaptations in a wide variety of organisms. Such gene reuse reveals not only the diversity of phenotypes these unique genes control but also the composition of developmental gene networks and the genetic routes available to and taken by organisms during adaptation. However, the causes of gene reuse remain unclear. A small number of large-effect Mendelian loci control a huge diversity of mimetic butterfly wing color patterns, but reasons for their reuse are difficult to identify because the genetic basis of mimicry has primarily been studied in two systems with correlated factors: female-limited Batesian mimicry in Papilio swallowtails (Papilionidae) and non-sex-limited Mullerian mimicry in Heliconius longwings (Nymphalidae). Here, we break the correlation between phylogenetic relationship and sex-limited mimicry by identifying loci controlling female-limited mimicry polymorphism Hypolimnas misippus (Nymphalidae) and non-sex-limited mimicry polymorphism in Papilio clytia (Papilionidae). The Papilio clytia polymorphism is controlled by the genome region containing the gene cortex, the classic P supergene in Heliconius numata, and loci controlling color pattern variation across Lepidoptera. In contrast, female-limited mimicry polymorphism in Hypolimnas misippus is associated with a locus not previously implicated in color patterning. Thus, although many species repeatedly converged on cortex and its neighboring genes over 120 My of evolution of diverse color patterns, female-limited mimicry polymorphisms each evolved using a different gene. Our results support conclusions that gene reuse occurs mainly within ∼10 My and highlight the puzzling diversity of genes controlling seemingly complex female-limited mimicry polymorphisms.
Reaction cycle and thermodynamics in bacteriorhodopsin.

Light causes the all-trans to 13-cis isomerization of the retinal in bacteriorhodopsin; the thermal relaxation leading back to the initial state drives proton transport first via proton transfer between the retinal Schiff base and D85 and then between the Schiff base and D96. The reaction sequence and thermodynamics of this photocycle are described by measuring time-resolved absorption changes with a gated multichannel analyzer between 100 ns and 100 ms, at six temperatures between 5 degrees C and 30 degrees C. Analysis of the energetics of the chromophore reaction sequence is on the basis of a recently proposed model (Varo & Lanyi, Biochemistry 30, 5016-5022, 1991) which consists of a single cycle and many reversible reactions: BR -hv-->K L M1-->M2 N O-->BR. The existence of the M1-->M2 reaction, which functions as the switch in the proton transfer, is confirmed by spectroscopic evidence. The calculated thermodynamic parameters indicate that the exchange of free energy between the protein and the protons is at the switch step. Further, a large entropy decrease at this reaction suggests a protein conformation change which will conserve delta G for driving the completion of the reaction cycle. The results provide insights to mechanism and energy coupling in this system, with possible relevance to the general question of how ion pumps function.
Interperforming in AI: question of ‘natural’ in machine learning and recurrent neural networks

This article offers a critical inquiry of contemporary neural network models as an instance of machine learning, from an interdisciplinary perspective of AI studies and performativity. It shows the limits on the architecture of these network systems due to the misemployment of ‘natural’ performance, and it offers ‘context’ as a variable from a performative approach, instead of a constant. The article begins with a brief review of machine learning-based natural language processing systems and continues with a concentration on the relevant model of recurrent neural networks, which is applied in most commercial research such as Facebook AI Research. It demonstrates that the logic of performativity is not brought into account in all recurrent nets, which is an integral part of human performance and languaging, and it argues that recurrent network models, in particular, fail to grasp human performativity. This logic works similarly to the theory of performativity articulated by Jacques Derrida in his critique of John L. Austin’s concept of the performative. Applying Jacques Derrida’s work on performativity, and linguistic traces as spatially organized entities that allow for this notion of performance, the article argues that recurrent nets fall into the trap of taking ‘context’ as a constant, of treating human performance as a ‘natural’ fix to be encoded, instead of performative. Lastly, the article applies its proposal more concretely to the case of Facebook AI Research’s Alice and Bob.
Treatment effect of guided tissue regeneration on the horizontal and vertical components of furcation defects: A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND Identifying factors affecting the treatment outcomes of guided tissue regeneration (GTR) in furcation defects is imperative in order to obtain predictable regeneration outcomes. The aims of this study were to evaluate the clinical outcomes and survival of furcation-involved teeth treated with GTR, and potential factors affecting the results. METHODS Furcation defects treated with GTR using an allogeneic cancellous bone graft and covered by an absorbable membrane with at least 1-year follow-up were selected. All data relative to the clinical outcomes were recorded. Analyses were conducted to evaluate the immediate (1-year post-op) clinical outcomes and the long-term (the last assessment time) survival of the treated teeth. The effect of variables on the 1-year post-op clinical attachment level (CAL) changes and the tooth survival were assessed via multi-level regression analyses and Cox Proportional-Hazards Models. RESULTS Ninety-eight treated defects were selected. The average follow-up was 5.3 ± 4.3 years. At the 1-year post-surgical recall, 1.23 ± 1.48 mm CAL gain was observed (P < 0.05). The 5- and 10-year survival rates of the treated teeth were 86.5% and 74.3%, respectively. The vertical component of the defect and the location of the furcation were significantly related to the post-surgical 1-year CAL gain, whereas membrane exposure significantly affected tooth survival. CONCLUSION Within the limitations of this study, data suggests GTR using allogeneic cancellous bone graft and absorbable collagen membrane to be a viable option for treating furcation-involved teeth if the defect morphology and the location of the defect are favorable.
Characteristics of Sexual Partnerships Among Men With Diagnosed HIV Who Have Sex With Men, United States and Puerto Rico-2015-2019.

Background Understanding sexual partnerships of HIV-positive persons, particularly at the dyad level, can help in quantifying HIV transmission risk. We described sexual partnerships among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM), including partnerships with a high risk for sexual HIV transmission. Setting The Medical Monitoring Project is an annual, cross-sectional study that reports representative estimates on U.S. HIV-positive adults. Methods During 2015-2019, we assessed sexual behaviors by interview, and viral load results from medical records. Among sexually active HIV-positive MSM (n = 4923), we described prevalence of high-risk sex, defined as: (1) not having sustained viral suppression, and (2) having condomless sex with an HIV-negative partner not known to be taking pre-exposure prophylaxis or an HIV-unknown partner. We described sexual partnerships among HIV-positive MSM (n = 13,024 partnerships among 4923 MSM). For HIV-discordant partnerships (n = 7768), we reported the proportion involved in high-risk sex, and associations with high-risk sex using prevalence ratios with predicted marginal means, controlling for age of the HIV-positive partner (P Results More than half (66%) of sexually active HIV-positive MSM had condomless sex; 11% had high-risk sex. Blacks were more likely to have detectable viral loads, but less likely to have condomless sex, making prevalence of high-risk sex comparable between racial/ethnic groups. Dyad-level analyses among HIV-discordant partnerships indicated that prevalence of high-risk sex was higher among partnerships with HIV-positive white MSM, which was not observed using person-level data alone. Conclusions In the context of ending the HIV epidemic, behavioral and clinical surveillance data can help monitor HIV transmission risk and target prevention efforts to reduce transmission among populations at disproportionate risk.
Legacy Motives at Work: Creating Meaning and Increasing Job Satisfaction

In this paper, we propose a novel and powerful way to create meaning in organizations and enhance job satisfaction by connecting two areas that have to date been studied only in parallel: the liter...
Enabling Decision and Objective Space Exploration for Interactive Multi-Objective Refactoring

Due to the conflicting nature of quality measures, there are always multiple refactoring options to fix quality issues. Thus, interaction with developers is critical to inject their preferences. While several interactive techniques have been proposed, developers still need to examine large numbers of possible refactorings, which makes the interaction time-consuming. Furthermore, existing interactive tools are limited to the "objective space" to show developers the impacts of refactorings on quality attributes. However, the "decision space" is also important since developers may want to focus on specific code locations. In this paper, we propose an interactive approach that enables developers to pinpoint their preference simultaneously in the objective (quality metrics) and decision (code location) spaces. Developers may be interested in looking at refactoring strategies that can improve a specific quality attribute, such as extendibility (objective space), but they are related to different code locations (decision space). A plethora of solutions is generated at first using multi-objective search that tries to find the possible trade-offs between quality objectives. Then, an unsupervised learning algorithm clusters the trade-off solutions based on their quality metrics, and another clustering algorithm is applied to each cluster of the objective space to identify solutions related to different code locations. The objective and decision spaces can now be explored more efficiently by the developer, who can give feedback on a smaller number of solutions. This feedback is then used to generate constraints for the optimization process, to focus on the developer's regions of interest in both the decision and objective spaces. The manual validation of selected refactoring solutions by developers confirms that our approach outperforms state of the art refactoring techniques.
Abstract 13871: Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell-derived Interferons Mediate Myocardial Ischemia-reperfusion Injury by Activating Type I Interferon Receptor

Introduction: We have previously demonstrated type I interferon (IFN-I) is elevated during and mediates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Hypothesis: Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs)...
A Balanced Analysis Approach to Strategic Electronic Commerce Decisions: A Framework of the Evaluation Method

This chapter presents a comprehensive model for optimal electronic commerce strategy and extends the relatively novel Analytic Network Process (ANP) approach to solving quantitative and qualitative complex decisions in electronic commerce strategy. A systematic framework for the identification, classification and evaluation of electronic commerce (e-commerce) strategy using the Internet as an information, communication, distribution, or transaction channel that is interdependent with generic business strategies is proposed. The proposed methodology could help researchers and practitioners understand the relation between the benefits organizations seek from an information technology and the strategies they attempt to accomplish with the technology. As companies all over the world come out of restructuring, downsizing and business process reengineering, many are realizing that in order to achieve a competitive edge they must formulate and implement strategies based on innovation and development of e-commerce. This chapter identifies and analyzes the methodology for synergistic integration of business and Internet domain strategies.
Prevalence of Forceps Polypectomy of Non-Diminutive Polyps is Substantial but Modifiable

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND AIMS The use of forceps for removal of non-diminutive polyps is associated with incomplete resection compared to snare polypectomy. However, few studies have characterized the frequency of forceps polypectomy for non-diminutive polyps or identified strategies to improve this practice. To address this gap, we estimated prevalence and predictors of forceps polypectomy in clinical practice and examined the effectiveness of a multi-component intervention to reduce inappropriate forceps polypectomy. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed all colonoscopies with polypectomies performed at two U.S. health systems between 10/1/2017 and 9/30/2019. We used a mixed-effects logistic regression model to examine the effect of a multi-component intervention, including provider education and a financial incentive, to reduce inappropriate forceps polypectomy, defined as use of forceps polypectomy for polyps ≥5mm. RESULTS A total of 9968 colonoscopies with 25534 polypectomies were performed by 42 gastroenterologists during the study period. Overall, 8.5% (n=2176) of polyps were removed with inappropriate forceps polypectomy. Inappropriate forceps polypectomy significantly decreased after the intervention (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.30-0.39), from 11.4% (n=1539) to 5.3% (n=637). Predictors of inappropriate forceps polypectomy included: inadequate bowel prep (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.06 – 1.47), polyps in the right colon (vs. left: OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.09 – 1.51), and number of polyps removed (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94 – 0.97). Inappropriate forceps polypectomy also varied by gastroenterologist (median odds ratio 3.43). In a post-hoc analysis, the proportion of polyps >2mm removed with forceps decreased from 50.0% before the intervention to 43.0% after it (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.58-0.68). CONCLUSIONS Inappropriate forceps polypectomy is common but modifiable. The proportion of non-diminutive polyps removed with forceps polypectomy should be considered as a quality measure.
Expand Or Revise? The Evolutionary Synthesis Today

A review of Evolution: The Extended Synthesis. Edited by Massimo Pigliucci and Gerd B. Muller. Cambridge (Massachusetts): MIT Press. $35.00. viii 495 p.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-0-26251367-8. 2010. The “Modern Synthesis” (Huxley 1942) or “Evolutionary Synthesis” (Mayr and Provine 1980) that transpired in the 1930s and 1940s is generally considered the first major advance in evolutionary biology after Darwin’s great work. Its major accomplishments were the formulation of a theory of evolutionary processes by joining Mendelian genetics and Darwin’s theory (especially natural selection), the interpretation of the observations of paleontologists, systematists, and naturalists in terms of this theory, and the rejection of some anti-Darwinian ideas, such as neo-Lamarckism, orthogenesis, and the radical saltationism associated with Goldschmidt’s “systemic mutation” and “hopeful monsters.” The Modern Synthesis (MS) occurred before there existed any glimmering of the molecular basis of heredity, but nevertheless could later accommodate newly discovered phenomena such as transposable elements. Even today, the population genetic theory of the MS remains intact, although it is now the foundation for a greatly expanded superstructure. In contrast to genetics, development entered the MS chiefly in phenomenological terms, such as allometry and heterochrony, mostly in a macroevolutionary context. Experimental embryologists described phenomena such as gradients and induction, but hardly anything was known of the mechanisms of development, and so little could be said about the mechanistic basis of phenotypic evolution. With some notable exceptions (Collins 1986), ecology remained distant from evolutionary studies; the study of genetics and natural selection in natural populations had only just begun. Under these circumstances, the chief aim of forward-thinking evolutionary biologists had to be formulating and establishing a rigorous, genetically informed theory of evolutionary processes that could account for adaptation and speciation. During the 1950s and early 1960s, much of the research in evolutionary biology was directed toward developing evidence on major themes of the MS: documenting selection in natural populations, describing and attempting to account for genetic variation, and characterizing reproductive isolation and the geographic setting of speciation. Broad though their vision was, the architects of the MS focused on a narrower range of questions than Darwin had or than their successors would. Beginning in the 1960s, evolutionary science expanded greatly. For example, population genetics and ecology were united as “population biology,” later expanding into “evolutionary ecology” that applied evolutionary thinking to community ecology. The adaptive evolution of classes of phenotypic traits, based explicitly on individual selection, was the focus of new fields such as life-history evolution and behavioral ecology. The first steps were
Unresolved issues in the first five years of the rubella immunization program

Despite extensive use of atttenuated rubella vaccine during the past five years, the degree of fetal risk in susceptible women inoculated early in pregnancy is still an unresolved issue. Although there is considerable evidence of chronic vaccine virus infection of the products of gestation in aborted fetuses, congenital defects have not yet been reported in the newborn infants of susceptible vaccinated pregnant women. The normal findings in the newborn infant can be misleading with respect to the safety of the vaccines in early pregnancy, because they represent only a small selected group of reported cases. The immediate need is for more complete reporting of all relevant cases wherever they occur in order to determine without many more years of delay whether the fetal risk has public health significance or is so low as to be of negligible importance.
Influence of Steel Reinforcement on In-Situ Stress Evaluation in Concrete Structures by the Core-Drilling Method

The core‐drilling method is an emerging technique for evaluating in‐situ stress in a concrete structure. A small hole is drilled into the structure, and the deformations in the vicinity of the hole are measured and related via elasticity theory to the stress. The method is similar to the ASTM hole‐drilling strain‐gauge method excepting that displacements rather than strains are the measured quantities. The technique may be considered nondestructive since the ability of the structure to perform its function is unaffected, and the hole is easily repaired. Displacement measurements in the current work are performed using 3D digital image correlation and industrial photogrammetry. The current paper addresses perturbations in the method caused by steel reinforcement within the concrete. The reinforcement is significantly stiffer than the surrounding concrete, altering the expected displacement field. A numerical investigation performed indicates an under‐prediction of stress by as much as 18 percent in a heavily reinforced structure, although the effect is significantly smaller for more common amounts of reinforcement.
Facultative nocturnal behaviour in snakes: experimental examination of why and how with Ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta) and Racers (Coluber constrictor)

Diel activity patterns are often fixed within species such that most animals can be classified as diurnal, crepuscular, or nocturnal, and have sensory abilities that reflect when they are active. However, many snake species appear capable of switching between diurnal and nocturnal activity. Here, we evaluate the hypothesis that some species are constrained in their activity by the sensory cues used for foraging. We experimentally assessed differences between two sympatric snake species in their ability to alter diel activity patterns, to address why those snakes that switch do so (do thermal constraints force them to be active in otherwise nonpreferred conditions?), and to explore how sensory abilities to locate prey facilitate or constrain this shift. Ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta (Say in James, 1823)) were active when temperature was optimal, regardless of light level, suggesting their activity pattern is genuinely plastic. Consistent with our predictions, Ratsnakes successfully detected prey in low and hi...
Pathophysiology of chest trauma

Recent information indicates that there is a complex cellular and molecular generic response to injury that can lead to multi-organ failure. For many years, basic physiology and biochemistry were considered to be the systemic mechanisms to injury, but now it is known that subcellular and molecular events are the keys to unlocking the secrets of the body's response to trauma. The interaction of the endothelial cell with neutrophils and platelets to produce cytokines, free radicals, and upregulating adhesion molecules is especially significant.
The influence of enteral feedings on sustained-release theophylline absorption.

In a randomized, crossover study the influence of enteral feedings (Ensure) on the absorption of theophylline from a sustained-release preparation (Theo-24) was evaluated. Six healthy, male subjects, age 22 to 37 years, participated. In phase 1 the subjects received a single oral dose of Theo-24 6 mg/kg with 100 ml of water at 8:00 A.M. In phase 2, they received 100 ml boluses of Ensure hourly, beginning 3 hours prior to the oral dose and continuing for a total of 1000 ml. In phase 3, subjects received a single 30-minute intravenous infusion of an equivalent dose of aminophylline. After each dose, serial blood samples were collected for 72 hours. No statistically significant differences in area under the curve (AUC infinity 0) (126.0 vs 127.3 micrograms hr/ml), maximum concentration (3.80 vs 4.08 micrograms/ml), or time to peak plasma level (13 vs 11 hrs) were found between phases 1 and 2. Mean AUC infinity 0 for the intravenous phase (161.4 micrograms hr/ml) was significantly higher than the AUC for either oral study (p less than 0.05). The mean bioavailability was 81% for phase 1 and 80% for phase 2. Percent absorbed versus time plots revealed no difference in rate of absorption between treatments. We conclude that short-term administration of the enteral feeding. Ensure does not influence the absorption of theophylline when administered as the sustained-release product Theo-24.
Pattern-dependent overlay error in optical step and repeat projection lithography

Abstract This paper reports the observation of a dependence of overlay error on the pattern being projected. Lens reduction errors of a 5X wafer stepper over a range of wafer focus, condenser focus, and pattern feature size have been precisely measured with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Lens reduction errors were found to depend significantly on the test pattern feature size; large features were more affected by condenser defocus than small features. This effect is qualitatively explained by simple theoretical considerations. Finally, the new stepper image monitor (SIM) technique was used to optimize condenser focus for 1.2 micron features, the minimum linewidth for integrated circuit production with this lens.
BUOYANCY-DRIVEN MOTION OF DROPS AND BUBBLES IN A PERIODICALLY CONSTRICTED CAPILLARY

Buoyancy-driven motion of viscous drops and air bubbles through a vertical capillary with periodic constrictions is studied. Experimental measurements of the average rise velocity of buoyant drops are reported for a range of drop sizes in a variety of two-phase systems. The instantaneous drop shapes at various axial positions within the capillary are also quantitatively characterized using digital image analysis. Periodic corrugations of the capillary wall are found to have a substantial retarding effect on the mobility of drops in comparison with previous experimental results in a straight cylindrical capillary. For systems characterized by small Bond numbers, drop deformations are found to be periodic. In large Bond number systems, however, drop breakup eventually occurs as the drop size is increased beyond a critical limit. The observed mode of breakup is a tail-pinching process similar to that observed by Oibricht and Leal (1983) for pressure-driven motion of low viscosity ratio drops through a sinuso...
From the Primary to the General Election A Comparative Analysis of Candidate Media Coverage in Mixed-Gender 2000 Races for Governor and U.S. Senate

Prior research on the media’s portrayal of female candidates in comparison to male candidates has indicated that differences do exist, although most studies have focused on general election races of senate candidates. This study analyzed the media’s portrayal of candidates in mixed-gender gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races through a comparison of primary coverage to general election coverage in 2000. The study relied on content analyses of more than 1,200 articles from major newspapers to understand how female and male candidates might be framed differently when running for their party’s nomination as opposed to during the general election. The findings suggest that although the coverage from the primaries to the general election was relatively consistent across most categories of analysis, female candidates continue to face some stereotypical biases in the news coverage of their campaigns.
Analysis of Piecewise Linear Systems by the Method of Integral Equations

Digital computer approximation of automatic control piecewise linear systems by integral equations
Ocular response of choroidal melanoma with monosomy 3 versus disomy 3 after iodine-125 brachytherapy.

Purpose To report the ocular response of choroidal melanoma with monosomy 3 vs. disomy 3 after 125 I brachytherapy. Methods and Materials We evaluated patients with ciliochoroidal melanoma managed with fine needle aspiration biopsy immediately before plaque application for 125 I brachytherapy between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2008. Patients with (1) cytopathologic diagnosis of melanoma, (2) melanoma chromosome 3 status identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization, and (3) 6 or more months of follow-up after brachytherapy were sorted by monosomy 3 vs. disomy 3 and compared by Kruskal-Wallis test. Results Among 40 ciliochoroidal melanomas (40 patients), 15 had monosomy 3 and 25 had disomy 3. Monosomy 3 melanomas had a median greatest basal diameter of 12.00 mm and a median tumor thickness of 6.69 mm before brachytherapy; at a median of 1.75 years after brachytherapy, median thickness was 3.10 mm. Median percentage decrease in tumor thickness was 48.3%. Disomy 3 melanomas had a median greatest basal diameter of 10.00 mm and median tumor thickness of 3.19 mm before brachytherapy; at a median of 2.00 years after brachytherapy, median tumor thickness was 2.37 mm. The median percentage decrease in tumor thickness was 22.7%. Monosomy 3 melanomas were statistically greater in size than disomy 3 melanomas ( p p = 0.006). Conclusion In this study, ciliochoroidal melanomas with monosomy 3 were significantly greater in size than disomy 3 melanoma and showed a significantly greater decrease in thickness at a median of 1.75 years after brachytherapy. The greater decrease in monosomy 3 melanoma thickness after brachytherapy is consistent with other malignancies in which more aggressive pathology has been shown to be associated with a greater initial response to radiotherapy.
Parental Dietary Effect on Embryological Development Response to Toxicants with the Sea Urchin Arbacia punctulata

The role of echinoid parental nutrition in early-life stage toxicity is not well understood. Arbacia punctulata were fed either a fresh diet consisting of organic lettuce and carrots or a dry feed. Embryos from parents fed the dry feed exhibited lower sensitivity to copper, whereas the opposite occurred with 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). EC50 values for the dry and fresh feed treatments, respectively, were 41.0 and 29.9 μg/L for copper, 0.5 and 1.8 mg/L for 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, and 3.5 and 5.6 mg/L for SDS. The data suggests that nutritional standardization for sea urchins in ecotoxicological laboratories needs to be addressed and further investigated.
Dynamic Modeling and Noncollocated Control of a Flexible Planar Cable-Driven Manipulator

This paper investigates the dynamic modeling and passivity-based control of a planar cable-actuated system. This system is modeled using a lumped-mass method that explicitly considers the change in cable stiffness and winch inertia that occurs when the cables are wound around their respective winches. In order to simplify the modeling process, each cable is modeled individually and then constrained to the other cables. Exploiting the fact that the payload is much more massive than the cables allows the definition of a modified output called the μ -tip rate. Coupling the μ-tip rate with a modified input realizes the definition of a passive input-output map. The two degrees of freedom of the system are controlled by four winches. This overactuation is simplified by employing a set of load-sharing parameters that effectively reduce four inputs to two. The performance and robustness of the controllers are evaluated in the simulation.
Cryogenic UHV-STM Study of Hydrogen and Deuterium Desorption from Si(100)

A cryogenic UHV scanning tunneling microscope has been used to study the electron stimulated desorption of hydrogen and deuterium from Si(100) surfaces at 11 K. A strong isotope effect is observed, as seen previously at room temperature. Above $\ensuremath{\sim}5\mathrm{eV}$, the desorption yields for H and D are temperature independent, while in the tunneling regime, below 4 eV, H is a factor of $\ensuremath{\sim}300$ easier to desorb at 11 than at 300 K. This large temperature dependence is explained by a model that involves multiple vibrational excitation and takes into account the increase of the Si-H(D) vibrational lifetime at low temperature.
Protein and amino acid cycling during phytoplankton decomposition in oxic and anoxic waters

Abstract The fates of proteins and amino acids were followed during the oxic and anoxic decay of three marine phytoplankton (diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii , cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp., and dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum ) during simulated sedimentation. In the stationary phase of phytoplankton growth, 36–100% of total hydrolyzable amino acids were comprised of amino acids associated with a ≥2000 Da molecular weight fraction. After cell death, proteins degraded at similar rates, independent of which phytoplankton species they originated from, but dependent on oxygen. Protein degradation was rapid under oxic conditions, with 2–8% of the initial ≥2000 Da protein amino acid fraction remaining at the end of the incubations. Under anoxic conditions, 17–46% of the ≥2000 Da protein amino acid fraction remained. Throughout oxic and anoxic incubations, amino acids normalized to particulate nitrogen paralleled carbon normalized values. 51–82% of the particulate nitrogen could be attributed to proteins, polypeptides and/or bound amino acid monomers, suggesting that these nitrogen-rich compounds can be refractory. A comparison of the changes in concentrations of constituent amino acids of the total amino acid and ≥2000 Da protein amino acid fractions suggests that all amino acids are lost at comparable rates during the degradation sequence. For the dinoflagellate decay, two non-protein amino acids, β-alanine and γ-aminobutyric acid, exhibited rate constants similar to those observed for total hydrolyzable amino acids; relative abundances of β-alanine and γ-aminobutyric acid in degraded material did not significantly differ from that in fresh material. At the conclusion of oxic and anoxic diatom decay and oxic cyanobacterial decay, the slight increase in these two non-protein amino acids suggests sorption to the remaining organic matrix.
Roles of ATM and NBS1 in chromatin structure modulation and DNA double-strand break repair

We developed a novel system to create DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) at defined endogenous sites in the human genome, and used this system to detect protein recruitment and loss at and around these breaks by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). The detection of human ATM protein at site-specific DSBs required functional NBS1 protein, ATM kinase activity and ATM autophosphorylation on Ser 1981. DSB formation led to the localized disruption of nucleosomes, a process that depended on both functional NBS1 and ATM. These two proteins were also required for efficient recruitment of the repair cofactor XRCC4 to DSBs, and for efficient DSB repair. These results demonstrate the functional importance of ATM kinase activity and phosphorylation in the response to DSBs, and support a model in which ordered chromatin structure changes that occur after DNA breakage depend on functional NBS1 and ATM, and facilitate DNA DSB repair.
Tyrosine Phosphorylation-dependent Stimulation of Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretion by the m3 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor

Stimulation of m1 and m3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, which are coupled to phosphoinositide hydrolysis and protein kinase C activation, has been shown to increase the release of soluble amyloid precursor protein derivatives (APPs). The effect is mimicked by phorbol esters, which directly activate protein kinase C. Using human embryonic kidney cells expressing individual muscarinic receptor subtypes, we found that stimulation of APPs release by the muscarinic agonist carbachol was only partially reduced by a specific inhibitor of protein kinase C (the bisindolylmaleimide GF 109203X), while the response to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) was abolished. The increase in APPs release elicited by carbachol and PMA was accompanied by elevated tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins and reduced by tyrosine kinase inhibitors; GF 109203X significantly reduced the stimulation of tyrosine phosphorylation by carbachol and PMA. Inhibition of protein tyrosine phosphatases by vanadyl hydroperoxide markedly increased cellular tyrosine phosphorylation and enhanced APPs release as effectively as PMA and carbachol. Direct phosphorylation of amyloid precursor protein on tyrosine residues following treatment with carbachol, PMA, or vanadyl hydroperoxide was not observed. The results implicate both tyrosine phosphorylation and protein kinase C-dependent mechanisms in the regulation of APPs release by G protein-coupled receptors, and suggest that carbachol and PMA increase APPs release from human embryonic kidney cells expressing m3 muscarinic receptors via partially divergent pathways that converge at a tyrosine phosphorylation-dependent step.
A Modified Generalized Series Approach: Application to Sparsely Sampled fMRI

In functional MRI, it is often desirable to reduce the readout duration to make the acquired data less prone to T2* susceptibility artifacts. In addition, a shorter readout length allows for a shorter minimum TE, which is important for optimizing SNR. This can be achieved by undersampling the k-space. However, the conventional Fourier transform-based reconstruction method suffers from under-sampling artifacts such as high-frequency ringing and loss of resolution. To address this problem, we revisit the constrained-model approach using the generalized-series (GS) which has been proposed to address the undersampling problem for dynamic MRI. We propose a modification to the conventional use of the model in order to reflect small hemodynamic signal changes typical in fMRI. Specifically, while realizing that having high model order is necessary to capture missing information, we found that it is not necessary to span all frequencies of GS basis functions uniformly. Instead, having k-space and GS “sampling” trajectories covering low-frequencies uniformly while spanning high-frequencies sparsely, was observed to be an efficient strategy. The ability of the method over the conventional GS approach in improving resolution of functional images and activation maps while reducing undersampling ringing is demonstrated by simulations and experiments at 3T. Reduction in the readout time allowed an increase of statistical signal power as compared to the fully sampled acquisition. Unlike compressed sensing approaches, the proposed method is linear and hence has lower computational complexity. The method could prove useful for other imaging modalities where the signal change is smaller than the baseline component.
Dyotropic rearrangement facilitated proximal functionalization and oxidative removal of angular methyl groups: efficient syntheses of 23'-deoxy cephalostatin 1 analogues.

Oxidative functionalization (or removal) of a steroidal C18 methyl group is possible using a previously unknown dyotropic rearrangement of a seven-membered fused C-ring lactone to a 6-ring spiro lactone. Spiroketal equilibration led to the 23-deoxy South analogue of cephalostatin 1 (1) in only 12 steps (23% overall yield) from hecogenin acetate 4, and to strained diene South 1 analogue 30 in 11 steps (28% overall). Total synthesis of 23‘-deoxy cephalostatin 1 (3) was accomplished in 16 operations from 4 (9% overall; average 86% yield per operation), and that of 16‘,17‘-dehydro-23‘-deoxy cephalostatin 1 (36) in 15 operations from 4 (8% overall; av 84%/op).
Experimental determination of Auger capture coefficients in self-assembled quantum dots.

Time-resolved studies of the wetting layer photoluminescence are combined with state-filling spectroscopy of the quantum dot and wetting layer emission to obtain carrier transfer rates from the wetting layer to the quantum dot states. With this method, capture rates can be measured for constant carrier concentrations in the wetting layer. The results show that the capture efficiency increases with the carrier concentration in the wetting layer, indicating the important role of Auger processes in the capture dynamics. In the analysis, the concept of capture cross section per unit time is introduced, and this is used to determine the single dot Auger capture coefficient in self-assembled dots. The value obtained can in principle be used as an input to model carrier capture in all self-assembled dot devices with similar dot layers.
Design of a life: Sustainability and the inquirer/researcher alias designer in an Evolving World system

Taking the individual human being as a point of reference, this paper examines the sustainability of oneself as a contribution to human society and the biosphere in an evolving world. The proactive role as inquirer/researcher alias designer leads to active inquiry and design of one's life with influential consequences on the lives of other human beings and planetary life forms. To sustain a tenable position between the constructive and destructive forces of contemporary existence, a conscientious and ethical stance becomes central in one's self‐understanding of life fulfillment and the pragmatic nature of one's actions in the world.
Structural and Functional Analysis of JMJD2D Reveals Molecular Basis for Site-Specific Demethylation among JMJD2 Demethylases

JMJD2 lysine demethylases (KDMs) participate in diverse genomic processes. Most JMJD2 homologs display dual selectivity toward H3K9me3 and H3K36me3, with the exception of JMJD2D, which is specific for H3K9me3. Here, we report the crystal structures of the JMJD2D⋅2-oxoglutarate⋅H3K9me3 ternary complex and JMJD2D apoenzyme. Utilizing structural alignments with JMJD2A, molecular docking, and kinetic analysis with an array of histone peptide substrates, we elucidate the specific signatures that permit efficient recognition of H3K9me3 by JMJD2A and JMJD2D, and the residues in JMJD2D that occlude H3K36me3 demethylation. Surprisingly, these results reveal that JMJD2A and JMJD2D exhibit subtle yet important differences in H3K9me3 recognition, despite the overall similarity in the substrate-binding conformation. Further, we show that H3T11 phosphorylation abrogates demethylation by JMJD2 KDMs. Together, these studies reveal the molecular basis for JMJD2 site specificity and provide a framework for structure-based design of selective inhibitors of JMJD2 KDMs implicated in disease.
Combined Buckling and Cracking of Films

Films or laminates subjected to a compressive stress may fail by a mechanism that involves the propagation of a buckle. An additional driving force for delamination is provided when cracking of the film accompanies the buckling. This provides a mechanism by which cracks can tunnel through compressively stressed films. Although the mechanics of the process is very similar to previous analyses of simple buckling, the possibility of concurrent cracking and buckling allows delamination to occur under conditions excluded by these earlier analyses.
Genome-wide Prediction and Functional Validation of Promoter Motifs Regulating Gene Expression in Spore and Infection Stages of Phytophthora infestans

Most eukaryotic pathogens have complex life cycles in which gene expression networks orchestrate the formation of cells specialized for dissemination or host colonization. In the oomycete Phytophthora infestans, the potato late blight pathogen, major shifts in mRNA profiles during developmental transitions were identified using microarrays. We used those data with search algorithms to discover about 100 motifs that are over-represented in promoters of genes up-regulated in hyphae, sporangia, sporangia undergoing zoosporogenesis, swimming zoospores, or germinated cysts forming appressoria (infection structures). Most of the putative stage-specific transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) thus identified had features typical of TFBSs such as position or orientation bias, palindromy, and conservation in related species. Each of six motifs tested in P. infestans transformants using the GUS reporter gene conferred the expected stage-specific expression pattern, and several were shown to bind nuclear proteins in gel-shift assays. Motifs linked to the appressoria-forming stage, including a functionally validated TFBS, were over-represented in promoters of genes encoding effectors and other pathogenesis-related proteins. To understand how promoter and genome architecture influence expression, we also mapped transcription patterns to the P. infestans genome assembly. Adjacent genes were not typically induced in the same stage, including genes transcribed in opposite directions from small intergenic regions, but co-regulated gene pairs occurred more than expected by random chance. These data help illuminate the processes regulating development and pathogenesis, and will enable future attempts to purify the cognate transcription factors.
Comment: Autonomy and the Public-Private Distinction in Bioethics and Law

In American law school classrooms, we have a phenomenon that I expect you experience here in Italy as well. The professor asks a question and the student attempts to avoid answering the question by challenging or seeking to shift the underlying assumptions the teacher has so carefully crafted to frame the issue. We call this “fighting the hypothetical,” and I am afraid that that is what I am about to do. The current debates in biolaw, in Cinzia’s elegant description of them, rest on a particular assumption that I would like to highlight and examine. The assumption is that there is a fundamental difference between private and public systems of ordering and that this difference is, and should be, the salient feature in organizing our thinking about the intervention of law in this social arena. This assumption is, of course, a basic part of the liberal legal tradition, but it is an assumption that has been challenged from a variety of perspectives, including Marxist, communitarian, and feminist approaches. I will focus on the feminist criticism. While I find the critique persuasive, and I hope you will as well, I do not mean to suggest that an appropriate analysis would simply ignore the differences between exercises of power, some of which promote autonomy and some of which frustrate it. The lesson we should take from the critique is not that power, whether public or private, is an undifferentiated whole, but rather that we must be more precise in defining what are the relevant moral differences between exercises of power. Our approach must be more sensitive to the presence or absence of these moral qualities regardless of the nominally public or private identity of the persons who wield that power.