cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SHARPIN controls the development of regulatory T cells

SHARPIN is an essential component of the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC) complex that controls signalling pathways of various receptors, including the tumour necrosis factor receptor (TNFR), Toll-like receptor (TLR) and antigen receptor, in part by synthesis of linear, non-degrading ubiquitin chains. Consistent with SHARPIN's function in different receptor pathways, the phenotype of SHARPIN-deficient mice is complex, including the development of inflammatory systemic and skin diseases, the latter of which depend on TNFR signal transduction. Given the established function of SHARPIN in primary and malignant B cells, we hypothesized that SHARPIN might also regulate T-cell receptor (TCR) signalling and thereby control T-cell biology. Here, we focus primarily on the role of SHARPIN in T cells, specifically regulatory T (Treg) cells. We found that SHARPIN-deficient (Sharpin(cpdm/cpdm) ) mice have significantly reduced numbers of FOXP3(+) Treg cells in lymphoid organs and the peripheral blood. Competitive reconstitution of irradiated mice with mixed bone marrow from wild-type and SHARPIN-deficient mice revealed an overall reduced thymus population with SHARPIN-deficient cells with almost complete loss of thymic Treg development. Consistent with this cell-intrinsic function of SHARPIN in Treg development, TCR stimulation of SHARPIN-deficient thymocytes revealed reduced activation of nuclear factor-κB and c-Jun N-terminal kinase, establishing a function of SHARPIN in TCR signalling, which may explain the defective Treg development. In turn, in vitro generation and suppressive activity of mature SHARPIN-deficient Treg cells were comparable to wild-type cells, suggesting that maturation, but not function, of SHARPIN-deficient Treg cells is impaired. Taken together, these findings show that SHARPIN controls TCR signalling and is required for efficient generation of Treg cells in vivo, whereas the inhibitory function of mature Treg cells appears to be independent of SHARPIN.
Laser-assisted metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of zinc selenide

Zinc selenide, a II-VI compound semiconductor with a direct band gap energy of 2.7 eV, has received much attention recently for its potential use in blue electrooptic devices. This paper describes recent work on low temperature laser assisted metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LMOCVD) of this material.
Domain wall motion in magnetically frustrated nanorings

We describe a magnetically frustrated nanoring (MFNR) configuration which is formed by introducing antiferromagnetic coupling across an interface orthogonal to the ring’s circumferential direction. Such structures have the unique characteristic that only one itinerant domain wall (DW) can exist in the ring, which does not need to be nucleated or injected into the structure and can never escape making it analogous to a magnetic M¨ obius strip. Numerical simulations show that the DW in a MFNR can be driven consecutively around the ring with a prescribed cyclicity, and that the frequency of revolutions can be controlled by the applied field. The energy landscapes can be controlled to be flat allowing for low fields of operation or to have a barrier for thermal stability. Potential logic and memory applications of MFNRs are considered and discussed.
An Efficient Trap for Collecting Wild Adult Stable Flies, Stomoxys Calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae), for Mark-Release Studies

A CO2-Alsynite® attractant trap for collecting large numbers of wild adult stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans , for subsequent mark-release studies is described. The largest numbers of adult flies were collected when traps were placed 10 cm above ground level. Six traps, placed at a local dairy in Michigan, USA, consistently caught 8000 to 10,000 adult stable flies per week throughout the summer.
Culture Negative Sepsis and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome in Neonates

Sepsis is a common and potentially devastating occurrence in NICUs. Sepsis is defined as the constellation of findings making up the systemic inflammatory response syndrome plus an infection. Newer studies now suggest that treatment of infants who have nonspecific signs of illness with prolonged antibiotics can lead to serious complications. The complexities of practicing medicine in the NICU sometimes limit our ability to secure a diagnosis of culture proven sepsis. The administration of antibiotics until bacterial infection can be reasonably ruled out should occur concurrently with evaluations of other plausible noninfectious diagnoses.
LEOPARD: Low Earth Orbit Project for the Acquisition and Recovery of Debris

Orbital debris is a significant threat to spacecraft and human spaceflight existing in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). It is vital to take measures to remove debris from LEO to ensure a safe environment for the operation of these spacecraft and future missions. One way to accomplish this is to actively rendezvous with, capture, and remove debris using a capture system mounted to a spacecraft bus. The goal of the LEOPARD project is to design and build a debris capture system (DCS) capable of securing debris in the size range of 14-40 cm. By using orbital dynamics models and assuming the spacecraft bus can perform the required rendezvous and docking maneuvers, design requirements are imposed on the system. These requirements include the ability to capture two pieces of 40 cm debris at an incoming relative velocity of 0.18 m/s. In addition, the system must have the capability to capture debris with a position error of 3 cm and a relative pointing error between the capture device and debris of 3 degrees. To meet these design requirements, the LEOPARD system is an octagonal cylinder with a single opening which employs a passive system of interior bristles, set at an angle, to decelerate and secure the debris. A set of locking doors further ensures that any debris within the capture system cannot escape. During acquisition, the debris will be detected by a network of curtain sensors which will provide a signal to the processor that will be used to determine when to close. The system is designed so that it can accommodate the debris position error with a factor of safety of 2 and the pointing error with a factor of safety of 3. A full system test in a 1g earth-based environment that simulates the capture scenario will be completed to measure the ability of the system to safely capture and secure debris and quantify the extent to which the design requirements were met. Details of the capture system design, estimated performance, and initial testing results will be presented in this document.
FOOD HABITS OF BLARINA, PEROMYSCUS, AND MICROTUS IN RELATION TO AN EMERGENCE OF PERIODICAL CICADAS (MAGICICADA)

Etude des habitudes alimentaires de 3 especes de micromammiferes, avant, pendant et apres l'emergence de Magicicada afin de voir dans quelle mesure ces 3 especes incorporent les cicadas dans leur diete au cours des periodes de pic d'abondance
Quantum logic operations using linear optical elements

Quantum logic operations can be performed using linear optical elements, ancilla photons, and post-selection. The required nonlinearity is produced by the measurement process. The experimental demonstration of several devices of this kind will be described.
Computational Equilibrium Thermodynamic and Kinetic Analysis of K-Ras Dimerization through an Effector Binding Surface Suggests Limited Functional Role

Dimer formation is believed to have a substantial impact on regulating K-Ras function. However, the evidence for dimerization and the molecular details of the process are scant. In this study, we characterize a K-Ras pseudo-C2-symmetric dimerization interface involving the effector interacting β2-strand. We used structure matching and all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to predict, refine, and investigate the stability of this interface. Our MD simulation suggested that the β2-dimer is potentially stable and remains relatively close to its initial conformation due to the presence of a number of hydrogen bonds, ionic salt bridges, and other favorable interactions. We carried out potential of mean force calculations to determine the relative binding strength of the interface. The results of these calculations indicated that the β2 dimerization interface provides a weak binding free energy in solution and a dissociation constant that is close to 1 mM. Analyses of Brownian dynamics simulations sugges...
Design and Application about Monitoring and Control System for Greenhouse Group Based on Configuration Platform

This article used vegetable production base application as object of study in Kangbao County of Zhangjiakou City,developing a group of greenhouse control based on the Forcecontrol configuration software platform,which achieved temperature and humidity monitoring and automatic irrigation in the greenhouse,integrating data acquisition,data storage,data query,print,display,publishing and other functions.Overall design optimize process of the traditional software development,get a perfect,easily operate and maintain greenhouse group control system with a smaller investment,and further promote the greenhouse control system application.
Hypergonadotropic forms of amenorrhea in young women.

Hypergonadotropic forms of amenorrhea in young women are many and varied, and the disorder is not nearly as uncommon as previously believed. It is likely that all physicians seeing women with amenorrhea will encounter this disorder. Careful evaluation is warranted to eliminate any associated autoimmune disorders. Because of the high likelihood of osteopenia in affected individuals, estrogen replacement therapy is warranted. Although pregnancy is possible in women with secondary hypergonadotropic amenorrhea, remarkably it most commonly occurs in women utilizing exogenous estrogen. Women desirous of achieving a pregnancy are best served by assisted reproductive technology utilizing donor oocytes. Success rates in such patients have been quite high. Thus, physicians today can counsel affected women that pregnancy is indeed possible, even in women with so-called "premature ovarian failure."
Origins and optimization of entanglement in plasmonically coupled quantum dots

A system of two or more quantum dots interacting with a dissipative plasmonic nanostructure is investigated in detail by using a cavity quantum electrodynamics approach with a model Hamiltonian. We focus on determining and understanding system configurations that generate multiple bipartite quantum entanglements between the occupation states of the quantum dots. These configurations include allowing for the quantum dots to be asymmetrically coupled to the plasmonic system. Analytical solution of a simplified limit for an arbitrary number of quantum dots and numerical simulations and optimization for the two- and three-dot cases are used to develop guidelines for maximizing the bipartite entanglements. For any number of quantum dots, we show that through simple starting states and parameter guidelines, one quantum dot can be made to share a strong amount of bipartite entanglement with all other quantum dots in the system, while entangling all other pairs to a lesser degree.
Kinetics and mechanism of ionic-liquid induced protein unfolding: application to the model protein HP35

We demonstrate an approach to quantify protein unfolding times using molecular simulation in a greatly accelerated manner compared to standard MD simulations, showing up to 400 fold speed increases. The approach uses infrequent metadynamics, which has been shown to provide quantitative rates for rare events, accelerated by biasing the RMSD of the protein structure. The results are quantitatively verified against a large benchmark dataset using the model proteins chignolin and villin headpiece (HP35). Following this, we apply the algorithm to protein unfolding in ionic liquids and study the HP35 unfolding time in four different 20% (w/w) IL/water mixtures. An interesting agreement is obtained between the ordering of the anion effects and previously published experiments on anion-induced destabilization of ribonuclease A (RNase A). Additional simulations helped shed light on the molecular mechanisms that lead to accelerated unfolding in ILs that have a chaotropic or hydrophobic anion. Further simulations suggest that, in this case, the tendency of an IL to be structure forming or breaking (kosmotrope vs. chaotrope) in water is unrelated to the unfolding times. Instead, the chaotropic anions, which are also more hydrophobic, more readily bind residues from the hydrophobic core, leading to faster unfolding. This approach should be appropriate for a wide range of protein unfolding simulations in the future and aid in systematic discovery of molecular descriptors for biomolecule function in unique nanostructured environments.
James X: A reflection on rape, race, and redemption

In this narrative, the author reflects on the circumstances surrounding a rape attempt on her during the civil rights struggle in 1968.
708. Treatment of Inherited Eye Defects By Systemic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Corneal disease is a significant cause of blindness worldwide, largely due to the low availability of donor corneas and the risks associated with transplantation, such as immune rejection, cataract, and glaucoma. Stem cell transplantation represents an attractive alternative for corneal repair because of their capacity to differentiate into corneal cells. Limbal epithelial stem (LEST) cells, which reside within the corneo-limbus, have been used for more than a decade to repair corneal epithelium, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to migrate and promote corneal healing and even differentiate into epithelial/keratocyte-like cells. However, risks of immune rejection with LEST cells, and heterogeneity in repair mechanisms with MSCs have led to discrepancies in treatment outcomes. Alternatively, very little is known about the potential for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in eye repair. HSCs have attractive features; they are multipotent cells capable of self-renewal and easily mobilized from bone marrow into the circulatory system. Here we report that engraftment of HSPCs can treat corneal defects in a mouse model of a degenerative hereditary metabolic disorder, cystinosis. Cystinosis is caused by a deficiency in the lysosomal cystine transporter, cystinosin, resulting in cystine crystal accumulation in tissues. In eyes, a primary affected organ, crystals accumulate within the cornea causing photophobia and eventually blindness, if untreated. Using the mouse model of cystinosis, Ctns-/- mice, which develops similar eye anomalies than patients, we showed that systemic HSC transplantation led to the long-term preservation of the eyes. Effective therapy, however, was dependent on achieving relatively high level of donor-derived blood cell engraftment (more than 50%). Abundant GFP-expressing bone marrow-derived cells were detected within the cornea but also in the sclera, ciliary body, retina, choroid, and lens. In addition, HSCs engraftment led to substantial decrease in corneal cystine crystals, restoration of normal corneal thickness and intraocular pressure, and improved vision after one-year post-transplantation. Finally, we showed that HSCs mainly differentiated into MHC class II+ macrophages, which transferred cystinosin-bearing lysosomes via tunneling nanotubes to disease cells. This work is the first demonstration that HSCs can rescue corneal defects, which brings forth a new potential therapeutic strategy for treating ocular pathologies.
True religion in Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion

ABSTRACTMany think that the aim of Hume’s Dialogues is simply to discredit the design argument for the existence of an intelligent designer. We think instead that the Dialogues provides a model of true religion. We argue that, for Hume, the truly religious person: (1) believes that an intelligent designer created and imposed order on the universe; (2) grounds this belief in an irregular argument rooted in a certain kind of experience, for example, in the experience of anatomizing complex natural systems such as the eye; and (3) retains this belief, on the basis of these reasons, even after careful scrutiny. We argue that two of the Dialogues’s characters, Philo and Cleanthes, exhibit true religion. A third character, Demea, exhibits false religion and a persistent impiety. Taken as a whole, we see the Dialogues as an educational performance for the benefit of Pamphilus, Cleanthes’s ward, as well as for the benefit of readers of the Dialogues. Specifically, we think, given that its lessons concern theology...
Improving Urban Minority Girls’ Health Via Community Summer Programming

Summertime has emerged as a high-risk period for weight gain among low-income minority youth who often experience a lack of resources when not attending school. Structured programming may be an effective means of reducing risk for obesity by improving obesogenic behaviors among these youth. The current multi-method study examined sedentary time, physical activity, and dietary intake among low-income urban minority girls in two contexts: an unstructured summertime setting and in the context of a structured 4-week community-based summer day camp program promoting physical activity. Data were analyzed using paired-sample t tests and repeated-measure analyses of variance with significance at the p < .05 level. Results evidenced no significant differences in total calories and fat consumed between the unstructured and structured settings. Participants exhibited significant increases in fruit consumption and physical activity and significant decreases in sedentary time of over 2 h/day and dairy consumption when engaged in structured summer programming. All improvements were independent of weight status and age, and African-American participants evidenced greater changes in physical activity during programming. The study concludes that structured, community-based summertime programming may be associated with fewer obesogenic behaviors in low-income urban youth and may be a powerful tool to address disparities in weight gain and obesity among high-risk samples.
α6β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors influence locomotor activity and ethanol consumption.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the mesolimbic dopamine system have been implicated in ethanol behaviors. In particular, work in genetically engineered mice has demonstrated that α6-containing nAChRs are involved in ethanol consumption and sedation. A limitation of these studies is that the alteration in the receptor was present throughout development. The recently described α6β2 antagonist, N,N-decane-1,10-diyl-bis-3-picolinium diiodide (bPiDI), now makes it possible to test for the involvement of these receptors using a pharmacological approach. The aim of this study was to examine the role of α6β2 nAChRs in ethanol behaviors using a pharmacological approach. Adolescent C57BL/6J mice were treated with bPiDI 30 min prior to testing the mice for binge-like ethanol consumption in the drinking-in-the-dark (DID) test, ethanol-induced motor incoordination using the balance beam, and ethanol-induced sedation using the Loss of Righting Reflex (LORR) paradigm. Adolescent animals were chosen because they express a high amount of α6 mRNA relative to adult animals. Control studies were also performed to determine the effect of bPiDI on locomotor activity and ethanol metabolism. Female mice treated with 20 mg/kg bPiDI had reduced locomotor activity compared to saline-treated animals during the first 30 min following an acute injection. Pretreatment with the α6β2 antagonist reduced adolescent ethanol consumption but also reduced saccharin consumption. No significant effects were observed on ethanol-induced ataxia, sedation, or metabolism. This study provides evidence that α6β2 nAChRs are involved in locomotor activity as well as ethanol and saccharin consumption in adolescent animals.
Metabolic abnormalities and oxidative stress in lupus.

Purpose of reviewUpon antigen exposure, immune cells rely on cell-specific metabolic pathways to mount an efficient immune response. In autoimmunity, failure in critical metabolic checkpoints may lead to immune cell hyperactivation and tissue damage. Oxidative stress in autoimmune patients can also
Value and Momentum in Commercial Real Estate: A Market-Level Analysis

Value and momentum strategies are widely recognized by capital market portfolio managers, although commercial real estate evidence is limited. In this article, Beracha and Downs apply these strategies in a market-level analysis using NCREIF data from 1986 through 2014. Conducting the analysis at the market-, or MSA-level, illustrates its usefulness to an institutional portfolio manager deciding which markets to target or, potentially, exit. Surprisingly, yet consistent with other asset classes, future returns on commercial real estate are positively correlated with the value effect, as measured by relative cap rate, and positively correlated with relative returnmomentum. Each strategy is robust to risk adjustment and persists over extended investment horizons. As suggested, value and momentum risk factors may benefit institutional investors in establishing benchmarks and monitoring performance.
Knowledge organization using shapes extraction from web pages in an auto-adaptive system

Computer Science has always been on a quest for autonomy. Neural networks are quite competitive, however common machines do not satisfy their expectations. Complex systems and auto-adaptive systems are emerging. In this paper a simple shape recognition is combined to a powerfull knowledge organization. Here we explain the development of a new type of agent in the Camus and Cardon system: the web agent. This agent is able to extract the images from web pages and will soon be able to associate the extracted shapes to the extracted words from the web pages. This project is developed with the Oz/Mozart system and based on the Camus and Cardon multi-agent system. A new type of agent has been created for this purpose. Experiments are discussed at the end of the paper. The system is able to understand its environment and to make autonomous decisions based on this environment.
Food access, food security and community gardens in Rockford, IL

Urban agriculture projects seek to ameliorate issues of food access and food security for people living in areas with low access to fresh foods, including food deserts. Within this discourse, commu...
Cholinergic, Gaba-Ergic, and Noradrenergic Input to Cochlear Granule Cells in the Guinea Pig and Monkey

In most mammals, the granule cell zone of the cochlear nuclei forms a peripheral capsule surrounding both the dorsal and ventral nuclei. Part of the capsule is a cellular layer composed of granule cells and “star” stellate cells (Moore, 1986). The heaviest accumulation of these small neurons occurs on the lateral free surface of the nuclei, but thinner layers of cells extend between the nuclei and around the medial edge of the cochlear complex (Fig. 1, guinea pig). The granule cell area also includes the dorsal nucleus molecular layer, a lamina formed by axons of granule cells in all parts of the capsular zone (Fig. 1, Mugnaini et al., 1980). Much of the afferent input to the granule cell area appears to arise either from intrinsic cochlear axons or from descending projection systems originating more centrally in the nervous system. Some of these projections have been demonstrated by histological methods for localizing neurotransmitters and transmitter-related enzymes. In particular, a concentration of cholinergic, GABA-ergic, and noradrenergic terminals has been demonstrated in the peripheral granule cell area of mammals such as the cat, rat, chinchilla, and guinea pig. In the case of the cholinergic and GABA-ergic projections systems, the input to the cochlear granule cell zone may arise from side branches of systems of axons projecting to the cochlea.
The Assimilation of Indochinese Refugees: Social Service Issues

This paper summarizes the recent history of the Indochinese refugee experience in the United States and factors inhibiting their assimilation. Social service practice and policy issues which have arisen during their settlement are discussed. America's experience during the past decade with the "boat people" and other refugees from Indochina has reignited longstanding controversies regarding immigration. The exodus of the Indochinese has stimulated national interest in the growing world refugee problem and has revived the discussion regarding this country's historic role as a haven for the dispossessed. Social welfare institutions have been challenged to respond to the practice and policy issues associated with the resettlement, adaptation, and assimilation of international exiles. This paper reviews the assimilation of the refugees from Southeast Asia from a social services perspective. As the nation begins to respond to the current migration of refugees from other regions such as Central America, the experience of their more recent predecessors could lend insight into the design of future social services policies and programs for refugee assistance. This study was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Relationship between leg lean mass Z-score and cardiac output at exercise as measured by exercise cardiac magnetic resonance imaging

Background We previously showed that leg lean mass Z-score (LLMZ) correlates with metabolic exercise performance in Fontan patients. However, the mechanism by which leg lean mass influences exercise is not clear since LLMZ does not correlate with ventricular function or cardiac output at rest. We hypothesized that LLMZ would correlate with cardiac output at exercise and the change in cardiac output from rest to exercise. Methods Thirteen patients had leg lean mass measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry within mean of 40 (range 0-258) days of completing an exercise cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) protocol. LLMZs were generated from healthy reference data. Ventricular volumes and phase contrast flow measurements (all indexed to body surface area) of the ascending (Ao) and descending (DAo) aorta, and superior vena cava (SVC) were obtained by CMR at rest and just after supine ergometer exercise to a heart rate associated with anaerobic threshold (determined by previous metabolic exercise test). Change in systemic flow (Qs = SVC + DAo) and indexed ventricular output (CI) during exercise, as well as baseline and peak exercise measures of Qs and CI were compared to LLMZ by linear regression.
A Chaotic Chemical Reactor With and Without Delay: Bifurcations, Competitive Modes, and Amplitude Death

Bifurcations in Huang’s chaotic chemical reactor leading from simple dynamics into chaotic regimes are considered. Following the linear stability analysis, the periodic orbit resulting from a Hopf ...
Surface dose and acute skin reactions in external beam breast radiotherapy.

Abstract The biologically relevant depth for acute skin reactions in radiotherapy is 70 µm. The dose at this depth is difficult to measure or calculate and can be quite different than the dose at a depth of as little as 1 mm. For breast radiotherapy with medial and lateral tangential beams, the skin dose depends on both the contribution from the entrance beam and the exit beam. The skin dose has been estimated in a breast model hemi-ellipse accounting for field size, beam energy, obliquity, lack of backscatter, fractionation, size and shape of the hemi-ellipse. The dose has been held constant along the axis of symmetry of the hemi-ellipse by introducing modulation as in clinical IMRT practice. Dose distributions have been computed as a function of the polar angle from the center of the hemi-ellipse. The exit dose always dominates the entrance dose for all realistic parameters. As a result, the surface dose is higher for 18 MV than 6 MV over the entire surface for all reasonable sizes and shapes of the hemi-ellipse. The results of these calculations suggest that substituting an 18 MV beam for a 6 MV beam to achieve greater skin sparing may have just the opposite effect. The ratio of the surface dose to the mid-depth dose ranges from about 35% at polar angle 0o to up to 70% at polar angle 80o. The dose rises sharply at angles above 30o. The surface dose rises moderately at all angles as the size of the hemi-ellipse increases. The effect of shape is somewhat complex: as the breast becomes flatter, doses at intermediate angles increase, but doses at small and large angles decrease. The biologically effective dose for erythema and moist desquamation is about 2 to 3 Gy higher at all polar angles for conventional fractionation (2.00 Gy × 25 fractions) than for hypofractionation (2.66 Gy × 16).
Bidirectional Grid-Side Power Management in DWPT Systems for EV Charging Applications

Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer (DWPT) requires a pulsating power-profile input from the grid. In a typical Grid-to-Vehicle (G2V) infrastructure, this inherently transient loads on the grid side are usually in the range of tens to hundreds of kilowatts, which could impose significant stress or even cause instability at the grid on a large scale. Similarly, in a Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) scenario, the vehicle would charge the grid, and the grid would become exposed to a similar profile of charging power. In this paper, a bidirectional converter topology and its control strategy are presented for grid-power management for bidirectional DWPT applications. A Supercapacitor (SC) based buffering unit is presented, capable of managing the grid-side power transients in a bidirectional DWPT environment. Compared to other existing methods, this topology does not require additional converter hardware. Moreover, grid-side electronics and cable ratings could be downscaled as the resulted peak current at the DWPT transmitter unit reduces significantly.
Counting on Crossovers: Controlled Recombination for Plant Breeding

Crossovers (COs), that drive genetic exchange between homologous chromosomes, are strongly biased toward subtelomeric regions in plant species. Manipulating the rate and positions of COs to increase the genetic variation accessible to breeders is a longstanding goal. Use of genome editing reagents that induce double-stranded breaks (DSBs) or modify the epigenome at desired sites of recombination, and manipulation of CO factors, are increasingly applicable approaches for achieving this goal. These strategies for ‘controlled recombination’ have potential to reduce the time and expense associated with traditional breeding, reveal currently inaccessible genetic diversity, and increase control over the inheritance of preferred haplotypes. Considerable challenges to address include translating knowledge from models to crop species and determining the best stages of the breeding cycle at which to control recombination.
Design of a two-stage free-electron laser

At the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), a 6-MV electrostatic accelerator with beam recovery1 is used for driving free-electron lasers (FELs).2 The acceleration scheme produces long electron pulses. As a consequence, the FEL generates radiation with a very narrow frequency bandwidth of the order of 10-8.3 For high-intensity levels such a narrowband radiation can act as an undulator for a second-stage FEL. The idea of a two-stage FEL was first put forward in 19794 and is now being implemented in an experiment presently under way at UCSB.
Changes in inferior vena cava filter placement and retrieval practice patterns from a population health perspective

Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are placed to reduce venous thromboembolism (VTE)-related morbidity and mortality, though the evidence supporting this practice is limited. In 2010, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a device safety advisory due to the risk of filter migration, fracture, and thrombosis with long-term use. The purpose of this study was to evaluate trends and predictors for IVCF placement and retrieval over a 10-year time period from a population health perspective. De-identified patient information from the State Inpatient Databases (SID) and the States Ambulatory Surgery and Services Databases (SASD) for Florida and California were used to identify all patients who underwent IVC filter placement from 2005 to 2014 and 2005 to 2011, respectively. Hospital practice patterns were assessed as a function of time as well as IVC filter placement and retrieval volume. Temporal trends were evaluated for statistical significance using the Cochran–Armitage test. A total of 181,260 IVC filters were placed in 178,327 patients over the study period. IVC filter placements peaked in 2010; following the FDA advisory in 2010, however, IVC filter placements monotonically decreased each subsequent year. The proportion of IVCF placement patients with both acute DVT and PE (17.6% vs 11.8%, P < 0.001) at the time of hospitalization increased; likewise, the proportion of IVCF patients with acute DVT or PE with a concomitant acute contraindication to anticoagulation at the time of hospitalization increased as well following 2010 (17.0% vs 11.9%, P < 0.001). From 2005 to 2014, there was a continual increase in both filter retrieval procedures as well overall percentage of filters retrieved. However, estimated retrieval rates remained low, with a retrieval rate of less than 6% in 2014. Following the FDA warning in 2010, there was a significant decrease in IVC filter placements, with filter placements more frequently performed in patients with poorer health. While retrieval rates increased over time, they remained low.
Demonstration of Efficient Semipolar 410 nm Violet Laser Diodes Heteroepitaxially Grown on High-Quality Low-Cost GaN/Sapphire Substrates

Heteroepitaxial growth of semipolar laser diodes (LDs) on foreign substrates is extremely challenging but crucial to reduce the cost of semipolar bulk GaN substrates. In this work, we demonstrate t...
Neural Decoding of Upper Limb Movements Using Electroencephalography

Rationale: The human central nervous system (CNS) effortlessly performs complex hand movements with the control and coordination of multiple degrees of freedom (DoF), but how those mechanisms are encoded in the CNS remains unclear. In order to investigate the neural representations of human upper limb movement, scalp electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded to decode cortical activity in reaching and grasping movements. Methods: Upper limb movements including arm reaching and hand grasping tasks were observed in this study. EEG signals of 15 healthy individuals were recorded (g.USBamp, g.tec, Austria) when performing reaching and grasping tasks. Spectral features of the relevant cortical activities were extracted from EEG signals to decode the relevant reaching direction and hand grasping information. Upper limb motion direction and hand kinematics were captured with sensors worn on the hands. Directional EEG features were classified using stacked autoencoders; hand kinematic synergies were reconstructed to model the relationship of hand movement and EEG activities. Results: An average classification accuracy of three-direction reaching tasks achieved 79 ± 5.5% (best up to 88 ± 6%). As for hand grasp decoding, results showed that EEG features were able to successfully decode synergy-based movements with an average decoding accuracy of 80.1 ± 6.1% (best up to 93.4 ± 2.3%). Conclusion: Upper limb movements, including directional arm reaching and hand grasping expressed as weighted linear combinations of synergies, were decoded successfully using EEG. The proposed decoding and control mechanisms might simplify the complexity of high dimensional motor control and might hold promise toward real-time neural control of synergy-based prostheses and exoskeletons in the near future.
Research Guide for Datastream and Worldscope at Wharton Research Data Services

The integration of Datastream and Worldscope databases at the Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) offers researchers a simple solution to bypass the cumbersome data collection and preparation process for global empirical research. This study guide proposes a clean approach to link these two databases through Refinitiv's Quantitative Mapping facilities. We then discuss various details about constructing stock returns through Datastream Return Index (RI). Finally, we demonstrate through an empirical case study on how to combine Datastream's pricing data and Worldscope's fundamental data to compare market characteristics across countries.
Clinical and Morphologic Characteristics of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Inhibitor-Associated Retinopathy.

Purpose To investigate clinical and morphologic characteristics of serous retinal disturbances in patients taking extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitors. Design Single-center retrospective study of prospectively collected data. Participants Of 61 patients receiving ERK inhibitors for treatment of metastatic cancer, this study included 40 eyes of 20 patients with evidence of retinopathy confirmed by OCT. Methods Clinical examination, fundus photography, and OCT were used to evaluate ERK inhibitor retinopathy. The morphologic features, distribution, and location of fluid foci were evaluated serially. Visual acuity (VA) and choroidal thickness measurements were compared at baseline, fluid accumulation, and resolution. Main Outcome Measures Characteristics of treatment-emergent choroid and retinal OCT abnormalities as compared with baseline OCT findings and the impact of toxicity on VA. Results Of 20 patients with retinopathy, most showed fluid foci that were bilateral (100%), multifocal in each eye (75%), and with at least 1 focus involving the fovea (95%). All subretinal fluid foci occurred between the interdigitation zone and an intact retinal pigment epithelium. No statistical difference was found in choroidal thickness at fluid accumulation and resolution compared with baseline. Forty-five percent of eyes showed evidence of concomitant intraretinal edema localized to the outer nuclear layer. At the time of fluid accumulation, 57.5% eyes showed a decline in VA (mainly by 1–2 lines from baseline). For all eyes with follow-up, the subretinal fluid and intraretinal edema were reversible and resolved without medical intervention, and best-corrected VA at fluid resolution was not statistically different from baseline. Concomitant intraretinal fluid was not associated with worsening of VA. No patient discontinued or decreased drug dose because of retinopathy. Conclusions This study showed that ERK inhibitors may cause subretinal fluid foci with unique clinical and morphologic characteristics. The observed foci were similar to mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor–associated retinopathy and distinct from central serous chorioretinopathy. However, unlike with MEK inhibitors, an increased occurrence of concomitant intraretinal fluid without significant additive visual impact seems to occur with ERK inhibitors. In this series, ERK inhibitors did not cause irreversible loss of vision or serious eye damage; retinopathy was self-limited and did not require medical intervention.
Polyphenol effects on CuO-nanoparticle-mediated DNA damage, reactive oxygen species generation, and fibroblast cell death.

Abstract The ability of ten polyphenolic antioxidants to prevent CuO nanoparticle (NPCuO) and H2O2-mediated DNA damage and cytotoxicity was investigated. Five of the polyphenols (MEPCA, PREGA, MEGA, ECG, and EGCG) prevent NPCuO/H2O2-mediated DNA damage (IC50 values of 7.5–800 μM), three have no effect (PCA, VA, and EC), and two (GA and EGC) result in increased DNA damage. Most polyphenols had similar antioxidant/prooxidant activity in the presence of NPCuO or free copper ions. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by NPCuO/H2O2 in the presence of representative polyphenols correlate with results of DNA damage studies: in the presence of NPCuO/H2O2, MEPCA prevents ROS formation, VA has no effect on ROS levels, and EGC increases ROS levels. EPR results with CuO nanoparticles washed to remove dissolved copper in solution (wCuO) in the presence of H2O2/ascorbate suggest that MEPCA prevents ROS formation on the nanoparticle surface in addition to preventing ROS formation from dissolved copper. In mouse fibroblast (L929) cells, combining NPCuO with H2O2 results in significantly greater cytotoxicity than observed for either component alone. After 3 h incubation with MEPCA or MEGA, the viability loss in L929 cells induced by NPCuO/H2O2 challenge was significantly rescued at physiologically relevant polyphenol levels (1 μM). These studies show that polyphenols can protect DNA and inhibit cytotoxicity generated by NPCuO under oxidative stress conditions.
Thermal Transport and Electrical Dissipation in Ultra-Low Thermal Load, Multi-Gigahertz I/O Cables for Superconducting Microelectronics

Minimizing the size and power requirements of cryosystems for operating low-temperature superconducting digital microelectronics requires minimizing the thermal load imposed by the input/output (I/O) transmission lines. Signal line/ground plane material selection, the number of transmission lines and their dimensions, and boundary temperatures dictated by cryocooler stage temperatures are critical parameters that control the design tradeoffs. The cryocooler performance plays an integral role in the transmission cable design. Achieving transmission lines with ultra-low thermal load performance necessarily creates significant design tradeoffs between thermal conduction down the cable and electrical dissipation due to signal attenuation in the cable. When minimizing the total thermal load, Qt, to a cryocooler stage, signal dissipation in the I/O system is not generally considered, but becomes very important in the design of these high performance systems. This work describes the critical thermal load mechanisms in ultra-low thermal load transmission cables designed for high I/O bandwidths and establishes a mathematical model for analyzing and designing such cables. Temperature-dependent results from SINDA-85 thermal network models that predict total heat loads and temperature distributions for various transmission cable designs are presented. Temperature-dependent results for signal attenuation at cryogenic temperatures are also presented, and serve to quantify the I/O transmission cable electrical tradeoffs. Important design tradeoffs involving cable section lengths and signal line thickness are demonstrated.
Mixed Data Sampling

MIxed DAta Sampling (MIDAS) regression models were introduced in both filtering and regression context to deal with situations, often encountered in practice, where economic time series are not sampled at the same frequency. We draw comparisons between temporal aggregation and MIDAS and discuss volatility forecasting in this context. Keywords: temporal aggregation; mixed time series frequency sampling
Steps Beyond the Standard Model in Noncommutative Geometry

The finite part of the standard model (SM) spectral triple [1] is based on the algebra A F=M2(ℂ⊕ℍ⊕M3(ℂ). The gauge group is the group of unitary elements of this algebra (subject to an ad hoc unimodularity condtion as well).
A Call for a New Legal Realism in International Law: The Need for Method

In this inaugural lecture for Professor Shaffer's Melvin C. Steen Professorship, he provides a typology and assessment of four varieties of international law scholarship: formalist, normative, theoretical and empirical. He shows why there is great need for empirical "law-in-action studies" of international law in a new legal realist vein. The purpose of engaging in research in a new legal realist vein is to uncover issues to which otherwise we are ignorant, to which otherwise we are blind. The purpose is to engage in a method which permits one's incoming predispositions (inevitable no matter how neutral one tries to be) to be challenged and transformed. This is particularly important in a world characterized by constituencies with differing priorities, perspectives and opportunities to be heard. The distinctive features of a new legal realist approach are its commitment to empirical work, including the use of qualitative methods, its engagement with critical analysis, and its commitment to translating empirical findings for a legal policy audience. The lecture situates "new legal realism" in relation to the original legal realist movement in the United States and our current historic context. It provides numerous research examples of what a new legal realist approach offers.
The Expected Sample Variance of Uncorrelated Random Variables with a Common Mean and Some Applications in Unbalanced Random Effects Models

There is a little-known but very simple generalization of the standard result that for uncorrelated random variables with common mean and variance , the expected value of the sample variance is . T...
On proxy agents, mobility, and web access

With the emerging need for ubiquitous access to information, web access from mobile clients is gaining increasing importance. Unfortunately, the underlying protocols of the web are not designed to support operations from a resource poor platform in a low bandwidth, disconnection prone environment. Efforts to create systems to support mobile browsing have typically been proxydbased. However, such solutions have recently been criticized due to their nondscalability. Developments in ad hoc networking also threaten the viability of proxydbased approaches. In this paper, we critically examine the proxydbased approach and its place in mobile access to the web in particular, and networked multimedia information in general. We argue for a hybrid approach that uses both proxydbased and end–end techniques as appropriate, suggest when each is more appropriate, and present a preliminary implementation.
Changes in the dynamic state of brain proenkephalin-derived peptides during amygdaloid kindling

The dynamic state of the proenkephalin (PE) gene products during and after development of amygdaloid kindling was assayed by monitoring changes of the accumulation of PE mRNA and changes in proenkephalin-related peptides. A parallel determination of PE mRNA and peptides from the same sample was conducted in this study. Electrical stimulation of the amygdala causes early increases in the PE mRNA content in that structure and in the hippocampus. Other areas related with the amygdaloid complex do not exhibit such an early increase, but this alteration occurs when the kindling process is fully established. Enkephalin content increases early in amygdala and hippocampus presumably owing to an increase in synthesis rate. Also, the enkephalin content of areas connected with amygdala and hippocampus such as the entorhinal cortex, the nucleus accumbens, and the frontal and occipital cortex exhibits an increase. A clear tendency towards normalization is observed after a recovery period of 2–3 months. Rekindling of the animals after this recovery period does not elicit a similar pattern of changes in the dynamic state of enkephalin system, even though the animals rekindle with just one single stimulation. The present data suggest that the enkephalinergic neurons participate in the development and spreading of kindling phenomena after amygdaloid stimulation, but they do not seem to play any role in mediating maintenance of the kindling state.
Concurrent Binding and Delivery of Proteins and Lipophilic Small Molecules Using Polymeric Nanogels

Supramolecular nanoassemblies, which are capable of binding and delivering either lipophilic small molecules or hydrophilic molecules, are of great interest. Concurrently binding and delivering this combination of molecules is cumbersome, because of the opposing supramolecular host requirements. We describe the development of a versatile nanoassembly system that is capable of binding and delivering both, a protein and a lipophilic small molecule, simultaneously inside the cells.
Luminescence of insulating Be-doped and Li-doped GaN

Abstract Insulating GaN is obtained by doping with Be or Li during crystal growth. These impurities form deep acceptors and are responsible for photoluminescence at 2.16 eV for Be, and at 2.23 eV for Li. A 3.15 eV peak is obtained in insulating GaN when Dy-doping is attempted. Weak electroluminescence was obtained in the Be-doped material.