cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Miocene extension and extensional folding in an anticlinal segment of the Black Mountains accommodation zone, Colorado River extensional corridor, southwestern United States

[1] Recent studies demonstrate that rifts are characterized by linked tilt domains, each containing a consistent polarity of normal faults and stratal tilt directions, and that the transition between domains is typically through formation of accommodation zones and generally not through production of throughgoing transfer faults. The mid-Miocene Black Mountains accommodation zone of southern Nevada and western Arizona is a well-exposed example of an accommodation zone linking two regionally extensive and opposing tilt domains. In the southeastern part of this zone near Kingman, Arizona, east dipping normal faults of the Whipple tilt domain and west dipping normal faults of the Lake Mead domain coalesce across a relatively narrow region characterized by a series of linked, extensional folds. The geometry of these folds in this strike-parallel portion of the accommodation zone is dictated by the geometry of the interdigitating normal faults of opposed polarity. Synclines formed where normal faults of opposite polarity face away from each other whereas anticlines formed where the opposed normal faults face each other. Opposed normal faults with small overlaps produced short folds with axial trends at significant angles to regional strike directions, whereas large fault overlaps produce elongate folds parallel to faults. Analysis of faults shows that the folds are purely extensional and result from east/northeast stretching and fault-related tilting. The structural geometry of this portion of the accommodation zone mirrors that of the Black Mountains accommodation zone more regionally, with both transverse and strike-parallel antithetic segments. Normal faults of both tilt domains lose displacement and terminate within the accommodation zone northwest of Kingman, Arizona. However, isotopic dating of growth sequences and crosscutting relationships show that the initiation of the two fault systems in this area was not entirely synchronous and that west dipping faults of the Lake Mead domain began to form between 1 m.y. to 0.2 m.y. prior to east dipping faults of the Whipple domain. The accommodation zone formed above an active and evolving magmatic center that, prior to rifting, produced intermediate-composition volcanic rocks and that, during rifting, produced voluminous rhyolite and basalt magmas.
Localization and Regulation of Murine Esco2 During Male and Female Meiosis

Meiosis is essential for generation of healthy gametes in both sexes and involves recombination and segregation of homologous chromosomes to produce haploid gametes. The initiation of meiosis in both sexes relies upon retinoic acid (RA) (Griswold MD, Hogarth CA, Bowles J, Koopman P. Initiating Meiosis: The Case for Retinoic Acid. Biol Reprod 2012; 86(35):1–7). Previous studies have demonstrated that the stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 (Stra8) was required for meiotic progression in both the mouse ovary and postnatal testis. To identify additional candidates that may play a role during meiosis, we used microarray databases to generate lists of transcripts with expression profiles similar to that of Stra8 in the embryonic ovary and postnatal testis. One such gene, establishment of cohesion 1 homolog 2 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) (Esco2), has been described as a regulator of sister chromatid cohesion during mitosis. This study describes the first in-depth analysis of ESCO2 localization and regulation during meiosis in both males and females. ESCO2 colocalized with the gamma H2A histone family member X (H2AFX) in pachytene spermatocytes, indicating that ESCO2 is a component of the XY body. In pachytene cells of the embryonic ovary, ESCO2 colocalized with H2AFX, which is consistent with the presence of ESCO2 in areas of double-stranded breaks. In addition, the expression of Esco2 was found to be regulated by RA in the postnatal testis. These data indicate that ESCO2 may play a vital role in meiosis in both males and females.
Participatory integration of live webcams into GIS

Global satellite imagery provides nearly ubiquitous views of the Earth's surface, and the tens of thousands of webcams provide live views from near Earth viewpoints. Combining these into a single application creates live views in the global context, where cars move through intersections, trees sway in the wind, and students walk across campus in real-time. This integration of the camera requires registration, which takes time, effort, and expertise. Here we report on two participatory interfaces that simplify this registration by providing applications which allow anyone to use live webcam streams to create virtual overhead views or to map live texture onto 3D models. We highlight system design issues that affect the scalability of such a service, and offer a case-study of how we overcame these in building a system which is publicly available and integrated with Google Maps and the Google Earth Plug-in. Imagery registered to features in GIS applications can be considered as richly geotagged, and we discuss opportunities for this rich geotagging.
Plant community composition as a driver of decomposition dynamics in riparian wetlands

Riparian wetlands are well known for providing the important ecosystem service of carbon storage. However, changes in land-use regimes surrounding riparian wetlands have been shown to result in alterations to the wetland plant community. These plant community changes have the potential to alter litter quality, decomposition rates, and ultimately the capacity of riparian wetlands to store carbon. To determine the effects of plant community shifts associated with disturbance on decomposition and carbon inputs, we performed a yearlong decomposition experiment using in situ herbaceous material, leaf litter, and control litter and examined biomass inputs in six headwater riparian wetlands in central Pennsylvania. Two sites were classified as Hemlock-Mixed Hardwood Palustrine Forest, two were classified as Broadleaf Palustrine Forest, and two were classified as Reed Canary Grass-Floodplain Grassland (Zimmerman et al. 2012). Plant matter with greater initial percent C, percent lignin, and lignin:N ratios decomposed more slowly while plant matter with greater initial cellulose decomposed more quickly. However, no significant differences were found between plant community types in decomposition rate or amount of carbon remaining at the end of the experiment, indicating that the differences in plant community type did not have a large impact on decomposition in riparian wetlands. This work has important implications for studies that examine the decomposition dynamics of a few select species, as they may not capture the decomposition dynamics of the plant community and thus extrapolating results from these studies to the larger ecosystem may be inappropriate.
The Ecology of Plankton Algae

Not too long ago the use of the word “algae” in a conversation usually met with a blank look, and a need for definition. Nowadays the layman has a fair understanding of the term, because he has heard it so often in discussions of good water, of space travel, and of toxic or nuisance effects. The biologist recognizes the much wider coverage of the word than the “microscopic green plants” of the layman; he too is cognizant of the above connotations, but is also interested in algae as the primary producers. That interest must of necessity include those factors which influence primary production, which factors are the environment.
Understanding the stagnation and burn of implosions on NIF

An improved the set of nuclear diagnostics on NIF measures the properties of the stagnation plasma of implosions, including the drift velocity, areal density (ρr) anisotropy and carbon ρr of the compressed core. Two types of deuterium-tritium (DT) gas filled targets are imploded by shaped x-ray pulses, producing stagnated and burning DT cores of radial convergence (Cr) ~ 5 or ~20. Comparison with two-dimensional modeling with inner and outer surface mix shows good agreement with nuclear measurements.
Citation Analysis of Physical Therapy. A Special Communication

To obtain information relevant to practice, physical therapists rely on a number of different sources, including contacts with students and colleagues, demonstrations, ward rounds, clinics, journals and other printed materials, discussions, in-service training, study groups, and formal instructional courses.1 Although physical therapists, like some human service professionals,2–5 may prefer and rely more on non-written sources of information than on publications,1 journals remain an extremely important source of information for practicing clinicians. Contributing to the importance of journals are their relative availability to physical therapists,1 their reliability and accuracy in comparison with personal experience and opinions,6 and their value as a primary medium for information communication. Professionals who realize the importance of journals to the communication of technical information and who are interested in such fields as mathematics, physics, botany, chemistry, engineering, veterinary medicine, physiology, agriculture, pharmacology, and pathology have conducted citation analyses to identify relevant “core journals.”7–11…
Closing the Cognitive Gap between Humans and Interactive Narrative Agents Using Shared Mental Models

This paper proposes a new formal approach for negotiating shared mental models between humans and computational improvisational agents (improv agents) based on our sociocognitive studies of human improvisers. Negotiation of shared mental models serves as a core mechanism for improv agents to co-create stories with each other and with human interactors. The model aims to narrow the gap between human and machine intelligence by providing AI agents that, in the presence of incomplete knowledge about an improv scene, can use procedural representations not only to understand human parties but also to negotiate their mental models with them. The described approach allows flexible modeling of ambiguous, non-Boolean knowledge through the use of fuzzy logic and situation calculus that allows reasoning under uncertainty in a dynamic improvisational setting.
Multidisciplinary Design Space Exploration Using Additive Manufacturing and Rapid Prototype Testing

The primary objectives of this work are two-fold. First, evaluate additive manufacturing (AM) and rapid prototype (RP) testing for use in production of wind tunnel (WT) models. Second, develop an approach to incorporate stability and control (S&C) WT data into aircraft conceptual design multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO). The measures of merit for both objectives are data quality, time, and cost. FDM™ and PolyJet AM processes are used for model production at low cost and time. Several models from a representative tailless configuration, ICE 101, are printed and evaluated for strength, cost, time of production, and limits of FDM™ technology are identified. Furthermore, a NACA 0012 model with 20% chord flap is manufactured. Both models are tested in the Virginia Tech (VT) Open-Jet WT for force and moment acquisition, and limitations of this tunnel are identified. An approach for incorporating WT data is adapted from traditional surrogatebased optimization (SBO). Split-plot experimental designs are developed for implementation of the WT SBO strategy using historical data. Further advancements in AM technology and acquisition of higher quality data using a closed-section WT are needed for a more effective approach to incorporate AM and RP testing in an aircraft conceptual design MDO for costeffective design space exploration.
Appropriation of culture and the quest for a voice in the works of Luisa Capetillo

ASBTRACTWith the end of Spanish colonialism, the working class and other marginalized groups in Puerto Rican society hoped the new era of nationhood would allow them to improve their living and working conditions and contribute to the various levels of decision making in society. Luisa Capetillo's texts critiqued bourgeois culture as one that did nothing to promote social change, as Puerto Rico went from a colonial society to one that thrived off of the exploitation of the worker. In an effort to find compromise, she appropriated the themes and structure of the very literature that she excoriated to give a voice to those groups who wanted to contribute on a greater scale in the new Puerto Rican society. This essay demonstrates how Capetillo reconciled the anarchist tendencies in her texts while calling for a complete rupture from neocolonial society, even though she imitated bourgeois cultural production.
The clinical and laboratory study of TLS-ERG fusion gene in seven cases of children'acute leukemia

Objective To analyse the morphologic、immunophenotypic,cytogenetic and clinical fea- tures of TLS-ERG fusion gene in children actue leukemia.Methods The nested RT-PCR was performed to detect TLS-ERG fusion transcription.In addition,the R-binding technique for karyotype analysis and flow cytometry assay for cell surface immunophenotyping were also applied in this study.Results TLS-ERG fu- sion gene was found both in acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.No case hast(16;21) (p11;q22)translocation.The immunophenotypical analysis of leukemia cells showed blast cells were positive for CD34 antigen in 5 patients.Conclusion The leukemia cells with TLS-ERG fusion gene may differentiate in earlier stage;it may be a useful marker for the detection of minimal residual disease in acute leukemia.
Assessment on outcome of iodine deficiency disease control in Xinghe county of Inner Mongolia

ObjectiveTo understand the effect of prevention and treatment for iodine deficiency disease,and it can be assessed. MethodsThe thyroid size was examined by palpation and B ultrasound. Pupils aged 8-12 years、 fifth grade primary school pupils and housewives were tested in health education questionnaire. ResultsThe rate of pupils aged 8-12 years goiter were 5.3% by palpation and 2.4% by B ultrasound. The knowledge rate of fifth grade primary school pupils for iodine deficiency disease was 66.4% and the knowledge rate of housewives was 92.2%. ConclusionThere are patients of iodine deficiency disease in Xinghe county of Inner Mongolia. The knowledge rate of iodine deficiency disease is low. It is necessary to carry out the health education,and the health education of iodine deficiency disease should be reinforced.
Nativity differences in allostatic load by age, sex, and Hispanic background from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

Allostatic load (AL), an index of biological "wear and tear" on the body from cumulative exposure to stress, has been little studied in US Hispanics/Latinos. We investigated AL accumulation patterns by age, sex, and nativity in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. We studied 15,830 Hispanic/Latinos of Mexican, Cuban, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Central and South American descent aged 18-74 years, 77% of whom were foreign-born. Consistent with the conceptualization of AL, we developed an index based upon 16 physiological markers that spanned the cardiometabolic, parasympathetic, and inflammatory systems. We computed mean adjusted AL scores using log-linear models across age-groups (18-44, 45-54, 55-74 years), by sex and nativity status. Among foreign-born individuals, differences in AL by duration of residence in the US (<10, ≥10 years) and age at migration (<24, ≥24 years) were also examined. In persons younger than 55 years old, after controlling for socioeconomic and behavioral factors, AL was highest among US-born individuals, intermediate in foreign-born Hispanics/Latinos with longer duration in the US (≥10 years), and lowest among those with shorter duration in the US (<10 years) (P <0.0001 for increasing trend). Similarly, AL increased among the foreign-born with earlier age at immigration. These trends were less pronounced among individuals ≥55 years of age. Similar patterns were observed across all Hispanic/Latino heritage groups (P for interaction=0.5). Our findings support both a "healthy immigrant" pattern and a loss of health advantage over time among US Hispanics/Latinos of diverse heritages.
Access, Skills, Economic Opportunities, and Democratic Participation: Connecting Four Facets of the Digital Divide Through Research

In exploring many of the divides that constitute the Digital Divide, this study examines skills, attitudes, and experiences of the individuals most likely to be affected by a lack of computer access and skill. As social scientist Robert Putnam argues, disparities in information and communication technologies access and skills may represent a "cyberapartheid" that diminishes the store. . .
Childhood Idiopathic Steroid Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome, Different Drugs And Outcome.

Background: The management of steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is quite difficult in paediatric patients. Not only the remission is difficult but also these patients are at risk of progression to end stage renal disease (ESRD). The goal of treatment is either to achieve complete remission or even partial remission as it is the most important predictor of disease outcome. Methods: This study was conducted at The Children’s Hospital, Lahore from February 2014 to May 2015. The SRNS patients of either sex between ages of 1–12 years were included with histology showing mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis (MesangioPGN), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) or minimal change disease (MCD). Patients were given different immunosuppressant drugs and steroid 30 mg/m 2 alternate day therapy on case to case basis and kept on regular follow up to check for response and adverse effects. Results: Total of 105 patients included, 63 (60%) male and 42 (40%) female patients. The age ranges from 1.08 to 12 years, mean age of 6.53 years and SD of ±3.17. Tacrolimus was the most common drug used 43 (41%) patients followed by cyclosporine in 38 (36.2%) patients, while Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was prescribed in 21 (20%) patients. Complete response was in 96 (91.4%) initially while partial response was seen in 8 (7.6%) patients. On follow up, 92 (87.6%) patients showed complete response and partial response was in 5 (4.7%) patients. Cushingoid features and hypertrichosis were the most common adverse effect seen. Conclusion: Steroid resistant nephrotic syndrome can be managed well with various immunosuppressant drugs and steroids but treatment should be individualized according to clinical presentation, disease histology and cost/social factors. Keywords: Steroid Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, immunosuppressant, outcome
Evaluating Human-Robot Interaction Using a Robot Exercise Instructor at a Senior Living Community

A NAO humanoid robot and a Paro animaloid robot are taken to a senior living community for a study in human-robot interaction. The humanoid robot was programmed to perform autonomously i a warm-up routine in which the robot directs the participants to ask it to perform various tasks and ii an exercise routine in which the robot invites the participants to participate in various physical exercises. The Paro robot is then passed around among the participants. The participants included six elderly residents, three nurses/caregivers, and two administrators. The elderly residents are categorized with respect to cognitive awareness and physical capability. We tabulated video data to measure several dimensions of human-robot interaction among these diverse participant groups. Our findings suggest that while senior residents moderately accept the robots and nurses and administrators are enthusiastic about them, more work needs be done on the auditory capability of the robots.
Polyandry in the absence of fitness benefits in a species with female-biased sexual size dimorphism

Most studies exploring the evolution of female mating systems focus on species in which females are either monandric (mate with a single male) or highly polyandric (mate with multiple males), but less is understood about variation in mating decisions within a species. How and why do females of a single species decide whether or not to copulate with additional mates? In this study we attempt to answer this question in the highly dimorphic crab spider, Mecaphesa celer, whose females may be either monandric or polyandric. We tested three hypotheses: (1) a female's decision to remate is based on sequential mate choice; (2) a female's decision to remate has fitness consequences, with polyandry providing increased benefits; and (3) mating order predicts male paternity, following a pattern of first-male sperm precedence. We conducted double-mating trials between females and males of varied sizes and age, quantified six putative fitness benefits obtained by monandric and polyandric females, and tested sperm precedence patterns using the sterile male technique. We found no evidence that female M. celer are performing sequential mate choice. Moreover, we found no difference in fitness between monandric and polyandric females. Finally, we found that paternity in polyandric females follows a pattern of sperm mixing. Mecaphesa celer females' decisions regarding mating with multiple males do not appear to be influenced by comparisons of male attributes or by future fitness benefits. We recommend future studies examining male ejaculate components that might influence female mating decisions.
Restriction Endonuclease Analysis Typing of Clostridium difficile Isolates

Restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) typing using HindIII enzyme is a highly discriminatory, reproducible, and consistent method of genetic typing of Clostridium difficile (CD) isolates. REA typing analyzes CD whole cellular DNA on two levels of discrimination: REA Group designation and REA Type designation, which distinguishes specific subtypes within the REA Group. This methodology has enabled the tracking of epidemiologically significant CD strains over time and in some cases has allowed documentation of the evolution of previously rare REA Group strains that have subsequently become epidemic. The chapter details the methods used to isolate and purify CD colonies from stool samples, to obtain intact, full-length whole cellular DNA from CD isolates by use of guanidine-EDTA solution, and to analyze the HindIII-digested DNA after electrophoretic separation on agarose gels.
Elsevier : A radiation-hard dual-channel 12-bit 40 MS/s ADC prototype for the ATLAS liquid argon calorimeter readout electronics upgrade at the CERN LHC

Abstract The readout electronics upgrade for the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeters at the CERN Large Hadron Collider requires a radiation-hard ADC. The design of a radiation-hard dual-channel 12-bit 40 MS/s pipeline ADC for this use is presented. The design consists of two pipeline A/D channels each with four Multiplying Digital-to-Analog Converters followed by 8-bit Successive-Approximation-Register analog-to-digital converters. The custom design, fabricated in a commercial 130 nm CMOS process, shows a performance of 67.9 dB SNDR at 10 MHz for a single channel at 40 MS/s, with a latency of 87.5 ns (to first bit read out), while its total power consumption is 50 mW/channel. The chip uses two power supply voltages: 1.2 and 2.5 V. The sensitivity to single event effects during irradiation is measured and determined to meet the system requirements.
Signal Transduction Involving the Dmp1 Transcription Factor and its Alteration in Human Cancer

Dmp1 (cyclin D-interacting myb-like protein 1; also called Dmtf1) is a transcription factor that has been isolated in a yeast two-hybrid screen through its binding property to cyclin D2. Dmp1 directly binds to and activates the Arf promoter and induces Arf-p53-dependent cell cycle arrest in primary cells. D-type cyclins usually inhibit Dmp1-mediated transcription in a Cdk-independent fashion; however, Dmp1 shows synergistic effects with D-cyclins on the Arf promoter. Ras or Myc oncogene-induced tumor formation is accelerated in both Dmp1+/− and Dmp1−/− mice with no significant differences between Dmp1+/− and Dmp1−/−. Thus, Dmp1 is haplo-insufficient for tumor suppression. Tumors from Dmp1−/− or Dmp1+/− mice often retain wild-type Arf and p53, suggesting that Dmp1 is a physiological regulator of the Arf-p53 pathway. The Dmp1 promoter is activated by oncogenic Ras-Raf signaling, while it is repressed by physiological mitogenic stimuli, overexpression of E2F proteins, and genotoxic stimuli mediated by NF-κB. The human DMP1 gene (hDMP1) is located on chromosome 7q21 and is hemizygously deleted in approximately 40% of human lung cancers, especially those that retain normal INK4a/ARF and P53 loci. Thus, hDMP1 is clearly involved in human carcinogenesis, and tumors with hDMP1 deletion may constitute a discrete disease entity.
Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: An Experimental Test of Pro-Environmental Spillover From Reducing Meat Consumption to Monetary Donations:

Psychological studies testing behavioral spillover—the notion that behavior change resulting from an intervention affects subsequent similar behaviors—has resulted in conflicting findings in the en...
Magnetism in Mn Nanowires and Clusters as {\delta}-doped Layers in Group IV Semiconductors (Si, Ge)

Mn doping of group-IV semiconductors (Si/Ge) is achieved by embedding a thin Mn-film as a {\delta}-doped layer in group-IV matrix. The Mn-layer consists of a dense layer of monoatomic Mn-wires, which are oriented perpendicular to the Si(001)-(2x1) dimer rows, or Mn-clusters. The nanostructures are covered with an amorphous Si or Ge capping layer, which conserves the identity of the {\delta}-doped layer. The analysis of the bonding environment with STM is combined with the element-specific detection of the magnetic signature with X-ray magnetic circular dichroism. The largest moment (2.5 {\mu}B/Mn) is measured for Mn-wires, which have ionic bonding character, with an a-Ge overlayer cap, a-Si capping leads to a slightly reduced moment which has its origin in subtle variation of bonding geometry. Our results directly confirm theoretical predictions on magnetism for Mn-adatoms on Si(001). The moment is quenched to 0.5{\mu}B/Mn for {\delta}-doped layers, which are dominated by clusters, and thus develop an antiferromagnetic component from Mn-Mn bonding.
Clinical assessment of uterine contractions

The assessment of uterine contractions is important in clinical decision-making, but the precise role for appraising contractions remains controversial. Four clinical approaches to assessing contractions are available: manual palpation; intrauterine pressure determination; external tocodynamometry; and electrohysterography. Palpation is inexpensive and harmless but requires the constant bedside presence of a trained observer. Intrauterine pressure measurement is considered the most sensitive and specific technique, and has become the standard by which other methods are judged; however, its quantitative measurements are not always precise or reproducible. Moreover, the availability of intrauterine pressure measurements does not seem to improve maternal or neonatal outcomes in most situations. External tocodynamometry is the most widely used technique. It is easy to apply and provides reasonably accurate information about the frequency and duration of contractions, but not their amplitude. It can require frequent adjustment during labor and might not work well in patients who are obese. Electrohysterography is a recently available noninvasive technology that detects uterine electrical activity using electrodes placed on the mother's abdominal wall. This approach is at least as reliable and accurate as tocodynamometry.
Financing Children's Futures: Economic Strategies for Postsecondary Education Among Middle‐Income Families

This paper, based on three waves of qualitative data with middle-income families outside of Philadelphia, explores how families deal with the challenge of financing postsecondary education over time. Because of economic setbacks, these families adopt a variety of financial maneuvers to support their young adult children's postsecondary educational plans. In particular, families are driven to sacrifice familial savings accounts and retirement funds, take on significant student loan burdens, and downgrade children's college plans to cheaper, often less prestigious, options. These results highlight the financial vulnerability of families in the middle of the income distribution and the complicated relationship between family economics and postsecondary educational plans for children.
Neuromuscular complications of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICPI) therapy unleashes the body's natural immune system to fight cancer. ICPIs improve overall cancer survival, however, the unbridling of the immune system may induce a variety of immune-related adverse events. Neuromuscular immune complications are rare but they can be severe. Myasthenia gravis and inflammatory neuropathy are the most common neuromuscular adverse events but a variety of others including inflammatory myopathy are reported. The pathophysiologic mechanism of these autoimmune disorders may differ from that of non-ICPI-related immune diseases. Accordingly, while the optimal treatment for ICPI-related neuromuscular disorders generally follows a traditional paradigm, there are important novel considerations in selecting appropriate immunosuppressive therapy. This review presents 2 new cases, a summary of neuromuscular ICPI complications, and an approach to the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders. Muscle Nerve, 2018.
An Optimal Control Approach to Cancer Chemotherapy with Tumor–Immune System Interactions

We review some results about the structure of optimal chemotherapy protocols in the presence of tumor immune system interactions that can be derived from population-based mathematical models using optimal control.
Brg1 controls neurosensory cell fate commitment and differentiation in the mammalian inner ear

Otic ectoderm gives rise to almost all cell types of the inner ear; however, the mechanisms that link transcription factors, chromatin, lineage commitment and differentiation capacity are largely unknown. Here we show that Brg1 chromatin-remodeling factor is required for specifying neurosensory lineage in the otocyst and for inducing hair and supporting cell fates in the cochlear sensory epithelium. Brg1 interacts with the critical neurosensory-specific transcription factors Eya1/Six1, both of which simultaneously interact with BAF60a or BAF60c. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) and ChIP assays demonstrate Brg1 association with discrete regulatory elements at the Eya1 and Six1 loci. Brg1-deficiency leads to markedly decreased Brg1 binding at these elements and loss of Eya1 and Six1 expression. Furthermore, ChIP-seq reveals Brg1-bound promoter-proximal and distal regions near genes essential for inner ear morphogenesis and cochlear sensory epithelium development. These findings uncover essential functions for chromatin-remodeling in the activation of neurosensory fates during inner ear development.
Root Cause Analysis Methodology of ESD Soft-Failure Applied to a Robot

A complex system such as a human assisting robot will have many sensors and use parallel processing for achieving the desired action. During a transient disturbance, such as an electrostatic discharge (ESD), one or many of these sensors can be disturbed. In this study, the detect/presence logic is toggled, consequently, the microcontroller reads the sensor status as disabled. This is a soft-failure which can be recovered by a power cycle of the system. Here a case study is investigated where a methodology is developed to help system designers to understand and model the cause of the sensor failure during an ESD event. This methodology will also help system designers to design efficient filters on the critical signal lines to minimize the effect of coupled noise.
In the Soviet Shadow

The article aims to broaden the understanding of Soviet politics as a form of colonialism and to deploy the same conceptual tools used in post-colonial critiques that have been typically reserved for critiquing European control of ‘distant’ lands, both in temporal and spatial dimensions. Closely examining Soviet politics in Mongolia, the article conceptualises the Soviet policies across the vast Soviet-sphere with the post-colonial theoretical framework. Conceptually, the article juxtaposes the post-colonial treatment of the Soviet politics with high modernism. Under Soviet direction and control, Mongolia was profoundly transformed over seven decades from an impoverished pastoral society at the beginning of the twentieth century to a highly ordered and structured society. This social, spatial, administrative transformation was more vivid and radical than in many former Soviet-sphere countries, especially those countries that had long been settled and urbanised.
Modulatory effect of dexamethasone on temozolomide induced apoptosis in human glioblastoma U87MG cells

554 Glioblastoma is the deadliest and most prevalent brain tumor. Currently, there is no cure for glioblastona. However, the general strategy for the treatment of glioblastoma involves surgery, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy. There are various adjuvant and chemotherapeutic drugs, which are often used in combination with a hope of better outcome. Dexamethasone (DXM) is a steroid commonly used for treatment of glioblastoma patients for alleviation of pain and vasogenic edema prior to treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs. Temozolomide (TMZ), an alkylating chemotherapeutic drug, has recently been introduced in clinical trials for treatment of glioblastoma. This investigation was designed to determine the modulatory effect of DXM on TMZ induced apoptosis in human glioblastoma U87MG cells. Freshly grown cells were treated with different doses of DXM or TMZ for 6 h followed by incubation in drug-free medium for 48 h. Wright staining and ApopTag assay showed no apoptosis in U87MG cells treated with 40 μM DXM but significant amounts of apoptosis in cells treated with 100 μM TMZ. Apoptosis in TMZ treated U87MG was associated with an increase in intracellular free [Ca2+], as determined by fura-2 assay. Western blot analyses showed alterations in the levels of Bax (pro-apoptotic) and Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic) proteins with an increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in TMZ treated cells, indicating a commitment to apoptosis. Western blot analyses also detected overexpression of calpain and caspase-3, which cleaved 230 kD a-spectrin at specific sites for generation of 145 and 120 kD spectrin break down products (SBDPs), respectively. However, 1-h pretreatment of U87MG cells with 40 μM DEX dramatically decreased TMZ induced apoptosis, decreasing Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and SBDPs. Thus, our results revealed that DXM was antagonistic to TMZ induced apoptosis in human glioblastoma U87MG cells. This study has yet to be substantiated in the xenografted and allografted animal models of glioblastoma. This investigation, however, strongly implies that treatment of glioblastoma patients with DXM prior to chemotherapy with TMZ may result in an undesirable clinical outcome. Supported in part by five R01 grants from the National Cancer Institue (NCI) and National Institue of Neurological Disorders ans Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and also a grant from the state of SC.
Memory across a short-delay: Systematic biases in memory for faces.

Abstract From geometric figures to human faces, many visual stimuli vary along a continuum in featural space, anchored at one end by a highly distinctive constellation of features, at the other by a neutral set. Here we used a continuum of morphed faces to test whether errors in visual short-term memory are symmetric in feature space around the target or systematically biased toward one or the other end of the continuum. Participants were shown a face for 1 s. After a brief delay, participants were asked to choose the face they had been shown among three face options, which consisted of the target face, one face that was slightly more distinctive, and one face that was slightly more neutral. Continuums of morphed faces ranged from an average, neutral face to different distinctive celebrity faces two experiments, or from neutral facial expressions to highly emotional expressions a third experiment. Results showed that when participants made an incorrect response, they were more likely to incorrectly identify the more distinctive face than the more neutral or average face as the target face. This bias toward more extreme faces, however, was not observed for unfamiliar (non-celebrity) faces that were emotionally neutral. These findings suggest that visual memory encodes distinctive features of stimuli that lead to biases in later recognition.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF GENERALIZED BASE OF COUNTABLE ORDER THEORY

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the development of generalized base of countable order theory. It presents a few of the main concepts and definitions introduced in the development of base of countable order theory, or which can be interpreted as explicitly influencing its development. Arhangel'ski introduced the base of countable order concept into the literature in a distinguished paper on metrization [Arh2]. He has shown that a Hausdorff space is metrizable if and only if it is paracompact and has a base of countable order. A regular space S has a point regular (σ-uniform) base if and only if S has a σ point-finite base and a closed sets of S are inner limiting sets. The concept of a set of absolute interior condensation generalizes that of an absolute Gδ.
Collaboration Across Boundaries: Reflections on Studying the Sustainability of the Mississippi River Delta as a Coupled Natural-Human System

We report in this chapter our experience in collaboration across boundaries from working on an interdisciplinary project funded by the National Science Foundation under the Dynamics of Coupled Natural-Human Systems program. The project investigates the sustainability of the Mississippi River Delta (MRD), which is considered one of the most vulnerable coastal zones in the continental United States and the world. Our overarching research question is: will the MRD reach a tipping point that would make it difficult to sustain in the future? The project consists of seven components, each led by investigators from disciplines including hydrology, sedimentology, ecology, geography, political science, economics, and finance. We conducted a survey of the team members to obtain their opinions on the challenges, benefits, and suggestions for improvement regarding collaboration across disciplinary boundaries. The results provide insights into the development of best practice for collaboration across boundaries. Survey results suggest that a successful interdisciplinary project would need a detailed research plan with timelines and expected results stated, and the plan would need to be followed through. Finding collaborators who have similar priorities, can deliver the results on time, and continue engagement in the research is difficult, but the reward in making it happen is gratifying because it will ultimately be beneficial to advancing the science and practice of sustaining complex natural-human systems.
Theory of Traveling-Wave Tube Including Space Charge Effects on the Circuit Mode and Distributed Cold Tube Loss

This article presents a small-signal theory of a tape helix traveling-wave tube (TWT) with distributed cold tube loss, including the recently discovered space charge effects on the circuit mode that was obtained from the exact dispersion relation of the corresponding lossless tube. The classical values of Pierce’s parameter ${C}$ and ${Q}$ are modified in this new formulation, while the cold tube loss will enter in a similar way as in Pierce. Realistic examples are given, including tubes with uniform circuit loss and with a spatial sever, and compared with the Pierce’s classical theory.
Co-planar light-actuated optoelectrowetting microfluidic device for droplet manipulation

We report on a co-planar light-actuated digital microfluidics device that features a metal mesh grid integrated on the device surface to allow droplets to be exposed from above. We discuss a theoretical circuit model for our co-planar optoelectrowetting (OEW) design that allows for the optimization of droplet actuation while maintaining reliable droplet movement. Basic droplet manipulations such as merging and parallel actuation of droplets are achieved at speeds of up to 4.5 cm / s. The co-planar OEW device design benefits from having an open top design that allows for a wider range of system integration configurations than previous generations of OEW devices. A droplet-on-demand dispensing system from above is integrated with the co-planar OEW device to demonstrate the versatility of this optofluidic platform. The ability to inject, collect, and position individual droplets to form large-scale droplet arrays of up to 20 × 20 is achieved.
Effect of ferroelectric and interface films on the tunneling electroresistance of the Al2O3/Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 based ferroelectric tunnel junctions

Ferroelectric random-access memory (FRAM) based on conventional ferroelectric materials is a non-volatile memory with fast read/write operations, high endurance, and 10 years of data retention time. However, it suffers from destructive read-out operation and lack of CMOS compatibility. HfO2-based ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJ) may compensate for the shortcomings of FRAM by its CMOS compatibility, fast operation speed, and non-destructive readout operation. In this study, we investigate the effect of ferroelectric and interface film thickness on the tunneling electroresistance or ON/OFF current ratio of the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2/Al2O3based FTJ device. Integrating a thick ferroelectric layer (i.e. 12 nm Hf0.5Zr0.5O2) with a thin interface layer (i.e. 1 nm Al2O3) resulted in an ON/OFF current ratio of 78. Furthermore, to elucidate the relationship between ON/OFF current ratio and interfacial properties, the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2-Al2O3films and Ge-Al2O3interfaces are examined via time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry depth profiling mode. A bilayer oxide heterostructure (Hf0.5Zr0.5O2/Al2O3) is deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on the Ge substrate. The ON/OFF current ratio is enhanced by an order of magnitude when the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2film deposition mode is changed from exposure (H2O) ALD to sequential plasma (sequential O2-H2) ALD. Moreover, the interfacial engineering approach based on thein situALD H2-plasma surface pre-treatment of Ge increases the ON/OFF current ratio from 9 to 38 by reducing the interfacial trap density state at the Ge-Al2O3interface and producing Al2O3with fewer oxygen vacancies as compared to the wet etch (HF + H2O rinse) treatment of the Ge substrate. This study provides evidence of strong coupling between Hf0.5Zr0.5O2and Al2O3films in controlling the ON/OFF current ratio of the FTJ.
Visible Invisibility: Feedback Bias in the Legal Profession

Notwithstanding widespread adoption of diversity and inclusion initiatives and increased awareness of the challenges women and people of color face in their advancement, little progress has been made in recent years with respect to diversity within the legal profession. The legal profession remains homogeneous, dominated by a single race and gender. Though increased attention has been placed on bias and discrimination within the profession, no appreciable increases in the representation of women and diverse attorneys has occurred. As such, this article argues that feedback bias plays a critical role in perpetuating the lack of women and people of color within the profession, particularly within leadership positions. This article first provides an understanding of how bias manifests in feedback, why it matters and how it plays out in legal education and in the workplace. Next, this article highlights the science and evidence that demonstrate feedback bias; the common types of feedback-related bias; and the natural discomfort with engaging in difficult conversations across gender and racial lines. Finally, this article focuses on how to identify and avoid biased feedback within the legal profession, proposing ten concrete strategies for faculty and employers to employ – all of which, if implemented, will to ensure accurate assessment of law students’ and lawyers’ performance and facilitation of their ultimate success.
Expression of the “4.2 ka event” drought in the southern Rocky Mountains, USA

Abstract. The use of the climatic anomaly known as the “4.2 ka event” as the stratigraphic division between the mid- and late Holocene has prompted debate over its impact, geographic pattern, and significance. The anomaly has primarily been described as abrupt drying, but evidence of hydroclimate change at ca. 4 ka is inconsistent among sites globally, and few sites in North America document a major drought. Climate records from the southern Rocky Mountains demonstrate the challenge with diagnosing the extent and severity of the anomaly. Dune-field chronologies and a pollen record in southeast Wyoming reveal several centuries of low moisture at around 4.2 ka and prominent low stands in lakes in Colorado suggest the drought was unique amid Holocene variability, but detailed carbonate oxygen isotope (δ18Ocarb) records from Colorado do not record it. We find new evidence from δ18Ocarb in a small mountain lake in southeast Wyoming of an abrupt reduction in effective moisture or snowpack from approximately 4.2–4 ka that coincides in time with the other evidence from the southern Rocky Mountains and the western Great Plains of regional drying at around 4.2 ka. We find that the δ18Ocarb in our record may reflect cool-season inputs into the lake, which do not appear to track the strong enrichment of heavy oxygen by evaporation during summer months today. The modern relationship differs from some widely applied conceptual models of lake-isotope systems and may indicate reduced winter precipitation rather than enhanced evaporation at ca. 4.2 ka. Inconsistencies among the North American records, particularly in δ18Ocarb trends, thus show that site-specific factors can prevent identification of the patterns of multi-century drought. However, the prominence of the drought at ca. 4 ka among a growing number of sites in the North American interior suggests it was a regionally substantial climate event amid other Holocene variability.
Confluence of the Economic Recession and Immigration Laws in the Lives of Latino Immigrant Workers in the United States

The Great Recession coincided with a period of heightened immigration enforcement at the Southern border and in the country’s interior. In this chapter we analyze the economic performance of Latino immigrants in general and of unauthorized immigrants in particular during the Great Recession through a lens that focuses on the confluence of stricter enforcement, the criminalization of immigrant workers and limited economic opportunity. Qualitative interviews with Latino immigrants in the Phoenix, Arizona, a state that has adopted a tapestry of punitive immigration laws, and nationally representative data from the American Community Survey and Current Population Survey suggest that increased enforcement drove undocumented immigrants further underground. An important finding is that the quality of these immigrants’ jobs declined, indicating increased undergroundness and vulnerability, a trend that started earlier in the 2000s but was exacerbated during the Great Recession.