cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enthalpy of formation of katoite Ca3Al2[(OH)4]3: Energetics of the hydrogarnet substitution

The silicon-free end member of the hydrogrossular solid solution series, katoite Ca 3 Al 2 [(OH) 4 ] 3 , was synthesized in a solid-media, piston-cylinder apparatus. The enthalpy of formation from the component oxides was measured by high-temperature oxide melt calorimetry and found to be Delta H f = -255.6+ or -12.2 kJ/mol; the resulting enthalpy of formation from the elements is Delta H f = -5551.5+ or -16.4 kJ/mol. From this value, enthalpies for breakdown reactions of hydrogrossular were calculated and the relative energetic stability of katoite evaluated.
Electronic Structure and Stability of Ordered Vacancy Phases of NbN

A recently reported metastable phase of NbN with a superconducting T c =16.4 K is characterized using full potential electronic structure methods. This new phase, which has Pm3m (cubic) symmetry, can be described as the B1 (rocksalt) structure with 25% ordered vacancies on each sublattice. We compare the equation of state and electronic spectrum of this Pm3m phase with its rocksalt counterpart [1] and with Nb 4 N 3 in the 14/mmm (tetragonal) phase, which allows the characterization of N vacancies without accompanying Nb vacancies. For Pm3m NbN, the calculated lattice constant is 5% smaller than reported and the energy is 1.00 eV/molecule higher than B1 NbN, suggesting that the newly reported phase is something other than a stoichiometric Pm3m phase of NbN. We report on the energy surface for tetragonal distortions of this phase, from which we evaluate its structural stability and obtain Poisson's ratio.
Design and Realization of DAQ-card for 100MHz-Virtual-Oscilloscope

A new solution is introduced to design of digital-storage oscilloscope based on Virtual Instrument.With PCI interface,the sample frequency is up to 100MHz when the DMA mode is devoted to data transmission.Parameters for sampling are user-defined.The sampling result may be displayed in software panel or saved in PC HD.The instrument is now used successfully.
Adjuvant chemotherapy in resectable cancer of the colon and rectum.

Although major advances in surgery of the colon and rectum have been made over the past 50 years, the overall survival associated with “curative resections” has changed little in the past two decades. Cancer chemotherapy is investigated as an adjunct to resection of operable primary cancers in an attempt to diminish the incidence of local recurrence and visceral metastases.
CFU-M-Derived Human Megakaryocytes Synthesize Glycoproteins IIb and IIIa

Human megakaryocytes have been shown by immunofluorescent techniques to express platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antigen. We report evidence that megakaryocytes derived from human committed megakaryocytic progenitor cells in vitro (CFU-M) synthesize glycoproteins IIb and IIIa. Nonadherent light-density human bone marrow cells were cultured in human plasma and methylcellulose using conditions that promote large megakaryocytic colonies. On day 13 the megakaryocytic colonies were picked, pooled, and pulsed with 35S-methionine in methionine-free media. Populations of approximately 100,000 cells with greater than or equal to 95% viability and containing 70% to 90% megakaryocytes were obtained reliably for study. After the radioactive pulse, the cell suspension was solubilized with nonionic detergent. To reduce nonspecific binding of 35S-labeled proteins to agarose, the lysate was chromatographed sequentially on glycine-quenched Affi-gel and antihuman factor X-Sepharose. The unbound material from these resins was then chromatographed on an antiglycoprotein IIb/IIIa monoclonal antibody resin (HP1–1D-Sepharose) or on a control monoclonal antibody resin. Bound fractions were eluted and analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. Autoradiograms of diethylamine eluates from HP1–1D-Sepharose revealed two labeled proteins with electrophoretic mobilities identical with those of human platelet membrane glycoproteins IIb and IIIa, isolated using similar conditions. Autoradiograms of material synthesized by control macrophages from the same donors revealed no significant labeling of proteins in the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa molecular weight range, nor were such proteins bound by HP1–1D-Sepharose. Our observations show that protein synthesis by CFU-M-derived human megakaryocytes can be readily studied using a small amount of bone marrow aspirate as starting material. This approach will allow the study of protein synthesis by megakaryocytes from normal subjects or from subjects with clinical disorders, and it will circumvent the need to obtain large amounts of bone marrow to prepare enriched populations of megakaryocytes.
Hydroponics: A Versatile System to Study Nutrient Allocation and Plant Responses to Nutrient Availability and Exposure to Toxic Elements

Hydroponic systems have been utilized as one of the standard methods for plant biology research and are also used in commercial production for several crops, including lettuce and tomato. Within the plant research community, numerous hydroponic systems have been designed to study plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Here we present a hydroponic protocol that can be easily implemented in laboratories interested in pursuing studies on plant mineral nutrition. This protocol describes the hydroponic system set up in detail and the preparation of plant material for successful experiments. Most of the materials described in this protocol can be found outside scientific supply companies, making the set up for hydroponic experiments less expensive and convenient. The use of a hydroponic growth system is most advantageous in situations where the nutrient media need to be well controlled and when intact roots need to be harvested for downstream applications. We also demonstrate how nutrient concentrations can be modified to induce plant responses to both essential nutrients and toxic non-essential elements.
MicroRNA-124 suppresses tumor cell proliferation and invasion by targeting CD164 signaling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer

MicroRNAs play critical roles in regulating gene expression and various cellular processes in human cancer malignant progression. Down-regulated expression of miR-124 gene has been shown to be significantly associated with a poor prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) but its biological function and regulatory roles in lung cancer tumorigenesis are largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to determine effects of ectopic expression of miR-124 on tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and induction of apoptosis by DOTAP:Cholesterol nanoparticle-mediated gene transfer and identify its endogenous targets under physiological conditions in NSCLC cells. Overexpression of miR-124 significantly suppresses tumor cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and induction of apoptosis in H322 and A549 cells. Two endogenous miR-124 targeting sites in the 3'UTR of CD164 mRNA are identified by a stem-loop-array reverse transcription PCR (SLA-RT-PCR) assay in H1299 cells under physiological condition. Ectopic expression of miR-124 induces CD164 mRNA cleavage and down-regulated its gene and protein expression. Our results suggest that miR-124 function as a tumor suppressor miRNA and suppress tumor proliferation and aggression by directly targeting oncogenic CD164 signaling pathway in NSCLC.
Abstract LB-288: Investigation on the interaction between human beta defensin type 3 (hBD-3) and ectodomain of EphA2 receptor using molecular dynamics simulation method

Defensins are a family of cationic cysteine-rich small molecules. In general, human beta defensins (hBD) are produced by epithelial cells, and they are important to the human innate immune system. Experimental results showed that defensins can directly bind with receptors such as chemokine receptors and act through several mechanisms that may trigger antitumor immunity or facilitate the host9s immune response (or evasion) and promote tumor progression. hBD type 3 (hBD-3) is newly discovered and is unique that it has a net charge density much higher than other family members, and has the ability to undergo oligomerization. On the other hand, EPH receptors and their corresponding ligands (ephrins) are membrane-bound proteins that require direct cell-cell interactions for the activation of the receptors. Eph-ephrin system plays a critical role in tumor and vascular functions during carcinogenesis. Once EPH receptor A2 (EphA2) is ligand-independent, it can over-express itself in many types of tumors, and behave like an oncogene. Besides, many studies suggested that mutations that affect EPH receptor function play a role in cancer initiation or progression. Therefore, the EphA2-ephrin5 system can be a novel target for the development of anti-tumorigenic and anti-angiogenic therapies, and understanding its interaction with other molecules is important to demystify the cancer mechanism. Both EphA2 ectodomain (ECD) and hBD-3 exist outside of the cell membrane. In order to find out the interaction mechanism of hBD-3 with EphA2 receptor, initially blind docking using Cluspro software was performed to predict all the possible binding sites between hBD-3 oligomer and EphA2 ECD in the free and bound forms. After that, all atom molecular dynamics CHARMM simulations were performed to find out the most probable binding interfaces between hBD-3 oligomer and EphA2 ECD. It was found that hBD-3 has multiple stable binding sites on the EphA2 ECD, and its binding on the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of EphA2 could influence the binding of ephrin5 with EphA2. Those suggest the hBD-3 could play a role in cancer initiation. Citation Format: Liqun Zhang. Investigation on the interaction between human beta defensin type 3 (hBD-3) and ectodomain of EphA2 receptor using molecular dynamics simulation method. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-288.
Thermal potentiation and mineralogical evolution in the Bivalvia (Mollusca)

The most important factor controlling the timing of Phanerozoic mineralogical evolution in the Bivalvia appears to be thermal potentiation of calcite deposition in colder marine and estuarine environments. Cold temperature has promoted mineralogical evolution in the Bivalvia by kinetically facilitating (potentiating) initially weak biological controls for calcite, thereby exposing their genetic basis to natural selection. Calcite has evolved in bivalve shells for a variety of selective advantages, including resistance to dissolution; resistance to chemical boring by algae and gastropods; reduced shell density in swimming and soft-bottom reclining species; enhanced flexibility in simple prismatic shell layers; and fracture localization and economy of secretion in association with certain foliated structures.Endogenous calcite in bivalve shells varies from biologically induced to weakly and strongly biologically controlled. Biologically controlled calcite generally first appears in bivalve shells as an impersistent component of the outer shell layer, only later, in some groups, expanding to include the entire outer and then part or all of the middle and inner shell layers. The initial stages of mineralogical evolution are shown by certain modern Mytilidae, Veneridae and Petricolidae. In the latter two families, the calcite occurs as conellae in the outer part of the outer shell layer. Calcitic conellae in the inner shell layer of Pliocene Mercenaria are not barnacle plates, as previously indicated, but endogenous calcite comparable in origin to other venerid conellae. Their occurrence in Mercenaria may reflect thermal potentiation of weak biological controls for calcite, as well as local detachment of the secretory mantle epithelium near the pallial and adductor musculature.
A simple approach to quantifying the noise–ENSO interaction. Part II: the role of coupling between the warm pool and equatorial zonal wind anomalies

Stochastic forcing has been used conceptually to explain ENSO irregularity. More recently, the concept of state-dependent (multiplicative) stochastic forcing has been explored as an explanation of a number of ENSO properties. By calculating the state-dependence factor of ENSO zonal wind stress noise forcing on SST, we are able to separate the additive and multiplicative components of the wind stress noise forcing of ENSO. Spatially, the months with large additive or multiplicative components all resemble previous studies on westerly wind bursts. They differ from each other in that the wind stresses are significantly stronger during months with a large multiplicative noise component. It is further shown that when the multiplicative noise component is large, there have been large values of the wind stress noise in the preceding months. This is not true of the months when the additive component is large. The multi-month growth of the wind stress from the multiplicative noise process is shown to be related to an eastward migration of the western Pacific Warm Pool, which is coupled to the wind stress through convection. This process is shown to be significantly weakened in a climate model when the ocean and atmosphere are uncoupled.
Highly parallel implementation of forest fire propagation models on the GPU

Forest fire simulation is a challenging, complex problem which requires large amounts of data to be processed for an accurate simulation. This paper implements Rothermel's fire spread equations on three different spread methodologies. Both a sequential implementation of each spread methodology along with a parallel implementation are presented in this paper. The parallel version is implemented on the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) using NVIDIA's CUDA programming language. The parallel spread methods achieved runtimes in those ranges realistic for fighting a real-time forest fire. The GPU implementation achieved faster running times in each of the spread methodologies, ranging from 64x to 229x faster than the sequential implementation.
A new direct field oriented controller employing rotor end ring current detection

A novel direct field-oriented control scheme for induction motor drive applications that employs rotor end ring current detection and removes the dependence of the controller accuracy on temperature is presented. This field orientation scheme does not require an incremental encoder for rotor position sensing. The motor torque can be accurately controlled even down to zero frequency operation. The controller is completely independent of rotor time constant variations. The rotor end ring current is measured via Hall-effect sensors. An adaptive controller for the rotor current gains eliminates the error introduced in the measurement due to temperature changes of the Hall sensors. Consequently, the field-oriented controller remains robust, even for conditions where the machine internal air temperature reaches 100 degrees C. Experimental results showing the practical feasibility of the proposed direct field-oriented controller are presented. >
Genetically evolved transformations for rescaling online handwritten characters

In this paper, we describe using genetically evolved rescaling transformations for scale normalization of online handwritten characters. GP is used for evolving the rescaling functions such that the transformed characters make less recognition errors. The procedure for evolving these transformations requires only labeled characters for training and testing the classifier, but no knowledge of the internals of the classifier. It therefore holds promise as a general mechanism for improving the recognition performance of any online HWR algorithm.
CLL Transcript and Serum Profiling Identifies Distinct Oncogenic Pathways in Rai Stage Progression.

Background: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a common leukemia that is incurable. Survival curves for Rai stage 0/I and III/IV are distinct and a specific gene expression signature may be associated with stage progression (SP). However, distinct oncogenic pathways that differentiate stage progression are not well defined. Methods: Mononuclear cells from Rai stage 0/I (N=8) and III/IV (N=8) CLL patients were obtained through an IRB approved protocol and analyzed utilizing the HG-U133A 2.0 Affymetrix array after isolating and purifying total RNA (Qiagen, RNAeasy). Control RNA samples are from 4 normal volunteers’ peripheral blood (PB) B-cells (AllCell, CA) and a normal reactive lymph node. Statistical significance of individual genes and pathways was analyzed using ‘BioConductor’. Differential gene expression was analyzed using ‘Limma’. Pathways and cytogenetics regions were analyzed for enrichment using ‘Category’. Real time RT-PCR on specific genes was performed to validate the GEP based on stage. A serum cytokine profile (120 cytokines, RayBiotech) on 8 CLL patients (N=4 low risk; N=4 high risk) and 4 normal volunteers was evaluated to identify a signature for diagnosis and prognosis. Results: Data are presented as “robust” increases or decreases of relative gene expression common to 8 patients in the low or high risk stages. The Wnt/Ror-1 non-canonical, and TGFb pathways are over-expressed in Rai stage 0/I, implicating a program of cell survival and dysregulated migration. The Hedgehog, Proteasome, TNF/FAS/NF-kB, and MAPK pathways are over-expressed in Rai stage III/IV, suggestive of a tumor microenvironment driven program in SP. Genes located on chromosome 3q27.1 are also dysregulated in Rai stage III/IV. A distinct serum cytokine profile also differentiates low from high stage CLL. Conclusions: GEP of CLL with RT-PCR validation has identified distinct oncogenic pathways that distinguish Rai stage 0/I from III/IV. A serum cytokine profile also differentiates between low and high risk CLL. These data together provide a ‘molecular signature’ for SP in CLL.
Glycemic Control and Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Type 2 Diabetes Treated with Oral Hypoglycemic Agents.

Objective There is limited data regarding the use of oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) in pregnant women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Study Design This was a retrospective cohort study of women with T2DM who were treated with OHA or insulin from the first trimester onward. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to compare pregnancy outcomes in women treated with OHA to those treated with insulin. Results One-third (67/198) of women were treated with OHA. Women treated with OHA had a shorter disease duration (4.4 vs. 6.8 years; p = 0.001), were more likely to have a normal prepregnancy body mass index, and had less gestational weight gain (GWG; 22.4 vs. 30.4 lbs; p = 0.005). A lower GWG was noted in obese women treated with OHA (19.9 ± 18.6 vs. 28.3 ± 17.7 pounds; p = 0.008). First-trimester hemoglobin A1c values were lower with OHAs, but second- and third-trimester values were similar. Among women who started pregnancy using OHA, 37/67 (55.2%) remained on OHA at delivery. Pregnancy outcomes did not differ between women who received OHA and those treated with insulin. Conclusion OHA treatment is more likely in women with T2DM who begin pregnancy with less severe disease, and use of OHA may be associated with decreased GWG.
A Clickable Analogue of Ketamine Retains NMDA Receptor Activity, Psychoactivity, and Accumulates in Neurons

Ketamine is a psychotomimetic and antidepressant drug. Although antagonism of cell-surface NMDA receptors (NMDARs) may trigger ketamine’s psychoactive effects, ketamine or its major metabolite norketamine could act intracellularly to produce some behavioral effects. To explore the viability of this latter hypothesis, we examined intracellular accumulation of novel visualizable analogues of ketamine/norketamine. We introduced an alkyne “click” handle into norketamine (alkyne-norketamine, A-NK) at the key nitrogen atom. Ketamine, norketamine, and A-NK, but not A-NK-amide, showed acute and persisting psychoactive effects in mice. This psychoactivity profile paralleled activity of the compounds as NMDAR channel blockers; A-NK-amide was inactive at NMDARs, and norketamine and A-NK were active but ~4-fold less potent than ketamine. We incubated rat hippocampal cells with 10 μM A-NK or A-NK-amide then performed Cu2+ catalyzed cycloaddition of azide-Alexa Fluor 488, which covalently attaches the fluorophore to the alkyne moiety in the compounds. Fluorescent imaging revealed intracellular localization of A-NK but weak A-NK-amide labeling. Accumulation was not dependent on membrane potential, NMDAR expression, or NMDAR activity. Overall, the approach revealed a correlation among NMDAR activity, intracellular accumulation/retention, and behavioral effects. Thus, we advance first generation chemical biology tools to aid in the identification of ketamine targets.
Charge and energy migration in molecular clusters: A stochastic Schrödinger equation approach.

The performance of stochastic Schrodinger equations for simulating dynamic phenomena in large scale open quantum systems is studied. Going beyond small system sizes, commonly used master equation approaches become inadequate. In this regime, wave function based methods profit from their inherent scaling benefit and present a promising tool to study, for example, exciton and charge carrier dynamics in huge and complex molecular structures. In the first part of this work, a strict analytic derivation is presented. It starts with the finite temperature reduced density operator expanded in coherent reservoir states and ends up with two linear stochastic Schrodinger equations. Both equations are valid in the weak and intermediate coupling limit and can be properly related to two existing approaches in literature. In the second part, we focus on the numerical solution of these equations. The main issue is the missing norm conservation of the wave function propagation which may lead to numerical discrepancies. T...
Cell Cycle Inhibition To Treat Sleeping Sickness.

African trypanosomiasis is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei During infection, this pathogen divides rapidly to high density in the bloodstream of its mammalian host in a manner similar to that of leukemia. Like all eukaryotes, T. brucei has a cell cycle involving the de novo synthesis of DNA regulated by ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), which catalyzes the conversion of ribonucleotides into their deoxy form. As an essential enzyme for the cell cycle, RNR is a common target for cancer chemotherapy. We hypothesized that inhibition of RNR by genetic or pharmacological means would impair parasite growth in vitro and prolong the survival of infected animals. Our results demonstrate that RNR inhibition is highly effective in suppressing parasite growth both in vitro and in vivo These results support drug discovery efforts targeting the cell cycle, not only for African trypanosomiasis but possibly also for other infections by eukaryotic pathogens.IMPORTANCE The development of drugs to treat infections with eukaryotic pathogens is challenging because many key virulence factors have closely related homologues in humans. Drug toxicity greatly limits these development efforts. For pathogens that replicate at a high rate, especially in the blood, an alternative approach is to target the cell cycle directly, much as is done to treat some hematologic malignancies. The results presented here indicate that targeting the cell cycle via inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase is effective at killing trypanosomes and prolonging the survival of infected animals.
Grazing and the Coupling of Biodiversity in Vascular Plant and Soil Microbial Communities

This study sought to ascertain how different grazing management protocols affect the coupling between soil microbial and vascular plant communities. Changes in microbial and plant communities were observed over a grazing season (Spring 2013–Spring 2014) at 2 previously ungrazed agricultural sites—a moist lowland (Longfield Farm) and a drier upland (Normanskill Farm)—near Albany, NY. Each landscape was divided into 6 fenced enclosures (paddocks). One paddock at each farm was managed by a managementintensive grazing (MIG) protocol, which employs high stock density and frequent rotations. A second paddock was managed by continuous grazing (CG) at lower (conventional) stock density. A third paddock at each site was left ungrazed (U). Three “simulation” paddocks were used to explore the underlying dynamics of grazer-microbe-plant interactions. By spring 2014, plant species richness (S) was significantly higher (t-tests: P < 0.05) in the MIG paddocks at both farms. At Normanskill Farm, S was correlated with both microbial diversity and biomass, while at Longfield Farm, S was independent of microbial diversity and biomass but varied directly with soil moisture. Our findings suggest that while MIG leads to increased S relative to CG, different forcing factors may be responsible for the enhancements in upland and lowland systems.
Percutaneous Microwave versus Radiofrequency Ablation of Colorectal Liver Metastases: Ablation with Clear Margins (A0) Provides the Best Local Tumor Control.

Abstract Purpose To identify and compare predictors of local tumor progression (LTP)-free survival (LTPFS) after radiofrequency (RF) ablation and microwave (MW) ablation of colorectal liver metastases (CLMs). Materials and Methods This is a retrospective review of CLMs ablated from November 2009 to April 2015 (110 patients). Margins were measured on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) 6 weeks after ablation. Clinical and technical predictors of LTPFS were assessed using a competing risk model adjusted for clustering. Results Technique effectiveness (complete ablation) was 93% (79/85) for RF ablation and 97% (58/60) for MW ablation (P = .47). The median follow-up period was significantly longer for RF ablation than for MW ablation (56 months vs. 29 months) (P .001). There was no difference in the local tumor progression (LTP) rates between RF ablation and MW ablation (P = 0.84). Significant predictors of shorter LTPFS for RF ablation on univariate analysis were ablation margins 5 mm or smaller (P .001) (hazard ratio [HR]: 14.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.2–40.9) and perivascular tumors ( P = .021) (HR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.1–4.3); both retained significance on multivariate analysis. Significant predictors of shorter LTPFS on univariate analysis for MW ablation were ablation margins 5 mm or smaller (P .001) (subhazard ratio: 11.6; 95% CI: 3.1–42.7) and no history of prior liver resection (P .013) (HR: 3.2; 95%: 1.3–7.8); both retained significance on multivariate analysis. There was no LTP for tumors ablated with margins over 10 mm (median LTPFS: not reached). Perivascular tumors were not predictive for MW ablation (P = .43). Conclusions Regardless of the thermal ablation modality used, margins larger than 5 mm are critical for local tumor control, with no LTP noted for margins over 10 mm. Unlike RF ablation, the efficiency of MW ablation was not affected for perivascular tumors.
Benefits and Challenges of Using Life History Calendars to Research Intimate Partner Violence

Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) suffers from high rates of attrition, which can be a problem for collecting longitudinal data. As one strategy to help address this problem, this paper will highlight the application of life history calendars (LHCs) to research on IPV. LHCs are cost-effective retrospective alternatives to longitudinal data collection strategies and have the potential to improve recall of events. Additionally, LHC data can establish temporal order and capture instances of repeat victimization. Quantitatively representing repeat victimization is especially important for IPV research because many IPV victims report experiencing more than one incident of abuse. First, a brief overview of LHCs is presented and the Chicago Women Health Risk Study is presented as an example to illustrate the utility of the LHC. Statistical methods to analyze this type of data are discussed as they relate to the data from the Chicago Women Health Risk Study. More specifically, the application of multi-level modeling with repeated measures and survival analyses (also referred to as event history analysis) to calendar data are reviewed. Particular attention is given to using survival analyses to analyze LHC data, especially in instances when the respondent reports more than one incident on the LHC. Benefits of calendar data, including improved recall of events and the ability to address questions related to repeat victimization, are highlighted. Challenges of working with LHC data, such as missing data and the use of open versus closed coding schemes, are reviewed.
Ethnic Minority Educational Success: Understanding Accomplishments in Challenging Settings

Regardless of remarkable educational achievements for over the last 20 years, the academic attainment of Vietnam’s ethnic minority students continues to lag behind that of majority students. At upper-secondary education, not only has the educational disparity persisted, but it has increased over time. Recent studies have found ethnic minority students have to face many challenges including poor family socioeconomic background, long distances to school, poor school quality, and linguistic and cultural barriers. Despite challenges, some ethnic minority youths do enroll in and complete their upper-secondary education. Therefore, understanding how ethnic minority students manage to overcome barriers and succeed educationally can provide important insights regarding the means that policymakers, educators, and parents can pursue in order to address the educational disparity. The resilience literature exploring association between household adversities and children’s responses indicates that hardship does not always result in detrimental effects. This study used a mixed-methods approach and explored data from the Families and Communities in Transition study to examine risks and factors promoting upper secondary education among the Thai youth, the second largest ethnic minority group in Vietnam. The study found that poverty, low educated parents, low parental engagement in child’s education, school distance, being bullied, teased, and induced to dropout were challenges to ethnic minority’s upper-secondary school. More importantly, the study provided supporting evidence for a positive attitude toward schooling and effective support from their parents, relatives, school and in-school peers can prevent ethnic minority student from school dropout and promote their educational success.
Now You Own it, Now You Don’t — Or Do You?: Copyright and Related Rights in Magic Productions and Performances after Teller V. Dogge

Derek DelGaudio is a successful magician, who is noted for theater productions such as “In and of Itself” that embed magic illusions in a more complex narrative, portraying character and evoking strong emotions from his audience. One review stated: “In & Of Itself makes the case for the art of magic with the power of storytelling. Derek DelGaudio isn’t just performing magic tricks but presenting a moving deeply personal and compelling narrative, using magic as a metaphor to reach a deeper truth.” It is clear that dramatic works are protected by copyright, but the creations and performances of magicians are among the types of expression at the edges of copyright and other intellectual property protection. There are many types of intellectual property law that may provide protection to some magic illusions and productions. This article will explore potential copyright protection for such creations and performances. The tricks and illusions of a magician, if novel, useful and non-obvious, are protectable by patent. But magician inventors may be reluctant to obtain patents, because, as part of that process, the specifics of the invention must be disclosed to the public, including competing magicians. If not patented, the secrets behind those tricks and illusions, having commercial value and being maintained as secrets, may receive protection as trade secrets. The basic requirements for patent and trade secret, along with their limiting doctrines, limit the value of those doctrines in protecting magicians. That, coupled with limits on potential copyright protection, has led magicians to seek to protect exclusivity in their magic pieces through custom or, at times, through consensual self-regulation.
Study of stress intensity factor on the anisotropic machining behavior of single crystal sapphire

Abstract The ductile–brittle transition was investigated based on material crystallography and stress intensity factor on the four distinctive planes of sapphire. Cutting forces were analyzed to explain the anisotropic transition characteristics. The projected stress on the objective plane at the transition point was estimated from the critical stress intensity factor of the corresponding crystal plane. Per cutting direction, the effect of crystal planes on the machinability was discussed, and the estimated stress was compared with measured values. Experimental results showed that the anisotropic machinability can be predicted in terms of crystal orientation and the critical stress intensity factor.
Stability of Travelling Waves

Abstract An overview of various aspects related to the spectral and nonlinear stability of travelling-wave solutions to partial differential equations is given. The point and the essential spectrum of the linearization about a travelling wave are discussed as is the relation between these spectra, Fredholm properties, and the existence of exponential dichotomies (or Green's functions) for the linear operator. Among the other topics reviewed in this survey are the nonlinear stability of waves, the stability and interaction of well-separated multi-bump pulses, the numerical computation of spectra, and the Evans function, which is a tool to locate isolated eigenvalues in the point spectrum and near the essential spectrum. Furthermore, methods for the stability of waves in Hamiltonian and monotone equations as well as for singularly perturbed problems are mentioned. Modulated waves, rotating waves on the plane, and travelling waves on cylindrical domains are also discussed briefly.
Social Support as a Moderator between Victimization and Internalizing-Externalizing Distress from Bullying

Although it is important to study the negative outcomes experienced by victims of bullying, it is equally important to study the factors that may buffer victims from distress. Thus, the relationshi...
Depressive Suppression: Effects of Emotion Suppression on Multiple Emotions for Depressed Versus Nondepressed Individuals

Clinical theory from multiple psychological perspectives, including cognitive therapies, have long suggested that the maladaptive use of strategies to regulate emotion play a central role in the development and maintenance of psychopathology. This consideration may be particularly salient for depressive symptoms, given the prevalence of multiple negative emotions in the context of depression and the recently established tendency for depressed individuals to suppress emotions. We experimentally tested whether emotional and physiological effects of emotion suppression in response to separate sadness and anxiety inductions are moderated by depressive symptoms. Results indicated no effect of suppression on self-reported sadness compared to control condition for depressed or nondepressed participants (total N = 113). However, suppressing anxiety led to a reduction in self-reported anxiety compared to control condition for nondepressed participants, but there was no effect of suppression on anxiety among depressed participants. A similar pattern emerged for cardiac responding during both inductions. Results suggest that the effects of suppression depend on the emotion suppressed and on one’s level of depressive symptoms. Depressed participants’ difficulty mitigating state anxiety also suggests that depressed individuals have difficulty regulating certain emotions, but not others. Further implications for theoretical understanding, assessment of psychopathology, and clinical practice are discussed.
The Role of Immigration in the Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Older Adults in the United States.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) aging research is growing around the globe. Yet, few studies have examined the interconnectedness of different populations and cultures. This study examines whether LGBT foreign-born older adults experience greater health disparities than their U.S.-born counterparts. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health, Aging, and Sexuality/Gender Study: Aging with Pride from 2014, which assessed measures of health and well-being among LGBT adults aged 50 years and older (n=2,441). We compared sociodemographic characteristics, health-care access, health behaviors, and health outcomes between foreign-born and U.S.-born participants. Foreign-born LGBT older adults reported greater socioeconomic disadvantage and higher levels of experiencing barriers to health-care access than U.S.-born LGBT older adults. Groups did not significantly differ in health behaviors and health outcomes when controlling for sociodemographic factors. Greater understanding of the mechanisms that shape the relationship between migration and health among the LGBT population is warranted.
Face and Neck Contouring

Face and neck lifting in the massive weight loss population poses a significant challenge because of the high rate of recurrent skin laxity. With regards to the face, the neck is usually the area of most concern for patients after weight loss. Despite open neck procedures and substantial skin removal, the risk of recurrent laxity is high and occurs early on. The face after weight loss is usually depleted of fat, so fat grafting procedures and SMAS plication are important adjuncts to improving overall contour. Lower eyelid procedures should consider lid fat removal, repositioning, and lid tightening to prevent ectropion due to poor lower lid tone and a propensity to negative vectors in this population.
Changes in microbial communities of a passive coal mine drainage bioremediation system.

Drainage from abandoned mines is one factor greatly affecting the streams and vegetation in and around Pittsburgh and the Appalachian Mountains where coal mining occurred. This drainage may be more...
Scalable memory use in MPI: a case study with MPICH2

One of the factors that can limit the scalability of MPI to exascale is the amount of memory consumed by the MPI implementation. In fact, some researchers believe that existing MPI implementations, if used unchanged, will themselves consume a large fraction of the available system memory at exascale. To investigate and address this issue, we undertook a study of the memory consumed by the MPICH2 implementation of MPI, with a focus on identifying parts of the code where the memory consumed per process scales linearly with the total number of processes. We report on the findings of this study and discuss ways to avoid the linear growth in memory consumption. We also describe specific optimizations that we implemented in MPICH2 to avoid this linear growth and present experimental results demonstrating the memory savings achieved and the impact on performance.
Post-socialist Hauntings in Vietnamese Revisionist Cinema

Thong Win discusses two films of celebrated filmmaker Đặng Nhật Minh—When the 10th Month Comes (1984) and Don’t Burn (2009) in his chapter. Win contextualizes the political history of the Vietnamese film industry for the readers before tackling the important role of the ghosts in these two revisionist films. He argues that by using spirits, Đặng’s critiques failed socialist promises in addition to the tendency to romanticize the sacrifices of war as well as postwar Vietnamese society. According to Win, the ghosts work to reflect the differences in the way the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) memorializes war and how survivors remember it. In this way, Đặng’s films resist State hegemony, at times and in various ways, but also provide alternative narratives of war.
Exploitation of a Newly Characterized Metabolic-Cytoskeletal Axis for Effective Combination Therapy of Iron Restricted Anemia

The erythroid iron restriction response suppresses erythropoiesis in a lineage-selective manner. This response underlies two common types of anemia: anemia of chronic disease and inflammation (ACDI) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA). These anemias confer a major global disease burden, with no optimal therapies available for ACDI. An early step in this cellular response consists of inactivation of the iron-dependent aconitase enzymes. Supplying cells with the downstream product isocitrate abrogates the erythropoietic blockade caused by iron restriction. In several rodent anemia models isocitrate treatment has shown promise, but high intraperitoneal doses were needed, and benefits were transient. A critical aspect of the erythroid iron restriction response comprises progenitor resistance to erythropoietin (Epo), clinically reflected in poor patient responses to Epo treatment. Mechanistically, we have shown that iron deprivation decreases cell surface delivery of the Epo receptor (EpoR) and associated chaperones (Scribble and TfR2), in a manner reversible by isocitrate. To assess vesicular trafficking defects in erythroid iron restriction, primary human progenitors cultured in iron replete or restricted erythroid media underwent analysis of Golgi structure. Immunofluorescence microscopy (IF) for the markers Golgin97 and Giantin revealed Golgi dispersion in iron-restricted erythroid but not granulocytic cells, a defect reversed by isocitrate treatment. Supporting clinical relevance, Giantin immunostaining of human marrow samples identified erythroid Golgi disruption (>50% of cells) in 9/10 cases of ACDI versus 1/5 of non-anemic controls (P Microtubule stability is determined by the balance of stabilizing vs destabilizing microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). Interrogation of human erythroid proteomic datasets highlighted selective deficiency in annotated stabilizing factors. Studies >25 yrs ago described isolation from chicken RBC of a microtubule-bundling factor syncolin, subsequently identified as ferritin heavy chain (FTH1). We thus assessed FTH1 as a potential iron-regulated stabilizing MAP. In our culture system, iron restriction rapidly suppressed, and isocitrate treatment fully restored, FTH1 protein levels. IF revealed co-localization of FTH1 with microtubules (Pearson R > 0.9). Lentiviral shRNA knockdowns of FTH1 in iron-replete progenitors recapitulated the phenotype of the erythroid iron restriction response eliciting impairments in growth, differentiation and microtubule integrity. FTH1 has numerous regulatory inputs, including multiple induction pathways for the metabolite fumarate. We examined the potential for synergy between isocitrate and fumarate in blocking the erythroid iron restriction response. In iron restricted progenitor cultures, weakly effective isocitrate doses clearly cooperated with ineffective fumarate doses to rescue differentiation (P Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
A multiple-shooting differential dynamic programming algorithm. Part 1: Theory

Abstract Multiple-shooting benefits a wide variety of optimal control algorithms by alleviating large sensitivities present in highly nonlinear problems, improving robustness to initial guesses, and increasing the potential for parallel implementation. In this paper series, motivated by the challenges of optimizing highly sensitive spacecraft trajectories, the multiple-shooting approach is embedded for the first time in the formulation of a Differential Dynamic Programming algorithm. Contrary to traditional nonlinear programming methods which necessitate minimal modification of the formulation in order to incorporate multiple-shooting principles, DDP requires novel non-trivial derivations, in order to include the initial conditions of the multiple-shooting subintervals and track their sensitivities. The initial conditions are updated in a necessary additional algorithmic step. A null-space trust-region method is used for the solution of the quadratic subproblems, and equality and inequality path and terminal constraints are handled through a general augmented Lagrangian approach. The propagation of the trajectory and the optimization of its controls are decoupled through the use of State-Transition Matrices. Part 1 of the paper series provides the necessary theoretical developments and implementation details for the algorithm. Part 2 contains validation and application cases.
Preliminary conceptual design and weight of a one-megawatt space-based laser power station utilizing a solar-pumped iodine lasant

A preliminary conceptual design of a space-based solar-pumped iodide laser emitting 1 MW of laser power for space-to-space power transmission is described. A near-parabolic solar collector focuses sunlight onto the t-C4F9I lasant within a transverse-flow optical cavity. Using waste heat, a thermal system supplies compressor and auxiliary power. The major system components are designed with weight estimates assigned. In particular, it is found that laser efficiency is not a dominant weight factor, the dominant factor being the laser transmission optics. The station mass is 92,000 kg, requiring approximately eight Shuttle flights to LEO, where an orbital transfer vehicle can transport it to the final altitude of 6378 km.
Emerging soluble organic redox materials for next-generation grid energy-storage applications

Because of their structural versatility, fast redox reactivity, high storage capacity, sustainability, and environmental friendliness, soluble organic redox molecules have emerged as materials that have potential for use in energy-storage systems. Considering these advantages, this paper reviews recent progress in implementing such materials in aqueous soluble organic redox flow batteries and organic alkali metal/air batteries. We identify and discuss major challenges associated with molecular structures, cell configurations, and electrochemical parameters. Hopefully, we provide a general guidance for the future development of soluble organic redox materials for emerging energy-storage devices used in the electricity grid.
Investigating the utility of extended mutation analysis in gastrointestinal peritoneal metastasis

Background and objectives Outcomes for gastrointestinal peritoneal metastases (GI-PM) are worse compared to systemic metastases, with a paucity of data exploring extended mutation profiling. An exploratory mutation analysis in GI-PMs was performed as a "proof of concept" of potential predictive values of profiling in GI-PM and rates of actionable mutations. Methods The study included 40 GI-PM patients: 14 low-grade mucinous carcinoma peritonei and 26 HG-PM (12 colons, 10 appendix, 4 small bowels). Demographics, histologies, peritoneal cancer indexes, cytoreduction scores, and survival data were collected. NGS 50-gene mutation profiling was performed on 38 specimens. The association of mutations with survival was evaluated in high-grade PM. Results KRAS, TP53, and SMAD4 mutations were observed in 61%, 29%, and 8% of cases across all tumor histologies. In 66% cases >1 mutations occurred, associated with decreased survival in HG-PM: 32 vs 73 months, P = .03. TP53 or SMAD4 mutations were associated with decreased survival in HG-PM: 22 vs 48 months, P = .02. Actionable mutations were detected in 70%. Conclusion Actionable mutations were detected at high rates. GI-PMs have similar mutational profiles and TP53, SMAD4, and/or >1 mutation were associate with decreased survival in HG-PM. This data supports the concept of the extended mutation profiling utility in GI-PM warranting further investigation.