cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Loss of knee extension after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: effects of knee position and graft tensioning.

Background Loss of knee extension has been reported by many authors to be the most common complication following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The objective of this in vitro study was to determine the effect, on loss of knee extension, of the knee flexion angle and the tension of the bone-patellar tendon-bone graft during graft fixation in a reconstruction of an anterior cruciate ligament. Methods The anterior cruciate ligament was reconstructed with use of tibial and femoral bone tunnels placed in the footprint of the native anterior cruciate ligament in ten cadavers. The graft was secured with an initial tension of either 44 N (10 lb) or 89 N (20 lb) applied with the knee at 0 degrees or 30 degrees of flexion. The knee flexion angle was measured with use of digital images following graft fixation. Results Tensioning of the graft at 30 degrees of knee flexion was associated with loss of knee extension in this cadaver model. Graft tension did not affect knee extension under the conditions tested. Conclusions The results suggest that one of the common causes of the loss of full knee extension may be diminished if the graft is secured in full knee extension when the tibial and femoral tunnels are placed in the footprint of the native anterior cruciate ligament. More importantly, even when the femoral and tibial tunnels are placed in the femoral and tibial footprints of the native anterior cruciate ligament, fixing a graft in knee flexion can result in the loss of knee extension.
Complex conjugate artifact-free adaptive optics optical coherence tomography of in vivo human optic nerve head

We acquired in vivo images of the human optic nerve head (ONH) using an adaptive optics-optical coherence tomography (AO-OCT) system. In order to improve imaging of the lamina cribrosa in the ONH with high lateral resolution and sensitivity, we implemented a complex conjugate artifact-free Fourier domain OCT (Fd-OCT) acquisition scheme with a reference arm-based phase shifting method. This allowed positioning of the lamina cribrosa structures near the zero path length difference where AO-OCT imaging achieves highest sensitivity. Implementation of our complex conjugate artifact removal (CCR) method required constant phase shifts between consecutive axial scans (A-scans), generated by continuous beam path-length changes from offsetting the pivot point of the scanning mirror placed in the reference arm. Fourier transform along the transverse axis and a filtering algorithm allowed reconstruction of CCR AO-OCT images. The suppression ratio of the mirror artifact was approximately 22 dB (at 18,000 A-scans per second acquisition speed) with a paperboard test target and an optimum phase-shift value. Finally, we reconstructed the three-dimensional structure of human ONH with enhanced depth range and sensitivity using CCR AO-OCT.
EMBO Conference Series on the Assembly and Function of Neuronal Circuits.

The 2011 EMBO Conference Series on the Assembly and Function of Neuronal Circuits was held from 25 to 30 September 2011 at Monte Verita in Ascona, Switzerland. Approximately 100 participants explored current challenges and approaches to studying neural circuit function and organization.
Muscarinic cholinergic and preganglionic physiological stimulation increase cyclic GMP levels in guinea-pig superior cervical ganglia.

— Incubation of guinea-pig superior cervical ganglia in 500μ4mUm-carbachol for 2min increased cyclic GMP levels 530% over control values. The increase was blocked by prior incubation in 300μmatropine. No increase in cyclic GMP levels after incubation in 100 μm-l-norepinephrine was observed. Preganglionic physiological stimulation for 8 min at 10 Hz increased cyclic GMP levels 180% over control values. We conclude that both muscarinic cholinergic and preganglionic physiological stimulation increase cyclic GMP levels in guinea pig superior cervical ganglia, while norepinephrine has no effect.
Challenges in protecting Tor hidden services from botnet abuse

In August 2013, the Tor network experienced a sudden, drastic reduction in performance due to the Mevade/Sefnit botnet. This botnet ran its command and control server as a Tor hidden service, so that all infected nodes contacted the command and control through Tor. In this paper, we consider several protocol changes to protect Tor against future incidents of this nature, describing the research challenges that must be solved in order to evaluate and deploy each of these methods. In particular, we consider four technical approaches: resource-based throttling, guard node throttling, reuse of failed partial circuits, and hidden service circuit isolation.
Utilization of different nitrogen sources by the marine cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus

Prochlorococcus is the most abundant phytoplankter throughout the photic zone in stratified marine waters and experiences distinct gradients of light and nitrogen nutrition. Physiologically and genetically distinct Prochlorococcus ecotypes partition the water column: high-B/A (low-light adapted) ecotypes are generally restricted to the deep euphotic zone near or at the nitracline. Low-B/A (high-light adapted) ecotypes predominate in, but are not limited to, NO -depleted surface waters, where they outnumber coexisting Synechococcus populations. The niche parti2 3 tioning by different Prochlorococcus ecotypes begs the question of whether they also differ in their nitrogen (N) utilization physiology, especially with respect to NO utilization. To explore this possibility, we studied the capa2 3 bilities of different Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus strains to grow on a variety of N sources. We found that all the isolates grew well on NH and all were capable of urea utilization, occasionally at a lower growth rate. 1 4 None of the Prochlorococcus isolates were able to grow with NO . Four high-B/A Prochlorococcus isolates grew 2 3 on NO , but all others did not. Whole genome analysis of the low-B/A Prochlorococcus MED4 revealed that the 2 2 genes required for NO uptake and reduction were absent. The genome of the high-B/A ProchlorococcusMIT 9313 2 3 also lacked the NO utilization genes but has homologs of genes required for NO utilization consistent with its
Randomization tests for distinguishing social influence and homophily effects

Relational autocorrelation is ubiquitous in relational domains. This observed correlation between class labels of linked instances in a network (e.g., two friends are more likely to share political beliefs than two randomly selected people) can be due to the effects of two different social processes. If social influence effects are present, instances are likely to change their attributes to conform to their neighbor values. If homophily effects are present, instances are likely to link to other individuals with similar attribute values. Both these effects will result in autocorrelated attribute values. When analyzing static relational networks it is impossible to determine how much of the observed correlation is due each of these factors. However, the recent surge of interest in social networks has increased the availability of dynamic network data. In this paper, we present a randomization technique for temporal network data where the attributes and links change over time. Given data from two time steps, we measure the gain in correlation and assess whether a significant portion of this gain is due to influence and/or homophily. We demonstrate the efficacy of our method on semi-synthetic data and then apply the method to a real-world social networks dataset, showing the impact of both influence and homophily effects.
Acoustic streaming: from Rayleigh to today

This paper reviews the current state of knowledge of several classes of acoustic streaming. Acoustic streaming is classified based on the different mechanisms by which it is generated. For each category, the main achievements in terms of analysis, experimental work, and numerical simulation are described. An order of magnitude analysis, applicable to all types of acoustic streaming, is also given. This provides an additional means to classify acoustic streaming as either slow or fast, depending on the amplitude of the primary driving mechanism. The significant lack of understanding in the general area of fast streaming is noted, and the importance of the use of direct numerical simulations in the study of nonlinear streaming is emphasized. The paper concludes with a summary of the many challenges that are still faced by researchers in this field. The authors are pleased to contribute this paper in honor of Alan Powell's significant contributions to acoustics on the occasion of his eightieth birthday.
Smith and Women's Equality

This essay was part of a Cardozo symposium celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the landmark free exercise case, Employment Division v. Smith. I argue that full enforcement of Smith is essential to women’s equality. I explain that male-dominated religious communities have repeatedly opposed women’s rights by seeking not only to exempt themselves from the law of women’s equality but also to change the content of that law to undermine women’s rights. Although Smith has given women’s groups some victories over this anti-egalitarian trend, resistance to Smith and refusal to apply its holding have harmed women’s rights.In Part I, I explain why Smith is necessary to support women’s equality in the family and reproductive rights. In Part II I argue that if Smith were taken seriously, the courts would not continue to dismiss sex discrimination lawsuits under the invented ministerial exemption and church autonomy theories of the First Amendment, and the legislatures would not persistently seek to undo Smith’s regime by exempting religious groups from the law.
Sanctioning Law Firms for Lawyers' Frivolous Filings

In Medical Alliances, LLC v. Health Care Service Corp., 863 N.E.2d 1169 (Ill. App. 2d 2007), the court ruled that a law firm could not be sanctioned under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 137 for the filing of a frivolous pleading by a law firm member. The split among Illinois appellate courts on the issue continues. Unlike Rule 137, law firms can definitely be sanctioned under Federal Civil Procedure Rule11. Illinois judicial rulemakers should now allow law firm sanctions thorugh amendments to Rule 137, itself added and modeled in 1989 on the 1983 amendments to Rule 11. In the absence of Rule 187 authority, inherent sanctioning power is available against law firms for pleading and other civil litigation misconduct in the Illinois circuit courts.
Quantitative modeling of ultrafast energy transfer dynamics in the photosynthetic apparatus

The dynamics of energy transfer processes in photosynthetic reaction centers and the light harvesting antenna LH2 are elucidated quantitatively using a new prescription for applying Forster theory to complex molecular aggregates. We conclude that the design of highly efficient light harvesting antenna systems generally cannot be predicted by pairwise Forster theory.
Delamination Arrest by Multiple Fasteners in Bonded Composite Structures

Delamination is the critical damage type for carbon fiber structures, which are increasingly being employed in primary aircraft structures. One common solution to prevent the delamination from propagating is to install fasteners, clamping the laminate together and partially arresting the delamination. Current research has indicated that multiple fasteners installed in series do not fully arrest delaminations, instead merely slowing the propagation of the crack, first by compressing the lamina together and second by transferring load via shear engagement of the fastener. It has also been found that fastener spacing can be significantly larger than the common spacing of 5 fastener diameters; experimental and computational studies have indicated that the failure mode is shifted away from delamination even with a fastener spacing of 2 inches, or 8 times the fastener diameter.
MOLDing Childhood Asthma

Molds are ubiquitous in our environment. Some types of molds are valuable—for example, in the synthesis of antibiotics or to help make cheese and fertilize gardens. However, when it comes to asthma, which affects some 22 million U.S. adults and children, exposure to certain mold species has been linked to life-threatening asthma exacerbations. Recent research has supported the role of mold in triggering the development of asthma. However, specific mold species and timing and durations of exposure that may be contributory to the pathogenesis of asthma are unknown. Reponen et al. further investigated the relationship of early exposure to specific molds on the development of childhood asthma. The authors hypothesized that specific mold exposures are associated with childhood asthma development. Dust samples were collected from homes of 289 infants when they were ~8 months of age and analyzed for concentrations of 36 molds that are part of the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI). For infants to be eligible for the study, at least one of the parents had to be classified as atopic. Children were evaluated at age 7 years for asthma based on clinical symptoms and spirometric testing, an objective measure of lung function. The children also underwent skin prick test to aeroallergens and mold. Asthma was diagnosed in 24% of the children examined. Mold exposure in infants’ homes correlated with a child having asthma at age 7 years: A 10-unit increase in the ERMI scale raised the risk of asthma by 80%. Indeed, infant exposure to three specific mold species usually found in water-damaged homes was significantly associated with asthma development at age 7 years. Although the findings of this study are intriguing, they do not yet prove that three specific molds can cause asthma. However, they may provide a starting point for targeted laboratory studies. Limitations of this study include small sample size and evaluation of a fraction of the total existent molds in the samples. Future prospective studies may address these limitations. In the meantime, expectant parents with a family history of asthma or atopy may want to consider correcting any water or mold problems in the home before their baby’s arrival. T. Reponen et al. Infant origins of childhood asthma associated with specific molds. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 130 , 639–644 (2012). [[PubMed]][1] [1]: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22789397
EXTRA-LIST INTRUSIONS IN IMMEDIATE FREE RECALL AS A FUNCTION OF ASSOCIATIVE STRENGTH IN CHILDREN

After collecting word-association norms for 12 high frequency responses to 36 stimulus words drawn from the Minnesota norms (3), Deese (2) found that the relative frequency of occurrence of a stimulus word as an associate to these responses was significantly correlated with the extent to which the stimulus word occurred as an extra-list intrusion in tests of immediate free recall. Using college students as Ss, the product-moment correlation between the frequency of occurrence of the stimulus word as an associate and the frequency of occurrence of the stimulus word as an intrusion was ,873. The purpose of the present study was to examine this same relationship in grade school children. The procedure employed by Deese (2) was followed as closely as possible with three exceptions: fewer recall lists and words per list were used. the recall tests were administered in groups rather than individually (1) and the word associations were collected by having E read the stimulus words aloud instead of having the stimulus words printed on sheets of paper. Ss were school children drawn from the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. In Part I of the experiment, 19 free recall tests consisting of 10 high frequency responses each were administered to 29 Ss each from these grades. The stimulus and response words were culled from word-association norms collected by Simon, Lotsof, and Pease (4) from 399 4th. 5th. and 6th grade children. Jn Part I1 of the experiment, word-association norms were collected from 90 different Ss drawn from the same population as that employed in Part I of the experiment. For all grades combined, the product-moment correlation between the number of times the stimulus word occurred as a free association in Part I1 and the number of times the stimulus word occurred as an intrusion in Pan I was ,725 (p< .01). The correlations for the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, respectively, were ,675, ,719, and ,604 (p < .O1 in all three instances). None of the latter ss were significantly different from one another. These results agree well with those reported by Deese (1) and suggest that his findings may reliably be extended to include children in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades.
Cytokinin activation and redistribution of plasma-membrane ion channels in Funaria : A vibrating-microelectrode and cytoskeleton-inhibitor study.

I have investigated changes in electrical current across the plasma membrane that occur during cytokinin-induced bud formation in Funaria hygrometrica Hedw., using a non-intrusive vibrating microelectrode. Before cytokinin treatment the target caulonema cells have maximal inward current at the nuclear region. After cytokinin treatment inward current increases twofold along the length of the cell. Within minutes, however, current decreases at both the nuclear zone and the proximal end while increasing at the distal end of target cells, preceding and predicting the presumptive division site. Inward current at the distal end falls to resting levels after establishment of a bulging growth zone, and remains low around developing buds. This current is blocked by gadolinium nitrate, a Ca2+-uptake inhibitor, indicating a Ca2+ component of the current. The polarity of the target cells can be disrupted by microfilament inhibitors and cytokinin-induced buds form over the nucleus, halfway along the length of the cell. I suggest that cytokinin activates plasma-membrane ion channels which are subsequently redistributed to the distal ends of target cells by a microfilament-dependent process. Cytokinin-induced concentration of ion channels over presumptive bud sites may be envisioned to exert spatial control of cytoplasmic ion concentrations and stimulate bud formation by establishing a new growth zone, directing nuclear migration, and stimulating cell division.
Individual choice and social values: Choice in the agrifood sector

In his celebrated 1951 work, Social Choice and Individual Values, economist Kenneth Arrow asked how the values of individuals might be aggregated into a social choice. Today, we live in a world in ...
Social connectedness and its implication on student–teacher relationships and suspension

Out-of-school suspension (OSS) disconnects students from accessing important school relationships and academic and social support. OSS contributes to a significant number of ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged students receiving short-term suspensions. Community-based organizations may step in as alternative spaces for short-term suspended students. This study investigates the effects of a community-based program on a sense of social connectedness among a sample of short-term suspended students; an increase in social connectedness aimed to predict improvements in student-teacher relationships and a reduction in further suspension. The findings suggest students demonstrating an increase in their sense of social connectedness had favorable teacher–student relationships and a lower probability of further suspension. Findings support the value of building partnerships between schools and community-based organizations to support short-term suspended students.
The obstetric patient and disseminated intravascular coagulation

Disseminated intravascular coagulation remains a major problem for the practicing obstetrician. The various etiologies, the pathophysiology, and suggested therapeutic regimens are reviewed.
Cell Volume, Plasma Volume and Cell Percentage in Splanchnic Circulation of Splenectomized Dogs

The circulating splanchnic cell and plasma volumes were measured with the regional dilution technique in splenectomized dogs under sodium pentobarbital. For a 10-kg dog, the average circulating splanchnic cell volume is 56 (SEm = 5.0) ml and the average circulating splanchnic plasma volume is 98 (SEm = 7.2) ml. These values represent 20% of the total plasma volume respectively. The splanchnic cell percentage, averaging 36.3% (SEm = 1.32%), is significantly lower than the large vessel cell percentage (average 42.4%) and is almost equal to the overall cell percentage. The splanehnic Fcells value averages 0.86 and is almost the same as the overall Fcells value. Therefore, the splanchnic circulation contains a portion of the total "extra plasma" in proportion to the blood volume in this region. The splanchnic mean circulation time of the plasma (average 42 seconds) is significantly longer than that of the cells (average 33 seconds).
Construction Bidding Markup Estimation Using a Multistage Decision Theory Approach

AbstractDetermining an optimum bid value maximizes the probability of winning a construction project while realizing proper profit. Thus, this issue has been one of the important research topics in construction-related research. Various models have provided different methodological approaches for bid pricing using statistical analysis of competitors’ prior bids. However, the accuracy of these models is compromised in cases where the data set of competitors’ historic bids is not complete and/or where such competitors utilize a dynamic behavior (i.e., having bidding schemes that change significantly with time). Through a multistage decision theory approach, this paper presents a more advanced model for construction bidding markup estimation that uses a Bayesian analytic framework. To this effect, a three-stage research methodology was utilized. First, the authors established a systematic procedure to fit competitors’ historical data into appropriate Bayesian prior density functions while taking the stochast...
Post isolation modification of exosomes for nanomedicine applications

Exosomes are extracellular nanovesicles. They innately possess ideal structural and biocompatible nanocarrier properties. Exosome components can be engineered at the cellular level. Alternatively, when exosome source cells are unavailable for customized exosome production, exosomes derived from a variety of biological origins can be modified post isolation which is the focus of this article. Modification of exosome surface structures allows for exosome imaging and tracking in vivo. Exosome membranes can be loaded with hydrophobic therapeutics to increase drug stability and efficacy. Hydrophilic therapeutics such as RNA can be encapsulated in exosomes to improve cellular delivery. Despite advances in post isolation exosome modification strategies, many challenges to effectively harnessing their therapeutic potential remain. Future topics of exploration include: matching exosome subtypes with nanomedicine applications, optimizing exosomal nanocarrier formulation and investigating how modified exosomes interface with the immune system. Research into these areas will greatly facilitate personalized exosome-based nanomedicine endeavors.
Parent-school involvement in Nordic countries: a cross-national comparison

AbstractDuring the past three decades, the rise of the global economy stimulated a wide array of social, economic, and political changes in nations throughout the world. Heightened concern about the quality of schools launched what is arguably one of the most pervasive, intense, and protracted attempts at educational reform in recent history. A discussion of findings from recent nationwide studies of educational reform policies in the Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark) provides insight into the impact of globalization on changes in national political ideology, educational reform policies, and efforts to enhance parent–school involvement. Findings suggest that decentralization and the devolution of decision-making authority to local schools may have been only marginally successful.
The reality of the intuitive

AbstractAccording to current methodological orthodoxy philosophers rely on intuitions about thought experiments to refute general claims about the nature of knowledge, freedom, thought, reference, justice, beauty, etc. Philosophers working under the banner of ‘negative experimental philosophy’ have criticized more traditional philosophers for relying on this method. They argue that intuitions about thought experiments are influenced by factors that are irrelevant to the truth of their contents. Cappelen and Deutsch defend traditional philosophy against this critique by rejecting the picture of philosophical methodology it presupposes: philosophers do not really rely on intuitions. In this paper, I defend methodological orthodoxy by arguing that philosophers must rely on intuitions somewhere and that they do in fact often rely on intuitions about thought experiments. I also argue in favor of a reply to the negative experimental critique that is similar to at least part of Deutsch’s own.
Pathogenesis and microchemical anatomy of the protozoan parasite Leishmania

The protozoan pathogen Leishmania donovani encounters large fluctuations in its ionic and osmotic microenvironment as it cycles between the gut of the insect vector and the parasitophorous vacuole ...
Convective self-sustained motion in mixtures of chemically active and passive particles

We develop a model to describe the behavior of a system of active and passive particles in solution that can undergo spontaneous self-organization and self-sustained motion. The active particles are uniformly coated with a catalyst that decomposes the reagent in the surrounding fluid. The resulting variations in the fluid density give rise to a convective flow around the active particles. The generated fluid flow, in turn, drives the self-organization of both the active and passive particles into clusters that undergo self-sustained propulsion along the bottom wall of a microchamber. This propulsion continues until the reagents in the solution are consumed. Depending on the number of active and passive particles and the structure of the self-organized cluster, these assemblies can translate, spin, or remain stationary. We also illustrate a scenario where the geometry of the container is harnessed to direct the motion of a self-organized, self-propelled cluster. The findings provide guidelines for creating...
Transforming Normative Discourses of Schooling: Critical Systemic Functional Linguistics Praxis

One of Halliday’s original purposes in developing Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) was to address and redress equity questions such as how and why certain groups of people are discriminated against because of their language use. This chapter provides an overview of SFL theory and why and how it has been used in recent years in the United States and elsewhere to support the academic, linguistic and cultural repertoires of multilingual and multicultural students and teachers. It further outlines key concepts drawn on by the mostly U.S. contributors throughout this volume, highlighting the similarities and differences of contributors’ approaches to critical SFL. Finally, it provides an overview of each of the three sections in the volume: (1) Reflection Literacy and Critical Language Awareness; (2) Register Variation and Equity; and (3) Multimodal Designing as they relate to SFL.
Geoarchaeology and paleoecology of the deeply stratified Richard Beene site, Medina River valley, South-Central Texas, USA

Abstract A geoarchaeological investigation that included soil-stratigraphic and paleoecological analyses was conducted at Richard Beene, a deeply stratified open-air site associated with an alluvial terrace of the Medina River in south-central Texas. The sequence of cultural and alluvial deposits at the site is one of the most complete records of Holocene human occupation and sedimentation documented in North America, and is very important to the interpretation of the cultural history of the Inner Gulf Coastal Plain and adjacent areas of the Southern Plains. The most salient ecological characteristics of the site are its riparian setting and location in the ecotone between North America's western grasslands and eastern woodlands. The cultural record spans the past 10,000 years and is buried in 14 m of fine-grained flood deposits with multiple buried paleosols. Excavations totaling 730 m2 sampled 20 stratigraphically distinct archaeological components in valley fill beneath the Applewhite terrace, yielding more than 80,000 artifacts, including flakes, tools, bones, mussel shells, and fire-cracked rocks left by Archaic and Late Pre-Columbian hunter-gatherers. Seven primary stratigraphic units and five laterally traceable buried paleosols were identified at the site. The oldest stratigraphic unit consists of coarse-grained channel deposits that accumulated soon before 33,000 14C yr B.P. Most of the units, however, consist of fine-grained alluvium that accumulated between ca. 10,000 and 1000 14C yr B.P. The δ13C values of organic matter from the site's soil-stratigraphic sequence indicate increased C4 production during the Younger Dryas (11,000–10,000 14C yr B.P.), and C4 productivity generally increased throughout the Holocene, culminating in peak warm intervals at ca. 5000 and 2000 14C yr B.P. Although during relatively dry periods grasses expanded at the expense of trees, a mosaic of trees and grasses (i.e., a savannah) typical of a grassland-forest ecotone prevailed at the site throughout the Holocene. Such a food-rich environment characterized by an abundance of deer and geophytes, as well as mussels from the Medina River accounts for repetitive human occupation spanning at least 10,000 years.
Toxic Pollutants: Impact and Fate in Receiving Waters

Evaluation of the impacts to receiving water quality as a consequence of uncontrolled releases of toxic pollutants to the environment is a relatively new science having formally developed within the last decade or two. The magnitude and severity of the problem have, however, spawned a concentrated effort resulting in significant advances in the state of our technology for evaluating these impacts. Such an evaluation relies upon consideration of conservation of mass in one form or another, whether that be a mathematical model (i.e. a set of equations) or a physical model (i.e. a laboratory or field scale experiment). The distribution and fate of a toxic chemical in the aquatic environment is controlled by two broadly defined processes, namely transport or those processes which tend to move a toxic chemical between neighboring regions of space, and transformation or those processes which tend to chemically, physically, or biologically alter the form of a toxic chemical. Typical transport processes include advection and diffusion, whereas typical transformation processes include biodegradation and photolysis among others.
Dithiothreitol-Regulated Coverage of Oligonucleotide-Modified Gold Nanoparticles To Achieve Optimized Biosensor Performance

DNA-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are useful signal-reporters for detecting diverse molecules through various hybridization- and enzyme-based assays. However, their performance is heavily dependent on the probe DNA surface coverage, which can influence both target binding and enzymatic processing of the bound probes. Current methods used to adjust the surface coverage of DNA-modified AuNPs require the production of multiple batches of AuNPs under different conditions, which is costly and laborious. We here develop a single-step assay utilizing dithiothreitol (DTT) to fine-tune the surface coverage of DNA-modified AuNPs. DTT is superior to the commonly used surface diluent, mercaptohexanol, as it is less volatile, allowing for the rapid and reproducible controlling of surface coverage on AuNPs with only micromolar concentrations of DTT. Upon adsorption, DTT forms a dense monolayer on gold surfaces, which provides antifouling capabilities. Furthermore, surface-bound DTT adopts a cyclic conformation, w...
Multilateral Development Banks as Conduits for South-South Cooperation

This article seeks to add to the literature on multilateral development banks by considering them as conduits for South–South Cooperation. We identify ways that regional and borrower-dominant regional development banks have long provided a venue for interaction and assistance among developing states. Moreover, we hypothesize that organizations that give greater voting shares to their borrowing country members are better equipped and more likely to support regional public goods and to encourage greater South–South Cooperation in development financing. We explore the extent of this cooperation through a dataset of over 34,000 projects implemented by twelve multilateral development banks from 1968 to 2006.
Analysis of Water and Soils

The water or soil samples of any stormwater treatment practice assessment effort must be analyzed in order to provide useful information. Depending on the characteristic to be determined, one or more analytical method may be available or required. This chapter introduces and discusses the most common soil and water parameters used in stormwater management and offers guidance to help the user select the most appropriate analytical method and incorporate precision and bias through a quality assurance/control program.
Dynamic DNA computing model

It has been evidenced that DNA computing can solve those problems which are currently intractable on the even fastest electronic computers. The algorithm design for DNA computing, however, is not straightforward: A strong background in both DNA molecule and computer engineering are required to develop efficient DNA computing algorithms. All of these algorithms need to start over from the very beginning when their initial condition changes. This can be frustrating, especially if the change in the initial condition is very small. The existing models from which a few DNA computing algorithms were developed are not able to accomplish this dynamic updating.For a long time, people have talked about the huge memory made possible through DNA computing due to the fact that each strand can be treated as both storage media and processor. There is, however, no existing application that has yet made use of this huge memory because, though, it is very easy to read from this memory, it is very difficult to write data to it. The memory can only be read after the data has been stored.In this paper, a new DNA computing model is introduced based on which new algorithms are developed to solve the 3-Coloring problem. These new algorithms are presented as vehicles for demonstrating the advantages of the new model, and can be expanded to solve other NP-complete problems. They have the advantage of dynamic updating, so an answer can be changed based on modifications to the initial condition. The new model makes use of this huge memory by generating a "lookup table" during the process of implementing the algorithms. If the initial condition changes, the answer will change accordingly. In addition, the new model has the advantage of decoding all the answer strands in the final pool very quickly and efficiently. The advantage provided by this new model makes DNA computing both efficient and attractive in solving computationally intense problems.
Let's shear a moment, then take it inside.

In this issue of Blood, Pang et al define a shear-dependent pathway stimulating integrin outside-in signaling and facilitating platelet procoagulant properties, including membrane phosphatidylserine exposure, microvesicle release, and intravascular fibrin formation.1
A database of egg size and shape from more than 6,700 insect species

Offspring size is a fundamental trait in disparate biological fields of study. This trait can be measured as the size of plant seeds, animal eggs, or live young, and it influences ecological interactions, organism fitness, maternal investment, and embryonic development. Although multiple evolutionary processes have been predicted to drive the evolution of offspring size, the phylogenetic distribution of this trait remains poorly understood, due to the difficulty of reliably collecting and comparing offspring size data from many species. Here we present a database of 10,449 morphological descriptions of insect eggs, with records for 6,706 unique insect species and representatives from every extant hexapod order. The dataset includes eggs whose volumes span more than eight orders of magnitude. We created this database by partially automating the extraction of egg traits from the primary literature. In the process, we overcame challenges associated with large-scale phenotyping by designing and employing custom bioinformatic solutions to common problems. We matched the taxa in this database to the currently accepted scientific names in taxonomic and genetic databases, which will facilitate the use of this data for testing pressing evolutionary hypotheses in offspring size evolution.
The role of aerosols and greenhouse gases in Sahel drought and recovery

We exploit the multi-model ensemble produced by phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) to synthesize current understanding of external forcing of Sahel rainfall change, past and future, through the lens of oceanic influence. The CMIP5 multi-model mean simulates the twentieth century evolution of Sahel rainfall, including the mid-century decline toward the driest years in the early 1980s and the partial recovery since. We exploit a physical argument linking anthropogenic emissions to the change in the temperature of the sub-tropical North Atlantic Ocean relative to the global tropical oceans to demonstrate indirect attribution of late twentieth century Sahel drought to the unique combination of aerosols and greenhouse gases that characterized the post-World War II period. The subsequent reduction in aerosol emissions around the North Atlantic that resulted from environmental legislation to curb acid rain, occurring as global tropical warming continued unabated, is consistent with the current partial recovery and with projections of future wetting. Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) applied to the above-mentioned sea surface temperature (SST) indices provides a succinct description of oceanic influence on Sahel rainfall and reveals the near-orthogonality in the influence of emissions between twentieth and twenty-first centuries: the independent effects of aerosols and greenhouse gases project on the difference of SST indices and explain past variation, while the dominance of greenhouse gases projects on their sum and explains future projection. This result challenges the assumption that because anthropogenic warming had a hand in past Sahel drought, continued warming will result in further drying. In fact, the twenty-first century dominance of greenhouse gases, unchallenged by aerosols, results in projections consistent with warming-induced strengthening of the monsoon, a response that has gained in coherence in CMIP5 compared to prior multi-model exercises.
Quantitation of Chemical and Biological Effects in Steroids by Hansch-Type and Molecular Orbital Calculations

The nature of the relationship between chemical constitution and biological activity in steroids is of both practical and theoretical importance. Recently, we demonstrated that a given molecular modification in a steroid may exert its effect through a variety of steric [2] or inductive mechanisms [3]. Such complex relationships must be common to structure-function analyses in many drugs, and the separation of some of these variables has been greatly facilitated by the multiple parameter approach [4]. We now describe the application of this approach to steroids, for the first time. In this report we consider the anti-inflammatory activity [5a–d] of 9α-substituted cortisol derivatives (Table 1). Previous workers [5b] attempted to account for the biological influence of 9α-substituents on the basis of their inductive effects, but this factor explains only a portion of the variation (cf. Eq. 3).
Electrical Characterization of Graphene-based e-Tattoos for Bio-Impedance-based Physiological Sensing

Bio-impedance (Bio-Z) is a promising method to measure a plurality of physiological observations from the human body. The principal challenge, however, remains in the electrodes. Wet-electrodes are inconvenient to wear and drycontact electrodes do not provide sufficient robustness. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the feasibility of leveraging graphene-based electrodes to establish intimate contact with the skin while not introducing any discomfort to the user. Our proposed electrodes are ultrathin, soft, transparent, and can potentially remain on the skin at the same location over an extended period, while offering robust measurements. In this paper, we present the characterization of the proposed ultrathin and skin-conformable graphene-based electronic tattoos (GETs) in continuous Bio-Z measurements. Our bilayer GETs (biGETs) provide an average of contact impedance with the skin at 10 kHz, improving the contact impedance acquired from the traditional dry electrodes. Moreover, Bio-Z measurements with the GETs show less variation (3.6 average standard deviation, 6.5 maximum standard deviation with biGET) due to its stable contact to the reference wet electrode measurements (4.1 average standard deviation and 7.5 maximum standard deviation with wet electrodes). Compared to the traditional electrode structures, our proposed GETs provide better contact impedance, good adherence to the skin, robustness in sensing, and additional comfort and breathability.
Quantifying the Restrictiveness of Local Housing Authority Policies Toward People With Criminal Justice Histories: United States, 2009–2018

Objectives. To quantify variation in the restrictiveness of local public housing authority policies related to the admission and eviction of people with criminal justice histories.Methods. We condu...
Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R/CD221): A target for monoclonal antibody-based therapy to overcome drug-resistance in multiple myeloma (MM), other hematologic malignancies and solid tumors

5331 We have shown that insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) signaling can attenuate responsiveness of multiple myeloma (MM) cells to pro-apoptotic agents, including dexamethasone (Dex), cytotoxic chemotherapy, Apo2L/TRAIL or the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (PS-341). We have also shown that small molecule inhibitors of IGF-1R kinase activity have both in vitro and in vivo activity against MM and a broad spectrum of other hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Due to the functional roles of IGF-1R in broad spectrum of neoplasias, we have explored diverse therapeutic approaches targeting IGF-1R function, including specific anti-human IGF-1R neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAb), such as EM-164 (Immunogen Inc., Boston, MA) and aIR3. Consistent with their specificity for only IGF-1R, these mAb completely abrogated IGF-1-induced IGF-1R autophosphorylation, but had no effect on phosphorylation of its more closely homologous receptor, the insulin receptor. EM-164 was active against primary MM tumor cells and a broad panel of MM cell lines (including cells resistant to cytotoxic chemotherapy, thalidomide and its immunomodulatory derivatives {IMiDs} or PS-341) and cell lines from solid tumors (e.g. breast, prostate, lung, colon, thyroid, ovarian, renal Ca, retinoblastoma, sarcoma), leukemias and lymphomas (consistent with our previous findings of cell surface IGF-1R expression in these diseases). MM cells were among the most sensitive tumor types to IGF-1R inhibition indicating a prominent role for IGF-1R signaling in MM pathophysiology. Using transcriptional and proteomic profiling, we found that EM-164 and aIR3 confer pleiotropic anti-proliferative/pro-apoptotic sequelae, including inhibition of key growth/survival cascades (e.g. PI-3K/Akt, Ras/Raf/MAPK, IKK-α/NF-κB); decreased expression of caspase inhibitors (e.g. FLIP, cIAP-2); neutralization of pro-apoptotic Forkhead transcription factors; and suppression of constitutive and IGF-induced increase in proteasome and telomerase activities. These molecular sequelae can explain why anti-IGF-1R mAb sensitized tumor cells (e.g. MM, PrCa, BrCa) to other anti-cancer drugs (e.g. Dex, cytotoxic chemotherapy or PS-341); blunted tumor cell responses to other growth factors (e.g. MM or PrCa cell response to IL-6); overcame the drug-resistance phenotype conferred by bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs); and abrogated VEGF production in co-culture models of MM cells with BMSCs. Our current findings, coupled with our recent results on the safety and efficacy of selective IGF-1R inhibition in mouse MM models, indicate that mAb-based targeting of IGF-1R can also be part of therapeutic strategies to comprehensively abrogate the critical role of IGF-1R signaling in tumor cell proliferation and drug resistance.
Background Measurements and Constraints

With backgrounds accounting for nearly half of the total sample studied, their precise contribution and kinematics must be rigorously verified before a reliable background subtraction can be made. This section presents various measurements and constraints on these processes. As ν μ and CCπ − interactions are dominant, particular attention is paid to understanding their contribution.
PBMR-400 Benchmark Solution of Exercise 1 and 2 Using the Moose Based Applications: Mammoth, Pronghorn

High temperature gas cooled reactors (HTGR) are a candidate for timely Gen-IV reactor technology deployment because of high technology readiness and walk-away safety. Among HTGRs, pebble bed reactors (PBRs) have attractive features such as low excess reactivity and online refueling. Pebble bed reactors pose unique challenges to analysts and reactor designers such as continuous burnup distribution depending on pebble motion and recirculation, radiative heat transfer across a variety of gas-filled gaps, and long design basis transients such as pressurized and depressurized loss of forced circulation. Modeling and simulation is essential for both the PBR’s safety case and design process. In order to verify and validate the new generation codes the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Data bank provide a set of benchmarks data together with solutions calculated by the participants using the state of the art codes of that time. An important milestone to test the new PBR simulation codes is the OECD NEA PBMR-400 benchmark which includes thermal hydraulic and neutron kinetic standalone exercises as well as coupled exercises and transients scenarios. In this work, the reactor multiphysics code MAMMOTH and the thermal hydraulics code Pronghorn, both developed by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) within the multiphysics object-oriented simulation environment (MOOSE), have been used to solve Phase 1 exercises 1 and 2 of the PBMR-400 benchmark. The steady state results are in agreement with the other participants’ solutions demonstrating the adequacy of MAMMOTH and Pronghorn for simulating PBRs.