cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The colors of the visual pigment chromophores.

Abstract 11- cis retinal is the chromophore of visual pigments, whose absorption maxima (λ max ) lie between approximately 440 and 565 nm. To explain these color differences, Kropf and Hubbard (1958) postulated that retinal forms a protonated Schiff's base with an amino group on opsin and that the colors of the visual pigments depend on secondary interactions between the opsin and the π-electron system of the chromophore. This hypothesis has since been strengthened by: (1) Identification of the ϵ-amino group of a lysine residue as the chromophoric site on opsin; (2) theory and experiments showing that λ max of protonated Schiff bases of retinal can lie at 490 nm and beyond; (3) changes in λ max of rhodopsin resulting from conformational changes of opsin; (4) observations on squid retinochrome, a retinylidene chromoprotein whose λ max can be changed reversibly by reagents which interact with the protein.
Cardiac Trauma in Children

Although major penetrating or blunt cardiac trauma is rare in children, severe sequelae may result if patients are not managed in a thorough and systematic manner. Injuries may be immediately evident but, occasionally, may not be apparent for hours or days. Few sources describe pediatric cardiac trauma in detail. This article will discuss the epidemiology, physiology, diagnosis, and management of penetrating and blunt cardiac trauma in the pediatric patient.
Relating Polaization Phase Difference of SAR Signals to Scene Properties

This paper examines the statistical behavior of the phase difference AO between the HH-polarized and VV-polarized backscattered signals recorded by an L-band SAR over an agricultural test site in Illinois. Polarization-phase difference (??) distributions were generated for about 200 agricultural fields for which ground information had been acquired in conjunction with the SAR mission. For the over-whelming majority of cases, the AX distribution is symmetrical and has a single major lobe centered at the mean value of the disstribution ?? Whereas the mean AX was found to be close to zero degrees for bare soil, cut vegetation, alfalfa, soybeans, and clover, a different pattern was observed for the corn fields; the mean ?? increased with increasing incidence angle 0 from about zero at 0 = 150 (near-range of the image) to about 140° at 0 = 35°. The explanation proposed for this variation is that the corn canopy, most of whose mass is contained in its vertical stalks, acts like a uniaxial crystal characterized by different velocities of propogation for waves with horizontal and vertical polarization. Thus, it is hypothesized that the observed backscatter is contributed by a combination of propagation delay, forward scatter by the soil surface, and specular bistatic reflection by the stalks. Model calculations based on this assumption were found to be in general agreement with the phase observations.
Autonomy software verification and validation might not be as hard as it seems

The verification and validation of autonomy software is widely believed to be a challenging unsolved problem. To a certain extent this is true, but in this paper I argue that the problem is not nearly as severe as seems to be widely perceived. Many of the perceived hard problems in autonomy software V&V also exist for traditional software, and can be solved using many of the same methods and techniques used for traditional spacecraft software. In particular, the problem of intractably large state spaces exists for any nontrivial software system. This problem can be addressed for autonomy software in the same way that it has been addressed for traditional software: by decomposing the large state space into a tractable number of equivalence classes that exhibit qualitatively identical behavior, each one containing a large number of states.
Review and evaluation of lightning return stroke models including some aspects of their application

Four classes of models of the lightning return stroke are reviewed. These four classes are: (1) the gas dynamic models; (2) the electromagnetic models; (3) the distributed-circuit models; and (4) the "engineering" models. Validation of the reviewed models is discussed. For the gas dynamic models, validation is based on observations of the optical power and spectral output from natural lightning. The electromagnetic, distributed-circuit, and "engineering" models are most conveniently validated using measured electric and magnetic fields from natural and triggered lightning. Based on the entirety of the validation results and on mathematical simplicity, we rank the "engineering" models in the following descending order: MTLL, DU, MTLE, BG, and TL. When only the initial peak values of the channel-base current and remote electric or magnetic field are concerned, the TL model is preferred. Additionally discussed are several issues in lightning return-stroke modeling that either have been ignored to keep the modeling straightforward or have not been recognized, such as the treatment of the upper, in-cloud portion of the lightning channel, the boundary conditions at the ground, including the presence of a vertically extended strike object, the return-stroke speed at early times, the initial bi-directional extension of the return stroke channel, and the relation between leader and return stroke models. Various aspects of the calculation of lightning electric and magnetic fields in which return stroke models are used to specify the source are considered, including equations for fields and channel-base current, as well as a discussion of channel tortuosity and branches.
Two Distinct Roles of ARABIDOPSIS HOMOLOG OF TRITHORAX1 (ATX1) at Promoters and within Transcribed Regions of ATX1-Regulated Genes

The Arabidopsis thaliana trithorax-like protein, ATX1, shares common structural domains, has similar histone methyltransferase (HMT) activity, and belongs in the same phylogenetic subgroup as its animal counterparts. Most of our knowledge of the role of HMTs in trimethylating lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4me3) in transcriptional regulation comes from studies of yeast and mammalian homologs. Little is known about the mechanism by which ATX1, or any other HMT of plant origin, affects transcription. Here, we provide insights into how ATX1 influences transcription at regulated genes, playing two distinct roles. At promoters, ATX1 is required for TATA binding protein (TBP) and RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) recruitment. In a subsequent event, ATX1 is recruited by a phosphorylated form of Pol II to the +300-bp region of transcribed sequences, where it trimethylates nucleosomes. In support of this model, inhibition of phosphorylation of the C-terminal domain of Pol II reduced the amounts of H3K4me3 and ATX1 bound at the +300-nucleotide region. Importantly, these changes did not reduce the occupancy of ATX1, TBP, or Pol II at promoters. Our results indicate that ATX1 affects transcription at target genes by a mechanism distinct from its ability to trimethylate H3K4 within genes.
Laser absorption diagnostic for measuring acetylene concentrations in shock tubes

Abstract A fixed-wavelength direct absorption laser diagnostic for high-temperature measurements of acetylene concentration was developed. The diagnostic, based on a tunable continuous wave distributed feedback diode laser, was optimized primarily for studying chemical kinetics behind reflected shock waves. The center wavelength (3335.55 cm −1 ) of the tunable diagnostic was typically set at the peak of the 3300 cm −1 absorption band of acetylene at high temperatures. The absorption spectrum of acetylene diluted in argon was characterized using scanned-wavelength direct absorption measurements from 1070 to 1720 K and 0.8 to 4.0 atm. Line fitting of the measured absorption spectra was not possible due to the large number of transitions overlapped by pressure broadening that contribute to the spectrum. Instead, empirical fits for the peak absorption coefficient and its corresponding wavelength as a function of temperature and pressure were generated. Furthermore, in order to allow for characterization of interference absorption in kinetic studies, empirical fits for the acetylene absorption coefficient in the region around the primary absorption feature were developed. Absorption coefficient measurements of propyne and 1-butyne, which may be the primary interference candidates, reveal that their absorption coefficients are constant in the wavelength range of interest, and are much smaller than those of acetylene. Therefore, the acetylene concentration in the presence of these interfering species can be inferred using two-color techniques. The utility of the acetylene diagnostic was demonstrated by measuring acetylene mole fraction time-histories during the pyrolysis of propene and 1-butene.
Effect of System Workload on Operating System Reliability: A Study on IBM 3081

This paper presents an analysis of operating system failures on an IBM 3081 running VM/SP. We find three broad categories of software failures: error handling (ERH), program control or logic (CTL), and hardware related (HS); it is found that more than 25 percent of software failures occur in the hardware/software interface. Measurements show that results on software reliability cannot be considered representative unless the system workload is taken into account. For example, it is shown that the risk of a software failure increases in a nonlinear fashion with the amount of interactive processing, as measured by parameters such as the paging rate and the amount of overhead (operating system CPU time). The overall CPU execution rate, although measured to be close to 100 percent most of the time, is not found to correlate strongly with the occurrence of failures. The paper discusses possible reasons for the observed workload failure dependency based on detailed investigations of the failure data.
The determination of nitrogen, americium, neptunium, and uranium in P.P.M. Quantities in pure plutonium*

Summary The following methods were adapted to or developed for the determination of low-level impurities in high-purity plutonium. The lower limits of detection are nitrogen—5 to 10 p.p.m.; americium—25 p.p.m.; neptunium—1 p.p.m.; and uranium—1 p.p.m. Nitrogen is determined by the classical method in which it in converted to NH 3 in an NaOH solution, distilled into an H 3 BO 3 solution, and titrated with standardized HCl. The Kjeldahl apparatus is completely contained in a glove box, and all transfers of waste solution are made by vacuum. After dissolution of the sample, the time required per determination is about 1 hr. The precision of the method is 10 per cent of the amount present. The americium content is calculated from the difference between the per cent of 5·5 MeV alpha activity before and after the separation of americium from plutonium. The activity of the alpha energy is determined by pulse-height analysis. The per cent of 5·5 MeV alpha activity before the separation indicates the sum of Am 241 and Pu 238 . The americium is separated from the plutonium in a 12 N HC.–0·1 N HNO 3 solution by means of an anion-exchange resin. The plutonium is eluted from the resin with 1 N HCl, and a sample is dried on a platinum disk for pulse-height analysis. A better sample can be prepared for pulse-height analysis by drying some of the activity from the organic phase of a thenoyltrifluoroacetone separation of the eluted plutonium. About 1 man-hr is required per determination. The precision and the accuracy are 10 per cent. The neptunium is extracted from 12 N HCl containing 0·1 M hydroquinone and 0·1 M KI to keep the neptunium in the quadrivalent state and the plutonium in the trivalent state. The organic solvent is 0·5 F mono(2-ethyl-hexyl)ortho-phosphoric acid, with toluene as a diluent. The distribution coefficient for Np IV is greater than 800, while that for Pu III,VI is about 0·1. The organic phase is washed a sufficient number of times with 12 N HCl and 0·1 M hydroquinone to effect the desired decontamination from plutonium. The decontamination factor for each wash operation is about 10. The organic phase is adjusted to a volume of 2 ml, and an appropriate aliquot is dried on a platinum disk for alpha pulse analysis. The time required for the determination is 2 man-hr. The precision and accuracy are 10 per cent. The uranium in plutonium has been determined in the range of 10 to 1000 p.p.m. A 5-mg aliquot of plutonium in 1 N HNO 3 is reduced to Pu III with 2 M ferrous sulfamate and contacted for 10 min with 30 % tri-n-butyl-phosphate in benzene. The organic phase is washed five times with a 1 N HNO 3 –ferrous sulfamate solution. The organic phase is adjusted to a volume of 1 ml and appropriate microaliquots are then added to NaF–LiF flux tablets and dried. Then flux tablets containing aliquots of the sample, standards, and standard additions of uranium are fused for reading on the fluoro-photometer. The recovery is from 85 to 95 per cent with a precision of 10 per cent. The time required for analysis is about 2 man-hr.
Multimerization of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Gag Promotes Its Localization to Barges, Raft-Like Membrane Microdomains

The Gag polyprotein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) organizes the assembly of nascent virions at the plasma membrane of infected cells. Here we demonstrate that a population of Gag is present in distinct raft-like membrane microdomains that we have termed “barges.” Barges have a higher density than standard rafts, most likely due to the presence of oligomeric Gag-Gag assembly complexes. The regions of the Gag protein responsible for barge targeting were mapped by examining the flotation behavior of wild-type and mutant proteins on Optiprep density gradients. N-myristoylation of Gag was necessary for association with barges. Removal of the NC and p6 domains shifted much of the Gag from barges into typical raft fractions. These data are consistent with a model in which multimerization of myristoylated Gag proteins drives association of Gag oligomers into raft-like barges. The functional significance of barge association was revealed by several lines of evidence. First, Gag isolated from virus-like particles was almost entirely localized in barges. Moreover, a comparison of wild-type Gag with Fyn(10)Gag, a chimeric protein containing the N-terminal sequence of Fyn, revealed that Fyn(10)Gag exhibited increased affinity for barges and a two- to fourfold increase in particle production. These results imply that association of Gag with raft-like barge membrane microdomains plays an important role in the HIV-1 assembly process.
Experimental comparison of conventional and trans-augmented railguns

A 2.4-m-long, 1-cm-diameter round bore railgun was constructed to perform careful experiments which compared the performance of conventional and transaugmented plasma armature railguns. Conventional railgun experiments were performed over a range of currents to characterize the base performance of the railgun and to provide data for the development of ablation drag and thermal propulsive models. Experiments were then performed for a range of (separately powered) augmentation currents but with railgun currents equal to those used in the conventional experiments. The enhanced performance provided by augmentation was found to be significantly less than predicted by theory, even though the railgun operated without the formation of secondary armatures or restrikes. >
Specific cytosol receptors for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in human intestine.

ABSTRACT Human intestine is shown to contain a specific, high affinity cytosol receptor or binding protein for 1,25-(OH)2 -vitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2 D3 ]. This receptor is a protein which sediments at 3.5S on sucrose gradients containing 0.3 M KC1. The receptor binds 1,25(OH)2 D3 with a Kd of approximately 2 × 10-10 M at 4°C. Competition binding studies using structural analogs of l,25(OH)2 D3 indicate that the relative specificity of the receptor is 1,25(OH)2 D3 > 1,24R,25(OH)3 D3 >> 25OHD3 1 OHD3 > 24R,25(OH)2 D3.
Efficient and Agile 1+N Protection

This paper introduces an efficient implementation of the network coding-based 1+N protection. The strategy provides proactive protection to N link-disjoint full-duplex connections against single link failures. The implementation is efficient and uses a tree shaped minimum cost protection circuit. The protection circuit carries linear combinations of data units originally transmitted on the working circuits, and these linear combinations can be used to recover data units lost due to failures. This recovery is carried out with the assistance of one node on the protection tree, which is chosen to reduce the recovery time. This protection technique requires the same amount of protection resources used by 1:N protection, where the protection circuit is link disjoint from the protected connections. The paper also makes other contributions. It introduces an Integer Linear Program (ILP) formulation to evaluate the cost of protection using this technique, and compares it to the cost of 1+1 protection. The comparison shows that a significant saving in cost can be achieved, while recovering from failures within a short time. The performance of this scheme is further evaluated using an OPNET-based simulation, where it was shown that the recovery time conforms to acceptable industry standards. Availability analysis is also conducted.
Iodine Nutrition in the United States. Trends and Public Health Implications: Iodine Excretion Data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys I and III (1971–1974 and 1988–1994)

Iodine deficiency in a population causes increased prevalence of goiter and, more importantly, may increase the risk for intellectual deficiency in that population. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys [NHANES I (1971–1974) and (NHANES III (1988–1994)] measured urinary iodine (UI) concentrations. UI concentrations are an indicator of the adequacy of iodine intake for a population. The median UI concentrations in iodine-sufficient populations should be greater than 10 μg/dL, and no more than 20% of the population should have UI concentrations less than 5 μg/dL. Median UI concentrations from both NHANES I and NHANES III indicate adequate iodine intake for the overall U.S. population, but the median concentration decreased more than 50% between 1971–1974 (32.0 ± 0.6 μg/dL) and 1988–1994 (14.5 ± 0.3 μg/dL). Low UI concentrations (<5 μg/dL) were found in 11.7% of the 1988–1994 population, a 4.5-fold increase over the proportion in the 1971–1974 population. The percentage of people excreting lo...
Clinical evaluation of cefpirome in pediatrics and a study on the penetration into cerebrospinal fluid

Studies were carried out on the penetration of cefuzonam (L-105, CZON), a new synthetic cephalosporin antibiotic, into cerebrospinal fluid, and on the clinical efficacy against bacterial infections. The results are summarized as follows: Concentrations of CZON in cerebrospinal fluid at 1 hour after intravenous administration of 100 mg/kg in cases of furunculosis of the external canal, encephalitis and mumps meningitis were 0.56 micrograms/ml, 1.44 micrograms/ml and 0.33 micrograms/ml, respectively. Concentrations of CZON in cerebrospinal fluid at 1 hour after intravenous administration of 100 mg/kg in 3 cases of purulent meningitis were 2.80-6.40 micrograms/ml at the acute stage and 0.56-1.45 micrograms/ml even at the recovering stage. Sensitivities of clinically isolated strains to CZON were determined and expressed as MIC. MICs of CZON on Haemophilus influenzae, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae were similar to MIC's of cefmenoxime (CMX), and lower than those of cefoperazone (CPZ), cefmetazole (CMZ), cefatiam (CTM) and Cefazolin (CEZ). The MIC of CZON on Staphylococcus aureus was similar to those of CEZ, CMZ and CTM, and lower than those of CMX and CPZ. Clinical responses of CZON were good in 2 cases of purulent meningitis, good in 2 cases of pyothorax, excellent in 1 case of septicemia, excellent in 3 cases of urinary tract infections, excellent in 7 cases and good in 3 cases out of 10 cases of pneumonia. Clinical responses of other diseases were excellent in 4 cases of bronchitis, good in 1 case of furunculosis of the external canal, excellent in 1 case of tonsillitis. No side effects nor abnormal laboratory findings were observed except 2 cases of mild diarrhea out of 24 cases.
BUSY VOTERS, AGENDA CONTROL, AND THE POWER OF INFORMATION

T he correspondence between individual preferences and electoral outcomes is often affected by the existence of information asymmetries among electoral participants and the presence of individuals or groups who exercise some form of agenda control. While the effects of agenda control in political decision making are widely recognized, the effects of information asymmetries are not as well understood. Since information asymmetries are fundamental characteristics of most elections, a deep understanding of the correspondence between individual preferences and electoral outcomes requires a serious consideration of the "effects" of information. I develop a generalizable agenda control model that takes as given the observation that most voters are not naturally inclined to invest in political information. The model allows me to provide a dynamic description of how voters and political elites can adapt to the information problems that characterize political decision making. It also allows me to demonstrate the effect of these adaptations on electoral outcomes.
A New Form of Marketing Myopia: Rejoinder to Professor Luck:

The authors offer a rejoinder to Professor D. J. Luck's comments regarding their article and present additional commentary supporting their position that marketing's role in society should be expanded.
Isoprenoid Phosphonophosphates as Glycosyltransferase Acceptor Substrates

Glycosyltransferases that act on polyprenol pyrophosphate substrates are challenging to study because their lipid-linked substrates are difficult to isolate from natural sources and arduous to synthesize. To facilitate access to glycosyl acceptors, we assembled phosphonophosphate analogues and showed these are effective substrate surrogates for GlfT1, the essential product of mycobacterial gene Rv3782. Under chemically defined conditions, the galactofuranosyltransferase GlfT1 catalyzes the formation of a tetrasaccharide sequence en route to assembly of the mycobacterial galactan.
Preliminary Correlation of AIRS Inflight Icing Lift/Drag and Propulsive Efficiency Degradations with Environmental Conditions

*The correlation of the degradation effects of inflight icing accretion on lift/drag and propulsive efficiency of a turbo-propellor powered transport aeroplane with environmental conditions is described. The effects have been determined from pitch-up manoeuvres conducted during Alliance Icing Research Study (AIRS) 1.5 and II inflight icing research programmes, totaling fourteen manoeuvres with the airframe ice protection system (IPS) OFF and twenty manoeuvres with the IPS ON. The paper describes in detail the effects with IPS ON and OFF during accretion. These effects of icing accretion upon drag are considered in terms of profile drag increase and the induced drag increase k (which also includes the viscous drag rise with CL 2 ). The effects upon liftcurve slope are also considered. The changes to CDo, k and a have been preliminarily analysed for correlation with environmental parameters of air temperature, liquid water content (LWC) and small droplet median volumetric diameter (MVD). With IPS ON, exposure to more than 10 gm/cm 2 of supercooled liquid water (SLW) was achieved. ∆CDo increases did not correlate with SLW exposure. Maximum ∆k and ∆a degradations correlated with each other, and with air temperature. With IPS OFF, maximum ∆a degradations correlated with exposure to SLW, whereas maximum ∆CDo and ∆k correlated with exposure to small droplet conditions. LWC, MVD and heat transfer parameter power-law grouping yielded differing ∆CDo characteristics, consisting of intermediate amplification, then subsidence, in the case of IPS ON, and monotonic rise, in the case of IPS OFF.
Behavior-Related Factors Associated With Low Back Pain in the US Adult Population

This study is based on data from the 2009–2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) of the civilian population of the US. The NHIS focuses on a number of health conditions, including low back pain. The objective of this study is to explore behavior-related factors associated with low back pain in the US adult population, including leisure-time physical activity, alcohol use, tobacco use, sleep duration and obesity. Low back pain is a prevalent musculoskeletal health disorder with profound impact on individuals, business and society. Addressing behavior-related factors holds the potential to reduce the burden of low back pain on a societal basis. In order to account for the complex sampling design of the NHIS, the Taylor linearized variance estimation methods were used to conduct weighted descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analyses in exploring the relationships between low back pain and a set of behavior-related risk factors. This study shows associations between self-reported lower back pain and reported leisure-time physical inactivity, current or former smoking, current or former alcohol drinking, short sleep duration and obesity. This study identified a number of behavior-related factors that appear to have a significant relationship with low back pain. Public health policy makers and clinicians should consider these factors to reduce the burden of low back pain. This study supports the need for longitudinal study design in future research. Level of Evidence: 2
Chronic Expression of Murine flt3 Ligand in Mice Results in Increased Circulating White Blood Cell Levels and Abnormal Cellular Infiltrates Associated With Splenic Fibrosis

The effect of chronic expression of flt3 ligand (FL) on in vivo hematopoiesis was studied. Retroviral vector-mediated gene transfer was used in a mouse model of bone marrow transplantation to enforce expression of mouse FL cDNA in hematopoietic tissues. As early as 2 weeks posttransplantation, peripheral blood white blood cell counts in FL-overexpressing recipients were significantly elevated compared with controls. With the exception of eosinophils, all nucleated cell lineages studied were similarly affected in these animals. Experimental animals also exhibited severe anemia and progressive loss of marrow-derived erythropoiesis. All of the FL-overexpressing animals, but none of the controls, died between 10 and 13 weeks posttransplantation. Upon histological examination, severe splenomegaly was noted, with progressive fibrosis and infiltration by abnormal lymphoreticular cells. Abnormal cell infiltration also occurred in other organ systems, including bone marrow and liver. In situ immunocytochemistry on liver sections showed that the cellular infiltrate was CD3+/NLDC145+/CD11c+, but B220− and F4/80−, suggestive of a mixed infiltrate of dendritic cells and activated T lymphocytes. Infiltration of splenic blood vessel perivascular spaces resulted in vascular compression and eventual occlusion, leading to splenic necrosis consistent with infarction. These results show that FL can affect both myeloid and lymphoid cell lineages in vivo and further demonstrate the potential toxicity of in vivo treatment with FL.
Designing Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistors Based on the Polarization-Rotation Effect for Low Operating Voltage and Fast Switching

The intrinsic, tunable polarization of ferroelectric oxides makes them of potential importance for next-generation electronic components based on electric rather than magnetic fields. The authors present a model to describe the rotation of ferroelectric polarization under an applied electric field, and the accompanying modulation of channel conductance in a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). Their model offers insight into both a physical mechanism and principles of device design, and promotes the optimization of fast-switching, energy-efficient nanoelectronics.
Processing to the Commutation Failure in Multi-infeed Direct Current System

The commutation failure in multi-infeed DC system will result in serious consequences. Influence factors are analyzed in this paper including the principle of inverter and influence failure factors for single-feed system. The countermeasures for the failure are introduced. The response for commutation failure includes precaution before failure and recovery strategy after failure. The influence to transmission power by electrical distances is studied. Engineering practice shows that STATCOM can effectively improve steady-state and transient operation characteristics of multi-infeed DC system. It will reduce the probability of commutation failure.
PLiFi: hybrid wifi-VLC networking using power lines

With advancements in solid-state lighting, Visible Light Communication (VLC) provides novel opportunities for high-speed networking. Properties such as feasibility of multi-gbps data rates, lower interference, better communication privacy, and dual use of LEDs for illumination and communication make VLC an attractive choice for indoor Internet access networking. However, three major challenges - absence of low-cost solution for LED-Internet connectivity, unavailability of uplink communication, and performance degradation due to device mobility - need to be addressed for realizing VLC's full potential as Internet access network technology. In this paper, we propose PLiFi, a hybrid WiFi-VLC network architecture through the use of Power Line Communication (PLC). PLiFi creates a high-speed interconnection between LEDs themselves and to Internet at low cost, and also seamlessly integrates WiFi and VLC networks. We show how PLiFi can address the above mentioned challenges, and can create a framework for implementing VLC CoMP hybrid WiFi-VLC MAC protocols. Our preliminary results prove that today's PLC technology provides sufficient data rates and coverage. We demonstrate that RSS variations due to mobility and SINR degradation due to co-channel interference can be alleviated using coordination between LEDs which is feasible through PLiFi design.
Author Response: Reading Plato Rhetorically

I am grateful to Arthur Walzer and Heather Hayes for arranging the opportunity for three scholars to respond to my book, and to Arabella Lyon, Bruce Krajewski, and Michael Svoboda for their respons...
Nursing Facility (NF) Residents with Anemia Associated with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Require Greater Assistance in Performing Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Compared to Residents with CKD without Anemia.

Abstract Anemia is a well known complication of CKD and is associated with symptoms of fatigue, decreased muscle strength, and reduced oxygen capacity. However, the effect of anemia associated with CKD on ADLs in NF residents has not been well described. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the effect of the anemia associated with CKD on ADLs in NF residents. ALTER (Anemia and associated outcomes in Long-TErm care Residents) was a retrospective study conducted in a representative sample of 24 NFs. Chart data was integrated with electronic Minimum Data Set (MDS) records and prescription claims for the 1-year period before the date of data abstraction. Eligible residents were ≥ 65 years, not receiving dialysis, and not comatose. CKD was conservatively defined as eGFR Percent of residents requiring moderate to significant help (bootstrap 95% CI) ADL CKD, anemic (n=69) CKD, no anemia (n=104) Bed Mobility 78% (72%, 83%) 57% (52%, 62%) Transfer 83% (79%, 88%) 62% (58%, 67%) Walk in Room 71% (61%, 79%) 44% (38%, 51%) Walk in Corridor 70% (61%, 79%) 44% (37%, 51% Locomotion on Unit 72% (67%, 78%) 57% (51%, 62%) Locomotion off Unit 73% (67%, 79%) 64% (60%, 69%) Dressing 89% (86%, 93%) 79% (75%, 83%) Eating 25% (20%, 32%) 23% (20%, 27%) Toilet Use 84% (80%, 88%) 71% (67%, 74%) Personal Hygiene 84% (81%, 91%) 75% (72%, 79%)
Efficient Allocation of Public Health and Behavior Change Resources: The “Difficulty by Motivation” Matrix

The article discusses various aspects of the Difficulty by Motivation matrix (diagram) which was developed by the authors as a means of helping public health (PH) clinicians program planners better allocate population health, behavioral change, and PH resources. Self-determination theory and an individual's level of readiness are examined, along with information about seat belt use, vaccination behavior, and chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
Simulations of Junction Termination Extensions in Vertical GaN Power Diodes

Simulations of reverse breakdown behavior of GaN power diodes with junction termination extensions (JTEs) are presented. The p-type JTE is located at the edge of the main p-n-junction, and under reverse bias, the charge in the JTE causes spreading and reduction of the peak electric fields to avoid premature avalanche breakdown. To determine the available charge in the JTE, it is shown that the electric field under reverse bias causes severe band bending within the JTE and full ionization of the Mg acceptor. Therefore, all the Mg dopants contribute charge and determine the performance of the JTE. The dependence of the breakdown voltage on the JTE’s acceptor concentration and thickness is shown. When the JTE is properly designed, the simulations show improved reverse breakdown behavior and breakdown efficiencies approaching 98% of the ideal limit for planar geometry. Finally, the challenges of creating JTEs within GaN power diodes are discussed.
Racial and Cultural Minorities and the American Political and Legal Processes

The study of the place of racial and cultural minorities in the social structure must give careful attention to the ways in which these groups influence and are influenced by political decisions and legal processes. In this chapter, our concern will be to compare the status of racial and cultural minorities with that of the majority population in voting, office-holding, and political influence in American life.
Clinical and Endoscopic Diagnosis of IBD-Related Stricture, Fistula, and Abscess

Abstract Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often progresses to develop various complications, particularly stricture, fistula, and abscess. The diagnosis of those complications requires a combined assessment of clinical, endoscopic, imaging, and histologic evaluations. In addition to its ability to assess the mucosal inflammation and deliver the therapy, endoscopy–particularly with special endoscopes and accessories–is a valuable tool for the assessment of stricture, fistula, and abscess. Endoscopy is a reliable tool to evaluate inflammation of overlying mucosa on stricture as well as the degree, length, and location of stricture. For pinhole stricture, which is not traversable to regular endoscope, ultrathin scope and antegrade balloon dilation or endoscopic stricturotomy may help get access to the bowel segment proximal to the tight stricture. Endoscopy is also a valuable modality to assess the orifice of fistula and condition of the mucosa surrounding the fistula opening. In addition, the fistula track can be assessed by a guidewire and administration of sterile fluid, such as betadine and hydrogen peroxide. Endoscopy ultrasonography, with its variants, can be useful to assess fistula and abscess at the distal bowel and perianal region.
Depressive symptoms, social anxiety, and perceived neck function in patients with head and neck cancer.

Background This study examined the relationships of depressive symptoms and social anxiety with perceived neck function in patients treated for head and neck cancer. Methods Depressive symptoms, social anxiety, and perceived neck-related function were measured at baseline, posttreatment, every 6 weeks thereafter for 1 year after the end of treatment, and at 15 and 18 months posttreatment. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to generate clusters of patients with similar baseline and trajectories of perceived neck-related function after head and neck cancer treatment. Results Participants included 83 subjects who had completed at least 1 follow-up assessment. Three clusters of longitudinal patterns in neck disability were identified: none/mild, moderate, and severe. Significant associations were found between membership in the neck disability index trajectories and membership in the longitudinal patterns of depressive symptoms and social anxiety. Conclusion Impaired physical function and psychological distress are intertwined for patients with head and neck cancer long after completing treatment.
Giving Becomes Him: The posthumous fortune(s) of Pachaiyappa Mudaliar

This article explores the ways in which Pachaiyappa Mudaliar (1754?–1794) has been panegyrized as the quintessential benefactor of our times in Tamil prose, poetry, and pictures over the course of the past century and a half. In the bureaucratic and legal documents of the colonial state, he appears as a rapacious moneylender and behind-the-scenes wheeler-dealer, a member of that hated class of ‘Madras dubashes’, a ‘most diabolical race of men’. In contrast, Tamil memory work since at least the 1840s has differently recalled this shadowy eighteenth-century man as a selfless philanthropist whose vast wealth financed some of the earliest educational institutions in the Madras Presidency. I track the posthumous fate of Pachaiyappa's bequest to argue that even as the founding of the public trust and its educational philanthropy departed radically from his willed intentions, a new complex of living, dying, and giving for the sake of native education was put in place in the Tamil country in the age of colonial capital and pedagogic modernity.
The secondary structures of PEG-functionalized random copolymers derived from (R)- and (S)- families of alkyne polycarbodiimides

A series of helical rigid-rod (R)- and (S)-polycarbodiimides having PEG2K, 10K, and 20K groups attached to aromatic or aliphatic side chains have been successfully synthesized from the respective alkyne polycarbodiimide precursors using the CuI-catalyzed azide/alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction. The AFM, TEM and SEM studies of this series revealed the formation of different types of aggregated morphologies, i.e., micro- and nanospheres, fiber-like crystallites, and porous aggregates, which can be tailored with the hydrophilic PEG segments in the polymer structure. In general, heavily PEGylated scaffolds comprising ∼44 ethylene oxide segments are prone to form round-shaped secondary structures, especially in the bulk, as evident by SEM measurements. AFM data suggested that spherical aggregates are the preferred motifs in a wide range of concentrations. Moreover, polycarbodiimide-graft-PEG(2K) random copolymers were shown to efficiently suspend SWCNTs in water, leading to novel neutral photoluminescent nanocomposite materials. Overall, these extensive self-assembly studies on various polycarbodiimide platforms featuring a hydrophobic rigid rod main chain and a flexible hydrophilic periphery may provide a basic layout for prospective biomedical applications, such as controlled drug delivery and enhanced dispersibility properties of SWCNTs.
Editorial: Monitoring Serum Vancomycin Levels: Climbing the Mountain Because It Is There?

Vancomycin is an interesting antimicrobial agent for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it was used clinically for almost 30 years before bacteria acquired a specific mechanism of resistance to it [1]. Vancomycin was discovered in 1956 when a soil sample from Borneo yielded Streptom yces orientalis (now designated as Nocardia orientalis), which produced an antimicrobial agent with excellent activity against staphylococci and other gram-positive bacteria [2]. The active compound produced by S. orientalis, labeled compound 05865, was ultimately given the generic name vancomycin, which was derived from the word vanish [2].
Gadd45 in Modulation of Solid Tumors and Leukemia

The stress response gadd45 gene family participates in cell cycle control, cell survival, apoptosis, maintenance of genomic stability, DNA repair, and active DNA demethylation, in response to environmental and physiological stress including oncogenic stress. Given these diverse functions, it is anticipated that gadd45 genes can influence the initiation and progression of malignancy and the response to different treatments. This chapter will provide an overview of how the different members of the gadd45 gene family are expressed in different tumors and leukemia, how this may impact on progression of disease, and what happens when expression is manipulated. Studies from human tumor/leukemia samples, cell lines, and animal models are included in this review. An overriding theme is that each of the gadd45 genes has both tumor suppressor and tumor promoter functions, dependent on the tissue/cell type and transforming event.
Reviewing the pattern of care and treatment effectiveness for glioblastomas, a university affiliated community hospital experience.

e18866Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and deadliest form of brain tumors in adults; hence, its treatment has been challenging for clinicians and long-term survival rate...
The Effect of Eviction on Maternal Criminal Justice Involvement

Millions of individuals in the United States experience eviction each year, with low-income women being particularly at risk. As a result, scholarship has increasingly sought to understand what the...
Marginalizing Poverty with Car-Dependent Design: The Story of Two Expulsions

In the twentieth century in Nova Scotia, at least two racialized communities were forcibly expelled from their land: Black Africville residents in Halifax and the Membertou Mi’kmaw First Nation in Sydney. Differences in the long-term outcomes of the two expulsions, however, reveal critical factors in how urban design can support or frustrate poverty alleviation. While the Membertou First Nation was relocated as a whole to a centralized context where they were geographically positioned to stage an economic transformation, Africville residents were more widely dispersed, many to areas with less access to jobs and other economic opportunities. This article analyzes the urban design elements in Halifax that create barriers to prosperity for the city’s historically Black communities and low-income residents. These factors include housing displacement, the suburbanization of poverty, and a lack of access to transit and other destinations within walking distance of homes. This article proposes three policy options to address these barriers and ensure that the city offers opportunity to all residents.
SANITATION IN BULK FOOD VENDING

The dispensing of food from vending machines is a new development in the food industry, and is increasing. They should be supervised by the health authorities as to construction and performance of ...
International Relations Theories and Global Attention to Syria and Yemen

This chapter examines rival explanations for the different degrees of attention paid to the crises in Syria and Yemen using a range of IR theories. In particular, the chapter explores four categories of explanations: ones that focus on great power interests, including alliances, ones that explore structural inequalities in the global system, including geographic location and postcolonial legacies, ones that engage with various aspects of national security, including refugee flows, and ones that consider different types of military engagement. These arguments set up the exploration of the data collected in Chap. 4.
Three-dimensional structural and angiographic evaluation of foveal ischemia in diabetic retinopathy: method and validation

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) allows us to noninvasively investigate foveal ischemia, a key feature of diabetic retinopathy (DR). However, the sizes of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) have a significant variation in normal population, preventing the objective assessment of pathological enlargement of FAZ due to capillary dropout. Based on the relationship between FAZ and ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness in normal eyes, we defined a theoretical baseline FAZ (tbFAZ) on structural OCT and measured 2D and 3D vessel density in its vicinity on the simultaneously acquired OCTA in normal and diabetic eyes. We found that the structure-based tbFAZ was a reliable reference to identify foveal ischemia and that the 3D vessel density demonstrated ischemia more effectively than the 2D method. The proposed 3D para-FAZ vessel density correlates well with DR severity and potentially is a useful diagnostic biomarker, especially in the early stages of DR.
Abstract 3073: Development of novel BMI1 inhibitors targeting glioblastoma stem-like cells

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are the most common and deadly primary brain tumors. GBMs are thought to derive from neuroglial stem or progenitor cells. Although surgery, radiotherapy and concomitant or alternating chemotherapy followed by anti-angiogenic therapy are still the mainstay of treatment, individually tailored strategies based on tumor-intrinsic dominant genomic, transcriptomic, epigenetic and antigenic tumor profiles may ultimately improve outcome. GBM recurrence is thought to be caused by a dynamically changing population of slow-cycling stem-like cells that are capable of evading current therapeutics which spare the radio/chemoresistant cells. Due to the extreme heterogeneity of these tumors, the likelihood of success of new therapeutic strategies for GBM relies on utilizing tailored combinations of targeted genetic-, epigenetic- and/or immune-modulating therapies. Targeting epigenetic polycomb repressor complex 1/2 (PRC1/2) and their key drivers BMI1 and EZH2 is highly attractive to target GBM stem-like and progenitor cells. Since PRC2 activity is dependent on PRC1 chromatin association, targeting BMI1 is a priority for GBM. BMI1 is strongly upregulated in most GBM subtypes, and we and others have demonstrated that reducing BMI1 levels results in a decrease in tumor cell self-renewal and eliminate the stem-cell like phenotypes in other tumor types. We have therefore developed novel small molecule BMI1 inhibitors, named RU-A compounds, for GBM therapy. First, we demonstrate that these RU-A compounds could eliminate BMI1 at low nanomolar conc. We further determined using modeling and luciferase assays that RU-A compounds exert effects on the BMI1 RNA, suggesting that RU-A compounds might bind to a pocket within the BMI1 untranslated region. Strikingly, RU-A compounds demonstrate complete ablation of self-renewal of GBM stem-like cells in serial clonogenic, sphere assays, and GBM organoids, and sensitize GBM cells to chemotherapy. We demonstrate the anti-GBM and reduction of tumor initiation activities of these inhibitors in a series of patient-derived xenografts and patient derived orthotopic mouse models of GBM. Due to the high potency of these compounds, when injected in mice, there were significant reductions in intratumor BMI1 associated with elimination of stem cell-like phenotypes, and no hematopoietic toxicity or neurotoxicity detected. These novel RU-A compounds by altering the stem-like populations of GBM cells offer effective targeted agents that could be utilized alone or combined with other targeted and immune modulatory agents in clinical trials for GBM patients. Citation Format: Michelle Chadwick, Eric Huselid, Monica Bartucci, Michele Patrizii, Kelly Jara, Monal Mehta, John Gilleran, David Augeri, Hatem Sabaawy. Development of novel BMI1 inhibitors targeting glioblastoma stem-like cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3073.