cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
S-nitrosylation-dependent inactivation of Akt/protein kinase B in insulin resistance

Inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) has been implicated in many human diseases including insulin resistance. However, how iNOS causes or exacerbates insulin resistance remains largely unknown. Protein S-nitrosylation is now recognized as a prototype of a redox-dependent, cGMP-independent signaling component that mediates a variety of actions of nitric oxide (NO). Here we describe the mechanism of inactivation of Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) in NO donor-treated cells and diabetic (db/db) mice. NO donors induced S-nitrosylation and inactivation of Akt/PKB in vitro and in intact cells. The inhibitory effects of NO donor were independent of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and cGMP. In contrast, the concomitant presence of oxidative stress accelerated S-nitrosylation and inactivation of Akt/PKB. In vitro denitrosylation with reducing agent reactivated recombinant and cellular Akt/PKB from NO donor-treated cells. Mutated Akt1/PKBα (C224S), in which cysteine 224 was substituted by serine, was resistant to NO donor-induced S-nitrosylation and inactivation, indicating that cysteine 224 is a major S-nitrosylation acceptor site. In addition, S-nitrosylation of Akt/PKB was increased in skeletal muscle of diabetic (db/db) mice compared with wild-type mice. These data suggest that S-nitrosylation-mediated inactivation may contribute to the pathogenesis of iNOS- and/or oxidative stress-involved insulin resistance.
Finite‐frequency tomography using adjoint methods—Methodology and examples using membrane surface waves

SUMMARY We employ adjoint methods in a series of synthetic seismic tomography experiments to recover surface wave phase-speed models of southern California. Our approach involves computing the Frechet derivative for tomographic inversions via the interaction between a forward wavefield, propagating from the source to the receivers, and an 'adjoint' wavefield, propagating from the receivers back to the source. The forward wavefield is computed using a 2-D spectral- element method (SEM) and a phase-speed model for southern California. A 'target' phase- speed model is used to generate the 'data' at the receivers. We specify an objective or misfit function that defines a measure of misfit between data and synthetics. For a given receiver, the remaining differences between data and synthetics are time-reversed and used as the source of the adjoint wavefield. For each earthquake, the interaction between the regular and adjoint wavefields is used to construct finite-frequency sensitivity kernels, which we call event kernels. An event kernel may be thought of as a weighted sum of phase-specific (e.g. P) banana- doughnut kernels, with weights determined by the measurements. The overall sensitivity is simply the sum of event kernels, which defines the misfit kernel. The misfit kernel is multiplied by convenient orthonormal basis functions that are embedded in the SEM code, resulting in the gradient of the misfit function, that is, the Frechet derivative. A non-linear conjugate gradient algorithm is used to iteratively improve the model while reducing the misfit function. We illustrate the construction of the gradient and the minimization algorithm, and consider various tomographic experiments, including source inversions, structural inversions and joint source-structure inversions. Finally, we draw connections between classical Hessian-based tomography and gradient-based adjoint tomography.
Applying Cultura in the Community College Counseling Practice

Latino students represent the fastest-growing population in the state of California, the United States, and the California Community College (CCC) system. Unfortunately, compared to other ethnic groups, Latino community college students continue to lag academically. Given the importance of counseling services and the scarce research related to community college students and community college counseling services, this study explored how 26 first-generation, low-income, Latino community college students perceived, negotiated, and developed a relationship with their community college counselor. Using a qualitative grounded theory research design, participants’ counseling experiences were captured through face-to-face semistructured in-depth interviews, and a theoretical model was developed. This study extended the literature on the importance of community college counseling services in assisting and motivating students to reach transfer and graduation and emphasized students’ positive and negative counseling...
Convergence Analysis of Stochastic Algorithms

This paper investigates asymptotic convergence to stationary points of gradient descent algorithms where the functions involved are not available in closed form but are approximated by sequences of random functions. The algorithms take large stepsizes and use progressively finer precision at successive iterations. Two kinds of optimization algorithms are considered: one, where the limiting function to be minimized is differentiable but the random approximating functions can be nondifferentiable, and the other, where both the limiting and approximating functions are nondifferentiable and convex. Such functions often arise in discrete event dynamic system-models in various application areas. The analysis brings together ideas and techniques from the disciplines of nonlinear programming and nondifferentiable optimization on one hand, and stochastic processes and especially uniform laws of large numbers, on the other hand. A general algorithmic frame-work is first developed and analyzed, and then applied to the specific algorithms considered. The analysis extends the results derived to date for similar algorithms, and has a potential for further extensions in proving convergence of other algorithms as well.
Relative importance of stakeholders: analysing speech acts in a layoff

Grounded in a participant observation study of a ski resort, this paper explores the (re)production of legitimate discourses through speech acts pertaining to an organizational event, a layoff. Manager's justifications and employees' reactions and critiques put sanctioned discourses into play. And while the stated organizational values include shareholder, customer, and employee concerns, the relative importance of these stakeholders is only made clear through the conversation of the speech acts and their reception. The shape of the conversation, in locution, illocution and perlocution, shifts the relations between managers and the employees and creates longer term consequences for the organization. This focus on language use serves as a micro-foundation for the study of legitimation processes and its consequences within organizations. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Physical discipline, escalation, and child abuse potential: psychometric evidence for the Analog Parenting Task

Data from three studies provide new evidence to support the validity of the Analog Parenting Task (APT) as an instrument to assess risk for harsh, physically aggressive parenting. In this series of studies, there was a strong association between APT scores of expected use and escalation of discipline strategies and self reported disciplinary attitudes. APT scores were also associated with physical abuse potential as assessed by both a well established measure of child abuse potential (Child Abuse Potential Inventory) and another instrument designed specifically for use in pre-parent populations (e.g., Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory-2). This study provides new psychometric evidence to support the use of the APT to assess harsh parenting. Additionally, these data highlight the connection between acceptance and use of physical disciplinary strategies, propensity for disciplinary escalation, and risk for abuse perpetration. The findings are discussed in the context of Milner’s Social Information Processing model (Milner, 2003) of abuse, which suggests that parental selection of disciplinary responding and the monitoring of disciplinary responding are key events in the disciplinary process. The APT may prove a useful adjunct to more commonly used self report measures to allow for multimethod assessment of risk for punitive parenting.
Polyphasic characterization of Trichocoleus desertorum sp. nov. (Pseudanabaenales, Cyanobacteria) from desert soils and phylogenetic placement of the genus Trichocoleus

Little is known about the taxonomic diversity of cyanobacteria in deserts, despite their important ecological roles in these ecosystems. In this study, cyanobacterial strains from the Atacama, Colorado, and Mojave Deserts were isolated and characterized using molecular, morphological, and ecological information. Phylogenetic placement of these strains was revealed through Bayesian and parsimony-based phylogenetic analyses utilizing sequences of the 16S rRNA gene and the associated 16S–23S ITS region. Based on the combined evidence of this polyphasic approach, a new species from desert soils morphologically corresponding to the genus Trichocoleus was described. Trichocoleus desertorum sp. nov. Muhlsteinova, Johansen et Pietrasiak was used to obtain a phylogenetic reference point for Trichocoleus, a genus so far characterized by morphological description only. Through characterization of this new taxon in desert soils we hope to contribute to the general understanding of cyanobacterial diversity in extreme arid habitats.
Purineless Death as a Link between Growth Rate and Cytotoxicity by Methotrexate

L5178Y murine lymphoblasts from cultures proliferating at different rates were treated with methotrexate (MTX). DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis and cell viability (cloning efficiency) were assessed during treatment. MTX suppressed incorporation of thymidine-3H into DNA, of uridine-3H into RNA, of leucine-3H into protein, and killed cells. The greater the proliferative rate, the greater were the drug effects. In fact, the cell kill could be predicted from the suppression of thymidine-3H incorporation. However, the cell kill did not cause the suppression. Hypoxanthine completely prevented these biochemical effects of MTX and partially protected the cells against its lethal effects. Thus, in the murine S-phase lymphoblasts, MTX produces a purineless state, the degree of which depends upon the growth rate of the population. The purineless state probably contributes to the lethal effect of MTX, and this may partly explain the relation between growth rate and cytotoxicity by antifolates.
The effect of an initial velocity spread on klystron performance

The fundamental component of beam current in a klystron is calculated by integrating the contributions due to individual velocity classes. For relatively narrow velocity distributions and operation with optimum parameters, the ratio of fundamental current amplitude to that obtained for a uniform velocity beam is given by a simple ratio of Fourier transforms of the velocity distribution functions. Several examples are calculated and the results shown graphically. For tubes with long transit angles, a moderate spread in velocity may result in appreciable decrease of the fundamental component of beam current. Considerable care in the focusing of beams therefore is warranted when efficiency is an important factor in tube performance.
Inhibition of Vesicular Secretion in Both Neuronal and Nonneuronal Cells by a Retargeted Endopeptidase Derivative of Clostridium botulinum Neurotoxin Type A

Clostridial neurotoxins potently and specifically inhibit neurotransmitter release in defined cell types by a mechanism that involves cleavage of specific components of the vesicle docking/fusion complex, the SNARE complex. A derivative of the type A neurotoxin from Clostridium botulinum (termed LHN/A) that retains catalytic activity can be prepared by proteolysis. The LHN/A, however, lacks the putative native binding domain (HC) of the neurotoxin and is thus unable to bind to neurons and effect inhibition of neurotransmitter release. Here we report the chemical conjugation of LHN/A to an alternative cell-binding ligand, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). When applied to a variety of cell lines, including those that are ordinarily resistant to the effects of neurotoxin, WGA-LHN/A conjugate potently inhibits secretory responses in those cells. Inhibition of release is demonstrated to be ligand mediated and dose dependent and to occur via a mechanism involving endopeptidase-dependent cleavage of the natural botulinum neurotoxin type A substrate. These data confirm that the function of the HC domain of C. botulinum neurotoxin type A is limited to binding to cell surface moieties. The data also demonstrate that the endopeptidase and translocation functions of the neurotoxin are effective in a range of cell types, including those of nonneuronal origin. These observations lead to the conclusion that a clostridial endopeptidase conjugate that can be used to investigate SNARE-mediated processes in a variety of cells has been successfully generated.
Caring for a Parent with Lung Cancer: Caregivers’ Perspectives on the Role of Communication

We investigated communication and care in the context of lung cancer through qualitative interviews with 35 adult children. Participants described two core influences on communication: situational and relational influences. Participants also suggested that the ways in which support was communicated impacted how they managed challenges and how they were able to cope with the loss of their parent. This research adds to the literature on caregiving and communicating social support by exploring the experiences of families coping with lung cancer. We suggest theoretical and practical implications for the ways family members might communicate about illness.
Stress transfer across polyimide passivation layers

An X-ray tensile testing technique for studying the stress transfer across polyimide passivation layers is reviewed. The advantage of this direct technique over indirect techniques is discussed, and results are presented for a model system consisting of a nickel substrate, a polyimide passivation layer, and a copper conducting layer. The stress transfer behavior is compared to the behavior predicted by theory, and the ability of the X-ray tensile technique to measure appropriate parameters for modeling the stresses in multilayer thin-film structures is discussed. In addition, the effect of polyimide thickness on stress transfer is reviewed, and the effect of copper line width on stress transfer is reported. The assumption of an ideal interface behavior is not valid for calculating the stress transfer across passivation layers in the loading geometry used for this study. The stress values in the Cu thin films were about 70% less than the predicted values. As predicted by the closed form solution, there is no effect of PI properties and thickness on the stress transfer behavior at room temperature. >
A reachability synthesis procedure for discrete event systems in a temporal logic framework

A temporal logic model is introduced to the modeling and design of discrete event systems. Within such a model, the relationship between the reachability of states and the validity of formulas is given to provide a basis for the composition and synthesis of discrete event systems in a temporal logic framework. The composition of temporal logic models is accomplished by formulating a temporal logic model as a process algebra and defining projection applications within the temporal logic models. Procedures are developed for reachability synthesis and a controller logic model is designed to ensure that the required behavior of the system is met. An example of a system of read-write processes is demonstrated to illustrate the novelty of this approach. >
Steganalysis using modified pixel comparison and complexity measure

This article presents a new approach, which focuses on the following problems: detection and localization of stego informative regions within digital clean and noisy images; removing hidden data along with minimizing the statistical differences between stego images and stego information removed image. The new approach is based on a new pixel comparison and a new complexity measure. This new measure identifies the informative and stego-like regions of an image, with the objective of stegoanalysis through the saving of informative regions and the discarding of stego-like areas. The areas that are harder for detection are scanned in an alternate method in an attempt to detect areas that are classified as good for embedding. This allows for a higher detection rate and a low false positive. Experimental results will be presented in the complete write up. The data gathered will be listed on tables from a set of 100+ digital images. The images used in the analysis will vary in size, format, and color. Various commonly employed (e.g., S-Tools, SecurEngine, and wbStego3.51) approaches were used to hide hidden data onto the digital images for analysis. The new method has shown remarkable detection accuracy and localization of embedded information for LSB embedding. We have also shown that the presented method works even in the presence of noise in the image. In addition, this method shows that an image can be divided into ideal detection areas and ideal embedding areas. With this in mind the image can be scanned for the ideal detection methods to reduce both false positives and false negatives. This technique can be applied to data compression and for hiding secret information, in both time and transformed domains. It is also independent of the order color vectors in the palette.
Terahertz-Regime Attenuation Signatures in Bacillus subtilis and a Model Based on Surface Polariton Effects

A summary is provided for terahertz attenuation signatures measured in spore-laden samples of Bacillus subtilis in three different forms: 1) concentrated powder; 2) dilute powder; and 3) aerosol. In addition to a surprising spectral narrowness, some signatures also display an increase in peak signature strength (per spore) with dilution of the sample. A model is constructed to explain this phenomenology based on the presence of optical phonons and electromagnetic interaction with the spore wall. Specifically, the spheroidal Bacillus spores admit surface modes that interact with radiation via polaritonic coupling and are underdamped if isolated from each other through a dilution or aerosol levitation. Hence, the results defy longstanding assumptions that the biomolecular-related terahertz vibrations are necessarily overdamped and have immeasurably weak attenuation
EphA4 misexpression alters tonotopic projections in the auditory brainstem

Auditory pathways contain orderly representations of frequency selectivity, which begin at the cochlea and are transmitted to the brainstem via topographically ordered axonal pathways. The mecha- nisms that establish these tonotopic maps are not known. Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and their ligands, the ephrins, have a demonstrated role in establishing topographic projections elsewhere in the brain, includ- ing the visual pathway. Here, we have examined the function of these proteins in the formation of auditory frequency maps. In birds, the first central auditory nu- cleus, n. magnocellularis (NM), projects tonotopically to n. laminaris (NL) on both sides of the brain. We previ- ously showed that the Eph receptor EphA4 is expressed in a tonotopic gradient in the chick NL, with higher fre- quency regions showing greater expression than lower frequency regions. Here we misexpressed EphA4 in the developing auditory brainstem from embryonic day 2 (E2) through E10, when NM axons make synaptic con- tact with NL. We then evaluated topography along the frequency axis using both anterograde and retrograde labeling in both the ipsilateral and contralateral NM-NL pathways. We found that after misexpression, NM regions project to a significantly broader proportion of NL than in control embryos, and that both the ipsilat- eral map and the contralateral map show this increased divergence. These results support a role for EphA4 in establishing tonotopic projections in the auditory sys- tem, and further suggest a general role for Eph family proteins in establishing topographic maps in the nervous system. ' 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 67: 1655- 1668, 2007
Statistical structure of turbulent-boundary-layer velocity–vorticity products at high and low Reynolds numbers

The mean wall-normal gradients of the Reynolds shear stress and the turbulent kinetic energy have direct connections to the transport mechanisms of turbulent-boundary-layer flow. According to the Stokes-Helmholtz decomposition, these gradients can be expressed in terms of velocity-vorticity products. Physical experiments were conducted to explore the statistical properties of some of the relevant velocity-vorticity products. The high-Reynolds-number data (R ≃ O(10 ), where θ is the momentum thickness) were acquired in the near neutrally stable atmospheric-surface-layer flow over a salt playa under both smooth- and rough-wall conditions. The low-R data were from a database acquired in a large-scale laboratory facility at 1000 < R . Corresponding to a companion study of the Reynolds stresses (Priyadarshana & Klewicki, Phys. Fluids, vol. 16, 2004, p. 4586), comparisons of low- and high-R as well as smooth- and rough-wall boundary-layer results were made at the approximate wall-normal locations and γ /2 and 2γ , where γ is the wall-normal location of the peak of the Reynolds shear stress, at each Reynolds number. In this paper, the properties of the vω and wω products are analysed through their statistics and cospectra over a three-decade variation in Reynolds number. Here u, v, and w are the fluctuating streamwise, wall-normal and spanwise velocity components and ω and ω are the fluctuating wall-normal and spanwise vorticity components. It is observed that ν-ω statistics and spectral behaviours exhibit considerable sensitivity to Reynolds number as well as to wall roughness. More broadly, the correlations between the ν and ω fields are seen to arise from a 'scale selection' near the peak in the associated vorticity spectra and, in some cases, near the peak in the associated velocity spectra as well. © 2007 Cambridge University Press. θ θ θ θ p p p z y y z z 6
Prenatal phthalate and early childhood bisphenol A exposures increase asthma risk in inner-city children

To the Editor: We previously reported that inner-city childhood asthma was associated independently with measures of early childhood exposure to bisphenol A (BPA)1and prenatal, but not childhood, exposures to di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) and butylbenzyl phthalate (BBzP).2 Here we evaluate whether these two classes of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interact to increase risk of asthma.
A Prototype Environment for Integrated Design and Construction Planning of Buildings

Abstract The dispersed nature of the construction industry raises communication issues that are exacerbated by the increased use of computer programs. Integration of the various disciplines and computer programs requires more than the transfer of geometric data. This paper presents an integrated computer environment in which knowledge-based systems communicate through a blackboard and a central, global database representing the design solution.
Unmet health services needs experienced by Puerto Rican OEF/OIF veterans and families post deployment.

ABSTRACTObjective: This study examined perceptions of unmet health services needs among native Puerto Rican Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Veterans and family members (FMs) post deployment. Methods: Investigators used qualitative methods to collect and analyze data from 8 veterans and 8 FMs (N = 16). All participants were native-born residents of Puerto Rico. Investigators conducted single, in-depth interviews with participants. They conducted 13/16 interviews in Spanish. Puerto Rican–Spanish speakers transcribed audio-taped interviews verbatim and then translated them into English for coding. Results: Veterans’ unmet needs included psychological evaluations, mental health services, support groups, medical evaluations, and pain treatment. Denial and stigma emerged as factors that deter Veterans from seeking mental health treatment. The need for family support groups also emerged from the data. Conclusions: Native Puerto Rican Veterans and FMs identified several gaps in heal...
Illustrations of Fungi—XVIII

The giant puffball, easily recognized by its large size and smooth white appearance, occurs infrequently in fields, pastures, or woods throughout most of the United States, as well as in parts of Europe and Asia. The specimens here figured grew in Mrs. Boeder's yard in Williamsbridge, New York City, and were photographed by her. The species has also been collected at least twice in the hemlock grove in the New York Botanical Garden. Authentic records have been made of specimens three feet in diameter, but they rarely become much larger than a man's head. The flavor of [MYCOLOGIA for May, 1914 (6: 103-159), was issued May 30, 1914] 161
Does the Importance of Apparel Product Attributes Differ by Country? Testing Kano’s Theory of Attractive Quality in Four Countries

Built on Kano's theory of attractive quality, this study posits that apparel attributes contributing to customer satisfaction differ by a country’s economic development level since consumers’ expec...
The value of Kawasaki disease by color Doppler ultrasound of early diagnosis and treatment monitoring

Objective:To evaluate Kawasaki disease by echocardiography in the value of early diagnosis and treatment monitoring.Methods:In June 2003 to June of 2006,391 cases of children with a clinical diagnosis of Kawasaki disease and clinical echocardiography,laboratory information(such as platelets,ESR,CRP) were retrospectively analyzed,expansion of its laboratory information for coronary and non-coronary expansion of the two groups were analyzed statistically.Results:Of 391 patients with coronary artery disease in 160 cases,of which 68 cases LCA expansion,RCA47 cases.LCA,RCA expansion while 40 cases,coronary artery aneurysms in 10 cases,with five cases of pericardial effusion,and left ventricular enlargement eight cases,significant difference between the two groups laboratory data.Conclusion:Echocardiography inspection of Kawasaki disease is not only to provide a basis for the early diagnosis of Kawasaki disease.but also for guiding treatment and prognosis is of great value.
A first phylogenetic appraisal of two allied genera of Afrotropical Ceratocanthinae: Melanophilharmostes and Pseudopterorthochaetes (Coleoptera: Hybosoridae)

Two genera of Ceratocanthinae (Coleoptera Scarabaeoidea Hybosoridae), Melanophilharmostes Paulian, 1968 and Pseudopterorthochaetes Paulian, 1977, are evaluated through a cladistic morphological approach, resulting in the transfer of Melanophilharmostes demirei Paulian, 1977 to Pseudopterorthochaetes. All species are catalogued and all except two are keyed. Three new species are described: Melanophilharmostes poggii n. sp. from Annobon island (Ecuatorial Guinea), Pseudopterorthochaetes genierorum n. sp. and P. miomboincola n. sp., both from Mozambique. Melanophilharmostes zicsii (Paulian, 1968) is recorded for the first time for Burkina Faso, marking the northernmost record for African Ceratocanthinae. The records in Sudanian savannas and Miombo woodlands extend the ecological range of the subfamily.
GABA Receptors of Bipolar Cells From the Skate Retina: Actions of Zinc on GABA-Mediated Membrane Currents

Qian, Haohua, Lihong Li, Richard L. Chappell, and Harris Ripps. GABA receptors of bipolar cells from the skate retina: actions of zinc on GABA-mediated membrane currents. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 2402–...
Iterative Linear Algebra

This chapter describes iterative methods for approximately solving systems of linear equations. This discussion begins by presenting the concept of a sparse matrix, where it arises and how it might be represented in a computer. Next, simple methods based on iterative improvement are presented, along with termination criteria for the iteration. Afterwards, more elaborate gradient methods are examined, such as conjugate gradients and biconjugate gradients. The chapter proceeds tominimum resiual methods, and ends with a fairly detailed discussion of multigrid methods.
Marketing Information Management by Trade Show Exhibitors

Trade show exhibiting offers marketers economic efficiencies not available from other promotional techniques. Effective exhibiting is enhanced by using certain information. This paper studies exhibit managers’ use of this information.
Micro-/nanoscale electroporation

Electroporation has been one of the most popular non-viral technologies for cell transfection. However, conventional bulk electroporation (BEP) shows significant limitations in efficiency, cell viability and transfection uniformity. Recent advances in microscale-electroporation (MEP) resulted in improved cell viability. Further miniaturization of the electroporation system (i.e., nanoscale) has brought up many unique advantages, including negligible cell damage and dosage control capabilities with single-cell resolution, which has enabled more translational applications. In this review, we give an insight into the fundamental and technical aspects of micro- and nanoscale/nanochannel electroporation (NEP) and go over several examples of MEP/NEP-based cutting-edge research, including gene editing, adoptive immunotherapy, and cellular reprogramming. The challenges and opportunities of advanced electroporation technologies are also discussed.
Integrated analysis of RNA-binding protein complexes using in vitro selection and high-throughput sequencing and sequence specificity landscapes (SEQRS)

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) collaborate to control virtually every aspect of RNA function. Tremendous progress has been made in the area of global assessment of RBP specificity using next-generation sequencing approaches both in vivo and in vitro. Understanding how protein-protein interactions enable precise combinatorial regulation of RNA remains a significant problem. Addressing this challenge requires tools that can quantitatively determine the specificities of both individual proteins and multimeric complexes in an unbiased and comprehensive way. One approach utilizes in vitro selection, high-throughput sequencing, and sequence-specificity landscapes (SEQRS). We outline a SEQRS experiment focused on obtaining the specificity of a multi-protein complex between Drosophila RBPs Pumilio (Pum) and Nanos (Nos). We discuss the necessary controls in this type of experiment and examine how the resulting data can be complemented with structural and cell-based reporter assays. Additionally, SEQRS data can be integrated with functional genomics data to uncover biological function. Finally, we propose extensions of the technique that will enhance our understanding of multi-protein regulatory complexes assembled onto RNA.
Familiarity, Priming, and Perception in Similarity Judgments.

We present a novel way of accounting for similarity judgments. Our approach posits that similarity stems from three main sources—familiarity, priming, and inherent perceptual likeness. Here, we explore each of these constructs and demonstrate their individual and combined effectiveness in explaining similarity judgments. Using these three measures, our account of similarity explains ratings of simple, color-based perceptual stimuli that display asymmetry effects, as well as more complicated perceptual stimuli with structural properties; more traditional approaches to similarity solve one or the other and have difficulty accounting for both. Overall, our work demonstrates the importance of each of these components of similarity in explaining similarity judgments, both individually and together, and suggests important implications for other similarity approaches.
Image Understanding And Registration Of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) And Magnetic Resonance (MR) Images

In this paper we present the use of a priori knowledge in the registration of PET and MR brain images and in the construction of a knowledge base of brain image data. The registration is achieved through the use of brain anatomical landmarks as fiduciary marks. The interhemispheric fissure, a surface landmark, is segmented automatically. Further segmentation could be used in building a knowledge base system. To ensure efficient use of the knowledge, a suitable organization for the image and associated data base is proposed. This type of approach could be used to construct an expert system for the correlation of structure and function of the brain and other anatomical components.
Cost of Bleeding-related Episodes in Adult Patients With Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Population-based Retrospective Cohort Study of Administrative Claims Data for Commercial Payers in the United States.

Abstract Purpose We estimated the real-world costs of bleeding-related episodes (BREs) in adults with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Methods This retrospective cohort study used the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters and Medicare Supplemental and Coordination of Benefits databases. We identified adult patients diagnosed with primary ITP between 2007 and 2012, defined by at least 2 outpatient claims separated by ≥30 days or 1 inpatient claim ( International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis code for primary ITP [287.31]). BRE was defined according to a combination of diagnosis codes and/or procedure codes indicating bleeding or use of rescue therapies. Costs were estimated using total reimbursed amount received by providers (including out-of-pocket costs and reimbursement from insurance, adjusted to 2015 US dollars). Findings In 6551 patients, 14,115 BREs were identified, mean (SD) age was 55 (18) years, and 62% of patients were women. Mean total reimbursement per BRE was $6022, with significantly higher mean inpatient ($45,114) versus outpatient ($2150) reimbursements ( P Implications The real-world reimbursement rates of BREs in adult patients with primary ITP can be substantial, with significantly higher values among patients requiring hospitalization and for those with bleeding events. Additionally, there is a trend toward higher reimbursement rates among splenectomized patients.
Characterization of Laser-Induced Plasmas and Temperature Measurement During Laser Surface Treatment

The laser is a versatile tool for a number of surface treatment processes, which include solid state phase transformation as in surface hardening, melting and vaporization as in laser surface alloying. Due to short dwell times, high temperatures and steep gradients, it is difficult to measure surface temperatures during laser/target interaction. Processes involving vaporization are more complicated to monitor due to the resulting plasma formation. The plasma can attenuate the laser energy and affect the energy distribution transmitted to the surface. For proper process control and to understand the laser/plasma interaction mechanisms, an accurate estimate of plasma temperature and energy transport is needed. Infrared thermography and emission spectroscopy are the two techniques we have utilized to study the surface temperature and plasma temperature, respectively.
Persistence of an extracellular systemic infection across metamorphosis in a holometabolous insect.

Organisms with complex life cycles can differ markedly in their biology across developmental life stages. Consequently, distinct life stages can represent drastically different environments for parasites. This difference is especially striking with holometabolous insects, which have dramatically different larval and adult life stages, bridged by a complete metamorphosis. There is no a priori guarantee that a parasite infecting the larval stage would be able to persist into the adult stage. In fact, to our knowledge, transstadial transmission of extracellular pathogens has never been documented in a host that undergoes complete metamorphosis. We tested the hypothesis that a bacterial parasite originally sampled from an adult host could infect a larva, then survive through metamorphosis and persist into the adult stage. As a model, we infected the host Drosophila melanogaster with a horizontally transmitted, extracellular bacterial pathogen, Providencia rettgeri . We found that this natural pathogen survived systemic infection of larvae (L3) and successfully persisted into the adult host. We then discuss how it may be adaptive for bacteria to transverse life stages and even minimize virulence at the larval stage in order to benefit from adult dispersal.
Prediction of strategy and outcome as negotiation unfolds by using basic verbal and behavioral features.

Negotiations can be characterized by the strategy participants adopt to achieve their ends (e.g., individualistic strategies are based on self-interest, cooperative strategies are used when participants try to maximize the joint gain, while competitive strategies focus on maximizing each participant’s score against the other) and the outcomes that each participant achieves in the negotiation. This paper investigates the process and the result of predicting the outcome and strategy of participants throughout the progress of the negotiation by using basic, easy to extract, linguistic and acoustic features. We evaluate our approach on a face-to-face negotiation dataset consisting of 41 dyadic interactions and show that it’s possible to significantly improve over a majority-class baseline in tasks of predicting the strategy and outcome of the interaction by analyzing only basic low level features of the negotiation.
Computation of Robot Dynamics by a Multiprocessor Scheme

The computation of applied torques in real time in the dynamic control of robot systems is complicated and time consuming. The Newton-Euler state space formulation is used for computing the dynamics. By using this formulation, the backward recursion for calculating angular velocities and angular accelerations is eliminated. The calculation of linear acceleration is simplified. It involves only two steps. This reduces the height of the evaluation tree in calculating the applied torques which makes the parallel processing more effective. A multiprocessor system composed of a central CPU and a group of satellite CPU’s is suggested for implementing the computations. The task of each satellite CPU is to take care of one link of the system by calculating all its related data. The task of the CPU is to compute the applied torques. Because of this arrangement, the required software system is the same for all satellite CPU’s. The proposed multiprocessing scheme results in a flexible and modular system which is adaptive for a variety of dynamic configurations. Computer simulation results of this strategy are presented to show that the suggested multiprocessing scheme achieves a good speedup factor over the uniprocessing system.
Facing the Challenges of Itinerant Teaching: Perspectives and Suggestions from the Field.

Interviews with 23 itinerant teachers of students with visual impairments in Colorado gathered information on their views of the position, the challenges they face, and ways to improve the training...
Increasing the Success of Clean Cooking Technologies: The Impact of Founding Team Nationality on Company Growth in Uganda

Billions of people around the globe use solid biomass to fuel their daily cooking needs. Most traditional cooking practices, such as three stone fires, produce hazardous emissions that damage the health of the users and contribute to global air pollution. Improved cookstoves (ICSs) have great potential to reduce the negative effects of cooking emissions through efficient stove designs and alternative fuels. However, despite the high potential for social impact, ICS manufacturers and distributors struggle with low margins, poor customer adoption, and lagging business growth. This is particularly true in Uganda, where the estimated market for clean cookstoves is 6 million households but the sector is very nascent, with few large-scale manufacturers and distributors. To facilitate the growth of the ICS market and, ultimately, user adoption, we analyzed how the growth of Ugandan ICS companies depended upon the expertise and resources of the founding team. From this analysis, we outline low-risk pathways for ICS business growth based on the composition of the founding team, address why growth rates differ between international and local founders, and propose actions to increase opportunities for local founders.
Collagen affinity improves efficacy and safety of antibody and cytokine cancer immunotherapy.

e14232Background: Cancer immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) and interleukin (IL)-2 have demonstrated clinical antitumor efficacy but is frequently accompanied with severe side-ef...
Projected changes in Brook Trout and Brown Trout distribution in Wisconsin streams in the mid-twenty-first century in response to climate change

Climate warming is a threat to the survival of fishes adapted to cold water. Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis and Brown Trout Salmo trutta are two cold-water species occurring in streams in Wisconsin, where climate change may make these species particularly vulnerable. Vulnerable trout populations need to be identified to aid in the development of adaptation strategies. We used web-based stream temperature and fish-distribution models in FishVis to predict current (late twentieth century) and project future (mid-twenty-first century) distributions of Brook Trout and Brown Trout. The models predict the suitability of habitat for trout in individual reaches using environmental variables in a geographic information system, including adjacent and upstream channel characteristics, surficial geology, landcover, and climate. Future projections of air temperature and precipitation were obtained from 13 general circulation models downscaled for Wisconsin. Currently, 34,251 km of streams are suitable for Brook Trout and 20,011 km for Brown Trout. The models project a decline of 68% (10,995 km) in stream habitat for Brook Trout and a decline of 32% (13,668 km) for Brown Trout. These projected declines, while substantial, were lower than earlier estimates because our models account for projected increased precipitation that may enhance groundwater inputs and partially offset higher air temperatures.
Daily Data Assimilation of a Hydrologic Model Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter

Accurate runoff forecasting is crucial for reservoir operators as it allows optimized water management, flood control and hydropower generation. Land surface models in mountainous regions depend on climatic inputs such as precipitation, temperature and solar radiation to model the water and energy dynamics and produce runoff as output. With the rapid development of cheap electronics applied in various systems, such as Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), satellite and airborne technologies, the prospect of practically measuring spatial Snow Water Equivalent in a dense temporal scale is increasing. We present a framework for updating the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) with Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) maps and runoff measurements on a daily timescale based on the Ensemble Kalman Filter (ENKF). Results show that by assimilating SWE daily, the modeled SWE gets updated accordingly, however no improvement is observed at the runoff model output. Instead, a deterioration consistently occurs. Augmenting the state space with model parameters and runoff model output allows for filter update with previous day measured runoff using the joint state-parameter method, and showed a considerable improvement in the daily runoff output of up to 60% reduction in RMSE for the wet water year 2011 relative to the no assimilation scenario, and improvement of up to 28% compared to a naive autoregressive AR(1) filter. Additional simulation years showed consistent improvement compared to no assimilation, but varied relative to the previous day autoregressive forecast during the dry year 2014.
Evaluating Electron Transfer Reactivity of Rare-Earth Metal(II) Complexes Using EPR Spectroscopy

To evaluate the relative reducing capacities of rare-earth metal complexes of Sc(II), Y(II), and complexes of the lanthanide metals in their +2 oxidation state, a series of reactions of trivalent L...
Quantitative measurement of cytosolic penetration using the chloroalkane penetration assay

A major barrier for drug development is ensuring molecules can access intracellular targets. This is especially true for biomolecules, which are notoriously difficult to deliver to the cytosol. Many current methods for measuring the internalization of therapeutic biomolecules are largely indirect and qualitative, and they do not offer information about subcellular localization. We recently reported a new assay, called the ChloroAlkane Penetration Assay (CAPA), that addresses some of the drawbacks of existing methods. CAPA is high-throughput, quantitative, and compartment-specific, and can be used to monitor cytosolic penetration over time and under a variety of culture conditions. We have used CAPA to investigate the cytosolic localization of peptides, proteins, and oligonucleotides. In this chapter, we discuss the materials, protocols, and troubleshooting necessary to perform CAPA and appropriately analyze the data. We end with a discussion about the applications and limitations of CAPA, and we speculate on the potential of the assay and its variations.
A practical cyberattack contingency plan for radiation oncology.

Purpose This article presents a solution for continuing radiation therapy without interruption in the event of a cyberattack to the radiation oncology information systems (ROIS). This process could be easily deployed to any radiation oncology practice, with little clinical overhead or burden. Methods and materials The solution automatically retrieves all essential information from the clinical ROIS for each under-treatment patient and periodically (e.g., daily) saves these data to a dedicated secure server for recovery. In the event that the clinical ROIS is not functioning as a result of a cyberattack, this essential information is used to build a new secondary ROIS server to continue radiotherapy treatments until the main ROIS is recovered. Once the cyberattack threat is cleared, the clinical ROIS server is rebuilt from the institution's enterprise backup. The newly accumulated treatment information for each patient is then exported from the secondary ROIS to bring the clinical ROIS up to date. Results The Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Maryland Medical System implemented this solution for clinical use with the Varian ARIA ROIS in the management of ~250 daily radiotherapy treatments, inclusive of a proton center. This solution was determined to be a feasible and affordable business continuity plan for the radiation oncology practice by minimizing radiation treatment downtime to a couple of hours in a simulated cyberattack drill. Conclusions The proposed solution can achieve continuation of radiation therapy treatment without treatment breaks in the event of a cyberattack. It also provides cushion time for radiation oncology departments to rebuild their clinical ROIS systems from the enterprise data backup.
Social robot teaches cybersecurity

Social robots have recently been gaining attention in the education field. Given their capabilities, researchers can use social robots in various ways that support human-robot interactions. In this paper, we present an interactive cybersecurity education program to teach children about foundation cybersecurity concepts using a social robot. To create child-robot interactions in cybersecurity education, we devised three processes. First, in collaboration with practicing teachers we developed an interactive story to support student engagement and learning of cybersecurity concepts. Second, we prototyped animations for the story on the social robot. Third, we use a mixed-methods approach to pilot test our cybersecurity education program. Our research highlights the potential of social robot use in education, both for child-robot interaction and K-12 cybersecurity education.