cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
"We call it Hi-Fi": Exposing Indian Households to High Speed Broadband Wireless Internet

As access to the Internet improves globally, we argue that speed is important for accelerated and full-fledged exploration of the Internet. We provided high-speed broadband service plans and Wi-Fi access points to 12 Internet-using Indian households in Delhi and Lucknow for three months. We sought to understand uptake, trajectories, behaviours, and developmental impact of the speed of the Internet on the daily lives of our respondents through a multi-phased study (baseline, in-situ usage, follow-up). Our findings suggest that high-speed Wi-Fi led to 2-3x increase in online activity and higher-bandwidth activities; spurred Internet skilling and instrumental uses online; shifted the time and space of device access; created social currency; and transformed the construct of Internet for the households. Ultimately, 8 out of the 12 households switched to high-speed Wi-Fi after the study concluded. We discuss considerations for policy and infrastructure deployments in introducing and onboarding new and existing users living with slow speeds to higher-quality networks.
CT Manifestations of Vitreous Diseases in Children:An Analysis of 95 Cases

Objective To study CT diagnosis of vitreous diseases in childhood.Methods 95 patients with vitreous diseases from 1999-12—2004-10 were collected.The imaging features were analysed.Results Totally there were 5 cases of persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous,9 cases of premature with retinopathy,34 cases of retinoblastoma,3 cases of Coat’s disease,23 cases of nanophthalmus,16 cases of vitreous bleeding and 5 cases of endophalmitis.Conclusion Majority of vitreous diseases can be diagnosed definitely by CT,that can guide the clinical therapy.
Renal metabolic/excretory coupling

Renal metabolic/excretory coupling is the enhancement of urinary excretion dependent upon renal metabolism. The nitrofurothiazoles, N-[4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazolyl]formamide (FANFT) and 2-amino-4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)thiazole (ANFT), are model compounds used to study metabolic/excretory coupling. FANFT is deformylated to ANFT by renal deformylase enhancing ANFT excretion. In the rat, ANFT excretion after oral FANFT administration was 100-fold greater than ANFT excretion when ANFT was administered. FANFT and ANFT uptake into purified proximal tubules achieved equilibrium within 60 s and was demonstrated in nonviable tubules. FANFT partitioned into oil better than ANFT. Albumin inhibited FANFT and ANFT uptake into oil and decreased tubular uptake by 65%. Tubular FANFT uptake was threefold or greater than that of ANFT uptake with or without albumin. Renal deformylase was predominantly cytosolic and yielded apparent Km and Vmax of 6.7 microM and 6.1 nmol ANFT.min-1.mg protein-1, respectively. Deformylase activity was abolished by boiling, was specific for N-formylated compound, and was not altered by dinitrophenol treatment. Renal metabolic/excretory coupling for FANFT/ANFT combines energy-independent uptake with metabolism (deformylation), resulting in enhanced urinary ANFT excretion.
Phosphorus Partitioning in a Storm Water Pond

Abstract: Storm water ponds are commonly employed to trap sediments, nutrients and other pollutants in non-point runoff. Aquatic macrophytes are thought to offer enhanced nutrient control via nutri...
Environmental influences on the female epigenome and behavior

Environmental factors have long-lasting effects on brain development and behavior. One way experiences are propagated is via epigenetic modifications to the genome. Environmentally driven epigenetic modifications show incredible brain region- and sex-specificity, and many brain regions affected are ones involved in maternal behavior. In rodent models, females are typically the primary caregiver and thus, any environmental factors that modulate the epigenotype of the mother could have consequences for her current and future offspring. Here, we review evidence of the susceptibility of the female epigenome to environmental factors, with a focus on brain regions involved in maternal behavior. Accordingly, implications for interventions that target the mother’s epigenome and parenting behavior are discussed.
Measurement of the 10B(n, αo)/10B(n,αγ) Ratio versus Neutron Energy

The ratio of ground-state transitions to excited-state transitions following neutron absorption in 10B has been measured for the 20- to 1000-keV neutron energy region. Face-to-face silicon surface-...
Identification of gene knockdown targets conferring enhanced isobutanol and 1-butanol tolerance to Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a tunable RNAi screening approach

Improving yeast tolerance to 1-butanol and isobutanol is a step toward enabling high-titer production. To identify previously unknown genetic targets leading to increased tolerance, we establish a tunable RNA interference (RNAi) screening approach. Specifically, we optimized the efficiency and tunability of RNA interference library screening in yeast, ultimately enabling downregulation efficiencies from 0 to 94 %. Using this system, we identified the Hsp70 family as a key regulator of isobutanol tolerance in a single round of screening, with downregulation of these genes conferring up to 64 % increased growth in 12 g/L isobutanol. For 1-butanol, we find through two rounds of iterative screening that the combined downregulation of alcohol dehydrogenase and enolase improves growth up to 3100 % in 10 g/L 1-butanol. Collectively, this work improves the tunability of RNAi in yeast as demonstrated by the discovery of novel effectors for these complex phenotypes.
Quantifying the Risk of Spinal Injury in Motor Vehicle Collisions According to Ambulatory Status: A Prospective Analytical Study

Abstract Background The association between ambulation at the scene of a motor vehicle collision (MVC) and spinal injury has never been quantified. Objective To evaluate the association between ambulation and spinal injury in patients involved in a MVC. Methods Prospective analytical-observational cohort study. Inclusion: patients sustaining traumatic injury in a MVC. Exclusion: Results There were 704 patients analyzed. Nonambulatory patients were 2.29 times more likely to sustain a spinal injury, compared to ambulatory patients (RR 2.29, 95% CI 1.34–3.91). Patients ≥ 65 years of age were 3.27 times more likely to sustain a spinal injury (RR 3.27, 95% CI 1.66–6.45). Patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤ 8 were 4.93 times more likely to sustain a spinal injury (RR 4.93, 95% CI 1.86–13.10). Conclusion In this prospective analytical-observational study evaluating the association between ambulatory status and spinal injury in patients involved in MVCs, we observed that those patients who were nonambulatory were more than two times as likely to have a spinal injury compared to those patients who were ambulatory at the scene.
Statistics of natural reverberation enable perceptual separation of sound and space

In everyday listening, sound reaches our ears directly from a source as well as indirectly via reflections known as reverberation. Reverberation profoundly distorts the sound from a source, yet humans can both identify sound sources and distinguish environments from the resulting sound, via mechanisms that remain unclear. The core computational challenge is that the acoustic signatures of the source and environment are combined in a single signal received by the ear. Here we ask whether our recognition of sound sources and spaces reflects an ability to separate their effects and whether any such separation is enabled by statistical regularities of real-world reverberation. To first determine whether such statistical regularities exist, we measured impulse responses (IRs) of 271 spaces sampled from the distribution encountered by humans during daily life. The sampled spaces were diverse, but their IRs were tightly constrained, exhibiting exponential decay at frequency-dependent rates: Mid frequencies reverberated longest whereas higher and lower frequencies decayed more rapidly, presumably due to absorptive properties of materials and air. To test whether humans leverage these regularities, we manipulated IR decay characteristics in simulated reverberant audio. Listeners could discriminate sound sources and environments from these signals, but their abilities degraded when reverberation characteristics deviated from those of real-world environments. Subjectively, atypical IRs were mistaken for sound sources. The results suggest the brain separates sound into contributions from the source and the environment, constrained by a prior on natural reverberation. This separation process may contribute to robust recognition while providing information about spaces around us.
Feeding the body politic: metaphors of digestion in Progressive Era US immigration discourse

ABSTRACTIn the era between the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and the Immigration Act of 1924, nativist advocates for immigration restriction commonly invoked metaphors of eating and digestion to support their cases. This essay draws on political, popular, and scientific discourses around immigration and digestion in order to analyze the affective power of the rhetorically constructed “body politic.” While numerous scholars have addressed the ways immigrants have been variously figured as threats to the nation—as pollutants, toxins, disease, floods, or invading armies—few have analyzed metaphors of eating and digestion. I argue that the national body became a metonym for the ideal (white) citizen body, which supported anti-immigrant rhetoric through metaphors of eating, digesting, and eliminating undesirable aliens—those who did not agree with the national stomach. The body politic came to represent the ideal US American body as individuals were invited to identify with the nation through the trope of the bod...
False positive hepatitis C antibody test results in left ventricular assist device recipients: increased risk with age and transfusions

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have been successfully used in patients with heart failure. However, LVADs may trigger immune activation, leading to higher frequencies of autoantibodies. We describe the clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory characteristics of LVAD recipients with false positive hepatitis C (FPHC) serology among 39 consecutive adult LVAD recipients who bridged to heart transplantation from January 2007 to January 2013 at Montefiore Medical Center. FPHC patients were identified as those with post-LVAD positive hepatitis C ELISA antibody tests and negative confirmatory testing with hepatitis C RNA PCR and/or radioimmunoblot assay. Ten (26%) patients previously seronegative for hepatitis C were found to have FPHC after device placement. Of the 39 patients, 32 had HeartMate II devices. The mean age at LVAD placement was 55 years. FPHC correlated with older age at the time of LVAD implantation and with receipt of packed red blood cell transfusions, but not with gender, fresh frozen plasma transfusions, panel reactive antibodies, globulin fraction, rheumatoid factor, or anticardiolipin antibodies. Clinicians should be aware of this increased risk of FPHC in older LVAD patients and those more heavily transfused in order to avoid unnecessary apprehension and possible delay in transplantation. Further studies should be done to evaluate the possible relationship between transfused blood products and immunomodulation.
Childhood Predictors of Young Adult Social Functioning in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

The primary objectives of the current prospective longitudinal study were to (a) describe social functioning outcomes and (b) identify childhood predictors of social functioning in young adults with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). Childhood predictors of young adult social functioning were examined. Family environment and parental stress in adolescence were investigated as potential mediators between childhood variables and adult social functioning. Parent rated childhood internalizing symptoms significantly predicted young adult social functioning in 22q11.2DS, even after controlling for concurrent positive symptoms of psychosis, and problem behaviors contributing to parenting stress in adolescence partially mediated this relationship. These findings highlight child internalizing symptoms and adolescent problem behaviors as potential targets for social functioning interventions in 22q11.2DS.
Molecular Mechanism of MDGA1: Regulation of Neuroligin 2:Neurexin Trans-synaptic Bridges.

Neuroligins and neurexins promote synapse development and validation by forming trans-synaptic bridges spanning the synaptic cleft. Select pairs promote excitatory and inhibitory synapses, with neuroligin 2 (NLGN2) limited to inhibitory synapses and neuroligin 1 (NLGN1) dominating at excitatory synapses. The cell-surface molecules, MAM domain-containing glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor 1 (MDGA1) and 2 (MDGA2), regulate trans-synaptic adhesion between neurexins and neuroligins, impacting NLGN2 and NLGN1, respectively. We have determined the molecular mechanism of MDGA action. MDGA1 Ig1-Ig2 is sufficient to bind NLGN2 with nanomolar affinity; its crystal structure reveals an unusual locked rod-shaped array. In the crystal structure of the complex, two MDGA1 Ig1-Ig2 molecules each span the entire NLGN2 dimer. Site-directed mutagenesis confirms the observed interaction interface. Strikingly, Ig1 from MDGA1 binds to the same region on NLGN2 as neurexins do. Thus, MDGAs regulate the formation of neuroligin-neurexin trans-synaptic bridges by sterically blocking access of neurexins to neuroligins.
Effects of Comment Curation and Opposition on Coherence in Online Policy Discussion

Public concern related to a policy may span a range of topics. As a result, policy discussions struggle to deeply examine any one topic before moving to the next. In policy deliberation research, this is referred to as a problem of topical coherence. In an experiment, we curated the comments in a policy discussion to prioritize arguments for or against a policy proposal, and examined how this curation and participants' initial positions of support or opposition to the policy affected the coherence of their contributions to existing topics. We found an asymmetric interaction between participants' initial positions and comment curation: participants with different initial positions had unequal reactions to curation that foregrounded comments with which they disagreed. This asymmetry implies that the factors underlying coherence are more nuanced than prioritizing participants' agreement or disagreement. We discuss how this finding relates to curating for coherent disagreement, and for curation more generally in deliberative processes.
Prior Convictions and Tuna Fish

Trial lawyers are notorious for their prolixity and their love affair with utterly redundant phrases. Nowhere is this obsession more conspicuous than in the nearly universal tendency of trial lawyers to use the word "prior" in contexts where the word means nothing at all – for example, when referring to "prior convictions," "prior bad acts," and "prior inconsistent statements." This essay explains why that word is pointless whenever it is used, as it usually is, to describe some method of impeachment based upon a conviction or a statement or any other event that took place "at some point in time before today." Of course it did; that always goes without saying. The essay also explains the special and rare context in which it would not be redundant to refer to some event as a "prior conviction," and contrasts our legal system with the one found on the other side of the Looking Glass, the world's only reported judicial system where it might sometimes make sense to clarify for a judge whether you wish to impeach a witness with his "prior" convictions.
Structure and Energy of Grain Boundaries

Grain boundaries (GBs) are internal interfaces formed when two crystals that are misoriented relative to each-other are brought into intimate contact. Together with the grain junctions (i.e., the lines and points were three or more GBs meet), GBs represent the elementary building blocks of polycrystalline microstructures. Their structure and physical behavior therefore controls many of the thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of polycrystalline solids.
The Zebrafish Ultraviolet Cone Opsin Reported Previously Is Expressed in Rods

Purpose. To examine expression of the zebrafish ultraviolet cone opsin pigment in goldfish and zebrafish retinas. Methods. Digoxigenin-labeled cRNA probes were prepared by run-off transcription from plasmids containing cDNAs for zebrafish ultraviolet opsin, goldfish ultraviolet cone opsin, and goldfish rod opsin. Probes were hybridized to cryosections of retina and visualized with immunocytochemistry. Results. The zebrafish ultraviolet opsin probe hybridized selectively to rod photoreceptors, but not to ultraviolet cones or any other cone type, in both zebrafish and goldfish retinas, and the pattern of expression was identical to that of the goldfish rod opsin probe. The goldfish ultraviolet opsin, in contrast, hybridized to ultraviolet cone photoreceptors in both goldfish and zebrafish. Conclusions. The cDNA previously identified by Robinson et al 1 as zebrafish ultraviolet opsin is not a cone opsin but is likely to be a rod opsin.
Discovery of a predictive protein biomarker for leptomeningeal disease after craniotomy and radiation.

2068Background: Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) is a common but morbid disease progression after craniotomy for resection of brain metastases (BrM). LMD has been observed most commonly with breast can...
Cities, Mayors, and Race Relations: Task Forces as Agents of Race-Based Policy Innovations, with Foreword by Atty. Judith a. Winston, Former Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Education, and Former Executive Director, President William Clinton's

Cities, Mayors, and Race Relations, analyzes the politics behind improving race relations in local communities through the use of mayoral task forces. I investigate three communities with unique cultural, social, economic, and racial characteristics, and provide insight into why some communities are more likely to realize success in influencing policy makers to adopt policy innovations aimed at improving race relations than are others. In this book, I discover that policymakers who perceive the stability of their organization's to be threatened by some environmental shock are more likely to adopt innovative policies that those who do not. This book chronicles how political culture, level of racial threat, factors central to task force formation, and staffing affect the likelihood mayoral leadership and use of government organized nongovernmental organizations will persuade local level actors to adopt policies aimed at improving race relations. To study this important theoretical question and social phenomenon, Cities, Mayors, and Race Relations focuses on three cities: Madison, Wisconsin, Columbia, Missouri, and Kansas City, Missouri.
Bathroom Bills, Memes, and a Biopolitics of Trans Disposability

Responding to so-called “bathroom bills,” legislation that requires people to use public restrooms that match the sex listed on their birth certificate, a number of online activists have produced a...
The History: From Ivar Sandström to the Sequence of Parathyroid Hormone

The history of the discovery of the parathyroid glands and the evolution of knowledge about parathyroid hormone (PTH) are rewarding for the insights it provides into the basic physiology and pathophysiology of bone and mineral metabolism and the diseases hypoparathyroidism and hyperparathyroidism. The early history illustrates the surprising contradictions and confusion that can occur in scientific investigations along the pathway to a clearer understanding of biology and disease. This chapter will focus on hypoparathyroidism consistent with the theme of this volume.
PARC: A Novel Design Methodology for P ower A nalysis R esilient C ircuits Using Spintronics

A prevalent class of side-channel attacks relies on Differential Power Analysis (DPA) methods, which monitor power traces during cryptographic processing to discover secret keys. Reconfigurability via Polymorphic Gate Modules (PGMs) offers an approach to obscure DPA information by dynamically rearranging the operation of constituent sub-circuits, albeit at the cost of increased area and power consumption. Thus, we develop the Power Analysis-Resilient Circuit (PARC) design methodology to instantiate the use of spin-based devices as an extension to conventional Register Transfer Language (RTL) specifications. PARC replaces a specific portion of the circuit to maximize a new Effectiveness of Design (EoD) metric, which quantifies DPA impact versus its performance overhead. To validate functionality, PARC is applied to various benchmark circuits including ISCAS-89, MCNC, and ITC-99. EoD results indicate that PARC significantly increases the number of power traces that an adversary would need to use in order to extract power information but incurs a low cost to the functional circuit itself.
The BET Protein BRD2 Cooperates with CTCF to Enforce a Transcriptional Boundary in Erythroid Cells

Abstract Pharmacologic inhibitors of the bromodomain and extraterminal motif (BET) family of proteins have shown promise in the treatment of hematologic and other malignancies and are being developed for clinical use. However, BET inhibitors do not discriminate between the family members BRD2, BRD3, and BRD4, and thus the mechanistic basis for their therapeutic efficacy is not well understood. In addition, BRD2 and BRD4 are individually required for the activation of genes driven by the erythroid transcription factor GATA1 (Stonestrom et al., Blood 2015), yet how BRD2 in particular contributes to this process has not been studied. We examined BRD2 occupancy genome-wide in erythroid cells and find that BRD2 colocalizes extensively with the architectural/insulator protein CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF). We define a functional hierarchy whereby CTCF is required for BRD2 to occupy co-bound sites, while CTCF binding is BRD2-independent. Using CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing we identify a boundary element occupied by CTCF and BRD2 that is adjacent to a GATA1-driven enhancer and ensures appropriate transcriptional regulation at the locus. Employing single-molecule RNA FISH we show that either site-specific CTCF disruption or BRD2 depletion leads to increased correlation in mature mRNA levels between the genes flanking this boundary, suggesting that they become inappropriately coregulated. Taken together these findings indicate that BRD2 collaborates with CTCF to constrain the activity of an erythroid enhancer and reveal a potential new role for BET proteins in chromatin domain boundary function. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Contact Resistivity of the p-Type Amorphous Silicon Hole Contact in Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

In silicon heterojunction solar cells made with high-lifetime wafers, resistive losses in the contacts dominate the total electrical power loss. Moreover, it is widely believed that the hole contact stack—a-Si:H(i)/a-Si:H(p)/ITO/Ag—is responsible for more of this power loss than the electron contact stack. In this article, we vary the a-Si:H(i) layer thickness, the a-Si:H(p) layer thickness and doping, and the indium tin oxide (ITO) doping, and determine the effect of each variation on the contact resistivity of the hole contact stack. In addition, we make complete solar cells with the same variations and correlate their series resistivity to the hole contact resistivity. We find that the contact resistivity is most sensitive to the thickness of the a-Si:H(i) layer and the oxygen partial pressure during ITO sputtering. Increasing the former from 4 to 16 nm results in a fourfold increase in contact resistivity, whereas increasing the latter from 0.14 to 0.85 mTorr raises the contact resistivity almost 30-fold. Optimized conditions produce a contact resistivity of 0.10 Ωcm2, while maintaining an implied open-circuit voltage of 720 mV measured on cell precursors, which is the lowest contact resistivity value reported in the literature for an a-Si:H hole contact.
Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma

Objective To review recent information on the epidemiology, etiology, clinical presentation, staging, treatment approaches, and nursing management of CTCL. Data Sources Research and review articles and textbooks. Conclusion Identifying the etiology and finding a cure for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is promising as our knowledge and understanding of the T-cell biology evolves, creating more options for innovative therapies or treatment modalities. Implications for Nursing Practice It is essential for the oncology nurse to understand the disease process, treatment modalities, and side effect profiles to provide astute nursing assessment, establishment of treatment goals, management of cutaneous symptoms, treatment of side effects, and pain control while preventing infection and providing psychological/social support throughout the course of the disease.
The Imagined Exiles: Slovak‑Americans and the Slovak Question during the First Czechoslovak Republic

Michael Cude’s article examines how Slovak immigrants in the United States related to their homeland, particularly on questions of national sovereignty (the ‘Slovak Question’). Free from the grip of denationalization efforts in pre-First World War Hungary, Slovak leaders in America established organizations geared toward Slovak national development and political activism, eventually leading to an effort to pressure Hungary from abroad to open up to cultural and political autonomy for the Slovaks. When the Czechoslovak independence movement was organized in exile after the outbreak of the First World War, its leaders attempted to utilize these existing Slovak-American organizations for financial, military, and diplomatic support. This campaign pushed many Slovak‑Americans to absorb a sense of direct influence on the affairs of their homeland, and, consequently, it caused them ample frustration when this influence later dissipated in the First Czechoslovak Republic. In response to this frustration, Slovak-American political activists replanted their fight over the Slovak Question against the newly formed government in Prague. Although the Slovak-Americans were not a true exile group, they embraced the mentality and approach of exiles, fighting from abroad to advance Slovak national aspirations. In addition, they regularly served as proxies in support of true political exiles. In this regard, historians can view these Slovak- American national activists as “imagined exiles,” adopting the role and behaviors of an exile organization even though they were not exiles conditionally. Although stymied in their goal of Slovak autonomy within the First Czechoslovak Republic, Slovak-American efforts nonetheless facilitated the adoption of a transatlantic Slovak national activism, and contributed to an embrace of democracy as a guiding feature of Slovak national identity.
CMOS image sensors in space: From OCO3 to LUVOIR by way of the Z machine

CMOS image sensors (CIS) have several significant advantages for NASA missions. Among the challenges for larger NASA payloads, including flagship mission concepts such as LUVOIR and Habex, are requirements for CIS detectors with small pixels, single photon sensitivity, and integration into large area mosaic focal planes. Key to these challenges is the emerging technology of 3D stacked CMOS image sensors. In this paper, we report the latest results from a collaboration between JPL and SNL to develop 3D-stacked, superlattice-doped CIS detectors for imaging and spectroscopy of high intensity, pulsed X-ray sources. JPL’s MBE-grown surface passivation layers are two orders of magnitude thinner and more highly doped than the ion-implanted layers in Sandia’s previous generation of detectors. JPL and Sandia demonstrated 3D-stacked, superlattice-doped photodiodes with 10x higher efficiency, marking a key milestone on the road toward gigapixel focal planes with single photon sensitivity.
Implications of Applying New Technology in Cosmetic and Reconstructive Facial Plastic Surgery.

The field of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery is privy to a myriad of technological advancements. As innovation in areas such as imaging, computer applications, and biomaterials progresses at breakneck speed, the potential for clinical application is endless. This review of recent progress in the implementation of new technologies in facial plastic surgery highlights some of the most innovative and impactful developments in the past few years of literature. Patient-specific surgical modeling has become the gold standard for oncologic and posttraumatic reconstructive surgery, with demonstrated improvements in operative times, restoration of anatomical structure, and patient satisfaction. Similarly, reductions in revision rates with improvements in learner technical proficiency have been noted with the use of patient-specific models in free flap reconstruction. In the cosmetic realm, simulation-based rhinoplasty implants have drastically reduced operative times while concurrently raising patient postoperative ratings of cosmetic appearance. Intraoperative imaging has also seen recent expansion in its adoption driven largely by reports of eradication of postoperative imaging and secondary—often complicated—revision reconstructions. A burgeoning area likely to deliver many advances in years to come is the integration of bioprinting into reconstructive surgery. Although yet to clearly make the translational leap, the implications of easily generatable induced pluripotent stem cells in replacing autologous, cadaveric, or synthetic tissues in surgical reconstruction are remarkable.
Fault Ride-Through Capability Improvement of Grid Connected PV System Using Dynamic Voltage Restorer

When a fault occurs at a grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system, the grid voltage drops significantly, and this causes a spike in the DC link voltage. The high DC voltage, in turn, causes faults i...
49. Applicability of an Established Composite Scoring System for Predicting Adnexal Torsion in African American Pediatric Patients

Background Adnexal torsion can be difficult to diagnose. A prospective 2017 study focusing on the pediatric and adolescent population showed great promise in the development of an ultrasound-based scoring system used to predict this condition. However, the patient population was almost homogenously Caucasian, limiting its applicability in more ethnically diverse settings. We sought to clarify whether this scoring system maintained its validity when used in a primarily African American population, and in patients with a BMI >25. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed to identify cases of pediatric ovarian torsion, confirmed by laparoscopy, over the course of 10 years at a tertiary referral center. Inclusion criteria were: pediatric and adolescent girls between the ages of 0-21, and surgically proven cases of torsion diagnosed by ultrasound imaging. Exclusion criteria included: pregnancy of unknown location, preoperative imaging with CT only, or other suspected preoperative diagnoses (e.g. appendicitis, hemorrhagic cyst). Established clinical and ultrasound predictors of torsion were identified through chart and image review for their correlation to adnexal torsion. Using the established scoring system, a score was then applied to these confirmed torsion cases to determine whether or not the score would have successfully identified the torsion. Results A total of 53 cases of surgically proven ovarian torsion were found meeting the above criteria. Of the patients included 25% were premenarchal, while the remainder were postmenarchal. Approximately 60% were African American, 10% were Hispanic, and 30% were Caucasian. The average BMI across all ethnicities was 29. Applying the scoring system to these known cases, we found that our post hoc calculated scores correlated with the predictors previously identified. Primarily; adnexal mass, ovarian edema, leukocytosis, nausea/vomiting, adnexal ratio, and ovarian volume were all significantly associated with ovarian torsion (p Conclusions Widespread use of a non-invasive scoring system to predict adnexal torsion has the potential to significantly improve the timely assessment and management of young women with this condition. Our study suggests that a previously published composite score for torsion, using clinical and ultrasound findings, can successfully be used to predict torsion in African American and high BMI premenarchal and postmenarchal adolescents.
A new era of synchrotron-enabled macromolecular crystallography.

The future of macromolecular crystallography includes new X-ray sources, enhanced remote-accessible capabilities and time-resolved methods to capture intermediate structures along reaction pathways.
Functional motor improvement during inpatient rehabilitation among older adults with traumatic brain injury.

Introduction Older adults comprise an increasingly large proportion of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) receiving care in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF). However, high rates of comorbidities and evidence of declining preinjury health among older adults who sustain TBI raise questions about their ability to benefit from IRF care. Objective 1) describe the proportion of older adults with TBI who exhibited minimal detectable change (MDC) and a minimally clinically important difference (MCID) in motor function from IRF admission to discharge; and 2) identify characteristics associated with clinically meaningful improvement in motor function and better discharge functional status. Design In this retrospective cohort study, we utilized Medicare administrative data probabilistically linked to the National Trauma Data Bank to estimate the proportion of patients whose motor function improved during inpatient rehabilitation and identify factors associated with meaningful improvement in motor function and motor function at discharge. Setting Inpatient rehabilitation facilities in the US. Patients Fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with TBI. Main outcome measures Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) and Minimally Clinically Important Difference (MCID) in the Functional Independence Measure motor (FIM-M) score from admission to discharge, and FIM-M score at IRF discharge. Results From IRF admission to discharge 84% of patients achieved the MDC threshold, and 68% of patients achieved the MCID threshold for FIM-M scores. Factors associated with a higher probability of achieving the MCID for FIM-M scores included better admission motor and cognitive function, lower comorbidity burden, and a length of stay longer than 10 days but only among individuals with lower admission motor function. Older age was associated with a lower FIM-M discharge score, but not the probability of achieving the MCID in FIM-M score. Conclusion Older adults with TBI have the potential to improve their motor function with IRF care. Baseline functional status and comorbidity burden, rather than acute injury severity, should be used to guide care planning. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
CopyCatchers are versatile active genetic elements that detect and quantify inter-homolog somatic gene conversion

CRISPR-based active genetic elements, or gene-drives, copied via homology-directed repair (HDR) in the germline, are transmitted to progeny at super-Mendelian frequencies. Active genetic elements also can generate widespread somatic mutations, but the genetic basis for such phenotypes remains uncertain. It is generally assumed that such somatic mutations are generated by non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ), the predominant double stranded break repair pathway active in somatic cells. Here, we develop CopyCatcher systems in Drosophila to detect and quantify somatic gene conversion (SGC) events. CopyCatchers inserted into two independent genetic loci reveal unexpectedly high rates of SGC in the Drosophila eye and thoracic epidermis. Focused RNAi-based genetic screens identify several unanticipated loci altering SGC efficiency, one of which (c-MYC), when downregulated, promotes SGC mediated by both plasmid and homologous chromosome-templates in human HEK293T cells. Collectively, these studies suggest that CopyCatchers can serve as effective discovery platforms to inform potential gene therapy strategies.
Changes In Non-COVID-19 Emergency Department Visits By Acuity And Insurance Status During The COVID-19 Pandemic.

Prior studies suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with decreases in emergency department (ED) volumes, but it is not known whether these decreases varied by visit acuity or by demogra...
Sources of variation in the spectral slope of the sleep EEG

Building on previous work linking changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) spectral slope to arousal level, Lendner et al. (2021) reported that wake, non rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep exhibit progressively steeper 30-45 Hz slopes, interpreted in terms of increasing cortical inhibition. Here we sought to replicate Lendner et al.9s scalp EEG findings (based on 20 individuals) in a larger sample of 11,630 individuals from multiple cohorts in the National Sleep Research Resource (NSRR). In a final analytic sample of N = 10,255 distinct recordings, there was unambiguous statistical support for the hypothesis that, within individuals, the mean spectral slope grows steeper going from wake to NREM to REM sleep. We found that the choice of mastoid referencing scheme modulated the extent to which electromyogenic or electrocardiographic artifacts were likely to bias 30-45 Hz slope estimates, as well as other sources of technical, device-specific bias. Nonetheless, within individuals, slope estimates were relatively stable over time. Both cross-sectionally and longitudinal, slopes tended to become shallower with increasing age, particularly for REM sleep; males tended to show flatter slopes than females across all states. Although conceptually distinct, spectral slope did not predict sleep state substantially better than other summaries of the high frequency EEG power spectrum (>20 Hz, in this context) including beta band power, however. Finally, to more fully describe sources of variation in the spectral slope and its relationship to other sleep parameters, we quantified state-dependent differences in the variances (both within and between individuals) of spectral slope, power and interhemispheric coherence, as well as their covariances. In contrast to the common conception of the REM EEG as relatively wake-like (i.e. 9paradoxical9 sleep), REM and wake were the most divergent states for multiple metrics, with NREM exhibiting intermediate profiles. Under a simplified modelling framework, changes in spectral slope could not, by themselves, fully account for the observed differences between states, if assuming a strict power law model. Although the spectral slope is an appealing, theoretically inspired parameterization of the sleep EEG, here we underscore some practical considerations that should be borne in mind when applying it in diverse datasets. Future work will be needed to fully characterize state-dependent changes in the aperiodic portions of the EEG power spectra, which appear to be consistent with, albeit not fully explained by, changes in the spectral slope.
Effects of Computer-based Laboratory Instruction on Future Teachers’ Understanding of the Nature of Science

With computer-based instruction, numerical data collection and analysis are performed effortlessly in the laboratory, simulations with idealized conditions are a click away, and abstract concepts that are diffi cult to visualize are represented in full-color animated displays. Many of these computer applications are designed to help students understand physics by clearly presenting the outcomes of physics or by making it easier to do scientifi c experiments. However, in the effort to get to the product of science, is there a danger of misrepresenting the process of science? This is a particularly important question in college science classes for future teachers where we try to model instructional practices that promote inquiry and active learning. If we want students to take responsibility for building their own understanding of science, they need to develop an understanding of what science is. In this study, we look at pre-service teacher classes in physics, one of which uses computer-based laboratories extensively. The context presented is one-dimensional motion, which is covered in the computer-based class with motion sensors interfaced to computers. We consider student performance in an interview setting and on an examination problem.
The reader collision problem

We introduce the reader collision problem, the problem of allocating frequencies over time to radio frequency identification (RFID) tag readers such that their interference with one another is minimized. RFID systems are comprised of readers and tags. Readers communicate with tags using radio frequency (RF) signaling to obtain the identifier and other data stored on the tag. A reader may interfere with the operation of other readers in the RFID system. The two principal types of reader-to-reader interference are frequency interference, two or more readers communicating on the same frequency at the same time, and tag interference, two or more readers attempting to communicate with a particular RFID tag at the same time. All reader interference caused by the operation of an RFID reader is referred to as a reader collision. Reader collisions prevent the colliding readers from communicating with all of the tags in their respective reading zones; therefore, collisions must be avoided to ensure proper and timely communication with all tags. We define the reader collision problem and present several graph coloring formulations for variants of the problem.
Evidence for long localization length along b axis PrBa2Cu3O7 in a axis YBa2Cu3O7/a,b axis PrBa2Cu3O7 superlattices.

We have investigated resistive transitions of a axis ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$/a,b axis ${\mathrm{PrBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ superlattices in a magnetic field to study the correlation length of vortices along the a axis direction of ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ across an a,b-axis oriented ${\mathrm{PrBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ barrier. The correlation of vortices across up to 480 \AA{} of ${\mathrm{PrBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ is evidence consistent with long proximity coupling coherence lengths in ${\mathrm{PrBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ found in sandwich type ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$/${\mathrm{PrBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$/${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ Josephson junctions. Investigation of a-b plane and b axis transport of undoped and cobalt doped ${\mathrm{PrBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ films suggests that a long localization length along the b axis of ${\mathrm{PrBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ is the origin of this long range proximity coupling.
Toward Awakening Cryptic Secondary Metabolite Gene Clusters in Filamentous Fungi

Mining for novel natural compounds is of eminent importance owing to the continuous need for new pharmaceuticals. Filamentous fungi are historically known to harbor the genetic capacity for an arsenal of natural compounds, both beneficial and detrimental to humans. The majority of these metabolites are still cryptic or silent under standard laboratory culture conditions. Mining for these cryptic natural products can be an excellent source for identifying new compound classes. Capitalizing on the current knowledge on how secondary metabolite gene clusters are regulated has allowed the research community to unlock many hidden fungal treasures, as described in this chapter.
Visual Pigment Assignments in Regenerated Retina

Retinas of adult teleost fish can regenerate after injury. Two important issues regarding this phenomenon are the assembly of the regenerated retina and the neuronal images of the visual scene that the regenerated retina produces. Here we report experiments in which the visual pigment content of photoreceptors derived from native and regenerated sunfish retinas was determined by microspectrophotometry. In native retina, there is an apparently perfect correspondence between cone morphology and visual pigment content; all rods contain a middle-wavelength pigment, all single cones contain a different middle-wavelength pigment, and all double cone members contain a long-wavelength pigment. The visual pigments in regenerated rods and double cones were the same as in native retina; however, triple cones, a morphology never observed in native retina, contained the long-wavelength pigment. Moreover, although ∼60% of regenerated single cones contained the expected middle-wavelength pigment, all other single cones contained the long-wavelength pigment. This mismatch between morphology of regenerated single cones and their visual pigment assignment indicated the following: (1) There is a degree of independence between the mechanisms that establish cone morphology and pigment content during regeneration, which suggests that cone photoreceptor regeneration is not a straightforward recapitulation of the normal cone photoreceptor developmental plan. (2) Although anomalous, the long-wavelength single cones may enable regenerated retina to restore the native spectral sampling of the visual scene.
Spectroscopic standards for four- and fivefold-coordinated Fe2+ in oxygen-based minerals

Optical spectra are presented for seven oxygen based, four-coordinated Fe^(2+) bearing minerals, eudialyte, gehlenite, genthelvite, gillespite, pellyite, spinel, and staurolite, and two five-coordinated Fe^(2+) minerals, grandidierite and joaquinite. Broad, intense spin-allowed dd bands of tetrahedrally coordinated Fe^(2+), originating from the ^5E → ^5T_2 transition, appear in the spectral range 3000–7000 cm^(−1). In the spectra of gillespite and eudialyte, minerals with square-planar coordination, the bands shift to higher energies, appearing in the range 7000–20 000 cm^(−1). The amount of band splitting depends mainly on the distortion of the ligands surrounding four-coordinated Fe^(2+). Splitting and distortion are minimal for spinel with a regular tetrahedral site, and maximal for eudialyte and gillespite. For the minerals in four-coordination, the barycenter of the split bands correlates with the sum of the bond-length and edge-length distortion parameters if the square planer sites are excluded from the correlation. Molar absorption coefficients (e) of the spin-allowed tetrahedral Fe^(2+) bands range from ~20 cm^(−1)·L·mol^(−1) to ~90 cm^(−1)·L·mol^(−1). For eudialyte and gillespite, due to the centrosymmetric character of the ligand environment, the e values ranges from about 0.5–10 cm^(−1)·L·mol^(−1). For grandidierite and joaquinite, five-coordination causes spectra that resemble those of Fe^(2+) in highly distorted octahedral sites. The number of bands suggests, however, that the electronic level scheme of five-coordinated Fe^(2+) in grandidierite significantly differs from that of Fe^(2+) in octahedral coordination.
Visually prototyping perceptual user interfaces through multimodal storyboarding

We are applying our knowledge in designing informal prototyping tools for user interface design to create an interactive visual prototyping tool for perceptual user interfaces. Our tool allows a designer to quickly map out certain types of multimodal, cross-device user interface scenarios. These sketched designs form a multimodal storyboard that can then be executed, quickly testing the interaction and collecting feedback about refinements necessary for the design. By relying on visual prototyping, our multimodal storyboarding tool simplifies and speeds perceptual user interface prototyping and opens up the challenging space of perceptual user interface design to non-programmers.