cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A20 suppresses canonical Smad-dependent fibroblast activation: novel function for an endogenous inflammatory modulator.

The ubiquitin-editing cytosolic enzyme A20, the major negative regulator of toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated cellular inflammatory responses, has tight genetic linkage with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Because recent studies implicate endogenous ligand-driven TLR signaling in SSc pathogenesis, we sought to investigate the regulation, role and mechanism of action of A20 in skin fibroblasts. A20 expression and the effects of forced A20 expression or siRNA-mediated A20 knockdown on fibrotic responses induced by transforming growth factor-s (TGF-s) were evaluated was evaluated in explanted human skin fibroblasts. Additionally, A20 regulation by TGF-s, and by adiponectin, a pleiotropic adipokine with anti-fibrotic activity, was evaluated. In normal fibroblasts, TGF-s induced sustained downregulation of A20, and abrogated its TLR4-dependent induction. Forced expression of A20 aborted the stimulation of collagen gene expression and myofibroblast transformation induced by TGF-s, and disrupted canonical Smad signaling and Smad-dependent transcriptional responses. Conversely, siRNA-mediated knockdown of A20 enhanced the amplitude of fibrotic responses elicited by TGF-s. Adiponectin, previously shown to block TLR-dependent fibrotic responses, elicited rapid and sustained increase in A20 accumulation in fibroblasts. These results identify the ubiquitin-editing enzyme A20 as a novel endogenous mechanism for negative regulation of fibrotic response intensity. Systemic sclerosis-associated genetic variants of A20 that cause impaired A20 expression or function, combined with direct suppression of A20 by TGF-s within the fibrotic milieu, might play a significant functional role in persistence of fibrotic responses, while pharmacological augmentation of A20 inhibitory pathway activity might represent a novel therapeutic strategy.
Comparison of Body Composition Measurements using a New Caliper, Two Established Calipers, Hydrostatic Weighing, and BodPod

Purposes (1) To compare the Lafayette Instruments (LI) skinfold caliper to the Lange (L) and Harpenden (H) calipers using a diverse subject population. (2) To determine the validity of the LI caliper in a subset of subjects by comparing body compositions from skinfold thicknesses to those measured by hydrostatic weighing (HW) and air displacement plethysmography (ADP). (3) To compare measurements obtained by experienced (EX) and inexperienced (IX) technicians using all three calipers. Methods Skinfold measurements were performed by both EX and IX technicians using three different calipers on 21 younger (21.2 ± 1.5 yrs) and 20 older (59.2 ± 4 yrs) subjects. Body compositions were calculated using the Jackson-Pollock seven-site and three-site formulas. HW and ADP tests were performed on a subset of subjects (10 younger, 10 older). Results No significant differences existed between LI and L or H when measurements were made by EX. Further, the LI-EX measurements were highly correlated to both H-EX and L-EX. No significant differences existed in the subgroup between LI-EX and HW or ADP. Skinfold determinations made by EX and IX were similar. Conclusions Similar body compositions determined using LI, H, and L suggest that LI determines body composition as effectively as H and L. High correlations between the three calipers support this notion. Similar results between LI and HW/ADP subgroup suggest that the LI caliper may be a valid method of measuring body composition. Overall, performance by IX was similar to EX and suggests similar ease of use for all three calipers.
Investigating the relationship between social media consumption and fear of crime

Theories of media effects have long established a link between media consumption and fear of crime. To date, prior investigations have almost exclusively focused on traditional types of media content (e.g., television news) or entertainment media (e.g., crime-related shows). However, less is known how social media consumption may influence individuals' levels of fear. Using data collected from a multisite sample of mostly young adults, the present study assesses: (1) the relationship between various types of social media consumption (overall, general news, and crime-related content) and fear of crime and (2) whether these relationships differ based on key audience characteristics. Findings reveal that overall social media consumption is significantly related to fear of crime and this relationship varies by perceptions of safety. The relationship between social media consumption and fear of crime is examined.Greater social media consumption is related to fear among adults.This relationship varies by perceived safety.
A framework for radiometric sensitivity evaluation of medium resolution remote sensing time series data to built-up land cover change

Medium resolution remote sensing data such as Landsat imagery and its analysis are heavily affected by the mixed pixel problem especially in regions of heterogeneous, spatially dispersed land cover such as peri-urban environments. However, this data is often the only available temporally consistent data source for multi-temporal applications that cover time periods prior to 2000. For this reason, knowledge of the radiometric sensitivity of such data with respect to the analyzed phenomenon and the inherent uncertainty of the data across time would be useful to improve such applications. In this study, we propose a framework for the evaluation of multi-temporal radiometric sensitivity of Landsat time series data to the presence of, or changes in built-up land cover. In this experiment we use publicly available integrated cadastral and building footprint data to create multi-temporal sub-pixel built-up area estimates as a reference to carry out such an evaluation.
Retrieval of permafrost active layer properties using P-band airmoss and L-band UAVSAR data

In this paper, a dual-frequency permafrost active layer thickness (ALT) retrieval algorithm is presented wherein P-band AirMOSS and L-band UAVSAR data are used to retrieve the layered soil dielectric constants and layer thicknesses. Using the known radar calibration accuracy, radar sensing depth is defined to help understand the limit of radar backscatter sensitivity to subsurface soil conditions and used as a consistency check when determining ALT. Retrieved maps of soil dielectric constants and layer thicknesses show high spatial correlation with the vegetation type and organic layer thickness. It is shown that the retrieval accuracy for ALT is between 5 cm and 14 cm when the ALT is smaller than the sensing depth.
Seismic response of buried reservoir structures: a comparison of numerical simulations with centrifuge experiments

Centrifuge experiments on seismic performance of relatively stiff underground reservoir structures in dry sand are modeled numerically. The capabilities of numerical simulations with calibrated equivalent linear soil properties in capturing the main features of experimentally measured responses are explored for both low and high amplitude earthquake motions. The scattering effects of the centrifuge container boundaries are also investigated by modeling the same soil deposit resting on an elastic bedrock and extending infinitely laterally, using the domain reduction method. It is observed that the calibrated equivalent linear soil models perform well in predicting accelerations, racking, and bending strains on the buried structure, even for high amplitude motions for which significant soil nonlinearity is expected. While not as accurate, the seismic lateral earth pressures predicted with these models are in fair agreement with direct measurements made with tactile sensors. The mismatches in earth pressures are likely due to local nonlinearities of soil and frictional contact, which were absent from the numerical models. It is also observed that the scattering effects of the container boundaries become more significant closer to the soil surface, and their characteristics are seen to depend on both the side boundaries and the embedded structure's stiffness.
Microalbuminuria in young adults related to blood pressure in a biracial (Black-White) population : the bogalusa heart study

The association between microalbuminuria and blood pressure levels was examined in young white and black adults (n = 1131) aged 19 to 32 years. Urinary ratio of albumin (mg/L) to creatinine (mmol/L) was used as an estimation of urinary albumin excretion. Black men and women compared with their white counterparts had higher levels of blood pressure. Significantly positive correlations between urinary albumin excretion and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were observed in black men (r = 0.20 and r = 0.24, P or = 90th percentile) than in those without increased urinary albumin excretion. After accounting for potential confounding by age, sex, and body mass index, blacks in the uppermost systolic and diastolic blood pressure group were 7.1 times (95% CI, 2.0 to 25.8) and 4.8 times (1.3 to 18.3), respectively, as likely to have elevated albumin/creatinine excretion as those in the lowest group. In contrast, the likelihood for elevated albumin/creatinine excretion were 0.9 times (95% CI, 0.5 to 2.2) and 1.1 times (0.5 to 2.3), respectively, in whites, which were not significant. These data suggest that a stronger association between blood pressure levels and urinary albumin excretion exists in young blacks than in whites, which supports the notion that blacks may be more susceptible to renal damage from relatively low levels of blood pressure increases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Tense and Modal Operators

We are now ready to expand our semantic machinery in yet another way, this time in the direction of an intensional language — a language for which we provide a definition of denotation for all expressions not just for a single state of affairs but for many possible states of affairs. We will begin this expansion by considering the special case of tense operators and their interpretation. We choose to approach intensional languages via tense operators because the primitive model-theoretic notion needed to formalize the interpretation of these operators — namely, an ordered set which we will regard as the moments of time — is more intuitively natural than the primitive notions needed to formalize “possible states of affairs” in full generality. Tense operators, though, will illustrate the same formal techniques needed for the more general definitions.
Aerodynamic design with cfd

Corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) regulations have placed a high priority on aerodynamic efficiency for automobiles. While the wind tunnel will continue to play a vital role, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) holds the promise of bringing aerodynamics into the design process much earlier and less expensively. On May 3, 1991 Gary S. Strumolo from Ford Motor Company discussed the importance of aerodynamic design and the role that CFD could play in achieving it.
Current Role of Checkpoint Inhibitors in Urologic Cancers.

Harnessing the host immune system to combat genitourinary cancers has key theoretical advantages over other anticancer strategies including specificity and memory which should translate to favorable tolerability and response durability in the clinic. Indeed, key examples of the potential for immunotherapeutic treatment of solid tumors are derived from data in genitourinary cancers including Bacillus Calmette–Guerin for urothelial cancer, sipuleucel-T for prostate cancer, and interleukin-2 for renal cancer. Despite these successes, developing effective immunotherapeutic strategies for the treatment of cancer has largely been hampered by an incomplete understanding of tumor immunobiology and mechanisms of immune resistance. In just a few years since entering the clinic, immune checkpoint blockade has dramatically changed the landscaped of treatment for genitourinary cancer and has secured a place as a standard pillar of treatment. Further iterative bench-bedside-bench research is anticipated to extend the benefits of immunotherapeutic-based approaches to additional patients.
Resveratrol Modulates Cytokine Expression in LPS-induced Human Monocytes: Role of Proteasome Subunits

Ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) maintains the basic cellular processes of the eukaryotic system by catalyzing the degradation of proteins. The proteolytic active sites of proteasomes reside on th...
Enhancing the efficiency of adiabatic quantum computations

We describe a general methodology for enhancing the efficiency of adiabatic quantum computations (AQC). It consists of homotopically deforming the original "Hamiltonian surface" in a way that the redistribution of the Gaussian curvature weakens the effect of the anti-crossing, thus yielding the desired improvement. Our approach is not pertubative but instead is built on our previous global description of AQC in the language of Morse theory. Through the homotopy deformation we witness the birth and death of critical points whilst, in parallel, the Gauss-Bonnet theorem reshuffles the curvature around the changing set of critical points. Therefore, by creating enough critical points around the anti-crossing, the total curvature--which was initially centered at the original anti-crossing--gets redistributed around the new neighbouring critical points, which weakens its severity and so improves the speedup of the AQC. We illustrate this on two examples taken from the literature.
Robot teleoperation with augmented reality virtual surrogates

Teleoperation remains a dominant control paradigm for human interaction with robotic systems. However, teleoperation can be quite challenging, especially for novice users. Even experienced users may face difficulties or inefficiencies when operating a robot with unfamiliar and/or complex dynamics, such as industrial manipulators or aerial robots, as teleoperation forces users to focus on low-level aspects of robot control, rather than higher level goals regarding task completion, data analysis, and problem solving. We explore how advances in augmented reality (AR) may enable the design of novel teleoperation interfaces that increase operation effectiveness, support the user in conducting concurrent work, and decrease stress. Our key insight is that AR may be used in conjunction with prior work on predictive graphical interfaces such that a teleoperator controls a virtual robot surrogate, rather than directly operating the robot itself, providing the user with foresight regarding where the physical robot will end up and how it will get there. We present the design of two AR interfaces using such a surrogate: one focused on real-time control and one inspired by waypoint delegation. We compare these designs against a baseline teleoperation system in a laboratory experiment in which novice and expert users piloted an aerial robot to inspect an environment and analyze data. Our results revealed that the augmented reality prototypes provided several objective and subjective improvements, demonstrating the promise of leveraging AR to improve human-robot interactions.
Epi-mode tomographic quantitative phase imaging in thick scattering samples.

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) is an important tool in biomedicine that allows for the microscopic investigation of live cells and other thin, transparent samples. Importantly, this technology yields access to the cellular and sub-cellular structure and activity at nanometer scales without labels or dyes. Despite this unparalleled ability, QPI’s restriction to relatively thin samples severely hinders its versatility and overall utility in biomedicine. Here we overcome this significant limitation of QPI to enable the same rich level of quantitative detail in thick scattering samples. We achieve this by first illuminating the sample in an epi-mode configuration and using multiple scattering within the sample—a hindrance to conventional transmission imaging used in QPI—as a source of transmissive illumination from within. Second, we quantify phase via deconvolution by modeling the transfer function of the system based on the ensemble average angular distribution of light illuminating the sample at the focal plane. This technique packages the quantitative, real-time sub-cellular imaging capabilities of QPI into a flexible configuration, opening the door for truly non-invasive, label-free, tomographic quantitative phase imaging of unaltered thick, scattering specimens. Images of controlled scattering phantoms, blood in collection bags, cerebral organoids and freshly excised whole mouse brains are presented to validate the approach.
Wealth inequality and economic mobility in the post-revolutionary Pennsylvania backcountry

Township tax lists for 1783 and 1793 are used to examine the distribution of wealth and economic mobility in York County, Pennsylvania following the Revolutionary War. Measures of inequality are in...
Brevibacillus fortis NRS-1210 produces edeines that inhibit the in vitro growth of conidia and chlamydospores of the onion pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae

Onions can be damaged by Fusarium basal rot caused by the soilborne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae (FOC). Control of this pathogen is challenging since there is limited genetic resistance in onion. The identification of molecules that inhibit this pathogen is needed. Antagonism screening showed Brevibacillus fortis NRS-1210 secreted antifungal compounds into growth medium. The spent growth medium, diluted 1:1, inhibited growth of FOC conidia after seven hours and killed 67-91% of conidia after 11 h. The spent medium also inhibited growth of propagules from F. graminearum, F. proliferatum, F. verticillioides and Galactomyces citri-aurantii. Full strength spent growth medium did not effectively kill FOC conidia and chlamydospores inoculated into a sand cornmeal mixture. In silico analysis of the B. fortis NRS-1210 genome indicated the biosynthetic clusters of several antibiotics. Fractionation of spent medium followed by reverse-phase liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis found that fractions with the most antifungal activity contained a combination of edeines A, B and F and no other recognized antibiotics. 1H NMR signals of the active fraction corresponded to edeine, a pentapeptide with broad spectrum antimicrobial activity which blocks translation in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Comparative genomics of Brevibacillus genomes shows edeine producers form a clade which consists of: Brevibacillus brevis, Brevibacillus formosus, 'Brevibacillus antibioticus', Brevibacillus schisleri, Brevibacillus fortis, and Brevibacillus porteri. This observation suggests edeine played an important role in the evolution and speciation of the Brevibacillus genus.
Therapeutic vulnerabilities among KRAS G12C mutant (mut) advanced cancers based on co-alteration (co-alt) patterns.

3625Background: Oncogenic KRAS mut drive cancers and confer therapeutic resistance by activating MAPK signaling. Inhibiting KRAS has been elusive until the recent promising phase I trials with KRAS...
Erotismo, éxtasis, tormento: la música vocal femenina en la poesía del conde de Villamediana (entre Marino y Góngora)

Los poemas de elogio a las damas cantoras constituyen un poco estudiado subgenero epidictico que documenta la difusion cantada de la poesia como practica social. Mientras los poetas profesionales, ...
Disability and influence in job interviews

This purpose of this paper is to explore to efficacy of influence tactics at the outset of a job interview. Across three empirical studies, five influence tactics were manipulated during a simulated job interview to explore first impressions for candidates with or without a visible disability.,Participants viewed videos of candidates (either in a wheelchair or not) responding to the opening question in a job interview by using one of five influence tactics (i.e. revealing a strong alternative, setting a numerical anchor, demonstrating approachability through imperfections, presenting hard skills that described job-related competencies or presenting soft skills including connecting well with and leading others). Perceptions of trustworthiness, fit for the current job and perceived appropriate salary amount were rated.,Results show that, in general, tactics that might have beneficial effects when used at later moments, including the use of a strong alternate, anchor or imperfection display, may instead harm first impressions of anyone. When discussing specific skills, hard skills helped in both cases. However, the presentation of soft skills helped only the non-disabled job candidate. Trustworthiness acted as a mediator for most of these relationships in both populations.,Results provide insight into how the use of these tactics very early in an interaction unfolds. Further, parsing the use of influence tactics into their effects on specific populations (such as people with disabilities) allows us to better understand the conditions under which they may help or hurt perceptions of employability.
Aerodynamic efficiency of gliding birds vs comparable UAVs: a review

Here, we reviewed published aerodynamic efficiencies of gliding birds and similar sized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) motivated by a fundamental question: are gliding birds more efficient than comparable UAVs? Despite a multitude of studies that have quantified the aerodynamic efficiency of gliding birds, there is no comprehensive summary of these results. This lack of consolidated information inhibits a true comparison between birds and UAVs. Such a comparison is complicated by variable uncertainty levels between the different techniques used to predict avian efficiency. To support our comparative approach, we began by surveying theoretical and experimental estimates of avian aerodynamic efficiency and investigating the uncertainty associated with each estimation method. We found that the methodology used by a study affects the estimated efficiency and can lead to incongruent conclusions on gliding bird aerodynamic efficiency. Our survey showed that studies on live birds gliding in wind tunnels provide a reliable minimum estimate of a birds' aerodynamic efficiency while simultaneously quantifying the wing configurations used in flight. Next, we surveyed the aeronautical literature to collect the published aerodynamic efficiencies of similar-sized, non-copter UAVs. The compiled information allowed a direct comparison of UAVs and gliding birds. Contrary to our expectation, we found that there is no definitive evidence that any gliding bird species is either more or less efficient than a comparable UAV. This non-result highlights a critical need for new technology and analytical advances that can reduce the uncertainty associated with estimating a gliding bird's aerodynamic efficiency. Nevertheless, our survey indicated that species flying within subcritical Reynolds number regimes may inspire UAV designs that can extend their operational range to efficiently operate in subcritical regimes. The survey results provided here point the way forward for research into avian gliding flight and enable informed UAV designs.
On the vibration suppression of power lines using mobile damping robots

Abstract Fixed passive tuned vibration absorbers (TVA) are ineffective in controlling wind induced vibration of continuous systems (e.g., power lines). This is because fixed passive TVAs are not only narrowband, but they are also unable to adapt to changing wind characteristics, and thus are unable to reposition themselves at antinodes of the vibrating loop. To tackle this issue, this paper proposes a mobile vibration absorber (i.e, mobile damping robot) capable of self-adjustment to antinodes. The study focuses on power lines vibration suppression, but it can be extended to other continuous systems. The mobile damping robot is connected to a single conductor that is subjected to a pretension and a wind force. The governing equations of motion are obtained using Hamilton's principle. A control force is incorporated in the mathematical formulation for driving the robot to the antinode location based on the wind excitation frequency. Also, the two-way nonlinear coupling between the robot and cable is considered. Numerical simulations indicate that the mobile damping robot significantly improves the vibration suppression of the power line. Parametric studies are carried out to determine the influence of key design parameters on the performance of the mobile damping robot.
Online measures of looking and learning in infancy.

Infants in laboratory settings look longer at events that violate their expectations, learn better about objects that behave unexpectedly, and match utterances to the objects that likely elicited them. The paradigms revealing these behaviors have become cornerstones of research on preverbal cognition. However, little is known about whether these canonical behaviors are observed outside laboratory settings. Here, we describe a series of online protocols that replicate classic laboratory findings, detailing our methods throughout. In Experiment 1a, 15-month-old infants (N = 24) looked longer at an online support event culminating in an Unexpected outcome (i.e., appearing to defy gravity) than an Expected outcome. Infants did not, however, show the same success with an online solidity event. In Experiment 1b, 15-month-old infants (N = 24) showed surprise-induced learning following online events-they were better able to learn a novel object's label when the object had behaved unexpectedly compared to when it behaved expectedly. Finally, in Experiment 2, 16-month-old infants (N = 20) who heard a valenced utterance ("Yum!") showed preferential looking to the object most likely to have generated that utterance. Together, these results suggest that, with some adjustments, online testing is a feasible and promising approach for infant cognition research.
Detecting effective starting point of genomic selection by divergent trends from best linear unbiased prediction and single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction in pigs, beef cattle, and broilers

Genomic selection has been adopted nationally and internationally in different livestock and plant species. However, understanding whether genomic selection has been effective or not is an essential question for both industry and academia. Once genomic evaluation started being used, estimation of breeding values with pedigree best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) became biased because this method does not consider selection using genomic information. Hence, the effective starting point of genomic selection can be detected in two possible ways including the divergence of genetic trends and Realized Mendelian sampling (RMS) trends obtained with BLUP and single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP). This study aimed to find the start date of genomic selection for a set of economically important traits in three livestock species by comparing trends obtained using BLUP and ssGBLUP. Three datasets were used for this purpose: 1) a pig dataset with 117k genotypes and 1.3M animals in pedigree, 2) an Angus cattle dataset consisted of ~842k genotypes and 11.5M animals in pedigree, and 3) a purebred broiler chicken dataset included ~154k genotypes and 1.3M birds in pedigree were used. The genetic trends for pigs diverged for the genotyped animals born in 2014 for average daily gain (ADG) and backfat (BF). In beef cattle, the trends started diverging in 2009 for weaning weight (WW) and in 2016 for postweaning gain (PWG), with little divergence for birth weight (BTW). In broiler chickens, the genetic trends estimated by ssGBLUP and BLUP diverged at breeding cycle 6 for two out of the three production traits. The RMS trends for the genotyped pigs diverged for animals born in 2014, more for ADG than for BF. In beef cattle, the RMS trends started diverging in 2009 for WW and in 2016 for PWG, with a trivial trend for BTW. In broiler chickens, the RMS trends from ssGBLUP and BLUP diverged strongly for two production traits at breeding cycle 6, with a slight divergence for another trait. Divergence of the genetic trends from ssGBLUP and BLUP indicates the onset of the genomic selection. The presence of trends for RMS indicates selective genotyping, with or without the genomic selection. The onset of genomic selection and genotyping strategies agrees with industry practices across the three species. In summary, the effective start of genomic selection can be detected by the divergence between genetic and RMS trends from BLUP and ssGBLUP.
Development of a Fitness Test Battery for Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Operators-A Pilot Study.

This investigation examined relationships between a Special Weapons and Tactics-specific fitness test (SORT) and an obstacle course (OC) used for qualification in fourteen male SWAT members from three local, regional police departments. The SORT included: squat, pushup, and lunge in 60 s; pullup hold; sled drag; and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test L1. The obstacle course included: 25 m sprint (repeated); window ascent; scale under a wall; 25 m serpentine run (repeated), body drag (20 m, repeated). Pearson coefficients examined SORT and OC relationships (p ≤ 0.05); intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC2,1) assessed agreement of SORT trials. Repeated measures ANOVA evaluated differences in SORT metrics across time. Coefficients of variation (COV) examined SORT scoring consistency. The YoYo test was related to all SORT assessments (r = −0.803–0.894), except sled drag. The remaining SORT metrics were related to ≥two tests. SORT COVs ranged from 0.77–13.26% for trials 1–2 but decreased between trials 2–3 (0.95–8.97%). The OC was associated with YoYo, lunges, squats and sled drag (r = −0.790, −0.730, −0.766, and 0.802, respectively). No differences (p > 0.05) existed across SORT trials for event scores. The SORT battery appears to be a valid and reliable testing measure to assess SWAT occupational specific fitness.
Telling vs. Teaching—Learning by Participation

Learning and teaching are both functions of responsible participation in a group situation. In a democracy, we must teach the learner to assume responsibility. To do this, we need the discussion methods of learning
Case report: gastric plasmacytoma resistant to radiation therapy.

Plasma cell neoplasms are a group of diseases involving the malignant proliferation of plasma cells. One common type of plasma cell neoplasm is multiple myeloma, which typically occurs diffusely in the bone marrow. It can manifest with a variety of presentations, including bone pain, fractures, anemia, infection, hypercalcemia and renal failure. A less common type of plasma cell neoplasm is the solitary plasmacytoma, which is a local proliferation of plasma cells in the bone or extramedullary tissues. They rarely recur after local radiation therapy. An 83-year-old woman was noted on routine labwork to have elevated total serum protein, and serum immunofixation confirmed IgG/Kappa paraprotein. There was no evidence of end-organ damage characteristic of myeloma: hypercalcemia, renal dysfunction, anemia, or bone lesions. She was diagnosed with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and placed on observation. Seven years later, she developed mild anemia and an increasing M spike. No abnormalities were found on bone marrow biopsy apart from mildly increased plasma cell proliferation (7-10% of total cells). A PET scan showed increased gastric uptake, concerning for possible gastric malignancy. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopic ultrasound revealed extrinsic compression of the stomach fundus and body due to a 40 mm mass and associated adenopathy. Pathology revealed a kappa-restricted plasma cell neoplasm positive for CD138. The patient underwent radiation therapy localized to the gastric area. Subsequent evaluation revealed a persistent gastric mass. Attempted biopsy resulted in a gastrointestinal bleed, rendering her unable to undergo treatment with lenalidomide and aspirin. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy with bortezomib, cyclophosphamide, and dexamethasone. The case illustrates the potential diversity of plasma cell dyscrasia clinical manifestations. Gastric plasmacytomas are an uncommon type of extramedullary plasmacytoma, particularly rare when resistant to radiation therapy.
The Efficiency of Oligonucleotide-Directed Mutagenesis

Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis to alter a nucleotide sequence has become an invaluable means of probing the structure and function of DNA and the macromolecules for which it codes. This methodology is now standard practice in many laboratories and is being applied to a vast number of diverse scientific questions. From this diversity there arise many instances in which the engineered DNA sequence results either in no phenotypic change or in a phenotype that cannot be easily selected or scored. These factors have led to the development of several simple approaches to produce the desired DNA sequence at an efficiency that permits direct genotypic screening by DNA sequence analysis of a small number of candidate clones. The purpose of this review is to consider these recent advances for achieving highly efficient oligonucleotide mutagenesis with single-stranded vectors. Additional aspects of in vitro mutagenesis methodology are considered in detail in several excellent reviews (Botstein and Shortle 1985; Smith 1985; Carter 1986).
Lost in a Legal Thicket

This op-ed piece argues that criminal law recodification is badly needed in the states and the federal system, but that prosecutors stand out as the group who appear to regularly oppose it.
Designing for Disasters

Losing information when a storage device or data center fails can bring a company to its knees--or put it out of business altogether. Such catastrophic outcomes can readily be prevented with today's storage technology, albeit with some difficulty: the design space of solutions is surprisingly large, the configuration choices are myriad, and the alternatives interact in complicated ways. Thus, solutions are often over- or under-engineered, and administrators may not understand the degree of dependability they provide. Our solution is a tool that automates the design of disaster-tolerant solutions. Driven by financial objectives and detailed models of the behaviors and costs of the most common solutions (tape backup, remote mirroring, site failover, and site reconstruction), it appropriately selects designs that meet its objectives under specified disaster scenarios. As a result, designing for disasters no longer needs to be a hit-or-miss affair.
Distributed detection in bandwidth constrained wireless sensor networks

We address the problem of distributed detection of an event in a bandwidth and power constrained sensor network with a fusion center. Detection and correct classification of an event can be termed as multiple hypothesis testing, where each class or state of the event is hypothesized. We propose a scheme, where each sensor is restricted to send a 1-bit message to fusion center and the fusion center collates the bits sent by all the sensors and makes a decision about the hypothesis. We analyze the performance of our scheme and illustrate it with an example.
Hermann Lebert (1813–1878)

H. Lebert war eine in vieler Hinsicht ausergewohnliche Personlichkeit. Er begann seine wissenschaftliche Tatigkeit mit experimentellen Untersuchungen in Botanik und Zoologie. Nach einer kurzen Phase als Badearzt – eine Tatigkeit, die er auch wissenschaftlich begleitete – hat er als einer der ersten Gewebeuntersuchungen mit dem Mikroskop gemacht und allein zwei grose abbildungsreiche Werke uber Pathophysiologie und Histopathologie verfasst, wodurch er den Weg zur Zellularpathologie bereitete. Neben allgemeinen Problemen der Entzundung beschaftigte er sich besonders mit den Geschwulsten und der Tuberkulose. Er empfahl als einer der ersten die praoperative Histologie und war damit ein Vorreiter fur die bioptische Diagnostik. Als Kliniker bearbeitete er fast alle Gebiete der inneren Medizin einschlieslich der Neurologie und brachte eine grose Zahl von Monographien heraus; darunter die erste deutsche Monographie uber den akuten Gelenkrheumatismus. Die Rheumatologie spielte sowohl in seinen histopathologischen wie auch seinen klinischen Arbeiten eine beachtliche Rolle. Ungewohnlich ist schlieslich, dass Lebert zwischen Schweiz, Frankreich und Deutschland mehrmals immer wieder hin- und herpendelte und in allen drei Landern als groser Wissenschaftler anerkannt wurde, was Auszeichnungen durch Napoleon III und den preusischen Konig Friedrich Wilhelm IV belegen.
Quantifying the Benefits of Enhancing Medications on Driving Performance: Comparing Oros® MPH vs. se-AMPH ER® in Driving Safety of ADHD Teenagers as Case Example

Driving simulation is the best way to safely and reliably assess the impact of medical parameters on driving in a controlled, replicable environment. Driving performance should be evaluated using a composite driving score, since the pathway to impaired driving is highly idiosyncratic and could involve any number of individual driving parameters. Although simulators still do not have accepted standards for hardware, driving scenarios, or performance variables, the authors propose a partial solution to permit comparisons of composite scores across simulators. They recommend presenting simulator data via a standardized average effect size, which they call the Impaired Driving Score (IDS). The authors describe how the IDS is calculated, and present data comparing 16 male and 15 female teenage drivers with ADHD who participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Using an equivalent-dose regimen, they compared the effects of 72 mg of OROSÂR MPH (ConcertaÂR), 30mg of se-AMPH XRÂR (Adderall XRÂR) and placebo on driving performance. Participants drove their Atari Research Driving Simulator at 5, 8, and 11 pm under all three medication conditions with atleast a week between conditions/drives. The primary outcome measure was participants' IDS. Across all three times, performance on ConcertaÂR was superior to placebo (p=.005), while Adderall XRÂR was not (p=.14). When analyzed separately, however, only one variable was statistically significant (seconds spent speeding, p<.01). Composite driving scores permit the comparison of driving performance across various experimental conditions and with a normative database. Furthermore, since the IDS is based on a multi-faceted assessment of driving performance, it is less vulnerable to random effects and offers a more robust indicator of driving performance.
Elastic Properties, Equibiaxial Strength and Fracture Toughness of Electrolyte Material for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (Sofcs)

The mechanical properties of single and multi-layer tape-cast 8mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) were characterized up to 800°C in air. Elastic properties were determined by Impulse Excitation and Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy as a function of porosity and temperature. Equibiaxial strength was determined by the Ring-on-Ring test method and the results ware analyzed using Weibull statistics.Fracture toughness was determined by double torsion. It was found that the elastic moduli, characteristic strength and fracture toughness of YSZ samples decrease with testing temperature between 20°C and 600°C, but that they increased slightly between 600°C. and 800°C. It was also found that the characteristic strength of multi-layer YSZ samples is always lower than that of single-layer samples and that the difference in characteristic strength values between single and multi-layer samples decreased with temperature. Fractographic analyses suggest that a possible explanation for the significantly lower biaxial strength of multi-layer samples is the occurrence of interfacial defects in multi-layer samples.
The Correlation Function of Multiple Dependent Poisson Processes Generated by the Alternating Renewal Process Method

We derive conditions under which alternating renewal processes can be used to construct correlated Poisson processes. The pairwise correlation function is also derived, showing that the resulting correlations can be negative. The technique and the analysis can be extended to the generation of two or more dependent renewal processes.
Mega weaver: a simple iterative approach for BAC consensus assembly

Hierarchical genome assembly can be divided into three distinct stages: Sequencing and assembling shotgun reads for each of a series of selected BAC clones; assembling the resulting fragments into BAC consensus sequences; and mapping and orienting the BAC consensus according to external positional information. We report a new approach for BAC consensus assembly that relies on iterative layouts of overlapping sequence, with no need for prior masking of repetitive sequence. The approach includes major steps of quality filtering and an iterative screening algorithm within and between clusters of overlapping BAC fragments. Each step includes numerous minor steps designed to detect false overlaps at minimal expense in true overlaps In contrast to dynamic algorithms, our approach attempts to minimize false overlaps before attempting to form BAC consensus sequences. We show that false overlaps are reduced to a degree that final BAC consensus assembly is straightforward under a cooordinate system described in the paper. Using human chromosome 22 and a range of simulation conditions, an average of 98.1% false overlaps could be removed, while 6.7% of true overlaps were not detected. The final assembled BAC consensus sequences were nearly optimal, and support the usefulness of our approach for future hierarchical sequencing projects.
Performance of nine Florida native wildflower species grown in varying container substrates

Rising costs of container substrates and increased interest in use of native wildflowers for landscapes necessitates the continued evaluation of production methods. The composition of a container substrate can directly affect not only propagation success but also future growth, development, and establishment. Thus, a number of container substrates have been formulated and marketed for improved drainage, root distribution, and plant growth. We evaluated performance of 9 wildflower species native to Florida in 4 commercially available substrates. Within each substrate treatment, plants were evaluated in the greenhouse for 20 wk prior to an additional 40-wk landscape evaluation. Survival, performance, and flower duration varied by treatment and species. Smith AM, Wilson SB, Thetford M, Nolan KL, Adams CR. 2014. Performance of nine Florida native wildflower species grown in varying container substrates. Native Plants Journal 15(1):75–86.
Circles, Ladders and Stars: Nietzsche on friendship

(1999). Circles, Ladders and Stars: Nietzsche on friendship. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy: Vol. 2, The Challenge to Friendship in Modernity, pp. 50-73.
Identification of Protein Nitrosothiols Using Phosphine-Mediated Selective Reduction

Regulation of protein function by S-nitrosation of critical cysteines is known to be an important mechanism for nitric oxide signaling. Evidence for this comes from several different experimental approaches including the ascorbate-based biotin switch method. However technical problems with specificity and sensitivity of ascorbate reduction of S-nitrosothiols limit its usefulness and reliability. In the current study we report the use of triphenylphosphine ester derivatives to selectively reduce SNO bonds in proteins. After triphenylphosphine ester reduction, thiols were tagged with biotin or fluorescently labeled maleimide reagents. Importantly we demonstrate that these compounds are specific reductants of SNO in complex biological samples and do not reduce protein disulfides or protein thiols modified by hydrogen peroxide. Reduction proceeds efficiently in cell extracts and in whole fixed cells. Application of this approach allowed us to demonstrate S-nitrosation of specific cellular proteins, label S-nitrosoproteins in whole fixed cells (especially the nuclear compartment) and demonstrate S-nitrosoprotein formation in cells expressing inducible nitric oxide synthase.
Deliberate Product Definition: Customizing the Product Definition Process:

The process of product definition, during which a firm establishes the product specifications, has a vital influence on the success of a product but has attracted little attention from researchers....
Visible absorption spectrum of gaseous ferrocene

Abstract The absorption spectrum of gaseous ferrocene was observed using intracavity laser photoacoustic spectroscopy in the spectral regions from 17800 to 15500 and 14300 to 11300 cm −1 . The 4-0 CH stretching local mode transition appeared as a double peak at 11712 and 11669 cm −1 . This new vibrational data combined with results of other workers allows us to propose a vibrational level pattern for the internal rotation and CH stretching mode of ferrocene. Broad absorptions peaking around 16250 and 13300 cm −1 were observed and assigned to the nonallowed d-d transitions. This is the first experimental observation of these extremely weak transitions in the gas phase. We estimate the molar extinction coefficient to be about 10 −2 M −1 cm −1 .
Potential constants and dissociation pathways

Abstract There has been ambiguity in the literature concerning the concept of “ minimum energy” pathways for unimolecular dissociation. The interaction displacement coordinates obtained from. a vibrational analysis of tile infrared and Raman spectra indicate a constrained minimum energy pathway in the quadratic approximation. On the other hand, the unconstrained minimum energy path follows the minimum gradient on the potential energy surface which initially follows one of the normal coordinates. We have investigated the difference in these concepts using the CO2 molecule as a simple example. Though an accurate potential function is not known, a good quartic function has been obtained by Suzuki. Of course at CO bond displacements corresponding to O + CO we know that the remaining CO bond length must be that of the CO molecule. The quartic function is not satisfactory much beyond 0.3 A displacement of either bond; however, we can expect a Morse function to give satisfactory behavior at large displacements. On the other hand, simple Morse functions for the two bonds do not allow for any coordinate interactions, so one must include other terms. We have fit the quartic function near equilibrium with a simple combination of two Morse functions plus a valence bond-bond interaction term which decreases at increased displacement of either bond. We have neglected bending motion for simplicity. The potential energy expression used is in which R1 and R2 are displacements of bonds 1 and 2 from equilibrium. It is encouraging that this relatively simple function when made to fit the quadratic and cubic constants fits the three quartic constants K1111, K1112, and K1122 and the bond length for free CO at large displacement (+2 A)so well. This function will be used to discuss the two concepts of minimum energy pathways. Application to other linear triatomics, such as CS2 and N2O are discussed also. A few comments will be presented on the ONF molecule, a somewhat more complicated species.
Doubly charged Negative Ions of Oxygen, Fluorine, Chlorine and Bromine

ELECTRON impact processes give rise to both positive and negative ions. The negative ions are, in general, only about 10−3 times as intense as the positive ions. In contrast with positive ions, only singly charged negative ions have previously been reported. Calculations involving the crystalline state, where doubly charged negative ions (such as O = and S =) apparently do exist, indicate that the formation of O = from O − requires 7.8 eV in the gas phase1. The lifetime of a doubly charged ion in the gas phase would be expected to be short and has been predicted to be 10−10 sec or less2—too short for observation in the usual mass spectrometer. This communication reports the observation of doubly charged negative ions of oxygen, fluorine, chlorine and bromine, with indications that the lifetimes are of the order of 10−4 sec (the ion collection time in the mass spectrometer used).