cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Linear free energy relationships in RNA transesterification: theoretical models to aid experimental interpretations

RNA cleavage transesterification is of fundamental reaction in biology that is catalyzed by both protein and RNA enzymes. In this work, a series of RNA transesterification model reactions with a wide range of leaving groups are investigated with density-functional calculations in an aqueous solvation environment in order to study linear free energy relationships (LFERs) and their connection to transition state structure and bonding. Overall, results obtained from the polarizable continuum solvation model with UAKS radii produce the best linear correlations and closest overall agreement with experimental results. Reactions with a poor leaving group are predicted to proceed via a stepwise mechanism with a late transition state that is rate controlling. As leaving group becomes more acidic and labile, the barriers of both early and late transition states decrease. LFERs for each transition state are computed, with the late transition state barrier showing greater sensitivity to leaving group pKa. For sufficiently enhanced leaving groups, the reaction mechanism transits to a concerted mechanism characterized by a single early transition state. Further linear relationships were derived for bond lengths and bond orders as a function of leaving group pKa and rate constant values that can be used for prediction. This work provides important benchmark linear free energy data that allows a molecular-level characterization of the structure and bonding of the transition states for this important class of phosphoryl transfer reactions. The relations reported herein can be used to aid in the interpretation of data obtained from experimental studies of non-catalytic and catalytic mechanisms.
Improved flexibility in MODR using a supersonic jet source: Applications to CO+ and CN

Abstract Microwave—optical double resonance (MODR) is carried out on the N = 1 ← 0 transitions of CN and CO + , which are rotationally cooled in a supersonic jet. Large modulations in the probe LIF (≈100%) are observed without optical saturation, demonstrating that short pulse dye lasers may be used in MODR. Hyperfine constants for 12 C 14 N in X 2 Σ − (ν = 2) are reported.
Stereospecific effect of ascorbate isomers on p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate oxidase.

SummaryThe kinetic effect of the four stereoisomers of ascorbic acid upon the activity of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate oxidase was studied. Average Michaelis constants for the four stereoisomers, obtained at a p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate concentration of 1.6 × 10-5M, were: D-xyloascorbate, 2.5 × 10-5M; L-araboascorbate 3.8 × 10-5M; and L-xyloascorbate, 4.0 × 10-5M; and D-araboascorbate, 6.7 × 10-5M. V′max values were very similar. The small changes in K′acs demonstrate an ascorbate stereospecificity in the pHPP oxidase reaction, but it does not appear large enough to explain known nutritional effects.
First results from the Cassini radio occultations of the Titan ionosphere

[1] The first four sets of radio occultations of the Titan's ionosphere were obtained by the Cassini spacecraft between March 2006 and May 2007. These occultations occurred at middle and high latitudes, at solar zenith angles from about 86° to 96°. The main ionospheric peak was seen, as expected from modeling and previous observations, near 1200 km, with a density of about 1-3 x 10 3 cm -3 . A consistent ledge near 1000 km was also seen, and one of the polar observations found a significant (∼3 x 10 3 cm -3 ) layer in the region of 500-600 km. This layer also is seen in other observations with a density varying from about 0.7 to 1.7 x 10 cm -3 , suggesting a variable production source (or sources) for this peak.
Thalamus size and outcome in schizophrenia

The size of the thalamus was assessed in 106 patients with schizophrenia and 42 normal controls using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging. The thalamus was traced at five axial levels proportionately spaced from dorsal to ventral directions. Patients with schizophrenia had significantly smaller thalamic areas at more ventral levels. Thalamic size was positively associated with frontal lobe and temporal lobe size. The effects were most marked in the patients with poorer clinical outcome (i.e., "Kraepelinian" patients). These findings are consistent with post-mortem and MRI measurement suggesting reduction in volume of the pulvinar, which occupies a large proportion of the ventral thalamus and which has prominent connections to the temporal lobe.
Feeding Behavior in Free-Ranging, Large African Carnivores

Carnivores exhibit a diverse array of teeth, including peg-like incisors, elongate canines, blade-like carnassials, and rounded, bunodont molars, all of which are presumed to be adapted for particular functions, such as slicing flesh or cracking bones. The validity of these presumed correlations between form and function was explored in a field study of feeding behavior in four sympatric species of free-ranging African carnivores; African lion ( Panthera led ), cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus ), spotted hyena ( Crocuta crocuta ), and wild dog ( Lycaon pictus ). Based on videotapes of feeding behavior on carcasses of ungulates, the associations among use of teeth, motion of jaw, action of neck, use of paws, and type of food were compiled. There were significant interactions between use of teeth and type of food, and use of teeth and action of neck, in all species. Skin tended to be cut with the carnassials in association with a slight pull, whereas muscle was more likely to be pulled from the carcass by the incisors. Bones usually were cracked with the premolars in hyenas and the postcarnassial molars in wild dogs. Repeated chewing motions were most common in all species when eating the toughest foods, i.e., skin or muscle in combination with bone. The association between use of teeth and type of food was not perfect; sometimes skin was cut with incisors and bones were cracked with carnassials. This apparent lack of precision in use of teeth suggests that selection will likely favor specializations for particular functions in teeth other than those that are the primary tools for that purpose.
Living Wage and Optimal Inequality in a Sarkarian Framework

Abstract Principles from the social thought of the Indian philosopher P.R. Sarkar are employed to show that there exists an optimal level of economic inequality that joins the values of economic justice and efficiency. Sarkar favored establishing a living wage as well as a maximum wage that allows for work incentives. It is argued that the primary justification for inequality is to provide incentives for individual productivity, and that the value of those incentives should not exceed the economic contributions they produce. To determine the relative importance of income incentives in motivating individual economic contributions, it is found necessary to develop a multifaceted model of human productivity. Such a model is developed using concepts from humanistic psychology. A Sarkarian individual productivity curve is introduced in diagrammatic analysis to demonstrate the existence of an optimal level of inequality, and also to explain the persistence of extreme income inequality.
Changing trends in the management of early stage endometrial cancer over the past decade: experience from a tertiary cancer center

Objectives: Treatment of locally advanced endometrial cancer is not well established. The “sandwich” approach offers combination treatment with chemotherapy and radiation. The aim of this study was to evaluate overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) between two “sandwich” protocols. Methods: Patients were retrospectively identified between 2006 and 2013 at a single institution. Clinical information was abstracted, including age, body mass index (BMI), surgical debulking method, “sandwich” protocol, disease status, and complications. OS and PFS were calculated using Kaplan–Meier method. Results: A total of 58 patients with high-grade and/or advanced-stage disease were identified who received “sandwich” therapy. The median agewas 61 years (range, 29– years).Median BMIwas 31.9 (range, 19.5– 56.1). All patients had no residual disease after surgical debulking, 19% by laparotomy and 81% by laparoscopy. Twenty-four patients received a “sandwich” protocol of 2 cycles of platinum/taxane chemotherapy followed by radiation and concurrent cisplatin, followed by 2 cycles of platinum/taxane chemotherapy. Thirty-four patients received a 3-cycle platinum/taxane “sandwich” around radiation therapy alone. Among patients treated with the 2-cycle protocol, 75% (18/24) remain with no evidence of disease (NED), 17% are alive with disease (AED), and 8% are dead of disease (DOD). Median time to recurrence was 12 months (range, 1–39 months). Among patients treated with the 3-cycle protocol, 82% (28/34) remain with NED, 6% are AED, and 12% are DOD. Median time to recurrence was 7 months (range, 4–44 months). PFS of the 2-cycle protocol was 12 months (range, 1–39months) compared to 7 months (range, 4–44months) in the 3-cycle protocol (P=0.12). The OS of the 2-cycle protocol was 22 months (range, 7–65 months) compared to 33 months (range, 11–100 months) in the 3-cycle protocol (P= 0.76). Complications included pulmonary embolism in seven patients (4/7 in 2-cycle, 3/7 in 3 cycles) and severe grade 3/4 neutropenia in five patients (4/5 in 2-cycle, 1/5 in 3-cycle). Conclusions: Optimizing care for locally advanced disease is challenging. In our study, no statistically significant difference was shown in PFS and OS between protocols. The concurrent use of cisplatin with radiation therapy needs to be further studied because it may provide the same efficacy in fewer chemotherapy cycles.
In vivo isotope-fractionation factors and the measurement of deuterium- and oxygen-18-dilution spaces from plasma, urine, saliva, respiratory water vapor, and carbon dioxide.

In vivo isotope-fractionation factors were determined for hydrogen and oxygen between plasma water samples and samples of urine, saliva, respiratory water vapor, and carbon dioxide in 20 normal adults. The isotope-fractionation factors ranged from 0.944 to 1.039 for /sup 2/H in breath water vapor and for /sup 18/O in breath CO/sub 2/, respectively. When corrected for isotope fractionation, the /sup 2/H- and /sup 18/O-dilution spaces determined from urine, saliva, respiratory water, and CO/sub 2/ were within -0.10 +/- 1.09 kg (mean +/- SD, n = 60) and 0.04 +/- 0.68 kg (n = 80), respectively, of the values determined from plasma. In the absence of these corrections, we observed a 6% overestimation of /sup 2/H-dilution space and a 1% overestimation of /sup 18/O-dilution space from the use of respiratory water values. A 4% underestimation of the /sup 18/O-dilution space was observed for breath CO/sub 2/ without correction for isotope fractionation.
Urine Citrate and Calcium in Calcium Nephrolithiasis

Our particular interest concerns urine citrate in idiopathic calcium oxalate stone disease. Only 3 previous (1,2,6) studies have included both sexes; they disagree as to the level of urine citrate, and the reduction of citrate in patients compared to normal, although both find that patients excrete less citrate than normals. They used different citrate methods. In one of the two, the numbers of women were small: 7 patients and 15 normals. In four other studies, of only men, patients were found to excrete between 97 and 63 percent as much citrate as normals (3,4,5,6,7).
Current High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Methodology in Analysis of Nucleotides, Nucleosides, and Their Bases. I

This review of HPLC technology is presented in two parts. An introduction to chromatography, sample preparation, and basic information on chromatographic theory and terminology, modes, and instrumentation is presented here. A discussion of stationary and mobile phase parameters which can be varied to optimize separations is also presented here. The second part of the review, which will appear in the next issue, will cover peak identification, quantification, and selected applications. The applications include short discussions of applications of HPLC for metabolic profiling, for assays of adenosine and cyclic nucleotides in studies of disease processes, and for enzyme assays. The paper concludes with a short discussion of future trends for HPLC in biomedical research and clinical chemistry.
Kisspeptin inhibits a slow afterhyperpolarization current via protein kinase C and reduces spike frequency adaptation in GnRH neurons.

Kisspeptin signaling via its cognate receptor G protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54) in gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons plays a critical role in regulating pituitary secretion of lutei...
Transport Properties of Narrow Gap II-VI Superlattices

The present understanding of the carrier transport properties in Hg-based super-lattices such as the HgTe-CdTe system is reviewed. Novel features in the calculated superlattice band structures and their implications for macroscopic transport properties are discussed. Nearly all of the main experimental results are qualitatively consistent with a large valence band offset, but are difficult to explain if the offset is small. The valence band offset controversy thus appears to have been largely resolved.
Concurrent HER2 vaccination and inhibition of kinase activity: safety and immunogenicity

Passive immunotherapy with the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab and tyrosine kinase activity inhibition with lapatinib are HER2-targeted therapies used in the clinic for the treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast cancers. Unfortunately, the therapeutic efficacy of both these therapies is abolished by primary and acquired tumor resistance. Active immunotherapy against HER2, which, thanks to trastuzumab, is a clinically validated tumor-associated antigen, might provide an alternative therapeutic strategy for HER2-overexpressing breast cancers. This Phase I study of HER2 immunotherapy with concomitant lapatinib treatment in 12 patients with metastatic breast cancer resistant to trastuzumab demonstrates the feasibility and safety of concurrent vaccination against HER2 and inhibition of HER1 and HER2 kinases. However, it is inconclusive regarding the effect of lapatinib on the immune responses induced by dHER2/AS15; vaccination triggered variable levels of anti-HER2 antibodies in all the patients, but a HER2-specific T-cell response was detected in one patient only. Since the presence of Tregs in these patients was not assessed, it remains unclear whether lapatinib and/or Tregs account for the near absence of a T-cell response.
Puerperal sterilization on the private and ward services of a large metropolitan hospital.

Analysis was made of the incidence of puerperal sterilization at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City during the January 1953-January 1957 period. Multiparity was the major reason for the sterilization with socioeconomic rather than medical reasons preponderating. Only 1.1% of the private patients were sterilized during this period while 7.9% of the ward patients were sterilized. The incidence on the ward has gradually doubled. 91% were performed by Pomeroy tubal ligation and 9% by hysterectomy. The percentage of hysterectomies was higher among ward patients. Assessment of the results of sterilization was made for 1953 1954 and 1955 patients. There were no poststerilization pregnancies in 157 clinic patients and no known maternal deaths among 544 women who had puerperal sterilization. The sterilization seemed to have little effect on subsequent sex life for most of the patients. Less than 5% regretted having been sterilized.
Chiste Components Corporation

Management has requested bank support for a modist expansion. Careful analysis reveals that there is a large stock of hidden inventory in the distribution system. The banks must figure out how they will resolve this now-troubled loan.
Clinical relevance of BCL-2 overexpression in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Enforced BCL-2 gene expression in leukemic cell lines suppresses apoptosis and confers resistance to anticancer drugs, but the clinical significance of increased BCL-2 protein levels in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is unknown. Among 52 children with newly diagnosed ALL, BCL-2 expression in leukemic lymphoblasts ranged widely, from 4,464 to 59,753 molecules of equivalent soluble fluorochrome per cell (MESF), as determined by flow cytometry. The mean (+/- SD) level of MESF in 43 cases of B-lineage ALL (19,410 +/- 11,834) was higher than that detected in CD10+ B-lymphoid progenitors from normal bone marrow (450 +/- 314; P < .001), and CD19+ peripheral blood B lymphocytes (7,617 +/- 1,731; P = .02). Levels of BCL-2 in T-ALL cases (17,909 +/- 18,691) were also generally higher than those found in normal CD1a+ thymocytes (1,762 +/- 670), or in peripheral blood T lymphocytes (9,687 +/- 3,019). Although higher levels of BCL-2 corresponded to higher leukemic cell recoveries after culture in serum-free medium, they did not correlate with higher cell recoveries after culture on stromal layers, or with in vitro resistance to vincristine, dexamethasone, 6- thioguanine, cytarabine, teniposide, daunorubicin or methotrexate. BCL- 2 protein levels did not correlate with presenting clinical features. Unexpectedly, however, lower-than-median MESF values were significantly associated with the presence of chromosomal translocations (P = .010). Notably, all six cases with the Philadelphia chromosome, a known high- risk feature, had low levels of BCL-2 expression (P = .022). Higher levels of BCL-2 were not associated with poorer responses to therapy among 33 uniformly treated patients, and were not observed in three patients studied at relapse. In conclusion, increased BCL-2 expression in childhood ALL appears to enhance the ability of lymphoblasts to survive without essential trophic factors, and is inversely related to the presence of chromosomal translocations. However, it does not reflect increased disease aggressiveness or resistance to chemotherapy.
Quantity, Not Frequency, Predicts Bother with Urinary Incontinence and its Impact on Quality of Life in Adults with Spina Bifida

Purpose: The effects of urinary incontinence on health related quality of life in adults with spina bifida is poorly understood. We determined which quantification method best captures bother with urinary incontinence. We also quantified the impact of urinary incontinence on health related quality of life.Materials and Methods: We surveyed an international sample of adults with spina bifida online from January 2013 through September 2014. We evaluated dry intervals (4 hours or greater considered social continence), quantity of urinary incontinence (a lot, medium, little, none) and number of undergarments worn daily (pads, pull-ups or disposable underwear). A 5-point Likert bother scale was used. We applied validated instruments, including QUALAS-A (Quality of Life Assessment in Spina Bifida for Adults) and the generic WHOQOL-BREF (WHO Quality of Life). We analyzed data using linear regression with a range of 0 to 100 for all outcomes.Results: Mean age of the 461 participants was 32 years and 31.0% were ma...
Optical Trapping and Two-Photon Excitation of Colloidal Quantum Dots Using Bowtie Apertures

We demonstrate bowtie apertures that were designed and fabricated by a lift-off process to optically trap individual, 30 nm, silica-coated quantum dots (scQD). Simulations and experiments confirm the trapping capability of the system with a relatively low continuous wave trapping flux of 1.56 MW/cm2 at 1064 nm. Additionally, the scQD emits upon trapping via two-photon excitation from the trapping laser due to strong field enhancement inside the aperture. This system is an exciting platform for studying light–matter interactions and mulitphoton processes in single emitters.
Data-Guided Approach for Learning and Improving User Experience in Computer Networks

Machine learning algorithms have been traditionally used to understand user behavior or system performance. In computer networks, with a subset of input features as controllable network parameters, we envision developing a data-driven network resource allocation framework that can optimize user experience. In particular, we explore how to leverage a classier learned from training instances to optimally guide network resource allocation to improve the overall performance on test instances. Based on logistic regression, we propose an optimal resource allocation algorithm, as well as heuristics with low-complexity. We evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms using a synthetic Gaussian dataset, a real world dataset on video streaming over throttled networks, and a tier-one cellular operator’s customer complaint traces. The evaluation demonstrates the eectiveness of the
Cell-specific expression of fibronectin and EIIIA and EIIIB splice variants after oxygen injury.

Cellular fibronectin (cFN) expression is characteristic of injured tissues. Unlike plasma FN, cFN mRNA often contains the EIIIA or EIIIB domains. We examined the lung cell-specific expression of to...
Peaceful Nuclear Explosions in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Russia

INTRODUCTION In the aftermath of glasnost ' and the break-up of the Soviet Union, increasing interest has developed within Russia on ecological damage in general and underground nuclear explosions in particular. Much of the attention has been directed at the nuclear test sites in Novaya Zemlya and Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan, where both underground and surface testing have been conducted. Publicity about leakage of radioactive gas from the Semipalatinsk test site and health problems apparently related to nuclear testing led to a moratorium on testing there in 1990 (Feshbach and Friendly, 1992). In addition to detonations at the test sites, numerous peaceful nuclear explosions (PNEs) were conducted for crustal and mantle structure studies throughout the former USSR(e.g., Benz et al., 1992), as well as for economic and developmental purposes. Of these, twelve were conducted in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), eastern Russian Federation. These PNEs were primarily conducted in the western part of...
An examination of mortality and other adverse events related to electroconvulsive therapy using a national adverse event report system.

Background:There is currently an incomplete understanding of adverse events related to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatments. Much of the published literature is based either on a limited number of ECT providers or reports not representative of modern ECT practice.Methods:We searched the Vetera
Effects of Planting Methods on Occurrence and Damage of Rice Sheath Blight

The aim of this paper was to determine the effects of planting methods on the occurrence of rice sheath blight. We studied the relationship between the occurrence and damage degree of rice sheath blight and different planting methods in the early rice at Test and Demonstration Base of Changsha County. The results showed that the occurrence and damage degree of rice sheath blight showed as throwing transplanted riceTraditional Planting Ricedirect-sowing ricerice of transplanting by machine. Accounted all results, it was reasonable to draw the conclusion that the main effects which influenced the occurrence level of sheath blight were the planting method and planting density of rice.
Arrested development: coordinating regeneration with development and growth in Drosophila melanogaster

The capacity for tissues to regenerate often varies during development. A better understanding how developmental context regulates regenerative capacity will be an important step towards enhancing the regenerative capacity of tissues to repair disease or damage. Recent work examining the regeneration of imaginal discs in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has begun to identify mechanisms by which developmental progress restricts regeneration, and elucidate how Drosophila coordinates regenerative repair with the growth and development of the entire organism. Here we review recent advances in describing the interplay between development and tissue regeneration in Drosophila and identify questions that arise from these findings.
Hydrogen diffusion and trapping in nickel

An analysis of hydrogen transport in pure polycrystalline nickel foils and rods at 300-550 K shows that both trapping and short-circuit diffusion are present and have small yet significant effects on permeation, evolution, and absorption. Both effects appear to be associated primarily with the dislocation substructure of nickel. Relations describing hydrogen transport in nickel are obtained using the data on deuterium permeation, tritium absorption, and outgassing in pure polycrystalline nickel together with earlier measurements of diffusivity and solubility of hydrogen isotopes.
Effect of Lanthanide and Cobalt Ions on Electron Spin Relaxation of Tempone in Glassy Water:Glycerol at 20 to 200 K

The enhancement of X-band spin–lattice and spin–spin relaxation rates for the nitroxide tempone (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-oxo-piperidin-1-oxyl) in 1:1 water:glycerol by Dy3+, Er3+, Tm3+ or Co2+ was examined between 20 and 200 K. Nitroxide relaxation rates were measured by two-pulse spin echo and three-pulse inversion recovery. The impact of the rapidly relaxing metal aquo ions on 1/T 1 of the nitroxide increases in the order Co2+ ~ Er3+ < Dy3+ < Tm3+. The maximum spin–lattice relaxation enhancement occurs at about 35 K for Dy3+, 40 K for Er3+, and 60 K for Co2+. When the metal ion is bound to the chelator diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) the maximum enhancements for Dy(DTPA)2− and Er(DTPA)2− shift to about 80 K. The maximum enhancement is proposed to occur when 1/T 1 for the metal ion is approximately equal to the resonance frequency for the nitroxide. Interaction with the paramagnetic metal ion causes a much larger fractional change in 1/T 1 than for 1/T 2. Below about 20 K the enhancement of nitroxide 1/T 2 increases, which is attributed to relaxation of the metal ions at rates comparable to the electron–electron dipolar coupling, expressed in frequency units.
To Drill or Not to Drill: What Constitutes Commencement of Drilling Operations in Pennsylvania

The recent economic viability of the Marcellus Shale formation has brought oil and gas lease issues to the legal spotlight in Pennsylvania. What constitutes "Commencement of Drilling Operations" in Pennsylvania is a topic in Pennsylvania that has not been fully developed. This paper seeks to analyze current Pennsylvania law on what constitutes "Commencement of Drilling Operations." The paper purports to interpret the phrase in manner more consistent with current oil and drilling practices and in line with numerous other states that have dealt with this issue.
Algebraic list-decoding of subspace codes with multiplicities

Koetter and Kschischang introduced subspace codes in order to correct errors and erasures for randomized network coding, in the case where network topology is unknown (the noncoherent case). The codewords are vector subspaces of a fixed ambient space; thus codes for this model are collections of such subspaces. Koetter and Kschis-chang constructed a remarkable family of codes similar to Reed-Solomon codes in that codewords are obtained by evaluating certain (linearized) polynomials. In a previous work, we introduced a new family of sub-space codes based upon Koetter-Kschichang construction wich are efficiently list-decodable. By that we could achieve a better decoding radius at low rates than Koetter-Kschischiang codes. In this paper, we consider the problem of list-decoding of sub-space codes with multiplicities. We first establish the notion of multiplicity for linearized polynomials in this context. Then we take advantage of enforcing multiple roots for the interpolation polynomial in order to achieve a better decoding radius. We are also able to list-decode at higher rates. The end result is the following: for any integers L and r, our list-L decoder with multiplicity r guarantees successful recovery of the message subspace provided that the normalized dimension of the error is at most 2(L+1)/r+1 − 1 − L(L+1)/r(r+1) R∗ where R∗ is the normalized packet rate. This improves the normalized decoding radius upon the previous results for a wide range of rates. The parameter r is independent of the code construction and can be chosen at the decoder in such a way that the decoding radius is maximized. As L tends to infinity, the decoding radius of our construction with appropriate choice of r approaches 1/R∗ − 1.
GE's big bet on data and analytics

While many software companies like SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft have traditionally been focused on providing technology for the back office, General Electric (GE) is leading the development of a new breed of operational technology (OT) that literally sits on top of industrial machinery. Long known as the technology that controls and monitors machines, OT now goes beyond these functions by connecting machines via the cloud and using data analytics to help predict breakdowns and assess the machines overall health. GE executives say they are redefining industrial automation by extracting lessons from the IT revolution and customizing them for rugged heavy-industrial environments. One such environment is the oil and gas industry, where GE sees a $1 billion opportunity for its OT software. In September 2015, GE projected its revenue from software products would reach $15 billion by 2020 three times its 2015 bookings. While software sales today are derived largely from traditional measurement and control offerings, GE expects that by 2020, most software revenue will come from its Predix1 software, a cloud-based platform for creating Industrial Internet applications. GE wants to go beyond helping its customers manage the performance of individual GE machines to managing the data on all of the machines in a customers entire operation.
Competing Bids in Class Action Settlements

The Article suggests a strategy that might be useful for ensuring the fairness of some class action settlements. When counsel presents a settlement for evaluation, the court could allow objectors to file ex post bids for lead counsel rights. The bids would be backed by guarantees that class members would be no worse off if the lead counsel rights are transferred. If a proposed guarantee offers satisfactory assurances, the court would presumptively transfer lead counsel rights to the objector’s counsel. When the case is eventually resolved, the attorneys’ fee would be allocated between new and old counsel according to a principle that provides rewards for maximizing class recovery while not impairing incentives to bring suit. Ex post bids could have special relevance in the context of “reverse auctions” in which the defendant effectively sells the case to the low-bidding class counsel, and might improve class action settlements more generally as a corrective for bad results and as a deterrent against abuse.
Invasive seaweeds transform habitat structure and increase biodiversity of associated species

Summary The visual landscape of marine and terrestrial systems is changing as a result of anthropogenic factors. Often these shifts involve introduced species that are morphologically dissimilar to native species, creating a unique biogenic structure and habitat for associated species within the landscape. While community-level changes as a result of introduced species have been documented in both terrestrial and marine systems, it is still unclear how long-term shifts in species composition will affect habitat complexity or its potential to influence the biodiversity of species that occur at the base of the food web. We analysed quadrat photos collected at several subtidal sites in the Gulf of Maine over a 30+ year period, and collected individual seaweed species to determine their complexity and the biodiversity of meso-invertebrates associated with each species. By coupling the relationship of 30+ years of shifts in seaweed assemblages, morphological structure of the seaweed assemblage, and their meso-invertebrates, we determined introduced seaweeds have increased by up to 90%, corresponding to a rise in two-dimensional (2D) structure, and a decline in canopy height of subtidal rocky habitats. The highly complex two-dimensional habitat provided by introduced filamentous red seaweeds supports two to three times more meso-invertebrate individuals and species that form the base of the food web than simpler forms of morphological habitat. Synthesis. The present study demonstrates a long-term shift in foundation species towards a dominance of invasive seaweeds that directly reduce canopy height and increase the 2D biogenic structure of the habitat. These introduced seaweeds harbour greater biodiversity of species found at the base of the food web than seaweeds with simpler forms such as the native kelp species. Such shifts in habitat structure will propagate to food webs by influencing the structure of lower trophic-level meso-invertebrates and indirectly upper trophic-level species that feed on these invertebrates and use the seaweed structure as refuge.
Broadening Regulation D: Congress Should Let More People Invest in Private, High-Growth Companies

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Regulation D accounts for more than $1.3 trillion in new capital annually. Under current Regulation D rules, sophisticated investors without high incomes or net worth are often unable to invest in the companies that offer the greatest opportunities (often with greater risk). People who fall in this category are disproportionately young. Current rules are amorphous and have demonstrably limited the pool of people from whom businesses can raise capital. Congress should provide bright-line rules for determining who is financially sophisticated, and therefore eligible to invest in Regulation D private placements. This would increase the number of people allowed to invest in private firms, broadening the options available to investors and helping entrepreneurs to raise capital. The House-passed Fair Investment Opportunities for Professional Experts Act would have a positive impact on both investors and entrepreneurs. It should, however, be improved by (1) broadening the definition of who would qualify as a sophisticated investor, and (2) minimizing the role of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
61 Psychosocial correlates of physical violence perpetration and sexual coercion among at-risk emerging adults

Purpose Violence is the second leading cause of death among youth. Alcohol misuse and psychopathology have consistently been linked with violence perpetration. This study examines the relationship between alcohol misuse, reporting a mental health concern, trait mindfulness and dating violence perpetration (physical perpetration [PDV] and sexual coercion [SDV]). Methods Emerging adults (EA; 18–25 years old) were recruited from an urban emergency department (ED) and completed a self-administered computer survey that asked about DV, alcohol use, mental health (anxiety and depression), trait mindfulness, and demographics. Two negative binominal logistic regressions were conducted separately for PDV and SDV, examining associations with alcohol use, drug use, trait mindfulness, anxiety, depression, and demographic characteristics. Results The sample included 665 EAs (68.5% Male; 61.2% Black, 39% White/other). Analyses showed that identifying as Black was associated with PDV compared to identification as White/other. Analyses also showed that alcohol misuse and anxiety were positively associated with PDV, such that higher levels of alcohol misuse and anxiety predicted to PDV. Lower levels of trait mindfulness were significantly associated PDV. The second analysis revealed that identifying as Black was associated with SDV compared to identification as White/other. Being male was significantly correlated with SDV compared being female. Receiving public assistance was also positively associated with SDV and trait mindfulness was negatively associated with SDV. Post-hoc analyses were conducted to examine interactions between mental health, substance use and trait mindfulness. Conclusions Findings indicate different contributing factors among those who perpetrate PDV and SDV. One factor that is consistent in both PDV and SDV is lower levels of trait mindfulness and should be a focus of psychotherapeutic interventions to reduce PDV and SDV. Contributions These findings warrant development of future interventions and public policies geared toward supporting preventative measures to decrease PDV and SDV.
Dual-scale Galerkin methods for Darcy flow

Abstract The discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method has found widespread application in elliptic problems with rough coefficients, of which the Darcy flow equations are a prototypical example. One of the long-standing issues of DG approximations is the overall computational cost, and many different strategies have been proposed, such as the variational multiscale DG method, the hybridizable DG method, the multiscale DG method, the embedded DG method, and the Enriched Galerkin method. In this work, we propose a mixed dual-scale Galerkin method, in which the degrees-of-freedom of a less computationally expensive coarse-scale approximation are linked to the degrees-of-freedom of a base DG approximation. We show that the proposed approach has always similar or improved accuracy with respect to the base DG method, with a considerable reduction in computational cost. For the specific definition of the coarse-scale space, we consider Raviart–Thomas finite elements for the mass flux and piecewise-linear continuous finite elements for the pressure. We provide a complete analysis of stability and convergence of the proposed method, in addition to a study on its conservation and consistency properties. We also present a battery of numerical tests to verify the results of the analysis, and evaluate a number of possible variations, such as using piecewise-linear continuous finite elements for the coarse-scale mass fluxes.
Processing real-world violations embedded within a fantasy-world narrative:

Fantasy-text is a genre in which events routinely violate rules we know to be true in the real world. In four experiments, we explored the inherent contradiction between unrealistic fictional events and general world knowledge (GWK) to examine these competing information sources within the context of an extended fantasy-narrative. Experiments 1a and 1b demonstrated that fantasy-unrelated inconsistencies caused disruption to comprehension despite an abundance of contextual support for real-world impossible events that violate GWK. Experiment 2a demonstrated that fantasy-related inconsistencies caused disruption when they occurred at the local level and the fantasy-context stood in direct opposition to the target sentence. However, Experiment 2b demonstrated that disruption can be initially eliminated when readers encountered fantasy-related violations at the global level, but delayed-processing difficulty occurred on the spillover sentence, downstream of the target sentence. All four experiments are discussed within the context of the RI-Val model.
Single-element thermal flow sensor using dual-slope control scheme

Flow rate sensors for in situ gas or liquid monitoring typically comprise multiple transducer elements, including a heater and one or more temperature sensors to measure the rate of heat energy removal by the flowing fluid. The need for multiple transducer elements limits feasibility of shrinking these sensors to microfluidic flow channels and drives fabrication complexity. In this work, a thermal flow sensor architecture is presented that uses a single, resistive transducer element to measure fluid flow with a two-phase control and measurement algorithm. Experimental results demonstrate feasibility of the flow sensor architecture using a micron-scale resistor structure for measuring air flow. By separating heating and temperature measurement in time, instead of in space, this method significantly decreases required transducer area and can be further scaled for use in micro- and nanofluidic channels.
The Politics of Japan's New Budget Process

A significant body of literature has demonstrated that budget institutions and budget processes matter. Both structure the relationship between the key actors, and in doing so influence fiscal outcomes. Beginning in 2001, a new consultative body, the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, was created to centralize budget policy in the executive. This paper examines the impact of changes to Japan's budget process on 1) the politics of budget spending, and 2) fiscal outcomes. The paper concludes that Japan's new budget process has not had any meaningful impact on the relationship among actors. Because the reform also excludes a significant share of budget spending, it is also unlikely to have any substantial impact on fiscal outcomes.
Interactions between CD44 and hyaluronic acid: their role in tumor growth and metastasis.

Adhesion molecules enable lymphocytes to interact with antigen-presenting cells or target cells more effectively (Springer 1990; Butcher 1986; Stoolman 1989). Adhesion molecules also allow lymphocytes or monocytes to interact with endothelial cells or high endothelial venules (HEV). Adhesion molecules enable lymphocytes or monocytes to recirculate and home to specific anatomical sites during inflammation. Tumor metastasis is a complex phenomenon involving a sequence of events that remain poorly understood (Fidler 1978; Nicolson 1988; Kahn 1992; Stetler-Stevenson et al. 1993; Turley 1984). Tumor metastatic cascade involves tumor cell and host cell interactions and may also involve interactions among tumor cells. Tumor cells developed in different microenvironments may utilize different mechanisms for invasion and metastasis. This interpretation was supported by results obtained from experiments using orthoptopic implantation of human carcinoma cells in nude mice (Fidler and Radinsky 1990; Fidler et al. 1990). Human colon carcinoma cell lines do not metastasize unless they are injected into the cecum or spleen of nude mice (Fidler 1991). Subcutaneous injection of the same tumor cell lines results in a significantly lower frequency of metastasis formation. These observations have also been observed with human breast, stomach, pancreas, and prostate tumor cell lines (Fidler and Radinsky 1990; Fidler 1990, 1991). In general, orthotopic transplants of human tumors into nude mice favors recapitulation of the metastatic patterns seen in patients with the same tumor.
Modular Arithmetic and Divisibility Criteria.

THERE are well-known tests to deter mine when a positive integer fc written in decimal notation is divisible by such num bers as 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, or II.1 These tests substitute for fc some testing expression that can be checked more easily than fc itself. For example, the testing expression for divisibility by 2 is the last digit of fc, while the testing expression for 9 is the sum of the digits of fc. In this paper we shall show how concise proofs of these tests can be obtained using the remainder function from the integers to the integers modulo ft, obtain testing expressions for divisibility by other numbers such as 7 and 13, and examine how the integers modulo ft can be used to determine divisi bility in the absence of testing expressions. The following notational conventions will be adopted for this paper:
Aging and Attentional Control: Examining the Roles of Mind-Wandering Propensity and Dispositional Mindfulness

Objectives: Aging is associated with declines in performance on certain laboratory tasks of attentional control. However, older adults tend to report greater mindful, present-moment attention and less mind-wandering (MW) than young adults. For older adults, high levels of these traits may be protective for attentional performance. This study examined age-related differences in global (i.e., full-task) and local (i.e., pre-MW) attentional control and explored the variance explained by MW and mindfulness. Methods: Cross-sectional comparisons were conducted on data from a previously reported sample of 75 older adults (ages, 60–75 years) and a new sample of 50 young adults (ages, 18–30 years). All participants completed a Go/No-Go task and a Continuous Performance Task with quasi-random MW probes. Results: There were few age-related differences in attentional control. Although MW was not associated with decrements in global performance, local performance measures revealed deleterious effects of MW, which were present across age groups. Older adults reported higher trait mindfulness and less MW than young adults, and these variables helped explain the lack of observed age-related differences in attentional control. Conclusions: Individual differences in dispositional mindfulness and MW propensity explain important variance in attentional performance across age. Increasing present-moment focus and reducing lapses in attention represent important targets for cognitive rehabilitation interventions. (JINS, 2018, 24, 876–888)
Towards View-Independent Viseme Recognition Based on CNNS and Synthetic Data

Visual Speech Recognition is the ability to interpret spoken text using video information only. To address such task automatically, recent works have employed Deep Learning and obtained high accuracy on the recognition of words and sentences uttered in controlled environments, with limited head-pose variation. However, the accuracy drops for multi-view datasets and when it comes to interpreting isolated mouth shapes, such as visemes, the values reported are considerably lower, as shorter segments of speech lack temporal and contextual information. In this work, we evaluate the applicability of synthetic datasets for assisting recognition of visemes in real-world data acquired under controlled and uncontrolled environments, using GRID and AVICAR datasets, respectively. We create two large-scale synthetic 2D datasets based on realistic 3D facial models - with near-frontal and multi-view mouth images. We perform experiments that indicate that a transfer learning approach using synthetic data can get higher accuracy than training from scratch using real data only, on both scenarios.
Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and Prostate Cancer

Typically the normal epithelial cells are a single layer, held tightly by adherent proteins that prevent the mobilization of the cells from the monolayer sheet. During prostate cancer progression, the epithelial cells can undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition or EMT, characterized by morphological changes in their phenotype from cuboidal to spindle-shaped. This is associated with biochemical changes in which epithelial cell markers such as E-cadherin and occludins are down-regulated, which leads to loss of cell-cell adhesion, while mesenchymal markers such as vimentin and N-cadherin are up-regulated, thereby allowing the cells to migrate or metastasize to different organs. The EMT transition can be regulated directly and indirectly by multiple molecular mechanisms including growth factors and cytokines such as transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and signaling pathways such as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (PI3K). This signaling subsequently induces expression of various transcription factors like Snail, Twist, Zeb1/2, that are also known as master regulators of EMT. Various markers associated with EMT have been reported in prostate cancer patient tissue as well as a possible association with health disparities. There has been consideration to therapeutically target EMT in prostate cancer patients by targeting the EMT signaling pathways.