cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trade-Induced Structural Change and the Skill Premium

We study how international trade affects manufacturing employment and the relative wage of unskilled workers when goods and services are traded with different intensities. Manufacturing trade reduces manufacturing prices worldwide, which reduces manufacturing employment if manufactures and services are complements. We document that manufacturing production is unskilled-labor intensive, so that these changes increase the skill-premium. We incorporate this mechanism in a quantitative trade model and show that trade has had a negative impact on manufacturing employment and the relative wage of unskilled workers. The impact on the skill premium was larger in developing countries where manufacturing is particularly unskilled-labor intensive.
Oxidative stress-mediated NFκB phosphorylation upregulates p62/SQSTM1 and promotes retinal pigmented epithelial cell survival through increased autophagy

p62 is a scaffolding adaptor implicated in the clearance of protein aggregates by autophagy. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can either stimulate or inhibit NFκB-mediated gene expression influencing cellular fate. We studied the effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-mediated oxidative stress and NFκB signaling on p62 expression in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and investigated its role in regulation of autophagy and RPE survival against oxidative damage. Cultured human RPE cell line ARPE-19 and primary human adult and fetal RPE cells were exposed to H2O2-induced oxidative stress. The human apolipoprotein E4 targeted-replacement (APOE4) mouse model of AMD was used to study expression of p62 and other autophagy proteins in the retina. p62, NFκB p65 (total, phosphorylated, nuclear and cytoplasmic) and ATG10 expression was assessed by mRNA and protein analyses. Cellular ROS and mitochondrial superoxide were measured by CM-H2DCFDA and MitoSOX staining respectively. Mitochondrial viability was determined using MTT activity. qPCR-array system was used to investigate autophagic genes affected by p62. Nuclear and cytoplasmic levels of NFκB p65 were evaluated after cellular fractionation by Western blotting. We report that p62 is up-regulated in RPE cells under H2O2-induced oxidative stress and promotes autophagic activity. Depletion of endogenous p62 reduces autophagy by downregulation of ATG10 rendering RPE more susceptible to oxidative damage. NFκB p65 phosphorylation at Ser-536 was found to be critical for p62 upregulation in response to oxidative stress. Proteasome inhibition by H2O2 causes p62-NFκB signaling as antioxidant pre-treatment reversed p62 expression and p65 phosphorylation when RPE was challenged by H2O2 but not when by Lactacystin. p62 protein but not RNA levels are elevated in APOE4-HFC AMD mouse model, suggesting reduction of autophagic flux in disease conditions. Our findings suggest that p62 is necessary for RPE cytoprotection under oxidative stress and functions, in part, by modulating ATG10 expression. NFκB p65 activity may be a critical upstream initiator of p62 expression in RPE cells under oxidative stress.
Highlights from BNL-RHIC

Recent highlights from Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) are reviewed and discussed. Topics include: Discovery of the strongly interacting Quark Gluon Plasma (sQGP) in 2005/ RHIC machine operation in 2011 as well as latest achievements from the superconducting Magnet Division and the National Synchrotron Light Source II project. Highlights from QGP physics at RHIC include: comparison of new measurements of charged multiplicity in A+A collisions by ALICE at the LHC to previous RHIC measurements/ Observation of the anti-alpha particle by the STAR experiment/ Collective Flow, including the Triangular Flow discovery and the latest results on v3/ the RHIC beam energy scan in search of the QCD critical point. The pioneering use at RHIC of hard-scattering as a probe of the sQGP will also be reviewed and the latest results presented including: jet-quenching via suppression of high pT particles and two particle correlations/ new results on fragmentation functions using gamma-hadron correlations in p-p and Au+Au collisions/ comparison of jet imbalance in A+A relative to p-p collisions measured by PHENIX using pizero-hadron correlations to CMS measurements with reconstructed jets/ first measurement by PHENIX of anisotropic flow of direct photons in the thermal range 1< pT < 3 GeV/c, with v2 as large as that of pions/ a review of the equality of the suppression of inclusive pi0 (from light quarks and gluons) and direct-single electrons (from the decay of heavy quarks) in the transverse momentum range 4< pT < 9 GeV/c, at RHIC (now also seen with reconstructed charm mesons by ALICE at the LHC) which disfavors a radiative explanation of suppression and leads to a fundamental question of whether the Higgs boson gives mass to fermions.
Simulation of photodetection using finite-difference time-domain method with application to near-field subwavelength imaging based on nanoscale semiconductor photodetector array

Simulation of detecting photoelectrons using multi-level multi-electron (MLME) finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method with an application to near-field subwavelength imaging based on semiconductor nanophotodetector (NPD) array is reported. The photocurrents from the photodiode pixels are obtained to explore the resolution of this novel NPD device for subwavelength imaging. One limiting factor of the NPD device is the optical power coupling between adjacent detector pixels. We investigate such power coupling in the presence of absorbing media as well as the spatial distributions of the electric field and photoelectron density using the MLME FDTD simulation. Our results show that the detection resolution is about one tenth of the operating wavelength, which is comparable to that of a near-field scanning optical microscope based on metal clad tapered fiber.
Torsion cohomology for solvable groups of finite rank

Abstract We define a class U of solvable groups of finite abelian section rank which includes all such groups that are virtually torsion-free as well as those that are finitely generated. Assume that G is a group in U and A a Z G -module. If A is Z -torsion-free and has finite Z -rank, we stipulate a condition on A that guarantees that H n ( G , A ) and H n ( G , A ) must be finite for n ≥ 0 . Moreover, if the underlying abelian group of A is a Cernikov group, we identify a similar condition on A that ensures that H n ( G , A ) must be a Cernikov group for all n ≥ 0 .
Time as a dynamical variable in quantum decay

Abstract We present a theoretical analysis of quantum decay in which the survival probability is replaced by a decay rate that is equal to the absolute value squared of the wave function in the time representation. The wave function in the time representation is simply the Fourier transform of the wave function in the energy representation, and it is also the probability amplitude generated by the Positive Operator Valued Measure of a time operator. The present analysis endows time with a dynamical character in quantum decay, and it is applicable only when the unstable system is monitored continuously while it decays. When the analysis is applied to the Gamow state, one recovers the exponential decay law. The analysis allows us to interpret the oscillations in the decay rate of the GSI anomaly, of neutral mesons, and of fluorescence quantum beats as the result of the interference of two resonances in the time representation. In addition, the analysis allows us to show that the time of flight of a resonance coincides with its lifetime.
THE RAC SIGN: RETROAORTIC ANOMALOUS CORONARY ARTERY VISUALIZATION BY TRANSTHORACIC ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

Background: An unrecognized tubular structure was noted on the transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) of several patients (image, panels A and C). This appeared to correlate with a retroaortic anomalous coronary artery identified on a patient's computed tomography (CT) study (image, panels B, D and E).
Socially Optimal Mining Pools

Mining for Bitcoins is a high-risk high-reward activity. Miners, seeking to reduce their variance and earn steadier rewards, collaborate in so-called pooling strategies where they jointly mine for Bitcoins. Whenever some pool participant is successful, the earned rewards are appropriately split among all pool participants. Currently a dozen of different pooling strategies are in use for Bitcoin mining. We here propose a formal model of utility and social optimality for Bitcoin mining (and analogous mining systems) based on the theory of discounted expected utility, and next study pooling strategies that maximize the utility of participating miners in this model. We focus on pools that achieve a steady-state utility, where the utility per unit of work of all participating miners converges to a common value. Our main result shows that one of the pooling strategies actually employed in practice—the so-called geometric pay pool—achieves the optimal steady-state utility for miners when its parameters are set appropriately. Our results apply not only to Bitcoin mining pools, but any other form of pooled mining or crowdsourcing computations where the participants engage in repeated random trials towards a common goal, and where “partial” solutions can be efficiently verified.
Effect of Enamel Caries Lesion Baseline Severity on Fluoride Dose-Response.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of enamel caries lesion baseline severity on fluoride dose-response under pH cycling conditions. Early caries lesions were created in human enamel specimens at four different severities (8, 16, 24, and 36 h). Lesions were allocated to treatment groups (0, 83, and 367 ppm fluoride as sodium fluoride) based on Vickers surface microhardness (VHN) and pH cycled for 5 d. The cycling model comprised 3 × 1 min fluoride treatments sandwiched between 2 × 60 min demineralization challenges with specimens stored in artificial saliva in between. VHN was measured again and changes versus lesion baseline were calculated (ΔVHN). Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA (p < 0.05). Increased demineralization times led to increased surface softening. The lesion severity×fluoride concentration interaction was significant (p < 0.001). Fluoride dose-response was observed in all groups. Lesions initially demineralized for 16 and 8 h showed similar overall rehardening (ΔVHN) and more than 24 and 36 h lesions, which were similar. The 8 h lesions showed the greatest fluoride response differential (367 versus 0 ppm F) which diminished with increasing lesion baseline severity. The extent of rehardening as a result of the 0 ppm F treatment increased with increasing lesion baseline severity, whereas it decreased for the fluoride treatments. In conclusion, lesion baseline severity impacts the extent of the fluoride dose-response.
Random 3-SAT: The Plot Thickens

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the following questions: how does the average-case complexity of random 3-SAT, understood as a function of the order (number of variables) for fixed density (ratio of number of clauses to order) instances, depend on the density? Is there a phase transition in which the complexity shifts from polynomial to exponential in the order? Is the transition dependent or independent of the solver? Our experiment design uses three complete SAT solvers embodying different algorithms: GRASP, CPLEX, and CUDD. We observe new phase transitions for all three solvers, where the median running time shifts from polynomial in the order to exponential. The location of the phase transition appears to be solver-dependent. GRASP shifts from polynomial to exponential complexity near the density of 3.8, CPLEX shifts near density 3, while CUDD exhibits this transition between densities of 0.1 and 0.5. This experimental result underscores the dependence between the solver and the complexity phase transition, and challenges the widely held belief that random 3-SAT exhibits a phase transition in computational complexity very close to the crossover point.
Incompressible solvable representations of surface groups

Abstract The fundamental group of every surface that is not the projective plane or Klein bottle has a representation to a torsion-free group of upper-triangular matrices in SL 2 ( R ) with no simple loop (i.e. a nontrivial element representing a simple closed curve) in the kernel.
Inequality of opportunity in higher education in the Middle East and North Africa.

Abstract Struggles with inequality have been prominent in the Middle East and North Africa in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. This paper examines the extent and drivers of inequality of opportunity in attaining higher education in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. We find that inequality is similarly high in Egypt and Tunisia, but moderate in Jordan. Background characteristics affect attainment even after accounting for test scores, which are themselves influenced by background. Particularly in Egypt and Tunisia, where higher education is free of charge, public spending on higher education is regressive. Thus, a theoretically meritocratic and equitable system perpetuates inequality.
Position Ranking and Auctions for Online Marketplaces

Online e-commerce platforms, such as Amazon and Taobao, connect thousands of sellers and consumers every day. In this work, we study how such platforms should rank products displayed to consumers a...
Heavy-tailed response of structural systems subjected to stochastic excitation containing extreme forcing events

We characterize the complex, heavy-tailed probability distribution functions (pdf) describing the response and its local extrema for structural systems subjected to random forcing that includes extreme events. Our approach is based on the recent probabilistic decomposition-synthesis technique, where we decouple rare events regimes from the background fluctuations. The result of the analysis has the form of a semi-analytical approximation formula for the pdf of the response (displacement, velocity, and acceleration) and the pdf of the local extrema. For special limiting cases (lightly damped or heavily damped systems) our analysis provides fully analytical approximations. We also demonstrate how the method can be applied to high dimensional structural systems through a two-degrees-of-freedom structural system undergoing rare events due to intermittent forcing. The derived formulas can be evaluated with very small computational cost and are shown to accurately capture the complicated heavy-tailed and asymmetrical features in the probability distribution many standard deviations away from the mean, through comparisons with expensive Monte-Carlo simulations.
Varenicline Reduces Alcohol Intake During Repeated Cycles of Alcohol Reaccess Following Deprivation in Alcohol-Preferring (P) Rats

Background Most alcoholics experience periods of voluntary alcohol abstinence or imposed alcohol deprivation followed by a return to alcohol drinking. The current study examined whether varenicline (VAR) reduces alcohol intake during a return to drinking after periods of alcohol deprivation in rats selectively bred for high alcohol drinking (the alcohol preferring or “P” rats). Methods Alcohol-experienced P rats were given 24-hour access to food and water and scheduled access to alcohol (15% and 30% v/v) for 2 h/d. After 4 weeks, rats were deprived of alcohol for 2 weeks, followed by reaccess to alcohol for 2 weeks, and this pattern was repeated for a total of 3 cycles. Rats were fed either vehicle (VEH) or VAR, in doses of 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg BW, at 1 hour prior to onset of the daily alcohol reaccess period for the first 5 days of each of the 3 alcohol reaccess cycles. Results Low dose VAR (0.5 mg/kg BW) reduced alcohol intake during the 5 days of drug treatment in alcohol reaccess cycles 1 and 2. Higher doses of VAR (1.0 mg/kg BW and 2.0 mg/kg BW) reduced alcohol intake during the 5 days of treatment in all 3 alcohol reaccess cycles. The decrease in alcohol intake disappeared with termination of VAR treatment in all alcohol reaccess cycles. Conclusions The results demonstrate that VAR decreases alcohol intake during multiple cycles of alcohol reaccess following alcohol deprivation in rats and suggests that it may prevent a return to heavy alcohol drinking during a lapse from alcohol abstinence in humans with AUD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Competition between influenza A virus subtypes through heterosubtypic immunity modulates re-infection and antibody dynamics in the mallard duck

Our overall hypothesis is that host population immunity directed at multiple antigens will influence the prevalence, diversity and evolution of influenza A virus (IAV) in avian populations where the vast subtype diversity is maintained. To investigate how initial infection influences the outcome of later infections with homologous or heterologous IAV subtypes and how viruses interact through host immune responses, we carried out experimental infections in mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos). Mallards were pre-challenged with an H3N8 low-pathogenic IAV and were divided into six groups. At five weeks post H3N8 inoculation, each group was challenged with a different IAV subtype (H4N5, H10N7, H6N2, H12N5) or the same H3N8. Two additional pre-challenged groups were inoculated with the homologous H3N8 virus at weeks 11 and 15 after pre-challenge to evaluate the duration of protection. The results showed that mallards were still resistant to re-infection after 15 weeks. There was a significant reduction in shedding for all pre-challenged groups compared to controls and the outcome of the heterologous challenges varied according to hemagglutinin (HA) phylogenetic relatedness between the viruses used. There was a boost in the H3 antibody titer after re-infection with H4N5, which is consistent with original antigenic sin or antigenic seniority and suggest a putative strategy of virus evasion. These results imply competition between related subtypes that could regulate IAV subtype population dynamics in nature. Collectively, we provide new insights into within-host IAV complex interactions as drivers of IAV antigenic diversity that could allow the circulation of multiple subtypes in wild ducks.
Survey of Hand and Upper Extremity Injuries Among Rock Climbers.

Background: Rock climbing first evolved as a sport in the late 18th century. With its growing popularity, the number of rock climbing–related injuries has potential to increase, spurring a rise in ...
Phorbol Ester Inhibition of Ovarian and Testicular Steroidogenesis in Vitro

Possible influences of the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) upon gonadal steroidogenesis were investigated in vitro. Granulosa cells from hypophysectomized, estrogen-treated rats were cultured for 2 days in medium containing 0.1 microM androstenedione. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) treatment increased estrogen, progesterone, and 20 alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one production. Concomitant TPA treatment inhibited FSH-stimulated estrogen production by up to 95% [concentration that induced 50% inhibition of steroid production (ED50), 1.1 ng/ml]. TPA also inhibited FSH-stimulated progesterone (ED50, approximately 0.6 ng/ml) and 20 alpha-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one (ED50, approximately 1.1 ng/ml) production. N6O2'-dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate increased steroidogenesis; however, cotreatment with TPA blocked progestin but not estrogen production. The TPA inhibition of progestin biosynthesis was accompanied by decreases in FSH-stimulated pregnenolone biosynthesis and 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity without decreasing the activity of 20 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. In primary cultures of rat testicular cells, human chorionic gonadotropin treatment increased testosterone production 44-fold, whereas concomitant treatment with TPA inhibited testosterone production by up to 86% (ED50, 10 ng/ml). Cholera toxin and N6O2'-dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate also increased testosterone production, while the actions of these agents were decreased by TPA. The TPA suppression of testosterone production was associated with a decrease in accumulation of 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione and an increase in progesterone production, suggesting a specific inhibition of 17 alpha-hydroxylase and 17,20-lyase activities. These results demonstrate the inhibitory effects of a tumor promoter upon gonadotropin-stimulated steroidogenesis by cultured rat granulosa and Leydig cells through specific regulation of steroidogenic enzymes. Additional studies may assist in further elucidation of cellular mechanisms associated with carcinogenesis and steroidogenesis.
Hypophyseal Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma and Pituitary Adenoma. Case Report and Review of the Literature

A patient with a remote history of nephrectomy for renal ceil carcinoma presented with a visual field defect. At surgery, a metastasis from the hypernephroma and an adenoma were found coexisting in the anterior pituitary gland. Although hypernephromas are known to act as “recipient” tumors in cases in which two primary neopiasms coexist, it is unusual for a renal ceil carcinoma to metastasize into another tumor.
The Case of Canadian Bulk Water Exports

Canada has twenty per cent of the planet’s total fresh water supply. Canada’s water wealth raises the possibility of shipping water in bulk, through tankers or pipelines, to regions suffering from drought. On the one hand, bulk water exports could be an economic boon for Canada and a possible solution to the rising concerns over global water security. On the other hand, bulk water exports could deplete Canada’s water supplies and thereby impact the environment, while creating unsustainable water dependences in its trade partners who may be better served by conserving water, rather than importing water. Canada can engage in sustainable and responsible bulk water exports if it implements necessary legal and regulatory reforms. First, Canada’s treaties should characterize bulk water exports as a “good” for purposes of international trade and investment law. This will allow water pricing and international law to more effectively encourage sustainable management. Second, Canada can formalize already-existing bulk water export relationships through treaties that encourage localized transboundary cooperation. Third, Canada should include water embedded in its agricultural and energy imports and exports to more accurately account for possible water trade deficits.
Documentary relevance and structural hierarchy

THERE is no writer today more closely identified with research into the idea of relevance as operative within the field of documentation than DONALD J. HILLMAN. It is not certain that he sees any real hope for arrival at any sort of technique capable of producing documentsurrogates relevant to real queries-thus excepting those that satisfy queries derived from ‘source-documents’. Yet, in his paper “The Notion of Relevance (I)” [l] he cites, presumably because it is relevant to his own discussion, a paper by B. C. VICKERY, “The Structure of Retrieval Systems” [2]. No classifier, surely, probably not even an indexer, would have thought of using any such conceptual indicator as ‘relevance’ for Vickery’s paper. If (and it is really conditional) we agree with the proponents of citation-indices, it must be that VICKERY'S paper is relevant to HILLMAN'S topic. But why? Even more, how can a technique be devised capable of mechanically tracking down VICKERY'S paper as a result of the query ‘What is available on relevance ?’ ? HILLMAN puts the idea of relevance into question, but it seems to me that even so no one would be unable to say quite a bit about the idea, or at least to decide whether ‘document Z is relevant to query A’. The term itself has become fashionably popular since Cleverdon’s test-results were phrased in such a way as to emphasize relevance and recall above all other possible criteria of the evaluation of retrieval tests [3]. Yet it cannot be evaded that some things which someone thought (when he indexed a particular document) were relevant to certain topics were (from the querists’s point of view) not so;? it is this disparity which lowers the relevance ratio. Such disparity is also called (in conformity with another fashion, that of ‘information theory’) noise. Also, some things the querist would (presumably, if he were able to get at them) call relevant, but which the indexer did not, are missed, lowering the recall ratio.: This disparity could also be called (in conformity with the same fashion) silence. But another factor enters, which most reference librarians have encountered many times : purely conceptual relevance (match, fit between query and document-orientation) is not enough for a patron in the real world, even if it may be good enough in a test situation.
Dealing with Missing Data: A Comparative Exploration of Approaches Using the Integrated City Sustainability Database:

Studies of governments and local organizations using survey data have played a critical role in the development of urban studies and related disciplines. However, missing data pose a daunting chall...
Rasch Analysis, Dimensionality, and Scoring of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Irritability and Aggression Subscales in Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract Objectives To develop, for versions completed by individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and an observer, a more precise metric for the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Irritability and Aggression subscales using all behavioral item ratings for use with individuals with TBI and to address the dimensionality of the represented behavioral domains. Design Rasch and confirmatory factor analyses of retrospective baseline NPI data from 3 treatment studies. Setting Postacute rehabilitation clinic. Participants NPI records (N = 525) consisting of observer ratings (n = 287) and self-ratings (n = 238) by participants with complicated mild, moderate, or severe TBI at least 6 months postinjury. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Frequency and severity ratings from NPI Irritability/Lability and Agitation/Aggression subscales. Results Confirmatory factor analyses of both observer and participant ratings showed good fit for either a 1-factor or a 2-factor solution. Consistent with this, the Rasch model also fit the data well with aggression items indicating the more severe end of the construct and irritability items populating the milder end. Conclusions Irritability and aggression appear to represent different levels of severity of a single construct. The derived Rasch metric offers a measure of this construct based on responses to all specific items that is appropriate for parametric statistical analysis and may be useful in research and clinical assessments of individuals with TBI.
Visions of resilience: lessons from applying a digital democracy tool in New York’s Jamaica Bay watershed

Resilience to extreme weather events and other sudden changes is an issue facing many communities in the early twenty-first century. Planning to respond to disasters is particularly complicated in densely inhabited, multi-jurisdictional urban social-ecological systems like the watershed of Jamaica Bay, a large urbanized estuary on the south side of New York City. This area contains parklands managed by New York City, the National Park Service, and other agencies, four sewage treatment plants, three former landfills, and urban and suburban communities, all of which were heavily impacted by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Here successful resilience planning and response requires participation from a wide variety of government and civil society players each with different types of knowledge, value systems, and expectations about what resilience means. To investigate how “visions” of future resilience differed among several communities living in or concerned with Jamaica Bay, New York, we deployed a free, Internet-based modeling framework called Visionmaker that enabled interactive scenario creation and testing. Through a series of standardized workshops, we recruited participants from a variety of different communities of practice (i.e. researchers, land managers, educators, non-governmental organization staff, and community board members) to design “visions of resilience”. Visions spanned terrestrial and marine environments and contained natural and built ecosystems. Most users favored increasing resilience through expanding salt marsh and green infrastructure while, for the most part, keeping the built city landscape of streets and buildings intact. We compare and contrast these visions and discuss the implications for future resilience planning in coastal cities.
The Virtual Manufacturing Cell

Abstract A virtual manufacturing cell is being developed at the National Bureau of Standards as part of the control software for the Automated Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF) project. The traditional group technology (GT) cell has evolved from the need to maintain the flexibility to manufacture a family of parts while gaining some of the efficiency associated with a single process flow line. GT cells are normally defined by a fixed physical grouping of machining workstations that produce a particular class of parts. A shop based upon virtual manufacturing cells provides greater flexibility than existing GT shop configurations by time sharing machining workstations. Virtual GT cells are not identifiable as fixed physical groupings of machinery, but as data files and processes in a control computer. Functions performed by these processes include analysis, reporting, routing, scheduling, dispatching, and monitoring. At a higher level, the shop control system schedules cell activation and allocates workstations and other resources to these cells. Workstations are at all times under the control of either a particular virtual cell or a pool cell composed of idle workstations.
p53 orchestrates DNA replication restart homeostasis by suppressing mutagenic RAD52 and POLθ pathways

When a cell divides to make more cells, it duplicates its DNA to pass on an identical set of genes to the new cell. Copying DNA – also known as DNA replication – is a complex process that involves several steps. First, the double helix gradually unwinds and unzips to separate the DNA strands. This creates a molecule known as the ‘replication fork’. Then, copies of each strand are created and proofread for errors. Eventually, the strands are sealed back together so that the helices contain one old and one new part. But sometimes errors sneak in during DNA replication, which can lead to mutations that may cause cancer. The higher the number of mutations, the bigger the chance is that the cancer becomes aggressive and resistant to therapy. Some of the most common mutations found in tumors happen in a protein called p53. This protein is known to stop tumors from growing by selectively killing cells with mutations. When p53 is faulty, mutant cells no longer die and can grow uncontrollably to form tumors. However, its killing abilities do not fully explain how p53 protects cells from accumulating mutations that can cause cancer, and until now, it was not known if p53 also had any other roles. Now, Schlacher et al. discovered that p53 can protect the DNA from mutations. The experiments used normal cells and cancer cells from humans and mice, in which p53 was either blocked or modified. The experiments revealed that p53 plays an important role during DNA replication. When p53 is ‘healthy’, it binds to the replication fork. This ensures that replication restarts properly after it has passed faulty patches of the DNA. The p53 protein also helps to organize the proteins involved in DNA replication. When p53 was absent or mutated, the DNA-repair protein that usually binds to the fork failed to attach properly. Instead, other proteins prone to make mutations took over the replication fork and created a pattern of mutations commonly found in tumors resistant to treatment. A next step will be to investigate p53’s role at damaged DNA replication forks and how it interacts with other proteins involved in DNA replication. To fully understand all roles that p53 plays in preventing tumor growth can help to find new ways to treat tumors with p53 defects or tumors that have become resistant to treatment.
Partially-observed models for classifying minerals on Mars

The identification of phyllosilicates by NASA's CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) strongly suggests the presence of water-related geological processes. A variety of water-bearing phyllosilicate minerals have already been identified by several research groups utilizing spectral enrichment techniques and matching phyllosilicate-rich regions on the Martian surface to known spectra of minerals found on earth. However, fully automated analysis of the CRISM data remains a challenge for two main reasons. First, there is significant variability in the spectral signature of the same mineral obtained from different regions on the Martian surface. Second, the list of mineral confirmed to date constituting the set of training classes is not exhaustive. Thus, when classifying new regions, using a classifier trained with selected minerals and chemicals, one must consider the potential presence of unknown materials not represented in the training library. We made an initial attempt to study these problems in the context of our recent work on partially-observed classification models and present results that show the utility of such models in identifying spectra of unknown minerals while simultaneously recognizing spectra of known minerals.
Multimodal sentiment analysis with word-level fusion and reinforcement learning

With the increasing popularity of video sharing websites such as YouTube and Facebook, multimodal sentiment analysis has received increasing attention from the scientific community. Contrary to previous works in multimodal sentiment analysis which focus on holistic information in speech segments such as bag of words representations and average facial expression intensity, we propose a novel deep architecture for multimodal sentiment analysis that is able to perform modality fusion at the word level. In this paper, we propose the Gated Multimodal Embedding LSTM with Temporal Attention (GME-LSTM(A)) model that is composed of 2 modules. The Gated Multimodal Embedding allows us to alleviate the difficulties of fusion when there are noisy modalities. The LSTM with Temporal Attention can perform word level fusion at a finer fusion resolution between the input modalities and attends to the most important time steps. As a result, the GME-LSTM(A) is able to better model the multimodal structure of speech through time and perform better sentiment comprehension. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach on the publicly-available Multimodal Corpus of Sentiment Intensity and Subjectivity Analysis (CMU-MOSI) dataset by achieving state-of-the-art sentiment classification and regression results. Qualitative analysis on our model emphasizes the importance of the Temporal Attention Layer in sentiment prediction because the additional acoustic and visual modalities are noisy. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of the Gated Multimodal Embedding in selectively filtering these noisy modalities out. These results and analysis open new areas in the study of sentiment analysis in human communication and provide new models for multimodal fusion.
Global Warming and the Microwave Background

In the work, the importance of assigning the microwave background to the Earth is addressed while emphasizing the consequences for global climate change. Climate models can only produce meaningful forecasts when they consider the real magnitude of all radiative processes. The oceans and continents both contribute to terrestrial emissions. However, the extent of oceanic radiation, particularly in the microwave region, raises concerns. This is not only since the globe is covered with water, but because the oceans themselves are likely to be weaker emitters than currently believed. Should the microwave background truly be generated by the oceans of the Earth, our planet would be a much less e cient emitter of radiation in this region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Furthermore, the oceans would appear unable to increase their emissions in the microwave in response to temperature elevation, as predicted by Stefan’s law. The results are significant relative to the modeling of global warming.
Scalable graphene aptasensors for drug quantification

Simpler and more rapid approaches for therapeutic drug-level monitoring are highly desirable to enable use at the point-of-care. We have developed an all-electronic approach for detection of the HIV drug tenofovir based on scalable fabrication of arrays of graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) functionalized with a commercially available DNA aptamer. The shift in the Dirac voltage of the GFETs varied systematically with the concentration of tenofovir in deionized water, with a detection limit less than 1 ng/mL. Tests against a set of negative controls confirmed the specificity of the sensor response. This approach offers the potential for further development into a rapid and convenient point-of-care tool with clinically relevant performance.
Threat of falling high status and corporate bribery: Evidence from the revealed accounting records of two South Korean presidents

Research Summary: Social status and its dynamics may be an important predictor of which firms will engage in large‐scale bribery. Prior theory is incomplete, however, and prior studies have lacked comprehensive and reliable data on firm‐level bribery decisions. We offer a new theoretical prediction and a novel data set on high‐level corruption in South Korea, where the accounting records of two presidents in the 1987–1992 era were exposed to after‐the‐fact legal and public scrutiny. We find that, controlling for a range of alternative explanations, the threat of falling high status—that is, the combination of longstanding high social status with current‐period mediocre economic performance relative to that of industry peers—is a statistically and economically meaningful predictor of increases in the amount of large‐scale corporate bribery. Managerial Summary: What leads companies to engage in large‐scale bribery of senior politicians? Our concept of “threat of falling high status” refers to a circumstance where companies that have historically enjoyed high status through their owner families’ elite marriage networks experience mediocre economic performance relative to their peers. We show that this threat of falling high status is a notable determinant of large‐scale corporate bribery of senior politicians, using court data on corporate bribery of two South Korean presidents during 1987–1992. The implication of our study is twofold. Companies can strengthen internal control systems to avoid any large‐scale illegal activities at a higher level. Law enforcement agencies can also implement targeted monitoring programs to preempt illegal activities among companies facing the threat of falling high status.
STRIDES IN THE TECHNOLOGY OF SYSTEMS PHYSIOLOGY AND THE ART OF TESTING COMPLEX HYPOTHESES.

Scientific understanding in physics or physiology is based on models or theories devised to describe what is known, within the limits imposed by observation error. Carefully integrated models can be used for prediction, and the inferences assessed via further experiments designed to test the adequacy of the theory summarizing the state of knowledge. This is the systems approach, the basis of theoretical physiology; the models, like those of theoretical physics, should be firmly based on fundamental reproducible observations of a physical or chemical nature, held together with the principles of mathematics, logic, and the conservation of mass and energy. Modern computing power is such that comprehensive models can now be constructed and tested. For this approach data sets should include as many simultaneously obtained items of information of differing sorts as possible to reduce the degrees of freedom in fitting models to data. By taking advantage of large memories and rapid computation, modular construction techniques permit the formulation of multimodels covering more than a single hierarchical level, and thereby allow the investigator to understand the effects of controllers at the molecular level on overall cell or organism behavior. How does this influence the research and teaching practices of physiology? Because the computer also allows a new type of collaboration involving the networking of ideas, data bases, analytical techniques, and experiment designing, investigators in geographically distributed individual laboratories can plan, work, and analyze in concert. The prediction from this socioscientific model is therefore that networked computer-based modeling will serve to coalesce the ideas and observations of enlarging groups of investigators.
Ensuring Content-Area Learning by Secondary Students with Learning Disabilities:

Difficult challenges face secondary students with LD and their teachers with regard to these students' participation and success in required general education classes. Recently, instructional methods and materials have been developed and validated for promoting these students' success. Some of them focus on how general education teachers plan and teach their content-area courses; others focus on giving students the strategies they need to respond independently to the demands of their courses. This article describes these instructional methods, a service-delivery model for implementing these interventions in secondary schools, and professional-development mechanisms and administrative support that must be in place for the model to be maintained effectively.
Variability in Surgical Treatment of Spondylolisthesis Among Spine Surgeons.

Background There are a multitude of treatments for low-grade lumbar spondylolisthesis. There are no clear guidelines for the optimal approach. Objective To identify the surgical treatment patterns for spondylolisthesis among United States spine surgeons. Methods 445 spine surgeons in the United States completed a survey of clinical/radiographic case scenarios on patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis with neurogenic claudication with (S+BP) or without (S−BP) associated mechanical back pain. Treatment options included decompression, laminectomy with posterolateral fusion, posterior lumbar interbody fusion, or none of the above. The primary outcome measure was the probability of 2 randomly chosen surgeons disagreeing on the treatment method. Results There was 64% disagreement (36% agreement) among surgeons for treatment of spondylolisthesis with mechanical back pain (S+BP) and 71% disagreement (29% agreement) for spondylolisthesis without mechanical back pain (S−BP). For S+BP, disagreement was 52% for those practicing 5 to 10 years versus 70% among those practicing more than 20 years. Orthopedic surgeons had greater disagreement than did neurosurgeons (76% vs. 56%) for S+BP. Greater clinical equipoise was seen for S−BP than for S+BP regardless of surgeon characteristics. For spondylolisthesis without mechanical back pain, neurosurgeons were significantly more likely to select decompression-only than were orthopedic surgeons, who more commonly selected fusion. Conclusions Clinical equipoise exists for the treatment of spondylolisthesis. Differences are greater when the patient presents without associated back pain. Surgeon case volume, practice duration, and specialty training influence operative decisions for a given pathologic condition. Recognizing this practice variation will hopefully lead to better evidence and practice guidelines for the optimal and most cost-effective treatment paradigms.
The quest for identifiability in human functional connectomes

The evaluation of the individual "fingerprint" of a human functional connectome (FC) is becoming a promising avenue for neuroscientific research, due to its enormous potential inherent to drawing single subject inferences from functional connectivity profiles. Here we show that the individual fingerprint of a human functional connectome can be maximized from a reconstruction procedure based on group-wise decomposition in a finite number of brain connectivity modes. We use data from the Human Connectome Project to demonstrate that the optimal reconstruction of the individual FCs through connectivity eigenmodes maximizes subject identifiability across resting-state and all seven tasks evaluated. The identifiability of the optimally reconstructed individual connectivity profiles increases both at the global and edgewise level, also when the reconstruction is imposed on additional functional data of the subjects. Furthermore, reconstructed FC data provide more robust associations with task-behavioral measurements. Finally, we extend this approach to also map the most task-sensitive functional connections. Results show that is possible to maximize individual fingerprinting in the functional connectivity domain regardless of the task, a crucial next step in the area of brain connectivity towards individualized connectomics.
The cost of disclosure regulation: evidence from D&O insurance and nonmeritorious securities litigation

This study examines whether the required disclosure of directors’ and officers’ (D&O) insurance premiums leads to nonmeritorious securities litigation. Our research setting uses a proprietary D&O insurance database that includes New York and non-New York firms, combined with the fact that New York firms must disclose D&O insurance premiums. We thus can exploit a natural experiment based on inter-state variation in disclosure regulation. Disclosed premiums may influence case selection in two ways. First, higher premiums signal higher limits, which plaintiffs’ lawyers likely believe enable higher settlements. Second, higher premiums indicate higher risk assessments from insurers and thus a higher likelihood that stock price drops signal misconduct rather than bad luck. We find that D&O insurance premiums for New York firms are associated with a higher dismissal rate. Offsetting this higher dismissal rate, plaintiffs’ lawyers can achieve higher settlements in the relatively few successful cases.
Standard dose and dose-escalated radiation therapy are associated with favorable survival in select elderly patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma

We hypothesized elderly patients with good Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) treated with standard dose or dose-escalated radiation therapy (SDRT/DERT) and concurrent temozolomide (TMZ) would have favorable overall survival (OS) compared to historical elderly patients treated with hypofractionated RT (HFRT). From 2004 to 2015, 66 patients age ≥ 60 with newly diagnosed, pathologically proven glioblastoma were treated with SDRT/DERT over 30 fractions with concurrent/adjuvant TMZ at a single institution. Kaplan–Meier methods and the log-rank test were used to assess OS and progression-free survival (PFS). Multivariate analysis (MVA) was performed using Cox Proportional-Hazards. Median follow-up was 12.6 months. Doses ranged from 60 to 81 Gy (median 66). Median KPS was 90 (range 60–100) and median age was 67 years (range 60–81), with 29 patients ≥ 70 years old. 32% underwent gross total resection (GTR). MGMT status was known in 28%, 42% of whom were methylated. Median PFS was 8.3 months (95% CI 6.9–11.0) and OS was 12.7 months (95% CI 9.7–14.1). Patients age ≥ 70 with KPS ≥ 90 had a median OS of 12.4 months. Median OS was 27.1 months for MGMT methylated patients. On MVA controlling for age, dose, KPS, MGMT, GTR, and adjuvant TMZ, younger age (HR 0.9, 95% CI 0.8–0.9, p < 0.01), MGMT methylation (HR:0.2, 95% CI 0.1–0.7, p = 0.01), and GTR (HR:0.5, 95% CI 0.3–0.9, p = 0.01) were associated with improved OS. Our findings do not support routine use of a standard 6-week course of radiation therapy in elderly patients with glioblastoma. However, a select group of elderly patients with excellent performance status and MGMT methylation or GTR may experience favorable survival with a standard 6-week course of treatment.