cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mouse Lung Development and NOX1 Induction During Hyperoxia Are Developmentally Regulated and Mitochondrial ROS-Dependent

Animal models demonstrate that exposure to supraphysiological oxygen during the neonatal period compromises both lung and pulmonary vascular development, resulting in a phenotype comparable to bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Our prior work in murine models identified postnatal maturation of antioxidant enzyme capacities as well as developmental regulation of mitochondrial oxidative stress in hyperoxia. We hypothesize that consequences of hyperoxia may also be developmentally regulated and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) dependent. To determine whether age of exposure impacts the effect of hyperoxia, neonatal mice were placed in 75% oxygen for 72 h at either postnatal day 0 (early postnatal) or day 4 (late postnatal). Mice exposed to early, but not late, postnatal hyperoxia demonstrated decreased alveolarization and septation, increased muscularization of resistance pulmonary arteries, and right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) compared with normoxic controls. Treatment with a mitochondria-specific antioxidant, (2-(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl-4-ylamino)-2-oxoethyl)triphenylphosphonium chloride (mitoTEMPO), during early postnatal hyperoxia protected against compromised alveolarization and RVH. In addition, early, but not late, postnatal hyperoxia resulted in induction of NOX1 expression that was mitochondrial ROS dependent. Because early, but not late, exposure resulted in compromised lung and cardiovascular development, we conclude that the consequences of hyperoxia are developmentally regulated and decrease with age. Attenuated disease in mitoTEMPO-treated mice implicates mitochondrial ROS in the pathophysiology of neonatal hyperoxic lung injury, with potential for amplification of ROS signaling through NOX1 induction. Furthermore, it suggests a potential role for targeted antioxidant therapy in the prevention or treatment of BPD.
The Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research: Impact and Outcome Over 12 Years

The Minority Training Program in Cancer Control Research (MTPCCR) encourages underrepresented master's level students and professionals in the social, behavioral, and public health sciences to pursue doctoral training and careers in cancer disparities research. This paper reports new data on the program outcome after 12 years. A web-based survey was sent to all 462 program alumni. The questions addressed current academic status and plans, job status and plans, research focus, and influence of the MTPCCR. The survey response rate was 79 %. Overall, 30 % of alumni are enrolled in or have completed doctoral programs; 88 % of whom report involvement in research related to cancer. Scaled and open-ended responses indicate a strong influence of the program on doctoral program enrollment and cancer focus. The MTPCCR model is successful because it targets underrepresented minorities who are capable of doctoral studies but have not yet chosen that path.
A mobile phased array antenna satellite terminal and associated demonstrations with ACTS

A K/Ka band mobile satellite terminal is described. It features a unique MMIC phased array antenna system. The terminal was demonstrated in a variety of platforms during the one-year period from September 1994 to September 1995 in which voice, data, imagery, and slow-scan video links were established via NASA's ACTS and the ACTS Link Evaluation Terminal in Cleveland, OH. The platforms included an U.S. Army High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle and an Air Force C-130 aircraft. An overview of the onboard communication, antenna controller, data display/storage, and navigation systems is given. This is followed by a description of four demonstrations of the terminal conducted by NASA/Lewis. Each demonstration exhibited a progression in communication system complexity and capability. The system configuration for each demonstration is described, and results are discussed. (Author)
Down's syndrome

The sequencing of chromosome 21 and the use of models of Down's syndrome in mice have allowed us to relate genes and sets of genes to the neuropathogenesis of this syndrome, and to better understand its phenotype. Research in prenatal screening and diagnosis aims to find methods to identify fetuses with Down's syndrome, and reduce or eliminate the need for amniocentesis. Other areas of active research and clinical interest include the association of Down's syndrome with coeliac disease and Alzheimer's disease, and improved median age of death. Medical management of the syndrome requires an organised approach of assessment, monitoring, prevention, and vigilance. Improvements in quality of life of individuals with Down's syndrome have resulted from improvements in medical care, identification and treatment of psychiatric disorders (such as depression, disruptive behaviour disorders, and autism), and early educational interventions with support in typical educational settings. Approaches and outcomes differ throughout the world.
An adaptive non-linear state estimator for vehicle lateral dynamics

Artificial neural networks are used to estimate side slip angle and yaw rate of a vehicle's lateral dynamics. The networks are adapted to varying operating conditions such as a shift in vehicle weight, a change in road surface, and a radical change in tire characteristics. The structure and characteristics of the networks used are detailed. The methods for both offline and online training are described. Adaptation to the changing conditions is investigated with a high fidelity model and evaluated for ability and accuracy. A method of reducing computational burden while preserving model generalization is described. Model accuracy and generalization are examined to evaluate the networks' ability to describe general vehicle behavior. Improvement in estimate error of 3 to 1 and nearly 300 to 1 for two typical scenarios is demonstrated.
Architecture and Design of 1-D Enhanced Cellular NeuralNetwork Processors for Signal Detection

One-dimensional cellular array processor architecture and design for neural-based partial response (PR) signal detection are presented. Analog parallel computing approaches have many attractive advantages in achieving low power, low cost, and faster processing speed by its uniquely coupled parallel and distributed processing nature. In this paper, we describe the maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) algorithm for PR signals, the enhanced Cellular Neural Network (CNN) processor array architecture to realize the detection algorithm, and system performance evaluation. Analytical models and simulations on a design example of the detector have been employed to demonstrate the advantages of this scalable VLSI architecture. A processing rate of 265 Mbps was achieved for a prototype detector on a silicon area of 5.14 mm by 5.81 mm is a 1.2 µm CMOS technology. The processing rate can be beyond 1Gbps if it is implemented in the same amount of silicon area by using 0.5 µm CMOS technology. Such promising results clearly demonstrate the ability to meet the needs in future high speed data communication by VLSI realization of maximum likelihood sequence detectors based on the enhanced cellular neural network paradigm.
Use of an electron microscope hydration chamber to study condensation problems

Summary A preliminary exploration has been made of the feasibility of using an electron microscope environmental chamber to study the earlier stages of water drop nucleation and condensation.
The Complex Relationship Between Cholesterol and Brain Hemorrhage

In this issue of Circulation , Noda et al1 report an association between low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and an increase in the risk of fatal intraparenchymal intracerebral hemorrhage in a Japanese population-based cohort. The relationship between lipid levels and stroke is complex. The Prospective Studies Collaboration conducted a meta-analysis evaluating the association between blood cholesterol and vascular mortality based on data from 61 prospective cohort studies including nearly 900 000 persons free of vascular disease at baseline (11.6 million person-years at risk).2 Lower levels of usual total cholesterol were strongly associated with lower risk of fatal ischemic heart disease; every 1 mmol/L lower cholesterol was associated with a 56% reduction (hazard ratio [HR], 0.44; 95% CI, 0.42 to 0.48) in those 40 to 49 years of age, a 34% reduction (HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.68) in those 50 to 69 years of age, and a 17% reduction (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.85) in those 70 to 89 years of age. In contrast to death resulting from ischemic heart disease, there was only a weak relationship between usual total cholesterol and death caused by stroke in those 40 to 59 years of age (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.84 to 0.97 for every 1 mmol/L lower cholesterol) and no relationship for older age groups after accounting for blood pressure. An analysis combing the data for the Prospective Studies Collaboration with data from the Multiple Risk Factors Intervention Trial (MRFIT) also found that lower usual total cholesterol was associated with a lower risk of fatal stroke in those 40 to 49 years of age (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.00 per 1 mmol/L lower total cholesterol), with similar reductions in those 50 to 59 (HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85 to 0.97) and 60 …
Predictors of persistent social impairment among recovered depressed outpatients

Abstract Background: Though the social functioning of most depressed outpatients improves with effective treatment, a subgroup may remain impaired after recovering from depression. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of residual social impairment among patients who recovered from depression. Methods: These data were obtained from the Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program (TDCPR) public access tape. The TDCPR tested the relative efficacy of two psychotehrapies, imipramine, and placebo in major depression. Patients received follow-up assessments after completing the clinical trial. The following assessment instruments were used to assess predictor variables: Social Adjustment Scale II, Personality Assessment Form (PAF), Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Events (LIFE), and the Schedule for Affective Disorders (SADS). Results: Recovered patients who were socially impaired at the end of treatment and six months later, had a higher rate of Intermittent Depression, and reported greater malfunctioning during adolescence than recovered patients whose functioning was unimpaired after treatment and at follow-up. The rates of personality disorders were not significantly different between these groups. Limitations: These analyses were performed post-hoc and the sample size was small. Conclusions: A chronic course of depression predicted persistent social maladjustment among patients who recovered from depression for 6 months.
Relationship between Secchi disk visibility and chlorophyll a in aquaculture ponds

Abstract The potential of using Bannister's linear equation ( k t = k w + k c c ) (where k t is the overall light extinction coefficient, k w represents the non-phytoplankton light extinction, k c is the specific light extinction coefficient due to chlorophyll a (chla), c is the chla concentration, and k c c represents the light extinction due to chla) to partition sources of turbidity in Secchi disk visibility (SDV) measurements in aquaculture ponds was evaluated. Eight data sets from five sites around the world were used in the study. Chlorophyll a data were regressed against the overall light extinction coefficient determined from SDV measurements. The relationship between chla and overall light extinction coefficient was linear for seven of the eight data sets. The contribution of non-phytoplankton turbidity to SDV measurements was estimated by the intercept of the linear regression line (equivalent to k w ). The values obtained (range=3.61–8.91 m −1 ) were variable and unpredictable between replicate ponds at all sites, but did not vary significantly over time ( P k c ) multiplied by the chla concentration. The slope of the regression line (0.014±0.006 m −1 (mg m −3 ) −1 ) was similar to values reported for natural freshwater systems. The partitioned light extinction coefficients and chla concentrations were also used to determine the threshold chla concentration above which SDV measurements are determined primarily by chla. The threshold chla concentrations (177–980 mg m −3 ) above which phytoplankton biomass becomes the primary determinant of SDV were higher than observed chla concentrations. The results indicate that Bannister's linear equation can generally be used to partition and quantify the sources of turbidity in aquaculture ponds. The results also suggest that the contribution of non-phytoplankton turbidity to SDV measurements in fertilized and fed aquaculture ponds can be more important than phytoplankton turbidity.
The Role of Scripts in Personal Consistency and Individual Differences

This article examines the role of scripts in personal consistency and individual differences. Scripts are personally distinctive rules for understanding emotionally significant experiences. In 2 studies, scripts were identified from autobiographical memories of college students (Ns = 47 and 50) using standard categories of events and emotions to derive event-emotion compounds (e.g., Affiliation-Joy). In Study 1, scripts predicted responses to a reaction-time task 1 month later, such that participants responded more quickly to the event from their script when asked to indicate what emotion would be evoked by a series of events. In Study 2, individual differences in 5 common scripts were found to be systematically related to individual differences in traits of the Five-Factor Model. Distinct patterns of correlation revealed the importance of studying events and emotions in compound units, that is, in script form (e.g., Agreeableness was correlated with the script Affiliation-Joy but not with the scripts Fun-Joy or Affiliation-Love).
Coercive Plea Bargaining: The Unrecognized Scourge of the Justice System

Part I of this Article briefly sets forth the ethical and professional duties of prosecutors. Part II examines the game-theory concepts at play in plea-and sentence-bargaining negotiations. For perspective, Part III explores the evolution of plea bargaining from common law and elucidates the problem of coercive plea bargaining. Part VI analyzes how other scholars' approaches fail to address the problem adequately and hence have not been implemented. Finally, in Part V, the Article concludes by offering a viable approach for limiting prosecutorial abuse in the charging process -- an approach that governments, both state and federal, can implement without disrupting the justice system and without significant costs.
Not much aid and not enough trade: Cloudy prospects in north‐south relations

The North-South Conference was perhaps the first historical dialogue of its kind at the global level between the world's rich and poor.1 Charged with the task of analysing the world energy situation along with the other major economic problems that divided the globe between the haves and the have-nots, the Conference's ultimate concern focused mostly on the issues of international aid and trade. On aid, the western industrial nations voluntarily committed their governments to two separate actions. First, to contribute $1,000 million in a Special Aid Programme for helping the poorest countries in need of resource transfer. Secondly, to increase the volume of real-term official development assistance (ODA) 'effectively and substantially'. This was privately hinted, and unofficially interpreted, to mean a doubling of bilateral and multilateral aid within five years in the case of Japan and the US and working towards the UN target of 0-7 per cent of GNP as annual foreign aid for Canada and other rich donors. In the area of trade, some general and tentative agreements were reached on: a) increased international cooperation in marketing and distribution of primary commodities; b) research and development to ease the burden of competition of synthetics with natural products; c) measures to assist the less developed countries (LDCs) in their efforts toward the diversification of domestic production and exports; d) improvement in the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) in favour of the developing countries; e) special and more favourable treatment of LDCs in the Multilateral Trade Negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
An Engineering Methodology for Fracture Analyses of Tough Materials

The paper summarizes progress made in two research programs sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), to identify viable parameters for characterizing crack initiation and continued extension, and to develop an engineering/design methodology, based on these parameters, for the assessment of crack growth and instability in engineering structures which are stressed beyond the regime of applicability of linear elastic fracture mechanics. The ultimate goal in the development of such a methodology is to establish a rational basis for analyzing the effect of flaws (postulated or detected) on the safety margins of pressure boundary components of light water-cooled type nuclear steam supply systems. The methodology can also be employed for structural integrity analyses of other engineering structures.
Fertilization increases sensitivity of canopy stomatal conductance and transpiration to throughfall reduction in an 8-year-old loblolly pine plantation

Abstract Loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda L.) is the most important plantation species in the southeastern United States and therefore reductions in productivity associated with climate change may have significant economic impacts. To better understand the potential impact of drought on loblolly pine productivity, we studied the combined effects of reduced water availability and soil fertility on transpiration and canopy stomatal conductance ( G S ) over one year in an 8-year-old loblolly pine plantation by applying a throughfall treatment (ambient versus an approximate 30% reduction in throughfall) and a fertilization treatment (no fertilization versus one-time fertilization with N, P, K and micronutrients). We hypothesized that stomatal behavior would regulate water loss under a throughfall reduction treatment and the response would be greater under fertilization, due to an increase in leaf area index. Significant interactions between treatments indicated lower average monthly transpiration per unit ground area ( E G ) and per unit leaf area ( E L ), lower whole-plant hydraulic conductance, and lower average monthly midday G S in response to throughfall reduction only in the fertilized treatment, most likely due to increases in the leaf-to-sapwood area ratio in addition to isohydric regulation of water loss. In the throughfall reduction treatment but not the ambient throughfall treatment, reference G S (at vapor pressure deficit = 1 kPa, G Sref ) was significantly related to soil relative extractable water (REW) to a 0.6 m soil depth, and sensitivity of G Sref to REW was greater when combined with fertilization. These results indicate that the influence of drought on canopy-level processes of loblolly pine will be greater with fertilization.
¿Adónde se fueron?: Modernidad e indianismo en "Sab" de Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda

Al inicio del siglo XIX, los paises hispanoamericanos obtuvieron su independencia de Espana. Cuba y Puerto Rico, no obstante, se mantuvieron como parte de la “madre patria” hasta finalizado el siglo XIX. Esto no impidio, sin embargo, que la elite intelectual de estos paises repensara la historia y las tradiciones que unian a ambos paises con la metropolis. Aspiraban a encontrar algo que pudiera diferenciarlos de los otros. Como resultado, aparecio una literatura etnica importante, altamente contextualizada y muchas veces de naturaleza alegorica que reflejaba la vida de los descendientes de los amerindios en Cuba. En este ensayo, me propongo explorar la forma en que comenzo este proceso, primero con Jose Maria Heredia y continuo luego con una de sus discipulas, Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda. En sus poemas, escritos en Mexico, Heredia reflexiona sobre “la raza original” de las Antillas y lo hace de una forma que Sigmund Freud solamente podria caracterizar como “luto”; luto y melancolia por la muerte de una persona querida, que se asocia en sus escritos con Cuba. En los anos que siguieron, la Avellaneda haria lo mismo. Pero esta vez, los descendientes de la “raza original” reaparecerian vestidos para la pelea, reclamando venganza y mezclados con los deseos y demandas de los esclavos, negros libres y mulatos que los habian reemplazado en los campos de cana. Early in the 19 th century, Latin America obtained its independence from Spain. Cuba and Puerto Rico, however, remained part of the “mother land” until the end of that century. That did not prevent their intellectual elite, however, from rethinking the traditional ties between their countries and the metropolis. Their hope was to find something that they could use to differentiate themselves from the others. As a result an important body of ethnic literature appeared, highly contextualized and sometimes allegorical in nature that reflected upon the lives of Amerindians in Cuba. In this essay, I would like to explore the way this process started, first with Jose Maria Heredia and continued later on, with Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda. In his poems, written in Mexico, Heredia start reflecting on the “original races” of the Caribbean and he does it in a way that Sigmund Freud could have only characterized as “mourning”; mourning and melancholia for the death of a dear person, who becomes associated in his writings with Cuba. In the following years, la Avellaneda will do the same. But in her case, the descendants of the “original race” will reappear dressed for war, claiming vengeance, and interwoven with the desires and demands of the slaves, free blacks and mulattos that have replaced them in the fields.
Dynamics of Heliothis spp. Larval Parasitism in Southeast Arkansas

Heliothis spp., larval parasitism averaged 22.5, 9.8, and 14.9% during 1974, 1975, and 1976, respectively. There was no significant difference in parasitism among plots with one exception. Microplites croceipes (Cresson) was the dominant parasite. Heliothis virescens (F.) larvae were not parasitized at a high rate. There was a significant difference in parasitism shortly after the application of insecticides to the research fields.
Common sense and a priori epistemology

Soulevant avec R. Chisholm la question de la compatibilite de la theorie du sens commun avec la theorie de la connaissance et de la justification a priori, l'A. defend l'idee selon laquelle seule les conceptions modestes de la justification a priori sont compatibles avec le sens commun, comme certaines formes du naturalisme epistemique. Examinant les principes epistemiques de la croyance justifiee, et soulignant l'absence d'une definition des croyances communes chez Chisholm et Moore, l'A. montre que la justification a priori depend des criteres empiriques de l'observation, de la methode scientifique et de l'experience des croyances empiriques, autorisant un naturalisme modere dans le domaine de la theorie de la connaissance qui n'exclut ni l'epistemologie a priori ni le sens commun
Is There a Space-Based Technology Solution to Problems with Preclinical Drug Toxicity Testing?

Even the finest state-of-the art preclinical drug testing, usually in primary hepatocytes, remains an imperfect science. Drugs continue to be withdrawn from the market due to unforeseen toxicity, side effects, and drug interactions. The space program may be able to provide a lifeline. Best known for rockets, space shuttles, astronauts and engineering, the space program has also delivered some serious medical science. Optimized suspension culture in NASA’s specialized suspension culture devices, known as rotating wall vessels, uniquely maintains Phase I and Phase II drug metabolizing pathways in hepatocytes for weeks in cell culture. Previously prohibitively expensive, new materials and 3D printing techniques have the potential to make the NASA rotating wall vessel available inexpensively on an industrial scale. Here we address the tradeoffs inherent in the rotating wall vessel, limitations of alternative approaches for drug metabolism studies, and the market to be addressed. Better pre-clinical drug testing has the potential to significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality of one of the most common problems in modern medicine: adverse events related to pharmaceuticals.
VA develops integrated text and image data system.

A standard PC workstation allows physicians to review a patient's entire record--both text and images--with a new integrated HIS now installed at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C. The system uses high-resolution video cameras and the latest in fiberoptic technology.
Education and Social Mobility in the Soviet Union 1921–1934: Cultural Revolution and the schools

The new Commissar of Education for the RSFSR, Andrei Sergeevich Bubnov, was appointed on 12 September 1929. In terms of status within the party, Bubnov was a relatively high-level appointee for Narkompros. He was a member of both the Party Central Committee and the Orgburo, and had previously served as head of the Central Committee agitprop department and, for the past five years, the political administration (PUR) of the Red Army. He was regarded – in contrast to Lunacharsky – as a stern, no-nonsense administrator, and he was expected to introduce order and discipline into the commissariat. This, however, was not Bubnov's only task in Narkompros. The old Narkompros leadership had been accused of ‘rightist’ and ‘bureaucratic’ tendencies, demonstrated above all by its lack of response to the new slogans of class warfare and Cultural Revolution. Bubnov had to show himself to be a true militant revolutionary on the cultural front, and this meant allying himself with the various radical groups which had been criticizing Lunacharsky's ‘bureaucratic conservatism’ over the past two years. But the radicals, unfortunately for Bubnov, had no interest at all in orderly and disciplined procedures. The call for class-war Cultural Revolution came from above, but it aroused a genuinely enthusiastic response not only among young Communists but among all those with grievances against the ‘bourgeois’ cultural establishment. The response was iconoclastic, and often led to organizational chaos.
Planned Delayed Nephrectomy after Ethanol Embolization of Renal Carcinoma

AbstractPlanned delayed nephrectomy after preoperative ethanol infarction was done in 6 patients with renal carcinoma. Three patients had intracaval extension of tumor, 2 had renal vein but no vena caval extension and 1 had no renal vein or vena caval involvement. Nephrectomy was delayed 22 to 44 days after embolization. In the patients with inferior vena caval extension shrinkage of tumor thrombus after embolization allowed for easier surgical resection. Furthermore, delay of nephrectomy after preoperative infarction was of value in improving the clinical status of high risk patients.
Broadway Bound: Simon, Kopit, McNally, Wilson

The title of this chapter is an obvious pun. New York’s Broadway is both a physical and cultural designation, and for two centuries its drama has enticed theatre audiences who are affluent and entertainment-oriented. The theatre capital of the United States, Broadway is fed by entrepreneurs rather than subsidies, and the dramatist is putty in grasping hands. In his Seesaw Log William Gibson, a dramatist produced on Broadway, offers a disabused description of the playwright as Broadway commodity: his work acquires three species of co-workers. The first is in the realm of economics. The producer … must be persuaded that accepting the work will not be sheerly an eleemosynary act.… The writer here becomes part and parcel of a complex business organization formed to manufacture and sell one article of merchandise.… When a producer buys a play it is thus spoken of as ‘his’ play, and not improperly. The second species is in the sphere of the secondary arts.… When a director or star agrees to do a play it is also spoken of as ‘his’ play, and not improperly.… What is rehearsed is thus several plays … everyone wants to make art, and everyone wants to make money, and each goal is confounded with the other. The third species of co-workers is encountered thus in the shape of the behemoth-bank which contains the money, and the art becomes that of shaking it out. When a spectator sits to watch a play it is never spoken of as ‘his’ play, but it properly should be: none of the active hands so tyrannically molds the materials as does the behemoth’s passive posterior.
Photo-responsive and thermoreversible networks from the self-assembly of azobenzene-containing liquid crystal triblock copolymers (Conference Presentation)

We report the synthesis of azobenzene-containing coil-liquid crystal-coil triblock copolymers that can serve as mechano-optic actuators for applications that include non-invasively steering fiber optics. The coil (polystyrene) end-blocks phase segregate from the liquid crystal midblock forming of uniform and uniformly-spaced physical crosslinks, resulting in highly reproducible and thermoreversible networks by self-assembly. These polymers are elastic in the melt (at room temperature) and can be easily spun, coated or molded. Mechanical stretching results in a temporary monodomain alignment. Starting from identical triblock prepolymers (with polystyerene end blocks and 1,2-polybutadiene midblocks), a matched pair (azobenzene-containing, and non-azobenzene-containing) of liquid crystal triblock copolymers was synthesized. These triblocks were then be blended to prepare a series of elastomers with 0 to 5% azobenzene groups, while matching in nearly all other physical properties (cross-link density, modulus, birefringence, etc.), allowing the effect of concentration of photo-responsive groups to be unambiguously determined. Results will be presented that demonstrate this approach to independent control of optical density and photo-mechanical sensitivity.
Exploring Molecular Mechanisms of Paradoxical Activation in the BRAF Kinase Dimers: Atomistic Simulations of Conformational Dynamics and Modeling of Allosteric Communication Networks and Signaling Pathways

The recent studies have revealed that most BRAF inhibitors can paradoxically induce kinase activation by promoting dimerization and enzyme transactivation. Despite rapidly growing number of structural and functional studies about the BRAF dimer complexes, the molecular basis of paradoxical activation phenomenon is poorly understood and remains largely hypothetical. In this work, we have explored the relationships between inhibitor binding, protein dynamics and allosteric signaling in the BRAF dimers using a network-centric approach. Using this theoretical framework, we have combined molecular dynamics simulations with coevolutionary analysis and modeling of the residue interaction networks to determine molecular determinants of paradoxical activation. We have investigated functional effects produced by paradox inducer inhibitors PLX4720, Dabrafenib, Vemurafenib and a paradox breaker inhibitor PLX7904. Functional dynamics and binding free energy analyses of the BRAF dimer complexes have suggested that negative cooperativity effect and dimer-promoting potential of the inhibitors could be important drivers of paradoxical activation. We have introduced a protein structure network model in which coevolutionary residue dependencies and dynamic maps of residue correlations are integrated in the construction and analysis of the residue interaction networks. The results have shown that coevolutionary residues in the BRAF structures could assemble into independent structural modules and form a global interaction network that may promote dimerization. We have also found that BRAF inhibitors could modulate centrality and communication propensities of global mediating centers in the residue interaction networks. By simulating allosteric communication pathways in the BRAF structures, we have determined that paradox inducer and breaker inhibitors may activate specific signaling routes that correlate with the extent of paradoxical activation. While paradox inducer inhibitors may facilitate a rapid and efficient communication via an optimal single pathway, the paradox breaker may induce a broader ensemble of suboptimal and less efficient communication routes. The central finding of our study is that paradox breaker PLX7904 could mimic structural, dynamic and network features of the inactive BRAF-WT monomer that may be required for evading paradoxical activation. The results of this study rationalize the existing structure-functional experiments by offering a network-centric rationale of the paradoxical activation phenomenon. We argue that BRAF inhibitors that amplify dynamic features of the inactive BRAF-WT monomer and intervene with the allosteric interaction networks may serve as effective paradox breakers in cellular environment.
Tribe is not Ethnicity: Anti-Tribe and Pro-Ethnicity Arguments are Untenable

The evidence in Chapter 4 about the profusion of tribes in SSA confirms that tribes in SSA are a special category. Chapter 5 outlines the first implication of this evidence. The chapter shows that the concept of “ethnicity” does not agree with the historical and empirical reality of SSA. It argues against equating “tribe” with “ethnicity” by using the available historical and empirical evidence about tribes (e.g., Somali, Bangala, Yoruba) that have served as paradigms in efforts to reject the concept of tribe; this evaluation helps to argue against the concept of “ethnicity.”
Effects of Exercise and Aging on Skeletal Muscle

A substantial loss of muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia), a decreased regenerative capacity, and a compromised physical performance are hallmarks of aging skeletal muscle. These changes are typically accompanied by impaired muscle metabolism, including mitochondrial dysfunction and insulin resistance. A challenge in the field of muscle aging is to dissociate the effects of chronological aging per se on muscle characteristics from the secondary influence of lifestyle and disease processes. Remarkably, physical activity and exercise are well-established countermeasures against muscle aging, and have been shown to attenuate age-related decreases in muscle mass, strength, and regenerative capacity, and slow or prevent impairments in muscle metabolism. We posit that exercise and physical activity can influence many of the changes in muscle during aging, and thus should be emphasized as part of a lifestyle essential to healthy aging.
Contralateral R1 and R2 components of the laryngeal adductor reflex in humans under general anesthesia.

Objectives To demonstrate that under total intravenous general anesthesia (TIVA), the contralateral R1 (cRI) and contralateral R2 (cR2) components of the laryngeal adductor reflex (LAR) can be reliably elicited; to determine effects of topical anesthesia and inhalational anesthesia on the LAR; and to discuss how this technique may be utilized to continuously monitor the vagus nerve reflex arc. Study Design Case series. Methods Vocal fold mucosa was electrically stimulated via endotracheal tube surface-based electrodes to elicit a LAR. Responses were recorded using the endotracheal tube electrode contralateral to the simulating electrode for each side. Results Twenty-one patients (31 nerves at risk), aged between 28 to 84 years, who underwent thyroid and cervical spine surgeries (4 males, 17 females) were included. cR1 responses were reliably elicited in all patients, and cR2 responses were obtained in 14 patients (66.6%). Mean cR1 latencies ± standard deviation were 22.5 ± 2.5 milliseconds (ms) (left) and 23.4 ± 3.3 ms (right). Mean cR1 amplitudes were 237.9 ± 153.9 microvolts (uV) (left) and 265.0 ± 226.5 uV (right). Mean R2 latencies were 59.8 ± 4.9 ms (left) and 61.8 ± 7.9 ms (right). Intraoperative reversible cR1 amplitude decreases correlated temporally with surgical maneuvers stretching or compressing the RLN or internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (iSLN). Inhalational anesthetic agents abolished cR2 and minimized cR1 at mean alveolar concentrations > 0.5. Topical lidocaine significantly reduced LAR amplitude. Conclusion LAR cR1 and cR2 responses are present in humans under TIVA and may afford some airway protection against aspiration under anesthesia. They are inhibited by inhalational anesthetics and topical lidocaine. Continuous intraoperative iSLN and RLN monitoring are possible using surface-based endotracheal tube electrodes alone to stimulate and record cR1 responses. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 2017
Writing the Necropsy Report

To be of use, the findings of the forensic necropsy must be communicated using clear and concise language that can be understood by judges, lawyers, jurors, and other interested parties who likely will have little or no training in science. The report must be generated in a timely manner before details fade from memory. The organization of the report can vary widely but should include separate sections on demographic data as well as results of the external and internal exam, histopathology findings, and ancillary tests. A summary opinion that clearly outlines the cause, manner, and mechanism of death will help convey the significance of the findings to the court as it tries to understand the circumstance around the death of an animal, determine if a crime was committed, and determine an appropriate resolution to the case.
Reforming the Pentagon: Reflections on How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything

What best explains how “Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything?”— the provocative title of a recent book by Professor Rosa Brooks of Georgetown Law. In this Essay, I turn to the Department of Defense’s (DoD) unique agency design as the vehicle to address this question. Specifically, I first describe and analyze the role that the 1947 National Security Act and 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act play in incentivizing organizational behavior within the DoD. These two Acts have broad implications for national security governance. Relatedly, I address the consequences of these two core national security laws, focusing on the rise of overseas combatant commands. Led by four-star military officers, these commands are increasingly participating in a wide variety of both military and non-military missions. Second, I turn to Special Operations Command (SOCOM) as a case study to highlight the rise of these combatant commands. Special operations forces now operate in over 70% of the world’s nations, and this percentage is only rising. And since President Trump was elected, the Commander in Chief has delegated even broader authorities to operational military commanders. This serves to reaffirm Professor Brooks’s prescient themes of “war everywhere” while raising additional concerns regarding the underlying health of civil-military relations.
Progress on high-power Yb, Tm and Raman fiber lasers

To advance the science of high power fiber lasers, in-house drawn specialty optical fibers are investigated. Ongoing research involves the fabrication and testing of Yb- and Tm-doped fibers at 1μm and 2μm. Using specialized fiber and pump mixing geometries, dopant profiles and system configurations, the performance of our in-house drawn active fibers has been examined. Results on a highly multi-mode, high average power pulsed Raman fiber amplifier pumped by a thin disc laser are presented. The Raman fiber is a large mode-area graded index fiber, also drawn in house. Finally, the development of capabilities for kilometer range propagation experiments of kW-level CW and TW-level pulsed lasers at the TISTEF laser range is reported.
Retinal adhesiveness in the monkey.

PURPOSE To determine factors that influence retinal adhesion in the primate and compare these with previous data from the rabbit. METHODS Retinal adhesiveness was studied in monkey eyes immediately after enucleation. The retina was peeled manually from the retinal pigment epithelium, and the amount of pigment that remained adherent to the retina was used as an index of adhesiveness. RESULTS The rate of post mortem failure of retinal adhesiveness in the monkey was less than in the rabbit under similar conditions. However, as in the rabbit, adhesiveness was sensitive to temperature, pH, and the concentrations of calcium and magnesium, and subretinal injections of neuraminidase weakened adhesion beyond the injection sites. CONCLUSIONS Mechanisms of retinal adhesion are similar in primates and rabbits.
A THEORY FOR TRANSLATIONAL CRACK LAYER PROPAGATION

ABSTRACT A theory is presented to model the propagation of a crack preceded by evolving damage. The crack and the surrounding damage are treated as a single thermodynamic entity, i.e., a Crack Layer (CL). The active zone of the CL may propagate by translational, rotational, expansional and/or distortional movements. Concepts of irreversible thermodynamics are employed to derive the law of translational CL propagation as: where l is the CL length, β 1 is a dissipative coefficient expressing the fraction of the total irreversible work W i , expended on CL translation, J 1 is the energy release rate, γ * is the specific enthalpy of damage and R 1 is the translational resistance moment. This expression describes the entire history of CL propagation. All parameters involved can be experimentally measured except β 1 which is presently taken as a phenomenological coefficient.
Tissue Engineering at the Micro-Scale

The possibility to replace damaged or diseased organs with artificial tissues engineered from a combination of living cells and biocompatible scaffolds is becoming a reality through multi-disciplinary efforts. A number of critical components within this effort are being facilitated by microfabrication and MEMS approaches, including research tools to elucidate mechanisms which control cellular behavior as well as development of methods to manufacture cellular scaffolds at ever higher resolutions. This article reviews recent advances in tissue engineering that have been facilitated by interaction with the microfabrication community. We highlight the potential opportunities for microfabrication to make to the development of mainstream medical therapies for tissue replacement.
A Short History of German Socialism

Socialism came late to Germany, the result, in part, of late industrialization. From 1815 to 1848 German politics was characterized by suppression of the embryonic working class. Hopes aroused in 1848, the eventful year of European revolution and the Communist Manifesto, were dashed by renewed suppression. Nevertheless, by the 1860’s the beginning of a workers’ movement was apparent. Laborers, artisans, and shopkeepers founded a variety of local associations. Entirely independent of each other, these associations were at first devoted exclusively to education and recreation. Soon, however, they took on political content and acquired a leader: Ferdinand Lassalle.
Everyday environmental education: five practices of ecologically minded teachers

In this article, I report the findings from a qualitative study involving seven ecologically minded teachers who participated in a Critical Friends Group. Ecologically minded teachers are not neces...
16S rRNA Amplicon Profiling of Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) Flower and Berry Surfaces.

ABSTRACT Bacterial populations associated with the surfaces of cranberry flowers and early fruits in wetlands bogs in Eastern Massachusetts were examined using pyrosequencing. The composition of bacterial populations was highly dependent on sample site, but the dominant phyla on both flower and berry surfaces were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes.
Measuring with Exogenous Data (MED), and Government Economic Monitoring (GEM)

ABSTRACT The emergence of enormous disparate data sources, available in a multitude of alternate formats, and on very different devices, is leading to a business process revolution. This paper argu...
Letermovir for Primary Cytomegalovirus Prevention in Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplant Recipients

Introduction Cytomegalovirus (CMV) continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Marty et al. demonstrated the utility of letermovir for primary prophylaxis. However, a majority of the population in their study (69.4%) received a matched-unrelated or a matched-sibling donor transplant. Therefore, data is limited on optimal CMV prophylaxis among haploidentical recipients. Objectives The primary objective of this study was incidence of CMV reactivation prior to and beyond day 100 among haploidentical HSCT recipients who received primary letermovir prophylaxis. Secondary endpoints included median time to reactivation, median time to engraftment, and non-relapse mortality. Methods We conducted a single-center retrospective analysis to evaluate the efficacy of letermovir as primary prophylaxis among CMV seropositive haploidentical recipients between May 2018 to December 2019. Patients received letermovir prophylaxis from day 16 to 100. Exclusion criteria included subjects with history of CMV end-organ disease within 6 months of HSCT, history of CMV viremia at any time prior to transplant, received either ganciclovir, valganciclovir, foscarnet, or cidofovir within 7 days of transplant. Results We identified 20 haploidentical HSCT recipients, median age 52 years, the majority of which received reduced-intensity conditioning therapy with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and total-body irradiation. Graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis included tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and post-transplant cyclophosphamide. CMV reactivation occurred in 5 patients before day 100 (25%) range (day 20 to 45). Of the remaining 15 patients, an additional 4 (27%) had CMV reactivation after letermovir was discontinued at day 100, range (day 117 to 156). Overall survival at 1 year was 79.2% and non-relapse mortality at 1 year was 12.5%. Conclusion Our study demonstrated the efficacy of letermovir as primary prophylaxis among CMV seropositive haploidentical recipients. However, significant CMV reactivation was seen beyond day 100 and future studies need to be conducted on the ideal duration of prophylaxis in this high-risk population.
Coronary Artery Disease and Epicardial Adipose Tissue

Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) can locally affect the coronary arteries and play a significant role in the development and progression of coronary artery disease (CAD), as emerged only recently. The mechanisms through which epicardial fat can cause atherosclerosis are complex and multifactorial. Its anatomical proximity to the heart, the unique transcriptome, and intense proteasome are the major atherogenic factors of the epicardial adipose tissue. EAT can cause atherosclerosis via several mechanisms that could be summarized in inflammation, innate immunity, oxidative stress, lipotoxicity, and glucotoxicity. EAT, regardless of whether it is measured as volume or thickness, is higher in patients with CAD as compared to individuals without CAD. The more proximal EAT is to the coronary arteries, the higher is its inflammatory activity. EAT provides prognostic information and improves the prediction of first coronary events. EAT volume is greater in subjects with incident coronary heart disease. The incidence of fatal or nonfatal coronary event significantly increased with higher EAT and remains significant even after adjustment for coronary calcium calcification score and obesity. EAT is linked to early coronary plaque components and, therefore, plays a role in the early phases of asymptomatic atherosclerosis. Routine assessment of EAT could be implemented for a better prediction and stratification of CAD.