cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Supposed Cause of the Cold Period

Compound motions of the earth as a planet—Form of the earth’s orbit—Great periods—No perpetual summer—Precession of the equinoxes—The polar star to pass away from its present place and other stars Vega, or Alpha of the Lyre to become pole star—Precession explained—Advance of the line of apsides—Extract from the work of Figuier—The same views as therein given advocated by Sir Richard Phillips over 30 years before—The effects of precession not sufficient to account for the evident duration of the cold period of North America—The cause to be hunted out by astronomers hereafter.
Experimental Osteomyelitis. IV. Therapeutic Trials with Rifampin Alone and in Combination with Gentamicin, Sisomicin, and Cephalothin

Levels of rifampin, gentamicin, sisomicin, and cephalothin in normal and osteomyelitic rabbit bones were measured, and the efficacy of these drugs in the treatment of osteomyelitis was evaluated. Single drug regimens, including rifampin for 14 days and gentamicin, sisomicin, and cephalothin each for 28 days, were relatively ineffective (5%-33% sterile bone cultures). Rifampin, administered for 28 days, sterilized the bones of 55% of treated animals. The combination of gentamicin and rifampin, given for either 14 or 28 days, sterilized the bones of 67% of treated animals. The combinations of rifampin plus sisomicin and of rifampin plus cephalothin, given for 28 days, were significantly more effective than these agents alone, sterilizing 90%-95% of bones. The combination of rifampin, sisomicin, and cephalothin, given for only 14 days, sterilized the bones of all treated rabbits. Staphylococci isolated from the bones of therapeutic failures that had received rifampin alone or in combination with other antibiotics were highly resistant to rifampin (minimal inhibitory concentration, >250 /g/ml), whereas the organisms recovered from animals not receiving rifampin remained sensitive. Results of in vitro studies of synergy and/or bactericidal activity of antibiotic combinations correlated with in vivo results in some, but not all, instances.
Sputter Deposition of CuInSe2 and CuGaSe2 from Composite Targets on (100) Si

Thin films of CuInSe2 (CIS) and CuGaSe2 (CGS) were deposited on (100) Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering using stoichiometric targets, at various substrate temperatures. Prior to film deposition, the Si substrates were cleaned using the RCA cleaning procedure and treated in a buffered oxide etch (BOE) solution. Deposited films were characterized using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of cross-sectional samples and Hall measurements. Rutherford backscattering analysis indicated that the CIS films had a composition of Cu0.8In1.1Se1.9, whereas CGS films were Cu-poor and Ga-rich with a composition of Cu0.3Ga1.5Se1.5. Clean Cu-chalcopyrite/Si interfaces were obtained using BOE treated Si substrates. Transmission electron micrographs of cross-sectional samples indicated a polycrystalline film structure and that the native oxide on the Si substrate was eliminated. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) conducted in the TEM showed that contamination levels in the films were low. The Hall-mobility experiments performed the CIS film indicated that the material was of p-type conductivity with a carrier concentration of 9.6 x 1020/cm3 and a Hall mobility of 390 cm2V-1s-1.
The structure of the Aspidosperma alkaloid compactinervine

Es wird uber die Isolierung eines neuen Alkaloids — Compactinervin — aus der brasilianischen Apocynaceen-ArtAspidosperma compactinervium Kuhlm. berichtet. Durch massenspektroskopische und Kernresonanz-Messungen und chemische Umwandlungen konnte gezeigt werden, dass es sich beim Compactinervin um 19,20-Dihydroxy-19,20-dihydro-akuammicin handelt. Seine vollstandige Stereochemie sowie die des verwandten Alkaloids Lochneridin konnte abgeleitet werden. Compactinervin stellt die erste Verbindung vom Akuammicin-Typ dar, die aus einerAspidosperma-Art isoliert worden ist.
The study of colony formation in deep agarStudies on pathogenic anaerobes VI

Under uniform conditions living creatures of the same species varyin shape only within comparatively narrow limits. Morphology is, in the case of the majority of living things, the character that is the most easily observable, and for this reason it has been used as a basis for the classification of all forms of life. Among the bacteria such use of morphologic criteria for systematic purposes is frequently avoided because the form of these organisms is exceedingly simple and because the bacteria are highly specialized, not as to shape but as to the enzymes with which they split the substances surrounding them. Higher plants are classified not according to the shape of their stems and leaves, but according to that of their reproductive organs. For purposes of bacterial classification, we may well let chemical characters take the place of those morphologic ones that the bacteria do not possess. A chemical classification will then serve to build a skeleton structure which will group and divide the bacteria into genera 1 that are comparable with those of the higher plants. The trend followed in dividing the bacteria has usually been to employ morphologic characters for the making of major divisions and chemical ones for the finer differentiations. For many reasons pointed out in a former paper2 morphologic criteria fail to furnish a means for logically subdividing the major group of anaerobic rods. Chief among these are the facts that most morphologic characters appear in various groups, that there is a general overlapping of such characters and that there is a lack of correspondence between chemical and morphologic differ-
Ferret: a user-friendly Java tool to extract data from the 1000 Genomes Project

Summary: The 1000 Genomes (1KG) Project provides a near-comprehensive resource on human genetic variation in worldwide reference populations. 1KG variants can be accessed through a browser and through the raw and annotated data that are regularly released on an ftp server. We developed Ferret, a user-friendly Java tool, to easily extract genetic variation information from these large and complex data files. From a locus, gene(s) or SNP(s) of interest, Ferret retrieves genotype data for 1KG SNPs and indels, and computes allelic frequencies for 1KG populations and optionally, for the Exome Sequencing Project populations. By converting the 1KG data into files that can be imported into popular pre-existing tools (e.g. PLINK and HaploView), Ferret offers a straightforward way, even for non-bioinformatics specialists, to manipulate, explore and merge 1KG data with the user’s dataset, as well as visualize linkage disequilibrium pattern, infer haplotypes and design tagSNPs. Availability and implementation: Ferret tool and source code are publicly available at http://limousophie35.github.io/Ferret/. Contact: vog.hin@terref Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Zero energy and carbon buildings based on climate-specific passive building standards for North America

In 2015, Passive House Institute US released a new, climate-specific passive building standard for North America. The new standard was the product of a three year research project funded by the U.S...
Attachment and Employment Outcomes for People With Spinal Cord Injury: The Intermediary Role of Hope

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the mediation effect of hope on the relationship between attachment and full-time employment for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Quantitative descri...
Clinical Analysis of 417 Cases of Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Pneumonia Complicated by Extrapulmonary Complications

Objective To investigate the distribution, clinical diagnosis and treatment methods of the extrapulmo nary complications in children with mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP). Methods The clinical data of 1 100 patients confirmed the diagnosis of mycoplasma pneumonia and with the positive serum MP-IgM test were collected in this study. The distribu tion and clinical characteristics and MP-DNA detection rates were compared between 417 patients with extrapulmonary com plications and 683 cases without complications. The occurrence of various complications in a four-year period was analyzed. Clinical data were compared between fiberoptic bronchoscopy lavage group and non-surgical group. Results The MP-DNA detection rate and the length of hospital stay were higher in patients with pulmonary complications than those of patients without complications. The most common types of extrapulmonary complications were liver damage, skin rashes and gastrointestinal reactions , but less severe. Encephalitis, nephritis and myocarditis were rare complications, but severe and occult. The fatal hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) was also visible in patients. Bronchoscopy lavage was conducive to the recovery of the disease. Conclusion MP pneumonia showed high incidence and risks of extrapulmonary complica tions, which required careful clinical observation and inspection, the dynamic monitoring laboratory markers and comprehen sive treatment as well.
Studies on the Extraction of Purple Lilac Glucoside from Manyprickle Acanthopanax

To optimize the mechanochemical assisted extraction of purple lilac glucoside from ManyprickleAcanthopanax, water, ethyl alcohol, methanol heat reflux and mechanochemical assisted extraction werecompared and HPLC was used to assay the content of purple lilac glucoside. The result showed that the optimumextraction condition is mechanochemical assisted extraction. Purple lilac glucoside was classified, but also othereffectives were separated effectively, thereby minimize the interference of other active ingredients. The productquality is stable, environment- friendly and provide the extraction method of purple lilac glucoside fromManyprickle Acanthopanax.
Preliminary Study of Life History and Feeding Habits of Lasiognatha Cellifera

Life history and feeding habits of Lasiognatha Cellifera in Quanzhou Bay Estuarine Wetland were carried out, and the results showed that:(1)The pest had 8 generations a year in Quanzhou Bay Area and the generations overlapped, the leaf wintering of larvae was done by curling on Aegiceras, beginning to cocoon and to pupate in early March next year and the eclosion into adults started in late March;there were two obvious hazards peak in one year, respectively, in mid-May and late September.(2)Lasiognatha Cellifera was a major pest in Quanzhou Bay mangroves, with the insect feeding Aegiceras only, but not feeding K.obovata and A.marina.
Protecting Pharmaceutical Patents and Test Data: How the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Could Affect Access to Medicines in the US and Abroad

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement could affect low-income patients’ access to medicines in signatory countries by reducing generic competition.
Particles Flow Behavior Around Tubes in Moving Bed

Moving bed has been widely used in the field of heat and mass transfer and reaction between solid particles and gas. In order to enhance the heat exchange coefficient, there will be tube banks inserted in the moving bed. In the process of drying ammoniates particles or heat recovery from high-temperature particles with moving bed, the particles flow behavior around the tube banks is significant. In this paper, the particles flow behavior around the tube banks is investigated, and all the results can provide guidance for the design and operation of a moving bed.
Delayed diagnosis of catastrophic ceramic liner failure with resultant pelvic discontinuity and massive metallosis

With newer-generation ceramic components used in total hip arthroplasty, component fracture is a rare complication. However rare, when ceramic component fracture does occur, prompt identification and revision is necessary as delay can lead to dramatic failure with resultant metallosis as the extremely hard ceramic debris abrades remaining components. We present a case of a 70-year-old woman with ceramic liner fracture and an estimated 10-year delay in intervention with failure resulting in pelvic discontinuity and massive metallosis with associated cutaneous manifestation. She was treated with a complex revision and reconstruction and is 2 years postrevision without major complication.
Using embedded computer-assisted instruction to teach science to students with autism spectrum disorders

The need for promoting scientific literacy for all students has been the focus of recent education reform resulting in the rise of the Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics movement. For students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and intellectual disability, this need for scientific literacy is further complicated by the need for individualized instruction that is often required to teach new skills, especially when those skills are academic in nature. In order to address this need for specialized instruction, as well as scientific literacy, this study investigated the effects of embedded computer-assisted instruction to teach science terms and application of those terms to three middle school students with autism and intellectual disability. This study was implemented within an inclusive science classroom setting. A multiple probe across participants research design was used to examine the effectiveness of the intervention. Results of this study showed a functional relationship between the number of correct responses made during probe sessions and introduction of the intervention. Additionally, all three participants maintained the acquired science terms and applications over time and generalized these skills across materials and settings. The findings of this study suggest several implications for practice within inclusive settings and provide suggestions for future research investigating the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction to teach academic skills to students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and intellectual disability.
Optogenetic Module for Dichromatic Control of c-di-GMP Signaling.

Many aspects of bacterial physiology and behavior, including motility, surface attachment, and the cell cycle, are controlled by cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP)-dependent signaling pathways on the scale of seconds to minutes. Interrogation of such processes in real time requires tools for introducing rapid and reversible changes in intracellular c-di-GMP levels. Inducing the expression of genes encoding c-di-GMP-synthetic (diguanylate cyclases) and -degrading (c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase) enzymes by chemicals may not provide adequate temporal control. In contrast, light-controlled diguanylate cyclases and phosphodiesterases can be quickly activated and inactivated. A red/near-infrared-light-regulated diguanylate cyclase, BphS, was engineered previously, yet a complementary light-activated c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase has been lacking. In search of such a phosphodiesterase, we investigated two homologous proteins from Allochromatium vinosum and Magnetococcus marinus, designated BldP, which contain C-terminal EAL-BLUF modules, where EAL is a c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase domain and BLUF is a blue light sensory domain. Characterization of the BldP proteins in Escherichia coli and in vitro showed that they possess light-activated c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase activities. Interestingly, light activation in both enzymes was dependent on oxygen levels. The truncated EAL-BLUF fragment from A. vinosum BldP lacked phosphodiesterase activity, whereas a similar fragment from M. marinus BldP, designated EB1, possessed such activity that was highly (>30-fold) upregulated by light. Following light withdrawal, EB1 reverted to the inactive ground state with a half-life of ∼6 min. Therefore, the blue-light-activated phosphodiesterase EB1 can be used in combination with the red/near-infrared-light-regulated diguanylate cyclase BphS for the bidirectional regulation of c-di-GMP-dependent processes in E. coli as well as other bacterial and nonbacterial cells. IMPORTANCE Regulation of motility, attachment to surfaces, the cell cycle, and other bacterial processes controlled by the c-di-GMP signaling pathways occur at a fast (seconds-to-minutes) pace. Interrogation of these processes at high temporal and spatial resolution using chemicals is difficult or impossible, while optogenetic approaches may prove useful. We identified and characterized a robust, blue-light-activated c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase (hydrolase) that complements a previously engineered red/near-infrared-light-regulated diguanylate cyclase (c-di-GMP synthase). These two enzymes form a dichromatic module for manipulating intracellular c-di-GMP levels in bacterial and nonbacterial cells.
Acoustic signal and noise changes in the Beaufort Sea Pacific Water duct under anticipated future acidification of Arctic Ocean waters

It is predicted that Arctic Ocean acidity will increase during the next century as a result of carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere and migration into ocean waters. This change has implications for sound transmission because low-pH seawater absorbs less sound than high-pH water. Altered pH will affect sound in the 0.3−10 kHz range if the criterion is met that absorption is the primary cause of attenuation, rather than the alternatives of loss in the ice or seabed. Recent work has exploited sound that meets the criterion, sound trapped in a Beaufort Sea duct composed of Pacific Winter Water underlying Pacific Summer Water. Arctic pH is expected to drop from 8.1 to 7.9 (approximately) over the next 30−50 yr, and effects of this chemical alteration on the intensity levels of this ducted sound, and on noise, are examined here. Sound near 900 Hz is predicted to undergo the greatest change, traveling up to 38% further. At ranges of 100−300 km, sound levels from a source in the duct may increase by 7 dB...
Effects of Hermetic Storage on Adult Sitophilus oryzae L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Acoustic Activity Patterns and Mortality

Hermetic storage is of interest to farmers and warehouse managers as a method to control insect pests in small storage facilities. To develop improved understanding of effects of hermetic storage on insect pest activity and mortality over time, oxygen levels, acoustic signals, and observations of visual movement were recorded from replicates of 25, 50, and 100 adult Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) hermetically sealed in 500- and 1,000-ml glass jars. Recordings were done for 28 d; twice daily for the first 6 d and twice weekly thereafter. Insect sounds were analyzed as short bursts (trains) of impulses with spectra that matched average spectra (profiles) of previously verified insect sound impulses. Oxygen consumption was highest in treatments of 100 insects/500-ml jar and lowest in 25/1000-ml jars. The rates of bursts per insect, number of impulses per burst, and rates of burst impulses per insect decreased as the residual oxygen levels decreased in each treatment. Activity rates <0.02 bursts s-1, the acoustic detection threshold, typically occurred as oxygen fell below 5%. Mortality was observed at 2% levels. The time to obtain these levels of insect activity and oxygen depletion ranged from 3-14 d depending on initial infestation levels. Acoustic detection made it possible to estimate the duration required for reduction of insect activity to levels resulting in negligible damage to the stored product under hermetic conditions. Such information is of value to farmers and warehouse managers attempting to reduce pest damage in stored crops.
Education Is Associated with the Magnitude of Cortisol Responses to Psychosocial Stress in College Students.

Researchers benefit from controlling for individual differences that systematically account for variance in acute cortisol responses (e.g., sex). Similarly, some suggest that education could be used as a cortisol covariate because prior work found a negative relationship between education and the magnitude of acute cortisol responses in middle-aged adults. Nevertheless, education is seldom controlled for in tests of cortisol responses to acute stress, in part because the effect of education on acute cortisol responses has yet to be tested in a college sample. The present study therefore tested the relationship between education and cortisol responses to acute stress in college students. Participants (124 healthy undergraduate students) self-reported education level and were subjected to a stressful speech task. Salivary cortisol was collected 0, + 15, + 25, + 40, and + 55 min post-stressor onset. Participant also completed a battery of questionnaires assessing individual differences, day-to-day demands, and stress-related appraisals. Students in their fourth year of college education or above had significantly less curvilinear responses to the stress task relative to first-, second-, and third-year students. The effect of education on cortisol responses previously found in middle-aged adults was replicated in college students. Future research may therefore benefit from controlling for education when analyzing acute cortisol responses in college samples.
Guest Editorial Special Issue on the 2016 Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics (WAFR)

It is a pleasure to introduce this Special Issue on the 2016 Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics (WAFR). WAFR is a prestigious, single-track, biennial international meeting devoted to recent advances on algorithmic problems in robotics. Robot algorithms are an important building block of robotic systems and are used to process inputs from users and sensors, perceive and build models of the environment, plan low-level motions and high-level tasks, control robotic actuators, and coordinate actions across multiple systems. Developing and analyzing these algorithms raise complex challenges, both theoretical and practical. Advances in the algorithmic foundations of robotics have applications to manufacturing, medicine, distributed robotics, human-robot interaction, intelligent prosthetics, computer animation, computational biology, and many other areas.
Autonomous Generation of Grounded Spatial Primitives for Agent Reasoning and Communication.

In this paper we describe ASPARC, a system for independent formation of an agent’s specific set of grounded primitive spatial concepts. Through all of its subsystems operating on a unified data structure, ASPARC’s spatial memories can be manipulated and analyzed as encapsulated representations, used to form plans for reenacting events, or used as patterns for recognizing and reminding. ASPARC was developed as a significant enhancement and paradigm change for MIND, an existing system for text interpretation and spatial reasoning, that uses abstractions in tiered representations to demonstrate spatial reasoning.ions in tiered representations to demonstrate spatial reasoning. Utilizing concepts of spatial reasoning devoid of hidden levels of abstraction, ASPARC independently learns the significance of its actions in its world based on its perception of its own existence and creates words, expectations, plans and patterns enabling it to reenact events and recognize the recurrence of related events creating a formally grounded method for developing spatial primitives for reasoning.
Advanced materials for automotive applications: an overview

Abstract: With increasing demand on fuel economy improvement and emission control, there is great deal of interest in using advanced materials to produce lightweight vehicles. The advanced materials include advanced high strength steels, non-ferrous alloys, such as aluminum, magnesium and titanium alloys, and a variety of composites, including carbon fiber composites, metal matrix composites and nanocomposites. This chapter provides an overview of these materials and their current applications and potential applications in future automobiles.
The mannose-binding lectin: an infection susceptibility gene.

A critical but unanswered question is what defines each individual’s pre-morbid susceptibility to infection? w e propose that individuals must have an “immune haplotype” that shapes their response to infectious agents. Infection is a balance between the intrinsic virulence of the infectious agent and the host defenses. Recent viral outbreaks of SARS and influenza serve to illustrate this point as these viruses cause severe disease in certain individuals, yet there are others in whom the same infectious challenge results in minimal symptoms. On the other hand it might be that those self same people who are resistance to one particular viral infection might be susceptible to other infection challenges. Similar rules can apply to susceptibility to bacterial infections.
Somatosensory Neurons Enter a State of Altered Excitability during Hibernation.

Summary Hibernation in mammals involves prolonged periods of inactivity, hypothermia, hypometabolism, and decreased somatosensation. Peripheral somatosensory neurons play an essential role in the detection and transmission of sensory information to CNS and in the generation of adaptive responses. During hibernation, when body temperature drops to as low as 2°C, animals dramatically reduce their sensitivity to physical cues [ 1 , 2 ]. It is well established that, in non-hibernators, cold exposure suppresses energy production, leading to dissipation of the ionic and electrical gradients across the plasma membrane and, in the case of neurons, inhibiting the generation of action potentials [ 3 ]. Conceivably, such cold-induced elimination of electrogenesis could be part of a general mechanism that inhibits sensory abilities in hibernators. However, when hibernators become active, the bodily functions—including the ability to sense environmental cues—return to normal within hours, suggesting the existence of mechanisms supporting basal functionality of cells during torpor and rapid restoration of activity upon arousal. We tested this by comparing properties of somatosensory neurons from active and torpid thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus). We found that torpid neurons can compensate for cold-induced functional deficits, resulting in unaltered resting potential, input resistance, and rheobase. Torpid neurons can generate action potentials but manifest markedly altered firing patterns, partially due to decreased activity of voltage-gated sodium channels. Our results provide insights into the mechanism that preserves somatosensory neurons in a semi-active state, enabling fast restoration of sensory function upon arousal. These findings contribute to the development of strategies enabling therapeutic hypothermia and hypometabolism.
The trajectory of a charged particle in the magnetic field of an infinite current carrying wire in the nonrelativistic limit

Abstract We have calculated in a closed form solution, in terms of modified Bessel function the first kind of order 0 and 1, for the motion of a positively charged particle in the magnetic field of an infinitely long, current-carrying wire in the nonrelativistic range. The orbits are not closed but exhibit a drift in the direction of the current with a speed that is independent of the launch angle. We found the drift velocity, drift displacement and the corresponding time, which we call the period.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor–D (VEGF-D) Overexpression and Lymphatic Expansion in Murine Adipose Tissue Improves Metabolism in Obesity

Obese adipose tissue expansion is an inflammatory process that results in dysregulated lipolysis, increased circulating lipids, ectopic lipid deposition, and systemic insulin resistance. Lymphatic vessels provide a route of fluid, macromolecule, and immune cell clearance, and lymphangiogenesis increases this capability. Indeed, inflammation-associated lymphangiogenesis is critical in resolving acute and chronic inflammation, but it is largely absent in obese adipose tissue. Enhancing adipose tissue lymphangiogenesis could, therefore, improve metabolism in obesity. To test this hypothesis, transgenic mice with doxycycline-inducible expression of murine vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-D under a tightly controlled Tet-On promoter were crossed with adipocyte-specific adiponectin-reverse tetracycline-dependent transactivator mice (Adipo-VD) to stimulate adipose tissue-specific lymphangiogenesis during 16-week high-fat diet-induced obesity. Adipose VEGF-D overexpression induced de novo lymphangiogenesis in murine adipose tissue, and obese Adipo-VD mice exhibited enhanced glucose clearance, lower insulin levels, and reduced liver triglycerides. On β-3 adrenergic stimulation, Adipo-VD mice exhibited more rapid and increased glycerol flux from adipose tissue, suggesting that the lymphatics are a potential route of glycerol clearance. Resident macrophage crown-like structures were scarce and total F4/80+ macrophages were reduced in obese Adipo-VD s.c. adipose tissue with evidence of increased immune trafficking from the tissue. Augmenting VEGF-D signaling and lymphangiogenesis specifically in adipose tissue, therefore, reduces obesity-associated immune accumulation and improves metabolic responsiveness.
Genetically-encoded sensors to detect fatty acid production and trafficking.

Abstract Objective Fatty acids are important for biological function; however, in excess, they can cause metabolic dysregulation. Methods to image and detect fatty acids in real time are lacking. Therefore, the current study examined the dynamics of fatty acid trafficking and signaling utilizing novel fluorescent and luminescent approaches. Methods We generated fluorescent and luminescent-based genetically-encoded sensors based upon the ligand-dependent interaction between PPARα and SRC-1 to image and detect cellular dynamics of fatty acid trafficking. Results The use of a fluorescent sensor demonstrates that fatty acids traffic rapidly from lipid droplets to the nucleus. Both major lipases ATGL and HSL contribute to fatty acid signaling from lipid droplet to nucleus, however, their dynamics differ. Furthermore, direct activation of lipolysis, independent of receptor-mediated signaling is sufficient to promote lipid droplet to nuclear trafficking of fatty acids. A luminescent-based sensor that reports intracellular fatty acid levels is amenable to high-throughput analysis. Conclusions Fatty acids traffic from lipid droplets to the nucleus within minutes of stimulated lipolysis. Genetically-encoded fluorescent and luminescent based sensors can be used to probe the dynamics of fatty acid trafficking and signaling.
Boron Nitride Nanosheets from Different Preparations and Correlations with Their Material Properties

Boron nitride nanosheets (BNNs) are pursued for their high thermal conductivity yet electrical insulation and their extreme thermal and chemical stabilities for a variety of applications. For high-quality BNNs, a number of exfoliation approaches under different processing conditions were evaluated. Three more effective methods were identified, including method-A based on refluxing and vigorous sonication in isopropyl alcohol, method-B involving ball-milling in urea, and method-C with the aid of ammonia in hydrothermal processing. These methods produced BNNs of apparently different structural and morphological characteristics, with those from the first two being smaller pieces, more defective, and their polymeric nanocomposites exhibiting relatively lower thermal conductive performance. The method-C yielded BNNs of obviously better quality, as also made evident by the observed high thermal diffusivities of their corresponding polymeric nanocomposites. Correlations of exfoliation approaches and conditions w...
A Review of Gun Buybacks

This reviews the history of gun buybacks and the literature to determine their impact and efficacy, as well as highlighting salient critiques. Finally, we discuss potential avenues that would enhance our understanding of buybacks and methods to address gun violence. Gun buybacks have become more prominent since their inception in the 1970s and often come in response to a tragic local event. The largest scale buyback was in the mid-1990s in Australia, which collected over 650,000 guns. Buybacks are a cost-effective method of reducing the number of weapons in the general public. Gun buybacks are a cost-effective means to reduce the number of unwanted firearms in the general public and also provide a means for education regarding injury prevention. Buybacks in conjunction with other methods have been shown to be successful in reducing the number of firearms that could lead to injury and death.
Eliminating Leakage Errors in Hyperfine Qubits.

Population leakage outside the qubit subspace presents a particularly harmful source of error that cannot be handled by standard error correction methods. Using a trapped $^{171}{\mathrm{Yb}}^{+}$ ion, we demonstrate an optical pumping scheme to suppress leakage errors in atomic hyperfine qubits. The selection rules and narrow linewidth of a quadrupole transition are used to selectively pump population out of leakage states and back into the qubit subspace. Each pumping cycle reduces the leakage population by a factor of $\ensuremath{\sim}3$, allowing for an exponential suppression in the number of cycles. We use interleaved randomized benchmarking on the qubit subspace to show that this pumping procedure has negligible side effects on the qubit subspace, bounding the induced qubit memory error by $\ensuremath{\le}2.0(8)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}5}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{per}$ cycle, and qubit population decay to $\ensuremath{\le}1.4(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}7}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{per}$ cycle. These results clear a major obstacle for implementations of quantum error correction and error mitigation protocols.
A Coupler-Based Differential mm-Wave Doherty Power Amplifier With Impedance Inverting and Scaling Baluns

Designing Doherty power amplifiers (PAs) at high millimeter-wave (mm-Wave) range remains a major challenge because most Doherty combiners at this frequency band are inefficient. To resolve this bottleneck, we analyze balun response under load variation and subsequently propose the Doherty PA architecture with impedance inverting and scaling baluns that perform active load modulation on differential PAs and delivers combined power to a single-ended load. At the PA output/input stage, instead of utilizing the transformer-based balun commonly used at RF and low mm-Wave frequencies, we explore the coupler-based balun to resonate out the device parasitic capacitance and achieve well-balanced differential to single-ended conversion at high mm-Wave frequencies. Based on the coupled-line theory and our analysis, we derive the [Y] matrix of the coupler-based balun and originate various solutions for baluns that can invert or scale impedance. From this derivation, we conceive a canonical form of impedance inverting baluns when the electrical length of coupled lines equals 45°. We also propose a close-formed solution for the coupler-based impedance scaling balun that is electrically equivalent to an idealistic transformer in series with a small inductance. We then combine the proposed impedance inverting and scaling balun structures to construct a Doherty network that exhibits desirable Doherty active load modulation and occupies a single-transformer footprint. On the active circuit design, we employ the adaptive biasing circuit for both driver and PA stages of the auxiliary PA to enhance the main and auxiliary cooperation. Using a 45-nm GlobalFoundries CMOS SOI process, we fabricate a proof-of-concept Doherty PA that demonstrates 20.1-dBm $P_{\mathrm {sat}}$ , 19.3dBm OP1,dB, 26% peak power-added efficiency (PAE), and 16.6% PAE at 7-dB power back-off (PBO) from OP1 dB at 60 GHz. Our results indicate a substantial PAE enhancement at PBO and a state-of-the-art modulation efficiency achieved when transmitting digital pre-distortion (DPD)-free 64-QAM-modulated signals.
Treating children with achalasia using per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM): Twenty-one cases in review.

Abstract Background Per-oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), a modern treatment for achalasia, has only recently emerged as an option for pediatric patients. Here we describe and characterize the success of POEM in children with achalasia. Methods A single-institution prospective cohort study was performed of patients Results The median age of patients (n = 21) was 13 years (range 2–17). Median procedure duration was 92 min (range 52–259) with case duration plateau of 87.4 min and learning rate of 15.5 cases. Intraoperative complications included capnoperitoneum requiring needle decompression and mucosotomy requiring additional clips. One patient experienced chest pain with small capnoperitoneum seen on chest radiography, and three patients had extraluminal carbon dioxide found incidentally on routine radiography. All were managed with observation. Pre- versus 1-month postprocedure Eckardt scores were significantly improved (7 ± 2 versus 1 ± 2, p Conclusions POEM is a viable and safe treatment for pediatric patients with achalasia. We demonstrate improvement in symptoms and procedure proficiency with minimal intra- and postoperative complications. Type of study Prospective cohort study. Level of evidence Level II.
Transesophageal Echocardiography Training of Emergency Physicians Through an E-Learning System.

Abstract Background Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been shown to be a powerful tool that emergency physicians can use to guide resuscitation efforts during cardiac arrest. Currently, there is no standardized curriculum to teach TEE to emergency physicians. Objective We hypothesized that the use of a pilot training course combining interactive e-learning and hands-on simulation would increase the percentage of students achieving a score of ≥80% on a multiple-choice test of knowledge and increase self-reported comfort using TEE. Methods We designed a 2.5-h TEE course for emergency physicians and medical intensive care unit fellows. Participants took a test of knowledge and a survey of comfort—both online—before, just after, and 4 weeks after taking the course. Survey responses measured participants self-reported comfort with using TEE in clinical practice. A normal binomial approximation was used to calculate the 95% confidence interval. Results Of the 3 tests of knowledge, 15 participants completed all tests. Of the surveys of comfort, 31 participants completed the precourse survey, 32 completed the postcourse survey, and 19 completed the 4-week follow-up survey. The proportion of students scoring ≥80% improved from 40% on the precourse test to 80% on the postcourse test (95% confidence interval 1–79). The proportion of students indicating comfort with using TEE improved from 3% precourse to 53% postcourse (95% confidence interval 28–71). Conclusions A TEE training course resulted in a 50% increase in surveyed participants feeling comfortable using TEE in cardiac arrest and a 40% increase in participants scoring ≥80% on a test of knowledge.
BIOCHEMISTRY OF BIOTIN.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on a host of indirect effects observed in biotin deficiency and offers possible explanations for some of these findings. The discussions primarily deal with the results on certain aspects of biotin in intermediary metabolism. The chapter discusses some of the recent data on the biochemistry of biotin. It also discusses the characterization of five biotin enzymes. The effects of biotin deficiency are felt in very many reactions in the intact organism. Biotin has been implicated to play a role in the deamination of aspartate, serine, and threonine in bacteria in the deamination of serine in animals in the reductive carboxylation of pyruvate by the malic enzyme, in the carboxylation of phosphoenolpyruvate by the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in carbamylation reactions, in tryptophan metabolism, in purine synthesis, in protein synthesis, and in carbohydrate metabolism. As avidin specifically binds biotin, biotin enzymes do not directly mediate these reactions and the effects observed are indirect results of biotin deficiency.
Compliant Bistable Grippers Enable Passive Perching for Micro Aerial Vehicles

Micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) with multiple rotors, or multicopters, have many promising applications ranging from environmental monitoring, agricultural inspection, to package delivery. These applications, however, usually face a critical problem: the flight time of MAVs is limited due to the low aerodynamic efficiency and high energy consumption. One promising solution is to make them rest on desired objects using perching, an important capability in biological flyers (e.g., birds). In this article, we present the design and experimentation of a novel perching mechanism: a low cost, 3-D-printed gripper with bistability (i.e., two stable states). The gripper has two unique characteristics. First, using bistability, it can passively switch from open to closed state using the impact between the gripper and the perching object, alleviating the requirement for precise motion control. Second, the gripper has two perching methods for different objects. For objects with a small height, it can form a closed diamond shape to encircle the objects (encircling method). For objects with a large height, the gripper's two fingers can clip on each side of the objects to utilize the friction forces for perching (clipping method). We analyze the proposed gripper design to predict the required force for opening and closing the gripper. We also predict the size of objects that will allow for successful perching for the clipping method. All the theoretical analyses are experimentally verified. Finally, we integrate the gripper onto a palm-size quadcopter to enable a mechatronic system for perching, and demonstrate successful perching with both clipping and encircling methods as well as aerial grasping. Although our bistable gripper is used with a palm-size quadcopter, the design strategy can also be applied to large-size MAVs for both energy efficient perching and aerial grasping.
Differentiated Daughter Cells Regulate Stem Cell Proliferation and Fate through Intra-tissue Tension

Basal stem cells fuel development, homeostasis, and regeneration of the epidermis. The proliferation and fate decisions of these cells are highly regulated by their microenvironment, including the basement membrane and underlying mesenchymal cells. Basal progenitors give rise to differentiated progeny that generate the epidermal barrier. Here, we present data that differentiated progeny also regulate the proliferation, differentiation, and migration of basal progenitor cells. Using two distinct mouse lines, we found that increasing contractility of differentiated cells resulted in non-cell-autonomous hyperproliferation of stem cells and prevented their commitment to a hair follicle lineage. This increased contractility also impaired movement of basal progenitors during hair placode morphogenesis and diminished migration of melanoblasts. These data suggest that intra-tissue tension regulates stem cell proliferation, fate decisions, and migration and that differentiated epidermal keratinocytes are a component of the stem cell niche that regulates development and homeostasis of the skin.
Hydrophobicity of oil droplets in water

The thin film balance (TFB) technique was used to measure the equilibrium thicknesses of the water films formed between two oil phases. The measurements were conducted with dodecane at varying concentrations of dodecylammonium chloride, pH and electrolyte. The data obtained in the present work were used to calculate the surface forces acting between the two oil phases. The calculation was carried using the Extended-DLVO theory with the surface potentials calculated from the Gibbs adsorption isotherm. The results show that oil droplets suspended in water are hydrophobic and the hydrophobicity changes with surfactant and electrolyte concentrations.
Familial DI and Genetic Workup

There are familial forms of both neurohypophyseal and nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (Table 13.1). Familial neurohypophyseal DI is most often due to autosomal dominant arginine vasopressin (AVP) mutations, with gradual onset in childhood due to progressive neuronal destruction that make early diagnosis challenging. Recessive mutations in AVP have rarely been described. Wolfram’s syndrome or DIDMOAD (diabetes insipidus, diabetes mellitus, obesity and optic atrophy), caused by mutations in WSF, is also autosomal recessive in inheritance; 70% develop DI in the 2nd or 3rd decade of life. Familial nephrogenic DI is most commonly due to X-linked mutations in AVPR2 or autosomal recessive mutations in AQP2 and presents in early infancy. In all familial forms, phenotype can be variable, even within a family. Treatment of familial DI is similar to that of other forms of DI, with desmopressin for nephrogenic DI and thiazide diuretics or indomethacin in nephrogenic disease.
Promise and peril of ecological and evolutionary modelling using cross-cultural datasets.

Comparative analysis using cross-cultural data has a long tradition in anthropology and applications by ecologically minded researchers have exploded in the past decade. Here we discuss problems and recommend solutions for use of cross-cultural datasets in ecology.
The presence of apoE4, not the absence of apoE3, contributes to AD pathology.

ApoE is a component of several classes of lipoproteins regulating lipid metabolism and redistribution [42] and is detected primarily in astrocytes in rodents and in astrocytes and neurons in humans [7,26, 51]. Neuronal apoE levels increase after CNS injuries in humans and rodents [33,38]. The three human isoforms, E2, E3, and E4, (alleles e2, e3, e4) differ by cysteines at two positions (112 and 158) [92]. All other mammalian apoE is E4-like at these cysteine residues, but numerous other differences exist, particularly in the C-terminus, such that rodent apoE cannot be equated with any particular human apoE isoform in its sequence [94]. This is an important consideration when attempting to compare effects of mouse and human apoE in transgenic models. ApoE isoform-specific activities could impact neuronal function through several direct and indirect mechanisms [84], raising the possibility that apoE isoforms differ in the mechanism by which they impact AD pathology [73]. Since the position defended here is that the presence of E4 confers greater risk of AD, an appropriate question is how selection for such a risk factor might occur. The E3 allele has risen to prominence in the last
Fast and Efficient Parallel Algorithms for the Exact Inversion of Integer Matrices

Let A = (aij) be a nonsingular n×n integer matrix such that log ∥A∥ ≤ no(1), \(\mathop {\max }\limits_{i,j}\) |aij| ≤ ∥A∥ ≤ n \(\mathop {\max }\limits_{i,j}\) |aij|. Then adj A, A−1 and all the coefficients of the characteristic polynomial of A including det A can be exactly evaluated on arithmetic circuits using O(log2n) parallel steps and M(n) processors where M(n) is the minimum number of processors required in order to multiply two n×n matrices in O(log n) steps, M(n) = o(n2.5). This substantially improves the processor bound \(\sqrt n\) M(n) of [Preparata and Sarwate, 78] and extends the recent results of [Pan and Reif, 85], where the same complexity estimates were obtained for the approximate evaluation of A−1 and under the additional assumption that A is a well-conditioned or strongly diagonally dominant matrix. All arithmetic operations can be performed with the precision of ≤ d bits so the total cost of computation is only O(log(dn))2 steps, o(n2.496d log d log log d) processors under the Boolean circuit model of parallel computation. Here d is O(n2log(n∥A∥) in the worst case; d is O(n log(n∥A∥)) with probability 1-O(1/(nh−1∥A∥h)) for arbitrary constant h. This extends our \(\sqrt n\)-improvement of the efficiency of the previously known algorithms to the case of the Boolean circuit model and consequently increases the efficiency of the known parallel algorithms for several related algebraic and combinatorial problems.