cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-throughput screening for glutathione conjugates using stable-isotope labeling and negative electrospray ionization precursor-ion mass spectrometry

RATIONALE It has been proposed that the increase in the instances of idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions (IADRs) and black box warnings may be attributed to the occurrence of reactive metabolites. Consequently, a high-throughput screen for reactive metabolites formed from liver microsome extracts with added glutathione (GSH) was developed for use in the early stages of drug discovery. METHODS To enhance sensitivity and specificity, as well as accelerate data processing, a mixture of a stable-isotope probe consisting of natural GSH (light GSH) and stable-isotope-labeled [(15) N,(13) C(2)] GSH (heavy GSH) at a ratio of 1:1 was used. Any metabolite that reacted with the GSH results in the formation of light and heavy GSH conjugates with a 3 Da difference. Employing a precursor-ion scan using negative ion electrospray ionization (ESI) corresponding to the expected fragments, signals with the appropriate ratio in the precursor ion scan are then further examined. RESULTS The new method greatly simplifies data collection by assuming molecules containing GSH will fragment to form specific ions. As such, this approach accelerates data processing (and collection) at the risk of missing compounds that do not fragment as expected. The assay was validated with 33 diverse drugs known to form GSH conjugates, 5 drugs known to not form GSH adducts and over 100 samples containing components of the normal in vitro matrix. In all cases data collected matched the expected result. CONCLUSIONS The observed sensitivity, specificity, and fast data processing make this assay an excellent fit for high-throughput screening of reactive metabolites in the early stages of drug discovery. This method is not intended to eliminate compounds or terminate their development. Instead, it is to bring forward molecules with one less liability and thus a greater probability of ultimate success.
Antibiofilm Effect of Octenidine Hydrochloride on Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA and VRSA

Millions of indwelling devices are implanted in patients every year, and staphylococci (S. aureus, MRSA and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA)) are responsible for a majority of infections associated with these devices, thereby leading to treatment failures. Once established, staphylococcal biofilms become resistant to antimicrobial treatment and host response, thereby serving as the etiological agent for recurrent infections. This study investigated the efficacy of octenidine hydrochloride (OH) for inhibiting biofilm synthesis and inactivating fully-formed staphylococcal biofilm on different matrices in the presence and absence of serum protein. Polystyrene plates and stainless steel coupons inoculated with S. aureus, MRSA or VRSA were treated with OH (zero, 0.5, one, 2 mM) at 37 °C for the prevention of biofilm formation. Additionally, the antibiofilm effect of OH (zero, 2.5, five, 10 mM) on fully-formed staphylococcal biofilms on polystyrene plates, stainless steel coupons and urinary catheters was investigated. OH was effective in rapidly inactivating planktonic and biofilm cells of S. aureus, MRSA and VRSA on polystyrene plates, stainless steel coupons and urinary catheters in the presence and absence of serum proteins. The use of two and 10 mM OH completely inactivated S. aureus planktonic cells and biofilm (>6.0 log reduction) on all matrices tested immediately upon exposure. Further, confocal imaging revealed the presence of dead cells and loss in biofilm architecture in the OH-treated samples when compared to intact live biofilm in the control. Results suggest that OH could be applied as an effective antimicrobial to control biofilms of S. aureus, MRSA and VRSA on appropriate hospital surfaces and indwelling devices.
The Construction of r-Regular Wavelets for Arbitrary Dilations

Given a dilation matrix A and a natural number r we construct an associated r-regular multiresolution analysis with r-regular wavelet basis. Here a dilation is an n×n expansive matrix A (all eigenvalues λ of A satisfy |λ|>1) with integer entries. This extends a theorem of Strichartz which assumes the existence of a self-affine tiling associated with the dilation A. We also prove that regular wavelets have vanishing moments.
Evidence for a novel signal transduction pathway activated by platelet-derived growth factor and by double-stranded RNA.

Abstract Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and the synthetic double-stranded RNA poly(I).poly(C) [poly(I.C)] stimulate transcription of the JE gene in BALB/c-3T3 fibroblasts. The response of JE to poly(I.C) does not appear to be channeled through any known component of the PDGF receptor signal transduction apparatus. In addition, JE sequences upstream of the transcription start site are devoid of previously identified poly(I.C)-responsive elements, such as those found in the beta-interferon gene. These data suggest that a novel signal transduction pathway regulates the JE response to PDGF and double-stranded RNA. The c-myc and c-fos proto-oncogenes also respond to this pathway but with poor efficiency. However, this pathway operates very efficiently on other PDGF-inducible genes that encode the secretory proteins KC and M-CSF.
Processing "d-linked" phrases.

Linguists draw a distinction between two types of interrogatives: discourse linked (d-linked) phrases such as which man, which implies the existence of a set of contextually determined entities (men) from which the speaker is asking for a choice, and non–d-linked interrogatives such as who, which carry no such implication. Two questionnaires and an on-line reading study showed that readers prefer a d-linked phrase more than a non–d-linked phrase as the antecedent for a pronoun, suggesting that d-linked phrases are immediately instantiated in a discourse representation that is checked during the process of pronoun interpretation. Comparable difficulty is not observed for non–d-linked interrogatives. A questionnaire and an on-line listening study also showed that readers and listeners were more willing to accept a grammatical “island violation” containing a pronoun when the pronoun's antecendent was a d-linked interrogative than when the antecedent was non–d-linked, suggesting that they check a discourse representation for the pronoun antecedent. All results suggest that d-linked phrases are immediately interpreted in a discourse representation, not just in a syntactic representation.
Directive and supportive behaviors used by families of hospitalized older adults to affect the process of hospitalization.

As part of a grounded-theory study exploring the social processes of hospitalized older adults, family members were asked about their roles in relation to their hospitalized relative. Participants included five hospitalized older adults (aged ≥ 75 years), a family member, and a nurse for each older adult. Data saturation determined the number of participants. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method to develop the substantive theory of managing personal integrity during hospitalization. Personal integrity is a concept encompassing the properties of health, dignity, and autonomy. Siblings, spouses, children, and grandchildren used a combination of supportive and directive behaviors to affect personal integrity and the hospitalization for their older relatives. In prior research, the entire family was viewed as the patient. This research is unique in that the family is viewed as a modifier of hospitalization affecting the older adult's hospital experience and not as the focus of care.
Statistical Analysis of Tensile Strength of ARALL® Laminates:

Variability in the strength of ARALL® laminates is studied. Standard statis tical procedures are used to determine the distribution function that best fits ARALL® laminates strength data. The normal, log-normal, and two-parameter Weibull distributions are compared using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov goodness-of-fit test. At the 5 % significance level none of these distributions is rejected. However, the data indicate that the strength of laminates, for a given gauge length and cross section, can be best fitted to a two-parameter Weibull distribution. In addition, some small panel-to-panel variations in strength are also found.The effect of gauge length on the strength of ARALL® laminates is examined. The strength of ARALL® laminates seems to exhibit no gauge length effects over the range from 2 to 20 inches, holding the strain rate constant. This effect, if true in general, would be a substantial advantage for ARALL® laminates, because scaling effects would be mini mized.
On the convergence of the order-recursive adaptive lattice equalizer

A quantitative evaluation is presented of the performance characteristics of the ORAL (order-recursive adaptive lattice) algorithm. In particular, the authors study the initial convergence, the steady-state performance, and the wordlength effect. The initial convergence analysis shows that, in contrast to the conventional MTO (mixed time and order)-recursive LS (least-squares) lattice algorithms, which are sensitive to the choice of the initialization procedures, the ORAL equalizer initialization is determined by the second-order statistics of the input data, so that there is no arbitrary choice in initializing the algorithm. The steady-state analytical and experimental comparisons show that the ORAL equalizer steady-state performance is in closer agreement with the theoretical expression than the MTO-recursive LS lattice algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate that the ORAL equalizer can work by using shorter wordlength than the recursive LS equalizers. >
Adaptive Nonlinear Control of Multiple Spacecraft Formation Flying

Thispaperconsiderstheproblemofrelativepositioncontrolformultiplespacecraftformatione ying.Specie cally, the full nonlinear dynamics describing the relative positioning of multiple spacecraft formation e ying are used to develop a Lyapunov-based, nonlinear, adaptive control law that guarantees global asymptotic convergence of the position tracking error in the presence of unknown, constant, or slow-varying spacecraft masses, disturbance forces, and gravity forces. Simulation results are included to illustrate the controller performance. that compensated for unknown, constant disturbances while pro- ducing globally asymptotically decaying position tracking errors. This controller, however, required exact knowledge of the space- craft parameters. In this paper we consider the full nonlinear dynamics describ- ing the relative positioning of MSFF for control design purposes. Using Lyapunov-based control design and stability analysis tech- niques, we develop a nonlinear adaptive control law that guarantees global asymptotic convergence of the spacecraft relative position to any sufe ciently smooth desired trajectory, despite the presence of unknown, constant, or slow-varying spacecraft masses, disturbance forces, and gravity forces. In the case when the parameters are ex- actlyknown,theproposedcontrolstrategyyieldsglobalexponential convergence of the tracking errors. In comparison to the work of Refs. 11 and 12, the proposed controller ensures stronger stability resultsandaccountsforawiderclassofparametricuncertainties.As inRefs.11-13, we will consider in this paper the idealized scenario where the spacecraft actuators are capable of providing continuous- time control efforts, as opposed to being of pulse type. 9 We note that the problem of pulse-type, nonlinear control design for MSFF constitutes an open research problem and is beyond the scope of this paper. The paper is organized as follows. Section II presents the non- linear dynamic model derivation. The control objective is stated in Sec. III. The control design and closed-loop stability analysis are presented in Sec. IV. Simulation results are provided in Sec. V, whereas some concluding remarks are given in Sec. VI.
THE KINEMATICS OF SWALLOWING IN THE BUCCAL MASS OF APLYSIA CALIFORNICA

Changes in the positions, shapes and movements of the feeding apparatus (buccal mass) of the marine mollusc Aplysia californica were studied in intact, transilluminated juveniles. The buccal mass assumes characteristic shapes as its internal structure, the radula/odontophore, moves anteriorly (protracts) or posteriorly (retracts). These shapes are especially distinctive when the radula/odontophore has protracted forwards fully, is close to its resting or neutral position, or has retracted backwards fully. We refer to the shapes that occur at full protraction, transition and full retraction as shape 1 (spherical), shape 2 (ovoid) and shape 3 (gamma-shaped), respectively. We introduce this shape nomenclature in order to avoid confusion with the existing terms protraction and retraction, which we reserve exclusively to describe the direction of movement of the radula/odontophore. The observed shape changes do not agree with those predicted on the basis of in vitro observations of a feeding head preparation, but are similar to shapes observed in vitro in the snail Lymnaea stagnalis. The buccal mass also rotates approximately 10 degrees dorsally during retraction, pivoting on the attachment to the mouth, before the subsequent protraction and return of the buccal mass to the transition shape. This rotation may be due to activation of the extrinsic muscles of the buccal mass. Plots of the buccal mass shape parameters eccentricity versus ellipticity create a two-dimensional shape space, which accurately quantifies the subtle transitions of shape between the different phases of the feeding cycle. Quantitative differences are observed between pure swallows and swallows with tearing behavior, but the qualitative shapes are similar. Hysteresis in the shape space plots of most swallows provides evidence for the hypothesis that protraction and retraction each have distinct 9active9 and 9return9 phases. The observed kinematic pattern imposes constraints on the internal structures of the buccal mass and may be used to infer the shape and positions of the radula and odontophore.
Towards a button-sized 1024-site wireless cortical microstimulating array

Design and development of a micromachined 16-site wireless addressable active stimulating microprobe, called Interestim-3, based on the University of Michigan MEMS 3-D microelectrode-array technology have been discussed. Up to 64 Interestim-3 probes can be used in parallel with only 2 connections to a mutual hybrid coil in order to achieve a 1024-site intracortical microstimulating system with no trans or subcutaneous wires. 3-D microassembly of Interestim-3 probes, which is facilitated by small number of interconnects (2/probe) that also gives way to a high yield has been shown. Interestim-3 has been fabricated in the UM 3-/spl mu/m 1M/2P BiCMOS process. It has four 60 /spl mu/m /spl times/ 3.1 mm shanks with 250/spl mu/m spacing, each having four 181/spl mu/m/sup 2/ sites. Interestim-3 circuitry has about 4200 transistors that occupy 21.2 mm/sup 2/ of 32.5 mm/sup 2/ probe back-end.
Effect of Tolerance to Insecticides on Substrate Penetration by Formosan Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Seven selected insecticides were applied to three substrates and bioassayed for barrier efficacy and toxicity against the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, originating from colonies that differed in their tolerance to the insecticides. A profound substrate effect was seen with all insecticides tested. Sand was the most difficult substrate to penetrate and caused faster and greater mortality of C. formosanus. Increased tolerance in C. formosanus was accompanied by a decrease in penetration of treated substrata with chlordane, methoxychlor, chlorpyrifos, and deltamethrin. The opposite was true in the case of permethrin and bendiocarb. More tolerance C. formosanus displayed decreased mortality in the presence of chlorpyrifos, deltamethrin, bendiocarb, and fipronil. The opposite was true for permethrin.
Neural plasticity in aging and Alzheimer's disease: some selected comments.

Publisher Summary Neural plasticity can be defined as adaptive changes in structure and function of the nervous system occurring during all stages of development, as a result of experience, or following injury. Many levels of complexity have been attached to the concept of plasticity with time spans ranging from seconds to years; from very precise modifications in behavior related to learning and memory to global responses such as attempts to recover function following environmental insult. The immature central nervous system (CNS) is considered to be extremely plastic but, until recently, the mature and aging CNS was thought to have very little plastic capability. Studies of reactive synaptogenesis and dendritic remodeling in Alzheimer's disease show that the entorhinal projection neurons and the perforant pathway are destroyed by neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic plaques in AD. To investigate whether this degeneration led to any plastic response such as reactive sprouting, the hippocampus was examined and changes in Alzheimer brains were described that looked very similar to the reorganization seen in animals following experimental lesions. This surprising result indicates that patients with AD do demonstrate neuroplasticity.
A Social and Academic Enrichment Program Promotes Medical School Matriculation and Graduation for Disadvantaged Students

Introduction: This study assessed the impact of a pre-medical pipeline program on successful completion of medical school and the capacity of this program to address achievement gaps experienced by disadvantaged students. The University of North Carolina (USA) Medical Education Development (MED) program provides intensive academic and test skills preparation for admission to medical, dental, and other allied health professions schools. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the academic progress of a longitudinal sample of 1738 disadvantaged college students who completed MED between 1974 and 2001. Data sources included MED participant data, medical school admissions data for the host school, aggregate data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and individual MED participant data from AAMC. Methods of analysis utilized Chi-square, independent samples t test, and logistic regression to examine associations between factors. Results: Of the 935 students in MED from 1974 to 2001, who had indicated an interest in medical school, 887 (94.9%) successfully matriculated and 801 (85.7%) successfully earned the MD degree. Using logistic regression, factors that were significantly correlated with earning the medical degree included the student's race, college undergraduate total and science grade point averages, with Hispanic, African American, and Native American participants earning the medical degree at rates comparable to Caucasian participants. MED students successfully earned the MD degree despite having significantly lower Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores and undergraduate grade point averages compared to all United States medical school applicants: MCAT scores had little relationship with student's success. Conclusions: These findings suggest that an intensive, nine-week, pre-medical academic enrichment program that incorporates confidence-building and small-group tutoring and peer support activities can build a foundation on which disadvantaged students can successfully earn matriculation to and graduation from medical school.
POSSⓇ in Tight Places

The nature of polymer/POSS interactions and associated thermo-mechanical properties are discussed, and found to be consistent with small-molecule interactions associated with POSS, rather than a bottom-up self-assembly or any other method of classical reinforcement. Hansen solubility parameters are shown to accurately predict polymer/POSS combinations which are capable of successful interactions; such interactions are necessary, but insufficient for polymer property enhancement, since in many cases compatibility simply leads to plasticization by POSS. In the presence of stong additive/polymer interactions, such as via hydrogen bonding and/or π- π stacking, moduli, strength and glass transitions can all be increased, but only up to the solubility limit for the POSS in the polymer, which typically is reached at approximately 2.5-3 wt % POSS. Beyond the solubility limit, phase separation and rapid degradation of properties is observed.
Childhood and adolescent tracheobronchial mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC): a case-series and review of the literature

Tracheobronchial mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MEC) are rare in the pediatric population with literature limited primarily to case reports. Here we present our institutional experience treating MEC in three patients and review the literature of 142 pediatric cases previously published from 1968 to 2013. Although rare, tracheobronchial MEC should be included in the differential diagnosis in a child with recurrent respiratory symptoms. Conservative surgical management is often sufficient to achieve complete resection and good outcomes.
From voluntary to regulatory: a comparison of approaches to public health objectives across five countries

Background A range of instruments can be used to achieve public health objectives, from statutory regulations to entirely voluntary initiatives. The Public Health Responsibility Deal (PHRD) in England is a voluntary public-private partnership that aims to contribute to public health objectives. Focusing on the alcohol labelling and salt reduction pledges of the PHRD, we examine a range of policy instruments that other countries have used to pursue similar public health aims. Methods We selected five countries as case studies: Australia, …
Retracement Surveys in Pacific Northwest Coast Range

Search and perpetuation of U.S. Public Land Survey section corners makes contracting for section subdivision surveys less costly. The U.S. Forest Service needs to identify 1,500 miles of property boundary per year. The contract estimates and statement of work needed is more realistic when based on recovered original survey corners. Forest Service personnel rely on the original instructions issued the surveyor, the manual in effect at time of survey and the knowledge gained in previous search and retracements. Attention is given to the monuments, accessories to the monument and traits of individual surveyors. Emphasis is given to evaluation, perpetuation and recordation of evidence. Corner information is filed with the Forest Supervisor and is available to the public. The data provides the information for identifying the forest boundaries and determining the surveys needed for the Land Adjustment Program.
Advance in comparative study on diploid and tripoid of Paragonimus westermani

Paragonimus westermani is a main pathogen of human paragonimiasis.We discovered that they were divided into diploid and triploid types.This review has compared the differences between two types from several aspects such as morphology,protein,isozyme and chromosomes.It provides theoretical evidence for confirming the position of these two types.
A Study on Yield Components of Hybrid Rice with Big Panicle

With two high-yielding hybrid rice combinations Shanyou 63 and Liangyoupeijiu as check,18 combinations with big panicle are chosen to study the relationships between yield components and yield.The results showed that:(1) A very significant increase in grain weight per plant(GWPP) of Super high-yielding combinations mainly results from more panicles per plant(PPP).(2) The order of contribution to GWPP was panicles per plant,filled grains per panicle(FGPP),1000-grain weight(KGW),spikelets per panicle(SPP),plumping degree(PD) filled grain rate(FGR).(3) GWPP has positive correlation with PPP and FGPP at 0.01significant level,with FGR at 0.05 significant level.(4)On the background of big panicle hybrid rice GWPP has positive partial correlation with PPP,KGW and PD at 0.01 significant level,which means any increase in these yield components can increase yield.
Present status and problems of schools for physically disabled children from the viewpoint of a school physician

We evaluated the problems of physically disabled children in schools, and clarified the roles of school physicians and the appropriate state of child neurologists. The range and severity of disabilities of disabled children in schools have gradually been increasing. Although nurses were assigned to provide medical care, the roles of school nurses differ among schools. In addition, about 50% of primary care physicians for these children are not Board-Certified Child Neurologists. Therefore, the instructions of medical care by primary care physicians to teachers and nurses are not well structured, and increase the physical and mental stress of teachers and school nurses. Thus the importance of the roles of school physicians has been increasing. As a school physician, I would request the followings to the Japanese Society of Child Neurology: (1) a proposal concerning support for commuting methods, (2) further improvement in postgraduate education in medical care and support for physically disabled children, (3) the standardization of written instructions for school, and (4) a proposal concerning the roles of nurses in school for disabled children.
The Role of Technology in Elder Abuse Research

We are in the midst of a technological revolution that is changing the world in fundamental ways. The digital revolution has changed the way we learn, work, communicate, and how we spend our leisure time. Technology has also revolutionized the conduct of scientific research across disciplines. Computerized data collection, smartphone applications, video and sensor-based technologies, physiological monitoring, brain imaging techniques, and data mining algorithms for “big data” are just a few examples. This chapter focuses on the role of technology in elder abuse research. The primary goal of the chapter is to provide an overview of how technology has been used thus far in elder abuse research, and, more importantly, to stimulate thinking about how it might be used in the future.
Fatou and Julia

Although the mathematical content of the respective approaches of Fatou and Julia to the iteration of rational functions is quite similar, there are considerable differences in both style and emphasis. Julia on the whole argued more precisely than Fatou. He presented his results in a more organized fashion, and he did a better job of utilizing important theorems from the theory of complex functions. Their works differ on another more subtle level which has as much to do with aesthetics as with mathematics. Fatou wrote in a gently meandering style, reminiscent of a certain nineteenth century style of mathematics, while Julia’s paper is closer to the axiomatic style which predominates in contemporary mathematics.
Adaptive Combative Sports (Judo, Boxing, Wrestling, Mixed Martial Arts)

Combative sports have been a part of ancient cultures, and these events continue to remain popular today. Athletes often find that putting their body and overall physical condition to the test is quite gratifying and improves their quality of life (Husted, Altern Ther Health Med 5(5):70–74, 1999). Specifically, adaptive athletes are taking a greater interest in combative sports. There are athletes who compete from multiple disability groups and include varying impairments such as amputations, cerebral palsy, visual impairments, or a history of a brain injury. This chapter will focus on ringside evaluation and management of adaptive athletes in order to provide safe and enjoyable competition for them. A short list of common combative injuries discussed here are nose and eye injuries, facial fractures and lacerations, as well as signs of emergent cessation of match.
Authentication via wavefront-shaped optical responses

Authentication/tamper-indication is required in a wide range of applications, including nuclear materials management and product counterfeit detection. State-of-the-art techniques include reflective particle tags, laser speckle authentication, and birefringent seals. Each of these passive techniques has its own advantages and disadvantages, including the need for complex image comparisons, limited flexibility, sensitivity to environmental conditions, limited functionality, etc. We have developed a new active approach to address some of these short-comings. The use of an active characterization technique adds more flexibility and additional layers of security over current techniques. Our approach uses randomly-distributed nanoparticles embedded in a polymer matrix (tag/seal) which is attached to the item to be secured. A spatial light modulator is used to adjust the wavefront of a laser which interacts with the tag/seal, and a detector is used to monitor this interaction. The interaction can occur in various ways, including transmittance, reflectance, fluorescence, random lasing, etc. For example, at the time of origination, the wavefront-shaped reflectance from a tag/seal can be adjusted to result in a specific pattern (symbol, words, etc.) Any tampering with the tag/seal would results in a disturbance of the random orientation of the nanoparticles and thus distort the reflectance pattern. A holographic waveplate could be inserted into the laser beam for verification. The absence/distortion of the original pattern would then indicate that tampering has occurred. We have tested the tag/seal’s and authentication method’s tamper-indicating ability using various attack methods, including mechanical, thermal, and chemical attacks, and have verified our material/method’s robust tamper-indicating ability.
Nonlinear Dimensionality Reduction for Discriminative Analytics of Multiple Datasets

Principal component analysis (PCA) is widely used for feature extraction and dimensionality reduction, with documented merits in diverse tasks involving high-dimensional data. PCA copes with one dataset at a time, but it is challenged when it comes to analyzing multiple datasets jointly. In certain data science settings however, one is often interested in extracting the most discriminative information from one dataset of particular interest (a.k.a. target data) relative to the other(s) (a.k.a. background data). To this end, this paper puts forth a novel approach, termed discriminative (d) PCA, for such discriminative analytics of multiple datasets. Under certain conditions, dPCA is proved to be least-squares optimal in recovering the latent subspace vector unique to the target data relative to background data. To account for nonlinear data correlations, (linear) dPCA models for one or multiple background datasets are generalized through kernel-based learning. Interestingly, all dPCA variants admit an analytical solution obtainable with a single (generalized) eigenvalue decomposition. Finally, substantial dimensionality reduction tests using synthetic and real datasets are provided to corroborate the merits of the proposed methods.
Genealogy databases and the future of criminal investigation

The 24 April 2018 arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo as the alleged Golden State Killer, suspected of more than a dozen murders and 50 rapes in California, has raised serious societal questions related to personal privacy. The break in the case came when investigators compared DNA recovered from victims and crime scenes to other DNA profiles searchable in a free genealogical database called GEDmatch. This presents a different situation from the analysis of DNA of individuals arrested or convicted of certain crimes, which has been collected in the U.S. National DNA Index System (NDIS) for forensic purposes since 1989. The search of a nonforensic database for law enforcement purposes has caught public attention, with many wondering how common such searches are, whether they are legal, and what consumers can do to protect themselves and their families from prying police eyes. Investigators are already rushing to make similar searches of GEDmatch in other cases, making ethical and legal inquiry into such use urgent.
The eikonal approximation without ambigulty in direction

The eikonal approximation is formulated by utilizing Feynman's path integral methods. By requiring conservation of energy, the direction of travel of a particle along the straight line path that it is assumed to take in the eikonal approximation is uniquely determined to be that of the average momentum.
Desmoid-Aggressive Fibromatosis

Following surgical excision alone, local recurrences occur in 27–57 percent of cases of desmoid — aggressive fibromatosis. Radiation therapy in doses of 5000–6000 rad decreases local recurrence rates. Normal tissue tolerance may be limiting for the total dose of external beam radiation; therefore either post-operative brachytherapy or brachytherapy following external beam may be used. Regression rates may occur from eight months to two years following treatment. Desmoid — aggressive fibromatosis may occur in association with Gardner’s syndrome and pregnancy. A seventy percent local control rate has been reported with external radiation. In the national survey eighty-two percent of radiation oncologists would treat desmoid — aggressive fibromatosis.
Forensic Analysis of Volatile Instant Messaging

Older instant messaging programs typically require some form of installation on the client machine, enabling forensic investigators to find a wealth of evidentiary artifacts. However, this paradigm is shifting as web-based instant messaging becomes more popular. Many traditional messaging clients (e.g., AOL Messenger, Yahoo! and MSN), can now be accessed using only a web browser. This presents new challenges for forensic examiners due to the volatile nature of the data and artifacts created by web-based instant messaging programs. These web-based programs do not write to registry keys or leave configuration files on the client machine. Investigators are, therefore, required to look for remnants of whole or partial conversations that may be dumped to page files and unallocated space on the hard disk. This paper examines the artifacts that can be recovered from web-based instant messaging programs and the challenges faced by forensic examiners during evidence recovery. An investigative framework for dealing with volatile instant messaging is also presented.
Mechanisms Of Excitotoxins Examined In Organotypic Cultures Of Rat Central Nervous System

Six years ago, Coyle and Schwarcz (1976) and McGeer and McGeer (1976) reported that intrastriatal injections of the potent neuroexcitotoxin (see Olney, 1980), kainic acid (KA), produce axon-sparing neurodegenerative lesions in the striatum of the rat. Ablation of corticostriatal fibers before such injections abolished the neurotoxic effects of KA (McGeer et al, 1978; Biziere and Coyle, 1978). The consequences of KA administration have now been widely studied and the striatal lesion has been construed to represent an animal model for the neurodegenerative disorder, Huntington’s disease (HD; Coyle et al, 1977; Fibiger, 1978). Our studies (Whetsell et al, 1979; Whetsell, 1979; Whetsell and Nicklas, 1980) in organotypic cultures of rat striatum (CA), striatum-plus-frontal cortex (CA-CX) and frontal cortex alone (CX), have demonstrated that the neurotoxic effects of KA can be observed only in CA-CX and CX cultures.
Navigating “Crooked Rooms”: Intersections of Race and Arts Participation

With the goal of uncovering how Black Americans come to understand and situate themselves as participators in the Western art world, this chapter uncovers the experiences of three artists whose lives have been influenced by a multitude of factors impacting their decisions in navigating an arts participation identity. Anchored by a commitment to solidify a position within a hegemonic art world, these artists skillfully facilitate their participatory movements alongside the pervasiveness of a legacy of exclusion and misrepresentation. I outline the utility of three artmaking strategies used by these artists as a means of calibrating their aspirational decisions. What is revealed in their narratives is an awareness of a racialized self, set against the problematics of participation within the world of visual art.
Mining semantic relationships between concepts across documents incorporating wikipedia knowledge

The ongoing astounding growth of text data has created an enormous need for fast and efficient text mining algorithms. Traditional approaches for document representation are mostly based on the Bag of Words (BOW) model which takes a document as an unordered collection of words. However, when applied in fine-grained information discovery tasks, such as mining semantic relationships between concepts, sorely relying on the BOW representation may not be sufficient to identify all potential relationships since the resulting associations based on the BOW approach are limited to the concepts that appear in the document collection literally. In this paper, we attempt to complement existing information in the corpus by proposing a new hybrid approach, which mines semantic associations between concepts across multiple text units through incorporating extensive knowledge from Wikipedia. The experimental evaluation demonstrates that search performance has been significantly enhanced in terms of accuracy and coverage compared with a purely BOW-based approach and alternative solutions where only the article contents of Wikipedia or category information are considered.
Architecture and Trade-offs in the Heat Shock Response System

Biological control systems often contain a wide variety of feedforward and feedback mechanisms that regulate a given process. While it is generally assumed that this apparent redundancy has evolved for a reason, it is often unclear how exactly the cell benefits from more complex circuit architectures. Here we study this problem in the context of a minimal model of the Heat Shock Response system in E. coli and show, through a combination of theory and simulation, that the complexity of the natural system outperforms hypothetical simpler architectures in a variety of robustness and efficiency tradeoffs. We have developed a significantly simplified model of the system that faithfully captures these rich issues. Because a great deal of biological detail is known about this particular system, we are able to compare simple models with more complete ones and obtain a level of theoretical and quantitative insight not generally feasible in the study of biological circuits. We primarily hope this will inform future analysis of both heat shock and newly studied biological complexity.
Mobile applications for pain management: an app analysis for clinical usage.

Pain is the most common and distressing symptom for patients in all clinical settings. The dearth of health informatics tools to support acute and chronic pain management may be contributing to the chronic pain and opioid abuse crises. The purpose of this study is to qualitatively evaluate the content and functionality of mobile pain management apps. The Apple App Store and the Google Play Store were searched to identify pain management apps. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) that apps include a pain diary function allowing users to record pain episodes, (2) are available in either Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and (3) are available in the English language. We excluded apps if they were limited to only specific forms of pain or specific diseases. A total of 36 apps met the inclusion criteria. Most of the apps served as pain diary tools to record the key characteristics of pain. The pain diary features of the apps were grouped into nine categories: the recordings of pain intensity, pain location, pain quality, pain’s impacts on daily life, other features of pain, other related symptoms, medication, patients’ habits and basic information, and other miscellaneous functions. The apps displayed various problems in use. The problem of not involving healthcare professionals in app development has not been resolved. Approximately 31% of apps including a pain diary function engaged clinicians in app development. Only 19% involved end-users in development and then only in an ad-hoc way. Only one third of the apps supported the cross-platforms, none of the apps supported clinician access to graphical pain data visualization, none secured HIPAA compliance, and none endorsed the PEG tool for primary care physicians’ chronic pain management. Most of the 36 pain management apps demonstrated various problems including user interface and security. Many apps lacked clinician and end-user involvement in app development impacting the clinical utility of these apps. We could not find any pain apps suitable for clinical usage despite high demand from clinicians due to the US opioid crisis.
Predictors of Stroke After Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery Without the Cross-Clamp

Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (mini-MVS) with hypothermic fibrillatory arrest has been associated with an increased risk of stroke. We aim to investigate the incidence, predictors, and outcomes of stroke in a large cohort of patient who underwent clampless mini-MVS. Between January 2008 and June 2017, we performed 1247 mini-MVSs. The clinical, operative, and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses were used to identify predictors of postoperative stroke. The median follow-up was 5.2 years (interquartile range 2.6–7.5). The etiology of mitral valve (MV) disease was degenerative (60.4%, n = 753), functional (12.8%, n = 160), rheumatic (8.7%, n = 109), endocarditis (3.1%, n = 39), and reoperative MV surgery (14.9%, n = 186). The overall incidence of postoperative neurologic event was 2.5% (n = 31/1247). Univariable predictors of stroke were a higher Society of Thoracic Surgeons mortality risk (6.0 ± 11.8% vs 3.3 ± 5.2%, P
Adaptive immunity-driven inflammation and cardiovascular disease.

The adaptive immune response has recently emerged as an important factor in a wide variety of cardiovascular disorders including atherosclerosis, hypertension, cardiac remodeling, and heart failure...
Do Nymphs of the Treehopper Stictolobus minutus (Funkhouser) (Hemiptera: Membracidae) Specialize on Grasses?

The ceresine treehopper Stictolobus minutus (Funkhouser), described by Thomas Say in 1830 as Membracis subulata (a junior primary homonym), is seldom collected; museum specimens typically are represented by singletons. In July 2016, nymphs of S. minutus were discovered on big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman; Poaceae) in the Buck Creek Serpentine Barrens of western North Carolina. This bunchgrass was sampled periodically in 2016, 2017, and 2019, and weekly in 2018, by using an ax handle to strike basal stems and crowns, and collecting dislodged nymphs and adults from an enamel pan or net bag placed at the base of plants. First instars appeared as early as 1 June, with the first adult, a male, found on 8 July. A fifth instar was taken as late as 12 August. Adults of this univoltine species typically were not observed on big bluestem after early August, perhaps having dispersed to woody plants for oviposition. Late instars also were collected from little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium [Michx.] Nash) in 2018 and 2019. The presence of all five instars in crowns of big bluestem devoid of small forbs, coupled with a review of treehopper-grass associations, suggests that S. minutus might be the first North American membracid known to specialize on Poaceae. The adult is diagnosed and described; color images of the adult male, female, male genitalia, and all nymphal instars are provided.
Exploring Variations in Corporations’ Communication After a CA Versus CSR Crisis: A Semantic Network Analysis of Sustainability Reports

The study attempts to understand corporations’ efforts to communicate their values and commitment to stakeholders after a crisis. Specifically, the study explores the characteristics of communicati...
Sporulation in prokaryotes and lower eukaryotes

During the past year, highlights in sporulation research include the demonstration that phosphorylation of SpoOA is a critical factor in Bacillus subtilis development; the identification of Gα proteins, adenylyl cyclase and protein kinase A genes in Dictyostelium; proof that an endogenous antisense RNA regulates gene expression in Dictyostelium; and characterization of a second type of differentiated cell in Myxococcus.
The Tiercel: A novel autonomous micro aerial vehicle that can map the environment by flying into obstacles

Autonomous flight through unknown environments in the presence of obstacles is a challenging problem for micro aerial vehicles (MAVs). A majority of the current state-of-art research assumes obstacles as opaque objects that can be easily sensed by optical sensors such as cameras or LiDARs. However in indoor environments with glass walls and windows, or scenarios with smoke and dust, robots (even birds) have a difficult time navigating through the unknown space.In this paper, we present the design of a new class of micro aerial vehicles that achieves autonomous navigation and are robust to collisions. In particular, we present the Tiercel MAV: a small, agile, light weight and collision-resilient robot powered by a cellphone grade CPU. Our design exploits contact to infer the presence of transparent or reflective obstacles like glass walls, integrating touch with visual perception for SLAM. The Tiercel is able to localize using visual-inertial odometry (VIO) running on board the robot with a single downward facing fisheye camera and an IMU. We show how our collision detector design and experimental set up enable us to characterize the impact of collisions on VIO. We further develop a planning strategy to enable the Tiercel to fly autonomously in an unknown space, sustaining collisions and creating a 2D map of the environment. Finally we demonstrate a swarm of three autonomous Tiercel robots safely navigating and colliding through an obstacle field to reach their objectives.
The Genetic Architecture of Larval Aggregation Behavior in Drosophila

Many insect species exhibit basal social behaviors such as aggregation, which play important roles in their feeding and mating ecologies. However, the evolutionary, genetic, and physiological mechanisms that regulate insect aggregation remain unknown for most species. Here, we used natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster to identify the genetic architecture that drives larval aggregation feeding behavior. By using quantitative and reverse genetic approaches, we have identified a complex neurogenetic network that plays a role in regulating the decision of larvae to feed in either solitude or as a group. Results from single gene, RNAi-knockdown experiments show that several of the identified genes represent key nodes in the genetic network that determines the level of aggregation while feeding. Furthermore, we show that a single non-coding SNP in the gene CG14205, a putative acyltransferase, is associated with both decreased mRNA expression and increased aggregate formation, which suggests that it has a specific role in inhibiting aggregation behavior. Our results identify, for the first time, the genetic components which interact to regulate naturally occurring levels of aggregation in D. melanogaster larvae.