cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
LncRNA loc285194 is a p53-regulated tumor suppressor

Protein-coding genes account for only a small part of the human genome, whereas the vast majority of transcripts make up the non-coding RNAs including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Accumulating evidence indicates that lncRNAs could play a critical role in regulation of cellular processes such as cell growth and apoptosis as well as cancer progression and metastasis. LncRNA loc285194 was previously shown to be within a tumor suppressor unit in osteosarcoma and to suppress tumor cell growth. However, it is unknown regarding the regulation of loc285194. Moreover, the underlying mechanism by which loc285194 functions as a potential tumor suppressor is elusive. In this study, we show that loc285194 is a p53 transcription target; ectopic expression of loc285194 inhibits tumor cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. Through deletion analysis, we identify an active region responsible for tumor cell growth inhibition within exon 4, which harbors two miR-211 binding sites. Importantly, this loc285194-mediated growth inhibition is in part due to specific suppression of miR-211. We further demonstrate a reciprocal repression between loc285194 and miR-211; in contrast to loc285194, miR-211 promotes cell growth. Finally, we detect downregulation of loc285194 in colon cancer specimens by quantitative PCR arrays and in situ hybridization of tissue microarrays. Together, these results suggest that loc285194 is a p53-regulated tumor suppressor, which acts in part through repression of miR-211.
Niche evolution across spatial scales: climate and habitat specialization in California Lasthenia (Asteraceae)

Ecologists and evolutionary biologists perceive the ecological niche as a multidimensional relationship between an organism and its environment. Yet, we know little about the degree to which multiple niche axes evolve in concert across various spatial scales to explain differences in distribution patterns and habitat specialization among lineages. Here we used contemporary phylogenetic approaches to analyze the evolution of species' distributions across multiple spatial scales in Lasthenia, a young and ecologically diverse plant clade largely occurring within the California Floristic Province, USA. Lasthenia species and subspecies range from widely distributed taxa that occupy a diversity of habitat types to locally restricted habitat endemics, including several lineages that are strongly associated with isolated ephemeral wetlands called vernal pools. We quantified the niche of Lasthenia species and subspecies at three different spatial scales: the range-wide climate niche, the habitat niche, and the within-habitat depth niche for those taxa occupying vernal pools. We incorporated phylogenetic uncertainty into our analyses by reanalyzing previously described DNA sequences in a Bayesian context and conducting all subsequent comparative analyses over the resulting posterior distribution of ultrametric phylogenetic trees. Using a biogeographic approach for ancestral habitat reconstruction, we estimated that Lasthenia lineages have undergone up to four independent transitions from strictly terrestrial habitats to a niche that incorporates semiaquatic habitats, and one of these transitions led to the subsequent proliferation of vernal pool species and subspecies. We found that the local niche axis, corresponding to the depth distribution of taxa within pools, was more phylogenetically conserved than the large-scale axes representing climatic associations. Furthermore, we did not find evidence that niche breadth estimates along different axes were consistently correlated, indicating that ecological specialization may be specific to certain niche axes rather than an overall characteristic of a species.
A NOVEL APPROACH OF EDGE DETECTION VIA A FAST AND ADAPTIVE BIDIMENSIONAL EMPIRICAL MODE DECOMPOSITION METHOD

A novel approach of edge detection is proposed that utilizes a bidimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) method as the primary tool. For this purpose, a recently developed fast and adaptive BEMD (FABEMD) is used to decompose the given image into several bidimensional intrinsic mode functions (BIMFs). In FABEMD, order statistics filters (OSFs) are employed to get the upper and lower envelopes in the decomposition process, instead of surface interpolation, which enables fast decomposition and well-characterized BIMFs. Binarization and morphological operations are applied to the first BIMF obtained from FABEMD to achieve the desired edges. The proposed approach is compared with several other edge detection methodologies, which include a combination of classical BEMD and morphological processing, the Canny and Sobel edge detectors, as well as combinations of BEMD/FABEMD and Canny/Sobel edge detectors. Simulation results with real images demonstrate the efficacy and potential of the proposed edge detection algorithm employing FABEMD.
Kaguya Orbit Determination from JPL

Selene (re-named 'Kaguya' after launch) is an unmanned mission to the Moon navigated, in part, by JPL personnel. Launched by an H-IIA rocket on September 14, 2007 from Tanegashima Space Center, Kaguya entered a high, Earth-centered phasing orbit with apogee near the radius of the Moon's orbit. After 19 days and two orbits of Earth, Kaguya entered lunar orbit. Over the next 2 weeks the spacecraft decreased its apolune altitude until reaching a circular, 100 kilometer altitude orbit. This paper describes NASA/JPL's participation in the JAXA/Kaguya mission during that 5 week period, wherein JPL provided tracking data and orbit determination support for Kaguya.
A Penalized Likelihood Approach to Rotation of Principal Components

A new paradigm for enhancing the interpretability of principal components through rotation is presented within the framework of penalized likelihood. The rotated components are computed as the maximizers of a Gaussian-based profile log-likelihood function plus a penalty term defined by a standard rotation criterion. This method enjoys a number of advantages over other methods for principal component rotation, notably (1) the rotation specifically targets ill-defined principal components, which may benefit the most from rotation, and (2) the connection with likelihood allows assessment of the fidelity of the rotated components to the data, thereby guiding the choice of penalty parameter. The method is illustrated with an application to a small functional dataset. Efficient computation of the penalized likelihood solution is possible using recently developed algorithms for optimization under orthogonality constraints.
MSAcquisitionSimulator: data-dependent acquisition simulator for LC-MS shotgun proteomics

Summary: Data-dependent acquisition (DDA) is the most common method used to control the acquisition process of shotgun proteomics experiments. While novel DDA approaches have been proposed, their evaluation is made difficult by the need of programmatic control of a mass spectrometer. An alternative is in silico analysis, for which suitable software has been unavailable. To meet this need, we have developed MSAcquisitionSimulator—a collection of C ++ programs for simulating ground truth LC-MS data and the subsequent application of custom DDA algorithms. It provides an opportunity for researchers to test, refine and evaluate novel DDA algorithms prior to implementation on a mass spectrometer. Availability and implementation: The software is freely available from its Github repository http://www.github.com/DennisGoldfarb/MSAcquisitionSimulator/ which contains further documentation and usage instructions. Contact: weiwang@cs.ucla.edu or ben_major@med.unc.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
New Directions in Privacy: Disclosure, Unfairness and Externalities

This paper reviews criticisms of the notice-and-choice and harm-based frameworks for privacy policy, and urges researchers and policymakers to focus on the concept of privacy externalities. These externalities occur when disclosure of personal information by some people reveals information about others. Examples from eligibility contexts, data mining, social networks, and social science research illustrate the concept. When information leakage of this kind harms others, then merely relying on individual consent to determine the legitimacy of an information collection and use practice will not be sufficient. To take into account these externalities the paper develops an unfairness framework. In this framework, choice is a means to an end, not an end in itself. The purpose of the framework is to prevent privacy harms. The framework divides information collection and use practices into impermissible uses where the harm is so great choice should not be permitted; public benefit uses where the benefit is so great choice should not be allowed; and intermediate uses where choice is appropriate. The article recommends the use of the Federal Trade Commission's unfairness standard as a way to assess the privacy implications of information practices.
Foreword : law and religion in Africa - comparative practices, experiences and prospects

The resurgence - or perhaps the rediscovery - of religion in recent decades has caused policy makers worldwide to re-evaluate the relationships of conscience and religious belief with law, politics, international relations, education and with most other social institutions. Those relationships have proven complicated, with religion sometimes walking the high road in the company of institutions that foster the expansion of social goods and amenities, and sometimes taking the lower path of violence and regression. Regardless, the appearance today of religion on the agenda of virtually all governments - at both global and local levels - demonstrates that the interaction of law and religion cannot be ignored. It is this recognition that has given the discipline of law and religion new salience. This issue of the African Human Rights Law Journal makes important contributions to this burgeoning field.
High throughput sketch based online heavy change detection on FPGA

Significant changes in traffic patterns often indicate network anomalies. Detecting these changes rapidly and accurately is a critical task for network security. Due to the large number of network users and the high throughput requirement of today’s networks, traditional per-item-state techniques are either too expensive when implemented using fast storage devices (such as SRAM) or too slow when implemented using storage devices with massive capacity (such as DRAM). Sketch, as a highly accurate data stream summarization technique, significantly reduces the memory requirements while supporting a large number of items. Sketch based techniques are attractive for exploiting the fast on-chip storage of state-of-the-art computing platforms to achieve high throughput. In this work, we propose a fully pipelined Sketch based architecture on FPGA for online heavy change detection. Our architecture forecasts the activity of the network entities based on their history, then reports the entities whose difference between their observed activities and the forecast activities exceed a given threshold. The post place-and-route results on a state-of-the-art FPGA show that our architecture sustains high throughput of 96 - 103 Gbps using various configurations of online heavy change detection.
Assignment of Corporate Opportunities - The Migration of Intangibles

In the context of the inversion debate, many argued that corporate opportunities could be freely assigned to foreign affiliates without any tax consequences. However, future profit-making opportunities are the most consistent product Americans create. In this report, Hardy examines whether that value is freely transferable under current tax law, and if so, whether it should it be.
All-Angle Negative Refraction and Flat-Lensing in the Ultraviolet

We report the first implementation of a bulk metamaterial with a left-handed response in the ultraviolet. The structure has a quasi-isotropic, negative refractive index and used to demonstrate far-field flat lensing of arbitrarily-shaped objects. Article not available.
High-resolution flying-PIV with optical fiber laser delivery

Implementation of non-intrusive optical measurement techniques, such as particle image velocimetry (PIV), in harsh environments requires specialized techniques for introducing controlled laser sheets to the region of interest. Large earthquake shake tables are a particularly challenging environment. Lasers must be mounted away from the table, and the laser sheet has to be delivered precisely and stably to the measurement station. Here, high-power multi-mode step-index fiber optics enable introduction of light from an Nd:YLF pulsed laser to a remote test section. Such lasers are suitable for coupling to optical fibers, which presents a portable, flexible, and safe manner to deliver a PIV light sheet. Best practices for their implementation are reviewed. Particular attention is focused on obtaining a collimated beam of acceptable quality at the output of the fiber. To achieve high spatial resolution, the PIV camera is directly mounted on the moving shake table with care to minimize its vibrations. A special arrangement of PIV planes is deployed for precise in-situ PIV alignment and to monitor and account for residual structure vibrations and beam wandering. The design of the instruments is detailed. Here, an experimental facility for the study of nuclear fuel bundle response to seismic forcing near prototypical conditions is instrumented. Only through integration of a high-resolution flying-PIV system can velocity fields be acquired. Data indicate that in the presence of a mean axial flow, a secondary oscillatory flow develops as the bundle oscillates. Instantaneous, phase-averaged, and fluctuating velocity fields illustrate this phenomenon.
Facilitators and Barriers of Drop-In Center Use Among Homeless Youth

Drop-in centers for homeless youth address basic needs for food, hygiene, and clothing but can also provide critical services that address youth's "higher level" needs (e.g., substance use treatment, mental health care, HIV-related programs). Unlike other services that have restrictive rules, drop-in centers typically try to break down barriers and take a "come as you are" approach to engaging youth in services. Given their popularity, drop-in centers represent a promising location to deliver higher level services to youth that may not seek services elsewhere. A better understanding of the individual-level factors (e.g., characteristics of homeless youth) and agency-level factors (e.g., characteristics of staff and environment) that facilitate and impede youth engagement in drop-in centers will help inform research and outreach efforts designed to engage these at-risk youth in services. Thus, the goal of this review was to develop a preliminary conceptual model of drop-in center use by homeless youth. Toward this goal, we reviewed 20 available peer-reviewed articles and reports on the facilitators and barriers of drop-in center usage and consulted broader models of service utilization from both youth and adult studies to inform model development.
Systematic Review of Candidate Single-nucleotide Polymorphisms as Biomarkers for Responsiveness to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation for Rectal Cancer

Background/aim Treatment of rectal cancer has improved significantly with the addition of neoadjuvant chemoradiation. Certain patients have experienced a complete pathological response to chemoradiation, as observed in surgically resected tissue samples, thus calling into question the necessity of radical surgery in this population of patients. Pharmacogenetic studies now implicate the role that genetic biomarkers, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms, play in an individual's response to chemoradiation. The aim of this review was to provide a comprehensive evaluation of a group of candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with chemoradiotherapy response and an assessment of techniques that can be used to easily identify the presence of these single nucleotide polymorphisms in patient samples. Materials and methods Relevant primary research articles were identified in the Medline Database from January 1, 2006 to May 31, 2012. We included nine relevant articles addressing the correlation between six candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms and one candidate variable number tandem repeat in six genes, namely thymidylate synthase, epidermal growth factor, epidermal growth factor receptor, superoxide dismutase 2, interleukin-13, and cyclin D1, with tumor down-staging and patient survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. Results Specific alleles of each of the candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms were significantly associated with either a major response in tumor down-staging or a minor to non-existent response following neoadjuvant chemotherapy, individually or in combination with other single nucleotide polymorphisms. However, studies present conflicting results regarding the effect of certain candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms on tumor down-staging. Conclusion Through further research into candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms and potential identification of other polymorphisms, clinicians may be able to create individualized treatment plans in accordance with the genotype of individual patients with rectal cancer, in order to reduce morbidity and mortality.
Respecified larval proleg and body wall muscles circulate hemolymph in developing wings of Manduca sexta pupae

Most larval external muscles in Manduca sexta degenerate at pupation, with the exception of the accessory planta retractor muscles (APRMs) in proleg-bearing abdominal segment 3 and their homologs in non-proleg-bearing abdominal segment 2. In pupae, these APRMs exhibit a rhythmic ‘pupal motor pattern’ in which all four muscles contract synchronously at approximately 4 s intervals for long bouts, without externally visible movements. On the basis of indirect evidence, it was proposed previously that APRM contractions during the pupal motor pattern circulate hemolymph in the developing wings and legs. This hypothesis was tested in the present study by making simultaneous electromyographic recordings of APRM activity and contact thermographic recordings of hemolymph flow in pupal wings. APRM contractions and hemolymph flow were strictly correlated during the pupal motor pattern. The proposed circulatory mechanism was further supported by the findings that unilateral ablation of APRMs or mechanical uncoupling of the wings from the abdomen essentially abolished wing hemolymph flow on the manipulated side of the body. Rhythmic contractions of intersegmental muscles, which sometimes accompany the pupal motor pattern, had a negligible effect on hemolymph flow. The conversion of larval proleg and body wall muscles to a circulatory function in pupae represents a particularly dramatic example of functional respecification during metamorphosis.
Police Academy Training: An Evaluation of the Strengths and Weaknesses of Police Academies

The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the historical and current protocols which have existed in police academies, with a focus on the gender issues being faced by female police officers. The development of the police force is examined, with explanation of the differences and developments aligning with each era of history. Next, current police practices are elaborated upon, emphasizing the difficulties women experience in becoming police officers and where the ideologies of the police academies originated. Finally, suggestions are given based on research findings in order to reduce the ideological divides that occur in the police force and increase the effectiveness of officers’ work in the community.
An Integrated Secure Architecture for IPv4/IPv6 Address Translation Between IPv4 and IPv6 Networks

An All-IP network is probably getting highly feasible since all applications and services in the telecommunication are already getting IP enabled. Internet Protocol version 6 or IPv6 is a later version of IP suite as it is designed to handle the increasing number of Internet applications. Security has become a major concern for the IP next generation network architecture and is considered as one of the most fundamental requirements for business continuity and service delivery. Several initiatives have been made by researchers to integrate secure IPv4/IPv6 address translation between IPv4 and IPv6 networks. But, not much progress has been reported in the recent past. Hence, in this research, an Integrated Secure Architecture for IPv4/IPv6 Address Translation between IPv4 and IPv6 Networks, with an IPv4/IPv6-Enabled Gateway Translator (IP46EGT), has been proposed to achieve MAC-level, VPN-IPSec, and Certificate level security. Network performance is evaluated and the generated results are tabulated and graphically presented.
Analysis and Visualization of Discrete Fracture Networks Using a Flow Topology Graph

We present an analysis and visualization prototype using the concept of a flow topology graph (FTG) for characterization of flow in constrained networks, with a focus on discrete fracture networks (DFN), developed collaboratively by geoscientists and visualization scientists. Our method allows users to understand and evaluate flow and transport in DFN simulations by computing statistical distributions, segment paths of interest, and cluster particles based on their paths. The new approach enables domain scientists to evaluate the accuracy of the simulations, visualize features of interest, and compare multiple realizations over a specific domain of interest. Geoscientists can simulate complex transport phenomena modeling large sites for networks consisting of several thousand fractures without compromising the geometry of the network. However, few tools exist for performing higher-level analysis and visualization of simulated DFN data. The prototype system we present addresses this need. We demonstrate its effectiveness for increasingly complex examples of DFNs, covering two distinct use cases – hydrocarbon extraction from unconventional resources and transport of dissolved contaminant from a spent nuclear fuel repository.
Cognitive Decline Associated with Aging, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Cerebrovascular Risk: Advantages of Dynamic Imaging with MEG

Recent studies examining Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and aging have noted a strong association between cerebrovascular risk and cognitive decline, and suggest that AD may in part be attributed to vascular insufficiency. Based on our recent results we suggest that cognitive decline associated with cerebrovascular pathology should be characterized and if possible separated from neurodegeneration caused by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (i.e., traditional AD-related pathology) since the progression of cerebrovascular pathology can be stopped or slowed down. Furthermore, because cerebrovascular pathology (e.g., hypertension and type 2 diabetes) co-exists in most AD patients, neuroimaging techniques dependent on ‘uncompromised’ neurovascular coupling (e.g., fMRI) will have more potential confounds to deal with in this area of study, in addition to difficulties associated with being an indirect measure of neural activity. We assert that functional measures (e.g., dynamic cortical networks, oscillatory activity and cross-frequency coupling), as opposed to structural measures (e.g., diffusion tensor imaging–DTI), will enable earlier diagnosis of AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and that MEG in particular can make important contributions to this field. A new potential area of study that relates MEG single trial results to models of diffusion parameters in extracellular space is introduced.
The Mobile Phone and Political Participation in Asia: Theorizing the Dynamics of Personalized Technologies and Networked Externality

The mobile phone is ubiquitous; the embrace of smartphones, and the iPhone in particular, is a global phenomenon. It is estimated that there soon will be more mobile phones than people in the world. Donner (Inf Soc 24(3):140–159, 2008) characterized mobile phones as “symbols of the modern and the global.” With more than 2.5 billion users, Asia leads the world in mobile phone subscriptions. The increasing saturation of Asian countries by mobile phones with their participatory capacity calls for theorization of the mobile phone’s efficacy as a tool for citizen engagement and participation in political affairs, especially in the search for solutions to problems of pollution, government corruption, and public health risks, to name a few. This introductory chapter will outline the progress of the Asian mobile revolution, with a focus on explicating the impact on political communication of sharing personalized messages via the mobile phone. That is, how personal content on mobile phones and smart devices and the inherent networked nature of the mobile phone will lead to positive externality in terms of civic engagement and political participation. Following the definitions of key analytical concepts, the chapter ends with an overview of each of the chapters in the volume.
Extended Operations Over Maps

Chapter 4 described the foundational (power) map operations and Chap. 5 showed how to define common operations over maps using the power operations. In this chapter, we develop a class of map join operations that allows a user to overlay maps while keeping regions that satisfy certain predicates. We then consider operations involving connectivity concepts, and extend this class of operations by defining new, more complex operations that take advantage of the connectivity properties of maps
Radiation detector signal processing using sampling kernels without bandlimiting constraints

For the development of digital signal processing systems for fast scintillation detectors we comprehensively study the modeling of nuclear signals, deconvolution of detector pulses and signal sampling. Applications for new scintillators with light decay times of a few nanoseconds demand suitable low power digital systems running at lowest possible sampling rates. We are interested in accurate sub-nanosecond timing and optimal energy resolution. The generalized non-bandlimiting sampling theorems allow filter structures with lower than Nyquist sampling rates for certain signals, where the classical sampling theorem fails. Recently it was shown that, by using a sampling rate greater or equal to the rate of innovation, it is possible to reconstruct certain restricted signals uniquely. The class of sampling kernels that can be used contains transfer functions with rational Fourier transforms. We introduce a physically realizable sampling scheme combined with a deconvolution timing filter algorithm for radiation detector signals. The novel architecture achieves sub-sampling rate timing accuracy together with optimal energy resolution and a high throughput for LaBr3:Ce scintillation detector system.
Tenzel Semicircular Flap

Patients should be evaluated and deemed appropriate for such surgical intervention. Smaller eyelid defects can be repaired using direct closure with or without canthotomy and cantholysis. Larger defects may require more elaborate surgical techniques such a Hughes tarsoconjunctival flap with an independently rotated myocutaneous flap for anterior lamellar reconstruction. Patients with moderate-sized upper or lower lid defects are ideal candidates for this procedure, though some surgeons extend the application to significantly larger defects, particularly in those who would not be good candidates for an eyelid sharing procedure (monocular patients and children at risk of amblyopia). An additional advantage of the Tenzel flap is that any remaining temporal eyelashes are transposed centrally, minimizing the potential cosmetic penalty of surgical madarosis. The choice of technique for eyelid reconstruction should be discussed with the patient once the size of the defect is known and the appropriate procedure tailored to the individual patient’s needs and anatomy. Patients should be educated about the risks and benefits of the procedure as well as about any alternatives.
Rapid Methods for Routine Frailty Assessment during Vascular Surgery Clinic Visits.

Background Frailty assessment can help vascular surgeons predict perioperative risk and long-term mortality for their patients. Unfortunately, comprehensive frailty assessments take too long to integrate into clinic workflow. This study was designed to evaluate 2 rapid methods for assessing frailty during vascular clinics—a short patient-reported survey and a provider-reported frailty scale. Methods We prospectively enrolled 159 patients presenting to an academic medical center vascular surgery clinic between May and November 2016. Patients underwent frailty assessment using 2 rapid methods: (1) the Frail Nondisabled (FiND) survey (5 questions) and (2) the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS; 9-point scale from robust to severely frail). These were followed by administering the Fried Index, a validated frailty assessment method with 5 measures (weight loss, exhaustion, grip strength, walking speed, and activity level). The correlation between Fried scores (reference standard) with frailty diagnoses derived from FiND and CFS was analyzed using the Spearman-rank test, Cohen's kappa, sensitivity/specificity tests, and receiver operating curves. Results The evaluated cohort included 87 (55%) females, a mean age of 61 years, 126 (79%) preoperative patients, and 32 (20%) categorized as frail using the Fried Index criteria. The FiND survey was very sensitive (91%) but less specific for diagnosing frailty. In comparison, the CFS was highly specific (96%) for diagnosing frailty and exhibited high inter-rater reliability between surgeon and medical assistant scores (kappa: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.72–0.87; P Conclusions Frailty can be quickly and effectively assessed during vascular surgery clinic using a combination of patient-reported (FiND) and provider-reported (CFS) methods to improve diagnostic accuracy. Implementing routine frailty assessment into clinic workflow can be a valuable tool for risk prediction and surgical decision-making.
The Future of Integrated Pest Management

On first impression it would seem that a rapid and widescale implementation of integrated pest management is an inevitable eventuality. This is a logical assumption when we realize that in comparison to the prevailing chemical control strategy, IPM is more effective, less costly, and less hazardous to man and the environment. Logic tells us that society should be rushing to adopt this better pest management strategy, but in fact it is not. Indeed, despite the success of a variety of programs globally and the enthusiastic endorsement of IPM by a number of the world’s most respected pest control researchers and practitioners, the strategy’s development and implementation have moved at a snail’s pace. California, for example, where much of the pioneering effort in IPM has occurred, the strategy is only utilized on about 20% of the cotton acreage, in a fraction of the deciduous fruit and citrus orchards, in only a handful of the communities and mosquito abatement districts, and not at all on the bulk of the agricultural acreage and in other areas or resource production.
Social overlays: Collectively making websites more usable

Many small organizations lack the expertise and resources to conduct usability evaluations of their websites. Social Overlays, presented here, is a new system that allows a community of users to collectively improve their website.
Critical race parenting in the Trump era: a Sisyphean endeavor? A parable

This article examines the complicated decisions parents make when they decide to raise critically conscious children. The article argues that critical parenting in US society is often analogous to ...
Tumor Promoting Phorbol Esters May Affect Cell Membrane Signal Transmission and Arachidonate Metabolism by Modulating Calcium — Activated, Phospholipid — Dependent Protein Kinase

Investigation of the molecular mechanism of action of phorbol esters has focused upon understanding how they promote tumors in mouse skin (1,2,3,4) and influence growth and differentiation of cells in culture (5,6,7,8). These studies have taken a major step forward with the identification and characterization of a receptor protein to which phorbol esters bind. These findings, especially aspects relevant to arachidonate metabolism, are reviewed below.
Flux Footprints Within and Over Forest Canopies

The characteristics of turbulence within a forest arespatially heterogeneous and distinct from thoseassociated with the surface boundary layer. Consequently, the size and probability distribution of’flux footprints‘ emanating from sources below aforest canopy have the potential to differ from thoseobserved above forests.
Corneal confocal microscopy: Neurologic disease biomarker in Friedreich ataxia

Objective Friedreich ataxia (FRDA), an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding for the mitochondrial protein frataxin, is characterized by ataxia and gait instability, immobility, and eventual death. We evaluated corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) quantification of corneal nerve morphology as a novel, noninvasive, in vivo quantitative imaging biomarker for the severity of neurological manifestations in FRDA. Methods Corneal nerve fiber density, branch density, and fiber length were quantified in individuals with FRDA (n = 23) and healthy age-matched controls (n = 14). All individuals underwent genetic testing and a detailed neurological assessment with the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) and Friedreich's Ataxia Rating Scale (FARS). A subset of individuals with FRDA who were ambulatory underwent quantitative gait assessment. Results CCM demonstrated a significant reduction in nerve fiber density and length in FRDA compared to healthy controls. Importantly, CCM parameters correlated with genotype, SARA and FARS neurological scales, and linear regression modeling of CCM nerve parameter-generated equations that predict the neurologic severity of FRDA. Interpretation Together, the data suggest that CCM quantification of corneal nerve morphology is a rapid, sensitive imaging biomarker for quantifying the severity of neurologic disease in individuals with FRDA. Ann Neurol 2018;84:893-904.
A Diagnostic Approach to Dyspepsia

Based on recent consensus documents, dyspepsia is defined as predominant epigastric pain lasting at least 1 month. Patients with dyspepsia commonly report associated symptoms including epigastric burning, early satiety, postprandial fullness, and nausea. The differential diagnosis for dyspepsia is broad, which warrants a focused diagnostic evaluation influenced by patient age and the presence of alarm features. Important organic etiologies of dyspepsia include gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and malignancy, which are found in approximately 25% of patients. The remaining 75% who exhibit negative diagnostic testing have functional dyspepsia, which is discussed separately in Chap. 8.
Modeling of Moving Liquid-Vapor Interfaces in the Constrained Vapor Bubble System

We use a lubrication-type approach to investigate the dynamics of moving contact lines observed during droplet evaporation in the constrained vapor bubble experimental set-up. The effects of capillarity, viscous flow, and disjoining pressure are considered, while gravity is neglected. The disjoining pressure is described by a two-component model. Direct comparisons to the experimental recordings of receding contact line dynamics for n-butanol in a quartz cuvette are made.
A literature review of experimental studies in fundraising

This paper extends previous literature reviews focusing on fundraising and the mechanisms motivating charitable giving. We analyze 187 experimental research articles focusing on fundraising, published in journals across diverse disciplines between 2007-2019. Interest in studying fundraising spans many disciplines, each of which tends to focus on different aspects, supporting earlier claims that fundraising has no single academic “home.” Most of the literature focuses on two key areas: the philanthropic environment in which fundraising occurs, largely focused on potential donors’ experiences, preferences, and motivations; and testing fundraising tactics and techniques that result in different behavior by potential donors. More than 40% of the experiments were published in Economics journals. Correspondingly, topics such as warm glow and mechanisms such as lotteries, raffles, and auctions are well represented. Experimental studies largely omit the practical and the ethical considerations of fundraisers and of beneficiaries. For instance, studies focusing on the identified victim phenomenon often stereotype beneficiaries in order to foster guilt among donors and thereby increase giving. We identify several opportunities for research to examine new questions to support ethical and effective fundraising practice and nonprofit administration.
Domestic Violence across 30 Countries in Africa

Abstract Introduction Domestic violence is a prevalent global health issue that causes incredibly adverse consequences for an individual’s physical and psychological health. The rates of physical and sexual violence in developing countries are thought to be some of the highest in the world, where up to 44% of women in Sub-Saharan Africa have experienced domestic violence. However, this has not been explored systematically. We present the first study to estimate the incidence and prevalence of physical and sexual violence across Africa. Methods Poisson meta-regression analysis on demographic health survey data from 482,670 women from 442,507 households in 30 countries across Africa. Hotspot analysis using the Getis-ORD Gi approach at the sub-regional level. Results Of 482,670 women, those who were divorced or separated were approximately 7 times more likely to experience physical violence and 6 times more likely to experience sexual violence compared to those who were never married (Risk Ratio: RRs:7.35, 95%CI 7.16-7.54 and 5.89, 95%CI 5.75-6.02 respectively). Likewise, wealth index and education level were inversely related to the incidence and prevalence of sexual and physical violence. Hotspots of sexual and physical violence were identified in Congo and surrounding areas. Conclusions Interventions should be designed to address the high levels of physical and sexual violence in Congo and surrounding areas, especially in those who are less educated, have lower wealth indices, and are divorced or separated. Key Questions What is already known? Experiencing domestic violence can increase the likelihood of experiencing poorer health outcomes. Previous research has shown that the rates of domestic violence is higher in developing countries, specifically in countries located in sub-Saharan Africa. What are the new findings? This is the first study to estimate the incidence and prevalence of physical and sexual violence across regions in Africa. Geospatial analysis illustrated hot-spots near Congo that have a higher prevalence of domestic violence. This study also solidified the association between income, education, and marital status, and domestic violence. Those who are less educated and are of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to experience domestic violence in comparison to their educated, wealthy counterparts. What do the new findings imply? Our findings further promote the importance of tailoring appropriate interventions that strive to reduce domestic violence across Africa, while also protecting domestic violence victims against the adverse psychological and physical health outcomes that may occur as a result of their exposure.
Tensions between populist and feminist politics: The case of the Spanish left populist party Podemos:

This paper analyzes the interplay of left populist and feminist politics through a case study of Podemos (‘we can’), a Spanish left populist party that reproduces a dominant gendered logic of polit...
Randomization for the Efficient Computation of Parametric Reduced Order Models for Inversion.

Nonlinear parametric inverse problems appear in many applications. Here, we focus on diffuse optical tomography (DOT) in medical imaging to recover unknown images of interest, such as cancerous tissue in a given medium, using a mathematical (forward) model. The forward model in DOT is a diffusion-absorption model for the photon flux. The main bottleneck in these problems is the repeated evaluation of the large-scale forward model. For DOT, this corresponds to solving large linear systems for each source and frequency at each optimization step. Moreover, Newton-type methods, often the method of choice, require additional linear solves with the adjoint to compute derivative information. Emerging technology allows for large numbers of sources and detectors, making these problems prohibitively expensive. Reduced order models (ROM) have been used to drastically reduce the system size in each optimization step, while solving the inverse problem accurately. However, for large numbers of sources and detectors, just the construction of the candidate basis for the ROM projection space incurs a substantial cost, as matching the full parameter gradient matrix in interpolatory model reduction requires large linear solves for all sources and frequencies and all detectors and frequencies for each parameter interpolation point. As this candidate basis numerically has low rank, this construction is followed by a rank-revealing factorization that typically reduces the number of vectors in the candidate basis substantially. We propose to use randomization to approximate this basis with a drastically reduced number of large linear solves. We also provide a detailed analysis for the low-rank structure of the candidate basis for our problem of interest. Even though we focus on the DOT problem, the ideas presented are relevant to many other large scale inverse problems and optimization problems.
The Stacked Thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Signal of Locally Brightest Galaxies in Planck Full Mission Data: Evidence for Galaxy Feedback?

We use the Planck full mission temperature maps to examine the stacked thermal Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (tSZ) signal of 188,042 “locally brightest galaxies” (LBGs) selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. Our LBG sample closely matches that of Planck Collaboration XI (PCXI), but our analysis differs in several ways. We work directly in terms of physically observable quantities, requiring minimal assumptions about the gas pressure profile. We explicitly model the dust emission from each LBG and simultaneously measure both the stacked tSZ and dust signals as a function of stellar mass . There is a small residual bias in stacked tSZ measurements; we measure this bias and subtract it from our results, finding that the effects are non-negligible at the lowest masses in the LBG sample. Finally, we compare our measurements with two pressure profile models, finding that the profile from Battaglia et al. provides a better fit to the results than the Arnaud et al. “universal pressure profile.” However, within the uncertainties, we find that the data are consistent with a self-similar scaling with mass—more precise measurements are needed to detect the relatively small deviations from self-similarity predicted by these models. Consistent with PCXI, we measure the stacked tSZ signal from LBGs with stellar masses down to 11.1–11.3. For lower stellar masses, however, we do not see evidence for a stacked tSZ signal. We note that the stacked dust emission is comparable to, or larger than, the stacked tSZ signal for . Future tSZ analyses with larger samples and lower noise levels should be able to probe deviations from self-similarity and thus provide constraints on models of feedback and the evolution of hot halo gas over cosmic time.
Optimality and the Allometric Law

Suppose that a scientist is given any kind of spatially organized entity; for example, an automobile. The first thing he does when confronted with such an entity is to measure it; i.e. to obtain sets of distances, areas, volumes, masses, etc, which serve to characterize that entity. So for example, a set of measurements of the automobile might be taken: its total length, the distance between the axles (wheelbase), the radius of the crankshaft, the volume of a cylinder in the engine, etc If it is considered that the automobile can be made to move in specific ways, then other measurements may be taken: for instance, the velocity, the frictional forces generated by the tyres on various surfaces, etc It is possible in this way to fill many books with numbers, each of which arises from a kind of measurement of the given automobile, and which in totality fully characterizes that automobile.
Proposed Panel: Author Meets Reader Roundtable on book

In the book "Multiracials and Civil Rights: Mixed-Race Stories of Discrimination," Professor Tanya Kateri Hernandez explores the question of how to pursue racial equality in a growing multiracial world (https://multiracialsandcivilrights.wordpress.com/). The growth of a mixed-race population has lead some commentators to proclaim that multiracial discrimination is distinct in nature from the racial discrimination that Black-identified and non-multiracial persons experience, and that as a consequence a whole new approach to civil rights law is required. Hernandez describes her own experience as a Black-identified Afro-Latina mixed-race person and then shares how she tracked down the court case narratives of multiracial discrimination and the story of racial privilege they revealed. The stories she uncovered are especially timely. Coming at a time when explicit racism is resurfacing, Hernandez’s look at multiracial discrimination cases is essential for fortifying the focus of civil rights law on racial privilege and the lingering legacy of bias against non-whites, and has much to teach us about how to move towards a more egalitarian society. The Author Meets Reader session will feature a discussion of Prof. Tanya Kateri Hernandez's new book, Multiracials and Civil Rights: Mixed Race Stories of Discrimination (NYU Press), starting with a brief overview of the book by Prof. Hernandez herself, followed by comments and reader reactions from: Raymond Diamond, LSU Law School, rdiamond@lsu.edu John Thomas, III, U. Chicago, jthomas3@uchicago.edu Prof. John Valery White, UNLV Law School, john.valery@gmail.com
History and Development of U.S. Procedures for Falling Weight Deflectometer Calibration

In 1988 the Strategic Highway Research Program purchased four falling weight deflectometers (FWDs). During the acceptance testing it became evident that an improved procedure for calibration was needed to determine whether the specifications for the precision and the accuracy of the sensors were achieved. The authors were responsible for developing the procedure. This paper reports on the steps taken during the development of the calibration protocol. The reasons underlying the equipment and the procedures chosen are discussed. The sources of error in FWD measurements are identified, and ways that have been used to reduce those errors are reported. The goal was to reduce the systematic (bias) error to less than 0.3% through calibration. This level of error ensures that the random measurement error is larger than the systematic error for all pavement deflections less than 600 µm [24 mils (1 mil = 0.001 in.)]. Experience has shown that most highway pavements deflect less than 600 µm. The effects of FWD measurement errors on backcalculated pavement moduli are briefly reviewed. Verification of the protocol by several means showed that the calibration goal was achieved. Subsequent experience with the calibration protocol has shown that it has been effective and that it ensures high quality in the FWD data.