cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What Gradient? A BMA Approach to Untangling Income, Inequality, and Mortality

In this update to an earlier analysis using BMA, I consider both a wider variety and some recoded plausible controls that might affect the observed relationship between income and mortality, and inequality and mortality. I also suggest that the much of the empirical investigation of inequality and health outcome (including mortality) rests on the incorrect proposition that income has a direct causal link to health, whereas its influence is likely to only ever be indirect. Consistent with this speculation, I find that when the right controls are selected from a sufficient number and variety of candidates, the relationship between income and mortality disappears, as does the relationship between inequality and mortality. This is a novel finding with cautionary implications for public health policy in the US, where a known bias is to assume that income growth will solve local health problems.
The Platonic Monotheism of Plotinus

This paper will examine the concept of deity articulated in the Enneads of Plotinus. This conception of the divine is best understood as a type of monotheism, rooted both in the Greco-Roman theological tradition and in Platonism. Seven principal points will be considered: 1. The articulation of transcendence developed by the Platonic schools; 2. The Plotinian account of hypostatic levels of reality; 3. The levels of the self and of its noetic states that correspond to these hypostases; 4. The unique character of the One’s ‘deep’ transcendence; 5. The use of ‘pointer’ terms and the centrality of contemplation.
The Paucity of Law in the ICJ’s 2010 Advisory Opinion on Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence

This article analyses the International Court of Justice’s recent advisory opinion on Kosovo’s declaration of independence. It finds the opinion a considerable disappointment as it fails to address the central issue presented on the possibility of the right to remedial secession by part of a state in the face of widespread abuses by a central government. The article documents the deep disagreement among members of the Court and concludes that by drawing dubious "factual" conclusions the opinion is ultimately one of extreme narrowness, representing a missed opportunity to give substantive guidance on the law of self-determination and secession.
Biochemical Purification of Antineoplastic Agents Obtained From Sturgeon Serum

Discontinuous and continuous DEAE-Sephadex ion-exchange gradients were utilized to purify two sturgeon serum factors (A2 and B2) that possessed cytotoxic activity in vitro against human tumor cells but not against normal cells. After rabbit antisturgeon factor A2 or B2 was prepared, the antibodies were insolubilized. Sturgeon serum then was adsorbed to the insolubilized antibodies, and factors A2 and B2 were isolated in quantities large enough to conduct biologic studies. When the two factors purified either by ion-exchange chromatography or immunoadsorbent columns were examined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing, factor A2 consisted of one protein band with a molecular weight greater than 68,000 and an isoelectric point of approximately 6.5. Likewise, factor B2 also consisted of one protein band with a molecular weight in excess of 68,000 and an isoelectric point of approximately 7.5. Both factors A2 and B2 were destroyed either by heating at 56 degrees C for 30 minutes or by heating at 100 degrees C for 2 minutes. Furthermore, the mechanism of tumor killing by the sturgeon factors appears to be by means of a soluble factor. When the kinetics of tumor killing was studied, the sturgeon factors were noncytotoxic after 4 or 8 hours of incubation and became cytotoxic after 24 hours of incubation.
Diarrhea, bacteremia and multiorgan dysfunction due to an extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli strain with enteropathogenic E. coli genes

A 55-year-old man with well-controlled HIV had severe diarrhea for 3 weeks and developed multiorgan dysfunction and bacteremia due to Escherichia coli. The genome of the patient's isolate had features characteristic of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli and genes distantly related to those defining enteropathogenic E. coli.
Placental and fetal serine fluxes at midgestation in the fetal lamb

Plasma serine disposal rate (DR), decarboxylation, and conversion to fetal plasma glycine by the placenta were measured in six fetal lambs at 72 +/- 1 days gestation. L-[1-13C]serine, L-[U-14C]serine, and 3H2O were infused over 3 h into the fetal circulation, the latter for measurement of uterine and umbilical blood flow. The fetal plasma serine DR was 8.7 +/- 1.0 mumol/min or 61.8 +/- 4 mumol.min-1.kg fetus-1. Approximately 90% of the DR represented placental uptake of fetal serine. There was no detectable release of fetal serine into the maternal circulation. The fetal arterial plasma glycine-to-serine enrichment ratio was approximately 0.30. The conversion rate of fetal serine to fetal plasma glycine by the placenta was 5.8 +/- 0.7% of the serine DR. Fetal and placental CO2 production from fetal plasma serine carbon was 1.9 +/- 0.4 and 1.2 +/- 0.4 mumol/min, respectively. Thus, at midgestation, there is a rapid fetoplacental serine exchange that constitutes most of the fetal plasma serine turnover. Placental conversion of serine to fetal glycine and serine oxidation together account for only 10% of the placental uptake of fetal serine.
Abstract 1436: Interleukin-17A stimulates expression of chemokines and cytokines in prostatic epithelial cells via nuclear factor-kappaB and extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathways

T helper 17 (Th17) cells secret interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and interleukin-17F. Th17 cells and IL-17A are increased in prostate tumors. The role of IL-17A in prostate cancer is not clear. The objective of this in-vitro study was to investigate the effects of IL-17A on prostatic epithelial cells. Cell growth assay, Western blot, and real-time quantitative reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis were used to measure the effects of IL-17A on the immortalized normal human prostatic epithelial cell lines (RWPE-1 and pRNS-1-1), human high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) cell line, human prostate cancer LNCaP cell line, and mouse prostate cancer TRAMP-C1 cell line. We found that recombinant human IL-17A (20 ng/ml) did not affect cell growth rate in any of the prostatic cell lines studied. IL-17A did not significantly activate Nuclear Factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) or Extracellular signal-Regulated Kinase (ERK) signaling pathway in RWPE-1, pRNS-1-1, or PIN cells. IL-17A activated NF-kappaB and/or ERK signaling pathways in LNCaP and TRAMP-C1 cells. When IL-17RC (receptor of IL-17A) was overexpressed in PIN and LNCaP cells, activation of NF-kappaB or ERK signaling pathway by IL-17A was significantly enhanced. IL-17A modestly induced mRNA expression of chemokines (CXCL1 and CXCL2) in RWPE-1, pRNS-1-1, and PIN cells. IL-17A induced mRNA expression of chemokines (CXCL1, CXCL2, CCL2, CCL5, CCL7, and CCL20) and cytokine IL-6 in LNCaP cells. In mouse TRAMP-C1 cells, IL-17A induced mRNA expression of chemokines (CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL5, CCL2, and CCL5) and cytokine IL-6. When IL-17RC was overexpressed in PIN and LNCaP cells, chemokine expression was significantly enhanced. Our findings suggest that although IL-17A has no effects on cell growth in-vitro, it may modulate the stroma-epithelial interaction in tumor microenvironment in-vivo via stimulation of expression of chemokines and cytokines. Acknowledgement: DoD W81XWH-05-1-0567, NIH/NCRR 2P20 RR020152-06, and LCRC Fund. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1436.
An Effect of Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Tissue Culture

Rat glial cells were grown in tissue culture in vitamin B12-deficient medium. As the intracellular level of coenzyme B12 decreased, the cells made increasing amounts of two unusual fatty acids. The fatty acids were unbranched acids with 15 and 17 carbon atoms and arose as the cells progressively lost the ability to metabolize propionic acid through the B12-requiring methylmalonyl-CoA mutase reaction. The levels of the 15- and 17-carbon acids returned to normal when the cultures were supplemented with vitamin B12. The possible importance of similar fatty acid changes in human vitamin B12 deficiency and in disorders of 3- and 4- carbon acid metabolism is speculated.
Ethiopia: A State Regressing from Democracy

Compared with the other nations studied Ethiopia entered the modern world of independent nations with a head start. Although invaded by Italy for a brief period, Ethiopia survived the ills of colonialism, was one of four African member states of the League of Nations, and was a founding member of the United Nations and the Organization of African Union. However, neither its independence nor its head start allowed it to establish a democratic system. Ethiopia remained at the back of the pack when it came to education, industrialization, and urbanization, and a grassroots democratic movement would not emerge until the 1960s. Like many African nations, Ethiopia would become a victim of the cold war and suffer through a communist dictatorship which nationalized everything in the country including civil society. Ethiopia’s progress towards democratization began at the end of the cold war only to be sharply curtailed in 2005. This chapter follows Ethiopian civil society from Imperial rule to military dictatorship, democratic transition, and regression to electoral dictatorship.
Case 26-2016

A 28-year-old woman presented with intractable back pain with radiation to the leg. Examination of biopsy specimens revealed a giant-cell tumor of bone. Management decisions were made.
Raman spectral analysis of high efficiency PVDF: nanocomposite films doped with MWCNT

Nanocomposite films are of great interest in the development of infrared detectors and other technology. Polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) with excellent pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties such as fast, dynamic response has great potential for use in touch/tactile sensors, infrared detectors and thermal vidicon/imaging devices. PVDF:LiNbO3, PVDF:LiTaO3, and PVDF:BaTiO3 nanocomposites are fabricated with optimal characteristics using the solution casting technique. All these nanocomposite films are doped with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) with various weight percentages. The objective of this research was to characterize the low-frequency dielectric constant, dielectric loss and the pyroelectric properties of these composite films and thus the materials figures of merit for their use in space applications. Nanocomposites are also characterized using Raman Spectroscopy to get the finger print of these materials and their existence in the composite film. Dielectric constant and dielectric loss results are presented as a function of temperature and frequency, and pyroelectric coefficient as a function of temperature. Raman Spectrum of the nanocomposite materials is presented using 785nm laser. Obtained Raman spectrum matches with the literature available. Authors also observed that both microscopic structure and environmental conditions contributed to observed properties. Dielectric loss resulted from electromagnetic energy loss as manifested through phase differences between low-frequency input signal to the films and time varying polarization. In addition, both the dielectric constant and dielectric loss were observed to be highest for MWCNT doped nanocomposite materials compared to pure PVDF and pure PVDF:LiNbO3, PVDF:LiTaO3, and PVDF:BaTiO3. Among all the MWCNT doped nanocomposite materials PVDF:LiTaO3 showed the highest Pyroelectric coefficient which would make the best material to be used in space applications compared to the other materials at test.
Do SNAP participants expand non-food spending when they receive more SNAP Benefits?—Evidence from the 2009 SNAP benefits increase

This study examines the expenditure response to the largest increase in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, instituted in April 2009. Investigating the effects in both food and non-food spending categories, I find that the rise in SNAP benefits increased not only food at home expenditures, but also housing, transportation, and education expenditures of SNAP households relative to those of non-SNAP households. Specifically, the SNAP benefit increase leads to the reduced out-of-pocket spending on food for infra-marginal SNAP recipients, and the freed up resources allowed households with bounded budgets to fund other essential needs, such as paying mortgage, rent, utility fee, transportation expenses as well as tuition. Examining non-food expenditures provides a more complete picture of the impact of the SNAP benefit increase by shedding light on the spillover effect of the policy change. The result also derives policy implication on ongoing debate about SNAP allotment generosity.
Reversible Self-Assembly of Weibel-Palade Body-Like Tubules from Recombinant N-Terminal Domains of von Willebrand Factor.

Weibel-Palade bodies (WPBs) are elongated secretory granules of endothelial cells that are packed with tubules composed of von Willebrand factor (VWF), a multimeric protein required for hemostasis. Disruption of tubular packing prevents the orderly secretion of VWF multimers and blocks the subsequent binding of platelets. The cigar-like shape and tubular cross section of WPBs are conserved in all vertebrates, but little is known about how VWF specifies this packing arrangement. Starting from recombinant 82 kDa VWF propeptide (domains D1D2) and 114 kDa disulfide-bonded D’D3 dimer, we now have assembled tubules reversibly in vitro with the same dimensions as VWF tubules in WPBs. Assembly was induced at pH 6.2, reversed at pH 7.4, and required Ca 2+ . Recombinant D’D3 dimers did not self-associate at pH 7.4 or pH 6.2, with or without Ca 2+ . Without Ca 2+ , VWF propeptide did not bind to D’D3 dimers. At pH 7.4, with Ca 2+ , VWF propeptide formed noncovalent 160 kDa dimers and, when mixed with D’D3 dimers, assembled a 280 kDa complex of two propeptides and one D’D3 dimer as shown by gel filtration chromatography and multi-angle light scattering. Lowering the pH to 6.2 caused the formation of >3 MDa aggregates with the same stoichiometry, which dissociated upon adding EDTA or raising the pH to 7.4. Quick-freeze deep-etch EM showed that the large aggregates are hollow right-handed tubular helices. The iterative helical real space reconstruction method was used to make 3D reconstructions of the tubules at 22 A resolution from negative stain EM images (Figure, left ). Tubules consist of a right-handed helix with axial rise of 26.2 A and twist of 85.6 degrees per subunit, or 4.2 subunits per 11 nm turn. The dimensions (outside diameter 25 nm, inside diameter 12 nm) are similar to those of tubules in WPBs in thin sections of endothelial cells by transmission EM (Figure, right and its insert ). Each subunit contains one D’D3 dimer flanked by two D1D2 propeptides (Figure, center ). Each D’D3 dimer makes a total of six contacts with D1D2 domains. Each D1D2 propeptide makes three contacts with D’D3 and just one end-to-end homotypic contact. The spatial arrangement of these building blocks and inter-domain contacts in tubules suggest a model by which decreasing pH along the secretory pathway coordinates the formation of intersubunit disulfide bonds with the tubular packaging of VWF multimers. Within the WPB, Ca 2+ -dependent and pH-dependent binding of D1D2 to D’D3 domains stabilizes the packing of VWF multimers into tubules, which behave as constrained springs. Upon secretion, the increased pH weakens these constraints and permits the helical tubules to unfurl into flowing blood without tangling.
Oscillatory synchrony between head direction cells recorded bilaterally in the anterodorsal thalamic nuclei.

This study used bilateral recording electrodes to examine whether head direction cells recorded simultaneously in both the left and right thalamus show coordinated firing. Cross-correlations of the...
A Multiple-Model Approach to Payload Compensation via Active Suspension Control

Abstract This paper presents an active suspension controller to compensate for vehicle payload changes and proposes a strategy to develop robustness to such changes. The aim of such a controller is to establish safe and consistent vehicle performance over a wide range of payloads. Such payload variations are common in heavy machinery and design is geared toward this application. However, similar effects occur to a lesser degree in passenger vehicles, especially light trucks. A half vehicle model is developed, and loading is simulated by increasing the mass and moving the center of gravity accordingly. A multiple-model approach is used in which models and controllers are developed for various points in the payload range and then blended into a single global controller. The multiple-model controller provides nearly constant vehicle performance and demonstrates significantly lower actuator demand across the range of pay loads than a controller designed around a nominal payload.
Finding What One Is Looking for (But Missing Something Else)

The editors of this well-woven volume found what they were looking for: a moment of liberal reflection in late-twentieth-century French thought. Still, Stephen Sawyer, Iain Stewart, and the contrib...
The Latina Birth Weight Paradox: the Role of Subjective Social Status.

The purpose of this project was to quantitatively test differences in subjective social status scores between non-pregnant and pregnant women to determine the role of subjective social status in birth weight variation between Mexico-born and US-born Mexican-American women. Six hundred low-income pregnant and non-pregnant Mexican immigrant and Mexican-American women in south Texas were surveyed for subjective social status, depression, perceived social stress, parity, and pregnancy intendedness. Psychosocial health variables, parity, and pregnancy intendedness were included due to their significant associations with low birth weight. Pregnant women had higher subjective social status scores than non-pregnant women. The difference in scores between non-pregnant and pregnant women was smaller in Mexican immigrant women than Mexican-American women. Pregnancy intendedness did not influence subjective social status in pregnant women of either sample, but having children (parity) in both samples was associated with higher subjective social status scores. Among Mexican-American women, community subjective social status was correlated with levels of depressive symptoms and perceived social stress. Subjective social status, depression, and perceived social stress were not correlated among Mexican immigrant women. Our results suggest that incorporation into the USA influences maternal mental health vis-a-vis changes in how women of reproductive age think about themselves and their gender roles in relation to others. Theoretically, our work supports mixed-method approaches to document how culture change as a result of immigration may impact maternal and infant health. Future research should test whether the effect of subjective social status on birth weight occurs when subjective social status does not correlate with depression or stress.
Equity as Supplemental Law

How, in general terms, ought we to understand equity’s contributions to law? Most contemporary equity theorists endorse a broadly remedial conception of equity. The remedial conception suggests that equity is a handmaiden to law in the pursuit of justice. Equity, so understood, is not itself law in a conventional sense. Instead, equity intervenes in the law in aid of our ambition to do justice through law, and it does so primarily by way of remedies properly so-called, or by devices that restrain the enforcement of legal rights. The remedial conception emphasizes important facets of equity but it misleadingly positions equity beyond law. In doing so, it excludes critically important contributions that equity has made to law as such (contributions ranging from the trust to the equity of redemption). In this chapter, I draw attention to these contributions and argue that they show that equity functions as an important source of supplemental law. The chapter provides a detailed illustration and explication of the conception of equity as supplemental law. I emphasize that much equitable doctrine must be understood as law in a conventional sense, consisting, as it does, in deontic rules that are packaged in a modular way and that operate generally, prospectively, and in a manner typically invariant to context. Nevertheless, I argue, as supplemental law, equity is secondary to primary sources of law: equity assumes the existence of law derived from primary sources, and performs a gap-filling function relative to it. Recognizing that this account might draw the ire of those who believe fusion to be an existential threat to equity, the chapter canvasses some implications of broader recognition of equity’s supplemental function for the debate over the fusion of law and equity. Furthermore, recognizing that equity enjoys no monopoly on the supplementation of law, the chapter provides an analysis of the relationship between equity and alternative sources of supplemental law.
The Future of Preventing Concussion in Children and Adolescents

Prevention of injury is one of the primary goals when it comes to youth participation in sports. Unfortunately, prevention of youth concussions is not particularly easy. Whether there has been an actual increase in the number of youth concussions, or just more recognition of concussion injuries, concussions are a concern for just about anyone playing sports. Knowledge regarding concussion mechanisms, consequences, management, and treatment is extremely important, but prevention should be the utmost goal. Research is sparse regarding how to adequately prevent concussions and available equipment is lacking in this protection. Most research is done at a collegiate or professional level making extrapolation of data to younger athletes, who may be more vulnerable to injury and have different mechanics, injury patterns and recovery, very challenging. Recognition and education regarding concussions is currently our best tool regarding avoidance of this devastating injury. This chapter will review the current research regarding principles of head injury as it may relate to prevention, current protective equipment and future insights into how to prevent concussion.
James Espy and the Beginnings of Cloud Thermodynamics

The work of the nineteenth-century American meteorologist, James P. Espy, is discussed in relationship to the early development of understanding of the thermodynamics of clouds and the dynamics of convection. Espy was the first to recognize the important role of release of latent heat of condensation in sustaining cloud and storm circulations.
A deep learning approach to anomaly detection in geological carbon sequestration sites using pressure measurements

Abstract Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been extensively investigated as a potential engineering measure to reduce anthropogenic carbon emission to the atmosphere. Real-time monitoring of the safety and integrity of carbon storage reservoirs is a critical aspect of any commercial-scale CCS deployment. Pressure-based sensing is cost effective, suitable for real-time monitoring, and scalable to large monitoring networks. However, questions remain on how to best harness intelligent information from the high-frequency pressure monitoring sensors to support real-time decisions. This work presents a deep-learning-based framework for analyzing and detecting anomalies in pressure data streams by using a convolutional long short-term memory (ConvLSTM) neural network model, which allows for the fusion of both static and dynamic reservoir data. In ConvLSTM, the convolutional neural network (CNN) is used for spatial pattern mining and the LSTM is used for temporal pattern recognition. The performance of the ConvLSTM model for real-time anomaly detection is demonstrated using a set of pressure monitoring data collected from Cranfield, Mississippi, an active enhanced-oil-recovery field. The anomaly detection model is trained using bottom-hole pressure data acquired from the base experiment (without leak event) and then tested on pressure data collected during a series of controlled CO 2 release experiments (with artificially created leak events). Results show that the ConvLSTM neural network model successfully detected anomalies in the pressure time series obtained from the controlled release experiments. Inclusion of static information into the model further improves the robustness of ConvLSTM.
Security in South Asia

Security in South Asia is constantly evolving. During the Cold War, the security threats to most South Asian states were existential from abroad. However, that has changed greatly. While there is s...
Constraining uncertainties about the sources and magnitude of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels in ambient air: the state of Minnesota as a case study

Abstract Emissions data are often lacking or uncertain for many airborne contaminants. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emitted from combustion sources fall into this category. Currently available ambient-air emission inventories of PAHs either fail to account for population-based activities, such as residential wood combustion (RWC) and motor vehicle (MV) activity, and/or report “total PAH” or particulate organic matter emissions, instead of individual compound emissions. We assess the degree of overlap between predicted concentrations from estimated emissions with measured concentrations. Our analysis is based on probabilistic analysis of measured outdoor air concentrations with those predicted from mass-balance models. Based on available information, we estimate the relative magnitude of emissions from three major sources of PAHs to outdoor air: (1) on-road MVs, including light-duty gasoline vehicles and diesel-powered buses and medium and heavy-duty trucks; (2) RWC; and (3) power generation from external combustion boilers. We use the CalTOX regional multimedia mass-balance model to evaluate our emissions estimates in rural and urban regions of the state of Minnesota, USA. We compare model estimates of outdoor PAH airborne concentrations with those reported by the Minnesota Children's Pesticide Exposure Study (MNCPES). With these measured concentrations we probabilistically evaluate the reliability of our emissions estimates for specific PAHs. The median estimates of our predicted outdoor air concentrations agree within an order of magnitude of measured concentrations. For four representative PAHs, we obtain a reasonable degree of overlap between empirical and predicted distributions of outdoor air concentrations. Our combination of models, emissions estimates, and empirical concentration data estimate exposure in a manner that is more reliable than any of these tools alone. Thereby, we increase our confidence about our plausible ranges of emissions and predicted concentrations.
Post-Operative Complications and Readmissions Associated with Smoking Following Bariatric Surgery.

The link between smoking and poor postoperative outcomes is well established. Despite this, current smokers are still offered bariatric surgery. We describe the risk of postoperative 30-day complications and readmission following laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and laparoscopic Roux-En-Y gastric bypass in smokers. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried to identify patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-En-Y gastric bypass from 2012 to 2017. Patient outcomes were compared based on smoking status. Primary outcomes included 30-day readmission and death or serious morbidity. Secondary outcomes included wound and respiratory complications. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the association between smoking status and measured outcomes. Of the 133,417 patients who underwent bariatric surgery, 12,424 (9.3%) were smokers. Smokers more frequently experienced readmission (4.9% v 4.1%, p < 0.001), death or serious morbidity (3.8% v 3.4%, p = 0.019), wound complications (2% v 1.4%, p < 0.001), and respiratory complications (0.8% v 0.5%, p < 0.001). The likelihood of death or serious morbidity (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.01–1.26), readmission (OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.10–1.33), wound (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.24–1.68), and respiratory complications (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.34–2.14) were greater in smokers. The adjusted ORs remained significant on subgroup analysis of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and Roux-En-Y gastric bypass patients, with the exception of death or serious morbidity in laparoscopic Roux-En-Y gastric bypass (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.89–1.24). Smokers undergoing bariatric surgery experience significantly worse 30-day outcomes when compared with non-smokers. There should be a continued emphasis on perioperative smoking cessation for patients being evaluated for bariatric surgery.
Prader–Willi Syndrome

Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare complex obesity-related genetic disorder due to lack of expression of paternally inherited genes known to be imprinted generally from a typical large type I or smaller type II deletion of the chromosome 15q11–q13 region followed by maternal disomy 15 (both chromosome 15s from the mother). PWS occurs in about 1 in 20 000 individuals and characterized by infantile hypotonia, failure to thrive, hypogonadism and hypogenitalism, developmental delay and behavior problems growth hormone deficiency. Hyperphagia and subsequent obesity which can be life-threatening are noted in early childhood. Cognitive impairment and behavioral problems correlate with the PWS genetic subtype (eg, type I deletion with more compulsions, lower verbal IQ scores and more self-injury than those with the smaller type II deletion or with maternal disomy 15).
Can Social Distancing Work in Low Income Countries

I investigate how the effect of COVID-19 might diff er across countries, with emphasis on their dependence on income. In particular, I consider two sources of di erences. First, in low income countries there are less jobs that can be performed from home, and second, lower income households cannot a fford to relinquish income for as long as richer ones. To study this, I extend the framework in Eichenbaum et al. (2020) with a subsistence level of consumption and heterogenous work-at-home possibilities. Subsistence consumption reduces the elasticity of hours worked to the pandemic in low income countries, and working from home milds the recession down without risking contagion. My findings suggest that the epidemiology crisis is worse in low income countries, with higher infection and death rates, while the economic crisis is milder. More precisely, an increase in income per capita of 1% increases infections by almost 300 people per million, the number of deaths by 4 per million, and the number of transmissions per person infected by 0.09%. Almost half of the cross country diff erences due to the potential to work from home. On the other hand, a 1% increase in income reduces the fall of consumption relative to steady state by 0.03%. Government mandates to stay at home are less e ective in low income countries: while they reduce the number of infected by 5.4% in U.S., the reduction in Mexico is of only 3.7%. I argue that a better policy would consist of extending cheap loans to these countries: the optimal loan would reduce the number of infected in U.S. by 8.4%, and in Mexico by 11.7%. In addition, loans to poor nations are cheaper: in the U.S., the optimal loan is worth $4,700 per person, while in Mexico it is $909.
Haptic Helmet for Emergency Responses in Virtual and Live Environments

Communication between team members in emergency situations is critical for first responders to ensure their safety and efficiency. In many cases, the thick smoke and noises in a burning building impair algorithms for navigational guidance. Here we present a helmet-based haptic interface with eccentric motors and communication channels. As part of the NIST PSCR Haptic Interfaces for Public Safety Challenge, our helmet with an embedded haptic interface in the headband enables communication with first responders through haptic signals about direction, measurements, and alerts. The haptic interface can be connected over LoRa for live communication or via USB to VR simulation system. With our affordable, robust, and intuitive system we took victory in the Haptic Challenge after the VR and live trials at a firefighter training facility.
Abstract 16602: Mitolamban is a Novel Cardiac-Enriched Mitochondrial Microprotein That Regulates Respiratory Complex III

Introduction: Emerging evidence suggests that many RNA molecules currently annotated as noncoding contain short open reading frames that code for functional small proteins called microproteins. Mic...
Millisecond Time-Resolved Solid-State NMR Reveals a Two-Stage Molecular Mechanism for Formation of Complexes between Calmodulin and a Target Peptide from Myosin Light Chain Kinase

Calmodulin (CaM) mediates a wide range of biological responses to changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations through its calcium-dependent binding affinities to numerous target proteins. Binding of two Ca2+ ions to each of the two four-helix-bundle domains of CaM results in major conformational changes that create a potential binding site for the CaM binding domain of a target protein, which also undergoes major conformational changes to form the complex with CaM. Details of the molecular mechanism of complex formation are not well established, despite numerous structural, spectroscopic, thermodynamic, and kinetic studies. Here, we report a study of the process by which the 26-residue peptide M13, which represents the CaM binding domain of skeletal muscle myosin light chain kinase, forms a complex with CaM in the presence of excess Ca2+ on the millisecond time scale. Our experiments use a combination of selective 13C labeling of CaM and M13, rapid mixing of CaM solutions with M13/Ca2+ solutions, rapid freeze-quenching of the mixed solutions, and low-temperature solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) enhanced by dynamic nuclear polarization. From measurements of the dependence of 2D 13C-13C ssNMR spectra on the time between mixing and freezing, we find that the N-terminal portion of M13 converts from a conformationally disordered state to an α-helix and develops contacts with the C-terminal domain of CaM in about 2 ms. The C-terminal portion of M13 becomes α-helical and develops contacts with the N-terminal domain of CaM more slowly, in about 8 ms. The level of structural order in the CaM/M13/Ca2+ complexes, indicated by 13C ssNMR line widths, continues to increase beyond 27 ms.
Deep- and vacuum-ultraviolet metaphotonic light sources

Abstract Recent demonstrations of deep- and vacuum-ultraviolet (DUV and VUV) light emission from artificially engineered meta-atoms through nonlinear harmonic signal generation processes have opened up new avenues for fundamental engineering approaches and modern applications. While many different phenomena based on optical metasurfaces have been revealed in linear optics, several studies have reported the observation of various nonlinear optical phenomena in such nanosystems, like, for example, second and third harmonic generation (SHG and THG), multiphoton luminescence, higher harmonic generation, and four-wave mixing. Plasmonic and all-dielectric flatland metasurfaces enable successful manipulation of light–matter interactions on ultradense platforms and provide substantial enhancement of driving fields, which make these architectures promising and attractive to efficiently radiate intense and coherent second and third harmonic radiations. In this focused Review, we highlight and discuss the recent state-of-the-art methods that have been developed and proposed for the generation of nonlinear harmonic signal and high-energy DUV and VUV lights. This contribution not only summarizes the strategies that have been exploited for augmenting the intensity of nonlinear UV signal, but also introduces the novel mechanisms to strongly optimize the conversion efficiency of this principle. We envisage that this understanding allows to compare the performance of versatile nonlinear DUV and VUV metasources and paves the way of designing much more efficient light emitting tools such as lasers, super-resolution imaging nanosystems, and nanolithography apertures.
Spectroscopy on the A 1 Π←X +1 Σ transition of buffer-gas-cooled AlCl

Aluminum monochloride (AlCl) has been proposed as an excellent candidate for laser cooling. Here we present absorption spectroscopy measurements on the $A^{1}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Pi}}\ensuremath{\leftarrow}{X}^{1}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}}^{+}$ transition in AlCl inside a cryogenic helium buffer-gas beam cell. The high-resolution absorption data enable a rigorous, quantitative comparison with our high-level ab initio calculations of the electronic and rovibronic energies, providing a comprehensive picture of the AlCl quantum structure. The combination of high-resolution spectral data and theory permits the evaluation of spectroscopic constants and associated properties, like equilibrium bond length, with an order of magnitude higher precision. Based on the measured molecular equilibrium constants of the $A^{1}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Pi}}$ state, we estimate a Franck-Condon factor of the $A^{1}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Pi}}\ensuremath{\leftarrow}{X}^{1}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}}^{+}$ of 99.88%, which confirms that AlCl is amenable to laser cooling.
Ethnic Identity, Perceived Discrimination, Substance Use and Misuse among Black-White Biracial Adults.

Background: Multiracial groups are projected to be the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, more than tripling in size over the next four decades. Marginality Theory suggests that biraci...
Corporate Public Affairs : Interacting With Interest Groups, Media, and Government

Corporate Public Affairs explores the increasing interest in public affairs by today's organizations. Lerbinger indicates that more and more frequently corporations are establishing public affairs positions--typically within public relations departments--to respond to issues and concerns arising out of the sociopolitical environment in which the corporation functions. He articulates the functions and responsibilities of the public affairs role, and investigates the approaches to dealing with primary constituencies--interest groups, media, and government.Divided into five parts, this book:*provides an overview of the corporate public affairs function;*explores strategies of the myriad interest groups in the United States, such as labor unions and environmental, consumer, women's, and human rights groups;*recognizes the media's increasing coverage of business events, especially negative ones, that have tremendous power both to undermine corporate credibility and to support public policy positions;* deals with legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government; and*raises the question of how corporate power strategies have affected the political marketplace.This book will appeal to advanced-level students, scholars, and practitioners in public relations and business fields.
Contagion and Excess Correlation in Credit Default Swaps

This paper documents an increase in the correlations between credit default swap (CDS) spread changes during the credit crisis and investigates the sources of that increase. One possible explanation is that correlations increased because fundamental values became more correlated during the crisis. However, I find that changes in the fundamental determinants of credit risk account for only 20% of the increase in correlations on average. Further, I show that changes in counterparty risk did not affect correlations during the turmoil. In contrast, I find thatchanges in liquidity risk contributed to the increase in correlations; however, liquidity alone cannot explain the full increase. Finally, I show that a systematic re-pricing of credit risk, as evidenced by increased volatility in the default risk premium, was the main factor that amplified correlations.
To be or not to be IID: Can Zipf's Law help?

Classification is a popular problem within machine learning, and increasing the effectiveness of classification algorithms has many significant applications within industry and academia. In particular, focus will be given to Higher-Order Naive Bayes (HONB), a relational variant of the famed Naive Bayes (NB) statistical classification algorithm that has been shown to outperform Naive Bayes in many cases [1,10]. Specifically, HONB has outperformed NB on character n-gram based feature spaces when the available training data is small [2]. In this paper, a correlation is hypothesized between the performance of HONB on character n-gram feature spaces and how closely the feature space distribution follows Zipf's Law. This hypothesis stems from the overarching goal of ultimately understanding HONB and knowing when it will outperform NB. Textual datasets ranging from several thousand instances to nearly 20,000 instances, some containing microtext, were used to generate character n-gram feature spaces. HONB and NB were both used to model these datasets, using varying character n-gram sizes (2–7) and dictionary sizes up to 5000 features. The performances of HONB and NB were then compared, and the results show potential support for our hypothesis: namely, the results support the hypothesized correlation for the Accuracy and Precision metrics. Additionally, a solution is provided for an open problem which was presented in [1], giving an explicit formula for the number of SDRs from k given sets, which has connections to counting higher-order paths of arbitrary length, which are important in the learning stage of HONB.
Rotational Velocities of Evolved A and F Stars

Mean rotational velocities are presented for stars on and above the main sequence from spectral type A5 to F9. The velocities are shown to be inconsistent with the hypothesis of stellar rotation in completely uncoupled shells for stars that have expanded in radius by less than a factor of four. They do, however, support the hypothesis of solid-body rotation for these stars. The data for the giant stars are discussed, but no firm conclusions about the mode of rotation in these stars can be drawn.
Defining Professionalism: I Know it When I See it?

The American Bar Association, the Florida Bar, and the Florida Supreme Court have recognized the collapse of public trust for the legal profession and the downfall of professionalism in the legal community. In response, the Florida Supreme Court and the Florida Bar now encourage adherence to aspirational standards of professionalism through various rules that mandate lawyers partake in professionalism training. Absent from all discussions and sources of professional standards, however, is a clear definition of professionalism.This article reviews pertinent pieces of literature including: (1) the Rules of Professional Conduct, (2) the Ideals and Goals of Professionalism, (3) Guidelines from Professional Conduct, (4) the CLE guidelines, (5) the Oath of Admission, and (6) the Creed of Professionalism, which the Florida Bar can utilize in formulating a clear definition of professionalism. This article recognizes the importance of improving the image of the legal profession and proposes that to improve the professionalism of legal profession in Florida, a clear definition of professionalism must be adopted and dispersed throughout the legal community. This definition will assist legal professionals in understanding and consequently adhering to the principles of professionalism.
Pain with sitting related to injury of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve

Purpose The ischial tuberosity, referred to as the “sit bone” by patients with pain, is surrounded by critical nerves. This research relates, for the first time, the involvement of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve (PFCN), including its perineal and inferior cluneal branches to the symptom of “sitting pain.” An experience with PFCN resection for treatment of pain with sitting is reported. Patients and methods: The computer records were searched from 2010 through August of 2013, identifying 17 patients who had surgery on PFCN. Fifteen of these 17 were women. Mean age of 17 patients was 54.6 years (range 30–74 years). Each patient had pain with sitting, and spent much of the day standing or lying down. Each had symptoms involving posterior thigh and buttock. Three patients had bilateral problems. Each of 17 patients in this series had resection of PFCN through an incision in the gluteal crease. Resection included inferior cluneal branches and perineal branch. Results Of 17 patients, at a mean of 19.4 months (range 6 to 42 months) after surgery, the visual analog scale improved from a mean of 9.2 to a mean of 2.1 (P < 0.0001). There were 7 excellent, 6 good, 3 fair, and 1 poor result, for 76% good to excellent result in terms of pain relief and improvement in being able to sit. Conclusion Pain with sitting can be due to injury to PFCN, a previously unreported etiology. Good to excellent results can be expected in 76% of carefully selected patients. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 35:463–468, 2015.
Some Preliminary Experiences with Sparse BLAS in Parallel Iterative Solvers

A proposal has been put forward for standardization of sparse matrix operatons in [10]; we describe here some early experiments in adapting the proposed standard to parallel operations in distributed memory environments.
New short backfire antennas for wireless applications

A low-cost wideband short backfire antenna (SBA) and a circularly polarized (CP) SBA are presented. The low-cost SBA designed for the 5 GHz UNII band is excited by a planar monopole which is printed on a dielectric substrate and fed by a microstrip line. By splitting the printed monopole with a slot, wideband performance is achieved. It is demonstrated that the low-cost SBA can achieve an impedance bandwidth of 15% (VSWR<2). The CP SBA is excited by a cross aperture with an unbalanced feed that consists of two orthogonal H-shaped slots with a pair of capacitive stubs. It is shown that the CP SBA can achieve an axial ratio (/spl les/3 dB) bandwidth of 4.2% with a VSWR bandwidth of 6.5% (VSWR<1.2) and a gain of 14 dBi. As high-gain and low-cost wideband/CP directional antennas, the new SBAs can find applications in various wireless communications systems (such as LMDS, WLAN, and the emerging WiMAX networks) and wireless power transmission.
Efficient session type guided distributed interaction

Recently, there has been much interest in multi-party session types (MPSTs) as a means of rigorously specifying protocols for interaction among multiple distributed participants. By capturing distributed interaction as series of typed interactions, MPSTs allow for the static verification of compliance of corresponding distributed object programs. We observe that explicit control flow information manifested by MPST opens intriguing avenues also for performance enhancements. In this paper, we present a session type assisted performance enhancement framework for distributed object interaction in Java. Experimental evaluation within our distributed runtime infrastructure illustrates the costs and benefits of our composable enhancement strategies.