cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate: actin dynamics and the regulation of ATP-dependent and -independent secretion.

It has long been believed that the cortical actin cytoskeleton plays an important role in regulating the secretion of hormones and neurotransmitters. In this study, we investigated the control of actin dynamics in primary neuroendocrine cells and determined the relationship of actin dynamics to various components of the secretory response. The amount of cortical f-actin in chromaffin cells was quantified in confocal images of cells stained with Alexa Fluor 568 phalloidin. Manipulations that decreased levels of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) (e.g., removal of ATP, the expression of a protein that can sequester PIP2) rapidly reduced the amount of cortical actin. In contrast, cytoskeletal disruptors such as latrunculin were much less able to reduce cortical actin levels, indicating that the amount of cortical f-actin depends more strongly on PIP2 than on the availability of g-actin. Not only does PIP2 regulate actin, but actin regulates the level of PIP2, as revealed by PIP2labeling studies. Manipulation of cortical actin had differing effects on the ATP-dependent and -independent components of secretion. ATP-dependent secretion was particularly sensitive to changes in cortical actin stability and was inhibited by expression of a protein (Yersinia pestis protein kinase A) that disassembles cortical f-actin and by pharmacological agents that promote either disassembly or stabilization of actin. The data suggest that an ATP-dependent component of secretion requires rapid changes in actin dynamics. These results point to a complex web of interactions involving PIP2, actin, and the secretory response.
Testimony of John C. Coates IV Before the U.S. House Committee on House Administration on the DISCLOSE Act (H.R. 5175)

The DISCLOSE Act (H.R. 5175) is an important, corrective response to the shock of Citizens United. I am a corporate law scholar, and former corporate lawyer (having been a partner at Wachtell Lipton), and I do not view myself as expert in constitutional law. I will not engage the question of whether Citizens United was or was not consistent with Supreme Court precedent generally, or whether the DISCLOSE Act is constitutional. I can say with confidence, however, that Citizens United radically unsettled long-standing expectations of corporate owners about corporate governance and federal election activity, and that the DISCLOSE Act will assist corporate owners, at a reasonable cost, in trying to address the new governance risks that Citizens United creates. I will comment on three aspects of the DISCLOSE Act that will improve corporate governance – the disclosure requirements, the endorsement requirements, and the inclusion of conduits in the new disclosure regime – as well as the foreign control provisions, each of which I favor.
Anatomy of a Meltdown

Critics have blamed FAS 157 for exacerbating the global economic crisis of 2008. This paper investigates the links between Enron, the reintroduction of fair value accounting, the implementation of FAS 157, and the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008. The account describes the possible connections between these events and shows that the implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was pivotal in determining the role that fair value accounting played in the economic crisis. The study highlights the great influence that public policy has on accounting practice, and the drastic consequences that such influence, although unforeseen, can bring about.
Unpacking Attitudes About Descriptive Representation

As the number of majority-minority districts in the United States has grown, so has scholarly interest in understanding attitudes about the idea that people can be better served in the political process by representatives who share their background. This paper builds on existing research by analyzing a nationally-representative 2012 survey with oversamples of blacks, Latinos, and Asians in order to determine the conditions under which people prefer to have shared demographics with their representatives. The investigation is unique in three respects. First, attitudes about descriptive representation are assessed using a wide set of measures that examines preferences for having a shared race, national origin, native language, and religion with one’s representative, as well as a more generic “shared background.” Second, the survey includes several variables associated with group consciousness that enable the psychological underpinnings of attitudes about descriptive representation to be discerned. Third, the sample permits comparisons of how these psychological factors guide the attitude formation process across racial groups. The analysis finds that although certain factors that generate support for descriptive representation are driven by the unique experiences of particular ethnic groups in the U.S., such as acculturation, there is also a striking similarity in the extent to which the attitudes of whites and nonwhites are shaped by factors associated with group consciousness, including group identification, perceptions of discrimination, and linked fate.
Correct-by-construction control synthesis for multi-robot mixing

This paper considers the problem of controlling a team of heterogeneous agents to conform to high-level interaction (coordination, sensing, and communication) missions. We consider interactions that can be specified via symbolic inputs from the braid group. We define a novel specification language, called Braid Temporal Logic (BTL), that allows us to specify rich, temporally-layered tasks involving agents' locations in an environment, their relative positions to each other, and frequency of location swaps and information exchanges between agents. We use techniques from formal methods to generate symbolic inputs that conform to a given BTL specification and use recently developed hybrid optimal control synthesis techniques to enact the synthesized pattern. The generated trajectories are provably guaranteed to be collision-free, respect physical boundaries of the agents' mission space, and to satisfy the high-level mission. Results are validated via implementation on a team of wheeled robots.
Providing rapid feedback to residents on their teaching skills: an educational strategy for contemporary trainees

Objective The objective of this study was to assess the attitudes of contemporary residents toward receiving rapid feedback on their teaching skills from their medical student learners. Methods Participants consisted of 20 residents in their second post-graduate training year. These residents facilitated 44 teaching sessions with medical students within our Resident-as-Teacher program. Structured, written feedback from students was returned to the resident within 3 days following each session. Residents completed a short survey about the utility of the feedback, whether they would make a change to future teaching sessions based on the feedback, and what specifically they might change. The survey utilized a 4-point scale ("Not helpful/likely=1" to "Very helpful/likely=4"), and allowed for one free-text response. Free-text responses were hand-coded and underwent qualitative analysis to identify themes. Results There were 182 student feedback encounters resulting from 44 teaching sessions. The survey response rate was 73% (32/44). Ninety-four percent of residents rated the rapid feedback as "very helpful," and 91% would "very likely" make a change to subsequent sessions based on student feedback. Residents' proposed changes included modifications to session content and/or their personal teaching style. Conclusions Residents found that rapid feedback received from medical student learners was highly valuable to them in their roles as teachers. A rapid feedback strategy may facilitate an optimal educational environment for contemporary trainees.
Emerging In Vitro Liver Technologies for Drug Metabolism and Inter-Organ Interactions

In vitro liver models provide essential information for evaluating drug metabolism, metabolite formation, and hepatotoxicity. Interfacing liver models with other organ models could provide insights into the desirable as well as unintended systemic side effects of therapeutic agents and their metabolites. Such information is invaluable for drug screening processes particularly in the context of secondary organ toxicity. While interfacing of liver models with other organ models has been achieved, platforms that effectively provide human-relevant precise information are needed. In this concise review, we discuss the current state-of-the-art of liver-based multiorgan cell culture platforms primarily from a drug and metabolite perspective, and highlight the importance of media-to-cell ratio in interfacing liver models with other organ models. In addition, we briefly discuss issues related to development of optimal liver models that include recent advances in hepatic cell lines, stem cells, and challenges associated with primary hepatocyte-based liver models. Liver-based multiorgan models that achieve physiologically relevant coupling of different organ models can have a broad impact in evaluating drug efficacy and toxicity, as well as mechanistic investigation of human-relevant disease conditions.
Odor Memory and Discrimination Covary as a Function of Delay between Encoding and Recall in Rats.

Nonassociative odor learning paradigms are often used to assess memory, social recognition and neuromodulation of olfactory pathways. We here use a modified object recognition paradigm to investigate how an important task parameter, delay between encoding and recall trials, affects the properties of this memory. We show that both memory for a previously investigated odorant and discrimination of a novel odorant decay with delay time and that rats can remember an odorant for up to 45 min after a single trial encoding event. The number of odorants that can be encoded, as well as the specificity of the encoded memory, decrease with increased delay and also depend on stimulus concentration. Memory for an odorant and discrimination of a novel odorant decay at approximately the same rate, whereas the specificity of the formed memory decays faster than the memory itself. These results have important implications for the interpretation of behavioral data obtained with this paradigm.
Trademarks, Patents, and Innovation in the Ethical Drug Industry:

The expiration of a patent for an ethical drug has only a minor effect on its market dominance. Brand loyalty towards the trademark of the off-patent drug is a barrier to the development of competi...
Hybrid Uranyl Arsonate Coordination Nanocages

Nanoscopic uranyl coordination cages have been prepared by a facile route involving self-assembly via temperature and solvent-driven, in situ ligand synthesis. The synthesis of hydrogen arsenate and pyroarsonate ligands in situ enhances flexibility, which is an important factor in producing these compounds.
Study on numerical simulation models for multiphase flow by lattice Boltzmann method

In this paper,numerical simulations of the multiphase flow were based on the lattice Boltzmann method( LBM). The analysis and comparison of the lattice Boltzmann models was presented with different forcing terms. The lattice Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook( LBGK)model and the multi-relaxation-time( MRT) model were implemented respectively. In term of multiphase flows,the way to incorporate force is important and critical in the LBM.It has a significant impact on the numerical accuracy and stability. In this paper,different forcing terms were introduced into the models and simulations of the phase separation were accomplished. The spurious velocity near the interface and the range of the strength of the interaction were the criteria for the test. The numerical results were presented and analyzed.Compared with the LBGK model,the MRT model performs remarkably,and the deviation between the two forcing terms in the MRT model was small.
Doublecortin Is Excluded from Growing Microtubule Ends and Recognizes the GDP-Microtubule Lattice.

Summary Many microtubule (MT) functions are mediated by a diverse class of proteins (+TIPs) at growing MT plus ends that control intracellular MT interactions and dynamics and depend on end-binding proteins (EBs) [1]. Cryoelectron microscopy has recently identified the EB binding site as the interface of four tubulin dimers that undergoes a conformational change in response to β-tubulin GTP hydrolysis [2, 3]. Doublecortin (DCX), a MT-associated protein (MAP) required for neuronal migration during cortical development [4, 5], binds to the same site as EBs [6], and recent in vitro studies proposed DCX localization to growing MT ends independent of EBs [7]. Because this conflicts with observations in neurons [8, 9] and the molecular function of DCX is not well understood, we revisited intracellular DCX dynamics at low expression levels. Here, we report that DCX is not a +TIP in cells but, on the contrary, is excluded from the EB1 domain. In addition, we find that DCX-MT interactions are highly sensitive to MT geometry. In cells, DCX binding was greatly reduced at MT segments with high local curvature. Remarkably, this geometry-dependent binding to MTs was completely reversed in the presence of taxanes, which reconciles incompatible observations in cells [9] and in vitro [10]. We propose a model explaining DCX specificity for different MT geometries based on structural changes induced by GTP hydrolysis that decreases the spacing between adjacent tubulin dimers [11]. Our data are consistent with a unique mode of MT interaction in which DCX specifically recognizes this compacted GDP-like MT lattice.
Should children with acute otitis media routinely be treated with antibiotics? Yes: routine treatment makes sense for symptomatic, emotional, and economic reasons.

The demonstrated benefits of antibiotic use are an average of one less day of pain and fever, which is about evenly offset by the risk of adverse effects. Benefits warrant discussion with parents for shared decision making regarding treatment.
Computerized tomography for detection and staging of localized and pathologically defined upper tract urothelial tumors.

AbstractBetween 1980 and 1989, 94 patients were evaluated for upper tract urothelial tumors. Preoperative computerized tomography (CT) scans and pathology reports were available in 30 patients who also had nephroureterectomy for treatment of transitional cell carcinoma. Retrospective evaluation of these CT scans was done without knowledge of the final pathological status to determine accuracy of tumor detection and staging. Pathological findings were also reviewed and the pathological staging was compared to that of CT. At pathological evaluation the 30 renal units contained 34 grossly visible, distinct papillary tumors: 7 were ureteral and 27 were in the renal pelvis. Of the renal units 8 also contained carcinoma in situ that was not visible on any study. Conventional excretory urograms and/or retrograde or antegrade pyelograms detected 28 (82%) and CT 17 (50%) of the 34 papillary tumors. Excluding suboptimal scans due to early generation machines, inadequate intravenous contrast medium or too widely spa...
A “Habitable Grief”?: The Legacy of Cultural and Political Strife in Ireland’s Contentious Language Systems

Since the Statutes of Kilkenny in the fourteenth century, language systems in Ireland have been inextricably linked to cultural and political affiliations. Throughout the nineteenth century as nationalism grew worldwide, linguistic and religious association came to manifest itself on national lines, developing into a Unionist and Nationalist divide, which has haunted the region for generations. The 1801 Act of Union that officially joined Ireland with England, Wales and Scotland under the British Crown, led to an association of eighteenth-century Enlightenment English with the colonial state, a language system believed to be associated with order, reason and power. In the early decades of the century, pockets of rural peasantry pushed to the West of Ireland by Cromwell centuries before, continued to speak Ireland’s mother tongue. But by the century’s end, only 13 percent of the population spoke Irish (Filppula 1999, 9). While the language continued to serve as a nostalgic symbol of Irish cultural purity it was rendered virtually useless in the wake of British imperialism, a tongue affiliated with poverty, ignorance and desolation.
Matching Pursuit and Atomic Models

In atomic models, a signal is represented in terms of localized time-frequency components. Chapter 3 discussed an interpretation of the sinusoidal model as an atomic decomposition in which the atoms are derived based on parameters extracted from the signal; this perspective clarified the resolution tradeoffs in the sinusoidal model and motivated multiresolution extensions. In this chapter, signal-adaptive parametric models based on overcomplete dictionaries of timefrequency atoms are considered. Such overcomplete expansions can be derived using the matching pursuit algorithm [139]. The resulting representations are signal-adaptive in that the atoms for the model are chosen to match the signal behavior; furthermore, the models are parametric in that the atoms can be described in terms of simple parameters. The pursuit algorithm is reviewed and variations are described; primarily, the method is formalized for the case of dictionaries of damped sinusoids, for which the computation can be carried out with simple recursive filter banks. Atoms based on damped sinusoids are shown to be more effective than symmetric Gabor atoms for representing transient signal behavior such as attacks in music.
Employing speech and location information for automatic assessment of child language environments

Assessment of the language environment of children in early childhood is a challenging task for both human and machine, and understanding the classroom environment of early learners is an essential step towards facilitating language acquisition and development. This paper explores an approach for intelligent language environment monitoring based on the duration of child-to-child and adult-to-child conversations and a child's physical location in classrooms within a childcare center. The amount of child's communication with other children and adults was measured using an i-vector based child-adult diarization system (developed at CRSS). Furthermore the average time spent by each child across different activity areas within the classroom was measured using a location tracking system. The proposed solution here offers unique opportunities to assess speech and language interaction for children, and quantify location context which would contribute to improved language environments.
Nitrogen Relations in a Douglas-fir Plantation

A 42-year-old Western Washington Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziessii (Mirb.) Franco] plantation which was N-deficient was studied in relation to the application of N applied as urea to the forest floor, and carbohydrate applied to the forest floor to widen the C/N ratio and thus intensify the existing N deficiency. After 1 year, needle size was measured and needles were also analyzed for pigment content N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Mn. As a result of N fertilization needle size and weight had increased. Needle retention (years) was increased in the N treatments and reduced in the carbohydrates treatments. This effect was reflected in the quantities of leaf litter-fall. Nitrogen concentrations were increased in treatments where N was applied as were pigment contents but other nutrients decreased in concentration probably as a result of growth dilution. While there was no significant decrease in needle N concentration where carbohydrate was applied, the N uptake was reduced because of needle size and retention time changes. The results are discussed in relation to nutrient diagnostic work.
Oil price uncertainty and the U.S. stock market analysis based on a GARCH-in-mean VAR model

Abstract This paper uses a bivariate GARCH-in-mean VAR model to examine the effect of oil price uncertainty on the U.S. real stock returns at the aggregate and sectoral levels. Estimation results suggest that there is no statistically significant effect of oil price volatility on the U.S. stock returns. The absence of an uncertainty effect might be explained by the fact that companies are likely to hedge against fluctuations in oil prices. It could also stem from the ability of most companies to transfer the higher cost of oil to customers. Moreover, the impulse responses indicate that, accounting for oil price uncertainty, oil price increases and decreases have symmetric effects on the U.S. aggregate stock returns, in that energy price increases and decreases are estimated to have equal and opposite effects on the U.S. financial market. However, this symmetric effect doesn't hold across all the sectors studied in this paper.
Development of Cu(In, Ga)Se 2 test coupons for potential induced degradation studies

We report on the design, fabrication and accelerated testing of fully encapsulated small area coupons (approximately 7.5cm × 7.5 cm) for the purpose of researching potential induced degradation in Cu(In, Ga)Se 2 based PV modules. The fabrication of these coupons enables the study of the solar cells and the materials used in PV module manufacturing such as top and bottom glass covers of different composition (soda-lime glass, high temperature glass, alkaline-free glass, etc), plastic-based top covers, ethylene vinyl acetate and edge seal encapsulation materials. The coupons can also be used to emulate framed and frameless modules that utilize either monolithically interconnected modules or singular cell type of modules. The design of the coupons, their fabrication, the materials used and their testing for 1000 hours under 85°C and 85% RH conditions are presented.
Metal Ion Modeling Using Classical Mechanics

Metal ions play significant roles in numerous fields including chemistry, geochemistry, biochemistry, and materials science. With computational tools increasingly becoming important in chemical research, methods have emerged to effectively face the challenge of modeling metal ions in the gas, aqueous, and solid phases. Herein, we review both quantum and classical modeling strategies for metal ion-containing systems that have been developed over the past few decades. This Review focuses on classical metal ion modeling based on unpolarized models (including the nonbonded, bonded, cationic dummy atom, and combined models), polarizable models (e.g., the fluctuating charge, Drude oscillator, and the induced dipole models), the angular overlap model, and valence bond-based models. Quantum mechanical studies of metal ion-containing systems at the semiempirical, ab initio, and density functional levels of theory are reviewed as well with a particular focus on how these methods inform classical modeling efforts. F...
Abstract 173: SOX4 interacts with EZH2 and HDAC3 to suppress microRNA-31 in invasive esophageal cancer cells

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Tumor metastasis is responsible for 90% of cancer-related deaths. A strong link between microRNA dysregulation and human cancers has recently been established. However, the molecular mechanisms through which microRNAs regulate metastasis and cancer progression remain unclear. We analyzed the reciprocal expression regulation of miR-31 and SOX4 in esophageal squamous and adenocarcinoma cell lines by qRT-PCR and Western Blotting using overexpression and shRNA knock-down approaches. Here we report that SOX4 promotes esophageal tumor cell proliferation and invasion by silencing miR-31 via activation and stabilization of a co-repressor complex with EZH2 and HDAC3. We demonstrate that miR-31 is significantly decreased in invasive esophageal cancer cells compared to non-invasive cell lines, while upregulation of miR-31 inhibits growth, migration and invasion of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cell lines. miR-31, in turn, targets SOX4 for degradation by directly binding to its 3′-UTR. Additionally, miR-31 regulates EZH2 and HDAC3 indirectly. SOX4, EZH2 and HDAC3 levels inversely correlate with miR-31 expression in ESCC cell lines. Ectopic expression of miR-31 in ESCC and EAC cell lines leads to down regulation of SOX4, EZH2 and HDAC3. Conversely, pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of SOX4 and EZH2 restore miR-31 expression. We show that SOX4, EZH2 and HDAC3 form a co-repressor complex that binds to the miR-31 promoter, repressing miR-31 through an epigenetic mark by H3K27me3 and by histone acetylation. Clinically, when compared to normal adjacent tissues, esophageal tumor samples show upregulation of SOX4, EZH2, and HDAC3, and EZH2 expression is significantly increased in metastatic ESCC tissues. Thus, we identified a novel molecular mechanism by which the SOX4, EZH2 and miR-31 circuit promotes tumor progression and potential therapeutic targets for invasive esophageal carcinomas. Citation Format: Rainelli B. Koumangoye, Thomas Andl, Kenneth J. Taubenslag, Steven T. Zilberman, Chase Taylor, Claudia D. Andl. SOX4 interacts with EZH2 and HDAC3 to suppress microRNA-31 in invasive esophageal cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 173. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-173
Comparative Accuracy of a Wrist-Worn Activity Tracker and a Smart Shirt for Physical Activity Assessment

ABSTRACTThe purpose of the current study was to determine the accuracy of the Fitbit Charge HR and Hexoskin smart shirt. Participants (n = 32, age: 23.5 ± 1.3 years) wore a Fitbit and Hexoskin while performing 14 activities in a laboratory and on a track (lying, sitting, standing, walking various speeds and inclines, jogging, and cycling). Steps, kcals, heart rate, breathing rate, depth, and volume were measured by the Fitbit and Hexoskin and compared to criterion measures. The Fitbit and Hexoskin had low mean absolute percent error for steps (9.7%, 9.4%). The mean absolute percent error was low for heart rate (6.6% and 2.4%), with the Fitbit underestimating heart rate at higher intensities. Both devices had high mean absolute percent error for kcals (43.7% and 27.9%, respectively), and the Hexoskin had high mean absolute percent error for breathing rate, depth, and volume (19.4%, 35.6%, and 33.6%, respectively). The Fitbit and Hexoskin have utility for measurement of some, but not all, physical activity ...
Tetrahydrocurcumin ameliorates homocysteine-mediated mitochondrial remodeling in brain endothelial cells.

Homocysteine (Hcy) causes endothelial dysfunction by inducing oxidative stress in most neurodegenerative disorders. This dysfunction is highly correlated with mitochondrial dynamics such as fusion and fission. However, there are no strategies to prevent Hcy-induced mitochondrial remodeling. Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) is an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant compound. We hypothesized that THC may ameliorates Hcy-induced mitochondria remodeling in mouse brain endothelial cells (bEnd3) cells. bEnd3 cells were exposed to Hcy treatment in the presence or absence of THC. Cell viability and autophagic cell death were measured with MTT and MDC staining assay. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was determined using DCFH-DA staining by confocal microscopy. Autophagy flux was assessed using a conventional GFP-microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) dot assay. Interaction of phagophore marker LC-3 with mitochondrial receptor NIX was observed by confocal imaging. Mitochondrial fusion and fission were evaluated by western blot and RT-PCR. Our results demonstrated that Hcy resulted in cell toxicity in a dose-dependent manner and supplementation of THC prevented the detrimental effects of Hcy on cell survival. Furthermore, Hcy also upregulated fission marker (DRP-1), fusion marker (Mfn2), and autophagy marker (LC-3). Finally, we observed that Hcy activated mitochondrial specific phagophore marker (LC-3) and co-localized with the mitochondrial receptor NIX, as viewed by confocal microscopy. Pretreatment of bEnd3 with THC (15 μM) ameliorated Hcy-induced oxidative damage, mitochondrial fission/fusion, and mitophagy. Our studies strongly suggest that THC has beneficial effects on mitochondrial remodeling and could be developed as a potential therapeutic agent against hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) induced mitochondrial dysfunction.
A novel preventative solution for effective asthma management: a practical evaluation

In recent years, there has been an increased growth in the use of smart applications to better care and manage various medical conditions. Recent studies have concluded that the daily management via an application improves asthma control compared to manual or paper-based monitoring (Fonseca et al. in Allergy 61(3):389–390, 2006). To this effect, this research aims to study existing asthma applications and propose a holistic approach to asthma care and management by developing a novel Android application that provides a real-time, multi-way communication between patients and providers (healthcare, insurance, food, drug, etc.). The current state-of-the-art smart applications are able to aid users send information to their physicians typically via email; however, healthcare providers still need to contact patients through the traditional methods (phone, email, or face-to-face appointments). Our proposed multi-way communication can eliminate phone calls, emails, and appointment scheduling to save time and provide real-time feedback to the patients. Furthermore, providers can monitor the health status of patients remotely by checking their patient specific journal entry and set new and/or modified action plans and also uploads those to the patient’s smart devices. Providers can also send notifications to patients even if the device is in sleep mode. In case of emergency, patients are able to call 911 or find the nearest hospital and pharmacy via a pre-programmed one-click method. We have conducted extensive evaluation studies (both pre- and post) at a nationally recognized HIMSS Stage 6 regional trauma center (>500 beds) and its affiliated 23 associated clinical practices. The results confirm that the proposed solution has a strong potential to significantly improve the quality of care while reducing the overall cost of care delivery for the target population. In addition, the HIMSS 6 organization has availed meaningful use incentive programs due to these measures. We are also aiding the healthcare organization to conduct analysis of their patient data to provide various training seminars to facilitate effective management of this chronic condition. In the upcoming years, our goal is to continue to collaborate with the provider to help in designing proactive solutions for other chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, etc.
Synthesis of Ladder Polymers: Developments, Challenges, and Opportunities

Ladder polymers are unique in that their backbones consist of fused rings with adjacent rings having two or more atoms in common. The restriction of bond rotations in rigid ladder polymers greatly limits their conformational freedom, leading to many intriguing and unique properties. As a non-traditional type of polymers, rigid ladder polymers are of great fundamental interest and technical importance as advanced materials for applications such as membrane gas separation and organic electronics. Ladder polymers can be divided into non-conjugated (with kinked conformations) and conjugated (with planar conformations) structures. Their synthesis can be broadly classified into two general strategies: direct ladder polymerization, and zipping of a linear precursor polymer. This Concept article outlines the historical development of ladder polymers and the chemical strategies used for their synthesis; highlights the challenges associated with their synthesis and characterization, and presents opportunities and outlooks for this unique and intriguing type of polymers.
Care Patterns and Outcomes in Atrial Fibrillation Patients With and Without Diabetes: ORBIT-AF Registry

Abstract Background Diabetes is a well-established risk factor for thromboembolism in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), but less is known about how diabetes influences outcomes among AF patients. Objectives This study assessed whether symptoms, health status, care, and outcomes differ between AF patients with and without diabetes. Methods The cohort study included 9,749 patients from the ORBIT-AF (Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation) registry, a prospective, nationwide, outpatient registry of patients with incident and prevalent AF. Outcomes included symptoms, health status, and AF treatment, as well as 2-year risk of death, hospitalization, thromboembolic events, heart failure (HF), and AF progression. Results Patients with diabetes (29.5%) were younger, more likely to have hypertension, chronic kidney disease, HF, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Compared to patients without diabetes, patients with diabetes also had a lower Atrial Fibrillation Effects on Quality of Life score of 80 (interquartile range [IQR]: 62.5 to 92.6) versus 82.4 (IQR: 67.6 to 93.5; p = 0.025) and were more likely to receive anticoagulation (p Conclusions Among AF patients, diabetes was associated with worse AF symptoms and lower quality of life, and increased risk of death and hospitalizations, but not thromboembolic or bleeding events.
Power converter metamodeling approach for the smart ship design environment

The Navy is currently facing an unprecedented challenge to develop new ship designs under compressed schedules that incorporate emerging technologies for high power energy conversion in order to enable smaller ship designs with a high degree of electrification. To address this challenge a multi-disciplinary concept exploration process is required that relies upon set based design to analyze very quickly shipboard designs in order to identify feasible electrical architectures. This paper proposes a metamodeling approach to scaling of power conversion equipment aimed at producing data for the Smart Ship System Design environment to enable early stage assessment. A metamodel is developed for various PEBB-based power conversion cabinets.
Free will, causation, and absence

This paper comments on Carolina Sartorio’s Causation and Free Will, challenging the non-modal conception of reasons-sensitivity that Sartorio advances.
The Panorama of the Last Decade’s Theoretical Groundings of Educational Leadership Research: A Concept Co-Occurrence Network Analysis:

Purpose: Given the essential role of theories in research, this study aims to identify the theories and concepts undergirding educational leadership research, illuminate the interconnections among them, and examine the evolution of the theoretical groundings of the field from 2005 to 2014. Methods: This study constructed a concept co-occurrence network, in which the nodes represent all the framing concepts that theoretically framed the 1,328 articles published in four leading educational leadership research journals (Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of Educational Administration, Educational Management Administration & Leadership, and Journal of School Leadership) over the past decade and the ties link the concepts that co-occur in an article. The reference frequency and centrality measures were used to identify the influential concepts. Next, the k-core analysis was performed to visualize the interconnections among the concepts. Moreover, a series of network cohesion measures were used to de...
Exploration of multiple wavelength laser beams propagating underwater

Laser beams propagating through complex media commonly experience degradation. This experiment investigates the effects of using laser beams with different wavelengths propagating along the same path as a method of mitigating distortion. We recorded intensity measurements of both a red and green laser after passing through a temperature and flow controlled underwater path and explored the effects of wavelength diversity on laser scintillation. Specifically, temperature variations were induced in a 243cm long water tank, containing 500 liters of deionized water using three heating sources. Experiments were performed with a triple pass through the tank for a total propagation length of 980cm. The final experimentation yielded repeatable and significant reductions in the scintillation of the multiple wavelength beam compared to its individual component beams.
RESILIENCE, AGENCY, AND EVERYDAY LOJONG IN THE TIBETAN DIASPORA

Despite exposure to political violence, many Tibetans in the diaspora avoid framing past experience in terms of trauma. Instead, they deploy shared cultural understandings often infused with Buddhi...
Case Study: Maternal and Child Health Promotion Issues for a Poor, Migrant Haitian Mother

Twenty-five-year-old Nathaly migrated to the United States from Haiti 5 months ago. She is 38 weeks pregnant and experiencing labor pains. She is brought to the labor and delivery department of a large urban hospital by her cousin. She had one prenatal visit with a midwife in Haiti about 6 months ago but did not seek healthcare since she arrived in the United States. Nathaly was examined and found to be in labor. Her cousin speaks English fluently but was unable to stay with Nathaly throughout labor and childbirth because she needed to pick up her 9-year-old daughter from school and stay with her at home after. An interpreter from the language line service was engaged to speak to Nathaly about her medical history and to obtain her consent for admission and treatment.
Die Psychologie und der Immigrant

Die Vereinigten Staaten hatten bis 1875 kein foderatives Immigrationsgesetz. Das Gesetz von 1875 und alle nachfolgenden Zusatzantrage bis 1921 ordneten keine zahlenmasige Begrenzung fur die Immigration an. Das erste foderative Gesetz zahlte einfach eine Reihe von Individuen auf, die ausgeschlossen werden sollten. Die Liste von 1875 war bescheiden — sie schlos Kulis, Straflinge und Prostituierte aus.
Strongly-correlated quantum gases: atomtronics and rotating optical lattices

A collection of ultracold atoms subject to a spatially periodic potential energy can exhibit behavior analogous to strongly-correlated electrons in a crystal lattice. This was shown recently by the experimental demonstration of the superfluid to Mott-insulator quantum phase transition for a three-dimensional optical lattice. An optical lattice consists of atoms subject to a periodic potential produced by interfering laser beams. The analogy between ultracold atoms in optical lattices and electrons in crystal lattices is manifestly a rich one. One interesting area in particular is the correspondence between the fractional quantum Hall effect for electrons in strong magnetic fields and rotating quantum gases. Here strongly-correlated effects can potentially be enhanced utilizing rotating optical lattices. Recently, we have also made a a proposal to extend the analogy to doped semiconductor materials. Lattice “defects” achieve behaviors similar to P-type and N-type semiconductor materials. Naturally the interest is to adjoin P-type and N-type atoms lattices to produce an atom diode, and then an NPN or PNP lattice “sandwich” to achieve bipolar transistor-like behavior for ultracold atoms. Such heterogeneous structures can indeed be made to mimic their electronic counterparts.
Loss of Competence in early development is mediated by loss of chromatin accessibility

Abstract As development proceeds, inductive cues are interpreted by competent tissues in a spatially and temporally restricted manner. While key inductive signaling pathways within competent cells are well-described at a molecular level, the mechanisms by which tissues lose responsiveness to inductive signals are not well understood. Localized activation of Wnt signaling before zygotic gene activation in Xenopus laevis leads to dorsal development, but competence to induce dorsal genes in response to Wnts is lost by the late blastula stage. We hypothesize that loss of competence is mediated by changes in histone modifications leading to a loss of chromatin accessibility at the promoters of Wnt target genes. We use ATAC-seq to evaluate genome-wide changes in chromatin accessibility across several developmental stages. Based on overlap with p300 binding, we identify thousands of putative cis-regulatory elements at the gastrula stage, including sites that lose accessibility by the end of gastrulation and are enriched for pluripotency factor binding motifs. Dorsal Wnt target gene promoters are not accessible after the loss of competence in the early gastrula while genes involved in mesoderm and neural crest development maintain accessibility at their promoters. Inhibition of histone deacetylases increases acetylation at the promoters of dorsal Wnt target genes and extends competence for dorsal gene induction by Wnt signaling. Histone deacetylase inhibition, however, is not sufficient to extend competence for mesoderm or neural crest induction. These data suggest that chromatin state regulates the loss of competence to inductive signals in a context-dependent manner.
Design of an interpretable Convolutional Neural Network for stress concentration prediction in rough surfaces

Abstract We present the application of a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to relate stress concentrations to surface roughness. Stress concentrations at the low points of rough surfaces are one of the primary causes of fatigue crack initiation but there is no generally accepted method for analyzing rough surfaces to predict crack initiation. Synthetically generated rough surfaces, instantiated in a mechanical model allow for the simulation of stress concentrations, creating a database of surface images and corresponding mechanical data. In this work, the CNN is designed and trained to interpret a height map of a surface and, from that data, to predict the stress concentrations created by the surface. Using a simple architecture, the CNN achieved R2 = 0.75 in prediction for test images, i.e., those not used in training. This CNN can be adapted for experimental surfaces thus creating a new and straightforward tool for prediction of crack initiation. Considerable care was taken to minimize the complexity of the CNN architecture and to make it interpretable via viewports.
Molecular Insights into the Role of Electronic Substituents on the Chemical Environment of the −CH3 and >C═O Groups of Neat Liquid Monomers Using Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy

In this work, the substitution of ethyl methacrylate monomers is used as an approach to investigate the effects of electron withdrawing group substituents to their conformation at the two interface...
Population density and the accuracy of the land valuations in the 1798 federal direct tax

AbstractThe peculiar operation of the 1798 federal direct tax has led scholars to question whether tax officials reported the land valuations from their districts faithfully. Peter Lindert and Jeff...
Marine Vertebrate Biodiversity and Distribution Within the Central California Current Using Environmental DNA (eDNA) Metabarcoding and Ecosystem Surveys

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is a new approach for assessing marine biodiversity that may overcome challenges of traditional monitoring and complement both existing surveys and biodiversity assessments. There are limited eDNA studies that evaluate vertebrate biodiversity in the marine environment or compare patterns of biodiversity with traditional methods. This study uses eDNA metabarcoding of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA genes present in seawater samples to characterize vertebrate biodiversity and distribution within National Marine Sanctuaries located in the California Current upwelling ecosystem. The epipelagic community in the study region has been monitored using traditional (mid-water trawl and marine mammal) survey methods since 1983. During 2016 and 2017, we concurrently sampled the epipelagic community using traditional survey methods and water for eDNA analysis to assess agreement among the methods. We collected replicate eDNA samples from 25 stations at depths of 10, 40, and 80 m, resulting in 131 small volume (1 L) environmental water samples to examine eDNA sequences. Across the eDNA and traditional survey methods, 80 taxa were identified. Taxa identified by eDNA partially overlapped with taxa through trawl and marine mammal surveys, but more taxa were identified by eDNA. Diversity and distribution patterns of marine vertebrates inferred from eDNA sequences reflected known spatial distribution patterns in species occurrence and community structure (e.g., cross-shelf and alongshore patterns). During both years we identified fishery taxa Sebastes (rockfish), Merluccius (hake), Citharichthys (sanddab), and Engraulis (anchovy) across the majority of the stations using eDNA metabarcoding. The marine vertebrate assemblage identified by eDNA in 2016 was statistically different from the 2017 assemblage and more marine mammals were identified in 2017 than in 2016. Differences in assemblages identified by eDNA were coincident with different oceanographic conditions (e.g., upwelling and stratification). In 2016 weak upwelling and warmer than average conditions were measured, and vertebrate assemblages were not different among ecological regions (Point Reyes, Pescadero, and Monterey Bay). While in 2017, average upwelling conditions returned, vertebrate assemblages differed at each region. This study illustrates that eDNA provides a new baseline for vertebrate assessments that can both augment traditional biomonitoring surveys and aid our understanding of changes in biodiversity.
Small Unmanned Aerial Systems and Privacy

A significant advantage of sUAS technology is its ability to collect high-resolution data at a large scale, including individual streets, yards, and houses. Recent advances in sUAS technology, including decreasing size, increased functionality, and improved affordability, mean that both researchers and practitioners can collect these data quickly and without a major coordination of people and resources. Given the relative ease of such efforts and the resolution of data that can be acquired, there are increasing concerns that both recreational and professional operators can collect information from locations that might be considered private. For some bystanders, private space may be defined by porches and decks with privacy screens. For others, a backyard fence or wall may represent private space. Whatever the definition, privacy is central to the debate on the fair and equitable use of sUAS technology in urban areas. Moreover, it is one of the major factors in local decisions to regulate where and how sUAS are used. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the concept of privacy in relation to sUAS technology and detail the pragmatic implications of privacy-related restrictions for drone operation. This chapter concludes with a brief overview of sUAS ethics and the increased need for local awareness and cultural sensitivity when operating sUAS.
HYPERTENSION MANAGEMENT IN ALL CAUSE SUDDEN DEATH

Patients with hypertension (HTN) have increased risk of sudden death, but blood pressure control in sudden death is not clear. To better understand potential opportunities to prevent sudden death, we assessed blood pressures, comorbidities and control among all cause sudden death victims. Cases of
The Dynamics of Vortex Rossby Waves and Secondary Eyewall Development in Hurricane Matthew (2016): New Insights from Radar Measurements

AbstractThe structure of vortex Rossby waves (VRWs) and their role in the development of a secondary eyewall in Hurricane Matthew (2016) is examined from observations taken during the NOAA Sensing ...
Phase II trial of bicalutamide in combination with palbociclib for the treatment of androgen receptor (+) metastatic breast cancer.

1017Background: Genome-wide transcriptional analysis has identified a unique subset of androgen receptor (AR) +, estrogen receptor (ER)/progesterone receptor (PR)- breast cancer (BC). The functiona...