cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mutant U2AF1(S34F) Expression Alters Hematopoiesis in Mice

Abstract 553 Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are stem cell disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis with increased levels of hematopoietic cell apoptosis. Recent discoveries by our group and others suggest that perturbations in pre-mRNA splicing may play a role in MDS pathogenesis. Indeed, more than half of all MDS patients have a mutation in one of eight splicing factors. U2AF1 (U2AF35), a gene encoding a splicing factor involved in intronic 39-splice site recognition, is mutated in 8.7% of MDS patients. The consequence of the highly recurrent serine to phenylalanine mutation at position 34 (S34F) of U2AF1 in hematopoiesis is unknown. Therefore, to examine the effects of mutant U2AF1(S34F) on hematopoiesis, we utilized the MSCV-IRES-GFP retroviral system to introduce mutant U2AF1(S34F) or wild type U2AF1(WT), or an empty vector control, into mouse bone marrow cells for in vitro and in vivo studies. Expression of U2AF1(S34F) results in reduced expansion of transduced bone marrow cells (marked by GFP) compared to both U2AF1(WT) or empty vector-transduced cells grown in suspension culture (2 vs 4-fold change, respectively; p To overcome some of the limitations of retroviral models, we created a single-copy, doxycycline-inducible U2AF1(S34F) transgenic mouse to model the effect of U2AF1(S34F) expression on hematopoiesis. As a control for U2AF1 protein overexpression, we created an additional single-copy, doxycycline-inducible U2AF1(WT) transgenic mouse with transgene integration into the same locus as the U2AF1(S34F) mouse. Induction of U2AF1(S34F) transgene expression in bone marrow cells in culture with doxycycline treatment (200 ng/ml for 5 days) resulted in reduced cell numbers when compared to uninduced U2AF1(S34F) transgenic cells (ratio of growth of induced/uninduced cells = 0.38), while cell proliferation was not altered for U2AF1(WT) transgenic cells (ratio of growth of induced/uninduced cells = 1.13) (p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
A Survey of Information Source Preferences of Parents of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

For parents of children with an Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), high quality, easily accessible information and a strong peer network can be the key to raising a happy, healthy child, and maintaining family well-being and emotional resilience. This article reports the findings of an anonymous survey examining the information source preferences for 935 parents of individuals with ASDs in North Carolina. Data indicates that parents show similar information seeking patterns across the age spectrum, that availability of information (as indicated by overall information source selection) decrease as children age. It also shows that parents rely heavily on local sources of information, preferring them to nonlocal sources (such as the internet) for many types of information.
Natural-Products-Inspired Use of the gem-Dimethyl Group in Medicinal Chemistry

The gem-dimethyl moiety is a structural feature frequently found in many natural products of clinical interest, including, but not limited to, taxanes, epothilones, statins, retinoids, di-/triterpenes, noviose deoxysugar, and antibiotics derived from β-lactams, macrolides, and aminocoumarins. Inspired by this time-tested moiety, medicinal chemists have widely explored its use in developing bioactive molecules because of the possibility to (1) increase target engagement, potency, and selectivity through van der Waals interactions and entropically favorable restriction to a bioactive conformation, (2) mitigate toxicity, (3) obtain superior DMPK profile, (4) modulate the pKa of nearby functionality, (5) induce symmetry into a monomethyl substituted chiral center, and (6) apply the Thorpe–Ingold conformational effect in an o-hydroxydihydrocinnamic acid based prodrug design. The aim of this Perspective is to illustrate how medicinal chemists have elegantly employed the gem-dimethyl group to obtain clinically u...
Retrospective review of ceftriaxone versus levofloxacin for treatment of E. coli urinary tract infections

Background Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections. Options for initial treatment of pyelonephritis or UTI requiring hospitalization include levofloxacin (LVF) or extended-spectrum cephalosporins. Globally, uropathogenic Escherichia coli resistance rates to fluoroquinolones have increased in recent years. Objective To compare clinical outcomes of patients receiving ceftriaxone (CTX) to those who received LVF empirically for the treatment of E. coli UTI. Setting 433-bed community hospital in Lexington, KY. Methods Retrospective, single center, cohort study of adults with a urine culture positive for E. coli who received either IV LVF or CTX empirically for the treatment of UTI. Main outcome measure The primary outcome was hospital length of stay. Secondary outcomes include time to susceptible therapy (TsT), hospital cost, and susceptibility to empiric therapy. Results There was no statistically significant difference in LOS or hospital cost. Subgroup analysis compared patients that received concordant CTX treatment and patients that received discordant LVF treatment. Patients that received concordant CTX treatment had a nonsignificant shorter median LOS (4.16 vs. 6.34 days). Median hospital cost was lower ($4345 vs. $8462, p = 0.004) and median TsT was shorter (5.83 vs. 64.46 h, p < 0.001) in the concordant CTX group. Conclusion Choice of empiric antibiotic therapy should be based on local antibiogram data. For patients with UTI requiring hospitalization, CTX seems to be an effective empiric therapy for most patients. More data is required to examine the effectiveness of local and source specific antibiograms on clinical outcomes when guiding treatment of patients with UTI.
Is PI-RADS 3/total lesion ratio associated with clinically-significant prostate cancer in patients with equivocal-risk lesions on multi-parametric MRI?

149Background: Prostate imaging reporting and data system (PI-RADS) category 3 (P3) provides an equivocal assessment of prostate cancer (PCa). We aimed to investigate imaging parameters including the ratio of P3-to-total regions of interest (ROI) that may assist in identifying P3 lesions harboring clinically-significant PCa (csPCa). Methods: We retrospectively queried our institutional MRI-ultrasound fusion biopsy database to identify patients without a prior diagnosis of PCa and with at least one P3 lesion on multi-parametric MRI (mpMRI) who underwent fusion biopsy during Feb 2015-Oct 2017. mpMRI findings were assessed, including prostate and P3 volumes, number of ROIs, and P3-to-total ROIs ratio (P3 lesion volume/total ROIs volumes). Logistic regression and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess the ability of clinical and mpMRI characteristics to predict csPCa, defined as any grade group (GG)≥2 cancer or GG 1 cancer in > 2 cores or > 50% of any positive core from targeted biopsy of the P3 lesio...
Athlete Eligibility Requirements and Legal Issues

This chapter is based on Matthew J. Mitten and Timothy Davis, Athlete Eligibility Requirements and Legal Protection of Sports Participation Opportunities, 8 VA. SPORTS & ENT. L. J. 71 (2009), with updating to reflect significant legal developments since its publication, and it will be published in the forthcoming Handbook on International Sports Law (2d. ed.) (James A. R. Nafziger & Ryan Gauthier, eds.) (Edward Elgar Publishing 2021). It compares and examines the existing legal frameworks governing athletic eligibility rules and dispute resolution processes for Olympic and international sports as well as United States professional, college, and high school sports from both private law and public law perspectives. Our analysis reveals that international and United States law do not recognize an absolute, fundamental, or unconditional right to participate in sports at any level of competition. Olympic, international, and unionized professional athletes generally are entitled to independent de novo review of eligibility decisions, usually through a system of private arbitration with subsequent judicial review to ensure an athlete’s procedural and substantive rights were respected. In contrast, courts generally provide only very deferential judicial review of sport governing body rules and decisions affecting the participation opportunities of high school, college, and individual performer sports athletes. We conclude that the developing law of athlete eligibility generally adequately protects participation opportunities of Olympic, international, and U.S. professional athletes, while suggesting some reforms to better protect high school and college athletes.
Discovery, characterization, and remediation of a C-terminal Fc-extension in proteins expressed in CHO cells

Protein-based biotherapeutics are produced in engineered cells through complex processes and may contain a wide variety of variants and post-translational modifications that must be monitored or controlled to ensure product quality. Recently, a low level (~1-5%) impurity was observed in a number of proteins derived from stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells using mass spectrometry. These molecules include antibodies and Fc fusion proteins where Fc is on the C-terminus of the construct. By liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), the impurity was found to be ~1177 Da larger than the expected mass. After tryptic digestion and analysis by LC-MS/MS, the impurity was localized to the C-terminus of Fc in the form of an Fc sequence extension. Targeted higher-energy collision dissociation was performed using various normalized collision energies (NCE) on two charge states of the extended peptide, resulting in nearly complete fragment ion coverage. The amino acid sequence, SLSLSPEAEAASASELFQ, obtained by the de novo sequencing effort matches a portion of the vector sequence used in the transfection of the CHO cells, specifically in the promoter region of the selection cassette downstream of the protein coding sequence. The modification was the result of an unexpected splicing event, caused by the resemblance of the commonly used GGU codon of the C-terminal glycine to a consensus splicing donor. Three alternative codons for glycine were tested to alleviate the modification, and all were found to completely eliminate the undesirable C-terminal extension, thus improving product quality.
Class, culture, and downward mobility

Abstract The study of class and cultureis predominately the study of class reproduction, not also downward mobility. This article maintains that sociologists do not see the cultural mechanisms associated with downward mobility because we share three collective blinders. First, we under-emphasize the ways that middle-class cultural practices are mismatched with the practices that institutions reward. Second, we over-emphasize the utility of middle-class cultural practices for their class reproduction. We do this as we focus on youths’ cultural practices within institutions, ignoring that not all youth enter institutions associated with class reproduction. Third, we assume that the dominant cultural practices of each class keeps youth in their original social class. In doing so, we do not consider that middle-class actors avoid downward mobility by adopting the dominant practices of the working-class. Using interview data from the National Study of Youth and Religion, this article shows how removing these blinders can help us understand how culture relates to downward mobility. It does so by revisiting Lareau’s theory of how entitlement and constraint relate to class reproduction.
The impact of medical therapy on cognitive dysfunction in chronic rhinosinusitis.

Background Cognitive dysfunction in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is often overlooked despite potentially broad implications. Earlier work has demonstrated decreased cognitive function in CRS patients at baseline. In this study we sought to prospectively evaluate the impact of initial, appropriate medical therapy on subjective and objective cognitive function, fatigue, and workplace productivity. Methods Adult patients with CRS were prospectively enrolled and completed a robust battery of pretreatment quality-of-life and neurocognitive testing, before undergoing appropriate medical therapy with follow-up testing at 6 weeks. Patient-reported cognitive function was assessed using the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ), whereas fatigue was measured with the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Objective cognitive function was assessed using the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) platform and workplace productivity using the Clinical Trials version of the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (ctHPQ). Results Twenty-seven patients were enrolled. Patients demonstrated posttreatment improvement scores on the FSS (4.32 ± 1.78 to 3.28 ± 1.65; p = 0.003), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (8.62 ± 5.06 to 6.85 ± 4.11; p = 0.014), and CFQ (38.56 ± 16.40 to 33.04 ± 14.35; p = 0.046). Objective neurocognitive tests of mathematical processing and Stroop Reaction Test Block 3 improved after medical therapy (19.79 ± 5.61 to 21.3 ± 6.87; p = 0.029 and 43.06 ± 15.66 to 50.42 ± 19.34; p = 0.002, respectively). Measures of workplace productivity did not change significantly. Conclusion Appropriate medical therapy improves several measures of cognitive dysfunction in patients with CRS. Sustainability of results should be evaluated with larger, prolonged studies.
Political Economy of Non-Communicable Diseases: From Unconventional to Essential.

In January 2019, the Prince Mahidol Award Conference organized an international meeting on “the political economy of non-communicable diseases”—the first major global health symposium to include po...
Kindergarten Teachers' Use of Writing Scaffolds to Support Children's Developing Orthographic Knowledge.

Orthographic knowledge is information about the writing system stored in memory that children draw upon to read and write. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the ways in which kin...
Observations of HNO

Interferometric observations of the HNO 3.68 mm line in Sgr B2 show clumping and some distribution similarities with HNCO. A search for the HNO 1.23 mm line with the NRAO 12-m telescope was unsuccessful.
Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth Through Online Education

While cell phones, Internet, social media, and gaming devices represent well-entrenched elements of current global society, many of us remember the time before the digital age. The predigital days ...
Predisposing and Precipitating Factors Associated With Postoperative Delirium in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center: A Pilot Retrospective Analysis.

Objective Patients treated at Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers are in poorer health, experience more medical and psychiatric conditions, and make greater use of medical resources than do patients in the general population. In the present pilot study, the authors examined their recent experience at a VA medical center to determine the incidence and risk factors associated with the development of postoperative delirium in VA patients after cardiac surgery and hypothesized that the risk factors for postoperative delirium after cardiac surgery are different between VA and non-VA patients. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Participants The study comprised 250 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery from July 2014 to March 2016. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results Demographics, coexisting diseases, and medications were obtained from the VA electronic medical record. The European System for Cardiac Operative Evaluation II mortality risk index was calculated for each patient. The type and duration of the procedure and the duration of bypass were recorded. Intraoperative crystalloid, colloid, cell saver, and blood product volumes were compiled. Progress notes and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes were searched for documentation of postoperative delirium. Thirty-eight patients (15.2%) developed postoperative delirium. Stepwise logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the European System for Cardiac Operative Evaluation II mortality risk index (odds ratio [OR] 1.036, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.003-1.070]; p = 0.0344), congestive heart failure (OR 2.223 [95% CI 1.046-4.722]; p = 0.0377), pre-existing cognitive impairment (OR 5.147 [95% CI 1.994-13.28]; p = 0.0007), and the presence of a neuropsychiatric disorder (OR 2.015 [95% CI 1.004-4.043]; p = 0.0487) were predisposing factors associated with higher odds of postoperative delirium. The duration of surgery; transfusion of blood products (including packed red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma, and platelets); the durations of mechanical ventilation and conscious sedation (using either propofol or dexmedetomidine); and the length of intensive care unit stay were precipitating factors associated with higher odds of postoperative delirium. Conclusions The results demonstrate that congestive heart failure, pre-existing cognitive impairment, and the presence of a neuropsychiatric disorder are predisposing risk factors for postoperative delirium after cardiac surgery in VA patients, whereas the duration of surgery, transfusion of blood products, durations of mechanical ventilation and conscious sedation, and length of intensive care unit stay are precipitating factors for postoperative delirium. These findings in VA patients generally are similar to those observed in the civilian population despite the differences between these cohorts.
Linearized model for satellite station-keeping and tandem formations under the effects of atmospheric drag

Abstract This work introduces a linearized analytical model for the study of the dynamic of satellites in near circular orbits under the effects of the atmospheric drag. This includes the evaluation of the station keeping required for each satellite subjected to a control box strategy, and also the study of the dynamic of tandem formations between two or more satellites that are located on the same nominal space-track. The model takes into account the effect of the orbit perturbation provoked by the atmospheric drag, while the effects of the Earth gravitation potential are included in the definition of the nominal orbits of the satellites. This allows to easily define the maneuvering strategies for the satellites involved in the tandem formation, and to study their absolute and relative dynamic. In particular, this work focuses on the study of a master–slave scenario and the in plane maneuvers that these satellites require, proposing two different control strategies for the formation.
Semiclassical theory of cold field electron emission from nanoscale emitter tips

This work presents a semianalytical theory of cold field emission, based on a multidimensional, semiclassical approximation to the time-independent Schrodinger equation. The theory enables the deri...
Sustaining Life: Human Health–Planetary Health Linkages

Our beautiful planet has been profoundly altered by human activities. Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, land use changes, and disrupted cycles of water, nitrogen, and phosphorus, to name several alterations, in turn have far-reaching impacts on human health, especially targeting the most vulnerable. Planetary Health approaches the health of people and the health of the planet as inextricably linked. This chapter introduces the Planetary Health framework by exploring four examples: climate change, chemical contamination, land use changes, and biodiversity loss. It concludes by considering innovative ways of thinking, and novel ethical considerations, raised by the current crisis of planetary degradation.
Validation of American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition of TNM staging in resected distal pancreatic cancer.

Validation of American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition of TNM staging in resected distal pancreatic cancer
Using Feedback to Improve Accountability in Global Environmental Health and Engineering

Engineered environmental health interventions and services in low-income and resource-limited settings-such as water supply and treatment, sanitation, and cleaner household energy services-have had a less than expected record of sustainability and have sometimes not delivered on their potential to improve health. These interventions require both effectively functioning technologies as well as supporting financial, political, and human resource systems, and may depend on user behaviors as well as professionalized service delivery to reduce harmful exposures. In this perspective, we propose that the application of smarter, more actionable monitoring and decision support systems and aligned financial incentives can enhance accountability between donors, implementers, service providers, governments, and the people who are the intended beneficiaries of development programming. Made possible in part by new measurement techniques, including emerging sensor technologies, rapid impact evaluation, citizen science, and performance-based contracting, such systems have the potential to propel the development of solutions that can work over the long-term, allowing the benefits of environmental health improvements to be sustained in settings where they are most critical by improving trust and mutual accountability among stakeholders.
The financial reporting of fair value based on managerial inputs versus market inputs: evidence from mortgage servicing rights

This research examines whether the fair value of mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) based on managerial inputs (Level 3) better reflects the cash flow and risk characteristics of the underlying assets than the fair value of MSRs based on market inputs (Level 2). Using mortgage servicing fees as a proxy for the underlying cash flows, we find that the valuation multiples for MSRs based on Level 3 inputs are more positively associated with the persistence of future servicing fees compared with the fair value of MSRs based on Level 2 inputs. We also document that only the valuation multiples based on Level 3 fair values are negatively associated with proxies for risk factors. Our results suggest that, although unobservable inputs are subject to managerial discretions, managers can generate higher quality fair value estimates than market inputs due to their information advantage, especially when the market for the underlying asset is inactive.
Obesity is associated with the Optic Neuritis severity in Male patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

ABSTRACT Background: Obesity is an important modifiable risk factor of MS; a deeper biological understanding of this association is needed. Objective: To evaluate the determinants of acute optic neuritis (AON) severity and recovery in multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: We included 61 patients with MS with recorded AON severity and recovery according to visual acuity outcomes before, at, and, after the relapse. We measured body mass index (BMI) and the serum concentration of estrogen, leptin, testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, and vitamin D. We tested the association between BMI and serum hormones and AON severity and recovery with logistic regressions. Results: In males, moderate/severe AON was associated with higher BMI (31.26 kg/m2 vs 25.73 kg/m2, logistic regression, p= 0.03), higher serum estrogen levels (32.24 nmol/L vs 23.06 nmol/L, logistic regression, p=0.04), and higher serum leptin levels (12.29 ng/mL vs mild AON: 4.1 ng/mL, logistic regression, p=0.06) than mild AON. These observations were not seen in female patients. We did not find an association with BMI or hormone levels and AON recovery. Conclusion: BMI, serum leptin, and serum estrogen were associated with AON severity in male patients but not in female patients. No association of these factors and AON recovery was observed.
Children are not little adults

Coronavirus has caused a pandemic affecting both adults and children. Although mortality rates in adults are high, that in children has been low, with many children experiencing only mild disease. This article looks at the pathophysiologic mechanisms that may account for the differences observed in children, namely a strong immune response, a lower number of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, and a lower inflammatory response. Though children in general have mild disease, there is a hyperinflammatory condition known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which is likely a postinfectious immunologic response, which is seen mainly in children and adolescents and not adults.
Junction-based stable clustering algorithm for vehicular ad hoc network

Vehicular communication is an essential part of a smart city. Scalability is a major issue for vehicular communication. Clustering can solve the issues of vehicular ad hoc network (VANET); however, due to the high mobility of the vehicles, clustering in VANET suffers stability issue. Previously proposed clustering algorithms for VANET are optimized for either cluster head or cluster member duration. Moreover, the absence of the intelligent use of mobility parameters, such as direction, movement, position, and velocity, results in cluster stability issues. A dynamic clustering algorithm considering the efficient use of mobility parameters can solve the stability problem in VANET. To achieve higher stability for VANET, a new robust and dynamic mobility-based clustering algorithm junction-based clustering for VANET (JCV) is proposed in this paper. In contrast to previous studies, transmission range, moving direction of the vehicle at the next junction, and vehicle density are considered in the creation of a cluster, whereas relative position, movement at the junction, degree of a node, and time spent on the road are considered to select the cluster head. The performance of JCV is compared with two existing VANET clustering algorithms in terms of the average cluster head duration, the average cluster member duration, the average number of cluster head change, and the percentage of vehicles participating in the clustering process. The simulation result shows JCV outperforms the existing algorithms and achieved better stability.
The COVID-19 Study of Healthcare and Support Personnel (CHAMPS): Protocol for a Longitudinal Observational Study.

Background: Early in the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was evident that health care workers, first responders, and other essential workers would face significant stress and workplace demands related to equipment shortages and rapidly growing infections in the general population. Although the effects of other sources of stress on health have been documented, the effects of these unique conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the long-term health and well-being of the health care workforce are not known. Objective: The COVID-19 Study of Healthcare and Support Personnel (CHAMPS) was designed to document early and longitudinal effects of the pandemic on the mental and physical health of essential workers engaged in health care. We will investigate mediators and moderators of these effects and evaluate the influence of exposure to stress, including morbidity and mortality, over time. We will also examine the effect of protective factors and resilience on health outcomes. Methods: The study cohort is a convenience sample recruited nationally through communities, professional organizations, networks, social media, and snowball sampling. Recruitment took place for 13 months to obtain an estimated sample of 2762 adults who provided self-reported information administered on the web through structured questionnaires about their work environment, mental and physical health, and psychosocial factors. Follow-up questionnaires will be administered after 6 months and annually thereafter to ascertain changes in health, well-being, and lifestyle. Participants who consented to be recontacted form the longitudinal cohort and the CHAMPS Registry may be contacted to ascertain their interest in ancillary studies for which they may be eligible. Results: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board and launched in May 2020, with grants from Travere Therapeutics Inc, McKesson Corporation, anonymous donors, and internal funding from the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University. Recruitment ended in June 2021 after enrolling 2762 participants, 1534 of whom agreed to participate in the longitudinal study and the registry as well as to be contacted about eligibility for future studies. Conclusions: The CHAMPS Study and Registry will enable the acquisition of detailed data on the effects of extended psychosocial and workplace stress on morbidity and mortality and serve as a platform for ancillary studies related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04370821; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04370821
HIGH pT HADRONS IN AU+AU COLLISIONS AT RHIC

High pT hadrons produced in ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions at RHIC probe nuclear matter at extreme conditions of high energy density. Experimental measurements in Au+Au collisions at sqrt sNN=130, 200 GeV establish the existence of strong medium effects on hadron production well into the perturbative regime.
Applying Matrix Methods to Optimal Control of Distributed Parameter Systems

For the optimal control problem of a nonlinear distributed parameter system (DPS) with an index constainnig partial differential operators in the spatial variables, deriving a costate system equation and the associated boundary and final conditions in component notations is very tedious and complicated. Matrix methods, which provide structural and operational convenience, are introduced into the derivations. The costate system with the final condition for a class of DPS's and indices consisting of the first order partial differential operator is given in a compact matrix form.
Joint estimation of spherical harmonic coefficients from magnitude diffusion-weighted images with sparsity constraints

This paper presents a new method to jointly estimate the spherical harmonic coefficients for all the voxels from noisy magnitude diffusion-weighted images acquired in high angular resolution diffusion imaging. The proposed method uses a penalized maximum likelihood estimation formulation that integrates a noncentral χ distribution based noisy data model, a sparsity promoting penalty on the spherical harmonic coefficients and a joint sparse regularization on the diffusion-weighted image series. An efficient algorithm based on majorize-minimize and alternating direction method of multipliers is proposed to solve the resulting optimization problem. The performance of the proposed method has been evaluated using simulated and experimental data, which demonstrate the improvement over conventional methods in terms of estimation accuracy.
Police sexual violence and rape myths: Civil liability under Section 1983

Emergence of police sexual violence (PSV) as an inquiry of police deviance has recently received increased attention. This article expands this trend, documenting court decisions within the U.S. that impose civil liability on police and correctional officers who perpetrate sexual violence. Forming the basis of the analysis are cases litigated under Title 42 U.S. Code (USC) Section 1983. The article organizes these cases into the following categories: (1) establishing the color of law requirement in PSV cases; (2) sexual violence that violates the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause; and (3) sexual violence that violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Additionally, the article notes that most officers charged with PSV attribute their behavior to common rape myths that persist in police subcultures. Calling for additional police training on rape myths, the article concludes that further research is needed on PSV within the legal, subcultural, and social context.
Pedagogic coaching with Web browsers and JavaScript

Pedagogic coaching, providing personalized hints or assistance to learners as they need them, has long been identified as a promising approach for helping learners benefit from interacting with learning environments that rely on computers and networks. Although implementing coaching by reliance on intelligent tutors has proved too complex for widespread application, This work describes an approach to coaching that limits the context so that rule-based branching constructs simple enough for implementation with JavaScript, an object-based language that is built into all popular contemporary Web browsers. Learners receive immediate feedback about their work on complex, open-ended problems without direct intervention of the teacher.
Review: groundwater management practices, challenges, and innovations in the High Plains aquifer, USA—lessons and recommended actions

The US High Plains aquifer, one of the largest freshwater aquifer systems in the world, continues to decline, threatening the long-term viability of the region’s irrigation-based economy. The eight High Plains States take different approaches to the development and management of the aquifer based on each state’s body of water laws that abide by different legal doctrines, on which Federal laws are superposed, thus creating difficulties in integrated regional water-management efforts. Although accumulating hydrologic stresses and competing demands on groundwater resources are making groundwater management increasingly complex, they are also leading to innovative management approaches, which are highlighted in this paper as good examples for emulation in managing groundwater resources. It is concluded that the fragmented and piecemeal institutional arrangements for managing the supplies and quality of water are inadequate to meet the water challenges of the future. A number of recommendations for enhancing the sustainability of the aquifer are presented, including the formation of an interstate groundwater commission for the High Plains aquifer along the lines of the Delaware and Susquehanna River Basins Commissions in the US. Finally, some lessons on groundwater management that other countries can learn from the US experience are outlined.
Rules and Rents: Legislative Contention in Nigeria

After a decade of civilian rule, Nigeria’s legislature, the largest in Africa, is emerging as a distinct and contentious branch of government. The Nigerian National Assembly reflects divergent tendencies, which are emblematic of legislative development across much of the region. One tendency is the institutionalization of the legislature, as the Assembly embodies greater capacity, autonomy from the Executive, an active committee structure, and clusters of reform. Another dominant tendency, however, is the legislature’s role as an arena for elite contention, bargaining, and the allocation of patronage and spoils. The tension between the institutionalization of “rules” and the distribution of “rents” suggest alternative paths of democratic development.
Glycemic control in twin pregnancies with gestational diabetes: are we improving or worsening outcomes?

AbstractObjective: To estimate the association between glycemic control and adverse outcomes in twin pregnancies with gestational diabetes (GDM).Study design: A cohort of patients with twin pregnancies and GDM were identified from one maternal–fetal medicine practice from 2005 to 2014. Patients with prepregnancy diabetes were excluded. First, outcomes were compared between patients with GDMA1 and GDMA2 (gestational age at delivery, birthweight, small for gestational age (SGA, birthweight <10th percentile), preeclampsia, and cesarean delivery). Then, finger stick glucose logs were reviewed and correlated with the risk of SGA and preeclampsia. Abnormal finger stick values were defined as: fasting ≥90 mg/dL, 1-h postprandial ≥140 mg/dL, 2-h postprandial ≥120 mg/dL.Results: Sixty-six patients with twin pregnancies and GDM were identified (incidence 9.1%). Comparing the 43 patients with GDMA1 to the 23 patients with GDMA2, outcomes were similar, aside from patients with GDMA1 having lower birthweight of the sm...
Optimizing Distribution of Pandemic Influenza Antivirals

Mass distribution of antiviral medications is central to many national and international pandemic influenza response plans. These drugs are used both prophylactically, to prevent infection, and therapeutically, to lessen the severity and duration of illness. In the United States, large stockpiles of antivirals are maintained by both federal and state public health agencies in preparation for future pandemics. During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, many states relied on commercial pharmacies to distribute stockpiled antivirals fairly and effectively to geographically and demographically diverse populations. Here, we present a data-driven method for optimizing pharmacy-based distributions of antiviral medications during future pandemics, in terms of overall access for the target population, and apply it to the state of Texas in the U.S. We compare the access achieved by the model solutions to that actually achieved by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. We find that, in general, the major national chains provide sufficient access in highly populated areas, while independent pharmacies are essential for reaching less populated areas. This model was developed jointly by scientists and public health officials, and is now available as a decision-support tool for Texas DSHS via a user-friendly web-based interface.
Roles of CatR and cis,cis-muconate in activation of the catBC operon, which is involved in benzoate degradation in Pseudomonas putida.

In Pseudomonas putida, the catBC operon encodes enzymes involved in benzoate degradation. Previous studies have determined that these enzymes are induced when P. putida is grown in the presence of benzoate. Induction of the enzymes of the catBC operon requires an intermediate of benzoate degradation, cis,cis-muconate, and a regulatory protein, CatR. It has been determined that CatR binds to a 27-bp region of the catBC promoter in the presence or absence of inducer. We have called this the repression binding site. In this study, we used a gel shift assay to demonstrate that the inducer, cis,cis-muconate, increases the affinity of CatR for the catBC promoter region by 20-fold. Furthermore, in the absence of cis,cis-muconate, CatR forms two complexes in the gel shift assay. The inducer cis,cis-muconate confers specificity primarily for the formation of complex 2. DNase I footprinting showed that an additional 27 bp of the catBC promoter region is protected by CatR in the presence of cis,cis-muconate. We have named this second binding site the activation binding site. Methylation interference footprinting determined that in the presence or absence of inducer, five G nucleotides of the catBC promoter region were necessary for CatR interaction with the repression binding site, while a single G residue was important for CatR interaction with the activation binding site in the presence of cis,cis-muconate. Using polymerase chain reaction-generated constructs, we found that the binding of CatR to the repression binding site is independent of the activation binding site. However, binding of CatR to the activation binding site required an intact repression binding site. Images
Tutorial on Practical Confocal Microscopy and Use of the Confocal Test Specimen

The other chapters in this book give the reader an in-depth description of every important aspect of biological confocal microscopy that we could think of. This chapter is to provide the novice user of this instrument with a basic understanding of the practical information needed to use it effectively. Because the computer interfaces of the various commercial instruments vary greatly, this chapter will stress the important features of microscopical optics and the basics of sampling that are common to all instruments.
Evidence of Oscillating Oxide Growth Mechanism during Oxygen Plasma Oxidation of Silicon

Evidence of an oscillating thin-film oxide growth reaction was observed on silicon surfaces during low RF power (13.6 MHz, < I W/cm2) plasma oxidation. Ex-situ ellipsometric, X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic measurements show that the oscillating growth layer is silicon-rich oxide and its oscillating thickness is very sensitive to both surface preparation and plasma oxidation conditions. A simple low-energy oxygen ion-assisted plasma oxidation and sputtering mechanism is proposed to clarify and to account for the observed oscillating oxide growth reaction.
Ghost series and a motivated proof of the Andrews–Bressoud identities

We present what we call a “motivated proof” of the Andrews–Bressoud partition identities for even moduli. A “motivated proof” of the Rogers–Ramanujan identities was given by G.E. Andrews and R.J. Baxter, and this proof was generalized to the odd-moduli case of Gordon's identities by J. Lepowsky and M. Zhu. Recently, a “motivated proof” of the somewhat analogous Gollnitz–Gordon–Andrews identities has been found. In the present work, we introduce “shelves” of formal series incorporating what we call “ghost series,” which allow us to pass from one shelf to the next via natural recursions, leading to our motivated proof. We anticipate that these new series will provide insight into the ongoing program of vertex-algebraic categorification of the various “motivated proofs.”
Smart data — How you and I will exploit Big Data for personalized digital health and many other activities

Big Data has captured a lot of interest in industry, with the emphasis on the challenges of the four Vs of Big Data: Volume, Variety, Velocity, and Veracity, and their applications to drive value for businesses. Recently, there is rapid growth in situations where a big data challenge relates to making individually relevant decisions. A key example is personalized digital health that related to taking better decisions about our health, fitness, and well-being. Consider for instance, understanding the reasons for and avoiding an asthma attack based on Big Data in the form of personal health signals (e.g., physiological data measured by devices/sensors or Internet of Things around humans, on the humans, and inside/within the humans), public health signals (e.g., information coming from the healthcare system such as hospital admissions), and population health signals (such as Tweets by people related to asthma occurrences and allergens, Web services providing pollen and smog information). However, no individual has the ability to process all these data without the help of appropriate technology, and each human has different set of relevant data! In this talk, I will describe Smart Data that is realized by extracting value from Big Data, to benefit not just large companies but each individual. If my child is an asthma patient, for all the data relevant to my child with the four V-challenges, what I care about is simply, “How is her current health, and what are the risk of having an asthma attack in her current situation (now and today), especially if that risk has changed?” As I will show, Smart Data that gives such personalized and actionable information will need to utilize metadata, use domain specific knowledge, employ semantics and intelligent processing, and go beyond traditional reliance on ML and NLP. I will motivate the need for a synergistic combination of techniques similar to the close interworking of the top brain and the bottom brain in the cognitive models. For harnessing volume, I will discuss the concept of Semantic Perception, that is, how to convert massive amounts of data into information, meaning, and insight useful for human decision-making. For dealing with Variety, I will discuss experience in using agreement represented in the form of ontologies, domain models, or vocabularies, to support semantic interoperability and integration. For Velocity, I will discuss somewhat more recent work on Continuous Semantics, which seeks to use dynamically created models of new objects, concepts, and relationships, using them to better understand new cues in the data that capture rapidly evolving events and situations. Smart Data applications in development at Kno.e.sis come from the domains of personalized health, energy, disaster response, and smart city. I will present examples from a couple of these.
ELASTICITY AND TENSILE STRENGTH OF NORMAL AND ATHEROSCLEROTIC RABBIT AORTA.

Summary (1) A method for measuring elasticity, breaking strain and other tensile properties of rabbit aortas was developed using a textile load-testing machine. (2) Rabbits were maintained on 1 % cholesterol diets for periods from 10–15 weeks. Thoracic aortas were dissected out and graded for atherosclerotic plaques. Elasticity, breaking strain and inelastic stretching constants were measured for normal and atherosclerotic aortas. (3) Elasticity of heavily involved atherosclerotic aortas (4.4 lb.-1) was significantly less than that of normal tissue (6.61b.-1). Breaking strain and inelastic stretching constants of atherosclerotic aortas were not however significantly different from normal values. (4) Visible changes in the surface appearance of the aorta occur before changes in elasticity can be detected. Measurement of elasticity changes does not therefore provide an earlier indication of plaque formation than visual observation.
On the Wear Behavior of Longitudinally (Parallel) Oriented Unidirectional Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites

A simple model for failure and wear of continuous unidirectional fiber-reinforced polymer composites with fiber orientation longitudinal (parallel) to the contact plane and sliding direction is presented. Failure or weakening of the immediate surface region, caused by fiber cracking, with subsequent fiber-matrix separation and wear, is the basis for the proposed model. The composite is modeled as an anisotropic (transversely isotropic) half-space whose effective elastic properties are estimated from composite micro-mechanical considerations. The counterface is modeled as an ideal rigid hemispherical indenter sliding against the composite. In this contact configuration, indentation by a hemispherical asperity produces a generally elliptical contact region whose geometry depends on the elastic constants of the composite. The individual fiber is modeled as an infinite beam on an elastic foundation, with the foundation stiffness approximated from the results of the anisotropic contact simulation. From these r...