cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sex differences in cerebellar synaptic transmission and sex-specific responses to autism-linked Gabrb3 mutations in mice

Neurons of the cerebellar nuclei (CbN) transmit cerebellar signals to premotor areas. The cerebellum expresses several autism-linked genes, including GABRB3, which encodes GABAA receptor β3 subunits and is among the maternal alleles deleted in Angelman syndrome. We tested how this Gabrb3 m-/p+ mutation affects CbN physiology in mice, separating responses of males and females. Wild-type mice showed sex differences in synaptic excitation, inhibition, and intrinsic properties. Relative to females, CbN cells of males had smaller synaptically evoked mGluR1/5-dependent currents, slower Purkinje-mediated IPSCs, and lower spontaneous firing rates, but rotarod performances were indistinguishable. In mutant CbN cells, IPSC kinetics were unchanged, but mutant males, unlike females, showed enlarged mGluR1/5 responses and accelerated spontaneous firing. These changes appear compensatory, since mutant males but not females performed indistinguishably from wild-type siblings on the rotarod task. Thus, sex differences in cerebellar physiology produce similar behavioral output, but provide distinct baselines for responses to mutations.
Small-Molecule Labeling of Live Cell Surfaces for Three-Dimensional Super-Resolution Microscopy

Precise imaging of the cell surface of fluorescently labeled bacteria requires super-resolution methods because the size-scale of these cells is on the order of the diffraction limit. In this work, we present a photocontrollable small-molecule rhodamine spirolactam emitter suitable for non-toxic and specific labeling of the outer surface of cells for three-dimensional (3D) super-resolution (SR) imaging. Conventional rhodamine spirolactams photoswitch to the emitting form with UV light; however, these wavelengths can damage cells. We extended photoswitching to visible wavelengths >400 nm by iterative synthesis and spectroscopic characterization to optimize the substitution on the spirolactam. Further, an N-hydroxysuccinimide-functionalized derivative enabled covalent labeling of amines on the surface of live Caulobacter crescentus cells. Resulting 3D SR reconstructions of the labeled cell surface reveal uniform and specific sampling with thousands of localizations per cell and excellent localization precis...
Therapeutic Endoscopy of the Esophagus

Endoscopic positioning of a prosthesis for obstructing carcinoma of the esophagus and endoscopic injection sclerosis (EIS) of esophageal varices are two therapeutic applications of endoscopy to esophageal problems. The former can dramatically improve the quality of life in terminally ill patients whose expected life span is short. The latter represents the rebirth of an older technique that appears to be beneficial but whose limits and exact potential cannot be foreseen.
Essentially Embodied, Emotive, Enactive Social Cognition

I have argued that decision-making and moral evaluation depend constitutively on affective framing, and also that these cognitive processes should be understood as enactive and essentially embodied. In this chapter, I will maintain that social cognition and interpersonal interaction likewise are a matter of emotional engagement, and that our ability to interpret other people’s actions, thoughts, feelings, and expressions largely depends on our capacity for affective framing. Such framing affords us an implicit, spontaneous, embodied understanding of social behavior and renders other people’s behavior decipherable. Building on the claim that the mind is essentially embodied and enactive, I will argue that processes of so-called ‘mind-reading’ and ‘body-reading’ are inherently intertwined and that understanding other people’s minds and behavior relies necessarily on the desire-based, emotive, essentially embodied interaction process itself.
PET-measured longitudinal flow gradient correlates with invasive fractional flow reserve in CAD patients.

Aims We aimed to evaluate whether a PET-determined longitudinal decrease in myocardial blood flow (MBF) or gradient, assumed as a more specific flow parameter for epicardial resistance, correlates with invasively measured fractional flow reserve (FFR) in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Methods and results In 29 patients with suspected or known CAD, myocardial perfusion and MBF in mL/g/min was determined with 13N-ammonia PET/CT during regadenoson stimulation and at rest, and corresponding myocardial flow reserve (MFR = MBF stress/MBF rest) was calculated. MBF parameters were assessed in the myocardial region with stress-related perfusion defect and with stenosis ≥50% (Region 1), without defect but with stenosis ≥50% (Region 2), or without stenosis ≥50% (Region 3). Hyperaemic MBFs were significantly lower in the mid-distal than in the mid-left ventricular myocardium in Regions 1–3 [median and IQ range: 1.57 (1.24, 1.84) vs. 1.87 (1.61, 2.00), and 1.23 (1.11, 1.86) vs. 1.89 (1.80, 1.97), and 1.78 (1.48, 2.00) vs. 1.94 (1.84, 2.05) mL/g/min, P < 0.0001]. Resulting longitudinal MBF gradient during hyperaemic flows was more pronounced in Region 2 than in Regions 1 and 3, respectively [−0.46 (−0.70, −0.10) vs. −0.17 (−0.29, −0.11) and −0.15 (−0.25, −0.09) mL/g/min, respectively, P < 0.01]. There was a significant correlation between the hyperaemic longitudinal MBF gradient and FFR ( r = 0.95; P < 0.0001), while this association was less pronounced for corresponding MFR ( r = 0.50; P = 0.006). Conclusion The observed close correlation between a longitudinal MBF gradient during hyperaemic flows and invasively measured FFR suggests the longitudinal flow gradient as an emerging non-invasive index of flow-limiting CAD.
The Incidence of Confounding Factors in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus Hospitalized for Diabetic Foot Ulcers.

Introduction Uncontrolled deformity, deep infection, and/or ischemia-hypoxia are highly associated with healing challenges of diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). This paper reports the occurrences of these factors that the authors label the "Troublesome Triad" (TT) in a prospective series of 62 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), who were hospitalized because of their DFUs. Materials and methods With Institutional Review Board approval, the authors gathered data in a prospective series of patients hospitalized because of lower extremity wounds. From this data, they analyzed the DFU cohort for the incidence of each of the components of the TT. The severity of the wound was graded with the authors' 0 to 10 Wound Score in the patients who had components of the TT and compared with those who did not. Results One or more components of the TT were observed in 57 patients (91.9%). As the number of confounders increased, mean Wound Scores decreased from 5.2 for 1 confounder to 2.9 for 3 confounders (P = 0.003). Most patients had 1 or 2 confounders (38.7% and 45.2%, respectively), while only 5 (8.1%) patients had all 3 confounders. Unresolved infection was the major confounder in 38 (61.3%) patients, uncontrolled deformity in 31 (50.0%), and ischemia-hypoxia in 26 (41.9%). Conclusion For those patients with DM who were hospitalized because of DFUs, confounders that require remedial interventions were present in more than 90% of patients. Recognition and management of the TT eliminates wasteful uses of resources in an attempt to heal lower extremity wounds in patients with DM where the confounders need to be addressed first.
High-resolution photoelectron imaging of cryogenically cooled α- and β-furanyl anions

Abstract Isomer-specific, high-resolution photoelectron spectra of α- and β-furanyl obtained via slow electron velocity-map imaging of cryogenically cooled anions are reported. The spectra yield electron affinities of 1.8546(4) and 1.6566(4) eV for the α- and β-furanyl neutral radicals, respectively. New vibronic structure is resolved and assigned based on density functional theory and Franck-Condon simulations, providing several vibrational frequencies for the ground electronic state of both neutral isomers. Subtle differences in orbital hybridization resulting from varying proximity of the deprotonated carbon to the heteroatom are inferred from photoelectron angular distributions, and the Cβ H bond dissociation energy is estimated from a combination of experimental and theoretical results to be 119.9(2) kcal mol−1.
Characteristic Lateral-Directional Transients

This chapter discusses the natural transient motions of the aircraft, which are the unforced motions starting from initial conditions. The chapter describes the factors influencing their character and variety. The classical lateral-directional dynamics of conventional subsonic airplanes and some of the peculiar problems of the super-performance aircraft of the day are also discussed in the chapter. The rolling mode characterizes the way the roll rate builds up to a balance between applied rolling moments and roll damping. The buildup is usually very rapid, corresponding to the large negative root. The Dutch roll mode corresponds to a coupled banking, side slipping, and yawing motion. It is often noticeably oscillatory, and when lightly damped, it is annoying for pilots and uncomfortable for passengers. The spiral mode can be seen as the tendency of the airplane to recover slowly, or diverge slowly, from an initial bank. If the characteristic is divergence, an ever-steepening spiral occurs.
The electrodynamic effects of MOSC-like plasma clouds

The effects on the plasma/electrodynamic environment in the low-latitude ionosphere produced by the artificial plasma clouds created in the Metal Oxide Space Cloud (MOSC) experiment are studied via simulations. The electric fields and plasma flow in the vicinity of the cloud are calculated using its estimated field-line-integrated conductance; it is found that the “comma-like” flow around the cloud seen in the ALTAIR (Advanced Research Project Agency [ARPA] Long-range Tracking and Identification Radar) observations can be explained by the perturbations to the electric field produced by the conductance gradients around the cloud. Next, the conductance is introduced into a simulation of the development of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. The simulations suggest that a moderately denser cloud than the MOSC cloud, closer to the bottom edge of the F layer, could indeed suppress the development of the low-density plumes and the shorter-wavelength irregularities associated with radio scintillation that form with the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in the low-latitude ionosphere.
An Evolutionarily Conserved Role of Presenilin in Neuronal Protection in the Aging Drosophila Brain.

Mutations in the Presenilin genes are the major genetic cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Presenilin and Nicastrin are essential components of γ-secretase, a multi-subunit protease that cleaves Type I transmembrane proteins. Genetic studies in mice previously demonstrated that conditional inactivation of Presenilin or Nicastrin in excitatory neurons of the postnatal forebrain results in memory deficits, synaptic impairment, and age-dependent neurodegeneration. The roles of Drosophila Presenilin (Psn) and Nicastrin (Nct) in the adult fly brain, however, are unknown. To knockdown (KD) Psn or Nct selectively in neurons of the adult brain, we generated multiple shRNA lines. Using a ubiquitous driver, these shRNA lines resulted in 80–90% reduction of mRNA and pupal lethality—a phenotype that is shared with Psn and Nct mutants carrying nonsense mutations. Furthermore, expression of these shRNAs in the wing disc caused notching wing phenotypes, which are also shared with Psn and Nct mutants. Similar to Nct, neuron-specific Psn KD using two independent shRNA lines led to early mortality and rough eye phenotypes, which were rescued by a fly Psn transgene. Interestingly, conditional KD (cKD) of Psn or Nct in adult neurons using the elav-Gal4 and tubulin-Gal80ts system caused shortened lifespan, climbing defects, increases in apoptosis, and age-dependent neurodegeneration. Together, these findings demonstrate that, similar to their mammalian counterparts, Drosophila Psn and Nct are required for neuronal survival during aging and normal lifespan, highlighting an evolutionarily conserved role of Presenilin in neuronal protection in the aging brain.
High-Resolution B-Scan Systems Using a Circular Array

The desirable characteristics of an improved cross-sectional or B-scan imaging system include diffraction-limited lateral resolution in both dimensions at all depths, large-aperture receiver sensitivity, and real-time imaging. No B-scan system, in use or published, meets all of these desirable traits. Some array systems are proposed in this paper which attempt to meet all of these characteristics in a relatively simple structure.
Cluster-Based Approach to Analyzing Crash Injury Severity at Highway–Rail Grade Crossings:

The presence of unobserved heterogeneity in crash data can result in estimation of biased model parameters and incorrect inferences. The research presented in this paper investigated severity of crashes reported at highway–rail grade crossings by appropriately clustering the data, accounting for unobserved heterogeneity. A combination of data mining and statistical regression methods was used to cluster crash data into subsets and then to identify factors associated with crash injury severity levels. This research relied on highway–rail accident, incident, and crossing inventory databases for 2011 to 2015 obtained from FRA. Three clustering methods—K-means, traditional latent class cluster, and variational Bayesian latent class cluster—were considered, and the variational Bayesian latent class cluster method was chosen for partitioning the data set for model estimation. Unclustered data as well as the clustered subsets were used to estimate ordered logit models for crash injury severity. A comparison reve...
Light Harvesting by Equally Contributing Mechanisms in a Photosynthetic Antenna Protein.

We report supramolecular quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations on the peridinin–chlorophyll a protein (PCP) complex from the causative algal species of red tides. These calculations reproduce for the first time quantitatively the distinct peridinin absorptions, identify multichromophoric molecular excitations, and elucidate the mechanisms regulating the strongly allowed S0 (11Ag–) → S2 (11Bu+) absorptions of the bound peridinins that span a 58 nm spectral range in the region of maximal solar irradiance. We discovered that protein binding site-imposed conformations, local electrostatics, and electronic coupling contribute equally to the spectral inhomogeneity. Electronic coupling causes coherent excitations among the densely packed pigments. Complementary pairing of tuning mechanisms is the result of a competition between pigment–pigment and pigment–environment interactions. We found that the aqueous solvent works in concert with the charge distribution of PCP to produce a strong correlation be...
A visual programming environment for introducing distributed computing to secondary education

Abstract The paper introduces a visual programming language and corresponding web and cloud-based development environment called NetsBlox. NetsBlox is an extension of Snap! and builds upon its visual formalism as well as its open source code base. NetsBlox adds distributed programming capabilities by introducing two well-known abstractions to block-based programming: message passing and Remote Procedure Calls (RPC). Messages containing data can be exchanged by two or more NetsBlox programs running on different computers connected to the Internet. RPCs are called on a client program and are executed on the NetsBlox server. These two abstractions make it possible to create distributed programs such as multi-player games or client–server applications. We believe that NetsBlox not only teaches basic distributed programming concepts but also provides increased motivation for high-school students to become creators and not just consumers of technology.
Patient Suicide During Residency Training (I): Incidence, Implications, and Program Response

The suicide of a resident’s patient is a significant event. Some reluctance to explore the subject is inferred because relatively little data exist about its incidence. This ten-year study reveals that one-third of the graduates from one psychiatric residency training program had the experience of a patient committing suicide. Along with five additional considerations, this finding indicates the experience maybe more common than generally acknowledged. Some implications are discussed, including a five-phase conceptual scheme for training program anticipation of and response to this crisis.
Five analogies between a King's Speech treatment and contemporary play therapies

Objective: Psychiatric patients frequently respond positively to play therapy, which may rely on psychoanalytic, Jungian, cognitive-behavioral, familial, school-based, or other theories. I wished t...
Hydrogeology of Radioactive Waste Isolation: The Challenge of a Rational Assessment

Plans to isolate radioactive waste raise more questions than can be answered within the lifetime of today's researchers. The existence of a multitude of unanswered questions, however, is not a unique phenomenon related to waste isolation, but is a general characteristic of all science. Although most questions related to the isolation of radioactive waste are interesting scientifically, answers to only a small but critical fraction of the questions are vital to the practical aspects of the problem. Almost all hydrogeologic evaluations of repository sites convey an excessively negative view with respect to geologic processes. Repositories do not necessarily become more hazardous with time. Many slow, normal geologic processes will seal and cover repository sites, making radionuclide migration less likely in the future than at present. Furthermore, several more rapid geologic processes, which are viewed with great apprehension, will not always have negative effects. Faulting could block ground-water circulation near the repository and consequently slow the outward migration of radionuclides; volcanism could cover repository sites, with only a slight chance of a volcanic vent contracting the radioactive waste; and in most of the northern part of the Midwest, future glacial activity would probably plaster the ground surface with layers of till,more » thus helping to isolate and protect any potential deep repository. Safety of waste repositories will depend on multiple barriers to migration of radionuclides. Further research focused on each barrier, however, is required before repository safety is assured.« less
The research of alternative EHV mineral transformer oils for the replacement of SHELL diala oil

For the replacement of SHELL Diala oil on extra high voltage (EHV) transformers, alternative of Kelamay oil (a kind of petroleum product) are chosen. Various electric performances, physical and chemical properties of Kelamayi and SHELL Diala EHV transformer oil are tested according to international standards and other related standards. In this paper, some important parameters are measured such as oil-flow electrification, dielectric breakdown voltage, particle count, kinematic viscosity, oxidation stability, solidification point, dissipation factor, gassing tendency and volume resistivity. Moreover, the properties of mixed oils are also tested. The results show that the special Kelamayi EHV transformer oils typed KI50GX and KI50AX are superior to the commercial SHELL Diala GX transformer oil in general properties. As the excellent performances, the two Kelamayi oils can be used as alternative oils for the SHELL Diala transformer oil. The properties of mixed oils meet the requirement of qualities according to GB/T14542-2017 standard.
Cellular energetics and mitochondrial uncoupling in canine aging

The first domesticated companion animal, the dog, is currently represented by over 190 unique breeds. Across these numerous breeds, dogs have exceptional variation in lifespan (inversely correlated with body size), presenting an opportunity to discover longevity-determining traits. We performed a genome-wide association study on 4169 canines representing 110 breeds and identified novel candidate regulators of longevity. Interestingly, known functions within the identified genes included control of coat phenotypes such as hair length, as well as mitochondrial properties, suggesting that thermoregulation and mitochondrial bioenergetics play a role in lifespan variation. Using primary dermal fibroblasts, we investigated mitochondrial properties of short-lived (large) and long-lived (small) dog breeds. We found that cells from long-lived breeds have more uncoupled mitochondria, less electron escape, greater respiration, and capacity for respiration. Moreover, our data suggest that long-lived breeds have higher rates of catabolism and β-oxidation, likely to meet elevated respiration and electron demand of their uncoupled mitochondria. Conversely, cells of short-lived (large) breeds may accumulate amino acids and fatty acid derivatives, which are likely used for biosynthesis and growth. We hypothesize that the uncoupled metabolic profile of long-lived breeds likely stems from their smaller size, reduced volume-to-surface area ratio, and therefore a greater need for thermogenesis. The uncoupled energetics of long-lived breeds lowers reactive oxygen species levels, promotes cellular stress tolerance, and may even prevent stiffening of the actin cytoskeleton. We propose that these cellular characteristics delay tissue dysfunction, disease, and death in long-lived dog breeds, contributing to canine aging diversity.
Mapping Motion-Magnified Videos to Operating Deflection Shape Vectors Using Particle Filters

Phase-based motion estimation and magnification are targetless methods that have been used recently to perform experimental modal analysis (EMA) and operational modal analysis (OMA) on a variety of structures. Mapping the motion-magnified sequence of images into quantified operating deflection shape (ODS) vectors is currently being conducted via edge detection methods that require intensive human supervision and interference. Within this study, a new hybrid computer vision approach is introduced to extract the quantified ODS vectors from the motion-magnified sequence of images with minimal human supervision. The particle filter point tracking method is utilized to follow the desired feature points in the motion-magnified sequence of images. Moreover, the k-means clustering algorithm is employed as an unsupervised learning approach to performing the segmentation of the particles and assigning them to specific feature points in the in the motion-magnified sequence of images. This study shows that the cluster centers can be employed to estimate the ODS vectors, and the performance of the proposed methodology is evaluated experimentally on a lab-scale cantilever beam and validated via a finite element model.
Comparison of Outcomes of Glaucoma Screening in Primary Care and Community Settings

ABSTRACTPurpose: To compare outcomes of glaucoma screening in primary care and community settings, including the follow-up rates of subjects with positive screening results.Methods: This was a comp...
Surgical Management for Prostate Cancer

For prostate cancer, radical prostatectomy remains the gold standard for surgical management. Given the side effects associated with surgery, patients at low risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality should consider active surveillance under the guidance of a urologist to safely delay intervention. For patients with an intermediate risk of cancer-specific mortality and otherwise healthy life expectancy, radical prostatectomy has been demonstrated to improve survival. Finally, even for select patients with advanced prostate cancer-metastatic disease to the lymph nodes or distant sites-radical prostatectomy may provide a survival benefit.
For Rural Hospitals That Merged, Inpatient Charges Decreased and Outpatient Charges Increased: A Pre-/Post-Comparison of Rural Hospitals That Merged and Rural Hospitals That Did Not Merge Between 2005 and 2015.

PURPOSE To determine whether inpatient and outpatient charges changed at rural hospitals after a merger. METHODS Hospital mergers were derived from proprietary Irving Levin Associates data through manual review and validation. Hospital-level characteristics were derived from HCRIS, CMS Impact File Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System, Hospital MSA file, AHRF, and US Census data. A difference-in-differences approach was used to determine whether inpatient and outpatient charges changed at rural hospitals after a merger. The comparison group, rural hospitals that did not merge at any point during the sample period, was weighted using inverse probability of treatment weights. Key outcome measures were total inpatient and total outpatient charges (logged). FINDINGS Hospitals that merged billed 17.73% more inpatient charges and 12.66% more outpatient charges at baseline compared to hospitals that did not merge. Our results indicate that merging was associated with a 3.04% decrease in inpatient charges (P < .001) and a 1.07% increase in outpatient charges (P = .082). Merging was also associated with a 4.38% decrease in total revenue, a 3.58% decrease in net patient revenue, and no change in total inpatient discharges or average daily census. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS Merging was strongly associated with a decrease in inpatient charges and somewhat associated with an increase in outpatient charges for rural hospitals. Future work could build upon this work to determine whether acquirers reduce or eliminate certain services at rural hospitals after a merger, and ultimately how changes in service delivery could impact patients in those rural communities.
DwarvesGraph: A High-Performance Graph Mining System with Pattern Decomposition.

This paper presents DwarvesGraph, the first compilation-based graph pattern mining (GPM) system based on pattern decomposition algorithms, which decompose a pattern into several subpatterns and find the count of each. Such algorithms can be orders of magnitudes faster than algorithms used in current GPM systems because the execution time of pattern enumeration drastically increases with pattern size. We define a novel partial-embedding-centric programming model that supports various applications. We propose an efficient on-the-fly aggregation of subpatterns embeddings to reduce memory consumption and random accesses. DwarvesGraph compiler, using abstract syntax tree (AST) as intermediate representation (IR), can apply conventional and a novel pattern-aware loop rewriting optimization to eliminate redundant computation that cannot be removed with standard methods. To estimate implementation cost based on AST, we propose a simple locality-aware and an advanced approximate-mining-based cost model to accurately capture the characteristics of real-world graphs. DwarvesGraph fully automates the algorithm generation, optimization, and selection in the search space. As a general GPM system, DwarvesGraph achieves performance much closer to the best native pattern decomposition algorithms.
Looking Both Ways: Middlemarch, True Skin, and the Dermatological Gaze

Based on an analysis of a wide range of Victorian dermatology textbooks and previously unexamined articles on the skin in the periodical press, this essay demonstrates George Eliot’s implementation of a dermatological gaze in Middlemarch. The novelty of this gaze lies in a bidirectional movement that combines an optical surface assessment with observations of physiological processes taking place in the inner structures of the skin. The essay argues that this two-fold way of looking emerged in the wake of Victorian dermatology’s turn towards morphological classifications and the popularisation of microscopy. At a time when microscopic images of the skin’s three layers were widely disseminated, the seat of skin diseases moved from inner organs into the thickened, more complex structure of the skin itself, calling for a gaze that simultaneously looks at and into the skin. Contributing to the sparse scholarship that links dermatological history to literary figurations of skin, the article invokes the new dermatological gaze to arrive at a fuller understanding of how we look at character(s) in realist novels. It first traces Eliot’s retreat from physiognomic looking and her introduction of dermatological registers of complexion. Second, it analyses the narrator’s use of a two-fold gaze in passages that magnify the physiological (mal)functioning of the characters’ skin. Third, it interrogates the novel’s shift from visual to tactile impression. The article builds on and extends perspectives on Eliot’s materialist characterology by showing how a dermatology-based reading of Middlemarch crucially helps to clarify the characters’ choices and social behaviours.
Violence by Other Means: Denunciation and Belonging in Post-Imperial Poland, 1918–1923

Recent scholarship on post-imperial Eastern Europe has emphasised the continuation of wartime violence in post-war states. Focusing on the early years of the Polish Second Republic, this article considers how the ‘unmixing’ of Eastern European peoples also unfolded in ways not explicitly violent. Specifically, I demonstrate how the sorting of returning refugees on Poland's new frontiers, the culling of personnel from the former imperial civil service and the submission of citizen denunciations helped to disaggregate loyal citizens from hostile foreigners. All of these practices highlight the importance of internal bordering as a process that accompanied the formal drawing of international boundaries in this period.
Acoustic pre-stimulation modulates startle and postural reactions during sudden release of standing support surface in aging.

Abstract Falls contribute to injuries and reduced level of physical activity in older adults. During falls, the abrupt sensation of moving downward triggers a startle-like reaction that may interfere with protective response movements necessary to maintain balance. Startle reaction could be dampened by sensory pre-stimulation delivered immediately before a startling stimulus. This study investigated the neuromodulatory effects of pre-stimulation on postural/startle responses to drop perturbations of the standing support surface in relation to age. Ten younger and 10 older adults stood quietly on an elevated computer-controlled moveable platform. At an unpredictable time, participants were dropped vertically to elicit a startle-like response. Reactive drop perturbation trials without a pre-stimulus (control) were alternated with trials with acoustic pre-stimulus tone (PSI). A two-way mixed design analysis of variance comparing condition (control vs. PSI) X group (younger vs. older) was performed to analyze changes in muscle activation patterns, ground reaction force, and joint angular displacements. Compared to younger adults, older adults showed lower neck muscle electromyography amplitude reduction rate and incidence of response. Peak muscle activation in neck, upper arm, and hamstring muscles were reduced during PSI trials compared to control trials in both groups (p PSI reduced startle-induced muscle activation at proximal body segments and likely decreased joint flexion during abrupt downward vertical displacement perturbations of the body. Older adults retained the ability to modulate startle and postural responses but their neuromodulatory capacity was reduced compared with younger adults. Further research on the potential of applying PSI as a possible therapeutic tool to reduce the risk of fall-related injury is needed.
Complementary versus semi-complementary airline partnerships

As low-cost airlines or carriers excluded from international markets by regulation may seek to expand internationally in an indirect way through code-sharing agreements, they can choose partner airlines from among domestic or international carriers. The former case results in a semi-complementary partnership, while in the latter a classic complementary alliance is formed. This paper compares welfare properties of the two types of partnerships under economies of traffic density. Semi-complementary partnerships yield higher total welfare (but not necessarily lower prices) when economies of traffic density are strong, demand is more price-sensitive, or where a carrier feeding domestic traffic to international routes is a lower cost one.
Europa Clipper High Gain Antenna Prototype

An Electrical Test Unit (ETU) for NASA's Europa Clipper High Gain Antenna (HGA) was fabricated and tested. The HGA is an Axially Displaced Ellipse (ADE) geometry with a dual X/Ka-band feed. The electrical performance and boresight metrology of the reflector was measured at NASA Langley Research Center's (LaRC) Experiment Test Range (ETR) with good correlation between simulated and measured results.
On shockwave propagation and attenuation in poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate hydrogels.

Abstract: An analytical model is developed to predict shockwave propagation and attenuation in hydrogels by combining the classical method of shock characteristics and a solution for the shock front structure. To guide the development of the model, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed. Specifically, a one-dimensional shock pulse in poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels is simulated with the nonequilibrium MD method. The role of polymer concentration on the shock response is evaluated by constructing hydrogels with 20, 35, and 50 wt% PEGDA concentrations in an idealized crosslinked network. Steady-state pressure-density and shock-particle velocity relationships are established using the Murnaghan equation of state. Shock front structure is characterized by a power-law equation that relates the shock front thickness with shock pressure. These results are used as critical input for the shock propagation and attenuation model. The model is then evaluated via comparison with the classical method of characteristics. It shows significant improvement in accuracy and successfully captures salient features of shockwave attenuation, including the shock pressure amplitude, the velocities of the shock and release waves, and the attenuation timeline. Hydrogels with higher polymer concentrations exhibit a shorter attenuation time at all particle velocities studied. This behavior is attributed to differences in bulk properties and shock front structure in hydrogels with different polymer/water concentrations.
Towards a streamlined synthesis of peptides containing α,β-dehydroamino acids.

Abstract Investigation of a strategy to streamline the synthesis of peptides containing α, β -dehydroamino acids (ΔAAs) is reported. The key step involves generating the alkene moiety via elimination of a suitable precursor after it has been inserted into a peptide chain. This process obviates the need to prepare ΔAA-containing azlactone dipeptides to facilitate coupling of these residues. Z-dehydroaminobutyric acid (Z-ΔAbu) could be constructed most efficiently via EDC/CuCl-mediated dehydration of Thr. Formation of Z-ΔPhe by this or other dehydration methods was unsuccessful. Production of the bulky ΔVal residue could be accomplished by DAST-promoted dehydrations of β -OHVal or by DBU-triggered eliminations of sulfonium ions derived from penicillamine derivatives. However, competitive formation of an oxazoline byproduct remains problematic.
Gendered Assumptions in the Framing of Fitness in Sports Nonfiction for Young Adult Readers

This Critical Comparative Content Analysis employs theories of poststructuralist feminism to examine two versions of a nonfiction fitness text for young adult readers, one written for females and one for males. The analysis reveals the persistent naming of gendered assumptions about the appropriateness of particular sports to particular athletes, purposes of fitness, understandings of the ideal athlete, and emotional capacity of young adult readers. These assumptions result in regular and repeated performances of gender that have the potential to suggest to readers that there are certain expectations around fitness that depend upon whether an athlete is a girl or a boy. Taken together, they reflect a particular positioning of athletes and expectations around performance, suggesting to readers that how bodies are shaped and how bodies perform are normative and distinctly gendered, a finding that holds particular resonance when we consider the authoritative nature of informational texts.
Investigation of oxygen vibrational relaxation by quasi-classical trajectory method

Abstract O 2 –O collisions are studied by the quasi-classical trajectory method. A full set of cross sections for the vibrational ladder is obtained utilizing an accurate O 3 potential energy surface. Vibrational relaxation is investigated at temperatures between 1000 and 10,000 K, that are relevant to hypersonic flows. The relaxation time is derived based on the removal rate for the first excited vibrational level. A significant deviation from the formula by Millikan and White is observed for temperatures beyond those reported in experimental work. Relaxation becomes less efficient at high temperatures, suggesting that the efficiency of the energy randomization is strongly to the attractive component of the O 3 potential energy surface. These results are explained by analyzing the microscopic parameter of collisions that reflects the number of exchanges in the shortest interatomic distance. The rates of exothermic transitions are found to be nearly independent of the translational temperature in the range of interest.
Natural Market Share: In Search of Jensen's Corporate Objective Function

Building on Jensen's theory of corporate value maximization, this paper specifies a natural market share function - one that maximizes earnings. By way of illustration, the result is applied to the analysis of natural market share for a hypothetical merger between Federal Express [FDX] and Thomas Nationwide Transport [TNT], based on the 2007 financial statements of five international cargo air carriers.
Fiber-optic quantum information technologies

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the generation of correlated and entangled photons in a telecom band using Kerr nonlinearity in dispersion-shifted fiber. Tailorable dispersion properties in microstructure fibers have allowed phase matching and entanglement to be obtained over a wide range of wavelengths. Two important features of QM are the superposition principle and the ensuing quantum entanglement. The former allows a quantum mechanical system to be in any state spanned by the basis vectors of its Hilbert space. Microstructure or holey fibers (MFs) allow phase matching to be obtained over a wide range of wavelengths because of their tailorable dispersion properties. Generation of correlated and entangled photons in MFs is demonstrated. Fiber nonlinearity as a source for correlated photons, quantum theory of four-wave mixing in optical fiber, fiber nonlinearity as a source for entangled photons, and high-fidelity entanglement with cooled fiber and degenerate photon pairs for quantum logic in the telecom band are also discussed.
Comparison of robustness of metaheuristic algorithms for steel frame optimization

Abstract In this study the robustness of six metaheuristic algorithms – ant colony optimization, genetic algorithm, harmony search, particle swarm optimization, simulated annealing and tabu search – and their three improved variants – design driven harmony search, adaptive harmony search and improved simulated annealing – are compared, and the characteristics that affect algorithmic robustness are investigated. Algorithmic robustness is defined as the ability of an algorithm to consistently converge to low cost designs regardless of the variable space and irrespective of the initial starting point. To this extent, the variable spaces present in steel frame design optimization problems are studied and two unique challenges of these spaces are identified and explained. Five benchmark steel frame designs, including moment and braced frames, are presented to serve as examples on which the algorithms can be tested, and the robustness of the algorithms is investigated using these representative designs. An in-depth discussion on the characteristics of metaheuristic algorithms that make them successful is presented. It is shown that the algorithms that exhibit robustness are those that incorporate intensification and diversification in ways that can effectively navigate the large variable spaces present in steel frame design optimization problems. The most robust algorithms are found to be design driven harmony search and tabu search.
Rab23 is an essential negative regulator of the mouse Sonic hedgehog signalling pathway

The mouse open brain (opb) and Sonic hedgehog (Shh) genes have opposing roles in neural patterning: opb is required for dorsal cell types and Shh is required for ventral cell types in the spinal cord1,2,3. Here we show that opb acts downstream of Shh. Ventral cell types that are absent in Shh mutants, including the floor plate, are present in Shh opb double mutants. The organization of ventral cell types in Shh opb double mutants reveals that Shh-independent mechanisms can pattern the neural tube along its dorsal–ventral axis. We cloned opb by a map-based approach and found that it encodes Rab23, a member of the Rab family of vesicle transport proteins. The data indicate that dorsalizing signals activate transcription of Rab23 in order to silence the Shh pathway in dorsal neural cells.
Trafficked: Domestic Violence, Exploitation in Marriage, and the Foreign-Bride Industry

At any given time, upwards of 12.3 million people are exploited as modern day slaves through the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world: human trafficking. Veiled behind the widely celebrated and sanctified institution of marriage and behind protections of liberty and privacy, one segment of the human trafficking industry continues to be overlooked, tolerated, and often excluded from criminalization: the trafficking of foreign brides. By analyzing two seemingly disparate foreign bride markets – the Chinese market for North Korean brides and the United States market for foreign brides – this Note argues that the foreign bride industry constitutes human trafficking under international law and calls for both immediate legal reforms and the ultimate criminalization and prosecution of foreign bride trafficking. Beginning with an examination of the two leading definitions of human trafficking as advanced by the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and the United States’ Trafficking Victims Protection Act, this Note argues that the U.S. definition of trafficking, unlike the international definition, is incomplete because it focuses on “severe forms of trafficking,” requiring a level of physical force, fraud, or coercion that fails to recognize the power dynamics and realities of human trafficking. The Note then examines two case studies of foreign bride markets: the North Korean refugee bride market in China and the foreign bride market in the United States, as facilitated by “international marriage broker-traffickers.” These seemingly disparate markets highlight the striking commonalities across the foreign bride industry, namely, similarities in the abuse of vulnerability and power as the means of trafficking and similarities in violence and exploitation in marriage as the purposes of foreign bride trafficking. In highlighting these similarities, this Note reveals that U.S. law’s longstanding prioritization of physical force as the keystone to crimes of violence against women, coupled with the guise of marriage, create a spectrum of force and fictional consent that protect the virility of bride trafficking by ignoring the power differentials and by obscuring the exploitative purposes that drive the foreign bride industry. In conclusion, this Note advances interim measures and supplementary measures that may be taken in addition to the ultimate prohibition and criminalization of bride-trafficking as trafficking under U.S. and international law.
Persons with Serious Mental Illness in the Criminal Justice System: Background, Prevalence, and Principles of Care:

This article describes the major factors that have led to the criminalization of persons with serious mental illness (PSMIs), and it presents several core principles for improving the care of PSMIs...
Radical-directed dissociation of peptides and proteins by infrared multiphoton dissociation and sustained off-resonance irradiation collision-induced dissociation with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

RATIONALE Recent experiments utilizing photodissociation in linear ion traps have enabled significant development of Radical-Directed Dissociation (RDD) for the examination of peptides and proteins. The increased mass accuracy and resolution available in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS) should enable further progress in this area. Preliminary experiments with photoactivated radicals are reported herein. METHODS A 266 nm Nd:YAG laser is coupled to a FTICR or linear ion trap mass spectrometer. Radical peptides and proteins are generated by ultraviolet photodissociation (PD) and further activated by collisions or infrared photons. RESULTS A 266 nm UV laser and an IR laser can be simultaneously coupled to a 15 Tesla FTICR mass spectrometer. The ultra-low-pressure environment in FTICR-MS makes collisional cooling less competitive, and thus more secondary fragments are generated by UVPD than in linear ion traps. Activation by sustained off-resonance irradiation collision-induced dissociation (SORI-CID) or infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) also yields additional secondary fragmentation relative to CID in an ion trap. Accurate identification of RDD fragments is possible in FTICR-MS. CONCLUSIONS Relative to linear ion trap instruments, PD experiments in FTICR-MS are more difficult to execute due to poor ion cloud overlap and the low pressure environment. However, the results can be more easily interpreted due to the increased resolution and mass accuracy.
The second transition: eastern Europe in perspective

The countries of Eastern Europe have achieved two remarkable transitions in the short period of the last two decades: from plan to market and, then, in the run-up to and entry into the European Union, riding a wave of global trade and financial market integration. Focusing on the second transition, this paper reaches three conclusions. First, by several metrics, East European and East Asian growth performances have been about on par since the mid-1990s; both regions have far surpassed Latin American growth. Second, the mechanisms of growth in East Europe and East Asia have been very different. East Europe has relied on a distinctive – often discredited – model, embracing financial integration, with structural change to compensate for appreciating real exchange rates. In contrast, East Asia has contained further financial integration and maintained steady or depreciating real exchange rates. Third, the ongoing financial turbulence has dulled the sheen on East European performance but, thus far, has not obviously differentiated emerging market regions: rather, the hot spots in each region reflect individual country vulnerabilities. The paper, in closing, speculates on whether the East European growth model is sustainable and replicable.
Conservation of vitamin C by uric acid in blood

Urate at physiological concentrations increased the stability of ascorbate in human serum approximately fivefold. These measurements were made by depleting human serum of urate with uricase. In model experiments (using phosphate buffer instead of serum), urate protected against iron-induced ascorbate oxidation and, to a lesser extent, pH-induced ascorbate oxidation. In both human serum and in phosphate buffer, urate exerted its protective effect without itself undergoing measurable oxidation as determined by spectrophotometric and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques. These experiments suggest an important physiological role for urate in preserving ascorbate in blood and other biological fluids.