cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phosphorylation of the Major Drosophila Lamin In Vivo: Site Identification during Both M-Phase (Meiosis) and Interphase by Electrospray Ionization Tandem Mass Spectrometry†

Phosphorylation can have profound effects on the properties of nuclear lamins. For instance, phosphorylation of specific sites on mammalian lamins drastically alters their propensity to polymerize. Relatively little is known about the effects of phosphorylation during interphase and about phosphorylation of invertebrate nuclear lamins. Here, using electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry, we determined the phosphorylation sites of both interphase and M-phase isoforms of nuclear lamin Dm from Drosophila melanogaster. Interphase lamins are phosphorylated at three sites: two of these sites (Ser25 and a site located between residues 430 and 438) flank the alpha-helical rod domain, whereas the third site (Ser595) is located close to the C-terminus. The M-phase lamin isoform is phosphorylated predominantly at Ser45, a residue contained within a sequence matching the consensus site for phosphorylation by cdc2 kinase. Our study confirms the important role in vivo for cdc2 kinase in M-phase disassembly of nuclear lamins and provides the basis for understanding Drosophila lamin phosphorylation during interphase.
Predicting Child Physical Activity and Screen Time: Parental Support for Physical Activity and General Parenting Styles

Objective: To examine relationships between parenting styles and practices and child moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and screen time. Methods: Participants were children (6.9 � 1.8 years) with a body mass index in the 70–95th percentile and their parents (421 dyads). Parent-completed questionnaires assessed parental support for child physical activity (PA), parenting styles and child screen time. Children wore accelerometers to assess MVPA. Results: Parenting style did not predict MVPA, but support for PA did (positive association). The association between support and MVPA, moreover, varied as a function of permissive parenting. For parents high in permissiveness, the association was positive (greater support was related to greater MVPA and therefore protective). For parents low in permissiveness, the association was neutral; support did not matter. Authoritarian and permissive parenting styles were both associated with greater screen time. Conclusions: Parenting practices and styles should be considered jointly, offering implications for tailored interventions.
The Military Origins of the Roman Catholic Relief Programme of 1778

Among historians it is a commonplace to observe that outcomes are bound up in origins and that we can find the explanation of perplexing or startling events by looking at how those events began. Nothing appears more obvious, but in some historical problems nothing is more easily overlooked. The history of the Roman Catholic relief proposals and enactments and the violent opposition to them in the British Isles in 1778–80 affords an example. It still presents difficulties to historians despite much research and writing on the subject. Accounts of Roman Catholic relief and the reaction to it, which was sustained over several years and was ferocious in climax, still leave an unsatisfactory impression as to how such opposition could have taken place. Confusion and doubt will go a long way towards disappearance, however, once we look more closely at the origins of the relief plan, origins which historians have largely overlooked.
Perceived Complexity of Various Liver Resections: Results of a Survey of Experts with Development of a Complexity Score and Classification

Background Liver resections have classically been distinguished as "minor" or "major" based on the number of segments removed. However, it is clear that the number of segments alone does not convey the complexity of a resection. To date, no study has formally assessed the complexity of various anatomic liver resections. Study Design A 4-question survey was administered to 135 expert liver surgeons in 14 countries. The first 3 questions related to the country in which the surgeon was practicing and the surgeon's experience. In the fourth question, the experts were asked to rate the difficulty of various open, anatomic liver resections on a scale of 1 to 10. Results Sixty-six of 135 (48.9%) surgeons responded to the survey. Twelve procedures were rated. The lowest mean score of 1.37—indicating least difficulty—was given to peripheral wedge resection. Left trisectionectomy with caudate resection was deemed most difficult, with a score of 8.28. The mean scores for the 2 procedures perceived as least difficult—peripheral wedge resection and left lateral sectionectomy—were lower than the mean scores of all the rest of the procedures at a highly statistically significant level (p Conclusions These data represent the first quantitative assessment of the perceived difficulty of a variety of liver resections. The complexity scores generated allow for separation of liver resections into 3 categories of complexity (low complexity, medium complexity, and high complexity) on a quantitative basis.
Discrete Synapse Recurrent Neural Network for nonlinear system modeling and its application on seismic signal classification

For a lumped nonlinear modeling of the relationship between input and output sequences, Discrete Synapse Recurrent Neural Network (DSRNN) is proposed using fully Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) structure and Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) algorithm for its training. The training process is more efficient and there is less output error and more stability than in the previous study using feedforward networks. DSRNN is applied to a task of seismic signal classification to discriminate footsteps and vehicles from background. Temporal features of the signals were modeled using data recorded in the deserts of Joshua Tree, CA. The proposed classifier showed 0.3% false recognition rate for the recognition of human footsteps, 0.9% for vehicle, and 0.0% for background. The models were able to reject quadrupedal animal's footsteps (in this study a trained dog). The system rejected dog's footsteps with 0.2% false recognition rate.
Impact of Asynchronous and Synchronous Internet-based Communication on Collaboration and Performance among K-12 Teachers

This study investigated the use of asynchronous (mailing lists) and synchronous (chat sessions) Internet-based communication and its impact on teachers' attitudes toward collaboration, activity com...
A Region-Based Image Fusion Method Using the Expectation-Maximization Algorithm

We present a novel region-based image fusion method using a rigorous application of estimation theory. This method takes advantage of the similar intensity or texture in a region for fusion. A statistical image formation model using Gaussian mixture distortion is built for each region and the EM (expectation-maximization) algorithm is used in conjunction with the model to develop the region-level EM fusion algorithm to produce the fused image. Since in most applications of image fusion, objects carry the information of interest and regions can be used to represent objects, the region-based fusion approaches could be more meaningful than pixel-based methods. Our experiments demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed region-base fusion method and the advantages in dealing with region interface artifacts for concealed weapon detection and night vision applications.
Topical Thyroid Hormone Accelerates Wound Healing in Mice

Although the physiologic role of thyroid hormone in skin is not well understood, mounting evidence suggests that T3 plays an important role in epidermal proliferation. The goal of this project was to evaluate whether the topical application of supraphysiologic doses of T3 could accelerate wound healing. We evaluated mice treated with topical T3 vs. the same mice receiving vehicle alone (Novasome A). Ten-millimeter diameter (79 mm2) dorsal skin wounds were established in all animals, and wounds were remeasured 4 d after injury. All animals were evaluated twice: once with the T3 treatment and once with the vehicle alone. Daily topical application of 150 ng T3 resulted in 58% greater wound closure relative to wounds on the same animals receiving vehicle alone (P < 0.001). Furthermore, we determined that wound healing-associated keratin 6 protein expression in hair follicle keratinocytes increased in a dose-dependent manner in vivo during topical T3 treatment. The data support our previous hypothesis that T3 is necessary for optimal wound healing. Now, we further suggest that topical thyroid hormone may be an inexpensive agent to hasten healing of certain wounds.
Attentional Cuing In Spelling Tasks For Hyperactive And Comparison Regular Classroom Children

Hyperactive children were predicted to attend more readily to tasks where color was added than were normal comparison children. If color were added to relevant cues in a spelling task, this attentional selectivity could produce improved performance. Alternatively, there was evidence to suggest that adding an additional dimension (color) to the early trials of a difficult task could produce performance disruption. To determine whether added relevant stimulation or the timing of relevant stimulation was important, 20 hyperactive and 26 comparison boys were pre-assessed on spelling level and then randomly assigned to condition-order (color added to relevant letters for the first two trials of the task and all black letters for the second two trials, or the reverse order). Findings were that hyperactive children who practiced the task with all black letters first, and color added later, out-performed comparison children.
Involved, Transported, or Emotional? Exploring the Determinants of Change in Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior in Entertainment Education

This study examined how 3 constructs—involvement with a specific character, involvement with the narrative (Green and Brock’s construct of transportation), and viewers’ emotional reaction to the narrative—produce entertainment-education (EE) effects. A pretest/posttest survey of 167 regular viewers measured the effects of exposure to a lymphoma storyline on a television drama, Desperate Housewives. Transportation or involvement with the narrative was the best predictor of change in relevant knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Although involvement with a specific character has been hailed an important direct predictor of EE effects, a structural equation model indicated that character involvement may be more important for its ability to heighten transportation and emotion, which, in turn, produce changes in viewers’ knowledge, attitudes, and behavior.
Sparse Source Imaging in EEG

We have developed a new L1-norm based minimum norm estimate (MNE), which is termed as sparse source imaging (SSI). The new SSI algorithm corrects inaccurate orientation discrepancy in previously reported L1-norm MNEs. A new solver to the newly developed SSI has been adopted and known as the second order cone programming (SOCP). The new SSI is assessed by a series of computer simulations. The performance of SSI is compared with other L1-norm MNEs by evaluating the localization error and orientation error. The present simulation results indicate that the new SSI has significantly improved performance, especially in the metric of orientation error. The previously reported L1-norm MNEs show large orientation errors due to the orientation discrepancy. The new SSI algorithm is also applicable to MEG source imaging.
Impacts of Swiss needle cast on overstory Douglas-fir forests of the western Oregon Coast Range

Tree-ring analysis was applied to assess the impacts of the fungal disease Swiss needle cast on the radial growth of mature Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests in the western Oregon Coast Range. Although considered endemic to the Pacific Northwest, Swiss needle cast has significantly lowered productivity in Douglas-fir forests only in the past 20–30 years. To date, studies on Swiss needle cast impacts have almost exclusively involved young ( 80 years) trees, we extracted tree cores from dominant and codominant Douglas-fir and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) in three even-aged stands in western Oregon. In the least affected stand growth rates of both species did not significantly differ, while at the most severely diseased site Douglas-fir radial growth was reduced by as much as 85%. Growth reductions likely associated with Swiss needle cast were dated to as early as 1950, though the most severe impacts occurred after 1984. An index of Swiss needle cast severity significantly (p < 0.01) related to instrumental records of air temperatures such that warm conditions from March through August were associated with reduced radial growth at the most severely affected site. Overall, this study demonstrates that even mature forests of natural origin are susceptible to severe growth reductions by Swiss needle cast, that warmer spring and summer temperatures are associated with Swiss needle cast impacts, and that the disease appears to be increasing in severity.
Visualising Fe speciation diversity in ocean particulate samples by micro X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy

Environmental context. Iron-bearing particles in the ocean have attracted interest due to the role of iron as an essentialnutrientformicroscopicalgae,whichformthebaseofthemarinefoodchain.Moderntechniquesmake it possible to analyse individual particles of iron to determine their composition, but the resulting flood of data can be overwhelming. We show a method of simplifying the data to answer such questions as what groups of minerals are present and whether they are different between ocean basins. Abstract. It is a well known truism that natural materials are inhomogeneous, so analysing them on a point-by-point basis can generate a large volume of data, from which it becomes challenging to extract understanding. In this paper, we show an example in which particles taken from the ocean in two different regions (the Western Subarctic Pacific and the Australian sector of the Southern Ocean, south of Tasmania) are studied by Fe K-edge micro X-ray absorption near- edgespectroscopy(mXANES).Theresultingsetofdataconsistsof209spectrafromtheWesternSubarcticPacificand126 from the Southern Ocean. We show the use of principal components analysis with an interactive projection visualisation tool to reduce the complexity of the data to something manageable. The Western Subarctic Pacific particles were grouped into four main populations, each of which was characterised by spectra consistent with mixtures of 1-3 minerals: (1) Fe 3þ oxyhydroxides þFe 3þ clays þFe 2þ phyllosilicates, (2) Fe 3þ clays, (3) mixed-valence phyllosilicates and (4) magnetite þFe 3þ clays þFe 2þ silicates, listed in order of abundance. The Southern Ocean particles break into three clusters: (1) Fe 3þ -bearing clays þFe 3þ oxyhydroxides, (2) Fe 2þ silicates þFe 3þ oxyhydroxides and (3) Fe 3þ oxides þ Fe 3þ -bearing clays þFe 2þ silicates, in abundance order. Although there was some overlap between the two regions, this analysis shows that the particulate Fe mineral assemblage is distinct between the Western Subarctic Pacific and the Southern Ocean, with potential implications for the bioavailability of particulate Fe in these two iron-limited regions. We then discuss possible advances in the methods, including automatic methods for characterising the structure of the data.
Status of the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer instrument for EOS-AM1 and its application to remote sensing of aerosols

The Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument is currently under development at JPL for the AM1 spacecraft in the Earth Observing System (EOS) series. MISR consists of nine pushbroom cameras, and will provide global coverage in four visible/near-infrared spectral bands. This measurement strategy provides systematic multi-angle imagery of the Earth for studies of aerosols, surface radiation, and clouds. An on-board calibrator consisting of deployable solar diffusers and a set of stable photodiodes provides a high-accuracy detector-based calibration. In this paper the authors report on the progress of the instrument fabrication and testing and focus on the application of MISR's unique observational strategy to studies of tropospheric aerosols.
Continuous Microreactor-Assisted Solution Deposition for Scalable Production of CdS Films

Solution deposition offers an attractive, low temperature option in the cost effective production of thin film solar cells. Continuous microreactor-assisted solution deposition (MASD) was used to produce nanocrystalline cadmium sulfide (CdS) films on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates with excellent uniformity. We report a novel liquid coating technique using a ceramic rod to efficiently and uniformly apply reactive solution to large substrates (152 mm × 152 mm). This technique represents an inexpensive approach to utilize the MASD on the substrate for uniform growth of CdS films. Nano-crystalline CdS films have been produced from liquid phase at ~90°C, with average thicknesses of 70 nm to 230 nm and with a 5 to 12% thickness variation. The CdS films produced were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-Ray diffraction to demonstrate their suitability to thin-film solar technology.
On Cyclicity and Regularity of Commuting Matrices

It is well-known that the following properties of a matrix are equivalent: a matrix is non-derogatory if and only if is cyclic if and only if it is simple and if and only if it is 1-regular. In this article we attempt to extend these properties to a sequence of commuting matrices and examine the relation between them.
Inferential statistics and the use of administrative data in US educational research

ABSTRACTWhile the use of inferential statistics is a nearly universal practice in the social sciences, there are instances where its application is unnecessary and potentially misleading. This is true for a portion of research using administrative data in educational research in the United States. Surveying all research articles using administrative data published in Educational Researcher and American Educational Research Journal between 2011 and 2013, we find that over half use inferential techniques to help interpret results despite the use of population data. To the extent that these practices and findings are replicated and interpreted in the United States and elsewhere, this can lead to the undervaluing of potentially meaningful patterns and trends.
Nanostructures of Boron, Carbon and Magnesium Diboride for High Temperature Superconductivity

Direct fabrication of MgxBy nanostructures is achieved by employing metal (Ni,Mg) incorporated MCM-41 in the Hybrid Physical-Chemical Vapor Deposition (HPCVD) reaction. Different reaction conditions are tested to optimize the fabrication process. TEM analysis shows the fabrication of MgxBy nanostructures starting at the reaction temperature of 600oC, with the yield of the nanostructures increasing with increasing reaction temperature. The as-synthesized MgxBy nanostructures have the diameters in the range of 3-5nm, which do not increase with the reaction temperature consistent with templated synthesis. EELS analysis of the template removed nanostructures confirms the existence of B and Mg with possible contamination of Si and O. NEXAFS and Raman spectroscopy analysis suggested a concentric layer-by-layer MgxBy nanowire/nanotube growth model for our as-synthesized nanostructures. Ni k-edge XAS indicates that the formation of MgNi alloy particles is important for the Vapor-Liquid-Solid (VLS) growth of MgxBy nanostructures with fine diameters, and the presence of Mg vapor not just Mg in the catalyst is crucial for the formation of Ni-Mg clusters. Physical templating by the MCM-41 pores was shown to confine the diameter of the nanostructures. DC magnetization measurements indicate possible superconductive behaviors in the as-synthesized samples.
Clinical Characteristics Associated with Antibiotic Treatment Failure for Tuboovarian Abscesses.

Objective. Although parenteral antibiotic treatment is a standard approach for tuboovarian abscesses, a significant proportion of patients fail therapy and require interventional radiology (IR) guided drainage. The objective of this study is to assess if specific clinical factors are associated with antibiotic treatment failure. Study Design. Retrospective medical record review of patients hospitalized for tuboovarian abscesses from 2001 through 2012 was performed. Clinical characteristics were compared for patients who underwent successful parenteral antibiotic treatment, failed antibiotic treatment necessitating subsequent IR drainage, initial drainage with concurrent antibiotics, and surgery. Results. One hundred thirteen patients admitted for inpatient treatment were identified. Sixty-one (54%) patients were treated with antibiotics alone. Within this group, 24.6% failed antibiotic treatment and required drainage. Mean white blood cell count (K/μL) ( versus ) (), mean maximum diameter of tuboovarian abscess (cm) ( versus ) (), and length of stay (days) ( versus ) () were significantly greater for patients who failed antibiotic treatment. Conclusions. Admission white blood cell count greater than 16 K/μL and abscess size greater than 5.18 cm are associated with antibiotic treatment failure. These factors may provide guidance for initial selection of IR guided drainage.
Gas transport across hyperthin membranes.

The use of organic polymeric membranes to separate gaseous mixtures provides an attractive alternative to other methods such as selective adsorption and cryogenic distillation. The primary advantages of membrane-based separations are their relative energy efficiency and lower costs. Because the flux of a gas across a membrane is inversely proportional to the membrane’s thickness, this method relies on fabricating membranes that are as thin as possible. However, as researchers have tried to produce “hyperthin” membranes (less than 100 nm), these membranes often form defects and lose their permeation selectivity.In this Account, we review some of the progress in our laboratories at Lehigh University to create hyperthin membranes with high permeation selectivities. We focus special attention on gaseous permeants that are relevant for the production of clean energy (H2 and CO2 formed from CH4) and the reduction of global warming (CO2 and N2, the major components of flue gas). Our studies make extensive use of...
THE EXERGY TRANSFER ANALYSIS STUDY FOR UNIDIMENSIONAI NON-ISOTHERMAL SEEPING OF HYDRATED OIL

On the basis of calculating the temperature and pressure field for the non-isothermal seeping of hydrated oil, the exergy transfer analysis of this process is done with the characteristic parameters such as driving work, power, resistance and velocity. The result of numerical simulation shows that, water reduces the relative oil penetrability, increases the driving resistance, decreases the driving power and lessens the oil output in the end.
Incorporating Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Strategies in the Behavioral Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Abstract Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition defined by pervasive, excessive worry that is difficult to control. Other symptoms include muscle tension, being easily tired, feeling irritable or on edge, and difficulty sleeping. GAD commonly co-occurs with other psychological disorders, especially social anxiety and major depression, and with somatic complaints, which lead to greater functional impairment. Acceptance-based behavioral therapy (ABBT) for GAD incorporates elements of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) into existing cognitive-behavioral treatments for this disorder. This chapter describes our treatment approach, including its theoretical rationale and empirical support for its efficacy. A case study illustrates how the treatment unfolds and practical considerations that arise in its implementation.
Phylogeny and Life History Patterns

Phylogenic or comparative analysis allows us to examine how traits or behaviors evolved in humans and other animals, and to discover factors that lead to similarities and differences in traits and behaviors over evolutionary time. This chapter focuses on unique morphological, physiological, and metabolic adaptations that influence energy expenditure and physical activity in humans compared to other primates and mammals. Next, it examines the evolution of human life history patterns and how the human pattern compares to other primates and mammals. Finally, it compares physical activity patterns and energy expenditure in primates and humans. Throughout, the ways the unique aspects of human anatomy, energetics, and life history that are hypothesized to influence costs and benefits of physical activity, and developing and maintaining physical fitness and strength are highlighted. Humans have evolved in ways that favor sustained aerobic activity and require physical activity to build and maintain cardiovascular and muscular fitness and strength. In the absence of activity, however, human physiology appears to have evolved to favor decreases in muscle mass and increases in fat mass. These adaptations are thought to help compensate for the high energetic costs of large brains and to help care for multiple dependent offspring.
Regulation of claudin/zonula occludens-1 complexes by hetero-claudin interactions

Claudins are tetraspan transmembrane tight-junction proteins that regulate epithelial barriers. In the distal airspaces of the lung, alveolar epithelial tight junctions are crucial to regulate airspace fluid. Chronic alcohol abuse weakens alveolar tight junctions, priming the lung for acute respiratory distress syndrome, a frequently lethal condition caused by airspace flooding. Here we demonstrate that in response to alcohol, increased claudin-5 paradoxically accompanies an increase in paracellular leak and rearrangement of alveolar tight junctions. Claudin-5 is necessary and sufficient to diminish alveolar epithelial barrier function by impairing the ability of claudin-18 to interact with a scaffold protein, zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1), demonstrating that one claudin affects the ability of another claudin to interact with the tight-junction scaffold. Critically, a claudin-5 peptide mimetic reverses the deleterious effects of alcohol on alveolar barrier function. Thus, claudin controlled claudin-scaffold protein interactions are a novel target to regulate tight-junction permeability.
Public Opinion and the Construction of Social Reality

(1988). Public Opinion and the Construction of Social Reality. Annals of the International Communication Association: Vol. 11, Communication Yearbook 11, pp. 547-554.
Mammographic texture and risk of breast cancer by tumor type and estrogen receptor status.

Several studies have shown that mammographic texture features are associated with breast cancer risk independent of the contribution of breast density. Thus, texture features may provide novel information for risk stratification. We examined the association of a set of established texture features with breast cancer risk by tumor type and estrogen receptor (ER) status, accounting for breast density. This study combines five case–control studies including 1171 breast cancer cases and 1659 controls matched for age, date of mammogram, and study. Mammographic breast density and 46 breast texture features, including first- and second-order features, Fourier transform, and fractal dimension analysis, were evaluated from digitized film-screen mammograms. Logistic regression models evaluated each normalized feature with breast cancer after adjustment for age, body mass index, first-degree family history, percent density, and study. Of the mammographic features analyzed, fractal dimension and second-order statistics features were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with breast cancer. Fractal dimensions for the thresholds equal to 10% and 15% (FD_TH_10 and FD_TH_15) were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer while thresholds from 60% to 85% (FD_TH_60 to FD_TH_85) were associated with a decreased risk. Increasing the FD_TH_75 and Energy feature values were associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer while increasing Entropy was associated with a increased risk of breast cancer. For example, 1 standard deviation increase of FD_TH_75 was associated with a 13% reduced risk of breast cancer (odds ratio = 0.87, 95% confidence interval 0.79–0.95). Overall, the direction of associations between features and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive cancer, and estrogen receptor positive and negative cancer were similar. Mammographic features derived from film-screen mammograms are associated with breast cancer risk independent of percent mammographic density. Some texture features also demonstrated associations for specific tumor types. For future work, we plan to assess risk prediction combining mammographic density and features assessed on digital images.
Sarojini Naidu—The Forgotten Orator of India

Sarojini Naidu’s platform rhetoric suggests that she functioned as the representative for Indian women due to her presence in the public sphere as first a poet, and then a nationalist leader. Naidu...
Health and public policy to facilitate effective prevention and treatment of substance use disorders involving illicit and prescription drugs: An American College of Physicians position paper

Substance use disorders involving illicit and prescription drugs are a serious public health issue. In the United States, millions of individuals need treatment for substance use disorders but few receive it. The rising number of drug overdose deaths and the changing legal status of marijuana pose new challenges. In this position paper, the American College of Physicians maintains that substance use disorder is a treatable chronic medical condition and offers recommendations on expanding treatment options, the legal status of marijuana, addressing the opioid epidemic, insurance coverage of substance use disorders treatment, education and workforce, and public health interventions.
An analysis of clustering and ordering in multicomponent solid solutions—II fluctuations and kinetics

Abstract The free energy of a multicomponent substitutional solid solution is rederived on the basis of a more rigorous averaging procedure than the one used in I. The resulting expression is a quadratic form in the Fourier transforms of the concentration variables. Application of the Landau theory of fluctuations then leads to a set of formulas for the expectation values of concentration fluctuation intensities, which are the extension to multicomponents of the Clapp and Moss formulas for binary systems. Coupled discrete-space diffusion equations are derived and solved by diagonalization of the diffusion matrix. Principal directions in composition space and static and kinetic eigen vectors are defined. The effect of the positive definite mobility matrix is to rotate the directions of fastest and slowest initial concentration changes (kinetic directions) away from the principal free energy directions but in such a way that asymptotic directions are never crossed. Examples of ternary systems are given and asymptotic directions in quaternary systems are discussed qualitatively.
Nature Versus Nurture: Does Proteostasis Imbalance Underlie the Genetic, Environmental, and Age-Related Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease?

Aging is a risk factor for a number of “age-related diseases”, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD affects more than a third of all people over the age of 85, and is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. Symptoms include forgetfulness, memory loss, and cognitive decline, ultimately resulting in the need for full-time care. While there is no cure for AD, pharmacological approaches to alleviate symptoms and target underlying causes of the disease have been developed, albeit with limited success. This review presents the age-related, genetic, and environmental risk factors for AD and proposes a hypothesis for the mechanistic link between genetics and the environment. In short, much is known about the genetics of early-onset familial AD (EO-FAD) and the central role played by the Aβ peptide and protein misfolding, but late-onset AD (LOAD) is not thought to have direct genetic causes. Nonetheless, genetic risk factors such as isoforms of the protein ApoE have been identified. Additional findings suggest that air pollution caused by the combustion of fossil fuels may be an important environmental risk factor for AD. A hypothesis suggesting that poor air quality might act by disrupting protein folding homeostasis (proteostasis) is presented.
The absolute volume of PET-defined, active bone marrow spared predicts for high grade hematologic toxicity in cervical cancer patients undergoing chemoradiation

Hematologic toxicity (HT) in cervical cancer patients can cause treatment delays and reduction in chemotherapy, especially in high risk patients. Dose to PET-defined regions of active bone marrow (ABM) has been shown to correlate with cytopenias. An absolute volume of ABM spared may accurately represent hematopoietic reserve and risk of HT. This analysis evaluates whether the volume of ABM spared can more accurately predict HT compared to conventional dosimetric parameters. Thirty-one patients treated for cervical cancer with chemoradiation from 9/2011 to 8/2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to assess optimal cutpoint criterions for grade 3+ HT based on the CTCAEv4. Conventional dosimetric parameters to PBM and ABM (mean dose, V10, V20, V40) were assessed as well as the absolute volume (cc) of PBM and ABM spared 10, 20, and 40 Gy. The absolute volume of PBM spared 10 Gy ( 738 cc of ABM spared 40 Gy (p 738 cc) may be a stronger predictor of HT than conventional dosimetric parameters. This should be further evaluated for clinical use.
Absorption and scattering of light in natural waters

In this chapter we restrict ourselves to the problems of absorptionabsorption [1–13], elastic [1, 4, 5, 10, 14–22] and inelastic Raman [23–44] scattering of light, and fluorescence [45–62] in natural waters. Owing to the lack of clear and simple numerical procedures that connect scattering with easily measurable environmental parameters, scattering by air bubbles in water [63–65], Brillouin scattering [37, 66–69], and amplification of forward scattering by water turbulence [70, 71] are omitted from consideration. All conclusions of this chapter will be obtained mostly from analysis of experimental data with some additions derived from theory and from analysis of numerical computations. We will discuss in detail two basic inherent optical properties of natural water, the absorption coefficient, a, the angular scattering coefficient, β, and inelastic parameters of Raman scattering and fluorescence that are included as input parameters in a scalar radiative transfer equation: [ 1
Classifying bladder cancer subtypes

Urothelial carcinoma of the bladder is is estimated to have killed over 16,000 people in the United States in 2016. Like breast cancer, bladder cancer is a heterogeneous disease, and characterization of its various subtypes can be useful for forecasting prognosis and treatment efficacy. According to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project, the mRNA expression profiles of bladder tumours can be used to cluster the tumors into four different categories: I - Papillary-like, II - Luminal A, III - basal/squamous-like, and IV - other (similar to III). However it is not clear whether these mRNA expression based clusters correlate with other molecular and genetic features of the tumor cells. In other words, do differences in mRNA expression profile contain the same information as differences in protein expression, micro RNA (miRNA) expression, copy number variation and somatic mutation data. We tried to recreate mRNA based bladder tumor clusters from other multi omic data for 328 bladder cancer tumor samples using a special deep and wide belief network composed of restricted Boltzmann machines and a multilayer perceptron. For 10-fold cross validation, we achieved 79% average test accuracy which implies that that differences in mRNA expression between bladder tumor cells can be reliably, though not perfectly, inferred from different molecular and genetic features of the tumors.
Targeted in vivo knock-in of human alpha-1-antitrypsin cDNA using adenoviral delivery of CRISPR/Cas9

Serum deficiency diseases such as alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency are characterized by reduced function of serum proteins, caused by deleterious genetic mutations. These diseases are promising targets for genetic interventions. Gene therapies using viral vectors have been used to introduce correct copies of the disease-causing gene in preclinical and clinical studies. However, these studies highlighted that disease-alleviating gene expression is lost over time. Integration into a specific chromosomal site could provide lasting therapeutic expression to overcome this major limitation. Additionally, targeted integration could avoid detrimental mutagenesis associated with integrative vectors, such as tumorigenesis or functional gene perturbation. To test if adenoviral vectors can facilitate long-term gene expression through targeted integration, we somatically incorporated the human alpha-1-antitrypsin gene into the ROSA26 “safe harbor” locus in murine livers, using CRISPR/Cas9. We found adenoviral-mediated delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 achieved gene editing outcomes persisting over 200 days. Furthermore, gene knock-in maintained greater levels of the serum protein than provided by episomal expression. Importantly, our “knock-in” approach is generalizable to other serum proteins and supports in vivo cDNA replacement therapy to achieve stable gene expression.
An Overview of the Central Nervous System

Human beings come into this world naked yet equipped with a nervous system that, with experience, is ready to function in almost any environment. One word summarizes the function of the nervous system: response. The central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) monitors and controls the entire body by its peripheral divisions, which are distributed to all the muscles, organs, and tissues. The brain has an advantageous site in the head and above the neck, which can move in about a 140-degree arc. Close to the brain are all of the specialized sense organs, which permit us to see, smell, taste, and hear our world.
Measuring the Instantaneous Velocity of a Brownian Particle in Air

Chapter 4 covers the theory of Brownian motion in air at short time scales, a home-built detection system with ultrahigh resolution, and the results of our measurement of the instantaneous velocity of a Brownian particle in air.
Semiconductor Sensors and Transducers

Semiconductor effects make possible a wide range of sensors responding to physical effects such as light, magnetic fields, position, acceleration, strain, temperature, high energy particles, gamma rays, and ambient gases. Light detection has been discussed earlier (Chapters 12 and 13).
The blind-ending vas: the fate of the contralateral testis.

AbstractFrom August 1980 to January 1983, 48 testes were explored for orchiopexy (28 unilateral and 20 bilateral testes). Unilateral anorchism (surgically identified blind-ending vas and vessels) was found in 7 of 48 cases (14.5 per cent). One simultaneous and 5 secondary contralateral scrotal explorations confirmed abnormal testicular fixation (bell-clapper deformity) in 5 of 6 testes (83 per cent). During documentation of unilateral anorchism, simultaneous contralateral scrotal exploration should be performed.
Gene Targeting in Embryonic Stem Cells, II: Conditional Technologies

Traditional gene knockout strategies have allowed scientists to more deeply interrogate the nature of the genotype–phenotype relationship. This level of understanding has been further accelerated with the ability to conditionally ablate genes in cell-, tissue-, developmental-, and time-specific genetic strategies. The advent of this conditional field has relied on the isolation, characterization, and development of site-specific recombination systems derived from nonmammalian origins. The two prominent systems are Cre-lox, isolated from bacteriophage, and FLP-FRT, originating in yeast. These site-specific recombination systems have been utilized in a vast array of cell lines including embryonic stem (ES) cells, and hundreds of transgenic mouse lines for tailored gene modification strategies. This chapter is structured with the goal of providing: (i) a background of these and other recombination systems, (ii) information on protein enhancements designed to modify the functionality or utility of these systems, and (iii) a protocol-driven set of methods to perform and detect site-specific recombination in ES cells.
Challenges in Orphan Drug Development: Identification of Effective Therapy for Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy

Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), the ocular manifestation of Graves' disease, is a process in which orbital connective tissues and extraocular muscles undergo inflammation and remodeling. The condition seems to result from autoimmune responses to antigens shared by the thyroid and orbit. The thyrotropin receptor (TSHR), expressed at low levels in orbital tissues, is a leading candidate antigen. Recent evidence suggests that another protein, the insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR), is overexpressed in TAO, and antibodies against IGF-IR have been detected in patients with the disease. Furthermore, TSHR and IGF-IR form a physical and functional complex, and signaling initiated at TSHR requires IGF-IR activity. Identification of therapy for this rare disease has proven challenging and currently relies on nonspecific and inadequate agents, thus representing an important unmet need. A recently completed therapeutic trial suggests that inhibiting IGF-IR activity with a monoclonal antibody may be an effective and safe treatment for active TAO.
DeadBolt: Securing IoT Deployments

In this paper, we introduce DeadBolt, a new security framework for managing IoT network access. DeadBolt hides all of the devices in an IoT deployment behind an access point that implements deny-by-default policies for both incoming and outgoing traffic. The DeadBolt AP also forces high-end IoT devices to use remote attestation to gain network access; attestation allows the devices to prove that they run up-to-date, trusted software. For lightweight IoT devices which lack the ability to attest, the DeadBolt AP uses virtual drivers (essentially, security-focused virtual network functions) to protect lightweight device traffic. For example, a virtual driver might provide network intrusion detection, or encrypt device traffic that is natively cleartext. Using these techniques, and several others, DeadBolt can prevent realistic attacks while imposing only modest performance costs.
Total Daily Physical Activity and the Risk of Parkinsonism in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

BACKGROUND Physical activity is a modifiable risk factor associated with health benefits. We hypothesized that a more active lifestyle in older adults is associated with a reduced risk of incident parkinsonism and a slower rate of its progression. METHODS Total daily physical activity was recorded with an activity monitor in 889 community-dwelling older adults participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project. Four parkinsonian signs were assessed with a modified motor portion of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and summarized as a categorical measure and continuous global parkinsonian score. We used Cox models to determine whether physical activity was associated with incident parkinsonism and linear mixed-effects models to examine if physical activity was associated with the rate of progressive parkinsonism. RESULTS During an average follow-up of 4 years, 233 of 682 (34%) participants, without parkinsonism, developed incident parkinsonism. In Cox models controlling for age, sex, and education, a higher level of physical activity was associated with a reduced risk of developing parkinsonism (hazard ratio = 0.79; 95% CI = 0.70-0.88, p < .001). This association was not attenuated when controlling for cognition, depressive symptoms, Apolipoprotein E ℇ4 allele, and chronic health conditions. In a linear mixed-effects model including all participants (N = 889) which controlled for age, sex, and education, a 1 SD total daily physical activity was associated with a 20% slower rate of progression of parkinsonism. CONCLUSION Older adults with a more active lifestyle have a reduced risk for parkinsonism and a slower rate of its progression.
Paraoxonase and acylated homoserine lactones in urine from patients with urinary tract infections

Abstract Paraoxonases are mammalian enzymes that have a number of roles including the inhibition of bacterial virulence and biofilm formation by microorganisms that quorum sense with acylated homoserine lactones. Paraoxonases have previously been reported to inhibit P. aeruginosa biofilm formation in mammalian airways and skin. An innate immune role for paraoxonases in urinary tract infection has not previously been reported. We performed western blots for paraoxonase1 in urine from patients with urinary tract infection; we also tested urinary tract infection urine for the presence of acylated homoserine lactones using a cellular reporter system. We report here that paraoxonase1 was not found with our western blot assay in the urine of normal control patients; in those with urinary tract infection, paraoxonase1 was associated with E. coli UTI. Acylated homoserine lactones, but not paraoxonases, were found in the bulk urine of those with P. aeruginosa urinary tract infection. We hypothesize that paraoxonase may play a similar innate immune role in infected urine as has previously described in skin and airways.
Phospho Tensin Homolog in Human and Lipid Peroxides in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Following Exposure to Flavonoids.

Objectives: Studies have shown that human and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are mostly used for research purposes to study several biochemical endpoints. The effects of the flavonoids,...