cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temperature-Dependent Photoisomerization Quantum Yields for Azobenzene-Modified DNA

We study the photoisomerization quantum yield of azobenzene-modified DNA as a function of temperature for various DNA sequences. We find that even though the photoisomerization quantum yield of free azobenzene is essentially temperature-independent, the trans-to-cis photoisomerization quantum yield depends strongly on temperature when the azobenzene is incorporated into DNA. We show that this temperature dependence is DNA-sequence-dependent and closely linked to the melting temperature of the host DNA. While the trans-to-cis isomerization quantum yield is sequence- and temperature-dependent, in contrast, the thermal cis-to-trans isomerization of azobenzene embedded in DNA is sequence-independent and exhibits Arrhenius-like behavior with an activation energy of 88.8 ± 0.693 kJ/mol and a smaller pre-exponential factor than free azobenzene, yielding first-order cis-to-trans kinetics with a rate constant of (2.08 ± 0.00952) × 10–6 s–1 at 25 °C. These results provide an understanding of the azobenzene isomeriz...
A Lightweight Masked AES Implementation for Securing IoT Against CPA Attacks

A false key-based advanced encryption standard (AES) technique is proposed to prevent the stored secret key leaking from the substitution-box under correlation power analysis (CPA) attacks without significant power and area overhead. Wave dynamic differential logic (WDDL)-based XOR gates are utilized during the reconstruction stage to hide the intermediate data that may be highly correlated with the false key. After applying the false key and designing the reconstruction stage with the WDDL, the minimum measurement-to-disclose value for the proposed lightweight masked AES engine implementation becomes over 150 million against CPA attacks. As compared to an unprotected AES engine, the power, area, and performance overhead of the proposed AES implementation is negligible.
Fundamentals of Enzymatic Processes

A basic and clear understanding about enzymes is essential for the readers before they begin to learn about the extremozymes (enzymes in extreme conditions). The chapter begins with the basic concepts of enzymes, roles of enzymes in biological systems, components of enzymes, detailed list of applications of the enzymes and the history of enzymology. The section on specificity of enzymes explains five different types of specificity namely Absolute Substrate specificity, Broad specificity (Group specificity), Bond specificity (Relative specificity), Stereochemical specificity and Reaction specificity. Specificity is the key characteristic of the enzyme and has crucial role in terms of selectivity and catalytic activity of the enzyme. The chapter covers the different classification methods of enzymes and enzyme nomenclature. The chapter gives a clear explanation about the mechanisms of enzyme with special emphasis on Lock and Key Theory and Induced Fit Hypothesis. Different units of enzyme activity (Katal, IU, Turnover number), different models of enzyme kinetics, types of enzymes inhibition and different strategies for immobilization of enzymes are addressed. Finally, the chapter describes the various applications of extremozymes.
Nanoliposome C6-Ceramide Increases the Anti-tumor Immune Response and Slows Growth of Liver Tumors in Mice

Background & Aims Ceramide, a sphingolipid metabolite, affects T-cell signaling, induces apoptosis of cancer cells, and slows tumor growth in mice. However, it has not been used as a chemotherapeutic agent because of its cell impermeability and precipitation in aqueous solution. We developed a nanoliposome-loaded C6-ceremide (LipC6) to overcome this limitation and investigated its effects in mice with liver tumors. Methods Immune competent C57BL/6 mice received intraperitoneal injections of carbon tetrachloride and intra-splenic injections of oncogenic hepatocytes. As a result, tumors resembling human hepatocellular carcinomas developed in a fibrotic liver setting. After tumors formed, mice were given an injection of LipC6 or vehicle via tail vein every other day for 2 weeks. This was followed by administration, also via tail vein, of tumor antigen-specific (TAS) CD8 + T cells isolated from the spleens of line 416 mice, and subsequent immunization by intraperitoneal injection of tumor antigen-expressing B6/WT-19 cells. Tumor growth was monitored with magnetic resonance imaging. Tumor apoptosis, proliferation, and AKT expression were analyzed using immunohistochemistry and immunoblots. Cytokine production, phenotype, and function of TAS CD8 + T cells and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) were studied with flow cytometry, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and ELISA. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) in TAMs and bone marrow-derived macrophages, induced by colony stimulating factor 2 (GMCSF or CSF2) or colony stimulating factor 1 (MCSF or CSF1), were detected using a luminescent assay. Results Injection of LipC6 slowed tumor growth by reducing tumor cell proliferation and phosphorylation of AKT, and increasing tumor cell apoptosis, compared with vehicle. Tumors grew more slowly in mice given the combination of LipC6 injection and TAS CD8 + T cells followed by immunization compared with mice given vehicle, LipC6, the T cells, or immunization alone. LipC6 injection also reduced numbers of TAMs and their production of ROS. LipC6 induced TAMs to differentiate into an M1 phenotype, which reduced immune suppression and increased activity of CD8 + T cells. These results were validated by experiments with bone marrow-derived macrophages induced by GMCSF or MCSF. Conclusions In mice with liver tumors, injection of LipC6 reduces the number of TAMs and the ability of TAMs to suppress the anti-tumor immune response. LipC6 also increases the anti-tumor effects of TAS CD8 + T cells. LipC6 might therefore increase the efficacy of immune therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
Effect of two different commercially available white light LED fixtures on broiler hatchability and chick quality.

1. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two different spectra of white light on hatchability and chick quality of broiler chickens.2. A total of 8424 Ross 708 broiler eggs were...
From China to Hong Kong with Horror Transcultural Consumption in Fruit Chan’s Dumplings

Fruit Chan’s 2004 film Dumplings (Jiaozi) tells a macabre tale in which rejuvenation comes at the price of ingesting human foetuses, made palatable in the form of dumplings by the former Mainland g...
Effect of Boron Doping on High-Resolution X-Ray Diffraction Metrology

The effect of boron (B) doping on high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HXRD) metrology has been investigated. Twelve samples of Si1–xGex films were epitaxially grown on Si (100) substrates with different thicknesses, germanium (Ge) concentrations and with/without B dopants. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and HXRD were employed for measurements of B doping, Ge concentration, strain, and thickness of the layers. The SIMS results show the absence of B in two samples while the rest of the samples have B doping in the range of 8.40 × 1018–8.7 × 1020 atoms/cm3 with Ge concentration of 13.3–55.2 at.%. The HXRD measurements indicate the layers thickness of 7.07–108.13 nm along with Ge concentration of 12.82–49.09 at.%. The difference in the Ge concentration measured by SIMS and HXRD was found to deend on B doping. For the undoped samples, the difference is ~0.5 at.% and increases with B doping but with no linear proportionality. The difference in the Ge concentration was 7.11 at.% for the highly B-doped (8.7 × 1020 atoms/cm3) sample. The B doping influences the Si1–xGex structure, causing a change in the lattice parameter and producing tensile strains shifting Si1–xGex peaks towards Si (100) substrate peaks in the HXRD diffraction patterns. As a result, Vegard’s law is no longer effective and makes a high impact on the HXRD measurement. The comparison between symmetric (004) and asymmetric (+113, +224) reciprocal space mappings (RSM) showed a slight difference in Ge concentration between the undoped and lower B-doped samples. However, there is a change of 0.21 at.% observed for the highly doped Si1–xGex samples. RSM’s (+113) demonstrate the small SiGe peak broadening as B doping increases, which indicates a minor crystal distortion.
Effectiveness and cost of radiofrequency ablation and stereotactic body radiotherapy for treatment of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: An analysis of SEER-medicare.

INTRODUCTION For early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, ablative strategies are potentially curative treatment options. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has emerged as a promising ablative therapy, although its comparison with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) remains confined to a single institution retrospective review. We sought to characterize the comparative outcomes and cost between the two treatment strategies. METHODS We conducted a secondary analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked database (2004-2011) and identified adult patients with stage I or II HCC and treated with RFA or SBRT as the initial treatment within 6 months of diagnosis. Survival analysis was conducted using Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis. Factors associated with overall survival and 90-day hospital admission post-treatment were identified using propensity score (PS) adjusted multivariate analysis. We performed costs analysis and calculated incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER). RESULTS Four hundred and forty patients were identified, 408 treated with RFA and 32 SBRT. In the overall cohort, 90-day hospitalization and 1-year mortality were similar between groups but RFA patients had better overall survival (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed advanced age, higher stage, decompensated cirrhosis, and treatment with SBRT (HR 1.80; 95%CI: 1.15-2.82) was associated with worse survival, but in the PS adjusted analysis, survival and costs were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION In a national cohort of early stage HCC patients, treatment with RFA vs SBRT resulted in no significant difference in survival, 90-day hospitalization, or costs. These data highlight the need for a randomized clinical trial comparing these two modalities.
A Conservation Law Model for Ion Etching for Semiconductor Fabrication

In sections 12.1,12.2 we shall describe a 2-dimensional mathematical model for ion etching which was presented on February 12, 1988 by David S. Ross from Eastman Kodak Company, and is based on his papers [1] [2]. In Section 12.3 several mathematical problems will be posed.
Membrane Receptors and the Regulation of Mononuclear Phagocyte Effector Functions

Mononuclear phagocytes form a body-wide system of cells (1) that originate from precursors in the bone marrow, circulate in the blood, and emigrate from the vascular compartment into the tissues where they spend the major portion of their life span. At the time of their emigration from the blood into the tissues mononuclear phagocytes are extremely immature cells. In the tissues they differentiate into their adult form, the macrophage. Macrophages in different tissues develop characteristic metabolic and structural properties. Thus alveolar macrophages develop a high capacity for oxidative metabolites (2), while splenic and peritoneal macrophages derive the major proportion of their metabolic energy from anerobic glycolysis (3). Inflammatory macrophages may develop into sheets of interlocking epithelioid cells, or fuse to form multinucleate giant cells (4). In the bones they fuse to produce osteoclasts (5).
Thermomechanics of laser-induced shock waves in combustible mixtures

In this study, a combined experimental and numerical approach is taken to further investigate the thermomechanics of shock wave formation in combustible mixtures. This study focuses on several gas mixtures including air, methane/ $$\hbox {N}_2$$ , methane/air, and biogas/air. The lean and stoichiometric combustible mixtures are studied at three different laser energy levels. The Jones blast wave theory is used to calculate the energy involved in development of the resulting shock waves and used to specify the initial conditions for the plasma in simulations. In addition, interferometry is used to gain insights into the thermodynamic conditions within the plasma kernel, for validation of the numerical model results. The energies calculated for the different mixtures studied show that shock waves generated in the combustible mixture likely gain energy early in the breakdown process from exothermic chemical reactions. Shock wave results from experiment are shown to be replicated by the model, and the variations of the density inside of the hot core region are in agreement between the simulation and experimental results.
Impact of a cognitive computing clinical trial matching system in an ambulatory oncology practice.

6550Background: Only 3-5% of cancer patients participate in clinical trials even though up to 20% are eligible. Cognitive computing has promising potential to assist trial enrollment efficiency and...
Exercise, Opportunity, and the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

The self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when we view certain people from a biased perspective or given limited, anecdotal information, such that we continue to view their abilities based upon the false perspective and despite the individual’s motivation and actual performance. Its occurrence is widespread throughout organizations and social institutions, potentially negatively impacting the life chances of millions of people living with disabilities. The situation persists despite considerable legislation intended to benefit this population, with unemployment rates consistently approaching 80% with little change over the past four decades in the United States. These conditions further translate into poverty, poor health behaviors, and lack of exercise, further contributing to additional, secondary conditions. Some efforts are being made to improve access and exercise options of people with disabilities, but the real change needed to drive overall systems improvements for disability inclusion in all aspects of life remains a daunting task.
A Smooth Nonparametric Approach to Determining Cut-Points of A Continuous Scale.

Abstract The problem of determining cut-points of a continuous scale according to an established categorical scale is often encountered in practice for the purposes such as making diagnosis or treatment recommendation, determining study eligibility, or facilitating interpretations. A general analytic framework was recently proposed for assessing optimal cut-points defined based on some pre-specified criteria. However, the implementation of the existing nonparametric estimators under this framework and the associated inferences can be computationally intensive when more than a few cut-points need to be determined. To address this important issue, a smoothing-based modification of the current method is proposed and is found to substantially improve the computational speed as well as the asymptotic convergence rate. Moreover, a plug-in type variance estimation procedure is developed to further facilitate the computation. Extensive simulation studies confirm the theoretical results and demonstrate the computational benefits of the proposed method. The practical utility of the new approach is illustrated by an application to a mental health study.
The great antagonism that never was: unexpected affinities between religion and education in post-secular society

A persistent sociological thesis posits that the spread of formal education causes an inevitable decline in religion as a social institution and diminishes adherence to religious beliefs in postindustrial society. Now that worldwide advanced education is a central agent in developing and disseminating Western rationality emphasizing science as the ultimate truth claim about a humanly constructed society and the natural world this seems an ever more relevant thesis. Yet in the face of a robust “education revolution,” religion and spirituality endure, and in certain respects thrive, thus creating a sociological paradox: How can both expanding education and mass religion coexist? The solution proposed here is that instead of educational development setting the conditions for the decline and eventual death of religion, the two institutions have been, and continue to be, more compatible and even surprisingly symbiotic than is often assumed. This contributes to a culture of mass education and mass religion that is unique in the history of human society, exemplified by the heavily educated and churched United States. After a brief review of the empirical trends behind the paradox, a new confluence of streams of research on compatible worldviews, overlapping ideologies, and their enactments in educational and religious social movements illustrates the plausibility of an affinity argument and its impact on theory about post-secular society.
HPMA copolymer delivery of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy in ovarian cancer

Our studies document a unique and unexpected advantage of the combination of HPMA copolymer bound doxorubicin with mesochlorin e6/photodynamic therapy in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Each drug's activity is individually enhanced when compared with free (low molecular weight) drugs, furthermore, in combination these HPMA copolymer bound agents act synergistically to create an unexpected biological effect. Figure 8 depicts the known activities of each agent which may play synergistic roles. HPMA copolymer-doxorubicin has been widely evaluated in preclinical and clinical studies. It demonstrates marked advantages over free doxorubicin: control of biodistribution and accumulation via molecular weight restrictions, biodegradability, minimal immunogenicity, subcellular localization, anticancer activity, enhanced permeability and retention, increased apoptosis, lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, and reduced nonspecific toxicity. Recent clinical trials in the UK provide "proof of principle" of the "enhanced permeability and retention effect" for solid tumors and the unique advantages of this novel drug delivery system for the treatment of ovarian cancer. With regards to photodynamic therapy using the photosensitizer mesochlorin e6, the preclinical evaluations thus far document: control of biodistribution and accumulation via molecular weight restrictions, biodegradability, subcellular localization, anticancer activity, enhanced permeability and retention, and reduced nonspecific toxicity. Ongoing microarray studies document unique cellular pathways and new pharmaceutical properties which are initiated by the HPMA copolymer delivery delivery of these agents, and predict an exciting future for this novel drug delivery system.
Screen-based sedentary behaviors and internalizing symptoms across time among U.S. Hispanic adolescents.

Abstract Introduction The pervasive use of technology has raised concerns about its association with adolescent mental health, including internalizing symptoms. Existing studies have not always had consistent findings. Longitudinal research with diverse subgroups is needed. Methods This study examines the relationship between screen-based sedentary (SBS) behaviors and internalizing symptoms among 370 Hispanic adolescents living in Miami, Florida- United States, who were followed for 2 ½ years and assessed at baseline, 6, 18 and 30 months post-baseline between the years 2010 and 2014. Approximately 48% were girls, and 44% were foreign-born, most of these youth being from Cuba. Mean age at baseline was 13.4 years, while at the last time-point it was 15.9 years. Results Findings show that girls had higher internalizing symptoms and different patterns of screen use compared to boys, including higher phone, email, and text use. SBS behaviors and internalizing symptoms cooccurred at each time-point, and their trajectories were significantly related (r = 0.45, p Conclusions Continued research and monitoring of internalizing symptoms and screen use among adolescents is important, especially among girls. This includes assessments that capture quantity, context, and content of screen time.
50 Gb/s PAM4 Low-Voltage Si-Ge Avalanche Photodiode

We demonstrate a 50 Gb/s PAM4 operation of an integrated Si-Ge APD with low breakdown voltage of −10 V. The receiver has achieved −17 dBm optical input power at 50 Gb/s PAM4 with a bit error rate of 2.4×10−4• © 2019 The Author(s)
Oxidative cleavage of the CN bond during singlet oxygenations of amidoximates

Abstract Amidoximes are inert toward singlet oxygen (1O2), however, the photooxygenation of amidoximate anions proceeds smoothly and in high yield to give mixtures of amides and nitriles. The mechanism of these reactions appears to involve carbonyl oxide intermediates. The oxidative cleavage of amidoximates closely resembles the results obtained from nitric oxide synthase (NOS) oxidations of N-hydroxyarginine.
Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and the Practice of Medicine: The Thomas P. Hackett Award Lecture Given at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, 1995

The contributions of consultation-liaison pscyhiatrists have significantly influenced the practice of medicine. The author reviews the pertinent literature that substantiates this observation as well as suggests areas that hold promise for such contributions in the future.
Exploring convergence of snake-skin-inspired texture designs and additive manufacturing for mechanical traction

Abstract This research explores the convergence of a 3D printing process with snake-skin-inspired textures for mechanical traction. The design attributes of snake skin scales were studied via the shed skin of species Python Regius . Snake skin design, especially on ventricular side, consists of hexagonal scale patterns with denticulations and fibrils as hierarchical structures of the design. The snake-skin-inspired design was then explored for printing using the laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) manufacturing technique on 420 stainless steel. It was discovered that the surface roughness generated by the laser scanning path during the 3D printing technique closely mimics the hierarchical micro-texture of snake skin scales. The texture of the 3D printed part surface was measured using the JIS B 06061-2001 standard by a laser scanning microscope and this manuscript presents a comparison of the 3D printed texture with the shed snake skin surface. This paper also discusses directional traction properties of the printed surface using tribological study.
Neosporosis: An Overview of Its Molecular Epidemiology and Pathogenesis

Abstract Neospora caninum (N. caninum), a cyst-forming protozoan parasite, is a major cause of bovine abortions and neonatal mortality worldwide. N. caninum has a broad intermediate host range, and its sexual cycle occurs exclusively in canids. Another species of Neospora, Neospora hughesi (N. hughesi), has been identified and causes myeloencephalitis in horses. Although molecular epidemiology studies are in their infancy, the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and ITS1 regions within the small subunit ribosomal RNA (ssuRNA) and an N. caninum species-specific DNA probe (pNc5) have been used extensively to differentiate Neospora from other closely related apicomplexan parasites. While these repetitive regions have higher sensitivity and specificity than housekeeping or antigen genes, they suffer from low discriminatory power and fail to capture intra-species diversity. Similarly, although multiple minisatellite or microsatellite marker studies have shown clear geographic substructures within Neospora, strains are often misclassified due to a convergence in the size of different alleles at microsatellite loci, known as homoplasy. Only one strain, N. caninum Liverpool (Nc-Liv), has been genome sequenced and compared with its closest relative, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). Hence, detailed population genomics studies based on whole-genome sequences from multiple strains worldwide are needed in order to better understand the current population genetic structure of Neospora, and ultimately to determine more effective vaccine candidates against bovine neosporosis. The aim of this review is to outline our current understanding of the molecular epidemiology and genomics of Neospora in juxtaposition with the closely related apicomplexan parasites Hammondia hammondi and T. gondii.
Reducing burnout, vicarious trauma, and secondary traumatic stress through investigating purpose in life in social workers:

SummarySocial workers fulfill vital roles, servicing clients from vulnerable populations and maintaining their welfare. As a result of frequent interaction with clients who have often experienced t...
Disease Control and Patterns of Failure After Proton Beam Therapy for Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Purpose Pediatric patients with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) are treated with multimodal therapy, often with radiation therapy (RT) as part of local therapy. We report on the efficacy and patterns of failure after proton beam therapy (PBT) for RMS. Methods and Materials Between January 2006 and February 2017, patients with RMS were enrolled in a prospective institutional review board–approved registry protocol for pediatric patients undergoing PBT. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and treatment related outcomes were reviewed. Results Ninety-four RMS patients were treated with a combination of chemotherapy (CT) and PBT. The majority of patients had head and neck (49%) and genitourinary (30%) primaries. Median tumor size was 4.1 cm (range, 1.0-16.5 cm); 33 patients (35%) had primary tumors >5 cm. Median cyclophosphamide equivalent dose was 14.4 g/m2 (range, 0-30.8 g/m2). Median time from CT initiation to RT initiation was 13 weeks (range, 1-58 weeks). With median follow-up of 4 years, 4-year overall survival (OS) was 71%, and 4-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 63%. Thirty patients (32%) experienced relapse (13% with local failure [LF]). Four-year local control (LC) was 85% overall; 4-year LC rates were 100% for low-risk, 85% for intermediate-risk, and 55% for high-risk patients (P = .02). Tumor size predicted LC (P = .007), with 7% versus 33% LF rate by tumor size (≤5 cm vs >5 cm). Delayed RT delivery (≥13 weeks from initiation of CT) predicted worse LC (P = .01). Increased tumor size predicted both inferior PFS (P = .02) and OS (P = .01). Delayed RT delivery predicted both inferior PFS (P = .04) and OS (P = .03). Conclusions PBT provides LC comparable to prior studies using photon RT. Inferior LC, PFS, and OS rates were observed for patients with larger tumors and those treated with delayed RT. This finding supports ongoing prospective efforts to dose-escalate treatment of tumors >5 cm; however, these data call into question the optimal timing of local therapy, particularly for patients treated with reduced-dose cyclophosphamide.
Evaluating Bioinformatic Pipeline Performance for Forensic Microbiome Analysis

Microbial communities have potential evidential utility for forensic applications. However, bioinformatic analysis of high-throughput sequencing data varies widely among laboratories. These differences can potentially affect microbial community composition and downstream analyses. To illustrate the importance of standardizing methodology, we compared analyses of postmortem microbiome samples using several bioinformatic pipelines, varying minimum library size or minimum number of sequences per sample, and sample size. Using the same input sequence data, we found that three open-source bioinformatic pipelines, MG-RAST, mothur, and QIIME2, had significant differences in relative abundance, alpha-diversity, and beta-diversity, despite the same input data. Increasing minimum library size and sample size increased the number of low-abundant and infrequent taxa detected. Our results show that bioinformatic pipeline and parameter choice affect results in important ways. Given the growing potential application of forensic microbiology to the criminal justice system, continued research on standardizing computational methodology will be important for downstream applications.
Ecotype Simulation 2: An improved algorithm for efficiently demarcating microbial species from large sequence datasets

Background: Microbial systematists have used molecular cutoffs to classify the vast diversity present within a natural microbial community without invoking ecological theory. The use of ecological theory is needed to identify whether or not demarcated groups are the ecologically distinct, fundamental units (ecotypes), necessary for understanding the system. Ecotype Simulation, a Monte-Carlo approach to modeling the evolutionary dynamics of a microbial population based on the Stable Ecotype Model of microbial speciation, has proven useful for finding these fundamental units. For instance, predicted ecotypes of Synechococcus forming microbial mats in Yellowstone National Park hot springs, which were previously considered to be a single species based on phenotype, have been shown to be ecologically distinct, with specialization to different temperature and light levels. Unfortunately, development of high-throughput DNA sequencing methods has outpaced the ability of the program to analyze all of the sequence data produced. Results: We developed an improved version of the program called Ecotype Simulation 2, which can rapidly analyze alignments of very large sequence datasets. For instance, while the older version takes days to analyze 200 sequences, the new version can analyze 1.92x105 sequences in about six hours. The faster simulation identified similar ecotypes as found with the slower version, but from larger amounts of sequence data. Conclusions: Based on ecological theory, Ecotype Simulation 2 provides a much-needed approach that will help guide microbial ecologists and systematists to the natural, fundamental units of bacterial diversity.
Population structure and pharmacogenomic risk stratification in the United States

Pharmacogenomic (PGx) variants mediate how individuals respond to medication, and response differences among racial/ethnic groups have been attributed to patterns of PGx diversity. We hypothesized that genetic ancestry (GA) would provide higher resolution for stratifying PGx risk, since it serves as a more reliable surrogate for genetic diversity than self-identified race/ethnicity (SIRE), which includes a substantial social component. We analyzed a cohort of 8,628 individuals from the United States (US), for whom we had both SIRE information and whole genome genotypes, with a focus on the three largest SIRE groups in the US: White, Black, and Hispanic. Whole genome genotypes were used to characterize individuals9 continental ancestry fractions - European, African, and Native American - and individuals were grouped according to their GA profiles. SIRE and GA groups were found to be highly concordant. Continental ancestry predicts individuals9 SIRE with >96% accuracy, and accordingly GA provides only a marginal increase in resolution for PGx risk stratification. PGx variants are highly diverged compared to the genomic background; 82 variants show significant frequency differences among SIRE groups, and genome-wide patterns of PGx variation are almost entirely concordant with SIRE. Nevertheless, 97% of PGx variation is found within rather than between groups. Examples of highly differentiated PGx variants illustrate how SIRE partitions PGx variation based on group-specific ancestry patterns and contains valuable information for risk stratification. Finally, we show that individuals who identify as Black or Hispanic benefit more when SIRE is considered for treatment decisions than individuals from the majority White population.
Electron-only Reconnection in Kinetic-Alfvén Turbulence

We study numerically small-scale reconnection events in kinetic, low-frequency, quasi-2D turbulence (termed kinetic-Alfven turbulence). Using 2D particle-in-cell simulations, we demonstrate that such turbulence generates reconnection structures where the electron dynamics do not couple to the ions, similarly to the electron-only reconnection events recently detected in the Earth's magnetosheath by Phan et al. Electron-only reconnection is thus an inherent property of kinetic-Alfven turbulence, where the electron current sheets have limited anisotropy and, as a result, their sizes are smaller than the ion inertial scale. The reconnection rate of such electron-only events is found to be close to 0.1.
The supernova associated with GRB 031203: Smarts optical-infrared light curves from 0.2 to 92 days

Optical and infrared monitoring of the afterglow site of gamma-ray burst GRB 031203 has revealed a brightening source embedded in the host galaxy, which we attribute to the presence of a supernova (SN) related to the GRB ("SN 2003lw"). We present details of the discovery and evolution of SN 2003lw from 0.2 to 92 days after the GRB, derived from SMARTS consortium photometry in I and J bands. GRB 031203 was an intrinsically faint GRB, and the optical light curve is dominated by the SN after the first few days. A template Type Ic light curve, constructed from SN 1998bw photometry, is consistent with the peak brightness of SN 2003lw, although the light curves are not identical. Differential astrometry reveals that the SN, and hence the GRB, occurred less than 300 h pc (3 σ) from the apparent galaxy center.
A call for exploring mathematics education researchers’ interdisciplinary research practices

Mathematics Education Researchers’ work in interdisciplinary research groups can be enriching and challenging in terms of communication, work processes, institutional support, and the translation of findings into viable results for existing disciplines. We contend that there is a need to explore practices (i.e., ways of being, operating, and interacting with others) in these groups. We searched Scopus and ERIC databases to find published works of interdisciplinary groups involving at least one Mathematics Education Researcher, which led us to five articles in peer-reviewed mathematics education journals. Thematic analysis of these articles helped us identify three practices: (1) working toward research interests, (2) cultivating trust and open-mindedness, and (3) understanding institutional support. We argue that consideration of these practices can facilitate Mathematics Education Researchers’ interdisciplinary collaborations. Further research documenting Mathematics Education Researchers’ interactions within interdisciplinary research groups is needed.
Credit score: Assessing a library course’s association with graduation rates and GPAs for at-risk students at a regional public university

This study determined if a library credit course potentially influenced grades and graduation rates at a regional public university. The authors analyzed data from 33,882 undergraduates who attende...
COVID-19 Communication Ecology: Visualizing Communication Resource Connections During a Public Health Emergency Using Network Analysis

The COVID-19 outbreak began in December 2019 and soon became a global pandemic, resulting in major public health consequences for countries across the world. As the COVID-19 outbreak evolved, indiv...
Bioinspired Bistable Dielectric Elastomer Actuators: Programmable Shapes and Application as Binary Valves.

Nature has plenty of imitable examples of bistable thin structures that can actuate in response to mechanical and environmental stimuli, such as touch, light, and moisture. Scientists and engineers...
Algorithms for globally solving DC minimization problems via concave programming

Several methods have been proposed for solving a DC (difference of two convex functions) programming problem, but very few have been done on parallel approach. In this paper, three algorithms suitable for parallel implementation are presented to solve a DC problem via solving an equivalent concave minimization problem. To distribute the computation load as evenly as possible, a simplex subdivision process such as bisection, triangulation or other partition procedures of simplices are employed. Some numerical test results are reported and comparison of these algorithms are given.
Membrane Elasticity and Mediated Interactions in Continuum Theory: A Differential Geometric Approach

Biomembranes are fantastically complex systems [1–4]: hundreds of different lipid and protein species self-assemble into a large two-dimensional aggregate of locally complex and laterally inhomogeneous structure, and a globally potentially daunting topology. Thermal motion of this elastically soft system contributes prominently to its properties, and active processes constantly drive it away from equilibrium. How can we ever hope to learn something quantitative about such a complicated thing? The route to success lies — as so often in physics — in the observation that we can frefectly well described by an effective Hamiltonian, whose small number of phenomenological parameters depend on — and can in principle be determined from — the underlying microscopic physics. Yet, establishing this micro–macro relation is not prerequisite to a successful ing steps can be performed, thus constructing a hierarchy of scales with much beautiful physics in the different tiers. For instance, the laws of quantum mechanics explain everything about water that we need to know — e.g., how water structure and hydrogen bonds give rise to many of water’s anomalies — but we can often just describe it effectively as a substance with some measurable material parameters, such as density, heat of vaporization, melting point, and compressibility. And even of these parameters many become irrelevant if we’re only interested in large-scale fluid motion, for which density and viscosity are often the only relevant properties. Having gotten so used to this separability, we sometimes even forget that the success of physics as a science rests entirely on it. If phenomena on different scales could not be disentangled, we would for instance not be able to describe the motion of the liquid in a stirred cup of coffee without a thorough appreciation of its atomic structure. Or, maybe we’d even need to understand quarks? Or strings? The fact that for all intents and purposes we can master our surrounding world quite well, without knowing what the ultimate structure of matter and the form of a Grand Unified Theory is, provides a vivid proof for the power of scale separation.
Monte Carlo Simulation of Lateral Surface Superlattices in a Magnetic Field

In a two-dimensional (2D) electron gas in a 2D periodic lattice potential with a magnetic field applied perpendicular to the electron gas plane, the energy spectrum is fractal. If the field is a weak perturbation, the spectrum becomes a periodic function of the field, with a period of one flux quanta per lattice cell (Hofstadter, 1978). A single period of this spectrum takes the form of a “butterfly.” There are well-defined energy gaps, but the energy bands are extremely sensitive, non-analytic functions of the field. In real crystals, the lattice constants are so small that the magnetic fields corresponding to the condition r c ≃ a are unachievably large — on the order of 108 G. However, this condition can now be achieved in quasi-2D electron gases with artificially engineered lattices. In these lateral surface superlattices (LSSL’s), quasi-2D electron dynamics is realized in FET channels, and superlattice potentials are created by mesh-gate electrodes. With typical superlattice potential periods on the order of 0.1 μm, the required magnetic fields are reduced by a factor of 105 and practical experiments become possible.
Metabolism of recombination coding ends in scid cells

V(D)J recombination cleavage generates two types of dsDNA breaks: blunt signal ends and covalently sealed hairpin coding ends. Although signal ends can be directly ligated to form signal joints, hairpin coding ends need to be opened and subsequently processed before being joined. However, the underlying mechanism of coding end resolution remains undefined. The current study attempts to delineate this process by analyzing various structures of coding ends made in situ from recombination-inducible pre-B cell lines of both normal and scid mice. These cell lines were derived by transformation of B cell precursors with the temperature-sensitive Abelson murine leukemia virus. Our kinetic analysis revealed that under conditions permissive to scid transformants, hairpin coding ends could be nicked to generate 3' overhangs and then processed into blunt ends. The final joining of these blunt ends followed the same kinetics as signal joint formation. The course of this process is in sharp contrast to coding end resolution in scid heterozygous transformants that express the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase, in which hairpin end opening, processing, and joining proceeded very rapidly and appeared to be closely linked. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the opening of hairpin ends in scid cells could be manipulated by different culture conditions, which ultimately influenced not only the level and integrity of the newly formed coding joints, but also the extent of microhomology at the coding junctions. These results are discussed in the context of scid leaky recombination.
Corrrection of neurologic and cosmetic deficits secondary to untreated zygoma fracture. Abbreviated case report.

Abstract A case of late diagnosis and treatment of a 4-month-old fractured zygoma is reported.
Extracting video object's motion trajectory by velocity voting

Video object extraction is an important issue in video content analysis. In this paper, a novel approach to motion trajectory extraction is proposed, which may effectively facilitate video object extraction. A motion trajectory in this approach is defined as a trail of image regions with coherent velocities in an image sequence. The regions with color and texture coherence are extracted first. Then, the region velocity is estimated through the relationships between itself and its adjacent regions in the consecutive frames. This process is called velocity voting. After that, the genetic algorithm is applied to establish the 2D+t motion trajectories based on the region velocities. Finally, some short motion trajectories are concatenated along the time axis. In the spatial plane, the regions are merged by grouping the similar motion trajectories. Experimental results show that the proposed approach effectively suppresses some challenging issues in video object extraction, such as over-segmentation and losing track of objects.
Conflict Resolution at a Medieval English Fair

Recent studies of commercial conflict resolution have emphasized the role of informal norms and extralegal incentives as compared to the formal legal system. Yet the merchants who frequented medieval English fairs, whose example has been invoked as a precedent for modern dispute resolution, may not have fit this model. These merchants frequently litigated before the courts of the fairs, local tribunals of general jurisdiction that retained formal procedures and traditional methods of proof. Why did these traders rely on existing authorities rather than their own private institutions? And why did they appear before local tribunals, rather than alternative fora such as the English royal courts? This essay examines the records of the fair court of St. Ives, one of England’s largest and best-documented fairs in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. It argues that the fair court managed to attract litigants in the face of jurisdictional competition through an effective alignment of legal and extralegal incentives. The court offered not only reputational sanctions, but also the coercive process necessary to govern a heterogeneous trading community. Although it lacked the reach and authority of a royal court, it offered merchants greater speed and flexibility in the application of specific customs, relying on community knowledge rather than official fact-gathering. The fair court of St. Ives provides an illuminating example of the interaction of law and society, demonstrating how fragile legal systems can succeed by making use of, and coordinating with, extralegal norms and incentives to accomplish official ends.
Electron Microscope Study of Length and Partial Denaturation of Rhizobium Bacteriophage DNA

By electron microscopy and melting of the DNA of some bacteriophages from the soil bacterium Rhizobium lupini, it was found that molecular weights range between 27 and 50 Mdaltons and GC contents between 53 and 62%. All DNAs studied are linear; one has exposed single-stranded terminals. Partial heat denaturation of two phage DNA permitted mapping of AT-rich sites within unique nucleotide sequences. The maps are asymmetric with respect to the midpoints of the DNA.
Resolving goal conflicts via argumentation-based analysis of competing hypotheses

A stakeholder's beliefs influence his or her goals. However, a stakeholder's beliefs may not be consistent with the goals of all stakeholders of a system being constructed. Such belief-goal inconsistencies could manifest themselves as conflicting goals of the system to be. We propose Arg-ACH, a novel approach for capturing inconsistencies between stakeholders' goals and beliefs, and resolving goal conflicts. Arg-ACH employs a hybrid of (1) the analysis of competing hypotheses (ACH), a structured analytic technique, for systematically eliciting stakeholders' goals and beliefs, and (2) rational argumentation for determining belief-goal inconsistencies to resolve conflicts. Arg-ACH treats conflicting goals as hypotheses that compete with each other and the winning hypothesis as a goal of the system to be. Arg-ACH systematically captures the trail of a requirements engineer's thought process in resolving conflicts. We evaluated Arg-ACH via a study in which 20 subjects applied Arg-ACH or ACH to resolve goal conflicts in a sociotechnical system concerning national security. We found that Arg-ACH is superior to ACH with respect to completeness and coverage of belief search; length of belief chaining; ease of use; explicitness of the assumptions made; and repeatability of conclusions across subjects. Not surprisingly, Arg-ACH required more time than ACH: although this is justified by improvements in quality, the gap could be reduced through better tooling.
Immunoglobulin a in saliva of protein-calorie malnourished hospitalized adults

Abstract Concentrations of immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM) and total protein were measured in saliva of 35 malnourished hospitalized adults, 34 well-nourished hospitalized adult controls and 32 healthy adult controls. The malnourished subjects had significantly higher salivary protein, IgA and IgG concentrations than either control group. However, salivary IgA expressed as a percent of total protein (%IgA) was not significantly different between the malnourished subjects and either control group. %IgA was decreased only in a subgroup of the malnourished subjects, those with mixed kwashiorkor-marasmus. Increased concentrations of the salivary immunoglobulins in the malnourished subjects could be due to reduced salivary flow or increased transudation from the plasma due to impaired barrier function. These findings in hospitalized adults are in contrast to previous reports of decreased IgA concentration and %IgA in secretions of malnourished children.
How Not to Be Seen II: The Defenders Fight Back

For pt.I see ibid., vol. 5, no.1, p.67-69 (2007). This article discusses about stealthy software-that is, software that manipulates a computer in some way to avoid some aspect of its operation. The stealth is divided up into roughly three categories: passive, hooking, and hypervisor-based stealth detection. Most stealth malware hides by hooking and redirecting system calls, either at the kernel or the operating system (OS) level.