cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
cDNA Cloning and Sequencing, Gene Expression, and Immunolocalization of Thrombomodulin in the Sprague-Dawley Rat

Thrombomodulin (TM), in addition to its significance in the protein C anticoagulant pathway and cardiovascular diseases, has recently been shown to play important roles in normal embryonic development, several inflammatory conditions, as well as in tumor biology and in the pathogenesis of chronic radiation toxicity. We cloned and sequenced the cDNA encoding the complete TM protein from the Sprague-Dawley rat. The cDNA sequence consisted of a 78-bp 5' non-coding region and a 1731-bp open reading frame encoding 577 amino acids. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences showed Sprague-Dawley rat TM to be 87% homologous with mouse and 70.3% with human TM. In addition to the previously described highly conserved region in the lectin-like domain, another region was found which possessed significant homology among the species and may be involved in regulating cell surface expression of TM. Primers and fluorogenic probe for 5' exonuclease-based real time RT-PCR detection (TaqMan™ PCR) were constructed based on the cDNA sequence information and used to determine steady-state TM mRNA levels in lung, intestine, kidney, brain, and liver. The highest TM mRNA levels were found in lung and the lowest in liver. Immunohistochemistry confirmed that TM was mainly localized on the endothelium of blood vessels and lymphatics. The alveolar capillaries of lung showed the strongest immunoreactivity, whereas the endothelium of hepatic sinusoids and cerebral cortex were virtually negative.
Predator—Prey Models and Contact Considerations

Employing ethological models derived from terrestrial predators and prey, I attempt to evaluate the likelihood that an intelligent alien will be beneficent, neutral or hostile. To this end I review what is known about selective pressures for intelligence generally, and for predators and prey particularly. I also review some of the conditions that would promote or inhibit the development of intelligence. After discussing the contributions to intelligence of tool use and spatial behavior, I—in agreement with the majority of evolutionary biologists, psychologists and anthropologists—settle on social behavior as the most potent contributor to the development of higher intelligence. Predators, although well equipped with fierce dispositions, ‘weaponry’ and ‘armor,’ can establish well organized and highly supportive in-groups, such as wolves do. It seems likely that any intelligence that evolves in a social unit will be affected by minimal requirements involved in-group cooperation and cohesion. The result will likely be constraints on agonistic behavior and an ability to engage in cooperative endeavors … within the group. Toward outsiders, the behavior of such organisms may well be far more exploitative. Our own history suggests as much. I conclude with an expression of strong support for the efforts of SETI and others to obtain information about intelligent others. The potential benefits to be gained from this are simply too great to gainsay. However, despite the unlikelihood of actual physical contact, I conclude with a caution about divulging too much information about ourselves.
Voter Suppression, Party, and Democracy

Voting is an essential feature of democracy but throughout the western world, the suppression of the vote has become an integral part of politics by both liberals and conservatives. During the 1960s and 1970s in the United States the right to vote was largely settled. However, in recent years those on the political right have developed systemic and systematic efforts to suppress voting across a series of spectrums for purposes of winning political campaigns. Wepropose to examine the empirical evidence undergirding patterns of voter suppression in the United States, and offer a series of policy recommendations for resolving the problem. Special attention will be given to the United States Justice Department investigations of patterns of voter suppression in Texas and North Carolina.
Synthesis and Characterization of Bi2Al4O9 Powders

Bi2Al4O9 powders were prepared by sol-gel process. The precursors were heated at 500-800°C for 2h to obtain Bi2Al4O9 powder and X-ray diffraction (XRD), Differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques were used to characterize precursor and derived oxide powders. XRD analysis show that the powder is still amorphous after calcined at 500°C. The peaks of Bi2Al4O9 become sharp after calcined at 575°C though still existing some amorphous phase. After calcining at 675-800°C, the powder has fully turned into pure Bi2Al4O9 phase. The crystallization process can also be confirmed by DTA-TG and IR. Calcining the precursor at 575°C, the absorption bands at 527 cm-1, 738 cm-1, 777 cm-1, and 919 cm-1are observed, which are assigned to Bi2Al4O9 and becoming stronger and sharper with the increase of temperature.
Barriers to Need-Based Financial Aid: The Relationships between Income, Geography, Social Capital and the FAFSA

Researchers overwhelmingly agree that socioeconomic factors and academic ability are strong predictors of college enrollment and completion. Researchers also find that low‐income students face significant barriers to college including weak academic preparation, less access to social capital and resources that encourage college going, and financial support for college. Need‐based financial aid aims to address one of these barriers, financial support, by offering financial aid regardless of academic merit. Unfortunately, we know little about the ways in which need‐based aid is distributed among low‐income students. This research uses the Illinois Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) as a case study for investigating the economic, geographic, and social factors that shape access to need‐based financial aid. Specifically, we examine the relationship between geographic, social, and economic factors with timely FAFSA completion, which is the required for receipt of a MAP grant. The findings indicate that the distribution of need‐based aid in Illinois is significantly related to social and economic factors, but that geography is not a significant predictor for whether or not low‐income students receive a MAP grant. The results point to important differences among low‐income college going students and help to advance our understanding of state run need‐based financial aid programs.
CHK1 regulates NF-κB signaling upon DNA damage in p53- deficient cells and associated tumor-derived microvesicles.

// Brittany L. Carroll 1 , Michael J. Pulkoski-Gross 1, 2 , Yusuf A. Hannun 1 , Lina M. Obeid 1, 3 1 Stony Brook Cancer Center and The Department of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York, USA 2 Pharmacological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Health Sciences Center, Stony Brook, New York, USA 3 Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Northport, New York, USA Correspondence to: Lina M. Obeid, email: lina.obeid@stonybrookmedicine.edu Keywords: p53, CHK1, DNA damage, tumor microvesicles Received: October 07, 2015 Accepted: January 23, 2016 Published: February 22, 2016 ABSTRACT The recently discovered CHK1-Suppressed (CS) pathway is activated by inhibition or loss of the checkpoint kinase CHK1, promoting an apoptotic response to DNA damage mediated by caspase-2 in p53-deficient cells. Although functions of the CS-pathway have been investigated biochemically, it remains unclear whether and how CHK1 inhibition can be regulated endogenously and whether this constitutes a key component of the DNA damage response (DDR). Here, we present data that define the first endogenous activation of the CS-pathway whereby, upon DNA damage, wild type p53 acts as an endogenous regulator of CHK1 levels that modulates caspase-2 activation. Moreover, we demonstrate that persistence of CHK1 levels in response to DNA damage in p53-deficient cancer cells, leads to CHK1-mediated activation of NF-κB and induction of NF-κB-regulated genes in cells and in associated tumor-derived microvesicles (TMVs), both of which are abrogated by loss or inhibition of CHK1. These data define a novel role for CHK1 in the DDR pathway as a regulator NF-κB activity. Our data provide evidence that targeting CHK1 in p53-deficient cancers may abrogate NF-κB signaling that is associated with increased cellular survival and chemoresistance.
Game-Theoretic Solution of Baccarat

(1957). Game-Theoretic Solution of Baccarat. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 64, No. 7P1, pp. 465-469.
Swimming against the Tide: A Case Study on the Removal of Conservatorship and Guardianship

ABSTRACTObjective: This article evaluates the role healthcare providers play in balancing safety versus autonomy among elders when performing capacity evaluations.Methods: Presentation of a case study consisting of an 85-year-old, Caucasian, widowed, male, post-stroke veteran, residing in long-term care. He was assigned a permanent court-appointed joint guardian and conservator, but wanted to remove both of these as he felt he had the ability to manage his own affairs. This case study specifically addresses the issue of financial capacity.Results: After completion of the evaluation, a case was made for the least restrictive means balancing patient autonomy and protection, opting for a limited conservatorship. The court, using the evaluation as evidence, completely removed the guardianship and conservatorship.Conclusions: This article outlines how providers can navigate multiple roles, team dynamics, and advocate for enhancing the capacity of an older adult.
Phosphorylation of myosin-1c by cAMP- dependent protein kinase a dissertation

In hair cells of the inner ear, the process of adaptation resets the open probability of the transduction channel to its resting value restoring hair-cell sensitivity. Determining how the adaptation motor, myosin-1c (MyoIc), is regulated is critical for understanding how sensitivity is controlled in hair cells. Previous research has shown that activators of Protein Kinase A (PKA) can reduce channel open probability, suggesting a decrease in force production by the adaptation motor. Consistent with these results, a PKA phosphorylation site (RRXS) is located at serine 701 (S701) in a hinge region between the head and neck of MyoIc, a prime location to affect mechanics of the motor. The experiments herein demonstrate that MyoIc could be phosphorylated by PKA at S701. Short peptides of MyoIc containing the PKA consensus site at S701 were strongly phosphorylated by PKA. Sf9 cell-expressed constructs of MyoIc containing either the head or tail domains in addition to the neck domains were also phosphorylated by PKA, though stoichiometry measurements showed only 10-15% of the protein was phosphorylated. Phosphorylation levels of long constructs were increased in the presence of Ca. Phosphorylation of short peptides containing only the first IQ domain and PKA consensus site were phosphorylated by PKA strongly in the presence of calmodulin (CaM), but inhibited when Ca was present. CaM also bound with equal affinity to the first IQ domain of both phosphorylated and unphosphorylated short peptides of
Customer Journey Maps for Demographic Online Customer Profiles

In the digital landscape where the customer is defining and reveling in his choices each marketer should look at how best to cater to a specific customer so that both sides walks away smiling. In order to do this most product and service companies are currently drawing up their typical customer profiles and takes it to a higher level by giving the customer profile indicative of a particular segment a specific persona. Personas help marketers to think like the character and draw out the reactions of that person to the changes brought by the company. Companies also plot the typical journey of these indicative personas to identify the touch points so as to improve the total experience by information available at these points. The objective of this study is to draw up different personas who engage in online purchasing methods. Further segmentation is targeted using the demographic variables to arrive at different personas depicting the typical generation of online consumers. It also aims at defining the particular features of these outlined personas. In continuation of this process a consumer journey map for each of these personas would be drawn highlighting the touch points or the points of influence which influences their final decision making.
Molecular biology of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

A community-based, multidisciplinary approach, incorporating chemotherapy may provide benefit to patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Drug-induced cytoreduction may make it possible to perform surgery on patients hitherto inoperable, and may facilitate radiotherapy in other patients with regionally advanced disease. Several criteria must be met before the institution of this approach. The drugs selected must be effective in a majority of patients and toxic side effects must be within tolerable limits; candidates must be screened carefully with regard to age, stage, histology, performance status, past medical history, and they should be able to understand the potential risks involved. Importantly, support must be obtained from referring physicians, surgeons, and radiation therapists.
From Protest to Praxis or Being Real in the Classroom

In this chapter, the author offers a discussion of being real in the classroom by applying the notions of teaching to transgress. Teaching to transgress diverse boundaries, both in and outside of the classroom is the goal. She suggests tools that have helped to make real the learning and teaching of the sociology of gender. Theory, storytelling, application, and praxis are discussed as ways to help students move from protest and resistance to praxis. Grounded in theory, storytelling and application activities are offered. All of which help to model and move students to seeing gender in everyday life as an embodied or living practice rather than an innate or essential quality. Given that, students are empowered to enact gender justice and equality.
A fresh look on the origin of nonlinear light scattering and photoluminescence from gold nanorods

Using electron holography, we have shown that gold nanorods with perfect structural symmetry are electrically anisotropic. We present a quantitative model that accounts for the spectrum, power scaling and the origin of the luminescence.
A Synoptic Climatology of the Elevated Mixed-Layer Inversion over the Southern Great Plains in Spring. Part II: The Life Cycle of the Lid

Abstract This study documents the cycle of lid formation and dissipation over the central U.S. during the spring season(defined as April, May, and June). The primary area of interest is Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas; however, thestudy encompasses the surrounding states and the source regions for the elevated mixed layer, such as thewestern U.S. and northern Mexico. The database includes conventional surface and rawinsonde observations,as well as derived parameters that define the lid structure. We examine the temporal and spatial variability oflid occurrence and the associated surface/500-mb synoptic patterns to determine the periodicity of lid occurrence,seasonal tendencies, and relationships between different slages of the lid cycle and specific synoptic flow types. Our results indicate that the lid cycle has a mean period of about one week. Synoptic typing shows that thereare basically two types of lid cycles: one that begins with a surface high pressure incursion into the southernPlains, and one that be...
Stimulus processing and error monitoring in more‐able kindergarteners with autism spectrum disorder: a short review and a preliminary Event‐Related Potentials study

Deficits in executive functions (EF) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been identified. However, there is limited evidence about patterns of deficits in EF-related skills, especially at the neurobiological level, in young children with ASD and little is known about how these skills are related to other domains of functioning and symptom severity. In this study, we provide a focused review of EF-related Event-Related Potentials (ERP) studies in children with ASD, accompanied by preliminary data for neurophysiological correlates of EF on a child-friendly Go/No-go task. We focus our preliminary investigation on ERPs associated with stimulus processing (N2, P3) and error monitoring [error/correct-related negativity (ERN, CRN), error positivity (Pe)] in 5-year-old kindergarteners with ASD and typical controls matched on age, gender and task accuracy. Children with ASD showed significantly greater amplitudes of ERN/CRN compared to matched controls, suggesting heightened response monitoring. The ASD group also showed less distinct inhibitory P3 compared to the TD group, potentially suggesting atypical stimulus processing. In children with ASD, higher autism symptom severity was correlated with larger P3. Better behavioral performance on an EF-related task was correlated with smaller CRN. Our study is the first investigation to demonstrate the presence of N2, P3, ERN/CRN and Pe in kindergartners with ASD. The potential links between ERP patterns and behavioral and clinical features in more-able children with ASD highlight the need for further exploration into the functional mechanisms of these atypical neural activities and for more focused behavioral interventions targeting cognitive control and response monitoring.
Advanced Fourier Analysis

The Fourier transform of a function f(x) exists if f(x) is absolutely integrable, i. e., if $$ \int\limits_{ - \infty }^\infty {\left| {f\left( x \right)} \right|} dx $$ (1) is convergent and if f(x) satisfies the Dirichlet conditions1: (a) f(x) is single valued (b) f(x) is piecewise continuous (c) f(x) has a finite number of maxima and minima. To be absolutely integrable, |f(x)| must decrease more rapidly than 1/x as x approaches ± ∞, and f(x) must not have poles within the interval of integration. If these conditions are not satisfied, it is senseless to talk about a Fourier spectrum; and all the results that are obtained by formal computations are meaningless. For instance, a sinusoidal vibration that is switched on at a certain instant but goes on forever has no Fourier spectrum, nor does a step function have a Fourier spectrum because these functions do not satisfy the convergence criterion for t→± ∞.
The Negative Proof of the Discursive Model: Populism as a Conceptual and Empirical Problem

In order to compare cases of populism in Latin America and the United States, this chapter shows the theoretical and empirical advantages of utilizing Laclau’s discursive model of populism. First of all, insofar as the type of populism found in the United States is both rhetorically charged and principally based on discursive features, a model that treats populism as discourse and pivots around elements such as signifiers and chains of articulated demands is specifically oriented to the object of my analysis. Another advantage of Laclau’s model is its ability to allow for the conception of populism as a universal discursive formation. There are many instances of political phenomena designated as “populist” all around the world and in different time periods. After a review of the literature concerning the US, Latin American, and Western European cases, it will become evident that many theorists construct limited definitions of populism that exclude or discount cases of populism occurring in other regions. The attempt to isolate cases of populism based on region and subsequently tie these cases to historical, economic, and political conditions specific to these regions reveals theoretical problems and empirical inconsistencies and forecloses the possibility of a comparative-historical approach to populism. In order to suggest a comparison between US populism and those of Latin American cases, it is useful to employ Laclau’s ontological model of populist discourse, which provides the abstract discursive components of hegemonic identity formations applicable across cases.
Entamoeba histolytica activates host cell caspases during contact-dependent cell killing.

Entamoeba histolytica is a human intestinal parasite that causes amoebic colitis as well as liver abscesses. Host tissues are damaged through a three-step process involving adherence, contact-dependent cytolysis, and phagocytosis. These three processes all contribute to the pathogenicity of this parasite. Adherence is provided by the Gal/GalNAc adherence lectin. Host cells are lysed in a contact-dependent fashion. There is evidence that suggests that this contact-dependent killing involves the induction of the host cell’s apoptotic machinery. Phagocytosis can then occur, consistent with metazoan apoptotic clearance.
Uniform Quantization of Multidimensional Systems

The need for uniform semiclassical quantization of multidimensional nonseparable systems is briefly reviewed. A numerical method for uniform quantization of states for resonant two degree of freedom coupled oscillator systems, based upon a previously developed Fourier approach to semiclassical mechanics, is described. Preliminary results are presented for the 1:1 resonant Henon-Heiles system.
Control of Stress Corrosion Cracking in Storage Tanks Containing Radioactive Waste.

At the Savannah River Plant, stress corrosion of carbon steel storage tanks containing alkaline nitrate radioactive waste is controlled by specification of limits on waste composition and temperatu...
Continuous User Interfaces for Seamless Task Migration

In this paper, we propose the Task Migration framework that provides a vocabulary and constructs to decompose a task into its components, and to examine issues that arise when it is performed using multiple devices. In a world of mobile devices and multiple computing devices, users are often forced to interrupt their tasks, move their data and information back and forth among the various devices manually, recreate the interaction context, and then resume the task on another device. We refer to this break from the task at hand as a task disconnect . Our objective is to study how software can bridge this task disconnect, enabling users to seamlessly transition a task across devices using continuous user interface . The framework is intended to help designers of interactive systems understand where breaks in task continuity may occur, and to proactively incorporate features and capabilities to mitigate their impact or avoid such Task Disconnects altogether.
Complications of endoscopic gastrointestinal dilation techniques.

Dilation techniques add to the complication rates of diagnostic endoscopic procedures. Endoscopy-assisted dilation methods have the advantages of direct inspection of the strictured region, biopsy capabilities at the same sitting, and greater success with difficult strictures, but complication rates are not perceptibly different from other dilation methods. Perforation is the most common, severe, and important of the complications.
Endocannabinoids and epilepsy

The brain endocannabinoid system (ECS) plays an essential role in regulating central physiological processes that underlie learning and memory, anxiety, depression, addiction, appetite and feeding, pain, neuronal excitability and protection. A primary mode through which the ECS functions in the brain is via its regulation of synaptic transmission, whereby neuronal depolarization triggers the on-demand synthesis and release of the endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol, which act in a retrograde manner at presynaptic cannabinoid type I receptors to inhibit transmitter release. The actions of the brain ECS occur in a highly complex temporal and spatial manner, which enable it to fine-tune neuronal transmission at the regional, neuronal-network pathways, synaptic, and cellular/molecular levels. In this effect, the ECS can be recruited as a defense mechanism against excitotoxic neuronal transmission. Research studies have revealed that in the neuropathological conditions of seizure and epilepsy, lasting alterations in the ECS occur, which may act in a compensatory manner to regulate the neuronal hyperexcitability associated with these disorders. This chapter will cover the current knowledge of the underlying processes through which the brain ECS regulates excitatory synaptic transmission and the maladaptive alterations to this endogenous system that have been shown to be associated with the epileptic condition. Lastly, the wealth of basic research findings that has utilized in vivo and in vitro models to evaluate the therapeutic potential for targeting different components of the brain ECS for the treatment of seizures and epilepsy, as well as a brief addressing of anecdotal data on the use of cannabinoid-based medicines for the treatment of these clinical conditions, will be discussed.
Decay of activated Bacillus subtilis pho response regulator, PhoP approximately P, involves the PhoR approximately P intermediate.

PhoR of Bacillus subtilis is a histidine sensor-kinase belonging to the family of two-component signal transduction systems. PhoR is responsible for processing the phosphate-starvation signal and providing phosphate input to regulate the level of phosphorylated response regulator, PhoP, which activates/represses Pho regulon gene transcription. The catalytic domain of PhoR is sufficient for the low-phosphate inducible expression of Pho regulon genes since removing the N-terminal membrane-associated domain did not alter the kinetics of Pho induction, albeit the total level of induction was decreased (1). In this study we showed that the complete B. subtilis PhoR protein produced in Escherichia coli can be reverse phosphorylated by PhoP-phosphate. We also used a C-terminal fragment of the PhoR protein, *PhoR, to demonstrate that the phosphoryl group on phospho-PhoP was transferred back to *PhoR in the reverse phosphorylation reaction or released as inorganic phosphate to the reaction mixture. The reverse pho...
Copper (II) catalyzed homocoupling and heterocoupling of terminal alkynes

Abstract Cu(OTf)2 catalyzed homo– and heterocoupling of aromatic and aliphatic terminal alkynes has been developed. Symmetric and unsymmetric 1,3-diynes have been synthesized in good yields under an aerobic condition in the presence of an organic base DBU. This reaction features mild conditions, a wide substrate scope, and excellent functional group compatibility.
Concurrent query processing in a GPU-based database system.

The unrivaled computing capabilities of modern GPUs meet the demand of processing massive amounts of data seen in many application domains. While traditional HPC systems support applications as standalone entities that occupy entire GPUs, there are GPU-based DBMSs where multiple tasks are meant to be run at the same time in the same device. To that end, system-level resource management mechanisms are needed to fully unleash the computing power of GPUs in large data processing, and there were some researches focusing on it. In our previous work, we explored the single compute-bound kernel modeling on GPUs under NVidia’s CUDA framework and provided an in-depth anatomy of the NVidia’s concurrent kernel execution mechanism (CUDA stream). This paper focuses on resource allocation of multiple GPU applications towards optimization of system throughput in the context of systems. Comparing to earlier studies of enabling concurrent tasks support on GPU such as MultiQx-GPU, we use a different approach that is to control the launching parameters of multiple GPU kernels as provided by compile-time performance modeling as a kernel-level optimization and also a more general pre-processing model with batch-level control to enhance performance. Specifically, we construct a variation of multi-dimensional knapsack model to maximize concurrency in a multi-kernel environment. We present an in-depth analysis of our model and develop an algorithm based on dynamic programming technique to solve the model. We prove the algorithm can find optimal solutions (in terms of thread concurrency) to the problem and bears pseudopolynomial complexity on both time and space. Such results are verified by extensive experiments running on our microbenchmark that consists of real-world GPU queries. Furthermore, solutions identified by our method also significantly reduce the total running time of the workload, as compared to sequential and MultiQx-GPU executions.
Attachment, Parental Meta-Emotion, and Emotion Regulation in Adoptive Mother–Child Dyads:

Adopted children are at risk for a number of unfavorable environmental factors and thus have an increased likelihood of developing social, emotional, cognitive, and attachment issues that can stunt...
Avatrombopag for the treatment of immune thrombocytopenia and thrombocytopenia of chronic liver disease.

Avatrombopag is an orally-administered small molecule thrombopoietin receptor agonist. It was the third thrombopoietin receptor agonist approved for the treatment of immune thrombocytopenia and the first approved to treat periprocedural thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic liver disease (thereby providing an alternative to blood transfusions for these patients). Unlike eltrombopag, avatrombopag does not require a 4 hr food-restricted window around its use and it has not been associated with hepatotoxicity in ITP patients or portal vein thrombosis in patients with chronic liver disease. In ITP patients it can often be dosed less frequently than once daily. It is overall well-tolerated with a side-effect profile similar to placebo in randomized clinical trials. This article will review the clinical development, efficacy, safety, and pharmacology of avatrombopag for use in patients with ITP and thrombocytopenia of chronic liver disease.
Electromagnetics Education and Its Future and Challenges

This paper outlines the problems and challenges in the methodology and practice of electromagnetics teaching and learning globally. It presents some examples of general approaches to overcoming these difficulties, and discusses strategies for advancing electromagnetics education in the near future.
Numerical Studies of Acoustic Particle Velocity and Acoustic Variability with a SSF/PE Model

Abstract : The calculation of underwater acoustic pressure fields using numerical models has been at the core of numerous projects related to both sonar and environmental applications. This varies from simple sonar range-of-the-day predictions to the inversion of acoustic data for determination of bottom ocean properties. Although great progress has been made with existing models that compute the acoustic pressure field, much of the previous work has ignored other aspects of the propagation, such as the additional information available in the associated acoustic particle velocity fields, and the impact of environmental uncertainty on sonar predictions. The goal of this 2-year project was to examine these issues and determine how they may be utilized to improve performance for a variety of applications.
Kidney retransplantation after anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)-related allograft rejection

In this report, we describe the first kidney retransplantation performed after anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)-related allograft rejection. In 2014, we administered pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1) for ~9 months to a 57-year-old kidney transplant recipient with metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). The patient experienced both a complete anti-tumor response and T cell-mediated allograft rejection requiring reinitiation of hemodialysis. Four-and-a-half years after initiating pembrolizumab, the patient remained without evidence of CSCC relapse and received a kidney transplant from a living unrelated donor. Ten-and-a-half months after kidney retransplantation, the allograft is functioning well and the patient’s CSCC remains in remission. This case illustrates the potential for PD-1 blockade to bring about durable immune-mediated tumor control in chronically-immunosuppressed patients, and begins to address the feasibility of kidney retransplantation in patients who have previously received immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for cancer. Results from this and future cases may help elucidate mechanisms of anti-tumor immunity and allograft tolerance, and inform updates to transplant decision models. Our report also underscores the need for clinical trials testing novel immunotherapy combinations in solid organ transplant recipients designed to uncouple anti-tumor and anti-allograft immunity.
Substance Use Disorder Treatment, Perceived Need for Treatment, and Barriers to Treatment Among Parenting Women With Substance Use Disorder in US Rural Counties.

OBJECTIVE Higher rates of substance use in rural counties compared to urban counties have been well documented. Low perceived need for treatment among those with substance use disorder (SUD) has also been documented in the literature. However, not much is known about SUD treatment among parenting women in rural counties and the impact of perceived need for treatment in seeking care. Little research has also examined barriers to SUD treatment among parenting women in rural communities. METHODS Using a large nationally representative dataset, the study utilizes multivariable logistic regression models to estimate the differences in utilizing SUD treatment among parenting women with SUD in rural and urban counties in the United States. Role of perceived need for SUD treatment and barriers related to finance, access, and stigma are also examined. RESULTS Parenting women in rural counties with SUD who perceive a need for treatment have more than 90% lower odds of receiving treatment compared to those in urban counties. In addition, parenting women with SUD in rural counties have more than 50% higher odds of identifying access-related issues such as lack of openings in programs, unavailability of treatment facilities, and lack of transportation as barriers to care compared to parenting women in urban counties. CONCLUSION Diagnosis of SUD among parenting women is steadily increasing in rural communities. While many resources in combatting maternal SUD are being utilized, policy and programmatic responses tailored for mothers with SUD in rural communities might help increase utilization of treatment and reduce barriers to treatment.
Secure, Scalable and Low-Power Junction Temperature Sensing for Multi-Processor Systems-on-Chip

The measurement of silicon junction temperature is often required in embedded applications for monitoring and control, device protection and different types of temperature based compensation. The systems-on-chip (SoC) are growing complex these days with multiple processors and high degree of peripheral integration. Also the power consumption of the SoC requires being very low for battery operated or energy harvesting based embedded applications like Internet of Things (IoT). This paper describes the architecture, integration, programming model and working scheme of a silicon junction temperature sensing module that achieves security, scalability and low-power requirements for multi-processor SoCs.
Birdsong Learning and Culture: Analogies with Human Spoken Language

Unlike many species, song learning birds and humans have independently evolved the ability to communicate via learned vocalizations. Both birdsong and spoken language are culturally transmitted acr...
Effect of boron carbide additive and sintering temperature - Dwelling time on silicon carbide properties

Abstract Sintering temperature and composition are two important factors that affect the properties of ceramic materials. In this study, the effects of sintering temperature, dwelling time, intermediate dwell, and B4C content on the density, microstructure, and elastic properties of dense SiC ceramics were investigated. 1.5 wt% C and 0.25 wt% or 0.5 wt% B4C were added to SiC which was spark plasma sintered (SPS) at 1900 °C, 1950 °C, or 2000 °C under a pressure of 50 MPa in flowing argon with an intermediate dwell at 1400 °C (for 1 or 30 min). The results of the sintering study showed that the best microstructure was obtained in the sample sintered at 1900 °C for 10 min with an intermediate dwell at 1400 °C for 30 min. Under these conditions, the sintered sample has reached full density (>99%) with elastic, shear and bulk modulus values of 436 GPa, 184 GPa and 233 GPa, respectively. In addition, it was observed that 0.5 wt% B4C content gave preferred results over 0.25 wt% B4C content. These conditions allow the production of fully dense silicon carbide ceramics with fine-grained microstructure.
Intratumoral Monocyte Transfer to Examine Monocyte Differentiation in the Tumor Microenvironment.

Summary The regulation of monocyte differentiation in the tumor microenvironment is of significant interest to tumor immunologists. Monocytes injected into the circulation may not track into tumors in sufficient numbers, making intratumoral injections a preferred experimental approach. Monocyte enrichment with antibody-based positive selection may activate downstream signaling, while cell sorters expose monocytes to mechanical stress. Here, we describe an approach of intratumoral monocyte transfer that circumvents these limitations by using negative selection and fluorescent reporter mice. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Devalaraja et al. (2020) .
Super-refractory status epilepticus in a 29-year-old pregnant female.

Super-refractory status epilepticus is a rare medical and neurological emergency due to the high mortality and morbidity associated with this condition. Furthermore, there is very little data regar...
Factors Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Physician Trainees in New York City during the First COVID-19 Wave

Occupational and non-occupational risk factors for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection have been reported in healthcare workers (HCWs), but studies evaluating risk factors for infection among physician trainees are lacking. We aimed to identify sociodemographic, occupational, and community risk factors among physician trainees during the first wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in New York City. In this retrospective study of 328 trainees at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, we administered a survey to assess risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection between 1 February and 30 June 2020. SARS-CoV-2 infection was determined by self-reported and laboratory-confirmed IgG antibody and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction test results. We used Bayesian generalized linear mixed effect regression to examine associations between hypothesized risk factors and infection odds. The cumulative incidence of infection was 20.1%. Assignment to medical-surgical units (OR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.18-5.34), and training in emergency medicine, critical care, and anesthesiology (OR, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.24-6.92) were independently associated with infection. Caring for unfamiliar patient populations was protective (OR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.03-0.73). Community factors were not statistically significantly associated with infection after adjustment for occupational factors. Our findings may inform tailored infection prevention strategies for physician trainees responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What Does He Think? Male Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Long-Acting Reversible Contraception.

ABSTRACT Study Objective Contraceptive counseling, especially regarding long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), has generally been directed at women. However, male partners and peers may influence contraceptive decision making. As there were no published studies examining male perceptions of LARC in the United States, this study investigated male knowledge and attitudes regarding LARC. Design An anonymous electronic cross-sectional survey collecting qualitative and quantitative data was administered from May to September 2018. Setting Participants were recruited via university e-mail listservs and in-person at a campus student organization fair at the University of Illinois at Chicago in Chicago (UIC), Illinois. Participants University students identifying as male and 18-24 years of age. Interventions None. Main Outcomes Measured Knowledge of LARC, perceptions of LARC, interest in learning about LARC. Results Participants (n = 97) were predominantly heterosexual (83.5%) men. Of those who were sexually active (63.9%), 98.4% reported female partners trying to avoid pregnancy. The most commonly used methods of contraception were oral contraceptive pills (48.4%) and/or condoms (80.6%). The majority (76.3%) of participants had not heard of LARC. Absence of prior LARC use by a partner was associated with knowledge deficits about LARC (odds ratio = 0.26, 95% confidence interval = 0.70-1.00); however, this association was not seen with other contraceptive methods. Participants familiar with LARC were generally neutral to very supportive of LARC (87.0%). Additionally, 80.4% of participants were interested in learning more about LARC. Conclusion Males 18-24 years of age had limited knowledge of LARC, with an interest in learning more about LARC. This information could shape interventions to bridge knowledge gaps, ultimately helping women to make supported contraceptive choices.
Executive Authority under the U.S. Constitution to Enter a Pandemic Treaty or International Agreement

In May 2021, the World Health Assembly took the extraordinary measure of calling for a Special Session to consider an international treaty or other agreement to address pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. That Special Session will take place in late November and early December 2021. Whatever form an international agreement may take, whether binding treaty or precatory recommendation, the shape of the U.S.'s participation will be shaped by its internal constitutional mechanisms. Under the U.S. Constitution, the President may make treaties that become binding federal law with the concurrence of two-thirds of the U.S. Senate. Given the composition of the chamber and U.S. refusal to consider several multilateral treaties over the last several decades, that outcome is remote. However, the U.S. Constitution contemplates other "agreements", "compacts" and understandings that the President may join either through previous treaty accession or statutory authorization from Congress and, in a narrower class of Article II powers, pursuant to his own foreign affairs authority. With focus on how the U.S. joined the Paris Climate Accords and recent multilateral trade agreements, this Essay analyzes these constitutional pathways to an international pandemic agreement, and how current statutory frameworks and Article II authority may shape the feasibility of the U.S. joining one or more international agreements of varying binding effect.
Demethylation─The Other Side of the Mercury Methylation Coin: A Critical Review

The public and environmental health consequences of mercury (Hg) methylation have drawn much attention and considerable research to Hg methylation processes and their dynamics in diverse environmen...
Registration and Federalization: 75 Years of the Lanham Act

This contribution to the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal's symposium celebrating 75 years of the Lanham Act evaluates the statute in light of two of the drafters' most significant goals: improving the quality of notice provided by the federal register and maintaining the substantive uniformity of trademark and unfair competition law. In our view, the statute has only been a partial success in terms of notice. Federal law has come to dominate the field, but not primarily because registration became more significant, as the drafters expected. Instead, federal law displaced common law trademark and unfair competition law because courts interpreted the Lanham Act to provide a federal cause of action for infringement of unregistered marks. That interpretation assured continued substantive uniformity, but it undermined the statute’s incentives to register and therefore probably came at the expense of better notice.
Microsoft's Pricing of Windows and the Economics of Derived Demand Monopoly

The economic experts in the Microsoft case debated whether Microsoft's pricing of Windows was consistent with Microsoft having a monopoly over personal computer (PC) operating systems. In this debate, PCs were treated as a single homogeneous commodity. This paper demonstrates that PC heterogeneity is likely to reduce substantially the monopoly price of Windows. The reason is that low-end PCs, which surely have the more elastic demand, are of disproportionate importance in determining the elasticity of derived demand for Windows.
Induction of Galactokinase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Kinetics of Induction and Glucose Effects

The induced synthesis of galactokinase and the repressing effects of glucose on this synthesis have been investigated in whole yeast cells rendered permeable by treatment with dimethyl sulfoxide. It was found that the induction response of uninduced cells to galactose is clearly dependent on the nature of the carbon source upon which the culture was grown prior to exposure to galactose. Glucose-grown cells exhibited a long lag before induction, whereas lactate-grown cells exhibited induced synthesis within 8 min. A concentration of 0.5% galactose was found to be optimal for induction. The addition of glucose to yeast cultures growing on galactose resulted in a severe transient repression of synthesis which was followed by a resumed rate of synthesis characteristic of a weaker permanent catabolite repression. Neither 2-deoxygalactose nor fucose acted as gratuitous inducers of the pathway, nor did they serve as a substrates for galactokinase.
Reservoir entrapment and dam passage mortality of juvenile Chinook salmon in the Middle Fork Willamette River

– High-head dams in Oregon’s Willamette River basin inhibit seaward migration and present significant mortality risks to ESA-listed juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Over 7 years, we passively collected 13,365 downstream-migrating juvenile salmon in rivers above and below Willamette dams. Most salmon emigrated from upstream sites in February–June, but passed dams in November–February when reservoirs were drawn down near annual lows, and access to deep-water passage routes improved. Samples collected above reservoirs were dominated by subyearlings, whereas below-dam samples were a phenotypically diverse mix of subyearling, yearling and older salmon. The life history data indicated that Willamette reservoirs seasonally entrap many salmon and some sea-ready smolts probably residualise. Annual dam-passage mortality estimates were 8–59% (mean = 26%). Individual salmon mortality risk increased significantly with body length and varied with reservoir elevation and discharge. Operational changes that allow timely volitional emigration and development of less hazardous passage routes would benefit this threatened population.
Identification of Regulatory and Catalytic Domains in the Apoptosis Nuclease DFF40/CAD

The DNA fragmentation factor (DFF) is composed of two subunits, the 40-kDa caspase-3-activated nuclease (DFF40/CAD) and its 45-kDa inhibitor (DFF45/ICAD). During apoptosis, DFF-40/CAD is activated by caspase-3-mediated cleavage of DFF45/ICAD. Mutational analysis of DFF40/CAD revealed that DFF40/CAD is composed of a C-terminal catalytic domain and an N-terminal regulatory domain. Deletion of the catalytic domain (residues 290–345) abrogated the caspase-3-induced nuclease activity of DFF40/CAD but not its ability to interact with DFF45/ICAD. Conversely, removal of the regulatory domain (residues 1–83) yielded a constitutively active DFF40/CAD nuclease that neither bound to its inhibitor nor required caspase-3 for activation. Amino acid alignment revealed that the regulatory domain of DFF40/CAD has homology to the N-terminal region of mammalian andDrosophila DFF45/ICAD and CIDE-N, a regulatory domain previously identified in pro-apoptotic CIDE proteins. Mutational analysis of the N-terminal region revealed mutants with diminished nuclease activity but with intact ability to bind DFF45/ICAD. Thus, CIDE-N represents a new type of domain that is associated with the regulation of the apoptosis/DNA fragmentation pathway.