cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of postnatal blockade of cortical activity with tetrodotoxin upon the development and plasticity of vibrissa-related patterns in the somatosensory cortex of hamsters.

Several previous studies have shown that postnatal blockade of thalamocortical activity with either tetrodotoxin (TTX) or the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist D,L-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (APV) does not prevent the formation of vibrissa-related patterns in the primary somatosensory cortex of rats. One limitation of these studies is that this pattern forms very shortly after birth in rats, and there may be only a very limited time over which it may be influenced by activity blockade. In the present study, the effect of activity blockade was evaluated in a more altricial rodent, the hamster. The present study showed that a pattern of thalamocortical afferents corresponding to the vibrissae is not observed until the fourth postnatal day in hamsters. Nevertheless, application of TTX-impregnated implants to the cortices of newborn hamsters had no qualitative or quantitative effect upon vibrissa-related patterns in the primary somatosensory cortices of these animals. Moreover, TTX implants did...
Evidence-Based Design Optimization of Externally Stiffened Crush Tubes

An evidence-based framework for optimization of product-material systems under uncertainty is developed. The principles of evidence theory are used to represent material uncertainties that are rooted in variability in material microstructure, experimental data, method of fitting the plasticity model constants, and expert opinions for capturing the physics of dynamic material behavior. A joint belief structure is constructed to represent all uncertainties in a unique mathematical representation. Relying on surrogate models and global optimization methods, the joint belief structure is propagated through crushing simulation of stiffened tubes under axial impact load. The propagated belief structure is then used to construct mathematical formulations for objective function and reliability constraints for evidence-based optimization of structural components. The methodology is demonstrated in evidence-based design optimization of an externally stiffened crush tube for maximum specific energy absorption and minimum peak force while considering material model uncertainties.
ADRENAL MASS CAUSING SECONDARY HYPERTENSION

Abstract Background Most hypertensive patients have essential (primary) hypertension; only 5% to 10% have a secondary cause. Two clinical characteristics suggestive of secondary hypertension are early onset ( 180/110 mm Hg). When faced with these findings, clinicians should consider a secondary cause of hypertension. Case Report A 22-year-old woman being evaluated for asthma exacerbation in the emergency department was noted to have severe persistent hypertension. Additional evaluation revealed severe hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis, and hypernatremia. The patient was admitted to the hospital for blood pressure management, electrolyte replacement, and further evaluation of presumed hyperaldosteronism. Diagnostic imaging revealed a large adrenal mass. Surgical resection was performed, leading to a diagnosis of hyperaldosteronism caused by adrenal carcinoma. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Secondary hypertension is far less common than essential hypertension; however, considering the large volume of patients seen in emergency departments, it is likely that some will have secondary hypertension. Emergency physicians should be aware of the clinical characteristics that suggest secondary hypertension so that the appropriate diagnostic and treatment pathways can be pursued.
Dependence of the Equation of State in Surface Tension Prediction by the Theory of Capillarity

The theory of capillarity was originally developed by J. D. van der Waals to provide a means of predicting interfacial (surface) tension data using saturation pressure and liquid-vapor density data. This theory was recently extended to the Redlich-Kwong, Soave-Redlich-Kwong, and Peng-Robinson fluid models. The latter two equations of state are more advanced than the Redlich-Kwong model in that they use an acentric factor to predict saturated vapor pressure values more in agreement with experimental data. However, the agreement in the predicted interfacial tension values is worse for the latter two models compared to the Redlich-Kwong model. This study features a sensitivity analysis to show that the predicted interfacial tension values are more sensitive to vapor density than liquid density and vapor pressure, and that increasing the vapor density reduces the corresponding predicted interfacial tension value. Furthermore, all three fluid models tend to overpredict interfacial tension when experimental data are applied in their predictive equations. This study finds that the reason why the simpler Redlich-Kwong model predicts better interfacial tension values than the two advanced models is because the former overpredicts vapor density moreso than the two advanced cubic fluid models, and this in turn reduces the prediction of interfacial tension to make its value more comparable to experimental data.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The role of place in shaping contraceptive use among women in Africa.

BACKGROUND: Contraceptive prevalence is low in the African region despite considerable family planning programmatic efforts. This study is the first to examine how community factors shape contraceptive use for married women in an entire region comparing results across 21 African countries with a DHS in the last 5 years. The analysis builds on previous studies through an examination of the individual household and community level factors that shape contraceptive use. METHODS: The data used in this analysis were from nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys completed between 2005 and 2009. A separate multi-level logistic model was fitted for the outcome of current modern contraceptive use in each country. RESULTS: After controlling for individual and household level factors community level factors of demographics and fertility norms gender norms and inequalities and health knowledge remain significantly associated with contraceptive use although the magnitude and direction of these community effects varied significantly across countries. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the importance of harnessing community level factors in planning interventions for increasing access to and utilization of modern contraceptive methods.
Optimizing demand response of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles using quadratic programming

This paper develops a convex quadratic programming (QP) formulation for the demand response (DR) optimization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) under time-varying electricity price signals. The work is motivated by the need for a computationally-efficient PHEV DR model that accounts for the ohmic energy losses in PHEV batteries, and is scalable to large-scale vehicle-to-grid (V2G) optimization and control applications. We use a previously-developed power-split PHEV model with an optimal power management strategy to compute the average distance-based PHEV energy consumption characteristics. Moreover, we use an equivalent circuit battery model for the PHEV's charge and discharge process. We then derive the PHEV's total fuel and electric energy cost as a quadratic function of battery state-of-charge (SOC), and show that the cost function is convex. Finally, we use a standard QP solver to optimize the PHEV's demand response for a few sample trips obtained from the U.S. National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) dataset. The achieved optimization time for a 24-hour time window with 5 min. resolution is less than 0.1 s (using a single quad-core computer). The method can hence be easily scaled for large-scale smart grid optimization and control studies.
Fusion of clinical and stochastic finite element data for hip fracture risk prediction

Hip fracture affects more than 250,000 people in the US and 1.6 million worldwide per year. With an aging population, the development of reliable fracture risk models is therefore of prime importance. Due to the complexity of the hip fracture phenomenon, the use of clinical data only, as it is done traditionally, might not be sufficient to ensure an accurate and robust hip fracture prediction model. In order to increase the predictive ability of the risk model, the authors propose to supplement the clinical data with computational data from finite element models. The fusion of the two types of data is performed using deterministic and stochastic computational data. In the latter case, uncertainties in loading and material properties of the femur are accounted for and propagated through the finite element model. The predictive capability of a support vector machine (SVM) risk model constructed by combining clinical and finite element data was assessed using a Women׳s Health Initiative (WHI) dataset. The dataset includes common factors such as age and BMD as well as geometric factors obtained from DXA imaging. The fusion of computational and clinical data systematically leads to an increase in predictive ability of the SVM risk model as measured by the AUC metric. It is concluded that the largest gains in AUC are obtained by the stochastic approach. This gain decreases as the dimensionality of the problem increases: a 5.3% AUC improvement was achieved for a 9 dimensional problem involving geometric factors and weight while a 1.3% increase was obtained for a 20 dimensional case including geometric and conventional factors.
Conformational dynamics of stem II of the U2 snRNA.

The spliceosome undergoes dramatic changes in both small nuclear RNA (snRNA) composition and structure during assembly and pre-mRNA splicing. It has been previously proposed that the U2 snRNA adopts two conformations within the stem II region: stem IIa or stem IIc. Dynamic rearrangement of stem IIa into IIc and vice versa is necessary for proper progression of the spliceosome through assembly and catalysis. How this conformational transition is regulated is unclear; although, proteins such as Cus2p and the helicase Prp5p have been implicated in this process. We have used single-molecule Forster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) to study U2 stem II toggling between stem IIa and IIc. Structural interconversion of the RNA was spontaneous and did not require the presence of a helicase; however, both Mg(2+) and Cus2p promote formation of stem IIa. Destabilization of stem IIa by a G53A mutation in the RNA promotes stem IIc formation and inhibits conformational switching of the RNA by both Mg(2+) and Cus2p. Transitioning to stem IIa can be restored using Cus2p mutations that suppress G53A phenotypes in vivo. We propose that during spliceosome assembly, Cus2p and Mg(2+) may work together to promote stem IIa formation. During catalysis the spliceosome could then toggle stem II with the aid of Mg(2+) or with the use of functionally equivalent protein interactions. As noted in previous studies, the Mg(2+) toggling we observe parallels previous observations of U2/U6 and Prp8p RNase H domain Mg(2+)-dependent conformational changes. Together these data suggest that multiple components of the spliceosome may have evolved to switch between conformations corresponding to open or closed active sites with the aid of metal and protein cofactors.
Preclinical evaluation of novel F-18 labeled triazole-substituted amino acids for tumor imaging

1092 Objectives The triazole-substituted amino acid (AA) (S)-[18F]AFETP has favorable tumor imaging properties and is prepared through the click reaction between an alkyne-substituted AA and 2-[18F]fluoroethyl azide. Isomeric compounds from the 9reverse9 click reaction of azide-substituted AAs have not previously been reported. Our objectives were to prepare novel 18F-labeled AAs with varying alkyl chain lengths between the α-carbon and the triazole group and to compare their uptake in mice with DBT gliomas. Methods The click reaction with terminal azide-containing AA precursors and 4-[18F]fluoro-1-butyne followed by HPLC purification and deprotection provided target 18F-labeled triazole-substituted AAs (rAFETP, rAFETB, and rAFETPe) in 50-55% yield. Biodistribution studies were conducted in male BALB/c mice with subcutaneous mouse DBT gliomas at 5, 30 and 60 min after injection (n= 4 or 5 at each time point). Results The three novel tracers demonstrated high uptake in DBT tumors at 5 min (2.6 to 3.6 percent injected dose per gram, %ID/g) and 30 min (1.7 to 2.0 %ID/g) after injection. The tracer with the longest alkyl chain (3 carbons, rAFETPe) demonstrated relatively prolonged retention in DBT tumors (1%ID/g) and most normal tissues including the brain at 60 min. The tracer with intermediate 2-carbon chain length (rAFETB) demonstrated a balance of tumor uptake and tumor to normal tissue ratios with tumor to brain, tumor to blood, and tumor to muscle ratios of 26:1, 8:1 and 2.2:1 at 60 min. Conclusions The novel 18F-labeled triazole-substituted AAs were prepared in the good yields through the click reaction using azide-substituted AA precursors. These tracers have promising tumor imaging properties, and alkyl chain length affects their uptake and retention. Research Support K08CA154790, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology
Scattering of light of very low frequency by systems of spin 1/2

It is shown that the first two terms in the expansion of the scattering amplitude of light by a system of spin \textonehalf{} in powers of the frequency can be simply expressed in terms of the macroscopic properties of the system. The first term is the well known Thomson amplitude, and depends only on the total charge and mass. The second term is found to depend only on the charge, mass, and magnetic moment of the system.
PepsiCo: The Challenge of Growth through Innovation

How does a large corporation rethink and transform itself in an increasingly competitive environment? This corporate-strategy case could be described as how PepsiCo stopped worrying about competing with Coke and figured out what its real business was and how to build its future. A new CEO wants to grow PepsiCo into a major global corporation by figuring out what it is good at, where its markets are strongest, and how to achieve growth through innovation and corporate transformation. Redefining itself as a beverage and snack business, PepsiCo sheds the restaurant business and acquires Quaker Oats and Tropicana. Then, by rethinking the synergistic relationships between the complementary, combined strengths (technological expertise in nutrition, flavor, packaging, distribution, etc.) of the merged companies, it strategizes to develop innovative products that will compete in a changing demographic, cultural, and geographical world. Will this strategy work in an increasingly competitive environment?
Cas9-triggered chain ablation of cas9 as a gene drive brake

With the advent of clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)–CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) technology, researchers can construct gene drives that can bias the inheritance of edited alleles to alter entire populations. As demonstrated with the mutagenic chain reaction in Drosophila4, the CRISPR-Cas9 system can propagate genomic modification together with the genome-editing machinery itself. Although gene drives might have the potential to control insect-borne diseases and agricultural pests, substantial concerns have been raised over unanticipated ecological consequences as a result of drive use. Here we report the development of a potential Cas9-based gene drive 'brake' that remains inert in a wild-type genome but is activated by Cas9 to both cleave the genomic cas9 sequence and to convert an incoming cas9 allele into a brake. This means that the propagation of the brake is favored in a cas9-carrying population.
Unveiling Unexpected Immune Activities Induced by Your Pneumococcal Vaccine

In modern-day vaccine design, a good pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccine is measured by its ability to induce opsonic antibodies. These antibodies label bacteria for phagocytosis by neutrophils and thereby overcome the capsule's barrier function. Doyle and Pirofski have raised a serious challenge to the current paradigm by describing anti-capsular antibodies that are highly protective but nonopsonic [C.R. Doyle and L. Pirofski, mBio 7(1):e02260-15, 2016, doi:10.1128/mBio.02260-15]. In fact, some functions are not related to neutrophils or phagocytosis at all. An increased awareness of these activities is critical not only for accurate comparisons of vaccine candidates but also for improvements in vaccination outcomes in settings of neutropenia. When vaccine developers select a single gatekeeper assay (e.g., an opsonophagocytic assay for bacteria or a neutralization assay for viruses), promising vaccine candidates may be missed. Doyle and Pirofski stress that multiple functions, not just one, should be investigated to enhance discovery of antibody mechanisms and to best assess vaccine-induced correlates of immune protection.
The challenges of maintaining local identity in international biennale exhibitions: lessons from the third AiM arts in Marrakesh Biennale

Most biennials, an increasingly popular and visible form of city-based art exhibition, attempt to balance the demands and interests of the international art world with the identity and situation of the particular location. Using global artists, curators, and funding, as well as catering to a hypothetically global audience, makes it challenging to truly engage the local or speak to issues pertaining to the city. In this paper, I discuss the local interpretation of this important global art pattern. It focuses on the external and ex-patriot funding and organisation as well as the Moroccan, Rabat-based curator, considering the emphasis on place in the artistic projects, both in satellite works in international locations and the many installations dealing with the idea of borders. Finally, the paper explores the negative reaction of the Moroccan Ministry of Culture and the repercussions of sites used in Marrakesh, particularly the touristic hub of the Palais Bahia. This paper demonstrates how the exhibition f...
Quadratic reconstruction finite volume schemes on 3D arbitrary unstructured polyhedral grids

A critical evaluation of both the practical aspects and implementation strategies for higher order methods applied to unstructured and Cartesian meshes is presented. The aim of this paper is to present a third-order finite volume scheme applicable to arbitrary 3D unstructured grids as well as Cartesian grids. The method is based on a piecewise discontinuous quadratic reconstruction of the data and a high-order flux integration using a Gauss quadrature rule. Several results emphasize the improved accuracy with respect to second-order methods. In particular, pertinent aspects of the implementation for 3D in terms of memory requirements, efficiency, and performance are presented and conclusions are drawn as to the viability and appropriateness of such methods.
Hydrothermal Synthesis and Properties of Ce1-xSmxO2-x/2 and Ce1-xCaxO2-x Solid Solutions

The structure, thermal expansion coefficients and ionic conductivity of Ce1-xSmxO2-x/2 and Ce1-xCaxO2-x (x = 0−0.30) solid electrolytes prepared hydrothermally in a relatively wide concentration range for the first time were systematically investigated. The uniformly small particle size (40−68 nm) of the hydrothermally prepared materials allows sintering of the samples into highly dense ceramic pellets at 1400 °C, a significantly lower temperature, compared to that at 1600 °C required for samples prepared by solid-state techniques. The maximum ionic conductivity was found at x = 0.17 for the Sm and at x = 0.09 for the Ca-substituted ceria (σ600 °C = 5.7 × 10-3 S/cm, Ea ≈ 0.9 eV, and σ600 °C = 2.1 × 10-3 S/cm, Ea ≈ 0.8 eV, respectively). The thermal expansion coefficients, determined from high-temperature X-ray data, are 8.6 × 10-6 and 9.4 × 10-6 K-1 for the best conducting Ce0.83Sm0.17O1.915 and Ce0.91Ca0.09O1.91 solid electrolytes, respectively.
Simulation study of the permeability of a model lipid membrane at the fluid-solid phase transition.

When a range of lipid bilayers are melted to the disordered fluid phase from the (much less permeable) ordered gel phase, their permeability to a variety of permeants shows a peak at the transition temperature and drops off with increasing temperature, rather than just rising as melting proceeds. To explore this anomalous behavior, a simulated coarse-grained lipid membrane model that exhibits a phase transition upon expansion or compression was studied to determine how the permeation rate of a simple particle depends on the phase composition in the two-phase region and on particle size. The permeation rate and each phase’s area fraction and area density could be directly calculated, along with the probability that the permeant would cross in either phase or in interfacial regions. For large permeants and system sizes, conditions could be found where permeability increases upon compression of the bilayer. Permeation was negligible in the gel phase and, in contrast to the predictions of the “leaky interface...
Las Debilidades De La Crítica a Las Súper-Mayorías (The Weaknesses of the Argument Against Supermajorities)

Spanish Abstract: Se examinan criticamente las objeciones que los profesores Guillermo Jimenez, Pablo Marshall y Fernando Munoz presentaron a la regla excepcional de supermayoria legislativa que ha sido defendida por Sergio Verdugo el ano 2012. Las objeciones descansan en una concepcion parcial de la democracia y de la igualdad politica, que los conducen a una posicion laudatoria de la regla de mayoria; eso impide evaluar el uso de la super-mayoria de forma instrumental. El autor defiende la idea de que las super-mayorias legislativas son utiles atendidos ciertos supuestos y bajo ciertos casos.English Abstract: The article critically examines the objections that professors Guillermo Jimenez, Pablo Marshall and Fernando Munoz have made to the exceptional legislative supermajority rule, defended by Sergio Verdugo in a prior paper of 2012. The objections relies in a biased conception of democracy and political equality. Their arguments conduct to a naive position that prevents the evaluation of supermajorities in an instrumental way. Verdugo defends the idea that legislative supermajorities are useful given certain conditions and under certain cases.
Complete recovery of the heart following exposure to profound hypothermia

Cold injury has been suggested as a potential limitation to the use of temperatures below 10° to 15° C in clinical myocardial preservation. The isolated effects of profound hypothermia on myocardial function and energy metabolism were studied in the working rat heart preparation. Each heart was isolated and stabilized; then initial aortic flow, coronary flow, and heart rate were measured. The heart then was perfused in the Langendorf mode with oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit buffer for 20 minutes at 0.5°, 4°, 10°, 15°, or 20° C. After being rewarmed to 37° C, the heart was returned to the working mode for final functional measurements. In a control group, the perfusion temperature was kept at 37° C. Recovery of function in hearts exposed to hypothermic perfusion was not significantly different from that observed in the hearts kept at 37° C. When cold exposure time to 0.5° C perfusion was extended to 2 hours, heart function still returned to the same level as that of control hearts maintained at 37° C, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and glycogen levels were higher than those in the control group. Thus, under these conditions, cold exposure per se, even for 2 hours at temperatures near 0° C, has no deleterious effect upon myocardial function and energy metabolism.
Psychological Explanation and Behavior Broadly Conceived

I argue that a broad conception of behavior makes considerables headway towards anaccount of psychological explanation that preserves the intuitive correctness of belief/desire (folk) psychological explanations and whose explanatory utility is not undercut by neurophysiologiczl explanations. The rough idea behind a broad conception of behavior is that the basic units of behavior, which constitute the primary explanada of psychology, are themselves essentially goal-directed. As such, behavior supervenes on more than the (local) physical properties of the bodily motions which (in part) comprise it; it supervenes also on the historical/teleological properties that give it its goal (or function)
Recent Innovations in Voice Assessment Expected to Impact the Clinical Management of Voice Disorders

This article provides a summary of some recent innovations in voice assessment expected to have an impact in the next 5–10 years on how patients with voice disorders are clinically managed by speec...
Comparison of the hospital costs for two-stage reimplantation for deep infection, single-stage revision and primary total elbow arthroplasty.

BackgroundThe purpose of the present study was to determine the cost of two-stage reimplantation for the treatment of deep infection after total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) and compare this with primary and aseptic revision TEA.MethodsThree hundred and seventy-one primary TEA and 286 revision TEAs (including 47 elbows requiring two-stage reimplantation) were performed. Total direct medical costs during each hospitalization were obtained from our institutional research database and compared for three groups: primary TEA, revision for nonseptic reasons and two-stage reimplantation for deep infection.ResultsThe mean cost of an uncomplicated primary TEA and aseptic revision TEA was $18,464 and $18,796, respectively. The mean overall cost associated with two-stage reimplantation increased to $34,286. Two-stage reimplantation increased both Part A (hospital costs) and Part B (professional costs). The mean Part A cost for septic revision TEA was $29,102 versus $15,844 for primary TEA. The mean Part B cost for septi...
Multi-job production systems: definition, problems, and product-mix performance portrait of serial lines.

AbstractThis paper pursues two goals: (a) Define a class of widely used in practice flexible manufacturing systems, referred to as Multi-Job Production (MJP) and formulate industrially motivated problems related to their performance. (b) Provide initial results concerning some of these problems pertaining to analysis of the throughput and bottlenecks of MJP serial lines as functions of the product-mix. In MJP systems, all job-types are processed by the same sequence of manufacturing operations, but with different processing time at some or all machines. To analyse MJP with unreliable machines, we introduce the work-based model of production systems, which is insensitive to whether single- or multi-job manufacturing takes place. Based on this model, we investigate the performance of MJP lines as a function of the product-mix. We show, in particular, that for the so-called conflicting jobs there exists a range of product-mixes, wherein the throughput of MJP is larger than that of any constituent job-type ma...
Previous Research on Education and The Hidden Injuries of Class. My Educational Career Compared

In this chapter, I show how the hidden injuries of class continue into adulthood. In my previous research on social class (reprinted in this chapter), I found that a large segment of the white working-class are angry; they lash out at middle- and upper-middle-class, college-educated, white-collar workers. Their frustration with their current economic situation pushed them to lash out at the “other.” The lack of self-confidence, again, reared its head as an important issue for understanding their feelings, even as adults. The working-class parents used words such as “maybe” and “hopefully” when discussing their children’s chances of going to college. Interestingly, working-class women were found to be somewhat less angry and bitter. Some possible explanations for this finding are offered. Meanwhile, middle-class parents “assumed” their children will attend college and go on to successful “careers.” This chapter will also introduce the idea behind “hard” vs. “settled” living working-class families.
Can thermoluminescence be used to determine soil heating from a wildfire

Abstract The Silverado wildfire occurred from September 12 to 20, 2014, burning 960 acres in Orange County, California. Soil samples from within the burn area were obtained and the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of those samples were compared against a control sample to understand wildfire heating. We performed a series of experiments investigating the degree to which the control differed from the wildfire soil samples. This work showed that soil heated by a wildfire had a distinctly different glow curve shape than the unburned soil sample. Moreover, it was possible to see changes in the TL signal as a function of soil depth in wildfire-heated samples. Our experiments suggest that minimal soil heating occurred below approximately 10 cm. Estimates of wildfire temperatures, however, were nuanced.
Spectral Element Methods

Chapter 8 introduces multidomain methods to compute problems in geometries that are more complex than a quadrilateral with curved sides. In multidomain spectral methods, and spectral element methods in particular, the domain of interest is subdivided into smaller subdomains that are mapped individually onto the square, allowing problems in truly complex geometries to be solved. Spectral element methods are introduced for one space dimension then generalized to two. Benchmark solutions include steady temperatures in a long cylindrical rod, propagation of a circular sound wave in a disk, and transmission and reflection of a plane wave at a material interface.
Relationship Between Carbon Mobilization and Root Growth Measured by Carbon-11 Tracer in Arabidopsis Starch Mutants

Experiments designed to quantify the physiological and metabolic status of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings across their photoperiod used wild-type (Col-0) and genotypes deficient in starch biosynthesis (adg1-1, pgm-1) and in starch degradation (sex1-1) in combination with radioactive 11CO2 tracer. Measurements of root allocation and root exudation of 11C-photosynthates were conducted at 1 and 8 h into a 10-h photoperiod. Additionally, bioassays conducted on leaflets provided a measure of ‘new’ carbon partitioning (as 11C) into structural and non-structural carbohydrates. As expected, starch biosynthesis increased across the photoperiod for Col-0 controls. This increase was correlated with systematic decreases in soluble sugar synthesis and sink allocation across the photoperiod. We showed that this was a causal effect, which could be eliminated in the adg1-1 and pgm-1 mutants that were deficient in starch biosynthesis. Furthermore, these genotypes exhibited systematically higher levels of soluble sugars and sink allocation relative to Col-0 and sex1-1, which resulted in very different root growth traits including (i) increased root area balanced by shorter primary roots; (ii) increased number of lateral roots; and (iii) decreased root gravitropism. These differences in growth traits were correlated with higher observed levels of root auxin in these genotypes and to lower starch levels in their root tips. In a broader context, we find that carbon storage in the aboveground tissues can strongly influence root growth and root architecture belowground.
Putative Cellular and Molecular Roles of Zika Virus in Fetal and Pediatric Neuropathologies

Although the World Health Organization declared an end to the recent Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak and its association with adverse fetal and pediatric outcome, on November 18, 2016, the virus still remains a severe public health threat. Laboratory experiments thus far supported the suspicions that ZIKV is a teratogenic agent. Evidence indicated that ZIKV infection cripples the host cells' innate immune responses, allowing productive replication and potential dissemination of the virus. In addition, studies suggest potential transplacental passage of the virus and subsequent selective targeting of neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Depletion of NPCs by ZIKV is associated with restricted brain growth. And while microcephaly can result from infection at any gestational stages, the risk is greater during the first trimester. Although a number of recent studies revealed some of specific molecular and cellular roles of ZIKV proteins of this mosquito-borne flavivirus, the mechanisms by which it produces it suspected pathophysiological effects are not completely understood. Thus, this review highlights the cellular and molecular evidence that implicate ZIKV in fetal and pediatric neuropathologies.
Absolutive Promotion and the Condition on Clitic Hosts in Choctaw

This article develops of an analysis of the clitic co-occurrence restrictions found on transitive unaccusative verbs in Choctaw, and how they are (or are not) repaired. It turns out that the repair strategy of Absolutive Promotion, by which a typically-absolutive argument becomes ergative, is sensitive to standard syntactic notions of intervention and locality, implying that it involves a syntactic Agree relation. Regarding the clitic co-occurrence restrictions, I show that they can be captured with the Condition on Clitic Hosts—a condition that syntactic heads can host at most one clitic, adapted from the condition of the same name developed by Arregi and Nevins (2012) for Basque. By detailed comparison with Basque, we see that the Condition on Clitic Hosts and Absolutive Promotion are found in both languages. However, they do not have entirely the same effect: Absolutive Promotion in Choctaw can repair a different set of structures from those it can repair in Basque, and clitics are hosted on a different set of heads in Choctaw from where they are hosted in Basque.
Pelagic shrimp play dead in deep oxygen minima.

Pelagic crustaceans are arguably the most abundant group of metazoans on Earth, yet little is known about their natural behavior. The deep pelagic shrimp Hymenopenaeus doris is a common decapod that thrives in low oxygen layers of the eastern Pacific Ocean. When first observed in situ using a remotely operated vehicle, most specimens of H. doris appeared dead due to inactivity and inverted orientation. Closer inspection revealed that these animals were utilizing small, subtle shifts in appendage position to control their orientation and sink rate. In this mode, they resembled molted shrimp exoskeletons. We hypothesize that these shrimp may avoid capture by visually-cued predators with this characteristic behavior. The low metabolic rates of H. doris (0.55–0.81 mg O2 kg-1 min-1) are similar to other deep-living shrimp, and also align with their high hypoxia tolerance and reduced activity. We observed similar behavior in another deep pelagic decapod, Petalidium suspiriosum, which transiently inhabited Monterey Canyon, California, during a period of anomalously warm ocean conditions.
Characterization of DNA bound cyclic GMP-AMP synthase using atomic force microscopy imaging

Abstract The protocol described herein allows for acquiring topography images of DNA-protein complexes using Atomic Force Microscopy imaging. Since the very beginning of this method, AFM has been an indispensable tool for characterization of biomolecular complexes with exceptional capability of observing single complexes. This method can visualize structural characteristics of DNA-protein assemblies and evaluate differences between individual complexes. Although this protocol is generally applicable to a large number of various proteins complexed with DNA, we use cyclic G/AMP synthase (cGAS) enzyme as a case study for the protocol description.
Children's use of local and global visual features for material perception

Adults can rapidly recognize material properties in natural images, and children's performance in material categorization tasks suggests that this ability develops slowly during childhood. In the current study, we further examined the information children use to recognize materials during development by asking how the use of local versus global visual features for material perception changes in middle childhood. We recruited adults and 5- to 10-year-old children for three experiments that required participants to distinguish between shape-matched images of real and artificial food. Accurate performance in this task requires participants to distinguish between a wide range of material properties characteristic of each category, thus testing material perception abilities broadly. In two tasks, we applied distinct methods of image scrambling (block scrambling and diffeomorphic scrambling) to parametrically disrupt global appearance while preserving features in small spatial neighborhoods. In the third task, we used image blurring to parametrically disrupt local feature visibility. Our key question was whether or not participant age affected performance differently when local versus global appearance was disrupted. We found that although image blur led to disproportionately poorer performance in young children, this effect was reduced or absent when diffeomorphic scrambling was used. We interpret this outcome as evidence that the ability to recruit large-scale visual features for material perception may develop slowly during middle childhood.
Shingles Vaccination of U.S. Adults Aged 50–59 Years and ≥60 Years Before Recommendations for Use of Recombinant Zoster Vaccine

Introduction In 2006, zoster vaccine live was recommended for adults aged ≥60 years. In 2011, zoster vaccine live was approved for use but not recommended for adults aged 50–59 years. This study assessed zoster vaccine live coverage among adults aged 50–59 years and ≥60 years. Methods Data from the 2013–2017 National Health Interview Surveys were analyzed in 2019 to estimate national zoster vaccine live coverage among adults aged ≥50 years. State-specific zoster vaccine live coverage among adults aged ≥50 years was assessed using 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Results Among adults aged 50–59 years, zoster vaccine live coverage was 5.7% in 2017, ranging from 4% to 6% during 2013–2017 (test for trend, p>0.05). Zoster vaccine live coverage among adults aged 50–59 years ranged from 5.8% in Pennsylvania to 14.7% in South Dakota. By 2017, zoster vaccine live was received by 34.9% of adults aged ≥60 years, a significant increase from 24.2% in 2013. Zoster vaccine live coverage among adults aged ≥60 years in 2017 ranged from 26.0% in Mississippi to 51.8% in Vermont. In 2017, major characteristics significantly associated with increased likelihood of zoster vaccine live vaccination among adults aged 50–59 years and ≥60 years were older age, having 4 to 9 physician contacts in the past 12 months, and having a usual place for health care. Conclusions This study provides an assessment of zoster vaccine live coverage among adults aged ≥50 years before the newly recommended recombinant zoster vaccine came into widespread use. Providers should routinely assess adults’ vaccination status and strongly recommend or offer needed vaccines to their patients.
Skepticism and the principle of sufficient reason

The Principle of Sufficient Reason must be justified dialectically: by showing the disastrous consequences of denying it. We formulate a version of the Principle that is restricted to basic natural facts, which entails the obtaining of at least one supernatural fact. Denying this principle results in extreme empirical skepticism. We consider six current theories of empirical knowledge, showing that on each account we cannot know that we have empirical knowledge unless we all have a priori knowledge of the PSR. We consider objections based on Neo-Humeanism and the essentiality of origins, and we consider the possibility that we have empirical knowledge without knowing it.
Rising Stimulant Overdoses Among Young People in the United States

Although commonly described as an opioid crisis, the drug overdose epidemic in the United States increasingly involves use of substances other than opioids.1,2 In this issue of Pediatrics , Roehler et al3 describe a concerning rise in overdoses among children, adolescents, and young adults related to stimulants such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription drugs (including those commonly used to treat attention deficient/hyperactivity disorder). Drawing on 2016–2019 surveillance data from a plurality of US emergency departments across 47 states, the authors found that whereas visits for drug overdoses rose only slightly among children <15 and remained unchanged in adolescents and young adults 15 to 24, visits for stimulant overdoses increased across all ages. Specifically, over each quarter between April 2016 and September 2019, stimulant overdose visits among young people aged 0 to 10, 11 to 14, and 15 to 24 years increased by 3%, 4%, and 2%, respectively. These findings mirror other recent national drug overdose trends. Although the overall US overdose mortality rate plateaued in 2018 after climbing for 2 decades,4 preliminary 2019 data suggest a return to increasing year-over-year rates.1 Nationally, deaths involving cocaine and other stimulants increased … Address correspondence to Scott E. Hadland, MD, MPH, MS, Boston Medical Center, 801 Albany St, Room 2055, Boston, MA 02119. E-mail: scott.hadland{at}bmc.org
Flow, Combustion and Emissions in a Five-Valve Research Gasoline Engine (2001-01-3556)

The in-cylinder flow, mixture distribution, combustion and exhaust emissions in a research, five-valve purpose-built gasoline engine are discussed on the basis of measurements obtained using laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV), fast spark-plug hydrocarbon sampling, flame imaging and NOx/HC emissions using fast chemiluminescent and flame ionisation detectors/ analysers. These measurements have been complemented by steady flow testing of various cylinder head configurations, involving single- and three-valve operation, in terms of flow capacity and in-cylinder tumble strength.
Wind Power Prediction in Different Months of the Year Using Machine Learning Techniques

Integration of wind power into the grid has been rapidly increasing at both the transmission as well as distribution levels. Wind power generation is variable, nonlinear, and intermittent in nature. The monthly average and maximum wind power generation vary over the year. To effectively integrate wind power into the grid, it is vital to provide forecasting for different months. Therefore, the machine learning technique has been applied to forecast the wind power generation for each month separately. Its accuracy, root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and standard deviation (SD) of forecasting error have been analyzed for every month and the whole year.
Characterization of Lime and Polymer Treated Ultra-Soft Clay Soils Using the Modified Vane Shear and Correlating the Shear Strengths to the Electrical Resistivity and CIGMAT Miniature Penetrometer for Nondestructive Field Tests

With the growth in construction along the coastal regions, ports and offshore deepwater sea beds, ultra soft clay soils are encountered and are affecting the performance of the pipelines and other anchor systems placed in it. In this study, untreated and treated ultra-soft clay soils shear strengths were quantified using the modified vane shear device and correlated the shear strength to the CIGMAT miniature penetrometer penetration and electrical resisitivity. The ultra-soft clay soils were prepared by varying the bentonite content from 2 to 10%. The soil with 10% bentonite was treated with 2–10% lime and with 1–10% polymer separately to enhance the shear strength. The shear strength, pH, CIGMAT miniature penetrometer and electrical resistivity were used to characterize the untreated and treated ultra-soft clay soils. Untreated soft soil strength varied from 0.01 to 0.17 kPa when the bentonite content in the ultra-soft clay soil was increased from 2 to 10%. With 2% lime treatment the shear strength of 10% bentonite soil was increased to 0.27 kPa. Adding 10% lime to the 10% bentonite ultra-soft soil reduced the shear strength to 0.15 kPa. With 10% polymer treatment, the shear strength was increased by 45 times to 6.8 kPa for the 10% bentonite ultra-soft soil. The CIGMAT miniature penetrometer penetration varied linearly with the shear strength of the untreated ultra-soft clay soils and treated ultra-soft clay soils with 10% bentonite. pH was almost constant for untreated ultra-soft clay soils while it increased by 22% and 35% for the 10% lime and 10% polymer treated ultra-soft clay soilss respectively. Relative electrical resistivity decreased by 246% when the bentonite content was increased from 2 to 10% in the ultra-soft clay soils. Addition of 10% of lime to the ultra-soft clay soil with 10% of bentonite content decreased the relative electrical resistivity by 171%. Addition of 10% of polymer to the ultra-soft clay soil with 10% of bentonite content reduced the relative electrical resistivity by 545%. Power law, linear and Vipulanandan correlation models were used to predict the shear strength-resistivity relationship for the untreated, lime-treated and polymer-treated ultra-soft clay soils respectively. In addition, linear model was used to predict the water content relationship with electrical resistivity for the untreated and treated ultra-soft clay soils. The CIGMAT miniature penetrometer was modeled using 3-D axisymmetric finite element method, which predicted the penetration of CIGMAT penetrometer that agreed well with the experimental results of the untreated and treated ultra-soft clay soils. The CIGMAT miniature penetrometer penetration and the electrical resisitivity monitoring are two non-destructive methods that can be easily adopted in the field and the property correlations can be used to determine the shear strength of the ultra-soft caly soils in the field.
Histone-mutant glioma presenting as diffuse leptomeningeal disease

Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults. Histone H3 mutations have been identified in pediatric and adult gliomas, with H3K27M mutations typically associated with a posterior fossa midline tumor location and poor prognosis. Leptomeningeal disease is a known complication of histone-mutant glioma, but uncommon at the time of initial diagnosis. We describe a case of glioblastoma with H3K27M mutation that initially presented with progressive vision loss due to diffuse leptomeningeal disease in the absence of a mass lesion other than a small cerebellar area of enhancement and with cerebrospinal fluid cytology negative for malignant cells on two occasions, highlighting the importance of including primary CNS malignancies in the differential of diffuse radiographic leptomeningeal enhancement.