cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 4906: The selective class I HDAC inhibitor entinostat enhances the antitumor effect of PD-1 inhibition in a syngeneic orthotopic murine model of renal cell carcinoma

Background: Recent advances in immunotherapy have highlighted the antitumor effects of immune checkpoint inhibition. Novel anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapies have been shown to effectively overcome tumor avoidance of immune surveillance in several tumor types including renal cell carcinoma. Our group has recently shown that the selective class I HDAC inhibitor entinostat is effective in suppressing regulatory T cells and enhancing immunotherapies in murine renal and prostate models, RENCA and Myc-Cap respectively. In this study we have evaluated the combination of entinostat with an anti-PD-1 antibody in the RENCA renal cell carcinoma model. Methods: 32 BALB/c female mice were implanted with the syngenic, orthotopic, renal cell carcinoma mouse model, RENCA - luciferase tagged - at day -8. Treatment (8 mice /group) with anti-mouse-PD-1 (aPD-1; 10mg/kg twice a week, I.P.), entinostat (5mg/kg 5 days a week), or combination of the two was begun at day 1. Bioluminescence imaging was performed at days -1, 9 and 19 to assess the orthotopic tumor growth. End point tumor weights were taken to assess the effect of combination treatment. Results: Analysis of tumor growth showed a reduction of bioluminescence across the three time points in the combination group as compared to the vehicle and single agent treatments. Additionally, end point analysis of tumor weights revealed an overall reduction in the size of the tumors in the entinostat/anti-mPD-1 combination group (88% inhibition) as compared to the vehicle (p = 0.0002), aPD-1 alone (25% inhibition)(p = 0.0181), and entinostat alone (63% inhibition)(p = 0.0481) groups. Examination of the status of the infiltrating immune cells of the tumor microenvironment via flow cytometry, qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and/or immunofluorescence analysis is ongoing. Conclusions: Our preliminary results suggest that the immunomodulatory activity of the selective class I HDAC inhibitor entinostat may enhance the antitumor effect of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition and provide the rationale for the clinical testing of this novel combination in patients with RCC. Citation Format: Ashley R. Orillion, Li Shen, Remi Adelaiye-Ogala, May Elbanna, Sreenivasulu Chintala, Sreevani Arisa, Roberto Pili. The selective class I HDAC inhibitor entinostat enhances the antitumor effect of PD-1 inhibition in a syngeneic orthotopic murine model of renal cell carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4906.
Anticipated Multiple Role Management in Emerging Adults: A Test of the Social Cognitive Career Self-Management Model

Lent and Brown presented a social cognitive career theory (SCCT) self-management process model aimed at understanding how and under what conditions individuals will navigate adaptive career behaviors. The current study tested the self-management model as applied to young peoples’ anticipated multiple role balance intentions, hypothesizing that self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations for balancing multiple life roles would predict intentions to balance multiple life roles. Given that multiple role balancing behaviors require good self-organization capacities, trait conscientiousness was incorporated into the model as a potential person input variable. Gender was also included as a person input. The best fitting model suggested that, consistent with SCCT hypotheses, self-efficacy beliefs related to role balance intentions. Outcome expectation’s relationship to intentions was smaller and did not reach statistical significance. The relation of conscientiousness to intentions was fully mediated by self-...
Multi-target detection and tracking from a single camera in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

Despite the recent flight control regulations, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are still gaining popularity in civilian and military applications, as much as for personal use. Such emerging interest is pushing the development of effective collision avoidance systems. Such systems play a critical role UAVs operations especially in a crowded airspace setting. Because of cost and weight limitations associated with UAVs payload, camera based technologies are the de-facto choice for collision avoidance navigation systems. This requires multi-target detection and tracking algorithms from a video, which can be run on board efficiently. While there has been a great deal of research on object detection and tracking from a stationary camera, few have attempted to detect and track small UAVs from a moving camera. In this paper, we present a new approach to detect and track UAVs from a single camera mounted on a different UAV. Initially, we estimate background motions via a perspective transformation model and then identify distinctive points in the background subtracted image. We find spatio-temporal traits of each moving object through optical flow matching and then classify those candidate targets based on their motion patterns compared with the background. The performance is boosted through Kalman filter tracking. This results in temporal consistency among the candidate detections. The algorithm was validated on video datasets taken from a UAV. Results show that our algorithm can effectively detect and track small UAVs with limited computing resources.
Gifted & Green: Sustainability/Environmental Science Investigations That Promote Gifted Children's Learning.

Environmental studies provide an ideal opportunity for gifted children of any age to build critical and creative-thinking skills while also building skills in science, technology, engineering, and ...
The multilingual turn in FL education: Investigating L3/Ln learners’ reading-writing

The study reported in this article aimed at exploring the impact of pluralistic pedagogy practices on L3/Ln learners’ reading and writing abilities in a multilingual classroom. Students attended an Intensive Elementary Italian course. The prerequisite to register for this course was knowledge of at least one other Romance Language or previous exposure to the Italian language. Specifically, the investigation examined whether and how the plurilingual system of these learners could affect the development of the language abilities mentioned above. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using questionnaires and more traditional tests: a writing test and a reading test with a gradual increase in complexity. The results showed that a plurilingual pedagogy facilitated positive interlingual transfers, and consequently the development of both language abilities, particularly writing. It also appeared that connections between reading and writing were established, that is, the improvement of students’ writing skills affected reading comprehension and not vice versa. The development of these language abilities also seemed to be affected by other variables such as the proficiency level of languages present in learners’ plurilingual repertoire. To conclude, possible implications for language teaching/learning are discussed.
Transformative Possibilities: Politics and Cosmetic Surgery in the Bolivarian Revolution.

I examine the intersection of politics and aesthetics in a public hospital in Caracas, Venezuela in the first years of the twenty-first century. Given Venezuela’s long-standing embrace of physical ...
1302 Development of a portable analyzer for on-site biomonitoring of workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica

Introduction Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) exposure is considered as one of the most significant occupational health problems in the United States. Recent National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) field studies identified overexposure to RCS in oil and gas extraction workers, with exposures exceeding occupational RCS exposure levels by factors of 20 or more in sand moving and transfer belt operations. To facilitate on-site screening of workers to identify early (i.e., preclinical) biological responses to RCS exposure, there is a strong need for field-portable diagnostic instruments and methods, particularly for workers in mining, oil and gas extraction, and construction industries. Methods A portable analyzer for on-site biomonitoring using a lab-on-a-chip (LOC) device was developed, and its performance in measurement of an inflammatory biomarker for inhalation of RCS aerosol was evaluated. Results The overall performance of the portable analyzer with the LOC device had accuracy and precision comparable to laboratory testing results. It runs on a LabView-based program that controls variable parameters: on/off sequence, reagent flow speed, pump run time and optical detection. The pump input to the LOC and a portable analyzer are coupled to the LOC device with PEEK tubing, for automated ELISA testing in the field. Conclusion This is the first field-portable analyzer capable of on-site screening of workers to identify early (i.e., preclinical) biological responses to RCS exposure. Our work supports application of the analyzer together with the developed LOC as a portable monitor for on-site detection of lung inflammation in workers exposed to RCS, with minimum user intervention. Development of a device for detecting exposure-related biomarkers of biological processes (e.g., inflammation) that are predictive of the pathogenicity of exposure to RCS and other airborne toxicants would offer an important new approach for silicosis prevention.
The Galápagos Islands and Their Relation to Oceanographic Processes in the Tropical Pacific

Equatorial regions are characterized by significant interannual variability in oceanographic processes that are linked to changes in climate throughout the globe (Rassmusson and Wallace, 1983). Due in part to their role in global climate variability, equatorial regions—and particularly the equatorial Pacific—have received considerable attention from meteorologists and physical oceanographers during past decades. Recent measurements made during National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-sponsored programs such as the Equatorial Pacific Ocean Climate Studies (EPOCS) and the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA), as well as National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored programs such as Tropic Heat, have led to significant advances in our understanding of the oceanographic processes at work in the equatorial Pacific.
Preventing Reading Difficulties: Reading Between the Lines

Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children, the report of the Committee on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children sponsored by the National Research Council, provides a comprehensive examination of the reading process and of reading instruction in the early grades. Although lacking in several areas, such as the development of fluency, appropriate practices for students with learning disabilities, and recommendations for teacher education, the report is based on sound research and is likely to have a substantial impact on the field of reading.
Synaptic Plasticity at Crayfish Neuromuscular Junctions

Crustacean neuromuscular junctions have provided some very favorable preparations for the study of synaptic plasticity. The crayfish, in particular, has junctions at which facilitation and depression, both rapid and long-lasting varieties, can be studied in great detail. Since the ability of synapses to adjust their strength of transmission as a consequence of previous activity plays a major role in many theories of learning (Mark, 1974), synaptic plasticity has attracted wide interest among neurobiologists. This chapter will summarize attempts to understand synaptic plasticity in terms of underlying cellular processes.
Importance of Sorption Kinetics in the Partitioning of Organic Pollutants from a Point Source onto Suspended Sediments in the Transverse Mixing Zone

Sorption kinetics for pollutants onto suspended sediments with respect to particle size and onto dissolved organic carbon (DOC) which reversibly partitions on sediments was incorporated into a finite difference sediment transport model. The model for transport with sorption kinetics was developed for the bound to naturally occurring DOC, bound to sediments, and free aqueous pollutant concentrations in the ideal case of a rectangular channel with a steady uniform flow, to evaluate the importance of the formulation of sorption kinetics on the transport of hydrophobic non-ionic organics in the transverse mixing zone of a stream with a point source. Four formulations for partitioning were compared: 1) kinetics for rapid and slow types of kinetically controlled sorption sites, 2) instantaneous equilibrium for the rapid sorption site, 3) overall instantaneous sorption equilibrium, and 4) overall equilibrium without DOC. The common equilibrium models cannot correctly predict the phase distribution of pollutants. The full kinetic description is most important in predicting distributions of the more hydrophobic species, in the transverse mixing zone, and in fast streams.
Charge-assisted hydrogen bonding as a cohesive force in soil organic matter: water solubility enhancement by addition of simple carboxylic acids.

Weak bonds between molecular segments and between separate molecules of natural organic matter (OM) govern OM solubility, adsorption, supramolecular association in solution, and complexation with metal ions and oxides. We tested the hypothesis that especially strong hydrogen bonds, known as (negative) charge-assisted hydrogen bonds, (−)CAHB, contribute significantly to OM cohesion and play a role in the water solubility of solid-phase OM. The (−)CAHB, exemplified by structures such as (–CO2⋯H⋯O2C–)− and (–CO2⋯H⋯O–)−, may form between weak acids with similar proton affinity, and is shorter, more covalent, and much stronger than ordinary hydrogen bonds. Using a high-organic reference soil, we show that (−)CAHBs within the solid OM phase (intra-OM) are disrupted by solutions of aliphatic and aromatic acids, resulting in enhanced solubility of OM. The aromatic acids included naturally occurring plant exudate compounds. At constant pH and ionic strength, OM solubility increased with added organic acid concentration and molecular weight. Polar compounds incapable of forming (−)CAHBs, such as alkanols, acetonitrile, and dimethyl sulfoxide, were ineffective. Solubility enhancement showed behavior consistent with (−)CAHB theory and published observations-namely, (i) that formate is more effective than acetate due to its tendency to form stronger (−)CAHBs; (ii) that solubility enhancement peaks at pH ∼5–6, where the product of the concentration of the interacting carboxylate ions reaches a maximum; and (iii) that elution of acetate or formate through soil columns releases hydroxide ion, consistent with formation of (−)CAHBs between added acid and free weak acid groups on the solid OM. The results support the hypothesis that the (−)CAHB contributes to the cohesion of OM in the solid state.
Review of Catherine Lu: Justice and Reconciliation in World Politics: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2017, 309 pp, £75.00

Catherine Lu’s recent book argues that we should conceive colonial wrongs not as unjust interactions between individuals or states, but rather as structural injustices of the international system. I review her book and raise some questions about her approach.
The sex-dependent impact of SIRT3 on cognition

NAD+dependent deacetylase, SIRT3 is a bona fide mitochondrial metabolic stress sensor. It has been linked to the regulation of the mitochondrial acetylome and activation of several metabolic enzymes (e.g., MnSOD) to protect mitochondrial function and redox homeostasis, which are vital for survival, excitability and synaptic signaling of neurons mediating short and long term memory formation as well as retention. The goal of the current study was to determine the consequences of SIRT3 deletion on hippocampal-dependent behavioral tests (Y-maze, Crawley’s Sociability and Morris Water Maze) in 18-months old male and female Sirt3+/+and Sirt3-/-mice. Our results demonstrated that both Sirt3+/+and Sirt3-/- male mice displayed significant exploration bias for the novel arm compared to the start and familiar arms in Y-maze test, while Sirt3+/+and Sirt3-/-females failed to distinguish between the novel and start arms, suggesting female mice are more prone to hippocampal dependent short term memory loss independent of SIRT3 function. Crawley’s Sociability tests also showed both Sirt3+/+and Sirt3-/-female mice demonstrated impaired sociability. However, only Sirt3-/-females presented impaired social novelty. There were no sociability or social novelty impairments in male mice from both genetic backgrounds. Finally, hippocampal-dependent spatial learning and long-term memory were assessed via the Morris Water Maze. Both female and male Sirt3-/- mice demonstrated impaired spatial memory retention implying that SIRT3 plays a role in long term memory function.We are currently examining changes in glutamate receptor subunits and pre/post-synaptic marker gene expression as well as Sholl analysis to determine changes to the dendritic arborization. We will also present the mitochondrial function data as well as activity of mitochondrial enzymes which have shown to be SIRT3 deacetylation targets to establish a link between SIRT3 mediated mitochondrial redox homeostasis and cognition.
Electric Ship Propulsion with Induction Motor Drive and Li-Ion Battery based Back-up Capability

This paper deals with an IM propulsion drive for a ferry. The ship under test is moved by two twin propulsion units. Each IM drive is supplied by three-level neutral point clamped voltage source inverters in a back-to-back configuration. To increase the reliability of the IM drive in case of failure of one of the main generators on-board, a Li-ion battery pack is connected to the DC link of the drive by a DC-DC full-bridge bidirectional converter in order to provide the drive rated power for the time needed for a cold starting of the auxiliary generators on board. Results show the Li-ion battery pack is able not only to provide the power required by the drive, up to its rated value, but also to help the on-board healthy generators in supplying the loads in case of reduced power required by the propulsion drive.
Building blocks for healthy children: Evaluation of a child care center-based obesity prevention pilot among low-income children

Abstract Objective To assess the impact of a multilevel nutrition intervention for low-income child care environments, staff, and center-enrolled children. Design A cluster-randomized, controlled trial conducted among eligible centers. Staff and parent self-report surveys and objective field observations at baseline and follow-up were conducted. Setting A total of 22 low-income child care centers (enrolling ≥ 25 2- to 5-year-old children). Participants Children aged 18–71 months; 408 children and 97 staff were randomized into intervention (208 children and 50 staff) and waitlist-control groups (200 children and 45 staff). Retention rates were high (87% for children and 93% for staff). Intervention(s) A 6-session, 6-month director's child nutrition course with on-site technical support for center teachers. Main Outcome Measure(s) Center nutrition/physical activity environment; staff feeding styles, dietary patterns, and attitudes about food; child food preferences and dietary patterns. Analysis Covariance regression analyses to assess the intervention effect, adjusting for clustering within centers. Results Significant intervention effects were found for the center nutrition training/education environment (b = 3.01; P = .03), nutrition total scores (b = 1.29; P = .04), and staff-level prompting/encouraging feeding styles (b = 0.38; P = .04). No significant intervention effects were found for child-level measures. Conclusions and Implications Curriculum-driven training and implementation support improved nutritional policies and practices and staff–child interactions during meals. Future research could extend the intervention to families and the evaluation to children's dietary behaviors and weight changes.
Interactions Between Land Cover/Use Change and Hydrology

The water cycle is a vital component of the North Eurasian environment and plays a central role in the region’s climate, biology, biogeochemistry and in human interactions with the natural environment. The Northern Eurasian arctic drainage covers more than 2/3 of the pan-arctic land mass. Substantial changes in land cover and land use have occurred over the region in recent decades, as a result of changes in climate, permafrost, and water management, among other factors. These changes are likely to affect large-scale linkages between the regional and global climate system, but the nature of these interactions is not well understood. In this chapter, we analyze changes in the dominant hydrological components and explore the interaction of the terrestrial and atmospheric water cycles, with particular attention to key regional cryospheric processes and linkages between the water and carbon cycles. The monitoring of the water cycle from observational networks and remote sensing along with strategies for improving hydrological change detection are discussed in the context of changes in land cover and land use.
Graduate teaching assistants: sharing epistemic agency with non-science majors in the biology laboratory

In teaching laboratories, scientific reasoning and argumentation are often taught in concert so students are provided opportunities to formulate a more nuanced understanding of science-as-practice and science as a social epistemology. Given recent calls to attend to the social aspects of science, we used Critical Contextual Empiricism, a social epistemology of science, as a framework for examining what features of a scientific community emerge in the introductory biology lab. In a case study of six graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), we explored how GTAs encouraged epistemic agency that encouraged their student’s efforts at knowledge construction in a community by collecting multiple data sources (e.g. audio recordings, students written work, focus group interviews) over a four-week sequence. Data analysis strategies were inductive, as a series of initial and focused coding were applied to select exchanges garnered from within the lab. Comparative analysis identified common occurrences across each respective case, which then revealed three overarching themes. We intended for GTAs to readily encourage epistemic agency to their students so insights regarding the social nature of knowledge production could be experienced and discussed. When epistemic shifts did occur, GTAs executed discursive moves targeting students’ experimental design practices (e.g. defining the dependent variable). Conversely, student’s efforts were also de-legitimized as GTAs provided specific directives to follow when challenges emerged for students. Finally, GTAs struggled to create a genuine community that modeled exemplary science-as-practice in the lab. Implications discuss how GTAs likely require more targeted support if community-driven learning is going to be successful in these uniquely challenging settings. Finally, working with non-science majors adds an additional layer of importance here given these lab-based experiences are limited and understanding the community’s role in generating scientific knowledge is a key component of being scientifically literate.
Sliding Mode Control and Optimization for Six DOF Satellite Formation Flying Considering Saturation

This paper considers the problem of controlling both position and attitude states for a formation flying system using only thrusters. A coupled six degree of freedom position and attitude model is derived, where the coupling comes from the gravity gradient torque. Furthermore, the J2 perturbation, mass variation, thruster model, and thruster layout are considered. A globally stable chattering free sliding mode robust controller is designed with respect to functional bounded uncertainties. Based on the studies of open-loop responses, the range of control parameters is properly selected to avoid thruster saturation. A genetic algorithm is then applied to select the controller parameters. Both position and attitude states in a formation are precisely and continuously controlled for more than two years without recharging, using the selected electronic ion engine.
The FIN and PEAD Factors: Motivation, Construction, and Availability

This document provides an overview of the FIN and PEAD factors of Daniel, Hirshleifer, and Sun (2020) and describes their motivations, constructions, and availability. Based on investor psychology, Daniel, Hirshleifer, and Sun (2020) propose a theoretically motivated factor model that augments the market factor with two factors that capture long- and short-horizon mis-pricing. The long-horizon financing factor (FIN) exploits the information in managers’ decisions to issue or repurchase equity in response to persistent mis-pricing. The short-horizon earnings surprise factor (PEAD) is motivated by investor inattention and evidence of short-horizon under-reaction, and captures short-horizon mis-pricing. The 3-factor risk-and-behavioral model outperforms other proposed models in explaining a broad range of return anomalies. Daniel, Hirshleifer, and Sun (2020) is available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=3086063.
Intrauterine contraction parameters at baseline and following epidural and combined spinal-epidural analgesia: A repeated measures comparison.

Abstract Objective The effects of epidural and combined spinal-epidural analgesia on uterine contraction parameters are unclear, although as many as 80% of laboring women use neuraxial analgesia. We explored the effects of epidural and combined spinal-epidural analgesia on all uterine contraction parameters using a retrospective analysis of selected parturients, who required Intrauterine Pressure Catheter (IUPC) instrumentation for clinical management. Additionally, we analyzed the effects of parity, Pitocin dose, and mode of neuraxial anesthesia, i.e. epidural verses combined spinal-epidural on uterine contractility. Design Using a retrospective within and between repeated measure design we compared uterine contraction parameters at 4 time points (epochs): (1) baseline, (2) pre-epidural fluid bolus, (3) immediate and (4) secondary post-epidural/combined spinal-epidural analgesia to detect differences in contractility over time comparing two types of epidural interventions. Methods Eighteen healthy parturients at term gestation were admitted to the labor unit for induction, augmentation, or spontaneous labor. Contraction parameters including frequency, duration, peak intensity, resting intensity and duration, and Montevideo Units (MVUs) were collected using fetal monitor strip data with intrauterine pressure catheter (IUPC) instrumentation. Findings Parametric and non-parametric tests showed no significant differences within or between the two Epidural intervention groups for frequency, duration, peak intensity, resting intensity and duration, and MVUs at all epochs at the .05 alpha level. Compared with Nulliparous women, multiparous women had significantly lower contraction intensity and longer contraction duration. Based on multilevel modeling (MLM), neither Pitocin dose nor type of epidural intervention revealed significant differences on any contraction parameters. Conclusions When parity, other demographic variables and Pitocin dose were statistically controlled, no uterine contraction parameter changed from baseline through 90 min following either epidural or combined spinal-epidural analgesia. Obstetrical care providers should consider the preciseness their contraction monitoring instrumentation and their clinical management preferences as well parity as before prescribing Pitocin after neuraxial analgesia intervention.
Computational Study of Helical and Helix-Hinge-Helix Conformations of an Anti-Microbial Peptide in Solution by Molecular Dynamics and Vibrational Analysis

Many classical antimicrobial peptides adopt an amphipathic helical structure at a water-membrane interface. Prior studies led to the hypothesis that a hinge near the middle of a helical peptide plays an important role in facilitating peptide-membrane interactions. Here, dynamics and vibrations of a designed hybrid antimicrobial peptide LM7-2 in solution were simulated to investigate its hinge formation. Molecular dynamics simulation results on the basis of the CHARMM36 force field showed that the α-helix LM7-2 bent around two or three residues near the middle of the peptide, stayed in a helix-hinge-helix conformation for a short period of time, and then returned to a helical conformation. High-resolution computational vibrational techniques were applied on the LM7-2 system when it has α-helical and helix-hinge-helix conformations to understand how this structural change affects its inherent vibrations. These studies concentrated on the calculation of frequencies that correspond to backbone amide bands I, II, and III: vibrational modes that are sensitive to changes in the secondary structure of peptides and proteins. To that end, Fourier transforms were applied to thermal fluctuations in C-N-H angles, C-N bond lengths, and C═O bond lengths of each amide group. In addition, instantaneous all-atom normal mode analysis was applied to monitor and detect the characteristic amide bands of each amide group within LM7-2 during the MD simulation. Computational vibrational results indicate that shapes and frequencies of amide bands II and especially III were altered only for amide groups near the hinge. These methods provide high-resolution vibrational information that can complement spectroscopic vibrational studies. They assist in interpreting spectra of similar systems and suggest a marker for the presence of the helix-hinge-helix motif. Moreover, radial distribution functions indicated an increase in the probability of hydrogen bonding between water and a hydrogen atom connected to nitrogen (HN) in such a hinge. The probability of intramolecular hydrogen bond formation between HN and an amide group oxygen atom within LM7-2 was lower around the hinge. No correlation has been found between the presence of a hinge and hydrogen bonds between amide group oxygen atoms and the hydrogen atoms of water molecules. This result suggests a mechanism for hinge formation wherein hydrogen bonds to oxygen atoms of water replace intramolecular hydrogen bonds as the peptide backbone folds.
Transition metal dichalcogenide nanophotonic metaplatforms

This Conference Presentation, “Transition metal dichalcogenide nanophotonic metaplatforms,” was recorded at SPIE Optics + Photonics 2021 held in San Diego, California, United States.
Lunar & Mars Habitat Construction the Simple Cost Effective and Inexpensive Way

The drive towards lunar colonization and resource extraction and utilization, and beyond that the exploration and colonization of Mars and other extra-Terran bodies and volumes, requires the building and construction of Human shelters and habitats. Several methods have been proposed and are under investigation. These range from inflatable and ‘pre built’ habitats that are constructed or assembled, excavated in-crater and below surface (etc.) shelter structures that are then sealed and reinforced and made air-tight, and recent proposals such as 3D builds of habitats structures from cementious and regolith mixtures, these proportions ranging from zero additives purely regolith to binding agents introduced to control quality. In the letter we propose an alternative or additional approach, that of the Rammed Regolith™ extra-Terran parallel to the Rammed Earth (also known as Taipa in Portuguese, Pise in French and Italian, and Hangtu in Chinese) well know method of construction of habitat structures on Earth. Also in parallel to the well know variations on rammed earth, that of Compressed Earth Block (CEB) and compressed earth slabs either as made or as cut from large molds for slabs, we propose the Compressed Regolith Block (CRB)™. This in its various configurations.
Evaluating the Representative Canopy Surface of Arcticdem in Boreal Forests

Optical stereoscopy derived digital elevation models (DEMs) are emerging data sources for forest height mapping. However, these DEMs are mixed products of digital terrain models and digital surface models. Understanding the representative surface (terrain, canopy top or somewhere in between) of these DEMs helps clarify the uncertainties in the surface elevation estimate and guide their applications. This study evaluated ArcticDEMs generated from Worldview-2 stereo images with different sun elevation angles and seasons. Our findings demonstrate that distinctions of imagery acquisition characteristics affect the surface elevation estimate of ArcticDEM. Moreover, their influences are not consistent across different forest types. For evergreen forests, the surface elevation estimate of ArcticDEM is more constrained by sun elevation angles with high (>45°) and low (<10°) angles representing lower (50th-60th percentiles) and upper canopy surfaces (85th-95th percentiles) respectively. ArcticDEMs in deciduous forests, in contrast, are more conditional on seasonal changes with leaf-on and leaf-off seasons reflecting upper canopy (80th-95th percentiles) and near-ground surfaces separately.
A Hermeneutic Approach to Integration: Psychotherapy within the Circle of Practical Activity

In many ways, psychotherapy appears to be characterized by circles. Patients want to change, but they approach their problems in a manner that reflects the very problems of concern. In particular, patients often engage in the therapeutic relationship in ways that replicate the interpersonal difficulties they hope to resolve. Therapists, for their part, try to help, but they bring their own feelings and conflicts to the therapeutic situation. Furthermore, insofar as therapy involves helping patients to accept more responsibility for their own lives, there is the circle or paradox of trying to influence another person so that he or she will become self-directed.
Reconciling automation and flexibility? Technology and production in the postwar British motor vehicle industry

This article contests the view that `stages of development` determine a uniquely appropriate set of production and marketing strategies for a given industry in a given period. Looking closely at the British automobile industry after World War II, it instead presents the argument that opportunities for significant choices between more or less flexible technologies and organizational forms constitute a continuous feature of modern economic history. Moreover, piecemeal borrowing and selective adaptation have been more common than wholesale imitation of any particular system, and modification and hybridization of imported technologies represent not resistance to `foreign` elements, but creative attempts to fit those elements to local conditions.
Disruption of tolerance by ER stress in type 1 diabetes (BA8P.128)

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease, largely mediated by autoreactive T cells, in which islet β cells are destroyed. The events that break peripheral tolerance in individuals genetically predisposed to autoimmunity are poorly understood. Many physiological and environmental triggers associated with T1D, such as viral infection, chemicals, reactive oxygen species, and dynamic glucose sensing, result in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. ER stress increases the potential for abnormal post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins. We hypothesized that β cell ER stress generates neo-antigens that activate autoreactive T cells and worsen T1D. Indeed, chemical (Thapsigargin) induction of ER stress in murine islets or insulinomas increased IFNγ secretion from diabetogenic BDC2.5 T cells (28-1500 fold). Chelation of stress-induced calcium (Ca2+) flux reduced this response (27-64%), supporting a role for Ca2+-dependent enzymes such as tissue transglutaminase 2 (Tgase). Tgase activity is higher (18 fold) in β cells under stress, and reduced Tgase expression decreased the BDC2.5 response to β cells under stress (58%). Finally, nonantigenic insulinomas were exposed to normal physiological conditions in vivo. At harvest, these cells had increased ER stress (300 fold), increased Tgase activity (44 fold), and elicited higher BDC2.5 IFNγ responses (22 fold) compared to cultured cells. Thus, β cell ER stress causes formation of neo-antigens that activate autoreactive T cells.
Evolution of decision rules used for IT portfolio management: An inductive approach

IT portfolio management and the related planning decisions for IT–dependent initiatives are critical to organizational performance. Building on the logic of appropriateness theoretical framework, we define an important characteristic of decision rules used during IT portfolio planning; rule appropriateness with regards to the risk-taking criterion. We propose that rule appropriateness will be an important factor explaining the evolution of rules over time. Using an inductive learning methodology, we analyze a unique dataset of actual IT portfolio planning decisions spanning two consecutive years within one organization. We present systematic comparative analysis of the evolution of rules used in planning over two years to validate our research proposition. We find that rules that were inappropriate in the first year are being redefined to design appropriate rules for use in the second year. Our work provides empirical evidence demonstrating organizational learning and improvements in IT portfolio planning capabilities.
Solving Traveling Salesman Problems

Given the cost of travel between each pair of a finite number of cities, the traveling salesman problem (TSP) is to find the cheapest tour passing through all of the cities and returning to the point of departure. We will present a survey of recent progress in algorithms for large-scale TSP instances, including the solution of a million city instance to within 0.09% of optimality and the exact solution a 15,112-city instance. We will also discuss extensions of TSP techniques to other path-routing problems, and describe the solution of the WhizzKids'96 problem in vehicle routing. This talk is based on joint work with David Applegate, Robert Bixby, Vasek Chvatal, Sanjeeb Dash and Andre Rohe.
Puja, Expressions of Hindu Devotion

PUJA, EXPRESSIONS OF HINDU DEVOTION. The Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, May 12, 1996 ongoing
Evaluation of Low-Cylce Fatigue Damage in Steel Structural Components by a Magnetic Measurement Technique

Fatigue is one of the leading causes of failure in structural components. The development of a viable NDE technique which can detect fatigue damage in its early stages of development, monitor its progress and be capable of predicting the onset of catastrophic failure is very essential. If the damage can be detected at an early stage, corrective measures can be taken either in the form of repairs to, or replacement of, the damaged part.
A conductometric biosensor for biosecurity

The paper describes the development of a conductometric biosensor for detecting foodborne pathogens. The biosensor consists of two components: an immunosensor that is based on electrochemical sandwich immunoassay, and a reader for signal measurement. The architecture of the immunosensor utilizes a lateral flow system that allows the liquid sample to move from one pad to another. The biosensor provides a specific, sensitive, low volume, and near real-time detection mechanism. Results are presented to highlight the performance of the biosensor for enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp., which are of concern to biosecurity. The lower limit of detection is approximately 7.9×101 colony forming units per milliliter within a 10-min process. The ability to change the specificity of the antibodies will enable the biosensor to be used as a detection device for other types of foodborne pathogens.
Characterization of the GRK2 Binding Site of Gαq

Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) transmit signals from membrane bound G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to intracellular effector proteins. The G(q) subfamily of Galpha subunits couples GPCR activation to the enzymatic activity of phospholipase C-beta (PLC-beta). Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins bind to activated Galpha subunits, including Galpha(q), and regulate Galpha signaling by acting as GTPase activating proteins (GAPs), increasing the rate of the intrinsic GTPase activity, or by acting as effector antagonists for Galpha subunits. GPCR kinases (GRKs) phosphorylate agonist-bound receptors in the first step of receptor desensitization. The amino termini of all GRKs contain an RGS homology (RH) domain, and binding of the GRK2 RH domain to Galpha(q) attenuates PLC-beta activity. The RH domain of GRK2 interacts with Galpha(q/11) through a novel Galpha binding surface termed the "C" site. Here, molecular modeling of the Galpha(q).GRK2 complex and site-directed mutagenesis of Galpha(q) were used to identify residues in Galpha(q) that interact with GRK2. The model identifies Pro(185) in Switch I of Galpha(q) as being at the crux of the interface, and mutation of this residue to lysine disrupts Galpha(q) binding to the GRK2-RH domain. Switch III also appears to play a role in GRK2 binding because the mutations Galpha(q)-V240A, Galpha(q)-D243A, both residues within Switch III, and Galpha(q)-Q152A, a residue that structurally supports Switch III, are defective in binding GRK2. Furthermore, GRK2-mediated inhibition of Galpha(q)-Q152A-R183C-stimulated inositol phosphate release is reduced in comparison to Galpha(q)-R183C. Interestingly, the model also predicts that residues in the helical domain of Galpha(q) interact with GRK2. In fact, the mutants Galpha(q)-K77A, Galpha(q)-L78D, Galpha(q)-Q81A, and Galpha(q)-R92A have reduced binding to the GRK2-RH domain. Finally, although the mutant Galpha(q)-T187K has greatly reduced binding to RGS2 and RGS4, it has little to no effect on binding to GRK2. Thus the RH domain A and C sites for Galpha(q) interaction rely on contacts with distinct regions and different Switch I residues in Galpha(q).
AGGREGATION ACROSS HETEROGENEOUS DEPOSITORY INSTITUTIONS

Financial models usually proceed “as if” aggregation across heterogeneous financial intermediaries suppresses little information. The presumption is that the relevant set of relative yields remains essentially constant over time across intermediaries. Drawing on the fact that objective functions differ across intermediaries, we present theoretical evidence and data that question standard practice and suggest proceeding “as if” such differences exist and matter.
H II Regions in Spiral Galaxies: Size Distribution, Luminosity Function, and New Isochrone Diagnostics of Density-Wave Kinematics

We investigate the relationship of the H II region luminosity function (H II LF) to the H II region size distribution and density-wave triggering in grand-design spiral galaxies. We suggest that the differential nebular size distribution is described by a power law approximately of slope -4, with flattening at radii below ~130 pc. This contrasts with the conventional exponential description, but it is physically and quantitatively consistent with the typical observed value of -2 for the H II LF slope. To study H II LF evolution, we have developed an interactive code that computes spatial isochrones for the evolving loci of spiral density waves in disk galaxies. This allows comparison of the nebular spatial distribution with the spatial isochrones for simple rotation curve parameters. Our comparisons for four grand-design galaxies suggest that the corotation radius rco coincides with the outer ends of the star-forming arms. This value for rco yields the best spatial correspondence between the H II regions and the isochrones and also appears to yield a coincidence between the inner Lindblad resonance with the radial onset of star formation in the arms. Thus, we suggest that isochrones offer a new, simple, and effective technique for determining rco and thus the spiral pattern speed. However, application of the isochrones also demonstrates that the evolution of the nebular population is difficult to spatially isolate in these galaxies.
The timing of initial neuropeptide expression by an identified insect neuron does not depend on interactions with its normal peripheral target

To study the developmental regulation of a neuropeptide phenotype, we have analyzed the biochemical and morphological differentiation of two identifiable neurons in embryos of the moth, Manduca sexta. The central cell, CF, and the peripheral cell, L1, are both neuroendocrine neurons that express neuropeptides related to the molluscan tetrapeptide FMRFamide. Both neurons project axons to the transverse nerve in each thoracic segment. Within the CF and L1 cells, neuropeptide-like immunoreactivity was localized to secretory granules that had cell-specific morphologies and sizes. The onset of neuropeptide expression in the two cell types displayed a similar pattern: immunoreactivity was first detected in distal processes and soon after within cell bodies. However, the onsets occurred at different times: for the CF cell, neuropeptides were first seen at 60%-63% of embryonic development, after the neuron had extended a long axon into the periphery, while L1 neuropeptide expression began at approximately 42%, as it first extended its growth cone. These times were related in that they corresponded to the arrival times of the respective growth cones at a similar position in the developing peripheral nerve. Within this region of the nerve, the growth cones of both cell types-exhibited a transient and cell-specific interaction with an identified mesodermal cell, called the Syncytium. Like the L1 and B neurons (Carr and Taghert, 1988b), the CF growth cones typically grew past this cell, yet remained attached to it by lamellipodial and filopodial processes of the axon. Ultrastructurally, the interaction involved filopodial adhesion to and insertion within the Syncytial cell. Two other nonneuroendocrine cell types grew axons past this same region, but showed no such tendencies. To test the hypothesis that the morphological and biochemical differentiation of these cells was somehow linked, central ganglia were isolated (as individuals or connected as ganglionic chains) in tissue culture, prior to the time when CF growth cones entered the periphery and prior to the development of CF neuropeptide expression. In the majority of cases, CF neurons nevertheless displayed their neuropeptide phenotype at a normal and cell-specific stage. We conclude that the initiation of neuropeptide expression is highly correlated with schedules of morphological differentiation in these neurons, but that, in the case of the CF neuron, it is not regulated by interactions of the growth cone with peripheral structures.
Artists Work Everywhere

Despite the specter of artists clustered in inner reaches of a few hip, fashionable cities, people do artwork as a major occupation in most U.S. communities. Artists move across state lines more often than workers in other occupations, and because more apt to be self-employed, for reasons other than a job. The author explores why artists migrate, varying by artistic discipline and age cohort. Some metros home grow more artists by offering nurturing infrastructure. Finding considerable complexity in the spatial distribution of artists over time, the author argues that the bohemian stereotype is inaccurate, undermining respect for artwork as an occupation and for artists’ roles in creative placemaking.
Signaling by dual specificity kinases

Dual specificity kinases that phosphorylate the Thr- and Tyr-residues within the TXY motif of MAP-kinases of play a central role in the regulation of various processes of cell growth. These dual specificity kinases also known as MAP kinase kinases are constituents of the sequential kinase signaling modules. Seven distinct mammalian MAP kinases kinases have been identified. Some of the unique signaling properties of these kinases are discussed here.