cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Novel Role for STAT-5B in the Regulation of Hsp27–FGF-2 Axis Facilitating Thrombin-Induced Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Growth and Motility

Previously, we have demonstrated that STAT-3 plays a role in thrombin-induced VSMC motility. To learn more about the role of STATs in the mitogenic and chemotactic signaling events of thrombin, here we have studied the role of STAT-5. Thrombin activated STAT-5 as measured by its tyrosine phosphorylation, DNA binding, and reporter gene activity. Inhibition of STAT-5B, but not STAT-5A, by adenovirus-mediated expression of its respective dominant-negative mutants suppressed thrombin-induced VSMC growth and motility. Thrombin induced the expression of Hsp27 and FGF-2 in a time- and STAT-5B-dependent manner in VSMC. In addition, small interfering RNA-directed depletion of Hsp27 levels or adenovirus-mediated expression of its dominant-negative mutant attenuated thrombin-induced FGF-2 expression, growth, and motility of VSMC. An increased association of STAT-5B with STAT-3 occurred in response to thrombin and adenovirus-mediated expression of dnSTAT-3 suppressed thrombin-induced Hsp27 and FGF-2 induction, DNA synthesis and motility in VSMC. Together, these results indicate that thrombin-induced VSMC growth and motility require STAT-5B/STAT-3-dependent expression of Hsp27 and FGF-2. These observations also suggest that STAT-5B/STAT-3/Hsp27/FGF-2 signaling via its involvement in the regulation of VSMC growth and motility may play an important role in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases such as restenosis after angioplasty.
Interpolation of perimeter wireless channel measurements into the measurement region

The work presented here demonstrates the feasibility of interpolating perimeter wireless channel measurements throughout a planar region. The outdoor diffraction measurements have shown that, by applying the modified CWE to a pair of closed contour measurements, one may attain an accurate approximation to the true channel without having to tediously measure everywhere in the region. Thereby, this interpolation technique allows for an accurate acquisition of the wireless channel in a fraction of the time typically required. The interpolated channel may be used as additional measurements for developing stochastic channel models or as a 2-D electric field map for investigating the physical mechanisms underlying real-world radiowave propagation.
A Reattaching Free Shear Layer in Compressible Turbulent Flow

A numerical simulation of the time-dependent, Reynolds-averaged, Navier-Stokes equations for the entire flowfield, employing a two-equation eddy viscosity turbulence model, is presented for free turbulent shear layer reattachment on inclined surfaces at high Mach number. The results are compared to the results of an investigation of a two-dimensional, free turbulent shear layer reattaching on an inclined surface at Mach 2.92 and at a high Reynolds number. The test geometry is specifically designed to isolate the reattachment process of a high-speed separated flow. Detailed comparisons of prediction and experiment are made in the free shear layer, at reattachment, and in the developing boundary layer downstream. These comparisons include mean surface quantities as well as mean and fluctuating flowfield quantities. Although the overall features of this complex flowfield are predicted, there are several deficiencies in the numerical solution, particularly in the region downstream of reattachment. Modifications of the turbulence model to correct these difficiencies are discussed.
The Attenuating Effects of Internal Mobility on Employee Turnover: Multiple Field Assessments

Despite the continuing lack of empirical assessment, it has been speculatedfor some 30 years that intraorganizational mobility may be a surrogate for employee turnover. This study examines the association between lateral internal mobility and employee turnover. The hypothesis that internal mobility will act as a substitute for employee turnover was tested relying on two field sample cohorts (n = 521, n = 387) of nonmanagerial personnel over a 4-year period. Results strongly support the attenuating impact of internal mobility on turnover. Implications of these results are discussed.
The role of social factors in affective disorder: an assessment of the vulnerability model of Brown and his colleagues

The present study attempted to confirm the vulnerability model proposed by Brown and his colleagues, using data from a survey of 435 mothers from two semi-rural regions of Pennsylvania. The results were not consistent with the earlier findings. Methodological and conceptual issues were discussed to explain the differences in results.
Google, legal citations, and electronic fickleness: Legal scholarship in the digital environment

While law review articles are preserved in fee-based databases such as Westlaw and Lexis and thus are reliably accessible for the future, the footnotes, the source of authority and the body of most law review articles which themselves represent the main part of legal scholarship, usually refer to documents which far too often become inaccessible within a few months after their publication. Both government documents and documents privately published on the Internet have an unreliable life-span. This contradictory approach to digitization raises a large array of questions. Among them, is the following: How does this double digitization (that is, digitizing articles which refer to already-digitized, but unreliably retrieved, prior sources) affect the retrieval of legal information? Whose job is it to preserve legal information? As this is a more complex answer here I will only attempt to show that digitization has created a different environment of legal information (which includes legal scholarship) and this new environment proves to be more elusive that we would like to think about it.
Molecular Pathogenesis of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is unique among malignancies since it represents an accumulation of B-lymphocytes resistant to apoptosis. Several factors are thought to confer this unusual feature to a CLL B-cell. Misbalance between cytoplasmic pro-survival and pro-death molecules, such as Bcl-2, Mcl-1 and alike, appears to be one of the key factors defining B-cell longevity. Autocrine pathways, such as vascular endothelial growth factor-receptor pathway, also contribute to survival. The role of B-cell receptor (BCR) is less straightforward. In the last decade it became clear that CLL does not constitute a uniform disease, but, based on the prevalence of mutations in the BCR heavy chain (IgVH), can be classified into two distinct subgroups. Several molecular markers correlate with IgVH mutations. Some of them, like zeta-chain associated protein kinase, are also involved in BCR signaling and influence cell cycle. Yet the primary pathogenic event leading to increased proliferation and survival in CLL is difficult to ascertain. Molecules involved in BCR signaling pathways and cytoplasmic pro-survival players probably act in concert to confer resistance to apoptosis. In this respect, the role of the B-CLL environment, which includes nurse-like cells and T-cells, cannot be underestimated. Nurse-like cells provide stimuli necessary for perpetuation of life in CLL. On the other hand, abnormal T-cell function, whether it is excessive immunosuppression delivered by regulatory T-cells or insufficient anti-tumor immunity rendered by Thelpers, allows malignant CLL cells to go unnoticed by the cellular immune system.
Operational requirements for avoidance and eventual elimination of Gz-induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC) in flight.

Fifty years of more or less active research experiences concerning the cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurologic dynamics of G-LOC carried out in healthy humans, both on centrifuges and in flight, have convinced me that on the basis of the physiology involved and because of the risk of the very high cost in pilot lives and their planes due to G-LOC, three operational requirements should be adopted as follows. Operational Requirement I. A noninvasive continuous on-line, real-time recording of arterial pulsations at brain level should be a mandatory requirement for every human centrifuge exposure to Gz accelerations that carry an appreciable likelihood of loss of vision and/or consciousness. A similar system should be a mandatory requirement for every pilot when performing high G air-to-air or air-to-ground combat maneuvers both in training and in actual combat conditions. Operational Requirement II. A physiological G-LOC forewarning system based on arterial pulsations at head level coupled with a last-resort automatic plane recovery system should be installed in all advanced fighter aircraft. Operational Requirement III. Because of the inherent biomedical hazards associated with very high Gz protection and the risk of G-LOC when in conventional upright or partially supinated positions, an automatic 9 Gz or greater activated timer, G-LOC avoidance system should be installed in advanced fighter aircraft. This system should be set to activate an auditory G-LOC forewarning signal when a Gz level of more than 9 is maintained for 3 seconds, i.e., a period less than the cerebral anoxic reserve time. Failure of pilot response, that is, maintenance of Gz levels of greater than 9 for more than 4 seconds following this forewarning signal (i.e., a total sustained very high period of 6-7 seconds, a period equal to the average human cerebral anoxic reserve time), then activates a follow-on automatic plane recovery system. Language: en
Nanoparticle shape, thermodynamics and kinetics

Nanoparticles can be beautiful, as in stained glass windows, or they can be ugly as in wear and corrosion debris from implants. We estimate that there will be about 70,000 papers in 2015 with nanoparticles as a keyword, but only one in thirteen uses the nanoparticle shape as an additional keyword and research focus, and only one in two hundred has thermodynamics. Methods for synthesizing nanoparticles have exploded over the last decade, but our understanding of how and why they take their forms has not progressed as fast. This topical review attempts to take a critical snapshot of the current understanding, focusing more on methods to predict than a purely synthetic or descriptive approach. We look at models and themes which are largely independent of the exact synthetic method whether it is deposition, gas-phase condensation, solution based or hydrothermal synthesis. Elements are old dating back to the beginning of the 20th century-some of the pioneering models developed then are still relevant today. Others are newer, a merging of older concepts such as kinetic-Wulff constructions with methods to understand minimum energy shapes for particles with twins. Overall we find that while there are still many unknowns, the broad framework of understanding and predicting the structure of nanoparticles via diverse Wulff constructions, either thermodynamic, local minima or kinetic has been exceedingly successful. However, the field is still developing and there remain many unknowns and new avenues for research, a few of these being suggested towards the end of the review.
Signifying on the World Religions Paradigm: My Version of Religion 101

The growing role of critical theory and postcolonial inquiry within the religious studies classroom has challenged the utility of the World Religions Paradigm. This has created a pedagogical opportunity for recreating the Religion 101 course. This essay introduces a course that uses signifying theory and the African American experience to consider "religion."
Phorbol ester and interleukin-1 induce interleukin-6 gene expression in vascular smooth muscle cells via independent pathways

Previous studies using bioassays suggest that interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a major secretory product of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), which is induced by proinflammatory cytokines. This study investigated whether activation of the protein kinase C (PKC) pathway induces IL-6 gene expression and release in VSMC, by using both bioassay and specific immunoassay methods to measure IL-6 release. Activation of PKC with a phorbol ester, PMA (phorbol myristate acetate), induced a rapid and transient (1-4 h) increase in the levels of both 1.2- and 2.4-kb IL-6 transcripts in rat aortic SMCs (RASMC), as determined by Northern analysis, which was followed by increased release of bioactive IL-6, as determined by a B9 cell-proliferation assay. IL-1, a physiological activator of PKC, induced a rapid increase in IL-6 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels, which was sustained at 24 h. PMA-induced IL-6 mRNA levels in RASMC were markedly attenuated after downregulation of PKC with PMA and by the selective PKC inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide. In contrast, IL-1-induced increases in IL-6 mRNA were not affected by either PKC downregulation or bisindolylmaleimide. Angiotensin II (Ang II), also known to activate PKC, likewise induced a rapid increase in IL-6 mRNA levels and IL-6 release in RASMC, but the effect was not blocked by PKC downregulation. VSMC derived from human saphenous vein (HSVSMC) released substantial amounts of immunoreactive IL-6 in the absence of stimulation by exogenous growth factors, and both PMA and IL-1 markedly increased IL-6 release. Furthermore, downregulation of PKC and bisindolylmaleimide blocked the effect of PMA but not that of IL-1 in HSVSMC. These results suggest that activation of phorbol ester-responsive PKC induces IL-6 gene expression in both rat and human VSMC. In contrast, IL-1 and Ang II activate IL-6 gene expression by a pathway distinct from that of phorbol ester-responsive PKC.
Inhibition of natural killer (NK) activity by human colostral and serum IgA.

Natural killer (NK) cells are defined as effector cells with spontaneous cytotoxicity against tumor, virus-infected and undifferentiated normal cells. NK activity is closely associated with a subpopulation of lymphocytes, large granular lymphocytes (LGL), that contain azurophilic cytoplasmic granules. The NK cells show a characteristic organ distribution: they are numerous in peripheral blood and spleen, but relatively low numbers are found in lymph nodes, peritoneal cavity and bone marrow (1,2). Previous investigations have demonstrated that NK activity is influenced by various factors such as interferon, interleukin-2, hormones, suppressor cells, environmental factors and age. Recently, mucosal LGL have been isolated from the small intestines of humans, mice and rats (3–6). In the mouse and rat, mucosal LGL showed moderate levels of NK activity, while human mucosal LGL demonstrated low NK activity.
Effects of Storax on focal cerebral ischemia in rats

[Objective] To investigate effects of Storax on acute focal cerebral ischemia in rats. [Methods] Healthy male SD rats were administered intragastrically with Storax at the dose of 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 g/kg in each day, for 5 days, and then induced with occlusion of middle cerebral artery(MCAO) with suture embolus. Body weight and hepatic-renal function of healthy rats during pretreatment were measured before stroke, and ischemic infarct volumes and hemispheric swelling rates were quantified on TTC-stained brain slices at 24 h, after stroke, also, neurological scores, death rates and the content of Fib, PT, APTT, TT were evaluated 24 hours after stroke. [Results] Rats treated with storax at the dose of 1.6 g/kg in each day presented signs of toxicity, weight growth were decreased and ALT, CREA were increased compared with other groups(P0.05), and 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 g/kg in each day were chosen as the relatively safety doses to proceed the subsequent experiment. 24 hours after stroke, the infarct volumes, hemispheric swelling rates and neurological deficits of rats in the vehicle group were significant compared with the sham group( P0.05), and Storax significantly attenuates the brain damage of cerebral ischemia(P0.05). Compared with the sham group, the concentration of Fib significantly increased( P0.05) and PT,APTT, and TT significantly shortened in the model group(P 0.05); however, compared with the vehicle group, Storax significantly decreased Fib content(P0.05) and prolonged PT, APTT(P0.05). [Conclusion] Storax can attenuate the brain damage and regulate the coagulation function in acute focal cerebral ischemia in rats.
DISLOCATION CONFIGURATIONS IN COLD ROLLED Al-Li-Cu-Mg-Zr SUPERPLASTIC ALLOY UNDER ELECTROPULSING

Dynamic recrystallization occurs during the superplastic deformation of cold rolled AI-Li-Cu-Mg-Zr under electropulsing. Meanwhile, the dislocation configuration in the grain interior changes in the course of deformation from seldom initially straight lines to rather dense spiral pattern. Electropulsing enhances the activity of vacancies which first accelerate the dislocation climb and then help the viscous sliding of grain boundaries.
Calculations of the IR spectra of bend fundamentals of (H2O)n=3,4,5 using the WHBB_2 potential and dipole moment surfaces

Stimulated by new experiments from the Havenith group, we report IR spectra of the bend fundamentals of (H2O)n=3,4,5, using anharmonic, coupled-mode VSCF/VCI calculations, done in a subspace of modes consisting of all the monomer bends plus the hydrogen-bonded OH stretches. Double-harmonic spectra are also reported. All calculations employ a faster version of the ab initio WHBB potential and also a more accurate representation of the dipole moment surface, reported previously. Comparisons at the harmonic level are made with previous high-level ab initio calculations, notably those of Howard and Tschumper and also with harmonic frequencies from the semi-empirical TTM3-F potential, which have been reported previously by Howard and Tschumper. The calculations provide energies and intensities of the hydrogen-bonded OH stretches and these are also presented and briefly discussed.
Rotation Curves in the Outer Parts of Galaxies from HI Observations

21cm observations at the Arecibo Observatory for 9 edge-on spiral galaxies are described. Flat rotation curves are found in most cases.
Simultaneous inference for treatment regimes

ABSTRACTA viable dynamic treatment regime refers to decisions regarding how different treatments and dose levels are tailored through time to match with the patient’s health status. In the therapy for cancer or diseases that require multiple stages of treatments, the effect of preceding treatment (such as growing back of solid tumors or regime-related toxicity) critically influences the selection of treatment in the following stage. So far, analyses of dynamic regimes mainly focus on marginal mean models under the assumption of sequential randomization in a clinical trial. Inference conclusions regarding multiple regimes are normally conservative due to different combinations in the formation of treatment regimes. In this article, we propose a simultaneous confidence interval method to identify treatment regimes that are significantly different from the bulk of the treatment combinations. The new method is applied to analyze the dynamic treatment regimes (DTRs) prostate cancer trial which includes treatme...
GUARANTEED ULTIMATE BOUNDEDNESS CONTROL FOR UNCERTAIN DYNAMIC SYSTEMS

The problem of designing a state feedback control that guarantees the desired performance of a dynamic system containing uncertain elements is discussed in Gutman and Leitmann (1976) and Gutman (1979) among others. The desired performance is usually uniform asymptotic stability of an equilibrium state. Sometimes one is content with uniform ultimate boundedness in some set; in that case one can consider feedback based on uncertain state or output as in Leitmann (1980). The salient feature of the problem is the fact that it is a deterministic treatment of uncertainty in that one requires certain performance in the presence of uncertain information. The essential knowledge about the uncertain elements concerns only their possible sizes; that is, only the sets in which the values of the uncertain quantities can range are presumed to be known.
Combining Fetal Hemoglobin and Reticulocytosis to Index Clinical Severity of Sickle Cell Disease in Children.

Abstract Abstract 2556 Poster Board II-533 Predictors of disease severity during infancy or childhood in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) are needed to guide treatment decisions with therapies that have known toxicities [transfusion, hydroxyurea (HU), bone marrow transplant]. Erythrocyte fetal hemoglobin (HbF) expression levels above 20% reduce sickle hemoglobin (HbS) polymerization and decrease hemolysis. As a result of the decreased hemolysis, the survival of erythrocytes is prolonged, and the overall level of erythropoiesis is reduced. To determine if clinical markers of increased HbF production and decreased erythropoiesis may be combined to score disease severity, we developed a Fetal Hemoglobin-Reticulocytosis Index (FRI) defined as: [HbF (%) × non-transfused F-cells (%)] / [Absolute Reticulocyte Count (K/uL)]. For these studies, red cell lysates were analyzed by high power liquid chromatography (HPLC) to estimate HbA, HbS, and HbF fractions. F-cells were analyzed by flow cytometry using antibodies directed against HbF, while transfused cells were labeled with antibodies directed against HbA. Dual staining with both antibodies provided a method for accurately distinguishing transfused and non-transfused F-cells (NT F-cells). A minimum of 10,000 cells was analyzed in all samples. Absolute reticulocyte counts (ARC) were determined using a Sysmex XE 2100 hematology analyzer (Sysmex America, Mundelein, IL). Preliminary studies revealed FRI values near 100 at one month of age followed by a rapid drop before the age of 4 years. Blood from children between the ages of 4 and 21 years was also studied to determine if FRI correlates with therapeutic regimen. FRI values for three groups were compared: those treated with chronic transfusion (n=19, mean FRI=0.72±1.04), HU (n=19, mean FRI=5.61±6.24), versus supportive care alone that did not include recent transfusions (n=42, mean FRI=2.70 ±4.85). When the FRI values from each of these groups were placed in rank order, the slope of the line increased sharply from a linear to an exponential shape near the FRI value of 2. To determine if the FRI=2 inflection may be indicative of reduced disease severity, the number of SCD events were determined in the 42 study subjects treated with supportive care. Overall, twenty-eight (66.7%) patients had an FRI Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Use of image registration and fusion algorithms and techniques in radiotherapy: Report of the AAPM Radiation Therapy Committee Task Group No. 132.

Image registration and fusion algorithms exist in almost every software system that creates or uses images in radiotherapy. Most treatment planning systems support some form of image registration and fusion to allow the use of multimodality and time-series image data and even anatomical atlases to assist in target volume and normal tissue delineation. Treatment delivery systems perform registration and fusion between the planning images and the in-room images acquired during the treatment to assist patient positioning. Advanced applications are beginning to support daily dose assessment and enable adaptive radiotherapy using image registration and fusion to propagate contours and accumulate dose between image data taken over the course of therapy to provide up-to-date estimates of anatomical changes and delivered dose. This information aids in the detection of anatomical and functional changes that might elicit changes in the treatment plan or prescription. As the output of the image registration process is always used as the input of another process for planning or delivery, it is important to understand and communicate the uncertainty associated with the software in general and the result of a specific registration. Unfortunately, there is no standard mathematical formalism to perform this for real-world situations where noise, distortion, and complex anatomical variations can occur. Validation of the software systems performance is also complicated by the lack of documentation available from commercial systems leading to use of these systems in undesirable ‘black-box’ fashion. In view of this situation and the central role that image registration and fusion play in treatment planning and delivery, the Therapy Physics Committee of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine commissioned Task Group 132 to review current approaches and solutions for image registration (both rigid and deformable) in radiotherapy and to provide recommendations for quality assurance and quality control of these clinical processes.
Examining Twitter Mentions Between Police Agencies and Public Users through the Lens of Stakeholder Theory

Police agencies increasingly leverage social media for community policing. This paper examines how municipal police agencies and public users interact on social media by examining their mentioning behaviors on Twitter. We manually annotated 7,142 tweets sent by 14 municipal police agencies within 6 months in 2015, and classified 15,785 tweets where public users mentioned the agencies. Through the lens of Stakeholder Theory, we also classified 10,956 Twitter users, who either mentioned the agencies or were mentioned by the agencies, into different stakeholder groups. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, we identified patterns of how they mentioned each other. For example, agencies mentioned more popular and local stakeholders, while less popular and non-local stakeholders sent more negative tweets. We discuss implications of the results for police agencies, which include how to better identify and engage stakeholders and foster community policing on Twitter.
Cyber Security Awareness Among College Students

This study reports the early results of a study aimed to investigate student awareness and attitudes toward cyber security and the resulting risks in the most advanced technology environment: the Silicon Valley in California, USA. The composition of students in Silicon Valley is very ethnically diverse. The objective was to see how much the students in such a tech-savvy environment are aware of cyber-attacks and how they protect themselves against them. The early statistical analysis suggested that college students, despite their belief that they are observed when using the Internet and that their data is not secure even on university systems, are not very aware of how to protect their data. Also, it appears that educational institutions do not have an active approach to improve awareness among college students to increase their knowledge on these issues and how to protect themselves from potential cyber-attacks, such as identity theft or ransomware.
Kinship Influences Cannibalism in the Wolf Spider, Pardosa milvina

Recent studies have called into question the role of Wright's coefficient of relatedness (r) in the interactions among relatives. Kin selection theory predicts a positive relationship between relatedness and frequency of “altruistic” acts, but a number of researchers have reported the opposite relationship. I used a lycosid spider (Pardosa milvina) to test the hypothesis that genetic relatedness would affect the propensity of a cannibalistic species to prey on genetic relatives. I considered lack of predation to be a form of “altruism” where the predator incurs a cost (loss of a meal) that benefits potential prey. Specifically, I questioned whether direct genetic offspring would be avoided as prey items and whether the sex or reproductive condition of a cannibalistic predator would affect the likelihood of predation on conspecific juveniles. As predicted by kin selection theory, spiderling mothers ate significantly fewer of their own offspring than they did of nonkin spiderlings of the same age. Adult virgin female and adult male spiders ate significantly more spiders than females that had recently carried spiderlings. Females with egg sacs consumed significantly fewer spiderlings than did virgin female spiders. These findings support Hamilton's rule and suggest that, in some systems, genetic relatedness plays a strong role in governing altruistic behavior toward relatives.
Will Rectenna Solar Cells Be Practical

Optical rectennas are an attractive technology for high-efficiency, low-cost solar cells if several technological issues can be addressed. These devices combine submicron antennas with ultra-high speed diodes to rectify incident radiation. Visible light frequency operation requires a quantum approach to analyze the rectification process and design the devices. The small coherence area for sunlight limits the power per rectenna, which affects the conversion efficiency. In assessing the broadband ultimate efficiency obtainable from rectenna solar cells it turns out that operating voltage plays the same role that band gap energy plays in conventional solar cells, leading to a single cell limit of 44 %. Parallel plate diodes cannot provide the 0.1 fs RC time constant that is required to rectify visible light frequencies, and so other potential solutions such as traveling-wave diodes, sharp-tip diodes, or geometric diodes are required. Waste heat harvesting and thermophotovoltaics using optical rectennas would relax the RC constraints because the infrared frequencies are lower than those for visible light, but with substantial coherence impediments. With innovation and careful development rectenna solar cells have the potential to provide an exciting new photovoltaics technology.
“Here’s Your Anatomy…Good Luck”: Transgender Individuals in Cisnormative Sex Education

Sex education can be heteronormative (e.g., assuming all students are heterosexual), which marginalizes sexual minorities (e.g., lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals) by not exploring their ident...
Coaxial Multipactor Susceptibility at GHz Frequencies

Uncertainty in multipactor prediction currently leads to unanticipated device failures in many medium and high-power systems. Space-based systems, such as communication satellites, are strongly impacted by this uncertainty, due to their tight engineering requirements and susceptibility to signal degradation. The high-frequency coaxial regime, in particular, is not well characterized. We report here on experimental and computational results obtained in coaxial geometry for this frequency-space.
Occupy Information: the Case for Freedom of Corporate Information

The global financial crisis illustrated what was well known for decades, but not as well felt – that the enormous power amassed by large corporations can have devastating effect on almost every individual around the globe in case of a wave of massive corporate failures. The summer 2011 worldwide social protests built on that understanding calling for more public control of corporations and mover public oversight on the way they operate. 46 years ago, demand for similar oversight over government operations, and a will to limit government power vis-a-vis the citizenry and to provide the public with tools to become more engaged in democratic processes was the background to the enactment of FOIA. This article argues that today similar tools need to be applied to corporations, as they hold much of the information required to allow democratic participation in current affairs, and because of the great public interest in understanding and overseeing their operations. It suggests to do so by imposing upon them a general duty of disclosure, with specific exceptions. It examines the justifications for FOIA and then their applicability to corporate information. It reviews existing mechanisms in the US and other countries, that allow for access to some corporate information, and discusses how they fall short of meeting the needs of an open and democratic society. After considering possible arguments against the notion of freedom of corporate information, it reaches the conclusion that, subject to certain limitations, it is a much needed legal reform whose advantages significantly outweigh its downsides, and which can contribute significantly to a better functioning democratic society and a more responsible corporate world. * Associate in Law, Columbia Law School; JSD candidate Buchman Faculty of Law, Tel-Aviv University. Board Member and Former Director General, the Movement for Freedom of Information in Israel. I am grateful to the following friends and colleagues who have inspired me and helped to improve this article from previous versions: Justice Daphne Barak Erez, Michael Birnhack, Ido Baum, Meir Heth, Karine Nahon, Yoram Rabin, Omer Tene, and my colleagues at the fellows’ workshop at the Columbia Law School. 2 Table of
Design of Functionally Graded Lattice Structures using B-splines for Additive Manufacturing

Abstract Additive manufacturing methods have recently been used to make light-weight parts using lattice structures for various applications. Functionally graded lattice structures (FGLs) are structures that are designed using lattices with a varying distribution of porosity by virtue of varying the volume fractions of each unit cell in the 3D design domain. This graded design helps to achieve advanced properties related to structural strength, allow functionalities such as bone ingrowth and optimum heat transfer etc. Compliance minimization is one such classic problem where topology optimization techniques are used to determine the optimum distribution of material in the design domain while obtaining the desired reduction in weight. This material distribution is typically populated with lattices of variable volume fraction unit cells to generate FGLs. Truss type unit cells such as BCC are commonly used to develop FGLs. To develop such structures with truss type unit cells there is a need for a methodology that can maintain smooth connectivity among unit cells of varying densities. This paper discusses a new method to achieve smoothly connected FGLs, based on a BCC unit cell geometry, using a B-spline surface-based unit cell design methodology. The lead author’s previous work in [1] on generating bifurcating geometries using B-spline surfaces is extended to lattices as a case of multi-furcation geometries. First, a control polyhedron net is developed on the basis of desired unit cell geometry which is then further processed to construct water-tight boundary representation of the unit cell using a 3 rd order B-spline surface. This design methodology is used in conjunction with an algorithm to populate the density distribution from SIMP based topology optimization using unit cells with different volume fractions. The resulting lattice structure is compared with a uniform density lattice structure of similar light-weighting. It is shown that the methodology discussed in this paper could be successfully used to construct FGLs with high stiffness.
Genetic inheritance and environment determine endocrine plasticity to urban living.

As urban areas continue to expand globally, understanding how and why species respond to novel habitats becomes increasingly important. Knowledge of the mechanisms behind observed phenotypic change...
The Persistence of Harvest Shocks in Medieval England

I present evidence that shocks to the Medieval English harvest persisted. Hypothesized mechanisms include varying supplies of seed corn and other complementary harvest inputs. Peasants are modeled as trading off current consumption against grain stores and sow rates so that subsistence-level shocks may persist. For my sample I find that a failed harvest increased the probability of subsequent harvest failure by 20–30 percent. Grain yields are analyzed as a strongly balanced panel by year, manor, and crop. While I reject the hypothesis that harvests were self-contained annual events, I caution against linking harvest persistence directly to runs in grain prices.
GDP and social welfare: an assessment using regional data

Abstract Gross domestic product (GDP) has served as a workhorse in empirical work that measures aggregate output and economic growth. Higher levels of production are assumed to translate to higher levels of well-being, and GDP is often taken to be a measure of aggregate economic welfare. I assess the performance of GDP as a proxy for social welfare by comparing it to a Bergson–Samuelson social welfare function. Regional data published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) are used to compare levels and trends of GDP with alternative measures of social welfare calculated for the four major Census regions of the United States. The central conclusion is that even for within-country comparisons, GDP provides an inaccurate picture of relative welfare levels and long-run trends of social welfare.
Comment: Measuring Guilty and Grateful Behaviors in Children and Adults:

This comment explores the use of behavioral measures in the developmental study of guilt and gratitude reviewed by Vaish and Hepach (2019). Although the use of behavioral measures in developmental ...
The Impact of Pre-Existing HLA and Red Blood Cell Antibodies on Transfusion Support and Engraftment in Sickle Cell Disease After Nonmyeloablative Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation From HLA-matched Sibling Donors: A Prospective, Single-Center, Observational Study

Abstract Background Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is curative for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Prior to HSCT, patients with SCD commonly receive RBC transfusions with some becoming RBC or HLA alloimmunized. This alloimmunization may impact post-HSCT transfusion requirements and donor engraftment. Methods The study population included patients with SCD transplanted on a single-center nonmyeloablative, HLA-matched sibling HSCT trial at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) who had a pre-HSCT sample available for HLA class I antibody testing. We evaluated transfusion requirements and engraftment outcomes comparing patients with and without pre-existing HLA and RBC antibodies. Findings Of 36 patients studied, 10 (28%) had HLA class I antibodies and 11 (31%) had a history of RBC alloantibodies. Up to day +45 post-HSCT, patients with HLA antibodies received more platelet transfusions (median 2.5 vs 1, p = 0.042) and those with RBC alloantibodies received more RBC units (median 7 vs 4, p = 0.0059) compared to respective non-alloimmunized patients. HLA alloimmunization was not associated with neutrophil engraftment, donor chimerism, or graft rejection. However, RBC alloimmunization correlated with a decreased donor T cell chimerism at 1 year (median 24% vs 55%, p = 0.035). Interpretation Pre-existing HLA and RBC alloantibodies are clinically significant for patients undergoing HLA-matched nonmyeloablative HSCT. Testing for both HLA and RBC antibodies is important to help estimate transfusion needs peri‑HSCT. The association of lower donor T cell chimerism and pre-existing RBC alloantibodies needs further investigation. Funding NIH Clinical Center and NHLBI Intramural Research Program (Z99 CL999999, HL006007–11) and the Thrasher Research Fund.
The Potential Role of Coagulation Factor Xa in the Pathophysiology of COVID-19: A Role for Anticoagulants as Multimodal Therapeutic Agents

SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) results in local and systemic activation of inflammation and coagulation. In this review article, we will discuss the potential role of coagulation factor Xa (FXa) in the pathophysiology of COVID-19. FXa, a serine protease, has been shown to play a role in the cleavage of SARS-CoV-1 spike protein (SP), with the inhibition of FXa resulting in the inhibition of viral infectivity. FX is known to be primarily produced in the liver, but it is also expressed by multiple cells types, including alveolar epithelium, cardiac myocytes, and macrophages. Considering that patients with preexisting conditions, including cardiopulmonary disease, are at an increased risk of severe COVID-19, we discuss the potential role of increased levels of FX in these patients, resulting in a potential increased propensity to have a higher infectious rate and viral load, increased activation of coagulation and inflammation, and development of fibrosis. With these observations in mind, we postulate as to the potential therapeutic role of FXa inhibitors as a prophylactic and therapeutic treatment for high-risk patients with COVID-19.
Utility of Apical Lung Assessment on Computed Tomography Angiography as a COVID-19 Screen in Acute Stroke.

Background and Purpose: Evaluation of the lung apices using computed tomography angiography of the head and neck during acute ischemic stroke (AIS) can provide the first objective opportunity to sc...
The digital life of the #migrantcaravan: Contextualizing Twitter as a spatial technology:

The Central American migrant caravans of 2018 are best understood as having been precipitated by entangled multi-scalar geopolitical histories among the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, ...
Depolarization in diffusely scattering media

We performed Mueller matrix Monte Carlo simulations of the propagation of optical radiation in diffusely scat- tering media for collimated incidence and report depolarization in the transmitted rays as a function of thickness, the angle subtended by the detector, and the area of the material sampled. This paper expands upon previous work [Germer, J. Opt. Soc. Am A 37 980 (2020)], whereby it was shown that the complex paths that rays follow serve to depolarize the light and that the measurement geometry is important for obtaining consistent results. In addition, we perform extinction theorem calculations for spheroidal particles and show that for a rea- sonable distribution of particle eccentricity, the depolarization due to the fluctuations of the diattenuation and birefringence of a solution of such spheroids is insignificant compared to the calculated depolarization induced by scattering.
Enhancing Network-edge Connectivity and Computation Security in Drone Video Analytics

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems with high-resolution video cameras are used for many operations such as aerial imaging, search and rescue, and precision agriculture. Multi-drone systems operating in Flying Ad Hoc Networks (FANETS) are inherently insecure and require efficient security schemes to defend against cyber-attacks such as e.g., Man-in-the-middle, Replay and Denial of Service attacks. In this paper, we propose a cloud-based, end-to-end security framework viz., "DroneNet-Sec" that provides secure network-edge connectivity, and computation security for drone video analytics to defend against common attack vectors in UAV systems. The DroneNet-Sec features a dynamic security scheme that uses machine learning to detect anomaly events and adopts countermeasures for computation security of containerized video analytics tasks. The security scheme comprises of a custom secure packet designed with MAVLink protocol for ensuring data privacy and integrity, without high degradation of the performance in a real-time FANET deployment. We evaluate DroneNet-Sec in a hybrid testbed that synergies simulation and emulation via an open-source network simulator (NS-3) and a research platform for mobile wireless networks (POWDER). Our performance evaluation experiments in our holistic hybrid-testbed show that DroneNet-Sec successfully detects learned anomaly events and effectively protects containerized tasks execution as well as communication in drones video analytics in a light-weight manner.
Individual monotonicity and the leximin solution

Most axiomatic treatments of bargaining do not give a substantive role to individually irrational points. We show in this paper that it can matter greatly whether axioms and solutions are formulated with respect to the entire feasible set or with respect to only the individually rational portion. In particular, a principle of individual monotonicity becomes much more powerful when all feasible points are considered. We characterize the n-person Leximin solution as the only solution that satisfies Pareto efficiency, symmetry, individual monotonicity, and independence of individually irrational points.
Bandwidth limits of beamforming networks for focal-plane arrays

Current designs for radio telescopes have only one radio beam, or at most a few separated beams. To increase sensitivity, future telescopes will have both multiple overlapping beams and instantaneous bandwidths approaching an octave. This advancement may be enabled by wideband phased arrays with closely spaced elements, such as Vivaldi antennas. These arrays can be placed at the focal plane of reflector antennas and the outputs combined in a beamforming network (BFN) to synthesize simultaneously multiple beams on the sky. The spacing of beams is much closer than possible with arrays of conventional horn antennas and satisfies Nyquist sampling conditions. In a focal-plane array BFN, the weights for the individual elements are set to match the field distribution of the focal spot for a single beam at the design frequency. With a simple ideal BFN, these weights are frequency independent, making the beam pattern of the feed frequency dependent. As a consequence, at frequencies below the design frequency, the reflector is over-illuminated, increasing the spillover noise received, and conversely, at higher frequencies, the reflector is under-illuminated, resulting in a loss of efficiency. The paper examines how the sensitivity of a focal-plane array varies as a function of bandwidth and briefly outlines methods to mitigate this effect.
Resistance to tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin in nerves of bivalve molluscs. A possible correlation with paralytic shellfish poisoning.

Abstract Conduction of action potentials in the nerves of certain bivalve molluscs continues after prolonged exposure to high concentrations of tetrodotoxin (TTX) and saxitoxin (STX) while nerves of other species are blocked. The range of sensitivity is at least 100-fold. Resistance is not due to restriction of toxin diffusion through the neural sheath. The spike generating mechanism in all of these molluscs appears to depend on a conductance increase to sodium ions. TTX and STX resistance are not obviously correlated with systematic relationships or the geographical or ecological distribution of the species. However, resistance to TTX and STX seems to be outstanding in species known to accumulate significant levels of paralytic shellfish toxin.
ModeLing Coarsening Dynamics Using Interface Tracking Methods

In this paper, we will discuss the current state-of-the-art in numerical models of coarsening dynamics using a front-tracking approach. We will focus on coarsening during diffusional phase transformations. Many important structural materials such as steels, aluminum and nickel-based alloys are products of such transformations. Diffusional transformations occur when the temperature of a uniform mixture of materials is lowered into a regime where the uniform mixture is unstable. The system responds by nucleating second phase precipitates (e.g., crystals) that then evolve diffusionally until the process either reaches equilibrium or is quenched by further reducing the temperature. The diffusional evolution consists of two phases — growth and coarsening. Growth occurs in response to a local supersaturation in the primary (matrix) phase and a local mass balance relation is satisfied at each precipitate interface. Coarsening occurs when a global mass balance is achieved and involves a dynamic rearrangement of the fixed total mass in the system so as to minimize a global energy. Typically, the global energy consists of the surface energy. If the transformation occurs between components in the solid state, there is also an elastic energy that arises due to the presence of a misfit stress between the precipitates and the matrix as their crystal structures are often slightly different.
Steering car-like systems with trailers using sinusoids

Methods for steering car-like robots with trailers are investigated. A connection is demonstrated between Murray and Sastry's (1990, 1991) work of steering with integrally related sinusoids and Sussmann and Liu's (1991) recent work on asymptotic behavior of systems with high-frequency sinusoids as inputs. The merits of coordinate transformations, relative to the convergence properties, are discussed. Simulation results for a car-like robot with two trailers are presented. >