cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reverse genetic characterization of two paralogous acetoacetyl CoA thiolase genes in Arabidopsis reveals their importance in plant growth and development

Acetoacetyl CoA thiolase (AACT, EC 2.3.1.9) catalyzes the condensation of two acetyl CoA molecules to form acetoacetyl CoA. Two AACT-encoding genes, At5g47720 (AACT1) and At5g48230 (AACT2), were functionally identified in the Arabidopsis genome by direct enzymological assays and functional expression in yeast. Promoter::GUS fusion experiments indicated that AACT1 is primarily expressed in the vascular system and AACT2 is highly expressed in root tips, young leaves, top stems and anthers. Characterization of T-DNA insertion mutant alleles at each AACT locus established that AACT2 function is required for embryogenesis and for normal male gamete transmission. In contrast, plants lacking AACT1 function are completely viable and show no apparent growth phenotypes, indicating that AACT1 is functionally redundant with respect to AACT2 function. RNAi lines that express reduced levels of AACT2 show pleiotropic phenotypes, including reduced apical dominance, elongated life span and flowering duration, sterility, dwarfing, reduced seed yield and shorter root length. Microscopic analysis reveals that the reduced stature is caused by a reduction in cell size and fewer cells, and male sterility is caused by loss of the pollen coat and premature degeneration of the tapetal cells. Biochemical analyses established that the roots of AACT2 RNAi plants show quantitative and qualitative alterations in phytosterol profiles. These phenotypes and biochemical alterations are reversed when AACT2 RNAi plants are grown in the presence of mevalonate, which is consistent with the role of AACT2 in generating the bulk of the acetoacetyl CoA precursor required for the cytosol-localized, mevalonate-derived isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway.
Maximizing MIMO Capacity in Sparse Multipath With Reconfigurable Antenna Arrays

Emerging advances in reconfigurable radio-frequency (RF) front-ends and antenna arrays are enabling new physical modes for accessing the radio spectrum that extend and complement the notion of waveform diversity in wireless communication systems. However, theory and methods for exploiting the potential of reconfigurable RF front-ends are not fully developed. In this paper, we study the impact of reconfigurable antenna arrays on maximizing the capacity of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) wireless communication links in sparse multipath environments. There is growing experimental evidence that physical wireless channels exhibit a sparse multipath structure, even at relatively low antenna dimensions. We propose a model for sparse multipath channels and show that sparse channels afford a new dimension over which capacity can be optimized: the distribution or configuration of the sparse statistically independent degrees of freedom (DoF) in the available spatial signal space dimensions. Our results show that the configuration of the sparse DoF has a profound impact on capacity and also characterize the optimal capacity-maximizing channel configuration at any operating SNR. We then develop a framework for realizing the optimal channel configuration at any SNR by systematically adapting the antenna spacings at the transmitter and the receiver to the level of sparsity in the physical multipath environment. Surprisingly, three canonical array configurations are sufficient for near-optimum performance over the entire SNR range. In a sparse scattering environment with randomly distributed paths, the capacity gain due to the optimal configuration is directly proportional to the number of antennas. Numerical results based on a realistic physical model are presented to illustrate the implications of our framework
Mating success of alternative male phenotypes and evidence for frequency-dependent selection in Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

As with other species, frequency-dependent selection during reproduction has long been proposed as an impor- tant mechanism in maintaining alternative male reproductive phenotypes in Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). Jack sal- mon mature one year earlier than the youngest females in a population and are much smaller than older ''adult'' males. We tested the hypothesis that mating success of both phenotypes is consistent with the frequency-dependent selection model. By holding male density constant and varying the frequency of adults and jacks in eight separate breeding groups, we found that adult male access to females, participation in spawning events, and adult-to-fry reproductive success in- creased with their decreasing frequency in a breeding group. Jacks exhibited the same pattern (increasing success with de- creasing frequency), although the relationships were not as strong as for adults. Overall, jack and adult males mated with a similar number of females, but jacks sired only 20% of all offspring. Observational data suggested that adult males bene- fited from sperm precedence associated with their ability to court females and enter the nest first at the time of spawning. Our work provides the first experimental evidence of frequency-dependent selection during mating in the family Salmoni- dae.
Ensemble of Biased Learners for Offline Arabic Handwriting Recognition

Techniques and performance of text recognition systems and software has shown great improvement in recent years. OCRs now can read any machine printed document with good accuracy. However, the advancements are primarily for Latin scripts and even for such scripts performance is limited in case of handwritten documents. Little work has been done for cursive scripts such as Arabic and still there is a room for improvement both in terms of accuracy and techniques. This paper presents an algorithm to recognize handwritten Arabic text using an ensemble of biased classifiers in a hierarchical setting. We address the fundamental shortcomings of the traditional Machine Learning paradigms when applied to Arabic scripts. Experiments have been conducted on the AMA Arabic dataset to show the efficacy of our method.
Optics in supercomputers

Intra-system interconnects bandwidth becomes a critical factor in performance scaling of supercomputers and server systems. The requirements, status and prospects of optical technology for the board and chip level will be reviewed.
Asymptomatic Primary Hyperparathyroidism: Diagnostic Pitfalls and Surgical Intervention

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a common disease, with a prevalence as high as 1 in 400 women and 1 in 1000 men, and most are asymptomatic. Patients with PHPT have hypercalcemia with inappropriately normal levels of parathyroid hormone. Parathyroidectomy is the only curative therapy, and the procedure has become more common and more safe. Among asymptomatic patients, parathyroidectomy halts the progression of disease, improves quality of life, and may decrease risk of fracture and adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Thus, surgery should be considered in all patients with asymptomatic PHPT who have minimal perioperative risk and sufficient life expectancy, regardless of chronologic age.
Superconductivity of Nb 3 Sn in a Pulsed Magnetic Field

The critical current of Nb/sub 3/Sn wires clad in Nb is measured at 4.2 deg K and at 0 to 130 kgauss. The effects of both longitudinal and transverse magnetic fields are studied. The magnetic field is pulsed, and current pulses of 30 to 150 mu sec are passed through the sample at the peak of the magnetic field pulses. The superconducting-normal transition time and the sample resistance are also measured. (T.F.H.)
50% dextrose versus normal saline as distension media during cystoscopy for assessment of ureteric patency.

Abstract Objective To compare the visualization of ureteric jets when using 50% dextrose ( D 50) as opposed to normal saline (NS) as distension media during cystoscopy. Study design Cross sectional study. Methods Two patients each had two cystoscopy videos recorded at the time of a ureteric jet; one using NS and the other using D50 resulting in two sets of paired videos (four videos). A fifth cystoscopy video was recorded, as a control, at a time when there was no ureteric-jet. Fifty participants including attending physicians, residents and medical students were recruited at an academic-affiliated community hospital. Participants were blinded to the medium used and viewed each of the five videos. Participants assessed each video for presence of a ureteric-jet, ease of interpretation, and compared the paired D50 and NS videos for clarity of ureteric-jets. Main outcome measures Participant's assessment of clarity of the ureteric jets when D50 was used as compared to when NS was used in the paired videos. Results All 100 observations of the two D50 videos with jets identified the presence of a jet; for the NS videos, 96/100 observations identified a jet, 2/100 did not identify a jet and 2/100 were unsure. 48/50 observations of the video with no jet were correct, while 2/50 were unsure. Participants rated the ureteric-jets to be clearer in videos with D50 (86% vs 14%, P Conclusion Participants preferred the clarity of the ureteric-jet when 50% dextrose was used as the distension medium during cystoscopy as compared to normal saline.
Imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) in the treatment of diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: results of a 24-month open label, extension phase, single-centre trial.

Objectives We aimed to assess the long-term safety and tolerability of imatinib in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc). Methods In this open-label, single-arm, extension-phase clinical trial, patients continued imatinib for 24 months following 12 months of initial treatment. Results Seventeen patients were enrolled. Forty of 92 adverse events (AE) and 0/6 serious (S) AEs were possibly related to medication. The MRSS decreased from a median of 21 to 16, (p=0.002). Conclusions This study demonstrates long-term safety and tolerability of imatinib in a substantial proportion of patients with dcSSc. This is important in evaluating the relevance of this therapy in a chronic disease such as SSc.
Farewell to Faith? The Changing Role of Religion in Presidential Politics:

The 2012 Presidential election was the first in United States history in which neither party nominated a white Protestant for president, or for vice-president. The distinctiveness of the candidates...
A Statistical Evaluation of Transit Promotion

If advertising by public transportation companies is to be useful, an effective method of advertising evaluation must be available. This paper presents such a method, based on a mathematical modeli...
Native American Aesthetics: An Attitude Of Relationship

property, and identity. At the present time, Native Americans are a minority defined by the majority culture and as a result they are dependent on notions of identity developed by others. This is in direct opposition to their former historical, place-oriented notion of themselves. A sense of place is very traditional in Native American culture and ironically is closely related to European concepts of property that figure critically in their present circumstances. An example of this is land-claim lawsuits filed by east coast Indians in the late 1960s and 1970s. In one case this resulted in an unprecedented trial "whose purpose was not to settle the question of land ownership but rather to determine whether the group calling itself the Mashpee Tribe was in fact an Indian tribe" (Clifford 277). Perhaps the most publicized east coast Indian litigation was a suit by the Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes resulting in an award of $81.5 million and an entitlement to 300,000 acres in the state of Maine. Although the Mashpee claim was similar to the Maine Indians', it had a different result due to a court ruling that they were not sufficiently "Indian." Some of the history of the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy cases helps to explain the result in the Mashpee trial. Although they served as favorable legal precedent, and helped to clarify some standards for judging identity, they also cut the other way. Part of the publicity of the cases was a strategy by defense counsel to paint a picture of suburban whites being thrown out of their homes by newly enfranchised Indians. In fact, only large tracts of undeveloped land were in question, but that was not the popular perception in Maine. There were repercussions, politicians lost office, and the Mashpee trial received negative publicity as a result. The vastly superior force in the litigation was the Supreme Court of
An Acoustic Phase Plate Imaging Device

Fresnel zone plates have long been used in the field of classical optics and more recently have had applications in such varied fields as gamma ray imaging1 and laser micro machining.2 Acoustic applications have been investigated at frequencies of I.5 GHz, where zone plates were used to focus volume acoustic waves in sapphire rods3 We have recently begun exploring the use of zone plates to focus sound in water at frequencies near 10 MHz. Our original approach to this problem was to use a zone plate pattern of appropriate design as one electrode on a disk transducer.4 We have found however, that the performance of these devices may be greatly enhanced by converting them to acoustic Rayleigh-Wood phase-reversal zone plates,5 or acoustic phase plates. We shall describe how this conversion is easily effected through the use of a simple poling procedure. Our imaging system, the heart of which is this phase plate transducer, has resolution capabilities of 0.27 mm or approximately 1.8 wavelengths. Images have been obtained in both transmission and reflection modes.
The Admiral's Vayvode of 1598

This essay proposes that the subject of the lost play Vayvode, performed by the Admiral’s Men in 1598, may have been John Hunyadi, a fifteenth-century Hungarian military commander celebrated as a bulwark of Christian Europe against the Ottoman threat. It considers which historical sources would have been available to the playwright, the popularity of Hunyadi in the sixteenth century, and the theatrical contexts of the 1590s, as well as some alternative possibilities for the hero of the Admiral’s play.
Innovative Research about University Project Financing Modes in China

This essay has analyzed the reason why there currently exists financial difficulty in higher institutions of its development.It holds that the university utilizes the traditional way to raise money in the course of financing and the structure of the capital is difficult to optimize.Therefore,new financing ways should be taken.On this basis,the author proposes the university of our country should carry on the innovation of mechanism in financing,and such new project financing ways as BOT,TOT,ABS,PPP widely utilized in the world could be adopted to promote the reform of higher educational system,vitalize the fund,and develop and grow.
Tumor emboli from lung neoplasms involving the pulmonary vein.

Systemic tumor embolization during pulmonary resection for lung neoplasms is an uncommon but potentially catastrophic complication. In recent months, two patients undergoing pulmonary resection for bronchogenic carcinoma were found at operation to have tumor extending into a pulmonary vein. Both patients had systemic tumor embolization, one with a fatal outcome because of occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery. The possibility of systemic tumor embolization should be considered in patients with large, central tumors and particularly those that abut the pulmonary veins. The implications of such pulmonary vein involvement is reviewed, and an algorithm for postoperative evaluation and management of these patients is presented. (J T horac C ardiovasc S urg 1992;104:421-5)
Expression of human prostatic acid phosphatase in a pancreatic islet cell carcinoma

The immunologic specificity of human prostatic acidphosphatase has been established by several previous investigations as well as in this study. An apparent exception to this specificity was observed--a case of pancreatic islet cell carcinoma metastasized to the liver produced acid phosphatase that was immunologically indistinguishable from the prostatic acid phosphatase. In this case, the possibility of prostatic involvement was convincingly ruled out by clinical follow-ups and by postmortem pathologic studies. Highly purified prostatic acid phosphatase and this tumor acid phosphatase exhibited very similar Km values and identical molecular weights. Immunochemical analysis of the two enzymes using antiprostatic acid phosphatase sera showed that enzymes are antigenically identical. The implications of our observation are discussed in relation to clinical application of immunoassays for prostatic phosphatase in the future and to the molecular basis of human acid phosphatase polymorphism.
Fabrication and control of simple low Reynolds number microswimmers

The development of miniaturized robotic swimmers is hindered by technical limitations in micro- and nanofabrication. To circumvent these limitations, we investigated the minimal geometrical requirements for swimming in low Reynolds number. Micro- and nanofabrication of complex shapes, such as helices, on a massive scale requires sophisticated state of the art technologies and has size limitations. In contrast, simple shaped structures, such as spherical particles, can be fabricated massively using chemical synthesis with relative ease. Here, simple microswimmers were fabricated using two microparticles with debris attached to their surface. The debris on the microswimmer's surface creates a geometry with two or more planes of symmetry, allowing the microswimmer to swim in bulk fluid at low Reynolds number. The microswimmers are magnetically actuated and controlled via a uniform rotating magnetic field generated by an approximate Helmholtz electromagnetic coil system. We characterized the microswimmer's velocity profile with respect to rotating frequency and analyzed the motion of the microswimmer using image processing. Finally, we demonstrated the controllability of the microswimmers by freely steering them in any desired directions.
Rewriting history: the case of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995

AbstractThe Disability Discrimination Act was 20 years old in 2015 and received much attention, being presented as a cause for celebration. In what follows I suggest that this is far from being an accurate assessment of its impact and go on to suggest that it was not achieved as a result of a broad consensus but rather the product and ultimate betrayal of the hopes and dreams of disabled people ourselves. As such, my version of this history has important lessons for disabled people ourselves.
Motivated Learning for Computational Intelligence

This chapter describes the motivated learning (ML) method that advances model building and learning techniques required for intelligent systems. Motivated learning addresses critical limitations of the reinforcement learning (RL) that coordinates a machine’s interaction in an unknown environment. RL maximizes the external reward by approximating multidimensional value functions, however, it does not work well in dynamically changing environments. The ML method overcomes RL problems by triggering internal motivations, and creating abstract goals and internal reward systems to stimulate learning. The chapter addresses an important question of how to motivate an agent to learn and enhance its own complexity? A mechanism is presented that extends low-level sensory-motor interactions towards advanced perception and motor skills, resulting in emergence of desired cognitive properties. ML is compared to RL using a rapidly changing environment in which the agent needs to manage its motivations as well as choose and implement goals in order to succeed.
Overcoming barriers to active interventions for genetic diversity

As a result of processes such as habitat loss and overharvest, many species persist in small, isolated populations that experience reduced fitness, decreased evolutionary potential, and increased extinction risk. The goal of species conservation is to restore genetic diversity and adaptive potential caused by isolation and small population size. For populations trapped in an extinction vortex, habitat protection may be inadequate for successful conservation. Alternative actions such as deliberate admixture by introducing individuals from related subspecies may be necessary to recover population fitness. While there is precedent for such actions, admixture temporarily disrupts the taxonomic integrity of a species. Concerns for the taxonomic integrity or “naturalness” of a species may prevent the use of active interventions that involve admixture and transient hybrid gene pools even though extinction may be imminent. We explore the cultural barriers to using tools such as genetic rescue and make suggestions for overcoming those barriers. We focus mainly on examples from animals, but the same evolutionary processes are ongoing in other life forms and are subject to the same cultural barriers.
3.13 Application of High Temperature Polymer Matrix Composites to Engine Intake Valves

Fiber reinforced composite (FRC) materials have become the basis for an array of modern products. In many cases composite materials are used to replace traditional materials with goals of reduced weight and improved stiffness and strength. In other cases, the composite product has intrinsically unique properties that could not be attained with conventional materials. However, in all cases, it is the development of the manufacturing process in concert with the product design that is key to a successful commercial composite product. Much effort is underway to accelerate the insertion of composites into the automotive sector to realize fuel economy gains through weight reduction; yet, the majority of these efforts focus on vehicle structural components. This section discusses the development of a FRC internal combustion (IC)-engine component, an intake valve, which tests the temperature limits of an organic polymer matrix and required significant process development to attain a functioning prototype component. In the effort described, resin transfer molding (RTM) was chosen early in the development as a manufacturing process with the potential to meet production volume demands if commercialization were successful. The stages of development are described, including materials utilized, tooling developed and some of the test results. The outcome of the effort was a functioning prototype component, produced using a scalable manufacturing technology, which demonstrated the potential tailorability of composite products through the incorporation of co-molded higher heat resistant materials.
Anatomical and Optical Properties of Atrial Tissue: Search for a Suitable Animal Model

The purpose of this study was to evaluate structural and optical properties of atrial tissue from common animal models and to compare it with human atria. We aimed to do this in a format that will be useful for development of better ablation tools and/or new means for visualizing atrial lesions. Human atrial tissue from clinically relevant age group was compared and contrasted with atrial tissue of large animal models commonly available for research purposes. These included pigs, sheep, dogs and cows. The presented data include area measurements of smooth atrial surface available for ablation and estimates of thickness of collagen and muscle for five different species. We also described methods to quantify presence of collagen and overall thickness of atrial wall. Provided information enables placement of atrial lesions to locations with clinically relevant atrial wall thickness and macroscopic structure ultimately helping investigators to develop better ablation and imaging tools. It also highlights the impact of collagen thickness on optical measurements and lesion visualization.
Attending to Precision: Vocabulary Support in Middle School Mathematics Classrooms

ABSTRACTMastery of language is critical to the mastery of content in middle school content area classrooms. In order to comprehend the disciplinary-specific texts that they encounter in their social studies, language arts, science, and mathematics classrooms, students must be literate in the content area vocabulary that is specific to those disciplines. Otherwise, specialized content area language may pose a barrier to student comprehension of content. Therefore, middle school teachers hold the dual responsibility of not only teaching their content but thoughtfully engaging their students with content area language during instruction. In this descriptive observational study, we explore the language support and focus in 1 middle school’s mathematics classrooms. We observed a total of 4 teachers and classrooms over a month-and-a-half time period.
Assessment Of Preoperative Anxiety Using Visual Facial Anxiety Scale: An Alternative To The Verbal Rating Scale?

Background: Evaluating preoperative anxiety level can be a difficult task for physicians. The Visual Facial Anxiety Scale (VFAS) was designed as an alternative to the Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) for assessing the level of preoperative [state] anxiety. We hypothesized that the VFAS would provide a stronger correlation between the patient and anesthesiologist categorical anxiety assessments than the VRS. Methods: After obtaining IRB approval, 200 elective surgery patients were evaluated in the preoperative holding area. Patients were asked to evaluate their current anxiety level using the VFAS and the VRS, as well as to categorize their anxiety level as mild, moderate, or severe. The anxiety level was also assessed using the same categorical rating scale by the attending anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologists were also asked if they routinely evaluate the patient’s anxiety level during the preoperative visit. Results: A significant correlation was found between the VRS and VFAS for both patients (r=0.79, p<0.0001) and anesthesiologists (r=0.92, p<0.0001), but utilization of the VFAS resulted in 58% concordance of anxiety level between the patient and anesthesiologist (vs. only 35% with the VRS). Interestingly, 70% of anesthesiologists did not routinely evaluate the patients’ preoperative anxiety level. Conclusion: The VFAS is a simple tool which could be used for assessing preoperative anxiety. Anesthesiologists do not routinely evaluate patients’ anxiety levels preoperatively.
Modern Muslim Cosmopolitanism Between the Logics of Race and Empire

This chapter explores the alliances, tensions, and synergies among imperial, racial, and religious visions of cosmopolitan Muslimness from 1815 to 1878. The experience of Muslim cosmopolitanism in modern times are often seen in terms of an inevitable process of clash and separation with requirements of faith and national identities. Nationalism in Muslim societies from Turkey to Pakistan was seen as a tragic end to the earlier forms of cosmopolitan political experience in Ottoman, Mughal and British empires. At the same time, pan-Islamism of the late 19th century is seen as a rejection of imperial cosmopolitanism, often in alliance with nationalism. Contrary to common assumptions, however,﻿ nineteenth-century imperial globalization confirmed and enriched the cosmopolitan political imagination in various Muslim societies. While reformist self-strengthening empires such as the Ottomans tried to reinvent a cosmopolitan notion of citizenship, racialization of European empires coupled with globalization of transportation and communication technologies raised awareness about intra-Muslim cosmopolitan diversity and led to a vision of global alliance of colored races. At the centre of global racial consciousness was the idea of the Muslim world, even though the political map of the world was determined by the primacy of empires from 1815 to the 1880s. Far from being a precursor of twentieth-century nationalism, the ideas of the Muslim world sustained both the intra-imperial and trans-imperial forms of cosmopolitanism.
Direct Synthesis of Secondary Benzylic Alcohols Enabled by Photoredox/Ni Dual-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling

An operationally simple, mild, redox-neutral method for the cross-coupling of α-hydroxyalkyltrifluoroborates is reported. Utilizing an Ir photocatalyst, α-hydroxyalkyl radicals are generated from the single-electron oxidation of the trifluoroborates, and these radicals are subsequently engaged in a nickel-catalyzed C–C bond-forming reaction with aryl halides. The process is highly selective, functional group tolerant, and step economical, which allows the direct synthesis of secondary benzylic alcohol motifs.
A cautionary note on decadal sea level pressure predictions from GCMs

Abstract A comparison of sea level pressure (SLP) trends in a subset of seven Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) phase 5 general circulation models (GCM), namely decadal simulations with CCSM4, CanCM4, MPI-ESM-LR, FGOALS-g2, MIROC4h, MIROC5, and MRI-CGCM3, to their CMIP3 counterparts reveals an unrealistically strong forecast skill in CMIP3 models for trend predictions for 2001–2011 when using the 1979–2000 period to train the forecast. Boreal-winter SLP trends over five high-, mid-, and low-latitude zones were calculated over the 1979–2000 initialization period for each ensemble member and then ranked based on their performance relative to HadSLP2 observations. The same method is used to rank the ensemble members during the 2001–2011 period. In CMIP3, 17 out of 38 ensemble members retain their rank in the 2001–2011 hindcast period and 3 retain the neighboring rank. However, numbers are much lower in more recent CMIP5 decadal predictions over the similar 2001–2010 period when using the 1981–2000 period as initialization with the same number of ensembles. Different periods were used for CMIP3 and CMIP5 because although the 1979–2000 initialization is widely used for CMIP3, CMIP5 decadal predictions are only available for 30-year periods. The conclusion to consider the forecast skill in CMIP3 predictions during 2001–2011 as unrealistic is corroborated by comparisons to earlier periods from the 1960s to the 1980s in both CMIP3 and CMIP5 simulations. Thus, although the 2001–2011 CMIP3 predictions show statistically significant forecast skill, this skill should be treated as a spurious result that is unlikely to be reproduced by newer more accurate GCMs.
Frequent erythrophagocytosis by leukemic blasts in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

![Figure][1] A 14-year-old, previously healthy adolescent girl presented with fatigue, shortness of breath, and headache for 1 month. Laboratory tests showed pancytopenia (hemoglobin, 4.7 g/dL; platelet count, 57 × 109/L; neutrophil count, 1.2 × 109/L) and 21% blasts. Bone marrow aspirate
Expression of the heterotrimeric G protein Gi and ATP release are impaired in erythrocytes of humans with diabetes mellitus.

Erythrocytes of humans have been reported to stimulate nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in the circulation as a consequence of their ability to release ATP in response to both mechanical deformation and exposure to reduced oxygen tension. It has been proposed that the ability of the erythrocyte to affect local vascular resistance permits it to participate in the regulation of blood flow such that oxygen delivery is matched with metabolic need. A signal transduction pathway that relates deformation and exposure to reduced oxygen tension to ATP release from human erythrocytes has been described. The heterotrimeric G protein, Gi, is a critical component of this pathway. Importantly, stimulation of Gi results in activation of adenylyl cyclase and ATP release from these cells. Recently, in a model of diabetes mellitus in rats, expression of Gi was reported to be decreased in the aorta. We report that expression of Gαi2 is selectively decreased in erythrocytes of humans with type 2 diabetes (DM2) and that these erythrocytes fail to release ATP in response to incubation with mastoparan 7(10 µM), an agent that activates Gi. These results provide support for the hypothesis that ATP release from erythrocytes of humans with DM2 is impaired and this defect in erythrocyte physiology could contribute to the vascular disease associated with this clinical condition.
Toxicity to the Immune System: A Review

Immunotoxicology is defined as the study of events that lead to undesired effects as a result of interaction of foreign substances (e.g., xenobiotics) with the immune system. Toxic responses might arise when the immune system either (1) acts as a passive target of chemical insult, leading to a relatively broad-spectrum loss or potentiation of function; or (2) responds to the antigenic specificity of the chemical as part of a specific immune response. In the latter instance, a more limited population of antigen-specific immune cells is the initial target of the chemical interaction, with the potential for toxic responses to occur (e.g., in the skin or lungs), subsequent to the specific interaction between the chemical antigen (hapten) and host antibody or sensitized cells.
LIDAR Assist Spatial Sensing for the Visually Impaired and Performance Analysis

Echolocation enables people with impaired or no vision to comprehend the surrounding spatial information through the reflected sound. However, this technique often requires substantial training, and the accuracy of echolocation is subject to various conditions. Furthermore, the individuals who practice this sensing method must simultaneously generate the sound and process the received audio information. This paper proposes and evaluates a proof-of-concept light detection and ranging (LIDAR) assist spatial sensing (LASS) system, which intends to overcome these restrictions by obtaining the spatial information of the user’s surroundings through a LIDAR sensor and translating the spatial information into the stereo sound of various pitches. The stereo sound of relative pitch represents the information regarding objects’ angular orientation and horizontal distance, respectively, thus granting visually impaired users an enhanced spatial perception of his or her surrounding areas and potential obstacles. This paper is divided into two phases: Phase I is to engineer the hardware and software of the LASS system and Phase II focuses on the system efficacy study. The study, approved by the Penn State Institutional Review Board, included 18 student volunteers, who were recruited through the Penn State Department of Psychology Subject Pool. This paper demonstrates that the blindfolded individuals equipped with the LASS system are able to quantitatively identify the surrounding obstacles, differentiate their relative distance, and distinguish the angular location of multiple objects with minimal training.
Fronts, Jet Streams and the Tropopause

The advent of kite and balloon-borne meteorograph soundings during the early 1900s and the subsequent deployment of regional rawinsonde networks provided the observational basis for the study of the spatial and temporal evolution of fronts, jet streams and the tropopause. During the mid-century years (1935–1965), researchers focused on the structural characteristics of fronts and their associated jet streams near the tropopause, and on the diagnosis of the frontogenetic processes and secondary circulations governing their life cycles. The pioneering observational study by J. Bjerknes and E. Palm n (1937) showed fronts to be transitional zones of finite width (~100 km) and depth (~1 km), rather than near zero-order discontinuities extending from the surface to the tropopause. Newton (1954) presented the most comprehensive diagnosis of all components of upper-level frontogenesis during this period, and Sawyer (1956) and Eliassen (1962) derived the diagnostic theory for geostrophically forced secondary circulations about fronts based on the semigeostrophic equations, which was later expanded to the temporal dimension by Hoskins (1971) and Hoskins and Bretherton (1972).
The Role of Literacy in Developmental Readers’ Lives

The purpose of this study was to explore the role literacy played in developmental reading students’ lives. As higher education is funded based on student performance, it is in all college stakehol...
11-Step Total Synthesis of Teleocidins B-1–B-4

A unified and modular approach to the teleocidin B family of natural products is presented that proceeds in 11 steps and features an array of interesting strategies and methods. Indolactam V, the known biosynthetic precursor to this family, was accessed through electrochemical amination, Cu-mediated aziridine opening, and a remarkable base-induced macrolactamization. Guided by a desire to minimize concession steps, the tactical combination of C–H borylation and a Sigman–Heck transform enabled the convergent, stereocontrolled synthesis of the teleocidins.
Content and Quality of Online Health Information on Stroke and TIA

Background: With the increasing global accessibility and universal availability of the Internet, online information has become the primary source of health information for patients for conditions, ...
What Social Scientists Have Learned about Civic Education: A Review of the Literature.

Historically there has been a relative dearth of social science research into civic education—even in political science, a discipline that had civic education as one of its founding objectives. Thi...
tRNA Processing and Subcellular Trafficking Proteins Multitask in Pathways for Other RNAs

This article focuses upon gene products that are involved in tRNA biology, with particular emphasis upon post-transcriptional RNA processing and nuclear-cytoplasmic subcellular trafficking. Rather than analyzing these proteins solely from a tRNA perspective, we explore the many overlapping functions of the processing enzymes and proteins involved in subcellular traffic. Remarkably, there are numerous examples of conserved gene products and RNP complexes involved in tRNA biology that multitask in a similar fashion in the production and/or subcellular trafficking of other RNAs, including small structured RNAs such as snRNA, snoRNA, 5S RNA, telomerase RNA, and SRP RNA as well as larger unstructured RNAs such as mRNAs and RNA-protein complexes such as ribosomes. Here, we provide examples of steps in tRNA biology that are shared with other RNAs including those catalyzed by enzymes functioning in 5' end-processing, pseudoU nucleoside modification, and intron splicing as well as steps regulated by proteins functioning in subcellular trafficking. Such multitasking highlights the clever mechanisms cells employ for maximizing their genomes.
Cannabis Oil Use by Adolescents and Young Adults With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Objectives The aim of the study was to describe use of oral or sublingual cannabis oil (CO) by adolescent and young adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods A descriptive study of IBD patients 13 to 23 years of age seen between January 2015 through December 2017 at Children's Hospital Colorado. Information obtained included chart abstraction, electronic and interview self-report, and serum cannabinoid levels. We compared CO users and cannabis non-users for clinical characteristics and perceptions of risk. Users of CO provided information on routes, patterns, motivations, and perceived benefits and problems with use. Results The 15 users and 67 non-users were similar for clinical characteristics and pain and appetite scores. 9 of 15 (60%) CO users had used in the past 30 days, an average of 22 ± 9 times; and 4 used daily. A variety of strengths and CBD:THC ratios were reported. Most common perceived effect of use was on sleep quality, nausea, and increase in appetite. Of the 15 users, 6 used only CO and no additional forms of cannabis. Of these 6 CO only users, 5 reported a medical reason for use, most commonly to relieve pain. Conclusions Adolescent and young adults with IBD used oral CO and many used other cannabis products as well. Users perceived some medical benefit. Care teams should strive for open communication about use until further information on safety and efficacy becomes available.
Costing Methods for a Cluster-Randomized Cost-Effectiveness Trial Comparing the Performance of Four Supplementary Foods in Treating Sierra Leonean Children with Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM)

It is widely recognized that cost-effectiveness (CE) estimates generated by economic evaluations should enter into decision-making for health and nutrition policy and programming. However, many exi...
Recurrence and the Great Death

Branching off Heidegger’s phenomenology of death, Zen master Dōgen’s views on birth-and-death and being-time and their relation to the Buddhist notion of the great death are examined. The Kyoto School thinkers Tanabe and Nishitani’s positions regarding karma, samsāra, nirvāna, reincarnation, Buddha-nature, and the great death are then considered with respect to Nietzsche and Deleuze’s interpretations of time and the eternal recurrence. The purpose of this transcontinental approach is not only to examine the similarities and differences between two significantly different cultural perspectives but also to advance those viewpoints via a hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of their respective philosophical practices.
Dispositional Mindfulness and Serenity: Their Unique Relations with Stress and Mental Well-being

Although the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and mental health among undergraduates is well studied, dispositional serenity is rarely studied, and they have not been examined together to identify their unique associations with stress and mental well-being (MWB). The present study investigated dispositional mindfulness in terms of the Five Facet Model and the additive statistical effects of two multidimensional conceptualizations of dispositional serenity, in relation to stress and MWB. This study used a cross-sectional design with N = 506 undergraduates. We suggested that dispositional serenity reflected a positive inner strength and peace that would complement dispositional mindfulness in promoting mental health. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that higher dispositional mindfulness significantly predicted both lower stress and higher MWB, consistent with the literature. Contributing to the literature, faith, humility, and gladness from the first serenity measure significantly predicted both lower stress and greater MWB, over and above the facets of dispositional mindfulness. Regarding the second serenity measure, inner haven and acceptance (but not trust) significantly predicted both lower stress and higher MWB, beyond the facets of dispositional mindfulness. Examined all together, gladness (serenity measure-I) significantly predicted lower stress, and both gladness (serenity measure-I) and acceptance (serenity measure-II) significantly predicted greater MWB, in addition to the facets of dispositional mindfulness. These findings broaden the conceptualization of unique, positive psychological dispositions in undergraduates. Future studies could examine state serenity induction as a positive psychological intervention to supplement dispositional serenity, just as state mindfulness induction is used to supplement dispositional mindfulness, in ameliorating stress and enhancing MWB.
Serum albumin is independently associated with higher mortality in adult sickle cell patients: Results of three independent cohorts

Sickle cell disease (SCD) impacts liver and kidney function as well as skin integrity. These complications, as well as the hyperinflammatory state of SCD, could affect serum albumin. Serum albumin has key roles in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic pathways and maintains vascular integrity. In SCD, these pathways modulate disease severity and clinical outcomes. We used three independent SCD adult cohorts to assess clinical predictors of serum albumin as well its association with mortality. In 2553 SCD adult participants, the frequency of low (<35 g/L) serum albumin was 5%. Older age and lower hemoglobin (P <0.001) were associated with lower serum albumin in all three cohorts. In age and hemoglobin adjusted analysis, higher liver enzymes (P <0.05) were associated with lower serum albumin. In two of the three cohorts, lower kidney function as measured by Glomerular Filtration Rate (P<0.001) was associated with lower serum albumin. Lower serum albumin predicted higher risk of tricuspid regurgitation velocity ≥ 2.5 m/s (OR = 1.1 per g/L, P ≤0.01). In all three cohorts, patients with low serum albumin had higher mortality (adjusted HR ≥2.9, P ≤0.003). This study confirms the role of serum albumin as a biomarker of disease severity and prognosis in patients with SCD. Albumin as a biomarker and possible mediator of SCD severity should be studied further.
Polylithic Integration for RF/MM-Wave Chiplets using Stitch-Chips: Modeling, Fabrication, and Characterization

A polylithic integration technology is demonstrated for seamless stitching of RF and digital chiplets. In this technology, stitch-chips with compressible microinterconnects (CMIs) are used for low-loss and dense interconnection between chiplets. A testbed using fused-silica stitch-chips with integrated CMIs is demonstrated including modeling, fabrication, assembly, and characterization. A 500 µm-long stitch-chip signal link is measured to have less than 0.4 dB insertion loss up to 30 GHz. A simulated eye diagram for 1000 µm-long stitch-chip signal link has a clear opening at 50 Gbps data rate. Moreover, the S-parameters of the CMIs are extracted from this testbed and show less than 0.17 dB insertion loss up to 30 GHz. Benchmarking to silicon interposer based interconnection is also reported.
Understanding outcomes in family-based treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa: a network approach.

Background Family-based treatment (FBT) is the first-line treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa (AN). Yet, remission is not achieved for about half of adolescents with AN receiving FBT. Understanding patient- and parent-level factors that predict FBT response may inform treatment development and improve outcomes. Methods Network analysis was used to identify the most central symptoms of AN in adolescents who completed the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) prior to FBT (N = 409). Bridge pathways between adolescent AN and parental self-efficacy in facilitating their child's recovery from AN were identified in a subset of participants (n = 184). Central and bridge symptoms were tested as predictors of early response (⩾2.4 kg weight gain by the fourth session of FBT) and end-of-treatment weight restoration [⩾95% expected body weight (EBW)] and full remission (⩾95% EBW and EDE score within 1 standard deviation of norms). Results The most central symptoms of adolescent AN included desiring weight loss, dietary restraint, and feeling fat. These symptoms predicted early response, but not end-of-treatment outcomes. Bridge symptoms were parental beliefs about their responsibility to renourish their child, adolescent discomfort eating in front of others, and adolescent dietary restraint. Bridge symptoms predicted end-of-treatment weight restoration, but not early response nor full remission. Conclusions Findings highlight the prognostic utility of core symptoms of adolescent AN. Parent beliefs about their responsibility to renourish their child may maintain associations between parental self-efficacy and AN psychopathology. These findings could inform strategies to adapt FBT and improve outcomes.