cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Convergence of Wnt, ß-Catenin, and Cadherin Pathways

The specification and proper arrangements of new cell types during tissue differentiation require the coordinated regulation of gene expression and precise interactions between neighboring cells. Of the many growth factors involved in these events, Wnts are particularly interesting regulators, because a key component of their signaling pathway, β-catenin, also functions as a component of the cadherin complex, which controls cell-cell adhesion and influences cell migration. Here, we assemble evidence of possible interrelations between Wnt and other growth factor signaling, β-catenin functions, and cadherin-mediated adhesion.
Production of tightly focused e-beams with high-current accelerators

Using numerical modeling, several approaches to the problem of designing an injector to produce a 3-30 kA, 2-4 mm-diameter electron beam in the 10-20 MeV energy range were studied. The cathode may be small in diameter and immersed in a strong magnetic field, producing an equilibrium beam for transport to a target (the immersed case). This approach appears to be the most promising for applications such as radiography. The alternative is the conventional nonimmersed cathode. For the production of small-diameter electron beams in the range of 10-20 MeV, the authors propose an inductive-voltage-adder, single-(diode)-gap approach, e.g. SABRE instead of the conventional multigap linac. For the injector, they propose the use of a small-diameter cathode in a field of 40-60 kG. Calculations predict that very high current densities can be expected, with relative insensitivity to parameter variations. >
Conformational change of the methionine 20 loop of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase modulates pKa of the bound dihydrofolate

We evaluate the pKa of dihydrofolate (H2F) at the N5 position in three ternary complexes with Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase (ecDHFR), namely ecDHFR(NADP+:H2F) in the closed form (1), and the Michaelis complexes ecDHFR(NADPH:H2F) in the closed (2) and occluded (3) forms, by performing free energy perturbation with molecular dynamics simulations (FEP/MD). Our simulations suggest that in the Michaelis complex the pKa is modulated by the Met20 loop fluctuations, providing the largest pKa shift in substates with a “tightly closed” loop conformation; in the “partially closed/open” substates, the pKa is similar to that in the occluded complex. Conducive to the protonation, tightly closing the Met20 loop enhances the interactions of the cofactor and the substrate with the Met20 side chain and aligns the nicotinamide ring of the cofactor coplanar with the pterin ring of the substrate. Overall, the present study favors the hypothesis that N5 is protonated directly from solution and provides further insights into the mechanism of the substrate protonation.
Validation of 2 depression screening tools in dialysis patients.

Background: Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in long-term dialysis patients and is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. An efficient and valid method of diagnosing depression might facilitate recognition and treatment. We sought to validate 2 depression assessment tools, the 21-question Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the 9-question Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), in a dialysis population. Methods: We surveyed patients who had received dialysis for at least 90 days in Portland, OR. We excluded patients with dementia, delirium, or a history of major psychiatric disorders other than depression. The Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, a gold-standard measure for depression, was administered by trained psychologists within 2 weeks of the BDI and PHQ-9. Results: Of 62 enrolled subjects, 16 were diagnosed with a depressive disorder, including 12 patients (19%) with major depression, 3 patients with dysthymia, and 1 patient with minor depression. Optimal BDI and PHQ-9 cutoff values for depressive disorders combined was 16 or greater and 10 or greater, respectively. Sensitivities were 91% and 92%, specificities were 86% and 92%, positive predictive values were 59% and 71%, and negative predictive values were both 98%, with κ values of 0.65 and 0.75, respectively. The difference between the 2 receiver operating characteristic curves was not statistically significant (P > 0.9). Conclusion: Our results validate the PHQ-9 and revalidate the BDI against a gold-standard measure for depressive disorders in the dialysis population. Both tools performed equally well. Because depression is prevalent, readily diagnosed, and associated with poor outcomes, screening by means of short and valid measurement tools may lead to better diagnosis and treatment of this modifiable risk factor. This may lead to improved clinical outcomes in dialysis patients.
Differential chemoreceptor reflex responses of adrenal preganglionic neurons

Adrenal sympathetic preganglionic neurons (ADR SPNs) regulating the chromaffin cell release of epinephrine (Epi ADR SPNs) and those controlling norepinephrine (NE ADR SPNs) secretion have been dist...
Workforce Management and Scheduling Under Flexible Demand

We develop a mathematical model for planning and scheduling staff and demand, considering a time window for on-time demand fulfillment, as well as individual staff characteristics, preferences, and availability. We also discuss a version where the staff schedule is fixed. The model can be applied in many service settings, such as warehouses, fulfillment centers, and back-office services. We develop a user-friendly decision-support tool that employs the model and the solution methodology, and we implement it in a healthcare back-office services provider, considering additional operational practices of this company, such as team leader scheduling. We conduct a computational study to develop insights regarding the trade-offs between the on-time demand fulfillment and the quality of the staff schedule, the effect of a change in the demand fulfillment time window, the impact of client behavior e.g., batch arrivals of demand, and the consequences of considering additional preferences and operational constraints. We also evaluate the robustness of the staff schedule generated by the model under different demand scenarios. Finally, we present a heuristic to set high-quality staff schedules quickly. After the implementation, the company reported a 25% increase in staff productivity.
The Epidemiology of Cataract

Cataract, or opacification in the lens, is still the leading cause of blindness and visual loss in the world. Considerable strides have been made in characterizing the phenotype of cataract, the epidemiology and risk factors for the different types of cataract, and improving cataract surgical services. There is a strong genetic basis for cataract, and understanding the genes involved will help elucidate pathways that may advance, or interrupt, cataractogenesis. This overview of the epidemiology of cataract suggests additional avenues for research that may enhance our basic understanding of cataractogenesis and improve access to care for those who need cataract surgery.
Extra Credit “Opportunities”: A Tool to Motivate Group Interaction in the Classroom

SUMMARY: To be successful as an auditing professional, students must learn to interact effectively in group settings. We introduce the weekly group Extra Credit Opportunity (ECO) as an instructional resource designed to facilitate group interaction in the classroom. The ECO consists of three questions that students discuss in an assigned group, and should be able to answer, provided that they have thoroughly read the assigned materials for the week. Survey responses from 173 auditing students show that students perceive that the ECO facilitates interpersonal interaction and communication, promotes effective group decision making, and also fosters classroom preparedness, stimulates learning, exposes students to exam questions, and incrementally improves student grades. Overall, we believe the weekly ECO is an efficient and effective tool that can be used by educators to implement nontraditional group work and interaction in the classroom.
Child Sexual Abuse

Child sexual abuse has been recognized with increasing frequency since the early 1980s, a trend attributable to a number of factors. Increased public awareness has led to programs, particularly in schools, facilitating disclosure by children about abuse. Likewise, parents are more likely now than previously to believe allegations children make about being abused by trusted extrafamilial friends and advisors. Additionally, the medical community is more knowledgeable about both the behaviors that may indicate abuse and the possible physical changes in the anogenital area of sexually abused children. Definition Child sexual abuse is the involvement of children and adolescents in sexual activity that they do not understand and to which they cannot give consent by virtue of their developmental level. There is chronological and developmental asymmetry between the individuals, and the activity is for the sexual gratification of the older individual. Incest involves sexual activities between individuals in whom such activity is prohibited by virtue of societal taboos. These restrictions involve individuals related by blood or by marriage. Sometimes physical abuse may result in injuries in the genital area. Such injuries are not sexual in intent. Epidemiology More than 2 million cases of child abuse are reported annually. Approximately 40% of these cases involve sexual abuse.
Directed self-assembly aware restricted design rule and its impact on design ability

Directed self-assembly (DSA), the epitaxial alignment of block copolymers to minimize the system free energy, is prone to defects that are random and difficult to eliminate. When creating fins for FinFET devices, the defect density is known to be a strong function of guide pattern CD. We propose the use of a restricted design rule (RDR) that limits the guide pattern CD to achieve low defectivity, and also report its impact on overall chip area and design-ability of logic, analog IO, and SRAM. The restricted design rule in defining guide pattern CD is extracted from empirical data. Design rule check (DRC) is applied to GLOBALFOUNDRIES' technology chip design to estimate the penalty of DSA RDR on fin layer.
Mechanism of Carbon−Fluorine Bond Activation by (C5Me5)Rh(PMe3)H2

The complex Cp*Rh(PMe3)H2 (Cp* = C5Me5) reacts with C6F6, C6F5H, C12F10, or C10F8 in pyridine or 1:1 pyridine/benzene to give the C−F cleavage products Cp*Rh(PMe3)(arylF)H in high yield. Kinetic studies reveal that the reaction has autocatalytic character, and fluoride ion is shown to be responsible for the catalysis. The anion [Cp*Rh(PMe3)H]- reacts rapidly with C12F10 or C10F8 to give the same C−F cleavage products as Cp*Rh(PMe3)H2. A mechanism initiated by deprotonation of Cp*Rh(PMe3)H2 followed by nucleophilic attack of the resulting anion on the polyfluoroaromatic with subsequent loss of fluoride is proposed. The fluoride ion continues the cycle by deprotonating Cp*Rh(PMe3)H2.
The Detection of Outliers in Nondestructive Integrations with the Generalized Extreme Studentized Deviate Test

The identification of outliers in nondestructive integrations represents an important step in the routine processing of on-orbit or ground observations and in providing data of the highest quality to the observer. We present the Generalized Extreme Studentized Deviate (ESD) Test for multiple outliers and apply it to the iden- tification of cosmic ray hits in simulated integrations and in ground laboratory observations collected with a James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) near-IR detector. The completeness ratio and fraction of false detections of the simulated cosmic-ray impacts are characterized for a range of parameters expected in real-world observations. Ran- dom Telegraph Noise (RTN) pixels, which are intrinsically variable, are also successfully identified with this test. The algorithm of this versatile statistical test is straightforward to implement and can serve to flag and mask bad or variable pixels in automated data calibration pipelines.
Changes in emotion regulation in adults with and without a history of childhood abuse following posttraumatic stress disorder treatment.

OBJECTIVE This study compared changes in emotion regulation and trait affect over the course of PTSD treatment with either prolonged exposure (PE) therapy or sertraline in adults with and without a history of childhood abuse (CA). METHOD Two hundred adults with PTSD received 10 weeks of PE or sertraline. Emotion regulation and trait affect were assessed pre- and posttreatment and at 6-month follow-up with the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003), the Negative Mood Regulation Scale (Catanzaro & Mearns, 1990), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988). RESULTS Individuals with and without a history of CA did not differ from one another at pretreatment on PTSD severity, emotion regulation, or positive/negative affect. In addition, treatment was effective at improving emotion regulation and trait affect in those with and without a history of CA, and no significant differences in emotion regulation or trait affect emerged posttreatment or at 6-month follow-up between adults with and without a history of CA. Furthermore, noninferiority analyses indicated that the emotion regulation and trait affect outcomes of individuals with a history of CA were no worse than those of individuals without a history of CA. CONCLUSION These findings cast doubt on the assumption that CA is associated with worse emotion regulation following PTSD treatment, arguing against assertions that a history of CA itself is a contraindication for traditional PTSD treatment, and that there is a clear necessity for additional interventions designed to target assumed emotion regulation deficits. [Corrected]
Cranial grafting of stem cell-derived microvesicles improves cognition and reduces neuropathology in the irradiated brain

Cancer survivors face a variety of challenges as they cope with disease recurrence and a myriad of normal tissue complications brought on by radio- and chemotherapeutic treatment regimens. For patients subjected to cranial irradiation for the control of CNS malignancy, progressive and debilitating cognitive dysfunction remains a pressing unmet medical need. Although this problem has been recognized for decades, few if any satisfactory long-term solutions exist to resolve this serious unintended side effect of radiotherapy. Past work from our laboratory has demonstrated the neurocognitive benefits of human neural stem cell (hNSC) grafting in the irradiated brain, where intrahippocampal transplantation of hNSC ameliorated radiation-induced cognitive deficits. Using a similar strategy, we now provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence that cranial grafting of microvesicles secreted from hNSC affords similar neuroprotective phenotypes after head-only irradiation. Cortical- and hippocampal-based deficits found 1 mo after irradiation were completely resolved in animals cranially grafted with microvesicles. Microvesicle treatment was found to attenuate neuroinflammation and preserve host neuronal morphology in distinct regions of the brain. These data suggest that the neuroprotective properties of microvesicles act through a trophic support mechanism that reduces inflammation and preserves the structural integrity of the irradiated microenvironment.
Flow Cytometry for Hematopoietic Cells

Within the last 25 years, flow cytometry and fluorescence-activated cell sorting have emerged as both routine diagnostic tools in clinical medicine and as advanced analytic tools critical in performing scientific research. This chapter aims at summarizing the use of flow cytometry in benign and malignant hematology and the monitoring of inherited and acquired immunodeficiency states. Numerous figures are provided from our laboratories at Massachusetts General Hospital that illustrate examples of these conditions. The chapter also describes novel flow cytometry-based imaging techniques, the combination of flow cytometry and mass spectrography, new software tools, and some future directions and applications of advanced instrumentation for flow cytometry.
The effect of the peer education intervention in injecting drug users

Objective To investigate the effect of peer education for injecting drug users in HIV infectious control.Methods The drug abusers were divided into two groups which were intervened by traditional model and the peer education model respectively.The effects were compared after both models then.Results Compared with the traditional intervention model,peer education intervention model was more effective on reducing syringe sharing,improving condom use and promoting acceptance on needle exchange services for drug users.Conclusion Peer education interventions among injecting drug users is better than traditional model.
Silicon photonic weight bank control of integrated analog network dynamics

Analog Interconnection networks are configured setting connection weights. Microring weight banks are a key device for making such networks in silicon photonic circuits. We demonstrate a small analog network in silicon using a single node with simple dynamics, showing dynamics parameterized by microring weight banks.
Teaching life lessons in a capstone course: software engineering as a finishing school

While many software engineering programs focus on the theoretical aspects of that discipline, the capstone course [2] at Siena College has evolved into hybrid course that emphasizes "life-lessons" as well as the traditional software engineering materials. The capstone course still retains the basic structure of a typical software engineering course, with a yearlong team project that adheres to the waterfall model. However, team members' communication skills are tested throughout the year; a client relays his or her problem to the team in a fashion similar to real world interactions. At the end of each stage in the waterfall model (five stages in all), the team must make a powerpoint presentation where every member must speak in front of the class, clients, and other guests. Other communication exercises occur throughout the year, including resume creation, mock interviews, etiquette lessons, and mandatory classroom discussions.
Scalable and Reusable Attack Aware Software

Developing and maintaining security software systems can be cost-prohibitive for all but the largest organizations. New requirements of hardware and software quickly outdate current security systems. Modern software architecture technology, such as Spring Framework, and the new deployment paradigm of cloud computing infrastructure services can help with the challenge of maintaining software security systems. Spring Framework allows for better reusability of our code to adapt to different input vulnerabilities and cloud computing helps to deploy quickly and easily. The application of software architectural patterns and cloud computing to the development of attack aware software improves reusability and scalability.
All-Digital PLL with Variable Loop Type Characteristics

A fully-digital frequency synthesizer for RF wireless applications has recently been proposed. It replaces the conventional VCO with a digitally-controlled oscillator with sufficiently fine frequency resolution. The conventional phase/frequency detector, charge pump and RC loop filter are replaced by a time-to-digital converter and a simple digital loop filter. In this paper, we present novel techniques used in the all-digital PLL to achieve ultra-fast frequency acquisition of < 50 mus while maintaining excellent phase noise and spurious performance during transmission and reception. This approach has been validated and incorporated in commercial single-chip Bluetooth and GSM radios realized in deep-submicron CMOS
One month in the history of the discovery of general relativity theory

Albert Einstein had initiated his work on the formulation of a general theory of relativity soon after completing the special theory. From 1907 to summer 1915 he worked hard on the problem of ‘generalizing’ the relativity theory. His efforts bore fruit during November 1915, and he presented the new theory in four communications to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin in that month; he obtained the correct expression and value for the advance of the perihelion motion of Mercury and motivated the existence of the final form of the field equations of gravitation. After his second communication to the Academy on 11 November, he had the expression and value for the advance of the perihelion of Mercury by 18 November, and the final form of the field equations by 25 November. He noted down both of these major results in an autograph manuscript, the English translation of which is presented here for the first time since Einstein wrote it, and the background of this fundamental work is discussed.
Exemplary Ion Source for the Implanting of Halogen and Oxygen Based Dopant Gases

The demand from device manufacturers for longer source life, increased beam currents, beam stability and non-dedicated species operation has pushed the present ion source design to its limits. Each of the above requirements is not mutually exclusive and usually one or more performance characteristics are typically sacrificed so as to ensure the ion source does not fail prematurely. The highly corrosive nature of fluorides and oxides generated from cracking GeF4, BF3, SiF4, CO, and CO2 challenges the traditional refractory metals used to construct the ion source. The formation of tungsten fluorides (WFx) which then decompose (halogen cycle) and deposit tungsten onto critical heated surfaces such as the cathode, repeller (anode) and arc slit optics degrades source performance. The WFx will also react with the critical source insulators, forming a conductive coating that also causes beam instabilities and shortened source lifetimes. The formation of WO2/WO3 on the internal source components negatively impacts transitions to other species such as 11B and 49BF2 until the residual oxygen released from the tungsten oxides is below some threshold level. The use of lanthanated tungsten for internal arc chamber components in many cases does not require the use of a co-gas such as hydrogen to tie up residual fluorine and/or oxygen to prevent the aforementioned ion source damage. The reaction of F- and O- with lanthanum results in a protective surface layer which is very stable at temperatures >2000°C, whereas tungsten fluorides and oxides are very volatile (halogen cycle) and lead to shorter source life and increased ion beam instabilities. Other important attributes of this source are improved cathode electron emission due to its lower work function and decreased formation of tungsten carbide on the cathode tip which will reduce cathode electron emission for carbon implants. This new alloy coupled with the patent pending Axcelis co-gases and improved cathode repeller seals will further improve source stability and ensure predictable, repeatable, and longer source lifetimes.
Effect of self-listening on self-evaluation accuracy

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of self-listening on self-evaluation accuracy. Twenty-six undergraduate musicians self-evaluated their individual performances of a musical excerpt. Volunteer participants were randomly assigned to the experimental group or the control group. The experimental group members listened to the audio playback of their self-recorded performance before self-evaluating, while control group members did not. Both groups read information about self-evaluation before scoring their performances. Participants' self-evaluations were compared to the mean scores of a panel of expert judges to determine the accuracy of the self-evaluations. The panel of judges listened to the recordings of the individual performances before completing assessments. The participants and the judges used a researcher-modified version of the Woodwind Brass Solo Evaluation Form to assess the individual performances. Self-accuracy was calculated as the absolute difference between students' self-scores and the mean of the three judges' scores; a small absolute difference indicated high self-evaluation accuracy. For purposes of data analyses, the 2 groups (self-listening and nonlistening) served as the independent variable, and the total self-evaluation accuracy score served as the dependent variable. A one-way, between subjects ANOVA revealed no main effect for treatment group on total self-evaluation accuracy, F(1, 24) = 3.08, p = .09, η2 = .11.
Healthy Kids: Impacting Children’s Health in Rural Alabama

Significant changes have occurred in the healthcare community as a result of legislative decisions, the economic downturn, and long range effects of consistent annual reductions in public funding. Community partnerships have become vital to the existence of many areas of healthcare delivery, including the Alabama State Department of Education’s School Health Services Program which is charged with the oversight of the health of students while they are enrolled in Alabama public schools. This program, along with many state agencies, continues to struggle in finding creative ways to stretch every education dollar in order to adjust to the impact of across the board budget cuts. A decrease in the number of registered nurses and the increasingly complex medical issues of students requiring individualized care have potentially jeopardized the ability of school nurses to adequately monitor and detect changes in the overall health status of children in the Alabama School Health Services Program. Nursing, Medical Laboratory Sciences, and Communication Disorder students from the College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CONHS) at Auburn University Montgomery (AUM) conducted health screenings for school age children in medically underserved counties of rural Alabama. The purpose of this article will be to discuss the collaboration and implementation of an interprofessional, community-based, service-learning project entitled Healthy Kids. Keywords : rural health; interprofessional collaboration; child health; service learning DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v17i1.432
Quantitative optical measurement of mitochondrial superoxide dynamics in pulmonary artery endothelial cells

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a vital role in cell signaling and redox regulation, but when present in excess, lead to numerous pathologies. Detailed quantitative characterization of mitochondrial superoxide anion (O2•−) production in fetal pulmonary artery endothelia cells (PAECs) has never been reported. The aim of this study is to assess mitochondrial O2•− production in cultured PAECs over time using a novel quantitative optical approach. The rate, the sources, and the dynamics of O2•− production were assessed using targeted metabolic modulators of the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) complexes, specifically an uncoupler and inhibitors of the various ETC complexes, and inhibitors of extra-mitochondrial sources of O2•−. After stabilization, the cells were loaded with nanomolar mitochondrial-targeted hydroethidine (Mito-HE, MitoSOX) online during the experiment without washout of the residual dye. Time-lapse fluorescence microscopy was used to monitor the dynamic changes in O2•− fluoresc...
Post-Miocene Depositional Patterns and Structural Displacement in the Mediterranean

Unconsolidated Pliocene and Quaternary sediments consisting largely of terrigenous clay, silt, and sand, and to a lesser extent organic-rich ooze, sapropel, volcanic ash (tephra), and wind-blown material, blanket Miocene evaporites, Tertiary infrasalt series, and older deposits throughout most of the Mediterranean Sea. This chapter focuses on the remarkable regional variability of depositional thickness and sediment types as well as on structural displacement of Lower Pliocene to Recent sequences in this physiographically and structurally complex land-bound sea. The geologic changes in time and space recorded are attributed to (1) specific dispersal patterns and transport processes, (2) climatic evolution affecting the flow of water masses and eustatic sea level oscillations, and (3) tectonic activity of variable style and intensity which has disrupted sedimentation and displaced these series during and following their accumulation. This investigation of depositional patterns considers both sedimentological and tectonic factors, and reviews major trends in the various basins based on continuous seismic profile (CSP) records and supplemental drill core and sea-floor sample data.
Evolution of the cyclic stress-strain and constitutive behaviors of SAC305 lead free solder during fatigue testing

One of the most common method of failure in electronic packaging is the fatigue failure of solder joints. The constituent materials forming the electronic assembly have different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE). When the assembly is subjected to a temperature changing environment, the solder joints experience a cyclic loading due to this difference in CTE, thus resulting in the fatigue failure. Although the knowledge of the Bauschinger effect is known, which states that the stress-strain behavior of materials is affected by the reversal of inelastic strain, there hasn’t been much research on how the mechanical properties of the doped lead free solders degrade during fatigue testing. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the accumulation of damage by studying the cyclic constitutive and stress-strain behavior in doped lead free solders during fatigue testing. Initially, the samples were mechanically cycled for various durations. Stress-strain and creep tests were then conducted on the prior cycled samples. The fitted experimental data were plotted and various mechanical properties such as yield and ultimate strength, modulus of elasticity and creep strain rate were determined while also examining the plastic strain range, peak stress, and hysteresis loop area.
Characterization of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Core Histones by Top-Down Mass Spectrometry Reveals Unique Algae-Specific Variants and Post-Translational Modifications

The unicellular microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has played an instrumental role in the development of many new fields (bioproducts, biofuels, etc.) as well as the advancement of basic science (photosynthetic apparati, flagellar function, etc.). Chlamydomonas’ versatility ultimately derives from the genes encoded in its genome and the way that the expression of these genes is regulated, which is largely influenced by a family of DNA binding proteins called histones. We characterize C. reinhardtii core histones, both variants and their post-translational modifications, by chromatographic separation, followed by top-down mass spectrometry (TDMS). Because TDMS has not been previously used to study Chlamydomonas proteins, we show rampant artifactual protein oxidation using established nuclei purification and histone extraction methods. After addressing oxidation, both histones H3 and H4 are found to each have a single polypeptide sequence that is minimally acetylated and methylated. Surprisingly, we uncove...
Counterinsurgency as armed reform: The political history of the Malayan Emergency

Despite the emphasis in doctrine and academia that counterinsurgency is in its essence political, these operations are all too commonly discussed and approached as primarily military endeavors. Inf...
The Effect of Internal Circulation on the Heat Transfer of a Nuclear Reactor Containment Spray Droplet

Heat removal rates from containment spray droplets following a loss-of-coolant accident in a nuclear reactor have been calculated by three different droplet models: the complete mixing model, the m...
Developing More Inclusive Eco-Political Institutions Through Constitutional Reform: The Case of Sri Lanka

Purpose - Exclusive eco-political institutions are rife in many developing countries, where rent-seeking activities are often politically and institutionally entrenched. Based on recent politico-economic literature, we suggest that, for countries which as a value judgment prefer democracy, inclusive institutions are a precondition for sustainable economic growth, essential to achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); and highlight constitutional reform as a means of achieving prosperity through inclusive politico-economic institutions. At the very least, prior resolution of collective action problems is required. Approach and Findings - Using Sri Lanka as a case study, we demonstrate how constitutional reforms have rendered Sri Lanka – hitherto a well-established democracy – less democratic, and how they have helped to create non-inclusive institutions. Implications - Assuming Sri Lanka seeks to remain more democratic than dictatorial, we highlight the need for reversing constitutional reforms in recent decades to facilitate economic development through more inclusive institutions in Sri Lanka, to better seek to achieve its MDGs. Originality/value - Acemoglu and Robinson (2012) have argued that ‘inclusive institutions’ make some parts of the world richer and are the ‘secret’ to sustainable economic growth and prosperity, while ‘extractive institutions’ make other parts of the world poorer. We disagree, largely because of the evidence on the Chinese experience, and suggest modifying the Acemoglu and Robinson thesis to the conditional form: if, as a value judgement, a society prefers a genuine social democracy, then more inclusive eco-political institutions are a precondition to sustainable economic development and growth. We extend the logic of the argument by pointing out how constitutional provisions affect the inclusiveness of institutions and their governance, which in turn affect economic growth, income distribution, and the achievement of MDGs.
The Ordinary Least Squares Estimates

With the linearization of the basic model and its covariance matrix at hand we now start on the estimation of the components. We’ll do this by calculating the ordinary least squares estimates for our linear model, and by discussing what is meant by “estimable function” in our context. As will be shown the problem is that the covariance we’ve found is singular. This, along with the possibly sticky point that the reader may have already noticed: the covariance is a function of the parameters (components) we wish to estimate. These issues are sorted out here and the the ordinary least squares estimates are related to other variance component estimation methods.
Encapsulation of mesenchymal stem cells in glycosaminoglycans‐chitosan polyelectrolyte microcapsules using electrospraying technique: Investigating capsule morphology and cell viability

Polyelectrolyte microcapsules are modular constructs which facilitate cell handling and assembly of cell-based tissue constructs. In this study, an electrospray (ES) encapsulation apparatus was developed for the encapsulation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Ionic complexation between glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and chitosan formed a polyelectrolyte complex membrane at the interface. To optimize the capsules, the effect of voltage, needle size and GAG formulation on capsule size were investigated. It was observed that by increasing the voltage and decreasing the needle size, the capsule size would decrease but at voltages above 12 kV, capsule size distribution broadened significantly which yields lower circularity. Increase in GAG viscosity resulted in larger microcapsules and cell viability exhibited no significant changes during the encapsulation procedure. These results suggest that ES is a highly efficient, and scalable approach to the encapsulation of MSCs for subsequent use in bioprinting and other modular tissue engineering or regenerative medicine applications.
Differentiation therapy and the mechanisms that terminate cancer cell proliferation without harming normal cells

Chemotherapeutic drugs have a common intent to activate apoptosis in tumor cells. However, master regulators of apoptosis (e.g., p53, p16/CDKN2A) are frequently genetically inactivated in cancers, resulting in multidrug resistance. An alternative, p53-independent method for terminating malignant proliferation is to engage terminal-differentiation. Normally, the exponential proliferation of lineage-committed progenitors, coordinated by the master transcription factor (TF) MYC, is self-limited by forward-differentiation to terminal lineage-fates. In cancers, however, this exponential proliferation is disengaged from terminal-differentiation. The mechanisms underlying this decoupling are mostly unknown. We performed a systematic review of published literature (January 2007-June 2018) to identify gene pathways linked to differentiation-failure in three treatment-recalcitrant cancers: hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), ovarian cancer (OVC), and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). We analyzed key gene alterations in various apoptosis, proliferation and differentiation pathways to determine whether it is possible to predict treatment outcomes and suggest novel therapies. Poorly differentiated tumors were linked to poorer survival across histologies. Our analyses suggested loss-of-function events to master TF drivers of lineage-fates and their cofactors as being linked to differentiation-failure: genomic data in TCGA and ICGC databases demonstrated frequent haploinsufficiency of lineage master TFs (e.g., GATA4/6) in poorly differentiated tumors; the coactivators that these TFs use to activate genes (e.g. ARID1A, PBRM1) were also frequently inactivated by genetic mutation and/or deletion. By contrast, corepressor components (e.g., DNMT1, EED, UHRF1, and BAZ1A/B), that oppose coactivators to repress or turn off genes, were frequently amplified instead, and the level of amplification was highest in poorly differentiated lesions. This selection by neoplastic evolution towards unbalanced activity of transcriptional corepressors suggests these enzymes as candidate targets for inhibition aiming to re-engage forward-differentiation. This notion is supported by both pre-clinical and clinical trial literature.
The Development of Color Doppler Echocardiography: Innovation and Collaboration.

Conception, development, innovation, introduction, and validation are some of the steps in the introduction of new technologies and their clinical applications. More than 50 years ago, Doppler techniques and applications were introduced into echocardiography. An important further addition was the introduction of color as a medium for the display of Doppler information. The amplitude of the returning ultrasound signal has been used to generate a black and white image of structure. The phase shift between the transmitted and returning Doppler signal has been used to display Doppler shift information in color. This review focuses on some of the resources critical to this new development, the challenges imposed by the introduction of a new color display, and some of the early clinical validation and applications of color Doppler echocardiography.
Effects of Sling and Resistance Rotation Exercises on Pelvic Rotation and Pain in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain

Purpose: This study compared the different sling and resistance exercises on pelvic rotation during active straight leg raises (ASLR) and on pain in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Methods: Twenty subjects were divided randomly into a sling group (SG) and a resistance exercise group (REG). Internal oblique (IO), external oblique (EO), rectus abdominis (RA), and rectus femoris (RF) muscle activity; pelvic rotation angle during ASLR; and visual analogue scale, pressure pain threshold were measured. Sling and resistance exercises were then performed for 30 minutes and the measurements taken again. Results: Both groups showed significantly lower RF muscle activity and significantly higher EO and IO muscle activity (p<0.05). The RA muscle activity decreased significantly in the SG, but increased significantly in the REG (p<0.05). The pelvic rotation angle was significantly lower in the SG (p<0.05). The pain press threshold increased significantly in both groups (p<0.05). The visual analogue scale decreased significantly in the SG (p<0.05). Conclusion: Both exercises appear to be beneficial for modifying the muscle activity and pain control in the intervention of CLBP. On the other hand, the sling was more effective in increasing the pressure threshold than resistance exercise, and the pelvic rotation angle was reduced. Therefore, both exercises can help patients with CLBP change their muscle activity and control pain. CLBP patients should use a sling for short periods of time to learn to reduce the pain and control pelvic rotation.
Graduating into Lower Risk: Chlamydia and Trichomonas Prevalance among Community College Students and Graduates

Background Community colleges enable youth from economically disadvantaged and minority populations to access college and may enable social mobility including improved health outcomes. However, educational health disparities studies rarely assess the health outcomes for community college graduates. Methods Chlamydia and trichomonas prevalence were assessed with nucleic acid based tests in a nationally representative sample of 6233 high school graduates (ages 18-25) from five educational levels: young adults without post-secondary credentials who were not enrolled in college, community college students, 4-year college students, associate's degree, and bachelor's degree. To reduce confounding between educational attainment and STI status, we used full matching to balance on 22 measures of demographics, socioeconomic status, educational factors, and sexual risk-taking. Estimates of associations between educational attainment and STI status were obtained from multivariate regression in the full (n=6233) and matched (n=1655) samples. Results Four-year college students (adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.41, 95% CI [0.27, 0.61], p<0.001), associate's degree holders (IRR = 0.38 [0.15, 0.98], p=0.05), and bachelor's degree holders (IRR = 0.45 [0.23, 0.90], p=0.02) were less than half as likely to test positive for chlamydia than non-college-enrolled high school graduates in multivariate regression. After full matching, associate's degree holders were also less likely to test positive for chlamydia (IRR 0.46 (0.23, 0.85), p=0.03) than community college students. Four-year college students (IRR = 0.52 [0.24, 1.12], p=0.10) and associate's degree holders (IRR = 0.34 [0.12, 0.97], p=0.04) were half as likely to test positive for trichomonas than nonstudents/non-graduates in multivariate regression but did not differ after full matching. Conclusions Community college students come from populations with greater health risks than 4-year college students, but community college graduation may reduce the likelihood of chlamydia infection. STI interventions can meet the needs of young adults who access college through community college by partnering with community college health clinics to encourage continued STI prevention, testing, and treatment after the intervention ends. Public health studies that use inclusive educational attainment measures that incorporate sub-baccalaureate credentials will better capture health disparities.
Jets in Nuclear Collisions

Abstract These proceedings from the Quark Matter 2018 Conference provide an overview of recent experimental results of jet measurements in heavy ion collisions at the LHC and RHIC and thoughts on future measurements.
Design and implementation of the U.S. Army Artificial Intelligence Innovation Institute

It is readily evident that the U.S. Army must establish an artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) science and technology (S and T) strategy to rapidly capture, develop, and field the steady stream of discoveries and innovations derived from the global proliferation of AI. In order to focus on Army-specific problem sets, the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) intends to stand up the Army AI Innovation Institute (A2I2) in 2019. This paper discusses how the A2I2 will coordinate, conduct, and accelerate basic research to address Army-specific challenges, with a focus on advancing AI capabilities for autonomous maneuver in multi-domain operations (MDO). CCDC ARL will leverage its existing distributed high-performance computing (HPC) and network infrastructure, along with its regional laboratory extensions, to enable basic AI research with top-tier universities, small and large commercial businesses, established Department of Defense (DOD) industrial partners, and other DOD and non-DOD government organizations. This paper also discusses how the A2I2 will establish an accessible database of heterogeneous data, a repository of AI and ML algorithms and software tools, and military-relevant challenge problems.
Microfluidic block copolymer membrane arrays for nanopore DNA sequencing

Nanopore DNA sequencing has the potential to provide significant improvements to DNA sequencing: it may decrease cost while increasing speed and portability. Due to fundamental limits on the speed of reading DNA as it moves through a nanopore, an array of nanopores is necessary to parallelize measurements for high speeds. Additionally, a practical nanopore sequencing device would benefit from the use of block copolymer membranes to house the nanopore proteins; block copolymers are more structurally and chemically stable than phospholipids. We have previously tailored membranes composed of a block copolymer to house the nanopore protein MspA for this purpose. In this work, we extend the use of this polymer to a membrane array. We find that when switching from our previous manual system to this microfluidic system, the nanopore protein MspA exhibits variable behavior despite the use of the same block copolymer solution as before. We establish a metric for quantifying this variability and investigate its cause. We find that the cause is likely the use of volatile and water-soluble solvents in a small channel volume. Finally, we demonstrate that MspA in these block copolymer membranes is able to translocate DNA similar to MspA behavior in lipid membranes. These results illustrate the viability of polymer membranes for nanopore-based sensors while highlighting the challenges inherent in the development of a practical nanopore DNA sequencing device.
Outcomes of endoscopic therapy in donation after cardiac death liver transplant biliary strictures.

Abstract Background Biliary strictures after donation-after-cardiac-death (DCD) liver transplantation (LT) require multiple endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographies (ERCP). The outcomes of endoscopic dilation and maximal stenting are not well-characterized in this high-risk population. Methods DCD LT recipients who underwent LT and ERCP from 2012–2018 were selected. Anastomotic and non-anastomotic strictures were treated with balloon dilation and maximal stenting. A successful stent-free trial was defined as absence of biochemical, clinical or imaging evidence of strictures on follow-up exceeding 6 months. Adverse events were defined as unplanned admission or inpatient evaluation within 7 days of ERCP. Results Forty-nine DCD LT recipients underwent ERCP and 34 patients were diagnosed with strictures (20 anastomotic). Stent-free trial was successful in 27 patients. Adverse events occurred after 20 ERCPs. Patients with anastomotic strictures required fewer stents (1.43 ± 1.37 vs 2.63 ± 1.66; P Conclusion Endoscopic dilation and maximal stenting resolves biliary strictures in DCD LT recipients with sustained success and relatively few adverse events.