cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prostaglandin E2 Receptor, EP3, Is Induced in Diabetic Islets and Negatively Regulates Glucose- and Hormone-Stimulated Insulin Secretion

BTBR mice develop severe diabetes in response to genetically induced obesity due to a failure of the β-cells to compensate for peripheral insulin resistance. In analyzing BTBR islet gene expression patterns, we observed that Pgter3, the gene for the prostaglandin E receptor 3 (EP3), was upregulated with diabetes. The EP3 receptor is stimulated by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and couples to G-proteins of the Gi subfamily to decrease intracellular cAMP, blunting glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Also upregulated were several genes involved in the synthesis of PGE2. We hypothesized that increased signaling through EP3 might be coincident with the development of diabetes and contribute to β-cell dysfunction. We confirmed that the PGE2-to-EP3 signaling pathway was active in islets from confirmed diabetic BTBR mice and human cadaveric donors, with increased EP3 expression, PGE2 production, and function of EP3 agonists and antagonists to modulate cAMP production and GSIS. We also analyzed the impact of EP3 receptor activation on signaling through the glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 receptor. We demonstrated that EP3 agonists antagonize GLP-1 signaling, decreasing the maximal effect that GLP-1 can elicit on cAMP production and GSIS. Taken together, our results identify EP3 as a new therapeutic target for β-cell dysfunction in T2D.
Sorption of Fe (Hydr)Oxides to the Surface of Shewanella putrefaciens: Cell-Bound Fine-Grained Minerals Are Not Always Formed De Novo

Shewanella putrefaciens, a gram-negative, facultative anaerobe, is active in the cycling of iron through its interaction with Fe (hydr)oxides in natural environments. Fine-grained Fe precipitates that are attached to the outer membranes of many gram-negative bacteria have most often been attributed to precipitation and growth of the mineral at the cell surface. Our study of the sorption of nonbiogenic Fe (hydr)oxides revealed, however, that large quantities of nanometer-scale ferrihydrite (hydrous ferric oxide), goethite (alpha-FeOOH), and hematite (alpha-Fe(2)O(3)) adhered to the cell surface. Attempts to separate suspensions of cells and minerals with an 80% glycerin cushion proved that the sorbed minerals were tightly attached to the bacteria. The interaction between minerals and cells resulted in the formation of mineral-cell aggregates, which increased biomass density and provided better sedimentation of mineral Fe compared to suspensions of minerals alone. Transmission electron microscopy observations of cells prepared by whole-mount, conventional embedding, and freeze-substitution methods confirmed the close association between cells and minerals and suggested that in some instances, the mineral crystals had even penetrated the outer membrane and peptidoglycan layers. Given the abundance of these mineral types in natural environments, the data suggest that not all naturally occurring cell surface-associated minerals are necessarily formed de novo on the cell wall.
Revascularisation for everyone

This editorial refers to “Association of revascularisation with low mortality in non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome, a report from GUSTO IV-ACS”1 by J.P. Ottervanger et al. on page 1494 The approach to the treatment of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has become much more aggressive over the past several years. With regard to the optimal use of coronary angiography and revascularisation for patients with ACS, it was only a decade ago that the first randomised trial of an invasive vs. a conservative strategy for patients with patients with unstable angina (UA) and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) was published.1 The Thrombolysis and Myocardial Ischaemia (TIMI) IIIB trial hypothesised that early angiography and revascularisation would be beneficial in preventing subsequent cardiac events. Overall the study found only a weak trend for prevention of death or myocardial infarction (MI), however there were significant reductions in recurrent angina requiring re-hospitalisation as well as reductions in hospital length stay.1 Questions about the benefit of revascularisation for ACS were raised with the Veterans Affairs Non-Q-Wave Infarction Strategies in Hospital (VANQWISH) trial which suggested that a conservative strategy was associated with lower mortality.2 However beginning with the FRagmin and Fast Revascularisation during InStability in Coronary (FRISC) II trial, 3 then TACTICS-TIMI 18 trial,4 and finally the Randomised Intervention Trial of unstable Angina (RITA) 3 trial,5 it has been very clearly shown that an early invasive approach to patients with UA/NSTEMI is beneficial. The overall endpoint assessed in the randomised trial has been death, MI or … *Correspondence to: Christopher, Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Tel.: +1-617-278-0146; fax: +1-617-734-7329 cpcannon{at}partners.org
Performance evaluation of decision-free stochastic timed petri nets

This paper shows how the time-related performance measures of a Decision-Free Stochastic Timed Petri Net can be calculated by recursively calculating the probability distributions of states that describe the system. Sufficient conditions for convergence are given.
Influence of DOC on MS-2 Bacteriophage Transport in a Sandy Soil

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on MS-2 bacteriophage transport in a sandy soil. Miscible-displacement experiments were conducted to examine the retention and transport of MS-2, at two influent concentrations, in the absence and presence of DOC. Effluent recoveries of MS-2 were similar for both sets of experiments. The results of the experiments were analyzed with a mathematical model that incorporated inactivation and rate-limited attachment/detachment. The optimized attachment rate coefficients were similar for all experiments. These results indicate that DOC had no significant influence on the transport of MS-2 in this soil. A mass-balance analysis based on the mathematical-modeling results revealed that attachment was significant during the early stages of the experiments, and that the majority of attached MS-2 became inactivated by the time the experiments were completed.
Principles for code choice in the foreign language classroom: A focus on grammaring

The social and cultural ‘turn’ in language education of recent years has helped move language teaching and curriculum design away from many of the more rigid dogmas of earlier generations, but the issue of the roles of the learners’ first language (L1) in language pedagogy and classroom interaction is far from settled. Some follow a strict ‘exclusive target language’ pedagogy, while others ‘resort to’ the use of the L1 for a variety of purposes (see ACTFL 2008). Underlying these competing views is the perspective of the L1 as an impediment to second language learning. Following sociocultural theory and ecological perspectives of language and learning and based on the findings of research on classroom code-switching and code choice, this paper lays out an approach to the language classroom as a multilingual social space in which learners and teacher study, negotiate, and co-construct code choice norms toward the dynamic, creative, and pedagogically effective use of both the target language and the learners’ L1(s). Learner use of the L1 for the purpose of grammatical or lexical learning is also considered, and some examples for instruction are offered.
On sensitivity of molecular specific photoacoustic imaging using plasmonic gold nanoparticles

Functionalized gold nanospheres undergo receptor mediated aggregation on cancer cells that overexpress the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). This phenomenon leads to a red shift in the plasmon resonance frequency of the EGFR-targeted gold nanoparticles. Previously we demonstrated that highly selective detection of cancer cells can be achieved using the combination of multi-wavelength photoacoustic imaging and molecular specific gold nanoparticles. In this study, we use tissue models to evaluate the sensitivity of molecular specific photoacoustic imaging in detecting cancer cells labeled with EGFR-targeted gold nanoparticles. The results of our study indicate that highly sensitive detection of cancer cells is feasible using photoacoustic imaging and plasmonic gold nanoparticles.
Paradoxical Reaction to Alprazolam in an Elderly Woman with a History of Anxiety, Mood Disorders, and Hypothyroidism

With less than 1% of patients who use benzodiazepines being affected, paradoxical responses to benzodiazepines are rare. In this case report, we outline the course of an 80-year-old female who developed a paradoxical response to benzodiazepines. Significant medical and psychiatric history includes anxiety, mood disorder, hypothyroidism, bilateral mastectomy, goiter removal, and triple bypass. The patient presented with mental status changes, anxiety, motor restlessness, and paranoia. Over time, a temporal relationship between the severity of the patient’s motor agitation and intake of alprazolam was observed. As doses of alprazolam were decreased, her motor agitation became less severe. In addition to motor agitation, the patient also demonstrated increased aggressiveness, a subjective feeling of restlessness, and increased talkativeness. As her dose of alprazolam decreased, many of the patient’s symptoms were observed to decrease. This case report also discusses theories regarding the pathophysiology of paradoxical reactions to benzodiazepines, known risk factors, and appropriate treatment.
One-Year Outcomes and Mediators of a Brief Intervention for Drug Abusing Adolescents

Two manually guided brief interventions were evaluated with a randomized, controlled trial. Adolescents (aged 13-17 years) suspected of abusing alcohol and other drugs and their parent were randomly assigned to receive either a 2-session adolescent only (BI-A), 2-session adolescent and additional parent session (BI-AP), or assessment only control condition (CON). Adolescents were identified in a school setting, and the intervention was delivered by trained counselors. Outcome analyses (N = 284; 90% of those enrolled) of relative change (from intake to 12 months) and absolute status (at 12 months) revealed a general pattern of reductions in drug use behaviors, particularly with the cannabis outcome measures, in both active conditions (BI-A and BI-AP). Students in the control condition showed worse outcome compared with the BI-A and BI-AP groups. Among the 4 mediating variables measured at 6 months, use of additional services, motivation to change, and parenting practices had significant influences on 12-month outcome; problem-solving skills approached significance as a mediator. The potential value of a brief intervention for drug abusing adolescents is discussed.
Effect of Water Softening, Watering Devices, and Dietary Salt Level on the Performance of Caged Single Comb White Leghorn Laying Hens

Abstract A 2 × 4 × 3 factorial experiment was conducted with 768 laying hens for 308 days to examine the effect of 1) softened versus unsoftened water, 2) four types of watering devices (cone-shaped, trigger-cup, fount-cup, and vertically activated nipple drinkers), 3) diets with three percentages of added sodium chloride (0, .35, and .7%), and 4) interactions of these factors on laying hen production parameters. Water softening improved performance of hens consuming unsupplemented rations as compared with performance of hens consuming unsupplemented diets and drinking unsoftened water. Added sodium from the water softening process had neither a beneficial nor detrimental effect on production parameters when the diets were supplemented at .35 or .7% dietary salt. Although there was a negative effect of the nipple drinker on laying hen production, there was no indication of an interaction between the drinking of softened water and watering devices on laying hen performance.
EFFECT OF THYROXINE ON THYROID UPTAKE OF THIOUREA-S35.

SummaryGuinea pigs pre-treated with thyroxine exhibited substantial reductions in thyroid uptake of thiourea-S35 and an impaired ability to metabolize the labeled compound at the same rate as that of the control animals.
Using problem topology in parallelization

Problem topology is the key to efficient parallelization support for partially regular applications. Specifically, problem topology provides the information necessary for automatic data distribution and regular application optimization of partially regular applications. Problem topology is the dimensionality, size, and connectivity of the problem. Problem topology has traditionally been used in explicit parallelization of regular problems such as physical simulation applications. In languages such as High Performance Fortran, problems that are regular allow many optimizations not applicable to irregular application codes. Unfortunately, many applications must sacrifice regularity to some extent for computational efficiency. This research focuses on partially regular problems and strives to take advantage of partial regularity in the parallelization and compilation process. This dissertation uses topology for automatic, natural-topology, data distribution in linearized and composite grid (or multiblock) applications. For linearized applications, Fortran D is extended with logical topology and index array specifications. With the information provided in these specifications, it is shown how regular, linearized applications can be parallelized automatically in Fortran D as regular computations using their natural topology. In composite grid problems, meshes are coupled to form larger, more complex topology structures. Composite grid problems arise in important application areas such as fluid flow simulation, aerodynamic simulation, electric circuit simulation, and nuclear reactor simulation. Such physical phenomenon are inherently parallel and their simulations are computationally intensive. This dissertation presents a programming style and template for writing High Performance Fortran programs for these applications, algorithms for automatic distribution of composite grid applications with mesh configurations included in the input, and a discussion of compiler issues for composite grid problems. The automatically generated distributions for composite grid applications guarantee that all communication associated with the distribution of any given mesh will remain regular and nearest-neighbor in the mapping to processors. This research allows High Performance Fortran compilers to perform regular application optimizations on the codes for this class of partially regular applications. Finally, the research is supported by experimental results, which indicate that substantial performance improvements are possible when topology is used in the parallelization of partially regular applications.
Biological Processes in Materials Synthesis

Biological processes are rapidly emerging as viable routes to unique and highly structured materials. These processes generally fall into one of two categories. In biotic processes biological systems apply directly to material production while in biomimetic woek non-biological production processes mimic biological methods or materials. Advantages of biological processing range from increased quality through process control on the molecular level to novel materials with desirable properties. As these materials enter the scene the materials community will face challenges associated with using and testing materials that differ significantly from the traditional.
Regulation of intestinal epithelial proliferation: A few answers, many questions

The epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract mucosa is a highly dynamic and diverse mixture of cell populations requiring exquisite integration of the processes of cellular proliferation, differentiation, and senescence. It is likely that the proliferative compartment of the intestinal epithelium encompasses a hierarchy of totipotent and pluripotent stem cells in a manner similar to that which generates diversity in hematopoietic cell populations. Identification and characterization of the stem cell and progenitor populations in the intestine has been limited by the absence of markers or culture systems to identify these cells. Regulation of the proliferative compartment may be accomplished through the combined integration of key peptide growth factors and constituents of the extracellular matrix. The relative contribution of the epithelial populations themselves and the contributions made by associated cell populations such as pericryptal fibroblasts remain unclear. Recent studies have suggested that the transforming growth factors-alpha and -beta, two structurally unrelated peptide growth factors, might serve to regulate the balanced proliferation and turnover of intestinal epithelial cells. The proproliferative effects of TGF-alpha may be counterbalanced by the proliferation-inhibiting TGF-beta. Recent studies have demonstrated close interregulation of these peptides, which act through autocrine and paracrine mechanisms in model intestinal epithelial cell lines.
The Origin of Some Bone Marrow Fibroblasts

An attempt was made to determine the origin of bone marrow fibroblasts which almost always appear when bone marrow aspirates and explants are grown on solid surfaces in tissue culture. Bone marrow aspirates from an individual with chronic myelogenous leukemia demonstrating the Ph-1 chromosome and from an individual with acute leukemia demonstrating C-group trisomy in marrow cells served as sources of the fibroblasts. The fibroblasts that grew from these aspirates were analyzed for the presence of these chromosome markers found in the leukemic cells. The positive findings of the Ph-1 chromosome and C-group trisomy in a proportion of the fibroblasts indicates that at least some leukemic bone marrow fibroblasts are derived from hemopoietic cells. The origin of the bone marrow fibroblasts are derived from hemopoietic somes remains unknown. They could be derived from (1) hemopoietic cells cytogenetically unaffected by the leukemic process, (2) stromal elements of the bone marrow, or (3) both cytogenetically unaffected hemopoietic cells and stromal elements.
Long-time behavior for a regularized scalar conservation law in the absence of genuine nonlinearity

Abstract It is shown that as time approaches infinity, the solution of the initial value problem for a regularized one-dimensional scalar conservation law converges along rays to the solution of a certain Riemann problem for the hyperbolic conservation law, even when this conservation law is not genuinely nonlinear.
A single‐center experience with undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver

Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL) is a rare aggressive mesenchymal pediatric tumor. Previously, reported outcomes have been very poor. Here, we report a single-center experience of five patients with UESL treated with upfront gross total resection and adjuvant chemotherapy. We have a median follow-up of 8 years with a range from 5 to 19 years with 100% event-free survival.
The effects of exposure to objective coherence on perceived meaning in life: a preregistered direct replication of Heintzelman, Trent & King (2013)

Having a sense of meaning in life (MIL) has been acknowledged as a catalyst to psychological flourishing. As such, understanding ways to promote MIL represents a worthy goal for those interested in bolstering positive outcomes. This study sought to replicate the findings of Heintzelman, Trent & King (2013 Psychol. Sci.24, 991-998 (doi:10.1177/0956797612465878)), who found that MIL could be influenced by external stimulation. Their findings suggest that exposure to coherent stimuli produces significantly higher MIL scores than exposure to incoherent stimuli. Using materials and methodology provided by the corresponding author of the original paper, this study attempted to directly test this manipulation under conditions with increased statistical power. All tests, however, failed to replicate. Possible explanations for these discrepant findings are discussed, and potential future directions for this area of the literature are proposed.
Characterization of Wireless Multidevice Users

The number of wireless-enabled devices owned by a user has had huge growth over the past few years. Over one third of adults in the United States currently own three wireless devices: a smartphone, laptop, and tablet. This article provides a study of the network usage behavior of today’s multidevice users. Using data collected from a large university campus, we provide a detailed multidevice user (MDU) measurement study of more than 30,000 users. The major objective of this work is to study how the presence of multiple wireless devices affects the network usage behavior of users. Specifically, we characterize the usage pattern of the different device types in terms of total and intermittent usage, how the usage of different devices overlap over time, and uncarried device usage statistics. We also study user preferences of accessing sensitive content and device-specific factors that govern the choice of WiFi encryption type. The study reveals several interesting findings about MDUs. We see how the use of tablets and laptops are interchangeable and how the overall multidevice usage is additive instead of being shared among the devices. We also observe how current DHCP configurations are oblivious to multiple devices, which results in inefficient utilization of available IP address space. All findings about multidevice usage patterns have the potential to be utilized by different entities, such as app developers, network providers, security researchers, and analytics and advertisement systems, to provide more intelligent and informed services to users who have at least two devices among a smartphone, tablet, and laptop.
Determination of the Absolute Configuration of Cyclic Amines with Bode's Chiral Hydroxamic Esters Using the Competing Enantioselective Conversion Method.

The competing enantioselective conversion (CEC) strategy has been extended to cyclic amines. The basis for the CEC approach is the use of two complementary, enantioselective reactions to determine the configuration of the enantiopure substrate. Bode’s chiral acylated hydroxamic acids are very effective enantioselective acylating agents for a variety of amines. Pseudoenantiomers of these acyl-transfer reagents were prepared and demonstrated to react with enantiopure cyclic amines with modest to high selectivity. The products were analyzed by ESI-MS to determine selectivity, and the results were used to assign the configuration of the amine substrate. The method was applicable to a variety of cyclic amines as well as primary amines and acyclic secondary amines. The method is limited to amines that are unhindered enough to react with the reagents, and not all amine substitution patters lead to high selectivity.
Defect States and Band States

Defect states and band states, band tailing is discussed. Disorder effects in semiconductor alloys are elaborated. Impurity influence on fundamental absorption with heavy doping, and shrinking of the band gap is shown. The Burstein-Moss effect is discussed.
The effect of transport infrastructure on the location of economic activity: Railroads and post offices in the American West

Abstract This paper uses data on the locations of historical US Post Offices to study the effect of railroad construction between 1868 and 1889 on the geographical distribution of towns in the American West. I estimate the probability of survival and expected lifetime of a post office as flexible functions of the distance to the railroad. Existing post offices that were bypassed by the railroad at between 5 and 10 km were 20 to 50 percentage points less likely to remain in operation until 2010 than control post offices over 50 km from the railroad. Given the historically close correspondence between the location of post offices and the location of towns, these results provide evidence that the railroads generated an agglomeration shadow - towns that were “almost” connected to the railroad were more likely to decline than those that remained isolated. I show that the short distances over which the forces of agglomeration act in this setting mean that it is difficult to detect the agglomerative effects of railroad construction using alternative methodologies based on census population data.
Partial Interference Alignment for Heterogeneous Cellular Networks

The deployment of small cell base stations (BSs) can efficiently boost the network capacity. Cross-tier interference management is critical for the performance enhancement in such heterogeneous networks. Interference alignment provides an efficient way to achieve optimal degree-of-freedom in interference channels. However, it is not necessarily optimal in terms of system sum capacity in the intermediate SNR region. In this paper, we propose a partial interference alignment scheme for heterogeneous network downlink transmission at intermediate SNR by considering the power imbalance among the macro cell and small cell BSs. The hard partial interference alignment adaptively selects the subspace for transmission and captures the trade-off of the transmission dimensions of small cell users and macro cell user. The soft partial interference alignment is used to further improve the hard interference alignment by iteratively balancing the interference and useful signals in each user side. Also, large dimensional analysis is performed to show that the number of transmit dimensions, which can be exploited by the small cell BS is determined by the SNR of the system and singular value distribution of the channel matrix. Simulation results suggest that the proposed partial interference alignment can achieve better achievable sum capacity in the intermediate SNR regime and the large dimension result is accurately verified.
An improved consistent, conservative, non-oscillatory and high order finite difference scheme for variable density low Mach number turbulent flow simulation

Abstract A consistent, conservative and truly high order finite difference scheme for low Mach number turbulent variable density flow simulation is presented. In the present scheme, the scalar transport equation is discretized with the explicit weighted compact nonlinear scheme (WCNS) while the continuity and momentum equations are discretized with a conservative centered high order finite difference scheme on a staggered grid. Bounded hybrid high order upwind interpolation is proposed for the evaluation of density on the cell faces of the staggered grid. The use of explicit WCNS along with the bounded density interpolation resolves the issue of degraded order of accuracy in the existing high order finite difference schemes where the centered finite difference scheme for mass and momentum conservation is combined with a total variation stable scheme for scalar transport. With the same difference operator used for the continuity and scalar transport equations, the present scheme is consistent naturally, and resolves the inconsistency problem reported in Trisjono et al. (2016) [6] without employing any modification to a scheme. Such improvements are demonstrated for several test cases.
Lower, Slower, Louder: Vocal Cues of Sarcasm

Previous studies have examined verbal rather than vocal aspects of irony. The present study considers how vocal features may cue listeners to one form of irony--sarcasm. Speakers were recorded reading sentences in three conditions (nonsarcasm, spontaneous sarcasm, posed sarcasm) with the resulting utterances filtered to remove verbal content. Listeners (n = 127) then rated these filtered utterances on amount of sarcasm. Results indicated that listeners were able to discriminate posed sarcasm from nonsarcasm but not spontaneous sarcasm from nonsarcasm. An analysis of the vocal features of the utterances as determined by perceptual coding indicated that a slower tempo, greater intensity, and a lower pitch level were significant indicators of sarcasm.
Impact Analysis with Regional Econometric Models

The purpose of this paper is to set out the uses of regional econometric models for economic impact analysis. By impact analysis, I mean the problem of analyzing and forecasting the ramifications of exogenous shocks to regional economic systems. Such shocks might come from changes in ex-regional economic policy (such as stimulative or deflationary fiscal or monetary policy), more specific ex-regional spending decisions (changes in federal government spending, such as the closing of a defense facility), and other related types of phenomena. Through the use of regional econometric models, analysts can capture the direct and indirect effects on regions. For further treatment of this subject, see Klein and Glickman (1977), Glickman (1974), and L’Esperance (1976).
Braided Pneumatic Actuators as a Variable Stiffness Approximation of Synovial Joints

This paper presents the design of a novel adjustably damped hip and ankle joint using braided pneumatic actuators. These joints provide a wide range of motion and exhibit the same change in stiffness as flexion increases that human joints exhibit, which should also increase bipedal stability, adaptability, and controllability. The theoretical behaviors of the joint make them desirable for use in mobile robotics and should provide a lightweight yet mechanically strong connection that is resistant to unexpected perturbations and catastrophic failure. The joints also bridge the gap between completely soft robotics and completely rigid robotics.
Statistical Flaw Detection in a Scanning Mode

The purpose of this paper is to describe an extension to an integrated model for assessing the performance of a given ultrasonic inspection system for detecting internal flaws. The integrated model is described in Fertig, Richardson, and Elsley (1984). The modified model incorporates the use of multiple waveform information obtained in a scanning mode. It is demonstrated that the proper use of this information can enhance the detectability of interior flaws. The next section describes the noise model for the scanning experiment. Section 3 develops an approximation to a decision theoretic solution to the detection problem and Section 4 provides a computer simulation.
Exploring Korean parents’ meanings of digital play for young children:

This study is about contemporary Korean parents’ social tensions and the cultural meanings around digital play. Through interviews with 13 middle-class Korean parents, they discussed their perspect...
Modeling Study of Foehn Wind Events in Antarctic Peninsula with WRF Forced by CCSM

Significant changes have occurred in the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) including warmer temperatures, accelerated melting of glaciers, and breakup of ice shelves. This study uses the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) forced by the Community Climate System Model 4 (CCSM) simulations to study foehn wind warming in AP. Weather systems responsible for generating the foehn events are two cyclonic systems that move toward and/or cross over AP. WRF simulates the movement of cyclonic systems and the resulting foehn wind warming that is absent in CCSM. It is found that the warming extent along a transect across the central AP toward Larsen C Ice Shelf (LCIS) varies during the simulation period and the maximum warming moves from near the base of leeward slopes to over 40 km away extending toward the attached LCIS. Our analysis suggests that the foehn wind warming is negatively correlated with the incoming air temperature and the mountain top temperature during periods without significant precipitation, in which isentropic drawdown is the dominant heating mechanism. On the other hand, when significant precipitation occurs along the windward side of AP, latent heating is the major heating mechanism evidenced by positive relations between the foehn wind warming and 1) incoming air temperature, 2) windward precipitation, and 3) latent heating. Foehn wind warming caused by isentropic drawdown also tends to be stronger than that caused by latent heating. Comparison of WRF simulations forced by original and corrected CCSM data indicates that foehn wind warming is stronger in the original CCSM forced simulation when no significant windward precipitation is present. The foehn wind warming becomes weaker in both simulations when there is significant windward precipitation. This suggests that model’s ability to resolve the foehn warming varies with the forcing data, but the precipitation impact on the leeward warming is consistent.
A Case of Splenic Laceration Presenting as a Delayed Complication of Colonoscopy.

Abstract Background Colonoscopy is a frequently performed medical procedure; complications associated with this procedure often present to the emergency department (ED). Splenic laceration is a rare but life-threatening complication of colonoscopy. We report the unique case of a patient with a splenic laceration who presented after a recent colonoscopy and had no history of trauma. Case Report A 52-year-old man presented to our ED with abdominal pain and lightheadedness the day after a routine colonoscopy. Ultrasound demonstrated hemoperitoneum, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a large hemoperitoneum with active contrast extravasation from the laceration of the superior pole of the spleen. After resuscitation, the patient was managed with an emergency splenectomy. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Colonoscopy complications are frequently identified and managed in the ED. Splenic laceration should be on the differential for patients that present with abdominal pain or hypotension after colonoscopy. Splenic injury carries a high mortality risk, and prompt, accurate diagnosis can be lifesaving.
Disparities in knowledge and use of tobacco treatment among smokers in California following healthcare reform.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) promised to narrow smoking disparities by expanding access to healthcare and mandating comprehensive coverage for tobacco treatment starting in 2014. We examined whether two years after ACA implementation disparities in receiving clinician advice to quit and smokers' knowledge and use of treatment resources remained. We conducted telephone interviews in 2016 with a stratified random sample of self-reported smokers newly enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California's (KPNC) integrated healthcare delivery system in 2014 (N = 491; 50% female; 53% non-white; 6% Spanish language). We used Poisson regression with robust standard errors to test whether sociodemographics, insurance type, comorbidities, smoking status in 2016 (former, light/nondaily [<5 cigarettes per day], daily), and preferred language (English or Spanish) were associated with receiving clinician advice to quit and knowledge and use of tobacco treatment. We included an interaction between smoking status and language to test whether the relation between smoking status and key outcomes varied with preferred language. Overall, 80% of respondents received clinician advice to quit, 84% knew that KPNC offers cessation counseling, 54% knew that cessation pharmacotherapy is free, 54% used pharmacotherapy, and 6% used counseling. In multivariate models, Spanish-speaking light/nondaily smokers had significantly lower rates of all outcomes, while there was no association with other demographic and clinical characteristics. Following ACA implementation, most smokers newly enrolled in KPNC received clinician advice to quit and over half used pharmacotherapy, yet counseling utilization was low. Spanish-language outreach efforts and treatment services are recommended, particularly for adults who are light/nondaily smokers.
Demonstrating a framework for rapid development of physically situated interactive systems

We demonstrate an open, extensible framework for enabling faster development and study of physically situated interactive systems. The framework provides a programming model for parallel coordinated computation centered on temporal streams of data, a set of tools for data visualization and processing, and an open ecosystem of components. The demonstration showcases an interaction toolkit of components for systems that interact with people via natural language in the open world.
Analog Statistical Design for Manufacturability Using Linear and Nonlinear Response

Manufacturing yield, overkill, and defect level can limit the feasibility of analog circuits in SoCs. The conventional method of handling process and environmental variation is to assign the design margin such that the design meets specifications at several processes and environmental corners. However, checking only a few extreme corners limits performance more than the more rigorous statistical approach of computing manufacturing and quality figure of merit. On the other hand, the statistical approach requires transistor level simulation of hundreds or thousands of samples, not just a few corners, and hence is very time-consuming. This paper gives a way to sidestep the problem by characterizing each of many samples of building blocks once at the transistor level. The building blocks are scalable so that statistics are preserved when a building block is adjusted to the requirement of a higher level design. Many design scenarios may be rapidly explored by assembling and scaling the building block samples without SPICE simulation. A continuous-time low-pass filter design example is used to extract the requirements of the building block approach. The requirements include a method to assemble building blocks (biquad element for the example) into a filter design while preserving the statistics that would have been extracted by simulation of the entire filter at the transistor level. The assembly method for both linear and nonlinear response is proposed.
Tumors with TSC mutations are sensitive to CDK7 inhibition through NRF2 and glutathione depletion.

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is characterized by tumor development in the brain, heart, kidney, and lungs. In TSC tumors, loss of the TSC1/TSC2 protein complex leads to activation of mTORC1 with downstream effects on anabolism and cell growth. Because mTORC1 activation enhances mRNA transcription, we hypothesized that aberrant mTORC1 activation might confer TSC-null cell dependence on transcriptional regulation. We demonstrate that TSC1- or TSC2-null cells, in contrast to their wild-type counterparts, are sensitive to pharmacological inhibition of CDK7. Mechanistic studies revealed that CDK7 inhibition markedly reduces glutathione levels and increases reactive oxygen species due to reduced expression of NRF2 and glutathione biosynthesis genes. Treatment of both Tsc2+/ - mice and a TSC1-null bladder cancer xenograft model with a CDK7 inhibitor showed marked reduction in tumor volume and absence of regrowth in the xenograft model. These results suggest that CDK7 inhibition is a promising therapeutic approach for treatment of TSC-associated tumors and cancers with mutations in either TSC1 or TSC2.
Whole-body imaging of neural and muscle activity during behavior in Hydra: bidirectional effects of osmolarity on contraction bursts

The neural code relates the activity of the nervous system to the activity of the muscles to the generation of behavior. To decipher it, it would be ideal to comprehensively measure the activity of the entire nervous system and musculature in a behaving animal. As a step in this direction, we used the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris to explore how physiological and environmental conditions alter the activity of the entire neural and muscle tissue and affect behavior. We used whole-body calcium imaging of neurons and muscle cells and studied the effect of temperature, media osmolarity, nutritional state and body size on body contractions. In mounted Hydra, changes in temperature, nutrition or body size did not have a major effect on neural or muscle activity, or on behavior. But changes in media osmolarity altered body contractions, increasing them in hipo-osmolar media solutions and decreasing them in hyperosmolar media. Similar effects were seen in ectodermal, but not in endodermal muscle. Osmolarity also bidirectionally changed the activity of contraction bursts neurons, but not of rhythmic potential neurons. These findings show osmolarity-dependent changes in neuronal activity, muscle activity, and contractions, consistent with the hypothesis that contraction burst neurons respond to media osmolarity, activating ectodermal muscle to generate contraction bursts. This dedicated circuit could serve as an excretory system to prevent osmotic injury. This work demonstrates the feasibility of studying the entire neuronal and muscle activity of behaving animals.
Biomass of Tomato Seedlings Exposed to an Allelopathic Phenolic Acid and Enriched Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

Increased atmospheric CO2 can affect plant growth, so competition among plants may be influenced. Allelopathy is one mechanism involved in plant competition. Experiments were conducted in a controlled-environment chamber to determine if the concentration of atmospheric CO2 altered the dose-response relationship between an allelopathic phenolic acid and tomato seedling biomass. Seeds of Lycopersicon lycopersicum were planted in quartz sand in styrofoam cups and allowed to germinate and grow for 15–17 days. During the next 14 days, seedlings were watered twice daily with nutrient solution amended with p-coumaric acid (4-hydroxycinnamic acid, HOC6H4CH = CHCO2H; ranging 0–0.85 mg mL-1; 5 concentrations in each experiment) and exposed 24 hr day-1 in continuous-stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) to ambient air (335–375 ppm CO2) or ambient air to which 350 ppm CO2 was added (i.e., approximately twice-ambient CO2; two CSTRs per CO2 concentration in each experiment). Dose-response data relating p-coumaric acid concentration and shoot, root, and total biomass were fit to a flexible decay function. In all three experiments, twice-ambient CO2 significantly increased the y-intercept for the dose-response model for the p-coumaric acid effect on shoot biomass by 25–50% but had negligible effects on other aspects of the models. Results suggest that if CO2 affects plant competition, mechanisms involving allelopathic phenolic acids may not be involved.
New Paths for the Theological and the Fetishistic

For Giorgio Agamben, the substitutability of the fetish is the result of its ambiguity, causing it to be unpossessable as well. For him, the fetish’s emancipatory potentiality reveals ways in which the objectification of the human body brings new uses for it to the fore, liberating human beings from their “biological destiny”. It is the unveiling of the artificiality of fetishism that permits us to discern our true, embodied “nature”. Likewise, in Marcella Althaus-Reid’s “indecent theology”, theology has been “fetishistic” in its abstracted artificiality that masquerades as “natural”. As such, I utilize her explorations of fetishes to render theology “indecent” in order to unite the Freudian, Marxist, theological, and philosophical analysis which this book had earlier presented.
Handbook of perinatal clinical psychology: from theory to practice: edited by Rosa Maria Quatraro and Pietro Grussu, Routledge, 2020, New York, NY, 310 pages, ISBN: 978-0-367-36938-5

Rosa Maria Quatraro and Pietro Grussu have assembled a star line-up of authors for their edited volume, Handbook of Perinatal Clinical Psychology: From Theory to Practice. The handbook, first publi...
The Impact of Employee Green Behavior on Green Banking Performance of Select Private Sector Banks in Sri Lanka

The study aims to explore the impact of employee green behavior on green banking performance in select private sector banks in Sri Lanka. The data for this study was collected from 150 employees from select private sector banks in Sri Lanka through a structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed using univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses. The findings of the study revealed that there is a high level of green behavior that exists among the banks’ employees and green banking performance of surveyed banks is at a high level. The findings of the study also suggested that employee green behavior has a positive and significant impact on green banking performance. This study suggests that banks operating in Sri Lanka as well as other countries, need to pay more attention to the green behavior aspect of employees so that it may contribute to superior green banking performance of the banking sector.
The Genetics of B-Cell Alloantigens

Reagent development over the last several years has made possible the identification of a series of alloantigens expressed preferentially on B lymphocytes (Mann et al., 1975a; Winchester et al., 1975). These antigens may be considered differentiation antigens in that other subpopulations appear to express the antigens detected readily on B cells. These subpopulations are monocytes and, under the right circumstances, T cells (Mann and Sharrow, 1980). The role of the B-cell antigens in the immune response remains to be determined; however, if these antigens are similar to the Ia antigens of mice, they may be implicated in or identify immune response genes.
A fast and robust solver for the scattering from a layered periodic structure containing multi-particle inclusions

We present a solver for plane wave scattering from a periodic dielectric grating with a large number M of inclusions lying in each period of its middle layer. Such composite material geometries have a growing role in modern photonic devices and solar cells. The high-order scheme is based on boundary integral equations, and achieves many digits of accuracy with ease. The usual way to periodize the integral equation-via the quasi-periodic Green's function-fails at Wood's anomalies. We instead use the free-space Green's kernel for the near field, add auxiliary basis functions for the far field, and enforce periodicity in an expanded linear system; this is robust for all parameters. Inverting the periodic and layer unknowns, we are left with a square linear system involving only the inclusion scattering coefficients. Preconditioning by the single-inclusion scattering matrix, this is solved iteratively in O ( M ) time using a fast matrix-vector product. Numerical experiments show that a diffraction grating containing M = 1000 inclusions per period can be solved to 9-digit accuracy in under 5 minutes on a laptop.