cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does altered blood flow to bone in microgravity impact on mechanotransduction

324 Dramatic fluid shifts occur within minutes of arriving in microgravity and have a major impact on astronaut cardiovascular function and general comfort. Whether nutrient blood flow to bone exhibits similar shifts during spaceflight in humans is largely unknown. Quantifying blood flow precisely requires invasive methods, restricting these inquiries to appropriate animal models. The tail suspension (or hindlimb unloading [HU]) model in rodents is well accepted as the best small animal model for simulating microgravity effects on cardiovascular outcomes as well as musculoskeletal changes in the unweighted hindlimbs 1 . The elevated hindlimbs are free to move but cannot bear any weight. Importantly, the head-down posture of the tail-suspended rat also induces the headward fluid shifts observed in bipedal humans during spaceflight. HU is unique among rodent "immobilization" models in this respect. Using radiolabelled microsphere injections to quantitate blood flow, studies from the laboratory of Michael Delp have produced invaluable data on blood flow to unweighted as well as normally weight-bearing bones in adult male rats exposed to 10 minutes, 7 days or 28 days of HU 2 . By simultaneously measuring aortic and caudal arteri
Speed Dating for Mentors: A Novel Approach to Mentor/Mentee Pairing in Surgical Residency

Abstract Background Resident-resident mentoring offers significant benefits. Previous works have shown that the quality of the mentorship pairing is important, but techniques of pairing have seldom been described. We describe a system for mentor-mentee pairing that we call “Speed Dating for Mentors” (SDM). Methods The SDM activity took place in an academic general surgery residency program in the Northeast. Senior residents met with junior residents (JR) in 90-second intervals. On completion of interviews, residents documented their top three choices—this was used to create senior-junior resident pairings. A cross-sectional Likert survey was conducted with univariate analysis of satisfaction with the SDM event. Results Forty-two surgical residents participated in SDM—23 junior residents and 19 senior residents—resulting in 23 mentor-mentee pairings. Fourteen pairs were generated, where both mentor and mentee were among top three choices, seven pairings generated where either/or was a top three choice, and two pairings were assigned; six pairs were assigned for nonattendees. A total of 36 surveys were completed—28 (78%) respondents participated in SDM compared to eight (22%) who did not. Eighty-five percent of respondents who attended were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their pairing compared to only 12% of nonattendees ( P = 0.001). Conclusions “Speed dating” is a novel approach to forming mentorship pairings and identifying mentors/mentees with similar interests. Residents who attended the event were satisfied with the event and with the outcome of their mentor/mentee pairing. Further investigations are warranted to determine what effects resident mentoring has on resident performance, stress levels, and well-being.
Predicting prognosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia: The role of next-generation sequencing and mutational profiling.

7068 Background: Although cytogenetics-based prognostication systems are well described in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Patel et al. (NEJM 2012) recently used data from patients <60 years enrolled...
Hepatitis C and Risk of Nonhepatic Malignancies

Epidemiologic studies show an increased risk of mortality among hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected individuals compared with uninfected individuals from hepatic and nonhepatic causes. This article reviews the biologic plausibility of and epidemiologic evidence for the association between HCV and five extrahepatic malignancies: cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), pancreatic adenocarcinoma, papillary thyroid cancer, oral squamous cell cancer, and renal/kidney cancer. There is sufficient evidence to suggest that HCV is associated with intrahepatic CCA. The evidence for the link between HCV and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, oral squamous cell cancer, and renal/kidney cancer is compelling but requires further study. Based on available studies, there is no significant association between HCV, extrahepatic CCA, and papillary thyroid cancer.
[88-OR]: The Dahl salt sensitive rat is a novel model of chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia

Objectives Research on the pathogenesis and treatment of preeclampsia is hindered by lack of animal models. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the Dahl Salt Sensitive (Dahl S) rat, a known model of hypertension and kidney disease, is also a spontaneous model of preeclampsia. Methods We compared pregnancy in the Dahl S to a normotensive control rat strain, Sprague Dawley (SD), and another model of genetic hypertension with normal cardiovascular adaptations to pregnancy, the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR). Female rats were implanted with telemetry units (DSI) via the femoral artery, allowed to recover for 10 days, and then mated with males of their same strain. Uterine artery resistance index (UARI) was measured on gestational day (GD) 18 via Doppler ultrasound (Vevo770) in anesthetized animals (n = 5–12), and urine was collected via metabolic cage on GD19. Rats were euthanized on GD20, pups were measured, the number of fetal resorptions was noted, and placentas were harvested for further analysis. Results Mean arterial pressure (MAP), proteinuria, and UARI were significantly greater at late pregnancy in the Dahl S rat compared to SD and SHR (Table). In the control strains, MAP decreased during pregnancy as expected, but there was a rise in MAP in the Dahl S. Pup and litter sizes were significantly smaller in the Dahl S rat, with an increased number of fetal resorptions in the Dahl S rat, indicating intrauterine growth restriction is present in this strain (Table). Conclusions These data suggest that the Dahl S rat exhibits a superimposed preeclamptic phenotype during pregnancy that is distinctive from preexisting hypertension during pregnancy as seen in the SHR control. Strain MAP (mmHg) Δ MAP (mmHg) Proteinuria (g/day) UARI # of Pups per Litter Pup weight/maternal weight (g/kg) Percent fetal resorptions SD 94 ± 2.2 −10.9 ± 2.1 11.0 ± 5.9 0.50 ± 0.01 13.3 ± 1.9 10.9 ± 0.3 0 SHR 114 ± 10.7∗ −20.3 ± 10.5 4.2 ± 3.2 0.53 ± 0.04 11.2 ± 0.6 8.3 ± 0.3 0 Dahl S 166 ± 3.0∗# 8.6 ± 2.4∗# 253.7 ± 28.2∗# 0.71 ± 0.02∗# 6.5 ± 1.6∗ 6.7 ± 0.8∗ 17.1 ± 6.5∗# ∗p Disclosures E.E. Gillis: None. J.N. Mooney: None. M.R. Garrett: None. J.M. Sasser: None.
Challenges to State Feminism in Conflict-Afflicted Syria and Libya

In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, several proto-states have been established by military factions opposed to the Syrian and Libyan governments. Each of these proto-states has been determined to erase the legacy of divorce (and wider Muslim family) law left by the former authoritarian or semi-authoritarian regimes. This chapter focuses on the diversity of divorce provision in territory controlled by the Free Syrian Army (in Aleppo, Syria); jihadi groups such as Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra (in Syria), and Ansar al-Sharia (in Libya); and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party. Echoing the process of post-colonial state-building these proto-states have prioritised setting out the relationship between Islam, the family, and the courts as an indication of the direction of their future state.
Social Psychology and Religious Fundamentalism

Religion is obviously shaped by the social context within which it exists. Hence, one might expect some legitimacy to the concept of rural religion. Furthermore, if there is even partial truth to the claims that, relative to more cosmopolitan cultures, rural cultures are less heterogeneous, less tolerant of divergencies in belief and action, and less abstract in their conceptualizations, then these claims should hold true to the same extent for rural religion as they do for rural culture in general. In this sense, religious fundamentalism is not unanticipated in rural areas. Yet, as we shall see, it is more than just a curiosity that the persistence of the faith of the rural Roman (the paganus) became an English word for unbeliever (pagan) and the religious conservatism of the English heath dwellers became another word for unbeliever, heathen (Smith & Zopf, 1970). Yet these terms conceal a bias that also characterizes the scientific study of religion in general and of religious fundamentalism in particular. The problem of bias, noted through many chapters of this text, is even more apparent when investigators confront not only a rural culture unlikely to be their own, but also a religious fundamentalism dominant in that culture and to which they are unlikely to subscribe.
Human Adenosine Deaminase: Stoichiometry of the Large form Complex

Adenosine deaminase (adenosine aminohydrolase, ADA, EC 3.5.4.4.) is widely distributed in human tissues. In some tissues ADA exists exclusively as the small molecular form (36,000–38,000) while in other tissues the large molecular form of the enzyme predominates (298,000).1 The small form of ADA has been purified to homogenity from human erythrocytes and was shown to be a single polypeptide of molecular weight 38,000.2,3 Physical and kinetic characteristics of small form ADA from various tissues appeared to be identical to the purified erythrocyte enzyme.1,2 The small form of the enzyme could be converted to the large form ADA by incubation with a specific ADA binding protein (BP) (also termed complexing protein or conversion factor).1,4,5 This purified binding protein from human kidney was shown to be a dimer of identical subunits with a native molecular weight of 190,000–200,000.4,5 The large form ADA produced in vitro was physically and kinetically indistinguishable from the native large form ADA from various tissues.1,4
Women, Economics, and the Concept of the Market: A Second Look at Reaganomics

Economic performance during the Reagan years fell far short of the hyperbole surrounding the 1980s. Touted as a period of robust economic expansion, in retrospect, the Reagan years did not produce unusually high growth in total output, resulted in relatively high overall unemployment rates, and ushered in a new era of increased economic instability [May, forthcoming]. During this period of disappointing growth, women and minorities became especially marginalized. The Reagan reversion to "pro-market" policies in an age of corporate hegemony altered the structure of the economy and had a significant influence on some groups in society. In particular, "promarket" policies increased instability and accelerated the simultaneous decline of high-paying manufacturing jobs and the rise of poverty-wage employment [Bluestone and Harrison 1982]. Reaganomics ushered in an era of economic instability with record rates of business and bank failures and farm foreclosures. This increased instability was accompanied by an attack on the social safety net [Pivon and Cloward 1985], which accelerated an increase in the incidence of poverty for women [Pearce 1978], or what has come to be known as the "feminization of poverty." Although Reagan received relatively strong support from male voters both in terms of approval ratings and votes cast, women
Use of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors during pregnancy among women who delivered live born infants.

Purpose To describe the use of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (TNFis) among pregnancies ending in a live birth and with a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Crohn's disease (CD), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods We identified pregnancies among women aged 15 to 54 years between 01/01/2004 and 09/30/2015 from 16 health plans participating in Sentinel. We inferred indication using ICD-9-CM codes in the 183-day period before conception. We assessed proportion of infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, certolizumab pegol, and golimumab by calendar year, indication, and maternal age, and compared them to proportions in an age-matched, indication-matched, and date-matched non-pregnant cohort. Results Among 19 681 pregnancies with at least one chronic inflammatory condition, 2990 (15.2%) received a TNFi. In both pregnancies and matched non-pregnant cohort, TNFi use was highest (34.4%; 55.8%) for PsA patients and lowest (6.2%; 13.4%) for PsO patients. Etanercept was most frequently used among AS/JIA/PsA/PsO/RA patients, while infliximab was the preferred TNFi for CD/UC patients. Except for infliximab and certolizumab, TNFi use during pregnancy decreased after the first trimester. Pregnancies among older pregnant women (45-54 years) were more likely to be treated compared with the matched non-pregnant cohort. Conclusion There was a preference for etanercept among pregnancies with AS/JIA/PsA/PsO/RA, despite the availability of other TNFis. Decline in TNFi use after the first trimester may be related to the desire to reduce TNFis transplacental transfer and to minimize infection risk to the fetus or baby associated with live vaccine immunizations after birth.
Through-Water Stereo SLAM With Refraction Correction for AUV Localization

In this letter, we propose a novel method for underwater localization using natural visual landmarks above the water surface. High-accuracy, drift-free pose estimates are necessary for inspection tasks in underwater indoor environments, such as nuclear spent pools. Inaccuracies in robot localization degrade the quality of its obtained map. Our framework uses sparse features obtained via an onboard upward-facing stereo camera to build a global ceiling feature map. However, adopting the pinhole camera model without explicitly modeling light refraction at the water-air interface contributes to a systematic error in observations. Therefore, we use refraction-corrected projection and triangulation functions to obtain true landmark estimates. The SLAM framework jointly optimizes vehicle odometry and point landmarks in a global factor graph using an incremental smoothing and mapping backend. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first method that observes in-air landmarks through water for underwater localization. We evaluate our method via both simulation and real-world experiments in a test-tank environment. The results show accurate localization across various challenging scenarios.
Becoming Problem Solvers: The Case of Three Future Administrators.

This study examines how students in an administrative credential program developed collaborative problem-solving competence through their participation in two problem-based learning classes. Data c...
Benefits of daily support visibility versus invisibility across the adult life span.

Amid growing disagreement about the benefits of visible and invisible support, we tested daily associations among support visibility and changes in individual and relational well-being in young adult newlyweds (Study 1) and older married couples (Study 2). To extend past research, we assessed emotional and practical support visibility in 3 contexts (context-general, stress-related, and goal-related) each day. In both samples, reporting context-general or goal-related support receipt predicted increases in personal and relational well-being day-to-day. Further, direct comparison between visible and invisible support days revealed relative personal and relational benefits associated with visible support days. In contrast, reporting stress-related support receipt was related to decreases in personal well-being in both samples, despite increases in relational well-being. This relative personal benefit associated with invisible stress-related support is consistent with past work showing benefits of invisible support for people experiencing major stressors. The current research highlights the need for a nuanced approach to understanding support visibility. Although invisible support may be preferable to protect self-efficacy and prevent distress in some situations (high stress or stressor-related support contexts), its benefits may be less wide-ranging than originally thought. In nonstress contexts and for relational outcomes, visible support may instead prove advantageous. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
Milking the System: A Case Study of Donor Milk for a Child in Foster Care.

Introduction:Use of pasteurized donor milk is recommended in many situations when own mother’s milk is not available. One existing knowledge gap is access to donor milk for infants in government cu...
Utilizing Ecological Niche Modelling to Predict Habitat Suitability of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in Florida

Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a virus found predominantly east of the Mississippi River in the United States that can be fatal to both equines and humans. The disease has previously b...
The Effect of Recovery Warm-up Time Following Cold Storage on the Dynamic Glucose-stimulated Insulin Secretion of Isolated Human Islets:

Standardized islet characterization assays that can provide results in a timely manner are essential for successful islet cell transplantation. A critical component of islet cell quality is β-cell ...
Correction to: Reef-associated fishes have more maneuverable body shapes at a macroevolutionary scale

This erratum has been initiated as several formatting errors were overlooked during proofing stage by vendor.
The duality of science: Knowledge in information systems research:

Rigorous research in Information Systems requires an understanding of how scientific foundations drive both the process and outcome. This science duality addresses the effective application of the ...
Broad-Spectrum Antifungal Agents: Fluorinated Aryl- and Heteroaryl-Substituted Hydrazones

Fluorinated aryl- and heteroaryl-substituted monohydrazones displayed excellent broad-spectrum activity against various fungal strains, including a panel of clinically relevant Candida auris strains relative to a control antifungal agent, voriconazole (VRC). These monohydrazones displayed less hemolysis of murine red blood cells than that of VRC at the same concentrations, possessed fungicidal activity in a time-kill study, and exhibited no mammalian cell cytotoxicity. In addition, these monohydrazones prevented the formation of biofilms that otherwise block antibiotic effectiveness and did not trigger the development of resistance when exposed to C. auris AR Bank # 0390 over 15 passages.
Lithium nickel borides: evolution of [NiB] layers driven by Li pressure

Here we show the effect of Li chemical pressure on the structure of layered polymorphs with LiNiB composition: RT-LiNiB (room temperature polymorph) and HT-LiNiB (high temperature polymorph), resulting in stabilization of the novel RT-Li1+xNiB (x ∼ 0.17) and HT-Li1+yNiB (y ∼ 0.06) phases. Depending on the synthesis temperature and initial Li content, precisely controlled via hydride route synthesis, [NiB] layers undergo structural deformations, allowing for extra Li atoms to be accommodated between the layers. In situ variable temperature synchrotron and time-dependent laboratory powder X-ray diffraction studies suggest Li step-wise deintercalation processes: RT-Li1+xNiB → RT-LiNiB (high temp.) → LiNi3B1.8 → binary Ni borides and HT-Li1+yNiB → HT-LiNiB (high temp.) → LiNi3B1.8 → binary Ni borides. Quantum chemistry calculations and solid state 7Li and 11B NMR spectroscopy shed light on the complexity of real superstructures of these compounds determined from high resolution synchrotron powder diffraction data.
Studies on mutation breeding in citrus: Improving seedless types of ‘Kozan’ common orange by gamma irradiation

Abstract This study reports an induced physical mutation by gamma irradiation on a local sweet orange variety in order to develop new seedless varieties. Mature autumn shoots of seedy ‘Kozan’ common orange (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osb.) trees were irradiated with gamma rays from 60Co. The survival rate was 65 % for the dose of 60 Gy irradiation treatment of ‘Kozan’ common orange. In order to stabilize the mutation, mV3 plants were developed by re-budding and plants at mV3 generation were transplanted in the orchard in 2016. Observations in the present study were recorded for three consecutive years and trees which produced a sufficient number of fruits were evaluated for 19 fruit quality characters such as seed number, fruit diameter and maturity index. The seed number varied from 0 to 11, 0–10.82, and 0–10 per fruit in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively. Besides, high variations were observed in the mV3 population in terms of fruit weight and rind thickness. Through investigation of three years, two clones were completely seedless and selected as promising types. Vitamin C, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity in the fruit juice of the selected types were similar control. Furthermore, ploidy levels of the selections were investigated in order to explain the cause of seedlessness. Selected types were determined as diploid with the aid of flow cytometry. The selected lines were propagated in the field to confirm their stability and new commercial field trials have been conducted to evaluate the performances of the selections on different rootstocks.
First-order electroweak phase transition from weakly coupled sub-GeV physics and possible connection to fermion flavor

We propose that the dynamics of a scalar $\ensuremath{\phi}$ of mass $\mathcal{O}(10)\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$ that is weakly coupled to the Higgs can lead to a first-order electroweak phase transition, fulfilling a key requirement for baryogenesis. The stability of the model near the weak scale requires a suppressed---possibly vanishing---top Yukawa coupling to the Higgs before the transition which rises to the Standard Model value afterwards. This can be accomplished through the dynamics of $\ensuremath{\phi}$ via a dimension-five operator. We conjecture that the entire Standard Model flavor structure could turn on, mutatis mutandis, after the electroweak phase transition, via dimension-five interactions of $\ensuremath{\phi}$ suppressed by scales ranging from $\mathcal{O}(1{0}^{3})\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$ to near the Planck mass. Due to its suppressed couplings, $\ensuremath{\phi}$ is long lived and can lead to missing energy signals in rare kaon decays, which can be probed by the KOTO experiment.
Soft Tissue Manipulation May Attenuate Inflammation, Modulate Pain, and Improve Gait in Conscious Rodents With Induced Low Back Pain.

INTRODUCTION Low back pain (LBP) is common in warfighters. Noninvasive interventions are necessary to expedite return-to-function. Soft tissue manipulation, for example, massage, is a method used to treat LBP. Instrument-assisted soft tissue manipulation (IASTM) uses a rigid device to mobilize the tissue. This study explored the effects of IASTM on pain, function, and biomarkers. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 44) were randomized to groups (n = 6/grp): (A) cage control; (B) 3 days (3d) postinjury (inj), untreated; (C) 3d inj, < 30-minute post-IASTM treatment; (D) 3d inj, 2 hours (2h) post-IASTM; (E) 14 days (14d) inj, untreated; (F) 14d inj, < 30-minute post-IASTM; and (G) 14d inj, 2h post-IASTM. Researchers induced unilateral LBP in Sprague-Dawley rats using complete Freund's adjuvant injection. Conscious rodents received IASTM for 5 min/session once at 3 days or 3×/week × 2weeks (6× total) over 14 days. Biomarker plasma levels were determined in all groups, while behavioral outcomes were assessed in two groups, D and G, at three time points: before injury, pre-, and post-IASTM treatment. Circulating mesenchymal stem cell levels were assessed using flow cytometry and cytokine plasma levels assayed. RESULTS The back pressure pain threshold (PPT) lowered bilaterally at 3 days postinjury (P < .05), suggesting increased pain sensitivity. IASTM treatment lowered PPT more on the injured side (15.8%; P < 0.05). At 14 days, back PPT remained lower but similar side to side. At 3 days, paw PPT increased 34.6% in the contralateral rear limb following treatment (P < .01). Grip strength did not vary significantly. Gait coupling patterns improved significantly (P < .05). Circulating mesenchymal stem cell levels altered significantly postinjury but not with treatment. Neuropeptide Y plasma levels increased significantly at 3 days, 2h post-IASTM (53.2%) (P < .05). Interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha did not vary significantly. At 14 days, regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted decreased significantly <30-minute post-IASTM (96.1%, P < .002), while IL-10 trended upward at 2h (53.1%; P = .86). CONCLUSIONS LBP increased pain sensitivity and diminished function. IASTM treatment increased pain sensitization acutely in the back but significantly reduced pain sensitivity in the contralateral rear paw. Findings suggest IASTM may positively influence pain modulation and inflammation while improving gait patterns. Soft tissue manipulation may be beneficial as a conservative treatment option for LBP.
A reliable interictal EEG grading scale for children with infantile spasms - The 2021 BASED score.

Abstract Objective To develop an improved interictal electroencephalogram (EEG) grading scale for children with infantile spasms founded on elements with adequate inter-rater reliability (IRR) to justify its further study for clinical and research purposes. Methods Three blinded reviewers assessed five-minute sleep epochs in 93 EEGs from 62 children (31 consecutive controls, 31 consecutive infantile spasms [pretreatment and posttreatment studies]) using a longitudinal bipolar montage. We determined the IRR of background amplitude, epileptiform discharges, > 3 spike foci (including >50 %), grouped multifocal spikes, paroxysmal voltage attenuations, and symmetry of sleep spindles. Data were used to finalize the 2021 BASED (Burden of AmplitudeS and Epileptiform Discharges) score. Results All elements included in the 2021 BASED score had moderate to near perfect IRR. Among controls, > 200 μv background waves occurred commonly in the bilateral posterior temporal (T3-T5, T4-T6) and midline (Fz-Cz, Cz-Pz) regions. Excluding midline and occipital channels (which have normal high amplitude background waves), we designated abnormal high amplitude background waves as > 200 μv for most channels, but > 300 μv for T3-T5 and T4-T6. The IRR was moderate to near perfect for > 3 spike foci, > 50 % > 3 spike foci, paroxysmal voltage attenuations, grouped multifocal spikes (GMFS), and symmetric sleep spindles. Paroxysmal voltage attenuations, GMFS, and > 50 % > 3 spike foci all significantly distinguished pretreatment from posttreatment studies whereas symmetric sleep spindles did not (as planned, the latter was not included in the 2021 BASED score). When the 2021 BASED score was applied to the 22 children with infantile spasms achieving clinical remission with treatment, 19 met criteria for electroclinical remission and three did not. Significance The 2021 BASED score includes elements with high levels of IRR and correlates well with the presence or absence of infantile spasms.
Diabetes and Cardiovascular Complications: The Epidemics Continue

The cardiovascular complications of type 1 and 2 diabetes are major causes of morbidity and mortality. Extensive efforts have been made to maximize glycemic control; this strategy reduces certain manifestations of cardiovascular complications. There are drawbacks, however, as intensive glycemic control does not impart perennial protective benefits, and these efforts are not without potential adverse sequelae, such as hypoglycemic events. Here, the authors have focused on updates into key areas under study for mechanisms driving these cardiovascular disorders in diabetes, including roles for epigenetics and gene expression, interferon networks, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Updates on the cardioprotective roles of the new classes of hyperglycemia-targeting therapies, the sodium glucose transport protein 2 inhibitors and the agonists of the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor system, are reviewed. In summary, insights from ongoing research and the cardioprotective benefits of the newer type 2 diabetes therapies are providing novel areas for therapeutic opportunities in diabetes and CVD.
Recurrent Neural Network for MoonBoard Climbing Route Classification and Generation.

Classifying the difficulties of climbing routes and generating new routes are both challenging. Existing machine learning models not only fail to accurately predict a problem's difficulty, but they are also unable to generate reasonable problems. In this work, we introduced "BetaMove", a new move preprocessing pipeline we developed, in order to mimic a human climber's hand sequence. The preprocessed move sequences were then used to train both a route generator and a grade predictor. By preprocessing a MoonBoard problem into a proper move sequence, the accuracy of our grade predictor reaches near human-level performance, and our route generator produces new routes of much better quality compared to previous work. We demonstrated that with BetaMove, we are able to inject human insights into the machine learning problems, and this can be the foundations for future transfer learning on climbing style classification problems.
Education as Cultural Frame

Education, both mass and elite, has spread everywhere over recent centuries, generally taking globally standardized forms. The studies in this book address its distinctively compulsory form. It is originally organized for the collective good of religious and later political society, and more recently formulated as a citizen—and later human—right. Educational expansion is global, and greatly affected by worldwide organizations. But regional variations matter too, as education spreads out from the Western core. A key to understanding the diffusion of education is to see it as reflecting cultural and political forces, not principally economic ones that obviously vary greatly around the world. Education reflects a cultural model of a secularized modern society, much more than economic interests and structures, and its commonalities are visible everywhere.
Sex and the State: Sex and the State in Latin America

One of the more contentious developments of modern politics is the claim of the state to regulate family life and gender relations. How and on what grounds should states organize the rights of parents over children, allocate property within marriage, offer the possibility of and grounds for divorce, and allow women the choice to terminate a pregnancy? In most countries around the world, laws on these issues historically conformed to religious and patriarchal models. State policy granted men almost complete power in the family and limited citizen discretion over decisions about marriage and reproduction. Between the 1960s and the 1990s, the rise of the feminist movement brought new ideas about women's roles, while changes in social practices and the consolidation of democratic politics put pressure on old laws. Lawyers, feminist activists, and liberal and socialist politicians organized to demand reform of laws on family equality and divorce; many also favored decriminalizing abortion. Some states introduced major liberalizing changes in what Glendon has called “the most fundamental shift since family law had begun to be secularized at the time of the Protestant Reformation” (1987: 63). Other countries continued to uphold restrictive laws, often stressing the importance of traditional gender norms to cultural integrity and national identity. This book studies the experiences of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile during the last third of the twentieth century to understand how and why states make decisions about policy on gender issues.
Estrogen-Dependent Upregulation of the Renin Angiotensin System and Constitutive NOS Accounts for Ethanol Enhancement of Enalapril-Evoked Hypotension in Telemetered Female Rats

We have previously reported that chronic ethanol enhances the hypotensive effect of enalapril in female rats. Here, we investigated whether this effect of ethanol is estrogen-dependent and whether ...
The Anaplasma phagocytophilum effector AmpA hijacks host cell SUMOylation.

Summary SUMOylation, the covalent attachment of a member of the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) family of proteins to lysines in target substrates, is an essential post-translational modification in eukaryotes. Microbial manipulation of SUMOylation recently emerged as a key virulence strategy for viruses and facultative intracellular bacteria, the latter of which have only been shown to deploy effectors that negatively regulate SUMOylation. Here, we demonstrate that the obligate intracellular bacterium, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, utilizes an effector, AmpA (A. phagocytophilum post-translationally modified protein A) that becomes SUMOylated in host cells and this is important for the pathogen's survival. We previously discovered that AmpA (formerly APH1387) localizes to the A. phagocytophilum-occupied vacuolar membrane (AVM). Algorithmic prediction analyses denoted AmpA as a candidate for SUMOylation. We verified this phenomenon using a SUMO affinity matrix to precipitate both native AmpA and ectopically expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged AmpA. SUMOylation of AmpA was lysine dependent, as SUMO affinity beads failed to precipitate a GFP-AmpA protein when its lysine residues were substituted with arginine. Ectopically expressed and endogenous AmpA were poly-SUMOylated, which was consistent with the observation that AmpA colocalizes with SUMO2/3 at the AVM. Only late during the infection cycle did AmpA colocalize with SUMO1, which terminally caps poly-SUMO2/3 chains. AmpA was also detected in the cytosol of infected host cells, further supporting its secretion and likely participation in interactions that aid pathogen survival. Indeed, whereas siRNA-mediated knockdown of Ubc9 – a necessary enzyme for SUMOylation – slightly bolstered A. phagocytophilum infection, pharmacologically inhibiting SUMOylation in infected cells significantly reduced the bacterial load. Ectopically expressed GFP-AmpA served as a competitive agonist against native AmpA in infected cells, while lysine-deficient GFP-AmpA was less effective, implying that modification of AmpA lysines is important for infection. Collectively, these data show that AmpA becomes directly SUMOylated during infection, representing a novel tactic for A. phagocytophilum survival.
Sound Velocity on SiO2 Hugoniots

Silicon dioxide, with its phases having such widely differing densities and with its complex elastic-plastic behavior, is a fascinating material for high-pressure experimentation. Because it is presumed to be a major constituent of the earth’s lower mantle, an added interest is given to data on SiO2 in pressure and temperature ranges that match those occurring in the mantle. The pioneering work of Wackerle [1] mapped out the response of SiO2 to initial loading. Much work has been done since then. Recently, emphasis has been placed on examining the properties of the high-pressure state by means of release waves and thermal radiation. Grady et al. [2,3] used overtaking release waves to study the bulk release wave in the pressure range of 22 to 36 GPa. McQueen et al. [4] used thermal radiation from the high-pressure state to study pressure-temperature variation along the Hugoniot.
All-fiber bidirectional optical parametric oscillator for precision rotation sensing

We demonstrate the first all-fiber bidirectional OPO which generates two highly coherent frequency combs in opposite directions. The OPO may find important applications in precision measurements including rotation sensing with ultra-large sensing area and sensitivity.
Robust Constrained-LMS Algorithm

The performances of the existing adaptive array algorithms are known to degrade substantially in the presence of even slight mismatches between the actual and presumed array responses to the desired signal. Similar types of performance degradation can take place when the signal array response is known precisely but the training sample size is small. In this paper, on the basis of the constrained-LMS (CLMS) algorithm, we propose a robust constrained-LMS (RCLMS) algorithm. Our robust constrained-LMS algorithm provides excellent robustness against signal steering vector mismatches, offers fast convergence rate and makes the mean output array SINR consistently close to the optimal one. Computer simulations show better performance of our RCLMS algorithm as compared with the classical CLMS algorithm.
THE FORD 2.5 LITRE HIGH SPEED DIRECT INJECTION DIESEL ENGINE--ITS PERFORMANCE AND FUTURE POSSIBILITIES

The FORD 2.5 Litre DI Engine entered volume production in January 1984, as the World's first high speed naturally aspirated direct injection diesel. Producing 52 KW at 4000 RPM the engine achieves a 15% fuel saving over indirect engines of similar size and rating. The direct injection engine is inherently less thermally active than pre-chamber engines and this, together with other design features, provides a power unit with extended durability for the medium van market. Based on controlled swirl air management, the otherwise conventional combustion system depends heavily on the fuel injection system for control throughout the speed load and temperature ranges. This paper describes the key elements of the design and performance development of the 2.5 litre DI engine, discusses the experience gained and examines the possibilities of a second generation of engines based on this system.
Intestinal Absorption and Lipoprotein Transport of (ω-3) Eicosapentaenoic Acid

Adult male rats were surgically provided with a drainage catheter in the left thoracic lymphatic channel and an indwelling gastric catheter for constant infusion of saline-glucose. After an overnight fast, animals were given a single gastric dose of an aqueous emulsion containing one of the following 1-14C-labeled fatty acids: oleic, arachidonic or eicosapentaenoic acid, and [1,2-3H]cholesterol. Absorption was estimated by the appearance of radioactivity in lymph over a 24-h collection period, and the lymph lipoprotein distributions and lipoprotein lipid distribution were determined in the 24-h samples. Although there were apparent differences in the rates of eicosapentaenoic and arachidonic acid absorption, the overall appearance (after 24 h) of these acids in lymph was quantitatively equivalent to that of oleate. Furthermore, cholesterol absorption from each fatty acid medium was quantitatively similar. The distributions of each fatty acid among major lymph lipoproteins were similar with 93-95% recovered in chylomicrons and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) fractions. Furthermore in these lipoproteins, 85-91% of each of the three fatty acids was recovered as triglycerides. With both polyunsaturated fatty acids, there was greater incorporation into phospholipids and their precursor partial glycerides than with oleate. These studies suggest that unesterified eicosapentaenoic acid is absorbed efficiently into the lymphatic system, and has lymph lipoprotein and lipid distribution comparable to those of the more typical mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Making Time Make Sense in Robotic Simulation

Typical dynamic robotic simulators model the rigid body dynamics of robots using ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Such software libraries have traditionally focused on simulating the rigid body dynamics robustly, quickly, and accurately toward obtaining consistent dynamics performance between simulation and in situ. However, simulation practitioners have generally yet to investigate maintaining temporal consistency within the simulation: given that simulations run at variable rates, how does the roboticist ensure the robot's control software (controller, planners, and other user-level processes) runs at the same rate that it would run in the physical world? This paper describes an intersection of research between Robotics and Real-Time Operating Systems that investigates mechanisms for addressing this problem.
Attrition in Child Psychotherapy

Attrition or loss of cases poses a significant problem in the evaluation and delivery of children’s psychiatric services (Garfield, 1986; Howard, Krause, & Orlinsky, 1986; Stark, 1992). From 28% to 59% of children and families drop out from treatment (Gould, Shaffer, & Kaplan, 1985). Since two-thirds of children in need of mental health intervention already fail to receive this service (U.S. Congress, 1986, 1991), attrition exacerbates the problem of too few services to children in need of care. Furthermore, and inextricably related, attrition is a major problem in treatment research (Kazdin, 1988). Loss of subjects prohibits drawing valid inferences from the aspect of treatment under study.
A single-acid wet-digestion sample preparation method for thin-target PIXE analysis

Abstract A single-acid, wet-digestion method using nitric acid has been used to prepare samples for element analysis by thin-target, particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The method involves repeated cycles of heating in acid and charring until a clear solution is obtained. Good recovery of elements is observed and matrix reduction is achieved. The method has been successfully applied to organic, carbonaceous and a few other inorganic samples that were in a variety of chemical and physical forms.
Protein Changes in Macrophages Induced by Plasma from Rats Exposed to 35-GHz Millimeter Waves

A macrophage assay and proteomic screening were used to investigate the biological activity of soluble factors in the plasma of millimeter wave-exposed rats. NR8383 rat macrophages were incubated for 24 h with 10% plasma from male Sprague-Dawley rats that had been exposed to sham conditions, or exposed to 42 °C environmental heat or 35 GHz millimeter waves at 75 mW/cm² until core temperature reached 41.0 °C. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, image analysis, and Western blotting were used to analyze approximately 600 protein spots in the cell lysates for changes in protein abundance and levels of 3-nitrotyrosine, a marker of macrophage stimulation. Proteins of interest were identified using peptide mass fingerprinting. Compared to plasma from sham-exposed rats, plasma from environmental heat- or millimeter wave-exposed rats increased the expression of 11 proteins, and levels of 3-nitrotyrosine in seven proteins, in the NR8383 cells. These altered proteins are associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, and energy metabolism. Findings of this study indicate both environmental heat and 35 GHz millimeter wave exposure elicit the release of macrophage-activating mediators into the plasma of rats.
The evolution of icy satellite interiors and surfaces

The results obtained by Consolmagno (1975) with regard to the interiors of the smaller icy satellites are presented and the evolution of the surfaces of these objects in the light of the considered models is discussed. In the discussion the icy satellites are divided into two groups. Those with radii larger than 1000 km are composed primarily of high-pressure phases of ice. In the case of satellites of this group, internal heating may produce significant melting and solid-state convection may not be important. Those satellites with radii less than 1000 km will be composed primarily of ice I and rock. They will not significantly melt and internal convection is likely to be important.
Heat release effects on shear-layer growth and entrainment

The effects of heat release were studied in a planar, gaseous reacting mixing layer formed between two subsonic freestreams; one containing hydrogen in an inert diluent, the other containing fluorine in an inert diluent. Sufficiently high concentrations of hydrogen and fluorine reactants were employed to produce adiabatic flame temperature rises of up to 940 K (adiabatic flame temperature of 1240 K absolute). Although the displacement thickness of the layer for a zero streamwise pressure gradient showed an increase with increasing heat release. the actual thickness of the mixing layer at a given downstream location was not observed to increase and, in fact, was characterized by a slight thinning. The overall entrainment into the layer was seen to be substantially reduced by heat release. The large-wale vortical nature of the flow appeared to persist over all levels of heat release in this investigation. Imposition of a favorable pressure gradient, though resulting in additional thinning of the layer was observed to have no resolvable effect on the amount of chemical product formation and hence on the mixing.
Electron Micrographic Studies of Clays

In order to provide a set of reference photographs to be used in identification studies, electron micrographs at relatively high magnification (40,000 to 132,000 diameters), together with some electron diffraction patterns, have been obtained of a group of (a) kaolinites, (b) halloysites, and (c) South Texas outcrop soil samples. Some of the kaolinites consist of well-formed hexagonal crystal plates with edges still sharp at a magnification of 132,000 diameters. Other kaolinites consist of irregular, relatively thin crystal sheets, which may be bent or folded. In one instance it has been possible to demonstrate that the average thickness of the sheets is only 10 A. At high magnification the halloysite clay minerals exhibit a structure consisting of rolled sheets, rather than hollow rods. In some cases, it is evident that several separate crystal sheets are coaxially rolled to form multiple concentric hollow tubes. In the South Texas outcrop samples, the morphology is very complex, as the samples do not consist of one uniform type of particle. Matted sheets composed of interlaced bundles of lath-like particles have been observed. These oriented particles exhibit typical “fiber” type electron diffraction patterns. Kikuchi lines were observed in a thin quartz crystal plate, examined for comparative purposes.
Khachiyan’s algorithm for linear programming

L.G. Khachiyan’s algorithm to check the solvability of a system of linear inequalities with integral coefficients is described. The running time of the algorithm is polynomial in the number of digits of the coefficients. It can be applied to solve linear programs in polynomial time.
Conventional intramuscular sedatives versus ziprasidone for severe agitation in adolescents: case-control study.

Objective The objective of this study was to compare intramuscular (IM) ziprasidone to conventional IM medications (haloperidol combined with lorazepam) for the treatment of severe agitation in adolescents (age 12–17).
Social Capital, Remittances and Growth

Remittances are growing substantially in the developing world, surpassing foreign aid and, in several nations, reaching more than 20 per cent of their Gross Domestic Product. The relevance of these capital inflows for the recipient economies has been discussed in previous work, but the evidence is, at best, inconclusive. This article contributes to the literature by providing new findings on the effects of remittances on growth through social capital development. Using a more inclusive and complete set of social capital indicators, our results show that the effectiveness of remittances on long-term growth is enhanced by the presence of social capital indicators. Our results are consistent and robust when using different econometric techniques.
Nuclear medicine imaging of the parathyroid

Nuclear medicine sestamibi parathyroid imaging is now a standard preoperative assessment for patients with hyperparathyroidism. Since the introduction of Technetium-99m (99mTc) sestamibi for parathyroid imaging in 1989 there has been a steady refinement in the imaging technique. The accuracy is determined by the scan technique employed, with the dual-isotope (123Iodine/99mTc sestamibi)scan providing better accuracy than the simpler sestamibi washout method. Now the pathologic parathyroid process can be localized preoperatively with great confidence, limiting the time and extent of the neck dissection and allowing a significant number of parathyroid surgeries to be performed as outpatient procedures.