cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chloride currents from the transverse tubular system in adult mammalian skeletal muscle fibers

Chloride fluxes are the main contributors to the resting conductance of mammalian skeletal muscle fibers. ClC-1, the most abundant chloride channel isoform in this preparation, is believed to be responsible for this conductance. However, the actual distribution of ClC-1 channels between the surface and transverse tubular system (TTS) membranes has not been assessed in intact muscle fibers. To investigate this issue, we voltageclamped enzymatically dissociated short fibers using a two-microelectrode configuration and simultaneously recorded chloride currents (ICl) and di-8-ANEPPS fluorescence signals to assess membrane potential changes in the TTS. Experiments were conducted in conditions that blocked all but the chloride conductance. Fibers were equilibrated with 40 or 70 mM intracellular chloride to enhance the magnitude of inward ICl, and the specific ClC-1 blocker 9-ACA was used to eliminate these currents whenever necessary. Voltage-dependent di-8-ANEPPS signals and ICl acquired before (control) and after the addition of 9-ACA were comparatively assessed. Early after the onset of stimulus pulses, di-8-ANEPPS signals under control conditions were smaller than those recorded in the presence of 9-ACA. We defined as attenuation the normalized time-dependent difference between these signals. Attenuation was discovered to be ICl dependent since its magnitude varied in close correlation with the amplitude and time course of ICl. While the properties of ICl, and those of the attenuation seen in optical records, could be simultaneously predicted by model simulations when the chloride permeability (PCl) at the surface and TTS membranes were approximately equal, the model failed to explain the optical data if PCl was precluded from the TTS membranes. Since the ratio between the areas of TTS membranes and the sarcolemma is large in mammalian muscle fibers, our results demonstrate that a significant fraction of the experimentally recorded ICl arises from TTS contributions.
Measurement of Homonuclear Proton Couplings from Regular 2D COSY Spectra

Abstract An interactive computer procedure is described which determines 1 H– 1 H couplings from fitting the cross-peak multiplets in regular phase-sensitive COSY spectra. The robustness and simplicity of the method rely on the fact that a given cross-peak intensity is not an independent variable in the fitting procedure, making it possible to measure couplings accurately even from individual cross peaks with unresolved multiplet structure.
High-fidelity simulation and legal/ethical concepts A transformational learning experience

Students in an undergraduate legal and ethical issues course continually told the authors that they did not have time to study for the course because they were busy studying for their clinical courses. Faculty became concerned that students were failing to realize the value of legal and ethical concepts as applicable to clinical practice. This led the authors to implement a transformational learning experience in which students applied legal and ethical course content in a high-fidelity human simulation (HFHS) scenario. A preliminary evaluation compared the new HFHS experience with in-person and online student groups using the same case. Based on both student and faculty perceptions, the HFHS was identified as the best of the three approaches for providing a transformational learning experience regarding legal and ethical content.
Error Tolerant Arrangements of sensors for sampling fields

We introduce and address the sensor arrangement problem. We ask when and where it is best to sample an unknown scalar field (say of temperatures or chemical concentrations) in order to estimate it to within a certain error tolerance. This question is necessary to decide where to place sensors in sensing phenomena which can be described as fields over large areas. We assume that the field is modeled as a linear combination of a set of basis functions and that the sensor measurements are noisy. Based on linear estimation theory, estimation error can be shown to be a function of sampling errors and of the geometric arrangement of sampling locations. We refer to the latter as the sensor arrangement. Our approach is to characterize different classes of sensor arrangements and to understand the circumstances under which the reconstructed fields for arrangements from these classes satisfy an error tolerance limit. We refer to these classes as error tolerant arrangement classes or ETAC's. With a knowledge of the nature of ETAC's we will have articulated constraints for placing sensors in time and space; furthermore, by identifying possible sampling locations in advance, we will also have simplified the planning of the motion of mobile sensors for that field. In this paper we discuss three types of ETAC's for fields that are modeled as 2D trigonometric polynomials: uniform sensor arrangements, Delta-dense sensor arrangements and incrementally constructed sensor arrangements.
Breast cancer metastatic to the mandible misdiagnosed as parotitis: report of a case.

Malignant neoplasms metastatic to the oral cavity and jaws represent less than 1% of all oral malignancies. 1 The mandible is the most common site of metastasis in the oral and maxillofacial region. 2 Most oral metastases arise in patients with previously diagnosed distant primary cancers. Therefore it is most unusual for an apparent metastatic tumor in the jaw to be the initial presenting indication of an unknown primary malignancy. Malignancies that are most commonly associated with metastasis to the jaws include carcinomas of the lung, breast, colorectal system, prostate, and kidney. 3 We report on a case in which an undiagnosed breast carcinoma presented initially as a persistent, progressive facial swelling and was managed empirically as chronic parotitis.
Transformation of follicular lymphoma to diffuse large-cell lymphoma: Alternative patterns with increased or decreased expression of c-myc and its regulated genes

The natural history of follicular lymphoma (FL) is frequently characterized by transformation to a more aggressive diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We compared the gene-expression profiles between transformed DLBCL and their antecedent FL. No genes were observed to increase or decrease their expression in all of the cases of histological transformation. However, two different gene-expression profiles associated with the transformation process were defined, one in which c-myc and genes regulated by c-myc showed increased expression and one in which these same genes showed decreased expression. Further, there was a striking difference in gene-expression profiles between transformed DLBCL and de novo DLBCL, because the gene-expression profile of transformed DLBCL was more similar to their antecedent FL than to de novo DLBCL. This study demonstrates that transformation from FL to DLBCL can occur by alternative pathways and that transformed DLBCL and de novo DLBCL have very different gene-expression profiles that may underlie the different clinical behaviors of these two types of morphologically similar lymphomas.
The attention system of the human brain: 20 years after.

Here, we update our 1990 Annual Review of Neuroscience article, “The Attention System of the Human Brain.” The framework presented in the original article has helped to integrate behavioral, systems, cellular, and molecular approaches to common problems in attention research. Our framework has been both elaborated and expanded in subsequent years. Research on orienting and executive functions has supported the addition of new networks of brain regions. Developmental studies have shown important changes in control systems between infancy and childhood. In some cases, evidence has supported the role of specific genetic variations, often in conjunction with experience, that account for some of the individual differences in the efficiency of attentional networks. The findings have led to increased understanding of aspects of pathology and to some new interventions.
NHE3 function and phosphorylation are regulated by a calyculin A-sensitive phosphatase

Na+/H+ exchanger 3 (NHE3) is phosphorylated and regulated by multiple kinases, including PKA, SGK1, and CK2; however, the role of phosphatases in the dephosphorylation and regulation of NHE3 remain...
Understanding the Value of Emergency Care: A Framework Incorporating Stakeholder Perspectives

Abstract Background In the face of escalating spending, measuring and maximizing the value of health services has become an important focus of health reform. Recent initiatives aim to incentivize high-value care through provider and hospital payment reform, but the role of the emergency department (ED) remains poorly defined. Objectives To achieve an improved understanding of the value of emergency care, we have developed a framework that incorporates the perspectives of stakeholders in the delivery of health services. Methods A pragmatic review of the literature informed the design of this framework to standardize the definition of value in emergency care and discuss outcomes and costs from different stakeholder perspectives. The viewpoint of patient, provider, payer, health system, and society is each used to assess value for emergency medical conditions. Results We found that the value attributed to emergency care differs substantially by stakeholder perspective. Potential targets to improve ED value may be aimed at improving outcomes or controlling costs, depending on the acuity of the clinical condition. Conclusion The value of emergency care varies by perspective, and a better understanding is achieved when specific outcomes and costs can be identified, quantified, and measured. Using this framework can help stakeholders find common ground to prioritize which costs and outcomes to target for research, quality improvement efforts, and future health policy impacting emergency care.
Public Involvement and Governmental Effectiveness: A Decision-Making Model for Public Managers

Public managers have faced a difficult challenge in recent years: Involve the public more actively in the managerial process, they are told, but not at the expense of governmental effectiveness. Earlier research suggested that a model adapted from the literature on small-group decision making may help in meeting this challenge. According to the model the desirable degree of public involvement varies by issue; issues carrying greater needs for "acceptability" demand more involvement, issues with greater needs for "quality" demand less. This Effective Decision Model must still be tested against competing explanations of governmental effectiveness and assessed for its practical utility. This article undertakes those tasks using data from a reanalysis of 42 public decisions made with varying degrees of public involvement. The findings suggest that the Effective Decision Model can substantially improve our understanding of the relationship between public involvement and governmental effectiveness. The article ...
“Planet Earth” Week featured at Fall Meeting

The week of the 1985 AGU Fall Meeting, December 9–13, has been dubbed “Planet Earth Week,” in part to salute the upcoming 7-week PBS television series and university course that will be previewed at the meeting. At least four of the seven 1-hour segments of “Planet Earth” will be shown daily at the San Francisco meeting. AGU provided some of the seed money for the new series, which will premiere on Wednesday, January 22, 1986, on PBS at 9 P.M. EST.
Minimum mass longitudinal fins with radiation interaction at the base

Abstract This work is to determine the optimum shape and minimum mass of a thin fin by incorporating the effect of radiative exchange between the fin and its base. Two types of the system are considered: a fin extending from a finite straight primary surface and a fin extending from a pipe. It is found that the predicted optimum shape and minimum profile area are governed by five important parameters, namely, the emissivity of the fin, e F , the emissivity of the base e B , fin base length, L (or base pipe radius R), the environment temperature ξ E and the heat flow from the base, γ. The present numerical results indicate that the radiative interaction at the base may affect the optimum shape and profile area of the fin significantly.
An Intemperate Map: Orientation and Disorientation in the Old French Fabliau 'Les Trois Dames de Paris'

This article argues that the early fourteenth-century fabliau ‘Les Trois Dames de Paris’ invites the reader to map its temporal moment and topographical locations in historical space and time, but also that this invitation is frustrated by the events and displacements represented in the story. The subversion of potentially mappable urban topography mirrors the moral straying of the three eponymous women, who set out over the course of the narrative to have a private feast, which descends into an orgy of drunken excess. As the women become increasingly inebriated, their subjective disorientation allows further social and spatial transgression, briefly interrupted by unconsciousness and burial, but finally culminating in their resurgence, seemingly as possessed corpses, into public space. Each of these events represents the women’s resistance to social norms, yet in the end their illusory freedom dissolves along with their intoxication, and the fabliau makes their transgression a subject of ridicule.
An approach to research in file organization

Research in file organization is a problem in which the unstructured efforts of many individual researchers have not produced results commensurate with the effort expended. The paper briefly examines some of the reasons for this and suggests a structure consisting of a language and terminology for communication, a model of information processing systems and tools for studying and analyzing problems related to such systems. The ISDOS project is outlined as a coordinated approach which may serve as the beginning in the development of a satisfactory structure.
The Evolutionary History of Human and Chimpanzee Y-Chromosome Gene Loss

Recent studies have suggested that gene gain and loss may contribute significantly to the divergence between humans and chimpanzees. Initial comparisons of the human and chimpanzee Y-chromosomes indicate that chimpanzees have a disproportionate loss of Y-chromosome genes, which may have implications for the adaptive evolution of sex-specific as well as reproductive traits, especially because one of the genes lost in chimpanzees is critically involved in spermatogenesis in humans. Here we have characterized Y-chromosome sequences in gorilla, bonobo, and several chimpanzee subspecies for 7 chimpanzee gene-disruptive mutations. Our analyses show that 6 of these gene-disruptive mutations predate chimpanzee-bonobo divergence at ∼1.8 MYA, which indicates significant Y-chromosome change in the chimpanzee lineage relatively early in the evolutionary divergence of humans and chimpanzees.
Chemosensory Recognition of Olfactory Individuality

Body odors regulate social, sexual and endocrine responses of many species. Specialized structures have evolved to produce and detect odorous signals. Individual identity, often communicated through body odor, can be critical in mate choice, incest avoidance, parental care and other inter-individual interactions. Because of the importance of individual identity, particularly among social species, we have focused our research program on understanding how odors code for individuality and in what contexts individual signals modulate social behavior. In particular, we have been investigating how one set of genes, those of the MHC (see below), are involved in producing an animal’s self odor.
Estimating Investment Growth Rate And Conditional Internal Rate Of Return

Previous analytical and empirical work has shown that the Cash Recovery Rate (CRR) method is a useful technique for estimating a firms conditional internal rate of return (CIRR). This paper offers a new approach to estimating the investment growth rate used in the CRR method. The new approach reduces bias in estimating a firms CIRR by the CRR method. This work strengthens the theoretical soundness and research usefulness of the CRR method.
The effects of nano Ag particles on gridline sintering for silicon solar cells

Achieving high fill factor (FF) for industrial silicon solar cells relies on metallization process through Ag paste. The rheology of the paste has an impact on overall performance because it affects printability. It is reported in this paper that adding different organics to the paste provides ∼0.2% efficiency gain due to decreasing metal coverage. Also, sintering process of Ag particles in the paste is critical for contact and gridline resistances. The impact of Ag sintering on the gridline and formation of Ag crystallites and thin glass layer at the Ag/Si interface are discussed in detail. The porosity of fired contacts and hence gridline resistance can be reduced by using nano Ag particles in the paste, while contact resistance can also benefit from nano particles through formation of uniform Ag crystallites and a thin (∼0.1nm) glass layer. It is also reported that firing time (or belt speed) also determines the kinetics of sintering by decreasing dwell time down to ∼2s. Increasing the belt speed up to 350ipm results in the increase of 2.8% and 3.9% in fill factor for mono and multi crystalline silicon solar cells respectively.
Images in clinical medicine. "Thumb sign" of epiglottitis.

A 58-year-old man presented to the ER after having had severe throat pain, hoarseness, and fever for 2 days. There was no stridor, respiratory distress, or drooling, and oropharyngeal examination was unremarkable. A lateral soft-tissue radiograph of the neck showed a “thumb sign.”
DNA Binding Proteins and Drug Delivery Vehicles: Tales of Elephants and Snakes

We compare the DNA-interactive properties of bacteriophage T4 gene 32 protein (gp32) with those of crotamine, a component of the venom of the South American rattlesnake. Gene 32 protein is a classical single-stranded DNA binding protein that has served as a model for this class of proteins. We discuss its biological functions, structure, binding specificities, and how it controls its own expression. In addition, we delineate the roles of the structural domains of gp32 and how they regulate the protein's various activities. Crotamine, a component of the venom of the South American rattlesnake, is probably not a DNA binding protein in nature, but clearly shows significant DNA binding in vitro. Crotamine has been shown to selectively disrupt rapidly dividing cells and this specificity has been demonstrated for crotamine-facilitated delivery of plasmid DNA Thus, crotamine, or a variant of the protein, could have important clinical and/or diagnostic roles. Understanding its DNA binding properties may therefore lead to more effective drug delivery vehicles.
Home production, employment, and monetary policy

Abstract I extend the textbook Dynamic New Keynesian (DNK) model to include home production and labor supply decisions along both extensive and intensive margins. Home production introduces an asymmetrical effect of wage changes on the employment rate and average labor hours. As a result, the cyclicality of total labor hours becomes ambiguous. When the elasticity of substitution between home and market goods is above a threshold value of 2, the aggregate hours become procyclical. In contrast, total labor hours are always countercyclical in the textbook model. This discrepancy is important for monetary policy: if a central bank excludes household production from its analysis, it mismeasures the output gap. The resulting welfare loss equals 0.013% in terms of consumption equivalence.
Time to epinephrine in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A retrospective analysis of intraosseous versus intravenous access

Introduction: The 2015 advanced cardiac life support update continues to advocate administering epinephrine during cardiac arrest. The goal of our study is to determine if prehospital intraosseous (IO) access results in shorter time to epinephrine than prehospital peripheral intravenous (PIV) access. Methods: The out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) database of a large, urban, fire-based emergency medical services system was searched for consecutive cases of OHCA between January 2013 and December 2015. The time to the first dose of epinephrine was calculated and compared by vascular access technique utilized (PIV or IO). Descriptive statistics were used to report first pass success and IO complications. Results: A total of 3,470 OHCA cases were treated during the study period. Of those cases, 2,656 met our inclusion criteria. There were 2,601 cases of IO usage and 55 cases of PIV usage. The mean time from arrival at the patient's side to administration of the first dose of epinephrine was 5.0 minutes (95% CI: 4.7 minutes, 5.4 minutes) for the IO group and 8.8 minutes (95% CI: 6.6 minutes, 10.9 minutes) for the PIV group (p < 0.001). There were a total of 2,879 IO attempts with 2,753 IOs successfully placed in 2,601 patients. The first pass IO success rate was 95.6 percent (2,753 / 2,879). Conclusion: In the setting of OHCA, the time to administer the first dose of epinephrine was faster in the IO access group when compared to PIV access group. The prehospital use of IO vascular access for time-dependent medical conditions is recommended.
Real Time Application of Extended Kalman Filtering in Estimation and Optimization of a Recombinant Escherichia Coli Fermentation

Abstract Optimization of ethanol production from xylose by a recombinant E.coli has been studied in this work. Computer controlled fedbatch fermentations were carried out to investigate the effects of nutrient supply on cell metabolism. Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle was used to determine an optimal feed policy to improve ethanol productivity. Extended Kalman Filtering technique, based on measurements of CO 2 evolution and alkali addition rate, has been used to estimate the states of the system. The proposed fedbatch strategy was able to increase ethanol productivity significantly.
Serum Levels of a Cathepsin-K Generated Periostin Fragment Predict Incident Low-Trauma Fractures in Postmenopausal Women Independently of BMD and FRAX.

Periostin is a matricellular protein involved in bone formation and bone matrix organization, but it is also produced by other tissues. Its circulating levels have been weakly associated with bone microstructure and prevalent fractures, possibly because periostin measured by the current commercial assays does not specifically reflect bone metabolism. In this context, we developed a new ELISA for a periostin fragment resulting from cathepsin K digestion (K-Postn). We hypothesized that circulating K-Postn levels could be associated with bone fragility. A total of 695 women (age 65.0 ± 1.5 years), enrolled in the Geneva Retirees Cohort (GERICO), were prospectively evaluated over 4.7 ± 1.9 years for the occurrence of low-trauma fractures. At baseline, we measured serum periostin, K-Postn, and bone turnover markers (BTMs), distal radius and tibia microstructure by HR-pQCT, hip and lumbar spine aBMD by DXA, and estimated fracture probability using the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX). Sixty-six women sustained a low-trauma clinical fracture during the follow-up. Total periostin was not associated with fractures (HR [95% CI] per SD: 1.19 [0.89 to 1.59], p = 0.24). In contrast, K-Postn was significantly higher in the fracture versus nonfracture group (57.5 ± 36.6 ng/mL versus 42.5 ± 23.4 ng/mL, p < 0.001) and associated with fracture risk (HR [95%CI] per SD: 2.14 [1.54 to 2.97], p < 0.001). After adjustment for aBMD, FRAX, bone microstructure, or BTMs, K-Postn remained significantly associated with fracture risk. The performance of the fracture prediction models was improved by adding K-Postn to aBMD or FRAX (Harrell C index for fracture: 0.70 for aBMD + K-Post versus 0.58 for aBMD alone, p = 0.001; 0.73 for FRAX + K-Postn versus 0.65 for FRAX alone, p = 0.005). Circulating K-Postn predicts incident fractures independently of BMD, BTMs, and FRAX in postmenopausal women. Hence measurement of a periostin fragment resulting from in vivo cathepsin K digestion may help to identify subjects at high risk of fracture. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Icons, Appropriations, and the Co-production of Meaning

Iconic photographs identify important problems and features of audience reception. Hariman and Lucaites analyze how the meaning and effects of iconic photographs are produced through an afterlife of appropriation across a wide array of media. In this chapter they identify three modalities of appropriation: establishing iconic status through design features, repetition, and misrecognition; tracking circulation and patterns of interpretation; and analysis of public culture. They demonstrate basic protocols for analyzing appropriations in a case study of the photograph of the US flag raising on Iwo Jima during World War II: these protocols include aesthetic conventions as they animate civic performance through the interplay of semiotic transcriptions and emotional scenarios that function to mediate constitutive contradictions in the public culture.
Design of tunable shunt and series interdigital capacitors based on vanadium dioxide thin film

Tunable coplanar waveguide interdigital capacitors (IDC) designed with vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin film are presented in this paper. Two different configurations, series IDC and shunt IDC, are proposed. Tunable capacitance can be implemented by the thermally controllable VO2 thin film. The tunability of IDC structures are 95.6% and 85.4% corresponding to the series IDC and shunt IDC, respectively.
Return to Play after Patellar Stabilization.

The purpose of this review is to evaluate the existing literature regarding return to play (RTP) and return to prior performance (RPP) following patellar stabilization surgery. It will also discuss suggested guidelines regarding RTP, and finally, to encourage future patellofemoral instability research to report and publish results of RTP rates using standardized RTP guidelines. There is a lack of validation and universal adoption of standardized RTP guidelines. This has led to a dearth of high-quality studies on RTP and RPP after patellar stabilization. The best available studies to date would suggest high RTP rates (84%–100%), average RPP rates (33%–77%), and a highly variable timeframe for return (3–12 months). Patellofemoral instability can be a persistent and challenging problem, particularly in the young and active population for which it most often occurs. Much of the previous studies on patellofemoral instability evaluated success and failure as prevention of recurrent dislocation. However, prevention of recurrence alone may not be enough for many patients. The best available data on RTP and RPP following patellofemoral instability is based on lower quality of evidence studies, expert opinion, and published societal guidelines. Future research on this topic should include clinical validation of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS) RTP guidelines and reporting of outcomes based on these guidelines in patellofemoral instability publications.
IN VITRO TRANSCRIPTION OF Ad2 DNA BY EUKARYOTIC RNA POLYMERASES II. I. KINETICS OF FORMATION OF STABLE BINARY COMPLEXES AT SPECIFIC SITES

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the in vitro transcription of adenovirus (Ad2) DNA by eukaryotic RNA polymerase II. In a study described in the chapter, the equilibrium constant ( K ass ) for the formation of stable binary complexes between Ad2 DNA and wheat germ RNA polymerase II and human RNA polymerase II (isolated from placenta) were determined using the filter binding technique. The rate constant for the formation of the stable binary complex with either enzyme was 10 7 –10 8 M −1 s −1 . The rate constant for dissociation of either enzyme was 10 −3 –10 −4 s −1 . The calculated K ass is 10 10 –10 12 M −1 , which indicated that these complexes are as stable as the binary complexes formed between E. coli RNA polymerase and promoters. The position of these stable binary complexes was mapped by EM using the protein-free BAC spreading technique. Polymerases were bound to both total Ad2 DNA and Eco RI fragment A to orient the ends of the molecule. The 9–11 strong binding sites, at least 5 of which correspond to in vivo promoters for Ad2 transcription, were mapped.
Novartis AG v. Union of India: “Evergreening,” TRIPS, and “Enhanced Efficacy” Under Section 3(d)

Recipient of the Harvard Law School 2013 Irving Oberman Memorial Award: Intellectual Property.
Regular Perturbation Methods

The regular perturbation method works only for exceptionally special problems, and fails in general.
The Challenges of International Trade to U.S. Technology Policy

No observer of recent developments in the trade and investment relationships among the industrial and industrializing nations of the world can fail to be struck by the extent to which trade and investment flows, and the foreign and domestic public policies affecting them, now influence the technology development and investment decisions of U.S. firms. International and domestic collaborative ventures; RD technical standards; intellectual property protection; foreign investment decisions; “dual-use” technology development, transfer, and support; technology transfer and “offsets”; and access to offshore sources of technological and scientific research, to name only a few issues, now are linked with trade policy and trade negotiations (both bilateral and multilateral) in complex ways. Technology-related issues occupy a much more prominent place than ever before on the trade policy agenda of the United States and other industrial and industrializing economies.1
The use of ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide in children with solid tumors

A multidisciplinary approach including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and, recently, biotherapy and immunotherapy has significantly increased the prognosis for a large variety of pediatric solid tumors over the past two decades. Ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide, used singly and in combination, have demonstrated efficacy in a number of these malignancies. The combination of all three agents (ICE) has produced overall response rates (complete response + partial response) in excess of 50% in a wide variety of recurrent or persistent pediatric solid tumors. Until recently, ICE administration was limited by significant hematopoietic toxicities. However, the use of hematopoietic growth factors alone and in combination appears to enhance hematopoietic recovery and may allow further dose intensification of ICE in children with recurrent solid tumors.
Modelling and estimation of leakage phenomena in magnetic circuits

A new modelling method for magnetic circuits is presented. The method can be used to model magnetic circuits with any number of windings. The models incorporate adequate information about the correct distribution of leakage energy, the presence of gaps throughout the core, the arrangement of the windings, and the type of core used. Several commonly used arrangements such as toroids with uniformly distributed turns, and bobbin core structures with multiple windings were modelled with the new technique. The measured electric circuit model values always compared favorably with the predicted physical values derived with the new method.
The genetic basis of uveal melanoma

Summary Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular malignancy in adults with an incidence of about 1/100,000 new cases per year in the Western world. Risk factors are having a light skin, blond hair and blue eyes. As some UM patients have a young age at diagnosis or an affected family history for UM or other malignancies, there may be an underlying genetic basis. This review discusses known or suspected risk factors for UM, the cancer risk in UM patients and their family members, and the genes that have been reported to predispose to UM (germline mutations) and tumor development (somatic mutations).
Are Whites and minorities more similar than different? Testing the cultural similarities hypothesis on psychopathology with a second-order meta-analysis.

The cultural differences hypothesis is the assertion that there are large differences between Whites and racial/ethnic minorities in the United States, while there are small differences between- (e.g., African Americans and Latinos) and within- (e.g., Latinos: Mexican Americans and Cuban Americans) minority groups. Conversely, the cultural similarities hypothesis argues that there are small differences between Whites and minorities, and these differences are equal or smaller in magnitude than differences between and within minorities. In this study, we conducted a second-order meta-analysis focused on psychopathology, to (a) test these hypotheses by estimating the absolute average difference between Whites and minorities, as well as between and within minorities, on levels of psychopathology, and (b) determine if general and meta-analytic method moderators account for these differences. A systematic search in PsycINFO, Web of Science, and ProQuest Dissertations identified 16 meta-analyses (13% unpublished) on 493 primary studies (N = 3,036,749). Differences between Whites and minorities (d+ = 0.23, 95% confidence interval [0.18, 0.28]), and between minorities (d+ = 0.30, 95% confidence interval [0.12, 0.48]) were small in magnitude. White–minority differences remained small across moderators. These findings support the cultural similarities hypothesis. We discuss their implications and future research directions.
The Quality of Digitized and Synthesized Speech

This paper reviews factors contributing to the quality of digitized and synthesized speech. Digital recording and playback of speech generally produces highly intelligible and natural-sounding spee...
CAD methodology transfer from 2D to 3D digital mammography for calcification enhancement and segmentation: A feasibility study

Mammography is currently the best imaging method for breast cancer screening with demonstrated redaction in mortality. Mammography, however, can be improved because 10%-30% of the cancers may be missed or not detected early enough particularly in dense breasts. New technological developments in three-dimensional (3D) x-ray imaging of the breast may offer significant improvements over the standard two-dimensional (2D) mammography by reducing the problem of superimposed tissue structures and/or by providing more details on the morphology and distribution of abnormalities. Computer aided diagnosis (CAD) algorithms developed for digitized screen/film mammography and recently expanded to 2Ddigital mammography are expected to face an entirely new challenge in 3D mammography, the image characteristics of which may impact CAD design and performance significantly. In this work, we examined the properties of 3D tomosynthesis phantom images and studied the potential impact of different reconstruction methodologies on CAD algorithm performance. Algorithms developed for the enhancement, segmentation, and detection of calcification clusters in 2D digital mammography were evaluated.
Lessons in black excellence

In Making Black Scientists, Marybeth Gasman and Thai-Huy Nguyen examine African American access to STEM careers through stories and data that describe the successful experiences of faculty, staff, and students at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Development of Transposon Mutagenesis for Chlamydia muridarum.

ABSTRACT Functional genetic analysis of Chlamydia has been a challenge due to the historical genetic intractability of Chlamydia, although recent advances in chlamydial genetic manipulation have begun to remove these barriers. Here, we report the development of the Himar C9 transposon system for Chlamydia muridarum, a mouse-adapted Chlamydia species that is widely used in Chlamydia infection models. We demonstrate the generation and characterization of an initial library of 33 chloramphenicol (Cam)-resistant, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing C. muridarum transposon mutants. The majority of the mutants contained single transposon insertions spread throughout the C. muridarum chromosome. In all, the library contained 31 transposon insertions in coding open reading frames (ORFs) and 7 insertions in intergenic regions. Whole-genome sequencing analysis of 17 mutant clones confirmed the chromosomal locations of the insertions. Four mutants with transposon insertions in glgB, pmpI, pmpA, and pmpD were investigated further for in vitro and in vivo phenotypes, including growth, inclusion morphology, and attachment to host cells. The glgB mutant was shown to be incapable of complete glycogen biosynthesis and accumulation in the lumen of mutant inclusions. Of the 3 pmp mutants, pmpI was shown to have the most pronounced growth attenuation defect. This initial library demonstrates the utility and efficacy of stable, isogenic transposon mutants for C. muridarum. The generation of a complete library of C. muridarum mutants will ultimately enable comprehensive identification of the functional genetic requirements for Chlamydia infection in vivo. IMPORTANCE Historical issues with genetic manipulation of Chlamydia have prevented rigorous functional genetic characterization of the ∼1,000 genes in chlamydial genomes. Here, we report the development of a transposon mutagenesis system for C. muridarum, a mouse-adapted Chlamydia species that is widely used for in vivo investigations of chlamydial pathogenesis. This advance builds on the pioneering development of this system for C. trachomatis. We demonstrate the generation of an initial library of 33 mutants containing stable single or double transposon insertions. Using these mutant clones, we characterized in vitro phenotypes associated with genetic disruptions in glycogen biosynthesis and three polymorphic outer membrane proteins.
Fluoride exposure and sleep patterns among older adolescents in the United States: a cross-sectional study of NHANES 2015-2016.

Fluoride from environmental sources accumulates preferentially in the pineal gland which produces melatonin, the hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. However, the effects of fluoride on sleep regulation remain unknown. This population-based study examined whether chronic low-level fluoride exposure is associated with sleep patterns and daytime sleepiness among older adolescents in the United States (US). This cross-sectional study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2015–2016). We analyzed data from adolescents who had plasma fluoride (n = 473) and water fluoride (n = 419) measures and were not prescribed medication for sleep disorders. Relationships between fluoride exposure and self-reported sleep patterns or daytime sleepiness were examined using survey-weighted linear, binomial logistic or multinomial logistic regression after covariate adjustment. A Holm-Bonferroni correction accounted for multiple comparisons. The average age of adolescents was 17 years (range = 16–19). Median (IQR) water and plasma fluoride concentrations were 0.27 (0.52) mg/L and 0.29 (0.19) μmol/L respectively. An IQR increase in water fluoride was associated with 1.97 times higher odds of reporting symptoms suggestive of sleep apnea (95% CI: 1.27, 3.05; p = 0.02), a 24 min later bedtime (B = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.70; p = 0.05), a 26 min later morning wake time (B = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.73; p = 0.04), and among males, a 38% reduction in the odds of reporting snoring (95% CI: 0.45, 0.87, p = 0.03). Fluoride exposure may contribute to changes in sleep cycle regulation and sleep behaviors among older adolescents in the US. Additional prospective studies are warranted to examine the effects of fluoride on sleep patterns and determine critical windows of vulnerability for potential effects.
Children's Adoption of Self-Reward Patterns: Verbalization and Modeling

Summary.- A 2 X 2 factorial design examined the relative influence of verbalization and modeling upon children's adoption of a self-reward standard when alone. The two treatments were found to be equally influential and additive in their effects. Further, Ss exposed to both verbalization and modeling exhibited almost perfect adherence to the standard despite a powerful incentive to deviate. Research conducted within a social learning framework (Bandura & Walters, 1963) has emphasized the role of imitation in the socialization of children. Several of these studies have demonstrated that a model's influence is substantially enhanced by his explicit verbalization of the modeled behavior (Hill, 1968; Liebert & Allen, 1967). The purpose of the present experiment was to separate verbalization and behavioral modeling and to investigate their ~elative influence on children's adoption of a self-imposed standard. Allen and Liebert (in press) recently suggested that the perceived generality of modeling cues may affect their iltformtion value and thus be one of the salient determinants of a model's effect on an observer. They argued that the more corroborative cues available, the more informative is the modeled behavior and hence the greater will be its influence. Thus, if two different modeling cues presented separately are each partially effective, the combination of both cues should further increase the probability of imitation. Allen and Liebert's findings support this view. They found that exposure to either a live or symbolic model whose actions were at variance with a stated rule produced more rule deviation than did a no-model treatment, while the combination of live and symbolic models produced the greatest deviation. Extending Allen and Liebert's informational analysis from modeling cues to other forms of training, it would be anticipated that either a social agent's verbalization of a self-reward standard or his modeling of that same standard provides sufficient information to induce some adherence to it, i.e., more than an untrained control group, when Ss subsequently perform alone with free access to rewards. Moreover, the combination of verbalization and modeling should have
Inside Job or Deep Impact? Extramural Citations and the Influence of Economic Scholarship

Does academic economic research produce material of general scientific value, or do academic economists write only for peers? Is economics scholarship uniquely insular? We address these questions by quantifying interactions between economics and other disciplines. Changes in the influence of economic scholarship are measured here by the frequency with which other disciplines cite papers in economics journals. We document a clear rise in the extramural influence of economic research, while also showing that economics is increasingly likely to reference other social sciences. A breakdown of extramural citations by economics fields shows broad field influence. Differentiating between theoretical and empirical papers classified using machine learning, we see that much of the rise in economics' extramural influence reflects growth in citations to empirical work. This growth parallels an increase in the share of empirical cites within economics. At the same time, some disciplines that primarily cite economic theory have also recently increased citations of economics scholarship.
Innovation, Emerging Technology, and Digital Transformation

Technology should be assessed and piloted in a repeatable way. Teams should be assigned to pursue the following tasks: track technology-driven business models and processes; track existing and emerging digital technologies; conduct technology pilots; and govern the enterprise architecture. Formal teams will ensure a consistent, repeatable and impactful process that leverages current and existing technology onto the digital transformation process.
Cues to gender and racial identity reduce creativity in diverse social networks.

The characteristics of social partners have long been hypothesized as influential in guiding group interactions. Understanding how demographic cues impact networks of creative collaborators is critical for elevating creative performances therein. We conducted a randomized experiment to investigate how the knowledge of peers’ gender and racial identities distorts people’s connection patterns and the resulting creative outcomes in a dynamic social network. Consistent with prior work, we found that creative inspiration links are primarily formed with top idea-generators. However, when gender and racial identities are known, not only is there (1) an increase of $$82.03\%$$ in the odds of same-gender connections to persist (but not for same-race connections), but (2) the semantic similarity of idea-sets stimulated by these connections also increase significantly compared to demography-agnostic networks, negatively impacting the outcomes of divergent creativity. We found that ideas tend to be significantly more homogeneous within demographic groups than between, taking away diversity-bonuses from similarity-based links and partly explaining the results. These insights can inform intelligent interventions to enhance network-wide creative performances.
Playing for Constitutional Time: Interim Constitutions & Transitional Provisions

Because constitutions do not last forever, polities face the problem of transitions. In recent years, national constitution-making processes have tended to employ two mechanisms to effectuate the transition between the former regime and incoming one: (i) interim constitutions; and (ii) transitional provisions. In this chapter, we provide a descriptive and conceptual account of interim constitutions and transitional provisions in national constitutions. In our view interim constitutions should ideally outline the process by which a new constitution shall be drafted, be temporally delimited, and provide a framework that builds political trust among the different interest groups involved in the process. Transitional provisions, as part of the new constitution itself, should be temporary provisions that clearly outline the sequence and timing of the transition to the broad realization of the new constitutional order. Properly applied to short-term questions of legal transition and constitutional implementation, transition mechanisms can play a valuable role in constitutional processes.
Zebrafish Information Network, the knowledgebase for Danio rerio research

The Zebrafish Information Network (ZFIN, zfin.org) is the central repository for zebrafish genetic and genomic data. ZFIN expertly curates, integrates, and displays zebrafish data including genes, alleles, human disease models, gene expression, phenotype, gene function, orthology, morpholino, CRISPR, TALEN, and antibodies. ZFIN makes zebrafish research data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) through nomenclature, curatorial and annotation activities, web interfaces, and data downloads. ZFIN is a founding member of the Alliance of Genome Resources, providing zebrafish data for integration into the cross species platform as well as contributing to model organism data harmonization efforts.
Efficient initial guesses for solving guided and leaky modes in dielectric rod

To find guided and leaky axisymmetric modes supported by the circular dielectric rod efficiently, the characteristic equation is asymptotically expanded around cutoff frequency. Accordingly, the initial guesses for different types of modes are represented using Lambert W function with different branches. The efficiency of the initial guesses is verified with accurate numerical solutions.