cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of TAF90 Mutants Displaying Allele-Specific and Broad Defects in Transcription

Yeast TAF90p is a component of at least two transcription regulatory complexes, the general transcription factor TFIID and the Spt-Ada-Gcn5 histone acetyltransferase complex (SAGA). Broad transcription defects have been observed in mutants of other TAFIIs shared by TFIID and SAGA but not in the only two TAF90 mutants isolated to date. Given that the numbers of mutants analyzed thus far are small, we isolated and characterized 11 temperature-sensitive mutants of TAF90 and analyzed their effects on transcription and integrity of the TFIID and SAGA complexes. We found that the mutants displayed a variety of allele-specific defects in their ability to support transcription and maintain the structure of the TFIID and SAGA complexes. Sequencing of the alleles revealed that all have mutations corresponding to the C terminus of the protein, with most clustering within the conserved WD40 repeats; thus, the C terminus of TAF90p is required for its incorporation into TFIID and function in SAGA. Significantly, inactivation of one allele, taf90-20, caused the dramatic reduction in the levels of total mRNA and most specific transcripts analyzed. Analysis of the structure and/or activity of both TAF90p-containing complexes revealed that this allele is the most disruptive of all. Our analysis defines the requirement for the WD40 repeats in preserving TFIID and SAGA function, demonstrates that the defects associated with distinct mutations in TAF90 vary considerably, and indicates that TAF90 can be classified as a gene required for the transcription of a large number of genes.
Deterministic prediction in progressive coding

Deterministic prediction in progressive coding of images is investigated. Progressive coding first creates a sequence of resolution layers by beginning with an original image and reducing its resolution several times by factors of some natural number M. The resultant layers are losslessly encoded, beginning with the lowest-resolution layer and, then encoding each higher resolution image incrementally upon the previous one. Coding efficiency may be improved if knowledge of the rules which produced the lower-resolution image of each pair is used to deterministically predict pixels of the higher, so they need not be encoded. Given reduction rules expressing each low-resolution pixel as a function of nearby high-resolution pixels and previously generated low-resolution pixels, it is shown that finding a complete set of rules, each of which deterministically predicts the value of a high-resolution pixel when certain values are found in nearby low-resolution pixels and previously coded high-resolution pixels, is NP-complete. A recursive algorithm for solving the problem in optimal time as a depth-first tree search is proposed, and the characteristics of the resultant prediction process are studied. >
Concatenated codes for fading channels based on recursive space-time trellis codes

We propose a class of codes which combine the principles of turbo coding and space-time trellis codes. It is first shown that several classes of space-time codes have an equivalent recursive realization. This fact is then exploited to design serial concatenated coding schemes with an outer code, interleaver, and an inner recursive space-time encoder. Two solutions are proposed in this paper - the use of convolutional outer codes aimed mainly to improve the power efficiency and the use of very high-rate outer codes to obtain significant improvement in power efficiency with a marginal decrease in spectral efficiency. We show that single parity check based turbo product codes are a good candidate for very high-rate outer codes. Finally, we propose an automatic repeat request scheme based on recursive realizations of space-time codes and show that the proposed scheme provides significant reduction in frame error rate.
Predatory hospital billing: dynamic cost shifting to the uninsured.

Over the past year, aggressive billing practices have been exposed at a number of hospitals in the United States. Despite the fact that a widower had paid 18,740, some 20 years after the incurrence of the bill a teaching hospital held a lien on his home for $40,000 in interest. Many years earlier the hospital had seized his bank account, and now the 77-year-old man was destitute. Only tremendous publicity caused the hospital to back down. That same week, another nonprofit teaching hospital reportedly drove a 25-year-old uninsured woman from New York City while dunning her for a $19,000 bill for a two-day stay for an appendectomy. In California, a patient was forced into bankruptcy in 2000 by a for-profit hospital from a day-and-a-half stay in the hospital that did not include any surgery but totaled $48,000 in hospital bills. These have become common stories as hospitals aggressively market, bill, collect, and foreclose, just like any other corporation. The uninsured are facing the brunt of the hospital industry's billing practices.
The British development of the theory of invariants (1841–1895)

The two main British exponents of the theory of invariants, Arthur Cayley and James Joseph Sylvester, first encountered the idea of an “invariant” in an 1841 paper by George Boole. In the 1850s, Cayley, Sylvester, and the Irish mathematician, George Salmon, formulated the basic concepts, developed the key techniques, and set the research agenda for the field. As Cayley and Sylvester continued to extend the theory off and on through the 1880s, first Salmon in 1859 and later Edwin Bailey Elliott in 1895 codified it in high-level textbooks. This paper sketches the development of nineteenth-century invariant theory in British hands against a backdrop of personal, nationalistic, and internationalistic mathematical goals.
Political Party as an Indicator of Educational Posture in Oregon

"Political Party as an Indicator of Educational Posture in Oregon " explores correlates of voting on education legislation and the degree to which education issues are unidimensional. Differences i...
A Molecular Genetic Model of Astrocytoma Histopathology

As the molecular events responsible for astrocytoma formation and progression are being clarified, it is becoming possible to correlate these alterations with the specific histopathological and biological features of astrocytoma, anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme. In WHO grade II astrocytomas, autocrine stimulation by the plateletderived growth factor system coupled with inactivation of the p53 gene may lead to a growth stimulus in the face of decreased cell death with slow net growth ensuing. Such cells would also have defective responses to DNA damage and impaired DNA repair, setting the stage for future malignant change. Such biological scenarios recapitulate many of the clinicopathological features of WHO grade II astrocytomas. Anaplastic astrocytomas further display release of a critical cell cycle brake that involves the CDKN2/p16, RB and CDK4 genes. This results in mitoses seen histologically; clinically, there is more conspicuous, rapid growth. Finally, glioblastomas may emerge from the microenvironmental outgrowth of more malignant clones in a complex vicious cycle that involves necrosis, hypoxia, growth factor release, angiogenesis and clonal selection; growth signals mediated by activation of epidermal growth factor receptors may precipitate glioblastomas. It is clear as well that glioblastoma multiforme can arise via a number of independent genetic pathways, although the clinical significance of these distinctions remains unclear.
Longitudinal Nanotechnology Development (1991--2002): National Science Foundation Funding and its Impact on Patents

Nanotechnology holds the promise to revolutionize a wide range of products, processes and applications. It is recognized by over sixty countries as critical for their development at the beginning of the 21st century. A significant public investment of over $1 billion annually is devoted to nanotechnology research in the United States. This paper provides an analysis of the National Science Foundation (NSF) funding of nanoscale science and engineering (NSE) and its relationship to the innovation as reflected in the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) patent data. Using a combination of bibliometric analysis and visualization tools, we have identified several general trends, the key players, and the evolution of technology topics in the NSF funding and commercial patenting activities. This study documents the rapid growth of innovation in the field of nanotechnology and its correlation to funding. Statistical analysis shows that the NSF-funded researchers and their patents have higher impact factors than other private and publicly funded reference groups. This suggests the importance of fundamental research on nanotechnology development. The number of cites per NSF-funded inventor is about 10 as compared to 2 for all inventors of NSE-related patents recorded at USPTO, and the corresponding Authority Score is 20 as compared to 1.8.
Measurement of the cage effect in the photolysis of the (η5-C5H4(CH2)2N(H)C(O)(CH2)3CH3)2Mo2(CO)6 complex

Abstract A previously reported method for determining radical pair cage efficiency factors F c in hexane has been extended to tetrahydrofuran (THF). The technique involves measuring quantum yields as a function of viscosity, and it is necessary therefore to find viscosity enhancers that do not selectively solvate a cage pair. For radical cage pairs generated by photolysis of Cp 2 Mo 2 (CO) 6 -type complexes, it is shown that tetraglyme is a suitable viscosity enhancer in THF. The THF-tetraglyme solvent system is a useful system for cage pair precursors that require a more polar solvent than hexane for solubility. A device is also described that will measure quantum yields automatically in the range 400–1100 nm. The heart of the apparatus is a radiometer that collects transmitted light intensity as a function of time and stores the data in a personal computer.
Decay of Y 91

Yttrium-91 was observed to decay with a half-life of 57.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5 days. In addition to the 1.55-Mev beta transitions, 0.22\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.01 percent of the ${\mathrm{Y}}^{91}$ decay consists of a 0.36\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02-Mev beta group in coincidence with a 1.190\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005-Mev gamma ray.
Origin of Volcanics in the Tethyan Suture Zone of Pakistan

The south Tethyan suture zone in Baluchistan has two distinct tectonic segments: (1) a north-south segment along the fold belt from Karachi to the Pamir Mountains and (2) an east-west segment west of the fold belt in the Makran region. Along the fold belt ophiolites are obducted over folded Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks. The Maastrichtian age Parh Formation on which ophiolites are obducted contains volcanic agglomerates, flows and breccia. Preliminary petrographic and chemical analyses as well as field evidence indicates these volcanic units are oceanic island type basalts.
A quantitative review of cognitive functioning in homeless adults.

Homeless people experience elevated rates of risk factors for cognitive impairment. We reviewed available peer-reviewed studies reporting data from objective measures of cognition in samples identified as homeless. Pooled sample-weighted estimates of global cognitive screening measures, full scale IQ, and pre-morbid IQ were calculated, in addition to pooled sample characteristics to understand the representativeness of available studies. A total of 24 unique studies were identified, with 2969 subjects. The pooled estimate for the frequency of cognitive impairment was 25%, and the mean full scale IQ score was 85, one standard deviation below the mean of the normal population. Cognitive impairment was found to common among homeless adults, and may be a transdiagnostic problem that impedes rehabilitative efforts in this population. Comparatively little data is available about cognition in homeless women and unsheltered persons.
The Wrathful Dragon versus the Foolish, Fond Old Man: Duality of Performance and Post-Feminist Affect in the 2013 Oregon Shakespeare Festival's King Lear:

The 2013 Oregon Shakespeare Festival's King Lear presented a dual problem for any reviewer. With two actors sharing the principal role, which performance represented the director's vision and which should be considered first? Bill Rauch's intention, to explore Lear's multifaceted character through two distinctive performers, seems counter to demands for consistency inherent in any repertory production. An unforeseen outcome for this forced duality was its affect on the production's powerfully envisioned Cordelia, whose character shifted subtly in response to the different Lears. To interrogate and complement this schizophrenic theatrical moment, two academics collaborate on a combined review of two separate performances.
Comparing Determinants of Effective Collaboration in a Comprehensive Crime Reduction Initiative

ABSTRACTIncreasingly there is a call from policy makers for communities to work collaboratively to ameliorate social problems; yet, collaborating is arguably one of the most difficult tasks of partnerships. Conceptual frameworks for effective collaboration have recently been developed and need empirical testing. Effective collaboration determinants are explored in this study of a comprehensive crime reduction initiative. Comparative case study methodology is used to examine the presence of these determinants in three arenas: context, structure, and function. Sites were most similar in structure; differences were most pronounced in function. Translating these results in this initiative and across other community partnerships is discussed.
Popular Media Representations of Physical Activity Among Mothers

Purpose. Many mothers fail to meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity. Popular media magazines targeting mothers provide information about physical activity and health, but little is known about the framing and content of physical activity messages within these sources. The aim of this content analysis was to analyze the framing and content (i.e., benefits, consequences, and sources of self-efficacy) of physical activity messages directed toward mothers in popular magazines. Method. Ten popular magazines were selected for data analysis and coded independently by two researchers in NVivo Version 10.0 for gain- or loss-framed messages, benefits and consequences of physical activity, and sources of self-efficacy. Results. Most of the 164 articles encouraged physical activity by presenting benefits associated with physical activity. These benefits primarily focused on weight loss and fitness gains and few articles used self-efficacy messages to enhance confidence in physical activity participati...
An Open Data Format for Visualization and Analysis of Cross-Linked Mass Spectrometry Results

Protein–protein interactions are an important element in the understanding of protein function, and chemical cross-linking shotgun mass spectrometry is rapidly becoming a routine approach to identify these specific interfaces and topographical interactions. Protein cross-link data analysis is aided by dozens of algorithm choices, but hindered by a lack of a common format for representing results. Consequently, interoperability between algorithms and pipelines utilizing chemical cross-linking remains a challenge. pepXML is an open, widely-used format for representing spectral search algorithm results that has facilitated information exchange and pipeline development for typical shotgun mass spectrometry analyses. We describe an extension of this format to incorporate cross-linking spectral search results. We demonstrate application of the extension by representing results of multiple cross-linking search algorithms. In addition, we demonstrate adapting existing pepXML-supporting software pipelines to analyze protein cross-linking results formatted in pepXML.
Raman studies for stockpile reliability of missiles by detecting degradation of propellant stabilizers

The objective of this study is to demonstrate a sensitive Raman technique for sensing degradation of propellant stabilizers like MNA and 2-NDPA that are commonly used in some missiles. The functionality of missiles and rockets are often evaluated by being fired or decomposed at routine time-intervals after prolonged storage. However, these destructive testing techniques for determining long-term rocket motor aging and shelf-life are extremely costly. If successful, the Raman technique could be utilized to determine the health of propellant stabilizers without dismantling the missiles as is commonly done at present. Raman technique is to measure concentrations of propellant stabilizers between 0.1-2% in glycerin. Two different lasers at 785 nm and 532 nm are used for developing this technique. A secondary objective is to develop a theoretical model that predicts temperature as a function of time and position inside the cylindrical storage container of MNA or 2-NDPA stabilizer. This model can help in understanding the thermal degradation of propellant stabilizers.
Plasma transport in graphene conduction channels and application for the detection of Terahertz signals

The conduction channel of a Field Effect Transistor (FET) can act as a plasma resonator for density oscillations in a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas. It has been proposed [1] and demonstrated experimentally with the semiconductor transistor structures [2], [3] that the hydrodynamic nonlinearities of the plasma transport can have a rectifying effect and induce a constant source-to-drain voltage in response to the time-harmonic component in the gate-to-channel potential. The quality of the resonance is limited by scattering on phonons and impurities and energy transfer to single particle excitations. As the result the recent demonstrations of resonant plasma response to THz radiation have been limited to low temperatures. It may be advantages to make use of unusual high-frequency properties and relatively high room-temperature mobility of the two-dimensional electron or hole gas in graphene based heterostructures.
Robotics and nature: from primitive creatures to human intelligence

For thousands of years, humans have looked to nature to find solutions for their problems. This trend has affected the robotics field as well as artificial intelligence, manufacturing, biomechanics, vision and many others. In the robotics field, there are many unsolved problems which amazingly have been solved in nature. These problems vary from basic motion control to high level intelligence problems. Insects' motion, human's walking, driving, exploring an unstructured environment, and object recognition are examples of these problems. Robotics researchers have looked to nature to find solutions to these problems. However, what is missing is human-like computation ability. The presumption is that if we want to create a human like robot, we should implement systems which perceive and operate similar to humans. This paper is a survey on how robotics has been inspired by mimicking nature. It introduces different trends and reviews the modern biologically inspired technology. It also focuses on human perception and potentials for perception based robotics. The significance of this work is that it provides an understanding of the importance of perception in the design of a robot controller.
Aortic Dissection and Stroke

Abstract Aortic dissection occurs in about 3–4 per 100,000 persons per year. A common clinical error is to equate aortic dissection with aneurysm. This misconception unfortunately has been propagated since the earliest descriptions of these diseases, describing a “Dissecting Aneurysm of the Aorta.” While some aneurysms can be complicated by, and predispose to, dissection, and dissections can become aneurysmal over time, the disease processes are relatively distinct. Both the diseases themselves as well as the various treatments can cause neurologic injury. A thorough understanding of both etiologies is essential to rendering accurate and reliable opinions regarding prognosis and treatment.
Extubation Failure in an Adolescent Patient after General Anesthesia for Gastrostomy Tube Placement

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease resulting in destruction of the post-synaptic nicotinic receptors at the neuromuscular junction. Classically, the earliest symptoms of MG are ocular, including ptosis and diplopia. Other less common early symptoms include dysphagia and fatigable chewing. Our case report describes the unusual presentation of MG in a teenager patient and presented for an elective percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), tube placement due to persistent weight loss. The patient underwent the procedure without any complications. At the time of tracheal extubation, she could not maintain spontaneous ventilation, so requiring mechanical ventilation. The patient was transferred from the recovery room to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Subsequent investigations including a bedside electromyography (EMG), led to the diagnosis of MG. The patient was successfully extubated after treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin, oral prednisone 40 mg per day and pyridostigmine 60 mg every 8 hours.
Effects of αTAT1 and HDAC5 on axonal regeneration in adult neurons

The role of posttranslational modifications in axonal injury and regeneration has been widely studied but there has been little consensus over the mechanism by which each modification affects adult axonal growth. Acetylation is known to play an important role in a variety of neuronal functions and its homeostasis is controlled by two enzyme families: the Histone Deacetylases (HDACs) and Histone Acetyl Transferases (HATs). Recent studies show that HDAC5 deacetylates microtubules in the axonal cytoplasm as part of an injury-induced regeneration response, but little is known about how acetylation of microtubules plays a role. Alpha-tubulin acetyl transferase (αTAT1) is a microtubule specific acetyl transferase that binds to microtubules and directly affects microtubule stability in cells. We hypothesize that increasing tubulin acetylation may play an important role in increasing the rate of axonal growth. In this study, we infected cultured adult DRG neurons with αTAT1 and αTAT1-D157N, a catalytically inactive mutant, and HDAC5, using lentiviruses. We found that αTAT1 significantly increases tubulin acetylation in 293T cells and DRG neurons but αTAT1-D157N does not. Furthermore, in neurons infected with αTAT1, a significant increase in acetylated tubulin was detected towards the distal portion of the axon but this increase was not detected in neurons infected with αTAT1-D157N. However, we found a significant increase in axon lengths of DRG neurons after αTAT1 and αTAT1-D157N infection, but no effect on axon lengths after infection with HDAC5. Our results suggest that while αTAT1 may play a role in axon growth in vitro, the increase is not directly due to acetylation of axonal microtubules. Our results also show that HDAC5 overexpression in the axonal cytoplasm does not play a crucial role in axonal regeneration of cultured DRG neurons. We expressed these genes in DRG neurons in adult rats and performed a sciatic nerve crush. We found that axons did not regenerate any better when infected with any of the constructs compared with control animals. Thus, while αTAT1 may be important for axonal growth in vitro, neither αTAT1 nor HDAC5 had an effect in vivo on the regeneration of sciatic nerves.
On the Fer expansion: Applications in solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and physics

Abstract Theoretical approaches are useful and powerful tools for more accurate and efficient spin dynamics simulation to understand experiments and devising new RF pulse sequence in nuclear magnetic resonance. Solid-state NMR is definitely a timely topic or area of research, and not many papers on the respective theories are available in the literature of nuclear magnetic resonance or physics reports. This report presents the power and the salient features of the promising theoretical approach called Fer expansion that is helpful to describe the evolution of the spin system in nuclear magnetic resonance. The report presents a broad view of algorithms of spin dynamics based on the Fer expansion which provides procedures to control and describe the spin dynamics in solid-state NMR. Significant applications of the Fer expansion are illustrated in NMR and in physics such as classical physics, nonlinear dynamics systems, celestial mechanics and dynamical astronomy, hydrodynamics, nuclear, atomic, molecular physics, and quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, high energy physics, electromagnetism. The aim of this report is to bring to the attention of the spin dynamics community, the bridge that exists between solid-state NMR and other related fields of physics and applied mathematics.
Sequential and selective localized optical heating in water via on-chip dielectric nanopatterning

We study the use of nanopatterned silicon membranes to obtain optically-induced heating in water. We show that by varying the detuning between an absorptive optical resonance of the patterned membrane and an illumination laser, both the magnitude and response time of the temperature rise can be controlled. This allows for either sequential or selective heating of different patterned areas on chip. We obtain a steady-state temperature of approximately 100 °C for a 805.5nm CW laser power density of 66 µW/μm2 and observe microbubble formation. The ability to spatially and temporally control temperature on the microscale should enable the study of heat-induced effects in a variety of chemical and biological lab-on-chip applications.
Characteristics of Transparent, PEDOT:PSS-Coated Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO) Microelectrodes

This letter reports on electrochemical and optical characteristics of flexible, transparent microelectrodes, which consist of thin poly-(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) spun onto indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrodes for potential applications in biomedical optoelectronic devices. Although PEDOT:PSS/ITO combined films have been extensively investigated for applications in optical devices, such as solar cells and LEDs, PEDOT:PSS/ITO films for use in electrophysiological recording have not been well characterized yet. In this letter, PEDOT:PSS-coated ITO microelectrodes with various diameters of 10, 37, 50, and 80 μ m were microfabricated and characterized, and their properties were compared with plain ITO microelectrodes. Experimental results demonstrate that PEDOT:PSS-coated ITO electrodes exhibit decreased electrochemical impedance, well-performed stability in saline, and increased charge storage capacity while preserving excellent optical transparency and mechanical flexibility. Equivalent circuit models were fitted to the experimental results to analytically extract interface capacitance, charge transfer resistance, and solution resistance at the electrode–electrolyte interface.
Decohesion at a Circular Interface

Abstract The present investigation is concerned with the problem of the decohesion of a plane circular elastic inclusion from an unbounded elastic matrix subject to a remote biaxial load. Brittle decohesion is treated as a problem of the bifurcation of equilibrium displacement jump at the inclusion-matrix interface. In accordance with other cohesive zone type models the interface is characterized by a constitutive equation relating tractions across the interface to the displacement discontinuity which develops there. The specific form considered in this work is a physically based exponential force law which couples the normal component of displacement jump to the normal component of interface traction and, which requires a characteristic length for its prescription. Bifurcation of equilibrium can be shown to occur for decreasing values of the ratio of characteristic length to inclusion radius provided the remote load, interface strength and elastic moduli of inclusion and matrix are within certain bounds. By studying the character of the displacement discontinuity at the interface, as well as matrix and inclusion stress and deformation fields, a more detailed understanding of the mechanics of stress redistribution during the debonding process may be obtained.
Introduction to Efron (1979) Bootstrap Methods: Another Look at the Jackknife

It is not unusual, in the history of statistics, that an important paper goes scarcely noticed for a decade or longer. Examples from the past half-century include von Mises’ (1937,1947) papers on statistical functionals, Quenouille’s (1949) paper, Tukey’s (1956) abstract on the jackknife, and Wald’s (1943) paper on the asymptotic optimality of likelihood ratio tests. Each of these pioneering works was well ahead of its time. Brad Efron’s (1979) paper on the bootstrap sparked immediate interest among his peers. A decade after its publication, the bootstrap literature is large and still growing, with no immediate end in sight. Surely, the timing and formulation of Efron’s paper were just right. But what were the yearnings in the statistical world of 1979 that the paper touched so well? Why did development of the bootstrap idea follow so swiftly?
Taking the point of view of the blind: Spontaneous level-2 perspective-taking in irrelevant conditions

Abstract Efficient perspective taking abilities are critical for successful social interactions. The aim of this study was to investigate whether and to what extent we spontaneously adopt others' perspectives in interpreting a visual scene. Through four distinct studies, we tested whether another person's point of view is adopted when interpreting an ambiguous stimulus. In addition, we manipulated the relevance of another person's perspective to a stimulus by altering sensory and action capabilities. The vast majority of participants spontaneously endorsed the other perspective rather than their own when asked to identify the target stimulus. Strikingly, and contrary to our expectations, they also overwhelmingly took the other's perspective when it was not relevant visually (blindfolded person) or behaviourally (armless person). A smaller number of subjects also adopted an external perspective in the absence of a person. Additionally, two control experiments show that viewing an injured person induces more compassion but does not trigger more perspective taking than viewing a healthy person. Our results demonstrate an overwhelming human tendency to predominantly consider non-egocentric perspectives while interpreting the surrounding world.
Evaluating the use of roving diver and transect surveys to assess the coral reef fish assemblage off southeastern Hispaniola

The relatively little-studied fish fauna off southeastern Hispaniola was rapidly assessed using a combination of visual survey techniques including transects and roving diver surveys. It was found that when combined, both methods provided a more complete overall species assessment than either method was able to provide in isolation. Being able to conduct rapid species assessments is becoming increasingly more important as a conservation tool. Data on species composition, sighting frequency, and abundance of all fishes were collected using both methods. Abundance was recorded in four logarithmic-based categories (roving diver method) while the number of fishes were counted within 40-m2 transects (transect method). Both methods were similar in recording the most abundant species, while a greater number of rare species (especially fishery-targeted species) were recorded with the roving diver method. The most abundant groupers were Cephalopholis cruentata and C. fulva. The most abundant parrotfishes were Scarus taeniopterus, Sparisoma aurofrenatum, and Scarus iserti. The most conspicuous differences between fishes off southeastern Hispaniola and elsewhere in the tropical western Atlantic were the low abundance and smaller size of harvested species such as groupers, snappers (Fam. Lutjanidae), and grunts (Fam. Haemulidae). With the roving diver method, more time could be spent surveying (instead of placing transect lines), resulting in a greater number of species being recorded. Additionally, well-trained volunteers can adopt the roving diver method as part of their regular diving program. Transect surveys were able to provide information such as length (biomass) and actual density measures that were not recorded in roving diver surveys. Thus, these methods were complementary and should be used in conjunction when conducting rapid assessments of fish assemblages, especially to detect the effects of overfishing.
Resolvin D4 attenuates the severity of pathological thrombosis in mice

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a common cardiovascular disease with a major effect on quality of life, and safe and effective therapeutic measures to efficiently reduce existent thrombus burden are scarce. Using a comprehensive targeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based metabololipidomics approach, we established temporal clusters of endogenously biosynthesized specialized proresolving mediators (SPMs) and proinflammatory and prothrombotic lipid mediators during DVT progression in mice. Administration of resolvin D4 (RvD4), an SPM that was enriched at the natural onset of thrombus resolution, significantly reduced thrombus burden, with significantly less neutrophil infiltration and more proresolving monocytes in the thrombus, as well as an increased number of cells in an early apoptosis state. Moreover, RvD4 promoted the biosynthesis of other D-series resolvins involved in facilitating resolution of inflammation. Neutrophils from RvD4-treated mice were less susceptible to an ionomycin-induced release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), a meshwork of decondensed chromatin lined with histones and neutrophil proteins critical for DVT development. These results suggest that delivery of SPMs, specifically RvD4, modulates the severity of thrombo-inflammatory disease in vivo and improves thrombus resolution.
A 13-mer peptide straddling the leucine33/proline33 polymorphism in glycoprotein IIIa does not define the PLA1 epitope

We confirm the recent report (J Clin Invest 83:1778, 1989) of a polymorphism at amino acid 33 of platelet GPIIIa associated with the PLA1/PLA2 phenotype by using the polymerase chain reaction on cDNA derived from platelet RNA, using the base-pair primers 105–129 and 452- 428. Platelet cDNA from three PLA2-homozygous individuals, when digested with Nci I, gave two bands of 256 bp and 91 bp, whereas eight PLA1 cDNAs gave a single band of 347 bp. Two 13-mer amino acid peptides straddling the amino acid polymorphism: SDEALP (L/P) GSPRCD were synthesized for epitope studies. Two mouse polyclonal antibodies were raised: one against the PLA1-associated peptide, the other against the PLA2 peptide. Both antibodies react with either peptide, as well as with both PLA1 and PLA2 platelets. The PLA1 peptide did not block the binding of two different human anti-PLA1 antibodies to the 100-Kd GPIIIa band on immunoblot of platelet extracts; neither did it block the binding of the same antibodies to PLA1-platelet extracts in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Further studies were performed on the PLA1 epitope following subtilisin digestion of purified GPIIIa. A 55-Kd fragment was obtained that retained the PLA1 epitope as well as the first 13 N-terminal amino acids of GPIIIa. Reduction of the 55-Kd fragment resulted in loss of the PLA1 epitope with production of a 67- Kd, 21-Kd, and 10-Kd band on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The 55-Kd band does not react with LK-2, a monoclonal antibody versus GPIIIa that inhibits adenosine diphosphate, collagen, epinephrine, and thrombin-induced aggregation. Thus, the PLA1 epitope is conformation-induced, resides on an N-terminal 55-Kd fragment composed of two or more peptides held together by -SH bonds, and is not required for platelet aggregation.
Basic selective estrogen receptor degraders (B-SERDs) in combination with novel BET inhibitors in ER+ breast cancer

Abstract Background Resistance to endocrine therapy in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer drives mortality and despite new targeted therapies, resistance is the obstacle to progression-free survival. Fulvestrant (FUL), a selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) was approved in 2017 for first-line therapy of metaststic disease in postmenopausal women; however, acquired FUL-resistance in both first-line setting and in combination therapy with CDK4/6 inhibitor, palbociclib, has been observed clinically. The poor pharmacokinetics of FUL may contribute to acquired resistance. Methods Using structure-based design, we optimized: 1) novel SERDs bearing a basic side chain (B-SERDs) as an orally bioavailable and brain penetrant alternative to FUL; 2) novel pyridinone-based bromodomains and extra-terminal motif (BET) inhibitors to be used in combination with B-SERDs or FUL. Biochemical assays and growth inhibition of breast cancer cell lines, resistant to tamoxifen, and/or FUL, both in 2D and 3D cultures were used to optimize and select development candidates. Drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics(DMPK) demonstrated oral bioavailability and dose selection for validation in mouse xenograft models of endocrine resistant breast cancer. Results B-SERDs showed equivalence to FUL in cell culture models, with respect to ERα degradation and antiproliferative activity; and in contrast to FUL, were demonstrated to have good oral and brain bioavailability. A development candidate with improved DMPK characteristics was effective in endocrine-resistant ER+ xenograft models. Novel BET inhibitors, optimized for potency in binding to BRD4-BD1 and selectivity over the larger family of bromodomain containing proteins, inhibited growth of tamoxifen and FUL-resistant breast cancer cells.Optimized compounds showed superior in vitro activity to eight BET inhibitors in clinical trials. The optimized BET inhibitor was validated alone and in combination with B-SERD in endocrine-resistant xenograft models. Conclusions The combination of B-SERD with BET inhibitor provides a multi-targeted suppression of ER signaling that may extend progression-free survival and cdircumvent acquired resistance in metastatic ER+ breast cancer. Legal entity responsible for the study Gregory R J Thatcher. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Presentation and outcomes of end stage liver disease patients presenting with septic shock to the emergency department.

Abstract Background Patients with end stage liver disease (ESLD) are particularly vulnerable to sepsis. ESLD patients are often excluded from controlled sepsis trials and more data are needed to guide the management of this population. Objective To describe the clinical factors and outcomes of patients with ESLD presenting to the emergency department (ED) with septic shock. Methods We performed a retrospective review of patients registered in our dedicated ED adult septic shock pathway. All patients registered between January 2014 and May 2016 were included. Clinical and treatment variables for ESLD patients were compared with non-ESLD patients. A second analysis assessed ESLD survivors compared to non-survivors. Results 2,584 septic shock patients were enrolled. ESLD was present in 6.2% (n = 161) of patients. Patients with ESLD had higher mortality compared to patients without ESLD 36.6% vs 21.2% (p Conclusions Patients with ESLD comprise a small but important subgroup of patients with ED septic shock that experience high mortality compared to patients without ESLD. Maximum ED lactate and pneumonia as the source of sepsis are independently associated with adverse outcome and may be used for early recognition of high-risk ESLD sepsis patients.
Strategic policy narratives: A narrative policy study of the Columbia River Crossing:

This study examines how coalitions in local policy contexts implore policy narratives to expand or contain the scope of policy issues. The Narrative Policy Framework (NPF), a maturing theory of the...
Diagnosis of canine renal lymphoma by cytology and flow cytometry of the urine.

Lymphoma is a common hematopoietic neoplasm of dogs. A definitive diagnosis typically requires the collection of samples via fine-needle aspirate or biopsy. A unique case of canine renal T-cell lymphoma diagnosed using urine sediment microscopy with flow cytometry and PCR for Antigen Receptor Rearrangement (PARR) is presented. A fresh urine sample was collected via a urinary catheter and immediately prepared for cytologic examination, flow cytometry, and PARR. The flow cytometric study revealed that 83% of the cells were large CD3+ CD8+ T cells, while PARR identified a clonally rearranged T-cell receptor gene, supporting the flow cytometry findings. Despite supportive care, the patient progressed to anuric renal failure and was humanely euthanized. A necropsy was performed, and tissues from the upper and lower urinary tracts were collected. Histologically, the right and left kidneys were infiltrated by a neoplastic round cell population effacing the cortex and medulla. Immunohistochemistry for the T- and B-cell antigens CD3 and CD20, respectively, revealed that the neoplastic population within the kidney demonstrated diffuse, strong, membranous to intracytoplasmic CD3 expression while lacking CD20 expression. These results confirmed the diagnosis of renal T-cell lymphoma. This is the first known report of canine lymphoma diagnosed using either urine flow cytometry or clonality testing. Therefore, in select cases, urine flow cytometry and/or PARR are feasible to perform on urine-derived cells as a quick and cost-effective means to aid in the diagnosis of urinary tract lymphoma.
Correction to: Variable Magnitude and Frequency Financial Reinforcement is Effective at Increasing Adults’ Free-Living Physical Activity

The original article has been corrected to update figures 1, 4, and 5 captions and the corrected captions are listed below:
FLIC: A Distributed Fog Cache for City-Scale Applications

We present FLIC, a distributed software data caching framework for fogs that reduces network traffic and latency. FLIC is targeted toward city-scale deployments of cooperative IoT devices in which each node gathers and shares data with surrounding devices. As machine learning and other data processing techniques that require large volumes of training data are ported to low-cost and low-power IoT systems, we expect that data analysis will be moved away from the cloud. Separation from the cloud will reduce reliance on power-hungry centralized cloud-based infrastructure. However, city-scale deployments of cooperative IoT devices often connect to the Internet with cellular service, in which service charges are proportional to network usage. IoT system architects must be clever in order to keep costs down in these scenarios. To reduce the network bandwidth required to operate city-scale deployments of cooperative IoT systems, FLIC implements a distributed cache on the IoT nodes in the fog. FLIC allows the IoT network to share its data without repetitively interacting with a simple cloud storage service, reducing calls out to a backing store. Our results displayed a less than 2% miss rate on reads. Thus, allowing for only 5% of requests needing the backing store. We were also able to achieve more than 50% reduction in bytes transmitted per second.
Recommending Video Games to Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder for Social-Skill Enhancement

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a long-standing mental condition characterized by hindered mental growth and development and is a lifelong disability for the majority of affected individuals. In 2018, 2-3% of children in the USA have been diagnosed with autism. As these children move to adulthood, they have difficulty in developing a well-functioning motor skill. Some of these abnormalities, however, can be gradually improved if they are treated appropriately during their adulthood. Studies have shown that people with ASD enjoy playing video games. Educational games, however, have been primarily developed for children with ASD, which are too primitive for adults with ASD. We have developed a gaming and personalized recommender system that suggests therapeutic games to adults with ASD which can improve their social-interactive skills. The gaming system maintains the entertainment value of the games to ensure that adults are interested in playing them, whereas the recommender system suggests appropriate games for adults with ASD to play. The effectiveness and merit of our gaming and recommender system is backed up by an empirical study.
Valley-Mechanics in a Monolayer Semiconductor

We directly transduce valley information into mechanical states in a monolayer MoS 2 resonator. The valley-mechanical interaction is achieved under a magnetic gradient and the valley-actuated mechanical motion is detected by laser interferometry.
Identification of Efficacious Vaccines Against Contemporary North American H7 Avian Influenza Viruses

Five vaccines, including four inactivated, whole-virus water-in-oil adjuvanted vaccines and a commercial nonreplicating alphavirus-vectored RNA particle (RP) vaccine were evaluated in chickens for their ability to provide protection against challenge with a recent H7 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (AIV) from the United States (A/turkey/IN/1403-1/2016 H7N8). One of the inactivated vaccines and the RP vaccine were prepared with A/turkey/IN/16-01571-6/2016 H7N8 low pathogenic AIV (LPAIV; TK/IN/16), which is identical to the challenge virus, except for the proteolytic cleavage site of the hemagglutinin protein. The remaining three inactivated vaccines were prepared with other North American H7 LPAIVs. The hemagglutination inhibition assay was used to evaluate the antigenic relationships among the vaccines and selected recent H7 AIV isolates. All five vaccines provided protection against mortality. The inactivated vaccines reduced virus shedding significantly at 2 and 4 days post challenge compared with sham-vaccinated chickens. In contrast, the RP vaccine did not significantly reduce virus shedding. The inactivated vaccine prepared with TK/IN/16 elicited the highest antibody responses, which suggests it is a strong candidate for use as an antigen for North American H7 AIVs. Antigenic distance calculations showed that the four inactivated vaccine strains and other recent North American H7 isolates are antigenically similar, which suggests that the vaccines evaluated here would be similar enough to provide protection to other North American H7 AIVs. If future H7 outbreaks in poultry warrant vaccination, the field strain can be rapidly evaluated with these antigens and, if adequately related, one of these characterized strains may be used.
Locating Power in Ostrom’s Design Principles: Watershed Management in India and the United States

Ostrom’s design principles are considered to characterize robust institutions for managing common-pool resources. However, the design principles can conceal and perpetuate power asymmetries to limi...
Precision Public Health Matters: An International Assessment of Communication, Preparedness, and Coordination for Successful COVID-19 Responses.

[ ]lessons learned from previous pandemics helped catalyze COVID19 preparedness in several countries 2 Scientists in China identified and shared genetic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 on January 10, allowing international jump starts in testing technology (South Korea) and vaccine development (e g , United States, United Kingdom) [ ]of the 2015 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic, South Korea established the Infectious Disease Control Center, which later distributed COVID-19 testing guidelines before the first confirmed South Korean case 2 Responses in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea used technology- including mobile phone data, credit card records, and closed-circuit TV recordings-to help identify, isolate, and contact trace COVID-19-positive individuals 2 Despite encroachment on individual privacy and liberties, public recall of SARS and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) facilitated adherence to these procedures 2 Unlike the fragmented US health care system, universal health care access in all other developed nations facilitated support of pandemic responses [ ]strong central coordination is essential to COVID-19 mitigation and precision public health