cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationships between micellar properties and the cloud point of aqueous dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine—dimethyldecylphosphine oxide solutions

Abstract The molecular weight and shape of mixed micelles containing different ratios of decyldimethylphosphine oxide (DecDPO) and dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) were determined in order to account for the depression of the cloud point of aqueous DecDPO by the addition of DMPC (Kresheck, G. C., Chem. Phys. Lipids 29, 69 (1981)). The molecular weight from gel filtration chromatography and sedimentation equilibrium studies increased from 25,000 g/mole to 48,000, 165,000, and 310,000 g/mole as the mole fraction of DecDPO to DMPC decreased from 1.0 to 0.9, 0.95, and 0.8, respectively. The hydrodynamic shape of the mixed micelles containing the least amount of phospholipid appeared to be the least asymmetric, and the sample with a DecDPO mole fraction of 0.8 resembled a prolate particle with an axial ratio of 40. The cloud point lowering action of DMPC was correlated with an increased molecular weight of the resulting mixed micelles in analogy with the molecular weight of the cloud point for aqueous polymer solutions using the theory of Flory and Huggins.
Use of Continuous Monitoring of Mixed Venous Saturation in the Coronary Care Unit

Recent advances in catheter technology that enable continuous measurement of mixed venous oxygen saturation (S v ¯ O2) have improved diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities in the critical care setting. The utilization of the Opticath has provided valuable information in the diagnosis and treatment of many critically ill patients in our coronary care unit. In many instances, a change in S v ¯ O2 supplied the first indication of a hemodynamic change in the patient. Specific clinical situations in which the Opticath was used are reviewed.
Food iron absorption in man II. The effect of EDTA on absorption of dietary non-heme iron

One hundred and eighty iron absorption tests were performed in 45 normal men to determine the effect of EDTA on the absorption of dietary non-heme iron. The addition of 50 mg EDTA to test meals containing 4.1 mg iron reduced absorption by approximately one-half from meals of both high (standard meal) and low (semisynthetic meal) iron availability. Studies employing dual radioiron labels demonstrated complete isotopic exchange of ferric EDTA with dietary non-heme iron. Further studies were carried out to determine the decrease in food iron absorption at varying levels of EDTA. At a 1:1 molar ratio of EDTA to iron, absorption of non-heme iron was reduced to 72% and at a 2:1 molar ratio, to 50% of absorption without EDTA. These levels of EDTA are within the range believed to be present in the United States diet.
21 st century assessment: redesigning to optimize learning

This poster presents design implications related to findings from research on the development of Interactive Learning Assessments (ILAs). Standardized assessments using multiple choice questions cannot measure the most critical aspects of learning for the 21st century. ILAs place students in advisory roles, leveraging a place-based metaphor to navigate, learn, then give counsel in situations in which they do not already know how to solve the problem; we assess how students learn to learn.
Porosity Type and Distribution in Selected Richfield Oil Fields, Middle Devonian, Central Michigan Basin: ABSTRACT

The Richfield zone of the lower Middle Devonian Lucas Formation has been a source of significant quantities of hydrocarbons in the north-central and Saginaw Bay area of Michigan. Production through 1980 totaled 91,639,006 bbl of oil. Prior work, which interpreted the Richfield's environment of deposition to be sabkha, neglected any detailed study of porosity type and distribution within the zone. Integration of data from core analysis, contemporary geophysical well logs, and thin-section analysis provided a basis for delineating porosity types and porosity distribution within the fields. Porosity type and origin were determined by using the guidelines of Choquette and Pray. Patterns of porosity were mapped within producing fields and presented as "time-slice" contour maps and cross-sectional fence diagrams. This approach will allow better understanding of the development of porosity in these sabkha carbonates and provides a more reliable method of predicting porosity trends. End_of_Article - Last_Page 532------------
Cellular ANTomata: Food-Finding and Maze-Threading

A model for realizing ant-inspired algorithms that coordinate robots within a fixed, geographically constrained environment is proposed and illustrated. The model, dubbed cellular ANTomata, inverts the relationship between ant-robots and the environment that they navigate: intelligence now resides in the environment rather than in the ants. The cellular ANTomaton model is illustrated via three proof-of-concept problems: having ants "park" in the nearest corner; having ants seek "food items" (both with and without impenetrable obstacles); having a single ant thread a maze. In all cases, "unintelligent" cellular-ANTomata-based ant-robots accomplish goals provably more efficiently than traditional "intelligent" ant-robots can; indeed, "intelligent" ant-robots cannot park at all! All of the presented algorithms are scalable: they provably work within any finite-size environment.
Analysis of Chromosome 1p Abnormalities in Renal Oncocytomas by Loss of Heterozygosity Studies Correlation With Conventional Cytogenetics and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

We previously showed by cytogenetics and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) that the most common chromosomal abnormality in renal oncocytomas is loss of chromosome 1 or 1p. In the present study, we evaluated chromosome 1 by loss of heterozygosity (LOH) studies. DNA was extracted from paraffin sections. Three microsatellite markers were used: D1S508, D1S199, and D1S2734. The regions targeted by FISH probes and LOH markers were close to each other but not overlapping. Among 16 tumors evaluated by all 3 techniques, in 2 cases, LOH could not be interpreted. LOH was detected in at least 1 locus in 12 (86%) of 14 renal oncocytomas studied, with other loci being noninformative or not interpretable (1 case). In 2 cases, the LOH results were inconclusive. These results provide further evidence to support widespread abnormalities in chromosome 1p in renal oncocytoma. Determining whether such abnormalities are unique to renal oncocytomas or are also present in other tumors requires further studies.
Low power architecture of the soft-output Viterbi algorithm

An important technique for reducing pow er consumption in VLSI systems is strength reduction, the substitution of a less-costly operation such as a shift, for a more-costly operation such a multiplication. Using a logarithmic number represen tation provides sev eral opportunities for strength reductions; in particular, m ultiplicationis performed as the fixed-point addition of logarithms, and extracting a square root is implemented via a shift. These reductions occur transparently at the hardware level; consequently relativ ely little algorithmic modification is required, and they are readily applicable to adaptive filtering. For performing Givens rotations in the QR decomposition recursiv e least squares adaptive filter, logarithmic arithmetic is shown to compare favorably to other strength reduction techniques, such as CORDIC arithmetic, in terms of switched capacitance and numerical accuracy.
Computerized Video Time-Lapse Analysis of Apoptosis of REC:Myc Cells X-Irradiated in Different Phases of the Cell Cycle

Abstract Forrester, H. B., Albright, N., Ling, C. C. and Dewey, W. C. Computerized Video Time-Lapse Analysis of Apoptosis of REC:Myc Cells X-Irradiated in Different Phases of the Cell Cycle. Asynchronous rat embryo cells expressing Myc were followed in 50 fields by computerized video time lapse (CVTL) for three to four cycles before irradiation (4 Gy) and then for 6–7 days thereafter. Pedigrees were constructed for single cells that had been irradiated in different parts of the cycle, i.e. at different times after they were born. Over 95% of the cell death occurred by postmitotic apoptosis after the cells and their progeny had divided from one to six times. The duration of the process of apoptosis once it was initiated was independent of the phase in which the cell was irradiated. Cell death was defined as cessation of movement, typically 20–60 min after the cell rounded with membrane blebbing, but membrane rupture did not occur until 5 to 40 h later. The times to apoptosis and the number of divisions aft...
Some Shift Inequalities for Gaussian Measures

Let μ be a centered Gaussian measure on a Banach space B and suppose h∈H μ, the generating Hilbert space of ∈. If E is a Borel subset of B, we establish some inequalities between ∈.(E) and ∈(E+h) which are similar in spirit to the isoperimetric inequality for Gaussian measures. We also include some applications to precise large deviation probabilities for ∈.
Musculoskeletal medicine in the USA: education and training of family physicians

Musculoskeletal complaints account for approximately 10–20% of all visits to family physicians. Evidence suggests that there is little instruction provided in medical school, and inadequate instruction in family medicine residencies for future practice. This article reviews historical and current evidence regarding musculoskeletal medicine in medical education. The lack of studiesevaluating the quality of musculoskeletal medical care delivered by family physicians needs to be addressed
Incorporated Vision: Artistic Critiques of the Development Discourse in Latin America

This essay analyzes three key works of Latin American art in the 1960s and 1970s: La Destruccion (1963) by Argentine artist Marta Minujin, La Muerte del Justo y la Muerte del Pecador (1973) by the Colombian artist Beatriz Gonzalez, and Mandala (1969) by Brazilian artist Lygia Clark. These works blur the lines between body of the artist, the spectator or participant and the work of art, making intelligible the somatic, historical, social, and ideological constitution of vision. In doing so, these works puncture the myth of the disinterested or objective gaze of scientific rationalism that buttressed development discourse and thus Cold War power relations
‘A Jolly Romp We Were Always Destined to Win’: The BBC's ’Allo ’Allo! and British Memories of Downed Aircrew in Occupied France during the Second World War

The long-running BBC sitcom, ’Allo ’Allo!, has been thoroughly criticised for its use of various racial, gendered and sexualised tropes, not to mention its cynical view of the French experience of the Second World War. This article, however, reassesses the programme in light of what it highlights about the lived experience of Anglo-American airmen who were forced to bale from their planes over Occupied France. It uses the comedic aspects of the programme to investigate escape and evasion training, the use of language, ‘fitting in’ and the prominence of peasants in the wartime lives of Anglo-American aircrews in France. The programme, rather than being just another example of Gaullophobia, accurately represents some elements of the Second World War in France. In addition, changes in the plot over its nine seasons suggest that the sitcom reflects broader British concerns, as well as the Anglo-French relationship.
11 Regulation of Fungal Nitrogen Metabolism

Genes for nitrogen acquisition and metabolism are highly regulated in filamentous fungi for adaptation to changes in nitrogen nutrient availability. Much of our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms comes from studies in the models Aspergillus nidulans, Neurospora crassa, and Fusarium fujikuroi. The last decade has seen many advances in this field including our understanding of the mechanisms controlling action of the key nitrogen transcription factor AreA, as well as new insights into the roles of other components of the global nitrogen regulatory system. This chapter will review these advances with a focus on the work in A. nidulans.
Lipid Regulation of Acrosome Exocytosis.

Lipids are critical regulators of mammalian sperm function, first helping prevent premature acrosome exocytosis, then enabling sperm to become competent to fertilize at the right place/time through the process of capacitation, and ultimately triggering acrosome exocytosis. Yet because they do not fit neatly into the “DNA–RNA–protein” synthetic pathway, they are understudied and poorly understood. Here, we focus on three lipids or lipid classes—cholesterol, phospholipids, and the ganglioside GM1—in context of the modern paradigm of acrosome exocytosis. We describe how these various species are precisely segregated into membrane macrodomains and microdomains, simultaneously preventing premature exocytosis while acting as foci for organizing regulatory and effector molecules that will enable exocytosis. Although the mechanisms responsible for these domains are poorly defined, there is substantial evidence for their composition and functions. We present diverse ways that lipids and lipid modifications regulate capacitation and acrosome exocytosis, describing in more detail how removal of cholesterol plays a master regulatory role in enabling exocytosis through at least two complementary pathways. First, cholesterol efflux leads to proteolytic activation of phospholipase B, which cleaves both phospholipid tails. The resultant changes in membrane curvature provide a mechanism for the point fusions now known to occur far before a sperm physically interacts with the zona pellucida. Cholesterol efflux also enables GM1 to regulate the voltage-dependent cation channel, CaV2.3, triggering focal calcium transients required for acrosome exocytosis in response to subsequent whole-cell calcium rises. We close with a model integrating functions for lipids in regulating acrosome exocytosis.
System Identification of Multidimensional Shoulder Impedance During Volitional Contractions

Abstract The shoulder is stabilized by passive structures and active muscle forces, but it is unknown how these factors interact to regulate three-dimensional (3D) joint mechanics during volitional contractions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify the 3D impedance of the shoulder. Nonparametric identification was used to determine model structure; these estimates were described well by 3D inertial, viscosity, and elastic parameterizations. Our results show the elastic component is anisotropic and dependent on the patterns of volitional activation. Importantly, the shoulder muscles provide significant mechanical coupling between different degrees of freedom. We conclude that quantitative assessments of 3D shoulder mechanics may provide a more complete description of joint function.
Hybrid Data Fusion for Correction of Sensor Drift Faults

Many fault detection algorithms deal with fault signatures that are manifested as step changes. While detection of these step changes can be difficult due to noise and other complicating factors, detecting slowly developing faults is usually even more complicated. Trade-offs between early detection and false positive avoidance are more difricult to establish. Often times, slow drift faults go completely undetected because the monitoring systems assume that they are ordinary system changes. To address this class of problems, we introduce here a set of algorithms that is customized to respond to drift problems of one of two redundant sensors by avoiding the bad sensor, thus indirectly recognizing the aberrant sensor. We utilize hybrid techniques that harness the advantages of learning and sensor validation techniques. Specifically, we employ a data fusion algorithm that is inspired by fuzzy principles. The parameters of this algorithm are learned using competing optimization approaches. Specifically, we compare the results from a particle swarm optimization approach with those obtained from genetic algorithms. Results are shown for an application in the transportation industry.
Modeling a Management Accounting System for Lean Manufacturing Firms

Lean thinking is rapidly becoming the dominant paradigm in manufacturing. Traditional management accounting fails to provide relevant information to decision makers in a Lean organization. A relatively new management accounting approach better suited to supporting lean initiatives is emerging. Popularly termed Lean accounting (LA), the information generated by this system is portended to be simpler to prepare, easier for shop-floor decision makers to understand, and more useful for decision making. Although the advantages of this emerging management accounting paradigm are becoming more widely understood, a clear definition and theoretical basis is lacking. The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify some of the most critical characteristics of firms that have changed their accounting systems to support their lean production The SEM results from 259 U.S. survey respondents suggest that companies accounting for Lean operations with value stream costing (VSC) have the following characteristics: 1) top management that is highly supportive of change and lean initiatives; 2) workers who are trained in quality issues and empowered to make decisions; 3) considerable use of lean manufacturing tools such as reduced setup times, cellular manufacturing, 5S, Kanban, and Kaizen events; 4) information that is visual, aligned with strategic objectives, and readily available on the shop floor; 5) elimination of inventory tracking and allocation of labor and overhead; and 6) a simplified and streamlined management accounting system that is aligned with strategic goals. The analyses of these results suggest that accountants are beginning to understand the different types of informational needs of Lean environments.
ENGAGING BUSINESS IN THE REGULATION OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

While holding great promise, nanotechnology also raises concerns about currently unknown health and environmental risks. The lack of information about these potential risks poses distinct challenges for regulators, who need a clear understanding about problems in order to solve them. Under such circumstances of information scarcity, a strong case can be made for having regulators engage with business and even delegate responsibility for uncovering and avoiding risks, as the firms themselves possess an informational advantage over government. In this chapter, I review what researchers have learned about engaging business in regulation, with the goal of informing future decisionmaking about how to respond to nanotechnology. Specifically, I consider the available evidence on the conditions for the effective use of flexible regulatory instruments, governmental voluntary programs, nongovernmental voluntary regimes, and industry self-regulation. To date, the regulatory responses to nanotechnology’s potential risks have been primarily voluntary and industry-based, with firms playing the central role in nanotechnology risk management. Yet the same lack of information that makes such industry-based responses attractive also makes it difficult to ensure that businesses will act in a socially optimal manner. In the end, the forms of engagement or delegation that initially appear attractive for managing nanotechnology’s risks will also present inherent difficulties in ensuring effective risk management - or at least it will be difficult for regulators or the public to know whether these approaches are indeed effective.
Viewpoint: effectiveness of focused mentoring to improve requirements engineering industrial practice

Requirements engineering practice in industry is often encumbered by practical limits of time, resource, and attention. In our environment, most requirements authors have had no formal training in the practice, yet are expected to produce high-quality specifications that drive subsequent work. Authors are often unaware of different techniques for requirements specification and are rarely equipped to navigate all of the techniques and tools that are potentially available to them, to the extent that they are even aware of the various options. A small cadre of coaches, providing focused, just-in-time mentoring of authors in a handful of basic techniques can increase the proficiency of these authors, who in turn produce higher-quality requirements specifications. From this foundation, authors may be able to later adopt additional techniques to further improve the quality and maturity of their work, thus resulting in improved work products built on the basis of those specifications.
Toward a genetic tool development pipeline for host-associated bacteria

Bacteria reside in externally accessible niches on and in multicellular organisms, often forming mutualistic relationships with their host. Recent studies have linked the composition of these microbial communities with alterations in the host's health, behavior, and development, yet the causative mediators of host-microbiota interactions remain poorly understood. Advances in understanding and engineering these interactions require the development of genetic tools to probe the molecular interactions driving the structure and function of microbial communities as well as their interactions with their host. This review discusses the current challenges to rendering culturable, non-model members of microbial communities genetically tractable - including overcoming barriers to DNA delivery, achieving predictable gene expression, and applying CRISPR-based tools - and details recent efforts to create generalized pipelines that simplify and expedite the tool-development process. We use the bacteria present in the human gastrointestinal tract as representative microbiota to illustrate some of the recent achievements and future opportunities for genetic tool development.
Lower Endoscopy: Colonoscopy and Flexible or Rigid Sigmoidoscopy

This chapter lists the indications and contraindications, essential steps, common technical variations, and complications of lower gastrointestinal endoscopy. A detailed template operative dictation note for colonoscopy with or without polypectomy is included.
Interfacial Structure and Electric Field Probed by in Situ Electrochemical Vibrational Stark Effect Spectroscopy and Computational Modeling

Interfacial electric fields play crucial roles in electrochemistry, catalysis, and solar energy conversion. Understanding of the interfacial electric field effects has been hindered by the lack of a direct spectroscopic method to probe of the interfacial field at the molecular level. Here, we report the characterization of the field and interfacial structure at Au/diisocyanide/aqueous electrolyte interfaces, using a combination of in situ electrochemical vibrational sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. For 1,4-phenylene diisocyanide (PDI), 4,4′-biphenyl diisocyanide (BPDI), and 4,4″-p-terphenyl diisocyanide (TPDI), our results reveal that the frequency of the gold-bound NC stretch mode of the diisocyanide self-assembled monolayer (SAM) increases linearly with the applied potential, suggesting that SFG can be an in situ probe of the strength of the electric field at electrode/electrolyte interfaces. Using DFT-com...
Viewing Spontaneity Ethnomethodologically

In this article, I identify “spontaneity” as a significant but poorly-analyzed term in social theory and description through an overview of tensions between varying technical accounts of spontaneity in research literature. In contrast to conceptually-slippery “realist” accounts of spontaneity, I argue for viewing spontaneity ethnomethodologically, i.e., as a contextually-emergent social practice. I suggest two directions for future applications of this approach: first, an ethnomethodological approach to rhetorical analysis of unanalyzed use of the term “spontaneity” in research literature, and second, observational studies of improvisational theatre, a social practice in which orientation toward the production of spontaneity by participants is criterial to the identity of the practice.
A distance estimate to the Cygnus Loop based on the distances to two stars located within the remnant

Underlying nearly every quantitative discussion of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant is uncertainty about its distance. Here we present optical images and spectra of nebulosities around two stars whose mass-loss material appears to have interacted with the remnant's expanding shock front and thus can be used to estimate the Cygnus Loop's distance. Narrow passband images reveal a small emission-line nebula surrounding an M4 red giant near the remnant's eastern nebula NGC 6992. Optical spectra of the nebula show it to be shock-heated with significantly higher electron densities than seen in the remnant's filaments. This along with a bow-shaped morphology suggests it is likely red giant mass-loss material shocked and accelerated by passage of the Cygnus Loop's blast wave. We also identify a B7 V star located along the remnant's northwestern limb which also appears to have interacted with the remnant's shock wave. It lies within a small arc of nebulosity in an unusually complex region of highly curved and distorted filaments along the remnant's northern shock front suggestive of a localized disturbance of the shock front due to the B star's stellar winds. Based on the assumption that these two stars lie inside the remnant, combined with an estimated distance to a molecular cloud situated along the remnant's western limb, we propose a distance to the Cygnus Loop of 1.0 +/- 0.2 kpc. Although larger than several recent estimates of 500 - 800 pc, a distance ~1 kpc helps resolve difficulties with the remnant's postshock cosmic ray and gas pressure ratio and estimated supernova explosion energy.
Tuberculous Enteritis Presenting as Acute Appendicitis and Perirectal Abscess

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has a wide variety of presentations. A rare occurrence is gastrointestinal tuberculosis. It may occur anywhere along the alimentary canal but usually occurs in the ileocecum with rare involvement of the appendix.
Him, Not Her: Why Working-class White Men Reluctant about Trump Still Made Him President of the United States:

There are many hypotheses for why working-class white men supported Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton by such a large margin (71 percent to 23 percent), yet little systematic qualitative work has b...
The Logic of Millennial Thought: Sir Isaac Newton Among His Contemporaries

Sir Isaac Newton is commonly praised for his originality in developing a systematic key (or rule) for unlocking the mysteries of prophetic language and the hermetic symbolism of the Bible’s prophetic style.1 In collating the Book of Nature with the Book of Scripture, Newton developed a rigorous taxonomy that allowed him to juxtapose “natural objects” in the Bible with “political events” in human history as a means of decoding prophetic language in a coherent manner.2 Because of his shared distrust of multiple or allegorical interpretations, Newton’s “Rules for interpreting the words and language in Scripture” is characterized by his insistence on a single, obvious, or literal sense of the prophecies, yet allows for a kind of “third or middle way” to govern allegorical or nonliteral interpretations when the plain or literal sense contradicts “reason.”3 With so much well-documented testimony of Newton’s resistance to allegory, it becomes all the more important to examine particular instances of his millennialism where Sir Isaac departs from his own principles and opts for allegorical and mystical readings rather than his avowed literalism.4 To be brief, I am postulating that in addition to the above-mentioned taxonomies, Newton’s decision-making process is also governed by significant a priori assumptions that determine the interior logic of his millenarian system. In the subsequent discussion, I shall focus on some of the most hotly debated issues shared by virtually all millennialists of the period and show when and why Newton departed from Joseph Mede (1586–1638)—the principal godfather of English apocalypticism. Moreover, I shall elucidate Newton in the light of his confreres of the Royal Society, especially John Ray (1628–1705), Thomas Burnet (c. 1635–1715), and Cotton Mather (1663–1728), all of whose millenarian hermeneutics were shaped by many of the same ideological and cosmological contingencies that determined Newton’s own.5
Thermogravimetric, thermochemical, and infrared spectral characterization of feedstocks and biochar derived at different pyrolysis temperatures.

Abstract Biochar is a promising biomass product for soil amendment, remediation, and carbon sequestration. In this study, the effect of pyrolysis temperature and feedstock type on biochar physiochemical properties including stability, recalcitrance, and surface functionality were investigated through thermogravimetric, thermochemical, and infrared spectral analyses. It is concluded in this research that pyrolysis temperature was the dominating factor determining the inherent characteristics of the derived biochar. High-temperature pyrolysis (≥600 °C) derived the biochar with a high pH, stability, recalcitrance, and higher heating value (HHV). On the other hand, the biochar produced from low-temperature pyrolysis (≤400 °C) had a larger mass yield, energy recovery, more volatile content, and diverse surface functional groups. The different biochar characteristics will lead to different agricultural and environmental applications. Also in this research, a carbon-based recalcitrance index (R50,C) based on a novel multi-element scanning thermal analysis (MESTA) was proposed to improve the current recalcitrance index (R50) based on the conventional thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for the evaluation of biochar’s carbon sequestration potential. The direct comparison of the two indexes, as well as the results from the infrared spectral analysis and ultimate analysis, indicated that R50,C was better at characterizing biochar’s recalcitrance, especially when the mineral content of the feedstock was high. In addition, the cost breakdown indicated that the pretreatment of feedstock was the costliest process during biochar production.
Cardiac hypertrophy in sarcopenic obese C57BL/6J mice is independent of Akt/mTOR cellular signaling.

Abstract Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is the comorbidity of age-related muscle wasting and obesity. SO increases the risk of heart disease, but little is known about the cellular signaling in cardiac muscle of SO individuals. Aim The purpose of this study was to identify key cellular signaling alterations in cardiac muscle of sarcopenic obese mice. Methods Thirty-two, male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into lean and high-fat fed groups and raised to 3–4 months (young) or 20–22 months (aged) of age. Hearts were extracted and processed for Western blot and qRT-PCR analyses. Results Hearts of SO mice were 36–55% heavier than the young, obese or aged, lean groups. Markers downstream of Akt were not elevated in the SO group. p-p38:p38 MAPK was higher with age, and a 2-fold increase was observed in the obese vs. lean aged groups. pERK1/2:ERK1/2 MAPK was ~50–70% lower in the SO cardiac muscle compared to the young, obese group. pAMPK:AMPK was 50%–66% lower in the SO cardiac muscle compared to the obese and lean, aged groups. mRNA abundance of TNFα was ~2.5-fold higher in the SO group. Conclusion Cardiac hypertrophy in SO is likely pathogenic as evidenced by the alterations in MAPK and AMPK protein content and lack of activation in the Akt/mTOR pathway.
The Omnipresence of Subchapter K in the International Arena

The purpose of Subchapter K is to provide certainty as to the appropriate focal point for making tax determinations, i.e., at the partner level or the partnership level, dictating which level is determinative for what purpose. Subchapter K generally ensures that partners are ultimately taxed similarly under the three possible methods of realization upon their investment. Whether (1) the partnership run its course and disposed of its assets for cash and liquidated thereafter, (2) the partner sells his partnership interest to another for cash, or (3) the partnership liquidates by distributing its assets to the partner for sale thereafter, the amount and character of the gain or loss is generally the same, albeit with some deferral in the liquidation context. Regardless of the method chosen, tax consequences ensue. Subchapter N’s treatment of inbound and outbound activity reflects different overriding purposes. Regarding inbound activity, the goal is to ensure that foreign persons are subject to tax on income, whether investment or business oriented, derived with a nexus to the United States. Regarding outbound activity, the focus is on the avoidance of double taxation by United States persons on income earned abroad as well as limiting the deferral of income by United States persons investing abroad through foreign corporations.The difficulty arises when partnerships operate internationally, i.e., where Subchapter K and Subchapter N may potentially overlap. Does Subchapter K always control; does Subchapter N? Is the entity approach determinative, the aggregate, or either depending upon the context? What is the ideal model for resolving such issues? Subchapter K is frequently viewed as omnipresent; however, not all issues involving partnerships in an international tax setting should be governed by it. In fact, most can, and should, be resolved under the statutory regime and governing principles of Subchapter N. In those infrequent cases where Subchapter K has a role to play, the recognition of its structural integrity, employing both the aggregate and the entity methods, requires the application of either method, depending upon the context in which the issue arises. In essence, such a transaction should receive treatment similar to that which would be accorded to such a transaction if it were exclusively domestic.
Using remote sensing to quantify ecosystem site potential community structure and deviation in the Great Basin, United States

Abstract The semi-arid Great Basin region in the Northwest U.S. is impacted by a suite of change agents including fire, grazing, and climate variability to which native vegetation can have low resilience and resistance. Assessing ecosystem condition in relation to these change agents is difficult due to a lack of a consistent and objective Site Potential (SP) information of the conditions biophysically possible at each site. Our objectives were to assess and quantify patterns in ecosystem condition, based on actual fractional component cover and a SP map and to evaluate drivers of change. We used long-term 90th percentile Landsat NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and biophysical variables to produce a map of SP. Ecosystem condition was assessed using two methods, first we integrated fractional components into an index which was regressed against SP. Regression confidence intervals were used to segment the study area into normal, over-, and under-performing relative to SP. Next, the relationships between SP and fractional component cover produced SP expected component cover, from which we mapped the actual cover deviation. Much of the study area is within the range of conditions expected by the SP model, but degraded conditions are more common than those above SP expectations. We found that shrub cover deviation is more positive at higher elevation, while herbaceous cover deviation has the opposite pattern, supporting the hypothesis that more resistant and resilient sites are less likely to change from the shrub dominated legacy. Another key finding was that regions with significant annual herbaceous invasions tend to have lower than expected bare ground and shrub cover.
Hydrophobic and antimicrobial dentin: A peptide-based 2-tier protective system for dental resin composite restorations.

Abstract Dental caries, i.e., tooth decay mediated by bacterial activity, is the most widespread chronic disease worldwide. Carious lesions are commonly treated using dental resin composite restorations. However, resin composite restorations are prone to recurrent caries, i.e., reinfection of the surrounding dental hard tissues. Recurrent caries is mainly a consequence of waterborne and/or biofilm-mediated degradation of the tooth-restoration interface through hydrolytic, acidic and/or enzymatic challenges. Here we use amphipathic antimicrobial peptides to directly coat dentin to provide resin composite restorations with a 2-tier protective system, simultaneously exploiting the physicochemical and biological properties of these peptides. Our peptide coatings modulate dentin’s hydrophobicity, impermeabilize it, and are active against multispecies biofilms derived from caries-active individuals. Therefore, the coatings hinder water penetration along the otherwise vulnerable dentin/restoration interface, even after in vitro aging, and increase its resistance against degradation by water, acids, and saliva. Moreover, they do not weaken the resin composite restorations mechanically. The peptide-coated highly-hydrophobic dentin is expected to notably improve the service life of resin composite restorations and to enable the development of entirely hydrophobic restorative systems. The peptide coatings were also antimicrobial and thus, they provide a second tier of protection preventing re-infection of tissues in contact with restorations. Statement of Significance We present a technology using designer peptides to treat the most prevalent chronic disease worldwide; dental caries. Specifically, we used antimicrobial amphipathic peptides to coat dentin with the goal of increasing the service life of the restorative materials used to treat dental caries, which is nowadays 5 years on average. Water and waterborne agents (enzymes, acids) degrade restorative materials and enable re-infection at the dentin/restoration interface. Our peptide coatings will hinder degradation of the restoration as they produced highly hydrophobic and antimicrobial dentin/material interfaces. We anticipate a high technological and economic impact of our technology as it can notably reduce the lifelong dental bill of patients worldwide. Our findings can enable the development of restorations with all-hydrophobic and so, more protective components.
Administration, Billing, and Payment for Pharmacy Student-Based Immunizations to Medicare Beneficiaries at Mobile Medicare Clinics

Training student pharmacists to administer vaccinations requires a substantial investment in vaccines, supplies, and time. Few schools of pharmacy seek out or receive any reimbursement for the provision of vaccines, despite the fact it is a covered service. This study sought to implement, deliver, and demonstrate an innovative, financially sustainable curriculum-based immunization program by trained pharmacy students as part of their experiential learning. Thirty-nine community health clinics targeting Medicare beneficiaries were conducted throughout Northern/Central California during Medicare's fall open enrollment periods between 2014⁻2016. American Pharmacists Association (APhA)-trained student pharmacists (under licensed pharmacist supervision) administered 1777 vaccinations. Vaccines were billed via a secure Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)-compliant web-based portal. The total net income was $11,905 and $8032 for 2015 and 2016, respectively. Return on investment was greatest for the influenza vaccine > Tdap > pneumococcal. Pharmacy students are already being trained to provide immunizations and can utilize their skills to deliver financially viable public health programs.
Non-Coherent Angle and Angle-Rate Estimator for a Slewing Monopulse Antenna

We introduce a novel angle and angle-rate estimation algorithm for a mechanically slewing monopulse radar. The algorithm non-coherently combines monopulse measurements from several target echoes that were received as the radar was slewing. The non-coherent sums incorporate the antenna motion and are used for parameter estimation. The algorithm is broadly applicable to many radars that employ monopulse feeds and slew while searching for a target. It is also applicable to scanning receivers, such as beacon trackers, that use a monopulse feed or a direction finding array for estimating the angle to the target.
LIN28B controls the regenerative capacity of neonatal murine auditory supporting cells through activation of mTOR signaling

Mechano-sensory hair cells within the inner ear cochlea are essential for the detection of sound. In mammals, cochlear hair cells are only produced during development and their loss, due to disease or trauma, is a leading cause of deafness. In the immature cochlea, prior to the onset of hearing, hair cell loss stimulates neighboring supporting cells to act as hair cell progenitors and produce new hair cells. However, for reasons unknown, such regenerative capacity (plasticity) is lost once supporting cells undergo maturation. Here, we demonstrate that the RNA binding protein LIN28B plays an important role in the production of hair cells by supporting cells and provide evidence that the developmental drop in supporting cell plasticity in the mammalian cochlea is, at least in part, a product of declining LIN28B-mTOR activity. Employing murine cochlear organoid and explant cultures to model mitotic and non-mitotic mechanisms of hair cell generation, we show that loss of Lin28b function, due to its conditional deletion, or due to overexpression of the antagonistic miRNA let-7g, suppressed Akt-mTORC1 activity and renders young, immature supporting cells incapable of generating hair cells. Conversely, we found that LIN28B overexpression increased Akt-mTORC1 activity and allowed supporting cells that were undergoing maturation to de-differentiate into progenitor-like cells and to produce hair cells via mitotic and non-mitotic mechanisms. Finally, using the mTORC1 inhibitor rapamycin, we demonstrate that LIN28B promotes supporting cell plasticity in an mTORC1-dependent manner.
Reduced food intake during exposure to high ambient temperatures is associated with molecular changes in the nucleus of the hippocampal commissure and the paraventricular and arcuate hypothalamic nuclei.

Abstract Exposure to high ambient temperatures (HAT) is associated with increased mortality, weight loss, immunosuppression, and metabolic malfunction in birds, all of which are likely downstream effects of reduced food intake. While the mechanisms mediating the physiological responses to HAT are documented, the neural mechanisms mediating behavioral responses are poorly understood. The aim of the present study was thus to investigate the hypothalamic mechanisms mediating heat-induced anorexia in four-day old broiler chicks. In Experiment 1, chicks exposed to HAT reduced food intake for the duration of exposure compared to controls in a thermoneutral environment (TN). In Experiment 2, HAT chicks that were administered an intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of neuropeptide Y (NPY) increased food intake for 60 min post-injection, while TN chicks that received NPY increased food intake for 180 min post-injection. In Experiment 3, chicks in both the TN and HAT groups that received ICV injections of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) reduced food intake for up to 180 min post-injection. In Experiment 4, chicks that were exposed to HAT and received an ICV injection of astressin ate the same as controls in the TN group. In Experiment 5, chicks exposed to HAT that received an ICV injection of α-melanocyte stimulating hormone reduced food intake at both a high and low dose, with the low dose not reducing food intake in TN chicks. In Experiment 6, there was increased c-Fos expression in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), lateral hypothalamic area (LHA), and the nucleus of the hippocampal commissure (NHpC). In Experiment 7, exposure to HAT was associated with decreased CRF mRNA in the NHpC, increased CRF mRNA in the PVN, and decreased NPY mRNA in the arcuate nucleus (ARC). In sum, these results demonstrate that exposure to HAT causes a reduction in food intake that is likely mediated via downregulation of NPY via the CRF system.
Two new genetically modified mouse alleles labeling distinct phases of retinal ganglion cell development by fluorescent proteins.

Background During development, all retinal cell types arise from retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) in a step-wise fashion. Atoh7 and Pou4f2 mark, and function in, two phases of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) genesis; Atoh7 functions in a subpopulation of RPCs to render them competent for the RGC fate, whereas Pou4f2 participates in RGC fate specification and RGC differentiation. Despite extensive research on their roles, the properties of the two phases represented by these two factors have not been well studied, likely due to the retinal cellular heterogeneity. Results In this report, we describe two novel knock-in mouse alleles, Atoh7zsGreenCreERT2 and Pou4f2FlagtdTomato , which labeled retinal cells in the two phases of RGC development by fluorescent proteins. Also, the Atoh7zsGreenCreERT2 allele allowed for indirect labeling of RGCs and other cell types upon tamoxifen induction in a dose-dependent manner. Further, these alleles could be used to purify retinal cells in the different phases by fluorescence assisted cell sorting (FACS). Single cell RNA-seq analysis of purified cells from Atoh7zsGreenCreERT2 retinas further validated that this allele labeled both transitional/competent RPCs and their progenies including RGCs. Conclusions Thus, these two alleles are very useful tools for studying the molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying RGC formation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Dynamic End-to-End Slicing for 5G Verticals

5G promises to bring back value to the network operator and not only serve as a data pipe solution anymore. Operators have started to adopt cloud-native paradigms for the deployment of the 5G core architecture. With it goes the introduction of the service-based architecture as a key design pattern for realizing future control, and ultimately user planes of mobile networks. New design patterns offer a more flexible network and address new use cases utilising the features of a 5G system, such as slicing. We present aspects of a dynamic slicing approach as well as low-layered slicing and forwarding methodology within a service delivery platform entirely built upon service-based architecture principles.
Actors, puppets, Girls: Little Women and the collective Bildungsroman

This essay spans a long and somewhat unconventional arc – from Goethe’s 1795–6 Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship Years to Lena Dunham’s recent television series Girls. On the one hand, it focuses on...
Hassle costs and workplace charitable giving: Field experiments with Google employees

Abstract We use field experiments in the employee giving program at Google to demonstrate that hassle costs inhibit charitable donations. Relative to the control condition involving donation by credit card on the charity's website, the treatment group received a simpler option to donate via payroll deduction, thereby decreasing the ‘hassle cost’ of giving by a couple of minutes. In each of two experiments, we found that reducing hassle costs increased the probability of donation to a promoted charity by at least 50%, without reducing average gift size. Results from the two experiments lead us to conclude that the convenience of payroll deduction reduces hassle costs and produces increas in workplace giving for promoted charities. Google later rolled out the program more widely, and suggestive evidence shows that while payroll deduction was popular and increased frequency of donations, it did not increase overall workplace charitable giving.