cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Unusual sequence effects on nucleotide excision repair of arylamine lesions: DNA bending/distortion as a primary recognition factor

The environmental arylamine mutagens are implicated in the etiology of various sporadic human cancers. Arylamine-modified dG lesions were studied in two fully paired 11-mer duplexes with a -G*CN- sequence context, in which G* is a C8-substituted dG adduct derived from fluorinated analogs of 4-aminobiphenyl (FABP), 2-aminofluorene (FAF) or 2-acetylaminofluorene (FAAF), and N is either dA or dT. The FABP and FAF lesions exist in a simple mixture of ‘stacked’ (S) and ‘B-type’ (B) conformers, whereas the N-acetylated FAAF also samples a ‘wedge’ (W) conformer. FAAF is repaired three to four times more efficiently than FABP and FAF. A simple A- to -T polarity swap in the G*CA/G*CT transition produced a dramatic increase in syn-conformation and resulted in 2- to 3-fold lower nucleotide excision repair (NER) efficiencies in Escherichia coli. These results indicate that lesion-induced DNA bending/thermodynamic destabilization is an important DNA damage recognition factor, more so than the local S/B-conformational heterogeneity that was observed previously for FAF and FAAF in certain sequence contexts. This work represents a novel 3′-next flanking sequence effect as a unique NER factor for bulky arylamine lesions in E. coli.
A Death Due to 4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine

(1981). A Death Due to 4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine. Clinical Toxicology: Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 267-271.
Fostering Meaning, Social Connection, and Well-Being Through Hindu Beliefs and Practices

In this chapter, we explore the effects of Hindu beliefs and practices on well-being. We propose that the core Hindu belief of attaining moksa (liberation from the cycle of birth and death) through righteous living and karmic justice fosters an enhanced sense of meaning in life. Further, a belief in an interconnected universe discourages harmful social comparisons. We propose that practitioners of Hinduism also benefit from introspective practices, such as prayer and meditation, in addition frequent religious festivals that encourage social harmony and interconnectedness.
Roadside Geology of Nebraska

H.D. Maher, Jr., George F. Engelmann, and Robert D. Shuster, 2002, Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula, USA, 264 p. (Softcover, US $18.00) ISBN: 0-87842-457-1. Putting “geology” and “Nebraska” in the same phrase offers the ingredients of an oxymoron, or perhaps even a cruel joke, in the minds of many of my out-of-state colleagues. Thankfully, the authors of Roadside Geology of Nebraska have sought to disprove the notion that there is little, if anything, of geologic interest in the Cornhusker State (readers are introduced with a pithy John McPhee quote to that effect on the frontispiece). In general, they have succeeded. The Roadside Geology series is sometimes criticized by some academics for technical errors and the relatively moderate level of scientific content. Issues of this series, however, are frequently the first resources that interested lay people, students, and even professional geologists, seek out when planning a trip through any given state or when attempting to develop a sense of regional geology. Thus, they have appreciable value and enjoy considerable circulation. It is important for Nebraska, by land area the 16th largest state in the Union, to finally receive its long-awaited due in such a popular venue. For this reason alone, Maher, Engelmann, and Shuster should be commended for their efforts. But there are other, more substantive, reasons to recommend …
Prediction of beef meat emulsion quality with apparent light backscatter extinction

Normalized light backscatter intensity (IN) response as a function of fat/lean ratio (RFL; 0.075, 0.25, and 0.33), chopping time (CT; 2, 5 and 8 min) and fiber separation distances (d; 2, 2.5 and 3 mm), were measured using a fiber optic spectrometer. Models based on the apparent light extinction coefficient (model I), fat/nonfat solid concentrations (model II), and the intensity ratio between optical distances (model III), were tested for IN0 prediction (IN at d = 0). Model I was significantly (P < 0.0001) better than model II for prediction at 570 nm (k), 8 min (CT), and 0.075 of RFL. Model III showed maximum geometry values and extinction coefficients for optical fiber separations of 2 and 2.5 mm, yielding the higher R 2 as RFL and wavelength increased. The results demonstrated a high correlation between functional properties of meat emulsion (i.e., RFL) and optical wavebands that may have potential for predicting IN0 using an optic sensor technology.
Ultrasound induced increase in excitability of single neurons

The aim of this study was to carefully assess the level of modulation in electrical excitability of single neurons with the application of high frequency ultrasound. High frequency tone bursts of ultrasound have been shown to dramatically increase the spike frequency of primary hippocampal neurons in culture. In addition, these ultrasonic bursts also induce silent or still developing neurons to fire. Results indicate that the increase in excitability is largely mediated by mechanical effects and not thermal effects of ultrasound. Future studies on culture models exposed to varying ultrasound protocols may provide insight into the feasibility of using ultrasound as a means for neurostimulation studies conducted on brain slice and in vivo models.
Amphiphilic and hydrophobic surface patterns generated from hyperbranched fluoropolymer/linear polymer networks: Minimally adhesive coatings via the crosslinking of hyperbranched fluoropolymers

Hyperbranched fluoropolymers (HBFPs), based on benzyl ether linkages and having a large number of pentafluorophenyl chain ends, were crosslinked by a reaction with diamino-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) or diamino-terminated poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) to form hyperbranched-linear copolymer networks of different compositions, structures, and properties. The crosslinking reactions involved the nucleophilic aromatic substitution of the pentafluorophenyl para-fluorines of HBFP by the amine functionalities of the respective telechelic linear segments. The contact angles, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, tensile measurements, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize the resulting network film samples. The surface wettability of the crosslinked materials was affected by the nature and amount of the linear polymer crosslinking agent employed. Amphiphilic polymer networks were formed by the incorporation of diamino-terminated PEG as a crosslinker, whereas diamino-terminated PDMS produced polymer networks of a hydrophobic character. The mechanical properties improved upon crosslinking, as measured by tensile testing. The mechanical integrity of the films was also found to improve upon crosslinking, as measured by AFM machining protocols. The AFM images revealed topographical morphologies that appeared to be the result of phase segregation of HBFP from PEG or PDMS; the dimensions of the phase-segregated domains were dependent on the stoichiometry of HBFP to the linear polymer and the thickness of the coating. As the content of PEG increased, fouling by human fibrinogen, used as a model protein, decreased. Further studies are in progress to determine the effects of the surface composition, morphology, and topography on the biofouling characteristics.
Interannual Variation in Indochina Summer Monsoon Rainfall: Possible Mechanism

Abstract Indochina is located between two extensively researched components of the Asian monsoon system: the Indian subcontinent and southeast–east Asia. Highly correlated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Nino-3 sea surface temperatures, the interannual variation of Indochina monsoon rainfall is caused by a mechanism different from the two aforementioned regions. This mechanism consists of two elements: 1) the interannual modulation of the occurrence frequency of westward-propagating weather disturbances in the South China Sea–western tropical Pacific by an anomalous short-wave train emanating from the western tropical Pacific, and 2) an east–west interannual seesaw of the global divergent water vapor flux induced by the interannual variation in the global divergent circulation. An effort is made in this study to illustrate this mechanism.
Psychosocial Correlates of Adolescent Drug Dealing in the Inner City Potential Roles of Opportunity, Conventional Commitments, and Maturity

This study examined a model of the simultaneous and interactive influence of social context, psychosocial attitudes, and individual maturity on the prediction of urban adolescent drug dealing. Five factors were found to significantly increase adolescents' opportunity for drug selling: low parental monitoring, poor neighborhood conditions, low neighborhood job opportunity, parental substance use or abuse, and high levels of peer group deviance. The relation between drug-selling opportunity and adolescents' frequency of drug selling was partially mediated by adolescents' alienation from conventional goals and from commitment to school. With the effect of drug-dealing opportunity controlled, adolescents' temperance was associated with a lower frequency of drug selling. Youths with greater resistance to peer influence reported a higher frequency of nonmarijuana drug dealing. Adolescent autonomy also predicted adolescents' nonmarijuana dealing in conditions of low drug-selling opportunity. The results are disc...
Regulation of integrins in platelets.

Blood platelets prevent bleeding after trauma by forming occlusive aggregates at sites of vascular injury. Platelet aggregation is mediated by the integrin heterodimer αIIbβ3 and occurs when platelet agonists generated at the injury site convert αIIbβ3 from its resting to its active conformation. Active αIIbβ3 is then able to bind macromolecular ligands such as fibrinogen that crosslink adjacent platelets into hemostatic aggregates. Platelets circulate in a plasma milieu containing high concentrations of the principal αIIbβ3 ligand fibrinogen. Thus, αIIbβ3 activity is tightly regulated to prevent the spontaneous formation of platelet aggregates. αIIbβ3 activity is regulated at least three levels. First, intramolecular interactions involving motifs located in the membrane-proximal stalk regions, transmembrane domains, and the membrane-proximal cytosolic tails of αIIb and β3 maintain αIIbβ3 in its inactive conformation. Transmembrane domain interactions appear particularly important because disrupting these interactions causes constitutive αIIbβ3 activation. Second, the agonist-stimulated binding of the cytosolic proteins talin and kindlin-3 to the β3 cytosolic tail rapidly causes αIIbβ3 activation by disrupting the intramolecular interactions constraining αIIbβ3 activity. Third, the strength of ligand binding to active αIIbβ3 seems to be allosterically regulated. Thus, αIIbβ3 exists in a minimum of three interconvertible states: an inactive (resting) state that does not interact with ligands and two active ligand binding states that differ in their affinity for fibrinogen and in the mechanical stability of fibrinogen complexes they form. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 104: 323–333, 2015.
Children's perceptions of play experiences and play preferences: a qualitative study

This qualitative study investigated the perceptions of play experiences and rationales for play choices of 6 boys and 4 girls between the ages of 7 and 11 years. Individual in-depth interviews were completed and then transcribed, and the transcripts were coded and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Fun emerged from the data as the core category explaining the choice of specific play activities for children, and 4 additional categories of characteristics surfaced as contributors to the children's perception of fun: relational, activity, child, and contextual. The relationships among the core category, the 4 characteristics categories, and the development of play preference and meaningfulness are illustrated in the Dynamic Model for Play Choice. Included is a discussion of the usefulness of the model in supporting the careful consideration of factors that will increase the perception of fun during therapeutic activities and facilitate client-centered pediatric practice.
Policy Implications Of The War In Iraq And Its Influence On The Global Market: A Public Affairs Perspective

United States coalition force invaded Iraq after months of failed negotiation with the United Nation Security Council and the Iraqi government. Many of the nations that opposed the invasion were important trading partners with the U.S. As such, global trade relationships have been damaged in the short run. This paper examines the impact of Iraqi war on the global market economy. The global market performance was sluggish in the weeks preceding the war and including the cessation of the war in Iraq. This was due to uncertainty in the price of oil and the ultimate outcome of the war. However, markets rebounded as oil prices normalized due to the quick overthrow of Baghdad. Furthermore, the U.S. dollar had been steadily weakening against the Euro in the months preceding the war. Therefore, a successful completion of the Iraq war will help prevent further devaluation of the dollar.
An examination of Melody’s identities, contexts, and learning in a US science classroom: implications for science education of Asian transnational students

This study examines how Melody, a Korean transnational girl in the US, participates in high school AP (Advanced Placement) biology class, engages in identity work, and learns science. Melody was a daughter of a gireogi family (a transnational family separated for educational purposes), living with her mother and brother in the US. The recent increase of transnational educational migration among Asian students and the importance of identity in understanding students’ learning and participation motivated this study. I define identity as a type of personhood and view that it is always performed and negotiated by individuals in their social lives. Drawing on ethnographic data collected in Melody’s AP Biology class, I will show Melody constructed identities as a non-participant, limited English-proficient student and incompetent biology learner. Her identity construction was influenced by the meso level contexts (e.g., school, classroom) and personal contexts (e.g., gireogi family contexts). Yet, Melody constantly negotiated with these contexts to re-figure her identities to be more conducive to her biology learning and to enhance her classroom participation. This study demonstrates how individual students in the US, while coming from a stereotypically successful ethnic group, experience their life contexts and explore possibilities for learning and being in different ways. Implications include how researchers and teachers should pay attention to individual differences and contexts in order to better facilitate their science learning and classroom participation. I will also provide implications for education in countries that send gireogi families and transnational students.
Phosphorescent White OLEDs for Solid-state Lighting

White OLEDs (WOLEDTMs) fabricated using energy efficient phosphorescent OLED (PHOLEDTM) technology open up exciting new ways to develop efficient white lighting. WOLEDs have the potential to transform the lighting industry. In this presentation, phosphorescent WOLEDs with high conductivity transport layers will be discussed. White light can be generated by partial energy transfer from blue to green and red. Single WOLED stacks are demonstrated that match the Energy Star® lighting color criteria for 2700K and 3000K with high efficiency (˜80 lm/W) and high color rendering indices (˜80). Both devices had operational lifetimes (LT70%) over 30,000 hours measured from an initial luminance of 1,000 cd/m2. Different techniques to improve optical outcoupling will also be discussed.
Impact of Intake Oxygen Enrichment on Oxidative Reactivity and Properties of Diesel Soot

Oxygen addition to a four-cylinder turbo-charged common rail diesel engine was carried out by intake oxygen enrichment and by fuel oxygenation in order to study the effect of additional oxygen on o...
Abstract 967: N-Myc interactor, a novel regulator of EMT

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Dissemination of tumor cells and subsequent colonization at distant sites is the most lethal event in cancer progression. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has recently been recognized as a foremost phenomenon underlying such events. Because of the importance of EMT, it is vital to understand what triggers it, as well as the mechanisms by which it is regulated. We have shown that N-myc interactor (NMI) plays a role in restricting malignant activities of cancerous cell lines in vivo and in vitro. This study describes a novel function of NMI in reducing the mesenchymal phenotype of breast cancer cell lines. Constitutive expression of NMI in the mesenchymal cell line MDA-MB-435, showed remarkable morphologic transition towards an epithelial appearance, accompanied by reduction or loss of several mesenchymal markers such as TWIST, MMP2, SNAI2 and ZEB1 and gain of epithelial markers such as E-cadherin and Keratin 18. Conversely, silencing NMI from immortalized breast epithelial line MCF10A, renders the cells more mesenchymal in appearance. Studies using a variety of additional cell lines consistently revealed that silencing of NMI expression coincided with increased expression of both ZEB1 and SNAI2, while NMI overexpression brought about decreased expression of ZEB1 and SNAI2. Assessment of NMI in breast cancer specimens revealed a significant loss of NMI transcript with increasing grade of breast cancer. Thus, overall, our data strongly suggests that loss of NMI may be a key event allowing increased expression of EMT-inducing transcription factors that drive EMT-dependent malignant progression. Acknowledgement: We acknowledge grant support from the NCI: 1R01CA140472 Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 967. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-967
Does the liver secrete a catalase accelerator

All observers are agreed that the catalytic activity of the liver is far in excess of that of muscle, and it is generally assumed, I think, that this is because the liver contains more catalase. Assuming the liver to be five times more active than muscle, a mixture of muscle and liver in the proportion of five to one ought to give the same catalytic activity as double the quantity of muscle alone. This is not the case, as the following experiment shows.A 50 per cent. solution of commercial hydrogen peroxide, representing 1.5 per cent. H2O2, was used. The oxygen was collected over water in the usual way, and the volume reduced to 0° and 760 mm. Hg. The time was 10 minutes.I gm. rat's muscle gave 50 C.C. oxygen.I gm. rat's liver gave 244 C.C. oxygen.0.5 gm. muscle + 0.1 gm. liver gave 250 C.C. oxygen.To be on the safe side, the assumption has here been made that the liver is five times as active as the muscle, yet the mixture, instead of having the activity of the muscle, has the activity of the liver.Assum...
Corticosteroids in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: reappraisal of efficacy

Although systemic corticosteroids are widely used in treating stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the evidence for their efficacy is still disputed. To reappraise this evidence, the authors used a new analytic strategy in which the 14 available randomized clinical trials were evaluated according to a methodologic "review of systems" and an examination of the statistical precision of the outcome results. Although none of the trials satisfied all of the methodologic criteria for both validity and clinical pertinence, the trials finding steroids efficacious were generally better designed and more statistically precise than trials failing to show efficacy. The authors propose a set of five main methodologic guidelines that require a stable baseline state, a crossover design with suitable washout, adequate doses of corticosteroids, pragmatic designs, and comprehensive choices of outcome events. Attention to these guidelines can help improve both design and evaluation for future trials of systemic steroids for stable COPD.
Discussion on Several Problems with Strain Gauge's Application to Geotechnical Engineering

Strain gauges have been widely used in geotechnical engineering. But there are still some problems in the process of design collocation,equipment selection,construction and installation,observation,calculation and analysis. This paper discusses the performance of strain gauge,the design collocation,equipment selection,construction and installation,quality control,data analysis and the issues which should be considered in the use of present monitoring criterions.
Reduction of sugar lactones to hemiacetals with lithium triethylborohydride.

Reduction of ribono-1,4-lactones and gulono-1,4-lactone as well as ribono-1,5-lactone and glucono-1,5-lactones with LTBH (1.2 equiv.) in CH2Cl2 at 0 °C for 30 min provided the corresponding pentose or hexose hemiacetals in high yields. Commonly used in carbohydrate chemistry protecting groups such as trityl, benzyl, silyl, acetals and to some extent acyls are compatible with this reduction.
Ketamine Infusion Therapy as an Alternative Pain Control Strategy in Patients with Multi-Trauma including Rib Fracture; Case Report and Literature Review

Ketamine is a promising alternative agent for pain control that offers benefit to traditional strategies, particularly in the setting of rib fracture. Current pharmacologic therapies have clear adverse effects, and other options may be invasive, cost prohibitive, or marginally effective. We describe three consecutive patients with traumatic injuries including rib fracture for which a ketamine infusion was utilized as part of their pain control strategy. For each patient, use of a ketamine infusion trended toward reduced opioid requirements with stable pain scores. One patient experienced a dissociative adverse effect prompting decrease and discontinuation of ketamine. No pulmonary complications in the form of emergent intubation or new diagnosis of pneumonia were observed. We believe the addition of ketamine infusion to be a valid alternative strategy for managing pain associated with rib fracture.
Broadly tunable optical parametric oscillation in β-BaB2O4

β-BaB2O4 (BBO) crystals over 2 cm in length in the direction suitable for optical parametric oscillation (OPO) pumped by the third and fourth harmonics of Nd:YAG laser output have been grown in our laboratory. With the third harmonic pump, continuous tuning from 450 nm to 1.88 µm using a single set of mirrors has been achieved. With multiple sets of mirrors, tuning from ~400 nm to 2.5 µm can be achieved. With 266-nm pump and multiple sets of mirrors, continuous tuning from 330 nm to 1.37 µm has been observed. The tuning range below 400 nm is particularly important because there are few other convenient tunable sources. These BBO optical parametric oscillators are high power, solid state sources with efficiencies currently in the 10-20% range and potentially up to 50-60%. All these are made possible due to recent advances in the growth technology of BBO crystal and improved design features of OPO. The growth, characterization, and OPO applications of BBO crystals are discussed.
Sic Et Non: Some Disputed Questions in Reproductive Ethics

It is often said that recent technological developments have radically changed the face of reproductive ethics and left a philosophical void in need of filling. However, I believe that this is an overstatement. The path I have traced in the text above, from issues of personhood and killing, to issues of technical production of children, to issues of autonomy and the relationship between sexual intercourse and children, is a path which has, I believe, been followed before. In his Republic, Plato deals with precursor issues to all these problems. We may think, first, of his provisions for infanticide, second, of the eugenic streak which runs through his discussion of the generation of children, and third, of the lack of reproductive and marital autonomy granted to the guardians by the state. While one might certainly disagree with Plato’s views on these matters, it is still the case that he began a tradition of philosophizing about such issues, a tradition which was advanced, often in regards to the same issues, by Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Kant, and others. Those working in the field of reproductive ethics must certainly look forward, and I hope I have indicated some topics that require further investigation. But I believe we should also look back, and not forget, in the vertigo induced by the new reproductive technologies, the stability of over two thousand years of philosophical discussion.
Video surveillance in the cloud-computing?

With the recent advances in cloud technologies, opportunity for the utilization of virtualization and the opportunity for distributed computing techniques of cloud storage have been pursued on the basis to find out if the various cloud computing services that are available can support the current requirements to a high-resolution video surveillance management system. The research concludes, after investigating and comparing various Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud computing provides what is possible to architect a VMS using cloud technologies; however, it is more expensive and it will require additional reviews for legal implications, as well as emerging threats and countermeasures associated with using cloud technologies for a video surveillance management system.
Impact of Interface Roughness Scattering on the Performance of GaAs/Al x Ga 1–x As Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers

We investigate the impact of interface roughness (IFR) scattering on the performance of a series of the state-of-the-art GaAs/AlxGa1–xAs terahertz quantum cascade lasers (THz-QCLs) through a calculation of the induced inhomogeneous broadening and intersubband scattering rates. Our analysis includes two GaAs/Al0.15Ga0.85As THz-QCL devices with measured maximum operating temperatures at $T _{\mathrm {max}} =177$ K and 175 K, two GaAs/Al0.30Ga0.70As devices with $T _{\mathrm {max}} = 150$ K and 89 K, a GaAs/AlAs-Al0.15Ga0.85As device with $T _{\mathrm {max}} = 181$ K, and a GaAs/AlAs device that did not lase. The investigated QCL wafers were grown at the same solid-source molecular beam epitaxy facility and at fixed parameters, so that we expect a constant interface roughness quality for all devices. We find negligible impact of IFR scattering on the performance of devices that use $x =0.15$ barriers as well as for devices that use $x =0.30$ barriers with wide > 40 monolayers (ML) wells to support upper and lower laser levels. Fixing the barrier height to $x =0.30$ , we calculate a drastic increase of the IFR-induced linewidth broadening from ~0.66 meV to ~2 meV when the quantum wells thicknesses reduce from ~40 ML to ~30 ML and relate this effect to the observed reduction of $T _{\mathrm {max}}$ from 150 to 89 K. Furthermore, we calculate a large (~2 meV) IFR linewidth broadening and short (~1 ps) IFR intersubband scattering times for the device with pure AlAs layers and relate the consequent reduction of optical gain to the nonlasing of this device.
Do We Do Dewey? Using a Dispositional Framework to Examine Reflection Within Internship Professional Development Plans

ABSTRACTOur revised secondary teacher education professional development plan (PDP) project required preservice teachers to identify their teaching beliefs, use these beliefs to analyze practice, and create an action plan centered on a research question from this analysis. We predicted these plans would show evidence of Dewey's (1964) reflective dispositions (open-mindedness, whole-heartedness, responsibility). We had two research questions to examine this assertion: 1) To what degree did our pre-service teachers' PDPs show evidence of Dewey's dispositions toward reflective practice? 2) What were the trends for each of these dispositions? Overall, the PDPs showed evidence of all reflective dispositions; however, the dispositions were unevenly represented. From this study, we recommend a more longitudinal and personalized approach to the PDP to make it more integral to the development of preservice teachers.
Nonlinear Driver Parameter Estimation and Driver Steering Behavior Analysis for ADAS Using Field Test Data

In the development of advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS) for lane-keeping or cornering, one important design objective is to appropriately share the steering control with the driver. The steering behavior of the driver must therefore be well characterized for the design of a high-performance ADAS controller. This paper adopts the well-known two-point visual driver model to characterize the steering behavior of the driver, and conducts a series of field tests to identify the model parameters and validate this model in real-world scenarios. An extended Kalman filter and an unscented Kalman filter are implemented for estimating the driver parameters using either a joint-state estimation algorithm or a dual estimation algorithm. The estimated parameters for different types of drivers are analyzed and compared. The results show that the two-point visual driver model captures realistic driving behavior with time-varying, but not necessarily constant, parameters. A wavelet analysis of the driver steering command shows that distinct driver classes can be identified by analyzing the smoothness of the driver command using the Lipschitz exponents of the recorded signals.
Anisotropic elastoplasticity for cloth, knit and hair frictional contact

The typical elastic surface or curve simulation method takes a Lagrangian approach and consists of three components: time integration, collision detection and collision response. The Lagrangian view is beneficial because it naturally allows for tracking of the codimensional manifold, however collision must then be detected and resolved separately. Eulerian methods are promising alternatives because collision processing is automatic and while this is effective for volumetric objects, advection of a codimensional manifold is too inaccurate in practice. We propose a novel hybrid Lagrangian/Eulerian approach that preserves the best aspects of both views. Similar to the Drucker-Prager and Mohr-Coulomb models for granular materials, we define our collision response with a novel elastoplastic constitutive model. To achieve this, we design an anisotropic hyperelastic constitutive model that separately characterizes the response to manifold strain as well as shearing and compression in the directions orthogonal to the manifold. We discretize the model with the Material Point Method and a novel codimensional Lagrangian/Eulerian update of the deformation gradient. Collision intensive scenarios with millions of degrees of freedom require only a few minutes per frame and examples with up to one million degrees of freedom run in less than thirty seconds per frame.
Functionalization promotes pathogen-mimicking characteristics of polyanhydride nanoparticle adjuvants

Rational design of adjuvants and delivery systems will promote development of next-generation vaccines to control emerging and re-emerging diseases. To accomplish this, understanding the immune-enhancing properties of new adjuvants relative to those induced by natural infections can help with the development of pathogen-mimicking materials that will effectively initiate innate immune signaling cascades. In this work, the surfaces of polyanhydride nanoparticles composed of sebacic acid (SA) and 1,6-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy) hexane were decorated with an ethylene diamine spacer partially modified with either a glycolic acid linker or an α-1,2-linked di-mannopyranoside (di-mannose) to confer "pathogen-like" properties and enhance adjuvanticity. Co-incubation of linker-modified nanoparticles with dendritic cells (DCs) elicited significant increases in surface expression of MHC I, MHC II, CD86, and CD40, and enhanced secretion of IL-6, IL-12p40, and TNF-α. An 800% increase in uptake of ethylene-diamine-spaced, linker and di-mannose functionalized polyanhydride nanoparticles was also observed. Together, our data showed that linker-functionalized polyanhydride nanoparticles demonstrate similar patterns of uptake, intracellular trafficking, particle persistence, and innate activation as did DCs exposed to Yersinia pestis or Escherichia coli. These results set the stage for rational selection of adjuvant chemistries to induce pathogen-mimicking immune responses. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2762-2771, 2017.
Detection and quantitative analysis of small RNAs by PCR.

Increasing lines of evidence have shown that small non-coding RNAs which were identified in the past several years including miRNAs, piRNAs, rasiRNAs, 21U endo-siRNAs and snoRNAs, appear to be involved in many critical biological processes. Functional studies of these small RNAs require a simple, sensitive and reliable method for detecting and quantifying levels of small RNAs. Here, we describe such a method. This method has been widely used for the validation of cloned small RNAs and also for quantitative analyses of small RNAs in both tissues and cells.
The origin of ultra diffuse galaxies: stellar feedback and quenching.

Author(s): Chan, TK; Keres, D; Wetzel, A; Hopkins, PF; Faucher-Giguere, C-A; El-Badry, K; Garrison-Kimmel, S; Boylan-Kolchin, M | Abstract: We test if the cosmological zoom-in simulations of isolated galaxies from the FIRE project reproduce the properties of ultra diffuse galaxies (UDGs). We show that outflows that dynamically heat galactic stars, together with a passively aging stellar population after imposed quenching, naturally reproduce the observed population of red UDGs, without the need for high spin haloes, or dynamical influence from their host cluster. We reproduce the range of surface brightness, radius, and absolute magnitude of the observed red UDGs by quenching simulated galaxies at a range of different times. They represent a mostly uniform population of dark matter-dominated dwarf galaxies with M * ~ 108 M☉, low metallicity, and a broad range of ages; the more massive the UDGs, the older they are. The most massive red UDG in our sample(M * ~ 3 × 108 M☉) requires quenching at z ~ 3 when its halo reached M h ~ 1011M☉. Our simulated UDGs form with normal stellar-to-halo ratios and match the central enclosed masses and the velocity dispersions of the observed UDGs. Enclosed masses remain largely fixed across a broad range of quenching times because the central regions of their dark matter haloes complete their growth early. If our simulated dwarfs are not quenched, they evolve into bluer low surface brightness galaxies with M/L similar to observed field dwarfs. While our simulation sample covers a limited range of formation histories and halo masses, we predict that UDG is a common, and perhaps even dominant, galaxy type around M * ~ 108 M☉, both in the field and in clusters.
Gender Differences in the Integration Literature: A Content Analysis of JPT and JPC by Gender and Integration Type:

The current project asks the questions: Do “women's ways of knowing,” particularly women's ways of knowing God as evidenced in the literature on women's spirituality, imply that women have a unique...
Social media behavior, toxic masculinity, and depression

Social media/social networks (SM/SNs), while ubiquitous in their use, have not been well integrated into psychological theory or practice. Most research addressing SM/SNs has examined frequency and modality of SM/SN use, rather than the valence of online interactions or potential mental health conse
Relational Spacetimes and Cartesian Dynamics

Part III begins the lengthy examination of possible Cartesian spacetimes that can accommodate Descartes’ problematic relational theory of motion, especially when viewed within the context of his dynamics, the Cartesian natural laws. Whereas Part I dealt only with the general structure or features that a Cartesian spacetime must possess, that is, if the spacetime is to be considered a truly relational spacetime, the specific details of such spacetimes were left undeveloped. Starting in chapter 6, consequently, and extending through chapter 10, we will now attempt to specify the particulars of a working, consistent Cartesian spacetime. As will be evident throughout our investigation, the diverse hypotheses and concepts which comprise Descartes’ physics, as explored in Part II, will have a major role to play in guiding the construction of these possible spacetimes. Chapter 6 begins this project by overviewing the work of various commentators on the interpretation of Cartesian motion, with particular emphasis placed upon the recent important texts of D. Garber and D. Des Chene. In contrast to the methodology of most previous treatments of Cartesian motion, however, Part III, like Part I, employs a modern “spacetime” approach to the problem. By this means, chapter 6 will focus on the relatively neglected role of Cartesian dynamics, as opposed to kinematics, in attempting to find a solution to the puzzle of Cartesian motion (as was introduced in chapter 5).
Improve google android user experience with regional garbage collection

Google Android is a popular software stack for smart phone, where the user experience is critical to its success. The pause time of its garbage collection in DalvikVM should not be too long to stutter the game animation or webpage scrolling. Generational collection or concurrent collection can be the effective approaches to reducing GC pause time. As of version 2.2, Android implements a non-generational stop-the-world (STW) mark-sweep algorithm. In this paper we present an enhancement called Regional GC for Android that can effectively improve its user experience. During the system bootup period, Android preloads the common runtime classes and data structures in order to save the user applications' startup time. When Android launches a user application the first time, it starts a new process with a new DalvikVM instance to run the application code. Every application process has its separate managed heap; while the system preloaded data space is shared across all the application processes. The Regional GC we propose is similar to a generational GC but actually partitions the heap according to regions instead of generations. One region (called the class region) is for the preloaded data, and the other region (called the user region) is for runtime dynamic data. A major collection of regional GC is the same as DalvikVM's normal STW collection, while a minor collection only marks and sweeps the user region. In this way, the regional GC effectively improves Android in both application performance and user experience. In the evaluation of an Android workload suite (AWS), 2D graphic workload Album Slideshow is improved by 28%, and its average pause time is reduced by 73%. The average pause time reduction across all the AWS applications is 55%. The regional GC can be combined with a concurrent GC to further reduce the pause time. This paper also describes two alternative write barrier designs in the Regional GC. One uses page fault to catch the reference writes on the fly; the other one scans the page table entries to discover the dirty pages. We evaluate the two approaches with the AWS applications, and discuss their respective pros and cons.
Resistive Memory-Based Analog Synapse: The Pursuit for Linear and Symmetric Weight Update

This article reviews the recent developments in a type of random access memory (RAM) called resistive RAM (RRAM) for the analog synapse, which is an important building block for neuromorphic computing systems. To achieve high learning accuracy in an artificial neural network based on the backpropagation learning rule, a linear and symmetric weight update behavior of the analog synapse is critical. The physical mechanisms in the RRA M (interfacing switching versus filamentary switching) are discussed, and the pros and cons of each mechanism to emulate the analog synaptic weights are compared. Then, various strategies from a materials and device engineering perspective are surveyed to achieve linearly and symmetric conductance changes under identical pulses. Finally, future research directions are outlined.
Experiencing the practice of statistics with simple experiments

This article illustrates the practice of statistics through simple experiments. In running experiments that involve blowing bubbles, collecting rain, and spinning propellers, issues arise that in t...
Death after diagnosis of noncommunicable disease comorbid conditions, stratified by injection drug use.

Objective:Describe all-cause mortality associated with history of injection drug use (IDU) after a validated diagnosis of four noncommunicable disease (NCD) diagnoses: end-stage liver disease (ESLD); end-stage renal disease (ESRD); cancer; or myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke.Design:We followed f
Human Pluripotent Stem Cells as In Vitro Models for Retinal Development and Disease

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) provide unprecedented access to the earliest stages of retinogenesis that remain inaccessible to investigation, thereby serving as powerful tools for studies of retinal development. Additionally, the ability to derive hPSCs from patient sources allows for the modeling of retinal degenerative diseases in vitro, with the potential to facilitate cell replacement strategies in advanced stages of disease. For these purposes, many studies over the past several years have directed the differentiation of hPSCs to generate retinal cells using stochastic methods of differentiation, yielding all major cell types of the retina. In particular, these studies have favored the derivation of RPE, photoreceptors, and more recently retinal ganglion cells for disease modeling, drug screening as well as cell replacement purposes. More recently, advances in retinal differentiation methods have led to the generation of three-dimensional retinal organoids that recapitulate key developmental and morphological features of the retina, including the stratified organization of retinal cells into a tissue-like structure. This review provides an overview of retinal differentiation from hPSCs and their potential use for studies of retinogenesis as well as diseases that affect the retina.
Unique chemistries of metal-nitrate precursors to form metal-oxide thin films from solution: materials for electronic and energy applications

Metal-oxide thin films are used extensively in electronic and energy applications. Solution processing offers a potentially scalable and inexpensive deposition method to expand the applications of metal-oxide films and to complement vacuum-deposition techniques. Among precursors for solution deposition, metal nitrates stand out for their ability to form high-quality metal-oxide thin films. This review focuses on unique aspects of metal-nitrate chemistry that have been exploited to advance the development of solution-processed thin films. We discuss the solid-state bulk, solution, and thin-film chemical reactions involving metal nitrates and illustrate how the resulting metal-oxide thin-film properties depend on the entire reaction pathway. To conclude, we offer perspective as to how understanding the chemistry of film formation from metal-nitrate precursors is useful for addressing the primary drivers for industrial manufacturing of solution-processed metal-oxide thin films.
Characteristics and Adoption Success of Shelter Dogs Assessed as Resource Guarders

Some domestic dogs aggressively guard resources. Canine resource guarding impacts public health through dog bites and affects dog welfare through adoption and euthanasia policies at animal shelters. However, little is known about the demographic characteristics and adoption success of dogs assessed as resource guarders during shelter behavioral evaluations. I reviewed nearly five years of records from a New York (NY) SPCA and categorized 1016 dogs by sex; age; size; reproductive status; and resource guarding. I then examined how these characteristics influenced the returns of dogs by adopters. The prevalence of resource guarding in this shelter dog population was 15%. Resource guarding was more common in adult and senior dogs than in juvenile dogs; and it was more common in small and large dogs than medium-sized dogs. Spayed females were more likely than intact females to guard food; neutered males and intact males did not differ in their likelihood of food guarding. Most dogs identified as resource guarders showed mild to moderate guarding. Severe guarders were more likely to be returned by adopters; although almost all were eventually re-adopted and not returned to the shelter. Data presented here provide the most comprehensive description of resource guarders in a shelter dog population and show the successful re-homing of most.
Faster deterministic and Las Vegas algorithms for offline approximate nearest neighbors in high dimensions

We present a deterministic, truly subquadratic algorithm for offline (1 + e)-approximate nearest or farthest neighbor search (in particular, the closest pair or diameter problem) in Hamming space in any dimension d ≤ nΔ, for a sufficiently small constant Δ > 0. The running time of the algorithm is roughly n2−e1/2+O(τ) for nearest neighbors, or [MATH HERE] for farthest. The algorithm follows from a simple combination of expander walks, Chebyshev polynomials, and rectangular matrix multiplication. We also show how to eliminate errors in the previous Monte Carlo randomized algorithm of Alman, Chan, and Williams [FOCS'16] for offline approximate nearest or farthest neighbors, and obtain a Las Vegas randomized algorithm with expected running time n2−Ω(e1/3/log(1/e)). Finally, we note a simplification of Alman, Chan, and Williams' method and obtain a slightly improved Monte Carlo randomized algorithm with running time n2−Ω(e1/3/log2/3(1/e)). As one application, we obtain improved deterministic and randomized (1 + e)-approximation algorithms for MAXSAT.
Müller Cell Metabolic Signatures: Evolutionary Conservation and Disruption in Disease

Muller cells are glia that play important regulatory roles in retinal metabolism. These roles have been evolutionarily conserved across at least 300 million years. Muller cells have a tightly locked metabolic signature in the healthy retina, which rapidly degrades in response to insult and disease. This variation in metabolic signature occurs in a chaotic fashion, involving some central metabolic pathways. The cause of this divergence of Muller cells, from a single class with a unique metabolic signature to numerous separable metabolic classes, is currently unknown and illuminates potential alternative metabolic pathways that may be revealed in disease. Understanding the impacts of this heterogeneity on degenerate retinas and the implications for the metabolic support of surrounding neurons will be critical to long-term integration of retinal therapeutics for the restoration of visual perception following photoreceptor degeneration.
Metal-Dithiolene Bonding Contributions to Pyranopterin Molybdenum Enzyme Reactivity.

Here we highlight past work on metal–dithiolene interactions and how the unique electronic structure of the metal–dithiolene unit contributes to both the oxidative and reductive half reactions in pyranopterin molybdenum and tungsten enzymes. The metallodithiolene electronic structures detailed here were interrogated using multiple ground and excited state spectroscopic probes on the enzymes and their small molecule analogs. The spectroscopic results have been interpreted in the context of bonding and spectroscopic calculations, and the pseudo-Jahn–Teller effect. The dithiolene is a unique ligand with respect to its redox active nature, electronic synergy with the pyranopterin component of the molybdenum cofactor, and the ability to undergo chelate ring distortions that control covalency, reduction potential, and reactivity in pyranopterin molybdenum and tungsten enzymes.