cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The bond between sisters

The accurate segregation of chromosomes in mitosis is ensured by the association of sister chromatids from S phase until their stable orientation toward opposite poles of the metaphase spindle. Only at the onset of anaphase is the cohesion between sister chromatids released, allowing them to segregate from one another. Sister chromatid cohesion is likewise essential during meiosis, but in a more complicated manner. In meiosis, cohesion must be maintained in pericentromeric regions throughout the first (reductional) division, when homologous chromosomes segregate from one another, until anaphase of the second (equational) division, when sister chromatids segregate from one another. Moreover, if crossing over has occurred between homologous chromosomes, as it does in most meioses, cohesion must be maintained along the chromosome arms to stabilize chiasma position (Darlington, 1932; Maguire, 1974). This cohesion along the chromosome arms must be released (at least distal to chiasmata) to allow chiasma release during anaphase of the first meiotic division. Recently, the molecular analysis of a Drosophila sister chromatid cohesion gene, meLS332, previously studied genetically and cytologically, has shed light on the process of meiotic sister chromatid cohesion (Kerrebrock et al., 1995 [this issue of Celfj). mei-S332 The original mei-S332 mutation was discovered by Sandler et al. (1968) in a screen of natural populations for meiotic mutations. The S in the name refers to the location at which the fly carrying this mutation was captured: a winery on the Via Saleria outside of Rome (L. Sandler and D. Lindsley had the rather inspired idea of doing their screen in Italy; see Hawley, 1993). The mei-S332 mutation had two properties that made it unique among known Drosophila meiotic mutations. First, it caused high levels of nondisjunction that appeared to occur primarily at the second meiotic division. Second, it was the first mutant that affected the segregation of all chromosomes in both male and female meiosis and thus defined a function shared between the two sexes. This was somewhat surprising, since meiosis proceeds through fundamentally different pathways in Drosophila melanogaster males and females, and these pathways had been previously thought to be under separate genetic control. In Drosophila females, meiosis follows a typical pathway in which synapsis and exchange between homologous chromosomes allow their stable orientation toward opposite poles of the spindle. In males, however, recombination, synaptonemal complex, and chiasmata are normally absent, and chromosome pairing is based on the cohesion of specific pairing sites (McKee and Karpen, 1990). Minireview
Valproate administration to mice increases histone acetylation and 5-lipoxygenase content in the hippocampus

Gene expression can be regulated by chromatin remodeling induced by the opposing actions of histone acetyltransferases and histone deacetylases (HDAC). HDAC inhibitors are considered putative anti-cancer drugs, but may also alter gene expression in the brain. Valproic acid (valproate; VPA), a drug used for treatment of bipolar disorder, has been characterized as a HDAC inhibitor. In neuronal cultures, VPA increases the expression of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX). Here we show that in vivo treatment of mice with intraperitoneal VPA injections increases the acetylation of histone H3 and the content of 5-LOX immunoreactive protein in the hippocampus. Since the extent of 5-LOX expression may alter mouse behavior, we suggest that VPA-altered chromatin remodeling and 5-LOX expression in the brain may be functionally important.
Mars thermospheric general circulation model: Calculations for the arrival of Phobos at Mars

The NCAR thermospheric general circulation model (TGCM) for the Earth's thermosphere has been modified to examine the three-dimensional structure and circulation of the upper mesosphere and thermosphere of Mars (MTGCM). The computational framework and major processes unique to a CO2 thermosphere are similar to those utilized in a recent Venus TGCM. Mean orbital, seasonal, and solar conditions are specified. An Equinox version of the MTGCM is used to predict the Mars solar driven global circulation and structure for a non-dusty (quiet) lower atmosphere at the time of arrival of the two Phobos spacecraft.
Performance of double-balloon enteroscopy for the management of small bowel polyps in hamartomatous polyposis syndromes

Background and aim Hamartomatous polyposis syndromes (HPS) are a group of rare inherited autosomal dominant disorders. Small bowel polyposis is one of the manifestations of HPS. Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) with polypectomy may obviate repeated small bowel surgeries for polyp intussusception, obstruction, or bleeding. The efficacy and safety of DBE-assisted polypectomy in HPS patients with clinically significant small bowel polyposis were evaluated. Methods All HPS patients who underwent DBE from January 2007 to April 2011 were identified using a prospectively maintained database. Data on patient demographics, pre-DBE radiological studies, polyp characteristics, procedural outcomes, and complications were abstracted. Results Twenty-two patients underwent a total of 34 DBE procedures. Pre-DBE imaging included computed tomography enterography (n = 15), computed tomography enteroclysis (n = 5), small bowel follow-through (n = 1), and magnetic resonance enterography (n = 1). Any small bowel polyp ≥ 1 cm in size on radiological imaging was referred for DBE-assisted polypectomy. Antegrade and retrograde DBE were successful in reaching and resecting targeted polyps in 90% (18/20) and 71.4% (10/14) of procedures, respectively. The overall success rate for DBE-assisted polypectomy was 82.3% (95% confidence interval: 66.5-91.6%). The median size of resected polyps was 2 cm (range 1-5 cm) and all were hamartomas. Minor adverse events occurred in four (11.8%) procedures, including abdominal pain (n = 2), immediate post-polypectomy bleeding (n = 1), and self-limited hematochezia (n = 1). Conclusions DBE-assisted polypectomy was successful in over 80% of HPS patients with an acceptable margin of safety. To the knowledge of the authors, this is one of the largest single-center studies to report on the performance and safety of DBE-assisted polypectomy in HPS patients.
The Role of Short-term Consolidation in Memory Persistence

Short-term memory, often described as working memory, is one of the most fundamental information processing systems of the human brain. Short-term memory function is necessary for language, spatial navigation, problem solving, and many other daily activities. Given its importance to cognitive function, understanding the architecture of short-term memory is of crucial importance to understanding human behavior. Recent work from several laboratories investigating the entry of information into short-term memory has uncovered a dissociation between encoding processes, those that register information into short-term memory, and consolidation processes, those that solidify the representation within short-term memory. Here I describe the key differences between short-term encoding and consolidation and briefly review what is known about the short-term consolidation process itself. Cognitive function, plausible neural instantiation, and open questions are addressed.
An African swine fever virus ORF with similarity to C-type lectins is non-essential for growth in swine macrophages in vitro and for virus virulence in domestic swine.

An African swine fever virus (ASFV) ORF, 8CR, with similarity to the C-type lectin family of adhesion proteins has been described in the pathogenic isolate Malawi Lil-20/1. The similarity of 8CR to cellular and poxvirus genes associated with cell adhesion, cell recognition and virus infectivity suggested that 8CR may be of significance to ASFV–host cell interactions. Sequence analysis of the 8CR ORF from additional pathogenic ASFV isolates demonstrated conservation among isolates from both pig and tick sources. Northern blot analysis demonstrated 8CR mRNA transcription late in the virus replication cycle. A Malawi Lil-20/1 8CR deletion mutant (Δ8CR) was constructed to analyse 8CR function further. The growth characteristics in vitro of Δ8CR in porcine macrophage cell cultures were identical to those observed for parental virus. In domestic swine, Δ8CR exhibited an unaltered parental Malawi Lil- 20/1 disease and virulence phenotype. Thus, although well conserved among pathogenic ASFV field isolates, 8CR is non-essential for growth in porcine macrophages in vitro and for virus virulence in domestic swine.
Return Migration and Distributed R&D in Multinationals – A Study Using Micro Data

Is the phenomenon of multinational firms (MNCs) conducting distributed R&D across emerging markets related to the return migration of engineers and scientists from the U.S. to emerging markets? I hypothesize that local inventors at emerging market R&D centers of MNCs face constraints in securing resources from the headquarters for knowledge creation projects and that returnees can act as resource brokers. I then test for whether or not reporting to a returnee manager leads to higher patenting. I test this using hand-collected employment, travel, demographic and patent data for 1315 inventors at a Fortune 50 multinational R&D center in India. To account for endogenity and selection in measuring the impact of returnee managers, I consider new graduates, for whom manager assignment is plausibly random. I find that having a returnee manager leads to higher patenting. I also find support for the resource brokerage role of returnees - having a returnee manager leads to higher patenting but not higher headquarter co-patentees or patent citations back at the headquarters. In summary, this is one of the first empirical studies of return migration and multinationals using firm level micro data.
Handicapping the 2004 Presidential Election: A Normal Vote Approach

Conventional wisdom about the 2004 presidential election holds that it will be an exceptionally tight race. This wisdom is grounded in the results of the 2000 presidential election, current polls, and a general sense that electoral competition at the presidential level has tightened over the past decade. While there is ample justification for these beliefs, an examination of long-term voting trends (i.e., normal voting patterns) paints a different picture. In terms of the relative size of their electoral base, and its distribution across states, the Democrats begin the 2004 campaign with a distinct electoral advantage. Historically speaking, they have not begun a presidential campaign in such a strong position since 1944. Practically speaking, all the Democrats need to do is win the states in which they have a normal vote advantage to capture the presidency. If the Democrats can do this they need not win any Southern states in which the Republicans hold an electoral edge, including Florida. Moreover, even if Ralph Nader matches his statelevel returns in 2000, this will not be sufficient (by itself) to overcome the Democrats' electoral advantage in states that are essential to attaining an Electoral College majority.
Abstract 3066: Implementation of Results from Major Clinical Trials on Utilization Patterns of Antithrombotic Agents following Noncardioembolic Ischemic Stroke or TIA in the United States (2000-2009)

Background and Purpose: Several large trials published over the last decade have significantly altered recommended guidelines for therapy following a noncardioembolic ischemic stroke or transient i...
Self-Cleaning Membrane to Extend the Lifetime of an Implanted Glucose Biosensor

The lifetime and efficacy of a subcutaneously implanted glucose biosensor could be greatly improved by a self-cleaning membrane capable of periodic physical removal of adhered cells associated with the foreign body reaction. Previously, we reported a thermoresponsive double network nanocomposite (DNNC) membrane composed of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and embedded polysiloxane nanoparticles. When the membrane was thermally cycled above and below its volume phase transition temperature (VPTT, ∼33–35 °C), the associated deswelling and reswelling, respectively, led to in vitro cell release. Herein, this membrane design was tailored to meet the specific demands of a subcutaneously implanted glucose biosensor, and critical functional properties were assessed. First, N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) comonomer increased the VPTT to ∼38 °C so that the membrane would be swollen and thus more permeable to glucose in the “off-state” (i.e., no heating) while residing in the subcutaneous tissue (∼35 °C). Second, gluc...
Acid/base-controlled AuI/Au0 reductive transformations of the monogold [(μ14-Au)Pd22(CO)20(PEt3)8]+ monocation into three different neutral digold nanoclusters: Au2Pd21(CO)20(PEt3)10, Au2Pd28(CO)26(PEt3)10, and new five-layer hexagonal close-packed (μ12-Au)2Pd42(CO)30(PEt3)12 with a trigonal-bipyramidal AuPd3Au kernel.

The monogold [(μ14-Au)Pd22(CO)20(PEt3)8]+ nanocation (2, with a [(CF3CO2)2H]− counterion) is shown to be a versatile precursor for the generation of three different neutral Au–Pd nanoclusters with double gold content in their distinctly dissimilar bimetallic architectures. These carbon monoxide (CO)-induced conversions are based on the reduction of AuI to Au0 that is controlled by the reaction medium. Under basic and acidic conditions, the known Au2Pd21(CO)20(PEt3)10 (3; >90% yield) and Au2Pd28(CO)26(PEt3)10 (4; ∼40% yield), respectively, were obtained, whereas neutral conditions gave rise to the new (μ12-Au)2Pd42(CO)30(PEt3)12 (1; ∼10–20% yield; all yields based on gold). The molecular structure of 1, established from a 100 K CCD X-ray diffraction study, consists of a five-layer hexoganol close-packed (hcp) Au2Pd42 framework of pseudo-D3h symmetry (crystallographic D3 site symmetry) of the Pd6/AuPd9/Pd12/AuPd9/Pd6 layer sequence, with the Au atoms centering two identical hcp (μ12-Au)Pd12 face-fused anti-...
ECOLOGICAL DIVERSIFICATION IN SYMPATRIC GASTROPODS OF THE GENUS BUSYCON

Harper et al. (1961) have indicated that three factors must be met for the continued coexistence of closely related species: ability to maintain genetic identity, ability to tolerate the physical and biological hazards presented by the mutually occupied environment, and sufficient ecological differences such that one species does not succeed at the expense of the other. Hairston (1959) has presented a compelling argument that energy in the form of food is the only environmental resource that cannot be shared. Thus mechanisms that isolate potentially competing species should be especially apparent in the species' trophic abilities. It is not surprising, then, that ecological diversifications have been observed in many closely allied sympatric species, and that, in the majority of cases, the differences relate directly or indirectly to differential abilities to recognize or procure food. For instance, the differences in culmen length of sympatric birds (Brown and Wilson, 1956; Hutchinson, 1959), oscular papillae length and ostial diameter in sponges (Hartman, 1957), body length in copepods (Hutchinson, 1951), and food preference in other invertebrates (Cunha et al., 1951; Braams and Geelan, 1953; Kohn, 1959) can be interpreted as effectively partitioning one aspect of the common environmental resources among the species. The Volterra-Gause principle predicts such ecological diversification in situations in which, to coexist, each potential competitor must utilize some aspect of the common environment more effectively than the other (Hutchinson, 1957). If not, then competitive pressures lead to the exclusion of or encourage modification of the less well adapted species. The present work deals with some aspects of the ecological differences within the gastropod genus Busycon, with special reference to B. contrarium Conrad and B. spiratum Lamarck. Members of this genus (conchs) appear to be entirely carnivorous and attain their maximum abundance in those biotopes favoring pelecypods, their primary food source. In assigning names to these and all Busycon species referred to, I have followed the more conservative approach of Puffer and Emerson (1954) and Abbott (1954) rather than Hollister (1958). The type of information presented below can shed no new light on the debatable taxonomic status of some Busycon species, but does suggest that the subgeneric or generic splittings of Busycon (sensu lato) into thicker-shelled (B. contrariumr, carica, and perversum) and thinner-shelled (B. spiratum and canaliculatum) groups is ecologically meaningful. The author wishes to acknowledge the generosity of Florida State University in providing facilities at the Alligator Harbor Marine Laboratory in Franklin County, Florida, where the data were obtained, and to thank J. W. Blake and R. B. Root for valuable suggestions.
Relative and Incremental Usefulness of Earnings and Cash Flows in Explaining Values of Distressed Firms

This study investigates the relative and incremental usefulness of operating cash flow and accounting earnings information in explaining the value of financially distressed firms. It extends our understanding of the price-earnings relationship in the context of financial distress. Unlike prior studies of financial distress, we use two different criteria to identify distressed firms. First, financially distressed firms are identified by their ultimate outcomes: bankruptcy, liquidation or merger. Second, financially distressed firms are identified as firms with high probabilities of failure by using the Altman Z score. We use both criteria to gain additional insights and to overcome any limitations from using bankruptcy as the sole criterion of financial distress. As expected, we find that Dechow's results that earnings are more informative than are operating cash flows do not apply to distressed firms. We find that, for firms that terminate in bankruptcy or liquidation, earnings and operating cash flows are not significantly different in their ability to explain value prior to termination. Further, cash flows are unambiguously more useful for distressed firms that are acquired. When the Altman Z score is used, operating cash flows are more useful than accounting earnings in explaining firm value. Our results on the incremental usefulness of accounting accruals are less clear. Accruals are useful for bankrupt firms. But they are not useful for liquidated or acquired firms. When distress is defined using the Altman Z score, accounting accruals do not appear to be incrementally useful.
Digital Memcomputing Machines

In this contribution we will discuss the digital, hence scalable, version of memcomputing machines. These are non-Turing machines that use memory to both process and store information at the same physical location. We will introduce their mathematical definition and provide as an example their implementation of an inverse three-bit sum gate using self-organizable logic gates, namely gates that organize dynamically to satisfy their logical propositions.
Therapeutic evaluations of early intervention of high-risk children patients with spastic type cerebral palsy

Objective The study tried to analyze the therapeutic effect of early intervention treatment on high-risk spastic type cerebral palsy.Methods Totally 67infants with high-risk cerebral palsy were divided into the super early intervention group(1~3months old,n=36cases)and the early intervention group(4~6months old,n=31cases),according to the age for treatment.Each group was treated with the exercise therapy,which is Bobath rehabilitation combined with Vojta rehabilitation.Finally,momosialotetrahexosylganglioside sodium infusion was carried out with 5%glucose.The treatment period lasted for 3months.Then,the treatment evaluation was performed based on Gesell assessment law,muscle tension inspection,Vojta posture reflection,and image alterations of brain CT before and after treatment.The Gesell developmental scales were used to test the development quotient(DQ)and development age(DA)of two groups after 3months treatment.Results After 3months training,the scores of DAis lower than CAof two groups,the super early intervention group has higher scores than the early intervention group.The scores of DQ,muscle tension,Vojta posture reflection and CT images were improved well in two treatment groups.The infants,symptoms were improved well after treatment in either super early intervention group or early intervention group with significant difference(P0.05).Comparing between the two groups,the efficacy of super early intervention group was much better than early intervention group after treatment,suggesting early therapy is necessary for the disease.Conclusion Early intervention treatment on high-risk cerebral palsy has significant effects on symptoms,and early therapy is necessary for the high-risk infants.
AT2 Receptor Activation Prevents Sodium Retention and Reduces Blood Pressure in Angiotensin II–Dependent Hypertension

Rationale: Compound 21 (C-21) is a highly selective nonpeptide angiotensin AT2 receptor (AT2R) agonist. Objective: To test the hypothesis that chronic AT2R activation with C-21 induces natriuresis via an action at the renal proximal tubule (RPT) and lowers blood pressure (BP) in experimental angiotensin II (Ang II)–dependent hypertension. Methods and Results: In rats, Ang II infusion increased both sodium (Na+) retention and BP on day 1, and BP remained elevated throughout the 7-day infusion period. Either intrarenal or systemic administration of C-21 prevented Ang II–mediated Na+ retention on day 1, induced continuously negative cumulative Na+ balance compared with Ang II alone, and reduced BP chronically. The effects of C-21 are likely to be mediated by action on the RPT as acute systemic C-21–induced natriuresis was additive to that induced by chlorothiazide and amiloride. At 24 hours of Ang II infusion, AT2R activation with C-21, both intrarenally and systemically, translocated AT2Rs from intracellular sites to the apical plasma membranes of RPT cells without altering the total cellular pool of AT2Rs and internalized/inactivated major RPT Na+ transporters Na+-H+-exchanger-3 and Na+/K+ATPase. C-21 lowered BP to a similar degree whether administered before or subsequent to the establishment of Ang II–dependent hypertension. Conclusions: Chronic AT2R activation initiates and sustains receptor translocation to RPT apical plasma membranes, internalizes/inactivates Na+-H+-exchanger-3 and Na+/K+ATPase, prevents Na+ retention resulting in negative cumulative Na+ balance, and lowers BP in experimental Ang II–induced hypertension. Acting uniquely at the RPT, C-21 is a promising candidate for the treatment of hypertension and Na+-retaining states in humans. # Novelty and Significance {#article-title-45}
New Perspectives on the Ontogeny and Evolution of Avian Locomotion

Close correspondence between form and function is a central tenet of natural selection. One of the most striking, textbook cases for form-function congruence is the evolution of flight and the body plan of birds: compared with other tetrapods, extant adult birds have highly modified integuments and skeletons, and it has traditionally been assumed that many of these modifications are adaptations or exaptations for flight. However, developing birds that lack many of the morphological signatures of flight capacity nevertheless use their developing wings for a variety of flapping behaviors, such as wing-assisted incline running and even brief flight. Immature birds thereby demonstrate that rudimentary "flight" apparatuses are more functional than traditional assumptions about form-function relationships would predict. Here, I review the ontogeny of avian locomotion, highlighting how the developmental acquisition of flight in extant birds can improve our understanding of form-function relationships in the avian body plan, and provide insight into the evolutionary origin of flight among extinct non-avian theropod dinosaurs.
Locales, Nuclei, and Dragalin Frames

It is a classic result in lattice theory that a poset is a complete lattice iff it can be realized as fixpoints of a closure operator on a powerset. Dragalin [9,10] observed that a poset is a locale (complete Heyting algebra) iff it can be realized as fixpoints of a nucleus on the locale of upsets of a poset. He also showed how to generate a nucleus on upsets by adding a structure of “paths” to a poset, forming what we call a Dragalin frame. This allowed Dragalin to introduce a semantics for intuitionistic logic that generalizes Beth and Kripke semantics. He proved that every spatial locale (locale of open sets of a topological space) can be realized as fixpoints of the nucleus generated by a Dragalin frame. In this paper, we strengthen Dragalin’s result and prove that every locale—not only spatial locales—can be realized as fixpoints of the nucleus generated by a Dragalin frame. In fact, we prove the stronger result that for every nucleus on the upsets of a poset, there is a Dragalin frame based on that poset that generates the given nucleus. We then compare Dragalin’s approach to generating nuclei with the relational approach of Fairtlough and Mendler [11], based on what we call FM-frames. Surprisingly, every Dragalin frame can be turned into an equivalent FM-frame, albeit on a different poset. Thus, every locale can be realized as fixpoints of the nucleus generated by an FM-frame. Finally, we consider the relational approach of Goldblatt [13] and characterize the locales that can be realized using Goldblatt frames.
Protests in Burkina Faso, Ivory-Coast, Senegal, Mauretania, Guinea Bissau and Guinea Conakry (2011-2014): A Comparative Analysis of Mobilization, Grievances and Opportunities

Popular protests have toppled regimes in Burkina-Faso and Ivory Coast and exerted pressure on regimes in Senegal, Mauretania, Guinea Bissau and Guinea Conakry to embark on political and economic reforms. The paper seeks to find answers to why protests erupted in these countries and why some of the protests where nonviolent and others violent. The central theme of the paper is to identify theoretical and practical inferences, while using a comparative framework. The paper supports the grievance, political opportunities and resource mobilization arguments to explain why citizens protested in all these countries. Economic grievances in all the cases are rooted in corruption, income inequality, unemployment and the lack of opportunities. Political grievances connect people to exclusion from political power and a desire for democracy. To explain protests in the four cases, the dissertation draws on the literature of mobilization, repertoires of contention, social media, youth bulge, unemployment and regime type to test two grievance based hypothesis and one violence based hypothesis. The paper concludes with evidence that protests in all the cases are associated with socioeconomic and socio political grievances. There is also evidence that the nature of violence is largely caused by the function of regime and security force type.
Fast Safe Mission Plans for Autonomous Vehicles

Guaranteeing safety is a key problem that needs to be addressed in order to enable the real-world deployment of robots and autonomous cyber-physical systems (CPS). While there is a lot of interest in deploying sensors and predictors that would identify obstacles and unsafe situations, there is little research on how to use such learned systems to plan and execute missions safely and efficiently. Recent research on safe planning and control not only admits to simplistic constraints, most of them assumed to be known a priori, but attempting such synthesis often results in large optimization problems which are often impractical to solve given real time constraints of such systems. In this work we propose a novel combination of sampling-based motion planning with safe control synthesis methods for generating safe high-level plans in real-time. The distinguishing aspect of our work is that it provides a natural framework of incorporating sensor data and the associated prediction about the obstacles to quickly determine the safe mission plan. We showcase this approach with autonomous car scenarios.
Stream Power Application for Bridge-Damage Probability Mapping Based on Empirical Evidence from Tropical Storm Irene

AbstractOn August 28, 2011, Tropical Storm Irene hit the state of Vermont with a severity that deposited 100–200 mm (4–8 in.) of rain across the state and resulted in damage or failure of over 300 ...
Fatty liver promotes fibrosis in monkeys consuming high fructose

Objective Nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) are related to development of liver fibrosis which currently has few therapeutic options. Rodent models of NAFLD inadequately model the fibrotic aspects of the disease and fail to demonstrate the spectrum of cardiometabolic diseases without genetic manipulation. This study aimed to document a monkey model of fatty liver and fibrosis, which naturally develop cardiometabolic disease pathophysiologies. Methods Twenty-seven cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) fed diets either low or high in simple carbohydrates, supplied as fructose [control and high-fructose diet (HRr)], on low-fat, cholesterol-free background were studied. The HFr was consumed for up to 7 years, and liver tissue was histologically evaluated for fat and fibrosis extent. Results The HFr diet increased steatosis, and its extent was related to duration of fructose exposure. Lipid droplet size also increased with HFr duration; however, compared with control, the lipid droplets were smaller on average. Fibrosis extent was significantly greater with fructose feeding and was predicted by fructose exposure, extent of fatty liver, and age. Conclusions These data are the first to demonstrate that high-carbohydrate diets alone can generate both liver fat and fibrosis and thus allow further study of mechanisms and therapeutic options in the translational animal model.
Pilot-Reported Beta-Blockers Identified by Forensic Toxicology Analysis of Postmortem Specimens.

Introduction: This study compared beta-blockers reported by pilots with the medications found by postmortem toxicology analysis of specimens received from fatal aviation accidents between 1999 and 2015. Several studies have compared drugs using the standard approach: Compare the drug found by toxicology analysis with the drug reported by the pilot. This study uniquely examined first the pilot-reported medication and then compared it to that detected by toxicology analysis. This study will serve two purposes: (1) determine the capability of a toxicology laboratory to detect reported medications, and (2) identify pilots with medications below detectable limits. Method: All information required for this study was extracted from the Toxicology Data Base system and was searched using ToxFlo or SQL Server Management Studio. The following information was collected and analyzed: pilot-reported trade and/or generic drug, date specimens received, time of accident, type of aviation operations (CFR), state, pilot level, age, class of medical, specimen type, specimen concentration, dose reported, frequency reported associated with the accident, quantity reported, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident event number, and all NTSB reports. Results: There were 319 pilots that either reported taking a beta-blocker or were found to be taking a beta-blocker by postmortem toxicology analysis. Metoprolol and Atenolol were the most commonly found beta-blockers (81%) in this study. Discussion: Time of death, therapeutic concentration, and specimen type were found to be factors in the ability of the laboratory to detect beta-blockers. Dose did not correlate with the ability of the toxicology laboratory to detect the beta-blocker. Conclusions: Beta-blockers taken by pilots will, in most cases, be found by a competent postmortem forensic toxicology laboratory at therapeutic concentrations. The dose taken by the pilot was not found to be a factor in the ability of the laboratory to identify beta-blockers. Time of dose, route of administration, specimen tested, and therapeutic concentration of the drug were found to be factors in the ability of the laboratory to identify beta-blockers in postmortem specimens taken from pilots that died in aviation accidents.
Surgical Management of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for only 15–20% of invasive breast cancers overall, but it generates substantial research and clinical attention because of its inherently aggressive nature biologically. The disproportionate contribution of this phenotype to breast cancer morbidity and mortality generates questions regarding optimal surgical management of the breast and axilla. This chapter will review the existing data confirming the safety of breast-conserving therapy (lumpectomy and radiation), immediate reconstruction, and lymphatic mapping/sentinel lymph node biopsy for patients diagnosed with TNBC. Finally, the potential benefits of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for TNBC will be summarized, including the prospects for improving breast-conserving therapy and reducing likelihood of the patient undergoing axillary lymph node dissection.
Miscellaneous Genodermatoses: Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome, Birt-Hogg-Dube Syndrome, Familial Atypical Multiple Mole Melanoma Syndrome, Hereditary Tylosis, Incontinentia Pigmenti, and Supernumerary Nipples

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, familial atypical multiple mole melanoma syndrome, and hereditary tylosis are bona fide genodermatoses with malignant potential. Each of these conditions is associated with an increased incidence of certain tumors: Wilms' tumor, adrenocortical carcinomas, pancreatoblastomas, and hepatoblastomas in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome; intraocular malignant melanoma, pancreatic carcinoma, and noncolorectal gastrointestinal cancers in familial atypical multiple mole melanoma syndrome; and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus in hereditary tylosis. Other cancer-related genodermatoses are Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome (associated with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid and renal cell carcinoma) and its variant, Hornstein-Knickenberg syndrome (associated with colon carcinoma). Kidney tumors (Wilms' tumor and malignant rhabdoid tumor), leukemias (acute myelogenous and acute myelomonocytic), retinoblastoma, and paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma have been reported recently in children with another genodermatosis-incontinentia pigmenti. Supernumerary nipples (polythelia) may be sporadic or familial in occurrence; their presence has been associated with an increased incidence of renal adenocarcinoma, testicular cancer, prostate cancer, and urinary bladder carcinoma. The general characteristics, mucosal and skin manifestations, and noncutaneous features of all these conditions are reviewed. Also, the associated malignancies of these genodermatoses and other conditions that are characterized by dermatologic manifestations and may be either familial or secondary to an inherited gene defect are summarized.
Role of Institutional Investors in the Resource Provision of the Region’s Economic Growth

The article examines the role of institutional investors in resource provision of the region's economic growth (on the materials of the Kursk region, Russia). The goal of the study is to analyze the current state and trends in the development of investment activities of institutional investors within the economic boundaries of a particular geographic region, the results of which allow to identify the main priority areas in the development of the investment environment for the activities of the regional economy entities under study. The scientific novelty of the study involves shaping the priority area sin the development of the region's economy based on the formation of an efficient investment environment and creation of favorable socioeconomic conditions for the activities of institutional investors. The completed study is based on the methods of economic and statistical analysis and economic modeling. The main result of the study is the development of priorities for the development of investment activities of institutional investors with the purpose of improving the resource provision of the region's economic growth.
Local spectroscopies across the superconductor-insulator transition

We explore the manifestation of quantum fluctuations across the superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) in three different local measurements: the two-particle density of states $P(\mathbf{r},\ensuremath{\omega})$, compressibility $\ensuremath{\kappa}(\mathbf{r})$, and diamagnetic susceptibility $\ensuremath{\chi}(\mathbf{r})$ revealed through their local maps. The map of $\ensuremath{\chi}(\mathbf{r})$ displays growing fluctuations upon increasing temperature as well as upon tuning the quantum tuning parameter $g$, as expected, but remarkably, these fluctuations persist well below ${T}_{c}$ as the SIT is approached, indicating the quantum nature of these fluctuations. The map of $\ensuremath{\kappa}(\mathbf{r})$ paints a similar picture when tuned via $g$, but in contrast to $\ensuremath{\chi}(\mathbf{r})$, we find a fundamental difference in its evolution with temperature, providing a complementary local probe to $\ensuremath{\chi}(\mathbf{r})$. $P(\mathbf{r},\ensuremath{\omega})$, obtained using maximum entropy analytic continuation of Monte Carlo simulations on 2D quantum Josephson junction arrays, shows strongly diminished zero-energy spectral weight in nearly-insulating islands, correlating with regions of suppressed $\ensuremath{\kappa}(\mathbf{r})$. We discuss the experimental implications of our results for scanning Josephson spectroscopy, compressibility, and scanning SQUID measurements in the context of quantum fluctuations.
A Novel Time-Domain Phase Quantization Noise Extraction for a VCO-based Quantizer

A highly linear SAR-VCO MASH delta-sigma ADC architecture is presented. OTA based analog integrators are not needed whereby the ADC is mostly digital and process scaling friendly. A new technique is introduced to extract the quantization noise of the VCO-based quantizer as a PWM signal using digital circuitry. This technique is independent of the OSR and the input signal amplitude of the VCO-based quantizer making it attractive for higher bandwidth applications. The proposed technique is demonstrated with a 0-1-1 MASH deltasigma architecture. Behavioral simulations show second order noise shaping with 75dB SNDR for an OSR of 20.
THE EFFECT OF SALES PEOPLE’S IDEALIZED INFLUENCE BEHAVIOUR ON CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN INSURANCE COMPANIES IN BATTICALOA DISTRICT

This study aimed at investigating influence of Sales People’s idealized influence behaviour on Customer Loyalty in Insurance Companies in Batticaloa District. The objectives of the study are to identify the level, relationship and impact of sales people’s idealized influence behaviour on customer loyalty. The Study had been conducted among 386 life insurance customers in Batticaloa district and stratified random sampling was used. Descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Hypothesis was developed and tested by correlation analysis. The study found that the sales people’s idealized influence behavior and customer loyalty were high level in Batticaloa district. It has been proven that there is a strong positive relationship between idealized influence behaviour and customer loyalty; and sale people‘s idealized influence behaviour significantly influenced customer loyalty of the insurance companies. The study contributes to existing theoretical and practical knowledge by providing evidence about the relationship between sales people’s idealized influence behaviour and customer loyalty. The life insurance sector is growing rapidly in Sri Lanka. Hence this research has the potential to contribute to the overall insurance companies in terms of how to maintain long term relationship between the insurance companies and their customers.
Chronic Pruritus Responding to Dupilumab-A Case Series.

Background: Chronic pruritus is defined as itch lasting for greater than six weeks. Pruritus is a burdensome manifestation of several internal and external disease states with a significant impact on quality of life. Dupilumab has shown promise in treating a number of conditions including atopic dermatitis (AD) and asthma. Its success in reducing pruritus in AD has generated interest regarding its potential application in other pruritic conditions, such as chronic pruritus of unknown origin, uremic pruritus, and pruigo nodularis. Methods: In this retrospective analysis, we present a series of 20 recalcitrant pruritus patients seen at a tertiary center treated with off-label dupilumab at standard AD dosing. Results: Dupilumab was successful at reducing itch in all treated patients, leading to complete resolution in 12/20 patients and an overall mean NRSi reduction of 7.55. Dupilumab was well tolerated with no significant adverse effects. Conclusions: Our case series suggests dupilumab may be a safe and efficacious therapeutic option in several pruritic conditions and demonstrates the need for further studies to better ascertain its place in the pruritus treatment armamentarium.
Developing 3D Heterogeneous Structures for Future Chips

This paper reviews recent advances in developing 3D heterogeneous integration technologies and heterogeneous structures in CMOS for smart chips. The demonstrated 3D CMOS-compatible 3D heterogeneous structures include transistor-size stacked-via type vertical magnetic-cored inductors, above-IC nano crossbar array and graphene-based NEMS switch ESD protection structures, and through-backend-of-line (BEOL) metal wall structures for global fly-noise isolation. These novel 3D heterogeneous structures were validated experimentally and are potential enablers for smart future chips in CMOS.
Take a Portfolio View of Cradas

Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) continue to be an important means of transferring technology. By incorporating the perspective of portfolio management, technology managers ...
Pathology, diagnostics, and classification of medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common CNS embryonal tumor. While the overall cure rate is around 70%, patients with high-risk disease continue to have poor outcome and experience long-term morbidity. MB is among the tumors for which diagnosis, risk stratification, and clinical management has shown the most rapid advancement. These advances are largely due to technological improvements in diagnosis and risk stratification which now integrate histomorphologic classification and molecular classification. MB stands as a prototype for other solid tumors in how to effectively integrate morphology and genomic data to stratify clinicopathologic risk and aid design of innovative clinical trials for precision medicine. This review explores the current diagnostic and classification of MB in modern neuropathology laboratories.
Nudging while online grocery shopping: A randomized feasibility trial to enhance nutrition in individuals with food insecurity

Abstract Food insecurity, the inability to acquire adequate food due to insufficient resources for food, is associated with an increased risk for obesity and associated health problems. This study assessed the feasibility and initial efficacy of a prefilled online grocery shopping cart (i.e., default option) in promoting healthier grocery purchases in individuals with food insecurity. Fifty participants recruited from food pantries in New York in 2018 were randomized to review nutrition information before purchasing groceries online (n = 23) or modify a prefilled, nutritionally balanced online shopping cart (n = 27) based on a budget corresponding to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Compared to nutrition education, the default shopping cart resulted in the purchase of significantly more ounces of whole grains (Mean Difference [Mdiff] = −4.05; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = −6.14, −1.96; p
Statistical learning of transition patterns in the songbird auditory forebrain.

Statistical learning of transition patterns between sounds—a striking capability of the auditory system—plays an essential role in animals’ survival (e.g., detect deviant sounds that signal danger). However, the neural mechanisms underlying this capability are still not fully understood. We recorded extracellular multi-unit and single-unit activity in the auditory forebrain of awake male zebra finches while presenting rare repetitions of a single sound in a long sequence of sounds (canary and zebra finch song syllables) patterned in either an alternating or random order at different inter-stimulus intervals (ISI). When preceding stimuli were regularly alternating (alternating condition), a repeated stimulus violated the preceding transition pattern and was a deviant. When preceding stimuli were in random order (control condition), a repeated stimulus did not violate any regularities and was not a deviant. At all ISIs tested (1 s, 3 s, or jittered at 0.8–1.2 s), deviant repetition enhanced neural responses in the alternating condition in a secondary auditory area (caudomedial nidopallium, NCM) but not in the primary auditory area (Field L2); in contrast, repetition suppressed responses in the control condition in both Field L2 and NCM. When stimuli were presented in the classical oddball paradigm at jittered ISI (0.8–1.2 s), neural responses in both NCM and Field L2 were stronger when a stimulus occurred as deviant with low probability than when the same stimulus occurred as standard with high probability. Together, these results demonstrate: (1) classical oddball effect exists even when ISI is jittered and the onset of a stimulus is not fully predictable; (2) neurons in NCM can learn transition patterns between sounds at multiple ISIs and detect violation of these transition patterns; (3) sensitivity to deviant sounds increases from Field L2 to NCM in the songbird auditory forebrain. Further studies using the current paradigms may help us understand the neural substrate of statistical learning and even speech comprehension.
Si-based materials for lithium-ion batteries IX: 70% surface-modified Si/C/polyethylene glycol-carbon black/lithiated polyacrylic acid electrode

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to analyze a 70% Si/C-carbon black/polyethylene glycol/lithiated polyacrylic acid electrode fabricated at the Cell Analysis, Modeling, and Prototyping Facility (CAMP), Argonne National Laboratory. The spectra were obtained using incident monochromatic Al Kα radiation at 1486.6 eV (0.834 01 nm). An initial survey spectrum together with O 1s, C 1s, and Si 2p are presented. A final survey scan was collected to ascertain the amount of beam-induced damage, which appears to be minimal. The spectra indicate the principal core level photoelectron and Auger electron signals with only minor copper and lithium signals and show the expected silicon-carbon species related to the surface modification process in addition to oxidized carbon and silicon due to atmospheric exposure as well as contributions related to the binder material.