cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tropomyosin-1, a novel suppressor of cellular transformation is downregulated by promoter methylation in cancer cells.

Abstract Tropomyosins (TMs) are a family of microfilament binding proteins, which are suppressed in the transformed cells. We have investigated the mechanism of suppression of TMs, in particular that of tropomyosin-1 (TM1), in breast cancer cells. Inhibition of DNA methyl transferase with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (AZA) alone did not induce TM1 expression. However, combined treatment of trichostatin A (TSA) and AZA resulted in readily detectable expression of TM1, but not that of other TM isoforms. Upregulation of TM1 expression paralleled with the reemergence of TM1 containing microfilaments, and in abolition of anchorage-independent growth. The synergistic action of AZA and TSA in reactivation of TM1 gene was also evident in ras-transformed fibroblasts. These data, for the first time, show that hypermethylation of TM1 gene and chromatin remodeling are the predominant mechanisms by which TM1 expression is downregulated in breast cancer cells.
Uptake of Dietary Sodium Restriction by Overweight and Obese Patients After Cardiac Revascularization.

Purpose High sodium intake increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Cardiac patients are recommended a daily sodium restriction of ≤1,500 mg. The purpose of this article is to describe daily sodium intake and sodium restriction adherence and its correlates in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program participants following cardiac revascularizations. Design This is a descriptive correlational study. Methods A subanalysis was performed using the data collected from a randomized controlled trial to determine the effect of a 12-week weight management intervention. Findings The average daily sodium intake was 3,020 mg ± 1,134 at baseline, 4,047 mg ±1,517 at 4 months, and 4,399 mg ± 1,722 at 6 months. The adherence rates were 4.8% at baseline and zero at 4 and 6 months. The factors influencing daily sodium intake were identified. Conclusion The CR program participants failed to adhere to the sodium restriction guidelines. Clinical relevance Rehabilitation nurses need to identify effective strategies to educate CR participants and their family members regarding dietary sodium adherence in CR participants.
Classroom learning techniques

One of the basic skills in learning in college is to be able to listen properly. Listening is the first step in learning. Bad listening habits are as easy to cultivate as good ones. In this paper, I present ten bad listening habits to be avoided. Just because we hear something, it doesn't mean we are listening. We don't have to hear to learn, but we do have to listen to learn. We don't have to learn to hear, but we do have to learn to listen. Listening involves concentration, and concentration involves holding a central issue or problem in mind and having ideas that are related to the issue. Why take notes? Because listening and note-taking are inseparable partners. Any experienced reporter will confirm this. The only way to take notes is to listen, and the only way to listen is to take notes. Listen without taking notes and you'll quickly forget. The objective in taking notes in class is to capture the instructor's ideas and information in the order in which they are presented; to be able to retrieve those ideas and information months and possibly years from now. I present a technique for note-taking that I feel is one that you should consider passing on to your students.
Arabidopsis thaliana GH3.9 influences primary root growth.

Auxins regulate a complex signal transduction network to direct plant development. Auxin-responsive genes fit into three major classes: the so-called auxin/indole3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA), the GH3, and the small auxinup RNA (SAUR) gene families. The 20-member Arabidopsis thaliana GH3 gene family has been subdivided into three groups. In vitro studies have shown that most Group II members function as IAA–amido synthetases to conjugate amino acids to the plant hormone auxin. Here we report the role of a previously uncharacterized GH3 gene family member, GH3.9, in root growth. Unlike most other Group II family members, GH3.9 expression was repressed by low concentrations of exogenous IAA in seedlings. Transgenic plants harboring a GH3.9 promoter::reporter gene construct indicate that GH3.9 is expressed in the root-hypocotyl junction, leaves and the shoot apical meristem of young seedlings, in mature embryos, and in the root vascular tissue. Expression was also observed in lateral root tips when seedlings were treated with exogenous IAA. Inverse PCR was used to identify an activation tagged T-DNA insertion in chromosome 2 near the 5′UTR region of At2g47750 (GH3.9). Plants homozygous for the T-DNA insertion (gh3.9-1 mutants) had reduced GH3.9 expression, no obvious effects on apical dominance or leaf morphology, greater primary root length, and increased sensitivity to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)-mediated root growth inhibition. Additional T-DNA insertion alleles and transgenic plants with reduced GH3.9 transcript levels due to RNA-interference (RNAi) also showed these same phenotypes. Our results provide new information on the function of GH3.9 in roots where it is likely to control auxin activity through amino acid conjugation.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN DISPLACEMENT BASED MULTILEVEL STRUCTURAL OPTIMIZATION - WORK IN PROGRESS

This paper presents new developments to improve the applicability and efficiency of the Displacement based Multilevel Structural Optimization (DMSO) methodology 1-4 . In this approach, the optimization task is subdivided into a single system and multiple subsystems level optimizations. The system level optimization minimizes the load unbalance resulting from the use of nodal displacements or displacement function coefficients as the design variables. This ensures that the calculated loads match the applied loads. Alternatively, a Gauss elimination analysis routine can be used to replace the system level optimization, especially for small to medium problems. In the subsystems level, the weight of the structure is minimized with the element dimensions as the design variables. In this work-in-progress paper, the following developments are discussed: Parallel processing using MPI on a set of SUN workstation as well as on a Beowulf cluster was applied to the subsystems level for a small to medium sized truss problem. It was shown that the most efficient approach was to run the optimizer NPSOL without gradient verification with the system level evaluated by analysis. More importantly, the parallel processing approach on the SUN network was extended to include an external processor connected to the remaining workstations via a DSL line. This should simulate distributed optimization over the Internet. Depending on the system level approach and the number of processors used, this tended to decrease efficiency, but not unacceptably. Then, a bending-torsion element was developed for the future aeroelastic optimization of wing models, and its performance was demonstrated for various boundary and loading conditions. Finally, the polynomial displacement function previously used in the system level approach was replaced by a Fourier series. When applied to a beam test case, this resulted in somewhat decreased accuracy of the converged optimization
Direct load control-A profit-based load management using linear programming

Conventional cost-based load management ignores the rate structure offered to customers. The resulting cost savings may cause revenue loss. In a deregulated power industry where utilities absorb the ultimate consequence of their decision making, reexamination of load management must be conducted. In this paper, profit-based load management is introduced to examine generic direct load control scheduling. Based upon the cost/market price function, the approach aims to increase the profit of utilities. Instead of determining the amount of energy to be deferred or to be paid back, the algorithm controls the number of groups power customer/load type to maximize the profit. In addition to the advantage of better physical feel on how the control devices should operate, the linear programming algorithm provides a relatively inexpensive and powerful approach to the scheduling problem.
A Fully-coupled Newton-Krylov Solution Method for Parallel Unstructured Finite Element Fluid Flow, Heat and Mass Transfer Simulations

This manuscript briefly describes a robust iterative solution methodology used for parallel unstructured finite element simulation of strongly coupled fluid flow, heat and mass transfer. The solution method relies on an inexact Newton scheme and linear system solvers based on preconditioned Krylov subspace methods. The discussion considers computational efficiency and robustness issues related to the proposed schemes. The evaluated preconditioning techniques include simple polynomial expansion and multi-step block iterative methods along with overlapping Schwarz domain decomposition techniques using subdomain solvers based on incomplete factorizations. For this comparison a particular spatial discretization of the governing transport PDEs based on a Galerkin Least Squares (GLS) finite element formulation is used. Results are presented for some standard 2D CFD benchmark problems as well as for a number of 3D problems.
A threshold theory of the humor response

The humor response has long been considered mysterious, and it is given relatively little attention in modern experimental psychology, in spite of the fact that numerous studies suggest that it has substantial benefits for mood and health. Existing theories of humor fail to account for some of the most basic humor phenomena. On most occasions when a humor response occurs, certain verbal or visual stimuli (the “setup” stimuli, which function as an establishing operation) must precede a critical stimulus (such as a “punch line” or the final panel or critical feature of a cartoon), which then occasions a sudden “revelation” or “understanding”; this revelation is often accompanied by the humor response. We suggest that the setup stimuli increase the strength of the revelatory response to a point just below the threshold of awareness and that the critical stimulus, properly designed and timed, edges the revelatory response to a point just above threshold. We also suggest that it is this threshold phenomenon that produces most instances of the humor response. We discuss these issues in the context of some notable humor of Carl Rogers and B. F. Skinner.
The anchoring filament protein kalinin is synthesized and secreted as a high molecular weight precursor.

Kalinin, a recently characterized novel protein component of anchoring filaments, has been shown to be involved in keratinocyte attachment to culture substrates and to dermis in vivo, and to exist in keratinocyte-conditioned culture medium in two heterotrimeric forms of 440 and 400 kDa (Rousselle, P., Lunstrum, G.P., Keene, D.R., and Burgeson, R.E. (1991) J. Cell Biol. 114, 567-576). This study demonstrates that kalinin is initially synthesized in a cell-associated form estimated to be 460 kDa. By second dimension reduced electrophoresis, V8 protease digestion, and immunoblot analysis, we demonstrate that the cell form contains nonidentical subunits of 200, 155, and 140 kDa. The 440-kDa medium form is derived from the cell form by extracellular processing of the 200-kDa subunit to 165 kDa, a step which also occurs in skin organ culture. The 400-kDa form is derived from the 440-kDa form by extracellular processing of the 155 kDa-subunit to 105 kDa. The cell form is secreted by keratinocytes, deposited onto culture substratum, and is the form which facilitates attachment and adhesion of growing and spreading keratinocytes. It is also the form initially synthesized in skin organ culture. Kalinin purified from tissue, which appears to facilitate epithelial-mesenchymal cohesion in vivo, is closely related to the 400-kDa medium form purified from culture.
Cockayne syndrome protein B interacts with and is phosphorylated by c-Abl tyrosine kinase

The Cockayne Syndrome group B (CSB) protein plays important roles in transcription, transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair and base excision DNA repair. c-Abl kinase also plays a role in DNA repair as a regulator/coordinator of the DNA damage response. This study presents evidence that the N-terminal region of CSB interacts with the SH3 domain of c-Abl in vitro and in vivo. In addition, c-Abl kinase phosphorylates CSB at Tyr932. The subcellular localization of CSB to the nucleus and nucleolus is altered after phosphorylation by c-Abl. c-Abl-dependent phosphorylation of CSB increased in cells treated with hydrogen peroxide and decreased in cells pre-treated with STI-571, a c-Abl-specific protein kinase inhibitor. Activation of the c-Abl kinase in response to oxidative damage is not observed in CSB null cells. These results suggest that c-Abl and CSB may regulate each other in a reciprocal manner in response to oxidative stress.
Absent Progesterone Signaling in Kisspeptin Neurons Disrupts the LH Surge and Impairs Fertility in Female Mice

Kisspeptin, encoded by Kiss1, stimulates GnRH neurons to govern reproduction. In rodents, estrogen-sensitive kisspeptin neurons in the anterior ventral periventricular nucleus and neighboring periventricular nucleus are thought to mediate sex steroid-induced positive feedback induction of the preovulatory LH surge. These kisspeptin neurons coexpress estrogen and progesterone receptors and display enhanced neuronal activation during the LH surge. However, although estrogen regulation of kisspeptin neurons has been well studied, the role of progesterone signaling in regulating kisspeptin neurons is unknown. Here we tested whether progesterone action specifically in kisspeptin cells is essential for proper LH surge and fertility. We used Cre-lox technology to generate transgenic mice lacking progesterone receptors exclusively in kisspeptin cells (termed KissPRKOs). Male KissPRKOs displayed normal fertility and gonadotropin levels. In stark contrast, female KissPRKOs displayed earlier puberty onset and significant impairments in fertility, evidenced by fewer births and substantially reduced litter size. KissPRKOs also had fewer ovarian corpora lutea, suggesting impaired ovulation. To ascertain whether this reflects a defect in the ability to generate sex steroid-induced LH surges, females were exposed to an estradiol-positive feedback paradigm. Unlike control females, which displayed robust LH surges, KissPRKO females did not generate notable LH surges and expressed significantly blunted cfos induction in anterior ventral periventricular nucleus kisspeptin neurons, indicating that progesterone receptor signaling in kisspeptin neurons is required for normal kisspeptin neuronal activation and LH surges during positive feedback. Our novel findings demonstrate that progesterone signaling specifically in kisspeptin cells is essential for the positive feedback induction of normal LH surges, ovulation, and normal fertility in females.
Introduction to the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy released and absorbed by charged particles. This radiation has specific electrical and magnetic properties. The wavelength range corresponding to the electromagnetic radiation is termed the ‘electromagnetic spectrum.’ The way in which the electromagnetic spectrum interacts with any material can be used in qualitative and quantitative analysis of various materials. Therefore, the electromagnetic spectrum is often used to assess various physical and chemical properties of objects in food and agriculture.
Effects of extracellular calcium and surgical techniques on restoration of axonal continuity by polyethylene glycol fusion following complete cut or crush severance of rat sciatic nerves

Complete crush or cut severance of sciatic nerve axons in rats and other mammals produces immediate loss of axonal continuity. Loss of locomotor functions subserved by those axons is restored only after months, if ever, by outgrowths regenerating at ∼1 mm/day from the proximal stumps of severed axonal segments. The distal stump of a severed axon typically begins to degenerate in 1–3 days. We recently developed a polyethylene glycol (PEG) fusion technology, consisting of sequential exposure of severed axonal ends to hypotonic Ca2+-free saline, methylene blue, PEG in distilled water, and finally Ca2+-containing isotonic saline. This study examines factors that affect the PEG fusion restoration of axonal continuity within minutes, as measured by conduction of action potentials and diffusion of an intracellular fluorescent dye across the lesion site of rat sciatic nerves completely cut or crush severed in the midthigh. Also examined are factors that affect the longer-term PEG fusion restoration of lost behavioral functions within days to weeks, as measured by the sciatic functional index. We report that exposure of cut-severed axonal ends to Ca2+-containing saline prior to PEG fusion and stretch/tension of proximal or distal axonal segments of cut-severed axons decrease PEG fusion success. Conversely, trimming cut-severed ends in Ca2+-free saline just prior to PEG fusion increases PEG fusion success. PEG fusion prevents or retards the Wallerian degeneration of cut-severed axons, as assessed by measures of axon diameter and G ratio. PEG fusion may produce a paradigm shift in the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Therapy: New data do not support use of abatacept in diabetic nephropathy.

A new study reports that B7-1 is not expressed on the podocytes of patients or mice with diabetic nephropathy. In contrast to the findings of some previous studies, these data suggest that targeting B7-1 on podocytes using abatacept might not be an appropriate therapeutic strategy for diabetic renal disease.
Comparison of digital scanning and polyvinyl siloxane impression techniques by dental students: instructional efficiency and attitudes towards technology.

Introduction With increasing use of digital scanning with restorative procedures in the dental office, it becomes necessary that educational institutions adopt instructional methodology for introducing this technology together with conventional impression techniques. Objective To compare the time differences between instructing dental students on digital scanning (DS) (LAVA C.O.S. digital impression system) and a conventional impression technique (CI) (polyvinyl siloxane), and to compare students’ attitudes and beliefs towards both techniques. Materials and methods Volunteer sophomore dental students (n = 25) with no prior experience in clinical impressions were recruited and IRB consent obtained. Participants responded to a pre-and post-exposure questionnaire. Participants were instructed on the use of both DS and CI for a single tooth full coverage crown restoration using a consecutive sequence of video lecture, investigator-led demonstration and independent impression exercise. The time necessary for each step (minutes) was recorded. Statistical significance was calculated using dependent t-tests (time measurements) and 2-sample Mann–Whitney (questionnaire responses). Results The time spent teaching students was greater for DS than CI for video lecture (15.95 and 10.07 min, P = 0.0000), demonstration time (9.06 and 4.70 min, P = 0.0000) and impression time (18.17 and 8.59 min, P = 0.0000). Prior to the instruction and practice, students considered themselves more familiar with CI (3.96) than DS (1.96) (P = 0.0000). After the instruction and practice, participants reported CI technique proved significantly easier than expected (pre-instruction: 3.52 and post-instruction: 4.08, P = 0.002). However, overall participants’ perception of ease of use for DS was not influenced by this instruction and practice experience (pre-instruction: 3.84 and post-instruction: 3.56, P = 0.106). Despite the results, 96% of participants expressed an expectation that DS will become their predominant impression technique during their careers. Conclusions Dental students with no clinical experience have high expectations for digital scanning, and despite their initial difficulty, expect it to become their primary impression technique during their professional futures. The instructional time necessary for introducing DS into the curriculum is significantly greater than CI in both classroom (lecture) and clinical simulation settings (investigator-led demonstration).
Utilization and Performance Enhancements of Multiple Piezoelectric Actuators on Micro Air Vehicles

Servos have conventionally been used to actuate control surfaces on unmanned air vehicles. However, piezoelectric actuators offer an alternative method of aircraft control through strain application on thin carbon fiber composite wings. These actuators are capable of morphing the shape of the wing through the input of high voltage converted to linear strain. The modeling, application, and optimization of these piezoelectric actuators are discussed here within.
Chandelier Decision Tree

This chapter proposes two new techniques called the chandelier decision tree and the random chandelier. This pair of techniques is similar to the well-known pair of techniques, the decision tree and the random forest. The chapter also presents a previously proposed algorithm called the unit circle algorithm (UCA) and proposes a family of UCA-based algorithms called the unit circle machine (UCM), unit ring algorithm (URA), and unit ring machine (URM). The unit circle algorithm integrates a normalization process to define a unit circle domain, and thus the other proposed algorithms adopt the phrase “unit circle.” The chandelier decision tree and the random chandelier use the unit ring machine to build the chandelier trees.
A History of Resistance in Colonial Nyasaland: John McCracken (ed.), Voices from the Chilembwe Rising: Witness Testimonies Made to the Nyasaland Rising Commission of Inquiry, 1915 (London, Oxford University Press for the British Academy, 2015), xxvi + 623 pp., hardback, £110.00, ISBN 978-0-19-726592-5.

George Shepperson and Thomas Price’s 1958 book, Independent African, set the standard for the emergent field of African history. It powerfully argued that the 1915 Nyasaland uprising led by the Bap...
Efficacy of environmental and acceptance-based enhancements to behavioral weight loss treatment: The ENACT trial.

Objective This study was designed to compare weight loss through a traditional behavioral treatment (BT) approach that integrated skills for managing the obesogenic food environment (BT + E) with an approach that integrated environmental and acceptance-based skills (BT + EA). Moderators were examined as an exploratory aim. Methods Adults (N = 283) were randomly assigned to treatment condition and provided with 26 group-based sessions over the course of 12 months. Weight was measured in the clinic at months 0, 6, and 12. Results Change in weight over time did not significantly differ by condition. However, race significantly moderated the effect of condition on weight loss (P = 0.04), such that African-American participants lost less weight than non-Hispanic white participants in the BT (6.2% vs. 11.5%) and BT + E conditions (6.6% vs. 12.2%), but weight loss in these two groups was similar in the BT + EA condition (9.4% vs. 11.5%). Among African Americans, rates of achieving a clinically significant weight loss (i.e., > 5%) at 12 months were higher in BT + EA (80%) than BT (57%) or BT + E (48%) (P = 0.04). Conclusions This innovative behavioral approach shows promise for treatment of African Americans, which is notable given the lack of progress to date addressing racial disparities in obesity intervention efficacy.
Modeling and Performance Analysis of Metallic Plasmonic Nano-Antennas for Wireless Optical Communication in Nanonetworks

In this paper, metallic plasmonic nano-antennas are modeled and analyzed for wireless optical communication. More specifically, a unified mathematical framework is developed to investigate the performance in transmission and reception of metallic nano-dipole antennas. This framework takes into account the metal properties, i.e., its dynamic complex conductivity and permittivity; the propagation properties of surface plasmon polariton waves on the nano-antenna, i.e., their confinement factor and propagation length; and the antenna geometry, i.e., length and radius. The generated plasmonic current in reception and the total radiated power and efficiency in transmission are analytically derived by utilizing the framework. In addition to numerical results, the analytical models are validated by means of simulations with COMSOL Multi-physics. The developed framework will guide the design and development of novel nano-antennas suited for wireless optical communication.
Ordered Mesoporous Materials

Mesoporous materials are classified as materials with pores of widths between 2 and 50 nm. These materials are important in separations, heterogeneous catalysis, and many other applications. Mesoporous materials are usually disordered at nanoscale, but their structurally well-defined families emerged in 1990s and have gained prominence. Herein, ordered materials with mesopores templated by surfactant micelles are discussed, with the primary focus on those with silica-based frameworks. Structures of representative ordered mesoporous silicas, including those with cylindrical and spherical mesopores, are presented in the context of families of surfactants (primarily cationic surfactants and poly(ethylene oxide)-based nonionic surfactants) that are suitable for their synthesis. Selected mechanisms of formation of the materials are outlined. Different achievable framework compositions are briefly noted. Basic principles of the pore shape control based on surfactant packing considerations are introduced. Mechanisms of pore size control are discussed. In particular, the pore size adjustability through the selection of surfactants of different molecular sizes and the addition of micelle swelling agents (expanders) is reviewed, and ranges of achievable pore diameters are outlined. The pore size tuning based on the framework shrinkage upon surfactant removal is also noted. The pore accessibility and connectivity are delineated for both spherical and cylindrical mesopores, and the means of their control are outlined, noting also limitations in their applicability. While this chapter provides only a glimpse of a vast field of ordered mesoporous solids, it is meant to reflect some of the most important characteristics of the remarkable family of materials. Keywords: micelle-templated ordered mesoporous materials; nonionic poly-based surfactants; pore connectivity; pore size control mechanisms; silica-based frameworks; structure control
Work and Identity in an Era of Precarious Employment: How Workers Respond to “Personal Branding” Discourse:

Recent efforts to understand the significance of precarious work have been limited in at least two important respects. One is the neglect of the ideological constructs that workers are led to embra...
Using Gamification Strategies to Motivate and Engage Students in Computer Science Courses: (Abstract Only)

The low performance and drop-outs in Computer Science classes are frequently attributed to lack of engagement and motivation. Meanwhile, gamification - the application of game design principles and game mechanics to a non-game context -- increasingly attracts the interest of educators due to its potential to foster motivation and behavioral changes in learning contexts. Course gamification is about using game elements, such as instant feedback, freedom to fail, freedom of choice, achievements, leveling, progress mechanics, badges, and leaderboards, as interventions in the learning process. This BOF will provide a platform for a discussion of when and how course gamification strategies can be beneficial for improving student motivation, engagement and achievements in Computer Science classes. Questions to be discussed include: What game elements could be useful in gamifying a computer science course? How can an instructor incorporate game elements in the design of their courses? What support the instructor may need for gamifying their courses? Could some game elements have potential drawbacks on student motivation and performance? The discussion leaders and attendees with experience in applying gamification in their courses will share examples of successes or failures, challenges, problems, tips, and techniques for gamifying learning with each other and those new to the use of gamification. Two NSF sponsored projects related to the use of gamification in STEM courses will seed the discussion. As an outcome of the discussion, we hope to collectively identify some lessons learned and challenges to be overcome for a successful application of gamification in Computer Science education.
Signals, Spectra, and Samples

Electrical quantities like current, voltage, and power are called electrical signals if they convey information. Electrical signals are used in radio, radar, sonar, telephone, television, control systems, and many other areas. Other types of physical quantities, such as mechanical, optical, electrooptical, audio, chemical, or biological, are called signals whenever they represent information or an event. Whenever any physical, natural, or any other phenomenon bearing information can be measured in the form of electrical quantities, we will call it a signal We define a signal as a function of time, denoted as X(t), S(t), etc., where t is the time parameter. Signals are called deterministic if these signals can be produced, predicted, or described exactly. Suppose that the signal is given by X(t) = A cost. We can generate this signal at any instant of time, and we can determine its past, present, and future value exactly. Signals that are not deterministic are called random signals. The satellite images of cloud motions, seismic signals, radiometric data of ocean temperature, or measurement of total electron count of the ionosphere are examples of random signals. Whenever deterministic signals are corrupted by electrical, thermal, mechanical, or other disturbances, they are also called random signals. Telephone conversation sometimes becomes inaudible when the circuit noise level exceeds the voice level.
Insulin Receptors in the Brain

This review briefly outlines the studies demonstrating specific insulin receptors in brain, describes the recent studies on the structure and function of these receptors, and concludes with suggestions for future studies for exploring the function of insulin on nervous tissue.
Green butyryl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase. An enzyme-acyl-coenzyme A complex.

1. Butyryl-CoA dehydrogenase from Peptostreptococcus elsdenii forms very tightly bound complexes with various acyl-CoA compounds. Spectra in some cases merely show resolution of the 450nm band, but those with acetoacetyl-, pent-2-enoyl- and 4-methylpent-2-enoyl-CoA show long-wavelength bands similar to the 710nm band of native enzyme. These complexes are formed instantaneously by the yellow form of the enzyme and much more slowly by the green form. 2. An acid extract of the green enzyme reconverts the yellow into the green form. 3. Hydroxylamine makes irreversible the otherwise reversible conversion of the green enzyme into the yellow form by phenylmercuric acetate. 4. Amino acid analysis for taurine and β-alanine shows approx. 1mol of CoA/mol of flavin in green enzyme. Anaerobic dialysis of reduced enzyme removes the CoA. On acid precipitation of green enzyme the CoA is found only in the supernatant. 5. It is concluded that native green enzyme is probably complexed with unsaturated acyl-CoA. This is shown to be consistent with findings of other workers. Catalytic activity requires displacement of the acyl-CoA, which is therefore likely to be a potent inhibitor. 6. An explanation is offered for the irreversible conversion of green into yellow enzyme by sodium dithionite. 7. The enzyme displays a feeble, previously undetected, activity towards β-hydroxybutyryl-CoA. 8. The product of oxidation of pent-4-enoyl-CoA forms a complex with reduced enzyme and strongly inhibits reoxidation of the FAD. This may contribute to inhibition of fatty acid oxidation by pent-4-enoic acid in mammals.
Electrothermal Instability Studies on a Small Pulsed Power Device

Magnetized liner inertial fusion (MagLIF) [1, 2] is a pulsed-power driven approach to inertial confinement fusion. Electrothermal instabilities (ETI) are thought to seed Magneto-Rayleigh Taylor (MRT), sausage mode, and kink mode instabilities in the imploding liner of MagLIF [3]. Understanding ETI may provide a way to improve fusion performance in MagLIF through instability mitigation. A single-capacitor pulsed power device was built with a low peak current of 4 kA and a long risetime of 600 ns to lengthen the transition time from the solid phase to the vapor phase. We have studied ETI growth rates on this facility. These growth rates have good agreement with ETI theory [4]. Preliminary results have shown the value of this facility and a need to investigate ETI further. We report on recent modifications and improvements to the facility and plans for future ETI studies.
Effectiveness of progestin-based therapy for morbidly obese women with complex atypical hyperplasia.

While progestins can effectively treat women with complex atypical hyperplasia (CAH), the impact of body habitus on treatment outcome is not well studied. We examine the association between body mass index (BMI) and progestin treatment outcomes. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with hyperplasia between 2003 and 2011. Demographics, past medical history, BMI, hormonal therapy, and histologic treatment response were abstracted. Patients with CAH who received progestin therapy were examined, and rates of regression were assessed. Of 623 patients identified, 117 had CAH and satisfied the inclusion criteria. Median age was 34, and nearly, two-thirds (64%) were nulliparous. Mean BMI was 40.2, and 81% were obese (BMI 30–39.9: 36%, BMI ≥ 40: 45%). 103 patients (88%) received systemic progestin therapy and 14 patients (12%) received levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine devices (LNG-IUS). 47 patients (40%) had a complete response to progestin-based therapy. BMI had no effect on the rate of complete response. The proportions of CAH patients with complete regression after hormonal therapy were BMI < 30: 39%, 30–39.9: 40%, and ≥ 40: 36% (P = 0.73). Women treated with LNG-IUS displayed higher rates of complete regression than those receiving systemic therapy (62% versus 38%, P = 0.096), and those with class III obesity were more likely than non-obese patients to receive LNG-IUS although neither reached statistical significance (< 40: 6.7% versus ≥ 40: 17%, P = 0.09). In this morbidly obese population, response to progestin therapy was generally low; body habitus did not impact treatment outcome for CAH, but local therapy may be more effective than systemic therapy.
Chapter 38 – Family Hepadnaviridae

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is highly infectious and is transmitted by blood and body fluids. It is estimated that over 200 million persons worldwide have chronic HBV infection, putting them at increased risk for developing cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma. The course of HBV infection is highly dependent on the age of infected individual. Among adults, ~90% will clear the infection within 6 months but ~10% will develop lifelong chronic infection. The clinical outcome is reversed among infants with most becoming chronic carriers. HBV is a member of the Hepadnaviridae, a family of small, enveloped viruses with icosahedral capsids. Hepadnavirus genomes are relaxed circles of partially double-stranded DNA, synthesized by reverse transcription during virion assembly in the infected cell. Hepadnavirus replication is largely restricted to differentiated hepatocytes and infection is noncytopathic.
Surprise! A hidden B12 cofactor catalyzes a radical methylation

Radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) (RS) methylases perform methylation reactions at unactivated carbon and phosphorus atoms. RS enzymes typically abstract a hydrogen from their substrates, generating a substrate-centered radical; class B RS methylases catalyze methyl transfer from SAM to cobalamin and then to a substrate-centered carbon or phosphorus radical. Radle et al. now show that Mmp10, an RS enzyme implicated in the methylation of Arg-285 in methyl coenzyme M reductase, binds a methylcobalamin cofactor required for methyl transfer from SAM to a peptide substrate. However, Mmp10 has little sequence homology to known methylases, suggesting this enzyme belongs to a new subclass of B12-dependent RS methylases.
Preparing Teacher Education Students to Integrate Mobile Learning into Elementary Education

The wide adoption of mobile technology has greatly influenced K-12 education. In teacher education programs, it is necessary for educators to train teacher education students to use mobile technology for educational purpose. This paper reports an exploratory effort in preparing elementary education students for mobile learning. The participants’ perceptions of mobile learning and intended use of mobile technology were examined through the analyses of their online discussion posts, responses to survey items and their projects. Their perceived benefits of mobile learning, limitations of mobile technology, their intended implementation of mobile learning and the challenges they anticipated were reported. Implications and recommendations were discussed regarding the knowledge of mobile apps, pedagogical practices and some non-instructional issues.
In-situ and Land-Based Remote Sensing of River Inlets and Their Interaction with Coastal Waters: Mouth of Columbia River

Abstract : Principal research goals are to characterize the physics and fluid dynamics which exist at the Mouth of the Columbia River. Coming from the relatively benign environment of the New River Inlet (RIVET I), this DRI will provide much stronger flows, larger waves, and more dynamic signals for our remote sensing instruments to observe. A by-product of the observational program will be the development of sensing capabilities that may have Naval interest.
Recovery and Regrowth After Nerve Repair: A Systematic Analysis of Four Repair Techniques.

Abstract Background Outcome assessments that evaluate post-transection nerve repair do not often correlate with one another. The aims of this study were twofold: to compare four nerve repair techniques with each other and incorporate both negative and positive control groups and to identify possible correlations between outcome assessments. Materials and methods Sciatic nerve transection and repair was performed in Lewis rats using one of the following techniques: interrupted epineural, running epineural, grouped fascicular, epineural with absorbable type I collagen wrap, and high tension for incorporation of a negative control. A sham surgery group was also included as a positive control group. Outcomes were compared using assessments of functional recovery (behavior and electrophysiology) and nerve regrowth (imaging and histomorphometry). Three-dimensional printed custom electrode stabilization and imaging devices were designed and fabricated to provide standardization in assessment between subjects. Results Nerve repair was performed in 48 male Lewis rats. In all animals, functional testing was performed at week 13. The sham group (n = 7) performed the best on both behavioral assays (P Conclusions There was no difference in outcome between the four types of nerve repair. High-tension nerve repair represents an ideal negative control. Not all assessment methods correlate equally, and consistent use of complimentary outcome assessments could allow for improved comparison between studies.
Structuring and Scaffolding the Online Course: A Practical Development Framework

In the following paper, the author identifies two overarching challenges in developing effective online learning courses and provides an easy to implement framework to address them. The first challenge is that social activity, a key aspect to learning, often falls short in the development of online learning courses. The second challenge is student readiness to be a self-regulated learners. This framework offers faculty an easily adoptable course development approach that through a sequence of activities and deadlines, supports collaborative learning and scaffolds student’s self-regulation. It is platform independent and can be adapted to the most basic capabilities of any Learning Management System (even none at all). To date, this framework has been successfully used by the author to design several asynchronous online courses for higher education.
The Composite-File File System: Decoupling One-to-One Mapping of Files and Metadata for Better Performance

The design and implementation of traditional file systems typically use the one-to-one mapping of logical files to their physical metadata representations. File system optimizations generally follow this rigid mapping and miss opportunities for an entire class of optimizations. We designed, implemented, and evaluated a composite-file file system, which allows many-to-one mappings of files to metadata. Through exploring different mapping strategies, our empirical evaluation shows up to a 27% performance improvement under web server and software development workloads, for both disks and SSDs. This result demonstrates that our approach of relaxing file-to-metadata mapping is promising.
Hazard Recognition Patterns Demonstrated by Construction Workers.

Construction workers fail to recognize a large number of safety hazards. These unrecognized safety hazards can lead to unintended hazard exposure and tragic safety incidents. Unfortunately, traditional hazard recognition interventions (e.g., job hazard analyses and safety training) have been unable to tackle the industry-wide problem of poor hazard recognition levels. In fact, emerging evidence has demonstrated that traditional hazard recognition interventions have been designed without a proper understanding of the challenges workers experience during hazard recognition efforts. Interventions and industry-wide efforts designed based on a more thorough understanding of these challenges can yield substantial benefits—including superior hazard recognition levels and lower injury rates. Towards achieving this goal, the current investigation focused on identifying hazard categories that workers are more proficient in recognizing and others that they are less proficient in recognizing (i.e., hazard recognition patterns). For the purpose of the current study, hazards were classified on the basis of the energy source per Haddon’s energy release theory (e.g., gravity, motion, electrical, chemical, etc.). As part of the study, 287 workers representing 57 construction workplaces in the United States were engaged in a hazard recognition activity. Apart from confirming previous research findings that workers fail to recognize a disproportionate number of safety hazards, the results demonstrate that the workers are more proficient in recognizing certain hazard types. More specifically, the workers on average recognized roughly 47% of the safety hazards in the gravity, electrical, motion, and temperature hazard categories while only recognizing less than 10% of the hazards in the pressure, chemical, and radiation hazard categories. These findings can inform the development of more robust interventions and industry-wide initiatives to tackle the issue of poor hazard recognition levels in the construction industry.
A mechanical model to interpret distributed fiber optic strain measurement at displacement discontinuities

Distributed fiber optic (strain) sensing, which provides the unique advantage of sensing damage (e.g. cracking) at locations that are not known a priori, has been increasingly used in civil enginee...
The Serpent and the Dove: A Spiritual and Political Formation of Nonviolence and Direct Action in the LGBTQI Community

Soulforce has, since our start in 1998, practiced what we call relentless, nonviolent resistance in our organizing to end the religious and political oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI) people. Starting out in the 1990s, we analyzed the powerful sources driving the most toxic and violent messages against LGBTQI people, and the data overwhelmingly at that time pointed to Christian broadcasters like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell and global Christian denominations like the United Methodist Church and the Catholic Church as the architects, funders, and promoters of the gravest physical and spiritual violence launched against the LGBTQI community. The faces and structures have changed since our early days, but the operating premise remains the same: Christianity co-opted by systems like white supremacy, capitalism, and colonization to advance a racial, economic, and patriarchal agenda. This is an ideological system Soulforce defines as Christian Supremacy.
Integrating School Districts: Diversity, Balance, and Welfare

Despite significant efforts, segregation in the US public schools still persists. It mainly occurs between, but not within, school districts. To overcome this problem, inter-district admissions have been introduced, and many school districts have been integrated in a handful of states. We study district integration from a market-design perspective. For each desired policy, we provide admission rules and algorithms so that the policy goal is established. We provide a novel framework that opens avenues for market-design research.
Exponential and sigmoid-interpolated machining trajectories

Abstract In single-point metal turning and boring processes, a chip nest can often be created that is a hazard to part and operators alike. In order to mitigate this, a process called modulated tool path (MTP) machining was developed that superimposes a sinusoidal motion tangent to the feed direction onto the tool feed path to break chips. The sinusoidal motions are created under CNC control in the part program. In the current implementation, the sinusoidal motion is approximated as a series of short linear moves. Linear interpolation is currently used to create position and velocity commands to the axis servomotors at each control loop closure. Linear interpolation is a computationally heavy and dated method that is not well tailored to a sinusoidal trajectory. In this paper a new method called the sigmoidal interpolator is introduced that honors all physical constraints of a machining system while offering better tracking performance and lower accelerations than the linear interpolator, all while reducing the number of possible state transitions of the implemented software from approximately 17 to 4.
Control of Enzyme Activities in Cotton Cotyledons during Maturation and Germination

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) embryos excised from bolls 38–43 d after anthesis and cultured in vitro for 4 d on a nutrient agar medium containing 3.8 μM abscisic acid (ABA) developed enzyme activity and accumulated insoluble protein, neutral lipid, and dry weight similar to embryos maturing on the plant. Inclusion of ABA in the medium prevented precosious germination and allowed continued increases in catalase, malate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, aspartate aminotransferase, and β-oxidation enzyme activities as well as de-novo synthesis of malate synthase. Isocitrate lyase activity was not detectable in ABA-cultured embryos nor normally-developed embryos. Omission of sucrose from the medium resulted in near-doubling of the development of malate synthase activity, with minimal effects on the other enzyme activities. Addition of Actinomycin D, cordycepin, or cycloheximide to ABA-containing cultures did not overcome the observed inhibition of germination, but severely reduced both the appearance of new malate synthase activity and further production of other related enzyme activities. Thus, development of these enzyme activities in the presence of ABA appears dependent on transcription and translation, while inhibition of germination by ABA at this stage of development is not sensitive to the RNA- and protein-synthesis inhibitors. The results indicate that ABA does not prevent vivipary by suppressing translation of m-RNAs coding for isocitrate lyase and its companion enzymes, as previously proposed.