cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the convergence of a numerical method for optimal control problems.

Under suitable restrictions, convergence to the solutions of a class of optimal control problems is proved for a method by Rosen in which the differential equations, constraints, and cost functional are discretized, and the resulting mathematical programming problem is solved approximately by a penalty-function approach.
ON SUPERVISORY CONTROL OF LINEAR SYSTEMS WITH INPUT CONSTRAINTS

Abstract A supervisory control system which globally regulates to zero the state of a very poorly modeled linear process in the presence of input constraints is proposed in this paper. The model of the process is an unknown member of a family of systems which are open-loop unstable but not exponentially unstable. For the analysis, two switching logics are considered: The hysteresis switching logic and a new type of dwell time switching logic. In both cases, the supervisory control system is shown to regulate to zero all the continuous states of the system.
Radioactive Vitamin B12 Absorption Studies: Population Distribution of Plasma B12 Absorption and Serum B12

SummarySimultaneous vitamin B12 plasma absorption levels and serum vitamin B12 levels were measured in 1169 consecutive unselected patients. Analysis of the population distribution confirmed the findings of Grasbeck et al. (1) of a log-normal distribution of the serum vitamin B12 levels. To the contrary, a plot of the cumulative frequencies for distribution of the vitamin B12 plasma absorption levels showed a normal gaussian distribution, except for slight skewing at both extremes. This skewing would be anticipated because of the impossibility of negative values. The mean vitamin B12 plasma absorption level was 3 ± 3.6 pg/ml with a standard deviation of 2.08 pg/ml. Correlation between the plasma vitamin B12 absorption level and the serum vitamin B12 level was 0.1328. When plasma vitamin B12 absorption levels were compared with the logarithm of the serum vitamin B12 levels, the correlation was 0.3722. Eighteen patients were found who had plasma absorption and serum vitamin B12 levels below the 5 percentile...
From Dopefiend to Kenyatta’s Last Hit: The Angry Black Crime Novels of Donald Goines

Donald Goines is the foremost example of a cultural phenomenon possible no earlier than the 1970s a successful Black author of mass market fiction written by and about Blacks. Unlike the mass market fiction of Black authors such as Samuel R. Delany and Frank Yerby, the majority of whose readers are white and are intended to be white, the books of Donald Goines are devoured by legions of Black Americans everywhere, from the inner city to American military bases abroad. Goines's books, all paperback originals, have never been out of print since their original publication; they have sold more than five million copies and have been on option to several movie studios and independents. They are recommended reading at some urban high schools. In 1974 Goines was so prolific that his publisher asked him to adopt a pseudonym, which he did, taking the name of a friend, Al C. Clark. Primarily through Goines, his Los Angeles-based publisher Holloway House has made a name for itself in mass market publishing and has even invented a new literary genre, the "Black experience novel," of which Goines is termed the master. In spite of all this, Goines's books are largely unknown to white readers. Goines's sixteen books, all slice-of-ghetto-life crime novels with Black characters, have ostentatious, lurid, concrete titles such as Swamp Man, Street Players, Death List and White Man's Justice, Black Man's Grief. The characters, and very often the protagonists, are whores, pimps, thieves, pushers, card sharps, gangsters, bootleggers, numbers operators, hit men and dope addicts. With the exception of Swamp Man, the books are all set in the inner city ghettos of Goines's home city Detroit, or Watts, Harlem, or the Southwest. Goines himself loved the ghetto street life and pursued most of these professions and activities at one time or another until his murder on October 21, 1974, and so was well qualified to write authoritatively about them. In his short 37-year life Goines was addicted to heroin off
A method for characterizing and mimicking forest canopy gaps caused by different disturbances

Forest canopy gaps are measurable indicators of past small-scale disturbances. These disturbances can impact forest stand dynamics in ways that help maintain and enhance many ecosystem values. Impacts are commonly assessed using timber production metrics based on average stand values, but metrics based on smaller scales are needed to assess impacts on nontimber resources. In this study, we developed a multivariate method of quantitatively characterizing individual canopy gaps in Douglas-fir/grand fir stands in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. We then established a reference or target range of variability by profiling gaps according to numbers of snags, downed logs, gap size and shape, and recolonizing vegetation. Cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling, and classification trees were used with these profiles to quantify similarity among individual gaps. Gaps fell into four groups, which could be interpreted as three ecologically functional groups on the basis of their role in stand development. Gaps caused by the same agents commonly fell within the same functional group: (1) flooding, logging, spruce budworm, and windfall cause stand level impacts that reset the stand development sequence; (2) bark beetles, tree fall, and root diseases cause within stand impacts that altered the rate of stand development; and (3) stem decay and dwarf mistletoe, and, under some circumstances, all disturbance agents, could kill trees yet have no impact on stand development except create space into which neighboring trees expand. We present a simple test to monitor how gaps change with silvicultural manipulations. Results indicate that this method offers (1) a way to systematically guide silvicultural manipulations aimed at mimicking natural disturbances at the canopy gap scale, and (2) a way to monitor the effectiveness of such silvicultural treatments and management actions using gap-based silviculture prescriptions.
Low-Power Miniaturized Helium Dielectric Barrier Discharge Photoionization Detectors for Highly Sensitive Vapor Detection.

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a microhelium dielectric barrier discharge photoionization detector (μHDBD-PID) on chip with dimensions of only ∼15 mm × ∼10 mm × ∼0.7 mm and weight of only ∼0.25 g. It offers low power consumption ( 4 orders of magnitude), and maintenance-free operation. Furthermore, the μHDBD-PID can be driven with a miniaturized (∼5 cm × ∼2.5 cm × ∼2.5 cm), light (22 g), and low cost (∼$2) power supply with only 1.5 VDC input. The dependence of the μHDBD-PID performance on bias voltage, auxiliary helium flow rate, carrier gas flow rate, and temperature was also systematically investigated. Finally, the μHDBD-PID was employed to detect permanent gases and a sublist of the EPA 8260 standard reagents that include 51 analytes. The μHDBD-PID deve...
Scaling-Up and Production of Therapeutic Antibodies for Preclinical Studies

Monoclonal antibodies are increasingly used for treatment of various diseases, mostly cancer therapy and auto-immune diseases. New chimeric, humanized, or fully-human antibodies specific to novel or already validated targets are being developed in many academic labs as well as in commercial entities. A validation of antibodies in preclinical settings is an important component of the road from discovery to clinic. Preparing sufficient amount of high-quality antibodies for preclinical studies is a challenge in some cases. This article summarizes protocols used in research laboratories, and is based on our own experience in the establishment of stable clones of CHO cells to scaling-up of tissue cultures for production of antibodies in bioreactors.
With the mine in the veins: emotional adjustments in female partners of Chilean mining workers

AbstractThis research analyzes emotional adjustments and imbalances experienced by female partners of Chilean mining workers, resulting from interacting demands of work, intimacy, family, and handling money, as well as tensions caused by miners’ prolonged absences and dissimilar schedules, negatively impacting family encounters. The research is circumscribed in northern Chile, in the Region of Antofagasta, epicenter of worldwide copper mining. Through a qualitative design, 36 in-depth interviews were held and a sociodemographic survey of mining workers’ partners. Among the findings are power conflicts derived from the role that workers and female partners have as a couple, in managing money and in emotional aspects, exacerbated by gender constructions of ‘the paid miner’ and ‘female partner’. Female partners express their challenges in managing the family’s economic resources as well as emotional aspects between the partners.
Bicyclic 5-5 Systems with One Bridgehead (Ring Junction) Nitrogen Atom: Three Extra Heteroatoms 3:0

This chapter expands on the review presented in CHEC-II (Chapter 8.06) covering fused 5-5 ring systems with one bridgehead nitrogen and three other heteroatoms all in the same ring, and covers the literature since 1995. While most of the compounds described in the earlier chapter were 5-5 fused tetrazole systems, this current survey covers additional ring systems, including pyrrolo[1,2-d]tetrazoles, pyrrolo[1,2-d]oxatriazoles, 2,3a-diaza-1,3-disilapentalenes, tetrazolo[5,1-a]isoindoles, and several transition metal-containing bicyclic structures. This review describes the chemistry of the aforementioned ring systems including theoretical and structural studies, chemical reactivity, synthetic preparations, and some notable applications.
12-HETrE, a Novel 12-LOX Oxylipin, Prevents Platelet Activation in a Gαs-like Manner

Abstract Platelet-mediated thrombosis is the primary underlying mechanism leading to cardiovascular life-threatening clinical events. Control of excessive platelet responses is an essential aspect of antithrombotic therapy. A number of anti-platelet drugs have been developed to target specific signaling pathways or endpoints involved in platelet activation. Despite the effectiveness of current anti-platelet therapies, uncontrolled thrombosis or bleeding complications still persist. We had proposed a potential novel therapeutic approach by which oxylipins generated by 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) oxidation of ω-6 could modulate platelet reactivity. We observed 12-hydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (12-HETrE), a 12-LOX oxidized oxylipin of ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA), significantly attenuated human platelet activation. We then verified that DGLA oxidation to 12-HETrE depended on functional platelet 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) in our transgenic mouse model deficient in 12-LOX enzyme in the platelets (12-LOX-/-). To determine whether 12-HETrE could be inducing its inhibitory regulation in a GPCR-like manner by which it could potentially be behaving similarly to prostacyclin to activate adenylyl cyclase and increase cAMP through the Gs pathway, we measured cAMP level in the presence of 12-HETrE. We observed 12-HETrE significantly increased cAMP levels. We investigated a downstream effector of cAMP, such as VASP 157 phopshorylation, which is a PKA substrate. Also observed both Rap1 and GPIIbIIa activation to be attenuated in the presence 12-HETrE, confirming our aggregation result. This the first study to show the signaling mechanism of 12-HETrE which is dependent on active 12-LOX oxidation of DGLA to regulate platelet reactivity in a Gs-like manner. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Nanocrystal ghosting: Extensive radiation damage in MgO induced by low-energy electrons

Abstract We report direct evidence of extensive radiation damage in MgO nanocrystals due to intense bombardment (2 × 10 electrons/nm sec) by electrons with beam energies between 60 keV and 120 keV. Based upon a minimum intensity necessary to produce the observed damage, we present an explanation based on the Knotek-Feibelman process.
Participation in the Johari–Goldstein Process: Molecular Liquids versus Polymers

We show using molecular dynamics simulations that simple diatomic molecules in the glassy state exhibit only limited participation in the Johari–Goldstein (JG) relaxation process. That is, with sufficient cooling local reorientations are essentially frozen for some molecules, while others continue to change their orientation significantly. Thus, the “islands of mobility” concept is valid for these molecular glass-formers deep in the glassy state; only near the glass transition temperature does every molecule undergo the JG process. In contrast, for a linear polymer this dichotomy in the distribution of JG relaxation strengths is absent—if any segments are changing their local orientation, all segments are.
Defining, Measuring, and Scaling Affective Constructs

Affective characteristics, such as attitudes, self-efficacy, and values are impossible to directly observe directly in other humans; they are latent constructs. Latent constructs are variables that we cannot observe directly; instead, we infer their existence through observed variables. This chapter introduces the theoretical concept of the latent variable and the important role it plays in understanding affective characteristics. In addition, we describe the operationalization of a latent construct, the process where instrument developers make both substantive and methodological decisions about the treatment of the observed variables that they are using to model the affective characteristic. This chapter aims to aid the instrument developer in the question or item construction process by highlighting the numerous theoretical and empirical implications of construct definition, measurement, and scaling choices available. This chapter provides both historical perspectives and a review of recent research within the areas of scaling, item construction, and response scale construction.
Nitrogen laser guide star using four wave mixing

We present stimulated emission from nitrogen molecular cation using 800 nm ultrashort pulses. The 427 nm lines are dominated by strong field ionization and the 391 nm are driven by four wave mixing.
Excitons in atomically thin 2D semiconductors and their applications

Author(s): Xiao, J; Zhao, M; Wang, Y; Zhang, X | Abstract: The research on emerging layered two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), reveals unique optical properties generating significant interest. Experimentally, these materials were observed to host extremely strong light-matter interactions as a result of the enhanced excitonic effect in two dimensions. Thus, understanding and manipulating the excitons are crucial to unlocking the potential of 2D materials for future photonic and optoelectronic devices. In this review, we unravel the physical origin of the strong excitonic effect and unique optical selection rules in 2D semiconductors. In addition, control of these excitons by optical, electrical, as well as mechanical means is examined. Finally, the resultant devices such as excitonic light emitting diodes, lasers, optical modulators, and coupling in an optical cavity are overviewed, demonstrating how excitons can shape future 2D optoelectronics.
Probabilistic analysis of optimization algorithms-some aspects from a practical point of view

In this paper the utility and the difficulties of probabilistic analysis for optimization algorithms are discussed. Such an analysis is expected to deliver valuable criteria-better than the worst-case complexity-for the efficiency of an algorithm in practice. The author has done much work of that kind in the field of linear programming. Based on that experience he gives some insight into the general principles for such an approach. He reports on some typical and representative attempts to analyze algorithms, resp. problems, of linear and combinatorial optimization. For each case he describes the problem, the stochastic model under consideration, the algorithm, the results, and tries to give a brief idea of the way these results could be obtained. He concludes with a discussion of some drawbacks and difficulties in that field of research. Among these are the strong sensibility with respect to the chosen model, the restriction of results to the asymptotic case, the restriction to somehow inefficient algorithms, etc. These points are the reasons why probabilistic analysis is of limited value for practice today. On the other hand, they show which principal problems should be attacked in the future to obtain the desired utility.
Surgeon and Radiation Oncologist Views on Omission of Adjuvant Radiotherapy for Older Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Although clinical trials have shown no survival advantage and only a modest improvement in local control from adjuvant radiotherapy after lumpectomy in older women with stage I, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, radiotherapy is commonly administered, raising concerns about overtreatment. Therefore, we sought to evaluate physician views on omission of radiotherapy in older women with favorable prognosis breast cancer. We surveyed a national sample of 713 radiation oncologists and 879 surgeons. Of these, 1504 were eligible and 825 responded (55%). We assessed responses to clinical scenarios, knowledge of pertinent risk information, and correlates of views on radiotherapy omission. Omission of radiotherapy in patients age ≥70 years with stage I, ER+ breast cancer, treated with lumpectomy and endocrine therapy, was felt to be unreasonable by 40% of surgeons and 20% of radiation oncologists. Many surgeons (29%) and radiation oncologists (10%) erroneously associated radiotherapy in older women with improvement in survival. Similarly, 32% of surgeons and 19% of radiation oncologists tended to substantially overestimate the risk of locoregional recurrence in older women with omission of RT. In a scenario with an 81-year-old with multiple comorbidities, 31% of surgeons and 35% of radiation oncologists would still recommend radiotherapy. Many radiation oncologists and surgeons continue to consider omission of radiotherapy as substandard therapy and overestimate the benefits of radiotherapy. Surgeons, in addition to radiation oncologists, may have an opportunity to play a pivotal role in reducing overuse of aggressive care in this setting.
Full-color imaging with PSF-engineered metasurfaces and computational reconstruction

We build a full-color imaging system comprising a single metasurface by designing a wavelength-invariant point spread function across the whole visible band combined with post-capture deconvolution with a single linear filter.
Informational Costs of Integration

This paper proposes a model focusing on the informational tradeoffs a producer experiences when it integrates vertically with a supplier. The model maps technological and demand characteristics into producers’ incentives to share information with a common supplier. The results show that disintegrated markets offer incentives for direct competitors to share information with suppliers. Vertical integration increases the incentives for information sharing within the integrated firm, but it decreases incentives for competitors to share information. Integration also decreases incentives for competitors to produce information useful to suppliers, leaving the integrated firm more reliant on its own knowledge. I use the model insights to shed light on Silicon Valley’s industrial structure and information sharing practices.
Web-based Multimedia Mapping for Spatial Analysis and Visualization in the Digital Humanities: a Case Study of Language Documentation in Nepal

There has been a growing interest in utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) in the digital humanities and social sciences (DH). GIS-based DH projects usually emphasize spatial analysis and cartographic capability (e.g., displaying the locations of people, events, or movements), however, GIS alone cannot easily integrate multimedia components (e.g., descriptive text, photographs, digital audio, and video) of DH projects. Multimedia mapping provides a unique approach to integrating geospatial information in digital map format and multimedia information, which is useful for DH integration into spatial analysis and visualization. As cartographic mapping and GIS evolve from a traditional desktop platform to the World Wide Web, it is of significance to design and develop a Web-based multimedia mapping approach that could carry out spatial analysis and incorporate multimedia components, which is greatly beneficial to the DH applications. Our objectives of the language documentation research project in Nepal were to (1) use geo-tagging equipment to collect audio and visual recordings of three types of socio-linguistic data: language attitudes and practices interviews, free-form narratives, and elicited vocabulary and grammatical paradigm sets, from representative speakers of the four endangered languages in twenty-six Manang villages; (2) design and develop a Web-based, interactive multimedia atlas that can display data points corresponding to the speakers, links to the three types of data gathered in multimedia format, provides friendly user interface for the manipulation and spatial analysis of all the data. It is anticipated that the Web-based, interactive, and multimedia language atlas can bring all local and international stakeholders, such as the speech communities, linguists, local government agencies, and the public, together to raise awareness of language structures, language practices, language endangerment, and opportunities for preservation, all through this easy-to-use means that enhance the geo-spatial representation in engaging visual and sensory (multimedia) formats. Google Maps API and JavaScript are employed to develop this online, interactive, and multimedia language atlas.
A History of The Transnational Aspects of United States Bankruptcy Law Prior to The Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978

Over the past two centuries, the courts of the United States have wrestled with the questions of what effect to give to foreign bankruptcies and whether or not to recognize the claims of foreign representatives. The reforms of the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 provided a statutory framework to guide the courts in this difficult area involving transnational insolvency. This article examines the development in the major cases and scholarly works addressing the recognition of foreign bankruptcies and foreign representatives prior to the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978. Many of the principles developed over the past two centuries have been incorporated into the current U.S. statutory regime. These principles, as well as the cases in which they were originally espoused, are discussed in many of the recent judicial opinions resolving transnational insolvency issues.
How Journalists Shaped American Foreign Policy: A Case Study of Japan’s Military Seizure of Korea by Daniel A. Metraux

Metraux, Daniel A. How Journalists Shaped American Foreign Policy: A Case Study of Japan’s Military Seizure of Korea . Lewiston, NY: Edward Mellen Press, 2017.
China and Its Neighbors: How to Sustain Democracy and Democratization in the Pacific? The Case of South Korea

China’s neighbor South Korea is a leading emerging power. Exemplary for other Asian nations in the expanding gravitation sphere of China, paradoxically both its competition with and dependency on China are growing simultaneously.
Effect of fluorine impurity on the oxidation of silicon oxynitride ceramics doped with gadolinium oxide

Impurities in raw Si3N4 powders remain in intergranular glassy phases in Si3N4 and Si2N2O ceramics and degrade their high-temperature properties. Fluorine is one of the typical impurities in the raw powders. The oxidation rate of Si2N2O ceramics doped with Gd2O3 greatly varied with a difference in impurity contents (especially F) of the raw Si3N4 powders used. When a high concentration of impurity existed in the intergranular glassy phase, the rate of oxidation was controlled by O2− diffusion through the glassy phase in the partly oxidized scale and unoxidized body; outward diffusion of Gd3+ occurred concurrently. On the other hand, when the impurity contents in the intergranular glassy phase was very low, the diffusion rate of ions (Gd3+, O2−, etc.) in the glassy phase became very low (substantially zero in the oxidation at 1300°C). Only cristobalite (SiO2) was formed on the surface. The rate of oxidation was controlled by O2 diffusion through the cristobalite layer, and was very low.
Problems in Control of Quantum Systems

Control and manipulation of quantum mechanical systems using electromagnetic fields is a widely studied subject in areas of physics and chemistry, including spectroscopy, atomic molecular and optical physics, and quantum chemistry. This chapter attempts to provide a glimpse into the rich class of bilinear control systems that are ubiquitous in these problems. In this chapter, we use control of spin systems in magnetic resonance as a model system to highlight characteristic features of problems in quantum control. Background information is provided for the reader to appreciate new results and developments, where principled use of ideas from control theory have provided new insights into finding optimal ways to control and manipulate quantum mechanical systems. The study of deterministic and stochastic models that arise in problems in measurement and manipulation of quantum mechanical systems may foster new developments in control.
Thermal Stability and Folding of the Triple Helices of Interstitial and Basement Membrane Collagens

Vertebrate collagens comprise a family of extracellular matrix proteins which form fibrils or networks containing one type (homotypic) or multiple types (heterotypic) of molecules. Each of the twelve genetically distinct types of collagen contains multiple structural domains. By definition, one or more of these domains is the unique collagen triple helix. The collagen structural motif can be generalized as three colinear polypeptides forming a central triple helix flanked at both the amino and carboxyl ends by non- helical domains. Where these flanking regions are subsequently removed by specific proteolysis, the parent molecule is called a procollagen. The triple helix then provides an extended conformation which forms higher order aggregates through lateral associations. In some cases, end to end interactions are mediated through retained non helical domains flanking the helix.
Do Bar Association Ethics Committees Serve the Public or the Profession? An Argument for Process Change

Thank you Dean Twerski for your most gracious introduction, and Professor Simon and Professor Freedman for asking me to participate in this gathering of distinguished scholars for Hofstra University School of Law’s 2005 Legal Ethics Conference: Lawyers Ethics in an Adversary System. I hope that my comments contribute in some small way to this fascinating discussion of the problems of ethics in an adversarial system. As I explained to Dean Twerski when he extended his invitation, this is not my area of expertise. So I thought long and hard about what I might say that would be of interest to the audience, as well as whether I might have something worth contributing. As I thought about this talk, I reflected on my experiences serving on the state bar ethics committee some twenty-five years ago. That experience left me with some significant doubts about how ethics rules and opinions are developed in our system. I think those criticisms have been borne out in my observations, as well as some personal experiences, since then. In particular, there are two issues I have previously spoken or written about—the prohibition against bugging and the “no contact” rule—where I found not only the relevant
Multi-block APUF with 2-Level Voltage Supply

Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) are hardware cryptographic primitives for generating unique signatures from device manufacturing variations. Arbiter PUFs (APUFs) are a widely used class of PUF detecting process variations by exploiting the propagation delay differences between signals. However, both FPGA and ASIC implementations of APUFs suffer from systematic bias caused by either asymmetric routing or gradient effects in wafer doping. In this work, we introduce an improved APUF ASIC implementation achieving entropy enhancement without increasing area and power consumption significantly. In this design, a selector chain is divided into multiple blocks to avoid accumulation of systematic variation. Different voltage supplies are chosen for selector chain and arbiter circuit to overcome reliability problems produced by short chains. Cadence Monte Carlo sampling on 256-stage APUFs built in IBM 0.13µm technology shows the proposed Multi-Block (MB-) APUFs provide inter-chip uniqueness and reproducibility similar to double APUF (DAPUF); compared to DAPUF with similar uniqueness performance, MBAPUFs decrease area and power consumption by a factor of 2.
Two-phase flow and heat transfer in a once-through steam generator during auxiliary feedwater injection

A phenomenological model is developed for the thermal-hydraulic processes on the secondary side of a once-through steam generator during auxiliary feedwater injection. Based on experimental observa...
Role of the malonyl-CoA synthetase ACSF3 in mitochondrial metabolism

Malonyl-CoA is a central metabolite in fatty acid biochemistry. It is the rate-determining intermediate in fatty acid synthesis but is also an allosteric inhibitor of the rate-setting step in mitochondrial long-chain fatty acid oxidation. While these canonical cytoplasmic roles of malonyl-CoA have been well described, malonyl-CoA can also be generated within the mitochondrial matrix by an alternative pathway: the ATP-dependent ligation of malonate to Coenzyme A by the malonyl-CoA synthetase ACSF3. Malonate, a competitive inhibitor of succinate dehydrogenase of the TCA cycle, is a potent inhibitor of mitochondrial respiration. A major role for ACSF3 is to provide a metabolic pathway for the clearance of malonate by the generation of malonyl-CoA, which can then be decarboxylated to acetyl-CoA by malonyl-CoA decarboxylase. Additionally, ACSF3-derived malonyl-CoA can be used to malonylate lysine residues on proteins within the matrix of mitochondria, possibly adding another regulatory layer to post-translational control of mitochondrial metabolism. The discovery of ACSF3-mediated generation of malonyl-CoA defines a new mitochondrial metabolic pathway and raises new questions about how the metabolic fates of this multifunctional metabolite intersect with mitochondrial metabolism.
Sparse Dynamic Filtering via Earth Mover's Distance Regularization

Tracking time-varying signals is an important task for practical systems working with large discretized domains. Under such settings, sparsity-based approaches improve tracking accuracy since typically few targets appear in the scene (i.e. few locations in the discretized space are occupied). Discretization introduces a unique challenge: the traditional $\ell_{p}$ -norm dynamic constraints produce significant errors when there is even a small spatial mismatch between the predicted and true state. To overcome this, we present a tracking algorithm leveraging concepts from optimal transport, namely utilizing the earth-movers distance (EMD) as a dynamic regularizer to the $\ell_{1}$ -regularized inference problem (i.e., LASSO [1], or BPDN [2]). We extend the problem formulation to complex valued signals and modify the optimization program to reduce the computational burden. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach in imaging and frequency tracking applications.
Place and Situation

“Place” and “situation” are often confounded in everyday discourse; yet they have crucially different dimensions. Place is locatory and singular, and is the outcome of bodily engagement: to be a lived body is to be in place; and to be in place is to be there by way of body. Situation contributes scope and setting to place itself. In particular, it brings temporality and historicity to bear on place, broadening it and making it more reflective of vicissitudes to which it is subject. Situations occur primarily as events that unfold in time as well as space. They call upon acts of synthesis, imagination, and freedom in their full realization. Place and situation belong together even as they are distinguishable in these various ways.
Reimagining (Sub-) Urban Parks: The challenges of negotiating conflicting interests in a park system master planning process

The demand for green spaces in highly urbanised, metropolitan cities is well documented. However, adjacent to or surrounding these densely populated urban centres are extensive areas of newer suburbs, where land use and public space demands differ from those found in large urban cities. Though dependent on the age of a suburb and its associated societal changes, the demands made upon suburban green spaces are changing. However, little research has focused on ageing suburban park systems, which today may be managed by multiple administrative entities. The development of a master plan for the seventy-year-old network of Bergen County parks, located in north-eastern New Jersey, approximately 30 km outside of New York City, is a case study that illustrates this environmental planning challenge. Competing user interests can be traced to conflicting demands and expectations for open space amenities, highlighting the difficulty of providing an equal voice to all park user populations. A primary goal of this user-driven public process was to foster mutual respect and understanding between relevant groups, creating the possibility that these groups will become stewards of the county park system over the long-term under subsequently elected administrations. Having these public champions will be critical to successfully implementing and sustaining the proposed parks master plan concept. The following discussion describes a community engagement process that surfaced and negotiated user conflicts linked to New Jersey’s specific administrative and political environment.
N(6)-Methyladenine in eukaryotes

DNA modifications are a major form of epigenetic regulation that eukaryotic cells utilize in concert with histone modifications. While much work has been done elucidating the role of 5-methylcytosine over the past several decades, only recently has it been recognized that N(6)-methyladenine (N6-mA) is present in quantifiable and biologically active levels in the DNA of eukaryotic cells. Unlike prokaryotes which utilize N6-mA to recognize "self" from "foreign" DNA, eukaryotes have been found to use N6-mA in varying ways, from regulating transposable elements to gene regulation in response to hypoxia and stress. In this review, we examine the current state of the N6-mA in research field, and the current understanding of the biochemical mechanisms which deposit and remove N6-mA from the eukaryotic genome.
Redrawing the Boundaries of Relational Crime

One person hits another repeatedly, causing bruising and pain. Two adults have consensual sex. Surely the first is the crime of assault, whereas the second is private conduct beyond the reach of the criminal law. Yet things are not so clear. In the first case, if a father is disciplining his child, then the assault is forgiven. And if the second case involves a brother and sister, then consensual sex becomes a crime. The relationship between two parties can erase criminal liability from harmful conduct or criminalize otherwise innocent actions. Legal scholarship has mostly neglected this phenomenon, which I term here “relational crime.” This Article offers an examination and critique of relational crime for the post-Obergefell constitutional landscape. It argues that the current scope of relational crime warps harm assessments and family status. By legitimizing serious harm, punishing harmless conduct, and importing anachronistic family norms into the criminal law, it results in punishment that is both over and underinclusive. Take these examples. A stepfather can beat his stepdaughter through her childhood, then have sex with her when she is an adult without being criminally liable for assault or incest. On the other hand, biological siblings who first meet in adulthood and have consensual sex are subject to prosecution and severe punishment. To remedy such distortions, this Article introduces a new theoretical framework that incorporates evolving notions of sexual harm, changed parenthood definitions, and the constitutional principles of equality and autonomy newly embedded in family law. Under this framework, categorization shifts so that corporal punishment is no longer forgiven, and a stepfather would be punished for sex with his stepdaughter because the power differential renders meaningful consent impossible. Conversely, sex between two consenting adult siblings is no longer criminal. In this fashion, my framework rightsizes the boundaries of relational crime.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) affect murine bone lineage cells

Abstract Aims Data suggest pharmacological treatment of depression with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) may impair bone health. Our group has previously modeled compromised craniofacial healing after treatment with sertraline, a commonly prescribed SSRI, and hypothesized potential culprits: alterations in bone cells, collagen, and/or inflammation. Here we interrogate bone lineage cell alterations due to sertraline treatment as a potential cause of the noted compromised bone healing. Main methods Murine pre-osteoblast, pre-osteoclast, osteoblast, and osteoclast cells were treated with clinically relevant concentrations of the SSRI. Studies focused on serotonin pathway targets, cell viability, apoptosis, differentiation, and the osteoblast/osteoclast feedback loop. Key findings All cells studied express neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin transporter, SLC6A4, SSRI target) and G-protein-coupled receptors associated with the serotonin pathway. Osteoclasts presented the greatest native expression of Slc6a4 with all cell types exhibiting decreases in Slc6a4 expression after SSRI treatment. Pre-osteoclasts exhibited alteration to their differentiation pathway after treatment. Pre-osteoblasts and osteoclasts showed reduced apoptosis after treatment but showed no significant differences in functional assays. RANKL:OPG mRNA and protein ratios were decreased in the osteoblast lineage. Osteoclast lineage cells treated with sertraline demonstrated diminished TRAP positive cells when pre-exposed to sertraline prior to RANKL-induced differentiation. Significance These data suggest osteoclasts are a likely target of bone homeostasis disruption due to sertraline treatment, most potently through the osteoblast/clast feedback loop.
CTMC: Cell Tracking With Mitosis Detection Dataset Challenge

While significant developments have been made in cell tracking algorithms, current datasets are still limited in size and diversity, especially for data-hungry generalized deep learning models. We introduce a new larger and more diverse cell tracking dataset in terms of number of sequences, length of sequences, and cell lines, accompanied with a public evaluation server and leaderboard to accelerate progress on this new challenging dataset. Our benchmarking of four top performing tracking algorithms highlights new challenges and opportunities to improve the state-of-the-art in cell tracking.
Guideline-Discordant Lung Cancer Screening: Emerging Demand and Provided Indications.

Abstract Purpose It is unclear whether patients and providers have started to knowingly request lung cancer screening (LCS) outside US guidelines and insurance coverage for risk factors besides a history of heavy smoking. The authors analyzed their institution’s best practices advisory (BPA) clinical decision support system to determine whether providers knowingly order guideline-discordant LCS and the indications given. Methods CT examinations ordered for LCS at an academic medical center that triggered BPA alerts from November 2018 to December 2019 were reviewed. Alerts were triggered by attempts to order examinations outside Medicare coverage, which resembles most US guidelines. Providers can override alerts to order the examinations. Primary outcomes were the number of examinations performed using orders with overridden BPA alerts and indications given. Qualitative exploratory and directed content analyses identified motivators and decision-making processes that drove guideline-discordant screening use. Results Forty-two patients underwent guideline-discordant LCS, constituting 1.9% of all patients screened (42 of 2,248): 42.9% (18 of 42) were 77 years old, 14.3% (6 of 42) had never smoked, 40.5% (17 of 42) had quit >15 years earlier, and 31% (13 of 42) had smoked Conclusions Referring providers knowingly ordered screening CT examinations outside Medicare coverage and US guidelines, including for never smokers, for indications including a family history of lung cancer. LCS programs may need tailored strategies to guide these patients and providers, such as help with cancer risk assessment.
Neural Machine Translation-Based Automated Current Procedural Terminology Classification System Using Procedure Text: Development and Validation Study.

Background: Administrative costs for billing and insurance-related activities in the United States are substantial. One critical cause of the high overhead of administrative costs is medical billing errors. With advanced deep learning techniques, developing advanced models to predict hospital and professional billing codes has become feasible. These models can be used for administrative cost reduction and billing process improvements. Objective: In this study, we aim to develop an automated anesthesiology current procedural terminology (CPT) prediction system that translates manually entered surgical procedure text into standard forms using neural machine translation (NMT) techniques. The standard forms are calculated using similarity scores to predict the most appropriate CPT codes. Although this system aims to enhance medical billing coding accuracy to reduce administrative costs, we compare its performance with that of previously developed machine learning algorithms. Methods: We collected and analyzed all operative procedures performed at Michigan Medicine between January 2017 and June 2019 (2.5 years). The first 2 years of data were used to train and validate the existing models and compare the results from the NMT-based model. Data from 2019 (6-month follow-up period) were then used to measure the accuracy of the CPT code prediction. Three experimental settings were designed with different data types to evaluate the models. Experiment 1 used the surgical procedure text entered manually in the electronic health record. Experiment 2 used preprocessing of the procedure text. Experiment 3 used preprocessing of the combined procedure text and preoperative diagnoses. The NMT-based model was compared with the support vector machine (SVM) and long short-term memory (LSTM) models. Results: The NMT model yielded the highest top-1 accuracy in experiments 1 and 2 at 81.64% and 81.71% compared with the SVM model (81.19% and 81.27%, respectively) and the LSTM model (80.96% and 81.07%, respectively). The SVM model yielded the highest top-1 accuracy of 84.30% in experiment 3, followed by the LSTM model (83.70%) and the NMT model (82.80%). In experiment 3, the addition of preoperative diagnoses showed 3.7%, 3.2%, and 1.3% increases in the SVM, LSTM, and NMT models in top-1 accuracy over those in experiment 2, respectively. For top-3 accuracy, the SVM, LSTM, and NMT models achieved 95.64%, 95.72%, and 95.60% for experiment 1, 95.75%, 95.67%, and 95.69% for experiment 2, and 95.88%, 95.93%, and 95.06% for experiment 3, respectively. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the feasibility of creating an automated anesthesiology CPT classification system based on NMT techniques using surgical procedure text and preoperative diagnosis. Our results show that the performance of the NMT-based CPT prediction system is equivalent to that of the SVM and LSTM prediction models. Importantly, we found that including preoperative diagnoses improved the accuracy of using the procedure text alone. Trial Registration:
Identifying and alleviating bias due to differential depletion of susceptible people in post-marketing evaluations of COVID-19 vaccines

Abstract Recent studies have provided key information about SARS-CoV-2 vaccines’ efficacy and effectiveness (VE). One important question that remains is whether the protection conferred by vaccines wanes over time. However, estimates over time are subject to bias from differential depletion of susceptibles between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Here we examine the extent to which biases occur under different scenarios and assess whether serologic testing has the potential to correct this bias. By identifying non-vaccine antibodies, these tests could identify individuals with prior infection. We find that the main determinant of bias is the proportion of the population that has been infected since vaccination began, which is influenced by several factors. In scenarios with high baseline VE, differential depletion of susceptibles creates minimal bias in VE estimates. However, if VE is lower, the bias for leaky vaccines (that reduce individual probability of infection given contact) is larger and should be corrected if the mechanism is known to be leaky. Conducting analyses both unadjusted and adjusted for past infection could give lower and upper bounds for the true VE. Studies of VE should therefore enroll individuals regardless of prior infection history but also collect information, ideally through serologic testing, on this critical variable.
β-Agonist exposure preferentially impacts lung macrophage cyclic AMP-related gene expression in asthma and asthma COPD overlap syndrome

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples from Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP) patients display suppression of a module of genes involved in cAMP-signaling pathways (BALcAMP) correlating with seve...
Schema support for forming inferences in the human brain

Associative inference, the process of drawing novel links between existing knowledge to rapidly integrate associated information, is supported by the hippocampus and neocortex. Within the neocortex, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been implicated in the rapid cortical learning of new information that is congruent with an existing framework of knowledge, or schema. How the brain integrates associations to form inferences, specifically how inferences are represented, is not well understood. In this study, we investigate how the brain uses schemas to facilitate memory integration in an associative inference paradigm (A-B-C-D). We conducted two event-related fMRI experiments in which participants retrieved previously learned direct (AB, BC, CD) and inferred (AC, AD) associations between word pairs for items that are schema congruent or incongruent. Additionally, we investigated how two factors known to affect memory, a delay with sleep, and reward, modulate the neural integration of associations within, and between, schema. Schema congruency was found to benefit the integration of associates, but only when retrieval immediately follows learning. RSA revealed that neural patterns of inferred pairs (AC) in the PHc, mPFC, and posHPC were more similar to their constituents (AB and BC) when the items were schema congruent, suggesting that schema facilitates the assimilation of paired items into a single inferred unit containing all associated elements. Furthermore, a delay with sleep, but not reward, impacted the assimilation of inferred pairs. Our findings reveal that the neural representations of overlapping associations are integrated into novel representations through the support of memory schema.