cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Xcc-facilitated agroinfiltration of citrus leaves: a tool for rapid functional analysis of transgenes in citrus leaves

Key message Xanthomonas citrisubsp. citri pretreatment before agroinfiltration could significantly promote transient expression in citrus leaves which were previously recalcitrant to agroinfiltration.
Diels-Alder transition structures of hetero-dienophile addition to 4H-pyrazole calculated by ab initio methods

Abstract Transition structures for the hetero Diels-Alder additions of ethylene, formaldehyde, formaldimine, cis -diazene, trans -diazene, and nitrosyl hydride to 4 H -pyrazole were obtained by ab initio molecular orbital calculations. The geometries of the transition structures and the reactants were optimized at the RHF/3–21G level of theory, whereas the energies were evaluated at the MP2/6–31G ∗ level on the RHF/3–21G geometries. The transition structures are for a concerted mechanism, and they are fully synchronous with symmetrical dienophiles. The new forming bonds are shorter and the asynchronicity is higher than in the case of the corresponding all-carbon diene. Also, the activation energy for the reaction of 4 H -pyrazole with ethylene is higher and with cis -diazene is lower compared to analogous reaction with cyclopentadiene. An exceptional energy difference (18.8 kcal mol −1 ) was predicted for the exo/endo cis -diazene addition to 4 H -pyrazole.
Rehybridization as a general mechanism for maximizing chemical and supramolecular bonding and a driving force for chemical reactions

Dynamic variations in hybridization patterns (rehybridization) were analyzed at B3LYP/6-31G** and MP2/6-31+G* levels. Computations clearly illustrate the generality of rehybridization in a variety of chemical phenomena, which involve structural reorganization in hydrogen-bonded complexes, nonhyperconjugative stereoelectronic effects in saturated heterocycles, Mills-Nixon effect, and contrasting substituent effects in cycloaromatization reactions.
Dancing with the Muses: Dissociation and Flow

This study investigated dissociative psychological processes and flow (dispositional and state) in a group of professional and pre-professional dancers (n=74). In this study, high scores for global (Mdn=4.14) and autotelic (Mdn=4.50) flow suggest that dancing was inherently integrating and rewarding, although 17.6% of the dancers were identified as possibly having clinical levels of dissociation (Dissociative Experiences Scale-Taxon cutoff score≥20). The results of the multivariate analysis of variance indicated that subjects with high levels of dissociation had significantly lower levels of global flow (p .05). As hypothesized, dissociation and flow seem to operate as different mental processes.
Comparison of energy efficiency incentive programs: Rebates and white certificates

Abstract With increased interest in energy efficiency in recent years, energy efficiency portfolio standards (EEPS) have gained popularity in state policymaking. This analysis employed New Jersey specific data to compare two incentive based approaches to EEPS implementation: rebates and white certificates. Quantitative modeling suggests that white certificate approaches that depend on market-clearing prices generate much larger upfront incentive outlays than rebate programs. They do not however increase societal burden. Both programs overcome high upfront efficiency measure costs and both recoup the expenses over the long run. Administration costs and participation rates can affect this dynamic however and require additional research to determine which approaches are most cost effective for various energy efficiency measures.
Use of fracture mechanics theory in lifetime predictions for alumina and bioglass-coated alumina

The fatigue behavior of alumina and bioglass-coated alumina was determined in air and biological test environments by the dynamic fatigue test technique in which strength is measured as a function of stressing rate. The good correlation found between the test data and fracture mechanics theory indicates that fatigue failure is controlled by the slow crack growth of preexisting flaws and that fracture mechanics theory can be used in making failure predictions for alumina and bioglass-coated alumina in biological environments. Thus, it is believed that lifetime predictions can be made for ceramic implants on the basis of short-term test data utilizing fracture mechanics principles.
Science Signaling Podcast: 24 July 2012

This Podcast features an interview with David Kirsch and Chang-Lung Lee, authors of a Research Article published in the 24 July 2012 issue of Science Signaling . Kirsch and Lee studied radiation-induced injury to the heart, focusing specifically on the vasculature in the heart and the role of the transcription factor p53. Previous studies had indicated that p53 promotes damage to the heart after various types of injury and stress, but Kirsch and Lee found that p53 protects cardiac endothelial cells—and thus the entire organ—from radiation-induced damage. The authors discuss these findings in the context of heart damage associated with radiation therapy in human patients
Stretchforming vacuum chambers for the PEP-II B-factory high energy storage ring

Dipole vacuum chambers for the PEP-II HER, fabricated from copper extrusions, must follow the arc of the electron beam in order to minimize impedance losses. The 165 m bend radius requires that the chambers have a sagitta of 25 mm over each 5.84 m length. Stretchforming provides a relatively smooth continuous bend radius and results in low overall residual stresses. Structural analyses of the chamber during the forming process are discussed. These analyses are used to estimate the residual stresses in the stretchformed chambers. The impact of residual stresses on actual chamber operation are discussed. The stretchforming process and apparatus utilized during prototype testing is described. Permanent deflections of the chambers during prototype manufacture are presented and compared with predictions.
Transabdominal mimially invasive direct coronary artery bypass grafting (MIDCAB)

The major limitations of current minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) techniques are multivessel and distal vessel disease frequently seen in patients with extensive stent restenosis ('full metal jacket syndrome') and reoperative surgery. Two separate minimal access incisions (minithoracotomy, lower partial sternotomy) have been used to bypass two separate arteries (left internal mammary artery (LIMA) to left anterior descending (LAD), right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) to posterior descending artery (PDA)). To bypass multiple coronary arteries using multiple arterial conduits without violation of bony parts, we use a new minimal access incision by 'transabdominal approach'.
Diagnostic and Predictive Accuracy of Blood Pressure Screening Methods With Consideration of Rescreening Intervals: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

This systematic review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force evaluates the benefits and harms of screening for high blood pressure (BP) in adults and summarizes evidence on screening interval...
Measure-theoretic aspects of contrast production in medical images

An approach which-nominally springs from the same motivation as measure theory (e.g., the presumption of an absent metric on the domain of a mapping whose range is uncountable) is developed to create a class of generalized images in which the mechanism of contrast can be adjusted to desired combinations of metric and nonmetric sources. Images illustrating certain interesting features are presented. Examples of the approach are discussed. >
T-rays vs. terrorists

This paper discusses terahertz radiation technology (T-ray) that will probably find its first big uses in security-related applications, an enormous fast-growing business because of recent high-profile terrorist attacks.The technology appeal here is undeniable: in a terahertz image, a gun or a knife shines through whatever clothing it's concealed in - even a plastic knife shows up, because of the way its sharp edges scatter the radiation. And yet, unlike X-rays, T-ray screeners could be used routinely on people, because the radiation is harmless.
Literacy Skills and Calculated 10-Year Risk of Coronary Heart Disease

Background Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Reducing the disease burden requires an understanding of factors associated with the prevention and management of CHD. Literacy skills may be one such factor.
Public Managers in Integrated Services Collaboratives: What Works Is Workarounds

Public managers in local integrated services collaboratives find that commitment to local partnership goals sometimes requires evading policy directives that are imposed by legislation or bureaucratic superiors. Using data that reveal what is often concealed, the author finds that these workarounds can be defined and identified and that they often revolve around central features of policy rather than marginal details. Workarounds emerge in the space created by certain managerial strategies and dispositions: treating directives as starting points for negotiation, using performance to justify discretion and manage risk, establishing local collaborative goals as an alternative locus of accountability, and distinguishing front-door services from back-door accounting. By aggregating data from clusters of workaround stories, researchers and practitioners can (1) identify policy flaws in need of repair, (2) illuminate tensions in the integrated service ideal, and (3) inform the enduring normative debate over administrative discretion and public accountability.
Ultrasound measurements of the saphenous vein in the pediatric emergency department population with comparison to i.v. catheter size.

Abstract Background Saphenous vein cutdown is a rare venous access procedure. Ultrasound (US) can assist with many vascular access procedures. Objectives Our objective was to identify the saphenous veins (SVs) using US in pediatric emergency department (ED) patients, and to determine if the SV size allows for potential cannulation by different standard-size intravenous (i.v.) catheters. Methods This study was a prospective, observational convenience sample of 60 pediatric patients at an urban, regional referral pediatric ED. Inclusion criteria were children ages 1 through 12 years categorized into four age groups: 1– Results Sixty patients were enrolled, with five SVs unable to be measured in 4 patients (1 patient with both SVs). For the remaining 115 (96%) SVs available for further analysis, the median age was 4 years (interquartile range [IQR] 2) and median weight was 22.7 kg (IQR 14.5). Mean area (mm 2 ) of the right SV was 2.85 ± 1.9 and for the left SV, 2.88 ± 1.8. For our study group, the compatibility rates of different size i.v. catheters to fit the measured SV areas were as follows: 24G = 100%, 22G = 100%, 20G=97.3%, and 18G=86.1%. Conclusions US can localize the SV in pediatric ED patients. US size of the SV in various pediatric age ranges suggests that the SV may be a potential US venous access site with multiple-size i.v. catheters up to 18G.
Use of the flexible sigmoidoscope in women with previous pelvic irradiation

Pelvic irradiation has been reported to be a risk factor for colonic malignancy. We performed flexible sigmoidoscopy with serial pinch biopsies in 20 asymptomatic women treated with irradiation for cervical cancer more than 10 years ago in order to determine the feasibility of the technique and to detect late radiation effects. The examination was well tolerated by 14 (70%) of the patients, and the instrument was passed to 40 cm in 14 (74%) of 19 women. Abnormal mucosal or vascular changes were found in 12 (60%) and nonspecific microscopic abnormalities were seen in 18 (90%) of the 20 women.
Caracterizando la función de producción del capital humano: una perspectiva dinámica

Este documento explora el proceso de generacion de capital humano en una perspectiva dinamica. Para ello: a) caracteriza la evolucion reciente del capital humano, usando como proxy del mismo los resultados panel de los paises participantes en la prueba PISA; b) explora diferentes especificaciones de la funcion de produccion del capital humano capaz de generar los patrones dinamicos observados; y c) muestra la capacidad de distintas especificaciones econometricas empleadas usualmente en la literatura para detectar correctamente la estructura de dicha funcion de produccion. Las dinamicas observadas son distintas entre paises, destacando la relativa estabilidad en los resultados de la mayoria de los paises desarrollados, evolucion consistente con ciertas propiedades especificas de la funcion de produccion. Adicionalmente, el documento identifica los problemas en especificaciones econometricas empleadas usualmente en la literatura para estimar correctamente la importancia de los factores dinamicos en el proceso de generacion del capital humano.
Semiconductor activated terahertz metamaterials

Metamaterials have been developed as a new class of artificial effective media realizing many exotic phenomena and unique properties not normally found in nature. Metamaterials enable functionality through structure design, facilitating applications by addressing the severe material issues in the terahertz frequency range. Consequently, prototype functional terahertz devices have been demonstrated, including filters, antireflection coatings, perfect absorbers, polarization converters, and arbitrary wavefront shaping devices. Further integration of functional materials into metamaterial structures have enabled actively and dynamically switchable and frequency tunable terahertz metamaterials through the application of external stimuli. The enhanced light-matter interactions in active terahertz metamaterials may result in unprecedented control and manipulation of terahertz radiation, forming the foundation of many terahertz applications. In this paper, we review the progress during the past few years in this rapidly growing research field. We particularly focus on the design principles and realization of functionalities using single-layer and fewlayer terahertz planar metamaterials, and active terahertz metamaterials through the integration of semiconductors to achieve switchable and frequency-tunable response.
A speculation-based approach for performance and dependability analysis: a case study

In this paper, we propose two speculation-based methods for fast and accurate simulation-based performance and dependability analysis of complex systems, incorporating detailed simulation of system components. The first approach applies to performance analysis and the second to dependability analysis. Our target example is a networked cluster with compute nodes and one I/O node. Detailed simulation of the cache subsystem of the I/O node is conducted, and more abstract simulation of the compute nodes and the switching network is performed. Performance measures obtained include cache miss ratio and cache subsystem access time. Dependability measures obtained include error coverage of EDAC code and error detection latency distribution of errors introduced to the cache components. The two methods are implemented on a network of workstations.
Transforming growth factor alpha and mouse models of human breast cancer.

Transforming growth factor alpha (TGFα) is a principal molecule in the normal and neoplastic development of the mammary gland. Binding of TGFα to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), activates the EGFRs' endogenous tyrosine kinase activity and stimulates growth of the epithelium in the virgin and pregnant mouse mammary gland. TGFα expression can be detected in breast cancer cells in vivo and in vitro and overexpression can elicit partial transformation or immortalized human and rodent mammary epithelial cells. Despite evidence implicating TGFα in the development of mammary neoplasia, the actual mechanism of TGFα-induced transformation is unclear. Transgenic mouse models targeting heterologus TGFα to the mammary gland have established TGFα overexpression can induce hyperproliferation, hyperplasia and occasional carcinoma. These transgenic studies demonstrated a facilitating, proliferative role for TGFα in the development of neoplasia and implicated several oncogenes that can cooperate with TGFα to transform the mammary epithelium. From studies of EGFR signaling pathways, inhibitory and modulating agents such as anti-EGFR antibodies and specific kinases inhibitors have been used to block the action of this pathway and prevent the development of TGFα-induced neoplasia and tumor formation. Studies in Stat5a knockout mice have established that the JAK2/Stat5a pathway can facilitate the survival of the mammary epithelium and can impact the progression of TGFα-mandated mammary tumorigenesis. Together these experiments indicate that TGFα and the EGFR signaling pathway are potentially amenable to therapies for treatment of human breast disease.
The out-of-phase thermomechanical fatigue behavior of Ultra SCS-6/Ti–24Al–17Nb–xMo (at.%) metal matrix composites

Abstract The out-of-phase thermomechanical fatigue behavior of Ultra SCS-6/Ti–24Al–17Nb–2.3Mo (at.%), Ultra SCS-6/Ti–24Al–17Nb–1.1Mo (at.%), and Ultra SCS-6/Ti–24Al–17Nb–0.6Mo (at.%) continuously-reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs) was investigated in order to understand the effect of Mo on the microstructure and fatigue behavior of titanium–alloy–matrix composites. From the recorded stress versus cycle behavior, two failure regimes were noted. For the highest stresses examined, fatigue-dominated failure occurred. For the lowest stresses examined, a creep-dominated failure occurred. The Ultra SCS-6/Ti–24Al–17Nb–1.1Mo MMC exhibited the shortest fatigue lives for all the applied stress levels examined. The Ultra SCS-6/Ti–24Al–17Nb–2.3Mo MMC exhibited the longest fatigue lives for the lowest applied stress levels, and the Ultra SCS-6/Ti–24Al–17Nb–0.66Mo MMC exhibited the longest fatigue lives for most of the higher applied stress levels.
Evaluation of Auditory Counts for Estimating Breeding Populations of White-Winged Doves

Abstract We evaluated an unverified index (auditory counts) used to estimate breeding populations of white-winged doves (Zenaida asiatica) in Texas, USA. Our objectives were to determine optimal survey time of day, year, and count duration, determine if a relationship existed between number of calling doves and population size (nest and dove density), and evaluate an electronic counter to estimate breeding density. We collected data on 15 sites in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas during May–August of 2002–2003. Peak calling occurred between mid-May and late June during 0600–0800 hours. We detected about 60% of calling doves during 2-minute auditory counts. Estimates of breeding doves (pairs ha−1) as determined by auditory counts were positively correlated with both population density (r > 0.90, P 0.94, P 0.77, P 0.92, P < 0.04). Howev...
Work or play?: An exploration of the relationships between people and their service dogs in leisure activities.

This study explored the relationships between adults with disabilities and service dogs through leisure participation. The relationships between service dog and owner and perceptions of and access ...
Identifying Communities at Risk for Sudden and Unexpected Infant Deaths Using ArcGIS

In 2004, approximately 4,500 cases of sudden, unexpected infant death occurred in the United States and between 1994 and 2004 there were 1,007 SUID deaths in Kentucky. Linking morbidity and mortality rates to geographic areas is a fundamental epidemiological tool, which can be applied to preventing infant death. In 2006 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded seven states to record and collect statewide data to clarify certification practices, and identify if state performances fall short of national expectations. Statewide SUID data were retrospectively collected in Kentucky for the years 1999-2005. There were 575 evaluable SUID cases during the study period. For visual analysis of the data, cases were geocoded then spatially joined to the county GIS data layer in a combined data set in order to create maps. Standardized mortality ratio and probability maps were generated and areas with unexpectedly high or low SUIDs were identified. Of Kentucky's 120 counties, 42 were found to have SUIDs higher than expected (including 20 counties, 48% considered Appalachian and 86% non-metropolitan). The remaining 78 counties were considered average with an expected number of SUID cases or a lower number of SUIDs than would be expected. Identifying regions with higher than expected SUID rates allows specific communities and regions to be targeted. Understanding geographically based risk factors allows for more effective and focused prevention strategies. Similar analyses in other states could target needy areas with limited resources to optimize risk reduction and promote more effective pregnancy planning. Keywords: Sudden infant death syndrome, sudden unexplained infant death, mapping analysis, Appalachian, rural
The Copyright Paradox - Understanding Grokster

Over the last decade, writers begun to try and understand the other side of copyright, sometimes called its competition policy, communications policy, or regulatory side. This paper focuses attention on a crucial problem familiar to antitrust courts that is becoming more clearly important to copyright decisions. In both copyright and antitrust, a central question is how important intent is. Judges, stated slightly differently, face a choice between what we can characterize as the bad actor and welfarist models of deciding cases. What we can call the bad actor approach punishes alleged wrong-doers based on the mens rea of the suspect, and the prospect of harm to favored sectors of the economy, like small businesses (in antitrust) or the entertainment industries (in copyright). A second, or welfarist approach calls for judges to generally ignore intent or bad behavior in exchange for a more disciplined focus on questions of industry economics and consumer, or user welfare. Over recent years the Supreme Court has steered copyright doctrine closer to an intent or bad actor premised analysis. While politically attractive, the long term effects of this approach can be expected to be pernicious.
Agents' Behavior under Health Insurance Market Reforms

Evaluations of health insurance market reforms have tended to neglect the critical role of independent agents, and have failed, so far, to directly observe market behavior. This article reports on an initial attempt to assess the impact of health insurance market reforms through structured contacts with insurance agents. A small employer was trained to contact a stratified random sampling of agents in eight states with varying market rules, to inquire about insurance purchase for a group of three and an individual, under a scenario that presented various elevated risk factors. On the whole, agents of all types appear to be highly compliant with market reform laws. Very few indicated that coverage would be unavailable for the group. However, for a high-risk individual, the degree of regulation did affect agents' responses about insurance availability. Genetic conditions did not appear to impose a substantial barrier to coverage. And, public purchasing cooperatives were seldom mentioned, in contrast with private association plans. Overall, judged by agents' initial responses to inquiries by potential purchasers, insurance market reforms are not hindering access to health insurance, and they may be significantly helping access, at least for those with chronic medical conditions.
Improving the Sensitivity and Specificity of Tumor Contrast in Fluorescence Imaging by Employing an Untargeted Fluorescent Reporter

A dual-reporter fluorescence imaging approach is presented that can quantify biomarker expression in vivo. The approach was also demonstrated to provide better tumor contrast compared to targeted fluorescence uptake alone.
Development of Resistance to 5-Fluorocytosine in Candida parapsilosis during Therapy

After an initially favorable response, infective endocarditis caused by Candida parapsilosis recurred on day 37 of treatment with 5-fluorocytosine. Development of resistance of the organism to 5-fluorocytosine during therapy was documented by in vitro tests (MIC, 6.5 [tg/ml initially, > 129 ptg/ml after relapse). Although strains isolated before treatment and after relapse were able to incorporate exogenous uracil into RNA and were susceptible to 5-fluorouracil, the isolate found after relapse differed from the one isolated before treatment in being unable to incorporate exogenous cytosine and resistant to 5-fluorocytosine. The enzymatic basis of this resistance was identified as a virtual lack of cytosine deaminase activity in the strain isolated after relapse.
Heliogyro Solar Sail Blade Twist Stability Analysis of Root and Reflectivity Controllers

The heliogyro is a high-performance solar sail architecture that divides the sail into long blades supported by the centripetal acceleration of the spacecraft’s spin alone. One principal concern for the feasibility of heliogyros is the ability to adequately control the dynamic response of their long, unsupported blades, and in particular, to damp disturbances caused by maneuvering transients. A finite element method for the linear dynamics of a single blade in twist is developed. Proportional/Derivative/Feed-Forward compensation is implemented at the root to perform blade pitch maneuvers. This system is analyzed for stability as a function of sensor bandwidth and material damping. Since the material damping of these gossamer sheets is not known, this relationship is critical to blade controller design. The blade controller is stable for bandwidths greater than 1 cycle/rev (5.6e-3 Hz) with little material damping; however, some, non-zero material damping is required to stabilize the highest modes. Additionally, a control system at the tip is studied that modulates the sail’s reflectivity to create a solar pressure-induced damping torque. The tip damping system significantly reduced tip response and damped the lower modes, but did not enhance stability and was in some cases destabilizing. Nevertheless, some form of tip damping augmentation may be necessary if the material damping in blade twist is very low or if significant coupling exists between bending and twisting dynamics.
A comparison of treating Unicameral bone cyst using steroids and percutaneous autologous bone marrow aspiration injection.

OBJECTIVE To compare the results of percutaneous autologous bone aspiration injection and steroids injections in the treatment of unicameral bone cyst. METHODS The prospective study was conducted at Mayo Hospital, Lahore, from January 2008 to March 2014, and comprised patients diagnosed radiologically as a case of unicameral bone cyst. The patients were divided into two groups, with group 1 being treated with bone marrow aspiration injection, while group 2 was given steroids injection. Aspiration of bone marrow was done from tibial tuberosity. RESULTS The 30 patients in the study were divided into two groups of 15(50%) each. In group 1, 8(53.34%) patients and in group 2, 3 (20%) patients achieved healing after the first injection (p 0.05). The mean number of procedures required in group 1 was 1.57± 0.495 (range: 01-3) and for 2.19 ± 1.076 (range: 1-5) in group 2 (p 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Bone marrow aspiration injection was better than steroids in treating unicameral bone cyst.
Activities of Cathepsin D in Rat Prostate During Castration Induced Involution

The possibility that an intracellular proteolytic process is activated during castration induced prostatic regression warrants consideration and investigation. We investigated the activities of cathepsin D, a lysosomal proteolytic enzyme, in the prostate of rats at different intervals following castration. The enzyme activity was noted to increase during the period of rapid prostatic involution. Administration of exogenous testosterone in varying doses to castrated rats prevented or retarded prostatic weight loss as well as the increase in cathepsin D activity in a dose related manner. Administration of actinomycin D to castrated rats also retarded ventral prostate regression and decreased cathepsin D activity. These observations suggest that cathepsin D is actively synthesized in the regressing prostate and that the enzyme may play an important role in castration induced prostatic regression.
Reframing the Study of Desegregation

This chapter provides a discussion for reframing the study of desegregation, and offers an alternative to the socioeconomic status (SES) models for this research. The following discussion describes the steps used to conduct this research, using terminology intended to demystify quantitative research, including conceptualizing the research problem, data collection, defining or operationalizing the variables, and explains the methodology and models used for the data analysis. The different components of research are intended as part of an in-depth look at some of the developments that have occurred in Black enrollment in higher education, in order to account for them in the research and corroborate the argument that politics matter when seeking to understand a politically mandated institution.
The Roots of Anxiety

The roots of any emotion that pervades so many aspects of our lives and that serves us in so many ways must be highly complex. Indeed, the roots of anxiety are wide and deep, tapping into our long evolutionary history while also branching into the more recent history of uniquely human mental processes. To understand the why and the wherefore of anxiety, we will need to examine information ranging from our genetics to our environmental experiences. The raw materials from which we, as humans, develop are biological units and, consequently, we are similar to lower animals in many ways. Accordingly, we can look to knowledge derived from animal experiments to more fully understand some of our own biological and psychological processes. However, as humans we have evolved beyond strict reliance on instinctive biological processes for our survival and general functioning. Our greater brain power and its resultant higher mental processes render us more capable of, and also dependent on, learning to adapt to changing environments. Furthermore, we can create environments, not just react to them. We can also plan, think ahead, and anticipate the future. However, with these same abilities to think of the future, we can anticipate problems that “might” happen. This anticipation helps to protect us but allows us to worry, whether we need to or not. This ability to anticipate and to project into the future can be the source of many anxiety problems.
Murine Hematopoietic Stem Cells Require Akt1 and Akt2 for Long-Term Self-Renewal

Murine hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) rely on components of the Akt signaling pathway, such as FOXO family members and PTEN, for efficient self-renewal and continued survival. However, it is unknown whether Akt is also required for murine HSC function. We hypothesized that Akt would be required for HSC self-renewal, and that the absence of Akt would lead to hematopoietic failure resulting in developmental defects in multiple lineages. To address the effect of Akt loss in HSCs we used competitive and noncompetitive murine fetal liver-bone marrow chimeras. In short-term assays, Akt1 −/− Akt2 −/− fetal liver cells reconstituted the LSK compartment of an irradiated host as well or better than wildtype cells, although failed to generate wildtype levels of more differentiated cells in multiple lineages. When placed in a competitive environment, Akt1 −/− Akt2 −/− HSCs were outcompeted by wildtype HSCs in serial bone marrow transplant assays, indicating a requirement for Akt1 and Akt2 in the maintainance of long-term hematopoietic stem cells. Akt1 −/− Akt2 −/− LSKs tend to remain in the G0 phase of the cell cycle compared to wildtype LSKs, suggesting the failure in serial transplant assays may be due to increased quiesence in the absence of Akt1 and Akt2. Additionally, the intracellular content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HSCs is dependent on Akt signaling because Akt1 −/− Akt2 −/− HSCs have decreased ROS levels. Furthermore, pharmacologic augmentation of ROS in the absence of Akt1 and Akt2 results in an exit from quiescence and rescue of differentiation both in vivo and in vitro . Together, these data implicate Akt1 and Akt2 as critical regulators of long-term HSC function and suggest that defective ROS homeostasis may contribute to failed hematopoiesis.
Extended Tracking Powers: Measuring the Privacy Diffusion Enabled by Browser Extensions

Users have come to rely on browser extensions to realize features that are not implemented by browser vendors. Extensions offer users the ability to, among others, block ads, de-clutter websites, enrich pages with third-party content, and take screenshots. At the same time, because of their privileged position inside a user's browser, extensions have access to content and functionality that is not available to webpages, such as, the ability to conduct and read cross-origin requests, as well as get access to a browser's history and cookie jar. In this paper, we report on the first large-scale study of privacy leakage enabled by extensions. By using dynamic analysis and simulated user interactions, we investigate the leaking happening by the 10,000 most popular browser extensions of Google Chrome and find that a non-negligible fraction leaks sensitive information about the user's browsing habits, such as, their browsing history and search-engine queries. We identify common ways that extensions use to obfuscate this leakage and discover that, while some leakage happens on purpose, a large fraction of it is accidental because of the way that extensions attempt to introduce third-party content to a page's DOM. To counter the inference of a user's interests and private information enabled by this leakage, we design, implement, and evaluate BrowsingFog, a browser extension that automatically browses the web in a way that conceals a user's true interests, from a vantage point of history-stealing, third-party trackers.
On ‘Experiencing time’: a response to Simon Prosser

AbstractIn his recent book ‘Experiencing time’ (OUP), Simon Prosser discusses a wide variety of topics relating to temporal experience, in a way that is accessible both to those steeped in the philosophy of mind, and to those more familiar with the philosophy of time. He forcefully argues for the conclusion that the B-theorist of time can account for the temporal appearances. In this article, I offer a chapter by chapter response.
Leadership in the era of the Trump presidency: implications for the education of American Indian children and youth

In this manuscript, I outline what I perceive to be the potential implications of the Trump presidency for the education of American Indian children and youth. In doing so, I argue that failure to ...
A Characterization of Student Reflections in an Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience Discussion Course.

Objective. To characterize weekly student reflections in an introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) discussion course meeting concurrently with IPPE rotations in institutional pharmacy.Methods. A qualitative analysis was conducted to identify themes within weekly reflective statements submitted by second year pharmacy students (P2) enrolled in an IPPE rotation and concurrent discussion course. Weekly reflections from the 2015-2016 offering of the course were reviewed by investigators to identify common themes via an iterative process. Subsequently, investigators coded each submission into one of the identified categories. Initial agreement between investigators was assessed using the Cohen kappa coefficient. Discrepancies between coding were resolved through discussion to reach consensus.Results. A total of 402 reflection assignments were reviewed from 85 P2 students enrolled in the IPPE course. Ten themes were identified, with the most common themes being interprofessional teamwork, pharmacist a...
Nanocomposite microemulsions study of single-walled carbon nanotubes in arteries: Applications of nanocomposite materials in drug delivery

Abstract This chapter is associated with the nanocomposite microemulsions study of single-walled carbon nanotubes in arteries with applications of nanocomposite materials in drug delivery. The main flow problem has been modeled using cylindrical coordinates and flow equations are simplified to ordinary differential equations using long wavelength and low Reynolds number approximation, and exact solutions have been obtained for velocity, pressure gradient, and temperature. Results acquired are discussed graphically for better understanding. It is seen that with an increment in the Grashof number the velocity of the governing fluids start to decrease significantly.
The Formation of Polymer Monolayers: From Adsorption to Surface Initiated Polymerizations

Gold particles with diameters in the nanometer range, stabilized by the presence of alkanethiols bound to the particle surface have been synthesized. A portion of these alkanethiols contained a terminal hydroxyl group, which was shown to be capable of coordinating titanium(1V). The resultant titanium(IV) alkoxide species was able to catalyze the polymerization of hexyl isocyanate under very mild conditions. The final product of the synthesis was a gold nanoparticle with poly(hexyl isocyanate) covalently bound to the surface. Proton NMR was used to confirm the formation of poly(hexyl isocyanate). Dynamic light scattering experiments showed that the hydrodynamic radii of the particles increased markedly after the polymerization reaction, verifying that the polymer formed was bound to the particles.
Pulsed DC Losses in Superconducting Solenoids

The use of superconducting inductors as energy storage elements in applications ranging from peaking plants to pulse power supplies has generated considerable interest in recent years. Although such applications appear promising, a number of problems are encountered in the design of these systems. One of these is the loss generated in the conductor due to transient operation. This paper presents the results of experiments on wire samples approximately 500 m in length, which were inductively wound in solenoid configuration to simulate actual operating conditions. The samples were tested under pulsed dc conditions at several frequencies and at various current levels. The superconducting samples were multifilamentary Nb-Ti in a copper matrix obtained commercially from several sources; copper-to-superconductor ratio, twist rate, and number and size of filaments varied among the samples. Losses were determined by use of a gas flowmeter system calibrated against known resistive losses.
Competitive Reactivities of Paramagnetic Organometallic Intermediates

The competitive reactivities of 17-e and 19-e metal carbonyl radicals in atom transfer reactions are analyzed in terms of the Marcus/Agmon-Levine equation. The intrinsic barriers to atom transfer are low for rhenium carbonyl radicals in halogen atom transfer reactions. Assuming similarly low barriers for other radical species, the analysis suggests that, where 17-e and 19-e species are in equilibrium, the reactivity of the (usually) more abundant 17-e radical will dominate. However, interconversion between 17-e and 19-e radicals seldom obtains, and the mode of radical formation is usually critical.
Measuring cost in the value equation using time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Division of Radiation Oncology.

e18305Background: The cost of a full cycle of radiation therapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center has not been determined using a bottom-up measurement approach. Due to the complexity and variation in c...
The Dark Triad's inverse relations with cognitive and emotional empathy: High-powered tests with multiple measures

Abstract Low empathy is a key feature of the Dark Triad traits of narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. Nevertheless, prior research, which has used mostly small samples with single measures of each construct, has produced mixed findings. The present study tested associations between Dark Triad traits and empathy using (a) a large sample (N = 1035), (b) multiple measures of each construct, and (c) structural equation modeling. Dark Triad traits, modeled as latent variables using three indicator measures each, were regressed onto two dimensions of empathy—emotional (feeling what others feel) and cognitive (knowing what others think)—which were also modeled as latent variables using three indicator measures each. The model fit the data well. All three Dark Triad traits were associated with low emotional empathy, but the association with narcissism was significantly weaker than associations with psychopathy or Machiavellianism. Psychopathy was unrelated to cognitive empathy, whereas narcissism and Machiavellianism were both positively related to cognitive empathy. The present findings provide a more nuanced and comprehensive theoretical contribution to the links between empathy and the Dark Triad traits.
Nitrogenous air pollutants and ozone exposure in the central Sierra Nevada and White Mountains of California – Distribution and evaluation of ecological risks

Abstract Ammonia (NH3), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitric acid (HNO3), and ozone (O3) were measured in summers of 2012 and 2013 with passive samplers. Nine monitoring sites were on W-E transect (511 to 3490 m) across central Sierra Nevada Mountains (SNM), and five sites on elevational gradient (1237 to 4346 m) in White Mountains (WM) of California. Levels of pollutants were similar in 2012 and 2013 in all sites. NH3, NO2, and HNO3 were highest near highly polluted Central Valley of California (CVC): maximum summer season means 7.8 μg m−3, 3.0 ppb, and 3.0 μg m−3, respectively. Regional background for NH3, NO2, and HNO3 in SNM occurred >20 km from CVC and >1500 m with seasonal averages: 2.1–4.8 μg m−3; 0.8–1.7 ppb; 1.0–1.8 μg m−3, respectively, during two seasons. Levels of NH3, NO2, and HNO3 in WM remote locations were similar: 1.2–3.3 μg m−3, 0.6–1.1 ppb, and 1.0–1.3 μg m−3, respectively. Seasonal mean O3 (38–60 ppb) in SNM did not change with distance from CVC nor elevation. In WM, O3 and NO mixing ratios were 41–61 ppb and 2.3–4.1 ppb, respectively, increasing with elevation. Even the lowest NH3 concentrations determined in this study were higher than NH3 continental background. This fact, as well as high values of Nreduced/Noxidized near CVC of 1.9 in 2012 and 2.0 in 2013, decreasing with distance to 0.7 in 2012 and 0.8 in 2013, show importance of NH3 emissions from CVC as a contributor to N deposition and ecological impacts in SNM. The phytotoxic O3 indices, AOT40 and W126, for selected sites on SNM and WM transects, showed high potential for negative O3 impacts on vegetation, including forest trees. Capsule Elevated NH3, NO2, and HNO3 on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains (SNM) near the Central Valley of California (CVC) decreased with distance from CVC and elevation to regional background levels also recorded at high elevation sites of the White Mountains (WM).
Text Mining for Word Sentiment Detection

This work presents a novel approach for automatically generating a sentiment lexicon. We employ an unsupervised learning approach using several probabilistic and information theoretic models. While most of the unsupervised approaches require a set of seed words to begin their work, our methods differ from these by using no a priori knowledge. In addition, our models are effective with a diverse corpus rather than requiring a corpus for a limited domain. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approaches by performing sentiment analysis on Amazon products reviews, comparing the various automatically-generated lexicons. Based on our cross validation results, we show that our lexicons outperform a widely-used sentiment lexicon on both balanced and unbalanced datasets.
TCTAP A-009 Effect of Complete Revascularization in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction of Killip Class ≥ III

The effect of complete revascularization (CR) on high-risk patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) remains a controversial issue, especially patients in a critical condition. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of CR on the patients with STEMI of Killip > III.
The Hybrid Ring Loop Antenna

A full wave circular loop antenna is configured as a hybrid ring loop antenna to provide linear polarization, circular polarization, dual linear polarization and dual circular polarization. The radiating structure is a circle of thin wire near one wavelength in circumference with gap ports. It provides polarization diversity and multiplexing of multiple communications channels. The hybrid ring loop antenna has increased directivity and gain relative the half wave dipole turnstile antenna and it does so at reduced antenna size.
Digital twin approach for damage-tolerant mission planning under uncertainty

Abstract The digital twin paradigm that integrates the information obtained from sensor data, physics models, as well as operational and inspection/maintenance/repair history of a system (or a component) of interest, can potentially be used to optimize operational parameters of the system in order to achieve a desired performance or reliability goal. In this article, we develop a methodology for intelligent mission planning using the digital twin approach, with the objective of performing the required work while meeting the damage tolerance requirement. The proposed approach has three components: damage diagnosis, damage prognosis, and mission optimization. All three components are affected by uncertainty regarding system properties, operational parameters, loading and environment, as well as uncertainties in sensor data and prediction models. Therefore the proposed methodology includes the quantification of the uncertainty in diagnosis, prognosis, and optimization, considering both aleatory and epistemic uncertainty sources. We discuss an illustrative fatigue crack growth experiment to demonstrate the methodology for a simple mechanical component, and build a digital twin for the component. Using a laboratory experiment that utilizes the digital twin, we show how the trio of probabilistic diagnosis, prognosis, and mission planning can be used in conjunction with the digital twin of the component of interest to optimize the crack growth over single or multiple missions of fatigue loading, thus optimizing the interval between successive inspection, maintenance, and repair actions.
Church Leaders’ Views of Obesity Prevention Efforts for Children and Youth

Abstract Objective To examine church leaders’ views on the role of faith-based organizations in promoting healthy eating and physical activity in children. Design Qualitative research using semi-structured in-depth interviews. Setting South Carolina. Participants Leaders (n = 26) from United Methodist churches (n = 20). Phenomenon of Interest Perceptions of health promotion efforts for children in faith-based settings, including primary health concerns, perceived opportunities, partnerships, and the relationship of these efforts to the overall church mission. Analysis Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded using a constant comparative method. Results Five themes emerged related to (1) multiple concerns about health issues facing children; (2) existing church structures influencing health behaviors; (3) potential partnerships to address children's health; (4) importance of role models; and (5) the need for a tailored approach. Conclusions and Implications Church leaders viewed childhood health behaviors as an important area of concern for the church and identified links between physical and spiritual health. They identified multiple existing and potential organizational and community structures as important in improving healthy eating and physical activity. Faith-based organizations can play an important role in developing and delivering health programming for children but desired assistance through partnerships with subject matter experts.