cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Political Violence and Disruptions in the Development of Moral Agency

— Researchers have studied the effects of exposure to long-term political violence on children largely in terms of adverse mental health outcomes, typically measured in relation to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. This study argues that for children, the important aftereffects of exposure to political violence extend beyond emotional distress to influence the development of morality. It points to 2 specific disruptions likely to occur in the development of moral agency and concludes by outlining future research directions and speculating about implications for policy and intervention.
Evaluation of NCOREL, PAN AIR, and W12SC3 for Supersonic Wing Pressures

The ability of three recently developed computer programs to predict pressures on a supersonic maneuver wing has been evaluated. The NCOREL program was the only code capable of predicting the nonlinear leeward leading edge supercritical crossflow and resultant shock wave formation at the higher angles of attack Both linear panel methods, PAN AIR and W12SC3, performed reasonably well at the lower angles of attack Im plementing the freestream axis as the compressibility axis, PAN AIR overpredicted the windward pressures in comparison to the W12SC3 program at higher angles of attack
Trends in power semiconductor packaging

After a number of decades of relative obscurity behind furious advancements in IC packaging technology, a review of recent advances in power device packaging is presented. General trends in relevant electrical and mechanical characteristics are reviewed. Then, the presentation covers in more detail, examples of how advances in both semiconductor content and advanced package design and materials have co-enabled the significant advances in power device capability during the last half decade. Extrapolating the same trends in representative areas to the remainder of the decade serves to highlight where further improvements in materials and techniques can drive continued enhancements in usability, efficiency, reliability, and overall cost of power semiconductor solutions. In addition to the forward looking trends it is important to recognize that the methods for concurrent engineering of these solutions (both the semiconductor content and high performance package capability) are becoming more increasingly dependent on rigorous use of proven multiphysics/FEA tools and techniques. In most cases this insures adequate program definition and timely program completion. In some cases the use of these tools by the teams involved lead directly to unanticipated and insightful solutions to problems which had previously remained intractable. Examples are described with illustrations and commentary.
A social identity model of prosocial behaviors within nonprofit organizations.

This study draws on social identity theory, while developing and testing the Social Identification Model of Prosocial Behavior among voluntary participants in nonprofit organizations. This model posits relationships between organization identification, commitment, satisfaction, and prosocial behavior among nonprofit volunteers. Path analysis results indicate successful identification of the model. Specifically, when volunteers identified with their nonprofit, they had higher levels of prosocial behaviors, commitment, and satisfaction. This study provides several important extensions to social identity theory and nonprofit literatures while highlighting the need for further research examining motivations behind prosocial behaviors within nonprofits.
Environmental policies for a multifunctional agricultural sector in open economies

Summary This paper derives the efficient set of policies for a multifunctional agriculture and relates them to trade. In general, efficiency cannot be achieved through simple output subsidies, but the efficient policies to move closer to socially optimal levels of multifunctional, non-commodity outputs may also change commodity output levels. Accounting for international price effects, large importing and exporting nations have incentives to favour subsidies for non-commodity outputs and to oppose them, respectively, regardless of the true value of these agriculturally related public goods. The policy incentives are illustrated through a stylised simulation of US agriculture.
Sarcopenia of ageing: functional, structural and biochemical alterations

Aging is associated with a progressive decline of muscle mass, strength, and quality, a condition described as sarcopenia of aging. Despite the significance of skeletal muscle atrophy, the mechanisms responsible for the deterioration of muscle performance are only partially understood. The purpose of this review is to highlight cellular, molecular and biochemical changes that contribute to age-related muscle weakness.
Neural correlates of out-group bias predict social impairment in patients with schizophrenia

Background Social impairments are a hallmark feature of schizophrenia and are a key predictor of functional disability. Deficits in social information processing likely underlie social impairment; however, this relationship is understudied. We previously demonstrated that patients with schizophrenia fail to habituate to neutral faces, providing evidence for an alteration in basic social information processing. It remains unknown whether patients with schizophrenia also show deficits in processing of more complex social information. Out-group bias provides an excellent opportunity to test complex social information processing because the bias requires basic face processing skills, the ability to discriminate between groups, as well as the ability to categorize oneself into a salient social group.
Late Outcomes of Endovascular Aortic Repair for the Infected Thoracic Aorta

Background Untreated infectious thoracic aortic pathology (ITAP) has a dismal prognosis. Despite its high rates of morbidity in this setting, conventional open repair remains the gold standard therapy. Understanding the limitations of open repair, we describe outcomes for one of the largest series of ITAP treated with thoracic endovascular repair. Methods Of 170 patients undergoing thoracic endovascular repair (1993 to 2008), 20 presenting with ITAP were identified. Indications for intervention included aortobronchial (n = 10), aortoesophageal (n = 2), or aortocutaneous fistulae (n = 1), or mycotic aneurysms (n = 7). Underlying disease included fusiform aneurysm (n = 1), saccular aneurysm or pseudoaneurysm (n = 18), or dissection (n = 1). Four patients had ITAP from infected grafts. Follow-up was 100% complete (mean, 28.6 months). Results Median age was 73 years. A history of immunosuppression was present in 4; concurrent malignancy was present in 5. Arch repair was needed in 8; total descending, in 6. Three patients underwent hybrid thoracic endovascular repair or debranching procedures. Causes of in-hospital mortality (n = 3; 15.0%) included refractory hypoxemia (n = 1) and sepsis from tracheoesophageal fistula (n = 1) or pneumonia (n = 1). Dialysis was needed in 2; none sustained postoperative stroke or paraplegia. Mean Kaplan-Meier survival was 39.0 months. Late mortality was seen in 13 patients, with 3 attributed to recurrent ITAP. There was a trend for recurrence of ITAP when thoracic endovascular repair was originally performed in an infected graft (p = 0.08). At last imaging follow-up, 14 patients had a healed aorta. Conclusions Treatment with thoracic endovascular repair for ITAP can be accomplished with acceptable results. Late mortality is frequently related to underlying comorbidities, rather than complications from the aortic disease itself, suggesting that thoracic endovascular repair is an appropriate palliative therapeutic option in this high-risk cohort.
Lipids and Proteins Act in Opposing Manners To Regulate Polyomavirus Infection

How receptors control virus infection is poorly understood. Polyomavirus (Py) binds to the sialic acid-galactose moiety on receptors to gain entry into host cells and cause infection. We previously demonstrated that the sialic acid-galactose-containing glycolipids called gangliosides GD1a and GT1b promote Py infection, in part, by sorting the virus from the endolysosomes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a critical infection route. Whether these glycolipids act as Py entry receptors, however, is not clear. Additionally, as the majority of glycoproteins also harbor terminal sialic acid-galactose residues, their roles in Py infection are also not well established. Using a ganglioside-deficient cell line, we show that GD1a is the functional entry receptor for Py. GD1a binds to Py on the plasma membrane, and the receptor-virus complex is internalized and transported to the late endosomes and then the ER to initiate infection. In contrast, our findings indicate that glycoproteins act as decoy receptors, restricting the ER transport and infection of Py. Thus, glycolipids and glycoproteins, two major constituents of the plasma membrane, execute opposing functions in regulating infection by a defined virus.
Development through Early Childhood

Chapter 10 began with a quote, “We are what we are because of history, both our ancestors’ history and the history of our own lives” (Carlson, 1984, p. 6), and went on to consider our ancestral history. It also summarized important events characteristic of the history of all humans from conception to birth. This chapter describes some of the major developmental changes that occur from birth onward, including motor development, perceptual development, cognitive development, and social-emotional development, with a special focus on how behavior-environment interactions change through early childhood.
Peptide-Surface Adsorption Free Energy Comparing Solution Conditions Ranging from Low-to-Medium Salt Concentrations

Peptide-adsorption studies in the biomaterials field are typically performed in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) to represent the physiological environment. However, the study of peptide adsorption in pure water or low-salt media (e.g., 10 mM potassium phosphate buffered water; PPB) is of interest for many other applications in the broader field of biotechnology. In previous studies we used surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to determine the standard state adsorption free energy of peptide adsorption (ΔG°ads) and the force required for peptide desorption (Fdes), respectively, for a wide range of surface chemistries in PBS and showed that these two parameters were strongly correlated. The objective of this present research was to repeat these studies in PPB rather than in PBS in order to determine the influence of the differences in salt concentration between these two environments and also to determine if the same correlation between ΔG°ads and Fdes held for peptide adsorption in PPB. The results from these studies show that ΔG°ads and the correlation between ΔG°ads and Fdes in PPB are not significantly different than in PBS for the evaluated set of peptide-surface systems.
On the range of applicability of linearized elasticity

Most contemporary derivations of the linearized theory of elasticity start with the basic equations of the non-linear theory organized into kinematical, balance, and constitutive equations. The linear approximations of these equations, under the assumption that the displacement gradient is small are found, and the higher-order terms are discarded to get the basic equations of the linear theory. Consequently, determination of the range of applicability of solutions to particular linear elasticity problems has generally been based on the size of the displacement gradient. However, all solution procedures involve commingling of the basic equations, and this raises the question of whether or not the gradients of the discarded terms are small. We establish that generally they are not unless the (non-dimensionalized) second gradient of the displacement is also small. An example shows that this additional restriction on the range of applicability can be significant.
Acid-Base Homeostasis

Acid-base homeostasis and pH regulation are critical for both normal physiology and cell metabolism and function. The importance of this regulation is evidenced by a variety of physiologic derangements that occur when plasma pH is either high or low. The kidneys have the predominant role in regulating the systemic bicarbonate concentration and hence, the metabolic component of acid-base balance. This function of the kidneys has two components: reabsorption of virtually all of the filtered HCO3(-) and production of new bicarbonate to replace that consumed by normal or pathologic acids. This production or generation of new HCO3(-) is done by net acid excretion. Under normal conditions, approximately one-third to one-half of net acid excretion by the kidneys is in the form of titratable acid. The other one-half to two-thirds is the excretion of ammonium. The capacity to excrete ammonium under conditions of acid loads is quantitatively much greater than the capacity to increase titratable acid. Multiple, often redundant pathways and processes exist to regulate these renal functions. Derangements in acid-base homeostasis, however, are common in clinical medicine and can often be related to the systems involved in acid-base transport in the kidneys.
Application of the imbalance difference method to the EMC design of automotive ECUs

Controlling the common-mode currents induced on wiring harnesses plays an important role in meeting automotive electromagnetic compatibility requirements. For high-frequency signals, the key to controlling these common-mode currents is maintaining the same electrical balance in the harness that was present on the circuit board. When routing differential signals such as LVDS or CAN signals, designers are generally careful to maintain the balance in the differential signal pair. However, driver skew and other sources of common-mode current in these routing pairs makes it equally important to maintain the balance of the wire pair and system ground relative to distant objects. This paper employs the imbalance difference method to demonstrate the importance of maintaining the electrical balance of the common-mode currents that return on system ground. These examples should help engineers to make better decisions regarding the optimum harness configuration for a given automotive system.
Team Communication Platforms and Emergent Social Collaboration Practices

Team communication platforms (TCPs), including the Slack software service, are an emergent class of social collaboration technology that combine features of multiple enterprise social media including social networking platforms and instant messaging. The media capabilities of these platforms, including integrations for diverse information and communication technologies, enable affordances for both highly adaptable and centralized team communication practices. In order to understand emergent practices in TCPs, this study offers a quantitative and qualitative content analysis of the reflective practice of early adopter organizations and individuals based on a sample of self-published blog posts. Results indicate that TCPs enable affordances for communication visibility that support situated knowledge sharing and collaborative workflows. TCPs also enable affordances for multicommunication and attention allocation including flexible scaling of media modality and synchronicity. This latter affordance is concep...
Leasing, Steuern und Intermediäre

Leasing companies are acting as intermediaries between manufacturers of investment goods and their customers. The article tries to explain their existence based on fiscal and financial reasons and develops design patterns in particular for crossborder transactions that will increasingly be vital to the competitiveness of suppliers in global markets. In contrast to widespread beliefs in business practice, it can be shown, e. g., that the deployment of financial intermediaries in high-tax countries or the use of leasing contracts without a financing function may be advisable.
Analysis on epidemic situation of scarlet fever in Changzhou City from 2004-2012

[Objective]To understand the epidemic characteristics of scarlet fever in Changzhou City from 2004-2012,provide the scientific basis for further control and prevention.[Methods]The epidemic data of scarlet fever from the National disease reporting management system were analyzed by descriptive epidemiology.[Results]A total of 657 scarlet fever cases were reported during 2004-2011,and the average annual incidence rate was 1.820 / lakh.There was a peak of scarlet fever in every four years,and the incidence of scarlet fever had obvious seasonality which peaked during April-June.97.26% of cases were children under 15 years old,and the ratio of male-to-female was 2.09∶ 1.A majority of patients were students,kindergarten children and scattered children.The cases were reported in all cities and districts.[Conclusion]It is important to develop the targeted prevention and control strategy according to cyclical characteristics of scarlet fever,and strengthen the prevention and control in schools and kindergartens.
Dialect, Subject, and Style Labels

In ‘Sense and Tone’, the opening chapter to his Frege: Philosophy of Language, Dummett remarks, It is … unclear whether tone is a single feature of the meaning of a sentence or expression in addition to its sense, or whether, say, a different feature distinguishes ‘but’ from ‘and’ from that which distinguishes ‘cur’ from ‘dog’ (1981a: 3). He takes this up again in the chapter ‘Sense and Reference’, where he restates Frege’s claim that differences in meaning not relevant to the determination of sentential truth-conditions are to be “relegated” to the category of tone. The pairs ‘dead’—‘deceased’ and ‘and’—‘but’ are cited in this connection, pairs whose individual members can be interchanged, according to Dummett, without affecting the truth-value of any sentence in which they occur. He concedes, ‘Tone’ has here been defined in a ragbag way, which will have to be modified subsequently … ; moreover, there is no reason to suppose that all those variations in meaning between expressions having the same sense …, which Frege counts as differences in tone, are uniform in kind. Frege apparently did suppose this (Ibid.: 85). Following criticisms of Frege’s mentalistic and subjectivist portrayal of tonality, Dummett offers a way of distinguishing sense from tone in terms of what he calls an ‘impression of meaning’ (1981a: 87–88).
APPLICATIONS OF THE CAUCHY THEORY

This chapter discusses the applications of the Cauchy theory. A nonconstant analytic function maps open sets onto open sets, and a one-to-one analytic function has an analytic inverse. One must first obtain some information about the number of solutions of the equation f (z) = w , where w is fixed and z ranges over a neighborhood of a zero of f . The chapter also discusses the behavior of an analytic function that maps one disk into another. The linear fractional transformations are of this type. It will be convenient to have a version of Cauchy's theorem and integral formula for functions that are analytic in a region bounded by a closed path and continuous on the closure of the region. The basic tool is the Poisson integral formula, which may be regarded as an analog of the Cauchy integral formula for real valued functions.
Abstract 1929: The novel role of microRNA-128 in proneural to mesenchymal subtype transition in glioblastoma stem cells by targeting components of pro-oncogenic Polycomb Repressor Complex

Heterogeneous glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) was categorized based on transcriptional signatures into four subtypes (proneural (PN), neural, classical, and mesenchymal (MES)). In order to develop effective targeted therapeutic strategies, understanding the heterogeneous gene expression and molecular features of these subtypes is crucial. De-regulation of microRNA expression and activity has been shown to play an important role in tumor initiation and progression, including gliomagenesis. We have previously reported that expression of microRNA-128 (miR-128) is significantly down regulated in GBM and it diminishes self-renewal of GBM stem-like cells (GSCs) and sensitizes them to irradiation. Proneural-to-mesenchymal transition (PMT) manifested by concomitant up regulation of MES markers and down regulation of PN markers, is associated with increased malignancy, therapy-resistance and worse prognosis, but the underlying causes of PMT have not been convincingly characterized yet. In this study, we have demonstrated that miR-128 can regulate the PMT in GSC subsets. We showed that the expression of miR-128 in PN GSCs was significantly higher compared to MES subtype. As a tumor suppressive microRNA, miR-128 inhibited the MES GSC-specific high expression of Bmi1 and Suz12, two components of Polycomb Repressor Complexes (PRC) 1 and 2, respectively. In both GSC subtypes, miR-128 driven targeting of PRCs suppressed their epigenetic activity measured by ubiquitination of H2AK119 and tri-methylation of H3K27. Stable down regulation of miR-128 in PN GSCs significantly increased the expression of MES-specific gene signature (BCL2A1, CD44, WT-1, LYN, and MET) while its stable up regulation in MES GSCs resulted in the restoration of PN specific gene signature (CD133, SOX2, NES, OLIG2, and NOTCH1). We also showed that stable expression of miR-128 in GSCs could regulate the process of irradiation-induced PMT. Our in vivo studies showed the anti-tumorigenic role of miR-128 in both PN and MES GSC-derived intracranial tumor models. Taken together, we demonstrated that altering levels of miR-128 was sufficient to cause or reverse PMT, most likely by targeting the level/functions of PRCs and their target genes in GBM. Citation Format: Arun K. Rooj, Marco Mineo, Franz Ricklefs, Agnieszka Bronisz, Ennio Chiocca, Jakub Godlewski. The novel role of microRNA-128 in proneural to mesenchymal subtype transition in glioblastoma stem cells by targeting components of pro-oncogenic Polycomb Repressor Complex. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1929.
Flow Cytometric Evaluation of Acute Lung Injury and Repair

The ability of flow cytometry to measure multiple parameters in a single cell provides a powerful technique for studying respiratory cell biology after lung injury. Through enzymatic and mechanical digestion of tissue, advancement of fluorescent technology, and increases in commercial availability of fluorescently labeled antibodies and other fluorescent reagents, lung researchers have effectively employed flow cytometry in studies of lung development, inflammation, and repair. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the reader to some of the fundamentals of flow cytometry, in particular where this technology has been of particular benefit to the study of lung injury and repair.
Multistakeholder Development of State-and-Transition Models: A Case Study from Northwestern Colorado☆

On the Ground Engaging multiple stakeholders in building state-and-transition models (STMs) can increase the credibility and relevance they have to land managers. Land managers and land stewards may be more likely to use STMs that were developed in collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders. The quality of STMs is improved when they are repeatedly revised based on new knowledge from research, multiple interactions with local stake-holders, and ecological field data.
SmartTalk: A Learning-Based Framework for Natural Human-Robot Interaction

This paper presents a learning-based frameworknamed SmartTalk for natural-language human-robot interaction (HRI). The primary goal of this framework is to enable non-expert users to control and program a mobile robot using natural language commands. SmartTalk is modality-agnostic, and is capable of integrating with both speech and non-speech (e.g., gesture-based) communication. Initially, robots using this mechanism are equipped with a limited vocabulary of primitive commands and functionality, however, through extended use andinteraction, the robots are able to learn new commands and adapt to user's behaviors and habits. This makes the proposed framework highly desirable for long-term deployment in a variety of HRI tasks. We present the design of this framework and experimental data on a number of realistic scenarios to evaluate its performance. A qualitative experiment on a robotic platform is also presented.
Survivorship Care Plan Information Needs: Perspectives of Safety-Net Breast Cancer Patients

Author(s): Burke, Nancy J; Napoles, Tessa M; Banks, Priscilla J; Orenstein, Fern S; Luce, Judith A; Joseph, Galen | Abstract: PurposeDespite the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) 2005 recommendation, few care organizations have instituted standard survivorship care plans (SCPs). Low health literacy and low English proficiency are important factors to consider in SCP development. Our study aimed to identify information needs and survivorship care plan preferences of low literacy, multi-lingual patients to support the transition from oncology to primary care and ongoing learning in survivorship.MethodsWe conducted focus groups in five languages with African American, Latina, Russian, Filipina, White, and Chinese medically underserved breast cancer patients. Topics explored included the transition to primary care, access to information, knowledge of treatment history, and perspectives on SCPs.ResultsAnalysis of focus group data identified three themes: 1) the need for information and education on the transition between "active treatment" and "survivorship"; 2) information needed (and often not obtained) from providers; and 3) perspectives on SCP content and delivery.ConclusionsOur data point to the need to develop a process as well as written information for medically underserved breast cancer patients. An SCP document will not replace direct communication with providers about treatment, symptom management and transition, a communication that is missing in participating safety-net patients' experiences of cancer care. Women turned to peer support and community-based organizations in the absence of information from providers.Implications for cancer survivors"Clear and effective" communication of survivorship care for safety-net patients requires dedicated staff trained to address wide-ranging information needs and uncertainties.
Exploitation and Detection of a Malicious Mobile Application

A paper co-authored by William Glisson published in the Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences in 2017
Selling Lifts in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century

Among the most interesting artifacts associated with the history of lifts are manufacturers’ catalogs. The audiences for these documents included architects, building owners, engineers, and other lift manufacturers. Catalogs typically included detailed descriptions of lift types and individual components, which were accompanied by illustrations and accounts of specific installations. The catalogs also often described normative use patterns, which allows a unique glimpse into the world of late 19 th and early 20th Century lift operation. Finally, the advertising language used to describe the mechanical virtues of a manufacturer’s lift systems is similar to contemporary catalogs: lifts were described as safe, efficient, and economical. The catalogs examined for this paper include those published by Brady & Thornborough, R. Waygood & Company, Archibald Smith & Stevens, and William Wadsworth & Sons, Ltd.
RELATIONSHIP OF FEULGEN-DNA IN MILK AND OF MILK QUALITY TEST (MQT) TO THE NUMBER OF MILK SOMATIC CELLS1

Summary The relationships of Feulgen-DNA determinations and Milk Quality Test (MQT) score with the concentration of milk cells were determined from 75 milk samples. The correlation of the number of each cell type with Feulgen-DNA score was consistently higher than with MQT score, but the highest correlation of 0.876 between Feulgen-DNA scores and total cell numbers accounted for 77% of the total variation. Plotting the observed values revealed a linear relationship when both variables were transformed to logarithms. The correlaion of the logarithms of the coded Feulgen-DNA scores with the logarithms of total cell numbers was 0.909. The coefficient of variation for Feulgen-DNA scores was 7%, much less than the 32% for the microscopic estimations of cell concentration. These data indicated that Feulgen-DNA scores may be at least as accurate in estimating milk cell numbers as microscopic estimations.
Comparative Apodized Surfaces Acoustics Waves Filters Applied to IF-TV Amplifier

This paper presents different analytical approaches for modeling a surface acoustic wave Band pass filter, developed as an alternative to conventional filters based on RLC components. For reasons due to computational applications in our implementation, we suggest a direct application to a television receiver IF stage (intermediate frequency). To this purpose, we shall be using a model based on discrete sources method. Various cases of configurations as well as impulse responses are presented and compared for transducers having different fingers lengths and equally fingers spacing. The first type of suggested filter is made up of an input transducer (apodized) and an output transducer having a single pair of fingers. The second type consists of an identical input and output transducers. Finally, the third filter is composed of two input transducers connected in parallel and an output transducer.
Vaso-Epididymal Anastomosis

A technique of vaso-epididymal side-to-side anastomosis employed art erial silk rather than silver wire on 4 cases of bilateral occlusion. S permatozoa were recovered in the ejaculate of 3 of these patients within 4 to 8 months postoperatively. 1 patient produced spermatozoa with good motility in subnormal quantity. The other 2 produced sperm with poor motility in subnormal quantity. In 1 of these 2 patients the left testicle was atrophic; anastomosis was performed on the nearly normal right testicle. 1 patient failed to show spermatogenesis in his postop ejaculate. This patients testicles probably did not warrant operation but it was done as a last resort for restoring fecundity. The patient was classified as a failure. Based on the limited number of cases treated and followed-up results are gratifying. If comparable results are possible the use of arterial silk in vaso-epididymal anastomosis will be preferred.
Engaging Ly-6A/Sca-1 triggers lipid raft-dependent and -independent responses in CD4+ T-cell lines.

Introduction The lymphocyte antigen 6 (Ly-6) supergene family encodes proteins of 12–14 kda in molecular mass that are either secreted or anchored to the plasma membrane through a glycosyl-phosphatidylinisotol (GPI) lipid anchor at the carboxy-terminus. The lipidated GPI-anchor allows localization of Ly-6 proteins to the 10–100 nm cholesterol-rich nano-domains on the membrane, also known as lipid rafts. Ly-6A/Sca-1, a member of Ly-6 gene family is known to transduce signals despite the absence of transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. It is hypothesized that the localization of Ly-6A/Sca-1 with in lipid rafts allows this protein to transduce signals to the cell interior. Methods and Results In this study, we found that cross-linking mouse Ly-6A/Sca-1 protein with a monoclonal antibody results in functionally distinct responses that occur simultaneously. Ly-6A/Sca-1 triggered a cell stimulatory response as gauged by cytokine production with a concurrent inhibitory response as indicated by growth inhibition and apoptosis. While production of interleukin 2 (IL-2) cytokine by CD4+ T cell line in response to cross-linking Ly-6A/Sca-1 was dependent on the integrity of lipid rafts, the observed cell death occurred independently of it. Growth inhibited CD4+ T cells showed up-regulated expression of the inhibitory cell cycle protein p27kip but not of p53. In addition, Ly-6A/Sca-1 induced translocation of cytochrome C to the cytoplasm along with activated caspase 3 and caspase 9, thereby suggesting an intrinsic apoptotic cell death mechanism. Conclusions We conclude that opposing responses with differential dependence on the integrity of lipid rafts are triggered by engaging Ly-6A/Sca-1 protein on the membrane of transformed CD4+ T cells.
Searching for Maximum Feasible Simplicity: The Case of e-Curia at the Court of Justice of the European Union

The chapter analyses the successful development of e-Curia, the e-justice platform of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Due to the institutional and procedural features of the Court, who deals with high profile transborder cases, complex multilingual procedures, and bulk procedural documents, development has presented new challenges to e-justice and e-government. To stay below the threshold of maximum manageable complexity, the project team has followed a development strategy pursuing the principle of maximum feasible simplicity by different means. The chapter analyses the strategy, the current functioning of the system, and the means used to reduce complexity, among which: ‘black-boxing’ through organisational or technological arrangements; building on the installed base of the users; avoiding techno-legal solutions that generate complexity; providing for smart switches between online and offline procedures. A light legal framework has established the ground for developing a platform. Once successfully tested by the Court and qualified users, its use has been made legal by a decision of the Court.
Assessing the Impact of Targeting CEACAM1 in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective In conjunction with advances made in cytotoxic chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, immunotherapy has emerged as a fourth modality of treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Understanding the mechanisms by which HNSCC evades immune-mediated control will aid in the development of new therapies to augment an antitumor immune response. Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) is a cell surface receptor that is expressed on malignant cells and lymphocytes such as natural killer (NK) cells. We sought to determine whether tumor-derived CEACAM1 inhibits NK cell cytotoxicity and whether blockade of CEACAM1 restores antitumor immunity. Study Design In vitro HNSCC cell line study. Setting Research laboratory. Subject and Methods We utilized a real-time cell analyzer to assess NK cell cytotoxicity against an oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line after modulating CEACAM1 expression by cytokines and shRNA knockdown of CEACAM1 expression. Results NK cells and HNSCC cells both demonstrated cytokine-inducible expression of CEACAM1. Coincubation of NK cells and HNSCC cells resulted in the upregulation of CEACAM1 on the tumor cells. When compared with CEACAM1- cells, CEACAM1+ tumor cells exhibited increased cell growth and increased size and number of organoids in 3-dimensional culture. Notably, CEACAM1+ HNSCC cells were more resistant to NK cell-mediated killing, but the inhibited expression of CEACAM1 by an shRNA construct restored NK cell cytotoxicity. Conclusion Together, these data indicate that CEACAM1 acts as an inducible checkpoint molecule, and they support the idea that targeting CEACAM1 could serve as a novel immunotherapy approach in HNSCC.
ON IDENTIFICATION OF COMPARTMENTAL SYSTEMS

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the identification of compartmental systems. A linear time-invariant compartmental model, which is frequently used to describe a physiological process, can be represented by the system of differential equations. The chapter highlights a few properties of certain types of compartmental systems. In addition to the general case for the matrix A, the chapter focuses on two subclassifications of A: the mammillary system and the catenary system. It highlights two basic questions, one concerning the restriction of the eigenvalues of the compartmental matrix A to specified subsets of the complex plane and the other concerning a few properties of an impulse-response function in special cases. It also focuses on single input-observation compartmental systems.
Probability and the General Strategy of Inferential Statistics

This chapter defines probability and discusses the general strategy of inferential statistics. The probability of the occurrence of an event is calculated by dividing the number of ways in which the specified event can occur by the total number of possible events. The odds against an event are the number of unfavorable events against the number of favourable events. For the general strategy of inferential statistics, it is necessary to draw an inference about a population based on results obtained from a sample. The chapter presents an example involving the probability of obtaining six heads in six flips.
Patient Assessment in Insomnia

There are a number of elements involved in taking a complete patient sleep history. As with any disorder, it is important to determine whether there were any clear precipitants to the insomnia.
Clinical and genetic associations with prostacyclin response in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Parenteral prostacyclin therapy is the most efficacious pharmacologic treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but clinical response is variable. We sought to identify clinical, hemodynamic, and genetic associations with response to prostacyclin therapy. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients within a de-identified electronic health record and associated DNA biobank. Patients with PAH and a right heart catheterization (RHC) in the six months before initiation of a parenteral prostacyclin were included. Responders were defined a priori by attainment of World Health Organization (WHO) functional class (FC) 2 or better at the time of repeat RHC within two years. We performed exploratory analyses to identify genomic associations with prostacyclin response. Of 129 patients identified, 54 met our criteria for "responders." These patients were younger, more likely to be male, and were less likely to have connective tissue disease-related PAH. At follow-up, responders had improved hemodynamics, 6-min walk distance, and long-term survival. Baseline PA oxygen saturation (hazard ratio [HR] 0.568 [0.34-0.95]) and follow-up FC (HR = 2.57 [1.22-5.43]) were associated with survival. Prostacyclin responders were enriched in alleles related to cell development and circulatory system development and pathways related to aldosterone metabolism, cAMP signaling, and vascular smooth muscle contraction ( P < 0.001). Age at treatment initiation, WHO FC at short-term follow-up, and PA O2% are associated with survival in patients with PAH exposed to parenteral prostacyclins. Exploratory genetic analysis yielded associations in biologically relevant pathways in the pathogenesis of PAH.
Colonialism ties and stock markets: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract This paper investigates the relationship among stock markets from the perspective of colonialism in sub-Saharan Africa. I posit that colonialism ties may induce former colonizers to invest more in their former colonies’ stock markets, as they have similar legal systems, accounting standards, and economic systems, among other factors. Using monthly data from 1999 to 2016, I use the cointegration and error-correction model techniques and show that there is a stable, long-run relationship between colonizer and colony stock markets. I also find a long-run relationship between colonizer and non-colony stock markets. This mixed evidence suggests that there may be other motives for investment in Africa.
A short proof of Brooks’ Theorem for vertex arboricity

The vertex-arboricity aG of a graph G is the minimum number of subsets that the vertices of G can be partitioned so that the subgraph induced by each set of vertices is a forest. Kronk and Mitchem ...
Opioid-prescribing Patterns for Pediatric Patients in the United States.

Background and Objectives:The opioid crisis in America affects both adults and children. However, knowledge about the epidemiology of the opioid crisis, opioid prescribing patterns, and the link between opioid prescribing and problematic opioid behaviors remain limited. Thus, children are often excl
Metformin Improves Mitochondrial Respiratory Activity through Activation of AMPK

Summary Impaired mitochondrial respiratory activity contributes to the development of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Metformin, a first-line antidiabetic drug, functions mainly by improving patients’ hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. However, its mechanism of action is still not well understood. We show here that pharmacological metformin concentration increases mitochondrial respiration, membrane potential, and ATP levels in hepatocytes and a clinically relevant metformin dose increases liver mitochondrial density and complex 1 activity along with improved hyperglycemia in high-fat- diet (HFD)-fed mice. Metformin, functioning through 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), promotes mitochondrial fission to improve mitochondrial respiration and restore the mitochondrial life cycle. Furthermore, HFD-fed-mice with liver-specific knockout of AMPKα1/2 subunits exhibit higher blood glucose levels when treated with metformin. Our results demonstrate that activation of AMPK by metformin improves mitochondrial respiration and hyperglycemia in obesity. We also found that supra-pharmacological metformin concentrations reduce adenine nucleotides, resulting in the halt of mitochondrial respiration. These findings suggest a mechanism for metformin’s anti-tumor effects.
Parent And Caregiver Active Participation Toolkit (PACT): Adaptation for a Home Visitation Program.

Parent engagement poses a persistent challenge to home visitation (HV) programs. Previous work on parent engagement in HV has focused primarily on enrollment, attendance, and retention, with less attention on participation. The purpose of this study was to adapt an engagement toolkit originally developed for child mental health treatment settings, the Parent And Caregiver Active Participation Toolkit (PACT), and test the adapted toolkit in a HV program, SafeCare® (SC), with a focus on parent participation. Toolkit adaptation was informed by interviews/focus groups with parents and home visitors. Next, home visitors (n = 6) were trained to use adapted PACT for SC as part of SC delivery to 18 parents. A comparison group included 24 parents who received SC 1 year prior to this study. Analyses compared PACT for SC participants to the comparison group on parent participation and home visitor fidelity to assignment of homework. Qualitative and quantitative data from parents, home visitors, and supervisors (n = 4) assessed the acceptability, utility, appropriateness, and feasibility of PACT for SC. Parents receiving PACT for SC had higher participation and reported greater home visitor fidelity to homework assignment than comparison parents. Parents found PACT for SC acceptable and useful as part of SC. Home visitors and supervisors identified some limitations in PACT for SC’s utility but generally found it to be a positive, feasible addition to HV services. Results suggest that enhancing HV programs with an engagement toolkit may improve parents’ participation in services and providers’ assignment of homework between sessions.
Caramel stickiness: Effects of composition, rheology, and surface energy

Abstract Formulated with varied moisture contents (10–12%), dextrose equivalence (DE) of corn syrups (28, 42, 63 DE), and the concentrations of mono-and diglycerides (MDG, 0–2%), 9 caramel samples were compared in terms of rheology, surface energies, hardness, and stickiness. Results indicated that moisture and DE significantly altered the rheology of the caramel matrix, whereas MDG reduced the surface energies. Results from a peel test showed that the adhesive forces between caramel and a packaging material followed a bell-shaped trend with G’ and G” of the caramels and decreased with the surface energies of both the caramels and the materials. On the other hand, the caramel structure was sensitive to pressure. Increased penetration strain resulted in structural collapse, which reduced cohesion while facilitating adhesion. At 50% strain, the pressure-induced adhesive forces decreased with moisture content, DE of corn syrup, and MDG concentration. MDG (>1%) in caramel was an effective anti-sticking agent, which reduced both peel and pressure-induced adhesion.
Novel IM‐associated protein Tim54 plays a role in the mitochondrial import of internal signal‐containing proteins in Trypanosoma brucei

Background The translocase of the mitochondrial inner membrane (TIM) imports most of the nucleus-encoded proteins that are destined for the matrix, inner membrane (IM) and the intermembrane space (IMS). Trypanosoma brucei, the infectious agent for African trypanosomiasis, possesses a unique TIM complex consisting of several novel proteins in association with a relatively conserved protein TbTim17. Tandem affinity purification of the TbTim17 protein complex revealed TbTim54 as a potential component of this complex. Results TbTim54, a trypanosome-specific IMS protein, is peripherally associated with the IM and is present in a protein complex slightly larger than the TbTim17 complex. TbTim54 knockdown (KD) reduced the import of TbTim17 and compromised the integrity of the TbTim17 complex. TbTim54 KD inhibited the in vitro mitochondrial import and assembly of the internal signal-containing mitochondrial carrier proteins MCP3, MCP5 and MCP11 to a greater extent than TbTim17 KD. Furthermore, TbTim54 KD, but not TbTim17 KD, significantly hampered the mitochondrial targeting of ectopically expressed MCP3 and MCP11. These observations along with our previous finding that the mitochondrial import of N-terminal signal-containing proteins like cytochrome oxidase subunit 4 and MRP2 was affected to a greater extent by TbTim17 KD than TbTim54 KD indicating a substrate-specificity of TbTim54 for internal-signal containing mitochondrial proteins. In other organisms, small Tim chaperones in the IMS are known to participate in the translocation of MCPs. We found that TbTim54 can directly interact with at least two of the six known small TbTim proteins, TbTim11 and TbTim13, as well as with the N-terminal domain of TbTim17. Conclusion TbTim54 interacts with TbTim17. It also plays a crucial role in the mitochondrial import and complex assembly of internal signal-containing IM proteins in T. brucei. Significance We are the first to characterise TbTim54, a novel TbTim that is involved primarily in the mitochondrial import of MCPs and TbTim17 in T. brucei.