cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tropomyosin directly modulates actomyosin mechanical performance at the level of a single actin filament.

Muscle contraction is the result of myosin cross-bridges (XBs) cyclically interacting with the actin-containing thin filament. This interaction is modulated by the thin filament regulatory proteins, troponin and tropomyosin (Tm). With the use of an in vitro motility assay, the role of Tm in myosin’s ability to generate force and motion was assessed. At saturating myosin surface densities, Tm had no effect on thin filament velocity. However, below 50% myosin saturation, a significant reduction in actin–Tm filament velocity was observed, with complete inhibition of movement occurring at 12.5% of saturating surface densities. Under similar conditions, actin filaments alone demonstrated no reduction in velocity. The effect of Tm on force generation was assessed at the level of a single thin filament. In the absence of Tm, isometric force was a linear function of the density of myosin on the motility surface. At 50% myosin surface saturation, the presence of Tm resulted in a 2-fold enhancement of force relative to actin alone. However, no further potentiation of force was observed with Tm at saturating myosin surface densities. These results indicate that, in the presence of Tm, the strong binding of myosin cooperatively activates the thin filament. The inhibition of velocity at low myosin densities and the potentiation of force at higher myosin densities suggest that Tm can directly modulate the kinetics of a single myosin XB and the recruitment of a population of XBs, respectively. At saturating myosin conditions, Tm does not appear to affect the recruitment or the kinetics of myosin XBs.
The performance of ionic liquids and their mixtures in inhibiting methane hydrate formation

Abstract The performance of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMIM-Cl), one of novel ionic liquid inhibitors for gas hydrate, in inhibiting methane hydrate at low and high ionic liquid concentrations is investigated in a pressure range of 10–20 MPa. Experiments on methane hydrate dissociation conditions in the presence of mixed ionic liquid and conventional inhibitors, such as sodium chloride (NaCl) and monoethylene glycol (MEG), as well as a mixture containing two ionic liquids, EMIM-Cl and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (EMIM-Br), are also performed to investigate any possible synergistic effects. It is observed that single component solutions of EMIM-Cl demonstrate a progressive increase in inhibition effect with increasing concentration, which may surpass the effectiveness of MEG at high concentrations. Although the thermodynamic inhibition performance of the mixtures of EMIM-Cl and MEG does not show any synergistic effects at low pressures, it does at higher pressures. The mixture of EMIM-Cl and EMIM-Br also shows a synergistic effect at higher pressures. Unlike MEG or NaCl, inhibitors containing EMIM-Cl or EMIM-Br demonstrate an increase in inhibition effectiveness as pressure increases.
Luminogenic iridium azide complexes

The synthesis and characterization of luminogenic, bioorthogonal iridium probes is described. These probes exhibit long photoluminescence lifetimes amenable to time-resolved applications. A simple, modular synthesis via 5-azidophenanthroline allows structural variation and allows optimization of cell labeling.
The AMS Operating System: a prototyping environment for real-time signal processing algorithm development

The major focus of the Acoustic Telemetry Group at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has been the development of underwater acoustic communication and remote sensing devices. These are typically deployed in buoys, underwater vehicles, or in ocean-bottom packages. The devices communicate acoustically with a surface station, conveying scientific results to observers, and accepting commands. A significant milestone in the evolution of such platforms has been the development of an operating system (called AMS) for embedded signal processing. This system allows rapid algorithm prototyping using a high-level, matrix-based language specialized to DSP targets and real-time data-flow processing. A key feature of AMS, distinguishing it from other high-level DSP specification software, is that the language is interpreted as well as executed by the target DSP. Performance is maintained by (i) coding time-critical algorithm steps in C or assembly language, and (ii) using multiple DSP devices in a loosely-coupled network. The motivation for, and development of, the AMS Operating System are reviewed. The potential for rapid algorithm prototyping using AMS is demonstrated by way of two applications in underwater acoustic signal processing.
Performance measurement, visualization and modeling of parallel and distributed programs using the AIMS toolkit

Writing large-scale parallel and distributed scientific applications that make optimum use of the multiprocessor is a challenging problem. Typically, computational resources are underused due to performance failures in the application being executed. Performance-tuning tools are essential for exposing these performance failures and for suggesting ways to improve program performance. In this paper, we first address fundamental issues in building useful performance-tuning tools and then describe our experience with the AIMS toolkit for tuning parallel and distributed programs on a variety of platforms. AIMS supports source-code instrumentation, run-time monitoring, graphical execution profiles, performance indices and automated modeling techniques as ways to expose performance problems of programs. Using several examples representing a broad range of scientific applications, we illustrate AIMS' effectiveness in exposing performance problems in parallel and distributed programs.
Mark Teeuwen, Kate Wildman Nakai, eds, Lust, Commerce, and Corruption: An Account of What I Have Seen and Heard, By An Edo Samurai

Lust, Commerce, and Corruption, the main title of this sizable volume, features the first translation into English of a fascinating early nineteenth-century work, Matters of the World: An Account o...
Incorporation of the Similarly Sized Molecules, Diiodine and Carbon Disulfide, into Cocrystals Formed with the Fullerenes, C60 or C70

Cocrystallization of diiodine and carbon disulfide with the two common fullerenes, C60 and C70, has been examined. The binary cocrystal, C70·I2, readily formed when a solution of diiodine in diethyl ether was layered over C70 dissolved in toluene, chlorobenzene, or 1,2-dichlorobenzene, but no binary cocrystal of diiodine and C60 could be obtained despite persistent efforts. The ternary cocrystal, C70·0.85I2·0.15CS2, which was grown from a carbon disulfide solution of C70 and a benzene solution of diiodine, is isostructural with C70·I2 but has 15% of the diiodine sites replaced with carbon disulfide. In contrast, C70·0.68I2·0.32CS2, which was obtained from diffusion of a cyclohexane solution of diiodine into a carbon disulfide solution of C70, is a unique ternary cocrystal that is not related to any binary cocrystal of C70 with diiodine or carbon disulfide. Crystals of 2C60·2.46CS2·0.54I2 were obtained from a saturated carbon disulfide solution of diiodine and C60. Black crystals of 2C60·2.46CS2·0.54I2 for...
Hypothetical Preclinical Alzheimer Disease Groups and Longitudinal Cognitive Change.

Importance Clinical trials testing treatments for Alzheimer disease (AD) are increasingly focused on cognitively normal individuals in the preclinical phase of the disease. To optimize observing a treatment effect, such trials need to enroll cognitively normal individuals likely to show cognitive decline over the duration of the trial. Objective To identify which group of cognitively normal individuals shows the greatest cognitive decline over time based on their cerebrospinal fluid biomarker profile. Design, Setting, and Participants In this cohort study, cognitively normal participants were classified into 1 of the following 4 hypothetical preclinical AD groups using baseline cerebrospinal fluid levels of Aβ and tau or Aβ and phosphorylated tau (p-tau): stage 0 (high Aβ and low tau), stage 1 (low Aβ and low tau), stage 2 (low Aβ and high tau), and suspected non-AD pathology (SNAP) (high Aβ and high tau). The data presented herein were collected between August 1995 and August 2014. Main Outcomes and Measures An a priori cognitive composite score based on the following 4 tests previously shown to predict progression from normal cognition to symptom onset of mild cognitive impairment or dementia: Paired Associates immediate recall, Logical Memory delayed recall, Boston Naming, and Digit-Symbol Substitution. Linear mixed-effects models were used to compare the cognitive composite scores across the 4 groups over time, adjusting for baseline age, sex, education, and their interactions with time. Results Two hundred twenty-two cognitively normal participants were included in the analyses (mean follow-up, 11.0 years [range, 0-18.3 years] and mean baseline age, 56.9 years [range, 22.1-85.8 years]). Of these, 102 were stage 0, 46 were stage 1, 28 were stage 2, and 46 were SNAP. Individuals in stage 2 (low Aβ and high tau [or p-tau]) had lower baseline cognitive scores and a greater decline in the cognitive composite score relative to the other 3 groups (β ≤ −0.06 for all and P ≤ .001 for the rate of decline for all). Individuals in stage 0, stage 1, and SNAP did not differ from one another in cognitive performance at baseline or over time (11.0 years) and showed practice-related improvement in performance. The APOE e4 genotype was not associated with baseline cognitive composite score or the rate of change in the cognitive composite score. Conclusions and Relevance These results suggest that, to optimize observing a treatment effect, clinical trials enrolling cognitively normal individuals should selectively recruit participants with abnormal levels of both amyloid and tau (ie, stage 2) because this group would be expected to show the greatest cognitive decline over time if untreated.
The Political Economy of the Itching Palm: An Analysis of Tipping Norms

In this paper, I conduct the first cross-national study of the political economy of gratuities. Existing efforts to explain cross-national variations in tipping either approach this topic from a social-psychological or an economic perspective. In contrast, I argue that the diffusion of American tipping norms contributes to cross-national tipping patterns and that visits by foreign travelers to the United States are the central path through which these norms spread overseas. Consistent with this argument, I find that non-immigrant admissions to the United States are strongly and positively linked to restaurant tipping rates. Further, increases in such admissions have spurred a rise in tipping rates. From the standpoint of the domestic political economy, various observers argue that patrons leave larger tips in poorer countries and countries marked by poor labor conditions. However, my results provide little indication that these factors directly bear on cross-national tipping patterns. Instead, the existence of a service charge constitutes the only domestic factor that directly affects tipping rates.
Molecular typing of rotavirus isolated in Urumqi,2012

Objective To investigate epidemic and genotype characteristics of rotavirus in infants and young children in Urumqi,2012. Methods From Janurary to December 2012,totally 300 stool specimens were collected from 0 to 60 months old infants and young children with diarrhea in the First People' s Hospital of Urumqi. Enzyme-1inked immunosorbent assay was used to detect rotavirus antigen. For positive samples,nest reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was conducted to determine the G and P genotypes of rotavirus. Results Among the 300 stool specimens,131 were rotavirus antigen positive. G molecular typing showed that G9 was the predominant strain(53. 44%),followed by G2(17. 56%),G3(12. 98%),G1(9. 92%),and G mix(6. 11%). P molecular typing showed that P[8] was the predominant strain(73. 28%),followed by P[4](20. 61%) and P mix(5. 34%). The most common G/P combination identified was G9P[8](48. 85%),followed by G2P[4](17. 56%). Conclusion There was a drift of predominant strain from G3 to G9 of rotavirus in Urumqi,2012. G9P[8] become the most common genotype in the area.
Haemodynamics of Orally-Active Converting Enzyme Inhibitor (SQ 14225) in Hypertensive Patients

1. The haemodynamic effects of oral converting enzyme inhibitor (SQ 14225) were assessed in eight patients with severe essential or renovascular hypertension. 2. Mean arterial pressure fell (149 ± 5 to 127 ± 8 mmHg, P 1 s m 2 ) without a significant change in cardiac index. Two of the eight patients were non-responders without pressure reduction or a haemodynamic change. Sodium restriction (10 mmol/day) while the same dose of SQ 14225 was continued further lowered arterial pressure (137 ± 8 to 111 ± 12 mmHg, P −1 sm 2 , P 3. Haemodynamic responses to head-up tilt (increased heart rate and resistance, decreased cardiac index) were unaffected by SQ 14225 regardless of sodium intake. 4. The pattern of reduction in peripheral resistance, with unchanged cardiac index, was similar to that produced by vasodilators acting at both arteriolar and venular levels.
“Because I’m Light Skin.. They Think I’m Italian”: Mexican Students’ Experiences of Racialization in Predominantly White Schools

Discussions on Latino/a students’ interpretation of the opportunity structure and schooling treat racial/ethnic identification among Latino/as as static, despite skin color variation. This article ...
Player goal recognition in open-world digital games with long short-term memory networks

Recent years have seen a growing interest in player modeling for digital games. Goal recognition, which aims to accurately recognize players' goals from observations of low-level player actions, is a key problem in player modeling. However, player goal recognition poses significant challenges because of the inherent complexity and uncertainty pervading gameplay. In this paper, we formulate player goal recognition as a sequence labeling task and introduce a goal recognition framework based on long short-term memory (LSTM) networks. Results show that LSTM-based goal recognition is significantly more accurate than previous state-of-the-art methods, including n-gram encoded feedforward neural networks pre-trained with stacked denoising autoencoders, as well as Markov logic network-based models. Because of increased goal recognition accuracy and the elimination of labor-intensive feature engineering, LSTM-based goal recognition provides an effective solution to a central problem in player modeling for open-world digital games.
Spatial and Temporal Control of Evolution through Replication-Transcription Conflicts.

Evolution could potentially be accelerated if an organism could selectively increase the mutation rate of specific genes that are actively under positive selection. Recently, a mechanism that cells can use to target rapid evolution to specific genes was discovered. This mechanism is driven by gene orientation-dependent encounters between DNA replication and transcription machineries. These encounters increase mutagenesis in lagging-strand genes, where replication–transcription conflicts are severe. Due to the orientation and transcription-dependent nature of this process, conflict-driven mutagenesis can be used by cells to spatially (gene-specifically) and temporally (only upon transcription induction) regulate the rate of gene evolution. Here, I summarize recent findings on this topic, and discuss the implications of increasing mutagenesis rates and accelerating evolution through active mechanisms.
Sofosbuvir, velpatasvir and voxilaprevir combination for the treatment of hepatitis C.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The advent of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has dramatically increased rates of cure. However, there remain difficult-to-treat populations, including patients with genotype 3 infection and cirrhosis, and limited salvage treatment options for those that have failed first-line DAA therapy.Areas covered: This is a review of the preclinical and clinical development of sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir (SOF/VEL/VOX), an interferon-free, oral, once daily, pangenotypic treatment for chronic HCV infection. All relevant literature from 2015 through June of 2017 is included.Expert commentary: Voxilaprevir, a second-generation HCV protease inhibitor, in combination with the already approved combination of sofosbuvir and velpatasvir, was evaluated in the POLARIS trials and found to be a safe and effective regimen. Patients with prior DAA treatment failure, genotype 3, cirrhosis and/or unfavorable resistance profiles all achieved cure rat...
Noise modeling of nanomechanical communication systems

In a recent paper [2], we introduced a framework for performing nanomechanical communication, where nanomechanical systems can communicate using mechanical movements to encode and transfer information between a transmitter (TX) and a receiver (RX). The framework considered in [2] was mainly focused on the deterministic model, which is the noise-free case. It was shown that the encoding of movements or motions is key to the transfer of information. In this paper, we address how noise affects such a communication system. We introduce two modes of NMC: synchronous versus asynchronous. We show that synchronous mode can achieve higher transmission rates compared to asynchronous mode. As an example, the symbol error rate expression for a transmitter-receiver pair with 4 degrees of motion is given by analyzing the different motion state transitions.
Modeling and Approximation in Heat Transfer

Engineers face many challenges in systems design and research. Modeling and Approximation in Heat Transfer describes the approach to engineering solutions through simplified modeling of the most important physical features and approximating their behavior. Systematic discussion of how modeling and associated synthesis can be carried out is included - in engineering practice, these steps very often precede mathematical analysis or the need for precise results.
The Food Safety Modernization Act

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is the most sweeping reform to the US food safety laws in more than 70 years. The legislation, signed into law by President Obama on January 4, 2011, amended the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in three principal ways. First, it provided the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new enforcement powers and lower threshold for administrative actions. Second, it required the FDA to promulgate seven foundational rules. These rules fundamentally reshape the food safety landscape. Finally, FSMA integrated the relationships up and down the supply chain requiring supplier verification which can ensure compliance through cooperation and also compel it through the enhanced risk of private litigation. This chapter will explore the roots of FSMA, delve into the new provisions of the legislation and foundational rules, and also analyze the early progress enforcing FSMA as of 2017.
Promoting Strategy Change: Mere Exposure to Alternative Strategies Helps, but Feedback Can Hurt.

This study investigated effects of feedback and exposure to alternative strategies on strategy change in children (N = 106, age range = 7;3–10;0) learning about mathematical equivalence. Children’s...
Flood Hazards Impact on Neighborhood House Prices

This study estimated the effect of flood hazards on residential property values by applying a hedonic price model to house sale data from 2007 to 2013 in the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Statistical Area. A difference-in-difference framework was used to estimate changes in the price discount associated with houses located within a 100-year floodplain. We investigated how this price discount changed following a major flood event, providing empirical insight into how flood risk was perceived by homebuyers. We also estimated how the price discount varied as the control group was composed of houses increasingly further from the 100-year floodplain. Our results suggest that the flood price discount varies both temporally and spatially. Particularly in the year following a major and non-major flood event, the price discount increased by over 13%. Additionally, the estimated price discount when comparing properties inside the floodplain to those 1000–1500 ft from the floodplain was 8.6 percentage points higher (in absolute value) than the estimated price discount when comparing properties inside the floodplain to those immediately outside the 100-year floodplain.
Left ventricular mass and wall thickness in hypertension. Comparison of M mode and two dimensional echocardiography in two experimental models.

The performance of noninvasive echocardiography, both M mode and two dimensional, was achieved in conscious dogs, allowing the study of direct anatomic-echocardiographic correlations of ventricular wall thickness and mass. Forty-three dogs, 33 with normotension and 10 with experimental hypertension, were studied. Good correlation between measurements of wall thickness was found between M mode echocardiography and corresponding anatomic sites in the interventricular septum (r = 0.62, P < 0.01) and in the posterior left ventricular wall (r = 0.75, P < 0.01); echocardiography consistently underestimated septal thickness by 1.9 mm ± 0.3 (standard error of the difference), and posterior wall thickness by 1.6 mm ± 0.2. In contrast, calculations of left ventricular mass from M mode tracings (D3 formula) grossly overestimated left ventricular weight (+65 percent, P < 0.001). Accuracy of calculated mass was significantly improved by two dimensional echocardiography. In 19 dogs, calculations based on both short and long left ventricular axes together with average wall thickness obtained from the septal, posterior and anterolateral walls led to a highly significant correlation with left ventricular weight (r = 0.90, P < 0.0001). Two dimensional echocardiography was particularly useful in defining the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy in dogs with experimental hypertension in which there was increased thickness of the anterolateral wall with little change in the septal and posterior walls.
Flexion-extension MRI of the upper rheumatoid cervical spine

Abstract Seven rheumatoid arthritis patients with involvement of the upper cervical spine were evaluated with a dynamic MRI study. Lateral T1 weighted images of the upper C-spine were obtained in the flexion, extension, and neutral positions. The indications for performing the dynamic MRI were radiographic instability of the upper C-spine, myelopathy, superior migration of the odontoid process, obliteration of bony landmarks on plain radiographs, and to determine the contribution of pannus on cord configuration. The dynamic MRI clearly delineated the relationship between the odontoid, foramen magnum, and cervical spinal cord as the neck was moved through a range of motion. This aided in the selection of operative candidates in four cases, and was instrumental in determining fusion levels. In three cases with suspected myelopathy secondary to cord impingement, MRI showed no significant cord compression, and aided in the decision to treat the patients conservatively. Lateral flexion-extension MRI is the diagnostic study of choice in dynamically evaluating the upper rheumatoid C-spine.
Fatty Acid Metabolism

The realization that carbohydrates can be converted to fat prompted several theories on the formation of fatty acids. For example, Emil Fischer proposed the “hexose condensation theory” where three sugar molecules condense to form a C18 fatty acid after the hydroxyl groups have been reduced (Fischer, 1890). Later, it was proposed that acetaldehyde might serve as the initial substrate for fatty acid synthesis (Nencki, 1878). This was supported by the fact that the addition of acetaldehyde to the growth medium stimulates fatty acid production in several fungi (Haehn, 1921; Terroine and Bonnet, 1927; Ottke et al., 1951). Acetate was shown to be the C2 precursor of fatty acids when radiolabeled acetic acid resulted in greater amounts of labeled fatty acids than carbohydrates (Sonderhoff and Thomas, 1937). Probably the two most important contributions to the elucidation of the fatty acid synthesis pathway was the discovery that acetyl-CoA is the “active” form of the C2 substrate (Lynen and Reichert, 1951; Lynen et al., 1951), and that malonyl-CoA contributes all the carbons but two to the fatty acid molecule (Wakil, 1958; Wakil and Ganguly, 1959).
Disorder-induced high-quality wavefront in an Anderson localizing optical fiber

High-quality coherent wavefronts are extremely useful in optical communications and lasers. Disorder is usually considered as a source of noise and deviation from ideal designs for generating high-quality beams in photonic devices. Here, we demonstrate that strong disorder can be exploited to obtain high-quality wavefronts thanks to the Anderson localization phenomenon. Our analysis on a transverse Anderson localizing optical fiber reveals that a considerable number of the guided modes have M2<2 values. These high-quality modes are distributed across the transverse profile of the disordered fiber and can be excited without requiring sophisticated spatial light modulations at the input facet. The results show the potential of such fibers for novel applications in fiber lasers and nonlinear devices, where a high beam quality is desirable.
Correlative Fluorescence and Scanning Electron Microscopy to Study Lymphovenous Valve Development

Lymph collected from throughout the body is exclusively returned to blood circulation via two pairs of bilaterally located lymphovenous valves. Lymphovenous valves share numerous similarities with lymphatic and venous valves and are defective in multiple mouse models of lymphedema or lymphatic dysfunction. Here we describe a protocol that combines the strengths of fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to precisely locate and analyze the topography of developing lymphovenous valves at high resolution.
Legacy health effects among never smokers exposed to occupational secondhand smoke.

Objectives Secondhand tobacco smoke (SHTS) is a tremendous public health hazard, leading to morbidity and premature mortality worldwide, with racial and ethnic minorities and those of lower socioeconomic status disproportionately affected. Flight attendants were historically exposed to high levels of SHTS in the aircraft cabin. The health effects of active smoking are known to persist for up to a lifetime, but the legacy effects of SHTS exposure have not been well characterized. Design We aimed to evaluate the legacy health effects of occupational SHTS exposure among never smoking workers using the resources of the Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study, a large study of cabin crew health. We evaluated associations between SHTS exposure and a range of diagnoses using multivariate logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), employing a case-control sampling method and applying the bootstrap method to increase accuracy and precision of results. Results We found no evidence of positive associations between SHTS and any cancer, but observed associations between SHTS and cardiac outcomes, including myocardial infarction (OR = 140, 95% CI: 1·04, 3·27) and peripheral artery disease (OR = 1·27, 95% CI: 1·00, 1·97). We also found associations between SHTS exposure and repeated pneumonia (OR = 1·06, 95% CI: 1·02, 1·10). Conclusions Our study reports associations between legacy SHTS exposure going back decades and severe cardiac and respiratory health outcomes. Given the high prevalence of ongoing and historical SHTS exposure, our findings, if confirmed, have important implications for smoking cessation efforts, health education, and clinical guidelines.
Gene targeting using recombinant adeno-associated viruses: A novel strategy for functional analysis of the BRCT domain of BARD1

1109 Recent studies suggest that BRCA1, a tumor suppressor implicated in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, promotes genome integrity by participating in DNA repair processes and cell cycle checkpoint pathways. BRCA1 contains two recognizable motifs: an N-terminal RING domain that mediates E3 ligase activity and two C-terminal BRCT domains that form a surface for phosphoprotein recognition. While most cancer-associated BRCA1 mutations lead to gross truncations of its reading frame, missense mutations in the BRCT motif can also predispose carriers to breast and/or ovarian carcinomas. Indeed, some of these mutations abrogate the interaction of BRCA1 with phospho-dependent binding partners (e.g., BACH1 and CtIP) necessary for BRCA1-mediated checkpoint functions. In vivo, BRCA1 exists as a heterodimer with BARD1, a structurally related protein that also contains an N-terminal RING domain, and two C-terminal copies of the BRCT domain. Recent studies have identified tumor-associated missense mutations in the BRCT domains of BARD1 in patients with breast, ovarian, and endometrial carcinomas. While BARD1 mutations are rare, their existence implies that BARD1 can also serve as a target for genetic lesions that disrupt BRCA1-mediated tumor suppression. To determine how BARD1 missense mutations lead to tumorigenesis we are examining the effects of these mutations on the genome integrity functions of the BRCA1/BARD1 heterodimer, including homology-directed repair of double-strand DNA breaks and cell cycle checkpoint control. For this purpose, BARD1 mutations are introduced by gene targeting with recombinant adeno-associated viruses and by complementation of siRNA-mediated BARD1-depleted cells.
Inclusive Education: Origins, ‘Defectology’, and Kosovo’s Experiences of Inclusive Education

Vygotsky (1993) first identified the theory of ‘Defectology’ to understand and describe children with special and additional needs, but essentially categorized them as ‘defective’ (Bartlett et al., 2004; Thomazet, 2009). It is with Vygotsky’s theory in mind that inclusive education frameworks in Kosovo and Russia are critically examined: whilst they both present similar methods of educating students with additional needs (Bartlett, Power & Blatch, 2004), analysis of these methods against their contrasting socio-political environments, requires careful consideration and attention.
On Water: A Critique of Global 2000

Global 2000's alarming statements about the future state of the world's water resources are inconsistent with - in face, are completely opposed to - the report's own analysis of what can be reasonably said about these resources. Since the materials on water represent such a clear example of the report's self-contradictory mode of analysis and presentation, our critique will devote more attention to the report's internal inconsistencies than do others.
Toy story: why do monkey and human males prefer trucks? Comment on "Sex differences in rhesus monkey toy preferences parallel those of children" by Hassett, Siebert and Wallen.

Parents of young children will tell you that boys like different toys than girls; they are intrigued by Bob the Builder, Transformers of all kinds, trucks, police cars, front loaders, bikes, skate boards, and wagons. Girls too like bikes, cars and Legos, but also play with stuffed animals and dolls, toys that boys find less appealing for active play. Is this difference in toy preference due exclusively to socialization by parents, other children, and the media, or are there basic perception/action differences between males and females that make some toys a better “fit” for or more attractive to one sex than another? In this issue, Hassett et al. (2008) provide evidence that male and female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) of all ages and ranks show preferences for wheeled and plush toys that resemble the preferences shown by human children in many studies of toy choice. This cross-species demonstration of male–female differences in toy choice strongly supports and extends prior work with humans (e.g., Berenbaum and Hines, 1992; Campbell et al., 2000; Pasterski et al., 2005; Serbin et al., 2001) and vervet monkeys (Alexander and Hines, 2002) showing that sexually dimorphic toy preferences reflect basic neurobiological differences between males and females and are not caused solely by socialization, as has been suggested by cognitive-social theories of gender role behavior (Caldera et al., 1989; Carter and Levy, 1988; Pomerleau et al., 1990; Roopnarine, 1986). Despite repeated demonstrations of sex differences in toy choice that are difficult to explain by socialization alone (e.g. Alexander, 2003; Nordenstrom et al., 2002; Meyer-Balhberg et al., 2004; Pasterski et al., 2005; Serbin et al., 2001), there has been considerable resistance to the idea that toy choice/preference is influenced by genetics and hormones, in part, because the wheeled and mechanical toys that males prefer are not part of our evolutionary history. How could male brains evolve to prefer objects that did not even exist when our modern Homo sapiens brain was shaped by adaptive forces? What is it about toys that make them “male” or “female”? Toy preference is a complex cognitive process determined by sensory, perceptual and motor processes; what sexually dimorphic neural mechanisms control these differences? The findings of Hassett and colleagues have important implications for all of these issues.
Second-Order Factor Structure of the MBTI: A Construct Validity Assessment

Factor adequacy and other results based on data from 359 college students provided positive evidence regarding the validity of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
Battery Evaluation Profiles for X-57 and Future Urban Electric Aircraft

Battery energy density is one of the most critical design parameters for sizing all-electric aircraft, but it’s easily overestimated. Establishing the effective, usable energy density is con-fused by varying degrees of margin needed to account for structural and thermal management between different cell chemistry and pack designs. A better methodology is needed to fairly compare emerging battery technologies for electric aircraft. Currently, there is a loss of critical information when vehicle trade studies are performed using "nominal" published cell-level performance metrics. Aircraft power demands rarely match these nominal power profiles, and aircraft designers lack the ability to accurately simulate the battery performance and temperature off-nominally unless the battery chemistry is well established. Conversely, battery suppliers are unable to publish more realistic performance metrics due to a lack of generalized reference cases. This can lead to poor assumptions. For example, aircraft studies may assume a fixed discharge eﬃciency of a battery, when in reality the usable energy in a pack is dependent on the power and thermal profile. Information needed to properly assess weight penalties for thermal management is also typically poorly characterized when assessing candidate batteries.This paper serves to better inform battery development, and, similarly, provide aircraft designers with more realistic assumptions for applying knockdown margins in their designs. Detailed power and thermal performance estimates are described, which also provide a starting point for sizing power and thermal budgets using experimentally derived battery models. Results show that the average X-57 aircraft battery-to-shaft eﬃciency is 77.3% for a particular optimized mission. Considering a 25% reserve on the battery capacity, only close to half of the original 55.3kWh ‘nominal’ pack energy can be converted to useful work during a mission. Further estimates on a clean-sheet quad-rotor optimization show an average 82.7% battery-to-shaft eﬃciency, using 98% peak eﬃciency inverters and 97.4% peak eﬃciency motors. Although higher battery eﬃciencies are possible using larger packs, the resulting weight penalty negates improvement in vehicle performance. These trade-offs and resulting power profiles are provided as a starting point to better assess future battery designs.
State of the Art for Metastatic Histologies

As one of the most common places for metastasis, the spine remains integral to cancer treatment. While previously radioresistant, it is now possible to trace the path of tumor metastasis in cases of renal cell carcinoma, lung carcinoma, and most soft-tissue sarcomas with stereotactic radiation therapy. Histological pathology, receptor analysis, and imaging characteristics remain essential in diagnosing cancers such as breast, lung, renal, thyroid, prostate, lymphoma, and myeloma. While the therapies to many of these spine metastases remain an area of continuing scientific inquiry, we believe that the future of spinal metastatic treatment lies in patient-centered multidimensional algorithms.
New persistent opioid use: definitions and opportunities.

Postoperative opioid prescribing after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is understudied but important. In the USA, TKA is one of the most commonly performed elective surgeries, and operations are growing at one of the fastest rates.[1 2][1] However, TKA is associated with a high incidence of
Exciton-Vibration Dynamics in J-Aggregates of a Perylene Bisimide from Real-Time Path Integral Calculations

We use the modular path integral (MPI) and the small matrix path integral (SMatPI) methods to obtain numerically exact, fully quantum mechanical results for the excitation energy-transfer (EET) dyn...
Douglas-fir foliage retention dynamics across a gradient of Swiss needle cast in coastal Oregon and Washington

Swiss needle cast (SNC) is an important foliage disease of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) caused by the native pathogen Nothophaeocryptopus gaeumannii (T. Rohde) Videira, C. Nak...
Pasteur's lifelong engagement with the fine arts: uncovering a scientist's passion and personality.

The French chemist Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) chose to be actively engaged in the fine arts throughout his life—yet scholarship has ignored or dismissed these pursuits. This empirical study document...
The Vernacular Aristotle: Translation as Reception in Medieval and Renaissance Italy: By Eugenio Refini. Pp. 276. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.

Starting from the early twelfth century, Aristotle becomes the uncontested authority in philosophical matters throughout Europe and his name is synonymous with philosophical investigation. The core...
Agonist-independent Prostaglandin EP3 Receptor signaling is required to prevent insulin hypersecretion and metabolic dysfunction in a non-obese mouse model of insulin resistance

By 10 weeks of age, type 2 diabetes (T2D) is fully penetrant in male and female Black and Tan Brachyury (BTBR) mice homozygous for the LeptinOb mutation (BTBR-Ob). Pancreatic islets isolated from T2D BTBR-Ob mice and human organ donors express significantly more EP3 than those of non-diabetic controls, in addition to producing significantly more prostaglandin E2, the most abundant and bioactive natural EP3 ligand. Treating these islets with an EP3-specific antagonist significantly elevates their glucose-stimulated and incretin-potentiated insulin secretion response. In this work, we characterize the effect of global EP3 loss on the in vivo metabolic and ex vivo islet phenotype of BTBR mice, both lean and LeptinOb. EP3-null BTBR-Ob mice were not protected from T2D, with fasting hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance just as severe as wild-type (WT) BTBR-Ob controls. More surprising, though, was the early and substantial development of insulin resistance and glucose intolerance in EP3-null BTBR-lean mice as compared to WT lean controls. This in vivo phenotype was associated with essentially uncontrolled islet insulin hypersecretion ex vivo. Selective up-regulation of constitutively-active EP3 splice variants in BTBR islets provides a potential mechanism by which chronic loss of a critical check on insulin secretion exacerbates peripheral insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, particularly in the context of underlying genetic defects in insulin sensitivity.
Capecitabine-induced leukoencephalopathy in a patient with triple-negative breast cancer: A case report and review of the literature

Introduction Capecitabine is an orally administered prodrug that converts preferentially to 5-fluorouracil within tumors, resulting in enhanced concentrations of 5-fluorouracil in tumor tissue. The use of capecitabine has shown efficacy in the metastatic setting for breast cancer, and more recently, efficacy as adjuvant therapy for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Capecitabine has been shown to be well tolerated with minimal side effects, but the incidence of leukoencephalopathy is rare with a risk of less than one percent. Case report We report on a 34-year-old female patient with left TNBC, moderately differentiated, stage IIB that experienced symptoms of neurotoxicity following initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine. Management and outcome Naranjo Algorithm Assessment score of nine indicated patient had drug-induced leukoencephalopathy leading to discontinuation of capecitabine and resolution of the neurotoxicity symptoms. Discussion Early detection of capecitabine-induced neurotoxicity by magnetic resonance imaging is crucial as symptoms may be reversible to the condition that capecitabine is immediately discontinued.
Response Feedback Stabilization of Linear Hereditary Systems

The problem of response feedback stabilization of a class of linear hereditary systems is discussed in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space setting. For each system a stabilizing feedback operator is given explicitly in terms of the RKH-space operators defining the system. The decay rate of the response of a stabilized system is related to parameters in the feedback operator.
Chapter 11 Immunolabeling of Frozen Thin Sections and Its Application to the Study of the Biogenesis of Epithelial Cell Plasma Membranes

Publisher Summary This chapter introduces immunolabeling techniques at the electron microscope (EM) level. The efficacy of immunolabeling procedures designed for the EM level largely depends on the ability of the immunoreagents to gain access to their corresponding antigens within the tissue or the cell. There are two general strategies for immunolabeling to overcome this limitation and to exploit the specificity of the antibody-antigen interaction and the ultrastructural resolution of the EM. One group includes those protocols that rely on the partial permeabilization of the cellular membranes by detergents, such as saponin to give IgGs and EM markers access to intracellular compartments and the other consists of those that employ thin or thick sectioned material to provide direct exposure of intracellular antigens to the immunoreagents. Immunolabeling of thin sections has been applied with varying levels of success to specimens embedded in methacrylate, polyethylene glycol (PEG), Epon, Lowicryl, serum albumin, and sucrose. To study the biogenesis of epithelial cell polarity, immunolabeling technique is applied to ultrathin frozen sections prepared from virally infected MDCK cells. This method enabled to localize viral glycoproteins inside the cell as well as on its surface and to obtain information concerning the pathways followed by these proteins from their site of synthesis to their site of assembly into virions.
Photon diffraction described by momentum exchange theory: what more can edge diffraction tell us?

Previous papers have presented an alternative picture for photon diffraction based on a distribution of photon paths through quantized momentum exchange with probabilities defined at the location of scattering, not the point of detection. This contrasted with the picture from classical optical wave theory that describes diffraction in terms of the Huygens-Fresnel principle and sums the phased contributions of electromagnetic waves at the location of detection to determine probabilities. This alternative picture was termed “Momentum Exchange Theory (MET),” replacing the concept of Huygens wavelets with photon scattering (positive and negative dispersions) through momentum exchange with the scattering lattice. MET assumes a momentum representation for diffracted particles and has been applied to several different optical diffraction experimental configurations. Straight edge diffraction has been a particularly revealing experimental configuration as it provides significant clues to the geometric parameters controlling exchange probabilities. Diffraction by an opaque disc is examined to provide further insight to negative (attractive) dispersions. This analysis indicates that the “diffraction force” is an integration of momentum exchange field interactions to derive an exchange probability at interaction points along the photon path – resembling aspects of the QED path integral formulation for particle interactions.
Political Reservations and Rural Public Good Provision in India

This paper asks whether political representation for historically disadvantaged groups can serve as an effective means to redress historical inequities. The Indian Constitution mandates reservations for two such groups, Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), in federal and state legislatures. While this policy has been successful in ensuring the political presence of minority legislators, evidence on their performance in serving the interests of their electorate is limited to the analysis of aggregate expenditure patterns. This paper is the first to establish a causal link between the reservation of seats in state legislatures and rural public good provision, and to explore its implications for the inter- and within-district pattern of provision. The sample is drawn from 9 Indian states, and uses village census data aggregated to 64 districts and 610 electoral constituencies. The empirical strategy exploits features of the process of reservation to identify an exogenous source of variation that affects reservation discontinuously. With a few exceptions, I find no evidence that ST legislators perform any differently than legislators elected from unreserved constituencies. However, SC legislators perform better, providing greater access to educational facilities, in particular, primary schools, within their districts and constituencies. In addition, these schools are located within constituencies so as to favor of their own community, as well as ST voters. Overall, these findings do not support the prediction that political reservation adversely affects the responsiveness to minority interests or politician quality, at least insofar as these affect the provision of public goods.
An Approach for Representing Administration Processes: Experience from an Expert System Application

Administration processes are a promising field for applying expert system technology. A key problem is the representation of the knowledge in this application domain. Commercial rule- oriented expert systems offer only knowledge representation on a low level. But an expert describes his tasks on a higher abstraction level. Until more powerful and suitable Al-tools or languages are available application development will concentrate on mapping the knowledge into current low-level representations. We present a structured approach supporting a stepwise mapping of knowledge into a rule-based expert system shell. The knowledge engineer uses intermediate semi-formal knowledge representations, which can presumably be transformed automatically into the target knowledge base. This knowledge engineering process is based on a model for administration processes. Our approach was applied (but is not limited) to the development of an expert system concerning the European Materials Logistics System (IBM), which is a system of computer programs and administrative activities for the parts requirement generation of all European IBM plants. Controlling the course of this system is mental routine work for highly qualified people. They can be supported by the developed expert system.