cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protein F1 and Streptococcus pyogenes Resistance to Phagocytosis

Streptococcus pyogenes is a major cause of pharyngitis in humans and encodes several fibronectin-binding proteins. M protein and protein F1 (PrtF1/SfbI) are differentially regulated by CO(2) and O(2), respectively, and both mediate the invasion of epithelial cells. This study examined whether PrtF1/SfbI shares other properties with M protein. Expression of the PrtF1/SfbI protein by an M-negative mutant conferred resistance to phagocytosis and partial inhibition of C3 deposition on the S. pyogenes surface.
Application of MCMC in Failure Sampling

This paper investigates the integration ofMCMC in the Failure Sampling (FS) technique. FS is a simulation-based reliability analysis method intended tosolve complex reliability analysis problems with minimum computational effort. An important step in FS is to simulate the resistance portion of the limit state function, which is typically conducted using crude MCS. However, introducing MCMC can further improve the efficiency of the FS technique. The results show that a reduction in computational effort can be obtained if incorporating MCMC. Further, MCMC-FS was observed to produce accurate and consistent results for all of the probabilistic problems considered.
Making a visual map: mechanisms and molecules.

Visual system development utilizes global and local cues to assemble a topographic map of the visual world, arranging synaptic connections into columns and layers. Recent genetic studies have provided new insights into the mechanisms that underlie these processes. In flies, a precise temporal sequence of neural differentiation provides a global organizing cue; in vertebrates, gradients of ephrin-mediated signals, acting with neurotrophin co-receptors and neural activity, play crucial roles. In flies and mice, neural processes tile into precise arrays through homotypic, repulsive interactions, autocrine signals, and cell-intrinsic mechanisms. Laminar targeting specificity is achieved through temporally regulated cell–cell adhesion, as well as combinatorial expression of specific adhesion molecules. Future studies will define the interactions between these global and local cues.
Pediatric rehabilitation: 4. Prescribing assistive technology to promote community integration.

Objective This self-directed learning module highlights the equipment and assistive technology needs of children and youth with disabilities. This article specifically focuses on preparing families and patients for equipment transitions that occur over the course of childhood and adolescence including progressing from stroller to wheelchair to powerchair, as well as job training and use of augmentative communication. It is part of the study guide on pediatric rehabilitation in the Self-Directed Physiatric Education Program for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation and pediatric medicine. The goal of this article is to modify the learner's current practice techniques to ensure that assistive technology is used to promote community integration from early childhood through transition and into adulthood.
Soft error propagation in floating-point programs

As technology scales, VLSI performance has experienced an exponential growth. As feature sizes shrink, however, we will face new challenges such as soft errors (singleevent upsets) to maintain the reliability of circuits. Recent studies have tried to address soft errors with error detection and correction techniques such as error correcting codes and redundant execution. However, these techniques come at a cost of additional storage or lower performance. In this paper, we present a different approach to address soft errors. We start from building a quantitative understanding of the error propagation in software and propose a systematic evaluation of the impact of bit flip caused by soft errors on floating-point operations. Furthermore, we introduce a novel model to deal with soft errors. More specifically, we assume soft errors have occurred in memory and try to know how the errors will manifest in the results of programs. Therefore, some soft errors can be tolerated if the error in results is smaller than the intrinsic inaccuracy of floating-point representations or within a predefined range. We focus on analyzing error propagation for floating-point arithmetic operations. Our approach is motivated by interval analysis. We model the rounding effect of floating-point numbers, which enable us to simulate and predict the error propagation for single floating-point arithmetic operations for specific soft errors. In other words, we model and simulate the relation between the bit flip rate, which is determined by soft errors in hardware, and the error of floatingpoint arithmetic operations. The simulation results enable us to tolerate certain types of soft errors without expensive error detection and correction processing.
HYDRODYNAMICS OF HORSERADISH PEROXIDASE REVEALED BY GLOBAL ANALYSIS OF MULTIPLE FLUORESCENCE PROBES

Previous fluorescence studies of horseradish peroxidase conjugated with protoporphyrin IX suggested that the protein behaved hydrodynamically as a prolate ellipsoid of axial ratio 3 to 1. The present study, designed to further investigate the hydrodynamics of this protein, exploits a series of probes, noncovalently bound to the heme binding site of apo-horseradish peroxidase, having different orientations of the excitation and emission transition dipoles with respect to the protein's rotational axes. The probes utilized included protoporphyrin IX and the naphthalene probes 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate, 2-p-toluidinyl-6-naphthalene sulfonate, and 4,4'-bis(1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate). Time-resolved data were obtained using multifrequency phase fluorometry. The global analysis approach to the determination of molecular shape using multiple probes was evaluated by utilizing all data sets while maintaining a constant molecular shape for the protein. The results indicated that, in such analyses, probes exhibiting a single exponential decay and limited local motion have the major weight in the evaluation of the axial ratio. Probes that show complex decay patterns and local motions, such as the naphthalene derivatives, give rise to significant uncertainties in such global treatments. By explicitly accounting for the effect of such local motion, however, the shape of the protein can be reliably recovered.
Formulas for detecting a spherical stiff inclusion from interior data: a sensitivity analysis for the Helmholtz equation

In this paper, we establish sensitivity results that are relevant for imaging stiffness in tissue but may also be useful in other contexts. The data are the displacement at a single frequency throughout the imaging domain. The goal is to determine how the quantities—(1) amplitude of displacement, or alternatively (2) the displacement itself, the average displacement, the phase or the phase gradient—change within a homogeneous stiff inclusion embedded within a homogeneous background. The results are easily interpreted formulas that show the dependence on the radius of the inclusion, the frequency and the stiffness contrast between the inclusion and the background. Our assumptions are: (1) the displacement satisfies the Helmholtz equation with the variable stiffness parameter; (2) the experiment produces a plane wave in the absence of any inclusions; (3) in 3D, the inclusion is spherical; (4) in 2D the inclusion is a circular disc; and alternatively in 3D the inclusion is an infinite circular cylinder. Our method of analysis is to use series expansions of the solution expanded about the center of the inclusion.
How many steps/day are enough? Preliminary pedometer indices for public health.

readily being used by researchers and practitioners to assess and motivate physical activity behaviours. Pedometer-determined physical activity indices are needed to guide their efforts. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to review the rationale and evidence for general pedometer-based indices for research and practice purposes. Specifically, we evaluate popular recommendations for steps/day and attempt to translate existing physical activity guidelines into steps/day equivalents. Also, we appraise the fragmented evidence currently available from associations derived from cross-sectional studies and a limited number of interventions that have documented improvements (primarily in body composition and/or blood pressure) with increased steps/day. A value of 10 000 steps/day is gaining popularity with the media and in practice and can be traced to Japanese walking clubs and a business slogan 30+ years ago. 10 000 steps/day appears to be a reasonable estimate of daily activity for apparently healthy adults and studies are emerging documenting the health benefits of attaining similar levels. Preliminary evidence suggests that a goal of 10 000 steps/day may not be sustainable for some groups, including older adults and those living with chronic diseases. Another concern about using 10 000 steps/ day as a universal step goal is that it is probably too low for children, an important target population in the war against obesity. Other approaches to pedometer-determined physical activity recommendations that are showing promise of health benefit and individual sustainability have been based on incremental improvements relative to baseline values. Based on currently available evidence, we propose the following preliminary indices be used to classify pedometer-determined physical activity in healthy adults: (i) 12 500 steps/day are likely to be classified as ‘highly active’.
Empirical geographic modeling of switchgrass yields in the United States

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a perennial grass native to the United States that has been studied as a sustainable source of biomass fuel. Although many field-scale studies have examined the potential of this grass as a bioenergy crop, these studies have not been integrated. In this study, we present an empirical model for switchgrass yield and use this model to predict yield for the conterminous United States. We added environmental covariates to assembled yield data from field trials based on geographic location. We developed empirical models based on these data. The resulting empirical models, which account for spatial autocorrelation in the field data, provide the ability to estimate yield from factors associated with climate, soils, and management for both lowland and upland varieties of switchgrass. Yields of both ecotypes showed quadratic responses to temperature, increased with precipitation and minimum winter temperature, and decreased with stand age. Only the upland ecotype showed a positive response to our index of soil wetness and only the lowland ecotype showed a positive response to fertilizer. We view this empirical modeling effort, not as an alternative to mechanistic plant-growth modeling, but rather as a first step in the process of functional validation that will compare patterns produced by the models with those found in data. For the upland variety, the correlation between measured yields and yields predicted by empirical models was 0.62 for the training subset and 0.58 for the test subset. For the lowland variety, the correlation was 0.46 for the training subset and 0.19 for the test subset. Because considerable variation in yield remains unexplained, it will be important in the future to characterize spatial and local sources of uncertainty associated with empirical yield estimates.
Reconciling National and Regional Estimates of the Effects of Immigration on U.S. Labor Markets: The Confounding Effects of Native Male Incarceration Trends

In this paper, we reconcile the disparity between regional and national level estimates of the effect of immigration on native earnings. The reconciliation derives from the fact that existing national level studies fail to adequately control for changes in other determinants of the wage structure that correspond closely with the skill distribution of immigrant shocks. We focus specifically on the effect of accounting for incarceration trends. Over the past thirty years, an increasing proportion of low skilled native workers have served time in prison, a development that has arguably harmed their employment prospects. We show that the fraction of a given education-experience group that is immigrant is strongly correlated with the fraction of native born workers in the demographic group that is institutionalized. Holding constant incarceration trends considerably diminishes the estimated magnitude of the reduced-form relationship between native labor market outcomes and the fraction in their skill cell that is immigrant.An alternative interpretation of these findings offered by Borjas, Grogger, and Hansen (2006) is that immigration-induced wage declines have pushed more men into criminal activity which, in turn, has increased the incarceration rate. The authors present a model whereby the reduced form effect of immigration on incarceration reflects the product of (1) the effect of immigration on wages and (2) the elasticity of labor demand in the crime sector. The latter elasticity gauges the extent to which the local crime market is able to absorb additional offenders as the quality of legitimate work opportunities (as measured by wages) diminishes. While national level correlations presented by the authors are consistent with this interpretation, we show that the state level results are not. Despite a sizable and statistically significant negative reduced-form effect of immigrant penetration on wages in state-level panel regressions, there is no statistically significant relationship between state-level immigrant shocks and state-level incarceration rates - i.e., despite an identifiable dose to state-level wages, there is no incarceration response. Estimates of the elasticity of demand in the criminal sector using both the original state-level estimates presented in Borjas, Grogger, and Hansen (2006) as well as our replication and simple alternative specification of these regressions are essentially zero. Thus, we conclude that immigration has had no impact on criminal activity among natives operating through labor market competition.
Restriction of bone growth by pins through the epiphyseal cartilaginous plate.

Pins or nails passed diagonally across the epiphyseal cartilaginous plate prevent growth in length from that end of the bone. Such pins fix the epiphysis to the diaphysis and prevent the progression necessary for length growth. In check experiments in which the pins were removed immediately after insertion, no loss of growth resulted. This finding rules out the possibility that the loss of growth is due to primary injury to cartilage cells. This method has not been applied to growing humans, but its relative simplicity may warrant its use in clinical cases of discrepancy in length of the lower extremities. The question regarding the activity of cartilage cells after removal of the restricting device—wire loops, staples, crossed pins, or nails—has not been answered completely. In most of the experiments, there is evidence that the growth property of the plate is not so active as normal, and in some instances there is almost complete loss. In removing any of the devices, there is additional destruction of the circulation to the plate, damage to the plate itself, and the possibility of producing a bridge of bone across the plate. It is believed that a method which produces less injury at the time of removal will improve the results. It is advisable to place markers in both the normal bone and that which has been operated upon, so as to have a record of the growth from each epiphyseal plate. In some experiments, there was evidence of compensatory growth from the non-restricted plate at the opposite end of the bone. In the human, markers should be placed on both the normal bone and that which has been operated upon, for accurate study of the relative amount of growth. Also, it is recommended that careful teleoroentgenograms or scanograms be taken to obtain exact growth indices and to rule out the possibility of inaccurate measurements. Unilateral retardation of growth was produced when two pins were inserted so as to fix only half of the plate. Some restriction was noticed on the opposite side as well, causing shortening of the entire bone. There is also the possibility of permanently damaging that side of the plate, when removing the restraining device. If permanent injury has been produced, a deformity in the opposite direction may take place. Pins or nails passed immediately above the epiphyseal plate caused some loss of length growth. The mechanism of this restriction may depend upon fixing of the periosteum, which secondarily may hinder, to some extent, the advancement of the epiphysis away from the metaphysis. The experiments in which the pins or nails were passed longitudinally through the epiphyseal plate produced a rather surprising amount of growth restriction in some cases. The growth retardation was most marked when the pins approached the articular cartilage.
Black manhood in Ernest J. Gaines’s

This article attempts to analyze the methods that black men have used to combat oppressive circumstances. The thesis is simple: black manhood and white manhood can coexist, even when, historically, the mere presence of the latter has threatened the existence of the former. Critiquing Gaines’s novel, one discovers a functional “script” for defining the role of black manhood. Protagonist Grant Wiggins discovers that given the inequality that permeates the South, an inequality reliant on black defeat, he must rediscover “self” as subject and no longer as object.
Resonant Cavity Linear Interferometric Modulator

A purely linear resonant cavity interferometric modulator with a potential infinite spurious free dynamic range and multi-gigahertz bandwidth is proposed and the first experimental demonstration is presented.
Ascorbic Acid Content of Milk of Various Species as Influenced by Ascorbic Acid Injection and Diet

SummaryValues for ascorbic acid in ewe milk, determined periodically over the lactation period, ranged from 25 to 40 mg per quart. The intravenous injection of ascorbic acid resulted in a marked, temporary rise in the vitamin content of the milk of the ewe and cow. A study of 52 samples of mare milk gave values ranging from 2,7 to 11 5 mg per quart. The nature of the feed appeared to be a factor in the wide variations noted. Values obtained on guinea pig milk ranged from 108 to 711 mg per quart. Both chemical and biological evidence was obtained that the ascorbic acid content of the milk of the guinea pig is influenced by the nature of the diet.
O-032 Long-term outcomes in emergent cavernous carotid stent grafting: a series of 29 cases

Introduction Traumatic injury to the cavernous carotid artery may be difficult to manage as it often requires emergent treatment due to the potential for life threatening hemorrhage. Since this segment of artery is difficult to access surgically, frequently endovascular treatment by either parent artery occlusion or stent grafting is necessary. Methods This is a prospective case series of 29 patients who had traumatic cavernous carotid injury or spontaneous hemorrhage who had placement of one or more stent grafts in the cavernous carotid artery for treatment. Patients were loaded with either 300 mg or 600 mg of clopidogrel and 325 mg of aspirin either a few hours prior to the endovascular procedure or via an oral gastric tube at the time of the procedure. Patient also received intraprocedure intravenous heparin. They were then maintained on clopidogrel and aspirin for 6 months and then aspirin alone from then on. Follow-up imaging was performed at 6 months post intervention, and patients were then followed up clinical on an annual basis. Results Of the 29 patients who had treatment, 10 patients had iatrogenic injury to the carotid artery from surgery with epistaxis, 14 patients had direct traumatic carotid cavernous fistula and two patients had epistaxis or subarachnoid hemorrhage from a gunshot wound. Three patients had prior malignant skull base tumor resection with radiation therapy that developed acute epistaxis. Two of the patients developed thromboembolic events within the first 30 days of treatment. With an average imaging follow-up of 2.7 years, two patients had asymptomatic occlusion of their stent grafts, 22 patients had patent stent grafts and five patients had no imaging follow-up. Conclusions Stent grafts provide a safe alternative to deliberate parent artery occlusion in patients with spontaneous hemorrhage or traumatic to the cavernous carotid artery. With aggressive antiplatelet therapy, a long term symptomatic thromboembolic rate of 7% was seen.
Evolution of the momentum distribution with mass loss in projectile fragmentation reactions

Background: Momentum distributions of fragmentation products as a function of fragment mass have been used to study the fragmentation mechanism. The parallel component of the momentum distribution has been well studied previously and modeled. The perpendicular component, however, is much less measured or understood.Purpose: Measure both components of the linear momentum of a wide range of fragmentation products and compare the widths of the momentum distributions to previous results and descriptions.Method: The parallel and perpendicular components of the momentum vector have been measured for projectile-like fragments produced in the reactions of ${}^{76}$Ge with ${}^{9}$Be and ${}^{197}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}$Au at 130 MeV/nucleon in a magnetic spectrometer.Results: The measured parallel momentum distributions of all fragments follow established systematics. The perpendicular momentum distributions of fragments produced by fragmentation by the ${}^{197}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}$Au target with masses near that of the projectile exhibit a clear peak near the momentum corresponding to the grazing angle that diminishes with decreasing fragment mass.Conclusions: The interplay between Coulomb and nuclear scattering can be used to describe results for the most peripheral collisions.
“ONLY THE HUMAN WAY MAY BE FOLLOWED” READING THE GUODIAN MANUSCRIPTS AGAINST THE MOZI

Though the Guodian manuscripts have been viewed as an eclectic mix of texts, this article argues that, viewed in historical context, the collection has more coherence than has conventionally been supposed. Since the texts were interred in Chu c. 300 b.c.e., they should be read against other expressions of that time and place. The Mozi, much of which was likely used or produced by authors active in Chu at the time of the Guodian internment, is particularly illuminating in this regard. Though the individual Guodian texts do frequently contradict one another, they are yet commonly useful for formulating logical and rhetorical attacks on the teachings of the Mozi. The occupant of Guodian Tomb Number One may thus have collected these texts not for their doctrinal consistency with one another, but for their usefulness in use against intellectual opponents (among whom the Mohists clearly ranked). This, in fact, was likely a guiding principle for many Warring States literati in negotiating their production and utilization of texts.
Salmonella infection and the genitourinary system.

AbstractSix cases of severe salmonella genitourinary infection and a case of salmonella septicemia after prostatectomy are reported. The mechanism whereby the urinary tract is involved in salmonellosis is described, as are the different manifestations of genitourinary salmonellosis. Host factors predisposing to the development of genitourinary salmonella infection include other urologic pathology, malignant neoplasms and states of depressed immunity. Recommendations are made with regard to the diagnosis and management of this sometimes lethal condition.
Growth and preparation of Staphylococcus epidermidis for NMR metabolomic analysis

The "omics" era began with transcriptomics and this progressed into proteomics. While useful, these approaches provide only circumstantial information about carbon flow, metabolic status, redox poise, etc. To more directly address these metabolic concerns, researchers have turned to the emerging field of metabolomics. In our laboratories, we frequently use NMR metabolomics to acquire a snapshot of bacterial metabolomes during stressful or transition events. Irrespective of the "omics" method of choice, the experimental outcome depends on the proper cultivation and preparation of bacterial samples. In addition, the integration of these large datasets requires that these cultivation conditions be clearly defined.
Can an anti-Xa assay for low-molecular-weight heparin be used to assess the presence of rivaroxaban?

Abstract Background Due to the convenience afforded by the lack of required laboratory monitoring, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are increasingly used as alternatives to Vitamin-K antagonists for certain medical conditions. However, there are circumstances in which assessment of DOAC plasma concentrations may be helpful in guiding clinical decisions, including patients presenting with either bleeding or thrombosis, or patients requiring urgent invasive procedures. Evaluating the anticoagulant effects of DOACs is often difficult because of the limited availability of DOAC-specific assays in most laboratories. Objective To evaluate the correlation between ex vivo plasma concentrations of rivaroxaban and a chromogenic anti-Xa assay for low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) routinely used in our coagulation laboratory. Materials and Methods Twenty-nine blood samples from 20 patients anticoagulated with rivaroxaban (dose; 10–20 mg/day) were evaluated using an anti-Xa assay for LMWH and results were correlated with rivaroxaban plasma concentrations using a rivaroxaban specific assay. Results A linear dose-dependent relationship was demonstrated between plasma concentrations of rivaroxaban and the chromogenic anti-Xa assay for LMWH (R2 = 0.92). PT and PTT demonstrated poor correlations (R2 = 0.03; and R2 = 0.01, respectively) with rivaroxaban plasma concentrations. Conclusion Findings from this study suggest that if specific assays for rivaroxaban are unavailable, then the chromogenic anti-Xa assay for LMWH may be useful for assessing the anticoagulant effects of rivaroxaban.
Remote Plasma Oxidation and Atomic Layer Etching of MoS2

Exfoliated molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is shown to chemically oxidize in a layered manner upon exposure to a remote O2 plasma. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are employed to characterize the surface chemistry, structure, and topography of the oxidation process and indicate that the oxidation mainly occurs on the topmost layer without altering the chemical composition of underlying layer. The formation of S–O bonds upon short, remote plasma exposure pins the surface Fermi level to the conduction band edge, while the MoOx formation at high temperature modulates the Fermi level toward the valence band through band alignment. A uniform coverage of monolayer amorphous MoO3 is obtained after 5 min or longer remote O2 plasma exposure at 200 °C, and the MoO3 can be completely removed by annealing at 500 °C, leaving a clean ordered MoS2 lattice structure as verified by XPS, LEED, AFM, and scanning tunneling microscopy. This work sho...
Inherited or acquired metabolic disorders

This chapter starts with a description of imaging of inherited metabolic disorders, followed by a discussion on imaging of acquired toxic-metabolic disorders of the adult brain. Neuroimaging is crucial for the diagnosis and management of a number of inherited metabolic disorders. Among these, inherited white-matter disorders commonly affect both the nervous system and endocrine organs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has enabled new classifications of these disorders that have greatly enhanced both our diagnostic ability and our understanding of these complex disorders. Beyond the classic leukodystrophies, we are increasingly recognizing new hereditary leukoencephalopathies such as the hypomyelinating disorders. Conventional imaging can be unrevealing in some metabolic disorders, but proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) may be able to directly visualize the metabolic abnormality in certain disorders. Hence, neuroimaging can enhance our understanding of pathogenesis, even in the absence of a pathologic specimen. This review aims to present pathognomonic brain MRI lesion patterns, the diagnostic capacity of proton MRS, and information from clinical and laboratory testing that can aid diagnosis. We demonstrate that applying an advanced neuroimaging approach enhances current diagnostics and management. Additional information on inherited and metabolic disorders of the brain can be found in Chapter 63 in the second volume of this series.
Single-Molecule Enzyme Kinetics

This chapter explores single-molecule enzyme kinetics and the development of single-molecule kinetics spurred by breakthroughs in enzyme chemistry, materials science, chemical physics, high-speed digital computers, and kinetic theory. The history of enzyme kinetics is punctuated by the invention of new approaches for glimpsing previously unobservable aspects of catalysis. The opportunities presented by single-molecule kinetic measurements appear to be the ultimate level of observation, allowing researchers to record the trajectories of individual enzyme molecules as they bind, interconvert, and release substrates. It is unlikely that they will approach the currency of fast reaction methods and isotopic probes, much less initial-rate techniques. Although the potential of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy was recognized some time ago, more up-to-date developments in biophotonics, especially with respect to the two-photon strategies, are propelling the investigation of single-molecule reaction dynamics. A second highly promising branch of single-molecule enzyme kinetics is concerned with how force is generated in energase-type reactions. The third approach is the use of zero-mode waveguides, which in principle should be suitable for high-concentration FCS and cross-correlation experiments. The single-molecule approach is one of the most direct ways for exploring the role of enzyme dynamics in catalysis. It remains to be seen whether the thermodynamics of small systems can be extended to deal with conditions imposed in single-molecule kinetic experiments conducted in extremely small volumes. Rapid advances in the ability to observe single-molecule phenomena have already stimulated efforts to develop the theoretical framework for single-molecule kinetics.
A strong semidefinite programming relaxation of the unit commitment problem

The unit commitment (UC) problem aims to find an optimal schedule of generating units subject to the demand and operating constraints for an electricity grid. The majority of existing algorithms for the UC problem rely on solving a series of convex relaxations by means of branch-and-bound or cutting-planning methods. In this paper, we develop a strengthened semidefinite program (SDP) for the UC problem by first deriving certain valid quadratic constraints and then relaxing them to linear matrix inequalities. These valid inequalities are obtained by the multiplication of the linear constraints of the UC problem such as the flow constraints of two different lines. The performance of the proposed convex relaxation is evaluated on several instances of the UC problem. For most of the instances, globally optimal integer solutions are obtained by solving a single convex problem. Since the proposed technique leads to a large number of valid quadratic inequalities, an iterative procedure is devised to impose a small number of such valid inequalities. For the cases where the strengthened SDP does give a global integer solution, we incorporate other valid inequalities, including a set of Boolean quadric polytope constraints. The proposed relaxations are extensively tested on various IEEE power systems in simulations.
The hematopoietic precursor cell in which driver mutations occur is linked to AML aggressiveness – a potential target for personalized medicine

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clinically and biologically heterogeneous disease. The shift from a stochastic concept toward a more hierarchic organization of AML driven by a small population of...
Redox variations in Mauna Kea lavas, the oxygen fugacity of the Hawaiian plume, and the role of volcanic gases in Earth’s oxygenation

The behavior of C, H, and S in the solid Earth depends on their oxidation states, which are related to oxygen fugacity (fO_2). Volcanic degassing is a source of these elements to Earth’s surface; therefore, variations in mantle fO_2 may influence the fO2 at Earth’s surface. However, degassing can impact magmatic fO_2 before or during eruption, potentially obscuring relationships between the fO_2 of the solid Earth and of emitted gases and their impact on surface fO_2. We show that low-pressure degassing resulted in reduction of the fO_2 of Mauna Kea magmas by more than an order of magnitude. The least degassed magmas from Mauna Kea are more oxidized than midocean ridge basalt (MORB) magmas, suggesting that the upper mantle sources of Hawaiian magmas have higher fO_2 than MORB sources. One explanation for this difference is recycling of material from the oxidized surface to the deep mantle, which is then returned to the surface as a component of buoyant plumes. It has been proposed that a decreasing pressure of volcanic eruptions led to the oxygenation of the atmosphere. Extension of our findings via modeling of degassing trends suggests that a decrease in eruption pressure would not produce this effect. If degassing of basalts were responsible for the rise in oxygen, it requires that Archean magmas had at least two orders of magnitude lower fO_2 than modern magmas. Estimates of fO_2 of Archean magmas are not this low, arguing for alternative explanations for the oxygenation of the atmosphere.
Single nucleotide editing without DNA cleavage using CRISPR/Cas9-deaminase in the sea urchin embryo.

Background: A single base pair mutation in the genome can result in many congenital disorders in humans. The recent gene editing approach using CRISPR/Cas9 has rapidly become a powerful tool to replicate or repair such mutations in the genome. These approaches rely on cleaving DNA, while presenting unexpected risks. Results: In this study, we demonstrate a modified CRISPR/Cas9 system fused to cytosine deaminase (Cas9-DA), which induces a single nucleotide conversion in the genome. Cas9-DA was introduced into sea urchin eggs with sgRNAs targeted for SpAlx1, SpDsh, or SpPks, each of which is critical for skeletogenesis, embryonic axis formation, or pigment formation, respectively. We found that both Cas9 and Cas9-DA edit the genome, and cause predicted phenotypic changes at a similar efficiency. Cas9, however, resulted in significant deletions in the genome centered on the gRNA target sequence, whereas Cas9-DA resulted in single or double nucleotide editing of C to T conversions within the gRNA target sequence. Conclusions: These results suggest that the Cas9-DA approach may be useful for manipulating gene activity with decreased risks of genomic aberrations. Developmental Dynamics 246:1036–1046, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Subsurface Aquatic Ecology of Mammoth Cave

The hidden nature of Mammoth Cave National Park’s (MCNP) cave aquatic ecosystem may suggest it is disconnected from events occurring on the surface. However, it is part of a continuum of water that begins with rain falling within the Green River watershed upstream of Mammoth Cave. Locally, water drains through Mammoth Cave’s 184 km2 (71 square mile) watershed and ends with the master stream for south-central Kentucky, the Green River. Rain falling in an area underlain by insoluble rock, such as sandstone on the Chester Upland, flows overland as runoff until it reaches a crevice, where it feeds a sinking stream or vertical shaft below. Rain falling on an area underlain by epikarst, the layer of highly weathered limestone and soil just beneath the surface common in the Mammoth Cave region, either percolates relatively slowly through interconnected vertical and horizontal channels (Fig. 14.1) or flows rapidly through a sinkhole. Whether water moves slowly or rapidly through this unsaturated zone of partially water-filled channels it ultimately reaches the water table and flows out of springs along the Green River (Fig. 14.2). When the Green River rises during floods, springs and base-level cave streams temporarily reverse their flow. A combination of back-flooding and local water influx can cause water levels in the cave to rise as much as 18 m (60 feet). During water’s journey through the cave aquatic ecosystem, it transports organic matter, and often contaminants, from the surface. This is a greatly simplified description of the Mammoth Cave region’s hydrogeology and vulnerability to pollution (see Chaps. 6, 8 and 18 for more information), but it is important for understanding the interplay between the nonliving components of the cave aquatic ecosystem, the organisms living there, the structure of their communities, and the impact of human activities.
Black Cowboys In the American West: A Historiographical Review

Few subjects in the ethnic experience of the United States are as fraught with mythology and misinformation as black cowboys. Although absent from most classic history texts of the American West, black cowboys probably constituted about a quarter of the working cowboys in the nineteenth century, although q uantitative data to establish a number are lacking. This essay reviews the historiography of black cowboys published during the last half-century, noting how much of it is marred either by glossing over the presence of black cowboys or by credulously repeating estimates of their numbers established by earlier work. The essay speculates whether such problematic scholarship stems from unacknowledged prejudice among mainstream historians or from carelessness and calls for more and improved scholarly attention to the role of African American cowboys in the American West.
"Women’s Ascents to Executive Leadership: Expanding, Prospecting and Moving as Strategy"

While much research has identified the myriad reasons why women are not reaching leadership roles in the highest echelons of organizations, there is a paucity of research that explains how some wom...
Thin, robust, and chemically stable photo-cross-linked anion exchange membranes based on a polychlorostyrene-b-polycyclooctene-b-polychlorostyrene ABA triblock polymer

Abstract A polychloromethylstyrene-b-polypolycyclooctene-b-polychloromethylstyrene ABA triblock polymer was used as a backbone in a study to produce a chemically and mechanically robust anion exchange membrane (AEM). The material is easily scalable and the polypolycyclooctene segment (low Tm) makes the membrane flexible to handle. Comparison of the non-crosslinked triblock polymer functionalized with different cations namely; piperidinium, pyrrolidinium, tris(2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl) phosphonium, and the benchmark trimethylammonium cation showed that the piperidinium functionalized membrane with an ionic exchange capacity of ca. 1.36 mmol.g− 1 had the highest OH− conductivity ca. 95 mS·cm− 1 at 80 °C, 95% RH, and the highest Cl− conductivity of ca. 31 mS·cm− 1 at 70 °C, 95% RH. The membrane with the piperidinium cation was the most chemically stable when immersed in 1 M KOH at 80 °C (with only 16% degradation after 14 days) compared to all the other cation functionalized membranes studied here. Photo-crosslinking with 1,10-decanedithiol (DT) eliminated the melting behavior of the polycyclooctene black and improved the mechanical stability of the films allowing
Diglossia and Language Contact: Language Variation and Change in North Africa

This volume provides a detailed analysis of language contact in North Africa and explores the historical presence of the languages used in the region, including the different varieties of Arabic and Berber as well as European languages. Using a wide range of data sets, it provides a comprehensive analysis of the mechanisms of language contact under classical diglossia and societal bilingualism, examining multiple cases of oral and written code-switching. It also describes contact-induced lexical and structural change in such situations and discusses the possible appearance of new varieties within the context of diglossia. Examples from past diglossic situations are examined, including the situation in Muslim Spain and the Maltese Islands. An analysis of the current situation of Arabic vernaculars, not only in the Maghreb but also in other Arabic-speaking areas, is also presented. This book will appeal to anyone interested in language contact, the Arabic language, and North Africa.
Implementing the Horizontal Vestibular Ocular Reflex Test While Using an Eye-Tracker as an Assessment Tool for Concussions Diagnosis

Since ocular impairment is present in up to 90% of concussed patients, investigation of visual processing can be very helpful for concussion diagnosis. The goal was to determine whether eye-tracking measures can be utilized as a means to test horizontal vestibular ocular reflex in patients with concussion symptoms. Twenty-two participants were recruited and assigned to one of two groups: teens with concussion symptoms group and teens without concussion symptoms group. Concussed participants put on an eye-tracker while doing a horizontal vestibular ocular reflex test. While the non-concussed group was more successful in looking and concentrating on the target point, the concussed group had more undeliberate eye shakings. The variance between the fixation points of the target points was significantly greater in the concussed group in comparison with the non-concussed group. Concussed patients demonstrated more longitudinal and latitudinal deviations. In conclusion, the eye-tracking method is a useful tool to measure the severity of eye movement impairment.
Artistic and Moral Imagination in The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

This essay provides a close reading of The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. It argues that the story's two themes—a celebration of artistic creativity and a ringing denunciation of prejudice—are closely related through their reliance on the importance of imagination, both artistic and moral. The role of moral perception in ethical decision making has recently come under new scrutiny in moral philosophy. This essay employs recent work in moral theory to analyze the way in which the resolution of Estes's story turns on the characters' growth in both moral courage and moral imagination.
Nausea and Vomiting in the Cancer Patient

Nausea and vomiting are two of the most feared cancer treatment-related side effects for cancer patients and their families. In 1983, Coates et al. found that patients receiving chemotherapy ranked nausea and vomiting as the first and second most severe side effects, respectively. Up to 20% of patients receiving highly emetogenic agents in this era postponed, or even refused, potentially curable treatments. Despite the availability of more than 20 different antiemetics, nausea and vomiting in cancer patients remain problematic and continue to pose tremendous challenges to practicing oncologists.
Radiation Therapy for Liver Metastases

Historically, metastatic disease to the liver has primarily been treated with systemic therapy alone. Early surgical series defined the role of local therapy to treat metastatic liver disease. Prior to the introduction of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), radiation oncologists were limited by the tolerance of the liver to radiation. In the past several decades, tremendous advancement in the field of radiation oncology has led to more conformal techniques, improved treatment planning software, and an overall ability to better deliver accurate treatment to the tumor. With the emergence of these improved techniques, more focal treatments with higher-dose radiation can be delivered to metastatic liver lesions while sparing normal liver parenchyma. Tumoricidal doses are now possible with conformal IMRT, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), and improved motion management, enabling clinicians to deliver ablative SBRT with local control rates exceeding 90% in modern series. The role of SBRT in liver metastases and the clinical data to support it will be discussed in this chapter.
In Re Lawrence and Hayward v. Marshall: Reexamining the Due Process Protections of California Lifers Seeking Parole

In California prisons today, approximately 30,000 inmates are serving potential life sentences but are eligible for release on parole after serving minimum terms of confinement. Most of these “lifers” are convicted murderers serving sentences of twenty-five or fifteen years to life. Approximately 4,000 lifers apply for parole each year. The Board of Parole Hearings, the agency within the executive branch responsible for making parole determinations, recommends parole two to five percent of the time. Of that two to five percent, even fewer lifers are actually released. The Governor has the power to approve or disapprove parole recommendations made by the Board of Parole Hearings. During his four years in office, former Governor Gray Davis reviewed 371 parole recommendations and approved parole nine times. Since taking office in late 2003, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been slightly less stringent than Governor Davis, but stringent nonetheless: as
Loosely bound states of three particles

Loosely bound states of three particles for particles interacting via short range forces were predicted by Efimov. They are shown to arise naturally in the adiabatic hyperspherical approximation presently used to compute reactions along hyperspherical coordinates. Because of the loosely bound nature of such states, the asymptotic form of the effective hyper-radial potential is critical. A variational wave function is suggested and is shown to reproduce the asymptotic potenial obtained by Efimov. Implications and extensions of the theory are suggested.