cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SO2 adsorption and desorption characteristics of Pd and Pt catalysts: Precious metal crystallite size dependence

Abstract SO 2 adsorption and desorption on Pt/Pd mono- and bimetallic, γ-Al 2 O 3 supported catalysts were characterized. There are dependencies on both particle size and Pd:Pt ratio, and here particle size effects on the adsorption and desorption trends and surface species formed were evaluated using DRIFTS and TPD studies. Catalysts with a smaller particle size tended to form a greater amount of aluminum sulfate species, which decomposed at high-temperature. In contrast, catalysts with larger particle sizes tended to form a greater amount of low-temperature decomposing and desorbing species, such as molecular SO 2 and surface aluminum sulfite. In general, it was found that the amount of SO 2 adsorbed and later desorbed during TPD decreased with increasing particle size.
Teaching roles of librarians in nursing education.

Cet article etudie le role d'enseignant que doit tenir le bibliothecaire dans les ecoles d'infirmieres, ceci en comparaison avec le role des facultes en soins infirmiers et en sciences informatiques pour l'enseignement des competences informatiques et l'utilisation des ressources electroniques. En identifiant ce que les bibliothecaires ou d'autres professionnels enseignent et ce qu'ils n'enseignent pas, les bibliothecaires peuvent prendre des decisions concernant le developpement de classes pour les etudiants infirmiers
Long-wavelength (red) light produces hyperopia in juvenile and adolescent tree shrews

In infant tree shrews, exposure to narrow-band long-wavelength (red) light, that stimulates long-wavelength sensitive cones almost exclusively, slows axial elongation and produces hyperopia. We asked if red light produces hyperopia in juvenile and adolescent animals, ages when plus lenses are ineffective. Animals were raised in fluorescent colony lighting (100-300 lux) until they began 13days of red-light treatment at 11 (n=5, "infant"), 35 (n=5, "juvenile") or 95 (n=5, "adolescent") days of visual experience (DVE). LEDs provided 527-749 lux on the cage floor. To control for the higher red illuminance, a fluorescent control group (n=5) of juvenile (35 DVE) animals was exposed to ∼975 lux. Refractions were measured daily; ocular component dimensions at the start and end of treatment and end of recovery in colony lighting. These groups were compared with normals (n=7). In red light, the refractive state of both juvenile and adolescent animals became significantly (P<0.05) hyperopic: juvenile 3.9±1.0 diopters (D, mean±SEM) vs. normal 0.8±0.1D; adolescent 1.6±0.2D vs. normal 0.4±0.1D. The fluorescent control group refractions (0.6±0.3D) were normal. In red-treated juveniles the vitreous chamber was significantly smaller than normal (P<0.05): juvenile 2.67±0.03mmvs. normal 2.75±0.02mm. The choroid was also significantly thicker: juvenile 77±4μmvs. normal 57±3μm (P<0.05). Although plus lenses do not restrain eye growth in juvenile tree shrews, the red light-induced slowed growth and hyperopia in juvenile and adolescent tree shrews demonstrates that the emmetropization mechanism is still capable of restraining eye growth at these ages.
The Hidden Structure of Takings Law

The American legal community remains perplexed and fascinated by the question of which exercises of governmental power should fall prey to the constitutional ban on uncompensated takings of property. Intense interest stems partly from the Supreme Court's professed inability to provide a general solution to the takings problem and partly from the undeniable appeal of contrasting points of view. Students of the takings controversy, however, are perhaps most intrigued by the extent to which it raises fundamental questions of political life. Which resources should be treated as crucial to personal well-being and thus either exempt from any collective redistribution or at least shielded against uncompensated loss? Will a strict compensation requirement encourage shy or self-reliant people to trust communal bonds, or will it prevent the collective control necessary to sound resource management? Are satisfactory general formulations available to decision-makers responsible for identifying those items of value which the government may purchase but not destroy?This Article is an effort to extend analysis of the takings question beyond criticism of any particular case or even of a particular perspective. Its principal goal is to examine the intellectual structure of the takings problem critically in order to question the current framework of scholarly debate.Part I describes the hidden structure of the takings controversy. More specifically, Part I describes how private law's purported function of allocating resource claims and public law's professed role of protecting already allocated resources threaten to become indistinguishable; thereby imperiling coherent judicial enforcement of the just compensation clause.Part II applies the intellectual framework developed in the first part to the doctrines and rationales the Court has employed in takings cases. In particular, the Court's three-factor test for evaluating takings claims is criticized for its reliance on general solutions to the underlying problems of property law that have failed to provide a coherent framework for takings jurisprudence.Part III attempts to demonstrate how Part I's framework also illuminates the confusion in scholarly approaches to the takings problem. Part III emphasizes the extent to which general solutions have failed to resolve the dilemmas posed by the fifth amendment's just compensation clause.
History as Effect of Free Action: Fortuna and Virtù in The Prince

The conflict between virtu and fortuna is identified by Cassirer as the “ultimate root, to which we must always return if we would comprehend in their true depth the philosophical doctrines of the Renaissance concerning the relationship between freedom and necessity.”1 Notoriously, at the close of The Prince Machiavelli proposes his version of this conflict by asserting that “fortuna is a woman,” and “if one desires to keep her down” it becomes “necessary to beat her.”2 In this chapter I argue that Machiavelli’s formula gives expression to a modern conception of history as effect of free human action.
Reconstruction of the medial patellotibial ligament results in favorable clinical outcomes: a systematic review

The medial patellotibial ligament (MPTL), the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL), and the medial patellomeniscal ligament (MPML) support the stability of the patellofemoral joint. The purpose of this systematic review was to report the surgical techniques and clinical outcomes of the repair or reconstruction of the MPTL in isolation or concomitant with the MPFL and/or other procedures. A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Inclusion criteria were articles in the English language that reported clinical outcomes of the reconstruction of the MPTL in isolation or in combination with the MPFL and/or other procedures. Included articles were then cross-referenced to find additional journal articles not found in the initial search. The methodological quality of the articles was determined using the Coleman Methodology Score. Nineteen articles were included detailing the clinical outcomes of 403 knees. The surgical procedures described included hamstrings tenodesis with or without other major procedures, medial transfer of the medial patellar tendon with or without other major procedures and the reconstruction of the MPTL in association with the MPFL. Overall, good and excellent outcomes were achieved in > 75% of cohorts in most studies and redislocations were < 10%, with or without the association of the MPFL. An exception was one study that reported a high failure rate of 82%. Results were consistent across different techniques. The median CMS for the articles was 66 out of 100 (range 30–85). Across different techniques, the outcomes are good with low rates of recurrence, with one article reporting a high rate of recurrence. Quality of the articles is variable, from low to high. Randomized control trials are needed for a better understanding of the indications, surgical techniques, and clinical outcomes. This systematic review suggests that the reconstruction of the MPTL leads to favorable clinical outcomes and supports the role of the procedure as a valid surgical patellar stabilization procedure. IV: systematic review of level I–IV studies.
UHPLC/MS Identifying Potent α-glucosidase Inhibitors of Grape Pomace via Enzyme Immobilized Method.

a-Glucosidases have been a major target in controlling and managing postprandial blood glucose and therefore diabetes treatment. This study aims to further identify and purify active compounds from the most active ethyl acetate fraction collected previously in Tinta Cao grape pomace extract (TCEE) using a newly developed and highly effective immobilization method, including obtaining compounds previously shown to inhibit the enzyme. Purification used crosslinked chitosan beads with a-glucosidases bound to polymer, which acted as immobilized enzyme vehicle to collect inhibitors. Compounds absorbed into the beads were eluded using methanol, where collected fraction was subjected to UHPLC-MS analysis to identify active compounds. Results presented 5 major compounds: viniferifuran (amurensin H), p-coumaroyl-6-O-D-glucopyranoside, p-coumaroyl-6-O-hexoside, (epi)catechin-hexoside, 10-carboxyl-pyranopeonidin 3-O-(6''-O-p-coumaroyl)-glucoside. These findings indicated the particular molecules can be utilized as potent a-glucosidases inhibitors, and may be further tested for postprandial glucose control. A potential approach enriched and identified a-glucosidase inhibitors of grape pomace. Set-up of UHPLC/MS detection and identification of active compounds provide qualify assessment in developing grape pomace extract into potent dietary supplement and new drug for diabetes.
Bias from restricting to live births when estimating effects of prescription drug use on pregnancy complications: A simulation.

Purpose Administrative claim databases are increasingly being used to study the safety of medication exposures during pregnancy. These studies are restricted to live births due to a reliance on algorithms for estimating gestational age that are based on codes associated with live delivery. Conditioning on live birth may induce selection bias when studying the effect of a drug on a pregnancy complication if fetal death is a competing risk for the complication or is caused by the complication. Methods We simulated a population of 100,000 pregnancies and estimated the impact of selection bias on relative estimates for the effect of antidepressant exposure on the outcome of preeclampsia. We assumed that the exposure, outcome, and covariates increased the risk of fetal loss. Results A downward bias in the risk ratio was consistently observed when conditioning on live births. When an unmeasured covariate was assumed to be a common cause of fetal death, antidepressant use, and preeclampsia, the direction of bias varied depending on the strength of the confounding relationship coupled with the selection bias. Despite the very low prevalence of stillbirth, the strength of the relationship between antidepressant use and stillbirth had a substantial impact on bias. Conclusions Conditioning on live birth can be problematic when studying pregnancy complications. Simple quantitative selection bias analysis in populations restricted to live births may not fully account for selection bias.
The Ward family of taxidermists

Three generations of Ward taxidermists practised their craft both in Britain and abroad. The grandfather, John, had a daughter Jane Catherine, and two sons, James Frederick and Edwin Henry, both of...
The receptor on mast cells and related cells with high affinity for IgE.

Mast cells, basophils, and related tumor lines have a glycoprotein on their surface membrane that binds monomeric immunoglobulin E (IgE) with exceptionally high affinity. When the cell-bound IgE reacts with a multivalent antigen the cells rapidly degranulate—a reaction that has been shown to be mediated by the membrane glycoprotein.
Genomic Strategies Determining Progression from MGUS to Multiple Myeloma

In the past years, we have learned much about the genetics and biology of multiple myeloma (MM) and plasma cell (PC) disorders. It is now clear that (nearly) all MM cases are preceded by a benign phase of expansion of monoclonal PCs known as monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). It is also known that MGUS is a common condition that increases in prevalence with advancing age. Trying to couple the understanding we have of the genetics of the disease with the specific risk of progression from MGUS to MM could be of importance in determining different risk of progression with associated management strategies. Currently, there is limited information regarding the specific factors that drive the progression from MGUS to MM and the risk associated with different genetic classes of the disease. A better understanding of the biologic steps that are needed for progression from a benign stage to a malignant form of the disease is needed, as well as better markers to provide a more dynamic monitoring for incipient disease evolution. In this chapter, we discuss some of the background knowledge and basic biology of the disease and some future strategies for a better surveillance of patients with MGUS.
Polyomavirus JC and Human Cancer: Possible Role of Stem Cells in Pathogenesis

The human neurotropic polyomavirus JC virus (JCV) is a small DNA tumor virus and the established etiological agent of the demyelinating disease, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). JCV is widely distributed among the human population, as greater than 80% of adults exhibit JCV-specific antibodies. After initial infection early in life, the virus establishes a persistent nonpathogenic infection in the normal host. In patients with disruptions in the immune system, the virus can undergo reactivation and subsequently cause lytic destruction of oligodendrocytes resulting in PML. In a cellular context that is nonpermissive for viral replication, JCV can contribute to oncogenic transformation. Accordingly, evidence suggests that JCV can induce a variety of tumor types in experimental animals and has been associated with neural and nonneural types of malignancies in humans. Although JCV is considered a neurotropic virus due to its association with PML, it is well-established that the virus persists in the kidney, tonsils, and lymphoid tissues and has been detected in the bone marrow and peripheral blood cells. It is presumed that the blood stream can serve as a conduit to propagate the virus into different organs, including the brain. Given the transforming ability and ubiquitous nature of JCV, it is possible that JCV plays a critical role in the induction of human cancer. However, it remains unknown whether JCV has a causal role in human cancer. In this chapter, we discuss the tumorigenic potential of JCV with special emphasis on the potential role of bone marrow-derived stem cells in the pathogenesis of JCV-associated diseases.
How People Weave Online Information Into Pseudoknowledge

Misinformation has found a new natural habitat in the digital age. Thousands of forums, blogs, and alternative news sources amplify fake news and inaccurate information to such a degree that it imp...
Mapping an Adeno-associated Virus 9-Specific Neutralizing Epitope To Develop Next-Generation Gene Delivery Vectors.

Recent clinical trials have demonstrated the potential of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based vectors for treating rare diseases. However, significant barriers remain for the translation of these vectors into widely available therapies. In particular, exposure to the AAV capsid can generate an immune response of neutralizing antibodies. One approach to overcome this response is to map the AAV-specific neutralizing epitopes and rationally design an AAV capsid able to evade neutralization. To accomplish this, we isolated a monoclonal antibody against AAV9 following immunization of BALB/c mice and hybridoma screening. This antibody, PAV9.1, is specific for intact AAV9 capsids and has a high neutralizing titer of >1:160,000. We used cryo-electron microscopy to reconstruct PAV9.1 in complex with AAV9. We then mapped its epitope to the 3-fold axis of symmetry on the capsid, specifically to residues 496-NNN-498 and 588-QAQAQT-592. Capsid mutagenesis demonstrated that even a single amino acid substitution within this epitope markedly reduced binding and neutralization by PAV9.1. In addition, in vivo studies showed that mutations in the PAV9.1 epitope conferred a “liver-detargeting” phenotype to the mutant vectors, unlike AAV9, indicating that the residues involved in PAV9.1 interactions are also responsible for AAV9 tropism. However, we observed minimal changes in binding and neutralizing titer when we tested these mutant vectors for evasion of polyclonal sera from mice, macaques, or humans previously exposed to AAV. Taken together, these studies demonstrate the complexity of incorporating mapped neutralizing epitopes and previously identified functional motifs into the design of novel capsids able to evade immune response. IMPORTANCE Gene therapy utilizing viral vectors has experienced recent success, culminating in U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the first adeno-associated virus vector gene therapy product in the United States: Luxturna for inherited retinal dystrophy. However, application of this approach to other tissues faces significant barriers. One challenge is the immune response to viral infection or vector administration, precluding patients from receiving an initial or readministered dose of vector, respectively. Here, we mapped the epitope of a novel neutralizing antibody generated in response to this viral vector to design a next-generation capsid to evade immune responses. Epitope-based mutations in the capsid interfered with the binding and neutralizing ability of the antibody but not when tested against polyclonal samples from various sources. Our results suggest that targeted mutation of a greater breadth of neutralizing epitopes will be required to evade the repertoire of neutralizing antibodies responsible for blocking viral vector transduction.
Implicit Learning for Efficient Maintenance Support

Implicit learning is a key to efficiency that our brains provide. Applying implicit learning skills to support real-time maintenance planning is proposed. This paper presents mechanisms where neuroscience concepts and machine learning are integrated. Theoretical justification is given so that, ultimately, efficient real-time system monitoring is achievable.
The surgical anatomy of the dorsal scapular nerve: a triple-tendon transfer perspective.

Background Iatrogenic or traumatic injury to the spinal accessory nerve is a rare but debilitating injury. An effective treatment, known as the Eden-Lange modification triple-tendon transfer procedure, involves the transfer of the rhomboid major (RM), rhomboid minor (Rm), and levator scapulae (LS). Careful detachment of their insertions is necessary to avoid injury of the dorsal scapular nerve (DSN). This study evaluated the surgical anatomy and safety of the DSN relative to this procedure. Methods The study used 12 cadavers (22 shoulders). The RM, Rm, and LS were detached from their insertions, and the DSN was dissected. Measurements were taken to evaluate the anatomy of each relative to the triple-tendon transfer procedure. Additional measurements were taken to identify “danger zones” for DSN injury, regarding detachment of RM, Rm, and LS from their respective insertions. Results Measurements of the 22 shoulders included in the study showed wide variation in anatomy. The minimum distance between the scapula and the DSN at the vertebral scapular border was 0.7 cm, suggesting that care and precision are needed to perform this technique. The region where the DSN crosses the superior border of the Rm was shown to be the greatest “danger zone” of this technique, with a mean distance to the scapula of 1.61 ± 0.53 cm Conclusions This study provides insight into the surgical anatomy of the DSN relative to a rare but successful procedure used to treat trapezius paralysis. The results of this study can inform the surgeon regarding potential anatomic considerations when performing the triple-tendon transfer.
The effect of the duration of preoperative smoking cessation timing on outcomes after elective open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair and lower extremity bypass.

Abstract Objective Smoking has been associated with poor postoperative outcomes across various surgical procedures. However, the effect of quitting smoking preoperatively for elective operations is unclear. Our goal was to assess the temporal effect of smoking cessation before elective lower extremity bypass (LEB) and open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair on perioperative outcomes. Methods The Vascular Quality Initiative was reviewed for all patients with a documented smoking history and who underwent an elective LEB or open AAA repair from 2010 to 2017. Patients were then categorized into three groups: long-term smoking cessation (LTSC; defined as quitting smoking ≥8 weeks before surgery), short-term smoking cessation (STSC; defined as quitting smoking Results We identified 15,950 patients with a documented smoking history who underwent an elective LEB (43.3% LTSC, 2.2% STSC, 54.5% CS) and 5215 patients who underwent an elective open AAA repair (42.9% LTSC, 2.4% STSC, 54.7% CS). LTSC patients compared with STSC and CS, respectively, were more often obese, diabetic, on aspirin, on a statin, had coronary artery disease, and had congestive heart failure, but were less likely to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (all P Conclusions In our propensity-matched, risk-adjusted cohort, LTSC and STSC were not associated with perioperative outcomes after elective LEB. LTSC was associated with a significantly decreased odds of pulmonary complications after elective open AAA repair. STSC was not associated with perioperative outcomes after elective open AAA repair. If time permits, a longer period of smoking cessation should be attempted before elective open AAA repair.
Protein Interaction Domains and Post-Translational Modifications: Structural Features and Drug Discovery Applications.

Background Many pathways regarding healthy cells and/or linked to diseases onset and progression depend on large assemblies including multi-protein complexes. Protein-protein interactions may occur through a vast array of modules known as protein interaction domains (PIDs). Objective This review concerns with PIDs recognizing post-translationally modified peptide sequences and intends to provide the scientific community with state of art knowledge on their 3D structures, binding topologies and potential applications in the drug discovery field. Method Several databases, such as the Pfam (Protein family), the SMART (Simple Modular Architecture Research Tool) and the PDB (Protein Data Bank), were searched to look for different domain families and gain structural information on protein complexes in which particular PIDs are involved. Recent literature on PIDs and related drug discovery campaigns was retrieved through Pubmed and analyzed. Results and conclusion PIDs are rather versatile as concerning their binding preferences. Many of them recognize specifically only determined amino acid stretches with post-translational modifications, a few others are able to interact with several post-translationally modified sequences or with unmodified ones. Many PIDs can be linked to different diseases including cancer. The tremendous amount of available structural data led to the structure-based design of several molecules targeting protein-protein interactions mediated by PIDs, including peptides, peptidomimetics and small compounds. More studies are needed to fully role out, among different families, PIDs that can be considered reliable therapeutic targets, however, attacking PIDs rather than catalytic domains of a particular protein may represent a route to obtain selective inhibitors.
Financing the Gig Economy

In contrast to traditional forms of production, gig economy workers provide their own physical capital. This organization of production creates a tradeoff: On one hand, households can utilize assets for both durable consumption and production. On the other hand, it is often difficult for households to obtain financing. In the context of ride share, a difference-in-difference analysis around ride share entry shows the dual asset use benefit leads households to purchase more cars, increase utilization, and obtain employment, but financial constraints dampen these effects. I quantify this tradeoff with a structural model featuring alternate forms of production and costly finance. The estimated model shows that relative to traditional taxi firms with otherwise identical regulation and technology, gig economy production increases ride quantities by 20%, decreases prices by 30\%, and increases annual welfare by $5 billion. However, the gig economy is uniquely sensitive to household borrowing constraints on the extensive margin: When finance is unavailable to low-income households, these gains evaporate. In contrast, the gig economy is less sensitive to increases in interest rates on the intensive margin: Unlike traditional firms, gig economy production can shift to wealthier households that do not require financing.
Epidermal growth factor receptor in airway remodelling during allergic airway disease – divergent roles during early life and adulthood?

Lung function deficits established in asthmatic children persist into adulthood, but the mechanisms are not well understood. Airway remodelling is a key pathological feature of paediatric and adult asthma and may contribute to loss of lung function. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was shown to be overexpressed in paediatric and adult asthmatics. In addition, several in vivo studies using rodent models of allergic airway disease (AAD) have described a role for EGFR signalling in driving impaired lung function and airway remodelling in adult animals. Here, we aimed to study the role of EGFR in early life AAD. We used flow-sorted murine lung cell populations to investigate EGFR expression at different stages of postnatal development. qPCR analysis revealed high expression of EGFR and ligands primarily in epithelial and structural cells in both neonatal and adult mice and high expression of EGFR on epithelial cells was confirmed by flow cytometry. To assess the role of EGFR during neonatal AAD, an EGFR inhibitor was administered during the last three of five weeks of inhaled allergen exposure. Our findings indicate that EGFR inhibition in neonatal mice resulted in worsened lung function, as measured by a 2-fold increase in airway resistance (area under the curve), whereas lung function in adult mice was unaffected by EGFR inhibition. Interestingly, we did not observe any changes in pulmonary inflammation, allergic sensitisation, mucus production or remodelling-associated gene expression upon EGFR inhibition in either model. These results indicate that EGFR is present in lungs at all stages of life and that, in contrast to its widely described pathogenic contribution to airway remodelling of adult animals, signalling through EGFR may play a protective role during early life AAD.
Estrous response for progestin-based estrous synchronization protocols and subsequent pregnancy rates when using sorted semen in primiparous and multiparous beef cows

Sorted semen is more costly and often results in lower pregnancy rates than unsorted semen. Therefore, it is important to identify estrous synchronization protocols that maximize expression of estrus and AI pregnancy rates when using sorted semen. Our laboratory has observed good synchrony and AI pregnancy rates for cows synchronized with a 14-day CIDR treatment, followed by GnRH on day 16 and prostaglandin F2 (PG) on day 23. In the absence ofluteal progesterone, a 14-day CIDR treatment should result in the development of a persistent follicle. Thus, our protocol might be improved by the addition of PG on day 7 of the CIDR treatment, to ensure endogenous progesterone concentration is low and that a persistent follicle will develop and respond to GnRH given on day 16. This study evaluated the estrous response and subsequent AI pregnancy rate after synchronization of beef cows with a 14-day CIDR protocol, with an additional PG treatment given on day 7 of the CIDR treatment. A secondary objective was to evaluate the effect of time of insemination after onset of estrus on pregnancy rate when sorted semen was used.
Systematic Single Cell Rna Sequencing Analysis Reveals Unique Transcriptional Regulatory Networks of Atoh1-Mediated Hair Cell Conversion in Adult Mouse Cochleae

Regeneration of mammalian cochlear hair cells (HCs) by modulating molecular pathways or transcription factors is a promising approach to hearing restoration; however, immaturity of the regenerated HCs in vivo remains a major challenge. Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets have been critical in identification of transcription factors which regulate the regenerating processes; however, systematic analysis of these datasets, albeit broad interest, has been challenging to many researchers. Here we adopted multiple high-throughput sequencing analytical tools (WGCNA, SCENIC, PAGA, ARACNE-AP and VIPER) and systematically re-analyzed a previously published scRNA-seq dataset during Atoh1-mediated supporting cell (SC) to HC conversion in adult mouse cochleae1. Instead of focusing on differentially expressed genes, our new analysis with WGCNA and SCENIC focuses on connections among co-expressed genes to establish independent expression modules. We independently confirmed the existence of multiple conversion stages during the Atoh1-mediated SC-to-HC conversion process in adult cochleae in vivo. Moreover, we re-analyzed the recently published scRNA-seq datasets of developing neonatal mouse cochleae2 and confirmed that the most differentiated converted HCs of the ectopic Atoh1 expression in adult cochleae resemble endogenous outer HCs (OHCs) at postnatal day 1. Furthermore, our new PAGA trajectory inference analysis revealed that the SC-to-HC conversion process is parallel, but not identical, to the pro-sensory cell-to-OHC path during normal development. Detailed analyses of the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) identified continuous regulatory dynamics for the conversion with multiple key modules and regulons (Nhlh1, Lhx3, Barhl1 and Nfia) that have not been identified previously. Finally, we used ARACNE-AP and VIPER for transcriptional interactions from gene expression data and discovered multiple key master regulators that will likely promote conversion to more mature OHCs. These new results will guide future experimental approaches to HC regeneration for hearing restoration in adult mammalian cochleae in vivo and provide an example as how to perform in-depth analysis with the large amount of scRNA-seq data.
Reaction Time to Light Stimuli in the Peripheral Visual Field

Abstract In an experimental situation involving binocular vision, the reaction time to light stimuli both directly and indirectly perceived was investigated. From the results obtained, it was concluded: (1) reaction time increased as the distance of the response stimulus increased from direct vision; (2) the direction of the response stimulus from direct vision was not a significant variable; and (3) reaction time to response stimuli directly perceived provided an excellent relative index of reaction speed to stimuli indirectly perceived.
Stealing the Blues: Does Intellectual Property Appropriation Belong in the Debate Over African-American Reparations?

Black artists and performers created virtually every original American musical genre, but found their work appropriated wholesale in the early American music industry. The combination of copyright and contract law grafted upon a pervasive system of racial stratification facilitated the widespread exploitation of Black artists. As the debate over reparations for African-Americans proceeds, the systematic deprivation of creative artists deserves consideration within the debate. Claims for theft of creative product overcome some, although certainly not all of the traditional obstacles to reparations. For these reasons, IP deprivations arguably belong in the debate over African-American reparations.
A Review of “Classroom discourse analysis: a tool for critical reflection”

In Classroom discourse analysis: a tool for critical reflection, Betsy Rymes offers a lucid, engaging, compelling account of how discourse analysis can be fruitfully exploited as a self-reflective ...
Preconceptional folic acid‐containing supplement use in the national birth defects prevention study

Background: Despite public health campaigns encouraging women to take a daily folic acid supplement, the proportion of reproductive age women, in the United States, who comply with this recommendation is less than optimal. The objective of this analysis was to identify predictors of preconceptional folic acid-containing supplement use to define subgroups of women who may benefit from targeted folic acid campaigns. Methods: This study included 6570 mothers of live born infants from the control population of National Birth Defects Prevention Study (1997–2005). Logistic regression analyses were used to identify predictors of preconceptional folic acid supplementation. A classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was used to define subgroups of women with different patterns of preconceptional folic acid supplementation. Results: Race/ethnicity, education, age at delivery, nativity, employment, income, number of dependents, smoking, and birth control use were significantly associated with preconceptional folic acid-containing supplement use. Based on a CART analysis, education, race/ethnicity, and age were the most distinguishing factors between women with different preconceptional supplementation patterns. Non-white women with <4 years of a college education were the least likely to use folic acid-containing supplements (11%). However, even in the most compliant subgroup (women with ≥4 years of college), only 60% of women supplemented with folic acid. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the need for continued efforts to increase folic acid supplementation among all reproductive aged women. However, the success of such efforts may be improved if maternal characteristics such as education, race/ethnicity, and age, are considered in the development of future interventions. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 100:472–482, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Elaborating Models of Algebraic Expression-Writing

This paper discusses the refinement of the algebraic expression-writing rules for the PAT Algebra I tutor, between 1992 and 1997. Direct observation of students in class, step-by-step PAT tutor protocols tracing student behavior, and statistical analysis of protocol data, have all informed our understanding of students' skills, and our refinement of this part of PAT's production model.
He 3 polarization-dependent EPR frequency shifts of alkali-metal– He 3 pairs

We present temperature-dependent measurements of the EPR frequency shifts for Na, K, and Rb interacting with polarized $^{3}\mathrm{He}$. K and Na frequency shifts were measured via comparison with Rb frequency shifts (well known at low temperatures) in $\mathrm{Na}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Rb}\ensuremath{-}^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and $\mathrm{K}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Rb}\ensuremath{-}^{3}\mathrm{He}$ spin-exchange cells. The lowered Rb vapor pressure of these ``hybrid'' spin-exchange cells also allowed us to extend the measured temperature dependence of the Rb EPR frequency shifts up to $350\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\mathrm{C}$. This work presents measurements of the EPR frequency shift for Na in $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and significantly extends the temperature range of previous Rb and K EPR frequency shift measurements. These results are critical to the performance of accurate $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ EPR polarimetry in spin-exchange cells.
Developing and Presenting a Teaching Persona: The Tensions of Secondary Preservice Teachers

This qualitative, multiple case study investigated the ways that three preservice secondary teachers developed, presented, and considered their teaching personae. Data for each participant consisted of three interviews, field observations of both teaching and non-teaching, data collection of lessons and class documents, and four journal reflections. Findings show that the participants experienced various tensions as they formed their teaching personae; as they navigated these tensions, they drew on discourses and ideas about good teaching and their various experiences, including the practicum experience. The nature of the interactions between the Cooperating Teacher and preservice teacher pairs contributed to the preservice teachers’ confidence in and understanding of their enacted personae. Implications of the research for teacher training programs include an increased need for reflection on persona and careful matching of CIs and student teachers. Suggestions for further research include investigating the effect of high-quality teacher education programs on persona development and the effects of personae on pupils.
Optimal acceleration of cyclic THB tests for plastic-packaged devices

The authors develop a model for calculating the effective acceleration of a temperature-humidity-bias (THB) stress which alternates between two environmental conditions. A key element of the model is a one-dimensional mathematical description of the moisture-retention properties of the plastic package. The model can be used to find the duty cycle and period of cyclic THB stress which maximizes the cycle-averaged THB acceleration. The authors demonstrate the model by applying it to hypothetical cases in which cyclic bias might be used. The demonstration provides guidelines for application of power cycling for 85/85 and 130/85 HAST stressing. The model requires knowledge of the THB acceleration factor of the die-level failure mechanism as a function of the local temperature, humidity (RH), and bias at the die. The authors use an experimentally determined acceleration factor model for moisture penetration through passivation microcracks. >
Scene image categorization and video event detection using Naive Bayes Nearest Neighbor

We present a detailed study of Naive Bayes Nearest Neighbor (NBNN) proposed by Boiman et al., with application to scene categorization and video event detection. Our study indicates that using Dense-SIFT along with dimensionality reduction using PCA enables NBNN to obtain state-of-the-art results. We demonstrate this on two tasks: (1) scene image categorization on the UIUC 8 Sports Events Image Dataset (obtaining 84.67%) and the MIT 67 Indoor Scene Image Dataset (obtaining 48.84%); and (2) detecting videos depicting certain events of interest on the challenging MED'11 video dataset with only 15 positive training videos per event. We present an extension referred to as sparse-NBNN that constrains the number of training images that can used to match with a given test image for the image-to-class distance computation. Experiments indicate that this improves upon NBNN for handling of imbalanced training data.
Historic trend of the levels of atmospheric H2O2 during 1960's – 1980's in Los Angeles

The historic trend of the levels of gaseous H2O2 during 1960's–1980's in Los Angeles was assessed from field date and numerical simulations. The results indicate that during 1960's–1970's concentrations of H2O2, as well as O3, were likely to have been higher than those during 1980's, For the period 1969–1987, predicted summer peak concentrations of H2O2 and O3 in the ground level atmosphere were in a range of 6–10 ppb and 200–350ppb, respectively. Also H2O2 and 03 concentrations decreased by about 35% and 42% respectively from the levels of 1975 to 1987. Model simulations indicated that the reduction of NMHC and CO emissions from industrial and automotive sources have resulted in the decrease in H2O2 levels during the late 1970's–1980's, whereas the reduction of NMHC, CO and NOx emissions have resulted in lower O3 levels. The role of H2O2 as an oxidant for SO2 and as a possible toxin on trees in Los Angeles and surrounding mountains during the past decades are discussed. From the historic data of atmospheric levels of sulfate in Los Angeles, we suggest that the decrease in the levels of H2O2 and O3 may have contributed to the decrease in sulfite levels during the 1980's.
Discourse—sentence interaction in the speech of language-disordered and normal children

The effects of linguistic complexity were examined on children's story discourse. Four groups of 15 subjects each were used: (a) language-disordered; (b) chronologically age matched with normal language abilities; (c) language-age matched; and (d) language-age matched with articulatory errors. The experimental task was sentence production in a story context. Phonological complexity (syllable length of words) was varied. Errors simplified phonological, syntactic and story structures. Older normals exhibited the fewest phonological errors and the greatest mean-length complexity for the sentences produced. The language-disordered children made more phonological errors than the younger normals, although they did not differ from the younger normals in the mean-length sentence complexity. No differences occurred in the number of phonological errors or mean-length sentence complexity between the language-age-matched groups, ones with and without articulatory errors. All four groups exhibited similar story struct...
Polaron and bipolaron formation in model oligomeric extended π-electron systems: studies towards the rational design of electroactive polymers for non-linear optics applications

Abstract Oligomers related to poly(p-phenylene vinylene) and poly(2,5-thienylene vinylene) can be oxidatively doped with SbCl5 in CH2Cl2 solution, and successive polaron and bipolaron formation can be followed by absorption spectroscopy. Electron-donating groups, such as CH3O, stabilize bipolaron states for several hours at room temperature in contact with moist air, which indicates that highly delocalized oligomeric systems may be useful for modelling approaches to enhancing non-linear optical properties in electroactive polymers in which the size of the delocalized domain plays an important role.
Prolactin increases the density of striatal dopamine receptors in normal and hypophysectomized male rats.

Administration of prolactin to adult male rats, by s.c. injection, significantly increases the density of the striatal dopamine (DA) receptors, without altering the apparent affinity of the receptors for [3H]spiroperidol. Larger doses of prolactin are required to increase the density of the striatal DA receptors in hypophysectomized rates compared to normal rats. These results suggest that prolactin might be the common mediator of the increase in striatal DA receptor density produced by either estrogen or haloperidol administration. Monitoring and/or altering prolactin levels might be informative in neurologic or psychiatric disorders involving striatal DA neurotransmission.
Radionuclide assessment of blood-brain barrier disruption performed for chemotherapy of high grade malignant brain gliomas.

Compared to the conventional mode of chemotherapy of malignant brain gliomas following surgery and radiation therapy, chemotherapy after transient disruption of the blood-brain barrier coupled with intraarterial administration of methotrexate improved median survival from 12–14 to 22 months in our experience. Technetium-99m-DTPA brain scintigraphy played a unique and important role in the documentation of optimum blood-brain barrier disruption. Patients with excellent clinical outcome had significantly (P < 0.0005) better blood-brain barrier disruption than patients with poor outcome. The results indicate that the clinical outcome is related to the degree of blood-brain barrier disruption.
Laser-activated hybrid films for tissue repair and controlled drug release

Light stimulation produced by a laser source can be used to “activate” biomaterials hybridized with suitable nanoparticle transducers. We present two exemplary laser-activated biomaterials we developed and characterized for tissue repair and drug delivery applications
Endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene variation associated with chronic kidney disease after liver transplant.

OBJECTIVE To identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), a prevalent comorbidity, after liver transplant (LT). PATIENTS AND METHODS This study consists of a cohort of adult (≥18 years) primary-LT recipients who had normal renal function before LT and who survived 1 year or more after LT at a high-volume US LT program between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2000. Patients with adequate renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate, ≥40 mL/min per 1.73 m 2 during follow-up; n=308) and patients with incident CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate, 2 after LT; n=92) were identified. To investigate the association of 6 candidate genes with post-LT CKD, we selected SNPs that have been associated with renal function in the literature. Hazard ratios were estimated using Cox regression, adjusted for potential confounding variables. RESULTS The variant allele (298Asp) of the Glu298Asp SNP in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene ( NOS3 ) was significantly associated with CKD after LT ( P =.05; adjusted for multiple comparisons). The 5-year incidence of CKD was 70% among patients homozygous for the NOS3 variant allele (298Asp) compared with 42% among those not homozygous for the NOS3 variant allele. Specifically, homozygosity for the NOS3 variant allele conferred a 2.5-fold increased risk of developing CKD after LT ( P =.005, adjusted for confounding variables). CONCLUSION Homozygosity for the variant allele of NOS3 (298Asp) is associated with CKD after LT and may be useful for identifying recipients at higher risk of post-LT CKD.
The Design Agent Process Strategy

For the past 40 years, the design agent concept of acquisition management has been successfully applied to some of this nation's most important national programs such as the U.S. Navy's Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) guidance systems. A description of this experience, along with related design agent key responsibilities, is presented as a backdrop to a discussion of design agent relevance to future acquisition requirements. Other applications of the design agent concept to avionics are described, along with recommendations for future 6.3 programs.
Stepwise Formation of a Nonsymmetric Dinuclear Copper Complex of Ochratoxin A

The ability of the fungal carcinogen ochratoxin A (OTA, 1) to bind Cu(II) in a stepwise fashion to produce a nonsymmetric dinuclear complex (2) is described. Structural changes in 1 induced by Cu coordination are discussed, as is the catalytic activity of Cu in the lactone hydrolysis of 1 in aqueous media (pH 7.8) at 37 °C.
Cultural Perspectives of Information Technology: The Case of China

This paper has two purposes. First, to explore the cultural context of information technology management in China: cultural tendency, dependism dynamic, and power distance dimension. Second, to apply them specifically to information technology management in China. In this regard, a large number of studies on the management and Chinese culture are cited. Five perspectives of information technology management are investigated: information technology properties, information technology infrastructure, management roles, human resources management, and entering into strategic alliances. General lessons can be learned about the ways in which information technology is managed, or should be managed, in developing countries.