cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RARE-18EXCEPTIONAL RESPONDERS: A PERSONALIZED APPROACH TO TARGETED TREATMENT OF UNCOMMON BRAIN TUMORS

Targeted agents against brain tumors bearing specific pathway activation are postulated to provide significant responses but the utility of this approach has not been consistently shown. We report the use of such targeted therapy in two patients with rare tumors who demonstrated exceptional responses. The first was a 36 year old female who had a temporal dural based tumor with features of an atypical meningioma but with GFAP expression and brain invasion raising the possibility of a dural invasive glial malignancy. After two resections and radiation therapy, the patient rapidly deteriorated due to aggressive recurrence with extensive pan-neuraxis leptomeningeal disease causing quadriparesis, encephalopathy and status epilepticus needing ventilator support and consideration of hospice care. Based on detection of BRAFv600E mutation in the tumor, an IRB approved compassionate IND application for an investigational liquid formulation of dabrafenib was filed with the FDA and treatment initiated. The patient responded to dabrafenib with radiological improvement and respiratory recovery, normalization of mental status, resolution of seizures and recovery of normal strength in her upper extremities but with persistent paraplegia. The improvement remained durable for several months but was compromised by treatment-independent neurologic complications. The second patient was a 68 year old female with a right sphenoid wing skull base mass causing VII and VIII nerve palsies, which on resection was consistent with a perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa). FDG-PET scan-based staging showed extensive asymptomatic hypermetabolic malignancy including a left ovarian mass, a large retroperitoneal mass, and multiple liver and lung metastases. Given that PEComas often demonstrate mTOR pathway activation, the patient was treated with everolimus. Subsequent PET scan showed significant reduction in size and activity of the systemic lesions. These cases illustrate the utility of rationally selected molecular targeted therapy against rare brain neoplasms that can potentially yield exceptional responses.
Palaeoecological Characteristic of Ivanovia cf. manchurica Coral and the Reef Mechanism of the Late-Carboniferous in the South of Guizhou Province

The study of reef-building biont of the Late-Carboniferous in Southern Guizhou rely mainly on alga, such as phylloid-algal and siphonopore algal. In recent years, as what has been studied was deepened, we find some new-type reef-building beings. One of the most important beings are Ivanovia cf. manchurica colony-systlse coral. Observe through the field and office work, we argue that Ivanovia cf. manchurica were one important reef-building beings and generally developed well. In stratum of the Late-Carboniferous palaeoecological characteristic has obvious differences in different environments and the way grows to form the unique ecological type. It has four kinds of growth ways mainly, covering, twining, wrap up and isolated distribution. The ways and the types are determined whether to become reefs and become reef ways and scale of reef. Covering and twining types form more reef not uniform size while wrap up and free-standing types distribute scattered. The reef of Ivanovia cf. manchurica discovery and reef-building biological research enrich the Late-Carboniferous biont types. After the F/F, it offer typical instance and help the reef-building beings research deep to launch the Carboniferous period.
Excitation of the lowest electronic transitions in ethanol by low-energy electrons

We report absolute differential and integral cross sections for electronic excitation of ethanol, by low-energy electron impact. Cross sections for low-lying excited states were measured at incident electron energies from 9 to 20 eV and at scattering angles from 5° through 130°. Our results include cross sections for excitation of the 1^3A" and 1^1A" states as well as for the 2^3A"+ 1^3A' and 2^1A" + 2^1A'+ section sums. Corresponding calculations were also performed using the Schwinger multichannel method, within an 11-channel close-coupling scheme.
Preliminaries: Set Theory and Topology

We assume familiarity with the rudiments of informal set theory including such notions as set, subset, superset, the null set Ɉ, the union or intersection of a family of sets, set difference (A\B), complement (compl A), Cartesian product; functions, domain, range, one-to-one, onto, image, inverse, restriction; partial ordering, linear (or total) ordering, and equivalence relation.
Improved outcomes with surgery vs. medical therapy in non-thymomatous myesthenia gravis: a perspective on the results of a randomized trial

Myasthenia gravis can be a debilitating neurological disorder that affects thousands worldwide. Thymectomy has historically been considered in patients refractory to medical therapy or with concurrent thymoma. While retrospective data and propensity matched trials have favored thymectomy in order to decrease disease severity and disease associated morbidity, no randomized data existed to clearly delineate the benefit of this practice. The reviewed paper by Wolfe et al . represents the first high-level randomized prospective study investigating the role of thymectomy in patients with non-thymomatous myasthenia gravis. In a subset of antibody positive patients undergoing thymectomy within 5 years of disease onset, the study demonstrated a decrease in steroid use, hospitalization and overall disease severity compared to patients receiving best medical therapy alone. This work provides a sound evidence-based foundation to strongly consider thymectomy early in the disease process, and possibly for expanded indications. Additionally, the onus lies on surgeons to identify the most efficacious and least morbid approaches to these operations, whether they be open, minimally invasive, robotic, or otherwise.
Targeting HDAC6 Is a Novel Approach to Augment the Therapeutic Benefit of Bromodomain Inhibition in Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell disease that represents the second most common adult hematologic malignancy in the United States. Advances in the treatment of MM, including the development of proteasome inhibitors have improved clinical outcomes. However, many patients fail to respond to these newer agents or relapse after initial response. Constitutive activation of the MYC oncogene is a frequent pathogenic event in MM that drives disease progression making it an ideal therapeutic target. Recent studies suggest that inhibition of bromodomain and extra terminal (BET) protein family members including BRD4 decreases the expression of c-MYC and other key oncogenic factors such as BCL-2 and displays significant activity against MM. Here, we demonstrate that shRNA-mediated knockdown of BRD4 or treatment with the BRD4 antagonist JQ1 decreased the expression of c-MYC, BCL-2, and BCL-XL, diminished cell viability, disrupted clonogenic survival, and triggered apoptosis in a panel of MM cell lines. Subsequent assays conducted in MM cell lines confirmed a strong reduction in MYC levels and activity following treatment with JQ1 along with consistent increases in the expression of genes regulated by BRD4 including CDKN1A and HEXIM1. Interestingly, gene expression profiling assays revealed that the histone deacetylase HDAC6 was also highly significantly elevated in all MM cell lines and primary patient specimens treated with JQ1. Based on its ability to alter cellular survival capacity, we hypothesized that HDAC6 induction may reduce the anti-myeloma activity of JQ1. To test this hypothesis, we utilized shRNA-mediated knockdown of HDAC6, the pan-HDAC inhibitor vorinostat, and the HDAC6-selective inhibitor ACY-1215 (rocilinostat) and evaluated the impact of each on the anti-MM effects of JQ1. Abrogation of HDAC6 activity synergistically enhanced the activity of JQ1 in a panel of MM cell lines. These effects were also observed in primary CD138+ cells obtained from patients with MM in a manner that was not affected by prior treatment history. The increased efficacy of these therapeutic combinations was associated with apoptosis induction as evidenced by enhanced caspase-3 cleavage and further reductions in c-MYC expression. These data suggest that HDAC6 induction may represent a key mechanism that promotes drug resistance and/or limits the efficacy of bromodomain inhibitor therapy. Our collective findings indicate that abrogation of HDAC6 activity with ACY-1215 or vorinostat is a novel and promising approach to augment the efficacy of bromodomain inhibitors for MM that warrants further investigation. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Characteristics of Firms with Material Weaknesses in Internal Control: An Assessment of Section 404 of Sarbanes Oxley

The legislation known as Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) requires firms to assess their internal controls over financial reporting and to report material weaknesses, as defined by the Public Accounting Oversight Board. Based upon early evidence, we find that firms with material weaknesses are, on average, both smaller and worse performers than their matched industry counterparts. We also find that firms with material weaknesses, on average, have higher betas, suggesting a higher discount by the market for these firms. From a macro-economic view, the total market value of firms with reported material weaknesses is only 1.28% of the market value of the S&P 500 firms. Finally, although we document negative stock returns on the date of the announcement of the material weakness, over a narrow interval, the returns are insignificant. Identifying small firms that collectively constitute a minor portion of the economy at a very high cost to all public firms seems out of balance. Whether SOX will yield benefits to corporations through better operations, reduced cost of capital, or other means remains to be seen. Moreover, if these benefits materialize, whether they should, in effect, be legislated is a matter of debate. Although some maintain that SOX will reduce earnings management, firms continue to manage earnings through pro forma earnings. Furthermore, although the SEC's Reg G, also enacted as part of SOX legislation, makes the "managed disclosure system" through pro forma earnings more transparent, it fails to exercise control over the reconciliation process that firms use both to set and to meet analyst earnings estimates.
Selecting cotton yield response function to estimate profit-maximizing potassium fertilization rates for cotton production in Tennessee

ABSTRACTRecent research has shown that stochastic yield response functions fit data better than deterministic yield response functions; however, little research exists comparing profit-maximizing fertilizer rates for upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) using stochastic and deterministic yield response functions. The objective of this research was to determine the most appropriate yield response functional form from which to determine the profit-maximizing potassium (K) rate for cotton in Tennessee. Data were used from a nine-year K fertilizer experiment in Jackson, Tennessee. Quadratic, quadratic-plus-plateau, linear response plateau, and linear response stochastic plateau response functions were estimated to determine the yield response function that best fit the data. The linear response stochastic plateau function was the most suitable yield response function for the data. The profit-maximizing K rate ranged from 65.2 to 74.3 kg K ha−1. Misspecification of the yield response function recommended over...
Career Certainty and Major Satisfaction: The Roles of Information-Seeking and Occupational Knowledge

Information-seeking is conceptualized by multiple career decision-making models but has received insufficient attention in the literature. This may be in part due to the difficulty in assessing the...
Jury Rigging and Supply Network Design: Evolutionary “Tinkering” in the presence of Unknown-Unknowns

Nobel laureate Francois Jacob wrote often about evolution as “tinkering” in which parts and processes alone or together in cells and organisms were co-opted for new functional purposes. Such behavior remains unexamined concerning how adaptive systems succeed in biology, supply networks, the economy, and beyond. In the presence of Unknown-Unknown events (Unk-Unks) that have no prior occurrences and are evident only in their realizations, the design of supply networks must allow for developing adaptive capabilities at the firm-level. When done right, such organic development in the supply network would mimic a biological phenomenon of tinkering and natural selection. We describe enabling such adaptive processes as jury rigging. We discuss how firms could design their supply networks and organize their supply network ex-ante that enables the network members to respond to Unk-Unks in an innovative way through jury rigging of their relationships. Development of such jury rigging capabilities requires integrative suppliers with deep embedded relationships, enabled through appropriate incentives that include incomplete contracts with the suppliers and sharing of unspecified decision rights. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Development and validation of the brief regulation of motivation scale

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop and establish evidence supporting the validity of a brief scale designed to assess college students' regulation of motivation. This scale, titled the Brief Regulation of Motivation Scale, is more manageable to administer and intuitive to interpret compared to previous lengthy multidimensional scales. With a sample of 396 college students, multiple sources of validity evidence were examined. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported two separate factors subsequently titled regulation of motivation and willpower. The patterns of correlations between the two factors and critical aspects of self-regulated learning (e.g., motivation, learning strategies) were consistent with theoretical expectations. Only the regulation of motivation factor successfully predicted students' reported use of cognitive and metacognitive strategies and their procrastination. Overall, we found stronger support for the validity of regulation of motivation scale, by itself, as an indicator of students' general tendency to self-regulate their motivation.
Imaging to Assess Ischemic Heart Disease in Women.

Ischemic heart disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for women and men around the world. However, traditional cardiovascular risk factors do not fully capture cardiac risk in women. This review summarizes sex-based differences in the clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and risk assessment of ischemic heart disease. We also examine the use of anatomic and functional imaging modalities in the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease in women. Recent studies with women subjects have bolstered the predictive value of the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score in predicting atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk and major adverse cardiac events in a graded fashion. In addition, combined CAC scoring and coronary computed tomography (CCTA) has shown promise in excluding coronary artery disease (CAD). Using CCTA, data have suggested that increasing cardiovascular risk factors are associated with an increase in noncalcified coronary plaque in women compared with an increase in both calcified and noncalcified plaque in men with cardiac risk factors. Some data have suggested that women obtain greater prognostic benefit from CCTA than from other noninvasive tests. Fractional flow reserve obtained from a CCTA (FFRCT) is a new mathematical assessment of coronary blood flow that determines the presence of lesion-specific myocardial ischemia. Prevention and identification of ischemic heart disease remains a foundation of cardiology and public health. In women, atypical symptoms and limitations in traditional risk factor assessment lead to challenges in the identification of ischemic heart disease. With improvements in technologies such as CAC scoring, CCTA, instantaneous flow reserve (iFR), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and FFRCT, there is great promise for identification of ischemic heart disease, and the future of prevention in women. Future studies with strong female representation should investigate the role of novel imaging techniques in women.
Hydralazine pharmacodynamics in the dog.

The pharmacodynamics of hydralazine, an arteriolar dilator, were studied in dogs with induced heart failure. The dogs were studied 5 days after heart failure was induced by injecting microspheres into the left circumflex coronary artery. All dogs had a stroke volume index less than 25 ml/beat/m2 of body surface and a left ventricular filling pressure greater than or equal to 16 mm of Hg. Approximately 1 mg of hydralazine/kg of body weight was administered orally each hour until the total systemic resistance index decreased below 1,700 dynes . s X cm-5 X m2. The drug effect was monitored hemodynamically until it dissipated. Hydralazine increased the cardiac index from 3.06 +/- 0.47 (+/- SD) to 6.81 +/- 0.87 L/min/m2 (P less than 0.01), stroke volume index from 20.9 +/- 1.6 to 36.8 +/- 9.3 ml/beat/m2 (P less than 0.01), and heart rate from 146.2 +/- 17.2 to 187.8 +/- 42.8 beats/min (P less than 0.05). It decreased mean arterial pressure from 111.5 +/- 20.4 to 83.8 +/- 4.7 mm of Hg (P less than 0.05) and total systemic resistance index from 2,903 +/- 149 to 992 +/- 83 dynes . s X cm-5 X m2 (P less than 0.001). It did not affect left ventricular filling pressure or contractility. Peak drug effect occurred at 3 to 5 hours after drug administration and duration of effect was 11 to 13 hours. Recurrence of ventricular dysrhythmias occurred in 2 dogs and 1 dog died during a recurrence. Hydralazine improved cardiac performance in the dog with left ventricular failure.
SIMPLE METAL-ON-PLASTICS PATTERNING BY PULSED ELECTRON BEAM IN SOFT VACUUM

Direct patterning of polyimide images with a built-on-metal layer can be accomplished by electron beam exposures of doped polyamic acid films, followed by wet development in NMP and subsequent heating and curing to polyimide films. During curing at 300°C the metal salts converted to metal and migrated to the top surface of polyimide films. Additional electron beam exposures of images assisted metal film formation. Auger electron and Rutherfold backscattering spectroscopic analyses were carried out to confirm metal migration to the surface. Silver nitrate, gold mercaptide and cupric chloride were used as dopants in polyamic acid films.
Effect of Gossypol on DNA Synthesis in Mammalian Cells

Gossypol, a yellow phenolic compound, extracted from cotton seed and plant parts has been shown to be an effec­tive male contraceptive in China, which induces structural abnormalities in sperm and reduces the sperm count by 99.9% in the subjects tested (8). Eventhough gossypol does not appear to be a mutagen according to the Ames test (3) and the sperm head abnormality assay in mice (6), it has been shown to reduce the mitotic index in phytohemagglutinin­stimulated human peripheral blood lymphocytes (14). Gos­sypol is known to inhibit the activity of several enzymes, including various dehydrogenases, ATPase, and other en­zymes involved in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (1,5,7,9). Gossypol was reported to have no effect on the incidence of chromosome breakage or ploidy but reduced the mitotic index and the rates of DNA, RNA and protein syn­thesis in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and in human lymphocytes (16). Subsequently Wang and Rao (15) have shown that gossypol is a specific inhibitor of DNA synthesis in cultured cells. In the prescence of the drug, cells can enter S phase but fail to complete replication. Hence the objective of the present study was to examine the mecha­nism for the gossypol-induced inhibition of DNA synthesis in mammalian cells.
Mask-free fabrication and chemical vapor deposition synthesis of ultrathin zinc oxide microribbons on Si/SiO2 and 2D substrates

The authors report on fabrication and characterization of thin ZnO microribbons with controlled geometry produced on different substrates via direct-write patterning (DWP) approach. A two-step process was employed to produce controlled patterns of thin ZnO microribbons. DWP of Fe-catalytic ink and subsequent chemical vapor deposition synthesis was utilized in the fabrication of ZnO microribbons. It was found that iron-catalytic ink promoted the formation of ZnO nanostructures at patterned locations. High-quality ZnO microribbons were fabricated with optimized patterning parameters and the growth conditions. The ability to control the geometric dimensions of the thickness of ZnO microribbons on Si/SiO2 was demonstrated through the adjustment of the writing speeds. It was found that higher speed of writing resulted in thinner ZnO microribbons, while slower speeds facilitated the thicker microribbons formation during the growth. Arrays of ZnO microribbons with controlled thicknesses, of 2, 4, and 8 nm, were produced on Si/SiO2 substrate with the widths ranging from 3 to 6 μm. This simple and scalable two-step protocol was also employed to produce arrays of ZnO microribbons on 2D materials, such as graphene (Gr) and boron nitride (BN) thin films, effectively creating ZnO/2D heterostructures. These experiments demonstrated the compatibility of Gr and BN surfaces with the ZnO fabrication process and could provide opportunities for scalable integration of patterned ZnO thin film into different types of architectures for improved and more efficient devices and potentially scalable technologies.The authors report on fabrication and characterization of thin ZnO microribbons with controlled geometry produced on different substrates via direct-write patterning (DWP) approach. A two-step process was employed to produce controlled patterns of thin ZnO microribbons. DWP of Fe-catalytic ink and subsequent chemical vapor deposition synthesis was utilized in the fabrication of ZnO microribbons. It was found that iron-catalytic ink promoted the formation of ZnO nanostructures at patterned locations. High-quality ZnO microribbons were fabricated with optimized patterning parameters and the growth conditions. The ability to control the geometric dimensions of the thickness of ZnO microribbons on Si/SiO2 was demonstrated through the adjustment of the writing speeds. It was found that higher speed of writing resulted in thinner ZnO microribbons, while slower speeds facilitated the thicker microribbons formation during the growth. Arrays of ZnO microribbons with controlled thicknesses, of 2, 4, and 8 nm, were ...
Having More Choices Changes How Human Observers Weight Stable Sensory Evidence

Decision-making becomes slower when more choices are available. Existing models attribute this slowing to poor sensory processing, to attenuated rates of sensory evidence accumulation, or to increases in the amount of evidence required before committing to a decision (a higher decision threshold). However, studies have not isolated the effects of having more choices on sensory and decision-related processes from changes in task difficulty and divided attention. Here, we controlled task difficulty while independently manipulating the distribution of attention and the number of choices available to male and female human observers. We used EEG to measure steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs) and a frontal late positive deflection (LPD), EEG markers of sensory and postsensory decision-related processes, respectively. We found that dividing attention decreased SSVEP and LPD amplitudes, consistent with dampened sensory responses and slower rates of evidence accumulation, respectively. In contrast, having more choices did not alter SSVEP amplitude and led to a larger LPD. These results suggest that having more options largely spares early sensory processing and slows down decision-making via a selective increase in decision thresholds.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT When more choices are available, decision-making becomes slower. We tested whether this phenomenon is due to poor sensory processing, to reduced rates of evidence accumulation, or to increases in the amount of evidence required before committing to a decision (a higher decision threshold). We measured choice modulations of sensory and decision-related neural responses using EEG. We also minimized potential confounds from changes in the distribution of attention and task difficulty, which often covary with having more choices. Dividing attention reduced the activity levels of both sensory and decision-related responses. However, having more choices did not change sensory processing and led to larger decision-related responses. These results suggest that having more choices spares sensory processing and selectively increases decision thresholds.
CVAD Homecare Management: Investigating the Use of a Digital Education Tool During Nurse-Delivered Instruction to Parents for New Central Lines in Children With Cancer

Background Research on parent understanding of homecare management of external central venous access devices (CVADs) for children with cancer is limited. Objectives The goal was to investigate whether the use of a DVD education intervention reduced adverse complications and improved parent education for homecare management of CVADs for pediatric patients with cancer. Methods Participants were randomized to an experimental group (DVD and nurse teaching) or a control group (nurse teaching). Postintervention evaluation included parent satisfaction and CVAD knowledge proficiency, blood infection rates, use of alteplase, and CVAD replacement. Findings Fifty-four enrolled caregiver-patient dyads completed the study measures, with 21 dyads assigned to the control group and 33 assigned to the experimental group. Alteplase was ordered significantly less often in the experimental group. No other findings were significant.
Sourcing and Procurement Cost Allocation in Multi-Division Firms

Through Central Procurement Organizations (CPOs), large firms with multiple divisions have begun adopting a center‐led sourcing approach that allows firms to centralize strategic sourcing activities, while permitting decentralized execution by divisions, allowing the firm to leverage large purchase volumes with vendors. This new center‐led procurement environment has brought a new decision requirement: How should a CPO select vendors for each division's requirements to minimize the firm's total procurement cost and simultaneously develop a fair and alignment‐inducing mechanism to allocate the costs (and savings) of company‐wide procurement to the divisions? Past research and current practice have not addressed this linkage between vendor selection and cost allocation in multi‐division firms. This work models this sourcing and procurement cost allocation (SPC) problem facing CPOs of large firms as a mixed‐integer optimization problem. This model is flexible and can incorporate several commonly‐used cost allocation rules. We show that the SPC problem is NP‐hard. Therefore, to support practical decision‐making in this context, we develop a tailored solution approach for the SPC problem. Our approach enhances the base model by adding strong valid inequalities. We tested our model and its enhancements in an extensive numerical study, solving over 160 instances. Results reveal that (a) the CPO can ensure fair cost allocation at a modest cost (relative to the centralized solution) with our model, and (b) the proposed tailored approach is effective and necessary in solving a wide variety of instances.
A local maximum likelihood model of crop yield distributions

In this note, we propose a local maximum likelihood estimator for spatially‐dependent distributions. Our estimator adopts the Poisson regression approach for density ratio models and incorporates spatial smoothing via local regression. We also present a method of smoothing parameter selection. We illustrate this easy‐to‐implement estimator with an application to the estimation of corn yield distributions of Iowa counties. The usefulness of the approach is further demonstrated via an application to the estimation of crop insurance premium.
The Internet after COVID-19: Will we Mind the Gaps?

While the Internet infrastructure is holding up remarkably well during the COVID-19 crisis, our global stress test is also revealing key gaps in how industries and individuals have or have not adopted digital solutions for both regular and emergency use. We propose an initiative, a cross between the National Broadband Plan and the 9/11 Commission, that will quickly analyze digital readiness as revealed during the crisis, and provide recommendations to policymakers and industry. The goal of these recommendations will be both to respond to and, where possible, avoid future crises.
Diagnosis and treatment of infectious mononucleosis associated Epstein-Barr virus and its complications

Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)is one of the most common viruses,prevails among more than 90% of the adult population worldwide.Most primary infections occur during young childhood and cause no or only nonspecific symptoms.whereas infections during late adolescence or in adults can result in infectious mononucleosis.Then the virus becomes latent and resides in lymphocytes in the peripheral blood,rendering the infected individual a lifelong EBV carrier.The purpose of this article is to describe the diagnosis and treat-ment of infectious mononucleosis associated with EBV infection and its complications. Key words: Epstein-Barr virus; Infectious mononucleosis; Diagnosis; Treatment
The Aspergillus nidulans IQGAP orthologue SepG is required for constriction of the contractile actomyosin ring.

Abstract In this research we report that the sepG1 mutation in Aspergillus nidulans resides in gene AN9463, which is predicted to encode an IQGAP orthologue. The genetic lesion is predicted to result in a G-to-R substitution at residue 1637 of the 1737-residue protein in a highly conserved region of the RasGAP-C-terminal (RGCT) domain. When grown at restrictive temperature, strains expressing the sepGG1637R (sepG1) allele are aseptate, with reduced colony growth and aberrantly formed conidiophores. The aseptate condition can be replicated by deletion of AN9463 or by downregulating its expression via introduced promoters. The mutation does not prevent assembly of a cortical contractile actomyosin ring (CAR) at putative septation sites, but tight compaction of the rings is impaired and the rings fail to constrict. Both GFP::SepG wild type and the GFP-tagged product of the sepG1 allele localize to the CAR at both permissive and restrictive temperatures. Downregulation of myoB (encoding the A. nidulans type-II myosin heavy chain) does not prevent formation of SepG rings at septation sites, but filamentous actin is required for CAR localization of SepG and MyoB. We identify fourteen probable IQ-motifs (EF-hand protein binding sites) in the predicted SepG sequence. Two of the A. nidulans EF-hand proteins, myosin essential light chain (AnCdc4) and myosin regulatory light chain (MrlC), colocalize with SepG and MyoB at all stages of CAR formation and constriction. However, calmodulin (CamA) appears at septation sites only after the CAR has become fully compacted. When expression of sepG is downregulated, leaving MyoB as the sole IQ-motif protein in the pre-compaction CAR, both MrlC and AnCdc4 continue to associate with the forming CAR. When myoB expression is downregulated, leaving SepG as the sole IQ-motif protein in the CAR, AnCdc4 association with the forming CAR continues but MrlC fails to associate. This supports a model in which the IQ motifs of MyoB bind both MrlC and AnCdc4, while the IQ motifs of SepG bind only AnCdc4. Downregulation of either mrlC or Ancdc4 results in an aseptate phenotype, but has no effect on association of either SepG or MyoB with the CAR.
Electromagnetic-triboelectric-hybrid energy tile for biomechanical green energy harvesting

Abstract Since the invention of Piezoelectric Nanogenerator in 2006, nanogenerators has become an attractive technology to the researchers for scavenging mechanical energy from the ambient environment for real life applications. Hybridization of these nanogenerators has been one of the effective techniques to maximize its output performance. In this work, a Triboelectric Nanogenerator (TENG) and Electro Magnetic Generator (EMG) based hybrid floor-tile has been developed to utilize the biomechanical energy from human footsteps. The TENG consists of oppositely charged layers of conductive aluminum and high-polarized Kapton with a layer of MoS2 as electron acceptor. On the other hand, the EMG is composed of copper coils and neodymium magnets. The output open circuit voltage and short circuit current of the device was tested at variable load (50 l b, 100 l b and 200 l b) and frequency of footsteps (60BPM, 90BPM, 120BPM). The device was further integrated with a bridge rectifier to test its capability to convert Alternative Current (AC) signal into Direct Current (DC) signal. The maximum open circuit voltage and short-circuit current was noted as 1200 V and 5 mA respectively. The output power of this energy harvesting device can be high as 6 W. This hybrid nanogenerator produces 25 times more open-circuit voltage and 20% more power in comparison to a commercially sold energy-harvester floor tile, Pavegen. The developed hybrid NG based floor-tile allows for cost-effective, green, and sustainable energy conversion and promotes sustainable development.
DSP: a deep learning based approach to extend the lifetime of wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) equipped with batteries and solar panels enabled applications in areas such as environmental monitoring, agricultural, military, and medical systems. Research has shown that batteries often fail earlier than their projected lifetime. Sensor-nodes with solar panels placed in areas with sufficient sunlight can have their batteries recharged and can stay online for longer periods. However, areas with insufficient sunlight may need further adjustments. In this study, we present a dynamic sleep protocol (DSP) to forecast the lifetime of a sensor-node by dynamically adjusting the sleep period between transmissions. We have used a deep recurrent neural network (RNN) with long short term memory (LSTM) units to forecast the lifetime of the batteries and have discussed potential optimisation functions to adjust the sleep period. Our results have shown that an accurate identification of the battery lifetime with accurate adjustments would lead to longer operating hours without sacrificing the system performance.
Expression of an Extracellular Protein (SMU.63) Is Regulated by SprV in Streptococcus mutans.

ABSTRACT In Streptococcus mutans, SprV (SMU.2137) is a pleiotropic regulator that differentially regulates genes related to competence, mutacin production, biofilm formation, and the stress tolerance response, along with some other pathways. In this study, we established a link between SprV and an ∼67-kDa protein in the culture supernatant of strain UA159 that was later confirmed as SMU.63 by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis. We discovered that SprV downregulates the transcription and translation of SMU.63. We found that the seven amino acids from the C-terminal region of SprV were also crucial for the expression of SMU.63. Deletion of smu.63 led to increased sucrose-independent biofilm formation and competence. The sprV deletion also increased biofilm formation although this could be partially attributed to the downregulation of smu.63. In an smu.63 sprV double mutant, a synergistic effect was observed in biofilm formation in contrast to effects on competence development. We found that low or excess magnesium ion repressed sprV transcription that, in turn, affected the expression of smu.63. As expected, a magnesium ion-dependent effect of competence and biofilm formation was observed in the UA159 strain. We also replicated the results of SMU.63 expression and competence in S. mutans GS5 that encodes both SprV and SMU.63 homologs and found that the GS5 strain behaves similarly to the UA159 strain, indicating that SprV’s effect is strain independent. IMPORTANCE We previously identified a pleiotropic regulator, SprV, in Streptococcus mutans. This regulator appears to be highly conserved among streptococci. Here, we showed that SprV regulates the expression of a secreted protein encoded by SMU.63 in S. mutans. SMU.63 has been known to impact biofilm formation and genetic competence, two important characteristics that help in colonization of the organism. SMU.63 is also unique since it is known to form amyloid fiber. We found that SprV regulates the expression of SMU.63 at both the transcriptional and translational levels. We also found that the expression of SprV is regulated by magnesium ion concentration. Interestingly, both low and high magnesium ion concentrations affected biofilm formation and genetic competence. Since SMU.63 is also highly conserved among streptococci, we hypothesized that SprV will have a similar effect on its expression.
Central Banks, Monetary Policy, and the Economy

This chapter starts by providing a brief history of the Federal Reserve System (the Fed), the central bank of the United States. Then, I go over the tools that the Fed uses to conduct monetary policy. The chapter provides historical perspective of what we have learned over the years about the conduct of monetary policy and how it affects the economy.
Early adversity and children's emotion regulation: Differential roles of parent emotion regulation and adversity exposure

Exposure to early life adversity (ELA) is associated with increased rates of psychopathology and poor physical health. The present study builds on foundational work by Megan Gunnar identifying how ELA results in poor long-term outcomes through alterations in the stress response system, leading to major disruptions in emotional and behavioral regulation. Specifically, the present study tested the direct effects of ELA against the role of parent socialization to shed light on the mechanisms by which ELA leads to emotion regulation deficits. Children ages 4-7 years (N = 64) completed interviews about their experiences of deprivation and threat, a fear conditioning and extinction paradigm, and an IQ test. Parents of the children completed questionnaires regarding their own emotion regulation difficulties and psychopathology, their children's emotion regulation, and child exposure to adversity. At the bivariate level, greater exposure to threat and parental difficulties with emotion regulation were associated with poorer emotion regulation in children, assessed both via parental report and physiologically. In models where parental difficulties with emotion regulation, threat, and deprivation were introduced simultaneously, regression results indicated that parental difficulties with emotion regulation, but not deprivation or threat, continued to predict children's emotion regulation abilities. These results suggest that parental socialization of emotion is a robust predictor of emotion regulation tendencies in children exposed to early adversity.
Reduced Quality and an Unlevel Playing Field Make Consumers Happier

We study a model of imperfect competition and limited production capacity, in which a choice of low product quality enables firms to increase total production. We find that in the presence of limited capacity, such reduced quality often results in increased social welfare. We also explore the relation between the extent of competition and the choice of quality. We find that, in some cases, reduced competition leads to increased production, decreased average quality, increases total welfare, and makes consumers better off. We next show that where the duopolists have different capacities, the small firm would always be willing to pay more than the large firm for an additional unit of capacity offered by an outside party. In contrast, a sale of a small capacity increment from the small to the large firm would sometimes increase total firms' profits. Last, we consider the possibility of a regulator-mandated quality standards. We demonstrate that such an intervention could either increase or decrease welfare, in either a monopoly or a duopoly market.
Non-Orthogonal Modulation for Short Packets in Massive Machine Type Communications

Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) enables novel applications but its dense deployment and short packet properties lead to new challenges for physical layer design. This paper investigates hyper-dimensional modulation (HDM), a recently proposed novel non-orthogonal modulation, for short packet communications with superior interference tolerance in mMTC. We propose a new tree-based K-best decoding algorithm for HDM to improve the packet error rate performance in both additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and interference-limited scenarios. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve 0.5 – 4 dB gain in AWGN and interference-limited channels compared to the Polar code with CRC (cyclic redundancy check)-aided list decoding.
Response rates in acute myeloid leukemia patients treated with attenuated durations of venetoclax in combination with hypomethylating agents.

e19008Background: The combination of the Bcl-2 inhibitor, venetoclax, with hypomethylating agents (HMA) recently emerged as an efficacious treatment for older adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AM...
Gigahertz Ultrasonic Imaging of Nematodes in Liquids, Soil, and Air

Plant parasitic nematodes are soil-borne microscopic worms that parasitize plant roots, reducing crop yields for economically important crops such as soybeans, sugar beets, and strawberries, to name a few. This paper presents the concept of using a GHz ultrasonic imaging array to image nematodes, as a way to quantify nematode populations within soil. A 128-pixel by 128-pixel, 1.85 GHz monolithic CMOS integrated ultrasonic imager was successfully used to image nematodes in moist soil, air, and thin layers of water.
Learner-Centered Principles and Practices: Enhancing Motivation and Achievement for Children with Learning Challenges and Disabilities

Abstract This chapter begins with an introduction of issues regarding children with special needs, followed by a description of the learner-centered psychological principles (LCPs) currently disseminated by the American Psychological Association (APA, 1997). The implications of the LCPs for instructional practices are then discussed, with a particular focus on practices that meet the motivational and learning needs of children with learning challenges and disabilities. The chapter concludes with specific recommendations for practice, policy, and research that would be expected to enhance the motivation and achievement of special needs children.
Spectral embedding finds meaningful (relevant) structure in image and microarray data

Accurate methods for extraction of meaningful patterns in high dimensional data have become increasingly important with the recent generation of data types containing measurements across thousands of variables. Principal components analysis (PCA) is a linear dimensionality reduction (DR) method that is unsupervised in that it relies only on the data; projections are calculated in Euclidean or a similar linear space and do not use tuning parameters for optimizing the fit to the data. However, relationships within sets of nonlinear data types, such as biological networks or images, are frequently mis-rendered into a low dimensional space by linear methods. Nonlinear methods, in contrast, attempt to model important aspects of the underlying data structure, often requiring parameter(s) fitting to the data type of interest. In many cases, the optimal parameter values vary when different classification algorithms are applied on the same rendered subspace, making the results of such methods highly dependent upon the type of classifier implemented. We present the results of applying the spectral method of Lafon, a nonlinear DR method based on the weighted graph Laplacian, that minimizes the requirements for such parameter optimization for two biological data types. We demonstrate that it is successful in determining implicit ordering of brain slice image data and in classifying separate species in microarray data, as compared to two conventional linear methods and three nonlinear methods (one of which is an alternative spectral method). This spectral implementation is shown to provide more meaningful information, by preserving important relationships, than the methods of DR presented for comparison. Tuning parameter fitting is simple and is a general, rather than data type or experiment specific approach, for the two datasets analyzed here. Tuning parameter optimization is minimized in the DR step to each subsequent classification method, enabling the possibility of valid cross-experiment comparisons. Results from the spectral method presented here exhibit the desirable properties of preserving meaningful nonlinear relationships in lower dimensional space and requiring minimal parameter fitting, providing a useful algorithm for purposes of visualization and classification across diverse datasets, a common challenge in systems biology.
From Quinlan to Schiavo: medical, ethical, and legal issues in severe brain injury

The battle over the life and death of Terri Schiavo was only the most recent medical ethics case to catch the public's attention. This case asked both the individuals involved and our society in general to make moral judgments about the appropriateness of a decision to maintain or withdraw life-sustaining treatment. As a practicing medical ethicist and an observer of the case, I was startled by the degree of misunderstanding about different types of brain injury and by more than a few misstatements about the medical facts of the case. Mrs. Schiavo was described at various times as comatose, brain dead, vegetative, minimally conscious, locked in, and disabled. These are mutually exclusive conditions. This failure of the media, politicians, and even some physicians who should know better to accurately describe Mrs. Schiavo's medical condition was particularly disturbing, because good medical ethics begins not with the discipline of ethics but with good clinical medicine. Appropriate moral judgments about medical treatment decisions cannot be made without first understanding the relevant clinical medicine. In this article, I review the differences between coma, brain death, the vegetative state, and other profound brain injuries. I then review the Quinlan, Cruzan, and Schiavo cases to explore various legal aspects and close with reflections on some of the ethical issues related to treatment of patients with profound brain injuries.
Some of the Small Print on Managed CareProposals for End-Stage Renal Disease

In this article we discuss selected issues related to Medicare's end-stage renal disease (ESRD) managed care demonstration project and Congressional proposals to remove the barrier to ESRD patients enrolling in Medicare managed care plans. We discuss financial incentives to keep patients healthy; beneficiary obligations under fee-for-service and managed care; risk selection by beneficiaries among plans; and the baseline determination of a capitation rate. The ESRD demonstration offers the opportunity to evaluate the consequences of making Medicare managed care options available to a high cost and clinically vulnerable population. Careful evaluation is necessary to ensure that ESRD managed care options are structured to be beneficial to taxpayers, caregivers, and, most importantly, the beneficiaries choosing these options. Certainly, the potential exists for managed care to benefit patients by changing the fractured system in which each provider only has an incentive to worry about its own costs. However, the possible unintended consequences highlighted in this article strongly suggest that the evaluation of the demonstration project be undertaken before managed care options are made widely available outside the demonstration sites. Problems of a more technical nature, such as how to best use available Health Care Financing Administration data in the rate-setting process, are likely to be overcome, but the time and effort necessary to resolve them should not be underestimated