cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pressure Induced Isostructural Metastable Phase Transition of Ammonium Nitrate

The energetic material ammonium nitrate (AN, NH4NO3) has been studied under both hydrostatic and nonhydro- static conditions using diamond anvil cells combined with micro- Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction. The refined powder X-ray data indicates that under hydrostatic conditions AN-IV (orthorhombic,Pmmn) is stable to above 40 GPa. In one nonhydrostatic compression experiment a volume collapse was observed, suggesting an isostructural phase transition to a "metastable" phase IV 0 between 17 and 28 GPa. The structures of phase IV and IV 0 are similar with the subtle difference in the hydrogen-bonding network; that is, a noticeably shorter N1 333 O1 distance seen in phase IV 0 . This hydrogen bond has a significant component along the b-axis, which proves to be the most compres- sible until cell axis over the entire pressure range. It is likely that the shear stress of the nonhydrostatic experiment drives the phase IV-to-IV 0 transition to occur. We compare the present isotherms of phase IV and IV 0 in both static and nonhydrostatic conditions with the previously obtained Hugoniot and find that the nonhydrostatic isotherm approximately matches the Hugoniot. On the basis of this comparison, we conjecture that a chemical reaction or phase transition may occur in AN under dynamic pressure conditions at 22 GPa.
Protease inhibitor-based therapy is associated with decreased HIV- related health care costs in men treated at a veterans administration hospital

BACKGROUND Protease inhibitor (PI) therapy for HIV infection is associated with decreased rates of opportunistic infections and death. Statistical models predict that decreased complications will be associated with decreased hospitalization costs. A recent report suggested that the decrease in the HIV hospitalization costs were offset by increases in demand for outpatient services. We performed a study of hospital use and HIV-associated health care costs in our center to determine the following: whether PI therapy is associated with decreased inpatient use; whether PI therapy is associated with decreased outpatient use and costs; whether decreased HIV health care costs are associated with increased use of nucleoside analogues. METHODS The Dallas Veteran Affairs Medical Center provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient HIV care and thus can evaluate the relation between inpatient and outpatient costs. The mean monthly number of hospital days, Infectious Diseases clinic visits, emergency department visits, other outpatient clinic visits, inpatient costs, outpatient costs, and PI costs were determined from January 1, 1995 through July 31, 1997. This time period was then divided into three intervals. Comparisons of PI use and HIV-related health care costs were during the three intervals was performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significant differences between the baseline characteristics were further analyzed through multiple linear regression. RESULTS A decrease in hospital days, and all outpatient visits including emergency visits, and HIV clinic visits was determined. No difference was found in the rate of use of other outpatient services. The per patient costs of HIV care decreased from a monthly average of $1905 U.S. in the first interval to $1122 U.S. in the last interval (p < .01). Linear regression demonstrated an inverse relation between PI use and total HIV costs (B=-0.67, p=.00, adjusted R2=0.52) but no relation between nucleoside use, stage of disease or financial class. CONCLUSIONS PI therapy is associated with decreased hospital days and use of outpatient services. Total patient costs decreased, but a concomitant rise in outpatient costs took place. This increase was primarily a result of increased costs of acquiring PI. Increases in the number of nucleoside agents prescribed were not associated with decreased costs.
An Abnormal Requirement for Iron in Dystrophic Chickens

Dystrophic chickens which were fed 1% or 1.5% Na2 EDTA developed white feathers and showed lower hematocrit and hemoglobin values than normal New Hampshire chickens. These abnormalities may be corrected by adding dietary iron, indicating that chickens with hereditary m uscular dystrophy have a higher dietary requirement for iron than normal chickens. No differences were found in the utilization of 59Fe.
Vehicle Steering Wheel Alignment and It's Influence to the Vehicle Performance

This essay discusses the main parameter,function and significance of the Vehicle Steering Wheel Alignment.It also discusses the influence of the steering wheels alignment to the types,stability in the straight line travel and controllability of the vehicle,etc.
Study on the control projects of long range tactical rocket

Based on the imitative trajectory caculation, three control projects and their accuracy are investigated to obtain suitable control projects and design requirements for a long range tactical missile. At the same time, the attitude control solid motor as the executive mechanism is studied and the result shows that it has some advantages and can meet the requirements of the long range tactical missile though it may be slightly heavier than the jet vane.
Silicon-on-Insulator Photoimpedance Sensor Using Capacitance Dispersion

We report on design, fabrication, characterization, and modeling of a photoimpedance sensor employing fully depleted silicon-on-insulator. For a given frequency of measurement, the capacitive impedance shows a high sensitivity to light for a relatively narrow range of the incident power density (approximately two orders of magnitude). Increasing the measurement frequency shifts this range to higher power densities and can be used to tune the sensitivity of the sensor to a certain intensity range. Furthermore, the frequency of measurement can be swept to yield an overall wide dynamic range without sacrificing the sensitivity at individual frequencies. This device could be made a part of the tank of an LC oscillator to emit to a frequency-modulated RF signal in response to illumination.
Assistive Technology's Past, Present and Future

In 1967, the Fab Four harmonized their lyrical insights: “I get by with a little help from my friends,” and, “I’m gonna try with a little help from my friends” (Lennon & McCartney). Increasingly, the Beatle’s perceptive words are true for everyone, and they have an even greater importance for people living with special needs. In order to communicate, function, and participate in this society, people with disabilities need extra help and rely on some form of assistive technology (AT). AbstrAct
Oscar and Sons: The Afterlife of Male Procreation

My previous chapter ended with the image of certain of Wilde’s texts as his misbehaving children: rambunctious little brats who refuse to demonstrate the theories that they are supposed to uphold. In this scenario, of course, Wilde is the jolly papa who delights in his children’s playful refusals. In turning from Wilde’s texts as hints about his implicit theories of sexuality to the afterlife of his texts and how they influenced the development of such understandings in the years following Wilde’s death, which is to say the years in which the regime of orientation began to cement its hold on conceptions of sexuality, I want to turn from the figurative to the literal sons of Wilde. I want to look at both Wilde’s construction of his role as a father and how, after his death, he was in turn constructed as a father by his literal son Vyvyan and by the younger men of his circle who survived him. For the former question, I will turn to the letter Wilde himself called ‘Epistola: In Carcere et Vinculis’ (WCL, p. 782) but which became better known under Robbie Ross’s title of De Profundis.1
Parenting in infancy and self-regulation in preschool: an investigation of the role of attachment history.

ABSTRACTParenting and attachment are critical in the emergence of self-regulation (SR) in preschool. However, most studies use general indexes of parenting quality, failing to explore the unique contributions of sensitivity and home quality to SR. Further, the nature of the interplay between parenting and attachment history is not well understood. Using a sample of 938 children from The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, a series of structural equation models were fit to determine whether sensitivity and home quality concurrently predicted SR at 54 months, and whether attachment mediated or moderated these pathways. Results suggest that both sensitivity and home quality uniquely predict SR. Further, these early parenting variables were each indirectly associated with SR through children’s attachment history. That is, higher levels of sensitivity and home quality predicted secure attachment history, which, along with parenting, predicte...
EGFR mediates activation of RET in lung adenocarcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation characterized by ASCL1 expression.

// Kaustubh Bhinge 1 , Lin Yang 2 , Simone Terra 6 , Aqsa Nasir 2 , Prasuna Muppa 6 , Marie Christine Aubry 6 , Joanne Yi 6 , Nafiseh Janaki 2 , Irina V. Kovtun 3 , Stephen J. Murphy 1 , Geoffrey Halling 1 , Hamed Rahi 1 , Aaron Mansfield 5 , Mariza de Andrade 4 , Ping Yang 4 , George Vasmatzis 1 , Tobias Peikert 7 , Farhad Kosari 1 1 Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA 2 Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA 3 Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA 4 Department of Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA 5 Department of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA 6 Department of Anatomic Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA 7 Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA Correspondence to: Farhad Kosari, email: kosari.farhad@mayo.edu Keywords: ASCL1, RET, EGFR, lung cancer, neuroendocrine Received: April 10, 2016 Accepted: February 06, 2017 Published: February 24, 2017 ABSTRACT Achaete-scute homolog 1 (ASCL1) is a neuroendocrine transcription factor specifically expressed in 10-20% of lung adenocarcinomas (AD) with neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation (NED). ASCL1 functions as an upstream regulator of the RET oncogene in AD with high ASCL1 expression (A + AD). RET is a receptor tyrosine kinase with two main human isoforms; RET9 (short) and RET51 (long). We found that elevated expression of RET51 associated mRNA was highly predictive of poor survival in stage-1 A + AD (p=0.0057). Functional studies highlighted the role of RET in promoting invasive properties of A + AD cells. Further, A + AD cells demonstrated close to 10 fold more sensitivity to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, including gefitinib, than AD cells with low ASCL1 expression. Treatment with EGF robustly induced phosphorylation of RET at Tyr-905 in A + AD cells with wild type EGFR. This phosphorylation was blocked by gefitinib and by siRNA-EGFR. Immunoprecipitation experiments found EGFR in a complex with RET in the presence of EGF and suggested that RET51 was the predominant RET isoform in the complex. In the microarray datasets of stage-1 and all stages of A + AD, high levels of EGFR and RET RNA were significantly associated with poor overall survival (p < 0.01 in both analyses). These results implicate EGFR as a key regulator of RET activation in A + AD and suggest that EGFR inhibitors may be therapeutic in patients with A + AD tumors even in the absence of an EGFR or RET mutation.
The Lack of Clinical Efficacy of Flavopiridol in Patients with Relapsed Refractory Myeloma.

Purpose: Flavopiridol is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor with preclinical activity against multiple myeloma cells in vitro and ex vivo. It can induce apoptosis in non-cycling human cell lines, including RPMI-8226, a myeloma cell line. Suggested mechanisms of cytotoxicity include down regulation of anti-apoptotic regulators, direct binding to duplex DNA, disruption of transcription factor/DNA binding, upregulation of p53, inhibition of transcription, and inhibition of angiogenesis. A Phase II multicenter trial was conducted to determine the activity of flavopiridol in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Experimental Design: Eighteen patients were treated with 1 hour flavopiridol infusions (50 mg/m(2)/day) for 3 consecutive days every 21 days. Responses were assessed according to IBMTR criteria each cycle. Serial bone marrow aspirates were collected before and immediately after flavopiridol treatment to measure in vivo and ex vivo effects of flavopiridol on patient plasma cells. Immunoblotting for Mcl-1, Bcl-2, p53, cyclin D, phosphoRNA polymerase II and phosphoSTAT 3 was conducted on total cellular proteins isolated from sorted plasma/myeloma cells. Ex vivo assessment of flavopiridol sensitivity of freshly collected myeloma cells was performed for 5 patients pre-therapy. Results: Median age of patients ranged from 49 to 81 years, with a median of 65 years. Patients had received a median of 3 (range, 1–5) treatment regimens prior to enrollment. Sixty-one percent of patients were refractory to prior therapy and fifty-five percent had received prior high dose therapy with hematopoietic stem cell support. The immunoglobulin isotypes of the patients were as follows: IgG (10), IgA (4), light chain (3), and non-secretory (1). At enrollment, 13 patients had a beta-2 microglobulin greater than 3.5. Seven had a plasma cell labeling index greater than or equal to 1%. Four had an elevated LDH. The trial was stopped at time of interim analysis due to a lack of clinical efficacy. Of eighteen treated patients, 15 progressed (including 1 death on study) and 3 discontinued due to toxicity. All patients have ended the active treatment phase, and the mean number of cycles administered for all enrolled patients was 1.6 cycles (range 1–3). No objective responses were observed. The most frequent adverse events were leukopenia and diarrhea (83% each), followed by thrombocytopenia, nausea, and fatigue (61% each). Ex vivo flavopiridol treatment of pre-therapy patient plasma/myeloma cells led to cytotoxicity, but only after longer exposure times at higher flavopiridol concentrations than were anticipated to be achieved in vivo . Further, immunoblotting demonstrated no indication that known in vitro cellular effects of flavopiridol were recapitulated in vivo . Conclusions: Flavopiridol has little single-agent activity in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma when administered at this dose and schedule, which is likely due to the inability to achieve biologically relevant concentrations in patients. .
Cartographies of Nation Building: Creating and Contesting the Egyptian Geo-body

Both newly independent and well-established nation-states engage in varied nation-building activities and discourses in order to create some semblance of a coherent national identity and unity. Cartography is one of the major practices in nation building, playing a formative role in creating, sustaining, and at times even contesting the existence and legitimacy of nation-states. In this paper, I examine how the Egyptian “geo-body,” or the national territory, was constructed through different cartographic projects since its official, though nominal, independence in 1922. Drawing on a wide variety of maps published in Egypt since 1922, I focus on the official national cartographic discourses of the Egyptian state, as well as counter-cartographies that come from both the state and marginalized groups in Egypt. In doing so, I highlight how supranational and local scales are invoked with the national. As many scholars of critical geopolitics have asserted, it is essential to move away from the scale of the sta...
Consumption of artificial sweetened beverages associated with adiposity and increasing HbA1c in Hispanic youth

Research examining the impact of artificial sweetened beverages (ASBs) on obesity and metabolic diseases in adolescents is limited. The overall goal is to examine the longitudinal effects of ASBs on changes in adiposity and metabolic parameters in Hispanic adolescents. Longitudinal cohort with 98 Hispanics (12-18 years) who were overweight or had obesity with the following data at baseline and 1-year later: anthropometrics, diet (24-h recalls), body composition (DXA), glucose and insulin dynamics (oral glucose tolerance and frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test) and fasting lipids. Repeated measures analyses of covariance assessed changes over time between control (no ASBs at either visit), ASB initiators (no ASBs at baseline/ASBs at 1-year) and chronic ASB consumers (ASBs at both visits). ASB initiators (n = 14) and chronic ASB consumers (n = 9) compared to control (n = 75) had higher total body fat at baseline and 1-year (P = 0.05 for group effect). Chronic ASB consumers had a 6% increase in haemoglobin A1c, 34% increase in energy intake (kcal d-1 ) and 39% increase in carbohydrate intake (g d-1 ) over time, while control and ASB initiators maintained (P < 0.05 for group-by-time interactions). These results do not support promoting ASBs as a strategy for adiposity loss or to improve metabolic health.
Unipolar Compellence: the Effectiveness of U.S. Compellent Threats 1945-2007

I evaluate every international crisis identified by the International Crisis Behavior (ICB) Project in which the United States was an actor 1945-2007 to determine whether and how the United States issued a compellent military threat. I then evaluate the target state’s response to the threat and subsequent crisis interactions. I find, first, that the United States does not bluff: in all crises in which the United States issued an explicit military threat and the target resisted U.S. demands, the United States executed the threatened action. I also find that the United States has issued threats much more frequently in the post-Cold War period, and that these post-1989 threats have been less effective on average in convincing target states to change their behavior. I suggest that the end of bipolarity may be partly responsible for this change and that the low cost of U.S. military force may be responsible for the decline in threat effectiveness.
Debenzoylating and deacetylating activities of rat liver and mammary gland microsomes. Effect of ovariectomy.

Abstract This study compared the rates of N-deacylations of N -hydroxy- N -2-fluorenylbenzamide (N-OH-2-FBA) with those of its analogue, N -hydroxy- N -2-fluorenylacetamide (N-OH-2-FAA), by the mammary gland (tumor target for both compounds) and the liver of female Sprague-Dawley rats and examined the effect of ovariectomy on these activities. N-Debenzoylation of N-OH-2-FBA was catalyzed by the mammary and liver microsomes of 50-day-old female rats at similar rates (~24 nmol/min/mg). The activity of both tissues increased (up to 1.8 times) after ovariectomy at 42, 32 and, especially, 22 days of age. The rapid hydrolysis appeared to be unique for the benzoyl group since N-OH-2-FAA was deacylated only ~0.05 and 0.004 times as fast by the liver and mammary microsomes, respectively, and these low rates were unaffected by ovariectomy. Since such substrate specificity would be of significance in the metabolism of xenobiotics and drug design, esterase activity and its sensitivity to ovariectomy at 22 days of age were examined with several acetylated and benzoylated substrates in the liver and mammary microsomes and compared with those of male liver. Tissues of rats of both sexes had a greater capacity to hydrolyze carboxyl esters than amides. Except for N -2-fluorenylacetamide (2-FAA) and o -nitrophenylacetate (o-NPA), all substrates were hydrolyzed by liver microsomes of the male up to 3.9 times faster than by those of the female. Microsomes of female liver hydrolyzed acetylated substrates 1.2 to 25 times faster than benzoylated analogues except for N-OH-2-FBA and benzamide. By contrast, mammary gland microsomes hydrolyzed benzoylated compounds 1.4 to 333 times faster except for 2-naphthyl benzoate. Respective rates of hydrolysis of o-NPA by microsomes of liver and mammary gland were 1.7 and 0.6 times those of p-NPA. After ovariectomy, deacylating activities increased (up to 1.6 times) except for those of 2-FAA and acetanilide. All deacylations were > 98% inhibited by 0.1 mM paraoxon, indicating catalysis by serine hydrolases. The results suggest involvement of multiple carboxylesterases and indicate that certain benzoylated xenobiotics may have a greater effect on the mammary gland than acetylated xenobiotics because of their greater vulnerability to hydrolysis by esterases of mammary gland.
Genetic Transformation of Taxus (Yew) to Improve Production of Taxol

The genus Taxus includes eight species and is distributed through eastern Asia, Asia Minor, northern Africa, Europe, and North America Their relatively slow growth (taking several decades to increase a few inches in diameter) and difficult propagation (lengthy dormancy requirement of seeds) make the trees in this genus unattractive for commercial uses. However, research interest in Taxushas increased dramatically in recent years, mainly due to its potential for production of the anticancer drug, taxol. Taxol, a diterpene isolated from Taxusspecies, shows potent cytotoxic activity and has great potential for the treatment of cancers of breast, lung, skin, and colon (McGuire et al. 1989). A major limitation on the use of taxol as a drug is its short supply because its commercial source is the slow-growing yew tree. Alternative systems for taxol production could be developed through a partial synthesis of taxol using taxane precursors isolated from renewable sources such as needles, and cell and tissue culture of the species (for recent review see Jaziri et al. 1996; Wickremesinhe and Arteca 1998), and for culture of an endophytic fungus of Pacific yew (Stierle et al. 1993, 1995). Most of these alternative methods are not yet realistic for the commercial-scale production of taxol, although much of the material for clinical use is now produced by semisynthesis from 10-deacetylbaccatin-III. Recently, a complete chemical synthesis of taxol has been achieved (Holton et al. 1994; Nicolaou et al. 1994; Danishefsky et al. 1996). However, the complex structure of the compound requires many chemical reaction steps which make commercial-scale production of synthetic taxol unfeasible.
Utilizing Research on Prospective Teachers' Beliefs to Inform Urban Field Experiences

Beliefs about teaching students from cultures and contexts different from their own strongly influence what prospective teachers are willing and able to learn about urban teaching. The objectives of the study were to (1) describe and analyze the beliefs our prospective teachers had about becoming professional teachers in an urban context; (2) analyze how the field experiences in an introductory education course supported or inhibited prospective teachers' examination of those beliefs; and (3) provide implications for designing meaningful field experiences. The results provided insight into three dilemmas that should be considered when designing field experiences.
More Complicated Systems

Although the description presented in Chaps. 2–7 lays out a rich picture of a phase transformation, it is not rich enough to describe most of the transformations that we find around us. The problem is that so far we have been looking at the systems that can be described by a scalar, one-component order parameter while order parameters of real transformations may have many components or essential internal symmetry, not captured by a simple scalar. A few examples of more complicated systems are considered in this chapter. Specifically, we are looking at the systems where the order parameter is subject to a conservation law and go over all major steps of the method deriving the equilibrium equations in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems, dynamic equation, and analyzing the role of fluctuations. We lay out the phenomenological theory of superconductivity where the OP is a complex number and demonstrate how the method can help in calculating different properties of a superconductor. A section is devoted to a system that undergoes crystallographic transformation described by the OP that has more than one component, which interact with each other. We also look at the systems which have long time-correlation property—memory or are described by two fields of completely different symmetries.
Development of Biophysical Assays to Better Understand Adjuvanted Vaccine Formulation Potency and Stability

The essential requirements that a vaccine be safe and efficacious can be restated as a formulation that it is made with the appropriate potency that persists over the duration of conditions until it is administered to the patient [1–3]. When a vaccine elicits an immune response of sufficient valence and strength to induce protection against a pathogenic threat without unacceptable adverse effects and the critical biomolecular factors contributing to that response are well defined and characterized, the formulation can be reliably given with a strong assurance of both safety and efficacy. Historically such tests for potency have been functional assays such as infectivity titers and in vivo induction of antibodies [4–8], though these tests are generally time and resource intensive; more importantly, they are “black box,” empirical verification that whatever was tested either worked or didn’t, offering little insight into why the system behaved as it did, and how it could be improved if desired. When a rapid response is needed such as production and distribution to combat an emerging pandemic, such tests are often unfeasible or untimely, as the case of the recent H1N1 flu pandemic demonstrated [9, 10], when several batches of influenza vaccine were produced, shipped, and administered to patients before it was determined the vaccine potency had dropped below specified levels. There is considerable effort and potential reward in both time and cost savings to develop in vitro tests that show correlation to in vivo potency [11–19]. With increased experimental understanding of structural immunology, it may become possible to establish a set of specifications that establish vaccine performance based upon higher order structures, i.e. biophysical critical quality attributes as described in ICH Q6b [20, 21].
Only the Best is Good Enough

Nicholas Reseller’s argument is wonderfully direct and important. Moreover, he raises exceedingly grave moral questions, questions which are simply “ungetaroundable”, to use C. I. Lewis’s plain term for what is insistently present.
The Impact of a Proficiency-Based Assessment and Reassessment of Learning Outcomes System on Student Achievement and Attitudes.

This research compares a student-centered, proficiency-based assessment and reassessment of learning outcomes (PARLO) system to traditional assessment in a college-level introductory statistics class. The PARLO class was assessed on learning outcomes using a three-tiered proficiency scale and given the opportunity to resubmit assignments to increase their rating. Students’ attitudes towards statistics improved more in the PARLO group, but no differences between groups were found on the CAOS test or on a common final exam. Within the PARLO group, students with a higher resubmission rate scored better on the final exam and those who resubmitted and achieved proficiency performed similarly to those achieving proficiency with the first submission. Assessing proficiency on specific learning outcomes allowed both students and the instructor to better evaluate learning.
Camber Control in Simply Supported Prestressed Concrete Bridge Girders

OF THESIS CAMBER CONTROL IN SIMPLY SUPPORTED PRESTRESSED CONCRETE BRIDGE GIRDERS When designing a bridge, serviceability usually controls and is a more important factor than the ultimate capacity of the bridge or the allowable stresses. Therefore, the behavior of the bridge girder deflection and camber must be predicted as accurately as possible. Therefore, excessive camber has become one of the most common problems when constructing concrete bridges. Different methods have been developed to overcome this problem. The most common and widely used is using haunch with adjustable pedestals to overcome the excessive camber. However, this method has limitations that must be considered. Therefore, this study is evaluating the effectiveness of using post tensioning jacking strands at the top flange of simply supported bridge girders to reduce the excessive camber and make it equal to the design camber.
Economic incentives to use fertilizer on maize under differing agro-ecological conditions in Burkina Faso

Increasing agricultural productivity while protecting natural resources depends on proper understanding of farmers’ incentives to use intensification strategies, including fertilizer. Using a large-scale household dataset collected in rural Burkina Faso, we examined how the response of maize yield to fertilizer, and thus the economic incentives for its use, varied according to agro-ecological conditions. We employed a Control Function Approach with Correlated Random Effects in order to test and control for endogeneity of fertilizer use, measuring agro-ecological conditions at several scales. We investigated the profitability of fertilizer use with value-cost ratios. We found that productivity and marginal effects of fertilizer differ significantly according to agro-ecological conditions. Micro-variation appeared to be more critical than the definition of agro-ecological zone. Burkinabe soils are severely degraded and would benefit from greater application of fertilizer. However, at full market prices, fertilizer use was unprofitable. Though it was profitable with subsidized prices, transaction costs diminish the benefits of the subsidy. Profitability of fertilizer use with maize varied across agro-ecological conditions, even for field plots located in the same agro-ecological zone. Our results confirm that policy makers need to be cautious when generalizing across regions or drawing policy recommendations from a single agro-ecological zone because crop responses and economic incentives vary widely.
A fruitful tree: developing the dendritic nucleation model of actin-based cell motility

A fundamental question in cell biology concerns how cells move, and this has been the subject of intense research for decades. In the 1990s, a major leap forward was made in our understanding of ce...
Towards an Information Motivation and Behavioral Skills Model for New Sex Partners: Results of a Study of Condom Use as an HIV Prevention Method for Emerging Adults Who Met Partners on Dating and Sex-Seeking Platforms or Offline.

The information, motivation, behavioral Skills (IMB) model was used to identify factors that affect condom use with new sex partners that were met offline or online. Mixed methods data were collected from adults between the ages of 18 and 29 years who reported a new sex partner. A model was composed of participants’ IMB scale scores to determine the effect of these variables on condom use. A subset of 20 survey participants completed interviews exploring how IMB model elements may have influenced their condom use. Mixed methods results showed condom use skills were influential for condom use during the first sexual encounter between new partners. Qualitative findings suggest the information and motivation may also influence condom use with new sex partners. The IMB model for new partners may be relevant model for the development of interventions that encourage emerging adults to use condoms at first sex with new sex partners.
OUTCOMES OF HOSPITALIZATIONS FOR ADULT CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE PATIENTS ADMITTED WITH HEART FAILURE

While the number of adult congenital heart disease (CHD) patients (pts) being admitted with heart failure (HF) are increasing, it is not known how hospitalization outcomes for them compare to those without CHD. We assessed in-hospital outcomes, resource utilization, and survival for complex CHD, non
Solubility and Diffusivity of Chlorodifluoromethane in Imidazolium Ionic Liquids: [emim][Tf2N], [bmim][BF4], [bmim][PF6], and [emim][TFES]

Solubility and diffusivity measurements of chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22) in four ionic liquids (ILs)—[emim][Tf2N], [bmim][BF4], [bmim][PF6], and [emim][TFES]—were conducted using an IGA gravimetr...
Pathophysiology of Kidney Stone Formation

Kidney stone formation is common, and most stone formers have no known systemic disease as the cause of their stone formation but may have one or more metabolic abnormalities that result from a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Calcium stones are by far the most common, accounting for 80% of all stones; uric acid stones are found in about 10% of stone formers, struvite in about 5%, and other types of stones are considered rare. Stones form because urine becomes supersaturated with the stone material, allowing crystals to form in the kidney. All stone formers have at least modest crystal deposits in papillary tissue, which often serve as anchor sites for stone formation and growth. Idiopathic calcium oxalate stones are the most commonly seen in practice and affect people of all ages, increasingly including children. Many idiopathic stone formers have one or more metabolic abnormalities that provoke supersaturation, including hypercalciuria, hyperoxaluria, or hypocitraturia. The physiologic processes that lead to abnormal excretion of these solutes are currently under investigation.
No Two Alike: The Many Facets of Decision-Making for Cardiac Intervention in Trisomy 18

Introduction: New evidence has challenged the previously held dogma of Trisomy 18 (T18) as universally lethal. We discuss two cases illustrating the inherently complex and dynamic nature of decision-making for cardiac interventions in this population. Case 1: A term baby girl born with IUGR, complex congenital heart disease and neurologic anomalies was postnatally diagnosed with T18. After counseling on prognosis and care plan options, the parents opted for aggressive interventions with the likelihood of multiple cardiac surgeries. After undergoing PDA ligation at 2 weeks of life, she developed ventricular arrhythmia …
Site-specific m 6 A editing

The N6-methyladenosine modification on RNA affects almost all steps of RNA metabolism. A new approach, using the CRISPR-based technology to modulate m6A level in mRNA, enables direct functional interrogation of site-specific m6A.
SPONTANEOUS RESOLUTION OF PRIMARY HYPERCORTISOLISM OF CUSHING DISEASE AFTER PITUITARY HEMORRHAGE.

ABSTRACT Objective To describe a case of spontaneous resolution of primary hypercortisolism from Cushing disease (CD) due to pituitary apoplexy (PA). Methods Clinical, laboratory, and pathologic information are described. Results A 59-year-old female presented with a headache, a 2.3 cm sellar mass with a questionable hemorrhagic component, and clinical signs of hypercortisolism. On further evaluation, she had an increased 24-hour urine free cortisol, abnormal serum cortisol during a low dose dexamethasone suppression test, and an elevated plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), consistent with pituitary CD. As she was being prepared for surgical resection, she was noted to have spontaneous biochemical remission associated with resolution of her symptoms of hypercortisolism, and a repeat magnetic resonance imaging scan showed shrinkage of the sellar mass. She has been managed conservatively since and remains in clinical/biochemical remission until present time, 18 months following her initial presentation. Conclusion We report a case of spontaneous resolution of CD from symptomatic hemorrhage within an ACTH-secreting pituitary adenoma, or PA. This has been rarely reported in the medical literature. The fact that she did not pass through a phase of adrenal withdrawal, makes us suspect a residual functional adenoma within or around the sella which may eventually grow, causing her disease to recur, as has been reported. Hence, continued monitoring will be required.
Ontology-based transporter substrate annotation for benchmark datasets

Construction of benchmark datasets for supervised learning requires a label or class to be assigned to each datapoint. This is done by the constructor of the dataset in those cases where the label is not directly taken from a reference source. In transporter substrate prediction, during the dataset construction step, a class is assigned to each protein that reflects the substrate transported across the biological membrane. This substrate class assignment is typically conducted through manual curation process in which details regarding the assignment are not explained. Biological databases are consistently growing and many entries are updated; therefore, automating the data collection stage is desirable. This work aims to automate the transporter substrate data collection process in a consistent and reproducible manner, and eliminate external dataset curator judgment. To achieve this, we propose an automated tool that assigns a substrate class by using available annotations and delegating the broader class assignment to previously established ontologies. Two case studies have been used to evaluate the automation tool and to analyze the available number of substrates in the current biological databases.
Phylogeny of the genus Austinixa Heard & Manning, 1997, inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear molecular markers, with descriptions of three new species and redescription of Austinixa felipensis (Glassell, 1935) (Decapoda: Brachyura: Pinnotheridae)

We used the mitochondrial 16S–NADH1 complex, mitochondrial 12S, and nuclear histone 3 genes to examine evolutionary relationships among members of the genus Austinixa Heard & Manning, 1997, and their relationships to other pinnotherids. The monophyly of Austinixa was confirmed by maximum likelihood, Bayesian, and maximum parsimony analyses. Clades recovered on the basis of molecular data agreed with current morphology-based taxonomy at species rank. Morphological characters presently used to distinguish species of Austinixa are not synapomorphic at higher levels and therefore cannot be used to infer cladistic relationships among them. High genetic and morphological intraspecific variation was observed, consistent with patterns of restricted gene flow likely attributable to climatic and geographic history, physical characteristics of contemporary habitats, and host-related constraints on the symbiotic life styles of Austinixa spp. Molecular and morphological characters warrant description of three new species, herein named and illustrated: Austinixa cuestai sp. nov., from Pacific waters of Panama and Nicaragua; Austinixa artankeri sp. nov., from the Caribbean waters of Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela; and Austinixa roblesi sp. nov., from Belize and Panama. All three species inhabit intertidal zones, as do their congeners. To facilitate comparisons and augment the very limited original description, a redescription of the Pacific species Austinixa felipensis (Glassell, 1935) is provided on the basis of paratypes labelled by Glassell and more recently collected topoptypic specimens.
Limits to Arbitrage During the Crisis: Funding Liquidity Constraints & Covered Interest Parity

Arbitrage ensures that covered interest parity holds. The condition is central to price foreign exchange forwards and interbank lending rates, and reflects the efficient functioning of markets. Normally, deviations from arbitrage, if any, last seconds and reach a few basis points. After the Lehman bankruptcy, instead, arbitrage profits were large, persisted for months and involved borrowing in dollars. The first goal of this paper is to measure precisely such deviations from arbitrage. By using high frequency prices from novel datasets , we are able to exactly replicate two major arbitrage strategies: "secured" and "unsecured" arbitrage. Specifically, arbitrage can be undertaken by borrowing and lending funds on secured terms, as would a hedge fund, or on unsecured terms, as would a bank's proprietary trading desk (prop desk). The distinction draws on that made in Brunnermeier and Pedersen (2009). Both arbitrage strategies yield very similar and consistent results. The second goal of the paper is to investigate why arbitrage broke down. Empirical analysis suggests that insufficient funding liquidity in dollars kept traders from arbitraging away excess profits. Risk factors, instead, are mostly insignificant. Liquidity factors involve intermediaries cutting back loans to arbitrageurs in order to shrink their balance sheet, and hoarding liquidity to cover their own funding strains. In addition, it seems that arbitrageurs themselves had insufficient pledge-able capital to fund their arbitrage trades. This paper contributes to the literature on slow moving capital. It shows how capital constraints turn into enduring arbitrage opportunities. For policymakers, it shows that certain unconventional monetary policy measures (in particular central bank swap lines) were effective at providing the necessary funding liquidity in dollars and re-establishing arbitrage across money markets.
Protocol driven periprocedural anticoagulation for left atrial ablation.

INTRODUCTION A weight-based heparin dosing policy adjusted for preprocedural oral anticoagulation was implemented to reduce the likelihood of subtherapeutic dosing during left atrial catheter ablation procedures. We hypothesized that initiation of the protocol would result in a greater prevalence of therapeutic activated clotting time (ACT) values and decreased time to therapeutic ACT during left atrial ablation procedures. METHODS A departmental protocol was initiated for which subjects received intravenous unfractionated heparin (UFH) to achieve and maintain a goal of ACT >300 s. Initial bolus dose was adjusted for pre-procedure oral anticoagulation and weight as follows: 50 units/kg for those receiving warfarin, 75 units/kg for those not anticoagulated, and 120 units/kg for those on direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). A UFH infusion was initiated at 10% of the bolus per hour. One hundred consecutive left atrial ablation procedures treated with Protocol Guided heparin dosing were compared with a retrospective consecutive cohort of Usual Care heparin dosing. RESULTS When the Usual Care and Protocol Guided cohorts were compared, significant findings were limited to those on pre-procedure DOAC. The initial UFH bolus increased from 99.3 ± 24.8 to 118.2 ± 22.8 units/kg (p < .001), the proportion of therapeutic ACT on the first draw after heparin administration increased from 57.7% to 76.6% (p = .010), and the time to therapeutic ACT after UFH administration decreased from 37.8 ± 19.8 to 30.2 ± 16.4 min (p = .032). CONCLUSION A weight-based protocol for periprocedural UFH administration resulted in a higher proportion of therapeutic ACT values and decreased the time to therapeutic ACT for those on pre-procedure DOAC.
Trust-Based Adversarial Resiliency in Vehicular Cyber Physical Systems Using Reinforcement Learning

Vehicular cyber physical systems (VCPS), by leveraging on advancements in sensing, wireless technologies and vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET) have improved driving experience and birthed systems like cooperative adaptive cruise control, and have formed the foundation for autonomous and platooned vehicles. However, its deployment is adversely affected by security concerns even as attackers continue to improve their attacks methods. In recent years, machine learning has become an invaluable tool for research, and investigations into its application in CPS security is increasingly active. Although, supervised learning techniques were used for most tasks initially, reinforcement learning due to the excellent results obtained in peculiar cases like the environment in which vehicles operate have become popular. Trust management systems are also very useful in identifying adversaries in a vehicular network. In this paper, a data-oriented trust-based method for improving the resiliency of vehicles to adversarial attacks is investigated using RL. Improving on other works that combine direct and indirect trusts and assume that vehicles interact for a long time, this method is suited for the dynamic environment vehicles operate in and the high mobility they experience. Specifically, the Q-learning learning algorithm is used to learn and adapt the weight used to estimate the trust value and therefore reflect the real environment. The simulation results obtained show that the proposed methodology is efficient and establishes the contributions of the application of RL to CPS security.
Hidden Markov Model and Cyber Deception for the Prevention of Adversarial Lateral Movement

Advanced persistent threats (APTs) have emerged as multi-stage attacks that have targeted nation-states and their associated entities, including private and corporate sectors. Cyber deception has emerged as a defense approach to secure our cyber infrastructure from APTs. Practical deployment of cyber deception relies on defenders’ ability to place decoy nodes along the APT path optimally. This paper presents a cyber deception approach focused on predicting the most likely sequence of attack paths and deploying decoy nodes along the predicted path. Our proposed approach combines reactive (graph analysis) and proactive (cyber deception technology) defense to thwart the adversaries’ lateral movement. The proposed approach is realized through two phases. The first phase predicts the most likely attack path based on Intrusion Detection System (IDS) alerts and network trace, and the second phase is determining optimal deployment of decoy nodes along the predicted path. We employ transition probabilities in a Hidden Markov Model to predict the path. In the second phase, we utilize the predicted attack path to deploy decoy nodes. However, it is likely that the attacker will not follow that predicted path to move laterally. To address this challenge, we employ a Partially Observable Monte-Carlo Planning (POMCP) framework. POMCP helps the defender assess several defense actions to block the attacker when it deviates from the predicted path. The evaluation results show that our approach can predict the most likely attack paths and thwarts the adversarial lateral movement.
Leveraging deep learning to control neural oscillators

Modulation of the firing times of neural oscillators has long been an important control objective, with applications including Parkinson’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome, epilepsy, and learning. One common goal for such modulation is desynchronization, wherein two or more oscillators are stimulated to transition from firing in phase with each other to firing out of phase. The optimization of such stimuli has been well studied, but this typically relies on either a reduction of the dimensionality of the system or complete knowledge of the parameters and state of the system. This limits the applicability of results to real problems in neural control. Here, we present a trained artificial neural network capable of accurately estimating the effects of square-wave stimuli on neurons using minimal output information from the neuron. We then apply the results of this network to solve several related control problems in desynchronization, including desynchronizing pairs of neurons and achieving clustered subpopulations of neurons in the presence of coupling and noise.