cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in the Setting of Periprosthetic Joint Infection-Diagnosis, Prevention, and Treatment.

Abstract Background Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a rare yet challenging problem in total hip and knee arthroplasties. The management of PJI remains difficult primarily due to the evolution of resistance by the infecting organisms. Methods This review profiles acquired mechanisms of bacterial resistance and summarizes established and emerging techniques in PJI diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Results New techniques in PJI diagnosis and prevention continue to be explored. Antibiotics combined with 1 or 2-stage revision are associated with the higher success rates and remain the mainstay of treatment. Conclusion With higher prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms, novel antibiotic implant and wound care materials, improved methods for organism identification, and well-defined organism-specific treatment algorithms are needed to optimize outcomes of PJI.
Prognostic Value of Clinical vs Pathologic Stage in Rectal Cancer Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant Therapy

Background Neoadjuvant chemoradiation is currently standard of care in stage II-III rectal cancer, resulting in tumor downstaging for patients with treatment-responsive disease. However, the prognosis of the downstaged patient remains controversial. This work critically analyzes the relative contribution of pre- and post-therapy staging to the anticipated survival of downstaged patients. Methods The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for patients with rectal cancer treated with transabdominal resection between 2004 and 2014. Stage II-III patients downstaged with neoadjuvant radiation were compared with stage I patients treated with definitive resection alone. Patients with positive surgical margins were excluded. Overall survival was evaluated using both Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox proportional hazards models. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results A total of 44 320 patients were eligible for analysis. Survival was equivalent for patients presenting with cT1N0 disease undergoing resection (mean survival = 113.0 months, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 110.8 to 115.3 months) compared with those downstaged to pT1N0 from both cT3N0 (mean survival = 114.9 months, 95% CI = 110.4 to 119.3 months, P = .12) and cT3N1 disease (mean survival = 115.4 months, 95% CI = 110.1 to 120.7 months, P = .22). Survival statistically significantly improved in patients downstaged to pT2N0 from cT3N0 disease (mean survival = 109.0 months, 95% CI = 106.7 to 111.2 months, P < .001) and cT3N1 (mean survival = 112.8 months, 95% CI = 110.0 to 115.7 months, P < .001), compared with cT2N0 patients undergoing resection alone (mean survival = 100.0 months, 95% CI = 97.5 to 102.5 months). Multiple survival analysis confirmed that final pathologic stage dictated long-term outcomes in patients undergoing neoadjuvant radiation (hazard ratio [HR] of pT2 = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.41; HR of pT3 = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.61 to 2.05; HR of pT4 = 2.72, 95% CI = 2.28 to 3.25, all P ≤ .001 vs pT1; HR of pN1 = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.41 to 1.59; HR of pN2 = 2.17, 95% CI = 2.00 to 2.35, both P < .001 vs pN0); while clinical stage at presentation had little to no predictive value (HR of cT2 = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.69 to 0.95, P = .008; HR of cT3 = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.72 to 0.96, P = .009; HR of cT4 = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.85 to 1.21, P = .87 vs cT1; HR of cN1 = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.91 to 1.02, P = .19; HR of cN2 = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.86 to 1.08, P = .48 vs cN0). Conclusions Survival in patients with rectal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant radiation is driven by post-therapy pathologic stage, regardless of pretherapy clinical stage. These data will further inform prognostic discussions with patients.
Development and verification of a novel scintillator-based, imaging neutral particle analyzer in DIII-D tokamak

A compact scintillator-based imaging neutral particle analyzer (INPA) that provides energy and radially resolved measurements of confined fast ions has been designed and built in the DIII-D tokamak. The system measures charge-exchanged energetic neutrals by viewing an active neutral beam source through a 1D pinhole camera with a rear collimating slit that defines the neutral particle collection sightline and radial positions probed in the plasma. The incident neutrals are ionized by ultra-thin carbon stripping foils of 10 nm thickness with the local tokamak magnetic field acting as a magnetic spectrometer to disperse the ions onto a scintillator. The strike position on the phosphor is determined by the fast ion energy and sightline while the intensity of emitted light from the phosphor is proportional to the ion flux. Fast camera measurements of the scintillator provide 2D images of the escaping neutrals mapped to energy and radial position in the plasma. The INPA system images a broad radial range from the plasma core to edge and deuterium energies up to 80 keV, with energy resolution of ~7.5 keV and pitch angle resolution of ~5°. The first data obtained from the INPA demonstrates that the system has excellent signal to noise ratio and provides unprecedented details of phase space dynamics.
Innovative polyhydroxybutyrate production by Chlorella fusca grown with pentoses.

Abstract The current study aimed to evaluate if the addition of pentoses along with variations in light intensity and photoperiod can stimulate the production of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and other biomolecules by Chlorella fusca LEB 111. The variables evaluated were the addition of xylose and arabinose as sources of organic carbon, different photoperiods (18 h, 12 h and 6 h light) and variations in light intensities (58, 28 and 9 μmolphotons m−2 s−1). The highest PHB accumulation (17.4% w w−1) and protein production (53.2% ww−1) were observed in assays with xylose addition and a photoperiod of 6 h of light provided at 28 and 58 μmolphotons m−2 s−1, respectively. The highest lipid content (24.7% w w−1) was obtained with 18 h of light. The current study contributes to the development of sustainable alternatives for the use of wastes and the production of biomolecules from algae.
Evolving Epidemiology of Pediatric Glomerular Disease.

Glomerular diseases are a common cause of kidney disease in children. These disorders account for 5%–14% of children with CKD and 15%–29% of children with ESKD worldwide ([1][1]). Nephrotic syndrome in particular is one of the most common manifestations of pediatric glomerular disease and
The Portrayal of Mathematicians and Mathematics in Popular Culture.

Mathematicians are often inimically portrayed in popular culture, resulting in an abundance of non-mathematical identities in the classroom. Various tropes are propagated by the media that dominate our mental schemas of what makes a mathematician: the eccentric Einstein-like old man; the young, tortured genius; and the “genetically different” savant. However, these portrayals in popular culture can be used as a tool—rather than a hindrance—if teachers know how to present them properly in the classroom. Although the media often promotes mathematical myths, it can also be used to debunk them.
Reactions of Animals to Thermal and Other Environmental Factors

Functions of all organs and systems ultimately depend upon absorption and nutrition. The food prepared by the digestive system passes by way of lymph and blood systems to all body parts and is assimilated by tissue cells. Some food is used in constructing new tissue (growth) while some is broken down (oxidized) by tissue cells to produce heat and energy.
Projections of US farm numbers by Markov processes

The structure of agriculture for the remaining years of the twentieth century is an issue crucial to farmers and ranchers. Much interest has been focused in recent years on the structure of agriculture and specifically on the size distribution and number of farms and ranches. In recent studies, Markov chain processes have been applied to help predict the numbers and sizes of farms, and to analyze the movement of firms between size classes;Each of the previous attempts to apply the Markov process to the problem of estimating and projecting farm numbers has encountered some major difficulty in deriving a solution. Several of the model formulation and computational difficulties, such as the addition of a feasibility restriction, external constraints, cycling difficulties and computer algorithms, have been solved in the first two papers of this study;This study synthesized the results , problems and advances of previous reports to predict farm numbers by size class. Values of sales classes were chosen to represent size classes of farms, thus avoiding definitional questions of farms, ranches and nonland based farming operations;A series of USDA indexes were chosen for explanatory variables in the Markov regression problem. Approximately 30 combinations of nine different indexes were applied to the Markov model;Model results indicate that the historical decline in farm numbers will continue to a level of about two million farms by 1990. The farm number projections are closely tied to growth of remaining firms. The primary factors causing or allowing firms to grow in size include increases in the prices that farmers must pay for inputs and increased productivity of those inputs, especially their own labor;The results of this study indicate a continuing trend toward fewer, larger farms. Although much of the increase in size is caused by increases in prices received rather than real growth, there will be real growth as well.
Comparisons of Shielding Anisotropies for Different Nuclei and Other Insights into Shielding from an Experimentalist’s Viewpoint

In pursuing studies of multiple bonds and strained rings containing 29Si, 31P and 119Sn, we have needed to consider systematic methods for comparing the shielding anisotropies of these nuclei with those for 13C in their wholly organic counterparts. A simple shift scaling method has been empirically found to be quite useful in this regard. This work has also lead us to consider semi -empirical calculations of shielding to develop insight into the factors governing gross trends in shielding anisotropies.
Cracking Student Silos: Linking Legal Writing and Clinical Learning Through Transference

Why do highly competent and hard-working law students struggle to apply what they learn in legal writing to later clinical courses and law practice? The authors of this article are uniquely qualified to answer this question and to provide strategies for helping students overcome these common struggles. The authors direct the nationally renowned legal writing and clinical programs at Seattle University School of Law, where they have engaged in cutting-edge collaborative teaching projects for nearly a decade. Even so, they found that their students, when faced with the messiness of real client representation, struggled with typical research and writing problems even as the legal writing faculty exclaimed "We know we taught them that!" So the program directors extensively studied the educational literature on transference, then spent nearly two years taking each other's courses to understand more deeply how we could help our students apply what is taught in each program to future client work. This article describes what we learned from these endeavors. It details the typical barriers to transference, most significantly the effects of course-dependent siloing of student learning. The article is the first to explore the ways in which faculty siloing of clinics and legal writing can exacerbate underlying transference issues. Finally, and most importantly, this article offers specific, extensive, and attainable strategies for both legal writing and clinical faculty to implement that can overcome these challenges, crack their students' siloed learning, and help them become reflective practitioners engaged in the life-long learning necessary for excellent legal practice.
A 230mV-950mV 2.8Tbps/W Unified SHA256/SM3 Secure Hashing Hardware Accelerator in 14nm Tri-Gate CMOS

A unified SHA256/SM3 secure hashing hardware accelerator for cross-geo authentication is fabricated in 14nm tri-gate CMOS, with a throughput of 9.5/8.3Gbps respectively measured at 0.75V, 25°C. Message digest pre-addition, with mode-multiplexed digest/scheduler completion adders and distributed final hash computation reduces critical path delay by 14% and accelerator area by 48%, resulting in a compact layout of 5992µm2. 2/4-way parallel message scheduler enables 0.5/0.25× frequency scaling at iso-hash throughput enabling 35/62% scheduler power reduction. Robust sub-threshold voltage operation down to 230mV enables a peak energy-efficiency of 2.8Tbps/W measured at 300mV.
Populism as a Concept and the Challenge of U.S. History

This paper explores the viability of populism as both a historical category and a political concept. Its starting point is the historical example of the first mass political expression that formed under the name of populism, and that was the U.S. People's Party of the 1890s. Although it carried the nickname of the Populist Party, this had virtually none of the meanings that were attached to the term populism at a later date. Historical populism in the U.S. was a farmer-labor movement that corresponded to labor and social-democratic movements across the late 19th -century capitalist world. This poses the challenge: is populism a capacious enough concept to include the U.S. historical precedent? Or does including the U.S. precedent render the category and concept toothless or even useless?
Active EMI Reduction Technique of Active Front End (AFE) Drives Based on Randomized Switching Frequency PWM

Random modulations are considered to be one of the viable solutions for mitigating conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI) in power converters. However, there are rarely literatures investigating this technique in grid-tied active frond end (AFE) drives. In this paper, a modulation scheme for grid-tied AFE converter based on uniformly randomized switching frequency PWM is proposed. The proposed technique features the advantage that it requires no additional hardware modification of the grid-tied AFE motor drive system but some convenient algorithm adjustment in digital implementation. Simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the effectiveness of proposed randomized switching frequency PWM technique in reducing and smoothing the conducted emissions’ undesirable peaks within concerned frequency range.
Head and Neck Cancers

Head and neck cancers (HNCs) are most often diagnosed at advanced stages, when treatment is both less effective and highly damaging. There is sufficient evidence that formaldehyde and occupations with risk to X-radiation, gamma-radiation exposure are associated with HNCs. There is also some evidence that known carcinogens can also play a role in HNC risk within occupations, including asbestos, strong acid mists, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, textile dust, working in the rubber industry, metal working fluids, and man-made vitreous fibers. Additional studies are necessary to confirm the association of many suspicious agents, occupations, and industries with oral cavity, pharyngeal, and nasopharyngeal cancers. Nevertheless, the knowledge accumulated so far informs prevention and safety at work. Efforts to reduce the burden of head and neck cancers must involve exposure reduction in high-risk occupations.
Technology and the Global Adolescent

Around the world, adolescents use technology for education, to further their identity and socio-emotional development, to access health information, engage in civic activities, and for entertainment. For many, technological advances, especially social media, have drastically influenced how they communicate with family, friends, and romantic partners. Challenges of technology use include the digital divide, internet addiction, and exposure to cyberbullying. The diversity of adolescents' cultural context results in heterogeneous bidirectional influences of technology and teenagers with respect to education and close relationships. Researchers, parents, and policy makers must consider the role of culture in the complex interactions of teenagers with technology.
SMARTI: A 60-mg Steerable Robot Driven by High-Frequency Shape-Memory Alloy Actuation

We present the shape-memory alloy (SMA) robotic traveling insect (SMARTI), a 60-mg crawling microrobot that is driven by two 6-mg high-frequency SMA bending actuators and whose two-module configuration enables controlled differential steering and path following. During operation, the two modules are coordinately excited to generate locomotion patterns based on anisotropic friction. This functionality is enabled by the high compliance of the robotic structure, which comprises very few parts, is easily fabricated, achieves both high precision and performance, and is sufficiently predictable to be controlled in open and closed loop. To demonstrate the locomotive and steering capabilities of the SMARTI, we present a series of experimental tests, including open-loop crawling, closed-loop path following, and high-speed controlled turning. These experiments were performed using a motion capture system for sensing and an off-board digital signal processor for control. In closed loop, the SMARTI reaches a maximum sustained speed of 46 mm/s, equivalent to 3.54 body-lengths per second (BL/s), and a turning rate of 107 degrees per second (D/s) with root-mean-square (RMS) tracking errors as low as 1.7 mm. This combination of speed and maneuverability is currently unparalleled, making the SMARTI the lightest, smallest, and fastest (in BL/s) steerable and controllable crawling robot developed to date.
Rust Buckets: How the Jones Act Undermines U.S. Shipbuilding and National Security

Since its inception, supporters of the Jones Act have claimed that the law is essential to U.S. national security. Although indefensible on economic grounds, Jones Act advocates argue that its restrictions promote the development of both a U.S. merchant marine and shipbuilding and repair capability that can be utilized by the country's military in times of war. This rationale appears to be more of an article of faith than the product of rigorous analysis. This paper examines the national security justification. Contrasting the Jones Act's stated objectives with observable results, the law is revealed to be a national security failure. With dwindling numbers of ships, mariners, and shipyards, the U.S. military's ability to leverage these civilian assets during times of war has been deeply compromised. This paper finds this maritime decline to be the predictable result of the Jones Act's misguided protectionism, whose theoretical underpinnings are deeply at odds with both sound economics and modern maritime realities. Rather than continue this flawed policy, the Jones Act should be either repealed or significantly reformed. This paper proposes alternative methods for ensuring military access to civilian mariners that offer greater cost transparency and increased certainty of the mariners' availability.
Design of Dispute Settlement

Only a small number of treaties stipulate the formal dispute settlement mechanism to solve the disputable situation, for instance, appeal to the third-party dispute settlement body (DSB). Then, what is the role of dispute settlement mechanism in forging international cooperation? Under what conditions do states choose or not choose it? I try to answer theses questions using the adverse selection framework in principal-agent theory. My argument is incorporating DSB in the treaty functions to screen out those insincere and incompetent partners and to select in the promising partners. States adopt DSB when they intend to reach higher level of cooperation. With DSB, the payoff structure is optimized to increase workload and therefore the wage to the good type of potential partner states (the agents), which discourages the bad type to participate because it cannot afford the high cost associated with the increased cooperation level. By both imposing higher cost of noncompliance (reputational loss and sanction/authorized retaliation) and enhancing the credibility of the punishment for contractual breach, DSB therefore offers an assurance that the treaties designed for the deeper cooperation can expectedly extract the greater level of effort by partner states. In contrast, when states attempt to keep the cooperation level endogenous to their own domestic conditions at the time of concluding the treaty, they see no need to use DSB, since states have no incentive to defect in this case. I first illustrate this strategic thinking in an extensive game tree. Additionally, after identifying the participation constraint and the incentive compatibility constraint, I use Kuhn-Tucker Largranian optimization to calculate the conditions under which contract-initiating states can maximize their utilities from the contractual cooperation. The more general implication from this model analysis is that states rarely seek deeper cooperation and consistent with the existing literature the compliance does not necessarily reflect the high cooperation.
Preoperative pembrolizumab for MSI high, EBV positive or PD-L1 positive locally advanced gastric cancer followed by surgery and adjuvant chemoradiation with pembrolizumab: Interim results of a phase 2 multi-center trial (NCT03257163).

e16111Background: Despite advances in therapy, outcomes of patients with gastric cancer in the US remain poor. Recent data demonstrated that certain subtypes of gastric cancer are less responsive t...
Low rates of transfusion-transmitted infection screening in chronically transfused adults with sickle cell disease.

Background Adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) on chronic transfusion therapy are exposed to a large volume of blood products, thus increasing their risk of transfusion-associated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C (HCV), and hepatitis B (HBV). Methods We performed a systematic chart review of chronically transfused SCD subjects at the Johns Hopkins Sickle Cell Center for Adults between October 2014 and September 2019 to determine our Center's adherence to the 2014 National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) SCD guidelines for annual screening for Transfusion Transmitted infections (TTI) and assessed HBV immunity and HBV vaccination rates. Results The study included 85 subjects with a median age of 34 years (23-63); 52% were female. No subject received annual screening; 68 subjects (80%) were screened for HIV, 60 subjects (71%) for HCV and 53 subjects (62%) for HBV infections at least once in the study period. Of those screened, one patient was newly diagnosed with HCV infection, and none with HIV or HBV infection. Among 31 subjects tested for anti-Hepatitis B surface antibody, 16 subjects (52%) tested negative. Nineteen (20%) subjects had HBV vaccination documented. Conclusions Low adherence to the NHLBI TTI screening guidelines, especially for HBV, highlights the resource intensiveness of this patient population. The low rates of anti-Hepatitis B surface antibody positivity highlight the need to confirm vaccination, provide boosters as indicated, and investigate the adults with SCD's immune response to HBV vaccination.
Adaptation of the cortical somatosensory evoked potential following pulsed pneumatic stimulation of the lower face in adults

Cortical adaptation to sustained sensory input is a pervasive form of short-term plasticity in neurological systems. Its role in sensory perception in health and disease, or predicting long-term plastic changes resulting from sensory training offers insight into the mechanisms of somatosensory and sensorimotor processing. A 4-channel electroencephalography (EEG) recording montage was placed bilaterally (C3-P3, C4-P4, F7-P3, F8-P4) to characterize the short-term effects of pulsed pneumatic orofacial stimulation on the cortical somatosensory evoked potential (cSEP) in twenty neurotypical adults (mean age=21±2.88 years). A servo-controlled pneumatic amplifier was used to deliver a repetitive series of pneumatic pulse trains (six 50-ms pulses, 5-second intertrain interval) through a linked pair of custom acetal homopolymer probes (aka TAC-Cells) adhered to the nonglabrous skin of the lower face proximal to the right oral angle to synchronously activate mechanoreceptive afferents in the trigeminal nerve. Blocks of pulse trains were counterbalanced among participants and delivered at two rates, 2 and 4Hz. TAC-Cell stimulation of the lower face consistently evoked a series of cSEPs at P7, N20, P28, N38, P75, N85, and P115. The spatial organization and adaptation of the evoked cSEP was dependent on stimulus pulse index (1-6 within the pulse train, p=.012), frequency of stimulus presentation (2 vs 4Hz, p<.001), component (P7-P115, p<.001), and recording montage (channels 1-4, p<.001). Early component latencies (P7-N20) were highly stable in polarity (sign) and latency, and consistent with putative far-field generators (e.g., trigeminal brainstem, ventroposteromedial thalamus).
Negative co-operativity in Escherichia coli single strand binding protein-oligonucleotide interactions. I. Evidence and a quantitative model.

Abstract The interaction of the Escherichia coli single strand binding (SSB) protein with single-stranded DNA is complex, since a number of different binding modes have been observed, with different DNA site sizes and binding properties and the transitions among these binding modes are strongly influenced by solution conditions in vitro . Recent experiments have suggested the existence of negative co-operativity among the multiple DNA binding sites within individual SSB tetramers. In order to probe this negative co-operativity, we have examined the binding of a series of oligonucleotides of varying length, using the quenching of the intrinsic SSB protein fluorescence to monitor binding. The stoichiometries for saturation of the SSB tetramer are 4, 2, 2, 1 and 1, for the oligonucleotides, dT(pT) N −1 , with N = 16, 28, 35, 56 and 70, respectively, indicating that one molecule of either dT(pT) 27 or dT(pT) 34 interacts with two SSB subunits, whereas one molecule of dT(pT) 15 interacts with only a single subunit. Saturation of the SSB tetramer with dT(pT) 15 , dT(pT) 34 , dT(pT) 69 or poly(dT) results in 85 to 90% quenching of the SSB fluorescence, whereas saturation with dT(pT) 27 or dT(pT) 55 results in only 80% and 72% quenching, respectively. Therefore, a single-stranded DNA of at least 64 nucleotides is required to wrap around an SSB tetramer fully and interact with all four subunits. A quenching of 50(± 2)% is observed upon filling only half of the subunits with either one molecule of dT(pT) 34 or two molecules of dT(pT) 15 , which agrees with the quenching and site size observed in the (SSB) 35 polynucleotide binding mode. Direct binding measurements indicate that the binding of dT(pT) 27 to its second site is influenced by the oligonucleotide that occupies the first binding site (either dT(pT) 27 or dT(pT) 34 ), providing proof for the existence of a true negative co-operativity. This negative co-operativity is observed also for the binding of the shorter oligonucleotide, dT(pT) 15 . A statistical thermodynamic (“square”) model gives an excellent description of the binding of all oligonucleotides possessing multiple sites on the SSB tetramer, based on only two interaction constants, the intrinsic binding constant, K N , and the negative co-operativity parameter, σ N . These data indicate that the binding sites (subunits) on the unliganded SSB tetramer are all equivalent, but that a non-equivalence between dimers of subunits within the tetramer is induced upon binding ssDNA.
Controlling spontaneous emission rate in solid state for quantum information science

We enhance and suppress the excitonic lifetime of an InAs quantum dot (QD) by modifying its alignment with a resonance cavity in a photonic crystal slab. The QD/cavity system has applications in quantum information science.
Polymorphic sequence-characterized codominant loci in the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica

Studies on the population biology of the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica, have previously been carried out with dominant restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) fingerprinting markers. In this study, we describe the development of 11 codominant markers from randomly amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs). RAPD fragments were cloned and sequenced, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed flanking insertions/deletions. Primers labelled with fluorescent dyes were combined in multiplex reactions to assay five or six loci simultaneously in a capillary sequencing system. These codominant markers have the potential to complement RFLP methods for studying C. parasitica.
Voltage-Clock Scaling for Low Energy Consumption in Fixed-Priority Real-Time Systems

Power and energy constraints are becoming increasingly prevalent in real-time embedded systems. Voltage-scaling is a promising technique to reduce energy and power consumption: clock speed tends to decrease linearly with supply voltage while power consumption goes down quadratically. We therefore have a tradeoff between the energy consumption of a task and the speed with which it can be completed. The timing constraints associated with real-time tasks can be used to resolve this tradeoff. In this paper, we present two algorithms for voltage-scaling. Assuming that a processor can operate in one of two modes: high voltage and low voltage, we show how to schedule the voltage settings so that deadlines are met while reducing the total energy consumed. We show that significant reductions can be made in energy consumption.
Integrin Requirement for Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity and Spatial Memory

The establishment of memory requires coordinated signaling between presynaptic and postsynaptic terminals in the CNS. The integrins make up a large family of cell adhesion receptors that are known to mediate bidirectional signaling between cells or between cells and their external environment. We show here that many different integrins, including α3 and α5, are expressed broadly in the adult mouse brain and are associated with synapses. Mice with genetically reduced expression of α3 integrin fail to maintain long-term potentiation (LTP) generated in hippocampal CA1 neurons. Mice with reduced expression of the α3 and α5 integrins exhibit a defect in paired-pulse facilitation. Mice with reduced expression of α3, α5, and α8 are defective in hippocampal LTP and spatial memory in the water maze but have normal fear conditioning. These results demonstrate that several different integrins are involved in physiological plasticity and provide the first evidence of their requirement for behavioral plasticity in vertebrates.
PRICE AND WAGE STICKINESS, INFLATION AND PROFITS*

This paper investigates the relationship between firm mark-ups and inflation. In sectors of the economy with industries characterized by flexible prices and sticky wages, mark-ups should respond positively to inflation. Industry mark-ups in sectors with both flexible prices and flexible wages theoretically may rise or fall in response to an increase in the price level. Mark-ups of industries in sectors of the economy in which prices are sticky should respond negatively to inflation, with an absolutely larger negative response occurring in sticky-price industries with flexible wages. Empirical analysis of US industries provides support for nearly all of these theoretical predictions.
Schottky barrier enhancement in Ni/Al layer-by-layer contacts to n-GaAs

Electron-beam deposited Ni/Al bimetallic, Ni and Al single-metallic contacts to chemically etched oriented n-type GaAs were studied. These samples were electrically characterized to determine the barrier heights, ideality factors, and doping concentrations. Barrier heights determined from I-V measurements using thermionic emission model yielded larger ideality factors, indicating that thermionic field emission model is more applicable for these contacts. The discrepancies in the barrier height data from I-V and C-V measurements are explained. Chemical analysis using an Auger electron spectrometer showed contamination at the interfaces of annealed samples. The results on single metallic contacts agreed quite well with published data. The authors show the importance of the bimetallic contacts by comparing the electrical properties of Ni/Al Schottky contacts with those made by Ni or Al alone under similar fabrication and processing conditions. >
p53-Mediated Senescence Impairs the Apoptotic Response to Chemotherapy and Clinical Outcome in Breast Cancer

Studies on the role of TP53 mutation in breast cancer response to chemotherapy are conflicting. Here, we show that, contrary to dogma, MMTV-Wnt1 mammary tumors with mutant p53 exhibited a superior clinical response compared to tumors with wild-type p53. Doxorubicin-treated p53 mutant tumors failed to arrest proliferation, leading to abnormal mitoses and cell death, whereas p53 wild-type tumors arrested, avoiding mitotic catastrophe. Senescent tumor cells persisted, secreting senescence-associated cytokines exhibiting autocrine/paracrine activity and mitogenic potential. Wild-type p53 still mediated arrest and inhibited drug response even in the context of heterozygous p53 point mutations or absence of p21. Thus, we show that wild-type p53 activity hinders chemotherapy response and demonstrate the need to reassess the paradigm for p53 in cancer therapy.
Theory of Operation of a 3-Port Y-Junction Ferrite Circulator

An analysis is made of the operation of a 3 port Y-junction ferrite circulator wherein it is assumed that the ferrite cylinder can support the propagation of a bound surface wave. The incident wave guided by the air-dielectric interface of the ferrite cylinder is taken to be linearly polarized parallel to the ferrite axis and after incidence on the cylinder is assumed to divide and propagate in opposite directions about the cylinder as two linearly polarized signals. By appropriate selection of ferrite cylinder diameter, permeability, magnetizing field and saturation magnetization, constructive and destructive interference of the RF components are shown to occur at the two output ports. The conditions for reinforcement and null at the outputs are discussed and compared with published experimental data. It is possible to predict the occurrence of ferrite circulator diplexing reported by Brown and Clark although good quantitative comparison is lacking. The theoretical dependence of ferrite diameter upon free space wavelength is computed and compares satisfactorily with recorded experimental data. The experimental observations that greater circulator bandwidths are achievable when below resonance magnetizing fields are employed are shown to have a theoretical basis. In addition, interrelationships among the designed variables: saturation magnetization, applied magnetic field, ferrite resonance linewidth and circulator insertion loss are noted in the theoretical results.
Long-Distance Staple Transport in Western Mesoamerica: Insights Through Quantitative Modeling

Conceptualizations of pre-Hispanic staple transport remain underdeveloped. Conventional wisdom has long maintained that while “prestige goods” could demand long-distance transport, staple transport was short distance. A quantitative model reveals the fallacy of that argument and establishes the possibility of long-distance, overland staple transport in Mesoamerica by using maize tribute transport between Zempoala and Tenochtitlan as an example. This conclusion has implications for understanding Mesoamerican interregional exchange, ecology, and society.
Sputtering of Ordered Ice Ih Adsorbed on Rh(111) Using Hyperthermal Neutral Ar Atoms

The sputtering of ordered overlayers of water physisorbed on Rh(111) by hyperthermal Ar atoms was investigated. For incident kinetic energies of 10 to 20 eV, the impact of the Ar atoms leads to the desorption of intact single water molecules. This sputtering is sensitive to the crystalline structure of the ice overlayers with the intensity and energy of the sputtered molecules being dependent upon both the final polar and azimuthal angles. The similarity between the results for one and three layers of water strongly suggests that all of the sputtering originates from the exposed topmost layer. In all cases sputtering yields are small, ∼10−3, and decreases with increasing film thickness; most of the energy transferred during the collision is dissipated into the lattice. These results suggest that sputtering of surfaces with hyperthermal neutrals might be useful as a noncharging and nonchemically destructive adjunct to ion-induced sputtering and secondary ion mass spectroscopy for compositional depth profil...
7-OH-DPAT ANTAGONIZES DOPAMINE D2 RECEPTOR-INHIBITED ADENYLYL CYCLASE ACTIVITY

(+/-)7-OH-DPAT (7-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin) binds to both dopamine D2 and D3 receptor subtypes. In 7315c pituitary tumor cell membranes, which express only the D2 type of dopamine receptor, dopamine inhibited, and 7-OH-DPAT had no effect on adenylyl cyclase activity. When combined, 7-OH-DPAT antagonized the inhibition of adenylyl cyclase produced by dopamine. Thus, it appears that 7-OH-DPAT acts as an antagonist at dopamine D2 receptors.
Is a Bird an Apple? The Effect of Speaker Labeling Accuracy on Infants' Word Learning, Imitation, and Helping Behaviors

This study examined infants' sensitivity to a speaker's verbal accuracy and whether the reliability of the speaker had an effect on their selective trust. Forty-nine 18-month-old infants were exposed to a speaker who either accurately or inaccurately labeled familiar objects. Subsequently, the speaker administered a series of tasks in which infants had an opportunity to: learn a novel word, imitate the speaker's "irrational" actions, and help the speaker obtain an out-of-reach object. In contrast to infants in the accurate (reliable) condition, those in the inaccurate (unreliable) condition performed more poorly on a word-learning task and were less likely to imitate. All infants demonstrated high rates of instrumental helping behavior. These results are the first to demonstrate that infants as young as 18 months of age cannot only detect a speaker's verbal inaccuracy but also use this information to attenuate their word recognition and learning of novel actions.
Theodore Millon's Contributions to Conceptualizing Personality Disorders

We review Theodore Millon's contributions to conceptualizing personality disorders in contemporary clinical science and practice. Millon worked tirelessly across professional domains and theoretical orientations, developing a rich integrative theory of personality and its pathology, directly and indirectly impacting the evolving iterations of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III through DSM-5), and advocating for the personality disorders through his contributions to cofounding the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders and the Journal of Personality Disorders. We conclude with a closer look at Millon's final major contributions to conceptualizing personality disorders as well as the strengths and limitations of his approach.
TIME IN QUANTUM GEOMETRODYNAMICS

We revisit the issue of time in quantum geometrodynamics and suggest a quantization procedure on the space of true dynamic variables. This procedure separates the issue of quantization from enforcing the constraints caused by the general covariance symmetries. The resulting theory, unlike the standard approach, takes into account the states that are off shell with respect to the constraints, and thus avoids the problems of time. In this approach, quantum geometrodynamics, general covariance, and the interpretation of time emerge together as parts of the solution of the total problem of geometrodynamic evolution.
Hallucinogens as discriminative stimuli: A comparison of 4-OMe and 5-OMe DMT with their methylthio counterparts

Abstract Rats, trained to discriminate 1.5 mg/kg of the hallucinogenic agent 5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine (5-OMe DMT) from saline in a two-lever drug discrimination task, were challenged with various doses of the 4-methoxy, 4-methylthio and 5-methylthio derivatives of DMT. The 5-OMe DMT cue was found to generalize to all three of these agents; the order of potency is 5-OMe > 5-SMe > 4-OMe > 4-SMe DMT.
Site selective laser spectroscopy study of defect equilibria in MgO:Cr3+

Abstract Aliovalent Cr 3+ dopants in MgO are compensated either locally or distantly by magnesium vacancies. The relative concentrations of the two Cr 3+ sites are measured as a function of dopant concentration by site selective laser spectroscopy. The locally compensated site concentration increases dramatically as the dopant concentration is raised. The increase can be described by a mass action relationship for the pairing equilibrium between the dopant and its charge compensation. This behavior is in marked contrast to the defect equilibria in fluorite compounds where the site concentrations do not follow simple mass action relationships.
Experimental and Computational Sonic Boom Assessment of Boeing N+2 Low Boom Models

Near-field pressure signatures were measured and computational predictions made for several sonic boom models representing Boeing's Quiet Experimental Validation Concept (QEVC) supersonic transport, as well as three axisymmetric calibration models. Boeing developed the QEVC under a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) contract for Experimental Systems Validations for N+2 Supersonic Commercial Transport Aircraft, which was led by the NASA High Speed Project under the Fundamental Aeronautics Program. The concept was designed to address environmental and performance goals given in the NRA, specifically for low sonic boom loudness levels and high cruise efficiency, for an aircraft anticipated to enter service in the 2020 timeframe. Wind tunnel tests were conducted on the aircraft and calibration models during Phases I and II of the NRA contract from 2011 to 2013 in the NASA Ames 9- by 7-Foot and NASA Glenn 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnels. Sonic boom pressure signatures were acquired primarily at Mach 1.6 and 1.8, and force and moment data were acquired from Mach 0.8 to 1.8. The sonic boom test data were obtained using a 2-in. flat-top pressure rail and a 14-in. round-top tapered "reflection factor 1" (RF1) pressure rail. Both rails capture an entire pressure signature in one data point, and successive signatures at varying positions along or above the rail were used to improve data quality through spatial averaging. The sonic boom data obtained by the rails were validated with high-fidelity numerical simulations of off-body pressures using the CFD codes USM3D, Cart3D, and OVERFLOW. The test results from the RF1 rail showed good agreement between the computational and experimental data when a variety of testing techniques including spatial averaging of a series of pressure signatures were employed, however, reflections off the 2-in. flat-top rail caused distortions in the signatures that did not agree with the CFD predictions. The 9 x 7 and 8 x 6 wind tunnels generally produced comparable data.
Facultative ripening in Hamelia patens (Rubiaceae): effects of fruit removal and rotting.

In Costa Rica individual Hamelia patens trees produce fruit throughout the year and experience dramatic changes in rates of fruit removal and rotting. During some moths, most fruits rot because they are not removed. Rotting fruits increase the probability that other fruits on the same infructescence will rot. When removal rates are high, fruits are taken as soon as their seeds become viable but before the fruit is completely ripe. Experimental removal of fruits produced significantly higher ripening rates than on control infructescences. This response allows Hamelia to ripen more fruit and increase the number of fruits taken when dispersers are abundant (e.g., during migration). The proximate mechanism of this response probably includes reallocation of energy conserved when partially ripe fruits are removed. Responding to fluctuating disperser populations likely increases dispersal success and may function as the ultimate cause.
Nutrition and multiple gestation

Multiple pregnancy represents a state of magnified nutritional requirements, resulting in a greater nutrient drain on maternal resources and an accelerated depletion of nutritional reserves. The accelerated starvation which occurs in pregnancy is exaggerated with a multiple gestation, particularly during the second half of pregnancy, with more rapid depletion of glycogen stores and resultant metabolism of fat between meals and during an overnight fast. A reduced glucose stream from mother to fetus results in slower fetal growth, smaller birth size, as well as a higher risk of preterm labor and preterm birth. For this reason, diet therapy with a diabetic regimen of 20% of calories from protein, 40% of calories from carbohydrate, and 40% of calories from fat may be particularly useful. Iron-deficiency anemia has also been linked to preterm delivery and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Mobilization of maternal iron stores, in addition to an adequate amount and pattern of gestational weight gain (including BMI-specific weight gain goals by 20 and 28 weeks gestation), has been associated with significantly better fetal growth and longer gestations in twin pregnancies. Supplementation with calcium, magnesium, and zinc, as well as multivitamins and essential fatty acids may also reduce pregnancy complications and improve postnatal health for infants born from a multiple gestation. Diet therapy for women pregnant with multiples is an important component of effective prenatal care.
Anesthetic Management for Adult Spine Deformity Surgery

Adult deformity surgery involves complex surgery in patients with underlying chronic medical conditions. Anesthetic challenges include large intraoperative blood loss and resuscitation, maintaining adequate anesthesia in the setting of neuro-monitoring, long surgical times, and postoperative pain control. The anesthesia provider should have a good knowledge of the surgical technique and its potential physiological impact, the documented benefits of certain anesthetic techniques, and the intraoperative neuro-monitoring requirements for spine surgery. It is also imperative to understand the anesthetic effects on the central nervous system to facilitate a safe surgery and good outcome.
Norepinephrine and phenoxybenzamine redistribution of dog forelimb blood flow and volume.

SummaryDog forelimbs were perfused under constant blood flow conditions. Norepinephrine significantly increased blood flow resistance and decreased total and active vascular volumes. 86Rb recovery was increased. Phenoxybenzamine returned the resistance to control without changing total vascular volume or red cells-51Cr volume. However, albumin-13I space was increased with no change in 86Rb recovery. Norepinephrine caused a reduction in capillary flow with redistribution of flow to shunt vessels. Alpha blockade allowed opening of circulatory areas constructed at least in part of nonexchange vessels.
Gradient beam steering device based on a nematic cell with continuous ramp of the phase retardation

In order to develop a fine angular beam steering technique (milliradian and less), we propose a nematic liquid crystal cell with a continuous gradient of the refractive index. This continuous gradient is controlled by applying the driving voltage to non-patterned indium-tin oxide electrodes. We employed the dual-frequency nematic liquid crystal in the cell with high pretilt alignment. The experiments with dual-frequency nematic confirmed that non-patterned electrically controlled nematic cell with the continuous gradient of refractive index is capable of angular beam steering in the milliradian range.