cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spindly, a novel protein essential for silencing the spindle assembly checkpoint, recruits dynein to the kinetochore

The eukaryotic spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) monitors microtubule attachment to kinetochores and prevents anaphase onset until all kinetochores are aligned on the metaphase plate. In higher eukaryotes, cytoplasmic dynein is involved in silencing the SAC by removing the checkpoint proteins Mad2 and the Rod–Zw10–Zwilch complex (RZZ) from aligned kinetochores (Howell, B.J., B.F. McEwen, J.C. Canman, D.B. Hoffman, E.M. Farrar, C.L. Rieder, and E.D. Salmon. 2001. J. Cell Biol. 155:1159–1172; Wojcik, E., R. Basto, M. Serr, F. Scaerou, R. Karess, and T. Hays. 2001. Nat. Cell Biol. 3:1001–1007). Using a high throughput RNA interference screen in Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells, we have identified a new protein (Spindly) that accumulates on unattached kinetochores and is required for silencing the SAC. After the depletion of Spindly, dynein cannot target to kinetochores, and, as a result, cells arrest in metaphase with high levels of kinetochore-bound Mad2 and RZZ. We also identified a human homologue of Spindly that serves a similar function. However, dynein's nonkinetochore functions are unaffected by Spindly depletion. Our findings indicate that Spindly is a novel regulator of mitotic dynein, functioning specifically to target dynein to kinetochores.
Skills in the Marketplace: Individual Characteristics and Bargaining Ability in a Field-Based Experiment

Classic economic theory predicts that markets will clear, leaving little or no gains from trade left on the table. Laboratory experiments have largely confirmed this, though the results of recent field experiments have been mixed, with some artefactual markets in developing countries performing relatively inefficiently. I create a realistic multi-round trading market in Uganda with market-experienced individuals to explore the efficiency of trading and test what individual traits predict market efficiency and bargaining success using a rich dataset on individual characteristics. In early rounds, market efficiency is low. By the final round, efficiency rates are closer to theory. I find that individual characteristics of the buyers and sellers strongly predict the level of efficiency within the individual rounds. Individual characteristics are also important for individual success and divide along bargaining power: for buyers, who by design have high market power, wealth and patience are positively and significantly correlated with rents; for sellers with low market power, education, anti-social behavior and aggression are positively and significantly associated with rents. The results of the bargaining game also correlate with wealth levels two years after the experiment, suggesting that market prowess predicts lifetime outcomes. The results add importance to the role of individual characteristics for individual and social efficiency outcomes.
Liquid distribution in trickle-bed reactors: Part I. Flow measurements

Radial liquid distribution was measured for concurrent downflow of air and water through beds packed with catalyst particles. The experimental results can be predicted by a theory involving two parameters, a spreading factor S and wall factor f. Criteria are presented for predicting operating conditions (particle size and shape and tube diameter) for which the equilibrium distribution will be uniform and packed-bed depth required to attain equilibrium liquid distribution.
Using manual prostate contours to enhance deformable registration of endorectal MRI

BackgroundEndorectal MRI provides detailed images of the prostate anatomy and is useful for radiation treatment planning. Here we describe a Demons field-initialized B-spline deformable registration of prostate MRI. Material and methodsT2-weighted endorectal MRIs of five patients were used. The prostate and the tumor of each patient were manually contoured. The planning MRIs and their segmentations were simulated by warping the corresponding endorectal MRIs using thin plate spline (TPS). Deformable registration was initialized using the deformation field generated using Demons algorithm to map the deformed prostate MRI to the non-deformed one. The solution was refined with B-Spline registration. Volume overlap similarity was used to assess the accuracy of registration and to suggest a minimum margin to account for the registration errors. ResultsInitialization using Demons algorithm took about 15min on a computer with 2.8GHz Intel, 1.3GB RAM. Refinement B-spline registration (200 iterations) took less than 5min. Using the synthetic images as the ground truth, at zero margin, the average (S.D.) 98 (?0.4)% for prostate coverage was 97 (?1)% for tumor. The average (?S.D.) treatment margin required to cover the entire prostate was 1.5 (?0.2)mm. The average (? S.D.) treatment margin required to cover the tumor was 0.7 (?0.1)mm. We also demonstrated the challenges in registering an in vivo deformed MRI to an in vivo non-deformed MRI. DiscussionWe here present a deformable registration scheme that can overcome large deformation. This platform is expected to be useful for prostate cancer radiation treatment planning.
Centrifugal instability of an oscillatory flow over periodic ripples

An oscillating flow over a sandy beach can initiate and enhance the formation of bed ripples, with crests perpendicular to the direction of the ambient oscillation. Under certain circumstances, bridges may develop to span adjacent ripple crests, resulting in a brick pattern. It has been suggested that the onset of this transition is due to a three-dimensional centrifugal instability of an otherwise two-dimensional flow over periodic long-crested ripples. Here we analyse theoretically such an instability by assuming that the ripples are rigid and smooth. Two complementary cases are studied. We first consider a weak ambient oscillation over ripples of finite slope in Case (i). The three-dimensional disturbance is found to be localized in a small region either along the crests or along the troughs. In Case (ii) we analyse finite oscillations over ripples of mild slope. The region influenced by the instability is now comparable with a ripple wavelength and the unstable disturbance along adjacent ripples may interact with each other. Four types of harmonic and subharmonic instabilities are found. The associated steady streaming close to the ripple surface shows various tendencies of possible sand accumulations, some of which appear to be qualitatively relevant to the initiation of brick-patterned ripples.
CT angiographic-guided frameless stereotactic-assisted clipping of a distal posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm: technical case report.

BACKGROUND The development of frameless stereotaxis allows for repetitive intraoperative localization with millimeter accuracy. High-resolution computed tomographic (CT) angiography provides multiplanar, three-dimensional imaging of cerebral vascular lesions. The image data set generated during CT angiography can be used for localization in frameless stereotaxis when performed with appropriate fiducials in place. METHODS The feasibility of melding these two technologies was tested on a patient with a small (5 mm), distal ruptured posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysm, which was visualized by CT angiography and localized by frameless stereotaxis. RESULTS Visualization by CT angiography and intraoperative localization by frameless stereotaxis were successful. CONCLUSIONS The practical application of this technology meld is demonstrated in this sample case. Applications to distal anterior cerebral artery aneurysms, abnormal flow-related aneurysms associated with arteriovenous malformations, and mycotic aneurysms are discussed.
Location of Spectroscopic Probes in Self-Aggregating Assemblies. I. The Case for 5-Doxylstearic Acid Methyl Ester Serving as a Benchmark Spectroscopic Probe to Study Micelles

A strategy to locate spectroscopic probes in micelles is presented which involves establishing a “benchmark” probe, i.e., one whose position is well-known and against which other probe positions may be established. Theoretically calculated values of the fraction of the micelle polar shell occupied by water, Hshell, are compared with experimental values measured with the spin probe 5-doxylstearic acid methyl ester (5DSE) for a series of sodium n-alkyl sulfate micelles as functions of both the aggregation numbers and the alkyl chain length. The theoretical values involve one adjustable parameter that may be taken to be the volume in the polar shell inaccessible to water, Vdry. Under the hypothesis that the thickness of the polar shell (5 A) remains constant as either the aggregation number or the chain length is varied, we find excellent agreement between the theoretical predictions and the experimental results, using the same value of Vdry for chain lengths 8-12 and for aggregation numbers varying from approximately 38 to 130. We argue that these are compelling reasons that 5DSE follows the zero-order model (ZOM) of probe location. The ZOM applies to any probe that rapidly diffuses within the confines of the micelle polar shell and nowhere else. Thus, 5DSE can serve as a benchmark in the sodium alkyl sulfate micelles. As a further check, results are also presented for ammonium dodecyl sulfate micelles, where 5DSE is also found to follow the ZOM, i.e, no further adjustable parameters are needed to pass from the sodium alkyl sulfate micelles to ammonium dodecyl sulfate micelles. In contrast, results are also presented for a similar spin probe 16-doxylstearic acid methyl ester (16DSE) that is found not to adhere to the ZOM in any of the micelles. A simple first-order correction to the ZOM in which 16DSE is displaced slightly from the polar shell is shown to account for the results well. The necessary displacements, which range from about 0.7 A outside the polar shell to 1.3 A inside, are not correlated with either chain lengths or aggregation numbers; however, they correlate rather well with Hshell. Calibrations of 6-, 7-, 10-, and 12DSE spin probes are presented in the Appendix, making them available to measure microviscosities and effective water concentrations.
Bacteria inactivation effect of ions generated by DC corona discharge

Summary form only given. Non-thermal plasma generated at atmospheric pressure produces a complex effect caused by reactive molecules, charges, electric fields, and ultraviolet radiation. The role of these components has been studied, and it was noticed, that inactivation efficiency highly depends on presence of charged species for room air conditions, but radiation effect in air plasma is almost always negligible. To study the role of plasma-produced charged particles, we have used DC corona discharge, where stable and uniform generation of various neutral active species and ions is possible.
Skeletal regeneration in amphibians.

The failure of de novo regeneration of extirpated bones in adult urodeles has been described repeatedly. Wendelstadt (1901) reported the absence of skeletal regeneration following the removal of either the ulna or radius from the otherwise intact limbs of salamanders. Reed (1903) and Morrill (1918) likewise failed to obtain regeneration of previously excised fibulae in salamander hind limbs. Similar negative results were reported by Schaxel & Bohmel (1928) and Bohmel (1929) following the removal of femurs from axolotls. Gebauer (1933) recorded no regeneration of extirpated bones in Triton cristatus , and Goss (1956) and Rieck & Rudich (1956) noted that ulnae were not replaced after their removal from the limbs of adult Triturus viridescens . In contrast to the situation in adults, Swett & Parsons (1929) have reported the regeneration of completely removed humeri and shoulder girdles in the young larvae of Amblystoma punctatum .
Infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy associated with α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase deficiency: on relating axonal spheroids to a lysosomal enzyme deficiency

Appropriately for a symposium on peripheral neuropathy, this contribution considers the pathogenesis of distal axonal spheroids in two brothers with biopsy-proven infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD), who also have a well-delineated inherited defect in lysosomal glycoprotein degradation: α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase deficiency. The possibility that the membranous content of their distal axonal spheroids directly represents the storage product of their lysosomal enzymatic defect is considered. The occurrence of ultra-structurally identical membranous spheroids in inherited and acquired human and experimental diseases unrelated to this lysosomal defect, current knowledge of neuronal lysosomes and of the synthesis, axonal transport, and degradation of glycoproteins in neurons, and the absence of this lysosomal enzymatic defect in cells from unrelated autopsy-proven cases of INAD, all suggest that the axonal spheroids in these brothers either are related to their lysosomal deficiency by highly indirect and undemonstrated paths, or that their membranous axonal spheroids are unrelated causally to their lysosomal deficiency and that ultrastructural storage in this new lysosomal disease remains to be demonstrated by more sensitive and specific methods.
Genetics of Complex Traits Through the Life Cycle

The phenotypic manifestations of complex developing systems are products of influences from genes, environments, interactions among genes, and interactions between genes and environments. The effective genes and the effective environments may change over developmental time, as may the interactions among them. Quantitative genetic models have provided an analytical framework for partitioning the observed phenotypic variance in populations into components attributable to these various sources. Recent advances in molecular genetics have made possible research designs in which the effects of individual genes can be examined in their polygenic and environmental contexts. Opportunities are opening for combined research with both reductionist exploration of mechanisms and integrative examination of complex system properties.
THE LOCALIZATION OF THE GROWING POINT IN THE EPIPHYSEAL CARTILAGE PLATE OF BONES

1. An incision through a growing bone at the junction of the metaphysis with the epiphysis always causes a disturbance in growth. 2. A separation in the natural line of cleavage between the epiphysis and metaphysis, after incising the periosteum, causes some loss in length growth. It is possible in exceptional cases, in which a very minimal amount of injury is produced, that there will be no hindrance to growth. 3. The excision of the metaphysis causes a very slight disturbance in growth. 4. The excision of the epiphyseal cartilage plate causes practically a complete cessation of active longitudinal growth. 5. The most active and important elements necessary for longitudinal growth are located in the columns of cartilage of the epiphyseal cartilage plate. 6. A limited property of producing length growth is possessed by the cartilage adjacent to the columns of cartilage. 7. The localization of the growing point of bone is of value in explaining the results of injury and disease to this particular region.
Generalizing the semantic roles in the Chinese Proposition Bank

The Chinese Proposition Bank (CPB) is a corpus annotated with semantic roles for the arguments of verbal and nominalized predicates. The semantic roles for the core arguments are defined in a predicate-specific manner. That is, a set of semantic roles, numerically identified, are defined for each sense of a predicate lemma and recorded in a valency lexicon called frame files. The predicate-specific manner in which the semantic roles are defined reduces the cognitive burden on the annotators since they only need to internalize a few roles at a time and this has contributed to the consistency in annotation. It was also a sensible approach given the contentious issue of how many semantic roles are needed if one were to adopt of set of global semantic roles that apply to all predicates. A downside of this approach, however, is that the predicate-specific roles may not be consistent across predicates, and this inconsistency has a negative impact on training automatic systems. Given the progress that has been made in defining semantic roles in the last decade or so, time is ripe for adopting a set of general semantic roles. In this article, we describe our effort to "re-annotate" the CPB with a set of "global" semantic roles that are predicate-independent and investigate their impact on automatic semantic role labeling systems. When defining these global semantic roles, we strive to make them compatible with a recently published ISO standards on the annotation of semantic roles (ISO 24617-4:2014 SemAF-SR) while taking the linguistic characteristics of the Chinese language into account. We show that in spite of the much larger number of global semantic roles, the accuracy of an off-the-shelf semantic role labeling system retrained on the data re-annotated with global semantic roles is comparable to that trained on the data set with the original predicate-specific semantic roles. We also argue that the re-annotated data set, together with the original data, provides the user with more flexibility when using the corpus.
Choosing between alternative placement strategies for conservation buffers using Borda count

Abstract There is inherent ambiguity when comparing decision criteria in multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM). A fuzzy Borda count was developed to take into account some of the ambiguity and derive criteria weights by linguistically comparing decision criteria. This study extends the fuzzy Borda count to take into account agents’ confidence in their preferences for criteria weights. The procedure is applied to prioritize agricultural lands for conservation buffer placement using multiple criteria in the Raritan River Basin in New Jersey. These criteria, which include soil erodibility, hydrological sensitivity, wildlife habitat, and impervious surface, capture the conservation buffers’ ecosystem services in terms of reducing soil erosion, controlling runoff generation, enhancing wildlife habitat, and mitigating stormwater impacts, respectively. A survey was conducted of conservation professionals including federal employees at NRCS, state and local agencies and nongovernmental environmental organizations to elicit agents’ preferences for multiple benefits of conservation buffers using a fuzzy pairwise comparison method. The study compares the fuzzy MCDM procedure to a class-based MCDM procedure for prioritizing agricultural lands for conservation buffer placement. The comparative results show that both procedures have their advantages and disadvantages, but generate comparable prioritization results. Further research is needed to improve the proposed fuzzy MCDM procedure to handle missing values in eliciting agents’ preferences for comparing multiple criteria.
Lens Fragment Removal from the Anterior Chamber Using Cannula Aspiration

Retained nuclear and cortical material is increasing after phacoemulsification cataract surgery. Most surgeons use irrigation/aspiration hand tips to remove such particles when they are identified. We offer an alternative method using a cannula to improve visualization and decrease turbulent infusions.
Early subclinical inflammation correlates with outcomes in positive crossmatch kidney allografts

The aim of this study was to investigate correlations between early subclinical findings (10- and 90-day histology and gene expression data) and late outcomes (transplant glomerulopathy and graft loss) in positive crossmatch kidney transplants (+XMKTx). We compared 34 +XMKTx (19 receiving eculizumab and 15 receiving standard of care without eculizumab) to 13 -XMKTx (between August 2001 and August 2011). At 10 days, light microscopy identified subclinical inflammation in only 18% of +XMKTx, while intragraft gene expression identified inflammation in 79% (gene sets for activated macrophages, dendritic cells, NK cells or T cells). Inflammation persisted at 90 days and was associated with the development of transplant glomerulopathy by 2 years and graft loss. In contrast, endothelial cell (EC) changes present at 90 days by either electron microscopy or gene expression were not associated with transplant glomerulopathy or graft loss in this cohort. Eculizumab treatment did not appear to alter inflammation or EC changes. Therefore, intragraft inflammation might be an appropriate surrogate marker of progression and also a target of therapy to prevent chronic antibody-mediated rejection.
The Allocation of Future Business: Dynamic Relational Contracts with Multiple Agents

We consider how a firm dynamically allocates business among several suppliers to motivate them in a relational contract. The firm chooses one supplier who exerts private effort. Output is non-contractible, and each supplier observes only his own relationship with the principal. In this setting, allocation decisions constrain the transfers that can be promised to suppliers in equilibrium. Consequently, optimal allocation decisions condition on payoff-irrelevant past performance to make strong incentives credible. We construct a dynamic allocation rule that attains first-best whenever any allocation rule does. This allocation rule performs strictly better than any rule that depends only on payoff-relevant information.
Factors associated with receipt of adjuvant radioactive iodine in node-negative versus node-positive papillary thyroid cancer.

e17695 Background: The administration of adjuvant radioactive iodine (RAI) for patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is controversial. Current guidelines recommend RAI for patients at high r...
Creating greeting cards to understand and to evaluate Knapp’s Staircase Model of relationships

Courses: Interpersonal Communication, Relational CommunicationObjective: This article teaches students to explain and evaluate Knapp’s Relational Staircase Model through the creation of personalized greeting cards for each relational stage. The in-class activity encourages students to be creative and succinct in capturing the essence of an assigned relational stage in their respective greeting cards. The activity also provides students with an opportunity to apply the model to their lives and to test the validity and usefulness of the model in the hook-up culture prevalent among many college students today.
Competitive release in tumors

Competitive release is a bedrock principle of coevolutionary ecology and population dynamics. It is also the main mechanism by which heterogeneous tumors develop chemotherapeutic resistance. Understanding, controlling, and exploiting this important mechanism represents one of the key challenges and potential opportunities of current medical oncology. The development of sophisticated mathematical and computational models of coevolution among clonal and sub-clonal cell populations in the tumor ecosystem can guide us in predicting and shaping various responses to perturbations in the fitness landscape which is altered by chemo-toxic agents. This in turn can help us design adaptive chemotherapeutic strategies to combat the release resistant cells.
Revisiting the Interactive Effect of Narcissism and Self-Esteem on Responses to Ego Threat: Distinguishing Between Assertiveness and Intent to Harm:

We addressed whether narcissism and self-esteem synergize to enhance assertive responses and deter aggressive responses to ego-threatening provocation. Participants ( N = 448) completed measures of narcissism and self-esteem, imagined ego-threatening provocation, and indicated their aggressive and assertive responses. Participants also completed individual difference measures of agreeableness, openness, status/dominance motivation, and endorsement of the notion that aggression begets power. Narcissism and self-esteem interacted to reduce aggressive responses but enhance assertive responses to ego-threat; moreover, this interaction related to enhanced agreeableness, openness, status/dominance motivation, and reduced endorsement of the belief that aggression begets power, and these relations accounted, in part, for relations between the interaction and aggressive and assertive responses. Broadly, the findings contribute to the contentious issue of how self-evaluation influences responses to ego-threat; specifically, we would suggest that this issue be conceptualized in terms of synergistic effects of narcissism and self-esteem and distinguish between assertive versus aggressive responding.
Assessment of barrier severity and willingness to enter opioid agonist treatment among people who inject drugs in Ukraine.

Abstract Background Opioid agonist therapies (OAT) in Ukraine were first introduced in 2004 not as addiction treatment, but for HIV prevention. Numerous obstacles have thwarted OAT scale-up, including individual constraints and structural barriers. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 1613 opioid dependent people who inject drugs (PWID) were recruited in 2014–2015 using stratified sampling in Kyiv, Odesa, Mykolayiv, Dnipro and Lviv. Analysis was restricted to a subset of 811 PWID who never received OAT. Barriers to OAT were assessed based on reasons why study participants were reluctant to enroll into OAT. A Rasch model from the Item Response Theory was applied to 24 potential barriers, used to score their severity and estimate a latent composite measure for each person’s willingness and ability to participate in OAT. Results The Rasch model confirmed the cumulative nature of barriers with concerns over treatment efficacy, safety and tolerability being more prevalent than barriers related to logistical constraints, opportunity costs and social stigma. If barriers related to treatment perception and logistics were eliminated, the average barrier number would decrease from 10 to 2.2. Participants were more likely to have a higher resistance to OAT entry if they experienced fewer overdoses, did not attain higher education, were not previously incarcerated and if their peers did not have a higher level of resistance to OAT. Conclusions Understanding the interdependence of various barriers and attitudes toward OAT can improve the rate of OAT expansion and ameliorate entry into substance abuse treatment programs in Ukraine.
A microRNA signature and TGF-β1 response were identified as the key master regulators for spaceflight response.

Translating fundamental biological discoveries from NASA Space Biology program into health risk from space flights has been an ongoing challenge. We propose to use NASA GeneLab database to gain new knowledge on potential systemic responses to space. Unbiased systems biology analysis of transcriptomic data from seven different rodent datasets reveals for the first time the existence of potential “master regulators” coordinating a systemic response to microgravity and/or space radiation with TGF-β1 being the most common regulator. We hypothesized the space environment leads to the release of biomolecules circulating inside the blood stream. Through datamining we identified 13 candidate microRNAs (miRNA) which are common in all studies and directly interact with TGF-β1 that can be potential circulating factors impacting space biology. This study exemplifies the utility of the GeneLab data repository to aid in the process of performing novel hypothesis–based research.
Total synthesis of (±)-hibiscone B and (±)-acyl hibiscone B

Abstract The first total syntheses of the furanosesquiterpenoids hibiscone B and acyl hibiscone B are reported. The chemistry used to prepare hibiscone B solves an important challenge to the synthesis of other members of the furanosesquiterpenoid family of natural products, for which the parent molecule, hibiscone C, has shown promising biological activity.
THE EFFECT OF PLATELET INHIBITON BY CANGRELOR AMONG OBESE PATIENTS UNDERGOING CORONARY STENTING: INSIGHTS FROM THE CHAMPION TRIALS

In clinical trials, cangrelor reduced periprocedural ischemic events related to percutaneous coronary stenting (PCI) without increasing bleeding. However, some antiplatelet agents have shown a differential treatment effect by body mass index (BMI). Patients from the three CHAMPION trials who were
Experimental Modal Analysis of Tumorigenesis and Cancer Metastasis

Traditionally, performing an experimental modal analysis of a building/structure required instrumenting the structure with a spatially distributed array of accelerometers or strain gages. Alternatively, a laser doppler vibrometer would have to be scanned across the structure of interest in a sequential manner to measure structural response. Recently, researchers at LANL developed a technology that combines the theory of structural dynamics with computer vision that provides the capability to characterize structural dynamics at very high spatial density using only an imager. With this newfound success at the macro-scale, we have exploited this novel technology to a whole new scale- to studying the basic structure of life itself, the human cell. We hypothesize that this new technology and novel application will provide a significantly better understanding of how stiffness and mass distribution changes in a cell as it undergoes epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and in identifying its associated EMC biochemical cues, highlight potential therapeutic targets. For the first time it should be possible to measure the high-resolution mode shapes of cells; given that all cells undergoing cancer metastasis experience a breakdown in the cytoskeleton, this work will enable groundbreaking advances in various fields including medicine and structural dynamics. It is imperative to highlight, that we are only beginning to understand the relationship between biophysical properties of cells and their potential to regulate tumorigenesis and motility, which is commonly known as metastasis. This knowledge could be used to provide verification and validation of finite element models of cellular structure. This work will represent the first time that expertise in experimental structural dynamics will be brought to bear on the problem of characterizing the structural dynamics of cells at high spatial resolution, which is novel and unique on its own. When successful, this new technology could be used to couple the biophysical cues associated with other detrimental human pathologies.
Entre “hacer historia” y “¡Qué me velen para’o!”: velorios exóticos y marginalidad contemporánea en San Juan de Puerto Rico

El velorio es la ultima oportunidad del cuerpo para proyectarse ante la comunidad y la sociedad. Este articulo trabaja unas practicas funerarias que han reportado los medios de comunicacion en Puerto Rico desde 2008 denominadas como “velorios exoticos” y los “muertos para’os”. En esta practica, el cadaver es colocado fuera del ataud simulando vida en posiciones estaticas. Estos se han observado como un eco de la narcocultura que ha entrado en otros sectores populares en el pais caribeno. Los enfoques teoricos de este estudio incluyen perspectivas socioculturales sobre la muerte, el performance y la marginalidad. Las metodologias aplicadas incluyen observacion participante, entrevistas con familiares y la gerencia de la funeraria y materiales de archivo. El velatorio fuera del ataud es una manifestacion cultural de la violencia urbana en el inner city de la zona metropolitana de San Juan que ha penetrado otros sectores marginados del pais con el fin de buscar fama y reconocimiento.
Data-driven semi-supervised and supervised learning algorithms for health monitoring of pipes

Abstract The use of guided ultrasonic waves (GUWs) for SHM of pipelines has been a popular method for over three decades. The superiority of GUWs over traditional vibration-based techniques lie in its ability to detect small damages (cracks and corrosion) over a satisfactory length of a pipeline. The physics of the system, however, is extremely involved that renders model-based techniques computationally prohibitive. Data-driven approaches, based on statistical learning algorithmsare far more suitable in such scenarios. In this paper, we propose two data-driven techniques, involving a semi-supervised and a supervised learning approach, for damage detection in pipes. In addition to circumventing the use of a model-based approach, the proposed approaches also aid in reducing the number of sensors deployed, leading to reductions in maintenance costs. The semi-supervised learning-based approach detects the presence of damage using a hierarchical clustering-based algorithm. The supervised learning-based approach performs damage localization in a multinomial logistic regression framework. We validate the proposed algorithms by acquiring guided wave responses from experimental pipes in a pitch-catch configuration using low-cost piezoelectric transducers. We demonstrate that our fully data-driven techniques accurately detect and localize cracks on two cast iron pipes of different lengths using a combination of two sensors.
High Crimes and Misdemeanors : A History of Impeachment for the Age of Trump

America frequently talks about impeaching a president, but the impeachment provisions of the American constitution are widely misunderstood. In High Crimes and Misdemeanors, constitutional scholar Frank O. Bowman, III offers unprecedented clarity to the question of impeachment, tracing its roots to medieval England through its adoption in the Constitution and 250 years of American experience. By examining the human and political history of those who have faced impeachment, Bowman demonstrates that the Framers intended impeachment to be a flexible tool, adaptable to the needs of any age. Written in a lively, engaging style, the book combines a deep historical and constitutional analysis of the impeachment clauses, a coherent theory of when impeachment should be used to protect constitutional order against presidential misconduct, and a comprehensive presentation of the case for and against impeachment of President Trump. It is an indispensable work for the present moment.
Prereferral A Time to Empower Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families through a Family-Centered Approach

Screening and prereferral are not required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; however, many educators recognize that implementation of prereferral interventions is a measure of best practices. The authors address the need to establish a family-centered approach within the prereferral process in order to promote early and preventative, problem-solving, action-oriented implementation. Within the literature, current definitions of the prereferral process focus on educators as the major participants in the process. Families are not specifically included as members of the prereferral team. A familycentered approach is recommended to engage culturally and linguistically diverse populations as stakeholders in their children's education.
The Element of Surprise.

The Element of Surprise This interactive case features a 64-year-old woman who presents with symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, weight loss, and loose stools. Test your diagnostic an...
Advanced Coding and Modulation for 3 GHz Extended Spectrum DOCSIS

Capacity requirements of the fixed access network keep increasing towards multi-gigabit connections. For Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) networks, aggregated rates around 30 Gbit/s can be achieved by increasing the DOCSIS spectrum to 3GHz, assuming a spectral efficiency around 10 bit/s/Hz. Replacement of spectrum limiting components such as passive taps in the HFC network is an efficient way to achieve these data rates, compared with the cost of fiber to the home (FTTH). The fiber section of the network is capable of achieving capacities required to support 30 Gbit/s but it is a challenge to achieve 10 bit/s/Hz spectral efficiency on the coax link, especially at higher frequencies. This paper presents a new modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for DOCSIS that can achieve a 10% improvement in spectral efficiency over current DOCSIS MCS.
Incorporating Structural Process Knowledge in Recurrent Neural Network Modeling of Nonlinear Processes.

This work proposes two methods for incorporating structural process knowledge in recurrent neural network (RNN) modeling for a general class of nonlinear dynamic process systems. Specifically, based on the structural a priori knowledge of the relationship between the process state variables, the first approach is to design a partially-connected structure for RNN models. Additionally, a weight-constrained RNN optimization problem equipped with a constraint on weight parameters and a regularization term in loss function is proposed to develop an RNN model that satisfies the assumption on input-output relationship. The proposed partially-connected RNN modeling method is applied to a chemical process example to demonstrate its better approximation performance compared with the fully-connected RNN model that does not incorporate any structural process knowledge.
Abstract B35: Characterization of exosomes extracted from primary tumor samples of HPV+/- oropharyngeal cancer

Objective: To determine if distinctions in exosomal cargo contribute to differences in EMT between HPV-related and HPV-unrelated oropharyngeal disease and can provide a signature for prediction of tumor aggressiveness and metastatic potential. Subjects and Methods: Specimen from patients with HPV+/- OPSCC were collected according to an IRB-approved protocol including primary tumor, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and serum when available. Exosomes isolated from HPV+ and HPV- tumors were analyzed with miARma-seq and proteomics. These same exosomes were cocultured with well-characterized HPV+ and HPV- cell lines as well as fibroblasts and normal keratinocytes. Tumor aggressiveness, EMT, and potential for metastasis were measured utilizing wound healing scratch assays and transwell invasion assay techniques based on the Boyden Chamber migration assay. Confirmation of epithelial to mesenchymal transition was evaluated by Western blot and qPCR using a panel of well-established EMT markers (e-cadherin, n-cadherin, vimentin, snail, slug, twist, ZEB1/2). Results: Tumors from HPV+ patients demonstrate exosomal content enriched in EMT markers compared to HPV-negative patient cultures. Exosomes extracted from primary tumor and lymph node metastasis of the same patient demonstrate differential expression of markers of EMT. Exosomes extracted from lymph node and cocultured with fibroblasts demonstrate increased invasion and migration. Conclusions: Exosomes can be extracted from primary patient tumor cultures of both primary tumor and lymph node metastasis. These exosomes demonstrate differential expression of markers of EMT. Exosomal contents can be exploited for biomarker discovery to aide in prognostication. Citation Format: Vivian F. Wu, Xiang Guo Dai, Michael Chopp. Characterization of exosomes extracted from primary tumor samples of HPV+/- oropharyngeal cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-AHNS Head and Neck Cancer Conference: Optimizing Survival and Quality of Life through Basic, Clinical, and Translational Research; 2019 Apr 29-30; Austin, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(12_Suppl_2):Abstract nr B35.
Yttrium and lanthanum bis(phosphine-oxide)methanides: structurally diverse, dynamic, and reactive

Herein we report the synthesis, characterization, and initial reactivity of homoleptic yttrium and lanthanum complexes of bis(phosphine-oxide)methanides, HRL− (R = Me, Ph; RE(HPhL)3 and RE2(HMeL)6). Our combined experimental and computational studies reveal rich structural diversity dictated by R-group and rare-earth, and the complexes are highly fluxional in solution, even at −80 °C. Computational studies provide quantitative insight into the extensive negative hyperconjugation between the methanide lone-pair and the σ*(P–R) and σ*(P–O). These interactions provide substantial stabilization of coordinated HRL−, yet leave significant charge density at the methanide carbon. The stabilization energies are insenstive to ligand conformation, which contributes to the range of accessible binding modes, structures, and dynamic solution behavior. The largely localized anionic charge leads to strongly nucleophilic and Bronsted-basic reactivity of the methanide. This is demonstrated by the first report of a rare-earth promoted Horner-Wittig reaction and rapid reactivity of Y(HPhL)3 and Y2(HMeL)6 with MeOH/MeOD. The rapid acid–base reactivity of Y(HPhL)3 with MeOH supports a lowering of the effective pKa of a protic Lewis base by >6 orders of magnitude upon binding to Y(HPhL)3, and implies that multifunctional reactivity (Lewis-acid/Bronsted-base) may be possible. Our studies suggest that a rich set of stoichiometric and catalytic reactivity might be realized with these otherwise overlooked fragments.
Proving Discrimination by the Text

Employment discrimination laws make the “simple but momentous” declaration that it is illegal to deny employment on the basis of race, sex, religion, or other key aspects of identity. But when employees who have been treated unfairly turn to the courts for relief, courts rarely assess whether their claims meet the statutory standard. Instead, they funnel the evidence through a convoluted body of judge-made law known as McDonnell Douglas burden shifting. This Article lays bare fundamental inconsistencies between the statutes’ causal language, as definitively interpreted by the Supreme Court in recent cases, and the burden-shifting process. In Bostock v. Clayton County, the Court reaffirmed that the statutes require, at most, a plaintiff to prove that a protected trait made a difference in an employment decision. Under this standard, it is irrelevant whether other factors also played a role. McDonnell Douglas, by contrast, effectively requires a plaintiff to prove discriminatory bias was the only cause of an adverse action. Other aspects of the test also function as judicially-created hurdles that may be irrelevant to the ultimate question a jury would decide. Although this doctrine can seem technical, its effects are very real. Workplace discrimination remains distressingly common, but plaintiffs are more likely to lose on summary judgment in employment cases than in other kinds of civil litigation. Often, this is because they cannot satisfy elements of the McDonnell Douglas test, even when there is ample evidence suggesting bias or harassment. Although emerging circuit case law takes steps to address some of these tensions, ultimately the Supreme Court should provide clear guidance on how modify the test to conform to the statutory language, or simply instruct courts to no longer employ McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting. . The Article also contributes to a nascent but growing literature on the progressive possibilities of textualism. While textualism has long been associated with right-leaning judges, there is nothing inherently conservative about prioritizing fidelity to statutory language. A fair reading of a progressive statute will often—and should often—advance progressive objectives. Refocusing attention on the text of antidiscrimination laws is necessary to realize their promise of equality.
The Collapse of Society in Luke 23: A Thucydidean Take on Jesus’ Passion

Στάσις is an important theme in Luke-Acts, but one that remains understudied. Many Lukan scholars equate στάσις with Roman seditio or treason, thereby overlooking the rich philosophical reflection on στάσις in Greek political thought. In this article, I analyse Luke's use of the concept of στάσις in his depiction of Jesus’ trial against the background of Thucydides’ model of στάσις in book 3 of his history. Thucydides’ reflections on στάσις were highly influential for later historians such as Josephus, and I argue that Luke too employs the common topos of στάσις as a violent internal conflict and not an act of rebellion or insurrection to reveal how the conflict between Jesus and his opponents is symptomatic of a deeper inversion of social bonds and language within a community. He does this, I argue, to set the stage for the story of Acts where στάσeις erupt throughout the Empire wherever the gospel is preached.
Rapid, simple, low-cost smartphone-based fluorescence detection of Escherichia coli

Food and waterborne diseases pose considerable public health threats even in highly industrialized parts of the world. Examples of these pathogens in food can be Escherichia coli O157: H7, Salmonella sp., and Listeria monocytogenes. Rapid, reliable detection of pathogens mitigates serious health problems and economic losses due to outbreaks and robust tests safeguard the food supply. In this study, a smartphone-based apparatus was employed to demonstrate quantitative detection of E. coli. To validate the applicability of the present smartphone-based fluorescence device, RNA was extracted from the E. coli K-12 strain and amplified using two different primers (dnaK and rpoA) via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Serial dilutions of RNA from 10 to 0.0001 ng/µL were prepared at the start of the PCR amplification and the PCR products were detected by CYBR Green1-based fluorescence. For a proof-of-concept test for the smartphone system, samples from these PCR products were then analyzed. The detection system employed a novel algorithm to analyze fluorescence signals and read changes in E. coli DNA concentration. The correlations between the fluorescence percentage and DNA concentrations were R=0.945 for the dnaK primer and R=0.893 for the rpoA primer, respectively. Utilizing this new fluorescent analysis technique resulted in comparable accuracy to the real-time PCR fluorescent signal detection. The key innovation of this approach was to combine efficient image processing encoded into a smartphone application with a low-cost 3-D printed device that allowed quantification of bacterial nucleic acid. Keywords: smartphone, fluorescence, E. coli, low-cost, 3D-Print DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20211403.5865 Citation: Rojas-Barboza D, Park E, Sassenfeld R, Winder J, Smith G B, Valles-Rossalles D, et al. Rapid, simple, low-cost smartphone-based fluorescence detection of Escherichia coli. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2021; 14(3): 189–193.
Dicer: A Framework for Controlled, Large-Scale Web Experiments

As dynamic, complex, and non-deterministic webpages proliferate, running controlled web experiments on live webpages is becoming increasingly difficult. To compare algorithms that take webpages as inputs, an experimenter must worry about ever-changing webpages, and also about scalability. Because webpage contents are constantly changing, experimenters must intervene to hold webpages constant, in order to guarantee a fair comparison between algorithms. Because webpages are increasingly customized and diverse, experimenters must test web algorithms over thousands of webpages, and thus need to implement their experiments efficiently. Unfortunately, no existing testing frameworks have been designed for this type of experiment. We introduce Dicer, a framework for running large-scale controlled experiments on live webpages. Dicer's programming model allows experimenters to easily 1) control when to enforce a same-page guarantee and 2) parallelize test execution. The same-page guarantee ensures that all loads of a given URL produce the same response. The framework utilizes a specialized caching proxy server to enforce this guarantee. We evaluate tool on a dataset of 1,000 real webpages, and find it upholds the same-page guarantee with little overhead.