cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Drosophila as a Model for Intractable Epilepsy: Gilgamesh Suppresses Seizures in parabss1 Heterozygote Flies

Intractable epilepsies, that is, seizure disorders that do not respond to currently available therapies, are difficult, often tragic, neurological disorders. Na+ channelopathies have been implicated in some intractable epilepsies, including Dravet syndrome (Dravet 1978), but little progress has been forthcoming in therapeutics. Here we examine a Drosophila model for intractable epilepsy, the Na+ channel gain-of-function mutant parabss1 that resembles Dravet syndrome in some aspects (parker et al. 2011a). In particular, we identify second-site mutations that interact with parabss1, seizure enhancers, and seizure suppressors. We describe one seizure-enhancer mutation named charlatan (chn). The chn gene normally encodes an Neuron-Restrictive Silencer Factor/RE1-Silencing Transcription factor transcriptional repressor of neuronal-specific genes. We identify a second-site seizure-suppressor mutation, gilgamesh (gish), that reduces the severity of several seizure-like phenotypes of parabss1/+ heterozygotes. The gish gene normally encodes the Drosophila ortholog of casein kinase CK1g3, a member of the CK1 family of serine-threonine kinases. We suggest that CK1g3 is an unexpected but promising new target for seizure therapeutics.
Quinolones in perspective

Fluoroquinolones have been in use for the past five years. The agents inhibit Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and staphylococci, but some agents lack activity against streptococci and none of the commercially available agents inhibits anaerobic species. The fluoroquinolones possess many pharmacological advantages which have made them excellent therapy for urinary, selected respiratory, gastrointestinal, skin, soft tissue, bone, and sexually transmitted infections. They have also proved useful as prophylaxis in neutropenic patients. A major problem for the future is that inappropriate and indiscriminate use of quinolones will cause rapid development of resistance, particularly among staphylococci and P. aeruginosa.
A survey of instrumented indentation studies on metallic glasses

The development of instrumented nanoindentation equipment has occurred concurrently with the discovery of many new families of bulk metallic glass during the past decade. While indentation testing has long been used to assess the mechanical properties of metallic glasses, depth-sensing capabilities offer a new approach to study the fundamental physics behind glass deformation. This article is a succinct review of the research to date on the indentation of metallic glasses. In addition to standard hardness measurements, the onset of plasticity in metallic glasses is reviewed as well as the role of shear banding in indentation, structural changes beneath the indenter, and rate-dependent effects measured by nanoindentation. The article concludes with perspectives about the future directions for nanocontact studies on metallic glasses.
Leach Rate Excursions in Borosilicate Glasses: Effects of Glass and Leachant Composition

Leach tests on borosilicate glasses using a partial-replenishment technique show that in certain cases large excursions in leach rate may appear at the end of periods ranging between 1 and 20 months. The extent and time of these leach rate transients are very sensitive to glass and leachant composition and to S/V ratio, and they may be eliminated by slight increases in Si and Al levels in the glass or by using a neutrally buffered leachant. This phenomenon, which may reflect cracking of the initial surface layer, can have a considerable effect on the results and complicate the modeling of leach tests which strongly reflect the extent of leaching during the early stages of glass/leachant interaction. However, these effects appear to have relatively little significance in the long term.
Use of pyrolysis molecular beam mass spectrometry (py-MBMS) to characterize forest soil carbon: method and preliminary results.

The components of soil organic matter (SOM) and their degradation dynamics in forest soils are difficult to study and thus poorly understood,due to time-consuming sample collection,preparation,and difficulty of analyzing and identifying major components. As a result,changes in soil organic matter chemical composition as a function of age,forest type,or disturbance have not been examined. We applied pyrolysis molecular beam mass spectrometry (py-MBMS),which provides rapid characterization of SOM of whole soil samples,to the Tionesta soil samples described by Hoover,C.M.,Magrini,K.A.,Evans,R.J.,2002. Soil carbon content and character in an old growth forest in northwestern Pennsylvania: a case study introducing molecular beam mass spectrometry (PY-MBMS). Environmental Pollution 116 (Supp.1),S269–S278. Our goals in this work were to: (1) develop and demonstrate an advanced,rapid analytical method for characterizing SOM components in whole soils,and (2) provide data-based models to predict soil carbon content and residence time from py-MBMS analysis. Using py-MBMS and pattern recognition techniques we were able to statistically distinguish among four Tionesta sites and show an increase in pyrolysis products of more highly decomposed plant materials at increasing sample depth. For example,all four sites showed increasing amounts of older carbon (phenolic and aromatic species) at deeper depths and higher amounts of more recent carbon (carbohydrates and lignin products) at shallower depths. These results indicate that this type of analysis could be used to rapidly characterize SOM for the purpose of developing a model,which could be used in monitoring the effect of forest management practices on carbon uptake and storage. # 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
The Use of Dermabond® as an Adjunct to Wound Closure After Total Knee Arthroplasty: Examining Immediate Post-Operative Wound Drainage

Wound drainage after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can be detrimental to surgical outcome. This IRB-approved randomized, prospective, blinded study examined the use of Dermabond® as an adjunct to wound closure after TKA. We proposed that Dermabond® supplementation to wound closure would result in a significant decrease in wound drainage after TKA. After standardized closure, patients were randomized into experimental or control groups with the experimental group receiving Dermabond® supplementation. Standardized dressings were evaluated postoperatively and drainage units were compared using a Mann-Whitney U Test. The median drainage for the Dermabond group (153) was lower than the drainage for the control group (657) at a statistically significant level (P<0.001).
Herpetic gingivostomatitis in a 70-year-old man

We report a case of herpetic gingivostomatitis that was remarkable because it occurred in a 70-year-old man. The patient had multiple small ulcers throughout the mouth that were culture-positive for herpes simplex virus type 1 and responded rapidly to acyclovir. Whether this condition was a case of primary herpes or an unusual presentation of secondary disease was not resolved. Nevertheless the case serves as a reminder that age, although it may make a diagnosis seem implausible, does not alone exclude it.
Economic future of China

China has achieved economic dominance and continues to surpass many developed Western countries in economic growth. In addition, many economies depend on China for their economic and financial support. This dependence cannot continue forever, and China needs to control its own destiny by reducing its economic link to other countries and relying on its own domestic consumers to continue and sustain its economic growth without any threat of outside influences. My analyses of the available data indicate that China needs to protect itself from foreign economic and political influences. To achieve independence, China needs to increase its domestic consumption by increasing consumer and government expenditures.
Waveguide grating filters for dispersion compensation and pulse compression

Dispersion compensation and pulse compression are theoretically demonstrated using aperiodic waveguide gratings. The gratings are designed to have both a flat amplitude and a quadratic phase response over the pulse bandwidth. This results in nearly transform-limited compressed pulses. The appropriate waveguide grating parameters are obtained by applying the Gel'fand-Levitan-Marchenko inverse scattering method to the coupled mode equations which describe propagation. The technique is illustrated by designing an aperiodic grating which compresses a 60-ps pulse by a factor of three. Limitations and possible extensions of the general method are discussed. >
Technology development for high efficiency optical communications

Deep space optical communications is a significantly more challenging operational domain than near Earth space optical communications, primarily due to effects resulting from the vastly increased range between transmitter and receiver. The NASA Game Changing Development Program Deep Space Optical Communications Project is developing four key technologies for the implementation of a high efficiency telecommunications system that will enable greater than 10X the data rate of a state-of-the-art deep space RF system (Ka-band) for similar transceiver mass and power burden on the spacecraft. These technologies are a low mass spacecraft disturbance isolation assembly, a flight qualified photon counting detector array, a high efficiency flight laser amplifier and a high efficiency photon counting detector array for the ground-based receiver.
Impact of cultural factors on weed populations in St. Augustinegrass turf

Abstract Managing weeds in lawns using cultural practices such as mowing, irrigation, and fertilization may be important in integrated management. A field experiment evaluated the impact of cultural factors on weed populations in St. Augustinegrass turf. Irrigation treatments were daily to replace evapotranspiration (“Daily”), weekly to saturate the root zone only when wilted (“Conditional Weekly”), and as needed to saturate the root zone after severe wilt (“Severely Wilted”). Averaged over 3 yr, the Daily, Conditional Weekly, and Severely Wilted irrigation treatments resulted in 30, 6, and 2% dollarweed cover, respectively. Except for dollarweed and mat lippia, the largest cover of other weeds was under Severely Wilted irrigation. Fertilization rates were 0, 14, or 28 g N m−2 yr−1; in 2002, the highest fertilization rate had the smallest cover of weeds other than dollarweed. Mowing heights were 64, 89, or 114 mm; in 2003, the shortest mowing height had the smallest cover and dry weight of weeds other tha...
Three-dimensional imaging of garnet porphyroblast sizes and chemical zoning: Nucleation and growth history in the garnet zone

The three-dimensional (3-D) growth history of two garnet zone samples (Grt + Chl + Bt + Ms + Pl + Qtz + Ilm) from southwestern Maine was examined by serial sectioning and 3-D reconstructions of compositional zoning from backscatter images and X-ray maps. Mn, Fe, Mg, and Ca zoning is broadly concentric. The concentration of Mn in garnet cores generally correlates with size (d = 50 to 750 micrometers), indicating progressive nucleation. In detail, all elements show irregular, patchy zoning in the cores. Assuming constancy of Mn on the rims of all garnet crystals in a rock volume plus no subsequent diffusional modification, Mn concentration can be used as a “time line” for garnet growth. Examination of the evolution of individual garnet crystals reveals that multiple nuclei formed simultaneously in the core regions and that nuclei expanded by growth in amoeba-shape forms along preexisting mineral grain boundaries (primarily quartz and plagioclase), dissolving the interior grains until the grains were either gone or encapsulated, at which time dissolution ceased. Amoeba-shaped garnet crystals coalesced as they grew and, simultaneously, new nuclei appeared in the nearby matrix. The net result was a single garnet porphyroblast that formed by the growth and coalescence of multiple nuclei. Radius-rate plots, constructed by counting pixels in 2-D images, reveal that crystals grew at the same radial rate, regardless of size. The observation of continuous nucleation in the vicinity of preexisting crystals plus the radius-rate plots rule out diffusion over length scales on the order of the garnet radius or greater as the rate-limiting step and are consistent with either diffusion over shorter length scales or interface control as rate-limiting to garnet growth. The strong clustering of garnet nuclei requires clustering of favorable nucleation sites, which may have been caused by favorable orientation of garnet precursor minerals (i.e., chlorite + quartz).
Nonlinear Dynamics of Conditional Term Premia and Business Cycles

The characterization of term premia movements continues to be a puzzle in finance though the term premia are used for return predictability and studying broader economic activity. We analyze the movements of the first and second conditional moments of term premia in a non-linear non- parametric framework and link movements in these moments to the financial markets and the business cycle. The financial market variables are the short and long yields. The business cycle variables are nondurable consumption growth and inflation. We find that the term premia are negatively related to consumption growth, i.e. the expected term premium is high during recessions, but only the shortest end of the term structure has volatility impacts. Term premia of different maturities react differently to shocks in the yields. We also simulate the effects of shocks over time and find that for the business cycle variables, inflation shocks have transient but similar effects on term premia of different maturities. Consumption shocks on the other hand tend to have greater persistence. These findings have implications for both theories and use of term-structure models.
Cultural Capital and the Tribal Diabetes Prevention Programs

Since 1998, the US Congress has funded the Special Diabetes Programs for American Indians and Alaskan Natives (SDPI). These funds are administered by the Indian Health Service (IHS) and have been awarded to more than 330 IHS, tribal, and urban Indian health programs in thirty-five states to build or enhance diabetes mellitus (DM) treatment and prevention programs. Over the past thirteen years, these community-directed programs have emerged as models of intervention creativity, innovation, and persistence, with program staff drawing on their cultural capital to design culturally acceptable and locally relevant strategies. These programs have achieved measurable change in Native peoples' knowledge of the diabetes risk factors, access to much needed DM related services, and in some cases, helped reduce rates of DM-related morbidity and mortality. Yet, perhaps their greatest influence has been in understanding and shaping the context of behavioral change and in promoting normative shifts in food choices, acti...
Joint Models of Disagreement and Stance in Online Debate

Online debate forums present a valuable opportunity for the understanding and modeling of dialogue. To understand these debates, a key challenge is inferring the stances of the participants, all of which are interrelated and dependent. While collectively modeling users’ stances has been shown to be effective (Walker et al., 2012c; Hasan and Ng, 2013), there are many modeling decisions whose ramifications are not well understood. To investigate these choices and their effects, we introduce a scalable unified probabilistic modeling framework for stance classification models that 1) are collective, 2) reason about disagreement, and 3) can model stance at either the author level or at the post level. We comprehensively evaluate the possible modeling choices on eight topics across two online debate corpora, finding accuracy improvements of up to 11.5 percentage points over a local classifier. Our results highlight the importance of making the correct modeling choices for online dialogues, and having a unified probabilistic modeling framework that makes this possible.
Modeling of Turbulent Mixing Layer Dynamics in Ultra-High Pressure Flows

*† ‡ § The dynamics of air/nitrogen mixing layers under high pressure are studied using a computational approach, which embodies real gas equations of state, an advanced flux formulation for accurate unsteady solutions and detached eddy simulations (DES) of the turbulent dynamics. Real-fluid properties are obtained through efficient interpolation of adaptive property tables. Advanced preconditioned flux formulations are employed to reduce the inherent artificial dissipation in second-order finite-volume schemes. The DES method is employed within a ω − k turbulence model. The effectiveness of our computational approach is demonstrated using an exact solution for Taylor vortices and by computing decay of isotropic turbulence in a box. The paper focuses on the dynamics of air-nitrogen mixing layers for various Reynolds numbers and momentum thicknesses under high pressures. Both 2D and 3D DES simulations are obtained and the results are compared with 2D unsteady-RANS simulations to highlight the differences.
The influence of religious authority in everyday life: a landscape-scale study of domestic architecture and religious law in ancient Hawai’i

ABSTRACTPublic architecture has proven its utility as a metric for the materialization of religious authority; however, archaeologists have been less successful at identifying how ideology is materialized outside formal ritual settings. Here we address the question of how religious laws that dictated separation of people and activities – known as the kapu system – influenced the way homes were built in pre-European contact era Hawai‘i. On the landscape scale, we consider three variables that could be correlated with the influence of religious authority: distance to a local temple marking a district boundary, the degree of daily interaction within the community and investment in household architecture. Our findings suggest religious authority was materialized with a high degree of ubiquity across all house sites without regard to any of these factors, a pattern consistent with pervasive religious authority across daily life.
PSMA-Based [ 18 F]DCFPyL PET/CT Is Superior to Conventional Imaging for Lesion Detection in Patients with Metastatic Prostate Cancer

Purpose Current standard of care conventional imaging modalities (CIM) such as X-ray computed tomography (CT) and bone scan can be limited for detection of metastatic prostate cancer and therefore improved imaging methods are an unmet clinical need. We evaluated the utility of a novel second-generation low molecular weight radiofluorinated prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeted positron emission tomography (PET) radiotracer, [18F]DCFPyL, in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
Latino Cancer Survivors: The Old and the Young

The quality of life and one’s emotional and physical health assumes greater importance for vulnerable and ethnic populations diagnosed with cancer. This chapter explores the relationship between therapeutic interventions and their relationship to quality of life among children, adolescents and older Latinos with cancer. Theories of ethnicity and aging and cultural perspectives designed to address and provide further insight into the barriers and challenges faced by the Latino cancer survivors are discussed. The second emphasis provides insight into therapeutic interventions such as leisure and physical activity, educational interventions for families and their children, church-related interventions, and specific types of support groups in the community. Useful information and strategies are suggested for culturally competent practice to address the psychological and physical health needs of Latino cancer survivors. Implications for health care professionals and future research are discussed.
Unidirectional allostery in the regulatory subunit RIα facilitates efficient deactivation of protein kinase A

The holoenzyme complex of protein kinase A is in an inactive state; activation involves ordered cAMP binding to two tandem domains of the regulatory subunit and release of the catalytic subunit. Deactivation has been less studied, during which the two cAMPs unbind from the regulatory subunit to allow association of the catalytic subunit to reform the holoenzyme complex. Unbinding of the cAMPs appears ordered as indicated by a large difference in unbinding rates from the two sites, but the cause has remained elusive given the structural similarity of the two tandem domains. Even more intriguingly, NMR data show that allosteric communication between the two domains is unidirectional. Here, we present a mechanism for the unidirectionality, developed from extensive molecular dynamics simulations of the tandem domains in different cAMP-bound forms. Disparate responses to cAMP releases from the two sites (A and B) in conformational flexibility and chemical shift perturbation confirmed unidirectional allosteric communication. Community analysis revealed that the A-site cAMP, by forming across-domain interactions, bridges an essential pathway for interdomain communication. The pathway is impaired when this cAMP is removed but remains intact when only the B-site cAMP is removed. Specifically, removal of the A-site cAMP leads to the separation of the two domains, creating room for binding the catalytic subunit. Moreover, the A-site cAMP, by maintaining interdomain coupling, retards the unbinding of the B-site cAMP and stalls an unproductive pathway of cAMP release. Our work expands the perspective on allostery and implicates functional importance for the directionality of allostery.
Frontiers of Chemical Engineering: The Systems Approach

Abstract A dramatic shift in chemical engineering undergraduate education has been proposed based on NSF-funded, discipline-wide workshops that took place in 2003. This has led to a broad consensus regarding foundations for chemical engineering undergraduate education in the future based on the organizing principles of (1) molecular transformations; (2) multiscale analysis, and (3) the systems approach. The third area is the focus of this paper, as it relates to systems and control and the increasing importance of biological systems in chemical engineering as well as the development of new educational materials.
An Open-Source Automated Peptide Synthesizer Based on Arduino and Python

The development of the first open-source automated peptide synthesizer, PepSy, using Arduino UNO and readily available components is reported. PepSy was primarily designed to synthesize small peptides in a relatively small scale (<100 µmol). Scripts to operate PepSy in a fully automatic or manual mode were written in Python. Fully automatic script includes functions to carry out resin swelling, resin washing, single coupling, double coupling, Fmoc deprotection, ivDde deprotection, on-resin oxidation, end capping, and amino acid/reagent line cleaning. Several small peptides and peptide conjugates were successfully synthesized on PepSy with reasonably good yields and purity depending on the complexity of the peptide.
Abstract P283: Operator Variation in Coronary Angioplasty and Stenting

Background: Post COURAGE trial the treatment of coronary artery disease has become a complex decision process, with many physicians advocating initial revascularization only for medical failures and high risk subgroups. The decision of whether to use Drug Eluting or Bare Metal Stents has also drawn wide attention and has changed practice. We examined the extent of variability with its implications for quality, utilization and health care costs on physician driven interventions compared to the UHC and national comparison benchmarks. Methods: The practice patterns of 11 interventional cardiologists in 2009 were reviewed relative to patient treatment and outcomes for determinants of variation in revascularization practice. Associations were evaluated by Chi square for significance and Pearson9s correlation coefficients were calculated. Results: There were 1,977 PCI (44.6%) performed on 4,428 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. PCI as a percentage of total cases varied widely by physician from 22.8% to 58.8%. The use of Bare Metal Stents ranged from 12.7% to 61.4% of cases [25.2% mean; benchmarks 18.4%, 21.8%]; Drug Eluting Stent use varied from 38.6% to 87.3% by operator [74.8% mean]. The number of stents placed/patient was significantly less for Bare Metal Stent cases (1.19-2.0 mean 1.9; benchmarks 1.6, 1.54) than for Drug Eluting Stent cases (1.46-2.92 mean 2.20; benchmarks 1.99,2.18). There was no significant correlation between the number of stents placed and 30 day readmission. There was no significant correlation between cath lab operator volume and conversion rate to angioplasty or to the number of stents placed. Conclusions: There is wide variation in revascularization practice that is physician associated. DES stent use has declined from a high of 90% to about 75% with procedures requiring multiple stents favoring the use of DES. Higher PCI revascularization rates and more extensive revascularization were not associated with a short term increase in adverse outcomes, LOS, or readmissions. The long-term outcomes and cost of more aggressive revascularization with PCI are unknown and will merit further investigation.
On the Beltramian motion of the bidirectional vortex in a conical cyclone

In this work, an exact Eulerian model is used to describe the steady-state motion of a bidirectional vortex in a conical chamber. This particular model is applicable to idealized representations of cyclone separators and liquid rocket engines with slowly expanding chamber cross-sections. The corresponding bulk motion is assumed to be non-reactive, rotational, inviscid and incompressible. Then, following Bloor & Ingham (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 178, 1987, pp. 507–519), the spherical Bragg–Hawthorne equation is used to construct a mathematical model that connects the solution to the swirl number and the cone divergence angle. Consequently, a self-similar formulation is obtained independently of the cone’s finite body length. This enables us to characterize the problem using closed-form approximations of the principal flow variables. Among the cyclonic parameters of interest, the mantle divergence angle and the maximum cross-flow velocity are obtained explicitly. The mantle consists of a spinning cone that separates the circumferential inflow region from the central outflow. This interfacial layer bisects the fluid domain at approximately 60 per cent of the cone’s divergence half-angle. Its accurate determination is proven asymptotically using two different criteria, one being preferred by experimentalists. Finally, recognizing that the flow in question is of the Beltramian type, results are systematically described over a range of cone angles and spatial locations in both spherical and cylindrical coordinates; they are also compared to available experimental and numerical data.
Neurocognitive dysfunction following repeated binge-like self-administration of the synthetic cathinone 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV).

Abstract Synthetic cathinones, frequently referred to as “bath salts”, have significant abuse potential, and recent evidence suggests that these novel psychoactive substances can also produce cognitive deficits as well as cytotoxic effects. However, most of these latter findings have been obtained either using high concentrations in vitro or following non-contingent high dose administration in vivo. The present study utilized a model of long-term voluntary binge-like self-administration to determine potential detrimental effects of synthetic cathinones on cognitive function and their known underlying neural circuits, collectively referred to as neurocognitive dysfunction. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were allowed to self-administer the cocaine-like synthetic cathinone 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV, 0.03 mg/kg/infusion i.v.) in 96-hr sessions, or saline as a control. A total of five 96-hr sessions were conducted, each separated by 3 days of abstinence in the home cage. Three weeks following the last 96-hr session, animals underwent assessment of cognitive function using spatial object recognition (SOR) and novel object recognition (NOR) tasks, after which brains were harvested and assessed for neurodegeneration using FluoroJade C (FJC). Compared to animals self-administering saline, animals self-administering MDPV demonstrated (1) robust drug intake that escalated over time, (2) deficits in NOR but not SOR, and (3) neurodegeneration in the perirhinal and entorhinal cortices. These results indicate that repeated binge-like intake of MDPV can induce neurocognitive dysfunction. In addition, utilization of rodent models of extended binge-like intake may provide insight into potential mechanisms and/or approaches to prevent or reverse the detrimental effects of abused substances on cognitive and neurobiological functioning. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled ‘Designer Drugs and Legal Highs.’
Violent Behaviors, Weapon Carrying, and Firearm Homicide Trends in African American Adolescents, 2001–2015

African American youths have the highest risk for firearm and other weapon related homicides. This study utilized the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys from 2001 to 2015 to assess trends in violence related behaviors and weapon carrying of African American adolescents. Our analyses found statistically significant reductions in physical fighting and weapon carrying among African American male adolescents from 2007 to 2015. Planning suicide increased in both male and female African American adolescents since 2007. In addition, the number of firearm homicides increased in African American males. African American females and males had groups of items highly predictive of weapon carrying behaviors: alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and violent risk behaviors. Both female and male students who made mostly A’s or B’s in school were significantly less likely to carry weapons in and out of school. Our findings indicate that firearm homicides have increased in African American adolescents, but weapon carrying in school going adolescents has significantly declined. School engagement and satisfactory school performance seems to have a significant protective effect on firearm homicides and violent behavior risks in African American adolescents.
Γ-X mixing in GaAs/ Al x Ga 1 − x As and Al x Ga 1 − x As/AlAs superlattices

A systematic study of the conduction bands of the (001) GaAs/${\mathrm{Al}}_{\mathrm{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{x}}$As and ${\mathrm{Al}}_{\mathrm{x}}$${\mathrm{Ga}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{x}}$As/AlAs superlattices using a one-band Wannier orbital model is presented. The parameters in the Wannier orbital model are fitted to correctly describe the lowest conduction band of the bulk semiconductors over the entire Brillouin zone, including the correct effective masses. Using this model, we have examined the dependence of the superlattice conduction-band energy levels on layer thicknesses, alloy composition, and wave vectors, as well as external hydrostatic pressure. We have found that there can be substantial mixing between the \ensuremath{\Gamma}-valley states and the (001) X-valley states. The symmetry of the confined X-valley states is found to be critically dependent on whether the slabs with higher Al concentration contain an even or odd number of monolayers. As a result, the amount of \ensuremath{\Gamma}-X mixing is extremely sensitive to the layer thicknesses. An experimental procedure for observing this effect with use of high-quality samples of superlattices with ultrathin layers is proposed. Our calculations also show that the pressure coefficients associated with the \ensuremath{\Gamma}-like quantum-well states decrease with well width; the results are in good agreement with experimental data. In addition, mixing between states derived from the (100) and (010) X valleys is also reported.
Analysis of orbital angular momentum laser beams for applications in underwater communication

Underwater communications present a challenge in the US Naval Undersea Community. During underwater operations, command and control requires effective communication on both a tactical (short-range) and strategic (long-range) level. One approach to address this issue would be the use of an optical beam to transmit underwater. This paper evaluates the use of an Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) beam and their effectiveness in underwater transmissions as compared to a Gaussian beam. The normalized variance, or scintillation index is used as the metric for comparison. Additionally, an inlaboratory underwater turbulence emulator is used to generate and control various environmental parameters to include varying levels of salinity as well as temperature gradients. The goal of the emulation is to be able to simulate some of the scaled effects of various environments in order to better predict and gain intuition and understanding of the performance of an optical system in various environments. Results provided evaluate efficiency as a function of environmental conditions and scintillation index. Transmission in the 532 nm band is analyzed.
Coordinating Mitochondrial Biology Through the Stress-Responsive Regulation of Mitochondrial Proteases

Abstract Proteases are localized throughout mitochondria and function as critical regulators of all aspects of mitochondrial biology. As such, the activities of these proteases are sensitively regulated through transcriptional and post-translational mechanisms to adapt mitochondrial function to specific cellular demands. Here, we discuss the stress-responsive mechanisms responsible for regulating mitochondrial protease activity and the implications of this regulation on mitochondrial function. Furthermore, we describe how imbalances in the activity or regulation of mitochondrial proteases induced by genetic, environmental, or aging-related factors influence mitochondria in the context of disease. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which cells regulate mitochondrial function through alterations in protease activity provide insights into the contributions of these proteases in pathologic mitochondrial dysfunction and reveals new therapeutic opportunities to ameliorate this dysfunction in the context of diverse classes of human disease.
Hydrodynamics of The South Main Lake and South Lake, Lake Champlain

Thermal data were collected in the South Lake of Lake Champlain during a period of three years, 1997–1999, from early June to late October. Water level data available for analysis were collected in 1997 and 1999 at Port Henry, NY and Whitehall, NY. Thermal observations varied from 4 to 8 sites evenly distributed along the South Lake. Both deep and surface temperatures were monitored at a nominal sampling rate of 30 minutes. Water level data are consistent at the two sites and were strongly correlated with north-south wind forcing. Surface temperatures had temporal variations ranging from diurnal to interannual. North of Five Mile Point, internal seiche dynamics of the Main Lake were observed as warm pulses of water immediately followed by a hypolimnic internal gravity current. These events are referred to as “thermal hooks” due to their unique signature when plotted. These thermal hook events, which number from 4–6 per observational period per year, were estimated to propagate rapidly past the Crown Point Bridge at maximum speeds of 42 cm/s. When entering shallower water, propagation speed drops rapidly to approximately 8 cm/s. These numbers agree well with observed propagation times from the Crown Point Bridge to Five Mile Point. Past Five Mile Point, these thermal hook pulses can no longer be accurately defined although there might be indications that they did propagate past this site. In 1997, an ADCP was placed at a depth of 6.4 m at the Crown Point Bridge for a period of 2 weeks. Results showed a very dynamic bi-directional velocity of water into and out of the South Lake along with a strong diurnal signal associated with echo intensity, which was believed to be associated with vertical migration of zooplankton or slightly larger species. During this 2-week time period, the velocity structure of a thermal hook event was documented and agreed well with expected current velocities. Spectral and cross-spectral analyses show that the South Lake does have preferred oscillations and that these are of long period (1–7 days) and driven by the atmosphere. Data from the met station at the International Paper Company
Incertidumbre, congruencia e institucionalización desigual: Las dinámicas de la innovación institucional en sociedades en tránsito

The purpose of this article is to analyze the varieties of Capitalism that emerged in Latin America and Central-Eastern Europe since 1980 as instances of institutional transfer. The article considers the possibility that Capitalism, as occurs with democracy, is a complex institutional package rather than and elemental institution. Some of its’ components travel faster than others through hybrid forms. These, rather than being instances of imperfect transplantation, or intermediate stages in a process of successful transfer, represent new frameworks, with potential for institutionalization.
Lasers in Skin of Color

The popularity of cutaneous laser surgery has soared, however, the use of lasers in patients with darker skin types has been quite challenging. The main obstacle with cutaneous laser surgery in darker skinned patients is epidermal melanin absorption of laser energy. The absorption spectrum of melanin ranges from 320 to 1200 nm with the greatest absorption observed in the lower end of this spectrum. The main objective in treating patients with skin of color is to avoid epidermal melanin absorption of laser energy and resultant thermal injury. Laser surgery in darker skinned patients must be approached carefully to avoid this unwanted side effect of post inflammatory pigment alteration. In this chapter, we will review the advances in lasers for ethnic skin with special emphasis on the treatment of acne scars, photorejuvenation, skin tightening, hair removal, tattoos, and body contouring.
An Ecological Analysis of Risk Factors for Runaway Behavior among Individuals Exposed to Commercial Sexual Exploitation.

Running away from home is a known risk factor for commercial sexual exploitation among youth; however, research has not fully investigated the process by which multiple factors at individual, familial, and extra-familial levels increase youths’ risk for runaway behavior. This study applies an ecological risk factor framework to assess risk for runaway behavior among individuals exposed to commercial sexual exploitation and examines mediating relationships between salient risk factors (i.e. substance abuse, insufficient basic needs, having a much older boyfriend/girlfriend) and runaway behavior. A cross-sectional, retrospective survey was administered to individuals involved in the commercial sex industry using Respondent Driven Sampling methods (N = 273). Bivariate results suggested associations between runaway behavior and childhood emotional and physical abuse, having friends who sold sex, having a much older boyfriend/girlfriend, dropping out of school, being worried about where to eat/sleep, homelessness, and frequent alcohol and drug use prior to entering the commercial sex industry. Hierarchical logistic regression revealed that individuals with runaway behavior histories were more likely to have frequently used alcohol and/or drugs and to have insufficient basic needs compared to those did not run away; however, these factors were no longer significant after accounting for having a much older boyfriend/girlfriend. Having an older boyfriend/girlfriend fully mediated the relationship between frequent alcohol and/or drug use and runaway behavior. Findings support the need for community and school-based prevention programs that target these risk factors with a specific focus on healthy dating relationships, which may reduce risk for runaway behavior and subsequent commercial sexual exploitation.
Can ozone be used to calibrate aerosol photoacoustic spectrometers

Abstract. Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) has become a popular technique for measuring absorption of light by atmospheric aerosols in both the laboratory and field campaigns. It has low detection limits, measures suspended aerosols, and is insensitive to scattering. But PAS requires rigorous calibration to be applied quantitatively. Often, a PAS instrument is either filled with a gas of known concentration and absorption cross section, such that the absorption in the cell can be calculated from the product of the two, or the absorption is measured independently with a technique such as cavity ring-down spectroscopy. Then, the PAS signal can be regressed upon the known absorption to determine a calibration slope that reflects the sensitivity constant of the cell and microphone. Ozone has been used for calibrating PAS instruments due to its well-known UV–visible absorption spectrum and the ease with which it can be generated. However, it is known to photodissociate up to approximately 1120 nm via the O3 + h ν ( > 1.1 eV ) → O 2 ( 3 Σ g - ) + O(3P) pathway, which is likely to lead to inaccuracies in aerosol measurements. Two recent studies have investigated the use of O3 for PAS calibration but have reached seemingly contradictory conclusions with one finding that it results in a sensitivity that is a factor of 2 low and the other concluding that it is accurate. The present work is meant to add to this discussion by exploring the extent to which O3 photodissociates in the PAS cell and the role that the identity of the bath gas plays in determining the PAS sensitivity. We find a 5 % loss in PAS signal attributable to photodissociation at 532 nm in N2 but no loss in a 5 % mixture of O2 in N2 . Furthermore, we discovered a dramatic increase of more than a factor of 2 in the PAS sensitivity as we increased the O2 fraction in the bath gas, which reached an asymptote near 100 % O2 that nearly matched the sensitivity measured with both NO2 and nigrosin particles. We interpret this dependence with a kinetic model that suggests the reason for the observed results is a more efficient transfer of energy from excited O3 to O2 than to N2 by a factor of 22–55 depending on excitation wavelength. Notably, the two prior studies on this topic used different bath gas compositions, and although the results presented here do not fully resolve the differences in their results, they may at least partially explain them.
Abstract 100: PRDM16 is a Novel Regulator of Cardiac Hypertrophy, Remodeling and Mitochondrial Dynamics

Elucidation of the mechanisms that cause cardiac hypertrophy is essential for developing novel therapeutic strategies to prevent or reverse these prevalent conditions. Prdm16/Mel1 (PRDM16) belongs ...
Embedded System Enabled Vehicle Collision Detection: An ANN Classifier

An Autonomous vehicle depends on the combination of latest technology or ADAS safety features such as Adaptive cruise control (ACC), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Automatic Parking, Blind Spot Monitor, Forward Collision Warning /Avoidance (FCW or FCA). The current trend follows incorporation of these technologies using the Artificial neural network or Deep neural network, as an imitation of the traditionally used algorithms. The concept behind a FCW algorithm is the measure of a distance or warning range which results in an alert to notify or inform the driver regarding the possible collision. The objective of this paper is to propose a collision warning model using the RTMaps framework. The proposed model is based on the forward facing automotive radar providing the sensed input values such as acceleration, velocity, and separation distance to a neural network based classifier algorithm which on the basis of supervised learning alerts the driver of a possible collision. The implementation, precision and accuracy of the classifier and regression algorithm is discussed and compared. The presented model is deployed on the Bluebox 2.0 platform with the RTMaps Embedded framework.
Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma: What’s New?

Advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), though rare, is fatal with an 89% 5-year mortality rate. The diagnostic criteria for advanced basal cell carcinoma were recently redefined with the introduction of hedgehog inhibitors such as vismodegib. Similarly, the authors suggest redefining the diagnostic criteria of advanced cSCC given the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors in order to broaden the patient population that can benefit from both new and old treatment options as potential neoadjuvants. Cemiplimab is a programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor recently FDA-approved in 2018 for advanced cSCC with improved response rates (47–50%) compared to prior treatments. Given the lack of standardization, we suggest the diagnostic criteria of advanced cSCC to consider the patient condition, age, comorbidities, immunosuppression, and cosmetic outcome when determining a treatment regimen. Patients with diffuse cSCC due to immunosuppression may benefit from acitretin, while lesions on the lip may have a poor cosmetic outcome with surgery and may benefit from neoadjuvant therapy. Advanced cSCC does not have standardized diagnostic criteria likely due to the lack of treatment options until now. Additional treatment options may be beneficial to a broader patient population when redefining advanced cSCC to include factors such as immunosuppression and cosmetic outcome from the perspective of the patient.
Discussion Note: Selim Berker’s Combinatorial Argument against Practical Reasons for Belief

In a recent paper, Selim Berker (Analytic Philosophy, 59, 427-470, 2018) develops an abductive argument against practical reasons for belief that exploits an alleged difference between epistemic and practical reasons. According to Berker, epistemic reasons for belief balance to suspension. If I have equally strong epistemic reasons to believe and disbelieve some proposition, I lack sufficient reason either to believe or disbelieve it. Rather, I have decisive reason to suspend judgment. In contrast, practical reasons balance to permission. If I have equally strong practical reasons to φ or ψ (and there are no other reasons on the scene), I have sufficient reason to do either. Given this difference, Berker argues that defenders of practical reasons for belief cannot offer a plausible explanation of how practical and epistemic reasons interact in order to yield all-things-considered normative verdicts. In this essay, I defend a non-interactionist “pure” form of pragmatism against Berker’s objection. I outline a pure pragmatist theory, recapitulate why Berker thinks it also falls prey to his objection, and explain why the objection fails to undermine pure pragmatism. Finally, I consider an additional reason Berker’s argument might seem persuasive and show that it depends on conflating Berker’s objection and a separate challenge to pure pragmatism. Once these distinct challenges are disambiguated, it is easier to see why Berker’s objection is not a significant concern for pure pragmatists.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in the Decision Points of Mental Health Service Use and Psychotropic Medication Receipt Among Depressed Youth:

Depression has been increasing rapidly and is prevalent among youth. Inadequate mental health service utilization for youth and relevant racial/ethnic disparities are a growing concern. The current...