cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comment on Drummond and French: Another View of the Future of GIS

There is no question that geographic information systems (GIS) have become extremely important tools for professional and academic planners over the last 20 years. However, it is less clear how the...
On the equivalence between Non-negative Matrix Factorization and Probabilistic Latent Semantic Indexing

Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) and Probabilistic Latent Semantic Indexing (PLSI) have been successfully applied to document clustering recently. In this paper, we show that PLSI and NMF (with the I-divergence objective function) optimize the same objective function, although PLSI and NMF are different algorithms as verified by experiments. This provides a theoretical basis for a new hybrid method that runs PLSI and NMF alternatively, each jumping out of the local minima of the other method successively, thus achieving a better final solution. Extensive experiments on five real-life datasets show relations between NMF and PLSI, and indicate that the hybrid method leads to significant improvements over NMF-only or PLSI-only methods. We also show that at first-order approximation, NMF is identical to the @g^2-statistic.
PT symmetry in optics

Optical parity-time (PT)-symmetric structures utilize gain and loss in a balanced fashion in order to achieve a desired functionality. Here, we review recent developments in the newly emerging fields of PT-symmetric and supersymmetric optics.
Trauma to adult bicyclists: a growing problem in the urban environment

The proportion of adults involved in serious bicycle accidents has increased in the last two decades. The majority of the bicycle injury prevention efforts, however, are directed toward child riders. The authors performed a retrospective review of injury statistics from the Massachusetts Hospital Discharge Data Set, 1994-1999, the Massachusetts Emergency Department Injury Surveillance System, 1999, and the trauma registry of an Urban Level I Trauma Centre, 1993-2000. Massachusetts's state-wide injury data reveals a 30% increase in hospital charges between 1994 and 1999 for adults following bicycle falls and collisions with concomitant stability in the charges for children. In the years 1993-2000, 60% of patients requiring inpatient care at the Study Centre for Bicycle Related Injuries were over 16 years of age. Fifty-one percent of patients were without a helmet. Positive blood alcohol tests were present in 35 (16%) of the 222 patients. Forty-six (75%) of patients suffering closed head injury were not helmeted. Adult bicycle trauma is a significant health and financial problem in the urban state of Massachusetts. Bicycle education and legislation emphasising safe bicycling practice, the protective effects of helmets, and the danger of cycling under the influence of alcohol may help alleviate this problem.
A major human histone gene cluster on the long arm of chromosome 1

A human histone gene cluster was assigned to chromosome 1 by Southern blot analysis of DNA's from a series of mouse-human somatic cell hybrids with 32P-labeled cloned human H4 and H3 histone DNA as probes. Localization of this histone gene cluster on the long arm of chromosome 1 was confirmed by in situ hybridization of this DNA probe to metaphase chromosomes.
Maximum Throughput in Finite-Capacity Open Queueing Networks with Product-Form Solutions

A finite-capacity open queueing network with independent balance is considered. These are systems with customers undergoing stages of service, where the rate of flow into a state due to a customer entering a stage of service is equal to the flow out of that state due to a customer leaving that stage of service. Such systems have the convenient property that the steady-state probability of a given configuration of customers factors into a product of terms, each term involving the configuration at one service center. If service rates are constant for each customer class, and excess arrivals are discarded, then the following two results hold: 1 The maximum possible output rate for the finite-capacity case equals the value of the customer arrival rate which just saturates the slowest server in the infinite-capacity case. 2 An infinite-capacity network can have a strictly greater output rate than the corresponding finite-capacity network, no matter how large the capacity.
People Work to Sustain Systems: A Framework for Understanding Sustainability

AbstractSustainability is commonly recognized as an important goal, but there is little agreement on what sustainability is, or what it requires. This paper looks at some common approaches to sustainability, and while acknowledging the ways in which they are useful, points out an important lacuna: that for something to be sustainable, people must be willing to work to sustain it. The paper presents a framework for thinking about and assessing sustainability which highlights people working to sustain. It also briefly discusses Integrated Water Resource Management and the example of the California Water Plan to explore what such a perspective brings that is overlooked in other approaches, and how this approach might be pursued. Ultimately, this framework argues that a system can only be described as sustainable if people’s work to sustain the system is biophysically possible, socially possible, and if people would freely choose to do the sustaining work.
Reducing herbicide runoff from agricultural fields with vegetative filter strips: a review

Although the effectiveness of vegetative filter strips (VFS) for reducing herbicide runoff is well documented, a comprehensive review of the literature does not exist. The objectives of this article are to denote the methods developed for evaluating herbicide retention in VFS; ascertain the efficacy of VFS regarding abating herbicide runoff; identify parameters that affect herbicide retention in VFS; review the environmental fate of herbicides retained by VFS; and identify future research needs. The retention of herbicide runoff by VFS has been evaluated in natural rainfall, simulated rainfall, and simulated run-on experiments. Parameters affecting herbicide retention in VFS include width of VFS, area ratio, species established in the VFS, time after establishment of the VFS, antecedent moisture content, nominal herbicide inflow concentration, and herbicide properties. Generally, subsequent transport of herbicides retained by VFS is reduced relative to adjacent cultivated soil because of enhanced sorption and degradation in the former.
Power Trace: An Efficient Method for Extracting the Power Dissipation Profile in an IC Chip From Its Temperature Map

In this paper, we present a new technique to calculate the power dissipation profile from the IC temperature map using a process analogous to image processing and restoration. In this technique, finite-element analysis (FEA) is used to find the heat-point spread function (heat PSF) of the IC chip. Then, the temperature map is used as input for an efficient image restoration algorithm which locates the sources of strong power dissipation non-uniformities. Therefore, it optimally solves the inverse heat transfer problem, and estimates the IC power map without extensive lab experiments. Our computationally efficient and robust method, unlike some previous techniques, applies to many experimental scenarios. Simulation results on a typical commercial integrated circuit chip confirm the effectiveness of our proposed method.
Afterthoughts on Animal Minds

“The evolutionary continuity of mental experience” is the subtitle of Donald Griffin’s little classic of 1976 on “The question of animal awareness.” The thrust of that subtitle and a major theme of the book is the proposition that the human species is not unique except in degree. That proposition is so consonant with our general biological understanding that there must be overwhelming agreement with Griffin, at least among biologists. However, there is still ample room for biologists to disagree on the matter of degree, on the matter of emphasis, and on the definition of mental experience. I, for one, regard the difference in degree to be so enormous that it is equivalent to a qualitative difference. That feeling was reinforced here by visiting the great Dahlem museum of art and the Berlin opera — and by our gathering here to address the issue.
Motilin and OHM-11526 activate a calcium current in human and canine jejunal circular smooth muscle.

Motilin is a potent agonist for gastrointestinal smooth muscle contraction and has been proposed to regulate the onset of phase III of the migrating motor complex in dogs and humans. The effects of motilin and OHM-11526, a motilin antagonist in rabbit smooth muscle strips, were examined in isolated canine and human jejunal circular smooth muscle cells using whole cell patch-clamp techniques with Ba 2+ as the charge carrier. Effects of both drugs on inward current through L-type Ca 2+ channels (I CaL ) in both canine and human cells were first observed at 10 -8 M. At 10 -6 M, motilin increased I CaL in canine and human jejunal circular smooth muscle cells by 43 ± 20 and 45 ± 11%, respectively, and OHM-11526 increased I CaL by 54 ± 8 and 54 ± 14%, respectively. The increase in inward current was blocked by nifedipine and by guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) but not by pertussis toxin. Washout of both drugs resulted in a further increase in I CaL . These data suggest that both motilin and OHM-11526 activate an I CaL in human and canine jejunal circular smooth muscle cells through a G protein-coupled mechanism.
EFFECT OF TUMOR'S METASTATIC POTENTIAL AND GROWTH RATE ON TUMOR/HOST RELATIONSHIP

ABSTRACT In an attempt to study the effect of tumor's growth rate and its metastatic potential on host's antitumor humoral responses as evaluated by the level of circulating immune complexes (CIC) our data revealed a significantly high level of CIC in rats bearing R3327 MLL, a fast growing highly metatatic subline as compared to CIC levels in slow growing non-metastatic sublines. We also found highest levels of CIC in the initial phase of the tumor growth, which decreased with the increase in tumor burden suggesting drop in host's humoral responses with the growth and dissemination of the tumor.
ReCAP: Oncologists’ Selection of Genetic and Molecular Testing in the Evolving Landscape of Stage II Colorectal Cancer

CONTEXT AND QUESTION ASKED:Genetic testing can be used in the diagnosis of Lynch syndrome, formerly known as hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (CRC), the most common inherited disorder that increases the risk for CRC; however, test results related to Lynch syndrome screening may also be used for predictive and prognostic purposes in patients with stage II CRC. Although national guidelines recommend the use of several genetic and molecular tests for patients with CRC, little is known about how guidelines, particularly the complex testing recommendations for Lynch syndrome, are translated into clinical practice. In this study, we asked: how does the family history of patients with stage II CRC influence medical oncologists’ selection of genetic and molecular testing, both related and unrelated to Lynch syndrome?SUMMARY ANSWER:We found that oncologists’ self-reported ordering of Lynch syndrome–related tests was strongly associated with the strength of CRC family history, but even so, not all oncologi...
INTRAPOPULATIONAL VARIATION IN POLLEN-MEDIATED GENE FLOW IN PLANTAGO LANCEOLATA L.

The extent of genetic variation in pollen-mediated gene flow distance was measured for a population of the wind-pollinated herb, Plantago lanceolata. Twenty-nine genotypes were collected from a natural population, clonally replicated, and grown to reproductive maturity in a greenhouse. Relative gene flow distances were measured for each replicate and genotype in a wind tunnel. Approximately five percent of the total variation in gene flow distance was attributable to variation among genotypes. Most of the remaining variation was attributable to differences between the early part of the growing season, when most of the flowering occurs, and the remainder of the season, when flowering is sparse. The rankings of the genotypes' gene flow distances showed significant concordance between the early-season measures and measures from later in the summer. There was no correlation between the average inflorescence height for a plant and the average gene flow distance for that plant. For analysis of pollen characteristics suspected as causal factors of variation in gene flow distance, the variation in gene flow distance was divided into two components: that due to environmental (seasonal) differences, and that due to the differences among genotypes within runs. Variation in both the buoyant properties of the pollen grains and their adhesiveness was significantly partially correlated with environmental variation in gene flow distance, while only the buoyant properties of the pollen grains were significantly partially correlated with among-genotype variation in gene flow distances.
Metatheorizing: A Preliminary and Promising Program

Ritzer's book is an effort to rectify that situation-to specify the parameters of metatheorizing, to demonstrate its contributions to sociology, to defuse the criticisms directed against it, and to legitimate this type of work. Metatheorizing is divided into three parts. The burden of the introduction and the book's first section is to outline the nature of metatheorizing and its distinctive subtypes. Ritzer characterizes metatheorizing as the systematic study of sociological theory, noting that, whereas theorists take as their subject matter the empirical social world and attempt to generate abstract and verifiable scientific statements about it, metatheorists treat those very statements as their topic. Ritzer identifies three ideal-types of metatheorizing by distinguishing the end products yielded by each type. In M., metatheorizing is a means of attaining a deeper understanding of theory. MO is oriented toward generating a perspective that overarches some part or all of sociological theory, while Mp aims at new theory. The elaboration of these three types of metatheorizing is a central theme of the book. Mu receives the bulk of attention and is by far the most systematically developed of the three types. Chapter One, for example, employs two crosscutting continua to identify four subtypes of Mu, arguing that sociological theory can be understood in terms of: (1) internal-intellectual tools (e.g., paradigms); (2) external-social units (e.g., invisible colleges); (3) external-intellectual influences (e.g., expropriating notions from other academic disciplines to analyze sociological theory); and (4) external-social factors (e.g., how historical and structural shifts condition sociological theorizing). Mp is discussed in Chapter Two, in which Ritzer suggests that metatheorizing is a significant source of sociological theory. He substantiates that claim by describing how the theories generated by Marx, Weber, Durkheim, Parsons, and others are informed by the "metatheoreti-
From Brownsville to Blantyre: How Optical Technologies Can Improve Health Care in Low-Resource Settings

Using examples from the US and sub-Saharan Africa, this talk will highlight existing diagnostic challenges, discuss successful strategies to develop and deploy low-cost diagnostic tools to meet these needs, and review barriers to future success.
Results Analysis on 1512 Cases of HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing in Changping District of Beijing

[Objective]To understand the population characteristics and reasons for seeking consultation among 1 512 cases of HIV voluntary counseling and testing(VCT) in Changping district of Beijing,analyze the HIV transmission routes in this district,and provide the basis for AIDS prevention.[Methods]The HIV antibody screening was conducted,and the consultation before and after antibody test was performed in clients by consultants who had been trained.Every client was asked to fill in the Consultation Case Registration Form.[Results]A majority of 1 512 consultation clients were men,and most of them were people aged 20~49 years old.1 364 clients received HIV antibody test,and there were 21 cases of HIV infection with the positive rate of 1.54%.There was significant difference in detection rate of HIV antibody among people with different education levels(P0.01).The consultation client types mainly included male non-married heterosexual contact,female non-marital heterosexual contact and male homosexual contact,which accounted for 83.07% of total consultation clients.[Conclusion]VCT still is one of the key points of AIDS prevention and control in this district.It is necessary to wide propagandize the knowledge about VCT and comprehensive carry out the VCT service.The targeted behavioral intervention in high-risk population is an important measure of AIDS prevention and control.
Unsuspected Adnexal Masses in Renal Transplant Recipients

AbstractPost-transplant sonograms in 74 female recipients less than 40 years old revealed unsuspected adnexal masses in 5 (7 per cent). Sonographically, these masses were difficult to distinguish from other post-transplant fluid collections, such as lymphoceles, urinomas or abscesses and, consequently, led to further diagnostic evaluations in 4 patients. Of the adnexal masses 4 were excised surgically: 2 were hemorrhagic ovarian cysts, 1 was a follicular ovarian cyst and 1 was a paraovarian cyst. A coexisting gynecologic mass should be included in the differential diagnosis of a perinephric mass in female transplant recipients. Pre-transplant sonograms to identify or exclude occult pelvic masses in women may be of benefit in simplifying the postoperative management and minimizing unnecessary diagnostic evaluation.
Network Support II: Randomized controlled trial of Network Support treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy for alcohol use disorder

Background The social network of those treated for alcohol use disorder can play a significant role in subsequent drinking behavior, both for better and worse. Network Support treatment was devised to teach ways to reconstruct social networks so that they are more supportive of abstinence and less supportive of drinking. For many patients this may involve engagement with AA, but other strategies are also used.
Ash production and dispersal from sustained low-intensity Mono-Inyo eruptions

Recent rhyolitic volcanism has demonstrated that prolonged low-intensity ash venting may accompany effusive dome formation. We examine the possibility and some consequences of episodes of extended, weak ash venting at the rhyolitic Mono-Inyo chain in Eastern California. We describe ash-filled cracks within one of the youngest domes, Panum Crater, which provide a textural record of ash venting during dome effusion. We use synchrotron-based X-ray computed tomography to characterize the particles in these tuffisites. Particle sizes in well-sorted tuffisite layers agree well with grain size distributions observed during weak ash venting at Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat, and yield approximate upper and lower bounds on gas velocity and mass flux during the formation of those layers. We simulate ash dispersal with Ash3d to assess the consequences of long-lived Mono-Inyo ash venting for ash deposition and the accompanying volcanic hazards. Our results highlight the sensitivity of large-scale outcomes of volcanic eruptions to small-scale processes.
Abortion and mental health: guidelines for proper scientific conduct ignored

In her review of research on the mental health effects of abortion, Coleman[1][1] stated: > ‘In this highly politicised area of research it is imperative for researchers to apply scientifically based evaluation standards in a systematic, unbiased manner when synthesising and critiquing research
Animal Control and Management Laws

In the United States, local jurisdictions enact laws pursuant to their police powers to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. Animal control laws, laws regulating the ownership of animals by citizens or unowned animals found within the local jurisdiction, are enacted pursuant to this authority and enforced by a local agency typically called “Animal Control.” As is implied by the title, the goal of these laws is to “control” animals. In recent years, some jurisdictions have elected to modify the agency’s title to “Animal Care and Control.” Although the nature of the laws may not be significantly affected by the title change, indicating that the goal of the agency is not only to control animals but to provide for their care may alter the perception of the enforcers and the public towards animals as beings to be cared for and not merely controlled.
Distributed powershell load generator (D-PLG): A new tool for dynamically generating network traffic

Recently, a framework has been developed to automate the training of prediction algorithms but has only been tested on one system. In order to generalize the approach a few key functions must be performed. One of these functions is load generation. Unfortunately, a valid load generator has not been developed for a Microsoft Windows active directory environment. In this paper we introduce and detail a tool that we have developed to make the implementation of this new framework possible in a Microsoft domain, we present data generated by our tool to demonstrate its efficacy, and finish with several extensions and applications for our tool.
Preventive effects of dietary walnuts on high-fat-induced hepatic fat accumulation, oxidative stress and apoptosis in mice

We hypothesized that dietary walnut would prevent high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced hepatic apoptosis based on its antioxidant properties. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a rodent chow or HFD (45% energy-derived)±walnuts (21.5% energy-derived) for 6 weeks. Liver histological and biochemical analyses revealed significantly elevated fat accumulation in mice fed HFD compared to mice fed the chow or HFD±walnuts. Walnut supplementation prevented HFD-mediated alteration of the levels of key proteins in lipid homeostasis such as Sirt1, AMPK and FAS, leading to decreased fat accumulation. In addition, walnut supplementation to HFD significantly decreased the hepatic levels of cytochrome P450-2E1, nitrated proteins and lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, walnut supplementation decreased the activated cell-death-associated p-JNK and p-p38K accompanied with increased hepatocyte apoptosis in HFD group. The beneficial effects of dietary walnut likely result, at least partially, from its antioxidant ingredients and attenuating HFD-induced hepatic steatosis, nitroxidative stress and apoptosis.
The Physiological Genetics of Denitrification in Pseudomonas

Interest in the fate of soil nitrates is shared by a number of scientific disciplines. This is reflected by the diversity of approaches to the study of nitrate metabolism. An important element in the nitrate budget of the soil is the competition between bacteria and plants for this important and often-limiting nutrient.
Detecting the Biopolymer Behavior of Graphene Nanoribbons in Aqueous Solution

Graphene nanoribbons (GNR), can be prepared in bulk quantities for large-area applications by reducing the product from the lengthwise oxidative unzipping of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNT). Recently, the biomaterials application of GNR has been explored, for example, in the pore to be used for DNA sequencing. Therefore, understanding the polymer behavior of GNR in solution is essential in predicting GNR interaction with biomaterials. Here, we report experimental studies of the solution-based mechanical properties of GNR and their parent products, graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONR). We used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to study their mechanical properties in solution and showed that GNR and GONR have similar force-extension behavior as in biopolymers such as proteins and DNA. The rigidity increases with reducing chemical functionalities. The similarities in rigidity and tunability between nanoribbons and biomolecules might enable the design and fabrication of GNR-biomimetic interfaces.
Oligomeric proanthocyanidins released from dentin induce regenerative dental pulp cell response.

Abstract Proanthocyanidins (PACs) are plant-derived, multifunctional compounds that possess high interactivity with extracellular matrix (ECM) components. The documented affinity of PACs for type-I collagen is directly correlated with their structural features and degree of polymerization. In this investigation, centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) was used to sequentially deplete less active monomeric and polymeric PACs from a crude Pinus massoniana bark extract to create refined mixtures enriched in oligomeric PACs. The ability of these oligomeric PACs to modify the mechanical properties of the dentin collagen matrix and their biocompatibility with dental pulp cells (DPCs) was evaluated in an innovative biomimetic environment. The refined mixtures displayed high interactivity with dentin collagen as demonstrated by a significant increase (>5-fold) in the modulus of elasticity of the dentin matrix. In a simplified model of the dentin-DPC complex, DPCs embedded within their native ECM in the presence of PAC-treated dentin exhibited increased proliferation. Quantitative gene expression analyses indicated that exposure to PAC-treated dentin increased the expression of key biomineralization and odontogenic differentiation regulators, including RUNX2, BMP2, OCN, and DSPP. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that PACs two to four units long (dimers, trimers, and tetramers) were being released from dentin into media, influencing cell behavior. Overall, the results suggested that PAC dimers, trimers, and tetramers are not only biocompatible, but enhance the differentiation of DPCs towards a phenotype that favors biomineralization. PAC-enriched refined mixtures can influence the field of biomaterials and regeneration by serving as renewable, non-cytotoxic agents that can increase the mechanical properties of biomaterials. Statement of Significance Pine bark extract is a renewable source of structurally diverse proanthocyanidins (PACs), multifunctional compounds whose interaction with collagen can be tailored to specific purposes by enrichment of selected PACs from the complex mixture. Oligomeric PACs were enriched from the extract and were shown here to sustain desired tissue modification and were thus assessed for cellular response in a model of the dentin-pulp interface. This model was developed to mimic leaching of potentially reactive compounds into pulp tissue. Dental pulp cells exposed to PAC-treated dentin showed increased proliferation and expression of genes necessary for extracellular matrix deposition and biomineralization, processes crucial for forming new dentin. Thus, collagen-interactive PACs may also enhance tissue regeneration and have broad impact in tissue engineering.
Time based feedback and query expansion for twitter search

Twitter is an accepted platform among users for expressing views in a short text called a "Tweet" Application of search models to platforms like Twitter is still an open-ended question, though the creation of the TREC Microblog track in 2011 aims to help resolve it. In this paper, we propose a modified language search model by extending a traditional query-likelihood language model with time based feedback and query expansion. The proposed method makes use of two types of feedback, time feedback by evaluating the time distribution of top retrieved tweets, and query expansion by using highly frequent terms in top tweets as expanded terms. Our results suggest that using both types of feedback, we get better results than using a standard language model, and the time-based feedback uniformly improves results whether query expansion is used or not.
Hyperspectral LWIR mapping of fumarole sulfates, salton sea, imperial county, California

Several ammonia emitting fumarole fields have recently been exposed along the southeastern shoreline of the Salton Sea in Imperial County, California. A complex assemblage of sulfate minerals, many containing ammonium ion, are associated with the fumaroles. The distribution of these sulfates was mapped by remote sensing with the Mako LWIR hyperspectral sensor. The most common minerals tended to form somewhat concentric discontinuous rings. Outwardly from the central fumarole vent, they were: mascagnite/boussingaultite, gypsum, nitratine and bloedite, respectively. Ground truth surveys coupled with laboratory analyses were generally in good agreement with the remote sensing results.
Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinase: Targeting and Control of Expression

Publisher Summary This chapter addresses three aspects of PKG function that include the role of PKG-I targeting to subcellular proteins especially in smooth muscle cells (SMC), the role of PKG-I in regulating vascular SMC (VSMC) gene expression, and the regulation of the expression of PKG-I. The serum response factor (SRF) interacts with numerous co-transcriptional regulators, including myocardin, a smooth muscle specific co-transcription factor and member of the larger myocardin-related factor (MRF) family of proteins. PKG-I enhances myocardin-stimulated SRF activity in part through the phosphorylation of a myocardin regulatory protein, cysteine-rich protein-2 (CRP-2) in VSMC. The enhanced myocardin-dependent SRF activity in a non-smooth muscle cell line is observed, when it is transfected with myocardin and PKG-I cDNA. PKG-I also increases SRF binding to smooth muscle-specific promoter regions of SMMHC and SM22. The Kruppel-like factor (KLF-4) binds to the Sp1 sites on the PKG-I proximal promoter and regulates gene transcription. The small molecular weight G proteins, RhoA and rac, regulate KLF-4 binding and PKG-I gene expression. The inflammatory, atherogenic cytokines such as IL-1β and TNFα decrease PKG-I mRNA and protein levels in bovine aortic VSMC. One mechanism responsible for this event is a cytokine-dependent increase in iNOS expression, NO biosynthesis, and a decrease in Sp1 binding to the PKG-I promoter. Suppression of iNOS activity or sGC activity inhibits the downregulation of PKG-I mRNA induced by the cytokines. PKA inhibition also suppresses the effects of cytokines on PKG-I mRNA expression, suggesting that high elevations in cGMP in response to iNOS expression cross-activate PKA and lead to decreased Sp1 protein binding to the PKG-I promoter.
Rationalizing the Reactivity of Bimetallic Molecular Catalysts for CO2 Hydrogenation

We have recently reported the heterobimetallic nickel–gallium complex, NiGaL (where L represents the tris(phosphinoamido)amine ligand, [N(o-(NCH2Pi-Pr2) C6H4)3]3–), which is the most active Ni-based molecular catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation to date. Understanding the reaction mechanism of this catalytic system and identifying the factors that govern its catalytic activity are important in order to design even more efficient base–metal catalysts. Here, we present a computational study of possible reaction pathways for CO2 hydrogenation catalyzed by NiGaL. The most favorable predicted pathway for formate production agrees well with key experimental observations and is defined by four elementary steps: (1) H2 binding to the Ni center, (2) deprotonation of the H2 adduct, (3) hydride transfer to CO2 to form a formate adduct, and (4) formate release to regenerate NiGaL. The overall catalytic process has two main time periods: an induction period, during which the deprotonation of the H2 adduct by exogenous base ...
Detecting fraud in adversarial environments: A reinforcement learning approach

Credit card fraud is a costly problem for banks and a major frustration for consumers. As such, static models to detect fraud that rely on supervised training are exposed to the risk of being learned and circumvented. Previous adversarial learning work in fraud prevention showed increased effectiveness over static models that did not account for changing fraudster behavior. We extend this work by utilizing Reinforcement Learning and framing the fraudster and card issuer interaction as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) and performing prediction and control. Our MDP takes on the perspective of an agent (in this case the fraudster with a stolen credit card) who interacts with an environment (merchants and a fraud classifier), by taking actions (transactions), and receiving rewards (relating to whether the transactions were successful/declined). This approach allows us to simulate fraudulent episodes in such a way that techniques like model-free policy iteration can identify an optimal policy for the fraudster. The episode ends when the card is terminated by the credit card company for fraud. We found that, compared to a static classifier, making small changes to our fraud classifier on a regular basis led to a significant decrease in the ability of a fraud agent to learn an optimal policy.
Complete Genome Sequences of Three Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Strains That Inhibit the Growth of Listeria monocytogenes In Vitro.

ABSTRACT Here, we report the complete genome sequences of three Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strains isolated from alfalfa, almond drupes, and grapes that inhibited the growth of Listeria monocytogenes strain 2011L-2857 in vitro. We also report multiple gene clusters encoding secondary metabolites that may be responsible for the growth inhibition of L. monocytogenes.
La innovación, clave para la competitividad empresarial

Integration between technology and businesses is an important key for competitiveness. Today, the technology applied to the business world would make no sense unless it is considered a tool integrated with the business processes. Companies and organizations must adopt innovative policies, where technology should play a strategic role in the design of business models, in order to become competitive, flexible and efficient, so that they become "on demand" organizations, capable of reacting or adapting themselves to any internal or external changes.
The Crystalloid Co-Load: Clinically as Effective as Colloid Preload for Preventing Hypotension from Spinal Anaesthesia for Caesarean Delivery.

Objective Colloid preloading diminishes post-spinal hypotension. However, whether colloid preloading is superior to crystalloid co-loading is uncertain. In this retrospective study, we compared the effects of a colloid preload versus a crystalloid co-load on vasopressor requirements and maternal haemodynamics among women undergoing elective caesarean delivery (CD) with spinal anaesthesia. Methods We extracted data from the medical records of 160 healthy women who underwent elective CD with spinal anaesthesia at an academic obstetric centre before and after an institutional fluid-loading protocol change. Patients received a 500 mL 6% hydroxyethyl starch preload or a 1000 mL crystalloid co-load. The primary outcome was the total phenylephrine dose administered from spinal block placement to delivery. Results Our cohort comprised 79 women in the colloid group and 77 women in the crystalloid group. The mean phenylephrine use was significantly lower in the colloid group than in the crystalloid group (489±403 μg vs. 647±464 μg, respectively, p=0.02). The maximal drop in systolic blood pressure was greater in the colloid group than in the crystalloid group (36±20 mmHg vs. 29±16 mmHg, respectively, p=0.02). There were no clinically significant differences between the groups in heart rate, blood loss, temperature and Apgar scores. Conclusion Vasopressor use was lower in colloid preloading than in crystalloid co-loading. However, differences in all outcome measures were minimal and likely clinically insignificant, suggesting that both fluid-loading techniques are appropriate to use for the prevention of spinal hypotension in women undergoing CD.
TGF-β Inhibitors in Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancerrelated mortality in the USA, and the overall incidence of the disease is increasing such that it is expected to be the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the next decade. Minimal improvements in therapy have not changed the overall mortality rate over the past decade for patients with PDAC. The purpose of this review is to identify new data regardign the role of Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) based therapeuics in patients with PDAC. The literature was searched for peer reviewed manuscripts regarding the use of TGF-β inhibitors in PDAC therapy and the mechanism in which TGF-β intracellular signaling effects patient survival. TGF-β plays a vital, context-dependent role as both a tumor suppressor and promoter of PDAC. The downstream effects of this duality play a significant role in the immunologic response of the tumor microenvironment (TME), epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT), and the development of metastatic disease. Immunologic pathways have been shown to be successful targets in the treatment of other diseases, though they have not been shown efficacious in PDAC. TGF-β-mediated EMT does play a critical role in PDAC progression in the development of metastases. The use of anti-TGF-β-based therapies in phase I and II clinical trials for metastatic PDAC demonstrate the importance of understanding the role of TGF-β in PDAC progression. This review clarifies the recent literature investigating the role of anti-TGF-β-based therapy in PDAC and areas ripe for targeted investigations and therapies.
Identitätsbildung im Kunstunterricht

Bildnerische Inszenierungen haben Hochkonjunktur: Handyfotos und Handyvideos dokumentieren auf Facebook oder anderen Onlineportalen das tagliche Bild vom Selbst – und tragen damit in hohem Mase zur Gestaltung der Identitatskonstruktion Jugendlicher bei. Dieses Phanomen wird im Kunstunterricht thematisiert, dessen Inhalt u.a. sowohl die inszenierten Alltagsbilder wie auch die kunstlerischen Inszenierungen sind. Welche Merkmale eine Inszenierung bestimmen, welche gestalterischen Potenziale damit verknupft und inwiefern den kunstlerischen Inszenierungen Bildungspotenziale inharent sind, sind Ausgangsuberlegungen, um das Verhaltnis von Inszenierung und Identitatsbildung auszuloten. Im Kunstunterricht kann die intensive Reflexion uber gestalterisches Inszenieren, performatives Handeln und Erleben asthetisierter Inkoharenz usw. dazu beitragen, Handlungsoptionen zu eroffnen und die Verortung des Selbst zu unterstutzen.
Chapter Fourteen Icon and Idol: Representation of the Divine in the Byzantine East

This chapter considers several of the fundamentals of Byzantine iconography, along with certain philosophical and theological presuppositions, without any pretensions to completeness. It begins by distinguishing between sacred art, which establishes contact with sacred reality, and religious art, which is merely representational, depicting realities that are religious in character, and differs only in subject matter from secular art. It proceeds to discuss philosophical foundations of Byzantine iconography, arguably the hightest manifestation of art in the Christian East. And it concludes with a discussion of the relation between knowledge and representation in the work of Pavel Florensky and Christos Yannaras.
Costs and Complications: Delayed Gastric Emptying after Pancreaticoduodenectomy:

Postoperative delayed gastric emptying (DGE) is a very common complication after a pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). This along with other complications can lead to increased health-care costs. This study investigates the costs and length of stay (LOS) associated with these. A retrospective study of 131 patients undergoing PD between 2000 and 2016 at Loma Linda University Health was performed. Chi-squared test was used to determine statistically significant differences between patients with and without DGE (according to the definition of the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery). Multiple logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to obtain adjusted odds ratios for variables of interest in association with DGE and relationship to LOS. Of 150 patients undergoing PD, 131 patients with tumors were analyzed. The overall incidence of DGE was 56 per cent. No pre- or postoperative factors were associated with increased risk of DGE. The median LOS for patients with DGE was 15 days versus 9 days for patients without DGE. Patients with DGE added $21,198 to the overall cost of hospitalization. Fourteen patients (10.7%) were readmitted, of whom 11 were because of DGE. Further studies assessing the utility of intraoperative G-tube placement in decreasing hospital costs and readmissions are needed.
Teacher Questioning Practices in Early Childhood Science Activities

This study explores teachers’ use of questioning during collaborative science exploratory activities. We classified a total of 755 questions across 14 preschool science lessons implemented by four teachers by type (open- or closed-ended) and content (science or non-science related) while also recording the intended recipient. Results revealed that, overall, teachers primarily asked closed-ended questions to children during preschool science activities. While closed-ended questions outnumbered open-ended, science-related questions were more likely to be open-ended questions. We noticed this trend whether the teacher directed the question to a group of children or an individual child. Gender of the child recipient was also explored with no significant differences found. Results indicate that collaborative science exploratory activities may be an ideal context for increasing teacher’s use of open-ended questions. Background and training of teachers may also play a role in the use of open-ended questions in a science activity context.
Zinc potentiates dopamine neurotransmission and cocaine seeking

Abstract Cocaine binds to the dopamine transporter (DAT) in the striatum to regulate cocaine reward and seeking behavior. Zinc (Zn2+) also binds to the DAT, but the in vivo relevance of this interaction is unknown. We found that cocaine abuse in humans correlated with low postmortem striatal Zn2+ content. In mice, cocaine decreased striatal vesicular Zn2+ and increased striatal synaptic Zn2+ concentrations and Zn2+ uptake. Striatal synaptic Zn2+ increased cocaine’s in vivo potency at the DAT and was required for cocaine-induced DAT upregulation. Finally, genetic or dietary Zn2+ manipulations modulated cocaine locomotor sensitization, conditioned place preference, self-administration, and reinstatement. These findings reveal new insights into cocaine’s pharmacological mechanism of action and indicate that Zn2+ can serve as a critical environmentally derived regulator of human cocaine addiction.
Single-cell transcriptomics in cancer: computational challenges and opportunities.

Intratumor heterogeneity is a common characteristic across diverse cancer types and presents challenges to current standards of treatment. Advancements in high-throughput sequencing and imaging technologies provide opportunities to identify and characterize these aspects of heterogeneity. Notably, transcriptomic profiling at a single-cell resolution enables quantitative measurements of the molecular activity that underlies the phenotypic diversity of cells within a tumor. Such high-dimensional data require computational analysis to extract relevant biological insights about the cell types and states that drive cancer development, pathogenesis, and clinical outcomes. In this review, we highlight emerging themes in the computational analysis of single-cell transcriptomics data and their applications to cancer research. We focus on downstream analytical challenges relevant to cancer research, including how to computationally perform unified analysis across many patients and disease states, distinguish neoplastic from nonneoplastic cells, infer communication with the tumor microenvironment, and delineate tumoral and microenvironmental evolution with trajectory and RNA velocity analysis. We include discussions of challenges and opportunities for future computational methodological advancements necessary to realize the translational potential of single-cell transcriptomic profiling in cancer. By analyzing gene expression patterns in individual tumor cells, researchers can gain patient-specific insights that might inform more effective cancer treatment. Tumors are highly dynamic and heterogeneous collections of cells. Single-cell transcriptomics techniques can offer a valuable window into that complexity but only if the appropriate computational tools are used to analyze the data. Jean Fan of Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, and colleagues have reviewed some of these computational strategies and how they can be employed in cancer research. Single-cell analysis algorithms, for example, can reveal characteristics that distinguish healthy cells from cancerous cells, or indicate how the cells within the tumor may be communicating with each other to promote malignant growth. These are still new technologies, however, and the authors highlight the limitations of the conclusions that can currently be drawn from such analyses.
Variation in Health Care Access and Quality Among US States and High-Income Countries With Universal Health Insurance Coverage.

Importance Based on mortality estimates for 32 causes of death that are amenable to health care, the US health care system did not perform as well as other high-income countries, scoring 88.7 out of 100 on the 2016 age-standardized Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) index. Objective To compare US age-specific HAQ scores with those of high-income countries with universal health insurance coverage and compare scores among US states with varying insurance coverage. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study used 2016 Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factor study results for cause-specific mortality with adjustments for behavioral and environmental risks to estimate the age-specific HAQ indices. The US national age-specific HAQ scores were compared with high-income peers (Canada, western Europe, high-income Asia Pacific countries, and Australasia) in 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2016, and the 2016 scores among US states were also analyzed. The Public Use Microdata Sample of the American Community Survey was used to estimate insurance coverage and the median income per person by age and state. Age-specific HAQ scores for each state in 2010 and 2016 were regressed based on models with age fixed effects and age interaction with insurance coverage, median income, and year. Data were analyzed from April to July 2018 and July to September 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures The age-specific HAQ indices were the outcome measures. Results In 1990, US age-specific HAQ scores were similar to peers but increased less from 1990 to 2016 than peer locations for ages 15 years or older. For example, for ages 50 to 54 years, US scores increased from 77.1 to 82.1 while high-income Asia Pacific scores increased from 71.6 to 88.2. In 2016, several states had scores comparable with peers, with large differences in performance across states. For ages 15 years or older, the age-specific HAQ scores were 85 or greater for all ages in 3 states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Minnesota) and 75 or less for at least 1 age category in 6 states. In regression analysis estimates with state-fixed effects, insurance coverage coefficients for ages 20 to 24 years were 0.059 (99% CI, 0.006-0.111); 45 to 49 years, 0.088 (99% CI, 0.009-0.167); and 50 to 54 years, 0.101 (99% CI, 0.013-0.189). A 10% increase in insurance coverage was associated with point increases in HAQ scores among the ages of 20 to 24 years (0.59 [99% CI, 0.06-1.11]), 45 to 49 years (0.88 [99% CI, 0.09-1.67]), and 50 to 54 years (1.01 [99% CI, 0.13-1.89]). Conclusions and Relevance In this cross-sectional study, the US age-specific HAQ scores for ages 15 to 64 years were low relative to high-income peer locations with universal health insurance coverage. Among US states, insurance coverage was associated with higher HAQ scores for some ages. Further research with causal models and additional explanations is warranted.