cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Asparaginase inhibition of adhesion of type 1-fimbriated and P-fimbriated Escherichia coli to epithelial cell receptors

The 3D structures of Fim H and PapG proteins complexed with the host carbohydrate receptor demonstrate that both utilize binding-pocket asparagines for contact or stabilization with the carbohydrate. Pretreatment of whole bacteria with asparaginase resulted in decreased fimbriae-mediated attachment to urinary epithelial cells. Enzyme treatment of bacteria pre-adhered to epithelial cells removed more uropathogenic E. coli than the indigenous flora attached to them.
Peripheral obstructions influence marmot vigilance: integrating observational and experimental results

Animals generally allocate some time during foraging to detecting predators. We used a combination of observations and an experiment to examine how vegetation height and peripheral obstructions influence vigilance by foraging yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris). First, we analyzed a large sample of observations of marmots foraging in nature. Marmots increased vigilance with vegetation height and reared on their hind legs when in tall vegetation. Second, we observed that marmots foraged in locations with lower vegetation than randomly selected sites in the same meadow. These observations suggest that marmots account for what they can see while foraging but do not rule out the influence of other factors correlated with vegetation height. Therefore, we experimentally blocked the view for 3 sides for marmots feeding on a controlled food source. When the apparatus blocked their vigilance, marmots were less vigilant when foraging, often moved outside the apparatus, and showed heightened vigilance while outside the apparatus. Peripheral obstructions explained more of the variance in our experimental than in our observational results. Together, our results demonstrate that marmots employ antipredator behavior to compensate for peripheral obstructions. Long-term studies show that marmots go locally extinct more often in areas with more obstructions to vigilance. Thus, marmots likely face greater predation risk in those areas, despite the behavioral responses documented in this study. Copyright 2009, Oxford University Press.
Relationship between performance-based and self-reported assessment of hand function.

OBJECTIVE. To examine the relationships between self-reported and performance-based hand function. METHOD. Thirty participants with hand function limitations completed the Manual Ability Measure (MAM�36) and the Upper Extremity Performance Test for the Elderly (TEMPA). Participants were categorized into two groups: (1) Dominant Hand Affected and (2) Nondominant Hand Affected. Correlations between the two assessments were examined. The speed of task execution and TEMPA scores were compared between the two groups. RESULTS. A significant correlation was found between the MAM�36 and TEMPA Total Functional Rating (? = 0.79, p < .05). Significant differences were found in the speed of execution of unilateral tasks and the Unilateral Functional Ratings between the two groups. CONCLUSION. The MAM�36 is a promising assessment tool for measuring a client's perceived hand function. However, a performance-based assessment can supplement information about the quality and speed of hand-task performance
Nursing in Portugal: A Global Perspective

This global perspectives column on nursing in Portugal is based primarily on an edited transcript of an interview by the author with Nuno Miguel Dias Pereira, who has a master’s degree in nursing management and is a doctoral nursing student at Lisbon University. The interview took place on June 7, 2013. In additional to being a doctoral student, Mr. Periera has a position at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology in Lisbon.
Geometric foraging strategies in multi-agent systems based on biological models

In nature, communal hunting is often performed by predators by charging through an aggregation of prey. However, it has been noticed that variations exist in the geometric shape of the charging front; in addition, distinct differences arise between the shapes depending on the particulars of the feeding strategy. For example, each member of a dolphin foraging group must contribute to the hunt and will only be able to eat what it catches. On the other hand, some lions earn a “free lunch” by feigning help and later feasting on the prey caught by the more skilled hunters in the foraging group. We model the charging front of the predators as a curve moving through a prey density modeled as a reaction-diffusion process and we optimize the shape of the charging front in both the free lunch and no-free-lunch cases. These different situations are simulated under a number of varied types of predator-prey interaction models, and connections are made to multi-agent robot systems.
ROTER KAMM: EVIDENCE FOR AN IMPACT ORIGIN

Roter Kamm, located in the Namib Desert of SW Africa, is an 8,000-foot-diameter crater developed essentially in Precambrian granitic rocks. Sand overburden is pervasive both inside ami outside the crater and the only significant rock exposures are high in the crater rim. In most cases these exposed rocks proved entirely normal when examined microscopically but two specimens were found which exhibited features compatible with, and suggestive of, shock pressures in the range of 50 to 100 kilobars. Both specimens are probably foreign to the rim environment and may represent remnants of ejecta from the crater formation. There is a strong negative residual gravity anomaly across the structure which reaches a maximum of −9.3 milligals. The size and shape of the anomaly are fully compatible with a meteorite impact structure of “normal” dimensions. It is more difficult to interpret the gravity data in terms of an explosive volcanic origin and neither is there any evidence of such an origin in the rim rock exposures. An impact origin for the crater is strongly suggested by all the evidence to date. Definitive evidence of shock metamorphism could perhaps be found by a further search for “exotic” rocks in the rim.
Wafer-level testing of thermopile IR detectors

We propose a method to characterize the main figures of merit of IR thermopile detectors by means of electrical measurements performed at the wafer level. Finite element simulations are adopted in order to compare the results of wafer-level measurements with the actual device responsivity as expected by optical measurements. The employed finite-element model is validated by comparison with experimental data obtained on a micromachined thermal test structure
Molecular cytogenetics: Rosetta stone for understanding cancer--twenty-ninth G. H. A. Clowes memorial award lecture.

This article provides me with an occasion to review our progress in a central area of cancer research, namely the genetic changes that occur within the cancer cell that are critically involved in the transformation of a normal to a malignant cell. I think it is especially appropriate that three named awards (Clowes, Rosenthal, and Rhoads) presented at the 1989 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research went to investigators who have made contributions to our under standing of the genetic changes in cancer cells. Clearly, to concentrate on genes to the exclusion of cell biology would be too narrow and short-sighted an approach. Nonetheless, I am convinced that until we have isolated the genes that are centrally involved in at least some of the malignant processes in different cell types, we will be unable to answer the fundamental ques tions about malignant transformation. More importantly, we will be unable to answer the questions with precision. I will limit my consideration to those changes that have been detected by analyzing the karyotypic pattern of human cancer cells using chromosome banding, and in particular to those found in leu kemia. We are living in a golden age of the biomedicai sciences. Increasingly sophisticated instruments and creative scientific strategies allow remarkably precise understanding of some as pects of cancer biology. It is clear that during the course of the last three decades, the scientific community's assessment of the role of chromosome changes in the complex process of malig nant transformation has changed from considering them to be merely trivial epiphenomena to recognizing their fundamental involvement for at least some tumors. This change in attitude has occurred for at least two reasons. First, the demonstration of specific recurring chromosome rearrangements, including translocations and deletions, that were often uniquely associ ated with a particular type of leukemia, lymphoma, or sarcoma provided clear evidence that these rearrangements were criti cally involved in malignant transformation (1-3). About 70 recurring translocations as well as many nonrandom deletions and other structural abnormalities are listed in the chapter on structural chromosome changes in neoplasia included in Hu man Gene Mapping 10 (4). The evidence for the presence of recurring chromosome abnormalities in a wide variety of human neoplasms was the result of 30 years of painstaking chromo some analysis by my cytogenetic colleagues around the world. The honor attached to this Clowes award should be shared with all of them. A second, and I believe an even more powerful, force acting within the general scientific community to reassess the role of karyotypic alterations was the identification of the genes in volved in some of the chromosome rearrangements and the discovery that some of these genes were the human counterparts
Cytokine dysregulation induced by apoptotic cells is a shared characteristic of murine lupus

Of the multiple murine models of autoimmunity, the three most closely resembling human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are the MRL/lpr, New Zealand Black/White F(1), and male BXSB. Although these strains share many disease characteristics, no common cellular defect has previously been found in prediseased mice from all these strains. We show in this study that macrophages from prediseased mice of all three SLE-prone strains, as well as macrophages from mice whose genomes contribute to the development of SLE (MRL/+, New Zealand White, New Zealand Black, female BXSB, and LG/J), have an identical and profound defect in cytokine expression that is triggered by apoptotic cells. Strikingly, none of 13 nonautoimmune strains tested exhibited this defect. Given that apoptotic Ags have been increasingly recognized as the target of autoantibodies, a defect in cytokine expression that is triggered by apoptotic cells has broad potential to upset the balance between tolerance and immunity.
ELECTROSTATIC BENEFICIATION OF EASTERN OIL SHALES

A dry electrostatic process for beneficiating Eastern oil shales was investigated. Scanning electron microscope analysis showed a need to grind the shale to an average particle size of less than 5 μm for nearly complete liberation of mineral inclusions from the organic matrix. The carbonaceous and noncarbonaceous components of shale were imparted positive and negative surface charges, respectively, with a copper tribocharger. Tests in a batch electrostatic separator showed kerogen enrichments from 12 percent in feed up to a value of 34 percent in the product stream. The efficacy of beneficiation was found to be strongly dependent on hydrodynamic conditions, such as particle velocity, particle concentration in the carrier gas, electric field strength, geometry of the separator, etc. Furthermore, the extent of separation was found to be limited by a strong cohesive force acting between the finely ground shale particles which results in the formation of agglomerates.
‘‘Blacks Deserve Bodies Too!’’: Design and Discussion About Diversity and Race in a Tween Virtual World:

In this paper, we investigate racial diversity in avatar design and public discussions about race within a large-scale tween virtual world called Whyville.net, with more than 1.5 million registered players of ages 8–16. One unique feature of Whyville is the player’s ability to customize their avatars with various face parts and accessories, all designed and sold by other players in Whyville. Our findings report on the racial diversity of available resources for avatar construction and online postings about the role of race in avatar design and social interactions in the community. With the growing interest in player-generated content for online worlds such as Teen Second Life, our discussion addresses the role of avatars in teen/tween identity development and self-representation, and the role of virtual entrepreneurs and community activists in increasing the diversity of avatar parts available.
Pre- and poststimulus activation of response channels: a psychophysiological analysis

To examine mechanisms of response activation, we asked subjects to respond differentially to the central letter of one of four arrays--HHHHH, SSHSS, SSSSS, and HHSHH--and measured event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and electromyographic activity (EMG). For very fast responses, accuracy was at chance level for all arrays, suggesting that subjects were guessing. For intermediate latency responses, accuracy was above chance if the noise was compatible with the targets and below chance if it was incompatible, suggesting that these responses were based on partial stimulus analysis. For slow responses, accuracy was above chance for all arrays, suggesting that these responses were based on complete stimulus analysis. The occurrence and accuracy of fast responses could be predicted by examining motor potentials preceding the presentation of the array. Measures of the motor potentials in the period following the presentation of the array suggested that partial analysis of stimulus information could activate responses and that the level of response activation at the time of the EMG response was constant for trials with different response latencies. The data are discussed in terms of a response channel conception.
New detector for 1,k codes equalized to class II partial response

A modified linear canceller is described which approached maximum-likelihood performance for a 1,k RLL code on a PR2 (class II partial response) channel. With white noise, this detector gains 1.8 dB over simple threshold detection. Performance is analyzed both theoretically and through bit-by-bit simulations for a variety of noise colorations and misequalization conditions. The technique is applicable wherever the channel is equalized to a low-pass characteristic as in instrumentation and video tape recording with Miller-squared code or optical recording with a 1,7 code and pulse-width modulation. >
Truthmakers and the direct argument

The truthmaker literature has recently come to the consensus that the logic of truthmaking is distinct from classical propositional logic. This development has huge implications for the free will literature. Since free will and moral responsibility are primarily ontological concerns (and not semantic concerns) the logic of truthmaking ought to be central to the free will debate. I shall demonstrate that counterexamples to transfer principles employed in the direct argument occur precisely where a plausible logic of truthmaking diverges from classical logic. Further, restricted transfer principles (like the ones employed by McKenna, Stump, and Warfield) are as problematic as the original formulation of the direct argument.
Online Social Behavior Reflects Discrepant Personality

Online social media marketing is of strategic importance to companies producing consumer-based technical products. Existing (offline) marketing theory must be adapted to a new consumer reality enabled by technologies such as Twitter. In this context, my research addresses an important unknown, namely, how do consumers represent themselves online. I argue that online social behavior reflects a user’s “discrepant personality” and that online social behavior is more conscientious, agreeable, and emotionally stable than offline behavior. A second speculation is that the variance of extraversion level will be lower in online behavior than in offline behavior - in particular, an introvert will behave more like an extrovert while online, and vice versa. To test these propositions, five-factor personality models are evaluated in offline modes and online social behaviors are projected into linguistic variables. My study should contribute to theory and practice in the area of consumer and politics predictive analytics.
Baryon density correlations in the quark plasma

Abstract As part of an ongoing effort to characterize the high temperature phase of QCD, we measure the quark baryon density in the vicinity of a fixed test quark and compare it with similar measurements at low temperature and at the crossover temperature. Such an observable has also been studied by the Vienna group. We find an extremely weak correlation at high temperature, suggesting that small color singlet clusters are unimportant in the thermal ensemble. We also find that at T = 0.75 T c the induced quark number shows a surprisingly large component attributable to baryonic screening. A simulation of a simple flux tube model produces results that suggest a plausible scenario: As the crossover temperature is approached from below, baryonic states proliferate. Above the crossover temperature the mean size of color singlet clusters grows explosively, resulting in an effective electrostatic deconfinement.
Peri-Ictal Headaches in Children with Epilepsy

The frequency and character of preictal and postictal headaches in 101 children (aged 5-18 years) with generalized tonic-clonic or partial seizures were determined by interviews and clinic chart reviews, in a study at Alberta Children’s Hospital, Calgary, Canada.
Design and Validation of a Model-Based Automated Controller Tuning Algorithm

This paper presents a model-based automated controller tuning algorithm for repetitive references. A key challenge in automated tuning is guaranteeing stability of the closed loop system during the tuning process. In order to guarantee the system stability while tuning, we reformulate the traditional controller tuning problem into the tuning of the Youla parameterized version of the controller. Thus at each iteration of the tuning process, the Youla parameter is iteratively tuned to minimize a given quadratic cost function. This makes the optimization problem affine in the parameters and at the same time, eliminates the need for checking stability at each iteration. The proposed algorithm can be used for (1) auto-tuning for optimizing a known controller, or (2) auto-tuning a controller from some arbitrary controller candidates. These capabilities of the model-based tuning algorithm are finally demonstrated experimentally on a precision linear stage. Criteria for convergence of the tuning law has also been presented.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
DECISION IMPACT VALIDITY: A THEORETICAL NOTE '

The concept of “decision-impact validity” was introduced and pertains to the contention that for a test to be useful it must affect decision making. Circumstances that appear to limit decision-impact validity were discussed.
Status of the Development of an Autonomously Guided Precision Cargo Aerial Delivery System

The US Army Natick Soldier Center (NSC) is currently engaged in the development of a family of modified high altitude low opening (HALO) autonomously guided precision cargo aerial delivery systems. In alliance with the US Joint Forces Command and the US Air Force Air Mobility Command, DUSD-AS&C, the NSC including PM-FSS and Strong Enterprises, has engaged in the design and development of an autonomously guided 2000 lbs. and 10,000 lbs capable high glide delivery system, which has been successfully demonstrated in weight ranges 500 lbs. through 10,000 lbs. GRW. This platform known as SCREAMER is currently being tested at system design weight of 10,000 lbs GRW from military C-130/C-17 aircraft at the US Army Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
Predictors of Leadership Behavior in Early Career White-Collar Professionals The Roles of Personal Characteristics and Career Context

This research studies the leadership development of 243 working MBA students and finds personal characteristics and career context to be associated with development of leadership behavior in general, and with specific leadership styles. Specifically, personal characteristics of proactiveness, risk taking, and social skill, and the career contextual variables number of subordinates, level of interaction with others, and time pressure are found to be associated with increased development of leader behavior. Gender was not a differentiator in the development of leadership; however, socially skilled males with high interaction working under time pressure exhibit directive leadership, while personality variables are associated with egalitarian leadership.
Is genomic imprinting involved in the pathogenesis of pseudotriploid neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is the most common solid tumor in children. It derives from the neural crest and originates from the sympathetic neuronal lineage [1-3]. At least two distinct biological-clinical entities can be distinguished [3-6]. One favorable subset occurs exclusively in infants and consists of early stages (I and II) as well as widespread disease (stage IV-S) at diagnosis. These tumors are commonly characterized by a hyperdiploid or pseudotriploid karyotype, but lack structural chromosome abnormalities. In particular, 1p abnormalities or N- myc gene amplification are not observed. Virtually all tumors identified with mass screening have belonged to these lower stages [4, 7, 8]. These patients show an excellent clinical outcome despite no or only minimal therapy. The other group of unfavorabled neuroblastomas is associated with older age and advanced stages (stages III and IV), and pseudodiploid karyotypes including lp deletions and N- myc oncogene amplification [2, 9]. Their outcome remains poor despite aggressive multimodality therapy and bone marrow transplantation. It is interesting to note that favorable neuroblastomas rarely, if ever, evolve into unfavorable disease [3].
Right Splenorenal Fusion with Associated Hypersplenism

AbstractWe report the second case of splenorenal fusion and the first occurrence of spleen fusion associated with a right retroperitoneal structure. Hypersplenism was cured by removal of the mass. A concomitant renal cell carcinoma and multiple adenomas within the mass were incidental clinical features. Aside from the rarity of the lesion, its documented occurrence on the right side is significant in that it provides evidence for the possible migration of spleen cells in embryogenesis as an explanation for some other splenic fusion anomalies.
Some notes on the inhibition of aggression in an inpatient psychotherapy group.

(1971). Some Notes on the Inhibition of Aggression in an Inpatient Psychotherapy Group. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy: Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 333-338.
Modeling of multi-terminal VSC-based HVDC system

Improving the efficiency and operation of power transmission is important due to the continual increase in demand for electric power. HVDC links provide a good solution for transmitting power over long distances. A model of a three-terminal VSC-HVDC system is presented in this paper. One of the converters is used to regulate the DC voltage while the others converters control the active power independently and bidirectionally. The vector control strategy and pulse width modulation (PWM) technique are described and implemented in PSCAD/EMTDC. In addition, the region of controllability as a function of power flow has been analyzed.
A Kantian view of Suits’ Utopia: ‘a kingdom of autotelically-motivated game players’

AbstractIn this paper, I engage the debate on Suits’ theory of games by providing a Kantian view of Utopia. I argue that although the Kantian aspects of Suits’ approach are often overlooked in comparison to its Socratic-Platonic aspects, Kant’s ideas play a fundamental role in Suits’ proposal. In particular, Kant’s concept of ‘regulative idea’ is the basis of Suits’ Utopia. I regard Utopia as Suits’ regulative idea on game playing. In doing so, I take Utopia to play a double role in Suits’ theory of games. First, it highlights the primary condition of possibility of game-playing, namely, the lusory attitude. Second, it provides a normative criterion that serves as a critical principle to evaluate instances of game playing and as a counterfactual assumption that makes game playing possible. I provide further support for my Kantian interpretation of Suits’ Utopia by bringing to light the anthropological assumptions upon which Utopia is built. In doing so, I argue that both Suits’ theory of games, in general...
The paradox of new venture legitimation within an entrepreneurial ecosystem

The current rise in research on entrepreneurial ecosystems notes that many questions are still unanswered. We, therefore, theorize about a unique paradox for entrepreneurs trying to establish legitimacy for their new ventures within and beyond an entrepreneurial ecosystem; that is, when pursuing opportunities with high levels of technological or market newness, entrepreneurs confront a significant challenge in legitimizing their venture within an entrepreneurial ecosystem, while those entrepreneurs pursuing ventures using existing technologies or pursuing existing markets have a much easier path to garnering legitimacy within that ecosystem. However, the diffusion of that legitimacy beyond the ecosystem will be wider and more far-reaching for those pursuing the newer elements compared to those using existing technologies or pursuing existing markets, thus, creating a paradox of venture legitimation. Prior research outlines approaches for new venture legitimacy but it is unclear when these approaches should be applied within and beyond an entrepreneurial ecosystem. To address this paradox, we integrate ideas from the entrepreneurship and innovation literature with insights from the legitimacy literature to describe how different types of venture newness employ different legitimation strategies which results in different levels of legitimacy diffusion beyond an ecosystem. We conclude with a discussion of our concepts and offer suggestions for future research efforts.
Asian Honeybees and Mitochondrial DNA

This chapter summarises the current state of knowledge on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), including both coded and non-coding regions. This tool is now one of the primary sources of data used in the study of animal population biology, biogeography and phylogeny and has played a major role in the study of intra- and inter-specific variation in honeybees. It is now possible to see the large framework of Apis cerana phylogeography as indicated by mtDNA, and four main “lineages” or groups of closely related mtDNA A. cerana haplotypes have been observed. Mitochondrial DNA, nuclear genes and morphometrics do not always paint the same picture of Apis diversity and biogeography although they are in broad agreement. In depth studies of the other Asian honeybees are yet to be completed.
Detecting and preventing inference attacks in online social networks: A data-driven and holistic framework

ABSTRACTWith increasing user involvement, social networks nowadays serve as a repository of all kinds of information. While there have been various studies demonstrating that private information can be inferred from social networks, few have taken a holistic view on designing mechanisms to detect and alleviate the inference attacks. In this study, we present a framework that leverages the social network data and data mining techniques to proactively detect and prevent possible inference attacks against users. A novel method is proposed to minimize the modifications to user profiles in order to prevent inference attacks while preserving the utility.
Computer vision and text recognition for assisting visually impaired people using Android smartphone

Advances made with new technologies have boosted the development of systems to assist the daily lives of the visually impaired people. These systems intend to help by providing their user with some critical information about their environment using senses they can still use. In this paper, we discuss a system that uses existing technologies such as the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Text-to-Speech (TTS) available on an Android smartphone, and use them to automatically identify and recognize texts and signs in the environment and help the users navigate. The proposed system uses a combination of computer vision and Internet connectivity on an Android smartphone not only to recognize signs, but also reconstruct sentences and convert them to speech. This paper discusses the design flow and the experimental results of the project.
Basal Cell Carcinomas, Hedgehog Signaling, and the Ptch1+/- Mouse

Progress in understanding the molecular underpinnings of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) was hindered severely until recently by the difficulty of growing human BCCs in vitro or in nude mice and by the lack of a mouse model for their development. With the identification of PTCH1 mutations as the basis of the basal cell nevus syndrome and their identification in sporadic BCCs,1a it became possible to produce several mouse models in which BCCs develop either spontaneously or after exposure of the mouse to environmental insults that cause human BCCs. In particular, Ptch1+/- mice are quite useful for study since they develop BCCs in the same site and with the same molecular defects and following the same environmental insults as in man. The first burst of studies have identified effects of genetic background, immune status, and environmental insults. In addition, these mice appear to provide a very promising resource for preclinical testing of the effects of anti-BCC chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents.
Deregulation Gone Awry: Moral Hazard in the Savings and Loan Industry

The insolvencies of hundreds of thrift institutions (savings and loan associations and savings banks) in the late 1980s traumatized the worlds of both finance and politics. The estimated costs of honoring the federal deposit insurance guarantees on liabilities issued by these insolvent thrifts approach $200 billion on a present-value basis. A financial debacle of such proportions is a testament to the power of moral hazard in a market characterized by high leverage and limited liability.
Vehicle detection in wide-area aerial imagery: cross-association of detection schemes with post-processings

Post-processing schemes are crucial for object detection algorithms to improve the performance of detection in wide-area aerial imagery. We select appropriate parameters for three algorithms (variational minimax optimisation (Saha and Ray, 2009), feature density estimation (Gleason et al., 2011) and Zheng's scheme by morphological filtering (Zheng et al., 2013)) to achieve the highest average F-score on random sample frames, and then follow the same procedure to implement five post-processing schemes on each algorithm. Two low-resolution aerial videos are used as our datasets to compare automatic detection results with the ground truth objects on each frame. The performance analysis of post-processing schemes on each algorithm are presented under two sets of evaluation metrics.
PortLoc: A Portable Data-Driven Indoor Localization Framework for Smartphones

Editor’s note: Fingerprinting is essential for indoor navigation and localization due to its low cost, accuracy, and resiliency to multipath effects in constrained environments. This article aims to overcome the challenge of device heterogeneity and describes a portable lightweight fingerprinting framework while improving localization accuracy.—Paul Bogdan, University of Southern California
Categorical colour perception occurs in both signalling and non-signalling colour ranges in a songbird

Although perception begins when a stimulus is transduced by a sensory neuron, numerous perceptual mechanisms can modify sensory information as it is processed by an animal's nervous system. One suc...
A sustained tantrum: how the Joint Chiefs of Staff shaped the ANZUS treaty

Unsurprisingly, most of the literature on the origins of the ANZUS alliance examines why the treaty came into existence in 1951, emphasising the role of John Foster Dulles, President Truman’s Speci...
The quest for dementia prevention does not include an aspirin a day.

In this issue of Neurology ®, a team representing the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study reports the cognitive outcomes from low-dose aspirin (100 mg/d) therapy vs placebo in elderly individuals who were free of cardiovascular disease, physical disability, or diagnosed dementia.1 The trial enrolled 19,114 persons and followed them for a median of 4.7 years. Aspirin therapy did not reduce the number of cases of incident mild cognitive impairment or dementia nor benefit cognition. This result is in keeping with the conclusions from the main report of ASPREE in which no benefits occurred in the composite of death, dementia, or persistent physical disability.2 The current report explores the cognitive outcomes in greater detail and offers insights that may be valuable for future prevention studies.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of familial and sporadic multiple sclerosis: A single center exploratory study from Abu Dhabi.

Abstract Demographic and clinical characteristics of Familial Multiple Sclerosis (FMS) have not been fully investigated yet in Abu Dhabi. The aim of this single center exploratory study was to investigate demographic and clinical characteristics of FMS compared to sporadic MS (SMS) in Abu Dhabi. A chart review single center study was conducted in 98 patients with MS. Group comparisons were performed using Mann-Whitney and Chi-Square tests as appropriate. A p Patients with FMS did not differ in demographic and clinical characteristics compared to patients with SMS. Further prospective studies are needed to elucidate environmental and genetic risk factors contributing to FMS in the Emirati population.
Chapter 7 – Input Analysis

Publisher Summary The activity of modeling random components is called input analysis. From a methodological viewpoint, it is convenient to temporally decompose input analysis into a sequence of stages, each of which involves a particular modeling activity: data collection, data analysis, time series data modeling, and goodness-of-fit testing. However, as in any modeling enterprise, this sequence does not necessarily unfold in a strict sequential order; in practice, it may involve multiple backtracking and loops of activities. The chapter discusses the activities comprising the various stages of input analysis. The Arena Input Analyzer facilities that support these activities are also described in some detail.
All diseased things are critics

This essay argues that pathology as an analytical form functions as the ethical critique of mutual vulnerability. In the broad sense of assessing what is life-giving and life-taking, a sustained cr...
The inhibition of LSD1 via sequestration contributes to tau-mediated neurodegeneration

Abstract Tauopathies are a class of neurodegenerative diseases associated with pathological tau. Despite many advances in our understanding of these diseases, the direct mechanism through which tau contributes to neurodegeneration remains poorly understood. Previously, our lab implicated the histone demethylase LSD1 in tau-induced neurodegeneration by showing that LSD1 localizes to pathological tau aggregates in Alzheimer’s disease cases, and that it is continuously required for the survival of hippocampal and cortical neurons in mice. Here, we utilize the P301S tauopathy mouse model to demonstrate that pathological tau can exclude LSD1 from the nucleus in neurons. In addition, we show that reducing LSD1 in these mice is sufficient to highly exacerbate tau-mediated neurodegeneration and tau-induced gene expression changes. Finally, we find that overexpressing LSD1 in the hippocampus of tauopathy mice, even after pathology has formed, is sufficient to significantly delay neurodegeneration and counteract tau-induced expression changes. These results suggest that inhibiting LSD1 via sequestration contributes to tau-mediated neurodegeneration. Thus, LSD1 is a promising therapeutic target for tauopathies such as Alzheimer’s disease. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We have made the novel discovery that pathological tau functions through the histone demethylase LSD1 in the Alzheimer’s disease pathway. Thus, we have identified a mechanism that links tau to the downstream neuronal dysfunction pathways. This step can potentially be targeted therapeutically, after the onset of dementia symptoms, to block the progression of dementia in Alzheimer’s disease patients.
Structural and Functional Characterization of Fibronectin in Extracellular Vesicles From Hepatocytes

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-limited nanoparticles that are liberated by cells and contain a complex molecular payload comprising proteins, microRNA, RNAs, and lipids. EVs may be taken up by other cells resulting in their phenotypic or functional reprogramming. In the liver, EVs produced by non-injured hepatocytes are involved in the maintenance of hepatic homeostasis or therapeutic outcomes following injury while EVs produced by damaged hepatocytes may drive or exacerbate liver injury. In this study, we examined the contribution of EV fibronectin (FN1) to the biogenesis, release, uptake, and action of hepatocyte-derived EVs. While FN1 is classically viewed as a component of the extracellular matrix that regulates processes such as cell adhesion, differentiation, and wound healing and can exist in cell-associated or soluble plasma forms, we report that FN1 is also a constituent of hepatocyte EVs that functions in EV uptake by target cells such as hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells (HSC). FN1 co-purified with EVs when EVs were enriched from conditioned medium of human or mouse hepatocytes and a direct association between FN1 and hepatocyte EVs was established by immunoprecipitation and proteinase protection. FN1 ablation in mouse hepatocytes using CRISPR-Cas9 did not alter EV biogenesis but EV uptake by HSC was significantly reduced for FN1 knockout EVs (EVΔFN1 ) as compared to EVs from wild type hepatocytes (EVWT). The uptake by hepatocytes or HSC of either EVWT or EVΔFN1 required clathrin- and caveolin-mediated endocytosis, cholesterol, lysosomal acidic lipase activity, and low pH, while macropinocytosis was also involved in EVΔFN1 uptake in HSC. Despite their differences in rate and mechanisms of uptake, EVΔFN1 functioned comparably to EVWT in ameliorating CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice. In conclusion, FN1 is a constituent of hepatocyte EVs that facilitates EV uptake by target cells but is dispensable for EV-mediated anti-fibrotic activity in vivo.
Putting grocery food taxes on the table: Evidence for food security policy-makers

Abstract In the United States, grocery tax policy varies at both state and county levels, with 16 states having grocery taxes in 2020. Several states are engaged in active debates about whether to remove or impose such taxes. Although the extant literature evaluates multiple factors that may contribute to food insecurity, little is known about the relationship between grocery food sales taxes and food insecurity. We present county-level panel data on grocery taxes from 2006 through 2017 and find that jurisdictions with grocery taxes are among the most food insecure in the country. The regressiveness of grocery taxes exacerbates food insecurity, at least in theory. We link our tax data with county-level food insecurity measures and other data from the Current Population Survey. Treating grocery taxes as exogenous, we estimate that a one percentage point increase in grocery tax rates is associated with a 0.84% increase in the probability of being food insecure for low-income households. Using these estimates, we conduct policy simulations of grocery taxes that have been recently considered in six states and assess the potential impacts on food insecurity. One caveat is that our estimator may be biased towards or away from zero depending on whether increases in grocery taxes within counties over time are positively or negatively correlated with unobservables affecting food security. However, assuming the onset and removal of grocery taxes within a county are exogenous, our results show that proposed grocery taxes may exacerbate food insecurity by one to five percentage points.
What Does Firm Shaping of Markets Really Mean

This paper seeks to enhance our understanding of the shaping of a market by a firm or set of firms competing in that market. The analysis draws on evolutionary economics and incorporates insights f...
Online Incremental Non-Gaussian Inference for SLAM Using Normalizing Flows.

This paper presents a novel non-Gaussian inference algorithm, Normalizing Flow iSAM (NF-iSAM), for solving SLAM problems with non-Gaussian factors and/or nonlinear measurement models. NF-iSAM exploits the expressive power of neural networks to model normalizing flows that can accurately approximate the joint posterior of highly nonlinear and non-Gaussian factor graphs. By leveraging the Bayes tree, NF-iSAM is able to exploit the sparsity structure of SLAM, thus enabling efficient incremental updates similar to iSAM2, although in the more challenging non-Gaussian setting. We demonstrate the performance of NF-iSAM and compare it against state-of-the-art algorithms such as iSAM2 (Gaussian) and mm-iSAM (non-Gaussian) in synthetic and real range-only SLAM datasets with data association ambiguity.
Healthcare workers benefit from second dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine: Effects of partial and full vaccination on sick leave duration and symptoms (preprint)

Importance: In addition to morbidity and mortality of individuals, COVID-19 can affect staffing among organizations. It is important to determine whether vaccination can mitigate this burden. Objective: This study examined the association between COVID-19 vaccination status and time until return to work among 952 healthcare workers (HCW) who tested positive for COVID-19. Design: Data were collected prospectively between December 2020 and July 2021. HCW who tested positive for COVID-19 completed an initial interview and were followed until they returned to work. Setting: An academic campus in Southern California consisting of two large hospitals and multiple outpatient clinics and other facilities. Participants: Clinical and nonclinical HCW who tested positive for COVID-19 during the study period (N=952, mean age=39.2 years, 69% female, 45% Hispanic, 14% white, 14% Asian/Pacific Islander, 5% African American, and 21% other race/ethnicity). Exposure: COVID-19 vaccination status (unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or fully vaccinated) Main Outcome Measures: Days until return to work, presenting symptom Results: Return-to-work time for fully vaccinated HCWs (mean=10.9 days) was significantly shorter than that of partially vaccinated HCWs (15.5 days), which in turn was significantly shorter than that of unvaccinated HCWs (18.0 days). Fully vaccinated HCWs also showed milder symptom profiles compared to partially vaccinated and unvaccinated HCWs. Conclusions and Relevance: COVID-19 vaccination has the potential to prevent long absences from work and the adverse financial, staffing, and managerial consequences of these long absences.
Teaching Promotion and Integrated Marketing Communications

A study of faculty in both marketing and communications departments who teach a basic, first course in advertising was conducted to assess approaches being taken to this important subject. Both groups responded equally, affording an opportunity to compare opinions within the same university, at times. AACSB accredited marketing programs and AEJMC communications programs comprised the initial lists.
Monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibody to a potent thromboxane A2 receptor antagonist and its interaction with thromboxane A2 receptor

A monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibody that interacts with thromboxane A2 receptor was generated using an anti-idiotypic approach. Idiotypic antibodies against a potent receptor antagonist, HS-145, were generated in rabbit. The idiotypic antibodies were then selected by an affinity procedure using SQ29,548-Affi-Gel-102 matrix. The selected idiotypic antibodies were used as surrogate receptor for anti-idiotypic antibody generation. A mouse monoclonal antibody, 3D-9E-12, was generated. It was shown to displace 125I-HS-145 from affinity-purified idiotypic antibodies. It also inhibits 125I-IS-145 binding to thromboxane A2 receptor in human platelet membranes in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, it attenuated U46,619-induced increase in [35S]guanosine 5'-O-(thiotriphosphate) binding and GTPase activity in human platelet membranes. Finally, it inhibited U46,619- but not PAF-induced platelet aggregation. These results indicate that 3D-9E-12 acts as a specific antagonist in the thromboxane A2 receptor.
Mechanism of viral replication: I. Structure of replication complexes of R17 bacteriophage

The replication of R17 bacteriophage in Escherichia coli MRE-600 cells was investigated using a new electron microscopic technique. The structures of replicating ribonucleoprotein complexes, as well as of purified replicative intermediate and replicative form, were studied. These structures are identical to those predicted by the model of Weissmann et al. (1968). From this it may be concluded that replication proceeds through essentially single-stranded inter-mediates and that double-stranded structures are either by-products or artifacts.
Discovery of isotopes with Z≤10

Abstract A total of 126 isotopes with Z ≤ 10 have been identified to date. The discovery of these isotopes, which includes the observation of unbound nuclei, is discussed. For each isotope, a brief summary of the first refereed publication, including the production and identification method, is presented.
An Optimist's Take on the Decline of Small-Employer Health Insurance

In their Article, Saving Small-Employer Health Insurance, Amy Monahan and Dan Schwarcz contend that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) could be the death of small-group health insurance by incentivizing many small employers not to offer coverage. While their prediction that the ACA, after implemented, will destabilize the small-group insurance market may prove true, I argue why their prescription that it should be saved is flawed and why we may be better off without small group insurance.