cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extracellular proteins of Cryptococcus neoformans and host antibody response

Proteins secreted by the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans may be involved in invasion and could be useful in vaccine design. Despite the medical importance of this fungus, little is known about its extracellular proteins or the immune response to these antigens. To study C. neoformans extracellular proteins, 12 strains were metabolically radiolabeled and protein supernatants were analyzed. Both strain- and growth condition-dependent differences were observed. Enzymatic assays of filtered culture supernatants revealed butyrate esterase and caprylate esterase lipase activity for 11 of 12 strains, as well as acid phosphatase, naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase, and beta-glucosidase activities in some strains. Serum from infected rodents immunoprecipitated several secreted proteins, consistent with in vivo expression and development of an antibody response. For strain 24067, two immunodominant species, of approximately 75 and 30 kDa, were recognized. The relative intensity of the autoradiographic bands depended on the route of infection for both rats and mice. In summary, our results indicate that (i) there are multiple proteins in C. neoformans culture supernatants, (ii) there are strain differences in supernatant protein profiles, (iii) there are differences in supernatant protein profile depending on the growth conditions, (iv) there are several new extracellular and/or cell-associated enzymatic activities, and (v) antibodies to several supernatant proteins are made in the course of infection.
International Graduate Student Mobility in the US: What More Can We Be Doing?

This article examines the current growth statistics of international graduate student populations in the United States in order to present trends in international student mobility. Although many scholars suggest the United States is facing a decrease in future international student demand, recent studies seem to challenge this theory. This article identifies factors in international student decisions influencing these trends and concludes with considerations for how student affairs and services practitioners can better serve international students in light of these considerations, arguing that leaders should take a greater role and more proactive approach to serving this subpopulation to aid in their short transition.
A study of user-microprogrammable computers

The user microprogrammable computer as the fourth generation computer is investigated from the user's point of view. In the first part of the paper microprogramming and its concept as well as the problems and requirements incurring its use in various applications are discussed. The current status of the microprogrammed computer is also studied to indicate the differences of philosophy in microprogramming. A number of suggestions are made for the design of fourth generation user-microprogrammable computers.
Epidemiology of Necator Americanus Hookworm Infections in Xiulongkan Village, Hainan Province, China: High Prevalence and Intensity Among Middle-Aged and Elderly Residents

Hookworm is highly endemic to Hainan Province, an island located in the South China Sea. To investigate the prevalence and intensity of infection in the area, the village of Xiulongkan was surveyed between April and July 1998. A cross-sectional study was conducted in which fecal samples of 80% of the village residents (631 individuals) were tested for the presence of helminth eggs. Hookworm was the predominant intestinal helminth in Xiulongkan, where it was determined that 60% of those tested were infected. Necator americanus was the predominant species of hookworm in this population. The prevalence of hookworm increased with age, and then leveled to a plateau for ages 41 yr and up. This observation was in contrast to infections with Ascaris lumbricoides, where the highest prevalences occurred among school-aged children. Women had a significantly higher prevalence of hookworm than men and this difference emerged in early adulthood. The intensity of hookworm infection also significantly increased with age,...
Poxvirus Entry into Host Cells

Vaccinia virus, the prototype member of the poxvirus family, assembles two related infectious forms: the mature virion (MV) and the enveloped virion (EV). The MV consists of a core surrounded by a lipoprotein membrane. The EV is essentially an MV with an additional antigenically distinct outer membrane that must be disrupted prior to or during entry. Entry of the MV occurs by fusion of the lipoprotein membrane with the plasma membrane or following endocytosis. Approximately 25 proteins are associated with the MV membrane. Of these, four have roles in cell attachment and twelve in entry and membrane fusion. The entry fusion proteins are conserved in all poxviruses and form a stable complex in the MV membrane.
Current Workforce Characteristics and Burnout in Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Objectives Changes in health care delivery and graduate medical education have important consequences for the workforce in pediatric emergency medicine (PEM). This study compared career preparation and potential attrition of the PEM workforce with the prior assessment from 1998. Methods An e-mail survey was sent to members of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on EM and to non-AAP members board certified in PEM. Information on demographics, practice characteristics and professional activities, career preparation, future plans, and burnout (using two validated screening questions) was analyzed using standard descriptive statistics. Results Of 2,120 surveys mailed, 895 responses were received (40.8% response). Over half (53.7%) of respondents were female, compared with 44% in 1998. The majority (62.9%) practiced in the emergency department (ED) of a free-standing children's hospital. The distribution of professional activities was similar to that reported in 1998, with the majority of time (60%) spent in direct patient care. Half indicated involvement in research, and almost half had dedicated time for other activities, including emergency medical services (7.3%), disaster (6.9%), child abuse (5.0%), transport (3.6%), toxicology (2.3% of respondents), and other (13.6%); additionally, 21.3% had dedicated time for quality/safety. Respondents were highly satisfied (95.6%) with fellowship preparation for clinical care, but less satisfied with preparation for research (49.2%) and administration (38.7%). However, satisfaction with nonclinical training was higher for those within 10 years of medical school graduation. Forty-six percent plan to change clinical activity in the next 5 years, including reducing hours, changing shifts, or retiring. Overall, 11.9% of all respondents, including 20.1% of women and 2.6% of men (p < 0.001), report currently working part time. Large majorities endorsed feeling burned out at work (88.5%) or more callous toward people as a result of work (67.5%) at least monthly, with one in five reporting such feelings at least weekly. Conclusions While satisfaction with fellowship preparation for professional activities in PEM is improving, gaps remain in training in nonclinical skills. Symptoms of burnout are prevalent, and there is likely to be substantial attrition of PEM providers in the near future.
Reichenbach and the Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

The present work, which is a sequel to ‘Reichenbach and the Logic of Quantum Mechanics’ (this volume; henceforth referred to as Part I), endeavors to place Reichenbach’s proposed quantum logic RQL within the context of his overall interpretation of quantum mechanics (QM). Although it is argued in Part I that Reichenbach intended RQL to provide an alternative logico-linguistic framework for the formulation of the quantum theory, in the present work we interpret RQL as being entirely on a par with mainstream quantum logic (MQL). In particular, we regard RQL as pertaining, not to the theory formulation language TL(QM), but rather exclusively to the elementary (observation) language RL(QM), which is obtained from the elementary language OL(QM), associated with MQL, by adding a variety of three-valued truth-functional connectives. Also, like Part I, the present work is essentially comparative in nature, the purpose being to analyze Reichenbach’s interpretation of QM in the light of more recently proposed interpretations. We take the chief themes of Reichenbach’s interpretation to include the following: the distinction between phenomena and interphenomena; the distinction between exhaustive and restrictive interpretations of QM; the Principle of equivalent descriptions; the proposal of a non-bivalent semantics for the observation language of QM.
An Unusual Case of Noninvasive Adenocarcinoma Arising in a Localized Adenomyoma of the Gallbladder and Review of Literature

Adenomyoma or adenomyomatosis (ADM) of the gallbladder generally carries little or no risk of malignant transformation. Rare cases of such malignant transformation are described in the literature only in segmental type of ADM and not in localized adenomyoma. We report a case of a 58-year-old asymptomatic woman found to have an incidental 3.3 × 3.2 × 2.3 cm well-circumscribed exophytic mass on surveillance ultrasound, originating from the fundus of the gallbladder and abutting the liver capsule. The patient underwent an open cholecystectomy with resection of the mass and underlying segment of the liver. The mass was discrete and well-circumscribed with a peripheral pseudocapsule. Histologically, it showed features typical of a benign adenomyoma with variably sized distended microcysts within fibromuscular stroma. Within the lesion, however, multiple small foci amounting to approximately 5% of the total lesion showed high-grade dysplasia or adenocarcinoma in situ. Apart from cytological distinctiveness, these foci were also selectively highlighted by positive immunostaining for p53 and higher Ki-67 reactivity. Away from this lesion, the gallbladder showed cholelithiasis, mild cholecystitis, and no additional adenomyoma. There was no invasion into the gallbladder mucosa or adjacent liver. This case is highly unusual since transformation to carcinoma is not previously described in a localized or discrete adenomyoma. In the short available follow-up (4 months to date), there is no evidence of recurrence or metastasis. The long-term prognosis is expected to be favorable due to lack of invasion and complete excision, even if there is no documented literature regarding its course.
Religious Educators: Championing the Concept of Sustainable Living

In 1990, Pope John Paul II highlighted the responsibility of Christians towards nature and the Creator. In his January 2001 General Audience, he noted, “humanity had disappointed the divine creator” (para. 4) through a reckless use of resources. Pope Benedict XVI was equally forthright on this matter. Since his election, Pope Francis has been proactive in his statements regarding ecological responsibility. This chapter examines ways in which religious education teachers can take up the challenge so eloquently framed by these three discerning Catholic leaders. It does so by exploring the practices of religious education teachers in early childhood, primary and secondary education within Western Australian Catholic schools. Specifically, these teachers were surveyed as to ways they attempt to develop a sense of sustainable living as part of their overall religious education programme. The findings of the research are then interrogated in the light of current educational literature on sustainability. The chapter concludes by proffering a number of suggestions as to how teachers of religious education can support Pope Benedict XVI’s call to “appreciate and defend nature” (Caritas in veritate: encyclical letter of Pope Benedict XVI. Retrieved from http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf _ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html, Pope Benedict XVI, 2009, para. 26).
A Law on Paper Only: Electoral Rules, Parties, and the Persistent Underrepresentation of Women in Brazilian Legislatures

This article advances a party-centric analysis of gender quotas in Brazil. We examine how parties mediate electoral rules, finding that neither the implementation of the Lei de Cotas (Quota Law) in 1995 nor its 2009 mini-reform was sufficient to induce significant change in party strategies for the nomination and election of women. Moreover, we find that while the open-list proportional representation electoral system is an important part of the explanation for the quota's failure to enhance women's representation, an analysis of how those electoral rules interact with decentralized party politics and women's absence from subnational party leadership structures yields superior explanatory power for understanding quota (non)compliance. We marshal extensive evidence on interparty variation in candidacies to Brazil's Chamber of Deputies and state legislative assemblies and interviews with candidates, party leaders, bureaucrats, and activists throughout Brazil to show how electoral rules and party dynamics interact to undermine the gender quota, resulting in a limited increase in the number of female candidates and stagnation in the number of women elected. We conclude that reform efforts must target not only electoral rules but also the subnational party structures that mediate these rules if they are to enhance women's political representation.
Bacterial etiology and antimicrobial resistance patterns of community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized children in Shenzhen

Objective To investigate the bacterial etiology and antimicrobial resistance patterns of community-acquired pneumonia(CAP) in children.Methods Deep respiratory aspirate specimens from 1441 hospitalized children with CAP over a 1-year period were cultured,and the isolated bacterial strains were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility.Results 761 strains were isolated from 722 patients(50.1%) of which,170(22.3%) were Klebsiella pneumoniae,130(17.1%) were Escherichia coli,89(11.7%) were Streptococcus pneumoniae,63(8.3%) were Staphylococcus aureus,60(7.9%) were Hemophilus influenzae and Hemophilus parainfluenzae.The detection rates of methicillin-resistant S.aureus(MRSA) and penicillin-nonsusceptible S.pneumoniae(PISP+PRSP) were 15.9% and 84.3%,respectively.The prevalence of ESBLs-producing strains in Klebsiella pneumoniae,Escherichia coli,Serratia spp and Enterobacter cloacae were 31.2%,46.2%,94.8% and 16.8% respectively.The resistance rates of Hemophilus influenzae and Hemophilus parainfluenzae to ampicilin were 40% and 36% respectively.The resistance rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii to imipenem were 10.7% and 13.2% respectively.Conclusions In isolated strains from Shenzhen children hospitalized with CAP,gram-negative bacilli were more common than gram-positive cocci.The isolated bacteria have high levels of resistance to commonly prescribed antibiotics.
Rapid assessment on supplementary immunization coverage rate for measles vaccination among children in Yuxi City in 2010

[Objective]To assess the effect of supplementary immunization for live attenuated measles virus vaccine(MV) in Yuxi City in 2010,summarize experience,and provide the basis for developing the immunization strategies and of measles elimination.[Methods]The urban area and two districts were sampled from every county,and rapid assessment for field immunization coverage rate was conducted among 30 children in each object area.[Results]The supplementary immunization coverage rate for measles vaccination in Yuxi city was 99.66%.The supplementary immunization coverage rates for measles vaccination of different age groups reach 99.36%,and those of children with different inhabitation types were above 97.78%.The local and migrant children who had no immunization history were concentrated in 8 months old to 2 years old.[Conclusion]The measles supplementary immunization in Yuxi City in 2010 has achieved the expected target.In order to realize the target of measles elimination,it is important to strengthen the management in floating children,and duly find and eliminate the immunization blank population.
Estrogen-induced porphyria cutanea tarda complicating treatment of prostatic carcinoma.

AbstractA case of porphyria cutanea tarda secondary to stilbestrol in a man with carcinoma of the prostate is reported.
Timing of Preoperative Troponin Elevations and Postoperative Mortality After Noncardiac Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Even small elevations in preoperative troponin levels have been shown to be associated with adverse outcomes. However, there are currently limited data on the relationship between troponin increase and timing of surgery. METHODS: We performed a single-institution, retrospective cohort study of 6030 individuals with a troponin measurement made during the 30 days preceding a noncardiac surgical procedure. Subjects with detectable troponin levels were separated into terciles based on both the magnitude of the value and the time elapsed between this value and the surgery. For those undergoing nonemergent procedures, these 9 cohorts were compared with the group of individuals with undetectable preoperative troponin levels using bivariable and multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Thirty-day mortality was 4.7% in the group with undetectable troponin levels and increased with higher concentrations, with rates of 8.9%, 12.7%, and 12.7% in the low, medium, and high tercile groups, respectively. Unadjusted risk of 30-day mortality was highest in those with the highest troponin levels and shortest duration between the measurement and surgery (odds ratio, 4.497; 95% confidence interval, 2.058–9.825). After adjusting for subject characteristics, troponin remained associated with 30-day mortality in several groups, including individuals with troponin levels in the normal range. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of preoperative cardiac troponin I were associated with higher postoperative mortality, and longer time to surgery appeared to reduce this risk for individuals with mild preoperative troponin elevations. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether delaying surgery in patients with elevated preoperative troponin levels improves postoperative outcomes.
Parent Involvement Practices of Farmworking Immigrant Mothers in a Rural Community

This qualitative study documents the experiences of farmworking parents with their local school system. More specifically, this investigation examines the parent involvement practices of farmworking immigrant mothers. The data for this study was collected though parent workshops discussions. Utilizing critical counter storytelling and Community Cultural Wealth (Yosso, 2005) to framework this study seeks to bring the voices of farmworking parents to the forefront of the discussions about parent involvement. Findings from this study revealed that parents become involved in their children’s education by engaging in three main practices: 1) homework help; 2) consejos, and 3) parental coaching. This study contributes to the existing literature that challenges the deficit arguments that low-income Latino parents are not involved in their children’s education (Chavez-Reyes, 2010; Delgado-Gaitan, 1992; Faltis, 2006; LeFevre & Shaw, 2011; Lopez, 2001). Findings from this study have implications for practitioners and policy makers interested in developing culturally-relevant community-campus partnerships that aim to bridge the home and school.
Seismic protection of structures with supplemental rotational inertia

AbstractThis paper investigates the alternative strategy of suppressing ground-induced vibrations with supplemental rotational inertia. The proposed concept employs a rack-pinion-flywheel system where its resisting force is proportional to the relative acceleration between the vibrating mass and the support of the flywheels. This arrangement, known in the mechanical networks literature as the inerter, complements the traditional supplemental damping and stiffness strategies used for the seismic protection of structures. The paper shows that the seismic protection of structures with supplemental rotational inertia has some unique advantages, particularly in suppressing the spectral displacements of long period structures—a function that is not efficiently achieved with large values of supplemental damping. The paper shows that this happens at the expense of transferring appreciable forces at the support of the flywheels and proceeds by examining to what extent the finite stiffness and damping of the suppor...
Evaluation of Chlorhexidine as a Premilking Teat Disinfectant for the Prevention of Intramammary Infections During Lactation.

A study was conducted for 15 months to evaluate efficacy of a 0.35% chlorhexidine teat dip as a premilking teat disinfectant based on reduction of naturally occurring new intramammary infections. Predipping was compared with a negative control using a split-udder experimental design. All teats were dipped after milking with the same 0.35% chlorhexidine teat dip. Most new major pathogen intramammary infections were caused by Streptococcus species, primarily Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus equinus and gram-negative bacteria, primarily Escherichia coli . Percentage of quarters newly infected by major mastitis pathogens was 30.6% lower in mammary glands with teats predipped and postdipped in chlorhexidine than in mammary glands with teats postdipped only, and differences between treatment groups approached significance. New infections by coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species were significantly lower in mammary glands with teats predipped and postdipped than in mammary glands with teats postdipped only. When all mastitis pathogens were combined, percentage of quarters newly infected by major and minor mastitis pathogens was significantly lower in the predipped and postdipped group than in the postdipped only group. No statistical differences in incidence of clinical mastitis between treatment groups were observed. No chapping or irritation of teats was observed and no adverse effects were detected using chlorhexidine as a premilking and postmilking teat disinfectant. Results of this study suggest that premilking teat disinfection with chlorhexidine in association with good udder preparation and postmilking teat disinfection can further reduce the occurrence of new intramammary infections during lactation.
Corporate rhetoric participates in public dialogue: A solution to the public/private conundrum

Contrary to critics’ charges, corporate rhetoric is not a private intruder into public dialogue; it is simply a new participant. This essay seeks to expose inconsistencies in scholarly treatment of corporate discourse and call attention to blurred boundaries regarding “public” and “private” discourse. Various types of contemporary organizations defy such easy labels, leading only to confusion and unreasonable demonization of so‐called “private” discourse. Rather than simply bifurcating all organizational discourse into “public” and “private,” critics need to use precision in describing organizational discourse and explaining why it is or is not a constructive contributor to what is rightly considered public dialogue.
Phishing and money mules

Data breaches, phishing and spyware have compromised millions of end-user records and credentials. Mules are the preferred means for draining compromised accounts. These are unwitting accomplices who provide a stepping stone between the victim account and the attacker. The key role they play is to turn reversible traceable transactions into irreversible untraceable ones. This, together with the fraud protections enjoyed by US banking customers, generates some surprising findings. First, it is the mule's money not the victim's or the bank's money that the attacker steals. Second, mule recruitment and not credential theft appears the true bottleneck in online fraud. Third, this suggests an explanation of why stolen credentials sell so cheaply: there is a shortage of mules.
The role of sex-differential biology in risk for autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition that affects approximately four times as many males as females, a strong sex bias that has not yet been fully explained. Understanding the causes of this biased prevalence may highlight novel avenues for treatment development that could benefit patients with diverse genetic backgrounds, and the expertise of sex differences researchers will be invaluable in this endeavor. In this review, I aim to assess current evidence pertaining to the sex difference in ASD prevalence and to identify outstanding questions and remaining gaps in our understanding of how males come to be more frequently affected and/or diagnosed with ASD. Though males consistently outnumber females in ASD prevalence studies, prevalence estimates generated using different approaches report male/female ratios of variable magnitude that suggest that ascertainment or diagnostic biases may contribute to the male skew in ASD. Here, I present the different methods applied and implications of their findings. Additionally, even as prevalence estimations challenge the degree of male bias in ASD, support is growing for the long-proposed female protective effect model of ASD risk, and I review the relevant results from recurrence rate, quantitative trait, and genetic analyses. Lastly, I describe work investigating several sex-differential biological factors and pathways that may be responsible for females’ protection and/or males’ increased risk predicted by the female protective effect model, including sex steroid hormone exposure and regulation and sex-differential activity of certain neural cell types. However, much future work from both the ASD and sex differences research communities will be required to flesh out our understanding of how these factors act to influence the developing brain and modulate ASD risk.
Adherence (adh) to and beliefs about oral anticancer medications (OAMs) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) patients (pts): A single-center pilot study in the United States.

e17511 Background: Suboptimal adh to drugs is a problem in chronic diseases. In mRCC, OAMs are the mainstay of treatment (tx). Adh and its determinants in exclusively mRCC pts has not been studied ...
Zika, sexual transmission and prudent public health policy.

• There is significant debate about whether the Zika virus can be considered a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
A Comparison of Objective Assessment Data for the United States and International Medical Graduates in a General Surgery Residency.

Objective To compare objective assessment scores between international medical graduates (IMGs) and United States Medical Graduates. Scores of residents who completed a preliminary year, who later matched into a categorical position, were compared to those who matched directly into a categorical position at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester. Design Postgraduate year (PGY) 1 to 5 residents participate in a biannual multistation, OSCE-style assessment event as part of our surgical training program. Assessment data were, retrospectively, reviewed and analyzed from 2008 to 2016 for PGY-1 and from 2013 to 2016 for PGY 2 to 5 categorical residents. Setting Academic medical center. Participants Categorical PGY 1 to 5 General Surgery (GS) residents at Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN. Results A total of 86 GS residents were identified. Twenty-one residents (1 United States Medical Graduates [USMG] and 20 IMGs) completed a preliminary GS year, before matching into a categorical position and 68 (58 USMGs and 10 IMGs) residents, who matched directly into a categorical position, were compared. Mean scores (%) for the summer and winter multistation assessments were higher for PGY-1 trainees with a preliminary year than those without (summer: 59 vs. 37, p Conclusions Residents with a previous preliminary GS year at our institution scored higher on initial assessments compared to trainees with no prior GS training at our institution. The scoring advantage of an added preliminary year decreased as trainees progressed through residency.
Supporting Team Submissions and Peer Grading within Submitty: (Abstract Only)

Submitty is an open source programming assignment submission system from the Rensselaer Center for Open Source Software (RCOS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) accessed via an online interface. Submitty allows students to submit their code through file upload or version control, such as an internal Git/SVN server or Github, where it is then tested with a highly configurable and customizable automated grader. For each assignment, instructors can specify whether or not students can work in teams. For team assignments, the instructor can either assign teammates or allow the students to choose. In addition to the auto-grading for submissions, Submitty supports human grading. The human graded rubric is developed by the graders as they work, allowing reuse of common feedback messages and partial credit points. The rubric can be searched and modified during and after grading is complete for consistency. By default, grading is handled by instructors and TAs who are assigned to sections of students, which can be rotated through the semester. However, an instructor can choose to incorporate peer grading, which will allow students to anonymously view and submit grades for each other, receiving multiple peer grades per assignment. Submitty has been used at RPI for several years for a variety of courses, serving over 1500 students and 50 instructors and TAs each semester, and has recently been used by several other universities. We will present "case studies" of assignment configurations for autograding and manual grading and demonstrate the grading interface in support of team submissions and peer grading.
In the Wake of Artaud: Cinema of Cruelty in Audition and Oldboy

Brown tackles thorny debates in horror studies concerning the terms “torture porn” and “Asia Extreme.” In response to the shortcomings of the two terms, Brown develops the Artaudian concept of “cinema of cruelty” in relation to two exemplary revenge horror films—the Japanese horror Audition (Ōdishon; dir. Miike Takashi, 1999) and the Korean horror Oldboy (Oldeuboi; dir. Park Chan-wook, 2003)—each of which offers engagements with graphic violence but situates that violence in a way that eludes the conceptual restrictions of “torture porn” and “Asia Extreme.”
Framing the Game: An Architectonic Analogue for Meta-Theorizing Academic Activities

A radical reformulation is proposed for explaining paradigm fragmentation. The broader topography of academic activities is conceptualized according to an academic game-theoretic analogue (GTA). According to this analogue, scholarly and academic activities reflect a competitive field of play and of plays. Criteria such as attention, compensation, awards, publications, tenure, and mobility become the scarce valued resources distributed in the game based on the plays that players enact. In an effort to reveal the heuristic potential of the theoretical analogy, these threads are traced across a broad array of humanistic and scientific theories and scholarship, including connections among Wittgenstein, Popper, Kuhn, Feyerabend, Goffman, Foucault, Bourdieu and Lyotard.
Identifying natural and anthropogenic drivers of prehistoric fire regimes through simulated charcoal records

Abstract Archaeological and paleoecological studies demonstrate that human-caused fires have long-term influences on terrestrial and atmospheric systems, including the transformation of “wild” landscapes into managed, agricultural landscapes. Sedimentary charcoal accumulations alone provide only limited information about the influence of human-caused fires on long-term fire regimes. Computational modeling offers a new approach to anthropogenic fire that links social and biophysical processes in a “virtual laboratory” where long-term scenarios can be simulated and compared with empirical charcoal data. This paper presents CharRec, a computational model of landscape fire, charcoal dispersion, and deposition that simulates charcoal records formed by multiple natural and anthropogenic fire regimes. CharRec is applied to a case study in the Canal de Navarres region in eastern Spain to reveal the role of human-driven fire regimes during the early and middle Holocene. A statistical comparison of simulated charcoal records and empirical charcoal data from the Canal de Navarres indicates that anthropogenic burning, following the Neolithic transition to agro-pastoral subsistence, was a primary driver of fire activity during the middle Holocene.
Terra incognita: the unknown risks to environmental quality posed by the spatial distribution and abundance of concentrated animal feeding operations

Abstract Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) pose wide ranging environmental risks to many parts of the US and across the globe, but datasets for CAFO risk assessments are not readily available. Within the United States, some of the greatest concentrations of CAFOs occur in North Carolina. It is also one of the only states with publicly accessible location data for classes of CAFOs that are required to obtain water quality permits from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); however, there are no public data sources for the large number of CAFOs that do not require EPA water quality permits. We combined public records of CAFO locations with data collected in North Carolina by the Waterkeeper and Riverkeeper Alliances to examine the distribution of both permitted and non-permitted CAFOs across the state. Over half (55%) of the state's 6646 CAFOs are located in the Coastal Plain, a low-lying region vulnerable to flooding associated with regular cyclonic and convective storms. We identified 19% of CAFOs ≤ 100 m of the nearest stream, and some as close as 15 m to the nearest stream, a common riparian buffer width for water quality management. Future climate scenarios suggest large storm events are expected to become increasingly extreme, and dry interstorm periods could lengthen. Such extremes could exacerbate the environmental impacts of CAFOs. Understanding the potential impacts of CAFO agroecosystems will require remote sensing to identify CAFOs, fieldwork to determine the extent of environmental footprints, and modeling to identify thresholds that determine environmental risk under changing conditions.
ENOX2 (tNOX) and Cancer

ENOX2 or tNOX (for tumor-associated NOX) proteins are ENOX proteins specific to cancer. Demonstrated to be present in several human tumor tissues, serum analyses of shed ENOX2 proteins suggest a much broader, perhaps universal association with human cancer. ENOX2 proteins are cell surface-located but differ from ENOX1 proteins in their response to inhibitors, activators and drugs, amino acid sequence, functional motifs, period length of oscillatory activities (22 min), and entrainment properties. Unique to ENOX2 proteins is their sensitivity to inhibition by quinone site inhibitors with anticancer activity such as capsaicin, doxorubicin, antitumor sulfonylureas, the catechin (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate and the anticancer isoflavene, phenoxodiol. The shed forms exhibit the same degree of drug responsiveness as the cell membrane-associated forms. They do not normally respond to growth factors and are constitutively activated. As such, the presence of ENOX2 proteins correlated with the unregulated growth that characterizes the cancer phenotype. ENOX proteins are not the result of oncogenic mutations and may be of onco-fetal origins but lost in adults. The basis for cancer specificity of ENOX2 expression at the cells surface is traced to alternative splicing with the generation of an exon 4 minus form present in cancer cell lines and absent in non-cancer cell lines. The exon 4 minus form results in initiation of translation at a downstream M231 initiation site and is permissive for delivery of mature and fully processed ENOX2 protein to the cancer cell surface. Exonic Splicing Factor hnRNP F has been shown to direct formation of the exon 4 minus splice variant. The first ENOX protein to be cloned and expressed, the ENOX2 gene consists of a least nine exons. ENOX2 proteins exhibit disulfidethiol interchange activity despite the absence of flavin and only one –C–X–X–X–X–C– motif characteristic of classical protein disulfide isomerases. The drug binding site contains a conserved five amino acid (EMTEE) motif absent from ENOX1. Protease resistance and multimerization to form amyloid are characteristics shared with prions. The phenotypic characteristic of formation of colonies on soft agar associated with cancer is lost for HeLa cells transfected with exon 5 antisense two-dimensional gel electrophoresis/western blot analysis reveal more than ten ENOX2 transcript variants, each with specific molecular weights and isoelectric points and each characteristic of a specific organ site with potential for very early diagnosis of cancer that affords opportunities for early intervention.
Book Review: 'The Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse'

This essay reviews Richard Thompson Ford's 'The Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse,' Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 2008, 388 pages, $26. The review originally appeared as 'The Fine Print: Law Prof Adds his Voice to Ongoing Conversation on Race,' Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (June 2, 2008) at 12. Stanford Law School Professor Richard Thompson Ford's 'The Race Card' seeks nothing less than to demarcate the line between legitimate charges of racism and those that are ill-defined or false. An impossibly ambitious task , to be sure, but Ford's wide-ranging, often maddening effort makes timely and important contributions to continuing debates on race in the United States. Of course, no serious accusation - whether if be racism, intolerance, murder, rape, child abuse, sexual harassment, theft or corruption - should be made without corroboration, context, and serious investigation. Unlike Ford, I believe that we spend too much time worrying that false claims will undermine good race relations. Dismissing the broader realities of racism because of a few bad claims would signal that 'good' race relations are not built on a solid foundation. If racial minorities and non-minorities from diverse perspectives are engaging in respectful and robust dialogue on a regular basis, then false charges would not so easily undermine just claims. It is silence, indifference, and unexamined fear that will lead to the worst possible outcome - not which card is dealt.
Conformational investigation of the structure-activity relationship of GdFFD and its analogues on an achatin-like neuropeptide receptor of Aplysia californica involved in the feeding circuit.

Proteins and peptides in nature are almost exclusively made from L-amino acids, and this is even more absolute in the metazoan. With the advent of modern bioanalytical techniques, however, previously unappreciated roles for D-amino acids in biological processes have been revealed. Over 30 D-amino acid containing peptides (DAACPs) have been discovered in animals where at least one L-residue has been isomerized to the D-form via an enzyme-catalyzed process. In Aplysia californica, GdFFD and GdYFD (the lower-case letter “d” indicates a D-amino acid residue) modulate the feeding behavior by activating the Aplysia achatin-like neuropeptide receptor (apALNR). However, little is known about how the three-dimensional conformation of DAACPs influences activity at the receptor, and the role that D-residues play in these peptide conformations. Here, we use a combination of computational modeling, drift-tube ion-mobility mass spectrometry, and receptor activation assays to create a simple model that predicts bioactivities for a series of GdFFD analogs. Our results suggest that the active conformations of GdFFD and GdYFD are similar to their lowest energy conformations in solution. Our model helps connect the predicted structures of GdFFD analogs to their activities, and highlights a steric effect on peptide activity at position 1 on the GdFFD receptor apALNR. Overall, these methods allow us to understand ligand–receptor interactions in the absence of high-resolution structural data.
FASTCAR: Rapid alignment-free prediction of sequence alignment identity scores

Pairwise alignment has been the predominant algorithm in the field of bioinformatics since its beginning. Several applications have been made in order to speed up this algorithm using heuristics, but almost all of these methods still depend on the slow quadratic alignment algorithm. Many applications utilize sequence identity scores without the corresponding alignments, e.g. scanning a database for similar sequences to a query sequence or sequence clustering. For these applications, we propose FASTCAR, which is the first machine-learning application that predicts alignment identity scores using completely alignment-free methods. Training data are produced from the input database by a generative method, mutating sequences to generate known alignment identity scores, thereby bypassing alignment algorithms. We evaluated FASTCAR, USEARCH, and BLAST by using them to scan three large-scale databases consisting of millions of sequences. FASTCAR is faster, up to 100 times, than USEARCH and BLAST. FASTCAR has reasonable sensitivity and accuracy while achieving the highest specificity, precision, and F-measure. Identity scores produced by FASTCAR are closer to the scores of the pure alignment algorithm than those produced by USEARCH and BLAST. This is the first time when the identity scores can be obtained in linear time and linear space.
Solar Energy Harvesting

In this chapter, we describe in a very abbreviated form the most important ways to harvest photonic energy using semiconductor physics. To understand this chapter, it is essential to first study the chapter which explains the workings of a p-n junction, namely, Chap. 9. Here, we explain how the basic mechanism works and the crucial role played by photonic absorption, the bandgap, and the high-field region inside the p-n junction. The charge collection model is presented in general and in a number of simple limits, giving formulae which are easy to handle. High-efficiency solar cells are shown to be associated with cells which are designed to optimally harvest a large portion of the sun’s spectrum. The subject is still a hot research topic, and given the huge problem associated with pollution and global warming, the rewards for making cheaper and more efficiency solar cells are very high and in some countries already a matter of life or death. The interested student is encouraged to continue and study more specialized texts on the subject.
Distinguishing Subtypes of Mutual Violence in the Context of Self-defense: Classifying Types of Partner Violent Couples Using a Modified Conflict Tactics Scale

The Revised Conflict Tactics Scale 2 (CTS2; Straus et al. Journal of Family Issues, 17(3), 283–316, 1996) is the most widely used measure for assessing the frequency of intimate partner violence (IPV). However, it has been criticized for not capturing the context in which IPV takes place. This study examined follow-up items to each CTS2 physical assault item asking to clarify how often the act was perpetrated in self-defense. A community sample of couples (N = 180) recruited for men’s recent violence toward women completed the project-modified Conflict Tactics Scale with Self-Defense (CTS2SD). The majority (69.5%) reported that the physical aggression in the past year was bilateral. On the follow-up items, 27% of men’s violent acts and over 22% of women’s violent acts were reportedly committed in self-defense. Men’s and women’s CTS2 physical assault perpetration scores, along with the percentage that were committed in self-defense, were entered into two-step cluster analyses. Cluster analyses revealed three subgroups of bilateral violence: Male Self-defense, Female Self-defense, and Mutual Violence. The Mutual Violent cluster reported the most frequent physical assault, injury, men’s controlling behavior and men’s arrest for domestic violence. Findings suggest that Straus’ (Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 30(5), 538–556, 2012) tripartite conceptualization of Man-only, Woman-only, and Both-violent couples is overly simplistic and fails to capture different types of bilateral aggression.
Multifunctional nanoparticles for intracellular drug delivery and photoacoustic imaging of mesenchymal stem cells

Strategies that control the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and enable image-guided cell implantation and longitudinal monitoring could advance MSC-based therapies for bone defects and injuries. Here we demonstrate a multifunctional nanoparticle system that delivers resveratrol (RESV) intracellularly to improve osteogenesis and enables photoacoustic imaging of MSCs. RESV-loaded nanoparticles (RESV-NPs), formulated from poly (lactic-co-glycolic) acid and iron oxide, enhanced the stability of RESV by 18-fold and served as photoacoustic tomography (PAT) contrast for MSCs. Pre-loading MSCs with RESV-NP upregulated RUNX2 expression with a resultant increase in mineralization by 27% and 45% compared to supplementation with RESV-NP and free RESV, respectively, in 2-dimensional cultures. When grown in polyethylene glycol-based hydrogels, MSCs pre-loaded with RESV-NPs increased the overall level and homogeneity of mineralization compared to those supplemented with free RESV or RESV-NP. The PAT detected RESV-NP-loaded MSCs with a resolution of 1500 cells/μL, which ensured imaging of MSCs upon encapsulation in a PEG-based hydrogel and implantation within the rodent cranium. Significantly, RESV-NP-loaded MSCs in hydrogels did not show PAT signal dilution over time or a reduction in signal upon osteogenic differentiation. This multifunctional NP platform has the potential to advance translation of stem cell-based therapies, by improving stem cell function and consistency via intracellular drug delivery, and enabling the use of a promising emerging technology to monitor cells in a clinically relevant manner.
Pilot study of DNA methylation, molecular aging markers and measures of health and well-being in aging

Relations of DNA methylation markers to other biological aging markers and to psychosocial, behavioral, and health measures remain unclear. The sample included 23 participants (n = 11 cases with psychiatric diagnoses and n = 12 controls without current or lifetime psychiatric disorder), balanced by age and sex. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples; the following were performed: genome-wide DNA methylation assay using Illumina 850k methylationEPIC; PCR assays for relative telomere length (RTL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtCN). Exposures were: case status; depression and anxiety symptoms; psychosocial support; subjective and objective cognition. Outcomes were: DNA methylation age (DNAm age); RTL; mtCN; extrinsic and intrinsic epigenetic age acceleration (EEAA and IEAA). Stronger correlation with chronological age was observed for DNAm age (ρ = 0.86; p < 0.0001) compared to RTL (ρ = −0.53; p < 0.01); mtCN was not correlated with age. DNAm age was more strongly correlated with behavioral and health variables than RTL or mtCN; e.g., correlations with DNAm age: body mass index (ρ = 0.36; p = 0.10); smoking pack-years (ρ = 0.37; p = 0.08); physical activity (ρ = −0.56; p = 0.01); alcohol intake (ρ = 0.56; p = 0.01). DNAm age was inversely correlated with psychosocial support (ρ = −0.42; p = 0.048) and Modified Mini-Mental State score (ρ = −0.44; p = 0.01). Anxiety, psychosocial support, and objective cognition were significantly related to accelerated aging; depression and subjective cognition were not. In conclusion, DNAm age correlated more strongly with chronological age and key psychosocial, behavioral, and health variables than RTL or mtCN. Signals for associations with epigenetic aging were observed for psychosocial and neurobehavioral variables.
Descriptive Analysis of the System for Observing Dance Activities in the Classroom Environment (SODANCE)

Dance as physical activity (PA) is underinvestigated, with little information about artistic technical dance in public schools. This study aimed to use the System for Observing Dance Activities in ...