cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PLASMIDS OF CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM TYPE A, B, E, F, AND OTHER CLOSTRIDIAL SPECIES

Plasmids from 46 strains of Clostridium botulinum types A, B, E, and F were isolated using a modification of the Minton and Morris procedure (1981). When these strains were examined, 54% contained one or more plasmids ranging in molecular weight from ∼ 69 to 3.4 megadaltons (MDa). Attempted curing of plasmids for two C. botulinum type A strains, 73A and Hall, using acridine orange and elevated growth temperatures (42 to 45°C) produced no changes in plasmid profiles or toxicity as determined by agarose gel electrophoresis and immunodiffusion tests, respectively. However, exposure of type E C. botulinum strain BL764 to 1000 Krad gamma irradiation resulted in loss of one plasmid (8.4 MDa) but toxicity was retained.
Civilizing vs destructive globalization? A multi-level analysis of anti-immigrant prejudice:

This study investigates the impact of the latest wave of globalization on anti-immigrant prejudice. We discern and test two contradictory accounts of the impact of globalization on anti-immigrant p...
How different DNA-binding proteins affect long-range oxidative damage to DNA.

Here the effect on DNA-mediated charge transport of binding by a variety of proteins is examined. DNA assemblies were constructed that contain a tethered rhodium intercalator, as photooxidant, as well as two 5‘-GG-3‘ sites flanking the DNA-binding site for the different proteins. By monitoring the ratio of oxidative damage promoted at the guanine doublet situated distal to the protein-binding site versus that at the proximal site as a function of protein binding, the effects of binding the proteins on DNA-mediated charge transport were determined. Proteins examined included both the wild-type and mutant methyltransferase, M.HhaI, which are base-flipping enzymes, the restriction endonuclease R.PvuII, a TATA-binding protein, which kinks the DNA, and the transcription factor Antennapedia homeodomain protein, which binds DNA through a helix−turn−helix motif. In general, it was observed that yields of long-range oxidative damage correlate with protein-dependent alterations in DNA base stacking. Interactions that disturb the DNA π-stack inhibit DNA charge transport. Alternatively, interactions that promote no helix distortion but, as a result of tight packing, may rigidify the π-stack, serve instead to enhance the ability of the DNA base pairs to serve as a conduit for charge transport. Thus, protein binding to DNA modulates long-range charge transport both negatively and positively, depending upon the specific protein/DNA interactions in play. Long-range DNA charge transport and this modulation by protein binding may be important to consider physiologically.
Parallel CABAC for low power video coding

With the growing presence of high definition video content on battery-operated handheld devices such as camera phones, digital still cameras, digital camcorders, and personal media players, it is becoming ever more important that video compression be power efficient. A popular form of entropy coding called context-based adaptive binary arithmetic coding (CABAC) provides high coding efficiency but has limited throughput. This can lead to high operating frequencies resulting in high power dissipation. This paper presents a novel parallel CABAC scheme which enables a throughput increase of N-fold (depending on the degree parallelism), reducing the frequency requirement and expected power consumption of the coding engine. Experiments show that this new scheme (with N=2) can deliver ~2x throughput improvement at a cost of 0.76% average increase in bit-rate or equivalently a decrease in average PSNR of 0.025 dB on five 720 p resolution video clips when compared with H.264/AVC.
Maximal metabolic rates during voluntary exercise, forced exercise, and cold exposure in house mice selectively bred for high wheel-running

Selective breeding for high wheel-running activity has generated four lines of laboratory house mice (S lines) that run about 170% more than their control counterparts (C lines) on a daily basis, mostly because they run faster. We tested whether maximum aerobic metabolic rates (V(O2max)) have evolved in concert with wheel-running, using 48 females from generation 35. Voluntary activity and metabolic rates were measured on days 5+6 of wheel access (mimicking conditions during selection), using wheels enclosed in metabolic chambers. Following this, V(O2max) was measured twice on a motorized treadmill and twice during cold-exposure in a heliox atmosphere (HeO2). Almost all measurements, except heliox V(O2max), were significantly repeatable. After accounting for differences in body mass (S < C) and variation in age at testing, S and C did not differ in V(O2max) during forced exercise or in heliox, nor in maximal running speeds on the treadmill. However, running speeds and V(O2max) during voluntary exercise were significantly higher in S lines. Nevertheless, S mice never voluntarily achieved the V(O2max) elicited during their forced treadmill trials, suggesting that aerobic capacity per se is not limiting the evolution of even higher wheel-running speeds in these lines. Our results support the hypothesis that S mice have genetically higher motivation for wheel-running and they demonstrate that behavior can sometimes evolve independently of performance capacities. We also discuss the possible importance of domestication as a confounding factor to extrapolate results from this animal model to natural populations.
Mutations at serine 37 in mouse guanylate kinase confer resistance to 6-thioguanine

Guanylate kinase (GMK) is an essential nucleoside monophosphate kinase that catalyzes the phosphorylation of guanine-monophosphate (GMP) and dGMP to yield GDP and dGDP, respectively, important precursors for nucleotide synthesis. GMK is also responsible for the activation of 6-thioguanine (6-TG), a drug widely used as chemotherapeutic agent to treat leukemia. Several mechanisms of resistance to 6-TG have been reported but a subset of drug resistant cells cannot be explained by these mechanisms. We propose that mutations in GMK could result in drug resistance. Because cells require the presence of a functional GMK for viability, mutations that arise that lead to 6-TG resistance must retain activity toward GMP. We report three amino acid substitutions at serine 37 (S37) in mouse GMK that display activity toward GMP by conferring genetic complementation to a conditional GMK-deficient Escherichia coli and in enzyme assays. When 6-TG is included in complementation studies, cells expressing wild-type GMK are sensitive whereas all S37 mutants examined are able to effectively discriminate against 6-TG and display a drug resistance phenotype. Activity of the three S37 mutant enzymes toward clinically relevant concentrations of 6-TGMP is undetectable. Mutations in GMK, therefore, represent a previously undescribed mechanism for 6-TG resistance.
The compressive multiplexer for multi-channel compressive sensing

The recently developed compressive sensing (CS) framework enables the design of sub-Nyquist analog-to-digital converters. Several architectures have been proposed for the acquisition of sparse signals in large swaths of bandwidth. In this paper we consider a more flexible multi-channel signal model consisting of several discontiguous channels where the occupancy of the combined bandwidth of the channels is sparse. We introduce a new compressive acquisition architecture, the compressive multiplexer (CMUX), to sample such signals. We demonstrate that our architecture is CS-feasible and suggest a simple implementation with numerous practical advantages.
A Review of: “Statistical Meta-Analysis With Applications, by J. Hartung, G. Knapp, and B. K. Sinha,”

Reflecting research strengths of its authors, Statistical Meta-Analysis With Applications provides a thorough compilation of classical meta-analysis methods grounded in traditional analysis of vari...
A Comprehensive Expressed Sequence Tag Linkage Map for Tiger Salamander and Mexican Axolotl: Enabling Gene Mapping and Comparative Genomics in Ambystoma

Expressed sequence tag (EST) markers were developed for Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum (Eastern tiger salamander) and for A. mexicanum (Mexican axolotl) to generate the first comprehensive linkage map for these model amphibians. We identified 14 large linkage groups (125.5–836.7 cM) that presumably correspond to the 14 haploid chromosomes in the Ambystoma genome. The extent of genome coverage for these linkage groups is apparently high because the total map size (5251 cM) falls within the range of theoretical estimates and is consistent with independent empirical estimates. Unlike most vertebrate species, linkage map size in Ambystoma is not strongly correlated with chromosome arm number. Presumably, the large physical genome size (∼30 Gbp) is a major determinant of map size in Ambystoma. To demonstrate the utility of this resource, we mapped the position of two historically significant A. mexicanum mutants, white and melanoid, and also met, a quantitative trait locus (QTL) that contributes to variation in metamorphic timing. This new collection of EST-based PCR markers will better enable the Ambystoma system by facilitating development of new molecular probes, and the linkage map will allow comparative studies of this important vertebrate group.
‘Whereof We Speak’: Gregory of Nyssa, Jean‐Luc Marion and the Current Apophatic Rage

Recent postmodern discussions of the Christian apophatic tradition level a noteworthy criticism: after all its negations doesn't Christian apophatic discourse in fact slip back into kataphatic assertions about God? This article seeks to address this claim by bringing into concert two important Christian apophaticists (Gregory of Nyssa and Jean-Luc Marion) in order to designate a type of discourse that emerges from apophatic union, a discourse that is not kataphatic but logophatic.
A study of the creep of nitrocellulose

The creep of a highly nitrated cellulose under constant tensile load has been investigated. Over a wide time range, the strain–time curves were found to obey an equation frequently used to describe the creep of metals. This analysis separates the creep into two components, a rapid elastic deformation and a deformation increasing with the 1/3 power of the time. The first of these components was found to be directly proportional to the applied stress, while the second increased very rapidly with increasing stress, again in accord with observations on metallic creep. The recovery following short creep experiments was found to be complete and accurately predictable from the creep curves and a modified form of the Boltzmann superposition principle. This was not true of the recovery following a very long creep experiment. The superposition principle was also used to calculate a “stress–strain” curve from creep data. This curve was found to be qualitatively similar to curves which have been reported for nitrocellulose.
Splines on fractals

A general theory of piecewise multiharmonic splines is constructed for a class of fractals (post-critically finite) that includes the familiar Sierpinski gasket, based on Kigami's theory of Laplacians on these fractals. The spline spaces are the analogues of the spaces of piecewise Cj polynomials of degree 2j + 1 on an interval, with nodes at dyadic rational points. We give explicit algorithms for effectively computing multiharmonic functions (solutions of Δj+1u = 0) and for constructing bases for the spline spaces (for general fractals we need to assume that j is odd), and also for computing inner products of these functions. This enables us to give a finite element method for the approximate solution of fractal differential equations. We give the analogue of Simpson's method for numerical integration on the Sierpinski gasket. We use splines to approximate functions vanishing on the boundary by functions vanishing in a neighbourhood of the boundary.
The Psychology of Gifted Adolescents as Measured by the MMPI-A

The focus of this study is an examination of gifted students' responses on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) in relation to the adolescent norming sample. The comparisons on clinical, content, and Harris-Lingoes scales provide evidence that gifted adolescent boys' and girls' responses do not differ from one another significantly. Furthermore, the data reveal that the assumption held by many that gifted adolescents are more prone to experience heightened rates of neuroticism or personality difficulties is unsupported by the empirical data. Analyses of MMPI-A scores reveal that gifted students' scores are equivalent to or lower than the general population in all areas. The results are discussed as continued empirical evidence that gifted adolescents do not demonstrate abnormal levels of psychological or personality deviance because of their elevated cognitive abilities
Primary and secondary variants of juvenile psychopathy differ in emotional processing

Accumulating research suggests that psychopathy can be disaggregated into low-anxious primary and high-anxious secondary variants, and this research may be important for understanding antisocial youths with callous–unemotional traits. Using model-based cluster analysis, the present study disaggregated 165 serious male adolescent offenders (M age ¼ 16) with high scores on the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory into primary and secondary variants based on the presence of anxiety. The results indicated that the secondary, high-anxious variant was more likely to show a history of abuse and scored higher on measures of emotional and attentional problems. On a picture version of the dot-probe task, the low-anxious primary variant was not engaged by emotionally distressing pictures, whereas the high-anxious secondary variant was more attentive to such stimuli (Cohen d ¼ 0.71). Although the two groups differed as hypothesized from one another, neither differed significantly in their emotional processing from a nonpsychopathic control group of offending youth (n ¼ 208). These results are consistent with the possibility that the two variants of psychopathy, both of which were high on callous– unemotional traits, may have different etiological pathways, with the primary being more related to a deficit in the processing of distress cues in others and the secondary being more related to histories of abuse and emotional problems. Research on the development of criminal behavior has long recognized the great heterogeneity within youth who show serious aggressive and antisocial behaviors (Moffitt, 1993). That is, within youth diagnosed with conduct disorder or within youth who show serious criminal behavior, there appearsto be distinct groupsthat differon the life course of their antisocial behavior, the severity of their antisocial behavior,
New in vitro Model for the Acquired Enamel Pellicle: Pellicles Formed from Whole Saliva Show Inter-subject Consistency in Protein Composition and Proteolytic Fragmentation Patterns

The present investigation was undertaken to investigate the variability of proteins in whole saliva which adsorb to hydroxyapatite and are thus likely to be precursors of the acquired enamel pellicle. Whole-saliva proteins from 18 subjects were absorbed to hydroxyapatite, and the gel filtration patterns of released proteins revealed four major peaks and three minor peaks eluting between the major peaks. Amino acid analysis indicated that minor peaks contained fragments of proteins in major peaks, and this was confirmed by sequence analysis. Major peaks comprised 95% and minor peaks comprised 5% of protein absorbed to hydroxyapatite, suggesting a limited proteolytic capacity of whole saliva. HPLC elution patterns of components in minor peaks suggested that proteolysis is not totally random but is an orderly and consistent process. These studies suggest that whole saliva may be suitable as a model system for the investigation of post-secretory modifications of salivary proteins important for the formation o...
Pilot Study Using a Humanized CC49 Monoclonal Antibody (HuCC49°CH2) to Localize Recurrent Colorectal Carcinoma

Background: CC49 is a monoclonal antibody directed against a pancarcinoma antigen (TAG-72) expressed by colorectal cancers. The use of murine CC49 in radioimmunoguided surgery (RIGS) was problematic because of the human anti-mouse antibodies (HAMA) generated. This study was designed to assess the clearance, safety, and effectiveness of localization of a complimentarity determining region (CDR)-grafted humanized domain-deleted antitumor CC49 antibody (HuCC49°CH2). Methods: After thyroid blockade, 1 mg of HuCC49°CH2 radiolabeled with 2 mCi of iodine-125 was administered. All patients subsequently underwent traditional exploration followed by a survey with the gamma-detecting probe. In five patients, exploration was performed 10 to 24 days after injection, when precordial counts were sufficiently low (<30 counts per 2 seconds [cp2s]). Traditionally suggestive and probe-positive tissue was biopsied or excised and examined for the presence of carcinoma, when considered appropriate by the operating surgeon. Serum was assessed for HAMA. Results: Seventeen sites were identified as suggestive of carcinoma on traditional exploration and 21 by RIGS. Of these, pathologic correlation was obtained in 15. The sensitivity of RIGS was 92%, and the positive predictive value was 100%. None of the patients expressed significant HAMA. Conclusions: This initial study indicates that the HuCC49°CH2 monoclonal antibody, when used with RIGS, is safe and sensitive in detecting recurrent intra-abdominal colon cancer.
Establishment of the Vernalization-Responsive, Winter-Annual Habit in Arabidopsis Requires a Putative Histone H3 Methyl Transferase

Winter-annual accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana are often characterized by a requirement for exposure to the cold of winter to initiate flowering in the spring. The block to flowering prior to cold exposure is due to high levels of the flowering repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). Exposure to cold promotes flowering through a process known as vernalization that epigenetically represses FLC expression. Rapid-cycling accessions typically have low levels of FLC expression and therefore do not require vernalization. A screen for mutants in which a winter-annual Arabidopsis is converted to a rapid-cycling type has identified a putative histone H3 methyl transferase that is required for FLC expression. Lesions in this methyl transferase, EARLY FLOWERING IN SHORT DAYS (EFS), result in reduced levels of histone H3 Lys 4 trimethylation in FLC chromatin. EFS is also required for expression of other genes in the FLC clade, such as MADS AFFECTING FLOWERING2 and FLOWERING LOCUS M. The requirement for EFS to permit expression of several FLC clade genes accounts for the ability of efs lesions to suppress delayed flowering due to the presence of FRIGIDA, autonomous pathway mutations, or growth in noninductive photoperiods. efs mutants exhibit pleiotropic phenotypes, indicating that the role of EFS is not limited to the regulation of flowering time.
Salivary Duct Carcinoma Ex Pleomorphic Adenoma of the Palate: A Case Report

Carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma is a rare malignancy of the head and neck, particularly in the minor salivary glands. Most cases arise in the major salivary glands, most commonly in the parotid gland, followed by the submandibular gland. The malignant component of the tumor varies, but can be salivary duct carcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, or adenocarcinoma, not otherwise specified. Primary salivary duct carcinoma is also a rare malignancy of the head and neck. Similar to carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma, it is more common in the major salivary glands, with the parotid gland accounting for 88% and the submandibular gland for 10% of cases. To date, only 25 known cases of primary salivary duct carcinoma arising in the minor salivary glands have been documented, with most arising in the palate. Salivary duct carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma of the minor salivary glands appears to be even rarer. Our case of salivary duct carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma of the palate is the first complete report, to our knowledge, in the English-language scientific literature.
Return Predictability, Economic Profits, and Model Mis-Specification: How Important are the Better Specified Models?

This paper addresses the question whether investors can profit from return predictability in the real world while focusing on the impact of the data-generating process (DGP). We estimate an array of predictive models ranging from the simplest VAR to nonparametric ones and evaluate their out-of-sample portfolio performance with various predictive variables. We find that despite the significant statistical improvement, the better specified predictive models do not consistently outperform the VAR. Another striking finding is that investors appear to be better off predicting only the sign, but not the magnitude, of the market expected excess returns.
Intracellular Sodium Modulates the Expression of Angiotensin II Subtype 2 Receptor in PC12W Cells

Abstract —Although the angiotensin II subtype 2 receptor (AT 2 -R) is expressed abundantly in the adrenal medulla, its physiological significance has not yet been determined. To obtain fundamental knowledge of the regulation of AT 2 -R expression in the adrenal medulla, we investigated the effects of modulating several ion channels on AT 2 -R expression in PC12W cells. Experiments were performed after 24 hours of serum depletion under subconfluent conditions. After 48 hours of treatment with various agonists or antagonists, the receptor density and mRNA level of AT 2 -Rs were quantified by 125 I-[Sar 1 ,Ile 8 ]angiotensin II binding and Northern blot analysis. Ouabain (10 to 100 nmol/L) and insulin (10 to 100 nmol/L) dose-dependently increased receptor density and mRNA level. Analysis of the binding characteristics revealed that the ouabain-dependent increase in AT 2 -R levels was due to an increase in binding capacity without a change in the K d value. These increases were blocked by lowering the Na + concentration in the medium. A low concentration of the sodium ionophore monensin (10 nmol/L), the K + -channel blocker quinidine (10 μmol/L), and the ATP-sensitive K + -channel blockers tolbutamide (100 μmol/L) and glybenclamide (10 μmol/L) also significantly increased receptor density, but the ATP-sensitive K + -channel agonist cromakalim (100 μmol/L) decreased receptor density significantly ( P + was accompanied by an increase in mRNA level, whereas the ATP-sensitive K + -channel blockers did not change mRNA level. Nifedipine slightly decreased mRNA level. These results suggest that AT 2 -R expression is sensitively regulated by intracellular cation levels. The change in intracellular Na + level transcriptionally regulates AT 2 -R expression, whereas the K + -channel blocker–dependent upregulation appears to be at least in part posttranslational.
Fascism and pacemakers

He was sedated when I met him. I had no way of knowing he was a neo-Nazi. It was my first year of cardiology fellowship, 2 weeks into the electrophysiology rotation and we were consulted for heart block. He had suffered a perioperative inferior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction after brain aneurysm clipping and had incurred atrioventricular node ischemia. After several days of persistent block, watchful waiting for atrioventricular node recovery turned to recommendations for permanent pacemaker implantation. He was awake and extubated by then and had begun meaningful, but limited interaction, brashly requesting a Coke from the ancillary staff. He was a war veteran, only a few years older than I. In all my visits to his room, asleep or awake, he had been supine or at most at a 301 incline. He was generally uncooperative. The moment I asked for his consent was the first time I had seen him sitting upright. As I helped him up, his loose hospital gown fell freely to his waist, exposing his torso and upper extremities. It bore no consequence on him, as he made no adjustments and asked me where to sign. I, however, was frozen, speechless as his passive disrobing revealed a swastika in the piercing grip of an eagle, unashamed and intentional, brazen across his left upper arm. He was expecting my pen, now suddenly cooperative and compliant, unaware of my palpitations. He gave consent. I reluctantly took my pen back and left the room.
Jupiter: Cosmic Jekyll and Hyde.

Abstract It has been widely reported that Jupiter has a profound role in shielding the terrestrial planets from comet impacts in the Solar System, and that a jovian planet is a requirement for the evolution of life on Earth. To evaluate whether jovians, in fact, shield habitable planets from impacts (a phenomenon often referred to as the “Jupiter as shield” concept), this study simulated the evolution of 10,000 particles in each of the jovian inter-planet gaps for the cases of full-mass and embryo planets for up to 100 My. The results of these simulations predict a number of phenomena that not only discount the “Jupiter as shield” concept, they also predict that in a Solar System like ours, large gas giants like Saturn and Jupiter had a different, and potentially even more important, role in the evolution of life on our planet by delivering the volatile-laden material required for the formation of life. The simulations illustrate that, although all particles occupied “non-life threatening” orbits at their...
Incrementally Formed Stiffeners Effect on the Reduction of Springback in 2024-T3 Aluminum After Single Point Incremental Forming

Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) is a relatively new process to form sheet metal. SPIF utilizes machines such as CNC’s and mills to form a part by making several spiraled passes, deforming the metal a certain distance, known as the step-size, with each pass. One major issue with this process is global springback. Once the metal is removed from its clamping fixture, the residual stresses that resulted from the forming process cause the material to springback. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how incrementally forming a stiffener on the outside of the desired geometry will manipulate the stress concentrations in the metal, and effectively reduce the amount of global springback that occurs after the specimen is unclamped from its fixture. For these tests, stiffeners were formed on the outside of a truncated pyramid; the material used for these test was 2024-T3 aluminum. After the work pieces were removed from their clamping fixtures, the amount of springback that they experienced was examined using Geomagic software to determine the ideal stiffener parameters for reducing global springback for a truncated pyramid in 2024-T3 aluminum.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
High-energy feeding for protein-calorie malnutrition. Results in a rural hospital in Zambia.

Over a 1 year period 472 patients with protein-energy malnutrition were admitted into a rural hospital in the Katete district of Eastern Zambia. 290 ranged in age from 1 year to 2 years and 11 months 275 of these children were put on high energy feeding regimens and their nutritional progress and weight gain were recorded. Routine investigations included hemoglobin chest X-ray Mantoux test (10 TU) and urine and stool microscopy. Initial treatment was designed to keep the child warm dry and free from hypoglycemia. Anorexia was so common that nasogastric feeding was used on almost all children. Initial feeding was with a glucose water solution then skimmed milk progressing after 3 days to a protein-calorie mixture made from skimmed milk powder vegetable oil and sugar. Children were fed 150 kcal/kg/day and protein 4g/kg/day. The weight gain achieved for the entire series was 8.93 g/kg/day. For the different diagnostic categories the weight gains were: 12.11 g/kg/day for children with marasmic kwashiorkor; 10.01 g/kg/day for children with kwashiorkor; 7.49 g/kg/day for children with marasmus; and 6.39 g/kg/day for children who were underweight. The hospital case fatality was 4.4%. The length of stay in hospital was determined case by case taking into account the rate of weight gain and the estimated ability of the mother to continue a satisfactory feeding regimen at home. The study shows that a simple high-energy feeding regimen applied under service conditions in a rural hospital with free use of nasogastric feeding accurate daily weighings and therapeutic trials of broad spectrum antibiotics and antituberculous treatment can give results as good as those obtained in specialist units.
Finding Strengths and Strategies through Cross-Age Writing

(1996). Finding Strengths and Strategies through Cross-Age Writing. College Teaching: Vol. 44, No. 3, pp. 107-110.
Denitrifying bioreactors for treatment of tile drainage

Much of the hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico has been attributed to agricultural nonpoint pollution sources in the Midwestern states. There is, therefore, a critical need to develop practical and cost effective methods to reduce nitrate loadings from these areas. As the hypoxic zone is thought to be larger this year than ever before, the time is ripe for new technologies to reduce nutrient loads in the Mississippi River. Denitrifying drainage bioreactors can provide cost-effective treatment of tile water at the field scale while requiring minimal system maintenance. These bioreactors consist of a trench filled with an available carbon source (usually woodchips) that is readily colonized by bacteria and fungi capable of utilizing nitrate as an electron acceptor. A handful of such bioreactors have been installed in the US Midwest and have shown good nitrate removal. This poster describes the design, field installation, and cost estimates of full-scale denitrifying bioreactors.
On Recovering the Telos in Teleology, or, “Where's the Beef”

To outward appearances, teleological description and explanation of human conduct have lately been regenerating themselves, phoenix-like, from the ashes to which they were reduced by positivism and behaviorism. In the words of Israel Schef fier, "Teleological explanations have, it is true, been largely expunged from the natural sciences, since it is no longer accep table to attribute beliefs or purposes to physical objects. Such explanations are, however, of enduring relevance in the human sciences, history, literature, and everyday life, where the beliefs and purposes of people are of major interest in characterizing and predicting their conduct."1 But current usage of the term "teleological" is often so loose as to court conceptual confusion. As Bernard Williams notes, "theories that take as primary the idea of producing the best possible state of affairs ... are often called 'teleological'."2 But in a strict sense, such theories are "conse quentialist," not "teleological." Similarly, explanations of the type Schef fler refers to are more accurately termed "purposive" or "intentional." What is missing in both cases is the notion of the telos, understood as an innate end whose actualization through a process of development con stitutes the "flourishing" or "fulfillment" of the entity whose end it is. Current omission of the telos is not inadvertent but deliberate, to the pur pose of avoiding the aprioristic foreclosure of human possibilities that is perceived as a mistake in classical teleology. This intent is expressed, for ex ample, by Edmund L. Pincoffs: "I am a functionalist, but I am not a teleologist. I think that if we are to understand moral thought and reflec tion, we must have some idea of their uses. But I do not want to issue pro nouncements about the 'end of man'."3 I agree that aprioristic foreclosure of possibilities is an untenable feature of clssical teleology. My contention is that the telos can be retained in a full-bodied teleology that is open-ended and experimental, not aprioristically closed, and that retention of the telos affords a more satisfac tory understanding of human conduct than is possible without it. An unfortunate consequence of eliminating the telos from our concep tion of human beings is that it renders totalitarianism inevitable. To see this, we must, however, be able to recognize totalitarianism without its Orwellian trappings. By definition it means total control of individuals by
Aromatic Esterase in Insects

The presence in Tenebrio molitor of an enzyme which is active in hydrolyzing o -nitrophenyl acetate has been established by Lord and Potter (1951), and this enzyme has been shown to be present in the tissues of a number of insects. However, no information is available regarding its properties and normal physiological functions.
Abstract 1179: 15-PGDH inhibits cholangiocarcinogenesis through the induction of TAp63

NAD+-linked 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) is responsible for the catabolism of prostaglandins in a variety of cell types such as inflammation an dtumorigenesis. In this study we showed that forced overexpression of 15-PGDH in human cholangiocarcinoma cells (CCLP1) suppressed tumor cell growth, invasion and clonogenic formation capacity. In contrast, 15-PGDH knockdown in CCLP1 cells enhanced tumor cell growth, invasion and clonogenic formation. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that 15-PGDH overexpression induced cell cycle arrest at G1/S checkpoint. When implanted into SCID mice, 15-PGDH overexpressed CCLP1 cells formed smaller xenograft tumors, whereas 15-PGDH-depleted cells formed larger xenograft tumors when compared with each of the corresponding controls (p Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1179. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1179
Evolution of histone H3: emergence of variants and conservation of post-translational modification sites.

Histone H3 proteins are highly conserved across all eukaryotes and are dynamically modified by many post-translational modifications (PTMs). Here we describe a method that defines the evolution of ...
Water affordability and the DWSRF

The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) was established under the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to provide financial assistance to water systems that cannot afford to make improvements that would allow them to comply with regulatory standards. Disadvantaged communities are also targeted for aid under the DWSRF. But to implement the provisions of the SDWA, states must adopt affordability criteria for use in their DWSRF programs. Affordability is the term used to describe the ability of a water system and its customers to support the cost of compliance. Although a considerable amount of research has been conducted on affordability, no simple solution has emerged. This article describes a framework for understanding the multidimensional issue of affordability.
Slosh Damping Caused by Friction Work Due to Contact Angle Hysteresis

The damping ratio of low-gravity sloshing induced by the friction work due to contact angle hysteresis is calculated using a newly developed semianalytical sloshing analysis method for arbitrary axisymmetric tanks. The damping ratio is estimated for the first mode for the case with small contact angle and its variation, as a fundamental study for propellant sloshing. First, the relation between the friction force and the change in the contact angle caused by contact angle hysteresis is derived from the equilibrium among the friction force and the three surface tensions. Next, the virtual work done by the friction force is calculated to determine the nonlinear damping term to be introduced into the modal equation for sloshing. Physical considerations are made for the dependencies of the damping ratio on the Bond number and filling level. Although the damping term arises from the second-order small term in the friction force, the damping ratio can reach the same order as the viscous damping ratio for low Bo...
Student election stories use more diverse news sources

This study explores the sourcing, framing and tone of coverage of the 2012 election by university student newspapers in four swing states. The content analysis found these newspapers focus more on ...
Symposium Introduction: Papers on ‘Modeling National Health Expenditures’

Significant contributions have been made since the World Health Organization published Brian Abel-Smith's pioneering comparative study of national health expenditures more than 50 years ago. There have been major advances in theories, model specifications, methodological approaches, and data structures. This introductory essay provides a historical context for this line of work, highlights four newly published studies that move health economics research forward, and indicates several important areas of challenging but potentially fruitful research to strengthen future contributions to the literature and make empirical findings more useful for evaluating health policy decisions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Measuring Multiplexed OAM Modes with Convolutional Neural Networks

Multiplexing beams with distinct OAM modes allows for increased channel bandwidth. We demonstrate a convolutional neural network approach, using only intensity imagery, for demultiplexing OAM beams with various mode spacings, beam types, and turbulences.
Feedlot- and Pen-Level Prevalence of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli in Feces of Commercial Feedlot Cattle in Two Major U.S. Cattle Feeding Areas

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine feedlot- and pen-level fecal prevalence of seven enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) belonging to serogroups (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and O157, or EHEC-7) in feces of feedlot cattle in two feeding areas in the United States. Cattle pens from four commercial feedlots in each of the two major U.S. beef cattle areas were sampled. Up to 16 pen-floor fecal samples were collected from each of 4–6 pens per feedlot, monthly, for a total of three visits per feedlot, from June to August, 2014. Culture procedures including fecal enrichment in E. coli broth, immunomagnetic separation, and plating on selective media, followed by confirmation through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, were conducted. Generalized linear mixed models were fitted to estimate feedlot-, pen-, and sample-level fecal prevalence of EHEC-7 and to evaluate associations between potential demographic and management risk factors with feedlot and within-pen prevalence of EHE...
Noninvasive carotid artery elastography using multielement synthetic aperture imaging: Phantom and in vivo evaluation.

Purpose Vascular elastography can visualize the strain distribution in the carotid artery, which could be useful in assessing the propensity of advanced plaques to rupture. In our previous studies, we demonstrated that sparse synthetic aperture (SA) imaging can produce high quality vascular strain elastograms. However, the low output power of SA imaging may hamper its clinical utility. In this study, we hypothesize that multi-element defocused emissions can overcome this limitation and improve the quality of the vascular strain elastograms. Methods To assess the impact of attenuation on the elastographic performance of SAand (multi-element synthetic aperture) MSA imaging, we conducted experiments using het-erogeneous vessel phantoms with ideal (0.1 dB/cm/MHz) and realistic (0.75 dB/cm/MHz) attenuation. Further, we validated the results of the phantom study in vivo, on a healthy male volunteer. All echo imaging was performed at a transmit frequency of 5 MHz, using a commercially available ultrasound scanner (Sonix RP, Ultrasonix Medical Corp., Richmond, BC, Canada). Results The results from the phantom results demonstrated that plaques were visible in all strain elastograms, but those produced using MSA imaging had less artifacts. MSA imaging improved the elastographic contrast to noise ratio (CNRe) of the vascular elas-tograms by 14.58 dB relative to SA imaging, and 9.1 dB relative to compounded plane wave (CPW) imaging. Further, the results demonstrated that the elastographic performance of MSA imaging improved with increase in (i) the number of transmit-receive events and (ii) the size of the transmit sub-aperture, up to 13 elements. Using larger sub-apertures degraded the elastographic performance. The results from the in vivo study were in good agreement with the phantom results. Speci_cally, using a defocused multi-element transmit sub-aperture for SA imaging improved the performance of vascular elastography. Conclusions The results suggested that MSA imaging can produce reliable vascular stain elastograms. Future studies will involve using coded excitations to improve the CNRe and frame-rate of the proposed technique for vascular elastography. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Modulating nasal mucosal permeation using metabolic saturation and enzyme inhibition techniques

Objective Presystemic elimination resulting from local enzymatic degradation can play a key role in limiting the bioavailability of intranasally administered drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the transfer of a metabolically susceptible drug across the nasal mucosa to illustrate the relative contributions of drug diffusivity and metabolic susceptibility on overall nasal mucosal permeation and to understand the effects of changes in enzymatic activity on the transfer across nasal epithelial and submucosal tissues. Methods The concentration-dependent permeation of melatonin, a CYP450 substrate, across excised bovine nasal olfactory and respiratory explants was studied along with quantifying the extent of melatonin 6-hydroxylation. Microsomal preparations were also used to determine the kinetic parameters for melatonin to 6-hydroxymelatonin biotransformation. Key findings Enzyme saturation at higher melatonin concentrations and inclusion of a CYP450 inhibitor both resulted in the significant increase in melatonin permeation across the nasal mucosa. Conclusions Metabolic loss of melatonin during nasal permeation demonstrates CYP450 activity in the nasal epithelium and submucosal tissues. The extent of biotransformation of melatonin during its transport across the nasal mucosal explants suggests that, although the nasal route bypasses hepatic first-pass metabolism, nasal bioavailability can be significantly influenced by mucosal enzymatic activity.
Parsimonious assessment for reoperative aortic valve replacement; the deterrent effect of low left ventricular ejection fraction and renal impairment

Background: Patient comorbidities play a pivotal role in the surgical outcomes of reoperative aortic valve replacement (re-AVR). Low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and renal insufficiency (Cr >2 mg/dL) are known independent surgical risk factors. Improved preoperative risk assessment can help determine the best therapeutic approach. We hypothesize that re-AVR patients with low LVEF and concomitant renal insufficiency have a prohibitive surgical risk and may benefit from transcatheter AVR (TAVR). Methods: From January 2002 to March 2013, we reviewed 232 patients who underwent isolated re-AVR. Patients older than 80 years were excluded to adjust for unobserved frailty. We identified 37 patients with a ≤35% LVEF (low ejection fraction group-LEF) and 195 patients with >35% LVEF (High ejection fraction group-HEF). Results: The mean age was 68.4±11.5 years and there were more females (86.5% versus 64.1%, P=0.007) in the LEF group. The prevalence of renal insufficiency was higher in LEF patients (27% versus 5.6%, P=0.001). Higher operative mortality (13.5% versus 3.1%, P=0.018) was observed in the LEF group. Stroke rates were similar in both groups (8.1% versus 4.1%, P=0.39). Unadjusted cumulative survival was significantly lower in LEF patients (6.6 years, 95% CI: 5.2–8.0, versus 9.7 years, 95% CI: 8.9–10.4, P=0.024). In patients without renal insufficiency, LEF and HEF had similar survival (8.3 years, 95% CI: 7.1–9.5, versus 9.9 years, 95% CI: 9.1–10.6, P=0.90). Contrarily, in patients with renal insufficiency, LEF led to a significantly lower survival (1.1 years, 95% CI: 0.1–2.0, versus 4.8 years, 95% CI: 2.2–7.3, P=0.050). Adjusted survival analysis revealed elevations in baseline creatinine (HR =4.28, P<0.001) and LEF (HR =5.33, P=0.041) as significant predictors of long-term survival, with a significant interaction between these comorbidities (HR =7.28, P<0.001). Conclusions: In re-AVR patients, low LVEF (≤35%) is associated with increased operative mortality. Concomitant renal insufficiency in these patients results in a prohibitively low cumulative survival. These reoperative surgical outcomes should warrant expanding the role of TAVR for reoperative patients with LEF and renal impairment.
Why We Say it Like That: Making Rhetorical Practices Explicit for Students in Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Courses

ABSTRACTStudents in colleges and universities need to be able to learn how to communicate effectively both within the specialized arenas of their chosen disciplines and, increasingly, with a wide v...
Homotopical Quantum Field Theory

Algebraic quantum field theory and prefactorization algebra are two mathematical approaches to quantum field theory. In this monograph, using a new coend definition of the Boardman-Vogt construction of a colored operad, we define homotopy algebraic quantum field theories and homotopy prefactorization algebras and investigate their homotopy coherent structures. Homotopy coherent diagrams, homotopy inverses, A-infinity-algebras, E-infinity-algebras, and E-infinity-modules arise naturally in this context. In particular, each homotopy algebraic quantum field theory has the structure of a homotopy coherent diagram of A-infinity-algebras and satisfies a homotopy coherent version of the causality axiom. When the time-slice axiom is defined for algebraic quantum field theory, a homotopy coherent version of the time-slice axiom is satisfied by each homotopy algebraic quantum field theory. Over each topological space, every homotopy prefactorization algebra has the structure of a homotopy coherent diagram of E-infinity-modules over an E-infinity-algebra. To compare the two approaches, we construct a comparison morphism from the colored operad for (homotopy) prefactorization algebras to the colored operad for (homotopy) algebraic quantum field theories and study the induced adjunctions on algebras.
Julia Child 1912–2004

Julia Child was born in Pasadena, CA on 15 August 1912. She briefly worked in advertising and publicity before moving to Washington, DC to join the Second World War effort. During her work with the Office of Strategic Services, she met Paul Child, a fellow employee and artist with whom she fell in love and later married. The couple moved to France, where Julia experienced a sensual awakening that involved cooking and eating, and began formal cooking education at Le Cordon Bleu. Her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking , coupled with her educational television work, made her an American icon.
Hierarchical Models and More on Convergence Assessment

So far, all of the Bayesian models that we have encountered have had only two components—the likelihood, which describes the data as draws from a probability distribution, and the prior, which specifies a probability distribution on the unknown parameters in the likelihood. Such a simple model is inadequate for many (probably most) real-world applications. As a result, more complex Bayesian models with additional levels are very commonly used. Such models are called hierarchical models.