cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of interleukin-1β in primary biliary cirrhosis : relationship to treatment with methotrexate or colchicine and disease progression

Abstract Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic, progressive, cholestatic liver disease. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) may play a role in the pathogenesis of PBC by contributing to altered immune function and fibrosis. Colchicine or methotrexate has some beneficial effects in the treatment of PBC, and also affects interleukin-1 (IL-1β). Therefore, we prospectively studied the synthesis of IL-1β by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 42 patients with PBC entered into a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy controlled trial of colchicine and methotrexate. PBMC obtained at entry, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months were stimulated to produce IL-1β with phytohemagglutinin (PHA), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Staphylococcus epidermidis , recombinant IL-2, or mitochondrial antigen. Patients in the two treatment groups did not differ at entry in biochemical measures or liver histological stage. Over 24 months in both groups, serum bilirubin and histologic stage remained stable and alkaline phosphatase decreased significantly. For all patients, synthesis of IL-1β increased constitutively and in response to immune-mediated stimulants (PHA, IL-2, and mitochondrial antigen) but not the bacterial stimulants LPS or S epidermidis . Compared with levels of IL-1β at entry, PHA induced increases for patients treated with methotrexate (12, 18, and 24 months) or colchicine (18 and 24 months). At 24 months, IL-2-induced IL-1β synthesis was increased in patients treated with methotrexate, whereas S epidermidis -induced IL-1β was enhanced in colchicine-treated patients. Before treatment, IL-1β production did not relate to severity of disease except in response to S epidermidis . Notably, in patients with stable or improving liver histological stage, IL-1β synthesis increased dramatically at 12 months in response to IL-2 and S epidermidis , and also to LPS by 24 months. Alterations in IL-1β synthesis in patients with PBC may reflect underlying immunoregulatory changes that contribute to disease progression or stabilization.
Early Diffusion Of Gene Expression Profiling In Breast Cancer Patients Associated With Areas Of High Income Inequality

With the Affordable Care Act reducing coverage disparities, social factors could prominently determine where and for whom innovations first diffuse in health care markets. Gene expression profiling is a potentially cost-effective innovation that guides chemotherapy decisions in early-stage breast cancer, but adoption has been uneven across the United States. Using a sample of commercially insured women, we evaluated whether income inequality in metropolitan areas was associated with receipt of gene expression profiling during its initial diffusion in 2006–07. In areas with high income inequality, gene expression profiling receipt was higher than elsewhere, but it was associated with a 10.6-percentage-point gap between high- and low-income women. In areas with low rates of income inequality, gene expression profiling receipt was lower, with no significant differences by income. Even among insured women, income inequality may indirectly shape diffusion of gene expression profiling, with benefits accruing to...
Exercise Hemodynamics Enhance Diagnosis of Early Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Background—When advanced, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is readily apparent. However, diagnosis of earlier disease may be challenging because exertional dyspnea is not specific for heart failure, and biomarkers and hemodynamic indicators of volume overload may be absent at rest. Methods and Results—Patients with exertional dyspnea and ejection fraction >50% were referred for hemodynamic catheterization. Those with no significant coronary disease, normal brain natriuretic peptide assay, and normal resting hemodynamics (mean pulmonary artery pressure <25 mm Hg and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure [PCWP] <15 mm Hg) (n=55) underwent exercise study. The exercise PCWP was used to classify patients as having HFpEF (PCWP ≥25 mm Hg) (n=32) or noncardiac dyspnea (PCWP <25 mm Hg) (n=23). At rest, patients with HFpEF had higher resting pulmonary artery pressure and PCWP, although all values fell within normal limits. Exercise-induced elevation in PCWP in HFpEF was confirmed by greater incre...
An Exploration of the Grandparent Caregiver Role

Using role theory to guide a qualitative analysis of 26 grandparents raising grandchildren, the role transition from grandparent to grandparent caregiver was explored. Participants were predominantly female, low income, married, with an average age of 53. On average, participants were raising 1.7 grandchildren for 4 years and at the time of interview had legal custody of the grandchildren. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were used. With a 92% interrater reliability, themes focused on the grandparent caregiver role being off-time or unexpected, achieving a sense of role clarity, and the experience of role conflict.
On the Cost of Adjustment

I. The model, 606. — II. Optimal investment policy under static expectations, 613. — III. Summary and extensions, 621.
A Mixed Integer Linear Program for Solving a Multiple Route Taxi Scheduling Problem

Aircraft movements on taxiways at busy airports often create bottlenecks. This paper introduces a mixed integer linear program to solve a Multiple Route Aircraft Taxi Scheduling Problem. The outputs of the model are in the form of optimal taxi schedules, which include routing decisions for taxiing aircraft. The model extends an existing single route formulation to include routing decisions. An efficient comparison framework compares the multi-route formulation and the single route formulation. The multi-route model is exercised for east side airport surface traffic at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to determine if any arrival taxi time savings can be achieved by allowing arrivals to have two taxi routes: a route that crosses an active departure runway and a perimeter route that avoids the crossing. Results indicate that the multi-route formulation yields reduced arrival taxi times over the single route formulation only when a perimeter taxiway is used. In conditions where the departure aircraft are given an optimal and fixed takeoff sequence, accumulative arrival taxi time savings in the multi-route formulation can be as high as 3.6 hours more than the single route formulation. If the departure sequence is not optimal, the multi-route formulation results in less taxi time savings made over the single route formulation, but the average arrival taxi time is significantly decreased.
The search for the latent information star

: R & D groups are knowledge-intensive organizations. As such, their principal assets are the men and women with scientific and technical training who constitute these groups. The raw materials that they work on and the products that they produce are ideas or information. The patents, papers, and hardware which emanate from these groups represent the physical manifestations of these ideas. One important concern for increasing productivity in R & D laboratories, therefore, is the facilitation of information flow into, within, and out of research group (Fischer, 1980). This paper considers an approach for improving the performance of an R & D group by increasing its information acquisition and processing capabilities and reports findings from a field study undertaken to examine this approach.
Identification of Methyl Coenzyme M Reductase A (mcrA) Genes Associated with Methane-Oxidizing Archaea

Phylogenetic and stable-isotope analyses implicated two methanogen-like archaeal groups, ANME-1 and ANME-2, as key participants in the process of anaerobic methane oxidation. Although nothing is known about anaerobic methane oxidation at the molecular level, the evolutionary relationship between methane-oxidizing archaea (MOA) and methanogenic archaea raises the possibility that MOA have co-opted key elements of the methanogenic pathway, reversing many of its steps to oxidize methane anaerobically. In order to explore this hypothesis, the existence and genomic conservation of methyl coenzyme M reductase (MCR), the enzyme catalyzing the terminal step in methanogenesis, was studied in ANME-1 and ANME-2 archaea isolated from various marine environments. Clone libraries targeting a conserved region of the alpha subunit of MCR (mcrA) were generated and compared from environmental samples, laboratory-incubated microcosms, and fosmid libraries. Four out of five novel mcrA types identified from these sources were associated with ANME-1 or ANME-2 group members. Assignment of mcrA types to specific phylogenetic groups was based on environmental clone recoveries, selective enrichment of specific MOA and mcrA types in a microcosm, phylogenetic congruence between mcrA and small-subunit rRNA tree topologies, and genomic context derived from fosmid sequences. Analysis of the ANME-1 and ANME-2 mcrA sequences suggested the potential for catalytic activity based on conservation of active-site amino acids. These results provide a basis for identifying methanotrophic archaea with mcrA sequences and define a functional genomic link between methanogenic and methanotrophic archaea.
Transmission of influenza A virus in pigs.

Summary Influenza A virus infections cause respiratory disease in pigs and are a risk to public health. The pig plays an important role in influenza ecology because of its ability to support replication of influenza viruses from avian, swine and human species. Influenza A virus is widespread in pigs worldwide, and influenza A virus interspecies transmission has been documented in many events. Influenza A virus is mostly transmitted through direct pig-to-pig contact and aerosols although other indirect routes of transmission may also exist. Several factors contribute to differences in the transmission dynamics within populations including among others vaccination, pig flow, animal movement and animal introduction which highlights the complexity of influenza A transmission in pigs. In addition, pigs can serve as a reservoir of influenza A viruses for other pigs and other species and understanding mechanisms of transmission within pigs and from pigs to other species and vice versa is crucial. In this paper, we review the current understanding of influenza virus transmission in pigs. We highlight the ubiquity of influenza A virus in the pig population and the widespread distribution of pandemic H1N1 virus worldwide while emphasizing an understanding of the routes of transmission and factors that contribute to virus spread and dissemination within and between pig populations. In addition, we describe transmission events between pigs and other species including people. Understanding transmission is crucial for designing effective control strategies and for making well-informed recommendations for surveil
The Foreclosure Crisis, Foreclosed Properties, and Federal Policy: Some Implications for Housing and Community Development Planning

Problem: Foreclosures surged during the 2007 to 2009 national foreclosure crisis and federal policymakers failed to respond quickly and forcefully to the problem. The large numbers and geographic c...
Control of an HVOF Thermal Spray Process

In this chapter, we focus on the industrially-important high velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) thermal spray process and show how the concept of accounting for the effect of powder size distribution in the formulation and solution of the control problem can be used to achieve effective feedback control. The HVOF thermal spray technology is widely used to deposit a large variety of metal and ceramic coatings that modify the surface properties of a base material. Using the thermal energy produced by the combustion of fuel with oxygen to heat and propel the spray particles, it provides a highly efficient way to modify the surface properties of the substrate to extend product life, increase performance and reduce maintenance costs. Recently, there is an increasing interest in the HVOF thermal spray processing of nanostructured coatings, whose grain size is less than about 100 nm (Lau et al., 1998b). This interest has been motivated by several factors, including: (1) the cost-effective production of high-quality nanosize powders; (2) the superior qualities of coatings made with the HVOF process (Cheng et al., 2001a); and (3) the discovery that nanostructured coatings exhibit superior qualities over traditional counterparts (made of materials with micro-sized grains) in several aspects including hardness, strength, ductility and diffusivity (Tellkamp et al., 1997; Lau et al., 1998a; Lau et al., 1999).
American Indian Treaties and the Supreme Court: A Guide to Treaty Citations from Opinions of the United States Supreme Court

Abstract This guide identifies those 307 United States Supreme Court opinions between 1799 and 2001 that cited one or more federally recognized American Indian treaty. In total, there are 1,325 citation entries to 209 of these 375 recognized instruments. Two tables present these data: one ordered by ratified treaty number and one by Court case title.
A University Service-Learning Assignment: Delivering the FAIR Curriculum to K-12 Students to Promote Social Justice.

A wide variety of universities are engaged in service-learning activities that create opportunities for K-12 students to interact with university students. Engaging students in their communities and working toward social justice in a variety of settings provides positive outcomes for communities, university students and the K-12 students involved. At Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, college students have been working in K-12 school settings facilitating FAIR, a social justice and diversity curriculum. The FAIR curriculum is outlined and suggestions for how to utilize the curriculum as a service-learning assignment are provided. As a service-learning assignment, FAIR, is beneficial to the K-12 students and schools while engaging university students in social justice action in an experiential and meaningful way. Outcomes are presented from our use of this service-learning curriculum. Finally, we provide instructions and plans for implementation.
Detecting motion in out-of-register pictures

A novel technique is described that can be applied to a sequence of pictures to detect moving objects and segment them from the stationary background. It does not require the pictures to be in-register, and is suitable for cases where the camera moves while the pictures are taken. Its greatest advantage is the simplicity and efficiency in which it can be implemented. By the use of fast Fourier transforms, the detection of moving objects in a pair of pictures takes about the same computation time as a simple convolution between two pictures of the same size (three Fourier transforms). >
Ran Binding Domains Promote the Interaction of Ran with p97/β-Karyopherin, Linking the Docking and Translocation Steps of Nuclear Import (*)

Nuclear protein import is accomplished by two sequential events: docking at the nuclear pore complex followed by ATP-dependent translocation across the nuclear envelope. Docking of nuclear targeted proteins requires a 56-kDa nuclear localization signal receptor (α-karyopherin, importin-α, SRP1α) and a 97-kDa protein (β-karyopherin, importin-β). Components necessary for translocation include the Ran/TC4 GTPase and NTF2/B-2. The functions of these factors at a molecular level remain unclear. We have now found that a complex of Ran, in the GTP-bound state, with either the Ran binding protein, RanBP1, or an isolated Ran binding domain binds with high affinity and specificity to β-karyopherin to form a ternary complex. We find that a C-terminal truncation mutant of Ran, Δ-DE Ran, also binds to β-karyopherin and that Δ-DE Ran can associate with a cytosolic, multiprotein complex that contains β-karyopherin and another Δ-DE Ran binding protein of 115/120 kDa. These data suggest a physical link between docking and translocation mediated by a Ran GTPase-Ran binding protein complex.
The Role of Emotions in Comparative Negligence Judgments1

This experiment studied the role of emotional arousal in mediating the impact of plaintiff and defendant blameworthiness and accident severity on comparative negligence judgments. Participants (N= 214) read descriptions and viewed photographs of 2 accident cases varying in outcome severity, victim blameworthiness, and defendant blameworthiness. Participants then rated their emotional responses to the cases, apportioned fault between the parties, and assessed gross and discounted damages. Blameworthiness and outcome severity affected apportionment of fault, and the effects of blameworthiness and severity appeared to be mediated by the arousal of anger toward the parties. Damage awards were determined primarily by the severity of the accident and were not mediated by emotional arousal.
Molecular Diagnostics in Melanoma: Current Status and Perspectives

Abstract Context.—In the current “molecular” era, the advent of technology, such as array-based platforms, systems biology, and genome-wide approaches, has made it possible to examine human cancers, including melanoma, for genetic mutations, deletions, amplification, differentially regulated genes, and epigenetic changes. Advancement in current technologies is such that one can now examine ribonucleic acid (RNA), deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and protein directly from the patient's own tumor. Objective.—To apply these new technologies in advancing molecular diagnostics in melanoma has historically suffered from a major obstacle, namely, the scarcity of fresh frozen, morphologically defined tumor banks, annotated with clinical information. Recently, some of the new platforms have advanced to permit utilization of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor specimens as starting material. Data Sources.—This article reviews the latest technologies applied to FFPE melanoma sections, narrowing its focus on t...
Cranberry proanthocyanidins inhibit esophageal adenocarcinoma in vitro and in vivo through pleiotropic cell death induction and PI3K/AKT/mTOR inactivation

Cranberries are rich in bioactive constituents known to improve urinary tract health and more recent evidence supports cranberries possess cancer inhibitory properties. However, mechanisms of cancer inhibition by cranberries remain to be elucidated, particularly in vivo. Properties of a purified cranberry-derived proanthocyanidin extract (C-PAC) were investigated utilizing acid-sensitive and acid-resistant human esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) cell lines and esophageal tumor xenografts in athymic NU/NU mice. C-PAC induced caspase-independent cell death mainly via autophagy and low levels of apoptosis in acid-sensitive JHAD1 and OE33 cells, but resulted in cellular necrosis in acid-resistant OE19 cells. Similarly, C-PAC induced necrosis in JHAD1 cells pushed to acid-resistance via repeated exposures to an acidified bile cocktail. C-PAC associated cell death involved PI3K/AKT/mTOR inactivation, pro-apoptotic protein induction (BAX, BAK1, deamidated BCL-xL, Cytochrome C, PARP), modulation of MAPKs (P-P38/P-JNK) and G2-M cell cycle arrest in vitro. Importantly, oral delivery of C-PAC significantly inhibited OE19 tumor xenograft growth via modulation of AKT/mTOR/MAPK signaling and induction of the autophagic form of LC3B supporting in vivo efficacy against EAC for the first time. C-PAC is a potent inducer of EAC cell death and is efficacious in vivo at non-toxic behaviorally achievable concentrations, holding promise for preventive or therapeutic interventions in cohorts at increased risk for EAC, a rapidly rising and extremely deadly malignancy.
Community Food Literacies: An Introduction

“Because food sovereignty and food justice are some of the most important issues of our time, issues that tie to topics of ecological collapse, peak oil, racism, poverty, corporate capitalism, overpopulation, disease, and hunger, service-learning practitioners are well-positioned to help launch initiatives in colleges and universities across the country, in partnership with our local communities, to address community-centered food literacy" (4). —Veronica House
Antibody responses to influenza vaccine in pre- and post-lung transplant patients.

BACKGROUND Although pre-transplant immunization is routinely recommended, this recommendation is based on little data. The primary objective of this study was to compare antibody responses in lung transplant patients who received influenza vaccine before the transplant, within the first six months of transplant, between 13 and 60 months post-transplant, and 110 months or beyond transplant. METHODS This prospective cohort study included 357 total immunization events performed over five yr to measure H1N1, H3N2, and B antibody responses to the influenza vaccine in pre- and post-lung transplant patients. Geometric mean titers, seroprotection (antibody titer at least 1:40), seroconversion (fourfold increase between pre and post), and mean fold increases were compared. RESULTS The geometric mean titer distributions were different for H3N2 and B (ANOVA; p = 0.002 for both). Pre-transplant antibody concentrations were higher compared to the 13- to 60-month group for H3N2 (corrected p = 0.002) and the healthy group for B (corrected p = 0.001). The ≥110-month group had higher seroconversion rates compared to the 13- to 60-month group for H3N2 and B viruses. CONCLUSION Lung pre-transplant patients and the long-term survivors have higher responses to the influenza vaccine than early post-transplant and the transplant control groups.
A preliminary analysis of quantifying computer security vulnerability data in "the wild"

A system of computers, networks and software has some level of vulnerability exposure that puts it at risk to criminal hackers. Presently, most vulnerability research uses data from software vendors, and the National Vulnerability Database (NVD). We propose an alternative path forward through grounding our analysis in data from the operational information security community, i.e. vulnerability data from "the wild". In this paper, we propose a vulnerability data parsing algorithm and an in-depth univariate and multivariate analysis of the vulnerability arrival and deletion process (also referred to as the vulnerability birth-death process). We find that vulnerability arrivals are best characterized by the log-normal distribution and vulnerability deletions are best characterized by the exponential distribution. These distributions can serve as prior probabilities for future Bayesian analysis. We also find that over 22% of the deleted vulnerability data have a rate of zero, and that the arrival vulnerability data is always greater than zero. Finally, we quantify and visualize the dependencies between vulnerability arrivals and deletions through a bivariate scatterplot and statistical observations.
Rapid simulated gastric fluid digestion of in-seed/grain proteins expressed in genetically engineered crops

The speed of simulated gastric digestion of proteins expressed in genetically engineered (GE) crops is commonly used to inform the allergenicity risk assessment. However, persistence of purified proteins in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) is poorly correlated with the allergenic status of proteins. It has been proposed that the plant or food matrix may affect the digestion of proteins and should be considered in interpreting digestion results. Here the SGF digestion of several GE proteins both as purified preparations and in soybean, corn, and cotton seed/grain extracts (in-matrix) are compared. Cry1F, Cry1Ac, phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT), aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase-1 (AAD-1), aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase-12 (AAD-12), and double mutant 5-enol pyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (2mEPSPS) were all found to rapidly digest both as purified protein preparations and in seed/grain extracts from GE crops expressing these proteins. Based on these results, purified protein from microbial sources is a suitable surrogate for proteins in-matrix when conducting SGF digestion studies.
Computational Fluid Dynamics modeling of contrast transport in basilar aneurysms following flow-altering surgeries

In vivo measurement of blood velocity fields and flow descriptors remains challenging due to image artifacts and limited resolution of current imaging methods; however, in vivo imaging data can be used to inform and validate patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models. Image-based CFD can be particularly useful for planning surgical interventions in complicated cases such as fusiform aneurysms of the basilar artery, where it is crucial to alter pathological hemodynamics while preserving flow to the distal vasculature. In this study, patient-specific CFD modeling was conducted for two basilar aneurysm patients considered for surgical treatment. In addition to velocity fields, transport of contrast agent was simulated for the preoperative and postoperative conditions using two approaches. The transport of a virtual contrast passively following the flow streamlines was simulated to predict post-surgical flow regions prone to thrombus deposition. In addition, the transport of a mixture of blood with an iodine-based contrast agent was modeled to compare and verify the CFD results with X-ray angiograms. The CFD-predicted patterns of contrast flow were qualitatively compared to in vivo X-ray angiograms acquired before and after the intervention. The results suggest that the mixture modeling approach, accounting for the flow rates and properties of the contrast injection, is in better agreement with the X-ray angiography data. The virtual contrast modeling assessed the residence time based on flow patterns unaffected by the injection procedure, which makes the virtual contrast modeling approach better suited for prediction of thrombus deposition, which is not limited to the peri-procedural state.
Non-native liana, Euonymus fortunei , associated with increased soil nutrients, unique bacterial communities, and faster decomposition rate

Invasive plants have wide-ranging impacts on native systems including reducing native plant richness and altering soil chemistry, microbes, and nutrient cycling. Increasingly, these effects are found to linger long after removal of the invader. We examined how soil chemistry, bacterial communities, and litter decomposition varied with cover of Euonymus fortunei, an invasive evergreen liana, in two central Kentucky deciduous forests. In one forest, E. fortunei invaded in the late 1990s but invasion remained patchy and we paired invaded and uninvaded plots to examine the associations between E. fortunei cover and our response variables. In the second forest, E. fortunei had completely invaded the forest by 2005; areas where it had been selectively removed by 2010 were paired with an adjacent invaded plot. Where E. fortunei had patchily invaded, E. fortunei patches had up to 3.5× nitrogen, 2.7× carbon, and 1.9× more labile glomalin in soils than uninvaded plots, whereas there were no differences in soil characteristics between invaded and removal plots. In the patchily invaded forest, bacterial community composition varied among invaded and non-invaded plots, whereas bacterial communities did not vary among invaded and removal plots. Finally, E. fortunei leaf litter decomposed faster (k = 4.91 year−1) than the native liana (k = 3.77 year−1), Vitis vulpina; decomposition of both E. fortunei and V. vulpina was faster in invaded (k = 7.10 year−1) than removal plots (k = 4.77 year−1). Our findings suggest that E. fortunei invasion increases the rate of leaf litter decomposition via high-quality litter, alters the decomposition environment, and shifts in the soil biotic communities associated with a dense mat of wintercreeper. Land managers with limited resources should target the densest mats for the greatest restoration potential and remove wintercreeper patches before they establish dense mats.
Financial and energy security analysis of China’s loan-for-oil deals

Abstract As China’s dependence on imported oil has soared in recent years, Chinese concerns about energy security have naturally increased. The Chinese government has encouraged China’s National Oil Companies to expand their investments around the world. Some of the high profile cases of state support for these international deals have taken the form of “loan-for-oil” agreements in which Chinese state development banks lend billions of dollars to oil-producing countries at below-market interest rates in exchange for the producers’ agreements to sell oil to Chinese oil companies (at future market prices rather than at a fixed price). Some analysts consider the Chinese investments to be an energy security policy. Using standard financial analysis, we show that these agreements cannot reasonably be considered profit-seeking investments by the Chinese. Separately, we also show that only a few of the projects connected to loan-for-oil deals could ameliorate China’s fear of future political-military supply interruptions, and even in those cases, China could achieve the same energy security benefit through simpler mechanisms. The loan-for-oil deals implicitly suggest that China does not expect future conflict that might block Chinese access to oil imports.
The Rise and Fall of Comradeship: Hitler's Soldiers, Male Bonding and Mass Violence in the Twentieth Century

This is an innovative account of how the concept of comradeship shaped the actions, emotions and ideas of ordinary German soldiers across the two world wars and during the Holocaust. Using individual soldiers' diaries, personal letters and memoirs, Kuhne reveals the ways in which soldiers' longing for community, and the practice of male bonding and togetherness, sustained the Third Reich's pursuit of war and genocide. Comradeship fuelled the soldiers' fighting morale. It also propelled these soldiers forward into war crimes and acts of mass murders. Yet, by practising comradeship, the soldiers could maintain the myth that they were morally sacrosanct. Post-1945, the notion of kameradschaft as the epitome of humane and egalitarian solidarity allowed Hitler's soldiers to join the euphoria for peace and democracy in the Federal Republic, finally shaping popular memories of the war through the end of the twentieth century.
IS UV-B A HAZARD TO SOYBEAN PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND YIELD? RESULTS OF AN OZONE-UV-B INTERACTION STUDY AND MODEL PREDICTIONS

Current levels of tropospheric ozone suppress photosynthesis and yield in soybean. Also, it has been suggested that increased ground-level UV-B as a result of stratospheric ozone depletion may have additional deleterious effects. A three-year field study, conducted in open-top chambers, was undertaken to uncover possible interactions between these putative stressors. Ozone treatments resulted in the expected and well-documented reductions in photosynthesis, yield and acceleration of senescence. However, UV-B treatments not only failed to induce any significant interactions, but did not induce any significant reductions in photosynthesis or yield, even at levels simulating a 35% column ozone depletion. Reconciliation of our data with other predictions of physiological dysfunction and crop losses due to increased UV-B was attempted by examining the models used to predict ground-level UV-B, ground truthing, and critically reviewing the literature. Comparison of ground-based measurements at our location with the Green et al. (9) model, frequently used to predict ground-level UV-B, showed consistent over-predictions of clear-sky UV-B of 32% on an annual basis. We believe that similar over-predictions have led some researchers to underestimate the actual dosages used, with the result that the effects reported would normally only occur at much higher UV-B levels and are much greater than would occur at the reported dosages. Lack of ground-level UV-B monitoring in many experiments has obscured and perpetuated this problem. Also, there generally has been no adjustment of enhancement levels for either season or weather conditions, except where modulated systems have been used, so that effects are additionally exaggerated for these reasons. Interpretation of experimental results is confounded by these four factors (model over-prediction, seasonal changes, weather changes, and failure to monitor UV-B) and made much more difficult when UV-B enhancement experiments are conducted under greenhouse growth conditions. Additional illustrative calculations for greenhouse conditions are included for consideration. Examination of the literature in light of these findings indicates there is little evidence that increased ground-level UV-B, well in excess of current predictions for the next century, will pose any hazard to soybean growth and productivity.
Detrimental effects of self-administered methamphetamine during pregnancy on offspring development in the rat.

Abstract Background Methamphetamine (METH) abuse by pregnant women is a commonly observed phenomenon. While the harmful effects of METH are well described for adults, there is only limited knowledge of the effects of METH use during pregnancy on the developing child. In the present study, we investigated how intraveneous ( iv) METH self-administration throughout pregnancy affected rat dams and their offspring through weaning, compared to controls. Methods Female rats (n = 16) were trained to self-administer METH iv ; every drug infusion by a dam also resulted in a saline injection to a yoked control (n = 16). When stable levels of self-administration were reached, all females were mated. Daily, 2-h self-administration sessions continued until litters were born. General health and weight was assessed daily in dams and pups. In addition, pups were evaluated for achievement of age-appropriate developmental milestones (i.e., righting reflex, negative geotaxis, pinna detachment, fur appearance, incisor eruption and eye opening). Results Dams self-administered 2–3 mg/kg/day METH throughout gestation without consequence to dam health or weight gain during pregnancy. All females produced viable litters, and litter size and composition did not differ between saline and METH dams. Similarly, maternal pup-directed behavior was not affected by prior METH self-administration. However, despite a lack of weight difference in pups, METH-exposed pups were significantly delayed in reaching all assessed developmental milestones compared to controls. Conclusion These results indicate that in utero exposure to moderate METH doses can profoundly and adversely affect offspring development, suggesting that even recreational METH use during pregnancy has potential for harm.
Mass mortality events and the role of necrophagous invertebrates

Scale is important in understanding and applying concepts in ecology. Historically, the mechanisms regulating necrophagous arthropod community structure have been well explored on a single vertebrate carcass. However, practically nothing is known of whether such findings can be extrapolated to cases where large numbers of carcasses have been introduced into an ecosystem at a single time point. With the increasing incidences of mass mortality events (MMEs), understanding how scale effects community assembly of necrophagous insects and the resulting bottom-up or top-down effects on the impacted ecosystem are of utmost importance. Unfortunately, MMEs are unpredictable, making their study nearly impossible within a robust experimental framework. The objectives of this paper are to provide a brief overview of what is known with regards to ecological responses to carrion, opine on the ramifications of MMEs on local communities, and provide a brief overview of knowledge gaps, avenues for future research, and a potential study systems for rigorous MME experiments.
The Impact of Older Adult Relocation to Assisted Living on Quality of Life

Date Presented 3/31/2017This presentation describes potential positive impacts on quality of life that social participation and meaningful activity groups can have on residents during their transition to assisted living. Occupational therapists possess distinct expertise in facilitating engagement i
A Bayesian sequential design with adaptive randomization for 2‐sided hypothesis test

Bayesian sequential and adaptive randomization designs are gaining popularity in clinical trials thanks to their potentials to reduce the number of required participants and save resources. We propose a Bayesian sequential design with adaptive randomization rates so as to more efficiently attribute newly recruited patients to different treatment arms. In this paper, we consider 2-arm clinical trials. Patients are allocated to the 2 arms with a randomization rate to achieve minimum variance for the test statistic. Algorithms are presented to calculate the optimal randomization rate, critical values, and power for the proposed design. Sensitivity analysis is implemented to check the influence on design by changing the prior distributions. Simulation studies are applied to compare the proposed method and traditional methods in terms of power and actual sample sizes. Simulations show that, when total sample size is fixed, the proposed design can obtain greater power and/or cost smaller actual sample size than the traditional Bayesian sequential design. Finally, we apply the proposed method to a real data set and compare the results with the Bayesian sequential design without adaptive randomization in terms of sample sizes. The proposed method can further reduce required sample size.
Biobehavioral Markers of Attention Bias Modification in Temperamental Risk for Anxiety: A Randomized Control Trial.

Objective Children with behavioral inhibition, a temperament characterized by biologically based hypervigilance to novelty and social withdrawal, are at high risk for developing anxiety. This study examined the effect of a novel attention training protocol, attention bias modification (ABM), on symptomatic, behavioral, and neural risk markers in children with behavioral inhibition. Method Nine- to 12-year-old typically developing children identified as having behavioral inhibition (N = 84) were assigned to a 4-session active ABM training (n = 43) or placebo protocol (n = 41) using a double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial approach. Anxiety symptoms (Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children–Fourth Edition), attention bias (AB; measured by a dot-probe task; AB = incongruent reaction time − congruent reaction time), and AB-related neural activation (measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging activation for the incongruent > congruent contrast in the dot-probe task) were assessed before and after the training sessions. Results Results showed that active ABM (n = 40) significantly alleviated participants’ symptoms of separation anxiety, but not social anxiety, compared with the placebo task (n = 40); ABM did not modify behavioral AB scores in the dot-probe task; and at the neural level, active ABM (n = 15) significantly decreased amygdala and insula activation and increased activation in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex compared with placebo (n = 19). Conclusion These findings provide important evidence for ABM as a potentially effective protective tool for temperamentally at-risk children in a developmental window before the emergence of clinical disorder and open to prevention and intervention. Clinical trial registration information—Attention and Social Behavior in Children (BRAINS); http://clinicaltrials.gov/ ; NCT02401282 .
Price Promotion for a Preordered Product, The Moderating Role of Time of Release: An Abstract

Preordering has emerged as a common strategy for manufacturers and retailers to facilitate the launch of a new product in the competitive marketplace. In product preorder strategies, retailers often utilize price discounts to increase sales. However, in the context of preordering, temporal construal effects which explain how psychological distance affects individuals’ thoughts and behavior (Trope & Liberman, 2003) may marginalize the influence of price discounts when a product’s delivery is perceived to be in the distant future. This is because a distant time of release is construed at a high level of abstraction, where low-level details, such as discount level, are overlooked.
What are omics sciences

The word omics refers to a field of study in biological sciences that ends with -omics, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, or metabolomics. The ending -ome is used to address the objects of study of such fields, such as the genome, proteome, transcriptome, or metabolome, respectively. More specifically genomics is the science that studies the structure, function, evolution, and mapping of genomes and aims at characterization and quantification of genes, which direct the production of proteins with the assistance of enzymes and messenger molecules. Transcriptome is the set of all messenger RNA molecules in one cell, tissue, or organism. It includes the amount or concentration of each RNA molecule in addition to the molecular identities. The term proteome refers to the sum of all the proteins in a cell, tissue, or organism. Proteomics is the science that studies those proteins as related to their biochemical properties and functional roles, and how their quantities, modifications, and structures change during growth and in response to internal and external stimuli. The metabolome represents the collection of all metabolites in a biological cell, tissue, organ, or organism, which are the end products of cellular processes. Metabolomics is the science that studies all chemical processes involving metabolites. More specifically, metabolomics is the study of chemical fingerprints that specific cellular processes establish during their activity; it is the study of all small-molecule metabolite profiles. Overall, the objective of omics sciences is to identify, characterize, and quantify all biological molecules that are involved in the structure, function, and dynamics of a cell, tissue, or organism.
Bisphosphonate-Linked TrkB Agonist: Cochlea-Targeted Delivery of a Neurotrophic Agent as a Strategy for the Treatment of Hearing Loss

Hearing loss affects more than two-thirds of the elderly population, and more than 17% of all adults in the U.S. Sensorineural hearing loss related to noise exposure or aging is associated with loss of inner ear sensory hair cells (HCs), cochlear spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs), and ribbon synapses between HCs and SGNs, stimulating intense interest in therapies to regenerate synaptic function. 7,8-Dihydroxyflavone (DHF) is a selective and potent agonist of tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) and protects the neuron from apoptosis. Despite evidence that TrkB agonists can promote survival of SGNs, local delivery of drugs such as DHF to the inner ear remains a challenge. We previously demonstrated in an animal model that a fluorescently labeled bisphosphonate, 6-FAM-Zol, administered to the round window membrane penetrated the membrane and diffused throughout the cochlea. Given their affinity for bone mineral, including cochlear bone, bisphosphonates offer an intriguing modality for targeted delivery of neur...
Harnessing the properties of fiber-reinforced composites in the design of tissue-engineered scaffolds

Incorporating the effects of morphological structure on the cellular activity required for tissue regeneration optimizes the design of tissue-engineered scaffolds. A growing data base in cell biochemistry can be used to predict these effects using “in-silico” computational systems and advanced technologies of rapid prototyping (RP). The range of tools available to the designer of biomedical devices is described and examples are presented of how the principles of mechanical and computational analysis are used to design scaffolds for repair of load-bearing tissues in bone, tendons and articular cartilage.
Possible Foodborne Transmission in a Case of Pseudomembranous Colitis Due to Clostridium difficile: Influence of Gastrointestinal Secretions on Clostridium difficile Infection

A 78-yr-old woman with a history of hypochlorhydria was found to have pseudomembranous colitis due to Clostridium difficile. She had not received previous antimicrobial therapy. Her onset of disease followed ingestion of possibly contaminated canned salmon, suggesting possible oral transmission of disease. We assessed the possibility of ingested Clostridium difficile organisms or cytotoxin surviving passage through the upper gastrointestinal tract. Normal gastric juice, hypochlorhydric gastric juice, and duodenal secretions were obtained from volunteers and tested for their ability to kill Clostridium difficile organisms or inactivate toxin. These in vitro studies indicated that the primary upper gastrointestinal barriers for ingested Clostridium difficile and cytotoxin were pH-dependent. We suggest that oral transmission of disease due to Clostridium difficile may occur in hypochlorhydric patients.
Federal Policy on Improving Outcomes for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Past, Present, and Future.

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) consistently lag behind their peers academically and behaviorally, are likely to be excluded from school, drop out more frequently, and face h...
Do Differences in Learning Performance Precede or Follow Initiation of Marijuana Use

Objective:Studies examining cross-sectional associations between age at marijuana initiation and memory deficits yield mixed results. Because longitudinal data are sparse, controversy continues reg...
Patients With Persistently Low MELD-Na Scores Continue to Be at Risk of Liver-related Death.

BACKGROUND The vast majority of patients with cirrhosis have low Model for End-Stage Liver Disease-Sodium (MELD-Na) scores; however, the ability for the MELD-Na score to predict patient outcomes at low scores is unclear. METHODS Adult patients in a multicenter, Chicago-wide database of medical records with International Classification of Disease, Ninth Edition codes of cirrhosis and without a history of hepatocellular carcinoma were included. Records were linked with the state death registry, and death certificates were manually reviewed. Deaths were classified as "liver-related," "non-liver-related," and "non-descript" as adjudicated by a panel comprised of a transplant surgeon, a hepatologist, and an internist. A sensitivity analysis was performed where patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were included. RESULTS Among 7922 identified patients, 3999 patients had MELD-Na scores that were never higher than 15. In total, 2137 (27%) patients died during the study period with higher mortality rates for the patients in the high MELD-Na group (19.4 (41.6%) versus 4.1 (12.6%) per 100 person-y, P < 0.001). The high MELD-Na group died of a liver-related cause in 1142 out of 1632 (70%) as compared to 240 out of 505 (47.5%) deaths in the low MELD-Na group. There was no difference in the distribution of subcategory of liver-related death between low and high MELD-Na groups. Among subclassification of liver-related deaths, the most common cause of death was "Infectious" in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Despite persistently low MELD-Na scores, patients with cirrhosis still experience high rates of liver-related mortality.
Global Data Plane: A Federated Vision for Secure Data in Edge Computing

We propose a federated edge-computing architecture for management of data. Our vision is to enable a service provider model for "data-services", where a user can enter into economic agreements with an infrastructure maintainer to provide storage and communication of data, without necessarily trusting the infrastructure provider. Toward this vision, we present cryptographically hardened cohesive collections of data items called DataCapsules, and an overview of the underlying federated architecture, called Global Data Plane.