cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The British Unemployment Assistance Program

HE provision of the means of subsistence for those without income or with insufficient income has been a public issue in Great Britain ever since the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII. A national policy was first crystallized in the famous Elizabethan Poor Law of i6oi. This law remained the basis of general poor relief administration in both Great Britain and the United States for over four hundred years, although the law, the administrative structure and the procedure were changed many times. The most important principles embodied in the Poor Law of Elizabeth and later times were (i) the responsibility of the state for giving aid to the needy, (2) financing and administration of relief by the local government authorities, (3) eligibility for relief based upon a means test, (4) the pauper status of the recipient of relief, and (5) the necessity of legal settlement. The first major break from the Poor Law principles came with the enactment of social insurance legislation, of which the unemployment insurance law of I9II was an important part. Certain occupations were selected under this law for insurance coverage. The persons in these occupations henceforth, if they worked the minimum number of weeks in a two-year period, received insurance benefits as a matter of right for a maximum of 2.6 weeks in a calendar year and were freed from the necessity of seeking poor relief dulring long periods of unemployment. Insurance rested upon a whole new set of principles; the only one in any way common to the Poor Law was the fact of recognition by the state that it had a responsibility to see that persons without income through no fault of their own should be maintained. It was widely believed that insured persons would be removed entirely from the need of Poor Law Assistance. But after the World War this viewpoint had to be revised. During the war period new occupations were taken into the insurance scheme, and in i9Z0 the law was amended to include the large majority of all manual workers and many lowsalaried white-collar employees. The prolonged depression of business in Great Britain after i9Z0 created successive emergencies in the insurance system. Discharged soldiers were granted Out-ofWork Donations by the Government for a time, but in March, i9ai, this plan was discontinued, and a new uncovenanted, or extended, benefit was provided to persons out of the insurance funds. Persons were granted benefits from the Unemployment Fund beyond the period for which they had any statutory right, and many of them received the uncovenanted benefit without having acquired rights by virtue of contributions. In order to avoid throwing hundreds of thousands of people back on to poor relief the Government arranged to make loans from the Exchequer to the Unemployment Fund for the purpose of carrying the unemployed through the period of depression. This came to be known as the "dole." It was in fact a national relief scheme, except that claimants were not subject to a means test. * Read at the joint meeting of the American Sociological Society and the American Association for Labor Legislation, Dec. 29, 1938.
Accelerated 65nm Yield Ramp through Optimization of Inspection on Process-Design Sensitive Test Chips

This paper describes an integrated methodology that combines short-flow test chips useful for exploring process-design systematic as well as random failure modes and an advanced inspection tool platform to characterize and monitor key Defects-of-Interest for accelerated defect-based yield learning at the 65nm technology node.Utilization of a unique fast electrical testing scheme,rapid analysis software along with optimized inspection facilitated shorter learning cycles for accelerated process development.Knowledge derived from the CV(R) based inspection setup in a leading 300mm fab was successfully transferred to manufacturing to facilitate inspection optimization for key Defects-of-Interest on product wafers.
The Conflict and Compatibility between the Dispute-Settlement Mechanisms of WTO and those of Multilateral Environmental Agreements

The WTO dispute-settlement mechanism is characterized by its effective and secure nature.The WTO dispute-settlement body has exclusive jurisdiction over any trade-related disputes.The dispute-resolution mechanisms of multilateral environmental agreements are characterized by their optional nature and by the fact that in most cases their results are not usually binding on the parties.Both of them have jurisdiction over the dispute caused by the application of environmental trade-related measures.So,in practice,it is possible that the parallel jurisdictions are triggered at the same time,but their judgments are disparate.In order to coordinate the two systems,the use of the informal process,such as mediation,conciliation and good offices should be furthered,and the dispute-settlement body of WTO should take into account and respect the disputeresolution mechanisms of the relevant multilateral environmental agreements in environment-related cases.In the meanwhile,an environmental advisory board should be set up.
Nonrefluxing colonic conduits: a long-term life-table analysis.

AbstractWe evaluated 25 patients undergoing urinary diversion with a nonrefluxing colonic conduit. Renalscarring developed in 10% of the kidneys during a median followup of 12.7 years. In 11 renal units (22%) deterioration of the ureteroenteric anastomosis occurred due to the development of reflux orstricture. Of these kidneys 45% had scarring; no renal unit in which the anastomosis remainedintact had renal scars (p less than 0.001). Of our patients 96% had bacterial colonization of the colonic conduit but this was not associated with renal scarring if the urinary diversion wasanatomically intact. (J. Urol., 142:1201-1203, 1989)
Metabolic characteristics of multiparous Angus and Brahman cows grazing in the Chihuahuan Desert.

Understanding metabolic differences between breeds of cattle is important when selecting for production in semiarid environments. Spring-calving multiparous Angus and Brahman cows (n = 8/breed) grazing in the Chihuahuan Desert were used to evaluate metabolic hormone status in February (i.e., 3rd trimester of pregnancy), May (i.e., early lactation), and September (i.e., late lactation) 2000. Crude protein in ruminal digesta collected from grazing companion ruminally cannulated cows during these months was 5.6, 6.0, and 10.3%, respectively. Angus cows were heavier (P 0.7 ± 0.1, P 0.70 ± 0.1 ng/mL; P < 0.05), and serum concentrations of insulin were greater (P < 0.01) in Brahman than Angus cows throughout the study. Brahman cows also had greater (P < 0.01) serum concentrations of glucose during February and May than Angus cows. Serum concentrations of triiodothyronine were greatest (P < 0.01) during September and lowest during February and May in both breed groups and were greater (P < 0.01) in Brahman than in Angus cows in February, May, and September. Pregnancy rate and 205-d adjusted weaning weights were similar (P ≥ 0.46) among breed groups. Results suggest that Brahman and Angus cows are sensitive to the seasonal dynamics of forage quality in the Chihuahuan Desert. Brahman cattle appear to have greater concentrations of metabolic hormones and metabolites than Angus cows in this environment, but Angus cows experience greater fluctuations in BW.
Permeability of natural and simulated fracture patterns

Abstract A model based on the resistor network method is used to determine the permeability of two examples of natural, two dimensional tectonic fracture patterns. This type of model has, in the past, been most frequently applied to problems within material science. In the model, individual fractures are discretized along a grid containing up to 400 × 400 nodes. For each grid size, checks are performed to ensure that the intersection properties of the fracture pattern are preserved. The permeability of the whole pattern in the direction of the pressure gradient is determined from the total flow through the network. By applying the model to the fracture patterns in varying orientations, a picture of the directional permeability is constructed. Using the model, the effects of varying fracture aperture and matrix permeability on the permeability of the fracture patterns as a whole are investigated. The two patterns were found to show very different permeability characteristics and this is discussed in terms of the properties of their geometry such as connectivity and the nature of fracture intersections. It is concluded that permeability is a function of the number of fracture sets and the nature of fracture intersections as well as fracture density. Three methods of simulating the natural patterns are investigated and the resulting patterns are analysed for permeability using the model. The simulations are constructed to have the same fracture density (defined as the total fracture length per unit area) as the natural pattern. The results are compared with those obtained from the natural fracture patterns as a measure of the simulation goodness. Good fits were found only at low fracture to matrix permeability ratios and become progressively worse as this ratio increases, most markedly in the direction of maximum permeability. Both over- and underestimation of the permeability occurs. The discrepancies are discussed in terms of the differing geometries of the natural and simulated patterns.
A rational choice perspective on the targets of automobile theft

This paper applies the concept of choice structuring properties to the study of why certain models of automobile are at higher risk of theft than others. Official and automobile industry data from the USA were used to produce three indices ranking 121 models according to (1) risk of theft for stripping of parts; (2) theft for temporary use; and (3) theft for permanent retention, resale or chopping. Important differences were found among the top-ranking models in each index: those in (1) were predominantly German-made cars with good audio equipment; in (2) were sporty, American-made vehicles; and in (3) were a mix of very expensive high-performance and less expensive foreign sports cars. These differences were explicable in terms of each model's choice structuring properties relating to the three broad categories of security, availability and attractiveness for theft. While the results underline the need to take account of specific theft motives when designing prevention strategies, it was concluded that further research to elucidate the relationship between motive and target choice is needed.
Factor XIII Supports Metastatic Potential through a Mechanism Coupled to Natural Killer Cell Function.

Abstract Interplay between the hemostatic and innate immune systems appears to be an important determinant of tumor metastasis. Studies of mice with selected hemostatic and/or immunological deficits have been particularly revealing, and indicate that platelets and fibrinogen support metastatic potential in part by impeding the clearance of newly formed micrometastases by natural killer (NK) cells. A key step in the formation of stable platelet/fibrin thrombi is the fXIII-mediated cross-linking of fibrin matrices. In order to examine the role of fXIII in tumor dissemination in detail, we studied tumor growth and metastasis in gene-targeted mice lacking the catalytic fXIII-A subunit (fXIII−/−). Comparative analyses of experimental lung metastases in immunocompetent fXIII−/− and wild-type mice showed that elimination of fXIII diminished the metastatic potential of both Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) and B16-BL6 melanoma cells 5- to 10-fold. Loss of fXIII activity also significantly diminished tumor cell metastatic potential in spontaneous metastasis assays in which lung and liver lesions were quantified ∼2 weeks after resection of primary subcutaneous tumors. These differences were not the result of any genotype-dependent difference in tumor growth, as tumors transplanted into the dorsal subcutis of fXIII−/− and control mice grew at similar rates. In order to determine if fXIII was coupled to metastasis by a mechanism linked to NK cell function, we compared the early fate/survival of radiolabeled LLC cells in cohorts of fXIII−/− and wild-type mice pretreated with either an anti-asialo GM1 antibody known to deplete NK cells or control Ig. Here, the residual radiolabel present within lungs, blood and abdominal organs was measured 30 minutes or 26 hours after injection. Neither loss of fXIII nor NK cells had any impact on the initial localization of tumor cells within the lungs. The majority of the inoculum (∼90%) was present in the lungs 30 minutes after intravenous inoculation, with only scant amounts present in the other organs evaluated, regardless of mouse genotype or antibody treatment. Twenty-six hours after injection, fXIII deficiency resulted in a significant diminution in the apparent number of tumor cells remaining in the lungs in mice with intact NK cells. However, in mice immunologically depleted of NK cells, fXIII ceased to be a determinant of early tumor cell survival. These analyses identify fXIII as a significant determinant of metastatic potential and indicate that at least one mechanism whereby fXIII increases metastatic success is by impeding NK cell-mediated clearance of tumor cells. Given that these findings closely parallel previous observations made in fibrinogen-deficient mice, an attractive but still unproven model is that fXIII-mediated stabilization of fibrin/platelet aggregates associated with newly-formed micrometastases increases tumor cell survival in large part by limiting NK cell function. These studies also suggest that therapeutic strategies directed at fXIII might be useful in limiting malignant disease.
Transient power minimization through datapath scheduling in multiple supply voltage environment

In designs for battery driven portable applications, the reduction of peak power, peak power differential, average power and energy are equally important. In (S. P. Mohanty et al, Proc. of Intl. Conf on VLSI Design, p.539-545, 2003), a parameter called the "cycle power profile function " (CPF) is defined that captures the above power parameters and a heuristic algorithm is proposed using multiple voltages and dynamic clocking for its minimization. In this paper, we redefine the CPF denoted as CPFMC for multiple voltages and multicycling (MVMC). Then, we modify the nonlinear CPFMC to facilitate its minimization using ILP through datapath scheduling. Experiments conducted for various high level synthesis benchmarks reveal significant reductions in all power parameters.
A Faith Development/Self-Development Model for Pastoral Assessment:

Details and recommends an assessment model based on the faith development theory of James Fowler and the self development theory of Robert Kegan. Provides pastoral diagnostic criteria in the areas ...
Impact of the Brain Injury Family Intervention (BIFI) training on rehabilitation providers: A mixed methods study.

Background The psychological impact of TBI is vast, leading to adverse effects on survivors and their caregivers. Unhealthy family functioning may be mitigated by therapeutic strategies, particularly interdisciplinary family systems approaches like the well-documented Brain Injury Family Intervention (BIFI). Little is known about the experience of providers who offer such interventions. Objective This mixed methods study aims to demonstrate that a structured three-day training on the BIFI protocol improves providers' knowledge and confidence in working with survivors and families, and that this outcome is sustainable. Methods Participants were 34 providers who participated in an intensive training and completed a web-based survey at four points of time. Quantitative data were analyzed via Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and binomial test of proportions. Qualitative data were analyzed according to rigorous coding procedures. Results Providers' knowledge of brain injury and their ability to conceptualize treatment models for survivors and their families increased significantly and mostly remain consistent over time. Qualitative data point to additional gains, such as understanding of family systems. Conclusions Past studies quantify the BIFI as an evidence-based intervention. This study supports the effectiveness of training and serves as first to demonstrate the benefit for providers short- and long-term.
JACC: Heart Failure Series: FDA in the 21st Century: Focus on Nutrition and Heart Failure Prevention.

In recent years, there has been increased recognition of the critical need to improve dietary habits of the general U.S. population as the number of adults with obesity has grown in tandem with the burden of diseases influenced by diet. There is a direct relationship among obesity and hypertension,
Posttraumatic stress, depression and social support among college students after Hurricane Andrew.

A survey of 220 college students conducted one month after Hurricane Andrew hit Southern Florida included an impact assessment, the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors, the Reaction Index, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Inventory (CES-D), the State/Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a Pre-/Posthurricane Stressorsand Hassles Survey. StUdents who reported having experienced the most severe impact damage from the storm also reported having experienced the most stress, anxiety, and depr.essive symptoms. Nearly half of the students who sustained high damage to their dwellings could be classified as depressed .. Regression analyses revealed that material and emotional social support were significant predictors of anxiety and depression scores after the storm.
Modelling of cutting block cut surface at faceted surfaces machining using planetary gear set

The article resolved the relevant problem to assign process parameters for polygonal turning machining ensuring the component has its pre-set characteristics. To accomplish this, the authors modelled the machining process and described the cut surface formed by the cutter block edge during machining.
The “normalized radical” of the ℳ-set

A “normalized radical” ℛ of the ℳ-set is defined as the shape that satisfies exactly all the self-similarity properties that hold approximately for the molecules of the ℳ-set of the quadratic map. Explicit constructions show that the complement of ℛ is a σ-lune, and prove that the ℛ-set does not self-overlap. The fractal dimension D of the boundary of ℛ is shown to satisfy \( \sum\nolimits_2^\infty {\Phi (n){n^{ - 2D}} = 1} \), where Φ(n) is Euler’s number-theoretic function.
Treatment patterns for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) progressing after up-front docetaxel in combination with androgen deprivation therapy (D-ADT).

305Background: D-ADT increases overall survival (OS) in men with mHSPC. All patients (pts) however progress and develop castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Little is known about response to subsequent therapy and outcomes in this setting. Methods: Retrospective analysis of consecutive mHSPC pts treated with ≥3 cycles of D-ADT at Cleveland Clinic and University of Wisconsin-Madison. We aimed to describe baseline, progression characteristics, treatment choices, sequence and outcome of subsequent therapy. Results: A total of 146 mHSPC pts were treated with D-ADT (6% 1-2 cycles; 94% ≥3 cycles). Final analysis included 136 pts, median age 65 (range 35-86), 65% GS≥8, 79% high-volume disease. Median number of D cycles was 6 (1-6). PSA declined to “0” at 12 and 24 months in 32% and 25% of pts, respectively. Median time to CRPC (biochemical, clinical or radiographic) was 19.6 months (95% CI, 16.6-22.6). 57 pts (42%) received ≥1 subsequent treatment after CRPC [46 hormonal therapy (HT) (21 abiraterone acet...
Recent advances in the discovery and development of factor XI/XIa inhibitors

Factor XIa (FXIa) is a serine protease homodimer that belongs to the intrinsic coagulation pathway. FXIa primarily catalyzes factor IX activation to factor IXa, which subsequently activates factor X to factor Xa in the common coagulation pathway. Growing evidence suggests that FXIa plays an important role in thrombosis with a relatively limited contribution to hemostasis. Therefore, inhibitors targeting factor XI (FXI)/FXIa system have emerged as a paradigm-shifting strategy so as to develop a new generation of anticoagulants to effectively prevent and/or treat thromboembolic diseases without the life-threatening risk of internal bleeding. Several inhibitors of FXI/FXIa proteins have been discovered or designed over the last decade including polypeptides, active site peptidomimetic inhibitors, allosteric inhibitors, antibodies, and aptamers. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), which ultimately reduce the hepatic biosynthesis of FXI, have also been introduced. A phase II study, which included patients undergoing elective primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty, revealed that a specific FXI ASO effectively protects patients against venous thrombosis with a relatively limited risk of bleeding. Initial findings have also demonstrated the potential of FXI/FXIa inhibitors in sepsis, listeriosis, and arterial hypertension. This review highlights various chemical, biochemical, and pharmacological aspects of FXI/FXIa inhibitors with the goal of advancing their development toward clinical use.
An Aberrant Microbiota is not Strongly Associated with Incidental Colonic Diverticulosis

Colonic diverticula are protrusions of the mucosa through weak areas of the colonic musculature. The etiology of diverticulosis is poorly understood, but could be related to gut bacteria. Using mucosal biopsies from the sigmoid colon of 226 subjects with and 309 subjects without diverticula during first-time screening colonoscopy, we assessed whether individuals with incidental colonic diverticulosis have alternations in the adherent bacterial communities in the sigmoid colon. We found little evidence of substantial associations between the microbial community and diverticulosis among cases and controls. Comparisons of bacterial abundances across all taxonomic levels showed differences for phylum Proteobacteria (p = 0.038) and family Comamonadaceae (p = 0.035). The r-squared values measuring the strength of these associations were very weak, however, with values ~2%. There was a similarly small association between the abundance of each taxa and total diverticula counts. Cases with proximal only diverticula and distal only diverticula likewise showed little difference in overall microbiota profiles. This large study suggests little association between diverticula and the mucosal microbiota overall, or by diverticula number and location. We conclude that the mucosal adherent microbiota community composition is unlikely to play a substantial role in development of diverticulosis.
Decreasing Waiting Times with Human and Equipment Resources: Study of the Labor and Delivery Department with the use of Computer Simulation

This paper uses computer simulation to empirically test the sensitivity of a hospital labor and delivery department to the changing factor levels of human and equipment resources. Incremental human and equipment resources are tested to determine if human resources or equipment resources affect total average patient waiting times in the system as well as to whether the effects of each types of resources are equal or similar. Fractional factorial analysis is then used to construct an experiment whereby human and equipment resources are added simultaneously to determine if optimal interactions may be identified. ANOVA is used to identify these interactions and determine if the combination of human and equipment resources has the ability to reduce waiting times. As the climate of the healthcare industry changes with regulations, human and equipment resource management proves to be an important role in hospital design and patient comfort.
Nurturing Creativity in the Micro-moments of the Classroom

I vividly recall, as a new classroom teacher, trying to find ways to incorporate creative learning activities into my teaching. I tried everything, including: mocktrials, simulations, skits, student presentations, and alternative ways for students to represent their knowledge (e.g., drawings, animations).
Bioconjugated radioactive gold nanoparticles and their in vivo targeting abilities in small animal models

1863 Objectives: There is continued interest in the development of radioactive gold nanoparticles for tumor therapy. Strategies to generate bioconjugated 198Au nanoparticles would provide attractive prospects for targeted tumor therapy. The objectives of the present study are: (i) Design and development of radioactive gold size specific nanoparticles, (ii) Surface conjugation of radioactive gold nanoparticles to biomolecules such as carbohydrates and proteins, and (iii) Investigation of their in vivo targeting abilities in mice model. Toward these objectives, we have focused our efforts on the development and generation of 198Au-nanoparticles bioconjugated with carbohydrates and glyco protein. Methods: Our approach for generation and stabilization of 198Au-nanoparticles (198AuNPs) is based on the utility of trimeric phosphinoamino acid compound as reducing agents. Results from preliminary studies demonstrated that interaction of catalytic amount of trimeric aminoacid with 198AuCl4- in desired biomolecular matrices results in the generation of 198AuNPs. In vitro stability studies indicate that glycoprotein matrix provides superior stability than carbohydrates. It is well known that Glycoprotein molecules have receptors in liver. Therefore, glycoprotein conjugated 198AuNPs are expected to localize in liver, if they do not disintegrate under in vivo conditions. Indeed, biodistribution studies were performed in mice model and provided evidence for localization of 198Au in liver. Results: Interaction of trimeric phosphino aminoacid (10-8 M) with 198AuCl4- (1-5 mCi) at 250C in biomolecules (carbohydrates or glycoprotein) produced 198AuNPs. UV-Visible spectra showed plasmon resonance at 540 nm corresponding to the formation of 198AuNPs. The non radioactive AuNPs, generated under similar conditions, were characterized by electron microscopy measurements. Size of the AuNPs are varied between 10 -15 nm. The new glycoprotein-198AuNPs, under phyiological conditions, demonstrated excellent stability over 24 hour time periods. Therefore, glycoprotein-198AuNPs may be used as target vectors for delivering 198Au to desired organ or sites in vivo. Indeed, in vivo biodistribution studies showed significant localization of 198AuNPs in liver. Conclusions: Future work will include bioconjugation of tumor-avid proteins and peptides to 198AuNPs of various different sizes and evaluation of in vivo targeting abilities, toward the overall goal of developing high affinity nanoparticles for tumor therapy. Research Support (if any): R01-CA-05-026-Cancer Nanotechnology Platform from the National Cancer Institute.
Sleep-dependent enhancement of emotional memory in early childhood.

Naps in early childhood support declarative memory consolidation. However, emotional memories are unique in the neural basis of encoding as well as the sleep physiology underlying consolidation. Specifically, while consolidation of declarative memories has been associated with slow wave sleep, a prevailing theory suggests that REM sleep is necessary for consolidation of memories with emotional valence. Thus, we presented children (34–64 months) with faces paired with mean or nice descriptions. There were no significant main effects of emotional valence on recognition memory. Change in memory accuracy also did not differ when probed after a nap compared to the change in memory accuracy after an interval awake. However, when memory was probed again following overnight sleep, the change in memory accuracy was greater if the child napped the previous day. Greater nap slow wave activity was associated with greater memory decay during the nap. Yet nap slow wave activity also predicted greater overnight improvement in memory. These results suggest that sleep bouts can interact to benefit memory in early childhood.
A human-environmental network model for assessing coastal mitigation decisions informed by imperfect climate studies

Abstract A Bayesian network model is developed to explore the interaction between physical and social processes that influence mitigation decisions and outcomes for extreme events. The network includes statistical relationships for event occurrence and magnitude; uncertainty in the parameters of these models; a high degree of variability in the sequence of events that occurs in any given time interval, and the possibility of long-term trends in the frequency, magnitude and impact of events. The model is applied to coastal storm surge events in the New York City (NYC) area. A 50 cm increase in sea level is predicted to approximately double the expected cumulative damage over a 40-year period. A 20% increment in storm frequency yields a further predicted increase of about 18% in the cumulative damage. The uncertainties in long-term trends associated with climate change may be reduced by scientific studies. However the value of this information is affected both by study accuracy and the extent of its trust, acceptance and utilization by decision makers. Implications of this are assessed in the model, showing that the probability of regret is notably reduced when climate study results are used to support mitigation decisions. This is demonstrated even when the studies have relatively low accuracy, moreso when they exhibit good or perfect accuracy. Based on model insights and limitations, further research needs are identified to better understand extreme event risk perception and management in coupled human-environmental systems.
Flexibility In Vitro of Amino Acid 226 in the Receptor-Binding Site of an H9 Subtype Influenza A Virus and Its Effect In Vivo on Virus Replication, Tropism, and Transmission.

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) remain a significant public health threat, causing more than 300,000 hospitalizations in the United States during the 2015–2016 season alone. While only a few IAVs of avian origin have been associated with human infections, the ability of these viruses to cause zoonotic infections further increases the public health risk of influenza. Of these, H9N2 viruses in Asia are of particular importance as they have contributed internal gene segments to other emerging zoonotic IAVs. Notably, recent H9N2 viruses have acquired molecular markers that allow for a transition from avian-like to human-like terminal sialic acid (SA) receptor recognition via a single amino acid change at position 226 (H3 numbering), from glutamine (Q226) to leucine (L226), within the hemagglutinin (HA) receptor-binding site (RBS). We sought to determine the plasticity of amino acid 226 and the biological effects of alternative amino acids on variant viruses. We created a library of viruses with the potential of having any of the 20 amino acids at position 226 on a prototypic H9 HA subtype IAV. We isolated H9 viruses that carried naturally occurring amino acids, variants found in other subtypes, and variants not found in any subtype at position 226. Fitness studies in quails revealed that some natural amino acids conferred an in vivo replication advantage. This study shows the flexibility of position 226 of the HA of H9 influenza viruses and the resulting effect of single amino acid changes on the phenotype of variants in vivo and in vitro. IMPORTANCE A single amino acid change at position 226 in the hemagglutinin (HA) from glutamine (Q) to leucine (L) has been shown to play a key role in receptor specificity switching in various influenza virus HA subtypes, including H9. We tested the flexibility of amino acid usage and determined the effects of such changes. The results reveal that amino acids other than L226 and Q226 are well tolerated and that some amino acids allow for the recognition of both avian and human influenza virus receptors in the absence of other changes. Our results can inform better avian influenza virus surveillance efforts as well as contribute to rational vaccine design and improve structural molecular dynamics algorithms.
Learners’ Needs Satisfaction, Classroom Climate, and Situational Motivations: Evaluating Self-Determination Theory in an Engineering Context

This work-in-progress study examines connections among classroom climate, psychological needs satisfaction, and motivations in a college course setting. According to self-determination theory (SDT), positive forms of motivation arise when people experience a sense of competence, relatedness, and autonomy. In learning settings, these three basic psychological needs are satisfied when students feel a sense of efficacy and mastery; a supportive connection to others; and choice and control. Research illustrates that instructors play an important role in creating environments that support these three needs through their pedagogical choices, interactive style, and classroom culture and climate setting. In this study, we explore relationships among students’ needs satisfaction, perceptions of the learning climate, and situational motivations. Participants in the study are first-year undergraduate engineering students enrolled in a technical course that uses non-traditional pedagogies to integrate math, science, and engineering. Student responses to the Situational Motivation Scale, Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction scale, and Learning Climate Questionnaire are analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, and bivariate correlations. Consistent with SDT predictions, our findings show that students’ needs satisfaction and positive evaluations of the learning climate correlate positively to autonomous motivations. We also observe that students’ positive motivations are not entirely temporally stable. Over a one-week period in a course project, students report a significant drop in positive motivations followed by a quick recovery. Using information on the course context and assignments, we offer possible explanations for the temporal shifts in motivations. Our preliminary findings highlight important connections between motivations and course variables that instructors may influence through their choice of learning activities and pedagogies.
Reading the word in a foreign tongue: Islam’s scripture and non-Arab Muslims†

Observant Muslims strive to live in accordance with the teachings of our scripture, the Qur’ān. However, the vast majority of Muslims is neither literate nor Arab and cannot understand Arabic, the ...
NMD Takes the Immune Road to NDD.

Proper mRNA quality control prevents immune activation; when it goes awry, mice and flies develop abnormal behavioral phenotypes. In this issue of Neuron, Johnson et al. (2019) report that inhibiting nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) contributes to the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) phenotypes by triggering aberrant immune activation.
Properties of pellets of torrefied U.S. waste blends

With the continued growing U.S. population, solid waste generation will increase, which will lead to undesired and significant growth in landfilling. Thermal treatment can turn these high calorific value wastes into fuels that can be used in small-to-large power plants. This article focuses on using blends with 40% plastic and 60% fiber wastes and converting them into densified solid fuel by torrefaction and extrusion. The material was torrefied at 300 °C to obtain torrefied samples with different mass losses, ranging from 0% to a maximum of 51%. The torrefaction results showed a clear synergy between plastics and fibers. The torrefied material was then extruded into 9 mm diameter rods and the products were characterized by molecular functional group analysis, thermomechanical analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, dynamic rheological measurement, density measurement, flexural testing, water absorption test, size distribution measurement, heat content test, and combustion test. The fiber content in the material decreased as mass loss increased, and the process reduced significantly the variability of the material. The heat content increased as the mass loss increased. The plastic in the feedstock acted as a process enabler as it imparted properties like bindability, water resistance, high heat content, and increased degradation reaction rate.
Demographic considerations in analyzing decedents by usual occupation.

BACKGROUND Public health research uses decedents' usual industry and occupation (I&O) from US death certificates to assess mortality incidence and risk factors. Of necessity, such research may exclude decedents with insufficient I&O information, and assume death certificates reflect current (at time of death) I&O. This study explored the demographic implications of such research conditions by describing usual occupation and current employment status among decedents by demographic characteristics in a large multistate data set. METHODS Death certificate occupations classified by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) (ie, compensated occupation) and other categories (eg, student) for 36 507 decedents (suicide, homicide, other, undetermined intent) age 22+ years from the 2016 National Violent Death Reporting System's (NVDRS) 32 US states were analyzed. Decedents not employed at the time of death (eg, laid off) were identified through nondeath certificate NVDRS data sources (eg, law enforcement reports). RESULTS Female decedents, younger (age < 30 years) male decedents, some non-White racial group decedents, less educated decedents, and undetermined intent death decedents were statistically less likely to be classified by SOC based on death certificates-primarily due to insufficient information. Decedents classified by SOC from death certificates but whose non-death certificate data indicated no employment at the time of death were more often 30+ years old, White, less educated, died by suicide, or had nonmanagement occupations. CONCLUSIONS Whether decedents have classifiable occupations from death certificates may vary by demographic characteristics. Research studies that assess decedents by usual I&O can identify and describe how any such demographic trends may affect research results on particular public health topics.
Primary Prevention of Obesity: Moving Towards an Active Learning Model

The current review focuses on the importance of primary prevention of obesity in youth. In several elementary school programs such as Texas I-Can and the Physical Activity Across the Curriculum initiatives, physical activities are integrated into the academic lessons to help offset sedentary time during seated learning while also increasing academic performance. The purpose of such programs is to attenuate gains in body mass index and adiposity while increasing physical activity levels. In some cases, increases in physical activity were translated to after-school and weekend activities. In other cases, improvements in time on task and academic courses were also observed. In schools monitoring BMI, those increasing physical activity levels > 75 min/wk evidenced significant decreases in BMI. At the middle school level, programs such as Planet Health and another novel middle school curriculum in the sciences, resulted in beneficial changes in health behaviors and metabolic risk factors. These changes were accompanied by decreases in adiposity, particularly in girls. In the most recent translational health in nutrition and kinesiology (THINK) program, a stand-alone curriculum featuring hands-on clinical experiences rooted in STEM education, resulted in significant gains in physical fitness and curricular-based knowledge with favorable but non-significant decreases in adiposity. These studies illustrate the importance of implementing innovative programs that may increase academic performance while also empowering students to increase physical activity and improve metabolic health, both of which are often accompanied by favorable reductions in adiposity. Physically active interventions that are integrated into the academic curriculum may be the best direction to take in the primary prevention of obesity. More randomized clinical trials are needed to determine the extent to which such active interventions significantly reduce adiposity in youth.
Visible-Light-Enhanced Cobalt-Catalyzed Hydrogenation: Switchable Catalysis Enabled by Divergence between Thermal and Photochemical Pathways

The catalytic hydrogenation activity of the readily prepared, coordinatively saturated cobalt(I) precatalyst, (R,R)-(iPrDuPhos)Co(CO)2H ((R,R)-iPrDuPhos = (+)-1,2-bis[(2R,5R)-2,5-diisopropylphospho...
Proj4X: Diversifying Data Science Course Projects by Student Background and Interests

A key challenge to a data science program is how to tailor its curriculum to accommodate the needs and interests of students with diverse backgrounds. To address this challenge, we propose Proj4X, a model for diversifying the topics and structures of course projects based on student background and interests. Our study shows that the model can greatly foster the collaboration among the students and motivate them in acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills for solving a great variety of real-world problems ranging from COVID-19, CO2 emission, to wildlife diversity.
DPPX autoimmune encephalitis presenting with chronic diarrhea, multidirectional nystagmus, opsoclonus and prominent hyperekplexia (5154)

Objective: To highlight the classical clinical features and diagnostic challenges associated with Dipeptidyl peptidase like protein-6 (DPPX) encephalitis in a patient who was treated at Mayo Clinic Arizona. Background: Dipeptidyl-peptidase-like protein-6 (DPPX) autoimmune encephalitis (DPPX) is a rare autoimmune disorder. Diagnosis is often delayed due to its varied presenting features. Design/Methods: A case report Results: We present the case of a 48-year-old woman evaluated at our facility due to a 12 month history of multiple neurological complaints, protracted diarrhea, and 50-pound weight loss. Neurological symptoms included diplopia, slowed mentation, brain fog, tremors and an exaggerated startle response. Evaluation prior to presentation at our facility included upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopies, which were nonrevealing. Neurological evaluation at our facility revealed multidirectional nystagmus with a torsional component, upper and lower extremity tremulousness, and gait instability. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and spinal cord was normal. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis showed a mild lymphocytic pleocytosis with normal glucose and protein. Murine tissue-based indirect immunofluorescence assay of serum and CSF demonstrated a synaptic pattern of IgG binding characteristic of DPPX antibody (end-point dilution 1:15360 and 1:16 respectively), with confirmation by DPPX-specific cell-binding assay. This established a diagnosis of DPPX encephalitis. The patient was treated with 5 days of methylprednisolone and 7 cycles of therapeutic plasma exchange. This was then transitioned to rituximab infusions, which she continues to receive in the outpatient setting. One month after initiation of treatment, the patient reported significant symptomatic improvement. Conclusions: A diagnosis of DPPX autoimmune encephalitis should be considered in patients presenting with a chronic encephalitic syndrome of unclear etiology. Patients typically present with a triad of encephalitis, signs of CNS hyperexcitability and chronic diarrhea with or without weight loss. Disclosure: Dr. Arca has nothing to disclose. Dr. Abdallah has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gritsch has nothing to disclose. Dr. Blech has nothing to disclose. Dr. McKeon has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Grifols, Medimmune, and Euroimmun. Dr. McKeon has received royalty, license fees, or contractual rights payments from Pending patents: MAP1B, Kelch-like-protein 11, GFAP and MAP1B. Dr. McKeon has received research support from Medimmune, Euroimmun but has not received personal compensation.. Dr. Carter has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Alder Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Carter has received research support from MedDay Pharmaceuticals and Roche Pharmaceuticals.
County-Level Context and Sentence Lengths for Black, Latinx, and White Individuals Sentenced to Prison: A Multi-Level Assessment:

This article examines the relationship between race, ethnicity, county-level contextual variables, and sentence lengths for Black, Latinx, and White individuals sentenced to prison. Hierarchical li...
A prospective study of androgens and bone marrow transplantation for treatment of severe aplastic anemia

One hundred ten patients with severe aplastic anemia were entered into a prospective study. Forty-seven patients who had HIA-identical siblings were treated with marrow transplantation. Sixty-three patients without marrow donors were randomized to supportive care with oral androgen (27 patients). intramuscular androgen (23 patients). or no androgen (1 3 patients). The distributions of the survival times for the patients in the three nontransplantation arms of the study were not different. Transplanted patients had significantly better survival than nontransplanted patients (p 0.0002). Evaluation of prognostic factors for nontransplanted patients showed a better prognosis for patients with unknown etiology than for those with a probable etiology (p = 0.01 ). Also, patients with larger mean red blood cell volumes tended to live longer (p = 0.03). For patients given marrow transplants. significant prognostic fators were age (p 0.01 5) and sex (p 0.027). with better survival for younger male patients. Twenty-seven transplant recipients (57 % ) are alive; 5 have severe chronic graft-versus-host disease, and 22 (47 %) are living and well. Sixteen nontransplanted patients (25 % ) are alive; 3 continue to have severe disease, and 13 (21 %) are clinically well and no longer require transfusion support. As used in this study, androgens were of no value in the treatment of patients with severe aplastic anemia. If a suitable donor is available, marrow transplantation is clearly superior to conventional management. at least in younger patients. A PLASTIC ANEMIA is the name commonly used to describe the syndrome of marrow hypoplasia with pancytopenia. This disorder is associated with a variety of etiologic agents and, most probably, with several different pathogenic mechanisms. A wide range of therapeutic modalities has been employed in uncontrolled studies of treatment of patients with aplastic anemia, most notably corticosteroids, androgens, and splenectomy. The effectiveness of therapy for aplastic anemia is difficult to evaluate because of the variability in the course of the disease and because a few patients with severe aplastic anemia may experience spontaneous complete recovery. In recent years marrow transplantation has been introduced as a therapeutic option for the patient with severe aplastic anemia who has a histocompatible donor.
The function, and dysfunction, of information sources in learning functional programming

Programmers experienced in using imperative languages can increasingly benefit from also knowing how to use functional languages. However, even if programmers have already mastered general programming constructs such as types and recursion, actually expressing these in a functional language can be challenging. In this paper, we present an observational study investigating what information sources imperative programmers use when they encounter these problems, as well as how well different information sources enable them to overcome problems. By highlighting the central role that external information sources play as students learn functional programming, our results reveal opportunities for more effectively supporting the learning process.