cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An agent‐based movement model to assess the impact of landscape fragmentation on disease transmission

Landscape changes can result in habitat fragmentation and reduced landscape connectivity, limiting the ability of animals to move across space and altering infectious disease dynamics in wildlife. In this study, we develop and implement an agent-based model to assess the impacts of animal movement behavior and landscape structure on disease dynamics. We model a susceptible/infective disease state system applicable to the transmission of feline immunodeficiency virus in bobcats in the urbanized landscape of coastal southern California. Our agent-based model incorporates animal movement behavior, pathogen prevalence, transmission probability, and habitat fragmentation to evaluate how these variables influence disease spread in urbanizing landscapes. We performed a sensitivity analysis by simulating the system under 4200 different combinations of model parameters and evaluating disease transmission outcomes. Our model reveals that host movement behavior and response to landscape features play a pivotal role in determining how habitat fragmentation influences disease dynamics. Importantly, interactions among habitat fragmentation and movement had non-linear and counter-intuitive effects on disease transmission. For example, the model predicts that an intermediate level of non-habitat permeability and directionality will result in the highest rates of between-patch disease transmission. Agent-based models serve as computational laboratories that provide a powerful approach for quantitatively and visually exploring the role of animal behavior and anthropogenic landscape change on contacts among agents and the spread of disease. Such questions are challenging to study empirically given that it is difficult or impossible to experimentally manipulate actual landscapes and the animals and pathogens that move through them. Modeling the relationship between habitat fragmentation, animal movement behavior, and disease spread will improve understanding of the spread of potentially destructive pathogens through wildlife populations, as well as domestic animals and humans.
Dual role for phosphoinositides in regulation of yeast and mammalian phospholipase D enzymes

Phospholipase D (PLD) generates lipid signals that coordinate membrane trafficking with cellular signaling. PLD activity in vitro and in vivo is dependent on phosphoinositides with a vicinal 4,5-phosphate pair. Yeast and mammalian PLDs contain an NH2-terminal pleckstrin homology (PH) domain that has been speculated to specify both subcellular localization and regulation of PLD activity through interaction with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI[4,5]P2). We report that mutation of the PH domains of yeast and mammalian PLD enzymes generates catalytically active PI(4,5)P2-regulated enzymes with impaired biological functions. Disruption of the PH domain of mammalian PLD2 results in relocalization of the protein from the PI(4,5)P2-containing plasma membrane to endosomes. As a result of this mislocalization, mutations within the PH domain render the protein unresponsive to activation in vivo. Furthermore, the integrity of the PH domain is vital for yeast PLD function in both meiosis and secretion. Binding of PLD2 to model membranes is enhanced by acidic phospholipids. Studies with PLD2-derived peptides suggest that this binding involves a previously identified polybasic motif that mediates activation of the enzyme by PI(4,5)P2. By comparison, the PLD2 PH domain binds PI(4,5)P2 with lower affinity but sufficient selectivity to function in concert with the polybasic motif to target the protein to PI(4,5)P2-rich membranes. Phosphoinositides therefore have a dual role in PLD regulation: membrane targeting mediated by the PH domain and stimulation of catalysis mediated by the polybasic motif.
HDL-3 is a superior predictor of carotid artery disease in a case-control cohort of 1725 participants.

Background Recent data suggest that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are likely not in the causative pathway of atheroprotection, shifting focus from HDL-C to its subfractions and associated proteins. This study's goal was to determine which HDL phenotype was the better predictor of carotid artery disease (CAAD). Methods and Results HDL-2 and HDL-3 were measured in 1725 participants of European ancestry in a prevalent case-control cohort study of CAAD. Stratified analyses were conducted for men (n=1201) and women (n=524). Stepwise linear regression was used to determine whether HDL-C, HDL-2, HDL-3, or apolipoprotein A1 was the best predictor of CAAD, while adjusting for the confounders of censored age, diabetes, and current smoking status. In both men and women, HDL-3 was negatively associated with CAAD ( P =0.0011 and 0.033 for men and women, respectively); once HDL-3 was included in the model, no other HDL phenotype was significantly associated with CAAD. Addition of paraoxonase 1 activity to the aforementioned regression model showed a significant and independent (of HDL-3) association with CAAD in men ( P =0.001) but not in the smaller female subgroup. Conclusions This study is the first to contrast the associations of HDL-2 and HDL-3 with CAAD. We found that HDL-3 levels were more predictive of CAAD status than HDL-2, HDL-C, or apolipoprotein A1. In addition, for men, paraoxonase 1 activity improved the overall model prediction for CAAD independently and additively with HDL-3 levels. Further investigation into the molecular mechanisms through which HDL-3 is associated with protection from CAAD is warranted.
A discontinuous mispricing model under asymmetric information

We study a discontinuous mispricing model of a risky asset under asymmetric information where jumps in the asset price and mispricing are modelled by Levy processes. By contracting the filtration of the informed investor, we obtain optimal portfolios and maximum expected utilities for the informed and uninformed investors. We also discuss their asymptotic properties, which can be estimated using the instantaneous centralized moments of return. We find that optimal and asymptotic utilities are increased due to jumps in mispricing for the uninformed investor but the informed investor still has excess utility, provided there is not too little or too much mispricing.
An Honest Account of the Humbling Experience of Learning to Teach Online

The focus of this article is on lessons learned about teaching through the online environment from the experience of 120+ instructors who transitioned from teaching in a traditional face-to-face environment to a blended synchronous and asynchronous online world. We admit that we entered the synchronous virtual world with faulty assumptions and misplaced confidence, believing that what worked in the brick-andmortar world should also work, with little adaptation, in the virtual world. There continues to be so little literature about teaching in the synchronous virtual environment that we had to rely on our ability to learn quickly by trial and error.
Modification of radiation-induced intestinal injury in rats by chilling after irradiation.

SummaryChilling of the small intestine of the rat immediately after x-irradiation postponed depression of the mitotic count and degeneration of the crypt cells. Mitotic depression and cellular degeneration occurred, however, when the tissue was re-warmed. The effects of transient chilling at 18°c were essentially identical to those of chilling at 5°c. The inhibition of colchicine-induced metaphase arrest and of tritiated thymidine uptake in chilled crypt cells suggests that postponement of the signs of radiation injury resulted from suppression of metabolic activity and cell division at low temperature. Although there was some suggestion of reduced injury in the chilled tissues, the protective or recovery-promoting effectiveness of hypothermia remains to be established.
Identification of melanoma-specific alterations in cell surface glycosylation.

e19018 Background: Cell surface glycans, oligosaccharides present on proteins and lipids, play important roles in a range of biological processes. Our group recently reported on the role of aberran...
In vivo Studies of VEGFR2 Interactions in the Presence and Absence of VEGF

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2 (VEGFR2) is a receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) that is critical for vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. Enhanced VEGFR2 signaling is often correlated with malignancy. It has been shown that full-length VEGFR2 exists in a monomer-dimer equilibrium in the absence of bound VEGF. Thus, the canonical model of RTK activation does not seem to adequately describe the behavior of VEGFR2 in the cell membrane. In order to understand the role that VEGFR2 extracellular domain plays in unliganded dimerization in live cells, we utilize Fully Quantified Spectral Imaging (FSI) to probe the interactions of VEGFR2 mutant constructs with rationally truncated EC domains. In addition, we investigate the stoichiometry of ligand binding to VEGFR2 EC domain as a function of VEGF concentration and total receptor expression.
Sequential Controlled Atmosphere Treatments for Quarantine Control of Pacific Spider Mites (Acari: Tetranychidae)

The effect of sequential controlled atmosphere treatments on the mortality of Pacific spider mites, Tetranychus pacificus McGregor. was investigated. Shock treatments with 65, 80, or 95% CO 2 for 1, 2, or 3 d at 0°C were followed by an 18-d treatment at 0°C with air, 8% CO 2 in air, or 20% CO 2 /5% O 2 . Synergistic effects on arthropod mortality were generated by the combination of shock and follow-up treatments. Sequential treatment combinations of 1 d of 80% CO 2 + 18 d of 20% CO 2 /5% O 2 , 2 d of 80% CO 2 + 18 d of 8% CO 2 in air (19% O 2 ), and 3 d of 95% CO 2 + 18 d of air resulted in complete mortality of larvae, protonymphs, deutonymphs, and adults. These 3 sequential treatment combinations show potential for use as quarantine treatments. We hypothesize that the physiological damage to arthropods caused by a shock treatment cannot be repaired when the shock treatment is followed by a long-term mild treatment; rather, the damage is deepened gradually to an irreversible level at which the arthropods die.
MURDER ON THE BRAZOS: THE RELIGIOUS CONTEXT OF THE POPULIST REVOLT

In the 1880s and ‘90s, Waco, Texas, served as a trading center for the cotton districts of central Texas whose farmers gave rise to the Farmers’ Alliance and turned the region into a Populist hotbed. Waco was also known as the “City of Churches,” as it was the site of Baylor University and other efforts of evangelical churches to build up their institutions. What is less well known is that Waco and its rural environs were also hotbeds of religious heterodoxy. Waco's Iconoclast magazine became a lightning rod of conflict between the Baptists and their skeptical and liberal critics, a conflict that played out to a murderous conclusion. Historians have taken due note of the evangelical environment in which the Populist movement emerged in late nineteenth-century rural America. But in the process the notion of evangelical belief has been too often rendered static and total. The Baptist-Iconoclast conflict in Waco provides an entry point for a better understanding of the dynamic and conflicted nature of the religious context, and the influence of liberal and heterodox ideas within the communities that sustained the Populist cause.
Survey on the Efficacy of Hepatitis B Vaccine in Taishan City

Objective To analyze the changes of hepatitis B virus marker (HBVM) in children in Taishan city since the introduction of hepatitis B vaccine into the expanded program of immunization in 1992. Method Stratifications including two villages and 138 children were drawn out by the method of multistage stratified sampling. HBsAg?anti-HBc and anti-HBs in the blood samples were detected by SPEIA method. Result In 2002, the immunization rate in children of 1～14 years old was 81.88%. 68.88% of children received the three-dose Hb vaccination. Their age distribution was 1～9 (81.52%) and 10～14 (69.56%) years old. The positive rates of HBsAg, anti-HBc and infection rate of HBV in children were decreased from 21.09%, 53.91% and 57.81% in 1992 to 4.35%, 22.46% and 34.78% in 2002, respectively. For the children of age 1～9, the positive rates of HBsAg, anti-HBc and HBV were decreased from 18.95%, 42.48%,45.10% in 1992 to 2.17%, 15.22%, 29.35% in 2002, respectively. After HBV vaccination, the positive rates of anti-HBs in children of age 1～3 and 4～14 was 28.57%～55.56% and 69.81%,respectively. Conclusion Since the launching of hepatitis B immunization program in 1992, HBV infection rate has been decreasing evidently, and the positive rate of anti-HBs has been increasing obviously. And the society is benefit from this immunization program.
Non-enumerative Generation of Path Delay Distributions and Its Application to Critical Path Selection

A Monte Carlo-based approach is proposed capable of identifying in a non-enumerative and scalable manner the distributions that describe the delay of every path in a combinational circuit. Furthermore, a scalable approach to select critical paths from a potentially exponential number of path candidates is presented. Paths and their delay distributions are stored in Zero Suppressed Binary Decision Diagrams. Experimental results on some of the largest ISCAS-89 and ITC-99 benchmarks shows that the proposed method is highly scalable and effective.
Poisson regression analysis of additional strokes assessed at golf

We introduce Poisson regression to the golf context with a model of additional strokes assessed to finish the current hole. Data relate to every shot – taken by every player – in every round of the...
Harvest of crayfish as an ecosystem service of wetlands compared to production systems with planted forage

ABSTRACTCrayfish harvest as an ecosystem service of moist-soil wetlands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) was evaluated using estimates of crayfish yield and operational costs to create enterprise budgets. The average daily yield of crayfish was 2.13 lb/acre (95% CI = 1.19–3.00) and yield did not differ between wetlands dominated with Red Swamp Crayfish or White River Crayfish. Four hypothetical scenarios of harvest operations revealed annual costs associated with harvesting crayfish to be $163.89–370.75/acre. Although these costs were lower than estimated costs currently associated with harvesting crayfish from fields with planted forage in Louisiana ($749.96/acre), a three-fold reduction in crayfish yield (lb/trap/day) from moist-soil wetlands resulted in an increase in the break-even selling price from $1.25/lb in Louisiana to $1.70–$3.86/lb in the MAV. Although this enterprise will likely not compete with the Louisiana rice-crayfish industry, harvesting crayfish from moist-soil wetlands may con...
Toward a totally implantable artificial heart: Development status at Cleveland Clinic

My personal involvement with the United States’ National Institutes of Health (NIH) Artificial Heart Program began in April 1964, exactly 25 years ago. I had just joined Dr. Kolff’s team as head of the artificial heart research program at Cleveland Clinic, and at that time, it was the most comprehensive total artificial heart research program in the world. Dr. Michael DeBakey and Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz led two other major groups that were involved with artificial heart programs, but they were concentrating more on the left ventricular assist pump rather than on the total heart. At the beginning of that year and with Dr. DeBakey’s persuasion to President Lyndon B. Johnson, the NIH Artificial Heart Program was initiated.
Microplastics are not important for the cycling and bioaccumulation of organic pollutants in the oceans—but should microplastics be considered POPs themselves?

The role of microplastic particles in the cycling and bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is discussed. Five common concepts, sometimes misconceptions, about the role of microplastics are reviewed. While there is ample evidence that microplastics accumulate high concentrations of POPs, this does not result in microplastics being important for the global dispersion of POPs. Similarly, there is scant evidence that microplastics are an important transfer vector of POPs into animals, but possibly for plastic additives (flame retardants). Last, listing microplastics as POPs could help reduce their environmental impact. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:460-465. © 2017 SETAC.
Statistical Background of Kappa Distributions: Connection With Nonextensive Statistical Mechanics

Classical particle systems reside at thermal equilibrium with their velocity distribution function stabilized into a Maxwell distribution. On the contrary, collisionless and correlated particle systems, such as space plasmas, are characterized by a non-Maxwellian behavior, typically described by the so-called kappa distributions. Empirical kappa distributions have become increasingly widespread across space and plasma physics. However, a breakthrough in the field came with the connection of kappa distributions with the solid background of nonextensive statistical mechanics. Understanding the statistical origin of kappa distributions is a cornerstone of further theoretical developments and applications, which, among others, involve (1) the physical meaning of temperature, thermal pressure, and other thermodynamic parameters; (2) the physical meaning of the kappa index and its connection to the degrees of freedom and their correlation; (3) the Sackur–Tetrode entropy for kappa distributions; (4) the multiparticle description of kappa distributions; and (5) the kappa distribution of a Hamiltonian with a nonzero radial or angular potential. With the results provided in this study, the full strength and capability of nonextensive statistical mechanics are available for the space physics community to analyze and understand the kappa-like properties of the various particle and energy distributions observed in space.
Cobalt-Catalyzed Stereoretentive Hydrogen Isotope Exchange of C(sp3)-H Bonds.

Cobalt dialkyl complexes bearing α-diimine ligands proved to be active precatalysts for the nondirected, C(sp3)–H selective hydrogen isotope exchange (HIE) of alkylarenes using D2 gas as the deuterium source. Alkylarenes with a variety of substitution patterns and heteroatom substituents on the arene ring were successfully labeled, enabling high levels of incorporation into primary, secondary, and tertiary benzylic C(sp3)–H bonds. In some cases, the HIE proceeded with high diastereoselectivity and application of the cobalt-catalyzed method to enantioenriched substrates with benzylic stereocenters provided enantioretentive hydrogen isotope exchange at tertiary carbons.
Evidence for cross-hemispheric preconditioning in experimental Parkinson’s disease

Dopamine loss and motor deficits in Parkinson’s disease typically commence unilaterally and remain asymmetric for many years, raising the possibility that endogenous defenses slow the cross-hemispheric transmission of pathology. It is well-established that the biological response to subtoxic stress prepares cells to survive subsequent toxic challenges, a phenomenon known as preconditioning, tolerance, or stress adaptation. Here we demonstrate that unilateral striatal infusions of the oxidative toxicant 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) precondition the contralateral nigrostriatal pathway against the toxicity of a second 6-OHDA infusion in the opposite hemisphere. 6-OHDA-induced loss of dopaminergic terminals in the contralateral striatum was ablated by cross-hemispheric preconditioning, as shown by two independent markers of the dopaminergic phenotype, each measured by two blinded observers. Similarly, loss of dopaminergic somata in the contralateral substantia nigra was also abolished, according to two blinded measurements. Motor asymmetries in floor landings, forelimb contacts with a wall, and spontaneous turning behavior were consistent with these histological observations. Unilateral 6-OHDA infusions increased phosphorylation of the kinase ERK2 and expression of the antioxidant enzyme CuZn superoxide dismutase in both striata, consistent with our previous mechanistic work showing that these two proteins mediate preconditioning in dopaminergic cells. These findings support the existence of cross-hemispheric preconditioning in Parkinson’s disease and suggest that dopaminergic neurons mount impressive natural defenses, despite their reputation as being vulnerable to oxidative injury. If these results generalize to humans, Parkinson’s pathology may progress slowly and asymmetrically because exposure to a disease-precipitating insult induces bilateral upregulation of endogenous defenses and elicits cross-hemispheric preconditioning.
Asian American Art for the People

This chapter offers an overview of the work of Chinese American artist Nancy Hom, very active in political circles since the 1970s in the Bay Area. Drawing from an original interview, the author explores the way in which the 1960s politics, and the Asian American movement specifically, shaped Hom’s identification with Asian Americanness as an emerging political formation and radicalized community. New insights about the San Francisco scene, especially the Kearny Street Workshop and the legendary I-Hotel struggle, give a sense of the cross-pollination among artists, activists, feminists, Maoists, people of color and working-class immigrants of various Asian communities—a unique environment that gave strength to the Asian American movement in the Bay Area.
Human Rights as Cultural Globalisation: The Rise of Human Rights in Textbooks, 1890–2013

Human rights education (HRE) is now a much-lauded component of education worldwide but this was not always the case. In this chapter we briefly review HRE’s rise to international prominence and how it evolved to become a facet of mainstream curricula and education. We then proceed to provide an overview of common theoretical and methodological approaches as well as central themes in academic scholarship on HRE, with particular emphasis on school textbooks. Towards the end of the chapter, we turn to an under-studied aspect of the HRE phenomenon and a promising area for future research, namely, why HRE has become so prevalent worldwide. To this end, we present new empirical evidence documenting the expansion of human rights discussions in textbooks around the world throughout the course of the twentieth century.
Dissecting Key Adaptation Traits in the Polyploid Perennial Medicago sativa Using GBS-SNP Mapping.

Understanding key adaptation traits is crucial to developing new cultivars with broad adaptations. The main objective of this research is to understand the genetic basis of winter hardiness (WH) and fall dormancy (FD) in alfalfa and the association between the two traits. QTL analysis was conducted in a pseudo-testcross F1 population developed from two cultivars contrasting in FD (3010 with FD = 2 and CW 1010 with FD = 10). The mapping population was evaluated in three replications at two locations (Watkinsville and Blairsville, GA). FD levels showed low to moderate correlations with WH (0.22-0.57). Assessing dormancy in winter is more reliable than in the fall in southern regions with warm winters. The mapping population was genotyped using Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). Single dose allele SNPs (SDA) were used for constructing linkage maps. The parental map (CW 1010) consisted of 32 linkage groups spanning 2127.5 cM with 1377 markers and an average marker density of 1.5 cM/SNP. The maternal map (3010) had 32 linkage groups spanning 2788.4 cM with 1837 SDA SNPs with an average marker density of 1.5 cM/SNP. Forty-five (45) significant (P< 0.05) QTLs for FD and 35 QTLs for WH were detected on both male and female linkage maps. More than 75 % (22/28) of the dormancy QTL detected from the 3010 parent did not share genomic regions with WH QTLs and more than 70% (12/17) dormancy QTLs detected from CW 1010 parent were localized in different genomic regions than WH QTLs. These results suggest that the two traits have independent inheritance and therefore can be improved separately in breeding programs.
Photophysics and Photochemistry of NO on Ag(111), Cu(111), and Si(111)7 × 7

We have performed photon induced desorption (PID) from NO adsorbed on Ag(111), Cu(111), and Si(111)7 × 7 at 85 K in the wavelength region 250–800 nm by using Xe and Hg-Xe arc lamps in combination with a monochromator (P≤30 mWcm—2). The adsorption of NO on these surfaces and subsequent changes after irradiation were characterized by high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). On Ag(111), PID of NO and N2O have been observed from the NO saturated surface. On Cu(111), PID of both NO and N2O has also been observed. N2O is photosynthe-sized from photoinduced reactions. On Si(111)7 × 7, photon irradiation induces both desorption and dissociation of NO and photosynthesis of N2O. The N2O products partially desorb intact and partially dissociate into N2 and O, which leads to N2 desorption. PID of NO on Ag(111) and Cu(111) is state selective and occurs primarily for NO adsorbed in atop states. On Si(111)7 × 7, both atop and bridge bonded NO are photoactive. From the wavelength dependences of the PID, we suggest that the photoexcitation of the adsorbate (2πocc level) is the more important mechanism for Ag and Cu for photon energy≥3.4 eV; the substrate mediated process, however, is more dominant for Si.
Emil Kraepelin (1856–1926) Established the Kraepelinian Dichotomy and Schizophrenia but Then Reneged

Emil Kraepelin, a German psychiatrist, was a prolific writer. He began his training at the University of Leipzig. He became a professor of psychiatry, first in 1882 at the University of Tartu (then Dorpot) in what is today Estonia, then in Heidelberg in the 1890s, and later in Munich. At his first post, Kraepelin also became the director of an 80-bed university hospital where he observed and recorded in detail many patients’ behaviors, symptoms, family histories, and courses because he “… wanted to create a nosology that would provide a basis for successful prognosis, therapy and prevention” (Roelcke 1997). In 1908, he was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Gastrointestinal Lipomas: Computed Tomography

Publisher Summary The occurrence of lipomas in the gastrointestinal tract is uncommon. Reliable radiographic diagnosis of this benign neoplastic lesion and precise differentiation from other intestinal malignant tumors are important to avoid unnecessary surgery. This chapter discusses current imaging methods for gastrointestinal lipomas, particularly computed tomography (CT). To diagnose intestinal lipomas, CT is considered the imaging modality of choice. Because CT permits accurate differentiation between fat and other tissues, an intestinal lipoma can be definitively diagnosed using CT. For an optimal characterization of intestinal lipomas using CT, oral and intravenous iodinated contrast administration is recommended. A positive oral contrast agent increases the contrast between the fatty tumor and the intraluminal surrounding. For patients undergoing CT examination for a suspected lipoma of the sigmoid, additional administration of rectal contrast agent is recommended. The findings on CT are characterized by a homogeneous mass with absorption densities ranging between −80 and −120 Hounsfield Units. These tumors are associated with ulceration of the mucosa and the presence of basilar strands of nonfatty elements correlated histologically with prominent fibrovascular septa. Other imaging methods in diagnosing gastrointestinal lipomas include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), barium contrast studies, and endoscopy. Gastrointestinal lipomas have no malignant potential, and therefore surgery is only indicated in symptomatic patients or in lesions in which malignancy cannot be excluded. Patients with a submucosal mass detected on an endoscopic or upper gastrointestinal examination should undergo an abdominal CT examination since CT can specifically diagnose a lipoma.
Dietary curcumin supplementation does not alter peripheral blood mononuclear cell responses to exertional heat stress

Curcumin reduces gut barrier damage and plasma cytokine responses to exertional heat stress. However, the role of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) in this response remains unclear. This work investigated the effect of 3 days of 500 mg/day dietary curcumin supplementation on PBMC responses to exertional heat stress in non-heat acclimated humans. Eight participants ran (65% VO2max) for 60 min in an environmental chamber (37 °C/25% RH) two times (curcumin/placebo). Blood samples were collected pre, post, 1 h post, and 4 h post-exercise. PBMC were isolated from blood samples and the protein content of markers along the TLR4 signaling pathway (TLR4, MyD88, pNF-κB, NF-κB), indicators of cellular energy status (SIRT1 and p-AMPK), and mediators of cellular heat shock response (pHSF-1 and HSP70) were examined with Western blot. Data were analyzed with two-way (condition × time) RM-ANOVAs with Newman–Keuls post hocs. As compared to placebo, curcumin did not alter protein expression in PBMC (p > 0.05). However, in both study conditions at 1 h post-reductions were noted in TLR 4 (− 21.5%; p = 0.03), HSP70 (− 11.0%; p = 0.04), pAMPK (− 48.5%; p < 0.01), and SIRT1 (− 47.8%; p < 0.01). Remarkably, the ratio of pNF-κB to NF-κB was elevated in both conditions at this same timepoint (+ 75.4%; p = 0.02). Inflammatory protein expression in PBMC did not differ between curcumin and placebo conditions. Downregulation of pAMPK/SIRT1 and release of HSP70 to the bloodstream may compensate for reduced TLR4, allowing PBMC to maintain inflammatory capacity and preventing an “open window” during the hours following hyperthermic exercise.
P2X7 Receptor Antagonist A804598 Inhibits Inflammation in Brain and Liver in C57BL/6J Mice Exposed to Chronic Ethanol and High Fat Diet

Chronic low-grade neuroinflammation is increasingly implicated in organ damage caused by alcohol abuse. Purinergic P2X7 receptors (P2X7Rs) play an important role in the generation of inflammatory responses during a number of CNS pathologies as evidenced from studies using pharmacological inhibition approach. P2X7Rs antagonism has not been tested during chronic alcohol abuse. In the present study, we tested the potential of P2X7R antagonist A804598 to reduce/abolish alcohol-induced neuroinflammation using chronic intragastric ethanol infusion and high-fat diet (Hybrid) in C57BL/6J mice. We have previously demonstrated an increase in neuroinflammatory response in 8 weeks of Hybrid paradigm. In the present study, we found neuroinflammatory response to 4 weeks of Hybrid exposure. A804598 treatment reversed the changes in microglia and astrocytes, reduced/abolished increases in mRNA levels of number of inflammatory markers, including IL-1β, iNOS, CXCR2, and components of inflammatory signaling pathways, such as TLR2, CASP1, NF-kB1 and CREB1, as well in the protein levels of pro-IL-1β and Nf-kB1. The P2X7R antagonist did not affect the increase in mRNA levels of fraktalkine (CX3CL1) and its receptor CX3CR1, an interaction that plays a neuroprotective role in neuron-glia communication. P2X7R antagonism also resulted in reduction of the inflammatory markers but did not alter steatosis in the liver. Taken together, these findings demonstrate how P2X7R antagonism suppresses inflammatory response in brain and liver but does not alter the neuroprotective response caused by Hybrid exposure. Overall, these findings support an important role of P2X7Rs in inflammation in brain and liver caused by combined chronic alcohol and high-fat diet.
Epigenetics in Cardiac Fibrosis: Emphasis on Inflammation and Fibroblast Activation.

Summary Chemical modifications to nucleosomal DNA and histone tails greatly influence transcription of adjacent and distant genes, a mode of gene regulation referred to as epigenetic control. Here, the authors summarize recent findings that have illustrated crucial roles for epigenetic regulatory enzymes and reader proteins in the control of cardiac fibrosis. Particular emphasis is placed on epigenetic regulation of stress-induced inflammation and fibroblast activation in the heart. The potential of developing innovative small molecule “epigenetic therapies” to combat cardiac fibrosis is highlighted.
A CPS toolchain for learning-based systems: demo abstract

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are expected to perform tasks with ever-increasing levels of autonomy, often in highly uncertain environments. Traditional design techniques based on domain knowledge and analytical models are often unable to cope with epistemic uncertainties present in these systems. This challenge, combined with recent advances in machine learning, has led to the emergence of Learning-Enabled Components (LECs) in CPS. However, very little tool support is available for design automation of these systems. In this demonstration, we introduce an integrated toolchain for the development of CPS with LECs with support for architectural modeling, data collection, system software deployment, and LEC training, evaluation, and verification. Additionally, the toolchain supports the modeling and analysis of safety cases - a critical part of the engineering process for mission and safety critical systems.
Allotypes (serum antigens) in farm animals.

This paper presents our attempts to detect allotypes (serum antigens) in cattle, pigs, mink and sheep. It proved possible to demonstrate that isoimmunization can result in production of antibodies. Thus serum proteins of the species studied are sufficiently different in structure to induce serum protein isoimmunization. At least eleven antigens were discovered in cattle, representing variety of proteins: three macroglobulins, two high density lipoproteins, one albumin, one intra-erythrocyte non-hemoglobin protein. In mink five allotypes were found which represent α-, β- and γ-globulins. Five isoprecipitins were produced in sheep. A large number of allotypes were detected in pigs by using isoimmunosera. Within this group the most interesting are two low density lipoprotein allotypes (LDLpp-1 and LDLpp-2) which are determined by allelic genes.
Lake County, Tennessee, in the Heart of the New Madrid Seismic Zone

Lake County, Tennessee, lies within the center of the New Madrid seismic zone and thus is particularly vulnerable to seismic hazards. To better evaluate the seismic threat to Lake County, the stratigraphy and structure were mapped beneath the county. A shallow 3-D lithologic model was constructed to illustrate the Quaternary Mississippi River alluvial facies of Lake County in five-foot (1.5 m) thick layers to a depth of 300 feet (91.4 m). This model provides near-surface geologic data for the determination of earthquake liquefaction potential and illustrates the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer for optimum agricultural water exploitation. In addition, faulted structure contour maps were made of the tops of the unconformable Paleozoic, Cretaceous, and Eocene sections. With these structure contour maps a deep 3-D geologic model was built for Lake County, which shows the stratigraphy and structure from the Quaternary to the Paleozoic. Cross sections were also created to illustrate the subsurface geology. The faulted structure contour maps and cross sections reveal Quaternary faulting on the Reelfoot North, Axial, Tiptonville dome backthrust, Lake County Uplift backthrust, Cottonwood Grove, Ridgely, and previously unidentified faults. The maps also illustrate where surface fault rupture may occur and the sense of vertical surface displacement in the event of a future large earthquake.
CORONARY ARTERY ANEURYSM CAUSED BY A STENT FRACTURE

Coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) is a rare complication of stent fracture (SF) and may lead to lethal events such as acute coronary syndrome or cardiac tamponade. We report an interesting case of a CAA caused by a SF that was treated medically. A 69-year-old man presented with recurrent angina and
Qualitative Assessment of Barriers and Ideal Wellness Programming Among Rural Firefighters.

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine and assess the perceived physical and psychosocial barriers to, and the constitution of, ideal health and wellness programming among rural firefighters. Methods Open-ended, semi-structured interviews were conducted and recorded on 40 rural, structural firefighters. Responses to each question were qualitatively analyzed to determine themes. Results Several themes emerged in regards to the physical and psychosocial stressors of the profession. Three themes emerged relating to the self-perceived barriers to overall health and wellness. There was also agreement in the components of an "ideal" workplace health and wellness program to help overcome perceived barriers. Conclusions The themes that emerged from the interviews with this population are similar to firefighters who work in a more urban area. This indicates that the stressors and barriers firefighters face may be occupation, and not location, driven.
Porn and HRM: Axiological Issues

The concluding chapter explores the overarching questions that are presented in the introductory chapter as well as lessons learned. One benefit of examining aspects of HR in situ within the context of a so-called pariah industry is that we are better positioned to reflect upon another theme proffered here, specifically, one that considers the axiology of human resources: is HR amoral? In other words, the construct of HR, like with food, water, and oxygen is—prima facie—value-neutral; that is, until seemingly placed into a context where it risks being rendered guilty by association. In sum, we contemplate the question, Does “dirty work” equate to “dirty HR”?
Its good to have a grandma and its good to have a grandpa

When I read these two children’s books, It’s Good to Have a Grandma and It’s Good to Have a Grandpa, they made me smile because they spoke to me personally as a grandmother and to my husband, the g...
Long-term antithyroid drug therapy.

Purpose of review Over the last 1-2 decades, patients and physicians have preferred antithyroid drug therapy as the initial treatment of Graves' disease, rather than radioactive iodine or surgery. More recently, the concept of long-term antithyroid drug therapy (LTADT; >24 months of treatment) has also become increasingly popular. Recent findings Data from cohort studies and a prospective randomized trial suggest that LTATD therapy is safe and is associated with a higher chance of remission from Graves' disease than is shorter-term therapy. Also, LTADT may be associated with better quality of life and other clinical outcomes compared to radioiodine and surgery. Summary Long-term antithyroid drug therapy is appropriate for children and young adults. This approach is a reasonable option in those who are doing well on a stable low dose of antithyroid drug therapy, and especially those who wish to avoid definitive treatment with radioactive iodine or surgery, given their inherent risks and need for lifelong hormonal replacement therapy.
Trans-Oral Approach

Trans-oral vocal fold injection is the only non-percutaneous approach for vocal fold augmentation routinely performed in awake patients. With this approach, the operator manipulates a curved needle from the oral cavity to the glottis, visualizing with assistant-driven flexible trans-nasal or surgeon-driven rigid peroral laryngoscopy. This is a technically challenging approach predicated on the coordinated abilities of the surgeon and assistant. Moreover, success is highly dependent on patient factors, as unfavorable anatomy or a strong oropharyngeal gag may preclude completion of the procedure. Despite this, the trans-oral approach provides excellent needle control allowing for high precision in directing needle placement and controlling the nature of vocal fold augmentation.
Insect Control and Dosage Effects in Transgenic Canola Containing a Synthetic Bacillus thuringiensis cryIAc Gene

Zygotic hypocotyls of canola (Brassica napus L.) cv Oscar, cv Westar, and the breeding line UGA188–20B were transformed with a truncated synthetic Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal crystal protein gene (Bt cryIAc) under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Fifty-seven independently transformed lines were produced, containing 1 to 12 copies of the transgenes. A range of cry expressors was produced from 0 to 0.4% Cry as a percentage of total extractable protein. The Brassica specialists, the diamondback month (Plutella xylostella L.) and the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni Hubner), were completely controlled by low-, medium-, and high-expressing lines. Whereas control of the generalist lepidopteran, the corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea Boddie), was nearly complete, the other generalist caterpillar tested, the beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua Hubner), showed a dose response that had a negative association between defoliation and cry expression. These plants were produced as models for an ecological research assessment of the risk involved in the field release of naturalized transgenic plants harboring a gene (Bt) that confers higher relative fitness under herbivore-feeding pressure.
Body Mass Index and Risk of Adverse Cardiac Events in Elderly Patients with Hip Fracture: A Population-Based Study

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether obesity affects cardiac complications after hip fracture repair. DESIGN: A population-based historical study using data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project. SETTING: Olmsted County, Minnesota. PARTICIPANTS: All urgent hip fracture repairs between 1988 and 2002. MEASUREMENTS: Body mass index (BMI) was categorized as underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal-weight (18.5–24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25.0–29.9 kg/m2), and obese (≥30 kg/m2). Postoperative cardiac complications were defined as myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, congestive heart failure, or new-onset arrhythmias within 1-year of surgery. Incidence rates were estimated for each outcome, and overall cardiac complications were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, sex, year of surgery, use of beta-blockers, and the Revised Cardiac Risk Index. RESULTS: Hip fracture repairs were performed in 184 (15.6%) underweight, 640 (54.2%) normal-weight, 251 (21.3%) overweight, and 105 (8.9%) obese subjects (mean age 84.2 ± 7.5; 80% female). Baseline American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status was similar in all groups (ASA I/II vs III–V, P=.14). Underweight patients had a significantly higher risk of developing myocardial infarction (odds ratio (OR) 1.44, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.0–2.1; P=.05) and arrhythmias (OR=1.59, 95% CI=1.0–2.4; P=.04) than normal-weight patients. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that underweight patients had a higher risk of developing an adverse cardiac event of any type (OR=1.56, 95% CI=1.22–1.98; P<.001). Overweight and obese patients with hip fracture had no excess risk of any cardiac complication. CONCLUSION: The obesity paradox and low functional reserve in underweight patients may influence the development of postoperative cardiac events in elderly people with hip fracture.
Humankind in the biosphere

Abstract In the context of humankind's growing recognition that it is part of the biosphere and a major agent of its change, the author assesses the evolution of international interdisciplinary research programmes, identifies obstacles to the development of such programmes, and suggests future directions. In doing so, he considers the increasing scales of environmental change which necessitate International interdisciplinary research, defines interdisciplinary research, and discusses obstacles to such research which may limit its evolution. The article concludes with a discussion of the contemporary evolution of international interdisciplinary research programmes emphasizing the interactions of humankind with other elements of the biosphere and offers suggestions for the future evolution of such programmes.
Self-Reading of PPD Skin Tests

Routine tuberculin skin testing (intradermal PPD test) at a university health service is carried out to fulfill requirements for students in healthcare and teaching programs. Currently, students must have the test done and return to the clinic 2 days later for a reading by a health professional. We performed a study to determine whether students could reliably interpret their own PPD tests. We found that student readings (based on written instructions) reflected reliable interpretations of their PPD skin tests.
Computing in Cortical Columns: Curve Inference and Stereo Correspondence

In stereoscopic images, the behavior of a curve in space is related to the appearance of the curve in the left and right image planes. Formally, this relationship is governed by the projective geometry induced by the stereo camera configuration and by the differential structure of the curve in the scene. We propose that the correspondence problem-matching corresponding points in the image planes- can be solved by relating the differential structure in the left and right image planes to the geometry of curves in space. Specifically, the compatibility between two pairs of corresponding points and tangents at those points is related to the local approximation of a space curve using an osculating helix. This builds upon earlier work on co-circularity, or the transport of tangents along the osculating circle. To guarantee robustness against small changes in the camera parameters, we select a specific osculating helix. A relaxation labeling network demonstrates that the compatibilities can be used to infer the appropriate correspondences in a scene. Examples on which standard approaches fail are demonstrated.
Civil Recourse Defended: A Reply to Posner, Calabresi, Rustad, Chamallas, and Robinette

As part of a symposium issue of the Indiana Law Journal devoted to our Civil Recourse Theory of Tort Law, we respond to criticisms by Judge Calabresi, Judge Posner, and Professors Chamallas, Robinette, and Rustad. Calabresi and Posner criticize Civil Recourse Theory as a bit of glib moralism that fails to generate useful answers to the difficult questions that courts face when applying Tort Law. We show with several examples, both old and new, that the glibness is all on their side. From duty to causation to punitive damages, from products liability to fraud to privacy, our scholarship has had a great deal to say on pressing questions in tort. Posner and Calabresi seem to assume that, because our work engages rather than deconstructs concepts such as 'duty', it cannot address the ‘practical’ issues raised by tort cases. They have things exactly backwards. Civil Recourse Theory engages Tort Law’s concepts precisely in order to address those issues; that is, to a great extent, the point of the enterprise. In a similar vein, Professors Chamallas, Rustad, and Robinette allege that Civil Recourse Theory is blind to various ‘realities'; including that Tort Law’s value resides in part in its furtherance of certain policies, that it sometimes operates as an agent of injustice, and that it departs in practice from theory. Of course we have never denied any of these obvious truths. Rather, we have argued that, if Tort Law’s instrumental value is to be appreciated and enhanced, its content as a body of common law cannot be treated in a facile manner. If its discriminatory impact is to be grasped and eliminated, the particular way in which it empowers injury victims must be made clear. If the behavior of legal actors in the shadow of the law is be understood and evaluated, the structure and content of Tort Law’s rules must be rendered more transparent.