cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimating citrus plant heights using UAV-based LIDAR data and photogrammetry (Conference Presentation)

Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have created an opportunity to remotely gather very high-resolution geospatial data for a variety of applications. Recently, UAvs have been widely employed in collecting quantitative measures of crop health indicators such as vegetation and ground cover characteristics. An important crop health indicator is the vertical vegetation structure, which can provide information on plant health and yield. High-resolution data such as optical images or LIDAR point cloud collected by UAVs provide vegetation heights that have proven to be reliable and cost-effective when compared to field methods. With optical images, heights are generated from stereo pairs via photogrammetric techniques while heights are directly estimated from laser point clouds. In this article, we show the potential of data collected by UAV platforms in estimating vegetation heights of citrus plants.
Molecular identification of Azolla in the Yangtze River Watershed, China

Abstract Seven samples were collected broadly from the Yangtze River watershed of China during a search for Azolla pinnata asiatica, intended as molecular references to identify the subspecies of a new exotic congener in Florida. Molecular taxonomic analysis was carried out using chloroplast trnG-trnR and trnL-trnF, in addition to nuclear ITS1 sequences, which when referenced against NCBI yielded the unexpected result of Azolla caroliniana for all seven samples. In four of five provinces sampled, cold-tolerant A. filiculoides and A. caroliniana would be expected to outcompete A. pinnata due to biological advantages during over-wintering and early spring growth. However, A. caroliniana’s predominance over A. filiculoides in this limited sampling taken widely from the Yangtze watershed was unexpected given the historical predominance of Azolla filiculoides introduction in the literature. The explanation may be A. caroliniana’s use in early rice systems, its intermediate tolerance to heat and cold, and its high biomass production. Azolla caroliniana’s hybrid status is further characterized here using NCBI ITS1 Blasts of an SLA Illumina 2000 dataset.
Pain Chemogenomics Knowledgebase (Pain-CKB) for Systems Pharmacology Target Mapping and Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling Investigation of Opioid Drug-Drug Interactions.

More than 50 million adults in America suffer from chronic pain. Opioids are commonly prescribed for their effectiveness in relieving many types of pain. However, excessive prescribing of opioids c...
Analysis of surveillance results of drinking-water-borne endemic fluorosis in Jiangsu Province in 2009

Objective To investigate the development trend of drinking-water-borne endemic fluorosis in Jiangsu Province,and to provide the basis for further prevention and treatment of the disease.Methods In 2009,eight major counties were chosen,and in each county all diseased villages were classified into light,moderate and severe disease types according to water fluorine content based on historical data,and one village was chosen from each type.In monitoring villages with improved water,one source water and three tap water samples were collected,respectively.Five water samples were collected in water unimproved monitoring villages according to water well locations of the east,the west,the south,the north and the center.The fluorine content in water was determined according to the "Standard Testing Methods for Drinking Water" (GB/T 5750-2006).Children aged 8 to 12 were examined for dental fluorosis by Dean method.Residents over the age of 16 were examined for clinical osteofluorosis,and two monitoring counties were chosen,then one village was respectively chosen in each county,and clinically diagnosed patients with skeletal fluorosis were examined again by X-ray.Both clinical and X-ray diagnosis were on the basis of "Diagnostic Criteria of Endemic Skeletal Fluorosis" (WS 192-2008).Urine samples of 30 children aged 8 to 12 and of 20 adults over the age of 16 were randomly collected and urinary fluoride was determined by F-ion selective electrode method(WS/T 89-1996).Results Of all the 24 villages of 8 counties,20 villages were water improved,and water-improvedprojects ran normally in 18 villages,while scrapped in the rest 2 villages.One hundred and two samples were tested,and the mean of water fluoride in water-improved villages was 1.10 mg/L,while in water unimproved villages and villages with water improved projects scrapped was 1.90 mg/L.The prevalence of dental fluorosis was 42.51％(854/2009).The prevalence of clinical skeletal fluorosis was 23.23％ (2024/8713) and the X-ray detection rate was 32.00％ (24/75).Six hundred and sixty-four urine samples of children were determined,and geometric mean of urinary fluorine was 1.59 mg/L,while 370 adult urine samples were determined,and geometric mean of urinary fluorine was 2.20 mg/L.Conclusions Endemic fluorosis in Jiangsu Province has not been fully controlled and there are signs of recovery.We must pay attention to water improvement measures to reduce fluoride and the management and maintenance of water improvement projects,and further strengthen the prevention and control of endemic fluorosis. Key words: Fluoride poisoning; Drinking water; Fluorosis, dental; Osteofluorosis; Data collection
Three-dimensional induced pluripotent stem-cell models of human brain angiogenesis

Abstract During brain development, chemical cues released by developing neurons, cellular signaling with pericytes, and mechanical cues within the brain extracellular matrix (ECM) promote angiogenesis of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs). Angiogenesis is also associated with diseases of the brain due to pathological chemical, cellular, and mechanical signaling. Existing in vitro and in vivo models of brain angiogenesis have key limitations. Here, we develop a high-throughput in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) bead assay of brain angiogenesis utilizing 150 μm diameter beads coated with induced pluripotent stem-cell (iPSC)-derived human BMECs (dhBMECs). After embedding the beads within a 3D matrix, we introduce various chemical cues and extracellular matrix components to explore their effects on angiogenic behavior. Based on the results from the bead assay, we generate a multi-scale model of the human cerebrovasculature within perfusable three-dimensional tissue-engineered blood-brain barrier microvessels. A sprouting phenotype is optimized in confluent monolayers of dhBMECs using chemical treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and wnt ligands, and the inclusion of pro-angiogenic ECM components. As a proof-of-principle that the bead angiogenesis assay can be applied to study pathological angiogenesis, we show that oxidative stress can exert concentration-dependent effects on angiogenesis. Finally, we demonstrate the formation of a hierarchical microvascular model of the human blood-brain barrier displaying key structural hallmarks. We develop two in vitro models of brain angiogenesis: the BBB bead assay and the tissue-engineered BBB microvessel model. These platforms provide a tool kit for studies of physiological and pathological brain angiogenesis, with key advantages over existing two-dimensional models.
Lack of Humoral Immunity Against Glucosaminidase Is Associated with Postoperative Complications in Staphylococcus aureus Osteomyelitis.

Background Glucosaminidase (Gmd) is known to be a protective antigen in animal models of Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis. We compared the endogenous anti-Gmd antibody levels in sera of patients with culture-confirmed S. aureus bone infections to their sera at 1 year after operative treatment of the infection. Methods A novel global biospecimen registry of 297 patients with deep-wound culture-confirmed S. aureus osteomyelitis was analyzed to assess relationships between baseline anti-Gmd serum titers (via custom Luminex assay), known host risk factors for infection, and 1-year postoperative clinical outcomes (e.g., infection control, inconclusive, refracture, persistent infection, septic nonunion, amputation, and septic death). Results All patients had measurable humoral immunity against some S. aureus antigens, but only 20 patients (6.7%; p 10 ng/mL) in serum at baseline. A subset of 194 patients (65.3%) who completed 1 year of follow-up was divided into groups based on anti-Gmd level: low ( 10 ng/mL, 18 patients; 9.3%), and infection control rates were 40.7%, 50.0%, and 66.7%, respectively. The incidence of adverse outcomes in these groups was 33.3%, 16.4%, and 11.1%, respectively. Assessing anti-Gmd level as a continuous variable showed a 60% reduction in adverse-event odds (p = 0.04) for every tenfold increase in concentration. No differences in patient demographics, body mass index of >40 kg/m, diabetes status, age of ≥70 years, male sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index of >1, or Cierny-Mader host type were observed between groups, and these risk factors were not associated with adverse events. Patients with low anti-Gmd titer demonstrated a significant 2.68-fold increased odds of adverse outcomes (p = 0.008). Conclusions Deficiency in circulating anti-Gmd antibodies was associated serious adverse outcomes following operative treatment of S. aureus osteomyelitis. At 1 year, high levels of anti-Gmd antibodies were associated with a nearly 3-fold increase in infection-control odds. Additional prospective studies clarifying Gmd immunization for osteomyelitis are needed. Level of evidence Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Investigating Social Determinants of Health in an Urban Direct Primary Care Clinic.

Direct primary care (DPC) is an emerging model of care distinguished by lower price points for quality comprehensive services. The affordability of DPC attracts a broad patient population that may encompass a wide range of socioeconomic needs. It is critical to identify social determinants of health (SDH) in DPC practices to design strategies aimed to mitigate social risk factors, especially for vulnerable populations that can only afford DPC. As part of this SDH screening initiative, the purpose of the present descriptive study was to assess the SDH characteristics of patients from an urban DPC clinic. To identify these SDH factors, a cohort of 31 patients from the DPC clinic was asked to complete a questionnaire from the Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patient Assets, Risks, and Experiences (PRAPARE). The survey outcomes revealed top socioeconomic needs in the domains of stress (77.4%), insurance (51.6%), social integration and support (38.7%), unmet medicine or healthcare needs (35.5%), and unemployment (32.2%). In adopting a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, the research team shared the survey outcomes with the DPC clinic to facilitate improvements in overall patient care and implementation of services aimed to address social risk factors as identified in the study.
Hidden in plain sight: sex and gender in global pandemics.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The global pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory virus coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has a male bias in mortality likely driven by both gender and sex-based differences between male and female individuals. This is consistent with sex and gender-based features of HIV infection and overlap between the two diseases will highlight potential mechanistic pathways of disease and guide research questions and policy interventions. In this review, the emerging findings from SARS-CoV-2 infection will be placed in the context of sex and gender research in the more mature HIV epidemic. RECENT FINDINGS: This review will focus on the new field of literature on prevention, immunopathogenesis and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 referencing relevant articles in HIV for context from a broader time period, consistent with the evolving understanding of sex and gender in HIV infection. Sex-specific features of epidemiology and immunopathogenesis reported in COVID-19 disease will be discussed and potential sex and gender-specific factors of relevance to prevention and treatment will be emphasized. SUMMARY: Multilayered impacts of sex and gender on HIV infection have illuminated pathways of disease and identified important goals for public health interventions. SARS-CoV-2 has strong evidence for a male bias in disease severity and exploring that difference will yield important insights.
Older women's friendships: illuminating the role of marital histories in how older women navigate friendships and caregiving for friends.

The present study explores the role of marital histories in how older women navigate their friendships and how they provide care for, receive care from, and help friends. Nineteen semi-structured i...
Higher-order topolectrical semimetal realized via synthetic gauge fields

Classical bosonic systems may be tailored to support topological order and unidirectional edge transport exploiting gauge fields. Here, we theoretically explore how synthetic gauge fields may be used to induce higher-order topological phases and zero-energy boundary states. We demonstrate these principles in two types of three-dimensional topolectrical circuits with synthetic gauge fields threading through their reduced two-dimensional lattices, leading to a half-quantized quadrupole charge within a region of the momentum space. We theoretically show the emergence of nodal line rings and Weyl points in the bulk dispersion, whose projected surfaces and hinges support surface Fermi arcs and flat hinge Fermi arcs emanating from the nodal line ring and Weyl points, representing the spectral signature of higher-order topological semimetals. These analogs of higher-order semimetals realized in electric circuits using synthetic gauge fields may be extended to various photonic platforms and find applications in photonic crystals, nano-optics, and cold atom research.
Cleavage of talin by calpain promotes platelet-mediated fibrin clot contraction.

Abstract Blood clot contraction is driven by traction forces generated by the platelet cytoskeleton that are transmitted to fibrin fibers via the integrin αIIbβ3. Here we show that clot contraction is impaired by inhibitors of the platelet cytosolic protease calpain. We used subtiligase-mediated labeling of amino-termini and mass spectrometry to identify proteolytically-cleaved platelet proteins involved in clot contraction. Of 32 calpain-cleaved proteins after TRAP stimulation, fourteen were cytoskeletal, most prominently talin and vinculin. A complex of talin and vinculin constitutes a “mechanosensitive clutch” connecting integrins bound to the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton. Accordingly, we focused on talin and vinculin. Talin is composed of an N-terminal head domain and a C-terminal rod domain organized into a series of four- and five-helix bundles. The bundles contain 11 vinculin binding sites (VBS), each of which is an α-helix packed into a bundle interior and requiring a structural rearrangement to initiate vinculin binding. We detected 8 calpain-mediated cleavages in talin, 2 previously identified in unstructured regions and 6 in α-helical regions in proximity to a VBS. There is evidence in vitro that applying mechanical force across talin enables vinculin binding to the talin rod. However, we found that inhibiting platelet cytoskeletal contraction had no effect on talin cleavage, indicating that talin cleavage by calpain in platelets does not require cytoskeleton-generated tensile force. Thus, it is likely that calpain acts in the later stages of clot retraction through focal adhesion disassembly.
Land Use and Transportation Policies Addressing Climate Change

American land use and transportation policies direct where and how we live, and how we get from one place to the next. Together, they have tremendous influence over the extent to which humans impact the environment. Unfortunately, too often, they tend to favor low-density sprawl, which makes the places people go too far apart from each other. As sprawl begets more sprawl, Americans must depend more on their cars to get around. They do more driving, which in turn means more cars emitting more greenhouse gases (GHGs). The same inefficient development patterns that lead to more GHGs also inhibit us from mitigating the effects of those GHGs, because sprawl destroys forestland, wetlands, and other ecosystems critical to cleaning our air. Significant, coordinated changes to our land development patterns and our transportation system will be essential if we want to limit changes to our climate. Despite clear links between them, land use and transportation policies are not well-coordinated from a practical, administrative standpoint. Land use policy is primarily developed by local governments, pursuant to enabling acts adopted by legislatures in all fifty states. Tens of thousands of local jurisdictions engage in land use controls around the country, mandating low-density development on most regulated land. Transportation policy, meanwhile, involves a patchwork of funding decisions, regulations, and laws adopted at multiple levels of government, but primarily driven by federal standards and decisions. Generally, transportation policy tends to focus on the needs and convenience of drivers, and on the road network, rather than the full array of transportation users and modes. The effects of this uncoordinated approach are both detrimental and avoidable. Reform and harmonization of land use and transportation policies at several scales can significantly reduce avoidable burdens we impose on our planet. This Chapter first sets the context, highlighting the trend of increasing GHG emissions and explaining how land use and transportation policies relate. It then analyzes four key land use regulatory frameworks, including zoning, growth management, historic preservation, and planning laws. Next, it deals with transportation laws and policies. at the local, regional, state, and federal levels, including the regulation of transportation fuels, another essential determinant of GHG emissions from motor vehicles.
Sandplay Therapy and Access to Mental Health Care Services: Present Barriers and Future Promise

Research has consistently found that members of minority racial/ethnic groups are significantly less likely than their nonminority counterparts to access or utilize mental health care. This chapter explores the structural barriers confronting individuals who are poor and/or are members of minority groups in their efforts to access mental health care services and the structural barriers that face both such clients who may be seeking sandplay therapy specifically and the mental health care providers who serve them. The chapter concludes with recommendations for structural modifications related to sandplay certification and membership that may increase access to sandplay by minority and poverty-level clients and facilitate the ability of their mental health providers to participate in the sandplay therapy profession. It is recognized that neither sandplay therapy as a profession nor sandplay therapists as individual practitioners are or should be expected to solve the societal problem of access to care to mental health care for minority or poor individuals and it is important to recognize that such structural barriers are not unique to sandplay therapy as a therapeutic modality.
Mother and Father

THE GAME IS POOL, sometimes called eight ball. My father and mother play the game each night before going to bed. I am there as ob server, too young to account my age. My father likes to break and my mother, who is new to pool, tends to give the old man his head. It is her habit to admire his every gesture, his hesitations, false starts, benign mis chances. Sometimes when he chalks his cue in his unassuming way, she can't help but emit a crow of pleasure at the secret grace of the gesture. Her praise makes him irritable, tends to throw him off his game. "I don't know what's wrong with me," he says when he scratches on the break. "What a stupid thing to do." My mother allows that there must have been a distracting noise from outside and offers him the occasion to replay the opening hit. "You usually break so beautifully," she adds. "I can spend whole days just watching you make the break." "Well, you won't have another chance of watching it today," my father says. "I take full responsibility for my misplays. My failure is already part of the recorded past." "I don't blame you for saying that," my mother says. "By the way, have you seen my stick? I like, as you know, the little one." My father hands her his cue, which she accepts for an unhappy moment, then returns. "This is nicer, but I really prefer the one I'm used to." She goes to the back wall and checks out the four remaining cues, dis carding each in turn. "One of them must be yours," my father says, chew ing on his impatience. "That's all we have." Unconvinced, my mother selects the second smallest of the four remain ing ones, which is visibly warped and has a worn tip. "That one's no good," my father says, trying to take it from her. Their struggle produces inertia. "You never let me use the one I want," my mother says. My father reads the cracks in the ceiling as antidote to that remark. It is my mother's practice to address the first ball she fixes on and then decide in the ensuing moment that it is not for her. At that point she will ask my father if there is a better shot available, something more in keeping with her limited skill.
Apoptosis and the Dilemma of Cancer Chemotherapy

IT WAS 25 YEARS AGO that the war against cancer was officially launched by President Nixon. The ensuing investment in the study of cancer has been a major engine driving the current revolution in cell and molecular biology. Yet, the clinical rewards have been less than remarkable. This runs the
Tracing the Carnival Spirit in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Feminist Reworkings of the Grotesque

Taking Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS)as a platform of analysis, Sherman traces the connections and contradictions between the "grotesque bodies" in Bakhtin, Anzaldua, and Haraway. Arguing that a reconfigured carnival spirit finds its way into BtVS, Sherman explores the ways in which BtVS offers both sporadic visions of cosmic unity and liberation, as well as a committed political vision of coalition in service of justice. Foregrounding the political meaning of the grotesque and contradictory body, Sherman highlights the opposition between the temporary liberation of Bakhtin's carnival as defined by the always already outside society body of the morbid maternal, and the space of politics centrally defined by the Mestiza/Queer or cyborg. Sherman interrogates monstrous modes of reproduction and their theoretical offspring, exploring how society is imagined in each theory by such reproduction.
Fusion of tissue masses in embryogenesis. A scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope study of funnel development in the squid Loligo pealei.

Abstract The cephalopod funnel (or siphon) is formed from two bilateral masses of tissue which meet at the midline and undergo fusion to form a single median tubular structure. At the exact site of future fusion, two rows of cells put up a discontinuous line of thin cytoplasmic protrusions here called ruffles. These thin elongate ruffles arise at the border of two adjacent cells; contain a dense granular cytoplasm, bundles of microfilaments, and a few vesicles; and lack all other organelles. Between the ruffles, there are relatively smooth cellular surfaces which are here called “interruffle spaces.” When the two masses of tissue approach, the first contact between them is made by the ruffles which interdigitate with each other, attach to each other, and then apparently contract to pull the two masses of tissue together. In so doing, they become again incorporated into the body of the cell. The opposite “interruffle spaces” thereby contact each other and specialized junctions are established in these regions. Similar junctions do not appear when the ruffles first come into contact. The area of cellular contact then broadens considerably and eventually the zone of contact becomes several cells thick. The problems of positional information, growth of the tissue mass, contact and contraction of the ruffles, adhesion of the interruffle areas, and eventual complete tissue integration are discussed and compared with organogenesis in other developmental systems.
Gendering Global Conflict: Toward a Feminist Theory of War by Laura Sjoberg

In her groundbreaking work, Gendering Global Conflict: Toward a Feminist Theory of War, Laura Sjoberg argues that the causes and consequences of war cannot be understood without including gender in...
Effective Learning in Large Classes Through Risk Management

Risk Management strategies for maintaining student performance in large classes are discussed. Risk management theory is discussed and used to describe student behavior. Results of risk management experiments in which students are exposed to alternative levels of grading are reported along with other factors which influence student behavior. Class performance was not found to decline under a system involving only a 50 percent chance of assignments being graded. Procedures for implementing and limitations of chance grading systems in large classes are discussed.
Structure of dermatan sulfate. I. Degradation by testicular hyaluronidase.

Abstract The presence of d-glucuronic acid in dermatan sulfate preparations has previously been reported from several laboratories. It has not been clear whether the d-glucuronic acid represents a contamination with another polymer or whether it is actually part of the dermatan sulfate molecule. The present studies were undertaken in order to evaluate this problem more definitively. It is demonstrated that highly purified dermatan sulfate is partially degraded by testicular hyaluronidase yielding polysaccharide fragments with d-glucuronic acid in the newly formed nonreducing termini. The conclusion is therefore reached that d-glucuronic acid is an integral part of the dermatan sulfate molecule. As a result of the presence of hyaluronidase-susceptible linkages to d-glucuronic acid residues in the close vicinity of the polysaccharide-bound peptide, a large proportion of the polysaccharide fragments reisolated after enzyme treatment are devoid of amino acids.
Polar coding for relay channels

Polar coding schemes are developed for the decode-forward relaying (digital-to-digital interface) and the compress-forward relaying (analog-to-digital interface) in the three-node relay channel. For decode-forward, a technique based on the recent universal polarization method is applied to create the desired nested structure. For compress-forward, existing methods are generalized to allow arbitrary input distributions and channel statistics. Both schemes achieve full theoretical rates in general relay channels.
The Effect of Loops on the Structural Organization of α-Helical Membrane Proteins

Loops connecting the transmembrane (TM) α-helices in membrane proteins are expected to affect the structural organization of the thereby connected helices and the helical bundles as a whole. This effect, which has been largely ignored previously, is studied here by analyzing the x-ray structures of 41 α-helical membrane proteins. First we define the loop flexibility ratio, R, and find that 53% of the loops are stretched, where a stretched loop constrains the distance between the two connected helices. The significance of this constraining effect is supported by experiments carried out with bacteriorhodopsin and rhodopsin, in which cutting or eliminating their (predominately stretched) loops has led to a decrease in protein stability, and for rhodopsin, in most cases, also to the destruction of the structure. We show that for nonstretched loops in the extramembranous regions, the fraction of hydrophobic residues is comparable to that for soluble proteins; furthermore (as is also the case for soluble proteins), the hydrophobic residues in these regions are preferentially buried. This is expected to lead to the compact structural organization of the loops, which is transferred to the TM helices, causing them to assemble. We argue that a soluble protein complexed with a membrane protein similarly promotes compactness; other properties of such complexes are also studied. We calculate complementary attractive interactions between helices, including hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions of sequential motifs, such as GXXXG. The relative and combined effects of all these factors on the association of the TM helices are discussed and protein structures with only a few of these factors are analyzed. Our study emphasizes the need for classifying membrane proteins into groups according to structural organization. This classification should be considered when procedures for structural analysis or prediction are developed and applied. Detailed analysis of each structure is provided at http://flan.blm.cs.cmu.edu/memloop/
Investigating Statistical Concepts, Applications, and Methods

(2007). Investigating Statistical Concepts, Applications, and Methods. The American Statistician: Vol. 61, No. 1, pp. 98-99.
A Laboratory Evaluation of Two Methods for Measuring Low Levels of Formaldehyde in Indoor Air

Two methods for measuring formaldehyde at ppb levels–the modified pararosaniline (PRA) and the modified chromotropic acid (CTA)–were evaluated in a laboratory study. A dynamic double dilution system was used to generate controlled test atmospheres of formaldehyde by the catalytic depolymerization of trioxane. Impinger samples were collected from the sampling manifold and analyzed accordingly. Both methods demonstrated good precision (3.5% for the PRA and 3.4% for the CTA) but differed in accuracy and collection efficiency. Accuracy was 87.7±7.5% for the PRA and 92.5±4.2% for the CTA, while collection efficiency was 91.9±6.9% and 98.7±4.7% respectively. These differences were mainly due to the use of 1% NaHSO3 as the absorbing solution in the CTA method. Additionally, the NaHSO3 solution has the advantage of long sample preservation, making the modified CTA the method of choice in most non-industrial indoor air sampling situations.
Reaching the melting point: Degradative enzymes and protease inhibitors involved in baculovirus infection and dissemination.

Baculovirus infection of a host insect involves several steps, beginning with initiation of virus infection in the midgut, followed by dissemination of infection from the midgut to other tissues in the insect, and finally culminating in “melting” or liquefaction of the host, which allows for horizontal spread of infection to other insects. While all of the viral gene products are involved in ultimately reaching this dramatic infection endpoint, this review focuses on two particular types of baculovirus-encoded proteins: degradative enzymes and protease inhibitors. Neither of these types of proteins is commonly found in other virus families, but they both play important roles in baculovirus infection. The types of degradative enzymes and protease inhibitors encoded by baculoviruses are discussed, as are the roles of these proteins in the infection process.
Why we need to get smart about data to be better stewards: Making smarter virtual observatories

For some time, the term cyberinfrastructure has been used to describe the collected set of computer-based software and services utilized to support and advance science, engineering, and education. Over the past decade there has been an evolution of that cyberinfrastructure aimed at enabling more robust and virtual, distributed scientific research set in a context of an interdisciplinary virtual observatory, i.e. using cyberinfrastructure to enhance data stewardship. Early efforts, in for example, the Virtual Solar-Terrestrial Observatory (VSTO) applied the then emergent semantic web data frameworks to provide production access to observational datasets from solar-terrestrial physics. That observatory provides virtual access to highly distributed and heterogeneous datasets in a common way, i.e. they appear to be organized, stored, accessed and used as if they were local or in other words, not exposing the underlying organization of the data holdings. More recently, an even larger science community, oriented around carbon in Earth has implemented a Deep Carbon Virtual Observatory (DCVO). The DCVO integrates (rather than develops) an existing set of application cyberinfrastructure, i.e. data and information stores, catalogues, collaboration and network tools, and application services. In this paper we indicate the development of the embedded semantic technology within the DCVO and indicate future directions.
Semiclassical electron correlation operator

The concept of the correlation operator, introduced 10 years ago as a possible method to model the electron correlation effects with single determinant wave functions [Rassolov, J. Chem. Phys. 110, 3672 (1999)], is revisited. We derive a semiclassical limit of the correlation operator in weakly correlated systems and give its coordinate space representation. Application of this operator to the atomic systems, such as computations of energies of the neutral atoms, energies of the cations, and spin states energy gaps, demonstrates capabilities and limitations of this concept.
Pacing-induced electromechanical ventricular dyssynchrony does not acutely influence right ventricular function and global hemodynamics in children with normal hearts.

Background: Right ventricular (RV) pacing may be detrimental to ventricular function. However, the acute effects of electromechanical dyssynchrony on RV function are not well characterized in children. We studied acute effects of electromechanical dyssynchrony, induced by RV apical and RV outflow pacing, in children with normal hearts, evaluating electromechanical synchrony, hemodynamic response, and RV function. Methods: Seventeen children (mean ± SD, 12 ± 4 years) with normal cardiac structure/function were paced after accessory pathway ablation, at baseline (AOO), and with AV pacing (DOO) from the RV apex and RV outflow. QRS duration was determined from surface ECG. Intra- and interventricular mechanical dyssynchrony and regional ventricular function were determined using tissue Doppler imaging. Global RV systolic and diastolic functions were assessed by RV dP/dTmax and RV dP/dTneg using pressure-tipped transducers. Regional RV function was assessed by tissue Doppler imaging. Cardiac index (CI) and blood pressures were measured. Results: RV apical and outflow pacing induced significant electromechanical dyssynchrony manifested by lengthening of the QRS duration, increased LV intraventricular delay (49 ± 34 ms, 53 ± 43 ms, respectively, P < 0.001), and increased interventricular delay (60 ± 29 ms, 55 ± 37 ms, P < 0.0001) versus AOO pacing. However, there was no change in blood pressure, CI, RV dp/dTmax, RV dP/dTneg, or regional tissue Doppler velocities, indicating preserved hemodynamics and preserved global and regional RV systolic and diastolic function. Conclusions: In children with normal cardiac function and structure, pacing-induced electromechanical dyssynchrony did not acutely affect RV systolic and diastolic function and did not acutely alter global hemodynamics. Therefore, electromechanical dyssynchrony may only be an important therapeutic target in the setting of decreased RV function.
Were Growth Rates Higher Under Civilian Governments Than Other Types of Governments in Eleven Latin American Countries During 1982‐1988?: Re‐examining the Data by Alternative Estimators

This essay reevaluates “Regime, Polity, and Economic Growth: The Latin American Experience,” published in Growth and Change 26 (1995): 77-104. Particularly, it reexamines three issues: data, estimation, and research design. Furthermore, it retests the same model with the same data through alternative estimation methods. The new results from the panel corrected standard errors (PCSEs) estimators, which are more rigorous than the Parks estimation, support and confirm the original finding that a civilian government in the eleven Latin American countries during the period of 1982-1988 was able to generate a higher economic growth rate than their military or military-civilian counterparts.
Occurrence of Cellulase in Limnoria

SINCE the report by Yonge1 on the absence of cellulase in the marine wood-boring isopod Limnoria, the nutrition of this destructive organism has remained a perplexing problem. A re-examination of the question has resulted in findings different from those of Yonge, and, in view of the commercial and biological importance of the borer problem, publication of a preliminary note at this time seems warranted.
Frequency modules and nonexistence of quasi-periodic solutions of nonlinear evolution equations

This paper gives lower estimates for the frequency modules of almost periodic solutions to equations of the form \(\dot{x}(t)=Ax(t)+F(t,x(t))+f(t)\ (*)\) , where A generates a strongly continuous semigroup in a Banach space \(\mathbb{X}\) , F(t,x) is 2π-periodic in t and continuous in (t,x), and f is almost periodic. We show that the frequency module ℳ(u) of any almost periodic mild solution u of (*) and the frequency module ℳ(f) of f satisfy the estimate e 2π iℳ(f)⊂e 2π iℳ(u). If F is independent of t, then the estimate can be improved: ℳ(f)⊂ℳ(u). Applications to the nonexistence of quasi-periodic solutions are also given.
Inguinoscrotal herniation of the ureter: Description of five cases.

a b s t r a c t INTRODUCTION: Descent of the ureter into the inguinal canal or scrotum is rare but undoubtedly under- reported. Most known cases were recognized at the time of surgery for hernia repair. We encountered five cases recently. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We reviewed the records and CT images of five patients with inguinal hernias containing a segment of the ureter. All of our cases, like most reported cases, featured obese adult males. Our cases had different outcomes, ranging from inadvertent injury of the displaced ureter to correction of the anomaly at the time of hernia repair. DISCUSSION: In all of our cases, the affected ureter was displaced anteriorly from the psoas muscle by greater than 1 cm at the level of the L4 vertebra on abdominal CT. This association has not been previously described. CONCLUSION: Pre-operative diagnosis by CT can prevent injury to the ureter. We hypothesize that anterior displacement of the ureter at the level of L4 as seen on CT may be predictive of inguinoscrotal herniation of the ureter. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. on behalf of Surgical Associates Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
SOA Services and Solutions

This tutorial will share with the audience on how to leverage the foundational knowledge of Service- Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Web services to build service-oriented business consulting method, enable Software As Services and Services As Software. Advanced SOA techniques are covered in the following topics: services publishing and discovery, business services relationship modeling, business requirements-driven services composition, services value chain collaboration, business process integration and modeling, enterprise modeling, and project-based business performance management. A Services Engineering method and delivery framework will be discussed as a case study. The target audiences are all-level researchers, practitioners, and students. From this tutorial, the audiences could learn the actual service delivery processes, technologies, and methodologies in the entire service delivery life cycle. This tutorial material is created for the IEEE Body of Knowledge initiative on Services Computing, which is sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society Technical Committee on Services Computing.
Two-dimensional models for the combined bending and stretching of plates and shells based on three-dimensional linear elasticity

Models for plates and shells derived from three-dimensional linear elasticity, based on a thickness-wise expansion of the strain energy of a thin body, are described. These involve the small thickness explicitly and accommodate combined bending and stretching in a single framework. Physically motivated local constraints on the through-thickness variation of the displacement field, required for consistency with the exact theory, are introduced. When incorporated into the energy functional, these yield an expression for the two-dimensional strain energy density that includes non-standard two-dimensional strain gradient effects.
The differential expression of the actins and tubulins during spermatogenesis in the mouse.

Following intratesticular injection of [35S]methionine, the multiple isoforms of actin and tubulin from highly purified mouse testicular meiotic and post-meiotic cells have been analysed by high resolution two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. In pachytene spermatocytes both β and γ actin are synthesized, γ actin being made in a significantly greater amount. The relative proportion of synthesis of β and γ actin changes during spermiogenesis, β actin increasing and γ actin decreasing in round spermatids, elongating spermatids, and residual bodies. Both α and β tubulin are synthesized in approximately equal proportion in pachytene spermatocytes. In addition to the tubulin isoforms synthesized during meiosis, at least one new form of both α and β tubulin first appears in post-meiotic (haploid) cells. In elongating spermatids and residual bodies, the synthesis of α tubulin is drastically reduced.
Ovarian cancer. Survival and treatment differences by age.

Background. Cancer of the ovary is a disease of older American women with an incidence rate of 9.4 per 100,000 for those under 65 compared to 54.8 per 100,000 for those 65 years of age and over. Methods. Over 22,000 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 1973 and 1987 within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute. SEER is a population-based program that covers nearly 10% of the U.S. population for cancer incidence and survival. Results. Ovarian cancer survival rates vary dramatically by stage. Within stage, however, differences are noted in survival by age, with younger women surviving better than older women even after adjustment for the general life expectancy of each age group (relative survival). For Stages III-IV disease, women under 45 years of age have a 5-year relative survival rate of over 45% compared to only 8% for those 85 years of age and over. Between 1973–1977 and 1983–1987, the treatment for Stages III-IV disease has changed. For all age groups, there were sharp increases in the percentage having surgery and chemotherapy/hormonal therapy and decreases in those having surgery and radiation as part of the first course of therapy. Over 40% of women 85 years of age and over did not receive any definitive treatment according to the hospital medical record. In 1983–1987, younger women received more combination therapy (surgery with chemotherapy/hormonal therapy) versus older women who received more single modalities such as surgery only or chemotherapy/hormonal therapy only. Conclusions. Older women with ovarian cancer are treated less aggressively than their younger counterparts and have poorer survival rates.
Altered Species of Mitochondrial Transfer RNA associated with the mi-1 Cytoplasmic Mutation in Neurospora crassa

THE mi-1 (poky) strain of Neurospora crassa is a relatively stable, respiration-deficient mutant, which exhibits cyto-plasmically-inherited reduction of growth rate and aberrations in the mitochondrial eytochrome system. In young cultures of mi-1, the cells accumulate up to sixteen times the amount of cytochrome c present in wild-type Neurospora, and cytochromes b and a are not detectable spectroscopically in these same cells1. In sexual crosses the mi-1 mutation is transmitted only through the cytoplasm of the protoperithecial parent, and the pleiotropic mi-1 phenotype is caused by an alteration in a cytoplasmic gene2, presumably in the mitochondrial DNA.
Behavioral Effects of Thebaine in the Rhesus Monkey

Three experiments were conducted with rhesus monkeys to assess some behavioral effects of the opium alkaloid, thebaine, in relation to its dependence liability. The concurrent intramuscular administration of naloxone did not antagonize the rate-decreasing effects of thebaine on a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule of food-reinforced responding. Animals trained to self-administer codeine (0.3 mg/kg/inj) on an FR 30 schedule did not self-administer thebaine (0.003-1.0 mg/kg/inj) at rates comparable to these of codeine. Rates were minimally above those of saline at 0.3 mg/kg inj. Monkeys given 23 hrs/day continuous access to 1.0 mg/kg/inj thebaine did, however, self-administer the drug at rates significantly higher than those maintained by saline, but not as high as those supported by 2.0 mg/kg/inj codeine. Two animals self-administering thebaine did not show any signs of withdrawal when injected with 0.1-1.0 mg/kg of naloxone or when saline was substituted for thebaine. A third monkey showed a severe reaction leading to death following an injection of 1.0 mg/kg naloxone.
Phagocyte roulette in Salmonella killing.

Salmonella propagates in macrophages to cause life-threatening infections, but the role of neutrophils in combating Salmonella has been controversial. In this issue, Burton et al. (2014) use single cell analyses and modeling to explain the ability of Salmonella to survive in macrophages while being killed by neutrophils.
Critical N:P values: Predicting nutrient deficiencies in desert shrublands

Many terrestrial ecosystems are nutrient limited. Koerselman and Meuleman (1996) proposed critical foliar N:P values that could predict wetland nutrient deficiencies (N:P 16, P limitation). Although critical N:P values have potential as ecological and diagnostic tools, species differences in N and P requirements must be tested. The objectives of our experiments were 1) to determine if two desert species share critical N:P values, and 2) to assess the N:P tool's applicability in a non-wetland system. We studied two common, co-occurring North American desert shrubs, Chrysothamnus nauseosus spp. consimilis and Sarcobatus vermiculatus. Based on leaf N and P concentrations, effective mycorrhizal status, and leaf N:P, we predicted Chrysothamnus would be N limited and Sarcobatus would be P limited. During the 2000 and 2001 growing seasons, juvenile shrubs received N, P, N+P, or control treatments. To assess interaction with water limitation, other shrubs were irrigated and fertilized in 2001 (N+IR, P+IR, N+P+IR, control IR). Contrary to the predicted N limitation in Chrysothamnus, stem growth was 1.7-fold greater in P+IR plants relative to IR controls, although without irrigation Chrysothamnus did not respond to P addition. Also, contrary to the predicted P limitation in Sarcobatus, stem growth was 2.7-fold and 1.5-fold greater in N and N+IR plants, respectively, relative to their controls. Leaf N was significantly higher in N-treated Sarcobatus, both with and without irrigation. Our study suggests species-specific critical N:P values and that the N:P tool does not effectively predict desert shrub nutrient limitations. Species adapted to low nutrient conditions may not respond to increased nutrient availability due to water and nutrient co-limitation, lack of plasticity, or lower tissue nutrient requirements.
An ultra-low power InAs/AlSb HEMT Ka-band low-noise amplifier

The first antimonide-based compound semiconductor (ABCS) MMIC, a Ka-Band low-noise amplifier using 0.25-/spl mu/m gate length InAs/AlSb metamorphic HEMTs, has been fabricated and characterized on a 75 /spl mu/m GaAs substrate. The compact 1.1 mm/sup 2/ three-stage Ka-band LNA demonstrated an average of 2.1 dB noise-figure between 34-36 GHz with an associated gain of 22 dB. The measured dc power dissipation of the ABCS LNA was an ultra-low 1.5 mW per stage, or 4.5 mW total. This is less than one-tenth the dc power dissipation of a typical equivalent InGaAs/AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT LNA. Operation with degraded gain and noise figure at 1.1 mW total dc power dissipation is also verified. These results demonstrate the outstanding potential of ABCS HEMT technology for mobile and space-based millimeter-wave applications.