cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prevention of allergic eye disease by treatment with IL-1 receptor antagonist.

PURPOSE. To determine the impact of interleukin-1 (IL-1) inhibition using IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) in a mouse model of allergic eye disease. METHODS. A/J mice sensitized and challenged with cat dander in the eye were treated with topical IL-1Ra or vehicle alone. Control mice were treated with IL-1Ra or vehicle but sensitized and challenged with phosphate-buffered saline alone. Immediately after the final allergen challenge, the mice were observed for behavioral changes and assessed for lid injection and chemosis. The animals were then killed, eyes and attached lids were removed for either RNA extraction or histology, and draining lymph nodes were removed for either RNA extraction or in vitro stimulation assays. Differences in chemokine message between experimental and control groups were determined by RNase protection assays. RESULTS. Treatment with IL-1Ra in allergen-challenged animals significantly reduced allergen-induced changes in photosensitivity (60%, P = 0.0002), chemosis (50%, P = 0.0151), and injection (86.7%, P = 0.0068) compared with vehicle-treated controls. Interleukin-1Ra reduced the number of degranulated mast cells and caused a significant reduction in the number of eosinophils infiltrating the conjunctival matrix (P < 0.001) after allergen challenge. Examination of chemokine mRNA taken from the conjunctiva and draining lymph nodes by RNase protection assay showed a profound decrease in the production of a number of C-C chemokines. CONCLUSIONS. These findings suggest that IL-1Ra is suppressing allergic eye disease by a down-modulation of the recruitment of eosinophils and other inflammatory cells essential for the immunopathogenesis of ocular atopy.
Criminal justice involvement among young adults exchanging sex in Detroit

Abstract For young adult sex workers, the risk of arrest and incarceration are dramatically influenced by the venue of sex exchange and individual and neighborhood characteristics. Using a unique venue-based survey sample of young adults in Detroit who are exchanging sex, multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify associations with arrest and incarceration. Criminal justice involvement was normative, and risk was increased by working on the street venue, using drugs, lacking stable housing, juvenile arrest or incarceration, dropping out of school before age 18, and neighborhood characteristics. Several promising points of intervention could reduce criminal justice involvement for young adults exchanging sex.
Joint Optimization of Preventive Maintenance and Spare Parts Logistics for Multi-echelon Geographically Dispersed Systems

Preventive maintenance scheduling and optimization of logistic operations in geographically dispersed systems is an intricate decision-making problem, as maintenance activities have close interactions with spare parts logistics. Planning of spare parts logistics aims to get the right spare parts to the right places at right times for the necessary maintenance activities to take place, while keeping minimal requirements on maintenance resources and maintaining high utilization of assets. This paper considers such a problem by concurrently pursuing preventive maintenance scheduling and spare parts inventory planning problem for a set of geographically dispersed assets, each consisting of multiple degrading components. This paper also shows that the assumption of a multi-echelon maintenance network brings opportunities to improve the system performance through sharing inventories between maintenance facilities. Technically, the decision-making problem is modelled as a stochastic optimization problem and a novel simulation-based metaheuristic is proposed to solve it to obtain the integrated decision-making policy. Through numerical examples, the proposed integrated policy is shown to effectively reduce the operating cost by capturing the trade-offs between asset utilization, maintenance costs and consumption of maintenance resources.
Performance and Satisfaction in Challenging Work Environments: What Can Make the Difference?

Today, many individuals work in challenging work environments. Their jobs are characterized by high workload, task complexity and accountability. In the wake of these demands, some workgroups are a...
Cognition and Emotion

Cognitive seienee seeks to understand the inner workings of the human mind. By probing the way in whieh people, animals, and computers conduct mental (or mentallike) operations, the mechanisms of mind come to be understood.
Subpectoral Biceps Tenodesis with an All-Suture Anchor

The long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT) is a common source of shoulder pain. Biceps tenodesis is a common strategy to address the LHBT. Subpectoral biceps tenodesis offers a unique advantage by removing all potentially diseased tissue from the bicipital groove, which may reduce the incidence of persistent pain. Furthermore, performing an in situ tenodesis may better restore the anatomic resting length and tension of the LHBT, thereby providing a more cosmetic result with a decreased likelihood of biceps cramping. All-suture anchors have recently been used for tenodesis fixation and benefit from a smaller osseous pilot hole, as well as, unicortical intramedullary fixation. Subpectoral biceps tenodesis offers reliable pain relief, high patient satisfaction rates, and low rates of complications.
Homologous c-di-GMP-Binding Scr Transcription Factors Orchestrate Biofilm Development in Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

ABSTRACT The marine bacterium and human pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus rapidly colonizes surfaces by using swarming motility and forming robust biofilms. Entering one of the two colonization programs, swarming motility or sessility, involves differential regulation of many genes, resulting in a dramatic shift in physiology and behavior. V. parahaemolyticus has evolved complex regulation to control these two processes that have opposing outcomes. One mechanism relies on the balance of the second messenger c-di-GMP, where high c-di-GMP favors biofilm formation. V. parahaemolyticus possesses four homologous regulators, the Scr transcription factors, that belong in a Vibrio-specific family of W[F/L/M][T/S]R motif transcriptional regulators, some members of which have been demonstrated to bind c-di-GMP. In this work, we explore the role of these Scr regulators in biofilm development. We show that each protein binds c-di-GMP, that this binding requires a critical R in the binding motif, and that the biofilm-relevant activities of CpsQ, CpsS, and ScrO but not ScrP are dependent upon second messenger binding. ScrO and CpsQ are the primary drivers of biofilm formation, as biofilms are eliminated when both of these regulators are absent. ScrO is most important for capsule expression. CpsQ is most important for RTX-matrix protein expression, although it contributes to capsule expression when c-di-GMP levels are high. Both regulators contribute to O-antigen ligase expression. ScrP works oppositely in a minor role to repress the ligase gene. CpsS plays a regulatory checkpointing role by negatively modulating expression of these biofilm-pertinent genes under fluctuating c-di-GMP conditions. Our work further elucidates the multifactorial network that contributes to biofilm development in V. parahaemolyticus. IMPORTANCEVibrio parahaemolyticus can inhabit open ocean, chitinous shells, and the human gut. Such varied habitats and the transitions between them require adaptable regulatory networks controlling energetically expensive behaviors, including swarming motility and biofilm formation, which are promoted by low and high concentrations of the signaling molecule c-di-GMP, respectively. Here, we describe four homologous c-di-GMP-binding Scr transcription factors in V. parahaemolyticus. Members of this family of regulators are present in many vibrios, yet their numbers and the natures of their activities differ across species. Our work highlights the distinctive roles that these transcription factors play in dynamically controlling biofilm formation and architecture in V. parahaemolyticus and serves as a powerful example of regulatory network evolution and diversification.
Intervening to Decrease Teacher Stress: a Review of Current Research and New Directions

Given the alarming increase in teacher stress, and the association between high levels of stress and negative outcomes for teachers, students, and relevant educational stakeholders, it is necessary to determine methods school psychologists might implement to decrease teacher stress and improve teacher well-being. Specifically, stress has been shown to negatively impact teachers’ physical and mental well-being, teacher-student relationships, and retention in the field. This review focuses on identifying stress-reduction interventions evaluated with teachers and associated outcomes. Results indicate the most commonly evaluated stress-reduction intervention incorporated meditation or mindfulness-based practices. Findings further identify a need for future research to examine theoretically and empirically based theories of change to facilitate future research within the area of teacher stress.
Percutaneous Sacroplasty for Non-neoplastic Osteoporotic Sacral Insufficiency Fractures.

Background Osteoporosis is an important problem in those of advanced age. Osteoporosis can induce sacral insufficiency fractures (SIFs). As average life expectancy increases, the number of patients with osteoporotic SIFs also increases. Osteoporotic SIFs cause severe low back pain and immobilization. Treatment of SIFs varies from analgesia to surgery. Objectives To describe our experience and assess the safety and effectiveness of minimally invasive percutaneous sacroplasty in patients with osteoporotic SIFs. Study design Retrospective evaluation. Setting The spine and joint specialized hospital's research center. Methods We reviewed cases of percutaneous sacroplasty performed since 2009. We used data only from patients with osteoporotic SIFs who were followed for more than 12 months after sacroplasty. Tumor-related SIFs were excluded from our analysis. The following clinical parameters were investigated: initial diagnosis, symptoms, visual analog scale (VAS) of pain, functional mobility scale (FDC) score, past history of illness, amount of bone cement infused, and complications related to sacroplasty. Also, the following radiological parameters were analyzed: the pattern of SIFs, T-score cement leakage, and concomitant fractures in other sites. Results Sixty-eight patients were enrolled in our study (4 men and 64 women). The mean age of the patients was 76.8 ± 6.2 years. All patients had severe osteoporosis (mean T score: -3.9 ± 0.5). Percutaneous sacroplasty was performed under fluoroscopic guidance. No major complications or procedure-related morbidity occurred. FDS and VAS scores significantly improved after sacroplasty, and the improvements lasted through the final follow-up period (P Limitations This study is a retrospective analysis without a control group. Conclusions Percutaneous sacroplasty is an effective minimally invasive treatment for osteoporotic SIFs refractory to conservative management. The study patients experienced significant relief of pain and increased mobility.Key words: Sacrum, sacroplasty, insufficiency fractures, osteoporosis, minimally invasive surgery.
Adipose Tissue: An Emerging Target for Adeno-associated Viral Vectors

Adipose tissue is one of the largest organs, playing important roles in physiology and pathologies of multiple diseases. However, research related to adeno-associated virus (AAV) targeting adipose tissue has been left far behind studies carried out in the liver, brain, heart, and muscle. Despite initial reports indicating poor performance, AAV-mediated gene delivery to adipose tissue has continued to rise during the past two decades. AAV8 and a novel engineered hybrid serotype, Rec2, have been shown to transduce adipose tissue more efficiently than other serotypes so far tested and have been applied in most of the in vivo studies. The Rec2 serotype displays high efficacy of gene transfer to both brown and white fat via local and systemic administration. This review summarizes the advances in developing AAV vectors with enhanced adipose tropism and restricting off-target transgene expression. We discuss the challenges and strategies to search for and generate novel serotypes with tropism tailoring for adipose tissue and develop AAV vector systems to improve adipose transgene expression for basic research and translational studies.
Enzymatic trans-bilayer lipid transport: Mechanisms, efficiencies, slippage, and membrane curvature.

The eukaryotic plasma membrane's lipid composition is found to be ubiquitously asymmetric comparing inner and outer leaflets. This membrane lipid asymmetry plays a crucial role in diverse cellular processes critical for cell survival. A specialized set of transmembrane proteins called translocases, or flippases, have evolved to maintain this membrane lipid asymmetry in an energy-dependent manner. One potential consequence of local variations in membrane lipid asymmetry is membrane remodeling, which is essential for cellular processes such as intracellular trafficking. Recently, there has been a surge in the identification and characterization of flippases, which has significantly advanced the understanding of their functional mechanisms. Furthermore, there are intriguing possibilities for a coupling between membrane curvature and flippase activity. In this review we highlight studies that link membrane shape and remodeling to differential stresses generated by the activity of lipid flippases with an emphasis on data obtained through model membrane systems. We review the common mechanistic models of flippase-mediated lipid flipping and discuss common techniques used to test lipid flippase activity. We then compare the existing data on lipid translocation rates by flippases and conclude with potential future directions for this field.
Requirement Analysis on Large-scale Renewable Energy DC Collection and Transmission Technology

Networking and integrated transmission of large-scale wind power bases are the key technical links for large-scale wind power bases to connect to the power grid. If the DC pooling scheme is adopted, there will be no reactive power consumption in the wind farm, and the power flow will depend on the DC voltage distribution of the DC pooling network. There is an essential difference between the operation control strategy and the AC pooling, which will solve the reactive voltage stability of the wind farm, and reduce wind farm construction and operating costs, improving operational efficiency. DC aggregation network technology is not only a concern of DC technical workers, but also a problem that other large inland wind farms and offshore wind farms need to study. It can be seen that the research on the DC networking technology scheme of large-scale renewable energy power generation will have guiding significance for the development and utilization of renewable energy power generation in the power grid, promote the healthy development of renewable energy power generation and related industries, and be friendly to the construction of a strong smart grid, provides good technical support.
The Physiology of Political Participation

We obtain measures of the degree to which individual-level electrodermal activity changes when participants sequentially view a full range of positive and negative stimuli and we find that individuals who are physiologically more responsive to the presence of diverse images are also more likely to participate actively in politics. This relationship holds even after the effects of personality traits and traditional demographic variables are controlled, suggesting that certain physiological tendencies are predictive of participation in politics and perhaps of involvement in other higher-order activities.
Non-Metabolic Functions of PKM2 Contribute to Cervical Cancer Cell Proliferation Induced by the HPV16 E7 Oncoprotein

Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) mainly catalyzes glycolysis, but it also exerts non-glycolytic functions in several cancers. While it has been shown to interact with the human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) E7 oncoprotein, the functional significance of PKM2 in HPV-associated cervical cancer has been elusive. Here, we show that HPV16 E7 increased the expression of PKM2 in cervical cancer cells. TCGA data analyses revealed a higher level of PKM2 in HPV+ than HPV- cervical cancers and a worse prognosis for patients with high PKM2 expression. Functionally, we demonstrate that shRNA-mediated PKM2 knockdown decreased the proliferation of HPV+ SiHa cervical cancer cells. PKM2 knockdown also inhibited the E7-induced proliferation of cervical cancer cells. ML265 activating the pyruvate kinase function of PKM2 inhibited cell cycle progression and colony formation. ML265 treatments decreased phosphorylation of PKM2 at the Y105 position that has been associated with non-glycolytic functions. On the contrary, HPV16 E7 increased the PKM2 phosphorylation. Our results indicate that E7 increases PKM2 expression and activates a non-glycolytic function of PKM2 to promote cervical cancer cell proliferation.
Expression of B7-H4 and IDO1 is associated with drug resistance and poor prognosis in high-grade serous ovarian carcinomas.

Summary High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC) is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. While immune checkpoint inhibitors against PD-L1 and CTLA-4 have shown significant effects in multiple tumor types, the response rate to single-agent immune checkpoint inhibitors is low in HGSC. Alternative biomarkers and targets must be identified to guide patient selection and new therapeutic strategies in HGSC. Here, we aim to investigate the clinical significance of novel immune modulators, including B7–H4, IDO1, Tim3, IL6, and IL-8, in patients with HGSC. A total of 48 patients with HGSCs, comprising 24 cases that were sensitive and 24 that were resistant to standard paclitaxel and carboplatin chemotherapy, were selected for our initial analysis. A NanoString assay including 33 immune-related genes was used to compare the expression of different immune regulatory molecules in the sensitive and resistant groups. Differentially expressed proteins were verified using multiplex immunohistochemical staining on tissue arrays of 202 patients with HGSCs who underwent primary surgery at MDACC. We analyzed the expression levels of immune checkpoints and compared expression profiles with clinicopathologic features including response, progression-free survival, and overall survival. HGSC tumors resistant to therapy expressed higher levels of B7–H4 (69.3%), IDO1 (71.8%), Tim3 (89.1%), and inflammatory factors IL-6 and IL-8, and expressed higher Tim3 in stromal components. High expression of B7–H4 and IDO1 was associated with significantly lower overall survival and progression-free survival. B7–H4 and IDO1 were co-expressed in 49.1% of studied cases. A panel of immunomodulatory proteins including B7–H4, IDO1, Tim3, IL-6, and IL-8 are expressed at high levels in HGSCs. These modulators represent novel targets to enhance immunotherapy in patients with HGSCs.
Zero Footprint Opaque Predicates: Synthesizing Opaque Predicates from Naturally Occurring Invariants

A popular control-flow obfuscation approach used to protect software is inserting opaque predicates. However, recent research has questioned the usefulness of opaque predicates with the realization that simple heuristic attacks can effectively detect them. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach to construct opaque predicates that prevents both heuristic attacks and automated attacks by having opaque predicates syntactically and semantically resemble real predicates.
Drastic Decontamination in a Patient With Anaphylaxis.

Abstract Background: Allergic reactions are common symptoms in the emergency department (ED), with anaphylaxis comprising 1–3% of ED visits. Anaphylaxis is a clinical diagnosis. Treatment of anaphylaxis starts with airway, oxygenation, and decontamination, followed by medication administration. Case Report: We describe a patient who presented to the ED with anaphylaxis complicated by a persistent exposure to the allergen with need for emergent decontamination. Why Should an Emergency Physician be Aware of This? Knowing the treatment of anaphylaxis is critical to prevent morbidity and mortality. This case is a reminder to always remove the offending agent and nuances involved with treating critically ill pregnant patients.
Advance directives for adolescents and young adult patients undergoing bone marrow transplant

Introduction: Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer represent a distinct patient population with unique medical and psychosocial needs. Bone marrow transplant (BMT) is a potentially curative therapy for AYA patients with cancer and certain non-malignant diseases. Despite recommendations that end-of-life (EOL) discussions occur earlier in AYA patients with life-limiting illnesses, providers often hesitate to engage AYA patients approaching BMT in establishing goals of care and advance directives. This case demonstrates the utility of advance directives in facilitating EOL decision-making in a case with prognostic uncertainty following …
Molecular Epidemiology: Development and Application of Molecular Methods To Solve Infectious Disease Mysteries

This chapter talks about the author's goal to learn the latest molecular techniques that had been developed during the initial recombinant DNA era and to apply them to a clinically relevant problem. His project was undertaken at the beginning of the recombinant DNA era, and the potential applications of molecular methods to diagnostic microbiology and infectious diseases seemed limitless. Hopkins et al. continued to trace the evolution of antibiotic resistance and discovered that resistance and transmission of resistance markers evolve in very complex ways, demonstrating in a very contemporary way what Louis Pasteur said more than 100 years before the discovery of plasmids and transposons: "The bacteria will always have the last word." Molecular methods are very useful tools for solving epidemiological problems and for detecting and identifying both "old" and "new" pathogens. In addition to their utilities in solving infectious disease "mysteries," in some instances the data derived from these techniques have provided a foundation upon which to approach the study of microbial pathogenesis. This is well illustrated by current studies in the laboratory and in others to investigate the nature of the genes in Rochalimaea species encoding pathogenic determinants; these were spawned by molecular epidemiological studies to detect and characterize the infectious agents that cause bacillary angiomatosis and cat scratch disease. As much as this chapter concerns molecular epidemiology, it also reflects the author’s exposure to Stanley's approach to the pathogenesis of infectious diseases.
ANTISENSE STRATEGIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL CANCER THERAPEUTICS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses antisense strategies for the development of novel cancer therapeutics. Antisense therapy delivers antisense molecules that target to mRNA to the target cells with, which they can hybridize and specifically inhibit the expression of target genes. Antisense oligonucleotides have been widely used in investigating gene functions and regulation. The selection of an effective and specific antisense oligonucleotide is largely based on investigators' experience and trial-based experiments. As certain oligonucleotide sequences such as CpG and GGGG have been shown to have sequence-dependent, nonantisense effects, these sequences should be avoided in order to identify sequence-specific antisense drugs. Based on Watson-Crick base pairing rules and a known sequence of the target gene, a linear, sequence-walking method has long been used to design and select antisense oligonucleotides. The most important aspect of pharmacological evaluation of antisense oligonucleotides is the target effectiveness and specificity of these agents. These agents are usually tested at both in vitro and in vivo levels. Most clinically tested antisense antitumor oligonucleotides are phosphorothioates that are shown to have an acceptable safety profile and initial antitumor efficacy in humans. It is suggested that with new generations of antisense drugs created and tested, therapeutic effectiveness and safety profiles of these new agents are expected to be significantly improved in the future.
The Golgi Apparatus

Secretion of proteins from eukaryotic cells requires the coordinated function of multiple organelles and cellular machineries. After synthesis and translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum, proteins are exported to the Golgi apparatus, a multi-compartment organelle that is the protein modifying, packaging and distribution center of the secretory pathway. This chapter provides a brief historical account of the discovery of the Golgi apparatus, a description of its unique structure and organization, and its role in glycoprotein biosynthesis, sorting and secretion. The biogenesis of the Golgi through localization of resident proteins and its inheritance during cell division is also described. Emphasis is placed on processes, such as protein transport through the Golgi, that are incompletely understood and remain focal points for current research in this field.
FUSARIUM GROWTH SUPPORTED BY HYDROCARBONS.

In studies of the microflora associated with fuel storage tanks, a Fusarium species was isolated from No. 1 diesel fuel. The culture was identified as F. moniliforme Sheldon. Attempts were made to cultivate this organism with seven hydrocarbons of 99+ mole per cent purity as the sole carbon source; growth of the fungal culture was supported only by n-decane and n-dodecane. A spore viability study of F. moniliforme in filter-sterilized diesel fuel with no free water showed that viability was retained for 9 months in this environment.
Quantitative Estimates for Global Regularity

Let Ω ⊂ ℂ n be a bounded pseudoconvex domain with a smooth boundary. We denote by L 2(Ω) the space of square-integrable functions on Ω and by H (Ω) the space of square-integrable holomorphic functions on Ω. Let B: L 2(Ω) → (Ω) denote the Bergman projection operator, which is the orthogonal projection of L 2(Ω) onto (Ω) . Here we will be concerned with the global regularity of B in terms of Sobolev norms, that is, the question of when B(H S (Ω)) ⊂ H S (Ω) where H s (Ω) denotes the Sobolev space of order s. Of course, if B preserves H S (Ω) locally (i.e., if B(s/loc(Ω)) ⊂ H s loc(Ω)), then B also preserves H s (Ω) globally. Aspects of the local question are very well understood, in particular when Ω is of finite D’Angelo type (see [Cal] and [D’A]). Local regularity can still occur when the D’Angelo type is infinite, as in the examples given in [Chr2] and [K2]. Local regularity fails whenever there is a complex curve V in the boundary of Ω. In that case, if P ∈ V, then for given s there exists an f ∈ L 2(Ω) such that ζf ∈ H S (Ω) for every smooth function ζ with support in a fixed small neighborhood of P and such that ζB(f) ∉ H S (Ω) whenever ζ = 1 in some neighborhood of P. In contrast, global regularity always holds for small s. That is, if Ω is pseudoconvex, then there exists η > 0 such that B(H S (Ω)) ⊂ H S (Ω) for s ⩽ η. Furthermore, there is a series of results showing global regularity under a variety of conditions (see [Ca2], [BC], [Ch], [BS1], and [BS2]).
t-Butyl Hypobromite†

[1611-82-1] C4H9BrO (MW 153.02) (alkoxybromination of alkenes;2 bromination of alkanes;3 allylic bromination4) Physical Data: bp 44–45 °C/85 mmHg; mp −27 to −28 °C; d 1.33 g cm−3. Solubility: sol ether, CCl4, CH2Cl2. Analysis of Reagent Purity: the reagent can be assayed by thiosulfate titration of iodine liberated by the addition of the reagent to a solution of KI in aq HCl.5 Preparative Methods: prepared in 43% yield on a 0.18 mol scale by addition of t-butyl alcohol to a solution of Ag2SO4 and bromine in water.3 The product is isolated by distillation. Since much material is lost during the distillation, many workers have found it more convenient to prepare and use the reagent in solution. In one procedure the reagent is generated in CH2Cl2 solution from Hg2O, bromine, and t-butyl alcohol.6 It has also been prepared from NaBr, NaOCl, t-butyl alcohol, and acetic acid.2 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: reported3 to be stable for weeks at 0 °C in the dark. It decomposes at 85 °C, upon irradiation or by washing with 5% aq NaHCO3 solution. It also decomposes upon repeated washing with water. Should be handled in a fume hood.
Plantae Austro-Americanae, II: De investigationibus generis Herrania diversae observationes

The following observations are presented as a result of revisionary studies in the sterculiaceous genus Herrania.
Women in Jail: “Soft Skills” and Barriers to Employment

Abstract The jail population of women in the United States is growing at a greater rate than the population of men. Jails are short-term confinement facilities and many inmates will be released after a short period of time, only to be recycled again through the jail system. To reduce the level of recidivism for female inmates, interventions to address deficits in employability skills and attitudes should be a priority. This article examines the level of employability skills for a small sample (n = 52) of female jail inmates. Specifically, we examine basic “soft skills” in the three domains: basic skills (reading and math), interpersonal skills, and personal characteristics and attitudes. We find that female inmates have deficits in all three soft skills domains. Additionally, this sample had serious barriers to employment including a high level of substance abuse addiction, a lack of basic necessities, and emotional and physical illness. Recommendations are made for addressing these shortfalls with the go...
Frontal extents in virtual environments are not immune to underperception

Distance is commonly underperceived by up to 50 % in virtual environments (VEs), in contrast to relatively accurate real world judgments. Experiments reported by Geuss, Stefanucci, Creem-Regehr, and Thompson (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 38, 1242-1253, 2012) indicate that the exocentric distance separating two objects in a VE is underperceived when the objects are oriented in the sagittal plane (depth extents), but veridically perceived when oriented in a frontoparallel plane (frontal extents). The authors conclude that “distance underestimation in the [VE] generalizes to intervals in the depth plane, but not to intervals in the frontal plane.” The current experiment evaluated an alternative hypothesis that the accurate judgments of frontal extents reported by Geuss et al. were due to a fortunate balance of underperception caused by the VE and overperception of frontal relative to depth extents. Participants judged frontal and depth extents in the classroom VE used by Geuss et al. and in a sparser VE containing only a grass-covered ground plane. Judgments in the classroom VE replicated findings by Geuss et al., but judgments in the grass VE show underperception of both depth and frontal extents, indicating that frontal extents are not immune to underperception in VEs.
A Review of “Housing Markets & Planning Policy”: by Colin Jones and Craig Watkins

In their recently published book Housing Markets & Planning Policy, authors Colin Jones and Craig Watkins discuss the intersection of housing markets and the role of planning in housing markets, fo...
Programmed Death 1–Mediated T Cell Exhaustion during Visceral Leishmaniasis Impairs Phagocyte Function

Control of Leishmania infantum infection is dependent upon Th1 CD4(+) T cells to promote macrophage intracellular clearance of parasites. Deficient CD4(+) T cell effector responses during clinical visceral leishmaniasis (VL) are associated with elevated production of IL-10. In the primary domestic reservoir of VL, dogs, we define occurrence of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell exhaustion as a significant stepwise loss of Ag-specific proliferation and IFN-γ production, corresponding to increasing VL symptoms. Exhaustion was associated with a 4-fold increase in the population of T cells with surface expression of programmed death 1 (PD-1) between control and symptomatic populations. Importantly, exhausted populations of CD8(+) T cells and to a lesser extent CD4(+) T cells were present prior to onset of clinical VL. VL-exhausted T cells did not undergo significant apoptosis ex vivo after Ag stimulation. Ab block of PD-1 ligand, B7.H1, promoted return of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell function and dramatically increased reactive oxygen species production in cocultured monocyte-derived phagocytes. As a result, these phagocytes had decreased parasite load. To our knowledge, we demonstrate for the first time that pan-T cell, PD-1-mediated, exhaustion during VL influenced macrophage-reactive oxygen intermediate production. Blockade of the PD-1 pathway improved the ability of phagocytes isolated from dogs presenting with clinical VL to clear intracellular parasites. T cell exhaustion during symptomatic canine leishmaniasis has implications for the response to vaccination and therapeutic strategies for control of Leishmania infantum in this important reservoir species.
Lipids and stable carbon isotopes in two species of Hawaiian corals, Porites compressa and Montipora verrucosa , following a bleaching event

Mass coral bleaching events have occurred on a global scale throughout the world’s tropical oceans and can result in large-scale coral mortality and degradation of coral reef communities. Coral bleaching has often been attributed to periods of above normal seawater temperatures and/or calm conditions with high levels of ultraviolet radiation. Unusually high shallow-water temperature (>29°C) in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, USA, in late summer (20 August–9 September) and fall (1–7 October) of 1996 produced visible bleaching of two dominant corals, Porites compressa Dana, 1864 and Montipora verrucosa Dana, 1864. The present study examined chlorophyll a (chl a), total lipid concentrations, and lipid class composition in corals of both species in which the entire colony was non-bleached, moderately bleached, or bleached. Skeletal, host tissue, and algal symbiont δ13C values were also measured in non-bleached and bleached colonies. In additional unevenly bleached colonies, paired samples were collected from bleached upper surfaces and non-bleached sides. Samples were collected on 20 November 1996 during the coral recovery phase, a time when seawater temperatures had been back to normal for over a month. Chl a levels were significantly lower in bleached colonies of both species compared with non-bleached specimens, and in bleached areas of unevenly bleached single colonies. Total lipid concentrations were significantly lower in bleached P. compressa compared with non-bleached colonies, whereas total lipid concentrations were the same in bleached and non-bleached M. verrucosa colonies. The proportion of triacylglycerols and wax esters was lower in bleached colonies of both species. Both bleached and non-bleached M. verrucosa had from ~17% to 35% of their lipids in the form of diacylglycerol, while this class was absent in P. compressa. δ13C was not significantly different in the host tissue and algal symbiont fractions in non-bleached and bleached samples of either species. This suggests that the ratio of carbon acquired heterotrophically versus photosynthetically was the same regardless of condition. Skeletal δ13C was significantly lower in bleached than in non-bleached corals. This is consistent with previous findings that lower rates of photosynthesis during bleaching results in lower skeletal δ13C values. The two species in this study displayed different lipid class compositions and total lipid depletions following bleaching, suggesting that there is a difference in their metabolism of lipid reserves and/or in their temporal responses to bleaching and recovery.
Megaphones to the Internet and the World: The Role of Blogs in Corporate Communications

Corporations can create blogging guidelines, implement Web log monitoring-and-analysis programs, and launch blogs to capitalize upon this new medium of communication. During the next five years, blogging will not render the traditional tools of communication obsolete nor will it usher in a new era of corporate communications; however, it will become a permanent, fully integrated, and vital part of the media landscape. Students, academics, and practitioners interested in corporate communications and new media may find this article useful.
Solute partitioning between a micropore and a bulk solution: A linear density functional approach

Abstract The effect of solute concentration on the partitioning of solute species between regular geometric pores and a bulk phase is investigated with a linear density functional theory. The theory requires specification of the pore geometry and the direct correlation function c ( r ) of the bulk fluid. We consider the simple hard-sphere solute, and employ the analytic Percus—Yevick c ( r ) for the hard-sphere fluid in these calculations. Density distributions and partition coefficients are reported for the hard-sphere solute in slit-shaped and cylindrical pores.
Domain dependent query reformulation for web search

Query reformulation has been studied as a domain independent task. Existing work attempts to expand a query or substitute its terms with the same set of candidates regardless of the domain of this query. Since terms might be semantically related in one domain but not in others, it is more effective to provide candidates for queries with respect to their domain. This paper demonstrates the advantage of this domain dependent query reformulation approach, which learns its candidates, using a standard technique, for each domain from a separate sample of data derived automatically from a generic query log. Our results show that our approach statistically significantly outperforms the domain independent approach, which learns to reformulate from the same log using the same technique, on a large query set consisting of both health and commerce queries. Our results have very practical interpretation: while building different reformulation systems to handle queries from different domains does not require additional manual effort, it provides substantially better retrieval effectiveness than having a single system handling all queries. Additionally, we show that leveraging domain specific manually labelled data leads to further improvement.
Effect of CD4 engagement on CD4-T cell receptor complexes

Abstract To detect the presence of CD4-T cell receptor (TCR) complexes, we previously developed a flow cytometric method for measuring singlet-singlet energy transfer on human T cells labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated anti-CD4 and tetramethylrhodamine isothiocyanate-conjugated anti-TCR. Using the same procedure, we have now studied changes in the expression of CD4, TCR, and CD4-TCR complexes following CD4 engagement. Ligation of the D3 domain with OKT4, or the D1 domain with anti-Leu3a, induced CD4 and TCR down-regulation, while ligation of the D1 domain with gp120 did not. OKT4 caused a transient decrease in CD4-TCR association over 1 hr at 37°C, while anti-Leu3a caused a steady-state decrease. In contrast, gp120 decreased CD4-TCR association mainly at 0°C, rather than at 37°C. Such alteration in CD4-TCR assembly may underly anti-Leu3a- and gp120-mediated inhibition of T cell antigen recognition and account for the negative effect of CD4 ligation on TCR-triggered responses.
Is computer simulation changing the face of experimentation

Morrison points out many similarities between the roles of simulation models and other sorts of models in science. On the basis of these similarities she claims that running a simulation is epistemologically on a par with doing a traditional experiment and that the output of a simulation therefore counts as a measurement. I agree with her premises but reject the inference. The epistemological payoff of a traditional experiment is greater (or less) confidence in the fit between a model and a target system. The source of this payoff is the existence of a causal interaction with the target system. A computer experiment, which does not go beyond the simulation system itself, lacks any such interaction. So computer experiments cannot confer any additional confidence in the fit (or lack thereof) between the simulation model and the target system.
Reflexivity, Raymond, and the success of open source software development: a SourceForge empirical study

Context: Conventional wisdom, inspired in part by Eric Raymond, suggests that open source developers should---and primarily do---develop software for developers like themselves. We refer to the production of software primarily for the benefit of developers as reflexivity, and we evaluate the applicability of this concept to open source software (OSS) by studying SourceForge projects. Objective: The goal of this research is to test Eric Raymond's assertions with respect to OSS success factors. Method: We present four criteria by which to assess project reflexivity in SourceForge. These criteria are based on three specific indicators: intended audiences, relevant topics, and supported operating systems. Results: We show in this short paper that 68% of SourceForge projects are likely reflexive (in the sense described by Raymond). Further, 76% of projects exceeding one million downloads are reflexive, 79% for projects exceeding ten million downloads, and 89% for projects exceeding one hundred million downloads. Conclusion: These results tentatively support Raymond's assertions that 1) OSS projects tend to be reflexive and 2) reflexive OSS projects tend to be more successful than irreflexive projects. Causality, however, is not addressed.
Revisiting barriers to conflict resolution: Perspectives on power, relationships, and application to practice

This article introduces the special issue of Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict entitled “Revisiting barriers to conflict resolution: Perspectives on power, relationships, and application to practice”. We introduce the concepts and overarching themes to be addressed in the special issue, and provide an overview of the articles and contributors to the issue. In addition, we trace the intellectual roots of the barriers to conflict research agenda to the founding scholars at the Stanford Center on International Conflict and Negotiation (SCICN), and discuss the contributions of the participating scholars in this special issue to developing the barriers research agenda.
Climatology and modeling of quasi-monochromatic atmospheric gravity waves observed over Urbana Illinois

From analyzing nine months of airglow imaging observations of atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs) over Adelaide, Australia (35°S) [Walterscheid et al., 1999] have proposed that many of the quasi-monochromatic waves seen in the images were primarily thermally ducted. Here are presented 15 months of observations, from February 1996 to May 1997, for AGW frequency and propagation direction from a northern latitude site, Urbana Illinois (40°N). As Adelaide, Urbana is geographically distant from large orographic features. Similar to what was found in Adelaide, the AGWs seem to originate from a preferred location during the time period around summer solstice. In conjunction with these airglow data there exists MF radar data to provide winds in the 90 km region and near-simultaneous lidar data which provide a temperature climatology. The temperature data have previously been analyzed by States and Gardner [2000]. The temperature and wind data are used here in a full wave model analysis to determine the characteristics of the wave ducting and wave reflection during the 15 month observation period. This model analysis is applied to this and another existing data set recently described by Nakamura et al. [1999]. It is shown that the existence of a thermal duct around summer solstice can plausibly account for our observations. However, the characteristics of the thermal duct and the ability of waves to be ducted is also greatly dependent on the characteristics of the background wind. A simple model is constructed to simulate the trapping of these waves by such a duct. It is suggested that the waves seen over Urbana originate no more than a few thousand kilometers from the observation site.
The Interpersonal Grid: I. Felt and tape techniques for the measurement of social relationships

The Interpersonal Grid is a new method for measuring social relationships. Two parallel techniques are described which enable one to obtain nonverbal ratio-scale measures along both the liking and the status dimensions.
Herder on Aesthetic Imagination as a Source of Post-National Democratic Solidarity: A Contribution to Habermas’ Constitutional Patriotism

Constitutional patriotism has been criticized for providing too thin of an identity as the ground for common citizenship. Answering to this criticism, Habermas recently stressed the role of affective attachments in creating constitutional patriotic bonds. Still, an account of the type of imagination that could foster such post-national affective attachments is lacking. Drawing on Herder’s conception of culture, I argue that this requires a modern form of mythology. This would engage the interactive and communicative potential of poetic images in inclusionary ways that shape a common feeling of humanity. I also argue that Herder makes a case for a form of cosmopolitanism that finds the right balance between unity and diversity, universality and particularity. Thus, it shapes good dispositions that are conducive to tolerance and peace, avoiding, at the same time, the danger of imperialism or supranationalism. Thus enriched, Habermas’ constitutional patriotism requires supplementing the power of law to create bonds between people with the horizontal production of a cosmopolitan culture. This would include narratives that shape people’s imaginative capacity to see their own culture/nation both as a fallible part in the larger whole of mankind and as a free and equal contributor to the global advancement toward humanity.
Polymers and proteins: interactions at interfaces

Abstract The ability of polymer molecules attached at one end to a surface to prevent or enhance protein adsorption has been studied experimentally and theoretically. Recent systematic studies show that surface density seems to be the most important property of the tethered layer that determines its ability to prevent protein adsorption. Theoretical studies predict that the interactions of the polymer layer with the proteins and the adsorption behavior do not depend in the same way on polymer molecular weight and on the type of interaction of the polymer with the surface.
Role of oxygen radicals in ocular inflammation and cellular damage

Oxyradicals probably play a major role in a number of specific pathological conditions of intraocular tissues, such as cataract formation and retinal degeneration. This paper reviews some of the mechanistic concepts relating to tissue damage by highly reactive oxidants derived from endogenous precursors, hydrogen peroxide and superoxide. Experimental generation of superoxide in the anterior chamber of the rabbit eye showed leucocyte infiltration to be the principal acute response occurring in 4 hr. This finding suggests that superoxide may play a significant role in the ocular inflammatory response, possibly by reacting with a precursor substance in the aqueous humor to produce a chemotactic factor as has been previously found for blood plasma.