cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Donor Cell Leukemia: A Clinicopathological Study of 9 Cases and a Comprehensive Review of Literature.

Abstract Abstract 3466 Donor cell leukemia (DCL) in the setting of bone marrow/hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) has not been well characterized. We analyzed 9 cases of DCL and performed a literature review (table). The indications for transplant and subtypes of DCL are shown (table). The 6 myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) cases included 1 case of refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia (RCMD), 2 cases of refractory anemia and 3 cases which were unclassifiable. Conventional cytogenetic analysis was performed on all 9 cases of DCL (table). All 9 cases had engraftment studies performed either by short tandem repeat analysis (3) or FISH analysis for donor gonosomal complement (6) when DCL was diagnosed. Seven cases had either engraftment studies or cytogenetic analysis performed periodically after HCT to test the donor cell engraftment and engraftment was confirmed in all. FISH analysis for monosomy 7, del(7q) and del(5q) was retrospectively performed on preserved donor cells in 4 cases after DCL was diagnosed. A low level of abnormalities was observed in preserved donor cells for the cases with del(7q) (2.9%) and del(5q) (8.2%). The 2 cases of AML received chemotherapy. Of the MDS cases, 2 received donor cell infusion, 1 received 6 cycles of revlimid, and 3, along with the case of CLL, received either supportive therapy or were simply observed. Six cases have clinical follow up ≥ 5 months and of these, 1 died of disease (AML) while the other 5 are alive, including 4 MDS and the 1 CLL. The disproportionate detection of DCL in sex mismatched HCT suggests a probable under-detection in the sex-matched population. In our analysis, the interval between HCT and diagnosis of DCL (table) falls within the range of currently reported cases. When stratified by type of DCL, the T-LGL group demonstrates presentation significantly earlier than other groups (Fig. A), indicating pathogenesis of T-LGL may involve a distinct pathway. When stratified by types of primary disease, the interval of the neoplastic group is shorter than that of benign group (Fig. B), implying that pre-HCT treatment may play a role in the pathogenesis of DCL. When stratified by stem cell sources, UCB group shows shorter latency than the other sources (Fig. C), suggesting a higher risk of DCL in this cell source. The low level cytogenetic abnormalities of preserved donor cells in our series and the longer latency of the benign group suggest that donor cells with an intrinsic defect may be predisposed to evolve into DCL. Download : Download high-res image (226KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The MIGHTI Wind Retrieval Algorithm: Description and Verification

We present an algorithm to retrieve thermospheric wind profiles from measurements by the Michelson Interferometer for Global High-resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI) instrument on NASA’s Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) mission. MIGHTI measures interferometric limb images of the green and red atomic oxygen emissions at 557.7 nm and 630.0 nm, spanning 90–300 km. The Doppler shift of these emissions represents a remote measurement of the wind at the tangent point of the line of sight. Here we describe the algorithm which uses these images to retrieve altitude profiles of the line-of-sight wind. By combining the measurements from two MIGHTI sensors with perpendicular lines of sight, both components of the vector horizontal wind are retrieved. A comprehensive truth model simulation that is based on TIME-GCM winds and various airglow models is used to determine the accuracy and precision of the MIGHTI data product. Accuracy is limited primarily by spherical asymmetry of the atmosphere over the spatial scale of the limb observation, a fundamental limitation of space-based wind measurements. For 80% of the retrieved wind samples, the accuracy is found to be better than 5.8 m/s (green) and 3.5 m/s (red). As expected, significant errors are found near the day/night boundary and occasionally near the equatorial ionization anomaly, due to significant variations of wind and emission rate along the line of sight. The precision calculation includes pointing uncertainty and shot, read, and dark noise. For average solar minimum conditions, the expected precision meets requirements, ranging from 1.2 to 4.7 m/s.
Use of descriptive and experiential information in decision making by young and older adults.

ABSTRACTAge differences involving decision by description versus decision by experience were examined using the same general task structure to facilitate comparisons across decision types. Experiment 1 compared younger (19–43 years) and older (65–85 years) adults in four different experimental conditions involving a choice between a low-risk, low-return bet versus a high-risk, high-return bet. Experiment 2 compared young (18–27 years) to older (60–87 years) adults using similar experimental conditions, but with decisions involving a risky versus a certain option. Contrary to expectations, minimal differences were observed between ages in either study. Higher levels of ability and numeracy were associated with better performance and greater ability to benefit from experience, but the impact of these factors was not moderated by age. The results suggest that factors other than the simple distinction between decisions by description versus experience are necessary to characterize the nature of age effects in...
A Comparison of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) Collected in Rural Areas to VGI Collected in Urban and Suburban Areas of the United States

Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) is being collected worldwide and may be a source for authoritative data providers such as national mapping organizations. In order to evaluate the usability of these data as part of an authoritative dataset, it is first necessary to understand the quality and reliability of the data. Several studies have been conducted in Europe to compare a volunteer-provided dataset, OpenStreetMap (OSM), to authoritative data sources. The methodology used in these studies was the basis for studying OSM data over rural, suburban, and urban areas in three regions of the United States. The methodology was adapted to compare the volunteer-provided data in OSM to TIGER data from the U.S. Census Bureau which was used as the baseline data to initially populate OSM in the United States. The results showed that road network lengths in all areas studied were increased by volunteers. The increases were greater in more densely populated areas. The density of the OSM road network was generally found to be higher than the density of the baseline TIGER dataset, especially in urban areas. The types of features collected by volunteers were similar to the baseline dataset, but, showed increased percent feature content for pedestrian transportation features. These results are consistent with previous studies which compared OSM data to authoritative data sources.
The discovery of an ancient Maya causeway system in the southern Maya Mountains of Belize

The archaeological site of Quebrada de Oro, southern Belize, is one of four ancient Maya settlement sites, mainly dating to the Classic period (AD 250–900), that are situated in the Bladen Branch drainage of the southern Maya Mountains proper. This remote location has long been taken to imply that the region was a political backwater, but the recent discovery of an ancient Maya causeway system associated with Quebrada de Oro—the first significant example to be documented in this area—sheds new light on this group of Maya sites (Figure 1).
Optimization of Thermolytic Response to A1 Adenosine Receptor Agonists in Rats

Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States, and, currently, therapeutic hypothermia, now called targeted temperature management (TTM), is the only recent treatment modality proven to increase survival rates and reduce morbidity for this condition. Shivering and subsequent metabolic stress, however, limit application and benefit of TTM. Stimulating central nervous system A1 adenosine receptors (A1AR) inhibits shivering and nonshivering thermogenesis in rats and induces a hibernation-like response in hibernating species. In this study, we investigated the pharmacodynamics of two A1AR agonists in development as antishivering agents. To optimize body temperature (Tb) control, we evaluated the influence of every-other-day feeding, dose, drug, and ambient temperature (Ta) on the Tb-lowering effects of N6-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA) and the partial A1AR agonist capadenoson in rats. The highest dose of CHA (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) caused all ad libitum–fed animals tested to reach our target Tb of 32°C, but responses varied and some rats overcooled to a Tb as low as 21°C at 17.0°C Ta. Dietary restriction normalized the response to CHA. The partial agonist capadenoson (1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg, i.p.) produced a more consistent response, but the highest dose decreased Tb by only 1.6°C. To prevent overcooling after CHA, we studied continuous i.v. administration in combination with dynamic surface temperature control. Results show that after CHA administration control of surface temperature maintains desired target Tb better than dose or ambient temperature.
Splenic Vein Thrombosis Following Pancreas Transplantation: Identification of Factors That Support Conservative Management.

Prophylaxis for graft portal/splenic venous thrombosis following pancreas transplant varies between institutions. Similarly, treatment of venous thrombosis ranges from early re-exploration to conservative management with anticoagulation. We wished to determine the prevalence of graft splenic vein (SV) thrombosis, as well as the clinical significance of non-occlusive thrombus observed on routine imaging. Records of 112 pancreas transplant recipients over a 5-year period at a single center were reviewed. Venous thrombosis was defined as absence of flow or presence of thrombus identified in any part of the graft SV on ultrasound. Thirty patients (27%) had some degree of thrombus or absence of flow in the SV on postoperative ultrasound. There were 5 graft losses in this group. Four were due to venous thrombosis, and occurred within 20 days of transplant. All patients with non-occlusive partial SV thrombus but normal arterial signal on Doppler ultrasound were successfully treated with IV heparin followed by warfarin for 3–6 months, and remained insulin independent. Findings of arterial signal abnormalities, such as absence or reversal of diastolic flow within the graft, require urgent operative intervention since this finding can be associated with more extensive thrombus that may lead to graft loss.
Structural biology of telomerase and its interaction at telomeres

Telomerase is an RNP that synthesizes the 3′ ends of linear chromosomes and is an important regulator of telomere length. It contains a single long non-coding telomerase RNA (TER), telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), and other proteins that vary among organisms. Recent progress in structural biology of telomerase includes reports of the first cryo-electron microscopy structure of telomerase, from Tetrahymena , new crystal structures of TERT domains, telomerase RNA structures and models, and identification in Tetrahymena telomerase holoenzyme of human homologues of telomere-associated proteins that have provided a more unified view of telomerase interaction at telomeres as well as insights into the role of telomerase RNA in activity and assembly.
The Influence of Speech Rate on Acceptable Noise Levels.

Older adults often struggle with accurate perception of rate-altered speech and have difficulty understanding speech in noise. The acceptable noise level (ANL) quantifies a listener’s willingness to listen to speech in background noise and has been found to accurately predict hearing aid success. Based on the difficulty older adults experience with rapid speech, we were interested in how older adults may change the amount of background noise they willingly accept in a variety of speech rate conditions. To determine the effects of age and speech rate on the ANL. A quasi-experimental mixed design was employed. Fifteen young adults (19–27 yr) and fifteen older adults (55–73 yr) with audiometrically normal hearing or hearing loss within age-normed limits served as participants. Most comfortable listening levels (MCLs) and background noise levels (BNLs) were measured using three different speech rates (slow, normal, and fast). The ANL was calculated by subtracting BNL from MCL. Repeated measures analysis of variances were used to analyze the effects of age and speech rate on ANL. A significant main effect of speech rate was observed; however, a significant main effect of age was not found. Results indicated that as speech rate increased the ANLs increased. This suggests that participants became less accepting of background noise as speech rates increased. The findings of the present study provide support for communication strategies that recommend slowing an individual’s speaking rate and/or reducing background noise, if possible. Participants in the present study were better able to cope with background noise when the primary stimulus was presented at slow and normal speaking rates.
* A 3D Tissue-Printing Approach for Validation of Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Skeletal Muscle.

The ability to noninvasively assess skeletal muscle microstructure, which predicts function and disease, would be of significant clinical value. One method that holds this promise is diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI), which is sensitive to the microscopic diffusion of water within tissues and has become ubiquitous in neuroimaging as a way of assessing neuronal structure and damage. However, its application to the assessment of changes in muscle microstructure associated with injury, pathology, or age remains poorly defined, because it is difficult to precisely control muscle microstructural features in vivo. However, recent advances in additive manufacturing technologies allow precision-engineered diffusion phantoms with histology informed skeletal muscle geometry to be manufactured. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop skeletal muscle phantoms at relevant size scales to relate microstructural features to MRI-based diffusion measurements. A digital light projection based rap...
Modeling the effects of strain profiles and defects on precessional magnetic switching in multiferroic heterostructures

Strain-mediated multiferroic heterostructures relying on fast 180° precessional magnetic switching have been proposed as a pathway for energy efficient and high density memory/logic devices. However, proper device performance requires precisely timed high frequency (~GHz) voltage pulses dependent on the magnetization dynamics of the structure. In turn, the dynamic response of the device is greatly influenced by the device geometry, strain amplitude, and strain rate. Hence, we study the effects of increasing the voltage amplitude and application rate on the in-plane magnetization dynamics of a single-domain CoFeB ellipse (100 nm x 80 nm x 6 nm) on a 500 nm thick PZT substrate in addition to studying defects in the geometry. Both a coupled micromagnetics, electrostatics and elastodynamics finite element model and a conventional micromagnetics software was used to study the strain-induced magnetic response of the CoFeB ellipse. Both models predict increased 90° magnetic reorientation speed with increased strain amplitude and rate. However, the fully-coupled model predicts slower reorientation and incoherency in comparison to the uncoupled model. This occurs because the fully-coupled model can capture the expected strain gradients of a fabricated device while the micromagnetics model can only represent uniform strain states. Additional studies which introduce geometric defects result in faster precessional motion under the same strain amplitude and rate. This is attributed to localized changes in the magnetization that influence neighboring regions via exchange and demagnetization effects. The results of these studies can help design better devices that will be less sensitive to defects and voltage applications for future strain-mediated multiferroic devices.
A gaze gesture-based paradigm for situational impairments, accessibility, and rich interactions

Gaze gesture-based interactions on a computer are promising, but the existing systems are limited by the number of supported gestures, recognition accuracy, need to remember the stroke order, lack of extensibility, and so on. We present a gaze gesture-based interaction framework where a user can design gestures and associate them to appropriate commands like minimize, maximize, scroll, and so on. This allows the user to interact with a wide range of applications using a common set of gestures. Furthermore, our gesture recognition algorithm is independent of the screen size, resolution, and the user can draw the gesture anywhere on the target application. Results from a user study involving seven participants showed that the system recognizes a set of nine gestures with an accuracy of 93% and a F-measure of 0.96. We envision, this framework can be leveraged in developing solutions for situational impairments, accessibility, and also for implementing rich a interaction paradigm.
Chaperone Proteins and Chaperonopathies

Protein homeostasis is key for life; cells must have a complete set of proteins within a defined range of concentrations and with a functional native conformation. Molecular chaperones play a central role in maintaining cellular proteins in their correct conformation by assisting in their folding or in their elimination by proteases if they cannot be folded. This article presents the principal chaperones that occur in the three domains of life.
Milt Eruit En Diabetes Mellitus

Een tandarts mailt mij: ‘Het gaat om een 60-jarige man, waarbij ik enkele caviteiten moet behandelen met mogelijk een wortelkanaalbehandeling onder anesthesie (ultracain-ds). De patient wordt behandeld vanwege darmkanker (bestraling en medicatie) en hij heeft een splenectomie ondergaan. Hij geeft verder aan diabetes te hebben, hypertensie, last van kortademigheid, hyperventileren, en maag/darmklachten. (Zie afbeelding 1, tabel 1-2, LAI) Ik heb bij meerdere behandelend artsen (oncoloog, huisarts) advies gevraagd, maar krijg geen antwoord op mijn vragen. De behandelend oncoloog geeft aan dat er na een splenectomie een pneumovax gegeven dient te worden die elke 3jr herhaald moet worden. Het is niet duidelijk of hier gehoor aan gegeven is. Wel geeft de oncoloog aan dat 2 gram Amoxicilline als profylaxe gegeven moet worden. In het Farmacotherapeutisch Kompas staat bij methotrexaat: Antibiotica zoals penicillinen kunnen de nierklaring v
Effects of growth stage and growing degree day accumulations on triticale forages: 1. Dry matter yield, nutritive value, and in vitro dry matter disappearance.

ABSTRACT The use of triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) in dairy-cropping systems has expanded greatly in recent years, partly to improve land stewardship by providing winter ground cover. Our objective was to establish relationships relating indices of nutritive value with growth stage or accumulated growing degree days >5°C for triticale forages grown in central Wisconsin. Replicated 3.7-m × 9.1-m plots were established following removal of corn for silage (fall 2015) and soybeans (fall 2016) and then harvested at various growth stages the following spring. Plants were assigned a numerical growth stage based on a linear staging system suitable for use as an independent regression variable. Response variables [e.g., dry matter (DM) yield, indices of nutritive value, and parameters from in vitro DM disappearance kinetics] were regressed on growth stage and growing degree days using linear, quadratic, cubic, or quartic models. For spring 2016, the mean DM yield at the boot stage (3,804 kg of DM/ha) was only 30% of that observed at the soft dough stage of growth (12,642 kg of DM/ha). Although yields were reduced during spring 2017, primarily due to spring flooding, the relationship between respective yields at these growth stages was similar (1,453 vs. 5,399 kg of DM/ha). Regressions of DM yield (kg/ha) on growth stage for 2016 were explained by a cubic model (Y = 0.0663x3 − 9.44x2 + 595x – 9,810) compared with a simple linear response for 2017 (Y = 103x – 3,024); in both cases, coefficients of determination were very high (R2 ≥ 0.934). Many nutritional and in vitro DM disappearance characteristics were affected by the juxtaposition and balance of 2 generally competing factors: (1) increased concentrations of structural plant fiber coupled with concurrent lignification as plants matured and (2) the accumulation of highly digestible carbohydrate during seed head development. A comparison of respective energy yields between the boot and soft dough stages of growth for 2016 (2,488 vs. 8,141 kg of total digestible nutrients/ha) and 2017 (1,033 vs. 3,520 kg of total digestible nutrients/ha) suggests that yields of energy are greater at soft dough stage and are mostly driven by DM yield. An informed harvest management decision for lactating cows may still favor a boot-stage harvest because of superior nutritional characteristics, a need to plant double-cropped corn expeditiously, or both. Harvest timing of triticale forages for other livestock classes would appear to be more flexible, but prioritizing a subsequent double crop may reduce the effects on DM yield to a secondary consideration.
Cash is Still King? TANF Effective Benefit Guarantees, Tax Rates, and Participation, 2000-2016

The role of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in the US social safety net has dropped considerably as caseloads have declined sixty percent since 2000. This paper measures the evolution TANF by estimating effective benefit guarantee levels, tax rates, and participation rates between 2000 and 2016. Administrative TANF data reveal that effective benefit guarantees for single-parent families decreased by 24 percent on average between 2000 and 2016 while earned and unearned tax rates decreased slightly. American Community Survey data show effective welfare benefit guarantees dropped only 14 percent and display reduced cross-state benefit inequality. Effective welfare participation has decreased alongside TANF caseload reductions, verifying that reduced caseloads are not due to increased earnings or family composition changes. As of 2016, only fourteen percent of single-parent households without earnings received cash assistance. However, the phase-out of participation with respect to earned income has decreased by half over this time period.
Sure Independence Screening

Big data is ubiquitous in various fields of sciences, engineering, medicine, social sciences, and humanities. It is often accompanied by a large number of variables and features. While adding much greater flexibility to modeling with enriched feature space, ultra-high dimensional data analysis poses fundamental challenges to scalable learning and inference with good statistical efficiency. Sure independence screening is a simple and effective method to this endeavor. This framework of two-scale statistical learning, consisting of large-scale screening followed by moderate-scale variable selection introduced in Fan and Lv (2008), has been extensively investigated and extended to various model settings ranging from parametric to semiparametric and nonparametric for regression, classification, and survival analysis. This article provides an overview on the developments of sure independence screening over the past decade. These developments demonstrate the wide applicability of the sure independence screening based learning and inference for big data analysis with desired scalability and theoretical guarantees.
MORAL SEARCH IN MULTICULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Purpose of the work is to identify and justify the moral priorities in multicultural communication. Theoretical basis is the works of foreign and Ukrainian authors, revealing the main approaches to the problem of multiculturalism; studies on ethics and philosophical anthropology that define the problem field in the anthropo-logy of morality. The work uses: the conceptual provisions of phenomenology – for the disclosure of the semantic uncertainty of human existence as a prerequisite of moral search; existential philosophy – to substantiate the essential relationship of a man and culture. Originality of the results obtained consists of 1) understanding multiculturalism as a "dialogue of people" (V. Mezhuev), in which the moral search of every person is actualized; 2) in justifying the demand for inter-individual communication of "negative" ethics (A. Guseynov): its requirement not to commit immoral acts stimulates a person to moral search, reveals the specifics of the existence of a "person navigator" (S. Smirnov); 3) in the definition of intercultural communication as the creation of opportunities for the search for tolerant (non-conflict) forms of existence . Conclusions : 1) multiculturalism is a contradictory phenomenon, producing conflicts and creating prerequisites for overcoming them; 2) the possibilities of non-conflict existence in a situation of multiculturalism arise in inter-individual communication, which is a situation of moral search for every person; 3) "ethics of opportunities" unites universal and situational moral norms in multicultural communication: people enable each other to remain people; 4) "ethics of opportunities" creates conditions for tolerant (non-conflict) interaction between people and cultures.
Romanticizing Conversion Narratives: Women, Change, and Female Agency in Twilight and Joseph and Aseneth

Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series recounts the conversion of the female protagonist, Bella, from human to vampire. This conversion is reminiscent of an earlier tale of conversion in the Second Temp...
Minimally Invasive Injection to the Phrenic Nerve in a Porcine Hemidiaphragmatic Paralysis Model: A Pilot Study.

Background Neurodegenerative diseases and spinal cord injury can affect respiratory function often through motor neuron loss innervating the diaphragm. To reinnervate this muscle, new motor neurons could be transplanted into the phrenic nerve (PN), allowing them to extend axons to the diaphragm. These neurons could then be driven by an optogenetics approach to regulate breathing. This type of approach has already been demonstrated in the peripheral nerves of mice. However, there is no established thoracoscopic approach to PN injection. Also, there is currently a lack of preclinical large animal models of diaphragmatic dysfunction in order to evaluate the efficacy of potential treatments. Objective To evaluate the feasibility of thoracoscopic drug delivery into the PN and to assess the viability of hemidiaphragmatic paralysis in a porcine model. Methods Two Landrace farm pigs underwent a novel procedure for thoracoscopic PN injections, including 1 nonsurvival and 1 survival surgery. Nonsurvival surgery involved bilateral PN injections and ligation. Survival surgery included a right PN injection and transection proximal to the injection site to induce hemidiaphragmatic paralysis. Results PN injections were successfully performed in both procedures. The animal that underwent survival surgery recovered postoperatively with an established right hemidiaphragmatic paralysis. Over the 5-d postoperative period, the animal displayed stable vital signs and oxygenation saturation on room air with voluntary breathing. Conclusion Thoracoscopic targeting of the porcine PN is a feasible approach to administer therapeutic agents. A swine model of hemidiaphragmatic paralysis induced by unilateral PN ligation or transection may be potentially used to study diaphragmatic reinnervation following delivery of therapeutics.
The Apprenticeship: A Bipartisan Model of Opportunity

Apprenticeships have re-emerged, globally, as a popular solution to the college and career divide. In a comparative study of apprenticeships in the United States, Germany, and Sweden, we find each country has a shared challenge with effectively integrating new and vulnerable populations—immigrants, migrants, and refugees—into the workforce, as well as supporting equity for women, low-income communities, people of color, and other underrepresented populations in apprenticeships that feed into high-growth, well-paying fields. As models, based on successful systems in Europe, are built-out in the United States, it is imperative that recruitment of and support for these communities are focal to program design and policies.
Experimental and analytical investigation on the interlaminar shear strength of carbon fiber composites reinforced with carbon nanofiber z-threads

Abstract This paper combines an experimental study of the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and fracture behavior of CFRPs reinforced with carbon nanofiber (CNF) z-threads (i.e., ZT-CFRPs) together with an analytical model to explain and predict the shear behaviors improved by the CNF z-threads. The ZT-CFRP prepreg was manufactured from resin film containing electrical-field-aligned CNFs by using a modified hot-melt flow-transfer process. The short-beam shear (SBS) test was conducted on the ILSS of ZT-CFRP laminates together with a microscopic morphology study to understand the roles of the CNF z-threads during the shear fracture process. The study revealed the significance of the alignment of the CNFs to increase the ILSS of CFRP laminates. It was shown that CNF z-threads statistically significantly increased the ILSS and the required shear fracture work of CFRPs when compared to the unmodified CFRP and the CFRPs reinforced with randomly dispersed CNFs due to energy transfer and mechanical interlocking from the CNF z-threads. Furthermore, calculations showed that CNF z-threads reduce unwanted stress concentrations, kIC during the double-notch shear (DNS) test. The analytical model helps to understand the interlaminar shear behavior of ZT-CFRPs further and is useful to predict additional experimental data and guide material design in the future.
Adaptive, multipaddock rotational grazing management: A ranch-scale assessment of effects on vegetation and livestock performance in semiarid rangeland

Abstract A comprehensive understanding of multipaddock, rotational grazing management on rangelands has been slow to develop, and the contribution of adaptive management (Briske et al. 2011) and sufficient scale (Teague and Barnes 2017) have been identified as key omissions. We designed an experiment to compare responses of vegetation and cattle in an adaptively managed, multipaddock, rotational system with that of a season-long, continuous system at scales comparable with those of a working ranch. We hypothesized that 1) year-long rest periods in the adaptively managed, rotational pastures would increase the density and productivity of perennial C3 graminoids compared with continuously grazed pastures and 2) adaptive management, supported with detailed monitoring data, would result in similar cattle performance in the rotational as in the continuously grazed pastures. However, we found little supporting evidence for grazing management effects on C3 graminoid abundance or production under either above-average or below-average precipitation conditions during the 5-yr experiment. Furthermore, adaptive rotational grazing resulted in a 12–16% reduction in total cattle weight gain relative to continuous grazing each year. Our work shows that the implementation of adaptive management by a stakeholder group provided with detailed vegetation and animal monitoring data was unable to fully mitigate the adverse consequences of high stock density on animal weight gain. Under adaptive rotational grazing, C3 perennial grass productivity and stocking rate both increased following above-average precipitation. But when adaptive rotational management was directly compared with continuous grazing with the same increase in stocking rate, continuous grazing achieved similar vegetation outcomes with greater cattle weight gains. We suggest that managers in semiarid rangelands strive to maintain cattle at stock densities low enough to allow for maximal cattle growth rates, while still providing spatiotemporal variability in grazing distribution to enhance rangeland heterogeneity and long-term sustainability of forage production.
Two Classifications Enter, One Classification Leaves: Are UFC Fighters Employees or Independent Contractors?

The fighters who compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) are currently classified as independent contractors. However, this classification appears to contradict the level of control that the UFC exerts over its fighters. This independent contractor classification severely limits the fighters’ benefits, workplace protections, and ability to unionize. Furthermore, the friendship between UFC’s brash president Dana White and President Donald Trump — who makes appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) — has added a new twist to this issue. An attorney representing a former UFC fighter claimed this friendship resulted in a biased NLRB determination in their case. This article provides a detailed examination regarding the relationship between the UFC and its fighters, the relevance of worker classifications, and case law involving workers in related fields. Additionally, an analysis of the proper classification of UFC fighters using the International Revenue Service (IRS) Twenty-Factor Test is performed.
Student perceptions on the benefits of Flipgrid in a HyFlex learning environment

Various course delivery methods exist within higher education ranging from face-to-face to HyFlex (hybrid flexible) methods. This research is a mixed method, exploratory study designed to investiga...
HEAT ENERGY DISSIPATION IN FATIGUE DAMAGE PROCESS OF MATERIALS

Using the dissipated energy as an essential parameter, the energy dissipative structure in process of fatigue damage of materials has been established. Through thermodynamic analysis for irreversible energy dissipation in fatigue damage process, the heat dissipative variations in cyclic loading process as well as in a cycle have been systematically stu- died on the basis of low cycle fatigue tests and infrared measurement of self-heating thermography. Meanwhile, the cyclic hysteresis energy and efficicent energy dissipation (stored energy) have been proposed during fatigue damage process.
Dementia with Lewy bodies: emerging drug targets and therapeutics

Introduction: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is characterized by the toxic accumulation of α-synuclein protein inside neural cells; this results in neurodegeneration which is clinically accompanied by behavioral and psychological changes. DLB shares features with Parkinson's disease (PD) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD), but also overlaps neurochemically and pathologically with Alzheimer's disease. Symptomatic treatments for LBD differ in their effectiveness while disease-modifying and curative approaches are much needed.Areas covered: We explore emerging therapeutics for DLB through the lens of repurposing approved drugs and survey their potential for disease modifying actions in DLB. Given the complexity of DLB with multiple pathologies, potential therapeutic targets that could affect Lewy body pathology, or metabolism or neurotransmitters or immunomodulation were surveyed. We queried PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov searches 2017-2020.Expert opinion: DLB is not simply aredux ofAD or PD; hence, treatments should not be exclusively duplicative ofAD or PD directed treatments. This opens amyriad of possibilities for therapeutic approaches that are disease specific or repurposed.
Emotion as Information in Early Social Learning

The majority of research on infants’ and children’s understanding of emotional expressions has focused on their abilities to use emotional expressions to infer how other people feel. However, an em...
Globalisation, Black Swans, and financialisation as social constructions: A Discursive Institutional Analysis of Banamex, Citibank, and Scotiabank in Argentina

Despite over twenty years of political resistance, globalisation endures, both as a discourse and political project. While many works have established how discourses of globalisation serve to const...
Interprofessional Education - A Mandate for Today's Radiology Curriculum

Interprofessional education (IPE) brings educators and learners from two or more health professions together in a collaborative learning environment, specifically assuring that learners function as a team to provide patient-centered care, with each team member contributing a unique perspective. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and the American Board of Radiology have endorsed interprofessional and team communication as essential core competencies. Radiology educators must understand, include, and optimize IPE in their pedagogy; as a specialty, radiology must innovate more interprofessional experiences for medical students, residents and other allied health professions.
Leptomeningeal metastases

Leptomeningeal metastasis, also known as neoplastic meningitis, carcinomatous meningitis, and meningeal carcinomatosis, occurs when cancer cells gain access to cerebrospinal fluid pathways, travel to multiple sites within the central nervous system, settle, and grow. This disease has become an increasingly important late complication in oncology as patients survive longer, develop more brain metastases, and newer chemotherapies fail to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. The hallmark of clinical presentation is a cancer patient who complains of focal neurologic dysfunction and is found to have multifocal signs on neurologic examination. The clinical course is relentlessly progressive; treatment is limited and cures are the subject of case reports. This article reviews the clinical course of leptomeningeal metastasis and addresses recent developments in its pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment.
Same Old New German Cinema, on Julia Knight's New German Cinema: Images of a Generation

Julia Knight _New German Cinema: Images of a Generation_ London: Wallflower Press, 2004 ISBN 1-903364-28-0 124 pp.
Electronic Resources (ER) Management in the Academic Library

SUMMARY Academic Libraries, like all types of libraries, are in transition as they move from books on shelves to bytes on computers. Academic libraries, limited by space and staff to cover their hours of operation, have created 24-hour, digital information commons. The librarian focus on the millennial undergraduate features a virtual library that highlights extensive software suites and modules with computers where students can work collaboratively 24 hours a day, an expanded center for writing instruction, and a center for computer training, technical assistance, and repair. To transition to this type of library can be a challenge for a profession not noted for the embrace of dynamic change initiatives and paradigms. This chapter looks at a number of change-management initiatives and models taken from private industry, looks at how digital resources impact and challenge traditional library workflows, and focuses on new ways these workflows can be altered to accommodate the new electronic information for...
3D delivered dose assessment using a 4DCT-based motion model.

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to develop a clinically feasible method of calculating actual delivered dose distributions for patients who have significant respiratory motion during the course of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Methods: A novel approach was proposed to calculate the actual delivered dose distribution for SBRT lung treatment. This approach can be specified in three steps. (1) At the treatment planning stage, a patient-specific motion model is created from planning 4DCT data. This model assumes that the displacement vector field (DVF) of any respiratory motion deformation can be described as a linear combination of some basis DVFs. (2) During the treatment procedure, 2D time-varying projection images (either kV or MV projections) are acquired, from which time-varying “fluoroscopic” 3D images of the patient are reconstructed using the motion model. The DVF of each timepoint in the time-varying reconstruction is an optimized linear combination of basis DVFs such that the 2D projection of the 3D volume at this timepoint matches the projection image. (3) 3D dose distribution is computed for each timepoint in the set of 3D reconstructed fluoroscopic images, from which the total effective 3D delivered dose is calculated by accumulating deformed dose distributions. This approach wasmore » first validated using two modified digital extended cardio-torso (XCAT) phantoms with lung tumors and different respiratory motions. The estimated doses were compared to the dose that would be calculated for routine 4DCT-based planning and to the actual delivered dose that was calculated using “ground truth” XCAT phantoms at all timepoints. The approach was also tested using one set of patient data, which demonstrated the application of our method in a clinical scenario. Results: For the first XCAT phantom that has a mostly regular breathing pattern, the errors in 95% volume dose (D95) are 0.11% and 0.83%, respectively for 3D fluoroscopic images reconstructed from kV and MV projections compared to the ground truth, which is clinically comparable to 4DCT (0.093%). For the second XCAT phantom that has an irregular breathing pattern, the errors are 0.81% and 1.75% for kV and MV reconstructions, both of which are better than that of 4DCT (4.01%). In the case of real patient, although it is impossible to obtain the actual delivered dose, the dose estimation is clinically reasonable and demonstrates differences between 4DCT and MV reconstruction-based dose estimates. Conclusions: With the availability of kV or MV projection images, the proposed approach is able to assess delivered doses for all respiratory phases during treatment. Compared to the planning dose based on 4DCT, the dose estimation using reconstructed 3D fluoroscopic images was as good as 4DCT for regular respiratory pattern and was a better dose estimation for the irregular respiratory pattern.« less
Gallery construction by Nasutitermes costalis: polyethism and the behavior of individuals.

Using records of complete behavioral sequences (including act durations) recorded for more than 8000 individual workers visiting specially prepared gallery repair sites, in addition to direct observations of worker participation in various activities, detailed and quantitative descriptions of building behavior and related activities have been developed for each of the five worker castes ofNasutitermes costalis. Polyethism is clearly demonstrated in terms of specific differences along a number of behavioral dimensions. At a gallery repair site, the SW1 and LW3, being moderate in abundance but vigorous builders, contribute more overall to the construction than any other castes. As individuals, however, the SW2 are the most active builders. Grooming is performed primarily by the LW3. These intercaste differences are primarily differences in emphasis; almost every type of behavior observed is performed by at least some individuals from each caste. Existing descriptions of termite polyethism based on the relative abundance of each caste at a particular work location are confirmed and substantially extended. Comparison of building material use shows that construction behavior during gallery repair differs significantly from that during nest expansion for each caste.
Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), inhibin-α, growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9), and bone morphogenic protein-15 (BMP15) mRNA and protein are influenced by photoperiod-induced ovarian regression and recrudescence in Siberian hamster ovaries.

Exposure of Siberian hamsters to short photoperiod (SD) inhibits ovarian function, including folliculogenesis, whereas function is restored with transfer to long photoperiods (LD). To investigate the mechanism of photostimulated recrudescence, we assessed key folliculogenic factors: anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), inhibin-α, growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9), and bone morphogenic protein-15 (BMP-15) across the estrus cycle and in photoregressed and recrudescing ovaries. Adult hamsters were exposed to either LD or SD for 14 weeks representing functional and regressed ovaries, respectively. Select regressed hamsters were transferred back to LD for two (post-transfer week 2; PTw2) or eight weeks (PTw8). Ovaries were collected and fixed in formalin for immunohistochemistry or frozen in liquid nitrogen for real-time PCR. AMH, inhibin-α, GDF-9 and BMP-15 mRNA and protein were detected in all stages of the estrus cycle. Fourteen weeks of SD exposure increased (p<0.05) ovarian AMH, GDF-9 and BMP-15, but not inhibin-α mRNA levels as compared to LD. Transfer of regressed hamsters to stimulatory long photoperiod for 8 weeks returned AMH and GDF-9 mRNA levels to LD levels levels, and further increased mRNA levels for inhibin-α and BMP-15. Immunostaining of AMH, inhibin-α, GDF-9 and BMP-15 proteins was most intense in preantral/antral follicles and oocytes. The overall immunostaining extent for AMH and inhibin-α generally mirrored mRNA data, though no changes were observed in GDF-9 or BMP-15 immunostaining extent. Shifts in mRNA and protein levels across photoperiod conditions suggest possible syncretic roles for these folliculogenic factors in photostimulated recrudescence via potential regulation of follicle recruitment, preservation and development.
Freeze-Thawing of Aquaspirillum magnetotacticum Cells Selectively Releases Periplasmic Proteins.

Abstract Cells of the gram-negative bacterium Aquaspirillum magnetotacticum, when suspended in buffer and freeze-thawed, produced pinkish orange supernatant fluid. The fluid contained ≤2.0% of total extractable outer membrane component 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate or of the cytoplasmic membrane marker succinic dehydrogenase. Electrophoretic banding patterns and difference spectra of proteins and hemoproteins released by freeze-thawing cells were distinct from those of membrane-associated substances and similar to those of periplasmic substances obtained by applying conventional fractionation methods to this organism.
Dissolved gallium in the northwest Pacific and the south and central Atlantic Oceans: Implications for aeolian Fe input and a reconsideration of profiles

The distribution of dissolved gallium, a less-reactive analogue of aluminum, has the potential to reveal information about the averaged dust input to the surface ocean and to complement studies using aluminum as a tracer. New data are presented here on the distribution of dissolved Ga, including six profiles in the south and central Atlantic as well as seven shallow and two deep profiles from the northwest Pacific. The Atlantic data allow for an estimate of Ga in Antarctic Bottom Water (∼25–30 pmol kg−1) and show reasonably conservative behavior in deep waters. In the northwest Pacific, surface water Ga/Al ratios correlate with chlorophyll concentrations, probably reflecting the biogenic removal of dissolved Al and suggesting a possible means for estimating variation in surface water Al removal times. Also in the northwest Pacific, low surface water Ga in subpolar surface waters suggests low dust input, thereby providing an explanation for the high nutrient–low chlorophyll behavior of this environment. This low Ga subpolar water implies that North Pacific Intermediate Water is low in Ga and thus provides an advective explanation for the intermediate water Ga minimum observed in the temperate North Pacific. Surprisingly, the deepest waters sampled in the North Pacific have Ga concentrations similar to that estimated for circumpolar waters, thus indicating minimal reactivity of Ga in its northward transit in the deep Pacific.