cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Charter School Authorizers and Student Achievement.

In the academic and policy debates over the merits of charter schools, two things are clear: First, they are here to stay and, second, their quality varies widely. Policy makers therefore need to understand how to design charter laws that promote the creation of highperforming schools. Crucial to this discussion is the charter authorizing process, which varies across the nation. In some states, authorizing power is held exclusivelybylocalschooldistricts,whereasotherstatesallow arangeofauthorizersthatmayincludenotonlylocaldistricts, but also nonprofit organizations, counties, higher educational institutions, or a state agency. In this paper we use individual student-level data from Ohio, which permits a wide range of organizations to authorize charter schools, to examine the relationship between type of authorizer and charter-school effectiveness as measured by students’ achievement trajectories.
Update in Pulmonary Diseases

This Update describes recent advances in treating pulmonary hypertension and outlines the issues surrounding proposals to screen for lung cancer by using low-dose computed tomography.
The Esthetic Impact of Orthodontics: Planning Treatment to Meet Patients’ Needs

Three case reports describe treatment planning and results for Class II malocclusion—one of the most prevalent problems treated by orthodontic therapy.
Anti-interferon antibody increases rhinovirus isolation rates from nasal wash specimens containing interferon-alpha2☆

Abstract Isolation of rhinoviruses from nasal secretions may be delayed or prevented by exogenously applied interferon which is carried over into nasal wash specimens. In studies of interferon-alpha 2 treated volunteers with experimental rhinovirus infection, we determined that incorporation of antiinterferon antibody into collection broth significantly increased isolation rates (84% increase) and the proportion of monolayers positive for CPE (155% increase), as compared to plain collection broth.
The effect of ethanol on temperature selection in the goldfish, Carassius auratus

Abstract The effect of ethanol on behavioral thermoregulation in the goldfish, Carassius auratus , was studied by adding ethanol to a horizontal aquatic temperature gradient which allowed each fish to select its preferred temperature within a range of about 9°C to 33°C. Alternating exposure to 1.0% (v/v) ethanol and water showed that fish (10 to 15 g) responded to ethanol by selecting lower temperatures. Onset and disappearance of the effect occurred within 10 min of exposure to or removal from ethanol. Fish exposed to 1.0% ethanol for 3 hr did not show acute tolerance. When fish were exposed to increasing concentrations of ethanol from 0.0% to 1.7%, the lowest concentration to elicit a response was 0.5% ethanol. The magnitude of the response plateaued at 0.7% ethanol. At this concentration and above, selected temperatures remained about 2°C below temperatures selected by controls Because thermoregulatory responses of fish are behavioral and relatively easy to observe and quantify, goldfish offer a useful model for the study of ethanol effects on central nervous system control of thermoregulation. Ethanol produces a prompt, stable, and reproducible depression of selected temperature by lowering the thermoregulatory set point in the goldfish.
Facioskeletal remodelling resulting from rapid palatal expansion in the monkey (Macaca cynomolgus)

Abstract Previous studies have established that rapid palatal expansion does open the midpalatal suture. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the gross architectural changes in the facio-skeletal structures of four cynomolgus monkeys produced by the palate-splitting appliance. Bone changes were demonstrated by the utilization of tetracycline vital staining and ultraviolet light-excited fluorescence of new bone formed during an episode of skeletal remodelling. Findings indicated extensive remodelling had occurred in the nasal cavity, lateral alveolar processes, inferior surface of the palate, and the floor and lateral and medial walls of the orbits. Lateral orbital changes terminated at the zygomatico-frontal suture anteriorly, and fronto-sphenoidal suture posteriorly. Medially, changes were limited to the structures below the fronto-ethmoidal and fronto-nasal sutures. Thus, the roof of the orbits formed by the frontal bone was unaffected by the procedure of maxillary expansion, indicating that all changes in the facial skeleton were restricted to the appendymal structures of the neurocranium. The cranial base remained unchanged.
Substance abuse and attribution states: The Covalent Security Attribution Model

The attribution of the causality regarding the quality of life in a community and the security within a community differs between user and non-user groups of illegal drugs. An attribution theoretical model based on intergroup relations presents a new conceptualization of dyadic relations as the Covalent Security Attribution model. The Covalent Security Attribution model of user and non-user intergroup dynamics provides an exegesis of group cognitive consistency and the attribution process. This inquiry provides a heuristic examination of the Covalent Security Attribution model of adolescent substance abuse.
Raman microprobe spectroscopic studies of solid DNA-CTMA films

Extensive studies have been carried out on developing the new biopolymer, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) derived from salmon, that has been complexed with a surfactant to make it water insoluble for application to bioelectronic and biophotonic devices. One of the key issues associated with the properties and behavior of solid films of this material is the extreme size of the >8 MDa molecular weight of the virgin, as-received material. Reduction of this molecular weight by factors of up to 40 is achieved by high power sonication. To support the various measurements that have been made to confirm that the sonicated material is still double strand DNA and to look for other effects of sonication, Raman studies were carried out to compare the spectra over a wide range of molecular weights and to develop baseline data that can be used in intercolation studies where various dopants are added to change the electrical, mechanical or optical properties. Raman microprobe spectra from solid, dry thin films of DNA with molecular weights ranging from 200 kDa to >8 MDa complexed with cetyltrimethyl-ammonium chloride (CTMA) are reported and compared to the as-received spectrum and to published DNA spectra in aqueous solutions. In addition, microscopy and measurements on macro-molecular structures of DNA-CTMA are reported.
Sclerotherapy for intra-abdominal lymphatic malformations in children.

Purpose Sclerotherapy is well described as a treatment for lymphatic malformations (LMs) in the head, neck, and other soft tissue areas. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of intralesional sclerotherapy as primary treatment for intra-abdominal LMs in children. Methods We conducted a retrospective review from 2008 to 2012 of all children with intra-abdominal LMs treated with sclerotherapy at our tertiary children's hospital. Results In this study, five patients underwent sclerotherapy as a primary intervention for intra-abdominal LMs. The ages of these patients ranged from 12 to 52 months at the time of initial treatment. Doxycycline was used as the primary sclerotherapy agent. The patients required between three and five (median 3) sclerosing treatments over a period that ranged from 5 to 366 days (median 28). No child has required an operation and all LMs have decreased in size. The median decease in maximum diameter is 62% (21–67). Complete resolution has not been attained but all have experienced symptomatic relief with a median follow-up of 3 (1–24) months. Conclusions Sclerotherapy is an effective first-line therapy for intra-abdominal LMs in the pediatric population and should be considered when treating these difficult lesions.
Prebirth marital interactions and postbirth marital development

De tres nombreuses recherches viennent soutenir la declaration generale selon laquelle les couples qui, avant la naissance de leur premier ne, sont caracterises par une mutualite positive, l'autonomie de chaque partenaire et l'aptitude a confronter les problemes et a reguler l'affect negatif reagissent bien aux besoins de leurs nourrissons, encouragent leur autonomie et ont des enfants plus autonomes et plus tranquilles, comme on le voit durant les quatre premieres annees de l'enfant (Heinicke, 1995). Les implications pour la sante mentale infantile sont profondes, mais il est necessaire d'en apprendre plus et d'etablir quelles sont au juste les qualites prenatales specifiques qui interviennent dans le fonctionnement conjugal et le fonctionnement de l'enfant apres la naissance et la maniere dont elle les anticipent. Nous presentons ici l'etude de l'association entre la nature de l'interaction prenatale du couple et l'adaptation conjugale durant les deux premieres annees de l'enfant. Etablissant un lien entre le fonctionnement conjugal prenatal et postnatal, la frequence de l'affect negatif et l'incapacite a resoudre leurs problemes dans l'interaction conjugale d'avant la naissance etaient des facteurs de prediction d'une adaptation conjugale d'apres la naissance diminuee ou immanquablement faible.
Paleoenvironments of Upper Albian Stage (Cretaceous) of Western Trans-Pecos, Texas: ABSTRACT

Upper Albian (Cretaceous) rocks of western Trans-Pecos Texas crop out in an east-west trend along the northeastern margin of the ancient Chihuahua trough and adjacent Diablo platform. These rocks represent an alternating terrigenous-carbonate sequence within an overall transgressive phase. Twelve lithofacies and six biofacies were recognized from thin section point-count analysis and empirical outcrop data. Environmental parameters derived from lithofacies and biofacies, the interrelationships of facies, and comparison with several carbonate depositional models provide the basis for the establishment of depositional environments represented by upper Albian strata. A time-stratigraphic framework consisting of ammonite interval zones was used to trace the movement of environments through time and space. Distribution of these environments indicates initial transgression came from the south and proceeded northeastward across Trans-Pecos Texas. Upper Albian deposition was concluded with the onset of a major regressive phase marking the beginning of the Cenomanian Stage. End_of_Article - Last_Page 562------------
Long-term potentiation in the hippocampal slice: evidence for stimulated secretion of newly synthesized proteins

Long-term potentiation of the hippocampal slice preparation results in an increase in the incorporation of labeled valine into the proteins destined for secretion into the extracellular medium. Double-labeling methods established that the increased secretion of the labeled proteins was limited to the potentiated region of a slice; incorporation of labeled valine was increased in the hippocampus if potentiation was through the Schaffer collaterals and in the dentate if potentiation was through the perforant path. Controls for nonspecific stimulation showed no changes. There appears to be a link between long-term potentiation and the metabolic processes that lead to protein synthesis in the hippocampal slice system.
Are psychopaths and heroes twigs off the same branch? Evidence from college, community, and presidential samples

We examine the relation between psychopathy, especially its fearless dominance dimension, and heroism in two undergraduate samples (N = 124 and 119), a community sample (N = 457) and 42 U.S. presidents. The first undergraduate and community sample revealed significant positive correlations between fearless dominance and heroism and altruism toward strangers; the presidential sample provided some evidence for an association between fearless dominance and war heroism. In the second undergraduate sample, fearless dominance was related only to altruism toward strangers; heroism was instead significantly positively correlated with the impulsive antisociality component of psychopathy. These findings raise the possibility that some psychopathic personality traits are modestly associated with heightened levels of heroic altruism, and raise questions for future research on the personality correlates of heroism.
Intergenerational Offending: An Analysis of Families in Jail

The current study seeks to identify and describe low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk families within a county jail in Pennsylvania. Using official incarceration data, a subsample of individuals admitted to the jail during September to December 2009 were selected as study participants. Next, 20 years of official incarceration data from 1990–2009 were searched in an effort to identify family members of study participants to determine the level of risk for each identified family. It was hypothesized and found that a small percentage of families would account for a large percentage of jail admissions. A discussion of the financial and social costs of high-risk families to county system resources and communities is provided.
Linguistic and Cultural Insights in Advertising

12-Spanish class repeats as a knowing smile is exchanged with the teacher during a substitution exercise. We-and the books from which we teach-play games with beginning language students, and they know it. No native speaker would think of using such a nonsensical sentence, nor will the student ever return to it again. Why are students subjected to such uninteresting and indeed absurd sentences? The answer is that the rules of the teaching game require a careful selection of foreign-language structures that meet the student's linguistic needs at his particular stage of learning. But what kind of Spanish is "the car is not in the house now"? Is it some kind of "drill Spanish"? Whatever it may be, the student is fully aware that it is not "real" Spanish, and this is precisely why he is never convinced that he "really knows Spanish"-or any other foreign language-until he can read a newspaper or magazine without such customary props as footnotes, vocabulary and abridgments. Even though his teacher may speak the language like a native, he judges his own proficiency by his spontaneous performance in the language. And have you ever noticed the excitement generated by the visit of a native speaker to a language class? Perhaps these are the only times when students feel freed from classroom games. The problem for the teacher, then, is how to rely less on contrived material, yet stay within the beginner's limited knowledge of vocabulary and structure. This challenge is not easily met; every time we play games with students we confess our failure to meet it. I should like to propose one source of authentic material that is usable at any stage of language learning: advertisements in foreign language publications. For several years I have used Spanish and French advertising as a source of linguistic and cultural material for high-school as well as college students. After an introductory lesson, in which I analyze some ads, students are anxious to buy periodicals and bring them to class for this purpose. It may sound curious to buy a magazine for its advertising, but my experience has convinced me that even if the student reads
Evolution in Surfaces: Interaction of Topography with Contact Pressure During Wear of Composites Including Dinosaur Dentition

A two-parameter elastic foundation model is used to predict the coupled evolution of contact pressure and wear of multicomponent composite surfaces. The iterative model predicts the evolution of surface shape for an initially flat multicomponent surface under uniform applied pressure; where the components of the composite surface are different materials of different wear rates. The model is applied to elucidate the chewing surface morphology of the dentition in a hadrosaurid dinosaur using wear rates measured from fossilized dental tissues. Additionally, to further illustrate the predictive capabilities of the coupled contact pressure and wear model, a two-component polymer sample was fabricated and experimentally evaluated through laboratory wear experiments. Data obtained from the abrasive wear testing of a laboratory multicomponent polymer sample was compared to model predictions using measured system and material parameters. Differences between the measured and predicted surface profiles were on the same order as the sample’s surface roughness (Ra ~3 µm).
The effects of temperature and moisture on survival capacity, cuticular permeability, hemolymph osmoregulation and metabolism in the scorpion, Centruroides hentzi (banks) (scorpiones, buthidae)

Abstract 1. 1. The temperature and water relations of Centruroides hentzi females were investigated. At 12 and 72% relative humidity (RH), the lower and upper Lt50 were -4.5 and 43.7°C, and -4.7 and 45.1°C, respectively. When exposed to high temperature stress, survivorship was significantly greater under mesic conditions. 2. 2. Cuticular water loss was higher under xeric conditions (12% RH), ranging from 0.061 mg/cm2/hr at 30°C to 0.211 at 41°C. 3. 3. Exposure to dry air (0–5% RH) resulted in a significant increase in hemolymph osmolality: from 441 to 688 mOsm over a 5 day period. 4. 4. Mean oxygen consumption rates increased from 161.7 mm3/g/hr at 34°C to 541.6 at 44°C. ATPase activity was significantly higher in animals acclimated and tested at 35°C.
Studies on the polysaccharides of the Echinococcus granulosus cyst, with observations on a possible mechanism for laminated membrane formation☆

Abstract 1. 1. Polysaccharide fractions were isolated from the protoscolices, the hydatid fluid and the laminated membrane of the hydatid cyst wall of Echinococcus granulosus . 2. 2. All isolated fractions were found to be polysaccharide-protein complexes. 3. 3. The constituent neutral sugar, galactose and the total of the two amino sugars, galactosamine and glucosamine, were found in the approximate ratio of 1-1·5 : 1 in all the polysaccharides that were tested. 4. 4. Relatively more glucosamine than galactosamine was found in the hydrolyzates of the polysaccharides from protoscolices and the hydatid fluid while those from the laminated membrane contained more galactosamine than glucosamine.
Characterization of fluorinated YBa2Cu3O6+x compounds by thermogravimetric analysis

Abstract The thermal stability of fluorinated YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+ x samples was investigated as a function of oxygen partial pressure by thermogravimetric analysis. Very different thermal behavior was observed for the fluorinated and non-fluorinated samples, which led us to conclude that fluorinated phases (YBa 2 Cu 3 F y O x ) exist even when the compound is prepared via a solid state reaction.
Privacy-Preserving Scanning of Big Content for Sensitive Data Exposure with MapReduce

The exposure of sensitive data in storage and transmission poses a serious threat to organizational and personal security. Data leak detection aims at scanning content (in storage or transmission) for exposed sensitive data. Because of the large content and data volume, such a screening algorithm needs to be scalable for a timely detection. Our solution uses the MapReduce framework for detecting exposed sensitive content, because it has the ability to arbitrarily scale and utilize public resources for the task, such as Amazon EC2. We design new MapReduce algorithms for computing collection intersection for data leak detection. Our prototype implemented with the Hadoop system achieves 225 Mbps analysis throughput with 24 nodes. Our algorithms support a useful privacy-preserving data transformation. This transformation enables the privacy-preserving technique to minimize the exposure of sensitive data during the detection. This transformation supports the secure outsourcing of the data leak detection to untrusted MapReduce and cloud providers.
Cancer death rates in US congressional districts

Knowledge of the cancer burden is important for informing and advocating cancer prevention and control. Mortality data are readily available for states and counties, but not for congressional districts, from which representatives are elected and which may be more influential in compelling legislation and policy. The authors calculated average annual cancer death rates during 2002 to 2011 for each of the 435 congressional districts using mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics and population estimates from the US Census Bureau. Age-standardized death rates were mapped for all sites combined and separately for cancers of the lung and bronchus, colorectum, breast, and prostate by race/ethnicity and sex. Overall cancer death rates vary by almost 2-fold and are generally lowest in Mountain states and highest in Appalachia and areas of the South. The distribution is similar for lung and colorectal cancers, with the lowest rates consistently noted in districts in Utah. However, for breast and prostate cancers, while the highest rates are again scattered throughout the South, the geographic pattern is less clear and the lowest rates are in Hawaii and southern Texas and Florida. Within-state heterogeneity is limited, particularly for men, with the exceptions of Texas, Georgia, and Florida. Patterns also vary by race/ethnicity. For example, the highest prostate cancer death rates are in the West and north central United States among non-Hispanic whites, but in the deep South among African Americans. Hispanics have the lowest rates except for colorectal cancer in Wyoming, eastern Colorado, and northern New Mexico. These data can facilitate cancer control and stimulate conversation about the relationship between cancer and policies that influence access to health care and the prevalence of behavioral and environmental risk factors.
Optimization of the Aerodynamic Plasma Actuator as an Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) Electrical Device

Electrohydrodynamic plasma actuators have proven effective for flow attachment in internal and external aerodynamics, and for modification of the lift, drag, and stall angle of airfoils. The performance of plasma actuators has been studied with such classical aerodynamic tools as wind tunnels, drag balances, Pitot tubes, smoke flow visualization, and fluid dynamic modeling programs. However, the physical processes and power flows that occur in plasma actuators, before the plasma ions transfer their momentum to the neutral background gas, are those of an electrical device. Optimization of such actuators needs to include the methods of electrical engineering and plasma physics, including classical electrical discharge physics. To implement a program of optimization, we have conceptually divided the power flow through a plasma actuator into the following four sinks: 1.) Reactive power losses due to inadequate impedance matching of the power supply to the actuator; 2.) Dielectric heating of the actuator insulating materials; 3.) Power required to maintain the atmospheric pressure plasma; and 4.) Power coupled to the neutral gas flow by ion-neutral collisions. These four power flows can be, and usually are, of comparable magnitude. In this paper, we review our progress in understanding and minimizing the first three power flows, and maximizing the fourth by adjustment of the actuator geometry and materials, as well as such plasma parameters as the RF frequency and RMS voltage.
Learning from history: predicting reverted work at the word level in wikipedia

Wikipedia's remarkable success in aggregating millions of contributions can pose a challenge for current editors, whose hard work may be reverted unless they understand and follow established norms, policies, and decisions and avoid contentious or proscribed terms. We present a machine learning model for predicting whether a contribution will be reverted based on word level features. Unlike previous models relying on editor-level characteristics, our model can make accurate predictions based only on the words a contribution changes. A key advantage of the model is that it can provide feedback on not only whether a contribution is likely to be rejected, but also the particular words that are likely to be controversial, enabling new forms of intelligent interfaces and visualizations. We examine the performance of the model across a variety of Wikipedia articles.
Triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion from rationally designed polymeric emitters with tunable inter-chromophore distances

We report an investigation of triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) based on polymeric emitters with tunable inter-chromophore distances. Poly[(9-anthrylmethyl methacrylate)-co-(methyl methacrylate)] (poly(AnMMA-co-MMA)) with different percentages of AnMMA was synthesized using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and used as an emitter in association with platinum octaethylporphyrin as a sensitizer to form TTA-UC systems. It is observed that the TTA-UC intensity first increases with increasing AnMMA percentage in the polymers then decreases, and ultimately disappears, upon further increasing the AnMMA percentage. The results shed light on the key factors affecting TTA-UC in polymers, and have implications for the design of polymer-based TTA-UC systems.
Expression of CRISPR/Cas single guide RNAs using small tRNA promoters

The in vivo application of CRISPR/Cas-based DNA editing technology will require the development of efficient delivery methods that likely will be dependent on adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based viral vectors. However, AAV vectors have only a modest, ∼4.7-kb packaging capacity, which will necessitate the identification and characterization of highly active Cas9 proteins that are substantially smaller than the prototypic Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 protein, which covers ∼4.2 kb of coding sequence, as well as the development of single guide RNA (sgRNA) expression cassettes substantially smaller than the current ∼360 bp size. Here, we report that small, ∼70-bp tRNA promoters can be used to express high levels of tRNA:sgRNA fusion transcripts that are efficiently and precisely cleaved by endogenous tRNase Z to release fully functional sgRNAs. Importantly, cells stably expressing functional tRNA:sgRNA precursors did not show a detectable change in the level of endogenous tRNA expression. This novel sgRNA expression strategy should greatly facilitate the construction of effective AAV-based Cas9/sgRNA vectors for future in vivo use.
1 Epidemiology of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: the role of human papillomavirus

Summary The evidence implicating specific HPV types in the aetiology of cervical cancer is now strong enough to establish a causative role. HPV infection of the cervix affects the developing immature metaplastic cells of the transformation zone. Cervical neoplasia can be viewed as the interaction of high risk papillomavirus and immature metaplastic epithelium. Once maturity is reached, there is minimal risk of subsequent development of cervical squamous neoplasia. Exposure to HPV is an extremely common event, especially in young sexually active women. Yet, despite frequent HPV exposure at that phase of life in which the cervical transformation zone is at its most vulnerable, established expressed disease is relatively uncommon. Most studies in which the natural history of CIN is not altered by cervical biopsy reveal a progression rate from low to high grade CIN of less than one third. Where viral type is taken into account, however, the progression rate from normal but high risk HPV-infected cervical epithelium to CIN 2 or 3 is higher. Despite this, most cervical abnormalities will not transform into invasive cancer, even if left untreated. The variance between the high rate of HPV infection, the intermediate rate of CIN and the relatively low rate of cervical cancer establishes a stepwise gradient of disease of increasing severity with decreasing prevalence. In an immunocompetent host, HPV infection alone does not appear to be sufficient to induce the step from high grade CIN to invasion. Epidemiological studies indicating that HPV infection with oncogenic viral types is far more common than cervical neoplasia suggest the necessity of cofactors in cervical carcinogenesis. The long time-lag between initial infection and eventual malignant conversion suggests that random events may be necessary for such conversion, and the spontaneous regression of many primary lesions suggests that most patients are not exposed to these random events. Potential cofactors include cigarette smoking, hormonal effects of oral contraceptives and pregnancy, dietary deficiencies, immunosuppression and chronic inflammation. In those women who develop cervical cancer, malignant progression is rarely rapid, more commonly taking many years or decades. Malignant progression has been documented in patients who presented initially with only low grade HPV-induced atypia. On the other hand, progression may be a misnomer, as ‘apparent' progression may really represent adjacent ‘ de novo ' development of higher grade CIN. Although most cervical cancers contain high risk HPV types, up to 15% of such cancers test negative for HPV, raising the possibility that a few, usually more aggressive, cervical cancers may arise from a non-viral source. Phylogenetic studies have provided evidence of minimal HPV genomic drift over the millennia, providing the prospect that such stability may provide the basis for a successful vaccination programme that may eventually prevent most cases of cervical cancer.
Desired Professional Development Pathways for Clinical Pharmacists

The 2012 American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Certification Affairs Committee was charged with developing guidelines for the desired professional development pathways for clinical pharmacists. This document summarizes recommendations for postgraduate education and training for graduates of U.S. schools and colleges of pharmacy and describes the preferred pathways for achieving, demonstrating, and maintaining competence as clinical pharmacists. After initial licensure within the state or jurisdiction in which the pharmacist intends to practice, completion of an accredited PGY1 pharmacy residency is recommended to further develop the knowledge and skills needed to optimize medication therapy outcomes. An accredited PGY2 pharmacy residency should be completed if a pharmacist wishes to seek employment in a specific therapeutic area or practice setting, if such a residency exists. Clinical pharmacists intending to conduct advanced research that is competitive for federal funding are encouraged to complete a fellowship or graduate education. Initial certification by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) or other appropriate sponsoring organizations should be completed in the desired primary therapeutic area or practice setting within 2 years after accepting a position within the desired specific therapeutic area or practice setting. Clinical pharmacists subsequently will need to meet the requirements to maintain pharmacist licensure and board certification. Traineeships, practice-based activities, and certificate programs can be used to obtain additional knowledge and skills that support professional growth. Pharmacists are strongly encouraged to adopt a lifelong, systematic process for professional development and work with ACCP and other professional organizations to facilitate the development and implementation of innovative strategies to assess core practice competencies.
The intertwined population biology of two Amazonian myrmecophytes and their symbiotic ants

A major question in ecology is: how do mutualisms between species affect population dynamics? For four years, we monitored populations of two Amazonian myrmecophytes, Cordia nodosa and Duroia hirsuta, and their symbiotic ants. In this system, we investigated how positive feedback between mutualistic plants and ant colonies influenced population processes at two scales: (1) how modular organisms such as plants and ant colonies grew, or η-demography, and (2) how populations grew, or N-demography. We found evidence of positive feedback between ant colony and plant growth rates. Plants with mutualistic ants (Azteca spp. and Myrmelachista schumanni) grew in a geometric or autocatalytic manner, such that the largest plants grew the most. By contrast, the growth of plants with parasitic ants (Allomerus octoarticulatus) saturated. Ant colonies occupied new domatia as fast as plants produced them, suggesting that mutualistic ant colonies also grew geometrically or autocatalytically to match plant growth. Plants became smaller when they lost ants. While unoccupied, plants continued to become smaller until they had lost all or nearly all their domatia. Hence, the loss of mutualistic ants limited plant growth. C. nodosa and D. hirsuta live longer than their ant symbionts and were sometimes recolonized after losing ants, which again promoted plant growth. Plant growth had fitness consequences for ants and plants; mortality and fecundity depended on plant size. Positive feedback between ants and plants allowed a few plants and ant colonies to become very large; these probably produced the majority of offspring in the next generation.
Can Asia lead? Power ambitions and global governance in the twenty-first century

Is the much hyped ‘rise of Asia’ translating into global public good? The leading Asian powers, China, India and Japan, demand a greater share of the decision-making and leadership of global institutions. Yet, they seem to have been more preoccupied with enhancing their national power and status than contributing to global governance, including the management of global challenges. This is partly explained by a realpolitik outlook and ideology, and the legacies of India's and China's historical identification with the ‘Third World’ bloc. Another key factor is the continuing regional legitimacy deficit of the Asian powers. This article suggests that the Asian powers should increase their participation in and contribution to regional cooperation as a stepping stone to a more meaningful contribution to global governance.
Crystal structure of the Cys2 activator-binding domain of protein kinase Cδ in complex with phorbol ester

Abstract Protein kinase Cs (PKCs) are a ubiquitous family of regulatory enzymes that associate with membranes and are activated by diacylglycerol or tumor-promoting agonists such as phorbol esters. The structure of the second activator-binding domain of PKCδ has been determined in complex with phorbol 13-acetate, which binds in a groove between two pulled-apart β strands at the tip of the domain. The C3, C4, and C20 phorbol oxygens form hydrogen bonds with main-chain groups whose orientation is controlled by a set of highly conserved residues. Phorbol binding caps the groove and forms a contiguous hydrophobic surface covering one-third of the domain, explaining how the activator promotes insertion of PKC into membranes.
Saint Teresa of Ávila's Martyrdom: Images of her Transverberation in Mexican Colonial Painting

Las imagenes de la transverberacion de Santa Teresa de Jesus (1515-1582) salieron de varios pasajes del Libro de la vida, en especial el que esta en el apartado 13 del capitulo 29. El libro fue publicado por primera vez en Salamanca (Guillermo Foquel, 1588) y a partir de entonces tuvo un gran exito editorial en Europa. Sin embargo la comentadisima escena de la transverberacion fue representada por primera vez en la Vida grafica (Amberes, 1613) y de ahi se reprodujo copiosamente mediante copias libres en grabados. Entre las mas famosas se encuentran la de Rubens, en un cuadro destruido por el fuego en 1940, y la impresionante figura de Bernini finalizada hacia 1652, en la iglesia de Santa Maria della Vittoria, Roma. En la Nueva Espana el entusiasmo por la escena no fue menor y llego a convertirse en uno de los temas mas populares de la pintura religiosa. Wilson se propone estudiar la escena de la transverberacion no solo como la experiencia mistica que fue, sino tambien como una idea de martirio “virtual” que se encuentra expresada claramente en un cuadro de Juan Correa basado en un grabado flamenco de Richard Collin (siglo xvii). Tomando en cuenta que los fundamentos iconograficos para la representacion de la escena teresiana se encuentran en los topicos con que se pintaba el martirio de santa Ursula, Wilson recuerda que tanto la santa como su hermano Rodrigo leyeron de ninos muchas vidas de santos y que llegaron a imaginarse que eran martirizados en tierras de moros.
"Cloned" hairlines: the use of bisected hair follicles to create finer hairlines.

Background. One living hair follicle, if horizontally bisected in the proper location, can be induced to subsequently produce two growing follicles. Their unpredictable growth rate, often less than 50%, has limited their use on a large scale. Their resultant finer caliber, however, can be used to benefit patients undergoing hair replacement surgery. Objective. To determine whether horizontally bisected hairs can be employed to create finer, feathered anterior and temporal hairlines. Methods. Twenty autologous terminal donor hairs were bisected as closely as possible to the “bulge” area immediately inferior to the zone of attachment of the arrector pili muscle. The 20 hair “shafts” were implanted along the left hairline. Twenty “bulbs” were implanted along the right hairline. Growth was evaluated and tabulated 2.5–8 months after transplant surgery. The procedure has been performed on 14 patients to date. Follow-up has been obtained on six patients ranging in age from 29 to 57 years. Results. Overall, patients exhibited 46% growth from hair “shafts” (upper portion) and 47% growth from “bulbs” (lower portion). These bisected hairs were finer in caliber (diameter) than the original donor hairs. Conclusion. Horizontally bisected donor hairs can be implanted to create finer hairlines than otherwise would be expected from the theory of donor dominance. Further study is necessary in order to evaluate long-term success and additional applications of this technique.
Intermittent fault identification for permanent magnet AC drives based on the Short-Time Fourier Transform

Prognosis for failure of an electric machine can be achieved through the detection of noncatastrophic faults. As the frequency of these types of faults increases, the working life of the machine is decreased, leading to eventual failure. In this work, two types of stator faults are studied. The methods developed are based on analysis of the short-time Fourier transform of the field oriented machine currents. Linear discriminant analysis is used to classify between the fault types.
Hybrid Procedures for Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Treatment of thoracic aortic pathology has been rapidly changing in the 5 years since US Food and Drug Administration approval of thoracic stent grafts. Although not specifically evaluated in any of the major clinical trials to date, adjunctive techniques are being increasingly used to expand the applicability of stent-graft technology to patients with more extensive thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms and dissections. Details of procedural techniques have been delineated by several aortic specialists, resulting in a trend toward standardization of effective strategies. Despite this trend, significant variability is evident in the outcomes of reported series. The objective of this article is to analyze published reports of hybrid procedures involving complete visceral debranching of the aorta and endovascular exclusion of the thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms.
Diffuse Desquamating Rash Following Exposure to Vancomycin-Impregnated Bone Cement

Objective: To describe a case of systemic desquamating dermatitis following implantation of vancomycin antibiotic–laden cement (ABLC) in a patient with prior history of Stevens-Johnson (SJS) reaction to vancomycin. Case Summary: A 59-year-old man with a history of SJS reaction to systemic vancomycin and recurrent methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus prosthetic knee infection developed a painful, blistering rash after implantation of bone cement that had been mixed with 2 g of vancomycin. He was started empirically on steroids by his primary care provider and had desquamation about 1 week later. Discussion: Systemic absorption of antibiotics from ABLC has been well documented in the literature. Reports of systemic toxicity are rare, and none have described systemic allergic reactions to vancomycin. This patient’s prior episode of SJS was diagnosed at another academic medical center 6 years ago, and records are unavailable. Following low-level reexposure to vancomycin, he developed a diffuse painfu...
Parthenolide inhibits ERK and AP-1 which are dysregulated and contribute to excessive IL-8 expression and secretion in cystic fibrosis cells

Excessive secretion of IL-8 characterizes cystic fibrosis (CF). This has been attributed to excessive activation of epithelial cell I-κB Kinase and/or NFκB. Maximum IL-8 production requires 3 cooperative mechanisms: 1) release of the promoter from repression; 2) activation of transcription by NFκB and AP-1; 3) stabilization of mRNA by p38-MAPK. Little is known about regulation of IL-8 by MAPKs or AP-1 in CF. We studied our hypothesis in vitro using 3-cellular models. Two of these models are transformed cell lines with defective versus normal cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) expression: an antisense/sense transfected cell line and the patient derived IB3-1/S9. In the third series of studies, we studied primary necropsy human tracheal epithelial cells treated with an inhibitor of CFTR function. All cell lines were pretreated with parthenolide and then stimulated with TNFα and/or IL-1β. In response to stimulation with TNFα and/or IL-1β, IL-8 production and mRNA expression was greater in CF-type cells than in non-CF controls. This was associated with enhanced phosphorylation of p38, ERK1/2 and JNK and increased activation of AP-1. Since we previously showed that parthenolide inhibits excessive IL-8 production by CF cells, we evaluated its effects on MAPK and AP-1 activation and showed that parthenolide inhibited ERK and AP-1 activation. Using a luciferase promoter assay, our studies showed that parthenolide decreased activation of the IL-8 promoter in CF cells stimulated with TNFα/IL-1β. In addition to NFκB MAPKs ERK, JNK and p38 and the transcription factor AP-1 are also dysregulated in CF epithelial cells. Parthenolide inhibited both NFκB and MAPK/AP-1 pathways contributing to the inhibition of IL-8 production.
Cross-inhibition between furin and lethal factor inhibitors.

Bacillus anthracis synthesizes two toxins composed of the three proteins: protective antigen (PA), lethal factor (LF), and edema factor (EF). The cleavage of PA on the cell surface by the convertase furin leads to the translocation of LF and EF into the cytosol. We have investigated the cross-inhibitory activities of the furin inhibitors hexa-D-arginine amide (D6R) and nona-D-arginine amide (D9R), which block the proteolytic activation of PA; and of the LF inhibitor In-2-LF, a peptide hydroxamate. D6R and D9R inhibit LF with IC50s of 300 and 10lM, respectively; conversely, In-2-LF also inhibits furin (IC50 2lM). In-2-LF was efficiently cleaved by furin with the concomitant loss of inhibitory activity on both LF and furin. Incubation of In-2-LF with LF however generated a product that retained partial inhibitory activity against LF. Combined treatment of cells with D6R and In-2-LF enhanced protection against anthrax lethal toxin, indicating that combined administration of inhibitors could represent an effective therapeutic approach.
On developing and enhancing plant-level disease rating systems in real fields

Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) is one of the most serious diseases of sugar beet worldwide, and if uncontrolled, causes nearly complete defoliation and loss of revenue for beet growers. The beet sugar industry continuously seeks CLS-resistant sugar beet cultivars as one strategy to combat this disease. Normally human experts manually observe and rate the resistance of a large variety of sugar beet plants over a period of a few months. Unfortunately, this procedure is laborious and the labels vary from one expert to another resulting in disagreements on the level of resistance. Therefore, we propose a novel computer vision system, CLS Rater, to automatically and accurately rate plant images in the real field to the "USDA scale" of 0-10. Given a set of plant images captured by a tractor-mounted camera, CLS Rater extracts multi-scale superpixels, where in each scale a novel Histogram of Importances feature encodes both the within-superpixel local and across-superpixel global appearance variations. These features at different superpixel scales are then fused for learning a regressor that estimates the rating for each plant image. We further address the issue of the noisy labels by experts in the field, and propose a method to enhance the performance of the CLS Rater by automatically calibrating the experts ratings to ensure consistency. We test our system on the field data collected from two years over a two-month period for each year, under different lighting and weather conditions. Experimental results show that both the CLS Rater and the enhanced CLS Rater to be highly consistent with the rating errors of 0.65 and 0.59 respectively, which demonstrates a higher consistency than the rating standard deviation of 1.31 by human experts. HighlightsWe design a practical system to automatically rate plant diseases in a real field.We propose a novel HoI feature over the multi-scale superpixels representation.We address the problem of noisy labels by proposing a label enhancement module.We collect a Real-World Sugar Beet Database over two years and make it public.
Pharmacological inactivation of PI3Kδ in the tumor microenvironment enhances efficacy of other immunotherapeutic agents

Pharmacological inhibition of the oncogenic PI3Kδ pathway has been shown to be efficacious in patients with hematopoietic malignancies. However, its therapeutic application in patients with solid tumors has not yet been tested. Recently, genetic inactivation of PI3Kδ in mice was shown to delay the growth of solid tumors, resulting from the inactivation of Treg-mediated suppression of cytotoxic CD8+ T cell responses. Therefore we explored the immunotherapeutic potential of our PI3Kδ-selective compound, INCB050465, in multiple preclinical tumor models. We demonstrate that INCB050465 can block tumor growth in multiple established tumor models which are not dependent upon oncogenic PI3K signaling. Tumor growth inhibition is not observed in these models in immunocompromised mice, demonstrating that the anti-tumor effects of these agents require an intact immune system. To further investigate the immune-mediated mechanisms, tumors exposed to vehicle or INCB050465 were harvested and analyzed for modulation of gene expression and immune phenotype. INCB050465 was shown to significantly downregulate T cell gene signatures in tumors, and this was primarily due to depletion of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells. In contrast, the number of CD8+ T cells was shown to be higher in INCB050465-treated tumors. We next examined INCB050465 in combination with other immune modulators. The combination of PI3Kδ and JAK inhibition resulted in enhanced activity in a T cell-inflamed model by reducing both Treg and M2 macrophages, which then allowed the re-activation of both CD4 and CD8 T cells. In addition, PI3Kδ inhibition and PD-L1 blockade resulted in enhanced efficacy by depleting Treg and prolonging T cell responses over time. In summary, inactivation of PI3Kδ with a pharmacological inhibitor can enhance anti-tumor immunity by depleting Treg while increasing the numbers of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells. These data support clinical evaluation of the mechanism, and further studies to understand the molecular basis of efficacy and associated cellular responses may provide a rationale to identify individuals who may benefit most from PI3Kδ inhibitor-based immunotherapy combinations in the clinic.