cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ebola Virus Delta Peptide is a Viroporin

ABSTRACT The Ebola virus (EBOV) genome encodes a partly conserved 40-residue nonstructural polypeptide, called the delta peptide, that is produced in abundance during Ebola virus disease (EVD). The function of the delta peptide is unknown, but sequence analysis has suggested that delta peptide could be a viroporin, belonging to a diverse family of membrane-permeabilizing small polypeptides involved in replication and pathogenesis of numerous viruses. Full-length and conserved C-terminal delta peptide fragments permeabilize the plasma membranes of nucleated cells of rodent, dog, monkey, and human origin; increase ion permeability across confluent cell monolayers; and permeabilize synthetic lipid bilayers. Permeabilization activity is completely dependent on the disulfide bond between the two conserved cysteines. The conserved C-terminal portion of the peptide is biochemically stable in human serum, and most serum-stable fragments have full activity. Taken together, the evidence strongly suggests that Ebola virus delta peptide is a viroporin and that it may be a novel, targetable aspect of Ebola virus disease pathology. IMPORTANCE During the unparalleled West African outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) that began in late 2013, the lack of effective countermeasures resulted in chains of serial infection and a high mortality rate among infected patients. A better understanding of disease pathology is desperately needed to develop better countermeasures. We show here that the Ebola virus delta peptide, a conserved nonstructural protein produced in large quantities by infected cells, has the characteristics of a viroporin. This information suggests a critical role for the delta peptide in Ebola virus disease pathology and as a possible target for novel countermeasures.
L’Inconnu Sur La Terre: Harmony and the Sacred

J. M. G. Le Clezio’s lyrical essay L’Inconnu sur la terre (1978) rejects the contemporary mechanistic profane world of power and control, technology, publicity, maxims, prohibitions, discordant noises, and inhumanity, in order to hear, to listen to the musical voices of nature chanting its melodies. In retaliation against a profit-driven, acquisition-oriented society, Le Clezio resurrects a language understood by ancient civilizations. For centuries these traditional societies experienced and understood the language of beauty, harmony, and grandeur in the cosmos which they considered the creation of the gods, or in communication with the world of gods.1 Unlike this spiritual man, modern society “n’a d’autre dieu que son propre savoir, dieu de vanite et de suffisance; elle qui n’a d’autre foi que celle en sa propre technique, elle qui ne connait d’autre art que celui de l’intelligence et de 1’aggression”2 The only remnants of these ancient civilizations in touch with the spiritual are their “ruines, quelques cendres, quelques ossements” (286). From these ashes, however, it is possible to experience a rebirth, just as the Phoenix consumed itself in fire and rising, renewed itself from the ashes and started another long life.
Tobacco Smoke Exposure Association With Lipid Profiles and Adiposity Among U.S. Adolescents

Abstract Purpose We investigated the association between tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) as measured by serum cotinine and lipoprotein cholesterols and adiposity in adolescents. Methods We performed a secondary analysis of 1999–2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data including participants 12–19 years old. We examined TSE: unexposed ( z -score (BMIZ), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Covariates were age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, diet, and physical activity. Multiple regression models were used to assess the association between TSE and lipid profile variables separately, and then TSE and adiposity measures separately, adjusting for covariates. We performed logistic regression to examine the association of TSE with body mass index and WHtR classifications. Results Of the 11,550 participants, 41.7% were unexposed to tobacco smoke, 40.5% were passively exposed, and 17.8% were actively exposed. Compared with unexposed, participants with active TSE had lower total cholesterol, lower HDL-C, and higher triglycerides; higher BMIZ, higher WC, and higher WHtR; participants with passive TSE had lower HDL-C, higher total cholesterol, and higher LDL-C; higher BMIZ, higher WC, and higher WHtR. Participants actively exposed were at increased odds of being obese or WHtR ≥.65, and those passively exposed were at increased odds of being overweight, obese, or WHtR ≥.65. Conclusions Active TSE and passive TSE are differentially associated with factors within the lipid profile and adiposity, independent of covariates. TSE prevention efforts should start as early as childhood and continue throughout adolescence and adulthood.
Fundamentals of mixing and agitation with applications to extractive metallurgy

Principles of fluid motion and turbulence which have been found to be of use in mixing and agitation problems are discussed, as well as suggested applications in extractive-metallurgy processes. Various types of impellers are described, together with other conditions that affect flow pattern and turbulence. The choice of equipment for particular requirements is considered, and equations for power input are given. Modern heavy-duty mixing and agitation equipment can take an increasingly important part in such extractive-metallurgy processes as solids handling, crystallizing and leaching, chemical operations, and flotation. Application of mixing and fluid-mechanics principles to extraction methods can lead to greater process rates and a resultant saving in time and money.
Explaining the nomination of ethnic minority candidates: how party-level factors and district-level factors interact

In this paper, we explain the nomination of ethnic minority candidates for lower house elections. We argue that these nominations are explained by the incentives that different parties face in diff...
Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings in Children and Young Adults With CKD

Background The neuroanatomic basis for cognitive impairment in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is incompletely characterized. We performed advanced quantitative structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine whether CKD affects brain structure and whether poorer neurocognitive performance in CKD is associated with structural brain differences. Study Design Cross-sectional. Setting & Participants 85 individuals with CKD stages 2 to 5 and 63 healthy controls, aged 8 to 25 years Predictors CKD versus control, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and kidney transplant status were analyzed as predictors of MRI findings. MRI volumes in 19 prespecified regions of gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid were analyzed as predictors of neurocognitive performance (median z scores) in 7 prespecified domains. Outcomes 19 prespecified brain regions of interest (ROIs) in 7 prespecified domains. Neurocognitive performance in 7 prespecified domains. Measurements ROI volumes were compared in CKD versus controls using unadjusted t tests and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Associations of ROI volumes with eGFR and kidney transplant status in participants with CKD were analyzed using ANCOVA and linear regression. Associations of neurocognitive performance and ROI volumes were analyzed by linear regression. Results Participants with CKD had lower whole-brain, cortical, and left parietal GM volumes than controls in unadjusted analyses, but no differences were found in adjusted analysis. In participants with CKD, lower eGFR was associated with higher WM volume in whole-brain ( P =0.05) and frontal ( P =0.04) ROIs, but differences were not significant after multiple comparisons correction. Kidney transplant recipients had lower GM volumes in whole-brain ( P =0.01; Q =0.06), frontal ( P =0.02; Q =0.08), and left and right parietal ( P =0.01; Q =0.06; and P =0.03; Q =0.1) ROIs and higher whole-brain WM volume ( P =0.04; Q =0.1). Neurocognitive performance in the CKD group was not associated with ROI volumes. Limitations Unable to assess changes in brain structure and kidney function over time; analysis limited to prespecified ROIs and neurocognitive domains. Conclusions CKD in children and young adults may be associated with lower GM and higher WM volumes in some ROIs. Differences were relatively subtle in the CKD group as a whole, but were more prominent in recipients of a kidney transplant. However, neurocognitive performance was not explained by differences in brain ROI volumes, suggesting a functional rather than structural basis for neurocognitive impairment in CKD.
PS7:141 Safety and tolerability of omalizumab in subjects with systemic lupus erythematosus: preliminary outcomes

Background Studies performed in Lyn-/- mice indicate that IgE autoantibodies induce a lupus nephritis-like disease. In SLE, these autoantibodies are associated with increased disease activity. We propose that omalizumab, a monoclonal antibody that binds IgE,?will reduce SLE activity by reducing circulating IgE autoantibodies, subsequently blocking basophil activation and immune dysregulation. The primary aim of this study was to determine the safety and tolerability of omalizumab in mild to moderate SLE. Methods SLE participants (n=16) with SLEDAI >4 were randomised to receive omalizumab or placebo (2:1) added to their baseline SLE therapy for 16 weeks, followed by a 16 week open label and 4 week washout period. The regimen was a loading dose of omalizumab 600 mg dose followed by 300 mg every 4 weeks. Type I Interferon (IFN) gene signature was determined using a previously validated four gene interferon score (IFI27, IFI44, IFI44L, RSAD2) using quantitative PCR. Demographics Variables n=16 Age (Years) Mean 43.4 STD 13.2 Range 22–69 Disease Duration (years) Mean 16 STD 13.3 Range 4–50 Race/Ethnicity, N (%) African American 3 (18.8%) Asian 2 (12.5%) Caucasian 4 (25.0%) Hispanic 7 (43.8%) Sex, N (%) Female 16 Male 0 Safety: There were a total of 52 adverse events, with the majority (49) being classified as mild. Three events met the criteria for SAE (primary varicella, pulmonary embolism, and bronchitis). No local or systemic allergic reactions were observed. Clinical: There was a trend during the first 16 weeks of therapy toward reduction in the SLEDAI 2K score (p=0.077). Biological: There was a trend in the reduction in the type I IFN signature in subjects treated in the first 16 weeks (p=0.11), especially in those subjects with high baseline IFN scores (p=0.052). Conclusion The use of omalizumab in subjects with SLE appears to be well tolerated. There was a trend showing efficacy of omalizumab. The type I IFN signature also trended down, particularly in subjects with high signatures at baseline. The data analysis of other clinical parameters and mechanistic studies is still ongoing.
Contralateral Functional Reorganization of the Speech Supplementary Motor Area Following Neurosurgical Tumor Resection

Abstract We evaluated plasticity in speech supplemental motor area (SMA) tissue in two patients using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), following resection of tumors in or associated with the dominant hemisphere speech SMA. Patient A underwent resection of a anaplastic astrocytoma NOS associated with the left speech SMA, experienced SMA syndrome related mutism postoperatively, but experienced full recovery 14 months later. FMRI performed 32 months after surgery demonstrated a migration of speech SMA to homologous contralateral hemispheric regional tissue. Patient B underwent resection of a oligodendroglioma NOS in the left speech SMA, and postoperatively experienced speech hesitancy, latency and poor fluency, which gradually resolved over 18 months. FMRI performed at 64 months after surgery showed a reorganization of speech SMA to the contralateral hemisphere. These data support the hypothesis of dynamic, time based plasticity in speech SMA tissue, and may represent a noninvasive neural marker for SMA syndrome recovery.
Lifestyle Choices of Parents Living with AIDS: Differences in Health Behavior and Mental Health

Health behaviors and mental health symptoms of parents living with AIDS (PLAs) were examined as a function of their sexual and substance-use lifestyles. The lifestyles of PLAs were classified as (1) Safe and Clean: having only protected sex and abstaining from substance use, (2) Safe Users: having protected sex, but engaging in substance use, (3) Unsafe and Clean: having unprotected sex, but abstaining from substance use, and (4) Unsafe Users: having unprotected sex and engaging in substance use. About half of the PLAs were Safe and Clean. Unsafe Users were more likely to miss doctor appointments and to have been diagnosed longer. Safe and Clean PLAs experienced fewer major life events. Changes in specific daily routines were associated with subgroup status; however, there were no consistent patterns across health behaviors linked with lifestyle. These data suggest there are different types of lifestyle changes made by PLAs when they know their serostatus. A disturbing number of PLAs continue to engage in HIV-transmission risk behaviors, demonstrating the need for preventive interventions.
An Overview of Neurophysiologic Tests in Rectal Prolapse

Diagnostic assessment in patients with rectal prolapse is a debatable field due to the very different clinical presentation of this condition and different preferences towards the variety of available diagnostic tests. Only full-thickness protrusion of the entire rectal wall through the anal canal should fall under the definition of “rectal prolapse”. However, internal rectal intussusception is very often included in this definition [1] because it is regarded as an early stage of overt rectal prolapse. In reality, rectal intussusception represents a wide variety of clinical and radiological conditions (schematically, rectoanal and rectorectal) with or without the association of other abnormalities (rectocele, sigmoidocele, enterocele, perineal descent, uterovaginal prolapse, cystocele), all of which contribute to obstructed defecation. Recently, the interpretation of intussusception has been challenged based on the high percentage of asymptomatic persons showing internal intussusception during defecography but which can disappear by the time of a follow-up defecography [2].
Innovation Diversity: Industry Applications

Innovation is a broader concept than technology. It includes technology, knowledge capital, and organizational competence. In modern industries the information content of innovations has played a critical role in industry growth. Innovation comes in varieties. It may take several forms.
Towards Curative Cancer Therapy with Maspin: A Unique Window of Opportunity to Target Cancer Dormancy

Tumor dormancy is considered to be the last frontier in the battle to cure cancer. Although experimental evidence and clinical studies led to some consensus regarding the phenotypical characteristics of tumor dormancy, the underlying biological controls remain elusive. As a result, in the absence of dormancy-targeted therapeutic strategies, cancer drug resistance and recurrence are a certainty in a matter of time. In this review, we discuss a novel opportunity to target prostate tumor dormancy based on the expression of tumor suppressor maspin, an epithelial-specific endogenous inhibitor of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1).
Abstract 3751: A Promoter Polymorphism of the Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Reduces Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression in Patients With Heart Failure

A thymidine to cytosine (T 786 -C) transition polymorphism of the promoter region of the gene encoding endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) has been associated with spontaneous coronary vasospasm and greater autonomic imbalance in patients with heart failure. It has been presumed that these findings are the result of reduced eNOS expression, yet this has not been confirmed by in vivo humans studies. To test whether this polymorphism determines eNOS expression in vivo, we performed quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) for eNOS mRNA expression in samples of myocardial tissue obtained from the explanted hearts of patients undergoing heart transplantation. Tissue from 39 explanted hearts was submitted to QPCR after isolation of mRNA and reverse transcription to cDNA. Genomic DNA was isolated from each sample and genotyped using PCR amplification, restriction digestion with Msp 1 enzyme and electrophoresis for identification of long (homozygous wild type), short (homozygous polymorphism), and of long and short fragments (heterozygotes). Twenty five samples were found to be heterozygous or homozygous for the T to C polymorphism. Samples containing the eNOS promoter polymorphism were found to have a significant 50% decrease (p = 0.02) in mRNA expression compared to samples that were homozygous for the wild type gene ( 0.23 versus 0.42 reciprocal expression units relative to beta actin house keeping gene). These data are the first in vivo demonstration in human subjects that the promoter polymorphism of the eNOS gene is associated with reduced gene expression. The results provide a mechanistic basis for greater vascular and autonomic dysfunction in patients with heart failure who possess this polymorphism and thus identify a subgroup of patients at greater risk for disease progression and arrhythmogenic sudden death.
Degradation of polyethylene glycols and polypropylene glycols in microcosms simulating a spill of produced water in shallow groundwater.

Polyethylene glycols (PEGs) and polypropylene glycols (PPGs) are frequently used in hydraulic fracturing fluids and have been detected in water returning to the surface from hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells in multiple basins. We identified degradation pathways and kinetics for PEGs and PPGs under conditions simulating a spill of produced water to shallow groundwater. Sediment-groundwater microcosm experiments were conducted using four produced water samples from two Denver-Julesburg Basin wells at early and late production. High-resolution mass spectrometry was used to identify the formation of mono- and di-carboxylated PEGs and mono-carboxylated PPGs, which are products of PEG and PPG biodegradation, respectively. Under oxic conditions, first-order half-lives were more rapid for PEGs (<0.4–1.1 d) compared to PPGs (2.5–14 d). PEG and PPG degradation corresponded to increased relative abundance of primary alcohol dehydrogenase genes predicted from metagenome analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. Further degradation was not observed under anoxic conditions. Our results provide insight into the differences between the degradation rates and pathways of PEGs and PPGs, which may be utilized to better characterize shallow groundwater contamination following a release of produced water.
The Benefits and Challenges of Collaborative Learning: Educating Dental and Dental Hygiene Students Together

Most often, members of the dental team are educated in separate programs. These professionals then come together in practice to work as a team, often with limited knowledge about each other's roles. The aim of this study was to assess the perspectives of dental and dental hygiene students regarding collaborative learning after taking two courses together. Five years (2010-14) of survey data were collected from a convenience sample of dental and dental hygiene students. The dental hygiene students were in their first and second years (DH1 and DH2) at Eastern Washington University (EWU). The dental students were in the University of Washington (UW) Regional Initiative in Dental Education (RIDE) program, taking their first year of courses in Eastern Washington with EWU's dental hygiene and UW's medical students. Eight first-year dental (D1) students participate in the RIDE program each year, totaling 40 across the five years. Because the same D1 students take both courses, this target population was 80. The number of DH1 and DH2 students in these courses ranges from 32-36 each year, for a target population of 323 across the five years. A total of 193 survey responses were collected, for an overall response rate of 48%; the D1 response rate was 72%, and the DH response rate was 42%. In the results, students perceived that learning collaboratively helped them think positively about other dental professionals, benefitted their problem-solving skills, increased their understanding of clinical problems, helped them become better team members, improved trust and respect, and improved their understanding of course content. These results suggest that collaborative learning had a positive impact on both groups. In comments, students suggested they would benefit from more shared learning experiences in the clinic and agreed that collaborative learning would help them create a more cohesive team.
Networks of Cooperation: Rebel Alliances in Fragmented Civil Wars:

When rebels make alliances, what informs their choice of allies? Civil wars are rarely simple contests between rebels and incumbent regimes. Rather, rival militant networks provide the context in w...
Impact of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection on Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome in Lung Transplant Recipients

Purpose Respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSVI) in lung transplant recipients (LTRs) has been associated with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) development and progression, but data have been derived from small studies. Methods This is a retrospective study of RSVI in LTRs at Duke University from Jan 2013 - May 2017. Decrement in FEV1 was determined by comparison of the FEV1 at 90 days post-RSVI to pre-RSVI baseline. Results Of 114 LTRs with RSVI, 15 had preexisting BOS and 99 did not have preexisting BOS. Those with preexisting BOS had a longer duration from transplant surgery to RSVI, more concomitant respiratory bacterial pathogens and less acute cellular rejection (ACR) within 90 days preceding RSVI compared to those without. Within 1-year of RSVI, 7/15 (46.7%) patients with preexisting BOS had BOS progression and 25/99 (25.3%) patients developed new BOS. In patients with documented FEV1 measured pre- and post-RSVI, 6/12 (50%) with preexisting BOS and 23/90 (25.5%) without preexisting BOS had FEV1 decline ≥ 5%. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed patients with decline in FEV1 ≥ 5% at 90 days post-RSVI had a higher 1-year mortality (p=0.003). Conclusion Our experience supports an increase in BOS development post-RSVI. While BOS progression post-RSVI was common in patients with pre-existing BOS, rates of progression were not greater than those described for the natural history of BOS post-lung transplant. FEV1 decline ≥ 5% at 90 days post-RSVI was associated with higher mortality regardless of BOS status prior to RSVI.
Clustered Conserved Cysteines in Hyaluronan Synthase Mediate Cooperative Activation by Mg2+ Ions and Severe Inhibitory Effects of Divalent Cations.

Hyaluronan synthase (HAS) uses UDP-GlcUA and UDP-GlcNAc to make hyaluronan (HA). Streptococcus equisimilis HAS (SeHAS) contains four conserved cysteines clustered near the membrane, and requires phospholipids and Mg2+ for activity. Activity of membrane-bound or purified enzyme displayed a sigmoidal saturation profile for Mg2+ with a Hill coefficient of 2. To assess if Cys residues are important for cooperativity we examined the Mg2+ dependence of mutants with various combinations of Cys-to-Ala mutations. All Cys-mutants lost the cooperative response to Mg2+. In the presence of Mg2+, other divalent cations inhibited SeHAS with different potencies (Cu2+~Zn2+ >Co2+ >Ni2+ >Mn2+ >Ba2+ Sr2+ Ca2+). Some divalent metal ions likely inhibit by displacement of Mg2+-UDP-Sugar complexes (e.g. Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+ had apparent Ki values of 2-5 mM). In contrast, Zn2+ and Cu2+ inhibited more potently (apparent Ki ≤ 0.2 mM). Inhibition of Cys-null SeHAS by Cu2+, but not Zn2+, was greatly attenuated compared to wildtype. Double and triple Cys-mutants showed differing sensitivities to Zn2+ or Cu2+. Wildtype SeHAS allowed to make HA prior to exposure to Zn2+ or Cu2+ was protected from inhibition, indicating that access of metal ions to sensitive functional groups was hindered in processively acting HAâHAS complexes. We conclude that clustered Cys residues mediate cooperative interactions with Mg2+ and that transition metal ions inhibit SeHAS very potently by interacting with one or more of these –SH groups.
Writing wrongs: disruptive feminist teaching within the (anxious) ivory tower

ABSTRACTAs a first-year writing instructor, I generally expect a few mainstays: a handful of bored students, recurring absences, and plenty of covert texting. In order to disrupt the usual lacklust...
Bullying and peer victimization of minority youth: intersections of sexual identity and race/ethnicity

Background Youth with multiple minority identities, such as those who are both sexual minority (eg, lesbian, gay, bisexual) and racial/ethnic minority (eg, Black, Latino) may be at increased risk for bullying and peer victimization. Methods Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance data (2011-2017) were analyzed (N = 114,881; 50.8% girls; mean age = 15.7 years, SD = 0.03). We used chi-square tests and sex-stratified multiple linear regression models to examine sexual identity and racial/ethnic differences and the intersection between sexual identity and race/ethnicity across 3 forms of bullying and peer victimization, co-occurrence of traditional and electronic bullying, and any type of bullying or peer victimization. Results Sexual minority youth reported higher odds of bullying and peer victimization than heterosexual youth. White youth reported higher odds of bullying than racial/ethnic minority youth. In intersectional analyses, all sexual minority and racial/ethnic minority boys, and bisexual racial/ethnic minority girls were at higher risk for bullying and peer victimization compared to heterosexual peers of the same race/ethnicity. Conclusions This study of a large diverse sample of youth advances our understanding of vulnerability to bullying and peer victimization among youth with multiple minority identities. This research can inform policy initiatives and interventions to prevent peer victimization of vulnerable youth.
A Positive Side of Deployment: Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth in U.S. Military Nurses Who Served in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars

Purpose To describe vicarious posttraumatic growth in U.S. military nurses who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Design A cross-sectional descriptive design was used. Methods Respondents were asked to complete the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Core Beliefs Inventory (CBI), and six open-ended write-in questions as an electronic survey. Findings Appreciation of life and Personal strength were the strongest dimensions on the PTGI. This was also evident in participant responses to the open-ended questions. The five dimensions of the PTGI were significantly correlated, indicating as growth increased in one dimension, growth increased in all dimensions. The CBI showed moderate to strong positive correlations with all items. Thus, the relationship between the total PTGI scores and the total CBI scores showed a strong, positive correlation, which indicated higher overall core belief scores associated with more growth in total PTGI scores. Conclusions This study provided initial evidence that some nurses who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars experienced posttraumatic growth. While healthcare providers need to be educated about their vulnerability when exposed to trauma, they also need to be aware of potential growth when caring for casualties. Clinical relevance Nurses preparing to serve in war, as well as those returning, need to pay attention to their physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual health. Following return from war deployment, the military services need to take deliberate and careful measures to ensure that no returning personnel "fall through the cracks" in getting the help they need.
Digital Reconnaissance and Performance Assessment of Rural Infrastructure for 2018 Natural Hazards

AbstractThe goal of this investigation is to assess the performance of rural structures in natural hazard events in 2018. Digital reconnaissance was implemented to retrieve data on damage-inflictin...
Human Action Recognition by Discriminative Feature Pooling and Video Segmentation Attention Model

We introduce a simple yet effective network that embeds a novel Discriminative Feature Pooling (DFP) mechanism and a novel Video Segment Attention Model (VSAM), for video-based human action recognition from both trimmed and untrimmed videos. Our DFP module introduces an attentional pooling mechanism for 3D Convolutional Neural Networks that attentionally pools 3D convolutional feature maps to emphasize the most critical spatial, temporal, and channel-wise features related to the actions within a video segment, while our VSAM ensembles these most critical features from all video segments and learns (1) class-specific attention weights to classify the video segments into the corresponding action categories, and (2) class-agnostic attention weights to rank the video segments based on their relevance to the action class. Our action recognition network can be trained from both trimmed videos in a fully-supervised way and untrimmed videos in a weakly-supervised way. For untrimmed videos with weak labels, our network learns attention weights without the requirement of precise temporal annotations of action occurrences in videos. Evaluated on the untrimmed video datasets of THUMOS14 and ActivityNet1.2, and trimmed video datasets of HMDB51, UCF101, and HOLLYWOOD2, our network achieves superior performance, compared to the latest state-of-the-art methods
To Thrive in These Times: Capabilities, Negativity, and the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare many of the inadequacies of our capitalist systems, as Žižek extols in Pandemic! COVID-19 Shakes the World (2020) . This essay explores how the capabilities approach, as outlined by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, may be re-examined in the light of this new viral reality by the contributions of Slavoj Žižek and Byung-Chul Han. The capability approach, as it stands, suffers from two missing pieces: that of an acknowledgement of the necessity of negativity as a foil to positivity within the capabilities as articulated by Nussbaum, and the existence of the material root of all capabilities, namely the need to have the capacity to be capable. A “capability for boredom,” and a “zeroth capability” are discussed as solutions, means by which to fill these gaps. Finally, an universal basic income is discussed as a means by which to support the functioning of a “zeroth capability,” the goal being to avoid a descent into bare life during this time of pandemic capitalism.
Metabolic Dyslipidemia and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Findings From the Look AHEAD Study.

Background Metabolic dyslipidemia (high triglyceride) and low high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) is highly prevalent in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The extent to which diabetes melli...
Roles of Genetic Predisposition in the Sex Bias of Pulmonary Pathophysiology, as a Function of Estrogens : Sex Matters in the Prevalence of Lung Diseases.

In addition to studies focused on estrogen mediation of sex-different regulation of systemic circulations, there is now increasing clinical relevance and research interests in the pulmonary circulation, in terms of sex differences in the morbidity and mortality of lung diseases such as inherent-, allergic- and inflammatory-based events. Thus, female predisposition to pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) is an inevitable topic. To better understand the nature of sexual differentiation in the pulmonary circulation, and how heritable factors, in vivo- and/or in vitro-altered estrogen circumstances and changes in the live environment work in concert to discern the sex bias, this chapter reviews pulmonary events characterized by sex-different features, concomitant with exploration of how alterations of genetic expression and estrogen metabolisms trigger the female-predominant pathological signaling. We address the following: PAH (Sect.7.2) is characterized as an estrogenic promotion of its incidence (Sect. 7.2.2), as a function of specific germline mutations, and as an estrogen-elicited protection of its prognosis (Sect.7.2.1). More detail is provided to introduce a less recognized gene of Ephx2 that encodes soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) to degrade epoxyeicosatrienic acids (EETs). As a susceptible target of estrogen, Ephx2/sEH expression is downregulated by an estrogen-dependent epigenetic mechanism. Increases in pulmonary EETs then evoke a potentiation of PAH generation, but mitigation of its progression, a phenomenon similar to the estrogen-paradox regulation of PAH. Additionally, the female susceptibility to chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (Sect. 7.3) and asthma (Sect.7.4), but less preference to COVID-19 (Sect. 7.5), and roles of estrogen in their pathogeneses are briefly discussed.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Douglas Sirk: Recreation of All That Heaven Allows as Angst essen Seele auf (1974)

Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s All that Heaven Allows (1955) as Angst Essen Seele Auf (Fear Eats the Soul, 1974) updates Douglas Sirk’s story of a middle-class widow who falls in love with her gardener, translating it to urban Munich in the 1970s. Influenced by the French Nouvelle Vague and avant-garde theater, in 1971 Fassbinder developed a new directness of style in response to Sirk’s melodramas. In Fear Eats the Soul, he specifically employs Sirk’s film as a template for illuminating the relationship between a Gastarbeiter and a working-class German woman. In doing so, he provides a prime example of auteurist film-to-film adaptation, opening the way to the more radical recycling of canonical film texts by subsequent art film directors in the postmodern era.
Roosting Ecology of Bats

Bats spend over half their lives subjected to the selective pressures of their roost environment; thus it is not surprising that the conditions and events associated with roosting have played a prominent role in their ecology and evolution. Roosts provide sites for mating, hibernation, and rearing young; they promote social interactions and the digestion of food; and they offer protection from adverse weather and predators. Conditions that balance natality and mortality and enhance survivorship are intimately linked to roost characteristics and are paramount to the success of a species. The roosting ecology of bats can be viewed as a complex interaction of physiological, behavioral, and morphological adaptations and demographic response. The roosting habits of bats may be influenced by roost abundance and availability, risks of predation, the distribution and abundance of food resources, social organization, and an energy economy imposed by body size and the physical environment. For many bats the availability and physical capacity of roosts can set limits on the number and dispersion of roosting bats, and this in turn can influence the type of social organization and foraging strategy employed. For example, some bats as refuging animals (see Hamilton and Watt, 1970) may benefit from improved metabolic economy and information transfer but may be subjected to the added costs associated with increased commuting time, competition for food, and risks of predation.
Impact of writing proficiency and writing center participation on academic performance

Purpose – Given that there exists in the literature relatively little research into the effectiveness of writing centers at universities, the purpose of this paper is to show the impact of university writing centers on first-year business seminar student writing. Design/methodology/approach – This quantitative study involved 315 first-year undergraduate business students. Logistic and quantile regression analysis was used to test two hypotheses. Findings – Results indicate that student intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors positively influenced the likelihood that a student visits the center. Student grades on writing assignments were significantly higher for students who visited the writing center but only for students who scored in the top 40th percentile of the grade distribution. Practical implications – Writing centers should try to reach all students not only those who are naturally motivated. Most importantly, centers should find ways to help students in the lower portion of grade distributi...
Organizational behavior management and personality psychology: Reunited and it feels so good?

Abstract I make four points in this commentary on Geller (2002). First, the models put forward by Geller are excellent examples of the direction Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) should take in the near future. Second, these models are too modest. Findings establishing the role of genetics and their phenotypic expressiontraits-are overtaking the field of psychology in general and will soon overtake OBM. Third, behaviorism should not die as a field of inquiry in psychology or in particular domains such as organizational psychology. One example is given for how a successful merger could take place. Fourth and finally, OBM should merge with I/O Psychology and dissolve arbitrary barriers to the benefit of both OBM and I/O Psychology.
Essentieller Tremor – tatsächlich gutartig?

Mit einer Pravalenz von bis zu 5,6 Prozent in der Bevolkerung stellt der Essentielle Tremor (ET) eine der haufigsten Bewegungsstorungen in der Neurologie dar. Wenngleich ET weiterhin als „gutartiger familiarer Tremor“ bezeichnet wird, zeigen rezente Studien uber tremor-assoziierte Symptome wie cerebellare, kognitive oder psychiatrische Auffalligkeiten ebenso wie die Beobachtung von signifikanten Beeintrachtigungen bei Aktivitaten des taglichen Lebens bei bis zu 75 Prozent der ET-Patienten, dass das Attribut „gutartig“ bei ET zunehmend in Frage gestellt werden sollte. In den letzten Jahren wurde auch gezeigt, dass ET mit charakteristischen neuropathologischen Veranderungen einhergeht, die vorwiegend das Cerebellum, mit einem Verlust an Purkinje-Zellen sowie axonalen Schwellungen („Torpedo-Zellen“), betreffen. Diese Beobachtungen sowie die Ergebnisse aus gros angelegten epidemiologischen Studien uber die familiare Haufung von ET und der Parkinson-Erkrankung geben Anlass zur Diskussion uber einen potentiellen neurodegenerativen Prozess als pathophysiologisches Korrelat von ET. Die erste genomweite Assoziationsstudie bei ET identifizierte eine mit ET assoziierte genetische Variante im LINGO1-Gen, dessen Protein fur axonale Integritat relevant ist und im zentralen Nervensystem exprimiert wird. Propranolol und Primodin sind weiterhin die erste Therapieempfehlung. Mit Topiramat steht nun eine dritte Substanz zur Verfugung, die sich als eindeutig effektiv in der ET-Behandlung erwiesen hat.
The Nexus of Fabricated Mortgage Loan Assignments and Unlawful Home Foreclosures.

Who has the legal right to foreclose on your home? More importantly, who doesn’t? Unlawful foreclosures are not just financial crimes against individuals and families. At the eviction stage, they are crimes perpetrated together with the threat of violence. Five years after the 2008 economic implosion, it is clear to anyone with a shred of sensibility that many financial regulators have become Wall Street commodities to be bought and sold. If that were not the case, by now there would have been hundreds, if not thousands of arrests, convictions and imprisonments; just as there were in the aftermath of the Savings and Loan debacle in the early 1990’s. Twenty years hence, our leaders are benign at best and complicit at worst. This is a legal issue that has haunted the foreclosure crisis since it began in 2008. During the 1990s, U.S banking interests launched an all-out campaign to repeal many of the federal banking regulations which were enacted by Congress in the aftermath of the stock market crash of 1929. Bit by bit, those regulations were stripped away until finally, in 1999, Congress repealed what was arguably the single most important financial regulation born out of that financial crisis: The Glass-Steagall Act. This deregulation allowed the rapid return to the same casino-like behavior that characterized the financial industry in the 1920s. Although many foreclosures are legitimate, a large percentage of them which were started since 2008 involved fake or forged documentation, the most egregious of which are recorded mortgage assignments involving private label securitized trusts created between 2004 and early 2007. In 2013, such unlawful foreclosures continue to occur daily, on a massive scale, in every State of the Union.
Models for Multiband Infrared Surveys

Empirical backward galaxy evolution models for IR bright galaxies are constrained using multiband IR surveys. A new Monte Carlo algorithm is developed for this task. It exploits a large library of realistic spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 837 local IR galaxies (IRAS 25 ?m selected) from the UV (1000 ?) to the radio (20 cm), including Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) measured 3-13 ?m unidentified broad features (UIBs). The basic assumption is that the local correlation between SEDs and mid-infrared (MIR) luminosities can be applied to earlier epochs of the universe, an assumption that will be strongly tested by SIRTF. By attaching an SED appropriately drawn from the SED library to every source predicted by a given model, the algorithm enables simultaneous comparisons with multiple surveys in a wide range of wave bands. Three populations of IR sources are considered in the evolution models. These include (1) starburst galaxies, (2) normal late-type galaxies, and (3) galaxies with active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Constrained by data from the literature, our best-fit model (peak model) predicts that since z = 1.5 the population of starburst galaxies undergoes a very strong luminosity evolution [L = L0(1 + z)4.2] and also strong density evolution [? = ?0(1 + z)2], the normal late-type galaxy population undergoes a passive luminosity evolution [L = L0(1 + z)1.5], and the galaxies with an AGN undergo a pure luminosity evolution similar to that of optical QSOs [L = L0(1 + z)3.5]. Prior at z ? 1.5 all evolution rates drop as (1 + z)-3. The luminosity evolution results in evolution of SEDs of IR bright sources because of the luminosity dependence of the SEDs. Predictions for number counts, confusion limits, redshift distributions, and color-color diagrams are made for multiband surveys using the upcoming SIRTF satellite. A ? cosmology (?? = 0.7, ?m = 0.3, H0 = 75 km s-1 Mpc-1) is assumed throughout the paper.
INTRODUCTION TO NEURAL NETWORKS

Neural networks are currently exciting the interest of scientists across a broad range of disciplines including neurobiology, psychology, computer science, and theoretical physics. Neural nets are viewed as models of neurophysiological and cognitive function, as computational structures, as algorithms for solution of optimization and pattern recognition problems, as computing structures, as novel dynamical systems, as complex statistical systems characterized by disorder and frustration,…. These notes provide a broad survey of the modeling of neural phenomena, such as memory and learning, in terms of dissipative, nonlinear dynamical systems of interconnected neuronal elements. In general, synaptic interactions between two neurons are not reciprocal. And in general, these interactions may change with time, in a way that depends on the recent activity or experience of the network. Models based on binary threshold elements operating in discrete time are constructed which display emergent computational properties and fascinating dynamical behavior; in particular they show a capacity for distributed, content-addressable memory and may undergo dynamical phase transitions. Models based on frequency coding, and operating in continuous time, are used to mimic EEG activity in the mammalian olfactory bulb and to demonstrate the potential for chaotic activity in neural systems. Models with probabilistic time evolution are introduced to describe the stochastic processes which underlie information transfer at synaptic junctions and to explore unconventional aspects of the nonequilibrium statistical mechanics of neural networks.
The Toolpack/IST Approach to Extensibility in Software Environments

Toolpack is an experimental activity in which a large software tool environment is being created for the purpose of general distribution and then careful study and analysis. This paper discusses the goals, methods. architecture and design of the software system being produced as the focus of the Toolpack project. The paper begins by explaining the motivation for building integrated tool sets. It then explains the basic requirements that an integrated system of tools must satisfy in order to be successful and to remain useful both in practice and as an experimental object. The paper then presents a careful description of the actual architecture of the Toolpack integrated tool system. Finally the Toolpack project experimental plan is presented.
Deep inelastic phenomena

In these two lectures I will review and bring up to date our picture of nucleon structure as seen in the context of deep inelastic scattering. From the very early days of inelastic scattering to the present, this subject has been continually reviewed by many persons. As the data have expanded over wider kinematic territory, and as the theoretical framework has expanded and improved, the questions we are asking have changed as well. The lectures begin with consideration of the quark-parton model. The model forms the basis of our understanding of lepton-nucleon inelastic scattering. This model is weak on formal, theoretical justification, but very strong on intuitive understanding of the processes. As improved data in lepton-nucleon scattering at high energies became available, the quark-parton model failed to explain some crucial features of these data. At approximately the same time a candidate theory of strong interactions based on a SU(3) gauge theory of color was being discussed in the literature, and new ideas on the explanation of inelastic scattering data became popular.
An Analysis of Teach for America's Research Page

On paper, Teach for America (TFA) has all the markings of an excellent program with real potential for social service and change. Given a hard to staff school in a poverty stricken city, allowing enthusiastic college graduates with some training to go in and put their hearts and souls into classrooms that would otherwise be staffed with less-prepared or unprepared individuals may seem like a good idea. Upon further examination, TFA becomes more problematic as its claims to success do not stand up to close scrutiny, and the program has evolved from placing its “corps members” (TFA’s language) in hard to staff schools to replacing certified teachers. This paper analyzes TFA’s claims to “success” through analysis of the organization’s “research” page. Data sources also include peer reviewed papers, research generated by think tanks, and the work of educational bloggers.
A delay based multipath optimal route analysis for multi-hop CSMA/CA wireless mesh networks

In this paper we present a method for determining optimal routes along selected paths in a wireless mesh network based on an interference aware delay analysis. We develop an analytic model that enables us to obtain closed form expressions for delay in terms of multipath routing variables. A flow deviation algorithm is used to derive the optimal flow over a given set of routes. The model takes into account the effects of neighbor interference and hidden terminals, and tools are provided to make it feasible for the performance analysis and optimization of large-scale networks. Numerical results are presented for different network topologies and compared with simulation studies.
Rapid consolidation of new knowledge in adulthood via fast mapping

Rapid word learning, where words are 'fast mapped' onto new concepts, may help build vocabulary during childhood. Recent evidence has suggested that fast mapping might help to rapidly integrate information into memory networks of the adult neocortex. The neural basis for this learning by fast mapping determines key properties of the learned information.