cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Tc1/mariner transposable element family shapes genetic variation and gene expression in the protist Trichomonas vaginalis

Trichomonas vaginalis is the most prevalent non-viral sexually transmitted parasite. Although the protist is presumed to reproduce asexually, 60% of its haploid genome contains transposable elements (TEs), known contributors to genome variability. The availability of a draft genome sequence and our collection of >200 global isolates of T. vaginalis facilitate the study and analysis of TE population dynamics and their contribution to genomic variability in this protist. We present here a pilot study of a subset of class II Tc1/mariner TEs that belong to the T. vaginalis Tvmar1 family. We report the genetic structure of 19 Tvmar1 loci, their ability to encode a full-length transposase protein, and their insertion frequencies in 94 global isolates from seven regions of the world. While most of the Tvmar1 elements studied exhibited low insertion frequencies, two of the 19 loci (locus 1 and locus 9) show high insertion frequencies of 1.00 and 0.96, respectively. The genetic structuring of the global populations identified by principal component analysis (PCA) of the Tvmar1 loci is in general agreement with published data based on genotyping, showing that Tvmar1 polymorphisms are a robust indicator of T. vaginalis genetic history. Analysis of expression of 22 genes flanking 13 Tvmar1 loci indicated significantly altered expression of six of the genes next to five Tvmar1 insertions, suggesting that the insertions have functional implications for T. vaginalis gene expression. Our study is the first in T. vaginalis to describe Tvmar1 population dynamics and its contribution to genetic variability of the parasite. We show that a majority of our studied Tvmar1 insertion loci exist at very low frequencies in the global population, and insertions are variable between geographical isolates. In addition, we observe that low frequency insertion is related to reduced or abolished expression of flanking genes. While low insertion frequencies might be expected, we identified two Tvmar1 insertion loci that are fixed across global populations. This observation indicates that Tvmar1 insertion may have differing impacts and fitness costs in the host genome and may play varying roles in the adaptive evolution of T. vaginalis.
Tennis Serving Velocity and Accuracy

The temporal constraints of tennis serves were manipulated as a percentage of maximum service velocity. The velocity conditions were 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90%. Elite tennis players (N = 15) completed 10 serves at each velocity. Three error measures (total variability, constant error, and variable error) were analyzed separately for target accuracy, accuracy of ball velocity, and proportional error in velocity. Significant total variability and variable error were found for proportional error in velocity. Both measures showed improved performance as ball velocity increased from 70% to 90%.
Fast atom bombardment mass spectra of some alkylammonium 4‐toluenesulfonate salts

The fast atom bombardment positive ion mass spectra of low molecular weight alkylammonium 4-toluenesulfonate salts are dominated by cluster ions of the type [(AB)nA]+ or [(AB)nH]+, where A is a cation, B an anion, n an integer from 0 to 4. With one exception the base peak is the cation A+.
Characterizing Granular Material Coarseness and Micromechanical Properties with a Small-Diameter Penetrometer

A micromechanical theory and data from a penetrometer with a small base area were used to characterize the average microstructural and micromechanical properties of snow, a granular material composed of ice. The micromechanical theory also was used to describe penetration in soil and successfully explains the dependence of penetration resistance for granular materials on penetrometer base area. Material coarseness (microstructural element dimension), elastic modulus, and compressive strength were determined by interpreting penetration resistance measurements by the micromechanical theory. Predictions of the macroscale (continuum) mechanical properties for the snow were made by the micromechanical measurements and theory. The average microstructural dimensions for snow were 3.6 mm (coarse grained) and 1.45 mm (fine grained). Micromechanical strength and modulus of elasticity of snow depend on internal structure and bonding at grain boundaries; grain size by itself was not a good indicator of the mechanical...
ClickMiner: Towards Forensic Reconstruction of User-Browser Interactions from Network Traces

Recent advances in network traffic capturing techniques have made it feasible to record full traffic traces, often for extended periods of time. Among the applications enabled by full traffic captures, being able to automatically reconstruct user-browser interactions from archived web traffic traces would be helpful in a number of scenarios, such as aiding the forensic analysis of network security incidents. Unfortunately, the modern web is becoming increasingly complex, serving highly dynamic pages that make heavy use of scripting languages, a variety of browser plugins, and asynchronous content requests. Consequently, the semantic gap between user-browser interactions and the network traces has grown significantly, making it challenging to analyze the web traffic produced by even a single user. In this paper, we propose ClickMiner, a novel system that aims to automatically reconstruct user-browser interactions from network traces. Through a user study involving 21 participants, we collected real user browsing traces to evaluate our approach. We show that, on average, ClickMiner can correctly reconstruct between 82% and 90% of user-browser interactions with false positives between 0.74% and 1.16%, and that it outperforms reconstruction algorithms based solely on referrer-based approaches. We also present a number of case studies that aim to demonstrate how ClickMiner can aid the forensic analysis of malware downloads triggered by social engineering attacks.
Autism New data suggest a new hypothesis

Autism remains difficult to come to terms with, even after many years of intensive investigation.1-4 It is defined by three clinical features: impairment of reciprocal social interaction, impairment in verbal and nonverbal communication, and a markedly restricted repertoire of activities and interests (this last is often more obvious by its positive symptom: narrow, repetitive, and stereotypic activities).5 In the young child there is commonly complete lack of interpersonal interaction and total lack of language. In the older child or adult some language and interpersonal contact may be gained, but the individual remains flat, remote, awkward, and stilted in all interpersonal activities including language. Even in high-functioning autistic individuals, emotions, thought, and actions remain peculiarly rigid. The essence of autism, if it can be defined, appears to be a rigidity and constriction affecting thought, memory, emotion, attention, and action that is particularly obvious in the social sphere. This may become most clear when autism is partially addressed pharmacologically, as described below. All young autistic children are developmentally retarded by virtue of their autism. Later, some improve to the point of showing normal intelligence or, in some cases, islands of high ability and achievement. (A group with normal language function, intense and obsessive foci of interest in narrow—often arcane—subjects, obtuse and imperceptive social instincts, and physical awkwardness is referred to as having Asperger’s syndrome.6 It is often likened to right-hemispheric learning disability and, as discussed below, may be considered a right-hemisphere dysfunction correlate of autism,7 which appears to be a left-hemisphere dysfunction syndrome because of the prominent language disability with preserved visual-spatial abilities.8) I hypothesize that there are two distinct forms of autism. The first is a form characterized by bilateral brain damage in early life—generally of the temporal lobes and minimally of the …
Eco-effectiveness, eco-efficiency, and the metabolism of a city: A multi-sectoral analysis

The vision of Cities as forces for good within the environment is explored herein by proposing a multisectoral analysis that accounts for nutrients, water, energy. The main purpose is to identify those elements in the urban system that can offer more opportunities of improvement with regard to eco-efficiency and eco-effectiveness indicators, and how different sectors, i.e. water, food, forestry, energy, and waste management, interact between each other. For this, (i) a computational model is designed using concepts of Substance Flow Analysis (SFA) together with mass and energy balances, and (ii) a set of indicators are defined to assess the improvement or worsening of the system. (iii) Both model and indicators are simulated under the Regionalized Sensitivity Analysis (RSA) framework to account of uncertainty and test the relevance of prospective technological innovations, i.e. structural changes. The paper presents a case study based on the Upper Chattahoochee Watershed in the south-eastern United States, in which the nitrogen (N) cycle is investigated under two scenarios: 0% and 100% urine source separation implementation. Results reveal that animal feed and fossil fuels are the major flows of N in the system. Urine separation showed to be critical for some aspects of the system as described by the behavior of the set of indicators.
Surface-Constrained Volumetric Brain Registration Using Harmonic Mappings

In order to compare anatomical and functional brain imaging data across subjects, the images must first be registered to a common coordinate system in which anatomical features are aligned. Intensity-based volume registration methods can align subcortical structures well, but the variability in sulcal folding patterns typically results in misalignment of the cortical surface. Conversely, surface-based registration using sulcal features can produce excellent cortical alignment but the mapping between brains is restricted to the cortical surface. Here we describe a method for volumetric registration that also produces an accurate one-to-one point correspondence between cortical surfaces. This is achieved by first parameterizing and aligning the cortical surfaces using sulcal landmarks. We then use a constrained harmonic mapping to extend this surface correspondence to the entire cortical volume. Finally, this mapping is refined using an intensity-based warp. We demonstrate the utility of the method by applying it to T1-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRIs). We evaluate the performance of our proposed method relative to existing methods that use only intensity information; for this comparison we compute the intersubject alignment of expert-labeled subcortical structures after registration.
Mining Positional Association Super-Rules on Fixed-Size Protein Sequence Motifs

Protein sequence motifs information is crucial to the analysis of biologically significant regions. The conserved regions have the potential to determine the role of the proteins. Many algorithms or techniques to discover motifs require a predefined fixed window size in advance. Due to the fixed size, these approaches often deliver a number of similar motifs simply shifted by some bases or including mismatches. To confront the shifted motifs problem, we cooperate the Super-Rule-Tree (SRT) concept, which is designed for solving the mismatched motifs problem, and propose a new Positional Association Rules algorithm. In Positional Association Rules algorithm, a new parameter named distance assurance is created to search frequent distances appearing in association rules. By analyzing the motifs results generated by our approach on our dataset, we provide the optimal minimum support, confidence, and distance assurance. We believe the Positional Association Super-Rules algorithm can play an important role in similar researches which requires predefined fixed window size.
SAR Analysis in Dispersive Tissues for In Vivo UWB Body Area Networks

In this paper, we present the impact on specific absorption ratio (SAR) distribution by dispersive media in wireless body area networks (BAN). For BAN systems, ultra-wideband (UWB) transmissions have received much attention because of its low power spectrum and its small antenna size. When we adopt the UWB technique to BAN systems, the SAR analysis is highly demanded for predicting the exposure level prior to experiments and products. It is well-known that the dielectric properties of human tissues have a great spectrum dependency, that renders a difficulty of an SAR analysis by electromagnetic field simulations through the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) methods for wideband signals. For frequency-dependent analysis, the piecewise linear recursive convolution (PLRC) method is useful for dealing with the dispersive media. To employ the PLRC method, we re-formulate the dielectric spectrum properties of human organs approximating the so-called 4-Cole-Cole model. We reveal that we need to consider the dispersive effect of human tissues to analyze the SAR according to the UWB bandwidth.
SUMO-2/3 regulates topoisomerase II in mitosis

We have analyzed the abundance of SUMO-conjugated species during the cell cycle in Xenopus egg extracts. The predominant SUMO conjugation products associated with mitotic chromosomes arose from SUMO conjugation of topoisomerase II. Topoisomerase II was modified exclusively by SUMO-2/3 during mitosis under normal circumstances, although we observed conjugation of topoisomerase II to SUMO-1 in extracts with exogenous SUMO-1 protein. Inhibition of SUMO modification by a dominant-negative mutant of the SUMO-conjugating enzyme Ubc9 (dnUbc9) did not detectably alter topoisomerase II activity, but it did increase the amount of unmodified topoisomerase II retained on mitotic chromosomes after high salt washing. dnUbc9 did not disrupt the assembly of condensed mitotic chromosomes or block progression of extracts through mitosis, but it did block the dissociation of sister chromatids at the metaphase–anaphase transition. Together, our results suggest that SUMO conjugation is important for chromosome segregation in metazoan systems, and that mobilization of topoisomerase II from mitotic chromatin may be a key target of this modification.
Investigation of force-controlled friction stir welding for manufacturing and automation:

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining process for materials with low melting points. The process uses a rotating tool that consists of a shoulder and a pin. The tool plastically deforms the material with its pin and then forges together the parent materials underneath the shoulder. Past research has established that the axial force on the tool that creates the forging pressure is a function of plunge depth, traverse speed, and rotation speed. Historically, force control of FSW has been accomplished by varying the plunge depth of the tool. The research presented in this paper examines the force control of FSW by varying each of the process parameters separately. A force controller was implemented on a retrofitted milling machine. The closed-loop proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control architecture was tuned using the Ziegler-Nichols method. Welding experiments were conducted by butt welding 1 / 4inch (6.35mm) ·1 1 / 2inch (38.1mm) ·8inch (203.2mm) samples of aluminium 6061-T6511 with a 1 /4inch (6.35mm) FSW tool. The results indicate that force control via traverse speed is the most accurate and, as a by- product, heat distribution control along the weld seam occurs. Force control via plunge depth is the least accurate but it compensates for machine and robot deflection. Tensile test data show that greater strength can be obtained through force control via rotation speed. It is concluded that force is maintained by keeping the amount of tool surface area in contract with the workpiece constant throughout the welding process when plunge depth is used as the controlling variable. Force is maintained by varying the rate of heat generation when rotation speed is used as the controlling variable. Lastly, force is maintained by changing the amount of heat deposited per unit length along the weld seam when traverse speed is used as the con- trolling variable. Successful robotic FSW requires to be selected the appropriate controlling variable and the sensitivity of the interaction between the tool and the workpiece to be reduced.
Zangerlia ukhaachelys, New Species, a Nanhsiungchelyid Turtle from the Late Cretaceous of Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia

Abstract The Late Cretaceous continental deposits of Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia, have yielded remains of a new nanhsiungchelyid turtle, Zangerlia ukhaachelys, n.sp. This taxon is based on a single individual that consists of a partial cranium, representatives of all peripherals, an almost complete plastron, and limb fragments. Zangerlia ukhaachelys is diagnosed as a new taxon by the presence of an anteromedial process of the hyoplastron that reduces the typical contact of the entoplastron with the epiplastron. Phylogenetic analysis firmly places Zangerlia ukhaachelys as sister to Zangerlia testudinimorpha and Zangerlia neimongolensis within Nanhsiungchelyidae and confirms the close phylogenetic relationships between Nanhsiungchelys wuchingensis and Anomalochelys angulata and among all North American representatives of Basilemys. In addition, there is modest support that all Asian representatives of Nanhsiungchelyidae form a monophyletic clade, which is primarily diagnosed by a deep, triangular nuchal notch. F...
Preventing the invisible plague of firearm suicide

There is an underappreciation among the general public and among health professionals that firearms are implicated in just over half of all suicide deaths. Suicide attempts with firearms are much more lethal than attempts using other methods, with more than 85% of individuals using a firearm dying compared to 2% for individuals using poisoning, 31% by jumping, and 69% by hanging. There is a well-researched and clear connection between access to firearms in the home and an increased risk of firearm suicide of a family member. Additionally, it has long been demonstrated that states and cities with fewer guns have fewer suicides. Consequently, to move forward in preventing firearm suicides, we must first overcome the lack of understanding and find effective and socially and politically acceptable preventive interventions. The remainder of this article focuses on a suggested framework to help with that task. (PsycINFO Database Record Language: en
Parent–Adolescent Conflict, Family Cohesion, and Self‐Esteem Among Hispanic Adolescents in Immigrant Families: A Comparative Analysis

Using data from one wave of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS), the authors investigated the main and interactive effects of parent–adolescent conflict and family cohesion on self-esteem among a large and diverse sample of adolescents in Hispanic immigrant families. A comparative analysis of four Hispanic ethnic subgroups (Cubans, Mexicans, Nicaraguans, and Colombians) was conducted. The results indicated that across all subgroups, parent–adolescent conflict was negatively associated with self-esteem. Family cohesion was positively associated with self-esteem across all subgroups, but it buffered the negative effect of parent–adolescent conflict among Cuban and Mexican adolescents only. The findings underscore the importance of considering differences in national origin when developing culturally informed interventions for Hispanic families. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Fixed-smoothing asymptotics in the generalized empirical likelihood estimation framework

This paper concerns the fixed-smoothing asymptotics for two commonly used estimators in the generalized empirical likelihood estimation framework for time series data, namely the continuous updating estimator and the maximum blockwise empirical likelihood estimator. For continuously updating generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator, we show that the results for the two-step GMM estimator in Sun (2014a) continue to hold under suitable assumptions. For continuous updating estimator obtained through solving a saddle point problem (Newey and Smith, 2004) and the maximum blockwise empirical likelihood estimator (Kitamura, 1997), we show that their fixed-smoothing asymptotic distributions (up to an unknown linear transformation) are mixed normal. Based on these results, we derive the asymptotic distributions of the specification tests (including the over-identification testing and testing on parameters) under the fixed-smoothing asymptotics, where the corresponding limiting distributions are nonstandard yet pivotal. Simulation studies show that (i) the fixed-smoothing asymptotics provides better approximation to the sampling distributions of the continuous updating estimator and the maximum blockwise empirical likelihood estimator as compared to the standard normal approximation. The testing procedures based on the fixed-smoothing critical values are more accurate in size than the conventional chi-square based tests; (ii) the continuously updating GMM estimator is asymptotically more efficient and the corresponding specification tests are generally more powerful than the other two competitors. Finite sample results from an empirical data analysis are also reported.
A bad shortcut: partial anomalous pulmonary venous return.

A woman in her 70s with a longstanding history of ‘heart murmur’ presented with worsening shortness of breath. Transthoracic echocardiogram demonstrated a severely dilated and dysfunctional right ventricle (RV), severe pulmonary hypertension and a dilated coronary sinus (video 1). A CT scan demonstrated a large sinus venosus-type atrial septal defect with partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) involving veins draining the right-upper and right-middle lobes into the superior vena cava (SVC; figure 1 and video …
EVOLUTIONARY MECHANISMS OF LIMB LOSS IN TETRAPODS.

Loss of limbs is one of the most extreme morphological changes in the history of tetrapods, yet it has evolved repeatedly in amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. For none of these groups is there complete knowledge of the mechanisms involved. But on the hypothesis that there is a common set of mechanisms of structural reduction of limbs, shared by all tetrapods, information can be synthesized from various groups to elucidate these mechanisms. In the first sections of the present paper the pattern and rate of limb loss are investigated by reviewing data from paleontology and comparative morphology. Developmental mechanisms are inferred from comparative and experimental embryological studies of limbless and limbed species. A review of the genetic basis of intraspecific variation in limb structure, particularly digit number, then leads naturally to an investigation of evolutionary dynamics. Population genetic models provide a description of temporal patterns of structural change and the selection pressures necessary to produce them. Finally, theories of the reexpression of limb structures lost in mammalian evolution are considered in the light of facts from paleontology and genetics.
Human Cytomegalovirus pTRS1 and pIRS1 Antagonize Protein Kinase R To Facilitate Virus Replication

UNLABELLED Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) counteracts host defenses that otherwise act to limit viral protein synthesis. One such defense is the antiviral kinase protein kinase R (PKR), which inactivates the eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2) translation initiation factor upon binding to viral double-stranded RNAs. Previously, the viral TRS1 and IRS1 proteins were found to antagonize the antiviral kinase PKR outside the context of HCMV infection, and the expression of either pTRS1 or pIRS1 was shown to be necessary for HCMV replication. In this study, we found that expression of either pTRS1 or pIRS1 is necessary to prevent PKR activation during HCMV infection and that antagonism of PKR is critical for efficient viral replication. Consistent with a previous study, we observed decreased overall levels of protein synthesis, reduced viral protein expression, and diminished virus replication in the absence of both pTRS1 and pIRS1. In addition, both PKR and eIF2α were phosphorylated during infection when pTRS1 and pIRS1 were absent. We also found that expression of pTRS1 was both necessary and sufficient to prevent stress granule formation in response to eIF2α phosphorylation. Depletion of PKR prevented eIF2α phosphorylation, rescued HCMV replication and protein synthesis, and reversed the accumulation of stress granules in infected cells. Infection with an HCMV mutant lacking the pTRS1 PKR binding domain resulted in PKR activation, suggesting that pTRS1 inhibits PKR through a direct interaction. Together our results show that antagonism of PKR by HCMV pTRS1 and pIRS1 is critical for viral protein expression and efficient HCMV replication. IMPORTANCE To successfully replicate, viruses must counteract host defenses that limit viral protein synthesis. We have identified inhibition of the antiviral kinase PKR by the viral proteins TRS1 and IRS1 and shown that this is a critical step in HCMV replication. Our results suggest that inhibiting pTRS1 and pIRS1 function or restoring PKR activity during infection may be a successful strategy to limit HCMV disease.
Ablation of Sympathetic Neurons Projecting to Mesenteric Blood Vessels Reduces Splanchnic Nerve Evoked Systemic Blood Pressure Increase: Widespread Projection of Prevertebral Neurons to the Mesenteric Circulation

Celiac ganglionectomy attenuates the increase in arterial pressure (AP) seen in the DOCA-salt model of hypertension; however, it is unknown which population of splanchnic sympathetic neurons is res...
Experimenteller Knochenersatz durch resorbierbare Calciumphosphat-Keramik

Massive cylindrische Implantate (5 X 15,5 mm) aus sieben Calciumphosphatkeramiken verschiedener Zusammensetzung wurden ohne Fixierung in die Tibia von Hunden implantiert, nach 6 Wochen Verweilzeit entnommen und histologisch untersucht. Die Gewebevertraglichkeit erwies sich als abhangig von der mineralogischen und chemischen Zusammensetzung des Materials: Die Keramik war bei einem Ca0/ P2O5-Verhaltnis von 2:1 bis 4: 1 gewebevertraglich, das Optimum lag bei etwa 3:1 (Tricalciumphosphat).
Some Effects of Aggregates and Agglomerates in the Fabrication of Fine Grained Ceramics

The processing engineer in production tends to equate processing with productivity. But viewed as a science, powder processing can be defined as the sequence of operations which systematically enhances the particulate character (presintering operations) and ultimately the composition and structure of the product material (sintering and surface finishing). Processing is a systems problem. Many functional operations and parameters are involved. But the continuous thread is the evolution of the chemical and physical character.
Prediction of unsteady effective wake by a Euler solver/vortex-lattice coupled method

A fully three-dimensional Euler solver, based on a finite volume approach, is developed and applied to the prediction of the unsteady effective wake for propellers subject to non-axisymmetric inflows. The Euler solver is coupled with an existing lifting-surface vortex-lattice method for the computation of unsteady propeller flows. The coupled method is validated against the uniform inflow case, in which ideally the uniform flow should be recovered as the effective wake. The predicted total velocity field correlates very well with that measured in the water tunnel experiment. Lastly, the unsteady effective wake predicted by the present method is compared with the steady effective wake predicted by the authors 1 previous steady method.
Survey of Geochemical Self-Patterning Phenomena

Self-patterning phenomena involving chemical reactions take place in all rock types—sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. Because apparent examples of geochemical self-organization cannot as a rule be directly proven by experiment, it is often difficult even to establish that they are true cases of self-patterning, let alone identify the mechanisms involved. Examples (with variable certainty) are: (1) Iron oxide can form concentric bands in chert nodules in limestones, and regularly spaced, cigar-shaped, lumps in shales. (2) Agates (aggregates of microcrystalline quartz fibers) may display all of the following: (a) banding looking remarkably like Liesegang banding; (b) adjacent bands that consist alternatingly of non-twisted and twisted quartz fibers; and (c) a distinctive chevron interference pattern, visible observing the agate between crossed polarizers. (3) Precambrian iron formations display alternating bands on one or more size scales, often with great lateral extent. (4) Mississippi-Valley-type ores often display striking alternating bands (∿ 1 cm) of any one or two of the minerals fluorite, dolomite, galena, sphalerite, and others; grain-size banding is also found.
Selection, idioms, and the structure of nominal phrases with and without classifiers

It is common to hypothesize that in classifier and non-classifier languages alike the various functional heads (determiner/demonstrative, numeral, classifier) each head their own projection, so that the maximal projection of the nominal phrase is not NP but something like DP. We evaluate the predictions this makes regarding selection and verb-object idioms in English, a non-classifier language, and in Korean and Vietnamese, two classifier languages. These predictions are not upheld, and nominals act very differently from clauses and PPs, which are headed by functional heads. Selection and idioms show that the maximal projection of the nominal must be a projection of the lexical N itself, not a functional element. We develop such an analysis of nominals, and show how it accounts for data that was taken to motivate the DP Hypothesis.
Proxy Pattern-Mixture Analysis for a Binary Variable Subject to Nonresponse.

Given increasing survey nonresponse, good measures of the potential impact of nonresponse on survey estimates are particularly important. Existing measures, such as the R-indicator, make the strong assumption that missingness is missing at random, meaning that it depends only on variables that are observed for respondents and nonrespondents. We consider assessment of the impact of nonresponse for a binary survey variable Y subject to nonresponse when missingness may be not at random, meaning that missingness may depend on Y itself. Our work is motivated by missing categorical income data in the 2015 Ohio Medicaid Assessment Survey (OMAS), where whether or not income is missing may be related to the income value itself, with low-income earners more reluctant to respond. We assume there is a set of covariates observed for nonrespondents and respondents, which for the item nonresponse (as in OMAS) is often a rich set of variables, but which may be potentially limited in cases of unit nonresponse. To reduce dimensionality and for simplicity we reduce these available covariates to a continuous proxy variable X, available for both respondents and nonrespondents, that has the highest correlation with Y, estimated from a probit regression analysis of respondent data. We extend the previously proposed proxy-pattern mixture (PPM) analysis for continuous outcomes to the binary outcome using a latent variable approach for modeling the joint distribution of Y and X. Our method does not assume data are missing at random but includes it as a special case, thus creating a convenient framework for sensitivity analyses. Maximum likelihood, Bayesian, and multiple imputation versions of PPM analysis are described, and robustness of these methods to model assumptions is discussed. Properties are demonstrated through simulation and with the 2015 OMAS data
Developmental stage-dependent effects of cardiac fibroblasts on function of stem cell-derived engineered cardiac tissues

We investigated whether the developmental stage of mouse cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) influences the formation and function of engineered cardiac tissues made of mouse embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (mESC-CMs). Engineered cardiac tissue patches were fabricated by encapsulating pure mESC-CMs, mESC-CMs + adult CFs, or mESC-CMs + fetal CFs in fibrin-based hydrogel. Tissue patches containing fetal CFs exhibited higher velocity of action potential propagation and contractile force amplitude compared to patches containing adult CFs, while pure mESC-CM patches did not form functional syncytium. The functional improvements in mESC-CM + fetal CF patches were associated with differences in structural remodeling and increased expression of proteins involved in cardiac function. To determine role of paracrine signaling, we cultured pure mESC-CMs within miniature tissue “micro-patches” supplemented with media conditioned by adult or fetal CFs. Fetal CF-conditioned media distinctly enhanced CM spreading and contractile activity, which was shown by pathway inhibitor experiments and Western blot analysis to be mediated via MEK-ERK signaling. In mESC-CM monolayers, CF-conditioned media did not alter CM spreading or MEK-ERK activation. Collectively, our studies show that 3D co-culture of mESC-CMs with embryonic CFs is superior to co-culture with adult CFs for in vitro generation of functional myocardium. Ensuring consistent developmental stages of cardiomyocytes and supporting non-myocytes may be a critical factor for promoting functional maturation of engineered cardiac tissues.
Commute mode diversity and public health: A multivariate analysis of 148 US cities

ABSTRACTUrban sprawl has a negative relationship with regional health outcomes, such as high obesity and chronic diseases related to physical inactivity. At the same time, literature has shown that walkable built environments are connected to lower obesity rates and increased physical activity. Less understood is the association of modal diversity with those health outcomes. This research studies a range of public health outcomes to determine their associations with commute mode diversity. Researchers adapted the methodology of urban sociologists Harvey Molotch and Richard Appelbaum to explore twelve different health measures in 148 US counties and their metropolitan statistical areas. The test measure is the percentage of commuters who use some means other than a single-occupant vehicle (SOV). The percentage of such commuters ranges from as low as 11% in Houston County, Alabama to as high as 36% in Honolulu County, Hawaii. Using bivariate and multivariate analyses, we found better health outcomes in coun...
Openness to experience predicts intrinsic value shifts after deliberating one's own death.

ABSTRACTIndividual differences that might moderate processes of value shifting during and after deliberating one’s own death remain largely unexplored. Two studies measured participants’ openness and relative intrinsic to extrinsic value orientation (RIEVO) before randomly assigning them to conditions in which they wrote about their own death or dental pain for 6 days, after which RIEVO was assessed again up to 12 days later. When participants confronted thoughts about their own death over a sustained period, high openness to experience helped them shift towards intrinsic values. Implications for understanding openness’ role in value reorientation from existential deliberation processes are discussed.
Personality Disorders in the DSM-5: Proposed Revisions and Critiques

This article discusses the Personality and Personality Disorder Work Group's proposed changes for Personality Disorders in the DSM-5: (a) adoption of a hybrid dimensional-categorical model; (b) utilization of 6 personality disorder types instead of the previous 10 personality disorders; (c) addition of personality traits and facets to define personality disorders; (d) addition of a rating scale for levels of personality functioning; (e) revised diagnostic criteria; and (f) the collapsing of Axes I, II, and III. Also discussed are ways in which the DSM-5 proposals are reactions to criticisms of the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000) and criticisms of the proposed changes.
Conserved brain myelination networks are altered in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases

Abstract Introduction Comparative transcriptome analyses in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative proteinopathies can uncover both shared and distinct disease pathways. Methods We analyzed 940 brain transcriptomes including patients with AD, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP; a primary tauopathy), and control subjects. Results We identified transcriptional coexpression networks implicated in myelination, which were lower in PSP temporal cortex (TCX) compared with AD. Some of these associations were retained even after adjustments for brain cell population changes. These TCX myelination network structures were preserved in cerebellum but they were not differentially expressed in cerebellum between AD and PSP. Myelination networks were downregulated in both AD and PSP, when compared with control TCX samples. Discussion Downregulation of myelination networks may underlie both PSP and AD pathophysiology, but may be more pronounced in PSP. These data also highlight conservation of transcriptional networks across brain regions and the influence of cell type changes on these networks.
Collaborative Filtering via Additive Ordinal Regression

Accurately predicting user preferences/ratings over items are crucial for many Internet applications, e.g., recommender systems, online advertising. In current main-stream algorithms regarding the rating prediction problem, discrete rating scores are often viewed as either numerical values or(nominal) categorical labels. Practically, viewing user rating scores as numerical values or categorical labels cannot precisely reflect the exact degree of user preferences. It is expected that for each user, the quantitative distance/scale between any pair of adjacent rating scores could be different. In this paper, we propose a new ordinal regression approach. We view ordered preference scores in an additive way, where we are able to model users» internal rating patterns. Specifically, we model and learn the quantitative distances/scales between any pair of adjacent rating scores. In this way, we can generate a mapping from users» assigned discrete rating scores to the exact magnitude/degree of user preferences for items. In the application of rating prediction, we combine our newly proposed ordinal regression method with matrix factorization, forming a new ordinal matrix factorization method. Through extensive experiments on benchmark datasets, we show that our method significantly outperforms existing ordinal methods, as well as other popular collaborative filtering methods in terms of the rating prediction accuracy.
Cultural Perspectives on Ethnic Diversity and Social Capital and Intergroup Relations in Diverse Communities

The current chapter explores how a focus on sociocultural factors (e.g., cultural practices, values) might improve our understanding of the relationship between ethnic/racial diversity and social capital as well as related factors (e.g., social cohesion, intergroup relations) among major groups in the United States. Specifically, the chapter will examine the extant literature on the cultural dimensions of the relationship between diversity on social capital and related phenomena (e.g., social cohesion, intergroup relations) among major groups in the United States (e.g., African/Black Americans, Asian Americans). The central question explored is: What role do cultural factors have on the relationship between different aspects of diversity and social capital among diverse groups? Prior to examining the extant literature on cultural factors associated with the major groups, the chapter will take a critical look at the literature on diversity and social capital and focus on key confounding factors. Thus, a major goal of the current chapter is to disentangle ethnic and cultural diversity from each other as well as from broader contextual factors (e.g., neighborhood disadvantage).
Lumbosacral Metastatic Spine Disease

The treatment of metastatic disease to the lumbosacral region presents challenges and risks not found in other regions of the spine. Surgical management often requires resection and reconstruction, which may be complicated by complex anatomy and has unique biomechanical features. Although lesions may be resected from an anterior approach, a posterior approach is preferred to avoid critical neurovascular structures. Recommended techniques include a transpedicular resection followed by reconstruction and instrumentation with four total rods and pelvic bolts. This chapter reviews the relevant anatomy and biomechanics of lumbosacral metastatic disease, as well as the authors’ preferred operative technique and perioperative management.
Life cycle assessment of oilseed crops produced in rotation with dryland cereals in the inland Pacific Northwest

Oilseed crops are expected to become an important feedstock for production of renewable jet fuel. The objective of this study is to determine the life cycle energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of several 2- and 3-year crop rotations with cereals and oilseeds in a low precipitation environment of the inland Pacific Northwest. The purpose is to ascertain whether cropping intensification could improve energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out to evaluate the fossil energy and carbon footprint of nine cropping systems characterized by different inputs applied to spring carinata [Brassica carinata (A.) Braun] and winter canola (B. napus L.) in rotation with wheat (Triticum aevistum L.) and other cereal crops. Grain yield and field activity data from cropping systems were acquired from a field experiment over a 5-year period. Gas emissions were measured weekly over 2 years using static chamber methodology and laboratory gas chromatography. Inputs for the LCA regarding fertilizers, machinery fuel use, and pesticides were from the field trials and literature for fuel use. Emission results of winter wheat (WW) rotations are between 300 and 400 g CO2 eq. kg−1 WW, in the range for US average WW cropping emissions (i.e., 300–600 g CO2 eq. kg−1 WW). Reduced tillage fallow (RTF)-Winter oilseed (WO)-RTF-WW and summer fallow (SF)-WW rotation were the most promising, from a trade-off of GHG emissions versus total crop sales over 6 years per hectare with low emissions and high sales. The best oilseed result was 660 g CO2 eq. kg−1 for canola following RTF. Highest yields were observed when cereal or oilseed crops were planted following RTF. Efficiency in terms of Energy Return on Energy Investment was 3.85 for winter oilseed yields 1338.9 kg ha−1 and 1.6 for spring oilseed yields 552.2 kg ha−1. Compared to SF-WW, bioenergy oilseed cultivation may increase CO2 equivalent emissions in 3-year cereal-based rotations due to increased inputs with inclusion of fallow-substitution cultivation. Fossil energy inputs required to produce oilseed crops were smaller than the total energy in final seed and thus oilseeds have the potential to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Improving energy efficiency and encouraging adoption by growers will depend on ability to enhance agronomic performance with higher yielding, drought and cold tolerant oilseed varieties.
Nicotinic-antipsychotic drug interactions and cognitive function

In summary, neuronal nicotinic systems are important for a variety of aspects of cognitive function impacted by antipsychotic drugs. It has been demonstrated that antipsychotic drugs have memory and attentional impairing effects when given to unimpaired subjects. Nicotine can reduce some of these impairments, but antipsychotic drug administration can also attenuate nicotine effects. We have found that nicotinic agonists selective for alpha7 and alpha4beta2 receptor subtypes significantly improve learning and memory. Serotonergic actions of antipsychotic drugs may decrease efficacy of nicotinic co-treatments. When the antipsychotic drug clozapine and nicotine are administered to subjects with cognitive impairments caused by NMDA glutamate receptor blockade or hippocampal dysfunction they can significantly attenuate the attentional and memory impairments. Nicotine has been shown in our studies to reverse the memory impairment caused by acute clozapine-induced memory improvement. Acute risperidone and haloperidol has been shown to attenuate nicotine-induced memory improvement. We have determined the role of hippocampal alpha7 and alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptors in the neural basis of nicotinic antipsychotic interactions. Local acute and chronic hippocampal infusion of either nicotinic alpha7 or alpha4beta2 antagonists cause significant spatial working memory impairment. Chronic hippocampal nicotinic antagonist infusions have served as a model of persistent decreases in nicotinic receptor level seen in schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. Clozapine attenuated the memory deficit caused by chronic suppression of hippocampal alpha4beta2 receptors while the amnestic effects of clozapine were potentiated by chronic suppression of hippocampal alpha7 receptors. Nicotinic co-treatment may be a useful adjunct in the treatment of schizophrenia, to attenuate cognitive impairment of schizophrenia. Nicotine as well as selective nicotinic alpha7 and alpha4beta2 receptor agonists significantly improve working memory and attentional function. Nicotine treatment was found to be effective in attenuating the attentional and memory impairments caused by the psychototmimetic NMDA antagonist dizocilpine (MK-801), a model of the cognitive impairment of schizophrenia. Studies of the interactions of antipsychotic drugs with nicotinic agents provided quite useful information concerning possible co-treatment of people with schizophrenia with nicotinic therapy. Nicotine was found to significantly attenuate the memory impairments caused by the antipsychotic drugs clozapine and olanzapine. Interestingly, nicotine-induced cognitive improvement was significantly attenuated by the antipsychotic drug clozapine. One of the principal effects of clozapine is to block 5HT2 receptors. Ketanserin a 5HT2 antagonist significantly attenuated nicotine-induced improvements in attention and memory. Thus it appears that antipsychotic drugs with actions blocking 5HT2 receptors may limit the efficacy of nicotinic co-treatments for cognitive enhancement.
Abstract P395: Examining the Relationship Between Physical Activity Resources and Self-reported Vigorous Physical Activity in a Resource-limited Community: Data From the Washington DC Cardiovascular Health and Needs Assessment

Background: Despite well-documented evidence that one’s neighborhood environment and resource access are associated with cardiovascular (CV) risk, little is known about how physical activity (PA) r...
IgA vasculitis presenting as abdominal pain and rash

A 57-year-old white man presented with acute abdominal pain and rash without any prodromal symptoms. The skin biopsy confirmed immunoglobulin A (IgA) vasculitis with small vessel vasculitis and perivascular IgA, C3, and fibrin deposition. IgA vasculitis is diagnosed most commonly in children and presents in adults in only 10% of cases. Treatment is usually supportive care, and interventions may be required to avoid complications such as nephrotic syndrome or acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Clinicians should be aware of IgA vasculitis as a potential cause for abdominal pain and rash in adult populations.