cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative analysis of the relative mutagenicity of five chemical constituents of tobacco smoke in the mouse lymphoma assay

Quantifying health-related biological effects, like genotoxicity, could provide a way of distinguishing between tobacco products. In order to develop tools for using genotoxicty data to quantitatively evaluate the risk of tobacco products, we tested five carcinogens found in cigarette smoke, 4-aminobiphenyl (4-ABP), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), cadmium (in the form of CdCl2), 2-amino-3,4-dimethyl-3H-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ) and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), in the mouse lymphoma assay (MLA). The resulting mutagenicity dose responses were analyzed by various quantitative approaches and their strengths and weaknesses for distinguishing responses in the MLA were evaluated. L5178Y/Tk (+/-) 3.7.2C mouse lymphoma cells were treated with four to seven concentrations of each chemical for 4h. Only CdCl2 produced a positive response without metabolic activation (S9); all five chemicals produced dose-dependent increases in cytotoxicity and mutagenicity with S9. The lowest dose exceeding the global evaluation factor, the benchmark dose producing a 10%, 50%, 100% or 200% increase in the background frequency (BMD10, BMD50, BMD100 and BMD200), the no observed genotoxic effect level (NOGEL), the lowest observed genotoxic effect level (LOGEL) and the mutagenic potency expressed as a mutant frequency per micromole of chemical, were calculated for all the positive responses. All the quantitative metrics had similar rank orders for the agents' ability to induce mutation, from the most to least potent as CdCl2(-S9) > BaP(+S9) > CdCl2(+S9) > MeIQ(+S9) > 4-ABP(+S9) > NNK(+S9). However, the metric values for the different chemical responses (i.e. the ratio of the greatest value to the least value) for the different chemicals ranged from 16-fold (BMD10) to 572-fold (mutagenic potency). These results suggest that data from the MLA are capable of discriminating the mutagenicity of various constituents of cigarette smoke, and that quantitative analyses are available that can be useful in distinguishing between the exposure responses.
Dispersion of the European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Minnesota and South Dakota, 1945 to 1970 ,

The European corn borer first appeared in the southeast corner of Minnesota in 1943. It spread northward throughout Minnesota except the extreme north and northeast, and westward through corn-growing areas in South Dakota. This report reviews the history and some biological characteristics of the dispersion of the insect in the 2 States from 1945 to 1970. There was a high population build-up, or a “population swell” just behind the front of distribution. This phenomenon was shown by populations differing at only a subspecies level. On the basis of the population swells which occurred during the 26-year period, it is suggested that after the initial invasion in 1943, distinctly different populations could have invaded Minnesota in 1952 and again in 1966.
The Effect of Salinity on the Growth of Two Marine Fungi in Mixed Culture

Phlyctochytrium sp. and Thraustochytrium striatum, isolated from estuarine environments, are described growing in two-member and in single species cultures. Pinus taeda pollen is used to support growth at various salinities ranging from nearly freshwater to hypersaline water. Both species grow poorly or not at all at the lowest salinities. Phlyctochytrium sp. appears to grow better at low to intermediate salinities than T. striatum which grows better in intermediate to hypersaline conditions. In two-member cultures, growth of T. striatum is depressed below the expected rate at low salinities; conversely, growth of Phlyctochytrium sp. is slower than expected at high salinities. When T. striatum is initially numerically dominant, Phlyctochytrium still becomes the dominant species over time in low to intermediate salinities. The result implies the probable distribution by salinity in the natural environment.
Effects of Certain Nutrients Upon Blood Spots in Chicken Eggs

Abstract BLOOD spots, large enough to be detected by candling, occur in from one to three percent of all eggs produced; whereas, blood spots of all sizes may occur in as high as 20 percent of the eggs from individual strains or flocks. Reduced income due to blood spots removed by candling and lowered demand due to the blood spots present when eggs are broken for consumption represents an annual loss of many million dollars to U. S. poultry-men. A large percentage of the blood spots result from intrafollicular hemorrhages occuring prior to, or during, ovulation. The extent of their occurrence is reported to be influenced by differences in genetics, nutrition and age of birds as well as season, management and stress. The effect of nutrition upon this defect has been investigated by several workers. Nalbandov and Card (1944 Nalbandov and Card (1947) reported that feeding dehydrated, unjointed, young cereal grasses or permitting birds …
Comments on Brada, King and Kutan

This commentary reminds the reader that many measurement problems faced by Czech economists also exist in the United States and are unlikely to disappear as the Czech Republic completes the transition to a democratic, market-based economy. The commentary also describes the conceptual problems posed by the ongoing, relatively rapid inflation in the regulated price sectors. It also explains two reasons why the reader should be skeptical about the reliability of this paper's empirical estimate of bias in the CPI.
Study on AHP-based Early-warning Index System and Their Corresponding Weights of Schistosomiasis in the Three Gorges Reservoir Areas

Objective To provide scientific basis for further study with defining the index system of schistosomiasis in the Three Gorges Reservoir areas and their corresponding weights.Methods Constructing earlywarning index system and defining weights of index system using analytic hierarchy process method.Results A fourgrade early-warning index system was established,including one comprehensive target indexes,four second-grade indexes,twelve third-grade indexes and forty-four fourth-grade indexes,and their corresponding weights have been determined.Conclusion The early-warning index system of schistosomiasis in Three Gorges Reservoir areas was established and their combined weights have been determined,providing a basis for preventing schistosomiasis.
Avulsion of the innominate artery after blunt chest trauma: New application for an old technique

The thirteenth repair of avulsion of the innominate artery from the arch of the aorta is reported. Flow was first established through the carotid-vertebral system by insertion of an aorto-innominate artery graft, after which the injury was repaired. Use of the heart-lung machine for autotransfusion was helpful.
Harriet Martineau, [‘Charlotte Brontë’s Reaction to Criticism’] (1849), in Autobiography, edited by Maria Weston Chapman (Boston: James R. Osgood, 2 volumes, 1877), vol. ii, pp. 21–5

on the last evening of my stay at Mr Knight’s a parcel arrived for me, enclosing a book, and a note which was examined as few notes ever are. The book was ‘Shirley’; and the note was from ‘Currer Bell’. Here it is.
Solution and Characterization Methods

In the following we discuss various methods by which the equations of motion can be solved to find the trajectory of a particle or a solution flow in the neighborhood of a trajectory. We make an implicit assumption that the equations we wish to solve are non-integrable, meaning that there exists no closed-from solution. In many situations we will rely on a closed-form solution of a simpler, non-perturbed system to help generate a solution to a more general problem. As the given problems are non-integrable, we are always limited in that our solutions and solution methods are approximate, and only represent the true solution up to some degree of precision over a finite timespan. Some exceptions to these occur for the special solutions of dynamical systems, namely (relative) equilibria and periodic orbits. A relative equilibria is an exact solution to a system, and in general does not rely on a solution of the simpler, non-perturbed problem. A periodic orbit is not exact, as it has a limit on the precision (except in the rare cases where a completely convergent series is found in closed form), although there is no limit on the timespan for the solution, that being infinite. All other solutions have limitations on both precision and time.
Diagnostic yield of CT urography in the evaluation of hematuria in young patients in a military population

To assess the diagnostic yield of a computed tomography urography (CTU) study in patients less than 50 years of age, who have a history of military service, and who are at increased risk of urological cancers secondary to harmful practices and work-related exposures. 137 Consecutive patients who underwent CTU between 2012 and 2013 for new onset of hematuria were included. Initial review of the clinical interpretations of the CTU studies grouped the studies into negative and positive exams for any urological findings. Review of the patients’ medical records and subsequent radiology studies determined microscopic versus gross hematuria at presentation and any findings after their CTU study consistent with a urological malignancy. The positive exams were reviewed by second readers, blinded to the clinical interpretation of the initial CTU studies, who first read the unenhanced images. The readers characterized findings as visible on non-contrast CT alone or they requested contrast-enhanced images. Each urological finding was recorded for each patient. Of the 137 included patients, 84 had micro-hematuria and 53 had gross hematuria. There were a total of 99 negative examinations of the 137 included patients. Contrast was requested 14 times to confirm 11 benign cysts. No findings concerning for malignancy were found by the readers or on subsequent record reviews for each patient. An unenhanced CT may be appropriate to evaluate new onset microscopic, and possibly gross hematuria, in patients younger than 40, even in patients at increased risk of urologic cancer.
Rainfall Seasonality and the Spread of Millet Cultivation in Eurasia

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) was known throughout Eurasia in the second millennium BC in regions with warm, moist summers, where its cultivation reduced agricultural risk. Its cultivation during the warm, but dry months at Kyzyltepa and other Iron Age sites in western Central Asia was probably made possible through irrigation practices that were long known and originally developed in the winter-wet, summer-dry climate of West Asia. The adoption of millet by sedentary people of Central Asia is likely associated with intensification of agricultural production rather than as a strategy to reduce agricultural risk.
Open Science Framework (OSF)

The Open Science Framework (OSF) is a free, open source, research workflow web application developed and maintained by the Center for Open Science (COS).
Tetraethyl orthosilicate-assisted synthesis of nitrogen-containing porous carbon spheres

Abstract It is shown that the pore size and pore volume of carbon spheres (CSs) can be effectively tuned by varying the amount of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) during the one-pot modified Stober synthesis that involves polymerization of resorcinol and formaldehyde in the presence of ethylenediamine used as a basic catalyst and nitrogen source. Namely, an increase in the amount of added TEOS caused a considerable reduction in the micropore volume accompanied by a three-fold increase in the total pore volume. This substantial increase in porosity was achieved after dissolution of the TEOS-generated silica and additional activation. Importantly, the controlled addition of TEOS was effectively used to tune the structure of the composite carbon-silica spheres to obtain, for instance, the composite spheres with uniformly distributed carbon and silica, and core-shell structures with single shells (silica core/mixed silica-carbon shell), and double shells (silica core/mixed silica-carbon shell/silica shell), which upon suitable post-synthesis treatment can be respectively converted to mesoporous CSs, hollow mesoporous CSs, and yolk-shell silica spheres. Beside the well-developed porosity and interesting morphology, the resulting CSs were N-doped and featured high surface area in the range of 1000–1439 m2/g.
Human Nature and the Nature of Time: A Nietzschean Metaphor and Its Consequences

In the first pages of his essay about the advantages and disadvantages of the use of history, Nietzsche introduces the reader into his conceptual world with a group of metaphors, most of which will appear in his later works as well. I will leave open the question whether these metaphors are simply illustrative, helping us to better understand concepts, or whether they not only color concepts, as it were, but give them their ultimate meaning, making them finished conceptions, convincing arguments. In the following pages I will try to demonstrate what Nietzsche could have had in mind when, in the second of his Untimely Meditations, he writes about a playing child, grazing cows, an enshrouding cloud, and the lightening flash of light that pierces this cloud.
Optical Properties of SiC: 1997–2002

Our charge for this article was to bring the reader up-to-date with respect to our bird’s eye view of the optical properties of SiC in Vol. II of SiC [1] published in 1997. It is with great pleasure that we discovered a treasure trove of new material which has emerged since 1997. The downside is that we can cover only a small fraction of the new material due to the severe space limitations. It was decided that topics would be chosen which appear to be of greatest interest to the theorists and experimentalists in the SiC Community.
Functional Aspects of Mucus Rheology

Mucosal epithelia from all sources are always coated with mucus. Although specific properties of such secretions vary among organ tracts, there are overall chemical and physical similarities which, presumably, reflect a common function. The four types of mucus secretions that have been studied extensively — salivary, gastric, respiratory and cervical — serve a protective function. To this end, the mucus must be dispersed in a thin layer. In addition, specific roles for mucus include particulate clearance and maintenance of proper water balance in the respiratory system, and acting as a barrier and/or reservoir for sperm in the cervix. In order to carry out these functions, the mucus must have particular physical properties that are maintained within suitable bounds. Discussions of the source of mucus secretions and their control are presented in other papers of this symposium.
Postnatal Development of Central Feeding Circuits

There may be a genetically predetermined, inherent drive to eat that is only periodically neutralized by satiety, sleep, or other competing drives (Berthoud, 2002). In infants, and perhaps also in adults, disinhibition of feeding motor outputs by factors that remove, compete with, or otherwise neutralize inhibitory controls of feeding could be enough to initiate and maintain food intake without the need for special “hunger” stimuli (Stricker, 1984). Research reviewed in this chapter supports the view that behavioral responses to such direct and indirect controls of feeding might generally be effected through DVC neural circuits. The intrinsic components and output pathways of these circuits are accessed by numerous afferent inputs in mature rats, but by a more limited set of inputs in neonatal rats. Our understanding of these central neural systems will be enhanced by continued examination of behavioral and physiological responses to treatments that affect food intake differently in developing and mature animals. The presence or absence of responses to a given stimulus or control presumably reflects the functional integrity of neural circuits that receive and process the signal, and those that organize and execute the response. As new behavioral responses emerge during postnatal development, one may infer maturation of the neural systems and, importantly, the functional interactions among neural systems that support these responses.
A Conversation with George Fishman

The following are excerpts from an extended conversation between the authors and George Fishman that was recorded over the period October 25–26, 2007.
Simulation Studies for a Multi-MW Hybrid Wind-Solar PV System for Desalination Plants

This paper presents a power system configuration and control schemes for a Multi-MW wind-solar hybrid system, which includes multiple wind turbines and solar panels to support a desalination plant. The wind and solar systems are sized such that the desalination plant obtains, as far as possible, its power from the renewable sources, to minimize the dependence on the utility grid. Each section of the wind turbine system includes a variable speed permanent magnet synchronous generator connected to the grid via a back-to-back voltage source converter. The rectifier operates the wind system at the maximum power point, and the inverter provides power to the desalination plant. The solar plant has multiple panels connected to the grid via a three phase converter, performing the dual functions of power transformation and maximum power point tracking. The modeling and validation of this system is performed with the PSCAD/EMTDC, a software typically employed for transient analysis.
Wavelet Scattering Transform for Variability Reduction in Cortical Potentials Evoked by Pitch Matched Electro-acoustic Stimulation in Unilateral Cochlear Implant Patients

Cochlear implant (CI) restores the hearing sensation in profoundly deafen patients by directly stimulating auditory nerve with electric pulses using an array of tonotopically inserted electrodes. Basal electrodes stimulate in response to high input frequencies while apical electrodes stimulate to low input frequencies. The problem with this electrical stimulation, particularly in unilaterally implanted users who has residual hearing in the contra-lateral ear, lies in the frequency mismatch between characteristic frequency of auditory nerve and input signal. In this paper, we revisit our previously proposed mechanism for tuning intra-cochlear electrode to its pitch matched frequency using a single channel EEG [1]. We apply the wavelet scattering transform to extract a deformation invariant from the EEG signal recorded from each of 10 CI subjects when they were listening to pitch matched electro-acoustic stimulation. Results show that the wavelet scattering transform is able to capture the variability introduced by different subjects, and a more robust alternative to reveal the underlying neuro-physiological responses to this perceptual event.
Insoluble dietary fiber does not affect the ability of phytase to release phosphorus from phytate in the diet of nursery pigs1.

Phytase is added to swine diets to improve the utilization of phytate-bound P in swine diets. This provides financial and environmental benefits to the pig industry. However, it is unclear if phytase works equally well in all dietary circumstances. The objective of this experiment was to determine if insoluble fiber affects the efficacy of the phytase enzyme in nursery pigs when fed diets limiting in P content. A total of 480 pigs (initial BW 5.48 ± 0.14 kg) were blocked by BW and randomly assigned (10 pigs per pen) to treatment within the block. A common nutrient-adequate diet was fed from days -14 to -5, and two basal P deficient diets (either a corn-soy diet containing 0.16% standardized total tract digestible [STTD] P [low insoluble fiber [LF]], or a corn-soybean meal plus 20% corn bran containing 0.14% STTD P [high insoluble fiber [HF]]) were fed from days -5 to 0 to acclimate pigs to a P deficient diet. From days 0 to 21, pigs received eight dietary treatments (six pens per treatment: n = 6). Experimental diets consisted of LF supplemented with one of four levels of added phytase (0, 109, 218, and 327 phytase units [FTU]/kg; Quantum Blue 5 G, AB Vista, Wiltshire, United Kingdom) expected to provide 0.16, 0.21, 0.26, and 0.31% STTD P, respectively, or HF supplemented with one of the same four levels of added phytase expected to provide 0.14, 0.19, 0.24, and 0.29% STTD P. Titanium dioxide was added to the diet at 0.4% as an indigestible marker. On day 21, one pig representing the average BW for each pen was euthanized, and fibulae were collected and analyzed for bone ash. Fecal samples were collected from each pen on days 19-20. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS. There were no interactions between insoluble fiber and phytase for any of the variables evaluated. For days 0-21, adding phytase increased ADG (P 0.050), whereas insoluble fiber decreased the ATTD of DM (P < 0.001), NDF (P < 0.001), and ADF (P < 0.001). In conclusion, the addition of insoluble fiber did not affect the ability of phytase to improve growth performance and bone mineralization in nursery pigs fed a P deficient diet.
“The Changing Same”: Value in Marx and Amiri Baraka

For Amiri Baraka, “the new music,” or as he first called it, “the new thing,” served as a fulcrum of stability during the years of cultural, social, and political reevaluations and reorientations during the twentieth century. As a trace of diasporic identity, this fulcrum may be understood as a value, an instantiation of what Baraka called “the blues impulse,” irreducible to its uses within Negro and black tropes. This impulse may be compared to George Henderson’s rereading of “value” throughout the corpus of Marx, though his primary focus is on Volume 1 of Capital. In Value in Marx, Henderson traces the paradoxical and contradictory functions of value in Marx’s criticism of capital, suggesting that Marx reserves “true” value for the future world of associated productions.
The micro-to-macro realities of antidepressant taking: Users’ experiences in the context of contested science and industry promotion:

The macro landscape shaping antidepressant use is marked by uncertain and contested research and vigorous pharmaceutical promotion to doctors and (in the U.S.) patients. While prior studies have in...
Geographic Generalization in Airborne RGB Deep Learning Tree Detection

Abstract Tree detection is a fundamental task in remote sensing for forestry and ecosystem ecology applications. While many individual tree segmentation algorithms have been proposed, the development and testing of these algorithms is typically site specific, with few methods evaluated against data from multiple forest types simultaneously. This makes it difficult to determine the generalization of proposed approaches, and limits tree detection at broad scales. Using data from the National Ecological Observatory Network we extend a recently developed semi-supervised deep learning algorithm to include data from a range of forest types, determine whether information from one forest can be used for tree detection in other forests, and explore the potential for building a universal tree detection algorithm. We find that the deep learning approach works well for overstory tree detection across forest conditions, outperforming conventional LIDAR-only methods in all forest types. Performance was best in open oak woodlands and worst in alpine forests. When models were fit to one forest type and used to predict another, performance generally decreased, with better performance when forests were more similar in structure. However, when models were pretrained on data from other sites and then fine-tuned using a small amount of hand-labeled data from the evaluation site, they performed similarly to local site models. Most importantly, a universal model fit to data from all sites simultaneously performed as well or better than individual models trained for each local site. This result suggests that RGB tree detection models that can be applied to a wide array of forest types at broad scales should be possible.
25 – Instrumentation Grants

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the criteria for instrumentation awards. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) regularly offers Shared Instrumentation Grants (SIGs) for instruments costing $100,000 and up, through annual competition. SIG awards are made on the basis of the strength of the faculty, their current research support, the coherence of the program, and a compelling presentation that the group will be strengthened and become more productive of better research as a result of the award. Administration of the project is important, as is periodic external review. Criteria for review of SIG applications include: the extent to which an award for the specific instrument would meet the scientific needs and enhance the planned research endeavors of the major users by providing an instrument that is unavailable or to which availability is highly limited; the availability and commitment of the appropriate technical expertise within the major user group or the institution; and the adequacy of the organizational plan and the internal advisory committee for oversight of the instrument, including sharing arrangements. Applications are evaluated for scientific and technical merit by specially convened instrument specific initial review groups of the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) and receive a second level review by the National Advisory Research Resources Council. Instrumentation proposals are most likely to succeed if the requested instrument is being added to an existing facility and a group of users already exists.
Halbstarke and Rowdys: Consumerism, Youth Rebellion, and Gender in the Postwar Cinema of the Two Germanys

In the second half of the 1950s, American films about “delinquent youth” took West Germany by storm. Although these films were not screened in East Germany, the still open border between the FRG and GDR allowed young people in both states to see these films. Many adopted American clothing styles and music in both Germanys. Two films, the West German production Die Halbstarken (1956) and the East German production Berlin–Ecke Schonhauser (1957) addressed “delinquent youth” in the German context and became quite popular. The article compares the competing images of femininity in both films, which linked the problem of “delinquent youth” to consumerism, pop culture, and “weak parents,” but portrayed young women very differently. While consumerism in the West German film was in a gender-specific way linked to femininity, the East German film linked consumerism to a class society and displaced it to the West. Contemporary film reviews and press treatment of main actresses reflected these differing attitudes toward gender and consumption.
ATTRIBUTE NONATTENDANCE AND CITIZEN PREFERENCES FOR ECOSYSTEM‐BASED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT: THE CASE OF ATLANTIC MENHADEN

A survey revealed preferences for ecosystem‐based management of the Atlantic menhaden fishery. Survey results informed fisheries managers who consider tradeoffs between harvest levels and jobs compared to ecosystem services. Increases in commercial fishing revenue and jobs increased the probability that a respondent would vote in favor of a harvest quota increase. Increased quotas associated with lower water quality and reductions in game fish stock and shore bird populations led to a decrease in the probability of a vote for increased quotas. Accounting for stated attribute nonattendance altered the marginal rate of substitution between economic attributes and ecosystem attributes substantively. (JEL Q22, Q28, Q51)
Association between school racial/ethnic composition during adolescence and adult health

Abstract Objectives School racial/ethnic segregation in U.S. schoolsDifferences in school racial/ethnic composition may increase health disparities by concentrating educational opportunities that confer long-term health benefits in schools serving predominantly wwhite students. For racial minority students, high concentrations of white students may increase exposure to racismis also associated with psychologicstress, which may ultimately reduceing the long-term health benefits from educational opportunities. Meanwhile associations of racial/ethnic academic tacking within schools and health have been mixed. We sought to test whether: 1) differences in racial/ethnic composition between schools and, 2) racial/ethnic distribution of students in academic tracks within schools are associated with long-term health benefits or risks for white, Black and Latinx students. Methods We analyzed the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (12,438 participants, collected 1994–2008), to test whether the school-level segregation (percent of non-Latinx white students at participants’ school during adolescence) was associated with adult health outcomes at ages 18–26 & 24–32, controlling for contextual factorscomparing Black, Latinx, and white students, and controlling for contextualf factors. A secondary analysis explored whether racial/ethnic cohorting across levels of English courses was associated with each health outcome. Results Attending a school with a higher percent of white students was associated with higher adult depression scores, substance abuse, and worse self-rated health for black Black students; lower depression scores, better self-rated health, and alcohol abuse for white students; and no health differences for Latinx students. Greater within school racial/ethnic cohorting across English courses was associated with increased odds of alcohol abuse for white students; decreased odds of alcohol abuse for Black and Latinx students; and decreased odds of drug abuse for Black students. Conclusion Among Bblack youth, attending a school with a higher percentage of white students is associated with worse behavioral health in adulthood. Understanding the potential impacts of school racial/ethnic composition on health is critical to designing policies that maximize access to opportunity and health.Education policies should comprehensively address school quality and racism to maximize adult health.
Nutritional Factors in Occupational Lung Disease

Lung diseases such as asthma and COPD are major public health issues and related to occupational exposures. While therapies to limit the development and progression of these diseases are limited, nutrition interventions could offer potential alternatives to mediate the inflammation associated with these diseases. This is a narrative review of the current state of relevant nutrients on inflammation and respiratory outcomes associated with occupational exposures. Relevant nutrients that have been investigated in recent years include omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, zinc, vitamin D, dairy products, and antioxidants. These nutrients have demonstrated the potential to prevent or modify the adverse outcomes associated with occupational exposures, primarily in preclinical studies. Current therapies for respiratory consequences associated with occupational exposures are limited; therefore, addressing strategies for reducing inflammation is important in improving quality of life and limiting health care costs. More human studies are warranted to determine the effectiveness of nutrition as an intervention.
Spatial-Temporal Relationship Between Population Mobility and COVID-19 Outbreaks in South Carolina: Time Series Forecasting Analysis.

Background: Population mobility is closely associated with COVID-19 transmission, and it could be used as a proximal indicator to predict future outbreaks, which could inform proactive nonpharmaceutical interventions for disease control. South Carolina is one of the US states that reopened early, following which it experienced a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. Objective: The aims of this study are to examine the spatial-temporal relationship between population mobility and COVID-19 outbreaks and use population mobility data to predict daily new cases at both the state and county level in South Carolina. Methods: This longitudinal study used disease surveillance data and Twitter-based population mobility data from March 6 to November 11, 2020, in South Carolina and its five counties with the largest number of cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases. Population mobility was assessed based on the number of Twitter users with a travel distance greater than 0.5 miles. A Poisson count time series model was employed for COVID-19 forecasting. Results: Population mobility was positively associated with state-level daily COVID-19 incidence as well as incidence in the top five counties (ie, Charleston, Greenville, Horry, Spartanburg, and Richland). At the state level, the final model with a time window within the last 7 days had the smallest prediction error, and the prediction accuracy was as high as 98.7%, 90.9%, and 81.6% for the next 3, 7, and 14 days, respectively. Among Charleston, Greenville, Horry, Spartanburg, and Richland counties, the best predictive models were established based on their observations in the last 9, 14, 28, 20, and 9 days, respectively. The 14-day prediction accuracy ranged from 60.3%-74.5%. Conclusions: Using Twitter-based population mobility data could provide acceptable predictions of COVID-19 daily new cases at both the state and county level in South Carolina. Population mobility measured via social media data could inform proactive measures and resource relocations to curb disease outbreaks and their negative influences.
Recovering Joint PMF from Pairwise Marginals

To overcome the curse of dimensionality in joint probability learning, recent work has proposed to recover the joint probability mass function (PMF) of an arbitrary number of random variables (RVs) from three-dimensional marginals, exploiting the uniqueness of tensor decomposition and the (unknown) dependence among the RVs. Nonetheless, accurately estimating three-dimensional marginals is still costly in terms of sample complexity. Tensor decomposition also poses a computationally intensive optimization problem. This work puts forth a new framework that learns the joint PMF using pairwise marginals that are relatively easy to acquire. The method is built upon nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) theory, and features a Gram–Schmidt-like economical algorithm that works provably well under realistic conditions. Theoretical analysis of a recently proposed expectation maximization (EM) algorithm for joint PMF recovery is also presented. In particular, the EM algorithm is shown to provably improve upon the proposed pairwise marginal-based approach. Synthetic and real-data experiments are employed to showcase the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Supplementation management of growing and finishing cattle

The nutritional management of feeder cattle is an extremely broad and all encompassing subject. Consequently, this report will be confined to a brief summary of some of the major factors of current interest and concern to both cattlemen and feed manufacturers, with particular reference to feed additives, protein sources and recommended cattle management techniques.
Convergent epitope-specific T cell responses after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines, including Pfizer/Biontech BNT162b2, were shown to be effective for COVID-19 prevention, eliciting both robust antibody responses in naive individuals and boosting pre-existing antibody levels in SARS-CoV-2-recovered individuals. However, the magnitude, repertoire, and phenotype of epitope-specific T cell responses to this vaccine, and the effect of vaccination on pre-existing T cell memory in SARS-CoV-2 convalescent patients, are still poorly understood. Thus, in this study we compared epitope-specific T cells elicited after natural SARS-CoV-2 infection, and vaccination of both naive and recovered individuals. We collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells before and after BNT162b2 vaccination and used pools of 18 DNA-barcoded MHC-class I multimers, combined with scRNAseq and scTCRseq, to characterize T cell responses to several immunodominant epitopes, including a spike-derived epitope cross-reactive to common cold coronaviruses. Comparing responses after infection or vaccination, we found that T cells responding to spike-derived epitopes show similar magnitudes of response, memory phenotypes, TCR repertoire diversity, and αβTCR sequence motifs, demonstrating the potency of this vaccination platform. Importantly, in COVID-19-recovered individuals receiving the vaccine, pre-existing spike-specific memory cells showed both clonal expansion and a phenotypic shift towards more differentiated CCR7-CD45RA+ effector cells. In-depth analysis of T cell receptor repertoires demonstrates that both vaccination and infection elicit largely identical repertoires as measured by dominant TCR motifs and receptor breadth, indicating that BNT162b2 vaccination largely recapitulates T cell generation by infection for all critical parameters. Thus, BNT162b2 vaccination elicits potent spike-specific T cell responses in naive individuals and also triggers the recall T cell response in previously infected individuals, further boosting spike-specific responses but altering their differentiation state. Overall, our study demonstrates the potential of mRNA vaccines to induce, maintain, and shape T cell memory through vaccination and revaccination.
The Discourse of Control and Consent Over Data in EU Data Protection Law and Beyond

Across the United States and Europe, the act of clicking “I have read and agree” to terms of service is the central legitimating device for global tech platforms’ data-driven activities. In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation has recently come into force, introducing stringent new criteria for consent and stronger protections for individuals. The emphasis on individual consent, choice and control over data also exists in other areas of EU law such as competition law and the regulation of disinformation. This Article argues that the entrenched long-term focus on users’ control and consent fails to protect consumers who face increasingly intrusive data collection practices.
Writing history in film

Historical film has been an important genre since the earliest silent films. The French Revolution, the American Civil War, the conquest of the New World, World War II--all have been repeatedly represented in film. But how do we distinguish between fictionalized spectacle and authentic historical representation? Writing History in Film sets out the narratological, semiological, rhetorical, and philosophical bases for understanding how film can function as a form of historical interpretation and representation. With case studies and an interdisciplinary approach, William Guynn examines the key issues facing film students and scholars, historians, and anyone interested in how we see our historical past.
A Justification for the Trend Towards Indirect Pulp Therapy

A JUSTIFICATION FOR THE TREND TOWARDS INDIRECT PULP THERAPY By Marissa Marie Kuhnen DMD A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Dentistry at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Thesis Advisor: Patrice Wunsch, DDS, MS. Director, Advanced Education in Pediatric Dentistry Associate Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective chart review was to determine how primary molars needing vital pulp therapy have been treated in the past four years at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and to determine which treatments: indirect pulp therapy (IPT), formocresol pulpotomy, and ferric sulfate pulpotomy have been successful. Methods: AxiUm records that contained the procedure codes D3120 (Pulp Cap – Indirect) or D3220 (Therapeutic Pulpotomy) were totaled by year. Visit records were queried again to identify treatment failures i.e. extractions or pulpectomy. Results: In 2010, 52% of vital pulp therapies were ferric sulfate pulpotomies and in 2014 over 90% were indirect pulp therapy. Indirect pulp therapy had a 96.2% success rate, formocresol pulpotomy had a 65.8% success rate and ferric sulfate had a 62.9% success rate at three years (P<.0001). Conclusions: Indirect pulp therapy is a successful treatment option for the primary tooth with deep caries approaching the pulp.
Mutability and Immutability

“I looked upon the things below Thee, and I saw that they neither wholly are nor wholly are not: they are indeed, since they exist from Thee; they are not, because that which Thou art, they are not. For that truly is which abides immutably.”1
Information Processing Approaches to the Study of Relationship and Social Support Schemata

In 15 minutes, Sam would be leaving to begin his first year in college. As he buckled the last straps on his bags, his father popped his head into the room and said, “Hey, give us a call when you arrive.” Sam recognized the tone of his dad’s voice. He was still uncertain about Sam’s ability to cope with the challenges of college life. Sam had already decided not to call home for several weeks—not until he was completely settled into his classes and could prove his ability to handle the demands of college.
ISOLATION OF A BACILLUS SUBTILIS SPOIIGA ALLELE THAT SUPPRESSES PROCESSING-NEGATIVE MUTATIONS IN THE PRO-SIGMA E GENE (SIGE)

sigma E, a sporulation-essential sigma factor of Bacillus subtilis, is formed by a developmentally regulated proteolysis which removes 27 to 29 amino acids from the amino terminus of an inactive precursor protein (Pro-sigma E). A mutation which facilitates the conversion of inefficiently processed Pro-sigma E variants into mature sigma E was identified and mapped to spoIIGA. The isolation of such a mutation argues that SpoIIGA is directly involved in the Pro-sigma E processing reaction.
A human learning approach for designing adaptive knowledge-based systems

Most information systems are static in nature and follow a predetermined behavior. Unfortunately, static systems have proved to be very brittle when faced with adaptation to the changing demands of their environment. Researchers have stated that systems can exhibit adaptive behavior through learning. The purpose of this research was to show that it is feasible to use human learning processes (instead of ad hoc techniques) to manifest learning in a computer-based system. Therefore, the primary objective of this research was to conceptually develop and validate the "human learning approach" perspective for designing machine learning systems. To demonstrate the feasibility of the "human learning approach," this research has developed a conceptual model for machine learning systems by adopting a cognitive modeling approach. Learning mechanisms incorporated in the conceptual model were designed on the basis of human learning theory. The model was then implemented in the form of a knowledge-based prototype system. Finally, the prototype system was shown to exhibit learning behavior through acquisition, modification and discovery of knowledge structures. The exhibition of learning behavior by the prototype system serves as a "proof of concept" for the "human learning approach." This research contributes to the work being done in machine learning because it suggests an alternate method for designing machine learning systems. It is also relevant to information systems design because this research offers a possible solution for designing "adaptive" information systems.
Capture of solar and higher-energy neutrinos by 127I.

We discuss and improve a recent treatment of the absorption of solar neutrinos by 127I, in connection with a proposed solar neutrino detector. With standard-solar-model fluxes and an in-medium value of -1.0 for the axial-vector coupling constant gA, we obtain a 8neutrino cross section of 3.3×10^-42, about 50% larger than in our previous work, and a 7Be cross section that is less certain but nevertheless also larger than before. We then apply the improved techniques to higher incoming energies that obtain at the LAMPF beam dump, where an experiment is underway to finalize a calibraiton of the 127I with electron neutrinos from muon decay. We find that forbidden operators, which play no role in solar-neutrino absorption, contribute nonnegligibly to the LAMPF cross section, and that the preliminary LAMPF mean value is significantly larger than our prediction.
Neuronal localization of the mitochondrial protein NIPSNAP1 in rat nervous system.

The NIPSNAP (4-nitrophenylphosphatase domain and non-neuronal SNAP25-like protein homolog 1) proteins belong to a highly conserved family of proteins of unknown function. We found that NIPSNAP1 binds to the branched-chain α-keto acid (BCKA) dehydrogenase enzyme complex, which is disrupted in maple syrup urine disease, a disease of branched-chain amino acid catabolism that results in neurological dysfunction. Phenylketonuric (PKU) and epileptic mice show altered expression of NIPSNAP1 in the brain. Therefore, the distribution and localization of NIPSNAP1 in rat brain was determined. Results show that NIPSNAP1 is expressed exclusively in neurons including pyramidal neurons in the cerebral cortex, Purkinje neurons in the cerebellum and motor neurons in the spinal cord. Dopaminergic neurons in midbrain and noradrenergic neurons in the brainstem, which are affected in PKU, also express NIPSNAP1. NIPSNAP1 is found to be localized in the mitochondrial matrix and can bind dihydrolipoyl-transacylase and -transacetylase components of the BCKA and pyruvate dehydrogenase complexes in vitro. Our data provide the first experimental evidence for a strictly neuronal expression of this mitochondrial protein in the rat nervous system.
PEPFAR Funding Associated With An Increase In Employment Among Males in Ten Sub-Saharan African Countries

The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has provided billions of US tax dollars to expand HIV treatment, care, and prevention programs in sub-Saharan Africa. This investment has generated significant health gains, but much less is known about PEPFAR’s population-level economic effects. We used a difference-in-differences approach to compare employment trends between ten countries that received a large amount of PEPFAR funding (focus countries) and eleven countries that received little or no funding (control countries). We found that PEPFAR was associated with a 13 percent differential increase in employment among males in focus countries, compared to control countries. However, we observed no change in employment among females. In addition, we found that increasing PEPFAR per capita funding by $100 was associated with a 9.1-percentage-point increase in employment among males. This rise in employment generates economic benefits equal to half of PEPFAR’s cost. These findings suggest that PEP...
Purification of DNA from agarose gels

We describe a rapid and easily reproducible modification of the “freeze-squeeze” method of separating DNA from agarose gels. Our method involves slicing out the agarose gel portion which contains the DNA of interest, freezing this gel slice at −20°C, then centrifuging the frozen slice in a filtration unit which contains a cellulose acetate filter. The agarose is retained on the filter and the filtrate contains the DNA. DNA purified in this manner could be completely digested with restriction endonucleases and completely ligated with DNA ligase, without further purification. The percentages of recovery for various sizes of linear and plasmid double-stranded DNA ranged from 57 to 69%. The procedure takes less than 30 minutes to perform.