cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Restoration for the future: endpoints, targets, and indicators of progress and success

Setting endpoints and targets in forest restoration is a complicated task that is best accomplished in cooperative partnerships that account for the ecology of the system, production of desired ecosystem goods and services, economics and well-being of society, and future environments. Clearly described and quantitative endpoints and intermediary targets are needed to manage restoration of ecosystem structure, composition, function, and production. Selecting indicators of key ecosystem attributes that are linked to endpoint and target condition, function, sustainability, health, integrity, resilience, and production is important to monitoring restoration success. Indicators are used to track ecosystem trajectory, assess progress toward achieving endpoints and targets, adapt management, and communicate with external publics. Reference sites can be used to help set endpoints and targets with caution. Other science-based ecosystem models or management tools are available to help quantify intermediate targets ...
In Defense of Risk Assessment: A Reply to the Environmental Justice Movement's Critique

ABSTRACT The environmental justice movement believes risk assessment is undemocratic. The movement believes risk assessment is a way of trading human health for profit and a means of legitimizing exposure to toxic chemicals. The movement considers risk assessment an evil industry and a tool developed by those who wish to oppress racial and ethnic minorities. These beliefs are wrong and the environmental justice movement is a Luddite enterprise. Risk assessment is a fundamentally democratic process and enables all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, income or social status, to enjoy the benefits of technology and also suffer its drawbacks within a framework of equality and democracy. “A savage servility slides by on grease.” -Robert Penn Warren For the Union Dead * This work was performed by the author in his private capacity and does not reflect the policies and views of the Environmental Protection Agency or any other agency of the Federal Government.
Involvement of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the modulation of an LPS-induced inflammatory response during morphine tolerance

Abstract Background Morphine is widely used for its analgesic effects. In addition to its high potential for addiction and tolerance, morphine also induces immunosuppression. Inflammasomes, NLRP3 being the most characterized, is a platform for activation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-1β. We have explored the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) during morphine tolerance on expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome and related inflammatory genes. Methods Morphine-pellet administration was used to induce morphine tolerance in F344 rats. Control rats were given a placebo. On day 5, the animals received either saline or 250 μg/kg LPS. LPS-induced protein expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL- 6 was examined in the spleen of rats with and without morphine tolerance. A PCR array was used to examine LPS-induced expression of 84 inflammasome-related genes with and without morphine tolerance. Results LPS-induced IL-1β and TNF-α protein expression was significantly lower in the spleen of the morphine-tolerant animals than in the placebo-control animals. In response to LPS, expression of 27 genes, including NLRP3, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, was significantly increased, and expression of 3 genes was significantly decreased in both the morphine-tolerant and placebo-control groups compared to the saline-treated animals. However, there was only a 2.7-fold increase in NLRP3 expression in response to LPS in the morphine-tolerant rats compared to a 4.5-fold increase in the placebo-control animals. Conclusion Our data indicate that, in the morphine-tolerant state, LPS-induced expression of NLRP3 is suppressed and cytokine/chemokine expression is inhibited, which may be one of the mechanisms involved in morphine-induced immunosuppression.
Enhanced adsorption of natural organic matter on calcium carbonate particles through surface charge modification

Abstract In this research, means to increase the removal of natural organic matter (NOM) during drinking water treatment were investigated. Specifically, the modification of calcium carbonate surfaces by cationic polyelectrolytes was tested as a way to improve humic acid adsorption to floc surfaces during lime softening. Results demonstrated that under high pH conditions (pH 9.5), coating the particles with high charge density cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) significantly increased the adsorption of humic acid, while coating the particles with low charge density CPAM had no positive effect. The amount of humic acid adsorbed also depended on the molecular weight of CPAM, with high molecular weight coatings being more effective at enhancing adsorption than low molecular weight coatings. Electrophoretic mobility measurements demonstrated that the cationic polymer reduced repulsive electrostatic interactions between humic acid and the particle surface. Under low pH conditions (pH 7.5), adsorption of polyacrylamide was low, and coating the particles had less effect on the amount of humic acid adsorbed. The results presented here suggest that the modification of calcium carbonate floc surfaces using cationic polymers with high charge density may enhance natural organic matter removal during drinking water treatment.
Effects of Rare-earth Filters on Patient Exposure and Image Contrast

Minimizing patient exposure while maintaining a diagnostically acceptable radiograph is a major goal in diagnostic radiography. Rare-earth filters may be the means to achieve this goal due to their "band-pass effect". The purpose of this study was to examine the image contrast effects and exposure reductions for various thicknesses of aluminum, samarium, gadolinium, gadolinium oxysulfide, and gadolinium oxysulfide added to 2.5 mm of aluminum. Trials were conducted on an intra-oral dental x-ray unit (range, 65 to 90 kVp). When compared with conventional aluminum, all of the rare-earth filters provided lower radiation exposures, with gadolinium in the metallic or oxysulfide form providing the lowest exposures. Samarium, at a thickness of 0.127 mm, yielded the highest image contrast. Gadolinium or gadolinium oxysulfide added to 2.5 mm of aluminum resulted in a slight loss of contrast when compared with conventional aluminum filtration. This loss may not be clinically significant, and when coupled with the reduced exposure afforded by these filters, they become viable as acceptable alternatives to aluminum filtration.
Two-dimensional periodically shift variant digital filters

Two-dimensional (2-D) periodically shift variant (PSV) digital filters are considered. These filters have potential applications in processing video signals with cyclostationary noise, scrambling of digital images, and in 2-D multirate signal processing. The filters are formulated in the form of the Fornasini-Marchesini (FM) state-space model with periodic coefficients. This PSV model is then represented as a new shift-invariant system which is named the "Kiok-Neon" model. This model has several advantages that include ease of analysis and reduced computations compared to the existing state-space models. An algorithm is developed that transforms any given 2-D PSV FM system to its equivalent "Kiok-Neon" model. Invertibility of this model is an important consideration, especially in image scrambling applications. A condition is established for the invertibility of the "Kiok-Neon" model of the 2-D PSV system. Also, the inverse system can be easily computed from the original. It is established that the 2-D PSV system is asymptotically stable if an equivalent shift-invariant FM system is asymptotically stable. The established results are illustrated with examples.
Customer Satisfaction Versus Patient Safety: Have We Lost Our Way?

The maturing science of the causes and consequences of boarding of admitted patients demonstrates unequivocally the dangers the patient may face when entering a crowded emergency department (ED). 1 Even the demonstration of increased mortality rates associated with crowding 2,3 has not compelled the hospital industry as a whole to implement policies and procedures to ameliorate crowding. However, a Trojan horse, patient satisfaction scores, might provide a call to action where literature of greater desperation has failed. It is in this spirit that Garson et al 4 examine patient preferences for boarding locations when hospitals are at full capacity. Specific details of the study are crucial to understanding the seemingly modest results. First, 90% of the patients included in the survey were boarded in rooms in the ED, rather than an ED hallway. Second, no patients at this institution are actually boarded in hallways on inpatient units. Thus, few patients in the survey had firsthand experience of “in-hallway boarding” to make their choice more meaningful. Despite this, a modest preference for inpatient boarding still existed. In this study, 36% of patients had no preference, and those expressing a preference favored inpatient versus ED hallway placement at a preference split of 60%/40%. Were the right questions being asked? The patients received no context for the question. Survey results are heavily influenced by the presence or absence of contextual information. For instance, the question “Would you object to a 5% tax increase?” might get a very different response than “Would you object to a 5% tax increase if, in return, your family received a free education, free health care, a free retirement fund, a free house, and a free car?” Our experience with patient preference is quite different. 5
Strategies for the molecular genetic analysis of obesity in humans

Abstract Studies of twins, adopted children, and some human populations indicate that body composition is significantly influenced by genetic factors. However, in no specific instance in either man or animals is the precise etiology of obesity known at the molecular level. Attempts to identify the molecular basis of obesity in humans have been hampered by difficulties in measuring food intake and energy expenditure with sufficient accuracy, as well as the apparent polygenic control of body composition in man. These constraints have stimulated interest in inbred animal strains, particularly mice, that have a genetic predisposition to obesity. Using the techniques of positional cloning, molecular markers flanking two autosomal recessive mouse obesity mutants (ob and db), which demonstrate a metabolic/behavioral phenotype similar to that observed in obese humans, have been identified. These markers are being used: (1) as starting points for chromosome walks to identify these genes, (2) as an aid in identifyi...
Examining role change in primary care practice.

Purpose: While experts suggest that primary care needs far-reaching transformation that includes adding or reconfiguring roles to improve patient care, little is known about how role change occurs in practice settings. Methods This was a cross-case comparative analysis of 3 projects designed to improve health behavior counseling in primary care practices by adding to or changing clinical support staff roles. Qualitative data (site visits notes, grantee reports, interviews with grantees, and online diary entries) were analyzed to examine instances of role change in depth, using role change theory as an organizing framework. Results Practice team members had greater success taking on new roles when patients valued the services provided. Often, it was easier to a hire a new person into a new role rather than have an existing practice member shift responsibilities. This was because new personnel had the structural autonomy, credibility, and organizational support needed to develop new responsibilities and rou...
Evolution of a maintenance diagnostic system

The ongoing development of a maintenance diagnostic system for an F-16A aircraft flight control system is described. During the course of this development the diagnostic system has grown from a small knowledge-based prototype system into a comprehensive diagnostic system. The changing constraints and technology base encountered during the development of this flight control maintenance diagnostic system are discussed. The modifications and enhancements to the maintenance diagnostic system that resulted from these changing parameters are described. >
On minimizing distance by the road less traveled

Finding optimal locations has been a popular subject in mathematics. There is extensive literature on the subject, in fact, over 3000 references are listed in [5]. We start with the one-dimensional version of the least absolute difference problem. Given a data set of real numbers, we want to find a value to represent the whole set. We consider two variants: one with equal and the other with given arbitrary positive weights.
Multistable Perception in Schizophrenia: A Model-based Analysis via Coarse-grained Order Parameter Dynamics and a Comment on the 4th Law

The synergetic computer that has originally been developed as an algorithm for pattern recognition has also been used in the life sciences as a model for various self-organizing perceptual processes. Coarse-graining of the order parameter equations of the synergetic computer is discussed for sets of to-be-perceived patterns that vary in the degree to which they can be distinguished from each other. Coarse-gaining is exploited to conduct a model-based analysis on literature data of multistable perception under schizophrenia as tested in motion-induced blindness (MIB) experiments. The analysis not only supports earlier sugges- tions that schizophrenia reduces the occurrence frequency of the MIB effect but also suggests that the perceptual system of schizophrenia patients is characterized by a greater degree of asymmetry.
Property Size and Land Cover Change in the Brazilian Amazon

This paper considers the size of a farmer’s property as a key variable influencing land cover and land cover change in rural areas of developing countries. Data from 126 rural familial properties in the region around the city of Santarem, Para, in the Brazilian Amazon, indicate that property size is important for understanding the trajectories of land cover change. Past research has focused on the distinction between small family farms and large capitalized farms, arguing that family farmers have a higher deforestation intensity, or on estimating the strength of the effect of property size relative to economic or demographic factors. This paper shows that larger familial properties are able both to retain a larger area in forest and to have long enough cycles of use and fallow to allow previously used land to become forested again. Based on these analyses and discussion, we argue that land use and land cover research must consider property size as an organizing principle in order to better comprehend the reciprocal relationship between population and environment in frontier areas of the Brazilian Amazon and other rural landscapes.
CEO Power and Firm Performance: A Test of the Life‐Cycle Theory*

We examine the effects of corporate governance and monitoring mechanisms on the choice of board leadership structure and the value and performance of a firm according to the firm’s life-cycle changes. Employing a large and extensive sample during the 19952005 period, we find that the board leadership choice is associated with governance characteristics including board independence, managerial entrenchment, and CEO abilities measured by CEO age and CEO tenure after controlling for various firm characteristics. In addition, after correcting for the endogenous treatment effect, our results show that while CEO dualities--i.e., CEO-chair of the board or CEO-nomination committee member- or CEO pluralities--i.e., CEO-chair of the board, and a chair or a member of the nomination committee--positively influences firm value and performance in firm’s early stage, CEO duality or CEO pluralities adversely influences firm value and operating performance in firm’s late stage. These results are supportive of the life-cycle theory, suggesting that CEO power concentration is beneficial in firms’ early stage, but harmful in firm’s late stage at which firms require check-and-balance as opposed to dictatorship. In addition, the impact of external monitoring by institutional ownership on firm value and performance is more effective than those of independent board and blockholders’ ownership while the impact of Sarbane-Oxley Act on firm performance is not significant.
EMBODIED HERMENEUTICS: GADAMER MEETS WOOLF IN A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN

Hans-Georg Gadamer has been criticized by a wide range of feminist scholars who argue that his work neglects feminine aspects of understanding, many of which are essential to sound theorizing about educational contexts. In this essay, Linda O’Neill employs Virginia Woolf’s classic gender analysis both as a foil for Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics and as an exemplar of feminist reasoning. Through her striking descriptions of embodied tradition, language, and transcendence, Woolf challenges and enriches Gadamer’s work. Bringing Gadamer into conversation with Woolf offers expanded horizons for philosophers of education who choose to ground their studies of teachers and learners in a feminist epistemology resonant with the rich ambiguity of educational experience. This comparison, O’Neill concludes, suggests that the pluralistic reasoning of feminist inquiry offers engendered, embodied insights absent from Gadamer’s hermeneutics and crucial to what Patti Lather calls “fieldwork in philosophy,” an investigative alternative capable of informing sustainable educational policy, practice, and reform.
Relationship between diurnal variations in urinary volume and the excretion of antidiuretic substance.

In The normal individual there is a diurnal cycle of excretion of water and solids which is maximal during the daytime hours of normal activity (1–4). However, in several disease states associated with water and sodium retention, including cardiac failure and hepatic cirrhosis with ascites, this cycle of water and sodium excretion may be reversed, and maximal output is during the night (5). It was postulated that if variations in tubular activity regulate this fluctuation in water and sodium excretion, it might be possible to demonstrate appropriate variations in a controlling metabolite or hormone. Thus, during periods of antidiuresis there might be a large amount of antidiuretic substance in the urine, whereas during periods of diuresis the amount of antidiuretic substance might be relatively small. A check upon this relationship could be obtained by observing individuals with both normal and abnormal patterns of urinary excretion.
Probabilistic models of dead-reckoning error in nonholonomic mobile robots

In this paper, dead-reckoning error in mobile robots is studied in the context of several different models. These models are derived first in the form of stochastic differential equations (SDEs). Corresponding Fokker-Planck equations are derived, and desired probability density functions (PDFs) of robot pose are computed by using the Fourier transform for SE(2).
Fréchet integration and adaptive metric selection for interpretable covariances of multivariate functional data

SUMMARY For multivariate functional data recorded for a sample of subjects on a common domain, one 10 is often interested in the covariance between pairs of the component functions, extending the notion of a covariance matrix for multivariate data to the functional case. A straightforward approach is to integrate the pointwise covariance matrices over the functional time domain. We generalize this approach by defining the Frintegral, which depends on the metric chosen for the space of covariance matrices, and demonstrate that the ordinary integration is a special 15 case when the Frobenius metric is used. As the space of covariance matrices is nonlinear, we propose a class of power metrics as alternatives to the Frobenius metric. For any such power metric, the calculation of Frintegrals is equivalent to transforming the covariance matrices with the chosen power, applying the classical Riemann integral to the transformed matrices, and finally applying the inverse transformation to return to the original scale. We also propose data- 20 adaptive metric selection with respect to a user-specified target criterion, for example fastest decline of the eigenvalues, establish consistency of the proposed procedures and demonstrate their effectiveness in a simulation. The proposed functional covariance approach through Fr´ echet integration is illustrated in a comparison of connectivity between brain voxels for normal subjects and Alzheimer's patients based on fMRI data. 25
The effects of fibrinolytic therapy with urokinase on Masugi nephritis in rabbits

Since it was shown that anti-coagulant therapy suppressed glomerular lesions and intraglomerular fibrin deposits refeying to the activity of glomerular abnormality, intraglomerular coagulation has been considered significant as one of the glomerular injurying factors.This experiment was to study the effects of fibrinolytic therapy with urokinase on Masugi nephritis in rabbits, in which a proliferative glomerulonephritis with fibrin deposits was induced by intravenous injection of anti-rabbit-kidney duck serum.The following results were obtained from the treatment with urokinase.(1) plasma fibrinogen levels were not increased, (2) serum FDP levels decreased, (3) fibrin deposits and proliferative changes in the glomeruli suppressed histologically.This study suggested that urokinase suppressed the developmental process of Masugi nephritis.
Interviewing techniques for remote reference : Electronic versus traditional environments

An increasing number of archives are supporting electronic mail reference services. To optimize the usefulness of this rapid and convenient means of communication, archivists must consider the nature of the reference transaction in general and adapt it to this new remote or "virtual" environment. As with face-to-face reference encounters, archivists must set the tone of remote reference exchanges; clarify the clients' questions and information needs; deliver the required information; and follow up exchanges, making sure that clients have everything they need and that they feel comfortable asking for more information as the need arises. The author offers suggestions as to how these steps can be implemented via electronic mail and discusses management concerns.
The biology and ecology of granary mites of the Pacific Northwest. 3. Life history and development of Leiodinychus krameri (Acarina: Uropodidae).

Leiodinychus krameri (G. and R. Canestrini) was reared in the laboratory under various conditions of temperature and relative humidity, on what appeared to be an excellent diet. Survival and developmental rates under these conditions are evaluated. Rearing to the adult stage was achieved only at a temperature range from 20° to 30°C, and humidities of 80% or 95%; no eggs hatched in 50% RH. Comparison of adult sizes of mites reared at 30° and 95% with those reared at 20° and 95% shows that the increased rate of development at the higher temperature was accompanied by a smaller body size. Physiological explanations are offered, and optimum temperature is discussed. L. krameri was found to have a wide range of adaptability and a correspondingly high survival potential.
Characterization of acylanilide-hydrolyzing enzyme(s) from Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht

Abstract Acylamidase enzymes induced in the soil fungus Fusarium oxysporum Schlecht. by 3′,4′-dichloropropionanilide (propanil) and p-chlorophenyl methylcarbamate (PPG-124) were characterized according to pH optima, substrate specificity, specific activity, and sensitivity to various inhibitors. Both propanil- and PPG-124-induced enzymes were separated by ultrafiltration into >100,000 and >50,000 MW fractions. Both unique and similar characteristics were observed with the various enzyme preparations. Experimental parameters examined failed to unequivocally demonstrate whether any of the amidases induced were identical. Instead, the results indicated the possible presence of different amidases.
A Q-Cycle Mechanism for Electron Transfer in Chloroplasts

Although a consensus has been established that mitochondrial and bacterial b/c1 complexes operate through a modified Q-cycle mechanism (1–3), the operation of the b6/f complex is still controversial. Rich and colleagues (4–6) and Hauska and colleagues (7, 8) support a Q-cycle mechanism, but Cramer and colleagues (9, 10) concluded that a Q-cycle does not operate, and Joliot and Joliot (11, 12), while interpreting much of their data in terms of a modified Q-cycle, have suggested variants which might operate under reducing conditions. Whitmarsh and colleagues have suggested an alternative sequence of reactions at the Qo-(QZ) site (13). These suggestions arise from substantial differences in interpretation of data, or in some cases in experimental result, between laboratories. Controversial areas are: a) The relative rates of reduction of cytochrome (cyt) b6 and cyt f. b) Whether the two hemes have the same or different potentials. c) Whether the hemes are electronically connected. d) Measurement and interpretation of the kinetics of cyt b and electro-chromic changes at different ambient potentials. e) Inhibition by NQNO (HQNO) at the QC-site.
The Vaginal Apocalypse: Phallic Trauma and the End of the World in Romeo is Bleeding

Mona Demarkov (Lena Olin), a smoulderingly beautiful mobster in a tight, pinstriped dress, sits down on a straight-backed chair and opens her legs. Jack Grimaldi (Gary Oldman), the NYPD sergeant assigned to guard her, is enraptured. He gazes at her stocking-clad inner thighs and into the shadowy realm that lies between them. Mona offers him far more than a fleeting glimpse. Seconds tick by and tension builds, until she cuts into Jack’s reverie by murmuring, “It’s not polite to stare.” This snippet from Romeo is Bleeding 1 is a minor landmark in cinema history.
An analysis of individual and contextual factors of mental health for the elderly

Objective To analyze individual and contextual factors of mental health for the elderly.Methods A total of 1 071 persons,aged over 65,were randomly chosen from 6 districts in Jinan and interviewed.The General Linear Model was used to analyze the potential relationships between the factors and mental health score.Results The average mental health score was 46.57.Males had a higher score than females(P =0.001).Compared with those living in rural areas,the elderly in urban areas had a higher mental health score(P =0.009).Low frequency of meeting with their adult children and low ADL(Ability of Daily Life) decreased the mental health score.More than 5 friends,satisfaction with community,physical exercises,better health and financial conditions increased the mental health score.Conclusion The elderly generally have good mental health conditions.The frequencies of meeting with their adult children,community satisfaction,physical exercises,health and financial conditions are associated with the mental health condition.
Fleet Discourse the Project of Automated Press Line

Discusses the general method of automatic press line at all stages of the project,and promote the common issues and general solution process of project,and use these methods to make the required entire project time,budget costs,rate of changes,the project expectations have been all effectively achieved,and the project has been well completed.
Early Engagement in Course-Based Research Increases Graduation Rates and Completion of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Degrees

This study shows that participation in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) improves students’ likelihood of graduating with a STEM degree and graduating within 6 years. These re...
Derivation of Diverse Hormone-Releasing Pituitary Cells from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) provide an unlimited cell source for regenerative medicine. Hormone-producing cells are particularly suitable for cell therapy, and hypopituitarism, a defect in pituitary gland function, represents a promising therapeutic target. Previous studies have derived pituitary lineages from mouse and human ESCs using 3D organoid cultures that mimic the complex events underlying pituitary gland development in vivo. Instead of relying on unknown cellular signals, we present a simple and efficient strategy to derive human pituitary lineages from hPSCs using monolayer culture conditions suitable for cell manufacturing. We demonstrate that purified placode cells can be directed into pituitary fates using defined signals. hPSC-derived pituitary cells show basal and stimulus-induced hormone release in vitro and engraftment and hormone release in vivo after transplantation into a murine model of hypopituitarism. This work lays the foundation for future cell therapy applications in patients with hypopituitarism.
Constant current AC source using Improved Howland Pump for exciting eddy current testing (ECT) probe

An endeavor has been done to produce a cost effective Eddy Current Testing System. For this purpose, study was carried out on using the Improved Howland Pump as a constant current AC source for exciting inductive load transducer i.e. the Eddy Current Testing (ECT) probe. Experimental validation was performed by fabricating the constant current AC pump and using it for excitation purposes in the eddy current testing system. As a result, through-hole surface cracks were successfully detected which proved the working of the Improved Howland Current pump as a constant current AC source. It is a valuable technique for exciting Eddy Current Probes.
CoMPES: A Command Messaging Service for IoT Policy Enforcement in a Heterogeneous Network

In this paper, we present a scalable and adaptive model which efficiently and quickly enforces control schemas for the Internet of Things (IoT) via a novel command messaging service. This is achieved by utilizing the n-tier scalability of the cloud to generate vast networks of virtual machines. Within each of these virtual machines exists a cluster of "compute pages". Each cluster of compute pages contains an instance of our policy enforcement algorithm. This algorithm processes device-level telemetry into device-level policies. Our proposed model is built with a particular focus on the efficiency and scalability of the service. We demonstrate the performance of the service with a small-scale real world experiment and provide some analysis of the results.
Stereotomy and the Mediterranean: Notes Toward an Architectural History

Stereotomy, the art of cutting stones into particular shapes for the construction of vaulted structures, is an ancient art that has been practiced over a wide chronological and geographical span, from Hellenistic Greece to contemporary Apulia and across the Mediterranean Basin. Yet the history of ancient and medieval stereotomy is little understood, and nineteenth- century theories about the art’s Syrian origins, its introduction into Europe via France and the crusaders, and the intrinsic Frenchness of medieval stereotomy are still largely accepted. In this essay, I question these theories with the help of a work-in-progress database and database-driven maps that consolidate evidence of stereotomic practice from the third century BCE through the eleventh century CE and across the Mediterranean region. I argue that the history of stereotomy is far more complex than what historians have assumed so far and that, for the most part, it has yet to be written.
Creating Meaning in Work through Job Enrichment

Meaningfulness in work involves the work itself and is derived from the actual characteristics of the employee’s job. Meaningfulness in work is achieved primarily through job redesign efforts that create enriched jobs by increasing the variety of tasks an individual does and allowing the employee to see their work as a whole process rather than just an isolated piece of a larger process. Job enrichment also provides increased autonomy for employees. These practices increase the employee’s perception of the significance of their work. Job redesign contributes to meaningfulness by enhancing the individual employee’s fit with their job. In this chapter, we describe the relationship between enriched jobs and the experience of meaningful work.
Effects of Self-Directed Video Prompting on Vocational Task Acquisition.

Efficient vocational skills instruction is needed to meet the needs of a growing number of job seekers with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This study examined the effects of sel...
Doxorubicin immunoliposomes targeting RON receptor tyrosine kinase: an alternative strategy for potential cancer therapy

5744 The RON receptor tyrosine kinase is overexpressed in various epithelial cancers and implicated in cancer malignant phenotypes. These features provide the pathogenic basis to use RON as a therapeutic target and to develop effective drugs for experimental cancer therapy. We hypothesized that an antibody-targeted delivery of doxorubicin-loaded immunoliposomes provides effective and specific intracellular drug delivery, leading to increased cytotoxicity against RON overexpressing cancer cells. RON-specific immunoliposomes, designated as Zt/Dox-ILs, were prepared with standard procedures followed by insertion of Fab fragments derived from a RON specific antibody Zt/c1. As evident in fluorescent cell surface binding studies, Zt/Dox-ILs specifically interacted with breast cancer T-47D cells with high sensitivity and affinity. A 4-fold increase in fluorescence-binding intensity was achieved in comparison with control immunoliposomes constructed with normal IgG Fab fragment. A significant increase in T-47D cell internalization of Zt/Dox-ILs was also observed. Results from analysis of drug cytotoxicity revealed that upon internalization, doxorubicin, released from Zt/Dox-ILs, exerts cytotoxic effects on T-47D cells at an IC50 value of 1.8 mcg/ml. This value is comparable to those induced by free doxorubicin and is much lower to those induced by control immunoliposomes. In conclusion, Zt/Dox-ILs specifically binds to RON-expressing breast cancer cells leading to increased drug internalization and effective cellular cytotoxicity. Thus, targeted RON immunoliposomes represent a novel approach for potential cancer therapy in the future.
Learning deep models of optimization landscapes

In all but the most trivial optimization problems, the structure of the solutions exhibit complex interdependences between the input parameters. Decades of research with stochastic search techniques has shown the benefit of explicitly modeling the interactions between sets of parameters and the overall quality of the solutions discovered. We demonstrate a novel method, based on learning deep networks, to model the global landscapes of optimization problems. To represent the search space concisely and accurately, the deep networks must encode information about the underlying parameter interactions and their contributions to the quality of the solution. Once the networks are trained, the networks are probed to reveal parameter combinations with high expected performance with respect to the optimization task. These estimates are used to initialize fast, randomized, local-search algorithms, which in turn expose more information about the search space that is subsequently used to refine the models. We demonstrate the technique on multiple problems that have arisen in a variety of real-world domains, including: packing, graphics, job scheduling, layout and compression. Strengths, limitations, and extensions of the approach are extensively discussed and demonstrated.
Learning to Incorporate AOD Content into Social Work Education: An Interview with Miesha T. Marzell, Ph.D

Furlong:My questions come under four broad headings: Your work, alcohol and other drug (AOD) content, the process of AOD integration into teaching, and leadership on AOD issues. Let’s start with yo...
Geostatistics and Precision Agriculture: A Way Forward

Geostatistics became an integral part of precision agriculture (PA) early in its history. The essence of this chapter is to identify some future trends in the application of geostatistics to PA, but predicting the future of these subjects is difficult because of their dynamic nature. There is a need to accommodate the variation in weather and temporal changes in the theory and practice of geostatistics. An important issue is to make space-time geostatistics more accessible to practitioners. Geostatistics needs to be tailored better to the needs of the various groups involved; farmers, advisors and researchers who have their own particular requirements. The book has raised several issues, ideas and questions, which are summarized in this chapter. For example, data quality, more transparency in the packages for analysis, more advanced methods of geostatistics and the use of Bayesian techniques, more user-friendly software that is inexpensive, education in geostatistics, more automatic soil and crop data recording, greater use of ancillary data and better understanding of the relations with the soil and yield, and so on. The potential for geostatistics and precision agriculture for the rest of the twenty-first century appears great.
Transformation of Malus

In their book chapter on Malus, Way et al. (1991) included a quote by prize winning apple artist Roseanne Sanders (Sanders, 1988) who wrote ‘From the garden of Eden to the Big Apple, from William Tell to Johnny Appleseed, to Paris of Troy who gave the troublesome golden apple to Aphrodite which started the Trojan War, the apple has occupied a very special place in our affections both as a symbol and as one of the simplest and most delicious of Nature’s gifts’. In this chapter, I will discuss briefly the history of apple, problems of commercial apple cultivars, conventional breeding solutions to apple problems, and then will focus on apple transformation, with an emphasis on strategies to improve the efficiency of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation.
Biochemistry of Halogenated Analogues of Steroids, Isoprenyl Derivatives, and Other Terpenoids

The serendipitous discovery by Fried and Sabo (1953, 1954) that 9α-halocortisones have enhanced glucocorticoid activity marked the genesis of a major field of medicinal chemistry. The systematic study of halogenated, and especially fluorinated, steroids that followed has produced an enormous number of new analogues and has resulted in many useful pharmaceutical and medicinal agents. In this section, a brief review of the development of halogenated glucocorticoids will be given, followed by comments on other biomedical applications of halogenated steroids. The use of halogenated steroids as biological tracers and mechanistic probes will be discussed, with special attention given to recent research on the development of radiohalogenated steroids as steroid receptor-based imaging agents.
Selection of Treatment for In Situ and Early Invasive Carcinoma of the Glottis: Surgical Techniques and Modifications

Squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx is the most frequent cancer of the upper air and food passages. Glottic cancers, those arising on the true vocal folds, constitute about 75% of all laryngeal cancers at the Mayo Clinic.
A Matched Filter Decomposition of fMRI into Resting and Task Components.

The human brain exhibits dynamic interactions among brain regions when responding to stimuli and executing tasks, which can be recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Functional MRI signals collected in response to specific tasks consist of a combination of task-related and spontaneous (task-independent) activity. By exploiting the highly structured spatiotemporal patterns of resting state networks, this paper presents a matched-filter approach to decomposing fMRI signals into task and resting-state components. To perform the decomposition, we first use a temporal alignment procedure that is a windowed version of the brainsync transform to synchronize a resting template to the brain’s response to tasks. The resulting ‘matched filter’ removes the components of the fMRI signal that can be described by resting connectivity, leaving the portion of brain activity directly related to tasks. We present a closed-form expression for the windowed synchronization transform that is used by the matched filter. We demonstrate performance of this procedure in application to motor task and language task fMRI data. We show qualitatively and quantitatively that by removing the resting activity, we are able to identify task activated regions in the brain more clearly. Additionally, we show improved prediction accuracy in multivariate pattern analysis when using the matched filtered fMRI data.
Beyond the headless Empress: Gabriel Vital Dubray’s statues of Josephine, Edouard Glissant’s Tout-monde, and contested monuments of French empire

During the night of 21 September 1991, a white marble statue of Empress Josephine was beheaded in La Savane, a park abutting the bay in Fort-de-France, Martinique (Figure 1). The sculpture has stoo...
You Make it Amazing: The Rhetoric of Art and Urban Regeneration in the Case of The Public

AbstractArts councils and departments of culture tell policy makers that the arts are not only valuable in themselves, but for their contribution to the economy, urban regeneration and social inclusion. However, there is significant debate as to whether public art produced under social arts policy can deliver on expectations. This essay examines a recent, controversial urban regeneration project, West Bromwich’s The Public designed by Will Alsop, in order to assess its visual, symbolic, and material resources. The analysis reveals that, while the gallery functions, at least partially, to construct a shared public experience of West Midland and its culture, it is an experience encapsulated within and aesthetically made over by The Public such that The Public becomes a replacement scene, thereby undermining the community and at least some of its goals.
LC3B phosphorylation regulates FYCO1 binding and directional transport of autophagosomes

SUMMARY Macroautophagy (hereafter referred to as autophagy) is a conserved process that promotes cellular homeostasis through the degradation of cytosolic components, also known as cargo. During autophagy, cargo is sequestered into double-membrane vesicles called autophagosomes, which are predominantly transported in the retrograde direction to the perinuclear region to fuse with lysosomes, thus ensuring cargo degradation [1]. The mechanisms regulating directional autophagosomal transport remain unclear. The ATG8 family of proteins associate with autophagosome membranes [2] and play key roles in autophagy, such as the movement of autophagosomes. This is achieved via the interaction of ATG8 with adaptor proteins, including FYCO1, a protein involved in the anterograde transport of autophagosomes toward the cell periphery [1,3–5]. We previously reported that phosphorylation of LC3B/ATG8 on threonine 50 (LC3B-T50) by the Hippo kinase STK4 is required for autophagy through unknown mechanisms [6]. Here, we show that LC3B-T50 phosphorylation decreases the interaction between LC3B and FYCO1, which in turn regulates the starvation-induced perinuclear positioning of autophagosomes. Moreover, non-phosphorylatable LC3B-T50A aberrantly switches the predominant retrograde movement of autophagosomes to anterograde movement towards the cell periphery in multiple cell types, including in mouse primary hippocampal neurons. Our data support a role of a nutrient-sensitive STK4–LC3B–FYCO1 axis in the regulation of the directional transport of autophagosomes via the post-translational regulation of LC3B. Given that autophagy is impaired in many human conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases, our findings may highlight new principles of vesicle transport regulation critical for disease etiology. Graphical abstract
Comparison of intravenous lidocaine versus epidural anesthesia for traumatic rib fracture pain: a retrospective cohort study

Background Effective analgesia is essential in managing traumatic rib fractures. Intravenous lidocaine (IVL) is effective in treating perioperative pain, acute pain in the emergency department, cancer pain in hospice, and outpatient chronic neuropathic pain. Our study examined the associations between IVL versus epidural analgesia (EA) and pain for the treatment of acute rib fracture in the inpatient setting. Methods We performed a retrospective study involving adults admitted to an academic level I trauma center from June 1, 2011 to June 1, 2016 with consults to the pain service for acute rib fracture pain. Eighty-nine patients were included in the final analysis (54 IVL and 35 EA patients). Both groups had usual access to opioid medications. The primary outcome was absolute change in numeric pain scores during 0–24 and 24–48 hours after initiating IVL or EA, compared with baseline. Secondary outcomes include opioid consumption, incentive spirometry, supplemental oxygens, pneumonia, endotracheal intubation and length of hospital stay. Results Numeric pain scores differed at baseline (mean 5.6 for IVL vs 4.5 for EA, p=0.01), while age, injury severity, and number of fractured ribs were similar. IVL and EA were associated with similar reductions in numeric pain scores within 0–24 and 24–48 hours (mean −2.9 for IVL vs −2.3 for EA during both periods, p=0.19 and p=0.17 respectively) . There was greater non-neuraxial opioid consumption with IVL compared with EA (98.6 vs 22.3 mg morphine equivalents (MME) at 0–24 hours, p=0.0005; 105.6 vs 18.9 MME at 24–48 hours, p Conclusion Our results suggest that IVL is similar to EA in numeric pain score reduction, and that IVL may have an opioid sparing effect when taking neuraxial opioids into account. IVL may be an effective alternative to epidurals for the treatment of rib fracture pain. It should be considered for patients who have contraindications to epidurals or are unable to receive an epidural in a timely manner.
Involvement of Lipids in Alzheimer's Disease Pathology and Potential Therapies.

Lipids constitute the bulk of the dry mass of the brain and have been associated with healthy function as well as the most common pathological conditions of the brain. Demographic factors, genetics, and lifestyles are the major factors that influence lipid metabolism and are also the key components of lipid disruption in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Additionally, the most common genetic risk factor of AD, APOE ϵ4 genotype, is involved in lipid transport and metabolism. We propose that lipids are at the center of Alzheimer’s disease pathology based on their involvement in the blood-brain barrier function, amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing, myelination, membrane remodeling, receptor signaling, inflammation, oxidation, and energy balance. Under healthy conditions, lipid homeostasis bestows a balanced cellular environment that enables the proper functioning of brain cells. However, under pathological conditions, dyshomeostasis of brain lipid composition can result in disturbed BBB, abnormal processing of APP, dysfunction in endocytosis/exocytosis/autophagocytosis, altered myelination, disturbed signaling, unbalanced energy metabolism, and enhanced inflammation. These lipid disturbances may contribute to abnormalities in brain function that are the hallmark of AD. The wide variance of lipid disturbances associated with brain function suggest that AD pathology may present as a complex interaction between several metabolic pathways that are augmented by risk factors such as age, genetics, and lifestyles. Herewith, we examine factors that influence brain lipid composition, review the association of lipids with all known facets of AD pathology, and offer pointers for potential therapies that target lipid pathways.