cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High Genetic Diversity in the Chemoreceptor Superfamily of Caenorhabditis elegans

We investigated genetic polymorphism in the Caenorhabditis elegans srh and str chemoreceptor gene families, each of which consists of ∼300 genes encoding seven-pass G-protein-coupled receptors. Almost one-third of the genes in each family are annotated as pseudogenes because of apparent functional defects in N2, the sequenced wild-type strain of C. elegans. More than half of these “pseudogenes” have only one apparent defect, usually a stop codon or deletion. We sequenced the defective region for 31 such genes in 22 wild isolates of C. elegans. For 10 of the 31 genes, we found an apparently functional allele in one or more wild isolates, suggesting that these are not pseudogenes but instead functional genes with a defective allele in N2. We suggest the term “flatliner” to describe genes whose functional vs. pseudogene status is unclear. Investigations of flatliner gene positions, dN/dS ratios, and phylogenetic trees indicate that they are not readily distinguished from functional genes in N2. We also report striking heterogeneity in the frequency of other polymorphisms among these genes. Finally, the large majority of polymorphism was found in just two strains from geographically isolated islands, Hawaii and Madeira. This suggests that our sampling of wild diversity in C. elegans is narrow and that identification of additional strains from similarly isolated regions will greatly expand the diversity available for study.
Racial differences in human platelet PAR4 reactivity reflect expression of PCTP and miR-376c

Racial differences in the pathophysiology of atherothrombosis are poorly understood. We explored the function and transcriptome of platelets in healthy black (n = 70) and white (n = 84) subjects. Platelet aggregation and calcium mobilization induced by the PAR4 thrombin receptor were significantly greater in black subjects. Numerous differentially expressed RNAs were associated with both race and PAR4 reactivity, including PCTP (encoding phosphatidylcholine transfer protein), and platelets from black subjects expressed higher levels of PC-TP protein. PC-TP inhibition or depletion blocked PAR4- but not PAR1-mediated activation of platelets and megakaryocytic cell lines. miR-376c levels were differentially expressed by race and PAR4 reactivity and were inversely correlated with PCTP mRNA levels, PC-TP protein levels and PAR4 reactivity. miR-376c regulated the expression of PC-TP in human megakaryocytes. A disproportionately high number of microRNAs that were differentially expressed by race and PAR4 reactivity, including miR-376c, are encoded in the DLK1-DIO3 locus and were expressed at lower levels in platelets from black subjects. These results suggest that PC-TP contributes to the racial difference in PAR4-mediated platelet activation, indicate a genomic contribution to platelet function that differs by race and emphasize a need to consider the effects of race when developing anti-thrombotic drugs.
Guidelines for use of lumbar spine radiography

In deciding whether to obtain lumbosacral spine films, the emergency physician must not ask whether a diagnosis can be established, but whether obtaining films will affect management. Low back pain is a considerable problem for society with cost in billions of dollars. Gonadal radiation from lumbosacral radiographs is significant, and thus ordering films should be minimized. Plain radiographs are rarely indicated in otherwise healthy patients 20 to 50 years old with mechanical or root pain on initial presentation. In other patients alternative diagnostic methodologies such as computed tomography may be superior, with less radiation risk. Specific recommendations for emergency radiographic evaluation of the lumbosacral spine are offered.
Baroclinic instability of time-dependent currents

Author Posting. © Cambridge University Press, 2003. This article is posted here by permission of Cambridge University Press for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Fluid Mechanics 490 (2003): 189-215, doi:10.1017/S0022112003005007.
Targeting ganglioside epitope 3G11 on the surface of CD4+ T cells suppresses EAE by altering the Treg/Th17 cell balance

Loss of expression of the 3G11 epitope, present on disialoceramide that is predominantly found on CD4+ T cells, has been associated with a regulatory T cell (Treg) phenotype and tolerance induction in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Here we report that treatment with anti-3G11 mAb shifts the immune response from pro-inflammatory to tolerogenic and suppresses both chronic-progressive and relapsing–remitting EAE. This therapeutic effect can be achieved at different stages of EAE. Treatment with anti-3G11 mAb increased the proportion of Foxp3+CD25+CD4+ Tregs and IL-10 production while inhibiting production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and responsiveness to IL-2 and decreasing the proportion of Th17 cells. The effect of anti-3G11 mAb was diminished in IL-10−/− mice, indicating that this cytokine mediates some of its effects. As 3G11 belongs to the ganglioside family, which is expressed on the surface of both murine and human CD4+ T cells, targeting this class of molecules may provide a novel approach for treating autoimmune diseases.
Distribution-free inference on contrasts of arbitrary summary measures of survival.

We present an approach for inference on contrasts of clinically meaningful functionals of a survivor distribution (e.g., restricted mean, quantiles) that can avoid strong parametric or semiparametric assumptions on the underlying structure of the data. In this multistage approach, we first use an adaptive predictive model to estimate conditional survival distributions based on covariates. We then estimate nonparametrically one or more functionals of survival from the covariate-specific survival curves and evaluated contrasts of those functionals. We find that the use of an adaptive nonparametric tree-based predictive model leads to minimal loss in precision when semiparametric assumptions hold and provides marked improvement in accuracy when those assumptions are invalid. Therefore, this work as a whole supports the use of survival summaries appropriate to a given medical application, whether that be, for example, the median or 75th percentile in some settings or perhaps a restricted mean in others. The approach is also compared with the Mayo R score for primary biliary cirrhosis prognosis. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nutritional preferences override chemical defenses in determining food choice by a generalist herbivore, Littorina sitkana

Abstract In this study, we investigated why a littorinid snail, Littorina sitkana, preferentially consumes the ulvoid green algae Ulva lactuca and Ulva linza, even though these algae contain high concentrations of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), which has been shown to be the precursor to an activated defense that deters feeding by sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis and S. purpuratus). When urchins consume algae containing DMSP, the DMSP is rapidly cleaved into DMS and acrylic acid, which are feeding deterrents to the urchins. In multiple-choice feeding-preference assays, L. sitkana consumed U. lactuca and U. linza at a greater rate than six other algal species. In experiments to confirm that DMSP was being cleaved by the snails, DMS was generated when snails were fed either U. lactuca or U. linza, but was not present in containers with snails alone or algae alone. In laboratory bioassays, acrylic acid reduced feeding by snails when it was incorporated into agar-based diets at concentrations of 0.25% and 0.50% of the food's fresh mass, demonstrating that the animals are deterred by one of the products of DMSP cleavage. When feeding rates from multiple-choice feeding-preference assay were compared to the carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N) of the macroalgae, there was a strong negative linear relationship between grazing rates and C:N until a C:N of ~ 8 was reached. Algae with a C:N higher than 8 were avoided by snails. When the snails were offered agar-based diets containing a range of nitrogen concentrations (1.96–6.85% of the dry mass), feeding rates were positively correlated with the diets' nitrogen concentrations and negatively correlated with their C:N. Because L. sitkana forages only during low tides, it may have a limited window of time to obtain sufficient nitrogen. Therefore, it may preferentially select foods with high nitrogen concentrations, even though these foods contain chemical defenses.
Mullerian inhibiting substance inhibits colony growth of a human ovarian carcinoma cell line.

Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS), a fetal testicular product which causes regression of the Mullerian duct in he male mammalian embryo, is being evaluated as an inhibitor of genital tract tumors. The present study demonstrates in a clonogenic soft agar assay that biologically active MIS inhibits the growth of a human ovarian carcinoma cell line (HOC−21) in a dose-dependent manner when compared to phosphatebuffered saline medium controls, heat-inactivated MIS, or biochemical fractions which lack biological activity (P < 0.05). (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 54: 1051, 1982)
Evaluation of wildlife Guards at Access Roads

The reconstruction of 90.6 km of U.S. Highway 93 from Evaro to Polson, MT on the Flathead Indian Reservation includes 41 fish and wildlife crossing structures and 13.4 km of road with wildlife fencing. These measures are aimed at reducing wildlife–vehicle collisions, while allowing wildlife to cross the road. In fenced road sections, gaps for side roads are mitigated by wildlife guards (similar to cattle guards). We focused on a 1-km fenced section where animals can either cross the road using five crossing structures (4 culverts, 1 bridge), or they can access the road through two guards on the east side and cross using jump-outs, i.e., earthen ramps that allow animals in fenced areas to jump down to safety, on the west side. We monitored wildlife movements with cameras at the two guards and in one large crossing structure adjacent to a guard. We investigated how effective these guards are in keeping deer (Odocoileus spp.) from accessing the road. We also compared movements across a guard to those through a crossing structure. The guards were 85 percent or more effective in keeping deer from accessing the road, and 93.5 percent of deer used the crossing structure instead of an adjacent guard when crossing the road. Though the guards were not an absolute barrier to deer, the results indicated that deer were substantially discouraged from crossing the guards, and the vast majority crossed the road using the crossing structure rather than the guard, indicating that guards are an effective means of mitigation.
Entrainment in calorie-restricted mice: conflicting zeitgebers and free-running conditions

Phase-shifting effects of timed calorie restriction were investigated in mice during exposure to a 12:12-h light-dark cycle. Food-anticipatory activity (FAA), the output of a food-entrainable pacemaker, was expressed before the time of feeding whether mice received daily hypocaloric food (3.3 g of chow/day) or normocaloric food (5 g of chow/day) at zeitgeber time (ZT) 2 (ZT12 = lights off). Subsequently, mice were placed in constant darkness and fed ad libitum. The onset of the nocturnal period of locomotor activity was phase advanced by 1 h in calorie-restricted mice compared with normocalorie-fed controls. The phase advance still occurred when FAA was prevented by restraining calorie-restricted mice. Giving hypocaloric food at ZT2, ZT10, ZT14, or ZT22 phase advanced the nocturnal pattern of activity by 1, 3, 1, and 1 h, respectively. After transfer to constant darkness, FAA free ran in parallel with the normal nocturnal period of locomotor activity. A light pulse during the early subjective night phase delayed both components. These results indicate that 1) timed calorie restriction under a light-dark cycle can phase advance the light-entrainable pacemaker with a phase-dependent magnitude, 2) FAA feedback is not crucial for the observed phase advance, and 3) the light-entrainable pacemaker may control the period of the food-entrainable pacemaker in mice fed ad libitum.
World Energy Use — Trends in Demand

In order to provide adequate energy supplies in the future, trends in energy demand must be evaluated and projections of future demand developed. World energy use is far from static, and an understanding of the demand changes underway in various regions of the world will assist in planning for and meeting those energy needs. This paper evaluates global energy use by both primary energy type and region over a thirty year period from 1980 through 2010. It is hoped that such an analysis will provide a useful perspective for those concerned with the economics and politics of energy. Owing to the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words (and to the large number of figures), the narrative in this paper will be kept to a minimum; the message is contained in the figures themselves.
Writing intensive and writing extensive: a continuum for advancing writing in computer science education: panel discussion

The importance of writing in computing education is widely agreed upon. In addition to the individual efforts [4], national curricular guidelines for both Computer Science [1] and Computer Engineering [2] further underscore the importance of writing. The former insists that, "computer science students must sharpen their...writing skills in a variety of contexts---both inside and outside of computer science courses" [1]. The latter is less specific, but no less emphatic about writing's importance: "Graduates should be able to communicate...ideas effectively in written form...." "This is necessary to ensure that students have the ability to communicate discipline-specific content." [2]. Furthermore, national professional accrediting bodies such as ABET have emphasized the importance of integrating the teaching of effective written communication into CS curricula. ABET requires that these skills be developed through computer science courses. Clearly the ability to write well is a priority for the profession, yet fulfilling these standards does become very challenging for individual teachers, programs, and institutions, taking into account the technical nature of the discipline.
eQuality: Web Accessibility by People With Cognitive Disabilities

eQuality: The Struggle for Web Accessibility by Persons With Cognitive Disabilities (Blanck, 2014a) examines the right under the Americans with Disabilities Act to web access for people with cognitive disabilities (intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, traumatic brain injury, and other conditions). This article continues that line of study examining the full and equal enjoyment (accessibility and usability) of web content by people with cognitive disabilities. I consider definitions, legal challenges, and rights that are discussed more fully in eQuality, and I reflect on new disability law and policy developments in the United States (e.g., Section 508 refresh and web equality case law) and internationally (e.g., developments in CRPD Articles 9 and 12, and European standardization efforts) since eQuality was published.
On primitivity of Dirichlet characters

Recall that a Dirichlet character is called imprimitive if it is induced from a character of smaller level, and otherwise it is called primitive. In this paper, we introduce a modification of "inducing to higher level" which causes imprimitive characters to behave primitively, in the sense that the properties of the associated Gauss sum and the functional equation of the attached L-function take on a form usually associated to a primitive character.
Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones? The Problems and Promises of Policy Reform for the Animal Advocacy Movement

Activists rarely get everything they want from law and policy reforms. During the legislative process, proposed laws are negotiated, and what results are compromised versions of the laws activists ...
Acute Bacterial Meningitis in Adults -- A Review of 493 Episodes

Background and Methods To characterize acute bacterial meningitis in adults, we reviewed the charts of all persons 16 years of age or older in whom acute bacterial meningitis was diagnosed at Massachusetts General Hospital from 1962 through 1988. We included patients who were admitted after initial treatment at other hospitals. Results During the 27-year period, 445 adults were treated for 493 episodes of acute bacterial meningitis, of which 197 (40 percent) were nosocomial. Gram-negative bacilli (other than Haemophilus influenzae) caused 33 percent of the nosocomial episodes but only 3 percent of the community-acquired episodes. In the 296 episodes of community-acquired meningitis, the most common pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae (37 percent), Neisseria meningitidis (13 percent), and Listeria monocytogenes (10 percent); these organisms accounted for only 8 percent of the nosocomial episodes. Only 19 of the 493 episodes of meningitis (4 percent) were due to H. influenzae. Nine percent of all patien...
Breeding and Application of High-yielding Late Hybrid Rice Zhongyou 329

Zhongyou 329 was a new combination bred by crossing between Zhong 9A and restoring line SG00329 by Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences.The breeding process,characteristic and techniques of cultivation and seed production were introduced.
Fasting Bile Salt Pool Size and Composition After Ileal Resection

The fecal excretion rate of bile acids is greatly increased after ileal resection, but compensatory and homeostatic mechanisms are not completely understood. In 4 resected patients and in 4 patients without intestinal or hepatobiliary disease, the size and composition of the fasting bile salt pool were determined. After an overnight fast 14C-24-cholic acid was given intravenously and 3 hr later gallbladder bile, stimulated by cholecystokinin, was collected via a duodenal tube. The bile salts were separated by silicic acid thin layer chromatography, extracted into ethanol, and hydrolyzed, and the neutral lipids were removed; then cholate, chenodeoxycholate, and deoxycholate were measured spectrophotometrically and radioactivity was assayed. The cholate pool was calculated from its specific activity and the quotient between the bile acids was used to calculate the pool of each. The total fasting bile salt pool was decreased slightly from 2875 mg in the control patients to 2212 mg in the resected patients (P
BAIOTOMEUS, A NEW PTILODONTID MULTITUBERCULATE (MAMMALIA) FROM THE MIDDLE PALEOCENE OF WESTERN NORTH AMERICA

Baiotomeus is a new genus of ptilodontid multituberculate from the late Torrejonian Land-Mammal Age (late middle Paleocene) of western North America. Baiotomeus douglassi (Simpson), the type species, has been assigned, at one time or another, to Ptilodus, Mimetodon, and Neoplagiaulax. In addition, a second, new species, B. lamberti, from three localities in the Medicine Rocks area of southeastern Montana is reported here. The Medicine Rocks localities are tentatively assigned a latest Torrejonian age, younger than localities yielding B. douglassi and younger than previously suggested on the basis of plesiadapid primates. Multituberculates appear to have attained their highest species richness during the Torrejonian Land-Mammal Age, but the discovery of B. lamberti illustrates that our knowledge of multituberculate diversity is incomplete from even that interval of time.
Preference and Everyday Nature: Method and Application

In the posters, nature is grand: dramatic waterfalls, craggy mountains, magnificent canyons, lush foliage. Poster places are likely to be remote, spectacular, and extensive. It is reassuring to know that such places exist. Wilderness, in the mind at least, is a Good Place.
A Multi-Informant Examination of Maternal Symptoms and Autonomy Granting in Youth Anxiety.

Evidence suggests the important role of (a) parenting behaviors and (b) parental psychopathology in the development and maintenance of youth anxiety. Using a multi-informant approach, the current study examined the association of maternal autonomy granting and maternal symptoms (i.e., anxiety and depression) with youth anxiety among mothers and 88 youth (ages of 6–17) diagnosed with a principal anxiety disorder. Results from the generalized estimating equations (GEE) analyses indicated that mothers reported higher youth anxiety symptoms compared to youth self-reports. Youth-perceived maternal autonomy granting was inversely associated with youth anxiety, and maternal self-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms significantly moderated this relationship: As mothers reported higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, the inverse association between parental autonomy granting and youth anxiety weakened. The interaction between parenting behavior and parental psychopathology significantly influenced youth anxiety symptoms, which presents important clinical implications to integrate into parenting work in the treatment of youth anxiety disorders.
Bursting dynamics in the normal and failing hearts

A failing heart differs from healthy hearts by an array of symptomatic characteristics, including impaired Ca2+ transients, upregulation of Na+/Ca2+ exchanger function, reduction of Ca2+ uptake to sarcoplasmic reticulum, reduced K+ currents, and increased propensity to arrhythmias. While significant efforts have been made in both experimental studies and model development to display the causes of heart failure, the full process of deterioration from a healthy to a failing heart yet remains deficiently understood. In this paper, we analyze a highly detailed mathematical model of mouse ventricular myocytes to disclose the key mechanisms underlying the continual transition towards a state of heart failure. We argue that such a transition can be described in mathematical terms as a sequence of bifurcations that the healthy cells undergo while transforming into failing cells. They include normal action potentials and [Ca2+]i transients, action potential and [Ca2+]i alternans, and bursting behaviors. These behaviors where supported by experimental studies of heart failure. The analysis of this model allowed us to identify that the slow component of the fast Na+ current is a key determining factor for the onset of bursting activity in mouse ventricular myocytes.
Association Between Patient Age and Lymph Node Positivity in Thin Melanoma.

Importance More than half of all new melanoma diagnoses present as clinically localized T1 melanoma, yet sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is controversial in this population given the overall low yield. Guidelines for SLNB have focused on pathologic factors, but patient factors, such as age, are not routinely considered. Objectives To identify indicators of lymph node (LN) metastasis in thin melanoma in a large, generalizable data set and to evaluate the association between patient age and LN positivity. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cohort study using the National Cancer Database, an oncology database representing patients from more than 1500 hospitals throughout the United States, was performed (2010-2013). Data analysis was conducted from October 1, 2016, to January 15, 2017. A total of 8772 patients with clinical stage I 0.50 to 1.0 mm thin melanoma undergoing wide excision and surgical evaluation of regional LNs were included for study. Main Outcome and Measures The primary outcome of interest was presence of melanoma in a biopsied regional LN. Clinicopathologic factors associated with LN positivity were characterized, using logistic regression. Age was categorized as younger than 40 years, 40 to 64 years, and 65 years or older for multivariable analysis. Classification tree analysis was performed to identify high-risk groups for LN positivity. Results Among the study cohort (n = 8772), 333 patients had nodal metastases, for an overall positivity rate of 3.8% (95% CI, 3.4%-4.2%). A total of 4087 (54.0%) patients were women. Median age was 56 years (interquartile range [IQR], 46-67) in patients with negative LNs and 52 years (IQR, 41-61) in those with positive LNs ( P Conclusions and Relevance Patient age is an important factor in estimating lymph node positivity in thin melanoma independent of traditional pathologic factors. Age therefore should be taken into consideration when selecting patients for nodal biopsy.
Loss of Tumor Suppressor STAG2 Promotes Telomere Recombination and Extends the Replicative Lifespan of Normal Human Cells.

Sister chromatids are held together by cohesin, a tripartite ring with a peripheral SA1/2 subunit, where SA1 is required for telomere cohesion and SA2 for centromere cohesion. The STAG2 gene encoding SA2 is often inactivated in human cancer, but not in in a manner associated with aneuploidy. Thus, how these tumors maintain chromosomal cohesion and how STAG2 loss contributes to tumorigenesis remain open questions. Here we show that, despite a loss in centromere cohesion, sister chromatids in STAG2 mutant tumor cells maintain cohesion in mitosis at chromosome arms and telomeres. Telomere maintenance in STAG2 mutant tumor cells occurred by either telomere recombination or telomerase activation mechanisms. Notably, these cells were refractory to telomerase inhibitors, indicating recombination can provide an alternative means of telomere maintenance. STAG2 silencing in normal human cells which lack telomerase led to increased recombination at telomeres, delayed telomere shortening and postponed senescence onset. Insofar as telomere shortening and replicative senescence prevent genomic instability and cancer by limiting the number of cell divisions, our findings suggest that extending the lifespan of normal human cells due to inactivation of STAG2 could promote tumorigenesis by extending the period during which tumor-driving mutations occur.
Supervision by Risk and Minsky's Proposal for a Cash Flow-Oriented Bank Examination

In recent statements, federal bank regulators from the OCC, FDIC, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and Federal Reserve Banks have called for a new approach to bank examinations. The essence of the new approach to bank examinations is what Comptroller of the Currency Eugene Ludwig calls “supervision by risk,” i.e., exams which focus on evaluating the quantity of risk exposure in an institution and determining the quality of the risk management systems in place to control that risk. Taking a similar approach, Ricki Helfer, Chairman of the FDIC notes, the exam focus will be more of a macroeconomic approach and will include the increased involvement of economists in the bank examination process. Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, has stated that regulatory innovation is necessary and that the Board has been studying an alternative capital allocation approach which he calls the “pre-commitment approach.” This would allow banks to choose their own capital allocations for trading risk that they believe are consistent with their own risk management capabilities. These discussions of new approaches to bank examination echo some of the concerns put forward in a proposal three decades ago by Hyman Minsky for a “cash flow-oriented” bank examination. Though Minsky spent his career as an academic, his working relationship with private banks and federal bank regulatory agencies gave him unique insights into the workings of the financial system. Minsky based his bank examination proposal on his analysis of the problem of financial instability, and though his writings on financial instability and the macroeconomy are well known, especially by economists in the Post-Keynesian, Marxian, and Institutionalist traditions, however his proposal for reform of bank examination is virtually unknown.
Clinical and economic impact of the introduction of a nucleic acid amplification assay for Clostridium difficile

The clinical outcomes and cost implications of a diagnostic shift from an EIA- to PCR-based assay for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) have not been completely described in the literature. The impact of the PCR-based assay on the incidence and duration of CDI therapy was compared to the EIA assay for patients with a negative CDI diagnostic result. Secondary clinical and economic outcomes were also evaluated. Independent predictors of receipt of antibiotic therapy were assessed via logistic regression. 141 EIA and 140 PCR patients were included. Significantly more patients were started or continued on anti-CDI antibiotic therapy after a known negative assay result in the EIA group (26 patients vs. 8 patients, P = 0.002). Duration of antibiotic therapy after a known negative result was significantly shorter in the PCR group (1 vs. 4 days, P = 0.029) and a 23% reduction in the number of tests obtained per patient was observed (1.41 ± 0.86 vs. 1.82 ± 1.35, P = 0.007). The over fourfold difference in per-test cost of the EIA assay ($8.33 vs. $42.86, P < 0.0001) was offset by the overall medication costs required for the increased treatment in the EIA group ($546.60 vs. $188.96, P = 0.191). Utilization of the EIA-based CDI assay was associated with increased odds of CDI treatment after a negative test (aOR 4.71, 95% CI 1.93–11.46, P = 0.001). The transition from an EIA to PCR-based assay for diagnosing CDI resulted in a significant decrease in the number of patients treated and the duration of treatment in response to a negative test result. This significant decrease in treatment resulted in decreased costs offsetting the utilization of a more expensive molecular test for patients with a negative CDI diagnostic result.
How shear increments affect the flow production branching ratio in CSDX

The coupling of turbulence-driven azimuthal and axial flows in a linear device absent magnetic shear (Controlled Shear Decorrelation Experiment) is investigated. In particular, we examine the apportionment of Reynolds power between azimuthal and axial flows, and how the azimuthal flow shear affects axial flow generation and saturation by drift wave turbulence. We study the response of the energy branching ratio, i.e., ratio of axial and azimuthal Reynolds powers, PzR/PyR, to incremental changes of azimuthal and axial flow shears. We show that increasing azimuthal flow shear decreases the energy branching ratio. When axial flow shear increases, this ratio first increases but then decreases to zero. The axial flow shear saturates below the threshold for parallel shear flow instability. The effects of azimuthal flow shear on the generation and saturation of intrinsic axial flows are analyzed. Azimuthal flow shear slows down the modulational growth of the seed axial flow shear, and thus reduces intrinsic axial flow production. Azimuthal flow shear reduces both the residual Reynolds stress (of axial flow, i.e., ΠxzRes) and turbulent viscosity ( χzDW) by the same factor |⟨vy⟩′|−2Δx−2Ln−2ρs2cs2, where Δx is the distance relative to the reference point where ⟨vy⟩=0 in the plasma frame. Therefore, the stationary state axial flow shear is not affected by azimuthal flow shear to leading order since ⟨vz⟩′∼ΠxzRes/χzDW.
Chromosome architecture constrains horizontal gene transfer in bacteria.

Despite significant frequencies of lateral gene transfer between species, higher taxonomic groups of bacteria show ecological and phenotypic cohesion. This suggests that barriers prevent panmictic dissemination of genes via lateral gene transfer. We have proposed that most bacterial genomes have a functional architecture imposed by Architecture IMparting Sequences (AIMS). AIMS are defined as 8 base pair sequences preferentially abundant on leading strands, whose abundance and strand-bias are positively correlated with proximity to the replication terminus. We determined that inversions whose endpoints lie within a single chromosome arm, which would reverse the polarity of AIMS in the inverted region, are both shorter and less frequent near the replication terminus. This distribution is consistent with the increased selection on AIMS function in this region, thus constraining DNA rearrangement. To test the hypothesis that AIMS also constrain DNA transfer between genomes, AIMS were identified in genomes while ignoring atypical, potentially laterally-transferred genes. The strand-bias of AIMS within recently acquired genes was negatively correlated with the distance of those genes from their genome’s replication terminus. This suggests that selection for AIMS function prevents the acquisition of genes whose AIMS are not found predominantly in the permissive orientation. This constraint has led to the loss of at least 18% of genes acquired by transfer in the terminus-proximal region. We used completely sequenced genomes to produce a predictive road map of paths of expected horizontal gene transfer between species based on AIMS compatibility between donor and recipient genomes. These results support a model whereby organisms retain introgressed genes only if the benefits conferred by their encoded functions outweigh the detriments incurred by the presence of foreign DNA lacking genome-wide architectural information.
The Story of Kellogg Co. v. National Biscuit Co.: Breakfast with Brandeis

Kellogg Co. v. National Biscuit Co. may be the Supreme Court's most versatile and influential trademark decision. Justice Brandeis' opinion contained language that is now at the core of the statutory test for whether a term should be unprotected because consumers understand the term as the generic name for the product on which it is used. That same language guides courts seeking to determine whether a mark has acquired the degree of secondary meaning necessary to support trademark protection. Plaintiffs seeking to establish trademark rights in a product shape must demonstrate that the shape in question is not "functional" according to a standard that has its roots in Kellogg. And defendants seeking to parry claims that the design of their product is confusingly similar to the design of a once-patented product habitually invoke Kellogg to support a competitor's right to copy the subject matter of an expired patent. The scope of Kellogg's influence might, at first blush, seem surprising. The Court was confronted by a relatively narrow issue of trademark and unfair competition law, and to a large extent was revisiting an issue it had decided forty years earlier. The Court's opinion was also quite short. To understand its significance, one must be aware of the full range of philosophical reasons that motivated Justice Brandeis, including opposition for broad intellectual property rights, a concern for competition, and support for a misrepresentation-based model of unfair competition law. And one must also delve into the intense commercial rivalry in the cereal industry - a rivalry conducted by an odd mix of evangelists armed with even odder theories about nutrition and health. Ultimately, because a variety of rationales were offered by the Court for a conclusion upon which most would agree, the precise scope of the opinion has never been fully clear. These (perhaps purposeful) ambiguities might have prevented the opinion contributing to the clear development of areas of law that were directly addressed by the Kellogg Court. This partially explains the irony that the current Supreme Court has cited Kellogg in a number of trademark cases for a series of different propositions, but did not cite the case in the most recent effort to tackle the very question at issue in Kellogg (the scope of trademark protection for a product covered by an expired patent). By the same token, however, Justice Brandeis' quiet efforts to supply a more fundamental (and long-term) statement about the philosophy of trademark and unfair competition law may have allowed the opinion to achieve significance, both judicially and legislatively, well beyond the narrow context of the type of case the Court was deciding. And those efforts to articulate a philosophy for trademark and unfair competition law, which do not spring as obviously from the text of the Kellogg opinion, but instead are more readily apparent from historical context, may also be important in the years ahead as scholars and policymakers consider whether trademark law has inappropriately become a law against misappropriation.
Soybeans vs. textured soy protein as meat extenders. Cooking losses, palatability, and thiamin content of freshly cooked and frozen meat loaves

Scores for several palatability characteristics, including general desirability, were higherfor meat loaves containing soybeans than for loaves containing TSP.
Assessing sport brand value through use of the contingent valuation method

This work is a first attempt to estimate customer-based brand equity with the contingent valuation method (CVM) for a service-oriented product. We assess the value of a sport brand, IRONMAN triathlon, utilizing the CVM - one of the few available measures for estimating intangible product values. The equity of the IRONMAN brand was derived from consumers’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours by asking consumers (i.e., triathletes who have experiences with IRONMAN and non-IRONMAN branded events) about their willingness to pay for an IRONMAN and generic non-IRONMAN triathlon events. We found (1) the presence of price premiums that sport consumers were willing to pay for the branded sport product and (2) the estimated brand equity value of approximately $102 million for IRONMAN Half-distance events, and $123 million for IRONMAN Full-distance event.
Drink, don't think: the role of masculinity and thought suppression in men's alcohol-related aggression

Alcohol consumption is a well-established risk factor for aggressive behavior. However, evidence suggests that alcohol's effect on aggression varies as a function of individual- and situational-based instigating and inhibiting factors. Endorsement of traditional masculine gender norms has been consistently identified as an instigating factor for alcohol-related aggression. Likewise, individuals who habitually engage in thought suppression (i.e., the attempt to inhibit the occurrence of unwanted thoughts) have been shown to be at increased risk for behavioral disinhibition and aggression. In the present study, we test the hypothesis that thought suppression mediates the association between masculine norms and alcohol-related aggression. Two hundred forty-five men with a history of recent heavy episodic alcohol use completed surveys assessing their endorsement of traditional masculine norms, use of thought suppression, and both trait and alcohol-related aggression. Results indicated that thought suppression fully mediated the association between the toughness masculine norm and alcohol-related aggression. In addition, thought suppression partially mediated the association between the toughness norm and trait aggression. Findings are discussed in terms of the potential utility of cognitive-emotion regulation and norm-based interventions for reducing alcohol-related aggression.
School and Residential Segregation in School Districts with Voluntary Integration Policies

Since the Supreme Court’s 2007 Parents Involved decision, school districts have been pursuing integration in more legally and politically charged environments. The retreat of the federal government...
Professionals’ perceptions of electronic and online sexual behaviors of youth in their community

Abstract Over the past decade, internet access has become deeply ingrained in the daily lives of individuals across the world, with particularly rapid growth in its use by children and adolescents. In the United States (U.S.), 45% of teens report using the internet “almost constantly” (p. 8; Anderson et al., 2018). With such increased availability of technology, concerns have arisen regarding how easily youth can engage in sexual behaviors online or via electronics, like viewing pornography or “sexting.” Despite this increase in concern, many professions responsible for youth (e.g., schools, law enforcement, child welfare) are faced with navigating and guiding youth online behavior. However, limited research to date has examined how professionals who work with youth, specifically those who have engaged in other problematic sexual behavior, perceive and conceptualize electronic and online sexual behavior. We conducted qualitative interviews with 36 professionals from different disciplines across eight sites. Participants were asked about their perceptions of youth use of technology; changes in rates of electronic and online sexual behaviors over time; the severity, frequency, and impact of the behavior; and typical community responses to the behavior. Stakeholders perceived youth’s engagement in electronic and online sexual behaviors to be frequent, growing, and concerning yet reported that they lacked clear protocols to determine the severity of these behaviors and guide responses. Implications of the results for prevention efforts, future research directions, and policy development are discussed.
Environmental Determinants of Recreation Behavior

Recreation may be thought of in terms of the environments as well as the activities man selects in his leisure. The environment may be more closely related to the functions or satisfactions derived...
Cabozantinib Reverses Renal Cell Carcinoma-mediated Osteoblast Inhibition in Three-dimensional Coculture In Vitro and Reduces Bone Osteolysis In Vivo .

Renal cell carcinoma bone metastases (RCCBM) are typically osteolytic. We previously showed that BIGH3 (beta Ig-h3/TGFBI), secreted by 786-O renal cell carcinoma, plays a role in osteolytic bone lesion in RCCBM through inhibition of osteoblast (OSB) differentiation. To study this interaction, we employed three-dimensional (3D) hydrogels to coculture bone-derived 786-O (Bo-786) renal cell carcinoma cells with MC3T3-E1 pre-OSBs. Culturing pre-OSBs in the 3D hydrogels preserved their ability to differentiate into mature OSB; however, this process was decreased when pre-OSBs were cocultured with Bo-786 cells. Knockdown of BIGH3 in Bo-786 cells recovered OSB differentiation. Furthermore, treatment with bone morphogenetic protein 4, which stimulates OSB differentiation, or cabozantinib (CBZ), which inhibits VEGFR1 and MET tyrosine kinase activities, also increased OSB differentiation in the coculture. CBZ also inhibited pre-osteoclast RAW264.7 cell differentiation. Using RCCBM mouse models, we showed that CBZ inhibited Bo-786 tumor growth in bone. CBZ treatment also increased bone volume and OSB number, and decreased osteoclast number and blood vessel density. When tested in SN12PM6 renal cell carcinoma cells that have been transduced to overexpress BIGH3, CBZ also inhibited SN12PM6 tumor growth in bone. These observations suggest that enhancing OSB differentiation could be one of the therapeutic strategies for treating RCCBM that exhibit OSB inhibition characteristics, and that this 3D coculture system is an effective tool for screening osteoanabolic agents for further in vivo studies.
Effect of central circular cut-out and low velocity impact damage on shear buckling and post-buckling of composite laminated plates

Abstract The effect of circular cut-out and low velocity impact damage on shear buckling and post-buckling performances of composite plates was investigated experimentally and numerically. Numerical solution for the buckling problem was obtained using an approximate Ritz method. Experiments were carried out for shear loaded pristine and damaged specimens, with a comparison of out of plane displacements, strain field, failure modes and mechanisms. For the two different thicknesses tested namely thin and thick laminates, experimental results showed a decrease of 25% and 27% in the post-buckling load for impact damage and center circular cut-out, respectively for the thin laminate. Whereas no significant reduction was detected for the thick laminate. A good correlation between numerical and experimental results were shown in the results.
Step Back: Lessons for U.S. Foreign Policy from the Failed War on Terror

In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States launched an international war on terrorism defined by military intervention, nation building, and efforts to reshape the politics of the Middle East. As of 2017, however, it has become clear that the American strategy has destabilized the Middle East while doing little to protect the United States from terrorism. After 15 years of considerable strategic consistency during the presidencies of George Bush and Barack Obama, Donald Trump now takes the reins having promised to “bomb the sh**” out of ISIS and “defeat them fast.” At the same time, however, Trump broke sharply in his campaign rhetoric from Republican orthodoxy on Iraq and Afghanistan. Whatever President Trump decides to do, an evaluation of the War on Terror should inform his policies. We argue that the War on Terror failed. This failure has two fundamental — and related — sources. The first is the inflated assessment of the terror threat facing the United States, which led to an expansive counterterrorism campaign that did not protect Americans from terrorist attacks. The second source of failure is the adoption of an aggressive strategy of military intervention. The lessons from the War on Terror indicate that it is time for the United States to take a different approach. Policymakers need to acknowledge that although terrorism is a serious concern, it represents only a modest security threat to the American homeland. Further, the United States should abandon the use of military intervention and nation building in the War on Terror. Instead, the United States should push regional partners to confront terrorist groups abroad, while the U.S. returns to an emphasis on the intelligence and law enforcement paradigm for combating the threat against the American homeland.
Electro-Optical Properties of Liquid Crystal Cells Enabled by Unconventional Alignment Layers

In this paper, unusual electro-optics and possible applications of nematic liquid crystals sandwiched between unconventional alignment layers are discussed. Two types of polymers, namely ferroelectric polymers and weakly conducting polymers are used as alignment layers.
Exploring Alternative CNN for Digit and Letter Recognition

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) are commonplace for image recognition and are already proven to have high accuracy on datasets such as MNIST and EMNIST. We want to explore alternative methods to improve accuracy on a portion of the EMNIST dataset through the use of multiple CNNs and by using broader data in the initial steps of our CNNs that later in the process will become more specific. It can be seen that by using this method percentages decrease.
A critical survey of ion-acoustic waves

In conclusion, the general impression I have is that ion-acoustic waves are incompletely explored and largely ignored at present. I feel that many useful applications are yet to be discovered here.
The Rapid Transition to Telemedicine and Its Effect on Access to Care for Patients With Type 1 Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE We compared the uptake of telemedicine for diabetes care across multiple demographic groups during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic to understand the impact of telemedicine adoption on access to care. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The study analyzed demographic information of patients with type 1 diabetes seen between 1 January 2018 and 30 June 2020 at a single center. We compared the odds of completing a visit via telemedicine across multiple demographic characteristics. RESULTS Among 28,977 patient visits, the odds of completing a visit via telemedicine were lower among non-English-speaking (1.7% vs. 2.7%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.45, 95% CI 0.26–0.79) and Medicaid-insured (32.0% vs. 35.9%; aOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.72–0.95) pediatric patients. No clinically significant differences were observed for other demographic factors. CONCLUSIONS Rapid transition to telemedicine did not significantly impact access to diabetes care for most demographic groups. However, disparities in access to care for historically marginalized groups merit close attention to ensure that use of telemedicine does not exacerbate these inequities.
Overcoming delivery barriers with LNPs.

Ionizable phospholipids have been developed to enhance the delivery of mRNA and sgRNA for gene editing by selective organ targeting and endosomal membrane destabilization.