cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Responsiveness vs. basal activity of plasma ANG II as a determinant of arterial pressure salt sensitivity

Infusion of angiotensin II (ANG II) causes salt-sensitive hypertension. It is unclear whether this is due to the body's inability to suppress ANG II during increased salt intake or, rather, an elevated basal level of plasma ANG II itself. To distinguish between these mechanisms, Sprague-Dawley rats were instrumented with arterial and venous catheters for measurement of arterial pressure and infusion of drugs, respectively. The sensitivity of arterial pressure to salt was measured in four groups with the following treatments: 1) saline control (Con, n = 12); 2) administration of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril to block endogenous ANG II (ANG-Lo, n = 10); 3) administration of enalapril and 5 ng.kg(-1).min(-1) ANG II to clamp plasma ANG II at normal levels (ANG-Norm, n = 10); and 4) administration of enalapril and 20 ng.kg(-1).min(-1) ANG II to clamp ANG II at high levels (ANG-Hi, n = 10). Rats ingested a 0.4% NaCl diet for 3 days and then a 4.0% NaCl diet for 11 days. Arterial pressure of rats fed the 0.4% NaCl diet was lower in ANG-Lo (84 +/- 2 mmHg) compared with Con (101 +/- 3 mmHg) and ANG-Norm (98 +/- 4 mmHg) groups, whereas ANG-Hi rats were hypertensive (145 +/- 4 mmHg). Salt sensitivity was expressed as the change in arterial pressure divided by the change in sodium intake on the last day of the 4.0% NaCl diet. Salt sensitivity (in mmHg/meq Na) was lowest in Con rats (0.0 +/- 0.1) and progressed from ANG-Lo (0.8 +/- 0.2) to ANG-Norm (1.5 +/- 0.5) to ANG-Hi (3.5 +/- 0.5) rats. We conclude that the major determinant of salt sensitivity of arterial pressure is the basal level of plasma ANG II rather than the responsiveness of the renin-angiotensin system.
Interaction of prostaglandin E 1 and angiotensin II on centrally mediated pressor activities in the cat.

SummaryLow doses of PGE1 (1-20 ng/ kg/min) infused into the vertebral artery elevated the arterial blood pressure in anesthetized cats. When administered by infusion via the femoral vein, identical doses of PGE1 produced pressor effects which were less intense than that produced by the arterial route. Low doses of PGE1 which have slight pressor effects when infused into the vertebral artery were shown to potentiate the centrally mediated pressor effect of angiotensin II when the two drugs were infused simultaneously into the vertebral artery of cats.We are grateful to Dr. John E. Pike of the Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, MI for supplying the Prostaglandin E1 and Dr. William Wagner, Ciba-Geigy Corp., Summit, NJ for supplying the Angiotensin II.
Comparative Evaluation of Butterfly and 4-Post Tails on a 5 th -Generation Fighter Configuration

The Fifth Generation Target Study (5GTS) was a conceptual design task for a large target drone aircraft capable of representing key 5th generation fighter signature and performance attributes. The target drone’s intended uses are to test air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles, and to ensure that modern tracking systems are capable of identifying and targeting 5th generation fighters. Previous wind tunnel testing of a candidate 5GTS configuration with a 4-post empennage revealed poor lateral-directional stability characteristics at moderate angles of attack. Testing described in this report examined the effects of replacing the 4-post tails with butterfly tails on six different candidate 5GTS configurations. Results showed that butterfly tails consistently displayed superior lateral-directional stability characteristics when compared with equivalent 4-post tails. However, all butterfly-tail configurations exhibited pitchup, that is loss of pitch stability at moderate angles of attack. This makes them unattractive for use on a target drone, which must have an inexpensive flight control system.
Field-Programmable-Gate-Array (FPGA)

To be able to implement large-scale SOC designs, minimizing overall power dissipation is a critical. The primary objective of this chapter is to present the results of silicon nanowire technology in a widely utilized prototyping platform called Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The proposed FPGA architecture in this chapter uses cluster blocks, each of which includes several Look-Up-Tables (LUT) to configure any logic functionality. Each LUT can be configured as a combinatorial logic block or part of a state machine. This flexible configuration is achieved by scan chains implemented inside the cluster block to define the interconnectivity between LUTs and to determine the logic functionality for each LUT. After describing the architectural aspects of the LUT and the cluster, circuit simulations were performed using BSIMSOI SNT models. The chapter reports the results of worst-case propagation delays and power dissipation figures of various FPGA circuits and shows typical LUT and the cluster layouts.
Treating the Football Athlete: Coaches’ Perspective from the University of Michigan

Although football is one of the most popular sports in America, its high injury incidence places concern on the injury prevention and safety of its players. This article investigates the perspectives of two National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 football coaches on promoting injury management and player safety while maintaining a highly competitive team. Through obtaining their coaching philosophy team management topics, effective strategies that contribute to a team culture prioritizing player well-being were identified. Interactions of football coaches with physicians and medical specialists are explored to highlight strengths that can optimize the care and treatment of football athletes.
Modeling nexus of urban heat island mitigation strategies with electricity/power usage and consumer costs: a case study for Phoenix, Arizona, USA

A reduction in both power and electricity usage was determined using a previously validated zero-dimensional energy balance model that implements mitigation strategies used to reduce the urban heat island (UHI) effect. The established model has been applied to show the change in urban characteristic temperature when executing four common mitigation strategies: increasing the overall (1) emissivity, (2) vegetated area, (3) thermal conductivity, and (4) albedo of the urban environment in a series of increases by 5, 10, 15, and 20% from baseline values. Separately, a correlation analysis was performed involving meteorological data and total daily energy (TDE) consumption where the 24-h average temperature was shown to have the greatest correlation to electricity service data in the Phoenix, Arizona, USA, metropolitan region. A methodology was then developed for using the model to predict TDE consumption reduction and corresponding cost-saving analysis when implementing the four mitigation strategies. The four modeled UHI mitigation strategies, taken in combination, would lead to the largest percent reduction in annual energy usage, where increasing the thermal conductivity is the single most effective mitigation strategy. The single least effective mitigation strategy, increasing the emissivity by 5% from the baseline value, resulted in an average calculated reduction of about 1570 GWh in yearly energy usage with a corresponding 157 million dollar cost savings. When the four parameters were increased in unison by 20% from baseline values, an average calculated reduction of about 2050 GWh in yearly energy usage was predicted with a corresponding 205 million dollar cost savings.
The use of holographic interferometry as a diagnostic tool for liquid & composite dielectric systems

Mechanistic explanations of breakdown in dielectric liquids have relied on fast Schlieren systems to study pre-breakdown streamers & the Kerr effect [1] to evaluate the field distribution. Holography has previously been used to suppress the incoherent light resulting from dielectric breakdown [2]. The present contribution describes the application of holographic interferometry to obtain an optical probe of greater sensitivity and indicates possible applications. The use of holography permits the detection of phase shifts in a stressed liquid which are only a small fraction of the wavelength of light & allows this increased sensitivity in spite of the inherent poor optical quality of the test liquid, enclosure & arbitrary interfaces present.
Comparing NCAA and Olympic Athlete Eligibility Dispute Resolution Systems in Light of Procedural Fairness and Substantive Justice

The traditional adjudicative model for resolving disputes involves public judicial systems (i.e., courts) established and administered by the government. But disputes also are resolved by alternative dispute resolution (ADR) systems outside the traditional model that are established and administered by private parties. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), International Olympic Committee (IOC), and United States Olympic Committee (USOC) use differing ADR systems to resolve intercollegiate and Olympic athletic eligibility disputes that are afforded very deferential review by courts with the merits of their respective determinations almost always judicially upheld and enforced. Olympic sports athlete eligibility disputes are resolved at the international level by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), an external system of arbitration that has been called the gold standard for resolving athlete disputes. The NCAA uses a system of internal committees comprised of faculty and institutional and conference staff to resolve intercollegiate athlete eligibility disputes, which is the subject of perpetual criticism and has led to calls for reform measures mirroring CAS’s external arbitral process. In this Article we describe the NCAA’s internal systems for resolving athlete eligibility disputes, which often are misunderstood by commentators without due consideration of the need for its ADR processes to be tailored to effectively, efficiently, and fairly resolve disputes in light of the NCAA’s particular demographics and needs. We also describe the CAS arbitral system as well as the corresponding American Arbitration Association (AAA) system used to resolve domestic Olympic athlete eligibility disputes in the U.S. and the requisite procedural fairness and substantive justice both systems provide to athletes, which justify judicial recognition and enforcement of their arbitration awards. Considering the salient differences between the ADR processes for resolving Olympic and intercollegiate sports athlete eligibility disputes, we explain why the NCAA’s ADR processes provide a commensurate level of procedural fairness and substantive justice to athletes that responds to the demographics and requisites of its approximately 460,000 student-athletes, its eligibility requirements, and the thousands of annual competitions that it administers. Finally, we offer suggestions to improve the NCAA’s processes for resolving athlete eligibility disputes without jeopardizing its needed autonomy or ability to govern its affairs in an efficient and effective manner.
New Insights into Perfluorinated Sulfonic-Acid Ionomers

In this comprehensive review, recent progress and developments on perfluorinated sulfonic-acid (PFSA) membranes have been summarized on many key topics. Although quite well investigated for decades, PFSA ionomers’ complex behavior, along with their key role in many emerging technologies, have presented significant scientific challenges but also helped create a unique cross-disciplinary research field to overcome such challenges. Research and progress on PFSAs, especially when considered with their applications, are at the forefront of bridging electrochemistry and polymer (physics), which have also opened up development of state-of-the-art in situ characterization techniques as well as multiphysics computation models. Topics reviewed stem from correlating the various physical (e.g., mechanical) and transport properties with morphology and structure across time and length scales. In addition, topics of recent interest such as structure/transport correlations and modeling, composite PFSA membranes, degradat...
Classification of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) Based on Patterns of Signal Transduction Pathway (STP) and Apoptosis Regulating Protein Activation Determined by Reverse Phase Proteins Arrays (RPPA).

Abstract We have previously shown that the protein expression profile and especially the activation state of apoptosis and STP proteins are highly prognostic in AML. The development of RPPA permits a more comprehensive analysis of protein expression and phosphorylation (phos) patterns in the STP and apoptotic cascades. We have generated a screening array using protein derived from the leukemia enriched fraction of 94 primary AML samples (with 21 concurrent blood and marrow specimens), comprised equally of patients that were primary refractory (PrimRef), or that achieved complete remission that was continuous (CCR) or which relapsed after 6 to 24 months (REL). These slides have been probed with 22 total and 15 phos-specific antibodies (ABs) against apoptosis and STP proteins. Spot intensities were quantified using MicroVigene and the data for each protein standardized data by subtracting the mean expression levels across samples and dividing by the standard deviation. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis on the proteins was performed. We found one small cluster of 5 proteins: Cyclin D1, β-catenin, phos-NMP, p53, and AMPK. The remaining proteins formed another cluster, with a subset of 8 proteins somewhat further separated. In several cases (mTOR, JNK, and PTEN) the total protein amounts clustered as nearest neighbors to the phos version of the same protein. Using perturbation bootstrap resampling to assess the significance of clusters we found 4 reproducible clusters and the structure suggests additional clusters in this data set. A Fisher exact test showed that these were significantly associated with response (p = 0.03) and with the prognostic category defined by cytogenetics (p = 0.04) but was not associated with the source (blood vs. marrow) of the sample (p = 0.67). Ten proteins were differentially expressed between cytogenetically defined prognostic groups: total and phospho AKT, PTEN and JNK, p-mTOR, p-STAT3, pp38 and PS6.p24.44 (all with P
Phase difference detection pixel restoration using adaptive weighted interpolation

Phase difference detection auto-focusing technique is widely used in mobile cameras due to its fast auto focus speed. To generate the phase difference in the mobile camera, the partially masked sensor pixels are deployed in the image sensor. Because these partially masked sensor pixels reduce the amount of incoming light, these pixels should be restored for high image quality. In this paper, we propose phase difference detection pixel restoration method using adaptive weighted interpolation. Experimental results show that the proposed method provides high image quality.
Primordium initiation drives tree growth

Tree growth is driven by leaf primordium initiation at shoot apices through a series of growth and developmental events largely mediated hormonally and often determinate in nature. This repeating pattern keeps trees alive and reproductive and conserves the phenotype.
Inversed-Planned Respiratory Phase Gating in Lung Conformal Radiation Therapy

Purpose To assess whether the optimal gating window for each beam during lung radiation therapy with respiratory gating will be dependent on a variety of patient-specific factors, such as tumor size and location and the extent of relative tumor and organ motion. Methods and Materials To create optimal gating treatment plans, we started from an optimized clinical plan, created a plan per respiratory phase using the same beam arrangements, and used an inverse planning optimization approach to determine the optimal gating window for each beam and optimal beam weights (ie, monitor units). Two pieces of information were used for optimization: ( 1 ) the state of the anatomy at each phase, extracted from 4-dimensional computed tomography scans; and ( 2 ) the time spent in each state, estimated from a 2-minute monitoring of the patient's breathing motion. We retrospectively studied 15 lung cancer patients clinically treated by hypofractionated conformal radiation therapy, for whom 45 to 60 Gy was administered over 3 to 15 fractions using 7 to 13 beams. Mean gross tumor volume and respiratory-induced tumor motion were 82.5 cm 3 and 1.0 cm, respectively. Results Although patients spent most of their respiratory cycle in end-exhalation (EE), our optimal gating plans used EE for only 34% of the beams. Using optimal gating, maximum and mean doses to the esophagus, heart, and spinal cord were reduced by an average of 15% to 26%, and the beam-on times were reduced by an average of 23% compared with equivalent single-phase EE gated plans ( P t test). Conclusions We introduce a personalized respiratory-gating technique in which inverse planning optimization is used to determine patient- and beam-specific gating phases toward enhancing dosimetric quality of radiation therapy treatment plans.
Determining the optimal cool-down for an industrial sintering process

The efficiency of an industrial sintering process for the production of tungsten carbide parts is considered. Under current operations, the parts cool over an 11 hour period in an insulated chamber. The cool-down time can be reduced up to 30% by introducing mass flow through the furnace. A nonlinear, radially symmetric model of the furnace is used to characterize the optimal mass flow with respect to the net monetary profit realized in the process. This involves considerations of energy consumption, waste streams, and production capacity. While implementing this mass flow consumes more energy per batch, the overall furnace efficiency is improved.
Variability in Parenting Self-Efficacy Across Prudential Adolescent Behaviors

SYNOPSISObjective. Extant research examining the predictors and outcomes of parenting self-efficacy has predominantly focused on families with young children. Adolescence is a time of increased autonomy during which parents may be uncertain about their abilities to influence their adolescents’ risk-taking behavior. Design. Parents’ (N = 145 mothers and 53 fathers) confidence in their parenting abilities across prudential adolescent behaviors was investigated, including alcohol consumption, cyber activities, eating behaviors, and problem peer associations. Additionally, we explored how adolescents’ (N = 161, Mage = 14.4 years, 60% female) reports of their engagement in those behaviors were associated with parents’ perceptions of their ability to impact their adolescents’ behavior (i.e., self-efficacy). Results. Mixed-model analysis of variance revealed that mothers and fathers felt most efficacious in reducing their adolescents’ engagement in problematic cyber activities and least efficacious regarding alc...
LEFT ATRIAL FUNCTION IN HEART FAILURE WITH PRESERVED AND REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION

The presence of left atrial (LA) dysfunction is linked to the development of heart failure and atrial fibrillation (AF). The nature of left atrial dysfunction in heart failure with preserved (HFpEF) and reduced (HFrEF) ejection fraction requires further characterization. We quantified LA strain via
Hypersensitivity to Other Implants: Gynecological, Neurovascular, Oculoplastic, Nuss Bars

Gynecological, neurovascular, oculoplastic devices and Nuss bars are a diverse group of medical implants with various metal compositions. Hypersensitivity reactions to these implants have been reported and range from either nonexistent or very rare to serious adverse reactions. The epidemiology of hypersensitivity reactions to some of these implants is not well studied, with population studies lacking to define the role of predictive patch testing in preimplantation decision making. In this chapter, we present the literature that exists on these medical implants and their associations with hypersensitivity-related complications after insertion. Based on our findings, we assess the role of preoperative patch testing for each type of implant. Gynecological implants used for contraception are rarely associated with complications and do not warrant patch testing prior to insertion. Hypersensitivity reactions to neurovascular implants, while infrequent, are increasingly reported and can be associated with devastating outcomes. Therefore, preoperative patch testing may prove beneficial to certain patients, although, the predictive value of this practice is unknown, and further studies are needed to evaluate the associated clinical benefit. Gold oculoplastic implants to treat lagophthalmos rarely account for hypersensitivity reactions and, when they do occur, have been successfully treated with implant removal. Predictive patch testing is only indicated in patients with a history suggestive of gold intolerance. The stainless steel Nuss bar is used to treat pectus excavatum, and its association with hypersensitivity-related complications has been well established. There is good evidence to support preoperative patch testing for all patients undergoing the Nuss procedure and the use of a titanium Nuss bar in the setting of a nickel allergy. Hypersensitivity reactions to implanted metal devices remain a major consideration in preoperative decision making or postoperative management of patients with potential complications related to an implanted device. In reviewing the information related to hypersensitivity reactions to metal implants for these indications (gynecologic, neurovascular, oculoplastic, and pediatric), it is apparent that there is a paucity of robust epidemiologic information about the incidence of hypersensitivity reactions to metals in these implanted materials (except for the Nuss procedure). Further epidemiologic studies of patients undergoing implantations for these diverse indications are needed to better define the value of predictive patch testing.
Misleading or Falsification: Inferring Deceptive Strategies and Types in Online News and Social Media

Deceptive information in online news and social media has had dramatic effect on our society in recent years. This study is the first to gain deeper insights into writers' intent behind digital misinformation by analyzing psycholinguistic signals: moral foundations and connotations extracted from different types of deceptive news ranging from strategic disinformation to propaganda and hoaxes. To ensure consistency of our findings and generalizability across domains, we experiment with data from: (1) confirmed cases of disinformation in news summaries, (2) propaganda, hoax, and disinformation news pages, and (3) social media news. We first contrast lexical markers of biased language, syntactic and stylistic signals, and connotations across deceptive news types including disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes, and deceptive strategies including misleading or falsification. We then incorporate these insights to build machine learning and deep learning predictive models to infer deception strategies and deceptive news types. Our experimental results demonstrate that unlike earlier work on deception detection, content combined with biased language markers, moral foundations, and connotations leads to better predictive performance of deception strategies compared to syntactic and stylistic signals (as reported in earlier work on deceptive reviews). Falsification strategy is easier to identify than misleading strategy. Disinformation is more difficult to predict than to propaganda or hoaxes. Deceptive news types (disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes), unlike deceptive strategies (falsification and misleading), are more salient, and thus easier to identify in tweets than in news reports. Finally, our novel connotation analysis across deception types provides deeper understanding of writers' perspectives and therefore reveals the intentions behind digital misinformation.
Further Studies on a “New” Human Isoprecipitin System (Australia Antigen)

Additional information on a new human isoprecipitin system, directed against Australia antigen, has been given. The antibody defining this system is an IgG(7S) gamma globulin. Staining and ultracentrifugation suggest that Australia antigen contains small amounts of lipid, but is not identical with typical low or high density lipoprotein.
The Mountain-Pass Theorem

Roughly speaking, the basic idea behind the so-called minimax method is the following: Find a critical value of a functional ϕ ∈ C1 (X, ℝ) as a minimax (or maximin) value c ∈ ℝ of ϕ over a suitable class A of subsets of X: $$ c = \mathop {\inf }\limits_{A \in \mathcal{A}} \mathop {\sup }\limits_{u \in A} \phi \left( u \right). $$
Nutrition and Psychiatric Illness

In the early years of this century, as many as 10% of the patients in mental hospitals were there because of the mental disturbances associated with pellagra, a vitamin-deficiency syndrome. The recognition of this as a vitamin deficiency by Goldberger of the Public Health Service and its correction by dietary means produced rapid disappearance of its mental and physical symptoms. Eventually, it was shown that the important agent that was deficient was nicotinic acid. Here was an instance of an important mental illness where research eventually demonstrated a biochemical disturbance as its cause, leading to successful therapy. This remarkable discovery also set the stage for considerable speculation and less well supported claims for the operation of vitamin deficiencies in a variety of other mental illnesses whose etiologies were still obscure. Of such illnesses, the most important is undoubtedly schizophrenia.
Energy Demand and Global Climate Change

ABSTRACT This paper presents some quantitative estimates of how man's thirst for modern comforts - specifically his demand for ever larger amounts of energy - can be expected to influence the future climate. Data show that the demand for energy has expanded at a rate of 5.3 percent per year, except for brief periods of world catastrophe. Extrapolating this rate for another 89 years is sufficient to bring the anthropogenic energy to 820 terawatts (one percent of the solar radiation reaching the earth's surface). Of course, man's energy will not be uniformly distributed over the earth's surface and neither will the temperature increase. The distribution of both will be crucial as the greatest changes will occur in a few concentrated areas. Present world energy demand is highly concentrated in Europe and the United States. Future world demand estimates are made after considering demographic, economic, social, and political factors. An energy demand scenario of 32 terawatts for A.D. 2025 results (5.3 percent per year exponential growth would result in 105 terawatts). Carbon dioxide produced from fossil fuel use shows a 4.3 percent per year rise. Based on the energy demand projection above, carbon dioxide production has been estimated to be 9 × 109 tons C in A.D. 2025. If the same fraction of CO2 remains in the atmosphere as in the recent past, the concentration in A.D. 2025 will be about 150 ppm more than at present. The resulting atmospheric concentration, 465 ppm, should produce a climate change about 65 percent as severe as in the Manabe-Wetherald concentration-doubling experiment.
5-(Hy-droxy-meth-yl)furan-2-carbaldehyde.

The title compound (HMF), C6H6O3, is one of the products of acid-catalyzed dehydration of high-fructose corn syrup, and has been shown to be toxic to honey bees. The compound was crystallized at 276 K, and it was found that the two independent mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit form an infinite O—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding chain that is linked into a three-dimensional network structure by weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O contacts.
Pummerer Cyclization Revisited: Unraveling of Acyl Oxonium Ion and Vinyl Sulfide Pathways.

Two viable pathways (vinyl sulfide and acyl oxonium ion) for the Pummerer cyclization have been unraveled that expand the reaction scope and capabilities. Use of Bronsted-enhanced Lewis acidity was key to realization of the vinyl sulfide pathway, whereas selective complexation of the sulfur lone pair facilitated the unprecedented acyl oxonium ion pathway. Preliminary mechanistic investigations support these hypotheses. A range of substrates have been explored to understand the reaction parameters.
A Novel Ensemble Approach for Solving the Transient Stability Classification Problem

As power systems become more complex in order to accommodate distributed generation and increased demand, determining the stability status of a system after a severe contingency is becoming more difficult. To that end, artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques have been studied as a stability prediction tool. Topology changes and data availability however, impose certain limitations towards the generalization of those algorithms, impairing their ability to function in different system conditions. In this paper, we propose a novel ensemble machine-learning model that can maintain high performance in uneven sample class distribution, thus demonstrating resiliency and robustness against false dismissals.
Farmer perspectives and experiences introducing the novel perennial grain Kernza intermediate wheatgrass in the US Midwest

Kernza® intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) is a novel perennial grain and forage crop with the potential to provide multiple ecosystem services, which recently became commercially available to farmers in the USA. The viability and further expansion of this promising crop require understanding how it may fit the needs of farmers’ livelihoods and the structure of their farming systems. However, no prior research has studied the perceptions and experiences of Kernza growers. The goals of this research were to understand why farmers grow Kernza, how Kernza fits into their systems and identify challenges for future research. We conducted in-depth interviews with ten growers in the North Central USA during the summer of 2017, who accounted for a third of the Kernza farmers in the USA at the time. All farmers had a positive attitude toward experimentation and trying new practices, and they were interested in Kernza for its simultaneous ecological and economic benefits. Kernza was marginal in terms of area, quality of fields and resources allocated in the farm systems, which also meant that farmers maintained low costs and risks. Growers utilized and valued Kernza as a dual-use crop (grain and forage), sometimes not harvesting grain but almost always grazing or harvesting hay and straw for bedding. Weeds were perceived as a challenge in some cases, but Kernza was valued as a highly weed-suppressive crop in others. Farmers requested information on optimal establishment practices, assessment of forage nutritive value, how to maintain grain yields over years, weed management, markets and economic assessment of Kernza systems. These results agree with other cases on sustainable practices adoption showing that engaging farmers in the research process from the beginning, identifying knowledge gaps and testing management alternatives are critical for the success and expansion of novel agricultural technologies.
Axial Elongation of Caudalized Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Organoids Mimics Neural Tube Development

During mammalian embryogenesis, axial elongation of the neural tube is critical for establishing the anterior-posterior body axis, but is difficult to interrogate directly because it occurs post-implantation. Here we report an organoid model of neural tube extension using human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) aggregates that recapitulates morphologic and gene expression patterns of neural tube development. Axial extending organoids consisted of longitudinally elongated epithelial compartments and contained TBXT(+)SOX2(+) neuromesodermal progenitors, PAX6(+) Nestin(+) neural progenitor populations, and MEOX1(+) paraxial mesoderm populations. Wnt agonism stimulated axial extensions in a dose-dependent manner and elongated organoids displayed regionalized rostral-caudal HOX gene expression, with hindbrain (HOXB1) expression distinct from brachial (HOXC6) and thoracic (HOXB9) expression. Finally, CRISPR interference-mediated silencing of BMP inhibitors induced elongation phenotypes that mimicked murine knockout models. These results indicate the potent morphogenic capacity of hiPSC organoids to undergo significant axial elongation in a manner that mimics early human nervous system development.
Targeting ACE2/Angiotensin-(1-7)/Mas Receptor Axis in the Vascular Progenitor Cells for Cardiovascular Diseases

Bone marrow-derived hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells are vasculogenic, and play an important role in endothelial health and vascular homeostasis by participating in post-natal vasculogenesis. Progenitor cells are mobilized from bone marrow niches in response to remote ischemic injury and migrate to the areas of damage and stimulate revascularization largely by paracrine activation of angiogenic functions in the peri-ischemic vasculature. This innate vasoprotective mechanism is impaired in certain chronic clinical conditions, which leads to the development of cardiovascular complications. Members of renin angiotensin system (RAS), angiotensin converting enzymes (ACEs), ACE and ACE2, angiotensin II (Ang II), Ang-(1-7), and receptors AT1 and Mas are expressed in vasculogenic progenitor cells derived from humans and rodents. Ang-(1-7), generated by ACE2, is known to produce cardiovascular protective effects by acting on Mas receptor and is considered as a counter-regulatory mechanism to the detrimental effects of Ang II. Evidence has now been accumulating in support of the activation of ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas receptor pathway by pharmacological or molecular maneuvers, stimulates mobilization of progenitor cells from bone marrow, migration to areas of vascular damage and revascularization of ischemic areas in pathological conditions. This mini-review summarizes recent studies that have enhanced our understanding of the physiology and pharmacology of vasoprotective axis in bone marrow-derived progenitor cells in health and disease. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) stimulate revascularization of ischemic areas. However the reparative potential is diminished in certain chronic clinical conditions leading to the development of cardiovascular diseases. ACE2 and Mas receptor are key members of the alternative axis of renin angiotensin system and are expressed in HSPCs. Accumulating evidence points to activation of ACE2 or Mas receptor as a promising approaches for restoring the reparative potential thereby to prevent the development of ischemic vascular diseases.
Propagation of Wave Packets in Dispersive Media

The propagation and refraction of waves in dispersive media are considered. A primary objective is to determine whether waves refract as monochromatic waves by Snell's law with phase velocity or as wave packets. The refraction of wave packets requires two refraction laws. The wave packets refract according to Snell's law with the geometric group velocity while the wavelets within the wave packets refract according to Snell's law with phase velocity. The tests were performed using directional power spectra from gravity water waves originating in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Indian Ocean, and the Southern Ocean. In all cases the waves were measured with arrays of pressure sensors. It was found that the refraction of monochromatic waves led to backtracks from a measurement site that spread out for the different wave periods and did not go back to a common source. When the refraction was large the results were especially bad. When the data were used to test the refraction of wave packets very good results were obtained. For every storm considered the backtracks of the different wave periods went back together to the wave generation area. These results offer strong support for refracting waves in dispersive media as wave packets, not as monochromatic waves. This result for wave groups was also determined in a controlled wave tank experiment of gravity water waves where a critical angle was tested. The properties of propagating wave packets are also considered and illustrated. Reflection points and critical angles are found and explained. There can be major differences between the propagation of wave packets and monochromatic waves.
UN Food and Agriculture Organization: Exercising Legal Personality to Implement the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

In the last several decades, intergovernmental organizations have played an increasingly significant role in implementing international treaties by providing innovative implementation proposals. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been a core institution for improving international fisheries governance. This chapter proposes that based on a combination of delegated and derivative international organization powers that the FAO has responsibilities to implement actively those portions of UNCLOS that are relevant to the FAO’s mission to conserve natural resources. Even though FAO is not a party to the UNCLOS treaty, the FAO has played a central role in elaborating general concepts within UNCLOS and innovating in the area of fishery management. FAO has done this both as an agent of States but also independently through the exercise of FAO’s delegated powers to conserve natural resources. This chapter highlights five areas where the FAO has made substantive contributions to improving practices for sustainable fisheries management: (1) ecosystem approach fisheries management, (2) port state measures to combat illegal fishing, (3) guidelines to assist small-scale fisheries, (4) improved flag state performance in relation to fisheries and (5) facilitation of regional fisheries bodies. The Author proposes at the end that the FAO might be able to exercise its derivative powers to improve enforcement on the high seas with the possibility of FAO-organized enforcement efforts.
Editorial: Biomarkers in precision medicine for mental illnesses

Precision medicine and biomarker development have become the prevailing paradigm for mental health research. Despite its conceptual elegance and dominance as a research framework, precision medicine has a very limited track record of demonstrable success thus far for mental illnesses, due in varying degrees to the complexity of both the brain and the pathophysiology of mental illnesses, which limits our ability to develop, replicate, and validate biomarkers for use in enhancing clinical care for mental illnesses, especially in high-risk and complex clinical populations. Research and funding priorities should integrate biomarker development and precision medicine interventions that target the robust behavioral, environmental, and social determinants that we know are important for population-based mental health.
Using a mobile monitoring campaign to characterize average exposures to ultrafine particulate matter and black carbon for a Seattle-based cohort

BACKGROUND AND AIM: A growing body of evidence has begun linking traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) to brain health, including dementia. Ultrafine particles (UFP, 100 nm diameter) and black carbo...
Geometric guidance of integrin mediated traction stress during stem cell differentiation

Cells sense and transduce the chemical and mechanical properties of their microenvironment through cell surface integrin receptors. Traction stress exerted by cells on the extracellular matrix mediates focal adhesion stabilization and regulation of the cytoskeleton for directing biological activity. Understanding how stem cells integrate biomaterials properties through focal adhesions during differentiation is important for the design of soft materials for regenerative medicine. In this paper we use micropatterned hydrogels containing fluorescent beads to explore force transmission through integrins from single mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) during differentiation. When cultured on polyacrylamide gels, MSCs will express markers associated with osteogenesis and myogenesis in a stiffness dependent manner. The shape of single cells and the composition of tethered matrix protein both influence the magnitude of traction stress applied and the resultant differentiation outcome. We show how geometry guides the spatial positioning of focal adhesions to maximize interaction with the matrix, and uncover a relationship between αvβ3, α5β1 and mechanochemical regulation of osteogenesis.
Evaluation of Deciduous Azaleas for Cold Hardiness Potential in the Southeastern United States

Abstract Twelve taxa of deciduous azalea were evaluated using laboratory procedures to determine hardiness of stems and flower buds. Rhododendron atlanticum, ‘My Mary’, ‘Nacoochee’, and ‘TNLV1’ exh...
Monstrous melodrama: Expanding the scope of melodramatic identification to interpret negative fan responses to Supernatural

This article examines fan responses to an episode of the CW television series Supernatural; the episode features a metatext including a number of shout-outs and jokes about fandom. The most controversial of the shout-outs related to "Wincest," a form of slash featuring an incestuous sexual relationship between the two lead characters. Ien Ang's notion of melodramatic identification is revamped for use in relation to contemporary television reception and specifically to interpret negative fan responses to this episode. I argue that the theory of melodramatic identification can be employed not only to understand soap opera viewers but also viewers of many other kinds of television, particularly cult TV with its frequent reliance on serialized melodramatic narratives. I further argue that not only is Supernatural a melodramatic text, but also that text must be viewed as extending beyond the narrative world proper to the multiple narratives or texts comprised by the industrial and cultural context of the show. These together constitute a multilayered melodrama with which the fan identifies and to which she can also contribute through extratextual fan activities. That is, participation in slash and Wincest communities can be viewed as expression of melodramatic identification. This accounts for the strong negative responses of some fans who perceive that the show's producers are exposing and/or mocking them.
T cell activation induces rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of a limited number of cellular substrates.

Abstract Activation of murine T cells by antigen, antibodies binding the T cell antigen receptor, or stimulatory anti-Thy-1 antibodies results in rapid phosphorylation of the T cell receptor zeta chain on tyrosine residues. The T cell receptor is itself unlikely to be a tyrosine kinase; rather, it is probable that this receptor is coupled to a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase. To understand further this protein kinase pathway, additional targets of the tyrosine kinase have been sought by comparing anti-phosphotyrosine antibody immunoblots of cellular proteins from unactivated and activated T cell hybridomas. In addition to the T cell receptor zeta chain, two proteins of 53 and 62 kDa are phosphorylated on tyrosine residues after T cell activation. These phosphorylations require stimulatory anti-Thy-1 antibodies, antigen, or antireceptor antibody stimulation. The 53-kDa protein is preferentially phosphorylated by antigen or antireceptor antibody. Of interest is that variants of the murine T cell hybridoma lacking the T cell receptor zeta chain or lacking surface antigen receptor can nonetheless be stimulated by anti-Thy-1 antibodies to phosphorylate the 62-kDa substrate. In contrast to the tyrosine kinases of oncogenic viruses, the kinase coupled to the T cell antigen receptor appears to have a limited number of targets. These proteins are candidates for critical substrates in this protein tyrosine kinase pathway.
Photoionization and Autoionization of Excited Rare Gas Atoms

Recent developments in the technology of tunable lasers have provided great opportunity and challenge for experimenters. At the 3rd Atomic Physics Conference a comprehensive review of laser developments and applications was given by Hansch1. This paper is concerned with one such application, namely the study of ionization resulting from the interaction of laser radiation with excited rare gas atoms. Such processes have considerable application to the understanding of astrophysical and laboratory plasmas and in the physics of planetary atmospheres. However the emphasis in this paper will be exclusively upon the fundamental processes themselves.
The role of the Zn(II) binding domain in the mechanism of E. coli DNA topoisomerase I.

Background Escherichia coli DNA topoisomerase I binds three Zn(II) with three tetracysteine motifs which, together with the 14 kDa C-terminal region, form a 30 kDa DNA binding domain (ZD domain). The 67 kDa N-terminal domain (Top67) has the active site tyrosine for DNA cleavage but cannot relax negatively supercoiled DNA. We analyzed the role of the ZD domain in the enzyme mechanism.
Successful Use of a Donor Heart with Quadricuspid Aortic Valve for Orthotopic Heart Transplantation

Quadricuspid aortic valve (QAV) is a rare congenital anomaly of the aortic valve. We describe transplanting a donor heart with a QAV with successful mid-term outcome.
Some Responses of the Immature Female Fowl to Injections of Mare Gonadotropic Hormone and Oestrin

Abstract AN INCREASE in the weight of the ovary and oviduct of immature female fowl after injection of pregnant mare’s serum was reported by Asmundson and Wolfe (1935). Breneman (1936) also found that there was a marked increase in the weight of the gonads (ovaries and testes) of newly hatched chicks; mare’s serum and follicle stimulating hormone giving maximum response while there was some increase when luteinizing hormone and pregnancy urine were injected. Domm and Van Dyke (1932) had previously reported that there was an increase in the weight of the ovary after injection of extracts of the anterior pituitary into immature female fowl while Evans and Simpson (1934) have reported that the ovary of the pigeon increases in weight after injection of pregnant mare’s serum. The present paper deals with certain experiments which show in some detail what responses are obtained with varying amounts of mare gonadotropic hormone when injected . . .
Scott induction and closure under Ω-sups

Abstract LCF is the logic of computable (read ‘continuous’) functionals, where continuity means the preservation of sups ⊔neωxn of ω-chains 〈x〉neω in ω-cpo's P with least element ⊥. Most important sups have the form μxf(x) = ⊔neωfn (⊥) and are given continuously by the least fixed point operator Y. Consequently, Scotts induction axiom (∀f)[R(f, ⊥)^ ∀x[R(f, x) → R(f, f(x))] → R (f, Yf)] is valid for certain relations R ⊆ [ P → P ] × P , such as those satisfying the condition (*): (∀f) {x:R(f, x)} is closed under ω-sups. Given a relation R, we ask whether the obviously sufficient condition (*) is also necessary for R to satisfy Scott's induction axiom. Our main result shows that (*) is not a necessary condition, even for sets X ⊆ P (where R(f, x) ↔ x e X). As a consequence of certain definability and effectiveness aspects of the main result, we also show that some rather interesting classes of ω-cpo's can be finitely axiomatized in the language of LCF.
Hybrid tableaux and the Littlewood-Richardson rule

Abstract The Littlewood-Richardson rule is a combinatorial procedure for computing the multiplicities of irreducible characters of the symmetric group in the decomposition of certain reducible characters. Proofs of this rule usually rely on an algebraically equivalent formulation in terms of Schur functions. This paper presents a proof of the rule based totally on the characters. It uses the Murnaghan-Nakayama formula as the combinatorial description of the relevant characters of the symmetric group. The proof introduces a new kind of tableau, called a hybrid tableau, which displays both column-strict and rim-hook behavior. The proof makes extensive use, including recursive use, of the involution principle of Garsia and Milne.