cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variation in the female frenulum in Tortricidae (Lepidoptera). Part 2. Olethreutinae

This paper, treating the tortricid subfamily Olethreutinae, represents the second in a proposed three-part series examining variation in the number of bristles in the frenulum of female tortricid moths. Based on an examination of 6,333 individuals of 1,464 species representing 188 genera of Olethreutinae, the number of bristles in the female frenulum varies from one to six, and it is sometimes asymmetrical on the same specimen (7.5% of individuals examined). A three-bristled frenulum is the most common condition in Microcorsini, Endotheniini, Bactrini, Gatesclarkeanini, Olethreutini, Enarmoniini, and Eucosmini, with varying degrees of intraspecific variation in number within each tribe. However, in both Eucosmini and Enarmoniini several genera have a predominantly or exclusively two-bristled frenulum (e.g., Gypsonoma Meyrick, Herpystis Meyrick, and Rhopalovalva Kuznetsov in Eucosmini; Hystrichophora Walsingham, Neoanathamna Kawabe, and Pseudacroclita Oku in Enarmoniini). In Grapholitini, two- and three-bristled frenula occur in nearly equal frequency, suggesting that this character may be of some phylogenetic significance, but an overall pattern is not immediately obvious. In contrast to the situation in Chlidanotinae, where the distribution of the two- and three-bristled frenulum corroborates previously proposed phylogenetic hypotheses, we conclude that variation in the number of bristles in the frenulum in Olethreutinae is not phylogenetically informative at higher levels (e.g., tribes, subtribes) owing to the high degree of intrageneric and intraspecific variation. However, the number of bristles may be of phylogenetic significance at the generic level, particularly in Eucosmini and Grapholitini.
Interactive graphics today

Mapped out is the field of interactive computer graphics technology. The author surveys the range of applications from the visual arts to the visualization of theoretical mathematical models to the simulation of aircraft and ship navigation. Hardware and software are explored. Also outlined are interactive graphics data bases, data structures, and proposed standards that apply to them.
Estimating Inelastic Displacements for Design: Extended Pile-Shaft-Supported Bridge Structures

Abstract Accurate estimation of inelastic displacements is important for the evaluation of the seismic performance of structures with desired ductile response. In this paper, nonlinear dynamic analyses results from a companion numerical study investigating the response of ductile-designed bridge structures, were compared with a commonly applied inelastic displacement estimation approach and an alternative approach. The extended pile-shaft-supported bridge structures considered are susceptible to amplified response under long-period velocity pulses, and hence an evaluation of design methods for estimating inelastic displacement demands is warranted. In this case, force-reduction–displacement-ductility–period (R−μΔ−T) relations and a mean spectral displacement approach are investigated. The alternative approach estimates inelastic displacement demand using the mean elastic spectral displacement between two spectral periods that are important for the structure’s response. Results support the conceptual merit...
The Role of Mountains in the South Asian Monsoon Circulation

Abstract An 11–level numerical model of the atmospheric circulation which has a prescribed seasonal variation of insulation and sea surface temperatures is integrated with respect to time for approximately three model years. The model is global in domain and incorporates a smoothed mountain topography. In order to investigate the role that mountains play in the south Asian monsoon circulation, a second numerical experiment, exactly the same as the first except that all mountains are removed, is integrated with respect to time from 25 March through July. Analysis of the model with mountains reveals that the large–scale circulation associated with the south Asian monsoon is well simulated. However, the onset of the monsoon is approximately 10–15 days later than normal, and the atmosphere over the western Pacific seems to he dynamically too active, while the atmosphere over the northern reaches of the Bay of Bengal and northern India is relatively inactive. Comparison of the simulation with mountains with th...
Plasma membrane clustering of system y+ (CAT-1) amino acid transporter as detected by immunohistochemistry

Transport of cationic amino acids in fully differentiated mammalian cells is mediated primarily by system y1+ [cationic amino acid transporter (CAT)-1 gene product]. Antibodies, prepared against synthetic peptide sequences predicted to be extracellular loops of the CAT-1 transporter protein, detected the transporter on the surface of cultured cells. In human fibroblasts, porcine pulmonary artery endothelial cells, and cultured rat hepatoma cells, the CAT-1 transporter protein was clustered in an apparent random pattern throughout the plasma membrane. In contrast, labeling of the fibroblasts with antibodies against the epidermal growth factor receptor or the GLUT-1 glucose transporter demonstrated a uniform staining pattern covering the entire cell surface. The CAT-1 antibody labeling was specific, as demonstrated by peptide inhibition and the lack of staining by preimmune serum. Furthermore, hepatocytes did not exhibit specific antibody binding consistent with the lack of system y1+ activity. Disruption of the microtubule assembly resulted in a reversible loss of the CAT-1 transporter clusters and a more generalized labeling of the cell body. The data demonstrate the existence of microdomains within the plasma membrane that contain the CAT-1 transporter protein.
Human cathelicidin, LL-37, inhibits respiratory syncytial virus infection in polarized airway epithelial cells

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of severe lower respiratory tract illness in young children worldwide. Treatment options for severe RSV disease remain limited and the development of therapeutic treatment strategies remains a priority. LL-37, a small cationic host defense peptide involved in anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial responses, reduces replication of or infection by multiple viruses, including influenza virus, in vitro, and protects against lethal challenge with influenza virus in vivo. LL-37 also protects against RSV infection of HEp-2 cells in vitro; however, HEp-2 are not reflective of polarized airway epithelial cells and respond differently to RSV infection. An air–liquid interface (ALI) Calu-3 model that more closely mimics the human airway epithelium was established. Using this in vitro model, the effectiveness of LL-37 in preventing RSV infection and replication was examined. LL-37, when pre-incubated with virus prior to RSV infection (prophylactic), significantly reduced the level of viral genome detected in infected Calu-3 cells, and decreased chemokine expression associated with RSV infection in vitro. In contrast, therapeutic treatment of RSV-infected ALI Calu-3 at 24 h and 3 days post-infection had minimal impact on RSV infection. Differences in the efficacy of LL-37 at reducing RSV infection under prophylactic and therapeutic conditions may in part be ascribed to differences in the method of peptide exposure. However, the efficacy of LL-37 at reducing RSV infection under prophylactic conditions indicates that further studies examining the efficacy of LL-37 as a small peptide inhibitor of RSV are warranted.
Macrophage-mediated inflammation and glial response in the skeletal muscle of a rat model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Abstract Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive motor dysfunction and loss of large motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain stem. While much research has focused on mechanisms of motor neuron cell death in the spinal cord, degenerative processes in skeletal muscle and neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) are also observed early in disease development. Although recent studies support the potential therapeutic benefits of targeting the skeletal muscle in ALS, relatively little is known about inflammation and glial responses in skeletal muscle and near NMJs, or how these responses contribute to motor neuron survival, neuromuscular innervation, or motor dysfunction in ALS. We recently showed that human mesenchymal stem cells modified to release glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (hMSC-GDNF) extend survival and protect NMJs and motor neurons in SOD1 G93A rats when delivered to limb muscles. In this study, we evaluate inflammatory and glial responses near NMJs in the limb muscle collected from a rat model of familial ALS (SOD1 G93A transgenic rats) during disease progression and following hMSC-GDNF transplantation. Muscle samples were collected from pre-symptomatic, symptomatic, and end-stage animals. A significant increase in the expression of microglial inflammatory markers (CD11b and CD68) occurred in the skeletal muscle of symptomatic and end-stage SOD1 G93A rats. Inflammation was confirmed by ELISA for inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in muscle homogenates of SOD1 G93A rats. Next, we observed active glial responses in the muscle of SOD1 G93A rats, specifically near intramuscular axons and NMJs. Interestingly, strong expression of activated glial markers, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and nestin, was observed in the areas adjacent to NMJs. Finally, we determined whether ex vivo trophic factor delivery influences inflammation and terminal Schwann cell (TSC) response during ALS. We found that intramuscular transplantation of hMSC-GDNF tended to exhibit less inflammation and significantly maintained TSC association with NMJs. Understanding cellular responses near NMJs is important to identify suitable cellular and molecular targets for novel treatment of ALS and other neuromuscular diseases.
Pelvic Evaluation in Thoracolumbar Corrective Spine Surgery: How I Do It.

The radiologist needs to understand the concepts of coronal and sagittal deformity, should appreciate the role that the pelvis plays in global balance, and be able to recognize compensatory measures on imaging.
Measurement of Plasticity Gradients with Scanning Probe Microscopy

Scanning Tunneling and Atomic Force Microscopy were used to characterize the topography of fractured Au /sapphire interfaces. Variance analysis which quantifies surface morphology was developed and applied to the characterization of the metal fracture surface of the metal/ceramic system. Fracture surface features related to plasticity were quantified and correlated to the fracture energy and energy release rate.
Amino Acid Content of Leaves in Mycorrhizal and Non-mycorrhizal Citrus Rootstocks

Nitrogen status was examined in leaves of sour orange and rough lemon citrus rootstocks grown in a low phosphorus sand inoculated with Glomus etunicatus, in sand amended with superphosphate at a rate of 2240 kg ha-1, and in a sand control left untreated. Sour orange was 31and 3-5-fold taller and rough lemon was 1-8and 2 0-fold taller than the controls in the inoculated and phosphorus treatments, respectively. In the controls, leaf N was up to 2-5-fold higher than in the other treatments. Both total and free amino acids accumulated in leaves of both rootstocks to higher levels in the control than in the other treatments. Most total amino acids in the control were lower than in the treatments, with the exceptions of arginine (up to 1 2-fold increase), proline (up to 1-8-fold increase), lysine, and free ammonia. Twenty-two free amino acids, urea, and ammonia were detected. Both rootstocks grown in control sand had significant increases in citrulline, ornithine, lysine, histidine, arginine and ammonia. Levels of total and most free amino acids in the inoculated and phosphorus treatments were similar to one another. It is suggested that mineral deficiency caused by the absence of G. etunicatus causes a reorganization of N-metabolism with a shift to a greater synthesis of ornithine cycle intermediates.
Locating RNAs In Situ with FISH-STIC Probes

The location of a molecule within the cell often provides important clues to its function and regulation, therefore techniques to locate RNA within cells are vital tools to study noncoding RNA function. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a simple and reliable approach to locate RNAs in any cell type. Intracellular localization of RNA using FISH (RNA-FISH) requires resolution at the single cell and single molecule level which can be achieved using fluorescent-labeled nucleic acid antisense probes. Sequential Tagged and Intertwined oligodeoxyribonucleotide Complex (FISH-STIC) probes are a straightforward means for laboratories to design their own FISH probes that can be synthesized commercially. Here we provide a detailed protocol for applying FISH-STIC probes for in situ hybridization on cultured cells as a convenient and flexible method for localizing individual RNAs with many fluorophores using fluorescence microscopy.
Defensive Symbionts Mediate Host–Parasite Interactions at Multiple Scales

In protection mutualisms, defensive symbionts protect their hosts from natural enemies, including parasites. Protection mutualisms were historically considered rare ecological relationships, but recent examples demonstrate that defensive symbionts are both quite common and diverse. Defensive symbionts can have surprisingly large effects on host and parasite ecology at the individual, population, guild, and community scales. However, the highly context-dependent nature of protection mutualisms makes it difficult to identify and quantify the roles that defensive symbionts play in host–parasite systems. The mutualism–parasitism continuum framework can be used to understand and predict the outcomes of these interactions under variable environmental and ecological contexts. Embracing and expanding this theory will improve future research, and may better prepare us to use defensive symbionts as biocontrol agents.
Architecture and metamorphosis.

When compared to other conserved housekeeping protein families, such as ribosomal proteins, during the evolution of higher eukaryotes, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) show an apparent high propensity to add new sequences, and especially new domains. The stepwise emergence of those new domains is consistent with their involvement in a broad range of biological functions beyond protein synthesis, and correlates with the increasing biological complexity of higher organisms. These new domains have been extensively characterized based on their evolutionary origins and their sequence, structural, and functional features. While some of the domains are uniquely found in aaRSs and may have originated from nucleic acid binding motifs, others are common domain modules mediating protein–protein interactions that play a critical role in the assembly of the multi-synthetase complex (MSC). Interestingly, the MSC has emerged from a miniature complex in yeast to a large stable complex in humans. The human MSC consists of nine aaRSs (LysRS, ArgRS, GlnRS, AspRS, MetRS, IleRS, LeuRS, GluProRS, and bifunctional aaRs) and three scaffold proteins (AIMP1/p43, AIMP2/p38, and AIMP3/p18), and has a molecular weight of 1.5 million Dalton. The MSC has been proposed to have a functional dualism: facilitating protein synthesis and serving as a reservoir of non-canonical functions associated with its synthetase and non-synthetase components. Importantly, domain additions and functional expansions are not limited to the components of the MSC and are found in almost all aaRS proteins. From a structural perspective, multi-functionalities are represented by multiple conformational states. In fact, alternative conformations of aaRSs have been generated by various mechanisms from proteolysis to alternative splicing and posttranslational modifications, as well as by disease-causing mutations. Therefore, the metamorphosis between different conformational states is connected to the activation and regulation of the novel functions of aaRSs in higher eukaryotes.
Original Research: How to Create a Poster That Attracts an Audience.

: Background: Nurses developing a poster presentation for the first time who look for guidance in the literature will find many articles offering recommendations on format and style, but these are based on opinion rather than evidence. Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify the attributes of a poster that improved the chance that nursing conference attendees would read it. Methods A mixed-methods descriptive study employing survey methodology was used to assess the perceptions of nurses attending poster sessions at a two-day nursing conference. The survey consisted of basic demographic questions, 25 items asking respondents to identify and rate the importance of variables that influenced their decision to read a poster, and several open-ended questions. Both a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the responses was performed. Results The two major themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis were that poster-viewing decisions were based first on aesthetics and then on relevance. The quantitative analysis identified aesthetic characteristics that were most important to nurse viewers, including overall visual appeal, color, organization, and layout; viewers determined the relevance of a poster primarily by reading its title. Conclusions To develop a poster that will attract an audience, nurse researchers should keep in mind the attributes that are important to their peers and colleagues. Conference attendees are more likely to read a poster if it's on a topic that interests them, is pleasing to the eye, and has a title that's easy to read.
New Light on the Battle Off the Virginia Capes: Graves vs Hood

The traditional narrative goes like this: on 5 August 1781, Rear-Admiral Count Francois Paul de Grasse sailed from Cap Francois, St Domingue, in command of the French West Indies squadron of 28 shi...
Stability assessment of a system comprising a single machine and inverter with scalable ratings

Synchronous machines have traditionally acted as the foundation of large-scale electrical infrastructures and their physical properties have formed the cornerstone of system operations. However, with the increased integration of distributed renewable resources and energy-storage technologies, there is a need to systematically acknowledge the dynamics of power-electronics inverters — the primary energy-conversion interface in such systems — in all aspects of modeling, analysis, and control of the bulk power network. In this paper, we assess the properties of coupled machine-inverter systems by studying an elementary system comprised of a synchronous generator, three-phase inverter, and a load. The inverter model is formulated such that its power rating can be scaled continuously across power levels while preserving its closed-loop response. Accordingly, the properties of the machine-inverter system can be assessed for varying ratios of machine-to-inverter power ratings. After linearizing the model and assessing its eigenvalues, we show that system stability is highly dependent on the inverter current controller and machine exciter, thus uncovering a key concern with mixed machine-inverter systems and motivating the need for next-generation grid-stabilizing inverter controls.
Looking for Culture in Video Games: Three Conceptual Approaches

As the popularity of computer games has increased markedly in recent years, many researchers have become concerned with the potential effects on gamers. However, by looking past the outward appearance of popular games that may be perceived as violent by some, we can begin to see dramatic cultural indicators as well as many other academically interesting phenomena emerging. Social psychologists and effects researchers must begin delving deeper into this rapidly expanding genre of popular media. Herein, I propose three possible approaches to the study of video games as cultural events rather than a common medium that influences participants in a simple way.
Religiosity and Adolescent Major Depressive Episodes Among 12-17-Year-Olds.

This study examined whether age plays a role in the relationship between religiosity and adolescent major depressive episodes (MDEs). The 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data was examined. Odds ratios were computed to determine if the association between religiosity and MDE differed based on age of adolescent among 12–13-year-olds, 14–15-year-olds, and 16–17-year-olds. Results indicated that 9.7% of adolescents reported having an MDE within the past year. Past-year MDE did not differ based on religious attendance for any of the three age groups. However, 12–13- and 14–15-year-olds who did not feel their religious beliefs influence how they make decisions in their life were at increased risk for a past-year MDE. For 15–16-year-olds and 16–17-year-olds, those who did not feel it was important that their friends share their religious beliefs were at increased risk for a past-year MDE. Such findings appear to indicate that certain aspects of religiosity may provide a significant protective effect against adolescent MDE. Prevention professionals and health educators should consider these findings to help bolster ongoing and future MDE prevention efforts. Recommendations for future research are provided.
Structural Characterization of Black Widow Spider Dragline Silk Proteins CRP1 and CRP4.

Spider dragline silk represents a biomaterial with outstanding mechanical properties, possessing high-tensile strength and toughness. In black widows at least eight different proteins have been identified as constituents of dragline silk. These represent major ampullate spidroins MaSp1, MaSp2, MaSp’, and several low-molecular weight cysteine-rich protein (CRP) family members, including CRP1, CRP2, and CRP4. Molecular modeling predicts that CRPs contain a cystine slipknot motif, but experimental evidence to support this assertion remains to be reported. To advance scientific knowledge regarding CRP function, we recombinantly expressed and purified CRP1 and CRP4 from bacteria and investigated their secondary structure using circular dichroism (CD) under different chemical and physical conditions. We demonstrate by far-UV CD spectroscopy that these proteins contain similar secondary structure, having substantial amounts of random coil conformation, followed by lower levels of beta sheet, alpha helical and beta turn structures. CRPs are thermally and pH stable; however, treatment with reagents that disrupt disulfide bonds impact their structural conformations. Cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) data also support computational models of CRP1. Taken together, the chemical and thermal stability of CRPs, the cross-linking data, coupled with the structural sensitivity to reducing agents, are experimentally consistent with the supposition CRPs are cystine slipknot proteins.
Esports Research: Critical, Empirical, and Historical Studies of Competitive Videogame Play:

Despite the rise of esports over the last decade, to date there is little effort to coordinate research related to the subject. This special issue attempts to address this gap by presenting a diver...
Monitoring of Microphysiological Systems: Integrating Sensors and Real-Time Data Analysis toward Autonomous Decision-Making

Microphysiological systems replicate human organ function and are promising technologies for discovery of translatable biomarkers, pharmaceuticals, and regenerative therapies. Because microphysiolo...
Velocity and Scalar Fields of a Turbulent Buoyant Jet in the Self-Similar Region

Nonintrusive optical methods of flow visualization, like particle image velocity (PIV) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF), have been widely applied to obtain instantaneous velocity and co...
Re-evaluation of the Wehrle's salamander (Plethodon wehrlei Fowler and Dunn) species group (Caudata: Plethodontidae) using genomic data, with the description of a new species.

Woodland salamanders of the genus Plethodon are characterized by strong ecological and morphological conservatism. One assemblage, the Wehrle’s salamander (Plethodon wehrlei Fowler & Dunn) species group, is distributed from New York to Tennessee, USA, and includes several morphological variants, four of which are sufficiently distinct to have been recognized as species in the past. For many years after two of these species were placed in synonymy, only P. wehrlei and P. punctatus Highton were recognized. A recent phylogeographic study using mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA uncovered considerable genetic diversity within the group and conservatively resurrected one of the previously synonymized forms (P. dixi Pope & Fowler). However, their analysis could not resolve all relationships among remaining populations of P. wehrlei, leaving the taxon paraphyletic. We re-evaluated the evolutionary history of this group using genomic data, recovered strong support for at least five distinct clades, and corroborated previously reported relationships. We also collected morphological data and demonstrated morphological distinctiveness for four of the five clades that we herein recognize as species. We resurrect the synonymized name P. jacksoni Newman to represent the southern clades of P. wehrlei in southwestern Virginia and North Carolina exclusive of P. dixi. In addition, we describe a yellow-spotted form of P. wehrlei endemic to the Cumberland Plateau as a new species. Although our proposed changes rectify the paraphyly of P. wehrlei, our sampling was not sufficient to resolve potential taxonomic issues remaining within the species herein recognized as P. jacksoni.
Bearded sprangletop (Diplachne fusca ssp. fascicularis) flooding tolerance in California rice

Bearded sprangletop is a problematic weed in California rice production. The objective of this research was to determine the response of two bearded sprangletop biotypes (clomazone-susceptible [S] and -resistant [R]) to flooding depth. A study was conducted in 2017 and 2018 at the California Rice Experiment Station in Biggs, CA, to evaluate the flooding tolerance of the two biotypes against 5-, 10-, and 20-cm continuous flooding depths. Plant emergence, plant height, panicles per plant, seed per panicle, 100-seed weight, and seed per plant data were collected. At the 5-cm flood depth, neither biotype was controlled, and the R biotype had 260% more emergence, produced 475% more panicles per plant, and 455% more seed per plant than the S biotype. With a 10-cm flood, only the R biotype survived flooding and produced more panicles per plant and seed per plant than any other flood depth–biotype combination evaluated. There was no emergence of either bearded sprangletop biotype at the 20-cm flood depth. Continuous flooding can still be used as a management tool to control bearded sprangletop; however, the depth of flooding appears to limit emergence of S biotypes at 5 cm and R biotypes at 10 cm, and completely inhibits growth of both biotypes at 20 cm. The results of this study indicate that clomazone-resistant bearded sprangletop is more likely to spread throughout the Sacramento Valley because this biotype can survive clomazone applications and can tolerate a standard 10-cm flood.
Phase behavior of AB/CD diblock copolymer blends via coarse-grained simulation

The phase diagram of equimolar blends of AB and CD diblock copolymers has been studied using dissipative particle dynamics. All unlike blocks interacted with the same χ, except for the B–C interaction, for which χBC 0.5 the BC domain filled in the space between A and D domains. Several interesting structures were formed including a novel connected/branched spheres morphology, hierarchical lamellae, concentric spheres/cylinders, and a combination of cylinders/lamellae. Comparisons are made with the linear diblock and linear triblock phase diagrams.
…Just as You Will Do to One Another!: Colonialism That Consumes Itself in Warren Publications’ Creepy

Calling back to EC Comics’ horror line, and reuniting several members EC’s stable of artists, Warren Publications’ anthology-style comic magazines, Creepy and Eerie, were a highwater mark for both Warren and the horror comics genre. Series editor and head writer Archie Goodwin shepherded stories that recalled both the exquisitely gruesome and terrifying tales from EC’s heyday as well as EC’s sharp, left-leaning political tongue. This chapter will consider several collaborations between Goodwin and artist Gray Morrow, released in 1965. Each is thematically linked, calling into question patriarichal and colonial power, literally dehumanizing and bestializing white patriarchy. Together, Goodwin and Morrow argue that white, colonial patriarchy is a globally destructive force which is threatened by its own consumptive greed, in some cases literally eating its own.
Family-Specific Gains and Losses of Protein Domains in the Legume and Grass Plant Families.

Protein domains can be regarded as sections of protein sequences capable of folding independently and performing specific functions. In addition to amino-acid level changes, protein sequences can a...
The molecular virology of Coronaviruses

Few human pathogens have been the focus of as much concentrated worldwide attention as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of COVID-19. Its emergence into the human population and ensuing pandemic came on the heels of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), two other highly pathogenic coronavirus spillovers, which collectively have reshaped our view of a virus family previously associated primarily with the common cold. It has placed intense pressure on the collective scientific community to develop therapeutics and vaccines, whose engineering relies on a detailed understanding of coronavirus biology. Here, we present the molecular virology of coronavirus infection, including its entry into cells, its remarkably sophisticated gene expression and replication mechanisms, its extensive remodeling of the intracellular environment, and its multifaceted immune evasion strategies. We highlight aspects of the viral life cycle that may be amenable to antiviral targeting as well as key features of its biology that await discovery.
The Relationship Between Urine Uromodulin and Blood Pressure Changes: The DASH-Sodium Trial.

Background Uromodulin modulates the sodium-potassium-two-chloride transporter in the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle, and its overexpression in murine models leads to salt-induced hypertension. We hypothesized that individuals with higher baseline levels of urine uromodulin would have a greater increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) for the same increase in sodium compared with those with lower uromodulin levels. Methods We used data from 157 subjects randomized to the control diet of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-Sodium trial who were assigned to 30 days of low (1,500 mg/d), medium (2,400 mg/d), and high salt (3,300 mg/d) diets in random order. Blood pressure was measured prerandomization and then weekly during each feeding period. We evaluated the association of prerandomization urine uromodulin with change in SBP between diets, as measured at the end of each feeding period, using multivariable linear regression. Results Baseline urine uromodulin stratified by tertiles was ≤17.64, 17.65-31.97, and ≥31.98 µg/ml. Across the tertiles, there were no significant differences in SBP at baseline, nor was there a differential effect of sodium diet on SBP across tertiles (low to high, P = 0.81). After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, and race, uromodulin levels were not significantly associated with SBP change from low to high sodium diet (P = 0.42). Conclusions In a randomized trial of different levels of salt intake, higher urine uromodulin levels were not associated with a greater increase in blood pressure in response to high salt intake.
Bayesian Estimation of Correlation Matrices of Longitudinal Data

Estimation of correlation matrices is a challenging problem due to the notorious positive-definiteness constraint and high-dimensionality. Reparameterizing Cholesky factors of correlation matrices in terms of angles or hyperspherical coordinates where the angles vary freely in the range [0,π) has become popular in the last two decades. However, it has not been used in Bayesian estimation of correlation matrices perhaps due to lack of clear statistical relevance and suitable priors for the angles. In this paper, we show for the first time that for longitudinal data these angles are the inverse cosine of the semi-partial correlations (SPCs). This simple connection makes it possible to introduce physically meaningful selection and shrinkage priors on the angles or correlation matrices with emphasis on selection (sparsity) and shrinking towards longitudinal structure. Our method deals effectively with the positive-definiteness constraint in posterior computation. We compare the performance of our Bayesian estimation based on angles with some recent methods based on partial autocorrelations through simulation and apply the method to a data related to clinical trial on smoking.
Ruthless Health Law.

Ruthless Health Law The opinions of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg consistently emphasized values pertinent to the challenge to the Affordable Care Act that will be argued ...
Combined Depression and Anxiety Influence Patient-Reported Outcomes after Lumbar Fusion.

ABSTRACT Background: Currently, no studies have assessed what effect the presence of both anxiety and depression may have on patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs) compared to patients with a single or no mental health diagnosis. Methods: Patients undergoing 1- to 3-level lumbar fusion at a single academic hospital were retrospectively queried. Anyone with depression and/or anxiety was identified using an existing clinical diagnosis in the medical chart. Patients were separated into 3 groups: no depression or anxiety (NDA), depression or anxiety alone (DOA), and combined depression and anxiety (DAA). Absolute PROMs, recovery ratios, and the percentage of patients achieving minimal clinically important difference (% MCID) between groups were compared using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: Of the 391 patients included in the cohort, 323 (82.6%) were in the NDA group, 37 (9.5%) in the DOA group, and 31 (7.9%) in the DAA group. Patients in the DAA group had significantly worse outcome scores before and after surgery with respect to Short Form-12 mental component score (MCS-12) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores (P Conclusions: Patients with combined anxiety and depression fared worse with respect to disability before and after surgery compared to patients with a single diagnosis or no mental health diagnosis; however, there were no significant differences in recovery ratio or % MCID. Level of Evidence: 3. Clinical Relevance: Combined anxiety and depression may predict less improvement in MCS-12 and ODI after lumbar arthrodesis compared with single or no mental health diagnosis.
Drivers of inter-population variation in the gut microbiomes of sister species of Phanaeus dung beetles

ABSTRACT The microbiome plays key roles in host physiology and ecology, but how the microbiome varies among populations of hosts is not well understood. However, different abiotic and biotic selection pressures across a species’ range likely lead to variation in the microbiome. In addition, symbiotic microbiota may differ more between closely-related species in sympatry than in allopatry if selection favors the reduction of interspecific competition. We investigated variation in the maternally-transmitted, beneficial gut microbiomes of Phanaeus vindex and P. difformis, sister species of dung beetle that compete for the same resources in sympatry and occur across diverse climatic conditions. We sampled and sequenced bacterial/archaeal 16S rDNA from guts of P. difformis and P. vindex collected across 17 sympatric and allopatric sites. Gut microbial communities were best predicted by temperature and precipitation, cattle present at sites, and spatial relationships among sites. Contrary to our hypotheses, we did not find that the gut microbial communities of P. vindex and P. difformis differed more in sympatry than in allopatry, nor that P. vindex, the more broadly distributed of the two species, exhibited greater microbiome turnover among populations. However, the gut microbiome of P. vindex shifted more between sympatric and allopatric populations than did that of P. difformis, suggesting character displacement. While more research is needed, it is possible that differences in gut microbial communities allow P. vindex and P. difformis to partition their niches in sympatry. Our work argues for further exploration of the gut microbiome’s potential role in niche partitioning and local adaptation.
The Faithful Lawyer: Flourishing from Law Study to Practice

The premise of the book The Faithful Lawyer is that law students and lawyers best study and practice law as expressions of faith, drawing on the rich resources of faith. Faith implies basing one’s thoughts and actions, indeed one’s life, on things firm, powerful, articulated, omniscient, and universal to human experience, beyond those things which we ourselves create. Faith is a commitment to examine human experience for the rich evidence of moral life. Lawyers are acute observers of the consequences of personal and corporate behavior. Using those skills of observation, we can see that the causes and consequences of human behavior work within moral fields. Faith has articulated those moral fields in a literature so rich as to far outpace anything law itself has offered. Faith has also demonstrated the truths within its moral fields in varied and powerful personal experiences and community histories. Those histories provide inexhaustible inspiration and models for law students and lawyers of faith. Faith delights law students and lawyers, just as much as it enlivens others. Faith matters as much to the law student and lawyer as faith matters to others, to whom faith may matter most.
Leading Works in Religion and Law: A Fictional Volume Inspired by Leading Works in Law and Religion

“The Experiment” presents scholars of religion with an opportunity to draw upon their training to reflect upon a contemporary issue. Editorial assistant Jacob Barrett engages with a recent edited volume from Routledge titled Leading Works in Law and Religion that, while focusing on the identity of the subfield of law and religion within the discipline of legal studies in the United Kingdom and Ireland, provides many sites for comparison with the religion and law subfield of religious studies in the United States context. Drawing upon the model set by the volume, Barrett imagines what a volume titled Leading Works in Religion and Law could look like and what the subfield of religion and law stands to gain from engaging in a project like the one done by its law and religion counterpart.
Moving towards empowerment: Migrant domestic workers in India

The massive spurt in rural labor migration has led to urbanization in contemporary India. While research on gendered migration of informal labor focuses on male-outmigration and views women as “pas...
The mediating effects of autonomy, competence, and relatedness during couple leisure on the relationship between total couple leisure satisfaction and marital satisfaction.

This study tested Self-Determination Theory as a possible explanatory framework to understand the relationship between total couple leisure satisfaction and marital satisfaction. The three psycholo...
Determination of fatty acid methyl esters

Abstract Fatty acid methyl esters made by transesterification of extracted plasma lipids with methanolic hydrochloric acid were found to contain substances which interfered with quantitation by gas-liquid chromatography. A method to eliminate most interfering materials and a procedure that allows reproducible wetting of an inert support with acid-modified ethylene glycol succinate are reported. Hydrocarbon contamination and artefacts produced during transesterification from substances native to tissue matrices were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and removed by chromatography over 6% hydrated alumina. Ethylene glycol succinate was treated with orthophosphoric acid to improve wetting of silanized supports and extend the thermal stability of the polymer. Quantitation was achieved by using synthetic triheptadecanoin as an internal standard.
Design and power of a population pharmacokinetic study.

Purpose. This paper investigated the influence of critical design factors on the power of a population pharmacokinetic (PK) study for identifying subpopulations that have different drug clearance than the typical population.
Methods for distributed join processing using a voice-data protocol

The authors consider the problem of optimizing join query processing in a database distributed over a bus type local area network which uses the carrier sense multiple access/collision detection (CSMA/CD) access protocol. Some new algorithms are proposed which use a compatible access protocol, movable slot time division multiplexing (MSTDM), to achieve improved performance over existing algorithms. Analysis of example cases shows the improved performance potential for MSTDM. It is concluded that the proposed algorithms explicitly account for packetization and other costs unaccounted for in existing algorithms. If the overhead of CSMA/CD and MSTDM algorithms is comparable, MSTDM's performance characteristics translate directly into improved distributed join processing. >
Towards global storage management and data placement

As users and companies increasingly depend on shared, networked information services, we continue to see growth in data centers and service providers. This happens as services and servers are consolidated (for ease of management and reduced duplication), while also being distributed (for fault tolerance and to accommodate the global reach of customers). Since access to data is the lifeblood of any organization, a global storage system is a core element in such an infrastructure. Based on success in automatically managing local storage, we believe that the key attribute of such a system is the ability to flexibly adapt to a variety of application semantics and requirements as they arise and as they change over time. Our work has shown that it is possible to automatically design and configure a storage system of one or more disk arrays to meet a set of application requirements and to dynamically reconfigure as needs change, all without human intervention. Work on global data placement expands the scope of this system to a world of distributed data centers.
Chapter Two – Physiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Nutrition in Honey Bees

Abstract Nutrition is one of the most influential environmental factors for development, function, and survival of all organisms. One of the central and most intriguing questions in social insect research is how nutrition and the environment can program the development of different reproductive castes. Since the honey bee, Apis mellifera , genome was sequenced in 2006, tremendous knowledge has been gained on how genomic biology and molecular mechanisms respond to nutrition. This review integrates insights gained from past and recent research on honey bee physiology, behaviour, developmental biology, genetics, and molecular biology. A wide range of topics are covered from nutrients and digestive enzymes, to molecular physiological signalling pathways, to feeding behaviour and nourishment, and to epigenetic mechanisms programming larval and adult development. Caste determination is the focus in larval development, and behavioural transition of adult workers is the focus in adult nutrition. A deeper understanding of social insects and their nutritional regulation at the genomic level is still needed. It is recommended that future work focus on dissecting the network and signalling pathways between epigenetic marks and endocrinological factors using the honey bee as an excellent model system.
Conceptual Design and Analysis of Rail Car Unloading Area

Faced with growing demand at their Alexandria, Louisiana laundry detergent plant, Procter & Gamble asked a design team from the University of Texas to undertake a study of the raw materials unloading area. This chapter reports on the results of that effort and presents the accompanying mathematical model developed to help analyze the material flows. In the first part of the study the design team established daily requirements for the number of raw material rail cars unloaded per day. The related combinatorial optimization problem of assigning rail cars to positions on the platform and unloading equipment to rail cars, was modeled as a mixed integer nonlinear program. The inability of two standard commercial codes to find optimal solutions led to the development of a greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP). Accounting for the operational and physical limitations of the system, the GRASP was used to determine the maximum performance that could be achieved under normal conditions. The second part of the study called for the conceptualization of alternative designs for meeting an expected 14% increase in demand over the next few years. The analytic hierarchy process in conjunction with a standard scoring model was used to rank the evaluation criteria and to select the most preferred alternative. A worst case analysis of the top candidate confirmed its performance capabilities.
Selective area growth of germanium and germanium/silicon-germanium quantum wells in silicon waveguides for on-chip optical interconnect applications

We propose a robust fabrication process for growing Ge and Ge-based heterostructures in growth windows with Si sidewalls which can be applied to growth in thick Si optical waveguides. Sidewall growth is eliminated by the presence of a dielectric spacer layer which covers the sidewalls. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this process by selective-area growth of Ge and Ge/SiGe quantum wells, and show an improved performance and increased process reliability over previous work.
The fine structure of perinotochordal microfibrils in control and enzyme-treated chick embryos.

Microfibrils in the notochordal sheath of chick embryos of two to four days incubation age were analyzed electron microscopically. Collagenase, trypsin, hyaluronidase and alpha amylase were administered to both “living” and “fixed” embryos. Living embryos were either explanted on an agar-albumen growth medium or were allowed to survive within the shell during experimental procedures. Fixed embryos were immersed in Karnovsky's aldehyde fixative prior to enzyme digestion. Both living and fixed specimens yielded similar results. Control embryos possessed microfibrils of ca. 200 A, ca. 100 A and less than 100 A in diameter in the notochordal sheath. The smaller fibrils (100 A and less) were present in all regions of the sheath, but were especially concentrated near the notochordal boundary (basement) membrane. The larger fibrils (200 A) were farther removed from the notochord. Flaky amorphous material was attached to all fibrils and was abundant especially in the inner region of the sheath. Collagenase produced elimination of the 200 A microfibrils, but the smaller ones remained intact. Trypsin caused digestion of all fibrils. Hyaluronidase digested fibrils chiefly 100 A and less in diameter. Alpha amylase was similar to hyaluronidase in digesting the small fibrils. This study supports the hypothesis that microfibrils are primarily mucopolysaccharide-protein precursors of larger collagen-rich fibrils.