cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) Population Dynamics in Soybeans as Influenced by Planting Date, Maturity Group, and Insecticide Use

Since its unintentional introduction during 2009, Megacopta cribraria (F.) has spread rapidly throughout the southeastern United States, mainly feeding and reproducing on kudzu, Pueraria montana Loureiro (Merr.) variety lobata (Willdenow), and soybeans, Glycine max (L.) Merr. Megacopta cribraria has become a serious economic pest in soybeans, forcing growers to rely solely on insecticide applications to control this insect. The main objective of this study was to investigate if variation in planting date and maturity group of soybeans had an impact on management of M. cribraria populations. Three experimental fields were located in North Carolina (2) and South Carolina (1), and the tests replicated during 2012 and 2013. Treatments consisted of three planting dates, four maturity groups, and insecticide treated versus untreated, at each location. More M. cribraria were found in untreated early planted soybeans than late planted soybeans. Generally, maturity group did not influence population densities of M. cribraria. Yield was significantly influenced by the interaction between planting date and maturity group. There was a negative linear relationship between M. cribraria populations and soybean yield. Although early planted soybeans may avoid drought conditions and potentially large populations of defoliators, these fields may be at greater risk for infestation by M. cribraria.
Calculations of Complex Phase Equilibrium by Semigrand Canonical Ensemble

The recently developed method of semigrand canonical (sGC) ensemble (Tang, Y. J. Chem. Phys. 2012, 136, 034505) was employed to calculate phase equilibria for binary mixtures. The calculations cover vapor–liquid equilibria (VLE), liquid–liquid equilibria (LLE), solid–liquid equilibria (SLE), and solid–solid equilibria (SSE). The thermodynamic models in this study include cubic and noncubic equations of state, the activity coefficient model, and the alloy-based model. On the basis of extensive calculations and comparisons with classical methods, we conclude that the sGC method is universal for calculating complex phase equilibria. In particular, it is very robust in cases of multiple vdW loops with and without intersections, which are often difficult and require special treatments for classical methods. The phase stability characteristics of the sGC method are also addressed.
The effect of sex and age on the comorbidity burden of OSA: an observational analysis from a large nationwide US health claims database.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a highly prevalent condition but studies exploring the burden of OSA-associated comorbidities have been limited by small sample sizes with underrepresentation of women.We queried the Truven Health MarketScan Research Databases 2003-2012, which is a collection of health insurance claims for working adults and retirees with employer-sponsored health insurance. Adults with a diagnostic code for OSA with at least 12 months of follow-up from the index date of OSA diagnosis were compared to a matched random sample. Comorbidities were assessed using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, codes. A logistic regression model was constructed to test the independent association between OSA and comorbidities.Our cohort included 1,704,905 patients with OSA and 1,704,417 matched controls. All comorbidities were significantly more prevalent in OSA patients. Type 2 diabetes and ischaemic heart disease were more prevalent in men but hypertension and depression were more prevalent in women with OSA. In contrast, the sex differences in the prevalence of congestive heart failure, arrhythmias and stroke were less pronounced. The prevalence of comorbidities increased with age but the effect of age varied based on the specific comorbidity. The divergence between OSA and controls was more pronounced after the sixth decade of life for most cardiovascular diseases (i.e.heart failure, ischaemic heart disease, stroke and arrhythmias), while depression exhibited an opposite trend. In a fully adjusted model, the odds of all comorbidities were significantly increased in OSA patients.In a large, nationally representative sample of working and retired people, OSA is strongly associated with significant comorbidities in both men and women with unique sex differences emerging.
Murine A type retroviruses promote high levels of gene expression in embryonal carcinoma cells

The expression of Intracisternal A Particle (IAP) genes in the mouse embryonal carcinoma cell line PCC3 was investigated by cDNA cloning and transient gene expression assays. A group of 26 IAP cDNA clones, products of transcriptionally active IAP proviruses, were selected from a cDNA library made from undifferentiated PCC3 cell RNA. Several of these clones were characterized by restriction enzyme mapping and DNA sequence analysis. The DNA sequence in both the promoter and structural regions of two cDNAs closely resembles those of IAP genomic clones. Three new sequence elements were identified within the U3 region, an Sp1 transcription-factor-binding site, an adenovirus E1a enhancer sequence and a region of homology to a promoter element of adenovirus E4 gene. Hybrid constructs were made that place the U3/R region of the IAP cDNAs immediately 5′ to the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene. IAP-CAT constructs were transfected into PCC3 cells, and cell extracts prepared and analysed for CAT enzyme activity and CAT RNA levels. IAP-CAT transfected cells were shown to contain substantial levels of CAT enzyme activity and to accumulate much greater levels of CAT RNA than two standard promoters, pRSVcat and pSV2cat. The ability of these A type retroviral promoters to function in PCC3 cells is in direct contrast to the near total restriction of normal C type retroviral expression in EC cells.
Writing Women’s Capacities in Cape Town’s Urban Gardens: Gendered Survival Practices and Transnational Feminist Literacies

In the previous chapter, I talked about a contingent rhetorical effort to write uncertain fragments and textual silences to see what approach could provide meaning. In the context of a violent, moving archive of human-interest stories, I undertook a rhetorical and political effort to look for ghosts in compromised, melodramatic texts. In previous chapters, I have focused on bits of discourse that can point to an event, a person, a social figure, or a textual sign that suggests that something is happening that is excessively represented. I have used materialist, rhetorical analysis to point to bits and pieces of discourse that have flown under the radar as part of normal, everyday life as a means of disrupting neoliberal values. This rhetorical effort involves attending to “what is missing but overwhelmingly present” outside of the affective narratives that seek to orient our lives toward neoliberal values (Gordon 1997, 112). I have argued that such rhetorical efforts point to the work of value differentiation—when a person, a social figure, or a textual sign disappears from representation because it does not produce affective value that can be circulated to shore up consensus for neoliberalism. Those who are outside of affective value are abandoned to violence, decay, and death. In chapters two and three, I argued that analyzing fragments of discourse that exceed affective value can open up literacies of neoliberal value production.
On superfluidity of asymmetric mixture of fermions: How two wrongs make a right

Abstract The existence and stability of the superfluid state in a mixture of two fermion species with different masses and chemical potentials is investigated with respect to the asymmetry between the species. It is found that the mass asymmetry between the two types of particles can be effectively compensated by the asymmetry in their chemical potentials, this way increasing the range of the parameters, which allow the superfluid state.
Exploring the potential for and promise of incorporating distributive and procedural justices into post-secondary assessment of student learning

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the potential of incorporating constructs of distributive justice and procedural justice into summative assessment of student learning in higher education. I systematically compare the process used by managers to evaluate employee performance in organizations – performance appraisal (PA) – with processes used by professors to assess student learning in academe. These procedures are remarkably similar in terms of objectives to facilitate and measure performance/learning, criteria for defining desired performance/learning, the procedures used by raters to evaluate performance/learning, and the procedure used by employees and students to assess fairness of their PA/grades. I then summarize empirical research regarding distributive justice (DJ) and procedural justice (PJ) in organizations. Finally, I posit how positive attitudes and behaviors associated with DJ and PJ in organizations might transfer to benefit students, professors, administrators, and universities in academe.
Self Adjoint Operator Korovkin and Polynomial Direct Approximations with Rates

Here we present self adjoint operator Korovkin type theorems, via self adjoint operator Shisha-Mond type inequalities, also we give self adjoint operator polynomial approximations. This is a quantitative treatment to determine the degree of self adjoint operator uniform approximation with rates, of sequences of self adjoint operator positive linear operators. The same kind of work is performed over important operator polynomial sequences. Our approach is direct based on Gelfand isometry. It follows [1].
Authoring plug-in tutor agents by demonstration: Rapid, rapid tutor development

We combined two existing methods for rapid tutor development: “plug-in tutor agents” [6] and an authoring tool suite (CTAT) that supports the creation of tutors “by demonstration” [2]. The combined approach, which has not been tried before, is suited for adding tutoring capabilities to an existing problem-solving environment, for example an off-the-shelf simulator. Connecting the components (i.e., the simulator and CTAT) requires programming but once that is done, “Pseudo Tutors” are created “by demonstration. Following this approach, we created plug-in Pseudo Tutor agents for a thermodynamics simulator, CyclePad [1], which were tried out in a classroom experiment involving 92 college students. The experiment demonstrates that the Pseudo Tutor technology is viable in a complex domain and that Ritter and Koedinger's protocol for the tool-tutor communication is suited for use in an authoring environment.
Weighted bounds for variational Walsh-Fourier series

For 1<p<∞ and a weight w∈Ap and a function in Lp([0,1],w) we show that variational sums with sufficiently large exponents of its Walsh–Fourier series are bounded in Lp(w). This strengthens a result of Hunt–Young and is a weighted extension of a variation norm Carleson theorem of Oberlin–Seeger–Tao–Thiele–Wright. The proof uses phase plane analysis and a weighted extension of a variational inequality of Lepingle.
Neural Semantic Personalized Ranking for item cold-start recommendation

Recommender systems help users deal with information overload and enjoy a personalized experience on the Web. One of the main challenges in these systems is the item cold-start problem which is very common in practice since modern online platforms have thousands of new items published every day. Furthermore, in many real-world scenarios, the item recommendation tasks are based on users' implicit preference feedback such as whether a user has interacted with an item. To address the above challenges, we propose a probabilistic modeling approach called Neural Semantic Personalized Ranking (NSPR) to unify the strengths of deep neural network and pairwise learning. Specifically, NSPR tightly couples a latent factor model with a deep neural network to learn a robust feature representation from both implicit feedback and item content, consequently allowing our model to generalize to unseen items. We demonstrate NSPR's versatility to integrate various pairwise probability functions and propose two variants based on the Logistic and Probit functions. We conduct a comprehensive set of experiments on two real-world public datasets and demonstrate that NSPR significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art baselines.
Physicists, don't go by the book

Physics is the foundation of all of our knowledge of the physical world, yet relatively few people practise it professionally. As a result, most of the students that we are asked to teach are not going to become physicists. This raises two difficult questions. First, what aspects of physics should we teach to people who are not going to become professional physicists? And second, how should we teach it? While there is not much doubt about how to train a physicist, there is a lot of uncertainty about how and what to teach non-physicists. I expect that most experienced physics teachers will agree that, with some exceptions, we do not do a very good job of this.
Condition monitoring of power components in electric grid using electromagnetic stray fields

Monitoring and fault detection of the power components in power grid through radiated fields are proposed in this paper. The frequency response of electromagnetic radiated fields from the components was measured through low-frequency antennas and signal analyzer. Proper algorithms are developed for the identification of the components as well as the detection of faults and failures. These algorithms are designed based on the active performance of the components including induction, DC and synchronous machines as well as power converters. More than 150 tests of various combinations of the components and their conditions were implemented to fulfill this identification. The results show that the proposed technique demonstrates reliable monitoring of the components. Since there is no need to dismantle the components to detect the faults in this method, it can be considered as nonintrusive for industry. Moreover, this method can be used for applications in which it may be impossible to access the parameters of the components for online monitoring.
Concentration of rare earth minerals from coal by froth flotation

Rare earth elements (REEs) found in coal are in the form of minerals, ion-adsorbed onto clay surfaces or inner layers, or organically bound. Rare earth minerals such as monazite exist in coal and have grain sizes smaller than 5 µm. In this study, froth flotation was successful in concentrating rare earth minerals existing in a thickener underflow material derived from Fire Clay seam coal that contained around 431 ppm of total rare earth elements (TREE) on a dry ash basis. Conditioning with fatty acid followed by processing using multiple stages of conventional flotation produced a final concentrate containing 2,300 ppm TREE. Using a laboratory flotation column to limit hydraulic entrainment, the TREE content was further enriched to around 4,700 ppm, which equated to an enrichment ratio of 10:1..
Impulses Toward a Telepathic Reading of Clarice Lispector’s The Stations of the Body and “The Beak of A Bird” by Amina Cain

Reading Clarice Lispector’s The Stations of the Body alongside “The Beak of a Bird” by Amina Cain, Carmody draws on Nicholas Royle’s notion of telepathy to mark a way that critical readings might allow for a rational irrationality and produce a definitively nonreligious way of discussing fiction’s ability to communicate unspoken thoughts, feelings, or perceptions. According to Carmody, a telepathic reading of Cain through Lispector assures the uncanny and produces an affective method for thinking through and into the social and political realities held within the text. The traditional abstract included here is merely a content teaser and, we hope, reads ironically against the innovative critical work that follows. If you wish to read more about the process by which this author undertook writing this essay, as well as the critical stakes of its production, please see the introduction to the volume as well as the accompanying anti-abstract at the close of the chapter.
Hydrodynamic and Hydromagnetic Phenomena in the Deep Solar Interior

It is a matter of taste to decide where the ‘deep’ solar interior begins. For definiteness let us take the boundary to be that radius where, moving inward from the surface, the radiative temperature gradient $$\nabla r \equiv {\left( {\frac{{dlnT}}{{dlnP}}} \right)_{rad}} = \begin{array}{*{20}{c}} 1 \\ 4 \end{array}\left( {\frac{{K\mathcal{F}}}{{cg}}} \right)\left( {\frac{P}{{\frac{1}{3}a{T^4}}}} \right)$$ (1) first becomes less than the adiabatic gradient $$\nabla ad \equiv {\left( {\frac{{d\ln T}}{{d\ln P}}} \right)_s} = \frac{{{\Gamma _2} - 1}}{{{\Gamma _2}}}$$ (2) so that a radiatively stable solution with no fluid motions becomes at least theoretically possible. Whether, or to what extent, the actual fluid state is described by this static picture is precisely the issue to be addressed in this chapter. [In Equations (1) and (2), the symbols T, P, k, ℱ, c, g, s, and Г2 have their usual meanings: temperature, total pressure, opacity, flux (energy per area per time), velocity of light, local gravitational acceleration, specific entropy, and adiabatic exponent of the second kind, respectively (see, e.g., Cox and Giuli, 1968, Ch. 13).]
How to Build PIC-MCC Models for Hall Microthrusters

This paper gives instructions on how to build a 3-D particle-based model of a Hall microthruster. Due to nonequilibrium character induced by low electron thermalization and isotropization rates, presence of different microinstabilities and strong plasma-surface interaction, a multidimensional and kinetic description is necessary. The different modules characterizing the particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision cycle are described presenting the last algorithms developed. The model is applied to the study of an SPT20 configuration. Results confirm the importance of a 3-D structure of the discharge with self-organized azimuthal structures. Important deviations from Maxwellian behavior have been detected.
The inconsistent past and uncertain future of human rights education in the United States

This article examines how the U.S. government’s stance on human rights and human rights education has shifted from leading the creation of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights through the United Nations Human Rights Commission, with Eleanor Roosevelt as chair of the Commission, to one in which human rights education has only a minimal presence in the U.S. schooling system. It explores the trajectory of human rights education’s inclusion in curriculum standards, drawing comparisons with other countries. Based on interviews with 32 members of the national volunteer network, Human Rights Educators USA, some of whom have been working in the human rights education field since the 1980s, the article addresses barriers to implementing human rights education in the present day and how they might be overcome.
Is there an auditory detection “pop-out” for moving tones in the presence of static noise maskers?

Stationary visual targets often become far more salient when they move against an otherwise static background—the so-called “pop out” effect. In the second of two experiments, we tested for a similar pop-out effect in the auditory domain. Tone-in-noise detection thresholds were measured using a 2-down 1-up adaptive procedure under conditions where the target was stationary or moved via amplitude-panning. Target frequencies of 500 Hz and 4 kHz were tested. Maskers (2–4, depending on the condition) were independent Gaussian noises filtered to have equal energy per octave. All target and masker stimuli were 500-ms duration. Listener performance was compared between conditions where target and maskers were co-located or positioned separately for conditions when the target word was amplitude-panned across the loudspeaker array and in others when the target remained stationary. Results will be presented and discussed.Stationary visual targets often become far more salient when they move against an otherwise static background—the so-called “pop out” effect. In the second of two experiments, we tested for a similar pop-out effect in the auditory domain. Tone-in-noise detection thresholds were measured using a 2-down 1-up adaptive procedure under conditions where the target was stationary or moved via amplitude-panning. Target frequencies of 500 Hz and 4 kHz were tested. Maskers (2–4, depending on the condition) were independent Gaussian noises filtered to have equal energy per octave. All target and masker stimuli were 500-ms duration. Listener performance was compared between conditions where target and maskers were co-located or positioned separately for conditions when the target word was amplitude-panned across the loudspeaker array and in others when the target remained stationary. Results will be presented and discussed.
The Effect of 6-Mercaptopurine on the Duration of Steroid-induced Remissions in Acute Leukemia: A Model for Evaluation of Other Potentially Useful Therapy

The effect of 6-MP therapy on the duration of remissions induced by adrenal corticosteroids has been studied as a model for testing of new agents. Ninetytwo patients under age 20 entered the study and were accepted for analysis. Sixty-two (67 per cent) had complete or partial remissions induced by corticosteroids. Patients in remission were randomly assigned to maintenance therapy with either 6-MP or placebo. The median duration of 6-MP-maintained complete remissions was 33 weeks and for placebo, 9 weeks. A sequential experimental design was used to analyze remission times while the study was in progress. This resulted in the study being stopped after analysis of the remission times of 21 pairs of patients (42 patients). Overall survival was not significantly different for the two treatment programs, since patients maintained on placebo were treated with 6-MP when relapse occurred. The activity of the known active antileukemic compound 6-MP was readily detected by this experimental design without compromise of optimal survival. Such a design should prove useful for the evaluation of new agents and also permit study of the remission maintenance activity of a compound separately from its remission inducing activity.
Mechanisms of Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Disease

The important role of cytochrome P450 metabolism to N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine in the centrilobular hepatic necrosis produced by acetaminophen is well described. This metabolite reacts with glutathione, leading to its depletion, and covalently binds to cysteine residues in proteins. This metabolic phase is followed by a toxicity phase that occurs with increased oxidant stress, activation of signal transduction enzymes, mitochondrial permeability transition, and translocation of endonucleases from the mitochondria to the nucleus. Peroxynitrite has been implicated in the oxidant stress. JNK/MAPK8 activation with translocation to mitochondria is believed to be a key intermediate in signal transduction. In addition, endonuclease G causes nuclear DNA fragmentation. Coupled with these events is the induction of cytokines and chemokines with recruitment of phagocytic cells. Also, Nrf2 is activated and HIF1-α is induced, which result in increased transcription of antioxidant defense enzymes and enzymes important in survival and repair, respectively.
A fluorescence-quenching assay for measuring permeability of reconstituted lens MIP26.

A sensitive fluorometric assay for measuring permeability of liposomes containing bovine lens MIP26 has been developed and characterized. Lens membrane proteins were isolated and incorporated into artificial membranes composed of bovine brain phospholipids, sphingomyelin and the fluorescent probe, N-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-l,3 diazole phosphatidylethanolamine (NBD-PE). Quenching of the probe with cobalt chloride allowed the measurement of liposome permeability in the presence and absence of lens membrane proteins. Liposomes containing the putative gap junctional polypeptide known as Major Intrinsic Protein 26 (MIP26) were shown to be more permeable than those not containing the MIP26 protein. Permeability was shown to be positively correlated with the amount of MIP26 in the liposomes and with increasing purity of the protein. This method offers a sensitive assay for channel function of the putative junction protein, and provides further evidence that MIP26 from lens membranes is a gap junctional polypeptide. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 30:961-966,1989 The class of intercellular junctions known as gap junctions is thought to be involved in many aspects of intercellular communication. 1 These include regulation of ion and small molecule flux, modulation of developmental processes, and regulation of growth control. 2 " 5 The lens fiber cell gap junction, which is found only in lens tissue 6 and is strongly conserved among many species of vertebrates, 7
Pitfalls of pediatric heart transplants

A recent PBS documentary portrayed the first scenario shown below of a heart transplant on an infant, while I recommend the second scenario.
Biomechanical Testing of a 3D-printed L5 Vertebral Body Model.

Background We examined the biomechanical performance of a three-dimensional (3D)-printed vertebra on pedicle screw insertional torque (IT), axial pullout (APO), and stiffness (ST) testing. Materials and methods Seventy-three anatomically identical L5 vertebral body models (146 pedicles) were printed and tested for IT, APO, and ST using single-threaded pedicle screws of equivalent diameter (6.5 mm), length (40.0 mm), and thread pitch (2.6 mm). Print properties (material, cortical thickness [number of shells], cancellous density [in-fill], in-fill pattern, print orientation) varied among models. One-way analysis of variance was performed to evaluate the effects of variables on outcomes. Results The type of material significantly affected IT, APO, and ST (P < 0.001, all comparisons). For acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) models, in-fill density (25-35%) had a positive linear association with APO (P = 0.002), ST (P = 0.008), and IT (P = 0.10); similarly for the polylactic acid (PLA) models, APO (P = 0.001), IT (P < 0.001), and ST (P = 0.14). For the nylon material type, in-fill density did not affect any tested parameter. For a given in-fill density, material, and print orientation, the in-fill pattern significantly affected IT (P = 0.002) and APO (P = 0.03) but not ST (P = 0.23). Print orientation also significantly affected IT (P < 0.001), APO (P < 0.001), and ST (P = 0.002). Conclusions 3D-printed vertebral body models with specific print parameters can be designed to perform analogously to human bone on pedicle screw tests of IT, APO, and ST. Altering the material, in-fill density, in-fill pattern, and print orientation of synthetic vertebral body models could reliably produce a model that mimics bone of a specific bone mineral density.
A novel phospholipid in irreversibly sickled cells: evidence for in vivo peroxidative membrane damage in sickle cell disease

In individuals with sickle cell disease, a variable number of irreversibly sickled cells (ISC) is present that may contribute to the pathophysiology of sickle cell anemia. The present study was undertaken to determine the possible role of membrane lipid peroxidation in the genesis of ISC. After 24 hr of simple aerobic incubation, sickle cells accumulated 2-3 times more malonyldialdehyde (MDA), an end product of lipid peroxidation, than normal cells. To assess the possibility of peroxidative damage in ISC in vivo, ISC were separated from sickle blood using Stractan density gradients. Lipid extracts of the untreated ISC- enriched fraction of sickle blood showed significant fluorescence and contained a novel phospholipid:MDA adduct that was not seen in control cells. Taken together, these observations suggest that ISC have previously undergone lipid peroxidative damage and the accumulation of MDA in vivo.
The structure of the endogenous ESX-3 secretion system

The ESX (or Type VII) secretion systems are protein export systems in mycobacteria and many Gram-positive bacteria that mediate a broad range of functions including virulence, conjugation, and metabolic regulation. These systems translocate folded dimers of WXG100-superfamily protein substrates across the cytoplasmic membrane. We report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of an ESX-3 system, purified using an epitope tag inserted with recombineering into the chromosome of the model organism Mycobacterium smegmatis. The structure reveals a stacked architecture that extends above and below the inner membrane of the bacterium. The ESX-3 protomer complex is assembled from a single copy of the EccB3, EccC3, and EccE3 and two copies of the EccD3 protein. In the structure, the protomers form a stable dimer that is consistent with assembly into a larger oligomer. The ESX-3 structure provides a framework for further study of these important bacterial transporters.
Achieve data privacy and clustering accuracy simultaneously through quantized data recovery

This paper develops a data collection and processing framework that achieves individual users’ data privacy and the operator’s information accuracy simultaneously. Data privacy is enhanced by adding noise and applying quantization to the data before transmission, and the privacy of an individual user is measured by information-theoretic analysis. This paper develops a data recovery and clustering method for the operator to extract features from the privacy-preserving, partially corrupted, and partially observed measurements of a large number of users. To prevent cyber intruders from accessing the data of many users, it also develops a decentralized algorithm such that multiple data owners can collaboratively recover and cluster the data without sharing the raw measurements directly. The recovery accuracy is characterized analytically and showed to be close to the fundamental limit of any recovery method. The proposed algorithm is proved to converge to a critical point from any initial point. The method is evaluated on recorded Irish smart meter data and UMass smart microgrid data.
Negotiating the workplace: second-generation Asian American professionals’ early experiences

Research on Asian American educational attainment suggests that a combination of immigrant hyper-selectivity and ethnic capital enables second-generation Asian Americans to succeed according to a n...
A history of recurrent, low-severity fire without fire exclusion in southeastern pine savannas, USA

Abstract The reintroduction and maintenance of historical surface fire regimes are primary goals of ecological restoration across many open, pine-dominated ecosystems in North America. In the United States, most of these ecosystems experienced long periods of fire exclusion in the 20th century, leaving few locations to serve as reference sites for ecological conditions associated with a continuous history of recurrent, low-severity fire. Here, we present a tree-ring perspective of uninterrupted surface fire activity from three pine savanna sites in the Red Hills Region of northern Florida and southwestern Georgia, USA. Our sites include two old-growth stands of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris): the Wade Tract on Arcadia Plantation and the Larkin Tract on Millpond Plantation. We also sampled the largely second-growth mixed pine savannas of Tall Timbers Research Station. Documentary records for burning at these sites are limited to recent decades and are often incomplete, although regional land-use traditions and scattered historical records indicate frequent fire may have persisted through the 20th century to present day. Fire-scarred cross sections from externally-scarred stumps, dead trees, and live trees provided tree-ring evidence of frequent fires occurring from the beginning of our fire-scar record in the late 19th century onward. Both fire frequency and seasonality were relatively consistent throughout time and among sites. Biennial and annual fire intervals were the most common. Most fire scars occurred in the dormant and early-earlywood portions of the rings, indicating that these fires were human-set fires during the months of January to mid-April, before the main lightning-fire season. Our findings regarding post-settlement fire frequency are consistent with previous estimates of fire frequency during earlier centuries, resulting from lightning and Native American ignitions. We recommend that our sites be used as reference sites for restoration as they are among the relatively few areas in the United States with a continuous history of frequent low-severity fire without 20th century fire exclusion.
Abstract 13: Cholic Acid Supplementation Attenuates Hypertension In Spontaneously Hypertensive Stroke Prone Rats

Recent studies have demonstrated a causal role of gut dysbiosis in the development of hypertension in several animal models. However, our understanding of the mechanisms linking gut dysbiosis to bl...
THU0082 Induction of adjuvant arthritis in the male lewis rat: lipoidal amine exhibits an “all-or-nothing” threshold response distinct from the mycobacterial linear dose response

Background Marked polyarthritis can be induced in male Lewis rats by injection of either heat-killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis (H37Ra, Difco) in paraffin oil (AdA) or lipoidal amine in complete Freund’s adjuvant (LA/CFA). Objectives The present study examined whether or not the disease severity in these two models is related to the dose of the inciting agent. Methods Adjuvant arthritis was induced in male Lewis rats (190 to 240 g) by administration of M. tuberculosis (AdA; 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 or 40 mg/ml) or lipoidal amine (LA/CFA; 4, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200, or 400 mg/ml). The clinical evaluation included measurements of body weight and hind paw volume (by water plethysmography) on day 0 and then daily between days 8 to 16. At necropsy on day 16, inflammation (by histopathology) and bone integrity (bone mineral density [BMD] by DEXA; histopathology) were assessed in the tibiotarsal (hock) and femorotibial (knee) joints. Results Induction of AdA followed a typical dose-response curve for most parameters, including body weight, loss of BMD (hock and knee), inflammation (paw volume and histopathology), and bone erosion (histopathology). In contrast, LA/CFA exhibited an “all-or-nothing” response with a threshold for activity of 50 mg/ml. The severity of arthritis (measured both clinically and morphologically) was comparable at day 16 for AdA engendered by > 1.25 mg/ml of mycobacteria and LA/CFA induced by > 50 mg/ml. These data indicate that AdA and LA/CFA exhibit different dose-response patterns. Conclusion The practical implication of this finding is that AdA will be the better adjuvant arthritis model for investigating the biology and treatment of inflammatory joint disease over a range of lesion severities.
Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Anus and Rectum: Patient Characteristics and Treatment Options.

Abstract Introduction Anorectal neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) are uncommon malignancies with poor prognosis. Consensus guidelines exist for treating extrapulmonary NEC. However, limited data is available to guide treatment for anorectal NEC. In this study, we sought to review the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with NEC of the rectum and/or anus at Mayo Clinic. Patients and Methods This is a retrospective study of all patients with the diagnosis of NEC of the anus and/or rectum treated across Mayo Clinic sites since 2000. Baseline patient characteristics, tumor pathology, imaging profiles, treatment strategies utilized, and survival outcomes were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used with a significance level of P Results The study included a total of 38 patients with primary NEC of the anus and/or rectum. The median age at diagnosis was 55.5 years. The median follow-up was 18.8 months. Fifteen patients had locoregional disease (LRD) at diagnosis. The remaining 23 had metastatic disease. Overall survival was significantly shorter in patients with LRD compared with those with metastatic disease at diagnosis (18.1 vs. 13.8 months; P = .039). The majority (n = 11) of patients with LRD were treated with concurrent chemoradiation therapy, and 10 underwent surgical resection of the primary tumor. The majority (13/15) of patients with LRD progressed, with the majority (11/15) of progressions being distant. The median progression-free survival for patients with LRD was 5.7 months (1-year progression-free survival, 26.7%). Conclusion Anorectal NEC is an aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis requiring multidisciplinary discussion. In addition, the systemic nature of anorectal NEC with distant recurrences in LRD and poor outcomes in metastatic disease emphasizes the need to further develop better systemic treatment options that can potentially improve outcomes in NEC.
Design of multilayer-based diagnostics for measurement of high energy x rays and gamma rays

We investigate several possible multilayer-based optic designs for future hard x-ray and gamma ray diagnostics, including the detection and measurement of the positron annihilation radiation at 511 keV. The focus is set on increasing the photon efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio, compared to a previous multilayer-based system that was successfully employed to measure spectra in the 55 keV–100 keV range. Several possible designs using multilayer coatings are discussed, including mirror-based optics and multilayer Laue lenses.
COVID-19 Morbidity and Mortality in U.S. Meatpacking Counties.

In this paper, we investigate the extent to which the presence of a large meatpacking (i.e., beef, pork, and broiler chicken) plant has affected county-level COVID-19 transmission dynamics. We find that-within 150 days after emergence of COVID-19 in a given county-the presence of a large beef packing facility increases per capita infection rates by 110%, relative to comparable counties without meatpacking plants. Large pork and chicken processing facilities increase transmission rates by 160% and 20%, respectively. While the presence of this type of industrial agricultural facility is shown to exacerbate initial disease transmission affecting large numbers of individuals in the community, over time daily case rates converge such that rates observed in meatpacking- and non-meatpacking counties become similar. In aggregate, results suggest that 334 thousand COVID-19 infections are attributable to meatpacking plants in the U.S. with associated mortality and morbidity costs totaling more than $11.2 billion.
Single-Antenna AoA Estimation with UWB Radios

Ultra-wideband (UWB) is becoming a major localization technology enabler for the indoor environment. Traditional localization systems rely on time-of-arrival (ToA)-based methods such as two-way ranging (TWR) and time difference of arrival (TDoA). Such solutions cannot scale due to interference from multiple devices sharing the same part of the wireless spectrum. One solution is to use concurrent transmissions for a more efficient use of air time. Concurrency-based localization systems that utilize ToA cannot satisfy the accuracy requirements of many applications due to hardware time scheduling limitations. Angle of Arrival (AoA) is a promising solution that can provide scalability and accuracy when used in a concurrent transmission scheme. UWB radio platforms like Decawave DWM1002 with dual-UWB-chip design have made it possible to accurately measure AoA by calculating the phase difference of arrival (PDoA). State-of-the-art AoA estimation has then been extended to build self-localization systems with an unlimited number of tags and to handle multiple sources at the same time. These methods require tags with dual-chip design which adds cost and complexity. In this paper, we investigate the idea of estimating AoA on single-chip (single-antenna) tags receiving concurrent UWB signals from dual-chip anchors (intra-anchor concurrency). We call our system Single-Antenna AoA Estimation (SA-AoA). As opposed to inter-anchor concurrency, intra-anchor concurrency consists of receiving two concurrent packets from two different chips of the same anchor. By estimating AoA on single-chip tags, SA-AoA reduces the design complexity and the cost of tags by at least 50%. Our results suggest that the single-antenna AoA can achieve performance similar to dual-antenna AoA estimation.
3D tissue engineered plasma cultures support leukemic proliferation and induces drug resistance

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are hematological malignancies that remain incurable despite novel treatments. In order to impro...
Permutation Tests of Voting Machines in South Carolina's 2018 Gubernatorial Election Indicate Nothing Fishy

We apply methods previously used to detect voting irregularities in Georgia to data from South Carolina's 2018 gubernatorial election. This election had no reports of major irregularities. A null result on this election provides further evidence for the validity of permutation tests as a method to flag problematic elections.
The Bag Cell Neuroendocrine System of Aplysia

In the opisthobranch mollusc Aplysia one aspect of reproduction, egg-laying, is controlled by a neuropeptide hormone named egg-laying hormone (ELH). The primary structure of ELH from A. californica has been determined; it has 36 amino acid residues and the C-terminal lysine is amidated (Chiu et al. 1979). ELH is synthesized by the bag cell neurons, which are located in two clusters of about 400 neurons each at the anterior pole of the abdominal ganglion. There are at least three genes coding for ELH or ELH- like peptides in Aplysia (Scheller et al. 1983 b). Two of these genes are expressed in the atrial gland, an exocrine gland (Beard et al. 1982) at the end of the reproductive tract (large hermaphroditic duct) which leads to the external genital aperture. The function of these ELH-like peptides, called califms, in the atrial gland are not known, but it has been speculated that they may be pheromones to induce egg-laying in nearby Aplysia (Rothman et al. 1986). The third gene is expressed in the bag cells and codes for ELH. This chapter deals primarily with the bag cell system in Aplysia but some comparative information is included. In the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis the caudodorsal neurons synthesize an ELH and are located in the cerebral ganglion (Joosse and Geraerts 1983).
Chapter 9 Mechanisms of facilitated lipid transfer mediated by plasma lipid transfer proteins

Publisher Summary This chapter describes mechanisms of facilitated lipid transfer mediated by plasma lipid transfer proteins. It describes recent data on the purification of the plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP). The chapter also summarizes recent experiments showing that the plasma CETP can enhance lipid transfer from lipoproteins into certain cells. The composition of the plasma lipoproteins is continuously modified during their intravascular metabolism, as a result of a dynamic exchange and net transfer of lipids among particles. The incubation of human plasma results in a net transfer of triglycerides from very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) to low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL), with a reciprocal transfer of cholesteryl esters from HDL and LDL to VLDL. Proteins that facilitate the transfer and exchange of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides among the lipoproteins have been purified from human plasma. CETP is purified to homogeneity by exploiting its propensity to bind to synthetic lipid emulsions. The partially purified CETP (i.e., purified through the carboxymethylcellulose step) is incubated with a synthetic emulsion consisting of egg phosphatidylcholine, fatty acid, and triolein.
The ontic conception of scientific explanation

Wesley Salmon's version of the ontic conception of explanation is a main historical root of contemporary work on mechanistic explanation. This paper examines and critiques the philosophical merits of Salmon's version, and argues that his conception's most fundamental construct is either fundamentally obscure, or else reduces to a non-ontic conception of explanation. Either way, the ontic conception is a misconception.
Calculations of geometries of organic molecules using the CNDO/2 method—I

Abstract It is shown that calculations of CC and CH bond lengths in hydrocarbons using the CNDO/2 semi-empirical MO method exhibit systematic deviations from the observed values. An empirical correlation relating the observed and calculated bond lengths with the number of substituents attached to the bond may be devised. This correlation is capable of providing theoretical bond lengths within 0·008 A of the experimental for a wide range of simple acyclic molecules. Furthermore, calculations of molecular geometries for some strained cycloalkenes and also some larger molecules, e.g., naphthalene, biphenylene and azulene, are similarly found to be in good agreement with experiment.
Faults and their manifestation

The data in Section 3 indicates that system failures are predominantly transient in nature and follow a decreasing failure rate function (i.e., Weibull) rather than a constant failure rate function (i.e., exponential). System failures have diverse manifestations and diverse causes ranging from errors in design to component aging. A substantial gap remains between actual system failures and these system failure models. Perhaps as little as 50of the observed system faiures fall into one or more of the high-level fault models defined in Section 1. Much work remains to effectively bridge this gap.
Genetic stability of rotaviruses recovered from asymptomatic neonatal infections.

Abstract The sequence of the VP7 gene from 19 rotavirus strains recovered from asymptomatically infected newborn infants was determined by direct analysis of transcript RNAs synthesized from virus present in the stool. For five viruses the entire VP7 gene was sequenced, whereas in the remaining instances only a portion of the gene could be sequenced. In 19 specimens collected over a 4-year period, only five nucleotide substitutions were detected. None of them resulted in an amino acid substitution. Examination of a 306-nucleotide segment of gene 4 in 11 specimens yielded similar results. These results suggest that the mutation rate of rotaviruses in nature is lower than that of single-stranded RNA viruses such as poliovirus and influenza virus.
Heterogeneous CPU Services Using Differentiated Admission Control

We present an adaptive rate-controlled scheduler for heterogeneous applications running on general purpose computers. Our scheduler can effectively support diverse application requirements. It employs uniform rate-based sharing. Application heterogeneity is satisfied by partitioning CPU capacity into service classes, each with a different criterion for admission control. As a result, we are able to provide at once guaranteed performance, flexible allocation of rates with excellent scalability and intermediate service classes offering tradeoffs between reserved rate utilization and the strength of guarantees. Our scheduler has been implemented in Solaris 2.5.1. It runs existing applications without modifications. We present experimental results showing the scalability, efficiency, guaranteed performance, and overload performance aspects of our scheduler. We demonstrate the importance of priority inheritance implemented in our scheduler for stable system performance.