cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity analysis of the strain criterion for multidimensional scaling

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) is a collection of data analytic techniques for constructing configurations of points from dissimilarity information about interpoint distances. Classsical MDS assumes a fixed matrix of dissimilarities. However, in some applications, e.g., the problem of inferring 3-dimensional molecular structure from bounds on interatomic distances, the dissimilarities are free to vary, resulting in optimization problems with a spectral objective function. A perturbation analysis is used to compute first- and second-order directional derivatives of this function. The gradient and Hessian are then inferred as representers of the derivatives. This coordinate-free approach reveals the matrix structure of the objective and facilitates writing customized optimization software. Also analyzed is the spectrum of the Hessian of the objective.
T3: Secure, Scalable, Distributed Data Movement and Remote System Control for Enterprise Level Cyber Security

Enterprise level cyber security requires the deployment, operation, and monitoring of many sensors across geographically dispersed sites. Communicating with the sensors to gather data and control behavior is a challenging task when the number of sensors is rapidly growing. This paper describes the system requirements, design, and implementation of T3, the third generation of our transport software that performs this task. T3 relies on open source software and open Internet standards. Data is encoded in MIME format messages and transported via NNTP, which provides scalability. OpenSSL and public key cryptography are used to secure the data. Robustness and ease of development are increased by defining an internal cryptographic API, implemented by modules in C, Perl, and Python. We are currently using T3 in a production environment. It is freely available to download and use for other projects.
Early Metal in South India: Copper and Iron in Megalithic Contexts

In South India early metal artifacts, usually associated with megalithic sites, include both copper and iron. Although in some cases copper artifacts predate those made of iron, there is no evidence of an extensive metallurgical tradition based on copper and its alloys. Typological studies have had limited success in explaining the megalithic sites and the production and consumption of metal, while other approaches have not explicitly addressed the social contexts of metal production. While there emerge some suggestive patterns from the archaeometallurgical evidence to date, understanding the role of metal production and consumption in megalithic contexts means reevaluating traditional paradigms about the nature of these sites and about how metal technologies develop.
Composition, Structure, and Dynamics of a Mature, Unmanaged, Pine-Dominated Old-Field Stand in Southeastern Arkansas

Abstract This study describes the composition and structure of a mature, second-growth Pinus taeda (Loblolly Pine) and Pinus echinata (Shortleaf Pine)-dominated old-field stand. Now owned by the University of Arkansas, this 22.5-ha parcel just outside of the city of Monticello, AR, has been protected as a de facto natural area since the 1950s. Many of the overstory pines exceeded 75 cm in diameter at breast height (DBH) and some have reached 100 cm. Increment cores indicated that most of the pine overstory originated between 80 and 100 years ago, probably following agricultural abandonment. Pine recruitment occurred somewhat gradually until the canopy closed, after which tree species establishment became dominated by hardwoods. Of the nearly 6000 tree seedlings/saplings per hectare in the interior of this stand, just under 4% were pine—the under- and midstory were dominated by shade-tolerant hardwoods. No obvious evidence of past land-management practices remained, save the rare old stump or formerly open...
Distinct roles for Crk adaptor isoforms in actin reorganization induced by extracellular signals.

Crk family adaptors, consisting of Src homology 2 (SH2) and SH3 protein-binding domains, mediate assembly of protein complexes in signaling. CrkI, an alternately spliced form of Crk, lacks the regulatory phosphorylation site and C-terminal SH3 domain present in CrkII and CrkL. We used gene silencing combined with mutational analysis to probe the role of Crk adaptors in platelet-derived growth-factor receptor β (PDGFβR) signaling. We demonstrate that Crk adaptors are required for formation of focal adhesions, and for PDGF-stimulated remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton and cell migration. Crk-dependent signaling is crucial during the early stages of PDGFβR activation, whereas its termination by Abl family tyrosine kinases is important for turnover of focal adhesions and progression of dorsal-membrane ruffles. CrkII and CrkL preferentially activate the small GTPase Rac1, whereas variants lacking a functional C-terminal SH3 domain, including CrkI, preferentially activate Rap1. Thus, differences in the activity of Crk isoforms, including their effectors and their ability to be downregulated by phosphorylation, are important for coordinating dynamic changes in the actin cytoskeleton in response to extracellular signals.
Phenotype matching in wild parsnip and parsnip webworms: causes and consequences

According to the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution, selection intensity in interactions varies across a landscape, forming a selection mosaic; interaction traits match at coevolutionary hotspots where selection is reciprocal and mismatch at coldspots where reciprocity is not a factor. Chemical traits play an important role in the interaction between wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) and the parsnip webworm (Depressaria pastinacella). Furanocoumarins, produced as plant defenses, are detoxified by the webworms by cytochrome P450 monooxygenases; significant additive genetic variation exists for both furanocoumarin production in the plant and detoxification in the insect, making these traits available for selection. To test the hypothesis that differences in selection intensity affect the distribution of coevolutionary hotspots and coldspots in this interaction, we examined 20 populations of webworms and wild parsnips in Illinois and Wisconsin that varied in size, extent of infestation, proximity to woods (and potential vertebrate predators), and proximity to a chemically distinct alternate host plant, Heracleum lanatum (cow parsnip). Twelve of 20 populations displayed phenotype matching between plant defense and insect detoxification profiles. Of the eight mismatched populations, a logistic regression model related matching probability to two predictors: the presence of the alternate host and average content of xanthotoxin (one of the five furanocoumarins produced by P. sativa). The odds of mismatching were significantly increased by the presence of the alternate host (odds ratio = 15.4) and by increased xanthotoxin content (odds ratio = 6.053). Parsnips growing near cow parsnip displayed chemical phenotypes that were chemically intermediate between cow parsnip and parsnips growing in isolation. Rapid phenotype matching in this system is likely due in part to differential mortality every season; larvae transferred to a plant 30 m or more from the plant on which they developed tended to experience increased mortality over larvae transferred to another umbel on the same plant on which they had developed, and plant populations that mismatched in 2001 displayed a change in chemical phenotype distribution from the previous year. Trait mixing through gene flow is also a likely factor in determining mismatch frequency. Populations from which webworms were eradicated the previous year were all recolonized; in three of seven of these populations, infestation rates exceeded 90%. Our findings, consistent with the geographic mosaic theory, suggest that the presence of a chemically distinct alternate host plant can affect selection intensity in such a way as to reduce the likelihood of reciprocity in the coevolutionary interaction between wild parsnip and the parsnip webworm.
The Prospective Association of Youth Assets With Tobacco Use in Young Adulthood

Background: Youth assets protect adolescents from tobacco use, but their influence in young adulthood is unknown. Purpose: To determine the prospective influence of assets possessed in young adulthood with tobacco use the following year. Methods: Data from waves 4 and 5 from the Youth Asset Study (n = 450, ages 18-22 at wave 5) were used. Logistic regression was used to prospectively examine associations between 10 wave 4 assets with wave 5 tobacco use by gender. Results: Parental monitoring was significantly associated with wave 5 tobacco use in the youngest group of males (odds ratio [OR] = 10.00). The non-parental adult role model (OR = 2.57) and general self-confidence (OR = 2.41) assets were significantly associated with wave 5 tobacco use in females. Family communication (OR = 5.77) was significantly associated with wave 5 tobacco use for the oldest females, and positive peer role models (OR = 2.83) only for females in 2-parent homes. Discussion: Youth assets continue to positively influence health ...
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN THE DENTAL TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK CANCER.

Abstract The dentist's first obligation to cancer patients is an early diagnosis and prompt referral to a competent specialist. He should also understand the emotional impact of cancer, and be cautious in his statements to the patient. The physician should be aware of the capabilities and limitations of maxillofacial prosthesis, and be prepared to work closely with the dentist. This should include a pretreatment consultation to prepare diagnostic casts, immediate postsurgical prosthesis, or to perform necessary preradiation extractions of teeth. Early postsurgical prosthetic treatment will speed the patient's recovery and could prevent difficulty later. The dentist must maintain a positive attitude toward his patient and the success of his procedures, and to this end he should enlist the aid of responsible members of the patient's family. Continued treatment in the face of an unfavorable prognosis is essential. The dentist should use the same fee basis for a maxillofacial prosthesis that he applies to other prosthetic units. Some health insurance policies cover this service, but more assistance of this type is necessary.
Comparison of Dose Escalation to Lung Tumors via IMRT Approaches to Conventional Treatment Plans with or without Prophylactic Nodal Irradiation

Purpose/Objective: 1.To determine whether two different IMRT approaches delivered to a dose of 70Gy can be given with similar normal tissue toxicity as per conventional radiotherapy treatments with or without prophylactic nodal irradiation. 2. To determine the difference in monitor units, tumor and normal tissue doses when the best IMRT technique is calculated with and without lung heterogeneity corrections.
A Tutorial Overview of a Stabilization Algorithm for LimitedAngle TomographyThis work was supported in part by DARPA as administered by the AFOSR under contract AFOSR900292.

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Background and Definitions Limitations of the Singular Value Decomposition Mollification Methods The Algorithm Numerical Results Conclusion This chapter contains sections titled: Acknowledgments References
Abstract 3039: Temporal Trends in the Prevalence of Dermatoses in Patients with Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack in the United States

Background. We sought to determine the prevalence of skin conditions traditionally associated with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and transient ischemic attacks (TIA) in the U.S. Methods. This is a cross-sectional study of data derived from the National Inpatient Sample from 1988-2008. We searched for admissions of patients Results. Over the 20-year period, we identified 9,085,147 admissions that corresponded to a primary diagnosis of AIS and TIA of which 53,060 had a secondary diagnosis of dermatoses, for a total prevalence of 0.6%. The adjusted rate of AIS/TIA increased from 71/100,000 in 1988 to 200/100,000 in 2008. Among the secondary diagnosis, the most prevalent condition after AIS/TIA admissions was SLE (54%), psoriasis (34%), SCD (9%), BP (2%), DM (1%), PXE (0.5%), and BD (0.14%). The prevalence of these dermatoses increased from 0.2% in 1988 to 0.8% in 2008 (Figure 1). Conclusion. Despite an overall increase in the prevalence of dermatoses, these skin conditions remain a rare occurrence in AIS/TIA. The over-representation of traditional risk factors for AIS/TIA in patients with these dermatoses, may explain the observed epidemiological phenomenon.
The Gold Coast Development Programme

THE programme is the expression of the age-long will of the people: 1 the will to raise their standard of living-in health and housing; in food and water; in enlightenment and education; and to support this programme by improvements in agriculture and industry and trade. This will was strengthened with the birth of nationalism in the early nineteenth century and was a focal point in the aims of all important movements: the Fallti Confederation in the middle l9th century; the Gold Coast Aborigines Society in the late l9th century; the National Congress of British West Africa in the early 1920's, the Gold Coast Youth Conference in the 1930's; the United Gold Coast Convention and the Convention People's Party in the 1940's. This was the will of generations of peopIe extending over a century, expressed with such crystal clearness that when the opportunity came with the general elections in 1951, the Government was able at once to draw up a bold and ambitious programme for total development. Here was an opportunity which released the banked-up energies of the people to fulfil some of their dreams-not only of self-government, but of a fuller and better way of living. So vitally important was this step that the Prime Minister, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, created a Portfolio of Development and, for the last four years, has himself been responsible for Development until, a few months ago, he assigned this task to his second-in-command, the Minister of State, the Hon. Kojo Botsio. The programme itself is a formidable and impressive list of projects of almost every conceivable kindranging from water boreholes in the countiyside or rural areas to the development of a university college; from housing estates to free, universal primary education; from feeder roads to a new port and harbour. It plans for better rural and urball housing; free primary education, the development of a university college and technical institutes; the improvement of health with the expansion of medical services and a better scheme for the provision of food for the towns and water for the outlying villages. Communications are to be improved by telephones and underground cables; transport by the construction of new major roads and feeder roads, and the possibility of a railway to the Northern Territories is already envisaged. In agricultureJ the plan aims at modernising and diversifying crops; and, in industry, it aims at general expansion. The developments were to foreshadow a new age of progresof a golden
The Effect of Humidity on the Volatilization of Certain Insecticides

Reports on studies of humidity effects on residue life of insecticides are meager. Kalkat et al. (1961) pointed out fumigant action of some insecticides increased significantly under similar temperature conditions when their residues were tested at 80 ± 5% RH in comparison with similar residues tested at 55 ± 5% RH. Under high humidity there was a rapid change of insecticide into the vapor phase and in amounts high enough to account for fumigant effect. They showed also that loss of heptachlor epoxide residue was 2 times greater at the high humidity.
Seasonal and Habitat-Related Diets of Sloth Bears in Nepal

Most bears are opportunistic omnivores; their diets consist of fruits, other vegetative material, and in lesser amounts, mammals, fishes, and insects. Sloth bears ( Melursus ursinas ) are the only species of ursid specifically adapted to feed on insects, especially termites and ants, although they also feed on fruits when available. We studied diets of sloth bears in Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal, where fruits are available for ca. 4 months (May–August) and access to colonies of termites is reduced in lowlands that are flooded during the fruiting season. We analyzed feces and observed sloth bears foraging to investigate their responses to changes in availability of food. Diets of sloth bears were dominated by insects (>90%), especially termites (≥50%), from September through April, but they relied heavily on fruits from May through August. Seasonal movements between lowland and upland habitats seemed to be prompted mainly by availability of termites. Termites were more dominant in the diets of sloth bears in our study than in a study conducted 20 years ago in Royal Chitwan National Park and in studies in India. The dietary shift of sloth bears in Royal Chitwan National Park may have been related to changes in habitat conditions associated with relocation of people out of the Park. It appears that sloth bears, like other bears but unlike other myrmecophagous mammals, can adapt their diet to changing food conditions.
Identification of Virtual Battery Models for Flexible Loads

The increasing prevalence of technologies such as advanced metering and controls and continuously variable power electronic devices are enabling a radical shift in the way frequency regulation is performed in the bulk power system. This is a welcome development in light of the increase of unpredictable and variable generation. The idea of active participation of loads in frequency markets is not new, but the rapidly changing landscape of the power grid requires new techniques for successful integration of new types of resources; this paper works towards that end. Previously, it has been shown that residential HVAC systems can be aggregated and used to provide frequency regulation by utilizing their thermal energy capacity and flexibility of energy consumption. The virtual battery model—a first-order linear dynamical model—was analytically shown to be an accurate and simple model to capture the flexibility of residential HVAC systems. This paper presents a technique for creating the same battery-type models for many other types of systems, which can be much more complex. Our technique is based on stress testing detailed software models of physical systems. A realistic case study involving the terminal building of a small airport is presented as evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
A Study on the Improvement and Applications of PSO Algorithm

The article provides a new system for PSO algorithm,which makes it jump out the local optimum location at the greater probability,as it falls into the local optimum.In this case,this system can help PSO algorithm enter the other zones of solution space for keeping searching,which can improve the overall search capability of PSO algorithm greatly.
Development Stage and Its Patio-Temporal Evolution of Beef Cattle Industry in China

This paper uses the Gompertz model, the Gini coefficient and spatial econometric model, the stage of investigation and spatial development of beef cattle industry from the system of the national and provincial level. The results show that: The growth range of China's beef output is large, and it also shows an obvious stage characteristic, and a fluctuating upward trend. The beef industry showed significant spatial agglomeration and regional gradient transfer characteristics, distribution pattern has experienced"Pastoral"to"change process in pastoral areas", gradually formed the northeast, northwest and southwest Sichuan-Yunnan, and the Huanghuaihai Plain Area four big beef advantage areas.Cold region of beef cattle industry production are mainly distributed in the eastern coastal developed areas. The beef cattle industry in our country is still in the rapid growth stage of industry life cycle. Specifically, natural resource,agricultural technology and specialization can be seen as the mechanism of geographic concentration and spatial reconstruction of Beef Industry in China
Reconstruction of the Burned Hand

Several basic principles of burned hand care must be kept in mind at all times. Intervention should be early and aggressive, small splints should be placed within 24 hours, and early tangential excision of the burn should be done within 72 hours. Hemostasis should be absolutely meticulous prior to grafting. Depending upon the availability of donor site skin, full-thickness skin grafts, split-thickness grafts, or meshed split-thickness grafts (expanded or not expanded) are preferred. I have found the functional and cosmetic results to decrease with use in exactly the order stated. The skin graft should be placed with stent or bolster dressings and observed for "take" early. Light active range of motion is usually begun on the tenth postoperative day. Escharotomy or fasciotomy should be performed for any signs of ischemia. In order to control edema, one should be meticulous in the positioning of burned hands, emphasizing elevation, and early range of motion exercises. Pressure garments may be employed when the wound is stable and should continue for 6 to 12 months to control hypertrophic scar formation. Linear scars should not cross any hand joints; Z-plasties are employed over the web spaces. Whenever possible, flaps should be employed to preserve all web spaces and skin grafts used to cover the remainder of the hand. I am aggressive in releasing and reconstructing late deformities such as extension contractures of the wrist, the metacarpal hand, absence of the thumb, finger contractures, and burn syndactyly. These are listed in order of treatment priority. Only in this manner can the patient be returned to "normal life." Patient self-esteem will thus be increased markedly, as will quality of life. It is strongly urged that the surgeon be "captain of the team." The key person in this treatment regimen is the hand therapist, who uses appropriate splints, range of motion exercises, and desensitization programs. I encourage the use of multiple personnel on the "burn team." This may include psychotherapists and, in children, teachers with extraordinary qualities.
Diagnosis of Plant Viruses Using Double-Stranded RNA

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), an indicator for the presence of viruses in plants, can be isolated rapidly by simple methods from small tissue weights from multiple greenhouse and field collected samples using relatively simple laboratory equipment. The number, size, intensity and complexity of dsRNA detected by gel electrophoresis are distinctive and consistent for different virus groups and can aid in the diagnosis of a virus to group, member and even strain. Techniques for the isolation, detection, analysis and reagent use of dsRNAs from plants infected with various specific viruses and virus-like agents will be presented.
Gender Differences in Type 2 Diabetes Risk Perception, Attitude, and Protective Health Behaviors: A Study of Overweight and Obese College Students.

Background: Obesity prevalence among children and adolescents has dramatically increased in the past decade and has resulted in higher rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among adolescents. Purpose: To examine whether there are gender differences in T2DM risk perception, attitude toward T2DM protective behaviors, physical activity, and meeting the recommended fruit and vegetable daily intake among adolescents at risk for T2DM. Methods: Overweight and obese students were included in this study (n = 319). Linear regression analyses were used for all models. Analyses were carried out using SPSS (Ver 20.0). Gender differences in the regression models were considered statistically significant at P < .05. Results: Females showed significantly higher positive attitudes toward eating healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables (B = 9.089, β = 0.337, P = .000). Females were more likely to consume more cups of fruit and vegetables than males (B = 1.650, β = 0.118, P = .036) and more likely to use calorie info...
To sell or not to sell: Country food markets and Inuit identity in Nunavut

ABSTRACTProblems and opportunities associated with the sale of country food (subsistence-based food obtained through hunting, fishing, and gathering) provide a touchstone for ongoing debates about Inuit and non-Inuit identity in the Canadian Arctic, as well as how to respond to high rates of food insecurity and poverty that continue to affect many families and households in the region. Hunting, fishing, gathering, and sharing food are all considered typical of what Inuit do (or should do) but what non-Inuit typically don't do. In this article, I examine what Inuit think of selling country food and why. Based on long term anthropological research on the cultural politics of food and foodways in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, Canada, this article analyzes a range of perspectives concerning the sale of country food, revealing an array of symbols and stereotypes that undergird local beliefs about the cultural significance of country food and its link to the future of Inuit identity.
Repertoire of mesoscopic cortical activity is not reduced during anesthesia.

Abstract Consciousness has been linked to the repertoire of brain states at various spatiotemporal scales. Anesthesia is thought to modify consciousness by altering information integration in cortical and thalamocortical circuits. At a mesoscopic scale, neuronal populations in the cortex form synchronized ensembles whose characteristics are presumably state-dependent but this has not been rigorously tested. In this study, spontaneous neuronal activity was recorded with 64-contact microelectrode arrays in primary visual cortex of chronically instrumented, unrestrained rats under stepwise decreasing levels of desflurane anesthesia (8%, 6%, 4%, and 2% inhaled concentrations) and wakefulness (0% concentration). Negative phases of the local field potentials formed compact, spatially contiguous activity patterns (CAPs) that were not due to chance. The number of CAPs was 120% higher in wakefulness and deep anesthesia associated with burst-suppression than at intermediate levels of consciousness. The frequency distribution of CAP sizes followed a power–law with slope −1.5 in relatively deep anesthesia (8–6%) but deviated from that at the lighter levels. Temporal variance and entropy of CAP sizes were lowest in wakefulness (76% and 24% lower at 0% than at 8% desflurane, respectively) but changed little during recovery of consciousness. CAPs categorized by K-means clustering were conserved at all anesthesia levels and wakefulness, although their proportion changed in a state-dependent manner. These observations yield new knowledge about the dynamic landscape of ongoing population activity in sensory cortex at graded levels of anesthesia. The repertoire of population activity and self-organized criticality at the mesoscopic scale do not appear to contribute to anesthetic suppression of consciousness, which may instead depend on large-scale effects, more subtle dynamic properties, or changes outside of primary sensory cortex.
Proteolytically Coordinated Activation of Toxin-Antitoxin Modules

Chronic bacterial infections present a serious threat to the health of humans by decreasing life expectancy and quality. Resilience of these populations is closely linked to a small fraction of persister cells that are capable of surviving a wide range of environmental stressors that include starvation, DNA damage, heat shock, and antibiotics. In contrast to inherited resistance, persistence arises from a rare and reversible phenotypic change that protects the cell for one or a few generations. The frequency and character of persistence is controlled in part by the dynamics of numerous toxin-antitoxin (TA) modules, operons with an evolutionarily conserved motif including a toxin that slows cell growth and an antitoxin that can neutralize the toxin. While many such modules have been identified and studied in a wide range of organisms, relatively little consideration of the interactions between multiple TA modules within a single host has been made. Particularly, a multitude of different protein-based antitoxin species are known to be actively degraded by a limited number of shared proteolytic pathways, strongly suggesting interaction via competition between antitoxins for degradation machinery. Here we present a theoretical understanding of the dynamics of multiple TA modules whose activity is coupled through either proteolytic activity, a toxic effect on cell growth rate, or both. We also present a generalizable theoretical mechanism by which a toxic state is tunable by regulation of proteolysis. Such regulation or indirect coordination between multiple TA modules may be at the heart of the flexibility and robustness observed for bacterial persistence.
Efficient exact algorithms for LDD motif search

Motifs are crucial patterns that have numerous applications including the identification of transcription factors and their binding sites, composite regulatory patterns, similarity between families of proteins, etc. Several motif models have been proposed in the literature. The (1, d)-motif model is one of these that has been studied widely. In this model, there are n input sequences and each has a length of m. Input are also two integers I and d. The (I, d)-motif search (LDMS) problem is to identify all the strings (called (I, d)-motifs) of length 1 that occur in each of the sequences within a hamming distance of d. However, this requirement might be unnecessarily stringent. We interpret a motif as a biologically significant entity that is evolutionarily preserved (within some distance). It may be highly improbable that the motif undergoes the same number of changes in each of the species. If d is the maximum number of changes that have occurred in a motif, then it is very likely that the number of mutations in one or more of the species is (possibly much) less than d. To account for this possibility we introduce a new model of motif in this paper. This model is called the (l, d 1 , d 2 )-motif model and is defined as follows. Input are n sequences each of length m and three integers l, d 1 , and d 2 , where d2 1 . The (l, d 1 , d 2 )-motif search (LDDMS) problem is to identify all the strings M (called (l, d 1 , d 2 ) motifs) of length l each such that M occurs in all the input sequences within a hamming distance of d1 and it occurs in at least one of the input sequences within a hamming distance of d 2 . This model is more general than the (l, d)-motif model and hence is NP-hard as well.
Dark Tourism in an Increasingly Violent World

This chapter theoretically examines dark tourism in an increasingly violent world. While early conceptualizations of dark tourism guide us in examining the phenomena of exposure to death-related tourism, a more violent age in a post-9/11, post-Charlie Hebdo world forces us to come to terms with a more violent existence. Violent death and orchestrated mass murder, once largely sequestered for many in the West, are now ever more evident in our own personal spaces and communities. Indeed, ISIS and violent extremism, not necessarily a stranger to those in the perpetually war-torn Middle East, is now in the forefront of the minds of those in the UK, Continental Europe and North America. Moreover, entertainment and the media incorporate increasingly violent narratives, including an emphasis on gruesome experiences in dystopian worlds whereby there is an embracing focus on moral decay, personal responsibility, and atrocity images (Podoshen et al. 2014b; Sparrow 2014; Calia 2015). Resultantly, the study of death and its intersection with consumption has gained significant momentum in the literature (Dobscha et al., 2012; Dobscha, 2016; Levy, 2015; Podoshen 2016; Stone and Sharpley, 2013; Venkatesh et al., 2014).
Targeting protein biotinylation enhances tuberculosis chemotherapy

Successful drug treatment for tuberculosis (TB) depends on the unique contributions of its component drugs. Drug resistance poses a threat to the efficacy of individual drugs and the regimens to which they contribute. Biologically and chemically validated targets capable of replacing individual components of current TB chemotherapy are a major unmet need in TB drug development. We demonstrate that chemical inhibition of the bacterial biotin protein ligase (BPL) with the inhibitor Bio-AMS (5′-[N-(d-biotinoyl)sulfamoyl]amino-5′-deoxyadenosine) killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacterial pathogen causing TB. We also show that genetic silencing of BPL eliminated the pathogen efficiently from mice during acute and chronic infection with Mtb. Partial chemical inactivation of BPL increased the potency of two first-line drugs, rifampicin and ethambutol, and genetic interference with protein biotinylation accelerated clearance of Mtb from mouse lungs and spleens by rifampicin. These studies validate BPL as a potential drug target that could serve as an alternate frontline target in the development of new drugs against Mtb.
Epithelioid angiosarcoma: A rare cause of pericarditis and pleural effusion

Angiosarcomas are rare cancers accounting for less than 2% of all soft tissue sarcomas. We report the case of an unusual presentation of pleural epithelioid angiosarcoma in a patient with constrictive pericarditis and recurrent pleural effusion. A 62 year old smoker presented with acute chest pain. ECG showed diffuse elevation of ST segments in the precordial leads. After extensive evaluation, he was diagnosed with viral pericarditis and treated with colchicine. Two weeks later the patient presented to the emergency department with a large right pleural effusion. Evaluation of the pleural fluid obtained from a thoracentesis revealed an exudative effusion with negative microbial studies and no evidence of malignant cells. His pleural effusion re-accumulated rapidly, requiring repeated thoracenteses over several weeks. Medical thoracoscopy was performed and pleural biopsy revealed primary pleural epithelioid angiosarcoma. Staging PET scan revealed malignant enhancement of right pleura, pericardium, right iliac bone and right shoulder. He died suddenly within 6 weeks of diagnosis, prior to initiating palliative chemotherapy. Pleural angiosarcoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of recurrent pleural effusions of unknown etiology. Negative cytology does not rule out the diagnosis; excisional biopsy is required. Reported risk factors include asbestos exposure, prior chest radiation, active smoking and history of complicated pleural tuberculosis. Pleural epithelioid angiosarcomas carry a very poor prognosis, with the majority of patients dying within months of diagnosis.
GIS and Society

Geographic information systems (GIS) have emerged in the latter part of the twentieth century as an integrative information technology that includes database management, spatial analysis, and map display capabilities to portray geospatial relationships in map form. In the mid-1990s, researchers began questioning the overall intent of the technology and its seeming bias toward larger organizations, showing that its use privileged certain groups of people over other groups in society. Some would say that continued GIS development and use would lead to a further technological ‘colonization’ of everyday lives making people ‘objects’ of new governmental and commercial powers. Others worry about everybody being ‘geo-coded’, hence the term ‘geoslavery’ was coined. A debate about the ‘good’ side and the ‘evil’ side of GIS continues, but the issues become more nuanced than many of the simple early polarizations, particularly when these issues are more fully researched and deconstructed within multiple sectors of society. The term society is taken to mean a community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests, or more specifically an enduring and cooperating social group whose members have developed organized patterns of relationships through interaction with one another. Based on a review and synthesis of several documents about GIS and society research, seven themes appear to characterize past, present, and future research activity: (1) fundamentals of geographic information and society, (2) spatially integrated social science, (3) alternative representations of geographic information and society, (4) organizations and institutions, (5) ethical and legal issues, (6) group, public, participation, and community issues, and (7) GIS/society impacts and the social construction of GIS.
Hopewellian Geometry and Astronomy at High Bank

Eventuelle signification astronomique des formes geometriques realisees sur la terre dans l'Ohio entre les annees 0 et 500 ap. J. C.
Seeing, acting, and knowing

The target article proposes that visual experience arises when sensorimotor contingencies are exploited in perception. This novel analysis of visual experience fares no better than the other proposals that the article rightly dismisses, and for the same reasons. Extracting invariants may be needed for recognition, but it is neither necessary nor sufficient for having a visual experience. While the idea that vision involves the active extraction of sensorimotor invariants has merit, it does not replace the need for perceptual representations. Vision is not just for the immediate controlling of action; it is also for finding out about the world, from which inferences may be drawn and beliefs changed.
This Is Not a Fugazi Book: HarDCore Comes of Age

DC Punk comes of age and leaves home. Bands like Scream and Fugazi venture overseas and bring with them the music and DIY philosophy of their home scene, which resonates with a beleaguered generation of French punks. This exchange is about much more than music, as it carries undercurrents of radical political traditions from both cities.
Gold Nanoparticle Transforms Activated Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts to Quiescence

Activated cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a major role in the poor outcome in many diseases including pancreatic cancer. Normally quiescent with high lipid content and low proliferative capacity, CAFs receiving cues from cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment become activated and transformed into a lipid-deprived and highly proliferative myofibroblast type phenotype. Therefore, reversal of activated fibroblasts to the quiescence state is an important area of investigation that may help the therapeutic management of a number of diseases including pancreatic cancer. Here, we describe a unique biological function of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and demonstrate that GNPs may be used to transform activated CAFs to quiescence and provide insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms. Using immortalized and primary patient derived CAFs, we demonstrate that GNPs enhanced lipid content in the cells by inducing expression of lipogenesis genes such as FASN, SREBP2, and FABP3. Using pharmacological inhibitors of lipolysis, lipophagy, and fatty acid oxidation, we further demonstrate that CAFs utilized a GNP-induced endogenously synthesized lipid to maintain the quiescent phenotype. Consequently, treatment with GNP sensitizes CAF to FASN inhibitor or FASN siRNA. Hence, GNPs may be used as a tool to probe mechanisms of quiescence in CAFs and help device strategies to target the stromal compartment exploiting the mechanisms of lipid utilization.
Faculty Participation in Asynchronous Learning Networks: A Case Study of Motivating and Inhibiting Factors

This case presents and compares the top five motivating and inhibiting factors for faculty participation in Asynchronous Learning Networks (ANL) or distance education (DE) as reported by faculty participators and non-participators, and administrators. While faculty and administrators agreed strongly on what inhibits faculty from participating in ALN/DE programs, there were significantly different perceptions on what motivates faculty to participate across the three groups. For ALN/DE programs to succeed, faculty participation is imperative; therefore, program administrators need to understand why faculty participate.
Mapping chromatin modifications at the single cell level

Understanding chromatin regulation holds enormous promise for controlling gene regulation, predicting cellular identity, and developing diagnostics and cellular therapies. However, the dynamic nature of chromatin, together with cell-to-cell heterogeneity in its structure, limits our ability to extract its governing principles. Single cell mapping of chromatin modifications, in conjunction with expression measurements, could help overcome these limitations. Here, we review recent advances in single cell-based measurements of chromatin modifications, including optimization to reduce DNA loss, improved DNA sequencing, barcoding, and antibody engineering. We also highlight several applications of these techniques that have provided insights into cell-type classification, mapping modification co-occurrence and heterogeneity, and monitoring chromatin dynamics.
Surgical Management and Adjuvant Therapy for Patients With Neurological Deficits From Vertebral Hemangiomas: A Meta-Analysis.

Study design Meta-analysis. Objective To understand the benefits and limitations of surgical management and adjuvant therapies for patients presenting with neurological deficits from vertebral hemangiomas (VH). Summary of background data VH is the most common benign spine tumor but rarely causes symptoms. Patients with back pain alone are treated with conservative management (kyphoplasty and radiation therapy), while those with neurological deficits require complex multi-modal treatment plans. Methods A PubMed literature search for "symptomatic vertebral hemangioma with spinal cord compression" identified 47 articles. From these articles and their references, 19 observational studies on patients who underwent surgery for VH met inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses were performed comparing outcomes of the surgical and adjuvant therapies using Stata13 software. For those with insufficient data for meta-analyses, descriptive analyses of variables were completed. Results One hundred ninety seven surgical cases of VH with neurologic deficits were identified. Surgery provided a complete remission of symptoms in 84% of patients, however 18% of patients had recurrence of hemangioma. Adjuvant interventions included radiation, embolization, and kyphoplasty. Radiation therapy (XRT) was associated with a lower recurrence rate and an increase in minor transient adverse effects. Preoperative embolization performed in 98 patients was associated with improved symptoms, reduced complications, lower recurrence rate, less blood loss, and higher incidence of pathologic vertebral fractures. Meta-analyses did not yield statistically significant results, likely due to the heterogeneity amongst the studies and small sample sizes, but the results compiled together provide insight on potential benefits of preoperative embolization for symptomatic relief and reduced risk of recurrence with XRT that deserves further study. Conclusion For patients with neurologic deficits from spinal cord or nerve root compression, surgery provides improvement in symptoms. Recurrence of VH and symptoms refractory to surgery can be further reduced by adjuvant therapies such as embolization, kyphoplasty, and radiation with some unique risks to each therapy. Level of evidence 2.
Virtual Clusters in the Jetstream Cloud: A story of elasticized HPC

We discuss our work providing resources for batch computing via the Jetstream cloud, in the form of SLURM clusters. While these are mainly used by science gateways, there have been a few used in the more traditional commandline manner. The flexible nature of these has also lent itself well to educational work, and has provided the basis for a very successful series of tutorials and workshops. This paper discusses the technical evolution of the Virtual Cluster product, and gives an overview of the science enabled. We discuss the challenges in supporting an ecosystem of these virtual clusters, and in supporting research on cloud resources in general.
Clinical Laboratory Validation and Implementation of Quantitative, Real-Time PCR-based Monitoring of NPM1 Type A Mutation

ABSTRACT NPM1 is frequently mutated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and the mutations consist of a variety of small insertions; the most common NPM1 mutation (ie, Type A) accounts for approximately 80% of all NPM1 mutations. NPM1 mutations have been reported to have prognostic significance in AML and, more recently, monitoring mutant NPM1 levels during and after therapy has been described to predict relapse and survival. Despite the published relevance of this molecular biomarker, routine residual disease monitoring for mutant NPM1 levels has not been widely adopted in many academic clinical laboratories. In this manuscript, we present the validation and implementation of a quantitative, real-time PCR-based method for the monitoring of NPM1 Type A mutant transcripts, for use in routine practice in a clinical laboratory. We have found that this assay format is sensitive and reproducible. We describe the rigorous validation procedure and share observations that will help other clinical laboratories that may wish to implement this type of testing. We show comparison of the results from this assay to other assays and a representative case is provided which highlights the utility of the findings from this assay. Taken together, in the context of molecular testing for residual disease in AML, which is an area of practice that continues to expand, we have found that this method and protocol will serve as an appropriate option for monitoring NPM1 Type A mutation levels in clinical practice.
Neural mechanisms of impaired executive function in untreated colorectal cancer patients.

e24170Background: Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) affects 45% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients prior to treatment. This study aimed to explore the neural mechanisms of CRCI in this se...
Endotheliitis and endothelial dysfunction in patients with COVID-19: Its role in thrombosis and adverse outcomes

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2), emerging in Wuhan, China and developing into a pandemic with rapidly emerging cardiovascular manifestations [...].
SIGACT News Complexity Theory Column 106: Teaching Models, Computability, and Complexity in Time of COVID-19

As I write this in July 2020, I have no idea what the COVID-19 situation will be like when this September 2020 issue reaches your mailbox or your previewer. My typical advice is to prove exciting theorems. But in these times, all I can share are my hopes: that you'll each be safe and well (and that the medical profes- sion will create an effective vac- cine quickly enough that early in 2021 schools can return to fully in-person teaching); that you'll nd ways to, if a faculty member, help your students thrive even in the hybrid-mode-learning settings they'll probably nd themselves in for the fall semester; and that you'll (while staying careful and safe) nd time to (yes, here it comes) prove exciting theorems.