cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patterns in diel flight activity of Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) in cropping systems in southern California

Patterns of daily flight of the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), were investigated in three cropping systems (cotton, watermelon, and cantaloupe) in California's Imperial Valley. Flying adults were monitored either by yellow sticky traps or by aerial trapping with nets on a one- or two-hour basis. The temperature and, on some occasions, relative humidity were recorded at the same time. The number of whiteflies caught during daylight hours varied exponentially with temperature, but did not vary significantly with relative humidity. Few whiteflies were caught at night; there was no relationship between numbers caught at night and temperature or relative humidity. No notable differences in diel flight patterns were found among the different crops.
VARIATION IN ZYGOSPORE FORMATION AMONG SPECIES OF MORTIERELLA

SUMMARY Zygospores of nine species of Mortierella were formed in culture. These included one species, M. ericetorum, with a hyphal covering around the zygospore, which represents the classical zygospore type in this genus. Naked zygospores are redescribed for M. marburgensis and M. parvispora and are described for the first time for M. bainieri, M. candelabrum, M. elongata, M. minutissima, M. pulchella, and M. zychae. Mortierella elongata has both homothallic and heterothallic isolates, whereas the other species are heterothallic. Neither substrate nor temperature of incubation affected the type of zygospore produced, but both factors were important in inducing zygospore formation and in determining the quantity of zygospores produced. Hemp seed agar and dilute Pablum agar promoted consistent zygospore formation. Some environmental conditions caused compatible strains to repulse one another. Isolates of ten other species failed to produce zygospores.
Value and Limit of Bureaucracy——On China's Pattern Choice of Public Administration

As a rational and effective management system bureaucracy caters both to the needs of capitalist development and to the requirements of era of industrial society.Bureaucracy has rationalness and defect whichfails to meet the newrequirements of the post-industrial societies of present-day western world. As China's general idea of administrative reform, we should further strengthen the base of rational spiritand legal principle authority of bureaucracy and continuously sublate and improve bureaucracy in China's administrative practices.
Cerebral hemispheric tumors of childhood.

This article discusses signs and symptoms, diagnostic studies, seizures and hemispheric tumors, resection of tumor alone versus electrocorticographyguided surgery, and treatment of hemispheric astrocytomas.
Real and reflected images of cells in profile. I. A method for the study of cell movement and adhesion.

A new way of illuminating and photographing cells in profile has been developed, showing at the same time their images reflected in a glass substrate. Through its use in cinemicrography, the kinematics of cells and their adhesions can be observed with certainty, thus permitting a better understanding of their mode of locomotion.
Specialty Advertising: The Overlooked Medium

The sixth largest advertising medium in the United States is Specialty Advertising. This medium ranks only behind newspapers, television, direct mail, magazines, and radio. Annual billings for specialty advertising approach four billion dollars (Specialty Advertising Association Internation, 1984). In fact, the Specialty Advertising medium has been among the fastest growing of all forms of advertising and sales promotion, registering a sales volume growth of 342 percent between 1970–79 (Herpel and Slack, 1982). While much attention has been paid to other media, very little attention has been devoted to Specialty Advertising. A review of advertising textbooks shows either no coverage or, at most, a one-page discussion of this medium. It continues to have an image problem, as many people envision specialty advertising as consisting of cheap novelty “games and gadgets."
Agonistic interactions of four ant species occurring in Hawaii with Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Of the ca. 44 ant species known to occur in Hawaii, there has been limited research on Leptogenysfalcigera Roger, Camponotus variegatus Smith, Anoplolepis gracilipes Smith, and Wasmannia auropunctata Roger; all of which were recorded as adventive species in Hawaii as early as the late 1800s to as recently as 1999. In laboratory assays, we assessed agonistic interactions of these ant species with the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, another extremely invasive social insect. These assays provide information on ecological interactions and the invasive biology of these four ants. We used a rating system based on the first two behavioral responses of the two insects paired in each bioassay. Following published methods, the rating system was as follows: avoidance (-1), no response (0), and aggression (+1). Of the four ant species used in this study, W.auropunctata demonstrated greater aggression towards C. formosanus than the other ants. Coptotermes formosanus, in turn, showed less aggressive behavior towards W. auropunctata than towards L. falcigera and C. variegatus. Wasmannia auropunctata is the most recently introduced ant species in Hawaii, and may demonstrate more interspecific aggression, but may not be recognized by or elicit an aggressive response from C. formosanus.
Managing Pattern-Specific Fixed Costs in Integrated Device Manufacturing

This paper presents an empirically grounded model, which links organizational learning to pattern-specific fixed costs in integrated device manufacturing. The approach described in this paper helps fab managers make fundamental strategic decisions concerning product design and product mix by engaging in scenario planning. Four critical aspects of managing pattern-specific fixed cost are analyzed in detail—sensitivity to time, design cost, and production volume; platform designs; process postponement solutions; and design penalties. The model suggests that designers and fabrication facilities must collaborate extensively on the design and realizations of product platforms for state-of-the-art integrated circuit products to remain economically viable.
Bromodomain 4: a cellular Swiss army knife

Bromodomain protein 4 (BRD4) is a transcriptional and epigenetic regulator that plays a pivotal role in cancer and inflammatory diseases. BRD4 binds and stays associated with chromatin during mitosis, bookmarking early G1 genes and reactivating transcription after mitotic silencing. BRD4 plays an important role in transcription, both as a passive scaffold via its recruitment of vital transcription factors and as an active kinase that phosphorylates RNA polymerase II, directly and indirectly regulating transcription. Through its HAT activity, BRD4 contributes to the maintenance of chromatin structure and nucleosome clearance. This review summarizes the known functions of BRD4 and proposes a model in which BRD4 actively coordinates chromatin structure and transcription.
Transnational corporations and the proliferation of bilateral investment treaties: more than a bit influential

AbstractTo date, over 2500 bilateral investment treaties (BITs) have been signed. The popularity of these treaties raises the question, what has driven the proliferation of BITs? Previous research argues that the proliferation of BITs is the product of competition for capital among developing states. This study hypothesises that the developed state transnational corporations (TNCs) are driving the spread of BITs. The results from a time series logistic regression support the TNC hypothesis, adding support to the argument that transnationals should be recognised as major actors in the international political economy.
Morphological variation within a sour cherry collection

Morphological traits of 28 full-sib sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.) families developed with pollen from European sour cherry selections were evaluated with principal component (PC) analysis. The traits which loaded on the first PC were size characters such as lateral length, leaf area, fruit weight, and trunk diameter increase. These character loading on the first PC could be interpreted as representing gradations between morphologies characteristic of the 2 presumed progenitor species, sweet cherry (P. avium L.) and ground cherry (P. fruticosa Pall.). Mean family differences in trunk diameter increase, lateral length, leaf area, and fruit weight varied approximately 12, 3.7, 2.5, and 2 fold, respectively. These results suggest that it may be possible to select sour cherry hybrids approaching the tree and fruit size of either progenitor species. The results are discussed in reference to germplasm collection and the potential of certain cultivars and hybrids as parents.
The "chicken-and-egg" development of political opinions.

Twin studies have revealed political ideology to be partially heritable. Neurological research has shown that ideological differences are reflected in brain structure and response, suggesting a direct genotype-phenotype link. Social and informational environments, however, also demonstrably affect brain structure and response. This leads to a “chicken-and-egg” question: do genes produce brains with ideological predispositions, causing the preferential absorption of consonant information and thereby forming an ideology, or do social and informational environments do most of the heavy lifting, with genetic evidence the spurious artifact of outdated methodology? Or are both inextricably intertwined contributors? This article investigates the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to ideological development using a role-play experiment investigating the development of opinions on a novel political issue. The results support the view that the process is bidirectional, suggesting that, like most traits, political ideology is produced by the complex interplay of genetic and (social/informational) environmental influences.
Pronto: Efficient Test Packet Generation for Dynamic Network Data Planes

Computer networks are becoming increasingly complex today and thus prone to various network faults. Traditional testing tools (e.g., ping, traceroute) that often involve substantial manual effort to uncover faults are inefficient. This paper focuses on fault detection of the network data plane using test packets. Existing solutions of test packet generation either take very long time (e.g., more than one hour) to complete or generate too many test packets that may hurt regular traffic. In this paper, we present Pronto, an automated test packet generation tool that generates test packets to exercise data plane rules in the entire network in a short time (e.g., several seconds) and can quickly react to rule changes due to network dynamics. In addition, Pronto minimizes the number of test packets by allowing a packet to test multiple rules at different switches. The performance evaluation using two real network data plane rule sets shows that Pronto is faster than a recently developed tool by more than two orders of magnitude. Pronto can update the probes for rule changes using less than 1ms while existing methods have no such update function.
Implementation of the universal BLS termination of resuscitation rule in a rural EMS system.

Abstract Background Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are often the first medical providers to begin resuscitation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) victims. The universal Basic Life Support Termination of Resuscitation (BLS-TOR) rule is a validated clinical prediction tool used to identify patients in which continued resuscitation efforts are futile. Objective The primary aim is to compare the rate of transport of OHCA cases before and after the implementation of a BLS-TOR protocol and to determine the compliance rate of EMS personnel with the new protocol in a largely volunteer, rural system. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the statewide EMS electronic patient care report system. Cases were identified by searching for any incident that had a primary impression of “cardiac arrest” or a primary symptom of “cardiorespiratory arrest” or “death.” Data were collected from the two years prior to and following implementation of the BLS-TOR rule from January 1, 2012 through March 31, 2016. Results There were 702 OHCA cases were identified, with 329 cases meeting inclusion criteria. The transport rate was 91.1% in the pre-intervention group compared with 69.4% in the post-intervention group (χ2 = 24.8; p Conclusion Rural EMS systems may benefit from implementation and utilization of the universal BLS-TOR rule.
Investigation of the correlation of serum IL-31 with severity of dermatitis in an experimental model of canine atopic dermatitis using beagle dogs.

Background IL-31 is a cytokine that is believed to play an important role in atopic dermatitis (AD). IL-31 levels positively correlate with disease severity in children with AD. Currently, there is no study that has investigated such a correlation in atopic dogs. Hypothesis/objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between IL-31 serum levels and severity of dermatitis. It was hypothesized that a positive correlation exists between severity of AD and circulating levels of IL-31. Animals Sixteen atopic beagles experimentally sensitized to house dust mites. Methods Atopic beagles were exposed to dust mites epicutaneously twice weekly for four weeks. Severity of dermatitis was scored by the Canine Atopic Dermatitis and Extent Severity Index, 3rd iteration (CADESI-03) on days 0 and 28. Blood samples were taken on days 0 and 28 to measure serum IL-31 using a commercially available ELISA. Results Correlation between CADESI-03 scores and serum IL-31 levels was not detected on day 0 (Pearson, r = −0.2609, P = 0.3291). After flare-up of dermatitis was induced with allergen exposure, a significant positive correlation was detected between serum IL-31 and CADESI-03 on Day 28 (r = 0.6738, P = 0.004). Conclusions and clinical importance Positive correlation was detected in active disease between severity of dermatitis and circulating levels of IL-31. Additional studies are needed to investigate this correlation in other breeds of dogs and to test whether circulating levels of IL-31 may predict clinical response to biological agents aimed at IL-31.
Predictors of response, progression‐free survival, and overall survival using NANT Response Criteria (v1.0) in relapsed and refractory high‐risk neuroblastoma

PURPOSE The New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy Response Criteria (NANTRC) were developed to optimize response assessment in patients with recurrent/refractory neuroblastoma. Response predictors and associations of the NANTRC version 1.0 (NANTRCv1.0) and prognostic factors with outcome were analyzed. METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed of patients with recurrent/refractory neuroblastoma enrolled from 2000 to 2009 on 13 NANT Phase 1/2 trials. NANTRC overall response integrated CT/MRI (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors [RECIST]), metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG; Curie scoring), and percent bone marrow (BM) tumor (morphology). RESULTS Fourteen (6.9%) complete response (CR) and 14 (6.9%) partial response (PR) occurred among 203 patients evaluable for response. Five-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 16 ± 3%; overall survival (OS) was 27 ± 3%. Disease sites at enrollment included MIBG-avid lesions (100% MIBG trials; 84% non-MIBG trials), measurable CT/MRI lesions (48%), and BM (49%). By multivariable analysis, Curie score of 0 (P < 0.001), lower Curie score (P = 0.003), no measurable CT/MRI lesions (P = 0.044), and treatment on peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) supported trials (P = 0.005) were associated with achieving CR/PR. Overall response of stable disease (SD) or better was associated with better OS (P < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, MYCN amplification (P = 0.037) was associated with worse PFS; measurable CT/MRI lesions (P = 0.041) were associated with worse OS; prior progressive disease (PD; P < 0.001/P < 0.001), Curie score ≥ 1 (P < 0.001; P = 0.001), higher Curie score (P = 0.048/0.037), and treatment on non-PBSC trials (P = < 0.001/0.003) were associated with worse PFS and OS. CONCLUSIONS NANTRCv1.0 response of at least SD is associated with better OS in patients with recurrent/refractory neuroblastoma. Patient and tumor characteristics may predict response and outcome. Identifying these variables can optimize Phase 1/2 trial design to select novel agents for further testing.
Detecting Kernel Control-Flow Modifying Rootkits

Kernel Control-flow Modifying Rootkits are the most common kernel rootkits and pose the most threat to system security. Existing host-based and Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) based techniques have limitations in security and suffer from system performance overhead. We propose a VMM-based framework to detect control-flow modifying kernel rootkits in a guest Virtual Machine (VM) by checking the number of certain hardware events that occur during the execution of a system call. Our technique leverages the Hardware Performance Counters (HPCs) to securely and efficiently count the monitored hardware events. By using HPCs, the checking cost is significantly reduced and the temper-resistance is enhanced.
Does Implementation of a Nurse Educator Critical Thinking Resource Impact Critical Thinking Disposition

Nurse educator mindsets are disposed to critical thinking and are an essential factor with facilitating attributes that are consistent with the development of nursing students ‘critical thinking skills. The project explored the associate degree nurse educator’ dimensions of critical thinking disposition with the use of the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory assessment and presentation of a critical thinking resource guide. The CCTDI was specifically designed to measure an individual’s willingness and disposition to think about thinking. The CCTDI measured seven habits of the mind that influence critical thinking disposition that include truth-seeking, inquisitiveness, systematicity, analycity, confidence, open-mindedness, and maturity. The purpose of the descriptive quantitative project was to assess CCTDI disposition component results and analyze the measurement of strengths, and weaknesses for critical thinking disposition. The CCTDI measures were obtained from 12 associate degree program full-time nurse educator from two campuses in Florida. The project data measurements included descriptive analytics and independent T-tests. Independent t-tests measured years in nursing practice, years teaching in nursing education, and age with CCTDI overall scores. The CCTDI indicated nurse educator overall scores mean at 298.23 demonstrating a definite inclination towards critical thinking, inquisitiveness at 44.23 one of the highest CCTDI scores of the seven components. Analysis of the CCTDI overall scores and age demonstrated average age mean of 52.46 that exhibited high CCTDI scores.
Using Electronic Audit Workpaper Systems in Audit Practice: Task Analysis, Learning, and Resistance

While many audit firms have adopted electronic systems for workpaper preparation and review in hopes of improving both efficiency and effectiveness, prior research shows that the expected gains may be difficult to achieve. In order to investigate possible sources of difficulty in full use of these systems in audit practice, this paper identifies individual task components involved in workpaper preparation and review. We assess the relative difficulty of performing the individual component tasks, and examine the "learning curve" by relating difficulty ratings to performance frequency. We also assess which component tasks are more difficult in an electronic versus a paper environment, and measure auditor resistance to the electronic system after one to two years of use. Using survey data from auditors at an international audit firm that recently adopted an electronic workpaper system, we find that tasks involving "navigation" around the electronic system (e.g., agreeing lead sheets with workpapers) are the most difficult for auditors to accomplish. Audit managers and partners express greater difficulty with the electronic system, and report using fewer of the capabilities of the system, relative to staff and seniors. Finally, we present reported incidence of "working around" the system, including behaviors such as creating review notes and storing workpapers outside the system. The difficulties that we document present possible implications for complying with professional standards such as Auditing Standard No. 3, on audit documentation. Our results are useful to audit practice in targeting training efforts, and to research in providing topics for study of decision improvement.
The Need for Sustainable Heretics

In the modern world, science and society often interact in a perverse way. We live in a technological society, and technology causes political problems. The politicians and the public expect science to provide answers to the problems. Scientific experts are paid and encouraged to provide answers. The public does not have much use for a scientist who says, “Sorry, but we don’t know.” The public prefers to listen to scientists who give confident answers to questions and make confident predictions of what will happen as a result of human activities. So it happens that the experts who talk publicly about politically contentious questions tend to speak more clearly than they think. They make confident predictions about the future and end up believing their own predictions. Their predictions become dogmas that they do not question. The public is led to believe that the fashionable scientific dogmas are true, and it may sometimes happen that they are wrong. That is why heretics who question the dogmas are needed.
Assessing Engineering Students’ Ethics Learning: Model of Domain Learning Framework

AbstractThe aim of this work was to examine the use of the Model of Domain Learning (MDL) framework to determine the level of students’ ethics learning during their progress in the engineering curr...
Dupilumab-Induced Follicular Conjunctivitis.

Dupilumab is a human monoclonal antibody against the interleukin (IL)-4 receptor alpha that is approved for treatment of atopic dermatitis and currently undergoing clinical trials for asthma and na...
It’s Heart Work: Critical Case Studies, Critical Professional Development, and Fostering Hope Among Social Justice–Oriented Teacher Educators

As social justice–oriented teachers and teacher educators, it can seem as if we are fighting a losing battle against neoliberal education policies designed to disrupt and dismantle our field. In th...
When Gendered Logics Collide: Going Public and Restructuring in a High-Tech Organization:

Gender scholars argued that gendered organizations theory needs updating as organizational logic has shifted amid neoliberal workplace transformations. This qualitative case study of a high-tech fi...
Structuralist Approaches to Physics: Objects, Models and Modality

My goal is to develop a structuralist approach to the objects of physics that is ­realist – but there are obstacles in the way. This paper is about three of them. The first is familiar, having received a great deal of attention in the recent literature, and ­concerns the suggestion by structural realists French and Ladyman that we should give up talk of objects. This leaves me in the uncomfortable position of being ­pro-structuralist and pro-realist, but siding with some opponents of structural realism (at least in its ontic form, about which more below) when it comes to objects, so I had better have something to say. In fact I do (see Section 3.4), and I think this obstacle can be moved out of the way. The other two obstacles I have yet to overcome, and the purpose of this paper is to explain what they are, how they arise, and why they are a problem for the structural realist specifically. The resources open to the scientific realist in facing these obstacles are not available to the structural realist, and the reason is the same in both cases.
Research on radar angular and range resolution with the use of a system assisting the pilots in maintenance of flight parameters

In this publication, the authors presented the azimuth and range resolution research on modern radar devices. A system, developed by the authors, which supports the pilots in maintenance of a set position of aircraft in the airspace, as well as the resolution research results of modern precise radars using this tool were presented.
Comparison of CHARMM and OPLS-aa forcefield predictions for components in one model asphalt mixture

Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations have been widely applied to understand the effect of chemical composition on the major physical and mechanical properties and micro-structure of asphalt. However, the choice of forcefields has been mostly empirical. In this project, two commonly used forcefields, the Chemistry at Harvard Macromolecular Mechanics (CHARMM) forcefield and the Optimized Potentials for Liquid Simulations in all atom version (OPLS-aa) forcefield were evaluated, side by side for simulation of the three main components of one model asphalt mixture to compare the effectiveness of the forcefields. The CHARMM forcefield parameters for two smaller components —including n-docosane and 1,7-dimethylnaphthalene molecules—were obtained using the CGENFF program; the forcefield parameters for an average asphaltene molecule were obtained with the VMD forcefield toolkit and Gaussian quantum calculations. Comparing molecule structures of asphaltene, 1,7-dimethylnaphthalene and n-docosane (n-C22) predicted using the CHARMM forcefield to those from traditional OPLS-aa forcefield, the energy-minimized structures are very similar. At a high temperature such as 300 K and above, slight bending on the aromatic ring regions and the alkane chains was observed for the asphaltene molecule; kinking of the n-docosane molecule chain structure was also observed using both forcefields; and the structure of 1,7-dimethylnaphthalene is consistent at both low and high temperatures. Comparing the properties predicted based on the long-term simulation trajectories, the density, diffusion coefficient and g(r) result of asphaltene, 1,7-dimethylnaphthalene and n-docosane from the CHARMM and Nanoscale Molecular Dynamics (NAMD) program are very close to those from the OPLS-aa forcefield and LAMMPS program. However, the CHARMM forcefield correctly predicted the crystallization of n-docosane at 300 K while the OPLS-aa forcefield did not.
Chapter 92 – Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an ancient disease that continues to have a tremendous impact on global human health. Although the basic microbiology and pathophysiology of TB have been understood slowly over the last 100 years, complete genomic sequencing and improved molecular methods have yielded rapid new insights toward control. For example, DNA fingerprinting, such as by restriction fragment length polymorphism and spoliotyping, identify relationships between strains during TB outbreaks which can inform control strategies. Molecular microbiology offers advantages over traditional diagnostic methods, such as the Ziehl-Neelson stain, and solid or liquid media culture and drug susceptibility testing. Nucleic acid amplification tests such as automated PCR on a single-use contained-cartridge platform are rapidly changing the way TB diagnosis is approached in endemic and resource-limited settings. TB control urgently needs improved antimicrobial therapies and vaccines.
Participation and Pre-Retirement Withdrawals in Oregon’s Auto-IRA

About half of private sector workers in the United States do not participate in an employer-sponsored retirement plan at their current job. To fill the gap, a number of state governments around the country have recently launched initiatives to automatically enroll their uncovered workers in individual retirement accounts (IRAs). This article reports on the experience of Oregon, which was the first state to launch an auto-IRA program (OregonSaves). Because the program only began in July of 2017 and is in its infancy, analysts are still debating basic statistics about its operation, such as the participation rate. To advance the conversation, this study uses administrative data from OregonSaves to develop a conceptual framework for measuring participation. It then shifts the focus to pre-retirement withdrawals, tracking a cohort of employees who had funded accounts in September 2018 over a 12-month period. The study finds that participation ranges from 48% to 67% (the exact rate is uncertain due to data limitations) and that 20% of employees made at least one pre-retirement withdrawal during the subsequent year, removing $1,000 on average. TOPICS:Wealth management, retirement Key Findings • Most eligible employees participate in Oregon’s auto-IRA. • Some employees will use their account for precautionary savings as well as retirement. • It is still too early to draw conclusions about the program’s overall effect on household finances.
Market Experimentation and New Technology Adoption

This article studies the adoption and diffusion of a product innovation in a duopoly market. Firms are asymmetric, and learning is endogenously determined by consumer purchases. In equilibrium, both high- and low-quality firms may lead adoption, and first-movers are often uniquely determined by initial beliefs. Equilibrium adoption patterns are consistent with and explain several empirical phenomena. To maximize welfare, a social planner prefers sequential adoption over a wider range of beliefs than occurs in equilibrium. A change in market structure, specifically a merger to monopoly, unambiguously improves the timing of initial adoption; but innovation diffusion may become less efficient.
The small G-protein RalA promotes progression and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer-associated mortality in women. In particular, triple-negative BC (TNBC) has the highest rate of mortality due in large part to the lack of targeted treatment options for this subtype. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify new molecular targets for TNBC treatment. RALA and RALB are small GTPases implicated in growth and metastasis of a variety of cancers, although little is known of their roles in BC. The necessity of RALA and RALB for TNBC tumor growth and metastasis were evaluated in vivo using orthotopic and tail-vein models. In vitro, 2D and 3D cell culture methods were used to evaluate the contributions of RALA and RALB during TNBC cell migration, invasion, and viability. The association between TNBC patient outcome and RALA and RALB expression was examined using publicly available gene expression data and patient tissue microarrays. Finally, small molecule inhibition of RALA and RALB was evaluated as a potential treatment strategy for TNBC in cell line and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Knockout or depletion of RALA inhibited orthotopic primary tumor growth, spontaneous metastasis, and experimental metastasis of TNBC cells in vivo. Conversely, knockout of RALB increased TNBC growth and metastasis. In vitro, RALA and RALB had antagonistic effects on TNBC migration, invasion, and viability with RALA generally supporting and RALB opposing these processes. In BC patient populations, elevated RALA but not RALB expression is significantly associated with poor outcome across all BC subtypes and specifically within TNBC patient cohorts. Immunohistochemical staining for RALA in patient cohorts confirmed the prognostic significance of RALA within the general BC population and the TNBC population specifically. BQU57, a small molecule inhibitor of RALA and RALB, decreased TNBC cell line viability, sensitized cells to paclitaxel in vitro and decreased tumor growth and metastasis in TNBC cell line and PDX models in vivo. Together, these data demonstrate important but paradoxical roles for RALA and RALB in the pathogenesis of TNBC and advocate further investigation of RALA as a target for the precise treatment of metastatic TNBC.
Margin Positivity and Survival in Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma: A National Cancer Database Analysis.

Background The rising incidence of thyroid cancer has been attributed to increased detection of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC). Although some PTMCs are thought to harbor aggressive pathologic features, the clinical significance of these features remains unclear. This study examines factors associated with survival in this patient population. Study Design Adults with PTMC, defined as papillary thyroid carcinoma ≤ 1.0 cm, who underwent thyroidectomy between 2004 and 2016, were identified in the National Cancer Database. Demographic and clinical variables were analyzed. The primary aim was to identify factors associated with survival. The secondary aim was to assess the association of microscopic margins on survival and to identify factors associated with margin positivity. Overall survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods and compared using log rank tests. Cox proportional hazards and binary logistic regression models identified factors associated with survival and margin positivity, respectively. Results Of 77,817 patients with PTMC, 13,507 met inclusion criteria; 2,649 (20%) of these patients presented with advanced features: extrathyroidal extension (n = 916, 7%), lymphovascular invasion (n = 398, 3%), lymph node involvement (n = 2,003, 15%), and distant metastasis (n = 39, Conclusions Positive margin status was significantly associated with increased risk of death for PTMC. Higher operative volume and treatment at academic centers were associated with lower rates of margin positivity and may help improve survival outcomes in PTMC patients with aggressive features.
Religious Competition and the Rise of Leftist Parties: Why the Catholic Church Provided the Mass Base for the Workers’ Party in Brazil

The rise of mass-based leftist parties in developing countries poses a fundamental question: who builds leftist parties where workers are organizationally weak? Focusing on the Workers’ Party (PT) in Brazil, we argue that the spread of religious competition in Brazil’s most impoverished regions led Catholic clergy to develop extensive grassroots organizations to prevent mass defection. The lay members of these networks became candidates, party activists, and core voters, enabling the transformation of the PT into a national organization. We present statistical evidence showing that religious competition predicts the PT’s local presence and electoral support, 1982–2010. Drawing on bishops’ life histories we show that competition drove Catholics to build grassroots movements and based on survey evidence we show that these movements’ members overwhelmingly mobilized and voted for the PT. Our findings question the claim that leftist-party development is a secular process and that religious networks can only create conservative movements.
Assessment of the Aquatic Plant Community in Jackson Lake, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming: 1991 Status Report

Since the construction of the first dam at the Snake River outlet at Jackson Lake in the early 1900's, the littoral habitat has been subjected to numerous perturbations of varying intensities. Changing water levels, a consequence of reservoir drawdown schedules, alter plant community species composition and distribution over time. From the perspective of a plant, water level changes present a challenge to growth and community persistence. A plant which begins the growing season 2 m deep may be under 4 m of water after spring runoff fills the reservoir. Later in the summer, the same plant may be left at a depth of only 1 m as water is removed from the reservoir during summer drawdown. The magnitude and timing of water level fluctuations may be one of the most important factors regulating macrophyte community processes upslope on the vertical gradient in Jackson Lake (Brewer and Parker 1990). Under normal regulation, annual changes of 3-4 m are sufficient to select for a plant community with a typically weedy phenology (e.g., Elodea canadensis). In natural lakes with substantially lower annual changes in water levels, species that produce seeds annually are favored (e.g., Potamogeton species). Moreover, drawdowns greater than several meters substantially reduce the lake bed area suitable for the development of extensive shallow water plant beds. The most recent perturbations to the littoral habitat in Jackson Lake began in 1978, when the water level was lowered first from 2065 m (normal pool) to somewhere between 2060 - 2062 m. Then in 1985, the surface elevation of Jackson Lake was further lowered to 2057 m to facilitate repair and modification of the Jackson Lake dam. The entire lake bed was seriously impacted during the four years that the dam was being restored. While the lake bed in the borrow zone and the area adjacent to the dam were obviously impacted by repair activities, the entire shallow littoral zone was severely perturbed when previously inundated sediments were exposed for four years. In 1989, repair was completed and the reservoir was allowed to fill back to the normal pool elevation of 2065 m. Because of severe impacts to the littoral habitat and significant reduction of the submergent plant community caused by restoration of the dam, the status of the aquatic plant community was monitored during the summers of 1989-1991. This report summarizes the status of the aquatic plant community three years after repair of the dam was completed.
Properties of angiotensin II receptors in the bovine and rat adrenal cortex.

Abstract Receptors for angiotensin II have been identified and characterized in bovine and rat adrenal cortex by binding studies with tritiated and monoiodinated angiotensin II. The angiotensin II binding sites of bovine adrenal cortex homogenate were enriched severalfold in a microsomal membrane fraction together with alkaline phosphatase, adenylate cyclase, 5'-nucleotidase and 21β-hydroxylase. Uptake of angiotensin II by adrenal cortex particles and adrenal cells was rapid, reaching equilibrium at 15 to 30 min in the presence of 0.2 to 1.5 nm angiotensin II. The equilibrium association constant of angiotensin II for bovine adrenal cortex receptors was 0.5 nm-1 at 22°, and that for rat adrenal particles was significantly higher. Dissociation of bound angiotensin II from adrenal particles and cells was also rapid, with initial half-time of 13 to 23 min. Angiotensin II released from adrenal cortex binding sites at low pH retained activity in subsequent binding studies, whereas angiotensin II in the incubation medium was rapidly inactivated. Degradation of angiotensin II by adrenal cortex particles was partially inhibited by addition of unrelated peptides including glucagon and insulin, by reducing agents such as dithiothreitol, and by reduced temperature. Fragments and analogues of angiotensin II showed binding-inhibition potencies which correlated with their biological activities in vivo. In particular, competitive antagonists, such as the (Sar1, Ala8) derivative of angiotensin II, inhibited angiotensin II binding in proportion to their antagonistic activity in vivo. This system provides a simple and rapid method for evaluation of the competitive binding activity of angiotensin agonists and antagonists in vitro. In contrast to angiotensin II, the decapeptide angiotensin I exhibited relatively low affinity for angiotensin II binding sites in competitive studies, and direct binding studies with monoiodinated 125I-angiotensin I showed considerably lower uptake than that of angiotensin II. The uptake of labeled angiotensin I and II by adrenal medulla homogenates was much lower than that of adrenal cortex particles, and again angiotensin II showed higher binding affinity than angiotensin I. These findings illustrate the presence of high affinity specific binding sites for angiotensin II in bovine and rat adrenal cortex and suggest a plasma membrane location for the angiotensin II receptors.
Transdermal delivery of narcotic analgesics: pH, anatomical, and subject influences on cutaneous permeability of fentanyl and sufentanil.

The permeation of fentanyl and sufentanil through cadaver skin membranes was investigated using in vitro diffusion cell techniques. Neither drug influenced the permeation of the other when they were concurrently applied to the skin membrane. With respect to transdermal delivery, short diffusion lag times of less than 0.5 hr were observed for each compound. Their permeation rates through heat-isolated epidermis and dermatomed (200- to 250-µm) skin sections were essentially the same. However, when the stratum corneum was removed by tape stripping, the respective permeability coefficients were increased >30-fold, establishing the stratum corneum as the principal barrier to their skin permeation. Permeation was also studied as a function of pH. From pH 4 to pH 8 the permeability coefficients of both fentanyl and sufentanil, calculated from the total solution concentration regardless of ionization, increased exponentially. The free base is thus responsible for the relatively facile skin permeation of these drugs. Factoring of the independent permeability coefficients of the ionized and free-base forms was possible, with the latter being over two log orders larger than seen for the protonated species. Permeability coefficients of fentanyl and sufentanil through skin sections obtained from different cadavers varied four- to fivefold. Neither gender nor age was a flux-determining variable for either drug. The permeability coefficients of the drugs through skin sites as diverse as the sole of the foot, chest, thigh, and abdomen were remarkably similar. Their fluxes were sufficient for transdermal administration.
Are Self-explaining and Coached Problem Solving More Effective When Done by Pairs of Students Than Alone?

Although cognitive science has discovered several methods for increasing the learning of complex skills, such as physics problem solving, detailed examination of verbal protocols suggests there is still room for improvement. Basically, students do not always apply the meta-cognitive strategies that the instruction invites. For instance, when prompted to self-explain, students may still choose to not explain. We conjecture that most students know which meta-cognitive strategies are good and bad. When they work in pairs, they are more likely to choose the good strategies. We hypothesize that social accountability improves meta-cognitive strategy choice, which thereby improves learning. Our experiment compared individuals and pairs learning from state-of-the-art instruction. The results suggest that the dyads solved more problems and requested fewer hints during problem solving than individuals. We also discovered a new form of self-explanation, wherein students generate explanations to account for the differences between their solutions and the instructor's.
Fluctuations and Transitions in the Absorptive Optical Bistability

From a previously suggested stochastic differential equation (S.D.E.), the fluctuations in amplitude, x, both in and out of the steady state are described for the absorptive bistability. The Stratonovic Fokker-Planck (F.P.) equation obtained is utilized to develop a theory of switching between locally stable states of amplitude x. This approach is a generalization of Kramers’ early work and the ideas of nucleation theory to the situation of non-constant diffusion, an interesting characteristic of the optical bistability. The importance of fluctuations (noise) is emphasized in switching. This result is compared to the approximation of Kramers and Landauer-Swanson. Also, comparisons are made to mean first passage estimates, and a recent work of Hanggi, Bulsara and Janda. The important question of the dominance of the low eigenvalue of the F.P. equation is investigated numerically by the development of a variational eigenvalue calculation for the bistability. The one eigenvalue approximation is found to hold for a wide range of y values and it is found that the variational treatment and the above theory agree well. Critical slowing is seen for c = 4, q = 0.01. The numerical algorithm may readily be applied to other one-dimensional bistable models.
Description of solid shape and its inference from occluding contours

We explore a method of representing solid shape that is useful for visual recognition. We assume that complex shapes are constructed from convex, compact shapes and that construction involves three operations: solid union (to form humps), solid subtraction (to leave dents), and smoothing (to remove discontinuities). The boundaries between shapes joined through these operations are contours of extrema of a principal curvature. Complex objects can be decomposed along these boundaries into convex shapes, the so-called parts. We suggest that this decomposition into parts forms the basis for a shape memory. We show that the part boundaries of an object can be inferred from its occluding contours, at least up to a number of ambiguities.
Somatodendritic morphology of on- and off-cells in the rostral ventromedial medulla.

The rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) contains two classes of physiologically defined neurons, on-cells and off-cells, that are implicated in nociceptive modulation. In a continuing effort to detail the neural circuitry that underlies the activity of these two distinct neuronal types, the somatodendritic morphology of on- and off-cells was studied in the cat, rat, and ferret. In lightly anesthetized animals, on-cells increased and off-cells decreased their discharge rate during a withdrawal reflex evoked by noxious stimuli. Following their physiological characterization by using intracellular recording, on- and off-cells were injected with either horseradish peroxidase or biocytin and their somatodendritic arborizations were examined. Labeled on- and off-cells included fusiform and stellate cells of all sizes as well as large multipolar neurons. Although the somatic shape of both on- and off-cells in RVM was heterogeneous, off-cells tended to be fusiform neurons whose long axis was oriented mediolaterally. The dendritic domains of both on- and off-cells extended bilaterally past the lateral edge of the trapezoid body or pyramid and ventrally to, and sometimes including, the trapezoid body or pyramid. In contrast to their extensive mediolateral spread, the dendritic domains of both cell types were limited to the ventral half of the reticular formation and were compressed along the rostrocaudal axis. The dendritic arbor of individual on- and off-cells extended well beyond the cytoarchitechtonic boundaries of any single nuclear region, within the domain delineated as the RVM. The spatial domains of the dendritic arbors of on- and off-cells are further evidence that the on- and off-cells throughout the RVM constitute an integrated unit in the modulation of nociceptive transmission.
Influence of Yaw Cards on the Yaw Growth of Spin-Stabilized Projectiles

A simple extension of the standard linear theory, describing the free-flight motion of a projectile, now includes the influences due to the projectile impacting yaw cards. The card impacts are modeled as ideal delta function impulses that are shown to alter the usual yawing motion of a spin-stabilized projectile passing through a yaw card range. Card-induced changes in the complex-valued yaw modes are expressed as difference equations. Known analytic solutions to these difference equations show how card impacts influence a projectile's yawing motion by relating simple expressions of the card spacing to a parameter describing the material density of the yaw cards. These solutions also reveal that both bounded and unbounded yaw mode magnitudes can be induced by yaw card impacts. Furthermore, the model shows that moments caused by repeated projectile and card interactions should not always be treated as negligible. Examples of these results for a typical small arms projectile (7.62 mm) launched from an unworn gun tube are presented.