cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Musashi1 Impacts Radio-Resistance in Glioblastoma by Controlling DNA-Protein Kinase Catalytic Subunit

The conserved RNA-binding protein Musashi1 (MSI1) has been characterized as a stem cell marker, controlling the balance between self-renewal and differentiation and as a key oncogenic factor in numerous solid tumors, including glioblastoma. To explore the potential use of MSI1 targeting in therapy, we studied MSI1 in the context of radiation sensitivity. Knockdown of MSI1 led to a decrease in cell survival and an increase in DNA damage compared to control in cells treated with ionizing radiation. We subsequently examined mechanisms of double-strand break repair and found that loss of MSI1 reduces the frequency of nonhomologous end-joining. This phenomenon could be attributed to the decreased expression of DNA–protein kinase catalytic subunit, which we have previously identified as a target of MSI1. Collectively, our results suggest a role for MSI1 in double-strand break repair and that its inhibition may enhance the effect of radiotherapy.
Bidirectional Control of Social Behavior by Activity within Basolateral and Central Amygdala of Primates

Both hypoactivity and hyperactivity in the amygdala are associated with perturbations in social behavior. While >60 years of experimental manipulations of the amygdala in animal models have shown that amygdala is critical for social behavior, many of these studies contradict one another. Moreover, several questions remain unaddressed. (1) What effect does activation of amygdala have on social behavior? (2) What is the effect of transient silencing, rather than permanent damage? (3) Is there a dissociation between the roles of the central (CeA) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) in regulating social behavior? (4) Can the prosocial effects of amygdala manipulations be explained by anxiolytic effects? We focally manipulated activity within the CeA or BLA in macaques by intracerebral microinjection of muscimol (to inactivate) or bicuculline (to activate) to these amygdaloid subregions. Social interactions were observed in pairs of highly familiar monkeys. We compared these effects to those achieved with systemic diazepam. Activation of the BLA but not CeA suppressed social behavior. Inhibition of either structure increased social behavior, although the effect was greater following inhibition of the BLA. Systemic diazepam was without effect. These studies, which are the first to bidirectionally manipulate the primate amygdala for effects on social behavior, revealed that (1) the amygdala, as a critical regulator of the social network, is bidirectionally sensitive to perturbations in activity, and (2) increased sociability after amygdala inactivation cannot be solely explained by decreased fear. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Many previous studies reported loss of social interactions following permanent damage to the amygdala in nonhuman primates. In contrast, we report that transient inhibition of the basolateral amygdala triggered a profound increase in social interactions in dyads of monkeys highly familiar with each other. We compared these effects to those of systemic diazepam, which failed to increase social behavior. While it has been suggested that suppression of “fear” could underlie the prosocial effects of amygdala manipulations, our data strongly suggest that impairment in fear processing per se cannot account for the prosocial effects of amygdala inhibition. Furthermore, our studies are the first to examine activation of the amygdala and to assess the separate roles of the amygdaloid nuclei in social behavior in primates.
Ultrasound-Guided Prostate Cryotherapy

A thorough understanding of normal prostate ultrasound anatomy is a prerequisite to the performance of effective prostate cryotherapy. Recommendations on optimization of imaging are provided, as well as suggestions to minimize injury to surrounding tissue. A comprehensive description of the pretreatment sonographic evaluation and operative techniques for primary and salvage prostate cryotherapy are included, with accompanying images. Possible applications of focal cryotherapy are explained. Oncologic outcomes data are discussed for primary, salvage, and focal prostate cryotherapy. The clinical utility of 3D transperineal mapping biopsies, with associated images, is provided. Finally, pitfalls resulting in incomplete ablation are explained, with comprehensive diagrams.
Stereoselective Multicomponent Reactions Using Zincate Nucleophiles: β-Dicarbonyl Synthesis and Functionalization

A general strategy for conjugate addition–C-acylation that enables the synthesis of enantioenriched β-dicarbonyl compounds is described. A novel method for derivatizing these adducts by stereo- and site-selective zinc-catalyzed addition of alkyllithium reagents is also reported. These reactions can be performed in tandem to achieve an enantio- and diastereoselective four-component coupling. The in situ generation of weakly basic lithium zincate species is central to the success of all three transformations.
Grade Repetition and Primary School Dropout in Uganda.

Research on education in low-income countries rarely focuses on grade repetition. When addressed, repetition is typically presented along with early school dropout as the “wasting” of educational resources. Simplifying grade repetition in this way often fails to recognize significant methodological concerns and also overlooks the unique insight that can be gained by focusing on repetition. In this article, Sarah Kabay uses mixed methods research to investigate repetition and its association with later school dropout in Ugandan primary schools. In a representative sample of pupils from 136 schools, Kabay finds that in spite of a policy of automatic promotion meant to limit repetition, 88 percent of pupils had repeated a grade and 11 percent had repeated three or more times. Kabay identifies age as a confounding variable for the association between repetition and dropout, and argues that attention should be drawn to the age of entry into schooling and language policy.
Youth and Caregiver Physical Activity and Sedentary Time: HCHS/SOL Youth.

Objectives We examined associations between youth and caregiver moderate/ vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary (SED) time, using accelerometery, in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (HCHS/ SOL) Youth. Methods Participants were 623 caregivers and 877 youth 8-16 years old, enrolled in 2012-2014. Associations of youth and caregiver MVPA time, SED time, and meeting MVPA recommendations ( 150 min/week, adults; 420 min/week, youth) were examined in regression models that controlled for sample weights, design effects, and demographic and health covariates. Results Youth whose caregivers met MVPA recommendations were nearly twice as likely to meet these recommendations themselves when compared to youth whose caregivers did not meet MVPA recommendations (OR = 1.9, 95 CI 1.1, 3.3). Youth and caregiver SED time also were significantly related (p .05). A similar pattern of findings was observed in analyses limited to relationships in which the caregiver was a biological parent of the youth (N = 485 caregivers; N = 795 youth). Conclusions MVPA and SED are correlated within Latino families as observed by statistically significant relationships of youth and caregiver activity. Additional research is needed to understand underlying genetic and environmental factors that explain these findings.
Librarians' Perspectives on the Factors Influencing Research Data Management Programs

This qualitative research study examines librarians’ research data management (RDM) experiences, specifically the factors that influence their ability to support researchers’ needs. Findings from interviews with 36 academic library professionals in the United States identify 5 factors of influence: 1) technical resources; 2) human resources; 3) researchers’ perceptions about the library; 4) leadership support; and 5) communication, coordination, and collaboration. Findings show different aspects of these factors facilitate or constrain RDM activity. The implications of these factors on librarians’ continued work in RDM are considered.
The Efficiency of Feeding Livestock

THE significance to the economics of production of the patterns in which the productive elements are combined has long been recognized. This phenomenon, and its corollary, the varying returns to any single element, have been treated either as studies of individual operations or as hypothetical schedules for an entire industry set up for classroom illustration.' This paper represents an attempt to derive comprehensive ratios between the elements of production for a selected industry, the livestock industry. It therefore is associated with the second of the two customary methodologies. But it extends beyond the hypothetical level of exposition, for factual data are utilized. One approach to the subject would be to assemble and summate all available experimental data on feeding livestock. More recently there have been studies of a somewhat different type, the most publicized of which is one relating to dairying conducted jointly by the Bureaus of Agricultural Economics and Dairy Industry.'2 In this study observations of the relationship of feed input to milk production at varying intensities of feeding were made at 10 State Experiment Stations on cows maintained under carefully regulated experimental conditions. The control of the intensity of feeding is the unique and most important feature of the study. The results provide the most useful data for a given class of livestock that are available.
How Handheld Mobile Device Size and Hand Location May Affect Divided Attention

Previous research demonstrates that people increasingly utilize multiple displays along with mobile devices simultaneously, and that this split in attention has detrimental effects on goal-directed...
Managing Concerning Behaviors in Patients Prescribed Opioids for Chronic Pain: A Delphi Study

Current guideline-recommended monitoring of patients prescribed long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) for chronic pain will likely result in increased identification of behaviors of concern for misuse and addiction, but there is a dearth of empiric evidence about how these behaviors should be managed. To establish expert consensus about treatment approaches for common and challenging concerning behaviors that arise among patients on LTOT. We used a Delphi approach, which allows for generation of consensus. Participants were clinical experts in chronic pain and opioid prescribing recruited from professional societies and other expert groups. The Delphi process was conducted online, and consisted of an initial brainstorming round to identify common and challenging behaviors, a second round to identify management strategies for each behavior, and two rounds to establish consensus and explore disagreement/uncertainty. Forty-two participants completed round 1, 22 completed round 2, 30 completed round 3, and 28 completed round 4. Half of round 1 participants were female (52%), and the majority were white (83%). Most (71%) were physicians, and most participants practiced in academic primary (40%) or specialty care (19%).The most frequently cited common and challenging behaviors were missing appointments, taking opioids for symptoms other than pain, using more opioid medication than prescribed, asking for an increase in opioid dose, aggressive behavior, and alcohol and other substance use. Across behaviors, participants agreed that patient education and information gathering were important approaches. Participants also agreed that stopping opioids is not important initially, but if initial approaches do not work, tapering opioids and stopping opioids immediately may become important approaches. This study presents clinical expert consensus on how to manage concerning behaviors among patients on LTOT. Future research is needed to investigate how implementing these management strategies would impact patient outcomes, practice and policy.
A generalized Characteristic-Based Split projection method for Navier-Stokes with real fluids

Abstract A new computational approach for the general numerical simulation of fluid flows is presented and demonstrated for compressible natural convection flows with real fluid properties. The Characteristic-Based Split finite element method is generalized, and abbreviated as GCBS, in the present work to introduce both pressure-expansion effects in addition to thermal-expansion effects on density within the projection step, in contrast to recent works that preserve only one of those two expansion effects. Moreover, we keep the fluid in thermodynamic equilibrium to support a real equation of state and fluid model. The method retains the full Navier-Stokes equations, transitioning smoothly between compressible and incompressible flows, without special artificial-compressibility methods, special low-Mach-number methods, or other modeling treatments. Neither isothermal or isobaric assumptions are made. The non-linear solution obtained is validated by the linearized solution during the early time period of the simulation. Natural convection in a cavity is explored for its convenience in testing across known benchmark flow regimes, from classical Boussinesq flow to the full Navier-Stokes equations with real fluid models. Results for natural convection in a cavity across Rayleigh numbers, non-dimensional adiabatic temperature gradients, and temperature differences, are obtained across flow regimes with the GCBS method. Classical Boussinesq, Thermodynamic Boussinesq, low-Mach number, and real-gas flows are presented, demonstrating the generalization of the method across flow regimes. Thus, our contribution is to generalize the Characteristic-Based Split method to capture the full Navier-Stokes equations while demonstrating the capability with compressible natural convection.
Who Will Follow a New Topic Tomorrow

When a novel research topic emerges, we are interested in discovering how the topic will propagate over the bibliography network, i.e., which author will research and publish about this topic. Inferring the underlying influence network among authors is the basis of predicting such topic adoption. Existing works infer the influence network based on past adoption cascades, which is limited by the amount and relevance of cascades collected. This work hypothesizes that the influence network structure and probabilities are the results of many factors including the social relationships and topic popularity. These heterogeneous information shall be optimized to learn the parameters that define the homogeneous influence network that can be used to predict future cascade. Experiments using DBLP data demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the algorithm based on traditional cascade network inference in predicting novel topic adoption.
The Socialization of the Individual

Socialization is a behavioral term that refers, first, to the way children, youth, and adults behave with reference to other children, youth, and adults; and, second, how they function in the several social roles that are specified in families and communities.
Identifying and eliminating mislabeled training instances

This paper presents a new approach to identifying and eliminating mislabeled training instances. The goal of this technique is to improve classification accuracies produced by learning algorithms by improving the quality of the training data. The approach employs an ensemble of classifiers that serve as a filter for the training data. Using an n-fold cross validation, the training data is passed through the filter. Only instances that the filter classifies correctly are passed to the final learning algorithm. We present an empirical evaluation of the approach for the task of automated land cover mapping from remotely sensed data. Labeling error arises in these data from a multitude of sources including lack of consistency in the vegetation classification used, variable measurement techniques, and variation in the spatial sampling resolution. Our evaluation shows that for noise levels of less than 40%, filtering results in higher predictive accuracy than not filtering, and for levels of class noise less than or equal to 20% filtering allows the base-line accuracy to be retained. Our empirical results suggest that the ensemble filter approach is an effective method for identifying labeling errors, and further, that the approach will significantly benefit ongoing research to develop accurate and robust remote sensing-based methods to map land cover at global scales.
Longer-Term Evaluation of Sagebrush Restoration After Juniper Control and Herbaceous Vegetation Trade-offs

Abstract Degradation of shrublands around the world from altered fire regimes, overutilization, and anthropogenic disturbance has resulted in a widespread need for shrub restoration. In western North America, reestablishment of mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. vaseyana [Rydb.] Beetle) is needed to restore ecosystem services and function. Western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis ssp. occidentalis Hook) encroachment is a serious threat to mountain big sagebrush communities in the northern Great Basin and Columbia Plateau. Juniper trees can be controlled with fire; however, sagebrush recovery may be slow, especially if encroachment largely eliminated sagebrush before juniper control. Short-term studies have suggested that seeding mountain big sagebrush after juniper control may accelerate sagebrush recovery. Longer-term information is lacking on how sagebrush recovery progresses and if there are trade-offs with herbaceous vegetation. We compared seeding and not seeding mountain big sagebrush after juniper control (partial cutting followed with burning) in fully developed juniper woodlands (i.e., sagebrush had been largely excluded) at five sites, 7 and 8 yr after seeding. Sagebrush cover averaged ~ 30% in sagebrush seeded plots compared with ~ 1% in unseeded plots 8 yr after seeding, thus suggesting that sagebrush recovery may be slow without seeding after juniper control. Total herbaceous vegetation, perennial grass, and annual forb cover was less where sagebrush was seeded. Thus, there is a trade-off with herbaceous vegetation with seeding sagebrush. Our results suggest that seeding sagebrush after juniper control can accelerate the recovery of sagebrush habitat characteristics, which is important for sagebrush-associated wildlife. We suggest land manager and restoration practitioners consider seeding sagebrush and possibly other shrubs after controlling encroaching trees where residual shrubs are lacking after control.
CS-11 The effects of contextual sociodemographic factors and health resource concentration on hydroxychloroquine adherence among U.S. medicaid beneficiaries with lupus

Background Adherence to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the standard-of-care treatment among patients with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) is suboptimal and interventions to date to improve this have been largely unsuccessful. Individual-level factors, including younger age and non-white race/ethnicity, have been implicated. While contextual influences such as area-level poverty are known to contribute to health behaviors and to SLE-related damage, no studies to date investigate the role of these factors on HCQ adherence. We therefore aimed to use multilevel models to understand the effects of sociodemographic variables (area-level racial composition, poverty, educational attainment) and health resource concentration (numbers of physicians, pharmacists, hospitals) on HCQ adherence while also accounting for potential individual-level factors. Methods We identified SLE patients with new use of HCQ (no use in ≥6 months) in Medicaid (2000–2010) from 28 U.S. states. We required 12 months of continuous enrollment after HCQ initiation with complete drug dispensing data and measured adherence using the proportion of days covered (PDC) during this period. We identified individual-level variables from Medicaid, zip code, county and state-level sociodemographic variables from the American Community Survey, and health resource data from Area Health Resources Files. We used 4-level hierarchical multivariable logistic regression models to examine odds (OR (95% Credible Interval)) of adherence (PDC ≥80%) vs nonadherence. Results Among 10,268 HCQ initiators with SLE, 15% were adherent (PDC ≥80%). After adjusting for individual-level demographic and SLE-related characteristics, we observed lower odds of adherence in zip codes with higher percentages of black individuals (highest tertile OR 0.81 (0.69–0.96) vs lowest) (table 1). This association persisted after controlling for zip code educational attainment, percent below federal poverty level (FPL), urbanicity and healthcare resources. We did not find statistically significant associations with zip code-level percent Hispanic, percent White, education or percent below FPL. Odds of adherence were higher in counties with the highest concentration of hospitals vs the fewest (OR 1.30 (1.07–1.58)); no statistically significant associations were found with other health resource characteristics. Conclusions Among Medicaid beneficiaries with SLE, we observed significant effects of racial composition and hospital concentration on HCQ adherence. Further studies with smaller geographic units and data on spatial relationships are needed to investigate the potential role of residential racial segregation on adherence. Interventions that acknowledge and address contextual factors should be considered to reduce high rates of nonadherence in vulnerable populations.
The Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST)

Cancer is one of the most dominant global health concerns, and the field of cancer therapeutics is in an era of rapid expansion. It is thus critical that the system for evaluating the effectiveness of new cancer treatments be accurate, standardized, and applied to clinical research across healthcare systems.
Courtship behavior and coloration influence conspicuousness of wolf spiders (Schizocosa ocreata (Hentz)) to avian predators

Signalers must balance the benefits of detection by intended receivers with the costs of detection by eavesdroppers. This trade-off is exemplified by sexual signaling systems, in which signalers experience sexual selection for conspicuousness to mates as well as natural selection for crypsis to predators. In this study, we examined how courtship behavior and body coloration influenced the conspicuousness of males to avian predators in the well-studied brush-legged wolf spider system (Schizocosa ocreata (Hentz)). We focused on three behaviors (courtship, walking, and freezing) and two coloration schemes (natural coloration and idealized background-matching coloration). We presented captive blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) with video playbacks of male spiders in a presence-absence detection task and characterized conspicuousness by measuring response latency and detectability. We found that any type of motion significantly increased detectability, and that body coloration and behavior interacted to determine detectability while the spiders were in motion. Among spiders in motion, courting spiders were detected faster than walking spiders. Stationary (frozen) spiders, in contrast, were rarely detected. These results illustrate that male S. ocreata can be both highly conspicuous and highly cryptic to avian predators. Thus, while we find that courtship is conspicuous to avian predators in this system, we suggest that behavioral plasticity may mitigate some of the predation costs of the sexual signal.
Who needs medical students

“bottom dwellers of the academic food chain” One of the challenges for us as medical students making our way on to the wards is to determine our role. Our agenda is to learn. However, we face many different styles of teaching, and at one point or another we must endure the sensation of standing idly against the wall, looking on to a session of rounds with a mixture of genuine interest and selfconscious alienation. We find ourselves asking, “Do they know we are here?” This first question leads naturally on to a second, “What difference does it make to anyone that we are here?” We are …
Formal Specification and Verification

Once requirements are fully understood, it is important to have them documented and verified. This stage is critical, since no one wants to waste hundreds of employee hours developing a software package that does not function as expected. Requirements specification can be done in terms of the logical components involved, their respective inputs, outputs and desired relationships, and constraint to be imposed. States and possible state transitions can also be incorporated into a requirements specification; in this case the requirements specification may be executable. Indeed some requirements specification languages are executable (e.g., Petri net; see Section 3.6).
Diesel Exhaust Odor Analysis by Sensory Techniques

The odor profile method has been applied to the measurement and analysis of diesel exhaust odor. The human sensory panel has described the odor of diluted exhaust and analytical fractions isolated from the exhaust in terms of total intensity of aroma (TIA), and individual odor character notes. For convenience, diesel exhaust odor can be described in two character groups -- oily-kerosene and smoky-burnt odor. The ordorous species were determined by detailed chemical analyses supported by comparative data from reference compounds. To achieve reliable quantitative odor intensity measurements, it was necessary to present the odor panel with a series of concentrations (dilutions) of exhaust in air over a wide range. The odor intensity at a given exhaust concentration is computed from a least squares analysis of the entire panel data. The results demonstrate an odor intensity range of slight to moderately strong for diesel exhaust at 1000:1 dilution.
Is a Prediabetes Diagnosis Worth the Risk

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic illness that has significant acute and long-term implications for patients. Prediabetes, a term used to describe individuals with increased glucose concentrations not high enough to meet diabetes diagnosis, has an estimated prevalence of 1 out of every 3 American adults (1). According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), these individuals are ideal candidates for diabetes prevention efforts (2). A recent article in Science written by investigative journalist Charles Piller questions the validity and utility of a prediabetes diagnosis (3). He traces the controversy around this diagnosis to its original placement into the 2001 ADA Standards of Care and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the ADA's “declaration of war against prediabetes.” He describes the popularization of this term …
Anti/Vax: Reframing the Vaccination Controversy

Anti/Vax: Reframing the Vaccination Controversy cogently examines the antivaccine controversy by examining the epistemological, social, and cultural elements that shape the debate.
Effect of hydride vapor phase epitaxy growth conditions on the degree of atomic ordering in GaInP

We report a systematic study of CuPt-type ordering in hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE)-grown Ga0.5In0.5P. Selected-area electron diffraction reveals ordering in samples grown on (001) GaAs substrates offcut toward ( 1 1 ¯ 1 ) B. The ordering is single-variant, occurring only on ( 1 1 ¯ 1 ) B planes and not on ( 1 ¯ 11 ) B. Quantitative analysis of the order parameter by high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) indicates that ordering increases with deposition temperature in samples grown at 600–700 °C with a constant gas-phase V/III ratio ∼3. Ordering increases with V/III ratio in the range of 1.3–6.7 at a constant deposition temperature of 650 °C. Photoluminescence measurements correlate the order parameter with Ga0.5In0.5P bandgap contraction, though the contraction is larger than expected based on the magnitude of order parameters measured by HRXRD. A possible reason for this discrepancy is that the photoluminescence emission occurs in the lower bandgap ordered domains, which are small and evenly dispersed throughout the material. We also show that the degree of ordering decreases with growth rate, disappearing at ∼60 μm/h. The HVPE-grown material exhibits a generally weaker ordering than organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE)-grown material, likely due to the moderate V/III ratios employed, in contrast to the V/III ratios in the 100s typical of OMVPE. However, the tendency for ordering to increase with V/III ratio suggests that the same dimer-induced stress mechanism used to explain the occurrence of ordering in OMVPE-grown material also applies to HVPE. The tendencies for ordering to increase with deposition temperature and decrease with growth rate show that kinetics limit the degree of ordering, also in agreement with OMVPE trends.
Falling Flat? The Impact of State Legitimacy, Capacity, and Political Trust on Flattening the Curve of COVID-19

As countries across the world struggle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, pundits often remark that countries with higher levels of regime legitimacy, state capacity, and political trust are more likely to curtail the spread of the virus. This article offers a first-cut glance analyzing whether these countries are indeed, more successful at containing the virus. By combining data from 10 different sources, I find that countries with higher levels of legitimacy and trust actually experienced greater increases in COVID-19 cases, albeit the strength of this relationship is moderate. State capacity had a stronger positive relationship with increases in COVID-19 cases, but GDP per capita largely drives this relationship. In sum, these results counter expectations regarding the role of certain political indicators on virus containment. Future research should refrain from the “blame game” in terms of politics and should instead look at unique factors characterizing industrialized democracies that make a virus much harder to contain.
Impact of chronic stylet-feeder infestation on folivore-induced signaling and defenses in a conifer

Our understanding of how conifers respond biochemically to multiple simultaneous herbivore attacks is lacking. Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis; 'hemlock') is fed on by hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae; 'adelgid') and by later-instar gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar; 'gypsy moth') caterpillars. The adelgid is a stylet-feeding insect that causes a salicylic acid (SA)-linked response in hemlock, and gypsy moth larvae are folivores that presumably cause a jasmonic acid (JA)-linked response. This system presents an opportunity to study how invasive herbivore-herbivore interactions mediated through host biochemical responses. We used a factorial field experiment to challenge chronically adelgid-infested hemlocks with gypsy moth caterpillars. We quantified 17 phytohormones, 26 phenolic and terpene metabolites, and proanthocyanidin, cell wall-bound (CW-bound) phenolic, and lignin contents. Foliage infested with adelgid only accumulated gibberellins and SA; foliage challenged by gypsy moth only accumulated JA phytohormones. Gypsy moth folivory on adelgid-infested foliage reduced the accumulation of JA phytohormones and increased the SA levels. Both herbivores increased CW-bound phenolics and gypsy moth increased lignin content when feeding alone but not when feeding on adelgid-infested foliage. Our study illustrates the importance of understanding the biochemical mechanisms and signaling antagonism underlying tree responses to multiple stresses and of disentangling local and systemic stress signaling in trees.
In-Hospital Outcomes of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

Introduction Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasingly common among patients with other comorbid chronic conditions, particularly diabetes mellitus (DM). Yet, studies that explored the impact of comorbid diabetes on the outcomes of IBD are scanty. Therefore, this study aims to examine the outcomes of inflammatory bowel disease among hospitalized patients with diabetes mellitus. Methods Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sampling (NIS) database from 2016 to 2018, we identified patients' records with a diagnosis of IBD using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes (ICD-10). The overall study population was further stratified by diabetes mellitus status. We matched patients with IBD and diabetes mellitus (IBD DM) with IBD cohorts using a greedy propensity score matching (PSM) ratio of 1:1 and compared in-hospital outcomes between the two cohorts. Conditional logistic regression was performed to estimate the odds of outcomes. Results Out of the 192,456 hospitalizations for IBD, 34,073 (7.7%) had comorbid IBD DM and 158,383 (92.3%) had no diabetes mellitus (IBD only). Patients with IBD DM are likely to be older. They have higher rates of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, obesity, peripheral vascular disease, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease, chronic liver disease, and stroke than the IBD cohort. After propensity score matching, IBD DM was associated with a lower adverse outcome [odds ratio (OR): 0.96, confidence interval (CI): 0.93 - 0.99, p < 0.01], IBD-related complications (intestinal or rectal fistula, intra-abdominal abscess, toxic colitis, intestinal perforation, intestinal obstruction, toxic megacolon, abscess of the abdomen, and perianal abscess), (OR: 0.76, CI: 0.72 - 0.80, P <0.01), IBD-related surgery (intestinal resections, incision, and excisions of intestine and manipulations of the rectosigmoid, rectal and perianal) (OR: 0.90, CI: 0.85 - 0.95, P <0.01). Furthermore, IBD DM was associated with a higher sepsis complication than the IBD-only cohort (OR: 1.24, CI: 1.19 - 1.30, P <0.01). Conclusion Our results highlight the extent to which diabetes mellitus impacts IBD outcomes and prognosis. Additionally, they emphasize the clinical awareness needed in the management of those with comorbid diseases.
Testing and Evaluation of an Improved Infrared Scene Projector

The latest Infrared Scene Projector (IRSP) system called Improved SLEDS (ISLEDS) was developed with the aim of iterating on the current generation of IRSP technology. This paper will detail the testing and evaluation of the ISLEDS projector system.
The selection of transcatheter heart valves in transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Abstract Transcatheter heart valve technology has rapidly progressed since initial approval in the United States. There are currently two widely available transcatheter heart valve delivery systems approved in the US; however limited data exist on optimal device selection for various patient populations. This review explores the characteristics of currently approved transcatheter heart valve systems and scenarios where one valve system may be favored over others. We provide a simplified decision tree for selecting the optimal transcatheter valve system for specific patient-centered characteristics.
mTORC1: Upstream and Downstream

The mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is an evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine kinase that forms two distinct multi-protein complexes termed mTORC1 and mTORC2. mTORC1 receives a variety of upstream signals including growth factors, cellular energy, and nutrient availability, and regulates a wide spectrum of downstream events, such as mRNA translation, ribosome and lysosome biogenesis, and autophagy. mTORC2 receives growth factor signals and regulates downstream effectors, mainly members of the AGC family of kinases. Recent studies have made great advances in understanding the temporal and spatial regulation of mTORC1 and have revealed how different upstream signals are integrated to coordinate multiple regulators of mTORC1, thus fine tuning its activity. In this article, we mainly focus on mTORC1, giving a general overview of the upstream regulators and downstream effectors of mTORC1 pathway, with special attention given to recent advances in mTORC1 regulation by amino acids.
Effects of Password Permutation on Subjective Usability Across Platforms

The current work examines the effects of password permutation on subjective usability across platforms, using system-generated passwords that adhere to the password requirements found in higher-security enterprise environments. This research builds upon a series of studies at the National Institute of Standards and Technology by testing a previously proposed idea of password permutation: grouping like character classes together in order to improve password usability. Password permutation improves mobile device entry by reducing the number of keystrokes required to enter numbers and symbols. Across platforms smartphone, tablet, and desktop computer participants rated the longer length 14 permuted passwords as easier to type than the shorter length 10 non-permuted passwords. This demonstrates that the composition and structure of a password are important; people are sensitive to factors beyond simple password length. By combining qualitative and quantitative research, we will ultimately arrive at a more complete understanding of how password construction impacts usability.
Analysis of marital structure in Massachusetts using repeating pairs of surnames.

The author uses a method developed by Lasker and Kaplan that considers the total number of repeating pairs (RP) of surnames among marriages to analyze marital structure. "The RP method is applied here to data from 3431 marriages that took place from 1800 to 1849 in 4 Massachusetts towns. The level of excess RP...is positively associated with population size and exogamy rate. These results indicate a tendency for greater relative subdivision in larger more exogamous populations....In terms of genetic implications an excess of observed RP over random RP implies a slight reduction in genetic variation because of population subdivision." (EXCERPT)
Chasing the American Dream: New Perspectives on Affordable Homeownership

The good news about subprime mortgage loans is that since the 1990s, their increased availability has helped to raise the ownership rate among low-income families. The bad news is the growing numbe...
The origin and movement of prelung cells in the chick embryo as determined by radioautographic mapping.

The origin of the prelung cells was determined by tracing the movements of [3H]thymidinelabelled grafts excised from medium-streak to 4-somite stage chick embryos and transplanted to the epiblast, streak, and endoderm-mesoderm of similarly staged recipient embryos. At the medium-streak stage the prelung endoderm cells are in the anterior third of the primitive streak; they shortly begin to migrate anteriorly and laterally into the endoderm layer. They are folded into the gut beginning at about the 4-somite stage, and begin to reach their definitive position in the ventrolateral gut wall at the 10- to 16-somite stage. At the ± 22-somite stage the prelung endoderm begins to burrow into the overlying splanchnic layer of mesoderm, pushing the prelung mesoderm ahead of it. At the medium-streak stage the prelung mesoderm is in the epiblast (dorsal) layer about half-way to the lateral margin of the area pellucida on either side of the streak, at a level about half-way between the anterior and posterior ends of the streak. From this position the prelung mesoderm migrates medially to the streak and is invaginated into the mesoderm layer at a position about half-way between the anterior and posterior ends of the streak. As a section of the dorsal mesentery, it migrates anteriorly and laterally from the streak into the splanchnic mesoderm lateral to the somites. From the head process stage to the early somite stages, the prelung mesoderm is located posterior to the prelung endoderm. The prelung mesoderm continues to migrate with the splanchnic mesoderm into the mesentery dorsal to the heart, where it invests the prelung endoderm after the 16- to 19-somite stage. Beginning at about the 22-somite stage, the prelung endoderm penetrates the prelung mesoderm and the bilateral bronchi are formed.
Porting Ordinary Applications to Blue Gene/Q Supercomputers

Efficiently porting ordinary applications to Blue Gene/Q supercomputers is a significant challenge. Codes are often originally developed without considering advanced architectures and related tool chains. Science needs frequently lead users to want to run large numbers of relatively small jobs (often called many-task computing, an ensemble, or a workflow), which can conflict with supercomputer configurations. In this paper, we discuss techniques developed to execute ordinary applications over leadership class supercomputers. We use the high-performance Swift parallel scripting framework and build two workflow execution techniques -- sub-jobs and main-wrap. The sub-jobs technique, built on top of the IBM Blue Gene/Q resource manager Cobalt's sub-block jobs, lets users submit multiple, independent, repeated smaller jobs within a single larger resource block. The main-wrap technique is a scheme that enables C/C++ programs to be defined as functions that are wrapped by a high-performance Swift wrapper and that are invoked as a Swift script. We discuss the needs, benefits, technicalities, and current limitations of these techniques. We further discuss the real-world science enabled by these techniques and the results obtained.
Post Block Aerial Triangulation with Height Constraint

If the block triangulation and adjustment has been completed, the adjusted exterior orientation information for each of the photos can be used for subsequent post block work such as in cadastral alignment and construction surveys. The accuracy of the post block survey has been tested and found to be within limits for the projects under consideration. A new mathematical model for a functional height constraint, requiring no extra field observations, has been proposed and tested for its validity. The method seems to have definite advantage over the conventional aerial survey so far as improvement in planimetric accuracy is concerned.
Reproduction, production and the sexual division of labour.

PIP: This basically economic treatise elaborates the thesis that the focal point of women's economic activities is provided by their special role in the reproduction of the labor force. Given that change in sex roles is necessary in order not to perpetuate a division of labor which places women in subordinate positions, this paper attempts to analyze the nature and functions of traditional sex roles and to study the structures that have supported them through generations in an effort to conceptualize the relevant issues and to set up a general framework from which change in social structure relating to women and their economic dependency can proceed. In addition, specific studies of concrete situations observed within and across countries and cultural barriers are used for illustration. The argument, simply stated, which the paper seeks to prove, is that male domination develops around the need to control reproduction in its different aspects; the concept of reproduction used here indicates a dynamic process of change linked with the perpetuation of social systems. It includes social as well as physical reproduction, and its meaning therefore goes beyond that of reproduction of human beings. This concept of reproduction is isolated in discussions of production and the sexual division of labor, including agrarian structures and modes of production; the commercialization and proletarization of agriculture; and the availability of labor resources and development of wage labor markets. The implications of this concept of reproduction in population policy, specifically population control, are not explicitly discussed but are tremendously important.
Integrated feature extraction and selection for neuroimage classification

Feature extraction and selection are of great importance in neuroimage classification for identifying informative features and reducing feature dimensionality, which are generally implemented as two separate steps. This paper presents an integrated feature extraction and selection algorithm with two iterative steps: constrained subspace learning based feature extraction and support vector machine (SVM) based feature selection. The subspace learning based feature extraction focuses on the brain regions with higher possibility of being affected by the disease under study, while the possibility of brain regions being affected by disease is estimated by the SVM based feature selection, in conjunction with SVM classification. This algorithm can not only take into account the inter-correlation among different brain regions, but also overcome the limitation of traditional subspace learning based feature extraction methods. To achieve robust performance and optimal selection of parameters involved in feature extraction, selection, and classification, a bootstrapping strategy is used to generate multiple versions of training and testing sets for parameter optimization, according to the classification performance measured by the area under the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve. The integrated feature extraction and selection method is applied to a structural MR image based Alzheimer's disease (AD) study with 98 non-demented and 100 demented subjects. Cross-validation results indicate that the proposed algorithm can improve performance of the traditional subspace learning based classification.
Standardized diet compositions and trophic levels of skates (Chondrichthyes: Rajiformes: Rajoidei)

Skates by virtue of their abundance and widespread occurrence appear to play an influential role in the food webs of demersal marine communities. However, few quantitative dietary studies have been conducted on this elasmobranch group. Therefore, to better understand the ecological role of skates, standardized diet compositions and trophic level (TL) values were calculated from quantitative studies, and compared within and among skate and shark taxa. Prey items were grouped into 11 general categories to facilitate standardized diet composition and TL calculations. Trophic level values were calculated for 60 skate species with TL estimates ranging from 3.48 to 4.22 (mean TL = 3.80 ± 0.02 SE). Standardized diet composition results revealed that decapods and fishes were the main prey taxa of most skate species followed by amphipods and polychaetes. Correspondingly, cluster analysis of diet composition data revealed four major trophic guilds, each dominated by one of these prey groups. Fish and decapod guilds were dominant comprising 39 of 48 species analyzed. Analysis of skate families revealed that the Arhynchobatidae and Rajidae had similar TL values of 3.86 and 3.79 (t-test, P = 0.27), respectively. The Anacanthobatidae were represented by a single species, Cruriraja parcomaculata, with a TL of 3.53. Statistical comparison of TL values calculated for five genera (Bathyraja, Leucoraja, Raja, Rajella, Rhinoraja) revealed a significant difference between Bathyraja and Rajella (t-test, P = 0.03). A positive correlation was observed between TL and total length (L T) with larger skates (e.g. >100 cm L T) tending to have a higher calculated TL value (>3.9). Skates were found to occupy TLs similar to those of several co-occurring demersal shark families including the Scyliorhinidae, Squatinidae, and Triakidae. Results from this study support recent assertions that skates utilize similar resources to those of other upper trophic-level marine predators, e.g. seabirds, marine mammals, and sharks. These preliminary findings will hopefully encourage future research into the trophic relationships and ecological impact of these interesting and important demersal predators.