cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Highly Compliant Vascular Grafts with Gelatin-Sheathed Coaxially Structured Nanofibers

We have developed three types of materials composed of polyurethane-gelatin, polycaprolactone-gelatin, or polylactic acid-gelatin nanofibers by coaxially electrospinning the hydrophobic core and gelatin sheath with a ratio of 1:5 at fixed concentrations. Results from attenuated total reflection-Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy demonstrated the gelatin coating around nanofibers in all of the materials. Transmission electron microscopy images further displayed the core-sheath structures showing the core-to-sheath thickness ratio varied greatly with the highest ratio found in polyurethane-gelatin nanofibers. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed similar, uniform fibrous structures in all of the materials, which changed with genipin cross-linking due to interfiber interactions. Thermal analyses revealed varied interactions between the hydrophilic sheath and hydrophobic core among the three materials, which likely caused different core-sheath structures, and thus physicomechanical properties. The addition of gelatin around the hydrophobic polymer and their interactions led to the formation of graft scaffolds with tissue-like viscoelasticity, high compliance, excellent swelling capability, and absence of water permeability while maintaining competent tensile modulus, burst pressure, and suture retention. The hydrogel-like characteristics are advantageous for vascular grafting use, because of the capability of bypassing preclotting prior to implantation, retaining vascular fluid volume, and facilitating molecular transport across the graft wall, as shown by coculturing vascular cells sandwiched over a thick-wall scaffold. Varied core-sheath interactions within scaffolding nanofibers led to differences in graft functional properties such as water swelling ratio, compliance, and supporting growth of cocultured vascular cells. The PCL-gelatin scaffold with thick gelatin-sheathed nanofibers demonstrated a more compliant structure, elastic mechanics, and high water swelling property. Our results demonstrate a feasible approach to produce new hybrid, biodegradable nanofibrous scaffold biomaterials with interactive core-sheath structure, good biocompatibility, and tissue-like viscoelasticity, which may reduce potential problems with the use of individual polymers for vascular grafts.
Perfusion of the mechanically compressed lumbar ganglion with lidocaine reduces mechanical hyperalgesia and allodynia in the rat.

The rat L5 dorsal root ganglion (DRG) was chronically compressed by inserting a hollow perforated rod into the intervertebral foramen. The DRG was constantly perfused through the hollow rod with ei...
Biomechanical response of a lumbar intervertebral disc to manual lifting activities: a poroelastic finite element model study.

STUDY DESIGN Determination of damage to a lumbar disc caused by lifting using a poroelastic finite element model study. OBJECTIVE Compare the biomechanical response of a lumbar disc under 8 different lifting conditions and identify the loading conditions that produce the greatest deformations and highest stresses in various tissue components of the disc. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Lifting has been associated epidemiologically with back injuries and back pain complaints. Forces high enough to cause mechanical damage to the disc have been predicted using analytical methods. METHODS Using kinematic data from series of lifts obtained in our laboratories and an electromyography (EMG)-driven muscle optimization model, representative force patterns for each of 8 lifts were obtained and used as input into a poroelastic finite element model. Disc tissue displacements and stresses were determined for all the 8 lift conditions. RESULTS.: Lifting the box from a maximally lateral flexed posture up to waist level (Task 5) produced the largest translational and rotational motions of all studied. This lift activity also produced maximum von Mises stresses in all disc components: annulus, nucleus, and endplates. The largest facet joint forces were also observed during lift Task 5. CONCLUSION Asymmetric lifting involving lateral bending of the trunk produced large motions that might cause localized disc tissue injury. Stresses larger than the failure strength of the corresponding disc tissues were experienced during asymmetric lifting. Lifting that involves lateral bending of the trunk was the most hazardous type of loading with regard to damage to the disc.
A qualitative exploration of suspended youth social connectedness in a community-based intervention program

ABSTRACTOut-of-school suspension continues to disconnect an overwhelming number of economically disadvantaged ethnic minority (EDEM) youth from school—leading to out-of-school placement. Youth communities and localities may provide alternative spaces for suspended youth and create opportunities for prosocial engagement and support. The present study employed participant observation and interviews to explore suspended youth sense of social connectedness in a community-based intervention program in the United States. Findings illustrate psychosocial assets and youth sense of social connectedness emerged from relational bonds and a structural culture enforcing a nurturing and inclusive environment. A discussion on improving the capacity of community-based organizations to address the needs of suspended youth follows.
Do nucleic acids moonlight as molecular chaperones

Organisms use molecular chaperones to combat the unfolding and aggregation of proteins. While protein chaperones have been widely studied, here we demonstrate that DNA and RNA exhibit potent chaperone activity in vitro Nucleic acids suppress the aggregation of classic chaperone substrates up to 300-fold more effectively than the protein chaperone GroEL. Additionally, RNA cooperates with the DnaK chaperone system to refold purified luciferase. Our findings reveal a possible new role for nucleic acids within the cell: that nucleic acids directly participate in maintaining proteostasis by preventing protein aggregation.
Motion and noise artifact-resilient atrial fibrillation detection algorithm for a smartphone

We have developed a motion and noise artifact (MNA)-resilient atrial fibrillation (AF) detection algorithm for smartphones that eliminates MNAs, and then detects AFs in smartphone camera recordings. MNA-corrupted episodes are observed to have larger values of turning point ratio (TPR), pulse slope, or Kurtosis compared to clean AF and normal sinus rhythm (NSR) episodes. On the other hand, AFs are shown to have larger root mean square of successive RR differences (RMSSD) and Shannon Entropy (ShE) [1]. Our developed AF algorithm is capable of separating MNAs, NSRs, AFs, which enhances the specificity of AF detection. We have recruited 88 subjects having AF at baseline and NSR after electrical cardioversion, and 11 subjects having MNA-corrupted NSRs to evaluate the performance of our AF algorithm. The clinical tests show that the proposed AF algorithm gives higher accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of 0.9667, 0.9765, 0.9714 compared to the previous AF algorithm [1].
Medication Complexity, Medication Number, and Their Relationships to Medication Discrepancies:

Background: Medication reconciliation to identify discrepancies is a National Patient Safety Goal. Increasing medication number and complex medication regimens are associated with discrepancies, nonadherence, and adverse events. The Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) integrates information about dosage form, dosing frequency, and additional directions. Objective: This study evaluates the association of MRCI scores and medication number with medication discrepancies and commissions, a discrepancy subtype. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of a convenience sample of 104 ambulatory care patients seen from April 2010 to July 2011 within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Primary outcomes included any medication discrepancy and commissions. Primary exposures included MRCI scores and medication number. Multivariable logistic regression models associated MRCI scores and medication number with discrepancies. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves provided discrepancy thresholds. Resu...
Restoring Files and Folder Security Settings

Many years ago, when I was a junior sysadmin, my experienced IT manager said to me, “Administrative privileges have to be earned and not taken for granted.” I think he was trying to protect me (and more, important, his workplace) from the potential damage that a noob administrator can wreak if he or she is not careful! We can all sometimes take the administrator account that we use for granted.
Mineral content of foods and total diets: the Selected Minerals in Foods Survey, 1982 to 1984.

The 234 foods of the FDA's Total Diet Study were collected four times per year form mid-1982 to mid-1984 and analyzed for 11 essential minerals. Daily intakes of the minerals were estimated for eight age-sex groups of the U.S. population. Levels of calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, and manganese were low (less than 80% of the RDA or below the low end of the Estimated Safe and Adequate Daily Dietary Intake range) for some or all age-sex groups. Those most at risk of low intakes were young children, teenage girls, adult women, and older women. Non-discretionary sodium intake exceeded the upper Estimated Safe and Adequate Daily Dietary Intake range for two age-sex groups, and iodine was considerably above the RDA for all age-sex groups. Levels of potassium, phosphorus, and selenium were adequate for all groups.
A century of stream burial in Michigan (USA) cities

ABSTRACTFollowing rapid expansion of urbanization over the last century, Michigan’s largest cities are characterized by relatively high population densities, high percentages of impervious surface coverage, and heavily modified stream networks (e.g. channelization, dams, or burial). Unfortunately, urban stream burial can be extensive and costly, but the spatiotemporal pattern of stream burial in most cities remains ambiguous and, for the most part, unmapped. This map illustrates the impact of stream removal in Michigan’s seven largest cities, both before and after rapid population growth and industrialization. Flowlines indicating the location of streams, artificial channels, and canals/ditches were accessed from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and digitized off historical USGS topographic maps between 1902 and 1929, ranging in scale between 1:62,500 and 1:24,000. A comparison between the two datasets showed all seven cities have stream networks altered or los...
Domestic Factors in the Making of Chinese Foreign Policy

The hard logic of China’s geostrategic vulnerability drives Chinese foreign policy. Neither nationalism, power struggles nor interest group politics constrain the elite’s foreign policy decisions. ...
Applying the narrative policy framework to the issues surrounding hydraulic fracturing within the news media: A research note

Identifying narratives within the news media is a challenging task. In this research note, we utilize the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) to identify news media narratives and characters (heroes, victims, villains) on hydraulic fracturing in two local Colorado newspapers. We find the victim is the public and the villain is most often the oil and gas actors. Furthermore, the two newspapers present heroes differently: the conservative newspaper presents oil and gas industry actors as heroes while the liberal newspaper presents environmental organizations as heroes. This research note demonstrates the potential of the NPF to evaluate media reporting of contentious issues.
Appeals to Elites: The Problem with Deliberation

As the last chapter argued, Madison offered the argument from veneration because of the very real possibility that moderates would be persuaded by calls for a second convention. This fear of a second convention was also related to Madison's turn to the Bill of Rights, a turn examined in detail in the next chapter. But this fear of a second convention is worthy of attention in its own right because it signals a problem with the standard accounts of Madison and Madisonian constitutionalism. Specifically, if Madison thought that a convention of specially chosen delegates would be unable to deliberate during times of founding, then on what basis did Madison think those very same individuals would be able to govern during times of normal politics? Put simply, if Madison distrusted elites during times of founding, what did he think of their capacity for deliberation during times of ordinary politics? This question of deliberation during normal politics calls into question a fundamental pillar of Madisonian constitutionalism because it forces us to reconsider the nature of representation within Madison's constitutional thought. Because it has long been held that a central tenet of Madisonian constitutionalism is that representatives would “refine and enlarge” the opinions and interests of their constituents, the question of deliberation is especially important. This point can be illustrated by pointing to Edmund Burke's well-known assertion of what is frequently called the trustee model of representation. In the most well-known passage of his speech at Bristol, Burke explicitly connected the strong theory of representation with deliberation: Parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests; which interests each must maintain, as an agent and advocate against other agents and advocates; but parliament is a deliberative assembly of one nation, with one interest, that of the whole; where, not local purposes, not local prejudices, ought to guide, but the general good, resulting from the general reason of the whole.
Realizing the Potential of Cancer Prevention - The Role of Implementation Science.

Accumulating evidence shows that there are simple methods of reducing the incidence of cancer and cancer-related mortality in people at average and high risk. Further study is needed to better understand how these lifesaving, cost-effective measures can be put to greater use.
Modular Development of Agile Manufacturing Control Systems

Abstract In the near future, agile control systems will be a key element for the realization of intelligent manufacturing systems (IMS). Therefore, innovative development methodologies for the structured design and testing of complex control systems are mandatory. In the present work a development methodology is introduced, which is based on reference models that are compliant with emerging international standards, and exploit object-oriented concepts. By means of the proposed framework the definition of complex control systems is simplified, and the maintenance and reuse of designed control solutions is enhanced. In particular, the agility of the developed control systems is significantly improved. Furthermore, an application is presented, where the structured design of the control of an intelligent manufacturing system is discussed, so highlighting the benefits of the proposed framework. In particular, an innovative shoe plant is considered as an application example.
A method for the design of unsymmetrical optical systems using freeform surfaces

A systematic technique for the design of unsymmetrical optical systems is described. Freeform optical surfaces are constructed by superposition of a conic segment and polynomial, and successfully applied to design relatively fast wide-field systems.
Exploring emerging cybersecurity risks from network-connected DER devices

Future growth in Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) present growing cybersecurity risks as these devices acquire increased networking and remote control capabilities. In this work the cyber-physical risks of consumer-grade DER are described. The work focuses on studying those DER devices that are network enabled and could be exploited by remote entities. Since attacks can range in both the access mechanism and the outcome objective a set of metrics are proposed to classify the cyber-physical attributes of the intrusion, these metrics can later be applied to create a inclusive model that can be used to measure the cybersecurity risks in terms of typical power-system quantities in real-world systems.
MOF-based ternary nanocomposites for better CO2 photoreduction: roles of heterojunctions and coordinatively unsaturated metal sites

Semiconductors are the most widely used catalysts for CO2 photoreduction. However, their efficiencies are limited by low charge carrier density and poor CO2 activation. Towards solving these issues, a metal–organic framework (MOF)-based ternary nanocomposite was synthesized through self-assembly of TiO2/Cu2O heterojunctions via a microdroplet-based approach followed by in situ growth of Cu3(BTC)2 (BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate). With increased charge carrier density and efficient CO2 activation, the hybrid ternary nanocomposite exhibits a high CO2 conversion efficiency and preferential formation of CH4. Systematic measurements by using gas chromatography, photoluminescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and time-resolved in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy reveal that the semiconductor heterojunction and the coordinatively unsaturated copper sites within the hybrid nanostructure are attributable to the performance enhancements.
Multiplex molecular profiling of breast cancer cell lines with quantum dot-antibody conjugates

2173 Identification of biomarkers in breast tumors is of primary importance in predicting the likely benefit of systemic therapies. Conventional biomarkers, such as estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and HER2/neu (HER2) can be used to predict the outcome from hormonal therapies and trastuzumab. Techniques currently used to detect and quantify these conventional biomarkers such as immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) are unable to perform multiplex antigen determination. Semiconductor nanoparticles such as quantum dots (QDs) have unique optical properties and can be conjugated with antibodies. QD-antibody conjugates allow the simultaneous detection of several proteins on a single specimen thereby avoiding problems with tumor heterogeneity. Methods: Antibodies conjugated to multicolor QDs were used to perform multiplex labeling of 5 breast cancer cell lines. Antibodies for HER2, ER and PR were conjugated to 565nm, 605nm and 655nm QDs (QDots Corp., CA) respectively. MCF-7, T47D, BT474, SKBR3 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines, and NH3T3 fibroblasts cells (used as controls) were plated in 8-wells chamber slides, fixed and stained simultaneously with anti-HER2, anti-ER and anti-PR antibody-QD conjugates. Quantitative analysis of the labeled antigens was then completed via single-cell spectroscopy using the SpectroPro 150 fluorescence microscope and a single-stage spectrograph. Results: We obtained a wavelength- resolved spectrum with three separated peaks representing expression levels of HER2, ER and PR. One hundred single cells from every cell line were analyzed and an average of intensity patterns was calculated. Estimated antigen amount is shown in the table (Fluorescent intensity -a.u.x10-2). We found an excellent correlation between biomarker expression levels using conjugated QDs and by Western blot, IHC and FISH. Conclusions: Using conjugated QDs, we have detected ER, PR and HER2 simultaneously on a single specimen. Conjugated QDs will ultimately allow the detection of up to 100 proteins simultaneously on a single specimen, thereby, opening exciting new possibilities in cancer molecular profiling using nanotechnology.
Revising the "Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory" (MARSI) and Testing for Factorial Invariance.

In this study, we revised the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI), a self-report instrument designed to assess students’ awareness of reading strategies when reading school-related materials. We collected evidence of structural, generalizability, and external aspects of validity for the revised inventory (MARSI-R). We first conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of the MARSI instrument, which resulted in the reduction of the number of strategy statements from 30 to 15. We then tested MARSI-R for factorial invariance across gender and ethnic groups and found that there is a uniformity in student interpretation of the reading strategy statements across these groups, thus allowing for their comparison on levels of metacognitive processing skills. We found evidence of the external validity aspect of MARSI-R data through correlations of such data with a measure of the students’ perceived reading ability. Given that this journal is oriented to second language learning and teaching, our article also includes comments on the Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS), which was based on the original MARSI and was designed to assess adolescents’ and adults’ metacognitive awareness and perceived use of ESL reading strategies. We provide a copy of the MARSI-R instrument and discuss the implications of the study’s findings in light of new and emerging insights relative to assessing students’ metacognitive awareness and perceived use of reading strategies.
Effect of Residual Stresses on the Crack Growth in Aluminum

Shot peening is a cold working process in which the surface of a part is bombarded with small spherical media called shots. This process results in a hemisphere of cold-worked material that is highly stressed in compression. Fuchs [1] and several other researchers have reported that the values of the compressive stresses are at least as high as 50% of the ultimate strength of the material. In the open literature there is little information of crack growth data through the residual stress fields generated by shot peening. Kocada et al [2] suggested that this is probably due to the fact that the observation of short crack initiation and propagation in a heavily deformed surface layer is very difficult to monitor. The focus of this investigation is on the fatigue crack growth rates of short cracks in the shot peened aluminum alloys.
Organic and Inorganic Contributions to Vertical Accretion in Salt Marsh Sediments

The contribution of organic and inorganic constituents to recent vertical accretion rates (since 1963/4) was estimated for 141 salt marshes ranging from New England to the Gulf of Mexico. The range of vertical accretion and inorganic accumulation rates were 0.09 to 1.78 cm y−1, and 0.01 to 0.53 g cm y−1, respectively. The volume of the accumulated organic and inorganic in all salt marshes averaged 3.8 and 4.9%, respectively, of the total, which is relatively low among soil types. The remaining soil volume is water and air. There was a direct relationship between vertical accretion and organic accumulation that explained 59% of the variation for all samples combined. In contrast, the bulk density is strongly and directly related to inorganic content, but not the vertical accretion rate. A multiple regression equation describing the vertical accumulation as a function of mineral and organic accumulation suggests that organic accumulation is five times more important than inorganic accumulation for East coast salt marshes (n=19; weight basis), but that inorganic content is a statistically-insignificant factor for Gulf of Mexico salt marshes (n=122), or for all salt marshes examined (n=141). A simple linear regression showed that a 1 cm rise in salt marsh elevation was composed of 10.9 g of organic matter. A threshold level of 0.02 g organic matter y−1 accumulation can continue without inorganic accumulation. It appears that it is the accumulation of organic matter that controls inorganic accumulation in established marshes, not the reverse. These results document the dominant role of below ground plant material in maintaining salt marshes once they are established. When wetland hydrology is altered, it is the organic soil constituents that are affected (through oxidation or plant growth below ground), thus explaining salt marsh conversion to open water through indirect changes in hydrology. Salt marsh management and restoration efforts would do well to keep in mind the plant’s health, especially belowground, if the long-term and effective strategies are to be successfully implemented. The biological components, not the geological components, appear to control the fate of established salt marshes.
Salient Properties of Geographic Connectivity Underlying Spatial Autocorrelation

Features of spatial autocorrelation can be established with analytical, computational, and conceptual techniques. Analytical techniques rely upon algebra and geometry to obtain mathematical generalizations about spatial autocorrelation. Computational techniques rely upon computing power, algorithms, and statistical theory to obtain numerical outcomes, experimentally exploring the behavior of spatial autocorrelation in the absence of analytical equations. Tools commonly employed in experimental exercises include resampling and simulation. Conceptual techniques often involve logical arguments that sometimes derive expectations through analogies; many facets of spatial autocorrelation are paralleled with those of serial correlation (e.g., time series).
A unification of extensive-form games and Markov decision processes

We describe a generalization of extensive-form games that greatly increases representational power while still allowing efficient computation in the zero-sum setting. A principal feature of our generalization is that it places arbitrary convex optimization problems at decision nodes, in place of the finite action sets typically considered. The possibly-infinite action sets mean we must "forget" the exact action taken (feasible solution to the optimization problem), remembering instead only some statistic sufficient for playing the rest of the game optimally. Our new model provides an exponentially smaller representation for some games; in particular, we show how to compactly represent (and solve) extensive-form games with outcome uncertainty and a generalization of Markov decision processes to multi-stage adversarial planning games.
Immunity, Inflammation, and Aging

Abstract The immune system’s primary role is to protect against a broad spectrum of potential pathogens, and as humans age, the immune system undergoes a considerable amount of change that eventually leads to a decline in functional capacity (immunosenescence), which increases the susceptibility of elderly individuals to develop infections and a variety of chronic disorders. However, considerable interindividual variability in such changes has been noted, and very elderly individuals (e.g. centenarians) can retain robust immune responses despite their advanced age. Immune system changes are probably also linked to age-associated increased susceptibility to neoplasia and autoimmune diseases and, as our knowledge of aging and immunity has increased, it is now recognized that advanced age is also linked to a propensity to have ongoing, relatively subtle inflammation in various tissues and organs that may lead to a decline in physiological function, as well as altered responses to immune stimuli. This chapter will examine the link between advancing age, immune system remodeling, and inflammatory changes in various tissues and organ systems, with a focus on the respiratory system.
Regulation of Postangiogenic Vascular Regression

Angiogenesis is a complex morphogenetic process characterized by multiple mechanisms of vessel wall assembly and remodeling. During primary angiogenesis (vasculogenesis) blood vessels arise de novo from a subpopulation of mesodermal cells, which differentiate into a polygonal network of endothelial tubes lacking a mural cell coating. Further expansion of the primitive embryonal vascular system occurs through sprouting of neovessels from the differentiated endothelium of preexisting vessels. Progenitor endothelial cells participate in this secondary form of angiogenesis by becoming incorporated into neovessels from the adjacent perivascular mesenchyme. Capillary loops form through end-to-end fusion of endothelial sprouts or by intussusceptive microvascular growth, a variant of angiogenesis in which transluminal endothelial pillars subdivide the luminal space of an individual sinusoidal capillary into two separate vessels. Neovessels enlarge by intercalated growth of endothelial cells, which proliferate without sprouting, and by lateral fusion of preformed vascular tubes, like the paired dorsal aortas. As blood starts to flow and tissues differentiate, the primary vascular plexus transforms into an arborizing network of arteries, capillaries, and veins. Blood vessel walls thicken by acquiring a coating of mural cells (pericytes and smooth muscle cells) that originate from the mesodermal and neural crest mesenchyme.
Are Survivors Different? Genetic-Based Selection of Trees by Mountain Pine Beetle During a Climate Change-Driven Outbreak in a High-Elevation Pine Forest.

Increased mortality of forest trees, driven directly or indirectly by climate change, is occurring around the world. In western North America, whitebark pine, a high elevation keystone species, and lodgepole pine, a widespread ecologically and economically important tree, have experienced extensive mortality in recent climate-driven outbreaks of the mountain pine beetle. However, even in stands experiencing high levels of mortality, some mature trees have survived. We hypothesized that the outbreak acted as a natural selection event, removing trees most susceptible to the beetle and least adapted to warmer drier conditions. If this was the case, survivors should be genetically distinct from beetle-killed (susceptible) trees. To test this hypothesis, we compared the genetic profiles of two sets of trees, survivors (mature, living trees) and general population (trees just under the diameter preferred by the beetles and expected to approximate the genetic structure of each tree species at the site without beetle selection) using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR). For both whitebark and lodgepole pine, survivors and general population trees mostly segregated independently indicating a strong genetic basis for survivorship. Exceptions were a few general population trees that segregated with survivors in proportions roughly reflecting the proportion of survivors versus beetle-killed trees. Our results indicate that during outbreaks, beetle choice results in strong selection for trees with greater resistance to attack. Our findings suggest that survivorship is genetically based and, thus, heritable. Therefore, retaining survivors after outbreaks to act as primary seed sources could act to promote adaptation. Further research will be needed to characterize the actual mechanism(s) of resistance.
Ghostbuster: Detecting the Presence of Hidden Eavesdroppers

This paper explores the possibility of detecting the hidden presence of wireless eavesdroppers. Such eavesdroppers employ passive receivers that only listen and never transmit any signals making them very hard to detect. In this paper, we show that even passive receivers leak RF signals on the wireless medium. This RF leakage, however, is extremely weak and buried under noise and other transmitted signals that can be 3-5 orders of magnitude larger. Hence, it is missed by today's radios. We design and build Ghostbuster, the first device that can reliably extract this leakage, even when it is buried under ongoing transmissions, in order to detect the hidden presence of eavesdroppers. Ghostbuster does not require any modifications to current transmitters and receivers and can accurately detect the eavesdropper in the presence of ongoing transmissions. Empirical results show that Ghostbuster can detect eavesdroppers with more than 95% accuracy up to 5 meters away.
Staphylococcus aureus alpha toxin activates Notch in vascular cells

Staphylococcus aureus infection is one of the leading causes of morbidity in hospitalized patients in the United States, an effect compounded by increasing antibiotic resistance. The secreted agent hemolysin alpha toxin (Hla) requires the receptor A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10 (ADAM10) to mediate its toxic effects. We hypothesized that these effects are in part regulated by Notch signaling, for which ADAM10 activation is essential. Notch proteins function in developmental and pathological angiogenesis via the modulation of key pathways in endothelial and perivascular cells. Thus, we hypothesized that Hla would activate Notch in vascular cells. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were treated with recombinant Hla (rHla), Hla-H35L (genetically inactivated Hla), or Hank’s solution (HBSS), and probed by different methods. Luciferase assays showed that Hla (0.01 µg/mL) increased Notch activation by 1.75 ± 0.5-fold as compared to HBSS controls (p < 0.05), whereas Hla-H35L had no effect. Immunocytochemistry and Western blotting confirmed these findings and revealed that ADAM10 and γ-secretase are required for Notch activation after inhibitor and siRNA assays. Retinal EC in mice engineered to express yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) upon Notch activation demonstrated significantly greater YFP intensity after Hla injection than controls. Aortic rings from Notch reporter mice embedded in matrix and incubated with rHla or Hla-H35L demonstrate increased Notch activation occurs at tip cells during sprouting. These mice also had higher skin YFP intensity and area of expression after subcutaneous inoculation of S. aureus expressing Hla than a strain lacking Hla in both EC and pericytes assessed by microscopy. Human liver displayed strikingly higher Notch expression in EC and pericytes during S. aureus infection by immunohistochemistry than tissues from uninfected patients. In sum, our results demonstrate that the S. aureus toxin Hla can potently activate Notch in vascular cells, an effect which may contribute to the pathobiology of infection with this microorganism.
Contrast between what is expected and what occurs increases pigeon’s suboptimal choice

When pigeons are given a choice between 50% signaled reinforcement and 100% reinforcement they typically do not choose optimally, sometimes even preferring 50% reinforcement. Smith and Zentall (J Exp Psychol Anim Behav Process 42:212–220, 2016) proposed that choice depends primarily on the predictive value of the signal for reinforcement associated with each alternative (both 100% reinforcement) and not the frequency of the signal for reinforcement (50% vs. 100%). With extended training, however, Case and Zentall (Behav Process, 2018) found that pigeons actually show a reliable preference for the 50% reinforcement alternative. They suggested that contrast between the expected outcome at the time of choice (50% reinforcement) and the value of the signal for reinforcement (100% reinforcement) is the mechanism responsible for the preference for the suboptimal alternative (for the optimal alternative there should be no contrast). In the present research, we tested the contrast hypothesis by increasing the probability of reinforcement for choice of the suboptimal alternative to 75%, thereby reducing the contrast between expected and obtained reinforcement and found a reduced preference for the suboptimal alternative. That is, increasing the probability of reinforcement for choice of the suboptimal alternative decreased suboptimal choice. Thus, preference for the suboptimal alternative appears to result from two mechanisms: (1) the value of the signal for reinforcement that follows choice of the alternative and (2) positive contrast between the expected and obtained probability of reinforcement. We compared this interpretation with other hypotheses.
New Meredithiella species from mycangia of Corthylus ambrosia beetles suggest genus-level coadaptation but not species-level coevolution

Meredithiella norrisii (Microascales, Ceratocystidaceae) is an ambrosia fungus carried in mycangia of the North American ambrosia beetle, Corthylus punctatissimus. Reports on the identity of the fu...
Abstract #2198: p27 (Kip1) gene dosage plays a role in cell cycle progression and tumor suppression in Shh-mediated medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma, a brain tumor arising in the cerebellum, is the most common solid childhood malignancy. Gaining insight into mechanisms regulating transformation of medulloblastoma cells-of-origin will lead to development of better treatments and new mouse models in which to test those treatments. Cerebellar granule neuron precursors (CGNPs) are proposed cells-of-origin for certain classes of medulloblastoma. These cells require signaling by the secreted factor Sonic hedgehog (Shh) for their proliferation during brain development. Mutations causing aberrant activation of the Shh signaling pathway are implicated in human and mouse medulloblastomas. To promote proliferation and oncogenic transformation, Shh alone is not sufficient; cooperative interactions with other signaling pathways are required. We previously showed that loss or inactivation of the tumor suppressor Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), composed of the proteins TSC1 and TSC2, leads to cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p27 (Kip1) loss or mislocalization in CGNPs and in Shh-mediated medulloblastoma. Using mice that express an activated mutant allele of the Shh receptor component Smoothened (SmoA1), we find that SmoA1 mice with p27 heterozygosity have a decreased survival compared to mice having two wild-type p27 alleles. Also, these mice maintain wild-type p27 protein, which is aberrantly localized to the cytoplasm. Interestingly, SmoA1 mice with complete loss of p27 do not show enhanced medulloblastoma incidence, resembling instead tumor latency of SmoA1 +/+ p27 +/+ mice. This may reflect the requirement for p27 in recruiting cyclin D/cdk4/6 to promote cell cycle progression. Together, our data indicate that the dosage of p27 plays a role in cell cycle progression and tumor suppression in Shh-mediated medulloblastoma expansion. We are currently investigating how proteins interacting with p27 play roles in cell cycle progression/regulation in medulloblastoma. Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 2198.
Magnetization transfer saturation imaging of human calf muscle: Reproducibility and sensitivity to regional and sex differences.

BACKGROUND Magnetization transfer saturation (MTsat ) derives a semiquantitative index of magnetization transfer in faster acquisition times than quantitative magnetization transfer; the potential of MTsat for muscle imaging has not yet been explored. PURPOSE To evaluate the potential of MTsat to identify regional and sex differences in calf muscle. STUDY TYPE Prospective cohort study. PHANTOM/SUBJECTS Vials with different agar and nickel nitrate concentrations providing a range of macromolecular fraction and T1 . Seven male subjects (25 ± 7 years) and seven female subjects (28 ± 14 years); three subjects were scanned in three separate sessions to assess reproducibility. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE 3T, 3D fast low angle shot (FLASH) sequence with and without a magnetization transfer pulse; acquisition time of 4.12 minutes. ASSESSMENT The effectiveness of two methods of fat suppression was evaluated using the fat unsuppressed sequence as the reference and MTsat maps derived with and without transmit field inhomogeneity corrections were compared. Statistical evaluation of MTsat differences between calf muscles and between male and female cohorts was made. STATISTICAL TESTS Bland-Altman plots were used to assess fat suppression and B1+ correction. The coefficient of variation (CV) and the repeatability coefficient (RC) were calculated from the repeat sessions. Sex and regional differences were assessed using two-way factorial analyses of variance (ANOVAs) with Bonferroni-adjusted independent sample t-tests for post-hoc analyses. RESULTS In phantoms, MTsat increased linearly with agar concentration and MTsat was independent of T1 (P = 0.229) evaluated in phantoms with two T1 s. The CV and RC of MTsat ranged between 2.65 to 5.03% and 0.13 to 0.38, respectively, in the different calf muscles. MTsat of the tibialis anterior was significantly higher than other muscles (P < 0.05). MTsat in male subjects was significantly higher than in female subjects (P = 0.009). DATA CONCLUSION MTsat maps of calf muscle acquired under 5 minutes may have the potential to detect regional and sex differences. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:1227-1237.
Omnichannel Customer Behavior in Retail Banking

Like retailers, banks are increasingly becoming omnichannel, providing products and services across brick-and-mortar (branches) and digital channels to their customers. Since banking products and services do not have physical attributes and can be completely defined digitally, one would assume that transition to digital channels would be relatively easier as opposed to retail where touch and feel are important aspects of decision-making. However, the omnichannel strategy for banks is complex as banking is a relationship-based industry, and many tacit features influence the customer behavior in this context. This leads to stark differences between consumer behaviors in e-commerce versus banking. In a series of three studies, we present how omnichannel banking is different or similar to omnichannel retail, focusing on cross-channel interactions, changes in customer behavior, and the changing demographics of customers ushered with the introduction of omnichannel banking.
Psychometric evaluation of the power of food scale in a diverse college sample: Measurement invariance across gender, ethnicity, and weight status.

Abstract The Power of Food Scale (PFS) is an instrument designed to examine individual differences in the drive to eat for pleasure (as opposed to in response to physiological hunger) and the effect of living in an obesogenic environment. Previous research supports the validity and reliability of the PFS, however, it had yet to be validated in an ethnically diverse college sample. The purpose of the current study was to test the factor structure and measurement invariance of the PFS across gender, ethnicity, and weight status. A sample of 432 college students completed the PFS (males = 113, females = 319; non-Hispanic white = 181, Hispanic = 251; non-overweight = 302, overweight = 130). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test a second-order, 3-factor (food available, food present, food tasted) structure of the PFS in each group separately (males, females, Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, non-overweight, and overweight) and tests of measurement invariance were conducted to test the equivalency of the measure across gender, ethnicity, and weight status. Results supported the measure’s original factor structure (second-order, 3-factor model) and indicated that the measure is equivalent across each of these groups, respectively. Although the small, unbalanced groups may impact the stability of the findings, the results nonetheless suggest that the PFS is a psychometrically valid measure in a diverse college sample, and that mean comparisons on this measure are meaningful across gender, ethnicity, and weight status. Given the measurement invariance of the PFS, there is support for use of the PFS among diverse college students in future work.
The Upper Critical Field of Superconducting Polysylfur Nitride, (SN) x (Abstract Only)

A measurement of the temperature and angular dependence of the upper critical magnetic field Hc2 in crystals of polymeric (SN)x is reported. A large anisotropy is observed at all temperatures with Hc2 =8.1 ± 0.4 kOe parallel to, and Hc2 =870 ± 80 Oe perpendicular to, the polymer axis at O K. The results are explained in terms of the polymeric crystal structure and fibrous morphology of (SN)x.
Categorical consideration and perception complementarity

We introduce the notion of perception complementarity in a representation for random choice rules, which we call Complemented Perception Categorical Consideration Representation. The model is similar in nature to the perception-adjusted Luce model of Echenique et al. (Math Soc Sci 93:67–76, 2018), but allows perception to be menu-dependent. We provide a representation theorem and an identification result. Furthermore, we consider special cases of the model, including the case when it reduces down to the Random Consideration Set Rule of Manzini and Mariotti (Econometrica 82(3):1153–1176, 2014).
Examing type and quality of preservice teachers’ lessons based on children’s literature

This qualitiative research explores the types and levels of mathematical lesson tasks that 60 future elementary and middle school teachers created during an undergraduate mathematics content and pedagogy course. Data collection consisted of 51 children’s book inspired activities written by the preservice teachers. Using Stein et al.’s Task Analysis Guide as an assessment tool, the researchers coded the activities into 1 of 4 categories, as well as categorized each activity based on its mathematical content using the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Results showed that a majority of the PSTs wrote activities that were classified as Procedures with Connections . Also, a majority of the activities were geometry-based, specifically transformations and two-dimesional measurements. Implications for teaching include the fact that preservice elementary and middle school teachers can create mathematics lessons based on children’s literature, which often can include mathematical tasks that are making connections to procedural mathematics or even higher order thinking tasks.
Mimulus sRNAs Are Wound Responsive and Associated with Transgenerationally Plastic Genes but Rarely Both.

Organisms alter development in response to environmental cues. Recent studies demonstrate that they can transmit this plasticity to progeny. While the phenotypic and transcriptomic evidence for this “transgenerational plasticity” has accumulated, genetic and developmental mechanisms remain unclear. Plant defenses, gene expression and DNA methylation are modified as an outcome of parental wounding in Mimulus guttatus. Here, we sequenced M. guttatus small RNAs (sRNA) to test their possible role in mediating transgenerational plasticity. We sequenced sRNA populations of leaf-wounded and control plants at 1 h and 72 h after damage and from progeny of wounded and control parents. This allowed us to test three components of an a priori model of sRNA mediated transgenerational plasticity—(1) A subset of sRNAs will be differentially expressed in response to wounding, (2) these will be associated with previously identified differentially expressed genes and differentially methylated regions and (3) changes in sRNA abundance in wounded plants will be predictive of sRNA abundance, DNA methylation, and/or gene expression shifts in the following generation. Supporting (1) and (2), we found significantly different sRNA abundances in wounded leaves; the majority were associated with tRNA fragments (tRFs) rather than small-interfering RNAs (siRNA). However, siRNAs responding to leaf wounding point to Jasmonic Acid mediated responses in this system. We found that different sRNA classes were associated with regions of the genome previously found to be differentially expressed or methylated in progeny of wounded plants. Evidence for (3) was mixed. We found that non-dicer sRNAs with increased abundance in response to wounding tended to be nearby genes with decreased expression in the next generation. Counter to expectations, we did not find that siRNA responses to wounding were associated with gene expression or methylation changes in the next generation and within plant and transgenerational sRNA plasticity were negatively correlated.