cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interaction of the Movement Protein NSP and the Arabidopsis Acetyltransferase AtNSI Is Necessary for Cabbage Leaf Curl Geminivirus Infection and Pathogenicity

DNA viruses can modulate the activity of cellular acetyltransferases to regulate virus gene expression and to affect cell cycle progression in order to support virus replication. A role for protein acetylation in regulating the nuclear export of the bipartite geminivirus DNA genome was recently suggested by the findings that the viral movement protein NSP, which shuttles the viral genome between the nucleus and the cytoplasm, interacts with a novel Arabidopsis acetyltransferase, AtNSI, and the increased expression of AtNSI enhances susceptibility to Cabbage leaf curl virus infection. To further investigate the interaction of NSP and AtNSI and to establish the importance of this interaction in virus infections, we used a reverse yeast two-hybrid selection and deletion analysis to identify NSP mutants that were impaired in their ability to bind AtNSI. These mutants identified a 38-amino-acid region of NSP, to which no function had so far been assigned, as being necessary for NSP-AtNSI interaction. Three NSP missense mutants were analyzed in detail and were found to be comparable to wild-type NSP in their levels of accumulation, nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, DNA binding, and cooperative interaction with the viral cell-to-cell movement protein MP. Despite this, Cabbage leaf curl virus that expressed each mutated NSP was defective in its ability to infect Arabidopsis, exhibiting lower levels of infectivity than the wild-type virus, and delayed systemic spread of the virus and attenuated disease symptoms. Our data demonstrate the importance of the interaction of NSP with AtNSI for virus infection and pathogenicity.
The Multiple Causes of Citizen Ambivalence: Attitudes about Social Welfare Policy

Abstract Prior research has focused almost exclusively on value conflict as a source of attitudinal ambivalence, with mixed and often modest empirical results. Using data from a 2004 survey of voters in Florida, we examine multiple potential sources of ambivalence about social welfare policy. We find that ambivalence is rooted in value conflict, as well as in affective conflict, ambivalence about government, partisan ambivalence, value importance, and group membership. Our results suggest that while value conflict is one of several factors that foster ambivalence, it does not have the greatest effect.
A Comparison of Radiograph Analysis and Bark Dissection in Estimating Numbers of Western Pine Beetle

Estimates of the numbers of the western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte, in Pinus ponderosa Laws, bark samples were made by radiographs of 25 bark samples and by dissection counts of the bark. High correlations (r = >.9) between the two methods were found for (a) live larvae, (b) live plus dead larvae, (c) live of all stages combined, and (d) live plus dead of all stages combined. The bark dissection method took eight times as long and was 4⅓ times as expensive as the radiographic interpretation method of estimating bark beetle numbers.
On the Relationship Between Belief Propagation Decoding and Joint Maximum Likelihood Detection

Belief propagation, via a novel reinterpretation of the Bethe free energy's pseudo-dual, is shown to be related to a novel relaxation of maximum likelihood detection via a constrained optimization. The conventional maximum likelihood detection falls out for a zero constraint, and belief propagation's fixed points are obtained for other constraint values.
Heapviz: Interactive heap visualization for program understanding and debugging:

Understanding the data structures in a program is crucial to understanding how the program works, or why it does not work. Inspecting the code that implements the data structures, however, is an ar...
Vision and power at the Qala Bani Hammad in Islamic North Africa

Abstract The gaze and the framed view in which architecture and landscape determine the field of vision are subjects of profound interest among contemporary art and architectural historians.2 In particular, studies that call into question the position of the viewer are at the center of deconstruction theory as practiced in a variety of disciplines. Rather than assuming that the meaning of a text, image, or building will be revealed through close study of its structure, we are now asking how those structures, which a decade or two ago seemed fixed and lodged in a clearly discoverable context, may be the creation of a point of view that is largely dependent upon the viewer's own expectations and criteria for observing.
Model-Independent Constraints on Reionization from Large-Scale Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization

On large angular scales, the polarization of the CMB contains information about the evolution of the average ionization during the epoch of reionization. Interpretation of the polarization spectrum usually requires the assumption of a fixed functional form for the evolution, e.g., instantaneous reionization. We develop a model-independent method where a small set of principal components completely encapsulates the effects of reionization on the large-angle E-mode polarization for any reionization history within an adjustable range in redshift. Using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, we apply this approach to both the 3 year WMAP data and simulated future data. WMAP data constrain two principal components of the reionization history, approximately corresponding to the total optical depth and the difference between the contributions to the optical depth at high and low redshifts. The optical depth is consistent with the constraint found in previous analyses of WMAP data that assume instantaneous reionization, with only a slightly larger uncertainty due to the expanded set of models. Using the principal component approach, WMAP data also place a 95% confidence level upper limit of 0.08 on the contribution to the optical depth from redshifts z > 20. With improvements in polarization sensitivity and foreground modeling, approximately five of the principal components can ultimately be measured. Constraints on the principal components, which probe the entire reionization history, can test models of reionization, provide model-independent constraints on the optical depth, and detect signatures of high-redshift reionization.
EVALUATION OF THE MANGANESE ESR METHOD OF MARBLE CHARACTERIZATION

Results suggest that ESR studies of Mn+2 in marble can provide an excellent discriminator for the determination of marble provenance. In comparison with other methods of quantitative analysis for manganese such as AA or NAA, the ESR method determines only Mn+2 rather than total Mn, is inexpensive and rapid with no chemical preparation required, and does not consume the sample.
Transfer of Twelve Charges Is Needed to Open Skeletal Muscle Na + Channels

Voltage-dependent Na+ channels are thought to sense membrane potential with fixed charges located within the membrane's electrical field. Measurement of open probability (Po) as a function of membrane potential gives a quantitative indication of the number of such charges that move through the field in opening the channel. We have used single-channel recording to measure skeletal muscle Na+ channel open probability at its most negative extreme, where channels may open as seldom as once per minute. To prevent fast inactivation from masking the voltage dependence of Po, we have generated a clone of the rat skeletal muscle Na+ channel that is lacking in fast inactivation (IFM1303QQQ). Using this mutant channel expressed in Xenopus oocytes, and the extra resolution afforded by single-channel analysis, we have extended the resolution of the hyperpolarized tail of the Po curve by four orders of magnitude. We show that previous measurements, which indicated a minimum of six effective gating charges, may have been made in a range of Po values that had not yet arrived at its limiting slope. In our preparation, a minimum of 12 charges must function in the activation gating of the channel. Our results will require reevaluation of kinetic models based on six charges, and they have major implications for the interpretation of S4 mutagenesis studies and structure/function models of the Na+ channel.
Fourier analysis of digital STEM images of rat lens in the study of transparency

Fourier components of the microstructure of the rat lens of varying turbidity were measured for the range 100-1100 nm from scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) images. The results indicate that the spectral energy content of these images decreases in the 100-200-nm range, stays approximately constant in the 200-300-nm range, and increases in the 300-1100-nm range, as one moves from a transparent area of the lens to an opaque area. A total increase of 19% in the spectral energy content for the 200-1100 nm range accounts for the opacity. >
Predicting Patient's Trajectory of Physiological Data using Temporal Trends in Similar Patients: A System for Near-Term Prognostics.

Providing near-term prognostic insight to clinicians helps them to better assess the near-term impact of their decisions and potential impending events affecting the patient. In this work, we present a novel system, which leverages inter-patient similarity for retrieving patients who display similar trends in their physiological time-series data. Data from the retrieved patient cohort is then used to project patient data into the future to provide insights for the query patient. The proposed approach and system were tested using the MIMIC II database, which consists of physiological waveforms, and accompanying clinical data obtained for ICU patients. In the experiments we report the effectiveness of the inter-patient similarity measure and the accuracy of the projection of patients’ data. We also discuss the visual interface that conveys the nearterm prognostic decision support to the user.
Effective utilization (Ue) - a breakthrough performance indicator for machine efficiency improvement

In today's high stakes semiconductor industry, cost accounting demands high machine utilization and world class throughput time. The greater the utilization of capital equipment, the greater the return on investment [W. Hopp et al., 1996]. One of the major challenges facing most manufacturing facilities has been the inability to sustain world class equipment utilization and factory throughput time [J. Black et al., 2002]. This paper details how, through a breakthrough system called effective utilization (Ue), major advances in achieving higher predictable utilization and increased WIP velocity were made in both 200 mm and 300 mm Intel manufacturing facilities
GENETIC CONTROL OF IMMUNE RESPONSES IN VITRO V. STIMULATION OF SUPPRESSOR T CELLS IN NONRESPONDER MICE BY THE TERPOLYMER L-GLUTAMIC ACID60-L-ALANINE30-L-TYROSINE10 (GAT)

In recent studies we have found that GAT not only fails to elicit a GAT-specific response in nonresponder mice but also specifically decreases the ability of nonresponder mice to develop a GAT-specific PFC response to a subsequent challenge with GAT bound to the immunogenic carrier, MBSA. Studies presented in this paper demonstrate that B cells from nonresponder, DBA/1 mice rendered unresponsive by GAT in vivo can respond in vitro to GAT-MBSA if exogenous, carrier-primed T cells are added to the cultures. The unresponsiveness was shown to be the result of impaired carrier-specific helper T-cell function in the spleen cells of GAT-primed mice. Spleen cells from GAT-primed mice specifically suppressed the GAT-specific PFC response of spleen cells from normal DBA/1 mice incubated with GAT-MBSA. This suppression was prevented by pretreatment of GAT-primed spleen cells with anti-theta serum plus C or X irradiation. Identification of the suppressor cells as T cells was confirmed by the demonstration that suppressor cells were confined to the fraction of the column-purified lymphocytes which contained theta-positive cells and a few non-Ig-bearing cells. The significance of these data to our understanding of Ir-gene regulation of the immune response is discussed.
Neurotoxic Proteins in Scorpion Venom

Scorpion venoms are complex mixtures of mucous, low molecular weight components (salts and organic compounds) and many basic, neurotoxic proteins (MR < 8000). These neurotoxins alter the properties...
Multiple hierarchical analysis

A multivariate method for exploratory scalogram analysis of binary data is developed—Multiple Hierarchical Analysis (MHA). This method, based on certain factor analytic methodology, is demon strated using an illustrative data set. It is concluded that the MHA methodology will be functional in identifying underlying independent and noninde pendent scales in binary data.
A Double-Antibody Radioimmunoassay Procedure for Ovine Pituitary Prolactin

A radioimmunoassay for measuring ovine pituitary prolactin using the double antibody system is reported. Sensitivity range of the method is from 0 to 64 μg/ml. The ovine prolactin antiserum used in this study showed cross-reaction with bovine prolactin but not against human preparation. Preliminary measurement of serum prolactin levels in nonpregnant, pregnant and post-pregnant sheep is also reported, indicating a gradual decline in prolactin level during pregnancy and a sharp rise post partum and during lactation. (Endocrinology 81: 1041, 1967)
Corporate Misconduct and the Market for Directorships

When a public company becomes involved in corporate misconduct, what consequences do its outside directors experience? Research shows that the scope and magnitude of the potential monetary and reputation risks individuals face from board service may vary greatly and include a reduced competitiveness in the market for directorships. Similar consequences are also observed among directors serving on audit committees of companies filing financial restatements. For these reasons, the due diligence performed on current and prospective board positions should extend not only to legal liability exposure but also to the possibility of losing valuable opportunities for board membership at other firms.
Engaged: Making Large Classes Feel Small Through Blended Learning Instructional Strategies That Promote Increased Student Performance

It is not enough to be great at sharing information in a large classroom setting. To be an effective teacher you must be able to meaningfully engage your students with their peers and with the content. And you must do this regardless of class size or content. The issues of teaching effectively in large classroom settings have presented ongoing problems with enormous implications for both student learning and faculty performance. Issues about student engagement with the content, peers, and faculty persistently are discussed with little change in practice. However, the effective infusion of technology targeted through strategies for large-class instruction and management have great potential for increasing student performance. In this work Blended Learning Instructional Strategies (BLIS) are highlighted to effectively address common issues related to teaching and student engagement in large classroom settings.
The Cigarette Smoke Carcinogen Benzo[a]pyrene Enhances Human Papillomavirus Synthesis

Epidemiological studies suggest that cigarette smoke carcinogens are cofactors which synergize with human papillomavirus (HPV) to increase the risk of cervical cancer progression. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a major carcinogen in cigarette smoke, is detected in the cervical mucus and may interact with HPV. Exposure of cervical cells to high concentrations of BaP resulted in a 10-fold increase in HPV type 31 (HPV31) viral titers, whereas treatment with low concentrations of BaP resulted in an increased number of HPV genome copies but not an increase in virion morphogenesis. BaP exposure also increased HPV16 and HPV18 viral titers. Overall, BaP modulation of the HPV life cycle could potentially enhance viral persistence, host tissue carcinogenesis, and permissiveness for cancer progression.
Subjective Contour: Apparent Depth or Simultaneous Brightness Contrast?:

The perceptibility of subjective contour in a two-dimensional configuration is shown to vary systematically with the magnitude of simultaneous brightness contrast. Since prior work had suggested depth cues as the basis for subjective contour, depth cues were maintained in all configurations. However, depth cues failed to sustain the perception of subjective contour with a reduction in simultaneous brightness contrast.
Nonvolatile Flash Memories in Silicon-on-sapphire CMOS

We designed, fabricated and tested four kinds of nonvolatile memories in a commercially-available 0.5mum silicon-on-sapphire CMOS process. The device tested are PMOS and NMOS with MOS- and MIM-based floating gates. We report on the test results of all four devices and demonstrate that MIM-based NMOS floating gate cells can be use to achieve a threshold shift of 0.4V and no significant decay of threshold voltage after small retentions tests of more than 100 s.
Handwriting Club Using Sensory Integration Strategies to Improve Handwriting

Handwriting is a complex skill that is not often taught directly. It is not unusual for some students with disabilities to have difficulty with handwriting. These students may also have sensory integration problems. Handwriting Club is a format that provides direct instruction in handwriting combined with sensory integration activities. This article describes all the steps and materials necessary to organize and conduct a handwriting club.
Global Pressure Fields from Scatterometer Winds

A method is presented for computing global surface pressure fields from satellite scatterometer winds. Pressure gradients are estimated using a two-layer similarity planetary boundary layer model in the midlatitudes and a mixed-layer model in the Tropics. A global pressure field is then fit to the pressure gradients by least squares optimization. A series of surface pressure fields calculated from SeaWinds-on-QuikSCAT (Quick Scatterometer) measurements are compared with numerical weather analyses and buoy measurements. Surface pressure observations in the tropical oceans are scarce and come largely from ships of opportunity. At present no buoy in the Atlantic Ocean and only 10 buoys in the Pacific Ocean have pressure sensors. The method presented here suggests that 0.58-resolution maps of sea surface pressure can be readily retrieved from available satellite remote sensing data every 12 h in near‐real time. It is shown that these fields are at least of comparable quality to the ECMWF analyses.
Characterizing the structure and content of nurse handoffs

Display Omitted We describe SCA (Sequential Conversational Analysis), a mixed-method approach.SCA combines conversational analysis with temporal pattern analysis.Useful for highlighting temporal relationships within verbal content.SCA is used to describe relationships in nurse handoff communication. Effective communication during nurse handoffs is instrumental in ensuring safe and quality patient care. Much of the prior research on nurse handoffs has utilized retrospective methods such as interviews, surveys and questionnaires. While extremely useful, an in-depth understanding of the structure and content of conversations, and the inherent relationships within the content is paramount to designing effective nurse handoff interventions. In this paper, we present a methodological framework-Sequential Conversational Analysis (SCA)-a mixed-method approach that integrates qualitative conversational analysis with quantitative sequential pattern analysis. We describe the SCA approach and provide a detailed example as a proof of concept of its use for the analysis of nurse handoff communication in a medical intensive care unit. This novel approach allows us to characterize the conversational structure, clinical content, disruptions in the conversation, and the inherently phasic nature of nurse handoff communication. The characterization of communication patterns highlights the relationships underlying the verbal content of nurse handoffs with specific emphasis on: the interactive nature of conversation, relevance of role-based (incoming, outgoing) communication requirements, clinical content focus on critical patient-related events, and discussion of pending patient management tasks. We also discuss the applicability of the SCA approach as a method for providing in-depth understanding of the dynamics of communication in other settings and domains.
Marginal zinc intake reduces the protective effect of lactation on mammary gland carcinogenesis in a DMBA-induced tumor model in mice

Breastfeeding can reduce breast cancer risk; however, unknown factors modify this protective effect. Zinc (Zn) modulates an array of cellular functions including oxidative stress, cell proliferation, motility and apoptosis. Marginal Zn intake is common in women and is associated with breast cancer. We reported that marginal Zn intake in mice leads to mammary gland hypoplasia and hallmarks of pre-neoplastic lesions. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that marginal Zn intake confounds the protective effect of lactation on breast cancer. Nulliparous mice fed control (ZA, 30 mg Zn/kg) or a marginal Zn diet (ZD, 15 mg Zn/kg), were bred and offspring were weaned naturally. Post-involution, mice were gavaged with corn oil or 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA, 1 mg/wk for 4 weeks) and tumor development was monitored. A ZD diet led to insufficient involution, increased fibrosis and oxidative stress. Following DMBA treatment, mice fed ZD had higher oxidative stress in mammary tissue that correlated with reduced levels of peroxiredoxin-1 and p53 and tended to have shorter tumor latency and greater incidence of non-palpable tumors. In summary, marginal Zn intake creates a toxic mammary gland microenvironment and abrogates the protective effect of lactation on carcinogenesis.
Physical and functional interaction between the α- and γ-secretases: A new model of regulated intramembrane proteolysis

Many single-transmembrane proteins are sequentially cleaved by ectodomain-shedding α-secretases and the γ-secretase complex, a process called regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP). These cleavages are thought to be spatially and temporally separate. In contrast, we provide evidence for a hitherto unrecognized multiprotease complex containing both α- and γ-secretase. ADAM10 (A10), the principal neuronal α-secretase, interacted and cofractionated with γ-secretase endogenously in cells and mouse brain. A10 immunoprecipitation yielded γ-secretase proteolytic activity and vice versa. In agreement, superresolution microscopy showed that portions of A10 and γ-secretase colocalize. Moreover, multiple γ-secretase inhibitors significantly increased α-secretase processing (r = -0.86) and decreased β-secretase processing of β-amyloid precursor protein. Select members of the tetraspanin web were important both in the association between A10 and γ-secretase and the γ → α feedback mechanism. Portions of endogenous BACE1 coimmunoprecipitated with γ-secretase but not A10, suggesting that β- and α-secretases can form distinct complexes with γ-secretase. Thus, cells possess large multiprotease complexes capable of sequentially and efficiently processing transmembrane substrates through a spatially coordinated RIP mechanism.
Consumer Confidence and Stock Prices: Pre and Post Global Financial Crisis

In this paper I analyze the impact of the stock market prices and unemployment on consumer confidence pre and post global financial crisis. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiments Index is utilized as proxy for consumer confidence. Applying Ordinary Least Square regression and vector auto-regression analyses on a dataset from 1978 to 2015, the study finds evidence with regards to stock market prices impacting consumer confidence. Employment only impacted consumer confidence in the pre-global financial crisis era. Post global financial crisis, only stock market prices are significant but the impacts lag consumer confidence. Vector auto-regression analysis confirms the post financial crisis findings. The study is significant as investors tend to interpret current changes in stock market indexes as a reliable indicator of changes in the economy.
Spin coherence and dephasing in GaN

Time-resolved Faraday rotation is used to measure electron spin coherence in n-type GaN epilayers. Despite densities of charged threading dislocations of $\ensuremath{\sim}5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{8}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2},$ this coherence yields spin lifetimes of \ensuremath{\sim}20 ns at $T=5\mathrm{K},$ and persists to room temperature. Spin dephasing is investigated in the vicinity of the metal-insulator transition. The dependence on both magnetic field and temperature is found to be qualitatively similar to previous studies in n-type GaAs, suggesting a common origin for spin relaxation in these systems.
Joint estimation of rock properties and dynamic property changes from time-lapse seismic data

Summary Traditionally static reservoir models are obtained as a solution of an inverse problem where reservoir properties, such as porosity and lithology, are estimated from seismic data. With the emergence of time-lapse reservoir models, we can integrate static and dynamic reservoir properties in the seismic reservoir characterization workflow. Here, we propose a methodology to jointly estimate rock properties, such as porosity, and dynamic property changes, such as pressure and saturation changes, from time-lapse seismic data. This methodology is based on a full Bayesian approach to seismic inversion and can be divided into two steps. First we estimate the conditional probability of elastic properties and their relative changes, then we estimate the posterior probability of static rock properties and dynamic property changes. We applied the proposed methodology to a synthetic reservoir study where we created a synthetic seismic survey for a real dynamic reservoir model including pre-production and production scenarios. The final result is then a set of point-wise probability distributions that allow us to predict the most probable reservoir models at each time step and to evaluate the associated uncertainty.
MDM2 Inhibition Sensitizes Prostate Cancer Cells to Androgen Ablation and Radiotherapy in a p53-Dependent Manner

Abstract PURPOSE: Increased murine double minute 2 (MDM2) expression, independent of p53 status, is associated with increased cancer-specific mortality for men with prostate cancer treated with radiotherapy. We assessed MI-219, a small molecule inhibitor of MDM2 with improved pharmacokinetics over nutlin-3, for sensitization of prostate cancer cells to radiotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy, a standard treatment option for men with high-risk prostate cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The effect of MDM2 inhibition by MI-219 was assessed in vitro and in vivo with mouse xenograft models across multiple prostate cancer cell lines containing varying p53 functional status. RESULTS: MDM2 inhibition by MI-219 resulted in dose- and time-dependent p53 activation and decreased clonogenic cell survival after radiation in a p53-dependent manner. Mechanistically, radiosensitization following inhibition of MDM2 was largely the result of p53-dependent increases in apoptosis and DNA damage as evidenced by Annexin V flow cytometry and γ-H2AX foci immunofluorescence. Similarly, treatment with MI-219 enhanced response to antiandrogen therapy via a p53-dependent increase in apoptotic cell death. Lastly, triple therapy with radiation, androgen deprivation therapy, and MI-219 decreased xenograft tumor growth compared with any single- or double-agent treatment. CONCLUSION: MDM2 inhibition with MI-219 results in p53-dependent sensitization of prostate cancer cells to radiation, antiandrogen therapy, and the combination. These findings support MDM2 small molecule inhibitor therapy as a therapy intensification strategy to improve clinical outcomes in high-risk localized prostate cancer. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: The combination of radiotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy is a standard treatment option for men with high-risk prostate cancer. Despite improvements in outcomes when androgen deprivation therapy is added to radiation, men with high-risk prostate cancer have significant risk for disease recurrence, progression, and even death within the first 10 years following treatment. We demonstrate that treatment with MI-219 (an inhibitor of MDM2) results in prostate cancer cell sensitization to radiation and androgen deprivation therapy in vitro and in vivo . Triple therapy with MI-219, radiation, and androgen deprivation therapy dramatically decreased tumor growth compared with any single- or double-agent therapy. These findings provide evidence that inhibition of MDM2 is a viable means by which to enhance the efficacy of both radiation and androgen deprivation therapy and thereby improve outcomes in the treatment of prostate cancer. As such, further investigation is warranted to translate these findings to the clinical setting.
Contemporary Situation or Revival Probability of Classical Chinese Drama

The survival and revival problems confronting contemporary drama perplex people much.With its profound and far reaching base in history,culture and emotion,drama art has already been an excellent symbol of China despite of its antiquity.It remains alive in contemporary society although there is much to be worried about its current situation.Why is drama still alive? Because it is a dispensable living style to ordinary people,a collective complex difficult to be given up,an excellent symbol of China,and an aesthetic system full of originality.How will drama better survive in contemporary world? It is a must to enlarge aesthetic effect,absorb a modern consciousness,beautify a moral hope,and enforce an amusement function.Upon the base of substantial support previously stated together with propositions mentioned above,drama works could successfully take on a dynamic power in aesthetics,spirit,moral and emotion.With a humanistic sensation,a contemporary conception,together with a pleasant elegance and amusing popularity swimmingly conveying its artistic charm,dramatic works could go deep into audiences' heart and will also own a wider market in China and the world.
Resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. gladioli in transgenic Gladiolus plants expressing either a bacterial chloroperoxidase or fungal chitinase genes

Three antifungal genes, a non-heme chloroperoxidase from Pseudomonas pyrrocinia, and an exochitinase and endochitinase from Fusarium venetanum under regulation by the CaMV 35S promoter, were used to transform Gladiolus for resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. gladioli. Gladiolus plants were confirmed to be transgenic by Southern hybridization. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR of RNA isolated from leaves and roots demonstrated expression of the Fusarium exochitinase and endochitinase genes in transgenic plants compared to controls. All transgenic plants expressing the Fusarium exochitinase or endochitinase gene had chitinase activity higher than that of the control plants. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR verified that three of the four plant lines with the chloroperoxidase gene expressed the transgene in leaves and roots while no expression was detected in control plants. Western hybridization confirmed the presence of the chloroperoxidase protein in both leaves and roots of transgenic plants. Cell extracts from one endochitinase plant line inhibited growth of germinated F. oxysporum spores more consistently than extracts from the four chloroperoxidase and three endochitinase plant lines. Three chloroperoxidase, two exochitinase, and three endochitinase transgenic plant lines sustained a significantly (P < 0.05) lower density of hyphae on roots compared to roots of non-transformed Gladiolus plants three to four days following exposure of the roots to Fusarium. Shoots from two plant lines, one containing a chloroperoxidase and the other an endochitinase gene, had less necrosis when rated on a scale of 1–3 and appeared visually to be healthier and without obvious Fusarium infection than non-transformed, regenerated Gladiolus plants 17–21 days following exposure to F. oxysporum.
Transformation of Southern Agriculture and the Creation of a Surplus Farm Population

“I let ‘em all go. In ’34 I had I reckon four renters and I didn't make anything. I bought tractors on the money the government give me and got shet o′ my renters. You'll find it everywhere all over the country thataway. I did everything the government said–except keep my renters. The renters have been having it this way ever since the government come in. They've got their choice–California or WPA.”
A combined PET-fMRI model for mapping neurotransmission: simulation and initial demonstration

97 Objectives The goal of this work is to develop a new kinetic model to simultaneously analyze functional MRI (fMRI) and dynamic PET data with the objective of non-invasively mapping neurotransmission patterns in the brain. Methods The proposed model was built from two existing models - neurotransmitter PET (ntPET) (1,2) and an fMRI model (3) based on dopamine (DA) receptor signaling - each of them conceived to characterize changes of neurotransmitter (NT) fluctuations. In this work, these models were merged into a unified mathematical framework to benefit from the spatial and temporal resolution of fMRI and the molecular specificity of PET to improve our ability to measure endogenous DA release. Realistic fMRI and PET data sets were simulated to mimic pharmacological challenge experiments in non-human primates. These data sets were analyzed with the proposed model to test its ability to recover features of DA response curves. The model was also applied to PET/fMRI data acquired in a rhesus macaque that received [11C]raclopride and amphetamine challenge. Results In simulations, the combined model performed well at estimating the DA release timing and magnitude, and also estimated PET tracer kinetic parameters with minimal bias. The onset of the pharmacological challenge and the time at which the endogenous NT concentration peaked was estimated with a mean precision of 0.265 ± 0.206 minutes and 0.144 ± 0.711 minutes respectively. The magnitude of the DA curve was estimated in absolute units with low bias (mean Conclusions The proposed model jointly analyzes fMRI and dynamic PET data in a unified mathematical framework. Simulations and initial application to experimental data suggest that the technique is promising for non-invasive mapping of neurotransmission. Research Support R01MH100350 R21NS072148
Phase stability and large in-plane resistivity anisotropy in the 112-type iron-based superconductor Ca 1 − x La x FeAs 2

The recently discovered high-${T}_{c}$ superconductor ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{FeAs}}_{2}$ is a unique compound not only because of its low-symmetry crystal structure but also because of its electronic structure, which hosts Dirac-like metallic bands resulting from (spacer) zigzag As chains. We present a comprehensive first-principles theoretical study of the electronic and crystal structures of ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{FeAs}}_{2}$. After discussing the connection between the crystal structure of the 112 family, which ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{FeAs}}_{2}$ is a member of, with the other known structures of Fe pnictide superconductors, we check the thermodynamic phase stability of ${\mathrm{CaFeAs}}_{2}$, and similar hyphothetical compounds ${\mathrm{SrFeAs}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{BaFeAs}}_{2}$ which, we find, are slightly higher in energy. We calculate the optical conductivity of ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{FeAs}}_{2}$ using the DFT+DMFT method and predict a large in-plane resistivity anisotropy in the normal phase, which does not originate from electronic nematicity, but is enhanced by the electronic correlations. In particular, we predict a 0.34 eV peak in the $yy$ component of the optical conductivity of the 30% La-doped compound, which corresponds to coherent interband transitions within a fast-dispersing band arising from the zigzag As chains, which are unique to this compound. We also study the Landau free energy for ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{FeAs}}_{2}$ including the order parameter relevant for the nematic transition and find that the free energy does not have any extra terms that could induce ferro-orbital order. This explains why the presence of As chains does not broaden the nematic transition in ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{FeAs}}_{2}$.
Composing for Sound: Sonic Rhetoric as Resonance

Abstract This article describes an integrated approach for analyzing sounds and teaching sonic rhetoric that helps students develop strategies for multimodal composition. To analyze sonic practices, we use recordings and installations by sound artists Pierre Schaefer, Michel Chion, Susan Philipsz, and Lesley Flanigan, who all create immersive aesthetic experiences that treat sounds, including the human voice, as material objects, worthy and capable of close observation and manipulation. If sounds are “vibrational surfaces, or oscillators” as Steven Goodman argues, then sonic rhetorical engagement can be characterized as embodied and dynamic experiences with sound, from listening practices into composing practices. Sonic artworks can help us move beyond a static notion of sound and into a listener-centric sonic pedagogy that teaches students to integrate and resonate with other active sound producers and amplifiers in the environment (including rocks, water, air, bridges, buildings, mechanical engines, and non-human animals). We offer readers an extensive and flexible semester-long assignment sequence that provides complex tools for producing sonic rhetoric and sound-based multimodal projects.
Attribution Apprehension, Automated Attribution, and Creative Integration

Some online communities are better than others in standardizing and automating the attribution process. This study examines how automated attribution can alleviate attribution apprehension and thus facilitate creative integration in open communities. Attribution apprehension, i.e., a user's anxiety over proper attribution of reused artifacts, adversely impacts the tendencies to engage in the integration process. Because open communities thrive on the basis of fairness, automated attribution features are essential in fostering creative integration. This study draws upon task-technology fit to craft a theoretical framework for explaining this phenomenon, reviews current tools for automated attribution in different communities and describes findings of a pilot survey on how those tools can encourage creative integration.
Distributed linear prediction of a single source

We consider distributed prediction of signals modeled as autoregressive processes. A signal from this class is assumed to be received in different network nodes with different delays and attenuations. Each node can be affected by additive noise of different strength. Additionally, some nodes are affected by multipath effects and interference. Nodes cooperate using the adapt-then-combine least mean square adaptive estimation algorithm. Different cooperation techniques based on different choices of combination coefficients are compared with respect to convergence speed and steady-state mean square estimation error. It is shown that when paths are uncorrelated, it is possible to cope with multipath effects.
For U.S. Black women, shift of hysterectomy to outpatient settings may have lagged behind White women: a claims-based analysis, 2011-2013.

Hysterectomy is among the most common surgeries performed on U.S. women. For benign conditions, minimally invasive hysterectomy is recommended, whenever permitted by clinical indication and previous surgery history. No study has examined whether the use of less invasive hysterectomy spread more slowly for Black women. We used the hysterectomy that occurs in outpatient settings as a proxy for minimally invasive hysterectomy. Using claims-based surgery data and census denominators, we calculated age-standardized rates of all hysterectomies in North Carolina from 2011 to 2013. Study participants were 41,899 women (64.6% non-Hispanic White, 28.3% non-Hispanic Black) who underwent hysterectomy for non-malignant indications. We fit Poisson models to determine whether changes in outpatient hysterectomy rates differed by Black-White race. We employed a difference-in-difference approach to control for racial differences in the severity of clinical indication. Further, we restricted to one state to minimize confounding from geographic differences in where Black and White women live. From 2011 to 2013, the overall hysterectomy rate decreased from 42.3 per 10,000 women (n = 14,648) to 37.9 per 10,000 (n = 13,241) (p < 0.0001). Most hysterectomy (67.6%) occurred in outpatient settings. The inpatient rate decreased 35.2% (p < 0.0001), to 10.3 per 10,000, while the outpatient rate increased 4.6% (p < 0.01), to 27.5 per 10,000. From 2011 to 2013, Black women’s outpatient rate increased 22% (p < 0.0001): from 25.8 per 10,000 to 31.5. In contrast, among White women, outpatient rates remained stable (p = 0.79): at 28.3 per 10,000 in 2013. Rapid increases in outpatient hysterectomy among Black women compared to stable rates among White women indicate a race-specific catch-up phenomenon in the spread of minimally invasive hysterectomy. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that minimally invasive hysterectomy may have been adopted more slowly for Black women than their White counterparts after its introduction in the early 2000s. The persistently high rates of hysterectomy among young Black women and potentially slower adoption of minimally invasive procedures among these women highlight a potential racial disparity in women’s healthcare.
Mortality and Macrovascular Risk in Elderly With Hypertension and Diabetes: Effect of Intensive Drug Therapy.

Background This study identifies the effect of intensive drug therapy (IDT) in individuals age 65+ with diabetes (type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D)) and hypertension on all-cause death, congestive heart failure (CHF), hospitalization for myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Methods Individuals from the Medicare 5% dataset with hypertension and T2D undergoing IDT for these conditions were propensity score matched to a nonintensive drug-therapy group. Hazard ratios (HRs) were obtained using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results IDT was associated with increased risk of CHF (HR 2.32; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.32-2.38), MI (HR 4.27; 95% CI 4.05-4.52), and stroke or TIA (HR 1.80; 95% CI 1.70-1.89) but decreased risk of death (HR 0.95; 95% CI 0.93-0.97). Risk for CHF (HR 0.73; 95% CI 0.71-0.73), MI (HR 0.64; 95% CI 0.62-0.67), stroke or TIA (HR 0.82; 95% CI 0.78-0.86), and death (HR 0.29; 95% CI 0.28-0.29) was decreased by adherence to diabetes management guidelines. Conclusions Use of IDT in a high-risk population delays death but not severe macrovascular outcomes. Protective effects of IDT in high-risk patients likely outweigh polypharmacy-related health concerns.
Bicultural Stress, Soccer, and Rivalry: How Mexican–Americans Experience the Soccer Competition Between Their Two Countries

This chapter considers the influence and effects of acculturation, bicultural stress and identity issues among US-born Mexican–Americans in regards to soccer. Sports are often a major reason people take pride in their culture. But what happens when someone identifies with two cultures that are rivals in the world’s most popular sport? Using in-depth interviews of US-born Mexican–Americans, and informed by social identity theory, related processes of social categorization and the more recent emphasis on the discursive construction of identities and categories, this chapter addresses how Mexican-Americans may be positioned to choose one identity or allegiance over another and how they mitigate the attendant bicultural stress that accompanies such decisions.
Environmentalism: Now With More Empathy for Conservatives

We live in an age where stories of war, disease, hatred and celebrity wardrobe decisions spread at the speed of light. Some activists see waste and ignorance that needs to be toppled — others among us see an opportunity to widely disseminate a story that also speaks to people’s fears, indignance and boredom, but swiftly moves them to an inspiring new vision of what is possible for them to create here and now. It appears we have the raw materials for such a thing: The task of turning cynicism and apathy around has, in fact, a grounding in recent Ivy-League, Nobel Prize-winning psychological research. Tesla Motors' slick electric cars make headlines and high stock prices, with promises of bigger industrial feats to come. Better Block’s citizen activist- entrepreneurs, though without explicitly environmental aims, take over and renovate abandoned lots and storefronts with a joyful and reckless glee that's already gone viral. The idea that one could wrap these names, and the stories they represent, into a bigger and more powerful narrative — a story that reframes environmentalism as a sane, responsible, happy, energetic, and even profitable endeavor that inspires even the most apathetic to act — is less unthinkable.
Soil aggregate stability under chaparral species in southern California

Abstract Aggregation is a key soil property that increases infiltration and aeration, and reduces erosion and runoff. This study sought to determine the amount and sources of aggregation in soils under four common chaparral species in southern California: bigberry manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca Lindl.), scrub oak (Quercus dumosa Nutt.), hoaryleaf ceanothus (Ceanothus crassifolius Torr.), and chamise (Adenostoma fasiculatum H. & A.). Research was conducted at the San Dimas Experimental Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains. Total water stable aggregation, determined by wet sieving, averaged 45% in A and 40% in B horizons and differences were not significant by soil horizon or under the four vegetation species. Organic matter, roots, fungal hyphae, macrofauna, and clay all contribute to soil aggregation, but none of these is a clear, dominant, overriding factor in these soils. Development of water stable aggregation is inhibited by low densities of earthworms, relatively frequent wildfires, and soil erosion on the steep slopes in this chaparral ecosystem.
A 100-Year Review: Regulation of nutrient partitioning to support lactation

We have seen remarkable advances in animal productivity in the last 75 years, with annual milk yield per cow increasing over 4-fold and no evidence of nearing a plateau. Because of these gains in productive efficiency, there have been dramatic reductions in resource inputs and the carbon footprint per unit of milk produced. The primary source for the historic gains relates to animal variation in nutrient partitioning. The regulation of nutrient use for productive functions has the overall goal of maintaining the cow's well-being regardless of the physiological or environmental challenges. From a conceptual standpoint, it involves both acute homeostatic controls operating on a minute-by-minute basis and chronic homeorhetic controls operating on a long-term basis to provide orchestrated adaptations that coordinate tissues and body processes. This endocrine regulation is mediated by changes in circulating anabolic and catabolic hormones, hormone membrane receptors and intracellular signaling pathways. The coordination of tissues and physiological systems includes a plethora of hormones, but insulin and somatotropin are 2 key regulators of nutrient trafficking. Herein, we review the advances in our understanding of both conceptual and actual regulation of nutrient partitioning in support of milk synthesis and identify examples of the challenges and future opportunities in dairy science.