cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Management of Reflex Anoxic Seizures

Investigators at the Roald Dahl EEG Unit, Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation, Liverpool, UK, review the definition, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and management of reflex anoxic seizures (RAS) in children.
English Name Transition from Taiwan to the United States: A Case Study of Taiwanese International Students

The way in which Taiwanese students use English names to construct their identities in a new sociocultural setting has received minimal scholarly attention. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 10 Taiwanese international students, I focused on how the use of ethnic names and English names is structured through social interaction and cultural context at an American university. The results suggest that the acquisition of an English name is not a personal choice, but an authoritative order that originates from private English education in Taiwan. Even though the choice of ethnic and English names in the United States is often constrained by linguistic factors, the use of English names by Taiwanese international students not only discloses their attitudes toward English name adoption, but also greatly influences their identity and acculturation.
Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction Resulting from Percutaneous Cyst Puncture and Intracystic Isophendylate Injection: An Unusual Complication

AbstractA case is reported of an iatrogenic ureteropelvic junction obstruction caused by percutaneous renal cyst decompression and an attempt at sclerosis with the intracystic sclerosing agent isophendylate.
A Fuel Rod Debris Packing Model

The nonrandom packing of fuel rod debris around and above the surviving fuel rod segments in a degraded core was analyzed with the spacer grids modeled as a porous floor. The irregular shape of the...
Alliance treaty obligations and war intervention

Theories of alliance formation and war suggest that alliances influence the probability that a potential challenger will initiate a militarized interstate dispute. This is because alliances are expected to influence their members’ likelihood of intervening in a potential war. More specifically, defense pacts are expected to increase the likelihood of members joining the target of a war and offense pacts are expected to increase the likelihood of members joining the initiator of a war. However, there is no empirical evidence that demonstrates that these different alliance treaty obligations have these effects on states’ war intervention decisions. Therefore, in an analysis of all states’ war intervention behavior in 95 wars, I provide the first estimates of these different effects of alliance agreements. After controlling for a number of measured and unmeasured factors, I find that alliances have the hypothesized effects on states’ war intervention decisions. These findings provide a more comprehensive acc...
Active Surveillance: Not Your Father’s Watchful Waiting

Active surveillance is becoming a very reasonable and appropriate “treatment” strategy for men with low-risk localized prostate cancer, as Large and Eggener eloquently describe in this review article. It is important to recognize that active surveillance is not what was once referred to as “watchful waiting,” which I believe many patients interpret as “watching and waiting to die.
Growth and Characterization of β-SiC Films Grown on Si by Gas-Source Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Films of β-SiC have been grown on 4° off-axis Si (100) substrates from 1198 to 1398 K by gas-source MBE using Si2H6 and C2H4. Monocrystalline films were obtained at temperatures as low as 1248 K, as confirmed by electron diffraction. The latter films were specularly reflective. However, SEM revealed growth pits extending to the SiC surface as well as preferential growth on the pit edges. Cross-sectional TEM analysis confirmed the epitaxial relationship between the film and the Si substrate. Misfit dislocations and microtwins were also observed.
The Knapsack Problem

We now turn to the subject of integer linear programming, or integer programming for short. integer programming, which permits non-integer values of the solution variables, is known to be “easy” in the sense of having known algorithms with worst-case runtime that is polynomial in the size of the problem instance. By contrast, integer programming (as well as the hybrid known as mixed integer linear programming) requires that at least some solution variables have their values restricted to be integers. The problem then becomes “hard”: there is no known algorithm that guarantees a worst-case runtime that is polynomial in the instance size.
Nail Surgery and Malignant Tumors of the Nail Unit

Since as many as 10% of patients seek dermatologic care for a nail disorder,1 it is important that dermatologists be comfortable with performing nail surgery. Unfortunately, the diagnosis and treatment of nail tumors may be delayed due to a fear of causing a permanent nail dystrophy from biopsy. It is the intent of this chapter to outline the steps to an approach to nail surgery so that the clinician is able to expose subungual conditions for anatomic delineation, biopsy, or excision with as painless a technique as possible and an acceptable cosmetic outcome. This chapter will conclude with an overview of malignant tumors of the nail unit.
Phased array antenna-based system degradation at wide scan angles

Phased array antennas offer a number of advantages to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions compared to traditional gimbaled reflectors including electronic and vibration free beam steering, graceful degradation, smaller volume and multibeam capability. However, the monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC)-based phased array antennas also present challenges to mission designers because of reduced power efficiency, higher costs, and system effects that result in link degradations. The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) continues to pioneer aerospace communications technologies to address the challenges of array antennas to improve efficiency, reduce costs [Romanofsky, R., et al., December 2000], and better understand system effects [R. Acosta, et al., May 2002 and S. Johnson et al., June 2002]. This paper addresses the degenerative system effects between high-rate modulated data and signal timing delays caused by antenna beam steering at wide scan angles. Conventional phase shifters used in MMIC-based phased array antennas are physically limited to 360/spl deg/ of phase shift. Often, depending on the size of the array and/or specified beam angle, the required phase shift of some elements may exceed 360/spl deg/. In these instances, the actual phase shift obtained is the remainder of the phase request, modulo 2/spl pi/. The modulo 2/spl pi/ result causes a delayed carrier signal radiated from the element whose phase shifter requires a phase shift greater than 360/spl deg/. Multiple delayed signals radiates from the antenna depending on the size of the array and scan angle. The array antenna system performance described in this report is characterized by measuring the bit error rate (BER) of the link from modulator to demodulator through the phased array antenna across a link inside an anechoic chamber. The array antenna introduces intersymbol interference (ISI) into the link due to the modulo 2/spl pi/ effect of the phase shifters. The ISI is observable in the BER versus Eb/No curve as a "flaring" or additional insertion loss at high Eb/No. Theoretical calculations and computer simulations indicate as much as 3-4 dB degradation due to ISI when the data rate is an appreciable fraction of carrier frequency (>2 Gbps at K- band). Data rates more characteristic of near term systems (e.g. < 1 Gbps) result in somewhat lower losses. Results presented here were obtained for 220 Mbps and 622 Mbps through a K-band (20 GHz), 91-element, phased array antenna. Discussion is provided where results agree and disagree with the simulation results for the data rate and carrier frequency used.
Novel Method for the Design of a New Alpha-Helical Fold

Our group developed a novel description of packing in protein structure that provides an amino acid code to protein design. To test the knob-socket model's application in protein design, a protein fold with five α-helices arranged in a five-pointed star topology has been designed: the helical star fold. For α-helical protein design, the knob-socket model is described as a four residue tetrahedral motif, where a single amino acid knob from one α-helix packs into a three amino acid socket within another α-helix. The three residue sockets can be classified into three categories: (1) free, unpacked favoring helical structures, (2) filled, packed favoring inter-helical interactions, and (3) disfavoring α-helical structure. Each type of socket has previously been characterized and show preferences for certain amino acid compositions. A practical application of the amino acid preferences for each socket type is a rational method for design of α-helical structure. To start the helical star fold, a 37 residue α-helix was constructed with only free sockets that served as the basis sequence to each leg of the star. Using known crossing angles between helices, specific packing patterns were designed between helices by changing the composition of free sockets into filled sockets and corresponding knobs. In the helical star fold, each α-helical leg crosses once with two other α-helices, meaning each helical leg has two patches of filled sockets. Short connecting loops between helices were designed to promote the packing between non-consecutive helical legs and therefore favor the star packing. The theoretical amino acid sequence was used for gene synthesis and cloning for over-expression in E. coli. The novel star protein was purified and analyzed for α-helical content using circular dichroism. The results provide further support of the knob-socket model and code for protein packing.
The Bengamides: A Mini-Review of Natural Sources, Analogues, Biological Properties, Biosynthetic Origins, and Future Prospects

This review focuses entirely on the natural bengamides and selected synthetic analogues that have inspired decades of research. Bengamide A was first reported in 1986 from the sponge Jaspis cf. coriacea, and bengamide-containing sponges have been gathered from many biogeographic sites. In 2005, a terrestrial Gram-negative bacterium, Myxococcus virescens, was added as a source for bengamides. Biological activity data using varying bengamide-based scaffolds has enabled fine-tuning of structure–activity relationships. Molecular target finding contributed to the creation of a synthetic “lead” compound, LAF389, that was the subject of a phase I anticancer clinical trial. Despite clinical trial termination, the bengamide compound class is still attracting worldwide attention. Future breakthroughs based on the bengamide scaffold are possible and could build on their nanomolar in vitro and positive in vivo antiproliferative and antiangiogenic properties. Bengamide molecular targets include methionine aminopeptida...
Introduction: Symposium on the Social Practice of Human Rights

This volume of Public Integrity presents a symposium of five articles related to human rights that (a) introduce readers to the general origin and nature of human rights conversation, (b) character...
EFAD transgenic mice as a human APOE relevant preclinical model of Alzheimer's disease

Identified in 1993, APOE4 is the greatest genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimerŉs disease (AD), increasing risk up to 15-fold compared with APOE3, with APOE2 decreasing AD risk. However, the functional effects of APOE4 on AD pathology remain unclear and, in some cases, controversial. In vivo progress to understand how the human (h)-APOE genotypes affect AD pathology has been limited by the lack of a tractable familial AD-transgenic (FAD-Tg) mouse model expressing h-APOE rather than mouse (m)-APOE. The disparity between m- and h-apoE is relevant for virtually every AD-relevant pathway, including amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition and clearance, neuroinflammation, tau pathology, neural plasticity and cerebrovascular deficits. EFAD mice were designed as a temporally useful preclinical FAD-Tg-mouse model expressing the h-APOE genotypes for identifying mechanisms underlying APOE-modulated symptoms of AD pathology. From their first description in 2012, EFAD mice have enabled critical basic and therapeutic research. Here we review insights gleaned from the EFAD mice and summarize future directions.
A Systems Approach to Behavior II: The Ecological Description and Analysis of Human Behavior Dynamics

This article explores the conceptual relations existing among experimental animal psychology, field ethology, and human clinical behavior modification, in order to generate a new methodology for descriptive analyses in ecological settings. Drawing upon a “systems” conception of learning and behavior maintenance, descriptive accounts of both behavior and behavioral control dynamics in the environment are emphasized by the model. Specific research conducted to illustrate and validate the approach is discussed. Research on all of the major parameters is presented, including cross-cultural and cultural change applications, in an effort to illustrate the method’s format and utility for analyzing human behavior in a variety of naturalistic settings.
Dark Matter + Higgs(\(\rightarrow b\bar{b}\)): Physics Objects

This chapter describes the physics objects used in this analysis, including the lists of samples from data and simulated background processes, and the physical and kinematic variables constructed that are used to identify the events and separate background from signal.
Statistical circuit performance dependency analysis via sparse relevance kernel machine

Design optimization, verification, and failure diagnosis of analog and mixed-signal (AMS) circuits requires accurate models that can reliably capture complex dependencies of circuit performances on essential circuit and process parameters. We present a novel Bayesian learning technique, namely sparse relevance kernel machine (SRKM), for characterizing analog circuits with sparse statistical regression models. SRKM produces more reliable classification models learned from simulation data with a limited number of samples but a large number of parameters, and also computes a probabilistically inferred weighting factor quantifying the criticality of each parameter as part of the overall learning framework. As a result, it offers a powerful tool to enable variability modeling, failure diagnosis, and test development. The effectiveness of SRKM is demonstrated in an example of building a statistical variability model for analyzing the thermal shutdown feature of a data communication AMS system for automotive applications.
The binding of orally dosed hydrophobic active pharmaceutical ingredients to casein micelles in milk.

ABSTRACT Casein proteins (α S1 -, α S2 -, β- and κ-casein) account for 80% of the total protein content in bovine milk and form casein micelles (average diameter=130 nm, approximately 10 15 micelles/mL). The affinity of native casein micelles with the 3 hydrophobic active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), meloxicam [351.4 g/mol; log P=3.43; acid dissociation constant (p K a ) = 4.08], flunixin (296.2 g/mol; log P=4.1; p K a = 5.82), and thiabendazole (201.2 g/mol; log P=2.92; p K a = 4.64), was evaluated in bovine milk collected from dosed Holstein cows. Native casein micelles were separated from raw bovine milk by mild techniques such as ultracentrifugation, diafiltration, isoelectric point precipitation (pH 4.6), and size exclusion chromatography. Acetonitrile extraction of hydrophobic API was then done, followed by quantification using HPLC-UV. For the API or metabolites meloxicam, 5-hyroxy flunixin and 5-hydroxy thiabendazole, 31 ± 3.90, 31 ± 1.3, and 28 ± 0.5% of the content in milk was associated with casein micelles, respectively. Less than ∼5.0% of the recovered hydrophobic API were found in the milk fat fraction, and the remaining ∼65% were associated with the whey/serum fraction. A separate in vitro study showed that 66 ± 6.4% of meloxicam, 29 ± 0.58% of flunixin, 34 ± 0.21% of the metabolite 5-hyroxy flunixin, 50 ± 4.5% of thiabendazole, and 33 ± 3.8% of metabolite 5-hydroxy thiabendazole was found partitioned into casein micelles. Our study supports the hypothesis that casein micelles are native carriers for hydrophobic compounds in bovine milk.
Cycle-based traffic load balancing method for clustered network with multiple SDN controllers

This paper proposes a system to provide cycle-based traffic load balancing method for a clustered network managed by multiple SDN controllers. The system adopts a layered control plane in which local controllers are responsible for managing each administrative domain and a federation controller coordinates some local controllers. Previous studies have proposed a traffic load balancing algorithm utilizing multiple cycle structures that must cover the entire network. The algorithm performs traffic load balancing in each cycle so that it can achieve fast calculation and parallelization. In order to verify the feasibility of the cycle-based traffic load balancing method in a pragmatic situation, our study implements the algorithm in a network managed by multiple SDN controllers. This paper focuses on a method to grasp the amount of traffic to detect congestion and alleviate the congestion by switching paths along cycles.
Bayesian Deep Convolutional Encoder-Decoder Networks for Surrogate Modeling and Uncertainty Quantification

Abstract We are interested in the development of surrogate models for uncertainty quantification and propagation in problems governed by stochastic PDEs using a deep convolutional encoder–decoder network in a similar fashion to approaches considered in deep learning for image-to-image regression tasks. Since normal neural networks are data-intensive and cannot provide predictive uncertainty, we propose a Bayesian approach to convolutional neural nets. A recently introduced variational gradient descent algorithm based on Stein's method is scaled to deep convolutional networks to perform approximate Bayesian inference on millions of uncertain network parameters. This approach achieves state of the art performance in terms of predictive accuracy and uncertainty quantification in comparison to other approaches in Bayesian neural networks as well as techniques that include Gaussian processes and ensemble methods even when the training data size is relatively small. To evaluate the performance of this approach, we consider standard uncertainty quantification tasks for flow in heterogeneous media using limited training data consisting of permeability realizations and the corresponding velocity and pressure fields. The performance of the surrogate model developed is very good even though there is no underlying structure shared between the input (permeability) and output (flow/pressure) fields as is often the case in the image-to-image regression models used in computer vision problems. Studies are performed with an underlying stochastic input dimensionality up to 4225 where most other uncertainty quantification methods fail. Uncertainty propagation tasks are considered and the predictive output Bayesian statistics are compared to those obtained with Monte Carlo estimates.
Prevalence, Structure, and Distribution of Novel Parasite Cysts Containing Dracunculus Species in River Otters ( Lontra canadensis) from Arkansas.

Abstract Adult female guinea worms (Dracunculus spp.) usually are reported to occur singly in the extremities of their hosts, from which they deliver their larvae into the water through fistulae in the host's skin. We visually examined for the presence of worms in the fascia of the limbs of skinned carcasses of 184 river otters (Lontra canadensis) harvested in Arkansas and report observations of cysts on wrists and ankles found on 12 otters. Cysts averaged 15.6 × 24.6 mm in diameter, were round to oval, and contained masses of up to 19 adult female Dracunculus sp. (mean 6.7). We speculate that high levels of infection in consumed paratenic hosts might have caused high infection rates, leading to large cyst formation in otters, as larvigerous Dracunculus sp. females accumulated in extremities. No males were discovered during the study, so identification of a sample of worms was based on molecular techniques.
Erratum to: Stanley Peters and Dag Westerståhl: Quantifiers in language and logic

The authors of the Review Article of “Stanley Peters and Dag Westerstahl: Quantifiers in language and logic,” which appeared in Linguistics and Philosophy 33.6, regret that two paragraphs were omitted from the published version. These should be inserted on p. 544, following the four lines beginning Part 4, and just above (68), and are given below.
Li Mengyang, the North–South Divide, and Literati Learning in Ming China

Li Mengyang 李夢陽 (1472–1529) and He Jingming 何景明 (1483–1521) have long been considered the founders of Ming literary archaism, a movement which advocated stringent adherence to ancient models in pro...
An Investigation of the Roles of Husbands and Wives in Family Financial Decision Making Processes: Preliminary Results

Financial tasks and decisions are an increasingly important aspect of family decision making and economic related behavior. Decisions regarding budgeting, savings, investment, alternative financial services, bill payment, and credit usage are among the many financial responsibilities that must be considered and resolved by most families, as well as the choice of the spouse that will participate in the many routine tasks associated with financial behavior (bill payment, bank transactions etc.). Current environmental and social changes that have taken place within the last decade have brought about changes in family decision making behavior. Major changes in the status of women and their employment in the work force have led to changes in the roles of women within the family decision making context. Changes have also occurred in gender role norms women hold for themselves and their spouses. Increasing educational levels, rising occupational status, and higher incomes among women have brought about increased personal resources, decreasing time flexibility, time pressures, and shifts in gender role norms among many wives (Scanzoni 1978). Thus, there are many possibilities for a variety of alternative roles in family financial behavior.
Relationships between Statistical and Deterministic Methods of Data Assimilation

Fitting dynamics to data in the least-squares sense can yield the same analysis as Kalman filtering, when both methods use precisely the same information.
Estimation of an inter-rater intra-class correlation coefficient that overcomes common assumption violations in the assessment of health measurement scales

Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) are recommended for the assessment of the reliability of measurement scales. However, the ICC is subject to a variety of statistical assumptions such as normality and stable variance, which are rarely considered in health applications. A Bayesian approach using hierarchical regression and variance-function modeling is proposed to estimate the ICC with emphasis on accounting for heterogeneous variances across a measurement scale. As an application, we review the implementation of using an ICC to evaluate the reliability of Observer OPTION5, an instrument which used trained raters to evaluate the level of Shared Decision Making between clinicians and patients. The study used two raters to evaluate recordings of 311 clinical encounters across three studies to evaluate the impact of using a Personal Decision Aid over usual care. We particularly focus on deriving an estimate for the ICC when multiple studies are being considered as part of the data. The results demonstrate that ICC varies substantially across studies and patient-physician encounters within studies. Using the new framework we developed, the study-specific ICCs were estimated to be 0.821, 0.295, and 0.644. If the within- and between-encounter variances were assumed to be the same across studies, the estimated within-study ICC was 0.609. If heteroscedasticity is not properly adjusted for, the within-study ICC estimate was inflated to be as high as 0.640. Finally, if the data were pooled across studies without accounting for the variability between studies then ICC estimates were further inflated by approximately 0.02 while formerly allowing for between study variation in the ICC inflated its estimated value by approximately 0.066 to 0.072 depending on the model. We demonstrated that misuse of the ICC statistics under common assumption violations leads to misleading and likely inflated estimates of interrater reliability. A statistical analysis that overcomes these violations by expanding the standard statistical model to account for them leads to estimates that are a better reflection of a measurement scale’s reliability while maintaining ease of interpretation. Bayesian methods are particularly well suited to estimating the expanded statistical model.
Opportunities for a Low Carbon Transition-Deploying Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage in Northeast India

As development in India paces up, energy demand is projected to increase; exerting pressure on the environment and presenting the added challenge of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions at an accelerated pace. Carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) is one of the mitigation strategies that India could adopt in this context, in the backdrop of an energy industry largely dominated by coal. Specifically, the north-eastern state of Assam in India is home to large point sources of CO2 emissions like power, chemical or fertilizer plants, and has abundant sinks in the form of mature oil fields, coal beds, and saline aquifers. This work discusses the emission cuts that can be achieved by retrofitting existing point-sources with CCUS systems, and the techno-economic considerations thereof. We analyze how the levelized cost of electricity will change across three power plants, and how the economics of capture and avoidance costs at a chemical plant can revive its current financial situation, to present why there is an incentive for CCUS in Assam. The results show that for any CCUS implementation plant design, age and preparedness are factors that influence the economics and can lead to huge differentials. Since no new major expansions are planned in the region, investing in retrofitting will deliver immediate results towards achieving climate goals, while allowing time for the future deployment of renewable energy sources and energy storage solutions.
Predicting Long Term HCC Response to Radioembolization Using Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound 1-2 Weeks Post Treatment

This study evaluated whether quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can predict long term response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to Yttrium-90 (Y-90) radioembolization therapy. Twelve patients scheduled for Y-90 radioembolization therapy of a previously untreated HCC underwent CEUS at 3 time points: immediately following treatment, and 7 and 14 days post-treatment. Ultrasound imaging was performed using a Siemens S3000 Helx scanner with a C6-1 probe in dual 2D B-mode/contrast mode. Treatment response was evaluated with MRI 3-4 months post-treatment using modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (mRECIST) by two experienced radiologists in consensus. CEUS data was analyzed by quantifying tumor perfusion and residual fractional vascularity, using contrast time intensity curves that were created off-line. At 7 days post-treatment, the patient with stable disease exhibited significantly greater tumor vascularity (70.96 ± 7.63%) than patients with partial response (30.88 ± 20.56%, p < 0.0001) and complete response (13.64 ± 10.97%, p < 0.0001). Additionally, patients with stable disease exhibited significantly greater tumor perfusion 14 days post-treatment (2.33 ± 0.22 ml/s*mg) than both partial response (0.05 ± 0.05 ml/s*mg, p < 0.0001) and complete response patients (0.47 ± 0.46 ml/s*mg, p < 0.0001). Although larger sample sizes and longer follow up are needed to fully evaluate the clinical impact of CEUS, it appears to provide an earlier indicator of Y-90 treatment response than MRI.
Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of KRAS mutant cell lines

Oncogenic RAS mutations are associated with DNA methylation changes that alter gene expression to drive cancer. Recent studies suggest that DNA methylation changes may be stochastic in nature, while other groups propose distinct signaling pathways responsible for aberrant methylation. Better understanding of DNA methylation events associated with oncogenic KRAS expression could enhance therapeutic approaches. Here we analyzed the basal CpG methylation of 11 KRAS-mutant and dependent pancreatic cancer cell lines and observed strikingly similar methylation patterns. KRAS knockdown resulted in unique methylation changes with limited overlap between each cell line. In KRAS-mutant Pa16C pancreatic cancer cells, while KRAS knockdown resulted in over 8,000 differentially methylated (DM) CpGs, treatment with the ERK1/2-selective inhibitor SCH772984 showed less than 40 DM CpGs, suggesting that ERK is not a broadly active driver of KRAS-associated DNA methylation. KRAS G12V overexpression in an isogenic lung model reveals >50,600 DM CpGs compared to non-transformed controls. In lung and pancreatic cells, gene ontology analyses of DM promoters show an enrichment for genes involved in differentiation and development. Taken all together, KRAS-mediated DNA methylation are stochastic and independent of canonical downstream effector signaling. These epigenetically altered genes associated with KRAS expression could represent potential therapeutic targets in KRAS-driven cancer.
Interrogating Adaptive Immunity Using LCMV.

In this invited article, we explain technical aspects of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) system, providing an update of a prior contribution by Matthias von Herrath and J. Lindsay Whitton. We provide an explanation of the LCMV infection models, highlighting the importance of selecting an appropriate route and viral strain. We also describe how to quantify virus-specific immune responses, followed by an explanation of useful transgenic systems. Specifically, our article will focus on the following protocols. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: LCMV infection routes in mice Support Protocol 1: Preparation of LCMV stocks ASSAYS TO MEASURE LCMV TITERS Support Protocol 2: Plaque assay Support Protocol 3: Immunofluorescence focus assay (IFA) to measure LCMV titer MEASUREMENT OF T CELL AND B CELL RESPONSES TO LCMV INFECTION Basic Protocol 2: Triple tetramer staining for detection of LCMV-specific CD8 T cells Basic Protocol 3: Intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) for detection of LCMV-specific T cells Basic Protocol 4: Enumeration of direct ex vivo LCMV-specific antibody-secreting cells (ASC) Basic Protocol 5: Limiting dilution assay (LDA) for detection of LCMV-specific memory B cells Basic Protocol 6: ELISA for quantification of LCMV-specific IgG antibody Support Protocol 4: Preparation of splenic lymphocytes Support Protocol 5: Making BHK21-LCMV lysate Basic Protocol 7: Challenge models TRANSGENIC MODELS Basic Protocol 8: Transfer of P14 cells to interrogate the role of IFN-I on CD8 T cell responses Basic Protocol 9: Comparing the expansion of naive versus memory CD4 T cells following chronic viral challenge.
Sparse autoregressive models for scalable generation of sparse images in particle physics

Generation of simulated data is essential for data analysis in particle physics, but current Monte Carlo methods are very computationally expensive. Deep-learning-based generative models have successfully generated simulated data at lower cost, but struggle when the data are very sparse. We introduce a novel deep sparse autoregressive model (SARM) that explicitly learns the sparseness of the data with a tractable likelihood, making it more stable and interpretable when compared to generative adversarial networks (GANs) and other methods. In two case studies, we compare SARM to a GAN model and a nonsparse autoregressive model. As a quantitative measure of performance, we compute the Wasserstein distance (${W}_{p}$) between the distributions of physical quantities calculated on the generated images and on the training images. In the first study, featuring images of jets in which 90% of the pixels are zero valued, SARM produces images with ${W}_{p}$ scores that are 24%--52% better than the scores obtained with other state-of-the-art generative models. In the second study, on calorimeter images in the vicinity of muons where 98% of the pixels are zero valued, SARM produces images with ${W}_{p}$ scores that are 66%--68% better. Similar observations made with other metrics confirm the usefulness of SARM for sparse data in particle physics.
Abstract 15466: Trajectory of Acute Coronary Syndrome Cases During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a worrisome decrease in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) cases. We sought to investigate the trajectory of ACS following the relaxation of isolati...
Review of Gender, Alterity and Human Rights, by Ratna Kapur

Ratna Kapur’s latest book Gender, Alterity, and Human Rights: Freedom in a Fish Bowl masterfully tackles a normative claim that has been gaining increasing momentum over the last few decades: the human rights agenda has hit an impasse and needs serious transformation. Using unique comparative contexts, Kapur illustrates how the liberal rights regime - despite gesturing towards freedom enhancement - operates as a counter hegemonic governance system furthering mainly state and market interests. But unlike other critical scholars who have similarly criticized the rights project from the perspective of reviving or resurrecting it, Kapur’s contribution is decidedly committed to a retreat altogether.
Old age genetically confirmed frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 has limbic predominant TDP-43 deposition

AIMS To assess the burden of transactive response DNA-binding protein of 43 kDa (TDP-43) inclusions in a unique cohort of old-age patients with genetic frontotemporal lobar degeneration (gFTLD-TDP) and compare these patients with sporadic old-age individuals with TDP-43, either in the presence of Alzheimer's disease (AD-TDP) or in isolation (pure-TDP). METHODS The brain bank at Mayo Clinic-Jacksonville was searched for cases ≥75 years old at death with TDP-43 extending into middle frontal cortex. Cases were split into the following groups: (1) gFTLD-TDP (n = 15) with progranulin (GRN)/C9ORF72 mutations; (2) AD-TDP (n = 10)-cases with median Braak neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) stage VI, Thal phase V; (3) pure-TDP (n = 10)-cases with median Braak NFT stage I, Thal phase I. Clinical data were abstracted; TDP-43 burden was calculated using digital pathology. RESULTS Amnestic Alzheimer's dementia was the clinical diagnosis in ≥50% patients in each group. The distribution of TDP-43 burden in gFTLD-TDP and AD-TDP, but not pure-TDP, was limbic-predominant targeting CA1 and subiculum. Patients with gFTLD-TDP had higher burden in entorhinal cortex compared to AD-TDP. TDP-43 burden in middle frontal cortex did not differ between the three groups. CONCLUSIONS In old age it is challenging to clinically and pathologically differentiate gFTLD-TDP from AD-TDP and pure-TDP-43 based on burden. Like AD-TDP, old age gFTLD-TDP have a limbic predominant TDP-43 distribution. The finding that amnestic Alzheimer's dementia was the most common clinical diagnosis regardless of group suggests that TDP-43 directly and indirectly targets limbic regions.
Visualizing Dynamic Systems: Volumetric and Holographic Display

This book is aimed to help instructional designers, science game designers, science faculty, lab designers, and content developers in designing interactive learning experiences using emerging technologies and cyberlearning. The proposed solutions are for undergraduate and graduate scientific communication, engineering courses, scientific research communication, and workforce training. Reviewing across the science education literature reveals various aspects of unresolved challenges or inabilities in the visualization of scientific concepts. Visuospatial thinking is the fundamental part of learning sciences; however, promoting spatial thinking has not been emphasized enough in the educational system (Hegarty, 2014). Cognitive scientists distinguish between the multiple aspects of spatial ability and stresse that various problems or disciplines require different types of spatial skills. For example, the spatial ability to visualize anatomy cross-sections is significantly associated with mental rotation skills. The same is true for physical problems that often deal with spatial representations. However, most of the physics problems are marked by dynamicity, and visualizing dynamicity is inferred by the integrations of different participating components in the system. Therefore, what is needed for learning dynamicity is visualizing the mental animation of static episodes. This book is a leap into designing framework for using mixed reality (XR) technologies and cyberlearning in communicating advanced scientific concepts. The intention is to flesh out the cognitive infrastructure and visuospatial demands of complex systems and compare them in various contexts and disciplines. The practical implementation of emerging technology can be achieved by foreseeing each XR technology’s affordances and mapping those out to the cognitive infrastructure and visuospatial demands of the content under development.
Combined heat and power as a platform for clean energy systems

Abstract Many regions and countries including Europe, China, Japan, and Canada are expanding their combined heat and power (CHP) systems, often coupled with renewable fuels, to provide platforms for clean energy. In the United States, however, CHP market shares are. A cost-benefit analysis of CHP systems in Georgia (an industry-heavy state in the Southeastern U.S.) suggests that the benefits from reduced fuel costs and steam production far exceed the CHP installation and O&M costs. We estimate other benefits, as well, including jobs, cleaner air, public health, and a 2–13% reduction in Georgia’s total carbon emissions. However, the capital-intensive nature of CHP systems can be difficult for host industries, and utilities are reluctant to purchase their excess electricity. Possible approaches to address these barriers include clean energy portfolio standards, regulatory reform, financial incentives such as tax credits. By developing a comprehensive case study methodology for evaluating the expansion of CHP systems, analysts can examine the costs and benefits of cogeneration in other regions with their particular industry profiles, fuel costs, and policies. Analysis of key stakeholders and policy options adds social and behavioral insights for the design of effective government interventions to capture the economic and social benefits of CHP systems.
Does Schooling Give Us Rational Expectations

Does Schooling Give Us Rational Expectations? Ajay Shenoy ∗ University of California, Santa Cruz May 5, 2015 First Version: September 12, 2014 Abstract I assess whether schooling causes people to form more accurate expec- tations. Using a panel of Thai households I compare each respondent’s pre- diction of household income with actual income and test whether school- ing improves the accuracy of these predictions. I exploit a regression dis- continuity created by an abrupt change in the enforcement of compulsory schooling. I find strong evidence that schooling reduces the noise of ex- pectations. Households with noisier expectations borrow more and more often. I find evidence that the mechanism may be higher literacy, which makes it easier for households to learn the most recent crop prices from newspapers. (JEL Codes: D84, I24) Keywords: Rational expectations, education, information Email at azshenoy@ucsc.edu. I want to thank George Bulman, Jesse Cunha, Carlos Dobkin, Dan Friedman, Jon Robinson, Hikaru Saijo, Jeff Smith, and Grace Wu for helpful comments and suggestions. I am also grateful to Kayla Gawlik and Jessica Goodman for excellent research assistance.
Chapter 25 Functional studies of cholecystokinin-dopamine coexistence: electrophysiology and behavior

Publisher Summary Immunohistochemical, electrophysiological, and behavioral studies have come together to implicate a role for cholecystokinin (CCK) in the mesolimbic pathways of the rat brain. Immunohistochemical maps have shown CCK to be present in diverse areas of rat brain including cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and midbrain. Immunohistochemical evidence for the co-existence of CCK and dopamine (DA) has been described. This coexistence has been based on several lines of evidence: (1) data from experiments using either adjacent sections or the elution-restaining method showed cell bodies in the ventral mesencephalon, which were both CCK and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactive, (2) CCK and TH immunoreactive nerve terminals showed close overlap in the accumbens, olfactory tubercle, and central nucleus of the amygdala, (3) the injections of intracerebral colchicine or 6-OHDA induced an accumulation of both CCK and TH immunoreactivity in axons caudal to the injection, (4) intracerebral 6-OHDA produced a marked reduction in CCK and TH immunoreactive cell bodies and nerve terminals in the mesencephalon and limbic forebrain, and (5) retrograde tracing combined with immunohistochemistry verified CCK–DA projections from the mesencephalon to the limbic forebrain. These data suggest that, at least in the rat, the CCK–DA co-existence is confined primarily to the mesolimbic system. In this regard, the chapter shows that cutting the median forebrain bundle has no effect on CCK levels in the caudate, thus confirming that the CCK–DA neurons, at least in the rat, appear to be primarily limited to the mesolimbic areas. A functional role for CCK in the mesolimbic pathway is of particular interest in light of its proposed involvement in the etiology of schizophrenia. Studies on the role of CCK in the pathophysiology of the human brain are contradictory.
Cooperation between MEF2 and PPARγ in human intestinal β,β-carotene 15,15'-monooxygenase gene expression

Vitamin A and its derivatives, the retinoids, are essential for normal embryonic development and maintenance of cell differentiation. β, β-carotene 15,15'-monooxygenase 1 (BCMO1) catalyzes the central cleavage of β-carotene to all-trans retinal and is the key enzyme in the intestinal metabolism of carotenes to vitamin A. However, human and various rodent species show markedly different efficiencies in intestinal BCMO1-mediated carotene to retinoid conversion. The aim of this study is to identify potentially human-specific regulatory control mechanisms of BCMO1 gene expression. We identified and functionally characterized the human BCMO1 promoter sequence and determined the transcriptional regulation of the BCMO1 gene in a BCMO1 expressing human intestinal cell line, TC-7. Several functional transcription factor-binding sites were identified in the human promoter that are absent in the mouse BCMO1 promoter. We demonstrate that the proximal promoter sequence, nt -190 to +35, confers basal transcriptional activity of the human BCMO1 gene. Site-directed mutagenesis of the myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) binding elements resulted in decreased basal promoter activity. Mutation of both promoter elements abrogated the expression of intestinal cell BCMO1. Electrophoretic mobility shift and supershift assays and transcription factor co-expression in TC-7 cells showed MEF2C and PPARγ bind to their respective DNA elements and synergistically transactivate BCMO1 expression. We demonstrate that human intestinal cell BCMO1 expression is dependent on the functional cooperation between PPARγ and MEF2 isoforms. The findings suggest that the interaction between MEF2 and PPAR factors may provide a molecular basis for interspecies differences in the transcriptional regulation of the BCMO1 gene.
Aquifer storage research earns U.N. Prize

Australian scientists studying the use of aquifers to store urban stormwater and reclaimed water for reuse in irrigation received the inaugural International Water Prize for Innovation in Water Resources Management in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas, presented recently by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “While aquifer storage and recovery is not a new concept, what is unique about our work is the quality of the water recovered,” said Russell Martin of the South Australia Department for Water Resources. The effort is a joint venture between that group and Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).
California Irrigation Return Flow Case Studies

The variability in the quantity and quality of surface irrigation return flows from two representative California irrigation projects are reported. The two projects are: (1)The 66,420 ha Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District in the Sacramento Valley, and (2)the 17,820 ha Panoche Drainage District for 1975, a typical irrigation season. The variations noted are attributed to differences in water application methods, crops, soil chemical and physical properties. The impacts of return flows to the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers are appraised and examined relative to the ongoing Section 208 Water Quality Management Planning efforts.
Human dendritic cells - stars in the skin.

“A properly functioning adaptive immune system signifies the best features of life. It is diverse beyond compare, tolerant without fail, and capable of behaving appropriately with a myriad of infections and other challenges. Dendritic cells (DCs) are required to explain how this remarkable system is energized and directed.” This is a quote by one of the greatest immunologists our community has ever known, and the father of dendritic cells, Ralph Steinman. Steinman's discovery of DCs in 1973 and his subsequent research opened a new field of study within immunology: DC biology and in particular the role of DCs in immune regulation in health and disease. Here, I review themes from our work and others on the complex network of dendritic cells in the skin and discuss the significance of skin DCs in understanding aspects of host defense against infections, the pathology of inflammatory skin diseases, and speculate on the future effective immune-based therapies.
The Demand for, and Avoidance of, Information

We use an information-gap framework to capture the diverse motives driving the preference to obtain or avoid information. Beyond the conventional desire for information as an input to decision making, people are driven by curiosity, which is a desire for knowledge for its own sake, even in the absence of material benefits, and people are additionally motivated to seek out information about issues they like thinking about and avoid information about issues they do not like thinking about (an “ostrich effect”). The standard economic framework is enriched with the insights that knowledge has valence, that ceteris paribus people want to fill in information gaps, and that, beyond contributing to knowledge, information affects the focus of attention.