cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crowdsourcing for large-scale mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) sampling

Sampling a cosmopolitan mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) species throughout its range is logistically challenging and extremely resource intensive. Mosquito control programmes and regional networks operate at the local level and often conduct sampling activities across much of North America. A method for large-scale sampling of two mosquito species using crowdsourcing to network with these local and regional programmes is described. A total of 961 mosquito vector and control districts, health departments, and individual collectors across the United States of America and Canada were contacted in 2011 and 2012 of which 9% positively responded by sending mosquitoes. In total, 1101 unique population samples of Aedes vexans (Meigen) and Culex tarsalis Coquillett were collected throughout their range in these two countries. Aedes vexans outgroup samples were also submitted from Europe and Asia. This is the largest crowd-sourced collection of samples to date. Resume—L'echantillonnagede l'ensembledes habitats demoustiques(Diptera: Culicidae)cosmopolites est difficileenterme de logistiqueet extremement couteuxen ressources. Les programmes delutte contre les moustiques et les reseaux regionaux operent au niveau local et conduisent souvent a des activites d'echantillonnage dans la majeure partie de l'Amerique du Nord. En reseau avec ces programmes locaux etregionaux,une methoded'echantillonnagea grandeechelle de deux especes de moustiques en utilisant la methode de l'externalisation ouverte (« crowdsourcing ») est decrite. Un total de 961 vecteurs et secteurs de controle, les services de sante et les collectionneurs individuels a travers les Etats-Unis et le Canada ont ete contactes en 2011 et en 2012. Ainsi, 9% ont repondu positivement en envoyant des moustiques. Au total, 1101 echantillons de populations uniques d'Aedes vexans (Meigen) et Culex tarsalis Coquillett ont ete recueillis dans l'ensemble de leurs habitats de ces deux pays. Les echantillons horsgrouped'Aedesvexansont egalement ete envoyes a partir de l'Europeetdel'Asie.Ils'agitdelaplus grande collection d'echantillons en externalisation ouverte a ce jour.
Stabilization of Proteins by Nanoencapsulation in Sugar–Glass for Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery Applications

Proteins and other biomolecules sequestered in and delivered from polymeric drug delivery systems (DDS) undergo several process and storage-related stresses throughout the life of the product that can result in significant degradation, loss of bioactivity and raise safety concerns.[1–4] Process-related stresses during manufacturing of drug delivery systems can lead to significant protein degradation. These stresses can include elevated temperatures, exposure to liquid and solid hydrophobic interfaces, and vigorous mechanical agitation.[1, 5, 6] A number of approaches have been developed to ameliorate the impact of individual stresses in emulsion-based methods. These include the use of interface stabilizers,[7, 8] protein crystalization[9] and covalent protein modification.[10] Ideally a single approach would protect against all these stresses, yielding excellent encapsulation efficiency and storage stability, while giving burst-free sustained release for any protein and polymer system of interest. Far from meeting this ideal, many approaches for improving one aspect of performance are neutral or deleterious to others. For example, solid-in-oil-in-water (s-o-w) emulsions[3] expose the protein to less solvent-based stress than do water-in-oil-in-water (w-o-w) methods; however, s-o-w methods have thus far led to reduced encapsulation efficiency or significant burst release. S-o-w vehicles incorporate proteins as a solid phase through freeze-drying or related processes, allowing inclusion of buffer salts, sugars, and other stabilizing additives. However, bulk freeze-drying yields relatively large protein particles, leading to poor dispersion in the final drug delivery product and burst release.[2, 9] Smaller particles are necessary to give better dispersion and sustained delivery without burst.[2, 9] Approaches such as spray-drying, spray-freeze drying, or freeze-drying with polyethylene glycol (PEG) have been used to generate smaller stabilizer-bearing protein particles, but these are associated with low protein recovery[11] and can still result in burst release.[12] More recently, small protein particles have been precipitated from organic solvents.[9] However, this technique does not give good protein stability during storage,[9] may yield protein-dependent results, and still needs to be validated for therapeutic proteins.[9, 13]
Knotting the NETs: analyzing histone modifications in neutrophil extracellular traps.

Neutrophil extracellular chromatin traps (NETs) are a recently described mechanism of innate immune responses to bacteria and fungi. Evidence indicates that NETs are induced by inflammation, that they contribute to diverse disease pathologies, and that they associate with bactericidal substances. Genomic DNA is released in NETs, leading to a cell death that has been labeled NETosis. Although NETosis clearly differs from apoptosis, the classical form of cell death, recent experiments indicate a connection between NETosis and autophagy. The regulated deployment of NETs may require covalent modification of histones, the basic DNA-binding proteins that organize chromatin in the cell's nucleus and within NETs. Histone modification by peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) is necessary for NET release. The functions of additional histone modifications, however, remain to be tested.
Operational Risk Management in Financial Services and the New Basel Accord

Today's turbulent financial markets, growing regulatory environments, and increasingly complex financial systems have led risk managers to realize the importance of measuring and managing Operational Risk. According to the Basle Committee on Banking Supervision, Operational Risk is the risk of direct or indirect loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people, and systems or from external events. Infrastructure failures (e.g., information technology, terrorist attacks), fraud (e.g., rogue trading), legal and regulatory risks (e.g., fines), have become the motivators behind the move to proactively manage Operational Risk in large Financial Services Institutions. In this paper we provide an up to date critical review of the most fundamental issues on Operational Risk Management, e.g., methodology, data collection, analytics, implementation, based on our practical experience.
An Observational Study of Sexual Behavior in Demented Male Patients

Background. Concerns have been expressed that patients with dementia will display disinhibited, inappropriate sexual behavior. Retrospective research suggests that this is rare, but no observational research has been reported. The purpose of this study was to conduct such an observational study. Methods. Subjects were 40 patients with a dementia diagnosis who were living in institutional settings; subjects ranged in age from 60 to 98. Coders observed subjects on nine separate occasions, three in the morning, three in the afternoon, and three in the evening. Subjects were observed in multiple situations; coding included appropriate, ambiguous, and inappropriate sexual behaviors. Reliability coding was obtained for 42% of the patients on 11% of coded episodes. Results. Behaviors could be coded with high reliability (94% to 100% across categories of behavior). On average, patients displayed .43 appropriate sexual behaviors, 1.48 ambiguous behaviors, and .83 inappropriate behaviors across the nine observation periods. This was not evenly distributed across patients, however; only 18% of patients ever displayed a sexually inappropriate behavior, and these were usually brief and minor. Inappropriate sexual behavior was observed in only 1.6% of the observed one-minute time segments. Conclusions. Observational research documents what had been previously suggested by retrospective reports: inappropriate sexual behavior is uncommon in dementia patients and brief and minor even when it occurs. Ambiguous behaviors, such as appearing in public incompletely dressed, which could suggest exhibitionism but more likely reflects self-care deficits, were more common. Misinterpretation of these events may be the source for some of the persistent lore regarding sexually disinhibited behavior in dementia patients. C ONCERNS that patients with Alzheimer's disease will display inappropriate sexual behavior are frequently
Comparison of opiate-primary treatment seekers with and without alcohol use disorder

Many persons seeking opiate treatment present with complex clinical challenges, which may be exacerbated by alcohol misuse. This report details secondary data analyses aggregating treatment-seeking samples across 10 National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network treatment trials to examine alcohol-related characteristics of opiate-primary (OP) clients and compare broad pretreatment characteristics of those with and without an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Analysis of this aggregate OP client sample (n = 1,396) indicated that 38% had comorbid AUD and that a history of alcohol treatment episodes and recent alcohol problems were common. Further, comparisons of OP clients with and without AUD revealed the former were more likely to have had a history of pervasive difficulties in psychosocial functioning. Findings suggest the need for detection of and intervention for alcohol misuse at the outset of opiate treatment and support for the practice of availing medical, psychological, case management, and other support services.
Metamorphosis of Freshwater Mussel Glochidia (Bivalvia: Unionidae) on Amphibians and Exotic Fishes

Abstract This study determined that inexpensive and easily maintained amphibians and exotic fishes could act as hosts for two species of native North American unionid mussels, and bypass the need to identify native hosts when the object is to culture mussels. Two mussel species, Lampsilis cardium and Utterbackia imbecillis, were used to parasitize 42 exotic fishes and seven potential nonpiscine host species. Nonpiscine hosts included amphibians and decapod crustaceans. Lampsilis cardium successfully metamorphosed on six species of exotic fishes, as well as on larval tiger salamanders. Utterbackia imbecillis successfully metamorphosed on 30 species of exotic fishes and all four amphibian species tested. No glochidia metamorphosed on crustaceans. Successful metamorphosis on amphibians indicates that mussel zoogeography may be more complicated than previously thought. Using surrogate hosts may be a valuable alternative to natural hosts in laboratory culture of mussels.
Atlantic Tropical Systems of 1978

Abstract The 1978 hurricane season produced 98 "tropical systems", of which 33 acquired the closed circulation of a depression. Over half of these 65 originated over the African Continent. African seedlings initiated 6 of the 11 named Atlantic storms, and 13 of the 18 east Pacific storms.
The Derivative and Differentiation

Many interesting questions deal with the rate at which things change. Examples abound: What is the rate at which a population changes? How fast does radioactive material decay? At what rate is the national debt growing? At what rate does the temperature change as you move closer to a hot object? In this chapter, we define and discuss the concept of rate of change, which in mathematics, is called the derivative.
Religious Changes In American Society and Among Party Activists

Carmines and Stimson (1989) claim ordinary citizens who knock on doors, write small checks, and volunteer to make phone calls represent the face of their party to less engaged members of the general voting public. In the 1960s the face of the Republican Party was very likely to be that of a mainline protestant. The face of the Democratic Party was also very likely to be that of a person of faith, but unlike their Republican counterparts, no single religious tradition could claim majority status. But in the intervening decades the religious composition of mass-level partisan activists has changed dramatically; by extension, the face of the party encountered by the general voting public is now very different than in prior decades. Conventional wisdom would credit Christian Right Organizations and Republican elites for the rising tide of Evangelicals in the Republican activist pool, but this ignores the role of basic demographic shifts in society. Using the ANES 1960-2008 I examine basic demographic shifts in society and investigate their role shaping changes in the composition of the partisan activist pools. I also use the Youth-Parent Socialization Panel to investigate the individual-level forces behind those aggregate-level composition changes.
Improving the Sensitivity of the ELISPOT Analyses of Antigen-Specific Cellular Immune Responses in Rhesus Macaques

The close similarities in hematopoietic and immune systems of humans and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) make them the desired nonhuman primate animal model for developing vaccines against infectious diseases relevant to humans. The best example is the simian immunodeficiency virus infection in macaques as a model for AIDS, resulting from infection of humans by HIV-1. Vaccine efficacy against viruses depends on priming cell-mediated immunity by the use of sensitive assays that can accurately detect even small levels of antigen-specific T-cell responses that may otherwise be missed easily. With this in mind, we developed the dendritic cell enzyme-linked immunospot (DC-ELISPOT) protocol by incorporating antigen-pulsed DCs to stimulate lymphocytes, as opposed to the conventional ELISPOT assay, which cultures mixtures of various low-level populations of indigent antigen-presenting cells and responding lymphocytes with antigens. In rhesus macaques immunized with an HIV envelope peptide cocktail vaccine, the DC-ELISPOT protocol enabled more accurate enumeration of the cellular immune responses, as antigen-specific interferon-gamma-producing cells, with up to 18-fold increase in detection sensitivity compared with conventional ELISPOT and elimination of false negative results. The increased sensitivity of DC-ELISOT protocol is further validated in tests determining recall antigen-specific responses in human volunteers after tuberculin skin testing.
Planetary entry body heating rate measurements in air and Venus atmospheric gas up to T equals 15,000 deg K

Convective plus radiative shock tube model stagnation point heating rate measurements for planetary entry heating rate in air and Venus gas
Interfacial charge separation and recombination in InP and quasi-type II InP/CdS core/shell quantum dot-molecular acceptor complexes.

Recent studies of group II–VI colloidal semiconductor heterostuctures, such as CdSe/CdS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) or dot-in-rod nanorods, show that type II and quasi-type II band alignment can facilitate electron transfer and slow down charge recombination in QD–molecular electron acceptor complexes. To explore the general applicability of this wave function engineering approach for controlling charge transfer properties, we investigate exciton relaxation and dissociation dynamics in InP (a group III–V semiconductor) and InP/CdS core/shell (a heterostructure beween group III–V and II–VI semiconductors) QDs by transient absorption spectroscopy. We show that InP/CdS QDs exhibit a quasi-type II band alignment with the 1S electron delocalized throughout the core and shell and the 1S hole confined in the InP core. In InP–methylviologen (MV2+) complexes, excitons in the QD can be dissociated by ultrafast electron transfer to MV2+ from the 1S electron level (with an average time constant of 11.4 ps) as well ...
Indians and Indian Hating in Edgar Huntly and The Confidence Man

"We cannibals must help these Christians." Queequeg in Moby-Dick Grounded in a contrast between a white civilization based on religious morality and the primitive savagery of the Indians, the association of Indians with evil has been a recurrent theme in American literature. In his Map of Virginia, with a Description of the Countrey, the Commodities, People, Government and Religion, John Smith states of Indian religion, "their chiefe God they worship is the Divell" (Smith I, 65-84). King Philip's War in 1675-76 spurred numerous accounts of massacres and other abominations, the most famous of these being Mary Rowlandson's captivity narrative, published in 1682. The Puritans generally accounted for the heathenish condition of the Indians by considering them as descendants from a race of wanderers who had lost their sense of God and were therefore in the power of Satan.1 In The Savages of America, Roy Harvey Pearce discusses the attempts by colonial Americans to Christianize the Indians and the literature that derived from the impracticality of this enterprise. He points out that the Puritan writer on the Indian was "less interested in the Indian's culture than in the fallen
Computed tomographic-pathologic correlation of gross tumor volume and clinical target volume in non-small cell lung cancer: a pilot experience.

c Context.—Computed tomographic (CT) scan data are used regularly in radiation treatment planning for patients with lung cancer. To our knowledge, the relationship of the CT images of tumors and their corresponding microscopic extent has not yet been studied in detail. Objective.—To correlate tumor sizes on CT with tumor sizes measured microscopically (ie, the gross tumor volume [GTV]-clinical target volume margin) in non‐small cell lung cancers. Design.—Prospective pilot study. Setting.—Single institution. Patients.—Patients with operable non‐small cell lung cancer were identified preoperatively. Interventions.—Once the surgical specimen was available, it was oriented with the surgeon and the pathologist. Seven whole-mount, cross-sectional histologic glass slides were made from 5 tumors using formalin fixation and hematoxylin-eosin staining. The pathologist then outlined the cancer-containing area under the microscope (Micro-GTV) and the area of surrounding inflammatory response (MicroGTV 1 inflammation). Preoperative CT scans were used for outlining tumor on the corresponding slice (CT-GTV). Main Outcome Measures.—Correlation of the areas of Micro-GTV, Micro-GTV 1 inflammation, and CT-GTV was performed. Results.—There was an obvious trend that the CT-GTV was bigger than the Micro-GTV, except in specimen 1, in which the 2 areas were about equal. However, on comparing the values for the CT-GTV and the Micro-GTV 1 inflammation, the difference between the 2 areas became smaller. Conclusions.—Modern CT scans might overestimate the GTV in non‐small cell lung cancer. The GTV‐clinical target volume margin could actually be zero or even a negative value. The findings in this small study are interesting and provoking. Further study with a larger number of patients and more rigid quality control is warranted to confirm our findings. (Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2001;125:1469‐1472)
Increased activity of lysosomal enzymes in experimental atherosclerosis, and the effect of cortisone.

SummaryFour hydrolytic enzymes present in lysosomes, beta-glucuronidase, acid phosphatase, cathepsin, and aryl sulfatase were studied in the aortas of rabbits with cholesterol-induced atherosclerosis. Each of the enzymes showed a marked increase in activity. It was found in agreement with others that addition of cortisone to the atherogenic diet inhibits the atherosclerosis despite very high levels of serum cholesterol. In the aortas of the cortisone-treated rabbits, the four lysosomal enzymes showed no increases in activity.
Parametrization of an Orbital-Based Linear-Scaling Quantum Force Field for Noncovalent Interactions

We parametrize a linear-scaling quantum mechanical force field called mDC for the accurate reproduction of nonbonded interactions. We provide a new benchmark database of accurate ab initio interactions between sulfur-containing molecules. A variety of nonbond databases are used to compare the new mDC method with other semiempirical, molecular mechanical, ab initio, and combined semiempirical quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical methods. It is shown that the molecular mechanical force field significantly and consistently reproduces the benchmark results with greater accuracy than the semiempirical models and our mDC model produces errors twice as small as the molecular mechanical force field. The comparisons between the methods are extended to the docking of drug candidates to the Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 protein receptor. We correlate the protein–ligand binding energies to their experimental inhibition constants and find that the mDC produces the best correlation. Condensed phase simulation of mDC wat...
Outlier Detection for Batch Processes Based on Partial Robust M-Regression

Batch processes modeling,online monitoring with multivariate statistical analysis at the core have gradually became the research focus of process industry,however,the reliability of such methods would be affected by a large number of outliers in process data. Thus,an outlier detection method for batch processes based on partial robust M-regression was proposed to solve this issue.First,the robust prediction model was established based on maximum correntropy estimator. Then partial robust M-regression algorithm was utilized to calculate the model regression coefficients.Finally,Hampel identifier was used to analyze the final weights,and the outlier detection was fulfilled. The proposed outlier detection method was applied to a batch reaction process,and the experimental results indicated that effectiveness of the proposed method.
Determination of Installation Sites for Reactive Compensation Devices in Multi-Infeed AC/DC Power System

The installation of reactive power compensation devices is a very effective measure to improve power grid voltage stability. To determine optimal installation site of reactive power compensation devices, a new judgment index, namely the voltage control sensitive factor, is proposed. The proposed index not only considers the voltage stability at the site where the reactive power compensation device is installed, but also can incarnate the interaction among the installation site and other nodes, thus reactive power compensation devices installed at the determined optimal site, in other word the voltage control sensitive point, can furthest improve the overall performance of power grid. To obtain the concrete form of voltage control sensitive factor, two important indicators in the voltage control sensitive factor, i.e., the voltage stability factor and multi-infeed interaction factor, are respectively solved by the reduced Jacobian matrix method, the modified Jacobian matrix method and the node impedance matrix method. Simulation results show that the voltage control sensitive factor is a very effective judgment criterion and is more favorable for the improvement of overall performance of power grid.
The Loop Technique Addressing Celiac Artery Dissection in a Branched and Fenestrated Endograft for the Treatment of a Type III Thoracoabdominal Aneurysm

Purpose: To describe a bailout technique for use during branched/fenestrated thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair to address celiac artery (CA) dissection. Technique: The technique is demonstrated in a 69-year-old man who underwent fenestrated stent-graft repair of a 6-cm type III TAAA. The main fenestrated stent-graft was positioned without difficulty, and the renal and superior mesenteric arteries were stented. A stent-graft was placed in the CA, but angiography showed the vessel to be occluded by dissection beyond the stent-graft. Wire manipulations to regain access to the true lumen culminated in perforation. At this point, the gastroduodenal artery was catheterized with a 0.035-inch guidewire, which was advanced in retrograde fashion into the CA true lumen and then snared back to the left brachial artery forming a loop. After exchange for a 0.014-inch system, self-expanding stents were deployed into the hepatic artery. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on...
A Novel Truncated Form of Serum Amyloid A in Kawasaki Disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis in children that can cause coronary artery abnormalities. Its diagnosis is challenging, and many cytokines, chemokines, acute phase reactants, and growth factors have failed evaluation as specific biomarkers to distinguish KD from other febrile illnesses. We performed protein profiling, comparing plasma from children with KD with febrile control (FC) subjects to determine if there were specific proteins or peptides that could distinguish the two clinical states.Plasma from three independent cohorts from the blood of 68 KD and 61 FC subjects was fractionated by anion exchange chromatography, followed by surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization (SELDI) mass spectrometry of the fractions. The mass spectra of KD and FC plasma samples were analyzed for peaks that were statistically significantly different.A mass spectrometry peak with a mass of 7,860 Da had high intensity in acute KD subjects compared to subacute KD (p = 0.0003) and FC (p = 7.9 x 10-10) subjects. We identified this peak as a novel truncated form of serum amyloid A with N-terminal at Lys-34 of the circulating form and validated its identity using a hybrid mass spectrum immunoassay technique. The truncated form of serum amyloid A was present in plasma of KD subjects when blood was collected in tubes containing protease inhibitors. This peak disappeared when the patients were examined after their symptoms resolved. Intensities of this peptide did not correlate with KD-associated laboratory values or with other mass spectrum peaks from the plasma of these KD subjects.Using SELDI mass spectrometry, we have discovered a novel truncated form of serum amyloid A that is elevated in the plasma of KD when compared with FC subjects. Future studies will evaluate its relevance as a diagnostic biomarker and its potential role in the pathophysiology of KD.
Changing antibiotic sensitivity patterns at a university hospital, 1992 through 1999

Background. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant organisms is of great concern in the medical community. Antibiotic sensitivity patterns were studied at a large university hospital. Methods. From 1992 through 1999, susceptibility testing was clone and results recorded for all isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Enterococcus sp, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Microbiologic and sensitivity data were reviewed and compiled. Results. Over the 8-year period, several common bacterial pathogens declined in susceptibility to various antimicrobial agents. Most notable were the decreased sensitivities of S pneumoniae to penicillin (96% to 63%), coagulase-negative Staphylococcus to oxacillin (50% to 38%), and P aeruginosa to aminoglycosides [(gentamicin (85% to 64%), tobramycin (96% to 83%), amikacin (92% to 74%)] and ciprofloxacin (85% to 69%). Conclusions. These decreased antibiotic sensitivities reflect increased bacterial selection pressure as a result of widespread antibiotic use. A combined approach involving infection-control specialists, infectious disease physicians, and hospital administrators is necessary to address this increasingly difficult problem.
Preservation of memory-based automaticity in reading for older adults

Concerning age-related effects on cognitive skill acquisition, the modal finding is that older adults do not benefit from practice to the same extent as younger adults in tasks that afford a shift from slower algorithmic processing to faster memory-based processing. In contrast, Rawson and Touron (2009) demonstrated a relatively rapid shift to memory-based processing in the context of a reading task. The current research extended beyond this initial study to provide more definitive evidence for relative preservation of memory-based automaticity in reading tasks for older adults. Younger and older adults read short stories containing unfamiliar noun phrases (e.g., skunk mud) followed by disambiguating information indicating the combination's meaning (either the normatively dominant meaning or an alternative subordinate meaning). Stories were repeated across practice blocks, and then the noun phrases were presented in novel sentence frames in a transfer task. Both age groups shifted from computation to retrieval after relatively few practice trials (as evidenced by convergence of reading times for dominant and subordinate items). Most important, both age groups showed strong evidence for memory-based processing of the noun phrases in the transfer task. In contrast, older adults showed minimal shifting to retrieval in an alphabet arithmetic task, indicating that the preservation of memory-based automaticity in reading was task-specific. Discussion focuses on important implications for theories of memory-based automaticity in general and for specific theoretical accounts of age effects on memory-based automaticity, as well as fruitful directions for future research.
Negative frequency‐dependent interactions can underlie phenotypic heterogeneity in a clonal microbial population

Genetically identical cells in microbial populations often exhibit a remarkable degree of phenotypic heterogeneity even in homogenous environments. Such heterogeneity is commonly thought to represent a bet-hedging strategy against environmental uncertainty. However, evolutionary game theory predicts that phenotypic heterogeneity may also be a response to negative frequency-dependent interactions that favor rare phenotypes over common ones. Here we provide experimental evidence for this alternative explanation in the context of the well-studied yeast GAL network. In an environment containing the two sugars glucose and galactose, the yeast GAL network displays stochastic bimodal activation. We show that in this mixed sugar environment, GAL-ON and GAL-OFF phenotypes can each invade the opposite phenotype when rare and that there exists a resulting stable mix of phenotypes. Consistent with theoretical predictions, the resulting stable mix of phenotypes is not necessarily optimal for population growth. We find that the wild-type mixed strategist GAL network can invade populations of both pure strategists while remaining uninvasible by either. Lastly, using laboratory evolution we show that this mixed resource environment can directly drive the de novo evolution of clonal phenotypic heterogeneity from a pure strategist population. Taken together, our results provide experimental evidence that negative frequency-dependent interactions can underlie the phenotypic heterogeneity found in clonal microbial populations.
Developing evidence-based practice guidelines and pathways: the experience at the local hospital level.

Article-at-a-Glance Background Using an evidence-based approach to developing clinical practice guidelines at the local level promotes implementation by clinicians. In 1994 Cedars-Sinai Health System embarked on a joint project with VHA, Inc, to pilot test a software program, Clinical Cost-Reduction System™ (CCRS™), featuring length-of-stay guidelines for low-risk patients with specific conditions. Data currently are being collected on the effect of the software on length-of-stay reductions and other important patient outcomes. The need for a more comprehensive software program To involve clinicians more actively in the development of guidelines, Cedars-Sinai sought to develop a software system for presenting organized medical information to hospitals interested in designing their own evidence-based clinical pathways. Developing the Clinical Pathway Constructor™ (CPC™) The CPC™ is a computerized grid for writing clinical pathways, backed by a database of information for select clinical conditions and categories of care. Multidisciplinary teams are to review the evidence presented in the database and then determine those guidelines they wish to encode into an actual pathway, which can then be printed out. The decision regarding which guidelines to use and which not to use rests entirely with the team designing a pathway; the program is intended to aid the team in developing appropriate guidelines that are evidence based, not to legislate guidelines. Data on the "portability" of the program are still being collected. Searching and summarizing the literature There are many challenges involved in searching, summarizing, and classifying the medical literature.
Small Investments, Big Losses: The States’ Role in Protecting Local Investors from Securities Fraud

The securities regulation landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. Federal laws have increasingly preempted the regulatory power of states, while at the same time expanding the universe of securities offerings that are not subject to registration at the federal level. These political and policy choices reflect a balancing of two sometimes competing goals: protecting investors and facilitating capital formation. While policies centered on preemption and deregulation may reduce the cost of capital, these may also lead to more pervasive securities fraud. Any resulting increase in fraudulent practices is likely to disproportionately affect small securities offerings that are local in nature, for which the deterrent effect of private securities litigation and public enforcement is weaker. This places unsophisticated and non-wealthy investors, those less able to absorb financial losses, at a disproportionate risk of fraud. From a broader economic viewpoint, the social welfare implications of such fraudulent securities offerings may be significant even when the amounts involved in each individual transaction appear to be relatively trivial to the casual observer.This Article identifies and theorizes this under-regulation of small-scale securities transactions that results from the confluence of federal preemption and the weakness of traditional enforcement mechanisms that are better suited to large-scale fraud. This Article is also the first to identify and analyze the economic and policy implications of two existing and potential trends in state regulation that might mitigate this state of affairs. In the last two decades, a growing number of states have broadened the remedies available to their securities commissioners in administrative actions to include the ability to request or order restitution on behalf of injured investors. The second trend is at a more nascent stage. Recently, some states have experimented with public insurance-type schemes that allow defrauded investors to recover a portion of their losses. The renewed emphasis on compensating victims of fraud highlighted by these developments is encouraging, but more states need to follow suit. To that end, this Article makes a series of normative suggestions to improve the effectiveness of these state legislative responses and to promote their more widespread adoption.
Precision medicine in alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease via modulating the gut microbiota

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) represent a major health burden in industrialized countries. Although alcohol abuse and nutrition play a central role in disease pathogenesis, preclinical models support a contribution of the gut microbiota to ALD and NAFLD. This review describes changes in the intestinal microbiota compositions related to ALD and NAFLD. Findings from in vitro, animal, and human studies are used to explain how intestinal pathology contributes to disease progression. This review summarizes the effects of untargeted microbiome modifications using antibiotics and probiotics on liver disease in animals and humans. While both affect humoral inflammation, regression of advanced liver disease or mortality has not been demonstrated. This review further describes products secreted by Lactobacillus- and microbiota-derived metabolites, such as fatty acids and antioxidants, that could be used for precision medicine in the treatment of liver disease. A better understanding of host-microbial interactions is allowing discovery of novel therapeutic targets in the gut microbiota, enabling new treatment options that restore the intestinal ecosystem precisely and influence liver disease. The modulation options of the gut microbiota and precision medicine employing the gut microbiota presented in this review have excellent prospects to improve treatment of liver disease.
Statistical Software for Curriculum and Careers

What statistical software programs should be taught in public affairs graduate schools to best prepare students for prospective jobs? A nationwide survey of MPA, MPP, and related Masters programs found that introductory statistics courses most often use SPSS. In later statistics classes, MPP programs use Stata more often than SPSS. Budget and finance courses almost always employ Excel. Those priorities were fairly congruent with the market. Relevant employers on 35 job websites requested familiarity with Excel far more often than any other statistical software. SAS and SPSS were nearly tied for second place, and Stata was third. SPSS is used for data analysis in a plurality of relevant academic publications, but the use of Stata has increased sharply over the past 15 years. As public affairs faculties evaluate their curricula, findings from this research on program practices and employer priorities can help inform their deliberations.
A comparison of cesium-containing heteropolyacid and sulfated zirconia catalysts for isomerization of light alkanes

The heteropolyacid H3PW12O40 and its cesium salts CsxH3-x PW12O40 (x = 1, 2, 2.5, 3) were synthesized, characterized and tested as catalysts for hydrocarbon reactions. All samples were characterized by a variety of techniques including elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, dinitrogen adsorption, thermal gravimetric analysis and ammonia sorption. Results from these methods confirmed that pure cesium salts were prepared without significant contamination by amorphous oxide phases. Incorporation of cesium into the heteropolyacid decreased the acidic protons available for catalysis, increased the specific surface area, and increased the thermal stability. The heteropolyacids were tested as catalysts for butane skeletal isomerization, pentane skeletal isomerization and 1-butene double bond isomerization. For comparison, the activity of sulfated zirconia, a well-studied strong acid catalyst, was also evaluated for the three probe reactions. On a per gram basis, the Cs2HPW12O40 sample was the most active heteropolyacid, presumably due to its high surface area. This sample was more active than sulfated zirconia for pentane skeletal isomerization and 1-butene double bond isomerization. However, sulfated zirconia was more effective for butane skeletal isomerization. Since the pentane and 1-butene reactions were monomolecular in nature, whereas butane isomerization was bimolecular, restrictions inside the micropores of the heteropolyacid may inhibit the formation of long chain intermediates. Interestingly, trace butenes were required to initiate butane isomerization reactions on sulfated zirconia, whereas heteropolyacids catalyzed the reaction in the absence of butenes.
Teacher as "Kimp.".

"Oh, I get it now, a trapezoid has four sides, and two of them have to go either vertically or horizontally, and the other two can be right angles or diagonals." A student shouts, "No, no, we're just drawing it like that to show you an example !" I give him my dullest look, "But that' s what your drawings are telling me." More groaning, more energy. Another student charges to the chalkboard: A flash of inspiration flashes across my face. "Oh, I have it now: it doesn't have two line segments that are horizontal or vertical, but it does have to have four sides, and two of the sides go in the same direction, and the other two don't." A flash of relief runs across my students' faces. "Yes, that's it!" one cries, thinking that we can now go to the next homework problem. But not so fast. . . . "But if it does have two line segments that are horizontal, the longer side has to go on the bottom, and if the two line segments go vertically, the longer side goes on the right!" Two more students run to the chalkboard. Two more drawings appear.
Medicinal Benefits of the Mushroom Ganoderma

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses medicinal benefits of the Mushroom Ganoderma . Recently, the fruit body and liquid-cultured mycelium of Ganoderma have been reported to contain polysaccharides which inhibit the growth of tumors. Identified as glucans, one of the major constituents in the cell wall of fungi, they appear to increase bodily resistance against the growth of tumors, induce the production of interferon, enhance the immunity function, and kill tumor cells within the body. The role of medicinal mushrooms in metabolic regulation is gaining greater attention. Their use in the development and application of beneficial biological activities offers an advantage in that the active principle is safe and can be tolerated by humans. Cultivation of such mushrooms provides an adequate supply but is unnecessary if mycelial cultures grown in large-scale fermentations can produce the same active principle. Finally, the search for new uses for the traditional medicinal fungi continues and the public should be educated about their potential value.
Rejecting Eve: Reception of Christianity Among Cherokee and Iroquois Women

Christianity and the values it espoused were antithetical to traditional Iroquoian and Cherokee values. Women experienced similar social, economic, political, and religious authority within their respective societies. Their experiences in regard to Christianity, however, differed, although acceptance of missionaries in both societies was more for political and economic reasons rather than a genuine interest in Christianity. Iroquois women were profoundly suspicious of missionaries and consistently rejected Christianity. Huron and Algonquian adoptees with prior experience in established missions warned their new brethren that the presence of missionaries served as a prelude to European expansion, disease, and war. Cherokee women perceived Christianity and the civilization mission it carried with it as a validation of the work in which they already engaged. They remained outwardly more receptive but maintained aspects of their traditional spirituality. Both societies combatted Christianity’s attempt to subjugate women and struggled to maintain the gender balance so central to their cultures. These traditional powers held by women, and their resistance to a forced transition to patriarchy, are exemplified by two Native women: Degonwadonti, or Molly Brant (Mohawk), and Nanyehi, or Nancy Ward (Cherokee).
On the descending branch of the pushover curve for multistory buildings

The paper discusses nonlinear pushover curves for multistory moment-frame buildings. Attention is brought to the steepening effect that elastic unloading has on the slope of the descending branch of the pushover curve, with the possibility of snapback. Displacement control is shown to be effective for the entire range of pushover analysis, including the descending branch. The method is enhanced by controlling the difference in displacement of 2 floors in the vicinity of the collapse mechanism rather than, say, controlling the roof displacement. An automated drift control version is described and tested. Analysis of a 20-story building demonstrates that variable strength of plastic hinges and inclusion of the strength and stiffness of the gravity frames in the model affect the pushover curve significantly, especially the descending branch. The concept of dynamic pushover is described, and results are compared with the static version.
Assessment of the Utility of Cytology and Flow Cytometry of Cerebrospinal Fluid Samples in Clinical Practice.

Objectives We sought to assess the utility and limitations of both flow cytometry (FC) and cytology for the analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in a practical clinical setting. Methods A total of 393 consecutive CSF samples from 171 patients submitted for both cytomorphologic and FC assessments were analyzed. Results Both FC and cytology findings were negative for malignancy in 315/393 samples (80%), and either positive (POS) or suspicious/atypical (SUSP/AT) in 7% of samples. This resulted in high agreement between FC and cytology (87%). Minor discrepancies were present in 4% of the cases. In 28 samples, an abnormal population was detected by FC but not by cytology. Conclusions FC and cytology are important complementary methods for analyzing CSF samples. In cases where cytology is SUSP/AT and FC is inconclusive or negative, additional specimens should be submitted for immunostaining, cytogenetics, and/or molecular studies.
RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF CARDIAC MEDICATIONS IN THE PREVENTION OF CARDIOTOXICITY IN TRASTUZUMAB-TREATED HER2 POSITIVE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS

Current literature on the cardioprotective effects of agents targeted against the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in trastuzumab (TRA)-treated human epidermal receptor (HER2) positive breast cancer patients is conflicting. We hypothesized that concurrent use of anti-RAAS agents would
Reasoning about Events with Time-interval Information.

It is a challenging task to reason about a dynamically evolving system with events triggering state transitions and uncertainty about the ordering of events. In previous research, uncertainty of the event ordering is mainly modelled by partial orders over the events. In this paper, we investigate uncertainty of the event ordering modelled by time intervals in which the events may occur. Each event will occur at exactly one point of time, but it could be any point within the time interval associated with the event. We present both positive and negative results that provide insight into the complexity of temporal reasoning about events with time-interval infor-
Allele-specific silencing of Alzheimer's disease genes: The amyloid precursor protein genes with Swedish or London mutations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in humans. A pathological hallmark in the brain of an AD patient is extracellular amyloid plaques formed by accumulated beta-amyloid protein (Abeta), a metabolic product of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Studies have revealed a strong genetic linkage in the early-onset familial form (<60 years old) of AD. For example, some mutant APPs are transmitted dominantly and are segregated with inheritance of early onset AD. These mutants facilitate Abeta production. The "Swedish" mutations (APP(SW)) and the "London" mutation (APP(LON)) are examples of these mutants. Selective silencing of these mutant alleles holds therapeutic promise for AD. Here we show that the expression of the mutant APPs was selectively inhibited by RNA interference. The best selectivity was obtained when the mismatches were centrally placed in the antisense strand of small interfering RNAs. Introducing an additional mismatch in the antisense strand may improve the selectivity. The addition of a G at 5' end of the antisense strand may enhance the efficacy of gene silencing by RNA interference. Our results illustrate the guiding principles for selection of targeted sequences to achieve allele-specific silencing. The sequences that are effective to silence APP(SW) and APP(LON) as identified in this study may be useful in both in vivo and in vitro studies to investigate the pathophysiological role of APP(SW) and APP(LON) in AD development.
Marked Deterioration in Glycemic Control With Change in Brand of Lactulose Syrup

Lactulose is a poorly absorbed synthetic disaccharide frequently used in the treatment of portasystemic encephalopathy. Because lactulose syrup contains small amounts of absorbable sugars, it may cause hyperglycemia in diabetic individuals, but is usually well tolerated. We report the case of a patient with diet-controlled diabetes and cirrhosis who experienced a marked deterioration in glycemic control, requiring insulin use, when he began using a different brand of lactulose syrup. The hyperglycemia resolved and insulin was discontinued after use of the original brand of lactulose syrup was resumed.