cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Little fox on the prairie: genetic structure and diversity throughout the distribution of a grassland carnivore in the United States

The Great Plains region is fragmented by natural and anthropogenic sources, yet the interaction between habitat fragmentation and genetic structure in this region has received limited study. Swift fox (Vulpes velox) are closely associated with short and mixed grass ecosystems, providing an opportunity to study patterns of gene flow, diversity and genetic structure in this area. We collected 589 samples throughout the species’ distribution in the United States and analyzed these samples using 15 microsatellite loci and a 250 base pair sequence of the mitochondrial DNA control region. We detected three levels of spatial genetic structure using microsatellite markers and identified six mitochondrial haplotypes, five of which showed spatial clustering. Differentiation between groups was significant while genetic diversity within groups was generally high. Anthropogenic influences, particularly agriculture, appear to reducing gene flow, especially in the central portion of the species’ range. Conservation measures should be taken to remediate these impacts and to maintain future gene flow in light of expected agricultural expansion in the Great Plains. Potential evolutionary significant units are identified, although further investigation using ecological indicators and adaptive loci is recommended to characterize the adaptive distinctiveness of swift fox populations.
Cutting edge : Human β defensin 3-A novel antagonist of the HIV-1 coreceptor CXCR4

Previously, we showed that human epithelial cell-derived β-defensins (hBD)-2 and -3 block HIV-1 replication via a direct interaction with virions and through modulation of the CXCR4 coreceptor on immunocompetent cells. In the present study, we show that hBD-3 promotes directly the internalization of CXCR4 yet does not induce calcium flux, ERK (ERK-1/2) phosphorylation, or chemotaxis. hBD-3 competes with stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), the natural ligand for CXCR4, for cellular binding and blocks SDF-1-induced calcium flux, ERK-1/2 phosphorylation, and chemotaxis, without effects on other G protein-coupled receptors. The novel activity of this endogenous CXCR4 antagonist may provide a new strategy for HIV therapies or immunomodulation. Moreover, since the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis plays an important role in hemopoiesis, neurogenesis, cardiogenesis, and angiogenesis, endogenous agents such as hBD-3 or its derivatives offer a new paradigm in immunoregulatory therapeutics and provide the opportunity to enhance future drug design.
What is the Appropriate Model for Crosstalk Control

Crosstalk is inherently an analog phenomenon, and can be modeled on many levels. These models range from simple to complex, with the more complex models giving more accurate predictions, but requiring more data. In the interest of easier tool development, simpler characterization, or reduced file size, however a simpler model may be used. Such a model must be conservative, since it is acceptable to fix a problem that may or may nor exist, but not acceptable to fabricate a chip that does nor work. This paper examines the tradeoffs between different crosstalk models, with experimental data on the effectiveness and computer demands of different types of analysis and fixing. A lumped crosstalk model with timing windows and slopes, and with characterized cell thresholds, reaches the point of diminishing returns in the examples shown. All errors reported by such a model can be repaired without increasing the chip size or hurting the performance, so a more detailed analysis is unnecessary.
Urban air pollution progress despite sprawl: The "greening" of the vehicle fleet ✩

Abstract Growing cities, featuring more people with higher incomes who live and work in the suburbs and commute by private vehicle, should be a recipe for increased air pollution. Instead, California's major polluted urban areas have experienced sharp improvements in air quality. Technological advance has helped to “green” the average vehicle. Such quality effects have offset the rising quantity of miles driven. This paper uses several vehicle data sets to investigate how California's major cities have enjoyed air pollution gains over the last 20 years.
Ethnic Identity in Greek Antiquity

1. Phrasing the problem 2. The nature and expression of ethnicity: an anthropological view 3. The discursive dimension of ethnic identity 4. Ethnography and genealogy: an Argolic case-study 5. Ethnicity and archaeology 6. Ethnicity and linguistics 7. Conclusion.
Old age and religion in the writings and life of Jonathan Edwards

In his Faithful Narrative of a Surprising Work of God, an account of the awakening of 1734–35 in his church at Northampton, Massachusetts, Jonathan Edwards excitedly reported a considerable number of old persons among the several hundred converts. “I suppose,” he wrote, “there were … more than twenty of them above fifty, and about ten of them above sixty, and two of them above seventy years of age.” Edwards's evident self-satisfaction stemmed from the widespread belief that conversion among the elderly was unusual. “It has been a thing heretofore rarely to be heard of,” he noted, “that any were converted past middle age; but now we have the same ground to think that many such have in this time been savingly changed, as that others have been so in more early years.”
Effect of mass injection into a cavity on hypersonic boundary-layer transition.

Effect of mass injection into cavity on hypersonic boundary layer transition and on heating downstream
Environmental and structural implications of Rhode Island seismic events, 1965–1976

Rhode Island, like most of New England, is in a mainly quiet seismic region, and thus, few epicenter locations are available to determine seismically active fault traces. This lack of information has hindered environmental impact siting studies for nuclear power plants because such studies must locate any “capable” (active) faults. Reinvestigation and evaluation of four Rhode Island earthquakes that occurred during the past 12 yr (1965, 1967, 1974, and 1976) indicate that the earthquakes were related to regional lineaments, which are probably caused by faults. In this area of low seismic activity, only isoseismal mapping–rather than simple epicenter locations–can indicate these lineaments. Two of these seismically located lineaments, paralleling each other and trending east, are at the head and mouth of Narragansett Bay, and a third lineament trends northeast through Narragansett Bay itself and along the Taunton River into Massachusetts. Recent re-exploration of coal resources in the Pennsylvanian Narragansett basin in this area has suggested potential new faults. No field relationship between this seismicity and the few known, mapped faults exists, but extensive Pleistocene glacial deposits in the area obscure many geologic structures. In addition, the faults indicated by these regional lineaments may be deeply buried basement features that have been reactivated at various times, at different degrees of activity, up to the present.
Vocational and Social Work Behavior

A decade ago, a major milestone marking the reform of the human service delivery system for mentally retarded and other developmentally disabled persons was introduced—normalization (Nirje, 1969; Wolfensberger, 1972). The normalization principles has as its most rudimentary tenet the delivery of services in environs and under circumstances (contingencies) that are as culturally normal as possible. Today, interpretation of normalization includes enlarging the scope of programming for mentally retarded individuals to encompass the broad array of services, activities, and events that most nonhandicapped individuals have access to and benefit from.
Histone H3 phosphorylation is required for the initiation, but not maintenance, of mammalian chromosome condensation

The temporal and spatial patterns of histone H3 phosphorylation implicate a specific role for this modification in mammalian chromosome condensation. Cells arrest in late G2 when H3 phosphorylation is competitively inhibited by microinjecting excess substrate at mid-S-phase, suggesting a requirement for activity of the kinase that phosphorylates H3 during the initiation of chromosome condensation and entry into mitosis. Basal levels of phosphorylated H3 increase primarily in late-replicating/early-condensing heterochromatin both during G2 and when premature chromosome condensation is induced. The prematurely condensed state induced by okadaic acid treatment during S-phase culminates with H3 phosphorylation throughout the chromatin, but in an absence of mitotic chromosome morphology, indicating that the phosphorylation of H3 is not sufficient for complete condensation. Mild hypotonic treatment of cells arrested in mitosis results in the dephosphorylation of H3 without a cytological loss of chromosome compaction. Hypotonic-treated cells, however, complete mitosis only when H3 is phosphorylated. These observations suggest that H3 phosphorylation is required for cell cycle progression and specifically for the changes in chromatin structure incurred during chromosome condensation.
Simplifying domain modeling and memory management in user-mode filesystems with the NOFS framework

Transparent access to remote data sets and data arising from web services is a non-trivial challenge to application developers. This early stage work addresses this challenge with NOFS, an object-oriented framework for creating filesystems to support domain specific functionality. While an early stage work, we present a solution to solve the access problem. Our solution greatly simplifies the task of filesystems development by providing the glue code needed between a domain model and the filesystem contract. We demonstrate support for domain models that are larger than physical memory and demonstrate how the concerns of caching can be removed from user-mode filesystem implementations. Future work will addresses more robust solutions to caching and other performance strategies.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: GROUP SIZE AND POLITICAL MOBILIZATION

Abstract An important result in interest group theory and political economy is that small groups are more influential than their size would lead us to expect. In this study, we document that the opposite holds for political mobilization. Citizens are more likely to participate in elections if they belong to large groups. We present evidence that both the absolute size of groups and their population share influence individual participation decisions. The link between group size and political mobilization is in part due to the structure of media markets. Candidates find it easier to direct campaign messages at larger groups because many existing media outlets cater to them.
Challenges and Opportunities for Bibliometrics in the Electronic Environment

SUMMARY The digitization of back issues of print journals creates opportunities for bibliometric analysis using the electronic text files. Using readily available software, simple methods, and a little creativity, librarians can extract and manipulate information from database search results and from digitized journals for analysis of publication and citation behavior. The current study describes methods and results from a bibliometric and citation analysis of the electronic version of the Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science. This study illustrates the opportunities as well as the challenges for bibliometrics and citation analysis in the electronic environment. As more journals migrate to the digital environment, issues of access, copyright and fair use, online file formats, and idiosyncrasies in the digital files may limit the opportunities for bibliometric analysis.
Calcifying disorders of the skin

Abstract Calcium is vital to many biologic processes. In skin, it has a profound effect on keratinocyte proliferation, differentiation, and cell-cell adhesion. Serum calcium is tightly regulated by parathyroid hormone and 1,25(OH)2D3. Despite this careful regulation, calcification and ossification of cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues may occur. Cutaneous calcification may be divided into four major categories: dystrophic, metastatic, idiopathic, and iatrogenic. Dystrophic calcification occurs as a results of local tissue injury or abnormalities. Metastatic calcification results from abnormal calcium and/or phosphate metabolism. Virtually any process that calcifies may secondarily ossify. Primary ossification may rarely occur.
Work, Welfare and the Breadwinning Mother

Abstract The structural vulnerability approach to poverty combines human capital and structural theories, arguing that poverty results from vulnerability to economic crises, which are often caused by macro-economic changes. Individuals low in human capital are especially vulnerable to economic shifts. I build on this approach by arguing that incorporating the social aspects of poverty into this theory helps social scientists more fully understand the nature of poverty in the United States. I present an analysis of three focus groups with welfare recipients in New Castle County, Delaware. My findings suggest that welfare recipients desire self-sufficiency but need human capital development and “decent” employment opportunities to attain independence. In their attempts to attain the skills necessary for employment, they face numerous obstacles including those associated with the dual roles they play as the primary caregiver and breadwinner. I contend that the tension associated with this dual role causes wo...
A translational neuroscience perspective on mindfulness meditation as a prevention strategy

Mindfulness meditation research mainly focuses on psychological outcomes such as behavioral, cognitive, and emotional functioning. However, the neuroscience literature on mindfulness meditation has grown in recent years. This paper provides an overview of relevant neuroscience and psychological research on the effects of mindfulness meditation. We propose a translational prevention framework of mindfulness and its effects. Drawing upon the principles of prevention science, this framework integrates neuroscience and prevention research and postulates underlying brain regulatory mechanisms that explain the impact of mindfulness on psychological outcomes via self-regulation mechanisms linked to underlying brain systems. We conclude by discussing potential clinical and practice implications of this model and directions for future research.
The role of glutathione S-transferase Pi (GSTPi) in asthma

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES 4 LIST OF SYMBOLS 6 CHAPTER 1 8 Introduction Overview 9 Asthma 10 Importance of Interleukin-13 (IL-13) in Allergic Inflammation 11 Contribution of Environmental Factors (DEP, ETS, and Mold) to Asthma 15 Gene-Environment Interactions 17 Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) In the Lung 17 Glutathione S-transferase Pi (GSTPi) 19 Nuclear Factor-erythroid 2 Related Factor 2 (Nrf2) 21 Experimental Rationale 23
Use of a screen for synthetic lethal and multicopy suppressee mutants to identify two new genes involved in morphogenesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract Genes CDC24 and CDC42 are required for the establishment of cell polarity and for bud formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Temperature-sensitive (Ts-) mutations in either of these genes cause arrest as large, unbudded cells in which the nuclear cycle continues. MSB1 was identified previously as a multicopy suppressor of Ts- cdc24 and cdc42 mutations. We have now sequenced MSB1 and constructed a deletion of this gene. The predicted amino acid sequence does not closely resemble any other in the available data bases, and the deletion does not produce any readily detectable phenotype. However, we have used a colony-sectoring assay to identify additional genes that appear to interact with MSB1 and play a role in bud emergence. Starting with a strain deleted for the chromosomal copy of MSB1 but containing MSB1 on a high-copy-number plasmid, mutants were identified in which MSB1 had become essential for viability. The new mutations defined two genes, BEM1 and BEM2; both the bem1 and bem2 mutations are temperature sensitive and are only partially suppressed by MSB1. In bem1 cells, a single copy of MSB1 is necessary and sufficient for viability at 23 or 30 degrees C, but even multiple copies of MSB1 do not fully suppress the growth defect at 37 degrees C. In bem2 cells, a single copy of MSB1 is necessary and sufficient for viability at 23 degrees C, multiple copies are necessary for viability at 30 degrees C, and even multiple copies of MSB1 do not suppress the growth defect at 37 degrees C. In a wild-type background (i.e., a single chromosomal copy of MSB1), both bem1 and bem2 mutations cause cells to become large and multinucleate even during growth at 23 degrees C, suggesting that these genes are involved in bud emergence. This suggestion is supported for BEM1 by other evidence obtained in a parallel study (J. Chant, K. Corrado, J. Pringle, and I. Herskowitz, submitted for publication). BEM1 maps centromere distal to TYR1 on chromosome II, and BEM2 maps between SPT15 and STP2 on chromosome V.
Private Fund Disclosures Under the Dodd-Frank Act

Title IV of the Dodd-Frank Act requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to collect sensitive proprietary information from private fund advisers. Prior studies suggest that the SEC’s mandated collection of private fund data in Form PF created several core challenges for the private fund industry and for the SEC. This article presents the results of a survey of SEC-registered investment advisers to private funds after the SEC’s first mandatory collection of private fund data. The key findings of this study indicate that the majority of private fund advisers responding to the survey incurred less than $10,000.00 to prepare their initial data reporting to the SEC, with the cost of subsequent annual Form PF filings at about half the initial cost. Larger private fund advisers, required to file quarterly, are faced with substantially higher compliance cost, both for their initial data reporting and for subsequent quarterly filings. The data analysis in this study affirms SEC cost estimates for smaller private fund advisers’ Form PF compliance costs. The SEC appears to have overestimated the costs of Form PF compliance for larger private fund advisers. While the data analysis in this study suggests that the overall effect of private fund disclosure requirements on the private fund industry is moderate, the data analysis also indicates that the data reporting requirements for private funds and the corresponding SEC forms can be further improved. The majority of SEC-registered private fund advisers identified the ambiguity of Form PF data reporting requirements as the most pressing issue. However, the majority of respondents also considered their existing reporting systems adequate for capturing the information required by the SEC and agreed with the SEC’s definitions and instructions for Form PF. Respondents predominantly assessed the best level of guidance available from the SEC staff to assist in private fund advisers’ data reporting efforts as sufficient or good.
Abrupt Plasmonic Activation of Photoionization Rates in Quantum Dot Solids

We study emission of thin film quantum dot solids as a function of intensity of an illuminating laser field when they are deposited on substrates containing gold nanoparticles. Our results show that at a given intensity of this laser the plasmonically enhanced emission of such solids starts to decline abruptly, making them inefficient emitters. We show that such a process is caused by sudden activation of photoionization processes in such structures. For this, we demonstrate how the combined effects of the heat generated by the metallic nanoparticles and plasmons lead to the collapse of the electrostatic barrier (Coulomb blockage) responsible for suppression of such processes in quantum dot solids. The results highlight the strong dependency of plasmonic emission enhancement of such solids on the exciting light source intensity and demonstrate the limits where the impacts of plasmonic field enhancement can be harvested.
Apolipoproteins C-I and C-III as important modulators of lipoprotein metabolism.

Apolipoprotein (apo)C-I and apoC-III are constituents of HDL and of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins that slow the clearance of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins by a variety of mechanisms. ApoC-I is an inhibitor of lipoprotein binding to the LDL receptor, LDL receptor-related protein, and VLDL receptor.
Wavelets as a tool for systems analysis and control

This survey presents the broad range of research on using wavelets in the analysis and design of dynamic systems. Though wavelets have been used with all types of systems, the major focus of this survey is mechanical and electromechanical systems in addition to their controls. However, the techniques presented can be applied to any category of dynamic systems such as economic, biological, and social systems. Wavelets can be classified into three different types: orthogonal, biorthogonal, and pseudo, all of which are employed in dynamic systems engineering. Wavelets-based methods for dynamic systems applications can be divided into vibrations analysis and systems and control analysis. Wavelets applications in vibrations extend to oscillatory response solutions and vibrations-based systems identification. Also, their applications in systems and control extend to time–frequency representation and modeling, nonlinear systems linearization and model reduction, and control design and control law computation. Th...
Bicarbonate reabsorption and secretion in the cortical and outer medullary collecting tubule.

I N RECENT years the mechanisms by which the cortical and outer medullary collecting duct transport bicarbonate (HCO,) have become well understood. The techniques that have been brought to bear on the problem include, but are not limited to, in vivo micropuncture, in vitro perfusion of rabbit and rat collecting tubules, selective “dissection” of HCO,-transporting cell types using immunoabsorption methods, fluorescence determination of intracellular pH, ultrastructural morphometrics and immunocytochemistry on kidney tissue sections, purification of transport proteins from renal membranes, and cDNA cloning of transport proteins. In addition, the turtle urinary bladder continues to serve as a useful experimental model of the collecting duct. This review will attempt to organize this rapidly growing body knowledge into an overview of the physiology collecting duct HC03 transport. of of
Methods of isolation of human pulmonary surfactant

Objectives To study the methods of isolating human pulmonary surfactant (HPS) in large volume whole lung lavage fluid(WLLF) from patients with silicosis. Methods Nine experiments were designed with the orthogonal experiment design to find the best extraction method with the highest HPS net extraction. HPS was purified with the sepharose chromatography. The component of HPS was measured by analytical chemistry(peacock green direct vision). The components of the lecithin was analyzed with high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). Results The best extraction method was combined with : 1)first centrifugal rotation at 3 000 × g /15 minutes,concentrated with the dialytic molecular aperture at 3 kDalton; 2)second centrifugal rotation at 10 000 × g /15 minutes,and the extraction distillation with n-butanol. 12 646.76 mg of HPS was obtained after the second purification with sepharose chromatography from 8 men,in which the lecithin was 95.74%,and phosphatidyl choline was 80.43%. Conclusions Since the HPS was high in phosphatidyl choline and with complete components of lecithin,this new technique may be suitable to mass-produce HPS from WLLF.
Is it time to split strategies to treat homologous recombinant deficiency in pancreas cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal malignancy which tends to present with late stage disease. To date, identification of oncogenic drivers and aberrations has not led to effective targeted therapy. Approximately 5-15% of pancreatic cancer has an inheritable component. In fact, pancreatic adenocarcinoma is now recognized as a BRCA1/2-related cancer. Germline BRCA1/2 mutations can be found in up to 3.6-7% of unselected pancreatic cancer patients although the rates are significantly higher amongst patients with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. Germline mutations of other components of DNA repair and homologous recombination have also been identified although at much lower frequency. Large sequencing efforts have further identified somatic mutations in these genes in a small subset of pancreatic cancers. Small series and case reports have suggested that pancreatic cancers harboring BRCA1/2 or other homologous repair gene mutations demonstrate enhanced response to platinum-based chemotherapy although this has not been prospectively validated. Clinical trials with poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy in different clinical settings are currently on-going. A subtype of pancreatic adenocarcinoma as characterized by deficiency in homologous recombination exists although the optimal management strategy remains to be fully elucidated.
Photophysics and Charge Separation Dynamics in Two-Dimensional Semiconductor Nanoparticle Junctions and Heterojunctions

The work on this grant can be divided into two categories: spectroscopy and dynamics of GaSe nanoparticles, and synthesis and exciton dynamics of II-VI nanoparticles and nanostructures.
Beige Adipocyte Maintenance Is Regulated by Autophagy-Induced Mitochondrial Clearance

Beige adipocytes gained much attention as an alternative cellular target in anti-obesity therapy. While recent studies have identified a number of regulatory circuits that promote beige adipocyte differentiation, the molecular basis of beige adipocyte maintenance remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that beige adipocytes progressively lose their morphological and molecular characteristics after withdrawing external stimuli and directly acquire white-like characteristics bypassing an intermediate precursor stage. The beige-to-white adipocyte transition is tightly coupled to a decrease in mitochondria, increase in autophagy, and activation of MiT/TFE transcription factor-mediated lysosome biogenesis. The autophagy pathway is crucial for mitochondrial clearance during the transition; inhibiting autophagy by uncoupled protein 1 (UCP1(+))-adipocyte-specific deletion of Atg5 or Atg12 prevents beige adipocyte loss after withdrawing external stimuli, maintaining high thermogenic capacity and protecting against diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. The present study uncovers a fundamental mechanism by which autophagy-mediated mitochondrial clearance controls beige adipocyte maintenance, thereby providing new opportunities to counteract obesity.
Clinical Translation of Tumor Acidosis Measurements with AcidoCEST MRI

We optimized acido-chemical exchange saturation transfer (acidoCEST) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a method that measures extracellular pH (pHe), and translated this method to the radiology clinic to evaluate tumor acidosis. A CEST-FISP MRI protocol was used to image a flank SKOV3 tumor model. Bloch fitting modified to include the direct estimation of pH was developed to generate parametric maps of tumor pHe in the SKOV3 tumor model, a patient with high-grade invasive ductal carcinoma, and a patient with metastatic ovarian cancer. The acidoCEST MRI results of the patient with metastatic ovarian cancer were compared with DCE MRI and histopathology. The pHe maps of a flank model showed pHe measurements between 6.4 and 7.4, which matched with the expected tumor pHe range from past acidoCEST MRI studies in flank tumors. In the patient with metastatic ovarian cancer, the average pHe value of three adjacent tumors was 6.58, and the most reliable pHe measurements were obtained from the right posterior tumor, which favorably compared with DCE MRI and histopathological results. The average pHe of the kidney showed an average pHe of 6.73 units. The patient with high-grade invasive ductal carcinoma failed to accumulate sufficient agent to generate pHe measurements. Optimized acidoCEST MRI generated pHe measurements in a flank tumor model and could be translated to the clinic to assess a patient with metastatic ovarian cancer.
The Sublime Perversion of Capital: Marxist Theory and the Politics of History in Modern Japan: Walker, Gavin, Durham, NC: Duke University Press245 pp., $24.95, ISBN 9780822361602 Publication Date: March 2016

In The Sublime Perversion of Capital, Walker leads readers on a theoretical odyssey illustrating the convolutions of contemporary Marxist theory surrounding capital's historicity, and interweaving ...
Regime Support Beyond the Balance Sheet: Participation and Policy Performance in Latin America

This book challenges the conventional wisdom that policy performance is the most important determinant of regime support. It does so by focusing on two countries where performance and support do not match. Chile is the economic envy of every country in Latin America, yet support has been surprisingly anemic. By contrast, Venezuela managed to maintain extremely high levels of support during the reign of Hugo Chavez despite severe failures of governance. Resolution of these paradoxes requires turning away from policy decisions and focusing instead on how those decisions are made. Taking inspiration from democratic theory and social psychology, this book argues that extensive opportunities for direct participation in the political process engenders in citizens strong feelings of efficacy - a sense of control over the course of politics. Rhodes-Purdy uses a mixed-methods approach to test this theory, including qualitative case studies, analysis of survey data, and experimental methods.
Determinants of citizen support for community-oriented policing

The extent to which community members are willing to cooperate with the police and become involved with various community crime prevention programs depends on citizen perceptions of the police and ...
mRNA vaccines — a new era in vaccinology

mRNA vaccines represent a promising alternative to conventional vaccine approaches because of their high potency, capacity for rapid development and potential for low-cost manufacture and safe administration. However, their application has until recently been restricted by the instability and inefficient in vivo delivery of mRNA. Recent technological advances have now largely overcome these issues, and multiple mRNA vaccine platforms against infectious diseases and several types of cancer have demonstrated encouraging results in both animal models and humans. This Review provides a detailed overview of mRNA vaccines and considers future directions and challenges in advancing this promising vaccine platform to widespread therapeutic use.
Surrogate modeling of joint flood risk across coastal watersheds

Abstract This study discusses the development and performance of a rapid prediction system capable of representing the joint rainfall-runoff and storm surge flood response of tropical cyclones (TCs) for probabilistic risk analysis. Due to the computational demand required for accurately representing storm surge with the high-fidelity ADvanced CIRCulation (ADCIRC) hydrodynamic model and its coupling with additional numerical models to represent rainfall-runoff, a surrogate or statistical model was trained to represent the relationship between hurricane wind- and pressure-field characteristics and their peak joint flood response typically determined from physics based numerical models. This builds upon past studies that have only evaluated surrogate models for predicting peak surge, and provides the first system capable of probabilistically representing joint flood levels from TCs. The utility of this joint flood prediction system is then demonstrated by improving upon probabilistic TC flood risk products, which currently account for storm surge but do not take into account TC associated rainfall-runoff. Results demonstrate the source apportionment of rainfall-runoff versus storm surge and highlight that slight increases in flood risk levels may occur due to the interaction between rainfall-runoff and storm surge as compared to the Federal Emergency Management Association’s (FEMAs) current practices.
Intraprocedural Ablation Margin Assessment by Using Ammonia Perfusion PET during FDG PET/CT–guided Liver Tumor Ablation: A Pilot Study

Intraprocedural depiction of both the ablated liver tumor and entire ablation margin is feasible by using nitrogen 13 ammonia perfusion PET during FDG PET/CT-guided microwave ablation.
Place of behavior analysis in the changing culture of replication and statistical reporting in psychological science

The “new” psychological science seeks to promote a culture of replication in response to rampant publication bias and some controversial failures to replicate. Two of the solutions adopted are the ...
Müllerian Inhibiting Substance: Gene Structure and Mechanism of Action of a Fetal Regressor

Publisher Summary A lifelong interest in fetal inducers and inhibitors was awakened by the work of Grobstein (1967) and renewed by the elegant experiments of Alfred Jost (1946a,b, 1947) describing the function of a fetal inhibitor, Mullerian Inhibiting Substance (MIS), which caused the regression of the Mullerian duct, the anlagen of the uterus, fallopian tube, and vagina in mammalian males. The influence of this substance explained, at least partially, the clinical complex of the testicular feminization syndrome. Since Picon (1969) had developed an organ culture assay to identify this substance, MIS could be studied in vitro and potentially analyzed to shed some light on a potentially new class of compounds, fetal inhibitors. This chapter discusses the role of MIS in reproductive biology and meiosis inhibition as a function of MIS. The chapter also discusses the mechanisms of action of MIS including its role as an inhibitor of tyrosine kinase. It reviews the techniques used to isolate both the bovine and human gene and the strategies to achieve expression of biologically active human recombinant MIS.
U.S. Army vector control (preventive medicine) operations during Operation Restore Hope, Somalia.

During the early stages of Operation Restore Hope, three U.S. Army preventive-medicine detachments were deployed to Somalia to counter the disease and non-battle injury threat to deployed forces. The activities of these units are discussed, with an emphasis on the entomology detachment. The preventive medicine (PVNTMED) threat facing deployed forces was considerable, and probably greater than that encountered in any recent operation. This threat is discussed, as are the methods used by the PVNTMED detachments to counter the threat. Vector control and pest management operations of the entomology detachment are highlighted, and how they related to the health and comfort of deployed personnel. These operations ranged from routine mosquito surveillance to large-area vector-control missions using a helicopter-slung pesticide dispersal unit. A variety of "lessons learned" are also discussed, focusing on individual and company-level PVNTMED measures.
Motivation and Preference for Acoustic or Tablet-Based Musical Instruments: Comparing Guitars and Gayageums:

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of motivation on upper-grade elementary students’ preferences for acoustic or tablet-based instruments. The effect of cultural familiarity on mus...
Notes on the Database Fields

Generic names have been developed by the pesticide science societies to refer to active ingredient compounds without naming specific products or trade names. Generally we used the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) common name if more than one existed.
China’s Scholarship Program as a Form of Foreign Assistance

An important component of China’s official development assistance (ODA) program is the Chinese Government Scholarship Program (CGSP), which offers international students the opportunity to receive free education at Chinese colleges and universities. The purposes of this program are to familiarize scholarship recipients with Chinese culture and to build goodwill toward China while assisting the recipients to obtain a higher education, conduct research, and/or receive training in the Chinese language. The success of China’s ODA depends in part, then, on the extent to which these international students are positive about their post-secondary experience in China and the extent to which that experience gives them a positive regard for China as a nation. Despite over 50 years of history and the large number of recipients of Chinese Government Scholarships (CGSs), few systematic studies have examined if the scholarships benefit the recipients. To address this deficit, we investigated CGSP recipients’ perceptions of their higher education experience in China and their attitudes toward China as a country. However, before describing the study and discussing its findings, we background the events that led to the present-day CGSP.
Immunochemical studies on the tobacco mosaic virus protein.

The decapeptide having the amino acid sequence Thr-Thr-Ala-Glu-Thr-Leu-Asp-Ala-Thr-Arg has been shown to be a major antigenic determinant of the tobacco mosaic virus protein in rabbits, mice and guinea pigs. The antigenic specificity of the decapeptide is attributed to its C-terminal tripeptide Ala-Thr-Arg. Although this tri-peptide has no demonstrable binding with antibodies to the protein, its N-octanoylated derivative exhibits specific binding with antibodies as well as the capacity to elicit delayed skin reactions in guinea pigs immunized with the protein. The latter results suggest that both B cells and T cells have antigen receptors of identical specificities.
Performance Analysis of Standalone and In-Fpga LEON3 Processors for Use in Deep Space Missions

When considering a new processor for a mission, one of the first questions that comes up is: “How does this processor compare with what we have used in the past?” Manufacturers use benchmarks to compare normalized performance from one product to another, but often these data are incomplete and are missing key parameters such as compiler version, compile options used, memory type, and many others. In this work, we present carefully documented benchmarking results for single-core and multi-core Gaisler LEON3 processors. We evaluate both standalone (UT699, UT700, GR712RC-multi-core)and in-FPGA soft-core (single-core LEON3, quad-core LEON3)processors. In the case of multi-core processors, we use the OpenMP API with RTEMS-5.0 real-time operating system to demonstrate performance gains with automatic parallelization of computationally intensive code segments. With increasing demand for high-performance FPGAs on space missions, the option to drop in a soft-core processor into the system design should be on the table, provided there are available FPGA resources. We show that the soft-core LEON3 implementation has comparable frequency-normalized performance and is a good alternative or supplement to a dedicated standalone hard-core processor. By adding one or more soft-core processors into the FPGA design, the data systems architect may eliminate additional hardware, save on overall power, and improve net system performance by optimizing HW-to-SW data transfers. On-board processing, communications, and data management tasks can benefit from a tightly coupled processor inside an FPGA. We present various architectural design considerations that impact the performance and resource utilization of LEON3 processors inside a Microsemi RTG4 FPGA.
How Does the BTEC Level 3 Children's Play, Learning and Development Course Prepare Students for Higher Education?.

The ever-changing world of qualifications for the Early Years workforce depends on a wide range of factors. A dichotomy between the need for industry practice and academic skills is present within the current sector as changes to qualifications continue to develop. This paper explores one route of qualification into Early Years, the BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) National Extended Diploma Level 3 in Childrenâ€™s Play, Learning and Development (CPLD) with Early Years Educator status (BTEC, 2015). An investigation into how this BTEC course meets its aims in promoting studentsâ€™ academic skills ready for Higher Education (HE) highlighted a key difference in expectations of Level three students from Further Education (FE) and HE participants. Data collected through semi structured interviews from FE teaching staff and documentary analysis of the CPLD specification pose significant differences in their expectations of student â€˜academicâ€™ skills as opposed to the expectations of HE teaching staff. Further exploration continued to suggest that the BTEC CPLD specification focuses on more specific academic skills such as referencing than the conflicting finding of HE participants who presented different expectations and skills from Level three students progressing into HE. Highlighting such a difference is imperative within the sector as it implies there is a need to address this gap of expectations for level three students transitioning into HE to both provide a smoother transition for studentsâ€™ development and to bridge the gap of qualification expectations of practitioners. This paper summarises with key recommendations for both FE teachers and HE academics as well as addressing the course specification design of the BTEC CPLD qualification.
Publisher Correction to: Foreword for the Journal of the International Consortium on Landslides

The published version of this article contains error. The correction not to capture the email address of the Foreword’s author “Mami Mizutori” in the proof was fulfilled but unintentionally failed to capture the author name in the process. Given in this article is the author name.
Low Testosterone in Male Cancer Patients and Survivors.

Abstract Introduction Hypogonadism (HG) is prevalent among patients with ongoing advanced cancer and cancer survivors. The etiology of HG in these patients is multifactorial and can be examined from cancer-related and cancer-treatment perspectives. There is evidence that HG contributes to increased morbidity in male cancer patients. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for cancer survivors and advanced cancer patients is not well studied outside of prostate cancer. Here, we evaluate and summarize the current literature on HG in male cancer patients, including the role of TRT in nonprostate cancer patients. Objective To summarize and present the literature for the background, etiology, clinical consequences, and treatment for HG in male cancer patients and survivors. Methods A literature review was performed in MEDLINE between 1980 and 2020 using the terms hypogonadism, advanced cancer, testosterone replacement therapy, quality of life, and cancer survivors. Studies including only prostate cancer patients were excluded. Results The main outcome measure was to complete a review of peer-reviewed literature. HG is not only prevalent among male cancer patients and survivors but also clinically reduces quality of life and increases morbidity. The etiology of HG in male cancer patients and survivors is multifactorial. There are few studies examining the benefit of TRT in these patient populations. The results of randomized controlled trials show potential benefit for TRT in hypogonadal male cancer survivors and those with advanced cancer. Conclusion HG affects many male cancer patients and survivors because of a multifactorial etiology. HG in these patients contributes to increased morbidity and reduced quality of life. Treatment of HG in male cancer patients is not well studied, and further studies are needed to elucidate the role of TRT. Xu P, Choi E, White K, et al. Low Testosterone in Male Cancer Patients and Survivors. Sex Med 2021;9:133–142.
HOME AS POEM: THE ARTISTIC AND METHODOLOGICAL POSSIBILITIES OF A POETICS OF SPACE

What does it mean to be home? We began asking this provocative question well before COVID-19, well before the collective crisis the world experienced which sent both of us back into our current homes. Exploring such a question through poetry writing may provide insights about individuals’ lived experiences, and, therefore, we contend it is worthwhile for scholars, artists and educators to widen possibilities for poetic method and craft related to writing about home. In this paper, we, two poets, arts-based education scholars, and Pittsburgh natives, offer pathways into exploring notions of home through the writing of poetry grounded in the ideas of Gaston Bachelard’s (1958/1964) seminal text, The Poetics of Space. To do so, we each offer and discuss two original poems on the topic of home to illustrate a number of compelling avenues scholars and research participants; educators and students might explore as they write poems evoking their own unique conceptions of home.
Post-traumatic Arthritis of the Hand

Hand arthritis has a prevalence of 20–30% (Lawrence et al., Arthritis Rheum. 41:778–799, 1998)., It is the second most common site of pain in the body from osteoarthritis and can be debilitating to a person not only secondary to pain but also because of stiffness, limitations of daily activities, and aesthetic deformity (Lawrence et al., Arthritis Rheum. 41:778–799, 1998; Oliveria et al. Arthritis Rheum. 38(8):1134–1141, 1995). Unlike in the large joints such as the knee or hip, where prosthetic joint replacement has been successful for many years, the small joints of the hand have not enjoyed such long-term success to a similar degree with replacement surgery. This chapter will discuss posttraumatic osteoarthritis of the interphalangeal joints of the fingers and thumb as well as of the metacarpophalangeal and carpometacarpal joints.
Nonnegative matrix factorization integrates single-cell multi-omic datasets with partially overlapping features

Abstract Single-cell genomic technologies provide an unprecedented opportunity to define molecular cell types in a data-driven fashion, but present unique data integration challenges. Integration analyses often involve datasets with partially overlapping features, including both shared features that occur in all datasets and features exclusive to a single experiment. Previous computational integration approaches require that the input matrices share the same number of either genes or cells, and thus can use only shared features. To address this limitation, we derive a novel nonnegative matrix factorization algorithm for integrating single-cell datasets containing both shared and unshared features. The key advance is incorporating an additional metagene matrix that allows unshared features to inform the factorization. We demonstrate that incorporating unshared features significantly improves integration of single-cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomic, SHARE-seq, and cross-species datasets. We have incorporated the UINMF algorithm into the open-source LIGER R package (https://github.com/welch-lab/liger).