cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CHAPTER 4 – Properties of Biomacromolecules in the Crystalline State

Crystal conformation in terms of solution structure and function is the focus of this chapter. There has been much debate about whether crystal and solution conformations in terms of structure and function are the same. They are found to be the same, although there are subtle differences because of crystal packing forces. X-ray structures of the same protein crystallized under dramatically different ionic conditions are determined. The chapter discusses the evaluation of crystal packing effects, when multiple copies of the same protein or subunit are contained in a single asymmetric unit. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) studies are the key to resolving the debate. Protein crystals, physical properties, the chemistry of crystalline proteins, and chemical reactivity are used to determine the similarities in solution structure and function. Enzymatic and biological activity, NMR studies, crystallographic temperature factors, and structural heterogeneity in protein crystals are also used to compare crystal and solution conformations.
Fields Without Forces

In the more than seventy years that have passed since Louis de Broglie first proposed the wave-like behavior of particles, the idea of particle interference has become more-or-less familiar to most physicists. The term “wave-particle duality,” which once may have rung like a wild oxymoron, for a long while now has been an integral part of physicists’ working vocabulary. And yet, despite the fact that technological advances have so facilitated the experimental demonstration of the wave-like attributes of matter, these processes are no more visualizable or explicable today than when they first reached the consciousness of the physics community. The interference of massive particles remains an intriguing phenomenon which, in the oft-cited words of Richard Feynman [1], “has in it the heart of quantum mechanics.” “In reality,” he wrote, “it contains the only mystery.”
Elder Law Issues and Recent Developments: 2015-2016

These materials are part of the 2016 LSU Legislative Update CLE. The paper includes recent ethical developments; scam and abuse prevention and reporting; recent developments in mandate and interdiction; recent developments in Louisiana's medical consent law, recent developments in living wills and advance directives; recent developments with anatomical gifts and bodily remains. Finally, sample forms are included.
Per aspera ad astra: Aspects of Darkness and Light in Western Literary Consciousness

The ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, and Persians as well as the Christian tradition relate light and fire with the divine. God’s nature manifests itself in light long before the world was actually created. It is not the sun at this initial stage of creation that functions as the source of light, it is God and nothing else. The creative act begins with fiat lux, “let there be light!”, an imperative of will, determination, and purposeful energy. A plan of creation, a cosmogony, is in the process of being implemented. Daylight is there from the first moment of creation, clearly before the sun came into existence. Light and darkness are separate and independent entities. The divine plan is that they, darkness and light, alternately rule over the earth in a constant succession of day and night. When one of them is predominant, the other withdraws and awaits its predetermined turn.
Whole Genome Sequencing of Four CD34+-Derived iPSC Polycythemia Vera Clones From a Single Female

Abstract 1755 Polycythemia vera (PV) is an acquired clonal hematopoietic disorder characterized by the JAK2 V617F somatic mutation, which, however, constitutes only a variable part of the PV clone. Even within the JAK2 V617F subclone, heterozygous and homozygous JAK2 V617F progenitors coexist. Further, family clustering of PV suggests the existence of predisposing germline mutations. The nature of these pre- JAK2 V617F somatic and germline mutations has not yet been identified, and the search for these predisposing genetic lesions using marrow and blood cells is hampered by their genetic heterogeneity. In order to overcome this obstacle, we generated 5 inducible pluripotent stem cell lines (iPSC) from the same PV female with different JAK2 genomic configuration (4 from CD34+ blood cells, one from marrow mesenchymal cells having germ-line DNA configuration). Genomic DNA was isolated from the cell lines, followed by whole genome sequencing (WGS) at >20X depth, and whole exome sequencing (WES) at >130X depth. We have developed a comprehensive WGS/WES pipeline for sequence alignment and variant calling. The major components are: a) Pre-processing and quality control of raw reads outputted from sequencing instruments; b) Align the read against the Human Genome Project reference using BWA (Burrows-Wheeler Aligner); c) Local realignment at indels using GATK (Genome Analysis Toolkit); d) Identify germline/somatic single nucleotide variants (SNVs), copy number variants (CNV) and structural variants (SV) using GATK, Varscan2, Breakdancer, CNVnator, and Pindel. The variant calls are intersected and merged. Calls detected by two or more algorithms are regarded as high confidence. Two somatic mutations, rs1047840, and rs3795677 were identified by WGS and WES in the CD34+ cell derived iPSCs. rs1047840 (E589K) is a SNP in EXO1 gene that encodes a protein with 59 to 39 exonuclease activity as well as an RNase H activity. EXO1 is involved in DNA mismatch repair and homologous recombination. rs1047840 conferred increased risk of breast, lung, and gastric cancer. rs3795677 (R64H) is a SNP in FMN2 gene, which is required for microtubule-independent chromatin positioning during metaphase. Interestingly, these two mutations are all common SNVs, and they are located in a duplicated region on 1q43. Whole genome analysis is ongoing to characterize and validate the complex mixture of SVs in this region, identify potential translocations and determine the exact genomic breakpoints. The variants will be validated in non-iPSC cells from the same individual to rule out iPSC artifacts. This work identifies somatic mutations in EXO1 and FMN2 , and CNVs in 1q43 as the potential genetic defects involved in the early pathogenesis of PV. It also demonstrates the value of combining WGS and WES for the identification of somatic mutations. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
UHF telecommunications design for an asteroid lander mission concept

The Planetary Object Geophysical Observer (POGO), developed at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL), is a small, rugged lander designed for extracting critical science data from low gravity environments, such as asteroids. Its ability to traverse the small body by a hopping mechanism is unique to the lander design. The application of placing a lander onto a small body and communicating back to the orbiter places particular constraints on the mass, geometry, power consumption, and complexity of the communication system. Moreover, the orientation of both the POGO lander and its orbiter is considered unknown, which adds to the complexity of the problem. This paper describes both the design and the trade-offs of the telecommunications system under such constraints. After a link analysis, requirements on the RF system and antenna are developed. The RF system consists only of a UHF transmitter (no receiver) capable of delivering one watt of RF power to the antenna. Binary Phase-shift keying (BPSK) is used as the modulation format due to the low Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) required and its inherent robustness to impairments such as power amplifier non-linearity and phase noise. A minimum data rate of 10 kbps is achievable. High reliability implementations for the electronics and antenna are designed and prototyped, and current test results will be discussed, along with on-going and future work.
Latent alliances: the Women’s March and agrarian feminism as opportunities of and for political ecology

AbstractOn 21 January 2017, the day after a bitterly contested presidential inauguration, nearly 5 million women and men marched and protested in 673 places across the globe – under the banner of the Women’s March. The March exceeded and expanded expectations on many levels, from organizational projections to media classifications to scholarly analysis. One aspect of the March – and its ongoing repercussions – that has eluded attention is its latent links to and alliances with women-led agrarian movements underway in the United States and internationally. Rendering the March merely urban does a disservice to the subtle ways agricultural politics and even agrarian resistance permeated its political messages. I argue that a feminist political ecology analysis – particularly a postcolonial, intersectional one rooted in anti-racism and anti-classism and following the lead of Black agrarian womanism – helps elucidate the latent alignments between and among the Women’s March and transnational women-led agrarian...
Confined and interface optical phonons in quantum wells and quantum wires

As device dimensions in nanoscale structures and mesoscopic devices are reduced, the characteristics and interactions of dimensionally-confined longitudinal-optical (LO) phonons deviate substantially from those of bulk polar semiconductors. This account emphasizes the properties of LO-phonon modes arising in polar-semiconductor quantum wells and quantum wires. In particular, this review highlights recent results of both microscopic and macroscopic models of LO phonons in polar-semiconductor quantum wells and quantum wires with a variety of cross sectional geometries. Emphasis is placed on the dielectric continuum model of confined and interface phonons. In addition, this review provides brief discussions of how carrier-LO-phonon interactions change in the presence of dynamical screening. Finally, the use of metal-semiconductor heterointerfaces to reduce unwanted inelastic scattering in nanoscale electronic and optoelectronic structures is discussed.
Energy content of select dietary supplemental lipids for broilers, turkeys, and laying hens

Abstract Energy is an expensive component of poultry diets with lipids providing a concentrated energy source to meet these needs. Three separate experiments with broilers (15 d of age), turkeys (15 d of age) and laying hens (60 wk of age) were conducted to determine the AMEn content of 10 lipids with varying fatty acid and free fatty acid concentrations and to compare these values to predicted values based on previously published equations. A corn-soybean meal (broilers and turkeys) or corn-soybean meal-distillers dried grains with solubles (layers) control diet was formulated with test diets created by mixing the control diet with 0, 3, 6, or 9% (broilers and turkeys) or 0, 2, 4, and 6% (laying hens) lipid. Experimental diets were fed over a 5-d acclimation period followed by a 48 h total excretion collection period with AMEn of the diets calculated based upon the GE, nitrogen, and titanium dioxide in the feed and excreta samples. The pen-mean AMEn of each diet was regressed on percentage lipid inclusion level using linear regression with the slope of the line representing the AMEn of each lipid source. As expected, the AMEn values varied widely among lipid sources and species, with broilers having a greater AME compared to turkeys and layers. In general, saturated fatty acids (C14:0, C16:0, and C18:0) were negatively correlated to AMEn while unsaturated fatty acids (namely C18:2) were positively correlated to AMEn. Consequently, the unsaturated: saturated ratio, the polyunsaturated fatty acids: saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids ratio, and iodine value tended to be positively related to AMEn. Compared to broilers and turkeys that were able to efficiently utilize energy from corn oil (purified and crude DDGS corn oil) relative to soybean oil, laying hen AMEn values for corn oils were reduced in comparison to soybean oil. These data indicate that energy values of lipid differ widely due to source and appear to differ relative to a particular species.
TrkB is necessary for male copulatory behavior in the Syrian Hamster (Mesocricetus auratus)

The magnocellular medial preoptic nucleus (MPN mag), a subdivision of the medial preoptic area (MPOA), plays a critical role in the regulation of copulation in the male Syrian hamster; in part by mediating the effects of gonadal steroids. For example, ablation of the MPN mag eliminates mating and testosterone placed in the MPN mag restores mating in castrated males. Furthermore, testosterone treatment enhances synaptic density and dendritic spines in the MPN mag. Thus, copulatory behaviors are correlated with increases in synaptic morphology in the MPN mag. As brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor, tyrosine receptor kinase-B (TrkB), effect neuronal growth and synaptic plasticity, this study explored the role of TrkB and BDNF in mediating testosterone's effects on the MPN mag and behavior. Testosterone treatment increased BDNF expression and conversely lowered TrkB expression in the MPOA. siRNA-mediated TrkB knockdown in the MPN mag eliminated copulation two-days post injection and the behavior was restored one week later. These data indicate that testosterone influences the expression of BDNF and TrkB in the MPOA and that expression of copulation is dependent on the presence of TrkB. Taken together our findings support a role for TrkB and BDNF in mediating the effects of testosterone on copulatory behavior in the Syrian hamster.
Facilitators and Impediments to Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Risk-Based Policing Strategies Using Risk Terrain Modeling: Insights from a Multi-City Evaluation in the United States

The contemporary policing literature contains numerous examples of partnerships between academic researchers and police agencies. Such efforts have greatly contributed to evidence-based policing by increasing the knowledge base on effective strategies. However, research has demonstrated that successful collaboration between researchers and practitioners can be a challenge, with various organizational and inter-agency factors presenting difficulties at various stages of the process. Additionally, applied research can oftentimes face implementation challenges when the time comes to convert research into practice. The current study contributes to the literature by discussing researcher/practitioner partnerships and program implementation in the context of a multi-city risk-based policing project in the United States. We conceptualize police interventions as contingent on four distinct phases: 1) problem analysis, 2) project design, 3) project implementation, and 4) project evaluation. In this project, the research partners were able to successfully complete each phase in certain cities while the project experienced difficulty at one or more phases in other cities. We discuss these disparate experiences, identifying factors that facilitate or impede successful completion of each step. Policy implications and recommendations for future risk-based policing interventions are discussed.
FACTORS INFLUENCING READMISSION BURDEN AFTER CONGENITAL HEART SURGERY

All-cause hospital readmissions for pediatric patients exceed 1 billion dollars annually. We aimed to determine the readmission burden and factors associated with this burden after discharge from congenital heart surgery (CHS). We retrospectively studied children aged <6 years at discharge after
A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Depth of Maximal Insertion Between Anterograde Single-Balloon Versus Spiral Enteroscopy.

Background Three device-assisted deep endoscopic platforms presently exist and are available for clinical use: double-balloon enteroscopy, single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE), and spiral enteroscopy (SE). In a retrospective study, SE was associated with a greater depth of maximal insertion (DMI) with similar diagnostic yields and procedure time as compared with SBE. Aims This was a prospective, randomized comparison of SE and SBE with respect to DMI, diagnostic yield, procedure time, and rate of adverse events. Methods Patients were prospectively randomized to undergo either anterograde SE or SBE. Patient demographics, indication for procedure, DMI, procedure time, therapeutic procedure time, adverse event, diagnostic findings, and therapeutic interventions were prospectively recorded. The primary outcome was DMI. Secondary outcomes included: procedure time; diagnostic yield; therapeutic yield and adverse event rates. Results During the study period, 30 patients underwent deep enteroscopy (SE 13, SBE 17). The most common indication was gastrointestinal bleeding in both groups. There was no significant difference in the DMI between SE and SBE (330.0 ± 88.2 cm vs 285.3 ± 80.8 cm, P = .16). There was no difference between SE and SBE in procedure time (37.0 ± 10.5 vs 38.3 ± 12.4, P = .76), diagnostic yield (SE = 9 [69%] vs SBE = 7 [41%], P = .16), or therapeutic yield (SE = 6 [46%] vs SBE = 4 [24%], P = .26). There were no major adverse events in either group. Conclusions Spiral enteroscopy and SBE are similar with respect to DMI, diagnostic yield, therapeutic yield, procedure time, and rate of adverse events. Small numbers prevent giving a definitive judgment and future adequately powered prospective study is required to confirm these findings.
Swelling equilibrium studies of elastomeric network structures

Until recently, interpretation of swelling equilibrium experiments rested on the Flory-Rehner equation developed in 1943 for networks which deform affinely. The relationship made possible at least the ranking of series of networks of the same polymer, according to their cross-link densities. However, the theory does not explain the important fact (first observed by Gee in 1965) that there is a maximum in the dependence of λ ln (a 1 c /a 1 u ) on λ (where λ is the isotropic deformation v 2 −1/3 , v2 the volume fraction of polymer in the polymer-solvent system, and a 1 u and a 1 c the solvent activities respectively in uncross-linked and cross-linked polymers). Decisive progress in this field has been achieved by the formulation of a molecular theory of real networks by Flory and Erman in 1979. The present paper reviews the main theoretical advances concerning swelling and swelling equilibrium, and describes useful methods for characterizing both model networks (of controlled structure) and networks in which the cross linking is highly random and essentially uncontrolled.
Humanos serafines: la intercesión en la gracia regia de las damas de palacio desde Góngora a los poetas cortesanos

espanolLos nuevos usos en la cultura cortesana del reinado de Felipe III provocaron una alta demanda de productos artisticos de creacion de imagen que a su vez constituyen una via de comprension de dichos cambios. Asi ocurre con algunos poemas de Gongora dedicados a las damas de palacio, enmarcados en esa corriente de poesia encomiastica para ensalzar a personajes o colectivos de las elites. De particular significacion es la insistencia en describir a las damas como serafines, inmediatamente adoptada por poetas cortesanos como el conde de Villamedianao Antonio Hurtado de Mendoza para referirse antonomasticamente a las damas de la reina. Los poemas de Gongora y sus imitadores cifran frivolamente las esperanzas de medro cortesano a partir del congraciamiento o el galanteo con las damas de la reina, metamorfoseadas en selecto colegio de humanos serafines y codiciadas presas de altaneria erotica, que transmiten en forma de mercedes dotales, cargos y titulos la gracia regia a sus servidores. EnglishThe new fashion in courtly culture during Philip III s reign triggered a high demand forimage creation and artistic representation, pieces of art that in turn constitute better way to understand the aforementioned changes. This is true for some of Luis de Gongora’s poems, which are dedicated to Margaret of Austria s ladies-in-waiting at the beginning of the 17th century. Of particular significance is his insistence in presenting the ladies as seraphs, or human seraphs, immediately echoed by courtly poets such as the Count of Villamedianaor Antonio Hurtado de Mendoza, to designate by antonomasia the ladies-in-waiting of the sovereign. The poems by Gongora and his imitators frivolously encapsulate the hopes of advancement at court from the ingratiation or courtship with the queen s ladies, having evolved to a distinguished society of human seraphs, or coveted preys of amatory falconry, that convey to their suitors the regal mercy in the concrete form of dowries, appointments, or titles
(248) Unique Roles for Subpopulations of Nociceptive Fibers in Cancer-Induced Bone Pain

Cancer-induced bone pain is reported to be one of the most detrimental aspects of the disease often broadly categorized into two separate phenomena. Patients experience ongoing pain, a dull achy persistent background pain that worsens as disease progresses and is currently treated with around the clock mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonists. In addition, patients often report transient episodes of severe pain that is sometimes spontaneous but often triggered by movement and that “breaks through” the around the clock medication. Breakthrough pain is treated with additional rapid onset MOR agonists that are limited by dose- limiting side effects and often miss an effective window of treatment for the patient. We examined the hypothesis that ongoing pain and breakthrough pain are initiated by different populations of sensory afferents. Data presented will expand upon our previous observations in a rat model of cancer-induced bone pain that IB4-binding fibers play a critical role in transducing breakthrough pain whereas TRPV1 expressing fibers do not. We are characterizing cancer-induced ongoing and breakthrough bone pain in a mouse model. Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells are injected and sealed into the femur of C57bl/6 mice allowing us to use pharmacological and optogenetic techniques to assess subpopulations of sensory fibers in initiation and maintenance of ongoing and breakthrough pain. We have replicated previous findings that movement-triggered increases in guarding and limb use persist in the presence of morphine indicating movement-induced breakthrough pain. Pharmacological characterization of cancer-induced ongoing pain demonstrates that the peptidergic MOR agonist DAMGO induces CPP whereas the peptidergic DOR agonist Deltorphin does not. In contrast, preliminary data indicate that Deltorphin blocks movement-induced breakthrough pain. We are exploring the ability of optogenetic silencing of Nav1.8 compared to MrgD expressing fibers in mediating ongoing and breakthrough pain in the mouse. This research is supported by a COBRE award (P20GM103643).
Effects of Error-Contingent Prompts Depend on Temporal Arrangement of Stimuli in Symbolic Matching to Sample

In laboratory symbolic matching-to-sample (MTS) tasks, acquisition commonly proceeds via trial and error, whereas in applied settings, MTS instruction typically includes prompting and prompt-fading strategies. We examined the effects of error-contingent prompts in symbolic MTS under sample-first and comparison-first presentation arrangements. Three children (4–6 years) participated in each of two experiments. Each participant received two instructional sessions in each of four conditions, with new stimuli in each session. Dependent measures included terminal accuracy, items mastered, and overall efficiency across participants. In Experiment 1, error-contingent prompts facilitated acquisition under the comparison-first but not under the sample-first arrangement. In Experiment 2, the temporal arrangement of error correction trials was altered such that prompts did not delay the presentation of comparison stimuli. With this change, error-contingent prompts facilitated acquisition under both stimulus presentation arrangements. The results suggest that in a sample-first presentation format, prompts may be ineffective if they delay comparison presentation.
Distributed Dynamic Event-Triggered Coordination with a Designable Minimum Inter-Event Time

This paper revisits the classical multi-agent average consensus problem for which many different event-triggered control strategies have been proposed over the last decade. Many of the early versions of these works conclude asymptotic stability without proving that Zeno behavior, or deadlocks, do not occur along the trajectories of the system. More recent works that have studied this issue fall short in that they either: (i) propose the use of a dwell-time that forces inter-event times to be lower-bounded away from 0 but sacrifices asymptotic convergence in exchange for practical convergence (or convergence to a neighborhood; (ii) guarantee non-Zeno behaviors and asymptotic convergence but without a positive minimum inter-event time guarantee; or (iii) are not fully distributed. Instead, this work for the first time presents a fully distributed event-triggering algorithm for which a desired minimum inter-event time can be chosen by each agent while still guaranteeing asymptotic convergence to the average consensus state. Simulations illustrate our results.
Neurophysiological Variations in Food Decision-Making within Virtual and Real Environments

Simple lifestyle changes such as improving one's diet and getting sufficient exercise could significantly reduce the risk of developing obesity and related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. However, changing eating behavior is challenging because eating is a part of the human behavior system. This paper introduces a pilot study that examined the multifactorial neurophysiological correlates of food decision-making behavior, with potential implications for the development of effective treatments for individuals with dysfunctional eating. The experimental protocol was designed in a virtual reality (VR) and real-life (RL) buffet setting. Eleven participants (aged 18 – 25 years; Mean = 20.45, SD = 2.30) were recruited and equipped with various body sensors (e.g., prefrontal cortex functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), electrocardiography (ECG), galvanic skin response (GSR), eye movement and body motion) to capture their neurological and physiological data as they were making food selections. In this exploratory study, we aimed to identify patterns of neural and physiological activity during food selection and associations with the nutritional content of individuals' final food selection in VR and RL buffets. Findings revealed that the left inferior frontal gyrus demonstrated significant differential activation when subjects chose high compared to low density food in both settings. These findings suggest that VR simulations may provide similar neural response to real world environments, particularly in control regions of the brain.
National trends in healthcare outcomes and utilization of endoscopic and surgical interventions in patients hospitalized with esophageal foreign body and food impaction.

The incidence and number of emergency room visits for esophageal foreign body and food impaction (EFB) are on the rise. However, its impact on the rate of inpatient admissions, utilization of endoscopic and surgical interventions, and healthcare outcomes is poorly understood. We conducted a study to analyze these outcomes using the national inpatient sample (NIS) database. Data on all adult patients (≥18 years) admitted with EFB was extracted from the NIS database from 1998 to 2013. The temporal trends in discharge rates as well as in length of stay (LOS), hospital charges, and in-hospital mortality rates were assessed by linear and polynomial regression. Average age, gender, and race of inpatients with EFB were not significantly different between 1998 and 2013. The rate of EFB admissions increased significantly from 1998 to 2005 followed by a decline thereafter (p = 0.01). LOS and hospital charges significantly increased by 0.02 days/year (p = 0.015) and $1,547/year (p < 0.001), respectively. There was a trend towards less utilization of overall esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) over the last decade with significant lower use of EGD within 24 hours in 2013 as compared to 1998 (p = 0.026). The rates of surgical intervention and inpatient mortality did not change significantly over the study period. The rate of inpatient admissions for EFB is on the decline in recent years, suggesting the modern-day practice of cost-effective medicine. Hospitalization costs for EFB have increased, whereas rates of surgical intervention and inpatient mortality have not changed significantly over the study period.
Risks of solid cancers in elderly persons with osteoarthritis or ankylosing spondylitis.

Objectives Patients with osteoarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis have lower cancer-related mortality than the general population. We examined risks of solid cancers at 16 sites in elderly patients with knee or hip osteoarthritis (KHOA) or ankylosing spondylitis. Methods In this population-based retrospective cohort study, we used US Medicare data from 1999 to 2010 to identify cohorts of persons with KHOA or ankylosing spondylitis, and a general population group without either condition, who were followed through 2015. We compared cancer incidence among groups, adjusted for age, sex, race, socioeconomic characteristics, geographic region, smoking and comorbidities. Results We studied 2 701 782 beneficiaries with KHOA, 13 044 beneficiaries with ankylosing spondylitis, and 10 859 304 beneficiaries in the general population group. Beneficiaries with KHOA had lower risks of cancer of the oropharynx, oesophagus, stomach, colon/rectum, hepatobiliary tract, pancreas, larynx, lung, and ovary than the general population. However, beneficiaries with KHOA had higher risks of melanoma, renal cell cancer, and cancer of the bladder, breast, uterus and prostate. Associations were similar in ankylosing spondylitis, with lower risks of cancer of the oesophagus, stomach, and lung, and higher risks of melanoma, renal cell cancer, and cancer of the renal pelvis/ureter, bladder, breast, and prostate. Conclusion Lower risks of highly prevalent cancers, including colorectal and lung cancer, may explain lower cancer-related mortality in patients with KHOA or ankylosing spondylitis. Similarities in cancer risks between KHOA and AS implicate a common risk factor, possibly chronic NSAID use.
Dark, Ultra-Dark and Ultra-Bright Nanodiscs for membrane protein investigations.

Abstract We describe the construction, expression and purification of three new membrane scaffold proteins (MSP) for use in assembling Nanodiscs. These new MSPs have a variety of luminescent properties for use in combination with several analytical methods. “Dark” MSP has no tryptophan residues, “Ultra-Dark” replaces both tryptophan and tyrosine with non-fluorescent side chains, and “Ultra-Bright” adds additional tryptophans to the parent membrane scaffold protein to provide a dramatic increase in native tryptophan fluorescence. All MSPs were used to successfully assemble Nanodiscs nominally 10 nm in diameter, and the resultant bilayer structure was characterized. An example of the usefulness of these new scaffold proteins is provided.
Gelsolin-mediated actin filament severing in crowded environments.

Abstract Gelsolin is a calcium-regulated actin binding protein that severs and caps actin filaments. Gelsolin’s severing activity is important for regulating actin filament assembly dynamics that are required for cell motility as well as survival. The majority of in vitro studies of gelsolin have been performed in dilute buffer conditions which do not simulate the molecular interactions occurring in the crowded intracellular environment. We hypothesize that crowding results in greater gelsolin severing activity due to induced conformational changes in actin filaments and/or gelsolin. In this study, we evaluated the effects of crowding on gelsolin-mediated actin filament severing and gelsolin binding to actin filaments in crowded solutions, utilizing total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy and co-sedimentation assays. Our data indicates that the presence of crowders causes a decrease in the rate of gelsolin severing as well as a decrease in the amount of gelsolin bound to actin filaments, with greater effects caused by the polymeric crowder. Despite the severing rate decrease, gelsolin-mediated filament severing is increased in the presence of crowders. Understanding the crowding effect on gelsolin-mediated actin filament severing offers insight into the interactions between gelsolin and actin that occur inside the crowded cytoplasm.
Decentralization, Repression, and Gambling for Unity

I study a dynamic model of center-periphery relations that endogenizes the periphery’s grievance via the legacy of repression. The center’s key trade-off is that repression prevents the periphery f...
Evolution of Social-Ecological Research in the LTER Network and the Baltimore Ecosystem Study

The addition of two urban sites, based in Baltimore, Maryland, and Phoenix, Arizona, to the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program in 1997, posed challenges for creating a truly integrated social-ecological framework. Proposals to include social “core areas” to sites with social science agendas were developed in concert with national environmental priorities being set within the scientific community. Although the National Science Foundation rejected these proposals for LTER as a whole, researchers at the urban sites pursued their goals of developing more sophisticated multi-disciplinary frameworks for the study of urban patterns and processes. The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) illustrates how the conceptual basis of urban ecology evolved over 20 years, developing new strategies to manage cross-disciplinary interactions and relationships. Researchers drew especially on the concept of “boundary objects” as articulated by S. L. Star and J. Griesemer, and on General Stanley A. McChrystal’s conception of the “team of teams” as a way to engage with complex problems. Looking forward, BES is positioned now to expand to a long-term, transdisciplinary science platform which we call the Baltimore Ecosystem Alliance. Its goals include developing an authentic urban ecology on local and regional levels, while also serving as a national and international leader in urban ecology.
Barriers to Care among Patients with Sarcoidosis: A Qualitative Study

Rationale: Lower-income patients with sarcoidosis experience worse outcomes than those with higher incomes. The reasons for these disparities are not well understood. Objectives: To identify patien...
The Epistle to the Hebrews: Its Background of Thought

This work is a comprehensive treatment of one of the most intriguing questions of modern New Testament study: what kind of person could have produced the mysterious document known today as the Epistle to the Hebrews? While other studies of Hebrews have tended to focus either on the question of the identity of the writer and of the letter's recipients, or on individual issues such as the writer's view of priesthood, religious pilgrimage or christology, Dr Hurst provides the first work to explore in a comprehensive way the important question of what specifically identifiable milieus might have produced a document which for many people seems something of an alien presence within the New Testament. The book is organised around the widely differing backgrounds of thought which have to be considered - such as Platonism, the beliefs of the Dead Sea Sect and of the early gnostics (as well as those of St Stephen and St Paul) - and it explores in depth the major theological and philosophical problems faced by first-century Christians.
Disaster Risks: Evidence and Theory

Risk can be defined as the product of three factors: (1) the hazard, which is the natural event, such as a storm or an earthquake; (2) the exposure, which is the population and assets potentially affected by hazards; and (3) the sensitivity, i.e. the human and economic losses if population and assets are affected by a hazard. The chapter proposes a brief overview of natural risks today and discusses current trends in disaster losses by introducing the notion of risk-taking (and the benefits from risk-taking). Taking into account the benefits of taking risks helps us to understand why many people and assets are located in at-risk areas, such as flood plains and coastal zones. It also helps introduce potential policy options to reduce risk. The chapter concludes that there is no reason natural disaster losses will stop increasing in the future unless specific risk-reducing actions are implemented. Development does not automatically reduce natural disaster risks, and natural hazards need to be taken into account in development plans.
Estimating Recreation Preferences Using Hedonic Travel Cost and Random Utility Models

Over the last decade, several authors have questioned the validity of the hedonic travel cost model, arguing instead that the random utility model is a superior method for valuing recrea- tional site attributes. This paper demonstrates that the two methods emanate from a similar utility theoretic framework; yet in practice these methods differ in the assumptions made in their appli- cation. Constraining the underlying utility functions to be consistent, both models are applied to the valuation of recreational site attributes in the Southeastern United States. The way in which each method estimates preferences for site attributes is shown to depend critically on the method and the functional form of the underlying utility function. Micro-economic theory began as an attempt to describe, predict, and value the demand and supply of consumption goods. Quality was largely ignored in initial theoretical treatises; goods were assumed to be homogeneous. Over the last two decades, however, economists have started to address quality within the theory of demand. Environmental economists have extended the theory further to value the quality of recreational sites - an important component of land management. Two distinct approaches for incorporating quality into recreational analyses have emerged: the hedonic travel cost method (HTC) and the discrete choice random utility methods (RUM). The hedonic method views site attributes as though they were individual goods which are bundled together in a single purchase. The random utility model treats quality as an index which is estimated by examining a discrete choice of alternative sites facing a consumer. Because the mathematical derivations for the hedonic (Rosen 1974) and random utility models (McFadden 1978) are quite different, many practitioners do not recognize that both models are based on a common utility theoretic foundation. In the first section of this paper, we show how the hedonic and random utility methods are consistent with the same utility framework.
A Systematic Review of Function‐Based Interventions for Students with Learning Disabilities

Students with learning disabilities (LD) experience pervasive academic deficits requiring extensive academic intervention; however, they may also engage in problem behaviors that adversely affect teaching and learning, thus lessening the potential impact of specialized instruction and supports. The learning deficits of students with LD are prevalent in the extant research, but behavioral needs appear to receive less attention. The authors report the results of a systematic review investigating the evidence-base for function-based interventions for students with LD using the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) criteria for evaluating single-case studies. Fourteen studies with 17 participants met inclusion criteria, with the majority occurring in elementary settings. Although interventions tended to be effective, few included maintenance and generalization measures. Because of the small number of studies (n = 4) that met WWC design and effectiveness standards, the authors conclude that function-based interventions, although promising, cannot currently be considered an evidence-based practice for students with LD. Implications for practice, areas for future research, and study limitations are reported.
SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND BASIC UNMET NEED OF THE ELDERLY: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY IN RURAL FIELD PRACTICE AREA OF MEDICAL COLLEGE, DEHRADUN

Background: Change in socio economic status, nuclearisation of joint family, migration of youths, changing traditional values and role of women have contributed to the crisis of care for the elderly.Methods: Descriptive cross sectional study was done at the field practice area of the department of Community Medicine, HIMS, Dehradun. A total of 526 elderly (60 years and above) were interviewed using a pre tested schedule in 4 randomly selected villages. The findings are described in percentages and proportions.Results: Around 63.1% belonged to age group 60 -69 years, 35.4 % were illiterate, 48.4 % were not happy in life and 34.7 % felt they were burden to family. Basic unmet need was seen in 11.2% of the elderly and 34.3% were aware about geriatric welfare schemes. Conclusion: The financial and social needs of the elderly needs to be fulfilled by preserving strong traditional joint family system, providing light occupation, giving them time and attention. IEC activity to be increased about different geriatric welfare schemes. There is also urgent need of geriatric counselling centre to deal with their physical and psychosocial problems.
Chapter 23 Agency and the market

Publisher Summary A very widespread economic situation is that of the relation between a principal and an agent. Even in ordinary and in legal discourse, the principal–agent relation is significant in scope and economic magnitude. The chapter discusses that the common element is the presence of two individuals. One is to choose an action among a number of alternative possibilities. The action affects the welfare of the other, the principal, as well as that of the agent's self. The principal, at least in the simplest cases, has the additional function of prescribing payoff rules—that is, of determining in advance of the choice of action, a rule that obliges him or her as to what fee to pay as a function of his or her observations on the results of the action. The problem acquires interest only when there is uncertainty at some point, and, in particular, when the information available to the two participants is unequal. In technical language, the outcome is a random variable whose distribution depends on the action taken. The principal–agent theory is in the standard economic tradition. Both principal and agent are assumed to be making their decisions optimally in view of their constraints. Intended transactions are realized. The function of this theory has the dual aspect usual in economic theory; it can be interpreted both normatively and descriptively. It can also be interpreted as an attempt to explain observed phenomena in the empirical economic world, particularly exchange relations that are observed but not explained by more standard economic theory.
Sirtuins and the Metabolic Hurdles in Cancer

The nutrient demands of cancer cannot be met by normal cell metabolism. Cancer cells undergo dramatic alteration of metabolic pathways in a process called reprogramming, characterized by increased nutrient uptake and re-purposing of these fuels for biosynthetic, bioenergetic or signaling pathways. Partitioning carbon sources toward growth and away from ATP production necessitates other means of generating energy for biosynthetic reactions. Additionally, cancer cell adaptations frequently lead to increased production of reactive oxygen species and lactic acid, which can be beneficial to cancer growth but also are potentially toxic and must be appropriately cleared. Sirtuins are a family of deacylases and ADP-ribosyltransferases with clear links to regulation of cancer metabolism. Through their unique ability to integrate cellular stress and nutrient status with coordination of metabolic outputs, sirtuins are well poised to play pivotal roles in tumor progression and survival. Here, we review the multi-faceted duties of sirtuins in tackling the metabolic hurdles in cancer. We focus on both beneficial and adverse effects of sirtuins in the regulation of energetic, biosynthetic and toxicity barriers faced by cancer cells.
Lipid Raft Distribution of CD4 Depends on its Palmitoylation and Association with Lck, and Evidence for CD4-Induced Lipid Raft Aggregation as an Additional Mechanism to Enhance CD3 Signaling

By mutagenesis, we demonstrated that the palmitoylation of the membrane-proximal Cys396 and Cys399of CD4, and the association of CD4 with Lck contribute to the enrichment of CD4 in lipid rafts. Ab cross-linking of CD4 induces an extensive membrane patching on the T cell surface, which is related to lipid raft aggregation. The lipid raft localization of CD4 is critical for CD4 to induce the aggregation of lipid rafts. The localization of CD4 in lipid rafts also correlates to the ability of CD4 to enhance receptor tyrosine phosphorylation. Thus, our data suggest that CD4-induced aggregation of lipid rafts may play an additional role in CD4 signaling besides its adhesion to MHC molecules and association with Lck.
Ultrastructure of pancreatic B-cells of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) during smoltification and seawater adaptation

Pancreatic B-cells of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) were identified by immunostaining and the ultrastructure and morphology of these cells were investigated during smoltification and acclimation to seawater. Fish were classified as smolts based on length, condition factor, silvering, branchial Na+K+-ATPase activity and salinity tolerance. Individuals measuring less than 15 cm long were used as age-matched, non-smolting controls. Tissue samples were collected from juvenile salmon in February, April and May and, also, in June from post-smolts retained in fresh water or transferred to seawater for 1 month. Pancreas islet size was measured and B-cells were identified by immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry. The surface areas of B-cells, nuclei and granules within the cells were quantified, allowing comparison of nucleus: cell (N:C) and total granule: cytoplasm (G:Cyt) ratios. Additionally, the ratio of the number of homogeneous granules: total granules (Hom:G) was determined. No significant changes in size of islets were detected in parr and smolts. In fish undergoing smoltification a slight increase in G:Cyt and a significant decrease in Hom:G ratios (P<0.05) were observed, whereas in non-smolting parr the G:Cyt ratio increased significantly (P<0.05) and the Hom:G ratio remained significantly higher than in smolts. A decrease in B-cell area (P<0.05) was observed in post-smolts retained in fresh water or transferred to seawater. Results are consistent with decreased insulin synthesis or secretion during parr-smolt transformation. In parr during this same period, enhanced B-cell activity was indicated by increases in G:Cyt and elevated Hom:G ratios compared to smolts.
Coccidioides posadasii contains single chitin synthase genes corresponding to classes I to VII.

Abstract Coccidioides posadasii is a dimorphic fungal pathogen of humans and other mammals. The switch between saprobic and parasitic growth involves synthesis of new cell walls of which chitin is a significant component. To determine whether particular subsets of chitin synthases (CHSes) are responsible for production of chitin at different stages of differentiation, we have isolated six CHS genes from this fungus. They correspond, together with another reported CHS gene, to single members of the seven defined classes of chitin synthases (classes I–VII). Using Real-Time RT-PCR we show their pattern of expression during morphogenesis. CpCHS2 , CpCHS3 , and CpCHS6 are preferentially expressed during the saprobic phase, while CpCHS1 and CpCHS4 are more highly expressed during the parasitic phase. CpCHS5 and CpCHS7 expression is similar in both saprobic and parasitic phases. Because C. posadasii contains single members of the seven classes of CHSes found in fungi, it is a good model to investigate the putatively different roles of these genes in fungal growth and differentiation.