cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An overview of the petroleum system of Maracaibo Basin

The geologically complex Maracaibo Basin in northwestern Venezuela is one of the most prolific hydrocarbon basins in the world. Having a basinal area of 50,000 km2 (19,300 mi2), the basin has produced more than 30 billion bbl of oil, with estimated recoverable oil reserves of more than 44 billion bbl. The central elements of the petroleum system of the basin include (1) a world-class source rock (Upper Cretaceous La Luna Formation), deposited on a shelf-to-slope environment under anoxic conditions and modified by intermittent oxygenated periods and tectonic events; (2) high-quality clastic reservoir rocks deposited in Eocene and Miocene fluviodeltaic settings; (3) two main periods of rapid tectonic subsidence responsible for two pulses of voluminous hydrocarbon generation, first, during Paleogene Caribbean–South American oblique plate collision and, second, during the Neogene uplift of the Sierra de Perij–Mrida Andes; and (4) lateral and vertical migration of oil along strike-slip, normal, and inverted faults, as well as a regional unconformity of late Eocene–Oligocene age. The maturation, migration, and trapping of hydrocarbons were closely controlled by the tectonic evolution of the Maracaibo Basin. During the Paleogene, the development of a foredeep along the northeastern margin of the basin and the strike-slip reactivation of the rift-related Jurassic faults on the Maracaibo platform controlled the early structural setting of the source and reservoir rocks. Hydrocarbons migrated updip from source rocks beneath the north-northeastern margin of the basin along north-south strike-slip faults and into overlying Eocene clastic reservoirs in the south-central parts of the basin. The second period of the Maracaibo Basin petroleum system developed during subaerial exposure of most of the Maracaibo Basin during Oligocene–Miocene uplift of the adjacent Sierra de Perij and Mrida Andes. Uplift of mountain ranges surrounding the basin folded and depressed the interior of the basin to form the extensive Maracaibo syncline. Because of the formation of the Maracaibo syncline, oil generation began in the central and southern parts of the synclinal basin and migrated northward. Hydrocarbons migrated up the flanks of the Maracaibo syncline along reactivated strike-slip faults and into Miocene rocks adjacent to the uplifted mountain ranges. Escaping oil has formed numerous surface seeps along the edges of the Maracaibo Basin.
Signaling Interactions between the Aerotaxis Transducer Aer and Heterologous Chemoreceptors in Escherichia coli

Aer, a low-abundance signal transducer in Escherichia coli, mediates robust aerotactic behavior, possibly through interactions with methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCP). We obtained evidence for interactions between Aer and the high-abundance aspartate (Tar) and serine (Tsr) receptors. Aer molecules bearing a cysteine reporter diagnostic for trimer-of-dimer formation yielded cross-linking products upon treatment with a trifunctional maleimide reagent. Aer also formed mixed cross-linking products with a similarly marked Tar reporter. An Aer trimer contact mutation known to abolish trimer formation by MCPs eliminated Aer trimer and mixed trimer formation. Trimer contact alterations known to cause epistatic behavior in MCPs also produced epistatic properties in Aer. Amino acid replacements in the Tar trimer contact region suppressed an epistatic Aer signaling defect, consistent with compensatory conformational changes between directly interacting proteins. In cells lacking MCPs, Aer function required high-level expression, comparable to the aggregate number of receptors in a wild-type cell. Aer proteins with clockwise (CW)-biased signal output cannot function under these conditions but do so in the presence of MCPs, presumably through formation of mixed signaling teams. The Tar signaling domain was sufficient for functional rescue. Moreover, CW-biased lesions did not impair aerotactic signaling in a hybrid Aer-Tar transducer capable of adjusting its steady-state signal output via methylation-dependent sensory adaptation. Thus, MCPs most likely assist mutant Aer proteins to signal productively by forming collaborative signaling teams. Aer evidently evolved to operate collaboratively with high-abundance receptors but can also function without MCP assistance, provided that it can establish a suitable prestimulus swimming pattern.
Pathogenicity of capsulate and non-capsulate members of Bacteroides fragilis and B. melaninogenicus groups in mixed infection with Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pyogenes.

Summary The relationships between capsulate and non-capsulate Bacteroides fragilis strains and Escherichia coli, and between capsulate and non-capsulate strains of the B. melaninogenicus group and Streptococcus pyogenes, were studied in a subcutaneous abscess model in mice. Selective antimicrobial agents directed against either aerobic or anaerobic bacteria were used alone or in combination to explore the effect of eradication of one component of the mixed infection. Single agent therapy effective against both aerobic and anaerobic flora was also employed. Single therapy of mixed infection directed at the elimination of only one organism (S. pyogenes, E. coli or Bacteroides sp.) caused significant reductions in the numbers of sensitive organisms and also smaller yet significant decreases in the numbers of insensitive organisms. However, the abscesses were not eliminated after such therapy. Combination therapy or use of a single agent (cefoxitin) directed against the aerobic and anaerobic components of the infection was more effective. Non-capsulate Bacteroides spp. became capsulate after passage in mice mixed with either S. pyogenes or E. coli. Therapy directed at the elimination of S. pyogenes and E. coli did not prevent the emergence of capsulate Bacteroides spp. These data demonstrate the synergy between all members of the B. fragilis group and E. coli and between the B. melaninogenicus group and S. pyogenes, and reiterate the need to direct antimicrobial therapy at the eradication of the aerobic and anaerobic components of mixed infections.
Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy for Renal Stones With Renal Cysts Present

While reports differ on the effect of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL*) on renal cysts, little has been written on the stone-free status following ESWL for renal calculi with renal cysts present. We studied 13 patients with renal stones plus renal cysts, and only 6 (46%) were stone-free at 3 months after ESWL. While the number of cases is small, it is believed that renal cysts may interfere with the passage of stone fragments due to the impediment of drainage, and urinary stasis from the stretching and distortion of the caliceal system by the renal cysts.
Motor patterns associated with crawling in a soft-bodied arthropod.

SUMMARY Soft-bodied animals lack distinct joints and levers, and so their locomotion is expected to be controlled differently from that of animals with stiff skeletons. Some invertebrates, such as the annelids, use functionally antagonistic muscles (circumferential and longitudinal) acting on constant-volume hydrostatics to produce extension and contraction. These processes form the basis for most theoretical considerations of hydrostatic locomotion in organisms including larval insects. However, caterpillars do not move in this way, and their powerful appendages provide grip independent of their dimensional changes. Here, we show that the anterograde wave of movement seen in the crawling tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta , is mediated by co-activation of dorsal and ventral muscles within a body segment, rather than by antiphasic activation, as previously believed. Furthermore, two or three abdominal segments are in swing phase simultaneously, and the activities of motor neurons controlling major longitudinal muscles overlap in more than four segments. Recordings of muscle activity during natural crawling show that some are activated during both their shortening and elongation. These results do not support the typical peristaltic model of crawling, but they do support a tension-based model of crawling, in which the substrate is utilized as an anchor to generate propulsion.
Insulin Transport From Plasma Into the Central Nervous System Is Inhibited by Dexamethasone in Dogs

We have previously shown that transport of plasma insulin into the central nervous system (CNS) is mediated by a saturable mechanism consistent with insulin binding to blood-brain barrier insulin receptors and subsequent transcytosis through microvessel endothelial cells. Since glucocorticoids antagonize insulin receptor-mediated actions both peripherally and in the CNS, we hypothesized that glucocorticoids also impair CNS insulin transport. Nine dogs were studied both in the control condition and after 7 days of high-dose oral dexamethasone (DEX) administration (12 mg/day) by obtaining plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples over 8 h for determination of immunoreactive insulin levels during a 90-min euglycemic intravenous insulin infusion (plasma insulin ∼700 pmol/l). From these data, the kinetics of CNS insulin uptake and removal were determined using a mathematical model with three components (plasma → intermediate compartment, hypothesized to be brain interstitial fluid → CSF). DEX increased basal insulin levels 75% from 24 ± 6 to 42 ± 30 pmol/l ( P P −6 ± 4.0 × 10 −6 to 2.7 × 10 −6 ± 1.2 × 10 −6 min −2 ( P ≤ 0.001). As glucocorticoids are known to reduce CSF turnover, we also hypothesized that the model rate constant associated with CSF insulin removal would be decreased by DEX. As expected, the model rate constant for CSF insulin removal decreased 47% from 0.038 ± 0.013 to 0.020 ± 0.088 min −1 ( P ≤ 0.0005) during DEX treatment. We conclude that DEX impairs CNS insulin transport. This finding supports our hypothesis that insulin receptors participate in the CNS insulin transport process and that this process may be subject to regulation. Moreover, since increasing brain insulin transport reduces food intake and body adiposity, this observation provides a potential mechanism by which glucocorticoid excess leads to increased body adiposity.
The effect of nanofiller geometry and compounding method on polylactic acid nanocomposite films

Abstract The effect of the compounding method and of the nanofiller geometry on the thermo-mechanical properties and electrical behavior of polylactic acid (PLA) nanocomposite films was investigated. The films were fabricated using two methods: (i) melt compounding followed by melt fiber spinning or (ii) solution compounding followed by electrospinning. Both the melt and electrospun fibers were then compression molded. In the case of melt compounding, both exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (GNP) and carbon nanotubes (CNT) were used as reinforcement, whereas only CNT were used in the case of solution compounding. The microstructure was examined using scanning electron microscopy and the crystallization behavior, thermo-mechanical behavior, and electrical response of the PLA composite films were investigated as a function of nanofiller content, geometry, and compounding method. It was concluded that the GNP/PLA films had the highest percolation at greater than 3 wt% of GNP, while the CNT/PLA films had the lowest at less than 1 wt% of CNT. In addition, the solution method and electrospun fibers resulted in a higher conductance compared to the CNT/PLA films of the same CNT content made by melt compounding due to a more heterogeneous distribution and dispersion of CNT throughout the matrix that facilitated the formation of interconnected conductive networks.
Cues to the Perception of Taiwanese Tones

A labeling test with synthetic speech stimuli was carried out to determine to what extent the two dimensions of fundamental frequency (F0), height and movement, and syllable duration provide cues to tonal distinctions in Taiwanese. The data show that the high level vs. mid level tones and the high falling vs. mid falling tones can be reliably distinguished by F0 height alone, whereas the distinction between tones with dissimilar contours, such as the high falling and low rising tones, is predominantly cued by F0 movement. However, the other dimension of F0 may collaborate with the dominant one in cueing a tonal contrast, depending on the extent to which the two tones differ along that dimension. Syllable duration has a small additional effect on the perception of the distinction between falling and nonfalling tones. These results are consistent with previous findings in tone languages other than Taiwanese in that they suggest that tones are mainly cued by F0. While the primacy of F0 dimensions as cues to tonal contrasts depends on the contrast to be distinguished, the present findings show that tones which nominally differ only in register (e.g., high falling vs. mid falling) may exhibit perceptually relevant contour differences, and vice versa.
Effect of long-term food restriction on cardiac mechanics

Food restriction (FR) is the only known intervention capable of increasing mammalian life span. It not only increases longevity, but reduces the incidence of a broad spectrum of age-related patholo...
Impaired preservation of GFR during hypotension in preexistent renal hypoperfusion.

Autoregulation of renal blood flow and filtration rate was studied using micropuncture technique in Munich-Wistar rats with acute water deprivation (AWD) or congestive heart failure (CHF). In the first set of experiments, reduction of renal perfusion pressure to approximately to 70% of its initial value resulted in uncoupling of glomerular plasma flow rate and single-nephron glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (i.e., disproportionally profound fall in the latter) in AWD and CHF rats, whereas both indices changed little in normal control (NC) rats. The profound decrease in single-nephron GFR in AWD and CHF rats was primarily due to a reduction in glomerular capillary pressure (change from base-line value was -29 +/- 2% in AWD, -27 +/- 1% in CHF, and -8 +/- 2% in NC). This profound fall in glomerular capillary pressure in AWD and CHF rats was associated with a reduction in efferent arteriolar resistance, which contrastingly increased in NC. To investigate the mechanism underlying this unique efferent arteriolar responsiveness in AWD and CHF, the response of renal arterioles to exogenous angiotensin II was examined in separate groups of AWD, CHF, and NC. There was a markedly attenuated efferent arteriolar vasoconstrictive response in AWD and CHF (the change of efferent arteriolar resistance in both groups was some 5% of that in NC). Thus impairment in the ability to preserve GFR in these two conditions is attributed, at least in part, to altered efferent arteriolar response in the face of reduced renal perfusion pressure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The structure and performance of the interim.2 go program

We describe interim variants of a Go program based on skilled human models. The program maintains a permanent, selectively-updated, multilevel network analogous to the skilled player's perceptual and cognitive representation of the game situation. Moves are chosen by a hierarchy of experts and critics operating on this network. Lookahead is a selective, goal-related process, one among many components of Go skill. After an overview of system organization, we illustrate the program's performance with three segments from actual games.
Humidity Effects on Porous Silica Thin Films

Impedance Spectroscopy is being used to study the humidity sensitivity of porous silica thin films. The films are processed via a colloidal sol-gel method which leaves some remnant potassium and sodium. Previous work on bulk porous silica samples processed by the same method showed that the dielectric properties and ac conductivity were very sensitive to changes in humidity. The aim of this work was to determine if the same dependencies could be found in the thin films. The capacitance, dielectric loss, and ac conductivity of the films were measured in a controlled environment chamber from 20–80% RH for frequencies ranging from 10Hz -10MHz. In addition to characterizing films with varying amounts of residual alkali ions obtained through leaching, we have also measured films that were surface doped with controlled amounts of KCl, LiCl, or NaCl. Relative humidity dependencies in the films are not as dramatic as in the bulk samples. The reasons for this behavior are not yet clear, but may be associated with the porosity, thickness, and surface area of the films.
Deformation Behavior of High Temperature Intermetallic TiAl Alloyed with Gallium

TiAl (γ) intermetallic has been investigated with ternary additions of up to 10 at% Ga. Optical microscopy reveals that gallium can be retained in solution to at least 7 at%. Microhardness data reveals that Ga substituted for Al such that Ti/(Al+Ga)=l causes solution softening. Deformation behavior of the single phase alloy in compression is reported. Perfect dislocations of the a/2[110] type and superdislocations of the a[011] type and a/2[112] type have been observed. TEM results indicate that primary deformation is contributed by a/2[110] type dislocations and twinning on (111) planes with wavy slip optically observed
Asian longhorned beetle complicates the relationship between taxonomic diversity and pest vulnerability in street tree assemblages

Urban foresters routinely emphasise the importance of taxonomic diversity to reduce the vulnerability of tree assemblages to invasive pests, but it is unclear to what extent diversity reduces vulnerability to polyphagous (i.e. generalist) pests. Drawing on field data from seven communities in metropolitan Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, we tested the hypothesis that communities with higher diversity would exhibit lower vulnerability to the polyphagous Asian longhorned beetle, which currently threatens the region. Based on street tree compositions and the beetle’s host preferences, Asian longhorned beetle threatened up to 35.6% of individual street trees and 47.5% of the total basal area across the study area, but we did not see clear connections between taxonomic diversity and beetle vulnerability among study communities. For example, the city of Fairfield was among the least diverse communities but had the lowest proportion of trees vulnerable to Asian longhorned beetle, whereas the city of Wyoming exhibited high...
Cancer incidence among imazethapyr-exposed pesticide applicators in the agricultural health study cohort

B115 Background:Imazethapyr is a widely used crop herbicide first registered for use in 1989. Although it is extensively used, little is known regarding its cancer risk in humans. Objectives: We evaluated cancer risk from imazethapyr exposure among pesticide applicators enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) cohort. Methods: The AHS is a cohort of 57,311 pesticide applicators in North Carolina and Iowa, enrolled from 1993-1997 and followed for cancer through 2004. A comprehensive questionnaire collected information on exposure to imazethapyr and potential confounders. Among the 49,398 licensed pesticide applicators eligible for analysis, 20,646 reported use of imazethapyr. Imazethapyr exposure was classified by intensity-weighted cumulative exposure days (IWED), calculated as [years of use x days per year x intensity level]. Poisson regression analysis was used to calculate rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to evaluate the association of imazethapyr exposure among 2,907 incident cases of cancer. Results: Our results show a small increase in overall cancer risk with increasing imazethapyr use (RR=1.13, 95% CI 0.96, 1.34) when the highest exposed was compared with the nonexposed group. We observed a statistically significant increased risk for bladder cancer (RR=2.37, 95% CI 1.20- 4.68, p for trend 0.01) and colon cancer (RR=1.64, 95% CI 1.00- 2.69, p for trend 0.05) when the highest exposed was compared with the nonexposed group. We did not observe an association among prostate, lung, melanoma, rectal, kidney, oral, pancreas, or lymphohematopoietic cancers. Conclusion: Occupational exposure to imazethapyr, an aromatic amine, was significantly associated with bladder and colon cancer in the AHS cohort. Replication of these results, however, and continued follow-up of this cohort is needed to confirm these findings.
Let’s Build a Better Mousetrap

Many saw our most recent financial meltdown coming. Increased volatility in global financial markets were the early warnings of discomfort, just as farmers claim jittery livestock and wildlife are precursors to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. These early warnings though did not seem to prepare us to quickly clean up the mess.
The A. F. of L. in Convention Cities

MEMBERS OF the American Federation of Labor Nonpartisan Political Campaign Committee attended the conventions of both political parties. They talked privately with political figures, and they no doubt heard reassuring promises, off the record. Of these things contemporaries knew little. Labor delegations appeared before the resolutions committee of both parties on behalf of the planks they wanted to see placed in the platforms. What they asked and what they received is easily told. The rest can now be more or less pieced together.
Rebuilding Leviathan: COMPETING FOR THE STATE

Everyone is trying to get ahead of his competitors, which some claim is the common ill of all democratic countries. Nakae Chmin, A Discourse by Three Drunkards on Government Why did post-communist parties pursue state exploitation? And why do we see variation in its subsequent levels? To answer the first question, this chapter analyzes how democratic commitments and organizational resources lead parties to adopt specific strategies of survival through the state. In other contexts, these lead some parties to choose clientelism as a way of extracting state resources, while other parties prey on the state or control it by fusing the state administration with party organization. To explain why we see variation in exploitation, this chapter looks to political competition, reconceptualized as parliamentary behavior rather than as shares of seats or turnover in office. The impact of competition on rent seeking is controversial. On the one hand, intense competition creates incentives for parties to grab resources to ensure their future success. The more intense the competition, therefore, the more exploitation we would expect to observe. On the other hand, a long tradition in both economics and politics argues that competition hinders opportunism and the seeking of excess profits or private benefits. In some analyses, the third-party benefits of competition are even its chief legitimation. We would therefore expect party competition to constrain political party opportunism. This dispute begs two questions: What kind of party competition can curb state exploitation?
The Screening and Incentive Roles of Input-Based and Output-Based Covenants

We show that different types of debt covenants have different relations with borrowers’ future risk-taking: investment covenants, which restrict the amount of investment, have a positive relation with borrowers’ future operating risk, while performance covenants and performance pricing provisions, which both depend on the outcome of these investments, have a negative relation with risk. We distinguish between screening and incentive explanations for these relations and find that the positive relation between investment covenants and borrowers’ future risk is entirely due to screening effects: riskier borrowers agree to contracts with investment covenants, but both investment and performance covenants dampen borrowers’ risk-taking incentives. Corroborating the screening role of investment covenants, we find that lenders are more likely to use these covenants when precontractual information asymmetry is more costly. Collectively, our findings provide insight into the purpose and incentive consequences of different types of debt covenants, which are an important source of heterogeneity in debt contracts.
Matrix Multiplication in Multiphysics Systems Using CUDA

Multiphysics systems are used to simulate various physics phenomena given by Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). The most popular method of solving PDEs is Finite Element method. The simulations require large amount of computational power, that is mostly caused by extensive processing of matrices. The high computational requirements have led recently to parallelization of algorithms and to utilization of Graphic Processing Units (GPUs). To take advantage of GPUs, one of GPU programming models has to be used. In this paper, CUDA model developed by nVidia is used to implement two parallel matrix multiplication algorithms. To evaluate the effectiveness of these algorithms, several experiments have been performed. Results have been compared with results obtained by classic Central Processing Unit (CPU) matrix multiplication algorithm. The comparison shows that matrix multiplication on GPU significantly outperforms classic CPU approach.
More Is Less: A Law-and-Economics Approach to the International Scope of Private Antitrust Enforcement

Increased international trade has focused attention on the question of who should be allowed to bring United States antitrust claims. As the distinctions between the "United States economy" and the "global economy" have waned, the problem of which international antitrust cases United States courts should hear has waxed. This Article applies a law-and-economics framework to the major arguments in this debate. In particular, this analysis shows how a broader view of subject matter jurisdiction in these cases not only achieves its own claims of superiority in terms of deterrence, but also might better realize the claimed advantage of the narrow view in reducing antitrust litigation. Under certain assumptions, "more" jurisdiction over international cases can lead to "less" litigation.
Hirohito's War: The Pacific War, 1941–1945: Pike, Francis. London: Bloomsbury 1,110 pp., $45.00, ISBN 978-1-4725-9670-3 Publication Date: July 2015

Hirohito's War is a comprehensive single-volume narrative of the Pacific Theater of World War II that explores its origins and processes in the context of shifting global power dynamics. This book ...
Draft Genome Sequence of Hydrogenibacillus schlegelii MA48, a Deep-Branching Member of the Bacilli Class of Firmicutes.

We report here the draft genome sequence of Hydrogenibacillus schlegelii MA48, a thermophilic facultative anaerobe that can oxidize hydrogen aerobically. H. schlegelii MA48 belongs to a deep-branching clade of the Bacilli class and provides important insight into the acquisition of aerobic respiration within the Firmicutes phylum.
Upper Ocean Chemistry: Space and Time Scales

The variability at all space and time scales observed in the upper ocean is in marked contrast with the relative uniformity of distributions in the deep ocean. The complexity and variability of the upper layers of the ocean at a wide range of space and time scales has been demonstrated by the dense sampling techniques available for temperature, salinity and chlorophyll. It is highly probable that for many chemical constituents there will be similar structure which is not accessible for study by present methods. Three partial resolutions of this problem are suggested: (1) Development of methods to give comparable density of observation in the three dimensions x, z & t, (2) Relations between selected organic compounds which may have large coherence scales as a result of their specific biological functions, and (3) Integration of surface and deep water studies, particularly, but not solely, through the use of sediment trap methods.
Surgery Approaches in Mesothelioma

The role of surgical resection in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is controversial, but cancer-directed surgery has yielded long-term survivors and demonstrated 15% 5-year survival. The two operations developed for surgical resection, extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP), and radical or extended pleurectomy/decortication (P/D) are described. In addition, this chapter summarizes the preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative management of these patients and the results of studies evaluating both procedures. Data and clinical experience suggest that P/D is better tolerated by patients, and evidence suggests survival is not worse. Although EPP is still performed in selected cases, the authors advocate radical P/D for most patients with MPM.
Phospholipase A2 Metabolites Mediate Endothelin Stimulation of the Human Brain Natriuretic Peptide Promoter

P155 Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) gene expression accompanies cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. The vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 (ET)may be involved in the development of these diseases. ET has also been shown to activate phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ). Thus we studied whether ET and PLA 2 metabolites regulate BNP gene expression. The hBNP promoter (-1818 to + 100) coupled to a luciferase reporter gene was transferred into neonatal ventricular myocytes (NVM),and luciferase activity was measured as an index of promoter activity. ET (10 -7 M)induced BNP mRNA in NVM as assessed by Northern blot. It also stimulated the hBNP promoter 4-fold vs control, an effect completely inhibited by actinomycin D. To test the involvement of different PLA 2 isoforms, transfected cells were treated with the Ca ++ -independent PLA 2 (iPLA 2 )inhibitor bromoenol lactone (BEL), the cytosolic PLA 2 inhibitor methyl arachidonyl fluorophosphonate, or the secretory PLA 2 inhibitor ONO-RS-082 prior to stimulation with ET. Only the iPLA 2 inhibitor BEL prevented ET-stimulated hBNP promoter activity. The PLA 2 metabolite lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) also activated the hBNP promoter (2.2-fold; n = 3), but lysophosphatidylcholine did not. To test whether arachidonic acid metabolites are involved in ET’s effect, cells were pretreated with either a lipoxygenase (LO), cyclooxygenase, or p450 monooxygenase inhibitor. Only the LO inhibitor baicalein prevented ET stimulation of the hBNP promoter. Finally, we studied the involvement of cis elements in ET-stimulated hBNP promoter activity. Deletion of BNP promoter sequences from -1818 to -408 and from -408 to -40 reduced ET’s effect by 54% and 78%, respectively. Moreover, ET-stimulated luciferase activity was reduced by 53% when the GATA element (at position -85 relative to the start site of transcription) was mutated. These data suggest that: 1) ET activates the hBNP promoter through a transcriptional mechanism; 2) LPA, perhaps generated by a BEL-sensitive iPLA 2 , is involved in ET’s effect; 3) a LO pathway may also mediate ET signaling; and 4) ET regulation of the hBNP promoter targets both distal and proximal cis elements, including GATA.
Abstract P202: Role of Lipid Peroxidation--Derived Carbonyls in Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

Pathological left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a key factor in the development of heart failure and cardiomyopathy. It is characterized by increased oxidative stress however the mechanisms by which it affects pathological LVH remain unclear. Because the effects of reactive oxygen species are mediated by products of lipid peroxidation, we hypothesize that myocardial injury induced by LVH is mediated by lipid carbonyls, which form covalent adducts with proteins that induces autophagy. To test this hypothesis, we examined the role of aldose reductase (AKR1B3; AR) an enzyme that catalyzes the detoxification of lipid carbonyls in modulating the cardiac stress responses in WT and AR-null mice hearts that were subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Two weeks after the TAC cardiac enlargement in the AR-null TAC mice was more prominent compared with WT TAC mice. Hemodynamic analysis of the AR-null TAC mice demonstrated left ventricular dilatation and severe contractile dysfunction compared with WT TAC mice. Expression levels of molecular marker for hypertrophy (ANF) increased 2-3 fold in AR-null TAC compared with the WT-TAC. Western blot analysis of the heart homogenates using anti-4 hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (HNE) antibody showed that the formation of HNE-protein adduct (300KDa) increased 100-fold and the bands corresponding to molecular weights of 75KDa, 40KDa increased 2 to 3-fold after the TAC in WT hearts and the intensity of these bands in AR-null TAC hearts was significantly higher compared with WT TAC. Immuno-blot analysis of the heart homogenates revealed an increase in the LC3-I to LC3-II conversion in banded hearts compared with sham-operated controls and the autophagic activity was more prominent in the AR-null compared to the WT banded hearts. Isolated adult cardiomyocytes from WT and AR-null hearts perfused with HNE resulted in an increase in autophagy and the increase in autophagic activity was robust in AR-null than in WT myocytes. These data establish that TAC-induced hypertrophy increases protein-HNE-adduct formation and autophagic activity and the deletion of akr1b3 gene exacerbates these responses to pressure overload.
Modern Human Being: Perspective from Psychiatric Diseases

Science tells facts using evidence that can be tested or verified with repeatable manners. However, subjective concepts like psychiatric definitions are only from physician’s subjective labeling on patient’s behavioral changes. Is there any robust evidence to these overlapping behaviors of defined psychiatric disorders? When behavior was considered as the evidence of scientific definition, we modern human beings are cheating ourselves through changing the basic concept: evidence is the physical object that can be detected or proved using definitive methods. The de facto situation for us today is how we can face challenging topics like death, life, and our human being ourselves. Even we have substantially developed technologies, and theoretically get advanced on some fields, but we still cannot answer these subjective questions mentioned above, those we intentionally avoid to doing in-depth studies. We need to do reconsideration about these unavoidable topics seriously. Do not have science mask our eyes.
Pluralism and proportionality in the representation of European international civil society within the UN framework: a sub-regional comparison

This research utilized the United Nations’ Integrated Civil Society Organizations (ICSO) database in analyzing case studies of spatial variations among connections between the UN and international ...
Implanted neural network potentials: Application to Li-Si alloys

Modeling the behavior of materials composed of elements with different bonding and electronic structure character for large spatial and temporal scales and over a large compositional range is a challenging problem. Cases in point are amorphous alloys of Si, a prototypical covalent material, and Li, a prototypical metal, which are being considered as anodes for high-energy-density batteries. To address this challenge, we develop a methodology based on neural networks that extends the conventional training approach to incorporate pre-trained parts that capture the character of different components, into the overall network; we refer to this model as the ``implanted neural network'' method. We show that this approach works well for the Si-Li amorphous alloys for a wide range of compositions, giving good results for key quantities like the diffusion coefficients. The method is readily generalizable to more complicated situations that involve two or more different elements.
Expanding the Classroom: Local Government Practitioners’ Use of Academic Resources

Drawing on E. L. Boyer’s Scholarship Reconsidered (1990), we propose that public affairs education could be conceptualized to include the education of not just current students but also practitione...
Competencies of a Recreational Food Service Manager

Recreational food service is a newly-identified industry segment. It represents over 3 percent of the total industry and has its own specific competency requirements, in addition to core food service management competency needs. The education, training, and development needs for professionals in this industry segment have not as yet been ascertained. This article is an effort to establish a benchmark for future research in this area.
Cladistics and the Classification of the Great Apes

Nineteenth century epistemologists identified the limits of exact knowledge and the detection of the laws of nature with the “natural system” of classification. In particular, William Whewell (1847), John Stuart Mill (1862), and W. Stanley Jevons (1874) stressed the importance of classification in the discovery of natural groups. Their contemporary, Charles Darwin, also argued that genealogy forms the basis for the natural system of classification of species, as evidenced by his letter (Darwin, 1857) to Thomas Huxley (see epigraph) and the repeated emphasis placed on genealogy in his widely read and influential books On The Origin of Species (Darwin, 1859) and The Descent Of Man (Darwin, 1871).
Medical Aspects of Volcanic Eruptions

Volcanic eruptions are relatively rare occurring natural disasters. In the past century, there have been 27 volcanic eruptions resulting in fatalities worldwide. While most volcanic events have limited casualties, owing to advanced warning and preparedness in high-risk zones, eruptions may sometimes be sudden and occur in densely populated areas where mass casualties and mass fatalities can be catastrophic. The most lethal volcanic eruption in modern history occurred in Nevado del Ruiz, Columbia in 1985 killing over 23,000 and injuring over 10,000 (Fig. 5.1).
Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Childhood Obesity in a Sample of Low‐Income, Single Female, Parent/Guardian Households: Implications for Family Therapists

The United States is in the midst of a childhood obesity epidemic that disproportionately impacts underserved and diverse populations. In this study, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 low-income, single, female, parent/guardians of an overweight or obese 3- to 8-year-old from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Following the tenets of the thematic analysis approach, interviews focused on identifying risk and protective factors influencing parental and child health behaviors associated with child weight status. Results from the interviews are organized according to the Socioecological Framework to help identify risk and protective factors at various system levels. Findings from this investigation have relevance for family therapists as they can inform clinical and advocacy-focused interventions with disadvantaged families affected by childhood obesity.
A cladistic view of the Monostilifera (Hoplonemertea) with interwoven rhynchocoel musculature: a preliminary assessment

A cladistic analysis was performed on 21 previously described and putative new genera comprising all hoplonemerteans having both monostilifery and interwoven rhynchocoel musculature. Traditional taxonomic methods have placed these genera into two existing families and one putative new family, but there has been active debate as to relationships within and between these groups. Sixty-one characters were employed. The intent of this study was to further elucidate relationships within and between these groups but without addressing their possible positions in the higher taxonomic scheme. The results suggest that the family Plectonemertidae (sensu Moore & Gibson, 1988) and the family Cratenemertidae are paraphyletic as is a new Antarctic form which appears to constitute a monotypic family. The results further suggest that Plectonemertes represents a monotypic family, the five `Group 2' terrestrial genera (Acteonemertes, Argonemertes, Antiponemertes, Leptonemertes and Katechonemertes) form a distinct family, and the freshwater genera Campbellonemertes and Potamonemertes represent either a single distinct family or two monotypic families. The family Cratenemertidae is seen as containing three subfamilies. The analysis also indicates that these groups, in which 10 of the 21 genera are highly habitat-adapted, exhibit no greater homoplasy than is evident in the animal and plant kingdoms generally. Formal designation and naming of the new family group entities suggested here must await publication of original descriptions or redescriptions of the underlying species and genera.
The anthropology of Al-Shabaab: the salient factors for the insurgency movement’s recruitment project

ABSTRACTHarakaat Al-Shabaab Al-Mujaahiduun (henceforth Al-Shabaab) is an active insurgent group in southern Somalia battling against the foreign forces and foreign-backed Somali forces. Despite rec...
Supervised Mixture Models for Population Health

We examine a machine learning approach for deriving insights from observational healthcare data in order to improve public health. Our goal is to simultaneously identify patient subpopulations with differing health risks and find the distinct risk factors or determinants associated with each subpopulation. Here, we develop a supervised Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) approach for subpopulation modeling that combines GMMs with L1-logistic regression. We demonstrate the approach on an analysis of high cost drivers of Medicaid expenditures for inpatient stays associated with Newborn, Pregnancy, and Circulatory Systems diagnostic categories. These conditions were chosen because they had the highest total inpatient expenditures in New York State (NYS) in 2016. When compared with state-of-the-art learning methods (random forests, boosting, deep learning), our approach provides comparable prediction performance but also extracts insightful explanations of the subpopulation structure and risk factors within each subpopulation. Sequentially applying unsupervised learning methods and then applying logistic regression fails to yield equally meaningful results: the unsupervised subpopulations are homogeneous and moderately predictable, while some of our subpopulations are highly predictable with easy-to-identify drivers of cost. Focusing on newborns, we unveil subpopulations indicative of the landscape of healthcare in NYS: about 90% of the discharges are healthy New York City babies and about 1% are costly complex cases. Subpopulations indicate regional disparities: for example newborns from Central, Southern and Western NY are of higher risk for high-cost stays associated with substance abuse. The results indicate the promise of the approach for future population health studies based on electronic health care records.
Colloidal Synthesis of Tunable Copper Phosphide Nanocrystals

Colloidal copper phosphide (Cu3–xP) nanocrystals are attractive materials because of their ability to support excess delocalized holes, leading to localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorpt...
Qualitative Studies on Body-Based Interventions for Refugees: A Meta-Synthesis

Refugees and asylum seekers often experience violent conflict, profound loss, and exposure to physical, sexual, and relational traumas. Psychotherapy approaches that involve the body and movement c...
Ferreting out the secrets of industrial hemp protein as emerging functional food ingredients

Abstract Background Since the demand of proteins for an ever-growing population keeps increasing worldwide, people are looking for alternative proteins sources. In recent years, plant proteins have drawn scientific and industrial interest because of their health, ethical and/or religious preferences among consumers. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is an annual herbaceous plant characterized with high quality oil, protein, carbohydrates, insoluble fibers, vitamins, and nutritional minerals. Particularly, hemp proteins are recognized with excellent nutritional value. Scope and approach The aim of this study is to provide a critical review on the potential uses and global production of industrial hemp. Additionally, this paper summarizes all the aspects relating to the nutritional value and heath beneficial effects of hemp protein and its hydrolysates and peptides. The structure, functional properties and flavor profiles of hemp protein are illustrated. The applications and challenges of hemp protein in food systems are also presented. Key findings and conclusion Hemp proteins are characterized as good protein source with adequate essential amino acids and excellent digestibility. The hydrolyzed peptides exhibit various health benefits, such as antioxidant activity, antihypertensive activity, hypoglycaemic activity, etc. The functional properties of hemp proteins are to some extent related with their structure, which may be altered by isolation methods, pre-treatment and chemical modifications. Despite the progress in the characterization of hemp proteins, a deep understanding is needed to improve their functional properties and flavor profile with the purpose of expanding their utilization as valuable food ingredients in the food industry.
Safety, tolerability, and immune-biomarker profiling for year-long sargramostim treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Background Neuroinflammation plays a pathogenic role in Parkinson's disease (PD). Immunotherapies that restore brain homeostasis can mitigate neurodegeneration by transforming T cell phenotypes. Sargramostim has gained considerable attention as an immune transformer through laboratory bench to bedside clinical studies. However, its therapeutic use has been offset by dose-dependent adverse events. Therefore, we performed a reduced drug dose regimen to evaluate safety and to uncover novel disease-linked biomarkers during 5 days/week sargramostim treatments for one year. Methods Five PD subjects were enrolled in a Phase 1b, unblinded, open-label study to assess safety and tolerability of 3 μg/kg/day sargramostim. Complete blood counts and chemistry profiles, physical examinations, adverse events (AEs), immune profiling, Movement Disorder Society-Sponsored Revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) scores, T cell phenotypes/function, DNA methylation, and gene and protein patterns were evaluated. Findings Sargramostim administered at 3 μg/kg/day significantly reduced numbers and severity of AEs/subject/month compared to 6 μg/kg/day treatment. While MDS-UPDRS Part III score reductions were recorded, peripheral blood immunoregulatory phenotypes and function were elevated. Hypomethylation of upstream FOXP3 DNA elements was also increased. Interpretation Long-term sargramostim treatment at 3 μg/kg/day is well-tolerated and effective in restoring immune homeostasis. There were decreased numbers and severity of AEs and restored peripheral immune function coordinate with increased numbers and function of Treg. MDS-UPDRS Part III scores did not worsen. Larger patient numbers need be evaluated to assess conclusive drug efficacy (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03790670). Funding The research was supported by community funds to the University of Nebraska Foundation and federal research support from 5 R01NS034239-25.
Effect of Inadequate Sleep on Frequent Mental Distress.

Introduction One-third of US adults report sleeping less than the recommended amount, and approximately 20% live with a mental illness. The objective of our study was to examine the association between inadequate sleep and frequent mental distress in a population-based sample of US adults. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study by using 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data that included 273,695 US adults aged 18 to 64. Inadequate sleep was defined as 6 hours or less in a given night, and frequent mental distress was defined as self-reporting 14 days of mental health status as "not good" within the last month. We used weighted logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. Results Thirteen percent of study participants experienced inadequate sleep, and 14.1% experienced frequent mental distress. Participants who averaged 6 hours or less of sleep per night were about 2.5 times more likely to have frequent mental distress when controlling for confounders (OR, 2.52; 95% CI, 2.32-2.73) than those who slept more than 6 hours. Conclusion Inadequate sleep was associated with significantly increased odds of frequent mental distress. Our findings suggest that further research is necessary to evaluate the temporal relationship between inadequate sleep and frequent mental distress.