cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Insects and Their Connection to Food Allergy

The food demands of a growing world population have spurred increasing popularity of sustainable, novel food sources, including edible insects. As with any novel food, however, the introduction of insects into foods may pose food allergy risks. Food allergies are an important concern, as they affect an estimated 5% of adults and can result in severe or life-threatening reactions. Novel foods potentially contain proteins capable of sensitizing and eliciting allergic reactions, which have yet to be identified due to the lack of exposure. Additionally in the case of insects, individuals with an existing crustacean shellfish allergy may have allergic reactions upon consumption of insects due to cross-reactivity between homologous proteins found in the different species. While minimal characterization has been conducted on potential insect food allergens, extensive information is available about the clinically relevant homologs from crustacean shellfish, primarily tropomyosin and arginine kinase. This chapter describes the food allergy risks associated with insect consumption and the proteins responsible for these risks.
High Current Density and Low Thermal Conductivity of Atomically Thin Semimetallic WTe2

Two-dimensional (2D) semimetals beyond graphene have been relatively unexplored in the atomically thin limit. Here, we introduce a facile growth mechanism for semimetallic WTe2 crystals and then fabricate few-layer test structures while carefully avoiding degradation from exposure to air. Low-field electrical measurements of 80 nm to 2 μm long devices allow us to separate intrinsic and contact resistance, revealing metallic response in the thinnest encapsulated and stable WTe2 devices studied to date (3–20 layers thick). High-field electrical measurements and electrothermal modeling demonstrate that ultrathin WTe2 can carry remarkably high current density (approaching 50 MA/cm2, higher than most common interconnect metals) despite a very low thermal conductivity (of the order ∼3 Wm–1 K–1). These results suggest several pathways for air-stable technological viability of this layered semimetal.
Understanding the Analytic Hierarchy Process

In this chapter, we will explain the fundamentals of the Analytic Hierarchy Process. The reader is referred to the original Saaty (2012)’s discussion of AHP or to Brunnelli (2015)’s for a theoretical introduction to the method. In this book, AHP concepts will be explained from a practical point of view, using examples for greater clarity.
Infliximab does not increase colonic cancer risk associated to murine chronic colitis.

Aim To explore the influence of Infliximab (IFX) on cancer progression in a murine model of colonic cancer associated to chronic colitis. Methods AOM/DSS model was induced in C57BL/6 mice. Mice were injected with IFX (5 mg/kg) during each DSS cycle while control mice received saline. Body weight, occult blood test and stool consistency were measured to calculate the disease activity index (DAI). Mice were sacrificed at week 10 and colons were analyzed macroscopically and microscopically for number of cancers and degree of inflammation. MTT assay was performed on CT26 to evaluate the potential IFX role on metabolic activity and proliferation. Cells were incubated with TNF-α or IFX or TNF-α plus IFX, and cell vitality was evaluated after 6, 24 and 48 h. The same setting was used after pre-incubation with TNF-α for 24 h. Results IFX significantly reduced DAI and body weight loss in mice compared with controls, preserving also colon length at sacrifice. Histological score was also reduced in treated mice. At macroscopic analysis, IFX treated mice showed a lower number of tumor lesions compared to controls. This was confirmed at microscopic analysis, although differences were not statistically significant. In vitro, IFX treated CT26 maintained similar proliferation ability at MTT test, both when exposed to IFX alone and when associated to TNF-α. Conclusion IFX did not increase colonic cancer risk in AOM-DSS model of cancer on chronic colitis nor influence directly the proliferation of murine colon cancer epithelial cells.
Studies on Fatigue Design Margins of Welded Steel Structures

This paper discusses fatigue design margins based on large-sized specimens that are considered to be more closely related to actual components. A fatigue design curve is generally determined by applying an adequate margin to a best-fit curve obtained from laboratory tests using small-sized specimens. However, the reason and the background for the margin setting are unclear and controversial. In ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Codes Section III, for example, a factor of 2 on stress and a factor of 20 on life are applied to the best-fit curves. The conservatism of these factors has been the topic of discussion recently. In addition to a basic method like ASME Section III, new design concepts for welded structures, equivalent structural stress approach, has been proposed recently and adopted to design codes in Europe (EN13445) and the U.S. (ASME Section VIII Division 2). Thus, the design margins by these three methods were compared. The comparison made it clear that the ASME Sec. III method gives the most conservative margin, and the lowest value is approximately 2.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Lmo2's Oncogenic Function in T-Cell Leukemia Requires Ldb1

LIM domain Only-2 (LMO2) is one of the most frequently deregulated oncogenes in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). LMO2 encodes a small protein with 2 LIM domains that is part of a large multiprotein complex in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, where it is required for HSC specification and maintenance. Many of LMO29s protein partners in HSPCs are expressed in T-ALL implying that protein complexes similar to those nucleated by LMO2 in HSPCs also play a role in leukemia. In this study, we analyzed a critical component of the LMO2 associated complex, LIM domain binding1 (LDB1). LDB1 appears to be an obligate partner of LMO2 in HSPCs but it is not required for T-cell development from committed progenitors. LDB1 is concordantly expressed with LMO2 in human T-ALL although its expression is more widespread than LMO2. To further define Ldb19s role in leukemia, we induced its conditional knockout in CD2-Lmo2 transgenic mice. CD2-Lmo2 transgenic mice develop T-ALL with high penetrance and closely model the human disease. We discovered that Lmo2-induced T-ALL was markedly attenuated in penetrance and latency by Ldb1 deletion. Since Lmo2 induces a distinct differentiation arrest in T-cell progenitors prior to leukemic transformation, we analyzed the differentiation of T-cell progenitors in CD2-Lmo2 transgenic/floxed- Ldb1 / Lck-Cre mice and in non- Lmo2 transgenics: floxed- Ldb1 / Lck-Cre mice. Ldb1 deletion by Lck-Cre was efficient in double negative and double positive T-cell progenitors. In striking contrast, Ldb1 deletion could not be induced in CD2-Lmo2 transgenic T-cell progenitors. Consistent with this finding, T-ALLs that developed in CD2-Lmo2/floxed-Ldb1/Lck-Cre mice had incomplete deletion of Ldb1 . These results imply that Ldb1 is a required factor for Lmo2 to induce T-ALL. Lastly, gene expression analysis of Lmo2-induced T-ALLs and ChIP-exonuclease analysis of Ldb1 occupancy in T-ALL suggested that the Lmo2/Ldb1 complex enforced a gene signature similar to that seen in HSPCs and in Early T-cell Precursor ALL. In conclusion, Ldb1 is a required partner for Lmo2 to induce T-ALL. Additionally, the HSPC function of Lmo2/Ldb1 complexes may be recapitulated in T-cell progenitors prior to T-ALL. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
A Novel Tissue Factor Resistance Locus on Mouse Chromosome 11 Confers Protection from Thrombosis through Reduced Activity of Factor XI

Thrombosis of arteries and veins is fundamentally important in human diseases such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and venous thrombotic events. Thrombus formation in response to tissue factor (TF) is highly regulated and results from the complex interactions of pro -, anti -coagulant and fibrinolytic effectors. We have taken a mouse genetic approach to identify novel molecules and pathways that regulate the response to a thrombotic trigger. Previously, we observed that the wild-derived inbred mouse strain Cast/EiJ (Cast) was completely resistant to an otherwise lethal dose of TF in an in vivo model of pulmonary embolism (PE). TF-resistance was 100% in the F1 offspring of an intercross to a susceptible strain, C57Bl6/J (B6). To identify the gene(s) mediating TF-resistance, we performed genome-wide linkage analysis on 200 N2 generation animals from a Cast-B6 backcross and found several TF-resistance loci. One such locus was on the proximal end of chromosome 11 (chr11, rs3088940). At the chr11 marker, animals heterozygous for B6 and Cast alleles were significantly protected in the PE model (median survival times of 770 vs. 210 seconds, p 1200 seconds, respectively (p in vitro analyses of coagulation. Whole blood clotting times triggered with dilute TF were significantly prolonged in 11C mice as compared to B6 (53.7±0.4 vs. 48.9±0.4 sec, p in vivo .
SOMSC: Self-Organization-Map for High-Dimensional Single-Cell Data of Cellular States and Their Transitions

Measurements of gene expression levels for multiple genes in single cells provide a powerful approach to study heterogeneity of cell populations and cellular plasticity. While the expression levels of multiple genes in each cell are available in such data, the potential connections among the cells (e.g. the lineage relationship) are not directly evident from the measurement. Classifying cellular states and identifying transitions among those states are challenging due to many factors, including the small number of cells versus the large number of genes collected in the data. In this paper we adapt a classical self-organizing-map approach to single-cell gene expression data, such as those based on qPCR and RNA-seq. In this method (SOMSC), a cellular state map (CSM) is derived and employed to identify cellular states inherited in a population of measured single cells. Cells located in the same basin of the CSM are considered as in one cellular state while barriers between the basins provide information on transitions among the cellular states. Consequently, paths of cellular state transitions (e.g. differentiation) and a temporal ordering of the measured single cells are obtained. Applied to a set of synthetic data, two single-cell qPCR data sets and two single-cell RNA-seq data sets for a simulated model of cell differentiation, and systems on the early embryo development, haematopoietic cell lineages, human preimplanation embryo development, and human skeletal muscle myoblasts differentiation, the SOMSC shows good capabilities in identifying cellular states and their transitions in the high-dimensional single-cell data. This approach will have broad applications in studying cell lineages and cellular fate specification.
The Revisionist Union and Britain: From declarations of “loyalty” to the employment of “methods of bullying”

AbstractThe nature of British rule in Palestine, as it settled down after the approval of the Mandate in 1922, had its critics among the Zionist ranks. Using original sources, this paper examines the attitudes of the leadership of the Revisionist Union (RU) towards the British from the first quarter of the 1920s till the mid-1930s. Unlike the later paramilitary organizations, the Revisionist founders, convinced, in their own words, of the common interests shared with the British Empire, had no intention of terminating the British presence, but sought to transform it in order to serve Zionism’s objectives. While official Zionism preferred backstage diplomacy, the RU pursued a different strategy – appealing directly to the masses and making its cause as public and vocal as possible. Eventually, the RU’s strategy combined the principle of pro-British orientation with merciless criticism of Palestine policies on the ground. As far as the British were concerned, the Colonial Office was at best willing to toler...
iSchedule: Campus-scale HVAC Scheduling via Mobile WiFi Monitoring

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems account for over 50% of the energy consumed by commercial buildings. While "smart" HVAC technologies, such as learning thermostats, are widely available for residential use, commercial buildings typically rely on legacy systems that are difficult to upgrade and require facility managers to manually set HVAC schedules. In this paper, we propose a novel Machine Learning-driven technique to automatically learn custom occupancy-based HVAC schedules for buildings across a large campus. While our technique is compatible with any occupancy sensor, we leverage the existing wireless networking infrastructure that is omnipresent across any modern campus. We analyze building WiFi activity, specifically from smartphones, to infer detailed spatial occupancy patterns in each building, and present an algorithm that learns from these patterns to derive a custom HVAC schedule. Our approach is adaptive and dynamically adjusts its schedules as occupancy patterns change, much like a learning thermostat. To evaluate our techniques, we analyze data from several thousand WiFi access points deployed in 112 office buildings on a university campus. Our analysis reveals significant differences in occupancy patterns across and within buildings, motivating the need for our adaptive learning-based approach. Compared to the current static approach, our results demonstrate that learning HVAC schedules from mobile WiFi activity across the campus can yield a 37% reduction in waste time, a measure of energy savings, and a 3% reduction in miss time, a measure of user comfort.
Standardised exercise testing in 17 reining horses: Musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiac and clinicopathological findings

Summary Exercise testing can be useful to evaluate poor performance, as a preventative medicine tool, and in the assessment of training progression. A comprehensive exercise testing protocol that simultaneously evaluates common causes of poor performance has not been described in reining horses. The objective of this study was to describe the results of a standardised exercise testing protocol in reining horses. Seventeen reining horses that were part of a western performance intercollegiate team and had met the trainer's expectations during the athletic season were evaluated using a comprehensive standardised exercise test. Systems assessed included musculoskeletal system, upper respiratory tract, lower respiratory tract and cardiovascular system. These systems were assessed by means of historical questionnaires, general physical examinations, subjective lameness examinations, gait analysis using digital body mounted inertial sensors, resting and dynamic upper airway endoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytology, echocardiograms, resting and exercising electrocardiography, and laboratory tests (packed cell volume, lactate, creatine kinase and serum amyloid A). Subclinical abnormalities were detected frequently. The musculoskeletal system was the most commonly affected system, but cardiovascular and upper and lower airway abnormalities were also detected in some horses. These results suggest that exercise tests may be useful to detect subclinical abnormalities in horses used for reining. Further evaluation of both normally and poorly performing horses is necessary to determine if exercise testing can improve the health, performance and welfare of horses used for reining.
Aldosterone, Renin, Cardiovascular Events, and All-Cause Mortality Among African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study

Abstract Objectives This study examined the association of aldosterone and plasma renin activity (PRA) with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), using a composite endpoint of coronary heart disease, stroke, and/or heart failure and mortality among African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study. Background There is a paucity of data for the association of aldosterone and PRA with incident CVD or all-cause mortality among community-dwelling African Americans. Methods A total of 4,985 African American adults, 21 to 94 years of age, were followed for 12 years. Aldosterone, PRA, and cardiovascular risk factors were collected at baseline (from 2000 to 2004). Incident events included coronary heart disease and stroke (assessed from 2000 to 2011) and heart failure (assessed from 2005 to 2011). Cox models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for incident CVD and mortality, adjusting for age, sex, education, occupation, current smoking, physical activity, dietary intake, and body mass index. Results Among 4,160 participants without prevalent CVD over a median follow-up of 7 years, there were 322 incident CVD cases. In adjusted analyses, each 1-U SD increase in log-aldosterone and log-PRA were associated with HR of 1.26 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.14 to 1.40) and 1.16 (95% CI: 1.02 to 1.33) for incident CVD, respectively. Over a median of 8 years, 513 deaths occurred among 4,985 participants. In adjusted analyses, each 1-U SD increase in log-aldosterone and log-PRA were associated with HRs of 1.13 (95% CI: 1.04 to 1.23) and 1.12 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.24) for mortality, respectively. Conclusions Elevated aldosterone and PRA may play a significant role in the development of CVD and all-cause mortality among African Americans.
Diffuse Optical Monitoring of Brain and Cancer Hemodynamics

Recent progress applying diffuse optical techniques to measure blood oxygenation, blood flow, and oxygen metabolism during neoadjuvant breast cancer treatment will be described. Similar techniques, applied to cerebral autoregulation and hemodynamics, will also be discussed.
Fuel Flexible Reforming of Hydrocarbons for Automotive Applications

Microreactor tests indicate that the Argonne partial oxidation catalyst is fuel-flexible and can reform conventional (gasoline and diesel) and alternative (ethanol, methanol, natural gas) fuels to hydrogen-rich product gases with high hydrogen selectivity. Alcohols are reformed at lower temperatures ( 700°C for maximum hydrogen production.
Using Models of Seasonality

The fascination of the unfolding blossom or the emerging chrysalis cannot be doubted; it is the compensation of the countless volunteers who man phenological networks. In addition to fascination, however, one can ask if phenology and models of seasonality have utility. This paper, therefore, first provides some prerequisites for utility and then cites some examples.
WHAT IS A COCHRANE REVIEW

In this era of evidence-based practice, it is important for nurses in all settings to understand and have access to high-quality systematic reviews of published evidence. This paper introduces a premier resource, the Cochrane Collaboration, and reviews mechanisms for accessing its published systematic reviews from any practice setting.
Abstract 2477: Exosomal RNA mediates transformation of nontumorigenic human bronchial lung epithelial cells

Exosomes are nanovesicles with a diameter between 30-150 nm. Exosomes are produced and released by all cell types into body fluids and, thus, play a major role in cell-cell communication through the transfer of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids into recipient cells. Uptake of bioactive cargo into recipient cells can impart physiologic and biologic changes in the recipient cell. Especially in cancer, exosome released from cancer cells can reprogram cells, driving various hallmarks of cancer, such as proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis. In this study we evaluated the effects of exosomes, isolated from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, on nontumorigenic human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs). Firstly, we determined that cancer cells generate more exosomes than nontumorigenic cells and that cancer cell-derived exosomes are readily taken up by nontumorigenic cells. The nontumorigenic cells exposed to NSCLC-derived exosomes gained the ability to migration and invade. In parallel, we observed that NSCLC-derived exosomes promoted changes in epithelial-to-mesenchymal gene profiles, supporting the conclusion that HBECs were becoming transformed. Exosomes were also capable of permeablizing a monolayer of human endothelial cells, suggesting that NSCLC-derived exosomes may disrupt the vasculature enhancing metastatic capabilities. Importantly, the transformative effects of the exosomes were mediated mostly by exosomal RNA. Comparing the RNA profile from a panel of cancerous exosomes to RNAs contained inside of exosomes isolated from nontumorigenic, one long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) was highly elevated. Knockout of this lncRNA greatly diminished the capability of the cancerous exosomes to promote the observed hallmarks of cancer, suggesting that a single lncRNA is responsible for the majority of the tumorigenic capacity of the exosomes. In vivo mouse modeling and patient-based evidence are currently under way to support these cell-based findings. Citation Format: Sarunya Kitdumrongthum, Sean Humphrey, Hana Kubo, Feng Tian, Sarah Allen, Nadia Atallah, Humna Hasan, Andrea L. Kasinski. Exosomal RNA mediates transformation of nontumorigenic human bronchial lung epithelial cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2477.
BACTERIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF FILLETING PROCESSES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Summary Bacterial counts of the incoming fish, of the fillets produced from them, and of the surfaces of the processing equipment used were determined in 11 filleting plants in Oregon and Washington. The range in counts was wide. Counts among incoming fish in summer and winter and among fish of different quality, however, did not differ significantly. Washing the fish reduced the counts about 60%. During filleting, flushing the boards on which the filleting was done reduced the contamination on the boards by 85% and reduced the contamination of the fillets by 90%. Because the bacterial load on the fillets is due primarily to contamination, comparing the count on the incoming fish with that on the fillets produced from them was found to be a good index of sanitation during processing.
Dynamics of a Particle

This chapter contains a detailed treatment of the dynamics of a particle. The main emphasis is on obtaining and solving the equations of motion when the particle is subject to constraints. In most cases the solution will be obtained numerically using MATLAB®. Both Newton-Euler and Lagrangian methods are used to obtain the equations of motion. Constraints are handled by either embedding them into the equations of motion (implicitly or explicitly) or solving an augmented system of equations that also yields an explicit expression for the constraint forces. Both ideal and nonideal constraints are considered. Issues that must be addressed when solving the equations of motion numerically are discussed, including the problem of constraint drift.
Tuning spin–orbit coupling in 2D materials for spintronics: a topical review

Atomically-thin 2D materials have opened up new opportunities in the past decade in realizing novel electronic device concepts, owing to their unusual electronic properties. The recent progress made in the aspect of utilizing additional degrees of freedom of the electrons such as spin and valley suggests that 2D materials have a significant potential in replacing current electronic-charge-based semiconductor technology with spintronics and valleytronics. For spintronics, spin-orbit coupling plays a key role in manipulating the electrons' spin degree of freedom to encode and process information, and there are a host of recent studies exploring this facet of 2D materials. We review the recent advances in tuning spin-orbit coupling of 2D materials which are of notable importance to the progression of spintronics.
Non-acylated Wnts Can Promote Signaling

Summary Wnts are a family of 19 extracellular ligands that regulate cell fate, proliferation, and migration during metazoan embryogenesis and throughout adulthood. Wnts are acylated post-translationally at a conserved serine and bind the extracellular cysteine-rich domain (CRD) of Frizzled (FZD) seven-pass transmembrane receptors. Although crystal structures suggest that acylation is essential for Wnt binding to FZDs, we show here that several Wnts can promote signaling in Xenopus laevis and Danio rerio embryos, as well as in an in vitro cell culture model, without acylation. The non-acylated Wnts are expressed at levels similar to wild-type counterparts and retain CRD binding. By contrast, we find that certain other Wnts do require acylation for biological activity in Xenopus embryos, although not necessarily for FZD binding. Our data argue that acylation dependence of Wnt activity is context specific. They further suggest that acylation may underlie aspects of ligand-receptor selectivity and/or control other aspects of Wnt function.
Relationship of Maternal Weight Status Before, During, and After Pregnancy with Breast Milk Hormone Concentrations.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to test associations of prepregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, oral glucose challenge test results, and postpartum weight loss as predictors of breast milk leptin, insulin, and adiponectin concentrations and whether these relationships vary over time. METHODS Milk was collected at 1 and 3 months from 135 exclusively breastfeeding women from the longitudinal Mothers and Infants Linked for Healthy Growth (MILk) study. Hormones were assayed in skimmed samples using ELISA. Mixed-effects linear regression models were employed to assess main effects and effect-by-time interactions on hormone concentrations. RESULTS In adjusted models, BMI was positively associated with milk leptin (P < 0.001) and insulin (P = 0.03) and negatively associated with milk adiponectin (P = 0.02); however, the association was stronger with insulin and weaker with adiponectin at 3 months than at 1 month (time interaction P = 0.017 for insulin and P = 0.045 for adiponectin). Gestational weight gain was positively associated and postpartum weight loss was negatively associated with milk leptin (both P < 0.001), independent of BMI. Oral glucose challenge test results were not associated with these milk hormone concentrations. CONCLUSIONS Maternal weight status before, during, and after pregnancy contributes to interindividual variation in human milk composition. Continuing work will assess the role of these and other milk bioactive factors in altering infant metabolic outcomes.
Understanding black hole evaporation using explicitly computed Penrose diagrams

Explicitly computed Penrose diagrams are plotted for a classical model of black hole formation and evaporation, in which black holes form by the accretion of infalling spherical shells of matter and subsequently evaporate by emitting spherical shells of Hawking radiation. This model is based on known semiclassical effects, but is not a full solution of semiclassical gravity. The method allows arbitrary interior metrics of the form $d{s}^{2}=\ensuremath{-}f(r)d{t}^{2}+f(r{)}^{\ensuremath{-}1}d{r}^{2}+{r}^{2}d{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Omega}}}^{2}$, including singular and nonsingular models. Matter dynamics are visualized by explicitly plotting proper density in the diagrams, as well as by tracking the location of trapped surfaces and energy condition violations. The most illustrative model accurately approximates the standard time evolution for black hole thermal evaporation; its time dependence and causal structure are analyzed by inspection of the diagram. The resulting insights contradict some common intuitions and assumptions, and we point out some examples in the literature with assumptions that do not hold up in this more detailed model. Based on the new diagrams, we argue for an improved understanding of the Hawking radiation process, propose an alternate definition of ``black hole'' in the presence of evaporation, and suggest some implications regarding information preservation and unitarity.
Ethylene and Ethylene Physiology

Ethylene, indeed, is a busy gas. So busy, in fact, that seemingly, each month when the professional journals are published, some new involvement is discovered or a new application for ethylene in agriculture is developed. Prior to the 1950’s, about the only commercial use of ethylene in agriculture was gassing mature green bananas and tomatoes to make them ripen. Limited application was made of the use of ethylene-saturated water to induce flowering in pineapple. Today there is an ever-growing long list of uses and potential uses for ethylene (10, 14), making it one of the most widely used plant growth regulators in agriculture. This has come about through a better under-standing of ethylene’s role in plant physiology (6, 12) and through the development and use of agricultural chemicals such as ethephon, which when applied to crop plants evolve ethylene gas. Ethrel and CEPA are commercial formulations of ethephon in widespread use today.
Somatic Mutations of lats2 Cause Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors in Zebrafish

The cellular signaling pathways underlying peripheral nerve sheath tumor (PNST) formation are poorly understood. Hippo signaling has been recently implicated in the biology of various cancers, and is thought to function downstream of mutations in the known PNST driver, NF2. Utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, we targeted the canonical Hippo signaling kinase Lats2. We show that, while germline deletion leads to early lethality, targeted somatic mutations of zebrafish lats2 leads to peripheral nerve sheath tumor formation. These peripheral nerve sheath tumors exhibit high levels of Hippo effectors Yap and Taz, suggesting that dysregulation of these transcriptional co-factors drives PNST formation in this model. These data indicate that somatic lats2 deletion in zebrafish can serve as a powerful experimental platform to probe the mechanisms of PNST formation and progression.
Band sowing with hoeing in organic grains: I. Comparisons with alternative weed management practices in spring barley

Weeds remain the foremost production challenge for organic small grain farmers in the northeastern United States. Instead of crops sown in narrow, single-line rows, band sowing offers a more uniform spatial arrangement of the crop, maximizing interspecific while reducing intraspecific competition. Weeds in the inter-band zone are controlled by cultivating with aggressive sweeps; tine harrowing can target weeds in both intra- and inter-band zones. Field experiments in Maine and Vermont in 2016 and 2017 evaluated band sowing for improved weed control, crop yield, and grain quality in organic spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L. ‘Newdale’). Specifically, we compared: (1) the standard practice of sowing 16.5-cm rows at a target crop density of 325 plants m−2, (2) narrow-row sowing with increased crop density, (3) wide-row sowing with interrow hoeing, and (4) band sowing both with and (5) without inter-band hoeing. Mustard (Sinapis alba L. ‘Ida Gold’) was planted throughout the experiment as a surrogate weed. Compared with the standard practice, band sowing with hoeing reduced surrogate weed density on average by 45% across site-years. However, effects on weed biomass and yield were inconsistent, perhaps due to suboptimal timing of hoeing and adverse weather conditions. In 1 out of 4 site-years, band sowing with hoeing reduced surrogate weed biomass by 67% and increased crop yield compared with the standard treatment. Results also indicate that band sowing with hoeing may improve 1,000-kernel weight and plump kernel grain-quality parameters.
The mitochondrial PKCδ/retinol signal complex exerts real-time control on energy homeostasis

The review focuses on the role of vitamin A (retinol) in the control of energy homeostasis, and on the manner in which certain retinoids subvert this process, leading potentially to disease. In eukaryotic cells, the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) is negatively regulated by four pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases (PDKs) and two antagonistically acting pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatases (PDPs). The second isoform, PDK2, is regulated by an autonomous mitochondrial signal cascade that is anchored on protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ), where retinoids play an indispensible co-factor role. Along with its companion proteins p66Shc, cytochrome c, and vitamin A, the PKCδ/retinol complex is located in the intermembrane space of mitochondria. At this site, and in contrast to cytosolic locations, PKCδ is activated by the site-specific oxidation of its cysteine-rich activation domain (CRD) that is configured into a complex RING-finger. Oxidation involves the transfer of electrons from cysteine moieties to oxidized cytochrome c, a step catalyzed by vitamin A. The PKCδ/retinol signalosome monitors the internal cytochrome c redox state that reflects the workload of the respiratory chain. Upon sensing demands for energy PKCδ signals the PDHC to increase glucose-derived fuel flux entering the KREBS cycle. Conversely, if excessive fuel flux surpasses the capacity of the respiratory chain, threatening the release of damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS), the polarity of the cytochrome c redox system is reversed, resulting in the chemical reduction of the PKCδ CRD, restoration of the RING-finger, refolding of PKCδ into the inactive, globular form, and curtailment of PDHC output, thereby constraining the respiratory capacity within safe margins. Several retinoids, notably anhydroretinol and fenretinide, capable of displacing retinol from binding sites on PKCδ, can co-activate PKCδ signaling but, owing to their extended system of conjugated double bonds, are unable to silence PKCδ in a timely manner. Left in the ON position, PKCδ causes chronic overload of the respiratory chain leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. This review explores how defects in the PKCδ signal machinery potentially contribute to metabolic and degenerative diseases.
2.05 – Accelerometers

Micromachined accelerometer developments have been ever increasing due to the demand for smaller size and lower cost with greater performance. The automotive industry used to be the dominating market, but now use of microaccelerometers is booming in portable electronics, video games, health care, and structural vibration monitoring. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of the operational principles of various acceleration sensing mechanisms, and is accompanied with a review of different fabrication technologies and topological designs. The process flows of some commercial products are described in detail. Design trade-offs such as monolithic integration versus hybrid and single-axis versus three-axis are discussed. Packaging issues and future trends are also addressed.
101 – Vascular Dementias

Publisher Summary This chapter describes vascular dementias (VAD). Vascular dementia can be subdivided into eight major types. VAD type 1, also termed multi-infarct dementia, is because of multiple, large cerebral infarctions arising from emboli of cardiogenic origin. Type 1 can also be caused by emboli from intramural atherosclerotic plaques located within the aortocephalic arterial tree. Vascular dementia type 2 consists of a single or several strategically placed infarcts involving, for example, the thalamus, frontal white matter, basal ganglia, or angular gyrus. VAD type 3 is caused by multiple, subcortical lacunar infarctions due to arteriosclerosis within the walls of the deep penetrating vessels. VAD type 4 is arteriosclerotic subcortical leukoencephalopathy of Binswanger's type. VAD type 5 consists of admixtures of large and small infarcts giving rise to dementias having mixed cortical and subcortical features. VAD type 6 is due to large hemorrhagic lesions. The intracranial hematomas may be due to uncontrolled hypertension, small cryptic or large arteriovenous malformations, and ruptured intracranial aneurysms with or without vasospasm. VAD type 7 has similar clinical and neuroimaging features to type 3 except that in these rare cases the subcortical dementia with multiple lacunar infarctions of white matter and basal ganglia are caused by “cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy.” VAD type 8 is a mixture of dementias of both the vascular and Alzheimer's types occurring in the same individual. It is shown that cognitive impairments in VAD correlate directly with total volumes of impaired cerebral glucose metabolism. Longitudinal trials have shown that in nonhemorrhagic, ischemic VAD, control of risk factors, and antiplatelet therapy stabilized cognitive declines; cerebral infarctions, atrophy, and perfusion measured by computed tomography, which correlated with improved serial cognitive testing.
Editor's Preface to the New Journal Feature: Instructors' Perspectives

We are happy to announce a new section of the L2 Journal, Instructors' Perspectives. This section presents short, informal opinion pieces that offer a personal stance on any aspect of the teaching and learning of language and culture in instructional settings. It can also serve to share thoughts about readings or experiences that have enriched the teaching and learning of languages and cultures.
Association between obstructive sleep apnea and multiple involuntary job loss history among recently unemployed adults.

Abstract Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with negative occupational outcomes including absenteeism and poor work productivity. This analysis explored whether the severity of OSA was associated with multiple involuntary job loss history among recently unemployed adults. Methods This is a cross-sectional analysis of data from the screening visit of the Assessing Daily Activity Patterns Through Occupational Transitions study. Information was collected from 261 participants who recently involuntarily lost their jobs. Data included demographics, employment, medical history, and results from a limited channel home sleep apnea test. The respiratory event index was categorized as Results A total of 44.8% of participants reported multiple involuntary job loss. Those with mild OSA had 1.85 (95%CI: 1.04, 3.28) increased odds of reporting multiple involuntary job loss as compared to participants with no OSA in the unadjusted model; while participants with moderate-to-severe OSA had 2.71 (95%CI: 1.33, 5.70) increased odds. After adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, beginning work between 7 and 9 AM, job type, and, compensation type, the odds of involuntary job loss among participants with moderate-severe OSA were 2.46 (95%CI: 1.13, 5.52) as compared to having no OSA. Conclusions In a sample of recently unemployed adults, having OSA significantly increased the odds of reporting previous involuntary job losses. This study suggests OSA could be a risk factor for job loss.
Librarians’ Experiences with Social Media and COVID-19 Misinformation

This article explores our personal experiences with combating misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 via social media platforms. Next, we describe how sharing our experiences with one another led to the motivation of the current study. Then, we describe the methodology of the present study and examine some of the preliminary results and analysis. Finally, we explore strategies and best practices to mitigate burnout associated with combating COVID-19 misinformation.
A chimpanzee recognizes varied acoustical versions of sine-wave and noise-vocoded speech.

Previous research demonstrated that a language-trained chimpanzee recognized familiar English words in sine-wave and noise-vocoded forms (Heimbauer et al. Curr Biol 21:1210–1214, 2011). However, those results did not provide information regarding processing strategies of the specific acoustic cues to which the chimpanzee may have attended. The current experiments tested this chimpanzee and adult humans using sine-wave and noise-vocoded speech manipulated using specific sine-waves and a different number of noise bands, respectively. Similar to humans tested with the same stimuli, the chimpanzee was more successful identifying sine-wave speech when both SW1 and SW2 were present – the components that are modeled on formants F1 and F2 in the natural speech signal. Results with noise-vocoded speech revealed that the chimpanzee and humans performed best with stimuli that included four or five noise bands, as compared to those with three and two. Overall, amplitude and frequency modulation over time were important for identification of sine-wave and noise-vocoded speech, with further evidence that a nonhuman primate is capable of using top-down processes for speech perception when the signal is altered and incomplete.
Don’t know what you got till it’s gone: microglial depletion and neurodegeneration

In the central nervous system, immunologic surveillance and response are carried out, in large part, by microglia. These resident macrophages derive from myeloid precursors in the embryonic yolk sac, migrating to the brain and eventually populating local tissue prior to blood-brain barrier formation. Preserved for the duration of lifespan, microglia serve the host as more than just a central arm of innate immunity, also contributing significantly to the development and maintenance of neurons and neural networks, as well as neuroregeneration. The critical nature of these varied functions makes the characterization of key roles played by microglia in neurodegenerative disorders, especially Alzheimer's disease, of paramount importance. While genetic models and rudimentary pharmacologic approaches for microglial manipulation have greatly improved our understanding of central nervous system health and disease, significant advances in the selective and near complete in vitro and in vivo depletion of microglia for neuroscience application continue to push the boundaries of research. Here we discuss the research efficacy and utility of various microglial depletion strategies, including the highly effective CSF1R inhibitor models, noteworthy insights into the relationship between microglia and neurodegeneration, and the potential for therapeutic repurposing of microglial depletion and repopulation.
A Bibliography of Cuneiform Tablet Editions in United States Colleges and Universities through 2020

This dataset contains bibliographic data of publications containing scholarly editions in any language of cuneiform tablets in small collections of cuneiform objects (typically 5–20 objects) in United States colleges and universities, current through 2020. These collections include a variety of ancient text forms, including but not limited to economic documents, letters, cylinder seals, and large reliefs. The dataset is stored on the JOHD Dataverse Repository. The data was compiled as part of a larger project to map the collections of cuneiform in the United States for the purposes of increasing access. Reuse potential includes its use as a reference tool for the history of Assyriology, for producing scholarship around the objects in these collections, for historical bibliometric data, and for the reconstruction of ancient cuneiform corpora throughout the United States.
Big Data Drive: The Rhetoric of Biometric Big Data

In this essay, we seek to develop a concept of “big data drive.” Influenced in part by Lacan’s theory of drive, we study the drive toward biometric big data. Biometric big data (BBD) refers to the data collected around facial recognition, eye recognition, thumb prints, and other types of technology whose task is to identify a specific being through unique bio characteristics. “Big Data Drive” refers to the energies that pulsate around Big Data, as both a signifier and fetishized object, to promise “something more” that may never be fulfilled.
Identification of Lung Innervating Sensory Neurons and Their Target Specificity

Known as the gas exchange organ, the lung is also critical for responding to the aerosol environment in part through interaction with the nervous system. The diversity and specificity of lung innervating neurons remains poorly understood. Here, we interrogated the cell body location, molecular signature and projection pattern of lung innervating sensory neurons. Retrograde tracing from the lung coupled with whole tissue clearing highlighted neurons primarily in the vagal ganglia. Centrally, they project specifically to the nucleus of the solitary tract in the brainstem. Peripherally, they enter the lung alongside branching airways. Labeling of nociceptor Trpv1+ versus peptidergic Tac1+ vagal neurons showed shared and distinct terminal morphology and targeting to airway smooth muscles, vasculature including lymphatics, and alveoli. Notably, a small population of vagal neurons that are Calb1+ preferentially innervate pulmonary neuroendocrine cells, a demonstrated airway sensor population. This atlas of lung innervating neurons serves as a foundation for understanding their function in lung.
Asian Fusion: New Encounters in the Asian-German Avant-Garde: Asian Fusion: New Encounters in the Asian-German Avant-Garde. New York: Peter Lang, 2020. 259 pp.

Many and multiple have proven the fault-lines between West and East in the central European imaginary. From old Metternich’s alleged notion of Asia’s beginning just beyond Vienna’s Rennweg thorough...
A flooded plate loop count procedure.

A modification of the plate loop count procedure for milk samples is described which incorporates use of a 0.5-ml diluent loop-rinse onto pre-dried agar medium in a 100-mm petri plate. The sample is distributed using a glass spreader, the plate is dried and incubated using standard procedures. Colony formation was more uniform than with the conventional method. The method did not appear to significantly change the statistical characteristics of the plate loop count on raw milk samples. A correlation coefficient of .91 was obtained between the flooded and the conventional plate loop count.
Mobile melanoma detection application for Android smart phones

Current attempts of melanoma detection using Support Vector Machines (SVMs) have proven to be quite efficient; some approaches “use texture information ONLY to classify the benign and malignancy of a tumor” and still have achieved average accuracy of classification up to 70% [1]. Very recently, these decision making algorithms have been adapted for use in the mobile world as smart-phone applications. The goal of our research was to create a mobile melanoma detection application which could be used for the identification of melanoma on the skin in its earliest stages. This ‘app’ would be run on smartphone devices with cameras which could take a picture of a particular skin abnormality. The image of the lesion would be sent from the smart-phone to a central server/computer which would use color and symmetry based analysis with a Support Vector Machine (SVM) to classify the image as benign or malignant. The results would be sent back to the user, and assist in expediting the process of determining when to seek professional services.
The Royalists under the Commonwealth 1649–1653

The years 1649–1651 witnessed complete collapse of the royalist cause. Cavaliers who had awaited a Stuart revival were now, through various means, brought to submission. The king’s execution was followed by a rush of applications to compound under revised regulations. These gave the delinquents up to six weeks to render their accounts, and composition cases initiated in 1649 and 1650 exceeded those in any other year with the exception of 1646. The warning that delinquents who failed to compound would forfeit their entire estates persuaded many, including a number who had previously gone abroad. 1 The surrender of prominent royalists undoubtedly induced others of lesser rank to follow suit. Some, like the earl of Peterborough, applied to the new king before coming to terms with parliament. Charles II did not hinder them. His permission to Peterborough was conveyed in an interesting letter by Hyde, in which the writer included some of his own advice. The king, he said, readily consented to anything Peterborough might find necessary for his personal affairs and was confident of the earl’s loyalty.