cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D receptor ligand therapy in chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease is a growing public health concern, and secondary hyperparathyroidism is one of the most serious associated comorbidities. In healthy individuals, precisely controlled feedback loops dynamically modulate parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. As kidney function declines, phosphate retention, decreased 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 , and a tendency to hypocalcemia leads to overstimulation of PTH production and parathyroid hyperplasia. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) ligands are essential tools for controlling parathyroid activity. This review highlights the current clinical and biochemical VDR ligand studies, focusing on the differences between selective and nonselective VDR ligands. It is apparent that VDR ligands have important roles in the management of secondary hyperparathyroidism. Selective VDR ligands, in particular, may offer additional benefits in the treatment of bone disease, and may potentially reduce adverse effects related to cardiovascular disease.
Mark-recapture studies on the Culiseta (Diptera: Culicidae) vectors of eastern equine encephalitis virus.

Natural populations of Culiseta melanura (Coquillett) and Cs. morsitans (Theobald) were marked and released at three sites associated with the Toad Harbor-Big Bay Swamp eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus focus in central New York. Collections of Culiseta from surveillance sites within 12.8 km of the release sites were screened for marked specimens. A total of 172 marked specimens were recaptured. The majority of recaptured mosquitoes were collected at sites associated with the swamp complex, but some were collected at seven of the eight recapture sites, up to 9.8 km from a release site. The distances traveled by 103 recaptured individuals were used to calculate the mean distance traveled and flight ranges for sexes and cohorts of both species. The mean distance traveled for females that were marked and released from resting shelters was 4 km for Cs. melanura and 5 km for Cs. morsitans. The mean distance traveled for females marked and released from a CDC + CO2 light trap was 9 km and 8 km for Cs. melanura and Cs. morsitans, respectively. The flight ranges of these species overlap the EEE epizootic zone, and the results of these studies support the hypothesis that these species are involved in the transfer of EEE virus from swamp to upland habitats.
The ancillary use of Williams vulvovaginoplasty for graduated vaginal dilatation in selected patients with Rokitansky syndrome

Abstract Study Objective: To describe the temporary use of Williams vulvovaginoplasty in selected patients with Rokitansky syndrome. Design: Case report. Setting: The Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Service in Memphis, Tennessee. Interventions: A Williams vulvovaginoplasty was created and later reversed. Main Outcome Measures: Patient self-report. Conclusion: Williams vulvovaginoplasty may be used as a temporizing measure in selected patients with Rokitansky syndrome.
Recent advances in treating epileptic children.

Epilepsy remains a tough therapeutic problem. Although no dramatic breakthrough has occurred, therapy has improved significantly, partly because physicians more sharply delineate seizure types. New drugs have helped, too. Ethosuximide has replaced trimethadione in treating petit mal epilepsy, and quinacrine, sulthiame, carbamazepine and diazepam show promise for treating various types of seizures.
Simplified ISCCP cloud regimes for evaluating cloudiness in CMIP5 models

We take advantage of ISCCP simulator data available for many models that participated in CMIP5, in order to introduce a framework for comparing model cloud output with corresponding ISCCP observations based on the cloud regime (CR) concept. Simplified global CRs are employed derived from the co-variations of three variables, namely cloud optical thickness, cloud top pressure and cloud fraction (τ, p c , CF). Following evaluation criteria established in a companion paper of ours (Jin et al. 2016), we assess model cloud simulation performance based on how well the simplified CRs are simulated in terms of similarity of centroids, global values and map correlations of relative-frequency-of-occurrence, and long-term total cloud amounts. Mirroring prior results, modeled clouds tend to be too optically thick and not as extensive as in observations. CRs with high-altitude clouds from storm activity are not as well simulated here compared to the previous study, but other regimes containing near-overcast low clouds show improvement. Models that have performed well in the companion paper against CRs defined by joint τ–p c histograms distinguish themselves again here, but improvements for previously underperforming models are also seen. Averaging across models does not yield a drastically better picture, except for cloud geographical locations. Cloud evaluation with simplified regimes seems thus more forgiving than that using histogram-based CRs while still strict enough to reveal model weaknesses.
Unintended consequences of the Clean Air Act: Mortality rates in Appalachian coal mining communities

The 1990 amendments to the US Clean Air Act (CAA) encouraged the growth of mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining in Central Appalachia. This study tests the hypothesis that the amendments had unintended impacts on increasing mortality rates for populations living in these mining areas. We used a panel design to examine adjusted mortality rates for three groups (all-cause, respiratory cancer, and non-cancer respiratory disease) between 1968 and 2014 in 404 counties stratified by MTR and Appalachian/non-Appalachian status. The results showed significant interactions between MTR status and post-CAA period for all three mortality groups. These differences persisted after control for time, age, smoking rates, poverty, obesity, and physician supply. The MTR region in the post-CAA years experienced an excess of approximately 1200 adjusted deaths per year. Although the CAA has benefits, energy policies have in general focused on the combustion portion of the fossil fuel cycle. Other components of fossil fuel production (e.g. extraction, transport, and processing) should be considered in the comprehensive development of sustainable energy policy.
Writing stories with help from recurrent neural networks

This thesis explores the use of a recurrent neural network model for a novel story generation task. In this task, the model analyzes an ongoing story and generates a sentence that continues the story.
Management of the burned hand. 1970.

SUMMARY Comprehensive management of the burned hand should be planned to restore optimal activity as early as possible, to reduce loss of function, and to prevent deformities. To achieve these objectives it is important to understand the factors that are most likely to contribute to loss of function and deformities, and how they may be important in a given patient. These factors are the extent, depth, and location of the burn; the patient’s age; his cooperation; and any associated injuries as well as the occurrence of local sepsis. Treatment of the burned hand should be planned specifically according to the needs of each patient. Treatment often includes a planned program of active motion, the use of topical antibacterial agents, splinting, passive motion, dressings, the use of homografts or heterografts, autografting, primary wound excision, and postgraft therapy. Properly used, a combination of these methods can minimize loss of function and deformities in the burned hand.
Brief paper: Ring models for delay-differential systems

Abstract: This paper studies the algebraic structure of linear systems defined over R[@l], the ring of polynomials in @l with real coefficients. Natural definitions of controllability and observability are introduced and properties of R[@l]-transfer matrix realizations are discussed. It is shown that (A"n"x"n,D"n"x"m) is a controllable R[@l]-matrix pair if and only if for each set of polynomials@b"1,@b"2,...,@b"n, in R[@l] there exists an R[@l] feedback matrixF such that detsI-A-BF]=@?i=1n(s+@b"i). By regarding @l as a suitably defined delay operator, it is explained how this result might be applied to delay-differential systems in order to control dynamic response.
Weight-Loss Nudges: Market Test or Government Guess?

This chapter examines the effectiveness of nudges designed to steer us toward better food and beverage consumption behaviors as a means of lowering population weight. It first discusses our state of knowledge on obesity causes and prevention. Next, it presents the basics of nudge theory followed by criticisms of that theory. It then discusses various imperfections that all choice architects—whether in governments or markets—must face, which suggest that nudges are a blunt instrument for reducing population weight. Finally, the paper discusses how nudging by governments differs from nudging by markets, and concludes that market nudging is the more promising avenue for helping citizens lose weight.
Donor-Insemination Motherhood: How Three Types of Mothers Make Sense of Genes and Donors

ABSTRACTThis article analyzes how the variables of partnership type and gestational status that differentiate among partnered women who achieve motherhood through their own (or a partner's) donor insemination are relevant to shaping that experience. The article demonstrates that the three groups of mothers defined by these two variables differ on a variety of attitudes concerning whom the child resembles, the influence of genes, the position of the sperm donor, and reflections on the experience of motherhood. The gestational mothers in heterosexual partnerships experience contradictions in denying the influence of the donor and expressing interest in him. They view the children as resembling themselves more than either the donor or their partners. The gestational mothers in lesbian partnerships both deny the influence of the donor and express disinterest in him. Like the gestational mothers in heterosexual partnerships, they also see the children as resembling themselves more than either the donor or thei...
A haptic guidance system for Computer-Assisted Surgical Training using virtual fixtures

A simple and robust fuzzy logic controller with a forbidden region virtual fixture is proposed for a haptic guidance system developed to assist in simulation-based training of laparoscopic surgery. A surgical training system that involves human in the control loop is discussed. It uses a controller which adjusts control outputs for different trainees based on their skill level. The system involves virtual fixtures to improve human manipulation tasks inherent in this problem domain. The proposed controller cooperates with a heuristic-based scaling factor modifier to make such adjustments. The experimental results illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed haptic guidance system.
Spherical nanoindentation, modeling and transmission electron microscopy evidence for ripplocations in Ti3SiC2

Abstract Herein we present experimental and modeling evidence for a new deformation micromechanism operating in layered solids termed a ripplocation. Select Ti 3 SiC 2 grains were cyclically indented – either parallel or normal to the basal planes - with spherical tips with radii, R of 21 μm and 100 μm. When the load vs. displacement curves were converted to indentation stress vs. a/R curves, where a is the contact radius, fully and spontaneously reversible hysteresis loops were recorded. The energy dissipated per unit volume per cycle, W d , was found to be a function of basal plane orientation; W d was smaller when the basal planes were loaded edge on. Transmission electron microscope images of areas under the indentations revealed the existence of defects that previous work confirmed have a strain component along the c-axis and for which no g·b condition was found that resulted in their disappearance. These defects thus cannot be basal dislocations; their characteristics, however, are consistent with bulk ripplocations, BRs. It is the to-and-from movement of these BRs – and not basal dislocations as previously assumed - that is believed to be responsible for the fully and spontaneously reversible loops in Ti 3 SiC 2 and possibly in most other layered solids. Consistent with the need of the basal planes to expand upon the introduction of BRs, the initial friction stress needed to move them was found to be almost three times lower when the basal planes were loaded edge-on. Molecular dynamics simulations on graphite at 10 K faithfully reproduce many features observed below the indenter in this, and previous, work on Ti 3 SiC 2 . The existence of BRs will require a revisiting and reassessment of our understanding of how layered solids - from geologic formations to 2D solids – deform.
The extent of B-form structure in a 6S RNA variant that mimics DNA to bind to the Escherichia coli RNA Polymerase

In a recent article by Darst and coworkers, it was found that a non-coding 6S RNA variant regulates a bacterial RNA polymerase by mimicking B-Form DNA, and a few different nucleic acid duplex parameters were analyzed to understand the extent of B-form RNA structure. In this manuscript, a different structural analysis based on conformational distance from canonical A-form and B-form single-strand structures is presented. This analysis addresses the occurrence and extent of both local and global B-form structure in the published 6S RNA variant model.
How Accurate Are We in Estimating True Stone Volume? A Comparison of Water Displacement, Ellipsoid Formula, and a CT-Based Software Tool.

Abstract Introduction: To compare the accuracy and reliability of stone volume estimated by ellipsoid formula (EFv) and CT-based algorithm (CTv) to true volume (TV) by water displacement in an in v...
Metal Allergy: Beryllium

Beryllium is one of the lightest metals, with unique mechanical, physical, and nuclear properties that allow major applications in the aircraft and aerospace industries as well as for nuclear reactors and defense. An estimated 300,000 workers are exposed to beryllium during ore extraction, processing, and manufacturing. Potential toxicities include acute and chronic beryllium disease (CBD) and lung cancer. Skin manifestations include irritant and allergic contact dermatitis, chemical ulcers, and ulcerating and dermal granulomas. Diagnosis of CBD includes (1) a history of beryllium exposure, (2) a positive lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT) either from blood or bronchoalveolar lavage, and (3) compatible pathology on lung biopsy. Beryllium sensitization (BeS) occurs with (1) and (2) in the absence of lung pathology. The BeLPT has been the cornerstone of both medical surveillance and the diagnosis of BeS and CBD and, in the occupational and pulmonary settings, has mostly replaced the beryllium patch test because of multiple reports of patch test sensitization. Contact stomatitis to dental alloys has been reported in the more recent dermatology literature, with beryllium patch testing recommended primarily on an aimed rather than a screening basis. Determinants of progression from BeS to CBD are uncertain, but higher beryllium exposures and the presence of a genetic variant in the HLA-DP β-chain appear to increase the risk. The US Occupational Health and Safety Administration has just issued a new permissible exposure limit (PEL) standard dramatically reducing the allowed workroom air concentration of beryllium. In addition, standard industrial hygiene controls including personal protective clothing and equipment are required since the PEL for beryllium does not always protect workers from dermal exposure and skin sensitization.
Confidence Intervals I

In the last unit you explored how sample statistics (in particular, sample proportions) vary from sample to sample. The Central Limit Theorem has allowed you to make probability statements about a sample proportion falling in a certain interval, provided that one knows the value of the population proportion. The much more common problem is to estimate or to make a decision about an unknown population parameter based on an observed sample statistic. These are goals of statistical inference.
On Theory, Models, Model-Testing, and Estimation

I reply to comments and criticisms of my article raised in this Special Issue by Cantor and Land, Britt, O'Brien, Levitt, and Paternoster and Bushway.
IRREDUCIBLE BINARY SEQUENCES

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses irreducible binary sequences. A bisequence, sequence, or block is irreducible provided that it contains no block of the form BBb, where b is the initial symbol of the block B. A binary block, sequence, or bisequence is one in which each term is 0 or 1. The chapter presents a brief survey of the history of irreducible binary sequences and bisequences. To prove the existence of a strictly almost periodic geodesic on a surface of negative curvature, it is sufficient to find a bisequence of two symbols that is strictly almost periodic with respect to the shift homomorphism. The Morse–Thue bisequence is strictly almost periodic. The set of all irreducible binary bisequences is the Morse minimal set.
Characterization of lithium-glass and polyvinyl toluene heterogeneous composites with varying geometries for fast neutron detection

Abstract In heterogeneous composite neutron detectors , materials with dissimilar characteristics are optically coupled to achieve functionalities that extend beyond those enabled by intrinsic properties of constituent materials. However, the mismatched optical properties of the dissimilar materials introduce light scattering inside the detector, which could potentially affect its performance. Understanding the effects of the glass filler shape and content on light transport and light output is crucial for developing high performance composite detectors. Detectors with glass rods and shards were fabricated and characterized using UV/Vis, gamma, and neutron sources . The glass/PVT interfacial surface area significantly affects the light transmission; the highest reduction is measured with the shards which have higher surface area than the rods. The light output is impacted more significantly by the glass weight content than by the filler shape. The dimensions of the rods detector are 12.7 cm x 12.7 cm and those of the shards detector are 7 cm x 3.8 cm. The neutron intrinsic efficiencies of the fabricated detectors were also measured for 252 Cf spontaneous fission neutrons and found to be 4.80 ± 0.05% and 0.097 ± 0.036% for the larger rods detector and the prototype shards detector, respectively, with good gamma rejection for both (measured to be better than 10 −4).
Neuroendocrine and immune pathways from pre- and perinatal stress to substance abuse

Early life adversity is a documented risk factor for substance abuse and addiction. The pre- and perinatal period (i.e., from implantation, through pregnancy, to 6 months of age) is a critical period marked by high biological plasticity and vulnerability, making perinatal stress a particularly robust form of adversity. The neuroendocrine and immune systems are key mechanisms implicated in the transmission of addiction risk. We review animal and human studies that provide preliminary evidence for links between perinatal stress, neuroendocrine and immune dysregulation, and risk for substance abuse and addiction. A translational neuroscience perspective is employed to elucidate pre- and perinatally-induced biological mechanisms linked to addiction and discuss implications for prevention and intervention efforts. Significant evidence supports associations between pre- and perinatal stress and dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and immune systems as well as links between neuroendocrine/immune functioning and addiction risk. More work is needed to explicitly examine the interplay between pre- and perinatal stress and neuroendocrine/immune disruptions that together heighten substance abuse risk. Future work is needed to fully understand how pre- and perinatal stress induces biological alterations to predispose individuals to higher risk for addiction. Such knowledge will strengthen theoretically-driven and empirically-supported prevention efforts for substance abuse and addiction.
The Microbial Diversity of Caves

Oligotrophic caves represent an important environment for studying microbial community adaptation, where diversity is likely driven by available energy and nutrient sources, from the heterotrophic breakdown of scant allochthonous organic carbon delivered by vadose-zone groundwater to autotrophic growth using in situ redox-active compounds. While historically cave microbiology was based on cultivation approaches, the inherent bias of such techniques provided an incomplete view of cave diversity. Modern molecular techniques demonstrate that microbial populations in caves are remarkably diverse and demonstrate both community and organismal adaptations to the resource limitation of the subsurface. While most studies in caves have focused on the role and diversity of bacterial populations, the fungi and archaea also appear to play important roles in community structure and energetics, albeit at polar ends of the nutrient spectrum. Together these data suggest that current cave microbiology research is starting to reveal the potential for a cave microbiome that represents the core of microbial diversity in caves.
Embezzlement at the Grandview Community Recreation Association

ABSTRACT This case is based on actual fraud at a not-for-profit organization. In this case, students assume the role of a volunteer forensic investigator who assists the local police department to ...
Incarcerating Pregnant and Parenting Women, the New Witch Hunt: A Policy Analysis

The mass incarceration of pregnant and parenting women is a serious problem in U.S. A policy focus is needed that takes a public health approach. This paper outlines the problems with health care delivery in correctional facilities. It is argued that correctional facilities are not the place for pregnant and parenting women. Alternative policies and programs are recommended that align with a public health approach and directly targets the pathways for imprisonment.
Transcriptome patterns in hidradenitis suppurativa: support for the role of antimicrobial peptides and interferon pathways in disease pathogenesis.

BACKGROUND Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a recurrent inflammatory disease of the apocrine sweat glands. Immune dysregulation probably contributes to the pathogenesis of HS. AIM To harness mRNA expression arrays to investigate the transcriptome profile in HS compared with control skin. METHODS Illumina® HumanHT-12 v4 Expression BeadChips were used to measure mRNA expression in skin samples from HS (n = 10) and abdominoplasty (n = 11) skin specimens. Differentially expressed genes were detected by fitting genewise linear models to the normalized expression data and then modelling using the web-based software Ingenuity® Pathway Analysis. RESULTS The antimicrobial peptide Dermcidin and the cytokine regulator interleukin (IL)-37 were both significantly downregulated in the HS specimens (Dermcidin expression log ratio -3.93, expression P = 0.04; IL-37 expression log ratio -3.29, expression P < 0.001). Pathway analysis revealed the interferon-signalling pathway, leucocyte extravasation pathway, T helper 1 and 2 pathways and nuclear factor of activated T cells as the top-five upregulated pathways in the HS samples. CONCLUSION Evaluation of transcriptome patterns in HS compared with normal skin demonstrated downregulation of the antimicrobial peptide Dermcidin and the innate immune regulator IL-37, as well as upregulation of interferon pathways and pathways of leucocyte activation.
Lack of choline elevation on proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in grade I-III gliomas.

Elevated levels of choline are generally emphasized as marker of increased cellularity and cell membrane turnover in gliomas. In this study, we investigated the incidence rate of lack of choline/cr...
The interrelationship of body mass index with gray matter volume and resting-state functional connectivity of the hypothalamus.

The hypothalamus plays an important role in regulating body weight through its interactions with multiple brain circuits involved in distinct aspects of feeding behavior. Yet, how hypothalamic gray matter volume (GMV) and connectivity may be related to individual differences in body weight remains unclear. We tested the hypothesis that the hypothalamus shows enhanced resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) with regions of the reward, motivation, and motor circuits in positive correlation with body mass index (BMI) and the opposite with those associated with inhibitory control. We further examined the interdependent relationships between hypothalamic GMV, connectivity, and body weight. Using seed-based rsFC and voxel-based morphometry analyses, we examined the relationship between the rsFC and GMV of the hypothalamus and BMI in 105 healthy humans. Additionally, we employed mediation analyses to characterize the inter-relationships between hypothalamic connectivity, GMV, and BMI. A whole-brain multiple regression showed that BMI was positively correlated with hypothalamic rsFC with the insula, thalamus, globus pallidus, and cerebellum, and negatively correlated with hypothalamic rsFC with the superior parietal lobule. Thus, higher BMI was associated with enhanced hypothalamic connectivity with regions involved in motivated feeding and reduced connectivity with those in support of cognitive control of food intake. A second whole-brain multiple regression revealed a positive correlation between hypothalamic GMV and the hypothalamus–posterior insula connectivity. Finally, the relationship between hypothalamic GMV and BMI was significantly and bidirectionally mediated by the hypothalamus–posterior insula connectivity. The current findings suggest that the hypothalamus differentially interacts with the motivation, motor, and control circuits to regulate BMI. We further found evidence for the interdependence of hypothalamic structure, function, and body weight, which provides potential insights into the brain mechanisms of obesity.
Dopamine D2 receptor overexpression in the nucleus accumbens core induces robust weight loss during scheduled fasting selectively in female mice.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder observed predominantly in women and girls that is characterized by a low body-mass index, hypophagia, and hyperactivity. Activity-based anorexia (ABA), which refers to the weight loss, hypophagia, and hyperactivity exhibited by rodents exposed to both running wheels and scheduled fasting, provides a model for aspects of AN. Increased dopamine D2/D3 receptor binding in the anteroventral striatum has been reported in AN patients. We virally overexpressed D2Rs on nucleus accumbens core (D2R-OENAc) neurons that endogenously express D2Rs, and tested mice of both sexes in the open field test, ABA paradigm, and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IGTT). D2R-OENAc did not alter baseline body weight, but increased locomotor activity in the open field across both sexes. During constant access to food and running wheels, D2R-OENAc mice of both sexes increased food intake and ran more than controls. However, when food was available only 7 h a day, only female D2R-OENAc mice rapidly lost 25% of their initial body weight, reduced food intake, and substantially increased wheel running. Surprisingly, female D2R-OENAc mice also rapidly lost 25% of their initial body weight during scheduled fasting without wheel access and showed no changes in food intake. In contrast, male D2R-OENAc mice maintained body weight during scheduled fasting. D2R-OENAc mice of both sexes also showed glucose intolerance in the IGTT. In conclusion, D2R-OENAc alters glucose metabolism in both sexes but drives robust weight loss only in females during scheduled fasting, implicating metabolic mechanisms in this sexually dimorphic effect.
Effects of Family-Centered Media Literacy Training on Family Nutrition Outcomes.

Parents frustrated about food marketing influences need media management skills to challenge marketing messages and interpret factual content. We tested a media literacy-based, family-centered intervention to reduce effects of appealing, but unrealistic, food marketing. We hypothesized that participation would facilitate family discussion that improves the home dietary environment and increases youth consumption of fruits and vegetables. Parent-child (age 9–14) dyads (N = 189) participated in a matched-group, pretest/posttest field experiment testing a 6-week media literacy-based curriculum. Hypothesis testing employed multiple analysis of covariance and Bayesian multigroup structural equation modeling (MGSEM). Improved nutrition outcomes for parents included talk with youth about food nutrition labels (d = 0.343) and ratio of healthy to unhealthy food in home (d = 0.232); youth improved talk with parent about food nutrition labels (d = 0.211), vegetables eaten yesterday (d = 0.264), and fruit eaten yesterday (d = 1.386). Bayesian MGSEM revealed that in the intervention group, 12 of 17 tested paths were significant (p < .05), compared with only 4 in the control group, with average effect size magnitudes of 0.236 and 0.113, respectively. Media literacy education can empower parents and improve youths’ critical thinking to reduce negative effects of food marketing on families and improve use of media to obtain nutrition information that aids dietary choices. This approach reduces the risk for reactance from youth who like media and resist limiting media use, while helping families use media together to make better nutrition decisions.
Great expectations? Comparing litigants’ attitudes before and after using legal procedures.

OBJECTIVE To examine whether litigants' initial attraction to legal procedures (e.g., mediation, hearings, jury trials) predicted their postexperience evaluations of the procedures and whether attendance moderated this relationship. HYPOTHESIS Litigants' initial attraction to the legal procedure that later resolved their case would better predict postexperience satisfaction and fairness for litigants who adjudicated versus settled. I also explored whether the predicted relationship would vary as a function of litigants' attending the procedure and when case duration, lawyer involvement, and litigants' repeat player status were included in the models. METHOD Four hundred-twelve state court litigants rated their attraction to different legal procedures at the start of their cases and 335 (81.3% retention) rated their satisfaction with, and fairness of, the procedure that ultimately resolved their case. RESULTS Initial attraction to and ex post evaluations of legal procedures were more strongly related among litigants who adjudicated versus settled, but this association did not hold when the covariates were included. Instead, lawyer involvement and shorter duration were associated with increased ex post satisfaction and fairness. For litigants who personally attended their procedure, initial attraction was unrelated to later evaluations of fairness and those who settled evaluated their procedure as fairer compared to those who adjudicated. By contrast, for litigants who did not attend, initial attraction was positively related to later fairness evaluations and there was no fairness difference between settlement and adjudication. The same attendance patterns emerged irrespective of whether the covariates were included. CONCLUSIONS Lawyer involvement and shorter case duration better predicted litigants' evaluations of legal procedures than their initial attraction to procedures. Attendance was associated with increased fairness evaluations for settlement relative to adjudication and initial attraction was positively related to fairness only when litigants did not attend their procedure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Practicing Imagination and Activism in Literacy Research, Teaching, and Teacher Education: I Still Don’t Know How to Change the World With Rocks:

This address focuses on research and practice in the preparation of preservice teachers in literacy. I begin with an examination of the constructs of practice, activism, and imagination from an his...
Applying genome-wide CRISPR to identify known and novel genes and pathways that modulate formaldehyde toxicity

Abstract Formaldehyde (FA), a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, is classified as a Group I human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Previously, we reported that FA induced hematotoxicity and chromosomal aneuploidy in exposed workers and toxicity in bone marrow and hematopoietic stem cells of experimental animals. Using functional toxicogenomic profiling in yeast, we identified genes and cellular processes modulating eukaryotic FA cytotoxicity. Although we validated some of these findings in yeast, many specific genes, pathways and mechanisms of action of FA in human cells are not known. In the current study, we applied genome-wide, loss-of-function CRISPR screening to identify modulators of FA toxicity in the human hematopoietic K562 cell line. We assessed the cellular genetic determinants of susceptibility and resistance to FA at 40, 100 and 150 μM (IC10, IC20 and IC60, respectively) at two time points, day 8 and day 20. We identified multiple candidate genes that increase sensitivity (e.g. ADH5, ESD and FANC family) or resistance (e.g. FASN and KDM6A) to FA when disrupted. Pathway analysis revealed a major role for the FA metabolism and Fanconi anemia pathway in FA tolerance, consistent with findings from previous studies. Additional network analyses revealed potential new roles for one-carbon metabolism, fatty acid synthesis and mTOR signaling in modulating FA toxicity. Validation of these novel findings will further enhance our understanding of FA toxicity in human cells. Our findings support the utility of CRISPR-based functional genomics screening of environmental chemicals.
Concussions in Soccer: An Epidemiological Analysis in the Pediatric Population.

Background:As the popularity of youth soccer has increased in the United States, more attention has been focused on the effect of concussion injuries, with recent debate on whether heading should b...
Matchathon: A guide to student-faculty connections in PhD programs

Abstract Relevant and impactful mentors are essential to a graduate student’s career. Finding mentors can be challenging in umbrella programs with hundreds of faculty members. To foster connections between potential mentors and students with similar research interests, we created a Matchathon event, which has successfully enabled students to find mentors. We developed an easy-to-use R Shiny app (https://github.com/UM-OGPS/matchathon/) to facilitate matching and organizing the event that can be used at any institution. It is our hope that this resource will improve the environment and retention rates for students in the academy. The open source app is publicly available on the web (app: https://UM-OGPS.shinyapps.io/matchathon/; source code: https://github.com/UM-OGPS/matchathon/).
Histopathology and Grading of Meningiomas

Meningiomas are the most common primary neoplasm of the central nervous system (CNS). They typically arise from the cranial or spinal meninges and form extra-axial mass lesions, placing them outside the brain or spinal cord parenchyma, but within the confines of the cranium or vertebral column. The classification, grading, and molecular genetic characterization of meningiomas have steadily evolved over the past decades and continue to be revised. Based on the current World Health Organization (WHO) standards for tumor classification, various meningioma subtypes are grouped into three main categories which are centered on biological behavior. These include benign meningiomas (WHO grade I), atypical meningiomas (WHO grade II), and aggressive meningiomas (WHO grade III). This review will focus on the histopathological details of various meningiomas subtypes and how they relate to the contemporary grading schemes provided by the most recent WHO update.
DRP1-Mediated Mitochondrial Fission Regulates Lung Epithelial Response to Allergen

Mitochondria regulate a myriad of cellular functions. Dysregulation of mitochondrial control within airway epithelial cells has been implicated in the pro-inflammatory response to allergens in asthma patients. Because of their multifaceted nature, mitochondrial structure must be tightly regulated through fission and fusion. Dynamin Related Protein 1 (DRP1) is a key driver of mitochondrial fission. During allergic asthma, airway epithelial mitochondria appear smaller and structurally altered. The role of DRP1-mediated mitochondrial fission, however, has not been fully elucidated in epithelial response to allergens. We used a Human Bronchial Epithelial Cell line (HBECs), primary Mouse Tracheal Epithelial Cells (MTECs), and conditional DRP1 ablation in lung epithelial cells to investigate the impact of mitochondrial fission on the pro-inflammatory response to house dust mite (HDM) in vitro and in vivo. Our data suggest that, following HDM challenge, mitochondrial fission is rapidly upregulated in airway epithelial cells and precedes production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Further, deletion of Drp1 in lung epithelial cells leads to decreased fission and enhanced pro-inflammatory signaling in response to HDM in vitro, as well as enhanced airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR), inflammation, differential mucin transcription, and epithelial cell death in vivo. Mitochondrial fission, therefore, regulates the lung epithelial pro-inflammatory response to HDM.
Witnessing interparental conflict, feeling caught, and mental health: A conditional process analysis involving parental confirmation and divorce status:

This study tested parental confirmation and divorce as moderators of the direct and indirect effects of witnessing interparental conflict (i.e., demand/withdraw patterns and aggression) on young ad...
HIF-1α Pulmonary Phenotype Wide Association Study Unveils a Link to Inflammatory Airway Conditions.

Despite experimental data linking HIF-1a dysfunction to inflammatory airway conditions, the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms within the HIF1A gene on these conditions remains poorly understood. In the current study, we complete a phenotype wide association study to assess the link between SNPs with known disease associations and respiratory phenotypes. We report two SNPs of the HIF1A gene, the intronic rs79865957_G_A and the missense rs41508050_C_T. In these positions the A and the T allele are significantly associated with allergic rhinitis and acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis, respectively. These findings further support the role of HIF-1a in inflammatory pulmonary conditions and may serve as a basis to refine our understanding of other HIF-1a associated phenotypes.
Computational Models for Defect-Sensitivity

For a long time layout verification has been confined mainly to validate the design rules imposed by the fabrication process. However, as processes mature and advance to smaller resolution features other forms of layout verification become imperative. In the past, external contaminants that could lead to defective layouts were not relevant and in most cases they were not taken into account. Nowadays their significance is crucial to the successful manufacturing of the chip even though there is a precise control of the line features. One such form of layout verification is to predict the defect-tolerance of the artwork in real manufacturing environments by studying the design’s defect sensitivity. IC sensitivity to spot defects is studied by extracting the critical areas from layouts. Roughly speaking, a critical point in the layout is a point such that if a spot defect is centered there, a malfunction in the respective circuit arises. Critical areas are open connected sets of critical points [36,83,84]. They naturally depend on the layout geometry and on the defect size involved. Thus, the defect-sensitivity of a design is obtained as the ratio of the total critical area to the total layout area. The original concept of critical areas appeared in the late 60 ’s at the facilities of IBM Yorktown where initial attempts to evaluate spot defects in FET memories were done[88].
Producing Cryogenic Deuterium Targets for Experiments on OMEGA

The OMEGA cryogenic target handling system provides deuterium-filled cryogenic targets for direct-drive implosion experiments. The targets are 0.9 mm in diameter with a 3-{mu}m-thick outer plastic ablator and an inner ice layer that ranges from 80 to 100 {mu}m thick. The smoothest ice layer possessed an average root-mean-square (rms) roughness of 1.2 {mu}m, although values ranging from 2 to 4 {mu}m are more typical. Implosion experiments achieved a maximum yield of 2.11 x 10{sup 11} primary neutrons (70% of the clean one-dimensional yield) with an average areal density of 50 mg/cm{sup 2} with a 1-ns square, high-adiabat ({alpha} = 25) laser pulse. Lower yields (1 x 10{sup 10} primary neutrons) and higher areal densities (88 mg/cm{sup 2}) were obtained using a lower-adiabat ({alpha} = 4) laser pulse. Better performance is expected once smoother ice layers (better than 2-{mu}m average rms roughness) are positioned within 10 {mu}m of where the laser beams are pointed. Currently, the offset between the target's location and where the laser beams are pointing at the moment of implosion is 14 to 60 {mu}m.
The Clipper Encryption System

Cryptography is an ancient art. During the Gallic Wars in the first century b.c.e. Julius Caesar encoded his messages by shifting the alphabet forward by three letters, so that an A was encoded as a D and so on. Over the centuries since then, increasingly complicated encryption systems have been developed in an ongoing ef? fort to outsmart the code breakers. Sophisticated encryption technology will soon be so widely available that it will be used to hide illegal activi? ties, and no law-enforcement agencies will be able to unravel the evidence behind encrypted crimes. The Clinton administration wants to prevent a possible cryptographic edge for criminals by de? veloping a key-escrow system of encryption for voice and data communications. On April 16, President Clinton proposed a new government standard for encryption. It is embodied in two mi? croelectronic devices called the Clipper Chip and the Capstone Chip. Many encryption systems, including the Clipper and Capstone chips, rely on a "key" for encoding and decoding a message. Caesar's encryption sys? tem used a key of 3, and an encryptographic algo? rithm of "adding on" followed by "letter substitu? tion." Modern encryption systems use a stream of numbers, or bits, as the key and an algorithm com? posed of a series of mathematical transformations. A longer key coupled with a complex algorithm makes an encryption system more difficult to break. The mid-1970s marked a turning point in the development of modern cryptosystems. In 1976 Whitneld Difhe and Martin Hellman of Stanford University introduced the public-key cryptosys tem. This system relies on matched pairs of keys, one public and the other secret. A sender can en? code a message with a receiver's public key, and
Prothrombinase complex assembly. Contributions of protein-protein and protein-membrane interactions toward complex formation.

Equilibrium binding studies of prothrombinase complex formation were undertaken using phospholipid vesicles composed of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylserine (PCPS), factor Va, and factor Xa modified with dansyl glutamylglycinylarginyl chloromethyl ketone (DEGR.Xa). The interaction between the Va.PCPS and DEGR.Xa.PCPS binary complexes was experimentally isolated using saturating concentrations of PCPS. Fluorescence titrations indicated that the membrane-bound proteins interact tightly (Kd approximately 10(-9) M) with a stoichiometry of 1 mol of Va bound/mol of DEGR.Xa at saturation. Complex formation was also investigated by kinetic studies of prothrombin activation using unmodified factor Xa. The kinetic studies yielded a Kd approximately 10(-9) M, which was independent of the concentration of prothrombin in the range of 0.5-5.0 microM. Fluorescence studies of complex assembly at limiting PCPS concentrations provided evidence for an altered DEGR.Xa-PCPS interaction when the enzyme was assembled into the complex. The data suggest that although both proteins are associated with PCPS when complexed with each other, the presence of factor Va on the membrane surface increases the affinity for the Xa-PCPS interaction by an estimated 100-fold. Prothrombinase complex assembly therefore proceeds independently of the availability of substrate and is stabilized by protein-protein and protein-phospholipid interactions. Linkage between the two protein-membrane combination events leads to the further stabilization of the complex on the vesicle surface.
Imagined Anatomy and Other Lessons from Learner Verification Interviews with Mexican Immigrant Women

ABSTRACT Objective To identify clearer, learner‐preferred, educational approaches for aspects of cervical cancer education found to be difficult to understand for low‐literacy, Mexican, immigrant women. Setting Kansas City, Kansas; Garden City, Kansas; San Antonio, Texas. Participants Forty‐five Mexican immigrant women in the United States for 5 years or less, ninth grade education or less, and predominantly Spanish speaking. Methods Interviews were conducted to evaluate preference and best comprehension among options for specific cervical cancer educational elements, including reproductive system terminology, the purpose of Pap tests and meaning of results, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), and illustrations of anatomy and Pap procedure. Results We identified terminology, translation, content, and illustrations preferred by participants and areas of inadequate existing knowledge needed for comprehension of concepts being taught. Analogies, illustrations, and introduction of medical terms in conjunction with equivalent common Spanish terms were effective ways of building bridges from existing knowledge to new knowledge. Participants desired detailed information and shared new information with others Conclusion We learned the importance of assessing patients' existing body knowledge. The detail desired by participants challenged common simplification approaches to teaching low‐literacy learners. Participant willingness to share information challenged ideas of cultural taboo. Results provide evidence for more effective delivery of women's health education and call for further research on best approaches to teaching low‐literacy learners.
Molecular Dynamics: Basics

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations represent the computer approach to statistical mechanics. As a counterpart to experiment, MD simulations are used to estimate equilibrium and dynamic properties of complex systems that cannot be calculated analytically. Representing the exciting interface between theory and experiment, MD simulations occupy a venerable position at the crossroads of mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science.