cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SPATIOTEMPORAL VARIATION IN SURVIVAL RATES: IMPLICATIONS FOR POPULATION DYNAMICS OF YELLOW-BELLIED MARMOTS

Spatiotemporal variation in age-specific survival rates can profoundly influence population dynamics, but few studies of vertebrates have thoroughly investigated both spatial and temporal variability in age-specific survival rates. We used 28 years (1976-2003) of capture-mark-recapture (CMR) data from 17 locations to parameterize an age-structured Cormack-Jolly-Seber model, and investigated spatial and temporal variation in age-specific annual survival rates of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris). Survival rates varied both spatially and temporally, with survival of younger animals exhibiting the highest degree of variation. Juvenile survival rates varied from 0.52 6 0.05 to 0.78 6 0.10 among sites and from 0.15 6 0.14 to 0.89 6 0.06 over time. Adult survival rates varied from 0.62 6 0.09 to 0.80 6 0.03 among sites, but did not vary significantly over time. We used reverse-time CMR models to estimate the realized population growth rate (k), and to investigate the influence of the observed variation in age-specific survival rates on k. The realized growth rate of the population closely covaried with, and was significantly influenced by, spatiotemporal variation in juvenile survival rate. High variability in juvenile survival rates over space and time clearly influenced the dynamics of our study population and is also likely to be an important determinant of the spatiotemporal variation in the population dynamics of other mammals with similar life history characteristics.
Security and the Culture Expert: Dilemmas of an Engaged Anthropology

What does it mean for anthropology to be relevant in the context of an ongoing global war on terror? This article examines the meanings of “security,” concentrating on the discipline's engagement with the military and the ways in which the anthropological concept of culture has been deployed in post-9/11 security campaigns. It argues that while there are many potential pitfalls awaiting the so-called culture expert in military collaborations, security nevertheless remains an important field to which anthropologists can bring critical scholarly attention and ethical engagement.
Robust skull stripping of clinical Glioblastoma multiforme data

Skull stripping is the first step in many neuroimaging analyses and its success is critical to all subsequent processing. Methods exist to skull strip brain images without gross deformities, such as those affected by Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease. However, there are no techniques for extracting brains affected by diseases that significantly disturb normal anatomy. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is such a disease, as afflicted individuals develop large tumors that often require surgical resection. In this paper, we extend the ROBEX skull stripping method to extract brains from GBM images. The proposed method uses a shape model trained on healthy brains to be relatively insensitive to lesions inside the brain. The brain boundary is then searched for potential resection cavities using adaptive thresholding and the Random Walker algorithm corrects for leakage into the ventricles. The results show significant improvement over three popular skull stripping algorithms (BET, BSE and HWA) in a dataset of 48 GBM cases.
Exposure to Ethanol during Gastrulation Alters Somatosensory-Motor Cortices and the Underlying White Matter in the Macaque

The present study tests the hypothesis that a critical window for cortical development coincides with the period of neural stem cell proliferation (during the first 6 weeks of gestation), specifically, gastrulation (on embryonic day [E] 19 and E20). Pregnant female macaques were exposed to ethanol 1 day/week for 6 or 24 weeks such that it included E19 or E20 or a time before or after the time of gastrulation. Total forebrain size was increased in macaques exposed to ethanol on E19 or E20. Thus, various features of the gray and white matter of the paracentral lobule of adolescent offspring were examined. Ethanol exposure affected the gray matter, for example, the 1.63 billion neurons in somatosensory cortex of controls (areas 3a and 3b) was 32% lower in ethanolexposed monkeys, but neither duration nor timing of the episodic exposure had a differential effect. In contrast, the timing of the exposure duringthethirdweekcriticallyaffectedtheamountofwhitematter(the mass of myelopil, but not cell number). Therefore, fetal exposure to ethanol unveils a normal programing mechanism wherein neural stem cells appear to be a target and a critical window for forebrain development concurs with gastrulation.
Long-term follow-up of hyperopic laser in situ keratomileusis correction using the Star S2 excimer laser.

Purpose To prospectively evaluate the safety, efficacy, predictability, and long-term stability of hyperopic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) using the Star S2 excimer laser (Visx). Setting Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA. Methods This study evaluated 41 eyes of 27 patients who had LASIK for the correction of spherical hyperopia. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on preoperative cycloplegic refraction: low hyperopia (less than +2.00 diopters [D]), medium hyperopia (+2.00 to +4.00 D), and high hyperopia (more than +4.00 D). Results In all eyes, the mean preoperative spherical equivalent (SE) was +2.53 D (range +0.75 to +5.25 D) and the mean attempted SE was +2.58 D (range +0.75 to +5.25 D). At the last visit (mean 5.29 years), the mean SE was +0.44 D ± 0.69 (SD) in the low hyperopia group, +0.58 ± 0.56 D in the medium hyperopia group, and +0.59 ± 1.18 D in the high hyperopia group. The percentage of eyes within ±1.00 D of emmetropia was 82.4%, 75.0%, and 66.7%, respectively (68.9% overall). The uncorrected visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 100% of eyes in the low hyperopia group, 91.7% in the medium hyperopia group, and 66.7% in the high hyperopia group (87.8% overall). The hyperopic shift between 1 year and the last visit was +0.18 D, +0.30 D, and +0.55 D, respectively (+0.40 D overall; range −1.25 to +2.63 D). Conclusions Hyperopic LASIK using the Star S2 excimer laser was safe, effective, and predictable for hyperopia up to +4.10 D (mean of high group). A mild regression of the refractive effect was seen over the 5-year follow-up.
Tho Press Release: Symbolic Communication In Life History Interviewing

ABSTRACT This study describes and analyzes the apparently misleading, irrelevant, and sterotyped initial self-report statements that were obtained in an in-depth multiple case study of women changing careers Using assumptions from the fields of hermeneutics (interpretation) and phenomenology about how meaning is constructed and interpreted, these initial accounts are understood as symbols which can be decoded and can also reveal larger meaning when read in different contexts This study shows how these accounts concealed connections between current behavior and personal history and prevented appropnate refer-ence to personal expenence. The reasons for these distortions are understood by placing them in a sociocultural context These women's initial accounts are interpreted as a response to their perceived violation of cultural mandates preventing development of work roles The damaged symbolic language they used to explain themselves is seen as an example of mistaken cultural assumptions about the “self” The demonstrated necessity of interpreting these initial accounts as symbolic communication alerts researchers relying on self-report statements to the pitfalls of taking such statements at face value
Intramolecular interaction effects and the structure of N2OS and N2O2: An Ab initio study†

An ab initio study of ONNS with full geometry optimization has been carried out to corroborate the presence of an interaction between the terminal atoms in this type of structure, which, in ONNO, apparently stabilizes the cis conformer. Using the unscaled 4–31G basis set with a full set of d functions on the sulfur, there is a potential minimun at the trans but not the cis geometry. A gauche conformer with a torsional angle of 77.2° is the most stable. With N2O2 this basis set gives potential minima at both the cis and trans geometries, but the trans conformer is slightly more stable, contrary to experiment and the results of (7,3) basis-set calculations reported in the literature in which Gaussian lobe functions were employed. Using a (9,5) basis set there is no longer a potential minimum at the cis geometry, and a gauche structure is more stable than the cis conformer as in the case of N2OS with the less-extended basis set. Force constants (harmonic and anharmonic), compliance constants, relaxed force constants, and interaction-displacement coordinates for both molecules are compared for key structural elements.
Changes in Circadian Rhythms during Puberty in Rattus Norvegicus: Developmental Time Course and Gonadal Dependency

During puberty, humans develop a later chronotype, exhibiting a phase-delayed daily rest/activity rhythm. The purpose of this study was to determine: 1) whether similar changes in chronotype occur during puberty in a laboratory rodent species, 2) whether these changes are due to pubertal hormones affecting the circadian timekeeping system. We tracked the phasing and distribution of wheel-running activity rhythms during post-weaning development in rats that were gonadectomized before puberty or left intact. We found that intact peripubertal rats had activity rhythms that were phase-delayed relative to adults. Young rats also exhibited a bimodal nocturnal activity distribution. As puberty progressed, bimodality diminished and late-night activity phase-advanced until it consolidated with early-night activity. By late puberty, intact rats showed a strong, unimodal rhythm that peaked at the beginning of the night. These pubertal changes in circadian phase were more pronounced in males than females. Increases in gonadal hormones during puberty partially accounted for these changes, as rats that were gonadectomized before puberty demonstrated smaller phase changes than intact rats and maintained ultradian rhythms into adulthood. We investigated the role of photic entrainment by comparing circadian development under constant and entrained conditions. We found that the period (τ) of free-running rhythms developed sex differences during puberty. These changes in τ did not account for pubertal changes in entrained circadian phase, as the consolidation of activity at the beginning of the subjective night persisted under constant conditions in both sexes. We conclude that the circadian system continues to develop in a hormone-sensitive manner during puberty.
Characteristics of Shoreface Storm Deposits: Modern and Ancient Examples

ABSTRACT Cores of shoreface sediments off Fire Island, Long Island, New York, in water depths ranging between 5 and 21 m, contain a distinctive three-part sequence; from base upward consisting of: (a) basal lag, up to 50 cm thick, containing coarse gravel; (b) finely laminated sand up to 2 m thick, having median diameters ranging from 0.210 to 0.125 ram, and (c) burrow-mottled sand coarser in size than unit (b), up to 30 cm thick. The boundaries between (a), (b), and (c) are sharp. The relatively coarser, mottled sand composing the upper part of this sequence results from processes operating in the shoreface zone during fair weather. Such processes create either wave-ripple laminae (between wave base and the breaker zone) or burrow-mottled sediment (seaward of wave base). The lower part of the sequence is inferred to result from storms. The basal gravel is interpreted as a lag formed during maximum storm intensity when the coarse material is jostled at the bottom and the finer sediment is kept dispersed or is in turbulent suspension. The fined laminated sand is inferred to have been rapidly deposited under conditions of intense bottom shear as the storm waned. Examples in the geologic record of what we regard as comparable storm-deposited sequences occur at the following locations: Relict Holocene sediments off Fire Island, New York; Pleistocene sediments underlying Fire Island barrier, Long Island, New York; Norfolk Formation (Pleistocene), Benns Church, southeastern Virginia; Eocene sandstones and conglomerates, Tehachapi and San Emigdio Mountains, southern California; and Cambrian sandstones and conglomerates, Parfrey's Glen, Baraboo Range, Wisconsin. In addition, other workers have identified characteristic sequences very similar to the one described here in the following localities: Recent sediments off Virginia; Recent sediments, southern North Sea; upper part of Sundance Formation (Jurassic) of Wyoming and Montana; Upper Cambrian, Ba aboo district, Wisconsin; and "sublittoral sheet sandstones" described from several locations. We speculate that the geologic record of shoreface sediments contains a minimal proportion of sediments deposited during fair-weather conditions and consists largely of storm deposits.
Local equivalences of distances between clusterings--a geometric perspective

In comparing clusterings, several different distances and indices are in use. We prove that the Misclassification Error distance, the Hamming distance (equivalent to the unadjusted Rand index), and the ? 2 distance between partitions are equivalent in the neighborhood of 0. In other words, if two partitions are very similar, then one distance defines upper and lower bounds on the other and viceversa. The proofs are geometric and rely on the concavity of the distances. The geometric intuitions themselves advance the understanding of the space of all clusterings. To our knowledge, this is the first result of its kind. Practically, distances are frequently used to compare two clusterings of a set of observations. But the motivation for this work is in the theoretical study of data clustering. Distances between partitions are involved in constructing new methods for cluster validation, determining the number of clusters, and analyzing clustering algorithms. From a probability theory point of view, the present results apply to any pair of finite valued random variables, and provide simple yet tight upper and lower bounds on the ? 2 measure of (in)dependence valid when the two variables are strongly dependent.
Preparing Preservice Physical Educators to Teach a Concepts-Based Fitness Course

(1998). Preparing Preservice Physical Educators to Teach a Concepts-Based Fitness Course. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 69, No. 3, pp. 57-61.
Deficiency of phospholipase A2 group 7 decreases intestinal polyposis and colon tumorigenesis in Apc Min/+ mice

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a naturally occurring phospholipid that mediates diverse effects such as physiological and pathological inflammation, immunosuppression, and cancer. Several lines of evidence support both positive and negative roles for PAF in carcinogenesis. PAF stimulates cell growth, oncogenic transformation and metastasis, but can also limit proliferation and induce apoptosis. The biological context and microenvironment appear to define whether PAF has pro- or anti-carcinogenic effects. To investigate the role of exacerbated PAF signaling in colon cancer, we conducted cell-based and in vivo studies using genetically engineered mice lacking expression of phospholipase A2 group 7 (PLA2G7), an enzyme that specifically metabolizes PAF and structurally related glycerophospholipids. Absence of Pla2g7 robustly decreased intestinal polyposis and colon tumor formation in Apc Min/+ mice, suggesting an anti-tumorigenic role for PAF in settings characterized by aberrant function of the tumor suppressor Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC). In colonic epithelial cells, exposure to a PAF analog led to de-phosphorylation of Akt at serine-473 and induction of apoptosis. The mechanism of this response involved formation of a complex between β-arrestin 1 and the Akt phosphatase PHLPP2, and activation of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Our results suggest that strategies based on inhibiting PLA2G7 activity or increasing PAF-mediated signaling, hold promise for the treatment of intestinal malignancies that harbor mutations in APC.
Low power architecture design and compilation techniques for high-performance processors

Reducing switching activity would significantly reduce power consumption of a processor chip. The authors present two novel techniques, Gray code addressing and Cold scheduling, for reducing switching activity on high performance processors. They use Gray code which has only one-bit different in consecutive number for addressing. Due to locality of program execution, Gray code addressing can significantly reduce the number of bit switches. Experimental results show that for typical programs running on a RISC microprocessor, using Gray code addressing reduce the switching activity at the address lines by 30/spl sim/50% compared to using normal binary code addressing. Cold scheduling is a software method which schedules instructions in a way that switching activity is minimized. The authors carried out experiments with cold scheduling on the VLSI-BAM. Preliminary results show that switching activity in the control path is reduced by 20-30%. >
Long-term impact of a stand-replacing fire on ecosystem CO2 exchange of a ponderosa pine forest

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of the southwestern United States are a mosaic of stands where undisturbed forests are carbon sinks, and stands recovering from wildfires may be sources of carbon to the atmosphere for decades after the fire. However, the relative magnitude of these sinks and sources has never been directly measured in this region, limiting our understanding of the role of fire in regional and US carbon budgets. We used the eddy covariance technique to measure the CO2 exchange of two forest sites, one burned by fire in 1996, and an unburned forest. The fire was a high-intensity stand-replacing burn that killed all trees. Ten years after the fire, the burned site was still a source of CO2 to the atmosphere [109±6 (SEM) g C m−2 yr−1], whereas the unburned site was a sink (−164±23 g C m−2 yr−1). The fire reduced total carbon storage and shifted ecosystem carbon allocation from the forest floor and living biomass to necromass. Annual ecosystem respiration was lower at the burned site (480±5 g C m−2 yr−1) than at the unburned site (710±54 g C m−2 yr−1), but the difference in gross primary production was even larger (372±13 g C m−2 yr−1 at the burned site and 858±37 g C m−2 yr−1at the unburned site). Water availability controlled carbon flux in the warm season at both sites, and the burned site was a source of carbon in all months, even during the summer, when wet and warm conditions favored respiration more than photosynthesis. Our study shows that carbon losses following stand-replacing fires in ponderosa pine forests can persist for decades due to slow recovery of the gross primary production. Because fire exclusion is becoming increasingly difficult in dry western forests, a large US forest carbon sink could shift to a decadal-scale carbon source.
The Open Geoportal Federation

In this article, we provide an overview of both the social and technical composition of the Open Geoportal (OGP) Federation: an open source, collaborative framework designed to support the various components of spatial data infrastructure and geospatial data repositories. The social components include best-practices, governance models, and working groups, as wells as the OGP wiki, blogs, elists, summits, and virtual meetings. The technical components include the Open Geoportal, Open Geoportal Harvester, and Open Geoportal Metadata Toolkit. We also include benefits and business drivers to adopting this new interoperable, collaborative model.
Erythema toxicum neonatorum

Erythema toxicum neonatorum is a common finding of unknown etiology affecting healthy newborn children, particularly those born at term. It is seen in the first days of life, but rarely at birth. Infants with it often have sterile papulopustules containing a predominance of eosinophils. It is important to distinguish from other cutaneous eruptions of neonates, some of which are serious.
Dyslipidemia Part 2: Review of Dyslipidemia Treatment in Patients With Noncoronary Vascular Disease

Dyslipidemia is one of the major modifiable risk factors associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Appropriate modification of lipid profiles reduces the progression of atherosclerosis in vessel walls across all vascular beds. The management of dyslipidemia has evolved over the last several decades, especially since the discovery of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, also known as statins. Statin use in atherosclerotic heart disease is well described in observational and prospective placebo-controlled studies, citing both lipid-lowering and pleiotropic effects. However, the effect of statins and other lipid-lowering agents on noncoronary arterial beds (the aorta, arteries to the extremities, renal, and carotid arteries) is less understood. This article is part 2 of a 2-part review, with part 1 having focused on lipid metabolism and the downstream effects of lipids on the development of atherosclerosis. The current review (part 2) will discuss trials, retrospective reviews, and observational cohort studies regarding the use of statins and/or other lipid-lowering drugs for primary and secondary prevention of peripheral noncoronary atherosclerotic disease.
Older scientists get their due.

In the In Depth news story “A call for NIH youth movement” (J. Kaiser, 10 October, p. [150][1]), Representative Andy Harris (R–MD) raises concerns about the “plight of young biomedical scientists,” especially the fact that they “now are often in their 40s before they win their first [
Activity of sugar esters isolated from leaf trichomes of Nicotiana gossei to pear psylla (Homoptera: Psyllidae)

Insecticidal activity of a sugar ester fraction isolated from leaf trichomes of wild tobacco, Nicotiana gossei Domin, to egg, nymph, and adult stages of pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyricola Foerster, was determined in replicated laboratory bioassays. Aqueous solutions of sugar ester concentrations ranging from 62 to 1,000 ppm (mg/liter) were applied by an ultra-low-volume spray device to petri dishes containing eggs, nymphs, or adults. Data were recorded on nymphal mortality rates 1, 3, 5, and 7 d after treatment, on the percentage of eggs hatched 7 d after treatment, on the mortality rates of eclosed nymphs 3 dafter eclosion (10 d after treatment), and on adult mortality rates 1 d after treatment. Mortality rates did not differ significantly for sugar ester concentrations of 500 and 1,000 ppm, which both produced a mortality rate of ≥94% for nymphs and adults 1 d after treatment. Lethal concentration values for sugar esters to pear psylla nymphs and adults differed significantly 1 d after treatment for the LC50 (90 versus 200 ppm, respectively), but not for the LC90 (300 versus 400 ppm, respectively). Nymphal mortality rates for each sugar ester concentration did not increase over time significantly 1 d after application, which suggests that the sugar ester is a contact insecticide that is active mainly in the liquid state. The percentage of eggs hatched was not affected by any of the sugar ester treatments 7 d after application. In contrast, the mortality rates of newly eclosed nymphs ranged from 18.7 to 67% for sugar ester concentrations of 62- 1,000 ppm. Our data suggest that both nymphs and adults would be equally controlled with sugar ester concentrations high enough to obtain a mortality rate of >90%. These results will be useful in determining the range of sugar ester concentrations for field trials. In addition, an inexpensive ultra-low-volume spray device used in the bioassays is described that is capable of applying microliter amounts of candidate insecticidal materials to target insects.
Modeling colony collapse disorder in honeybees as a contagion

Honeybee pollination accounts annually for over $14 billion in United States agriculture alone. Within the past decade there has been a mysterious mass die-off of honeybees, an estimated 10 million beehives and sometimes as much as 90% of an apiary. There is still no consensus on what causes this phenomenon, called Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. Several mathematical models have studied CCD by only focusing on infection dynamics. We created a model to account for both healthy hive dynamics and hive extinction due to CCD, modeling CCD via a transmissible infection brought to the hive by foragers. The system of three ordinary differential equations accounts for multiple hive population behaviors including Allee effects and colony collapse. Numerical analysis leads to critical hive sizes for multiple scenarios and highlights the role of accelerated forager recruitment in emptying hives during colony collapse.
Architectures for Future NOAA Environmental Satellite Systems

Environmental satellites today are designed to meet the most requirements possible within the constraints of budget, reliability, availability, robustness, manufacturability, and the state of the art in affordable technology. As we learn more and more about observing and forecasting, requirements continue to be developed and validated for measurements that can benefit from for advances in technology. The goal is to incorporate new technologies into operational systems as quickly as possible. Technologies that exist or are being developed in response to growing requirements can be categorized as “requirements pull” whereas technologies rooted in basic research and engineering exploration fall in to a “technology push” category.
Culinary Pataphysics: Dining, Theatre, and the Historical Avant-Garde

The movement that is known as molecular gastronomy has received much attention over the past decade, both as a compelling artistic breach of “ordinary cuisine” and for its privileging the scientific advancement of food preparation. The great chefs of this movement are received as auteurs of the meals that they create; not simply chefs, but avant-garde performers. This article proposes that many of the facets of modern haute cuisine have parallels in the historical avant-garde. Through a theatrical lens, Culinary Pataphysics explores some of the history of food’s artistry and draws parallels between drama and cuisine and both disciplines’ use of simulation and disruption. With Alfred Jarry’s remarkable play Ubu Roi as a starting point, three famous restaurants are assessed as contemporary exemplars of an artistic movement that has long been pronounced dead.
The cost-effectiveness analysis of two therapeutic schemes in the treatment of children's pneumonia

Objective:To discuss the cost-effectiveness of two therapeutic schemes in the treatment of children's pneumonia.Method: 86 cases of pneumonia patients were divided into the ceftizoxime sodium group and the cefuroxime sodium group.The cost-effectiveness relation was evaluated with the method of pharmacoeconomics cost-effectiveness analysis.Results: The recovery rates of two groups were 95.3% and 97.7%(P0.05);the costs of two groups were(1680.30±161.50) Yuan and(1215.20±123.20) Yuan;the cost-effectiveness scores were(17.63±1.69) and(12.44±1.26). Conclusions: The cefuroxime sodium scheme in the treatment of children's pneumonia is a preferable choice.
Parallel computing in a Python-based computer science course

Abstract Drawing heavily from Blelloch’s work on the vector model and scan operations, we work our way up to performing a parallel version of the quicksort algorithm on a shared-memory machine with p processors. We first see how to perform reduction and scan operations in parallel. We then examine parallel meld and permute operations, which lead to unsegmented partitioning in parallel. We then introduce segmented operations and modify our partitioning procedure to work with segmented operations, leading to a fully parallel version of quicksort. Python code appears for most, but not all, of the operations in this chapter. We omit Python code for partitioning and for the full parallel quicksort because these programs make for excellent exercises. The Python code we use does not itself run in parallel. To run code in parallel with Python, we would have to lock into a particular Python library. The concepts behind parallel programming are more important than the exact means to achieve parallelism. Therefore, we use Python for-loops and indicate which can be run in parallel and which cannot. An outer for-loop (i.e., a for-loop that is not nested in another for-loop) that runs for at most p iterations is parallelizable and therefore can run on the p processors concurrently. A for-loop that is nested within a parallelizable for-loop is not parallelizable; all of its iterations run sequentially on a given processor. Instructors who wish to have their students actually run the code in parallel may translate our code to their favorite Python library. For sufficiently advanced courses, this chapter includes a simple analysis of the tradeoffs between sequential and parallel versions of reduction and scan operations.
Which Emperor Has New Clothes? Biology Versus Psychology in the Era of Statistical Magic

At first glance, the article by Brotto, Basson, et al. (2016) may appear to be just zealous advocacy by one group of mental health professionals for their preferred treatment model for female hypoa...
Two-level optimization for a new family of cold-formed steel lipped channel sections against local and distortional buckling

Abstract The objective of this paper is to provide the development of a new algorithm that produces a family of minimal weight cold-formed steel lipped channels with the smallest number of individual cross-sections (family size) that are still capable of covering the current engineering design demands as commonly found in light steel framing. Current research in cold-formed steel optimization has largely sought optimal cross-sections for single members under a single applied action. In this paper, the optimization effort is extended to a broad set of axial (P) and bending (M) demands. A two-level optimization framework is proposed: level one focuses on member optimization of the P-M demand space as derived from current commercially available lipped channel sections in the United States; while level two focuses on the selection of a new family of optimal lipped channel sections that have the same efficiency in covering the design space, but utilize a minimal family size. As the focus of the effort is on the two-level optimization the cross-section optimization is simplified in this case to lipped channels against local and distortional buckling only; however the adopted algorithms are readily extensible. The results show that a new family of shapes with only 12 sections can achieve the same or better performance as the 108 sections commercially available in the United States. The developed family of shapes provides a direct demonstration of the potential for optimization to improve cold-formed steel manufacturing. In the future, the first-level member optimization will include new cross-section shapes, e.g., sigma sections, as well as global buckling, and will be performed along with the second family-level optimization to demonstrate additional potential benefits.
Divergence in Ubiquitin Interaction and Catalysis among the Ubiquitin-Specific Protease Family Deubiquitinating Enzymes

Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) are responsible for reversing mono- and polyubiquitination of proteins and play essential roles in numerous cellular processes. Close to 100 human DUBs have been identified and are classified into five families, with the ubiquitin-specific protease (USP) family being the largest (>50 members). The binding of ubiquitin (Ub) to USP is strikingly different from that observed for the DUBs in the ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase (UCH) and ovarian tumor domain protease (OTU) families. We generated a panel of mutant ubiquitins and used them to probe the ubiquitin's interaction with a number of USPs. Our results revealed a remarkable divergence of USP-Ub interactions among the USP catalytic domains. Our double-mutant cycle analysis targeting the ubiquitin residues located in the tip, the central body, and the tail of ubiquitin also demonstrated different crosstalk among the USP-Ub interactions. This work uncovered intriguing divergence in the ubiquitin-binding mode in the USP family DUBs and raised the possibility of targeting the ubiquitin-binding hot spots on USPs for selective inhibition of USPs by small molecule antagonists.
Destructive entrepreneurship and the security context: Program design considerations for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) and counterinsurgency

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to deliver insight from the concept of destructive entrepreneurship to program design considerations in conflict regions. Design/methodology/approach – This paper discusses and connects destructive entrepreneurship – an important yet largely unexplored question in the entrepreneurship literature – with security policy, related to evolving directions in the counterinsurgency literature and the traditional disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) literature. Findings – Counterinsurgency is increasingly the approach used by international and domestic policymakers when dealing with regional conflict, and DDR processes have been used for decades to transition former combatants into civilian life. Three broad considerations are particularly salient (timing/sequencing/phasing, benefits and beneficiaries, and measurement) for DDR programs in the counterinsurgency context. Practical implications – An incentives-based approach to understanding destructive entrepreneurship can provide useful insights for these two approaches and in particular, how they can be used together. Originality/value – This paper expands the current scope of understanding of destructive entrepreneurship to the previously unconnected security policy contexts related to counterinsurgency and DDR.
Cytomegalovirus Retinitis in Pediatric Stem Cell Transplants: Report of a Recent Cluster and the Development of a Screening Protocol

Purpose The incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in the pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) population is unknown. We report a cluster of 5 pediatric patients with CMV retinitis diagnosed in a 12-month period and compare this to the rate of CMV viremia and retinitis in the 4 years prior. Presented is the ophthalmic screening protocol developed in response to this experience. Design Retrospective cross-sectional study. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed on patients at Children's Hospital of Colorado (CHCO) who received allogeneic HSCT between January 2010 and December 2014. Fisher exact test was used to compare the proportion of CMV viremia and CMV retinitis in patients transplanted between January 2010 and December 2013 with those transplanted in 2014. Results A total of 101 patients underwent allogeneic HSCT from January 2010 to December 2013; 32 (32%) tested positive for CMV viremia. No cases of CMV retinitis were identified. From January 2014 to December 2014, 28 patients underwent allogeneic HSCT; 13 patients (46%) had CMV viremia, not a statistically significant increase ( P = .18). There were 5 cases of CMV retinitis diagnosed in those transplanted in 2014, a statistically significant increase compared with those transplanted in 2010-2013 ( P = .0004). A multidisciplinary team was formed to review the literature and an ophthalmic screening protocol was developed. Conclusion Our recent cluster of CMV retinitis in pediatric allogeneic HSCT patients may suggest a rise in incidence of CMV retinitis. We propose an ophthalmic screening protocol to diagnose retinitis in pediatric HSCT patients in the early, often asymptomatic stage.
Parameterizing microphysical effects on variances and covariances of moisture and heat content using a multivariate probability density function: a study with CLUBB (tag MVCS)

Abstract. Microphysical processes, such as the formation, growth, and evaporation of precipitation, interact with variability and covariances (e.g., fluxes) in moisture and heat content. For instance, evaporation of rain may produce cold pools, which in turn may trigger fresh convection and precipitation. These effects are usually omitted or else crudely parameterized at subgrid scales in weather and climate models. A more formal approach is pursued here, based on predictive, horizontally averaged equations for the variances, covariances, and fluxes of moisture and heat content. These higher-order moment equations contain microphysical source terms. The microphysics terms can be integrated analytically, given a suitably simple warm-rain microphysics scheme and an approximate assumption about the multivariate distribution of cloud-related and precipitation-related variables. Performing the integrations provides exact expressions within an idealized context. A large-eddy simulation (LES) of a shallow precipitating cumulus case is performed here, and it indicates that the microphysical effects on (co)variances and fluxes can be large. In some budgets and altitude ranges, they are dominant terms. The analytic expressions for the integrals are implemented in a single-column, higher-order closure model. Interactive single-column simulations agree qualitatively with the LES. The analytic integrations form a parameterization of microphysical effects in their own right, and they also serve as benchmark solutions that can be compared to non-analytic integration methods.
Ott1(Rbm15)-Deficient Hematopoietic Stem Cells Are Unable to Maintain Quiescence During Replicative Stress and Display Features of Premature Aging,

Abstract Abstract 3433 With age, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have numerical expansion, skewing towards myeloid development, loss of lymphoid potential, an underlying pro-inflammatory state and loss of self-renewal potential thus severely limiting responses to hematopoietic stress, ultimately leading to bone marrow failure. The mechanisms and pathways responsible for these changes in aged HSCs are incompletely understood. Using a conditional allele of Ott1, a gene originally isolated as the 5’ fusion partner in t(1;22) acute megakaryocytic leukemia, we previously found a global regulatory role for the gene in hematopoiesis. Deletion of Ott1 in adult mice utilizing Mx1-cre recapitulated certain aspects of aging hematopoiesis including increased Lin−Sca1+c-Kit+ (LSK) population, myeloid expansion and decreased lymphopoiesis. The LSK compartment was further characterized using SLAM and CD34/Flk2 markers and demonstrated normal levels of LT-HSCs and increased ST-HSCs. Despite sufficient LT-HSC numbers, Ott1-deleted bone marrow was unable to competitively or non-competitively repopulate irradiated recipients. To exclude a homing or engraftment effect, Ott1flox/null Mx1-cre bone marrow was transplanted with competitor then excised post-engraftment. The rapid loss of the Ott1-deficient graft demonstrated Ott1 is required for maintenance under competitive stress. In contrast, primary mice undergoing Ott1 excision lived a normal lifespan and were able to maintain sufficient hematopoiesis although with a partial reduction in bone marrow clonagenicity showing loss of Ott1 is not limiting under steady state conditions. To test the HSC requirement for Ott1 under replicative stress, Ott1 knockout mice were challenged with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Ott1-deleted mice treated with 5-FU displayed delayed peripheral blood neutrophil recovery and showed accelerated bone marrow failure. Cell cycle analysis of steady state Ott1 knockout HSCs showed a similar profile to wild type controls, however, after 5-FU treatment, the G0 fraction was dramatically reduced. The G0 fraction is associated with the quiescent, self-renewing HSC population, therefore, Ott1 is required for maintaining HSC quiescence during replicative stress but not steady state hematopoiesis. To more specifically assess whether the functional hematopoietic changes seen after loss of Ott1 were accompanied by alterations in known aging-associated pathways, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis comparing Ott1-deleted HSCs in steady state to aged HSCs was performed and showed a highly enriched gene expression signature (NES 2.02 p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Demonstration of a prototype molten salt solar gasification reactor

Abstract In the present work, a prototype molten salt solar gasification reactor was demonstrated at the 2.2 kW scale using simulated concentrated solar radiation. The molten alkali carbonate salt offers the benefits of improved heat transfer, catalysis of gasification, reduced production of tars, and thermal stability for transient solar input. Utilizing cellulose as feedstock and carbon dioxide as oxidizer, the reactor achieved a solar efficiency of 30% and converted 47% of the carbon in a continuous process at 1218 K. Based on an energy balance on the reactor, we project efficiencies approaching 55% with future improvements to the reactor.
The expanding repertoire of targets for immune checkpoint inhibition in bladder cancer: What lies beneath the tip of the iceberg, PD-L1

Over the last decade, a new understanding of tumor-immune system interplay has been ushered in, lead in large part by the discovery of immune checkpoints mediated through B7-CD28 family interactions. Therapeutic blockade of the PD-L1 immune checkpoint pathway has already shown great success as a cancer immunotherapy for advanced urothelial carcinoma, leading to durable clinical remissions in an otherwise incurable disease. There are newly described members of the B7-CD28 family including B7-H3, B7x, and HHLA2. These ligands are thought to play an essential role in suppressing T-cell response, leading to immune tolerance of tumors. This feature makes them attractive targets for novel immunotherapy treatment paradigms. Here, we review the literature of current strategies and future directions of immune checkpoint blockade therapy for bladder cancer.
Heart rate variability and lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to estimate the heart rate variability (HRV)–related lifetime cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Methods We followed 9744 participants without baseline CVD and used a life-table approach to estimate lifetime CVD risk (coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke) from 45 through 85 years according to several HRV measures (the SD of RR intervals [SD NN ], the root mean square of successive differences of successive RR intervals, the mean of all normal RR intervals [mean NN ], low-frequency [LF] and high-frequency [HF] power, and the LF/HF ratio). Results During 192,110 person-years of follow-up, we documented 2856 CVD events. Cox regression analyses with the false discovery rate method correction showed independent associations of SD NN , mean NN , LF, and LF/HF in women with CVD. Lifetime CVD risks in the lowest compared with the highest tertile were significantly increased in men for LF/HF (51.3% [95% confidence interval, 47.3–54.7] vs. 43.9% [40.1–47.2]), and in women for SD NN (39.4% [36.0–43.0] vs. 29.9% [26.3–33.0]), mean NN (39.3% [35.7–42.7] vs. 28.9% [25.7–31.7]), LF (39.4% [35.9–43.0] vs. 30.0% [26.2–33.2]), and LF/HF (37.6% [33.9–40.9] vs. 30.0% [26.8–32.7]). Conclusions Greater HRV was modestly associated with lower lifetime CVD risk.
From AlphaGo to Power System AI: What Engineers Can Learn from Solving the Most Complex Board Game

Since its early development in the 1950s, artificial intelligence (AI) has been studied to mimic the function of human brains in solving science and engineering problems. Despite alternating bust and boom periods, AI has consistently progressed with a number of development milestones such as evolutionary algorithms, neural networks, and deep learning. For many AI test applications, the game of Go has been long considered one of the hardest problems and the most difficult among all major board games for AI to solve or mimic the way that the human brain functions.
Inflammatory signatures of smoking

Smoking is associated with distinct pro- and anti-inflammatory signatures in squamous cell carcinomas of the lung and the head and neck.
The Impact of a Pilot Community Intervention on Health-Related Fitness Measures in Overweight Children

The purpose of this study was to pilot a 5-week community-based intervention on improving measures of health-related fitness in overweight children. Data were obtained from 8 overweight and obese 8- to 14-year-old children. Measurements included muscular fitness (curl-ups and modified pull-ups), aerobic capacity (20 meter progressive aerobic cardiovascular endurance run [PACER] test), body composition (triceps and calf skinfolds), body mass index (BMI), and flexibility (back saver sit-and-reach). A significant reduction in BMI was observed at post-test compared to baseline (P=0.03). There was a significant decrease in body fat at post-test for boys (P=0.013).
Monetary Union and Central Bank Independence

We study the consequences of forming a monetary union among a group of countries where the central banks lack independence and are pressured frequently to accommodate government objectives. This is a common situation in the developing countries. As it is common in the literature, we show that forming a monetary union yields net benefits if output shocks are similar across the member countries and if one or more countries in the union can serve as anchors. Our framework highlights an additional gain from monetary union. We show that the opportunistic objectives of one country's policymakers are kept in check at the union level by other members with disparate objectives. Hence, monetary union can improve the monetary policy for its members if the pressures on the individual central banks are dissimilar. We calibrate the model to evaluate the proposed monetary union in the East African Community.
Coevolution of Fungi and Their Viruses

Evolution is a safe subject for discussion, as one can afford to speculate without cause for contradiction. A discussion on the coevolution of fungi and their viruses will be especially speculative, as it is based on the biological attributes of present-day fungi and on the properties of rather few viruses, those double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-contain-ing mycoviruses that have been physicochemically well characterized.
The Interrelationship between Magnetostratigraphy and Tephrochronology

Magnetostratigraphy and tephrochronology represent complementary techniques for the determination of the ages of sedimentary sequences. Each method is subject to its own limitations. The magnetic polarity zonation of a sequence may not be sufficiently characteristic to correlate it to the magnetic polarity time scale. The presence of a single characteristic tephra layer does not provide detailed information about the time span represented by the entire sequence. The combined use of magnetostratigraphy and tephrochronology can often overcome these limitations as in the case of a single, dated tephra layer which serves to remove any ambiguity from the correlation of the magnetic polarity zonation. For sediments deposited entirely within a single polarity interval, geomagnetic excursions may eventually serve as useful stratigraphic markers; however at the present time problems associated with the existence and nature of geomagnetic excursions preclude their use as marker horizons.
Simple Physics-Based Model for the Prediction of Shock-Train Location

A simple physics-based model was developed for the prediction of shock-train location in constant-area scramjet isolators. The shock train was shown to manifest at the location within the isolator ...