cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Discovering Network Topology of Large Multisubnet Ethernet Networks

In this paper we investigate the problem of finding the physical layer network topology of large, heterogeneous multisubnet Ethernet networks that may include uncooperative network elements. Our approach utilizes only generic MIB information and does not require any hardware or software modifications of the underlying network elements. We propose here the first O(n3) algorithm that guarantees discovering a topology that is compatible with the given set of input MIBs, provided that the input is complete. We prove the correctness of the algorithms and the necessary and sufficient conditions for the uniqueness of the restored topology. Finally, we demonstrate the application of the algorithm on several examples.
The influence of community and the built environment on physical activity.

Objective: To examine associations between the built environment and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among African Americans and Whites. Method: Independent and control variables were produced from the litera- ture and theory to represent key components of built environment, sense of community, sociodemographic, and health status characteristics. Logistic regression analysis and descriptive statistics were used to measures cor- relative relationships with physical activity. Results: Built environment ele- ments, especially homeownership, were associated with LTPA, particularly among older African American rural residents. Discussion: Recommenda- tions include transferring the concept of community ownership to residents living in areas where rates of physical activity are low.
Evaluating algal growth performance and water use efficiency of pilot‐scale revolving algal biofilm (RAB) culture systems

A Revolving Algal Biofilm (RAB) growth system in which algal cells are attached to a flexible material rotating between liquid and gas phases has been developed. In this work, different configurations of RAB systems were developed at pilot-scale by retrofitting the attachment materials to a raceway pond (2000-L with 8.5 m2 footprint area) and a trough reservoir (150 L with 3.5 m2 footprint area). The algal growth performance and chemical composition, as well as the water evaporative loss and specific water consumption were evaluated over a period of nine months in a greenhouse environment near Boone, Iowa USA. Additionally a raceway pond was run in parallel, which served as a control. On average the raceway-based RAB and the trough-based RAB outperformed the control pond by 309% and 697%, respectively. A maximum productivity of 46.8 g m−2 day−1 was achieved on the trough-based RAB system. The evaporative water loss of the RAB system was modeled based on an energy balance analysis and was experimentally validated. While the RAB system, particularly the trough-based RAB, had higher water evaporative loss, the specific water consumption per unit of biomass produced was only 26% (raceway-based RAB) and 7% (trough-based RAB) of that of the control pond. Collectively, this research shows that the RAB system is an efficient algal culture system and has great potential to commercially produce microalgae with high productivity and efficient water use. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2015;112: 2040–2050. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Depression begets depression: Comparing the predictive utility of depression and anxiety symptoms to later depression

Background: The high comorbidity between depressive and anxiety disorders, especially among females, has called into question the independence of these two symptom groups. It is possible that childhood anxiety typically precedes depression in girls. Comparing of the predictive utility of symptoms of anxiety with the predictive utility of symptoms of depression from early childhood to early adolescence is needed to test this hypothesis. Methods: Data from a population-based sample of 2,451 girls were used to examine age-related changes and year-to-year stability within and across symptoms of major depression, separation anxiety, and generalized/social anxiety by maternal report from ages 6 to 12. In addition, the predictive utility of symptoms of major depression, separation anxiety, and generalized/ social anxiety at ages 7–10 years of age to depressive disorders at ages 11–13 was tested. Results: Symptoms of separation anxiety demonstrated a linear decrease, depression symptoms a linear increase and symptoms of generalized/social anxiety an increase from 6–8, a plateau 8–10, followed by a decrease from 10–12 years. Year-to-year changes in symptoms of major depression were best predicted by depressive symptoms in the previous year, although a small amount of additional variance was accounted for by separation anxiety symptoms in early childhood and generalized/social anxiety symptoms in mid to later childhood. Age 8 was the earliest age from which depressive disorders in early adolescence could be predicted from symptoms of depression and generalized social anxiety. Conclusions: Homotypic continuity of depression and anxiety symptoms from early childhood to early adolescence is more common in girls than heterotypic continuity. Some additional information about year-to-year changes in depression symptoms and later depressive disorder is gained by assessing anxiety symptoms. Depressive symptoms themselves, however, appear to be the strongest and most reliable predictor of later depression. Keywords: Females, depression, anxiety, prediction. Abbreviations: DEP: symptoms of major depressive disorder; MDD: major depressive disorder; SAD: symptoms of separation anxiety disorder; GSA: symptoms of generalized/social anxiety; GAD: generalized anxiety disorder; OAD: overanxious disorder.
Clinical outcome in 20 cases of lingual hemangiosarcoma in dogs: 1996-2011

With the exception of solar-induced dermal hemangiosarcoma (HSA), the biologic behaviour of canine HSA is characterised by rapid tumour growth, a high metastatic rate and short survival times. Outcome of dogs with HSA of the tongue has not been previously reported. The purpose of this study was to assess outcome and prognostic factors in dogs with lingual HSA. Clinical data was collected retrospectively and histopathology was reviewed for 20 dogs. Median progression free survival was 524 days and the median overall survival time was 553 days. All dogs had low or intermediate grade tumours; most tumours were small and located on the ventral surface of the tongue. Prognostic factors significantly associated with increased survival included small tumour size and absence of clinical signs of an oral mass at the time of diagnosis. Dogs with HSA confined to the tongue may have a better prognosis compared with HSA in other organs.
Evaluation of Mail and In-person Contingent Value Surveys: Results of a Study of Recreational Boaters

There is controversy in the literature over the appropriate method for administering the contingent value method (CVM) survey. This research was conducted to determine if there were any differences in responses between the mail and in-person survey methods. Three criteria were used in evaluating the suitability of mail versus in-person surveys: overall response rate; item non-response; and data comparability. Item non-response and the willingness-to-pay function (analysis of covariance regression approach) found more similarities between methods than differences. The mail method had higher individual question response rates than the in-person method for sensitive (income) and CVM (complex, future-oriented) questions. The mail method may be better suited for CVM questions because it allows for contemplation and reduces pressure to an immediate answer. The in-person method may be better suited for recalling past behavior questions. Overall, both methods provided similar results, so it is important to continue to compare the two methods to further establish their validity and replicability.
Empirical tests for ecological exchangeability

The concept of ecological exchangeability, together with genetic exchangeability, is central to both the Cohesion Species Concept as well as to some definitions of Evolutionarily Significant Units. While there are well-established criteria for measuring genetic exchangeability, the concept of ecological exchangeability has generated considerable confusion. We describe a procedure that uses the complementary strengths, while recognising the limitations, of both molecular genetic data and ecological experiments to determine the ecological exchangeability of local populations within a species. This is the first synthesis of a combined approach (experiments and genetics) and the first explicit discussion of testing ecological exchangeability. Although it would be ideal to find functional genes that interact to influence quantitative traits resulting in ecological differences (e.g. growth, size, fecundity), we suggest that our current knowledge of functional markers is too limited for most species to use them to differentiate adaptively different local populations. Thus, we argue that ecological experiments using whole organisms combined with neutral markers that indicate evolutionary divergence, provide the strongest case for detecting adaptive differences among local populations. Both genetic divergence and ecological experiments provide the best information for infering ecological exchangeability. This procedure can be used to decide which local populations should be preserved to maintain intraspecific variation and to determine which populations would enhance captive-breeding programs, augment endangered local populations and could best be used to re-introduce native species into historically occupied areas.
Effect of Trap Design, Bait Type, and Age on Captures of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Berry Crops

Field experiments were conducted in commercial southern highbush blueberries and wild blackberries to evaluate the attractiveness of different trap designs, bait types, and bait age on captures of the spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae). During the 2012 trap design study, the five treatments evaluated were four 1-liter clear plastic cup traps (with and without a yellow visual stimulus or odorless dish detergent) and the fifth treatment was a Pherocon AM yellow sticky card trap. Cup traps were baited with 150 ml of apple cider vinegar (ACV) and the Pherocon AM trap had a 7.4-ml glass vial containing ACV. In 2013, the Pherocon AM yellow sticky card was omitted because of low spotted wing drosophila captures in 2012. The four treatments evaluated were four 1-liter cup traps with and without a yellow visual stimulus. One cup trap (with a yellow stimulus) was baited with yeast + sugar in place of ACV and the other cup traps were baited with ACV. In both years, there were no differences in spotted wing drosophila captures among cup traps baited with ACV with and without yellow visual stimulus. However, the cup trap baited with yeast + sugar and yellow visual stimulus captured more spotted wing drosophila than the ACV-baited cup traps irrespective of visual stimulus or detergent. In another study, four baits including 1) ACV, 2) yeast + sugar mixture, 3) yeast + flour mixture (yeast, sugar, water, whole wheat flour, and ACV), and 4) wine + vinegar mixture (rice vinegar and merlot wine) were evaluated in a commercial blueberry planting using 1-liter clear plastic cup traps (as described above). The experiment was repeated in wild blackberries but the yeast + flour bait was replaced with ACV + merlot wine + sugar. Results indicated that the two yeast baits captured significantly more spotted wing drosophila and more nontarget organisms than the vinegar baits. In the final study, although we found that the attraction of ACV and yeast + sugar to spotted wing drosophila did not change with bait age, the attraction to other Drosophilidae flies decreased with age. The ease of implementing a trap-and-lure system for spotted wing drosophila is discussed.
Integrated Weed Management in Maize

The corn plant is one of nature’s most amazing energy-storing devices. Weed management is one of the important practices for successful corn production. Herbicide-resistant corn hybrids (including glyphosate-, glufosinate-, and imidazolinone-resistant) have been adopted by corn producers primarily in the Americas. Glyphosate-resistant corn is the most widely grown herbicide-resistant variety by corn producers. This technology has provided excellent weed control for a decade; however, continuous and multiple applications of glyphosate in the corn–soybean cropping system have resulted in weed shifts and evolved glyphosate-resistant weed biotypes. This is the best example of negative implication of relying on a single method of weed control for many years. A well-planned weed management program in corn should involve multiple strategies, including preventive techniques, such as monitoring, cultural control, mechanical or physical control, and chemical control tactics. Preventive techniques may start with planting weed-free crop seeds or choosing an alternative field. Rotating crops to disrupt pest life cycles and planting adapted varieties are good examples of cultural control. Mechanical or physical control may include tillage and mowing to disrupt certain hard-to-control and perennial weeds. Flaming for weed control has been receiving attention of several corn producers in North Central USA and Europe, and it can be an important tool in an integrated weed management program. Use of herbicides is still the primary, efficient, and the most economical way for weed control in corn, but their use should be based on a sound management decision and rotation. Several existing corn herbicides have been tank-mixed or sold as premixed. They have been used extensively for control of herbicide-resistant weeds. Multiple herbicide-resistant corn (glyphosate plus 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid resistant; glyphosate plus glufosinate plus 2,4-D resistant) has been developed by industry and currently pending regulatory approval. Upon commercialization (once all regulatory approvals are secured), they may be effective for control of herbicide-resistant weeds; however, continuous use of the same trait and herbicides may promote evolution of multiple herbicide-resistant weeds.
Balance Performance and Step Width in Noninstitutionalized, Elderly, Female Fallers and Nonfallers

The purposes of this study were to compare age, static balance performance, and step-width variables between elderly noninstitutionaiized women with and with­ out a history of falls and to determine the relationship between balance perfor­ mance and step width. Each subject performed a maximum of three timed trials on the sharpened Romberg and one-legged stance tests with eyes open and with eyes closed. The first and best trial measurements were used for analysis. Each subject walked on paper walkways making ink prints for step-width measurements. The mean and the variability of each subject's step-width measure­ ments were used for analysis. Data from 110 women, aged 60 to 89 years, were analyzed. The fallers (n = 26) had significantly lower values than the nonfallers (n = 84) on the best trial of the sharpened Romberg test in the eyes-open condi­ tion (t = 1.98, df = 108, p < .05). No significant differences between fallers and nonfallers were revealed in age, the mean and variability of step width, the first trials of the balance tests, and the best trials on the other balance tests. For the total group, the mean measurements on the first trials were significantly lower than those on the best trials for each balance test. Small, but statistically significant (p < .05), negative relationships existed between balance performance and the mean and variability of step width. The results of this study indicate that the meth­ ods of measuring balance and step width are clinically applicable, and the data of patients from a similar population sample may be compared with the data established in this study. [Heitmann DK, Gossman MR, Shaddeau SA, et ah Balance performance and step width in noninstitutio naiized, elderly, female fallers and nonfallers. Phys Ther 69.923-931 1989]
Unambiguous chirp characterization using modified-spectrum auto-interferometric correlation and pulse spectrum

Modified-spectrum auto-interferometric correlation (MOSAIC), derived from a conventional second order interferometric autocorrelation trace, is a sensitive and visual chirp diagnostic method for ultrashort laser pulses. We construct several pairs of example pulse shapes that have nearly identical MOSAIC traces and demonstrate that chirp ambiguity can result when the field amplitude or spectrum are not known, thus making MOSAIC a qualitative tool for chirped pulses. However, when the pulse spectrum is known, a unique chirp reconstruction is possible. With the help of a new reconstruction technique, we experimentally demonstrate complete pulse characterization using MOSAIC envelopes and the pulse spectrum.
Desalination and sustainability – An appraisal and current perspective

Desalination technologies have evolved and advanced rapidly along with increasing water demands around the world since 1950s. Many reviews have focused on the techno-economic and environmental and ecological issues of the desalination technologies and emphasized the feasibility of desalination industry as an alternative to meet the water demands in many water scarce regions. Despite these efforts, many perceptions about desalination processes hinder their applications for potential water supplies. This article has two specific aims: 1) provide an overview of the desalination trends around the world and discuss the sustainability components of desalination processes in comparison with other water supply alternatives; and 2) discuss case studies for desalination, and drivers and factors that influence sustainable desalination and other alternative water sources for desalination to increase our current understanding on the sensitive and futuristic issues of water supply and resource management options for drought facing regions. Although some of the facts and recent developments discussed here show that desalination can be affordable and potentially sustainable, contributions that meaningfully address socio-economic and ecological and environmental issues of desalination processes are urgently required in this critical era of severe water stress for the present context and the future development of desalination technologies.
Physical design and assembly process development of a multi-chip package containing a light emitting diode (LED) array die

This paper presents the physical design concept and process developments to construct a small module containing a chip with an array of miniature light emitting diodes (LED's) as well as the driver control circuitry for the LED array. The module is composed of a glass substrate consisting of a fanout pattern from the I/O bond pads of the fine pitch solder bumped LED array chip. The fanout I/O pattern of the glass terminates on a 40 mil pitch ball grid array land pattern. The LED array chip is bonded face down on the glass and underencapsulated with an optically transparent underfill. All of the driver board circuitry is on a glob top plastic ball grid array (GTPBGA) package whose solder balls are reflow attached to the assembled glass substrate and underencapsulated to provide a finished display module. To implement the module concept, fine pitch (i.e. 80 /spl mu/m) 90Pb/10Sn solder bump technology, fluxless flip chip bonding, thin optically transparent underencapsulation technology had to be developed, as well as the development of a multi-chip 384 I/O 40 mil pitch glob top plastic ball grid array (GTPBGA). The solder balls on the 384 I/O GTPBGA are 30Pb/70In. The assembly technology and underencapsulation technology for the assembly of the glass substrate containing the LED array chip and the 384 I/O GTPBGA also had to be developed.
Semi-Automated Object-Based Classification of Coral Reef Habitat using Discrete Choice Models

As for terrestrial remote sensing, pixel-based classifiers have traditionally been used to map coral reef habitats. For pixel-based classifiers, habitat assignment is based on the spectral or textural properties of each individual pixel in the scene. More recently, however, object-based classifications, those based on information from a set of contiguous pixels with similar properties, have found favor with the reef mapping community and are starting to be extensively deployed. Object-based classifiers have an advantage over pixel-based in that they are less compromised by the inevitable inhomogeneity in per-pixel spectral response caused, primarily, by variations in water depth. One aspect of the object-based classification workflow is the assignment of each image object to a habitat class on the basis of its spectral, textural, or geometric properties. While a skilled image interpreter can achieve this task accurately through manual editing, full or partial automation is desirable for large-scale reef mapping projects of the magnitude which are useful for marine spatial planning. To this end, this paper trials the use of multinomial logistic discrete choice models to classify coral reef habitats identified through object-based segmentation of satellite imagery. Our results suggest that these models can attain assignment accuracies of about 85%, while also reducing the time needed to produce the map, as compared to manual methods. Limitations of this approach include misclassification of image objects at the interface between some habitat types due to the soft gradation in nature between habitats, the robustness of the segmentation algorithm used, and the selection of a strong training dataset. Finally, due to the probabilistic nature of multinomial logistic models, the analyst can estimate a map of uncertainty associated with the habitat classifications. Quantifying uncertainty is important to the end-user when developing marine spatial planning scenarios and populating spatial models from reef habitat maps.
Energy-Efficient Localization via Personal Mobility Profiling

Location based services are on the rise, many of which assume GPS based localization. Unfortunately, GPS incurs an unacceptable energy cost that can reduce the phone’s battery life to less than ten hours. Alternate localization technology, based on WiFi or GSM, improve battery life at the expense of localization accuracy. This paper quantifies this important tradeoff that underlies a wide range of emerging applications. To address this tradeoff, we show that humans can be profiled based on their mobility patterns, and such profiles can be effective for location prediction. Prediction reduces the energy consumption due to continuous localization. Driven by measurements from Nokia N95 phones, we develop an energy-efficient localization framework called EnLoc. Evaluation on real user traces demonstrates the possibility of achieving good localization accuracy for a realistic energy budget.
Mechanisms regulating acidic extracellular pH induced lysosome trafficking in prostate cancer

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 14-18, 2007; Los Angeles, CA 3097 A low extracellular pH has been associated with tumor progression and increased invasive capacity (Rofstad, et al. Cancer Res 2006(13): 6699-707). This condition induces an outward movement of lysosomes and release of proteases; however, the mechanisms regulating lysosome trafficking under these conditions remain largely undefined. To address the mechanisms regulating lysosome outward movement, we used the DU-145 prostate cancer cell line as a model. We found that a low extracellular pH of 6.4-6.8 rapidly induced a peripheral lysosome redistribution that was dependent upon intact microtubules, since nocodazole inhibited outward movement. Immunofluorescence microscopy indicated that lysosomes were the only endocytic organelles that underwent peripheral redistribution. In addition, the PI3-Kinase pathway and members of the Rho GTPase family also played roles since LY294002 (a specific PI3K inhibitor) and C3-Transferase (a Rho family inhibitor) inhibited lysosome movement. The sodium-proton exchanger NHE-1 plays a role in regulating intracellular pH, thus to determine the role of NHE-1 in regulating lysosome redistribution, we used two different inhibitors. Treatment with Troglitazone (Tro; also an anti-diabetic agent), not only inhibited lysosome redistribution, but also induced the clustering of lysosomes near the microtubule-organizing center. Ethyl-isopropyl-amiloride, another NHE-1 inhibitor, prevented the low extracellular pH induced outward movement of lysosomes, but did not cause a clustering of lysosomes. Furthermore, we have determined that in addition to microtubules, the MAP-Kinase pathway was involved in Troglitazone’s clustering effect since treatment with UO126 (a MAPK inhibitor) prevented lysosome clustering. In addition, DNA transfection experiments demonstrated that Rab7 and its downstream effector, RILP, also played a role in Tro induced lysosome clustering. Thus, a better understanding of the mechanisms by which Tro reverses lysosome redistribution will lead to novel therapeutic targets to reduce protease secretion, resulting in a decrease in tumor invasion.
Expanding the phenotype half of the genotype-phenotype space.

Bipolar disorder (BP), also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, and activity levels (1). Some of the most prominent and characteristic symptoms of BP include dramatic disturbances in sleep:wake or rest:activity cycles, with restlessness in the manic phase and extremely low levels of activity during the depressive phase (“having difficulty getting out of bed”) (2, 3). Also, rest:activity cycles can profoundly change the course of clinical manifestations; pharmacological agents such as lithium and antidepressants, which are commonly used to treat this illness, significantly alter the cycling of affective episodes over the longitudinal course of the disorder (2, 3). In PNAS, Pagani et al. (4) report, to their knowledge, the first large-scale systematic analysis of rest:activity phenotypes in 26 pedigrees segregating for severe BP. This study involved monitoring of actigraphy for two weeks in 136 euthymic (between episodes of mania or depression) BP subjects and 422 of their non-BP relatives. To identify sleep, activity, and circadian rhythm phenotypes with a significant genetic component, the authors estimated heritability. In simple terms, they compared the degree of familial relationships with the level of similarity in 73 phenotypes collected for all family members. In addition to identifying heritable rest:activity traits, this analysis also identified a subset of phenotypes correlated with the disease status. Systematic delineation of heritable disease-associated traits, as illustrated in the Pagani et al. paper (4), will be critical in ongoing efforts to link genomic lesions—such as those identified by next-generation sequencing—to complex psychiatric disorders.
Targeted Ultrasound‐Assisted Cancer‐Selective Chemical Labeling and Subsequent Cancer Imaging using Click Chemistry

Metabolic sugar labeling followed by the use of reagent-free click chemistry is an established technique for in vitro cell targeting. However, selective metabolic labeling of the target tissues in vivo remains a challenge to overcome, which has prohibited the use of this technique for targeted in vivo applications. Herein, we report the use of targeted ultrasound pulses to induce the release of tetraacetyl N-azidoacetylmannosamine (Ac4 ManAz) from microbubbles (MBs) and its metabolic expression in the cancer area. Ac4 ManAz-loaded MBs showed great stability under physiological conditions, but rapidly collapsed in the presence of tumor-localized ultrasound pulses. The released Ac4 ManAz from MBs was able to label 4T1 tumor cells with azido groups and significantly improved the tumor accumulation of dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO)-Cy5 by subsequent click chemistry. We demonstrated for the first time that Ac4 ManAz-loaded MBs coupled with the use of targeted ultrasound could be a simple but powerful tool for in vivo cancer-selective labeling and targeted cancer therapies.
RNG-based turbulence transport approximations with applications to transonic flows

An algebraic eddy viscosity model, as well as a differential two equation K. - € model based on the Renormalization Group Theory of turbulence are proposed for closure of the compressible Reynolds averaged equations. The first model, although free from uncertainties related to the determination of modeling constants, still requires the specification of a lengthscale which leads to a reduction of the generality of the model. The second model proposed is far more general. Not only does it remove the need for the determination of a length scale, but it also incorporates the low Reynolds number modeling in a form that does not depend directly on information about the wall location. This feature makes the RNG-based rc - E model suitable for calculation on unstructured meshes. The applicability of the RNG based turbulence transport approximations for mildly compressible flows is demonstrated by the successful simulation of several transonic flows.
Effects of high-copper feeding on portal ammonia absorption and on oxygen consumption by portal vein-drained organs and by the whole animal in growing pigs.

Growing gilts that had catheters inserted into the portal vein, ileal vein, and carotid artery and that were trained to consume 1.2 kg of a 16% CP corn-soybean meal basal diet once daily were used. In Trial 1, hourly simultaneous measurements of the O2 consumption by portal vein-drained organs (PVDO) and by the whole animal during the 24- to 30-h postprandial period were conducted in eight pigs (33.8 +/- .6 kg). After initial measurements, four pigs continued to receive the basal diet and four pigs were fed a basal diet +250 ppm of Cu. Following a 7-d acclimation period, the second series of measurements were made. In pigs fed the diet supplemented with Cu, the PVDO and whole-animal O2 consumptions and the fraction of whole-animal O2 consumption used by PVDO were not different (P > .05) between the initial and second series. In Trial 2, seven gilts (38.5 +/- .9 kg) were used for measurements of net portal NH3 absorption and the O2 consumption by PVDO and by the whole animal during the 0- to 6-h postprandial period. The second series of measurements were made 7 d after four pigs were fed the diet supplemented with Cu. For pigs fed the diet supplemented with Cu, during the second series of measurements, the net portal NH3 absorption was lowered (P .05) in PVDO and whole-animal O2 consumptions and the fraction of whole-animal O2 consumption used by PVDO were found between the initial and second series.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Seminal Plasma Promotes Neisseria gonorrhoeae Aggregation and Biofilm Formation.

ABSTRACT Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes the human-specific disease gonorrhea and is transmitted from person to person primarily via sexual contact. During transmission, N. gonorrhoeae is often exposed to seminal fluid and must adapt to this change in environment. Previous work demonstrated that seminal fluid facilitates N. gonorrhoeae motility and alters epithelial cell interactions. In this study, exposure to seminal fluid was found to decrease surface adherence of gonococci in a manner that was independent of Opa adhesin proteins or type IV pilus retraction. Semen was also shown to cause dispersal of bacteria that had previously established surface adherence. Although surface adherence decreased, interbacterial interactions were increased by seminal plasma both in long-term static culture and on a cell-to-cell basis over shorter time periods. The result of increased bacterium-bacterium interactions resulted in the formation of microcolonies, an important step in the N. gonorrhoeae infectious process. Seminal fluid also facilitated increased bacterial aggregation in the form of shear-resistant three-dimensional biofilms. These results emphasize the importance of the gonococcal response to the influx of seminal fluid within the genital niche. Further characterization of the N. gonorrhoeae response to semen will advance our understanding of the mechanisms behind the establishment of infection in naive hosts and the process of transmission. IMPORTANCE N. gonorrhoeae is the causative agent of the globally prevalent sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea. An understudied aspect of this human-adapted pathogen is the change in bacterial physiology that occurs during sexual transmission. N. gonorrhoeae encounters semen when transmitted from host to host, and it is known that, when N. gonorrhoeae is exposed to seminal fluid, alterations in bacterial motility and type IV pilus arrangement occur. This work extends our previous observations on this modulation of gonococcal physiology by seminal fluid and demonstrates that seminal plasma decreases surface adherence, promotes interbacterial interactions, and enhances biofilm formation.
Cold-hardening during long-term acclimation in a freeze-tolerant woolly bear caterpillar, Pyrrharctia isabella

ABSTRACT The banded woolly bear caterpillar, Pyrrharctia isabella (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), overwinters in leaf litter and survives freezing under natural conditions. Following 18 weeks of cold acclimation at 5°C, all caterpillars could survive 1 week of continuous freezing at −20°C or seven cycles of freezing–thawing at −20°C, but none survived freezing at −80°C. Field-collected caterpillars had a temperature of crystallization of −7.7±0.5°C that decreased significantly to −9.5±0.6°C after 12 weeks of acclimation at 5°C. Hemolymph levels of free proline, total amino acids and proteins reached a peak during the first 4 weeks of acclimation; concomitantly, hemolymph osmolality increased markedly during this interval (from 364 to 1282 mosmol kg−1). In contrast, hemolymph pH decreased during the first 4 weeks of acclimation before this trend reversed and pH values gradually returned to initial values. However, pH reached its peak value following 1 week at −20°C, but decreased after longer periods of freezing. During cold acclimation, cholesterol levels decreased in the hemolymph and the membrane fraction of fat body but not in other tissues. Lethal freezing at −80°C reduced cell survival in foregut tissue and caused leakage of free proline, total amino acids and proteins from tissues into the hemolymph. The addition of glycerol to the bathing medium reduced freezing injury in fat body cells, as evidenced by reduced leakage of amino acids and proteins.
Frequency organization and responses to complex sounds in the medial geniculate body of the mustached bat.

The auditory cortex of the mustached bat (Pteronotus parnellii) displays some of the most highly developed physiological and organizational features described in mammalian auditory cortex. This stu...
The Commercial Construction of ‘New Nations’

This article considers the instrumental role of commodity marketing and mass consumption in producing nationality as a dimension of personal and collective identities. It asks: if nation-ness and nationality no longer necessarily refer to political identities, then to what sort of imagined communities, if any, do they refer? It addresses this question in part through a discussion of commercial images from Papua New Guinea, one of the ‘new nations’ of the South Pacific.
Predicting Concrete Compressive Strength Using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity and Rebound Number

This paper shows how, as a general index of concrete strength, the compressive strength of concrete f(c) is important in the performance assessment of existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures. The paper shows how many nondestructive testing methods have been developed to estimate the in-place value of f(c). In particular, the combination of rebound hammer and ultrasonic pulse velocity tests, known as SonReb, is frequently used. With the SonReb measurements, regression models are commonly applied to predict f(c). The available regression models are not sufficiently valid, however, because of the limited range of data used for their calibration. This paper proposes a probabilistic multivariable linear regression model to predict f(c) using SonReb measurements and additional concrete properties. The Bayesian updating rule and the all possible subsets model selection are used to develop the proposed model based on the collected data with a wide range of concrete properties. The proposed model is compared with currently available regression models, concluding that the proposed model gives, on average, a more accurate prediction.
A cord blood monocyte–derived cell therapy product accelerates brain remyelination

Microglia and monocytes play important roles in regulating brain remyelination. We developed DUOC-01, a cell therapy product intended for treatment of demyelinating diseases, from banked human umbilical cord blood (CB) mononuclear cells. Immunodepletion and selection studies demonstrated that DUOC-01 cells are derived from CB CD14+ monocytes. We compared the ability of freshly isolated CB CD14+ monocytes and DUOC-01 cells to accelerate remyelination of the brains of NOD/SCID/IL2Rγnull mice following cuprizone feeding-mediated demyelination. The corpus callosum of mice intracranially injected with DUOC-01 showed enhanced myelination, a higher proportion of fully myelinated axons, decreased gliosis and cellular infiltration, and more proliferating oligodendrocyte lineage cells than those of mice receiving excipient. Uncultured CB CD14+ monocytes also accelerated remyelination, but to a significantly lesser extent than DUOC-01 cells. Microarray analysis, quantitative PCR studies, Western blotting, and flow cytometry demonstrated that expression of factors that promote remyelination including PDGF-AA, stem cell factor, IGF1, MMP9, MMP12, and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 were upregulated in DUOC-01 compared to CB CD14+ monocytes. Collectively, our results show that DUOC-01 accelerates brain remyelination by multiple mechanisms and could be beneficial in treating demyelinating conditions.
Measuring Adult Picky Eating: The Development of a Multidimensional Self-Report Instrument.

A brief multidimensional measure of adult picky eating (PE) behavior was developed using a large U.S. adult sample. In addition, the study explored associations between specific aspects of adult PE behavior and psychosocial impairment in effort to support the inclusion of adults in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5) avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). The study included 3 phases of qualitative and quantitative data collection. Participants were 1,663 U.S. adults who completed online surveys. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to develop PE subscales. Associations among the PE subscales and measures of psychosocial impairment were examined. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported a 16-item 4-factor model of adult PE that included subscales of meal presentation, food variety, meal disengagement, and taste aversion. The measure also demonstrated convergence with previous measures of PE. The meal disengagement and meal presentation subscales demonstrated significant associations with social eating anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, eating related quality of life (QOL), and psychological flexibility. Meal disengagement alone was significantly associated with depressive symptoms. The Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire (APEQ) demonstrated sound psychometric properties and may be used to further investigate adult PE behavior. The relationships between adult PE and psychological impairment, particularly social anxiety, support the inclusion of ARFID in the DSM-5. (PsycINFO Database Record
Streptococcal Infection and Tourette Syndrome

Serum antibodies against human caudate nucleus sections and antistreptococcal titers were determined in 83 ADHD children, 45 with and 38 without an associated movement disorder, at Brown University School of Medicine, Rhode Island.
Murine Th17 cells utilize IL-2 receptor gamma chain cytokines but are resistant to cytokine withdrawal-induced apoptosis

Adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) with the Th17 subset of CD4+ T cells can cure established melanoma in preclinical models and holds promise for treating human cancer. However, little is known about the growth factors necessary for optimal engraftment and anti-tumor activity of Th17 cells. Due to the central role of IL-2 receptor gamma chain (IL2Rγ-chain) cytokines (IL-2, IL-7, and IL-15) in the activity and persistence of many T cell subsets after adoptive transfer, we hypothesized that these cytokines are important for Th17 cells. We found that Th17 cells proliferated in response to IL-2, IL-7, and IL-15 in vitro. However, in contrast to many other T cell subsets, including conventionally activated CD8+ T cells, we found that Th17 cells were resistant to apoptosis in the absence of IL2Rγ-chain cytokines. To determine whether Th17 cells utilize IL2Rγ-chain cytokines in vivo, we tracked Th17 cell engraftment after adoptive transfer with or without cytokine depletion. Depletion of IL-7 and/or IL-2 decreased initial engraftment, while depletion of IL-15 did not. Supplementation of IL-2 increased initial Th17 engraftment. To assess the clinical relevance of these findings, we treated melanoma-bearing mice with Th17 cell adoptive transfer and concurrent cytokine depletion or supplementation. We found that simultaneous depletion of IL-2 and IL-7 decreased therapeutic efficacy, depletion of IL-15 had no effect, and IL-2 supplementation increased therapeutic efficacy. Our results show that Th17 cells are responsive to IL2Rγ-chain cytokines, and provide insight into the application of these cytokines for Th17-based therapeutic strategies.
Wavelet Analysis of ECG Signals

This study evaluated the effectiveness of different types of wavelets and thresholds to process electrocardiograms. An electrocardiogram, or ECG, shows the electrical activity in the heart and can be used to detect abnormalities. The first process used term-by-term thresholding to denoise ECGs. The second process denoised and compressed ECGs using global thresholding. The effectiveness was determined by using the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the percentage root mean square difference (PRD).
Adolescent Agentic Orientations: Contemporaneous Family Influence, Parental Biography and Intergenerational Development

Agentic orientations developed in adolescence have been linked to better health, well-being, and achievements in the years following. This study examines longitudinal parental influences on the development of adolescent children's agentic orientations, captured by the core constructs of mastery beliefs and generalized life expectations. Drawing on multigenerational panel data from the United States (1991-2011), the study examines contemporaneous family factors, but also how parental biographies (their own transition to adulthood) and parents' own adolescent agentic orientations influence their adolescent children. Study adolescents were 46% male, 52% white, and 15.6 years old on average. The findings indicate that parents' early orientations and experiences in the transition to adulthood have little effect on their children's mastery beliefs, but that parents' generalized life expectations (in adolescence) and having married before having the child were associated with their children's more optimistic life expectations. Contemporaneous family income and optimistic expectations among parents-as-adolescents were somewhat substitutable as positive influences on adolescents' optimistic life expectations. The findings contribute to our understanding of intergenerational and over-time influences on these key adolescent orientations.
Multiple Constraints Synchronization

In this chapter, the synchronization of two dynamical systems to multiple constraints will be discussed. As in Luo [1], the synchronicity of two dynamical systems with multiple constraints can be presented. The mathematical description of the synchronicity of two dynamical systems to multiple constraints will be given, and the corresponding necessary and sufficient conditions for the synchronicity of two dynamical systems to the constraints are presented.
A bird-like skull in a Triassic diapsid reptile increases heterogeneity of the morphological and phylogenetic radiation of Diapsida.

The Triassic Period saw the first appearance of numerous amniote lineages (e.g. Lepidosauria, Archosauria, Mammalia) that defined Mesozoic ecosystems following the end Permian Mass Extinction, as well as the first major morphological diversification of crown-group reptiles. Unfortunately, much of our understanding of this event comes from the record of large-bodied reptiles (total body length > 1 m). Here we present a new species of drepanosaurid (small-bodied, chameleon-like diapsids) from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation of New Mexico. Using reconstructions of micro-computed tomography data, we reveal the three-dimensional skull osteology of this clade for the first time. The skull presents many archaic anatomical traits unknown in Triassic crown-group reptiles (e.g. absence of bony support for the external ear), whereas other traits (e.g. toothless rostrum, anteriorly directed orbits, inflated endocranium) resemble derived avian theropods. A phylogenetic analysis of Permo-Triassic diapsids supports the hypothesis that drepanosaurs are an archaic lineage that originated in the Permian, far removed from crown-group Reptilia. The phylogenetic position of drepanosaurids indicates the presence of archaic Permian clades among Triassic small reptile assemblages and that morphological convergence produced a remarkably bird-like skull nearly 100 Myr before one is known to have emerged in Theropoda.
Am I my Brother's keeper? Émile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin as a retelling of Cain and Abel

Emile Zola’s Therese Raquin exemplifies what the author would develop as his naturalist philosophy. This philosophy, based upon what the Zola considered to be a scientific and empirical process to understand the human condition, appears at a time in France where many different philosophical thoughts converge. This paper looks at how Zola’s declared scientific study of the “human-beast” is in fact a retelling of the Biblical tale of Cain and Abel, perhaps spurred by the confusion of the competing philosophies. Therese Raquin d'Emile Zola illustre ce que l'auteur developpera comme sa philosophie naturaliste. Cette philosophie, basee sur ce que Zola considerait comme un processus scientifique et empirique pour comprendre la condition humaine, apparait a un moment en France ou convergent de nombreuses pensees philosophiques differentes. Cet article examine comment l'etude scientifique sur la « bete humaine » (declaree ainsi par Zola) est en fait une reecriture du recit biblique de Cain et Abel, peut-etre stimulee par la confusion des philosophies concurrentes.
Foreign-Born Blacks Experience Lower Odds of Obesity but Higher Odds of Diabetes than US-Born Blacks in New York City

Research is limited on the health of foreign-born Blacks (FBBs), who are often grouped with African Americans. This study compared obesity and diabetes odds in FBBs and US-born Blacks (USBBs) in NYC. Analyzing the 2009–2013 NYC Community Health Survey (3701 FBBs and 6297 USBBs), weighted multivariate logistic regression examined odds of obesity and diabetes, adjusting for age, gender, education, income, marital status, children < 18, BMI (for diabetes only) and duration of residence. FBBs had lower odds of obesity [OR 0.62 (95% CI 0.54, 0.72)] and greater odds of diabetes [OR 1.24 (95% CI 1.01, 1.52)] compared to USBBs. FBBs had 1.4 times the odds of diabetes at overweight status, compared to USBBs [OR 1.40 (95% CI 1.01, 1.95)]. Living in the US ≥ 10 years was not associated with odds of obesity and diabetes. Future research should seek to uncover unique risk profiles of sub-ethnic groups in the African diaspora.
Perfusion imaging and recurrent cerebrovascular events in intracranial atherosclerotic disease or carotid occlusion

BackgroundLarge vessel disease stroke subtype carries the highest risk of early recurrent stroke. In this study we aim to look at the association between impaired perfusion and early stroke recurre...