cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
β-Endorphin Injected into the Nucleus of the Raphe Magnus Facilitates Metastatic Tumor Growth

Abstract Electrical stimulation of the periaqueductal gray of the rat's midbrain inducing analgesia leads to an increase in the number of artificial pulmonary metastases from the Walker 256 tumor. In an effort to investigate the influence of the pain suppression system and its associated peptides on this phenomenon, we activated the pain suppression system directly from the Nucleus of the Raphe Magnus, a non-opioid subsystem. After inducing analgesia by direct injection of β-endorphin on the Nucleus of the Raphe Magnus, we noted an increase in the number of artificial pulmonary metastases. This result could be blocked by pretreatment with naloxone. If the Nucleus of the Raphe Magnus was activated by electrical stimulation sufficient to induce analgesia, the metastatic effect was still present but markedly attenuated.
Cope's Rule and the evolution of long‐distance transport in vascular plants: allometric scaling, biomass partitioning and optimization

Recent advances in allometric theory have proposed a novel quantitative framework by which to view the evolution of plant form and function. This general theory has placed strong emphasis on the importance of long-distance transport in shaping the evolution of many attributes of plant form and function. Specifically, it is hypothesized that with the evolutionary increase in plant size natural selection has also resulted in vascular networks that minimize scaling of total hydrodynamic resistance associated with increasing transport distances. Herein the central features of this theory are reviewed and a broad sampling of supporting but yet preliminary empirical data are analysed. In particular, subtle attributes of the scaling of tracheid and vessel anatomy are hypothesized to be crucial for the evolution of increased plant size. Furthermore, the importance of minimizing hydrodynamic resistance associated with increased transport distances is also hypothesized to be reflected in an isometric scaling relationship between stem mass, M S and root mass, M R ( i.e. M S µ µ µ M R ). Preliminary data from multiple extant and fossil plant taxa provide tantalizing evidence supporting the predicted relationships. Together, these results suggest that selection for the minimization of the scaling of hydrodynamic resistance within plant vascular networks has in turn allowed for the enormous diversification in vascular plant size.
Searching for Solutions in Aquaculture: Charting a Sustainable Course

Aquaculture is currently the fastest growing animal food production sector and will soon supply more than half of the world's seafood for human consumption. Continued growth in aquaculture production is likely to come from intensification of fish, shellfish, and algae production. Intensification is often accompanied by a range of resource and environmental problems. We review several potential solutions to these problems, including novel culture systems, alternative feed strategies, and species choices. We examine the problems addressed; the stage of adoption; and the benefits, costs, and constraints of each solution. Policies that provide incentives for innovation and environmental improvement are also explored. We end the review by identifying easily adoptable solutions and promising technologies worth further investment.
SPIDERS HELP GRASSHOPPERS HOP

![Figure][1] Living with the constant threat of being eaten is thankfully not something many of us have to deal with, but it is commonplace for many animals. Studies have shown that risky, predator-laden environments tend to lead to physiological stress, but also to prey that are better
Integration of non-time-resolved PIV and time-resolved velocity point sensors for dynamic estimation of time-resolved velocity fields

We demonstrate a three-step method for estimating time-resolved velocity fields using time-resolved point measurements and non-time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) data. First, we use linear stochastic estimation to obtain an initial set of time-resolved estimates of the flow field. These initial estimates are then used to identify a linear model of the flow physics. The model is incorporated into a Kalman smoother, which is used to make a second, improved set of estimates. We verify this method with an experimental study of the wake behind a 7.1% thick elliptical-leading-edge flat plate at a chord Reynolds number of 50,000. Time-resolved PIV data are acquired synchronously with a point measurement of velocity. The above method is then applied to a non-time-resolved subset of the PIV data, along with the time-resolved probe signal. This produces a time-resolved, low-dimensional approximation of the velocity field. The original, time-resolved PIV snapshots are then used to compare the accuracy of the initial, stochastic estimates to the latter, dynamic ones, as measured by the kinetic energy contained in the estimation errors. We find that, for this particular flow, the Kalman smoother is able to utilize the dynamic model and the non-time-resolved PIV data to produce estimates that are not only more accurate, but also more robust to noise. Consequently, modal decompositions based on these estimates more accurately identify coherent structures in the flow.
Political alliance, residential mobility, and diet at the ancient Maya city of Pusilha, Belize

Abstract We present strontium, oxygen, and carbon isotope ratios derived from the tooth enamel of 16 individuals from the Classic Maya city of Pusilha, located in southern Belize. Carbon isotope data suggest that local people ate relatively more maize than observed at many other comparable Maya sites, and hint that dietary practices at Pusilha may have been related to sex and status. Furthermore, strontium and oxygen isotope data imply that four individuals were born and spent their early childhood outside of the eastern Maya lowlands. One individual may have come from the northern Maya lowlands, a second from the volcanic highlands of Guatemala, and two more from the Copan region. In three cases, the pattern of foreigners in burials at Pusilha is inconsistent with their being sacrificed captives. Instead, they appear to have been foreign elites who married into the royal family. Political, economic, and ideological ties between the Southern Belize Region and Copan have long been hypothesized but until now there has been only weak and ambiguous evidence for such connections.
Search for new physics in final states with low transverse energy photon and missing transverse energy in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV

A search for new physics in the γ+ET final state is performed using pp collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7.3 fb-1 collected at √s = 8 TeV using low threshold triggers in a phase space region defined by ET > 45 GeV and E-slashT > 40 GeV. The data are also examined using optimized selections for maximum sensitivity to an exotic (gravitino/neutralino) decay of the Higgs boson predicted in a low-scale SUSY breaking scenario. The results are found to be compatible with the Standard Model hypothesis. These results are the first limits on this model from collider searches. Furthermore, proton-proton collision events containing high-energy photon and missing transverse momentum have been investigated. No deviations from the standard model have been observed using the √s = 8 TeV data set corresponding to 19.6 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. Further constraints are set on χ production and translated into upper limits on vector and axial-vector contributions to the χ-nucleon scattering cross section. For Mχ = 10 GeV, the χ-nucleon cross section is constrained to be 2.6 x 10-39 cm2 (9.6 x 10-41 cm2) for a spin-independent (spin-dependent) interaction at 90% confidence level. In addition the most stringent limits to datemore » are obtained on the effective Planck scale in the ADD model with large spatial extra dimensions and on the brane tension scale in the branon model.« less
Neuromarketing: Ethical Implications of its Use and Potential Misuse

Neuromarketing is an emerging field in which academic and industry research scientists employ neuroscience techniques to study marketing practices and consumer behavior. The use of neuroscience techniques, it is argued, facilitates a more direct understanding of how brain states and other physiological mechanisms are related to consumer behavior and decision making. Herein, we will articulate common ethical concerns with neuromarketing as currently practiced, focusing on the potential risks to consumers and the ethical decisions faced by companies. We argue that the most frequently raised concerns—threats to consumer autonomy, privacy, and control—do not rise to meaningful ethical issues given the current capabilities and implementation of neuromarketing research. But, we identify how potentially serious ethical issues may emerge from neuromarketing research practices in industry, which are largely proprietary and opaque. We identify steps that can mitigate associated ethical risks and thus reduce the threats to consumers. We conclude that neuromarketing has clear potential for positive impact on society and consumers, a fact rarely considered in the discussion on the ethics of neuromarketing.
Heat Load Sharing in a Loop Heat Pipe with Multiple Evaporators and Multiple Condensers

This paper describes the heat load sharing function among multiple parallel evaporators in a loop heat pipe (LHP). Each evaporator can be attached to an instrument. In the normal mode of operation, each evaporator will cool the corresponding instrument by absorbing the waste heat. When an instrument is turned off, the attached evaporator can keep it warm by receiving heat from other evaporators serving the operating instruments. This is referred to as heat load sharing. The fact that the wicks in the powered evaporators will develop capillary pressure to force the vapor that is being generated to flow to cold locations where the pressure is lower leads to the conclusion that heat load sharing is an inherent function of an LHP with multiple evaporators. This paper presents a theoretical basis of the LHP heat load sharing operation, and experimental results from ground tests of an LHP with two evaporator and two condensers. Factors that affect the amount of heat being shared are also discussed.
Lost and Found Tax Dollars: Local Option Sales Taxes, Property Taxes, and Own Source Revenue

The relationship between the local option sales tax (LOST) and property taxes and own source revenue is not well documented in the literature. This may be due in part to the aggregated nature of the data, which fails to capture different motivations for adoption of LOSTs. Using county-level data from 35 states, this study finds that LOSTs increase own source revenue and in some circumstances decrease property tax burdens. The primary contribution of this research is that it uses a policy variable, the LOST rate, to distinguish between the two types of counties that use their LOST revenues differently. This research represents the first step in bridging the gap between the LOST literature and the tax mix choice literature.
Photonic-Wire Microcavity Ring Semiconductor Lasers

Recently, Ho et. al. showed that a thin 2-dimensional dielectric waveguide with a large core and cladding refractive index difference can be used to modify the spontaneous emission of an active medium in the waveguide1. The modification of the spontaneous emission is a result of the change in photon density of states in the 2-D potential well for photons. We may call such a strongly guided dielectric waveguide a dielectric photonic well.
Kalirin is Under-Expressed in Alzheimer's Disease Hippocampus

To identify genes aberrantly expressed in the brain of individuals with Alzheimer's Disease (AD), we analyzed RNA extracts from the hippocampus and cerebellum from 19 AD patients and 15 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Our analysis identified a number of genes that were over-expressed or under-expressed specifically in AD hippocampus. Among these genes, kalirin was the most consistently under-expressed in AD hippocampus, which was verified by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and real time PCR. Kalirin is predominantly expressed in the brain, particularly in the hippocampus, and plays crucial roles in neuronal stability and growth. Our observation is the first to relate kalirin to AD and a human disease. In addition to kalirin, the genes for voltage-gated Ca++ channel gamma subunit 3 and visinin-like protein 1 (a Ca++ sensor protein) were under-expressed, whereas inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate 3-kinase B was over-expressed in AD hippocampus. Collectively, these differential expressions could severely impair calcium homeostasis. Remarkably, these aberrant gene expressions in AD hippocampus were not observed in AD cerebellum. Furthermore, housekeeping genes such as ribosomal protein genes are not affected by AD. These results provide new insights into the biochemistry of AD.
Cowrie Shells, Global Trade, and Local Exchange: Piecing Together the Evidence for Colonial Virginia

Cowries of the species Monetaria moneta and Monetaria annulus are marine gastropods native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Both species served historically as currency in West Africa. Archaeologists have interpreted cowries at North American historical sites as evidence of African or African American identity and spirituality. Economic historians studying colonial economic systems do not consider cowries in North America at all. The temporal and spatial distribution of these shells in Virginia suggests that their use in the 18th-century colony merits critical examination. Cowries were concentrated in colonial ports that served the transatlantic slave trade. Shells may have been used subsequently in the colony as currency in an economy characterized by a chronic shortage of coin. A regional analytical scale reveals a more complex picture of the temporal, spatial, and social distribution of cowries than has been understood to date, underscoring the roles that cowries played in local and regional responses to colonialism.
Quantum tunnelling of magnetisation

At IBM Research Laboratories in Yorktown Heights, NY, David Awschalom and co-workers are now able to study the magnetic properties of a single particle of magnetic material in the shape of a cylinder only 150 A in diameter and 300 A in length. They make use of an integrated DC SQUID microsusceptometer (1988 Appl. Phys. Lett. 53 2108), shown in figure 1, which is capable of detecting the magnetic field produced by the mere one million electron spins contained in the particle. The energy sensitivity of the instrument is very near the quantum limit set by the uncertainty principle, namely h divided by the time interval of observation (this is equal to the inverse frequency bandwidth). This accomplishment represents another great feat in the area of ultra-sensitive detectors and miniature sample preparation.
Understanding and Preventing Errors

Medical care requires the coordinated action of many actors to provide fail-safe care across time, space, and specialty. Patients are subjected to dangerous procedures and potentially toxic medications where the margins of safety are thin. The processes we use to decide which procedures and medications are appropriate as well as those used to perform or deliver them effectively rely on people to perform flawlessly regardless of the environmental and system factors that hinder performance. The results are inevitable: error and failure are inescapable properties of the healthcare system. Lucien Leape1 reminds us that we must “accept the notion that error is an inevitable accompaniment of the human condition, even among conscientious professionals with high standards.” However, each error or failure also provides an opportunity to learn how complex systems function and to develop strategies that will reduce the likelihood and risk of failure. Whereas failure is inevitable, learning is optional.
The Lattice of Computably Enumerable Vector Spaces

We survey fundamental notions and results in the study of the lattice of computably enumerable vector spaces and its quotient lattice modulo finite dimension. These lattices were introduced and first studied by Metakides and Nerode in the late 1970s and later extensively investigated by Downey, Remmel and others. First, we focus on the role of the dependence algorithm, the effectiveness of the bases, and the Turing degree-theoretic complexity of the dependence relations. We present a result on the undecidability of the theories of the above lattices. We show the development of various notions of maximality for vector spaces, and role they play in the study of lattice automorphisms and automorphism bases. We establish a new result about the role of supermaximal spaces in the quotient lattice automorphism bases. Finally, we discuss the problem of finding orbits of maximal spaces and the recent progress on this topic.
Baseline Neurocognitive Performance and Clearance for Athletes to Return to Contact

Context: Computerized neurocognitive assessments are commonly used to manage sport-related concussion. Variations in baseline performance may influence neurocognitive performance after injury as well as the amount of time needed for an athlete to be cleared for return to sport participation. Objective: To investigate the relationship between mean baseline Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test (ImPACT) scores and postconcussion reliable decline as well as the association between postconcussion cognitive decline and days missed after injury. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: University concussion databank. Patients or Other Participants: A total of 84 collegiate athletes who sustained a concussion between 2008 and 2015 were studied. For each ImPACT composite score (verbal memory, visual memory, visual motor speed, reaction time), athletes were grouped based on the presence or absence of reliable decline and on the presence of reliable decline in 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 cognitive domains. Ma...
Role of surface antibody in hepatitis B reactivation in patients with resolved infection and hematologic malignancy: A meta-analysis.

Patients with resolved hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection who are treated for hematological malignancies remain at risk for HBV reactivation. Because of conflicting studies about whether the antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) protects against reactivation in patients with resolved infection (hepatitis B surface antigen negative) receiving chemotherapy for hematological malignancies, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine if anti-HBs reduces HBV reactivation risk. We sought English-language studies through March 1, 2016, in Medline and other sources that examined reactivation in patients with resolved HBV infection receiving chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies. The absolute risks and odds ratio (OR) of reactivation with versus without anti-HBs were estimated in random-effects model meta-analyses. In 20 studies involving 1,672 patients not receiving antiviral prophylaxis, the reactivation risk was 14% (95% confidence interval [CI] 9.4%-19%) in 388 patients who had antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen only versus 5.0% (95% CI 3.0%-7.0%) in 1,284 patients who also had anti-HBs. Anti-HBs reduced reactivation risk with a pooled OR of 0.21 (95% CI 0.14-0.32) versus patients with antibody to hepatitis B core antigen only. Similar results were found when limiting the analysis to rituximab chemotherapy (OR = 0.19, 95% CI 0.11-0.32) and lymphoma (OR = 0.18, 95% CI 0.11-0.28). Conclusion: In patients with resolved HBV receiving chemotherapy for hematological malignancies without antiviral prophylaxis, anti-HBs positivity is associated with a decreased risk of reactivation; HBV screening in this patient population should include the routine use of anti-HBs, and those who are anti-HBs-negative should receive antiviral prophylaxis. Future studies should examine the effect of anti-HBs serum titers, the potential role for booster vaccinations, and antiviral prophylaxis prior to chemotherapy in this patient population. (Hepatology 2017;66:379–388).
Interactive Machine Learning via a GPU-accelerated Toolkit

Machine learning is growing in importance in industry, sciences, and many other fields. In many and perhaps most of these applications, users need to trade off competing goals. Machine learning, however, has evolved around the optimization of a single, usually narrowly-defined criterion. In most cases, an expert makes (or should be making) trade-offs between these criteria which requires high-level (human) intelligence. With interactive customization and optimization the expert can incorporate secondary criteria into the model-generation process in an interactive way. In this paper we develop the techniques to perform customized and interactive model optimization, and demonstrate the approach on several examples. The keys to our approach are (i) a machine learning architecture which is modular and supports primary and secondary loss functions, while users can directly manipulate its parameters during training (ii) high-performance training so that non-trivial models can be trained in real-time (using roofline design and GPU hardware), and (iii) highly-interactive visualization tools that support dynamic creation of visualizations and controls to match various optimization criteria.
Conflict and crisis in rural America: By Larry W. Waterfield New York: Praeger, 1986, 235 pp., $36.95

(1988). Conflict and crisis in rural America. The Social Science Journal: Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 251-252.
Vitamin E was associated with a decreased risk for angina pectoris

Source Citation Rapola JM, Virtamo J, Haukka JK, et al. Effect of vitamin E and beta carotene on the incidence of angina pectoris. A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial. JAMA. 1996 Mar 6; 27...
States of Dependency: Welfare, Rights, and American Governance, 1935-1972: Karen M. Tani. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2016. Softcover. $34.99. Hardcover. $99.99. ISBN 9781107434080.

“The idea of independence has long been central to the study of U.S. history; the reality of dependence, in all its forms, is what demands our attention now” (p. 22). With these simple words, Tani,...
Standard Errors of Risk and Performance Estimators with Serially Correlated Returns

A new method for computing the standard errors of returns-based risk and performance estimators for serially correlated returns is developed. The method uses the fact that any such estimator can be represented as the sum of returns that are transformed using the estimator’s influence function, and the fact that the variance of such a sum can be estimated by estimating the zero-frequency value of the spectral density of the influence function transformed returns. The spectral density is estimated by fitting a polynomial to the periodogram using a generalized linear model for exponential distributions, with elastic net regularization. An adaptive prewhitening is used to obtain good performance for large as well as small serial correlation of returns. We show that the method works much better in comparison to conventional standard error computational methods, for a collection of 13 hedge funds whose returns have varying degrees of serial correlation. Extensive Monte Carlo mean-squared error performance studies for a number of commonly used risk and performance estimators, using first-order autoregression returns, show that the new method delivers good performance for serial correlations ranging from 0.0 to 0.9, over which range it has better performance than alternative Newey-West methods. Simulations also show that the new method works well for Garch(1,1) returns processes
Town and Gown Folk Dance

(1954). Town and Gown Folk Dance. Journal of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation: Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 8-10.
The Computer in Geological Perspective

Among the earliest uses of the digital computer in geology was its application to relatively simple statistical analysis involving means, variances, and correlations among sets of data, then to map studies and multiple regression. From these beginnings, mainly in stratigraphic analysis and sedimentology, use of the computer spread into virtually all fields of geology, as the speakers in this Symposium have shown. It was early apparent that the same computer programs could be used in a variety of geological fields. Also, increasingly sophisticated programs were developed that explored other ways of analyzing data, such as by factor analysis, discriminant function analysis, and time-series analysis. In addition, the conventional polynomial model for map analysis was supplemented by double Fourier series analysis and by cross-spectral analysis. Thus on the one hand we observe a growth in the complexity of programs, and on the other hand a spreading of essentially the same computer techniques through the many subfields of geology.
Judith Shklar’s Critique of Legalism

The origins, social function, and the legitimacy of law were life-long pre-occupations for Judith Shklar. She was one of the first political philosophers of the post-WWII period in the Anglo-American tradition to devote intense attention to the role of law in liberal-democratic societies. In this respect, her work is more in line with European thinkers such as Max Weber, Franz Neumann and Harold Laski, and of course, her adviser, Carl Friedrich, who was the first to recommend to her that she consider the topic of legalism. From her 1964 book on Legalism to her 1987 essay on “Political Theory and the Rule of Law”, Shklar develops a contextualist analysis of law that situates it within socio-historical and cultural conditions, while seeking to avoid the normative scepticism to which such contextualism might lead. This tension between the socio-historical function of law and its normative content are the two poles around which her reflections vacillate, without quite reaching an equilibrium. In her work, “the facticity” and “the validity” of the law face each other as unreconciled dimensions. In this chapter we first consider Shklar’s early book on Legalism in which she distinguishes among aspects of legalism as ideology, creative policy, and an ethos of the law. Shklar’s critique of international criminal law, to which the second half of Legalism is devoted, is being revived today by those who share her scepticism. But this revival misrepresents the subtleties of her position and needs to be balanced against her full-throated defence of the legitimacy of the Nuremberg Trials, which, we will argue, merits consideration along with Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem. Over the years, Shklar sought to differentiate more precisely between ‘the rule of law’, which she continued to defend rigorously and ‘legalism’ as a mistaken theory and practice of it. The scepticism of her early work was tempered by her more nuanced analysis of the rule of law in later writings. We turn to an elaboration of this distinction in the latter half of this essay.
Quantifying the uncertainty of picosecond pulsed laser ablation in sapphire

Abstract One of the most prevalent materials used in sensor technologies is silicon which suffers degradation in operating regimes that exceed 1000 °C unless the sensor is actively cooled. Substitution of silicon with sapphire in pressure sensors offers unique capabilities due to its high melting point and chemical inertness; however, these same properties present manufacturing challenges for micromachining sensor components. To overcome the manufacturing challenges, research has focused on picosecond laser machining. A series of picosecond pulsed laser experiments have been conducted and compared to both one-dimensional and three-dimensional modeling of the ablation process. Bayesian uncertainty analysis is used to quantify the parametric uncertainty and error propagation from continuum scale constitutive approximations that can be directly compared with laser ablation experiments. The one dimensional model calibration is found to provide accurate estimations of picosecond laser ablation of sapphire and it enables extrapolation to predict three dimensional ablation.
Muscle‐induced loading as an important source of variation in craniofacial skeletal shape

The shape of the craniofacial skeleton is constantly changing through ontogeny and reflects a balance between developmental patterning and mechanical-load-induced remodeling. Muscles are a major contributor to producing the mechanical environment that is crucial for "normal" skull development. Here, we use an F5 hybrid population of Lake Malawi cichlids to characterize the strength and types of associations between craniofacial bones and muscles. We focus on four bones/bone complexes, with different developmental origins, alongside four muscles with distinct functions. We used micro-computed tomography to extract 3D information on bones and muscles. 3D geometric morphometrics and volumetric measurements were used to characterize bone and muscle shape, respectively. Linear regressions were performed to test for associations between bone shape and muscle volume. We identified three types of associations between muscles and bones: weak, strong direct (i.e., muscles insert directly onto bone), and strong indirect (i.e., bone is influenced by muscles without a direct connection). In addition, we show that although the shape of some bones is relatively robust to muscle-induced mechanical stimulus, others appear to be highly sensitive to muscular input. Our results imply that the roles for muscular input on skeletal shape extend beyond specific points of origin or insertion and hold significant potential to influence broader patterns of craniofacial geometry. Thus, changes in the loading environment, either as a normal course of ontogeny or if an organism is exposed to a novel environment, may have pronounced effects on skeletal shape via near and far-ranging effects of muscular loading.
Coat protein 3 of Rice tungro spherical virus is the key target gene for development of RNAi mediated tungro disease resistance in rice

Abstract Rice tungro disease (RTD) is the most important viral disease of rice which limits its production and productivity in major rice growing regions of the world. The disease is caused by the combined action of Rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) and Rice tungro spherical virus (RTSV). The RTBV is primarily responsible for symptom development while RTSV encodes proteins required for virus transmission. In this study, we developed an RNAi gene construct containing highly conserved partial sequences of coat protein 3 (CP3) gene of RTSV. The transgenic rice plants were developed in the background of japonica rice cultivar Taipei-309 through Agrobacterium mediated genetic transformation. The transgene showed stable inheritance as determined by PCR and Southern hybridization analyses. Two homozygous transgenic lines from the T4 generation were inoculated by virus through viruliferous insect vectors. These lines showed highly resistant phenotypes against the tungro disease which was further supported by studies of plant morphology and yield attributes. Also, the transgenic lines showed an inability to transmit the virus complex which could be due to suppression of RTSV proteins involved in virus transmission through insects. This study shows that CP3 of RTSV is a key target gene for development of RNAi mediated tungro disease resistance in rice.
Primer on Hereditary Cancer Predisposition Genes Included Within Somatic Next-Generation Sequencing Panels

PURPOSEIt has been estimated that 5% to 10% of cancers are due to hereditary causes. Recent data sets indicate that the incidence of hereditary cancer may be as high as 17.5% in patients with cance...
Management of Complications of Cubital Tunnel Surgery

Cubital tunnel syndrome is one of the most common conditions evaluated by upper extremity and peripheral nerve surgeons and the second most common compressive neuropathy only to carpal tunnel syndrome. Patients with classic presentation and symptoms can at times be treated conservatively with splinting, and those who go on to surgery, for the most part, do well. However, complications can arise after surgical intervention. Although unusual, these complications can provide significant distress to patient and surgeon alike. The surgeon should take ownership of the situation and reassure the patient that they will work together to get through the unexpected outcome. We will discuss the incidence of complications after surgical release and our preference in management.
Dynamics of the E. coli β-Clamp Dimer Interface and Its Influence on DNA Loading.

The ring-shaped sliding clamp proteins have crucial roles in the regulation of DNA replication, recombination, and repair in all organisms. We previously showed that the Escherichia coli β-clamp is dynamic in solution, transiently visiting conformational states in which Domain 1 at the dimer interface is more flexible and prone to unfolding. This work aims to understand how the stability of the dimer interface influences clamp-opening dynamics and clamp loading by designing and characterizing stabilizing and destabilizing mutations in the clamp. The variants with stabilizing mutations conferred similar or increased thermostability and had similar quaternary structure as compared to the wild type. These variants stimulated the ATPase function of the clamp loader, complemented cell growth of a temperature-sensitive strain, and were successfully loaded onto a DNA substrate. The L82D and L82E I272A variants with purported destabilizing mutations had decreased thermostability, did not complement the growth of a temperature-sensitive strain, and had weakened dimerization as determined by native trapped ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry. The β L82E variant had a reduced melting temperature but dimerized and complemented growth of a temperature-sensitive strain. All three clamps with destabilizing mutations had perturbed loading on DNA. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate altered hydrogen-bonding patterns at the dimer interface, and cross-correlation analysis showed the largest perturbations in the destabilized variants, consistent with the observed change in the conformations and functions of these clamps.
Mock Drills: Implementation for Emergency Scenarios in the Outpatient Setting

Background Oncology care has made the shift to the outpatient setting. The authors' cancer center is a basic life support-certified facility using an affiliated hospital for emergent transfers. A nurse-led initiative was developed in response to expressed anxieties and lack of comfort by staff related to their role in emergency management. Mock drills help staff retain knowledge and skills necessary during an emergency. Objectives This project aimed to create simulation-based scenarios to practice outpatient emergency management skills. Methods Targeted objectives for each scenario were developed by the team with staff input. An evaluation form following the mock drill is used to assess comfort level and attained knowledge. Findings Practicing an emergency scenario in a controlled and simulated environment improves provider confidence, communication, teamwork, and patient safety. It is an adaptable strategy that fosters team cohesiveness during actual emergencies. A successful mock drill team encompasses organization, clearly identified roles, and frequent team practice.
Comparing Decannulation Failures and Successes in Pediatric Tracheostomy: An 18‐Year Experience

Objectives There is a paucity of published literature identifying patients at higher risk of decannulation failure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient factors that may predict successful decannulation of pediatric tracheostomy patients and analyze factors contributing to tracheostomy decannulation failures. Methods A retrospective chart review of tracheostomy outcomes was conducted at a pediatric referral hospital. Successful and failed decannulations were compared using the following patient variables: age at tracheostomy, sex, ethnicity, gestational age and weight, primary indication for tracheostomy, comorbidities, age at decannulation attempt, polysomnography data, and status of airway prior to decannulation as assessed endoscopically by airway team. Results Four hundred thirty-nine tracheostomies were performed over the 18-year period with 173 decannulation attempts. The overall rate of successful decannulation on first attempt was 91.9% (159 of 173), with an eventual decannulation success rate of 97.1% (168 of 173). Compared with failed decannulations, the patients with successful decannulations had a shorter duration of tracheostomy and no medical comorbidities. Gestational age and weight approached, but did not achieve, statistical significance. After 25 months with tracheostomy, approximately 50% of patients are decannulated with very few decannulations occurring after 75 months. The overall mortality rate in this cohort was 18.6% (78 of 420) with a tracheostomy-related mortality rate of 0.95% (4 of 420). Conclusions The decannulation protocol at this institution is successful nearly 92% of the time. Fewer medical comorbidities, shorter duration of tracheostomy placement, and older gestational age may improve the likelihood of successful decannulation. Future studies are needed to determine the optimal timing and workup to evaluate patients for decannulation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The Silver Fork Novel: Fashionable Fiction in the Age of Reform

1. Cultural contexts 2. Edgeworth, Burney and Austen 3. Reform and the silver fork novel 4. Newspapers and the silver fork novel 5. The topography of silver fork London 6. Performing reform, silver fork heroines.
RNA localization in Xenopus oocytes

The transport and localization of mRNAs withinXenopusoocytes contributes to an asymmetry that determines axis formation in the embryo. Several mRNAs become localized along the animal–vegetal axis. The mitochondrial cloud, a specialized cytoplasmic compartment which contributes to the formation of germ plasm, and the endoplasmic reticulum play important roles in sorting and localizing these RNAs. As in other species and cell types, the localization of RNAs inXenopusoocytes is directed by signals in the 3′ untranslated regions of the transcripts. Cytoplasmic proteins that interact with these signals are being identified, as are the links between RNA localization, intracellular organelles and early embryonic development.
Chinamit and Molab: Late Posclassic Highland Maya Precursors of Closed Corporate Community

This article explores the extent to which documentary evidence from the early Colonial period in Guatemala can be used to demonstrate the existance of closed corporate community as an organizing principle of basic Highland Maya socio-cultural units during the Late Postclassic period (ca. AD 1200-1524). Our ability to detect various aspects of closed corporate community among the ancient Highland Maya allows a more ethnographic characterization of Late Postclassic society, particularly at the non-elite level. The existance of closed corporate community as a principle of organization both during the Late Postclassic and today also raises questions of continuity and the extent of cultural change brought about as the results of the Spanish conquest and colonization.
Icing the North Atlantic

There is debate over the causes of the large and abrupt climate changes that the North Atlantic region has experienced in the past (and may do in the future). The driving forces of such changes might originate in the North Atlantic itself, or could be transmitted to the region from elsewhere. New evidence on the extent and movement of the British Ice Sheet around the end of the last ice age supports the first contention, and in particular implicates the advance and retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in causing some of the big climate jumps of the past.
Electron-Microscopic Observations on the Macronuclear Development of Stylonychia Mytilus and Tetrahymena Pyriformis (Ciliophora-Protozoa)

This report describes an ultrastructural investigation of macronuclear development following conjugation in Stylonychia mytilus (a spirotrichous ciliate) and Tetrahymena pyriformis (a holotrichous ciliate). In S. mytilus , polytene chromosomes are formed in the young macronucleus (macronuclear Anlage ). They are subsequently broken between the bands by ‘membranous’ partitions; the assembly of the membranes appears to be concomitant with the formation of the polytene chromosomes. The membranes in the Anlage appear to originate from fibrous material seen in the early Anlage. This fibrous material in the earlier stages is seen concentrated at several points along the border of the inner nuclear membrane. In the later stages it is seen in the interior of the Anlage, outlining the developing polytene chromosomes. As the chromosomes reach the maximum degree of polyteny, the fibrous material condenses to acquire a membranous appearance and extends into the interband regions. The Anlage throughout this period shows a progressive increase in size. Subsequently, the membranes enclose individually each band plus portions of the 2 adjacent interband regions of the polytene chromosomes to form a large number of vesicles. After vesicle formation the Anlage shrinks, and the chromatin inside the vesicles shows degradative changes. Finally, the vesicles disappear, the membrane degradation products appear at the nuclear membrane, and the Anlage now contains nucleoli. The Anlage increases its DNA content by multiple rounds of replication to become a mature macronucleus. The ultra-structural changes observed in the Anlage support the idea of genetic diminution (i.e. extensive DNA synthesis, elimination of many DNA nucleotide sequences, and amplification of the remaining DNA nucleotide sequences in a second period of DNA synthesis) proposed earlier on the basis of cytochemical, biochemical, and limited electron-microscope studies. In T. pyriformis , the macronuclear development differs substantially from that of Stylonychia . Features such as the formation and degradation of polytene chromosomes are absent in the macronuclear development of Tetrahymena ; the young macronucleus in this cell becomes a mature macronucleus by progressive increment in size and chromatin content with no apparent genetic diminution. These observations agree with cytochemical studies on the macronuclear development of Tetrahymena .
IOI-OceanLearn: Rationalizing the IOI's education and training in ocean governance

Abstract The International Ocean Institute (IOI), established in 1972 and with its Secretariat in Malta, has been engaged in training and education in ocean governance for the past 25 years. The IOI network now comprises some 25 Operational Centers worldwide. Training and education activities have expanded in parallel with the growth of the network, and a variety of courses are now delivered in a multi-modal manner. Interdisciplinary, global training programs are needed to address the capacity-building requirements in ocean governance resulting from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), and Agenda 21, Chapters 36 and 37. The IOI is responding to these needs by rationalizing its unique training and education programs with a view to coordination and networking of courses among IOI Operational Centers and their host institutions. In 1999, the IOI's Founder, Prof. Elisabeth Mann Borgese, proposed the establishment of the IOI Virtual University. This innovative idea, however, proved too costly for the IOI to implement. An alternative, more cost-effective means of coordinating all of IOI's education and training activities is now being implemented, under the brand name “IOI-OceanLearn.” The Operational Centers, their host institutions, and other training partners will work together in the development and delivery of training courses. The key aspects of IOI-OceanLearn will include quality assurance, networking of courses and accessibility. The OceanLearn niche will focus on short training courses; the implementation roadmap includes networking of the IOI's flagship training program on Ocean Governance at Dalhousie University, incorporating Ocean Science into training courses and fostering of workable capacity-building partnerships with other organizations.
Structural studies of some rhodium(III) acyl complexes containing bidentate phosphines

Abstract Acyl complexes of rhodium(III) with chelating diphosphine ligands are well known for their stability toward decarbonylation. This stability has allowed us to synthesize and structurally characterize a series of ten related complexes of the type Rh(diphosphine)(COR)I2. All ten display the same square pyramidal geometry with the acyl group in the apical position. The orientation of the acyl ligand is determined by both steric factors and CH⋯O hydrogen bonding between the acyl oxygen and C–H groups on the diphosphine ligand. Results indicate that bis(diphenylphosphino)benzene is significantly more sterically demanding and less electron donating than the bis(diphenylphosphino)propane and bis(diisopropylphosphino)propane ligands.
Trade Size and Components of the Bid-Ask Spread

The relation between theorized components of the bid-ask spread and trade size for a sample of NYSE firms is examined. We find that the adverse selection component increases uniformly with trade size. Conversely, order processing costs decrease with increases in trade size for all but the largest trades. We find that order persistence decreases with trade size. The adverse selection component is highest at the beginning of the day and lowest at the end of the day for all but the largest trades. Trades of NYSE firms executed on regional exchanges or NASDAQ contain a large order processing cost component but no significant adverse information effect. Article published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Financial Studies in its journal, The Review of Financial Studies.
Innovative microbial fuel cell for energy harvesting and corrosion protection

ABSTRACT Microbial Fuel cells (MFCs) are batteries driven by bact eria. MFCs have the potential of powering small sensors in remote areas and disposing organic waste safely by harvesting the energy stored in the waste products. From previous research in this field, a few important factors for MFC performance have been identified. These include the internal resistance of MFC, the surface area of anode with catalyst for the biofilm development, the type and number of bacteria, and the abundance of nutritional supplies to the bacteria. This paper describes the design of a novel single chamber MFC (SMFC) with carbon electrodes. Experi ments were conducted to establish the relationship between each parameter and the power production. It is shown here that this SCMFC can generate electrical current without the use of PEM membranes or additives; the maximum voltage of around 411 mV can be achieved at the room temperature. These results also measured a various parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen and solution conductivity during the operation of SMFC. Finally, experiment was conducted to evaluate an innovative concept of using MFC for corrosion protection, KEYWORDS: single chamber microbial fuel cell (SCMFC); car bon anode; carbon cathode; carbon cloth; bacteria; corrosion
Superconducting transition temperatures for weak and strong electron-phonon coupling

Abstract A new method for solving the Eliashberg equations in the Matsubara representation is presented, and an approximate equation for the transition temperature, Tc, is determined. The Tc-equation is tested using numerical solutions of the Eliashberg equations and unlike the McMillan equation, it gives valid solutions for all electron-phonon coupling strengths, λ, and for different shapes of the electron-phonon interaction spectrum, α2F(ω). The recent controversy over the asymptotic limit of Tc at very large λ is resolved.
Implementation of a new screening recommendation in health care: the Veterans Health Administration's approach to lung cancer screening.

This commentary describes the Veterans Health Administration's demonstration project that aims to assess initial experience in implementing lung screening programs at select sites. It will assess t...