cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spontaneous Reversion of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Neutralization-Resistant Variant HXB2thr582: In Vitro Selection against Cytopathicity Highlights gp120-gp41 Interactive Regions

Spontaneous revertants of the immune-selected variant HXB2thr582, which resists neutralization by certain conformationally dependent antibodies specific for the CD4-binding site on gp120 (such as F105), appeared after long-term culture in the absence of immune-selecting serum. Molecular analysis showed some of the viruses in the revertant stock contained a simple back mutation, whereas others retained the Thr-582 codon but contained a substitution of serine for phenylalanine in gp41 at position 673. Neutralization sensitivity to the selecting serum and to F105 of infectious clones containing either the back mutation or the compensatory mutation, HXB2thr582ser673, was confirmed. HXB2thr582-infected cells have a greater propensity for syncytium formation and single cell killing than do either the parental HXB2 or the revertant HXB2thr582ser673. This suggests that the revertant arose by selection in vitro for a less cytopathic virus. Our results link three envelope regions shown to influence virus-cell fusion as well as neutralization by antibody: the CD4-binding region, the leucine zipper domain, and a region hidden to antipeptide antibodies upon envelope oligomerization. Taken together they illustrate the functional importance of the gp120-gp41 interaction and emphasize the impact of the interplay between envelope regions on overall conformation and function and on recognition by neutralizing antibodies.
Inverted Tandem Polymer Solar Cells with Polyethylenimine‐Modified MoOX/Al2O3:ZnO Nanolaminate as the Charge Recombination Layers

A new charge recombination layer for inverted tandem polymer solar cells is reported. A bilayer of MoOX/Al2O3:ZnO nanolaminate is shown to enable efficient charge recombination in inverted tandem cells. A polymer surface modification on the MoOX/Al2O3:ZnO nanolaminate bilayer increases the work function contrast between the two outward surfaces of the charge recombination layer, further improving the performance of tandem solar cells. An analysis of the electrical, optical, and surface properties of the charge recombination layer is presented. Inverted tandem polymer solar cells, with two photoactive layers comprising poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):indene-C60 bisadduct (IC60BA) for the bottom cell and poly[(4,8-bis-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene)-2,6-diyl-alt-(4-(2-ethylhexanoyl)-thieno[3,4-b]thiophene))-2,6-diyl] (PBDTTT-C):[6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PC60BM) for the top cell, yield an open-circuit voltage of 1481 mV ± 15 mV, a short-circuit current density of 7.1 mA cm−2 ± 0.1 mA cm−2, and a fill factor of 0.62 ± 0.01, resulting in a power conversion efficiency of 6.5% ± 0.1% under simulated AM 1.5G, 100 mW cm−2 illumination.
Rejoinder to the Critiques of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel Final Report

The authors respond to comments and criticisms made of Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008). Given the requirements of the president’s executive order, constraints of time, and the need to make recommendations generalizable to national policy, the Panel adopted appropriately high evidentiary standards for its recommendations. The authors also respond to criticisms voiced on Panel findings regarding mathematics curricula, instructional practices, learning processes, teachers and teacher education, and assessment. While scholars should continue to develop promising programs of research, experimental or otherwise, the report offers a solid basis for improving math achievement.
Capital structure and team performance in professional baseball.

The successful production of major league sports has become increasingly dependent on stadiums. Although stadiums do not exhibit the properties of public goods, they have increasingly become governmentally funded projects. Lost in the political debate over stadium funding is the usefulness of the residual claimancy argument to the success of a team. If this argument holds, receiving a publicly financed stadium mitigates the incentive for an owner to place a competitive product on the field. The evidence in this article demonstrates that public ownership of a stadium negatively affects the winning percentage of the team that plays in it.
Evaluation of bifenthrin barrier spray on foliage in a suburban eastern North Carolina neighborhood.

BACKGROUND Mosquitoes can transmit pathogens through blood feeding. Mosquito control programs conduct surveillance and source reduction, treat mosquito oviposition sites and spray adulticides to protect public health. In some areas, homeowners may contract with private mosquito control companies to address mosquito-related issues. RESULTS We evaluated the efficacy of barrier sprays by comparing weekly host-seeking mosquito abundance at treatment and control properties in a residential neighborhood. The chemical concentration of bifenthrin residue on foliage was quantified, and field-collected mosquitoes, primarily Aedes albopictus, were tested for bifenthrin resistance using bottle bioassays. Mosquito abundance at treatment properties was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than at control properties. Quantities of bifenthrin detected on foliage from treatment properties was not correlated with mosquito abundance. No bifenthrin resistance was detected in captured mosquitoes. CONCLUSION Based on the rate of application, we expected that chemical analysis of bifenthrin residue would show similar concentrations of bifenthrin on foliage in treatment areas. Although mosquitoes were not bifenthrin resistant, further studies are needed to evaluate the extent to which resistance changes over time with repeated applications. Findings from this study provide insight into control methods commonly used by mosquito control companies and could potentially be used to guide future mosquito management strategies. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry
A Tale of Two Regimes: Instrumentality and Commons Access:

Technical developments have profound social and environmental impacts. Both are observed in the implications of regimes of instrumentality for commons access regimes. Establishing social, material, ecological, intellectual, and moral infrastructures, technologies are partly constitutive of commons access and may militate against governance according to principles of ecological justice. This article examines the relationship between regimes of instrumentality and commons access regimes, exploring the effects of bioprospecting on the biodiversity commons.
Collapsing Confidence: Dynamic Trading with Developing Adverse Selection

I study a dynamic trading game where a seller and potential buyers start out symmetrically uninformed about the quality of a good, but in which the seller becomes informed after the game begins, so that the asymmetric information between the agents develops over time. If the seller’s effective learning speed is high, the equilibrium features “collapse-and-recovery” behavior: Both the equilibrium price and the trade probability first drop and then increase over time. The buyers’ second-order belief plays an important role in equilibrium dynamics. The seller’s payoff is non-monotonic in his learning speed, which makes it possible for him to have a higher payoff when learning is slower.
VAGUE ENGLISH CREOLE: (GAY ENGLISH) COOPERATIVE DISCOURSE IN THE FRENCH GAY PRESS

Cet article se penche sur la construction de l'identite homosexuelle en France. L'A. revient sur l'importance du modele anglo-saxon vehicule par le Net et la presence toujours grandissante d'items anglophones dans la presse et la publicite gay ( Tetu). Pour autant l'identite gay a la francaise ne peut se resumer a des discours anglophiles etant donne la richesse ethnoculturelle qui compose la population vivant en France
A Woman With Multiple Silicone Rupture Complicated by Inflammatory Breast Carcinoma

CLINICAL HISTORY The patient in this case is a 51-year-old female with a history of breast reconstruction surgery going back to the age of 25 years, when she first had bilateral silicone breast implants constructed. The implants were associated with rapid development of severe capsular contraction, requiring both open and closed capsulotomy procedures. She had a total of 5 breast implants on the right and 6 on the left side. The last set of breast implants was removed 11 years ago. At that time, it was found that she had rupture of her left silicone implant with free silicone spill. She subsequently underwent surgery 9 years later for removal of free silicone from the left breast. She stated that after the procedure, her breasts were soft and normal in consistency. However, approximately 2 weeks before her scheduled brachial plexus examination, she presented with a left breast mass associated with transient skin erythema, which spontaneously resolved. Thereafter, she had a mammogram that displayed bilateral severely dense breasts with diffuse increased density of parenchyma on the left. Diffuse or inflammatory carcinoma was suspected. The patient consulted and a fine-needle aspiration of the mass was performed 6 days later that displayed atypical cells. A core biopsy of the left breast mass followed, demonstrating ductal carcinoma with lymphatic invasion. The core pathology demonstrated 2 microscopic foci of invasive carcinoma measuring 0.03 cm each and separated by benign breast tissue. The 2 foci were morphologically different. One displayed tubular structures, but the other was poorly differentiated with lobular features. It was unclear whether these 2 separate foci were portions of the same tumor with variation and morphologic pattern. Estrogen receptors were positive, progesterone receptors was positive, and her human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 was negative. Cancer antigen KI-67 was quite high at 28%. PET scan of the body was positive only for a diffuse area in the left breast and axilla. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis with contrast was positive for an infiltrating mass in the left breast with overlying skin thickening. There were borderline size left axillary lymph nodes associated with increased activity on positron emission tomography (PET) scan. There was also an 8-mm sclerotic foci in the posterior ileum on the right side, which was felt to be a bone island. A large mass in the lateral segment of the left liver lobe with dense nodular parenchyma enhancement appeared to be a hemangioma. This lesion was entirely negative on PET scan. A CT scan of the neck was negative. The patient was classified as gravida 1, para 1, and aborta 0. She had menarche at age 13 and continued to have regular periods, with the last period occurring 1 week prior. She used birth control pills for 12 years and stopped 21 years ago. She had no fevers, sweats, chills, cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, and/or abdominal distension, jaundice, bone pain or malaise.
Novel regulatory mechanism in human urinary bladder: central role of transient receptor potential melastatin 4 channels in detrusor smooth muscle function

Transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (TRPM4) channels are Ca2+-activated nonselective cation channels that have been recently identified as regulators of detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) function ...
Adaptive User and Haptic Interfaces for Smart Assessment and Training

My research is focusing on developing smart robotic rehabilitation interfaces that use machine intelligence to adjust the level of difficulty, assess physical and mental obstacles on the part of the user, and provide analysis of the multi-sensing data collected in real time as the user exercises. The main goal of the interfaces is to engage the patient in repetitive exercise sessions and to provide better data visualization to the therapist for the patient's recovery progress. In this doctoral consortium, I will present three prototype user interfaces that can be applied in assistive environments and enhance the productivity and interaction among therapist and patient. The data processing and the decision making algorithms compose the core components of this study.
The evolutionary psychology of mate selection in Morocco

Patterns of mate preference in Morocco are investigated in order to test whether they support hypotheses advanced by David Buss and other evolutionary psychologists. Because of the custom of cousin marriage in Morocco, a multivariate model that included cosocialization data was developed for the purpose of testing the Westermarck hypothesis of inbreeding avoidance. Hence, two previously separate domains of research are unified in one design that permits the further exploration of questions pertaining to the domain specificity of psychological mechanisms. Multiple independent mate choice predictors were identified using logistic regression analysis. Results support the Westermarck hypothesis of inbreeding avoidance. Sleeping in the same room during childhood was found in both sexes to produce an aversion to marriage. Other evidence suggests that aversion to inbreeding extends further among females than males in that females but not males show an aversion to marriage to related individuals with whom they had daily social contact in early childhood. The evolutionary prediction that females differ from males concerning resource holding capacity was also supported. Females showed a preference for males whom they judged to have higher social status than theirs, while this criterion was unimportant for males. The predicted sex difference in preferred age of marriage partner was also supported. Contrary to previous findings, the predicted difference between the sexes with regard to physical attractiveness was not supported.
‘Mind like wickerwork’: The neuroplastic aesthetics of Chaucer's House of Tidings

This article argues that the wicker enclosure named the House of Tidings in Chaucer's House of Fame provides a powerful intuitive expression in figurative terms of the concept of neuroplasticity, or the functional capability of the brain to reorganize its neural circuitry in response to an external stimulus or a deficit in cognitive function. In this figurative space, Chaucer explores the capacity of mind to adapt to new experience, from the mental world of reading texts to the whirling world of social experience.
The Modern Philosophical Resurrection of Teleology

Many objects in the world have functions. Typewriters are for typing. Can-openers are for opening cans. Lawnmowers are for cutting grass. That is what these things are for. Every day around the world people attribute functions to objects. Some of the objects with functions are organs or parts of living organisms. Hearts are for pumping blood. Eyes are for seeing. Countless works in biology explain the "Form, Function, and Evolution of ... " everything from bee dances to elephant tusks to pandas' 'thumbs'. Many scientific explanations, in areas as diverse as psy chology, sociology, economics, medical research, and neuroscience, rest on appeals to the function and/or malfunction of things or systems. They talk of how humans and other organisms or their parts work, what their functions are, why they are present, and how different situations will affect them and how they will react. Philosophers, going back to Aristotle, used to make generous use of functions in describing objects, organisms, their interactions, and even as the basis of ethics and metaphysics. And yet, since the Enlightenment, talk of the function of natural objects, tele ologica! function, began to be viewed with suspicion, as the mechanical model of the world replaced the old Aristotelian model. From a religious standpoint, it used to be easy to see how objects in the natural world could have natural functions, for God was said to instill functions by design throughout Creation. But philosophers became increasingly (and wisely) reluctant to invoke God to solve every difficult philosophical problem, and became unwilling to indulge in such religious explanations of tele
Topological Septet Pairing with Spin-3/2 Fermions: High-Partial-Wave Channel Counterpart of the 3 He -B Phase

We systematically generalize the exotic $^{3}\mathrm{He}\text{\ensuremath{-}}B$ phase, which not only exhibits unconventional symmetry but is also isotropic and topologically nontrivial, to arbitrary partial-wave channels with multicomponent fermions. The concrete example with four-component fermions is illustrated including the isotropic $f$-, $p$-, and $d$-wave pairings in the spin septet, triplet, and quintet channels, respectively. The odd partial-wave channel pairings are topologically nontrivial, while pairings in even partial-wave channels are topologically trivial. The topological index reaches the largest value of ${N}^{2}$ in the $p$-wave channel ($N$ is half of the fermion component number). The surface spectra exhibit multiple linear and even high order Dirac cones. Applications to multiorbital condensed matter systems and multicomponent ultracold large spin fermion systems are discussed.
Preparing the operating budget

The process of preparing a hospital pharmacy budget is presented. The desired characteristics of a budget and the process by which it is developed and approved are described. Fixed, flexible, and zero-based budget types are explained, as are the major components of a well-developed budget: expense, workload, productivity, revenue, and capital equipment and other expenditures. Specific methods for projecting expenses and revenues, based on historical data, are presented along with a discussion of variables that must be considered in order to achieve an accurate and useful budget. The current shift in emphasis away from revenue capture toward critical analysis of pharmacy costs underscores the importance of budgetary analysis for hospital pharmacy managers.
mTORC1-Driven Tumor Cells Are Highly Sensitive to Therapeutic Targeting by Antagonists of Oxidative Stress

mTORC1 is a central signaling node in controlling cell growth, proliferation, and metabolism that is aberrantly activated in cancers and certain cancer-associated genetic disorders, such as tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and sporadic lymphangioleiomyomatosis. However, while mTORC1-inhibitory compounds (rapamycin and rapalogs) attracted interest as candidate therapeutics, clinical trials have not replicated the promising findings in preclinical models, perhaps because these compounds tend to limit cell proliferation without inducing cell death. In seeking to address this issue, we performed a high-throughput screen for small molecules that could heighten the cytotoxicity of mTORC1 inhibitors. Here we report the discovery that combining inhibitors of mTORC1 and glutamate cysteine ligase (GCLC) can selectively and efficiently trigger apoptosis in Tsc2-deficient cells but not wild-type cells. Mechanistic investigations revealed that coinhibition of mTORC1 and GCLC decreased the level of the intracellular thiol antioxidant glutathione (GSH), thereby increasing levels of reactive oxygen species, which we determined to mediate cell death in Tsc2-deficient cells. Our findings offer preclinical proof of concept for a strategy to selectively increase the cytotoxicity of mTORC1 inhibitors as a therapy to eradicate tumor cells marked by high mTORC1 signaling, based on cotargeting a GSH-controlled oxidative stress pathway. Cancer Res; 76(16); 4816-27. ©2016 AACR.
The tacitly nested number sequence in sixth grade: The case of Adam

Abstract Student learning in the middle grades is afforded and constrained by basic numerical operations characterized in the number sequences framework (Steffe, 2010a), originally developed with younger children. I investigated its use with four sixth-grade students through a constructivist teaching experiment. I found that one student, Adam, was able to strategically operate on composite units, which is a strong indication that the he had constructed an explicitly nested number sequence (ENS). However, he was not able to reversibly disembed subsequences or construct iterable units of 1, both principal operations of an ENS. I conclude that Adam was constrained to the construction of the less sophisticated tacitly nested number sequence (TNS), and that his advanced behavior is a natural outgrowth of his increased experience operating with a TNS. I suggest a refinement of the number sequences framework to support research and teaching at the middle grades.
Innocence Sacrificed: Melville’s Billy Budd

Much metaphysical content is packed into Melville’s and Conrad’s sea stories. That content is not superadded as extraneous intellectual baggage, but forms an integral part of the events described by the authors. If this philosophical interest seems surprising in men so closely identified with the profession of sailor, that surprise may be counterbalanced by the thought that a profession that has for its home the treacherous watery medium connecting continents and races can naturally generate uneasy reflection. Coincidentally perhaps, our authors muse about the ocean of time; both Melville and Conrad reflect on the historical past of present-day England. When Melville speaks of Billy Budd as a barbarian (in a special sense, as we shall see), he thinks that an inhabitant of England of those days, if captured by the Romans, might have struck the dark Italians as an odd sight indeed: his ‘clear ruddy complexion and curled flaxen locks’ might have led them to think that there was indeed a connection between Angles and angels. On the other hand, Conrad observes that England too, once upon a time, was a dark place.
Tissue-specific gene targeting using CRISPR/Cas9.

The zebrafish has been a powerful model in forward genetic screens to identify genes essential for organogenesis and embryonic development. Conversely, using reverse genetics to investigate specific gene function requires phenotypic analysis of complete gene inactivation. Despite the availability and efficacy of morpholinos, the lack of tractable and efficient knockout technologies has impeded reverse genetic studies in the zebrafish, particularly in adult animals. The recent development of genome-editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 greatly widened the scope of loss-of-function studies in the zebrafish, allowing for the rapid phenotypic assessment of gene silencing in embryos, the generation of knockout lines, and large-scale reverse genetic screens. Tissue-specific gene inactivation would be ideal for these studies given the caveats of whole-embryo gene silencing, yet spatial control of gene targeting remains a challenge. In this chapter, we focus on tissue-specific gene inactivation using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We first explain the rationale for this technique, including some of its potential applications to tackle important biological issues and the inability of current technologies to address these issues. We then present a method to target genes in a tissue-specific manner in the zebrafish. Finally, we discuss technical difficulties and limitations of this method as well as possible future developments.
No longer a last resort

Ever since nuclear weapons were first created 60 years ago, the world has faced the possibility of self-destruction. However, certain developments in recent years have made this danger much greater today, yet awareness of the danger has steadily decreased. On this significant year commemorating Einstein's legacy, it is urgent that we start reversing both trends.
Abstract 4025: Accelerating drug repurposing for cancer therapy using multiplexed viability assays

New therapies are desperately needed for patients with advanced cancer, but making safe and efficacious drugs remains expensive and time consuming. Meanwhile, multiple non-oncology drugs have been successfully repurposed for cancer, including thalidomide for multiple myeloma and aspirin for prevention of colorectal cancer. While the benefits of repurposing are clear, successes to date have been largely serendipitous. We have created two foundational tools to identify drug repurposing opportunities at a much greater scale: a new world-class screening library of more than 4,000 drugs/clinical candidates and a multiplexed method to rapidly conduct cellular viability assays across hundreds of cell lines. PRISM, a recently developed high-throughput assay, employs DNA-barcoded cell lines to enable rapid testing of many drugs against pools of cancer cell lines. We have tested 4,100 compounds against 578 genomically characterized cancer cell lines using PRISM. Our experiment is among the largest cell line screens ever undertaken. Global analysis has revealed multiple strong clusters of active drugs, including vitamin D agonists, bromodomain inhibitors, and statins. In addition, many novel and established drug-biomarker relationships were identified, including alkylating agent response and low MGMT expression, BRAF inhibitor response and BRAF mutation, and MDM2 inhibitor response and TP53 wild-type status. Surprisingly, more than 100 non-oncology drugs unexpectedly killed multiple cancer cell lines, making them attractive repurposing candidates. For example, the FDA-approved phosphodiesterase inhibitor anagrelide selectively kills PDE3A-high lung cancer and melanoma cell lines. Confirmatory experiments are underway to validate screening results, evaluate putative biomarkers, and test drug activity in preclinical models. Importantly, this approach is expected to enable rapid initiation of clinical trials, dramatically accelerating patient access to potential new therapies. Citation Format: Steven M. Corsello, Christopher C. Mader, Jordan Bryan, Jennifer Roth, David Peck, John Davis, Samantha Bender, Li Wang, Alice Wang, Joshua Bittker, Francisca Vazquez, Aravind Subramanian, Aviad Tsherniak, Todd R. Golub. Accelerating drug repurposing for cancer therapy using multiplexed viability assays [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4025. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4025
Variable retention times and in-stream nutrient sinks

ABSTRACTLehman JT. 2018. Variable retention times and in-stream nutrient sinks. Lake Reserv Manage. 34:1–6.This note reports an explicit test of theory proposed by the author in a previous paper. A...
GERBODE DEFECT PRESENTING AS COMPLETE HEART BLOCK IN BICUSPID AORTIC VALVE ENDOCARDITIS

Gerbode defect (GD) is ventricular septal defect communicating the left ventricle (LV) to the right atrium (RA). GD secondary to aortic valve (AV) endocarditis is rare and can be life threatening. A 68 year old man presented with fever and altered mental status. He was found to have MSSA bacteremia
Speaking the End Times: Early Modern Politics and Religion from Iberia to Central Asia

This introduction delineates the contours of early modern apocalyptic thought and practice among Christians, Muslims, and Jews by discussing specific themes explored in the five articles included in this special issue. It also situates the articles in the expansive scholarship on apocalypticism, highlighting the contribution of this collection of essays to the field. Paying close attention to and problematizing the importance of the terminology that expressed early modern notions of sacred history and political authority—in a context of intense inter-confessional contact and conflict—this introduction calls for a contextual examination of apocalyptic thought and practice.
The risk of snow sport injury in pediatric patients.

Abstract Purpose In 2015, approximately 13,436 snowboarding or skiing injuries occurred in children younger than 15. We describe injury patterns of pediatric snow sport participants based on age, activity at the time of injury, and use of protective equipment. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed of 10–17 year old patients with snow-sport related injuries at a Level-1 trauma center from 2005 to 2015. Participants were divided into groups, 10–13 (middle-school, MS) and 14–17 years (high-school, HS) and compared using chi-square, Student's t-tests, and multivariable logistic regression. Results We identified 235 patients. The HS group had a higher proportion of females than MS (17.5% vs. 7.4%, p = 0.03) but groups were otherwise similar. Helmet use was significantly lower in the HS group (51.6% vs. 76.5%, p Conclusions Injured high-school snow sports participants were less likely to wear helmets and more likely to have solid organ injuries when helmeted than middle-schoolers. Additionally, high-schoolers with head injuries were more like to sustain these injures while engaging in jumps or tricks. Injury prevention in this vulnerable population deserves further study. Level of evidence Level III (Retrospective Comparative Study).
Rearing and Biology of the Decapitating Fly Pseudacteon bifidus (Diptera: Phoridae): A Parasitoid of Tropical Fire Ants

The small decapitating fly, Pseudacteon bifidus Brown and Morrison (Diptera: Phoridae), is a parasitoid of the tropical fire ant, Solenopsis geminata (F.) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). This fly is of interest as a potential self-sustaining biocontrol agent because tropical fire ants are invasive pests throughout the world's tropics, especially on islands of the Pacific. The objective of this study was to develop methods for mass rearing P. bifidus and to study related aspects of its biology. The flies used in this study were collected near the Nueces River north of Catarina, Texas, USA. We found that P. bifidus parasitizes minor workers with an average head width of 0.71 ± 0.10 mm (0.59–1.15, range). The sex ratio of adult flies was moderately skewed to males (58:42%), with males slightly more likely to emerge from the smallest hosts and females from the largest ones. The average generation time was 30 d at 27.6 °C. Average larval development time was 14 d at 27.6 °C, but the pattern was highly skewed with a mode of 11 d and about 15% of individuals in a long tail of slow developing larvae, which extended out to at least 41 d. Male pupae emerged faster than female pupae (0.8 d, 23.5 °C). Unlike other Pseudacteon species, adult females were not ready to oviposit until 8 to 24 h after eclosure. We were able to rear 9,500 ± 2,800 flies per generation primarily by modifying preexisting rearing procedures (1) to provide adults access to water and sugar water so they could live longer, (2) by extending access to hosts for 1 to 2 extra d, and (3) by avoiding reuse of host colonies with poor rates of parasitism. Labor costs were decreased by rearing in discrete generations and the use of an attack box with automatic temperature, humidity, lighting, and mechanical controls that allowed flies to emerge, mate, and parasitize hosts without the need for constant management. The success of these rearing efforts provided a foundation for subsequent studies of P. bifidus host specificity and host suitability.
Reading Provenance from Detrital Quartz

Quartz is the most abundant and durable mineral in all siliciclastic sediments representing almost all common parent rocks. In multicycle sediments some quartz may survive from several generations away and represent some remote parent rocks. Therefore, quartz has the greatest potential of all detrital minerals for reading provenance of arenites.
Pulmonary Mass Lesions

Masses within the lung are commonly suspected and/or appreciated on the ­conventional chest radiograph. There are many criteria which you should evaluate on arriving at a list of potential differential diagnoses for a mass lesion.
Physical Environment: the Thermal Environment

During intrauterine life, heat production by the fetus results in a fetal temperature that is about 0.5°C higher than the maternal temperature [1]. After birth, the newborn infant is exposed to air and surfaces, which have a much lower temperature than that previously experienced in utero. The skin surface at birth is covered with amniotic fluid, causing heat loss through evaporation in an environment with a low vapor pressure [2]. As a result the body temperature of the infant is lowered, and the rate of this reduction is influenced by the temperature of the environmental air in the delivery room and the delivery of its flow. This gives rise to thermogenic responses that increase basal heat production [1, 3] and the skin circulation may decrease to lower the heat losses [4].
War of the Living Dead: An Analysis of the Permissibility of the Zombie Weapon in Modern International Armed Conflict

Over the past century, citizens have been faced with many sources of terror, including nuclear and biological warfare, terrorist attacks, and genocide, and a host of state-specific threats. Yet among these threats, a certain “undead” fear has, over the past several years, become very much alive for Americans and people worldwide. This threat is zombies; that is, reanimated corpses who walk the earth and hunger for human flesh. Zombies have captured the hearts and minds of the entertainment realm for years; however, societies’ responses to zombies have proven this threat to be beyond fantasy. While the ways to address zombies and how to survive a zombie attack have been thoroughly explored, one area of scholarship has been notably absent from the zombie discussion — the legal realm. Assuming the possibility of their existence, zombies present several significant legal questions in many areas of law, in particular, the international laws of war. Considering the public’s fear of a domestic outbreak, the natural continuance is a fear that a foreign outbreak could cross borders. Going a step further, could a nation use the zombie’s mobility and hunger for flesh as a weapon against another nation during warfare? And if the zombies would be used, would their use be considered impermissible under the current boundaries for weapons in armed conflict? In this paper, I will define the concept of the zombie, introduce the “Hague Law,” which governs weapons use in international conflict, and discuss the underlying principles of necessity, proportionality, and distinction that provide the backbone for the Hague Law. By applying these principles, I will demonstrate that zombies are an abhorrent weapon that should not be used in armed conflict. Lastly, rather than delay until the zombies are possible reality in warfare, states should prohibit their use now before states implement the zombies and consider them an indispensable weapon.
Hexokinase 2 is dispensable for T cell-dependent immunity

T cells and cancer cells utilize glycolysis for proliferation. The hexokinase (1–4) family of enzymes catalyze the first step of glycolysis. Hexokinase 2 (HK2) is one of the most highly upregulated metabolic enzymes in both cancer and activated T cells. HK2 is required for the development and/or growth of cancer in several cancer models, but the necessity of HK2 in T cells is not fully understood. The clinical applicability of HK2 inhibition in cancer may be significantly limited by any potential negative effects of HK2 inhibition on T cells. Therefore, we investigated the necessity of HK2 for T cell function. In order to identify additional therapeutic cancer targets, we performed RNA-seq to compare in vivo proliferating T cells to T cell leukemia. HK2 was genetically ablated in mouse T cells using a floxed Hk2 allele crossed to CD4-Cre. CD4+ and CD8+ cells from mice were characterized metabolically and tested in vitro. T cell function in vivo was tested in a mouse model of colitis, Th2-mediated lung inflammation, and viral infection. Treg function was tested by crossing Hk2-floxed mice to FoxP3-Cre mice. Hematopoietic function was tested by deleting HK2 from bone marrow with Vav1-iCre. RNA-seq was used to compare T cells proliferating in response to virus with primary T-ALL leukemia induced with mutant Notch1 expression. We unexpectedly report that HK2 is largely dispensable for in vitro T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation. Loss of HK2 does not impair in vivo viral immunity and causes only a small impairment in the development of pathological inflammation. HK2 is not required for Treg function or hematopoiesis in vivo. One hundred sixty-seven metabolic genes were identified as being differentially expressed between T cells and leukemia. HK2 is a highly upregulated enzyme in cancer and in T cells. The requirement for HK2 in various cancer models has been described previously. Our finding that T cells are able to withstand the loss of HK2 indicates that HK2 may be a promising candidate for cancer therapy. Furthermore, we identify several other potential metabolic targets in T-ALL leukemia that could spare T cell function.
Vinland Map Authentication: A Case Study for the Review of Spectroscopic Techniques and Application of X-ray Methods

Authentication of the Vinland map manuscript, supposedly from the 15th century, was used as a case study in an undergraduate upper-level instrumental-analysis class. The case provides a review of spectroscopic techniques and data analysis from several nondestructive techniques. Assessment of the case shows it to be particularly beneficial for student understanding of X-ray techniques.
SOCIAL WORK IN MOLDOVA IN THE 21ST CENTURY: FULBRIGHT SPECIALISTS’ REFLECTIONS

The Republic of Moldova ranks low in common living standards and human development indicators in comparison with other European and transitional economies. The social work profession within Moldova is also in transition. Two Fulbright specialists discuss their experiences as social work professors in Moldova. First, the need for social work education and professional social workers is detailed. Second, training of Moldovan university faculty and government officials is considered. Third, how students were educated through classes in Moldova and through distance-learning co-taught courses from the USA is detailed. Finally, the specialists reflect on the continuing need for professionalism in such transitional economies.
Bedside predictors of outcome in meningitis: Time to upgrade the GCS?

During the last few decades, mortality and morbidity of community-acquired meningitis in adult patients have improved in developed countries. Whereas more than a decade ago, mortality rates were ≈25%,1,2 case fatality rates are now in the range of 6% to 17% in most studies.3–5 One important factor that has contributed to the improved mortality and reduced morbidity has been the introduction of corticosteroids as adjunctive therapy in pneumococcal meningitis.6 The facts that a substantial proportion of patients do not survive bacterial meningitis and a large number of survivors have neurologic sequelae indicate that there is room for improvement.
Cardiac-Specific Overexpression of Catalytically Inactive Corin Reduces Edema, Contractile Dysfunction, and Death in Mice with Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Humans with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and heart failure (HF) develop low levels of corin, a multi-domain, cardiac-selective serine protease involved in natriuretic peptide cleavage and sodium and water regulation. However, experimental restoration of corin levels markedly attenuates HF progression. To determine whether the beneficial effects of corin in HF require catalytic activity, we engineered cardiac overexpression of an enzymatically inactive corin transgene (corin-Tg(i)). On a wild-type (WT) background, corin-Tg(i) had no evident phenotypic effects. However, in a well-established genetic model of DCM, corin-Tg(i)/DCM mice had increased survival (p < 0.01 to 0.001) vs. littermate corin-WT/DCM controls. Pleural effusion (p < 0.01), lung edema (p < 0.05), systemic extracellular free water (p < 0.01), and heart weight were decreased (p < 0.01) in corin-Tg(i)/DCM vs. corin-WT/DCM mice. Cardiac ejection fraction and fractional shortening improved (p < 0.01), while ventricular dilation decreased (p < 0.0001) in corin-Tg(i)/DCM mice. Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide, cyclic guanosine monophosphate, and neprilysin were significantly decreased. Cardiac phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase-3β (pSer9-GSK3β) levels were increased in corin(i)-Tg/DCM mice (p < 0.01). In summary, catalytically inactive corin-Tg(i) decreased fluid retention, improved contractile function, decreased HF biomarkers, and diminished cardiac GSK3β activity. Thus, the protective effects of cardiac corin on HF progression and survival in experimental DCM do not require the serine protease activity of the molecule.
Facilitation Matters: Instructor Perception of Helpfulness of Facilitation Strategies in Online Courses

Online course facilitation is critical to the success of online courses. Instructors use various facilitation strategies in online courses to engage students. One hundred instructors were surveyed on their perception of helpfulness of twelve different facilitation strategies used in online courses to enhance instructor presence, instructor connection, engagement and learning. Instructors’ timely response to questions and instructors’ timely feedback on assignments/projects were rated the highest in three of four constructs (instructor presence, engagement and learning). For instructor connection, ability to contact the instructor in multiple ways was rated the highest. Interactive visual syllabi of the course was rated the lowest in all four constructs. In the open-ended comments, group projects and synchronous sessions were rated helpful. Descriptive statistics for each of the construct by gender, delivery method, course level taught are presented. Significant differences were found between gender but analysis of variance failed to detect differences between primary delivery method or course level taught.
Risk priorities and their co-occurrences in smart city project implementation: Evidence from India’s Smart Cities Mission (SCM):

With an increasing number of smart cities initiatives in developed as well as developing nations, smart cities are seen as a catalyst for improving the quality of life for city residents. However, ...
Nonlinear Dynamic Systems Parameterization Using Interval-Based Global Optimization: Computing Lipschitz Constants and Beyond

Numerous state-feedback and observer designs for nonlinear dynamic systems (NDS) have been developed in the past three decades. These designs assume that NDS nonlinearities satisfy one of the following function set classifications: bounded Jacobian, Lipschitz continuity, one-sided Lipschitz, quadratic inner-boundedness, and quadratic boundedness. These function sets are characterized by constant scalars or matrices bounding the NDS' nonlinearities. These constants (i) depend on the NDS' operating region, topology, and parameters, and (ii) are utilized to synthesize observer/controller gains. Unfortunately, there is a near-complete absence of algorithms to compute such bounding constants. In this paper, we develop analytical then computational methods to compute such constants. First, for every function set classification, we derive analytical expressions for these bounding constants through global maximization formulations. Second, we utilize a derivative-free, interval-based global maximization algorithm based on branch-and-bound framework to numerically obtain the bounding constants. Third, we showcase the effectiveness of our approaches to compute the corresponding parameters on some NDS such as highway traffic networks and synchronous generator models.
The educational impact of childhood-onset multiple sclerosis: Why assessing academic achievement is imperative

Background:Limited data suggest that adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) frequently discontinue school. While it is known that cognitive impairment occurs in 30% to 50% of children with MS, th...
IAB Topology Design: A Graph Embedding and Deep Reinforcement Learning Approach

As the density of cellular networks grows, it becomes exceedingly difficult to provide traditional fiber backhaul access to each cell site. Millimeter wave communication coupled with beamforming can be used to provide high-speed wireless backhaul to such cell sites. Therefore, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) defines an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) architecture, in which the same infrastructure and spectral resources are shared to provide access and backhaul. However, this complicates the design of topologies in such networks as they need to enable efficient traffic flow and minimize congestion or increase robustness to backhaul link failure. We formulate this problem as a graph optimization problem that maximizes the lower bound of the network capacity and propose a topology formation approach based on a combination of deep reinforcement learning and graph embedding. Our proposed approach is significantly less complex, more scalable, and yields very close performance compared to the optimal dynamic programming approach and significant gains when compared with baseline approaches.
Solar System Radio Astronomy

This chapter presents a description of the detected radio emission from Solar System objects such as the Sun, the terrestrial planets (in which the Moon may be included, given its general similar radio properties), the giant planets, and the minor planets. The major emission processes from these objects—namely thermal emission and synchrotron emission—are outlined and described. While the observed radio emission from the terrestrial planets and the Moon is essentially thermal, the observed radio emission from the giant planets and the Sun (along with the Earth as well) has both thermal and non-thermal (namely synchrotron) components. A discussion is also provided about radar and its applications in observations of the terrestrial planets, the Moon and minor bodies in the Solar System (such as asteroids). For completeness, the observations of rotational transitions of molecules detected from comets are described as well. At the end of the chapter, a brief discussion is provided about radio searches for exoplanets with prominent magnetospheres such as the one associated with Jupiter.
Reduced order modeling of the Newton formulation of MODFLOW to solve unconfined groundwater flow

Abstract Projection-based model reduction techniques have been shown to be very effective for reducing the computational burden of high-dimensional groundwater simulations, but only applied to confined groundwater flow. A new methodology is proposed that reduces the dimension of a discretized, transient, unconfined groundwater-flow model. This unconfined model reduction technique is based on Galerkin projection and the Newton formulation of MODFLOW. The method is implemented following the standard package design and code structure that MODFLOW employs for all its features. When the package is invoked within MODFLOW it can collect snapshots, produce a basis, construct the reduced model and propagate the reduced model forward in time. The new formulation accurately represents the water-table surface under a variety of nonlinear settings, such as intraborehole flow from a Multi-Node Well. The unconfined model reduction is applied to four test cases to illustrate its flexibility in handling nonlinear features. Several test cases are discussed to demonstrate the unconfined model reduction applicability. The final test case applies the new model reduction methodology to a scoping MODFLOW model of Santa Barbara, CA composed of 113,578 cells, which requires solving 113,578 equations per time step, and reduces it to 127 equations.
Automatisierung in Forschung und Industrie

Eine der beliebtesten Tatigkeiten fur Leute, die bequem im Lehnstuhl sitzen, ist die Spekulation uber die moglichen Leistungen des Elektronenrechners von morgen. Dies ist darauf zuruckzufuhren, das wir im Verlaufe der letzten 15 Jahre erlebten, wie sich der Elektronenrechner von einem Gegenstand der Forschung zu einem der revolutionarsten Hilfsmittel fur Wirtschaft und Wissenschaft entwickelte. Wenn auf dem Gebiete der elektronischen Datenverarbeitung so viel in so kurzer Zeit erreicht wurde, dann ist es verstandlich, wenn es kaum eine Grenze fur das gibt, was die Leute von ihr fur die Zukunft erwarten. So kann jeder von uns Spekulationen daruber anstellen, welche Rolle der Elektronenrechner etwa im Jahre 2000 spielen wird.