cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Morphological Changes in Leukemic Lymphoblasts and Normal Lymphocytes Treated with Deoxyadenosine Plus Deoxycoformycin

It remains unclear how lympholysis occurs in children with an inherited deficiency of adenosine deaminase (ADA) and in leukemic patients undergoing treatment with an inhibitor of ADA, deoxycoformycin. Adenosine deaminase deficiency with subsequent lympholysis can be simulated in vitro by treatment of lymphoid cells with deoxyadenosine plus deoxycoformycin. We found that such in vitro treatment caused fragmentation of the nucleus, disintegration of nuclear chromatin, and the formation of cytoplasmic blebs in T-lymphoblast lines, but not in B-lymphoblast lines. For all but one of the cell lines tested, the extent of morphological changes paralleled the sensitivity to growth inhibition by deoxyadenosine plus deoxycoformycin. Similar morphological changes were observed in normal peripheral blood lymphocytes treated with deoxyadenosine plus deoxycoformycin. These morphological changes were energy-dependent processes. They were preceded by inhibition of DNA synthesis and deoxyadenosine triphosphate (dATP) accumulation, but followed by depletion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and cell lysis. These changes may represent an intermediate step between metabolic alterations and lympholysis.
The Hidden Women's Movement

It is important to take the time and look both backward and forward at the women's movement: how it has influenced the past and how it is likely to be important in the future. But why do we ask this question in the first place?
Evolutionary History and Impact of Human DNA Transposons

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) transposons are mobile elements that move via a DNA intermediate. The (haploid) human genome harbours more than 300 000 DNA transposon copies, accounting for approximately 3% of the total genomic DNA. Nearly one-third of these elements are specific to the primate lineage, but there is no evidence for transposition activity within the past 40 million years. However, there is growing evidence that DNA transposons have contributed in shaping the current genome architecture of humans and have been a recurrent source of new regulatory and coding DNA throughout mammalian evolution. Notably, more than 50 human genes are currently known to descend from transposase sequences recycled to perform diverse cellular functions. Key Concepts: DNA (or class 2) transposons represent a minority of the mobile genetic elements populating mammalian genomes, but still account for more DNA in our genome than all protein-coding sequences. DNA transposition was once very active in mammals and has generated approximately 100 000 primate-specific insertions in our genome. DNA transposon germline activity suddenly ceased ∼40 million years ago in the human lineage, but has persisted in other mammalian lineages – most prominently and recently in vesper bats. Despite the lack of current transposition activity, DNA transposons may still be promoting genomic rearrangements, including recurrent ectopic recombination events associated with pathologies. Like many other mobile elements in the human genome, some DNA transposons have been incorporated into the regulatory apparatus of the genome through the donation of enhancers and regulatory elements modulating adjacent gene expression. Transposases have been a source of coding sequences for the assembly of several new genes during vertebrate evolution, including at least 50 genes in the human genome. The function of most human transposase-derived genes remains unknown or poorly understood, but some have emerged as key regulators for a variety of cellular processes. Keywords: transposable elements; selfish DNA; noncoding DNA; new genes; genome evolution
Addressing the ethical, policy, and social challenges of preclinical Alzheimer disease

Research suggests that Alzheimer disease (AD) pathophysiology begins prior to the clinical expression of the disease and that biomarker measures may provide direct evidence of this process. As a result, it may be possible to uncouple the diagnosis of AD from the clinical expression of the disease. The shifting boundaries between normal brain aging and disease present 3 challenges: 1) establishing guidelines for researchers and clinicians to safely and effectively communicate the diagnosis of preclinical AD, 2) setting up a process that effectively translates this diagnosis into practice and policy, and 3) adapting laws, regulations, and professional practices to the diagnosis of preclinical AD. The field of genetic testing for AD suggests how to balance a patient9s desire to know his or her risk of developing dementia with a clinician9s desire to mitigate the potential harms of that information. The development of diagnostic and treatment guidelines for other diseases of aging, such as cardiovascular disease, suggests the need for a National Alzheimer9s Education Program to develop policies and procedures to translate preclinical AD into both clinical practice and policy. Revisions are needed to laws, regulations, and professional practices governing driving, financial management and planning, and privacy and confidentiality.
Climate Controls on US West Coast Erosion Processes

Abstract Erosion along the West Coast of the United States is affected by climate controls that include a trend of increasing wave heights during at least the past 25 years that might be related to global warming and the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) range between El Ninos and La Ninas that affects both annual wave conditions and monthly mean water levels that raise tidal elevations. These processes are analyzed for sites from Washington to south-central California, revealing a latitude dependence of the individual processes and how their combinations affect total water levels at the shore, which is important to beach and property erosion. Particularly significant on the coast of the Pacific Northwest (Washington and Oregon) has been the progressive decadal increases in deep-water wave heights and periods, which have increased breaker heights and elevated storm wave runup levels on beaches. Along the entire West Coast, the annual variations in wave conditions above and below any progressive decadal ...
VARIANCE COMPONENT ANALYSIS OF ALLOZYME FREQUENCY DATA FROM EASTERN POPULATIONS OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Gene frequency variation at eight polymorphic allozyme loci in Drosophila melanogaster populations in North Carollina and the east coast of the United States were analyzed utilizing the variance component estimation procedures suggested by Cockerham (1969, 1973). These variance components were used to estimate correlations of genes within small geographic regions. The average (over loci) correlation between genes in the same individual within subpopulations was estimated to be 0.033. That between genes in the same subpopulation in different individuals was estimated to be very small, although significantly different from zero. The macrogeographic variation measured by the correlation of genes sampled from the same local region was large for some loci and smaller for others. this variation was also analyzed by correlation with latitude and longitude. Several previously recognized clines were identified as were several new clines.--These results were interpreted as indicating either some degree of nonrandom mating and local breeding unit isolation or a low frequency of null alleles. The geographic and temporal variation has no simple interpretation.
Appropriate and inappropriate forms of testing, assessment, and accountability

Policy makers have focused on promoting test-based accountability systems as a tool for correcting a wide variety of educational problems, including low standards, weak motivation, poor curriculum and instruction, inadequate learning, and educational equity. This article argues that the appropriateness of testing, or any other form of assessment, as a solution to such problems should be guided by one primary motivation: whether it enables all students to function at the highest possible level in the wider world. This motivation provides a standard for evaluating the effectiveness of assessment policies. The article looks for evidence that test-based accountability systems, when applied to various educational problems, enhance or impede diverse students’ ability to use their minds well. The evidence is, at best, mixed. This article argues for a more balanced use of assessments that can incorporate instructionally timely and useful information about students’ performance and concludes with guidelines and re...
The Forereef Facies of the Permian Capitan Formation: The Role of Sediment Supply Versus Sea-Level Changes

ABSTRACT Current models for steep forereef facies give a primary role to talus and rock fall processes during both sea-level highstands and lowstands. Highstand sedimentation is also believed to include abundant basinal turbidites, whereas basin starvation is likely during extensive lowstand talus formation. However, the forereef facies of the Capitan Formation (Permian, west Texas and New Mexico) largely lacks the characteristic matrix-poor carbonate breccias formed by talus processes and provides an alternative model appropriate to carbonate margins that produce a wider mixture of coarse- to fine-grained debris. Such a margin not only has different depositional processes but can also have a significantly different response to sea-level fluctuations. The Capitan forereef can be divided into an upper, middle, and lower forereef on the basis of primary dip and lithologic variations. The upper forereef has primary dips of 30° and is composed of rudstones with minor grainstones. The middle forereef is distinguished from the upper forereef by a decrease in primary dip (to 15-30°) and a change to a mixture of rudstones and packstones with minor wackestones. Dips decrease to 510° in the lower forereef accompanied by an increase in packstones to grainstones, but rudstones are still significant. The lower forereef interfingers with packstones to wackestones and sandstones of the basin-margin facies. During sea-level highstands, the Capitan forereef was supplied with abundant very fine to coarse debris from the wide reef facies. Most of this was deposited on the upper to middle forereef by debris flows and on the lower forereef to basin by debris flows and high- to low-density turbidity currents. During the deposition of the lower Capitan only, siliciclastic sands were also present, primarily as matrix in debris-flow units. Lowstand deposits, in contrast, are almost entirely basinal siliciclastics because production of carbonate sediment was minimal. Transgressive deposits are composed of minor forereef matrix-poor debris flows and a few major debris flows with a siliciclastic matrix that extend far out into the basin. Although the large-scale stratal patterns may appear similar, a comparison of the Capitan forereef facies with the Triassic Latemar margin and the Quaternary Tongue of the Ocean reveals contrasting details, with the Capitan debris-flow-dominated and the others rock-fall-dominated. This study emphasizes the role of primary sediment production in determining the depositional processes in forereef and foreslope settings, and, as a result, the stratal patterns commonly used to interpret the history of relative sea level.
Basic Elements of Legislative Structure

The legislature is the single most important branch of government in any nation governed by the rule of law. When law rules, the legislature matters, because the legislature makes the laws. The central dilemma for drafters of written republican constitutions has been how to create a legislature that will make laws that advance and protect the common good of all citizens, without favoring one group over others. Legislatures that do not serve the common good subvert the purposes of government by protecting some particular set of private interests, at the expense of the people as a whole.
Rituals of Civic Piety: Music and Citizenship in a Catholic Pilgrimage of Senegal

In an increasingly Wolofized and Islamicized Senegal, Catholic songs and pilgrimages symbolically weave the divergent sociohistorical trajectories of ethnic and religious minorities into the dominant narratives of national citizenship. This ritual reconciliation of segregated civic trajectories is most striking during the pilgrimage to Popenguine. During the pilgrimage, Catholic youths walk from Dakar to Popenguine, covering the roughly fifty-kilometer distance in a single day. The grand event of the Senegalese Church is thus, most literally, a ritual that bridges by walking feet the capital of the Muslim-majority nation and the center of Senegalese Catholicism in Popenguine. Music is integral to this ritual reconciliation. In Popenguine, Catholic hymns are amplified to reveal the multiple foundations and inclusive strategies of their composition. Sung by youthful pilgrims, hymns are heard in the context of entangled animist, Muslim, and Christian histories, at the sonic intersection between the ideologies of religious orthodoxy, cultural authenticity, and postcolonial African nationalism. This paper examines the Catholic pilgrimage to Popenguine as an act of citizenship and as a ritual of national reconciliation aimed at bridging the very powerful differences that have been constructed between ethnic, religious, and geographic categories within the Senegalese nation.
Govan Mbeki and The ANC Youth League

On 10 December 2013, several heads of states and representatives of governments across the world joined more than 70,000 people who gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa to celebrate the life of N...
Gust Load-Line Analysis Research of Wake Vortex Encounter Flight Data

In a search for improvements in airport and air ro utes operational capacity, an acceptable level of wake turbulence encounter could be considered – perhaps by comparing wake vortex encounter (WVE) upsets with discrete turbulent gust design requirements, for which transport aircraft are certificated, a priori. Such a study has been conducted. Analysis of wake vortex encounters from DAS, DFDR and QAR recorded flight data from research aircraft and commercial aircraft encountering inflight upsets from wake vortex encounters has been used successfully to estimate the detailed characteristics of the upset windfield normal, lateral and axial gust components, in body axes, experienced by the aircraft. The body axis gust components are correlated against the gross loads experienced by the WVE aircraft, in time-domain based Lissajous cross-plots. The cross-plots are compared with the design gust-loads estimated by the CAR 4b and early FAR 25 gust load-line design requirements, for 12.5 c ‘1-cosine’ discrete gusts. Comparisons are conducted for a range of WVE aircraft. Agreement with FAR 25 gust load-line estimations is generally quite good, although they disclose concurrent multi-axis gust experiences, with at least one-axis at exceedance magnitude, in the simultaneous presence of autopilot or human-pilot induced manoeuvre loads, whereas design gust requirements need not be applied simultaneously on more than one axis, nor in the presence of pilot-ind uced-manoeuvre loads. A digital FBW system aeroplane with gust alleviation is shown to effectively handle WVE loads.
Identification and differential production of ubiquinone-8 in the bacterial predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus.

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus 109J, a predatory bacterium with potential as a bacterial control agent, can exist in several lifestyles that differ both in predatory capacity and color. We determined that levels of ubiquinone-8 contribute to the distinctive but variable yellow color of different types of Bdellovibrio cells. Steady-state ubiquinone-8 concentrations did not differ markedly between conventional predatory and host-independent B. bacteriovorus despite upregulation of a suite of ubiquinone-8 synthesis genes in host-independent cells. In contrast, in spatially organized B. bacteriovorus films, the yellow inner regions contain significantly higher ubiquinone-8 concentrations than the off-white outer regions. Correspondingly, RT-PCR analysis reveals that the inner region, previously shown to consist primarily of active predators, clearly expresses two ubiquinone biosynthesis genes, while the outer region, composed mainly of quiescent or stalled bdelloplasts, expresses those genes weakly or not at all. Moreover, B. bacteriovorus cells in the inner region of week-old interfacial films, which are phenotypically attack-phase, have much higher UQ8 levels than regular attack-phase bdellovibrios, most likely because their “trapped” state prevents a high expenditure of energy to power flagellar motion.
Influences of race and breast density on related cognitive and emotion outcomes before mandated breast density notification.

Abstract Rationale Many states have adopted laws mandating breast density (BD) notification for applicable women; however, very little is known about what women knew or felt about BD and related breast cancer (BC) risk before implementation of BD notification laws. Objective We examined between-race differences in the extent to which having dense breasts was associated with women's related BD cognition and emotion, and with health care providers' communication about BD. Methods We received surveys between May and October of 2015 assessing health care provider (HCP) communication about BD, BD-related knowledge, BD-related anxiety and BC worry from 182 African American (AA) and 113 European American (EA) women in the state of Michigan for whom we had radiologists' assessments of BD. Results Whereas having dense breasts was not associated with any BD-related cognition or emotion, there were robust effects of race as follows: EA women were more likely to have been told about BD by a HCP, more likely to know their BD status, had greater knowledge of BD and of BC risk, and had greater perceptions of BC risk and worry; AA women had greater BD-related anxieties. EA women's greater knowledge of their own BD status was directly related to the increased likelihood of HCP communication about BD. However, HCP communication about BD attenuated anxiety for AA women only. Conclusion We present the only data of which we are aware that examines between-race differences in the associations between actual BD, HCP communication and BD related cognition and emotion before the implementation of BD notification laws. Our findings suggest that the BD notification laws could yield positive benefits for disparities in BD-related knowledge and anxiety when the notifications are followed by discussions with health care providers.
Centralized and distributed tests for moving target detection with MIMO radars in clutter of non-homogeneous power

In this paper, we study moving target detection (MTD) using a distributed MIMO radar, where the multi-static transmit-receive configuration causes non-homogeneous clutter. By representing the non-homogeneous clutter in a low-rank subspace with different subspace coefficients for different transmit-receive pairs, we first propose a centralized detector, the MIMO generalized likelihood ratio test (MIMO-GLRT), which requires the distributed receivers to send all their local observations to a fusion center. To reduce the communication overhead as well as power/bandwidth consumptions from the receivers to the fusion center, we consider two distributed implementations of the MIMO-GLRT, with or without local data aggregation. In both cases, the local unquantized test statistics from all distributed receivers are forwarded to the fusion center. Simulation results are provided to illustrate the performance loss with respect to the centralized MIMO-GLRT and compare the proposed detectors with another distributed MIMO moving target detector based on a homogeneous assumption.
Montgomery v. Louisiana: Baby Steps toward a More Benevolent Juvenile Justice System

In Miller v. Alabama, the Supreme Court concluded that mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole for juveniles violate the Eighth Amendment. Last week, three years after prohibiting mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders, in Montgomery v. Louisiana, the Court held that the rule announced in Miller must apply retroactively. In Montgomery v. Louisiana, the Court determined that Miller’s prohibition on mandatory life sentences established a new substantive rule for constitutional rights. This recent ruling means that inmates currently serving mandatory life sentences for offenses they committed while they were children, and whose sentences were considered final at the time Miller was decided, will now have an opportunity for state courts to reconsider their original sentence or to argue for early release at a parole hearing. The Montgomery v. Louisiana decision is the most recent in a line of cases that spare juvenile offenders the harshest penalties our criminal justice system imposes, and vindicates the reasoning in Miller earlier cases that “children are different.” This Response, however, cautions that the decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana is only an incremental victory in what promises to be a long battle not only for those juvenile offenders now seeking their liberty, but also for criminal justice advocates seeking to ameliorate harsh punishments for juvenile in other contexts within the justice system. In Miller v. Alabama, the Court declined to issue a categorical ban on the practice of imposing life imprisonment without parole for juveniles, and notwithstanding the retroactivity of the rule in Miller, the decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana does not foreclose the possibility that some juvenile offenders will remain condemned to die in prison. This Response argues that in order to fully vindicate the principle that “children are different,” advocates should use the reasoning of these recent cases to push for greater limitations on the punishments our criminal justice system currently imposes upon juveniles.
Shaping Muslim Curriculum in Kenya

Having come under several decades of British colonialism, the East African countries including Kenya have all inherited the educational system that maintains a distinction between schools designed for religious training and those for the material world. But under the impact of globalization, Muslim women educationists in this region are rethinking the question of modernity in terms of creative alternative educational set-ups.
Identifying Future Drinkers: Behavioral Analysis of Monkeys Initiating Drinking to Intoxication is Predictive of Future Drinking Classification.

BACKGROUND: The Monkey Alcohol and Tissue Research Resource (MATRR) is a repository and analytics platform for detailed data derived from well-documented Non-Human Primate (NHP) alcohol self-administration studies. This macaque model has demonstrated categorical drinking norms reflective of human drinking populations, resulting in consumption pattern classifications of Very Heavy Drinking (VHD), Heavy Drinking (HD), Binge Drinking (BD), and Low Drinking (LD) individuals. Here we expand on previous findings that suggest ethanol drinking patterns during initial drinking to intoxication can reliably predict future drinking category assignment. METHODS: The classification strategy uses a machine learning approach to examine an extensive set of daily drinking attributes during 90 sessions of induction across seven cohorts of five to eight monkeys for a total of 50 animals. A Random Forest classifier is employed to accurately predict categorical drinking after 12 months of self-administration. RESULTS: Predictive outcome accuracy is approximately 78% when classes are aggregated into two groups, "LD and BD" and "HD and VHD". A subsequent two-step classification model distinguishes individual LD and BD categories with 90% accuracy and between HD and VHD categories with 95% accuracy. Average four-category classification accuracy is 74%, and provides putative distinguishing behavioral characteristics between groupings. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that data derived from the induction phase of this ethanol self-administration protocol has significant predictive power for future ethanol consumption patterns. Importantly, numerous predictive factors are longitudinal, measuring the change of drinking patterns through three stages of induction. Factors during induction that predict future heavy drinkers include being younger at the time of first intoxication and developing a shorter latency to first ethanol drink. Overall, this analysis identifies predictive characteristics in future very heavy drinkers that optimize intoxication, such as having increasingly fewer bouts with more drinks. This analysis also identifies characteristic avoidance of intoxicating topographies in future low drinkers, such as increasing number of bouts and waiting longer before the first ethanol drink. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Language: en
Neuroinflammation as a Potential Mechanism Underlying Parkinsons Disease

Abstract The motor symptoms of Parkinsons disease (PD) are due to the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Multiple neuroinflammatory processes are exacerbated in PD, including glial-mediated reactions, increased expression of proinflammatory substances, and lymphocytic infiltration, particularly in the substantia nigra. Much data implicate roles for neuroinflammation in PD, although it is unknown which roles exacerbate dopaminergic neuronal death and which provide neuroprotection. We summarize the main neuroinflammatory features of PD and discuss the potential mechanisms implicated in this disease.
Home-Based HIV Testing and Counseling for Male Couples (Project Nexus): A Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: HIV prevalence remains high among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States, yet the majority of research has focused on MSM as individuals, not as dyads, and has discussed HIV risks primarily in the context of casual sex. Nexus is an online prevention program that combines home-based HIV testing and couples HIV testing and counseling (CHTC). It allows partners in dyadic MSM relationships to receive HIV testing and care in the comfort of their designated residence, via video-based chat. By using video-based technologies (eg, VSee video chat), male couples receive counseling and support from a remote online counselor, while testing for HIV at home. Objective: This randomized control trial (RCT) aims to examine the effects of video-based counseling combined with home-based HIV testing on couples’ management of HIV risk, formation and adherence to explicit sexual agreements, and sexual risk-taking. Methods: The research implements a prospective RCT of 400 online-recruited male couples: 200 self-reported concordant-negative couples and 200 self-reported discordant couples. Couples in the control arm will receive one or two home-based HIV self-testing kits and will be asked to report their results via the study’s website. Couples in the experimental arm will receive one or two home-based HIV self-testing kits and will conduct these tests together under the facilitation of a remotely located counselor during a prescheduled VSee-based video CHTC session. Study assessments are taken at baseline, as well as at 3- and 6-month follow-up sessions. Results: Project Nexus was launched in April 2016 and is ongoing. To date, 219 eligible couples have been enrolled and randomized. Conclusions: Combining home-based HIV testing with video-based counseling creates an opportunity to expand CHTC to male couples who (1) live outside metro areas, (2) live in rural areas without access to testing services or LGBTQ resources, or (3) feel that current clinic-based testing is not for them (eg, due to fears of discrimination associated with HIV and/or sexuality). Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02335138; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02335138 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6qHxtNIdW) [JMIR Res Protoc 2017;6(5):e101]
Abstract 145: Microcapsule Delivery of Mesenchymal Stem Cell for Myocardial Regeneration

Following myocardial injury, 1 in 3 patients will have irreversible cardiac damage and develop congestive heart failure. The paracrine factors secreted by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown promise in regenerating damaged heart tissue through their pro-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. The beneficial effect of MSCs can be further optimized by their targeted delivery and increased retention within the damaged myocardium. Objective: To develop a novel cell therapy approach which allows direct infusion of encapsulated mesenchymal stem cells into the coronary circulation without compromising cardiac function. Methods: Mesenchymal stem cells were encapsulated into polyethylene glycol (PEG) based microparticles (MPs) using microfluidics technology. These encapsulated MSCs were infused ex vivo into the rat coronaries using retrograde perfusion in a Langendorff - isolated heart setup. Rat hearts infused with fluorescently tagged MPs were imaged using Xtreme Optical imaging (Bruker, MA) to evaluate for MP distribution within the tissue. Frozen sections of the MP infused hearts were evaluated for distribution within the coronary microvasculature. To evaluate cardiac function after iterative MP infusion, pressure volume curves were generated using a Millar catheter and recorded on Powerlab (ADI instruments, Australia). Results: The microfluidics encapsulation process generates microparticles of 30-60 μm diameter with up to 59.7% encapsulation efficiency. Encapsulated MSCs distribute evenly throughout the heart as assessed by whole-organ fluorescence imaging. Systolic function of the rat heart was not compromised when up to 100,000 encapsulated MSCs were infused by retrograde coronary perfusion. Histological sections post infusion showed that the MPs localized to terminal blood vessels as small as 10 μm in diameter, suggesting that these microparticles are compressible and are trapped within small coronary vessels, thereby improving retention. Conclusion: Intra-coronary perfusion of encapsulated MSCs is a viable and promising approach for the delivery of MSCs after myocardial injury.
Abstract 12634: The Association of 24-hour Holter-Derived Heart Rate Variability With Incident Heart Failure in the Cardiovascular Health Study

Background: Abnormal heart rate variability (HRV) has been used to predict multiple adverse cardiovascular outcomes but not the development of congestive heart failure (CHF). We hypothesized that the addition of Holter-based HRV parameters to an existing CHF clinical risk model would improve its ability to identify older adults at an increased risk of CHF in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). Methods: The Health ABC Heart Failure (Health ABC) score is a clinically based CHF prediction tool that has been validated in the CHS. Asymptomatic CHS participants with interpretable 24-hour baseline Holter recordings were included (N=1,401). Holter-based HRV measures and premature ventricular contraction (PVC) counts were compared between participants with (N=260) and without (N=1,141) incident CHF on follow up. Significantly different parameters between groups were added to the components of the Health ABC score using stepwise Cox regression. Results: Participants who developed CHF were more likely to be older, male, and have left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and coronary artery disease (CAD). They were also more likely to have a higher body mass index, baseline heart rate, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose and creatinine. The final prediction model included all components of the Health ABC score (age, creatinine, albumin, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, LVH, smoking and CAD), ln (PVCs+1) (Hazard Ratio [HR]=1.12; 95% CI, 1.06-1.19; p Conclusion: Abnormal HRV parameters were significant and independent predictors of incident CHF in asymptomatic, older adults. When combined with increased PVCs, these measures improved the predictive power of the Health ABC score in identifying CHS participants at an increased risk of developing CHF.
A New BRCT Binding Mode in TopBP1-BLM Helicase Interaction.

Tandem BRCT domains are phophoprotein binding modules. In this issue of Structure, Sun et al. (2017) show that a single BRCT domain in TopBP1 binds tightly and specifically to phosphorylated Bloom syndrome helicase (BLM). This work reveals a novel BRCT binding mode and suggests a similar mechanism for TopBP1 interaction with 53BP1.
Identification of genes associated with susceptibility to Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis ( Map ) tissue infection in Holstein cattle using gene set enrichment analysis–SNP

Multiple genome-wide association analyses have investigated susceptibility to bovine paratuberculosis, but few loci have been identified across independent cattle populations. A SNP-based gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA–SNP) allows expanded identification of genes with moderate effects on a trait through the enrichment of gene sets instead of identifying only few loci with large effects. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify genes that were moderately associated with Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (Map) tissue infection using GSEA–SNP in Holstein cattle from the Pacific Northwest (PNW; n = 205) and from the PNW and Northeast (PNW+NE; n = 245) which were previously genotyped with the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip. The GSEA–SNP utilized 4389 gene sets from five databases. For each annotated gene in the UMD3.1 assembly (n = 19,723), the most significant SNP within each gene and its surrounding region (10 kb up- and downstream) was selected as a proxy for that gene. Any gene set with a normalized enrichment score > 2.5 was considered enriched. Thirteen gene sets (8 PNW GSEA–SNP; 5 PNW+NE) were enriched in these analyses and all have functions that relate to nuclear factor kappa beta. Nuclear factor kappa beta is critical to gut immune responses, implicated in host immune responses to other mycobacterial diseases, and has established roles in inflammation as well as cancer. Gene sets and genes moderately associated with Map infection could be used in genomic selection to allow producers to select for less susceptible cattle, lower the prevalence of the disease, and reduce economic losses.
Effectiveness of an anger control program among veterans with PTSD and other mental health issues: A comparative study.

OBJECTIVE This study examines the effectiveness of an anger management program among veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues. METHOD Veterans with (n = 76) and without (n = 58) PTSD completed anger management groups at the Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Self-rated checklists of anger and PTSD symptoms (for those with PTSD) were completed before and after the group. RESULTS Significant improvement in anger was observed in the overall sample (p < .001) but did not differ based on PTSD diagnosis. No significant PTSD symptom changes were observed. CONCLUSIONS Veterans with broad mental health concerns benefited significantly from this anger management program, consistent with prior research. Implications for program improvement and future research are discussed.
Graphene and its derivatives in lithium–sulfur batteries

Abstract On the edge of impending energy and environmental crisis, electrochemical energy storage has rapidly gained momentum. Among all the candidates in the “beyond lithium-ion battery” arena, lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery has attracted extensive attention due to its ultrahigh theoretical capacity and the abundance of sulfur. However, the development of Li–S battery is hindered by its quick capacity decay and short lifespan because of the insulating nature of sulfur/Li 2 S and the high solubility of lithium polysulfides. Under this scenario, graphene and its derivatives have been explored to overcome the shortcomings of Li–S batteries. Graphene is mechanically robust, highly flexible, and exceptionally conductive, enabling abundant porosity for high sulfur loading, expeditious electron/ion transfer, and effective polysulfide encapsulation. Graphene oxide (GO), on the other hand, is often attached with various functional groups which are able to chemically bond with polysulfides, rendering GO a strong polysulfide entrapping ability. The graphene/GO enabled physical confinements and chemical interactions can be further enhanced via constructing graphene-sulfur configurations and doping functional groups or heteroatoms. In addition to the intrinsic advantages, graphene and GO are highly compatible with many engineering materials, making graphene-based composite electrodes promising for low-cost, high-performance Li–S batteries. This review article sequentially illustrates the interaction between sulfur/polysulfides and graphene, sulfur infiltration methods, sulfur/graphene configurations, applications of graphene and its derivatives in Li–S batteries, and presents state of the art and future outlook.
Anti-Idiotype Antibody Vaccines for the Immunotherapy of Cancer

Certain anti-idiotypic (Id) antibodies that bind to the antigen-combining sites of antibodies can effectively mimic the three-dimensional structures and functions of the external antigens and can be used as surrogate antigens for active specific immunotherapy. Several monoclonal anti-Id antibodies that mimic distinct human tumor-associated antigens have been developed and characterized by others and us. CeaVac (anti-Id 3H1) is an internal image anti-Id antibody that mimics a distinct and specific epitope of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and can be used as a surrogate for CEA. Extensive preclinical studies, as well as results obtained from clinical trials, suggest that vaccination with 3H1 has the potential to augment survival benefits. Anti-Id 3H1 easily breaks immune tolerance to CEA and induces anti-CEA antibody, as well as CD4+ T-helper, responses in colorectal cancer patients and also in mice transgenic for CEA. This chapter summarizes the science behind the development of anti-Id 3H1 and updates our clinical experience that includes all the patients entered on the study thus far.
A Detailed Characterization of Aspectualizers — IV: Finish, End , and Complete Compared

In this chapter, we will consider three verbs which refer not only to the cessation, but to the completion of the events named in their complements. Finish, end, and complete refer to either a last temporal segment of the nucleus or to the coda of the events named in their complements. A historical view of this group of words does less to illuminate their differences than it did the other verbs studied. End is of a common Teutonic origin, from OE endian meaning ‘to carry through to the end’. Finish (ME fenys, finisch), on the other hand, is of a Latin and French origin, Fr. fenir from Latin finire. The dictionary describes finish in a fashion similar to end, simply as ‘bringing something to an end’. Finally, complete, a rather recent verb form (1530) is derived from the ME adjective which in turn was derived from the Latin completus or compiere. This, too, is defined as ‘bringing something to an end’ or as ‘making something whole’. As we will see, this latter statement may help explain the difference between complete and finish. The late development of the verb form may be responsible for the feeling (volunteered by many native speakers) that the verb is formal and infrequently used as compared to the ease and frequency of the adjective complete.
Managerial Insider Trading and Opportunism

This paper examines whether managers engage in opportunistic insider trading by measuring how their net open market purchases and holdings of own company stock change around acquisitions, seasoned equity offerings and share repurchases after controlling for their share and option holdings and noninformational motives for trading. On average, managers abnormally increase sales and reduce holdings around stock acquisitions and seasoned equity offerings but not around cash acquisitions and share repurchases. However the typical manager does not experience an economically significant change in ownership; more material ownership changes are limited to the subsets of the sample. These results suggest that the evidence for managerial opportunism is modest in magnitude and not pervasive in the sample.
Reflection and Transmission of Plane Waves at Normal Incidence

The basic equations that have been derived in the study of one-dimensional sound propagation are well suited to solve a multitude of problems concerning reflection and sound transmission. In the following, we shall assume that the incident wave arrives from — ∞, and travels in the positive x-direction. The particle velocity in the incident wave then is simply its pressure divided by + ϱ c. The reflector will be positioned at x = 0 so that at the reflector, the exponentials e ±j k x are equal to unity. This convention simplifies writing considerably. The disadvantage of this notation is that points in front of the reflector correspond to x < 0.
Changes in abundance and biomass of the bivalve Macoma calcarea in the northern Bering Sea and the southeastern Chukchi Sea from 1998 to 2014, tracked through dynamic factor analysis models

Abstract We used dynamic factor analysis (DFA) to track underlying trends in the abundance (number m−2) and biomass (g C m−2) of a common bivalve, Macoma calcarea, at eleven stations in the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas, as part of the Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) sampling effort. Five of the stations are located in the northern Bering Sea (DBO1 - SLIP stations) and the other six stations are located in the southeastern Chukchi Sea (DBO3 - UTN stations). M. calcarea abundance and biomass were analyzed from 1998 to 2014 as part of a 25+ year benthic community dataset. Results from the DFA indicate that there are two abundance trends (one increasing and one decreasing, depending on station location) for M. calcarea in the DBO1 region. Biomass data for M. calcarea in this region also indicates simultaneous increasing and decreasing trends, depending on location. In the DBO3 region, there are also both increasing and decreasing abundance trends for M. calcarea depending on location. Furthermore, DFA of biomass data in the DBO3 region indicates that M. calcarea biomass has three underlying trends among stations (one increasing, a second trend that decreases and then increases, and third that is relatively stable through time). Model results indicate that certain surface sediment characteristics (chlorophyll-a inventories, total organic carbon, and percent ≥5 phi grain size) as well as bottom water temperature are correlated with abundance and biomass of M. calcarea in these two regions. Overall, we conclude that M. calcarea abundance and biomass declined in the DBO1 region, with some spatial complexities, which is apparent principally as a northward shift of M. calcarea abundance. Since this area is a critical winter foraging habitat for the world population of a threatened diving sea duck, the spectacled eider (Somarteria fischeri), the decline and northward shift in prey is potentially significant for management of the species. By comparison, abundance of M. calcarea in the DBO3 region exhibited a southward shift in abundance away from station UTN5 and towards UTN2, suggesting that hydrographic influences on sediment composition and food supply may be key drivers for this species.
Calving intervals in beef cows at 2, 3, and 4 years of age when breeding is not restricted after calving

The objective of this study was to evaluate calving intervals and repeatability of calving intervals of young beef cows when breeding seasons were initiated immediately after calving. Average calving date at 2, 3, and 4 yr of age was recorded, and duration of calving interval between the first and second and second and third parities was compared in 178 crossbred beef cows calving between 1981 and 1988. Cows were placed in paddocks with intact bulls immediately after calving so they had the opportunity to conceive at the estrus associated with the initial estrous cycles after calving. Average Gregorian date of calving for cows was progressively earlier with older age (March 9, March 5, and February 14 at 2, 3, and 4) yr of age, respectively). Repeatability of calving intervals within individual cows was also evaluated. There was an interaction between year and parity on calving interval between 2 and 3 (P < .001) and 3 and 4 (P < .004) yr of age. Repeatability of calving interval was low and negative during 5 of the 6 yr. In young beef cows, year and parity interact to influence calving interval, and this average interval is less than 365 d when initiation of the breeding season is not restricted after calving.
Biomaterials: a boon or a bane in the treatment of Parkinson's disease

Abstract Parkinson's disease (PD) is a deleterious neurodegenerative disorder in the elderly with complex etiology. Manifold therapeutic agents targeted at PD therapy yielded limited success. To overcome a few challenges associated with low molecular weight compounds such as short systemic circulation, low bioavailability, and inability to ferry blood–brain barrier, multifarious biomaterials have been designed and extensively used currently. Despite remarkable progress of nanotechnology-based biomaterials in the treatment of neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's disease and PD, yet a few limitations such as nonspecific targeting and systemic toxicity are to be addressed. This chapter highlights the merits and demerits of hitherto employed nanotechnological maneuvers against PD.
Design and Implementation of the Software and Hardware System for a Formula SAE Electric Vehicle

This paper presents a complete design and implementation of the software and hardware system for a Formula Society of Automatic Engineers (FSAE) electric vehicle. This design followed the guidelines published by the FSAE formula hybrid electric vehicle rules. A model view controller based software architecture was developed to interact with all necessary hardware during the steady state and dynamic conditions. The vehicle hardware system includes a main processing unit “main brain,” tractive system control board, dashboard, shutdown circuit, and related safety features. A combination of laboratory tests and field tests were performed to validate the software and hardware system.
Hiring Frictions in a Regulated Occupation: Evidence from US Laboratories

Determining the nature and source of hiring frictions is an important topic for policymakers, as these frictions impact both worker outcomes and economic growth. To date, there has been very little US‐based research that has combined detailed measures of employer skill requirements, market structure, organizational characteristics and hiring difficulties at the establishment level. Prior to this study, there has been almost no research that has investigated these issues in the context of a highly regulated industry such as healthcare, which employs more workers than either retail or manufacturing. Using a unique, nationally representative dataset, this study finds that organizational practices and market structure are more relevant predictors of hiring difficulties for laboratory technologists than factors, such as skill mismatch, that are often assumed to be of primary importance.