cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tests for Parthenogenesis in Migratory, Differential, and Desert Grasshoppers

Because parthenogenesis occurs in some Acrididae, testing the reproductive ability of virgin females is advisable before studying the effect of mating variations on grasshopper reproduction. In 1962, while adults were being reared for sexual attraction tests, several virgin females of the migratory grasshopper, Melanoplus sanguinipes (V.) , and the differential grasshopper, M. differentialis (Thomas), laid eggs. Uvarov (1928) named 4 species of Acrididae in which parthenogenesis had been observed but it was not proved that the progeny could reach the adult stage or reproduce themselves. Hamilton (1955) listed 10 species and described his own experiments in which 6 successive generations of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria Forskal, were reared parthenogenetically. Later, Bergerard and Seuge (1959) observed hatching in about 20% of the eggs laid by virgin females of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria L., but hardly 15% of the hatched nymphs reached the adult stage. These adults reproduced without fertilization. In 1963 virgin females of M. sanguinipes, M. differentialis , and the desert grasshopper, Trimerotropis pallidipennis pallidipennis (Burmeister), were observed for parthenogenesis and results are presented in this note.
Identification of MAP Kinase Pathways Involved in COX-2 Expression Following Photofrin Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using the photosensitizer Photofrin is approved for the clinical treatment of solid tumors. PDT causes cytotoxic oxidative stress, but additionally induces prosurvival molecules such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Combining PDT with COX-2 inhibitors increases the efficacy of in vivo treatment. Understanding mechanisms leading to prosurvival molecule induction is relevant to the design of more effective treatments. Using COX-2 promoter constructs, transcription factor-binding assays, identification of protein kinase activation, and inhibitors of transcription factor binding we were able to determine that COX-2 expression following PDT involves the p38 MAP kinase pathway.
The History of Attitudes Toward Children's Art

The purpose of this paper is to provide a broad historical framework in which to examine the emergence of interest in child art, and the evolution of attitudes toward it through the early twentieth century. The evolution of attitudes toward children that allowed childhood itself to become an object of serious study in the nineteenth century, and the revolution in aesthetic standards that allowed child art to be taken seriously as an aesthetic expression, are both examined. Examples from the writings of nineteenth century students of child art, and statements from early twentieth century avant-garde artists who studied the art of children are used to explore and illustrate these new attitudes. Values and attitudes implicit in current controversies in art education are examined briefly in light of the above historical background. Attitudes toward children's art stem from the interplay of two distinct sets of ideas: those having to do with children and childhood, and those having to do with art and aesthetic values. This paper traces the evolution of attitudes toward children's art in relation to ideas about childhood and aesthetics prevalent during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Not until the nineteenth century were the spontaneous drawings of young children thought worthy of adult study and comment, and not until the early twentieth century did radical changes in aesthetic standards allow child art to be appreciated on its own aesthetic terms. Yet, since the groundwork for these changes was laid earlier, my object is to provide a broad historical framework in which to examine both the emergence of interest in children's art and the evolution of attitudes toward it through the first decades of the twentieth century. I will first consider the evolution of ideas about childhood that allowed child art to be noticed and to become an object of study during the nineteenth century. I will then discuss the evolution of aesthetic standards that allowed child art to be taken seriously as an aesthetic creation. Finally, I will use specific examples from the writings of nineteenth century students of child art, and early twentieth century avant-garde artists, to explore the range of attitudes toward the art of children that emerged from the interplay of these changing ideas about childhood and about art. The Evolution of Attitudes Toward Childhood In medieval times, children were not protected in a separate world of childhood. If they survived infancy and toddlerhood, they were set right to work as helpers and learners in the world of adult activity. According to Phillipe Aries (1962): In medieval society the idea of childhood did not exist; this is not to suggest that children were neglected, forsaken or despised. The idea of childhood...corresponds to an awareness of the particular nature of childhood, that particular nature which distinguishes the child from the adult...That is why, [in the medieval world] as soon as the child could live without the constant solicitude of his mother, his nanny or his cradle-rocker, he belonged to adult society. (p.
The faint intergalactic-medium red-shifted emission balloon: future UV observations with EMCCDs

We present the latest developments in our joint NASA/CNES suborbital project. This project is a balloon-borne UV multi-object spectrograph, which has been designed to detect faint emission from the circumgalactic medium (CGM) around low redshift galaxies. One major change from FIREBall-1 has been the use of a delta-doped Electron Multiplying CCD (EMCCD). EMCCDs can be used in photon-counting (PC) mode to achieve extremely low readout noise (i 1e-). Our testing initially focused on reducing clock-induced-charge (CIC) through wave shaping and well depth optimisation with the CCD Controller for Counting Photons (CCCP) from Nuvu. This optimisation also includes methods for reducing dark current, via cooling and substrate voltage adjustment. We present result of laboratory noise measurements including dark current. Furthermore, we will briefly present some initial results from our first set of on-sky observations using a delta-doped EMCCD on the 200 inch telescope at Palomar using the Palomar Cosmic Web Imager (PCWI).
The Protein Data Bank

We’re very lucky that today we can go to our computers and instantly start exploring a hundred thousand atomic structures of biomolecules. The structural biology community has spearheaded a comprehensive effort to make the results of biostructural research freely available to everyone. In 1971, a group of scientists at the Brookhaven National Laboratory started an archive of atomic structures, called the Protein Data Bank, as a way to make these structures available. The first archive contained the seven protein structures that were available at the time. Today the archive has grown to over a hundred thousand entries and is managed by centers around the world: RCSB and BMRB in the USA, PDBe in Europe, and PDBj in Japan. Together, they have created online interfaces to this massive archive, providing tools to deposit, curate, find, analyze, and visualize the structures.
Saints’ Lives and Shoemakers’ Holidays: The Gentle Craft and the Wells Cordwainers’ Pageant of 1613

This essay considers the 1613 Wells Cordwainers’ pageant of SS Crispin and Crispianus through an exploration of hagiographical appropriation in two other contemporary iterations of the St Crispin legend and the conditions of English occasional pageantry. A comparison with the prose tale The Gentle Craft by Thomas Deloney and the stage play A Shoemaker, A Gentleman by William Rowley indicates that the Cordwainers improvised on a popular Jacobean version of their patron saints as romance heroes instead of holy martyrs.
Gαq Mediates Clozapine Effects in Caenorhabditis elegans

Clozapine binds and has significant effects on multiple neurotransmitter receptors, notably including some dopamine receptors. Downstream of these receptors, clozapine affects the balance of Gi- and Gq-dependent second-messenger signaling. We used Caenorhabiditis elegans as a genetic model to study further how clozapine affects both dopamine receptors and downstream Gq mediated signaling. Four of six worm dopamine receptor orthologs, dop-1, dop-2, dop-4, and dop-5 produced resistance to clozapine induced developmental delay when mutated, suggesting that both type I and type II dopamine receptors mediate the behavioral effects of clozapine in C. elegans. Beyond these receptors, reduction of function of one of the G proteins, egl-30 (Gαq), produced greatly increased susceptibility to clozapine. Gαq has multiple known downstream effects. Among these is the control of acetylcholine release, which is in balance with monoamines in the human brain and is another target of clozapine and other antipsychotic drugs. We tested for downstream effects on acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction upon clozapine treatment but found no evidence for effects of clozapine. In contrast, modulation of Gαq upstream leads to worms that are either more resistant or more susceptible to clozapine, emphasizing the importance of Gαq proteins in mediating effects of clozapine. A genetic screen for suppressors of egl-30 recovered eight mutants. By characterizing the behavioral effects of these mutants, we found that clozapine exerts its function on development by affecting Gαq signaling through control of the pharyngeal pumping rate. A whole-genome sequencing technique was utilized and identified a list of candidate genes for these suppressor mutations. Further characterization of these mutants promises the discovery of novel components participating in Gαq signaling and a better understanding of the mechanisms of action of clozapine.
How Experience Affects Infants’ Facial Categorization

Abstract Given the importance of categorization abilities, infants appear equipped to group together people in their social world provided they have sufficient experience with the category. During the first year, however, infants have predominant experience with females and individuals of the same race as their primary caregiver. This differential experience impacts how expertly they categorize people in their social world. For example, they more expertly categorize (1) female relative to male faces and (2) familiar relative to unfamiliar race faces. Moreover, these discrepancies impact how they categorize faces within the two genders—they most easily categorize faces similar to an attractive, female-like representation and use attractiveness to categorize females and low masculinity to categorize males. Because categorization of people into social groups is necessary before affective and cognitive beliefs become linked to those groups, understanding these asymmetries in infants’ social categorization is critical for examining later development of biases and stereotypes.
Finite Thickness Effects on Nafion Water Uptake and Ionic Conductivity at Hydrophilic Substrate Interfaces, and Implications for PEMFC Performance

The effect of film thickness on water uptake in Nafion films is probed via neutron reflectometry for a series of 10 samples with thicknesses ranging from 7–103 nm, and the resulting effects on ionic conductivity. The water uptake in the lamellae and the bulk-like layer varies non-monotonically, decreasing as the equivalent Nafion thickness increases from 7 nm to 12 nm, increasing with increasing film thickness for equivalent Nafion thicknesses ranging from 12 nm—60 nm, and then constant for films with equivalent thickness ≥ 60 nm. Composition depth profiles are used to predict the anisotropic ionic conductivities, which are used in a flooded-agglomerate model of PEMFC catalyst layers to predict the effect of lamellar structure transport properties on PEMFC performance.
'Speaking the Truth with Eloquent Thunder': Black Lesbian and Gay Essays, Speeches & the Struggles for Liberation in Post-Civil Rights America

In the fall of 1979 black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde delivered the keynote address to the first Third World Lesbian and Gay Conference held that year in Washington, D.C. “Lesbians and gay men” she says, “have always been in the vanguard of struggles for liberation and justice in this country and within our communities.” Speaking a year later at the Democratic National Convention in New York City, black gay Civil Rights activist Melvin Boozer delivered one of the most visceral political speeches ever by a Vice Presidential nominee. "Would you ask me how I dare to compare the civil rights struggle with the struggle for lesbian and gay rights? I can compare them and I do compare them, because I know,” Boozer says “what it means to be called a ‘nigger’ and I know what it means to be called a ‘faggot,’ and I understand the differences in the marrow of my bones. And I can sum up that difference in one word: none. Bigotry” he concludes “is bigotry.”In the age of Obama and the modern gay liberation movement, comparative arguments between the “black” and “gay” agenda are profoundly divisive and quite frankly weatherworn. Black Americans — read here as heterosexual men — are concerned with economic justice and political representations while gay activists — read here as middle class white gay men — advocate for rights that simultaneously bespeaks their economic privilege and their assimilationist heteronormativity. Existing within the interstitial space between black/ gay liberation discourses are black lesbian and gay activists whose socio-political concerns merit attention, yet are constantly ignored by today’s leaders and activists and remain negligible in the black freedom record. Taking political speeches and essays as my case study, I explore the liberationist agenda of black lesbians and gay men. My goal is to illuminate how these speeches address the black-gay divide, on the one hand, while showcasing how these rhetorical devices provide a critical view of the political and civil rights concern of black lesbians and gay men on the other. I argue that examining essays and speeches presented by black lesbians and gay men in the “post-civil rights era” can reorient conversation about black liberation, activism, and freedom that do not perpetuate divisiveness. Collectively, these speeches challenge historical epistemologies of black liberation, disrupt contemporary regimes of “queer freedom,” and offer everyday revolutionary practices to achieve humanistic freedom for all black Americans.
Framework and Solution Techniques for Suppressing Electric Machine Winding MMF Space Harmonics by Varying Slot Distribution and Coil Turns

This paper studies the design of electric machine windings with reduced magnetomotive force (MMF) space harmonic content by adjusting the slot distribution and coil turns. Closed-form expressions for the winding factor and harmonic magnitudes established from a mathematical representation of winding functions are used to formulate the MMF space harmonic suppression problem. The framework is applicable to both distributed windings and fractional-slot concentrated windings (FSCWs) and can be solved with different techniques. No special requirements on the slot/pole combination and the number of layers are necessary. One example uses a linear algebraic technique to solve simultaneous equations and the result is a mixed-layer distributed winding. The process also reveals the criterion when multiple requirements on the winding factor and harmonic magnitudes can be satisfied concurrently. Contour plots are included to provide additional graphical insight. Another example designs a 24-slot 22-pole FSCW subset with numerical optimization. The resultant winding is a four-layer FSCW with two subsets and 3/4 of the harmonic orders are eliminated. The performance improvement of this winding is verified with finite-element simulations.
Epithelial Foot-process Effacement in Patients with Proteinuria

In an effort to determine the pattern of foot-process effacement or "fusion" in proteinuria, quantitative measurements were performed on human tissue from patients with urinary protein excretion exceeding 0.5 g/d. Serial electronmicrographs were analyzed and the results related to both quantitative urinary protein and underlying disease. Although foot-process effacement was widespread, it was never universal. Some portions of glomeruli were morphologically normal in every case. The proportion of effaced foot processes did not vary directly with the level of urinary protein. With the possible exception of focal glomerulosclerosis, the primary disease did not appear to influence the amount of effacement.
Estimating the Impact of Changes to Occupational Standards for Silica Exposure on Lung Cancer Mortality.

Background Respiratory exposure to silica is associated with the risk of death owing to malignant and nonmalignant disease. 2.3 million US workers are exposed to silica. Occupational exposure limits for silica are derived from a number of lines of evidence, including observational studies. Observational studies may be subject to healthy worker survivor bias, which could result in underestimates of silica's impact on worker mortality and, in turn, bias risk estimates for occupational exposure limits. Methods Using data on 65,999 workers pooled across multiple industries, we estimate the impacts of several hypothetical occupational exposure limits on silica exposure on lung cancer and all-cause mortality. We use the parametric g-formula, which can account for healthy worker survivor bias. Results Assuming we could eliminate occupational exposure, we estimate that there would be 20.7 fewer deaths per 1,000 workers in our pooled study by age 80 (95% confidence interval = 14.5, 26.8), including 3.91 fewer deaths owing to lung cancer (95% CI = 1.53, 6.30). Less restrictive interventions demonstrated smaller but still substantial risk reductions. Conclusions Our results suggest that occupational exposure limits for silica can be further strengthened to reduce silica-associated mortality and illustrate how current risk analysis for occupational limits can be improved.
Abstract LB-355: Loss of keratinocyte desmoglein 1 occurs during melanoma development and alters crosstalk between keratinocytes and melanocytes

Ultraviolet (UV)-induced mutations in melanocytes are a well-established cause of melanoma. However, histologically normal “fields” of altered keratinocytes present in sun-exposed epidermis could also drive initiation and progression of melanoma. We previously demonstrated that UV radiation reduced expression of the keratinocyte desmosomal cadherin, desmoglein 1 (Dsg1), and that loss-of-function mutations in Dsg1 increased keratinocyte cytokine production in Severe dermatitis, multiple Allergies, and Metabolic wasting (SAM) syndrome. Based on these observations we hypothesized that loss of Dsg1 alters the microenvironment through increased cytokine signaling. Here, we show that Dsg1 expression is progressively reduced in regions surrounding human dysplastic nevi, melanoma in situ , and stage I/II melanomas. In contrast, keratinocyte E-cadherin was not significantly altered in early tumors. Dsg1 knockdown in keratinocytes in vitro increased phospho-EGFR, phospho-Stat3, and nuclear NFκB, while increasing keratinocyte mRNAs encoding IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 pro-inflammatory cytokines. Re-expressing silencing-resistant Dsg1 returned cytokine levels to control levels. To determine whether Dsg1 loss in keratinocytes elicits paracrine-mediated changes in melanocyte behavior, we treated normal primary melanocytes with conditioned media from Dsg1-silenced keratinocytes. Short-term (overnight) exposure to Dsg1-deficient conditioned media resulted in significantly increased melanocyte dendrite length, similar to morphology changes induced by UV exposure; however, long-term (7 day) exposure resulted in significantly shorter dendrites. Melanocytes exposed to Dsg1-deficient media increased melanin secretion and decreased melanin retention, a phenomenon associated with the process of transformation. Melanocytes incorporated into Dsg1-deficient 3D human skin equivalents exhibited aberrant behavior, including increased numbers and mis-localization to suprabasal layers. Based on these observations, we propose that under homeostatic conditions Dsg1 functions to maintain baseline levels of cytokine signaling, but that Dsg1 loss due to environmental stress disrupts keratinocyte:melanocyte communication through altered paracrine signaling to promote melanoma initiation. Citation Format: Christopher Arnette, Jodi L. Johnson, Hope E. Burks, Jennifer L. Koetsier, Kathleen J. Green. Loss of keratinocyte desmoglein 1 occurs during melanoma development and alters crosstalk between keratinocytes and melanocytes [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-355.
Morphological Filters: Statistical Evaluation and Applications in Ultrasonic NDE

In this paper, morphological filters [1-4] have been applied to detect flaw echoes in ultrasonic signals contaminated by grain scattering noise (i.e., clutters or speckles). In particular, the statistical properties of morphological operations (i.e., dilation, closing, clos-erosion and clos-opening) are examined using Monte Carlo simulation when applied to signals with uniform and Rayleigh distributions. The simulated results and their statistics (mean and variance) present an interpretation of the noise suppression capability of morphological filters and their biasing effects. This information has been utilized to design a suitable structuring element to enhance flaw-to-clutter ratio in ultrasonic testing. The processed experimental results (A-Scans and B-Scans) show that morphological filters can improve flaw visibility by suppressing grain scattering noise.
Conformational analysis—131: A molecular mechanics treatment of phosphines

Abstract The molecular mechanics method (1973 force field) has been extended to include the general class of phosphaalkanes. Structural data on simple molecules were fit well, and equilibria between conformations can be calculated in general in agreement with experiment, in sofar as experimental data are known. Phosphacyclohexane and a few simple derivatives have been studied in some detail. It is concluded that the force field developed is adequate for the prediction of structures and energy differences, but it is not possible to calculate heats of formation, due to the lack of experimental data.
Disclosure of Product System Models in Life Cycle Assessment: Achieving Transparency and Privacy

Many of the challenges facing knowledge synthesis from life cycle assessment (LCA) studies stem from the inability of study authors and readers to formally agree on the structure and content of the product system models used to perform LCA computations. This article presents a framework for formally disclosing the foreground of an LCA study in a way that permits the computations to be inspected, verified, and reproduced by a reader, provided that the reader has access to the same life cycle inventory and impact characterization resources as the author. The framework can also be used to partition a study into public and private portions, allowing both portions to be critically reviewed but omitting the private information from the disclosure. A disclosure is made up of six components, including three lists of entities in the model and three sparse matrices describing their interconnections. The entity lists make reference to previously‐published resources, including background inventory databases and characterized elementary flows, and the disclosure framework requires both author and reader to agree on the meaning of each of these references. The framework contributes to ongoing efforts within and beyond industrial ecology to improve the reproducibility and verifiability of scholarly works, and if implemented, plots a course toward distributed, platform‐independent computation and validation of LCA results.
Delayed-Onset Cyst Formation After Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy: Unreported Long-Term Complication

Background The majority of complications following (LITT) therapy occur in the early postoperative period, with few long-term complications being reported. Case Description Here we present 2 cases of delayed-onset cyst formation occurring more than 1 year following ablation, a previously unreported complication. In the first case, a 59-year-old female who previously underwent LITT for a radiation-induced cavernoma developed a 2-cm cystic lesion 18 months after ablation, resulting in recurrent seizures. In the second case, a 53-year-old female with a recurrent left frontal cerebral metastasis developed a large cystic lesion 30 months post ablation. Both patients required craniotomies and resection of their cystic lesions. In both cases pathology demonstrated reactive gliosis and blood vessel sclerosis. Conclusions We hypothesize chronic gliosis following LITT therapy results in blood vessel sclerosis leading to blood-brain barrier−breakdown and delayed cyst formation. These findings support the need for long-term surveillance of patients treated with LITT.
ATM loss in primary prostate cancer: Analysis of >1000 cases using a validated clinical-grade immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay.

5069Background: ATM is a protein kinase acting as the main signal transducer of double-strand DNA break repair, in addition to mediating other cellular functions. Germline and somatic pathogenic mu...
Terrorist Still-Life

This essay argues that as Santosh Sivan’s 1998 film Theeviravaathi (The Terrorist) is haunted by the spectre of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, it materially reproduces the still image of his assassi...
Small scale tests on the performance of adhesives used in cross laminated timber (CLT) at elevated temperatures

Abstract This study is part of a research project examining fire risk in cross laminated timber (CLT) buildings. “Delamination”, a major concern for CLT fire safety, can occur when the adhesive bondline fails in the panel before it chars which can lead to additional fuel for fire regrowth. Understanding the mechanical strength and stiffness of the adhesive bond under elevated temperature is one of the fundamental steps towards better understanding delamination. In this study, the material properties of wood and wood adhesive bonds are studied at various temperatures levels below the char temperature of wood (300 °C) to characterize the loss in strength and stiffness as a function of temperature. Four adhesives, three of which are commonly used in CLT production, were studied: two formulations made from polyurethane, one made from melamine formaldehyde, and one made from phenol-resorcinol formaldehyde. Tests were performed in a half-lap shear joint and compared against a specimen with identical geometry made from a solid piece of wood with no joint. The phenol-resorcinol formaldehyde joint had approximately the same shear strength as solid wood at all temperatures, whereas the other adhesives had noticeable reduction in strength at high temperatures. The method presented herein is unique among other CLT adhesive tests as it measures the performance of the adhesive under heat and load.
Maximizing power generation from ambient stray magnetic fields around smart infrastructures enabling self-powered wireless devices

Harvesting electrical energy from stray magnetic fields is appealing for development of a sustainable power source for Internet of Things (IoT) devices that are being implemented in the smart infrastructure. Stray magnetic fields are ubiquitous in buildings, but have fixed frequency (50/60 Hz) and low amplitude. Magnetoelectric (ME) coupled magneto-mechano-electric (MME) energy conversion is the most efficient way to convert these low frequency stray magnetic fields into electricity. However, currently reported ME coupled MME generators produce high output power only under relatively strong magnetic fields (≥500 μT), which are not available under practical conditions. Here a novel ME coupled MME generator has been demonstrated that provides 400% higher output power compared to the state-of-the-art, when operating below magnetic field levels of 100 μT. The optimized ME coupled MME generator produces milliwatt power below 300 μT stray magnetic field. The output power from extremely low magnetic fields (≤50 μT) is sufficient to power hundreds of light emitting diode (LED) arrays and operate a digital clock without charging a capacitor. By exploiting the harvested power near a home appliance, sustainable powering of sensors and a wireless communication system is demonstrated. Fundamental advancements from this work will provide a direction for deploying ME and MME generator driven self-powered IoT devices in smart infrastructures.
Real-world social support but not in-game social support is related to reduced depression and anxiety associated with problematic gaming

Abstract Playing video games can become problematic, interfering with gamers’ daily functioning. This problematic gaming is associated with negative mental health outcomes, such as depression and anxiety. Social support, provided in the real-world, can protect against mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. However, previous research on gaming has found that real-world social support for gamers often decreases, while within-game social support increases. Importantly, it is currently unknown whether in-game social support can replace real-world social support in protecting problematic gamers from symptoms of depression and anxiety. To address this, we conducted an online survey (n = 361), recruiting participants from both a general university population and an online campus gaming (E-sports) group. We collected measures of problematic gaming, depression, anxiety, and both real-world and in-game social support, and then conducted a path analysis. In line with previous research, problematic gaming was significantly associated with decreased real-world social support and increased in-game social support. However, only real-world social support was then associated with reduced depression and anxiety, while in-game social support was unrelated to both. Problematic gaming also retained a significant direct effect on depression and anxiety. Maintaining real-world social support should be encouraged in the face of problematic gaming behaviors.
Single-Laboratory Validation of UHPLC-MS/MS Assays for Red Clover Isoflavones in Human Serum and Dietary Supplements.

Background Extracts of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) containing estrogenic and pro-estrogenic isoflavones are used in dietary supplements primarily for the management of menopausal symptoms in women. Objective A UHPLC-MS/MS assay was developed and validated for the quantitative analysis of the six major red clover isoflavones in dietary supplements and in human serum in support of clinical trials. Methods Enzymatic deconjugation of isoflavone glucuronides and sulfate conjugates in human serum specimens was carried out followed by protein precipitation. Isoflavones in red clover dietary supplements were acid hydrolyzed to release aglycons from glycosides. UHPLC separations ( Results The method was validated with respect to selectivity, specificity, accuracy, linearity, precision, LOD, and LOQ. The calibration curves for all analytes were linear (R2 > 0.998). The mean recovery for low-, medium- and high-quality control standards ranged between 80% and 108%. The precision of the method was assessed using coefficients of variation, which were Conclusions The UHPLC-MS/MS method is fast, precise, sensitive, selective, accurate, and applicable to the quantitative analysis of red clover isoflavones in different matrices. Highlights This validated UHPLC-MS/MS assay is applicable to the rapid quantitative analysis of red clover isoflavones in human serum and in dietary supplements.
3D Numerical Simulation of Kink-driven Rayleigh–Taylor Instability Leading to Fast Magnetic Reconnection

Fast magnetic reconnection involving non-MHD microscale physics is believed to underlie both solar eruptions and laboratory plasma current disruptions. While there is extensive research on both the MHD macroscale physics and the non-MHD microscale physics, the process by which large-scale MHD couples to the microscale physics is not well understood. An MHD instability cascade from a kink to a secondary Rayleigh–Taylor instability in the Caltech astrophysical jet laboratory experiment provides new insights into this coupling and motivates a 3D numerical simulation of this transition from large to small scale. A critical finding from the simulation is that the axial magnetic field inside the current-carrying dense plasma must exceed the field outside. In addition, the simulation verifies a theoretical prediction and experimental observation that, depending on the strength of the effective gravity produced by the primary kink instability, the secondary instability can be Rayleigh–Taylor or mini-kink. Finally, it is shown that the kink-driven Rayleigh–Taylor instability generates a localized electric field sufficiently strong to accelerate electrons to very high energy.
Bone health assessments by student pharmacists during interprofessional education

Abstract Introduction Bone-healthy lifestyle is a cornerstone of osteoporosis prevention and treatment. Student pharmacists are ideally suited to perform bone health assessments during interprofessional education (IPE) programs. In this article, we describe the outcomes of bone health assessments performed by second-year student pharmacists (P2s) as part of a novel IPE activity. Methods Bone health assessments provided by P2s to older adults during an interprofessional team home visit were evaluated. Three health profession students (pharmacy, medicine, physician assistant, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and/or social work) worked as collaborative teams, with each student completing discipline-specific patient assessments. Data collected included bone density scan status, Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) score, and calcium and vitamin D intakes. P2s' recommendations for bone density testing and adjustments to dietary intakes based on patient-specific factors were also evaluated. Results All P2s (n = 98) completed a bone health assessment with their older adult. Almost all older adults (85.6%) met risk criteria for bone density scanning. In addition, 51.5% and 27.8% reported taking less than their age and sex-specific recommended dietary allowance of calcium and vitamin D, respectively. P2s recommended changes in calcium and vitamin D dietary intake, supplement use, or both for 64.3% of the older adults. Conclusions In a novel IPE home-visit program, P2s were successfully utilized to assess bone health and provide recommendations for bone density scanning and calcium and vitamin D intakes to volunteer older adult patients.
Partial Intraoperative Global Alignment and Proportion Scores Do Not Reliably Predict Postoperative Mechanical Failure in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery.

Study Design:Retrospective radiographic review.Objectives:The Global Alignment and Proportion (GAP) score allows sagittal plane analysis for deformity patients and may be predictive of mechanical c...
Macrophages augment the skeletal muscle proinflammatory response through TNFα following LPS-induced acute lung injury

Muscle may contribute to the systemic inflammatory environment during critical illness, but leukocyte interaction and cytokine influence on muscle and its response has not been fully explored in this context. Using an in vivo model of intratracheal lipopolysaccharide (IT LPS)-induced acute lung injury, we show that skeletal muscle rapidly responds with expression of proinflammatory genes, which may be explained by migration of LPS into the circulation. Treatment of mature C2C12 myotubes with LPS at a level achieved in the circulation following IT LPS elicited a proinflammatory cytokine expression profile similar to that of in vivo murine muscle following IT LPS. Stimulation with toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and 3 agonists provoked comparable responses in C2C12 myotubes. Additionally, co-cultures of C2C12 myotubes and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) identified the capacity of macrophages to increase myotube proinflammatory gene expression, with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) gene and protein expression largely attributable to BMDM. To investigate the contribution of TNFα in the synergy of the co-culture environment, C2C12 myotubes were treated with recombinant TNFα, co-cultures were established using TNF-deficient BMDM, and co-cultures were also depleted of TNFα using antibodies. To determine whether the in vitro observations were relevant in vivo, mice received intramuscular administration of LPS ± TNFα or TNFα-neutralizing antibodies and showed that TNFα is both sufficient and necessary to induce synergistic cytokine release from muscle. Taken together, these data demonstrate how skeletal muscle tissue may contribute proinflammatory cytokines following acute endotoxin injury and the potential of leukocytes to augment this response via TNFα secretion.
Uncertainty: A Necessary Condition for Creative Learning

This chapter discusses the central role that uncertainty plays in creative learning. Creative learning refers to a combination of intra and interpsychological processes that result in new and meaningful understandings for oneself and others. The chapter opens with the assertion that there is no creativity without uncertainty. The basis for this assertion is discussed, including how it serves as a necessary condition for the commencement and continuance of creative learning. Next, the chapter focuses on the role uncertainty plays in instructional and assessment activities aimed at supporting creative learning. The chapter concludes with a discussion of implications for theory, research, and practice.
The Pedagogy of Emancipation: Teachers and Students in Nineteenth-Century France

How was artistic originality thematized in the nineteenth-century teaching studio? This paper reviews the pedagogical doctrine of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran, a prominent French instructor whose students included Auguste Rodin, Henri Fantin-Latour, and Alphonse Legros. Today, Lecoq is chiefly remembered for his attempt to expand his students’ memories. But Lecoq also believed that memory, wrongly exercised, could jeopardize his students’ potential for accomplishment.
Problems for Biomedical Fluid Mechanics and Transport Phenomena

Preface 1. Problem solving 2. Conservation of mass and the Reynolds Transport Theorem 3. Steady and unsteady Bernoulli and momentum conservation 4. Viscous flow 5. Momentum boundary layers 6. Piping systems, friction factors and drag coefficients 7. Problems involving surface tension 8. Non-Newtonian blood flow 9. Dimensional analysis 10. Statistical mechanics 11. Steady diffusion and conduction 12. Unsteady diffusion and conduction 13. Convection of mass and heat 14. Concentration and thermal boundary layers 15. Mass and heat transfer coefficients 16. Osmotic pressure Appendix A. Material properties Appendix B. Transport equations Appendix C. Charts References Acknowledgements.
A model for assessing the sensitivity and specificity of tests subject to selection bias. Application to exercise radionuclide ventriculography for diagnosis of coronary artery disease

A probabilistic model was developed which allows one to estimate sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests for coronary artery disease without reference to angiography. The feasibility of the model was evaluated first in a series of computer simulations, and the model was then applied to the assessment of ejection fraction in 933 patients without prior myocardial infarction who underwent exercise radionuclide ventriculography. In 196 patients who were referred to angiography, the conventional abnormal ejection fraction criterion--an absolute rise of less than 0.05 with exercise--had a sensitivity of 79% and a specificity of 68% when referenced to coronary angiography. In 737 patients who were not referred for angiography and who were analyzed instead by our probabilistic model, sensitivity was 63% (p = 0.004 compared to that in the 119 angiographically diseases patients) and specificity was 79% (p = 0.036 compared to that in the 77 angiographic normals). Both the higher sensitivity and lower specificity in the catheterized patients are consistent with a preferential referral of positive test responders to angiography, and of negative test responders away from angiography. The distortion of test sensitivity and specificity which results from this selection bias can be circumvented by substituting a probabilistic estimate of disease for conventional angiographic ascertainment.
Speed of energy propagation for parabolic equations

Analysis of system described by heat equation where disturbance propagates with infinite speed as function of time
The interactions of lectins with animal cell surfaces.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the interactions of lectins with animal cell surfaces. Lectin interactions with cell surfaces can be put into a proper framework for understanding complex phenomena such as lectin-induced mitogenic stimulation, cell agglutination, and lectin-mediated cell toxicity. Lectins have been isolated from a wide variety of plants and animals, from legumes to horseshoe crabs. Lectins generally have the property of agglutinating cells through their cell surface oligosaccharide determinants, and in some cases these determinants have been elucidated by determining the sequences or sugars responsible for saccharide inhibition of agglutination. Because of the carbohydrate-binding specificities of lectins, some of these agglutinins have proven to be quite useful for clinical blood typing and structural studies of blood group substances, in analysis of the surface structure of normal and tumor cells, for specific isolation of glycoproteins and oligo- and mucopolysaccharides, in studies on mitogenesis, as antigen-antibody models, and so on. They have also proven to be invaluable as specific molecular probes for studying membrane, cell, and tissue structure and organization.
Inside or Out? The Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Program's Anti-Retaliation Protections for Internal Reporting

On July 17, 2013, the very first circuit court to have addressed the anti-retaliation protections available to whistleblowers under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”) suddenly strayed from the string of judicial victories that had been mounting for employee-whistleblowers. In Asadi v. G.E. Energy (USA) LLC, the Fifth Circuit deviated from the holdings of several federal district courts that have interpreted the scope of Dodd-Frank’s anti-retaliation provisions to broadly protect whistleblowers. Ever since Dodd-Frank’s enactment in 2010, courts have struggled to interpret whether the statute’s anti-retaliation protections are available for internal whistleblowers, or those who internally report violations of the securities laws to their employers, rather than directly to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Confusion as to the scope of Dodd-Frank’s protections has arisen due to an inconsistency in the language of the statute with respect to how the term, “whistleblower,” is defined, which, on its face, appears to exclude internal whistleblowers. The various district courts to have addressed this issue prior to Asadi have each sided with the whistleblower, and have granted Chevron deference to a 2011 SEC rule that reconciles the statute’s inconsistency by clarifying that Dodd-Frank’s anti-retaliation protections are available to internal and external whistleblowers alike. The decision in Asadi stands in stark contrast to these decisions and the SEC’s interpretation of the statute. This Article will explore the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Asadi, as well as the district court opinions that have interpreted this issue, and will argue that Asadi sets a dangerous precedent. Not only will the Fifth Circuit’s decision likely pave the way for how other circuit courts will address this issue in the future, it also compromises the importance of internal compliance programs, which offer employees an outlet for reporting possible securities violations internally so that companies can respond to problems in a timely manner. Weakened protection against retaliation for internal whistleblowers will likely have the effect of creating disincentives for employees to report internally. This Article will examine the importance of internal compliance programs as a preventative measure against major securities violations and will consider the effect that strong anti-retaliation protections has on the promotion of internal reporting. As Dodd-Frank is still in its relatively early stages, it is probable that the Fifth Circuit’s surprising decision in Asadi will either give rise to a circuit split or prompt the Supreme Court to address this important issue.
Mass selection for kernel depth in early maize

Effectiveness of mass selection for kernel depth in an early maize (Zea mays L.) synthetic, i.e. NDSAB, was evaluated in eight North Dakato environments. Four cycles of selection for deeper kernels were evaluated for grain yield and associated traits by using corresponding randomly selected subpopulations of NDSAB to adjust out inbreeding effects on selected subpopulations. General combining ability (GCA) effects of selected subpopulations also were evaluated for these traits. Subpopulations selected from one to four cycles for deep kernels were reciprocally crossed to corresponding randomly selected subpopulations in a factorial mating design. Subpopulations, selfed subpopulations, and subpopulation crosses were evaluated for yield and associated traits. Subpopulations selected for deep kernels generally had deeper kernels, higher yields, heavier kernels, more kernel rows per ear, and lower test weights than corresponding randomly selected subpopulations. Differences in GCA effects among selected and unselected subpopulations generally corresponded to differences between selected and unselected parental subpopulations. Inbreeding effects from selfing were observed for all traits, but no average heterosis was detected when subpopulation crosses were compared to parental subpopulations. Reciprocal differences were observed for all traits except kernel depth, but these differences were inconsistent relative to whether deep kerneled females made superior hybrids to unselected females. Results supported the use of mass selection for kernel depth as a means of grain yield improvement in the short term for NDSAB. However, negative associations of kernel depth with test weight may restrict long term use of this procedure.
Training in Tandem: Co-Facilitation and Role Modeling in a Group Work Course

There is a growing consensus in the literature that co-facilitation can be effective if it is well planned and characterized by close communication among co-workers of equal status. The authors of ...
Interaction of some colchicine analogs, vinblastine and podophyllotoxin with rat brain microtubule protein.

Abstract The interaction of seventeen colchicine analogs, vinblastine and podophyllotoxin with rat brain microtubule protein has been sudied by measuring their ability to displace 3H-colchicine. The following analogs competitively displaced 3H-colchicine from rat brain microtubule protein: cholchiceinamide, N-desacetylthiocolchicine, demecolcine, N-acetyliodocolchinol, trimethylcolchicinie acid (TMCA) methyl ether, N-acetylcolchinol, and TMCA ethyl ether. Isocolchicine, isocolchiceinamide, iso-TMCA methyl ether, colchiceine, TMCA, N-benzoyl TMCA, colchicosamide, colchicoside, colchinol and colchinoic acid did not inhibit the binding of 3H-colchicine to rat brain microtubule protein. A good correlation was found between the ability of a given analog to displace 3H-colchicine from rat brain microtubule protein and its antimitotic or antigout properties. Podophyllotoxin and vinblastine, both potent antimitotic agents, inhibited 3H-colchicine binding competitively and non-competitively respectively.