cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Short-term methodology for long-term usability

Approaches to understanding usability of computer interfaces over the long term typically rely on longitudinal studies, which are limited in scope to the period of the experiment. In this study, we explore whether a non-longitudinal, cross-sectional approach can reliably detect useful differences in usability between novices and experts. Our approach takes a "snapshot" of usability problems and behaviors across a heterogeneous sample of users, ranging from novice to expert. Our analysis suggests that a cross-sectional methodology can distinguish between less experienced and more experienced users with respect to the kinds of applications that cause frustration, frequency of use of help, and whether the problem was solved. Our analysis also suggests that the method is poor at distinguishing causes of frustration and the overall distribution of types of solutions tried. The data also suggest that three months of use of an application is the most useful point at which to distinguish less-experienced from more-experienced users.
A Systematic Review of Patient-Reported Nasal Obstruction Scores: Defining Normative and Symptomatic Ranges in Surgical Patients

Importance A gold standard objective measure of nasal airway obstruction (NAO) does not currently exist, so patient-reported measures are commonly used, particularly the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale and the visual analog scale (VAS). However, questions remain regarding how best to use these instruments. Objectives To systematically review studies on NOSE and VAS scores in patients with NAO and to compile and standardize the data to (1) define symptomatic and normative values for presurgical and postsurgical patients with NAO, asymptomatic individuals, and the general population; (2) determine if postsurgical scores are comparable with asymptomatic scores; and (3) determine if there is a clinically useful preoperative and postoperative score change. Evidence Review A systematic review of the literature was performed through PubMed for studies assessing NOSE and VAS scores in patients with chronic NAO. Strict inclusion criteria were applied to focus on anatomic obstruction only. For statistical analysis, the patients were classified as asymptomatic, presurgical and postsurgical with NAO, and the general population. Findings The mean (SD) NOSE and VAS scores for a patient with NAO were 65 (22) and 6.9 (2.3), respectively. The mean postsurgical NOSE and VAS scores were 23 (20) and 2.1 (2.2), respectively. The mean asymptomatic individual NOSE and VAS scores were 15 (17) and 2.1 (1.6). The mean NOSE and VAS scores for the general population were 42 (27) and 4.6 (2.6), respectively. The mean presurgical to postsurgical change was more than 40 for NOSE scores and more than 4.0 for VAS scores. Conclusions and Relevance We have shown that normative and abnormal value ranges for NOSE and VAS can be established for clinical use. Given the consistency of both scales, we conclude that these measures can be used as a clinically meaningful measure of successful surgical outcomes.
Unified Optimization of Structures and Controllers

Given a differential equation model for a dynamical system, representing for example, a flexible structure, associated sensors and actuators, and a nominally stabilizing (optimal in some sense) feedback control law, a fundamental question is the following: will the feedback control law stabilize and near-optimally control the actual system? Of course, there are many interesting and significant issues raised by this question. The modeling process is always imperfect, among the several important sources of error are the following: (i) ignorance of the actual mass, stiffness, and energy dissipation properties, as well as boundary conditions and geometric parameters, (ii) discretization and truncation errors associated with representing a continuous system in terms of a finite number of degrees of freedom, (iii) neglect of nonlinearities, (iv) ignorance of external disturbances, and (v) poorly modeled sensors and actuators.
Influences of hamstring stiffness and strength on anterior knee joint stability.

Abstract Background Excessive anterior tibial translation is a prospective risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament injury, thus factors which limit this motion may reduce injury risk. Stiffness quantifies a muscle's resistance to lengthening, and stiffer hamstrings may resist changes in length induced by anterior tibial translation more effectively. Methods Anterior tibial translation, hamstring strength, and hamstring stiffness were assessed in 30 physically active volunteers. Simple correlations were used to evaluate relationships between stiffness, strength, and anterior tibial translation. Anterior tibial translation data were arranged into high and low groups based on the median value, and hamstring strength and stiffness were compared between these groups via t-tests. Findings Anterior tibial translation was correlated with hamstring stiffness (r = −0.538; P = 0.002), but not with hamstring strength (r = −0.088; P = 0.644). Hamstring stiffness and strength were not correlated (r = 0.054; P = 0.778). Hamstring stiffness was greater in the low anterior tibial translation group (t28 = 2.186; P Interpretation Greater hamstring stiffness, but not strength, results in a more stable knee joint evidenced by less anterior tibial translation. These findings suggest that the hamstrings’ ability to resist lengthening rather than their overall force production capacity may be an important contributor to anterior cruciate ligament injury risk. As muscle stiffness can be modified acutely and chronically, enhancing hamstring stiffness may be an important addition to anterior cruciate ligament injury prevention programs.
Developmental regulation of mRNAs encoding rat brain kainate/AMPA receptors: a northern analysis study.

Functionally diverse kainate/α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors are generated by assembly of glutamate receptor (GluR)1, 2, and 3 subunits into homomeric and heteromeric channels. We examined GluR1, 2, and 3 gene expression in embryonic, neonatal, and adult rat brain by northern analysis under conditions of high stringency. In the adult, hybridization to a GluR1 riboprobe revealed the presence of an abundant RNA species, 5.2 kb in size, and minor bands of 3.2 and 3.9 kb. GluR2 hybridized to two species, 3.9 and 5.9 kb, of comparable abundance, presumably attributable to alternate splice products. Hybridization to the GluR3 riboprobe showed a major species of 5.2 kb. This pattern of RNA species was invariant over all the brain regions examined. Examination of GluR expression in development revealed that in the postnatal period, GluR1, 2, and 3 mRNAs are regulated as a function of age. In adult rat brain, GluR1 and 2 mRNA expression was highest in hippocampus; GluR3 was expressed at highest density in hippocampus and frontal cortex. The three transcripts were first detected at embryonic day 16 and then exhibited changes in expression levels in a region-specific manner. In hippocampus, all three transcripts exhibited elevated expression in the late neonatal period; in frontal cortex, elevated expression was observed for GluR2 and 3 only. In striatum, all three transcripts were expressed at relatively low levels throughout development, with a modest peak at postnatal day 14. In cerebellum, the GluR1 mRNA level was high from postnatal day 28 to adult. Studies of recombinant receptors indicate that GluR1 and 3 subunits form channels that are Ca2± permeable; heteromeric receptors containing the GluR2 subunit are Ca2± impermeable. These observations raise the possibility that a modification of GluR2 expression during development may regulate the level of Ca2±-permeable kainate channels. We therefore investigated the expression of the GluR2 subunit relative to those of the GluR1 and 3 subunits as a function of age. In hippocampus and frontal cortex, the (GluR1 ± GluR3)/GluR2 ratio declined with increasing age. This result provides evidence for a developmental regulation of kainate/AMPA receptor gene expression in the brain during the first 2 weeks of postnatal life and predicts a decrease in glutamate-operated Ca2± permeability mediated through kainate/AMPA receptors as a function of age.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Evaluation of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

Before 2000, breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was considered a relatively poor imaging tool for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), as a high percentage of false-negative magnetic resonance examinations were cases of DCIS. Three specific shifts in breast MRI occurred, which changed this assessment: 1) a shift from high temporal to high spatial imaging, revealing specific morphological features on MRI suspicious for DCIS; 2) a shift from diagnostic studies of patients with cancers identified on mammography to screening studies of high-risk patients, allowing more accurate comparisons of mammography vs MRI in detecting the full spectrum of breast cancers regardless of appearance on mammography; and 3) a shift from emphasis on masses to improved understanding of features of non-mass-like malignant lesions, distinct from benign background parenchymal enhancement patterns. Over the last decade, research has confirmed that of all imaging tools, MRI has the highest sensitivity in detection of DCIS (compared with mammography and ultrasound). Future studies are needed to clarify how best to use this tool for improved patient outcomes.
Radio Frequency Identification Tracking Technology Applied to Testing of Transportation Construction Materials

This study tested the applicability of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to tracking the progress of construction materials being tested by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) Office of Materials and Research (OMR). OMR receives and tests thousands of construction samples each year and currently tracks them with a paper-based system. The work in this investigation focused on RFID tracking technology, specifically read-only, passive, ultra-high-frequency tags. Because of their balance between low-cost and tracking capabilities, both handheld and fixed (portal) readers were used for tracking and identification of the applied tags. This study demonstrated that RFID tags were durable enough to be used under the harsh testing conditions in the laboratory, specifically extremes of moisture, pH, temperature, and pressure. In addition, the study demonstrated that the technology can be used for sample tracking in the laboratory and for location of misplaced samples. Finally, when integra...
Frictional Dissipation in a Precipitating Atmosphere

Abstract The frictional dissipation in the shear zone surrounding falling hydrometeors is estimated to be 2–4 W m−2 in the Tropics. A numerical model of radiative–convective equilibrium with resolved three-dimensional moist convection confirms this estimate and shows that the precipitation-related dissipation is much larger than the dissipation associated with the turbulent energy cascade from the convective scale. Equivalently, the work performed by moist convection is used primarily to lift water rather than generate kinetic energy of the convective airflow. This fact complicates attempts to use the entropy budget to derive convective velocity scales.
District Leaders' Framing of Educator Evaluation Policy.

Purpose: Educator evaluation systems have recently undergone scrutiny and reform, and district and school leaders play a key role in interpreting and enacting these systems. This article uses frami...
Reactivation of hepatitis B virus after withdrawal of erlotinib

Reactivation of hepatitis B virus (hbv) is a reported complication for patients undergoing chemotherapy, particularly immunochemotherapy with anti-CD20 agents such as rituximab. However, as the use of molecularly targeted agents increases, the risk of viral reactivation is less clearly defined. Here, we present the case of a 62-year-old woman with newly diagnosed EGFR mutation-positive metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc). Per interview, our patient had a remote history of hbv infection. She was started on erlotinib and developed profound diarrhea leading to renal failure that required hospital admission and temporary discontinuation of erlotinib. At 8 days after erlotinib cessation, she had a marked spike in her liver function tests, with viral serologies that were consistent with hbv reactivation. Although erlotinib and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors (tkis) are not classically associated with hbv reactivation, hbv reactivation can occur even in the setting of tki withdrawal. Before tki initiation, careful patient screening in those at risk for hbv should be performed to attenuate preventable hepatotoxicity and to differentiate between other causes of hepatotoxicity (for example, drug-induced toxicity).
The Watchdog Reassessed: Press Freedom, Access to Information and Corruption

Previous literature has talked extensively about the relationship between a free (independent) press and corruption. A free press ameliorates corruption levels in a country by acting as a watchdog and making the government more transparent and accountable to the masses. Another strand of literature analyzes how greater access to information encourages good governance. In this paper we take a step further. We emphasize that, press freedom and access to information, are two pillars of an efficient media sector and should be looked at together. Specifically, we analyze how press freedom and access to information (specifically to internet services, mobile phone and television) impact corruption levels of a country. We use a System GMM and a Difference GMM model to test our hypothesis. Our findings show that independence (free press) and access to information through internet, mobile and television, have a joint significant impact on corruption level of a country. While for countries, with lower press freedom, greater access to information may not mitigate corruption, there is a beneficial impact for high press freedom countries.
Decision tree structure.

To the Editor: We were delighted to see Watts's recent paper on decision analysis ( Physical Therapy , July 1989, pages 569–576) because we agree with Watts that this procedure is a useful one for difficult decisions. It requires practitioners to examine their beliefs and experiences and the research literature in a systematic way. Thus, it can be useful to clarify thinking and promote scientific practice. The way Watts has presented decision analysis, however, includes some errors that we feel should be corrected. The first error relates to the general structure of a tree. Watts states that “choice points and chance points alternate with each other as time progresses…” (page 571). Alternation is not necessarily the case, as can easily be seen in postsurgical situations. If a patient opts for surgery (as opposed to some other treatment), he can survive or die (chance).… [ ARTICLE][1] [1]: /lookup/volpage/69/569?iss=7
Probabilistic Biquorums

A biquorum system is a fundamental primitive for designing distributed systems using replicated servers such as distributed storage systems. A traditional biquorum system guarantees a non-trivial intersection between a write quorum and a read quorum. This strict intersection property is often inconvenient in many practical systems, especially when the communication is done by sending and receiving messages over the possibly unreliable network. Seeking a solution to such systems we study probabilistically cross-intersecting families (probabilistic biquorums) of servers as follows. We develop the theory of the separable selection access strategy: for a write operation w servers are selected (with repetitions allowed) according to a probability distribution p on the set of servers, and for the read operation r servers are selected (with repetitions allowed) according to a probability distribution q on the set of servers. Allowing repetitions in selecting the servers for each operation can greatly simplify the algorithms for the system because one does not need to keep track of which servers have already been selected from the available names. Among other results, we derive the exact intersection probability of the probabilistic biquorum system and a closed form expression for the expected number of servers that are common between the write and the read quorums.
The influence of electronic cigarette age purchasing restrictions on adolescent tobacco and marijuana use

Abstract Objective In the United States, many states have established minimum legal purchase ages for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) to ban adolescent purchases, but these policies may also affect other related substance use. We explore whether ENDS are substitutes or complements for cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and marijuana among adolescents by using variation in state-level implementation of ENDS age purchasing restrictions. Methods We linked data on ENDS age purchasing restrictions to state- and year-specific rates of adolescent tobacco and marijuana use in 2007–2013 from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. This data provides a nationally representative sample of adolescents who attend public and private schools. We performed a fixed effect regression analysis exploring the influence of ENDS age purchasing restrictions on outcomes of tobacco use and marijuana use, controlling for state and year fixed characteristics, age-race cohorts, cigarette excise taxes, and cigarette indoor use restrictions. Results For cigarette use, we separate our results into cigarette use frequency. We found causal evidence that ENDS age purchasing restrictions increased adolescent regular cigarette use by 0.8 percentage points. ENDS age purchasing restrictions were not associated with cigar use, smokeless tobacco use, or marijuana use. Conclusions We document a concerning trend of cigarette smoking among adolescents increasing when ENDS become more difficult to purchase.
Binding Sites in the EFG1 Promoter for Transcription Factors in a Proposed Regulatory Network: A Functional Analysis in the White and Opaque Phases of Candida albicans

In Candida albicans the transcription factor Efg1, which is differentially expressed in the white phase of the white-opaque transition, is essential for expression of the white phenotype. It is one of six transcription factors included in a proposed interactive transcription network regulating white-opaque switching and maintenance of the alternative phenotypes. Ten sites were identified in the EFG1 promoter that differentially bind one or more of the network transcription factors in the white and/or opaque phase. To explore the functionality of these binding sites in the differential expression of EFG1, we generated targeted deletions of each of the 10 binding sites, combinatorial deletions, and regional deletions using a Renilla reniformis luciferase reporter system. Individually targeted deletion of only four of the 10 sites had minor effects consistent with differential expression of EFG1, and only in the opaque phase. Alternative explanations are considered.
Recruitment into psychiatry: increasing the pool of applicants.

Objective:To demonstrate that it is possible to identify the cohort of students in their first year of medical school from which future psychiatrists will be recruited.Method:During a 3-year period...
Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from an algae fractionation process for producing renewable diesel

Abstract In one approach to algal biofuel production, lipids are extracted and converted to renewable diesel and non-lipid remnants are converted to biogas, which is used for renewable heat and power to support the process. Since biofuel economics benefit from increased fuel yield, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory analyzed an alternative pathway that extracts lipids and also makes ethanol from carbohydrates in the biomass. In this paper, we examine the environmental sustainability of this “fractionation pathway” through life-cycle analysis (LCA) of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. When the feedstock productivity was 30 (18) g/m2/d, this pathway emitted 31 (36) gCO2e/MJ of total fuel, which is less than the emissions associated with conventional low sulfur petroleum diesel (96 gCO2e/MJ). The fractionation pathway performed well in this model despite the diversion of carbon to the ethanol fuel.
Insulin-Like Peptides: Structure, Signaling, and Function

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the insulin-like peptides: structure, signaling, and function. Insulin-like peptides (ILPs) are paragons for the conservation of hormone structure and function among invertebrates and higher animals. They are encoded by multiple, distinct genes within each species and, upon secretion, serve as hormones, neurotransmitters, and growth factors during post-embryonic life stages. These diverse messages are transduced in target cells through an insulin receptor and a signaling network of activated proteins that directly affect biochemical pathways and gene expression. Of the diverse invertebrate groups, our accumulated knowledge of ILP endocrinology is the deepest and broadest for insects. This knowledge has revealed that essentially all of the proteins that make up the mechanisms for ILP processing, secretion, and signaling are remarkably similar to those of vertebrates, in effect conserving the pleiotropic effects of ILPs between insects and vertebrates.
Developing Metacognition of Ethnocentrism with Lessing’s “The Old Chief Mshlanga” and Voltaire’s Candide

The accurate perception of the Other can also be enhanced through the development of metacognition, the awareness, understanding, and control of one’s own cognitive structures and processes and their consequences. “Mshlanga” is an excellent text for promoting metacognition of ethnocentrism because it models the development of such metacognition and also portrays the causes, operations, consequences, and processes for correcting ethnocentric cognition. Candide provides numerous episodes of ethnocentrism distorting perception of self and Other. With such episodes serving as exemplars of ethnocentric information processing, teachers can help their students learn to recognize the same cognitive processes underlying not only the actual historical realities that Voltaire is alluding to but also current beliefs and practices, including the students’ own.
Using Multiple Technologies to Put Rhizomatics to Work in Self-Study

This chapter explores using digital resources to facilitate methodological processes of a previous self-study that employed rhizomatic concepts to examine the influence of neoliberalism in our praxis. Acknowledging that we are products of a society with deeply ingrained discourses privileging capitalism, our aim was to “deterritorialize,” or interrupt, teaching practices informed by neoliberal norms. However, we found that traditional textual methodologies constrained our efforts to analyze and express complex, multi-directional, recursive, ongoing processes while working together from opposite U.S. coasts. To aid us in non-linear, long-distance self-study research, we experimented with multiple digital tools, including Google Docs, FaceTime, email, and the software Inspiration. These technologies facilitated our “thinking with” rhizomatic concepts, such as the rhizome and affect, to interrogate the influence of neoliberalism in our thinking and teaching practice, as well as supported our own collaboration.
Companies hone in on radar-docking technology

As NASA prepares to retire the Space Shuttle next year, two private space firms have tested docking technology that could be used on the next generation of US spacecraft. In September, Canadian firm Neptec tested a new radar system on the Space Shuttle Discovery that allows spacecraft to dock more easily. Meanwhile, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) based in California has revealed that it tested out a new proximity sensor, dubbed "Dragoneye", on an earlier shuttle mission in July.
The relationship between fatigability and sleep quality in people with multiple sclerosis.

BackgroundPerceived fatigue and fatigability are constructs of multiple sclerosis (MS)-related fatigue. Sleep disturbances lead to poor sleep quality, which has been found to be associated with per...
Transitioning Out of Foster Care: The First 12 Months

Youth aging out of foster care are at particular risk for negative outcomes including school dropout, homelessness, poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, health and mental health problems, and vi...
An entry-competent intermediate state of the HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoproteins (Env) mediate viral entry and are the sole target of neutralizing antibodies. Recent studies show that the metastable HIV-1 Env trimer can transit among three conformational states: State 1, State 3, and State 2, corresponding to the “closed”, “open” and intermediate conformations, respectively. During virus entry, binding to the CD4 receptor drives Env from state 1 to state 3. In the unliganded Env, transitions from the closed (State 1) conformation are restrained by intramolecular interactions among different Env residues, which regulate HIV-1 Env conformation. Releasing the specific restraints on State 1 Env leads to increased occupancy of State 2, which is a functional conformation on the entry pathway and an obligate intermediate between State 1 and State 3. Frequent sampling of intermediate State 2 allows HIV-1 to infect cells expressing low levels of CD4, and leads to resistance to several broadly neutralizing antibodies as well as small-molecule inhibitors. Recent findings provide new mechanistic insights into the function and inhibition of HIV-1 Env and will contribute to the development of new therapeutic and prophylactic interventions to combat HIV-1.
Feedback control of pluripotency in embryonic stem cells: Signaling, transcription and epigenetics.

Abstract Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can proliferate and self-renew, maintaining their pluripotency status in vitro for a long period of time. Pluripotent states of ESCs in vitro are supported by a network of signaling, transcriptional and epigenetic regulatory interactions known as the pluripotency gene regulatory network (PGRN). Despite extensive investigation of the network, the exact order of regulatory links and many structural features of the network are still missing. Analysis of published data and literature reveals numerous PGRN components regulating each other in a mutual fashion, thus creating multiple regulatory feedback control circuits. Here we consider possible organizational features of PGRN and describe examples representing known feedback control loops in the context of mouse ESCs. We discuss how the feedback control interactions can contribute to learning behavior and dynamic responses of pluripotency gene network to changing environments.
RAY JOHNSON’S ANTI-ARCHIVE: blackface, sadomasochism, and the racial and sexual imagination of pop art

This essay explores the work of “New York’s most famous unknown artist,” Ray Johnson, contending that his complex relationship to sadomasochism provides a key switch point for Pop’s sexual and raci...
Brand Actions on Social Media: Direct Effects on Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) and Moderating Effects of Brand Loyalty and Social Media Usage Intensity

ABSTRACTMost existing social media research has been user focused. This study looks at social media from the brand's perspective by testing (1) theoretical links between brand-action antecedents an...
Heterometal functionalization yields improved energy density for charge carriers in nonaqueous redox flow batteries

The development of facile, high-yielding synthetic routes to energy-dense charge carriers is critical for the success of redox flow battery technologies. Here, we present the results of synthetic modifications to our recently established series of polyoxovanadium clusters, [V6O7(OR)12] (R = CH3; C2H5), with respect to their performance as charge carriers for nonaqueous redox flow batteries. We demonstrate that incorporation of one ([TiV5(OCH3)13]−) or two ([Ti2V4(OCH3)14]) titanium ions within the Lindqvist core significantly increases the cell voltage of the system (from 1.60 V, to 2.30 and 2.74 V, respectively) while the solubility and redox stability observed for cluster complexes is retained. The improved physicochemical properties result in a 740% increase in energy density for [TiV5O6(OCH3)13]−, and a 210% increase for [Ti2V4O5(OCH3)14]. The kinetic implications of heterometal incorporation are assessed, demonstrating the importance of considering diffusion coefficients and heterogeneous electron transfer rate constants in mixed-metal charge carrier schematics. Ultimately, these results provide insight into structure–function relationships that will inform future synthetic design strategies of charge carriers for nonaqueous energy storage.
Distinct Methods, Biased Nonetheless: Insufficient Effort Responding as a Potential Confound

Following research that demonstrates insufficient effort responding (IER) may confound scores on survey measures (Huang, Liu, & Bowling, 2015), a question emerges as to whether and when IER can act...
Memory T Cells in Allograft Rejection

T cell repertoire of many humans contains high frequencies of memory T cells specific for alloantigens. The increasing evidence implicates these cells as a barrier to allograft survival and to the induction of transplantation tolerance. This review discusses several aspects of memory T cell immunobiology pertinent to their role in transplantation.
The National Survey of Prostate Cancer in the United States by the American College of Surgeons

Abstract Data from the 1980 long-term and short-term surveys of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer were examined to identify recent trends in the management of prostate cancer. The clinical stage distributionof patients demonstrates that higher proportions of patients were diagnosed as having occult or incidental and advancedstage D disease in the 1979 study as opposed to the 1974 series. In both periods black patients were diagnosed less often as having localized stage cancer and were observed more often to have advanced diseases. Transurethral resection andrectal examination were reported as the most common means of diagnosing prostate cancer. In both series alkalineand serum acid phosphatase studies were performed on the majority of patients, although the use was greater in the 1979series. The use of bone scans increased nearly 3-fold from 1974 to 1979. In the long-term survey (1974 and earlier) hormone therapy was the treatment used most often, either alone or in combination with surgery or radiation. Obviously, this treatment was used in many patients with metastatic disease. In the short-term survey (1979 and earlier) a larger proportion of patients with each stage of disease underwent transurethral resection only and a smaller proportion was observedto receive hormonal therapy. The use of radiation therapy appeared to have increased, particularly for stages B and C disease in the 1979 series. At 5 years from initial diagnosis 77.7 per cent of patients with clinical stage A disease survived compared to 23 per cent with clinical stage D cancer. Throughout the study black patients had a poorer survival rate than white patients. During the study interval (1974 to 1979) the disease was staged clinically and graded histologically by various systems in most patients. The near complete results described in 1980 suggest an excellent geographic application of these important factors in patient management. Over-all, these results suggest changing patterns of care for prostatic cancer in the patients observed from 1974 to 1979.
Psychology’s Concrete Social Character

Sociality and technology are not simply general underpinnings which yield an amorphous consciousness. Quite the contrary, sociality and technology exist as specific social-technological systems which endow consciousness with particular form and content. Consciousness only emerges in the struggle to comprehend, create, and transform a particular social, technological, and physical reality. Accordingly, consciousness’s activity and organization are thoroughly imbued with that reality. The features of psychology that were described in Chapter 1 are only abstractions that have been intellectually lifted from sensuous life activity. The statement that “thought is stimulated by language” is a summary description of the fact that different kinds of language exist which stimulate quite different kinds of thinking. The summary description is abstract in the sense that it extracts a common quality from the different instances. The instances are concrete in that they are integrated configurations of numerous real properties. While abstractions are real in the sense that different particulars do have common qualities, abstractions must always be recognized as emanating from concrete particulars; they do not exist in and of themselves.1 Beneath the serene, imperturbable homogeneity of abstractions lies a vibrant, discordant concreteness. The comfortable, secure feel of invariant abstractions is only the external shell of a most unstable, variable lived struggle to produce concrete phenomena. Accordingly, psychological abstractions such as thinking, feeling, perceiving, learning, and communicating must be grounded in sensuous life activity. Psychology is the psychology of real, living individuals engaged in a definite mode of social life and intercourse with nature. Psychological functions are not independent of practical life. As Vygotsky (1989, p. 65) said, “It is not thought that thinks; a person thinks.”
Nucleus accumbens Drd1-expressing neurons control aggression self-administration and aggression seeking in mice

We recently developed a mouse model of appetitive operant aggression and reported that adult male outbred CD-1 mice lever-press for the opportunity to attack subordinate male mice and relapse to aggression seeking during abstinence. Here we studied the role of nucleus accumbens (NAc) dopamine receptor (Drd)1- and Drd2-expressing neurons in aggression self-administration and aggression seeking. We trained CD-1 mice to self-administer intruders (9 d, 12 trials/d) and tested them for aggression self-administration and aggression seeking on abstinence Day 1. We used immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization to measure the neuronal activity marker Fos in the NAc, and cell-type-specific colocalization of Fos with Drd1- and Drd2-expressing neurons. To test the causal role of Drd1- and Drd2-expressing neurons, we validated a transgenic hybrid breeding strategy crossing inbred Drd1-Cre and Drd2-Cre transgenic mice with outbred CD-1 mice and used cell-type-specific Cre-DREADD (hM4Di) to inhibit NAc Drd1- and Drd2-expressing neuron activity. We found that aggression self-administration and aggression seeking induced higher Fos expression in NAc shell than in core, that Fos colocalized with Drd1 and Drd2 in both subregions, and that chemogenetic inhibition of Drd1-, but not Drd2-, expressing neurons decreased aggression self-administration and aggression seeking. Results indicate a cell-type-specific role of Drd1-expressing neurons that is critical for both aggression self-administration and aggression seeking. Our study also validates a simple breeding strategy between outbred CD-1 mice and inbred C57-based Cre lines that can be used to study cell-type and circuit mechanisms of aggression reward and relapse.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Aggression is often comorbid with neuropsychiatric diseases, including drug addiction. One form, appetitive aggression, exhibits symptomatology that mimics that of drug addiction and is hypothesized to be due to dysregulation of addiction-related reward circuits. However, our mechanistic understanding of the circuitry modulating appetitive operant aggression is limited. Here we used a novel mouse model of aggression self-administration and relapse, in combination with immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and chemogenetic manipulations to examine how cell types in the nucleus accumbens are recruited for, and control, operant aggression self-administration and aggression seeking on abstinence Day 1. We found that one population, dopamine receptor 1-expressing neurons, act as a critical modulator of operant aggression reward and aggression seeking.
Differential Effects of State Testing Policies and School Characteristics on Social Studies Educators' Gate-Keeping Autonomy: A Multilevel Model.

Using data on secondary school social studies teachers (n = 6,702) from the Survey of the Status of Social Studies (S4), a multilevel model, and an Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis, this study e...
Sequence-Defined Macrocycles for Understanding and Controlling the Build-up of Hierarchical Order in Self-Assembled 2D Arrays.

Anfinsen’s dogma that sequence dictates structure is fundamental to understanding the activity and assembly of proteins. This idea has been applied to all manner of oligomers but not to the behavio...
Factors Impacting Professional Organization Membership: Survey Research

Date Presented 04/05/19 Primary Author and Speaker: Cassie Matthys Additional Authors and Speakers: Jenna Blausey, Jessica Campbell, Reba Duran, Ashleigh Giles, Sarah Miesner, Brooke Schroeder Contributing Authors: Daniella Smolyansky, Kristin Valdes
Differentiating Active and Passive Fatigue with the use of Electroencephalography

Desmond and Hancock (2001) proposed that two types of cognitive fatigue can arise depending on the nature of a task: active or passive. The purpose of this study was to use electroencephalographic ...
LXRs regulate features of age-related macular degeneration and may be a potential therapeutic target

Effective treatments and animal models for the most prevalent neurodegenerative form of blindness in elderly people, called age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are lacking. Genome-wide association studies have identified lipid metabolism and inflammation as AMD-associated pathogenic pathways. Given liver X receptors (LXRs), encoded by the nuclear receptor subfamily 1 group H members 2 and 3 (NR1H3 and NR1H2), are master regulators of these pathways, herein we investigated the role of LXR in human and mouse eyes as a function of age and disease and tested the therapeutic potential of targeting LXR. We identified immunopositive LXR fragments in human extracellular early dry AMD lesions and a decrease in LXR expression within the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) as a function of age. Aged mice lacking LXR presented with isoform-dependent ocular pathologies. Specifically, loss of the Nr1h3 isoform resulted in pathobiologies aligned with AMD, supported by compromised visual function, accumulation of native and oxidized lipids in the outer retina, and upregulation of ocular inflammatory cytokines, while absence of Nr1h2 was associated with ocular lipoidal degeneration. LXR activation not only ameliorated lipid accumulation and oxidant-induced injury in RPE cells but also decreased ocular inflammatory markers and lipid deposition in a mouse model, thereby providing﻿ translational support for pursuing LXR-active pharmaceuticals as potential therapies for dry AMD.
Plasma and whole blood taurine concentrations respond differently to taurine supplementation (humans) and depletion (cats)

In the present study the relationship between plasma and whole blood taurine was examined under normal physiological circumstances in humans and cats. In addition, the effect of taurine supplementation on plasma and whole blood taurine was evaluated in humans and the depletion of taurine pools after a taurine-deprived diet was studied in cats. The normal plasma taurine concentration in humans was 44 +/- 8 mumol/L and the whole blood taurine concentration was 227 +/- 35 mumol/L. Under normal physiological conditions plasma and whole blood taurine were not correlated (r = 0.092). Plasma taurine responded rapidly to dietary supplementation in humans or the taurine depletion in cats. In contrast, the whole blood taurine pool was more inert and varied only under extremes of depletion (cats) or sustained taurine supplementation.
Permeable Pavement Systems: Technical Considerations

Permeable pavement systems are Green Stormwater Infrastructure practices that can reduce runoff while supporting vehicle and pedestrian traffic. This new 8-page document provides technical details of permeable pavement systems, such as application, system elements, design, installation, operation, maintenance, crediting, and costs, in order to inform planners, engineers, landscape architects, local government officials, and other professionals in the built environment about the considerations for implementing and maintaining permeable pavements. Written by E. Bean, M. Clark, and B. Larson, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, April 2019. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae530
Field Evaluation of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) Lines that Overexpress Two Monolignol-Related Genes that Alter Cell Wall Composition

Modifying lignin content and composition of cell walls are key targets for bioenergy feedstock improvement for a range of renewable chemical applications. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a drought-tolerant C4 grass being developed as a dedicated bioenergy feedstock. The monolignol biosynthetic pathway produces the hydroxycinnamic subunits of lignin, a major target to increase the energy content of sorghum biomass for thermal bioenergy conversion processes. SbMyb60 is a transcription factor linked to the activation of the monolignol biosynthetic pathway and caffeoyl CoA O-methyltransferase (SbCCoAOMT) is a S-adenosyl methionine (SAM)–dependent O-methyltransferase responsible for the methylation of caffeoyl-CoA to generate feruloyl-CoA in this pathway. Overexpression of each gene resulted in increased energy content of biomass and increased levels of several aromatic compounds in previous greenhouse experiments. To assess how SbMyb60 and SbCCoAOMT overexpression lines performed under field conditions, these lines were planted in field trials over two growing seasons, 2017 and 2018, and the effects on lignin composition and content as well as agronomic traits were assessed. Field-grown plants of SbMyb60 and SbCCoAOMT overexpression lines had increased total energy and phenolic compounds. Furthermore, two SbMyb60 transgenic events, SbMyb-10a and SbMyb-15a, with decreased stover yield and seed set were combined with three sorghum lines, N32, N4692, and Tx3118, to investigate whether yield reduction could be rescued. Hybrids improved yield of SbMyb60-15a; however, hybrids were unable to improve performance for SbMyb60-10a. Overall, these results demonstrated that field-grown sorghum overexpressing SbMyb60 or SbCCoAOMT can have biomass with increased phenolic compounds and total energy.
Population-based analysis of National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline adherence for patients with anal squamous cell carcinoma in California.

1Background: Oncology-specific evidence-based treatment guidelines aim to improve cancer care. Our study analyzed adherence to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) treatment guidelines ...
Fighting Global Viruses Under SGT

This has been inspired by the current world fight with pandemics, to participate in it with the networking technology also based on spreading powerful viruses in large physical and virtual spaces. It is shown how to model spreading virus in distributed networks and trace its source from an infected node via the infected predecessors, if registered, and then describes a more complex situation where the virus source could be found only by infection time in nodes, taking into account network dynamics and possible existence of failed components. It also describes an attempt to define probable virus source as lying on intersection of shortest path trees from a set of selected infected nodes, which can generally result in a number of solutions. But after examining the records on Covid-19 spread, and using SGT capability to directly operate in distributed physical spaces too, a sketch is shown of how to model its massive spread via numerous and not fully understood channels and structures. The chapter reviews ongoing attempts to create and distribute antivirus vaccine and describes how to model its world distribution in SGL, also showing its spatial fight with simultaneously spreading Covid.
University Leaders’ Public Advocacy: An Educational Asset in Creating Inclusive Climates

BackgroundWhile it may appear that university leaders’ public advocacy is somewhat punctuated in today's political environment, campuses have long been symbolic epicenters of civic discourse about ...
Cargo surface fluidity reduces inter-motor interference, promotes load-sharing and enhances run-lengths in an ATP dependent manner

In cells, multiple molecular motors work together to carry membranous cargoes including vesicles and organelles along a network of cytoskeletal filaments. The fluidity of the cargo surface has been potentially associated with both positive and negative effects in transport, but the physical mechanisms, at the motor and cargo level that might be responsible, are not clear. To explore these mechanisms, we developed a 3D dynamical simulation of cargo transport along microtubules by teams of canonically non-cooperative kinesin-1 motors that accounts for membrane fluidity by explicitly simulating the Brownian dynamics of motors on the cargo surface. Our results suggest that cargo surface fluidity reduces inter-motor interference and promotes load-sharing thereby decreasing off-rates, allows the adaptive recruitment of motors and a co-operative increase in on-rates resulting from the 3D geometry. These effects altogether result in enhanced cargo run-lengths, most significantly at low ATP concentrations with implications for transport in vivo and artificial cargo design. Significance StatementTeams of molecular motors carry cargoes like vesicles and organelles with fluid surfaces along a network of cytoskeletal filaments within cells. How the fluidity of the cargo surface affects teamwork among non-cooperative motors that tend to interfere with each other is not fully understood. To explore these questions, we developed a 3D dynamical simulation of cargo transport by teams of kinesin-1 motors along microtubule filaments that explicitly accounts for cargo surface fluidity. Our results suggest that fluidity reduces inter-motor interference and promotes load-sharing thereby decreasing motor detachment rates, allows the recruitment of more motors and a co-operative increase in motor attachment rates resulting from the 3D cargo geometry. These effects altogether result in transport of cargo over longer distances with implications for transport in vivo, especially under stress or starvation conditions.