cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vadose zone influences on aquifer parameter estimates of saturated-zone hydraulic theory

Aquifer drainage was numerically simulated by a coupled, unsaturated-saturated flow equation. The effect of the vadose zone on aquifer parameter predictions of classical hydraulic theory was investigated. Saturated-zone hydraulic theory was shown to be fairly robust in estimating the saturated hydraulic conductivity but less so in estimating drainable porosity, mainly because of the much tighter possible range for the latter. Application of the coupled flow equation may explain discrepancies between predictions of classical saturated-zone theory and observations.
Post-rank reordering: resolving preference misalignments between search engines and end users

No search engine is perfect. A typical type of imperfection is the preference misalignment between search engines and end users, e.g., from time to time, web users skip higher-ranked documents and click on lower-ranked ones. Although search engines have been aggressively incorporating clickthrough data in their ranking, it is hard to eliminate such misalignments across millions of queries. Therefore, we, in this paper, propose to accompany a search engine with an "always-on" component that reorders documents on a per-query basis, based on user click patterns. Because of positional bias and dependencies between clicks, we show that a simple sort based on click counts (and its variants), albeit intuitive and useful, is not precise enough. In this paper, we put forward a principled approach to reordering documents by leveraging existing click models. Specifically, we compute the preference probability that a lower-ranked document is preferred to a higher-ranked one from the Click Chain Model (CCM), and propose to swap the two documents if the probability is sufficiently high. Because CCM models positional bias and dependencies between clicks, this method readily accounts for many twisted heuristics that have to be manually encoded in sort-based approaches. For this approach to be practical, we further devise two approximation schemes that make online computation of the preference probability feasible. We carried out a set of experiments based on real-world data from a major search engine, and the result clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Case, Scope, and Binding

In English, subjects are normally restricted to take wide scope relative to negation and other vP-level operators, while objects can take either narrow or wide scope: (1) a. One book hasn’t come (yet). b. One student doesn’t know John (yet). c. John hasn’t received one book (yet).
Reconstitution of CD4 T Cells in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid after Initiation of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

The massive depletion of gastrointestinal-tract CD4 T cells is a hallmark of the acute phase of HIV infection. In contrast, the depletion of the lower-respiratory-tract mucosal CD4 T cells as measured in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid is more moderate and similar to the depletion of CD4 T cells observed in peripheral blood (PB). To understand better the dynamics of disease pathogenesis and the potential for the reconstitution of CD4 T cells in the lung and PB following the administration of effective antiretroviral therapy, we studied cell-associated viral loads, CD4 T-cell frequencies, and phenotypic and functional profiles of antigen-specific CD4 T cells from BAL fluid and blood before and after the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The major findings to emerge were the following: (i) BAL CD4 T cells are not massively depleted or preferentially infected by HIV compared to levels for PB; (ii) BAL CD4 T cells reconstitute after the initiation of HAART, and their infection frequencies decrease; (iii) BAL CD4 T-cell reconstitution appears to occur via the local proliferation of resident BAL CD4 T cells rather than redistribution; and (iv) BAL CD4 T cells are more polyfunctional than CD4 T cells in blood, and their functional profile is relatively unchanged after the initiation of HAART. Taken together, these data suggest mechanisms for mucosal CD4 T-cell depletion and interventions that might aid in the reconstitution of mucosal CD4 T cells.
Emotional Labor in Job Evaluation: Redesigning Compensation Practices:

Few client-oriented organizations compensate those who perform emotional labor. Traditional job evaluation systems, used by employers to construct a wage hierarchy, fail to recognize the value of emotional labor. Through the pay equity movement, this bias was identified. This article offers a technical attempt to design a new job content questionnaire and evaluation framework that measure the actual tasks, activities, and situations in which incumbents of differentially female jobs perform emotional labor. Four general dimensions of emotional labor are discussed: human relations skills, communication skills, emotional effort, and responsibility for client well-being. These instruments offer the most detailed measurement of the components of emotional labor available and represent a starting point for refinement of this increasingly important type of work.
Congress, Presidential Approval, and U.S. Dispute Initiation

Do presidents initiate disputes in response to low public approval ratings? Although research on the diversionary use of force finds links between poor economic conditions and military disputes, findings evaluating the effect of presidential approval ratings typically fail to support the diversionary hypothesis. But this research tends to neglect the role of presidential-congressional relations in the president's foreign policy making processes. This paper applies the policy availability argument to the puzzle: legislative constraints on presidential action during periods of low public approval compel the president to pursue alternatives that he can implement largely on his own in order to display his leadership skills—including the use of military force abroad. The argument is tested by examining the interactive effects of congressional support for the president and presidential approval ratings on the propensity to initiate militarized interstate disputes from 1949 to 2000. The results indicate that the president is more likely to use force in response to low presidential approval when faced with low congressional support.
Genome-wide association studies in plants: the missing heritability is in the field

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been even more successful in plants than in humans. Mapping approaches can be extended to dissect adaptive genetic variation from structured background variation in an ecological context.
The Problem with Pluto Conflicting Cosmologies and the Classification of Planets

In 2006, for the first time in its history, the International Astronomical Union defined the characteristics of a ‘planet’ in our Solar System and consequently demoted Pluto from ‘planet’ to ‘dwarf planet’. Scientific and popular discussion leading up to and following the formal definition of planet demonstrated that astronomers, amateurs, educators, and school children had been employing Pluto in different ways to construct multiple scientific and cultural cosmologies. Formalizing the definition brought these cosmologies into direct collision, necessarily privileging some cosmologies over others. The story of Pluto, from discovery to demotion, illustrates the discursive disruption that stemmed from forced consensus. Before ‘planet’ received a formal definition, it was a tacitly understood term that encompassed several meanings and acted as part of the contact language in a trading zone, as described by Peter Galison. Social groups were able to clearly communicate using the word ‘planet’ despite differing...
On performance characteristics of ATM networks

The performance characteristics of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks are investigated and contrasted with the performance characteristics of variable length packets. ATM, the transport mode of choice for broadband ISDN, uses short, fixed length cells to transmit the variable length packets generated by users. The simulation models and their parameters are presented. Under the assumptions considered, ATM is observed to require less buffer and have larger variability in the end to end delays. The average delay values depend on the number of hops in a path the source traffic goes through, the fraction of the source traffic to the total traffic, and the total traffic. In the examples given, the buffer size is fixed. However, for a given packet loss probability, networks with variable length packets should have larger average delays than the values presented, as they require larger buffers. >
Rethinking ancestors in Africa

Analyses of ancestor-related practices were a crucial component of structural-functional models of social organisations in Africa. In the 1970s the theories of lineage and segmentary social organisation upon which these studies depended were called into question. Ethnographic and historical research indicated a preponderance of migratory activities and a high degree of discontinuity and reorganisation in kin relations. As a result most anthropologists turned from lineage-based functional theory to historical models of social organisation. With the waning of lineage theory, studies of ancestors in Africa became a marginal issue for most scholars of African societies. Ancestor-related practices, however, continued to be important in the lives of many African people. On the basis of data from Ohafia, Nigeria, the article suggests that the structural-functional model of social structure and the historical model of social dynamics both have parallels in indigenous representations of the ancestral past. In academic discourse these two models are taken as 'schools of thought' which pro-pound incompatible explanatory arguments. However, these apparently contradic-tory representations unite as an irreducible whole in the lived experience of the people of Ohafia. It is suggested that this indigenous paradigm of knowledge about the past provides valuable insights, not only into how we might productively theorise the social, but also for how we evaluate the contributions of our own intellectual ancestors.
Distributed parameter estimation in wireless sensor networks using fused local observations

The goal of this paper is to reliably estimate a vector of unknown deterministic parameters associated with an underlying function at a fusion center of a wireless sensor network based on its noisy samples made at distributed local sensors. A set of noisy samples of a deterministic function characterized by a nite set of unknown param- eters to be estimated is observed by distributed sensors. The parameters to be estimated can be some attributes associated with the underlying function, such as its height, its center, its variances in dierent directions, or even the weights of its specic components over a predened basis set. Each local sensor processes its observation and sends its processed sample to a fusion center through parallel impaired communication channels. Two local processing schemes, namely analog and digital, are considered. In the analog local processing scheme, each sensor transmits an amplied version of its local analog noisy observation to the fusion center, acting like a relay in a wireless network. In the digital local processing scheme, each sensor quantizes its noisy observation before trans- mitting it to the fusion center. A at-fading channel model is considered between the local sensors and fusion center. The fusion center combines all of the received locally-processed observations and estimates the vector of unknown parameters of the underlying function. Two dierent well-known estimation techniques, namely maximum-likelihood (ML), for both analog and digital local processing schemes, and expectation maximization (EM), for digital local processing scheme, are considered at the fusion center. The performance of the proposed distributed parameter estimation system is investigated through simulation of practical scenarios for a sample underlying function.
Community pharmacists do it again! Drugwise : pharmaceutical practitioner

The pharmacist plays an integral role in any community, and is often the first port of call when a substance abuse problem is suspected or identified. Therefore, it has become increasingly imperative that we, as pharmacists, are proactive in educating the public on drug and medicine use and abuse, identifying the signs, and curtailing and preventing abuse thereof. Our society is going through social, economic, and educational changes, and it is appropriate that we take responsibility for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse. We also have to adapt as the needs of our communities have changed due to an increase in drug trafficking, a huge upsurge in drug abuse in schools, and modern potent medicines that may lead to drug misuse and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). If we are active in this arena, it will benefit society in general, and we will contribute to a nation that is self-reliant and sensitive to the correct use of medical substances.
Permeability Testing of Ceramic Foam Filters

The construction and validation of an apparatus for measuring the permeability of ceramic foam filters (CFFs) at varying water flow rates is presented here. Commercially available CFFs are specified by pores per inch, which does not uniquely determine the flow characteristics of CFFs. Permeability, the pressure drop per unit filter thickness as a function of velocity, is desired for modeling and quality control purposes. Permeability is typically described with the Forchheimer equation, which can be broken into linear (Darcy) and quadratic (non-Darcy) components. Linear dependence comes from laminar flow at low flow rates, and is scaled by viscosity, while the square dependence dominates at high flow rates, and is scaled by fluid density.CFF measurement systems are not commercially available, and while several examples are found in literature, they are expensive and labor intensive to operate, and are usually limited to specific sizes of filter. The methodology, apparatus, and verification work presented here aims to reduce the cost, time, and complexity of measuring the permeability of commercially available CFFs of different sizes and porosities.Water is used as the working fluid, which is pumped through a CFF held in a modular cartridge. Pressure transducers are mounted close to the filter on either side. For testing different diameters of commercially available CFFs, different inlet and outlet pipe sizes are used to approximately match the diameter of the filter. This approach avoids the need for computational modeling of an effective filter diameter when the pipe and filter diameters do not match. Long, straight rigid pipe runs are used on the inlet to ensure fully developed flow profiles. Flow is measured with a magnetic flow meter. Pressure drop and flow rate are recorded at discrete flow rates after allowing the system to settle to a constant flow rate. A continuously variable methodology was evaluated and rejected. During testing, it was found that the decreased viscosity of water heated by the pump during long testing runs affected the measured permeability. To compensate, water temperature is measured during each run, and the viscosity is calculated for each run. The linear and quadratic permeability coefficients are determined by fitting a quadratic model through pressure drop data as a function of flow rate.In order to verify the accuracy of the device, a validation disc was created. A 49.6 mm disc of aluminum was drilled with 1,467 evenly spaced holes. An analytical formula from literature was used to calculate the theoretical permeability of the array. The measured permeability was below the calculated value, but surface defects in the disk were shown to have a large impact on measured permeability.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Photodissociation of anisole and absolute photoionization cross-section of the phenoxy radical.

We have studied the photodissociation dynamics of anisole (C6H5OCH3) at 193 nm and determined the absolute photoionization cross-section of the phenoxy radical at 118.2 nm (10.486 eV) relative to the known cross-section of the methyl radical. Even at this energy, there is extensive fragmentation of the phenoxy radical upon photoionization, which is attributed to ionizing transitions that populate low-lying excited electronic states of the cation. For phenoxy radicals with less than ∼1 eV of internal energy, we find a cross-section for the production of the phenoxy cation of 14.8 ± 3.8 Mb. For radicals with higher internal energy, dissociative ionization is the dominant process, and for internal energies of ∼2.7–3.7 eV, we find a total cross-section (photoionization plus dissociative ionization) of 22.3 ± 4.1 Mb. The results are discussed relative to the recently reported photoionization cross-section of phenol.
Abstract 1502: Increased expression of KLK7 and KLK10 in papillary thyroid cancer

The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be approximately 44,670 new cases of thyroid cancer and 1,690 deaths due to the disease in the United States in 2010. Approximately 80% of these cancers are papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), representing the most common endocrine malignancy. Kallikreins are serine proteases that have many physiological functions, including the remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM). As PTC has the ability to degrade and remodel the ECM to facilitate penetration through the thyroid capsule and invasion of extra-thyroidal tissues, we investigated the expression of kallikrein 7 (KLK7) and kallikrein 10 (KLK10) in PTC. RNA expression of KLK7 and KLK10 in PTC was measured using real-time RT-PCR (normalized to GAPDH) (n = 26) and found to be significantly upregulated, with a mean fold change of 28.8 and 27.8 (P Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1502. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1502
Reform of Regulatory Oversight

The Minerals Management Service, renamed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement shortly after the spill, is a collection of 1,700 employees that regulate those industries which extract oil and minerals from the nation’s outer continental shelf. It collects more than $13 billion per year from oil royalties. It has also been a lightning rod for controversy for years.
The endless story of the glial fibrillary acidic protein

All intermediate filament proteins consist of an alpha-helical rod domain flanked by non-helical N-terminal head and C-terminal tail domains. The roles of the non-helical domains of various intermediate filament proteins in the assembly and co-assembly of higher-order filamentous structures have been studied by many groups but with quite contradictory results. Type III intermediate filaments are unique in that they can form homopolymers both in vitro and in vivo. The expression and assembly characteristics of carboxy- and amino-terminal deletion mutants of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), an astrocyte-specific type III intermediate filament protein, were examined by transient transfections of either vimentin-positive or vimentin-negative variants of human adrenocarcinoma-derived SW13 cell lines. Whereas complete deletion of the C-terminal tail domain of GFAP results in the formation of polymorphic aggregates, both intranuclear and cytoplasmic in self-assembly experiments, efficient co-assembly of these tail-less GFAP mutants with vimentin can be achieved as long as the KLLEGEE sequence at the C-terminal end of the rod domain is preserved. Up to one-fifth of the C-terminal end of the tail domain can be deleted without affecting the capability of GFAP to self-assemble. The highly conserved RDG-containing motif in the tail domain may be important for self-assembly but is not sufficient. The entire head domain seems to be required for self-assembly. All N-terminal deletion mutants of GFAP share the same phenotype of diffuse cytoplasmic staining when expressed in vimentin-negative SW13 cells. Although co-assembly with vimentin can still be achieved with completely head-less GFAP, preservation of some of the head domain greatly enhanced the efficiency. Our results form the basis for further, more detailed mapping of the essential regions in filament assembly of GFAP and other type III IFs.
ChitChat: An Effective Message Delivery Method in Sparse Pocket-Switched Networks

The ubiquitous adoption of portable smart devices has enabled a new way of communication via Pocket Switched Networks (PSN), whereby messages are routed by personal devices inside the pockets of ever-moving people. PSNs provide opportunities for various interesting applications such as location based social networking, geolocal advertising, and military missionsin active battlefields where the central communication toweris unavailable. One key challenge of the successful roll-out of PSNapplications is the difficulty of achieving high message deliveryratio due to the dynamic nature of moving people and spatial-temporalsparsity in such networks. In this paper, we propose anovel message routing approach, called ChitChat, which exploitsusers' direct and transient social interests via discriminatorygossiping to penetrate messages deeper into the network. Ourapproach enables message carriers to make opportunistic anddistributed routing decisions based on the likelihood a potentialmessage receiver will meet individuals that have a high chance toforward the message to the destination. Our experimental resultshave demonstrated that our approach achieves higher deliveryratios against the two more recent state-of-the-art algorithms, while maintaining a lower communication overhead againstflooding and reducing the amount of time messages remain idlein buffers.
Acute optogenetic modulation of cardiac twitch dynamics explored through modeling.

Optogenetic approaches allow cellular membrane potentials to be perturbed by light. When applied to muscle cells, mechanical events can be controlled through a process that could be termed "optomechanics." Besides functioning as an optical on/off switch, we hypothesized that optomechanical control could include the ability to manipulate the strength and duration of contraction events. To explore this possibility, we constructed an electromechanical model of the human ventricular cardiomyocyte while adding a representation of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), a light-activated channel commonly used in optogenetics. Two hybrid stimulus protocols were developed that combined light-based stimuli with traditional electrical current (all-or-none) excitation. The first protocol involved delivery of a subthreshold optical stimulus followed 50-90 ms later by an electrical stimulus. The result was a graded inhibition of peak cellular twitch force in concert with a prolongation of the intracellular Ca2+ transient. The second protocol was comprised of an electrical stimulus followed by a long light pulse (250-350 ms) that acted to prolong the cardiac action potential (AP). This created a pulse duration-dependent prolongation of the intracellular Ca2+ transient that in turn altered the rate of muscle relaxation without changing peak twitch force. These results illustrate the feasibility of acute, optomechanical manipulation of cardiomyocyte contraction and suggest that this approach could be used to probe the dynamic behavior of the cardiac sarcomere without altering its intrinsic properties. Other experimentally meaningful stimulus protocols could be designed by making use of the optomechanical cardiomyocyte model presented here.
Building a Fast Lane for Mg Diffusion in α-MoO3 by Fluorine Doping

Following previous experimental work examining a layered oxyfluoride as cathode material for Mg-ion batteries [Incorvati et al., Chem. Mater. 2016, 28, 17], we study the role of fluorination on the structural and electronic properties of molybdenum trioxide and its impact on Mg intercalation and diffusion using first-principles methods. Although bulk α-MoO3 is a 2D layered compound, we find that it provides 3D channels for Mg diffusion. When F atoms are incorporated into the α-MoO3 lattice, they replace the O atoms sitting at a specific crystallographic site that is linked by two nearest Mo atoms within a single Mo–O layer. As a consequence of F substitution, the local Mo-anion bonds are distorted, which leads to closure of the electronic band gap. From the analysis of zone center phonon vibrational frequencies, it is found that the local Mo-anion bonding strength is weakened by replacing O2– with F–, which ultimately facilitates Mg diffusion through the F-substituted lattice. For example, it is shown tha...
A Comparison of the Antioxidants and Carbohydrates in Common Wines and Grape Juices

Objective: The positive benefits of drinking wine and grape juices for their antioxidant properties have been well documented. Comparing the antioxidants between wine and grape juice as well as different types of each should lead to a better understanding of these benefits. Method: Three wines: Concord grape, Pinot noir, and Pinot grigio, as well as three types of grape juice: homemade purple grape juice, Concord grape, and white were compared. The cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) biochemical test for total antioxidant activity and a carbohydrate biochemical test were used. Result: The Pinot noir had more antioxidants than the Concord grape wine and the Pinot grigio. The purple and Concord grape juices had similar antioxidants and both had significantly higher antioxidants than any of the wines. The white grape juice had low antioxidant levels. All three grape juices had high and similar carbohydrate levels, while the Pinot noir and Pinot grigio were extremely low and the Concord grape wine fell in the middle. Conclusion: This study confirms that purple grapes and red wine have significantly more antioxidants than do green grapes or white wine. Conclusion: This study supports the drinking of both purple grape juice and red wine for their antioxidant activity.
Wikipedia and participatory culture: Why fans edit

Online, fans of popular culture media partake in participatory culture in various ways, such as writing fan fiction and scrutinizing media on message boards. Another way they do so is by editing relevant articles in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. In fact, research has shown that Wikipedia articles skew heavily toward pop culture, suggesting that fans of pop culture are among the most enthusiastic of Wikipedia's editors. Of course, the question emerges: Why are pop culture fans in particular so interested in editing Wikipedia? Building on previous research, I argue that fans want to take part in the production of the media that they enjoy, that Wikipedia allows editors to create their own paratext (i.e., the Wikipedia article) in relation to a main text (e.g., a movie, a television show, a book series), and that this paratext may be heavily used by the general public. Such usage is a form of implicit approval that affirms the editors' knowledge and encourages them to make more edits. Thus, Wikipedia validates the fan editor's work in a way that other outlets for participatory culture (e.g., fan fiction, fan art, songwriting) cannot.
Propionibacterium acnes Susceptibility and Correlation with Hemolytic Phenotype

Background: Many studies have noted an increase in the number of recognized cases of invasive infections due to Propionibacterium acnes, especially after shoulder replacement surgery. The increase in the number of recognized cases of P. acnes, a nonspore-forming, anaerobic, Gram-positive organism, appears due to both an increase in the number of shoulder operations being performed and more specimens being sent for anaerobic cultures. Nevertheless, the optimal surgical and antibiotic management of P. acnes remains controversial. Methods: We tested the susceptibility of 106 P. acnes strains from sterile body sites collected at the Erie County Medical Center between 2012 and 2015, using Etest gradient antibiotic strips. Results: P. acnes is very susceptible to the penicillins and the first-generation cephalosporins. We noted an association between hemolytic phenotype on Brucella Blood Agar and clindamycin resistance. Conclusions: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of P. acnes should no longer just be confined to the research laboratory but expanded and incorporated into routine microbiological evaluation of P. acnes. This would improve patient care as well as help clarify the relationship between hemolysis and clindamycin resistance.
Effects of Metal Nanoparticle Doping and In Situ Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment on Carbon Nanotube Sheet Antenna Performance

Effects of nanomaterial postprocess treatments on the RF performance of a variety of carbon nanotube patch antennas are explored through fabrication and measurement. A discussion of the physical and electrical mechanisms underpinning the results of these measurements is presented. The sparse application of metal nanoparticles to carbon nanotube sheet material is found to increase the peak realized gain ∼1 dB compared to an untreated carbon nanotube sheet patch antenna. The functionalization of carbon nanotube sheet material through in situ atmospheric pressure plasma treatment is found to reduce the peak realized gain ∼1.5 dB compared to an untreated carbon nanotube sheet patch antenna.
Zika virus knowledge, attitudes, and vaccine interest among university students.

Abstract Background Zika virus vaccine development is underway. We examined interest in receiving a Zika virus vaccine (after one becomes commercially available) among students at a large public university in Northern Virginia. Methods An online survey of Zika virus-related knowledge, attitudes, and interest in receiving a Zika vaccine was completed by 619 undergraduate students in April, 2016. Stepwise logistic regression with backward elimination was used to identify the variables most strongly associated with interest in being vaccinated against Zika virus. Results More than half of participants (52.8%) reported that they would be likely or very likely to be vaccinated against Zika virus. Vaccination interest was significantly higher among participants who received an influenza vaccine in the past year (p = 0.002), had higher levels of knowledge about Zika virus (p = 0.046), reported knowing where to access information about Zika virus (p = 0.041), had higher perceived susceptibility to Zika virus (p Conclusions Communication and intervention strategies encouraging vaccine uptake may benefit from increasing knowledge of Zika virus, addressing perceived susceptibility, and reaching students, travelers, and others who may be seeking information about prevention of Zika virus and other emerging infectious diseases.
Gold Nanoparticle-Based Fluorescent Contrast Agent with Enhanced Sensitivity.

Gold nanoparticle (GNP) based contrast agents that are highly specific and sensitive for both optical and X-ray/CT imaging modalities are being developed for detecting the cancer expressing nucleolin and matrix metallo-proteinase 14 (MMP-14) on the cell membrane: Nucleolin is normally present in the nucleus. For many cancer cells, however, it is over-expressed on the cell membrane, having it to be a good cancer marker. Aptamer AS1411 is known to be an excellent target for nucleolin and also known to treat several cancer types; and MMP-14 in cancer is involved in tumor angiogenesis, blood vessel re-organization, and metastasis. In the proposed agent, AS1411 is selected as the cancer targeting molecule; and the unique property of GNPs of modulating fluorescence are utilized to allow the agent to trigger its fluorescence upon reacting with MMP-14, at an enhanced fluorescence level. GNPs are also natural X-ray/CT contrast agent. Here, as a part of on-going development of the dual-modality contrast agent, we report that conjugating a safe, NIR fluorophore Cypate at a precisely determined distance from the GNP enhanced the Cypate fluorescence up to two times. In addition, successful conjugation of the nucleolin target AS1411 onto the GNP was confirmed and among the GNPs size range 5–30 nm tested, 10 nm GNPs showed the highest X-ray/CT enhancement.
Grid Service Level Agreements

We present a reformulation of the well-known GRAM architecture based on the Service-Level Agreement (SLA) negotiation protocols defined within the Service Negotiation and Access Protocol (SNAP) framework. We illustrate how a range of local, distributed, and workflow scheduling mechanisms can be viewed as part of a cohesive yet open system, in which new scheduling strategies and management policies can evolve without disrupting the infrastructure. This architecture remains neutral to, and in fact strives to mediate, the potentially conflicting resource, community, and user policies.
Culturally Appropriate Treatment/Healing

The previous chapters were stepping-stones to this chapter. This chapter is how to walk the talk of multicultural counseling competencies and see the client from his worldview. It advocates culturally appropriate treatment designed for the client whose worldview is different from the dominant cultural worldview. With emphasis on a provider’s preparedness in attitude, knowledge, emotion, inquiry skills, and listening skills for successful culturally appropriate treatment/ healing, the chapter discusses the importance of a provider’s accepting and open attitude and thorough knowledge not only in traditional personality theories but also in nontraditional healing techniques. The chapter emphasizes the provider’s ability to pay attention to her own affective information processing which is the foundation for her ability to provide rapport and to observe transference and countertransference. Concrete strategies, such as case studies, earlier chapter examples, uncensored writing responses to specific questions, and my clinical experiences, are provided for students’ transformative learning.
Personalized Statin Therapy and Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaque Burden in Asymptomatic Low/Intermediate-Risk Individuals.

BACKGROUND Current guidelines for the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease are based on the estimation of a predicted 10-year cardiovascular disease risk and the average relative risk reduction estimates from statin trials. In the clinical setting, however, decision-making is better informed by the expected benefit for the individual patient, which is typically lacking. Consequently, a personalized statin benefit approach based on absolute risk reduction over 10 years (ARR10 benefit threshold ≥2.3%) has been proposed as a novel approach. However, how this benefit threshold relates with coronary plaque burden in asymptomatic individuals with low/intermediate cardiovascular disease risk is unknown. AIMS In this study, we compared the predicted ARR10 obtained in each individual with plaque burden detected by coronary computed tomography angiography. METHODS AND RESULTS Plaque burden (segment volume score, segment stenosis score, and segment involvement score) was assessed in prospectively recruited asymptomatic subjects (n = 70; 52% male; median age 56 years [interquartile range 51-64 years]) with low/intermediate Framingham risk score (< 20%). The expected ARR10 with statin in the entire cohort was 2.7% (1.5-4.6%) with a corresponding number needed to treat over 10 years of 36 (22-63). In subjects with an ARR10 benefit threshold ≥2.3% (vs. < 2.3%), plaque burden was significantly higher (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION These findings suggest that individuals with higher coronary plaque burden are more likely to get greater benefit from statin therapy even among asymptomatic individuals with low cardiovascular risk.
Informational Need, Institutional Capacity, and Court Receptivity: Interest Groups and Amicus Curiae in State High Courts:

Interest group participation in state courts of last resort has increased substantially over the past four decades, and the scope of this litigation activity has expanded to include a wider range o...
Selectivity in Elementary Chemical Reactions

This introductory paper presents a brief version of those areas of molecular reaction dynamics relevant to the subject of the Workshop. These include the following: influence of reagent’s electronic, vibrational and rotational states upon reactivity; spin-orbit effects in elementary reactions, and dynamical aspects of stereochemistry, with special emphasis on orientation and alignment effects in chemical reactions.
Children's Obesogenic Behaviors During Summer Versus School: A Within-Person Comparison

Background Evidence consistently shows children in the United States gain 3 to 5 times more weight during summer vacation (∼2.5 months) compared to the 9-month school year. The purpose of this study is to examine within-child differences in 4 obesogenic behaviors (physical activity [PA], sedentary/screen-time, diet, and sleep) during school versus summer. Methods We used a repeated-measures within-subjects design. Children (N = 30 mean age = 8.2 years; 57% female; 37% overweight/obese; 100% African American) wore accelerometers on the nondominant wrist for 24 hr/d over 9 consecutive days during school and summer of 2016 to capture PA, sedentary time, and sleep. Parents completed a daily diary to report bed/wake times, diet, and screen-time of their child each day. Mixed-effect models compared summer and school behaviors. Results Children spent more time sedentary (69% vs 67% of wake wear time), less time in light PA (25% vs 23% of wake wear time), had higher screen-time (242 vs 123 minutes/day), slept longer (428 vs 413 minutes/night), and consumed more sugar-based foods (6 days vs 2.5 days/week) and fruit (7 days vs 4.7 days/week) during summer compared to school (p Conclusion Initial evidence suggests children are displaying multiple unfavorable obesogenic behaviors during summer compared to school that may contribute to accelerated weight gain during summer.
Climate Change Preparedness: Comparing Future Urban Growth and Flood Risk in Amsterdam and Houston

Rising sea levels and coastal population growth will increase flood risk of more people and assets if land use changes are not planned adequately. This research examines the efficacy of flood protection systems and land use planning by comparing Amsterdam in the Netherlands (renown for resilience planning methods), with the city of Houston, Texas in the US (seeking ways of increasing resilience due to extreme recent flooding). It assesses flood risk of future urban growth in lieu of sea level rise using the Land Transformation Model, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based Artificial Neural Network (ANN) land use prediction tool. Findings show that Houston has currently developed much more urban area within high-risk flood-prone zones compared to Amsterdam. When comparing predicted urban areas under risk, flood-prone future urban areas in Amsterdam are also relatively smaller than Houston. Finally, the increased floodplain when accounting for sea level rise will impact existing and future urban areas in Houston, but do not increase risk significantly in Amsterdam. The results suggest that the protective infrastructure used in the Netherlands has protected its future urban growth from sea level rise more adequately than has Houston.
Management options for rehabilitation and enhancement of surface-mined ecosystems

There are four basic management options for surface-mined land: (a)restoration to original condition; (b)rehabilitation of some desirable characteristics; (c) development ofalternative ecosystems that may be quite unlike the original but may be desirable for a variety of reasons; (d)neglect ornatural reclamation when evidence suggests that unaided natural processes will produce better results than human intervention. Checklists are provided so that essential information will be available in selecting the most suitable option.
SHOULDER RANGE OF MOTION CHARACTERISTICS IN DIVISION III COLLEGIATE SOFTBALL AND BASEBALL PLAYERS

Background Adaptive changes may occur to the throwing shoulder of overhead athletes that can influence range-of-motion (ROM). Shoulder ROM characteristics of Division III softball (SB) and baseball (BB) players are unique. Hypothesis/Purpose To report the passive ROM characteristics of Division III SB and BB players and identify similarities and differences between these two populations. Study Design Descriptive, observational research on measurement. Methods Participants included healthy Division III BB (n = 50) and SB (n = 24) players. Passive shoulder internal rotation (IR) and external rotation (ER) ROM were measured in the supine position with the arm in 90 ° of abduction and the scapula stabilized. Descriptive statistics and frequency distributions were used to describe ROM. Paired and independent t-tests were also used to compare throwing and non-throwing shoulder ROM for athletes of each sport and to compare the shoulder ROM of SB and BB players, respectively. Results The IR and ER ROM for BB players throwing shoulders (IR 54.1 ± 10.9 °; ER 94.1 ± 9.1 °) were significantly different (p .05). Conclusions SB players have more ROM and bilateral symmetry when compared to BB players. TRMD occurred more often than GIRD in BB players, indicating that they did not adaptively gain the same amount of ER while losing IR. The throwing shoulder ROM characteristics of both SB and BB players in this study were not influenced by the player's position (pitcher vs. field player). Level of Evidence Level III.
Changed paradigm of fast magnetic reconnection.

Although magnetic reconnection takes place in three-dimensional space, reconnection theory has focused on two-dimensional models for more than sixty years. Well-posed three-dimensional mathematics associated with the theory of fluid mixing provides a predictive and compelling explanation for why fast magnetic reconnection is prevalent---exponentially large variations in the separations between magnetic field lines. The proofs have been simplified to remove any rational reason to maintain a focus on two dimensional models, which fail to represent the mathematical properties of three-dimensional space.
A Moonlighting Nuclease Puts CRISPR in Its Place

Integration of spacers into CRISPR loci requires the Cas1/Cas2 integrase complex, frequently in combination with Cas4 exonuclease. However, several CRISPR-Cas systems lack Cas4. Whether Cas4-like activity is dispensable in these systems or provided by an unidentified actor was not known. In this issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Ramachandran et al. show that in subtype I-E systems, Cas4-like activity is supplied by DnaQ-superfamily exonucleases, providing a beautiful example of cellular machinery moonlighting in support of CRISPR-Cas adaptive immunity.
Fungal Infections in the Setting of Biological Therapies (in the Non-Transplant Host)

Abstract In recent years, an unprecedented rate of discovery and clinical use of biological therapies, in the form of monoclonal antibodies and small molecule kinase inhibitors, has transformed the management of a variety of life-threatening neoplastic and autoimmune diseases. Certain such biologics inhibit molecules and pathways that are critical for mounting effective antifungal immunity and, therefore, lead to a heightened risk for development of mucosal and/or invasive fungal infections. This article summarizes our current knowledge of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of opportunistic fungal infections associated with the use of biological therapies in non-transplant patients with malignant and autoimmune disorders.
5 – Offenses Against Persons—Excluding Sex Offenses

Publisher Summary Crimes are classified according to the social harm they cause. Crimes that are considered under the heading “Offenses Against Persons” are homicide, suicide, assault and battery, kidnapping and related offenses, mayhem, hate crimes, and “other crimes against the person.” The most serious of these are in the homicide category. Homicide is defined as the killing of a human being by another human being. Not all homicides are illegal. At the top of the scale of crimes relating to homicide is murder in the first degree. At the other end of the scale are excusable and justifiable homicides, which are not subject to punishment under the law. The common law crime of murder is defined as “the unlawful killing of a human being by another human being with malice aforethought.” At common law, and in some states, there are no degrees of murder. However, in most states, the crime of murder is divided into two categories: first degree and second degree. The distinguishing factors of first degree murder are premeditation and deliberation.
A low-cost, novel endoscopic repeated-access port for small animal research.

Abstract Repeated endoscopic access to the abdominal cavity of animal models is useful for a variety of research applications. However, repeated surgical access may affect the welfare of the animal and compromise results. We present the design and benchtop manufacturing process for a self-sealing endoscopic port requiring surgical incision only at implantation. It can be used for repeated body cavity access over a long time period. This device reduces costs, animals required for a given study, and potential suffering for each animal. This novel endoscopic port is designed for low-cost benchtop manufacturing without expensive equipment such as injection molding facilities. Devices manufactured using the method described in this work have been implanted successfully in hen models for investigation of ovarian cancer for over two years. All work followed Texas A&M University institutional guidelines and was covered under Animal Use Protocol 2017–0172, approved by TAMU Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). This method can be translated to produce similar devices for use in other small animal models besides the galline model used in this work. This method can be used to produce devices for slightly different purposes than repeated endoscopic access, such as production of an entry port for surgical tools.
Planet or Pocketbook? Environmental Motives Complement Financial Motives for Energy Efficiency across the Political Spectrum in the United States

Abstract While policies to encourage low-cost energy saving behaviors have increasingly incorporated nonfinancial behavioral science interventions to motivate behavioral change, policies to encourage large structural energy efficiency upgrades have been slow to adopt such tools to motivate consumers, relying instead on economic incentives to reduce upfront cost and targeting financial and comfort motivations. This research examines whether adding an emphasis on environmental benefits can increase interest in these upgrades and explores whether political ideology moderates the effectiveness of different environmental benefits frames. In Study 1, we explore how homeowners rate the importance of financial and nonfinancial decision factors of weatherization, a large energy efficiency upgrade, including the financial, informational, environmental, material, and social benefits and costs. We find that social factors and environmental benefits explain the most variance of any decision factor in reported likelihood to upgrade. In Study 2, we examine whether adding a description of environmental benefits of upgrades to their financial benefits can increase upgrade likelihood across political ideologies. We find that adding environmental benefits framed as mitigation of climate change increases liberals’ likelihood to upgrade but has no effect on conservatives; however, adding benefits framed as an increase in environmental stewardship and energy independence increases both liberals and conservatives’ likelihood to upgrade. This research demonstrates that, contrary to existing practice, adding environmental messages after characterizing financial benefits may increase investment likelihood for energy efficiency upgrades across the political spectrum.