cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A line string image representation for image storage and retrieval

Efficient storage and flexible retrieval are two principle needs in an image database. Image representation is the crucial factor in fulfilling these requirements. The paper proposes an image representation, including an image data structure and a spatial knowledge representation, that will facilitate the above two demands. The proposed data structure, called a line string, encodes an image via a string of skeletal lines and retrieves an image through string matching. The proposed spatial representation, called an OOLS, provides a structural and easy way to specify the line string in a database query. The paper also compares space needs and matching speed of line strings to other string data structures.
Autonomous movements of cytoplasmic fragments.

Abstract Tiny fragments from the cytoplasm of human skin fibroblasts with about 2% of the original cell volume ("microplasts") were prepared by treatment with cytochalasin B, vigorous pipetting, and trypsinization of the attached fragments. They remained alive for 8 hr or longer. Some of the microplasts were able to produce and move filopodia, ruffle, or both; others blebbed continuously. Slow flattening was observed in the larger microplasts. In all cases tested, microplasts avoided contact with other cells or microplasts. The observations suggest that the cytoplasmic matrix and the membranes of animal cells are so constructed as to express locally and autonomously any one of the elementary amoeboid movements listed above. More importantly, whatever types of motile surface projections a microplast expressed, it continued to produce and move them in a stereotypical way as if there were long-lived structural or material determinants for each type. The microplasts were unable to locomote autonomously. Therefore, it is conceivable that directional movement of whole cells may require a supervising mechanism that confers a certain coordination and strategy on its component cytoplasmic bits. Otherwise they would continue to move in stereotypical and autonomous ways without ever displacing themselves, as suggested by the behavior of the microplasts.
Entropy methods for adaptive utility elicitation

This paper presents an optimal question-selection algorithm to elicit von Neumann and Morgenstern utility values for a set of ordered prospects of a decision situation. The approach uses information theory and entropy-coding principles to select the minimum expected number of questions needed for utility elicitation. At each stage of the questionnaire, we use the question that will provide the largest reduction in the entropy of the joint distribution of the utility values. The algorithm uses questions that require binary responses, which are easier to provide than numeric values, and uses an adaptive question-selection scheme where each new question depends on the previous response obtained from the decision maker. We present a geometric interpretation for utility elicitation and work through a full example to illustrate the approach.
Cell density related gene expression: SV40 large T antigen levels in immortalized astrocyte lines

Gene expression is affected by population density. Cell density is a potent negative regulator of cell cycle time during exponential growth. Here, we asked whether SV40 large T antigen (Tag) levels, driven by two different promoters, changed in a predictable and regular manner during exponential growth in clonal astrocyte cell lines, immortalized and dependent on Tag. Expression and cell cycle phase fractions were measured and correlated using flow cytometry. T antigen levels did not change or increased during exponential growth as a function of the G1 fraction and increasing cell density when Tag was transcribed from the Moloney Murine Leukemia virus (MoMuLV) long terminal repeat (LTR). When an Rb-binding mutant T antigen transcribed from the LTR was tested, levels decreased. When transcribed from the herpes thymidine kinase promoter, Tag levels decreased. The directions of change and the rates of change in Tag expression were unrelated to the average T antigen levels (i.e., the expression potential). These data show that Tag expression potential in these lines varies depending on the vector and clonal variation, but that the observed level depends on cell density and cell cycle transit time. The hypothetical terms, expression at zero cell density and expression at minimum G1 phase fraction, were introduced to simplify measures of expression potential.
Three dimensional culture of fresh and vitrified mouse pre-antral follicles in a hyaluronan-based hydrogel: a preliminary investigation of a novel biomaterial for in vitro follicle maturation

Folliculogenesis within the ovary requires interaction between somatic cell components and the oocyte. Maintenance of 3-dimensional (3-D) architecture and granulosa-oocyte interaction may be critical for successful in vitro maturation of follicles. Testing of novel biomaterials for the 3-D culture of follicles may ultimately lead to a culture model that can support the longer in vitro culture intervals needed for in vitro maturation of human oocytes from ovarian tissue biopsies. A novel tyramine-based hyaluronan (HA) hydrogel was tested for its biocompatibility with ovarian follicles. The HA was prepared at concentrations from 2 to 5 mg/ml. HA hydrogel was also formulated and tested with matrix proteins (ECM). Enzymatically isolated pre-antral follicles from the ovaries of 10–12 day SJL pups were divided amongst control (CT) and HA treatments. The growth of both fresh and vitrified follicles was assessed after encapsulation in the hydrogel. The basal culture medium was MEM alpha supplemented with FSH, LH, ITS and 5% FBS. Maturation was triggered by addition of hCG and EGF after in vitro culture (IVC). Outcome parameters monitored were follicle morphology, survival after IVC, antrum formation, GVBD and MII formation. Differences between treatments were analyzed. HA and ECM-HA encapsulated follicles looked healthy and maintained their 3-D architecture during IVC. In control cultures, the follicles flattened and granulosa:oocyte connections appeared fragile. Estradiol secretion per follicle was significantly higher by Day 12 in ECM-HA compared to HA or CT (4119, 703 and 1080 pg/ml, respectively). HA and ECM-HA cultured follicles had similar survival rates (62% and 54%, respectively), percent GV breakdown (96–97%), MII formation (47–48%) and oocyte diameters at the end of IVC. Control cultures differed significantly in percent GVBD (85%) and MII formation (67%) . Vitrified-warmed follicles encapsulated in HA had an oocyte maturation rate to MII of 54% as compared to 57% in non-embedded follicles. Initial testing of this new and unique HA-based hydrogel was quite promising. The ease of follicle encapsulation in HA, its optical transparency and ability to be molded combined with its support of follicle growth, estradiol secretion and resumption of meiosis make this HA-hydrogel particularly attractive as model for 3-D ovarian follicle culture.
BibFinder/StatMiner: effectively mining and using coverage and overlap statistics in data integration

Recent work in data integration has shown the importance of statistical information about the coverage and overlap of sources for efficient query processing. Despite this recognition there are no effective approaches for learning the needed statistics. In this paper we present StatMiner, a system for estimating the coverage and overlap statistics while keeping the needed statistics tightly under control. StatMiner uses a hierarchical classification of the queries, and threshold based variants of familiar data mining techniques to dynamically decide the level of resolution at which to learn the statistics. We will demonstrate the major functionalities of StatMiner and the effectiveness of the learned statistics in BibFinder, a publicly available computer science bibliography mediator we developed. The sources that BibFinder integrates are autonomous and can have uncontrolled coverage and overlap. An important focus in BibFinder was thus to mine coverage and overlap statistics about these sources and to exploit them to improve query processing.
Challenges of Adopting Web Services: Experiences from the Financial Industry

Despite the many expected benefits of Web services technology, some organizations are hesitating to adopt Web services on a larger scale and across their organizational boundaries. This article presents the findings from an exploratory study in the financial industry investigating the key factors preventing or slowing down the adoption of Web services technology, why these factors influence the adoption process, and what changes need to occur to promote Web services adoption. The findings are analyzed and discussed in the context of existing theories related to IS adoption and diffusion. The results suggest that the role of Web services is currently limited largely due to environmental factors, while XML based messaging is commonplace in the financial industry. The adoption of Web services is likely to substantially increase once some major players in the industry as well as IT vendors make them their key integration mechanism.
Acetyl-Keto-β-Boswellic Acid Induces Apoptosis through a Death Receptor 5–Mediated Pathway in Prostate Cancer Cells

Acetyl-keto-beta-boswellic acid (AKBA), a triterpenoid isolated from Boswellia carterri Birdw and Boswellia serrata, has been found to inhibit tumor cell growth and to induce apoptosis. The apoptotic effects and the mechanisms of action of AKBA were studied in LNCaP and PC-3 human prostate cancer cells. AKBA induced apoptosis in both cell lines at concentrations above 10 microg/mL. AKBA-induced apoptosis was correlated with the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8 as well as with poly(ADP)ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage. The activation of caspase-8 was correlated with increased levels of death receptor (DR) 5 but not of Fas or DR4. AKBA-induced apoptosis, caspase-8 activation, and PARP cleavage were inhibited by knocking down DR5 using a small hairpin RNA. AKBA treatment increased the levels of CAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) and activated a DR5 promoter reporter but did not activate a DR5 promoter reporter with the mutant CHOP binding site. These results suggest that AKBA induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells through a DR5-mediated pathway, which probably involves the induced expression of CHOP.
IDO Expression in Brain Tumors Increases the Recruitment of Regulatory T Cells and Negatively Impacts Survival

Purpose: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive adult brain tumor with a poor prognosis. One hallmark of GBM is the accumulation of immunosuppressive and tumor-promoting CD4 + FoxP3 + GITR + regulatory T cells (Tregs). Here, we investigated the role of indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO) in brain tumors and the impact on Treg recruitment. Experimental Design: To determine the clinical relevance of IDO expression in brain tumors, we first correlated patient survival to the level of IDO expression from resected glioma specimens. We also used novel orthotopic and transgenic models of glioma to study how IDO affects Tregs. The impact of tumor-derived and peripheral IDO expression on Treg recruitment, GITR expression, and long-term survival was determined. Results: Downregulated IDO expression in glioma predicted a significantly better prognosis in patients. Coincidently, both IDO-competent and deficient mice showed a survival advantage bearing IDO-deficient brain tumors, when compared with IDO-competent brain tumors. Moreover, IDO deficiency was associated with a significant decrease in brain-resident Tregs, both in orthotopic and transgenic mouse glioma models. IDO deficiency was also associated with lower GITR expression levels on Tregs. Interestingly, the long-term survival advantage conferred by IDO deficiency was lost in T-cell–deficient mice. Conclusions: These clinical and preclinical data confirm that IDO expression increases the recruitment of immunosuppressive Tregs that lead to tumor outgrowth. In contrast, IDO deficiency decreases Treg recruitment and enhances T-cell–mediated tumor rejection. Thus, the data suggest a critical role for IDO-mediated immunosuppression in glioma and support the continued investigation of IDO–Treg interactions in the context of brain tumors. Clin Cancer Res; 18(22); 6110–21. ©2012 AACR .
17-Year-Old Runner with Shin Pain

Stress injury is a common cause of exercise-induced anterior shin pain. It is important to distinguish between the various causes of stress injury in a timely manner in order to optimize favorable treatment outcomes. Here, we will discuss a case of medial tibial stress syndrome, or shin splints, as one of the causes of shin pain, as well as how to approach shin pain for a successful diagnosis.
Localization of Glutamate in Trigeminothalamic Projection Neurons: A Combined Retrograde Transport-Immunohistochemical Study

Trigeminothalamic projection neurons are important components of the pathways for conscious perception of pain, temperature, and tactile sensation from the orofacial region. The neurotransmitters utilized by trigeminal neurons projecting to the thalamus are unknown. By use of a monoclonal antibody specific for fixative-modified glutamate and a polyclonal antiserum against glutaminase, we recently identified neurons in the trigeminal sensory complex that cocontain glutamate-like immunoreactivity (Glu-LI) and glutaminase-like immunoreactivity. In the present study, we utilized combined retrograde transport-immunohistochemical techniques to localize putative glutamatergic trigeminothalamic neurons.Following injection of the retrograde tracer, wheatgerm agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (WGA:HRP), into the ventroposterior medial thalamus (VPM), the number of neuronal profiles that were double-labeled with WGA:HRP and Glu-LI was greatest in principal sensory nucleus (Pr5), followed by subnuclei i...
Directional postural responses induced by vibrotactile stimulations applied to the torso

It has been shown that torso-based vibrotactile feedback significantly reduces postural sway in balance-compromised adults during quiet standing and in response to perturbations. This study aimed to determine whether vibrotactile stimulations applied to different torso locations induced directional postural responses and whether torso cutaneous information contributes to body representation. Eleven healthy young adults equipped with an inertial measurement unit (IMU) placed on the torso were asked to maintain an upright posture with closed eyes. Six vibrators (tactors) were placed on the torso in contact with the skin over the left and right external oblique, internal oblique, and erector spinae muscles at the L4/L5 level. Each tactor was randomly activated four times per location at a frequency of 250 Hz for a period of 5 s. The IMU results indicated that vibration applied individually over the internal oblique and erector spinae muscles induced a postural shift of about one degree oriented in the direction of the stimulation, while simultaneous activation of all tactors and activation of tactors over external oblique muscles produced insignificant postural effects. The root mean square of the sway signal was significantly higher during vibration than before or after. However, the center of pressure displacement, measured by a force plate, was uninfluenced by any vibration. These results suggest a multi-joint postural response including a torso inclination associated with vibration-induced changes in cutaneous information. The directional aspect of vibration-induced postural shifts suggests that cutaneous information from the stimulated areas contributes to proprioception and upper body spatial representation.
Up-regulation of toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB signaling is associated with enhanced adipogenesis and insulin resistance in fetal skeletal muscle of obese sheep at late gestation.

Maternal obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. We previously showed that maternal obesity induces an inflammatory response and enhances adipogenesis in fetal skeletal muscle at midgestation. The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of maternal obesity on adipogenesis, inflammatory signaling, and insulin pathways at late gestation when ovine fetal skeletal muscle matures. Nonpregnant ewes were assigned to a control diet (Con, fed 100% of National Research Council nutrient recommendations, n = 6) or obesogenic diet (OB, fed 150% of National Research Council recommendations, n = 6) from 60 d before to 135 d after conception (term 148 d) when the fetal semitendenosus skeletal muscle was sampled. Expression of the adipogenic marker, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, was increased in OB compared with Con fetal semitendenosus muscle, indicating up-regulation of adipogenesis. More intramuscular adipocytes were observed in OB muscle. Phosphorylation of inhibitor-kappaB kinase-alpha/beta and nuclear factor-kappaB RelA/p65 were both increased in OB fetal muscle, indicating activation of nuclear factor-kappaB pathway. Phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase and c-Jun (at Ser 63 and Ser 73) was also elevated. Toll-like receptor 4 expression was higher in OB than Con fetal muscle. Moreover, despite higher insulin concentrations in OB vs. Con fetal plasma (2.89 +/- 0.53 vs. 1.06 +/- 0.52 ng/ml; P < 0.05), phosphorylation of protein kinase B at Ser 473 was reduced, indicating insulin resistance. In conclusion, our data show maternal obesity-induced inflammatory signaling in late gestation fetal muscle, which correlates with increased im adipogenesis and insulin resistance, which may predispose offspring to later-life obesity and diabetes.
Gonorrhea—its natural history, oral manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention

The entire infectious process of gonorrhea, from causation to prevention, is discussed. The oral cavity can be involved in a gonococcal infection, either directly or indirectly. Both types of involvement are dangerous to the patient so affected and to the other patients who follow the one so affected, as well as to the dental practitioner himself. Because we are presently in the midst of a gonorrheal epidemic, an awareness of this infectious process is definitely indicated. The clinical features, oral manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention are described in detail to assist the practitioner in the proper management of this disease.
Effects of Cultivation and Proximity to Natural Habitat on Ground-nesting Native Bees in California Sunflower Fields

Abstract Agricultural conversion is one of the most prevalent anthropogenic uses on the terrestrial earth. Persistence of organisms in such landscapes is thought to be related to species-specific characteristics such as life history traits and dispersal distance. In an agricultural landscape in California, we examined local (farm-level) and landscape variables associated with nesting preferences of native ground-nesting bees. Compared to the known ground-nesting visitors to crops, bee community nesting on farms was depauperate. Further, more abundant and diverse communities of bees were found nesting at farms with patches of natural habitat near by than farms that were far away from natural habitat. Species responded differently to soil conditions created by farming practices, but the variability in nesting bee abundance was lower in farms near natural habitat than farms far from natural habitat. These findings suggest that most bee species are affected adversely but to varying degrees by agricultural int...
Focus on Family: Teachers as Parents: Using Technology to Facilitate Parent Involvement

Jody was an excellent kindergarten teacher who loved teaching. She was also the single mother of a precocious 1st-grader who attended a different elementary school where the families were extremely...
Google Set Sail: Ocean-Based Server Farms and International Law

In recent years, the oceans have become a venue for nontraditional uses such as rocket launches, fish farming, and energy production. In 2009, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Google a patent for an ocean-based server farm, powered and cooled by the seas’ wind and water. A server farm is simply a collection of computers joined together on a network providing services to remotely connected users. Google argued that the transportability of these server ships would allow easy movement to world regions where such services are needed. In addition, the data center ship would provide a relatively green alternative to power-hungry server farms located on land.If these massive server farms populate the oceans, what regulatory schemes will apply? The server ship’s owner may understandably seek the ability to avoid national exercises of jurisdiction. Internet theorists have traditionally resisted state jurisdiction, arguing that cyberspace should provide its own norms. This early view has recently been undercut by successful state exercises of control over various Internet players and the development of new technology allowing geographic segmentation of Internet content and use.This Article will consider and evaluate international law’s probable application to state jurisdiction over these server ships and other innovative technologies just beyond view. It argues that the international community should resist additional abridgements of high seas freedoms to address issues relating to server ships or other new maritime uses, absent a compelling international need for additional regulation.
Artificially Sweetening the COLA

For the second year in a row, Social Security recipients will not receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase to their monthly benefits. Social Security benefits only rise when prices go up; in years with low price inflation, they remain steady. And although low price inflation benefits all consumers, Congress has proposed to give every Social Security beneficiary a $250 check, which could cost taxpayers $15 billion.While it might sound reasonable or fair to give seniors a boost during tough economic times, giving in to such demands would be misguided and undermine the very reason for tying cost-of-living adjustments to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the first place - to prevent yearly interest-group lobbying for higher benefit increases and, as the name implies, only provide an adjustment when there’s an actual CPI-measured increase in the cost of living. Providing a COLA or one-time payment beyond what is warranted by an increase in the CPI would actually increase “real” benefits, artificially sweetening the COLA.
Putting Knowledge Search Strategies in Context: A Study of Geography and Research Productivity

This paper examines the impact of the geographic diversity of a firm’s search on research productivity. Specifically, we study the impact of different types of geographic search strategies on a technology venture’s ability to develop new products in different geographic regions of varying levels of munificence. Our results indicate that a firm’s geographic context moderates the impact of different strategies on the firm’s research productivity. In particular, firms in munificent local environments benefit from localized search, as indicated by strong local co-authorships, while firms that are not located in munificent regions benefit from a geographically diverse search strategy.
Editorial: Symptoms versus magnetic resonance imaging

The authors present a small case series of 5 patients with herniated lumbar discs.1 The cases were unusual in that the herniations apparent on MRI were on the opposite side of the symptoms. While this phenomenon has been only rarely reported, it is actually known by most spine surgeons to occur. In each case, the authors performed a microdiscectomy in which they approached the disc from the side of the MRI-documented abnormality that was asymptomatic. They had excellent outcomes in all 5 cases, and 4 of the 5 patients had objective resolution of motor deficits. The authors note that some surgeons choose to explore both sides in these situations; however, they did not undertake bilateral exploration out of concern for increasing the likelihood of iatrogenic instability. For these same reasons, I have chosen the same approach as Akdeniz and colleagues, and the results, in similar situations, have been gratifying. It is essential to have a comprehensive preoperative discussion with the patient and his or her family to reveal that the need for a potential second surgery might be slightly increased. That being said, a second surgery was not needed in any of the authors’ 5 cases. Although they are not able to prove a mechanism for the findings in their small series of cases, Akdeniz et al. posit that a traction effect on the contralateral nerve root due to a possible attachment to the posterior longitudinal ligament may be the mechanism. This hypothesis seems reasonable despite the fact that it cannot be definitively proven without formal exploration of the symptomatic side. (http://thejns.org/doi/abs/10.3171/2012.3.SPINE11937)
Host-pathogen dynamics in experimental populations of Silene alba and Ustilago violacea. II. Experimental tests of theoretical models

1 Experimental populations of Silene alba were established with different total densities, and different frequencies and densities of plants inoculated with anthersmut (Ustilago violacea), a pollinator-transmitted floral disease. 2 Actual changes in the numbers of healthy and infected individuals in the experimental populations were compared with predicted values generated from computer simulations. Four models were tested; these assumed either linear density-dependent, linear frequency-dependent, exponential density-dependent, or exponential frequencydependent disease transmission. Model parameters were estimated from an independent subset of experimental populations and from earlier field studies. 3 Susceptible and resistant populations had qualitatively different dynamics. Results from the experimental populations were consistent with model predictions that resistant populations would lose the disease, while susceptible hosts and pathogens would coexist. 4 Comparison of the actual changes in the numbers of diseased individuals with model predictions, showed that exponential disease transmission models provided a better overall fit to the data than linear models.
A Framework for Cross-Document Annotation

We introduce a cross-document annotation toolset that serves as a corpus-wide knowledge base for linguistic annotations. This implemented system is designed to address the unique cognitive demands placed on human annotators who must relate information that is expressed across document boundaries.
Management of massive transfusions

SUMMARY The massive transfusion of blood requires a working knowledge of the current transfusion practices and available products. The risks and complications of simple and massive transfusion must be appreciated. This article summarizes the important aspects of these topics in order to equip the anesthesiologist with a basic understanding sufficient to provide transfusion therapy safely and effectively. Frequent communication with local blood banking professionals will help maintain current practices and changes in collection and administration recommendations.
Exploring the Effect of Asphalt-Concrete Fabrication and Compaction Location on Six Compaction Metrics

AbstractEnsuring proper compaction of asphalt concrete in the field is necessary for high performance of pavements, and understanding how different asphalt concrete technologies compact can lead to better compaction in the field. This research examines a chemically modified warm-mix asphalt material that was (1) plant mixed, lab compacted; (2) reheated, plant mixed, lab compacted; and (3) lab mixed, lab compacted, and explores how changing the compaction temperatures and compaction pressures influences the compaction characteristics in the lab. In addition, the chemically modified warm-mix asphalt was compared to foamed material and traditional hot-mix asphalt in the lab-mixed lab-compacted state. Overall, workability energy index (WEI), compactability energy index (CEI), compaction densification index (CDI), and number of gyrations required to reach 92% maximum specific gravity (Gmm) (N92) followed expected trends of increasing compaction effort required with decreasing temperature or pressure, while loc...
HIV, breast cancer and vaccines: what do high-profile cases reveal about stakeholder engagement in research?

Substantially engaging stakeholders in research involves making extensive changes to the full life cycle of research, from the initial stage of selecting research priorities to the final stages of dissemination and implementation. Recent scholarship has explored logistical and methodological challenges, including the time, training and resources required for engagement. However, inadequate attention has been given to the intended ends or goals of engagement – what do we want engagement to achieve? An examination of historical case studies can yield important insights regarding engagement and its intended ends. Using historical perspective methods, we explore how clarity about the ends of engagement can inform the design of engagement efforts and lead to better outcomes. We present several lessons for improving stakeholder-engaged research.
A viscoactive constitutive modeling framework with variational updates for the myocardium

We present a constitutive modeling framework for contractile cardiac mechanics by formulating a single variational principle from which incremental stress-strain relations and kinetic rate equations for active contraction and relaxation can all be derived. The variational framework seamlessly incorporates the hyperelastic behavior of the relaxed and contracted tissue along with the rate - and length - dependent generation of contractile force. We describe a three-element, Hill-type model that unifies the active tension and active deformation approaches. As in the latter approach, we multiplicatively decompose the total deformation gradient into active and elastic parts, with the active deformation parametrizing the contractile Hill element. We adopt as internal variables the fiber, cross-fiber, and sheet normal stretch ratios. The kinetics of these internal variables are modeled via definition of a kinetic potential function derived from experimental force-velocity relations. Additionally, we account for dissipation during tissue deformation by adding a Newtonian viscous potential. To model the force activation, the kinetic equations are coupled with the calcium transient obtained from a cardiomyocyte electrophysiology model. We first analyze our model at the material point level using stress and strain versus time curves for different viscosity values. Subsequently, we couple our constitutive framework with the finite element method (FEM) and study the deformation of three-dimensional tissue slabs with varying cardiac myocyte orientation. Finally, we simulate the contraction and relaxation of an ellipsoidal left ventricular model and record common kinematic measures, such as ejection fraction, and myocardial tissue volume changes.
Empirical Analysis of Playability vs. Usability in a Computer Game

This paper reports our experience in applying an empirical user-experience testing method to improve a computer game. We sought to understand the differences in practice between usability and playability, and correspondingly to assess the usefulness of different approaches to taxonomies for playability. Our experience suggests that the evaluation technique for playability can be the same as for usability and that some existing taxonomies for playability do not provide effective support for translating experience of evaluation into heuristics for design. For formative evaluation, understanding episodes for playability depends on specific circumstances of each episode; taxonomies may be more useful for summative evaluation.
THE PROPIONIC-ACID BACTERIA-A REVIEW

This review, appearing in three parts, is concerned with the growth, metabolism, and miscellaneous metabolic activities of propionibacteria. The first section, presented here, deals primarily with nutritional requirements, substrate and product inhibition, physical factors, associative action of other microorganisms, and enumeration and isolation of propionibacteria. The nutrition of propionic-acid bacteria has been extensively investigated and the absolute requirements for their nutrition are known. Since propionibacteria play an important role in the fermentation of Swiss cheeses, development of a completely selective medium and continued study of agents inhibitory and stimulatory to propionibacteria would be a valuable aid in solving many of the practical problems associated with Swiss cheese manufacture. Part two will discuss formation of propionate and acetate, the carboxylation, decarboxylation, and transcarboxylation reactions, the roles of biotin and vitamin B12, and the enzymes involved in the pr...
The business cycle and mortality: Urban versus rural counties.

Many studies have found that mortality declines during recessions, but do such results remain consistent in both urban and rural settings? To help uncover explanations for such a pro-cyclical nature of mortality, the present study revisits this topic but allows for associations between unemployment and mortality to differ between urban and rural areas. Using a total of 66 863 observations across 3066 counties of the U.S. from 1990 to 2013, we allow the coefficient on unemployment to differ between urban and rural counties. With an exception of deaths due to external accidents being pro-cyclical in rural settings, we find that the negative association between unemployment and mortality more generally holds for urban areas, particularly for females and the elderly. Moreover, we find death due to circulatory disease or influenza/pneumonia to be especially more prevalent in urban areas. Given that the negative associations between unemployment and mortality are generally stronger in cities, views attempting to explain pro-cyclical mortality should focus on characteristics in urban settings.
Control of amino acid homeostasis by a ubiquitin ligase-coactivator protein complex

Intercellular amino acid transport is essential for the growth of all multicellular organisms, and its dysregulation is implicated in developmental disorders. By an unknown mechanism, amino acid efflux is stimulated in plants by overexpression of a membrane-localized protein (GLUTAMINE DUMPER 1 (GDU1)) that requires a ubiquitin ligase (LOSS OF GDU 2 (LOG2). Here we further explore the physiological consequences of the interaction between these two proteins. LOG2 ubiquitin ligase activity is necessary for GDU1-dependent tolerance to exogenous amino acids, and LOG2 self-ubiquitination was markedly stimulated by the GDU1 cytosolic domain, suggesting that GDU1 functions as an adaptor or coactivator of amino acid exporter(s). However, other consequences more typical of a ligase-substrate relationship are observed: disruption of the LOG2 gene increased the in vivo half-life of GDU1, mass spectrometry confirmed that LOG2 ubiquitinates GDU1 at cytosolic lysines, and GDU1 protein levels decreased upon co-expression with active, but not enzymatically inactive LOG2. Altogether these data indicate LOG2 negatively regulates GDU1 protein accumulation by a mechanism dependent upon cytosolic GDU1 lysines. Although GDU1-lysine substituted protein exhibited diminished in vivo ubiquitination, overexpression of GDU1 lysine mutants still conferred amino acid tolerance in a LOG2-dependent manner, consistent with GDU1 being both a substrate and facilitator of LOG2 function. From these data, we offer a model in which GDU1 activates LOG2 to stimulate amino acid export, a process that could be negatively regulated by GDU1 ubiquitination and LOG2 self-ubiquitination.
Daryamide Analogues from a Marine-Derived Streptomyces species

Three new cyclohexene amine derivatives, daryamides D–F (1–3), a new arylamine derivative, carpatamide D (4), and a new ornithine lactamization derivative, ornilactam A (5), were isolated from the marine-derived Streptomyces strain SNE-011. Their structures, including absolute configurations, were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis and chemical methods. The carpatamide skeleton could be considered as the biosynthetic precursor of the daryamides.
Combining fuzzy cognitive maps with agent-based modeling: Frameworks and pitfalls of a powerful hybrid modeling approach to understand human-environment interactions

Abstract Agent-based modeling (ABM) is an established technique to capture human-environment interactions in socio-ecological systems. As a micro-model, it explicitly represents each agent, such that heterogeneous decision-making processes (e.g. based on the beliefs and experiences of stakeholders) can anticipate the socio-environmental consequences of aggregated individual behaviors. In contrast to ABM, Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping takes a macro-level view of the world that represents causal connections between concepts rather than individual entities. Researchers have expressed interest in reconciling the two, i.e. taking a hybrid approach and drawing of the strengths of each to more accurately model socio-ecological interactions. The intuition is to take FCMs, which can be quickly developed using participatory modeling tools and use them to create a virtual population of agents with sophisticated decision-making processes. In this paper, we detail two ways in which this combination can be done, and highlight the key questions that modelers need to be mindful of.
Social Monogamy in Nonhuman Primates: Phylogeny, Phenotype, and Physiology

Monogamy as a social system has been both a scientific puzzle and a sociocultural issue for decades. In this review, we examine social monogamy from a comparative perspective with a focus on primates, our closest genetic relatives. We break down monogamy into component elements, including pair-bonding and partner preference, mate guarding or jealousy, social attachment, and biparental care. Our survey of primates shows that not all features are present in species classified as socially monogamous, in the same way that human monogamous relationships may not include all elements-a perspective we refer to as "monogamy a la carte." Our review includes a survey of the neurobiological correlates of social monogamy in primates, exploring unique or common pathways for the elemental components of monogamy. This compilation reveals that the components of monogamy are modulated by a suite of androgenic steroids, glucocorticoid hormones, the nonapeptide hormones oxytocin and vasopressin, and other neurotransmitter systems (e.g., dopamine and opioids). We propose that efforts to understand the biological underpinnings of complex human and animal sociosexual relationships will be well served by exploring individual phenotypic traits, as opposed to pursuing these questions with the assumption that monogamy is a unitary trait or a species-specific characteristic.
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: 2017 update on diagnosis, risk-stratification, and management.

Disease overview Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas are a heterogenous group of T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders involving the skin, the majority of which may be classified as Mycosis Fungoides (MF) or Sezary Syndrome (SS). Diagnosis The diagnosis of MF or SS requires the integration of clinical and histopathologic data. Risk-adapted therapy TNMB (tumor, node, metastasis, blood) staging remains the most important prognostic factor in MF/SS and forms the basis for a “risk-adapted,” multi-disciplinary approach to treatment. For patients with disease limited to the skin, expectant management or skin-directed therapies is preferred, as both disease-specific and overall survival for these patients is favorable. In contrast, patients with advanced-stage disease with significant nodal, visceral or blood involvement are generally approached with biologic-response modifiers or histone deacetylase inhibitors prior to escalating therapy to include systemic, single-agent chemotherapy. In highly-selected patients, allogeneic stem-cell transplantation may be considered, as this may be curative in some patients.
Non–Endoplasmic Reticulum–Based Calr (Calreticulin) Can Coordinate Heterocellular Calcium Signaling and Vascular Function

Objective— In resistance arteries, endothelial cell (EC) extensions can make contact with smooth muscle cells, forming myoendothelial junction at holes in the internal elastic lamina (HIEL). At these HIEL, calcium signaling is tightly regulated. Because Calr (calreticulin) can buffer ≈50% of endoplasmic reticulum calcium and is expressed throughout IEL holes in small arteries, the only place where myoendothelial junctions form, we investigated the effect of EC-specific Calr deletion on calcium signaling and vascular function. Approach and Results— We found Calr expressed in nearly every IEL hole in third-order mesenteric arteries, but not other ER markers. Because of this, we generated an EC-specific, tamoxifen inducible, Calr knockout mouse (EC Calr Δ/Δ). Using this mouse, we tested third-order mesenteric arteries for changes in calcium events at HIEL and vascular reactivity after application of carbachol or phenylephrine. We found that arteries from EC Calr Δ/Δ mice stimulated with carbachol had unchanged activity of calcium signals and vasodilation; however, the same arteries were unable to increase calcium events at HIEL in response to phenylephrine. This resulted in significantly increased vasoconstriction to phenylephrine, presumably because of inhibited negative feedback. In line with these observations, the EC Calr Δ/Δ had increased blood pressure. Comparison of ER calcium in arteries and use of an ER-specific GCaMP indicator in vitro revealed no observable difference in ER calcium with Calr knockout. Using selective detergent permeabilization of the artery and inhibition of Calr translocation, we found that the observed Calr at HIEL may not be within the ER. Conclusions— Our data suggest that Calr specifically at HIEL may act in a non-ER dependent manner to regulate arteriolar heterocellular communication and blood pressure.
Imagining the Lowlands

In June 2016, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and the American Association for Netherlandic Studies (AANS) hosted the eighteenth biennial International Conference for Netherlandic Studies (ICN...
ElMem: Towards an Elastic Memcached System

Memory caches, such as Memcached, are a critical component of online applications as they help maintain low latencies by alleviating the load at the database. However, memory caches are expensive, both in terms of power and operating costs. It is thus important to dynamically scale such caches in response to workload variations. Unfortunately, stateful systems, such as Memcached, are not elastic in nature. The performance loss that follows a scaling action can severely impact latencies and lead to SLO violations. This paper proposes ElMem, an elastic Memcached system that mitigates post-scaling performance loss by proactively migration hot data between nodes. The key enabler of our work is an efficient algorithm, FuseCache, that migrates the optimal amount of hot data to minimize performance loss. Our experimental results on OpenStack, across several workload traces, show that ElMem elastically scales Memcached while reducing the postscaling performance degradation by about 90%.
Unary pattern avoidance in partial words dense with holes

A partial word is a sequence of symbols over a finite alphabet that may have some undefined positions, called holes, that match every letter of the alphabet. Previous work completed the classification of all unary patterns with respect to partial word avoidability, as well as the classification of all binary patterns with respect to non-trivial partial word avoidability. In this paper, we pose the problem of avoiding patterns in partial words very dense with holes. We define the concept of hole sparsity, a measure of the frequency of holes in a partial word, and determine the minimum hole sparsity for all unary patterns in the context of trivial and non-trivial avoidability.
Monoclonal antibody BA-1 does not bind to hematopoietic precursor cells

Monoclonal antibody BA-1 binds to B lymphocytes, to cells from most cases of non-T acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and weakly to neutrophils. To determine whether BA-1 also reacts with hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC), we studied the effect of removal of BA-1+ cells from human bone marrow on the proliferation in vitro of the trilineage precursor cell CFU-GEMM, and on the committed progenitor cells of granulopoiesis (CFU-C) and erythropoiesis (BFU-E/CFU-E). Complement- mediated cytotoxicity using BA-1 at concentrations far beyond those required to lyse BA-1+ bone marrow cells and ALL cells did not result in inhibition of colony formation in any of the assays. A rosette separation method, using ox red blood cells coated with BA-1, resulted in enrichment of HPC in the BA-1-depleted interface, whereas very few HPC were found in the BA-1-enriched pellet. Both methods indicate that BA-1 does not bind to HPC, although binding of the antibody to the lymphohematopoietic stem cell cannot be excluded yet. The high cytotoxic capacity of the IgM antibody BA-1, and the lack of reactivity with HPC, make the antibody particularly suitable for use in autologous bone marrow transplantation for patients with ALL.
Psychopathy and ratings of persuasiveness: Examining their relations in weaker and stronger contexts

Previous work has demonstrated mostly null to small associations between boldness and externalizing behaviors associated with psychopathy. The present study replicated this finding and examined an ...
The HU177 Collagen Epitope Controls Melanoma Cell Migration and Experimental Metastasis by a CDK5/YAP-Dependent Mechanism.

Stromal components not only help form the structure of neoplasms such as melanomas, but they also functionally contribute to their malignant phenotype. Thus, uncovering signaling pathways that integrate the behavior of both tumor and stromal cells may provide unique opportunities for the development of more effective strategies to control tumor progression. In this regard, extracellular matrix–mediated signaling plays a role in coordinating the behavior of both tumor and stromal cells. Here, evidence is provided that targeting a cryptic region of the extracellular matrix protein collagen (HU177 epitope) inhibits melanoma tumor growth and metastasis and reduces angiogenesis and the accumulation of α-SMA–expressing stromal cell in these tumors. The current study suggests that the ability of the HU177 epitope to control melanoma cell migration and metastasis depends on the transcriptional coactivator Yes–associated protein (YAP). Melanoma cell interactions with the HU177 epitope promoted nuclear accumulation of YAP by a cyclin-dependent kinase-5–associated mechanism. These findings provide new insights into the mechanism by which the anti-HU177 antibody inhibits metastasis, and uncovers an unknown signaling pathway by which the HU177 epitope selectively reprograms melanoma cells by regulating nuclear localization of YAP. This study helps to define a potential new therapeutic strategy to control melanoma tumor growth and metastasis that might be used alone or in combination with other therapeutics.
Masculinity’s New Battle Arena in International e-Sports: The Games Begin

While e-sports fans and participants claim that digital play can subvert traditional conceptions of masculinity, offering alternative narratives of worth not as reliant on the physical body, it is becoming clear that competitive video games are still reinforcing certain toxic behavioral and linguistic patterns, particularly along ethnic boundaries. This chapter focuses on League of Legends, a multiplayer online battle arena game whose recent, international tournaments have been rife with antagonistic confrontations extending beyond the computer screen. The persistent East versus West dynamic, and the accompanying rhetoric that at once dehumanizes and effeminizes the perceived “enemy,” are symptomatic of a cultural friction rooted in notions of masculine superiority.