cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanism of dichotomy between CD8+ responses elicited by apoptotic and necrotic cells

Apoptotic cells are significantly more immunogenic than necrotic cells, even though both forms are identical in antigenic content. When a combination of apoptotic and necrotic cells are used to immunize, the phenotype conferred by apoptotic cells, i.e., high immunogenicity, is dominant. However, necrotic cells are not immunosuppressive or tolerogenic. Apoptotic and necrotic cells are taken up by antigen-presenting cells in an equivalent manner. The priming of naive T cell response is also equivalent. However, the CD8+ T cells elicited by apoptotic cells expand, accumulate, and express effector function, while those primed by the necrotic cells do not. This dichotomy does not extend to CD4+ cells. Apoptotic and necrotic cells elicit equivalent CD4+ T cell priming, accumulation, and function. The deficit in CD8+ T cell function elicited by necrotic cells can be overcome to varying degrees by anti-CD40 antibody and ligands for TLR4 and TLR9; conversely, the immunogenicity of apoptotic cells can be abrogated by blocking anti-CD154 antibody. Our results indicate that immunization with apoptotic cells leads to engagement of CD40 on antigen-presenting cells; this is essential for their ability to elicit mature functional CD8+ cells. The necrotic cells fail to engage CD40, and this failure is the basis of their lack of immunogenicity. These differences have consequences for the understanding of mechanisms of cross-presentation and for efforts toward immunotherapy of cancers and autoimmune pathologies.
The city is an apartment house: property, improvement and dispossession in early twentieth-century Halifax, Nova Scotia

In early twentieth-century Halifax, municipal policies of property taxation and assessment became an important object of political discussion and contestation. Central to these political contests was a particular, theoretically informed distinction between “land” and “improvements.” This distinction would ultimately ground a set of changes in municipal taxation and assessment (introduced between 1914 and 1918) and would help to constitute a new and consequential logic of state action within property relations. Drawing on the literature on property “enactment,” this article examines how early twentieth-century struggles over municipal taxation and assessment reshaped the prevailing understanding of real property in the city of Halifax. Consistent with existing research, I demonstrate how a new perspective on property—including a new distinction between land and improvements—gradually came into being through a series of performances, practices and material devices. Embedded within this new perspective, cruc...
Multispectral three-dimensional digital infrared thermal imaging

A multispectral three-dimensional (3-D) digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI) system is demonstrated for medical thermographic applications. In this system, temperature distribution and the three-dimensional geometrical surface profile are measured with different wavelengths and digitally stored in a computer separately. A texture-mapping technique is used for the accurate digital reconstruction of a 3-D temperature distribution of the human body. 3-D human body surface thermograms are obtained with this system.
Serotonin modulates glutamate responses in isolated suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons.

Two input pathways to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus are the glutamatergic retinohypothalamic tract and the serotonergic afferent from the midbrain raphe nucleus. To determin...
Horner's syndrome caused by intra-oral trauma.

Abstract A 7-year-old boy developed a Horner's syndrome after falling on a stick that penetrated his peritonsillar soft palate. He did not suffer from any major vascular injury, and pharmacologic testing indicated a preganglionic lesion. We review previously reported cases of oculosympathetic paresis caused by surgical and nonsurgical intra-oral trauma. Because of the proximity between sympathetic and vascular structures in the lateral and parapharyngeal space, Horner's syndrome in the setting of intra-oral trauma should prompt evaluation of the internal carotid artery. Magnetic resonance imaging may be a reasonable noninvasive method for this investigation.
Transition Metal Dopant Cation Distributions in MgO and CaO: New Inferences from Paramagnetically Shifted Resonances in 17O, 25Mg, and 43Ca NMR Spectra

We report on paramagnetic shifts identified in 17O, 25Mg, and 43Ca NMR spectra of CaO and MgO doped with 0.3–2.2 mol % NiO or CoO. Systematically shifted features were identified for both paramagnetic dopants (Ni2+ or Co2+) and both bulk materials (CaO and MgO), and in some cases spectral features could be assigned to paramagnetic cations at specific sites within five bonds of the observed nucleus. We compare the empirical peak areas to theoretically derived peak areas expected under conditions of random mixing and observe that Ni2+- and Co2+-doped MgO systems agree well with random mixing but doped CaO systems do not. In spite of the very low natural isotopic abundances of 17O and 43Ca, moderate natural abundance of 25Mg, and relatively low Larmor frequencies of all three nuclides, the cubic crystal structures and the resulting narrow NMR peaks allowed a first look at the potential of investigating dopant cation distributions in group 2 oxides though NMR.
Cloning of Cattle

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the history methodology, successes and failures, possible causes of failures, and applications of cloning of cattle. Cattle were the second mammalian species cloned by nuclear transplantation. The initial objective was multiplication of high-milk-performance dairy cattle by the transfer of totipotent embryonic cells from embryos expected to be of high performance, into enucleated bovine oocytes. As the efficiency of cloning has been low, only a few clones have been made for agricultural purposes. Thus, the major effort has been on the production of clones from cell lines genetically engineered to produce specific products of extremely high value in milk. These products for human use include pharmaceuticals, blood proteins, antigens for antibody production, and perhaps someday specialty foods or nutraceuticals through milk. The cloning of cattle began in 1986 with the introduction of embryonic cleavage-stage nuclear donor cells into enucleated metaphase II oocytes, resulting in pregnancy and birth. The ability to activate young bovine oocytes came about through the development of procedures that completely and continuously suppressed the activity of metaphase-promoting factor (MPF) and cytostatic factor (CSF), as compared to Ca2+ ionophores. Activation can also be achieved by inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide after an ionophore treatment, followed by incubation with cytochalasin B to prevent chromatin extrusion from the cell and thereby maintain a diploid state.
Discovery of cyclosporine A and its analogs as broad-spectrum anti-influenza drugs with a high in vitro genetic barrier of drug resistance.

As the number of drug-resistant influenza viruses continues to increase, antivirals with novel mechanisms of action are urgently needed. Among the two classes of FDA-approved antiviral drugs, neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors, oseltamivir, zanamivir, and peramivir, are currently the only choice for the prevention and treatment of influenza virus infection. Due to the antigenic drift and antigenic shift, it will only be a matter of time before influenza viruses become completely resistant to these NA inhibitors. In pursuing the next generation of antiviral drugs with complementary mechanisms of action to those of the NA inhibitors, we have identified a natural product, cyclosporine A (CsA) (1), as a desired drug candidate. In this study, we discovered that CsA (1) and its analogs have broad-spectrum antiviral activity against multiple influenza A and B strains, including strains that are resistant to either NA or M2 inhibitors or both. Moreover, CsA (1) displays a high in vitro genetic barrier of drug resistance than oseltamivir carboxylate Mechanistic studies revealed that CsA (1) acts at the intermediate step of viral replication post viral fusion. Its antiviral mechanism is independent of inhibiting the isomerase activity of cyclophilin A (CypA), and CsA (1) has no effect on the viral polymerase activity The potent antiviral efficacy of CsA (1), coupled with the high in vitro genetic barrier of drug resistance and novel mechanism of action, renders CsA (1) a promising anti-influenza drug candidate for further development.
DNApi: A De Novo Adapter Prediction Algorithm for Small RNA Sequencing Data.

With the rapid accumulation of publicly available small RNA sequencing datasets, third-party meta-analysis across many datasets is becoming increasingly powerful. Although removing the 3´ adapter is an essential step for small RNA sequencing analysis, the adapter sequence information is not always available in the metadata. The information can be also erroneous even when it is available. In this study, we developed DNApi, a lightweight Python software package that predicts the 3´ adapter sequence de novo and provides the user with cleansed small RNA sequences ready for down stream analysis. Tested on 539 publicly available small RNA libraries accompanied with 3´ adapter sequences in their metadata, DNApi shows near-perfect accuracy (98.5%) with fast runtime (~2.85 seconds per library) and efficient memory usage (~43 MB on average). In addition to 3´ adapter prediction, it is also important to classify whether the input small RNA libraries were already processed, i.e. the 3´ adapters were removed. DNApi perfectly judged that given another batch of datasets, 192 publicly available processed libraries were “ready-to-map” small RNA sequence. DNApi is compatible with Python 2 and 3, and is available at https://github.com/jnktsj/DNApi. The 731 small RNA libraries used for DNApi evaluation were from human tissues and were carefully and manually collected. This study also provides readers with the curated datasets that can be integrated into their studies.
Engineering Techniques for Nondestructive Quality Evaluation of Agricultural Products1.

A number of nondestructive methods have been developed to detect defects and evaluate physical characteristics associated with quality of agricultural products. The methods involve the application of a well-characterized source of energy (such as x-rays, light, infrared radiation, or sonic energy) to the test object. Because of the composition and condition of the material, the input energy is modified in some unique manner. The difference between the input energy and energy response can be measured and recorded, and may provide a basis for development of empirical relations and correlations for assessing quality-related factors. This paper reviews some of the nondestructive techniques which have been developed for testing agricultural products.
Multi-volumetric registration and mosaicking using swept-source spectrally encoded scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography

Ophthalmic diagnostic imaging using optical coherence tomography (OCT) is limited by bulk eye motions and a fundamental trade-off between field-of-view (FOV) and sampling density. Here, we introduced a novel multi-volumetric registration and mosaicking method using our previously described multimodal swept-source spectrally encoded scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and OCT (SS-SESLO-OCT) system. Our SS-SESLO-OCT acquires an entire en face fundus SESLO image simultaneously with every OCT cross-section at 200 frames-per-second. In vivo human retinal imaging was performed in a healthy volunteer, and three volumetric datasets were acquired with the volunteer moving freely and refixating between each acquisition. In post-processing, SESLO frames were used to estimate en face rotational and translational motions by registering every frame in all three volumetric datasets to the first frame in the first volume. OCT cross-sections were contrast-normalized and registered axially and rotationally across all volumes. Rotational and translational motions calculated from SESLO frames were applied to corresponding OCT B-scans to compensate for interand intra-B-scan bulk motions, and the three registered volumes were combined into a single interpolated multi-volumetric mosaic. Using complementary information from SESLO and OCT over serially acquired volumes, we demonstrated multivolumetric registration and mosaicking to recover regions of missing data resulting from blinks, saccades, and ocular drifts. We believe our registration method can be directly applied for multi-volumetric motion compensation, averaging, widefield mosaicking, and vascular mapping with potential applications in ophthalmic clinical diagnostics, handheld imaging, and intraoperative guidance.
Nested Hierarchical Functional Data Modeling and Inference for the Analysis of Functional Plant Phenotypes

AbstractIn a plant science Root Image Study, the process of seedling roots bending in response to gravity is recorded using digital cameras, and the bending rates are modeled as functional plant phenotype data. The functional phenotypes are collected from seeds representing a large variety of genotypes and have a three-level nested hierarchical structure, with seeds nested in groups nested in genotypes. The seeds are imaged on different days of the lunar cycle, and an important scientific question is whether there are lunar effects on root bending. We allow the mean function of the bending rate to depend on the lunar day and model the phenotypic variation between genotypes, groups of seeds imaged together, and individual seeds by hierarchical functional random effects. We estimate the covariance functions of the functional random effects by a fast penalized tensor product spline approach, perform multi-level functional principal component analysis (FPCA) using the best linear unbiased predictor of the pri...
Transportation assimilation revisited: New evidence from repeated cross-sectional survey data

Background Based on single cross-sectional data, prior research finds evidence of “transportation assimilation” among U.S. immigrants: the length of stay in the U.S. is negatively correlated with public transit use. This paper revisits this question by using repeated cross-sectional data, and examines the trend of transportation assimilation over time. Methods and results Using 1980, 1990, 2000 1% census and 2010 (1%) American Community Survey, I examine the relationship between the length of stay in the U.S. and public transit ridership among immigrants. I first run regressions separately in four data sets: I regress public transit ridership on the length of stay, controlling for other individual and geographic variables. I then compare the magnitudes of the relationship in four regressions. To study how the rate of transportation assimilation changes over time, I pool the data set and regress public transit ridership on the length of stay and its interactions with year dummies to compare the coefficients across surveys. Results confirm the conclusion of transportation assimilation: as the length of stay in the U.S. increases, an immigrant’s public transit use decreases. However, the repeated cross-section analysis suggests the assimilation rate has been decreasing in the past few decades. Conclusions This paper finds evidence of transportation assimilation: immigrants become less likely to ride public transit as the length of stay in the U.S. increases. The assimilation rate, however, has been decreasing over time. This paper finds that the rate of public transit ridership among new immigrants upon arrival, the geographic distribution of immigrants, and the changing demographics of the U.S. immigrants play roles in affecting the trend of transportation assimilation.
Effect of age on biomaterial-mediated in situ bone tissue regeneration.

Abstract Emerging studies show the potential application of synthetic biomaterials that are intrinsically osteoconductive and osteoinductive as bone grafts to treat critical bone defects. Here, the biomaterial not only assists recruitment of endogenous cells, but also supports cellular activities relevant to bone tissue formation and function. While such biomaterial-mediated in situ tissue engineering is highly attractive, success of such an approach relies largely on the regenerative potential of the recruited cells, which is anticipated to vary with age. In this study, we investigated the effect of the age of the host on mineralized biomaterial-mediated bone tissue repair using critical-sized cranial defects as a model system. Mice of varying ages, 1-month-old (juvenile), 2-month-old (young-adult), 6-month-old (middle-aged), and 14-month-old (elderly), were used as recipients. Our results show that the bio-mineralized scaffolds support bone tissue formation by recruiting endogenous cells for all groups albeit with differences in an age-related manner. Analyses of bone tissue formation after 2 and 8 weeks post-treatment show low mineral deposition and reduced number of osteocalcin and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-expressing cells in elderly mice. Statement of Significance Tissue engineering strategies that promote tissue repair through recruitment of endogenous cells will have a significant impact in regenerative medicine. Previous studies from our group have shown that biomineralized materials containing calcium phosphate minerals can contribute to neo-bone tissue through recruitment and activation of endogenous cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of age of the recipient on biomaterial-mediated bone tissue repair. Our results show that the age of the recipient mouse had a significant impact on the quality and quantity of the engineered neo-bone tissues, in which delayed/compromised bone tissue formation was observed in older mice. These findings are in agreement with the clinical observations that age of patients is a key factor in bone repair.
Improving methods of chordal-sparing mitral valve replacement--Part III: Optimal direction for artificial chordae.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS OF THE STUDY: The optimal direction to preserve artificial chordae tendineae (CT) during mitral valve replacement (MVR) is not known, especially in regard to the response to inotropic stimulation which simulates exercise conditions. METHODS: Using a non-distorting isovolumic balloon technique, we compared left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic mechanics in 11 dogs in a control state (no chordal sparing) and with four different methods of chordal preservation: posterior, anterior, oblique (anterior papillary muscle chordae directed anteriorly and others posteriorly, the direction which theoretically augments LV systolic twist), and counter-oblique (counter, chordae preserved in directions opposite to oblique). RESULTS: Before dobutamine, delta Emax from the control was: 0.32 +/- 0.82, 0.10 +/- 0.43, 0.64 +/- 1.07, and 0.51 +/- 0.78 (anterior, posterior, oblique, and counter method, respectively). With dobutamine (3 mg/kg/min), delta Emax (mmHg/ml) was: 0.41 +/- 1.21, -0.13 +/- 0.75, 0.59 +/- 0.82*, and -0.34 +/- 0.71. Before dobutamine, delta LV stiffness (Sd, mmHg/ml) was -0.01 +/- 0.09, -0.02 +/- 0.12, 0.02 +/- 0.10, and 0.01 +/- 0.12; with dobutamine it was 0.01 +/- 0.09, 0.00 +/- 0.15, 0.03 +/- 0.15, and -0.06 +/- 0.11. Similarly, before dobutamine delta LV equilibrium volume (Veq) was -1.2 +/- 3.8, -0.3 +/- 3.0, -0.7 +/- 2.7, and -0.2 +/- 3.5, whereas with dobutamine zeta eq was -0.1 +/- 1.1, -0.4 +/- 0.8, 0.6 +/- 1.7, and -0.4 +/- 1.1. (Mean +/- S.D.; *p = 0.005 posterior and counter by ANOVA; p = NS (< 0.06) versus counter and posterior by ANOVA). CONCLUSIONS: The oblique method enhanced systolic LV function both with and without dobutamine, while a tendency towards better diastolic LV function (Veq) was observed with dobutamine. The anterior method was next best in preserving systolic function, both with and without dobutamine. LV diastolic function tended to deteriorate with dobutamine in the posterior group. Systolic function with the counter method deteriorated with dobutamine. These results warrant further study in an ejecting model to investigate LV systolic and diastolic mechanics with the oblique method of CT preservation, including interactions with LV systolic twist and diastolic recoil.
Resemblance: Play Between the Visible and the Invisible

The problem of the exact relationship between the visible and the invisible belongs to the most troubling issues not only in Plato, but in the whole tradition of Western metaphysics, which has inherited them from the Athenian philosopher. But Plato was an artist as well, with the soul of a poet and the eyes of a painter. The characters of his dialogues conceive the relationship between the visible and the invisible according to an artistic, especially painterly, pattern as resemblance or lack thereof. Resemblance becomes both the epistemological principle of the theory of anamnesis and the principle of metaphysical and political legitimation. Thus, the artist in Plato provides the philosopher with the structure of representation that governs his world and his ideal state. The Republic, which establishes the model of representation based on resemblance, has recourse to the comparison with the painter’s art when evoking the philosophers’ foundation of the ideal state: “A city could never be happy otherwise than by having its outlines drawn by the painters who use the divine pattern.” The philosophers, founders of the city, like the painters, “would take the city and the dispositions of human beings, as though they were a canvas” and “in the first place, they would wipe [it] clean, ‘purify’ (katharan poiēseian).”1 Thus, the philosophers-creators should follow the procedures of careful artists in order to secure the accuracy of their reproductions of the ideal model.
Kinetics of hydrolysis of insoluble cellulose by cellulase

The article covers the literature on the kinetic aspects of the cellulose-cellulase system. The kinetic characteristics of this heterogeneous enzyme reaction are described first and then the kinetic expressions for the hydrolysis of insoluble cellulose by cellulase. In addition, the kinetics of the reactions of cellulases with soluble cellooligosaccharides is discussed.
Environmental Injustice Inherent in Radiation Dose Standards

Abstract Use of commercial nuclear fission causes massive environmental injustice (EIJ), both under normal conditions and after accidents. Some of the key victims of this injustice are children, poor people, radiation workers, and future generations. This chapter (1) provides a brief overview of the Fukushima, Japan nuclear accident, and (2) shows why children, poor people, and radiation workers face the most EIJ because of the accident. It also (3) explains why, even under normal operating conditions, atomic energy causes EIJ to children, poor people, radiation workers, and future generations. Apart from economic hardships that prevent people from leaving risky areas or jobs, the chapter (4) argues that there are two fundamental reasons—poor risk disclosure and poor regulations—for higher radiation exposures and EIJ among children, poor people, nuclear workers, and future generations. In both accident and nonaccident cases, government and industry typically fail to adequately disclose radiation risks, and radiation regulations fail to adequately protect children, workers, poor people, and future generations. Societal rules/regulations themselves, not just the aberrant practices of some unethical people, thus promote EIJ.
Sex is not a problem: The erasure of pleasure in sexual science research:

Guided by feminist and a queer intersectional framework, this article explores the discursive production of sexuality in contemporary sexual science research. Specifically, this article examines th...
Impact of hydraulic residence time on nitrate removal in pilot-scale woodchip bioreactors

Nitrate (NO3-N) export from row crop agricultural systems with subsurface tile drainage continues to be a major water quality concern. Woodchip bioreactors are an effective edge-of-field practice designed to remove NO3-N from tile drainage. The NO3-N removal rate of woodchip bioreactors can be impacted by several factors, including hydraulic residence time (HRT). This study examined the impact of three HRTs, 2 h, 8 h, and 16 h, on NO3-N removal in a set of nine pilot-scale woodchip bioreactors in Central Iowa. NO3-N concentration reduction from the inlet to the outlet was significantly different for all HRTs (p < 0.05). The 16 h HRT removed the most NO3-N by concentration (7.5 mg L-1) and had the highest removal efficiency at 53.8%. The 8 h HRT removed an average of 5.5 mg L-1 NO3-N with a removal efficiency of 32.1%. The 2 h HRT removed an average of 1.3 mg L-1 NO3-N with a removal efficiency of 9.0%. The 2 h HRT had the highest NO3-N mass removal rate (MRR) at 9.0 g m-3 day-1, followed by the 8 h HRT at 8.5 g m-3 day-1, and the 16 h HRT at 7.4 g m-3 day-1, all of which were statistically different (p < 0.05). Significant explanatory variables for removal efficiency were HRT (p < 0.001) and influent NO3-N concentration (p < 0.001), (R2 = 0.80), with HRT accounting for 93% contribution. When paired with results from a companion study, the ideal HRT for the bioreactors was 8 h to achieve maximum NO3-N removal while reducing the impact from greenhouse gas emissions.
133 VASCULAR CONSEQUENCES OF CHRONIC INTERMITTENT HYPOXEMIA IN MICE.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an independent risk factor for the development of vascular disease. OSA is characterized by upper airway collapse during sleep resulting in intermittent periods of hypoxemia and sleep disruption. We hypothesized that OSA-associated chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) increases vascular reactive oxygen species production and thereby reduces nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. We tested this hypothesis by developing a mouse model of CIH that mimics a frequency of oxyhemoglobin desaturations common in severe OSA. Male wild-type C57Bl/6 mice, aged 8-10 weeks, were exposed to an 8-hour protocol of CIH 5 days per week for 8 weeks. Mice were exposed to hypoxia every 40-45 seconds generating a 30-second nadir of 10% O2 mimicking a respiratory disturbance index of 48. Male Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to this CIH protocol demonstrated an average oxyhemoglobin nadir of 80 6 5% as measured with tail pulse oximetry. After 8 weeks mice were sacrificed. Compared to controls (C), CIH mice demonstrated reduced nitrosyl-hemoglobin values, an index of bioavailable NO detected with electron spin resonance spectroscopy (CIH = 855 6 23 vs C = 723 6 45 AU, p = .048). Although there was no difference in body weight between (C) and CIH mice, heart weight was higher in CIH mice compared to (C) mice (CIH = 154 6 6 mg vs C = 125 6 4 mg, p = .004). CIH mice demonstrated evidence of pulmonary hypertension (RV systolic pressure; CIH = 32.4 6 1.3 vs C = 25.7 6 1.6 mm Hg, p = .002) and right ventricular enlargement (RV weight; CIH = 27.7 6 2.6 vs C = 20.4 6 1.0 mg, p = .018). These preliminary findings of pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy validate a new pattern of CIH simulating severe OSA typically seen in sleep apnea patients. This model will be useful for examining the molecular pathogenesis of OSA-associated vascular disease.
Performance and Reliability of Intermedia Transfer Models Used in Human Exposure Assessment

This paper explores the reliability of intermedia transfer models as a function of both performance (i.e., validity) and specific decision objectives. The performance of selected models is gaged by measuring the error associated with practical model applications. Published volatile organic contaminant leaching and volatilization data are compared with deterministic and stochastic modeling results. The observed intermedia transfer modeling error ranges from 6 to 894%. A hypothetical residential exposure scenario is developed for inhalation of benzene vapors volatilized from soil. Experimentally determined and modeled vapor flux rates are translated into time-averaged air concentrations using a simple box model for air mixing. Health risk estimates based on experimental data are compared with the model-based estimates. Contributions to the overall uncertainty in predicted risk from exposure parameter uncertainty is compared with contributions from volatilization model parameter uncertainty. Modeling parameter uncertainty contribution is found to be dominated by the parameter uncertainty contributed from the exposure evaluation. Implications of error and uncertainty for intermedia transfer model usability in human exposure assessment are explored by considering 1) the sensitivity of predicted health risk values to model performance and 2) the consequences of making an incorrect decision.
When Pictures Are Worth a 1,000 Words: Addressing Global Stereotypes With Dollar Street:

This article describes the Gapminders’ Dollar Street website that provides educators with a vehicle to debunk stereotypes about people from other countries and provides opportunities for their stud...
What Can Local Governments Do? Variation Across States

This chapter presents a synthesis of theory and research about the functional roles (responsibilities) of municipal government in the American states. The chapter examines state and local factors contributing to differences in the functional responsibilities of municipalities. It highlights the importance of a broad assessment of state-local governance, with special consideration of state policies that regulate the functional responsibilities of municipal government.
The Three Rs of Single-Cell RNA Sequencing: Reuse, Refine, and Resource

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) provides an unprecedented ability to investigate cellular heterogeneity in entire organs and tissues, including human skin. Ascension et al. (2020) combined and reanalyzed human skin scRNA-seq datasets to uncover new insights into fibroblast heterogeneity. This work demonstrates that new discoveries can be made from published data on the basis of principles of these three Rs: Reuse, Refine, and Resource.
Deep reinforcement learning in transportation research: A review

Abstract Applying and adapting deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to tackle transportation problems is an emerging interdisciplinary field. While rapidly growing, a comprehensive and synthetic review of existing DRL applications and adaptations in transportation research remains missing. The objective of this paper is to fill this gap. We expose the broad transportation research community to the methodological fundamentals of DRL, and present what have been accomplished in the literature by reviewing a total of 155 relevant papers that have appeared between 2016 and 2020. Based on the review, we further synthesize the applicability, strengths, shortcomings, issues, and directions for future DRL research in transportation, along with a discussion on the available DRL research resources. We hope that this review will serve as a useful reference for the transportation community to better understand DRL and its many potentials to advance research, and to stimulate further explorations in this exciting area.
A Clinical Report Utilizing the VITOM 3D® Microvideoscope for Cleft Palate Repair.

Cleft palate surgery has traditionally presented numerous problems for cleft surgeons including ergonomics, limited visual fields restricting the opportunity for demonstration and teaching. Additio...
Compressed Sensing Image Reconstruction of Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy Measurements Carried Out at Ultrahigh Scan Speeds Using Continuous Line Probes.

Previous studies on scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) imaging with nonlocal continuous line probes (CLPs) have demonstrated the ability to increase areal imaging rates by an order of magnitude compared to SECM based on conventional ultramicroelectrode (UME) disk electrodes. Increasing the linear scan speed of the CLP during imaging presents an opportunity to increase imaging rates even further but results in a significant deterioration in image quality due to transport processes in the liquid electrolyte. Here, we show that compressed sensing (CS) postprocessing can be successfully applied to CLP-based SECM measurements to reconstruct images with minimal distortion at probe scan rates greatly exceeding the conventional SECM ″speed limit″. By systematically evaluating the image quality of images generated by adaptable postprocessing CS methods for CLP-SECM data collected at varying scan rates, this work establishes a new upper bound for CLP scan rates. While conventional SECM imaging typically uses probe scan speeds characterized by Peclet numbers (Pe) < 1, this study shows that CS postprocessing methods can allow for an accurate image reconstruction for Pe approaching 5, corresponding to an order of magnitude increase in the maximum probe scan speed. This upper limit corresponds to the onset of chaotic convective flows within the electrolyte for the probes investigated in this work, highlighting the importance of considering hydrodynamics in the design of fast-scanning probes.
Establishing Financial Leadership Lab/Trading Room with Limited Resources

The purpose of the paper is as follows: to provide case study for colleges to use in the establishing a trading room, to stress the need of a business school to obtain a database and to show the commitment of students to help on a project and to learn. Of course, the case study demonstrates the need for a college to have variety of funding devices.
A retrospective review of the outcomes of migraine surgery in the adolescent population.

BACKGROUND Migraine surgery has been studied extensively in adult patients with refractory headaches. The purpose of this study was to review a single surgeon's outcomes following migraine surgery in an adolescent population. METHODS A retrospective review of all patients operated on by the senior author (B.G.) from 2000 to 2014 was performed. All patients aged 18 years or younger with at least 1 year of follow-up after surgery were included. Preoperative and postoperative migraine frequency, duration, severity, and migraine headache days and migraine index were analyzed for statistical significance. RESULTS A total of 14 patients and 15 operations were analyzed. After an average follow-up of 38.2 months, the frequency of migraine headaches per 30-day period was reduced from 25 to 5 (p < 0.0001), the migraine headache index decreased from 148.1 to 12.4 (p < 0.0001), the duration of headaches (number of hours per 24 hours) declined from 0.71 to 0.25 (p = 0.002), severity of headaches diminished from 8.2 to 4.3 (p = 0.0004), and migraine days per month declined from 25 to 5 (p < 0.0001). Five patients remained free of any symptoms following surgery. One patient had no improvement in frequency of headaches, but did have improvement in severity and duration of headaches. No postoperative complications were noted in this group of patients. CONCLUSION In the adolescent population with migraine headaches refractory to traditional medical management, migraine surgery may offer symptomatic improvement of migraine headache frequency, duration, and severity in patients with identifiable anatomical trigger sites. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic, IV.
Chapter 14 Mechanisms Regulating the Production of Arachidonate Metabolites in Mononuclear Phagocytes

Publisher Summary This chapter illustrates current information on transductional sequences involved in stimulated eicosanoid production in mononuclear phagocytes. Mononuclear phagocytes have been demonstrated to contain more esterified arachidonate in comparison with other leukocytes, with a large amount available for stimulated eicosanoid production. Multiple transductional sequences initiated by the stimuli of mononuclear phagocytes are involved in the production of eicosanoids. These are likely to include direct receptor-coupled activation of enzymes involved in the de-esterification of the arachidonate contained in cellular phospholipids. Alterations of the intracellular concentrations of several “second messengers” in response to external stimuli regulate both total eicosanoid production and the relative production of the individual classes of eicosanoids (i.e., cyclo-oxygenase products vs the leukotrienes). These regulators of eicosanoid production include intracellular calcium, intracellular pH, and the activation of protein kinase C. Investigations of the molecular mechanisms involved in stimulus-induced eicosanoid production are complicated by the apparent requirement for protein synthesis for the actions of several macrophage stimuli.
Academic Library Administrators Perceive Value in Their Librarians’ Research

A Review of: Perkins, G.H. & Slowik, A.J.W. (2013). The value of research in academic libraries. College & Research Libraries, 74(2), 143-158. Retrieved from http://crl.acrl.org/content/74/2/143.full.pdf+html Abstract Objective – To explore academic library administrators’ perceived value of their librarians’ research, specifically the importance to the profession and the library community. Design – Qualitative, exploratory study using a survey questionnaire. Setting – Academic libraries in the United States of America. Subjects – 23 library administrators. Methods – During the summer of 2010, one of the authors conducted 20-30 minute telephone interviews with 23 academic library administrators. Interviews were recorded and transcribed for coding. Interview questions 1-3 and 8-19 were content-analyzed; the authors described common themes for each of these questions. Items 4-7 had Likert scale response formats, and a mean and standard deviation were computed for each of these items. Main Results – The benefits of librarians’ research included fulfilling tenure-track requirements, enriching relationships with teaching faculty, library faculty recognition, improved services and programs, collaboration with others, research result application to daily issues, development as librarians, and improved knowledge of the research field. The perceived current changes and future issues for university libraries included increased digitization of collections, scholarly communication, and expanded instructional engagement of faculty and students, as well as future economic downturn and budget cuts. Administrators noted several methods that influenced their thinking: professional meetings, reading professional journals, informal discussions with colleagues, and social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Academic library administrators used a variety of methods to support their librarians’ research. These included tenure-track requirements, research incentives, travel funds, grants, sabbaticals, release time, and shared communication about research. Additionally, there was a substantial perceived interrelationship between how librarians’ research benefited the librarian, the library, the university, and the profession. Recognition and new programs and services were thought to benefit all four areas, and monetary rewards were considered benefits for the first three areas. Conclusion – Based on the sample of 23 academic library administrators, the authors conclude that librarians’ research is perceived as valuable to both the academic and library communities.
Skin Substitute for Burns, Bioactive

The new generation of skin substitutes are developed to be biologically active. The concept behind providing bioactivity is that the wound healing process can be substantially improved as compared with a simple synthetic barrier-type dressing. It remains to be seen just how much better this new generation of products will impact the burn wound. To date, the new products to be discussed have not displaced the more inert standard burn wound dressings, but rather are used in conjunction and for quite specific indications. The skin substitutes are initially classified according to whether they are to be used as a temporary wound covering to decrease pain and augment healing or a permanent skin substitute to add to or replace the remaining skin components. The ideal properties and indications for these products will be better clarified after a discussion of the function of normal skin and the effect of a burn on skin integrity. Keywords: skin substitute; bioactive; burns; healing; wound covering; burn care
Aggregation of test statistics: An evaluation of the evidence on contracting and size hypotheses

Abstract More powerful tests of a theory of choice of accounting methods and the effect of changes in these choices on equity values are provided. The power increase comes from efficiently aggregating results across studies. One conclusion is that at least six variables common to more than one study have explanatory power. These variables are managerial compensation, leverage, size, risk, and constraints on interest coverage and dividends. Another conclusion is that the posterior probability that the theory taken as a whole has explanatory power is close to one. This conclusion includes the effect of variables that only appear in one study.
The Life, Music and Thought of Woody Guthrie: A Critical Appraisal

Reviewed Medium: book Year: 2011 Publisher: Ashgate Publishing ISBN: 978-0-7546-6955-5 (hard cover).
Sum-Defined Neighbor-Distinguishing Colorings

We now switch our attention from edge colorings of a graph G that give rise to vertex-distinguishing vertex colorings to those that result in neighbor-distinguishing vertex colorings. That is, suppose that \(c: E(G) \rightarrow [k]\) for some positive integer k is an unrestricted edge coloring. For each vertex v of G, we assign a color \(c^{{\prime}}(v)\) to v that depends in some way on the colors of the edges incident with v.
A prospective comparative analysis of the accuracy of HistoScanning and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging in the localization of prostate cancer among men undergoing radical prostatectomy

Abstract Introduction There is increasing interest in using imaging in the detection and localization of prostate cancer (PCa). Both multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) and HistoScanning (HS) have been independently evaluated in the detection and localization of PCa. We undertook a prospective, blinded comparison of mpMRI and HS for cancer localization among men undergoing radical prostatectomy. Methods Following approval by the institutional review board, men scheduled to undergo radical prostatectomy, who had previously undergone mpMRI at our institution, were offered inclusion in the study. Those consenting underwent preoperative HS following induction of anesthesia; mpMRI, HS, and surgical step-section pathology were independently read by a single radiologist, urologist, and pathologist, respectively, in a blinded fashion. Disease maps created by each independent reader were compared and evaluated for concordance by a 5 persons committee consisting of 2 urologists, 2 pathologists, and 1 radiologist. Logistic regression for correlated data was used to assess and compare mpMRI and HS in terms of diagnostic accuracy for cancer detection. Generalized estimating equations based on binary logistic regression were used to model concordance between reader opinion and the reference standard assessment of the same lesion site or region as a function of imaging modality. Results Data from 31/35 men enrolled in the trial were deemed to be evaluable. On evaluation of cancer localization, HS identified cancer in 36/78 (46.2%) regions of interest, as compared with 41/78 (52.6%) on mpMRI (P = 0.3968). The overall accuracy, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and specificity for detection of disease within a region of interest were significantly better with mpMRI as compared with HS. HS detected 36/84 (42.9%) cancer foci as compared with 42/84 (50%) detected by mpMRI (P = 0.3678). Among tumors with Gleason score>6, mpMRI detected 19/22 (86.4%) whereas HS detected only 11/22 (50%, P = 0.0078). Similarly, among tumors>10 mm in maximal diameter, mpMRI detected 28/34 (82.4%) whereas HS detected only 19/34 (55.9%, P = 0.0352). Conclusion In our institution, the diagnostic accuracy of HS was inferior to that of mpMRI in PCa for PCa detection and localization. Although our study warrants validation from larger cohorts, it would suggest that the HS protocol requires further refinement before clinical implementation.
Purification of Tryptase From a Human Mast Cell Line

The neutral protease tryptase has been isolated from a human mast cell line, HMC-1. The HMC-1 line was established from the peripheral blood of a patient with mast cell leukemia and maintained as continuously proliferating clones in vitro and as solid mast cell tumors in nude mice. HMC-1-derived tryptase was purified by sequential chromatography on Dowex 1, DEAE 5 PW, and heparin-agarose. Purified tryptase has an apparent molecular weight of 150,000, as determined by molecular sieve HPLC, but migrates as a doublet of bands of 32/35,000 on SDS-PAGE gels. Maximal enzymatic activity was observed at pH 8.5. Cleavage of tosyl-L-arginine methyl ester by purified tryptase was inhibited by dansyl-L-glutamyl-glycyl-L-arginine chloromethyl ketone 2 HCl, HgCl2, tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone, leupeptin, and PMSF but not by benzamidine, aprotinin, tosyl-L-phenyl-alanine chloromethyl ketone, soybean trypsin inhibitor, human plasma, ovomucoid inhibitor, or lima bean trypsin inhibitor. Microsequencing of purified tryptase yielded an amino terminal sequence that was identical to that previously reported for human pituitary-derived tryptase.
Field methods in research on technology management

Available concepts, terms, and frameworks provide an inadequate set of symbols for describing the choice of designs used in field research in technological organizations. Dimensional analysis of a sample of research reports demonstrates the usefulness of measuring selected characteristics and also provides some insight into the pattern of journal reports.
Measurement of fatigue-induced surface plasticity

A method is presented for measuring at a surface the localized plastic strains induced by fatigue within individual grains. The technique uses mica flakes distributed on a sample surface as reference gauges, relative to which strains in the surface can accurately be determined. An application of the method to the study of fatigue induced microplasticity in an Al 2219-T851 alloy is discussed. On an unfatigued specimen, subjected to applied stresses less than the yield strength, deformation is elastic over gauge lengths comparable with the grain size. After fully-reversed cyclic loading at a peak tensile stress of 75% of the yield strength for 20×103 cycles, the larger grains in the alloy exhibit a residual tensile strain after a tensile loading cycle. Neighbouring smaller grains are driven into elastic compression to accommodate this tensile plastic deformation. Peak localized tensile plastic strains may exceed 0.5% at the surface. This technique will be useful in evaluating models of fatigue crack initiation and surface damage accumulation.