cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of the Calmodulin-Binding Domains of Fas Death Receptor

The extrinsic apoptotic pathway is initiated by binding of a Fas ligand to the ectodomain of the surface death receptor Fas protein. Subsequently, the intracellular death domain of Fas (FasDD) and that of the Fas-associated protein (FADD) interact to form the core of the death-inducing signaling complex (DISC), a crucial step for activation of caspases that induce cell death. Previous studies have shown that calmodulin (CaM) is recruited into the DISC in cholangiocarcinoma cells and specifically interacts with FasDD to regulate the apoptotic/survival signaling pathway. Inhibition of CaM activity in DISC stimulates apoptosis significantly. We have recently shown that CaM forms a ternary complex with FasDD (2:1 CaM:FasDD). However, the molecular mechanism by which CaM binds to two distinct FasDD motifs is not fully understood. Here, we employed mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), biophysical, and biochemical methods to identify the binding regions of FasDD and provide a molecular basis for the role of CaM in Fas-mediated apoptosis. Proteolytic digestion and mass spectrometry data revealed that peptides spanning residues 209-239 (Fas-Pep1) and 251-288 (Fas-Pep2) constitute the two CaM-binding regions of FasDD. To determine the molecular mechanism of interaction, we have characterized the binding of recombinant/synthetic Fas-Pep1 and Fas-Pep2 peptides with CaM. Our data show that both peptides engage the N- and C-terminal lobes of CaM simultaneously. Binding of Fas-Pep1 to CaM is entropically driven while that of Fas-Pep2 to CaM is enthalpically driven, indicating that a combination of electrostatic and hydrophobic forces contribute to the stabilization of the FasDD-CaM complex. Our data suggest that because Fas-Pep1 and Fas-Pep2 are involved in extensive intermolecular contacts with the death domain of FADD, binding of CaM to these regions may hinder its ability to bind to FADD, thus greatly inhibiting the initiation of apoptotic signaling pathway.
Reference Questions: A Noticeable Pattern

Reference services play a crucial role in the academic lives of the students in 4-year colleges, regardless of how the services are provided. Katz, in his book, Introduction to Reference Work, cate...
The Seventy-Fifth Anniversary Celebration

The record [1] shows that 104 men and women, meeting on December 30 and 31, 1915, in room 101 of Page Hall on the campus of Ohio State University, formed a new organization which they named the Mathematical Association of America. They elected officers as follows: President, E. R. Hedrick of the University of Missouri; Vice-Presidents, E. V. Huntington and G. A. Miller of Harvard and Illinois; and Secretary-Treasurer, W. D. Cairns of Oberlin. They also elected an Executive Council whose twelve members were widely representative of important centers for the study of mathematics from the East Coast to the West Coast. This first Executive Council included J. W. Young, R. C. Archibald, Oswald Veblen, E. H. Moore, Florian Cajori, D. N. Lehmer, and other leaders of American mathematics. Finally, the Executive Council appointed a Committee on Publications consisting of H. E. Slaught, R. D. Carmichael, and W. H. Bussey, with Slaught as the Managing Editor of The American Mathematical Monthly. Today we salute these pioneers whose vision and wisdom established the Mathematical Association of America; today we celebrate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the organization which they bequeathed to us. But there was an earlier beginning which must be recognized; let me first describe the setting for this event. In northwest Missouri, about 75 miles north of Kansas City and 35 miles east of Saint Joseph, there is in the county of Caldwell a small town named Kidder. It is a little town: in 1900 its population was 357, and in 1910 it was only 306. Kidder is shown on the map of Missouri in the Rand McNally Road Atlas today, but without help it is difficult to locate: it is so small that it is not included in the index of towns and cities. The neighborhood of Kidder today is a pleasant and prosperous agricultural region, but before, during, and after the Civil War it suffered much violence and terrorism [7]. But peace and stability came eventually, and in 1884 the Congregational Church revived an earlier school in Kidder and called it Kidder Institute [5, pp. 294-296], [6, pp. 553-558]. In 1892 Benjamin Franklin Finkel [81, [9] joined the faculty of Kidder Institute as a mathematics teacher. Finkel was born in Ohio in 1865, he received a B.S. degree from Ohio Northern University in 1888, and, before he arrived in Kidder, he had been a teacher, a mathematics instructor, a principal, and a superintendent in schools and academies in Ohio and Tennessee. His experiences as a teacher had created in him a desire which he described as follows:
Fly Sprays for Dairy Cows–A Progress Report

Fly sprays of petroleum oils carrying pyrethrum, pine oil, or both, designed to keep flies from dairy cows were tested for their efficiency. It was shown that all had approximately the same efficiency for the first hour but differed at subsequent intervals, pine oil increasing their efficiency in proportion to the amount applied. Burning followed the use of oils having a viscosity lower than 40 seconds irrespective of the unsulfonated residue while oils with unsulfonated residues below 90 per cent were dangerous if used in oils of higher than 65 seconds viscosity. The pyrexial point, defined as the environmental temperature above which cows could not maintain a normal body temperature, was determined for the experimental animals. The application of oil sprays lowered this pyrexial point approximately five degrees by impairing the small amount of cooling that takes place, through the action at the surface of the skin. The different sprays varied in their effects on this pyrexial point.
The Internet of Heirlooms and Disposable Things

The Internet of Things (“IoT”) is here, and we seem to be going all in. We are trying to put a microchip in nearly every object that is not nailed down and even a few that are. Soon, your cars, toasters, toys, and even your underwear will be wired up to make your lives better. The general thought seems to be that “Internet connectivity makes good objects great.” While the IoT might be incredibly useful, we should proceed carefully. Objects are not necessarily better simply because they are connected to the Internet. Often, the Internet can make objects worse and users worse-off. Digital technologies can be hacked. Each new camera, microphone, and sensor adds another vector for attack and another point of surveillance in our everyday lives. The problem is that privacy and data security law have failed to recognize some “things” are more dangerous than others as part of the IoT. Some objects, like coffee pots and dolls, can last long after the standard life-cycle of software. Meanwhile cheap, disposable objects, like baby wipes, might not be worth outfitting with the most secure hardware and software. Yet they all are part of the network. This essay argues that the nature of the “thing” in the IoT should play a more prominent role in privacy and data security law. The decision to wire up an object should be coupled with responsibilities to make sure its users are protected. Only then, can we trust the Internet of Heirlooms and Disposable Things.
Corporate Payouts, Macroeconomic Influences and Industry Effects

The objective of this study is to examine the dynamic nature of dividends and repurchases by examining the effect of industry group and macroeconomic factors on aggregate payout activity between 1985 and 2011. The article applies new tools that include a random-effect, a fixed-effect, and a Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model. The results highlight new perspectives and support the need to interpret corporate payout determinants within the context of macroeconomic factors and industry group effects.
Anthropomorphism and the Critique of Liberal Rights in John Clare’s Enclosure Elegies

Marketed as a “peasant poet,” John Clare’s poetic identity is marked by his relationship to the natural world. His poems detail the vanishing topos of his childhood spent on common land; enclosure interrupts his walking paths with fences, cuts down beloved trees, and radically alters the visible landscape. “All my favourite places have met with misfortunes,” Clare laments in his “Autobiographical Fragments” (BH 41). Describing the fate of particular, beloved places altered by enclosure, Clare uses the word “misfortune,” a word that hints at his penchant for anthropomorphism, since “misfortune” is almost always used in connection with human social existence. Clare’s middle period poetry records his native Helpston’s natural and social history through a “language that is ever green,” which has been described by James McKusick as a unique “ecolect” that attempts to conserve what is left of his native Helpston.1
The impact of ChART on the science of thymic malignancies.

Thymic malignancies qualify as an orphan disease. Many hurdles stand in the way of scientific advancement for such rare diseases, including the difficulty in having an adequate and homogeneous population of patients to study, and the fact that grants and other support for research is mostly unavailable for rare diseases (1). It is clear that the only way to make progress is through grass roots efforts, collaboration, and an organizational infrastructure. This realization led to the formation of both the International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group (ITMIG) and the Chinese Alliance for Research in Thymomas (ChART).
Mechanism of TIM1, TIM3, and TIM4 Binding to Lipid Membranes

T cell/transmembrane immunoglobulin mucin protein 1, 3, and 4 (TIM1, TIM3, and TIM4) are vital regulators in the innate immune system. Their activation involves specifically binding phosphatidylserine (PS) exposed cell membranes. Elucidation of the detailed mechanism of this TIMs/lipid interaction is key to understanding their immunological functions. Here we have established the binding force between the TIMs and lipid membrane to be composed of three components, namely the protein/Ca2+/PS coordination chemistry, hydrophobic insertion, and electrostatic attraction. We have further quantified these three forces in terms of association/dissociation constants in different large unilamellar vesicle model systems, using fluorescence spectral shift as the tool. Our quantitative analysis has led to the surprising discovery of a three- to four- fold affinity enhancement effect of minute amounts of the negatively charged phosphatidic acid (PA) are present in the membrane for TIM3, while much attenuated effects were observed for TIM1 and TIM4, suggesting the level of PA might play an important role in TIM3 regulation. TIM4 binds to PS containing membranes most potently, yielding a TIM4/PS stoichiometry of around 4.5/1, which agrees well with our model that 4 peripheral basic amino acid residues around the PS coordination pocket contribute to binding via binding to negative lipid headgroups on the membrane. We have studied the concentration of Ca2+ at the interface between a lipid monolayer and the subphase on a Langmuir trough using x-ray fluorescence to find significant accumulation, suggesting a cloud of Ca2+ might present an attractive force pulling the TIMs toward the membrane.
Bioavailability in Delivery to the Skin

After oral administration of drugs, they undergo various phases of pharmacokinetics such as absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME). Absorption may also involve liberation of active ingredients from their respective formulation or delivery system. In practical terms, the bioavailability of the drug is the fraction of the intact drug, in its active form, that reaches the site of action. Typically, in oral drug administration, it must travel through the acidic pH of the stomach, the intestine wall, to blood circulation and finally to the target site. During this journey, drugs could be chemically metabolized in the intestine and liver. Also, the intestinal wall poses a permeability barrier to the drugs which depends upon the physiochemical characteristics of the molecules. Similarly, transdermal administration also has a barrier, the epidermal/dermal drug barrier. As discussed in previous chapters, the stratum corneum (SC), the top layer of the skin, provides the main barrier to the skin. Both skin and intestine wall contain lipid bilayers through which drugs must pass. The permeability of the intestine wall is much higher compared to the SC in the skin. There have always been challenges to delivering the therapeutic amounts of drugs to targets. Bioavailability in transdermal drugs delivery is mostly limited by instability of the compound and by the skin barrier.
Epidemiological and clinical data as breast cancer predictors in African American and Caucasian women

A56 Reproductive and family histories are independently associated with breast cancer. This is in part due to the fact they are indirect measures of individual exposure to endogenous estrogens. It is known that women of different ethnicities exhibit differences in estrogen levels and metabolism, thus exhibiting a variety of risk profiles. A clinical marker of breast cancer risk is mammographic density; however, it is not known if any difference exists with ethnicity. This study attempts to identify breast cancer risk profiles among Caucasian and African American women. The sample population was drawn from the Mammograms and Masses Study, conducted on approximately 1,000 women in the Greater Pittsburgh area. All African-American controls with mammogram data were selected, and Caucasian controls were randomly selected for this analysis with frequency matching 2:1. Selected variables that are known to be associated with breast cancer were evaluated according to ethnicity. Statistical significance was assessed using the 2-sample t-test or chi-square statistic, where appropriate. Mean Age: Afr-Amer, 55.5 yrs; Cau, 55.5 yrs; P=0.9898 Age at Menarche > 13 yrs: Afr-Amer, 55.9 yrs; Cau, 63.6 yrs; P=0.4395 Age at Menopause: Afr-Amer, 44.8 yrs; Cau, 46.9 yrs; P=0.1281 Ever Pregnant: Afr-Amer, 82.9%; Cau, 76.6%; P=0.4561 Ever Smoker: Afr-Amer, 57.1%; Cau, 40.3%; P=0.0963 Family History of Cancer: Afr-Amer, 45.5%; Cau, 71.4%; P=0.0095 Body Mass Index (BMI): Afr-Amer, 31.6; Cau, 27.4; P=0.0002 Breast Density: Afr-Amer, 28.3%; Cau, 40.1%; P=0.0050 Preliminary results on the mean 2:16 α hydroxyestrone metabolite ratio among a subset of the study population suggest differences in estrogen metabolism (0.48 African Americans, 0.66 Caucasians, p-value= 0.1272). Laboratory testing of the remaining population is ongoing. In this study population, breast density, BMI, family history of cancer and estrogen metabolism vary by race. Our findings support the need for breast cancer studies within a large African American population, where genetic and environmental factors should be explored.
Reviews [Book review]

The book reviewed is, "A History of Information in the United States Since 1870" (Cortada, J.W.; 2016). While All the Facts does not really offer all the facts, it offers a lot of them. But that’s not the only thing that makes this book so ambitious. Rather, it’s the author's attempt to redirect the historiography of information and computing history. He suggests that what’s important is not the technology of information processing but rather the information being processed: what information, where it comes from, how it’s used, what effects it has. All the Facts outlines a new approach to the history of information, one focused on content and context. It also offers a new approach to the social and cultural history of the United States, one that puts information at its center. All the Facts covers large swaths of the information ecology of American economy and society. The book doesn’t explore the heterogeneity of information in the diversity of American society and culture as much as that area deserves exploration. It’s an area that invites further work. As with Cortada’s previous books, this one is extremely well researched. The footnotes and bibliography are spectacular, some 130 pages spanning primary and secondary sources of every kind. Those references, along with the synthetic treatment of so many aspects of information, will make the book very useful as a jumping-off point for other researchers. That’s Cortada’s goal for the book, and it was accomplished very well.
Violence of the Name: How Naming the M23 Rebel Has Perpetrated Violence in the Eastern Congo

This paper seeks to give a background and context to the emergence of the M23 rebel group in the eastern Kivu region of the DRC. I use primarily the work of social theorist Judith Butler to critically unpack the M23’s existence and examine the reasons behind the perpetuation of the Kivu conflict. I argue that the concept of naming the M23 as a rebel group drastically limits policy approaches that seek to end the violence in that the label of “rebel” implicates the designated actors as illegitimate and irrational soldiers. With the M23 relegated to a realm of illegality, and essentially not taken seriously, policy makers overlook crucial factors when attempting to address this conflict. I focus on one factor in particular: the rationale behind many DRC actors, like the M23, using violence as a means to survive amidst a perpetual condition of violence. This context deserves ample recognition in the pursuit of peace in the Kivu region.
Effect of Scan Angle and Reconstruction Algorithm on Model Observer Performance in Tomosynthesis

The goal of this work is to develop task-based figures of merit for the assessment of tomosynthesis imaging. Towards this aim, we have computed performance of a prewhitening model observer for a SKE detection task in uniform background, in the in-focus plane of a the signal in the reconstructed tomosynthesis volume, as well as signal contrast. Test images were computer generated and reconstructed using both iterative ML-EM and filtered backprojection. We found that in noiseless images, signal contrast was substantially higher for the FBP reconstruction. For ML-EM reconstruction, model observer performance decreased with iteration number. At 10 iterations, performance was similar to that of FBP reconstruction. We found an increase of model observer performance with scan angle in the ML-EM reconstructed images. FBP showed a slight decrease of observer performance with scan angle. The results of this study are limited by the task, which is not realistic because backgrounds do not contain structure noise. This will be addressed in the future.
Bayesian nonstationary Gaussian process models via treed process convolutions

The Gaussian process is a common model in a wide variety of applications, such as environmental modeling, computer experiments, and geology. Two major challenges often arise: First, assuming that the process of interest is stationary over the entire domain often proves to be untenable. Second, the traditional Gaussian process model formulation is computationally inefficient for large datasets. In this paper, we propose a new Gaussian process model to tackle these problems based on the convolution of a smoothing kernel with a partitioned latent process. Nonstationarity can be modeled by allowing a separate latent process for each partition, which approximates a regional clustering structure. Partitioning follows a binary tree generating process similar to that of Classification and Regression Trees. A Bayesian approach is used to estimate the partitioning structure and model parameters simultaneously. Our motivating dataset consists of 11918 precipitation anomalies. Results show that our model has promising prediction performance and is computationally efficient for large datasets.
The Chronic Juvenile Offender

One of the most significant findings to emerge from criminological research over the past decade concerns the increasing evidence that a few chronic, or habitual, offenders commit a disproportionate share of crime, particularly serious crime. To be sure, criminology has always taken an interest in recidivists and repeated criminality, but until the recent past, the body of research evidence lagged far behind the theoretical formulations. As we noted in Chapter 3, empirical evidence has been accumulating which documents the disproportionately small size of the chronic delinquent population and their overinvolvement in crime.
Singular Homology Theory

The purpose of this chapter is to introduce the singular homology theory of an arbitrary topological space. Following the definitions and a proof of homotopy invariance, the essential computational tool (Theorem 1.14) is stated. Its proof is deferred to Appendix I so that the exposition need not be interrupted by its involved constructions. The Mayer-Vietoris sequence is noted as an immediate corollary of this theorem, and then applied to compute the homology groups of spheres. These results are applied to prove a number of classical theorems: the nonretractibility of a disk onto its boundary, the Brouwer fixed-point theorem, the nonexistence of vector fields on even-dimensional spheres, the Jordan-Brouwer separation theorem and the Brouwer theorem on the invariance of domain.
Square-Root Consider Filters with Hyperbolic Householder Reflections

Maintaining positive-definiteness of a filter’s error covariance estimate is of paramount importance to any stable and reliable estimation scheme. Two widely used methods for protecting a filter fr...
Power-Up: A Model for Increasing Power Engineering Career Readiness at Minority-Serving Institutions

Previous research on career readiness of engineering college students has mainly been focusing on profession required competencies. For engineers, career readiness contains a more fundamental, attitudinal domain that has not been explored thoroughly. The goal of this work in progress is to examine the changes in student attitudes toward careers in the power industry due to curriculum improvement made to bridge the gap between classroom and industry. A novel instructional design, the Power-Up Model, is proposed and now being implemented, which is expected to significantly increase student awareness of, efficacy in, and commitment to a career as a power engineer. The design of this model is based on the authors' experience in engineering education at minority-serving institutions. It holds promise to sustainably develop a diverse and well-prepared generation of power engineers and ultimately improve the nation's STEM workforce diversity.
Surface-Engineered Inorganic Nanoporous Membranes for Vapor and Pervaporative Separations of Water⁻Ethanol Mixtures.

Surface wettability-tailored porous ceramic/metallic membranes (in the tubular and planar disc form) were prepared and studied for both vapor-phase separation and liquid pervaporative separations of water-ethanol mixtures. Superhydrophobic nanoceramic membranes demonstrated more selective permeation of ethanol (relative to water) by cross-flow pervaporation of liquid ethanol–water mixture (10 wt % ethanol feed at 80 °C). In addition, both superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic membranes were tested for the vapor-phase separations of water–ethanol mixtures. Porous inorganic membranes having relatively large nanopores (up to 8-nm) demonstrated good separation selectivity with higher permeation flux through a non-molecular-sieving mechanism. Due to surface-enhanced separation selectivity, larger nanopore-sized membranes (~5–100 nm) can be employed for both pervaporation and vapor phase separations to obtain higher selectivity (e.g., permselectivity for ethanol of 13.9 during pervaporation and a vapor phase separation factor of 1.6), with higher flux due to larger nanopores than the traditional size-exclusion membranes (e.g., inorganic zeolite-based membranes having sub-nanometer pores). The prepared superhydrophobic porous inorganic membranes in this work showed good thermal stability (i.e., the large contact angle remains the same after 300 °C for 4 h) and chemical stability to ethanol, while the silica-textured superhydrophilic surfaced membranes can tolerate even higher temperatures. These surface-engineered metallic/ceramic nanoporous membranes should have better high-temperature tolerance for hot vapor processing than those reported for polymeric membranes.
Passive Cooling of Photovoltaics with Desiccants

As part of efforts to reduce photovoltaic (PV) costs and improve reliability/durability, temperature control needs to be closely examined in a number of ways including novel passive cooling technology. Modest PV module operating temperature reductions can increase PV power output by 100% or more. The higher the operating temperature of a typical PV device, the lower the overall PV conversion efficiency. Because some incident light is converted to heat in PV cells, the PV module heats up (typically 25°C above ambient temperature in full sun), and the overall energy output of the PV system is reduced (typically a 100% power loss for every 20°C to 30°C increase in temperature). We are integrating material on the PV module that adsorbs water from the air at night when the PV module temperature is cool and the relative humidity in the air is typically high. This sorbed water evaporates as the PV module heats up during the day, taking the excess heat with it and thus effectively cooling the PV module (see Fig. 1). Initial experiments with this novel passive cooling have demonstrated that PV module operating temperatures may be reduced nearly 30°C with evaporative cooling. In this paper, we describe 1) novel materials development, 2) initial modeling that predicts how the cooling will work in different environments, and 3) results demonstrating the PV operating temperature reductions achieved to date.
First off-line tests and performance of the Notre Dame multi-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer

Abstract A multi-reflection time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MR-TOF) will be a critical component for quickly removing radioactive contaminants produced at the future “N = 126 factory” addition to ATLAS at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). This unique thermalized ion beam facility will employ multi-nucleon transfer reactions to produce very neutron-rich isotopes relevant to the astrophysical r-process. Ion beams produced at this facility will include isobaric contaminants, while precision measurements of such rare isotopes typically require highly purified samples. Hence, to tackle this issue an MR-TOF has been built and commissioned at the University of Notre Dame in an off-line test setup comprising a thermionic source and a Bradbury-Nielsen gate (BNG) to create the ions bunches to be purified. Resolving power above 30,000, with a corresponding efficiency of 35%, has been achieved. Most of the ion beam losses could be the result of the large radial divergence of ion bunches produced by the BNG, hence greater efficiency and resolving power are expected once the MR-TOF is connected to an radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ) cooler and buncher at ANL.
The Culminating Crisis of American Sociology and Its Role in Social Science and Public Policy: An Autobiographical, Multimethod, Reflexive Perspective

For over 50 years I have been, and remain, an interdisciplinary social scientist seeking to develop and apply social science to improve the well-being of human individuals and social life. Sociolog...
Encounter norms among visitors at a national park in Turkey

This article examined response format effects on norm prevalence (i.e., the percent of individuals who could specify a norm). Data were collected in Dilek Peninsula Buyuk Menderes Delta National Park, in Turkey. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. In the “semi-open” response format, respondents (n = 458) “wrote a number” for an acceptable number of visitor encounters. In the “closed” format, respondents (n = 459) “circled a number” of acceptable encounters, along a range of possible responses. Results showed that encounter norm prevalence was significantly and consistently higher for the closed format of the survey, as compared to the semi-open version. In addition, among those reporting a norm, the average tolerance levels were statistically higher in the semi-open format. Implications for applying the normative approach across different cultures are discussed.
Spin dynamics in an antiferromagnetic spin-1 condensate

We observe coherent spin dynamics and measure ground state populations in an antiferromagnetic spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate. At a critical value of the quadratic Zeeman shift, the oscillations display a resonance in oscillation period.
Evaluation of the suitability of cranial measurements obtained from surface-rendered CT scans of living people for estimating sex and ancestry

Abstract Craniometric data from computed tomography (CT) head scans of 287 living Americans of three descent groups (African, Asian, European) and both sexes were analyzed for measurement precision. Classification accuracy was estimated by a leave-one-out cross validation, and group means were compared to the Forensic Data Bank (FDB). Landmarks were placed on 3D surface models of the skulls to approximate traditional cranial measurements utilized in sex and ancestry estimations. From repeat measurements by one observer on a subset of skulls (n = 14) reflecting 14 different CT protocols, the least precise landmark was euryon (SD ≤ 4.09 mm) and the least precise distances according to the coefficient of reliability (
Echo chambers and social mediators in public advocacy issue networks

Abstract The growing trend of politically motivated consumer boycotts and buycotts on social media not only impacts a company’s financial bottom line, but more fundamentally disrupts relationships between the firm and its publics, the cornerstone of public relations (Ferguson, 1984; Sommerfeldt, & Kent, 2015). On a broader level, such politically motivated advocacy is a critical facet of civil society with important implications on the societal role of public relations (Taylor, 2010). In light of the significance of politically motivated consumer advocacy to public relations, a multi-phase, exploratory study was conducted. Study 1 applies content analysis and social network analysis to examine how different interactive mechanisms on social media—retweet, mention, and reply—may affect communication within and between communities of different ideological views surrounding the boycott and buycott issues. Study 2 further explores the challenges and opportunities of fostering exchange of diverse viewpoints by identifying new social mediators—the “echoers” who propel information flow among in-group members, and the “bridgers” who initiate communication with political out-group members—and assess the key network characteristics of these social mediators. The findings of these two studies advance public relations theories on networks, intergroup communication, and civil society by illustrating how social media structure and social mediators shape the networked public discourse to facilitate or inhibit conversations between publics of different ideological orientations.
Will 5.6 million current American youth eventually die from smoking? The anatomy of a commonly accepted tobacco control measure.

Background According to the 2014 Surgeon General’s Report (SGR), ‘5.6 million (American) youth currently aged 0–17 years of age will die prematurely of a smoking-related illness.’ Advocates cite this number as evidence that smoking will exact an enormous toll for decades to come. This paper examines whether the projected toll accurately portrays smoking’s likely future burden. Methods The SGR estimate, using 2012 state-specific data, can be closely approximated using national data by multiplying the population ages 0–17 by 2012 smoking prevalence among adults ages 18–30, and multiplying that by 32%, the 1996 estimate by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the probability of future smoking-attributable mortality among young adult smokers. Repeating this process using 2018 data estimates the number of future deaths of youth ages 0–17 in 2018. A hypothetical estimate for 2024 assumes continuation of the 2012–2018 smoking prevalence decrease. Findings Based on 2012 data, the estimated number of youth alive in 2012 who will die prematurely from smoking is 5.31 million. With lower young adult smoking prevalence in 2018, the future smoking-related mortality estimate is 3.66 million. For 2024, the estimate is 2.54 million. Conclusions The SGR estimate depended on assumptions that no longer held a few years later. Yet advocates for youth smoking prevention cite it frequently today. Considerations such as this paper’s calculations, decreasing smoking initiation rates, increasing cessation, better screening for and treatment of smoking-related diseases, and smoking’s increasing social unacceptability suggest that smoking’s death toll for today’s youth will be far lower than contemporary estimates. How much lower is virtually impossible to estimate.
The Non-Normality of Firm Performance and the Consequences for Strategic Management Theory

Firm performance represents an integral outcome for most strategic management scholarship and corresponding theoretical frameworks (e.g., agency theory, RBV, competitive dynamics, and many more). D...
Multi-omic Analysis of the Interaction between Clostridioides difficile Infection and Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Summary Children with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are particularly vulnerable to infection with Clostridioides difficile (CDI). IBD and IBD + CDI have overlapping symptoms but respond to distinctive treatments, highlighting the need for diagnostic biomarkers. Here, we studied pediatric patients with IBD and IBD + CDI, comparing longitudinal data on the gut microbiome, metabolome, and other measures. The microbiome is dysbiotic and heterogeneous in both disease states, but the metabolome reveals disease-specific patterns. The IBD group shows increased concentrations of markers of inflammation and tissue damage compared with healthy controls, and metabolic changes associate with susceptibility to CDI. In IBD + CDI, we detect both metabolites associated with inflammation/tissue damage and fermentation products produced by C. difficile. The most discriminating metabolite found is isocaproyltaurine, a covalent conjugate of a distinctive C. difficile fermentation product (isocaproate) and an amino acid associated with tissue damage (taurine), which may be useful as a joint marker of the two disease processes.
Self-reported sleep duration and timing: A methodological review of event definitions, context, and timeframe of related questions

Abstract Background Clinical practice guidelines and population health recommendations are derived from studies that include self-reported data. Small semantic differences in question wording and response scales, may significantly affect the response. We conducted a methodological review to assess the variation in event definition(s), context (i.e., work-versus free-day), and timeframe of sleep timing and duration questions. Methods We queried multiple databases of sleep, medicine, public health, and psychology for survey-based studies and/or publications with sleep duration and/or timing questions. The text of these questions was extracted and thematically analyzed by two trained coders. Results We identified 49 surveys that included sleep duration and/or timing questions. Sample sizes of participants in the reviewed publications using these surveys ranged from 93 to 1,185,106. For sleep duration questions, participants were asked to report nocturnal sleep (22/43), sleep in the past 24-hours (15/43), their major sleep episode (3/43), or no event definition was given (3/43). Among bedtime questions, participants were asked to report the time into bed (17/40), fall asleep time (10/40), or first attempt to sleep (13/40). For wake time questions, participants were asked to report their out of bed time (3/36), the time they get up (6/36), or their wake up time (27/36). Context (e.g., work versus free day) guidance was provided in 18/43 major sleep duration questions, 31/40 bedtime questions, and 30/36 wake time questions. Timeframe (e.g., the past 4 weeks) was provided in 6/43 major sleep episode duration questions, 9/40 bedtime questions, and 3/36 wake time questions. Among the surveys analyzed, only one question asked about the method of awakening (e.g., spontaneously or by alarm clock), 15 questions assessed sleep latency, and eight measured napping. Conclusion There is large variability in the event definition(s), context, and timeframe of questions relating to duration, bed/wake times, latency, and napping. This work may inform future efforts at data harmonization for meta-analyses, provide options for question wording for researchers and clinicians, and be used to identify candidate questions for future surveys.
Approximate diffraction modeling for real-time sound propagation simulation.

Convincing simulation of diffraction around obstacles is critical in modeling sound propagation in virtual environments. Due to the computational complexity of large-scale wavefield simulations, ray-based models of diffraction are used in real-time interactive multimedia applications. Among popular diffraction models, the Biot-Tolstoy-Medwin (BTM) edge diffraction model is the most accurate, but it suffers from high computational complexity and hence is difficult to apply in real time. This paper introduces an alternative ray-based approach to approximating diffraction, called Volumetric Diffraction and Transmission (VDaT). VDaT is a volumetric diffraction model, meaning it performs spatial sampling of paths along which sound can traverse the scene around obstacles. VDaT uses the spatial sampling results to estimate the BTM edge-diffraction amplitude response and path length, with a much lower computational cost than computing BTM directly. On average, VDaT matches BTM results within 1–3 dB over a wide range of size scales and frequencies in basic cases, and VDaT can handle small objects and gaps better than comparable state-of-the-art real-time diffraction implementations. A GPU-parallelized implementation of VDaT is shown to be capable of simulating diffraction on thousands of direct and specular reflection path segments in small-to-medium-size scenes, within strict real-time constraints and without any precomputed scene information.
SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM AND MALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION ARO UND THE WORLD

In this paper we analyze the effect of Social Security regime changes on labor force participation of 50-80-year-old men across and within 13 countries: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, France, Greece, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and the United States. Labor force participation of men ages 50-80 has declined dramatically since 1960, despite increases in life expectancy and the compression of morbidity. We use three variables to capture information regarding the Social Security regime: the Social Security tax rate as a fraction of the wage; the replacement rates as a fraction of the wage; and the delay incentive as a fraction of the wage. We find that the tax rate has an inconsistent effect on labor force participation rates across countries, but the replacement rate has a strong negative effect on labor force participation incentives. That is, a higher replacement rate will encourage men to retire. The delay incentive has a small positive effect on labor force participation. Stratifications by regions within France and the United States show that within country variation in the labor market response to national Social Security regimes exists. We also stratify by education attainment and find that those with higher levels of education have a weaker labor market response to changes in the Social Security regime.
Comparing Decentralized Ongoing Task Allocation

Real-world domains can often benefit from adaptable decentralized task allocation through emergent specialization of large groups of agents. Agents working within a shared environment can use environmental cues as a means of indirect coordination to maximize performance. We compare how groups of homogeneous agents fulfill the demands of a set of “ongoing” dynamic tasks over time, when employing Response Threshold Reinforcement, Ant Colony Optimization, or Linear Reward-Penalty Learning Automata. Results show that efficient, stable, and adaptable task allocation for large teams choosing from large sets of always-available tasks is possible, but excess and deficit workforce can present some performance challenges.
Online Attendance Management System Based on Face Recognition Using CNN

Due to the growing trend of online classes, there is a pressing need to create an efficient system that can keep track of the students’ regular presence in these lectures. The traditional method of manual calculation of attendance proves to be ineffective and time-consuming. Hence, this problem can be addressed by building a system which will perform the task of marking the attendance of students by matching their faces in the multiple frames of an online class with their respective images present in the database. In this paper, face detection and recognition is being done on a video given as input to our program. Multiple faces are detected and recognised simultaneously in a class lecture. Face detection and recognition application is implemented using an open source computer vision called OpenCV. The paper doesn’t venture into real time application though it has a future in real time detection. The essential algorithms that have been extensively used are Convolution Neural Network and VGG16 architecture along with Haar features. Moreover, significant changes are to be integrated in order to bring an upheaval in the major image analysis modules such that the framework incorporates accuracy and robustness even when other variations on poses are imposed. Our framework has been evolved to detect and recognise faces in fixed time periods and mark the student’s attendance according to the average value of the faces detected and recognised within those fixed time periods such that the online attendance system can’t be evaded or cheated.
Effects of monochloramine on courtship and spawning in the cichlid fish Etroplus maculatus

The effects of monochloramine on frequencies and sequences of courtship modal action patterns (MAPs) and egg and spawn measurements in Etroplus maculatus were studied. Frequencies of several MAPs were significantly different among groups of fish exposed to no toxicant, 0.025 and 0.050 mg 1-1 monochloramine. Length of courtship, number of eggs and egg density per spawn were found to differ significantly between control fish and those exposed to monochloramine. Fish exposed to 0.050 mg 1-1 did not reproduce at all. Sequential analyses of courtship behavior described significant differences in courtship sequences among control fish and those exposed to the toxicant. It is concluded that sublethal levels of monochloramine alter courtship behavior and decrease reproductive success
Cigarette Consumption and Cigarette Smoking Prevalence Among Adults in Kansas

INTRODUCTION Recent tobacco prevention and cessation activities have focused on nonsmoking ordinances and behavioral changes, and in Kansas, the overall prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults has decreased. The objective of this study was to determine whether overall cigarette consumption (mean annual number of cigarettes smoked) in Kansas also decreased. METHODS Data on cigarette smoking prevalence for 91,465 adult Kansans were obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey for 1999 through 2010. Data on annual cigarette consumption were obtained from the 2002 and 2006 Kansas Adult Tobacco Survey and analyzed by totals, by sex, and by smoking some days or smoking every day. Linear regression was used to evaluate rate changes over time. RESULTS Among men, but not women, cigarette smoking prevalence decreased significantly over time. The prevalence of smoking every day decreased significantly among both men and women, whereas the prevalence of smoking on some days increased significantly for women but not men. For current smokers, the mean annual number of cigarettes consumed remained the same. CONCLUSION The decline in overall smoking prevalence coupled with the lack of change in mean annual cigarette consumption may have resulted in a more intense exposure to cigarettes for the smoking population. The significant increase in some day use among women indicates a need for additional prevention and education activities; the impact on future lung cancer incidence rates needs further investigation.
INSULIN AND GLUCAGON REGULATION OF GLUCONEOGENESIS IN PRERUMINATING AND RUMINATING BOVINE

Hepatocyte monolayers were established from young preruminating (7 to 14 d of age) or older ruminating (11 to 12 wk of age) calves and used to evaluate the effects of insulin and glucagon on incorporation of carbon from 2.5 mM [2-14C]propionate and 2.0 mM [U-14C]lactate into glucose and glycogen. Developmental state (young preruminating vs older ruminating) of the donor calf did not affect the rate of gluconeogenesis from propionate in the absence of hormones. Insulin decreased (P < .05) gluconeogenesis and increased (P < .05) glycogenesis from propionate and lactate in hepatocytes from preruminating calves but had no effect on hepatocytes from ruminating calves. Lactate was poorly metabolized to glucose and was not responsive to glucagon in hepatocytes from ruminating calves compared with hepatocytes from preruminating calves. Hepatocytes responded to glucagon by increasing (P < .05) gluconeogenesis from propionate. Maximal responsiveness to glucagon did not differ between ruminating and preruminating calves, but hepatocytes from preruminating calves responded at lower glucagon concentrations (P < .05). These data demonstrate a similar capacity of hepatocytes from preruminating and ruminating calves to metabolize propionate to glucose, but there was a seven- to eightfold decrease in gluconeogenesis from lactate in ruminating calves that was accompanied by a decreased response to acute changes in insulin and glucagon.
Potential for ambiguity in the interpretation of immunochemical studies on multienzymic proteins. The case of uridylate synthase.

Abstract Rabbit antibodies directed against homogeneous uridylate synthase multienzyme from mouse Ehrlich ascites carcinoma precipitate both the orotidine-5′-monophosphate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.23) and orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.10) activities of mouse and human erythrocyte uridylate synthase. When the partially purified human enzyme is used as antigen the two activities coprecipitate with the same apparent titer; however, when the mouse carcinoma protein was studied under the same conditions the decarboxylase activity immunoprecipitated with significantly higher avidity than did the transferase activity. Since the mouse multienzyme has been shown to be a single polypeptide that contains both activities (McClard, R.W., Black, M.J., Livingstone, L.R. and Jones, M.E. (1980) Biochemistry 19, 4699–4706), these results were, at face value, surprising. However, when the mouse orotate phosphoribosyltransferase activity (which is largely lost upon dilution into the immunoassay medium) was stabilized with 5-phosphoribosyl 1-pyrophosphate, both enzyme activities displayed the same apparent antibody titer. The immunochemical studies indicate that the antibodies, as a population, preferentially bind to a form or forms of the enzyme which contain(s) denatured transferase domains. A calculation based on a simple model yields a value of approximately 100 for the relative selectivity of the antibody for the denatured form of uridylate synthase. These results illustrate an ambiguity that is inherent in the interpretation of immunochemical studies on such multienzymic proteins; that is, it is possible to conclude incorrectly that two enzyme activities are not functionally associated if one of the catalytic domains is particularly unstable and thereby displays greater immunoreactivity for the specific antiserum.