cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MEAD AND THE ART OF TRASH TALKING: I GOT YOUR GESTURE RIGHT HERE

ABSTRACT Trash talking has rarely been studied within sociology at a time when the behavior itself has been flourishing in amateur and professional sports. George Herbert Mead's ideas on gestures, symbols, and language, in conjunction with the overarching transcendency of the community aid in understanding the development of self and the subsequent behaviors that emanate from and within trash talking in college athletics. Here a Meadian perspective is used to explain the act of trash talking at both macro- and micro-levels. Three areas were identified where Meadian philosophy applies: (1) the game and the role of the generalized other; (2) play and significant communication; and (3) self-development.
Erm Ideas and Innovations

Welcome to the new Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship column entitled “ERM Ideas and Innovations,” which will appear in each issue of JERL for the next 2 years, and possibly more, beginning with this issue. The overall focus of each column will be to introduce and expand ideas, discuss innovations, and ultimately encourage and foster collaboration in electronic resources management (ERM) today. Some of the ideas we will discuss will focus on a new look on the practical applications and processes for ERM. However, the overall concept is to focus on and explore more about the future of ERM; taking a look at expanding current systems, tools, and practices in ways that will allow you to develop your own ideas and allow all of us involved in ERM work to think outside the box about what might be on the horizon. The fount of these ideas will be librarians at academic institutions, and these ideas can be applied and discussed at libraries of all kinds that manage electronic resources.
Sequential random permutation, list contraction and tree contraction are highly parallel

We show that simple sequential randomized iterative algorithms for random permutation, list contraction, and tree contraction are highly parallel. In particular, if iterations of the algorithms are run as soon as all of their dependencies have been resolved, the resulting computations have logarithmic depth (parallel time) with high probability. Our proofs make an interesting connection between the dependence structure of two of the problems and random binary trees. Building upon this analysis, we describe linear-work, polylogarithmic-depth algorithms for the three problems. Although asymptotically no better than the many prior parallel algorithms for the given problems, their advantages include very simple and fast implementations, and returning the same result as the sequential algorithm. Experiments on a 40-core machine show reasonably good performance relative to the sequential algorithms.
Dose Finding in Drug Development

If you have ever wondered when visiting the pharmacy how the dosage of your prescription is determined this book will answer your questions. Dosing information on drug labels is based on discussion between the pharmaceutical manufacturer and the drug regulatory agency, and the label is a summary of results obtained from many scientific experiments. The book introduces the drug development process, the design and the analysis of clinical trials. Many of the discussions are based on applications of statistical methods in the design and analysis of dose response studies. Important procedural steps from a pharmaceutical industry perspective are also examined.
Polymer Surface Layers for Functionalizing Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Polymer grafts play a key role in organizing and functionalizing metal nanoparticles for plasmonic sensors which provide surface-sensitive optical readouts and require analytes to be placed in the vicinity of an intense optical field.
Effect of Cortisone on Liver Phosphorylase Activity.

SummaryRate of liver phosphorylase activity is decreased in fasted, adrenalectomized rats. Cortisone acetate administered at levels of 5, 2.5 or 1.25 mg/100 g body weight increased this activity above that of controls, the latter dosage only slightly above control level. Since glucose-6-phosphatase activity is also reported to be increased it is suggested that these 2 enzymatic effects may represent response to increased production of glucose precursors from peripheral protein.
Keep Up the Good (Bench) Work

Professor Silvia Moreno studies toxoplasmosis, one of the most common parasitic infections in the world, caused by Toxoplasma gondii. About one-third of the human population is chronically infected with T. gondii cysts, the dormant form of the parasite. Although most immunocompetent infected individuals remain asymptomatic throughout life, serious complications such as loss of vision, mother-to-fetus transmission, and fatal cases can occur. The drugs currently available to treat toxoplasmosis are unable to clear the cyst form of the parasite and have severe side effects like bone marrow suppression and liver toxicity. Silvia has studied parasite metabolism for more than 20 years and has been at the University of Georgia since 2005. Her goal is to uncover unique aspects of parasite metabolism that can be targeted for designing more effective, less toxic drugs against T. gondii. In this short interview, Silvia highlights the importance of staying true to one's identity and of learning to say 'no', and advises young researchers to not stay away from the bench.
Joint Review on Time Consistency of Marco-economics and the Dynamics of Business Cycles

This paper introduces the contribution by Finn Kydland and Edward Prescott the Nobel Prize winners in 2004 to the research of macro-economic policy and business cycles, as well as the content of their theory and the background that the theory was created from, pointing out the special contributions to the policy-making on macro-economy and the drive of business cycles. It also regards that their contribution not only changed the research methord of maden economics, but also left influence on the macra-economic policies to be made by the governments over the world, especially on those of current policy.
Wrapping as a Selectivity Filter for Molecular Targeted Therapy: Preliminary Evidence

The conservation of structure across homolog proteins often diffuses the impact of drug-based inhibition by promoting alternative protein–ligand associations that may ultimately lead to toxic side effects. This problem becomes particularly acute when attempting to interfere with signaling pathways involved in cell fate and cell proliferation, the type of molecular intervention often exploited in molecular anticancer therapy. This is because the clinically relevant targets, the kinases, evolved from each other and hence share an uncanny structural resemblance. However, as shown in the previous chapter, the sticky wrapping defects or dehydrons are typically not conserved across proteins of common ancestry, making them valuable a priori targets to enhance specificity. Thus, nonconserved packing defects may be utilized as selectivity switches across homolog targets. This chapter explores this paradigmatic concept and its ramifications for the rational design of drugs with controlled specificity.
Embedding flexible fibers into responsive gels to create composites with controllable dexterity.

Using computational modeling, we design a composite that encompasses a thermo-responsive gel and photo-responsive fibers that extend from the surface of the gel. By simulating the effect of light and heat on the sample, we isolate scenarios where cooperative interactions within the system allow the gel to actuate the “finger-like” motion of the embedded fibers. To achieve this distinctive behavior, we consider a gel formed from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), which shrinks when heated above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST). The fibers are functionalized with spirobenzopyran (SP) chromophores that extend a finite region into the polymer network. The application of heat causes the entire gel to shrink, while the application of light causes the regions around the functionalized fibers to collapse. With the fibers arranged in a square or circular pattern in the center of the gel, heating the non-illuminated samples drives the fibers to move apart as they bend outward (away from the center). With the application of light, the tips of fibers come together as the fibers bend inward. In this configuration, the fibers could act as grippers that bind objects in the presence of light. With the illumination turned off, the grippers could controllably release the objects. By placing the fibers closer to the edge of the sample, the combination of heat and light could be harnessed to bind and release larger objects. We also show that by illuminating the fibers separately, we can manipulate the motion of the individual finger-like objects, and thus, potentially expand the utility of the system. Overall, our findings provide guidelines for controllably reconfiguring the shape of soft materials and thus, tailoring the material to display different functionalities in different environments.
The Application of Communal Theories to Urban Property

The advantages of privatized property regimes and common property regimes have been debated in legal and economic discourse for ages. Although private property is prevalent in the developed world, a reading of the available anthropological literature shows that common property regimes still thrive in many parts of the developing world to maintain natural resources and to spread the risk of property ownership. Considering the present U.S. housing crisis and its global effect on world markets, perhaps the developed world should incorporate more communal theories to - what has now become the developed world's scare resource - urban land. In fact, after a close look of the lessons learned from the successful operation of common property regimes in the developing world related to their natural resource systems, we see that the theories are relevant to the understanding of a wide-variety of property regimes used in modern societies such as the United States. Thus, the developed world should embrace a more pluralistic property regime. Why? The elaboration of common property regimes in the West, as in the use of instruments such as land trusts, could lessen the social exclusion from the right to property by making housing more affordable. With affordable housing, we can possibly avoid future housing crises such as the one the West is experiencing today.
Guerra en el paraíso de Carlos Montemayor: representación del monstruoso Estado mexicano

La novela de Carlos Montemayor, Guerra en el paraiso, es analizada a partir de la simbologia que en ella persiste en relacion a la monstruosidad del Estado mexicano. De acuerdo con la conceptualizacion hecha por Tomas Hobbes, el Estado es como un Leviatan o monstruo gigante a quien los ciudadanos le confieren el poder absoluto buscando ser protegidos de las agresiones de los demas. En la emision representacional de la novela de Montemayor, el Estado mexicano es un engendro capaz de cometer sagazmente distintas masacres, como las perpetradas durante los anos de la Guerra Sucia, sin que hasta ahora haya sido posible contenerlo. La violencia legitimada y desplegada durante esos anos aciagos en contra de los guerrilleros encabezados por Lucio Cabanas es expuesta en este texto literario con el proposito de insertar ese pasado obliterado en el discurso historiografico. En contraste con la bestia despiadada representada por el Estado mexicano, a los guerrilleros se les asocia con la naturaleza, misma que es personificada para resaltar el dolor provocado por la hecatombe dirigida por el regimen estadounidense. Con esta novela, Montemayor refuerza su compromiso social de denunciar la violencia que ha prevalecido en el pais para mantener sometida a la poblacion.
Replacing fallow with forage triticale in a dryland wheat-corn-fallow rotation may increase profitability

Abstract A common dryland rotational cropping system in the semi-arid central Great Plains of the USA is wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.)-corn ( Zea mays L.)-fallow (WCF). However, the 12-month fallow period following corn production has been shown to be relatively inefficient in storing precipitation during the summer months and in some years could leave the soil vulnerable to wind erosion. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect on system productivity when the fallow period in a WCF rotation was replaced with spring-planted forage triticale ( X Triticosecale rimpaui Wittm.). The 3-yr study was conducted at Akron, CO and Sidney, NE under both dryland and very limited irrigation conditions (to approximate average precipitation during the growing season). Growing season precipitation during the course of the study was above-average in five of the six site-years. Over a wide range of wheat water use (361–591 mm) wheat yields ranged from 1696 kg ha −1 to 5527 kg ha −1 . Wheat yields averaged 17% lower when triticale (T) replaced fallow, primarily because of reductions in water content at wheat planting. Corn yields were unaffected by triticale replacing fallow and ranged from 3159 kg ha −1 to 8085 kg ha −1 . Triticale yields ranged from 2967 kg ha −1 to 6724 kg ha −1 . System productivity as quantified by system net returns was greater for WCT than for WCF when growing season precipitation was above-average resulting in triticale production over 6000 kg ha −1 , but even in drier years net income was not reduced when the fallow phase was replaced with triticale production. A WCT rotation can be recommended over WCF provided that growing season precipitation is not far below average and there is an available market for the triticale forage produced. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
1975 The Handicap Principle

Creating sexual ornamentation comes with a cost, or handicap. This cost enforces a level of honesty in sexual signaling.
The onset of the flash transition in single crystals of cubic zirconia as a function of electric field and temperature

Abstract We have measured the onset of flash in cubic zirconia single crystals, in experiments similar to flash sintering. This behavior is compared with results on sintering of porous specimens of 8–10 mol% cubic zirconia. The single crystals flash at lower temperatures and lower electric fields, which does not support an unalienable role for particle-particle interfaces in the flash mechanism. The flash onset in single crystals occurs at similar values of the power density as the powder samples, which, furthermore, lies in the same range as the onset of the flash transition in several oxides.
Early Middle Devonian sponges from the McGrath Quadrangle of West-central Alaska

Silicified calcareous sphinctozoan sponges are reported from an early Middle Devonian limestone of the McGrath Quadrangle, in west-central Alaska, as the oldest species of that order yet described from North America. The new genus, Hormospongia, and the new species, H. labyrinthica, H. diarteria, and H. accara, are characteristically beaded uniserial to branched sphinctozoans with porous walls and pseudosiphonate central openings. Species are differentiated using size of the sponge, canal patterns, and nature of the labyrinthine reticular filling of the chambers.--Journal abstract.
Reaching Concerned Partners of Heavy Drinking Service Members and Veterans through Facebook

ABSTRACTMilitary populations are hard to reach for alcohol interventions. The authors used a Facebook ad campaign to successfully recruit military spouses who were concerned about their service member or veteran partner's drinking behaviors. In 90 days, the authors recruited 306 participants for a cost of $42.82 per participant. Ads featuring a monetary incentive were most popular, and 89% of participants learned about the study on their cell phones. In addition to enrolling those reporting concern over their partner's drinking, the authors were able to recruit a population in need, as less than half of participants with depression, anxiety, or hazardous alcohol use received services for themselves in the past year.
DEIsoM: a hierarchical Bayesian model for identifying differentially expressed isoforms using biological replicates.

Motivation High-throughput mRNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) is a powerful tool for quantifying gene expression. Identification of transcript isoforms that are differentially expressed in different conditions, such as in patients and healthy subjects, can provide insights into the molecular basis of diseases. Current transcript quantification approaches, however, do not take advantage of the shared information in the biological replicates, potentially decreasing sensitivity and accuracy. Results We present a novel hierarchical Bayesian model called Differentially Expressed Isoform detection from Multiple biological replicates (DEIsoM) for identifying differentially expressed (DE) isoforms from multiple biological replicates representing two conditions, e.g. multiple samples from healthy and diseased subjects. DEIsoM first estimates isoform expression within each condition by (1) capturing common patterns from sample replicates while allowing individual differences, and (2) modeling the uncertainty introduced by ambiguous read mapping in each replicate. Specifically, we introduce a Dirichlet prior distribution to capture the common expression pattern of replicates from the same condition, and treat the isoform expression of individual replicates as samples from this distribution. Ambiguous read mapping is modeled as a multinomial distribution, and ambiguous reads are assigned to the most probable isoform in each replicate. Additionally, DEIsoM couples an efficient variational inference and a post-analysis method to improve the accuracy and speed of identification of DE isoforms over alternative methods. Application of DEIsoM to an hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) dataset identifies biologically relevant DE isoforms. The relevance of these genes/isoforms to HCC are supported by principal component analysis (PCA), read coverage visualization, and the biological literature. Availability and implementation The software is available at https://github.com/hao-peng/DEIsoM. Contact pengh@alumni.purdue.edu. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The MaRz Algorithm: Towards an Artificial General Episodic Learner

An artificial general intelligence must be able to record and leverage its experiences to improve its behavior. In this paper, we present a novel, general, episodic learning algorithm that can operate effectively in an environment where its episodic memories are the only resource it has available for learning.
Pressure Effects in Adsorption Systems

A study of the occurrence of large pressure and flow transients when a strongly adsorbed gas is fed to a column which is initially loaded with a lightly adsorbed gas is presented here. Under certain conditions, these transients can cause premature breakthrough and change the shape of the breakthrough curve. This will result in improper estimation of adsorption parameters by the dynamic column loading method and lower apparent adsorption capacity in a full scale unit. A data acquisition system was used to record the pressure and flow transients. An isothermal PDE model developed to study these transients agreed reasonably well with the nonisothermal experimental results. The PDE model predicts that pressure and flow transients will occur during step and pulse~tests conducted to obtain adsorption and mass transfer parameters by the chromatographic method. For instance, lower adsorption capacity will be realized during step tests due to lowering in column pressure. Oscillations were observed when columns are connected in series. The PDE model also predicts these oscillations. Simulations indicate that the extent of oscillations is dependent on the dead volume between columns.
Using Implementation Science Principles to Sustain Trauma-Informed Innovations in Program Development

Organizational interventions with staff, like evidence-based practices used with clients, demand fidelity to the implementation process. Just as with empirically supported treatments that identify specific components in a specific sequence, there now exists widely agreed upon stages of implementation that, if sequenced in a particular order, are more likely to result in sustainable outcomes. This chapter introduces an empirically-supported implementation process, highlighting the need to adhere to stages of implementation as well as the need for a conceptual framework or theory of change to drive the implementation of new trauma-informed practices within organizations. To further illustrate the phases of EBP implementation, an example of how the EPIS model might be used to implement new practices in child welfare systems is provided.
Linear velocity from commotion motion

Most Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) controllers require linear velocities as input. An effective method to obtain linear velocity is to place a downward facing camera and to estimate the velocity from the optical flow. However, this technique fails in outdoor environments when the ground is covered with grass or other objects which move due to winds such as those caused by the propellers. We present a novel method to estimate the linear velocities from stereo images even in the presence of disorderly motion of image features. We validate the approach using imagery obtained from a UAV flying through orchard rows.
Synaptic adhesion protein ELFN1 is a selective allosteric modulator of group III metabotropic glutamate receptors in trans

Functional characterization of the GPCR interactome has been focused predominantly on intracellular interactions, yet GPCRs are increasingly found in complex with extracellular proteins. Extracellular leucine-rich repeat fibronectin type III domain containing 1 (ELFN1) was recently reported to physically anchor mGluR6 and mGluR7 across retinal and hippocampal synapses, respectively; however, the consequence of transsynaptic interactions on properties and pharmacology of these receptors are unknown. In the current study, we explore the effects of ELFN1 on mGluR signaling and pharmacology. First, we established the binding specificity of ELFN1 and found it to be recruited selectively to all group III mGluRs (mGluR4, mGluR6, mGluR7, and mGluR8), but not other mGluR species. Using site-directed mutagenesis we mapped binding determinants of this interaction to two distinct sites on the ELFN1 ectodomain. To evaluate functional aspects of the interaction, we developed a transcellular signaling assay in reconstituted HEK293 cells which monitors changes in mGluR activity in one cell following its exposure to separate ELFN1-containing cells. Using this platform, we found that ELFN1 acts as an allosteric modulator of class III mGluR activity in suppressing cAMP accumulation: altering both agonist-induced and constitutive receptor activity. Using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer-based real-time kinetic assays, we established that ELFN1 alters the ability of mGluRs to activate G proteins. Our findings demonstrate that core properties of class III mGluRs can be altered via extracellular interactions with ELFN1 which serves as a transsynaptic allosteric modulator for these receptors. Furthermore, our unique assay platform opens avenues for exploring transcellular/transsynaptic pharmacology of other GPCR transcomplexes.
Supply Restrictions at the Margins of Heller and the Abortion Analogue: Stenberg Principles, Assault Weapons, and the Attitudinalist Critique

This Article will show how assault weapons might be protected under Heller as a threshold matter, how Stenberg's guarantee of better methodologies to protect life or health applies just as easily to the assault weapons question, and how the response of Court liberals to an assault weapons case will be an important test of the attitudinalist critique. ... With Heller's explicit protection of handguns and other common self-defense guns, the "sporting use" filter and corresponding distinctions based on appearance cannot be sustained. ... But what happens when the SMUs of common firearms are claimed to produce peculiar externalities that the state wants to combat by banning them? ... Both demand analysis that many people find repugnant - for example, the graphic comparisons of late term abortion procedures or discussions of relative wound ballistics between assault weapons and hunting rifles. ... Subsection 1 will elaborate the parallels between the assault weapons and partial-birth abortion claims, apply the principles developed by the Stenberg majority to the assault weapons claim, and elaborate the attitudinalists' challenge that Stenberg poses for Court liberals. ... Disputed Utility and Legislative Discretion Integral to the outcome in Gonzales is the majority's willingness to credit the legislature's judgment that there is overriding evidence of disutility: the contested statute was grounded on a congressional finding that partial-birth abortion is never the best methodology for preservation of the life or health of the mother. ... Justice Kennedy's suggestion that an as-applied challenge gives the Court a better opportunity to quantify and balance utility and risk is easily applicable to the assault weapons question.t Body]
Alcohol Use Thresholds for Identifying Alcohol-related Problems Before and Following Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

Objective:The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of potential thresholds of alcohol use for identifying alcohol-related problems in women post-Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).Background:Despite evidence that RYGB alters alcohol pharmacokinetics and is associated with
The Drugs May Be Synthetic but the Consequences are not:Analysis of Synthetic Cannabinoid User Accounts

ABSTRACTSynthetic cannabinoids are the second most used illicit substance among U.S. adolescents. Despite their prevalence and dangers, we know little about the characteristics associated with use....
Prospective examination of the changes in the urinary microbiome induced by transrectal biopsy of the prostate using 16S rRNA gene analysis.

To prospectively examine the changes in microbiota within the urinary tract after transrectal prostate biopsy. Data, urine, and fecal samples prospectively collected from 30 patients before and after transrectal biopsy of the prostate. DNA was extracted from urine collected after a prostate massage before and after prostate biopsy, and from fecal samples collected before the biopsy. We sequenced DNA using the bacterial 16S rRNA high-throughput next-generation sequencing and analyzed changes in microbial profiles for taxonomy comparison between samples. Pre-biopsy urinary microbial profiles contained Lactobacillus and Staphylococcus bacteria. Post-biopsy urinary microbial profiles included lower levels of Lactobacillus and higher levels of Prevotella bacteria. Bacteroides bacteria were predominant in fecal samples. We identified two clustering patterns containing both pre- and post-biopsy urine samples. Cluster 1 had a urine cluster pattern that was distinct from fecal, whereas cluster 2 was similar to fecal. We observed two different modes of microbial changes, 11 patients had both of their urine (pre and post) samples associated with a particular cluster group, whereas others (n = 15) had movement between clusters 1 and 2 following the biopsy procedure. Four patient’s post-biopsy urine microbial profiles clustered very tightly to the fecal microbial profile. We describe two models of change in the urinary tract microbiota after prostate biopsy using 16S RNA gene analysis. Further research to determine what controls changes in the urinary microbiota after prostate biopsy can help us understand why some patients are more susceptible to develop post-biopsy infections.
Harmonic stability of standing water waves

A numerical method is developed to study the stability of standing water waves and other time-periodic solutions of the free-surface Euler equations using Floquet theory. A Fourier truncation of the monodromy operator is computed by solving the linearized Euler equations about the standing wave with initial conditions ranging over all Fourier modes up to a given wave number. The eigenvalues of the truncated monodromy operator are computed and ordered by the mean wave number of the corresponding eigenfunctions, which we introduce as a method of retaining only accurately computed Floquet multipliers. The mean wave number matches up with analytical results for the zero-amplitude standing wave and is helpful in identifying which Floquet multipliers collide and leave the unit circle to form unstable eigenmodes or rejoin the unit circle to regain stability. For standing waves in deep water, most waves with crest acceleration below $A_c=0.889$ are found to be linearly stable to harmonic perturbations; however, we find several bubbles of instability at lower values of $A_c$ that have not been reported previously in the literature. We also study the stability of several new or recently discovered time-periodic gravity-capillary or gravity waves in deep or shallow water, finding several examples of large-amplitude waves that are stable to harmonic perturbations and others that are not. A new method of matching the Floquet multipliers of two nearby standing waves by solving a linear assignment problem is also proposed to track individual eigenvalues via homotopy from the zero-amplitude state to large-amplitude standing waves.
Plasma Apelin Unchanged With Acute Exercise Insulin Sensitization

Blood glucose and insulin responses to aerobic exercise are well defined yet the mechanisms effecting post-exercise insulin sensitization remain incomplete. Apelin has been reported to enhance glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity in vivo, but its role as a regulator of insulin sensitivity following acute aerobic exercise has not been investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate apelin's response to acute bouts of maximal and submaximal aerobic exercise and to elucidate apelin's influence on insulin sensitivity. Twelve (22.8 ± 2.9 yrs) healthy male (n = 7) and female (n = 5) subjects completed a graded to maximal (VO2max) and submaximal (70-75% VO2max) treadmill running bouts, as well as a 50g glucose challenge (GC). Blood was obtained at four time points (pre, post, 1hr post and 24hrs post) and assessed for glucose, insulin and apelin. Hepatic insulin sensitivity was assessed at rest and at 1hr and 24hrs via HOMA-IR and QUICKI indices. Results demonstrated that plasma apelin did not significantly change by condition (p = 0.324) or time (p = 0.633). Blood glucose and plasma insulin were significantly elevated immediately after VO2max and GC, but remained stable after submaximal exercise. Insulin sensitivity was significantly improved 1hr post-submaximal exercise, per HOMA-IR (p = 0.034) and QUICKI (p = 0.018) indices. Plasma apelin was significantly correlated with plasma insulin (r = 0.699, p = 0.011), HOMA-IR (r = 0.626, p = 0.029) and QUICKI (r = 0.660, p = 0.019) at rest. We conclude that, although hepatic insulin sensitivity was improved 1hr post-submaximal exercise, this exercise-induced insulin sensitization occurred independent of plasma apelin changes.
Reduction in a-Si:H density utilizing a secondary plasma

Following the need to improve packaging and contact layers for photovoltaics and other optoelectronic applications, a renewed interest in the fabrication of thin, low-density silicon films has arisen. We demonstrate a reactive sputtering technique utilizing a secondary plasma to crack hydrogen gas during physical vapor deposition of silicon layers. Cracking efficiency of the gas varies heavily with pressure and power from under 10% to nearly 100% conversion to hydrogen radicals. Radicals incorporated into the film produce amorphous silicon films with densities as low as 1.73 g / cm3, compared to 2.2 g / cm3 in their nonhydrogenated counterparts. Reduced density films likewise have a reduction in index of refraction comparable to other hydrogenated amorphous silicon produced by other techniques with indices close to 2 across the visible portion of the spectrum. Our work represents a useful, scalable advance in the production of amorphous hydrogenated silicon for a variety of applications requiring large areas.
Reconceptualizing Triage to Incorporate Principles of Risk and Uncertainty: An Example from Deep Brain Stimulation Patients with Treatment-Resistant Disorders.

McGuire et al. (2020) explores the ethical challenges of resource allocation for healthcare needs during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The authors recommended harmonizing triage guidel...
Cluster analysis application to identify groups of individuals with high health expenditures

We compare and demonstrate the effectiveness of two clustering methods with the main purpose of identifying characteristic profiles of high utilizers of health care. In this work, we use three sets of mutually independent longitudinal data that are nationally representative of the US adult working-age civilian non-institutionalized population. We compare k-means, a commonly used clustering method, with a k-medoids algorithm called Partitioning Around Medoids. We use one cohort of data to create clusters based on similar characteristics of individuals for both clustering methods. We examine these characteristic compositions of the highest three average total expenditure clusters from this cohort. We also examine the health expenditure distributions for this cohort over the following two years. We validate the approach by applying the centers of the clusters to two other cohorts of similar data. We form clusters based on demographic, economic, and health-related characteristics that are commonly used in studies of health care utilization. We demonstrate the consistency of our results across the three cohorts of data and across different types of health expenditures, such as office-based/outpatient and drug. Clusters can be formed with other more homogeneous data, such as Medicaid, Medicare, employer sponsored insurance, or individual private plans issued under the Affordable Care Act. This approach can be used to follow similar groups over time for other types of health outcomes.
Role of the WWOX fragile gene in cancer

LB-107 The WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) encodes a 46kDa protein that contains two N-terminal WW domains and central short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) -like domain. The WWOX gene spans the second most active common fragile site, FRA16D; a region that shows frequent loss-of heterozygosity, and is associated with homozygous deletions in various adenocarcinomas and with chromosomal translocations in multiple myeloma. Indeed, WWOX expression is altered in a large fraction of many cancer types including breast, prostate, lung, stomach and pancreatic carcinomas. Therefore, it has been suggested that loss of WWOX expression in several cancer types is due mainly to its location within FRA16D and might be a secondary event not associated with tumorigenesis. Our recent observations, however, indicate that loss of WWOX expression in human tumors contributes to their pathogenesis. Early evidence that WWOX might be capable of suppressing tumor growth came from overexpression studies. Restoration of WWOX in cancer cells lacking expression of endogenous WWOX results in significant growth inhibition and prevents the development of tumors in athymic nude mice. To provide direct in vivo evidence that WWOX is a tumor suppressor, we generated mice carrying a targeted deletion of the Wwox gene. The murine Wwox locus is similar to its human homolog, spans the Fra8E1 common fragile site, and is highly conserved. We demonstrate that the loss of both alleles of Wwox results in osteosarcomas in some early postnatal mice, while loss of one allele significantly increases the incidence of spontaneous lung papillary carcinomas. In addition, higher incidence and multiplicity of ethyl nitrosourea (ENU) and N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA)-induced tumors were formed in Wwoxheterozygous mice compared to wild type mice. Intriguingly, some of these tumors still express Wwox protein, suggesting haploinsuffiency of Wwox itself is cancer predisposing. Our findings indicate that WWOX is a bona fide tumor suppressor and that inactivation of one Wwox allele, a condition that frequently occurs due to the fragility of the WWOX locus and the high incidence of LOH observed in WWOX gene in many human cancer types, is sufficient for tumorigenesis.
Many body localized systems weakly coupled to baths

We consider what happens when a many body localized system is coupled to a heat bath. Unlike previous works, we do not restrict ourselves to the limit where the bath is large and effectively Markovian, nor to the limit where back action on the bath is negligible. We identify limits where the effect of the bath can be captured by classical noise, and limits where it cannot. We also identify limits in which the bath delocalizes the system, as well as limits in which the system localizes the bath. Using general arguments and dimensional analysis, we constrain the overall phase diagram of the coupled system and bath. Our analysis incorporates all the previously discussed regimes, and also uncovers a new intrinsically quantum regime that has not hitherto been discussed. We discuss baths that are themselves near a localization transition, or are strongly disordered but protected against localization by symmetry or topology. We also discuss situations where the system and bath have different dimensionality (the case of ‘boundary MBL’ and ‘boundary baths’).
Turning monsters into people: a reflexive study of sex offenders and leisure.

This arts-based study serves two interrelated purposes. First, it draws from multiple tales to illustrate reflexivity (and its benefits) between the author, research topic, and participants. Different forms of tales show multiple and diverse human interconnections and the complexity of understanding potential leisure among sex offenders. The importance of prioritizing reflexivity should not be underestimated, particularly when conducting research with populations that commonly are “othered” and sometimes demonized. Within a reflexive context, a poetic transcription from structured interviews with five sexual offender parolees is included to explore the possible essence of leisure as experienced by these men. The inclusion of evocative representations emphasizes commonalities of the human condition, yet also illustrates differences between people.
Imposing a Cap on Capital Punishment

Over thirty years ago, in Furman v. Georgia, the Supreme Court struck down all existing death-penalty laws because capital punishment in America was being applied in an arbitrary and capricious manner. Although the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment four years later and has laid down dozens of procedural rules for the death penalty over the last thirty years, most scholars believe that capital punishment is applied just as arbitrarily today as the day Furman was decided. The reason for the continued arbitrariness is that — with a few exceptions — the Court’s death-penalty decisions have merely tinkered with the trial and appeal process rather than forcing substantive changes in the criminal justice system. In particular, this
An improved fabrication method of high-k and low-loss polymer composites with sintered ceramic fillers for microwave applications

An improved method for fabrication of polymer ceramic nanocomposites is presented for producing high-permittivity and low-loss flexible substrates. The PDMS-ceramic filler composite substrates with particle loading concentration ranging from 10% to 30% were prepared and characterized up to 17 GHz using cavity resonator testers. For the low frequency band of 0.4 to 4.4 GHz, 25% loaded PDMS-NdTiO3 composites with sintered fillers have shown promising electromagnetic properties with permittivity (e r ∼8.66) and loss tangent (tanδ d r ∼9.22) and loss tangent (tanδ d < 0.0249) at higher frequencies up to 17GHz.
Eclectic modelling of the North Atlantic. II: Transient tracers and the ventilation of the Eastern Basin thermocline

Renewal rates of the waters of the thermocline in the eastern North Atlantic are estimated by combining linear quasi-geostrophic dynamics with steady and transient tracers into a unified eclectic, reservoir model. The two-dimensional model first employed is finally rejected when it is found that it generates oxygen-utilization rates (OUR) that are, by conventional biological wisdom, too high. The three-dimensional model that replaces the two-dimensional one shows that the our is indeterminate, with possible ranges from zero to unacceptably high values. The region is flushed primarily from the north and east. The problem of using transient tracers is mathematically equivalent to that of distributed-system boundary-control theory, the open-ocean boundary conditions playing the role of the unknown control variables. The missing time histories of this new set of unknowns means that tritium and helium-3 distributions are only comparatively weak constraints on the flow field, but do set upper bounds on the vertical exchange with surface waters. Surface Ekman pumping is adequate to explain the interior distributions without additional buoyancy ventilation, although this latter process is possible. Some speculation is made about conditions under which transient tracers might play a more definitive role.
Characterization of microglia phenotype and function within malignant human gliomas: A potential mechanism for immune anergy

5311 Microglia play a critical role in mediating potent immune responses to traumatic, infectious or degenerative challenges in the human brain. However, during the growth of malignant gliomas, microglia infiltrate the tumor in increased numbers yet fail to inhibit tumor growth. Little is known about the performance and interactions of these cells in a tumor microenvironment, including any possible impairment of their functions. Here we provide a novel characterization of the immune phenotype and function of human glioma-infiltrating microglia (GIM) immediately isolated from tumors post-surgical resection. GIM were isolated from tumor homogenate by sequential percoll gradient purification and identified based on established parameters (CD45 low CD11b/c + ). They expressed significant levels of MHC class II on their surface but minimal levels of the co-stimulatory molecules CD80, CD83, CD86 and CD40 suggesting that GIM may induce immunological anergy in effector T cells. The expression of FasL was low to absent, indicating that apoptosis of the incoming lymphocyte population may not be a predominant mode of immunosupression. The GIM expressed FcR II and FcR III, necessary for mediating antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Intracellular cytokine staining demonstrated production of IL-6 and IL-12. In addition, GIM were capable of phagocytosis and tumor cytotoxicity in the absence of any in vitro stimulation. Characterization of GIM provides novel insight into their innate as well as adaptive immune function, thereby contributing to the design and optimization of immunotherapeutic strategies against malignant brain tumors.
Renewable Identification Numbers are the Tracking Instrument and Bellwether of US Biofuel Mandates Identifikationsnummern für Erneuerbare Energien als Mittel der Rückverfolgbarkeit und Indikator für US-amerikanische Biokraftstoffverpflichtungen Les numéro

US energy policy mandates minimum levels of biofuel use. The four interdependent mandates of the 2007 legislation - EISA - are defined by their feedstocks and greenhouse gas reduction targets, and are each set to rise over the coming years. If the volumes of use would be below the mandated amount, due perhaps to a low petroleum price or some other circumstance, then the mandate becomes binding. It forces fuel blenders to bid higher the price at which they buy biofuel and discount the price at which they sell biofuels. Conversely, if biofuel use would exceed the mandated volumes anyway, then this policy will not affect markets. Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) are the traded instruments for implementing these mandates, and key indicators of the degree to which mandates affect biofuel markets, if at all. RIN values will rise if the mandate is binding, as fuel blenders scramble to get enough RINs to meet their mandates. A high RIN price signals that this policy affects biofuel markets, and consequently probably drives agricultural commodity prices higher. But the EISA gives considerable flexibility that will affect RIN values in practice, causing great uncertainty about how they will affect biofuel markets and, through them, agricultural commodity markets. Copyright (c) 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation (c) The Agricultural Ecomomics Society and the European Association of Agricultural Economists 2009.
Chromosome Rearrangements That Involve the Nucleolus Organizer Region in Neurospora

In approximately 3% of Neurospora crassa rearrangements, part of a chromosome arm becomes attached to the nucleolus organizer region (NOR) at one end of chromosome 2 (linkage group V). Investigations with one inversion and nine translocations of this type are reported here. They appear genetically to be nonreciprocal and terminal. When a rearrangement is heterozygous, about one-third of viable progeny are segmental aneuploids with the translocated segment present in two copies, one in normal position and one associated with the NOR. Duplications from many of the rearrangements are highly unstable, breaking down by loss of the NOR-attached segment to restore normal chromosome sequence. When most of the rearrangements are homozygous, attenuated strands can be seen extending through the unstained nucleolus at pachytene, joining the translocated distal segment to the remainder of chromosome 2. Although the rearrangements appear genetically to be nonreciprocal, molecular evidence shows that at least several of them are physically reciprocal, with a block of rDNA repeats translocated away from the NOR. Evidence that NOR-associated breakpoints are nonterminal is also provided by intercrosses between pairs of translocations that transfer different-length segments of the same donor-chromosome arm to the NOR.
Black Protestants in a Catholic Land: The AME Church in the Dominican Republic 1899–1916

The African Methodist Episcopal ( AME ) Church, a black Church founded in the United States in 1816, was first established in eastern Haiti when over 6,000 black freemen emigrated from the United States to Hispaniola between 1824 and 1825. Almost a century later, the AME Church grew rapidly in the Dominican Republic as West Indians migrated to the Dominican southeast to work on sugar plantations. This article examines the links between African-American immigrant descendants, West Indians, and U.S. -based AME leaders between the years 1899–1916. In focusing on Afro-diasporic exchange in the Church and the hardships missionary leaders faced on the island, the article reveals the unequal power relations in the AME Church, demonstrates the significance of the southeast to Dominican AME history, and brings the Dominican Republic into larger discussions of Afro-diasporic exchange in the circum-Caribbean.