cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fluorescence excitation photography of epidermal cellular proliferation.

Summary Background Fluorescence excitation provides the ability to interrogate innate molecules whose radiation emission correlates with specific functional states of tissue. Objectives The present study demonstrates the effectiveness of a novel ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence excitation photography system in its ability to image rapidly proliferating epidermal skin lesions by capturing endogenous fluorescence emissions attributed to tryptophan. Methods A clinical prototype UV fluorescence excitation photography system was used to acquire images of endogenous fluorescence ascribed to tryptophan. Results Twelve human subjects and 11 ex vivo samples with various skin lesions consistently exhibited increased endogenous fluorescence at 340-nm wavelength upon excitation at 295 nm in rapid epidermal proliferations, including psoriasis, actinic keratoses and basal cell carcinoma, compared with surrounding normal skin. In contrast, nonproliferating lesions showed decreased fluorescence. Conclusions This simple but robust point-and-shoot imaging system may offer a clinically useful, noncontact, noninvasive device for the diagnosis and detection of skin disease. As opposed to structural imaging modalities, fluorescence excitation imaging at 295/340-nm wavelengths offers high-sensitivity, wide-field functional imaging of cellular proliferation without the need for externally applied dyes or lengthy image processing. Furthermore, the image is instantly available and does not require interpretation or reconstruction.
Vancomycin treatment and butyrate supplementation modulate gut microbe composition and severity of neointimal hyperplasia after arterial injury.

Abstract Gut microbial metabolites are increasingly recognized as determinants of health and disease. However, whether host – microbe crosstalk influences peripheral arteries is not understood. Neointimal hyperplasia, a proliferative and inflammatory response to arterial injury, frequently limits the long‐term benefits of cardiovascular interventions such as angioplasty, stenting, and bypass surgery. Our goal is to assess the effect of butyrate, one of the principal short chain fatty acids produced by microbial fermentation of dietary fiber, on neointimal hyperplasia development after angioplasty. Treatment of male Lewis Inbred rats with oral vancomycin for 4 weeks changed the composition of gut microbes as assessed by 16S rRNA‐based taxonomic profiling and decreased the concentration of circulating butyrate by 69%. In addition, rats treated with oral vancomycin had exacerbated neointimal hyperplasia development after carotid angioplasty. Oral supplementation of butyrate reversed these changes. Butyrate also inhibited vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, migration, and cell cycle progression in a dose‐dependent manner in vitro. Our results suggest for the first time that gut microbial composition is associated with the severity of arterial remodeling after injury, potentially through an inhibitory effect of butyrate on VSMC.
Detection of apoptotic cell death by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Cells undergoing apoptosis (programmed cell death) display profound morphologic and biochemical changes in the nucleus, cytoplasm, and plasma membrane. We have shown a direct temporal relationship between the onset of apoptosis in Jurkat T-cell lymphoblast cultures and a greater than two-fold increase in the signal intensity of the methylene resonance (at 1.3 ppm) as observed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR). The increase in the methylene resonance intensity was seen when apoptosis was induced by serum deprivation, glucocorticoid, and doxorubicin treatment but not in necrotic (nonapoptotic) cell death. We have found similar changes in a variety of other cell lines undergoing apoptosis including the Hut 78 T-cell leukemia, JY natural killer T-cell leukemia, Daudi B-cell lymphoma, HeLa, and 3T3 fibroblast cell lines. Furthermore, this spectral change was diminished in Bcl-2 overexpressing HL-60 cell cultures treated with doxorubicin, which were relatively resistant to apoptosis, as compared to apoptotic HL-60 cultures. 1H NMR spectroscopy therefore may be useful in detecting apoptotic cell death in vivo.
Laboratory study on factors influencing nitrogen removal in marble chip biofilters incorporating nitritation and anammox.

It remains challenging to integrate nitritation and anammox in ecologically engineered treatment systems such as passive biofilters that are packed with natural materials and have low energy inputs. This study explored the factors influencing nitritation-anammox through parallel operation of two laboratory-scale biofilters packed with large and small marble chips respectively. Clean marble chips (mainly CaCO 3 ) had an alkalinity dissolution rate of 130 mg CaCO 3 /kg marble d when water pH approached 6.5. Marble chips effectively increased water pH and provided sufficient alkalinity to support nitritation-anammox in the biofilters. Ammonium and total nitrogen removal decreased by 47 and 26%, respectively, when nutrients were not amended to influent. An influent nitrite concentration above 8.9 mg N/L could inhibit anammox in thin biofilms of biofilters. Nitritation-anammox was enhanced with a hydraulic retention time of 2 d relative to 7 d, likely due to enhanced air entrainment. Size of marble chips rarely made a significant difference in nitrogen removal, possibly due to sufficient surface area available for bacterial attachment and alkalinity dissolution.
Abstract 1106: Mechanism for activation of mutated EGF receptors in lung cancer.

Previous studies have demonstrated that wild-type (WT) EGFRs are activated by an allosteric mechanism in which a ‘donor’ tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) monomer contacts an ‘acceptor’ TKD monomer, leading to its activation. Here, we present biochemical reconstitution data demonstrating that receptor activation by the most frequently occurring EGFR mutations found in lung cancer does not adhere to this mechanism. Mutated EGFRs hyperphosphorylate their WT counterparts and appear to adopt a conformation that allows them to function as acceptors but not as donors to WT EGFR. As acceptors, the mutated EGFRs also show enhanced association with WT EGFR. We suggest the term “superacceptor activity” to describe this directionally-limited mutant-specific mechanism of EGFR transactivation. Mutated EGFRs also hyperphosphorylate the related ErbB family member, ErbB-2, in a similar manner. Collectively, these data provide insights into a mechanism for activation of lung cancer-associated mutant EGFRs. Since WT EGFRs are usually present in EGFR mutant tumor cells, our studies additionally argue that WT EGFRs contribute to tumorigenesis and may alter sensitivity to EGFR-targeted therapy. Citation Format: Monica L. Red Brewer, Darson Lai, Mark A. Lemmon, William Pao. Mechanism for activation of mutated EGF receptors in lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1106. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1106
Scalable Anisotropic Shape and Electrostatic Models for Biological Bromine Halogen Bonds

Halogens are important substituents of many drugs and secondary metabolites, but the structural and thermodynamic properties of their interactions are not properly treated by current molecular modeling and docking methods that assign simple isotropic point charges to atoms. Halogen bonds, for example, are becoming widely recognized as important for conferring specificity in protein–ligand complexes but, to this point, are most accurately described quantum mechanically. Thus, there is a need to develop methods to both accurately and efficiently model the energies and geometries of halogen interactions in biomolecular complexes. We present here a set of potential energy functions that, based on fundamental physical properties of halogens, properly model the anisotropic structure–energy relationships observed for halogen interactions from crystallographic and calorimetric data, and from ab initio calculations for bromine halogen bonds in a biological context. These energy functions indicate that electrostati...
Numerical Study of Shock-Boundary Layer Interactions for Various Shock and Flow Conditions

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) and large-eddy simulation (LES) of shock-turbulent boundary layer interactions are conducted at Mach 2.7 for two different shock incidence angles. A seventh-order monotonicity preserving scheme is used for the spatial discretization of Euler terms in both DNS and LES equations. The DNS results show the unsteady and three-dimensional nature of the boundary layer separation. The effect of shock intensity on the shock-boundary layer interaction is shown to be significant in terms of length of the separation bubble and the rise in mean wall-pressure. There are, however, some similarities between the initial parts of the interaction region for the two shock intensities. The LES results with dynamic Smagorinsky model are shown to be close to those obtained by the DNS.
Functional Reduction in Cannabinoid-Sensitive Heterotypic Inhibition of Dentate Basket Cells in Epilepsy: Impact on Network Rhythms

Strong perisomatic inhibition by fast-spiking basket cells (FS-BCs) regulates dentate throughput. Homotypic FS-BC interconnections that support gamma oscillations, and heterotypic inputs from diverse groups of interneurons that receive extensive neurochemical regulation, together, shape FS-BC activity patterns. However, whether seizures precipitate functional changes in inhibitory networks and contribute to abnormal network activity in epilepsy is not known. In the first recordings from dentate interneuronal pairs in a model of temporal lobe epilepsy, we demonstrate that status epilepticus (SE) selectively compromises GABA release at synapses from dentate accommodating interneurons (AC-INs) to FS-BCs, while efficacy of homotypic FS-BC synapses is unaltered. The functional decrease in heterotypic cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R)-sensitive inhibition of FS-BCs resulted from enhanced baseline GABAB-mediated suppression of synaptic release after SE. The frequency of CB1R-sensitive inhibitory synaptic events in FS-BCs was depressed early after SE induction and remained reduced in epileptic rats. In biologically based simulations of heterogeneous inhibitory networks and excitatory-inhibitory cell networks, experimentally identified decrease in reliability of AC-IN to FS-BCs synaptic release reduced theta power and theta-gamma coupling and enhanced gamma coherence. Thus, the experimentally identified functional reduction in heterotypic inhibition of FS-BCs can contribute to compromised network oscillations in epilepsy and could precipitate memory and cognitive co-morbidities.
Epidemiological analysis on Head-foot-mouth disease in Cangzhou City in 2010

Objective To understand the hand-foot-mouth disease epidemic features of Cangzhou,and prevention and control the disease develop and spread.Method Collection the epidemiological information of hand-foot-mouth cases and laboratory nucleic acid detection results,carried out statistical analysis.Results In 2010,it was reported a total of 11 687 HFMD cases and with 206 severe cases,1 death cases,it was 19.61% higher than that of last year.Six hundred and forty five pharyngeal swab samples were developed EV71,Cox A16 and intestinal universal virus nucleic acid detection,599 were positive and positive rate was 92.44%.Among them,187 were EV71 samples,137 were Cox A16,other enteric virus infections were 275,they accounted for 31.22%,22.87% and 45.91%,respectively.Conclusions The pathogens of hand-foot-mouth disease mainly were EV71 and other intestinal virus.
Study on the national criterion “Intergrated management of vector chemical method cockroach”

This report aims to introduce the new national criterion "Intergrated management of vector chemical method cockroach"mainly through the following four aspects: meanings for research,principals of writing,process of writing and illustration of the problems. In this case,it should help the vector control employees to understand and use it better in the practicals.
The Computation of Self in Everyday Life: A Dramaturgical Approach for Socially Competent Agents.

In order to participate in storyworlds with rich social interaction, autonomous characters must be able to participate in social games. A social game is a multicharacter social interaction whose function is to modify the social state existing within and across the participants, possibly concurrently accomplishing a functional (nonsocial) state change. In this paper we present an autonomous character architecture that integrates high-level goal formation and goal refinement in the context of playing social games. Additionally, we present preliminary work on an ontology for describing social games as well as a socialgame-centric ontology for character personality. Both the architecture and ontology are informed by theoretical work in sociology and social psychology.
Lateral Skull Base Attenuation in Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence and Spontaneous Cerebrospinal Fluid Otorrhea.

Objectives(1) To quantitatively assess the lateral skull base thickness in patients with superior semicircular canal dehiscense (SSCD) using a standardized and validated radiographic measure and to compare it with that of a population with spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid otorrhea (CSFO). (2) To analyze demographic and clinical factors associated with skull base thickness in the SSCD group.Study DesignCase series with chart review.SettingTertiary neurotologic referral center.Subjects and MethodsBased on computed tomography imaging of the tegmen, mean skull base thickness was calculated for 16 patients with radiographic and clinical SSCD. Similar measures were performed in 4 comparison groups consisting of adults with spontaneous CSFO (n = 33), as well as 3 control groups recruited from our adult cochlear implant database: 30 obese controls (body mass index [BMI] >30 kg/m2), 11 overweight controls (BMI, 25-30 kg/m2), and 20 normal weight controls (BMI <25 kg/m2).ResultsThe SSCD group had a significantly low...
Is there a role for diet monotherapy in adult epilepsy

Abstract Ten adults were treated with ketogenic diet monotherapy for epilepsy. Four patients were naive to antiseizure drugs (ASDs), and six previously tried and stopped ASDs. Of four treatment-naive participants, two (50%) were free from disabling seizures on Modified Atkins Diet (MAD) monotherapy for > 1 year. Two (50%) stopped. Four of six patients (67%) who had previously tried ASDs became seizure-free on diet monotherapy, and two experienced > 50% seizure reduction. Side effects included amenorrhea, weight loss, osteoporosis, and hyperlipidemia. Diet monotherapy may be feasible, well-tolerated, and effective for adults with epilepsy who refuse pharmacotherapy and those for whom lifelong diet therapy is recommended.
In Memoriam: Antoinette M. Gentile (1936 – 2016)

Antoinette (Ann) Gentile, Professor Emerita at Teachers College, Columbia University passed away at the age of 79 on February 7, 2016. She spent 44 years at Teachers College on the faculties of Mov...
Teaching simulation during a summer science research program: poster session

This poster describes a summer simulation research project for undergraduates in a computer science program. The University of Mary Washington's Summer Science Institute is a program that offers UMW science majors an opportunity to participate in a summer-long research project supervised by a faculty member. Based on topic of interest by this particular faculty member, students formulated a research direction, weighed the pros and cons of different simulation methodologies, designed and implemented a simulation, analyzed the results and presented finding at a one day symposium. The faculty sponsor offered the students a semi-structure and support but an important feature of the summer research was that students were in control of their own research.
Cardiomyocyte transplantation into the failing heart-new therapeutic approach for heart failure?

Heart failure, frequently the consequence of irreversible myocardial damage with subsequent formation of akinetic scar tissue, is a highly prevalent disease, and in its advanced stages associated with high mortality. The transplantation of exogenous cells with the inherent ability to contract has been put forward as one potential treatment strategy to increase contractility and cardiac performance. Besides skeletal myoblasts or stem cells from various sources, immature cardiomyocytes, such as fetal or neonatal cardiomyocytes, have been transplanted into normal, cryoinjured, infarcted myocardium, as well as into models of global heart failure. Survival of transplanted immature cardiomyocytes has been demonstrated up to 6–7 months, accompanied by vascularization of the grafted tissue. Transplants developed sarcomeric structures and other morphological features of differentiation. The principal possibility of cell-to-cell coupling between graft and host cells was demonstrated after cardiomyocyte transplantation into normal hearts and in some studies in damaged myocardium. But most long-term follow-up investigations in models of myocardial infarction reported that optimal integration of the engrafted cells appeared to be hindered by scar tissue, separating the transplant from the host. Nonetheless, in several studies, improved parameters of cardiac performance were demonstrated ex-vivo and in vivo. Potential mechanisms might involve beneficial effects on the remodeling process. In this review, we critically evaluate the potential value of cardiomyocyte transplantation as a new approach in the treatment of the syndrome of “heart failure”.
Interventions to reduce neonatal mortality: a mathematical model to evaluate impact of interventions in sub-Saharan Africa.

Aim To determine which interventions would have the greatest impact on reducing neonatal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa in 2012. Methods We used MANDATE, a mathematical model, to evaluate scenarios for the impact of available interventions on neonatal deaths from primary causes, including: (i) for birth asphyxia – obstetric care preventing intrapartum asphyxia, newborn resuscitation and treatment of asphyxiated infants; (ii) for preterm birth – corticosteroids, oxygen, continuous positive air pressure and surfactant; and, (iii) for serious newborn infection – clean delivery, chlorhexidine cord care and antibiotics. Results Reductions in infection-related mortality have occurred. Between 80 and 90% of deaths currently occurring from infections and asphyxia can be averted from available interventions, as can 58% of mortality from preterm birth. More than 200 000 neonatal deaths can each be averted from asphyxia, preterm birth and infections. Using available interventions, more than 80% of the neonatal deaths occurring today could be prevented in sub-Saharan Africa. Conclusion Reducing neonatal deaths from asphyxia require improvements in infrastructure and obstetric care to manage maternal conditions such as obstructed labour and preeclampsia. Reducing deaths from preterm birth would also necessitate improved infrastructure and training for preterm infant care. Reducing infection-related mortality requires less infrastructure and lower-level providers.
Abstract 239: CD8+ T Cells Elicited by an ApoB-100 Related Peptide Vaccine Mediate Protection Against Angiotension II-induced Hypertension and Renal Fibrosis

Background: T cells play an important role in angiotensin II (AngII)-induced hypertension but the specific subtype involved remains unknown. We recently reported that immunization with apoB-100 related peptide p210 modified CD8+ T cell function, and reduced mean blood pressure (BP) and renal inflammation in AngII-infused apoE (-/-) mice. In this study, we assessed the role of CD8+ T cells in p210 vaccine mediated renal protection. Method and Results: ApoE (-/-) mice were immunized with p210/cBSA/Alum (p210; 100 μg) at 7, 10, and 12 weeks of age. Mice receiving PBS or cBSA/Alum (cBSA) served as controls. At 10 weeks of age, mice were subcutaneously implanted with an osmotic pump which released AngII (1 mg/Kg/min), and were euthanized 4 weeks later. Flow cytometric analysis showed p210 treated mice had significantly increased CD8+CD25+IL-12+ splenic T cells indicating CD8+ T cell activation (Table). Renal fibrosis assessed by Masson-Trichrome staining and pro-fibrotic gene expression was significantly reduced in p210 vaccine treated group (Table). P210 immunized mice with CD8+ T cell depletion by a monoclonal antibody (Ab) developed higher mean BP compared to similarly treated mice receiving isotype Ab or no Ab injection ( no Ab injection = 123±1 mmHg, CD8 Ab = 132±1 mmHg*, isotype Ab = 123±2 mmHg, *p Conclusion: CD8+ T cells elicited by an apoB-100 related peptide vaccine mediate protection against AngII-induced hypertension and renal fibrosis.
Role of chromium: Iron ratio and oxygen partial pressure on the processing and chemical stability of iron doped lanthanum strontium chromite based OTM

Abstract The present research, as a part of the OTM materials development and testing effort, examines the combined effect of the Cr: Fe ratio (7:3, 8:2 and 9:1) and oxygen partial pressure (PO2) on the densification, microstructural development, and chemical stability of lanthanum chromite (La0.8Sr0.2)0.95Cr1-xFexO3 (LSCrF) for application in oxygen transport membrane and solid oxide fuel cell electrode. While highest density of 96.3 (±0.5) % is achieved for LSCrF with Cr: Fe ratio of 7:3 at 1400 °C and PO2 ∼ 10−10 atm., the relative density decreases with increase in Cr: Fe ratio and PO2. LSCrF perovskite stability increases with increase in Cr: Fe ratio in reducing gas atmosphere. LSCrF (7:3) dissociates into FeOx and Fe1+xCr2-xO4 under reducing gas atmosphere (Ar-3%H2-3%H2O). LSCrF (9:1) perovskite does not show any evidence of second phase (FeOx and Fe1+xCr2-xO4) formation with decrease in PO2 unlike LSCrF (7:3 and 8:2). Defect chemistry and mechanism for FeOx and Fe1+x Cr2−x O4 formation in reducing atmosphere is described. LSCrF decomposition and the formation of the secondary phases are in agreement with the thermodynamic simulation results obtained with the La-Sr-Cr-Fe-O thermodynamic database.
Horses and the Embodiment of Elite Masculinity in the Dolenjska Hallstatt Culture

Summary In later prehistory horse ownership was a manifestation of wealth and physical prowess, and demonstrated access to distant lands. Because of the expense and restricted availability of horses, they are often reduced to indicators of status without more nuanced considerations of how lived human-horse interactions enmeshed them in these status displays. To complicate the simple horse/status object equivalence, this article presents a specific case for the symbolic and social significance of horses in Early Iron Age south-eastern Slovenia through the lens of equine iconography, and argues that horses and particularly equestrianism were essential to embodying elite masculine identity. Broadly, this article seeks to move beyond equating high-status goods with high-status people by discussing how particular events, bodily abilities and human-animal relationships were all intertwined in the materialization of social distinction for a particular group.
How Powerful is the Evidence in Criminology? On Whether We Should Fear a Coming Crisis of Confidence

A crisis of confidence has struck the behavioral and social sciences. A key factor driving the crisis is the low levels of statistical power in many studies. Low power is problematic because it lea...
Electronic commerce: a half-empty glass?

This article introduces an electronic commerce paradox by observing that while electronic commerce grows rapidly it is, at the same time, based on unsettled foundations. It describes how 22 constraints for global electronic commerce were identified, and analyzes them in depth. The constraints fall into four themes: • Building trust for users and consumers • Establishing ground rules for the digital marketplace • Enhancing information infrastructure • Maximizing benefits. Each of these themes contains a number of critical issues. The first theme--building trust for users and consumers--involves privacy protection, security, consumer protection, authentication and confidentiality, and access blocking. The second theme includes legal framework, acceptance of electronic transactions, taxation, tariffs, intellectual property protection, commercial policy, and payment systems. Enhancing information infrastructure covers the needed infrastructure enhancements and includes Internet infrastructure and governance, interconnectivity and technical convergence, technical standards, bandwidth and accessibility, and the question of how to further the competition. The last theme is about maximizing the benefits of electronic commerce and includes the understanding of digital economy, its measurement, seamless globalization, and involvement of small businesses. At the time that this paper
A basic weapons selection model

The particular problem treated in this chapter was first posed8 for the purpose of studying the theoretical differences between “percentage vulnerable” systems, in which the action of the counter y on x was of the form xe−αy, and “numerically vulnerable” systems, in which this action was represented by xe−α y/x. A typical example of the first is search for submarines, in which the number of undetected submarines is equal to the number present times the probability that each submarine is not detected. With twice as many submarines and the same search effort, the number of detections (and survivals from detections) is twice as great. A typical example of the second is an attack on Minuteman silos, in which the countering effort y must be parcelled out in amounts y/x to each of the silos. The quantity xe−α y/x then gives the number of surviving silos. In this case, doubling the number of silos will not double the number of kills with a given counter-effort: it will increase it, but in a more complicated way. What was needed was a theoretical basis for selecting among these systems, taking account of their military values and vulnerabilities α.
Point-Line Geometries

Point-line geometries are just rank two geometries, and so inherit the concepts of morphism and cover from the last chapter. The symmetry between the two types is broken by the concept of a subspace, which treats points differently from lines. A new graph, the point-collinearity graph, is useful in describing geometric properties. Singular spaces, partial linear spaces, linear spaces, and gamma spaces, all of which appear among the Lie incidence geometries, are introduced at this point. Of special importance is the notion of a locally connected component of a gamma space. The exercises present a number of classical examples and questions concerning product geometries.
Like Water for Law Reviews: An Introduction to the Journal of Law

The Journal of Law looks a lot like a conventional law review, but it is really a bundle of small, unconventional law journals, all published together in one volume. Each journal is separated from the others by its own black-bordered title page. Look at the print edition edge-wise and you will see. This structure saves money over separate publication. It also frees editors of the individual journals to spend more time finding and refining good material, and less time dealing with mundane matters relating to the printing and distribution of their work product. Thus the Journal of Law’s generic name: it is no one journal in particular, and it is not tied to any particular institution (like, say, the Stanford Law Review), subject (like the Tax Law Review), specialty (like the Journal of Law & Economics), or method (like the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies). The idea is that the Journal of Law will be an incubator of sorts, providing for legal intellectuals something akin to what business schools’ incubators offer commercial entrepreneurs: friendly, small-scale, in-kind support for promising, unconventional ideas for which (a) there might be a market, but (b) there is not yet backing among established, deep-pocketed powers-that-be.
From Growth to the Millenium: Economics and the Transformation of the Idea of Progress

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the notion of progress through the scope of economics with an appreciation of the social aspects of development both in a technological and in an industrial sense. The rising chorus in the West of discontent and dismay occasioned by the prospect of continued material progress has succeeded in drawing attention to conceptual issues that have been thoroughly understood by several generations of economists, refurbishing these well-worn questions by interjecting an array of empirical assertions whose validity remains unestablished. The conventional view embraced by economists derives from the utilitarian doctrine that the interest of society lies in satisfying the wants of the individuals who compose it has caused many economists to feel puzzled with the above phenomena of discontentment. Doubt and controversy concerning the nexus between economic welfare and social welfare is generally engendered by perceptions of the structural changes that are, historically, the concomitants of economic growth. The ideology of limits of growth has manifested itself most clearly in polemical writings emanating from the professoriate and directed largely to the concerns and frustrations of the newly affluent.
Locus of Control, Student Motivation, and Achievement in Principles of Microeconomics

In the principles of microeconomics class that I taught during the summer of 2013, 44 out of 48 students participated in the completion of 5 questionnaires and a survey describing student characteristics. The questionnaires include: a 29-item Locus of Control Scale, a 12-item Achievement Goal Scale, a 19-item Test Anxiety Scale, a 16-item Procrastination Scale, and a 5- item Fear of Failure Scale. Using locus of control, the class was divided into two equal-sized groups of 22 students by a median split of 8.5. Those who scored 8 and below were treated as internals and those who scored 9 and above were treated as externals. The results of this study show that internals achieved better academically, suffered less from debilitating test anxiety, scored higher on a mastery approach, spent more hours working, and tended more to be of white ethnicity than externals. The regression results show that the locus of control variable has a negative and significant effect on the exam average.
An Ethical Assessment of Actual Voter Behavior

This chapter investigates three basic questions concerning the ethics of voting: is there a duty to vote? Are there moral obligations regulating how one ought to vote? How well do most voters meet these obligations? I argue the answers are, in order: no, yes, and badly.
Roton excitations in a condensed medium

Here, it has been shown that the homogeneous state of the medium can be unstable in melts near the melting curve, in multicomponent liquids, in dense gases, as well as in superfluid helium. Nanoclusters may be spontaneously formed in the medium; their metastability is associated with the increase in orientational entropy during spontaneous rotation of the nanoparticles. With a positive energy of formation of nanoparticles, their concentration is determined by the increase in entropy of the system configuration. Like vacancies in crystals, roton clusters are structural defects of the melt.
Pooled RCTs: Adding LABAs to ICSs do not increase serious asthma events and reduce exacerbations.

Source Citation Busse WW, Bateman ED, Caplan AL, et al. Combined analysis of asthma safety trials of long-acting β 2 -agonists. N Engl J Med. 2018;378:2497-505. 29949492
FECBench: An Extensible Framework for Pinpointing Sources of Performance Interference in the Cloud-Edge Resource Spectrum

Effective resource management is critical in multi-tenant, virtualized cloud platforms to meet service level objectives (SLOs) of individual applications. Thus, cloud providers must be able to detect sources of performance bottlenecks and reliability problems. One such cause, which is the focus of this study, is Performance Interference, where applications collocated on the same physical resource influence each others' performance in a non-linear fashion. In this paper, we present the challenges and requirements for an extensible performance interference benchmarking platform. This poster presents ongoing work on an extensible resource usage statistics collection and benchmarking framework we are developing called FECBench (Fog/Edge/Cloud Bench).
New Tools and Techniques of Remote Sensing for Geologic Hazard Assessment

The use of earth surface remote sensing in geology is increasing thanks to the continuous development of sophisticated sensors and the improvements in digital image processing techniques. Here we focused on new remote sensing tools and techniques capable of delivering high-resolution data for geologic hazard investigations. These include airborne imaging systems such as UAVs (Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles) and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), as well as new radar sensors onboard of Earth-orbiting satellites. We emphasize the applications of advanced synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) techniques referred to as multi-temporal interferometry (MTI). With the free imagery availability from the current (since 2014) European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-1 mission, MTI can now be more affordably exploited for long-term (years), regular (weekly-monthly), precise (mm) measurements of ground displacements over large areas (thousands of km2). This, in turn, means improved detection and monitoring capability of landslide/slope instability, seismic and volcanic hazards.
Normal to extreme Operation Transition Threshold analysis for remanufacturing systems

Abstract Extremely large core returns can destabilize remanufacturing systems and is reported as a nuisance for remanufacturers. In this paper, extreme core returns are targeted by investigating the Operation Transition Threshold (OTT) criterion that signals a remanufacturing system's transition from normal operation mode to extreme operation mode. The threshold parameter of the Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD) is used to signal this transition. The threshold of the GPD can be estimated by different statistical techniques that return different thresholds that can impact the performance of remanufacturing systems. To investigate the OTT of remanufacturing systems, candidate OTTs are first estimated by statistical techniques, then, using vote-counting, proper OTT(s) are identified. Finally, the efficiency of the statistical analysis and effectiveness of the estimated OTTs is validated by remanufacturing system technical requirements. A case study is presented that focuses on remanufacturing end-of-use industrial valves returning to valve shop of a chemical complex. The devised approach is applied to analyze the potential impacts of different OTT estimators on remanufacturing operations. Results of this work indicate that choosing improper OTTs can impose heavy costs on the remanufacturing system. Thus, the OTT can be a critical remanufacturing system parameter should extreme scenarios be a possibility.
Predicting Outcomes for Cerebral Aneurysms Treated with Flow Diversion: A Comparison Between 4 Grading Scales.

Objective Despite the development of 4 grading scales of angiographic outcome after flow diversion for cerebral aneurysms, none have been widely adopted in the neurosurgical literature, nor have any been validated in an independent dataset. We evaluated the reported grading scales for their ability to predict aneurysm occlusion at follow-up. Methods Four reported grading scales were applied in a retrospective analysis of our prospectively maintained institutional database of patients with intracranial aneurysms treated with flow-diverting stents. Analysis of patient factors, aneurysm factors, and outcomes was made to compare the grading scales' ability to predict aneurysm occlusion. Results Ninety-nine aneurysms in 90 patients treated at our institution between 2011 and 2018 were included in the analysis. Lower Flow-Diverting Stent Score (FDSS) scores were associated with higher rates of aneurysm occlusion at final follow-up (P=0.004). The OKM, Kamran-Byrne, and SMART scales scores were not associated with aneurysm occlusion at final follow-up even after adjustments for baseline differences. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the FDSS was 0.675 (0.534–0.816). Conclusions Although the FDSS was the only reported grading scale that was significantly associated with occlusion at follow-up, its ability to predict occlusion fell below the typical level for widespread clinical utility. The high rate of eventual occlusion of most aneurysms after flow diversion likely limits the clinical utility of a grading score for this application.
A recombination event in the 5' flanking region of the Ly-6C gene correlates with impaired expression in the NOD, NZB and ST strains of mice.

Abstract The murine alloantigen, Ly-6C, is found on 45% of bone marrow cells, 25% of splenocytes and 15% of lymph node cells in all inbred strains of mice tested, with the exception of NOD, NZB and ST. In these three strains, Ly-6C expression can be detected on only 5% of bone marrow cells and not at all on cells from spleen or lymph node. NOD and NZB, which are models for the autoimmune diseases, diabetes and lupus, respectively, also exhibit a depressed syngeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction. Southern blot analysis reveals a restriction fragment length polymorphism involving the Ly-6C gene which is unique to these three strains. Cloning of the affected genomic segment from the NOD mouse indicates the presence of an interruption in the flanking region of the Ly-6C gene at a point 475 bp upstream of the transcription initiation site and the consequent separation of distal 5' sequences from the body of the gene by at least 10 kb. Inspection of the recombination borders reveals a set of inverted copies of a mouse repetitive R element. Transfection of the Ly-6C genes from NOD and BALB/c into a murine carcinoma line indicates relative functional impairment of the NOD gene, thus paralleling performance in vivo.
Affinity maturation in a human humoral response to influenza hemagglutinin.

Affinity maturation of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) is a conserved and crucial component of the adaptive immune response. BCR lineages, inferred from paired heavy- and light-chain sequences of rearranged Ig genes from multiple descendants of the same naive B cell precursor (the lineages’ unmutated common ancestor, “UCA”), make it possible to reconstruct the underlying somatic evolutionary history. We present here an extensive structural and biophysical analysis of a lineage of BCRs directed against the receptor binding site (RBS) of subtype H1 influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA). The lineage includes 8 antibodies detected directly by sequencing, 3 in 1 principal branch and 5 in the other. When bound to HA, the heavy-chain third complementarity determining region (HCDR3) fits with an invariant pose into the RBS, but in each of the 2 branches, the rest of the Fab reorients specifically, from its position in the HA-bound UCA, about a hinge at the base of HCDR3. New contacts generated by the reorientation compensate for contacts lost as the H1 HA mutated during the time between the donor’s initial exposure and the vaccination that preceded sampling. Our data indicate that a “pluripotent” naive response differentiated, in each branch, into 1 of its possible alternatives. This property of naive BCRs and persistence of multiple branches of their progeny lineages can offer broader protection from evolving pathogens than can a single, linear pathway of somatic mutation.
Prospective Feasibility Trial of a Novel Strategy of Facilitated Cascade Genetic Testing Using Telephone Counseling.

PURPOSE A powerful consequence of detecting cancer-associated pathogenic variants is the ability to test at-risk relatives (ARRs), termed cascade testing. However, historical studies suggest cascad...
Topographic variation in tree group and gap structure in Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests with active fire regimes

Abstract In Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests, heterogeneity in overstory tree spatial patterns is an important ecological characteristic associated with resilience to frequent fires. Regional managers often emphasize this heterogeneity as a key component of forest treatments. There is a lack of information about how the dimensions of fire-resilient tree spatial patterns might vary with topography, which is an important influence on forest structure. We mapped, analyzed, and compared overstory tree spatial patterns across three topographic slope positions (ridges, mid-slopes, and valleys) in unlogged stands with multiple recent lower/mixed-severity burns. Using analysis of Individual trees, Clumps of trees, and Openings (ICO), we found significant differences in a number of spatial pattern metrics, including stand-level tree density and maximum clump size (highest in valleys), forest opening size (largest on ridges), and species composition (percent shade-intolerant stems highest on ridges). We found notably non-significant differences in within-clump tree densities at all spatial scales. Additionally, stand-level averages for forest structure across topography did not consistently capture spatial patterns for individual trees or smaller clump sizes, but often matched trends for clumps and openings in the largest size classes. As “megafires” become more common, prescribed fire and thinning treatments will be used more often to increase forest resilience. By quantifying variable tree spatial patterns across topographic positions in frequent-fire forests, we provide general guidelines for marking prescriptions that may increase resilience of treated forests to increasing fire intensity.
Crystal Geyser: An Unusual Cold Spring System, Grand County

Crystal Geyser is a cold carbon dioxide (CO2) geyser, part of a natural spring system along the Little Grand Wash fault south of Green River, Utah (figure 1). The spring system hosts a series of CO2-driven geysers and springs with active and fossil microbial mats and tufa deposits composed of carbonate and iron oxide and iron oxyhydroxide minerals (Potter-McIntyre and others, 2017; Knuth and Potter-McIntyre, 2018) (figure 2). Additionally, progressively older carbonate spring deposits crop out on some of the topographic highs in the area because these relatively erosion-resistant deposits armor the paleo-land surface and slow down erosion (Shipton and others, 2004; Burnside, 2010). Recent radiometric U-Th dating of carbonate terraces and embedded veins reveal that CO2-charged fluid has constantly leaked to the surface for over 400 thousand years during the Pleistocene (Burnside, 2010). Crystal Geyser is a popular place for tourists, and it is not uncommon to see children playing in the spring.
Supplementation of protease to low amino acid diets containing superdose level of phytase for wean-to-finish pigs: effects on performance, postweaning intestinal health and carcass characteristics.

This experiment investigated the effects of protease supplementation to low amino acid (AA) diets containing phytase on pig growth performance, postweaning intestinal health and carcass characteristics. A total of 936 weaned pigs (21 d of age, initial BW 5.87 ± 0.31 kg) were used in a 2 × 2 factorial design comparing the main effects of AA supply [standard feeding program: balanced for all nutrients with adjustment of Ca and P due to inclusion of phytase (2,500 FTU/kg in Phase 1 to 4; 500 FTU/kg in Phase 5 to 9) vs. low AA feeding program: 15% lower standardized ileal digestible lysine with relative reduction of all other essential AA] and protease level (0 vs. 0.0125%). Pens were assigned to dietary treatment according to a randomized complete block design with 26 pigs per pen and nine replicates per dietary treatment. Feed and water were provided on an ad libitum basis for all phases throughout the wean-to-finish period. Feed intake and body weight were determined every 2 wk during nursery period and monthly in the grow-finish period. Intestinal health in the first 17 d was assessed based on lactulose:mannitol ratio (L:M), serum IgA, and pen diarrhea assessment. Overall, pigs fed standard wean-to-finish diets had greater (P < 0.05) ADG and G:F than pigs fed low AA diets. Pig growth performance was not different throughout the wean-to-finish period with or without protease supplementation and with no interaction between AA supply and protease supplementation. There were no differences among dietary treatments for carcass characteristics. No difference was observed for urinary L:M and serum IgA; however, the L:M ratio was approximately 32% lower in pigs fed low AA diets + protease compared with pigs fed standard and low AA diets at d 5 and d 17 postweaning. Pigs fed protease supplemented diets had lower incidence of diarrhea (χ2 < 0.05) compared with pigs fed diets without protease. Results of the experiment indicate that dietary protease supplementation benefits intestinal health of nursery pigs.
Changes in Soil Microbial Communities across an Urbanization Gradient: A Local-Scale Temporal Study in the Arid Southwestern USA

Urban development is one of the leading causes of biodiversity change. Understanding how soil microorganisms respond to urbanization is particularly important because they are crucial for the provisioning of ecosystem functions and services. Here, we collected monthly soil samples over one year across three locations representing an urbanization gradient (low-moderate-high) in the arid Southwestern USA, and we characterized their microbial communities using marker gene sequencing. Our results showed that microbial richness and community composition exhibited nonsignificant changes over time regardless of the location. Soil fungal richness was lower in moderately and highly urbanized locations, but soil bacterial/archaeal richness was not significantly different among locations. Both bacteria/archaea and fungi exhibited significant differences in community composition across locations. After inferring potential functional groups, soils in the highly urbanized location had lower proportions of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and soil saprotrophic fungi but had higher proportions of bacterial taxa involved in aromatic compound degradation, human pathogens, and intracellular parasites. Furthermore, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria were more abundant in the highly urbanized location, but ammonia-oxidizing archaea were more abundant in lowly and moderately urbanized locations. Together, these results highlight the significant changes in belowground microbial communities across an urbanization gradient, and these changes might have important implications for aboveground–belowground interactions, nutrient cycling, and human health.