cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interglial cell gap junctions increase in urethane-induced photoreceptor degeneration in rats.

Gap junctions are found between astrocytes in the inner retina of normal rats, but they are rare between Muller cells or between astrocytes and Muller cells in the inner retina. After photoreceptor degeneration induced by urethane treatment of newborn animals, morphologic alterations of glial cells occur in the inner retina. The Muller cells withdraw from the inner limiting membrane, and the astrocytes hypertrophy and occupy the vitread surface of the inner limiting membrane. The frequency and size of the gap junctions between astrocytes increases with time in rats with urethane-induced photoreceptor degeneration, to a greater extent than expected from elaboration of additional astrocyte plasma membrane. The gap junction-profile length per glial cell membrane-contact length is 2.8 +/- 1.1 microns/1000 microns of membrane in 8-week-old normal animals; it increases to 18.9 +/- 9.4 microns/1000 microns of membrane at 56 weeks of age in urethane-treated animals. The average size of the gap junction-profile length doubles during this same period. To the authors' knowledge this is the first study demonstrating pathologic changes in gap junctions in central nervous system tissue. The authors speculate that this up-regulation of gap junctions occurs in response to an altered extracellular ionic composition in an attempt to increase the lateral spatial buffering of K+ by these cells. The relative location of glial cells in retina can determine, in part, the vulnerability of the retina to edema.
A study of professional player contracts offered by four major leagues in the United States and their related systems.

The author studied the characteristics of labor agreements offered by four major leagues as well as the contents of labor agreements and standard player contracts offered by four major leagues,believed that players and clubs are contract subjects.The contents of player contracts include stipulations on such clauses as contract term,job content,player salary,player welfare,player assurance,physical condition,promotion activity,prohibited activity,usage of player’s commercial personality right,player’s misconduct and disciplinary punishment,dispute settlement,responsibility waiver etc.In player contracts,stipulations on such clauses as income sharing,minimum wage and welfare have provided assurance for player rights;different from ordinary labor contracts,a lot of clauses are used in the contracts to restrict player rights,such as the commercial use of personality rights,prohibition of dangerous activity participation,physical condition,doping test,good behaviors and disciplinary punishment restraint,drafting system,contract dissolution restraint and responsibility waiver etc.These restraints involve with the restriction of player privacy right,image right,occupation choosing right,from the perspective of law,these restrictive agreements reached through labor negotiation can be exempted from antitrust scrutiny according to non-statutory labor exemption,which is also the price for the players’ high salaries which are much higher than ordinary workers’ salaries and their perfected welfare.
The impact of different cell phone functions and their effects on postural stability

Abstract This study examined the effects of different cell phone functions (texting, talking, and listening to music) on postural stability. Forty-five college students participated in four cell phone conditions (texting, talking, listening to music, and control) in a counter-balanced order. Postural stability was assessed on the Biodex Balance System SD. During the postural stability test participants completed three, 20-s trials for each condition with a 10-s rest interval between each trial, and a five-minute rest interval between each condition. Overall postural stability was significantly (p ≤ 0.001) worse during the texting (2.23 ± 1.31) condition when compared to the talking (1.51 ± 0.75), music (1.16 ± 0.57), and control (1.22 ± 0.61) conditions. Postural stability was significantly (p ≤ 0.001) worse during the talking condition when compared to the music and control conditions. The music and control conditions were not significantly (p > 0.20) different. In conclusion, using a cell phone for texting or talking can disrupt postural stability by requiring divided attention between dual tasks, and therefore, possibly predisposing individual’s to other greater inherent risks such as falls and musculoskeletal injuries.
Growth and nutrient uptake of tomato in response to application of saline water, biological fertilizer, and surfactant

ABSTRACTThe importance of using low-quality water, such as saline waters, for food production has been increased in the recent decades. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of diluted seawater (electrical conductivity (EC) of 6 dS m−1) on growth and nutrient uptake of tomato. We examined if surfactant (0, 1, 2, 4 mg L−1) and biological fertilizer (compost tea + arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi propagules) have potential to alleviate the adverse effects of salinity on tomato plant. Salinity stress significantly reduced all plant growth parameters. Under salinity stress, nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) contents in tomato shoot were lower, while phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), and calcium (Ca) contents were higher than non-salinized plants; showing ionic imbalance in this condition. Biological fertilizer improved root weight in saline condition. Under salinity stress surfactant application at the rate of 1 mg L−1 helped tomato plants to maintain their ionic balance, especially declining Na uptake, and ...
ApoE2, ApoE3, and ApoE4 Differentially Stimulate APP Transcription and Aβ Secretion

Human apolipoprotein E (ApoE) apolipoprotein is primarily expressed in three isoforms (ApoE2, ApoE3, and ApoE4) that differ only by two residues. ApoE4 constitutes the most important genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), ApoE3 is neutral, and ApoE2 is protective. How ApoE isoforms influence AD pathogenesis, however, remains unclear. Using ES-cell-derived human neurons, we show that ApoE secreted by glia stimulates neuronal Aβ production with an ApoE4 > ApoE3 > ApoE2 potency rank order. We demonstrate that ApoE binding to ApoE receptors activates dual leucine-zipper kinase (DLK), a MAP-kinase kinase kinase that then activates MKK7 and ERK1/2 MAP kinases. Activated ERK1/2 induces cFos phosphorylation, stimulating the transcription factor AP-1, which in turn enhances transcription of amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) and thereby increases amyloid-β levels. This molecular mechanism also regulates APP transcription in mice in vivo. Our data describe a novel signal transduction pathway in neurons whereby ApoE activates a non-canonical MAP kinase cascade that enhances APP transcription and amyloid-β synthesis.
Genomic and transcriptomic resources for assassin flies including the complete genome sequence of Proctacanthus coquilletti (Insecta: Diptera: Asilidae) and 16 representative transcriptomes

A high-quality draft genome for Proctacanthus coquilletti (Insecta: Diptera: Asilidae) is presented along with transcriptomes for 16 Diptera species from five families: Asilidae, Apioceridae, Bombyliidae, Mydidae, and Tabanidae. Genome sequencing reveals that P. coquilletti has a genome size of approximately 210 Mbp and remarkably low heterozygosity (0.47%) and few repeats (15%). These characteristics helped produce a highly contiguous (N50 = 862 kbp) assembly, particularly given that only a single 2 × 250 bp PCR-free Illumina library was sequenced. A phylogenomic hypothesis is presented based on thousands of putative orthologs across the 16 transcriptomes. Phylogenetic relationships support the sister group relationship of Apioceridae + Mydidae to Asilidae. A time-calibrated phylogeny is also presented, with seven fossil calibration points, which suggests an older age of the split among Apioceridae, Asilidae, and Mydidae (158 mya) and Apioceridae and Mydidae (135 mya) than proposed in the AToL FlyTree project. Future studies will be able to take advantage of the resources presented here in order to produce large scale phylogenomic and evolutionary studies of assassin fly phylogeny, life histories, or venom. The bioinformatics tools and workflow presented here will be useful to others wishing to generate de novo genomic resources in species-rich taxa without a closely-related reference genome.
Behavioral analysis of airline scheduled block time adjustment

Abstract Scheduled block time (SBT) is the time between gate departure and gate arrival assumed by airlines for use in published timetables and operations planning. SBT setting has critical impacts on airlines’ operating cost and on-time performance. Air carriers regularly update their SBTs to respond to changing operating conditions and evolving business strategies. Most existing studies have focused on investigating the impact of SBT on on-time performance or predicting SBT based on historical performance and market characteristics. However, the dynamics of adjusting SBT, which may allow deeper understanding about the trade-offs airlines make between SBT and on-time performance, have been rarely studied. In this paper, we assume that SBT adjustment choices reveal preferences. Based on airlines’ practice in setting SBT, hypothetical SBT scenarios and their corresponding on-time performance profiles are re-constructed to mimic the situations faced by airline schedulers. This enables us to infer how airlines trade-off between SBT, on-time arrivals, and earliness. By using correlated mixed logit models, we find that our five study airlines are willing to increase SBT from 0.38 to 0.54 min to increase on-time performance by 1%. We also find that both on-time performance and early arrival are valued by airlines, but the former is considerably more valuable. The estimated models can also be used to predict airlines’ SBT adjustments in response to changes in operational performance.
Semiconducting boron-rich neutron detectors

We report further studies on the neutron detection capabilities of boron carbide/Si heterjunction diodes. In particular, we investigate the behavior of these diodes in the presence of low neutron flux. The spectrum is compared with previous data obtained in the high neutron flux environment in the irradiation sample well of a TRIGA reactor.
Federal Prosecution of Terrorism-Related Cases: Conviction and Sentencing Data in Light of the 'Soft Sentence' and 'Data Reliability' and Critiques

This symposium article examines two critiques associated with post-9/11 criminal prosecutions in terrorism-related cases. The data-reliability critique attacks the reliability of the statistics reported by the Justice Department in connection with such cases, while the soft-sentence critique suggests that claims of success in such cases might be overstated in light of the relatively short sentences they produce. I conclude that the data-reliability critique largely reflects disagreement regarding the types of cases that ought to be coded as terrorism-related. This dispute came to a head in the spring of 2007 in connection with a report issued by the Department's Inspector General, prompting the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) to revise its case code definitions. Whether the revised codes will suffice to resolve the data-reliability critique remains to be seen.The soft-sentence critique in turn reflects the definitional dispute underlying the data-reliability critique; the Department's inclusion of preventive charging cases (and other such cases not involving overt allegations of involvement with terrorism) in its terrorism-related statistical categories inevitably leads to relatively brief aggregate sentences. It does not follow, however, that the Department has obtained similarly-brief sentences in cases that do involve allegations of conduct relating in some fashion to terrorism. Rather than examining disposition and sentencing data solely based on the controversial EOUSA case categories, therefore, I advocate reliance also on data developed on a per-offense basis. I conclude the paper with an example of such a study, focused on two statutes: 18 U.S.C. - 2339B (prohibiting the provision of material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations) and 50 U.S.C. - 1705 (criminalizing transactions in violation of sanction orders issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act). The study includes all prosecutions under both statutes between 9/01 and 7/07 (for the IEEPA statute, it lists only those prosecutions arising out of terrorism-related IEEPA orders), and finds that they yield sentences considerably more substantial than the low numbers emphasized in the soft-sentence critique.
Room occupancy estimation through wifi, UWB, and light sensors mounted on doorways

Recent studies have shown that adjusting HVAC systems based on the number of people inside the room can save at least 38% of energy consumed for reheating. Besides, accurate estimate of room's occupants is useful in improving the safety and security of the buildings. There are many research proposals and commercial products for reliable and efficient people counting, however, these solutions are expensive, hard to deploy, or obstructive to people flow. We investigate the possibility of utilizing wireless and light sensing technologies in the doorways to track the entrances/exits to/from the room. Our solution is inexpensive, unobtrusive with much fewer deployment constraints compared to existing people counting solutions. For RF based sensing, we use ultra-wideband signals at center frequency of 4 GHz with 500 MHz bandwidth and narrowband wireless signals (WiFi) at the center frequency of 2.4 GHz with the bandwidth of 20 MHz. We also evaluate the possibility of using existing WiFi infrastructure to count people. Ambient light is second physical phenomenon which we utilize for accurately counting number of people walk through the doors. We place low cost photodiode on door frames to detect changes in light illuminance level when there are people walking through the door. Light based people counting requires an installation of just one inexpensive photodiode at the doorway which makes our solution highly applicable for large scale deployments. We evaluated our solution via several controlled and uncontrolled real-world environments. The results show an average of 96% accuracy in estimating the number of occupants in rooms.
Exploring stroke-associated hemiparesis assessment with support vector machines

Hemiparesis, the weakness of one side of the body, affects the ability of stroke survivors to move and walk. With prevalence in 80% of survivors, hemiparesis is an important measure for stroke severity. It is generally diagnosed through motor tests performed as part of the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Here we report on initial work for an alternate way of identifying hemiparesis that leverages body joint position data captured by the Microsoft Kinect v2 of people resting while waiting for the neurological examination. We employ support vector machines with 10 stroke patients and 9 healthy controls to characterize hemiparesis based on the lower core body angles of the participants, and compare our results to neurologists' diagnoses. We were able to identify left-side hemiparesis, right-side hemiparesis, or no hemiparesis with > 89% accuracy when looking at the lower body angles and observing the patients for 1 minute.
Clinical Results with Real-Time Color B-Scan Ultrasonography

The use of color to indicate the strength of returned echoes on a real-time basis has proved to be clinically valuable. This equipment provides high resolution and wide dynamic range, both of which increase the amount of information obtained during the examination of a patient.
Technologies of Urbanism in Mesoamerica: The Pre-Columbian Bridges of Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala

Despite the high degree of technological sophistication visible in other aspects of urban engineering, the archaeology of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica has revealed curiously few examples of bridges or formal, permanent water-crossing structures. The ancient city of Cotzumalhuapa, where at least five such structures have been identified, is a notable exception. The author reviews the archaeological and historical evidence for these bridges, and reflects upon the diversity of engineering technologies that they reveal. Although it remains unclear why bridges are absent at many other contemporaneous sites, these examples offer a fascinating glimpse into the urban planning of structured mobility in Mesoamerica.
How Do Chaperones Protect a Cell's Proteins from Oxidative Damage?

Summary The accumulation of protein damage in aging organisms is thought to contribute to many aging-related diseases. Yet the properties determining which proteins are most susceptible remain poorly understood. Are certain conformations more vulnerable? Which chaperones are the main guardians? We address these questions with a system-wide model of E. coli proteostasis. By predicting how proteins with different folding properties respond to each chaperone's concentration, the model computes "damage fingerprints" that identify unfolded conformations as the major damage target. What matters most is not a protein's stability or difficulty of folding, but its dwell time in an unfolded state. The main guardian chaperone is DnaK because its client proteins spend more time unfolded than clients of GroEL, providing a mechanism for why the cell's capacity to handle stress is more sensitive to DnaK levels. Also, we find that chaperones are protectors, not recyclers. This model describes how cells resist stress and indicates that designing chaperone-targeting drugs may require whole-cell, system-wide modeling.
Transient Heat Conduction in Two-Phase Systems

In this chapter we consider the problem of heat conduction in two-phase systems without the complications associated with adsorption, chemical reaction, phase change, etc. Our objectives in this chapter are two-fold: 1. To study a process in which transport occurs in two phases. 2. To indicate how a one-equation model can be developed in order to describe transport in a two-phase system.
Environmental and Human Health Aspects of Commercially Important Surfactants

Seven types of surfactants comprise the majority of those presently used in commercial detergent formulations. These are linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS), alkyl sulfates (AS), alcohol ethoxylates (AE), alkyl phenol ethoxylates (APE), alcohol ethoxy sulfates (AES), alpha olefin sulfonates (AOS) and secondary alkane sulfonates (SAS). LAS surfactants, the mainstay of detergent components, have been in use the longest and their paths of biodegradation are relatively well understood. Environmental levels of methylene blue active substances, the most commonly employed but non-specific measure of anionic surfactant concentration, indicate that LAS are readily biodegradable. Nonionic (AE and APE) and the anionic AES and AS surfactants are also biodegradable with APE degrading somewhat more slowly than the others. Acute toxic effects to aquatic life forms generally occur in adult vertebrates and invertebrates at surfactant concentrations from 1 to 20 mg/L; juvenile and developmental stages show effects at somewhat lower concentrations.
Source water variability as a driver of rockfish recruitment in the California Current Ecosystem: implications for climate change and fisheries management

Elucidating connections between ocean climate variability and change and recruitment of juvenile fishes to adult populations is critical for understanding variability in stock–recruit dynamics. Rec...
Comparative phylogeography of widespread and endemic damselfishes in the Hawaiian Archipelago

The Hawaiian Archipelago, one of the most remote archipelagoes in the world, is a hotspot for reef fish endemism. The restricted biogeographic range sizes of endemic species have been interpreted to indicate low dispersal ability, whereas broad distributions of widespread species are assumed to indicate high dispersal potential. To assess that intuitive link, we analyzed mitochondrial cytochrome b and control region sequence data for two widespread damselfish species (Abudefduf vaigiensis and Chromis vanderbilti) across the Hawaiian Archipelago and broader Indo-Pacific and compared with three Hawaiian endemic damselfishes (A. abdominalis, C. ovalis, and C. verater). The widespread species exhibited less population structure in the Hawaiian Archipelago than the endemics. Across the larger spatial scale of their Indo-Pacific ranges, both widespread damselfish species showed strong and significant population structure. Our comparison of widespread and endemic damselfish species is consistent with the expected trend for widespread species to exhibit more connectivity within the Hawaiian Archipelago, but this pattern may be restricted to certain reef fish families. In addition, widespread species in this study and previous studies, which had little to no population subdivision within archipelagoes, have shown strong genetic structure when analyzed across the broader Indo-Pacific. We conclude that geographic range size may be a better indicator of dispersal ability at smaller (within archipelago) rather than at larger spatial scales (across oceans). Management should note that reef fishes unique to Hawaii seem to have less gene flow across the archipelago than more broadly distributed Indo-Pacific species.
Reading Disability Ethically: Gertrud Kolmar's Susanna

Gertrud Kolmar’s novella Susanna has primarily been analyzed for the ways it negotiates Jewishness and femininity in a climate hostile to them. While recent scholarship has considered the represent...
The price of illusion: A memoir, by Joan Juliet Buck, New York, NY: Washington Square Press, 2017, 389 pp.

The Price of Illusion is an intimate look into the extravagant but not-always-glamorous life of a former editor in chief of Vogue Paris. Joan Juliet Buck was born into a privileged life. Her father...
Influence of transect length and downed woody debris abundance on precision of the line-intersect sampling method

Accurate downed woody debris (DWD) volume or mass estimates are needed for numerous applications such as fuel loading, forest carbon, and biodiversity/habitat assessments. The line-intersect sampling (LIS) method of inventorying DWD is widely used in forest inventories and ecological studies because it is time-efficient and unbiased. Despite its widespread use, the appropriate transect length needed to achieve a desired precision at a particular location has received relatively little attention. We conducted intensive LIS sampling at 33 locations representing eight mature or old-growth forest types in northeastern USA, providing a range of forest conditions and DWD volumes (from 17 to 323 m3∙ha− 1). We used these empirical field data to test, through simulations, the effect of increasing transect length (up to 340 m at each location) on precision of associated LIS volume estimates. Importantly, we used a novel application of copula models to account for within-transect spatial autocorrelation of DWD volumes during our simulations, thereby properly addressing variance estimates. As expected, precision consistently improved with increasing cumulative transect length, and locations with lower DWD volumes required longer transects to achieve a given level of precision. We developed models relating precision, transect length, and DWD volume that allows us to gauge a suitable LIS transect length for desired precision levels. LIS provides an attractive method for estimating DWD volume for a given localized area of interest. For the forest types sampled here, and for the particular copula model framework employed, transect lengths of ca. 120 m provide a reasonable level of precision, ranging from 18% to 60% coefficients of variation.
Apical Suspension Utilization at the Time of Vaginal Hysterectomy for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Varies With Surgeon Specialty.

Objective To evaluate whether utilization of apical suspension procedures at the time of vaginal hysterectomy for pelvic organ prolapse varies with surgeon specialty. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study using data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2014 to 2016. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification with a diagnosis of pelvic organ prolapse who underwent vaginal hysterectomy with any combination of pelvic reconstructive procedures. Propensity score matching using available preoperative clinical data was used to ameliorate selection bias by specialty at a ratio of 1 female pelvic reconstructive surgeon (FPMRS) surgeon to 2 obstetrician-gynecologists (OBG). Descriptive statistics were reported as means with standard deviations. Pairwise analysis using Student t test and Fisher exact test was performed where appropriate. Results After propensity score matching, there were 901 cases performed by FPMRS and 1802 performed by OBG. The overall utilization rate of apical suspension in the matched cohort was 81.7% for FPMRS and 19.8% for OBG (P Conclusions The FPMRS physicians are more likely to perform apical suspension with vaginal hysterectomy for prolapse repair compared with OBG.
Optimal Time Allocation in VANETs Advertising: A Price-Based Approach using Stacklberg Game

Vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) have recently attracted a lot of attention due to their immense potentials and applications. Wide range of coverage and accessibility to end users make VANETs a good target for commercial companies. In this paper, we consider a scenario in which advertising companies aim to disseminate their advertisements in different areas of a city by utilizing VANETs infrastructure. These companies compete for renting the VANETs infrastructure to spread their advertisements. We partition the city map into different blocks, and consider a manager for all the blocks who is in charge of splitting the time between interested advertising companies. Each advertising company (AdC) is charged proportional to the allocated time. In order to find the best time splitting between AdCs, we propose a Stackelberg game scheme in which the block manager assigns the companies to the blocks and imposes the renting prices to different companies in order to maximize its own profit. Based on this, AdCs request the amount of time they desire to rent the infrastructure in order to maximize their utilities. To obtain the Stackelberg equilibrium of the game, a mixed integer nonlinear optimization problem is solved using the proposed optimal and sub-optimal algorithms. The simulation results demonstrate that the sub-optimal algorithm approaches the optimal one in performance with lower complexity.
Intrastromal bevacizumab in the management of corneal neovascularization: a retrospective review.

To evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of intrastromal bevacizumab for treatment of deep corneal neovascularization in candidates for high-risk cornea grafting. A single-center retrospective study involving 14 eyes of 14 patients with chronic deep corneal neovascularization, treated with intrastromal bevacizumab by a single provider from 2011 to present. Intrastromal bevacizumab (0.05–0.1 mL of 2.5 mg/0.1 mL) was administered every 4–8 weeks. On average 1–3 intrastromal injections were performed prior to corneal grafting (penetrating keratoplasty or deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty). 64.2% patients had neurotrophic keratitis secondary to herpes zoster or simplex. Neovascularization was encroaching the visual axis in 50% and was paracentral in 42.8%. After intrastromal bevacizumab injection, 14.2% had complete regression of neovascularization, avoiding the need of future corneal transplant. Persistent neovascularization was noticed in 21.4%. Successful penetrating keratoplasty was performed in 57% of patients. Minimal adverse effects were noted; temporary epithelial defect was seen in two eyes and self-limited intrastromal hemorrhage in one. There was no evidence of recurrence of neovascularization or graft rejection in the transplant group (mean follow-up 3 years). Intrastromal bevacizumab appears to be a safe and effective modality in the treatment of chronic corneal neovascularization, producing durable regression of corneal neovascularization and allowing for durable success of subsequent corneal transplants in high-risk patients.
The evolving demographics of graduate dental education.

A review is provided of the changing gender, racial and ethic distribution of enrollees in advanced dental education programs.
Helical Bragg gratings filter for orbital angular momentum wave

Effective filtration of orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes is essential to achieve multiple-channel data transmission in an OAM fiber for telecommunication applications. The nature of helical-shaped OAM wave propagation possessing many topological charges implies the need for uniquely designed index-modulated filters to conform to its twisted propagating direction in the fiber. Here, different from previous structures in demultiplexing OAM modes, a helical-shaped fiber grating structure concept is proposed as a pathway toward efficient demultiplexing of OAM modes in a fiber. A comparison of our proposed structure with the conventional fiber Bragg filter in transmitting an OAM wave shows a stronger reflection of the higher order OAM mode. We suggest that the proposed fiber Bragg structure has strong potential to be used for OAM fiber telecommunication technology.
Multiple immunity-related genes control susceptibility of Arabidopsis thaliana to the parasitic weed Phelipanche aegyptiaca

Parasitic weeds represent a major threat to agricultural production across the world. Little is known about which host genetic pathways determine compatibility for any host-parasitic plant interaction. We developed a quantitative assay to characterize the growth of the parasitic weed Phelipanche aegyptiaca on 46 mutant lines of the host plant Arabidopsis thaliana to identify host genes that are essential for susceptibility to the parasite. A. thaliana host plants with mutations in genes involved in jasmonic acid biosynthesis/signaling or the negative regulation of plant immunity were less susceptible to P. aegyptiaca parasitization. In contrast, A. thaliana plants with a mutant allele of the putative immunity hub gene Pfd6 were more susceptible to parasitization. Additionally, quantitative PCR revealed that P. aegyptiaca parasitization leads to transcriptional reprograming of several hormone signaling pathways. While most tested A. thaliana lines were fully susceptible to P. aegyptiaca parasitization, this work revealed several host genes essential for full susceptibility or resistance to parasitism. Altering these pathways may be a viable approach for limiting host plant susceptibility to parasitism.
Two centuries of settlement and urban development in the United States

Over the past 200 years, the population of the United States grew more than 40-fold. The resulting development of the built environment has had a profound impact on the regional economic, demographic, and environmental structure of North America. Unfortunately, constraints on data availability limit opportunities to study long-term development patterns and how population growth relates to land-use change. Using hundreds of millions of property records, we undertake the finest-resolution analysis to date, in space and time, of urbanization patterns from 1810 to 2015. Temporally consistent metrics reveal distinct long-term urban development patterns characterizing processes such as settlement expansion and densification at fine granularity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these settlement measures are robust proxies for population throughout the record and thus potential surrogates for estimating population changes at fine scales. These new insights and data vastly expand opportunities to study land use, population change, and urbanization over the past two centuries.
Aberrant newborn T cell and microbiota developmental trajectories predict respiratory compromise during infancy

Neonatal immune-microbiota co-development is poorly understood, yet appropriate recognition of -- and response to -- pathogens and commensal microbiota is critical to health. In this longitudinal study of 148 pre- and 119 full-term infants from birth through one year of age we found that postmenstrual age, or weeks from conception, not post-natal age, is the dominant factor influencing T cell and mucosal microbiota development. Numerous features of the T cell and microbiota functional development remain unexplained, however, by either age metric and are instead shaped by discrete peri- and post-natal events. Most strikingly, we establish that prenatal antibiotics or infection disrupt the normal T cell population developmental trajectory, influencing subsequent respiratory microbial colonization and predicting respiratory morbidity. In this way, early exposures imprint the postnatal immune-microbiota axis and place an infant at significant risk for respiratory morbidity in early childhood.
Averaged cluster approach to including chemical short-range order in KKR-CPA

The single-site Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent potential approximation (KKR-CPA) ignores short-range ordering present in disordered metallic systems. In this paper, we establish a technique to fix this shortcoming by embedding an averaged cluster that displays chemical short-range order (SRO). The degree of SRO can be tuned by externally defined order parameters. This averaged cluster can be embedded in the single-site CPA medium or a self-consistently obtained effective medium that contains SRO information. The validity of this method is demonstrated by applying it to two alloy systems---the CuZn body-centered cubic (BCC) solid solution, and AlCrTiV, a four-element BCC high entropy alloy. A comparison between the non-self-consistent and self-consistent modes is also provided for the two above-mentioned systems. We make the code available on the internet. Planned extensions to this paper are discussed.
Yeast Intracellular Staining (yICS): Enabling High-Throughput, Quantitative Detection of Intracellular Proteins via Flow Cytometry for Pathway Engineering

The complexities of pathway engineering necessitate screening libraries to discover phenotypes of interest. However, this approach is challenging when desirable phenotypes cannot be directly linked to growth advantages or fluorescence. In these cases, the ability to rapidly quantify intracellular proteins in the pathway of interest is critical to expedite the clonal selection process. While Saccharomyces cerevisiae remains a common host for pathway engineering, current approaches for intracellular protein detection in yeast either have low throughput, can interfere with protein function, or lack the ability to detect multiple proteins simultaneously. To fill this need, we developed yeast intracellular staining (yICS) that enables fluorescent antibodies to access intracellular compartments of yeast cells while maintaining their cellular integrity for analysis by flow cytometry. Using the housekeeping proteins β actin and glyceraldehyde 3-phophate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as targets for yICS, we demonstrated for the first time successful antibody-based flow cytometric detection of yeast intracellular proteins with no modification. Further, yICS characterization of a recombinant d-xylose assimilation pathway showed 3-plexed, quantitative detection of the xylose reductase (XR), xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH), and xylulokinase (XK) enzymes each fused with a small (6-10 amino acids) tag, revealing distinct enzyme expression profiles between plasmid-based and genome-integrated expression approaches. As a result of its high-throughput and quantitative capability, yICS enabled rapid screening of a library created from CRISPR-mediated XDH integration into the yeast δ site, identifying rare (1%) clones that led to an 8.4-fold increase in XDH activity. These results demonstrate the utility of yICS for greatly accelerating pathway engineering efforts, as well as any application where the high-throughput and quantitative detection of intracellular proteins is desired.
Processing Has Differential Effects on Microbiota-Accessible Carbohydrates in Whole Grains during In Vitro Fermentation.

Whole grains are generally low in nondigestible carbohydrates that are available for fermentation by the gut microbiota, or microbiota-accessible carbohydrates (MAC). However, there is potential to increase MAC in whole grains through food processing. Five processing methods: boiling, extrusion, sourdough bread, unleavened bread, and yeast bread, were applied to whole wheat flour and then subjected to in vitro digestion followed by fermentation using fecal microbiomes from 10 subjects. The microbiomes separated into 2 groups: those that showed high carbohydrate utilization (CU) and those that exhibited low CU. The former exhibited not only enhanced CU but also increased butyrate production (MAC, 31.1 ± 1.1% versus 19.3 ± 1.2%, P < 0.001; butyrate, 5.26 ± 0.26 mM versus 3.17 ± 0.27 mM, P < 0.001). Only the microbiomes in the high-CU group showed significant differences among processing methods: extrusion and sourdough bread led to dichotomous results for MAC and short-chain fatty acid production, where extrusion resulted in high MAC but low butyrate production while sourdough bread resulted in low MAC but high butyrate production. Extrusion led to a noticeable decrease in α-diversity and some members of the families Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae, with increases in Acinetobacter, Enterococcus, and Staphylococcaceae. This study demonstrated that only microbiomes that exhibited high CU responded to the effects of processing by showing significant differences among processing methods. In these microbiomes, extrusion was able to increase accessibility of the cell wall polysaccharides but did not increase butyrate production. In contrast, sourdough bread led to high butyrate production by supporting important butyrate-producers in the families Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae. IMPORTANCE Dietary nondigestible carbohydrates, or dietary fiber, have long been recognized for their beneficial health effects. However, recent studies have revealed that fermentation of nondigestible carbohydrates by gut bacteria is critical in mediating many of the health-promoting properties of dietary fibers. Whole grains are excellent candidates to supply the microbiome with a plentiful source of nondigestible carbohydrates, although unfortunately a majority of these carbohydrates in whole grains are not available to gut bacteria for fermentation. Processing is known to alter the structural characteristics of nondigestible carbohydrates in whole grains, yet the relationship between these effects and gut microbial fermentation is unknown. This research aimed to address this important research gap by identifying interactions between whole-grain processing and gut bacteria, with the ultimate goal of increasing the availability of nondigestible carbohydrates for fermentation to enhance host health.
6-DoF Grasp Planning using Fast 3D Reconstruction and Grasp Quality CNN

Recent consumer demand for home robots has accelerated performance of robotic grasping. However, a key component of the perception pipeline, the depth camera, is still expensive and inaccessible to most consumers. In addition, grasp planning has significantly improved recently, by leveraging large datasets and cloud robotics, and by limiting the state and action space to top-down grasps with 4 degrees of freedom (DoF). By leveraging multi-view geometry of the object using inexpensive equipment such as off-the-shelf RGB cameras and state-of-the-art algorithms such as Learn Stereo Machine (LSM\cite{kar2017learning}), the robot is able to generate more robust grasps from different angles with 6-DoF. In this paper, we present a modification of LSM to graspable objects, evaluate the grasps, and develop a 6-DoF grasp planner based on Grasp-Quality CNN (GQ-CNN\cite{mahler2017dex}) that exploits multiple camera views to plan a robust grasp, even in the absence of a possible top-down grasp.
Monoclonal glomerulopathy with features of cryoglobulinemic glomerulopathy in murine multiple myeloma model.

In vivo and animal models of monoclonal light chain-associated renal diseases are limited. The Vk*MYC transgenic model with multiple myeloma in 50–70 weeks old mice with renal involvement has been ...
Supplemental Security Income and Children

In 2018, 1.1 million children under the age of 18 received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Children qualify for SSI if their families have limited income and assets and the children have medically-determinable conditions that result in marked and severe functional limitations. In this study, I use recent data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation and the Disability Analysis File to measure the demographic, economic, educational, health, and social characteristics of children receiving SSI. Relative to other children, I find SSI children have high rates of poverty, near poverty, material hardship, hospitalization, mortality, and adverse schooling outcomes. Relative to other parents, parents of SSI children are more likely to have a disability of their own and less likely to be married, working, or with education beyond high school. Within the SSI child population, I find children in households where family members also receive SSI to have higher levels of material hardship. The study concludes with a comparison of findings to the research literature and a policy discussion.
Mapping the orbitofrontal cortex using temporal fluctuations in cerebral blood flow

Introduction The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is involved in diverse cognitive and behavioral processes including incentive valuation, decision-making, and reinforcement learning. Anatomic and cytoarchitectonic studies divide the OFC along both medial-lateral and rostral-caudal axes. OFC regions diverge in structure and function, assessed in vivo using white matter tractography and blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) MRI, respectively. However, interpretation of T2 *-weighted BOLD is limited by susceptibility artifacts in the inferior frontal lobes, with the spatial pattern of these artifacts frequently assuming the geometry of OFC organization. Here, we utilize a novel perfusion-weighted arterial spin labeling (ASL) functional connectivity approach, which is minimally susceptibility-weighted, to test the hypothesis that OFC topology reflects correlated temporal hemodynamic activity. Methods In healthy participants (n = 20; age = 29.5 ± 7.3), 3D ASL scans were acquired (TR/TE = 3,900/13 ms; spatial resolution = 3.8 mm isotropic). To evaluate reproducibility, follow-up scanning on a separate day was performed on a participant subset (n = 8). ASL-based connectivity was modeled for gray matter OFC voxels, and k-means clustering (k = 2-8) applied to correlation statistics. Results These approaches revealed both medial-lateral and rostral-caudal OFC divisions, confirming our hypothesis. Longitudinal reproducibility testing revealed 84% voxel clustering agreement between sessions for the k = 2 solution. Conclusion To our knowledge, this constitutes the first in vivo cortical parcellation based on perfusion fluctuations. Our approach confirms functional OFC subdivisions predicted from anatomy using a less susceptibility-sensitive method than the conventional approach.
The treatment burden of long-term home noninvasive ventilation

Long-term home noninvasive ventilation has practical and psychosocial implications for individuals, families and caregivers. Exploring the impact of the workload of healthcare or “treatment burden” helps determine treatment feasibility and acceptability.https://bit.ly/39YUY2A
Xiphilinos’ Agency in the Epitome of Cassius Dio

Xiphilinos can be seen to focus on or recast episodes in Dio that resembled eleventh-century events or developments and that could offer his contemporaries ethical and political lessons.
A novel Toxoplasma IMC sutures-associated protein regulates suture protein targeting and colocalizes with membrane trafficking machinery

The cytoskeleton of Toxoplasma gondii is composed of the inner membrane complex (IMC) and an array of underlying microtubules that provide support at the periphery of the parasite. Specific subregions of the IMC carry out distinct roles in replication, motility, and host cell invasion. Building on our previous in vivo biotinylation (BioID) experiments of the IMC, we identify here a novel protein that localizes to discrete punctae that are embedded in the parasite9s cytoskeleton along the IMC sutures. Gene knockout analysis shows that loss of the protein results in defects in cytoskeletal suture protein targeting, cytoskeletal integrity, parasite morphology, and host cell invasion. We then use deletion analyses to identify a domain in the N-terminus of the protein that is critical for both localization and function. Finally, we use the protein as bait for in vivo biotinylation which identifies several other proteins that colocalize in similar spot-like patterns. These putative interactors include several proteins that are implicated in membrane trafficking and are also associated with the cytoskeleton. Together, this data reveals an unexpected link between the IMC sutures and membrane trafficking elements of the parasite and suggests that the sutures punctae are likely a portal for trafficking cargo across the IMC.
Flyby reaction trajectories: Chemical dynamics under extrinsic force.

Dynamic effects are an important determinant of chemical reactivity and selectivity, but the deliberate manipulation of atomic motions during a chemical transformation is not straightforward. Here, we demonstrate that extrinsic force exerted upon cyclobutanes by stretching pendant polymer chains influences product selectivity through force-imparted nonstatistical dynamic effects on the stepwise ring-opening reaction. The high product stereoselectivity is quantified by carbon-13 labeling and shown to depend on external force, reactant stereochemistry, and intermediate stability. Computational modeling and simulations show that, besides altering energy barriers, the mechanical force activates reactive intramolecular motions nonstatistically, setting up “flyby trajectories” that advance directly to product without isomerization excursions. A mechanistic model incorporating nonstatistical dynamic effects accounts for isomer-dependent mechanochemical stereoselectivity.
Abstract 16944: Cx43 Hemichannel Inhibition Prevents Arrhythmias in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Mice

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal disease characterized by skeletal and cardiac muscle pathologies due to the absence of the membrane stabilizing protein dystrophin. Although most research has focused on skeletal muscle, 100% of patients over the age of 18 are diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, associated with the development of arrhythmias and eventual heart failure. The connexin proteins, normally responsible for the formation of gap junctions, are known to play a significant role in cardiac conduction. Remodeling of these proteins has been linked to the development of arrhythmias following myocardial infarction. Through analysis of Cx43, the most abundant connexin in the heart, we found that both mild mdx and severe mdx:utr(-/-) models of DMD display significant protein upregulation and mislocalization to the lateral sides of cardiomyocytes. Interestingly, this pattern is more extreme in the severe model, consistent with the degree of cardiac phenotype. To assess the role of Cx43 in DMD arrhythm...
Constructing Reality: Quantum Theory and Particle Physics

1. The nature of things 2. Matter and motion in space and time 3. Reality large and small 4. The language of nature 5. More is different 6. The machinery of particle discovery 7. The Standard Model 8. The proliferation of matter 9. Epilogue: beneath reality Appendix References Index.