cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Red alder (Alnus rubra) alters community-level soil microbial function in conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest, USA

Nitrogen-fixing tree species have been shown to improve site fertility and increase N transformation rates, but the influence of N-fixing plants on the soil microbial community as a whole is largely unknown. We used patterns of individual carbon-source utilization and enzyme activities to assess the relative effects of N-fixing red alder on the soil microbial community in three adjacent stands (pure conifer, mixed alder-conifer, and pure alder) of a highly productive coastal Oregon forest where the density of red alder has been experimentally manipulated for over 65 years. Two major patterns were revealed: (1) bacterial and fungal carbon-source utilization patterns in soil from pure conifer stands were significantly different from both pure alder soils and mixed conifer-alder soils, while there was no difference in substrate utilization patterns between soils from the mixed alder-conifer and pure alder stands; and (2) the activities of nine extracellular enzymes involved in ligno-cellulose degradation and the mineralization of organic nitrogen, phosphate, and sulfate compounds were all significantly greater in pure alder soils compared to either pure conifer or mixed conifer-alder soils. Our results show that, in addition to an overall increase in soil fertility, microbial biomass, and microbial activity, the presence of N-fixing red alder significantly alters the physiological profile of the microbial community-even in an ecosystem already of high N status.
RADAR ORNITHOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION

IN THE APPROXIMATELY 60 years since the discovery that birds were responsible for some of the puzzling radar echoes dubbed “angels” by the British (Lack and Varley 1945, Buss 1946), radar has proven to be a useful tool for the detection, monitoring, and quantifi cation of bird movements in the atmosphere (Eastwood 1967; Richardson 1979; Vaughn 1985; Bruderer 1997a, b). Radar has been a particularly valuable tool for descriptive studies of daily and seasonal patterns of bird migration, but the technique has also been used to answer important questions about how birds orient during migration and the role of atmospheric structure in shaping fl ight strategies of birds. Within the last two decades, radar ornithology has played an increasingly important role in conservation of species that are migratory, endangered, threatened, or of special concern. TYPES OF RADAR
Economic Analysis of a Bacillus thuringiensis-Based Integrated Pest-Management Program in Fresh-Market Tomatoes

Economic analyses were conducted on fresh-market tomato plantings in 1992 and 1993 that compared the benefit of an integrated pest-management (IPM) program based on a registered Bacillus thuringiensis preparation with the current chemical-standard pesticide practices and an untreated control. The IPM program used three or four applications of B. thuringiensis as needed. The chemical-standard treatment consisted of seven to nine applications of methomyl and permethrin. The effect of each pesticide-use program on insect populations, fruit damage, yield, crop value, cost of control, and net profit was determined. The chemical-standard and IPM treatments reduced pest populations and damage, resulting in better yield and net profits as compared with the control treatment. In 1992, net profits were higher by ≈ $500-1,000/ha in the IPM program as compared with the chemical-standard treatment. In 1993, the chemical-standard program performed slightly better by ≈ $300/ha. However, given shipping prices over the past 5-yr period, the IPM approach would outperform the chemical-standard treatment in terms of net profit > 80% of the time. In addition, the economic results from the IPM program are conservative because some significant benefits, such as a potential reduction in development of pesticide resistance, reduced soil compaction, less potential for damage to the environment, and less possibility of human health concerns, were not included.
Hybrid Extended Lagrangian, Post-Hartree-Fock Born-Oppenheimer ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Using Fragment-Based Electronic Structure.

We present a hybrid ab initio molecular dynamics scheme that includes both DFT and Hartree–Fock-based extended Lagrangian and converged post-Hartree–Fock Born–Oppenheimer components, combined within the framework of a molecular fragmentation-based electronic structure. The specific fragmentation algorithm used here is derived from ONIOM but includes multiple, overlapping “model” systems. The interaction between the various overlapping model systems is approximated by invoking the principle of inclusion–exclusion at the chosen higher level of theory and within a “real” calculation performed at the chosen lower level of theory. Furthermore, here, the lower level electronic structure of the full system is propagated through an extended Lagrangian formalism, whereas the fragments, treated using post-Hartree–Fock electronic structure theories, are computed using the normal converged Born–Oppenheimer treatment. This conservative dynamical approach largely reduces the computational cost to approximate on-the-fly...
The Burgess decision and the Wallerstein brief

Divorcing couples traditionally incorporate into their settlement contracts a stipulation regarding relative degree of freedom to relocate, especially if the relocating parent has primary custody of the children. Typically, the primary custodial parent might be restricted from moving outside of the state in which the divorcing couple has resided, or there may be a specific mile radius or travel time radius beyond which the primary custodial parent cannot relocate. In recent years, courts have become increasingly permissive with regard to allowing relocation by primary custodial parents, and the once stringent requirements that needed to be satisfied to justify relocation are being progressively relaxed. In 1996, the Supreme Court of California in In Re the Marriage of Burgess, 913 P.2d 473 (Cal. 1996), has set a precedent for even further relaxation of these once rigid restrictions. The Burgess decision has been frequently quoted in the State of California and is receiving widespread attention elsewhere. It is the author's opinion that this precedent is ill conceived and will most likely result in significant grief and suffering for the nonrelocating parent as well as the relocating children.
Derecruitment of the lumbar musculature with fatiguing trunk extension exercise.

Study Design.This was a descriptive study involving 20 healthy individuals.Objectives.To evaluate the neuromuscular activation patterns of the lumbar paraspinal and hip extensor muscles during isotonic trunk extension exercise.Summary of Background Data.Few studies have evaluated the effect of muscl
Three-dimensional wake topology and propulsive performance of low-aspect-ratio pitching-rolling plates

The wake topology and propulsive performance of low-aspect-ratio plates undergoing a pitching-rolling motion in a uniform stream were numerically investigated by an in-house immersed-boundary-method-based incompressible Navier-Stokes equation solver. A detailed analysis of the vortical structures indicated that the pitching-rolling plate produced double-loop vortices with alternating signs from its trailing edge every half period. These vortices then shed and further evolved into interconnected “double-C”-shaped vortex rings, which eventually formed a bifurcating wake pattern in the downstream. As the wake convected downstream, there was a slight deflection in the spanwise direction to the plate tip, and the contained vortex ring size gradually increased. In addition, the analysis of the propulsive performance indicated that the shedding process of the double-loop vortices led to two peaks in the lift and thrust force production per half cycle. The observation of the double peaks in the force production is in agreement with previous flapping wing studies. Simulations were also used to examine the variations in the wake structures and propulsive performance of the plates over a range of major parameters. The aforementioned vortex structures were found to be quite robust over a range of Strouhal numbers, Reynolds numbers, and plate aspect ratios.
Difficult Figuration: Feminine Signifiers in Male Texts

Like response theory and deconstruction, feminist criticism has pursued a reader-oriented, revisionistic interpretive practice, as well as a rigorous critique of the ideological infrastructures of interpretation. But unlike its male counterparts that have often taken an ahistoric turn, overlooking ‘the issues of race, class, and sex, and giv[ing] no hints of the conflicts, sufferings, and passions that attend these realities’,1 the feminist approach to reading has been more pragmatic, politically-oriented, revalorising women’s experience and exposing their traditional suppression as signifiers in culture. For feminists, ‘the question of how we read is inextricably linked with the question of what we read. More specifically, the feminist inquiry into the activity of reading begins with the realization that the literary canon is androcentric, and that this has a profoundly damaging effect on women readers’.2 Theory and practice, response and canon revision actively interact in feminist criticism. The act of reading is in this perspective ‘frankly political’, a ‘search for feminine identity’, a struggle to regain access to the process of signification. The interpretive act is integrated, if somewhat ostentatiously, into a political practice aimed at reversing the sociocultural roles ascribed to women in patriarchal culture. The task of understanding ‘one’s own feelings, motivations, desires, ambitions, actions and reactions’ is related directly to a critical examination of ‘the forces which maintain the subordination of women to men’.3
Reconsidering the Concept of Workplace Flexibility: Is Adaptability a Better Solution?

Flexibility is a key issue in organizational life, especially because organizations rely on work from remote locations and create policies to accommodate work-life balance. Most existing research examines workplace flexibility in primarily the individual or the organizational domain. Views of communication in these domains typically embrace transmission or transaction assumptions without concern for how organizational discourses shape the enactment of flexibility. This paper argues that workplace flexibility emerges from the intersection among the discourses linked to four domains: organizational policies and arrangements; workplace norms and practices; worker-supervisor relationships; and an individual’s sense of agency. We contend that the discourses rooted in and across these domains introduce contradictions that come from an organizational logic that perpetuates a competition between work and life. In this logic, the burden of workplace flexibility is placed on individual workers who must make choices...
The Tidy House: Basic Writing in the American Curriculum

I found my career in basic writing. I got my start there and, to a degree, helped to construct and protect a way of speaking about the undergraduate curriculum that has made “basic writing” an important and necessary, even an inevitable, term. This is a story I love to tell.
Does personality change following spousal bereavement

Abstract Personality has been shown to be a large predictor of intrapersonal adjustment during the bereavement transition. However, the degree to which bereaved spouses’ personalities change is relatively unclear, and extant studies that have examined this phenomenon have provided mixed results. In the current study, personality change following spousal bereavement was examined in two samples (N = 9944 and N = 535). There was little evidence for differences in mean-level changes in personality between bereaved and control participants. However, rank-order stability was considerably lower among bereaved participants over time, suggesting that personality change occurs less systematically than previously thought. The current study provides additional information about the conditions under which personality changes and suggests exciting new avenues for future research.
Carbohydrate Distribution in Stalks and Ears of Sweet Maize with Different Endosperm Genotypes

Knowledge about the distribution of sugars in vegetative tissues can provide information about levels of carbohydrates in kernels of sweet maize (Zea mays L.). Levels of fructose, glucose, sucrose and their total were determined over time in stalks and ears in the sweet maize cvs. Summer Flavor #72Y, Merit, and Supersweet Jubilee, which have respectively, the su1se1, su1, or sh2 endosperm types. Internode 9 (19), which is generally formed below the first ear, was sampled from the 12-leaf stage to fresh-market maturity (R3). Entire developing ears were sampled when tassels were extended but unfolded (VN) and at silking (R1). Kernel and cob tissues were sampled separately at blister (R2) and R3 stages. Levels of individual sugars, their total, and levels of starch, water soluble polysaccharides (WSP), and total extractable carbohydrates (added values for individual sugars, WSP, and starch) were determined in kernels at R2 and R3. In 19, levels of fructose and glucose decreased, and sucrose increased in all cultivars after Rl. In developing ears levels of fructose, glucose and total sugar increased from VN to Rl in all cultivars. In cobs, total sugars decreased at R3. In kernels, the sh2 endosperm type cultivar had the highest sugar contents. There was more sucrose in kernels at R3 and more total sugar at R2. The sh2 endosperm type cultivar had the lowest WSP and the highest total carbohydrate levels in kernels at R3. Large changes in sugar content occurs in stalks after R1 and factors interrupting sugar metabolism at this stage, or earlier, may affect levels of sugars in kernels.
Exploring the relationships between search intentions and query reformulations

We report on a study investigating the relationships among query reformulations and different search intentions during an information seeking session. Twenty-four participants were each asked to search for information useful for two (of four) different journalism tasks; after completing each search, the search was replayed, and participants were asked to specify what they intended to accomplish in each query segment of the search session, and whether those intentions were satisfied. Logs of the searches were analyzed to extract the queries at the start and finish of each query segment, and query reformulations were classified. Results show that: participants regularly indicated a variety of different search intentions during the course of an information seeking session; there are some differences in reformulation types following different search intentions; there are some differences in reformulation types which follow satisfied and unsatisfied intentions; and, there are differences in the frequency of intentions following reformulations which themselves follow satisfied and unsatisfied intentions. Implications for system design are discussed.
Gravity Spreading and Turbulent Dispersion of Pressurized Releases Containing Aerosols

Sudden release of a pressurized chemical results in instantaneous flashing of fraction of the chemical into vapor. If the pressure inside the tank or a pipeline falls very rapidly, much of the liquid fraction may be thrown into the vapor cloud as a result of vigorous boiling process. A gravity spreading and a turbulent dispersion model has been developed to determine the dispersion hazards of pressurized releases containing liquid aerosols. The gravity spreading model determines the initial lateral spreading of the vapor cloud. A thermodynamic equilibrium model is used to determine the evaporation of liquid aerosols, the mean density and temperature of the cloud. Finally, when the effects of gravity are small, the transition from the gravity spreading model to a turbulent diffusion model takes place. Results are presented for pressurized propane releases at various exit velocities and different initial aerosol mass fraction.
Karl Polanyi: A Life on the Left

For intellectuals seeking to revive and reorient the democratic left, Karl Polanyi has become an indispensable resource. A member of the generation of left intellectuals who fled Central European f...
Extraction of advanced geospatial intelligence (AGI) from commercial synthetic aperture radar imagery

The extraction of objects from advanced geospatial intelligence (AGI) products based on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is complicated by a number of factors. For example, accurate detection of temporal changes represented in two-color multiview (2CMV) AGI products can be challenging because of speckle noise susceptibility and false positives that result from small orientation differences between objects imaged at different times. These cases of apparent motion can result in 2CMV detection, but they obviously differ greatly in terms of significance. In investigating the state-of-the-art in SAR image processing, we have found that differentiating between these two general cases is a problem that has not been well addressed. We propose a framework of methods to address these problems. For the detection of the temporal changes while reducing the number of false positives, we propose using adaptive object intensity and area thresholding in conjunction with relaxed brightness optical flow algorithms that track the motion of objects across time in small regions of interest. The proposed framework for distinguishing between actual motion and misregistration can lead to more accurate and meaningful change detection and improve object extraction from a SAR AGI product. Results demonstrate the ability of our techniques to reduce false positives up to 60%.
The membrane trigger hypothesis revisited.

A cardinal rule of modern scientific life, one which I have shamelessly violated, is that one should not write too many reviews. In this spirit, and fearing that Gunther Blobel and I were invited to spar in print here merely to promote book sales, I at first declined the kind invitation from the editors. However, they threatened to nominate me for service on an NIH study section. Thus, to minimize pain, I take pen in hand. What follows is not intended as a scholarly review, but rather opinions of the successes, and failures, of the membrane trigger hypothesis.
Standardization of the collection of exhaled breath condensate and exhaled breath aerosol using a feedback regulated sampling device

Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and associated exhaled breath aerosols (EBA) are valuable non-invasive biological media used for the quantification of biomarkers. EBC contains exhaled water vapor, soluble gas-phase (polar) organic compounds, ionic species, plus other species including semi- and non-volatile organic compounds, proteins, cell fragments, DNA, dissolved inorganic compounds, ions, and microbiota (bacteria and viruses) dissolved in the co-collected EBA. EBC is collected from subjects who breathe 'normally' through a chilled tube assembly for approximately 10 min and is then harvested into small vials for analysis. Aerosol filters without the chilled tube assembly are also used to separately collect EBA. Unlike typical gas-phase breath samples used for environmental and clinical applications, the constituents of EBC and EBA are not easily characterized by total volume or carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, because the gas-phase is vented. Furthermore, EBC and associated EBA are greatly affected by breathing protocol, more specifically, depth of inhalation and expelled breath velocity. We have tested a new instrument developed by Loccioni Gruppa Humancare (Ancona, Italy) for implementation of EBC collection from human subjects to assess EBC collection parameters. The instrument is the first EBC collection device that provides instantaneous visual feedback to the subjects to control breathing patterns. In this report we describe the operation of the instrument, and present an overview of performance and analytical applications.
Relationship between victimization and substance use treatment motivation in a jail-based sample: the role of adult attachment and peer support

ABSTRACTThe current study investigated the impact of victimization on substance use treatment motivation and the potential role of adult attachment and peer support, with a sample of 149 justice-in...
SpatialCS: CS to Support Spatial Reasoning (Abstract Only)

Spatial reasoning skills are highly predictive of STEM achievement and self-efficacy, yet they are not often part of computer science curricula. In an effort to support spatial reasoning and STEM development, we have created several activities using SAS® CodeSnaps, a free coding environment that brings coding to the physical world through 3-dimensional problem solving and tangible coding blocks. In these activities students represent and navigate real-world obstacle courses in order to solve coding challenges. Tangible coding blocks allow students to organize and interact with code in ways that both build upon and use spatial reasoning skills. These blocks are then scanned and executed by a robot -- bringing their code, and any mistakes, off the screen and into the real world. Together these features offer opportunities for developing spatial reasoning while using existing skills in support of CS learning. This approach meets students where they are; thinking, engaging and interacting with the physical world.
Preelection poll accuracy and bias in the 2016 U.S. general elections

This report examines accuracy and bias in national- and state-level preelection polls conducted during the 2016 U.S. general election cycle. Overall, national polls in 2016 were somewhat more accur...
Informed consent and nudging

In order to avoid patient abuse, under normal situations before performing a medical intervention on a patient, a physician must obtain informed consent from that patient, where to give genuine informed consent a patient must be competent, understand her condition, her options and their expected risks and benefits, and must expressly consent to one of those options. However, many patients refrain from the option that their physician believes to be best, and many physicians worry that their patients make irrational healthcare decisions, hindering their ability to provide efficient healthcare for their patients. Some philosophers have proposed a solution to this problem: they advocate that physicians nudge their patients to steer them towards their physician's preferred option. A nudge is any influence designed to predictably alter a person's behavior without limiting their options or giving them reasons to act. Proponents of nudging contend that nudges are consistent with obtaining informed consent. Here I argue that nudging is incompatible with genuine informed consent, as it violates a physician's obligation to tell their patients the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth during adequate disclosure.
Ultrasound elastography and ultrasound tissue characterisation for tendon evaluation.

Abstract Ultrasound elastography (UE) and ultrasound tissue characterisation (UTC) are two newer modes of ultrasound (US) which have begun to attract scientific interests as ways to improve tendon characterisation. These modes of US show early promise in improved diagnostic accuracy, prediction of at-risk tendons and prognostication capability beyond conventional grey-scale US. Here, we provide a review of the literature on UE and UTC for Achilles, patellar and rotator cuff tendons. The translational potential of this article: The present literature indicates that UE and UTC could potentially increase the clinician's ability to accurately diagnose the extent of tendon pathology, including preclinical injury.
Vascular Scoring Systems

An appreciation of various trauma scoring systems and an understanding of their specific application to gauging vascular injuries can help predict morbidity and mortality. A patient’s injuries can thereby be better prioritized when working with a multidisciplinary team of trauma, orthopedic, and vascular surgeons. The basis for most scoring systems is the Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS), which ranks injuries from 1 (minor) to 6 (unsurvivable). An anatomically derived scoring system, the Injury Severity Score (ISS), uses the AIS and assigns scores to one of six body regions. The limitation of both scoring systems is that they do not properly take into account orthopedic and vascular injuries. Despite efforts from multiple centers, there is not yet a concise scoring system that incorporates the full range of general trauma, orthopedic, and vascular injuries to predict outcomes. Using a combination of AIS, ISS, the Revised Trauma Score, Glasgow Coma Scale, and clinical judgment in the context of working as a multidisciplinary team may be the best management strategy when caring for the polytrauma patient.
Is There a Primary Defect in the Host Defense Mechanism in IBD

There have been many theories over the years as to the etiology of inflammatory bowel disease, but the main theories revolve around an infectious versus immune etiology. The two are not entirely mutually exclusive however, because even the proponents of an infectious etiology acknowledge that the immune system must be involved in the pathogenesis. However, they see the immune system as responding appropriately to rid the body of whatever the infectious agent might be and causing tissue destruction only secondarily. The immune hypothesis holds that there is no single infectious agent responsible for either ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, although immune reactions toward microorganisms commonly present in the lumen of the bowel may well play a role in the disease. The immune reaction in this hypothesis is seen as inappropriate and excessive. I believe the weight of evidence greatly favors an immune etiology over an infectious one. This does not imply that genetic and environmental factors do not play a role because epidemiologic data indicates that they do. However, these factors most likely exert their effects through the immune system.
Connective tissue morphogenesis by fibroblast traction: I. Tissue culture observations

Abstract We find that the force fibroblasts use to propel themselves (traction) is sufficiently strong to distort collagen gels and to form patterns of tension, compression, and alignment similar to the wrinkling patterns previously observed on silicone rubber. Experiments with hygroscopic salts and with rapidly growing (but weakly contractile) transformed fibroblasts indicate that these distortions of collagen do not result from dehydration or other chemical consequences of cell metabolism but are direct effects of cell contractility. Between explants of fibroblasts the centripetal traction aligns collagen fibers into linear tracts as much as 4 cm long. Immediately adjacent to explants the effect of traction is to compress the collagen fibers into a dense, capsule-like circumferential wrapping. Aligned tracts are also formed when populations of fibroblasts are dispersed in the collagen matrix and its contraction is then resisted by fixed points. When developing limb cartilages are explanted into collagen gels, points on the cartilage surface become cross-connected with tracts of aligned collagen. When muscle cells are co-cultured with cartilage the traction draws them into the aligned tracts to form facsimiles of actual muscles. We propose that this tractional structuring is the mechanism by which ligaments, tendons, and muscles become organized during development.
Lesion and Behavior Approaches in Neuroscience

One of the earliest and most frequently employed experimental research methods used to investigate brain-behavior relations involves ablation (removing) or lesion (destruction or functional disruption) of brain structures or areas and determining the effects on behavior. Since early questions raised in the nineteenth century centering around ‘localization of function’ in the brain, and the subsequent research of Karl Lashley in the early 1900s, there have been increasingly more sophisticated procedures developed both to lesion the brain selectively and to determine the effects on underlying behavioral processes. Lesion approaches include the use of stereotaxic procedures together with electrolytic and radiofrequency techniques, more recently developed procedures involving focal injections of excitotoxins and ribosome-inactivating proteins, and the use of ‘gene knockout’ techniques. Advances in behavioral testing involve the use of sophisticated procedures similar to those discussed in other entries in this encyclopedia. While the changes in behavior that result from damage to the brain must necessarily be interpreted with caution, it is only by removing specific structures that one can determine whether a brain area is necessary for performance of a particular behavior. With the future development of even more selective and sophisticated procedures designed to remove specific structures, types of neurons, or molecular components of neurons, a greater understanding of how the brain is involved in controlling behavior will result.
Weedy red rice has novel sources of resistance to biotic stress

Abstract Weedy red rice (Oryza sativa; WRR), a close relative of cultivated rice, is a highly competitive weed that commonly infests rice fields and can also naturally interbreed with rice. Useful genes for biotic stress have been maintained in WRR and can be explored for breeding. Here we describe genetic and physiological traits of WRR that can be beneficial in preventing major rice diseases. Rice blast, caused by the hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, and sheath blight disease, caused by the necrotrophic pathogen Rhizoctonia solani, are the two most damaging biotic stresses of rice. Many major and minor resistance genes and QTL have been identified in cultivated and wild rice relatives. However, novel QTL were recently found in the two major U.S. biotypes of WRR, blackhull-awned (BH) and strawhull-awnless (SH), suggesting that WRR has evolved novel genetic mechanisms to cope with these biotic stresses. Twenty-eight accessions of WRR (PI 653412–PI 653439) from the southern USA were characterized and placed in the National Small Grains Collection, and are available for identification of novel genetic factors to prevent biotic stress.
Synthesis and Structure-Activity Relationships of Tetrahydro-β-carboline Derivatives as Anticancer and Cancer-chemopreventive Agents.

Background/aim There is an unmet clinical need to develop new anticancer and chemopreventive agents. The aim of the present study was to identify β-carboline derivatives with cancer chemopreventive and therapeutic potential. Materials and methods Forty-eight tetrahydro-β-carboline derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their anticancer and chemopreventive activities, through induction of quinone reductase 1 (QR1), aromatase inhibition, as well as inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production. Results 2-((1-Bromonaphthalen-2-yl)methyl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole demonstrated the most potent activity in the QR1 induction assay with an induction ratio value of 3.2 (CD=1.3 μM). The R-isomer of the amide derivative (2-((1-bromonaphthalen-2-yl)methyl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indol-3-yl)(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)methanone was the most potent inhibitor of NO production with a 50% inhibitory concentration, IC50=6.54 μM and had a low cytotoxic effect (IC50=17.98 μM) on RAW 264.7 cells. Subsequent computational docking study revealed that this compound binds to the active site of inducible nitric oxide synthase with favorable interactions. Conclusion our results provided promising β-carboline leads for further optimization and development with therapeutic potential as new chemopreventive and chemotherapy agents.
Evolution of reference materials for the determination of organic nutrients in food and dietary supplements-a critical review

For over 40 years, food-matrix certified reference materials (CRMs) have been available for determination of trace element content, and a wide variety of materials are available from most producers of CRMs. However, the availability of food-matrix CRMs for organic nutrients has been more limited. The European Commission (EC) Bureau Communautaire de Reference (BCR) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) introduced food-matrix CRMs with values assigned for vitamins and other organic nutrients such as fatty acids and carotenoids in the 1990s. The number of organic nutrients for which values were assigned has increased significantly in the past decade, and the approach and analytical methods used for assignment of the certified values have also evolved. Recently, dietary supplement-matrix CRMs such as multivitamin tablets with values assigned for vitamins and carotenoids, and fish and plant oils with values assigned for fatty acids have appeared. The development, evolution, and improvement of food- and dietary supplement-matrix CRMs for determination of vitamins, carotenoids, and fatty acids are described, with emphasis on CRMs made available in the past 10 years. Recent food and dietary supplement CRMs for the determination of organic nutrients include infant formula, multivitamin tablets, milk and egg powders, breakfast cereal, meat homogenate, blueberries, soy flour, fish and plant oils, dry cat food, and protein drink powder. Many of these food- and supplement-matrix CRMs have values assigned for over 80 organic and inorganic nutrients, toxic elements, proximates, and contaminants. The review provides a critical assessment of the challenges and evolving improvements in the production and the analytical methods used for value assignment of these CRMs. The current status and future needs for additional food- and dietary supplement-matrix CRMs for organic nutrients are also discussed. Graphical abstract Food Composition Triangle with currently-available food-matrix certified reference materials (CRMs) for the determination of organic nutrients positioned according to fat, protein, and carbohydrate composition.
The study of Plasma Induced Damage on Silicon on Thin BOX

This paper reports new findings about the plasma induced damage on silicon on thin BOX. The plasma charge collected by source or drain causes Vth shift, which depends on BOX thickness. In addition, the plasma charge collected by gate also has same effect with drain antenna. The mechanism of this phenomena is investigated with various test structure.
Cytoplasmic and axoplasmic density variations in relation to hyperactivity. An x-ray microradiographic study after iminodipropionitrile.

The density of the cytoplasm and axoplasm of the anterior horn cell in rats was determined by X-ray microradiography. The average density of the cytoplasm of more than 400 cells from control rats was 0.31 μμg/μ3, while that of over 600 cells from rats fed IDPN (β-β iminodipropionitrile) was 0.43 μμg/μ3.
A Comparison of the Fitness Functions to Identify the Motor-Table System: Simulations and Experiments

The different state-error fitness functions (FFs) are proposed and compared numerically and experimentally to identify a motor-table system by using self-learning particle swarm optimization (SLPSO). Firstly, the completed mathematical model containing both of mechanical and electrical equations is successfully formulated. Secondly, the FFs containing different state-errors are compared by using PSO and SLPSO to identify the unknown parameters. It is found that the identify performance of the SLPSO algorithm by using FF with full-state error of displacement, velocity and current is the best than the other methods. Thus, the FF with full-state errors is adopted in experiments for a real mechatronic motor-table system. Then, the unknown parameters are successfully identified by the SLPSO algorithm. The contributions of this paper are: (1) the more states of the system are measured and used in the FF, the more parameters of system are accurately identified by the proposed identification approach, (2) the FF with full-state errors is performed in a real mechatronic motor-table system, and the unknown parameters are successfully identified by the SLPSO algorithm in experimental results.
Role of RGS12 in the differential regulation of kappa opioid receptor-dependent signaling and behavior

Kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonists show promise in ameliorating disorders, such as addiction and chronic pain, but are limited by dysphoric and aversive side effects. Clinically beneficial effects of KOR agonists (e.g., analgesia) are predominantly mediated by heterotrimeric G protein signaling, whereas β-arrestin signaling is considered central to their detrimental side effects (e.g., dysphoria/aversion). Here we show that Regulator of G protein Signaling-12 (RGS12), via independent signaling mechanisms, simultaneously attenuates G protein signaling and augments β-arrestin signaling downstream of KOR, exhibiting considerable selectivity in its actions for KOR over other opioid receptors. We previously reported that RGS12-null mice exhibit increased dopamine transporter-mediated dopamine (DA) uptake in the ventral (vSTR), but not dorsal striatum (dSTR), as well as reduced psychostimulant-induced hyperlocomotion; in the current study, we found that these phenotypes are reversed following KOR antagonism. Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry studies of dopamine (DA) release and reuptake suggest that striatal disruptions to KOR-dependent DAergic neurotransmission in RGS12-null mice are restricted to the nucleus accumbens. In both ventral striatal tissue and transfected cells, RGS12 and KOR are seen to interact within a protein complex. Ventral striatal-specific increases in KOR levels and KOR-induced G protein activation are seen in RGS12-null mice, as well as enhanced sensitivity to KOR agonist-induced hypolocomotion and analgesia—G protein signaling-dependent behaviors; a ventral striatal-specific increase in KOR levels was also observed in β-arrestin-2-deficient mice, highlighting the importance of β-arrestin signaling to establishing steady-state KOR levels in this particular brain region. Conversely, RGS12-null mice exhibited attenuated KOR-induced conditioned place aversion (considered a β-arrestin signaling-dependent behavior), consistent with the augmented KOR-mediated β-arrestin signaling seen upon RGS12 over-expression. Collectively, our findings highlight a role for RGS12 as a novel, differential regulator of both G protein-dependent and -independent signaling downstream of KOR activation.
Improving Student Receptivity to Research by Linking Methods to Practice Skills

ABSTRACTA long-standing disconnect between social work practice and research exists that begins with our current education model. When taught separately, students often think they are distinctly different areas of social work that do not have to coexist. This conceptualization of research and practice as separate could contribute to the dearth of research by practicing social workers and the anxiety social work students feel about learning and conducting research. However, the practice skills of engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation are similarly used in many research methods. This paper postulates that teaching some research methods as practice skills could increase student receptivity to research.
Morphoproteomics of mTORC2 pathway as resistance signature and activated ERK and STAT3 prosurvival/antiapoptotic pathways in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) progressing on rapalogs.

e15548 Background: Resistance to rapalog therapies (rapamycin, temsirolimus or everolimus) in mRCC may be due to adaptive switching from mammalian target of rapamycin complex (mTORC)1 to mTORC2. A ...
Nonstandard Work and the Job Search Process: Application Pools, Search Methods, and Perceived Job Quality

Millions of workers labor in nonstandard employment relationships, such as part-time and temporary jobs. Yet little is known about how the job search process is influenced by such positions. This article examines the ways that job seekers’ application pools and search processes are shaped by nonstandard employment relationships. Among our findings is evidence that job seekers are more likely both to perceive nonstandard positions as being below their skill level and to receive job offers for those positions, presenting many workers with a complex trade-off between obtaining a job and working in a position that is poorly matched to their skill level. Together, our findings demonstrate how the job search process is shaped by nonstandard employment relationships with broad consequences for labor market inequality.
Axonal Polyneuropathy in a Man Treated for Pulmonary Cocci: A Case of Acute Intermittent Porphyria

BACKGROUND Acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder that is part of a group of acute porphyria disorders usually found in females of reproductive age. Although clinically there is low penetrance, with 90% of genetically diagnosed individuals never experiencing an acute flair, consequences of acute flairs may lead to devastating results. Debilitating paresis, seizures, respiratory failure, and even death may result from AIP. Early detection is key in preventing these devastating manifestations. CASE REPORT A 67-year-old Hispanic man with a past medical history of pulmonary Coccidioides on fluconazole presented with bilateral thigh pain for 2 days. At baseline, the patient had no limitations, but now was limited to minimal walking due to his thigh pain subsequently progressing to diffuse weakness after the administration of IV Solumedrol. Over the next few months, EMG was notable for acute-on-chronic sensorimotor axonal denervation in upper and lower extremities, without evidence of myositis. Urine porphobilinogen was 58 mmol/L, which is 29 times the upper limit of normal. Treatment was started with hemin 4 mg/kg/day for 4 days. CONCLUSIONS Over our patient's clinical course, he was affected by a severe manifestation of repeated acute porphyria attacks, which started as anterior thigh pain and progressed to diffused weakness disproportionally affecting the muscles of the upper extremities. Although the patient was in his late 60's at the initial onset of AIP, his diffuse Coccidioides infection, use of azoles, and steroids likely contributed to his first AIP attack.
One Thing After Another: Why the Passage of Time Is Not an Illusion

Does time seem to pass, even though it doesn’t, really? Many philosophers think the answer is ‘Yes’—at least when ‘time’s (really) passing’ is understood in a particular way. They take time’s passing to be a process by which each time in turn acquires a special status, such as the status of being the only time that exists, or being the only time that is present (where that means more than just being simultaneous with oneself). This chapter suggests that, on the contrary, all we perceive is temporal succession, one thing after another, a notion to which modern physics is not inhospitable. The contents of perception are best described in terms of ‘before’ and ‘after’, rather than ‘past’, ‘present, and ‘future’.
Effects of Cross-Age Tutors With EBD for Kindergarteners At Risk of Mathematics Difficulties:

Challenges with numerical proficiency at an early age can lead to substantial gaps in learning and are associated with detrimental long-term outcomes. In addition, students with emotional–behaviora...
LoRa-based Internet-of-Things: A Water Quality Monitoring System

Rapid convergence of traditional research areas of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, automation, and sensors has enabled the evolution of Internet of Things (IoT). The concept of IoT is based on a self-configuring and adaptive system consisting of networks of sensors that interconnect in such a way as to make them intelligent and programmable. An important application of IoT is in water quality monitoring through distributed sensors and controllers that stream data for cloud storage and web access. Lake Dardanelle is the 3rd largest publicly-owned lake in Arkansas covering 138.8 km2 (34,300 acres). Apart from being a recreational destination, it supports large populations of fish. Currently, the lake does not have any water quality monitoring station that can record data for public or private users. The main goal of this research is to leverage the power of IoT for design and development of a mobile water quality monitoring system (WQ MS) for Lake Dardanelle. We survey the available wireless technologies, and then deploy the LoRa (Long Range) network and evaluate its performance. We also present the detailed design and implementation of the mobile WQMS based on an unmanned surface vehicle (USV).
Translating New York: the city’s languages in Iberian literatures: by Regina Galasso, Liverpool, Liverpool University Press, 2018, 216 pp., £80/£70 (hardback/eBook), ISBN 978-1-786-94112-1/978-1-786-94867-0

In the years since spatial and traveling paradigms gained momentum across the humanities and social sciences, there has been much analysis considering the effects of the representation of space and...
Evaluation of ductal carcinoma in situ grade via triple-modal molecular imaging of B7-H3 expression.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) will account for 62,930 cases of breast cancer in 2019. DCIS is a pre-invasive lesion which may not progress to invasive carcinoma, yet surgery remains the mainstay treatment. Molecular imaging of a specific marker for DCIS grade for detection and active surveillance are critically needed to reduce potential overtreatment. First, breast cancer marker B7-H3 (CD276) expression was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining in 123 human specimens including benign epithelium (H-score 10.0 ± 8.2) and low (20.8 ± 17.7), intermediate (87.1 ± 69.5), and high (159.1 ± 87.6) grade DCIS, showing a positive association with DCIS nuclear grade (P < 0.001, AUC 0.96). Next, a murine DCIS model was combined with ultrasound molecular imaging of B7-H3 targeted microbubbles to differentiate normal glands from those harboring DCIS (n = 100, FVB/N-Tg(MMTVPyMT)634Mul, AUC 0.89). Finally, photoacoustic and fluorescence molecular imaging with an anti-B7-H3 antibody-indocyanine green conjugate were utilized for DCIS detection (n = 53). Molecular imaging of B7-H3 expression may allow for active surveillance of DCIS.