cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On detecting absolute quantum mechanical phase differences with superfluid interferometers

We show through numerical simulations that absolute quantum mechanical phase differences could be observed using an asymmetric superfluid quantum interference grating. By balancing the dynamic range and the degree of change required per period in an interference pattern, a device could be optimized and used to probe heretofore inaccessible quantum subtleties. We make connections to experimental results and discuss possible applications for such systems.
Structure of the C-Terminal Region of a KCNH Channel

The KCNH family of ion channels comprises Ether-a -go-go (EAG), EAG-related gene (ERG), and EAG-like (ELK) K+ channel subfamilies. KCNH channels are best known for their regulatory function in tumor progression, repolarization of the cardiac action potential and regulation of neuronal excitability. The C-terminus of KCNH channels contains a cyclic nucleotide-binding homology domain (CNBHD) coupled to the pore with the C-linker. Mutations in the C-linker/CNBHD affect KCNH channel function and, in ERG channels, can lead to Long-QT Syndrome. The CNBHD shares sequence similarity with the cyclic nucleotide-binding domain (CNBD) of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-modulated (HCN) and cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels. However, unlike the HCN and CNG channels that are regulated by direct binding of cyclic nucleotides to the CNBDs, KCNH channels are not directly regulated by cyclic nucleotides and their CNBHDs do not bind cyclic nucleotides. The structural basis of the regulation of the KCNH channels by the C-linker/CNBHD and the failure of cyclic nucleotides to regulate the channels are not clear. Here we present the crystal structure of the C-linker/CNBHD of zebrafish ELK (zELK) channels at 2.2 A resolution. The structure revealed unique features of the KCNH channels including: 1) a negatively charged electrostatic profile that explains the lack of binding and regulation of ion channels in the KCNH family by cyclic nucleotides, 2) intersubunit interactions that produce a two-fold symmetry in the C-terminal region as opposed to the four-fold symmetry of HCN channels, and 3) a novel β-strand occupying the pocket where cyclic nucleotides bind to HCN channels. Mutations in the β-strand shifted the half-maximal activation voltage by ∼15 mV, implicating the β-strand as a regulatory element in KCNH channels. These findings provide a structural framework for understanding the regulation of ion channels in the KCNH family by the C-linker/CNBD.
From a line in the sand to a landscape of decisions: a hierarchical diversity decision framework for estimating and communicating biodiversity loss along anthropogenic gradients

Summary When setting water quality criteria, managers must choose thresholds for stressors that are protective of aquatic biodiversity. Setting such thresholds requires making implicit judgments about the degree of biodiversity loss that managers are willing to accept. We present a new modelling approach, the hierarchical diversity decision framework (HiDDeF) that explicitly communicates the sensitivity of water quality benchmarks to these implicit judgments. We apply HiDDeF to a data set of stream macroinvertebrate abundances across 218 sites in south-western West Virginia, USA, where alkaline mine drainage increases streamwater conductivity and leads to the loss of sensitive taxa throughout regional river networks. By integrating responses of individual taxa within a flexible hierarchical framework, HiDDeF reliably predicts macroinvertebrate assemblages across the full range of conductivities observed in the training data set but requires only a fraction (~10%) of the sites required in previous studies. HiDDeF results suggest that the current conductivity benchmark (300 μS cm−1) for regional streams translates to 50% loss in abundance for at least one-quarter of regional macroinvertebrate taxa. HiDDeF produces a ‘decision landscape’ that allows decision-makers to assess sensitivity of proposed benchmarks to their choice of protective level. HiDDeF allows users to investigate both individual- and community-level responses to environmental gradients and generates output that includes a comprehensive summary of uncertainty in model parameters.
Burnout in Catholic clergy: A predictive model using psychological and spiritual variables.

Catholic priests are faced with innumerable demands, unrealistic expectations, and few tangible results. Moreover, in today’s society, there are fewer priests, even greater demands, and a surrounding culture that is increasingly secular and apparently less supportive. Thus, burnout in Catholic clergy is commonly presumed to be high. The purpose of this study was to move beyond assumptions and explore the real extent of burnout among Roman Catholic clergy (using a standardized test of burnout) and then to explore those variables that were statistically related to burnout. A sample of 2,482 Catholic priests across the United States was given the Maslach Burnout Inventory. They scored significantly less burned out than Maslach Burnout Inventory norm groups that included a general sample and that also included those who were male or who worked in social services or medicine. When investigating those variables that were associated with burnout, exercise and taking time off were significantly correlated to lower levels of burnout; however, the effect was small. The more important variables associated with burnout were job satisfaction, inner peace, childhood psychological problems, relationship to God, and good friends. On these more important variables, priests reported high levels of health and well-being. A large majority indicated being happy as priests and reported having good friendships, satisfaction with their relationship to God, a limited history of childhood psychological problems, and a strong sense of inner peace. For Catholic priests, and likely for all people, strong psychological and spiritual support systems seem to be most important in preventing burnout, especially for those engaged in the demanding positions of caring for others.
Solar array reliability in satellite operations

Providing reliable power over the anticipated mission life is critical to all satellites; therefore solar arrays are one of the most vital links to satellite mission success. Solar arrays are exposed to the harshest environment of virtually any satellite component causing a significant amount of documented anomalies. It is clear that solar array reliability is a serious, industry-wide issue. This paper will document a statistical analysis that was undertaken to deduce the factors affecting satellite reliability. Suggestions to improve the reliability of the solar arrays will be included. Solar array reliability is an issue that must be addressed to both reduce costs and ensure continued viability of the commercial and government assets on orbit.
Effects of Sequence Context on the Binding of Tryptophan-Containing Peptides by the Cucurbit[8]uril-Methyl Viologen Complex

This paper describes a novel assay for measuring the relative extent of peptide binding in a large parallel format and the use of this assay to explore the effects of sequence context on the binding of tryptophan (Trp)-containing peptides by the synthetic receptor comprising the noncovalent complex between cucurbit[8]uril and methyl viologen (i.e. Q8√MV). The extent of quenching of Trp fluorescence upon binding to Q8√MV was used to measure the relative extent of binding and thus the relative affinities of 104 Trp-containing peptides, in parallel, using a fluorescence plate reader. This study resulted in the remarkable observation that the identity of the amino acid residues at positions adjacent to the Trp-binding site has little if any influence on the binding affinity. This finding suggests that Q8√MV should be effective for the recognition of Trp residues within a broad range of peptide sequences.
Activation of the calcium sensing receptor stimulates gastrin and gastric acid secretion in healthy participants.

Summary In 17 adults on a fixed metabolic diet, an 11-day course of cinacalcet increased serum gastrin and basal gastric acid output, but not maximal gastric acid output, compared with a placebo. These findings indicate that the calcium sensor receptor plays a role in the regulation of gastric acid.
Numerical Subtraction in the Pigeon: Evidence for a Linear Subjective Number Scale

When humans and animals compare two numbers, responding is faster and more accurate with increasing numerical disparity and decreasing numerical size. Researchers explaining these distance and size effects often assume that the subjective number continuum is logarithmically compressed. An alternative hypothesis is that the subjective number continuum is linear, but positions farther along it are proportionately fuzzier, that is, less precisely located. These two hypotheses have been treated as functionally equivalent because of their similar empirical predictions. The current experiment sought to resolve this issue with a paradigm originally developed to address the subjective representation of time (time left). In our adaptation, pigeons were required to compare a constant number with the number remaining after a numerical subtraction. Our results indicate that subjective number is linearly, not logarithmically, related to objective number.
SIV-induced impairment of neurovascular repair: a potential role for VEGF

Peripheral nerves and blood vessels travel together closely during development but little is known about their interactions post-injury. The SIV-infected pigtailed macaque model of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) recapitu- lates peripheral nervous system pathology of HIV infection. In this study, we assessed the effect of SIV infection on neurovascular regrowth using a validated excisional axot- omy model. Six uninfected and five SIV-infected macaques were studied 14 and 70 days after axotomy to characterize regenerating vessels and axons. Blood vessel extension pre- ceded the appearance of regenerating nerve fibers suggest- ing that vessels serve as scaffolding to guide regenerating axons through extracellular matrix. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was expressed along vascular silhou- ettes by endothelial cells, pericytes, and perivascular cells. VEGF expression correlated with dermal nerve (r00.68, p0 0.01) and epidermal nerve fiber regrowth (r00.63, p00.02). No difference in blood vessel growth was observed between SIV-infected and control macaques. In contrast, SIV- infected animals demonstrated altered length, pruning and arborization of nerve fibers as well as alteration of VEGF expression. These results reinforce earlier human primate findings that vessel growth precedes and influences axonal regeneration. The consistency of these observations across human and non-human primates validates the use of the pigtailed-macaque as a preclinical model.
Compatibility measures using fuzzy truth and co-implication

A compatibility measure is a scaler measure that assesses some type of agreement between two fuzzy sets. The three general classes of compatibility measures are set theoretic, metric, and logic. Set theoretic compatibility measures are the ones predominantly found in the literature. Recently, however, metric and logic compatibility measures are being used. The logic class of compatibility measures and its two different motivating influences, fuzzy truth and co-implication, are described. Applying fuzzy logic in rule-based expert systems provides the framework for employing fuzzy truth as a compatibility function. The co-implication approach is shown to produce similarity relations between degrees of membership. >
Functional significance of nerve growth factor and its receptor (TrkA) in inflammatory arthritis

We read the article by Barthel and colleagues [1] in this is sue of Arthritis Research & Th erapy with great interest. Th ey reported that neurotrophin receptors/ligands and specifi cally nerve growth factor (NGF) and NGF receptor (NGF-R) (TrkA and p75) are expressed in synovial fl uid (SF) cells and synovial tissue (ST) of patients with rheuma toid arthritis (RA) or spondyloarthritis (SpA). Th e authors also looked for the cellular source of NGF and demonstrated that the T cells and monocytes/macrophages derived from SF of patients with RA/SpA are enriched with NGF. Furthermore, they reported that STderived fi broblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) did not produce NGF in vitro. In a recent publication, we observed similarly that NGF levels in SF were signifi cantly higher in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) (365.5 ± 85.2 pg/ mL) or RA (120 ± 35 pg/mL) than in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) (30 ± 6 pg/mL) [2]. However, in regard to the source of NGF, we observed that FLSs produced a signifi cant amount of NGF. Here, we would like to share our observations about the NGF/TrkA system in human FLSs and its function. Synovial biopsies from patients with meniscal injury without any other joint diseases or PsA, OA, or RA were collected. FLSs were isolated and examined for NGF/ NGF-R expression in accordance with our standardized protocols [2]. Using a highly sensitive enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) for human NGF (NGFEmax assay; Promega Corporation, Madison, WI, USA) and Hi-D fl uorescence-activated cell sorting analyses, we observed that under basal conditions FLSs from healthy individuals express low levels of NGF/TrkA. However, there was a marked upregulation of NGF and TrkA in these FLSs following stimulation with tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1-beta (Table 1). A critical observation was that FLSs from patients with PsA or RA produced spontaneously higher levels of NGF and had increased expression of TrkA compared with FLSs of patients with OA (Table 1). Furthermore, we observed that NGF signifi cantly stimulated the proliferation of FLSs derived from PsA synovial tissue (Figure 1). Barthel and colleagues [1] cultured FLSs from only one patient with RA and one patient with SpA and noticed that FLSs did not produce NGF, but the authors do mention that they can’t rule out the production of NGF by FLS. We cultured FLSs from 15 subjects (Table 1), and it is also possible that the NGF ELISA kit that we used is more sensitive. A fully formed pannus is characterized by proliferation of FLSs, infl ammatory infi ltrates, and a marked angiogenesis. NGF and its receptor system are known to
Abstract 590: Loss of Myeloid Cell Prostaglandin E Receptor 4 Does Not Alter Diabetes-Accelerated Atherosclerosis in a Murine Model of Type 1 Diabetes

Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, largely due to increased atherosclerosis. Our studies have suggested myeloid cell prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production as a possible mediator of diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis in a virally-induced mouse model of type 1 diabetes. Prostaglandin E Receptor 4 (EP4; Ptger4) is a major PGE2 receptor in myeloid cells. We hypothesized that generation of a mouse model of myeloid cell-targeted EP4-deficiency would allow us to test the role of myeloid EP4 in diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis. Thus, we generated a Ptger4flox/flox LysM-Cretg/tg mouse model. Peritoneal macrophages isolated from these myeloid cell EP4-deficient (EP4M-/-) mice expressed <90% Ptger4 mRNA compared to LysM-Cretg/tg controls (n=10; p<0.0001). To analyze the role of myeloid cell EP4 in diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis, we transplanted bone marrow from EP4M-/- mice and littermate controls into lethally irradiated Ldlr-/- RIP-LCMV mice (the model of type 1 diabe...
Targeted Chromosomal Gene Knockout Using PCR Fragments

The development of recombineering technology has converged to a point that virtually any type of genetic modification can be made in the Escherichia coli chromosome. The most straightforward -modification is a chromosomal gene knockout, which is done by electroporation of a PCR fragment that contains a selectable drug marker flanked by 50 bp of target DNA. The phage λ Red recombination system expressed in vivo from a plasmid promotes deletion of the gene of interest at high efficiency. The combination of this technology with site-specific recombination systems of Cre and Flp has enabled genetic engineers to construct a variety of marked and precise gene knockouts in a variety of microbial chromosomes. The basic protocols for designing PCR substrates for recombineering, generating -recombineering-proficient electrocompetent strains of E. coli, and for selection and verification of recombinant clones are described.
Automated Method for Reducing Scheffé Linear Mixture Experiment Models

AbstractIn developing models for mixture experiments, the first step typically involves fitting a complete Scheffe linear mixture (SLM) model using all components varied in the experiment. It next may be desirable to reduce a complete SLM model by (i) eliminating (in a way appropriate for mixture experiments) components that have negligible effects and (ii) combining components that have similar effects. Standard methods for reducing non-mixture linear models, such as t-tests and variable-selection techniques, are not applicable for reducing SLM models. In the mixture experiment literature, a time-consuming, manual iterative approach has been used to reduce SLM models.Automatic and semi-automatic versions of a method for backward reduction of SLM models are proposed to eliminate components (in a way appropriate for mixture experiments) or combine components. The method uses associated partial F-tests to guide the model reduction steps. The method allows for specifying (i) components that must remain in th...
Rational Design of Lamellar π–π Stacked Organic Crystalline Materials with Short Interplanar Distance

Organic crystalline materials having a lamellar π–π stacked structural motif with short interplanar distance are significant for many applications. By asymmetrically introducing perfluoroalkyl substituents onto and polarizable sulfur atoms into N-containing heteroaromatics, we successfully synthesized a novel type of aromatic material that preferentially forms lamellar π–π stacked crystalline materials with a interplanar π–π distance of 3.247 A, more than 0.1 A shorter than that of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) where interplanar distance ranges from 3.35 to 3.39 A.
Sojourners’ Ineffective Sociocultural Adaptation: Paranoia as a Joint Function of Distrust toward Host Nationals and Neuroticism

The present study examines how sojourners’ paranoia mediates the negative relationship between their distrust toward host nationals and sociocultural adaptation, and how sojourners’ neuroticism moderates this mediated relationship. By conducting a two-part survey study with U.S. undergraduate students who traveled abroad for academic programs, I found that only among neurotic sojourners, distrust toward host nationals was negatively related to sociocultural adaptation, mediated by paranoia. These findings suggest that distrust-related cognition and emotion as well as neuroticism are all important predictors of sociocultural adaptation, and shed light on the inquiry regarding sojourners’ adaptation and distrust/trust.
Susceptibility of Redbanded Leafroller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) to Azinphosmethyl During the Apple Season

Six field populations of redbanded leafroller, Argyrotaenia velutinana (Walker), were monitored for azinphosmethyl resistance during the autumn flight of 1989 with a sticky-card bioassay in which adult males captured in sex pheromone traps were exposed to a concentration series of azinphosmethyI. This field bioassay, plus a laboratory bioassay performed on neonates from two of the field populations, did not detect azinphosmethyl resistance in this tortricid, even in an orchard where heavy reliance on azinphosmethyl led to azinphosmethyl resistance in another tortricid, Platynota idaeusalis (Walker). The sticky-card bioassay with a diagnostic concentration of 90 µg(AI) azinphosmethyl/g adhesive killed the expected 95% of the adults captured in a population during the summer and autumn flights, but killed only 89% of the males captured during the spring flight of 1990. We attributed the greater tolerance to azinphosmethyl in adult males from the spring flight to the significantly larger weight (1.4-fold) of males captured in the spring than in the autumn. A new diagnostic concentration of 120 µg(AI) azinphosmethyl/g adhesive, adjusted for adults captured during the spring flight, was evaluated during the 1991 spring flight and better approximated a concentration that killed 95% of the susceptible adult males during this flight. Our report describes baseline data on the susceptibility of redbanded leafroller to azinphosmethyI.
A framework for incorporating DTI Atlas Builder registration into Tract-Based Spatial Statistics and a simulated comparison to standard TBSS.

Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS)6 is a software pipeline widely employed in comparative analysis of the white matter integrity from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) datasets. In this study, we seek to evaluate the relationship between different methods of atlas registration for use with TBSS and different measurements of DTI (fractional anisotropy, FA, axial diffusivity, AD, radial diffusivity, RD, and medial diffusivity, MD). To do so, we have developed a novel tool that builds on existing diffusion atlas building software, integrating it into an adapted version of TBSS called DAB-TBSS (DTI Atlas Builder-Tract-Based Spatial Statistics) by using the advanced registration offered in DTI Atlas Builder7. To compare the effectiveness of these two versions of TBSS, we also propose a framework for simulating population differences for diffusion tensor imaging data, providing a more substantive means of empirically comparing DTI group analysis programs such as TBSS. In this study, we used 33 diffusion tensor imaging datasets and simulated group-wise changes in this data by increasing, in three different simulations, the principal eigenvalue (directly altering AD), the second and third eigenvalues (RD), and all three eigenvalues (MD) in the genu, the right uncinate fasciculus, and the left IFO. Additionally, we assessed the benefits of comparing the tensors directly using a functional analysis of diffusion tensor tract statistics (FADTTS10). Our results indicate comparable levels of FA-based detection between DAB-TBSS and TBSS, with standard TBSS registration reporting a higher rate of false positives in other measurements of DTI. Within the simulated changes investigated here, this study suggests that the use of DTI Atlas Builder’s registration enhances TBSS group-based studies.
A Micro-Mechanical Study of Soil-Pile Interaction during Dynamic Excitations

A fully coupled continuum-discrete hydromechanical model is employed to analyze the dynamic response of saturated granular soils. The fluid motion was idealized using averaged Navier-Stokes equations and the discrete element method was employed to model the solid particles. Well established semi-empirical relationships were used to quantify the fluid-particle interactions. Numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the liquefaction mechanisms of soil-pile systems when subjected to a dynamic base excitation. The outcome of these simulations was consistent with experimental observations and revealed valuable information on the micro-mechanical characteristics of soil liquefaction and associated loss of stiffness and strength.
Mating Competition between Eastern and Western Strains of the Alfalfa Weevil, Hypera postica

Adult H. postica (Gyllenhal) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from populations in Utah and Maryland were marked for recognition, placed in a free-choice mating situation, and observed repeatedly for 2 months. No mating preferences were shown, and eastern and western males were equally competitive in mating when they were confined with eastern females only. Sex ratios of progeny and egg hatch weie essentially as expected from previous single cross matings—an increase in the ☥:♂ sex ratio of progeny from western ☥ ✕ eastern ☥ matings and complete sterility of eggs from eastern ☥ ✕ western ♂ matings.
The Legacy of Apartheid: Racial Inequalities in the New South Africa

The legacy of 350 years of apartheid practice and 50 years of concerted apartheid policy has been to create racial differences in socioeconomic position larger than in any other nation in the world. Whites, who constitute 11 percent of the population, enjoy levels of education, occupational status, and income similar to and in many respects superior to those of the industrially-developed nations of Europe and the British diaspora. Within the White population, however, there is a sharp distinction between the one-third of English origin and the two-thirds of Afrikaner origin. Despite apartheid policies explicitly designed to improve the lot of Afrikaners at the expense of non-Whites, the historical difference between the two groups continues to be seen in socioeconomic differences at the end of the 20th century. Still, the disadvantages of Afrikaners are modest compared to those of non-Whites, particularly Coloureds and Blacks, who bear the brunt of apartheid policies. Ethnic penalties are especially large for people with lower levels of education. For those with less than a tertiary education, there appears to be an occupational floor under Whites and an occupational ceiling over non-Whites. For the small minority of Blacks and Coloureds with tertiary education, the likelihood of being employed and the kinds of jobs available differ relatively little from the opportunities of Asians and White; but for the vast majority lacking tertiary education the ethnic penalty is very large, particularly for Blacks. Most are unable even to find work, with about 40 percent of Black men and more than half of Black women unemployed; and those who are employed are relegated largely to semiand unskilled jobs. Although tertiary education minimizes racial differences in occupational opportunities, it has little effect on racial differences in income, which are large even among the well educated and even among those working in similar occupations.
Impossible Voyages: Seventeenth-Century Space Travel and the Impulse of Ethnology

[T]heir colour and countenance [was] most pleasing, and their habit such, as I know not how to expresse. For neither did I see any kind of Cloth, Silke, or other stuffe to resemble the matter of that whereof their clothes were made; neither … can I devise how to describe the colour of them …. It was neither blacke, nor white, yellow, nor redde, greene nor blew, nor any colour composed of these. But if you ask me what it was then; I must tell you, it was a colour never seen in our earthly world, and therefore neither to be described unto us by any, nor to be conceived…. Only this I can say of it, that it was the most glorious and delightfull, that can possibly be…. (Francis Godwin, The Man in the Moone)
Factors affecting food selection: The role of economics

Economics can contribute to a better understanding of the individual and household food selection process.
Negotiating insider–outsider status in ethnographic sports research

When engaging with ethnographic research to understand symbols associated with a club and its fan base, researchers need to reflect on the role of the ethnographer and the extent to which we can or...
Advancement in Numerical Simulations of Gas Hydrate Dissociation in Porous Media

The amount of research on gas hydrates has been rising dramatically due to the significant role gas hydrates play as a persistent trouble for gas industry, a promising energy source, and a potential threat to environment. In the energy exploration perspective, numerical simulations play a major role in improving our understanding of the fundamentals gas hydrate dissociation as well as hydrate reservoir behaviors. This chapter presents an integrative review on the computer simulation models of gas hydrate dissociation, which have boomed since their first appearance in 1980s. Necessary background knowledge for gas hydrates and the existing investigations on this topic are firstly summarized. A unified framework is then developed for the purpose of integrating and classifying the existing models. The major mechanisms involved in the phase change process are illustrated and explained on the level of governing equations. The similarities and discrepancies among the models are demonstrated and discussed using this framework. Discussions continue on the auxiliary relationships for describing the material properties based on their categories. The various auxiliary relationships employed in the existing computational models are summarized and compared. Finally, the results obtained by previous simulations as well as other laboratory or field data are discussed. Noteworthy trends in the numerical simulations of gas hydrates behaviors are also unveiled. Recommendations are provided for future research. By providing an overview of the topic area, this chapter intends to provide scientific basis to understand the existing gas hydrate simulation models as well as serve as a guide for future research on advanced gas hydrate simulations.
Antimicrobial activity of juncusol, a novel 9-10-dihydrophenanthrene from the marsh plant Juncus roemerianus

Abstract The 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene phenolic compound juncusol, from the marsh plant Juncus roemerianus , has been shown to be inhibitory to four species of naturally occurring Bacillus and to two ATCC species Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus . Juncusol may regulate populations of bacillus bacteria in the marsh and has potential as an antimicrobial agent particularly to gram positive microorganisms.
Corruption, Human Rights, and Activism: Useful Connections and Their Limits

Human rights activists and anti-corruption campaigners have grown increasingly comfortable on one another’s turf, and the lines that divide their work have become quite porous. Human rights activists are learning to grapple with the human rights impacts of corruption, and anti-corruption campaigners frequently deploy a human rights analysis to bolster their case for reform. This chapter describes how the blurring of the line between human rights and anti-corruption work has enhanced the work of activists on both sides. In borrowing from one another’s work, both sets of campaigners have found powerful new ways to describe the real human impact of the abuses they fight against. In some cases, they have also found new ways to make use of powerful accountability mechanisms like anti-corruption and money-laundering laws. And there have been less direct benefits that are every bit as important. For instance, work on corruption has helped push relatively conservative human rights organizations to become more comfortable with work that deals squarely with the progressive realization of economic, social, and cultural rights.
Comparison of carbon and nitrogen storage in mineral soils of graminoid and shrub tundra sites, western Greenland

Shrub species are expanding across the Arctic in response to climate change and biotic interactions. Changes in belowground carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) storage are of global importance because Arctic soils store approximately half of global soil C. We collected 10 (60 cm) soil cores each from graminoid- and shrub-dominated soils in western Greenland and determined soil texture, pH, C and N pools, and C:N ratios by depth for the mineral soil. To investigate the relative chemical stability of soil C between vegetation types, we employed a novel sequential extraction method for measuring organo-mineral C pools of increasing bond strength. We found that (i) mineral soil C and N storage was significantly greater under graminoids than shrubs (29.0 ± 1.8 versus 22.5 ± 3.0 kg·C·m−2 and 1.9 ± .12 versus 1.4 ± 1.9 kg·N·m−2), (ii) chemical mechanisms of C storage in the organo-mineral soil fraction did not differ between graminoid and shrub soils, and (iii) weak adsorption to mineral surfaces accounted for 40%–60% o...
Characteristics and Context of Women Probationers and Parolees Who Engage in Violence

For a sample of 396 women on probation and parole, this article presents the results of qualitative analysis that shows the nature of violence for a subgroup of 75 women who were convicted of a violent act. For the full sample of 396, the article also presents results of quantitative analyses that identify correlates of violent behavior. Women’s violent acts were most often assaults on people who were not intimate partners. Second and third most common violent acts were for assaults of an intimate partner and robbery, respectively. Quantitative analysis revealed that history of adult abuse and anger predicted violence. The effect of abuse on violent behavior was partially mediated by anger. Intercorrelations between anger, mental health problems, histories of being abused, and current substance abuse suggest the efficacy of assessing these attributes so that programming can provide individualized interventions that address co-occurring problems.
Relationship of executive functioning deficits to N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in youth with bipolar disorder

Abstract Background Although cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder (BD) have been repeatedly observed, our understanding of these impairments at a mechanistic level remains limited. Few studies that investigated cognitive impairments in bipolar illness have examined the association with brain biochemistry. This pilot study utilized proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to evaluate the relationship between neurocognitive performance and brain metabolites in youth with BD. Methods Thirty participants, twenty depressed BD participants and ten healthy comparison participants, ages 13–21, completed mood and executive function measures. 1H-MRS data were also acquired from the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) using two-dimensional (2D) J-resolved 1H-MRS sequence. Proton metabolites including N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were quantified for both groups. Results Participants with BD performed significantly lower on executive functioning measures than comparison participants. There were significant positive correlations between Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) performance and NAA (p Limitations Small sample size and lack of control for medications. Conclusions These findings build on previous observations of biochemical alterations associated with BD and indicate that executive functioning deficits in bipolar youth are correlated with NAA and GABA. These results suggest that cognitive deficits occur early in the course of illness and may reflect risk factors associated with altered neurochemistry. Further investigation of the relationship between brain metabolites and cognition in BD may lead to important information for developing novel, targeted interventions.
Piezoelectric composite subordinate oscillator arrays and frequency response shaping for passive vibration attenuation

Subordinate Oscillator Arrays (SOAs) can be shown theoretically to provide vibration attenuation that is characterized by a frequency response function with a magnitude that is approximately flat over a finite bandwidth. However, the actual performance of SOA designs can suffer due to uncertainties in the structural parameters of the host and SOA. In this paper, we describe a piezoelectric composite SOA that can be used either actively or passively to account or correct for uncertainties in structural parameters that result from fabrication. This paper uses thermodynamic variational principles to derive the equations of motion for the active SOA formed using piezoelectric composites. We discuss techniques to optimize vibration attenuation for the SOA with fabrication errors using the piezoelectric appendages in the SOA.
Managerial Fiduciary Duty and Social Responsibility: The Changing Nature of Corporate Governance in Post-War America

Enron's demise and the corporate investigations that ensued have reinvigorated the debate on managerial fiduciary duty. Some have argued that the recent stock bubble and the ensuing revelations of managerial malfeasance merely repeat history: Capitalism regularly corrects market exuberance and redirects resources along an efficient path. True, each bubble has its particular causes. The most recent one arose in concert with over-investment in high technology and recently deregulated industries. Those who claim that the 1990s bubble marked a significant change point to evidence that Enron's practice of misreporting information to bolster performance figures and executive stock option values extended widely within the corporate sector. In this view, excess was connected to stock option incentive systems that allowed these managers to exploit information asymmetry between themselves and investors. Even Alan Greenspan, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, expressed this view when he openly questioned the market's ability to disperse information in an accurate and timely manner and the wisdom of reporting rules that did not demand that stock options be included as business expenses. In this essay, we elaborate this theme - that the stock market's deflation exposed a structural reworking of managerial incentive hierarchies and managerial ideology. During the 1990s, U.S. managerial capitalism underwent a profound transformation from a technocratic system to a proprietary one. In the former, managers functioned as teams to sustain the firm and to promote social welfare. In the latter, corporate bureaucratic teams broke up into tournaments in which managers competed for advancement toward the CEO prize. Because their reward system depended heavily on stock options that were accompanied by downside risk-protection, these tournaments turned managers into a special class of shareholders. And, like any other shareholder, managers sought to maximize their individual utility functions - even if it deviated from the firm's best interest. Once this new regime became established practice, managers discarded their technocratic, stakeholder creed and adopted a property rights ideology, originally elaborated in academia by financial agency theorists.
Ethical issues in the care of the patient with dementia

Publisher Summary This chapter describes that ethical issues arise frequently in the management of the patient with dementia as a consequence of several factors: (1) physicians' subconscious avoidance of demented patients resulting from their anxiety over loss of cognitive functions and their generally nihilistic attitude about prognosis and treatment; (2) society's ambivalent attitude toward allocating the resources necessary to provide appropriate care for demented elderly patients; (3) the frequent difficulty in arranging effective surrogate decision-making; (4) the frequent absence of advance care planning governing treatment decisions later in the disease; (5) the accumulated stresses on family members leading to institutionalization of the patient; and (6) societal ambivalence over permitting demented patients to serve as research subjects, resulting from the tension between the need to protect them as vulnerable subjects and the risk of overprotecting them, a tension that discourages justified and desirable research. The chapter explains that the ethical issues clinicians encounter in managing demented patients vary with the stage of the illness. The chapter concludes that problems in the patient–physician relationship leading to physician avoidance become more pronounced with successive illness stages.
Novel variants in COL4A4 and COL4A5 are rare causes of FSGS in two unrelated families

We report two female patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and chronic kidney disease. The first patient was found to have a heterozygous, de novo, pathogenic variant in COL4A5 (c.141+1G>A, IVS2+1G>A), which is associated with Alport syndrome. The second patient was found to have a heterozygous, likely pathogenic variant in COL4A4 (c.2842G>T). Both these variants in COL4A5 and COL4A4 are novel, and they were detected using whole exome sequencing and gene panel testing, respectively. Additionally, we discuss the complexities of diagnosis in such cases and the benefits of using the abovementioned diagnostic approaches.
Dual innervation of arteries and arterioles. A histochemical study.

Specific histochemical techniques for the demonstration of acetylcholinesterase and of norepinephrine have been used to study the distribution of cholinergic and adrenergic nerve fibers to arteries and arterioles in various organs of cats and dogs, including the male genital apparatus, tongue, skeletal muscle, heart and gastrointestinal tract. Arteries and arterioles in all of these organs showed both cholinergic and adrenergic nerve fibers, although the relative number of each of the types of fiber was variable. The findings provide morphologic evidence for a widespread and generalized dual adrenergic and cholinergic innervation of arteries and arterioles.
Ovarian Cancer Incidence in the U.S. and Toxic Emissions from Pulp and Paper Plants: A Geospatial Analysis

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of female cancer mortality in the U.S. and accounts for five percent of all cancer deaths among women. No environmental risk factors for ovarian cancer have been confirmed. We previously reported that ovarian cancer incidence rates at the state level were significantly correlated with the extent of pulp and paper manufacturing. We evaluated that association using county-level data and advanced geospatial methods. Specifically, we investigated the relationship of spatial patterns of ovarian cancer incidence rates with toxic emissions from pulp and paper facilities using data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). Geospatial analysis identified clusters of counties with high ovarian cancer incidence rates in south-central Iowa, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and Georgia. A bivariate local indicator of spatial autocorrelation (LISA) analysis confirmed that counties with high ovarian cancer rates were associated with counties with large numbers of pulp and paper mills. Regression analysis of state level data indicated a positive correlation between ovarian cancer and water pollutant emissions. A similar relationship was identified from the analysis of county-level data. These data support a possible role of water-borne pollutants from pulp and paper mills in the etiology of ovarian cancer.
AGEISM IN THE UNITED STATES AS A PARADOX AND OPPORTUNITY FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

Twelve years ago, Robert Butler argued in Ageism in America that combatting ageism in a matter of human and civil rights. However, ageism has not yet been overcome. Instead, evidence suggests that what has developed in the United States is an age stereotype paradox: Research demonstrates that negative age stereotypes have been increasing, even though a number of factors (e.g., passage of anti-age-discrimination laws) suggest that age stereotypes should become more positive. This presentation will focus on four age-stereotype paradox domains: health, intergenerational contact, legislation and social climate. I will explore why the paradox matters, its causes and how it can become an opportunity for social change.
Investigating Items to Improve the Validity of the Five-Item Healthy Eating Score Compared with the 2015 Healthy Eating Index in a Military Population

Military researchers utilize a five-item healthy eating score (HES-5) in the Global Assessment Tool (GAT) questionnaire to quickly assess the overall diet quality of military personnel. This study aimed to modify the HES-5 to improve its validity relative to the 2015 Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) in active duty military personnel (n = 333). A food frequency questionnaire was used to calculate HEI-2015 scores and to assess sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake in 8-oz (SSB-8) and 12-oz servings. GAT nutrition questions were used to calculate HES-5 scores and capture breakfast and post-exercise recovery fueling snack (RFsnack) frequencies. Two scoring options were considered for the highest RFsnack category: “4” vs. “5” (RFsnack-5). Potential candidates were added alone and in combination to the HES-5 and compared to the HEI-2015 with a Pearson correlation coefficient. Scores with the highest correlations were compared via a z-score equation to identify the simplest modification to the HES-5. Correlations between HES-5 and HEI-2015 scores in total participants, males, and females were 0.41, 0.45 and 0.32, respectively. Correlations were most significantly improved in total participants by adding RFsnack-5, SSB-8, RFsnack-5 + SSB-8, and RFsnack-5 + SSB-8 + breakfast, though the addition of SSB-8 + RFsnack-5 performed best (r = 0.53). Future work should consider scoring mechanisms, serving sizes, and question wording.
Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Are Required for Regeneration and Homeostatic Maintenance of Skeletal Muscle

The necessity of mesenchymal stromal cells, called fibroadipogenic progenitors (FAPs), in skeletal muscle regeneration and maintenance remains unestablished. We report the generation of a PDGFRαCreER knockin mouse model that provides a specific means of labeling and targeting FAPs. Depletion of FAPs using Cre-dependent diphtheria toxin expression results in loss of expansion of muscle stem cells (MuSCs) and CD45+ hematopoietic cells after injury and impaired skeletal muscle regeneration. Furthermore, FAP-depleted mice under homeostatic conditions exhibit muscle atrophy and loss of MuSCs, revealing that FAPs are required for the maintenance of both skeletal muscle and the MuSC pool. We also report that local tamoxifen metabolite delivery to target CreER activity in a single muscle, removing potentially confounding systemic effects of ablating PDGFRα+ cells distantly, also causes muscle atrophy. These data establish a critical role of FAPs in skeletal muscle regeneration and maintenance.
Kinetics of neptunium sorption and desorption in the presence of aluminum (hydr)oxide minerals: Evidence for multi-step desorption at low pH.

Abstract Kinetics analyses of sorption and desorption provide important insight into reaction mechanisms occurring at the mineral-water interface. They are also needed to determine when equilibrium is achieved, identify intermediate chemical species, and inform models describing neptunium mobility. Neptunium sorption to and desorption from four different aluminum (hydr)oxides - bayerite (α-Al(OH)3), gibbsite (γ-Al(OH)3), corundum (α-Al2O3), and γ-alumina (γ-Al2O3) - were investigated as a function of mineral concentration (5 – 170 m2 L−1), neptunium concentration (10−9 – 10−7 M), and pH (5.5 – 10.5). Neptunium sorption was characterized by a two-step reaction with an initial fast sorption step occurring within minutes followed by a slower equilibrium process, which was attributed to initial sorption of neptunium to a small number of strong sorption sites followed by sorption of neptunium to a larger number of weak sorption sites. The kinetics data were modeled using the linear and non-linear forms of the pseudo-first and pseudo-second order rate equations and the goodness of fit parameters were compared. Non-linear pseudo-second order rate constants described neptunium sorption to aluminum (hydr)oxides most accurately and were used to determine the reaction orders with respect to mineral concentration and [H+]. Neptunium desorption experiments demonstrated that the desorption mechanism changed as a function of pH and that the forward and reverse reactions were not equivalent. At pH ≥ 7.5, desorption reached steady-state within an hour and was accurately described by the non-linear pseudo-second order rate equations. A desorption plateau was observed at pH 5.5 that could not be described by either pseudo-first or –second order kinetics, suggesting the possibility of a multi-step desorption reaction. The comparatively slow desorption kinetics observed here suggests that sorbed neptunium could be slowly released back into the aqueous phase and act as a continuous source of contamination to the environment.