cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pre- and post-operative plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein levels in patients with newly diagnosed gliomas

Therapies that disrupt or repair blood–brain barrier integrity can result in major changes in MRI images even when the tumor volume remains constant. Thus, a reliable blood-based tumor biomarker could significantly improve clinical care and research studies in these patients. This study was performed to assess plasma concentrations of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in patients with high- and low-grade gliomas before and after debulking surgery. Pre-operative plasma was collected from 33 patients with radiation- and chemotherapy-naive gliomas. Additional plasma was collected 24–48 h post-operatively from 23 of these patients. Plasma GFAP (pGFAP) concentrations were determined using an electrochemiluminescent immunoassay and were analyzed as a function of tumor grade, tumor GFAP expression, the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, and post-operative status. Detectable pGFAP levels (≥0.04 ng/mL) were found pre-operatively in 52 % of patients and post-operatively in 96 %. Detectable pGFAP was more common in patients with WHO grade IV (100 %) than WHO grade III (56 %) or WHO grade II gliomas (20 %). No patient with undetectable GFAP had WHO grade IV glioma. Higher pGFAP concentrations were also associated with contrast enhancement but not related to tumor GFAP expression. GFAP is commonly detected in the plasma of patients with high-grade gliomas. pGFAP levels rise rather than fall following debulking surgery which is probably a result of surgical trauma. GFAP remains a potentially informative plasma biomarker for gliomas. Longitudinal studies are required to correlate pGFAP levels with patient outcomes.
Global transcriptional response of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to growth transitions in glucose minimal medium

Background: Global patterns of gene expression of Escherichia coli K-12 during growth transitions have been deeply investigated, however, comparable studies of E. coli O157:H7 have not been explored, particularly with respect to factors regulating virulence genes and genomic islands specific to this pathogen. To examine the impact of growth phase on the dynamics of the transcriptome, O157:H7 Sakai strain was cultured in MOPS minimal media (0.1% glucose), RNA harvested at 10 time points from early exponential to full stationary phase, and relative gene expression was measured by co-hybridization on high-density DNA microarrays. Expression levels of 14 genes, including those encoding Shiga toxins and other virulence factors associated with the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), were confirmed by Q-PCR. Results: Analysis of variance (R/MAANOVA, Fs test) identified 442 (36%) of 1239 O157-specific ORFs and 2110 (59%) of 3647 backbone ORFs that changed in expression significantly over time. QT cluster analysis placed 2468 of the 2552 significant ORFs into 12 groups; each group representing a distinct expression pattern. ORFs from the largest cluster (n = 1078) decreased in expression from late exponential to early stationary phase: most of these ORFs are involved in functions associated with steady state growth. Also represented in this cluster are ORFs of the TAI island, encoding tellurite resistance and urease activity, which decreased ~4-fold. Most ORFs of the LEE pathogenicity island also decreased ~2fold by early stationary phase. The ORFs encoding proteins secreted via the LEE encoded type III secretion system, such as tccP and espJ, also decreased in expression from exponential to stationary phase. Three of the clusters (n = 154) comprised genes that are transiently upregulated at the transition into stationary phase and included genes involved in nutrient scavenging. Upregulated genes with an increase in mRNA levels from late exponential to early stationary phase belonged to one cluster (n = 923) which includes genes involved in stress responses (e.g. gadAB, osmBC, and dps). These transcript levels remained relatively high for > 3 h in stationary phase. The Shiga toxin genes (stx1AB and stx2B) were significantly induced after transition into stationary phase. Conclusion: Expression of more than 300 O157-specific ORFs, many implicated in virulence of the O157 pathogen, was modulated in a growth dependent manner. These results provide a baseline transcriptional profile that can be compared to patterns of gene expression of this important foodborne pathogen under adverse environmental conditions.
Maximum parsimony xor haplotyping by sparse dictionary selection

Xor-genotype is a cost-effective alternative to the genotype sequence of an individual. Recent methods developed for haplotype inference have aimed at finding the solution based on xor-genotype data. Given the xor-genotypes of a group of unrelated individuals, it is possible to infer the haplotype pairs for each individual with the aid of a small number of regular genotypes. We propose a framework of maximum parsimony inference of haplotypes based on the search of a sparse dictionary, and we present a greedy method that can effectively infer the haplotype pairs given a set of xor-genotypes augmented by a small number of regular genotypes. We test the performance of the proposed approach on synthetic data sets with different number of individuals and SNPs, and compare the performances with the state-of-the-art xor-haplotyping methods PPXH and XOR-HAPLOGEN. Experimental results show good inference qualities for the proposed method under all circumstances, especially on large data sets. Results on a real database, CFTR, also demonstrate significantly better performance. The proposed algorithm is also capable of finding accurate solutions with missing data and/or typing errors.
Consistent Standard Errors in Panel Tobit with Autocorrelation

This paper derives consistent standard errors for a panel Tobit model in the presence of correlated errors. The problem is framed in the context of Newey and West (1987), considering the Tobit model as a special case of a GMM estimator.
Object-oriented software development with the Demeter Method (abstract)

The Demeter Method is a formal method that lifts object-oriented software development to a higher level of abstraction by using a graphical specification language for describing object-oriented programs. Executable programs are automatically generated by a CASE tool (the Demeter System/C++) from the graphical high-level descriptions. Unlike other specification languages, the Demeter Method allows you to keep the binding of methods to classes flexible under changing class structures. The higher level of abstraction leads to shorter and more reusable programs than by programming directly in one of todays object-oriented languages such as C++, Smalltalk, Eiffel or CLOS.Because the Demeter Method is regularly taught at NU both at the graduate and undergraduate level with the 10 week quarter system, it has become, by nnecessity, very easy to learn.This tutorial is for professionals who want to learn powerful, formally defined high-level concepts that describe the programming task in terms of data-model-based graphs and their subgraphs.
Tandem repeats over the edit distance

Motivation: A tandem repeat in DNA is a sequence of two or more contiguous, approximate copies of a pattern of nucleotides. Tandem repeats occur in the genomes of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. They are important in numerous fields including disease diagnosis, mapping studies, human identity testing (DNA fingerprinting), sequence homology and population studies. Although tandem repeats have been used by biologists for many years, there are few tools available for performing an exhaustive search for all tandem repeats in a given sequence. Results: In this paper we describe an efficient algorithm for finding all tandem repeats within a sequence, under the edit distance measure. The contributions of this paper are two-fold: theoretical and practical. We present a precise definition for tandem repeats over the edit distance and an efficient, deterministic algorithm for finding these repeats. Availability: The algorithm has been implemented in C++, and the software is available upon request and can be used at http://www.sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~sokol/trepeats. The use of this tool will assist biologists in discovering new ways that tandem repeats affect both the structure and function of DNA and protein molecules. Contact: sokol@sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu
Adaptation to pattern spatial frequency: effects on visual movement sensitivity in humans.

Human luminance thresholds were measured using a square-wave test grating (spatial frequency=0.38 cycles/deg) moving at different speeds (from 0.0° to 22°/s). A set of gratings of various spatial frequencies ranging from 0.00 (uniform field) through 23 cycles/deg provided different adapting patterns that were viewed prior to threshold determinations. The pattern of threshold elevations produced by the set of adapting gratings was different for different test-grating speeds. These results indicate that visual mechanisms with different spatial-frequency-tuning characteristics mediate the detection of a low-frequency grating when it is moved at different speeds. Also, results were obtained which suggest that the higher-harmonic components of a low-frequency grating contribute to its detection when it is moved at slow speeds.
Near-surface Seismic Investigation of Barringer (Meteor) Crater, Arizona

We investigated the shallow subsurface of Barringer (Meteor) Crater, Arizona using highresolution seismic methods. The seismic surveys were conducted in May, 2010 during a joint expedition by the University of Houston, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI). We performed compressional (P)-wave refraction analysis on the seismic data and found P-wave velocities of 450–2,500 m/s for a 55-m deep model. Away from the crater rim (toward the south), the shallow P-wave low-velocity layers thin. We also estimated a near-surface, shear (S)-wave velocity structure using a surface-wave inversion method. S-wave velocities vary from 200–700 m/s for the top 16–20 m, increasing to 900–1,000 m/s at 38-m depth. We interpret a prominent change in S-wave velocity (at around 500–600 m/s) as the transition from the ejecta blanket (a sheet of debris thrown out of the crater during the impact) to the bedrock Moenkopi sandstone. The ejecta is characterized as unconsolidated, low velocity, and low density. This S-wave transition takes place at a depth range of 12–20 m near the crater rim with a thinning away from the crater rim. This consistent P-wave and S-wave structure is interpreted as the ejecta blanket. Ultrasonic measurements on hand samples collected during the expedition give a range of P-wave velocities of 800–1,600 m/s for the Moenkopi. Predicted bulk densities from estimated S-wave velocities using modified Gardner’s equation fall in the range of 1.8–2.5 gm/cm3, with low-density materials (ejecta) underlain by high-density materials (bedrock). These density results, along with available drilling information and residual gravity anomalies, also support the thinning of the ejecta blanket.
Self-Concealment and Suicidal Behaviors

Understanding self-concealment, the tendency to actively conceal distressing personal information from others, may be important in developing effective ways to help individuals with suicidal ideation. No published study has yet assessed the relation between self-concealment and suicidal behaviors. Additionally, most self-concealment research has been conducted solely with younger adults. The relation between self-concealment and depressive symptoms among older adults (age 65 and older), and between self-concealment and suicidal behaviors among both younger (college student) and older adults, was investigated in this study. As predicted, self-concealment was significantly related to suicidal behaviors in younger adults. Furthermore, self-concealment was significantly related to depressive symptoms in older adults. Interestingly, the association between self-concealment and suicidal behaviors in this age group was not significant.
Regression NSS: an alternative to cross validation

The Noise Sensitivity Signature (NSS), originally introduced by Grossman and Lapedes (1993), was proposed as an alternative to cross validation for selecting network complexity. In this paper, we extend NSS to the general problem of regression estimation. We also present results from regularized linear regression simulations which indicate that for problems with few data points, NSS regression estimates perform better than Generalized Cross Validation (GCV) regression estimates [7].
CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN THE MEASUREMENT OF CHILDREN'S SEX TYPING

Many reviewers of the literature on children's sex typing have remarked on the failure of researchers to attend carefully to methodological issues when designing measures of sex typing. In the present article, the importance of conceptually and operationally distinguishing among (a) the target of sex typing (i.e., self vs. others), (b) the form of sex typing (e.g., knowledge vs. attitudes), and (c) the domain of sex typing (e.g., occupations, activities, etc.) is emphasized. Several other methodological issues in measurement design, including the independence and comparability of masculine and feminine items, are also discussed. Finally, newly developed measures of sex typing designed to address these conceptual and methodological issues are described.
Community pharmacists' experience with pharmacogenetic testing.

Abstract Objective : To characterize the experiences and feasibility of offering pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing in a community pharmacy setting. Design: Pharmacists were invited to complete a survey about PGx testing for each patient who was offered testing. If the patient consented, pharmacists were also asked to complete a follow-up survey about the process of returning PGx testing results to patients and follow-up with the prescribing provider. Setting: Community pharmacies in North Carolina from August through November 2014. Participants: Pharmacists at five community pharmacies. Main outcome measures: Patient consent for testing, time to introduce PGx testing initially and communicate results, interpretation of test results, and recommended medication changes. Results : Of the 69 patients offered testing, 56 (81%) consented. Pre-test counseling typically lasted 1–5 minutes (81%), and most patients (55%) did not have any questions about the testing. Most pharmacists reported test results to patients by phone (84%), with discussions taking less than 1minute (48%) or 1–5 minutes (52%). Most pharmacists believed the patients understood their results either very well (54%) or somewhat well (41%). Pharmacists correctly interpreted 47 of the 53 test results (89%). All of the incorrect interpretations were for patients with test results indicating a dosing or drug change (6/19; 32%). Pharmacists reported contacting the ordering physician for four patients to discuss results indicating a dosage or drug change. Conclusion : The provision of PGx services in a community pharmacy setting appears feasible, requiring little additional time from the pharmacist, and many patients seem interested in PGx testing. Additional training may be necessary to improve test result interpretation, as well as for communication with both patients and ordering physicians.
Establishment of the fungal entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) as an endophyte in cocoa seedlings (Theobroma cacao)

The fungal entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana became established as an endophyte in in vitro-grown cocoa seedlings tested for up to 2 mo after inoculation to the radicle with B. bassiana suspensions. The fungus was recovered in culture from stems, leaves and roots. B. bassiana also was detected as an epiphyte 1 and 2 mo postinoculation. Penicillium oxalicum and five bacterial morphospecies also were detected, indicating that these were present as endophytes in the seed.
The Significance of Cell Types in Bronchogenic Carcinoma

Physicians dealing with diseases of the thorax have long been aware that carcinoma of the lung varies greatly in its clinical manifestations, and that certain types of bronchogenic carcinoma are much more amenable to surgical eradication than others. The great frequency with which bronchogenic carcinoma occurs and its apparent increasing incidence make it essential to determine as far as possible the various factors that may influence the course of the disease. In discussing bronchogenic carcinoma, it is first essential to define what Is included by the term. Bronchogenic carcinoma is a primary carcinoma of the lung which is presumed to originate in the mucosa of the bronchi. Metastatic carcinoma of the lung, adenoma of the bronchus, and alveolar cell tumor must be distinguished from bronchogenic carcinoma, for not only are their clinical course and prognosis different from those of bronchogenic carcinoma, but they have an entirely different source of origin. The results of early studies that were carried out to classify carcinoma of the lung solely on the basis of grade of malignancy of the tumor according to the method of Broders were soon found to be of little or no clinical, surgical or prognostic value. It has long been recognized that true bronchogenic carcinoma may assume a variety of form’s, and many terms have been utilized by pathologists to describe these various changes. This lack of uniformity in terminology has made an understanding of the significance of cell types in carcinoma of the lung difficult. It Is only since sufficient surgical and necropsy material has become available that it is possible to study and correlate the clinical course of the disease with survival following operative intervention and to devise a workable histologic classifIcation. In order to study the problem of the significance of cell types of bronchogenic carcinoma, the records of 1,000 cases of proved carcinoma of the lung, taken at random from the files of the Mayo Clinic, were reviewed. In each case, the diagnosis of carcinoma of the lung was based on the examination of bronchoscopic specimens, specimens taken for biopsy at the time of thoracotomy for inoperable neoplasms, and surgical specimens obtained by lobectomy or pneumonectomy. This series did not include any case in which there was evidence of carcinoma elsewhere in the body or in which there was a chance that the pulmonary lesion might be metastatic. �Read at the Joint Session of the First International Congress of Bronchoesophagology and the Second International Congress on Diseases of the Chest of the American College of Chest Physicians, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 24 to 30, 1952.
Anterior cervicoplasty: Neck rejuvenation using local anesthesia

There is a subset of male patients that is troubled by redundant midline skin of the neck. Such patients may not be interested in having a face lift; they simply want elimination of the "turkey neck" appearance. Removal of redundant skin and underlying tissue can produce excellent results. We report our use of anterior cervicoplasty consisting of submental excision, midline platsymal placation and cutaneous Z-plasty using only minimal oral sedation and local anesthesia. This procedure can be a safe alternative to a face-lift for a select group of patients.
Research Article: Volatile organic compounds in Beech Creek, a tributary of Lake Columbia, Arkansas

Abstract Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are naturally and industrially produced organic chemicals that can exist in the air as gases. Most VOCs can easily be deposited in natural water through precipitation and point and non-point sources. Previous research has shown that the natural waters of Columbia County, Arkansas contain the following VOCs: vinyl chloride; bromoform; 1,3-dichlorobenzene; 1,2-dichlorobenzene; chloromethane; bromomethane; chlorobenzene; and dichloromethane. The purpose of this study was to determine if Beech Creek, a major tributary of Lake Columbia, contains these or other VOCs. Water samples were collected from seven bridges that cross Beech Creek. The samples were analyzed using a gas chromatograph (GC) equipped with a flame ionization detector (FID). Vinyl chloride was found to be the predominant VOC with concentrations from 3.92 to 7.16 mg/L. Trans-1,2-dichloroethylene, chlorobenzene, and bromoform were also found at concentrations of 4.69, 6.16, and 23.29 mg/L respectively. T...
Biosensors for Detection of Genetically Modified Organisms in Food and Feed

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have gained momentum in improving the agricultural yield through gene transfer systems. Introduction of foreign genes into the host genome for new characteristics demonstrates great progress, however represents a potential risk for the consumers and environment sustainability. Several issues on regulatory approval, safety, and public perception raised concerns that would impact the extent to which GMOs can thrive. Therefore, there is a demand for a simple, sensitive, cost-effective, fast, and reliable detection method capable of operating on the spot. Apart from vast number of available conventional methods, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays or polymerase chain reaction, biosensors are cutting-edge analytical tools that have a great promise and potential in detecting GMOs in wide range of food products, from maize flour to a cookie. In this chapter we discuss the potential application of DNA biosensors for GMO identification/detection based on optical, piezoelectric, and electrochemical transducers reported until now.
Holistic entity matching across knowledge graphs

Entity matching is the problem of determining if two entities in a data set refer to the same real-world object. In the last decade a growing number of large-scale knowledge bases have been created online. Tools for automatically aligning these sources would make it possible to unify them in a structured knowledge and to answer complex queries. Here we present Holistic Entity Matching (HolisticEM), an algorithm based on Personalized Page Rank for aligning instances in large knowledge bases. It consists of two steps. First, a graph of potential matching pairs is constructed; second, local and global information from the relationship graph is propagated via Personalized Page Rank. We demonstrate that HolisticEM performs competitively and can efficiently handle databases with 110M and 203M entities accurately resolving 1.6M of matching entity pairs.
Tumours in mice after pulmonary deposition of radioactive particles.

SummaryThe intratracheal administration to BAF1 or CAF1 mice of plutonium and ruthenium particles suspended in Tween-80 or Pluronics caused an increased incidence of pulmonary adenomas compared with controls at levels of 0·1 μc 239PuO2 and 3·0 µc 106RuO2. Decreased incidence of adenomas was obtained at 0·16 µc 239PuO2 and 24·0 µc 106RuO2. Intravenous administration of similar particles caused an increased incidence at a level of 0·16 µc 239Pu(OH)4 and a decrease at 0·37 µc 239PuO2. Certain inconsistencies in the incidence values were noted.Histological lesions resulting from deposition of plutonium particles included fibrosis with bronchiolar proliferation and squamous metaplasia. Ruthenium particles caused the presence of numerous bizarre cells in fibrotic lesions. Plutonium particles were considered responsible for the development of two squamous-cell carcinomas and a bronchiolar carcinoma. Two bronchiolar carcinomas occurred in ruthenium-treated animals.
Outline of a mathematical approach to history

A mathematical model for the development of human society, beginning with the earliest stages of urban cultures, is outlined. In the early stages of history, behavior was characterized largely by adherence to a number of beliefs and prejudices of diffeirent kinds, which were accepted on faith and not subject to critical rational analysis. Due to psychobiological variability a very small number of individuals spontaneously appear at all times who challenge the accepted beliefs and prejudices and do not follow the accepted patterns of social behavior. The effect of these individuals upon the rest of the society, especially upon the younger generation, depends on the facilities with which information spreads in society. In earliest societies, when modern methods of mass communication were unknown, the channels of communication were practically identical with the channels of economic transport. The latter in its turn depended on the nature of the roads, and especially on the presence of waterway, which facilitated transportation. The sizes of the earliest cities and the distances between them were largely determined by relative ease of transporation. Expressions are derived for the average size of the earliest cities and for the average distance between them. The calculated average populations of the earliest cities are of the order of 103; the distance of the order of 102 km. Both are in agreement with some archaeological findings. An expression for the time spaon required for the development from the earliest stages of urban cultures to the present time is derived and shown to depend on the specific shoreline of the country, that is, the length of the shorline divided by the area of the country. It is pointed out that western Europe's specific shoreline, including land bordering both seas and rivers, is ten times as large as the shoreline area of other parts of the world. It is shown that this greater specific shoreline may account quantitatively for the faster social and technological development of western Europe in the last few centuries. The calculated total span of time of development from earliest urban cultures to our days is found to be of the order of magnitude of ten thousand years. It is shown that the model accounts for the existence at the present time of primitive cultures. A number of suggestions is made in regard to other possible applications of mathematics to history.
Retail Assortment and Price Competition When Consumers Are Uncertain About Product Tastes

For many products, consumers may need to physically experience them in order to assess their own valuations. We consider how such uncertainty can affect the equilibrium pricing and assortment choices among competing retailers. Specifically, we consider a market that consists of two retailers with identical cost structures and two products with symmetric underlying demand. We characterize the pricing equilibria for each possible set of assortments based on how consumers optimally search for products in response to observed prices and assortments, and show how the structure of a retailer's inter-temporal pricing pattern (EDLP or HLP) should depend upon his own as well as his rival's assortment and the search costs. In addition, we provide conditions under which the retailers carry asymmetric assortment breadths in equilibrium.
On Instrument and Equipment Purchase Management in Institutions of Higher Learning Under the Market Economy System

The paper reviews the present situation in the instrument and equipment purchase ininstitutions of higher learning, its characteristics and problems. Some ideas are suggested to enhancepurchase management, standardize purchase behvior and improve the effect of the use of the outlay.
A Self-Adaptive Context-Aware Model for Mobile Commerce

Use of mobile devices for the online shopping is growing ever. This paper addresses the problem of querying the contents relevant to the current context of the mobile node. We present a context-aware model that can incrementally learn the user preferences and location-based content retrieval for the purpose of one-to-one marking strategy. The model is based on Monte-Carlo sampling and tree induction method. Monte-Carlo sampling is used to construct the synopsis structure while tree induction is used to predict the user preferences in the current context. The model is evaluated using two benchmark datasets for offline testing and an application is developed to test the model online. The results show an obvious advantage of using the Monte-Carlo based tree induction method as compare to its state-of-the-art rivals.
Perspectives on purine analogues.

The purine analogs, fludarabine, 2-chlorodeoxy-adenosine, and 2'-deoxycoformycin, have revolutionized our approach to the treatment of a variety of indolent lymphoid malignancies. Because of their impressive single agent activity, they should be considered as an initial therapeutic option, not only for hairy cell leukemia, but also for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, and Waldenstrom's macroglobulenemia. Combinations of purine analogs with alkylatng agents, topisomerase II inhibitors, and other new compounds are in development, and their role as radiation sensitizers is being explored in clinical trials. Substantial activity has also been noted in several of the rheumatologic and immunologic disorders, and in multiple sclerosis. Continued progress requires innovative strategies which can modulate the biology and immunology of these diseases toward the goal of curing these patients.
Fundamentals of Modern Lunar Management: Private Sector Considerations

Implicit in any assessment of management practice in space, the moon or even Mars is that a good reason exists for people to be present. The case for a human presence in space is fairly limited from a commercial standpoint but there some interesting viewpoints as to its present and future potential (Morris and Cox 2010). Limited development of commercial tourism combined with equally limited commercial activity in orbit to date does not make a convincing case for business. The justification for lunar commerce is even less convincing. Dr. David Livingston, noted space expert and host of the Space Show at TheSpaceShow.com, is a good example of the significant business concerns related to lunar enterprises.
Health Risk Information Engagement and Amplification on Social Media News About an Emerging Pandemic on Facebook

Emerging pandemics call for unique health communication and education strategies in which public health agencies need to satisfy the public's information needs about possible risks while preventing risk exaggeration and dramatization. As a route to providing a framework for understanding public information behaviors in response to an emerging pandemic, this study examined the characteristics of communicative behaviors of social media audiences in response to Ebola outbreak news. Grounded in the social amplification of risks framework, this study adds to an understanding of information behaviors of online audiences by showing empirical differences in audience engagement with online health information. The data were collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Facebook channel. The final data set included 809 CDC posts and 35,916 audience comments. The analysis identified the differences in audience information behaviors in response to an emerging pandemic, Ebola, and health promotion posts. While the CDC had fewer posts on Ebola than health promotion topics, the former received more attention from active page users. Furthermore, audience members who actively engaged with Ebola news had a small overlap with those who engaged with non-Ebola information during the same period. Overall, this study demonstrated that information behavior and audience engagement is topic dependent. Furthermore, audiences who commented on news about an emerging pandemic were homogenous and varied in their degree of information amplification.
Highly Efficient Delivery of Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors to the Primate Retina

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) has emerged as the preferred vector for targeting gene expression to the retina. Subretinally injected AAV can efficiently transduce retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors in primate retina. Inner and middle primate retina can be transduced by intravitreally delivered AAV, but with low efficiency. This is due to dilution of vector, potential neutralization of capsid because it is not confined to the immune-privileged retinal compartment, and the presence of the inner limiting membrane (ILM), a barrier separating the vitreous from the neural retina. We here describe a novel “subILM” injection method that addresses all three issues. Specifically, vector is placed in a surgically induced, hydrodissected space between the ILM and neural retina. In an initial experiment, we injected viscoelastic (Healon®), a substance we confirmed was biocompatible with AAV, to create a subILM bleb and subsequently injected AAV2-GFP into the bleb after irrigation with basic salt solution. Fo...
Pipeline for amplifying and analyzing amplicons of the V1–V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene

Profiling of 16S rRNA gene sequences is an important tool for testing hypotheses in complex microbial communities, and analysis methods must be updated and validated as sequencing technologies advance. In host-associated bacterial communities, the V1–V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene is a valuable region to profile because it provides a useful level of taxonomic resolution; however, use of Illumina MiSeq data for experiments targeting this region needs validation. Using a MiSeq machine and the version 3 (300 × 2) chemistry, we sequenced the V1–V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene within a mock community. Nineteen bacteria and one archaeon comprised the mock community, and 12 replicate amplifications of the community were performed and sequenced. Sequencing the large fragment (490 bp) that encompasses V1–V3 yielded a higher error rate (3.6 %) than has been reported when using smaller fragment sizes. This higher error rate was due to a large number of sequences that occurred only one or two times among all mock community samples. Removing sequences that occurred one time among all samples (singletons) reduced the error rate to 1.4 %. Diversity estimates of the mock community containing all sequences were inflated, whereas estimates following singleton removal more closely reflected the actual mock community membership. A higher percentage of the sequences could be taxonomically assigned after singleton and doubleton sequences were removed, and the assignments reflected the membership of the input DNA. Sequencing the V1–V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene on the MiSeq platform may require additional sequence curation in silico, and improved error rates and diversity estimates show that removing low-frequency sequences is reasonable. When datasets have a high number of singletons, these singletons can be removed from the analysis without losing statistical power while reducing error and improving microbiota assessment.
The Critical Role of the NKG2D Receptor in CD8+CTL and CD8+CD56+ NKT Cell Cytotoxicity.

Abstract We previously demonstrated the ability to grow and ex vivo expand mobilized peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) from myeloma patients into aggressive cytotoxic effector cells (Blood 102; 422b, 2003). These experiments were designed to test the function and mechanism of tumor cell killing of these cells. Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) were collected from myeloma pts after mobilizing with cyclophosphamide and rhG-CSF and cultured in Aim-V serum-free medium at 37 and 5% CO2. After 2 hrs, the non-adherent cells were removed and placed in culture with Aim-V, IL-2 (50 IU/ml) and OKT-3 (50 ng/ml) for 7 days. Cytotoxicity of the expanded cells was tested on Day 0 and Day 7 using a chromium release assay. To identify the cytotoxic potential of cell subsets, cell populations were depleted using the Auto MACS Magnetic Cell Sorter (Miltenyi Biotec Auburn, CA) and cytotoxicity assays were repeated. Since the CD8+ cell(s) were the most cytotoxic, the CD8+ cells were isolated and their mechanisms of tumor cell killing were evaluated by testing killing through MHC Class I, T cell receptor or the NKG2D receptor. The ex vivo expanded population was extremely cytotoxic and killed RPMI 8226 myeloma cells at 60% lysis (+/− 1.6%) (E:T of 100:1) when compared to 3.9 % on day 0 (+/− 0.8%). CD8+ or CD8+CD56+ cell subsets contributed to > 83.3 % (+/− 1.5%) of the killing. Blocking the TCR pathway (Redirected Cytotoxicity Assay) had no effect on killing and blocking the MHC Class I molecules decreased cytotoxicity by only 6%. When the NKG2D receptor was blocked, cytotoxicity by the CD8+ cells decreased by 48% (+/− 2%), demonstrating the critical role of the NKG2D in these CD8+ cell populations. The expanded cytotoxic effector cells aggressively lyse myeloma tumor cells in a MHC and non-MHC restricted fashion. These ex vivo expanded CD8+ cells likely acquire the NKG2D receptor and kill tumor cells in a non-MHC restricted manner. Since MHC expression is often low or absent on myeloma cells and the NKG2D ligands are fairly specific to tumor cells, the infusion of these ex vivo expanded cells following transplant may improve clinical outcomes.
George Fenwick Jones, Honor in German Literature: University of North Carolina Studies in the Germanic Languages and Literatures, No. 25. Chapel Hill, The University of North Carolina Press, [1959]. Pp. xiv, 208.

(1961). George Fenwick Jones, Honor in German Literature. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 313-315.
Impact of antibiotic use, alternative therapies and inflammation on the intestinal microbiota

The gut microbiota is a complex community that consists of 10-10 organisms per gram of colonic contents and over 150-fold more genes than the human genome. This community has evolved with its eukaryotic host to form a mutualistic relationship. It has been known that the microbiota is involved in the production of vitamins, the breakdown of dietary substances and the maturation of the immune system. Recent work has expanded the role of the microbiota in human health. The microbiota has been implicated in the regulation of fat storage and diseases such as ulcers, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The work in this dissertation focuses on the role of the microbiota in IBD, a disease of unknown etiology. Several factors contribute to the development of disease, including environmental factors, host genetics, the immune response, and the gut microbiota. An environmental factor that has become increasingly recognized as a critical component in shaping the microbiota is the use of antibiotics and the potential link to IBD. The research summarized in chapter 2 reveals the effects that antibiotics have on a limited microbiota, the altered Schaedler flora (ASF). Use of a limited microbiota affords the ability to monitor effects of antibiotics on the entire community that would be missed when using a conventional microbiota. Following treatment with ampicillin, mice harboring the ASF developed more severe disease in response to a colitic insult than did mice bearing a conventional microbiota, indicating a central role for the microbiota in reducing disease severity. Those conventional mice that received ampicillin prior to colitic insult revealed that the ASF
Uniform dispersion reduction schemes for the one dimensional wave equation in isotropic media

Finite difference (FD) methods for the wave equation in general suffer from numerical dispersion. Although FD methods based on accuracy give good dispersion at low frequencies, waves tend to disperse for higher wavenumber. In this work, we will give a unified methodology to derive dispersion reduction FD schemes for the one dimensional wave equation, and this new method can reduce dispersion error uniformly for all wavenumbers up to the Nyquist. Stability criteria are given, and stability analysis is done for each generated scheme.
Mucopolysaccharidoses Causing Valvular Heart Disease: Report and Review of Surgical Management.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I is a genetic disorder with impaired glycosaminoglycan degradation. Cardiac pathologic involvement in this subset of patients is predominantly valvular heart disease. Va...
A comparison of cumulating and non-cumulating time out for escape and avoidance behavior under a temporally defined schedule of negative reinforcement

Escape and avoidance behavior of two rats under a temporally defined schedule of negative reinforcement was compared for the cases of “non-cumulating Time Out” and “cumulating Time Out.” In the former case, a response in TO (Time Out) has no effect on the duration of TO; in the latter, a response in TO extends TO, and the duration of TO is measured from the last response in it. The findings suggest that the cumulating TO contingency does not, given the parametric conditions of this experiment, add to the efficiency of “avoidance” responding.
Esfenvalerate residue accumulation on peanuts, cocoa beans, and tobacco during a simulated storage season

Farmers stock peanuts, bagged cocoa beans, exposed tobacco, and boxed tobacco were exposed to daily applications of 0.02 g AI esfenvalerate per 28.3 m3 (1,000 ft3) for 235 consecutive days. Residue accumulation on peanut shells and peanut kernels ranged from 0.2 - 22.9 ppm and 13.1 - 189.6 ppb, respectively. The bag containing the cocoa beans apparently trapped most of the insecticide residue, and residues on whole beans and roasted nibs ranged from 10.4 - 452.2 and 9.6 - 118.5 ppb, respectively. Residue accumulation on exposed tobacco ranged from 0.2 - 31.1 ppm, but residues on boxed tobacco were above minimum detectable levels on only 2 of 11 sample dates.
The legacy of military dictatorship: Explaining violent crime in democracies

Violent crime rates have increased dramatically in many parts of the world in recent decades, with homicides now outpacing deaths due to interstate or civil wars. Considerable variations exist acro...
The Double Register of History: Situating the Forgotten Woman and Her Household in Capitalist Commodity Chains

By analyzing research and theoretical foci in its three major publication venues, we can judge how much attention the world-system perspective has been paying to women. After 25 years, women are only a faint ghost in the world-system perspective. In the ?rst twenty volumes of Review, less than 5 percent (16) of the articles deal with gendered exploitation, women, or households. In the ?rst ?ve volumes of the Journal of World-System Research, less than 4 percent of the articles address womens issues.2 By 1999, PEWS had published 21 annual monographs; yet less than 5 percent of the articles in those volumes integrated women or gender inequities.
Effect of alfalfa seed washing on the organic carbon concentration in chlorinated and ozonated water.

The bioassays assimilable organic carbon (AOC) and coliform growth response are better indexes than biological oxygen demand to determine water quality and water's ability to support the growth of bacteria. Ozonated (5 mg/liter) and chlorinated tap water were used to wash alfalfa seeds for 30 min. After washing in the ozonated tap water, the AOC concentration increased 25-fold, whereas the dissolved ozone decreased to undetectable levels. The AOC levels for the chlorinated water after washing the seeds also increased. These increases are due to ozone's strong oxidizing ability to break down refractory, large-molecular-weightcompounds, forming smaller ones, which are readily used as nutrient sources for microorganisms. This same phenomenon was observed when using ozone in the treatment of drinking water. The AOC value increased from 1,176 to 1,758 μgC-eq/liter after the reconditioned wastewater was ozonated. When the ozonated wastewater was inoculated with Salmonella serotypes, the cells survived and incre...
Complement-Mediated Opsonization of Group a Streptococci Inhibited by the Binding of Fibrinogen to Surface M Protein Fibrillae

The M protein radiating from the surface of group A streptococci is the principal virulence factor of these organisms. Streptococci lacking M protein are readily opsonized by complement through the alternate pathway (1) and as a result are rapidly ingested and killed by blood phagocytes. Surface M protein renders the organisms resistant to opsonization, ingestion and killing by phagocytic cells (2). Two hypotheses have been advanced to account for the antiphagocytic properties of M protein: it may be directly toxic to phagocytic cells, or it may prevent opsonization by complement. A mechanism for direct toxicity has been proposed by Manjula and Fischetti (3), who noted structural similarities between type 6 M protein and alpha-tropomyosin and postulated that M protein might disable the phagocyte by interfering with its contractile proteins. To date, however, no evidence of toxicity of M protein for phagocytes has been obtained. Hot acid extracts of group A streptococci do, indeed, exert cytotoxic effects on human polymorphonuclear leukocytes, but these appear to be mediated by the formation of immune complexes involving streptococcal antigens other than M protein (4). Furthermore, M-positive streptococci do not attach to phagocytes in whole blood (5), nor do they inhibit the phagocytosis of M-negative organisms mixed with them (6).
1037. Effect of Oral Step-Down Therapy on Readmission Rates in Escherichia coli Bacteremia

Background Escherichia coli is the most common cause of community-acquired bloodstream infections. Fluoroquinolones (FQ) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TS) are preferred for oral step-down therapy due to high bioavailability. Antimicrobial stewardship programs commonly restrict FQ use, promoting consideration of non-FQ agents for treatment of sensitive organisms. We hypothesized that oral β-lactams would be non-inferior to FQ and TS with a primary outcome of 30-day all-cause readmission.
Strategic Decolonization: Methods for Resistance and Community Healing

This chapter analyzes poetry by Aracelis Girmay to identify the importance of diction and discourse that depicts sentient-flesh as vital for social justice activity. While the poetry explored in this chapter does not directly address any one particular social justice movement or organization, analysis of this poetry in conjunction with Aurora Levins Morales’s examination of medicinal stories shows that Girmay’s poetry raises questions for activists regarding subject positions in relation to not only the issue at hand but also the desired outcomes for these movements. In her deeply (ir)reverential depiction of the flesh, of organs, of the “animal kingdom,” Girmay describes different components of a human “being” that pulsate with life. In doing so, it becomes essential to question what current social justice movements still rely on from colonial and other oppressive frameworks in terms of conceptual genealogies, and the possibilities that emerge as a result of resituating their movements from within the flesh.
The effect of end-point adjustments on smoothing splines used for tree-ring standardization

Abstract The cubic smoothing spline has been a popular method for detrending tree-ring data since the 1980s. The common implementation of this procedure (e.g., ARSTAN, dplR) uses a unique method for determining the smoothing parameter that is widely known as the %n criterion. However, this smoothing parameter selection method carries the assumption that end point effects are ignorable. In this paper, we complete the mathematical derivation and show how the original method differs from the complete version, both in the interpretation of the smoothing parameter and in the spline fit. Frequency response curves (FRC) demonstrate how the smoothing parameter is affected by the original assumption. For example, the FRC results indicate that a tree core of 250-year length has a 14% difference in the cut-off frequency when looking at the 67%n criterion. The FRC analysis shows that the existing approach produces a more flexible fit than anticipated, i.e., it is removing more variance than previously thought. For example, a 67%n spline under the existing approach corresponds to a 53%n spline fit. By using both simulated tree-core sequences and a dataset from a Midwest forest, we discuss which conditions result in greater differences between the spline fits and which conditions will have small differences. Tree-core sequences that have more curvature, such as a large-amplitude growth release, will lead to greater differences. Finally, we provide approximations to the end-point effect procedure. For example, using an 83%n criterion under the original approach produces a spline fit approximating the 67%n fit under the complete approach. These approximations could be easily implemented within existing programs like ARSTAN.