cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phytoplankton photosynthetic response to solar ultraviolet irradiance in the Ross Sea Polynya: Development and evaluation of a time-dependent model with limited repair

The relationship of photosynthesis (14C incorporation) to ultraviolet (UVR) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) was measured over the course of the late-spring to early-summer phytoplankton bloom in the Ross Sea Polynya (Southern Ocean). Experiments were conducted in November 2005 to determine PAR-only photosynthesis–irradiance (P-E) curves, biological weighting functions (BWFs) using a new version of the “photoinhibitron” laboratory spectral incubator, and variation in photosynthesis under high vs. low solar UVR treatments in on-deck incubations. These observations were incorporated into a new spectral model of photosynthetic response to UVR + PAR with time-dependent repair rates. The distinguishing feature of this model is that repair scales with inhibition up to a maximum absolute repair rate (rmax). Once repair is limited at the maximum rate, additional exposure has a more severe inhibitory effect on photosynthesis, consistent with measured exposure response curves. Parameters for the BWFRmax/P-E model were determined for 10 sampling locations ranging from mixed diatom and Phaeocystis antarctica assemblages at the beginning of the bloom to assemblages dominated by P. antarctica at the peak of the bloom. The model explained 86–97% of the measured spectral variation with BWFs severalfold higher (more inhibitory) than those previously measured in the Weddell–Scotia Confluence and coastal waters near the Antarctic Peninsula. Predicted relative productivity (ratio of modeled photosynthesis under high vs. low UVR) was close to observed relative productivity, but absolute photosynthetic rates were higher in the on-deck incubations than in the photoinhibitron.
High cholesterol obviates a prolonged hemifusion intermediate in fast SNARE-mediated membrane fusion.

Cholesterol is essential for exocytosis in secretory cells, but the exact molecular mechanism by which it facilitates exocytosis is largely unknown. Distinguishing contributions from the lateral organization and dynamics of membrane proteins to vesicle docking and fusion and the promotion of fusion pores by negative intrinsic spontaneous curvature and other mechanical effects of cholesterol have been elusive. To shed more light on this process, we examined the effect of cholesterol on SNARE-mediated membrane fusion in a single-vesicle assay that is capable of resolving docking and elementary steps of fusion with millisecond time resolution. The effect of cholesterol on fusion pore formation between synaptobrevin-2 (VAMP-2)-containing proteoliposomes and acceptor t-SNARE complex-containing planar supported bilayers was examined using both membrane and content fluorescent markers. This approach revealed that increasing cholesterol in either the t-SNARE or the v-SNARE membrane favors a mechanism of direct fusion pore opening, whereas low cholesterol favors a mechanism leading to a long-lived (>5 s) hemifusion state. The amount of cholesterol in the target membrane had no significant effect on docking of synaptobrevin vesicles. Comparative studies with α-tocopherol (vitamin E) show that the negative intrinsic spontaneous curvature of cholesterol and its presumed promotion of a very short-lived (<50 ms) lipid stalk intermediate is the main factor that favors rapid fusion pore opening at high cholesterol. This study also shows that this single-vesicle fusion assay can distinguish between hemifusion and full fusion with only a single lipid dye, thereby freeing up a fluorescence channel for the simultaneous measurement of another parameter in fast time-resolved fusion assays.
A Simplified Score for Transfer of Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation to a Long-Term Care Hospital

BACKGROUND Long-term care hospitals are Medicare providers of postacute care that have a mean length of stay of 25 days or more. Early identification and timely transfer of patients requiring mechanical ventilation to such hospitals may improve the efficiency of inpatient care. OBJECTIVES To develop a predictive model and a simplified score for use on day 7 of hospitalization to assess whether a patient receiving mechanical ventilation is likely to require an additional 25 days of hospitalization (ie, would qualify for transfer to a long-term care hospital). METHODS A retrospective, cross-sectional study using hospital discharge and billing data from the 2005 Nationwide Inpatient Sample for 54 686 Medicare beneficiaries admitted to US community hospitals who met the study's eligibility criteria. The outcome was overall length of stay (≥32 vs <32 days). Split-sample validation was used. Multivariable survey-logistic regression analyses were performed to assess predictors and probability of the outcome. A simplified score was derived from the final predictive model. RESULTS The discriminatory power of the predictive model was 0.75 and that of the simplified score was 0.72. The model calibrated well. All predictors were significantly (P < .01) associated with a hospitalization of 32 days or longer; having a tracheostomy was the strongest predictor (odds ratio, 4.74). The simplified scores ranged from -5 to 110 points and were categorized into 3 classes of risk. CONCLUSIONS Efforts to aid discharge decision making and optimize hospital resource planning could take advantage of our predictive model and the simplified scoring tool.
Processing Backscattered Electron Digital Images of Thin Section

Image analysis of sedimentary particles using backscatter electron (BSE) microscopy shows great promise in paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental studies. Prior to the last few years BSE microscopy has been used primarily for compositional (provenance) studies. Our preliminary work on Paleozoic loessite, as well as previous work on recent sediments (Francus 1998; Francus and Karabanov 2000), suggests that BSE microscopy image analysis is an effective tool for deriving textural data for use as a paleoclimate proxy. Our data on the Paleozoic loessite shows that we are able to document changes in grain size of quartz through several loessite-paleosol couplets. In each case, the quartz was coarser in the loessite facies relative to the overlying paleosol, which is similar to grain size trends observed in the Quaternary Chinese Loess Plateau. Image acquisition is a critical step in this methodology, however, special precautions are needed to make sure that 1) the samples are suitably prepared, 2) the acquisition instrument’s settings are controlled and maintained, and 3) the acquisition system provides an output of suitable resolution. Processing is similar to other types of imagery subjected to image analysis, and includes calibration, filtering, and image segmentation and thresholding. An important component of processing is testing how different filters affect grain boundaries, particularly if grain size or grain shape is to be measured. In terms of image measurements, the magnification is an important consideration, and should be consistent; with standard BSE detectors, grains smaller than approximately 2 μm can not be resolved because of the size of the interaction volume of the backscatter electrons. As the case study illustrates, measurements of grain size or grain perimeter in this methodology do not translate into actual grain size information because of stereological considerations, however, relative changes in grain parameters yield useful information. The two biggest drawbacks of the present methodology are that it is difficult to keep acquisition conditions constant, and that data collection is time consuming. As instruments with BSE capabilities improve with more digital controls, acquisition will become much more stable, and as protocols are developed, it will be possible to semi-automate the procedure, allowing for a much faster rate of data collection.
The structure and intermolecular forces of DNA condensates

Spontaneous assembly of DNA molecules into compact structures is ubiquitous in biological systems. Experiment has shown that polycations can turn electrostatic self-repulsion of DNA into attraction, yet the physical mechanism of DNA condensation has remained elusive. Here, we report the results of atomistic molecular dynamics simulations that elucidated the microscopic structure of dense DNA assemblies and the physics of interactions that makes such assemblies possible. Reproducing the setup of the DNA condensation experiments, we measured the internal pressure of DNA arrays as a function of the DNA-DNA distance, showing a quantitative agreement between the results of our simulations and the experimental data. Analysis of the MD trajectories determined the DNA-DNA force in a DNA condensate to be pairwise, the DNA condensation to be driven by electrostatics of polycations and not hydration, and the concentration of bridging cations, not adsorbed cations, to determine the magnitude and the sign of the DNA-DNA force. Finally, our simulations quantitatively characterized the orientational correlations of DNA in DNA arrays as well as diffusive motion of DNA and cations.
Israel Combines Tax and Economic Incentives to Lure Investors

Israel traditionally has been a high-tax country. Its current corporate tax rate is 40%. Dividends distributed from Israeli corporations are subject to 25% withholding tax. Nevertheless, a new effort to do away with red tape and recent developments in Israel have made it more attractive for a U.S. corporation engaged in a capital-intensive activity, such as manufacturing, to operate a plant or factory in Israel. These new incentives can result in minimal U.S. and Israeli taxes and allow corporations to receive cash grants of up to 38% of the amounts they invest in their Israeli operations.
Membrane-bound Aldolase in Pea Leaf Chloroplasts

A number of enzymes, once thought to be exclusively localized in the stroma, has recently been shown to be partially associated with the thylakoid membrane in a variety of plants (Alscher-Herman 1982; Anderson, Ben-Bassat 1982; Ben-Bassat, Anderson 1981; Fischer, Latzko 1979; Jackson et al. 1978; McNeil, Walker 1981; Scheibe, Beck 1979; Wildner 1975). Aldolase is one of these enzymes. Here we have examined the effect of K+, Mg++, Pi and the substrates, f ructosebi sphosphate, dihydroxyacetone-P and glyceraldehyde-3-P on the association of aldolase with the particulate fraction of the pea (Pisum sativum) leaf chloroplast. It seems possible that a specific membrane protein is involved in binding, since trypsin-treatment decreases the binding capacity of the thylakoid membranes.
Infrapatellar traumatic neuroma resulting from dashboard injury

A dashboard injury involving the infrapatellar branch of the saphenous nerve causing gonyalgia paresthetica is described. This unusual sensory mononeuropathy should be included in the differential diagnosis of traumatic knee affections.
Promoting academic integrity among health care students

Cheating is prevalent among health sciences students and remains largely undetected in most scenarios.[1][1],[2][2] Although cheating is defined on a continuum based on intent, ranging from “negligent” or “accidental” to “dishonest,” it is important for faculty to be aware of ways that
Molecular simulations of the structure and dynamics of water confined between alkanethiol self-assembled monolayer plates.

We have studied structural and dynamic properties of water confined between hydrophobic alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) using molecular-dynamics simulations. After quantifying the hydrophobic nature of the SAM surfaces via contact-angle calculations involving water droplets, we analyze the effect that the hydrophobic surfaces have on structural properties of the confined water such as density, tetrahedral ordering, orientational structure at the SAM−water interface, and on dynamical properties via calculation of diffusion coefficients. Both the SPC/E and TIP5P water models have been utilized in the calculations. All of the analyses of the structure and dynamics of water are performed as a function of separation from the surface with a focus on determining the range of the effect of hydrophobic surfaces on the water film. We show that the effects of the surface are not noticeable at water-film depths of approximately 1 nm for the structural properties examined. However, calculated diffusion co...
A Case for Molecular Hydrogen Being the Mobile H Species in a-Si:H

The mechanism (or mechanisms) of hydrogen transport in a-Si:H is of great intrinsic interest but is also important for the understanding of a number of phenomena such as light induced defects. We find that the literature includes many calculations for the activation energy for hydrogen diffusion that are at best misleading and often interpreted incorrectly. In this paper we summarize a number of calculations that apply to particles hopping in complex media and apply the results to a-Si:H. These calculations, coupled with existing estimates of the energy of various H configurations in a-Si:H, show that the standard picture is likely to be incorrect. However, previous work on the mobility of molecular hydrogen in crystalline Si coupled with some molecular dynamics simulations presented in this paper show that the mobile species of hydrogen in a-Si:H may well be molecular.
Landing Zone Determination for Autonomous Rotorcraft in Surveillance Applications

This paper presents an approach for finding possible landing sites for a rotorcraft from an inertially referenced point-cloud model of the environment. To identify potential landing sites that are suitably flat and level, a grid-based random sample consensus algorithm separates the terrain map into discrete areas for plane-fitting analysis. Landing sites are selected that satisfy constraints on flatness and levelness while optimizing the surveillance target’s visibility. Flight test results are presented from a small multirotor aircraft flying over a scale-model cityscape. Results from real-time landing-site experiments are presented and discussed.
HIV incidence among men who have sex with men in Suzhou city: a cohort study

Objective To assess human immunodeficiency virus( HIV) incidence and influencing factors of HIV seroconversion among men who have sex with men( MSM) in Suzhou city. Methods MSM were enrolled at voluntary counseling and testing clinic or referred by MSM volunteers from April 2010 to December 2012. An open prospective cohort study was conducted among HIV-seronegative MSM with the follow-ups of every six months. Results A total of686 MSM were enrolled in the cohort. The average age of the MSM was 30. 8 years,with a range of 19-64 years;73. 9% of the MSM were unmarried; 99. 2% were Han Chinese; 68. 7% lived in Suzhou more than 2 years; and 53. 6% had education of college degree or above. Of the MSM,52. 8%( 362 /686) were followed at least once after the enrollment.The incidence rates were 4. 93 per 100 person-years( PY) for HIV infection and 8. 25 per 100 PY for syphilis. No hepatitis C virus( HCV) seroconversion was observed. Multiple Cox regression analysis indicated that sexually transmitted infections( STIs) within recent 12 months( adjusted hazard risk( HR) = 1. 77,95% confidence interval( 95% CI) = 1. 19-2. 90and inconsistent condom use in anal sex within recent 6 months( adjusted HR = 1. 84,95% CI = 1. 14-2. 95) were significantly related with HIV seroconversion. Conclusion The HIV incidence among MSM in Suzhou is high and efforts should be focused on promotion of condom use,prevention and treatment of STIs among MSM.
Review of experience with vesicovaginal fistula repair.

AbstractExperience with suprapubic closure of vesicovaginal fistulas in 42 patients considered candidates for this procedure is reviewed. Five patients required a second operation for cure and the reasons for failure are discussed. Wide exposure with tension-free closure of well vascularized flaps and the judicious interposition of pedicled omentum have produced the most encouraging results. The litigious nature of this distressing condition is lessened when primary closure is successful and supravesical diversion by ileal or colonic conduits can be avoided.
Behavioral Processes in Long-Lag Intervention Studies:

We argue that psychologists who conduct experiments with long lags between the manipulation and the outcome measure should pay more attention to behavioral processes that intervene between the mani...
THE PHYSIOLOGY BEHIND DIABETES MELLITUS IN PATIENTS WITH PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE.

ABSTRACT Objective: This paper reviews the physiologic mechanisms responsible for glucose intolerance and diabetes mellitus in patients with pheochromocytoma. Methods: Google Scholar and PubMed were searched using the following key words: "diabetes," "pheochromocytoma," "adrenoreceptors," and "hyperglycemia." All the articles that were retrieved and reviewed were in the English language. Results: Glucose intolerance and diabetes mellitus, resulting from high circulating levels of catecholamines, are mainly the product of compromised insulin secretion from the β-cells in the pancreas, decreased glucose uptake in the peripheral tissues, and increased insulin resistance. Conclusion: As pheochromocytomas mainly present with cardiovascular and autonomic hyperfunctioning, it is important to understand the metabolic disorders associated with this rare disease. Hyperglycemia is an associated metabolic abnormality which can drastically improve after tumor resection, and significant downscaling of anti-hyperglycemic therapy is often required. Abbreviations: GLUT4 = glucose transporter type 4 HbA1c = hemoglobin A1c IL = interleukin OGTT = oral glucose tolerance test
Should Euthanasia Be Considered Iatrogenic

As more countries adopt laws and regulations concerning euthanasia, pediatric euthanasia has become an important topic of discussion. Conceptions of what constitutes harm to patients are fluid and highly dependent on a myriad of factors including, but not limited to, health care ethics, family values, and cultural context. Euthanasia could be viewed as iatrogenic insofar as it results in an outcome (death) that some might consider inherently negative. However, this perspective fails to acknowledge that death, the outcome of euthanasia, is not an inadvertent or preventable complication but rather the goal of the medical intervention. Conversely, the refusal to engage in the practice of euthanasia might be conceived as iatrogenic insofar as it might inadvertently prolong patient suffering. This article will explore cultural and social factors informing families', health care professionals', and society's views on pediatric euthanasia in selected countries.
Retirement and the Great Recession

This article uses data from the Health and Retirement Study to examine retirement and related labor market outcomes for the Early Boomer cohort, those in their mid-fifties at the onset of the Great Recession. Outcomes are then compared with older cohorts at the same age. The Great Recession increased their probability of being laid off and the length of time needed to find other full-time employment. Differences in layoffs between those affected by the recession and members of older cohorts in turn accounted for almost the entire difference between cohorts in employment change with age. However, The Great Recession does not appear to have depressed wages in subsequent jobs for those who experienced a layoff. In 2010, 17% of the Early Boomers were Not Working and Not Retired or Partially Retired, and 6% were unemployed, leaving at least 11 percent who were not unemployed but not retired or only partially retired. At the recession’s peak, half of those who experienced a layoff ended up in the Not Retired or Partially Retired, Not Working category. But only a quarter of those who declared themselves to be Not Retired or Partially Retired, and were Not Working, had experienced a layoff. Most of the jump in Not Retired or Partially Retired, Not Working appears to reflect a change in expectations about the potential or need for future work, a change that is not the result of an actual job loss.
Alterations in connexin expression and cell communication in healing corneal epithelium.

Purpose. The aim of this study was to examine cell-to-cell metabolite transfer and connexin distribution in the rabbit corneal epithelium, in the stationary state, and during wound healing. Methods. Rabbit corneas were wounded with a surgical tool, producing a 3-mm-wide elongated debridement. Corneas were allowed to heal in vivo for up to 45 hours. Monoclonal antibodies against connexins Cx 26, Cx 32, Cx 43, and Cx 50 were used to stain cryostat sections. Cell-to-cell metabolite transfer capacity was assessed by a modification of the scrape-loading technique using lucifer yellow as the organic ion tracer. Results. The rabbit corneal epithelium contains Cx 43 and Cx 50, localized in the cell's plasma membrane, as shown previously for other species. Cx 26 and Cx 32 are not detectable. Tracer transfer occurred in both basal and suprabasal cell layers. After wounding, the migrating epithelial monolayer lacked Cx 43 and Cx 50. This change was apparent 6 hours after injury and persisted until complete wound closure (approximately 24 hours). The Cx 50 membrane stain was increased elsewhere, in particular in the transition zone between monolayered and multilayered epithelium. Consistent with the expression changes, migrating cells displayed no or minimal cell-to-cell tracer transfer, whereas in the periphery of the wound, tracer transfer was enhanced in comparison to the control specimen. Conclusions. Corneal epithelial healing involves biphasic changes in the expression of connexins and cell-to-cell communications. These alterations may be critical for the optimization of the healing response. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1997;38:600-609.
Reported extreme wave heights off Ireland are artifacts.

I read with interest the recent PNAS paper on Irish and New Zealand boulder transport (1), and agree with its conclusion that the Irish boulders clearly arise from storm wave action. However, there are errors in the analysis that must be addressed: in particular, descriptions of waves with significant heights H s = 26.5 m and H s = 22.34 m at the Wave Rider Belmullet Berth B site off the Irish coast. These waves would indeed be large, with significant heights greater than have ever been recorded at any location (2, 3). However, closer examination … [↵][1]1Email: andrew.kennedy{at}nd.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Critical-mode-based soft-switching modulation for three-phase rectifiers

In this paper, a novel critical-conduction-mode (CRM)-based soft-switching modulation is applied into three-phase rectifier application. With this modulation, zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) soft switching turn-on is achieved and the efficiency of the rectifier is improved, especially for high frequency operation with SiC MOSFETs, whose turn-on energy is large while the turn-off energy is negligible. In three-phase electric vehicle (EV) charging station applications, by operating at above 300 kHz switching frequency, system power density is estimated to be at least five times higher than commercial products, while efficiency is estimated to be 98% ∼ 99% with soft switching. Non-zero-voltage-switching (Non-ZVS) issue and instability issue are solved and good performance of the proposed modulation under rectifier mode operation is verified with simulation analysis. A 25kW SiC-based three-phase bi-directional AC/DC converter prototype is built with 80W/in3 power density. All the control functions are digitally implemented and experimentally verified on this prototype, and 99% peak efficiency is achieved for both inverter mode and rectifier mode operations at above 300 kHz high switching frequency.
Inherited Disorders of Sulfur Metabolism

Some disorders of sulfur metabolism affect thousands of people. Many, however, are rare. Interest in these conditions reaches beyond their clinical significance because genetically determined metabolic alterations, defects and deficiencies are biochemical windows giving insight into mechanisms that is normally denied the investigator. Apropos of steroid sulfate sulfatase deficiency, Shapiro (1985) has elegantly written that, “it is considered axiomatic in human genetics that the study of relatively rare disorders may yield far more in dividends than might be anticipated based on the incidence of the condition in question”. To understand the normal, one must study the abnormal. Study of the disorders discussed in this chapter have permitted the testing and refining of our concepts of sulfur metabolism, its quantitation and regulation. Thus, much of our understanding of Met biochemistry has been triumphantly borne out by the study of the inherited defects discussed in Section 8.2.
Noise Injection Adaption: End-to-End ReRAM Crossbar Non-ideal Effect Adaption for Neural Network Mapping

In this work, we investigate various non-ideal effects (Stuck-At-Fault (SAF), IR-drop, thermal noise, shot noise, and random telegraph noise) of ReRAM crossbar when employing it as a dot-product engine for deep neural network (DNN) acceleration. In order to examine the impacts of those non-ideal effects, we first develop a comprehensive framework called PytorX based on main-stream DNN pytorch framework. PytorX could perform end-to-end training, mapping, and evaluation for crossbar-based neural network accelerator, considering all above discussed non-ideal effects of ReRAM crossbar together. Experiments based on PytorX show that directly mapping the trained large scale DNN into crossbar without considering these non-ideal effects could lead to a complete system malfunction (i.e., equal to random guess) when the neural network goes deeper and wider. In particular, to address SAF side effects, we propose a digital SAF error correction algorithm to compensate for crossbar output errors, which only needs one-time profiling to achieve almost no system accuracy degradation. Then, to overcome IR drop effects, we propose a Noise Injection Adaption (NIA) methodology by incorporating statistics of current shift caused by IR drop in each crossbar as stochastic noise to DNN training algorithm, which could efficiently regularize DNN model to make it intrinsically adaptive to non-ideal ReRAM crossbar. It is a one-time training method without the request of retraining for every specific crossbar. Optimizing system operating frequency could easily take care of rest non-ideal effects. Various experiments on different DNNs using image recognition application are conducted to show the efficacy of our proposed methodology.
Not all inequalities are equal: differences in coverage across the continuum of reproductive health services.

Reducing inequalities in health service coverage is central to achieving the larger goal of universal health coverage. Reproductive health services are part of evidence-based health interventions that comprise a minimum set of essential health interventions that all countries should be able to provide. This paper shows patterns in inequalities in three essential reproductive health services that span a continuum of care—contraceptive use, antenatal care during pregnancy and delivery at a health facility. We highlight coverage gaps and their impacts across geographical regions, key population subgroups and measures of inequality. We focus on reproductive age women (15–49 years) in 10 geographical regions in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. We examine inequalities by age (15–19, 20–24, 25–34 and 35–49 years), household wealth quintile, residence (rural or urban) and parity. Data on service coverage and the population in need are from 84 nationally representative surveys. Our results show that dominant inequalities in contraceptive coverage are varied, and include large disparities and impact by age group, compared with maternal health services, where inequalities are largest by economic status and urban–rural residence. Using multiple measures of inequality (relative, absolute and population impact) not only helps to show if there are consistent patterns in inequalities but also whether few or many different approaches are needed to reduce these inequalities and where resources could be prioritised to reach the largest number of people in need.
A Thousand and One Stories: Myth and the #MeToo Movement

Women’s speech, especially women’s speech about men’s abuses, has been feared and suppressed for centuries. From the scold’s bridle to witch hunts, history is replete with attempts to keep women quiet and in their place. Men’s silencing of women is also a prominent theme in the mythology and folk tales of multiple cultures. As myths represent some of our deepest and oldest fears and desires, these stories serve as rich sources of illustration and illumination in understanding the relationship between men’s sexual rage and the suppression of women’s speech. The stories of three mythical women—Cassandra, Philomela, and Scheherazade—offer insights into the interaction of male sexual rage and women’s speech that shed light on the #MeToo movement and the backlash it has inspired.
Irreversible Electroporation: Background, Theory, and Review of Recent Developments in Clinical Oncology

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) has established a clinical niche as an alternative to thermal ablation for the eradication of unresectable tumors, particularly those near critical vascular structures. IRE has been used in over 50 independent clinical trials and has shown clinical success when used as a standalone treatment and as a single component within combinatorial treatment paradigms. Recently, many studies evaluating IRE in larger patient cohorts and alongside other novel therapies have been reported. Here, we present the basic principles of reversible electroporation and IRE followed by a review of preclinical and clinical data with a focus on tumors in three organ systems in which IRE has shown great promise: the prostate, pancreas, and liver. Finally, we discuss alternative and future developments, which will likely further advance the use of IRE in the clinic.
Oracles of the Internet: Gibson, Stephenson, and the Elevation of Cyberpunk Literature

The world of science fiction, from its inception in the early 1920s, had always been something of an embarrassment to the established literary community. Traditional literary elites regarded it as a genre of cheap hacks and overused cliches. Not until the publication of such works as Neuromancer by William Gibson and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson did critics and the public at large begin looking more favorably at the world of science fiction. This change occurred due to the literary and futuristic ambitions of the aforementioned authors. The common themes and aesthetic of their work pioneered a new subgenre that would come to be called “Cyberpunk.” Reviewers and other writers began to accept, celebrate, and analyze these authors and their works. Newspapers identified the influence of these works and their authors in both the arts, particularly film, and society at large in the form of the nascent internet. This was the first instance of science fiction being treated as anything other than a novelty by the general public, bringing science fiction to the forefront of literary fiction and cementing it as a worthy branch of literature. Therefore, it can be said that newspapers were instrumental in establishing this newfound acclaim. Furthermore, the works of these two authors were responsible for integrating science fiction into the modern literary canon.
A Brief Dermatology Curriculum in Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention to Improve Medical Student Knowledge and Confidence.

Introduction While the incidence of skin cancers continues to rise, there remains a disproportionate lack of introductory training on skin cancer screening and identification of modifiable behavior...
Warring from the Virtual to the Real: Assessing the Public's Threshold for War on Cyber Security

Are military strikes ever a justifiable response to a cyber security attack? Does the certainty of attribution matter? Or the nature of the attack itself a better determinants of attitudes about retaliation? We answer these questions with an original survey experiment that uncovers the public's response to varying intensities and degrees of attribution regarding a range of cyber attacks. In a democratic setting, how the public responds to different types of cyber attacks has important implications, as it shapes the incentives for whether and how leaders to respond with the use of force. It therefore has significant implications for a world with increasing offensive cyber capabilities and only nascent international norms in a governing them.
Engaging Community Perceptions of Research in Rural West Virginia

The purpose of this study was to engage rural communities across West Virginia (WV) as stakeholders in the research process, thereby enhancing shared trust, understanding, and interest in research participation and partnership. In collaboration with the WV Practice-Based Research Network and Mountains of Hope Cancer Coalition, a statewide team of the Community Engagement and Outreach Core of the WV Clinical and Translational Science Institute traveled throughout rural WV in 2018, to facilitate community focus groups. The purpose of these focus groups was to gain in-depth insights into the perceptions, concerns, and priorities that West Virginians have about health and research. The information collected in these focus groups guided the development of community-tailored curriculum and policy briefs to better engage and equip rural residents and researchers as partners moving forward. This research demonstrates that community-centered organizations and academic institutions can learn and build upon community strengths and expertise to engage a skeptical citizenry, address misunderstandings, and cultivate collaborative research capacity that addresses local health issues and priorities.
Psychology: Pythagoras to Present

Certain ideas have preoccupied thinkers since ancient times: the nature of mind, the sources of knowledge and belief, the nature of the self, ethics and the best way to lead our lives, the question of free will. In this book, John Malone examines these ideas in the writings of thinkers from antiquity to the present day and argues for their importance not just as precursors of modern views but as ideas that are frequently better than current ones. We can get good advice, he writes, from the writings of the best thinkers of the past. Pythagoras, Thales, Plato, Protagoras, Aristotle, Diogenes, and Epictetus all offer tried and tested ideas on how we should lead our lives and on the treatment of psychopathology--as do Berkeley, Hume, John Stuart Mill, Johann Friedrich Herbart, Wilhelm Wundt, William James, Sigmund Freud, and B. F. Skinner. Malone begins with the naturalistic and mystical strains of early Greek thought, moves on to Platonism and the world of Forms (and considers parallels between the thought of Plato and Freud), and discusses "Ancient Self-Help Therapies" (including Epicureanism). He investigates the psychological insights of Enlightenment thinkers including Francis Bacon and Galileo, Locke's and Kant's theories of experience, and Darwin's evolutionary thinking. He charts the rise of modern psychology and the beginning of "biological psychology." He examines the work of Wundt, Titchener, Freud, Peirce, and James, among others, and describes the ideas of behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, and cognitive science. Malone's history offers both breadth and depth, an engaging style and rigorous scholarship, demonstrating vividly the relevance of the great historical psychological thinkers.
Redox Regulation of Stem Cell Compartments: The Convergence of Radiation-Induced Normal Tissue Damage and Oxidative Stress

The redox environment impacts normal stem cell niches throughout the body. Hematopoietic, muscle, and neural stem cell compartments respond to changes in reactive oxygen (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS) species by triggering signaling networks that impact cellular proliferation, survival, and differentiation. Work from many labs including our own has found that irradiation can trigger acute and chronic increases in oxidative stress. Low dose and/or protracted dose rates can elicit radioadaptive changes that have beneficial effects on proliferation and survival while influencing the development lineage-specific cell fates. Higher doses and dose rates have been found to impede the regeneration of irradiated tissues, through the depletion and/or damage of endogenous stem cell pools, and by promoting the onset and persistence of secondary reactive processes involving oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines. Increasing evidence suggests that these important stem cell pools are differentially protected from DNA damaging agents compared to their immediate progeny (i.e., precursor/progenitor cells) due to enhanced DNA repair, antioxidant status, and reduced cell cycle activity. Thus, many of the adverse effects of irradiation on normal tissue are the consequence of damage to the rapidly expanding pool of precursor cells derived from asymmetric cell division. Irradiation of the bone marrow impairs the health of bone by promoting osteoclastogenesis (osteoclast-mediated bone resorption) and inhibiting osteoblastogenesis (osteoblast-mediated bone formation), with the net effect of reducing bone mass and structural integrity. Irradiation of the skeletal musculature impairs myogenesis (formation of muscle tissue) by damaging satellite cells (i.e., muscle stem cells) and reducing proproliferative levels of nitric oxide. In the brain, irradiation depletes neural stem and precursor cells and leads to persistent increases in ROS/RNS and inflammatory cytokines that inhibit neurogenesis (formation of new neurons and glia) and adversely impact cognition. In each of these foregoing cases, interventions targeted to reduce specific reactive species can attenuate the adverse effects of radiation exposure and point to the importance of understanding the interplay between endogenous stem cell niches and the microenvironmental redox state.
Seeing What We Can Do: Insights into Vision and Action through Observations of Natural Behavior

Publisher Summary While cognitive processes are often considered strictly internal operations, it is clear that these processes are reflected through behavior. Shifts in the direction of gaze indicate shifts in attention, a reach indicates the selection of an object of interest, and brief hesitations may reveal uncertainty as to what action to perform next. Yet the intuition that overt behavior reveals covert cognitive operations during natural behavior has not been extensively explored. This chapter aims to argue that observations of natural behavior allow us to make inferences about general principles of cognitive processes. It first describes the ways in which traditional laboratory experiments differ from everyday visually guided behavior, and then discusses recent experiments that analyze the sequence of cognitive operations involved in a simple sorting task. Finally, the chapter offers suggestions on how to reconcile traditional approaches toward the study of vision to understand the principles of embodied cognition.
Achieving Sustainable Consumption through Spiritual Practices

In a world strapped for resources, sustainable consumption (SC) involves a set of practices aimed at well-being for all. Spiritual practices such as yoga can both drive and inform SC in terms of making links to one's own everyday consumption. Such practices have already made a difference in the health and medical fields. However, they have far more benefits than the maintenance of physical health. Many spiritual methods have well established frameworks and methods to help individuals develop both their inner selves as well as their relationships with others. Authentic practice of yoga is one such method. In this paper, the authors of the study, who are long time practitioners in the yogic and Buddhists traditions, develop a model based on holistic yoga teachings and show how it can be used to make more mindful decisions and thus drive sustainable consumption behaviors. They also provide additional triangulation perspectives on the practices of spirituality and sustainability through their own personal introspective reflections and suggest future research directions in this area.
Transnational Litigation and Global Securities Class Actions

Courts apply a number of doctrines, including the conduct and effects test, in determining how far to extend jurisdiction in securities class actions involving transnational securities fraud. Courts often focus on whether foreign jurisdictions will recognize a U.S. class action judgment and the presence of alternative remedies abroad in determining both jurisdiction and the propriety of a class action. We focus our analysis on the present extraterritorial regime as applied to securities class actions involving foreign issuers and, at least in part, foreign investors transacting abroad (often referred to as "f-cubed" litigation). We argue that the conduct and effects test, as well as court inquiries into whether foreign jurisdictions will recognize U.S. judgments and the presence of alternative remedies abroad, are uncertain in their application and as a result unpredictable. We propose instead that courts adopt a uniform, bright-line exchange-based presumptive rule in determining the applicable class in a Rule 10b-5 class action. Courts should presume jurisdiction over all investors trading in a company's securities within the United States and presume no jurisdiction for Rule 10b-5 suits for foreign investors trading outside the United States. Focusing on U.S. investors in a class action results in an equivalent level of incentive for private plaintiffs' attorneys to file a class action under Rule 10b-5 compared with domestic issuers with a similar level of U.S. investor ownership and trading volume and thus an equal level of private deterrence against the negative effects to the U.S. markets of fraud.
Neonatal abstinence syndrome: a never ending story!

Neonatal Abstinence syndrome (NAS) is the result of fetal exposure to illicit or prescription drugs (for example opioids, benzodiazepines, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) taken by the mother prenatally. NAS is a complex of symptoms, caused by acute withdrawal of the illicit drug(s) used by their mothers during pregnancy, seen in neonates hours or days after being born. In the United States of America around 16% of teenagers and 7% of women between the ages of 18 and 25 use illicit drugs during their pregnancies. In this paper the treatment of opioid dependence during pregnancy and treatment of NAS are presented. Proceedings of the 9 th International Workshop on Neonatology · Cagliari (Italy) · October 23 rd -26 th , 2013 · Learned lessons, changing practice and cutting-edge research
An X-encoded alloantigenicity between BALB/c and C57BL/6 strains of mice.

To detect minor barriers to histocompatibility that might be encoded on the X chromosome in mice, we grafted reciprocal sets of (C57BL/6×BALB/c)F1, (C57BL/6×DBA/2)F1, and (BALB/c×DBA/2)F1 mice with tail skin from the respective paternal inbred strain. Our histogenic analysis suggests that, compared with the C57BL/6 mouse strain, the BALB/c strain generates X-linked antigen loss. In contrast, we detected no X-linked histogenic differences between strains C57BL/6 and DBA/2, or DBA/2 and BALB/c. To localize this X-linked barrier to histocompatibility, we produced a panel of 25 [(BALB/c×C57BL/6)F1×C57BL/6]N2 males that were grafted with C57BL/6 skin to determine which carried the BALB/c-derived component(s) necessary for graft rejection. DNA marker analysis showed one region of overlapping BALB/c-derived X-chromosomal segments among the graft rejecters, suggesting that this antigen-loss haplotype (H-hix c , for histoincompatibility on the X chromosome, c haplotype) may be restricted within the DXMit55 to the Xq telomere interval (which excludes only the centromeric tip of the X). Further backcrossing of H-hix c to C57BL/6 resulted in fewer rejecter mice than expected by the N4 generation, suggesting that a second, unlinked locus is also involved in this X-linked alloantigenicity. The vigorous rejection of male (C57BL/6×BALB)F1 and female (B6.C-H2 d ×C57BL/6)F1 skin by (BALB/c×C57BL/6)F1 males, as well as the assessment of markers on Chromosome 17 among N2 and N4 graft-recipient males, suggests that this second locus is H2, and that H-hix b -encoded alloantigens require both H2 b and H2 d -encoded presentation molecules for efficient graft rejection.
Comparative Amino Acid and Protein Metabolism in Obese and Non-Obese Zucker Rats

A mixture of [U-14C]amino acids was injected intraperitoneally into fed obese and non-obese Zucker rats that were either growing (8 weeks of age) or at maintenance (17 weeks of age). The metabolic fate of the dietary amino acid pool was determined from the distribution of 14C into carcass lean tissue, carcass lipid, CO2 and urine. In a second experiment, urinary and skeletal muscle 3-methylhistidine content was used to compare the rate of muscle protein breakdown between phenotypes at 8 weeks of age. The obese rat deposited a smaller proportion of its dietary amino acid pool in lean tissue compared with its non-obese control during growth and at maintenance. Obese rats incorporated a greater proportion of dietary amino acids into body lipid at both ages and metabolized a greater proportion of dietary amino acid carbon to CO2 during growth. At 8 weeks of age, the obese rat had a higher fractional rate of muscle protein breakdown and was less efficient at retaining amino acids that had been incorporated into muscle. These latter differences were major factors in producing the variation in dietary amino acid utilization and protein accretion between growing obese and non-obese rats. At maintenance, the variation in dietary amino acid utilization between phenotypes was due principally to the smaller body protein mass of the obese animals.
Transformation of Gaeumannomyces graminis with β-Glucuronidase Reporter and Hygromycin Resistance Genes

Take-all disease is caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis, (Sacc.) Arx & D. Olivier, a soil-borne fungus, which colonizes the root and crown tissue of many members of the Poaceae plant family. This fungus is able to grow along the surface of roots as darkly pigmented runner hyphae, which has the ability to penetrate the root. Here, we describe a genetic transformation of G. graminis var. graminis by using polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based protoplast transformation. Fungus cells were transformed with a plasmid, pHPG, containing the gusA reporter gene that codes for β-glucuronidase (GUS) and the hph gene for hygromycin resistance as the selectable marker. A de novo transformant selection assay was developed to identify the putative transformants that were expressing the hph gene. In addition, the transformed cells maintained the ability to infect the plant tissues. The GUS-expressing fungus can be used to study fungal infection processes including fungal penetration, colonization and the role(s) of melanin during pathogenesis. Thus, this study is the first report of G. graminis var. graminis transformed with a visibly detectable reporter gene that provides a useful tool to a better understanding of host-Gaeumannomyces interactions.