cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Presence of the well-dwelling amphipod Stygobromus putealis (Crustacea: Crangonyctidae) re-documented in Wisconsin

The well-dwelling amphipod, Stygobromus putealis, is an eyeless and colorless member of the phreatic community, a fauna appearing at the surface only when the karst aquifer is tapped artificially. This species was recorded for the first time since the 1940s in collections made from an unfiltered well in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. Observations made on collected individuals add significantly to the meager knowledge of this subterranean species.
A Comparison of Generating Techniques and Goal Programming for Public Investment, Multiple Objective Decision Making

The move toward public decision making based on multiple objective analysis has occurred largely during the past decade. During this brief interval dozens of techniques have been advanced for this purpose. The class of (generating) techniques which do not require prior articulation of preferences and which provide alternative solutions rather than a single optimum is characterized and compared to goal programming. Goal programming, as generally employed, seeks a single optimum solution given an articulated set of targets and priorities on the relevant objectives. Four criteria were used in this comparison and neither approach was found to be unambiguously superior.
Nuclear Apparatus of Hyphomicrobium

Abstract The nuclear apparatus of Hyphomicrobium sp. strain B-522 is examined by various microscopy and radiolabeling techniques to determine its behavior during the reproductive cycle of these bacteria. The young, swarmer cell contains a single nucleoid comprised of a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule with a molecular weight of 3.1 × 109. After development of the swarmer into a mature mother cell with a hypha and bud, the nucleoid replicates and separates into two daughter nucleoids during the initial stages of bud formation. After further development of the bud, one of the daughter nucleoids in the mother cell is rapidly transferred through the hypha to the bud. Half of the old DNA strands pass to each consecutive generation of daughter cells, but only 43% of the stable ribonucleic acid is transferred. The role which the hypha plays in the developmental cycle of these bacteria is discussed, and a mechanism for nuclear transfer is proposed.
Language Development of Deaf Children with Hearing Parents

Deaf children with hearing parents are born into a world without language. This nonverbal environment is sufficient for the development of the cognitive basis of language (joint attention and nonlinguistic communication dialogues), but not language itself. Even after hearing loss is identified and there is improved access to language, deaf children show multiple linguistic deficits. Although there are wide individual differences, deaf children and adolescents have delayed and slow vocabulary development and poor syntactic knowledge, especially in the areas of morphosyntax and complex sentences. Such problems result from restricted linguistic input and early language deprivation. Recent advances such as universal newborn hearing screening, cochlear implants, and improved intervention programs hold promise for improving the linguistic sequelae of deafness.
The Autonomic Nervous System and Cardiovascular Health and Disease: A Complex Balancing Act∗

The cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS) is a crucial component in physiological and pathological responses of the cardiovascular system. Through its 2 branches, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) nervous systems, as well as effector molecules
The Association between Total Mixed Ration Particle Size and Fecal Scores in Holstein Lactating Dairy Cows from Florida, USA

The objective of this study was to determine the association between the proportion of particles greater than 19 mm in a total mixed ration fed to dairy cattle and their fecal score. Over a 22 day period, random feed samples were collected twice a day from a one-side barn and assessed for particle size using the Pennsylvania State Particle Separator. In addition, at each feeding sampling, the same barn was inspected and fresh feces were scored on a four point scale. Multiple regression models were developed to associate the proportion of particles >19 mm with fecal scores at one, two and three days after that specific particle evaluation. Results of this observational study showed a significant relationship between particle size and fecal scores two days later. The results demonstrated a cubic polynomial effect: Fecal scores improved with increasing of the proportion of particle size >19 mm at a low proportion of large particles, then it was maintained constant at intermediate proportion (10-15%) of large particles and finally increased again with a high proportion (up to 17%) of particle >19 mm.
Mechanisms of naturally occurring resistance to 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine in human cancer cell lines

A191 The prototypical DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine (DAC) has recently been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an antitumor agent for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome. However, a potential problem is that resistance develops during treatment. Mechanisms of resistance to DAC remain unclear; therefore, we investigated naturally occurring resistance to DAC in fifteen human cancer cell lines differing in phenotype. Sensitivity or resistance to DAC was determined by IC50 of DAC in these cell lines. The values of IC 50 of DAC were less than 0.05 μM in TF-1, U937, Raji, and Hel, from 0.05μM to 0.3 μM in ML-1, HL-60, SW 48, and Cama-1, and more than 2 μM in K562, Jurkat, Molt4, PC3, RKO, and DU 145 that were defined as resistant cell lines. In search for mechanisms of resistance, we initially looked at DAC hypomethylation induction using Long Interspersed Elements (LINE) as a surrogate for global genomic DNA methylation by pyrosequencing - based analysis. LINE was less methylated in K562, TF-1, and Hel (15 %, 25%, and 37%, respectively), but heavily methylated in Raji, HL-60, U937, and molt-4 (over 70%, respectively). DAC treated from 30 nM to 30 μM induced an U-shaped curve of LINE hypomethylation in all these cell lines. IC 50 of DAC was correlated with the doses of DAC for peak hypomethylation induction of LINE (r=0.85, P=0.0053), but not to LINE methylation at baseline (r=0.05, P= 0.97). We next measured DNMT protein expression in these cell lines by Western-Blot, and found DNMT1, 3a, and 3b protein expression were not correlated with LINE methylation at baseline and IC50 of DAC, respectively. Furthermore, we investigated several metabolic gene expression to DAC by Real-time PCR, and found that dCK was low-expressed in Jurkat and PC3 and silenced in DU145, and that nucleoside transporter hENT1 was low-expressed in molt 4 cell line, whereas Cytidine Deaminase (CDA) was not related to resistance. Our results suggest that in vitro resistance to DAC in different cell lines might be due to pharmacological mechanisms of insufficient incorporation of DAC into DNA that might require higher doses of DAC to induce the most hypomethylation.
QUANTIFYING INHERENT ROBUSTNESS IN STRUCTURAL STEEL FRAMING SYSTEMS

Many analytical efforts to date only consider components found in the structural steel skeleton. Furthermore, the analytical models assumed that pin-connected beams and girders existed at interior columns and these analytical models did not support analysis considering ineffective interior columns, interior girders, exterior girders, or in-fill beams. If robustness in the structural steel framing system is to be quantified, the analyses must go beyond the simple removal of columns around the perimeter of the framework. The objectives of this paper are to provide a brief overview of the methodologies that have been proposed and validated via experimental testing for quantifying the catenary and membrane mechanisms in concrete floor framing systems; and outline a new methodology for quantifying the membrane and catenary capacity in structural steel floor framing systems along with high-level provisions for ensuring structural integrity through the preservation of catenary and membrane action. Membrane Action in Concrete Floor Systems
Relationships Between Intellectual Control Beliefs and Psychometric Intelligence in Adulthood

This longitudinal study examined perceived control of intelligence and its relationship with intellectual performance. A large sample (ages 43-84) was administered the short form of Lachman's PIC and psychometric tests of eight intellectual abilities in both 1985 and 1987. There were significant cross-sectional age differences in the three scales: Internal (INT), Powerful Others (POW), and Chance (CHA). The three scales correlated with all intellectual abilities, with relationships being largest for POW. The PIC scales showed lower test-retest correlations than the intelligence tests. Individual differences in change in POW and CHA were also correlated with prior levels of psychometric intelligence, and path analyses suggested a small but significant prediction of change in POW by prior levels of intelligence.
Time and the management of policy conflict: issues, actors and institutions in the Boston biolaboratory controversy

Public policy theoreticians and practitioners have increasingly considered the implications of time on interest group conflict. A number of scholars have explored the evolution of interest group conflict and policy frames across time, noting that, as conflicts mature, groups often adopt a more dynamical ‘conflict management’ approach. Instead of solely expanding or containing the scope of debate, conflict management sees the two sides strategically engage one another’s narratives, appeal to the same types of allies and compete within the same venues. Others argue time itself is an explanatory variable that can alter interest group strategy and undermine the possibility of compromise. This literature straddles policy theory as well as the interdisciplinary study of the social psychological dynamics of conflict escalation, which has long construed time constraints as a roadblock to negotiation. Using the debate over the siting of a high-level security biolaboratory in downtown Boston as a case study, this a...
The effects of reservoir thickness, fluid and Q to seismic amplitudes

The effects of the reservoir thickness, fluid and Q to seismic amplitudes are important to seismic interpretation, rock property inversion and reservoir characterization. This abstract studied these effects by using wedge models. The changes of fluids affect the tuning amplitude curves as well the horizon times of the tops and bases. The change of Q affects the amplitude of the base reflector – this implies that rock property inversion would be in error without incorporating the Q. The spectra of the synthetic data are mostly affected by the velocity changes of the sandstones.
Plutonium(IV) and (V) Sorption to Goethite at Sub-Femtomolar to Micromolar Concentrations: Redox Transformations and Surface Precipitation.

Pu(IV) and Pu(V) sorption to goethite was investigated over a concentration range of 10–15–10–5 M at pH 8. Experiments with initial Pu concentrations of 10–15 – 10–8 M produced linear Pu sorption isotherms, demonstrating that Pu sorption to goethite is not concentration-dependent across this concentration range. Equivalent Pu(IV) and Pu(V) sorption Kd values obtained at 1 and 2-week sampling time points indicated that Pu(V) is rapidly reduced to Pu(IV) on the goethite surface. Further, it suggested that Pu surface redox transformations are sufficiently rapid to achieve an equilibrium state within 1 week, regardless of the initial Pu oxidation state. At initial concentrations >10–8 M, both Pu oxidation states exhibited deviations from linear sorption behavior and less Pu was adsorbed than at lower concentrations. NanoSIMS and HRTEM analysis of samples with initial Pu concentrations of 10–8 – 10–6 M indicated that Pu surface and/or bulk precipitation was likely responsible for this deviation. In 10–6 M Pu(I...
Objectified Self, Objectified Relationships: The Sexualization of Childhood Promotes Social Injustice

Today’s media and commercial culture use increasingly extreme gender stereotypes, sexualization (especially designed for young girls) and violence (especially designed for boys), to capture children’s attention in order to sell them things. These practices undermine many of the positive lessons we hope children will learn about social behavior, caring relationships and social justice. In this situation, girls learn to judge themselves, and boys learn to judge girls, as objects based on how they look and what they can buy. This contributes to “compassion deficit disorder”—objectified relationships and reduced levels of sensitivity and empathy towards others. In this situation, children are more likely to be perpetrators and victims of social injustice. There is much adults can do at family, school and community levels to counteract the harm being caused and teach alternative lessons. There is also much to be done at a policy level to reduce the exploitation of children by media and marketers and better promote the development of positive relationships and therefore, social justice among people.
Towards Providing Resource Management in a Local IaaS Cloud Architecture

Cloud Computing is a rapidly growing branch of distributed computing. A vertical implementation of a cloud architecture could be used to replace a traditional computer lab within an educational setting. However, to do this the architecture requires a middleware that can communicate across nodes. This paper discusses a middleware developed in Python that uses sockets to communicate between compute nodes and the head node within such an architecture. Specifically, the middleware uses a socket connection between a client program installed on the head node and server programs installed on each compute node to poll the compute nodes for information. It then uses that information to carry out a load balancing algorithm that checks the available resources on each compute node and starts a virtual machine(VM) on the node with the most available resources. This paper will discuss in detail how these functions are accomplished.
Determinants of Policy Response: The Case of the Partnership Long-Term Care Insurance Program

Building on the findings of Lin and Prince (2013), we analyze several additional potential determinants of response to the partnership long-term care (PLTC) program, in addition to wealth. The determinants we consider are bequest motives, financial literacy, and program awareness. We find mild evidence that intent to bequest influences individual purchases of the partnership program. However, we find strong evidence that program awareness is necessary for response while financial literacy notably increases responsiveness. We also find that, even with these additional controls, a difference in response across wealth levels persists, suggesting that Medicaid crowd-out is still important in determining uptake of this program. These findings suggest that increasing response to the program among the middle class (the stated target group) requires increased education about the program’s benefits and increased efforts to create awareness of the program existence, at least among the middle class.
Fluoroscopically Guided Sacroiliac Joint Injections: Comparison of the Effects of Intraarticular and Periarticular Injections on Immediate and Short-Term Pain Relief

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine whether intraarticular sacroiliac joint injections provide greater immediate and short-term pain relief than periarticular sacroiliac joint injections do. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The records of all fluoroscopically guided sacroiliac joint injections performed over a 4-year period were identified. Patients who received an injection of 0.5 mL of bupivacaine and 0.5 mL (20 mg) of triamcinolone and who had preinjection, immediate, and 1-week postinjection pain scores (0–10 numeric scale) were included. Images from the procedures were retrospectively reviewed by two musculoskeletal radiologists to determine intraarticular or periarticular administration of the injection with discrepancies resolved by consensus. RESULTS. One hundred thirteen injections in 99 patients (65 women, 34 men; mean age, 59.4 years) met the inclusion criteria. There were 55 intraarticular and 58 periarticular injections. The mean preinjection, immediate, and 1-week postinjection pain ...
Election of Donald Trump and Migration

Donald Trump campaigned on seven major issues, two of which involved migration, viz, have the US build and Mexico pay for a wall on the 2,000 mile Mexico-US border and deport the 11 million unauthorized foreigners in the US. Trump also promised to reverse President Obama’s executive orders that provide temporary legal status to some unauthorized foreigners, and to “put American workers first” in migration policy making. After winning the November 2016 election, Trump modified some of his positions, announcing that deportation efforts would be focused on two million unauthorized foreigners that Trump says were convicted of US crimes.
Agreement between Breast Percentage Density Estimations from Standard-Dose versus Synthetic Digital Mammograms: Results from a Large Screening Cohort Using Automated Measures

Automated measures of breast density from synthetic digital mammograms correlate well with those from standard two-dimensional mammograms.
Untitled and Outdoors: Thinking with Saidiya Hartman

In some ways, critical conversations on black performance studies focus the first part of Scenes in its particular engagement with black fungibility. Arguably, the first half is black performance studies’ founding text. Even still, the authors argue that black performance studies is never not a question of ecological possibility, of being black outside in the wake of self-possession’s overdetermined white particularity. Such questions foreground Scenes’ second half. Just as Hartman elucidates how the “nonevent of emancipation insinuated by the perpetuation of the plantation system” bespeaks the state’s anti-black insistence on keeping blackness outside and in the field, the authors argue for the field’s persistence and just as well as for the question of what’s out from the field. It is in that spirit that the authors argue for the centrality of Scenes’ second half for black performance studies.
The Soft X-Ray Emission in a Large Sample of Galaxy Clusters with the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter

The study of soft X-ray emission of 38 X-ray selected galaxy clusters observed by ROSAT PSPC indicates that the soft excess phenomenon may be a common occurrence in galaxy clusters. Excess soft X-ray radiation, above the contribution from the hot intra-cluster medium, is evident in a large fraction of sources, and is clearly detected with large statistical significance in the deepest observations. The investigation relies on new, high resolution 21 cm HI observations. The sample selection also features analysis of infrared images, to further ensure reliability of results with respect to the characteristics of Galactic absorption. The possibility of background or calibration effects as cause of the excess emission is likewise investigated; a detailed analysis of the distribution of the excess emission with respect to detector position and Galactic HI column density shows that the excess emission is a genuine celestial phenomenon. We find evidence for a preferential distribution of the soft excess emission at distances larger than approx. 150-200 kpc from the centers of clusters; this behavior may be naturally explained in the context of a non-thermal Inverse-Compton scenario. Alternatively, we propose that the phenomenon maybe caused by thermal emission of very large-scale 'warm' filaments seen in recent hydrodynamic simulations. This new interpretation relieves the very demanding requirements of either the traditional intra-cluster 'warm' gas and the non-thermal scenarios. We also investigate the possibility of the soft excess originating from unresolved, X-ray faint cluster galaxies.
Robotic chemotaxis controller

This project uses biologically inspired chemotactic movements to navigate a robot towards the source of a chemical spill. These movements are inspired by organisms like the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) and the silkworm moth Bombyx mori that react to stimulants in an observable way. For these organisms, stimulants might include food sources or pheromones that signal mating readiness, and others. E. coli for example use the intracellular signaling pathway to process the temporal change in the chemical concentration to determine if the E. coli should run (move forward) or tumble (spin in place). In our project, we introduced a robotic controller mediator that is responsible for processing information that exists in the environment. The robotic controller that was developed uses a finite state machine to decide which specific control algorithms to use such as waypoint navigation, plume tracking, or plume recovery algorithms at various environment readings. The controller has been simulated as well as tested on a small-scale robot that imitates E. Coli chemotaxis in order to locate the source of a chemical cloud. The robotic controller utilizes the Robot Operating System (ROS) to separate different parts of this project into interdependent modules that communicate with each other. This robotic controller can be adapted to other situations with various plume configurations and be made compatible with different sensors. By making the robotic controller general, chemotaxis algorithms can be tested on different environments with minimal customization to the backend code. The overall goal of this project is to use the robotic controller as an effective way to select the most appropriate algorithm to find the source of a chemical leak in various environments.
Evaluation of Cannabidiol in Animal Seizure Models by the Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program (ETSP)

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid component of marijuana that has no significant activity at cannabinoid receptors or psychoactive effects. There is considerable interest in CBD as a therapy for epilepsy. Almost a third of epilepsy patients are not adequately controlled by clinically available anti-seizure drugs (ASDs). Initial studies appear to demonstrate that CBD preparations may be a useful treatment for pharmacoresistant epilepsy. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) funded Epilepsy Therapy Screening Program (ETSP) investigated CBD in a battery of seizure models using a refocused screening protocol aimed at identifying pharmacotherapies to address the unmet need in pharmacoresistant epilepsy. Applying this new screening workflow, CBD was investigated in mouse 6 Hz 44 mA, maximal electroshock (MES), corneal kindling models and rat MES and lamotrigine-resistant amygdala kindling models. Following intraperitoneal (i.p.) pretreatment, CBD produced dose-dependent protection in the acute seizure models; mouse 6 Hz 44 mA (ED50 164 mg/kg), mouse MES (ED50 83.5 mg/kg) and rat MES (ED50 88.9 mg/kg). In chronic models, CBD produced dose-dependent protection in the corneal kindled mouse (ED50 119 mg/kg) but CBD (up to 300 mg/kg) was not protective in the lamotrigine-resistant amygdala kindled rat. Motor impairment assessed in conjunction with the acute seizure models showed that CBD exerted seizure protection at non-impairing doses. The ETSP investigation demonstrates that CBD exhibits anti-seizure properties in acute seizure models and the corneal kindled mouse. However, further preclinical and clinical studies are needed to determine the potential for CBD to address the unmet needs in pharmacoresistant epilepsy.
Assessment of the influence of technology on the cost of healthcare service and patient’s satisfaction

ABSTRACTThe US healthcare sector is among leading globally in the incorporation of advanced technologies in its operations. This study evaluated existing data to understand how technological advancement in the US healthcare sector has impacted the cost of healthcare services and the patient satisfaction. The study was based on a quantitative analysis of 24 existing studies selected from various electronic databases. The results indicate a significant increase in the cost of healthcare service due to technological adoption and other factors. Increase in cost due to technological adoption is evident is the area of diagnosis (63%, P = 0.002) and patient monitoring (51%, P = 0.021). A significantly higher percentage, was found, of patients that believe the adoption of advanced technologies leads to improved quality in diagnostic procedures (67%, P = 0.042), monitoring (79%, P = 0.004), and data keeping (85%, P = 0.032). Strategies need to be developed to manage costs associated with technological adoption whi...
MRI-Guided and Controlled Laser-Induced Interstitial Thermal Therapy of Brain Tumors Using Integrated Navigation and Thermal Mapping

Laser-induced interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) of brain tumors is a minimally invasive surgical technique for the treatment of solid brain tumors [17, 21]. The concept of MRI monitoring and control of LITT was introduced and experimentally proven by Jolesz (a-d) as early as 1988. The technique was tested in patients by Ascher in 1991 [1] and since has been reported in literatures by multiple investigators [2, 6, 10, 13, 16]. The results of these clinical trials demonstrate that MRI-guided LITT is a feasible and effective tool for primary and metastatic malignant brain tumor treatment. In the original study of Bettag et al., the laser fibers were inserted under CT guidance and treatment was monitored by T1-weighted MRI [2], or T1 images, while others used the water proton frequency shift-based phase mapping method [14, 27] to delimitate the extent of ablation. The usefulness of MRI-guided LITT was highlighted when Kath et al. reported imaging tumor with contrast agent (Gd-DTPA) and performed phase-sensitive temperature-sensitive sequences for MRI thermometry [12] ensuring the maximum coverage of thermal ablation over the lesions. Later, Kettenbach et al. reported the MRI-guided LITT performed completely under guidance by 0.5-tesla (T) MRI where special MRI made for intervention was also used to locate the tumor, positioning the fiber and monitoring the extent of ablation [13]. Similar works to perform MRI-guided LITT in a same 0.5 T scanner, but in more subjects, were published with 24 cases (7 low-grade gliomas, 11 anaplastic gliomas, 6 glioblastomas) [15] and 16 recurrent glioma subjects [25]. More recently, Carpentier et al. reported on treatment of brain metastasis using MRI-guided LITT in a closed bore 1.5 T scanner. The positioning of the cooled diffuser tip laser probe was done outside the scanner using a Leksell stereotactic head frame. After the patient was brought into the closed bore scanner, the ablation was monitored by temperature-sensitive MRI [3].
The Role of Theoretical Analysis in Developing Algebraic Thinking: A Vygotskian Perspective

Vygotsky asserted that the student who has mastered algebra attains “a new higher plane of thought” (Vygotsky 1986, p. 202), a level of abstraction and generalization that transforms the meaning of the lower (arithmetic) level. The development of this higher (algebraic) plane of thought not only precedes the development of arithmetic but becomes a major focus of the child’s elementary education. It is characterized by orienting children to the most abstract and general level of mathematical understanding from the beginning of their formal schooling. This orientation to theoretical structure is mediated by the mastery of psychological tools which are not encountered as incidental to the solution of particular problem types but are instead the focus of explicit instruction. It is further characterized by the development of an adequate conceptual base, the incorporation of principles of dialectical logic, and the ascent from the abstract to the concrete in the development of conceptual content.
Writing Quality Manuscripts for the Clothing and Textiles Research Journal

The purpose of this article is to discuss the components of a quality Clothing and Textiles Research Journal (CTRJ) manuscript from the perspectives of different categories of scholarship including...
Extraversion predicts a preference for high-chroma colors

Abstract The multitude of research on human color preferences has primarily focused on hue. Only a modicum of research has focused on preferences along the chroma dimension of color. The present research examines how extraversion relates to a preference for high and low-chroma colors (with chroma being manipulated while holding hue and lightness constant). Results from two studies revealed that extraversion was positively associated with a preference for high-chroma colors, but not low-chroma colors. This relationship remained significant after controlling for the other Big Five traits, sensory-processing sensitivity, positive/negative affect, and sex.
Efficacy determinants of subcutaneous microdose glucagon during closed-loop control.

Background:During a previous clinical trial of a closed-loop blood glucose (BG) control system that administered insulin and microdose glucagon subcutaneously, glucagon was not uniformly effective in preventing hypoglycemia (BG <70 mg/dl). After a global adjustment of control algorithm parameters used to model insulin absorption and clearance to more closely match insulin pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters observed in the study cohort, administration of glucagon by the control system was more effective in preventing hypoglycemia. We evaluated the role of plasma insulin and plasma glucagon levels in determining whether glucagon was effective in preventing hypoglycemia.Methods:We identified and analyzed 36 episodes during which glucagon was given and categorized them as either successful or unsuccessful in preventing hypoglycemia.Results:In 20 of the 36 episodes, glucagon administration prevented hypoglycemia. In the remaining 16, BG fell below 70 mg/dl (12 of the 16 occurred during experiments performed befor...
Globular Cluster Ages and Distances

Deblanketing vectors derived from subdwarf photometry and spectrophotometry are used to transform published UBV photometry of globular cluster main sequences into an effective temperature scale defined by model atmosphere surface fluxes. Conversion of apparent visual magnitudes into apparent bolometric magnitudes is accomplished using subdwarf bolometric corrections, which are functions of effective temperature and metallicity. The results do not depend on stellar evolution models.
Regulatory requirements traceability and analysis using semi-formal specifications

Information systems are increasingly distributed and pervasive, enabling organizations to deliver remote services and share personal information, worldwide. However, developers face significant challenges in managing the many laws that govern their systems in this multi-jurisdictional environment. In this paper, we report on a computational requirements document expressible using a legal requirements specification language (LRSL). The purpose is to make legal requirements open and available to policy makers, business analysts and software developers, alike. We show how requirements engineers can codify policy and law using the LRSL and design, debug, analyze, trace, and visualize relationships among regulatory requirements. The LRSL provides new constructs for expressing distributed constraints, making regulatory specification patterns visually salient, and enabling metrics to quantitatively measure different styles for writing legal and policy documents. We discovered and validated the LRSL using thirteen U.S. state data breach notification laws.
A New Method for Measuring Strain Distribution

The deformation behavior of materials consists of observing the dimensional changes as a result of applied forces. These dimensional changes are directly related to quantities called strains, and the forces to quantities called stresses. This paper describes a new method for determining the strain distribution resulting from complex stress applications. The measurements involve the evaluation of grain boundary shape as seen on a plane of polish before and after deformation. In particular, the variation in grain shape across the walls of hollow drawn metal tubes is measured to illustrate the application of the method. The measurement of grain shape is based on an analysis of Philofsky and Hilliard (1967) which determines the orientation distribution for traces of grain boundaries on a plane of polish. This analysis is described in another paper by Hilliard (1967).
Proximity-induced superconductivity at nonhelical topological insulator interfaces

We study how nonhelical spin textures at the boundary between a topological insulator (TI) and a superconductor (SC) affect the proximity-induced superconductivity of the TI interface state. We consider TIs coupled to both spin-singlet and spin-triplet SCs, and show that for the spin-triplet parent SCs, the resulting order parameter induced onto the interface state sensitively depends on the symmetries which are broken at the TI-SC boundary. For chiral spin-triplet parent SCs, we find that nodal proximity-induced superconductivity emerges when there is broken twofold rotational symmetry which forces the spins of the nonhelical topological states to tilt away from the interface plane. We furthermore show that the Andreev conductance of lateral heterostructures joining TI-vacuum and TI-SC interfaces yields experimental signatures of the reduced symmetries of the interface states.
Simulation of bipartite or directed graphs with prescribed degree sequences using maximum entropy probabilities

We propose an algorithm for simulating bipartite or directed graphs with given degree sequences, motivated by the study of financial networks with partial information. Our algorithm sequentially computes certain "maximum entropy" matrices, and uses the entries of these matrices to assign probabilities to edges between nodes. We prove the correctness of the algorithm, showing that it always returns a valid graph and that it generates all valid graphs with positive probability. We illustrate the algorithm in an example of an inter-bank network.
Gene regulation of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum during infection of Glycine max : on the road to pathogenesis

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a broad-host range necrotrophic pathogen which is the causative agent of Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR), and a major disease of soybean (Glycine max). A time course transcriptomic analysis was performed in both compatible and incompatible soybean lines to identify pathogenicity and developmental factors utilized by S. sclerotiorum to achieve pathogenic success. A comparison of genes expressed during early infection identified the potential importance of toxin efflux and nitrogen metabolism during the early stages of disease establishment. The later stages of infection were characterized by an apparent shift to survival structure formation. Analysis of genes highly upregulated in-planta revealed a temporal regulation of hydrolytic and detoxification enzymes, putative secreted effectors, and secondary metabolite synthesis genes. Redox regulation also appears to play a key role during the course of infection, as suggested by the high expression of genes involved in reactive oxygen species production and scavenging. Finally, distinct differences in early gene expression were noted based on the comparison of S. sclerotiorum infection of resistant and susceptible soybean lines. Although many potential virulence factors have been noted in the S. sclerotiorum pathosystem, this study serves to highlight soybean specific processes most likely to be critical in successful infection. Functional studies of genes identified in this work are needed to confirm their importance to disease development, and may constitute valuable targets of RNAi approaches to improve resistance to SSR.
Predictors and correlates of unstable housing experiences among a child welfare-involved sample.

The study examined whether youth demographics, family factors, and maltreatment type were related to unstable housing and whether unstable housing predicted delinquency and marijuana use. Participa...
Effect of Reagent Source, Processing Techniques, and Sample Storage on Determination of Circulating Human Immune Cells

It is generally agreed that an accurate evaluation of an individual’s immune status should include information concerning the number and nature of the circulating immune lymphocytes. In order for the testing laboratory to correctly supply this data to treating physicians for use in reliable diagnosis of alterations of the immune system, and thus changes in their patient’s immune status, it is necessary that testing methods be standardized and comparable from one test site to another.
Lung cancer progression using fast switching multiple ion beam radiation and countermeasure prevention

Abstract Most of the research in understanding space radiation-induced cancer progression and risk assessment has been performed using mono-energetic single-ion beams. However, the space radiation environment consists of a wide variety of ion species with a various range of energies. Using the fast beam switching technology developed at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), ion species can be switched rapidly allowing investigators to use multiple ions with different energies to simulate more closely the radiation environment found in space. Here, we exposed a lung cancer susceptible mouse model (K-rasLA-1) to three sequential ion beams: Proton (H) (120 MeV/n) 20 cGy, Helium (He) (250 MeV/n) 5.0 cGy, and Silicon (Si) (300 MeV/n) 5.0 cGy with a dose rate of 0.5 cGy/min. Using three ion beams we performed whole body irradiation with a total dose of 30 cGy in two different orders: 3B-1 (H→He→Si) and 3B-2 (Si→He→H) and used 30 cGy H single-ion beam as a reference. In this study we show that whole-body irradiation with H→He→Si increases the incidence of premalignant lesions and systemic oxidative stress in mice 100 days post-irradiation more than (Si→He→H) and H only irradiation. Additionally, we observed an increase in adenomas with atypia and adenocarcinomas in H→He→Si irradiated mice but not in (Si→He→H) or H (30 cGy) only irradiated mice. When we used the H→He→Si irradiation sequence but skipped a day before exposing the mice to Si, we did not observe the increased incidence of cancer initiation and progression. We also found that a non-toxic anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative radioprotector (CDDO-EA) reduced H→He→Si induced oxidative stress and cancer initiation almost back to baseline. Thus, exposure to H→He→Si elicits significant changes in lung cancer initiation that can be mitigated using CDDO-EA.
Unmanned aerial system and satellite-based high resolution imagery for high-throughput phenotyping in dry bean

Abstract Dry bean breeding programs are crucial to improve the productivity and resistance to biotic and abiotic stress. Phenotyping is a key process in breeding that refers to crop trait evaluation. In recent years, high-throughput plant phenotyping methods are being developed to increase the accuracy and efficiency for crop trait evaluations. In this study, aerial imagery at different resolutions were evaluated to phenotype crop performance and phenological traits using genotypes from two breeding panels, Durango Diversity Panel (DDP) and Andean Diversity Panel (ADP). The unmanned aerial system (UAS) based multispectral and thermal data were collected for two seasons at multiple time points (about 50, 60 and 75 days after planting/DAP in 2015; about 60 and 75 DAP in 2017). Four image-based features were extracted from multispectral images. Among different features, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data were found to be consistently highly correlated with performance traits (above ground biomass, seed yield), especially during imaging at about 60–75 DAP (early pod development). Overall, correlations were higher using NDVI in ADP than DDP with biomass (r = −0.67 to −0.91 in ADP; r = −0.55 to −0.72 in DDP) and seed yield (r = 0.51 to 0.73 in ADP; r = 0.42 to 0.58 in DDP) at about 60 and 75 DAP. For thermal data, a temperature data normalization (utilizing common breeding plots in multiple thermal images) was implemented and the MEAN plot temperatures generally correlated significantly with biomass (r = 0.28–0.88). Finally, lower resolution satellite images (0.05–5 m/pixel) using UAS data was simulated and image resolution beyond 50 cm was found to reduce the relationship between image features (NDVI) and performance variables (biomass, seed yield). Four different high resolution satellite images: Pleiades-1A (0.5 m), SPOT 6 (1.5 m), Planet Scope (3.0 m), and Rapid Eye (5.0 m) were acquired to validate the findings from the UAS data. The results indicated sub-meter resolution satellite multispectral imagery showed promising application in field phenotyping, especially when the genotypic responses to stress is prominent. The correlation between NDVI extracted from Pleiades-1A images with seed yield (r = 0.52) and biomass (r = −0.55) were stronger in ADP; where the strength in relationship reduced with decreasing satellite image resolution. In future, we anticipate higher spatial and temporal resolution data achieved with low-orbiting satellites will increase applications for high-throughput crop phenotyping.
Reduced Serum Osteocalcin in High-Risk Alcohol Using People Living With HIV Does Not Correlate With Systemic Oxidative Stress or Inflammation: Data From the New Orleans Alcohol Use in HIV Study.

Background HIV infection is now largely a chronic condition as a result of the success of antiretroviral therapy. However, several comorbidities have emerged in people living with HIV (PLWH), including alcohol use disorders and musculoskeletal disorders. Alcohol use has been associated with lower bone mineral density, alterations to circulating bone turnover markers, and hypocalcemia. The pathophysiological basis of bone loss in the PLWH population is unclear but has been suggested to be linked to oxidative stress and inflammation. To test the hypothesis that PLWH consuming excessive alcohol have altered markers of bone turnover and/or calcium homeostasis in association with oxidative stress, we correlated measurements of alcohol consumption with markers of oxidative stress and inflammation, serum calcium concentrations, and measurements of bone turnover, including c-terminal telopeptide cross-links (CTX-1) and osteocalcin. Methods Data were drawn from cross-sectional baseline data from the ongoing New Orleans Alcohol Use in HIV (NOAH) study, comprised of 365 in care PLWH. Alcohol consumption measures (Alcohol Use Disorders Test, 30-day timeline follow-back calendar, and phosphatidylethanol [PEth]) were measured in a subcohort of 40 subjects selected based on highest and lowest PEth measurements. Multivariate linear regression was performed to test the relationships between alcohol consumption and systemic oxidative stress (4-hydroxynonenal; 4-HNE) and inflammation (c-reactive protein; CRP). Results Serum calcium and CTX-1 did not differ significantly between the high and low-PEth groups. Individuals in the high-PEth group had significantly lower serum osteocalcin (median low-PEth group: 13.42 ng/ml, inter-quartile range [IQR] 9.26 to 14.99 ng/ml; median high-PEth group 7.39 ng/ml, IQR 5.02 to 11.25 ng/ml; p = 0.0005, Wilcoxon rank-sum test). Osteocalcin negatively correlated with PEth (Spearman r = -0.45, p = 0.05) and self-reported measures after adjusting for covariates. Alcohol consumption showed mild, but significant, positive associations with serum 4-HNE, but not with CRP. Osteocalcin did not correlate with either 4-HNE or CRP. Conclusions In this subcohort of PLWH, we detected significant associations between at-risk alcohol use and osteocalcin, and at-risk alcohol use and serum 4-HNE, suggesting suppression of bone formation independent of increased systemic oxidative stress with increasing alcohol consumption.
388 Bayou Beef: A random effects model of crustacean waste as a feedstock

It is important for researchers, as progressive producers, to consider human enterprise wastes as one of the next steps in feedstuff investigation. In an effort to reuse a seemingly useless and disposable component of one of America’s most enjoyed aquatic delicacies, our objective was to determine the nutritive value of crawfish and shrimp shells in relation to ruminant nutrition. These discarded items were collected from local events and sorted into four different groups: crawfish heads, crawfish tails, shrimp shells, and shrimp tails. Crawfish and shrimp wastes were tested independent of each other. These groups were dried at 55°C for 72 h and ground to pass through a 2-mm screen. Samples were subjected to a batch-culture in vitro true digestibility (IVTD) assay. A separate set of samples (1 mm) were assayed for dry matter, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL; inclusive of residual ash). Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Crawfish heads were assayed to contain 26.2% NDF, 13.4% ADF, and 1.0% ADL, while crawfish tails contained 23.7% NDF, 16.3% ADF, and 1.1% ADL. Crawfish heads and tails did not differ in IVTD (P = 0.48) or in vitro NDF digestibility (IVNDFD; P = 0.13; 76.7 vs. 77.2% and 86.8 vs. 91.0%, respectively). Shrimp shells contained 36.1% NDF, 26.9% ADF, and 4.1% ADL, whereas shrimp tails contained 29.1% NDF, 17.9% ADF, and 0.7% ADL. Shrimp tails had greater (P < 0.01) IVTD (74.2 vs. 66.4%) but lesser (P = 0.01) IVNDFD than shrimp shells (80.6 vs. 85.0%). Results are interpreted to mean that crustacean waste may represent a suitable prospective feedstuff for further evaluation.
"It Isn't in the Curriculum": World History Teachers' Views on U.S. Presidential Elections.

This study examines world history teachers’ attitudes regarding teaching U.S. presidential elections. During interviews with nine teachers, participants emphasized that the competing demands of the...
Disruption of oncogenic targeting by ISWI via phosphorylation of a prion-like domain

Chromosomal translocations generate oncogenic fusion proteins in approximately one-third of sarcomas, but how these proteins promote tumorigenesis and the effect of cancer therapies on their function are not well understood. Here, we reveal a molecular mechanism by which the fusion oncoprotein FUS-CHOP promotes tumor maintenance that also explains the remarkable radiation sensitivity of myxoid liposarcomas. We identified novel interactions between FUS-CHOP and chromatin remodeling complexes that regulate sarcoma cell proliferation. One of these chromatin remodelers, SNF2H, co-localizes with FUS-CHOP genome-wide at active enhancers. Following ionizing radiation, DNA damage response kinases phosphorylate the prion-like domain of FUS-CHOP to impede these protein-protein interactions, which are required for transformation. Therefore, the DNA damage response after irradiation disrupts oncogenic targeting of chromatin remodelers required for FUS-CHOP-driven sarcomagenesis.