cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation of non-communicable chronic disease in Yushan community,Ma'anshan city

Objective To investigate the status quo of chronic non-communicable disease in Yushan community,Maanshan city.Methods The residents in 57 blocks in Yushan village were randomly selected.Personal health questionnaire formulated by the community center of Yushan guided by the specialist from Beijing Normal University was carried out.Results Self-report resident's morbidity of chronic non-communicable disease was as follows: hypertension 13.67%,diabetes 3.15%,coronary heart disease 1.02% and stroke 0.94%.Conclusion Hypertension morbidity is No.1 in the non-communicable chronic disease.At the same time,residents suffered from various diseases,and had a number of common risk factors.It was of great urgency to carry out the work to prevent and control chronic non-communicable diseases.
Antiinflammatory Activity of a Novel Folic Acid Targeted Conjugate of the mTOR Inhibitor Everolimus

Folate receptor (FR)-β has been identified as a promising target for antimacrophage and antiinflammatory therapies. In the present study, we investigated EC0565, a folic acid–derivative of everolimus, as a FR-specific inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Because of its amphiphilic nature, EC0565 was first evaluated for water solubility, critical micelle formation, stability in culture and FR-binding specificity. Using FR-expressing macrophages, the effect of EC0565 on mTOR signaling and cellular proliferation was studied. The pharmacokinetics, metabolism and bioavailability of EC0565 were studied in normal rats. The in vivo activity of EC0565 was assessed in rats with adjuvant arthritis, a “macrophage-rich” model with close resemblance to rheumatoid arthritis. EC0565 forms micellar aggregates in physiological buffers and demonstrates good water solubility as well as strong multivalent FR-binding capacity. EC0565 inhibited mTOR signaling in rat macrophages at nanomolar concentrations and induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in serum-starved RAW264.7 cells. Subcutaneously administered EC0565 in rats displayed good bioavailability and a relatively long half-life (~12 h). When given at 250 nmol/kg, EC0565 selectively inhibited proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in thioglycollate-stimulated rat peritoneal cells. With limited dosing regimens, the antiarthritic activity of EC0565 was found superior to that of etanercept, everolimus and a nontargeted everolimus analog. The in vivo activity of EC0565 was also comparable to that of a folate-targeted aminopterin. Folate-targeted mTOR inhibition may be an effective way of suppressing activated macrophages in sites of inflammation, especially in nutrient-deprived conditions, such as in the arthritic joints. Further investigation and improvement upon the physical and biochemical properties of EC0565 are warranted.
Identity Trans/formations

The tension between identification and separation, the opposing functions of identity, profoundly influences the ways that scholars understand and study identity. Identities can be shared or disputed, accepted or rejected, hidden or transformed. In this review, I discuss theories of identity in communication studies, examining identity as cultural text, impression management, cultural enactment, language acts, and boundary management. I offer an approach to communicating identity that spans disciplinary boundaries, focusing on the processes of identity transformation and trans/formations and illuminating the ways that individuals and groups confer and resist identities.This topic is of great interest to scholars throughout the field; yet, because of the vastness of the literature, establishing inter-and transdisciplinary dialogue about identity is fraught with difficulty. I conclude the chapter with an analysis of our research and identify areas in need of additional investigation. As such, this chapter p...
Computationally implemented modeling of creep of composite materials caused by phase dissolution

Abstract Multiphasic composites with time-evolving, transient microstructures exhibit time-dependent behavior under load. One mechanism leading to this behavior is the dissolution of load-bearing phases within such materials. When the dissolution process occurs inside one phase of the composite material, the stress transmitted by the dissolving phase transfers into the neighboring phases, resulting in additional deformation of the whole composite. This additional deformation of the macroscopic material manifests as time-dependent creep of the composite. The purpose of this paper is to provide a general kinematic framework for such dissolution induced creep for virtually any material class, and to mechanistically model the same utilizing a computationally-implemented approach that is consistent with the kinematic framework. Utilizing this modeling approach, two distinct processes are computationally simulated, namely (1) creep of a water saturated, porous, frozen body upon warming and (2) creep of cement paste due to hydration-induced dissolution of cement grains. The simulation results show that microstructure evolution induces significant creep behavior of the whole composite in these two simulated cases.
Drop-in Fridays: Literature Searching for All

In the spring of 2015, the Library Staff of Mayo Clinic Library Services in Arizona noticed a trend in requests for literature searching for school and other non-work-related projects. Not knowing ...
Realization of ultra-wideband bistatic simultaneous transmit and receive antenna system

An ultra-wideband bistatic simultaneous transmit and receive (STAR) antenna system utilizing miniaturized TEM horn arrays is proposed. The TX/RX arrays are fully recessed in a metallic cavity and flush-mounted on a ground plane to reduce the interaction with nearby objects and antennas. Isolation >49dB is measured over the desired bandwidth of operation. Different techniques to improve the isolation at low and mid bands are also discussed.
Community Economic Development Conspectus Valuable Tool for Advocates, Lawyers, and Policymakers

Community economic development (CED) has evolved from a simple idea in the early 1900s to an economic movement that has helped to revitalize disadvantaged communities across the United States. CED has become a vital sector, complete with a multifaceted network of advocates, lawyers, policymakers, finance professionals, and other key players. Building Healthy Communities: A Guide to Community Economic Development for Advocates, Lawyers, and Policymakers, edited by Roger A. Clay Jr. and Susan R. Jones, is a tremendous resource for professionals interested in learning more about the macro- and microfacets of CED. This guide examines the past, present, and future of the CED movement and provides strategies for success within today’s global economy. Expert authors address the issues, obstacles, and strategies of CED and cover nonprofits, the importance of individual and community assets, CED in today’s global economy, and environmental considerations.In the foreword, James H. Carr offers an appropriate framework by reflecting on the hefty question: Why is CED important in the modern day and age? Carr begins by laying out a brief history and much-debated causes of the recent subprime mortgage and economic crises. He continues by describing the impact of these crises on the mental and physical health of families, especially children. Moving past the crises, Carr discusses possible solutions and strategies that may be used to move the CED agenda forward, including taking decisive action, rebuilding the communities most harmed by the recession, focusing on financial regulatory reform, reforming housing policies, and enforcing the Fair Housing Act. Carr reminds us that changes within our communities and CED should not simply be left up to government, and that CED efforts should take priority to help resolve our current period of economic instability.
The Elevation of Blood Levels of Zinc Protoporphyrin in Mice Following Whole Body Irradiation

Elevation of zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) levels in the blood has served as an indicator of lead poisoning and iron deficiency anemia for many years. We have discovered that sublethal doses of whole body irradiation with x-rays also elevates ZPP 2-3-fold over normal levels. The ZPP level does not begin to increase until days 12-14 postirradiation and peaks between days 18 and 20 before returning to normal levels between days 28 and 35. Increasing the radiation dose delays the onset of the rise in ZPP, but does not affect the magnitude of the elevation. At lethal doses, ZPP elevation is not observed. Neither of the two previously described mechanisms that cause elevations of ZPP, namely iron deficiency and inhibition of ferrochelatase, are responsible for the radiation-induced elevation of ZPP. The elevation of ZPP appears to be correlated with the recovery of the hematopoietic system from radiation injury.
Evolution of markets: a simulation with centralized, decentralized and posted offer formats

We apply standard evolutionary dynamics to study trader participation in three competing market formats —call market (CM), posted offer (PO) and decentralized market (DM). In our framework, heterogeneous buyers and sellers seek to transact a homogeneous good, which can be done by allocating their time among three different market formats. Our results show that (i) the final participation of traders in the CM is much higher, (ii) the PO can coexist with the CM, (iii) the DM unravels when competing against CM and (iv) the DM can coexist with the PO, depending on the initial participation conditions. Thus, we demonstrate that agent-based micro-simulations coupled with replication dynamics can reproduce most of the previously known theoretical results and have the potential to investigate other commonly used hybrid auction protocols.
Large-Scale Liquid Culture Production of Erythroid Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells.

Early human erythropoiesis is difficult to study because the material is hard to access experimentally. Hence, relatively little is known about the gene expression profiles or the mechanism of globin gene expression in these early cells. We report here a system to produce large quantities in liquid culture of virtually pure erythroid cells starting from H1 human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The system is adapted from methods to produce enucleated red blood cells from cord blood and consist of five steps. During the first step, hESCs are differentiated by co-culture on immortalized human fetal hepatocytes (FH-B-hTERT) for two weeks to produce hematopoietic cells. CD34 positive cells are then magnetically sorted and placed in step 2 for seven days in serum free medium in the presence of SCF, Epo, hydro-cortisone, flt-3 ligand, BMP-4 and IL3. In step 3, the cells are incubated for seven days in the same medium and cytokine cocktail but with IGF-1 and without flt-3-ligand. In step 4, the cells are incubated with Epo for 3 days, and in step 5 the cells are incubated without cytokine on a feeder layer of MS-5 cells. In a typical experiment, 2 millions hESCs (two 10cm 2 wells) yield 50,000 sorted CD34 positive cells. Culture of these cells for about three weeks yields about 5 millions erythroid cells. This corresponds to a 5 to 10,000-fold amplification of the sorted hematopoietic cells since we estimate that only a few percent of the cells recovered with the CD34 magnetic beads are hematopoietic. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that at the beginning of the second step the CD34+ cells are CD45 − , CD71 low and CD235a − . After 7 days in liquid culture CD34 expression is less than 10%, CD45 and CD71 expressions are more than 95% and CD235a is less than 20%. Eight days later the cells are 95% CD34 − CD45 − CD71 high and CD235a + . Finally at the end of the culture the cells become CD34 − , CD45 − , CD71 − and CD235a + . Morphological analysis by Wright-Giemsa staining revealed that the differentiation process in the liquid culture is relatively synchronous and that at the end of the culture the majority of the cells are orthochromatic erythroblasts. In contrast to cord blood derived cells placed in similar differentiation conditions, very few enucleated red blood cells could be obtained from hESCs. Hemoglobin can first be detected spectrophotometrically after day 10 of liquid culture and reach a concentration of 20 pmol/10 6 cells at the end of the culture. Globin chain analysis by PCR and HPLC reveals that ξ, α, e, and γ globin chains are synthesized by these cells but not β-globin could be detected. A detailed analysis of globin expression in early human erythroid cells will be presented in an accompanying abstract. This experimental system will be useful to study early erythropoiesis, to test gene therapy vectors, and to create genetically modified red blood cells.
Tablets and TV Advertising: Understanding the Viewing Experience

ABSTRACTA paucity of work exists regarding how advertising fares on the growing technology of tablets. This study examines the processes and attitudes toward advertising while streaming TV and movie content on tablets, using the predictors of advertising avoidance, irritation, and skepticism. A survey of adult iPad users in the United States reveals that while ad avoidance did not differ between the iPad and television, ad irritation was significantly higher on the iPad. Further, whereas both ad skepticism and irritation were correlated with avoidance, it was irritation that was the predictor, not skepticism. Implications for the future of TV advertising on the iPad are discussed.
Mobilization and elimination of FLT3-ITD+ acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) stem/progenitor cells by plerixafor, G-CSF, and sorafenib: Phase I trial results in relapsed/refractory AML patients.

7033 Background: FLT3-ITD mutant AML is associated with poor prognosis. Our group identified sorafenib (S) as potent inhibitor of FLT3-ITD AML. We demonstrated increased preclinical activity of S w...
Quantitative characterization of gold nanoparticles by size-exclusion and hydrodynamic chromatography, coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and quasi-elastic light scattering

The physicochemical characterization of nanoparticles (NPs) is of paramount importance for tailoring and optimizing the properties of these materials as well as for evaluating the environmental fate and impact of the NPs. Characterizing the size and chemical identity of disperse NP sample populations can be accomplished by coupling size-based separation methods to physical and chemical detection methods. Informed decisions regarding the NPs can only be made, however, if the separations themselves are quantitative, i.e., if all or most of the analyte elutes from the column within the course of the experiment. We undertake here the size-exclusion chromatographic characterization of Au NPs spanning a six-fold range in mean size. The main problem which has plagued the size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) analysis of Au NPs, namely lack of quantitation accountability due to generally poor NP recovery from the columns, is overcome by carefully matching eluent formulation with the appropriate stationary phase chemistry, and by the use of on-line inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) detection. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate the quantitative analysis of Au NPs by SEC/ICP-MS, including the analysis of a ternary NP blend. The SEC separations are contrasted to HDC/ICP-MS (HDC: hydrodynamic chromatography) separations employing the same stationary phase chemistry. Additionally, analysis of Au NPs by HDC with on-line quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS) allowed for continuous determination of NP size across the chromatographic profiles, circumventing issues related to the shedding of fines from the SEC columns. The use of chemically homogeneous reference materials with well-defined size range allowed for better assessment of the accuracy and precision of the analyses, and for a more direct interpretation of results, than would be possible employing less rigorously characterized analytes.
A full Bayesian approach to appraise the safety effects of pedestrian countdown signals to drivers.

Abstract Although they are meant for pedestrians, pedestrian countdown signals (PCSs) give cues to drivers about the length of the remaining green phase, hence affecting drivers’ behavior at intersections. This study focuses on the evaluation of the safety effectiveness of PCSs to drivers, in the cities of Jacksonville and Gainesville, Florida, using crash modification factors (CMFs) and crash modification functions (CMFunctions). A full Bayes (FB) before-and-after with comparison group method was used to quantify the safety impacts of PCSs to drivers. The CMFs were established for distinctive categories of crashes based on crash type (rear-end and angle collisions) and severity level (total, fatal and injury (FI), and property damage only (PDO) collisions). The CMFs findings indicated that installing PCSs result in a significant improvement of drivers’ safety, at a 95% Bayesian credible interval (BCI), for total, PDO, and rear-end collisions. The results of FI and angle crashes were not significant. The CMFunctions indicate that the treatment effectiveness varies considerably with post-treatment time and traffic volume. Nevertheless, the CMFs on rear-end crashes are observed to decline with post-treatment time. In summary, the results suggest the usefulness of PCSs for drivers. The findings of this study may prompt a need for a broader research to investigate the need to design PCSs that will serve the purpose not only of pedestrians, but drivers as well.
Convergence and Persistence in Corporate Law and Governance

This paper, which will be the basis for a chapter in the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Corporate Law and Governance (Jeffrey Gordon and Georg Ringe, eds.), surveys the extent of convergence in corporate law and governance over the past 15 years. The paper assesses the efforts to measure convergence through the coding of national legal regimes and other comparative measures, finding “divergence in convergence.” Among its conclusions: The decline in cross-listings on US stock markets reflects a “leveling up” of corporate governance standards in emerging market economies and financial globalization’s development of credible substitutes for the US’s disclosure regime. Much of convergence has resulted from the work of global governance institutions reacting to an assessment that poor corporate governance played a major role in the East Asian Financial Crisis and is otherwise implicated in financial stability. The relative lack of convergence within the EU is less because of the efficiencies of local regimes and more because of the desire of Member States to throw sand-in-the-gears of economic and political integration by impeding the growth of trans-EU firms. Finally, the latest turn in the “End of History” debate is less about the primacy of “shareholder value” and more about “which shareholders.” The combination of long-standing family ownership and the reconcentration of public equity ownership in institutional investors has created a significant shareholder constituency that includes “stability” in its maximizing function, not just “efficiency.”
"Retired Independent Directors:Implications for Resource Provisioning, Monitoring, & Firm Performance"

As public policy and governance research have advocated for greater independence of directors to improve board effectiveness, firms have increasingly resorted to recruiting retired directors (i.e.,...
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

This chapter explores chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), an illness that is not easily explained, and the societal response to it. Within the chapter we provide the current case definition and discuss complexities involved in diagnosing CFS. We also cover recent research on sociodemographics and the epidemiology of CFS, which suggests that CFS affects individuals from a wide range of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. The chapter also explores research on CFS subtypes, and illustrates how subtyping individuals with CFS can provide clarification for researchers and clinicians who encounter an otherwise confusing heterogeneity of symptom profiles that characterize this syndrome. In addition, we describe several etiological models of this syndrome and attempt to synthesize the findings according to a model of psychoneuroimmunology. The natural course and prognosis of CFS is also covered, as is evidence on empirically validated treatment approaches, including pharmacological and alternative treatments and nonpharmacological interventions. There are also sections on medical utilization, treatment attributions, and the social impact of this syndrome. The final sections of this chapter review research on stigma and CFS and make suggestions for future directions for research and intervention. Keywords: chronic fatigue syndrome; chronic health disorders; psychoneuroimmunology; stigma
Regulatory mechanics of outer-arm dynein motors

Abstract Dyneins that comprise the outer arm structure of cilia must be tightly regulated so that these motile organelles can respond to varying signal inputs to generate high beat frequency and also to change waveform. These responses occur following changes in Ca2+ levels, redox state, phosphorylation, and from signals transmitted either between heavy chains or from other axonemal substructures through intermediate chain/light chain complex. In addition, outer arms must respond to changes in axonemal curvature to generate a waveform that moves along the organelle and the hemisphere of active sliding must also change to yield both forward and reverse bends. Multiple integral dynein components that might act as signal transducers in these pathways have been identified, and current models for their mechanism of action are discussed here.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Fanconi-Bickel Syndrome.

Fanconi-Bickel syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder due to mutations in the facilitative glucose transporter 2 (GLUT2 or SLC2A2) gene resulting in excessive glycogen storage predominantl...
Themes in Literature Related to Incidence, Risk, and Prevention of Cancer in Solid-Organ Transplantation Recipients on Immunosuppressive Therapy.

BACKGROUND Solid-organ transplants provide a second chance to thousands of critically ill patients with end-organ failure each year. Immunosuppressants are administered to patients to prevent graft rejection of a transplanted organ, such as a heart, kidney, or liver, while placing the recipient at greater risk for infection and cancer. OBJECTIVE The literature provides evidence of various cancers that have been found to develop in patients' posttransplantation. The purpose of this comprehensive review is to investigate the incidence, risk, and prevention of cancer in solid-organ transplantation recipients on immunosuppressive therapy. METHODS Google Scholar, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Ovid databases were searched to identify research articles in peer-reviewed journals from 2011 to 2016. Variables under examination included cancer risk, cancer type, incidence, demographic characteristics, prevention, screening modalities, and education tools. RESULTS Six articles met the inclusion criteria. Results indicate that malignancy is a prominent postoperative finding in at least 4% to 5% of solid-organ transplant recipients, with evidence of various cancer types. Risk factors include male sex, increased age, number of years posttransplant, fair skin, white race, and UV exposure. Screening intervals and educational tools have been found to increase awareness and target those at greater risk. CONCLUSION Skin cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma were the most commonly diagnosed cancers in transplant recipients. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Practitioners may find utility in screening tools, self-examination education for patients, and follow-up protocols to prevent further complications in this patient population. Early detection of cancer and those at risk may help decrease morbidity and mortality rates in organ recipients.
Hospital-Level Care at Home for Acutely Ill Adults: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Hospitals are standard of care for acute illness, but hospitals can be unsafe, uncomfortable, and expensive. Providing substitutive hospital-level care in a patient’s home potentially reduces cost while maintaining or improving quality, safety, and patient experience, although evidence from randomized controlled trials in the US is lacking. Determine if home hospital care reduces cost while maintaining quality, safety, and patient experience. Randomized controlled trial. Adults admitted via the emergency department with any infection or exacerbation of heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or asthma. Home hospital care, including nurse and physician home visits, intravenous medications, continuous monitoring, video communication, and point-of-care testing. Primary outcome was direct cost of the acute care episode. Secondary outcomes included utilization, 30-day cost, physical activity, and patient experience. Nine patients were randomized to home, 11 to usual care. Median direct cost of the acute care episode for home patients was 52% (IQR, 28%; p = 0.05) lower than for control patients. During the care episode, home patients had fewer laboratory orders (median per admission: 6 vs. 19; p < 0.01) and less often received consultations (0% vs. 27%; p = 0.04). Home patients were more physically active (median minutes, 209 vs. 78; p < 0.01), with a trend toward more sleep. No adverse events occurred in home patients, one occurred in control patients. Median direct cost for the acute care plus 30-day post-discharge period for home patients was 67% (IQR, 77%; p < 0.01) lower, with trends toward less use of home-care services (22% vs. 55%; p = 0.08) and fewer readmissions (11% vs. 36%; p = 0.32). Patient experience was similar in both groups. The use of substitutive home-hospitalization compared to in-hospital usual care reduced cost and utilization and improved physical activity. No significant differences in quality, safety, and patient experience were noted, with more definitive results awaiting a larger trial. Trial Registration NCT02864420.
Critical snow density threshold for Dall sheep (Ovis dalli dalli)

Snow cover can significantly impact animal movement and energetics, yet few studies have investigated the link between physical properties of snow and energetic costs. Quantification of thresholds ...
Protein-Protein Interactions in the Molecular Chaperone Network.

ConspectusMolecular chaperones play a central role in protein homeostasis (a.k.a. proteostasis) by balancing protein folding, quality control, and turnover. To perform these diverse tasks, chaperones need the malleability to bind nearly any “client” protein and the fidelity to detect when it is misfolded. Remarkably, these activities are carried out by only ∼180 dedicated chaperones in humans. How do a relatively small number of chaperones maintain cellular and organismal proteostasis for an entire proteome? Furthermore, once a chaperone binds a client, how does it “decide” what to do with it? One clue comes from observations that individual chaperones engage in protein–protein interactions (PPIs)—both with each other and with their clients. These physical links coordinate multiple chaperones into organized, functional complexes and facilitate the “handoff” of clients between them. PPIs also link chaperones and their clients to other cellular pathways, such as those that mediate trafficking (e.g., cytoske...
Abstract 20696: Preventive PCI of Non-Culprit Lesion vs Culprit Only PCI in Multivessel CAD During STEMI - Results of an Updated Meta-Analysis

Introduction: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in patients with co-existing multivessel (MV) coronary artery disease (CAD) is associated with poor outcomes. The benefits of non-in...
Factor analysis of the decision to text while driving in Kuwait

Texting while driving is one of the distracted driving activities that is common. Following a previous study that investigated the behavior of texting while driving of young adult drivers in the US [1], the current study investigates the decision to text while drive in Kuwait in order to determine generalizability to different subjects, age groups, locations, and cultures, and provide a comparison between the US and Kuwait samples. This study explores patterns of the behavior and driver assessment of the associated risk. The findings from the current study converge with and extend the work of Atchley et al. [1] showing (62.4%) of the 455 drivers surveyed initiate texts while driving while (73.4%) and (80.2%) of the respondents report replying to a text, and reading texts while driving, respectively. Some drivers report doing such behaviors only while stopping in traffic, showing only 7.5% never read a text while driving under any settings. The drivers also show that they perceived these behaviors to be risky in general and riskier than talking on a cellular phone while driving. Moreover, a factor analysis of the perception of road conditions while texting shows that making the decision to engage in the behavior (initiating a text) let the drivers to perceive road conditions as being less risky rather than if they read, or reply to a text while driving which advises that making the decision to engage in the behavior changes the risk perception.
Quantitative Studies of Thymocytokinetics

With the Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on Antibodies in 1967 (1), scholarly opinion shifted away from instruction and toward clonal selection as the favored immunogenetic theory. A corollary of this shift, which was brought about largely by the need to explain antibody diversity in relation to chemically defined haptens, was to significantly reinforce existing data of other types which had been interpreted as fitting with selective theory. Selective theory requires elimination of nonmutant potentially self-reactive cells generated in the thymic immunoglobulin (Ig) diversification site, and Metcalf’s thymocyte kinetic data of 1964 (2), with its maximxam 5% survival of thymocytes in the periphery as long-lived (presumably mutant nonself-reactive) cells, nicely fitted theory. However, since that time, a good deal of data on thymocyte fate has accumulated (3–9), much of it expressing differences of experimental approach that have led to diverse claims for both large and small scale thymocyte emigration. The exact scale of emigration, if known quantitatively, would bear not only on selective theory but on the further question of whether thymic Ig-gene mutational events take place at ordinary or at hypermutational frequencies.
Nutritional Methodology in Dietary Fat and Cancer Research

In 1963 Williams and Briggs (1) noted that commercially prepared mineral mixes used in experimental rat diets were frequently inadequate in some essential minerals. They recommended that researchers prepare their own diets taking into account the known requirements for the laboratory animal being used. Their efforts to improve dietary design were reinforced by others and the question of studies on dietary fat was specifically addressed by Walker in 1975 (2). The literature in the area of amount and type of dietary fat and the incidence of certain types of cancer has grown enormously over the last several years. Unfortunately when much of it involving the use of experimental animals is evaluated many of the mistakes noted by Williams and Briggs and Walker are still being made.
Heterosis in Maize: Theory and Practice

Heterosis has been of interest for many years. Investigations of the phenomenon have followed two separate courses. The first has been largely descriptive and concerned with the frequency and magnitude of the observed effects. Speculations as to the underlying causes began to appear early in this observational period. These speculations became phrased in more specific terms after the rediscovery of Mendelism.
Soybean meal from Roundup Ready or conventional soybeans in diets for growing-finishing swine

Dehulled soybean meal prepared from genetically modified, herbicide (glyphosate)-tolerant Roundup Ready soybeans containing the CP4 EPSPS protein and near-isogenic conventional soybeans were assessed in an experiment with growing-finishing pigs. The soybeans were grown in the yr 2000 under similar agronomic conditions except that the Roundup Ready soybeans were sprayed with Roundup herbicide. Both were processed at the same plant. The composition of the two types of soybeans and the processed soybean meal were similar. Corn-soybean meal diets containing conventional or Roundup Ready soybean meal and fortified with minerals and vitamins were fed to 100 cross-bred pigs from 24 to 111 kg BW. Diets contained approximately 0.95% lysine initially and were reduced to 0.80 and 0.65% lysine when pigs reached 55 and 87 kg BW, respectively. There were 10 pens (five pens of barrows and five pens of gilts) per treatment with five pigs per pen. All pigs were scanned at 107 kg mean BW and all barrows were killed at the end of the test for carcass measurements and tissue collection. Rate and efficiency of weight gain, scanned backfat and longissimus area, and calculated carcass lean percentage were not different (P > 0.05) for pigs fed diets containing conventional or Roundup Ready soybean meal. Gilts gained slower, but they were more efficient and leaner (P 0.05) by diet. The results indicate that Roundup Ready soybean meal is essentially equivalent in composition and nutritional value to conventional soybean meal for growing-finishing pigs.
Optimum Ratio to Lysine of Threonine, Tryptophan, and Sulfur Amino Acids for Finishing Swine'

Forty-eight crossbred (PIC line 26 x periods were designed to be slightly deficient in lysine Camborough 15) pigs were used in two finishing trials and to contain digestible Thr (65%), Trp (18%), and to compare the ideal ratios of threonine (Thr), SAA ( 60% 1 at the ideal ratio to digestible Lys tryptophan (Trp 1, and sulfur amino acids (SAA) to determined for 10- to 20-kg pigs. The experimental lysine (Lys) determined for young pigs to a proposed diet in both the EF and LF periods was formulated to ratio of these amino acids for finishing pigs. Trial 1 contain digestible Thr ( 70%), Trp (2 O%), and SM involved 20 barrows and 20 gilts that were self-fed in (65%) at the proposed ideal ratio to digestible Lys for sex groups of two. Trial 2 was a Latin square design finishing pigs. In Trial 1, increased ratios of Thr, Trp, that used four barrows and four gilts that were and SAA improved gain:feed ratio, whole-body and individually fed in metabolism cages. Separate diets carcass protein concentration, and whole-body and were used for the early (EF = 56 to 90 kg) and late carcass protein accretion. In Trial 2, LF pigs (LF = 90 to 112 kg) finishing periods. Diets were responded to the increased ratios of Thr, Trp, and SAA formulated from a corn-soybean meal mixture and with decreased urinary nitrogen excretion and in- contained 11% CP and .55% digestible lysine for EF creased N retention. The results suggest that Thr, pigs and 10% CP and 50% digestible lysine for LF Trp, and SAA ratios to Lys used for young pigs are too pigs. Negative-control diets in both the EF and LF low for use in finishing pigs.
Successive decays of isomers in 81Sr.

Prompt and delayed ..gamma..-ray spectroscopy of reaction products selected in a recoil mass spectrometer was used to study both feeding and decay patterns of two successive isomeric decays in /sup 81/Sr as proposed by Arnell and co-workers. Their assignment was confirmed. The measured lifetimes (T/sub 1/2/) are 0.44 +- 0.10 ..mu..s and 6.4 +- 0.5 ..mu..s for the 79 keV ((5/2/sup -/) and 89 keV ((7/2/sup +/) levels, respectively. The former is in excellent agreement with the adopted value of 0.40 +- 0.06 ..mu..s.
Quality of life after esophagectomy

Health–related quality of life (HRQL) is a multi-dimensional concept that includes physical, emotional, mental, and social functioning. HRQL focuses on the impact of a disease state, or its treatment, on an individual’s subjective reporting of their ability to live a meaningful and quality lifestyle under the constraints of the disease or its treatment. Historically, the exceedingly high mortality and morbidity associated with esophagectomy prohibited any meaningful consideration of post-operative HRQL. Current treatment modalities have improved both perioperative outcomes and long-term survival. However, there is still a significant negative impact of treatment on HRQL. The most commonly encountered long-term issues related to HRQL after esophagectomy include diminished physical function, gastrointestinal disturbances, alterations in body composition, and impaired psychosocial reintegration.
JustOrthologs: a fast, accurate and user-friendly ortholog identification algorithm.

Motivation Orthologous gene identification is fundamental to all aspects of biology. For example, ortholog identification between species can provide functional insights for genes of unknown function and is a necessary step in phylogenetic inference. Currently, most ortholog identification algorithms require all-versus-all BLAST comparisons, which are time-consuming and memory intensive. Results In contrast to existing approaches, JustOrthologs exploits the conservation of gene structure by using the lengths of coding sequence regions and dinucleotide percentages to identify orthologs. In comparison to OrthoMCL, OMA and OrthoFinder, JustOrthologs decreases ortholog identification runtime by more than 96% and achieves comparable precision and recall scores. The computational speedup allowed us to conduct pairwise comparisons of 1197 complete genomes (780 eukaryotes and 417 archaea). We confirmed gene annotations for 384 120 genes, grouped 1 675 415 genes in previously unreported ortholog groups, and identified 51 429 potentially mislabeled genes across 622 843 ortholog groups. Availability and implementation JustOrthologs is an open source collaborative software package available in the GitHub repository: https://github.com/ridgelab/JustOrthologs/. All test FASTA files used for comparisons are freely available at https://github.com/ridgelab/JustOrthologs/comparisonFastaFiles/. Reference genomes used in this work are available for download from the NCBI repository: ftp://ftp.ncbi.nih.gov/genomes/. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Interplay between YAP/TAZ and Metabolism

Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) are two homologous transcriptional coactivators that promote cell proliferation, stem cell maintenance, and tissue homeostasis. Under favorable conditions, YAP and TAZ are active to promote cell growth through a transcriptional program mediated by the TEAD family transcription factors. Given the indispensability of cellular energy and metabolites for survival and growth, YAP and TAZ are inhibited when energy level is low. Indeed, glucose, fatty acids, hormones, and other metabolic factors have been recently revealed to regulate YAP and TAZ. Conversely, YAP and TAZ are also involved in metabolism regulation, such as to promote glycolysis, lipogenesis, and glutaminolysis, suggesting YAP and TAZ as emerging nodes in coordinating nutrient availability with cell growth and tissue homeostasis. In this Review, we summarize recent findings and provide a current overview of YAP and TAZ in metabolism by focusing on the role of YAP and TAZ as integrators for metabolic cues and cell growth.
Correlating Electronic Transport and 1/f Noise in Mo Se 2 Field-Effect Transistors

Citation: Kwon, J., Prakash, A., Das, S. R., & Janes, D. B. (2018). Correlating Electronic Transport and 1/f Noise in MoSe2 Field-Effect Transistors. Physical Review Applied, 10(6), 064029. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.10.064029
Electrospun biomimetic catalytic polymer template for the sol-gel formation of multidimensional ceramic structures

Abstract A biomimetic block copolymer, poly(hydroxylated isoprene-b-2-vinyl pyridine), mimicking the catalytic and templating properties of the protein Silicatein α, was used to template the condensation of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional silica and titania materials. Spin-coating and electrospinning techniques were used to process the block copolymer into fibers and films that were treated with tetraethoxy orthosilicate (TEOS) or titanium (IV) iso-propoxide (TiP) to form organic-inorganic hybrid fibers and films. All hybrid materials were synthesized at room temperature and neutral pH, and even after calcination and removal of the polymer, the ceramics retain the structure templated by the block copolymer.
Moral Dilemmas and Worst-Case Scenarios: Using Post-Apocalyptic Fiction to Teach Criminal Justice Ethics

Criminal justice courses offer ideal opportunities to present students with contemporary issues that ideally will encourage reflection on moral dilemmas. In a criminal justice ethics course, studen...
Moderate hypofractionation and stereotactic body radiation therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Abstract For prostate cancer radiation therapy, daily sessions spanning approximately 2 months has been considered the standard of care for patients managed with curative intent. In recent years, data has emerged which supports the use of higher dose per fraction schemes leading to a reduced duration of treatment. This form of radiation—generally termed moderate hypofractionation or stereotactic body radiation therapy—increasingly appears to be a safe and effective alternative to the conventional course. This review summarizes salient data from the literature on outcomes, toxicities, and future directions for this innovative strategy of care.
Activation of c-Met in colorectal carcinoma cells leads to constitutive association of tyrosine-phosphorylated β-catenin

Increased expression and/or activity of c-Met, the receptor protein tyrosine kinase for hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor, occurs commonly during colon tumor progression. To examine potential roles for c-Met in promoting metastasis, we compared the colon tumor cell line KM12C with low metastatic potential to the isogenic variants KM,12L4 and KM12SM with high metastatic potential. KM12C cells express c-Met with low levels of tyrosine phosphorylation in the absence of HGF. The high metastatic cells express a c-Met that is constitutively tyrosine phosphorylated, they have increased colony formation, and are minimally responsive to HGF relative to the parental cells. Tyrosine-phosphorylated beta-catenin was constitutively associated with c-Met in the more metastatic cells, but was inducible only after HGF addition in the less metastatic cells. Functions mediated by beta-catenin, including cell-cell adhesion and migration, and activation of the tcf (T-cell factor) family of transcription factors, were also elevated in the more metastatic KM12SM and L4 cells. Furthermore, analysis of the known tcf transcriptional target genes, cyclin D1, c-Myc, and uPAR, demonstrated increased expression in the high metastatic cells, correlating with the levels of tcf activity. Collectively, these results suggest that endogenous activation of c-Met in highly metastatic KM12SM CRC cells results in increased survival and growth under anchorage independent conditions, increased in vitro migration, and elevated levels of tcf target genes. Thus, beta-catenin association with activated c-Met may contribute to a more aggressive liver metastatic phenotype of these cells.
Viral-mediated transgenesis of MAOA and AVP increases territorial aggression in stickleback

Establishing a causal relationship between genes and social behavior is challenging. To enable direct manipulation of candidate genes and thereby examine how their expression contributes to behavior, we developed a neurosurgical method to deliver pharmacological agents or transgenic elements directly into the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) brain. Threespine sticklebacks are a classic system for the study of behavior, ecology, and evolution. Male sticklebacks defending nesting territories are highly aggressive toward intruders. Previous studies in stickleback have shown that aggression is heritable, and that hundreds of genes are differentially expressed in the brain following territorial intrusion. We use viral-mediated transgenesis to test the effects on territorial aggression of overexpression of candidate genes, monoamine oxidase (MAOA) and arginine vasopressin (AVP), in the stickleback brain. Male sticklebacks received transcranial injections of mammalian homolog cDNA packaged in a replication-deficient Herpes Simplex Virus 1 carrier. Animals transfected with either AVP or MAOA constructs were more aggressive in response to a territorial intruder, unlike control animals transfected with a fluorescent protein. Viral-mediated transgenesis is a promising method to examine genetic underpinnings of behaviors. Our success demonstrates that widely available mammalian plasmids work with this method, lowering the barrier of entry to the technique. This method is flexible, fast, and amenable to statistically powerful within-subject experimental designs, making it practical for use in natural populations. It further enhances the growing molecular toolkit in threespine stickleback, a classic ethological system, and is the first step toward using chemogenetics and optogenetics.
Classroom Ecologies That Support or Discourage Bullying

This chapter will describe how contextual characteristics of elementary school classrooms can foster or discourage peer bullying. Classrooms are important contexts for understanding bullying because most bullying interactions occur among classmates (Salmivalli, Lagerspetz, Bjorkqvist, Osterman, & Kaukiainen, 1996). In particular, two features of classrooms’ ecosystems are highly relevant to understanding bullying: (1) The quality of social relationships in the classroom including relationships among students, between students and teachers, and between families and the classroom; and (2) the support for human agency in the classroom including support for students’ self-control, self-efﬁcacy, and self-determination. By describing how these classroom characteristics relate to bullying, it will also be possible to describe natural anti-bully supports that can be infused into classroom routines and practices.