cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CA-074Me protection against anthrax lethal toxin.

Anthrax lethal toxin (LT) activates the NLRP1b (NALP1b) inflammasome and caspase-1 in macrophages from certain inbred mouse strains, but the mechanism by which this occurs is poorly understood. We report here that similar to several NLRP3 (NALP3, cryopyrin)-activating stimuli, LT activation of the NLRP1b inflammasome involves lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP) and subsequent cytoplasmic cathepsin B activity. CA-074Me, a potent cathepsin B inhibitor, protects LT-sensitive macrophages from cell death and prevents the activation of caspase-1. RNA interference knockdown of cathepsin B expression, however, cannot prevent LT-mediated cell death, suggesting that CA-074Me may also act on other cellular proteases released during LMP. CA-074Me appears to function downstream of LT translocation to the cytosol (as assessed by mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase cleavage), K + effluxes, and proteasome activity. The initial increase in cytoplasmic activity of cathepsin B occurs at the same time or shortly before caspase-1 activation but precedes a larger-scale lysosomal destabilization correlated closely with cytolysis. We present results suggesting that LMP may be involved in the activation of the NLRP1b inflammasome.
A phase I trial of a new recombinant human beta-interferon (BG9015) for the treatment of patients with recurrent gliomas.

Primary brain tumors represent an important cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in the United States. Despite advances in neurosurgery and radiotherapy, the median survival of patients with malignant gliomas remains less than 1 year. A contributing factor to the poor prognoses of these patients is the diffuse, infiltrative nature of these tumors, which limits the effectiveness of focal therapies (i.e., surgery and radiation). Unfortunately, standard chemotherapy has been of limited benefit in the treatment of malignant gliomas, underlying the necessity for new drugs with novel mechanisms of action. On the basis of promising in vitro and clinical data demonstrating significant antiglioma activity of purified IFN-beta and a synthetic IFN-beta (Betaseron), we conducted a Phase I trial of a new, nonmutated, glycosylated recombinant human IFN-beta (BG9015) in patients with recurrent, high-grade astrocytomas. In this trial, we demonstrate that the maximally tolerated dose of BG9015 is 6 million units/m2 delivered by intramuscular injection three times per week. Dose-limiting neurotoxicity was seen in both patients treated at 8 million units/m2. Additionally, we demonstrate that high BG9015 serum levels are associated with a fall in natural killer cell number, radiographic response, and prolonged survival. We conclude that BG9015 has activity in patients with malignant gliomas, although the therapeutic index may be narrow. Future studies will be needed to confirm the observation that natural killer cell number and activity as well as BG9015 serum levels are important markers of antitumor activity.
Reasons Underlying Treatment Preference An Exploratory Study

Very little is known about what factors influence women’s treatment preferences after a sexual assault. To learn more about these factors, data were collected from 273 women who read a standard “if this happened to you, what would you do” scenario describing a sexual assault and subsequent trauma-related psychiatric symptoms. After reading standardized treatment options for a pharmacotherapy (sertraline) and a psychotherapy (cognitive behavioral treatment), participants made a hypothetical treatment choice and reported the main reasons for their choice. Women often cited reasons surrounding the effectiveness of a treatment as the primary reason for their treatment preference, suggesting potential masking of symptoms with the medication and more logical, long-lasting effects with the psychotherapy. Other common reasons underlying treatment preference were wariness of the medication and positive feelings about talking in psychotherapy. Better understanding factors that influence treatment preference may aid in refining psychoeducation materials regarding the psychological consequences of sexual assault and their treatment for the lay public and in helping clinicians further tailor their discussion of treatment alternatives for these women.
RESPONSE OF RATS TO THALIDOMIDE AS AFFECTED BY RIBOFLAVIN OR FOLIC ACID DEFICIENCY.

The response of rats to thalidomide was examined under the influence of either riboflavin or folie acid deficiencies. At a level of 0.75% of the diet thalido mide depressed growth, but this was significant only for rats fed by the equalized feeding procedure, and for rats fed the riboflavin-deficient diet, ad libitum. In the former case the growth-depressing effect of thalidomide was markedly intensified by omission of riboflavin from the diet. In contrast, a riboflavin depletion-repletion regi men showed a greater degree of recovery in rats receiving thalidomide. Inclusion of thalidomide in the riboflavin-deficient diet accentuated the typical symptoms and pro duced a consistent leucopenia. Thalidomide had little or no specific effect on liver content or activity of riboflavin-dependent enzymes and cofactors, such as D-amino acid oxidase, FAD and flavin-mononucleotide. However, succinic dehydrogenase, but not glutamic dehydrogenase, was decreased. Centrolobular necrosis was induced by thalidomide only in the livers of rats receiving the diets used in the folie acid study which contained sulfothalidine; thalidomide also depressed growth in all rats receiving the diets with sulfothalidine.
Cutting Edge: Identification of Hepatitis C Virus-Specific CD8+ T Cells Restricted by Donor HLA Alleles following Liver Transplantation

By necessity, human liver transplantation is performed across HLA barriers. As a result, intracellular infection of the allograft presents a unique immunologic challenge for the recipient's immune system. In this study, we describe the presence of HLA-A2-restricted, hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific CD8+ T cells in liver transplant recipients in whom the allograft is HLA-A2 positive and the recipient is HLA-A2 negative. These memory-effector T cells are recipient derived and recognize HCV peptide uniquely in the context of HLA-A2. Furthermore, these cells were absent before the transplant, suggesting that the allograft is capable of selectively expanding naive CD8+ T cells. The in vitro specificity to donor HLA allele-restricted CD8+ T cells suggests that these cells may function to control HCV spread in the allograft.
Four New Damselfishes (Perciformes: Pomacentridae) from the Marquesas Islands

Abstract The following four pomacentrid fishes are described, all endemic to the Marquesas Islands: Chromis abrupta, distinct in having XII,11–13 dorsal rays; II,11–12 anal rays; two spiniform procurrent caudal rays; 16–18 pectoral rays; 16–18 tubed lateral line scales; and dark brown color with an abruptly white caudal fin. Chromis fatuhivae, with XII,12–13 dorsal rays; II,12–13 anal rays; two spiniform procurrent caudal rays; 17 pectoral rays; 15 tubed lateral line scales; and dark brown color to a vertical below sixth dorsal soft ray, then white. Chromis flavapicis, with XIII,12–13 dorsal rays; II,11 anal rays; three spiniform procurrent caudal rays; 18–20 pectoral rays; 16–18 tubed lateral line scales; and dark gray-brown color with yellow-tipped dorsal spines, the young entirely yellow. Stegastes robertsoni, with XII,15 dorsal rays; II,12–14 anal rays; 19–20 (usually 20) pectoral rays; 19–20 (usually 20) tubed lateral line scales and dark gray-brown color, the axil and upper base of pectoral fins wit...
ULTRASONIC VELOCITY SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION ANALYSIS OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS WITH THE SCANNING LASER ACOUSTIC MICROSCOPE.

The fundamental examination of biological tissue with ultrasound can lead to important diagnostic capabilities. In order to quantify tissue characteristics with ultrasound, the ultrasonic propagation properties of normal and pathological tissues must be characterized and cataloged. An important ultrasonic property is the speed of sound for characterizing tissue [1]. In this work, the Scanning Laser Acoustic Microscope (SLAM) is used to measure the spatial variation of the speed of sound in tissue, thereby providing a quantitative ultrasonic parameter for tissue characterization.
Validity of the alcohol purchase task: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Behavioral economists assess alcohol consumption as a function of unit price. This method allows construction of demand curves and demand indices, which are thought to provide precise numerical estimates of risk for alcohol problems. One of the more commonly used behavioral economic measures is the Alcohol Purchase Task (APT). Though the APT has shown promise as a measure of risk for alcohol problems, the construct validity and incremental utility of the APT remain unclear. This manuscript presents a meta-analysis of the APT literature. METHODS: Sixteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Studies were gathered via searches of the PsycInfo, PubMed, Web of Science, and EconLit research databases. Random effects meta-analyses with inverse variance weighting were used to calculate summary effect sizes for each demand index-drinking outcome relationship. Moderation of these effects by drinking status (regular v. heavy drinkers) was examined. Additionally, tests of the incremental utility of the APT indices in predicting drinking problems above and beyond measuring alcohol consumption were performed. RESULTS: The APT indices were correlated in the expected directions with drinking outcomes, though many effects were small in size. These effects were typically not moderated by the drinking status of the samples. Additionally, the intensity metric demonstrated incremental utility in predicting alcohol use disorder symptoms beyond measuring drinking. CONCLUSIONS: The Alcohol Purchase Task appears to have good construct validity, but limited incremental utility in estimating risk for alcohol problems. Language: en
Poly(Ionic Liquid) Superabsorbent for Polar Organic Solvents

A simple, polymerized ionic liquid (poly(IL)) based on methylimidazolium cations tethered to a polystyrene backbone exhibits superabsorbent behavior toward polar organic solvents, most notably propylene carbonate (PC) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), wherein the poly(IL) was observed to swell more than 390 and 200 times (w/w) its original mass, yet absorbs negligible quantities of water, hexanes, and other solvents, many of which were miscible with the IL monomer. Although solubility parameters and dielectric constants are typically used to rationalize such behaviors, we find that poly(IL)–solvent compatibility is most clearly correlated to solvent dipole moment. Poly(IL) superabsorbency is not reliant upon the addition of a cross-linking agent.
DIGGING DEEPER: Bringing a Systems Approach to Food Systems: Food System Governance

First paragraphs: Following on my columns on scale (fall 2012) and feedback loops (spring 2013), I want to turn to another systems concept that is difficult and sometimes risky, but one that has to be embraced if we are to reach our goal of sustainable, resilient food systems. The concept is governance, which in general is understood as "managing, steering and guiding of public affairs by governing procedures and institutions in a democratic manner" (Pisano, Berger, Endl, & Sedlacko, 2011, p. 3). Governance has resonance in many different settings, but two are of particular interest: the first is the relevance and efficacy of organizational structures that we encounter and work with in attempting to change policy; the second is the governance of supply chains, which is so critical to any chain's success. I'm echoing some of the ideas in a recent article by the Nourishing Communities research group out of Ontario, Canada (Blay-Palmer et al., 2013). I'm also impressed with the sophisticated thinking going on around governance and sustain¬able development, the objective of which is to achieve simultaneously the population' s economic well-being, environmental protection, and social equity (Pisano et al., 2011). The idea is that governments and other institutions have to be open and capable of "steering societal development along more sustainable lines" (Meadowcroft quoted in Pisano et al., 2011, p. 4). This is no small task because most democratic institutions are fixated on economic growth and not on the common good as represented in sustainability and social justice (Bosselmann, Engel, & Taylor, 2008). Of course governance exists at all levels — global, national, regional, local, and corporate — and tends to be challenging because comprehensive approaches to both sustainability and development require an integration across many sectors, stakeholders, and levels of politics (Pisano et al., 2011). Flexibility is another prerequisite. All the social and environ-mental "actors" are in motion all the time — so plans and strategies that aren't collaborative and adaptive will not hit the mark.....
How To Invest Your IRAs In Profitable Real Estate IRAs

Since the inception of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) in 1974, the public has been advised strongly by bankers, accountants (CPAs), and investment advisors that the best strategy for IRA holdings is investment in stocks or bonds. Unfortunately, with the sharp decline in the market value of stocks and the bottoming out of interest rates in the past years, most IRA funds have performed very poorly and investors have witnessed how drastically their retirement savings lost their accumulated value. During these years, apparently, not many investment advisers have bothered to consider other alternative ways for investing accumulated IRAs and pension funds. There is, in fact, another viable investment alternative that offers both safety and a considerable growth rate. That is real estate IRAs. The purpose of this paper is to explain (a) why the traditional and Roth IRA should be invested in real estate, b) the steps involved in establishing a sound real estate IRA, (c) the restrictions and the dos and don’ts of investing in a real estate IRA, and (d) the tax and penalty consequences of incorrect investment in a real estate IRA.
Children's Ability to Learn Evolutionary Explanations for Biological Adaptation.

ABSTRACTResearch Findings: Evolution by natural selection is often relegated to the high school curriculum on the assumption that younger students cannot grasp its complexity. We sought to test that assumption by teaching children ages 4–12 (n = 96) a selection-based explanation for biological adaptation and comparing their success to that of adults (n = 30). Participants provided explanations before and after a 10-min, analogy-based tutorial illustrating the principles of variation, differential survival, differential reproduction, inheritance, and population change. Although younger children (ages 4–6) showed minimal evidence of learning these principles, older children (ages 7–12) showed robust evidence of doing so, learning them at rates equivalent to adults. Participants of all ages, however, provided nonevolutionary explanations for biological adaptations (i.e., explanations referencing need, growth, and creation) nearly as often at posttest as they did at pretest. Practice or Policy: These results ...
A NATURAL EPIDEMIC OF RUBELLA IN A CLOSED POPULATION: VIROLOGICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.

We have recently had the opportuni ty of fo l lo~ng the course of a rubella epidemic in a closed population, using virus isolations and serologic tests to determine the spread of infection among susceptibles. The epidemic occurred in an institution for retarded children in which the residents are housed in cottages, each with a population of approximately 30 to 40. The clinical a t tack rates in the four cottages in which the majori ty of cases occurred are shown in Table 1. The average ages of the children ranged from abont 12 to 18, and the a t tack rates for clinical rubella were 19 to 37% in the different units. Fig. 1 indicates the t ime sequence of cases in the four cottages. The pat tern in each was remarkably regular. At first, several cases occurred over a two to three day period; then, sixteen days after the first case, a second wave began. An exception was cottage 20 in which the interval was only thirteen days between the first case and the beginning of the second group of cases. Throat swabs and blood specimens were collected from all children in each cottage several days after the first case was recognized, and again approximately two to three months later, when the epidemic was over. During the interim, all the children were examined regularly, particular at tention being paid to post-auricular lymph node enlargement and rash. Specimens were collected repeatedly from all children with suspicious findings and from those who developed frank rubella. In addition to throat swabs and blood samples, a few urine specimens were obtained from children seen on the first day of rash.
Recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Concepts in pathogenesis.

Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is easily diagnosed, but identifying the causal mechanism is difficult. An auto-immune mechanism is a possible etiologic factor; many cases suggest an allergic vasculitis. Patients also may have some defect in the humoral or cellular immune mechanism. A physical or chemical factor may be responsible.Management of the more refractory cases continues to be a problem. A thorough medical evaluation and immunologic investigation should be conducted. For specific treatment, correct identification of the cause and elimination of potential contributory factors are essential.
Continuous-Flow Separation of Malaria-Infected Human Erythrocytes Using DC Dielectrophoresis: An Electrokinetic Modeling and Simulation

This paper presents a particle tracing numerical approach into direct current insulating dielectrophoretic (DC-iDEP) cell sorting using an innovative microfluidic device capable of continuously separating red blood cells infected in vitro by Plasmodium falciparum human–malaria parasites (Pf-iRBCs) from healthy red blood cells (h-RBCs), which is suitable for clinical diagnosis as well as biological and epidemiological research. The device operation is based on field flow fractionation (FFF) introduced by electrokinetic and DEP effects through the microchannel. After validation of numerical results with respective experimental data, a particle sorting model was developed to evaluate the simultaneous effects of channel geometry, applied voltage, and medium pH strength associated with the dynamic effects of electric and flow fields on separation performance. Computational investigations were performed on the basis of the proposed model and theoretical cell trajectory was calculated. Simulation results showed ...
Cloning and Sequencing of the Escherichia coli Copper-Zinc Superoxide Dismutase

Using chromosome DNA of Escherichia coli MG1655 as template,sodC gene was amplified by PCR and purified by purification kit in this study. The PCR product of sodC gene was cloned into pMD18-T vector and transformed into DH5α competent cells. The recombinant plasmid containing sodC gene was selected and the inserted sodC gene was identified by cleaved with restriction endonuclease Sac I and Kpn I,and following by PCR amplification and sequencing. The results showed that the whole sodC gene was cloned successfully. Sequence analysis indicated that sodC gene displayed 99.6% nucleotide identities with the published sequences by GenBank. This research proved a foundation for the construction of recombinant expression vector of sodC gene.
Water Market Reforms for Water Resource Problems:Invisible Hands or Domination in Disguise?

Many neoclassical economists account for water resource scarcity and related problems as a distortion of economic processes by political institutions, which, they claim, allow and encourage individuals to exercise arbitrary and capricious power. Arguing that competitive water markets can replace and thereby neutralize existing structures and distributions of power, these economists promote politically oriented policy prescriptions to reform water rights. It follows that neoclassical theory, which claims to explain the origins and development of political and economic interests, must account for the political support and opposition found for its own reform proposals. Neoclassical theory does not, however, account for the current experience in California with water right reform proposals. A case study of the development of private property rights to Kings River water demonstrates that, contrary to neoclassical theory, water rights institutionalize relations of power; preserving proprietary relations of power may supersede other economic interests in development when power is challenged.
Hermeneutics and Law

This chapter will appear in a forthcoming book on hermeneutics. After providing a hermeneutical phenomenology of legal practice that locates legal interpretation at the center of the rule of law, the chapter considers three important hermeneutical themes: (1) the critical distinction between a legal historian writing aboout a law in the past and a judge deciding a case according to the law; (2) the reinvigoration of the natural law tradition against the reductive characteristics of legal positivism by construing human nature as hermeneutical; and (3) the role of philosophical hermeneutics in grounding critical legal theory rather than serving as a quiescent acceptance of the status quo, as elaborated by reconsidering the famous exchanges between Gadamer, Ricoeur and Habermas. I argue that these three important themes are sufficient to underwrite Gadamer's famous assertion that legal practice has exemplary status for hermeneutical theory.
80-P: THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT OF DE NOVO DONOR SPECIFIC HUMAN LEUKOCYTE ANTIGEN HLA ANTIBODIES (DSA) AFTER LUNG TRANSPLANTATION AND BRONCHIAL BIOPSY HISTOLOGICAL FINDINGS

Aim The development of DSA after lung transplantation has been implicated in acute and chronic rejection. However, the association between DSA and histological findings on lung biopsies remain unclear. In this study we investigate the association between development of DSA and lung biopsy findings. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the records of 85 lung transplant recipients (53 males, 32 females, mean age at transplant 55.5, age range 20-70) who had for-cause post-transplant monitoring for DSA performed using single antigen Luminex assay (One Lambda, Canoga Park, CA). All recipients had protocol bronchial biopsies at 2 weeks, 1, 3, and 6 months, at 1 year and for cause thereafter. We attempted to correlate de novo DSA with the following histological findings: C4d staining, acute rejection ⩾ISHLT grade 2A, and acute lung injury (ALI). Results 25 patients developed de novo DSA (29%), of those 4 had HLA class I DSA, 18 had class II, and 3 had both class I and II. The average post-transplant day for detection of class I DSA was 166 (range: 6-528) and 296 for class II (range: 6-790). The distribution of histological findings in patients with and without DSA is shown in Table 1 . In this cohort, we did not observe an appreciable difference in the mean graft survival among patients with and without DSA (600 vs. 606, respectively). Conclusions These data suggest that the development de novo DSA following lung transplant are significantly associated with histological changes and warrant further prospective systematic investigation of the temporal association between DSA and these findings.
The Impact on Endoscopic Resource Utilization After A Targeted Intervention for Cost-Minimization of EGD and Colonoscopy

The Impact on Endoscopic Resource Utilization After A Targeted Intervention for Cost-Minimization of EGD and Colonoscopy
Factors affecting detection efficiency of mobile telemetry Slocum gliders

Acoustic biotelemetry sensors have been fully integrated into a broad range of mobile autonomous platforms; however, estimates of detection efficiency in different environmental conditions are rare. Here, we examined the role of environmental and vehicle factors influencing detection range for two common acoustic receivers, the VEMCO mobile transceiver (VMT) and a VEMCO cabled receiver (VR2c) aboard a Teledyne Slocum glider. We used two gliders, one as a mobile transmitting glider and one as a mobile receiving glider during the fall in the mid-Atlantic coastal region. We found distance between gliders, water depth, and wind speed were the most important factors influencing the detection efficiency of the VMT and the VR2c receivers. Vehicle attitude and orientation had minimal impacts on detection efficiency for both the VMT and VR2c receivers, suggesting that the flight characteristics of the Slocum glider do not inhibit the detection efficiency of these systems. The distance for 20% detection efficiency was approximately 0.4 and 0.6 km for the VMT and VR2c, respectively. The VR2c receivers had significantly lower detection efficiencies than the VMT receiver at distances 0.1 km. Slocum gliders are effective biotelemetry assets that serve as sentinels along important animal migration corridors. These gliders can help elucidate the relationships between telemetered organisms and in situ habitat. Therefore, estimating the detection ranges of these common telemetry instruments provides an important metric for understanding the spatial scales appropriate for habitat selection inferences.
Hsp90 activator Aha1 drives production of pathological tau aggregates.

The microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT, tau) forms neurotoxic aggregates that promote cognitive deficits in tauopathies, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The 90-kDa heat shock protein (Hsp90) chaperone system affects the accumulation of these toxic tau species, which can be modulated with Hsp90 inhibitors. However, many Hsp90 inhibitors are not blood–brain barrier-permeable, and several present associated toxicities. Here, we find that the cochaperone, activator of Hsp90 ATPase homolog 1 (Aha1), dramatically increased the production of aggregated tau. Treatment with an Aha1 inhibitor, KU-177, dramatically reduced the accumulation of insoluble tau. Aha1 colocalized with tau pathology in human brain tissue, and this association positively correlated with AD progression. Aha1 overexpression in the rTg4510 tau transgenic mouse model promoted insoluble and oligomeric tau accumulation leading to a physiological deficit in cognitive function. Overall, these data demonstrate that Aha1 contributes to tau fibril formation and neurotoxicity through Hsp90. This suggests that therapeutics targeting Aha1 may reduce toxic tau oligomers and slow or prevent neurodegenerative disease progression.
Multiobjective evaluation and optimization of CMT-bone on multiple CPU/GPU systems

Abstract Hybrid multi-core processors are poised to dominate the landscape of next generation computing. By integrating several types of cores on a single chip, designers are anticipating sustained performance growth while depending less on raw circuit speed and decreasing power requirements per unit of performance. In this paper, we study the performance/energy tradeoffs for a heterogeneous platform consisting of Intel multicore processor with multiple nVidia GPU co-processors. Using CMT-bone, a proxy-app designed at the University of Florida, we explore load balancing strategies for a variety of architectural combinations of CPUs and GPUs to optimize for performance, power and energy measurements.
Dye-Binding Method for Measurement of Protein in Wort and Beer1

A colorimetric method for protein measurement based on the binding of Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250 was studied with brewing samples. The method measured proteins or polypeptides of approximately ...
Nuclear Power, Economics of

Financial viability is an important consideration when deciding whether to proceed with any large-scale engineering project. Many studies of nuclear power economics have been undertaken in an attempt to predict its overall costs or competitiveness (e.g., [1–4]). While these studies tend to differ in their assumptions about construction and operating expenses, they all use similar frame works for the analysis. In essence, the idea is to predict the total cost of producing electric power over the lifetime of a facility and compare that to the market value of the electricity produced. All other things being equal, the larger the ratio of revenue to cost the better the project.
Reactivation of Oceanic Fracture Zones in Large Intraplate Earthquakes

Abstract This chapter considers large oceanic intraplate earthquakes well removed from clearly defined plate boundaries and their relationship to fracture zones and plate stresses. Most earthquakes of this type involve predominantly strike-slip faulting, and events with magnitudes ≥ 7.8 have been observed in the Atlantic, Pacific, Antarctic, and Indo-Australian plates. Intensive intraplate strike-slip and reverse faulting activity is observed in the diffuse Indo-Australian deformation zone, produced by evolving plate boundary stress conditions. In some cases, the strike-slip faulting appears to be located directly on fracture zone structures, but in other cases, including the great 2012 Indo-Australian magnitude 8.6 earthquake, faulting occurs on faults offset or at high angles to fracture zones, sometimes on structures that parallel former ridge segments. The intraplate activity in the deformation zone mostly appears to be constrained to above the 600°C isotherm at depths less than 40–50 km, however, slip inversions for several large events suggest deeper rupture to near 60 km that may extend across the entire lithosphere.
Helping High School Readers Interpret Challenging Texts Using Lenses from Literary Theory

The basis for this chapter is the collaborative teaching experience of two colleagues at the University of Virginia. For several years, we have taught the “Counterpoint Seminar,” an innovative course uniting instructors and college students from the English department and the school of education. The course investigates how literary theory can be paired with cutting-edge pedagogy to help future middle and high school English teachers teach challenging literature in today’s secondary classrooms and to create a space for dialogue among students who sometimes view literature, and the world, in contradictory ways. We view literary theory as offering multiple lenses to help secondary students explore the rich complexities of poetry. In this chapter, we describe several classes devoted to teaching a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks, “A Bronzeville Mother Loiters in Mississippi; Meanwhile, a Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon.”
Bone and muscle specific circulating microRNAs in postmenopausal women based on osteoporosis and sarcopenia status.

Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNA molecules that fine tune posttranscriptional protein expression. Aging is accompanied by progressive declines in muscle mass and strength, and in bone mineral density (BMD). Although miRNAs in pathology have been extensively studied, the role of circulating miRNAs (c-miRNAs) in osteoporosis and sarcopenia has to date not been well understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in bone and muscle specific c-miRNAs in postmenopausal women based on their bone and muscle status, and to determine the associations between these specific c-miRNAs and muscle and bone variables. Seventy-five postmenopausal women aged 60 to 85 years old participated in this study. Body composition and BMD, functional performance tests (grip strength, gait speed, and countermovement jumps) were assessed. Levels of c-miRNAs (miR-1-3p, -21-5p, -23a-3p, -24-3p, -100-5p, -125b-5p, -133a-3p, -206) and bone turnover markers were analyzed. Statistically, there were no significant differences in specific c-miRNAs based on sarcopenia and osteoporosis status. However, fold changes of miR-21-5p (FC = 2.59) and -23a-3p (FC = 2.09) indicated upregulation and miR-125b-5p (FC = 0.46) indicated downregulation in the osteoporotic group compared to the non-osteoporotic group. The relative expression level of miR-125b-5p was significantly positively correlated with age (p
Computation oriented books

This book with the title ‘Computational Information Geometry: For Image and Signal Processing’ was edited by Frank Nielsen, Frank Critchley, and Christopher T. J. Dodson based on the articles prese...
An Expectancy-Value Approach to Math Underachievement: Examining High School Achievement, College Attendance, and STEM Interest:

Students’ academic underachievement, defined as discrepancies between ability and academic performance, is a widespread problem leading to many negative consequences. Our study examines high school...
Scoring Matrix for Unstandardized Data in Entity Resolution

The research describes how a "scoring matrix" comparator was used in an entity resolution (ER) process to allowing entity reference sources to be ingested and compared without pre-processing. In this method, each entity reference is tokenized and all pairs of tokens between the references are scored by a similarity scoring function such as the Levenshtein edit distance. The pairwise scores are normalized into an aggregate score which is then compared to a threshold value to determine ER link, not link, and review decisions. The research describes a particular design of the scoring matrix comparator as implemented in the OYSTER open source ER system. It also provides a comparison of precision and recall performance of the scoring matrix against traditional Boolean ER logic using benchmark datasets. The research described here shows how using even a relatively simple scoring matrix can produce results comparable to standard techniques, but without the need for pre-processing reference heterogeneous standardized formation into single standard.
Complications associated with lumbar drain placement for endovascular aortic repair.

Abstract Objective We reviewed the complications associated with perioperative lumbar drain (LD) placement for endovascular aortic repair. Methods Patients who had undergone perioperative LD placement for endovascular repair of thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic pathologies from 2010 to 2019 were reviewed. The primary endpoints were major and minor LD-associated complications. Complications that had resulted in neurological sequelae or had required an intervention or a delay in operation were defined as major. These included intracranial hemorrhage, symptomatic spinal hematoma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak requiring intervention, meningitis, retained catheter tip, arachnoiditis, and traumatic (or bloody) tap resulting in delayed operation. Minor complications were defined as a bloody tap without a delay in surgery, asymptomatic epidural hematoma, and CSF leak with no intervention required. Isolated headaches were recorded separately owing to the minimal clinical impact. Results A total of 309 LDs had been placed in 268 consecutive patients for 222 thoracic endovascular aortic repairs, 85 complex endovascular aortic repairs (EVARs; fenestrated branched EVAR/parallel grafting), and 2 EVARs (age, 65 ± 13 years; 71% male) for aortic pathology, including aneurysm (47%), dissection (49%), penetrating aortic ulcer (3%), and traumatic injury (0.6%). A dedicated neurosurgical team performed all LD procedures; most were performed by the same individual, with a technical success rate of 98%. Radiologic guidance was required in 3%. The reasons for unsuccessful placement were body habitus (n = 2) and severe spinal disease (n = 3). Most were placed prophylactically (96%). The overall complication rate was 8.1% (4.2% major and 3.9% minor). Major complications included spinal hematoma with paraplegia in 1 patient, intracranial hemorrhage in 2, meningitis in 2, arachnoiditis in 3, CSF leak requiring a blood patch in 3, bloody tap delaying the operation in 1, and a retained catheter tip in 1 patient. Patients who had undergone previous LD placement had experienced significantly more major LD-related complications (12.2% vs 3%; P = .019). The rate of total LD-associated complications did not differ between prophylactic and emergent therapeutic placements (8.1% vs 7.7%; P = 1.00) nor between major or minor complications. On multivariate analysis, previous LD placement and an overweight body mass index were the only independent predictors of major LD-related complications. Conclusions The complications associated with LD placement can be severe even when performed by a dedicated team. Previous LD placement and overweight body mass index were associated with a significantly greater risk of complications; however, emergent therapeutic placement was not. Although these risks are justified for therapeutic LD placement, the benefit of prophylactic LD placement to prevent paraplegia should be weighed against these serious complications.
Direct current stimulation boosts associative Hebbian synaptic plasticity and maintains its pathway specificity

Abstract There is evidence that transcranial direct current stimulation can boost learning performance. Arguably, this boost is related to synaptic plasticity. However, the precise effects on synaptic plasticity and its underlying mechanisms are not known. We hypothesized that direct current stimulation modulates endogenous Hebbian plasticity mechanisms due to its ability to polarize cellular membrane. To test this we induced long term plasticity (LTP) using theta-burst stimulation (TBS) in rat hippocampus, and measured the effects of concurrent direct current stimulation (DCS). Soma-depolarizing DCS increased TBS-induced LTP. Oscillating current stimulation is equally effective provided the soma-depolarizing phase is time-aligned with the theta-bursts, suggesting that only instantaneous depolarization is relevant. Importantly, the effect is pathway-specific and associative. These findings are consistent with classic theory on the role of post-synaptic membrane potential in Hebbian plasticity. These data suggest that the effects of direct current stimulation are specific because they modulate endogenous Hebbian plasticity, thus inheriting its exquisite functional specificity.
Electromagnetic Coupling in Mars Soil Simulants

EM coupling in Mars soils is important for water-extraction on Mars. We present new measurement data for thermal rise in Mars soil simulants across a range of microwave frequencies. Results show an inverse relationship between frequency and thermal rise. Data is collected at low temperature to simulate the Mars environment.
Complement testing in the clinical laboratory.

The complement system is the human’s first line of defense against microbial pathogens because of its important housekeeping and infection/inflammation roles. It is composed of a series of soluble ...
The Editor's Choice for Issue 2, Volume 7.

Dear readers: I am proud to say that we are continuing to publish many important papers on newborn screening in IJNS, and the papers published in this issue clearly support my statement [...]
Association of Expanded Health Care Networks With Utilization Among Veterans Affairs Enrollees.

Importance Health insurers alter the size of their networks, offering lower premiums in exchange for a more limited set of care choices. However, little is known about the association of network size with health care utilization and outcomes, particularly outside of the context of private insurance plans. Objective To evaluate changes in health care utilization after an expansion in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System (VA) health care network. Design, setting, and participants This cross-sectional study included individuals enrolled in the VA from 2015 to 2018. Considering that the health care network expansion only affected a portion of enrollees, only those who lived between 20 and 60 miles from a VA facility were included. Data analysis was conducted from September 2020 to February 2021. Exposures Individuals who lived 40 or more miles away from a VA facility were automatically eligible for an expanded health care network through non-VA practitioners (VA community care); those living less than 40 miles away from a VA facility were not automatically eligible. Main outcomes and measures A regression discontinuity analysis of individuals who became eligible for an expanded network based on geographic residence was performed. Inpatient and outpatient utilization rates per VA enrollee during the study period, with utilization differentiated by whether services were provided by a VA or non-VA practitioner, were calculated. Results The study included more than 2.7 million unique individuals whose characteristics largely reflected the demographic characteristics of the VA system (mean [SD] age, 62 [17] years; 2 589 252 [90%] men; 282 168 [10%] Black; 2 203 352 [77%] White). Patient characteristics (age, race, and comorbidities) did not vary significantly by eligibility status. Outpatient utilization was 3.2% higher (95% CI, 1.0% to 5.3%) among those with access to an expanded network. Increased utilization was most pronounced among those with a higher VA disability rating (3.1%; 95% CI, 0.5% to 5.7%) and among younger individuals without service-connected disabilities (7.0%, 95% CI, 1.7% to 12.3%). There was no evidence of changes to inpatient utilization (1.2%; 95% CI. -2.5% to 4.9%; P = .37) for those with access to the expanded network. Conclusions and relevance In this study, expanded network access was associated with increased total health care utilization among affected enrollees in the VA. Understanding how network size affects utilization is immediately informative for the VA, but it can also help to guide policies for insurance markets.
Promoting the effective use of compensatory strategies on the job for individuals with traumatic brain injury

Few guidelines exist for matching compensatory strategies to presenting problems. This article describes an approach used to maximize the use of compensatory strategies on a job site for individuals with traumatic brain injury participating in a supported employment program. Key components include assessing residual skills, identifying potentially effective compensatory strategies through situational assessment, and incorporating compensatory strategies into training on the job.
Technology Transition: Rate Monotonic Analysis in Real-System Developments

An important part of any successful research program is the transition of its results to the organizations and people who are architecting systems in its domain. In this paper, we describe the transition of the Rate Monotonic Analysis (RMA) technology into regular use within IBM’s Federal Systems Company.
Suggestions for Supervisors When a Therapist Experiences a Client's Suicide

SUMMARY The suicide of a client can have a profound effect on both the therapist and the supervisory relationship. This paper addresses some of the known reactions to client suicide and clinical themes as noted in the literature and in the experiences of several therapists. It also provides some beginning considerations and suggestions for the supervisory relationship, as well as notes some directions for research in this area.
Brain Iron, Transferrin and Ferritin Concentrations Are Altered in Developing Iron-Deficient Rats

To study the iron, transferrin, and ferritin distribution at subcellular levels in response to acute dietary iron deficiency, we tested the hypothesis that early post-weaning iron deficiency can change iron and iron regulatory protein concentrations in rat brain. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing either 2 or 35 micrograms iron/g for 2, 3 or 4 wk starting at 21 d of age. Brain iron, transferrin and ferritin concentrations in cytosolic and microsomal fractions of either whole brain or pons and cerebellum were then determined. After 14 d of dietary iron restriction, brain iron concentrations were 50% lower in the microsomal fraction and 30% lower in cytosol compared with controls. Brain cytosolic transferrin concentration almost doubled in the same animals. Brain ferritin concentration in fractions from rats fed the iron-deficient diet for 14 d was lower than in controls, but then remained fairly constant. Absolute brain weight and total brain protein contents were unaffected by iron restriction. This study extends previous research by demonstrating that the brain responds to changes in body iron status with a change in transferrin concentration. If the dietary restriction is quite severe, this adaptation is insufficient. This study also notes that brain ferritin decreases with decreasing body iron status, though it was less responsive than nonheme iron in liver. The concept that iron enters the brain through a highly regulated endocytotic process at the blood brain barrier, that undoubtedly involves the regulation of transferrin receptors in capillary endothelial cell, is supported by our observation of elevated transferrin concentrations in brain of iron-deficient rats.
Numerical Taxonomy of Heterotrophic Bacteria Growing in Association with Continuous-Culture Chlorella sorokiniana

Twenty-nine cultures isolated from nonaxenic growths of Chlorella sorokiniana (Shihira and Krauss) and eight reference cultures were tested for 150 morphological and biochemical characteristics. The taxonomic data were subjected to computer analysis from which five major clusters were identified. The bacterial isolates have been placed in the genera: Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Flavobacterium, and Bacillus. Amino acid requirements of four strains from the test set were determined.
Better approximations for the minimum common integer partition problem

In the k-Minimum Common Integer Partition Problem, abbreviated k-MCIP, we are given k multisets X1, ..., Xk of positive integers, and the goal is to find an integer multiset T of minimal size for which for each i, we can partition each of the integers in Xi so that the disjoint union (multiset union) of their partitions equals T. This problem has many applications to computational molecular biology, including ortholog assignment and fingerprint assembly. We prove better approximation ratios for k-MCIP by looking at what we call the redundancy of X1, ..., Xk, which is a quantity capturing the frequency of integers across the different Xi. Namely, we show .614k-approximability, improving upon the previous best known (k – 1/3)-approximability for this problem. A key feature of our algorithm is that it can be implemented in almost linear time.
Differential activation of airway eosinophils induces IL-13-mediated allergic Th2 pulmonary responses in mice

Background Eosinophils are hallmark cells of allergic Th2 respiratory inflammation. However, the relative importance of eosinophil activation and the induction of effector functions such as the expression of IL-13 to allergic Th2 pulmonary disease remain to be defined.