cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Importance of Nucleic Acid Recognition in Inflammation and Autoimmunity.

An important concept in immunology is the classification of immune responses as either innate or adaptive, based on whether the antigen receptors are encoded in the germline or generated somatically by gene rearrangement. The innate immune system is an ancient mode of immunity, and by being a first layer in our defense against infectious agents, it is essential for our ability to develop rapid and sustained responses to pathogens. We discuss the importance of nucleic acid recognition by the innate immune system to mounting an appropriate immune response to pathogens and also how inflammation driven by uncontrolled recognition of self-nucleic acids can lead to autoimmune diseases. We also summarize current efforts to either harness the immune system using agonists of nucleic acid–specific innate sensors or, on the contrary, by using inhibitors in autoimmune situations.
The significance of seismic wavespeed minima and thermal maxima in the mantle and the role of dynamic melting

It is widely assumed that the boundary layer above the core is the source of intraplate volcanoes such as Hawaii, Samoa, and Yellowstone, and that the sub-plate boundary layer at the top of the mantle is thin and entirely subsolidus. In fact, this upper layer is thicker and has higher expansivity, buoyancy, and insulating power than the lower one, and may have higher potential temperatures. The observed seismic structure of the low-velocity zone (LVZ) including attenuation, anisotropy, sharp boundaries, and a reduction of both compressional and shear moduli can be taken as strong evidence for the ubiquitous presence of melt in the upper mantle. If the LVZ contains as little as 1%–2% melt, then it is the most plausible and accessible source for midplate magmas; deeply rooted active upwellings are unnecessary. The upper boundary layer is also the most plausible source of ancient isotopic signatures of these magmas and their inclusions.
Technology transfer. Equipment qualification methodology for shelf life determination

Discussions with a number of Nuclear Utilities revealed that equipment qualified for 10 to 40 years in the harsh environment of the plant was being assigned shelf lives of only 5 to 10 years in the benign environment of the warehouse, and then the materials were being trashed. One safety-related equipment supplier was assigning a 10-year qualified life, from date of shipment, with no recognition of the difference in the aging rate in the plant vs. that in the warehouse. Many suppliers assign shelf lives based on product warranty considerations rather than actual product degradation. An EPRI program was initiated to evaluate the methods used to assign shelf lives and to adapt the Arrhenius methodology, used in equipment qualification, to assign technically justifiable shelf lives. Temperature is the main factor controlling shelf life; however, atmospheric pressure, humidity, ultraviolet light, ozone and other atmospheric contaminants were also considered. A list of 70 representative materials was addressed in the program. All of these were found to have shelf lives of 14 years to greater than 60 years, except for 19 items. For 18 of these items, there was no data available except for the manufacturer's recommendation. >
Layer rigidity of clay intercalation compound: [Me4N+]1−x [Me3NH+]x −V

Vermiculite is an Alumino-Silicate clays which is one of the layered materials that can form intercalation compounds [1–3]. The host layer of Vermiculite is classified as a 2:1 layered silicate due to its structure [2]. This 2:1 layered silicate is responsible for several of the distinctive properties of Vermiculite. First, unlike graphite layers which are charge neutral, 2:1 layered silicate has a negative layer charge. To compensate this the galleries of Vermiculite are occupied by cations and in turn this makes the intercalation process in CIC’s (Clay Intercalation Compounds) an ion exchange process. Second, because the 2:1 silicate layers are composed of multiple, cross-linked planes of atoms, one can expect the clay layers to be relatively rigid to transverse distortions. The rigidity of the silicate layer is important not only for the study of fundamental physical properties of quasi-two dimensional systems but also for practical applications such as catalysis [4, 5]. In any case, it is very important to know how rigid the layer is and what factors affect layer rigidity.
Considerations for multiagent multi-objective systems

Cooperative multiagent systems are an important area of research, with many applications including air traffic control, satellite communications, and extraplanetary exploration. These applications also lend themselves to multiple simultaneous objectives, but multi-objective multiagent systems have garnered little attention. We make contributions to three distinct aspects of multi-objective multiagent systems: integrating credit assignment into multi-objective systems; providing a computationally efficient technique for dealing with non-convex Pareto fronts; and providing a framework for outside knowledge to be integrated into the agent's reward structure in multi-objective problems. These three contributions together break down some of the largest barriers that have prevented multiagent multi-objective research from gaining traction.
Reaching Out from Within

Abstract Prior to conducting a needs assessment in an underserved community, intensive personal investment by researchers and health educators is crucial to the success of health education programs. Due to inadequate funding and imposed timelines, this preliminary process is often minimized. When this process is given less priority, unforeseen barriers can ultimately limit a program’s success. This article provides an example of an initial community-based participatory research phase implemented in a predominately Hispanic area of Dallas, Texas.
Role of calcium and other ions in directing root hair tip growth in Limnobium stoloniferum - I. Inhibition of tip growth by aluminum

The magnitude and spatial localization of Ca2+, K+ and H+ fluxes in growing and non-growing Limnobium stoloniferum root hairs was determined using non-invasive, ion-selective vibrating microelectrodes. Both the spatial pattern and magnitude of the ionic flux was dependent on the particular ion in question. Both H+ and Ca2+ influx was localized almost exclusively to the tips of growing root hairs, suggesting that these fluxes may be involved in directing growth. Influx of K+ showed no distinct localization and uptake appeared uniform along the length of the root hair. Competitive inhibition of Ca2+ influx using a range of Mg+ concentrations indicated that the magnitude of the Ca2+ flux entering the root hair tip did not determine growth rate; however, the presence of Ca2+ on the external face of the membrane was implicit for root hair integrity. Aluminum proved to be a potent inhibitor of root hair growth. At an exogenous Al concentration of 20 μM a complete blockage of Ca2+ influx into root hair tips was observed, suggesting that Al blockage of Ca2+ influx could be involved in Al toxicity. However, at a lower Al concentration (2 μM), Ca2+ fluxes were unaffected while inhibition of growth was still observed along with a distinct swelling of the root hair tip. The swelling at the root hair tips was identical in appearance to that seen in the presence of microtubule inhibitors, suggesting that Al could influence a number of different sites at the plasma-membrane surface and within the cell. The possible role(s) of Ca2+ and H+ fluxes in directing tip growth are discussed.
A comparison of two bird survey techniques used in a subtropical forest

Mist netting and point counting have been used equally in the Neotropics for the purpose of surveying bird communities, although their effectiveness is poorly known. We compared mist netting and point counting data collected from the same survey points in a mature subtropical forest in Belize to assess their descriptions of a bird community within a small region and across many survey points. We surveyed each point for three consecutive days using one technique and then for three additional days using the other technique. Mist netting and point counting detected only 25% and 60%, respectively of all forest species. The species lists from mist netting and point counting had similar proportions of species in groupings based on families, abundance, and migratory status, and in diet, habitat use, and foraging substrate guilds. Species lists from mist netting had a greater proportion of understory and small species than the species list from point counting. Species lists from mist netting and point counting had smaller proportions of large-bodied and rare species than a local checklist. Point counting detected more species per point with greater time efficiency and more species per point in 25 of 28 guilds than did mist netting. Point counting detected three common species less frequently than mist netting, whereas mist netting detected 38 common species less frequently than point counting. Point counting detected understory species as frequently as mist netting did at individual points. The two methods had > 50% agreement on the presence of only four species at individual points. Both techniques detected different sets of common species with similar frequency, although point counting detected many more uncommon species. Although using both techniques was more effective than using either alone, point counting alone was significantly more efficient for conducting bird surveys.
Remote Ambulatory Management of Veterans with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Study objectives Despite significant medical sequelae of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the condition remains undiagnosed and untreated in many affected individuals. We explored the feasibility of a comprehensive, telemedicine-based OSA management pathway in a community-based Veteran cohort. Methods This prospective, parallel-group randomized pilot study assessed feasibility of a telemedicine-based pathway for OSA evaluation and management in comparison to a more traditional, in-person care model. The study included 60 Veterans at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center and two affiliated community-based outpatient clinics. Telemedicine pathway feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes were assessed through a variety of quantitative (Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire, dropout rates, positive airway pressure [PAP] adherence rates, participant satisfaction ratings) and qualitative (verbal feedback) metrics. Results There was no significant difference in functional outcome changes, patient satisfaction, dropout rates, or objectively measured PAP adherence between groups after 3 months of treatment. Telemedicine participants showed greater improvement in mental health scores, and their feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Conclusions Our pilot study suggests that telemedicine-based management of OSA patients is feasible in terms of patient functional outcomes and overall satisfaction with care. Future studies should include larger populations to further elucidate these findings while assessing provider- and patient-related cost effectiveness.
ANALYSIS OF UNCERTAINTY IN BOILER THERMAL EFFICIENCY TEST

The principle of uncertainty analysis from heat loss method of boiler thermal efficiency has been presented,including the establishment of uncertainty analysis model,the evaluation of uncertainty components as A and B kind,and their composition,as well as the calculation method of the expand uncertainty etc.,and the evaluation of uncertainty in boiler thermal efficiency test being carried out.Results show that the affecting factors upon test results from heat loss method of boiler thermal efficiency are mainly as follows:the oxygen content in discharged flue gas;the temperature of discharged flue gas;and dissipation heat loss curves recommended to use at the time of calculation etc..In order to reduce the uncertainty of test result,it is necessary to mainly consider how to reduce the uncertainty of these parameters.
Adverse events following immunization in Shijingshan district,Beijing,2012

Objective To analyze the adverse events following immunization(AEFI) in Shijingshan district of Beijing in 2012 and evaluate the performance of AEFI surveillance system.Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the incidence data of AEFI in Beijing during this period.Result A total of 45 AEFI were reported,the incidence rate was 17.02/lakh,Fourteen kinds of vaccines were involved.The cases number caused by diphtheria-tetanus-acellular-pertussis vaccine(DTaP) were highest(13,28.89%),while the incidence of cases caused by pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against 7 pneumococcal serotypes(PCV7) was highest(116.91 /lakh).In the classification of AEFI cases,53.33%were general reactions,28.89%were abnormal reactions and 17.78%were coincidental cases.Up to 75.56%of the cases were children aged ≤2 years,the cases mainly occurred between MayOctober and 95.56%of the cases occurred within 1 day after vaccination.Conclusion The sensitivity and completeness of AEFI surveillance in Shijingshan were well,but still needed improvement.To reduce the AEFI,it is necessary to conduct standard vaccination and distinguish contraindications.
Adverse Environmental Exposures During Gestation and Childhood: Predictors of Adolescent Drinking

Adverse conditions, including exposures to drugs and other environmental influences during early development, may affect behaviors later in life. This study examined the role of environmental influences from the gestation and childhood on adolescent drinking behavior. 917 mother/offspring dyads were followed prospectively from pregnancy to a 16-year follow-up assessment. Interim assessments occurred at delivery, 6, 10, and 14 years. Prenatal exposures to alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana were measured during gestation. Data were collected at each phase on childhood environment, including parenting practices, quality of the home environment, maternal depression and hostility, and lifetime exposure to child maltreatment and community violence. Alcohol outcomes were offspring age of drinking initiation and level of drinking at age 16 years. Cox Proportional Hazards ratios were used to model offspring age of drinking initiation. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate significant predictors of drinking level. Childhood environment, including less parental strictness, greater exposure to violence and childhood maltreatment, significantly predicted earlier age of alcohol initiation. Level of drinking among the adolescent offspring was significantly predicted by prenatal exposure to alcohol, less parental strictness, and exposures to maltreatment and violence during childhood. Whites and offspring with older mothers were more likely to initiate alcohol use early and drink at higher levels. Early and heavier alcohol use was associated with early exposures to adversity such as prenatal alcohol exposure, and child exposures to maltreatment and violence. These results highlight the importance of environmental adversity and less effective parenting practices on the development of adolescent drinking behavior.
An Analysis of Power Consumption in Mobile Cloud Computing

With the rapid proliferation of mobile devices, mobile cloud computing is emerging as an increasingly omnipresent paradigm enabling users to use battery-powered mobile devices to access a wide range of compute-intensive applications hosted on the clouds. Often, the assumption is that mobile devices consume less power when they access an application run on the cloud than when the application is run on the device itself. This, however, is increasingly questionable with the significant recent progress in improving power efficiency of mobile devices (e.g., using ultra low power GPUs). This paper aims at analyzing and comparing the benefits of these two alternatives using mobile cloud gaming as an example. Our evaluation shows that, despite the recent advances towards reducing power consumption in mobile devices, mobile cloud computing remains the best of the two alternatives in a wide range of scenarios.
Exile, Dystopia, and the Will to Order: Huxley’s Brave New World

If in Heart of Darkness and Darkness at Noon, Conrad and Koestler stage the empire-building phase of the will to power, whether in its colonialist or in its communist guise, in Brave New World Huxley stages its postcolonialist and postcommunist phase. Huxley’s dystopian empire has now encompassed the entire planet and is called the World-State, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the New World Order envisaged by the multinational global elites of the late 20th century, after the fall of Communism. Its watchword is no longer the will to conquest, but “stability” or the will to order. Likewise, the main instrument of the will to power is no longer the infliction of physical and psychological pain, as in Darkness at Noon and in Nineteen Eighty-Four; on the contrary, it is the “infliction of pleasure” (Huxley’s phrase). This does not mean, of course, that the New World Order will not resort to violence and massive pain-infliction whenever global “stability” (read: its hegemony) is threatened, as the current “war on terror,” oil proxy wars, and other local nationalist and/or religious conflagrations amply demonstrate.
Frequent vs. Infrequent Flyers: An Example of Perceptual Segmentation

The Airline. Deregulation Act of 1978 has provided impetus for airline industry competitors to become more consumer oriented rather than product oriented. Central to the issue of competitor positioning are perceptual configurations of consumer segments relative to carrier service attributes. Utilizing service attributes via consumer consciousness, competitors may define more accurately their positions in the market place as well as providing for the development of effective attribute related marketing policy.
The Governing Equations for an Electrically Conducting Fluid

Introduction In the first two chapters, the field of micro- and nanofluidics was introduced in a general framework, describing multiple applications as well as the scientific issues associated with fluid flow at small length scales. In Chapter 2, the fundamental transport properties involved in mathematical description of fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, and electrostatics were introduced. In this chapter, we use these concepts to derive, from first principles, the governing equations necessary for analyzing micro- and nanofluidic phenomena. For the purposes of this chapter, it will be assumed that the properties of the fluid medium are constant. Microfluidic devices are being used for rapid and continuous purification of proteins; a sketch of such a device is shown in Figure 3.1. The device addresses the need for high-throughput purification of very small amounts of proteins and enzymes from the carrier fluid. The term protein purification refers to a series of operations meant to isolate a single protein or enzyme in a complicated mixture. Here the microfluidic transport processes involve mass transport of a relatively large number of species with the target molecules present in as little as microgram per liter concentrations. This device can purify a sample in a short period of time and does not require a large amount of sample. The means of developing a model for such a device is discussed in this chapter. The governing equations of fluid motion on the macroscale are the (incompressible) Navier–Stokes equations. These equations, along with conservation of mass, or the continuity equation , enable the calculation of, in the general three-dimensional case, the three velocity components and the pressure.
Satellites of Sorrow

Empire L.A. has many outposts. Deep in the Mojave Desert one finds pump-stations with signage reading “Department of Water and Power, City of Los Angeles.” The same terrain hosts some of the largest cement plants and lime quarries in the country, and huge power plants and solar farms also feed the metropolis from hundreds of miles away. Flowing in the opposite direction are L.A.’s garbage and wrecked cars, which pile up in the auto graveyards of San Bernardino’s desert.
PTPN2-deficiency exacerbates T follicular helper cell and B cell responses and promotes the development of autoimmunity.

Non-coding single nucleotide polymorphisms that repress PTPN2 expression have been linked with the development of type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. PTPN2 attenuates CD8+ T cell responses to self and prevents overt autoreactivity in the context of T cell homeostasis and antigen cross-presentation. The role of PTPN2 in other immune subsets in the development of autoimmunity remains unclear. Here we show that the inducible deletion of PTPN2 in hematopoietic compartment of adult non-autoimmune prone mice results in systemic inflammation and autoimmunity. PTPN2-deficient mice had increased inflammatory monocytes, B cells and effector T cells in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues and exhibited symptoms of dermatitis, glomerulonephritis, pancreatitis and overt liver disease. Autoimmunity was characterised by the formation of germinal centers in the spleen and associated with markedly increased germinal center B cells and T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and circulating anti-nuclear antibodies, inflammatory cytokines and immunoglobulins. CD8+ T cell proliferative responses were enhanced, and interleukin-21-induced STAT-3 signalling in Tfh cells and B cells was increased and accompanied by enhanced B cell proliferation ex vivo. These results indicate that deficiencies in PTPN2 across multiple immune lineages, including naive T cells, Tfh cells and B cells, contribute to the development of autoimmunity.
Bone marrow aspirate quality assessment.

76Background: Bone marrow evaluation is the cornerstone of diagnosis, staging, and measurement of treatment response for many hematologic diseases. Aspirate adequacy is defined by whether the procedure results in a specimen of sufficient quality for pathologic review. Between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015, 49.3% of inpatient bone marrow aspirates performed by Hematology/Oncology fellows at Columbia University Medical Center were classified as suboptimal. Methods: We used the Plan-Do-Study-Act methodology to 1) understand the factors contributing to suboptimal aspirates, 2) evaluate the scope of the problem at both fellowship and institutional levels, 3) develop a training seminar to educate fellows on the procedure techniques, and 4) monitor for improvement post-intervention. We identified inpatient bone marrow biopsies performed by Hematology/Oncology fellows between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2016 and tabulated aspirate adequacy as noted in the reports. A faculty-led educational seminar was held on Febr...
EARLY READMISSIONS AFTER REVASCULARIZATION IN PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH NON-ST ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Hospital readmission accounts for a substantial portion of healthcare budget. We compared 30-day readmission rates after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary bypass graft (CABG) in patients with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). We also assessed the reasons and
A survey of casques, frontal humps, and other extravagant bony cranial protuberances in birds

The occurrence of casques, frontal humps, and other bony cranial protuberances in birds is reviewed. Several previously overlooked examples are reported and casques of some rare taxa are for the first time figured. Bony cranial protuberances are most widespread among galloanserine birds, which is particularly true for helmet-like casques on top of the skull. In the species-rich clade Neoaves, by contrast, bony protuberances rarely occur on top of the skull and are mainly restricted to the beak. Similar structures have a different ontogenetic origin, with the casque of cassowaries being mainly formed by the mesethmoid and that of the Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) deriving from the frontal bones. The pneumatic frontal humps of anseriform birds are formed through inflation of diverticula of the antorbital and/or fronto-ethmoidal sinus, and air sac diverticula are likely to be involved in the formation of other casques. In some Galloanseres, bony cranial protuberances are associated with integumentary structures that have a signaling function, but such correlations do not exist for other taxa, for which a physiological, acoustic or sensory function of the protuberances has to be considered. Casques also occur in pterosaurs and non-avian dinosaurs, but most comparisons between these extinct animals and birds were confined to the casques of cassowaries. The full spectrum of bony cranial outgrowths in birds has not yet been considered and the present survey may serve as a basis for future comparisons. Prominent casques on top of the skull are more likely to evolve in terrestrial or aquatic birds, in which the head is particularly exposed and plays a role in intraspecific signaling, but their absence in most neoavian taxa is noteworthy and requires future studies to address possible ontogenetic, ecological, or functional constraints on their formation.
The Role of Electrostatic Ion Correlations in Ion Condensation

In the past decade, significant theoretical progress has been made in understanding the regime where electrostatic ion correlations dominate in a classical Coulomb fluid, i.e., the strong-coupling limit (SC). The SC models are often based on the picture of a 2-dimensional ionic layer near the charged surface due to Rouzina and Bloomfield [1]. These authors proposed that the character of electrostatic correlations amongst counter-ions near a charged surface is 2-dimensional rather than 3-dimensional.
The Aesthetics of Islamic Ethics

Muslim philosophers devoted many books and treatises to ethics as the practical side of their theoretical vision. They never developed clear theories of aesthetics, but they frequently referred to beauty as an underlying rationale for ethical conduct. Their metaphysics was founded on the notion of unity (tawḥīd), and they saw harmony, equilibrium, balance, and beauty as unity’s manifestations. In his treatise on love, Avicenna demonstrates that love drives the Necessary Being to create the universe. Others pointed to the prophetic saying, “God is beautiful, and He loves beauty,” and explained that it is precisely God’s specific love for beauty that brings the universe into existence with a special view toward human beings, whom he created in his own beautiful image. The human task becomes one of actualizing taʾalluh, “deiformity,” which is latent in the soul. “Ethics,” literally “character traits” (akhlāq), is then the practical endeavor of “becoming characterized” (takhalluq) by God’s own character traits, which are designated by what the tradition calls his “most beautiful names” (al-asmāʾ al-ḥusnā). Thus, Avicenna explains, the Necessary Being’s love for beauty is fully realized in God’s love for deiform souls.
Joining for lightweight vehicles

Abstract This chapter gives an overview of the joining technologies applicable in the design and manufacturing of lightweight automobile bodies. It covers liquid-phase welding, solid-phase welding, mechanical joining, and adhesive bonding for steels, aluminum alloys, and magnesium alloys. The process parameters and their effects on joint performance for each process are described. Benefits, limitations, and applicability of each process for automotive body construction are also discussed. A brief review of the joining techniques for polymer matrix composites is also provided.
The 43rd International Society for Computerized Electrocardiology ECG initiative for the automated detection of strict left bundle branch block

Abstract The presence of left bundle branch block (LBBB) is an important predictor of benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). New “strict” electrocardiographic (ECG) criteria for LBBB have been shown to better predict benefit from CRT. The “strict” LBBB criteria include: QRS duration ≥140 ms (men) or ≥130 ms (women), QS- or rS-configurations of the QRS complex in leads V1 and V2, and mid-QRS notching or slurring in ≥2 of leads V1, V2, V5, V6, I and aVL. The “strict” LBBB criteria are not regularly used and most hospital automated ECG systems and physicians still use more conventional LBBB criteria. As part of the 43rd International Society for Computerized Electrocardiology (ISCE) meeting, we conducted an initiative on the automated detection of “strict” LBBB where industry and academic investigators could present their algorithm results on digital 12-lead ECGs with varying QRS morphologies from the MADIT-CRT trial (300 training and 302 test set ECGs that were manually adjudicated for “strict” LBBB presence). The results revealed a 64–82% accuracy, 48–76% sensitivity and 46–87% specificity for automated “strict” LBBB detection from 7 participants. Most mismatches were likely attributed to differences in detection and absence of specific definitions for notches and slurs while differences in QRS duration and S-waves in leads V1 and V2 were less problematic. The full unblinded training and test datasets including all ECG signals are being made available through the Telemetric and Holter ECG Warehouse (THEW) for further exploration.
ObstacleWatch: Acoustic-based Obstacle Collision Detection for Pedestrian Using Smartphone

Walking while using a smartphone is becoming a major pedestrian safety concern as people may unknowingly bump into various obstacles that could lead to severe injuries. In this paper, we propose ObstacleWatch, an acoustic-based obstacle collision detection system to improve the safety of pedestrians who are engaged in smartphone usage while walking. ObstacleWatch leverages the advanced audio hardware of the smartphone to sense the surrounding obstacles and infers fine-grained information about the frontal obstacle for collision detection. In particular, our system emits well-designed inaudible beep signals from the smartphone built-in speaker and listens to the reflections with the stereo recording of the smartphone. By analyzing the reflected signals received at two microphones, ObstacleWatch is able to extract fine-grained information of the frontal obstacle including the distance, angle and size for detecting the possible collisions and to alert users. Our experimental evaluation under two real-world environments with different types of phones and obstacles shows that ObstacleWatch achieves over 92% accuracy in predicting obstacle collisions with distance estimation errors at about 2 cm. Results also show that ObstacleWatch is robust to different sizes of objects and is compatible to different phone models with low energy consumption.
Islam, Social Justice, and Democracy

Egalitarian preferences and benevolence are significant elements of Islamic social justice, which is one of the main pillars of Islam's ethico-political system. Surprisingly, empirical investigations about attitudinal implications of Islamic social justice values are rare. This is one of the first studies examining the correlations between Islam, social justice values, and regime preferences. It proposes that benevolence and egalitarian distributive preferences will induce democratic support and mediate the effect of religiosity on democratic orientations. Seemingly unrelated regression estimations using a Muslim-only sample from the sixth wave of the World Values Surveys support these hypotheses. The effects of social justice values are exclusive to support for democracy and not to support for authoritarian systems. Furthermore, religiosity increases support for democracy through intermediate mechanism of social justice values. These results imply that, next to principles of ijtihad, ijma, and shura, Islamic social justice values can induce pluralistic ideas in Muslim majority societies.
Optimization of PCR primers to detect phylogenetically diverse nrfA genes associated with nitrite ammonification

Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) is now known to be a more prevalent process in terrestrial ecosystems than previously thought. The key enzyme, a pentaheme cytochrome c nitrite reductase NrfA associated with respiratory nitrite ammonification, is encoded by the nrfA gene in a broad phylogeny of bacteria. The lack of reliable and comprehensive molecular tools to detect diverse nrfA from environmental samples has hampered efforts to meaningfully characterize the genetic potential for DNRA in environmental systems. In this study, modifications were made to optimize the amplification efficiency of previously-designed PCR primers, targeting the diagnostic region of NrfA between the conserved third- and fourth heme binding domains, and to increase coverage to include detection of environmentally relevant Geobacteraceae-like nrfA. Using an alignment of the primers to >270 bacterial nrfA genes affiliated with 18 distinct clades, modifications to the primer sequences improved coverage, minimized amplification artifacts, and yielded the predicted product sizes from reference-, soil-, and groundwater DNA. Illumina sequencing of amplicons showed the successful recovery of nrfA gene fragments from environmental DNA based on alignments of the translated sequences. The new primers developed in this study are more efficient in PCR reactions, although gene targets with high GC content affect efficiency. Furthermore, the primers have a broader spectrum of detection and were validated rigorously for use in detecting nrfA from natural environments. These are suitable for conventional PCR, qPCR, and use in PCR access array technologies that allow multiplex gene amplification for downstream high throughput sequencing platforms.
The Role of Faculty Mentoring in Improving Retention and Completion Rates for Historically Underrepresented STEM Students

There is a growing recognition of the need for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workers who provide diverse perspectives enabling companies to keep up with the demands of the 21 st -century workforce. Creating a diverse workforce requires improving access to STEM education for historically underrepresented students, including low-income students and first-generation students. However, significant challenges and barriers exist. The purpose of this paper is to showcase an innovative approach to mentoring historically underrepresented STEM students which integrates photovoice and photo-elicitation. This new approach in mentoring takes student participation one step further by asking students to document and share their lived experiences through photographs (e.g., photovoice). Then, photo-elicitation is used to further engage students in discussing what led to their subsequent empowerment in leveraging successes or overcoming barriers. The study was conducted with 19 participants who were primarily American Indian students attending a small college in Wisconsin, USA. The findings suggest students benefited from the mentoring program and perceived it as an enriching learning experience which aided in goal development, accountability, and an opportunity to learn more about strategies for student success. The implementation of this new approach and the results gathered from this study are important as they may inform educational leaders and postsecondary institutions serving historically underrepresented STEM students on supports and strategies that could be carried out on their campuses.
Adaptation and divergence in edaphic specialists and generalists: serpentine soil endemics in the California flora occur in barer serpentine habitats with lower soil calcium levels than serpentine tolerators.

PREMISE Adaptation to harsh edaphic substrates has repeatedly led to the evolution of edaphic specialists and generalists. Yet, it is unclear what factors promote specialization versus generalization. Here, we search for habitat use patterns associated with serpentine endemics (specialists) and serpentine tolerators (generalists) to indirectly test the hypothesis that trade-offs associated with serpentine adaptation promote specialization. We predict that (1) endemics have adapted to chemically harsher and more bare serpentine habitats than tolerators, and (2) edaphic endemics show more habitat divergence from their sister species than tolerators do among on- and off-serpentine populations. METHODS We selected 8 serpentine endemic and 9 serpentine tolerator species representing independent adaptation to serpentine. We characterized soil chemistry and microhabitat bareness from one serpentine taxon of each species and from a paired nonserpentine sister taxon, resulting in 8 endemic and 9 tolerator sister-taxa pairs. RESULTS We find endemic serpentine taxa occur in serpentine habitats averaging twice as much bare ground as tolerator serpentine taxa and 25% less soil calcium, a limiting macronutrient in serpentine soils. We do not find strong evidence that habitat divergence between sister taxa of endemic pairs is greater than between sister taxa of tolerator pairs. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest serpentine endemism is associated with adaptation to chemically harsher and more bare serpentine habitats. It may be that this adaptation trades off with competitive ability, which would support the longstanding, but rarely tested, competitive trade-off hypothesis.
Enantioconvergent Alkylations of Amines by Alkyl Electrophiles: Copper-Catalyzed Nucleophilic Substitutions of Racemic α-Halolactams by Indoles

Transition-metal catalysis has the potential to address shortcomings in the classic SN2 reaction of an amine with an alkyl electrophile, both with respect to reactivity and to enantioselectivity. In this study, we describe the development of a user-friendly method (reaction at room temperature, with commercially available catalyst components) for the enantioconvergent nucleophilic substitution of racemic secondary alkyl halides (α-iodolactams) by indoles. Mechanistic studies are consistent with the formation of a copper(I)-indolyl complex that reacts at different rates with the two enantiomers of the electrophile, which interconvert under the reaction conditions (dynamic kinetic resolution). This investigation complements earlier work on photoinduced enantioconvergent N-alkylation, supporting the premise that this important challenge can be addressed by a range of strategies.
Preparing weather and environment satellite big data for AI (Conference Presentation)

According to World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Space Program Observing Systems Capability Analysis and Review Tool (OSCAR) web site https://www.wmo-sat.info/oscar/satellites more than 727 entries are listed to document the past, current and future satellites for meteorological and earth observation missions. With most of the satellite carries multiple sensors it’s estimated that a few thousands of sensors have made, are making and will make remote sensing big data in the order of thousands of petabyte. These old, new, and future heterogeneous weather and environmental information-rich observations, coupled with other airborne and ground-based remote sensing, in-situ sensors, and model data are overwhelming our current capability to archive them, let alone, the attempt to use them. In this presentation, we are to leverage this phenomenal volume of complex data by exploring the possibility and concept of preparing for unified data structure and architecture suitable for the effective and optimal use of the advanced machine and deep learning artificial intelligence (AI). We’ll conclude with the potential of combining weather and environment big data with sophisticated mathematical algorithms, high-performance computing power, and deep learning analytics, that one can harness significant investments in the data collection and to demonstrate a benefit that outweigh the costs in advancing our capability in weather forecasting, environment monitoring, and climate study.
How intergroup contact and demographic factors influence attitudes toward and perceptions of addiction

Background: Drug addiction represents a serious problem in the United States. In recent years, concern over increasing rates of addiction and overdose, largely fueled by the opioid epidemic, has re...
A tool for browsing the Cancer Dependency Map reveals functional connections between genes and helps predict the efficacy and selectivity of candidate cancer drugs

Summary Individual cancers rely on distinct essential genes for their survival. The Cancer Dependency Map (DepMap) is an ongoing project to uncover gene dependency in hundreds of cancer cell lines. DepMap is a powerful drug discovery tool, but can be challenging to use without professional bioinformatics assistance. We combined CRISPR and shRNA screening data from DepMap and built a non-programmer-friendly browser (https://labsyspharm.shinyapps.io/depmap) that reports, for each gene, the growth reduction that can be expected on loss of a gene or inhibition of its action (efficacy) and the selectivity of this effect across cell lines. Cluster analysis revealed proteins that work together in pathways or complexes. This tool can be used to 1) predict the efficacy and selectivity of candidate drugs; 2) identify targets for highly selective drugs; 3) identify maximally sensitive cell lines for testing a drug; 4) target hop, i.e., navigate from an undruggable protein with the desired selectively profile, such as an activated oncogene, to more druggable targets with a similar profile; and 5) identify novel pathways needed for cancer cell growth and survival.
A highly selective inhibitor of interleukin-1 receptor–associated kinases 1/4 (IRAK-1/4) delineates the distinct signaling roles of IRAK-1/4 and the TAK1 kinase

Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-1 (IRAK-1) and IRAK-4, as well as transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), are protein kinases essential for transducing inflammatory signals from interleukin receptors. IRAK family proteins and TAK1 have high sequence identity within the ATP-binding pocket, limiting the development of highly selective IRAK-1/4 or TAK1 inhibitors. Beyond kinase activity, IRAKs and TAK1 act as molecular scaffolds along with other signaling proteins, complicating the interpretation of experiments involving knockin or knockout approaches. In contrast, pharmacological manipulation offers the promise of targeting catalysis-mediated signaling without grossly disrupting the cellular architecture. Recently, we reported the discovery of takinib, a potent and highly selective TAK1 inhibitor that has only marginal activity against IRAK-4. On the basis of the TAK1-takinib complex structure and the structure of IRAK-1/4, here we defined critical contact sites of the takinib scaffold within the nucleotide-binding sites of each respective kinase. Kinase activity testing of takinib analogs against IRAK-4 identified a highly potent IRAK-4 inhibitor (HS-243). In a kinome-wide screen of 468 protein kinases, HS-243 had exquisite selectivity toward both IRAK-1 (IC50 = 24 nm) and IRAK-4 (IC50 = 20 nm), with only minimal TAK1-inhibiting activity (IC50 = 0.5 μm). Using HS-243 and takinib, we evaluated the consequences of cytokine/chemokine responses after selective inhibition of IRAK-1/4 or TAK1 in response to lipopolysaccharide challenge in human rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes. Our results indicate that HS-243 specifically inhibits intracellular IRAKs without TAK1 inhibition and that these kinases have distinct, nonredundant signaling roles.
Scientific and Regulatory Approach to Botanical Drug Development: A U.S. FDA Perspective.

The United States FDA has received over 800 botanical investigational new drug applications (IND) and pre-IND meeting requests (PIND) in the years preceding 2018. The current data show that indicat...
Stakeholder perceptions of the value of accounting student organizations

Abstract Recent attention has been given to the importance of practitioner engagement in academic programs (e.g., AACSB and The Pathways Commission). One way practitioners can engage with students is through their involvement in accounting student organizations. We survey students, faculty, and alumni/practitioners to understand their perceptions of the value of student organizations. We categorize common activities of accounting student organizations into four areas and examine the perceived value of these activities. We also report the perceived costs and barriers to participation in these organizations. Respondents report that accounting student organizations (1) provide significant knowledge and opportunities in several activities that support student development and the transition from college to professional careers, (2) result in tangible outcome benefits, such as career preparedness and increased job placement opportunities, (3) are strongly valued by all stakeholders, and (4) are recommended by both participants and non-participants. We also find that schedule conflicts and time commitment are potential costs and/or barriers to participation. For universities that do not currently have accounting student organizations, the results provide the opportunity to consider whether and how the introduction of student organizations might add value to accounting programs.
COVID-19, Medicine, and Sports.

The COVID-19 outbreak has brought our lives to a sudden and complete lockdown. While the numbers of confirmed cases and deaths continue to rise, people around the world are taking brave actions to mitigate transmission and save lives. The role sports play in this pandemic is unprecedented, fascinating, and reveals the immense impact sports has on every aspect of our lives. We must all do our part to keep each other safe until this outbreak subsides and sports and humanity are back to being greater than ever.
Social Determinants of Health and 90‐Day Mortality After Hospitalization for Heart Failure in the REGARDS Study

Background Outcomes following heart failure (HF) hospitalizations are poor, with 90‐day mortality rates of 15% to 20%. Although prior studies found associations between individual social determinan...
Nominal types in Gitksan split-absolutive agreement

This paper presents a study of a split absolutive-nominative agreement pattern in Gitksan (Tsimshianic) which co-occurs with ergative agreement. The split is conditioned on the basis of nominal type: alongside ergative agreement, a second type of agreement targets absolutives (S, O) when the subject is a participant or third-singular pronoun, or nominatives (S, A) when the subject is a full DP or third-plural pronoun. This results in what appears to be construction-dependent variation in the applicability of the Activity Condition, as some transitive subjects receive both ergative and nominative agreement. It is proposed that DP arguments and third-plural pronouns are able to receive multiple instances of agreement by virtue of bearing D-features; in contrast to the situation with typical pronouns, these D-features remain active for agreement even if prior ergative agreement has already deactivated the argument’s ϕ-features. Both ergative and nominative agreement may target a single argument because different groups of features are targeted during the two operations. The D-feature property is ultimately linked to a structural DP/non-DP distinction amongst arguments, providing some insight into the role of D in pronominal systems. This analysis, which crucially relies on an approach to activity that explicitly allows incremental deactivation of an argument, accounts for the empirical facts in Gitksan more readily than a purely morphological approach or an approach that considers distinctions between ϕ-features alone.