cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Method of NMR T_2 Spectrum Inversion with Optimization Technique

Based on the optimization techniques,the T2 spectrum inversion method of conjugate gradient that is easy to realize non-negativity constraint of T2 spectrum is proposed.The method transforms the linear mixed-determined problem of T2 spectrum inversion into the typical optimization problem of searching the minimum of objective function by building up the objective function.The optimization problem above is solved with the conjugate gradient algorithm.The method has been applied to the inversion of noise free echo train generated from artificial spectrum,artificial echo train with signal-to-noise ratio(RSN)=25 and NMR experimental data of drilling core.The compari-son between the inversion results of this paper and artificial spectrum or the result of software imported in laboratory shows that the method can correctly invert T2 spectrum from artificial NMR data even though RSN=25 and that inversion T2 spectrum with good continuity and smoothness from core NMR experimental data accords perfectly with that of laboratory software,and moreover,the absolute error between the NMR porosity computed from T2 spectrum and helium(He) porosity in laboratory is 0.65%.Hence the T2 spectrum inversion method of conjugate gradient has strong anti-noise ability,is effective and practical for NMR data processing,and can be applied to field production and science research.
Berechnung der Streuquerschnitte bei der Beugung am Kreiszylinder

Wir betrachten zunachst den Fall σ∥, wobei das einfallende elektrische Feld der Zylinderachse parallel gerichtet ist.
Chemical and Biological Warfare in Antiquity

In antiquity, naturally occurring toxins were exploited to wage primitive and relatively sophisticated forms of chemical and biological warfare. A wide array of poisonous plants, venomous insects and reptiles, pathogens, and toxic chemicals were weaponized in ancient Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, India, China, and North and South America. Evidence for the concept and practice of toxic warfare can be traced back to thousands of years, to the Hittites of Asia Minor. Such tactics and weapons did not require a scientific understanding of toxicology, epidemiology, or chemistry, or depend on advanced technology: they arose from observation and experimentation with easily available toxic substances. Attacking an enemy’s biological vulnerabilities with secret toxic agents could be advantageous when facing armies with superior numbers, bravery, skills, or technology. Yet the use of chemical and biological weapons also raised practical and moral dilemmas in ancient cultures.
Comments on the Interaction of Turbulence And Chemical Kinetics

Chen and Kollmann [1] provide a valuable review of the interaction of the fluid mechanical and chemical processes involved in turbulent reacting flows. We are thus presented with the task of commenting on a contribution with which we have no argument! Given this situation we can only reinforce and amplify the points they make and provide additional comments on this important interaction.
Exploring Nicu Nurses' Affective Responses to End-of-life Care.

Background:The survival rate for infants born with life-threatening problems has improved greatly over the last few decades. Nevertheless, infants still die in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) every day. Despite existing standards of care, some aspects of end-of-life care (EOLC) are still not d
Shaping Strong People: Napo Runa Therapeutic Narratives of Medicinal Plant Use

Indigenous people living in contemporary Upper Amazonia marshal their ethnomedical knowledge and praxis to greet pressing challenges and to derive meaning from phenomena operating at wider scales of influence. In this chapter, I provide ethnographic examples of how Napo Runa deploy subaltern therapeutic narratives about medicinal plant use that contest violence they experience in their everyday lives and that reaffirm the purpose and consequences of social circulation of medicinal plants. These therapeutic narratives situate bodies in contexts of lived experience by drawing on historical, social–political, and environmental realties of the people crafting them. Here, ethnomedical knowledge is leveraged to contend with transnational processes that have direct and dangerous impacts on individual bodies. This work seeks not only to document how Napo Runa use plants to promote health and well-being but also to demonstrate that how they talk about their plant use illustrates their resistance to everyday forms of violence.
On Takagi Sugeno approximations of Mamdani fuzzy systems

In the present paper we propose, and investigate different constructive approaches to approximate Mamdani fuzzy systems, using Takagi-Sugeno systems. The Takagi- Sugeno fuzzy systems that we construct will be based on a piecewise linear approximation, an interpolation polynomial, and an approach based on cubic splines. Since using a Mamdani system with Center of Gravity defuzzification is computationally expensive, a Takagi-Sugeno system is a natural idea to reduce computation and keep high quality on the performance side. We extend these approaches to fuzzy rule bases with multiple antecedents. As application we construct a computing with words system using the proposed approach, and also we use the proposed approach in a video game.
Carnivore Attractant or Plant Elicitor? Multifunctional Roles of Methyl Salicylate Lures in Tomato Defense

Synthetic plant volatile lures attract natural enemies, but may have non-target effects due to the multifunctional nature of volatile signals. For example, methyl salicylate (MeSA) is used to attract predators, yet also serves as a signaling hormone involved in plant pathogen defense. We investigated the consequences of deploying MeSA lures to attract predators for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) defense against herbivores. To understand the spatial distribution of the lure's effect, we exposed tomatoes in the field to MeSA along a linear distance gradient and induced defenses by simulating feeding by hornworm caterpillars in a fully crossed factorial design (+/- MeSA, +/- herbivory). Subsequently, we analyzed activity of several defensive proteins (protease inhibitors, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase), development of hornworm larvae (Manduca sexta), growth of fungal pathogens (Cladosporium and Alternaria), and attractiveness to herbivores and predators. Overall, MeSA-exposed plants were more resistant to both insects and pathogens. Secondary pathogen infection was reduced by 25% in MeSA exposed plants, possibly due to elevated polyphenol oxidase activity. Interestingly, we found that lures affected plant pathogen defenses equivalently across all distances (up to 4 m away) indicating that horizontal diffusion of a synthetic volatile may be greater than previously assumed. While thrips avoided colonizing hornworm- damaged tomato plants, this induced resistance was not observed upon pre-exposure to MeSA, suggesting that MeSA suppresses the repellant effect induced by herbivory. Thus, using MeSA lures in biological control may inadvertently protect crops from pathogens, but has mixed effects on plant resistance to insect herbivores.
Multiattribute, Multi-Person, and Multi-Period Risks

Human health hazards, ranging from pollutants in air or water to microbes in food, usually threaten the health of many people simultaneously. Typically, different people are unequally exposed to the health hazards arising from a decision affecting exposures to such hazards, raising questions about fairness and equity in the distribution of risks from the decision — or, more generally, in the distribution of its costs, risks, and benefits. Most hazards can affect several aspects of health, such as the frequency, duration, type, and intensity or severity of exposure-related illnesses. Different people, including people of different ages, may value these aspects of health effects differently.
The Cellular Functions of Chaperonins

It is apparent that a major sub-set of heat shock proteins assist other polypeptides to maintain, or assume, a conformation required for their correct assembly into biologically active structures (Georgopoulos et al. 1973; Kochan and Murialdo 1983; Goloubinoff et al. 1989; Cheng et al. 1989; Ostermann et al. 1989; Bresnick et al. 1989) or localization (Deshaies et al. 1988; Chirico et al. 1988; Zimmermann et al. 1988; Bochkareva et al. 1988; Lecker et al. 1989). This group of proteins function as molecular chaperones, and they have been defined as proteins which assist the assembly of some oligomeric proteins, but are not components of the final structure (Ellis 1987; Ellis et al. 1989; Ellis and Hemmingsen 1989). One distinct group of related molecular chaperones are found in prokaryotes, mitochondria, and plastids, and are called chaperonins (Hemmingsen et al. 1988). In this chapter we outline the discovery and characterization of chaperonins in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, and also describe recent data that show that these proteins have an important role in protein folding in cells.
Cyber terrain mission mapping: Tools and methodologies

The Air Force is shifting its cybersecurity paradigm from an information technology (IT)-centric toward a mission oriented approach. Instead of focusing on how to defend its IT infrastructure, it seeks to provide mission assurance by defending mission relevant cyber terrain enabling mission execution in a contested environment. In order to actively defend a mission in cyberspace, efforts must be taken to understand and document that mission's dependence on cyberspace and cyber assets. This is known as cyber terrain mission mapping. This paper seeks to define mission mapping and overview methodologies. We also analyze current tools seeking to provide cyber situational awareness through mission mapping or cyber dependency impact analysis and identify existing shortfalls.
The Replication Crisis and Chemistry Education Research

There is a growing acknowledgment that some research findings in fields as diverse as medicine and psychology may not be replicable. There are many reasons for this, including a reliance on small sample sizes, and retroactive choice of data to analyze. It has become clear that the traditional measure of statistical significance (p < 0.05) is not enough to support research claims. In this editorial I discuss the background and some possible solutions.
Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Coronary Artery Disease (from the Million Veteran Program).

Moderate alcohol consumption has been associated with a lower risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the general population but has not been well studied in US veterans. We obtained self-reported alcohol consumption from Million Veteran Program participants. Using electronic health records, CAD events were defined as 1 inpatient or 2 outpatient diagnosis codes for CAD, or 1 code for a coronary procedure. We excluded participants with prevalent CAD (n = 69,995) or incomplete alcohol information (n = 8,449). We used a Cox proportional hazards model to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for CAD, adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, race, smoking, education, and exercise. Among 156,728 participants, the mean age was 65.3 years (standard deviation = 12.1) and 91% were men. There were 6,153 CAD events during a mean follow-up of 2.9 years. Adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for CAD were 1.00 (reference), 1.02 (0.92 to 1.13), 0.83 (0.74 to 0.93), 0.77 (0.67 to 0.87), 0.71 (0.62 to 0.81), 0.62 (0.51 to 0.76), 0.58 (0.46 to 0.74), and 0.95 (0.85 to 1.06) for categories of never drinker; former drinker; current drinkers of ≤0.5 drink/day, >0.5 to 1 drink/day, >1 to 2 drinks/day, >2 to 3 drinks/day, and >3 to 4 drinks/day; and heavy drinkers (>4 drinks/day) or alcohol use disorder, respectively. For a fixed amount of ethanol, intake at ≥3 days/week was associated with lower CAD risk compared with ≤1 day/week. Beverage preference (beer, wine, or liquor) did not influence the alcohol-CAD relation. Our data show a lower risk of CAD with light-to-moderate alcohol consumption among US veterans, and drinking frequency may provide a further reduction in risk.
Elementary Aspects of the Interaction Between Cumulus Convection and the Large-Scale Environment

Basic effects of the release of latent heat in a limited region within a stably stratified fluid are reviewed. The response of the environment consists of transient inertia-gravity waves, which are inefficient in transporting heat, and a steady response the nature of which is crucially dependent on the rotational and dissipative properties of the fluid. The vertical propagation of energy associated with the transient gravity waves is emphasized, and the likelihood and nature of effects which feedback positively on the convection are discussed. Conditions under which ensemble averages of cumulus effects may be carried out are examined, with stress placed on the need for a scale separation. The development of ensembles of cumulus clouds is ascribed to two different mechanisms: the destabilization to convection associated with large-scale systems which owe their existence to processes other than convection, and self-exciting cumulus ensembles which require a larger-scale “dynamical flywheel” to organize the cumuli and sustain them against transient influences. A simple model for the ensemble average effect of latent heat release in cumulus clouds is developed and applied to two different “dynamical flywheels”: quasi-balanced vortices (typical cyclones), and inertia-gravity waves. Fundamental theorems regarding the effects of convection in these models are developed and discussed, and we examine the successes and failures of the models in describing observed mesoscale and large-scale convective systems.
Conceptural diagrams and flow diagrams

Diagrams are probably the next most widely used type of models after mental and verbal models. Intuitively when presenting a model we tend to start drawing diagrams to explain the assumptions and simplifications made. With the advent of new software tools, it becomes easier to use the computer to design these conceptual diagrams, especially since these software packages in many cases can convert the diagrams into computer code and generate numerical models for further analysis. Most of the system dynamics software (such as Stella, Madonna, Powersim, Simile, and others) can be readily used to put together conceptual models and flow diagrams. More advanced tools are based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML) approach and can generate computer code in Java, PHP, C++, Python, and other languages.
Sensor-Fusion methodology for reducing product quality variation

As competitive pressures demand higher levels of productivity and product quality, the accuracy and reliability of products remains important but becomes increasingly more difficult to achieve. The dimensional inaccuracy of any manufactured part is a combined effect of several degradation factors including process related errors, machine related errors, fixturing related errors, material property variation, and dimensional variation of the incoming parts or raw material. The inspection processes have become an integral part of the manufacturing processes and form the metrology anchor to determine the quality of manufactured products and to certify the performance of manufacturing processes. However, there still remains a lack of a comprehensive methodology, to identify and assess the contribution of those factors that cause variation in product quality, based solely on inspection data.
Testing for Discrimination: Teaching Audit Studies in Quantitative Methods Courses:

This article demonstrates a method for teaching students to conduct audit studies of discrimination. The assignment can be used in courses on quantitative methods, race, gender, or other topics. Au...
Fetal Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation: The Role of an Objective Measurement of Cardiomediastinal Shift.

Objective To examine the relationship between cardiomediastinal shift angle (CMSA) and adverse perinatal outcomes and hydrops in cases of congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM). Study Design This retrospective study evaluated CPAM cases referred to our institution from 2008 to 2015. The primary outcome was a composite score for adverse perinatal outcome. CMSA was measured for each case and evaluated for its association with the primary outcome. The prediction accuracy of CMSA for adverse perinatal outcome was assessed using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves. Results Eighteen (21.2%) of the 85 cases experienced an adverse perinatal outcome. Increases in CMSA were associated with adverse perinatal outcomes and hydrops in bivariate analyses. Adjusted analyses found each 10-degree increase in CMSA to be associated with increased odds of an adverse perinatal outcome (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4–3.3) and hydrops (aOR 3.0, 95% CI: 1.5–6.1). CMSA performed well and was comparable to CPAM volume ratio in predicting adverse perinatal outcomes (area under the curve 0.81 and 0.84, respectively). Conclusion We describe a novel measurement of mediastinal shift in cases of CPAM and its relationship with adverse perinatal outcomes and hydrops. These findings may shape the evaluation and management of CPAMs, improve our understanding of their prognosis, and influence patient counseling.
Iohexol-measured glomerular filtration rate in children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease: a pilot study comparing venous and finger stick methods.

Measurement of glomerular filtration rate by iohexol disappearance (iGFR) has become a gold standard in the pediatric chronic kidney disease (CKD) population. The need for serial phlebotomy can be difficult and minimizing venipunctures would be beneficial. Furthermore, finger stick collection for dried blood spot (DBS) may be more tolerable in the pediatric population, and equivalence between these two methods may further simplify the process. This was a cross-sectional study in children and adolescents 1 to 21 years with stages I–IV CKD. Iohexol was infused and blood drawn 10, 30, 120, and 300 min later. Blood spots on filter paper were collected by finger stick after each of the latter two blood draws. The rate of iohexol plasma disappearance was used to calculate GFR. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and bias, Students t test, and Bland-Altman graphical representations were used to compare methods. Forty-one patients were recruited. The mean creatinine was 1.13 mg/dL (SD 0.45), the mean 4-point iGFR was 73.2 ml/min/1.73m2 (SD 27.5) and the mean 2-point iGFR was 75.6 ml/min/1.73m2 (SD 27.3). Correlation between 2-point and 4-point venous GFR was r = 0.97; p < 0.001. The correlation between the DBS and the 2-point venous GFR was r = 0.95; p < 0.001, with no significant bias. Ninety-four percent of the 2-point GFR’s were within 10% of the 4-point GFR’s and 80% of DBS-GFRs were within 10% of the 2-point GFR’s. The 2-point iGFR was highly correlated and agreed well with the 4-point iGFR. The same was true for the DBS method and the 2-point venous method. DBS sampling by finger stick sampling at 2 time points after iohexol infusion gave an acceptably accurate measurement of GFR.
Decreased Macrophage Autophagy Promotes Liver Injury and Inflammation from Alcohol

Background One mechanism underlying the development of alcoholic liver disease is overactivation of the innate immune response. Recent investigations indicate that the lysosomal pathway of autophagy down-regulates the inflammatory state of hepatic macrophages, suggesting that macrophage autophagy may regulate innate immunity in alcoholic liver disease. The function of macrophage autophagy in the development of alcoholic liver disease was examined in studies employing mice with a myeloid-specific decrease in autophagy. Methods Littermate control and Atg5Δmye mice lacking Atg5-dependent myeloid autophagy were administered a Lieber-DeCarli control (CD) or ethanol diet (ED) alone or together with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and examined for the degree of liver injury and inflammation. Results Knockout mice with decreased macrophage autophagy had equivalent steatosis but increased mortality and liver injury from ED alone. Increased liver injury and hepatocyte death also occurred in Atg5Δmye mice administered ED and LPS in association with systemic inflammation as indicated by elevated serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Hepatic macrophage and neutrophil infiltration were unaffected by decreased autophagy, but levels of proinflammatory cytokine gene induction were significantly increased in the livers but not adipose tissue of knockout mice treated with ED and LPS. Inflammasome activation was increased in ED/LPS-treated knockout mice resulting in elevated interleukin (IL)-1β production. Increased IL-1β promoted alcoholic liver disease as liver injury was decreased by the administration of an IL-1 receptor antagonist. Conclusions Macrophage autophagy functions to prevent liver injury from alcohol. This protection is mediated in part by down-regulation of inflammasome-dependent and inflammasome-independent hepatic inflammation. Therapies to increase autophagy may be effective in this disease through anti-inflammatory effects on macrophages.
A Bayesian Inference driven computational framework for seismic risk assessment using large-scale nonlinear finite element analyses

Abstract Nuclear engineers are increasingly relying on large-scale simulations particularly for seismic risk assessment. Experimentally validated simulation models are used to consider the effects of uncertainties and evaluate fragilities by conducting multiple nonlinear analyses. However, such an approach becomes computationally prohibitive and care is needed to achieve desired degree of accuracy with a reasonable amount of computational effort. In this paper, a statistical framework is presented to minimize the total computational effort needed in conducting large-scale simulations for seismic risk assessment. The salient features of the framework are: (i) use of Bayesian inference to allow consideration of data from diverse sources like experiments, field data, existing or simplified approaches, and data from large-scale simulations, and (ii) embedment of Bayesian methods within an iterative process to plan and allocate adequate computing resources such that the desired accuracy is achieved using minimum possible simulations. The applicability and efficiency of the proposed framework is illustrated using the example of a box-shaped reinforced concrete shear wall.
Guide to functional mitral regurgitation: a contemporary review

Functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) occurs in the absence of organic mitral valve (MV) disease and is a result of LV dysfunction due to ischemic vs. non ischemic etiologies. The prevalence of FMR is increasing, as 2.0-2.5 million people in the USA were diagnosed with FMR in 2000-and this number is expected to double to 4 million by 2030. FMR tends to develop in a significant number of patients after myocardial infarction (MI) and many develop heart failure (HF) subsequently with mortality rates ranging from 15-40% at 1 year. Therefore, there has been much interest and effort to develop optimized methods for quantifying and classifying the severity of FMR, as well as developing effective therapeutic interventions to improve outcomes in patients with significant FMR. Echocardiogram is typically the primary diagnostic method of assessment, however, there have been various technological advances including cardiac CT and cardiac MRI that can better guide quantification and management of this disease. Management of this disease is mostly aimed at optimizing left ventricular (LV) remodeling with surgical and transcatheter management gaining more popularity with recent times. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the current evaluation methods and interventional strategies for FMR.
Bond Mutual Fund Flows, Fund Liquidity, and Broker-Dealer Inventories

Some financial supervisors worry that liquidity transformation within the “shadow banking” sector might threaten financial stability. For example, a mutual fund promising overnight liquidity based on illiquid assets (such as corporate bonds) runs the risk of needing to “fire sale” some assets, with potentially deleterious external effects. One protection against this possibility would be a broker-dealer sector that stands ready to stabilize prices by buying (or selling) for its own inventory. I evaluate the extent to which bond mutual funds’ flows are reflected in broker-dealers’ inventories. Although brokers generally trade in the same direction as the mutual funds, high-yield corporate bonds present an exception. Flows out of high-yield bond funds are associated with a significant increase in dealers’ high-yield bond inventories. These results provide further information about how various types of bond mutual funds handle liquidity demands.
Black Ecology and Critical Environmental Justice

How do we make sense of—and adequately strive against or put an end to—the socioecological violence that so tenaciously adheres to black life? In response to this question, this essay contributes t...
A vision for the aging church: renewing ministry for and by seniors: by James M. Houston & Michael Parker, InterVarsity Press, 2011, 279 pp., ISBN: 978-0-8308-3948-3 Downer’s Grove, IL $24.00 paperback

Houston and Parker’s book is relevant today as the church re-envisions what community looks like following the global pandemic. In this book the authors set out a compelling vision of what communit...
Wrong-way driving crash injury analysis on arterial road networks using non-parametric data mining techniques

Wrong-way driving (WWD) crashes result in more fatalities per crash, involve more vehicles, and cause extended road closures compared to other types of crashes. Previous studies have used descripti...
Resistance and survival to extreme heat shows circadian and sex-specific patterns in A cavity nesting bee

Abstract The pollination services provided by insects have been a crucial part of evolution and survival for many species, including humans. For bees to be efficient pollinators they must survive the environmental insults they face daily. Thus, looking into the short- and long-term effects of heat exposure on bee performance provides us with a foundation for investigating how stress can affect insect pollination. Solitary bees are a great model for investigating the effects of environmental stress on pollinators because the vast majority of insect pollinator species are solitary rather than social. One of the most pervasive environmental stressors to insects is temperature. Here we investigated how a one-hour heat shock affected multiple metrics of performance in the alfalfa leafcutting bee, Megachile rotundata. We found that a short heat shock (1hr at 45°C) can delay adult emergence in males but not females. Bee pupae were rather resilient to a range of high temperature exposures that larvae did not survive. Following heat shock (1hr at 50°C), adult bees were drastically less active than untreated bees, and this reduction in activity was evident over several days. Heat shock also led to a decrease in bee survival and longevity. Additionally, we found a connection between starvation survival after heat shock and time of exposure, where bees exposed in the morning survived longer than those exposed in the afternoon, when they would normally experience heat shock in the field. These data suggest that there is an unexplored daily/circadian component to the stress response in bees likely similar to that seen in flies, nematodes, and plants which is constitutive or preemptive rather than restorative. Taken together our data indicate that single heat shock events have strong potential to negatively impact multiple life history traits correlated with reproduction and fitness.
124 Functionalizing CAR T cells for selective proliferation and dual-targeting using the meditope technology

Background Meditope is a small cyclic peptide that was identified to bind to cetuximab within the Fab region. The meditope binding site can be grafted onto any Fab framework, creating a platform to uniquely and specifically target monoclonal antibodies. Here we demonstrate that the meditope binding site can be grafted onto chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and utilized to regulate and extend CAR T cell function. We demonstrate that the platform can be used to overcome key barriers to CAR T cell therapy, including T cell exhaustion and antigen escape. Methods Meditope-enabled CARs (meCARs) were generated by amino acid substitutions to create binding sites for meditope peptide (meP) within the Fab tumor targeting domain of the CAR. meCAR expression was validated by anti-Fc FITC or meP-Alexa 647 probes. In vitro and in vivo assays were performed and compared to standard scFv CAR T cells. For meCAR T cell proliferation and dual-targeting assays, the meditope peptide (meP) was conjugated to recombinant human IL15 fused to the CD215 sushi domain (meP-IL15:sushi) and anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab (meP-rituximab). Results We generated meCAR T cells targeting HER2, CD19 and HER1/3 and demonstrate the selective specific binding of the meditope peptide along with potent meCAR T cell effector function. We next demonstrated the utility of a meP-IL15:sushi for enhancing meCAR T cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Proliferation and persistence of meCAR T cells was dose dependent, establishing the ability to regulate CAR T cell expansion using the meditope platform. We also demonstrate the ability to redirect meCAR T cells tumor killing using meP-antibody adaptors. As proof-of-concept, meHER2-CAR T cells were redirected to target CD20+ Raji tumors, establishing the potential of the meditope platform to alter the CAR specificity and overcome tumor heterogeneity. Conclusions Our studies show the utility of the meCAR platform for overcoming key challenges for CAR T cell therapy by specifically regulating CAR T cell functionality. Specifically, the meP-IL15:sushi enhanced meCAR T cell persistence and proliferation following adoptive transfer in vivo and protects against T cell exhaustion. Further, meP-ritiuximab can redirect meCAR T cells to target CD20-tumors, showing the versatility of this platform to address the tumor antigen escape variants. Future studies are focused on conferring additional ‘add-on’ functionalities to meCAR T cells to potentiate the therapeutic effectiveness of CAR T cell therapy.
Neuroethological studies of fear, anxiety, and risky decision-making in rodents and humans

Prey are relentlessly faced with a series of survival problems to solve. One enduring problem is predation, where the prey's answers rely on the complex interaction between actions cultivated during its life course and defense reactions passed down by descendants. To understand the proximate neural responses to analogous threats, affective neuroscientists have favored well-controlled associative learning paradigms, yet researchers are now creating semi-realistic environments that examine the dynamic flow of decision-making and escape calculations that mimic the prey's real world choices. In the context of research from the field of ethology and behavioral ecology, we review some of the recent literature in rodent and human neuroscience and discuss how these studies have the potential to provide new insights into the behavioral expression, computations, and the neural circuits that underlie healthy and pathological fear and anxiety.
EXAFS and Other Studies of Sulfite Oxidase Molybdenum

Sulfite oxidase is a molybdenum- and heme-containing enzyme which catalyzes the oxidation of sulfite to sulfate, with cytochrome c as the ultimate physiological electron acceptor.1 Sulfite is oxidized at the molybdenum site, which is, in turn, reoxidized by the b5-like heme.2 The enzyme thereby couples the two-electron oxidation of sulfite with two one-electron reductions of cyctochrome c, and the catalytic cycle, shown on page 158.
Myths about High-Level Radioactive Waste

The subject of high-level radioactive waste was discussed in detail in Chapter 16. Here we discuss some of the distortions and myths about that problem that have received wide publicity.
PHARMACOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF DRUG DEPENDENCE.

Publisher Summary Drug dependence in man does not develop to many of the classes of drugs that induce tolerance, and tolerance does not develop to some of the drugs to which man may become dependent. Both tolerance and dependence develop to two major classes of central nervous system depressants, narcotic analgesics and the sedative hypnotics. The clinical techniques for evaluating a drug's capacity to induce physical dependence have been discussed in this chapter. The factors that influence the development of physical dependence and the postulates concerning the mechanism underlying its development have also been reviewed. The factors that favor the optimal development of physical dependence to the narcotic analgesics are related to the nature of the particular drug, to the manner of its administration, and to the species. Although, the clinical literature dealing with psychogenic or psychic dependence is enormous, only recent laboratory studies have initiated to determine whether this phenomenon could be demonstrated in animals. The search for an analgesic drug devoid of morphine's undesirable properties continues unabated. A morphine derivative has been found in which the analgesic property has been dissociated from the most undesirable property of all-that of producing physical dependence. A variety of other drugs have been produced that resemble morphine, or more frequently codeine, in their over-all spectra of pharmacological actions. A variety of antagonists have been developed in the morphinan and benzomorphan series. Many of these have been assayed as analgesics in man. It is recently found that some of the narcotic analgesics produce analgesia but do not produce physical dependence. Moreover substances that are effective antitussives and that completely lack the capacity to induce physical dependence have also been discovered in recent years.
SELECTIVE INHIBITION BY TRYPTOPHAN ANALOGUES OF MURINE TOXIN SYNTHESIS IN PASTEURELLA PESTIS

Montie, Thomas C. (Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pa.), and Samuel J. Ajl. Selective inhibition by tryptophan analogues of murine toxin synthesis in Pasteurella pestis. J. Bacteriol. 88:1467-1475. 1964.-Washed-cell suspensions of Pasteurella pestis, avirulent strain "Tjiwidej," exhibited a preferential inhibition of toxin synthesis relative to total protein formation, when grown in the presence of various tryptophan analogues. Growth was partially inhibited in the presence of methyl analogues. High concentrations of 5-fluorotryptophan induced slight growth-inhibitory effects. However, toxin production was more sensitive to these levels of the analogue. Growth inhibition appeared not to relate to toxin inhibition. Inhibition of toxin synthesis by analogues was reversed by l-tryptophan and indole. Shikimic acid but not anthranilic acid antagonized the action of 4-methyltryptophan on selective toxin synthesis. The formation of tryptophanless protein accounted for continued protein synthesis in tryptophan-depleted cells. Protein resolved by acrylamide gel electrophoresis from crude cell extracts exhibited two toxic protein bands. The synthesis of one toxin-protein band, the less-mobile of the two, appeared to be associated with the membrane fraction of the cell, and was selectively blocked in cells grown in the presence of tryptophan analogues. Cellular tryptophan levels may determine the quantity and quality of proteins made.
Linear and Nonlinear Predictablity of International Securitized Real Estate Returns: A Reality Check

This paper examines the short-horizon return predictability of the ten largest international securitized real estate markets, paying special attention to possible nonlinearity-in-mean as well as no...
Promised and distributed quantum search

This paper gives a quantum algorithm to search in an set S for a k-tuple satisfying some predefined relation, with the promise that some components of a desired k-tuple are in some subsets of S. In particular when k=2, we show a tight bound of the quantum query complexity for the Claw Finding problem, improving previous upper and lower bounds by Buhrman, Durr, Heiligman, Hoyer, Magniez, Santha and de Wolf [7]. We also consider the distributed scenario, where two parties each holds an n-element set, and they want to decide whether the two sets share a common element. We show a family of protocols s.t.q(P)3/2 . c(P)= O(n2log n), where q(P) and c(P) are the number of quantum queries and the number of communication qubits that the protocol P makes, respectively. This implies that we can pay more for quantum queries to save on quantum communication, and vice versa. To our knowledge, it is the first result about the tradeoff between the two resources.
Spatial scale influences the outcome of the predator–prey space race between tadpoles and predatory dragonflies

1. How predators and prey distribute themselves across space can have large population and community-level consequences by affecting the frequency and potential strength of interactions between and within trophic levels. The general pattern that emerges from numerous studies is that predators seek areas with higher prey densities and prey avoid areas with higher predation risk. However, little is known about the behavioural mechanisms underlying the emergent spatial patterns between freely interacting predators and prey. 2. We examined the behaviour and space use of groups of Pseudacris regilla (Pacific treefrog) tadpole prey and larval Rhionaeschna multicolor (blue-eyed darner) odonate predators in arenas consisting of four patches of the prey's resources divided into two spatial scales over two observation periods a day apart. Distributions were assayed both alone and together. We predicted scale should inherently affect the resulting spatial patterns because factors such as selection, competition, interference, movement ability and prey responses to predators all have potentially similar effects as scale become larger or smaller. These factors predict that prey should be more able to dictate the spatial pattern at smaller scales and predators at larger scales. 3. Results generally match these predictions with measures of joint space being consistent with the predators dictating the joint space use more than expected at the larger scale. Moreover, at the smaller scale, either the predator and prey responses offset or reverse to favour the prey. We used a model selection approach to look at the underlying behavioural rules shaping these spatial patterns. Prey were more likely to leave patches with lower resources across both scales. However, their response to predators and competitors differed between the scales, with prey appearing to become trapped with predators only at the larger scale and only avoiding other prey at the small scale. 4. These results highlight the importance of investigating freely interacting predators and prey and the factors that are likely to affect the predator's or prey's ability to dictate spatial patterns. An ability to predict predator-prey spatial outcomes should be a great benefit with habitat fragmentation and shifting population densities, distributions and community compositions.
A net-centric curricular focus

Many view JavaScript as merely a scripting language to support Web pages. However, when JavaScript is used more like a traditional language (Web page gimmicks aside), the Web can be used as a viable programming platform upon which to teach programming fundamentals. We describe a Net-Centric curricular revision at Lake Forest College that uses the Web as the programming environment in CS1. We discuss the relationship of the new CS1 to the existing CS0 JavaScript course, and the ramifications that using the Web as the programming platform in CS1 has on other aspects of the curriculum. In particular, our early focus on Web programming facilitates expanded coverage in upper-level courses where the Internet is a factor.
The Formation of Islam: The beginnings of sectarianism

There is an old and well-developed heresiographical tradition in Islam. In response to reported dicta of the Prophet to the effect that his community would ultimately fracture into seventy-three (or seventy-two – the precise number varies with the reports) sects, theologians composed extensive treatises identifying the different religious groups and their relation to what the authors identified as legitimate Islam. Of course, as Islam has generally lacked an institutional authority constituted to make definitive pronouncements about matters of religious interest, what exactly the parameters of Islamic legitimacy embrace has tended to shift with the perspective of the viewer. The very terms “heresy” and “orthodoxy” (since the former cannot exist without the latter) as they are used in the Western Christian tradition are in some ways misleading in an Islamic context. On the other hand, the flexibility of the Islamic tradition has not prevented Muslims from fervent denunciations of those who (in their view) falsely claim the mantle of Islam. Indeed, the very lack of an authoritative institutional structure has probably helped to make conflicts over issues of religious identity sharper and more intense. Those conflicts were central to the history of Islam in the first century and a half of the new religion when, as we have seen, it only gradually carved out for itself an identity distinct from those of the earlier Near Eastern monotheisms.
Nonpeptidic Delta (δ) Opioid Agonists and Antagonists of the Diarylmethylpiperazine Class: What Have We Learned?

The discovery of the selective delta (delta) opioid agonists SNC 80 and BW373U86, which possess a diarylmethylpiperazine structure unique among opioids, represented a major advance in the field of delta-opioid ligands. Extensive research has recently been performed to uncover the structure-activity relationships (SAR) of this class of ligands, thereby providing valuable tools for the pharmacological characterization of the delta opioid receptor. This review focuses on the SAR of this unique series of ligands, and provides an overview of the various chemical routes that have been developed and optimized through the years to allow the syntheses of these ligands on a multigram scale. The search for selective delta opioid agonists and antagonists, as well as for those with mixed opioid agonist properties with potential therapeutic value, continues. Several questions regarding the interaction at the molecular level of diphenylmethylpiperazine derivatives and related analogs with opioid receptors and in particular with the delta opioid system still remain unanswered. Indeed, the development and pharmacological characterization of novel nonpeptidic delta opioid ligands remains an active area of research, as it may provide a better understanding of the role of this receptor in multiple disease states and disorders.
Rapid inner-volume imaging in the steady-state with 3D selective excitation and small-tip fast recovery imaging.

Purpose Develop a method for rapid three-dimensional inner-volume (IV), or reduced field-of-view, steady-state imaging. Methods: Tailored radiofrequency pulses for exciting a three-dimensional IV were designed using a recently proposed algorithm and used in three different sequences: spoiled gradient echo, balanced steady-state free precession, and “small-tip fast recovery” (STFR) which uses a “tip-up” RF pulse after the readout to fast recover spins to the longitudinal axis. The inner- and outer-volume (OV) steady-state signals were analyzed. To demonstrate the potential utility of the proposed method, segmented stack-of-spirals reduced field-of-view images in a volunteer were acquired. Results For a given three-dimensional IV excitation pulse, STFR can achieve higher IV/OV signal ratio compared with spoiled gradient echo and balanced steady-state free precession. For spoiled gradient echo and balanced steady-state free precession, this ratio is significantly lower than that produced by a single IV excitation. For STFR, this ratio exceeds that produced by a single IV excitation, due to partial OV saturation produced by the nonspatially selective tip-up pulse. Reduced FOV STFR stack-of-spirals imaging with 2-fold under-sampling in both x-y and z is demonstrated. Conclusion STFR provides an effective mechanism for OV suppression in steady-state IV imaging. The recently proposed joint pulse design method can be used in the STFR sequence to achieve fast reduced field-of-view imaging. Magn Reson Med, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evidence for two genetic loci in Yersinia enterocolitica that can promote invasion of epithelial cells.

Virulent strains of Yersinia enterocolitica cause disease syndromes ranging from mild gastroenteritis to lymphadenitis and septicemia. The ability of these bacteria to invade intestinal epithelial cells to gain access to the reticuloendothelial system is thought to be an important aspect of their virulence. We report here on the cloning of two Y. enterocolitica chromosomal loci, inv and ail, each of which confers an invasive phenotype on Escherichia coli HB101. The inv locus allows a uniformly high level of invasion in several tissue culture lines and is homologous to the inv gene of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. The second locus, ail, shows more host specificity than inv in that it allows invasion to a variable degree of some cell lines (e.g., HEp-2, HEC1B, and CHO cells) but allows no invasion of others (e.g., Madin-Darby canine kidney cells).
The Role of Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 1 in Regulating Innate Immunity

The mechanisms that control TLR-induced responses, including endotoxin tolerance, have been not well understood. The tuberous sclerosis complex 1 (TSC1) is a tumor suppressor that inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). We show in this study that deficiency of TSC1 results in enhanced activation of not only mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1), but also JNK1/2, following LPS stimulation in macrophages. TSC1-deficient macrophages produce elevated proinflammatory cytokines and NO in response to multiple TLR ligands. Such enhanced TLR-induced responses can be inhibited by reducing mTORC1 and JNK1/2 activities with chemical inhibitors or small hairpin RNA, suggesting that TSC1 negatively controls TLR responses through both mTORC1 and JNK1/2. The impact of TSC1 deficiency appeared not limited to TLRs, as NOD- and RIG-I/MDA-5–induced innate responses were also altered in TSC1-deficient macrophages. Furthermore, TSC1 deficiency appears to cause impaired induction of endotoxin tolerance in vitro and in vivo, which is correlated with increased JNK1/2 activation and can be reversed by JNK1/2 inhibition. Our results reveal a critical role of TSC1 in regulating innate immunity by negative control of mTORC1 and JNK1/2 activation.
A Diagrammatic Exposition of Weak Complementarity and the Willig Condition

This article provides a graphical explanation for one of the most important restrictions to utility functions used in revealed preference approaches for measuring the demand for public goods and product quality—weak complementarity. It also describes how the Willig condition is an important element along with weak complementarity in measuring Hicksian consumer surplus for changes in public goods or quality using Marshallian demand curves.