cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anterior Cingulate Gyrus Volume and Glucose Metabolism in Autistic Disorder

Obiective : This study reports the first paired measurements of glucose metabolism and volume of the anterior cingulate gyrus in autism. Method: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans of seven high-functioning autistic patients and seven sex- and age-matched normal volunteers were coregistered. After the anterior cingulate gyri were outlined on the MRI images, the volumes of the structures were measured and corrected for brain volume. The volumes were then applied to the PET images and metabolic maps were obtained. Results: Right anterior cingulate area 24' was significantly smaller in relative volume, and both area 24 and area 24' were metabolically less active, in the autistic patients than in the normal subjects. Conclusions: Autism may be characterized by structural and functional alterations in the anterior cingulate gyrus.
Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging predicts clinical outcome of core decompression for osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Objective. To determine whether the course of femoral head osteonecrosis after core decompression can be predicted from the extent of necrotic bone in the preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods. In 31 femoral head lesions (Ficat stage I or II), the percentage volume of necrotic bone was calculated by dividing the sum of the necrotic areas from all MRI slices by the sum of the femoral head areas. Osteonecrosis risk factors, pain scores, and the need for further surgery were assessed at a minimum of 12 mo post-core decompression. Clinical outcomes were considered good when post-core decompression pain scores improved and further surgery was not required. Results. Fourteen of the 15 hips with good outcomes after a mean followup of 32 mo had less than 21% femoral head involvement. All 16 hips with poor outcomes after a mean followup of 17 mo had more than 21% of the femoral head affected. Conclusion. Quantitative MRI of femoral head necrosis was a useful predictor of clinical outcome following core decompression.
Modeling of Distortion of a Steel Bracket Sand Casting

Modeling the thermo-mechanical behavior of bonded sand is essential for predicting casting distortions. In this study, steel casting experiments involving a steel U-shaped bracket are performed to investigate the effect of core restraint. The gap opening between the bracket legs is measured in-situ using LVDTs (Linear Variable Differential Transformers) that are attached to quartz rods embedded into the bottom of each leg. During cooling, the core restrains thermal contractions of the steel and pushes the legs outward, generating distortions. To simulate the experiments, calculated transient temperature fields are input into a finite element stress analysis code. The steel is modeled using an elasto-visco-plastic constitutive law, while the core employs the Drucker Prager Cap model. After adjustments to the high-temperature core sand properties, the observed distortions are accurately predicted.
International Financial Institutions, Development, and Regional Development Banks

This association of poverty with progress is the great enigma of our times. It is the central fact from which springs industrial, social, and political difficulties that perplex the world, and with which statesmanship and philanthropy and education grapple in vain. From it come the clouds that overhang the future of the most progressive and self-reliant nations. It is the riddle which the Sphinx of Fate puts to our civilization, and which not to answer is to be destroyed. So long as all the increased wealth which modern progress brings goes but to build up great fortunes, to increase luxury and make sharper the contrast between the House of Have and the House of Want, progress is not real and cannot be permanent. – Henry George , Progress and Poverty, 1879 In this era of globalization – where international financial markets affect developed and developing countries alike, and where financial flows as well as economic crises spread across borders and oceans with remarkable ease – the role of multilateral financial institutions in the international financial scheme is crucial. These public institutions, designed by politicians and economists to navigate the labyrinth of economic, social, and political development, possess the potential to be central players in the long-term planning involved in healing poverty-plagued regions and advancing their economies. This formidable task offers the invaluable payoff of furthering global economic and financial stability and improving human welfare. Consequently, the issues of aid and development that are related to globalization have been at the center of academic debates. Multilateral financial institutions, designed to implement global financial policies, have been an integral part of these debates and have come under increasing scrutiny. Critics vary from those who believe that these institutions do more harm than good by contributing to the “moral hazard” problem and should therefore not exist, to those who believe that they can play an important role in development, but need to be reformed (Stiglitz, 2002, and Sachs, 2005). But even if one begins in the second, more positive, camp, there is still substantial disagreement as to how these institutions should function so that they can be both constructive and efficient. Much of this controversy stems from limited knowledge about how multilateral financial institutions work and what they are designed to do.
“Just Take a Moment and Breathe and Think”: Young Women with Depression Talk about the Development of an Ecological Momentary Intervention to Reduce Their Sexual Risk

Abstract Study Objective Depressed young women are at increased risk for adverse outcomes related to sexual behavior, including unintended pregnancy, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections. Brief sexual risk reduction interventions have not targeted depressed young women's specific needs for affect management and impulse control. Design, Setting, Participants, Interventions, and Main Outcome Measures We interviewed depressed young women ages 15-23 years engaging in sexual risk behavior about a proposed intervention approach. The approach was described as in-person counseling and cognitive-behavioral skills training, followed by an ecological momentary intervention (EMI) delivered via smartphone application for 4 weeks. The EMI would include reporting multiple times a day on affective states, self-efficacy for safer sex behavior, and sexual behavior, and receiving responsive messages to provide support and prompt use of cognitive-behavioral skills. Participants provided their perspectives on comfort, usability, burden, confidentiality, and potential efficacy of the EMI and recommended message content. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Thematic saturation was reached with 16 interviews. Participants expressed positive opinions about the EMI. They believed that reporting at random times would help them to recognize their feelings, receiving the messages would be reassuring, and overall the smartphone application would be experienced as therapeutic. They desired a high degree of personalization of the message quality, style, and voice, and provided a wide variety of message content. Conclusion Depressed young women believed that a flexible, personalized approach to mobile momentary intervention for addressing the link between their symptoms and behavior would be acceptable, supportive, and effective in reducing sexual risk.
Effector Sites on Antibodies

Antibodies are bifunctional molecules. Their primary function is to specifically bind other molecules at their antigen-binding sites. Secondary functions which may arise as a consequence of antigen binding can be one of any number of important biological events such as the fixation of complement or the binding to one of several types of cells. These secondary properties are usually referred to as “physiological” or “effector” functions, and the mechanism of how the immunoglobulin molecule mediates them is of great importance to immunology and medicine.
In vivo tumor targeting of CD146 with antibody-conjugated hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles

117 Objectives The Cancer Genome Atlas in glioblastoma showed that CD146 expression correlated with shorter disease-free survival & overall survival. We have also found that CD146 is overexpressed in multiple high grade human cancers (gastric, ovarian, liver, and lung), but not low grade tumors. The goal of this work is to establish CD146 as a new target for in vivo PET image-guided drug delivery using antibody-conjugated hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSN, with a large cavity inside for drug loading). Methods HMSN of ~150 nm in diameter was synthesized using a well-established hard templating method. HMSN was surface modified with amino groups, followed by NOTA conjugation (for 64Cu-labeling), PEGylation, and attachment of YY146 (an anti-CD146 antibody, generated de novo in our own group). The final nanoconjugates were comprehensively characterized, and labeled with 64Cu for in vivo PET imaging and tumor targeting in U87MG glioblastoma tumor-bearing mice. Extensive in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo experiments were performed to confirm CD146 specificity. Results HMSN and surface engineered HMSN (i.e. NOTA-HMSN-YY146) were successfully synthesized and conjugated with FITC for in vitro CD146 targeting studies. Strong and specific binding of FITC-HMSN-YY146 was observed in U87MG (CD146+) cells, but not in MCF-7 breast cancer cells (CD146-). In vivo CD146 targeting of 64Cu-NOTA-HMSN-YY146 was observed in U87MG tumor-bearing mice with tumor uptake of 6.5±0.1, 9.2±0.4 and 6.9±0.5 %ID/g at 1, 4 and 24 h post-injection (n=3). As a control, 64Cu-NOTA-HMSN showed much lower tumor uptake (~3%ID/g). CD146 specificity was confirmed by blocking studies both in vitro and in vivo, as well as histology. Conclusions Using YY146 as the targeting ligand, in vivo active tumor targeting of HMSN was achieved, which established CD146 as a new cancer target for nanoparticle-based drug delivery. Since HMSN can load both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, this work opened up new avenues for future cancer targeted, PET image-guided drug delivery and therapy.
Mechanisms of γ-Globin Gene Promoter Activation by HBF-Inducing Short Chain Fatty Acid Derivatives.

Abstract High-level γ-globin gene expression for definitive therapy of beta globin disorders likely requires γ-globin gene promoter activation, dissociation of repressor complexes, and/or local chromatin modification. To define the molecular mechanisms employed by high-potency γ-globin inducers, the effects of butyrate on transcriptional co-regulatory protein recruitment to the human γ- and β-globin gene promoters were defined and compared to those of novel SCFAD γ-globin inducers recently identified through computational modeling. One particularly potent SCFAD inducer, RB7, which has no inhibitory effect on class I HDAC enzymes (HDAC1, HDAC2, and HDAC3), demonstrated 5-fold induction, (2.5 to 3-fold greater γ-globin gene-inducing activity than butyrate), in a transcriptional reporter assay which detects only strong γ-globin gene inducers. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays performed on the integrated human gamma and beta globin gene promoters demonstrated that RB7, butyrate, and other transcriptionally-active SCFADs, induced dissociation of HDAC-3, and its adaptor protein NCoR, from the γ-globin gene promoter, with no such effect on the β-globin promoter, coincident with recruitment of RNA Polymerase II to the γ-globin promoter and initiation of γ-globin transcription. In a reciprocal fashion, as HDAC-3 dissociated, the chromatin-modifying ATPases Brg-1 and Brm were recruited specifically to the γ-globin gene promoter in response to the active SCFADs. The ability of the novel SCFADs to induce dissociation of HDAC-3 (but not HDAC-1 or -2) from the γ-globin promoter was proportional to the degree of γ-globin promoter induction by these agents. Knockdown of HDAC-3 by siRNA induced transcription of γ-globin specifically, demonstrating the functional importance of the activity of SCFADS in dissociating HDAC-3 from the γ-globin gene promoter. These studies demonstrate new dynamic alterations in transcriptional regulatory complexes specifically-associated with high-level activation of γ-globin and also identify essential molecular targets for future therapeutic interventions.
Rethinking the Tax Treatment of Higher Education Expenditures: An Argument for Cost Recovery Through Amortization Deductions

In today’s rapidly evolving, technologically-focused economy, a higher education degree is a near-requirement in order to enter a professional field and earn a livable wage. As currently written, however, the Tax Code (the “Code”) disallows cost recovery for higher education expenditures in nearly all situations. The failure of the Code to allow cost recovery of higher education expenditures, while broadly allowing cost recovery of other expenditures, has ramifications for the equitable tax treatment of education costs and the long-term prospects of our economy. This Paper advocates for an amendment to the Code to allow partial cost recovery of higher education expenditures through phased-out amortization deductions.
Shifts in metabolism in the developing rat mammary gland: Potential mechanisms for the increased susceptibility to carcinogenesis elucidated by rigorous experimental design, analysis, and replication

2725 Initiation of chemical- and radiation-induced carcinogenesis in the rat mammary depends on the age of the animal. In this study we have examined the changes in gene expression in the mammary gland at two critical stages of mammary gland development, at the time of weaning at 21 days of age prior to onset of puberty and at 50 days of age, the time of maximum sensitivity to 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA). The experiment and the analysis were carefully constructed to avoid unintended bias and yield reproducible results. Animals were fed a polyphenol-free, semi-purified AIN76A diet. The fourth right abdominal mammary gland was rapidly dissected from eight animals at days 21 and 50 and frozen in liquid N2. Rigorous quality control, normalization, and linear models analyses were conducted. The correlation (r 2 ) among the biological samples was over 0.98. Representative significantly changed genes were validated by quantitative RT-PCR. As a test of the veracity of the results obtained, the entire experiment was replicated in different animals raised and analyzed one year after the first experiment. Despite the time separation, the results of the two experiments were highly concordant. RESULTS : Microarray data analyses demonstrated that progression to day 50 resulted in a significant shift in expression of 11616 genes with a p-value 2 = 0.76, p 90% of genes), fatty acid synthesis (>80% of genes), sterol/cholesterol biosynthesis (>70% of genes) and portions of glycolysis at 50 days of age. A number of these pathway and individual level changes were also observed in DIGE experiments in additional biologically distinct samples. These changes in expression lead to a marked shift in metabolism favoring the formation of fatty acids and sterols and a decrease in aerobic generation of ATP and critical intermediates needed for the synthesis and repair of macromolecules during a period of rapid cell proliferation.
Quantum optics with X-rays

The demonstration of strong coupling between two nuclear polariton modes in the X-ray spectral region using two coupled cavities each containing a thin layer of iron brings new opportunities for exploring quantum science.
Beyond the Chief Complaint: Our Patients’ Worries

Fourth-year medical students at the University of Colorado School of Medicine distributed cards to patients in the emergency department asking, "What Worries You Most?" The patients' responses provided insight about their most pressing concerns, often unrelated to their "chief complaints."
The synaptotagmin C2B domain calcium-binding loops modulate the rate of fusion pore expansion

In chromaffin cells, the kinetics of fusion pore expansion vary depending on which synaptotagmin isoform (Syt-1 or Syt-7) drives release. Our recent studies have shown that fusion pores of granules harboring Syt-1 expand more rapidly than those harboring Syt-7. Here we sought to define the structural specificity of synaptotagmin action at the fusion pore by manipulating the Ca2+-binding C2B module. We generated a chimeric Syt-1 in which its C2B Ca2+-binding loops had been exchanged for those of Syt-7. Fusion pores of granules harboring a Syt-1 C2B chimera with all three Ca2+-binding loops of Syt-7 (Syt-1:7C2B123) exhibited slower rates of fusion pore expansion and neuropeptide cargo release relative to WT Syt-1. After fusion, this chimera also dispersed more slowly from fusion sites than WT protein. We speculate that the Syt-1:7 C2B123 and WT Syt-1 are likely to differ in their interactions with Ca2+ and membranes. Subsequent in vitro and in silico data demonstrated that the chimera exhibits a higher affinity for phospholipids than WT Syt-1. We conclude that the affinity of synaptotagmin for the plasma membrane, and the rate at which it releases the membrane, contribute in important ways to the rate of fusion pore expansion.
“For All Without Distinction”: Creative Activity as a Human Right

The world is alive with creative activity. Its creative pulse can be felt reverberating in the mark-making of children and teens who enter art classrooms each day. It is embodied in the mix of fami...
A Baker’s Dozen: Unsolved Problems with The RS Canum Venaticorum and by Draconis Stars

The theme of this Joint Meeting of Commissions 10, 27, 40, 42, 44, and 48 is “Close Binaries and Stellar Activity”. At the time this meeting was initially conceived, we took stellar activity to mean activity such as we observe on the Sun: spots, flares, chromospheric emission, variable radio and X-ray emission, coronas, winds, and so forth. That is why the series of seven reviews presented at this meeting will deal for the most part with convective stars, in particular with the RS CVn-type and BY Dra-type stars, which we know are active in so many of these ways. It had been planned that Steven N. Shore would review briefly the situation from a theoretical viewpoint (briefly, I say, because theoretical treatment of the problem is still in the infant stages). Reference can be made, however to the contribution he presented at I.A.U. Symposium No. 88 in Toronto. One way to open this meeting, I hope a useful way, is simply to list some unsolved problems. Those on my list may not be equal in importance or difficulty. Different problems would no doubt appear on someone else’s list. It may even turn out that, after we have heard these reviews, a number of my unsolved problems have already been solved or soon will be, but that would be a pleasant surprise rather than a disappointment.
Pre-clinical performance comparing intraoral film and CCD-based systems.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare dental hygiene student radiographic performance using film and charge-coupled device (CCD) systems. Specific objectives were to compare the 1) number of technique errors, 2) error type, 3) retake frequency, and 4) learning experience using both systems. METHODS Twenty-eight subjects exposed two 18-projection full series, one film-based, and one CCD-based system, on a manikin. One examiner, using standardized image quality criteria, evaluated all images. Each subject was assigned to one of four focus groups. Quantitative data were analyzed using ANOVA and Wilcoxon tests. Emic expressions and percentages were used to report qualitative data with themes supported by performance data. RESULTS A greater number of technique errors occurred using the CCD system than the film system (p < 0.0001), with vertical angulation being the most common error (53%). Using the film-based system, 66% of the errors were due to incorrect horizontal angulation. Subjects exposed an average of 10 retakes per series using the CCD versus 3 retakes using film. Forty-four percent of the subjects felt their most common CCD errors were film placement and vertical angulation compared to 59% who believed horizontal angulation was the main technique error when using film. Difficulty placing the CCD sensor intraorally was expressed by 74%. The CCD system was reported to be beneficial for teaching theory (67%), with 59% preferring film for learning the psychomotor skill. CONCLUSION In pre-clinical situations, the CCD system may be an effective tool for teaching technique. Radiographic errors are dependent on the type of image receptor used.
Using Go for Statistical Analyses

In this paper we use meta-data packages from the Bioconductor Project to carry out statistical analyses of gene expression data. But would like to note that the potential scope of these applications is much broader and many of the methods described here could be applied to other types of high-throughput data. To provide context we make use of data from an investigation into acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Robotic Pulmonary Resections

Minimally invasive pulmonary resection has been shown to have multiple advantages over open lung resection, including fewer complications, decreased length of stay, decreased pain, improved quality of life, and improved compliance with adjuvant chemotherapy [1–3]. Although oncologic outcomes appear equivalent, the majority of pulmonary resections for lung cancer are still performed via thoracotomy. The robotic platform offers unique advantages over traditional thoracoscopic lung resection and may overcome some barriers to wider adoption of minimally invasive lung surgery.
Development and evaluation of new real-time RT-PCR assays for identifying the influenza A virus Cluster IV H3N2 variant

From 2005 to July 6, 2018, a total of 435 swine-origin influenza A H3N2 variant virus (H3N2v) infections in humans were reported in the USA. The largest H3N2v outbreak in the USA occurred in 2011-2012. This virus obtained the HA gene from the human seasonal H3N2 influenza A viruses (seasonal H3N2) via human-to-swine transmission in the mid-1990s and was classified as Cluster IV H3N2v. For early detection of public health threats associated with Cluster IV H3N2v distinct from seasonal H3N2, we developed highly specific and sensitive one-step real-time RT-PCR assays directly targeting the HA genes of Cluster IV H3N2v and seasonal H3N2. These assays are useful for the systematic surveillance and identification of Cluster IV H3N2v.
Digital Media Experiments in China: “Revolutionizing” Persuasion under Xi Jinping

With the rapid decline of traditional media in China, the party-state faces the growing challenge of shaping public opinion online. This article engages with one response to this challenge – a state-sanctioned digital media experiment aimed at creating a new form of journalism that appeals to the public and helps to disseminate Party propaganda. We analyse the emergence of a national success story, Shanghai-based model media outlet Pengpai, and its diffusion across different regions. We argue that the synergy between local officials and media entrepreneurs has propelled Pengpai’s national fame. We further demonstrate that while there has been a cross-national attempt to diffuse this model, it has produced mixed results owing to a number of factors, including the superficial commitment of local officials and media professionals. These findings demonstrate that state-sanctioned decentralized experimentation can deliver unpredictable results in the sphere of media policy, and they further question the capacity of the party-state to effectively reinvent public persuasion in the digital age.
The D-alanyl-d-alanine carboxypeptidase enzyme is essential for virulence in the Schu S4 strain of Francisella tularensis and a dacD mutant is able to provide protection against a pneumonic challenge.

Low molecular mass penicillin binding proteins (LMM PBP) are bacterial enzymes involved in the final steps of peptidoglycan biosynthesis. In Escherichia coli, most LMM PBP exhibit dd-carboxypeptidase activity, are not essential for growth in routine laboratory media, and contributions to virulent phenotypes remain largely unknown. The Francisella tularensis Schu S4 genome harbors the dacD gene (FTT_1029), which encodes a LMM PBP with homology to PBP6b of E. coli. Disruption of this locus in the fully virulent Schu S4 strain resulted in a mutant that could not grow in Chamberlain's Defined Medium and exhibited severe morphological defects. Further characterization studies demonstrated that the growth defects of the dacD mutant were pH-dependent, and could be partially restored by growth at neutral pH or fully restored by genetic complementation. Infection of murine macrophage-like cells showed that the Schu S4 dacD mutant is capable of intracellular replication. However, this mutant was attenuated in BALB/c mice following intranasal challenge (LD50 = 603 CFU) as compared to mice challenged with the parent (LD50 = 1 CFU) or complemented strain (LD50 = 1 CFU). Additionally, mice that survived infection with the dacD mutant showed significant protection against subsequent challenge with the parent strain. Collectively, these results indicate that the DacD protein of F. tularensis is essential for growth in low pH environments and virulence in vivo. These results also suggest that a PBP mutant could serve as the basis of a novel, live attenuated vaccine strain.
The Effect of Dicumarol on Co-Thromboplastin, a Factor in Blood Concerned with the Conversion of Prothrombin to Thrombin

The deficiency in the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin which develops after administration of dicumarol appears to be due largely to decreased cothromboplastin activity. Both the development of this deficiency and the recovery from it tend to precede the accompanying changes in prothrombin itself, as measured by the two-stage method. In terms of deviation from normal, the deficiency in conversion often exceeds in magnitude the deficiency of prothrombin itself.
Multivariate analysis of sorghum volatiles for the fast screening of sugarcane aphid infestation

Abstract The sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari, has been a severe pest throughout the sorghum field in Texas, which can worse the sorghum yield economically. For this purpose of early detection, the mechanism of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) needs to be utilized in the detection method. In this study, the HayeSep Q adsorbent combined gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was tested to analyze the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that sorghum can emit when they are in good shape as well as they are infested by the sugarcane aphids, and multivariate techniques were performed for the fast screening of the infestation. Several VOCs identified from Student’s t-test with p
TMPRSS13 promotes cell survival, invasion, and resistance to drug-induced apoptosis in colorectal cancer

Cancer progression is often accompanied by increased levels of extracellular proteases capable of remodeling the extracellular matrix and promoting pro-cancerous signaling pathways by activating growth factors and receptors. The type II transmembrane serine protease (TTSP) family encompasses several proteases that play critical roles in cancer progression; however, the expression or function of the TTSP TMPRSS13 in carcinogenesis has not been examined. In the present study, we found TMPRSS13 to be differentially expressed at both the transcript and protein levels in human colorectal cancer (CRC). Immunohistochemical analyses revealed consistent high expression of TMPRSS13 protein on the cancer cell surface in CRC patient samples; in contrast, the majority of normal colon samples displayed no detectable expression. On a functional level, TMPRSS13 silencing in CRC cell lines increased apoptosis and impaired invasive potential. Importantly, transgenic overexpression of TMPRSS13 in CRC cell lines increased tolerance to apoptosis-inducing agents, including paclitaxel and HA14-1. Conversely, TMPRSS13 silencing rendered CRC cells more sensitive to these agents. Together, our findings suggest that TMPRSS13 plays an important role in CRC cell survival and in promoting resistance to drug-induced apoptosis; we also identify TMPRSS13 as a potential new target for monotherapy or combination therapy with established chemotherapeutics to improve treatment outcomes in CRC patients.
Traditional Asians? Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Policy Attitudes in the United States

American stereotypes depict the pan-Asian culture as monolithically traditional in matters of gender and sexual politics. Most national surveys include too few Asian respondents to assess the validity of these claims, much less to interrogate differences across Asian-ancestry groups. Using data from the 2016 National Asian American Survey, this study examines racial and ethnic variability in support for policies that would extend rights and protections to women and to sexual and gender minorities. Results provide no evidence of pan-Asian gender traditionalism, and they show much more attitudinal heterogeneity across Asian ethnic groups than is popularly recognized. Some of this heterogeneity is linked to ethnic differences in sociocultural traits, including religion, politics, nativity, education, and gender-identity salience. Substantial variability across Asian American groups remains unexplained, however. Future research should explore how this variability maps onto distinctive gender regimes in ancestral countries and different histories of immigrant reception within the United States.
A landscape planning agenda for global health security: Learning from the history of HIV/AIDS and pandemic influenza

Abstract This paper considers the role of landscape planning and design in the context of a growing need for research and policy recommendations associated with Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs), of which COVID-19 is the most recent. Beginning with a definition of EIDs and their origins within the context of landscape planning, the paper then argues that planning and design scholars and practitioners should begin by seeing the importance of a “global urban ecosystem” (GUE) comprised of rapidly transforming metropolitan and regional “patches” connected through “corridors” of relatively unregulated global transportation and mobility networks. It then revisits the history of the two prior global pandemics of HIV/AIDS and pandemic influenza to establish the importance of a landscape planning perspective at the intersection of wildlife, livestock, and globally connected human communities. The essay concludes by arguing that this GUE concept can facilitate creative planning and design by adapting concepts established in other patch and corridor networks like urban transit systems to the ongoing risk of future pandemic EIDs.
Idiopathic Inflammations of Joints

The inner part of the joint capsule, the synovial membrane, plays an essential role in the biology, function, and pathology of the joints. By virtue of its structure, a richly vascularized loose connective tissue delimited on its surface by the very reactive synoviocytes, the synovial membrane is the first of the articular components to participate in any inflammatory condition of a joint. Anatomopathological and histopathological examinations [603, 1436, 1543] show that inflammation of the synovial membrane by itself may occur without affection of the other joint constituents and may remain confined to this tissue. The conclusion drawn from such findings is that synovitis can occur as an entity by itself. While most inflammations of joints primarily affect the synovial membrane and later expand to other constituents of the joints, synovitis—strictspeaking — refers to those conditions in which clinical and roentgenographic examinations on long-term follow-up provide no evidence of extrasynovial involvement.
The ribosomal genes of Plasmodium.

Publisher Summary The chapter describes the Plasmodium rDNA unit. The chapter discusses briefly a feature of the rDNA units of other eukaryotic organisms and then compares and contrasts this with what has been found about the Plasmodium rDNA unit. There are three main areas of interest: (1) the number of ribosomal genes in a haploid genome, (2) the structural variations among individual rDNA units, and (3) the arrangement of these genes with regard to each other. The most striking feature of eukaryotic rDNA units on an evolutionary scale is their similarity. In contrast, perhaps the most interesting features of the rDNA units of the Plasmodium species, and the subject of this review, are the sharp digressions made from what was thought to be standard features of the eukaryotic ribosomal gene. The chapter illustrates a generalized life cycle of mammalian malarias, discussing only the Plasmodium berghei life cycle. The exoerythrocytic forms of the parasite compose the first developmental stage in the mammalian host. This stage initiates with inoculation of sporozoites into the bloodstream and invasion of the liver. The parasites replicate asexually in the liver and are released as exoerythrocytic merozoites into the bloodstream. The organism goes through at least 11 distinct stages in its life cycle, both haploid and diploid. Protein synthesis varies in rate and occurs at different temperatures throughout the cycle.
Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome Disease Protein and MRE11 at PML Nuclear Bodies and Meiotic Telomeres

Nijmegen breakage syndrome is a disease characterized by immunodeficiency, genomic instability, and cancer susceptibility. The gene product defective in Nijmegen breakage syndrome, p95, associates with two other proteins, MRE11 and RAD50. Here we demonstrate that in the absence of DNA damage, a portion of p95 and MRE11 is concentrated in PML nuclear bodies (NBs); MRE11 localization to the NBs is p95-dependent. In mammalian meiocytes, these proteins are specifically found at the telomeres. These results implicate the NBs in the maintenance of genomic stability and suggest that p95 and MRE11 may have roles in telomere maintenance in mammals, analogous to the role their homologues play in yeast.
Broadway: A Case-Based System for Cooperative Information Browsing on the World-Wide-Web

The World Wide Web is a huge hypermedia where finding relevant documents is not an easy task. In this paper, we present our case-based system for cooperative information browsing, called Broadway. Broadway follows a group of users during their navigations on the WWW (proxy-based architecture) and advises them by displaying a list of potentially relevant documents to visit next. Broadway uses case-based reasoning to reuse precise experiences derived from past navigations with a time-extended situation assessment: the advice are based mainly on similarity of ordered sequence of past accessed documents. In addition, the dynamic nature of the WWW is addressed in the reuse step and with a specific method for case forgetting.
Fermions and Condensates on the Light-Front

Light-Front quantization is one of the most promising and physical tools towards studying deep inelastic scattering on the basis of quark gluon degrees of freedom. The simplified vacuum structure (nontrivial vacuum effects can only appear in zero-mode degrees of freedom) and the physical basis allows for a description of hadrons that stays close to intuition. I am reviewing recent progress in understanding the deep connection between renormalization of light-front Hamiltonians, effective light-front Hamiltonians and nontrivial vacuum condensates.
Evaluation of AC-AC matrix converter, a manufacturer's perspective

Trend prediction for power electronic industry among researchers is more silicon and less passive components. AC-AC matrix converter is an excellent example for such trend. However, as an equipment manufacturer, we are more interested in competitiveness of cost and size. As our investigation turns out, AC-AC matrix converter has all merits of both worlds, more silicon, less passive component values, more cost and bigger size. Therefore, the statement "more silicon and less passive components will certainly result in cost and size reduction" may not be true for all time.
Human Factors Design Problems of Fire Fighters

Problems of job and equipment design that contribute to the occupational health and safety of fire fighters is reviewed. The job of fighting fires is physically demanding and most fire fighters do not have a fitness level to minimize the stress. The equipment used by the fire fighters needs to be redesigned to reduce the job related stress.
Individual and occupational characteristics associated with respiratory symptoms among Latino horse farm workers.

Background Latino workers are likely exposed to a variety of respiratory hazards in the horse barn, yet the potential impact of these exposures on respiratory health has not been investigated. Methods Using a community-based sample of 225 Latino horse farmworkers we investigated the prevalence of upper and lower respiratory symptoms and occupational characteristics associated with them. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with respiratory symptomology. Results Upper respiratory symptoms prevalence ranged from 24% to 45%. Half of workers reported lower respiratory symptoms. Workers with symptoms were more likely to be female and have lower levels of English understanding. Workers who never/rarely used dust masks while working in the barn experienced over two times the odds of reporting upper respiratory symptoms. Conclusions Many Latino horse workers experienced upper and lower respiratory symptoms. Dust mask use may protect workers in this and other enclosed livestock operations from respiratory symptoms. Am. J. Ind. Med. 58:679–687, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Destruction of human hemoglobin in the presence of water and negative air ions generated by corona discharge

A buffered solution containing hemoglobin was exposed to negative air ions that were generated by corona discharge. In two hours, the optical absorbance at 405 nm decreased to ca., 40% of the value observed prior to the exposure to air ions. After 18 1/2 hours, the absorbance was further decreased to ca. 5% of the original values. The hemoglobin solution exposed to air for this duration did not show any appreciable change in absorbance at 405 nm. Concomitant with the decrease of absorbance at 405 nm, that at 205 nm increased several fold. The molecular weight of the specie(s) which absorbed strongly at 205 nm was ca. 400 daltons. Similar results were obtained when hemoglobin was exposed to ozone (O3) instead of air ions. From these results and our earlier conclusion that O3 is generated from negative air ions in the presence of water, it can be concluded that the destruction of hemoglobin was by O3.
Electrostatic and hydrophobic effects in affinity chromatography

A semi–quantitative theory is developed to explain the nonspecific binding of proteins to substituted affinity chromatography supports due to electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The equilibrium constant for the absorption of an enzyme to a solid support, and the rate of desorption of the enzyme are studied as functions of ionic strength. Experimental measurements were taken of the adsorption equilibrium constant and rate of desorption of E. coli β–galactosidase on Sepharose 4B substituted with 3, 3,-diaminodipropylamine in batch systems. It was found that the enzyme adsorption exhibits a hysteresis effect as the ionic strength is increased and then decreased. Furthermore, the adsorption of theenzyme becomes more reversible at the lower ionic strengths, while at the higher ionic strengths it is essentially irreversible. Using the measured equilibrium constants, and knowing the region of ionic strength where the adsorption becomes reversible, we were able to predict the desorption of enzyme in a continuous stirred tank as a function of time when a decreasing linear gradient of ionic strength was introduced into a slurry. It was found that the presence of another protein, hemoglobin, does not affect these results, and therefore can be separated from the enzyme.
Juvenile hormone regulation of structural changes and DNA synthesis in the follicular epithelium of Leucophaea maderae

Abstract Juvenile hormone (JH I) stimulates specific morphological and biochemical changes in the follicular epithelium surrounding the terminal oocytes in Leucophaea maderae . These include extracellular and intracellular structural changes, increased rates of follicle cell DNA synthesis, and elevated follicle cell DNA concentrations. Using females decapitated 24 hr after ecdysis, we have shown that JH I injections stimulate the following structural changes in the follicular epithelium: the appearance of channels between adjacent follicle cells and of spaces between the follicular epithelium and the maturing oocyte; an increase in follicle cell size; the development of an extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum system; and an enlarged nucleus within each follicle cell. No increase in the number of follicle cells surrounding the developing terminal follicles is found in 7-day JH I-treated females, although the terminal follicles are almost twice as long as those in untreated females. In addition, we have demonstrated that JH stimulates the following biochemical events in the ovary: a 3.5 fold increase in thymidine incorporation into follicle cell DNA, with no subsequent transfer of such DNA to the developing oocyte, and a 1.4 fold increase in ovarian DNA in 7-day JH-treated females. These data indicated that JH stimulates follicle cell DNA synthesis. The absence of any corresponding division of follicle cells suggests that JH I may induce polyploidy in follicle cells. Extended exposure of decapitated females to JH I does not result in complete ovarian maturation. Although fat bodies in the treated insects continue to display an increasing rate of vitellogenin synthesis, DNA synthesis in the terminal follicles declines rapidly after day 9, and the terminal follicles ultimately degenerate.
Epistemology of a believing historian: Making sense of Duhem's anti-atomism

Abstract Pierre Duhem's (1861–1916) lifelong opposition to 19th century atomic theories of matter has been traditionally attributed to his conventionalist and/or positivist philosophy of science. Relatively recently, this traditional view position has been challenged by the claim that Duhem's opposition to atomism was due to the precarious state of atomic theories during the beginning of the 20th century. In this paper I present some of the difficulties with both the traditional and the new interpretation of Duhem's opposition to atomism and provide a new framework in which to understand his rejection of atomic hypotheses. I argue that although not positivist, instrumentalist, or conventionalist, Duhem's philosophy of physics was not compatible with belief in unobservable atoms and molecules. The key for understanding Duhem's resistance to atomism during the final phase of his career is the historicist arguments he presented in support of his ideal of physics.
Admissibility of Human Factors Expert Testimony in Light of Daubert

The 1993 Supreme Court decision in Daubert v Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. created new, more stringent rules for admissibility of expert witness testimony based upon “scientific” knowledge as opposed to expert testimony based upon “technical or other specialized” knowledge. Because human factors professionals may testify on the basis of either of the two categories, they should be aware of the requirements for admissibility of both categories. Each time one is engaged as a potential expert witness, the human factors-ergonomics professional needs to determine the basis of the testimony he/she is about to provide and to notify the client attorney accordingly. This lecture describes the evolution of requirements for admissibility of both kinds of expert testimony. It also discusses the implications of additional requirements imposed upon all expert witnesses by the 1993 amendment of Rule 26 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
Demographics of an Experimentally Released Population of Elk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Abstract We assessed the potential for reestablishing elk (Cervus elaphus) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), USA, by estimating vital rates of experimentally released animals from 2001 to 2006. Annual survival rates for calves ranged from 0.333 to 1.0 and averaged 0.592. Annual survival for subadult and adult elk (i.e., ≥1 yr of age) ranged from 0.690 to 0.933, depending on age and sex. We used those and other vital rates to model projected population growth and viability using a stochastic individual-based model. The annual growth rate (λ) of the modeled population over a 25-year period averaged 0.996 and declined from 1.059 the first year to 0.990 at year 25. The modeled population failed to attain a positive 25-year mean growth rate in 46.0% of the projections. Poor calf recruitment was an important determinant of low population growth. Predation by black bears (Ursus americanus) was the dominant calf mortality factor. Most of the variance of growth projections was due to demographic vari...
Effects of heavy particle irradiation and diet on object recognition memory in rats

Abstract On long-duration missions to other planets astronauts will be exposed to types and doses of radiation that are not experienced in low earth orbit. Previous research using a ground-based model for exposure to cosmic rays has shown that exposure to heavy particles, such as 56 Fe, disrupts spatial learning and memory measured using the Morris water maze. Maintaining rats on diets containing antioxidant phytochemicals for 2 weeks prior to irradiation ameliorated this deficit. The present experiments were designed to determine: (1) the generality of the particle-induced disruption of memory by examining the effects of exposure to 56 Fe particles on object recognition memory; and (2) whether maintaining rats on these antioxidant diets for 2 weeks prior to irradiation would also ameliorate any potential deficit. The results showed that exposure to low doses of 56 Fe particles does disrupt recognition memory and that maintaining rats on antioxidant diets containing blueberry and strawberry extract for only 2 weeks was effective in ameliorating the disruptive effects of irradiation. The results are discussed in terms of the mechanisms by which exposure to these particles may produce effects on neurocognitive performance.
The role of saposin C in Gaucher disease

Saposin C is one of four homologous proteins derived from sequential cleavage of the saposin precursor protein, prosaposin. It is an essential activator for glucocerebrosidase, the enzyme deficient in Gaucher disease. Gaucher disease is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the GBA gene that exhibits vast phenotypic heterogeneity, despite its designation as a "simple" Mendelian disorder. The observed phenotypic variability has led to a search for disease modifiers that can alter the Gaucher phenotype. The PSAP gene encoding saposin C is a prime candidate modifier for Gaucher disease. In humans, saposin C deficiency due to mutations in PSAP results in a Gaucher-like phenotype, despite normal in vitro glucocerebrosidase activity. Saposin C deficiency has also been shown to modify phenotype in one mouse model of Gaucher disease. The role of saposin C as an activator required for normal glucocerebrosidase function, and the consequences of saposin C deficiency are described, and are being explored as potential modifying factors in patients with Gaucher disease.