cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Definition of Terms and Concepts

Change is the essence of life – in both business and society – and the heart of change is creative destruction. In this sense, family business leadership and management processes, including business creation, transfer, succession and termination and events are at the heart of evolutionary and sometimes revolutionary change. How that occurs, that is, in more or less intelligent, effective, and efficient ways, is determined by both chance and necessity as stated by Jacques Monod in Chance and Necessity in 1971, and in this context lie the concepts of strategic knowledge arbitrage and strategic knowledge serendipity coined by Elias G. Carayannis in 2008. Heterogeneity may indeed be one of the central reasons why and how the human species survived, evolved and prospered both biologically as well as socioeconomically. In this chapter, we view the family enterprise as an adaptation triggering and moderating mechanism and we thus focus on the socioeconomic aspects of heterogeneity and, in particular, whereas “adaptation” has been the biological manifestation of the forces of variety and selection acting on the natural gene pool, we postulate that “innovation” has been the socioeconomic manifestation of the forces of co-opetition, co-specialization, and co-evolution (C3) acting on the knowledge economy and society. In short, better family business leadership and management methodologies enable the undertaking of bigger risks in a manner that is more calculated and can be better managed along the way resulting in systemically superior results from both a strategic as well as a financial perspective and this in the end may be the key determinant of the long-term survival and prosperity prospects of a family business as it inexorably becomes part of the socioeconomic process of creative destruction.
P-024 Scoring of cd31 positive endothelial cells: a new approach to assess aneurysm progression

Background and Purpose Unruptured aneurysms pose a significant risk of rupture and remain poorly understood despite decades of preclinical and clinical research. Our study focused on understanding the patterns of endothelial cell distribution in different spatial locations within the aneurysm in a rabbit model. Methods Aneurysms were created in 20 rabbit subjects using the elastase-induced model technique. Aneurysm tissues were harvested at 2 weeks (n=5), 4 weeks (n=4), 8 weeks (n=5) and 12 weeks (n=6) following aneurysm creation. Aneurysm tissues were processed and en face whole tissuemount CD31 staining of aneurysm tissue for endothelial cells was performed. A semi-quantitative scoring of the aneurysm was performed and categorized into 5 divisions based on the endothelial coverage of the vessel wall (Score5-highly confluent, 0- no endothelial cells) at the proximal, middle and distal portions of the aneurysm dome. Scoring was done by a single person who was blinded to the time point of sacrifice. Results Our study revealed a endothelialized wall in all the regions the aneurysm with median score of 1.8 (proximal dome and middle dome) and 1.6 (distal dome) at 2 weeks. However, the endothelialization reduced at 4 weeks (median=0) in all 3 regions. In the 8 weeks group reendothelialization was prominent in the proximal region (median=1.6) in comparison to middle and distal regions (median=0). In 12 weeks group reendothelialization was prominent in proximal (median=1.5), middle (median=2.4) and distal (median=1.1) regions of aneurysm wall. Conclusion The wall of the elastase-induced rabbit aneurysm can be categorized into 5 types based on the degree of endothelialization of aneurysm. Based on the CD31 distribution within the aneurysm, the pattern of deendothelialization and reendothelialization over time can be correlated. Disclosures P. Kolumam Parameswaran: None. D. Dai: None. Y. Ding: None. R. Kadirvel: None. D. Kallmes: 1; C; NIH : NS08825602.
Bioinspired, Graphene/Al2O3 Doubly Reinforced Aluminum Composites with High Strength and Toughness

Nacre, commonly referred to as nature’s armor, has served as a blueprint for engineering stronger and tougher bioinspired materials. Nature organizes a brick-and-mortar-like architecture in nacre, with hard bricks of aragonite sandwiched with soft biopolymer layers. However, cloning nacre’s entire reinforcing mechanisms in engineered materials remains a challenge. In this study, we employed hybrid graphene/Al2O3 platelets with surface nanointerlocks as hard bricks for primary load bearer and mechanical interlocking, along with aluminum laminates as soft mortar for load distribution and energy dissipation, to replicate nacre’s architecture and reinforcing effects in aluminum composites. Compared with aluminum, the bioinspired, graphene/Al2O3 doubly reinforced aluminum composite demonstrated an exceptional, joint improvement in hardness (210%), strength (223%), stiffness (78%), and toughness (30%), which are even superior over nacre. This design strategy and model material system should guide the synthesis ...
Multifactorial Analysis of Mortality in Screening Detected Lung Cancer

We hypothesized that severity of coronary artery calcification (CAC), emphysema, muscle mass, and fat attenuation can help predict mortality in patients with lung cancer participating in the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST). Following regulatory approval from the Cancer Data Access System (CDAS), all patients diagnosed with lung cancer at the time of the screening study were identified. These subjects were classified into two groups: survivors and nonsurvivors at the conclusion of the NLST trial. These groups were matched based on their age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking history, lung cancer stage, and survival time. CAC, emphysema, muscle mass, and subcutaneous fat attenuation were quantified on baseline low-dose chest CT (LDCT) for all patients in both groups. Nonsurvivor group had significantly greater CAC, decreased muscle mass, and higher fat attenuation compared to the survivor group . No significant difference in severity of emphysema was noted between the two groups . We thus conclude that it is possible to create a quantitative prediction model for lung cancer mortality for subjects with lung cancer detected on screening low-dose CT (LDCT).
CFD-CSD coupled analysis of underwater propulsion using a biomimetic fin-and-joint system

Abstract The remarkable performance of various species of fish in propulsion and maneuvering has motivated the design and analysis of flexible, biomimetic underwater propulsors, which may be particularly suitable to small-scale, unmanned vehicles. In this work, we employ a novel fluid-structure coupled computational framework, referred to as FIVER (a FInite Volume method based on Exact Riemann solvers), to simulate the flapping motion of a fin-and-joint system, which mimics the caudal peduncle and caudal fin of fish, and serves as a simplified engineering model of tail-dominated fish propulsion. This problem is dominated by fluid-structure interaction, featuring a three-dimensional, unsteady fluid flow, large structural motion and deformation, and strong added-mass effect. To handle these challenges, we apply an embedded boundary method and a numerically-stable partitioned procedure to couple a hybrid finite volume – finite element computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver and a nonlinear finite element computational structural dynamics (CSD) solver. First, we validate the CFD and CSD models using experimental data in fundamental vibration frequency, hydrodynamic forces, and structural displacement. Next, we investigate the fluid and structural dynamics, as well as the propulsive performance, focusing on the two-way fluid-structure coupling and the three-dimensional flow variation, which supplements the existing body of literature on biological and bio-inspired fluid dynamics. Further, by comparing a wide, trapezoidal fin and a narrow, forked fin, we investigate the various effects of fin geometry, and more generally, also demonstrate the use of observations and knowledge of biological diversity in the design of engineering systems.
Characterization of Immune Responses to Pathogen Challenge by Ms-Based Epitope Mapping

Mass spectrometry has long proven to be an outstanding bioanalytical technique for identifying proteins, defining their amino acid sequences, and for identifying sites of protein modifications. The application of mass spectrometry to more complicated biological structures, however, is less well established. We have been applying mass spectrometry to structural studies protein, especially to the determination of epitopes on proteins from pathogens that are recognized by monoclonal antibodies as part of the body’s immune system. As part of the defense mechanism against the invading pathogens, the body produces a cadre of antibodies to various epitopes on the pathogens. Here, we outline the development of epitope mapping techniques by mass spectrometry for the identification of linear epitopes and complex discontinuous epitopes using examples from our studies of epitopes on HIV proteins.
Current Status of Training Evaluation in Clinical Psychology

Clinical psychology has matured to a stage at which it is both possible and necessary to evaluate its training activities. The need to evaluate training process and outcome has become particularly intense at this time of declining federal support, shrinking job market, and increasing demands for demonstration of professional competence as well as documentation of special skills imparted by training programs More locally, training can be directly improved by formative feedback, and students can be socialized to understand and appreciate quantitative evaluation efforts.
Identification of a Distinct Metabolomic Subtype of Sporadic ALS Patients

Sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) is a progressive motor neuron disease resulting in paralysis and death. Genes responsible for familial ALS have been identified, however the molecular basis for sALS is unknown. To discover metabotypic biomarkers that inform on disease etiology, untargeted metabolite profiling was performed on 77 patient-derived dermal fibroblast lines and 45 age/sex-matched controls. Surprisingly, 25% of sALS lines showed upregulated methionine-derived homocysteine, channeled to cysteine and glutathione (GSH). Stable isotope tracing of [U-13C]-glucose showed activation of the trans-sulfuration pathway, associated with accelerated glucose flux into the TCA cycle, glutamate, GSH, alanine, aspartate, acylcarnitines and nucleotide phosphates. A four-molecule support vector machine model distinguished the sALS subtype from controls with 97.5% accuracy. Plasma metabolite profiling identified increased taurine as a hallmark metabolite for this sALS subset, suggesting systemic perturbation of cysteine metabolism. Furthermore, integrated multi-omics (mRNAs/microRNAs/metabolites) identified the super-trans-sulfuration pathway as a top hit for the sALS subtype. We conclude that sALS can be stratified into distinct metabotypes, providing for future development of personalized therapies that offer new hope to sufferers.
Accurate prediction of maize grain yield using its contributing genes for gene-based breeding.

Accurately predicting the phenotypes of complex traits is crucial to enhanced breeding in plants and livestock, and to enhanced medicine in humans. Here we reports the first study accurately predicting complex traits using their contributing genes, especially their number of favorable alleles (NFAs), genotypes and transcript expressions, with the grain yield of maize, Zea mays L. When the NFAs or genotypes of only 27 SNP/InDel-containing grain yield genes were used, a prediction accuracy of r = 0.52 or 0.49 was obtained. When the expressions of grain yield gene transcripts were used, a plateaued prediction accuracy of r = 0.84 was achieved. When the phenotypes predicted with two or three of the genic datasets were used for progeny selection, the selected lines were completely consistent with those selected by phenotypic selection. Therefore, the genes controlling complex traits enable accurately predicting their phenotypes, thus desirable for gene-based breeding in crop plants.
Blackhead Disease: Recovery of Layer Flock After Disease Challenge

SUMMARY Blackhead disease, caused by the protozoan Histomonas meleagridis, is commonly found in layer pullets raised on the floor. We examined the effects of blackhead disease during the pullet-rearing period and on subsequent productivity during the first 8 wk of the laying cycle. Treatments were (1) uninfected controls and (2) H. meleagridis -infected pullets, with 4 replicate pens/treatment, 32 pullets/pen (Hy-LineW-36). Pullets in the challenge treatment were infected with H. meleagridis on day 18. Four birds/pen were necropsied on days 23 and 28 for lesion scores and day 176 for detection of H. meleagridis. Hens were moved to individual layer cages on day 120 and observed daily for feed consumption, date of first lay and egg production parameters. Pullets were positive for signs of blackhead disease in 83%–90% of infected birds necropsied on days 23 and 28, with average cecal lesion scores of 2.5 and 2.9. No liver lesions were observed. On day 176, 40% of infected birds were positive for H. meleagridis in the ceca. During the laying cycle, there were no significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) between treatments in terms of date of first lay, hen-day egg production, egg weight, feed conversion, egg mass/hen, or other reproduction measurements. These results showed that while there was no long-term effect of blackhead infection on layer productivity under laboratory conditions, H. meleagridis persisted in the flock, providing a reservoir for infection.
Polemics and Proverbs: Religious Controversy in England, ‘German Lips,’ and the Character of a Genre

ABSTRACTThis article firstly reconstructs the usage and meaning of the early-modern English proverb ‘as just as German’s lips.’ It demonstrates that the meaning of the proverb, which has never been...
Surgical Wound Misclassification to Clean From Clean-Contaminated in Common Abdominal Operations.

Abstract Background Wound classification helps predict wound-related complications and is useful in stratifying surgical site infection reporting. We sought to evaluate misclassification among commonly performed surgeries that are at least clean-contaminated. Materials and methods The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried from 2005 to 2016 by Current Procedural Terminology codes identifying common surgeries that are, by definition, not clean: colectomy, cholecystectomy, hysterectomy, and appendectomy. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression were performed. Results Of the 1,208,544 operative cases reviewed, 22,925 (1.90%) were misclassified as clean. Hysterectomy was the most commonly misclassified operation (3.11%), and colectomy the least (0.82%). Misclassification was higher in laparoscopic cases (1.92% versus 1.82%; P Conclusions There is an increasing trend of misclassifying wounds as clean. Misclassified patients have better outcomes, and misclassification may be affected by patient characteristics, operative approach, and type of procedure rather than reflecting the true infectious burden. Further research is warranted.
CHAPTER 8 – Boolean Algebras

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses Boolean algebras. A Boolean algebra is a complemented distributive lattice. Because a Boolean algebra is a lattice, both multiplication and addition are associative and commutative, and the absorption and idempotency properties hold as they do for any lattice. As the lattice is complemented, there exist elements 0 and 1 that act respectively as the additive and multiplicative identities. Use of the words, such as addition and multiplication, draws attention to the analogy between Boolean algebras and ordinary algebras. For example, the absorption and idempotency properties do not hold for ordinary algebra. In addition, while Boolean addition distributes over Boolean multiplication, the corresponding statement is not true for ordinary addition and multiplication. In in ordinary arithmetic, 1 + a is not generally equal to 1, whereas the equality between these holds for Boolean algebras. The chapter also discusses properties of Boolean algebras and discusses Boolean functions in detail.
Nursing intervention based on Ramsay sedation score in continuous renal replacement therapy of children

Objective To investigate the effects of Ramsay sedation score on the nursing intervention for children undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) . Methods By retrospective non-random sampling, a total of 30 children treated with CRRT in Anhui Children's Hospital from January 2016 to May 2017 were assigned into the control group and nursed according to the standard operating procedures of CRRT for children. Another 30 children treated with CRRT from June 2017 to September 2018 were put into the observation group and the Ramsay sedation score was applied to adjust the sedation administration plan according to the results and doctors' prescriptions, and nursing intervention was given at the early stage of agitation. Machine alarm, complications and adverse events were compared between the two groups. Results After nursing intervention with Ramsay sedation score, the incidence of complications including machine alarm (1 time) , failed bloodletting (1 time) , bleeding at catheter puncture point (4 cases) and unplanned accidental termination of treatment (1 time) in the observation group were lower than those in the control group with statistical significance (P<0.05) . Conclusions Ramsay sedation score is simple and practical to apply and it is convenient for pediatric blood purification specialized nurses to evaluate its function. It can effectively reduce incidences of CRRT machine alarm, complications and adverse events. Key words: Nursing care; Child; Intervention studies; Ramsay sedation score; Continuous renal replacement therapy
Unidirectional lateral optical forces on polarizable nanoparticles near drift-biased graphene metasurfaces

Under adequate illumination of plane wave, polarizable nanoparticles near a plasmonic surface acquire out-of-plane polarization spin and experience lateral forces thanks to the recoil of directional surface plasmons excited on the surface. The strength and direction of such forces are mostly controlled by the power and direction of the incoming light. Here, we show that illuminating a nanoparticle near a drift-biased graphene metasurface excites unidirectional surface plasmons whose trajectory is fully determined by the drift-current and does not depend on the direction of incoming light. Due to momentum conservation, unidirectional lateral forces are exerted on the particle with a strength that can be controlled and even amplified over two orders of magnitude by the applied DC bias. Our findings may resolve delicate laser beam alignment issues and reduce the beam intensity required for the trapping and routing of nanoparticles.
Recurrent brainstem cavernous malformations following primary resection: blind spots, fine lines, and the right-angle method.

Objective Proximity of brainstem cavernous malformations (BSCMs) to tracts and cranial nerve nuclei make it costly to transgress normal tissue in accessing the lesion or disrupting normal tissue adjacent to the lesion in the separation plane. This interplay between tissue sensitivity and extreme eloquence makes it difficult to avoid leaving a remnant on occasion. Recurrences require operative intervention, which may increase morbidity, lengthen recovery, and add to overall costs. An approximately 20-year experience with patients with recurrent BSCM lesions following primary microsurgical resection was reviewed. Methods A prospectively maintained database of 802 patients who underwent microsurgical resection of cerebral cavernous malformations during 1997-2018 was queried to identify 213 patients with BSCMs. A retrospective chart review was conducted for patients with recurrent BSCM after primary resection who required a second surgery. Results Fourteen of 213 patients (6.6%) underwent repeat resection for recurrent BSCM. Thirty-four hemorrhagic events were observed among these 14 patients over 576 patient-years (recurrent hemorrhage rate, 5.9% per year; median discrete hemorrhagic events, 2; median time to rehemorrhage, 897 days). BSCM occurred in the pons in 10 cases, midbrain in 2 cases, and medulla in 2 cases. A blind spot in the operative corridor was the most common cause of residual BSCM (9 patients). All recurrent BSCMs were removed completely, although 2 patients each required 2 operations to treat recurrence. Twelve patients had unchanged or improved modified Rankin Scale scores at last clinical evaluation compared with admission, and 2 patients had worse scores. Recurrence was more common among patients who were operated on in the first versus the second half of the series (8.5% vs 4.7%). Conclusions The 6.6% rate of BSCM recurrence requiring reoperation reflects the fine lines between complete resection and recurrence and between safe and harmful surgery. The detection of remnants is difficult postoperatively and remains so even at 6 months when the resection bed has healed. The 5.9% annual hemorrhage risk associated with recurrent BSCM in this experience is consistent with that reported for unoperated BSCMs. The right-angle method helps to anticipate blind spots and meticulously inspect the resection cavity for residual BSCM during surgery. A low percentage of recurrent BSCM (5%-10%) ensures ongoing effort toward an acceptable balance of safety and completeness.
Feasibility of Retrieving Soil Moisture from InSAR Decorrelation Phase and Closure Phase

Phase inconsistencies, or closure phase, in interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) images are associated with the lack of phase closure for any given triplet of SAR scenes. While nonzero phase closure is fundamentally due to signal decorrelation between SAR scenes within a triplet, there has been particular interest in relating closure phase to temporal variations in surface scattering properties, namely surface and near-subsurface soil moisture state. In this manuscript, we will provide a brief overview of closure phase, and propose a methodology for retrieving soil moisture information from closure phase observations. We will briefly discuss implementation of this methodology, and then discuss the degree to which the assumed interferometric soil moisture model, and the assumed statistics of suface scatterers impacts the sensitivity of closure phase observations to surface soil moisture.
Lipid-specific oligomerization of the Marburg virus matrix protein VP40 is regulated by two distinct interfaces for virion assembly.

Marburg virus (MARV) is a lipid-enveloped virus harboring a negative-sense RNA genome, which has caused sporadic outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fever in sub-Saharan Africa. MARV assembles and buds from the host cell plasma membrane where MARV matrix protein (mVP40) dimers associate with anionic lipids at the plasma membrane inner leaflet and undergo a dynamic and extensive self-oligomerization into the structural matrix layer. The MARV matrix layer confers the virion filamentous shape and stability but how host lipids modulate mVP40 oligomerization is mostly unknown. Using in vitro and cellular techniques, we present a mVP40 assembly model highlighting two distinct oligomerization interfaces: the (N-terminal domain [NTD] and C-terminal domain [CTD]) in mVP40. Cellular studies of NTD and CTD oligomerization interface mutants demonstrate the importance of each interface in matrix assembly. The assembly steps include protein trafficking to the plasma membrane, homo-multimerization that induced protein enrichment, plasma membrane fluidity changes, and elongations at the plasma membrane. An ascorbate peroxidase derivative (APEX)-transmission electron microscopy method was employed to closely assess the ultrastructural localization and formation of viral particles for wildtype mVP40 and NTD and CTD oligomerization interface mutants. Taken together, these studies present a mechanistic model of mVP40 oligomerization and assembly at the plasma membrane during virion assembly that requires interactions with phosphatidylserine for NTD–NTD interactions and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate for proper CTD–CTD interactions. These findings have broader implications in understanding budding of lipid-enveloped viruses from the host cell plasma membrane and potential strategies to target protein–protein or lipid–protein interactions to inhibit virus budding.
Ergodicity of Continuous-Time Distributed Averaging Dynamics: A Spanning Directed Rooted Tree Approach

We consider time-varying distributed averaging dynamics. Motivated by a necessary condition on the ergodicity, we provide a sufficient condition for the ergodicity of such dynamics. We show that if groups of agents are connected using a directed acyclic graph containing a spanning directed rooted tree and the averaging dynamics restricted to each group is $\Pst$ , then the dynamics over the whole network is ergodic. In particular, this provides a general condition for convergence of consensus dynamics where groups of agents capable of reaching consensus follow each other on a time-varying network.
Lack of Reperfusion Rather Than Number of Passes Defines Futility in Stroke Thrombectomy: A Matched Case-Control Study

Background and Purpose: There is a robust relationship between the duration of ischemia and functional outcomes after mechanical thrombectomy. Higher number of mechanical thrombectomy passes strong...
Rates and Characteristics of Medical Malpractice Claims Against Hospitalists

BACKGROUND Hospitalists practice in high-stakes and litigious settings. However, little data exist about the malpractice claims risk faced by hospitalists. OBJECTIVE To characterize the rates and characteristics of malpractice claims against hospitalists. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS An analysis was performed of malpractice claims against hospitalists, as well as against select other specialties, using data from a malpractice claims database that includes approximately 31% of US malpractice claims. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES For malpractice claims against hospitalists (n = 1,216) and comparator specialties (n = 18,644): claims rates (using a data subset), percentage of claims paid, median indemnity payment amounts, allegation types, and injury severity. RESULTS Hospitalists had an annual malpractice claims rate of 1.95 claims per 100 physician-years, similar to that of nonhospitalist general internal medicine physicians (1.92 claims per 100 physician-years), and significantly greater than that of internal medicine subspecialists (1.30 claims per 100 physician-years) (P < .001). Claims rates for hospitalists nonsignificantly increased during the study period (2009-2018), whereas claims rates for four of the five other specialties examined significantly decreased over this period. The median indemnity payment for hospitalist claims was $231,454 (interquartile range, $100,000-$503,015), significantly higher than the amounts for all the other specialties except neurosurgery. The greatest predictor of a hospitalist case closing with payment (compared with no payment) was an error in clinical judgment as a contributing factor, with an adjusted odds ratio of 5.01 (95% CI, 3.37-7.45). CONCLUSION During the study period, hospitalist claims rates did not drop, whereas they fell for other specialties. Hospitalists' claims had relatively high injury severity and median indemnity payment amounts. The malpractice environment for hospitalists is becoming less favorable.
Mice Born to Mothers with Gravida Traumatic Brain Injury Have Distorted Brain Circuitry and Altered Immune Responses.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) increases risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Physical assaults increase in frequency and intensity during pregnancy. The consequences of TBI during pregnancy (gra...
Examining the Effects of Race on Human-AI Cooperation

Recent literature has shown that racism and implicit racial biases can affect one’s actions in major ways, from the time it takes police to decide whether they shoot an armed suspect, to a decision on whether to trust a stranger. Given that race is a social/power construct, artifacts can also be racialized, and these racialized agents have also been found to be treated differently based on their perceived race. We explored whether people’s decision to cooperate with an AI agent during a task (a modified version of the Stag hunt task) is affected by the knowledge that the AI agent was trained on a population of a particular race (Black, White, or a non-racialized control condition). These data show that White participants performed the best when the agent was racialized as White and not racialized at all, while Black participants achieved the highest score when the agent was racialized as Black. Qualitative data indicated that White participants were less likely to report that they believed that the AI agent was attempting to cooperate during the task and were more likely to report that they doubted the intelligence of the AI agent. This work suggests that racialization of AI agents, even if superficial and not explicitly related to the behavior of that agent, may result in different cooperation behavior with that agent, showing potentially insidious and pervasive effects of racism on the way people interact with AI agents.
Quantifying Tissue-Specific Proteostatic Decline in Caenorhabditis elegans.

The ability to maintain proper function and folding of the proteome (protein homeostasis) declines during normal aging, facilitating the onset of a growing number of age-associated diseases. For instance, proteins with polyglutamine expansions are prone to aggregation, as exemplified with the huntingtin protein and concomitant onset of Huntington’s disease. The age-associated deterioration of the proteome has been widely studied through the use of transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans expressing polyQ repeats fused to a yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). This polyQ::YFP transgenic animal model facilitates the direct quantification of the age-associated decline of the proteome through imaging the progressive formation of fluorescent foci (i.e., protein aggregates) and subsequent onset of locomotion defects that develop as a result of the collapse of the proteome. Further, the expression of the polyQ::YFP transgene can be driven by tissue-specific promoters, allowing the assessment of proteostasis across tissues in the context of an intact multicellular organism. This model is highly amenable to genetic analysis, thus providing an approach to quantify aging that is complementary to lifespan assays. We describe how to accurately measure polyQ::YFP foci formation within either neurons or body wall muscle during aging, and the subsequent onset of behavioral defects. Next, we highlight how these approaches can be adapted for higher throughput, and potential future applications using other emerging strategies for C. elegans genetic analysis.
Mudflat runnels: Evidence and importance of very shallow flows in intertidal morphodynamics

[1] Mudflats are often dissected by nearly-parallel runnels separated by ridges. High resolution data of tidal velocity and sediment concentration measured in a mudflat runnel in Willapa Bay, Washington State, USA, indicate that very shallow flows draining the mudflat platform are concentrated in the runnels. These flows, with water depths of few tens of centimeters, are characterized by velocities close to the flood and ebb maxima associated to the regional flow when the mudflat is submerged. The corresponding shear stresses are higher than the critical stress for erosion, thus suggesting possible remobilization of surface sediments. Moreover, suspended sediment concentrations in the runnel are greater than those associated with the regional tidal flow, and comparable to concentrations during energetic wave conditions. All this evidence indicates that shallow flows in runnels are important morphodynamic agents producing noteworthy geomorphic work.
Self-Fulfilling Public Debt Crises

This paper will show that under certain conditions highly indebted countries could fall into a low credibility trap. This occurs when a government is judged to be not credible by financial markets. It then has to pay a risk premium through higher interest rates. The higher debt service burden that results, if inflation is kept low, makes it even more likely that the authorities will abandon their attempt for stabilization and try to reduce the real value of the debt through a inflation. As a result, this further increases the risk premium demanded by financial markets and could possibly lead to a spiral of increasing interest rates until the government caves in.
Bayesian Data Analysis and MCMC

Bayesian statistics is based up a philosophy different from that of other methods of statistical inference. In Bayesian statistics all unknowns, and in particular unknown parameters, are considered to be random variables and their probability distributions specify our beliefs about their likely values. Estimation, model selection, and uncertainty analysis are implemented by using Bayes’s theorem to update our beliefs as new data are observed.
Learning Balanced Mixtures of Discrete Distributions with Small Sample

We study the problem of partitioning a small sample of n individuals from a mixture of k product distributions over a Boolean cube {0, 1} K according to their distributions. Each distribution is des cribed by a vector of allele frequencies in R K . Given two distributions, we use γ to denote the average l 2 distance in frequencies across K dimensions, which measures the statistical divergence between them. We study the case assuming that bits are independently distributed acro ss K dimensions. This work demonstrates that, for a balanced input instance for k = 2, a certain graph-based optimization function returns the correct partition with high probability, where a weighted graph G is formed over n individuals, whose pairwise hamming distances between their corresponding bit vectors define th e edge weights, so long as K =  (ln n/γ ) and K n = ˜  ln n/γ 2 � . The function computes a maximum-weight balanced cut of G, where the weight of a cut is the sum of the weights across all edges in the cut. This r esult demonstrates a nice property in the high-dimensional feature space: one can trade off the number of features that are required with the size of the sample to accomplish certain tasks like clustering.
Understanding B Cell Biology

Humoral autoimmunity reflects failures in B cell tolerance and regulation. Accordingly, B cells have long been proposed as targets for treating autoimmune disease. The last decade has witnessed substantial growth in the number of therapeutic agents that target B cells themselves, or molecules key to B cell survival or function. In order to understand, develop, and eventually predict the outcomes of B cell targeted therapies, a thorough understating of the mechanisms underlying B cell development, activation, and regulation is necessary. Here we summarize B cell genesis, differentiation, and tolerance, and illustrate how an understanding of basic B cell biology can afford insight into the design and action of therapeutic agents.
Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis—a review of current and novel pharmacotherapies

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive form of lung disease of unknown etiology for which a paucity of therapies suggest benefit, and for which none have demonstrated improved survival. Acute exacerbation of IPF (AE-IPF) is defined as a sudden acceleration of the disease or an idiopathic acute injury superimposed on diseased lung that leads to a significant decline in lung function. An AE-IPF is associated with a mortality rate as high as 85% with mean survival periods of between 3 to 13 days. Under these circumstances, mechanical ventilation (MV) is controversial, unless used a as a bridge to lung transplantation. Judicious fluid management may be helpful. Pharmaceutical treatment regimens for AE-IPF include the use of high dose corticosteroids with or without immunosuppressive agents such as cyclosporine A (CsA), and broad spectrum antibiotics, despite the lack of convincing evidence demonstrating benefit. Newer research focuses on abnormal wound healing as a cause of fibrosis and preventing fibrosis itself through blocking growth factors and their downstream intra-cellular signaling pathways. Several novel pharmaceutical approaches are discussed.
Circadian Fluctuations in Plasma Corticosterone, Corticosterone-Binding Activity and total Protein in male rats: Possible Disruption by Serial Blood Sampling

Male rats were bled serially every 6 h for 48 consecutive hours. Plasma so obtained was assayed for corticosterone (B) corticosterone-binding activity (CBA) and total plasma protein (TPP). Although the averaged data indicated a significant circadian rhythm in plasma B, inspection of the circadian changes in individual animals showed that 40% had irregular or aberrant patterns of plasma B. Additionally, circadian fluctuations in plasma CBA were approximately 3-fold lower in magnitude than previously reported, and there was no significant circadian change in TPP. Running wheel activity during the 48 h blood sampling period decreased by over 50% indicating that the serial sampling procedure caused disruption of the activity cycle. However, the majority of wheel-running activity occurred during the dark portion of the day-night cycle. Because circadian fluctuations in plasma proteins, including corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG), may be directly related to changes in locomotor activity, it is suggested tha...
Sphingolipid base phosphorylation by cell-free preparations from Tetrahymena pyriformis

Abstract 1. 1. The protozoa, Tetrahymena pyriformis has been shown to be capable of the rapid degradation of the spingolipid bases by reactions analogous to those found in higher organisms. 2. 2. Cell-free preparations from lyophilized cells retain the ability to phosphorylate the sphingolipid bases, but the activity for cleaving the phosphorylated long-chain bases is almost completely lost. The characteristics of the kinase reaction have been investigated using these lyophilized preparations. 3. 3. The sphingolipid base was not phosphorylated when the amino function was blocked by acyl groups, and analogs of the long-chain bases, containing a phenyl group at carbon 3 rather than an alkyl group did not function as substrates. 4. 4. In addition to the sphingolipid base, the kinase required Mg2+ or Mn2+, and a nucleoside triphosphate. Under the conditions of this study, CTP, ATP, UTP and CTP all served as phosphoryl donors. 5. 5. The possibility that the rapid degradation of sphingolipid bases may be a means to generate alkyl groups and ethanolamine is discussed.
Biodiversity of ant species along a disturbance gradient in residential environments of Puerto Rico

One of the most effective ways to describe the successional gradient of an environment is by using measures of biodiversity. We investigated the biodiversity of ant communities (known tramp/structure invaders) in an environment undergoing urban succession to characterize how ant communities changed along a disturbance gradient. Ant community dynamics were examined within three Puerto Rican housing developments of different ages. Within each development, we assessed the ant community using biodiversity measures of richness, abundance, diversity and evenness. We also studied changes in biodiversity within each development over time as well as how biodiversity related to food preferences within the ant communities. In general, the biodiversity measures increased as the age of the housing development increased. Monthly changes in biodiversity indicated that month was a better predictor of biodiversity in the most recently disturbed development, while the biodiversity in the older developments was less predictable from month to month. The biodiversity measures also suggested that the ant community in the youngest development was comprised mostly of generalist feeders. However, the older sites’ ant species appeared to have more specific feeding preferences. Based on the biodiversity measures of these ant communities, our findings suggest that the housing developments of different ages represented advancing stages of secondary succession. Furthermore, this study indicated that the succession of ant species occurs rapidly (<10 years) in urban environments, resulting in a relatively diverse ant community.
Effects of Holocene climate change on mercury deposition in Elk Lake, Minnesota: The importance of eolian transport in the mercury cycle

Sediments in Elk Lake, Minnesota, consist of 10,400 varve layers that provide a precise chronology for Holocene fluctuations in climate and biota recorded in the strata. Progressively greater concentrations and accumulation rates of mercury since ca. A.D. 1875 reflect deposition of anthropogenic mercury additions to the atmosphere. Within the Holocene record are numerous short intervals in which mercury concentrations and accumulation rates exceed the modern values. The highest mercury concentrations formed ca. 8 ka, coincident with a rapid change from cool, moist conditions to warm, dry conditions. A related change in flora from pine forest to prairie caused destruction of organic forest soils and the release of mercury that had been sequestered in them, resulting in a short-lived pulse of mercury to the lake. Accumulation rates of mercury were highest during the 4 k.y. mid-Holocene dry interval and show a correlation with periods of rapid deposition of eolian dust. The mercury was probably bound to wind-borne mineral particles, which were derived from an unidentified mercury-rich source region west of Elk Lake.
Variations in upper ocean heat storage determined from satellite data

Abstract The development of new microwave sensors to measure oceanic surface parameters from satellites will provide information applicable to studies of variations in upper ocean heat storage. An algorithm was developed to use satellite-derived values of sea-surface temperature and surface wind speeds to predict changes in subsurface heat storage. The algorithm, which is based on a one-dimensional model of the upper ocean, is used to determine the effect of inherent limitations of satellite data, such as discontinuous coverage and errors in the derived fields. Errors in the temperature field become more important as the surface mixed-layer deepens, and accurate specification of the temperature field appears to be more important than accurate specification of the wind field. However, it is important to obtain information about high wind speed events when they occur. The technique, which also provides information on the total heat flux into the ocean between successive satellite passes, could be improved by obtaining information from more than one satellite and from multiple sensors.
On the “reality” and reality of anthropogenic climate change

Can scholars speak about the reality of climate change? By this I mean, can we fairly say that we know that anthropogenic climate change is real? Or is reality—and the very idea of knowing—something that needs to be continually qualified, by scare quotes or otherwise? Fifteen years ago this issue—broadly applied—erupted as a schism between social scientists who insisted on recognition of the social dimensions of scientific knowledge, and natural scientists who took such claims as an affront not just to their status and dignity, but to their ontology as well. [1] The question of how well anthropogenic knowledge maps onto anthro-independent phenomena is scarcely new: philosophers from Plato to Kant famously grappled with it. In the 20th century Pierre Duhen and W.V.O. Quine, working from very different perspectives, stressed that empirical evidence never uniquely defines theoretical possibility; our theories are always, to one degree or another, under-determined by our evidence. [2] In my own work, I have explored the opposite problem: that no one theory accounts for all the evidence that we have, so scientists pick and choose, focusing on the data that they find most important, convincing, and compelling. [3] Given this long history, the relation of our knowledge to the world it claims to describe could hardly be resolved here. Moreover, the history of science is a chronicle of epistemic frailty: both facts and theories have toppled in the face of new evidence and new interpretations of old evidence. From this, philosophers make a “pessimistic meta-induction”: since previously well-established scientific knowledge has been shown to be wrong, incomplete, partial or false, what does this say about our current knowledge? We must conclude that at least some of it will be rejected in the future as having been mistaken. [4] None of this undermines the existence of an anthro-independent world—it does not force us to take an ontologically anti-realist position. Nor does it undermine our claims to know things, in the ordinary sense of knowing that we use everyday. It does force us to be realistic about the claims of any individual or group to know nature in a culturally unmediated Climatic Change (2013) 119:559–560 DOI 10.1007/s10584-013-0779-3
In-situ deposition of PZT thin films by RF magnetron sputtering

Abstract Thin films of ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) were deposited in-situ by rf magnetron sputtering on thermally oxidized Si/Ti/Pt, ITO coated glass, SrTiO3/YBCO, and MgO/YBCO substrates. PZT films grown on multilayer Si substrates showed tendency for electric short that was subsided when a lead titanate diffusion barrier was used. The glass/ITO/PZT films displayed a phase transformation from pyrochlore to perovskite at 600°C. Epitaxial PZT thin films deposited on YBCO displayed all the ‘001’ peaks from the c-axis oriented YBCO films as well as the ‘00m’ peaks from the PZT films. The remnant polarization and coercive field of MgO/YBCO/PZT films were 20 μC/cm2 and 45 kV/cm, respectively, compared with 8μC/cm2 and 50 kV/cm for the Si-based PZT films. All optimum films prepared showed a dissipation factor of under 5% at 1 kHz.
Comparison of Turbulent Heat-Transfer Results for Uniform Wall Heat Flux and Uniform Wall Temperature

The purpose of this note is to examine in a more precise way how the Nusselt numbers for turbulent heat transfer in both the fully developed and thermal entrance regions of a circular tube are affected by two different wall boundary conditions. The comparisons are made for: (a) Uniform wall temperature (UWT); and (b) uniform wall heat flux (UHF). Several papers which have been concerned with the turbulent thermal entrance region problem are given. 1 Although these analyses have all utilized an eigenvalue formulation for the thermal entrance region there were differences in the choices of eddy diffusivity expressions, velocity distributions, and methods for carrying out the numerical solutions. These differences were also found in the fully developed analyses. Hence when making a comparison of the analytical results for uniform wall temperature and uniform wall heat flux, it was not known if differences in the Nusselt numbers could be wholly attributed to the difference in wall boundary conditions, since all the analytical results were not obtained in a consistent way. To have results which could be directly compared, computations were carried out for the uniform wall temperature case, using the same eddy diffusivity, velocity distribution, and digital computer program employed for uniform wall heat flux. In addition, the previous work was extended to a lower Reynolds number range so that comparisons could be made over a wide range of both Reynolds and Prandtl numbers.
The threat of chemical and biological terrorism: preparing a response

When a deadly contaminant is released in a city, the window of time for meaningful response is brief. High-performance computing can play a major role in preparing an effective response. This article describes one such effort, which exploits detailed 3D computational fluid dynamics simulations of the airflow in buildings and cities.