cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Collagen and fibronectin expression in cardiac fibroblasts from hypertensive rats

Objective: Left ventricular hypertrophy in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) is accompanied by excessive accumulation of collagen in the myocardium. The objective of this work was to examine the role of myocardial fibroblasts in this phenomenon. Methods: Myocardial fibroblasts from SHR and control Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) were incubated with l4C-proline: total l4C incorporation and l4C-collagen synthesis were determined by collagenase digestion assays. I4C containing proteins were further characterised by SDS gel electrophoresis. RNA was isolated from these cultures and used for northern blot hybridisation with rodent specific cDNAs for collagen types I and III and fibronectin. Results: Biosynthetic labelling of fibroblastic cell cultures with l4C-proline showed that l4C-proline incorporation into total protein expressed on a DNA basis was 30% higher in fibroblasts from hypertensive rats than in the corresponding sex and age matched normal rats. When the same set of cell cultures was examined for l4C-collagen synthesis there was a 50% increment in cell strains from hypertensive animals; these differences were highly significant. When the expression of collagen types I and III and fibronectin genes was analysed by northern blot analyses. 1.5- to 2-fold greater steady state levels of types I and III collagens and fibronectin transcripts were found in fibroblasts from hypertensive rats when compared to cells from normal rats. Conclusions: Myocardial fibroblast cultures from hypertensive rats produce increased amounts of collagen and fibronectin associated with increased expression of the genes for types I and III collagens and also for fibronectin. Myocardial fibroblasts may participate in the increased myocardial connective tissue deposition associated with genetic hypertension. Cardiovascular Research 1994; 28 :1342-1347
Vector expansion functions for the numerical solution of Maxwell's equations

Vector fields within triangular domains in two-dimensional space and tetrahedral domains in three-dimensional space can be conveniently represented by expansion functions that are linear in the spatial variables and have either zero divergence or zero curl. These expansion functions are developed. Numerical solutions for the resonant frequencies of two-dimensional cavities are presented to illustrate the use of vector functions.
Cerebral Hemodynamics of Experimental Cerebral Embolization

Cerebral embolization in anesthetized dogs produces a fall in cerebral blood flow but no significant increase in cerebrovascular resistance. The mechanism of the decreased flow is usually a decrease in mean arterial blood pressure. Section of the sympathetic-vagus trunks produces no consistent increase in cerebral blood flow or fall in cerebrovascular resistance.
HIV enhances substance P expression in human immune cells

Substance P (SP), a potent modulator of neuroimmunoregulation, is expressed in human immune cells. We observed elevated plasma SP levels in HIV-infected men compared with uninfected subjects. In the present study, we investigated the possible cellular source of the increased SP level caused by HIV infection. Using real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, we demonstrated that monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) and lymphocytes from both placental cord blood and adult peripheral blood expressed SP mRNA, which was significantly increased by HIV infection. HIV-induced SP expression was positively related to virus replication in the infected MDM. Purified recombinant HIV envelope glycoprotein 120 (gp120) derived from both the macrophage-tropic strain (MN) and the T lymphocyte-tropic strain (IIIB), when added to MDM cultures, enhanced SP mRNA expression. The gp120-induced SP expression was abrogated by pretreating the cells with soluble CD4. Furthermore, the activation of HIV in the latently infected promonocytic cell line (U1) and T-cell line (ACH-2) up-regulated SP mRNA expression. These data support the hypothesis that interaction of HIV and SP may have significant in vivo relevance to the immunopathogenesis of HIV infection and AIDS.
Effect of Disease Complications on Hospital Costs

Background: To test the hypothesis that complications increase the use of resources in managing patients in hospitals, we examined the costs of managing patients with the same disease with and without complications. Methods: We used a database developed by the University HealthSystems Consortium that contains the costs of managing more than 1 million patients in 60 University hospitals. We created a simplified database of the costs of 457 445 patients in 111-paired diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) that were classified as either having or not having complications and/or comorbidities. Costs were calculated from the ratio of costs to charges within the individual hospitals. Results: The median costs of managing patients with complications were higher than those for managing patients without complications, confirming the appropriateness of the dual classification. Notably, these extra costs were largely incurred through increased length of stay. Of note, the cost per day for DRGs with complications and/or comorbidities was most often less than that for the corresponding uncomplicated conditions. Although accommodation costs generally were the largest single component of total costs for both complicated and uncomplicated conditions, in only 31 DRGs (15 with complications, 16 without) did they account for more than one-half the total costs. Laboratory and drug costs were higher for complicated conditions, but as a proportion of total costs were comparable for complicated and uncomplicated conditions. Conclusions: Complications in patients are associated with increased hospital costs, although the costs per day of hospitalization are often less than in patients without such complications.
Therapist Verbal Behavior Early in Treatment: Relation to Successful Completion of Parent?Child Interaction Therapy.

We examined the role of specific therapist verbal behaviors in predicting successful completion of Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) in 22 families, including 11 families that successfully completed treatment and 11 that discontinued treatment prematurely. The children were 3 to 6 years old and diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Chamberlain et al.'s (1986) Therapy Process Code (TPC) was used to measure therapist verbalizations during therapist–parent interactions during the initial clinical interview and the second treatment session. Results indicated that therapists' use of the categories Question, Facilitate, and Support during these sessions accurately predicted treatment dropout versus completion for 73% of families. Findings suggest that the early therapist–parent relationship in PCIT may be critical to successful treatment completion.
Religious Beliefs And Wealth Accumulation

One of the more interesting findings in the research on household wealth is the relationship between religion and wealth accumulation. In contrast to previous studies that use denominational affiliation, we use a more precise measure of religious belief constructed from responses to survey questions regarding interpretation of the Bible. Regression results indicate that households with more literalist Biblical beliefs have lower net worth overall. Additional analysis using quantile regression reveals that this relationship holds only for the upper half of the wealth distribution. There is no relationship at lower levels of wealth. Finally, while more literalist households are less likely to have an investment account or to have ever received an inheritance, they are more likely to own a home and to have a positive net worth.
Overview of the TAC 2008 Update Summarization Task.

The summarization track at the Text Analysis Conference (TAC) is a direct continuation of the Document Understanding Conference (DUC) series of workshops, focused on providing common data and evaluation framework for research in automatic summarization. In the TAC 2008 summarization track, the main task was to produce two 100-word summaries from two related sets of 10 documents, where the second summary was an update summary. While all of the 71 submitted runs were automatically scored with the ROUGE and BE metrics, NIST assessors manually evaluated only 57 of the submitted runs for readability, content, and overall responsiveness.
Self-Folding Laminated Composites for Smart Origami Structures

Origami-folding principles can be used with laminated composites to produce lightweight structures that are capable of drastic changes in shape. This paper presents a smart composite that can actively change its crease pattern to fold itself into different rigid shapes and provide a large range of motion. The composite uses a smart material with variable modulus sandwiched between two fiber-reinforced elastomeric skins, one of which is prestressed. Change in modulus of the sandwiched core layer allows prestress in the elastomeric skin to actuate the fold. Unfolding the structure to a flat shape can be accomplished through either embedded or external actuation. Passive composite panels were fabricated for model development and validation. An analytical model was developed based on classical laminate plate theory to study the influence of core modulus, core thickness, and elastomeric skin prestress on the equilibrium curvature of the composite structure. Selected smart materials that provide a change in modulus when stimulated are discussed as candidates for the core layer of the self-folding composite.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Experience-based analytics

Data has been called the new oil. Despite of its high value, only one percent of the world's data has been extracted for its insights. Data analytics is currently available only to the technical elite of data and IT experts, completely out of reach for general users. End users today only have indirect access to insights, completely dependent on this technical elite. However, no exponential growth in the population of IT and data experts is fast enough to meet the demand of volume and speed of data analytics to go beyond today's one percent of data analyzed. We are far from the ultimate data utopia in which data analytics is provided as a utility, available to and accessible by general users in real time. This paper introduces experience-based analytics: analytics for end users in accessible forms that serve their data analytics requirements as individuals in real time, in a manner that is contextually relevant, transparent with cognitive insights and anticipation. The notion is for the data and IT experts to re-think from delivering analytics results to users as a final form of consumption, to a new paradigm in which general users are enable to perform their own analytics.
Dissidents Versus Allegiants on Facebook: An Examination of Facebook Page Networks Related to Channel 4 War Crime Videos on Sri Lanka

This study takes a network analysis perspective to understand communities of dissidents and allegiants formed on Facebook in relation to Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict. Networks representing dissidents and allegiants were formed based on levels of liking and commenting and analyzed across ethnic groups. The results show that the dissident network is more diverse in terms of ethnic composition and has a significantly higher number of commenters than the allegiant network, suggesting greater engagement, and is neither assortative nor disassortaive across ethnicity, suggesting the presence of cross-ethnicity interaction. The study suggests that Facebook can help create issue-based communities where people from opposing viewpoints co-exist and perhaps interact, and examines how the nature of engagement in both networks reflects the nature of the related political issue offline.
Chromosomal Variability in the Antarctic Insect, Belgica antarctica (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Chromosomal inversion polymorphism is examined in the midge Belgica antarctica Jacobs (Diptera: Chironomidae). This insect is the southernmost free-living holometabolous species and is restricted to ca. a 650-km range on western side of the Antarctic Peninsula. B. antarctica is a diploid species with a chromosome complement of 2n=6. Five chromosomal inversions were found among ca. 1200 insects from 18 localities. One inversion is sex-linked. Two inversions exhibited highly significant interpopulational differentiation in the frequency of inversion heterozygotes. Attempts to correlate inversion heterozygosity with several environmental variables including ecological complexity and 3 soil variables, i.e., pH, electrical conductivity and percent organic material, gave non-significant results. Several hypotheses are advanced to explain the observed patterns of genetic variability.
Nonmelanoma skin cancers in association with seborrheic keratoses : clinicopathologic correlations

background Seborrheic keratoses (SKs) can be seen in association with cancers. objective Our study was designed to demonstrate the occurrence of concomitant SKs and nonmelanoma skin cancers, as well as to correlate their histological types and clinical locations. The study was not intended to be an epidemiologic survey. methods We prospectively collected 108 completely excised SKs, examined them microscopically, categorized them, and correlated the clinical site, histological type, and determined the incidence of concomitant malignancy. results Of the 108 SKs studied, 71 were acanthotic, 27 hyperkeratotic, and 10 reticulated. The incidence of associated non-melanoma cancers was 4.6%. All malignancies were squamous cell carcinomas and were on sun-exposed skin. Three of the five malignancies arose in conjunction with reticulated SKs. conclusions The incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancer in association with SKs may be greater than previously reported, particularly in SKs situated on photodamaged skin and of the reticulated type. SKs that have undergone recent growth or other clinical change should be biopsied and all SKs that are removed should be examined histologically.
Diet and cholesteremia. IV. Effects of carbohydrate and nicotinic acid.

SummaryWhen rats were fed a diet containing 25% of hydrogenated coconut oil, 1% of cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid, substitution of wheat flour for sucrose caused a reduction in serum cholesterol concentration. Diets containing sucrose, dextrin and anhydrous glucose produced the same degree of hypercholesteremia. When sucrose was replaced in part with lactose or sorbitol hypercholesteremia was enhanced. Nicotinic acid at high levels and inositol-hexanicotinate at 0.57% level in the diet failed to lower serum cholesterol concentration. High doses of nicotinic acid had no effect on pyridine nucleotide content of the liver, but raised the oxidized pyridine nucleotide content of blood significantly.
Congenital and Perinatal Cytomegalovirus Infections

Cytomegalovirus is the most common cause of congenital and perinatal viral infections throughout the world. Congenital infection occurs in 1% of all live births in developed countries and in an even higher percentage in developing nations. As a result of transmission during birth, by breast milk, and by blood transfusion, perinatal infections are much more prevalent than congenital infections. The vast majority of these infections are chronic, subclinical forms, but symptomatic infections are sufficiently prevalent and dangerous to represent a major unsolved public health problem throughout the world. In this review the epidemiologic, clinical, immunologic, and therapeutic facets of cytomegaloviral infections in pregnant women and their offspring will be discussed.
GENETIC VARIATION, DIFFERENTIATION, AND EVOLUTION IN A SPECIES COMPLEX OF TROPICAL SHRUBS BASED ON ISOZYMIC DATA.

An isozyme investigation of the Lisianthius skinneri (Gentianaceae) species com- plex in central Panama assayed levels of genetic variation within and among isolated pop- ulations and was used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships within the complex. The widespread and low elevation L. skinneri and one derived cloud forest endemic species, L. habuensis, are depauperate in genetic variation. Three other endemic cloud forest species exhibiting larger population sizes and apparently more outcrossed breeding systems have higher levels of heterozygosity but retain low levels of allelic diversity. More than 90% of the genetic variation in the species complex is confined to among-population differentiation rather than within-population variation. Isozyme-based relationships within the species complex using both genetic divergence values (Fitch and Margoliash algorithm) and shared allelic states (Nelson and VanHorn algorithm) are identical. This network is not entirely congruent with a previous DNA-based network. Geographical isolation, small population size, low allelic diversity, and high levels of among-population differentiation suggest that repeated instances of founder events and genetic drift have been important in the evolution of this tropical shrub complex.
Evaporator Fouling Tendencies of Thin Stillage and Concentrates From the Dry Grind Process

ABSTRACTIn the United States, more than 200 maize processing plants use multiple-effect evaporators to remove water from thin stillage and steepwater during dry grind and wet milling processes, respectively. During the dry grind process, unfermentables are centrifuged and the liquid fraction, thin stillage, is concentrated in multiple effect evaporators. Evaporator fouling occurs during thin stillage concentration and may be from deposition of proteins, fat, fiber, and/or carbohydrates on evaporator surfaces. Studies on evaporator fouling from maize processing streams are limited and fundamental causes are not well understood. Therefore, the overall objective was to investigate effects of compositional variation on evaporator fouling during thin stillage concentration. Effects of total solids during evaporator concentration, removal of post fermentation oil, corn oil and glycerol addition, and overall plant operation were studied. Thin stillage had lower fouling rates compared to evaporator concentrates. ...
The Safety Assessment Measure for persons with traumatic brain injury: Item pool development and content validity.

BACKGROUND: Persons with moderate to severe TBI are at increased risk for unintentional injury or harm in the home and community; however, there is currently no standard measure of safety risk they face now and in the future. OBJECTIVE: To develop comprehensive and content valid scales and item pools for assessing safety and risk for persons with moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries. METHOD: Qualitative psychometric methods for developing scales and items were used including literature review, item development and revision, focus groups with interdisciplinary rehabilitation staff (n = 26) for rating content validity, and cognitive interviewing of TBI family members (n = 9) for assuring item clarity. RESULTS: The Safety Assessment Measure is comprised of 6 primary scales – Cognitive Capacity, Visuomotor Capacity, Wheelchair Use, Risk Perception, Self-Regulation, and Compliance Failures with Safety Recommendations – in which family caregivers or clinicians rate the risk for unintentional injury or harm in adults who have sustained moderate or severe TBI. The scale item pools encompass a broad spectrum of everyday activities that pose risk in the home and community and were rated as having excellent levels of content validity. CONCLUSIONS: The Safety Assessment Measure scales and items cover a broad range of instrumental activities of daily living that can increase the risk of unintentional injuries or harm. Empirical evidence suggests that the Safety Assessment Measure items have excellent content validity. Future research should use modern psychometric methods to examine each scale unidimensionality, model fit, and precision.
The Early Life of James Mirrlees

Galloway is a region in the southwest Scottish Lowlands where the rolling hills make for a particularly picturesque landscape. Located only a short distance from the Irish Sea, on the River Cree, Newton Stewart lies at the edge of the Galloway Forest Park. Closer to Belfast, Northern Ireland than it is to either London or the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, this village of shopkeepers serves a relatively remote region of farmers. It was in this bucolic setting that James Alexander Mirrlees was raised.
Valve-in-valve-in homograft: A case of a repeat transcatheter aortic valve replacement in a patient with an aortic homograft

In recent years, the use of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has extended beyond the treatment of native aortic valve stenosis in patients with high surgical risk. TAVR is increasingly being performed for bioprosthetic aortic valve failure, i.e., the valve-in-valve (VIV) procedure. Establishing the success of a VIV procedure can be challenging in these cases. Furthermore, the limited availability of prostheses sizes further complicates the management of these patients. We present an unusual case of a repeat TAVR in a patient who previously had a VIV procedure in an aortic homograft.
Elementos relevantes en la transposición e implantación de los marcos nacionales de interoperabilidad (Key Elements in the Implementation of E-Government National Interoperability Frameworks)

Ponencia que muestra los resultados de estudio realizado sobre la implantacion de las arquitecturas y marcos de interoperabilidad europeos existentes hasta la fecha, especialmente aquellos maduros y con contribuciones destacadas, como SAGA en Alemania, GIF y posteriormente UKRA en el Reino Unido, o NORA en Holanda. El objetivo ultimo del trabajo es dar respuesta a dos importantes preguntas: 1) ?como se han logrado poner en practica los requisitos contemplados en un marco de interoperabilidad? y 2) ?que elementos han coadyuvado a que un marco de interoperabilidad haya sido adoptado de forma notable? Paper that shows the results of the author's research, focused on the true implementation of the interoperability frameworks and architectures in Europe, especially those with high maturity degree, and that it has achieved important contributions to e-Government Interoperability at country level, as SAGA in Germany, e-GIF & UKRA in the United Kingdom, or NORA in The Netherlands. The last target is to answer two important questions: 1) How has been achieved the implementation of the requirements included within an e-Government Interoperability Framework? and 2) What elements have helped to the achievement of Interoperability Framework adoption?
Loose-hinge total elbow arthroplasty: An experimental study of the effects of implant alignment on three-dimensional elbow kinematics

Abstract A previous study suggested that the kinematics of a loose-hinge total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) are those of a truly semiconstrained joint. This study addresses the effects of malposition of the implant. The three-dimensional elbow kinematics during simulated active motion were studiedin six cadaver specimens using an electromagnetic tracking device. In addition to simulated active elbow flexion, flexion arcs were obtained under an elbow varus or valgus moment, to calculate the structural varus-valgus laxities. The results after four different Coonrad-Morrey TEA positions of implantation were compared with those of the intact elbow. The flexion-extension amplitudes were not significantly decreased after TEA implantation, except with external rotation of the ulnar component, which resulted in a loss of extension. In the intact elbow and after TEA implantation in any position, the mean varus-valgus deviations throughout elbow flexion were in a narrower range than the structural limits imposed by the ligaments (intant elbow) or the TEA binge design. With internal malrotation of the humeral component over 10°, however, the valgus structural limit was reached and, conversely, the varus limit with external rotation over 10°. The clinical improvement observed with the semiconstrained TEA is derived from the benefits of the less constrained articulation. The proximodistal changes of TEA implantation have no consequence on the kinematic pattern. Rotational malpositioning of either humeral or ulnar component should be avoided, the first because it changes the kinematic pattern toward the structural limits of the implant and, therefore, may lead to excessive stresses at the bone-cement implant interfaces and to early loosening, and the latter becuase it causes loss of extension.
Model based safety ranking of opioid drugs using Adversity index

Annual ADR report counts of opioid drugs are examined to develop a candidate index of overall safety of a drug. Actual counts for various drugs have been sourced from www.vigiaccess.org. A feature found to be common to all drugs considered is that an exponential function adequately describes the pattern of cumulative counts. In the exponential model, the parameter in the exponent (rate constant) is robust and remains the same whether counts are corrected for exposure or not. We propose use of this rate constant as adversity index of a drug. Drugs in use can be ranked by value of adversity index, lower value suggesting safer drug.
Medicaid Spend Down, Estate Recovery and Divorce: Doctrine, Planning, and Policy

Medicaid is the need based government program that pays for much of the health care for the poor in the United States. Medicaid often ends up paying the costs of nursing home care for middle class seniors who have descended into poverty as a result of the high costs of such care. For married couples Medicaid requires “spend down” of both spouses’ assets before one spouse can qualify for Medicaid support. This article posits that, unless the law is changed, divorce may well become standard Medicaid planning practice in many circumstances. This will be especially true for middle and upper middle class married couples because they have the most to gain from divorce in this context. It argues that Medicaid’s approach toward married couples is based on a narrow and outmoded image of marriage. It assumes a marriage where the spouses have enjoyed a long life together, have common intended beneficiaries, have no other person to whom they have an equal or greater commitment, and it assumes a high level of commitment to the institution of marriage itself. This view of marriage tends to not fit the modern landscape where the marriage one inhabits in old age may be of newer vintage and may not include children of the marriage. Added to this is the trend toward “de-institutionalization” of marriage. The article contends that as marriage becomes less sacred in our society the utility of divorce as a Medicaid planning strategy will outweigh its moral repugnance. This is especially true because in this context divorce does not require ending or even substantially changing the day to day relationship of the parties. It simply becomes a rational asset protection plan. The alternative recommended to this developing trend is the disaggregation of marital property for most Medicaid purposes. Thus, instead of requiring the healthy spouse to spend down her or his assets before the unhealthy spouse can qualify for Medicaid assistance as present law does, the article recommends that only the assets properly allocable under state law to the unhealthy spouse should be required to be spent down. Similarly, estate recovery should only apply to the assets properly allocable to the deceased person who received the Medicaid assistance during life. This last point is particularly important in light of the apparent trend toward more aggressive estate recovery in some states.
Influence of sodium chloride reduction and replacement with potassium chloride based salts on the sensory and physico-chemical characteristics of pork sausage patties

This study evaluated the effects of sodium chloride reduction and replacement with potassium chloride or modified potassium chloride based salts using a weight or molar equivalent basis on the sensory and physico-chemical properties of pork sausage patties. Three independent replications of pork sausage patties were manufactured to compare five treatments: full sodium, reduced sodium, modified potassium chloride weight based replacement, modified potassium chloride molar based replacement, and standard potassium chloride weight based replacement. Salt replacement did not affect (P>0.05) moisture, protein, fat, textural properties, lipid oxidation, or redness. Sausage patties with modified potassium chloride were more acceptable than those with standard potassium chloride (P<0.001). Using modified potassium chloride replaced on a molar equivalent basis resulted in samples with more similar sensory characteristics to the full sodium control than replacement on a weight equivalent basis. The use of modified potassium chloride reduced sodium and improved sodium:potassium ratios while other changes in composition or physico-chemical characteristics were minimal.
Thermodynamic and Electrochemical Studies of the Electron Transfer Reactions of Hemoglobin

Heme containing proteins function as oxygen carriers, electron carriers or enzymes in biological systems. Of particular interest to this investigation is the ability of heme proteins to serve as electron carriers. The heme group, an iron atom bound to the four nitrogens of a porphyrin ring system, is the characteristic structural feature in common to all heme proteins. The iron atom serves as the site of oxidation or reduction during electron transfer. However, heme proteins exhibit significantly different thermodynamic and kinetic properties for electron transfer reactions. These differences between heme proteins must be due to the protein structure and the location of the heme group within the molecule. Although hemoglobin functions physiologically as an oxygen carrier rather than an electron carrier it is an ideal molecule to use as a model for the study of the electron transfer reactions of heme proteins. This is because it is readily available, has a moderate cost and has a known and documented structure.
Mulvey and Hitchcock

In 2004, I edited a four-volume collection on Hollywood for Routledge’s Critical Concepts series. Volume II, Formal-Aesthetic Dimensions, included ‘a case study of film authorship’ on Alfred Hitchc...
Gravitational collapse and Hawking-like radiation of a shell in AdS spacetime

In this paper, we study the collapse of a massive shell in $2+1$ and $3+1$ dimensional gravity with anti-de Sitter asymptotics. Using the Gauss--Codazzi method, we derive gravitational equations of motion of the shell. We then use the functional Schr\"odinger formalism to calculate the spectrum of particles produced during the collapse. At the late time, radiation agrees very well with the standard Hawking results. In $3+1$ dimensions, we reproduce the Hawking-Page transition. We then construct the density matrix of this collapsing system and analyze the information content in the emitted radiation. We find that the off-diagonal elements of the density matrix are very important in preserving the unitarity of the system.
What does self-reported "dieting" mean? Evidence from a daily diary study of behavior.

Dieting is often recommended as a means of weight loss, yet research consistently shows that self-reported dieting does not result in weight loss. Toward resolving this discrepancy, this study assessed the daily dietary intake and weight control strategies of people who self-identified as dieting. College women (N = 266) provided a report of their eating pattern (dieting, "watching what I eat," and/or "eating healthy") followed by three daily diaries (24-hour recalls of dietary intake and weight control strategies) elicited on randomly selected days during a one-month period. Dieters were expected to report fewer daily calories, more daily exercise, and more daily weight control strategies than non-dieters. At baseline, 122 participants (45.9%) endorsed both "watching" and "eating healthy" ("Concerned Eaters") while 55 (20.7%) endorsed current dieting along with "watching" and "eating healthy" ("Dieters"). Just 3 (1.1%) endorsed dieting only, and 31 (11.7%) endorsed no eating pattern ("Unconcerned Eaters"). Dieters' mean BMI was in the overweight range; the mean BMIs of other groups were in the normal weight range. Dieters did not consistently endorse dieting across diaries. Nevertheless, Dieters reported fewer daily calories, and more overall weight control strategies, including more healthy weight control strategies, than Concerned Eaters. Across groups, participants' weights did not change significantly during the study. Dieters appear to engage in weight control strategies which could result in weight loss; however, their reports of whether they are dieting vary across days, suggesting a need for more consistent behavior. These results have clinical and research implications in the area of weight loss.
Intermarriage: Connection, Commitment, and Community

With the rising number of children from interfaith families in many congregational religious schools, research on the Jewish education of those who are raised in interfaith homes is sparse and fragmented. Historically, the adolescent years have been a period of marked decline in the participation of both formal and informal Jewish educational programs. This chapter, which focuses on a North American perspective, provides a deeper understanding of what motivates teenagers from interfaith families to further their post-bar/bat mitzvah Jewish learning. A case study is used as the lens through which to examine the various factors that have influenced the decision. My findings are supported by the research on resilient youth, which identifies the fact that having high academic expectations, providing opportunities for active participation in the learning process, and developing significant relationships can successfully motivate and engage youth in our schools. The teenagers from interfaith families who continue their Jewish education express their satisfaction with the fact that they are able to build trusting friendships with teachers, rabbis, youth group advisors, and other adults in the Jewish community.
3D Delaunay Refinement of Sharp Domains without a Local Feature Size Oracle

A practical incremental refinement algorithm for computing a quality, conforming Delaunay mesh of an arbitrary 3D piecewise linear complex is given. The algorithm allows small input angles and does not require the local feature size of the input to be computed before performing the refinement. Small input angles are protected with a new type of collar which is simpler to implement and analyze than previous approaches. The algorithm has been implemented and several computational examples are given.
Actin-binding proteins: an overview.

Actin filaments in cells are temporally and spatially arranged into a variety of highly ordered assemblages (Fig. 1). Some of these structures are very stable, but others are extremely dynamic and turn over in a few seconds. Continuous reorganization of actin filaments is required for many types of cellular movements. It is believed that the assembly of actin filaments provides some of the force necessary for extension of the leading edge in motile cells (Fig. 2). Rapid depolymerization is required to replenish the monomer pool. The precise timing and location of filament assembly, elongation, turnover and network formation are determined by the interactions of actin with a number of accessory proteins collectively referred to as actin-binding proteins.
Antibacterial textile materials for medical applications

Abstract: This chapter discusses antimicrobial textiles for medical applications with focuses on proper antimicrobial performance, application requirements and expected benefits of the functional medical textiles. Several major antimicrobial agents and technologies for medical textiles, including quaternary ammonium salts, silver and other metals and halamine compounds, are discussed. Photo-sensitive antimicrobial agents, such as titanium dioxide and dyes, are outlined as new antimicrobial technologies. The trends of future development in this area are addressed based on different applications in medical textiles.
Selective Reagents for Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry

In chemical ionization mass spectrometry1 (CIMS) a set of reagent ions is generated by bombarding a suitable gas at a pressure of ca. 1 torr with high energy electrons (300-1000eV). Sample molecules are introduced in the usual manner and are ionized by ion-molecule reactions with the reagent ions. Because the sample concentration in the ion source is always maintained at less than 1% that of the reagent gas, ionization of sample molecules by electron impact is not observed.
Theoretical and Methodological Reasons for Variability in the Responses of Aquatic Ecosystem Processes to Chemical Stresses

The interdependency of environment and organism has been a unifying theme of ecology for a long time (Forbes 1887; Tansley 1935; Evans 1956), but for many years research activities necessarily emphasized one half of the interaction, the impact of the abiotic on the biotic elements of an ecosystem. Redfield’s seminal papers on the probable role of plankton in regulating seawater composition (Redfield 1934, 1958) provoked serious discussion of the possible influence of life on the inorganic world, but ecologists could not quantify most processes in ecosystems until methods were developed for labeling elements and observing their environmental movement. The advent of radiotracer and stable-isotope tracer technology following World War II was, therefore, a tremendous stimulus for biogeochemistry, and has resulted in the discovery that the cycling of many elements is influenced by organisms. These elements include the twenty or so nutrients required by primary producers (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and iron) and those elements that organisms confuse with nutrients because they have similar chemistries (e.g., arsenic, which resembles phosphorus; and cadmium, which resembles iron).
Profiling Membership in the PCAOB's Standing Advisory Group

SUMMARY The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) appoints an advisory group known as the Standing Advisory Group (SAG) to provide input on the relevance and appropriateness of its stan...
Natural hazards, resilience, and sovereignty: The case of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Abstract This chapter considers unincorporated United States territories as special populations for disaster management, highlighting Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands as case studies to illustrate how their political status increased disaster vulnerability during the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season. We use an exploratory news media analysis of articles from two local newspapers to investigate and discuss the relationship between territorial dependence and key principles of adaptive co-management, and then identify examples of how Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands' territorial status directly or indirectly influenced disaster preparation and recovery options for hurricanes Irma and Maria. In El Nuevo Dia, the news source used for Puerto Rico, a computer-assisted content analysis revealed power, flooding, and shipping as prominent themes which, upon further investigation, could be linked to the island's territorial status. In the Virgin Islands Daily News, the news source from the Virgin Islands, top themes revolved around the tourism industry in some way, with little explicit discussion of territorial status. In both cases, we recommend that to increase resilience and apply adaptive co-management principles to disaster management, these and other territories need local representatives that are held accountable to various local stakeholder groups, with the discretionary powers needed to make decisions, and then act on those decisions. Expanding voting rights is one way to address these needs.
Institutions, Credit Constraint, and Fiscal Behavior: An Empirical Study of Argentina's Provincial Governments

This paper examines the fiscal behavior Argentina's provinces during the 1990s. The issue is of particular interest because the rapidly rising provincial debt has played a crucial role in the recent financial crisis in Argentina and the experience holds important lessons for many other countries with federal systems and those in the process of fiscal decentralization. To map the forces behind the evolution of the public expenditure and debt, we develop a panel data methodology that separates the steady state effect of each factor from its influence on the adjustment rate of fiscal variables. The estimation results show that part of the rapid rise in the provincial debt may be due to inevitable economic factors. However, politics and institutional weaknesses have also played important roles by allowing provinces to raise the aggregate risks for the country by excessive borrowing and spending. Interestingly, we also find that higher borrowing and slow fiscal adjustment is not a sign of weak institutions. In fact, because of concerns of the financial markets, provinces with weaker fiscal institutions seem to have faced tighter credit constraints, which have lowered their debt-GDP ratios and forced them to adjust faster in the face of fiscal shocks.
Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures for Spine Pain Management

Spine surgery has been rapidly evolving to deal with more complex pathology as well as address spine disease in a more elegant manner. Minimally invasive approaches are an example of this evolution. They have undergone many iterations in the last several decades to hone improvements in efficacy and tissue-sparing techniques. For the modern minimally invasive spine (MIS) surgeon, a tubular retractor system is the workhorse for most decompressive and stabilization procedure. Through these narrow channels, decompressive procedures as straight forward as a microdiscectomy can be performed as well as single- and multiple-level laminectomies through the same skin incision. When coupled with posterior instrumentation, constructs with interbody cage delivery for circumferential fusions can be employed. These techniques have demonstrated outcomes similar to their open counterparts with less local tissue injury, less blood loss, and earlier mobilization and discharge, along with having similar costs.
Learning acoustic emission signatures from a nanoindentation-based lithography process: Towards rapid microstructure characterization

Abstract We present an approach for rapid identification of the salient microstructural phases present on a metallic workpiece surface via nanoindentation-based lithography process. We employ a machine learning approach to connect the time-frequency patterns of the corresponding acoustic emission (AE) signals with the underlying microstructural phases. Results show that the AE frequencies in the range of 0.3–1 kHz and 30–50 kHz can discriminate between the microdynamics of the lithography process arising from different microstructural compositions and thereby predict these microstructural phases with accuracies exceeding 95%. We also draw physical interpretations of our “black-box” machine learning model and demonstrate that the physical insights into the underlying AE signals allow us to identify novel patterns and possible microstructural anomalies.
Comment on Metabolomics for a Millenniums-Old Crop: Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis)

Metabolomics is the study of metabolite profiles at the system level. Since its introduction in the early 2000s, metabolomics has greatly contributed to the understanding of the distribution of metabolites in organisms under various physiological conditions. In this comment, we show our research on the temporal development of metabolomics in general and in agricultural, food, and nutritional sciences. According to our investigation, metabolomics develops in a sigmoid kinetics. On the basis of the analysis, we made a prediction on the future of the metabolomics study, which may benefit the research community in the field.
Neuronal GPCR NPR-8 regulates C. elegans defense against pathogen infection

Increasing evidence indicates that infection-triggered host defenses are regulated by the nervous system. However, the precise mechanisms of this regulation are not well understood. Here, we demonstrate that neuronal G protein-coupled receptor NPR-8 negatively regulates Caenorhabditis elegans defense against pathogen infection by suppressing cuticular collagen expression. NPR-8 controls the dynamics of cuticle structure in response to infection, likely through its regulation of cuticular collagen genes which, in turn, affects the nematode's defense. We further show that the defense activity of NPR-8 is confined to amphid sensory neurons AWB, ASJ, and AWC. It is generally believed that physical barrier defenses are not a response to infections but are part of the body's basic innate defense against pathogens. Our results challenge this view by showing not only that C. elegans cuticle structure dynamically changes in response to infection but also that the cuticle barrier defense is regulated by the nervous system.
Probing glioblastoma and its microenvironment using single-nucleus and single-cell sequencing

Single-cell (scSeq) and single-nucleus sequencing (snSeq) are powerful tools to investigate cancer genomics at single cell resolution. Multiple studies have recently illuminated intratumoral heterogeneity in glioblastoma, however, the majority focused on molecular complexity of tumor cells, without considering unexplored host cell types that contribute to the microenvironment around tumor. To address the glioblastoma microenvironment composition and potential tumor-host interactions, we performed deep coverage sequencing of freshly resected primary GBM patient tissue without implementing any tumor enrichment strategies. The sequencing resulted in 902 cells and 1186 nuclei, respectively, passing quality control and with low mitochondrial gene percentage. We customized reference transcriptome by listing gene transcript loci as exons to take into account immature RNA, which greatly improved the alignment rate for single-nucleus data. We applied Cell Ranger pipelines (Version 3.0.2) and Seurat package (Version 2.3.1) and discovered 10 clusters in both scSeq and snSeq. Pathway analysis of each cluster signature in scSeq data along with known GBM microenvironment cell signatures revealed glioma tumor population along with surrounding microglia/macrophages, astrocytes, pericytes, oligodendrocytes, T cells and endothelial cells. The analysis of snSeq was able to capture the majority of cell types from patient tissues (tumor and microenvironment cells), but interestingly presented different cell type composition in microenvironment cell types such as microglia/macrophages. Integrating single-cell and single-nucleus transcriptomic data using canonical correlation analysis facilitated a comparison of snSeq and scSeq, contrasting depiction for certain cell types (e.g. NKX6-2 gene in Oligodendrocytes). Differential analysis of pathways between tumor and microenvironment cells unveiled potentially rewired pathways such as double strand break repair pathway. Our results demonstrate the cellular diversity of brain tumor microenvironment and lay a foundation to further investigate the individual tumor and host cell transcriptomes that are influenced not only by their cell identity but also by their interaction with surrounding microenvironment.