cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frequencies of Memory T Cells Specific for Varicella-Zoster Virus, Herpes Simplex Virus, and Cytomegalovirus by Intracellular Detection of Cytokine Expression

Memory T cells specific for varicella-zoster virus (VZV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) were compared in immune adults by intracellular cytokine (ICC) detection. The mean percentages of CD4+ T cells were 0.11% for VZV and 0.22% for HSV by interferon (IFN)-gamma production; the frequency for HCMV was significantly higher at 1.21%. Percentages of VZV-, HSV-, and HCMV-specific CD4+ T cells were similar by use of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. HCMV-stimulated CD8+ T cells produced IFN-gamma (1.11%) and TNF-alpha (1.71%); VZV- and HSV-specific CD8+ T cells were not detectable. VZV CD4+ T cell numbers were similar in young adults with natural or vaccine-induced immunity. VZV CD4+ T cells were significantly less frequent in older adults. Secondary varicella immunization did not increase VZV-specific CD4+ T cell frequencies by ICC assay. Numbers of memory T cells specific for herpesviruses may vary with sites of viral latency and with host age.
Surfactant-free synthesis of novel copper oxide (CuO) nanowire–cobalt oxide (Co 3 O 4 ) nanoparticle heterostructures and their morphological control

A simple and surfactant-free synthesis of novel heterostructures comprising of copper oxide (CuO) nanowires uniformly decorated with cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanoparticles was demonstrated by combining thermal growth and wet-coating method. The heterostructures were synthesized by thermally decomposing cobalt salt (cobalt nitrate) into Co3O4 nanoparticles onto vapor–solid (VS)-grown CuO nanowires. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the presence of CuO and Co3O4 phases as well as a narrow size distribution of Co3O4 nanoparticles (average diameter ~7.0 ± 1.5 nm) on CuO nanowires (average diameter of nanowire tips ~67.9 ± 18.6 nm). Unique interfacial lattice relationship was observed for (111) Co3O4 nanoparticles on (200) CuO nanowire surface resulting in hemispherical shape of the former. For the first time, further systematic studies were performed to understand the influence of various parameters (cobalt salt concentration and annealing temperature, atmosphere, and time) on the morphological evolution of Co3O4 nanoparticles on CuO nanowires. Interestingly, by varying these parameters, it was possible to grow Co3O4 in different shapes (spherical, triangular, rectangular, cubical, and hexagonal nanoparticles) and forms (shells and nanorods). It was observed that all these parameters play a critical role in influencing the surface migration, nucleation, and growth of Co3O4 nanoparticles on CuO nanowires and this assisted in understanding the involved growth mechanisms. Finally, UV–vis–NIR spectroscopy and band gap energies for these heterostructures were evaluated that showed higher photocatalytic degradation efficiency for Rhodamine B under low-power visible-light illumination.
Protection of spruce from colonization by the bark beetle, Ips perturbatus, in Alaska

Field bioassays were conducted in south-central Alaska in a stand of Lutz spruce, Picealutzii ,t o determine whether a semiochemical interruptant (verbenone and trans-conophthorin) and/or a defense- inducing plant hormone (methyl jasmonate, MJ) could be used to protect individual standing trees from bark beetle attack. During two experiments (initiated in May 2004 and 2005, respectively), attacks by Ips perturbatus on standing trees were induced by using a three-component aggregation pheromone (ipsenol, cis-verbenol, and ipsdienol) and prevented by using the interruptant. In 2005, treatments from 2004 were repeated and additional treatments were evaluated by using MJ spray or injection with and without the interruptant. Aggregation began before 3 or 7 June, and attack density was monitored through 3 or 16 August. During both years, tree mortality caused by I. perturbatus was recorded twice (in August, and in May of the following year). In both experiments, attack density was greatest on trees baited with the three-component attractive pheromone, but was significantly reduced by addition of the semiochemical interruptant to trees baited with the attractant. There were no significant differences in attack density between attractant + interruptant-treated trees and unbaited trees. In 2004, mortality was highest among attractant-baited trees, whereas addition of the interruptant significantly reduced the level of initial (10 week post-treatment) and final (54 week post-treatment) mortality. In 2005, no significant reduction in attack density occurred on trees baited with the attractant when MJ was sprayed or injected. The highest initial (10.6 week post-treatment) and final (49.4 week post-treatment) mortality was observed among trees that had been injected with MJ and baited with the attractant. Mortality at the final assessment was significantly lower in all other treatment groups. As in 2004, addition of the interruptant to attractant-baited trees significantly reduced the level of final mortality compared to attractant-baited trees. MJ was not attractive or interruptive to I. perturbatus or associated bark beetles in a flight trapping study. However, MJ-treated trees (sprayed or injected) exuded copious amounts of resin on the bark surface. Anatomical analyses of felled trees from four treatment groups (Tween (solvent)- sprayed, MJ-sprayed, Tween-injected, and MJ-injected + attractant baited) showed that treatment with MJ increased the number and size of resin ducts produced following treatment. These analyses also revealed a reduction in radial growth in MJ-treated trees. Our results show that during both years, treatment with a simple, two-component interruptant system of verbenone and trans-conophthorin significantly reduced I. perturbatus attack density and tree mortality on attractant-baited trees and provided a full year of protection from bark beetle attack. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Independent Signaling of grp78 Gene Transcription and Phosphorylation of Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 2α by the Stressed Endoplasmic Reticulum

Perturbation of endoplasmic reticular (ER) function signals increased expression of the gene encoding the ER resident chaperone Grp78/BiP and rapid suppression of translational initiation accompanied by phosphorylation of the α-subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF-2). eIF-2α phosphorylation and grp78 mRNA induction were measured in GH3 pituitary cells subjected to varied degrees of ER stress to ascertain whether activation of an eIF-2α kinase is involved in both events. grp78 mRNA was induced at low concentrations of ionomycin and dithiothreitol that did not provoke eIF-2α phosphorylation or inhibition of amino acid incorporation. Mobilization of the bulk of cell-associated Ca2+ and the induction of grp78 mRNA occurred at comparable low concentrations of ionomycin, whereas phosphorylation of eIF-2α and inhibition of protein synthesis required higher ionophore concentrations. Pretreatment for 1 h with cycloheximide suppressed grp78 mRNA induction and eIF-2α phosphorylation in response to either stressor. Prolonged (17 h) cycloheximide blockade increased eIF-2α phosphorylation without inducing grp78 mRNA. Upon release from the blockade, grp78 mRNA was induced and eIF-2α was dephosphorylated. Translational tolerance to ionomycin or dithiothreitol, accompanied by dephosphorylation of eIF-2α, was observed whenever grp78 mRNA was induced. Induction of grp78 mRNA preceded significant eIF-2α phosphorylation during treatment with brefeldin A. It is concluded that signaling of grp78 gene transcription can occur independently of eIF-2α phosphorylation or translational repression and that greater degrees of ER stress are required for eIF-2α phosphorylation than for grp78 mRNA induction.
The Dissertation Marathon

We all think of a marathon as a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometers (26 miles and 385 yards). Throughout time marathon runners have pursued their longest goals by allowing their body to adapt to the new stresses through training. Training for a marathon takes intense preparation, dedication and skill. It is imperative not to allow day to day decisions to counteract the hard work and planning of the final stages of the marathon. A few basic guidelines can minimize the challenges of the journey and make the marathon experience exciting and pleasant for the runner. Students pursuing the doctorate degree face the same challenges as the marathon runner. Training for the dissertation process is not unlike training for a marathon. It requires intense preparation, dedication and skill. In many ways, conducting doctoral research and writing the dissertation is like running a marathon, enduring hills and valleys, mountains, rivers and frantic road blocks along the way. It is a long and weary race but in the successful end will lead to the final race in the doctoral journey; defending and publishing the dissertation. This paper will serve as a performance-based goal-driven roadmap that will guide the doctoral dissertation candidate through each mile of the dissertation marathon, with clear benchmarks to minimize the challenges of the journey to cross the finish line and graduate.
Safe Space: Gay Neighborhood History and the Politics of Violence by Christina B. Hanhardt

For those interested in queer politics, urban studies, or social activism, Christina B. Hanhardt’s Safe Space: Gay Neighborhood History and the Politics of Violence will prove to be a welcome arriv...
Stopping a Heads-I-Win-Tails-You-Lose Tax Stratagem: Why Congress Shouldn’t Let Taxpayers Use Transfer Clauses to Frustrate IRS Gift-Tax Audits

High tax rates create an incentive for taxpayers whose estates are likely to be assessed estate tax at death to transfer as much value as possible outside of their estates through lifetime gifts. To maximize that value, taxpayers use complex transactions involving closely-held entities, valuation discounts, and transfer clauses. A recent shift in judicial decisions has led to the popularity of transfer clauses that shelter excess value from gift tax if an IRS audit results in a discrepancy in valuation between the government and the taxpayer. Transfer clauses create a heads-I-win-tails-you-lose scenario for the IRS through fruitless audits that waste agency resources without raising revenue for the government.To alleviate this abuse, Congress should enact legislation providing for transfer clauses to be disregarded if they depend upon an IRS audit. As a result, the excess value that the taxpayer meant to reallocate in a non-taxable manner would be subject to gift tax and the appropriate amount of revenue would be collected. Further, such legislation would provide clarity for taxpayers, the courts, and the IRS. Thus, Congress would uphold the public policy of protecting government revenue while maintaining the progressivity of the tax system by ensuring that those wealthy taxpayers most capable of paying tax are paying the correct amount.
A Study of Micro-Grinding and Inspection for Aspheric Glass Lens

This study discussed abrasive machining of aspheric glass lens, with the aim to increase the aspheric lens machining efficiency and reduce the back-end polishing process. The discussions covered "optical lens design", "Taguchi method optimization", "grinding force measurement", and "on-line real-time inspection". A window interface was designed by using Borland C++ Builder for optical glass design. The aspheric design parameters were substituted in it to obtain the machining path. In terms of Taguchi method optimization, the performance of electroformed grinding rod was compared with that of resin grinding rod. Taguchi method was used to look for optimization, and the quality characteristic was surface roughness. After experimental analysis, the optimization results were: using a resin binder grinding rod, the optimum parameter of 50,000 (rpm), forward grinding, feeding at 10 mm/min, grinding depth at 0.02mm, and aspheric lens surface roughness of 0.03μm. In terms of grinding force measurement, an eight-ring strain gage dynamometer was designed to measure the optimum grinding force. The measurement result showed that the grinding force in vertical direction was 3.2kg, and that in horizontal direction is 4kg. In terms of visual inspection, a CCD camera was mounted on the machine, which takes the image of workpiece immediately after it is machined. The form was inspected, and the dismounting error was reduced.
Recovering dropped pronouns from Chinese text messages

Pronouns are frequently dropped in Chinese sentences, especially in informal data such as text messages. In this work we propose a solution to recover dropped pronouns in SMS data. We manually annotate dropped pronouns in 684 SMS files and apply machine learning algorithms to recover them, leveraging lexical, contextual and syntactic information as features. We believe this is the first work on recovering dropped pronouns in Chinese text messages.
Conditioned stimuli's role in relapse: preclinical research on Pavlovian-Instrumental-Transfer.

Rationale and objective Pavlovian learning is central to many theories of addiction. In these theories, stimuli paired with drug ingestion become conditioned stimuli (CS) and subsequently elicit drug-seeking and drug-taking. However, in most relevant studies, Pavlovian and instrumental learning are confounded. This confound may be avoided in Pavlovian-Instrumental-Transfer (PIT) procedures. In PIT, Pavlovian and instrumental learning are established separately and then combined. In order to better understand the role of CSs in addiction, we review the relevant studies using PIT.
August, 1986—Combermere, Ontario

Immediately upon her return to Combermere, The Baroness called a meeting with her staff. With her husband Eddy at her side, the group sat around the long, pine wood dining table, the same table where Delta had received fresh un-homogenized, non-pasteurized milk and discovered that it tasted very different from the store bought milk she had been used to drinking at home.
Induction of interleukin-1 by strains of Staphylococcus aureus from patients with nonmenstrual toxic shock syndrome.

We studied the induction of human interleukin-1 (IL-1) production in strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from patients with nonmenstrual toxic shock syndrome (TSS). Of the 20 TSS-associated strains studied, 11 produced and nine did not produce TSS toxin-1 (TSST-1). Human monocytes were incubated with dilute staphylococcal supernatants, and IL-1 production was measured in a lymphocyte-activating factor assay. All 20 TSS-associated strains were potent inducers of IL-1, in comparison with none of 10 vaginal isolates of S. aureus from healthy women. TSST-1-positive strains were more potent than TSST-1-negative strains. Nine TSST-1-negative TSS-associated strains were compared with 14 strains of S. aureus from other clinical settings and were found to be significantly more potent inducers of IL-1 (P less than .01). Eight of these nine TSS-associated strains produced at least one staphylococcal enterotoxin. Stimulation of monocytes by products of S. aureus may play a role in the pathogenesis of TSS.
Atomically thin surface cloak using graphene monolayers.

We discuss here the use of a graphene monolayer to realize the concept of “cloaking by a surface”, proposing the thinnest possible mantle cloak with operation in the far-infrared and terahertz (THz) regime. We show that an atomically thin graphene monolayer may drastically suppress the scattering of planar and cylindrical objects and, at the same time, preserve moderately broad bandwidth of operation. In addition, we exploit the large tunability of the graphene conductivity to provide active, dynamically tunable invisibility cloaks and versatile THz switching devices.
Can thymic pefechlae be used to separate slds infants from controls

Although the cause of thymic petechiae in Sudden Infant Death syndrome (SIDS) has been the subject of considerable debate, there is general agreement that their presence is one of the characteristic findings at autopsy. Unfortunately, it is not a pathognomonic feature, as petechial haemorrhages in the thymus are found in a variety of other disorders. In order to investigate this phenomenon more closely, single randomly taken and labelled sections of thymus gland from 36 SIDS infants and from 25 controls who had died suddenly, were examined independently by both investigators for the presence of petechiae. Numbers of petechiae/low power field 1x4 objective. Leitz-Wetzlar Dialux 20 microscope with Periplan 10x eye pieces) were counted. The age range of both the SIDS and control infants was 3 wks to 1 yr, with a mean of 5.5 ± 2.8 mths and 5.9 ± 3.2 mths respectively. The results are summarized in the table: GROUP NO OF INFANTS PETECHIAE/LPF %OF INFANTS WITH PETECHIAE RANGE AVERAGE SIDS 36 0.18 4 61 ASPHYXIA 12 0.2 42 MEDICAL 10 0.3 40 DROWNING 3 0 0 0 These results demonstrate that not all SIDS infants have detectable petechiae using this method, and that a significant percentage of control infants may be found to have thymic petechiae. It is apparent, however, that the only infants with large numbers of petechiae (>3/LPF) were in the SIDS group (p
Heat Transfer Boundary Condition Waveforms on a Turbine Blade Leading Edge With Unsteady Film Cooling

It is necessary to understand how film cooling both reduces the adiabatic wall temperature and influences the heat transfer coefficient in order to predict the net heat flux to a gas turbine hot gas path component. Although a great number of studies have considered steady film cooling flows, the influence of film cooling unsteadiness has only recently been considered. Unsteadiness in the freestream flow or the coolant flow can cause fluctuations in both the adiabatic effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient, the dynamics of which have been difficult to measure. In previous studies, only time averaged effects have been measured. The present study has determined time resolved adiabatic effectiveness and heat transfer coefficient waveforms using a novel inverse heat transfer methodology. Unsteady film cooling was examined on the leading edge region of a circular cylinder simulating the leading edge of a turbine blade. Unsteady interactions between h and η, were examined near a coolant hole located 21.5° downstream from the leading edge stagnation line, angled 20° to the surface and 90° to the streamwise direction. The coolant plume is shown to shift back and forth as the jet’s momentum fluctuates. Increasing freestream turbulence was found to both reduce η, and the amplitude of the η waveforms.© 2013 ASME
PLUGGING PREDICTION STUDY OF GAS HYDRATE IN GATHERING PIPELINE

Once formed in gathering pipeline,the natural gas hydrate can plug the pipeline and equipment,which will be dangerous for the production and even lead to economical loss.The factors concluded gas composition,temperature,pressure and water content is major factor for hydrate formation,furthermore,gas well production,length of the pipeline and pipe diameter and so on also affects the formation of hydrates to some extent.This article synthesized lots of research findings about gas hydrates,and combined the formation condition and prevention for gas hydrates in the production process of ChangQing Field.The paper also studied the formation conditions for predict hydrate plugging and the hydrate formation thermodynamic model in gathering pipeline.
Changes in the Fracture Resistance of Bone with the Progression of Type 2 Diabetes in the ZDSD Rat.

Individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have a higher fracture risk compared to non-diabetics, even though their areal bone mineral density is normal to high. Identifying the mechanisms whereby diabetes lowers fracture resistance requires well-characterized rodent models of diabetic bone disease. Toward that end, we hypothesized that bone toughness, more so than bone strength, decreases with the duration of diabetes in ZDSD rats. Bones were harvested from male CD(SD) control rats and male ZDSD rats at 16 weeks (before the onset of hyperglycemia), at 22 weeks (5–6 weeks of hyperglycemia), and at 29 weeks (12–13 weeks of hyperglycemia). There were at least 12 rats per strain per age group. At 16 weeks, there was no difference in either body weight or glucose levels between the two rat groups. Within 2 weeks of switching all rats to a diet with 48 % of kcal from fat, only the ZDSD rats developed hyperglycemia (>250 mg/dL). They also began to lose body weight at 21 weeks. CD(SD) rats remained normoglycemic ( 600 g). From micro-computed tomography (μCT) analysis of a lumbar vertebra and distal femur, trabecular bone volume did not vary with age among the non-diabetic rats but was lower at 29 weeks than at 16 weeks or at 22 weeks for the diabetic rats. Consistent with that finding, μCT-derived intra-cortical porosity (femur diaphysis) was higher for ZDSD following ~12 weeks of hyperglycemia than for age-matched CD(SD) rats. Despite an age-related increase in mineralization in both rat strains (μCT and Raman spectroscopy), material strength of cortical bone (from three-point bending tests) increased with age only in the non-diabetic CD(SD) rats. Moreover, two other material properties, toughness (radius) and fracture toughness (femur), significantly decreased with the duration of T2D in ZDSD rats. This was accompanied by the increase in the levels of the pentosidine (femur). However, pentosidine was not significantly higher in diabetic than in non-diabetic bone at any time point. The ZDSD rat, which has normal leptin signaling and becomes diabetic after skeletal maturity, provides a pre-clinical model of diabetic bone disease, but a decrease in body weight during prolonged diabetes and certain strain-related differences before the onset of hyperglycemia should be taken into consideration when interpreting diabetes-related differences.
Analgesia in anesthesia-free extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: a standardized protocol.

AbstractWe treated 101 patients at our stone facility with the Dornier HM3 lithotriptor modified with the anesthesia-free design upgrade. A protocol designed by our anesthesiologists consisting of intravenous and intramuscular injections for sedation was used without any general or regional anesthesia required. Pre-medication with intramuscular meperidine and promethazine, and oral diazepam was sufficient sedation in 43 patients, while 37 required additional intravenous meperidine and/or midazolam during the procedure, 16 were treated with intraprocedural medication alone and 5 required no medication at all. Care before, during and after the procedure was rendered by the urology staff for patients in American Society of Anesthesiologists risk category I or II. Treatment was successfully completed in all patients without complications. We compared this group to the 99 patients treated consecutively before the modification. Voltage used, number of shocks and stone burden were comparable in the 2 groups but ...
CUDA application development

This article consists of a collection of slides from the author's conference presentation. The presentation compares different science and engineering applications and discusses how to optimize their performance.
Introducing the Evidence-Based Nephrology Series

The promise of evidence-based medicine to provide consistent, science-based approaches to diagnosis and treatment has often fallen short of its noble expectations. In fact, health care practitioners have become desensitized to the term “evidence-based medicine,” including those physicians who
Meaningful Engagement: Impacts of a ‘Calling’ Work Orientation and Perceived Leadership Support

Given its positive relationship with valued organizational outcomes, worker-related engagement has become a prominent issue both for practitioners and scholars. While recent research has begun to v...
Adolescent Sexual Risk Taking: The Distribution of Youth Behaviors and Perceived Peer Attitudes Across Neighborhood Contexts

Abstract Purpose Sexual activity is a normative part of adolescent development, yet early sexual debut and sex with multiple partners undermine health and well-being. Both structural (e.g., poverty) and social (e.g., norms) characteristics of neighborhoods shape sexual risk taking, yet scholarship remains focused on urban areas. Thus, this study explores sexually permissive attitudes and sexual risk taking across a wider expanse of neighborhood types. Methods Among 8,337 nonsexually active respondents in Wave I (1994–1995 [ages 11–18]) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a hierarchical linear model and a hierarchical generalized linear model were used to estimate the effect of neighborhood type and permissive sexual climate on youths' sexual debut, age at debut, and lifetime number of sexual partners by Wave III (2001–2002 [ages 18–26]), controlling for individual, familial, and peer factors. Results Sexual climates varied in overall permissiveness and internal consistency both across and within neighborhood types and were linked to increased sexual risk taking. Compared with youth from upper middle class white suburbs, the odds of sexual debut and the number of partners were highest among youth from rural (black and white) neighborhoods; youth from almost all other neighborhood types initiated sex earlier. Conclusions Early sexual debut in adolescence is a public health issue with immediate and long-term implications. Adolescence unfolds in neighborhood environments, the characteristics of which may spur youth into such risk taking. Continued scholarship on sexual risks should consider further variations in the geographic distributions of such risks to investigate more fully their consequences.
Driven exercise in the absence of binge eating: Implications for purging disorder.

Objective Purging disorder (PD) is characterized by recurrent purging without objectively large binge-eating episodes. PD has received relatively little attention, and questions remain about the clinical significance of "purging" by exercise that is driven or compulsive (i.e., as extreme compensatory or weight-control behavior). The little available research suggests that individuals who use exercise as a compensatory behavior might have less eating-disorder psychopathology than those who purge by vomiting or laxatives, but those studies have had smaller sample sizes, defined PD using low-frequency thresholds, and defined exercise without weight-compensatory or driven elements. Method Participants (N = 2,017) completed a web-based survey with established measures of eating-disorder psychopathology, depression, and physical activity. Participants were categorized (regular compensatory driven exercise, PD-E, n = 297; regular compensatory vomiting/laxatives, PD-VL, n = 59; broadly defined anorexia nervosa, AN, n = 20; and no eating-disordered behaviors, NED, n = 1,658) and compared. Results PD-E, PD-VL, and AN had higher eating-disorder psychopathology and physical activity than NED but did not significantly differ from each other on most domains. PD-VL and AN had higher depression than PD-E, which was higher than NED. Discussion Findings suggest that among participants with regularly compensatory behaviors without binge eating, those who use exercise alone have similar levels of associated eating-disorder psychopathology as those who use vomiting/laxatives, although they have lower depression levels and overall frequency of purging. Findings provide further support for the clinical significance of PD. Clinicians and researchers should recognize the severity of driven exercise as a compensatory behavior, and the need for further epidemiological and treatment research.
Step-down analysis for changes in the covariance matrix and other parameters

It is shown how the elements of the covariance matrix and other higher order moments can be included in the step-down diagnostic analysis. The asymptotic normality of maximum-likelihood estimators is used to classify the parameters that describe the pri..
Molecular Imaging of Cardiac Amyloidosis

Cardiac amyloidosis is an infiltrative cardiomyopathy, most commonly due to light chain amyloidosis [AL] or transthyretin amyloidosis [ATTR]; both cause significant heart failure and mortality. This review is a comprehensive overview of radionuclide molecular imaging in cardiac amyloidosis, highlighting the latest advancements in aiding diagnosis and prognosis. Specific bone scintigraphy agents have a high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis. Amyloid-binding radiotracers, originally developed for imaging Alzheimer’s disease, are being employed to image light chain and transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis. There is ongoing research into the use of these tracers for precise quantification of cardiac amyloidosis, which can be used to guide therapy. Radionuclide molecular imaging techniques have a vital role in advancing the field of cardiac amyloidosis. With a broadening armamentarium of novel radio tracers and new therapeutic developments, this is an exciting area, with potential breakthroughs on the horizon.
Marvin Harris: Ecological Anthropology and Cultural Materialism

Marvin Harris has taken the vagaries of culture and grounded them in ecology. From burning witches, to worshiping animals, to proscribing foods, Harris finds religious and cultural idiosyncrasies to proceed from ecological vagaries. More than this, Harris broaches social structure, demographic constraint, race, death, sex, and fertility, all of which are traced back to some knowable ecological determinant from which they probabilistically derive. Yet, like Keeley, Harris pointedly rejects sociobiological explanations. He believed evolutionary explanations of cultural differences to be impossible, insufficient, and unnecessary. As herein explained, these assumptions stem from a misunderstanding of how rapidly populations can evolve, unfamiliarity with life history theory and related sociobiological explanations that explain intraspecific diversity, and overconfidence in phenotypic plasticity and environmental explanation more generally.
Drought tolerance in ecotypes of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) relates to above-ground surface area: Results from a common garden experiment

Abstract Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) is a dominant tallgrass species that has a wide range in North America with numerous genetically-distinct ecotypes, each adapted to conditions in their native habitat. In an evolutionary context, it was hypothesized that drought adaptation in A. gerardii would relate to plant surface area, where drought-adapted ecotypes were expected to be short with narrow leaves, thin stems, and few leaves per tiller. In the context of individual plants acclimating to reduced rainfall, rainout shelters were hypothesized to cause morphological reductions in surface area of individual plants. Morphological measurements were taken from four genetically-distinct ecotypes of A. gerardii across a precipitation gradient ranging from 500 to 900 mm rain per year at three common garden sites in Colby, Hays, and Manhattan, Kansas, USA. Evolutionary responses to drier soils in A. gerardii resulted in reduction of evaporative surface area from leaves, as drought-adapted plants had fewer and smaller leaves. The most mesic ecotype of A. gerardii had the highest maximum leaf width, stem diameter, and leaf count across sites. There were few effects of environment on morphology in A. gerardii with reduced rainfall, however, indicating genetics plays a more prominent role than environment to influence morphology. We conclude that increased drought tolerance is related to an evolutionary reduction in evaporative surface area.
A Three-Dimensional Collagen-Elastin Scaffold for Heart Valve Tissue Engineering

Since most of the body's extracellular matrix (ECM) is composed of collagen and elastin, we believe the choice of these materials is key for the future and promise of tissue engineering. Once it is known how elastin content of ECM guides cellular behavior (in 2D or 3D), one will be able to harness the power of collagen-elastin microenvironments to design and engineer stimuli-responsive tissues. Moreover, the implementation of such matrices to promote endothelial-mesenchymal transition of primary endothelial cells constitutes a powerful tool to engineer 3D tissues. Here, we design a 3D collagen-elastin scaffold to mimic the native ECM of heart valves, by providing the strength of collagen layers, as well as elasticity. Valve interstitial cells (VICs) were encapsulated in the collagen-elastin hydrogels and valve endothelial cells (VECs) cultured onto the surface to create an in vitro 3D VEC-VIC co-culture. Over a seven-day period, VICs had stable expression levels of integrin β1 and F-actin and continuously proliferated, while cell morphology changed to more elongated. VECs maintained endothelial phenotype up to day five, as indicated by low expression of F-actin and integrin β1, while transformed VECs accounted for less than 7% of the total VECs in culture. On day seven, over 20% VECs were transformed to mesenchymal phenotype, indicated by increased actin filaments and higher expression of integrin β1. These findings demonstrate that our 3D collagen-elastin scaffolds provided a novel tool to study cell-cell or cell-matrix interactions in vitro, promoting advances in the current knowledge of valvular endothelial cell mesenchymal transition.
Liabilities and Benefits Associated with the Involvement of Undocumented Immigrants in Informal Entrepreneurship in the US

The many undocumented immigrants present in the US, together with the growing popularity of entrepreneurship as a job-creation strategy, have enhanced both the number and acceptance of self-employed undocumented immigrants in US society.
Synthesis of Isomerically Pure (Z)-Alkenes from Terminal Alkynes and Terminal Alkenes: Silver-Catalyzed Hydroalkylation of Alkynes

Alkenes are an important class of compounds common among biologically active molecules and often are used as intermediates in organic synthesis. Many alkenes exist in two stereoisomeric forms (E and Z), which have different structures and different properties. The selective formation of the two isomers is an important synthetic goal that has long inspired the development of new synthetic methods. However, the efficient synthesis of diastereopure, thermodynamically less stable, Z-alkenes is still challenging. Here, we demonstrate an efficient synthesis of diastereopure Z-alkenes (Z:E > 300:1) through a silver-catalyzed hydroalkylation of terminal alkynes, using alkylboranes as coupling partners. We also describe the exploration of the substrate scope, which reveals the broad functional group compatibility of the new method. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that a 1,2-metalate rearrangement of the silver borate intermediate is the key step responsible for the stereochemical outcome of the reaction.
The Relationship Between Preoperative PROMIS Scores With Postoperative Improvements in Physical Function After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

OBJECTIVE Assess preoperative Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) physical function (PF) scores and differences between preoperative and postoperative PROMIS-PF scores for patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). METHODS After Institutional Review Board approval, a prospectively maintained surgical registry was retrospectively reviewed for elective spine surgeries of nontraumatic, degenerative pathology between 2015-2018. Inclusion criteria were primary or revision, single-level ACDF procedures. Multilevel procedures and patients without preoperative surveys were excluded. A preoperative PROMIS score cutoff of 35 divided patients into PROMIS-PF score categories (e.g. , ≥ 35.0, < 35.0). Categorical and continuous variables were evaluated with chi-square tests and t-tests. Linear regression analyzed PROMIS-PF score improvement. RESULTS Eighty-six patients were selected, the high and low PROMIS-PF subgroups only differed in mean age (49.1 vs. 41.3, p = 0.002). Significant differences in PROMIS-PF scores were observed among high and low preoperative PROMIS-PF score subgroups at 6 weeks (p = 0.006), 12 weeks (p = 0.006), and 6 months (p = 0.014). Mean differences between preoperative and postoperative PROMIS-PF scores were significantly different between the high and low PROMIS-PF subgroups at 6 weeks (p = 0.041) and 1 year (p = 0.038). A significant negative association was observed between preoperative PROMIS scores and magnitude of improvement at the 6-week postoperative time point (slope = -0.6291, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Patients with low preoperative PROMIS-PF scores demonstrated greater improvements at 6 weeks and 1 year. Clinicians should consider patients with low preoperative PROMIS-PF scores to be in the unique position to potentially experience larger postoperative improvement magnitudes than patients with higher preoperative PROMIS-PF scores.
Projecting End-of-Century Human Exposure from Tornadoes and Severe Hailstorms in Eastern Colorado: Meteorological and Population Perspectives

AbstractSevere convective storms along the Front Range and eastern Plains of Colorado frequently produce tornadoes and hail, leading to substantial damage and crop losses annually. Determination of...
Work-Family Conflict of Collegiate and Secondary School Athletic Trainers Who Are Parents.

CONTEXT The work-life interface has been a much discussed and researched area within athletic training. The National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement on work-life balance highlighted the profession's interest in this topic. However, gaps in the literature remain and include the roles of time-based conflict and social support. OBJECTIVE To compare work-family conflict (WFC) and social support among athletic trainers (ATs) employed in the 2 most common practice settings. DESIGN Cross-sectional observational survey. SETTING Collegiate and secondary school settings. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS A total of 474 (females = 231, males = 243) ATs who were employed in the collegiate (205, 43.2%) or secondary school (269, 56.8%) setting. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Data were collected through a Web-based survey designed to measure conflict and social support. Likert responses were summed. Demographic information was analyzed for frequency and distribution. Independent t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were calculated to determine group differences. Linear regression was used to determine if social support predicted WFC. RESULTS Social provisions and WFC were negatively correlated, and the social provisions score predicted WFC. No WFC differences (P = .778) were found between collegiate and high school ATs even though collegiate ATs worked more hours (63 ± 11) during their busiest seasons compared with those in the high school setting (54 ± 13, P < .001). Similarly, no difference (P = .969) was present between men and women, although men worked more hours. Our participants scored highest on time-based WFC items. CONCLUSIONS Work-family conflict was experienced globally in 2 of the most common athletic training settings and between sexes. This indicates WFC is universally experienced and therefore needs to be addressed, specifically with a focus on time-based conflict. In addition to time-management strategies, ATs need support from coworkers, peers, and family members.
Female Friendships: Communities and Legacies of Women Readers and Women Writers in Ana Plácido and Guiomar Torresão

espanolRESUMEN: Este articulo estudia dos escritoras portuguesas del siglo XIX, Ana Placido (1831-1895) y Guiomar Torresao (1844-1898). La escritura de mujeres portuguesas anterior a 1900 sigue contando con muy pocos estudios. Este articulo se propone paliar esa carencia historiografica por medio del analisis y la lectura de dos obras clave de escritoras de ese periodo: Heranca de lagrimas (1897) de Placido y Uma alma de mulher (1869) de Torresao. Aunque se procura integrar su produccion en las tradiciones canonica y feminista y situar su obra en el contexto fluctuante del romanticismo, se estudia como en esas novelas se crean, a traves de giros complejos de la trama y de las estructuras narrativas, comunidades de lectoras, escritoras y mujeres intelectuales. Estas figuras, ya sean ficticias o reales, acompanan a los personajes femeninos y a las escritoras. En estas dos obras ignoradas se observa como las autoras subrayan la solidaridad femenina y crean conciencia de un legado de escritoras, lectoras e intelectuales en femenino que, siquiera en la ficcion, contribuyen a combatir la idea de que las mujeres desempenaron un papel menor en el ambiente literario luso del siglo XIX. Aunque siguen algunas convenciones romanticas, estas obras, por medio de sus tecnicas narrativas y de sus variantes estructurales, proponen alternativas para sus protagonistas femeninas, con lo que desafian las definiciones del genero romantico y la trama novelesca, a la par que cuestionan las limitaciones en los roles sociales e intelectuales de las mujeres. EnglishABSTRACT: This essay will focus on two nineteenth-century Portuguese women writers, Ana Placido (1831-1895) and Guiomar Torresao (1844-1898). Women’s writing in Portugal before 1900 remains vastly understudied. This essay aims to remedy this historical neglect by analyzing and reading two decisive works by these writers, Placido’s Heranca de lagrimas (1897) and Torresao’s Uma alma de mulher (1869). While attempting to integrate their writing into canonical and feminist traditions and situate their work in the shifting frameworks of romanticism, I examine how these novels build through complex plot twists and narrative structure, communities of women readers, writers, and intellectuals. These figures, whether fictional or real, serve as companions for the female characters and the women writers. In both of these neglected works we see how the authors privilege female solidarity, building a consciousness of a legacy of women writers, readers, and intellectuals that albeit mostly fictional resound to contradict the idea that women played a minor role in the Lusophone nineteenth-century literary milieu. While following certain conventions of romanticism these works suggest through their narrative devices and structure alternatives for their female protagonists, and thus challenge definitions of the romantic genre and of the romance plot while at the same time questioning the limitations on women’s social and intellectual roles.
Improving electric thermal stability of polypropylene by chemically linking small amount of hindered phenol groups.

Thermal stability of polypropylene (PP) over a broad temperature is critical for many applications. Hindered phenol (HP) groups have been utilized in PP for thermal-oxidative protection. This paper studies thermal stability of the electret property of PP linked with 0.2 mol% HP. It is observed that small amount of chemically linked HP groups improves electret thermal stability as reflected by the higher peak temperature of the thermally stimulated discharge curve and about 65% increase in the trap level. In addition, the HP groups in PP generate “rigid backbones” which maintain the PP film shapes to temperatures near the melting (~ 150 °C), compared with pristine PP at 70 °C.
Prediction and Optimization of Ion Transport Characteristics in Nanoparticle-Based Electrolytes Using Convolutional Neural Networks

We develop a convolutional neural network (CNN) model to predict the diffusivity of cations in nanoparticle-based electrolytes and use it to identify the characteristics of morphologies that exhibit optimal transport properties. The ground truth data are obtained from kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulations of cation transport parametrized using a multiscale modeling strategy. We implement deep learning approaches to quantitatively link the diffusivity of cations to the spatial arrangement of the nanoparticles. We then integrate the trained CNN model with a topology optimization algorithm for accelerated discovery of nanoparticle morphologies that exhibit optimal cation diffusivities at a specified nanoparticle loading, and we investigate the ability of the CNN model to quantitatively account for the influence of interparticle spatial correlations on cation diffusivity. Finally, by using data-driven approaches, we explore how simple descriptors of nanoparticle morphology correlate with cation diffusivity, thus providing a physical rationale for the observed optimal microstructures. The results of this study highlight the capability of CNNs to serve as surrogate models for structure-property relationships in composites with monodisperse spherical particles, which can in turn be used with inverse methods to discover morphologies that produce optimal target properties.
Breastfeeding, body image, and weight control behavior among postpartum women.

Abstract The goal of this study was to examine breastfeeding behavior and attitudes as predictors of women’s body image and weight control behavior. This study extends past research by focusing on positive body image variables including body appreciation and perceived body functionality. Women (N = 597) from the United States who had recently birthed biological babies ages 0–12 months participated in an online study. Current breastfeeding rates were high (86 %), and average breastfeeding duration was approximately 3 months. Women who were currently breastfeeding indicated more positive body images and less likelihood of engaging in maladaptive weight control behaviors than women who were no longer breastfeeding or had never breastfed their baby. Women’s positive attitudes toward breastfeeding were associated with awareness and appreciation of body functionality and fewer maladaptive weight control behaviors. These findings extend research on the health benefits of positive body image and suggest that breastfeeding may occur within a constellation of beliefs and behaviors indicative of positive body image.
Geography and acquirer returns

Abstract We examine the impact of geographical proximity on the acquisition decisions of US public firms over the period 1990–2003. Transactions where the acquirer and target firms are located within 100 km of each other are classified as local transactions. We find that acquirer returns in local transactions are more than twice that in non-local transactions. The higher return to local acquirer is not explained by related, either horizontal or vertical, industry transactions, and appears to be related to information advantages arising from geographical proximity. These information advantages facilitate acquisition of targets that, on average, create higher overall return. The higher return to local acquirers is preserved by the use of target termination fee contracts.
The Work of a Revolutionary: A Psychobiography and Careerography of Angela Y. Davis

Dr. Angela Y. Davis is a political activist, academician, and writer who has navigated and discussed issues of race, class, gender, and USA social policies across her 75 years of life. Davis’s activism established her as the icon of a larger social movement and further related to her decision-making and legacy. Using psychobiographical methods, data were gathered through publicly available sources to explore Davis’s personal, professional, and representational life, as well as understand Davis’s lived experience through a socio-cultural-historical perspective. Two established theories, Social Cognitive Career Theory and Politicized Collective Identity model, were applied to Davis’s life. Findings suggested that in addition to her unique intersectional identities, a confluence of factors including growing up in a family of activists, incarceration, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) surveillance, Communist Party involvement, marginalization within activist spaces, and practicing radical self-care impacted Davis committing to a life as an activist, academic, and the leader of a social movement.