cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Three-Dimensional RNA Motif in Potato spindle tuber viroid Mediates Trafficking from Palisade Mesophyll to Spongy Mesophyll in Nicotiana benthamiana

Cell-to-cell trafficking of RNA is an emerging biological principle that integrates systemic gene regulation, viral infection, antiviral response, and cell-to-cell communication. A key mechanistic question is how an RNA is specifically selected for trafficking from one type of cell into another type. Here, we report the identification of an RNA motif in Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) required for trafficking from palisade mesophyll to spongy mesophyll in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. This motif, called loop 6, has the sequence 5'-CGA-3'...5'-GAC-3' flanked on both sides by cis Watson-Crick G/C and G/U wobble base pairs. We present a three-dimensional (3D) structural model of loop 6 that specifies all non-Watson-Crick base pair interactions, derived by isostericity-based sequence comparisons with 3D RNA motifs from the RNA x-ray crystal structure database. The model is supported by available chemical modification patterns, natural sequence conservation/variations in PSTVd isolates and related species, and functional characterization of all possible mutants for each of the loop 6 base pairs. Our findings and approaches have broad implications for studying the 3D RNA structural motifs mediating trafficking of diverse RNA species across specific cellular boundaries and for studying the structure-function relationships of RNA motifs in other biological processes.
Sympathy and the Non-Human: Max Scheler’s Phenomenology of Interrelation

German phenomenologist and sociologist Max Scheler accorded sympathy a central role in his philosophy, arguing that sympathy enables not only ethical behaviour, but also knowledge of animate and inanimate others. Influenced by Catholicism and especially St Francis, Scheler envisioned a broad, cosmic sympathy forming the hidden basis for all human values, with the “higher” religious, artistic, philosophic and other cultural values enabled by a more basic regard for non-human nature and insights gained from the human situation within the non-human world. Sympathy for the non-human is thus both integral and fundamental to the cultivation of other values in the development of both the human person and humanity in general. Scheler’s concept of sympathy is valuable for contemporary animal ethics because it insists on acknowledgement of and respect for difference as constitutive for the experience of sympathy. By thus allowing for sympathy to occur in the absence of complete knowledge of other subjectivities, Scheler’s phenomenology of sympathy eliminates the need for complete understanding of the consciousness of other animals as a prerequisite for interspecies sympathy. Despite their inability to completely inhabit non-human perspectives, humans can thus sympathize with other creatures. While Scheler is a foundational thinker and, to a large degree, maintains hierarchical structures contested by many contemporary animal theorists, he remains a valuable source for contemporary theory insofar as he acknowledges a “fundamental basis of connection” between species and affirms that all animal bodies are communicative. The occasioning of sympathy by gestural signification opens a path of insight that can increase human openness to non-human others. Indo-Pacific Journal of Phenomenology , Volume 7, Edition 2 September 2007
Regional delivery of mesothelin-targeted CAR T cell therapy generates potent and long-lasting CD4-dependent tumor immunity

Translating the recent success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy for hematological malignancies to solid tumors will necessitate overcoming several obstacles, including inefficient T cell tumor infiltration and insufficient functional persistence. Taking advantage of an orthotopic model that faithfully mimics human pleural malignancy, we evaluated two routes of administration of mesothelin-targeted T cells using the M28z CAR. We found that intrapleurally administered CAR T cells vastly outperformed systemically infused T cells, requiring 30-fold fewer M28z T cells to induce long-term complete remissions. After intrapleural T cell administration, prompt in vivo antigen-induced T cell activation allowed robust CAR T cell expansion and effector differentiation, resulting in enhanced antitumor efficacy and functional T cell persistence for 200 days. Regional T cell administration also promoted efficient elimination of extrathoracic tumor sites. This therapeutic efficacy was dependent on early CD4(+) T cell activation associated with a higher intratumoral CD4/CD8 cell ratios and CD28-dependent CD4(+) T cell-mediated cytotoxicity. In contrast, intravenously delivered CAR T cells, even when accumulated at equivalent numbers in the pleural tumor, did not achieve comparable activation, tumor eradication, or persistence. The ability of intrapleurally administered T cells to circulate and persist supports the concept of delivering optimal CAR T cell therapy through "regional distribution centers." On the basis of these results, we are opening a phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety of intrapleural administration of mesothelin-targeted CAR T cells in patients with primary or secondary pleural malignancies.
Soares & McGrath—The treatment of tardive dyskinesia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Many reviews exist that discuss potential treat5. ensuring that the analyses are relevant; 6. keeping analyses up to date; ments for tardive dyskinesia. Why do another? Because in addition to being an introduction to the 7. continuing to improve the quality of the reviews; and Cochrane Collaboration, ‘‘The treatment of tardive dyskinesia – a systematic review and meta8. ensuring access of the information to health policy makers. analysis’’, introduces some important methods for performing future reviews. There are about 60 collaborative review groups covering a very wide range of subjects listed on the Archie Cochrane was an Englishman who in 1972 published a highly influential book, Cochrane website: http://www.update.software. com/ccweb/cochrane/contact/html. Effectiveness and Efficiency: Random Reflections on Health Services (Cochrane, 1972). He emphasized The problem Drs. Soares and McGrath address in this article is how to generalize to a larger popthe value of relying on randomized controlled trials and pooling their results. His ideas was to use these ulation from a limited series of studies that contain relatively few subjects. The meta-analysis techtechniques to provide good health care for the widest group of people. Recently, an extension of nique has a number of advantages over that used in more traditional reviews. Traditional reviews this approach led to the publication of the World Bank’s World Development Report 1993 (Jamison usually added the number of positive and negative studies of an effect, and combine that outcome with et al., 1993) and Investing in Health Research and Development (Ad Hoc Committee, 1996), both of some form of subjective weighting according to how the reviewers valued each individual report. In which emphasize how to make the best investments for future health. contrast, in a meta-analysis, a set of predetermined criteria establishes which studies are considered The Cochrane Collaboration is an international effort to systematically review and suggest ways of and how studies are weighted. A meta-analysis pools results from a number of studies that, after improving our health. It emphasizes: 1. collaboration between investigators; an exhaustive search of the literature, are determined to have examined similar measures of an 2. building on the existing enthusiasms and interests of collaborators; effect. In the Cochrane Collaboration, an effort is made to restrict studies to randomized controlled 3. avoiding duplication of effort; 4. preventing bias from entering the analysis; trials, although when randomized controlled trials
Work Environments and Labor Markets Explaining Principal Turnover Gap Between Charter Schools and Traditional Public Schools

Purpose: Knowledge about principals’ leadership roles in charter schools’ success has become more important as the number of charter schools increases and as we have learned more about the influenc...
Interpolyelectrolyte Complexes of Polycationic Micelles and Linear Polyanions: Structural Stability and Temporal Evolution.

The complexation of poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)-block-poly(styrene) micelles with poly(styrenesulfonate) homopolymers was investigated in aqueous buffer at pH 4.5 as a function of ionic strength. The complexation process was monitored by turbidimetric titration, and the structure and stability of the complexes were assessed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryoTEM), and small-angle X-ray scattering. When complexes were formed by slow titration of one polyelectrolyte solution into the other, soluble complexes could be formed with either polyelectrolyte in excess as long as the mixture did not pass through the charge-neutral point. The initial complexes exhibited bimodal size distributions by DLS, with one population similar in size to or slightly smaller than the bare micelles, and the other significantly larger. The former correspond to individual micelles with complexed polyelectrolytes leading to a contracted corona; the latter reflect multimicelle...
Kuhn’s Critique of Methodology

For centuries, philosophers of science have regarded their primary role as that of identifying and justifying the methodological rules which inform and shape the learning and testing techniques of the sciences. A science for which no rules could be given, a science without a methodology of inquiry and testing, seemed unthinkable to many of our forebears. But not so to many of our contemporaries. However plausible the identification of rules of assessment with scientific rationality may once have seemed (and, for some of us, still seems), several recent writers have criticized - and in some cases thoroughly repudiated - the enterprise of identifying and clarifying the methodological procedures or rules utilized in scientific assessment. A growing chorus of voices insists that the identification and analysis of the rules of ‘scientific method’ is not the route to a philosophical understanding of science.
A SHORT-TERM SURVIVAL EXPERIMENT ASSESSING IMPACTS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION AND HYPOXIA ON THE BENTHIC FORAMINIFER GLOBOBULIMINA TURGIDA

The oceans are absorbing increasing amounts of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as a result of rising anthropogenic atmospheric CO 2 emissions. This increase in oceanic CO 2 leads to the lowering of seawater pH, which is known as ocean acidification (OA). Simultaneously, rising global temperatures, also linked to higher atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, result in a more stratified surface ocean, reducing exchange between surface and deeper waters, leading to expansion of oxygen-limited zones (hypoxia). Numerous studies have investigated the impact of one or the other of these environmental changes (OA, hypoxia) on a wide variety of marine organisms, but few experimental studies have focused on the simultaneous effects of these two stressors. Foraminifera are unicellular eukaryotes (protists) that live in virtually every marine environment and form an important link in the benthic food web. Here we present results of a short-term (3.5 week) study in which both CO 2 (OA) and O 2 (hypoxia) were manipulated to evaluate the influence of these parameters on the survival of the benthic foraminifer Globobulimina turgida . Elevated CO 2 concentrations did not impact short-term survivorship of this species, and furthermore, G. turgida had higher survival percentages under hypoxic conditions (0.7 ml/l) than in well-aerated water, regardless of CO 2 concentration.
A method for continuous intravenous infusion of dogs confined to cages.

SummaryA method for continuous intravenous infusion of dogs confined to metabolic cages has been described. The method was free of mechanical problems and was entirely satisfactory in our experience. It can be recommended for any experiment requiring continuous intravenous infusion of dogs for indefinite periods of time.
Investigations of the Cave Atmosphere of a Mexican Bat Colony

The following data were collected at Cueva del Tigre, 14.9 miles SSE Carbo, Sonora, Mexico at 1-month intervals for 1 year: cave temperature, relative humidity, total cave population of animals and concentration of ammonia in the cave. Ammonia gas levels did not reach lethal limits for humans although concentrations were sufficient to produce extreme respiratory distress and caustic effects in man and to bleach hair pigments of bats. Bleaching conditions existed from early summer to early fall. During this period there was little or no ventilation of cave atmosphere due to animal flight or other cause.
Cultural geography III: Objects of culture and humanity, or, re-‘thinging’ the Anthropocene landscape

Unless they are to suddenly evaporate, material objects, endowed with varying capacities to move through the ages, are matters of time as well as of space. Long-term perspectives – from the historical to the geological – have been engaged by cultural geographers as a means of shedding light on linked discursive and material transformations, offering useful vantage points on the temporalities of human (and inhuman) existence through the existence of ‘things’. In this third and final report, I identify confluences of research taking shape around two distinct kinds of ‘scenes’ which embody a range of approaches to problems of culture and materialism: the naming of the Anthropocene; and the persistence of landscape as a spatial model for ‘holding things together’. Calling attention to the intermingled quality of materiality with immaterial ‘things’ and temporal dynamics, the review highlights the persistent need for cultural analysis of complex and contested social worlds, and emphasizes the value of cultural...
Viral Cystitis with Transient Secondary Vesicoureteral Reflux

Abstract We report a case of viral cystitis with transient secondary vesicoureteral reflux. The differential diagnosis of viral cystitis, including neoplasm, is discussed. The initial impression of Papanicolaou urine studies was that of malignancy.
Two Outbreaks of Salmonella enteritidis Associated with Monte Cristo Sandwiches.

We report on two outbreaks of Salmonella enteritidis which occurred in 1992; both were associated with Monte Cristo sandwiches. The first outbreak, which occurred in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, was investigated as a case-control study, and involved 74 persons. The second outbreak, investigated as a cohort study, occurred in Brewster, Massachusetts, and involved 32 persons. Monte Cristo sandwiches were strongly implicated in both outbreaks; the odds ratio in the case-control study was 43, and the relative risk in the cohort study was 13. Food-preparation procedures were reviewed and food handlers were educated about safe food-preparation practices. Because of the short grilling time for Monte Cristo sandwiches, (usually several minutes) the eggs used in the preparation may only be partially cooked. As a result, this food should be viewed as high risk for S. enteritidis . Pasteurized eggs should be used to prepare Monte Cristo sandwiches, especially in a commercial setting.
Haemoglobin A1c as a screening tool to identify pre‐diabetes and diabetes in postpartum women with gestational diabetes

The primary objective of this study was to determine the right test and time for postpartum screening of women with gestational diabetes to identify diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance. Retrospective data were collected on women with gestational diabetes followed at the Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Care at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut, USA. Of the 150 women included in this study, blood work was completed in 42 (28%) of the subjects. Of the women completing laboratory tests, 23 of them (56.1%) had an abnormal test result. Using the standard tests, 15 (41.7%) of the women tested positive based on HbA1c ≥5.7% (39 mmol/mol), six (16.7%) based on fasting glucose ≥100 mg/dl (5.6 mmol/L), and 10 (27%) based on 2-hour 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) ≥140 mg/dl (7.8 mmol/L). However, due to better negative predictive value, HbA1c was more accurate than 2-hour OGTT. Of the standard testing available, HbA1c alone identified the majority of the subjects with an abnormal test. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons.
Features and Signatures

In this chapter, we will discuss a important aspect in the core analytic of human re-identification, that is, converting a raw image into identifiable and reliable features.
Time Trends in Physician Visits for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Before and After the Rx-to-OTC Switch of Proton Pump Inhibitors

The availability of non-prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medicines plays an important role in the United States (U.S.) healthcare system. Potential benefits to consumers of OTC drugs include increased access to effective medications, avoidance of unnecessary physician visits, as well as promoting increased patient autonomy and successful self-care.1 In addition, the availability of effective OTC medications for common conditions may be advantageous for the U.S. healthcare system by reducing the number of non-essential physician visits, while creating a more rational allocation of healthcare resources to manage more serious conditions and other healthcare priorities. Despite this theoretical benefit, the true impact of making medications available OTC on healthcare utilization is largely unknown. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Trends in Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy Use and Impact on Rates of Breast Conservation in Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer: A National Cancer Data Base Study

Background The American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z1031 trial demonstrated that neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) increased breast-conserving surgery (BCS) rates for postmenopausal patients with clinical tumor stage 2–4c estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. We evaluated national trends in NET use in relation to the conduct of the Z1031 trial and the impact of NET on the rates of BCS.
Language is a resource, not a problem: A letter of thanks to Richard Ruiz

June 14, 2016Dear Richard,The first time we met was in a conference room at the Art Museum of Arizona State University (ASU). I was a brand-new doctoral student, and my advisor, Terry Wiley, had br...
Adoptive Transfer of T Cell Help Breaks Tolerance in Endogenous, Tumor-Specific CD8+ T Cells Responding to a Growing Tumor.

Patients who reject allogeneic blood or marrow grafts after non-myeloablative conditioning sometimes develop delayed or sustained clinical disease responses, raising the possibility that a transient graft-versus-host reaction rekindles dormant anti-tumor immunity by recipient T cells. More specifically, we postulate that endogenous tumor-specific CD8 + T cells are not irreversibly tolerant of a growing tumor, and can be activated to effector function by tumor antigen recognition in the presence of adoptively transferred CD4 + T cell help. We have tested this hypothesis by examining the response of influenza hemagglutinin (HA)-specific “endogenous” CD8 + T cells in HA-tumor-bearing mice treated with cyclophosphamide (Cy) and adoptive transfer of allogeneic or tumor-specific CD4 + T cells, with or without concomitant tumor vaccine administration. In these models, this combination therapy induced the clonal expansion of endogenous, tumor-specific CD8 + T cells, their secretion of interferon gamma, and in vivo cytolytic activity against HA-expressing cells. In separate experiments, adoptively transferred, major histocompatibility complex-mismatched CD4 + T cells induced the activation of recipient, CD11c + dendritic cells, as demonstrated by enhanced expression of the costimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86. The administration of Cy followed by infusion of allogeneic T cells, with or without tumor vaccine administration, also induced regression of B cell leukemia/lymphoma or established prostate cancer. These results highlight the potential cooperation of donor CD4 + T cells and recipient CD8 + T cells in transient or stable mixed hematopoietic chimeras, and open new avenues for the immunotherapy of cancer in the clinic.
Forging Ahead through Darkness: PCNA, Still the Principal Conductor at the Replication Fork

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) lies at the center of the faithful duplication of eukaryotic genomes. With its distinctive doughnut-shaped molecular structure, PCNA was originally studied for its role in stimulating DNA polymerases. However, we now know that PCNA does much more than promote processive DNA synthesis. Because of the complexity of the events involved, cellular DNA replication poses major threats to genomic integrity. Whatever predicament lies ahead for the replication fork, PCNA is there to orchestrate the events necessary to handle it. Through its many protein interactions and various post-translational modifications, PCNA has far-reaching impacts on a myriad of cellular functions.
Ibrutinib-induced severe liver injury

Ibrutinib, an inhibitor of the Bruton's tyrosine kinase of the B-cell receptor pathway, is an effective therapeutic agent for B-cell lymphomas. As these drugs are novel, long-term or rare adverse events are not yet known. We report the first case of ibrutinib-induced severe liver injury in a patient with relapsed/refractory CLL.
With greater CS enrollments comes an even greater need for engaging teaching practices

With the rise in computer science enrollments, we are attracting a more diverse student body at our small urban university, and now have the opportunity to prepare more students from populations that have been underrepresented in the computing field. Engaging and inclusive pedagogies and practices that build students' problem solving and abstract thinking skills, as well as their self-confidence, are necessary to contribute to the academic success of our new students. We describe some of these practices and provide two case studies of the implementation of instructional scaffolding.
Prevalence of Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli in Beef Cattle

A large number of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains have caused major outbreaks and sporadic cases of human illnesses, including mild diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and the life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome. These illnesses have been traced to both O157 and non-O157 STEC. In a large number of STEC-associated outbreaks, the infections were attributed to consumption of ground beef or other beef products contaminated with cattle feces. Thus, beef cattle are considered reservoirs of STEC and can pose significant health risks to humans. The global nature of the human food supply suggests that safety concerns with beef will continue and the challenges facing the beef industry will increase at the production and processing levels. To be prepared to address these concerns and challenges, it is critical to assess the role of beef cattle in human STEC infections. In this review, published reports on STEC in beef cattle were evaluated to achieve the following specific objectives: (i) assess the prevalence of STEC in beef cattle, and (ii) determine the potential health risks of STEC strains from beef cattle. The latter objective is critically important because many beef STEC isolates are highly virulent. Global testing of beef cattle feces revealed wide ranges of prevalence rates for O157 STEC (i.e., 0.2 to 27.8%) and non-O157 STEC (i.e., 2.1 to 70.1%). Of the 261 STEC serotypes found in beef cattle, 44 cause hemolytic uremic syndrome and 37 cause other illnesses.
History of breast feeding and risk of incident endometriosis: prospective cohort study.

Objective To investigate the association between lifetime breast feeding, exclusive breast feeding, postpartum amenorrhea, and incidence of endometriosis among parous women. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Nurses’ Health Study II, 1989-2011. Participants 72 394 women who reported having one or more pregnancies that lasted at least six months, 3296 of whom had laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis. For each pregnancy, women reported duration of total breast feeding, exclusive breast feeding, and postpartum amenorrhea. Main outcome measures Incident self reported laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis (96% concordance with medical record) in parous women. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for diagnosis of endometriosis. Results Duration of total and exclusive breast feeding was significantly associated with decreased risk of endometriosis. Among women who reported a lifetime total length of breast feeding of less than one month, there were 453 endometriosis cases/100 000 person years compared with 184 cases/100 000 person years in women who reported a lifetime total of ≥36 months of breast feeding. For every additional three months of total breast feeding per pregnancy, women experienced an 8% lower risk of endometriosis (hazard ratio 0.92, 95% confidence interval 0.90 to 0.94; P Conclusion Among women who experienced at least one pregnancy that lasted at least six months, breast feeding was inversely associated with risk of incident endometriosis. This association was partially, but not fully, influenced by postpartum amenorrhea, suggesting that breast feeding could influence the risk of endometriosis both through amenorrhea and other mechanisms. Given the chronic and incurable nature of endometriosis, breast feeding should be further investigated as an important modifiable behavior to mitigate risk for pregnant women.
Species selection - a fundamental silvicultural tool to promote forest regeneration under high animal browsing pressure.

Abstract Heavily disturbed post-mining sites are often difficult to restore to forestland due to chemical and physical soil limitations, as well as frequent animal herbivory of planted tree seedlings. Forest tree species differ in how they allocate resources to defensive compounds or growth in order to resist abiotic and biotic stresses after outplanting. However, the influences of plant nutrition and secondary metabolite production on browse susceptibility and recovery are not well understood within and among species, especially for temperate deciduous forest trees. We investigated foliar tannin and nutrient responses under fenced (to exclude white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus) and non-fenced environments on an abandoned mine land in southwestern Indiana, USA. Using field fertilization (15N-9P-10K controlled-release fertilizer at 0, 30 g, and 60 g per seedling), we also created a gradient of nutrient availability for planted black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.), northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.), and white oak (Quercus alba L.) seedlings. Fencing improved growth relative to non-fenced seedlings; fertilization improved growth for all species except northern red oak, but only when combined with fencing. Fertilization reduced foliar tannin concentrations for black cherry and white oak, but did not change browsing preference or browse recovery for any species. Without fencing, browsing selection was solely driven by tree species, whereby black cherry had a higher likelihood of being browsed compared to all oak species. This response was likely associated with differences among species in resource allocation patterns; black cherry prioritizes structural growth and recovery, while oaks allocate resources to both growth and secondary metabolite production. As fencing is often considered cost-prohibitive for mine reclamation and other restoration efforts, species selection is perhaps the most fundamental silvicultural tool to promote forest regeneration success under conditions of high animal browsing pressure.
The biomorphological keys of age stages of Tofieldia calyculata (L.) Wahlenb. (Melanthiaceae)

The biomorphology keys for identification of eleven age stages of Tofieldia calyculata (L.) Wahlenb. were elaborated. The relative age of the specimens has been established.
Familiar Object Salience Affects Novel Word Learning

Children use the presence of familiar objects with known names to identify the correct referents of novel words. In natural environments, objects vary widely in salience. The presence of familiar objects may sometimes hinder rather than help word learning. To test this hypothesis, 3-year-olds (N = 36) were shown novel objects paired with familiar objects that varied in their visual salience. When the novel objects were labeled, children were slower and less accurate at fixating them in the presence of highly salient familiar objects than in the presence of less salient familiar objects. They were also less successful in retaining these word-referent pairings. While familiar objects may facilitate novel word learning in ambiguous situations, the properties of familiar objects matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Reassessing Bernard Bailyn's The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution on the Occasion of its Jubilee

This essay places Bernard Bailyn's The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution in its historiographical context, addresses its implications for the Constitutional settlement, and places it w...
Design of segmented high-performance thermoelectric generators with cost in consideration

Abstract In this study, state-of-the-art thermoelectric (TE) materials working between 300 K and 1000 K are cautiously selected, including materials in categories of Chalcogenides, SiGe alloy, Skutterudites and Half-Heuslers. The selection principle is an overall reflection of the figure of merit (ZT), compatibility factors and power factors of TE materials. These chosen TE materials are divided into four groups for construction of two kinds of segmented p-type TEG legs and two kinds of segmented n-type TEG legs. Built on different combinations of these segmented TE groups, thermoelectric generators (TEGs) have been systematically modelled to find out the best cost-performance ratios and the corresponding efficiencies, output power densities and TEG geometries as well. All the TE material properties input in the simulation are temperature-dependent and the electrical & thermal contact resistances have been taken into account for every TE-TE and TE-electrode interfaces. The results demonstrate that the successful segmentation of high-ZT TE materials rather than their counterparts with large power factors can offer a cost-performance ratio of ∼0.86 $ W−1, less than the commercially desired cost-effectiveness of 1 $ W−1, while maintaining an efficiency of 17.8% and delivering a power density over 3 Watt cm−2. These results not only confirm ZT as indeed the top criterion for choosing TE materials, but also predict the commercial feasibility and competitiveness of segmented TEGs in the same dollar per watt metrics as other renewable energy sources.
Validation of a simple disease-specific, quality-of-life measure for diabetic polyneuropathy: CAPPRI

Objective We studied the performance of a 15-item, health-related quality-of-life polyneuropathy scale in the clinic setting in patients with diabetic distal sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSPN). Methods Patients with DSPN from 11 academic sites completed a total of 231 Chronic Acquired Polyneuropathy Patient-Reported Index (CAPPRI) scales during their clinic visits. Conventional and modern psychometric analyses were performed on the completed forms. Results Conventional and modern analyses generally indicated excellent psychometric properties of the CAPPRI in patients with DSPN. For example, the CAPPRI demonstrated unidimensionality and performed like an interval-level scale. Conclusion Attributes of the CAPPRI for DSPN include ease of use and interpretation; unidimensionality, allowing scores to be summed; adequate coverage of disease severity; and the scale9s ability to address relevant life domains. Furthermore, the CAPPRI is free and in the public domain. The CAPPRI may assist the clinician and patient with DSPN in estimating disease-specific quality of life, especially in terms of pain, sleep, psychological well-being, and everyday function. The CAPPRI may be most useful in the everyday clinical setting but merits further study in this setting, as well as the clinical trial setting.
Not so fast? Examining neighborhood-level effects of traffic congestion on job access

Abstract Traffic congestion powerfully influences urban transportation policy, particularly in regional planning where transportation projects are often prioritized and funded based on expected congestion relief benefits. Congestion is universally unpopular, and it is a short, intuitive leap from frustration with traffic to the belief that congestion is a major drag on connectivity to jobs and other opportunities and, in turn, economic vitality. While much work has focused on evaluating and relieving bottlenecks and project-level traffic delays, relatively little research has quantified the precise role of congestion in limiting access to destinations more broadly, with access defined here in terms of the travel time needed to reach potential destinations. Accordingly, this study (1) captures the precise trade-offs between peak-hour travel speed and job accessibility, and (2) estimates the greatest level of accessibility benefits that congestion relief could be expected to achieve. Using two different measures of employment access for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, we find that travel speeds play a surprisingly small role in determining the time it takes to access job sites. One’s location vis-a-vis these job sites, by contrast, plays a much larger role in determining access. In other words, the most densely developed places typically offer the highest levels of access, despite typically higher levels of congestion. We also compare these rush hour job access metrics for the Bay Area with hypothetical congestion-free peak hour conditions and find that such a dramatic transformation would result in only modest increases in employment accessibility in much of the Bay Area. Although some housing-rich, job-poor suburbs would benefit disproportionately from the complete absence of peak-hour traffic, we conclude that (1) while congestion does impede regional accessibility, it does so to a far smaller degree than is commonly thought, and (2) while dense development is associated with slower adjacent peak-hour travel speeds, capping development and limiting densities in order to maintain or increase travel speeds may have deeply counterproductive effects on overall accessibility in regions.
Urban Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Today’s new urban areas are growing at a faster pace, on a more massive scale, and in poorer nations than ever before. Population health in these urban centers is influenced by factors on multiple levels, including global and national conditions, city-level determinants, urban living conditions, and behaviors. Green (promoting environmental sustainability) and brown (minimizing environmental hazards to humans) agendas have important implications for urban growth in low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs). Successful public health approaches in LAMIC cities illustrate the importance of multilevel actions to improve urban health.
Bridging Individual and Group Psychology

Hopper's proposed fourth basic assumption is analyzed and redefined in terms of two concepts from the previous literature, namely, the loosely organized psychological group and the group illusion. The former relates to Hopper's description of the aggregation phenomenon and can help understand the treatment process in groups for patients with severe psychopathology. The latter relates to his description of the massification phenomenon and can help us understand pseudo-mutuality in groups as a defense against internal destructiveness.
Forests and Global Change

Forest ecosystems influence climate through physical, chemical, and biological processes that affect planetary energetics, the hydrologic cycle, and atmospheric composition (Bonan 2008). Physical processes at the intersection of the biosphere and geosphere, commonly referred to as biogeophysics, include momentum transfer and land–atmosphere energy fluxes (absorption and reflection of solar radiation, absorption and emission of longwave radiation, partitioning of net radiation into sensible and latent heat fluxes, and storage of heat in the soil). Hydrologic processes include interception of precipitation, throughfall, stemflow, infiltration, runoff, evapotranspiration, soil water dynamics, and snow melt. Forests additionally influence climate and atmospheric composition through biogeochemical processes including the exchanges of CO2, CH4, N2O, biogenic volatile organic compounds, and aerosols with the atmosphere. Forest ecosystems are now recognized as providing important climate forcing and feedback.
Power Handling of High Temperature Superconductors Measured in an HTS/Sapphire Resonator: A Power Reference Film

The power handling of HTS thin films was accurately characterized in an 8.15 GHz HTS/Sapphire resonator as a function of temperature. The surface resistance of a superconductor depends upon the level of the surface magnetic field especially if the value exceeds the lower critical magnetic field. A four-film power “round robin” was performed, which allowed for both the power handling of each of the HTS films and the statistics about the measurement repeatability to be calculated. A highly nonlinear empirically derived formula was identified and used to interpolate the measurement data. These four HTS films can now be used as power-qualified reference films for future HTS/Sapphire resonator measurements.
Axonal Transport of Glycoproteins in Regenerating Nerve

Glycoproteins have become increasingly implicated in a variety of cell-to-cell (Rosen et al., 1974; Vacquier and Moy, 1977; Glick, 1979) and cell-to-substrate (Ocklind et al., 1980; Damsky et al., 1982) adhesions. Many of the interactions appear to be at least partially dependent on the carbohydrate portion of the molecules (Kinsey and Lennarz, 1981; Vicker, 1976; Pippia et al., 1980). In addition to mediating interactions at the cell surface, glycosylation has been linked to a number of intracellular processes. Most prominent among these are subcellular routing (Fitting and Kabat, 1982; Rome et ai, 1979), secretion (Sidman, 1981), transmembrane transport (Olden et al., 1979), and control of susceptability to proteolysis (Kalish et al., 1979; Milenkovic and Johnson, 1980) [for review see Olden et al. (1982)].
Abstract 1916: Manipulation of Intracellular Redox State using siRNA-Mediated Knockdown of Thiol-Metabolizing Pathways Leads to Differential Modulation of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Pathways

Cellular redox state is stringently maintained by thiol-based antioxidants to prevent the adverse consequences of generating excessive quantities of reactive oxygen species. The relative contributions of the thioredoxin (Trx) and glutathione/glutaredoxin systems to intracellular redox balance are incompletely understood, as are the consequences of altered thiol metabolism on eNOS and NO-dependent pathways in the endothelium. We designed duplex siRNA constructs to specifically “knock down” the expression of key thiol metabolizing enzymes in cultured aortic endothelial cells (EC). Transfection of siRNA constructs targeting glutathione reductase (GR), cytosolic Trx reductase (TrxR1), or mitochondrial Trx reductase (TrxR2) decreased levels of these proteins by 83 ± 4%, 70 ± 4%, or 88 ± 4% (n = 10 for each construct, p 3 H]-arginine/[ 3 H]-citrulline assay) by 97 ± 2%, 85 ± 2%, or 101 ± 1% (n = 4, p 2 O 2 ) production in EC (89 ± 5% increase; n = 4, p 2 O 2 production was entirely unaffected by siRNA-mediated knockdown of eNOS. In contrast, knockdown of GR or TrxR1 slightly but significantly increased H 2 O 2 production by 38 ± 4% or 32± 5% (n = 4, p This research has received full or partial funding support from the American Heart Association, AHA Founders Affiliate (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont).
Acoustic scattering comparison of Kirchhoff approximation to Rayleigh-Fourier method for sinusoidal surface waves at low grazing angles

The Fourier series method for implementing the Rayleigh hypothesis [Rayleigh-Fourier method (RFM)] is used as a reference solution to assess the Kirchhoff approximation of the Helmholtz integral [Helmholtz-Kirchhoff approximation (HKA)] for modeling broadband scatter from sinusoidal surfaces at low grazing angles. The HKA is a valuable solution because it has an eigen-ray interpretation without unbounded caustic amplitudes and discontinuous shadow zones. Plane wave studies of the HKA, however, show it becomes inaccurate at low grazing angles. This study quantifies how this limitation manifests with increasing transmission distance for time domain scattering simulations. Scattering results are compared over a complete surface wave cycle with parameters modeling sea surface-swell. The HKA agrees reasonably well with the RFM in point source calculations for limited extensions of transmission distances beyond where plane wave comparisons begin to diverge. Past these distances, HKA solutions begin to show significant over-prediction of the acoustic amplitude around late arrivals. This over-prediction is frequency dependent and eigen-ray interference offers an explanation of this behavior. Further extending the transmission range leads to a significant HKA error, and a range is found at which flat surface reflections have less error.
Sustainable Animal Protein-Intermeshed Epoxy Hybrid Polymers: From Conquering Challenges to Engineering Properties.

The presence of highly modifiable chemical functional groups, abundance of functional groups, and their biological origin make proteins an important class of biomaterials from a fundamental science...
High Energy Laser Beam Propagation in the Atmosphere: The Integral Invariants of the Nonlinear Parabolic Equation and the Method of Moments

The method of moments is used to define and derive expressions for laser beam deflection and beam radius broadening for high-energy propagation through the Earth s atmosphere. These expressions are augmented with the integral invariants of the corresponding nonlinear parabolic equation that describes the electric field of high-energy laser beam to propagation to yield universal equations for the aforementioned quantities; the beam deflection is a linear function of the propagation distance whereas the beam broadening is a quadratic function of distance. The coefficients of these expressions are then derived from a thin screen approximation solution of the nonlinear parabolic equation to give corresponding analytical expressions for a target located outside the Earth s atmospheric layer. These equations, which are graphically presented for a host of propagation scenarios, as well as the thin screen model, are easily amenable to the phase expansions of the wave front for the specification and design of adaptive optics algorithms to correct for the inherent phase aberrations. This work finds application in, for example, the analysis of beamed energy propulsion for space-based vehicles.
Fight and flight: Examining putative links between social anxiety and youth aggression

Abstract Somewhat surprisingly, social anxiety has been linked with aggressive behavior in adults. Among youth, this connection has been demonstrated with anxiety symptoms more broadly. This review extends previous work by evaluating this association specifically with social anxiety in the child and adolescent literature. Given the complexities of aggressive behavior, the review is organized by its various forms (relational and physical) and functions (reactive and proactive). Findings from sixteen identified studies are suggestive of links between social anxiety and reactive and relational forms of aggression. Albeit more tenuous, there appear to be associations with physical aggression as well. Overall, though suggestive of connections between social anxiety and aggression, confidence in the findings is attenuated by the relatively small number of relevant studies combined with inconsistent gender findings. Before suggesting directions for further study, we propose putative dysfunctional biological, emotional, and cognitive processes as factors that may underlie associations between social anxiety and these particular forms of aggression. Future research should target differences in age, gender, relationship type, and anxiety subtype. Determining the extent to which these associations may be attributable to comorbid pathology such as depression or a broader internalizing syndrome is also important.
Four Ways We Know the Democratic Peace Correlation Does Not Exist in the State of Knowledge

Multiple studies have shown that when advanced-market “contract-intensive” economy is considered in a regression of fatal militarized interstate disputes, crises, or wars, the democratic peace correlation, the observed dearth of militarized conflict between democratic nations, becomes near zero and insignificant. Defenders of the existence of a correlation of democracy with peace claim these studies contain multiple errors. This article examines the state of evidence behind all claims in this debate. Four crucial facts are identified: (1) There is no report in print that shows democracy significant in a regression of fatal disputes controlling for contractualist economy that is unencumbered with controversial practices; (2) Every empirical defense of democracy has been rebutted, and the rebuttals remain uncontested; (3) There is no democratic peace in the nineteenth century, when there were no contractualist dyads but were democratic dyads; and (4) New analyses with revised direct data on contractualist economy covering 94% of observations over the largest-observed 1920–2010 period show that democracy without contractualist economy has a near-zero correlation with peace. Together, these facts inform us that there are no scientific grounds for deeming the democratic peace correlation as existing in the state of knowledge.
Magnetic fabrics preserved by post-glacial sediment in two New York Finger Lakes (USA) revealed evidence for deformation during coring and an erosional unconformity

The oceanographic community routinely uses anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility to identify deformation associated with sediment core collection and sampling, as well as to reconstruct primary and post-depositional conditions. These measurements are also applicable to lacustrine settings. Using anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility, in combination with geochemical and physical analyses of lake sediments, permits differentiation of primary depositional conditions from sediment disturbance associated with post-depositional processes and core collection. Detailed analysis of piston cores from Seneca Lake and Owasco Lake, New York (USA) revealed evidence for relatively weak anisotropies that resulted from normal lacustrine sedimentation since ~ 16.8–16.6 cal ka BP. A middle to late Holocene lowstand and associated erosional unconformity was inferred in both lakes using the magnitude of the anisotropy, changes in lithofacies, and increase in % sand. Anomalous magnetic fabrics were also preserved in post-glacial sediment that resulted from core collection and subaqueous slides. Stratigraphic disruptions (“flow-ins”) that formed during coring were recognized by vertically oriented laminae or soupy sediment near the base and top of cores, respectively, and confirmed the rationale for using magnetic fabric measurements. Mid-core “flow-ins” throughout the uppermost 1–2 m of three of the four cores in this study could only be identified by a gradual shift in the dominant shape of the magnetic fabric. Imperfect piston coring likely resulted in vertical strain that produced overthickened sections without destroying the stratigraphic integrity of these sediments. Subaqueous slides were recognized in Owasco Lake by abrupt changes in lithofacies and magnetic fabric. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility proved to be a powerful tool to assess lacustrine core integrity in massive and laminated sediment prior to paleoenvironmental reconstruction.