cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Twenty-two-year population trends in sodium and potassium consumption: the Minnesota Heart Survey.

Background Limiting dietary sodium consumption is a core lifestyle recommendation for the prevention of hypertension. There is increasing evidence that low potassium consumption also increases hypertension risk. We estimated sex-specific 22-year trends in sodium and potassium consumption. Methods and Results We used data from the Minnesota Heart Survey, which performs surveillance of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. The Minnesota Heart Survey is a random population-based sample of free-living adults aged 25 to 74. Surveys were conducted in 1985–1987 (n=2273), 1990–1992 (n=2487), 1995–1997 (n=1842), 2000–2002 (n=2759), and 2007–2009 (n=1502). Dietary intake of sodium and potassium was estimated from one 24-hour dietary recall. Over 22 years, age-adjusted sodium and potassium intake among men remained relatively stable in 1985–1987 and 2007–2009 ( P trend=0.41 and 0.29, respectively); sodium ranged from 3820 mg/day (1995–1997) to 3968 mg/day (2007–2009) and potassium from 3111 mg/day (2000–2002) to 3249 mg/day (1995–1997). Sodium and potassium intake increased among women, from 2531 mg/day in 1985–1987 to 2854 mg/day in 2007–2009 ( P trend=0.001) for sodium and from 2285 to 2533 mg/day ( P trend<0.0001) for potassium. We observed stable or increasing sodium and potassium intake within some strata of age, education, and body mass index. Conclusions Despite long-standing public health recommendations to limit sodium intake to <2300 mg/day, high sodium intake levels have persisted over the past 22 years. Furthermore, although potassium consumption increased in some subgroups over the study period, mean consumption remained significantly lower than the recommended 4700 mg/day in all groups.
Confronting fundamentalist beliefs in a biology course

A faculty member realizes that the influence of family and church may be more powerful than that of a college-level course.
A semigroup approach to discrete-time sliding modes

In the present paper sliding modes are studied, which form the point of view of semigroups of the state space transformations. The algebraic characterization of the sliding sets provides the universal recipes for the control design for both finite dimensional discrete-time and infinite dimensional systems.
Sperm proteins being studied for use in a contraceptive vaccine

In this review article seven basic characteristics necessary in the development of a contraceptive vaccine from sperm protein immunogen are listed and briefly commented on. Which sperm protein (or proteins) to consider as an antigenic candidate depends on several key aspects. The protein must be: specific only to sperm; expressed in other mammalian sperm such as monkeys for laboratory testing; located on or very near the sperm surface; and highly immunogenic. Sperm proteins which have received some testing attention include lactate dehydrogenase C-4 SP-10 acrosin FA-1 AH-20 and PH-20. The article then reviews each of these proteins. Antibodies to lactate dehydrogenase C-4 (LDH C-4) a cytoplasmic enzyme when tested in animals were found to reduce fertility by inhibiting sperm penetration through the cervical mucus. The acrosomal SP-10 protein was originally designated as the primary vaccine candidate; however the exact action mechanism is unknown. Further studies of SP-10 in baboons are underway. Another acrosomal protein is acrosin and it too has showed immunogenic properties. Though acrosin is known to have a definite function during fertilization immunizations with purified acrosin in female sheep and rabbits had no effect on their fertility. One critically important requirement any vaccine candidate must have is that it is a surface protein from the sperm. FA-1 AH-20 and PH-20 are all sperm surface proteins with AH-20 and PH-20 being specifically plasma membrane proteins and sperm specific. AH-20 has no known role in fertility and its testing demonstrated no effect on male or female guinea pig fertility. It was studied for its strong immunogenic properties. PH-20 has a known function in fertilization. When tested on female guinea pigs 100% infertility was achieved. Research testing with PH-20 should now be focused on primates. Research focused on developing a vaccine should be continued.
Measuring party orientations towards European integration: Results from an expert survey

Some observers have held that political parties have been minor players in the process of European integration due to the low salience of the issue and the prevalence of intra party disagreement over European questions. Although recent scholarship and the rising salience of European issues have brought increased attention to the role of political parties, the study of the relationship between party positions and both public opinion and policy out- comes has been hampered by an absence of comparable data on party positions. This research note presents the findings of an expert survey on party positions on the issue of European integration. In addition to estimates of the parties' positions on the issue itself, this survey provides information on the importance of the issue of European integration to each party, and the extent of internal dissent within parties. The data also indicate that parties have, on average, become increasingly pro-European over the period 1984-1996. Both the salience of the issue of integration and the extent of intra-party disagreement have increased during this period. However, deep intra-party divisions appear less prevalent than commonly believed.
Black bears Ursus americanus are effective seed dispersers, with a little help from their friends

Black bears Ursus americanus are generally considered effective seed dispersal agents for fleshy-fruited plants because they can consume hundreds of fruits at once and have large home ranges. Although seedlings can emerge from faecal piles, establishment of such seedlings seems to be infrequent. Removal of seeds from faeces by rodents is often considered seed predation. We show that removal of seeds from bear faeces by seed-caching rodents in the Sierra Nevada, USA, represents a second phase of seed dispersal that benefits some fleshy-fruited plants. Using Trail Master infrared cameras to photograph animals and scandium-46, a gamma-emitting radionuclide, to track seeds, we determined that deer mice Peromyscus maniculatus removed seeds from bear faeces and cached them in soil. Caches typically contained 1–3 seeds buried 5–10 mm deep. These seeds escaped several sources of mortality by being moved to relatively safe locations, but deer mice also eventually eat many of the cached seeds. A field germination study confirmed that seed burial increased seedling emergence. Rodents removed seeds in bear faeces more quickly than those in bird faeces in one year, but seeds in bird faeces were removed faster in another year. Results varied across two years, probably because of availability of alternative food sources or changes in deer mice population sizes. The two-phase seed dispersal syndrome described here may be important in understanding seed dispersal by carnivores and large ungulates that produce large faecal deposits containing many relatively large seeds.
Parallel implementation of efficient preconditioned linear solver for grid-based applications in chemical physics: I: Block Jacobi diagonalization

Abstract Linear systems in chemical physics often involve matrices with a certain sparse block structure. These can often be solved very effectively using iterative methods (sequence of matrix–vector products) in conjunction with a block Jacobi preconditioner [Numer. Linear Algebra Appl. 7 (2000) 715]. In a two-part series, we present an efficient parallel implementation, incorporating several additional refinements. The present study (paper I) emphasizes construction of the block Jacobi preconditioner matrices. This is achieved in a preprocessing step, performed prior to the subsequent iterative linear solve step, considered in a companion paper (paper II). Results indicate that the block Jacobi routines scale remarkably well on parallel computing platforms, and should remain effective over tens of thousands of nodes.
Design of Probabilistic Random Forests with Applications to Anticancer Drug Sensitivity Prediction

Random forests consisting of an ensemble of regression trees with equal weights are frequently used for design of predictive models. In this article, we consider an extension of the methodology by representing the regression trees in the form of probabilistic trees and analyzing the nature of heteroscedasticity. The probabilistic tree representation allows for analytical computation of confidence intervals (CIs), and the tree weight optimization is expected to provide stricter CIs with comparable performance in mean error. We approached the ensemble of probabilistic trees' prediction from the perspectives of a mixture distribution and as a weighted sum of correlated random variables. We applied our methodology to the drug sensitivity prediction problem on synthetic and cancer cell line encyclopedia dataset and illustrated that tree weights can be selected to reduce the average length of the CI without increase in mean error.
Comment on: "Variational principle for Poisson's equation for an impurity ion in a medium with spatially variable dielectric constant" by K. R. Brownstein

A recent work by Brownstein concerns the potential of an impurity ion which is embedded in a medium with spatially variable dielectric constant. The relevant Poisson's equation has been derived earlier by Csavinszky who, with the neglect of a term, has solved it approximately by means of an equivalent variational principle. Brownstein claims that the Csavinszky functional can be so modified that the neglected term, involving the gradient of the spatial dielectic function, appears correctly in the corresponding Euler-Lagrange equation. The present author, however, finds that the approximate solution of Poisson's equation that can be obtained with Brownstein's variational principle is not unique. The reason for this situation is discussed.
A Sense of Security Touch Promotes State Attachment Security

Adults can be made to experience state attachment security (e.g., feel calm, cared for, and trusting) when they recall experiences, in which others were accepting and responsive. In two experiments, we tested whether receiving affectionate touch in the context of a close relationship naturally promotes state attachment security. As hypothesized, participants who imagined receiving touch had greater accessibility of secure words on a memory task (Experiment 1) and participants who physically received touch from their romantic partners self-reported greater state security (Experiment 2) than participants who did not receive touch. Neither the relationship context (romantic partner or close friend) nor the attribution for the touch moderated touch’s effect on state security. However, consistent with predictions, touch promoted security more for individuals low in avoidant attachment than highly avoidant individuals. By promoting state security, touch may facilitate positive relational behaviors and cognition...
Application of Microcalorimetry in Research of Life Science and Straw-degradation

Microcalorimetry is an important method for modern bio-analysis.The characteristics,principle of microcalorimetry and its applications in life science were summarized,and its application in the research of straw-degradation was emphatically explained.
Explantation of infected aortic aneurysm and endograft with ascending aorta to mesenteric bypass for mesenteric ischemia

A 65-year-old man presented with an infected perivisceral aortic aneurysm after previous treatment of an abdominal aortic aneurysm with an endograft. On presentation, he was septic and had occlusion of the celiac, superior mesenteric, inferior mesenteric, and bilateral renal arteries. He underwent a three-stage procedure: first, axillobifemoral bypass; then resection of the thoracoabdominal aorta; and finally bypass from the ascending aorta to the celiac and superior mesenteric arteries with a rifampin-soaked Gelsoft graft (Vascutek, Renfrewshire, Scotland). The abdominal pain resolved, and the patient remains symptom free 10 months postoperatively. This rare surgical revascularization technique offered a nontraditional solution to a difficult surgical issue.
Forming Mechanism and Stability Analysis of Shixiakou Landslide at Jiuzhou,Lanzhou

Based on geological environment where landslide located,the characteristics and forming mechanism of the Shixiakou landside at Jiuzhou,Lanzhou,are researched systematically in terms of regional geological investigation,large scale topographical mapping,measurement of micro physiognomy and failure,geophysical survey,soil microtextures in the slipping zone analysis by Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM).The results show that this landslide has the characteristics of remarkable classification and partitioning,the key elements of inducing the landslide to be revivable are rainfall,unreasonable false virescence irrigation and the high and steep topography in the landslide region.The stability of state is evaluated by different limit equilibrium methods,combining geological environment,on effects of natural state,or rainfall,or earthquake,or rainfall and earthquake.The result can take a theoretic guide rule in treatment of the landslide.
Perioperative Diagnosis and Treatment of Serotonin Syndrome Following Administration of Methylene Blue

Patient: Male, 67 Final Diagnosis: Serotonin syndrome Symptoms: Agitation • muscular spasticity, deficient muscular control • nystygmus • sweating • tachycardia Medication: Methylene Blue Clinical Procedure: Total abdominal colectomy Specialty: Anesthesiology Objective: Unusual clinical course
Borehole Dilatometer Testing for Rock Engineering

Publisher Summary Deformability values estimated by dilatometer tests may be used as a design parameter or simply as an index property to log and compare the stiffnesses of different parts of the rock mass. Since only one diameter of the hole is loaded in each test, the orientation of the dilatometer may be changed between tests to detect gross anisotropy in a plane perpendicular to the borehole. In some cases the dilatometer can provide useful qualitative information about nonelastic behavior, such as creep or permanent set, which may be important for certain applications. Although the dilatometer may not be able to provide completely quantitative assessments of these deformation phenomena, it can be used to detect their presence so as to establish the need for other testing.
Seizing the Digital

Digital systems pervade classic STS sites of interest, from connecting laboratories to mediating lay-expert divides. But STS has so far been reticent to build the theoretical and analytical perspectives necessary for embracing digital systems as an important element of contemporary fieldwork, research, and practice. This paper charts a course for bringing STS concepts to bear on digital systems and vice versa, bringing our lingering concern with questions from the sociology of knowledge to bear on digitally-enacted and mediated scientific and technical practices. It shows how we can eschew the language of technological determinism inherent to discussion about digital systems outside of STS, asking instead questions germane to STS theory and practice such as the configuration of such systems to include and exclude, the epistemic entanglements of using digital tools in research practice, and the potential to build new systems that suggest alternative arrangements.
Parastomal Hernia Repair

The laparoscopic approach to the repair of parastomal hernias has proven to be superior to the open approach. While many approaches to laparoscopic repair have been described, the use of mesh is consistently described in all of them. The use of a keyhole to allow exit of the intestine through the mesh has proven to be associated with an unacceptably high recurrence rate; the Sugarbaker and modified Sugarbaker repairs have been shown to be the most successful methods. These operations can be done via the laparoscopic or robotically assisted laparoscopic techniques. This chapter will discuss the methodology of these similar repairs as well as the results that have been reported in the literature. The robotic approach is described using the author’s experience, as there is no currently published data that details this method.
A Single Life Reinvented: Personal Writing as the Negotiation of Identity in Richard Rodriguez’s Autobiographical Trilogy

Through ongoing circulation and discussion, personal narratives are continually resituated among different social bodies and institutions. The cultural impact of these stories then extends well beyond their initial publication. They perpetually renegotiate both the authors’ individual identities as well as their communal alliances. As an example, this essay considers how Richard Rodriguez’s autobiographical trilogy and its critical reception shifted not only his own self-description but also the boundaries of Chicano, Mexican-American, and queer communities. Personal writing becomes not a mere reflection of self, but a becoming—a way to write ourselves into other worlds and communities.
Race, Access to Care, and Outcome After Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Multiple Myeloma.

Abstract Abstract 1509 Background: Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is an essential modality in the management of younger, newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Some reports have indicated inferior survival for African-American (AA) patients following diagnosis of MM, when compared to Caucasian (Ca) patients. We hypothesized that previously claimed racial differences in outcome may reflect disparity in access to care and might be negated by timely, standard, and uniform treatment. Methods: We reviewed a mature database of MM patients undergoing AHSCT at a single institution to describe and compare overall survival from diagnosis and from transplantation in AA and Ca patients. Additionally, we described time from diagnosis to transplantation in both cohorts as an additional surrogate of access to care. Results: Between August 1996 and July 2010, 128 patients underwent a first AHSCT for MM at the institution. Fifty-three patients (41%) were AA and 75 (59%) were Ca. Median age at the time of diagnosis was 54.7 years for AA and 58.3 for Ca. Sixty-six (52%) of patients were female. One hundred twenty-six (98%) patients received conditioning chemotherapy with Melphalan 200 mg/m2. Median interval from diagnosis to transplant was 10 months (IQR 7.1–15.9) for AA and 9.2 months (IQR 6.7–15.6) for Ca (p=0.23). Median overall survival for the entire group was 63 months (95% C.I. 51–76) from time of diagnosis and 51.8 months (95% C.I. 39–63) from AHSCT. There was no difference in overall survival from time of AHSCT between AA and Ca, respectively 62.6 (95% C.I. 30.9–94.4) and 51.8 months (95% C.I. 33.5–70.3, Log-rank test P=0.76). Similarly, no significant difference was seen in overall survival from time of diagnosis between AA and Ca, respectively 70.4 (95% C.I. 29.6–111.3) and 59.3 months (95% C.I. 46.8–71.8), as displayed in the Figure (Log-rank test P=0.36). Conclusion: These findings suggest that previously reported differences in outcome between AA and CA patients with MM are related to disparities in access to healthcare and not intrinsic biological differences. Download : Download high-res image (84KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Health Care for Old Age: Rights, Duties and Expectations

Eighteenth-century philosopher David Hume appreciated the tranquil and detached quality of the last segment of his life. In contrast, twenty-first-century physician-philosopher Ezekiel Emmanuel fears the arrival of this same period in his life. Emmanuel proposes not to seek curative medical care from the time he reaches age 75. He agrees with Hume that old age is a time of physical and mental decline but devises a different adaptive approach. Instead of abandoning the ambition that has characterized his life, he will abandon life itself. The chapter explores and assesses twenty-first-century conceptual deterrents to Hume’s recommended tranquil detachment. The discussion zeroes in on contemporary conceptual components that are biased against the elderly, the very age group that our current idea of old age should celebrate rather than condemn.
Uncertainty about the safety of supplemental glutamine: an editorial on “A randomized trial of glutamine and antioxidants in critically ill patients”

Previously small randomized clinical trials and several meta-analyses have suggested improved patient outcomes from parenteral glutamine supplementation. A recent large multi-center randomized trial conducted in critically ill patients with documented multiple organ failure at enrollment demonstrated an increase in mortality among those receiving supplemental glutamine. This article discusses the discrepancies in trial outcomes and the risks associated with glutamine administration during critical illness.
Why Medical Microbiology Is Not Like Stamp Collecting

I started teaching microbiology to medical students in 1958, at a time when biomedical science was in its full ascendancy. Grant money was there practically for the asking, jobs were plentiful, universities and their medical schools were frenetically building up their science base. Not entirely surprising, the general feeling of young PhDs such as myself in basic sciences departments was that we were doing the medical students a favor by stooping to teach them. Maybe I exaggerate, but not by much. We had a long ways to go.
The rise and fall of stromatolites in shallow marine environments

Stromatolites are abundant in shallow marine sediments deposited before the evolution of animals, but in the modern ocean they are restricted to locations where the activity of animals is limited. Overall decline in the abundance of stromatolites has, therefore, been attributed to the evolution of substrate-modifying metazoans, with Phanerozoic stromatolite resurgences attributed to the aftermaths of mass extinctions. Here we use a comprehensive stratigraphic database, the published literature, and a machine reading system to show that the rock record–normalized occurrence of stromatolites in marine environments in North America exhibits three phases: an initial Paleoproterozoic (ca. 2500 Ma) increase, a sustained interval of dominance during the Proterozoic (2500–800 Ma), and a late Neoproterozoic (700–541 Ma) decline to lower mean prevalence during the Phanerozoic (541–0 Ma). Stromatolites continued to exhibit large changes in prevalence after the evolution of metazoans, and they transiently achieved Proterozoic-like prevalence during the Paleozoic. The aftermaths of major mass extinctions are not well correlated with stromatolite resurgence. Instead, stromatolite occurrence is well predicted by the prevalence of dolomite, a shift in carbonate mineralogy that is sensitive to changes in water-column and pore-water chemistry occurring during continent-scale marine transgressive-regressive cycles.
Current Update of Patient-Derived Xenograft Model for Translational Breast Cancer Research.

Despite recent advances in the treatment of patients with breast cancer (BrCa), BrCa remains the third leading cause of cancer death for women in the US due to intrinsic or acquired resistance to therapy. Continued understanding of gene expression profiling and genomic sequencing has clarified underlying intratumoral molecular heterogeneity. Recently, the patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models have emerged as a novel tool to address the issues of BrCa genomics and tumor heterogeneity, and to critically transform translational BrCa research in the preclinical setting. PDX models are generated by xenografting cancer tissue fragments obtained from patients to immune deficient mice, and can be passaged into next generations of mice. Generally, in contrast to conventional xenograft using cancer cell lines, PDXs are biologically more stable and recapitulate the individual tumor morphology, gene expression, and drug susceptibility of each patient. PDX may better model the original patient’s tumor by retaining tumor heterogeneity, gene expression, and similar response to treatment. PDX models are thus thought to be more translationally relevant, especially as a drug development tool, because PDXs can capture the genetic character and heterogeneity that exists within a single patient’s tumor and across a population of patients’ tumors. PDX models also hold enormous potential for identifying predictive markers for therapeutic response. It has been repeatedly shown that PDX models demonstrate similar levels of activity as compared to the clinical response to therapeutic interventions. Therefore, this enables identification of therapeutic interventions that can most likely benefit a patient. This allows us to address the issues of BrCa genomics and tumor heterogeneity using PDXs in “pre-clinical” trials. Herein, we reviewed recent scientific development and future perspectives using PDX models in BrCa.
Zika Virus Infection.

In less than 2 years since entry into the Americas, we have witnessed the emergent spread of Zika virus into large subsets of immunologically naive human populations and then encountered the devastating effects of microcephaly and brain anomalies that can arise from in utero infection with the virus. Diagnostic evaluation and management of affected infants continues to evolve as our understanding of Zika virus rapidly advances. The development of a safe and effective vaccine holds the potential to attenuate the spread of infection and limit the impact of congenital infection.
Coaching for Coherence: How Instructional Coaches Lead Change in the Evaluation Era:

Instructional coaching has emerged as a prevalent and much-lauded instrument for capacity building. This essay argues that coaching can be aligned with teacher evaluation systems to work toward the...
Heat Conduction and Geometry Topology Optimization of Support Structure in Laser-Based Additive Manufacturing

Laser-based metal additive manufacturing technologies such as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Selective Laser Melting (SLM) allow the fabrication of complex parts by selectively sintering or melting metallic powders layer by layer. Although elaborate features can be produced by these technologies, heat accumulation in overhangs leads to heat stress and warping, affecting the dimensional and geometrical accuracy of the part. This work introduces an approach to mitigate heat stress by minimizing the temperature gradient between the heat-accumulated zone in overhangs and the layers beneath. This is achieved by generating complex support structures that maintain the mechanical stability of the overhang and increase the heat conduction between these areas. The architecture of the complex support structures is obtained by maximizing heat conduction as an objective function to optimize the topology of support structure. This work examines the effect of various geometries on the objective function in order to select a suitable one to consume less material with almost same conduction. Ongoing work is the development of an experimental testbed for verification.
Syntax-semantics interaction in sentence understanding

Natural language is the primary mode of human communication. Developing a complete and well-specified computational model of language understanding is a difficult problem. Understanding a natural language sentence requires the application of many types of knowledge, such as syntactic, semantic, and conceptual knowledge, to resolve the many types of ambiguities that abound in natural language. Most unresolved issues in both psychological and computational modeling of sentence understanding are concerned with the questions of when should each of the various types of knowledge be applied in processing a sentence and how should the different types of knowledge be integrated to select unique interpretations of sentences. In this work, we have developed a model of sentence understanding called COMPERE (Cognitive Model of Parsing and Error Recovery). Our model was built on the hypothesis that a sentence processor has an architecture with separate representations of the different types of knowledge but a single unified process that integrates the different types of knowledge. We have shown that such an architecture addresses the modularity debate by demonstrating how the same sentence processor can produce seemingly modular behaviors in some situations and interactive behaviors in other situations. We have also shown how the unified arbitrating process can not only resolve both syntactic and semantic ambiguities, but also recover from its errors in both syntactic and semantic ambiguity resolution. We have developed a parsing algorithm called Head-Signaled Left-Corner parsing to identify the time course of points in the sentence where decisions are to be made. This algorithm decides when to make a commitment and when to delay a syntactic attachment. We have also developed a simple arbitration algorithm for combining information coming from multiple knowledge sources and for resolving any conflicts between them. We also present a theoretical framework for formal analyses of the performance of sentence processors in various situations. These analyses indicate that the HSLC parsing algorithm, along with incremental interactions between syntax and semantics controlled by the unified arbitrator, reduces the amount of local ambiguity and working memory requirements in processing a sentence. We also present certain psychological predictions made by the COMPERE model.
Voice Change and Singing Experiences of Adolescent Females

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how undergraduate- and graduate-level choristers perceived the influence of adolescent female voice change on their singing experiences since...
Beta Function Quintessence Cosmological Parameters and Fundamental Constants I: Power and Inverse Power Law Dark Energy Potentials

This investigation explores using the beta function formalism to calculate analytic solutions for the observable parameters in rolling scalar field cosmologies. The beta function in this case is the derivative of the scalar $\phi$ with respect to the natural log of the scale factor $a$, $\beta(\phi)=\frac{d \phi}{d \ln(a)}$. Once the beta function is specified, modulo a boundary condition, the evolution of the scalar $\phi$ as a function of the scale factor is completely determined. A rolling scalar field cosmology is defined by its action which can contain a range of physically motivated dark energy potentials. The beta function is chosen so that the associated "beta potential" is an accurate, but not exact, representation of the appropriate dark energy model potential. The basic concept is that the action with the beta potential is so similar to the action with the model potential that solutions using the beta action are accurate representations of solutions using the model action. The beta function provides an extra equation to calculate analytic functions of the cosmologies parameters as a function of the scale factor that are that are not calculable using only the model action. As an example this investigation uses a quintessence cosmology to demonstrate the method for power and inverse power law dark energy potentials. An interesting result of the investigation is that the Hubble parameter H is almost completely insensitive to the power of the potentials and that $\Lambda$CDM is part of the family of quintessence cosmology power law potentials with a power of zero.
Phylogeny of a cosmopolitan family of morphologically conserved trapdoor spiders (Mygalomorphae, Ctenizidae) using Anchored Hybrid Enrichment, with a description of the family, Halonoproctidae Pocock 1901.

The mygalomorph family Ctenizidae has a world-wide distribution and currently contains nine genera and 135 species. However, the monophyly of this group has long been questioned on both morphological and molecular grounds. Here, we use Anchored Hybrid Enrichment (AHE) to gather hundreds of loci from across the genome for reconstructing the phylogenetic relationships among the nine genera and test the monophyly of the family. We also reconstruct the possible ancestral ranges of the most inclusive clade recovered. Using AHE, we generate a supermatrix of 565 loci and 115,209 bp for 27 individuals. For the first time, analyses using all nine genera produce results definitively establishing the non-monophyly of Ctenizidae. A lineage formed exclusively by representatives of South African Stasimopus was placed as the sister group to the remaining taxa in the tree, and the Mediterranean Cteniza and Cyrtocarenum were recovered with high support as sister to exemplars of Euctenizidae, Migidae, and Idiopidae. All the remaining genera-Bothriocyrtum, Conothele, Cyclocosmia, Hebestatis, Latouchia, and Ummidia-share a common ancestor. Based on these results, we formally elevate this clade to the level of family. Our results definitively establish both the non-monophyly of the Ctenizidae and non-validity of the subfamilies Ummidiinae and Ctenizinae. In order to establish the placement of the remaining three ctenizid genera, Cteniza, Cyrtocarenum, and Stasimopus, thorough analyses within the context of a complete mygalomorph phylogenetic framework are needed. We formally describe the family Halonoproctidae Pocock 1901 and infer that the family's most recent common ancestor was likely distributed in western North America and Asia.
Evaluation of plenoptic algorithm performance for measuring scene spectra captured by a diffractive plenoptic camera

A diffractive plenoptic camera is a novel approach to the traditional plenoptic camera which replaces the main optic with a Fresnel zone plate making the camera sensitive to wavelength instead of range. Algorithms are necessary, however, to reconstruct the image produced by these plenoptic cameras. This paper provides the first quantification of the effectiveness of four different types of post-processing algorithms on a simulated Fresnel zone light field spectral imaging system. The four post-processing algorithms used were standard digital refocusing, 3D deconvolution through a Richardson-Lucy algorithm, a novel Gaussian smoothing algorithm, and a custom-made super resolution algorithm. For the digital refocusing algorithm, the image quality decreased as the wavelength difference from design increased. In comparison, in the Richardson Lucy deconvolution algorithm, the image returned to the same quality as at the design wavelength if enough iterations were used and generally provided results on par with the best near the design wavelength of the Fresnel zone plate and by far the best results far from design at the cost of extensive computation time. The super resolution method, in general, performed better than the standard digital refocusing while the Gaussian smoothing algorithm performed on par with digital refocusing. As a consequence, if time is not a factor, deconvolution should be used in general, while the super resolution method provides faster results if time is an issue. Still, each algorithm outperformed the others in specific cases which allows the best results to be obtained by choosing the algorithm that meets operational requirements and limitations.
ℓ1-Bounds for Inner Products

Let a = {an} and b = {bn} be absolutely convergent real sequences. In terms of the l 1-norm, their inner product a · b =∑anbn can be bounded as follows: $$\begin{array}{*{20}{c}} {a \cdot b \leqslant \frac{1}{4}\left( {\left\| {a + b} \right\| + \left\| a \right\| - \left\| b \right\|} \right)\left( {\left\| {a + b} \right\| - \left\| a \right\| - \left\| b \right\|} \right),} \\ {a \cdot b \geqslant - \frac{1}{2}\left( {\left\| a \right\| + \left\| b \right\| - \left\| {a + b} \right\|} \right)\max \left( {\left\| a \right\|,\left\| b \right\|} \right),} \\ {a \cdot b \geqslant - \frac{1}{4}\left( {\left\| {a - b} \right\| + \left\| a \right\| - \left\| b \right\|} \right)\left( {\left\| {a - b} \right\| - \left\| a \right\| + \left\| b \right\|} \right),} \\ {a \cdot b \leqslant - \frac{1}{2}\left( {\left\| a \right\| + \left\| b \right\| - \left\| {a + b} \right\|} \right)\max \left( {\left\| a \right\|,\left\| b \right\|} \right)} \\ \end{array}$$ . Each of these inequalities gives the sharpest bound possible in terms of the norms which it involves. Necessary and sufficient conditions for equality are also discussed in each case.
Perspectives and Peptides of the Next Generation

Shortly after their discovery, antimicrobial peptides from prokaryotes and eukaryotes were recognized as the next potential generation of pharmaceuticals to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections and septic shock, to preserve food, or to sanitize surfaces. Initial research focused on identifying the spectrum of antimicrobial agents, determining the range of antimicrobial activities against bacterial, fungal, and viral pathogens, and assessing the antimicrobial activity of synthetic peptides versus their natural counterparts. Subsequent research then focused on the mechanisms of antimicrobial peptide activity in model membrane systems not only to identify the mechanisms of antimicrobial peptide activity in microorganisms but also to discern differences in cytotoxicity for prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Recent, contemporary work now focuses on current and future efforts to construct hybrid peptides, peptide congeners, stabilized peptides, peptide conjugates, and immobilized peptides for unique and specific applications to control the growth of microorganisms in vitro and in vivo.
What makes platelets angry: diabetes, fibrinogen, obesity, and impaired response to antiplatelet therapy?

Variability of platelet response to drug therapy has been studied intensely in recent years, though the underlying causes and appropriate actions remain unclear ([1,2][1]). It appears that both patient-specific and medication-specific factors contribute to the variability of platelet activity and
Lung Histological Methods

The lung is ideally suited to the application of histological methods to study its structure, cellular composition, and molecular characteristics of more than 30 types of cells. The key in these endeavors are proper tissue preservation/fixation, well-established protocols aimed at sectioning and staining, and understanding of lung morphology. Molecular studies can be performed in laser-captured cells and microscopic structures.
Brain Inflammation and Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

In his medical treatise De Medicina dating back two millenniums, Aulus Cornelius Celsus refers to the signs of inflammation as “redness and swelling with heat and pain.” Inflammation is a reaction of the body to foreign stimuli and has presumably evolved to restore homeostasis in response to infections, tissue damage, or toxins. In conditions when the basal homeostatic state cannot be restored, persistent inflammatory signals usually lead to a maladaptive state as we observe in diet-induced obesity. Inflammatory process typically involves an inducing factor, such as bacterial infection, which is recognized by sensory molecules, e.g., as toll-like receptors, which then leads to secretion of inflammatory mediators including cytokines, chemokines, and a subclass of eicosanoids called prostaglandins. Final stage of the acute inflammatory cycle involves a resolution stage aimed to return to the pre-inflammatory homeostatic boundaries (Serhan et al. 2007), and failure to do so might lead to chronic inflammation. As opposed to acute inflammatory response commonly observed, following tissue injury or bacterial or viral infections, metabolic syndrome, and obesity per se manifest in the form of a chronic low-grade inflammatory state also called para−/meta-inflammation (Medzhitov 2008; Hotamisligil 2017). The inducing factor(s) of this chronic low-grade inflammation is still not entirely clear; however common mediators are involved in the acute and chronic inflammation. In contrast to many other chronic inflammatory conditions where the response is localized to the site of action of the inducing factor (e.g., site of infection), obesity-associated inflammation is manifested at a systemic level incorporating the peripheral as well as central tissues. Low-grade chronic inflammation has been demonstrated in a variety of metabolic tissues, such as the white adipose (Xu et al. 2003), liver (Cai et al. 2005), skeletal muscle (8, 9), and pancreas (Ehses et al. 2008; Donath et al. 2010), and appears to play a causative role in metabolic dysregulations including insulin resistance during obesity. For example, treatment with an anti-inflammatory agent amlexanox, an inhibitor of the NF-κB kinases IKKe and TBK-1, reduces obesity in rodents and improves glucose homeostasis in mice (Reilly et al. 2013) and a subset of diabetics (Oral et al. 2017).
A Population-Based Study of the Bidirectional Association Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Type 2 Diabetes in Three Prospective U.S. Cohorts.

OBJECTIVE Multiple lines of evidence support a complex relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and diabetes. However, no population-based study has evaluated the potential bidirectional association between these two highly prevalent disorders. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We followed 146,519 participants from the Nurses9 Health Study (NHS; 2002–2012), Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII; 1995–2013), and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS; 1996–2012) who were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at baseline. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for developing diabetes according to OSA status. In parallel, we used similar approaches to estimate risk of developing OSA according to diabetes status among 151,194 participants free of OSA, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at baseline. In all three cohorts, diagnoses of diabetes and OSA were identified by validated self-reports. RESULTS Similar results were observed across the three cohorts. In the pooled analysis, 9,029 incident diabetes cases were identified during follow-up. After accounting for potential confounders, the HR (95% CI) for diabetes was 2.06 (1.86, 2.28) comparing those with versus without OSA. The association was attenuated but remained statistically significant after further adjusting for waist circumference and BMI (HR 1.37 [95% CI 1.24, 1.53]), with the highest diabetes risk observed for OSA concomitant with sleepiness (1.78 [1.13, 2.82]). In the second analysis, we documented 9,364 incident OSA cases during follow-up. Compared with those without diabetes, the multivariable HR (95% CI) for OSA was 1.53 (1.32, 1.77) in individuals with diabetes. Adjustment for BMI and waist circumference attenuated the association (1.08 [1.00, 1.16]); however, an increased risk was observed among those with diabetes who used insulin compared with those without diabetes (1.43 [1.11, 1.83]), particularly among women (1.60 [1.34, 1.89]). CONCLUSIONS OSA is independently associated with an increased risk of diabetes, whereas insulin-treated diabetes is independently associated with a higher risk of OSA, particularly in women. Clinical awareness of this bidirectional association may improve prevention and treatment of both diseases. Future research aimed at elucidating the mechanisms that underlie each association may identify novel intervention targets.
Mitochondria targeting IR780-based nanoGUMBOS for enhanced selective toxicity towards cancer cells

Herein, a simple counter-ion variation strategy is proposed and demonstrated for design of an array of near infrared IR780-based nanoGUMBOS (nanomaterials from a Group of Uniform Materials Based on Organic Salts) to produce enhanced anticancer activity. These nanomaterials were synthesized by direct nanoengineering of IR780-based GUMBOS using a reprecipitation method, without addition of any other materials. Thus, these novel nanomaterials can serve as carrier-free nanodrugs, providing several distinct advantages over conventional chemotherapeutics. Examination of the size and stability of these nanoGUMBOS indicates formation of approximately 100 nm nanoparticles that are stable under biological conditions. Interestingly, in vitro chemotherapeutic applications of these nanoGUMBOS indicate two to four-fold enhanced toxicity towards breast cancer cells as compared to the parent dye, while still maintaining minimal toxicity towards normal cells. The mechanism of cancer toxicity for these nanoGUMBOS was also examined by a study of their sub-cellular localization as well as using a mitochondrial toxicity assay. Analyses of data from these studies revealed that all nanoGUMBOS primarily accumulate in the mitochondria of cancer cells and produce dysfunction in the mitochondria to induce cell death. Using these studies, we demonstrate tunable properties of IR780-based nanoGUMBOS through simple variation of counter-ions, thus providing a promising strategy for future design of better nanomedicines to be used for cancer therapy.
The violence work of transnational gangs in Central America

According to international relations scholars, an important change taking place in the post-Cold War context concerns the lethality of non-state armed groups (NSAGs). Underlying this observation is...
Seed Certification as a Virus Management Tool

Vegetative or clonal propagation of the potato plant enables tuber borne pathogens to persist from one growing season to the next. Systemic pathogens such as viruses are especially likely to be present in tubers held back for seed. The so-called “running out” or declining productivity of seed tubers that was described over one hundred years ago was eventually found to result from the presence of one or several viruses. Potato seed improvement programs reversed the trend of declining seed productivity and are examples of our earliest attempts at virus management in the seed tuber crop, even before the nature of infectious viruses was known or understood.