cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neural-Tube Defects

Each year spina bifida and anencephaly, the two most common forms of neural-tube defects, occur in 1 in 1000 pregnancies in the United States1 and an estimated 300,000 or more newborns worldwide.2 Although these severe conditions have been recognized since antiquity, never before has progress been so fast and substantive, particularly in the area of prevention. The results of randomized trials indicate that at least half the cases of neural-tube defects could be prevented if women consumed sufficient amounts of the B vitamin folic acid before conception and during early pregnancy.3,4 Elsewhere in this issue of the Journal, Berry . . .
Comparative genomics and transcriptomics of Pichia pastoris

Pichia pastoris has emerged as an important alternative host for producing recombinant biopharmaceuticals, owing to its high cultivation density, low host cell protein burden, and the development of strains with humanized glycosylation. Despite its demonstrated utility, relatively little strain engineering has been performed to improve Pichia, due in part to the limited number and inconsistent frameworks of reported genomes and transcriptomes. Furthermore, the co-mingling of genomic, transcriptomic and fermentation data collected about Komagataella pastoris and Komagataella phaffii, the two strains co-branded as Pichia, has generated confusion about host performance for these genetically distinct species. Generation of comparative high-quality genomes and transcriptomes will enable meaningful comparisons between the organisms, and potentially inform distinct biotechnological utilies for each species. Here, we present a comprehensive and standardized comparative analysis of the genomic features of the three most commonly used strains comprising the tradename Pichia: K. pastoris wild-type, K. phaffii wild-type, and K. phaffii GS115. We used a combination of long-read (PacBio) and short-read (Illumina) sequencing technologies to achieve over 1000X coverage of each genome. Construction of individual genomes was then performed using as few as seven individual contigs to create gap-free assemblies. We found substantial syntenic rearrangements between the species and characterized a linear plasmid present in K. phaffii. Comparative analyses between K. phaffii genomes enabled the characterization of the mutational landscape of the GS115 strain. We identified and examined 35 non-synonomous coding mutations present in GS115, many of which are likely to impact strain performance. Additionally, we investigated transcriptomic profiles of gene expression for both species during cultivation on various carbon sources. We observed that the most highly transcribed genes in both organisms were consistently highly expressed in all three carbon sources examined. We also observed selective expression of certain genes in each carbon source, including many sequences not previously reported as promoters for expression of heterologous proteins in yeasts. Our studies establish a foundation for understanding critical relationships between genome structure, cultivation conditions and gene expression. The resources we report here will inform and facilitate rational, organism-wide strain engineering for improved utility as a host for protein production.
A system for using perceiver input to vary the quality of generative multimedia performances

Generative Multimedia (GM) applications are an increasingly popular way to implement interactive media performances. Our contributions include creating a metric for evaluating Generative Multimedia performances, designing a model for accepting perceiver preferences, and using those preferences to adapt GM performances. The metric we use is imprecision, which is the ratio of the actual computation time of a GM element to the computation time of a complete version of that GM element. By taking a perceiver's preferences into account when making adaptation decisions, applications can produce GM performances that meet soft real-time and resource constraints while allocating imprecision to the GM elements the perceiver least cares about. Compared to other approaches, perceiver-directed imprecision best allocates impreciseness while minimizing delay.
Brain MRI Anatomical and Attention and Behavior Disorders With 22qll.2 Deletion Syndrome

The brain anatomy of 39 children and adolescents with 22qDS (mean age 11 years; IQ 67) and 26 sibling controls (mean age 11 years; IQ 102) was compared using MRI and automated voxel-based morphometry, and behavioral differences were correlated with affected brain regions in a study at King’s College, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK; Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, Ireland; and Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Holland.
Activation tagging of Arabidopsis POLYGALACTURONASE INVOLVED IN EXPANSION2 promotes hypocotyl elongation, leaf expansion, stem lignification, mechanical stiffening, and lodging

Summary Pectin is the most abundant component of primary cell walls in eudicot plants. The modification and degradation of pectin affects multiple processes during plant development, including cell expansion, organ initiation, and cell separation. However, the extent to which pectin degradation by polygalacturonases affects stem development and secondary wall formation remains unclear. Using an activation tag screen, we identified a transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana line with longer etiolated hypocotyls, which overexpresses a gene encoding a polygalacturonase. We designated this gene as POLYGALACTURONASE INVOLVED IN EXPANSION2 (PGX2), and the corresponding activation tagged line as PGX2AT. PGX2 is widely expressed in young seedlings and in roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and siliques of adult plants. PGX2-GFP localizes to the cell wall, and PGX2AT plants show higher total polygalacturonase activity and smaller pectin molecular masses than wild-type controls, supporting a function for this protein in apoplastic pectin degradation. A heterologously expressed, truncated version of PGX2 also displays polygalacturonase activity in vitro. Like previously identified PGX1AT plants, PGX2AT plants have longer hypocotyls and larger rosette leaves, but they also uniquely display early flowering, earlier stem lignification, and lodging stems with enhanced mechanical stiffness that is possibly due to decreased stem thickness. Together, these results indicate that PGX2 both functions in cell expansion and influences secondary wall formation, providing a possible link between these two developmental processes.
Predictors of proximity to others in colony housed shelter cats (Felis silvestris catus)

Colony housing of cats allows shelters to maximize the number of cats housed in limited space. Most research on colony-housed cats examines stress in relation to group size or enclosure size. While this is important for evaluating welfare, it is equally important to understand how cats are interacting socially in these colonies. We observed 259 adult cats housed in groups of two to eight individuals. Scan samples were used to assess how frequently individual cats were in close proximity to other cats. These data were used to measure individual differences in sociability and patterns of proximity to certain partners. We used information about the past history of the cat, which was collected upon admission to the shelter to identify predictors of time spent in proximity. There was a high degree of inter-individual variability in sociability. Strays tended to spend less time in proximity to other cats, and this effect was most pronounced in females.However, none of the information collected upon admission predicted patterns of proximity to certain partners, or which cats spent time in association witheach other. Future studies should explore the implications of differences in sociability by associating observations of social behavior and stress behaviors.
Carbon dioxide washout during high flow nasal cannula versus nasal CPAP support: An in vitro study.

Summary Objective: To compare CO2 washout time at different levels of HFNC versus NCPAP in a premature infant lung model with simulated mouth-closed and mouth-open conditions using two sizes of nasal cannula and full- and half-prong HFNC insertion depths. Design/Methods: A piston-cylinder lung simulator, having a fixed volume of 30 ml and a 4.8 ml dead space, simulated spontaneous breathing (6.5 ml tidal volume, 50 br/min, Ti = 0.5 sec). Two Fisher & Paykel™ cannulas (Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand) (2.8 and 3.2 mm O.D.) and two Infant-Flow™ (CareFusion, Yorba Linda, CA) NCPAP cannulas (3.4 and 4.1 mm O.D.) were applied to simulated airways having either 3.5 or 4.5 mm I.D. nares. Simulated mouth opening was a 5 mm I.D. side tap below the nasal interface. The lung was primed with 5% CO2. Washout times were determined at HFNC settings of 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 L/min and NCPAP at 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 cm H2O with simulated open and closed-mouth conditions and full- and half-inserted HFNC prongs. Results: Overall combined mean washout times for NCPAP with mouth-closed were significantly longer than HFNC over all five pressure and flow device settings by 16.2% (P < 0.001). CO2 washout times decreased as flow or pressure device settings were increased. There were negligible differences in washout times between NCPAP and HFNC with mouth-open. Mouth-open washout times were significantly less than mouth-closed for all conditions. Overall closed-mouth washout times for HFNC half-prong insertion were longer than for full-prong insertion by 5.3% (P < 0.022). Conclusions: Significantly improved CO2 elimination using HFNC versus NCPAP should be a particularly important consideration in premature infants having very high dead space-to-tidal volume ratio compared to larger infants. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017;52:792–798. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Contextual labialization in Nawuri

A spectrographic investigation into the non-contrastive labialization of consonants before round vowels in Nawuri (a Kwa language of Ghana) supports the notion that this labialization is the result of a phonological, featurespreading rule and not simply an automatic transitional process. This assumption is further warranted in that it allows for a more natural treatment of some other phonological processes in the language. The fact that labialization before round vowels is generally not very audible is explained in terms of a principle of speech perception. A final topic addressed is the question of why (both in Nawuri and apparently in a number of other Ghanaian languages as well) contextual labialization does tend to be more perceptible in certain restricted environments.
Health in the U.S.S.R.: Organization, Trends, and Ethics

When the Soviet regime took power in late 1917, health conditions then prevailing were abominable. Disruptions caused by wartime and revolutionary events led to interruptions in service, as limited as they were even under prewar conditions, to interruptions in delivery of medicines to medical facilities and especially so to individual medical practitioners. The situation was so difficult that when Lenin confronted the depth of the problem in his address to the December 1919 meeting of the Soviets (the administrative councils) he noted that the interruptions in public services, governmental operations as well as medical issues, were so bad that because of these problems “either the lice will defeat socialism, or socialism will defeat the lice”; at the time upwards of 20 million persons may have been ill with typhus.1 The 25,000 doctors providing medical service to the 160 million population were insufficient in number overall, their distribution was concentrated in cities, and the quality of training depended heavily on the place of study in or out of Russia. When these factors were combined with the conditions of the time, it is no surprise — as terrible as the numbers are — that the League of Nations estimated that over three million persons in the Soviet Union died from cholera, typhus, typhoid, and dysentery during the period 1917 to 1923. Happily, this disease and death pattern no longer occurs.
Saline Shortages — Many Causes, No Simple Solution

Saline Shortages — Many Causes, No Simple Solution There was already a shortage of saline solution in the United States when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, home to a key saline manufacturer, causing the problem to reach critical levels. Fixing the problem will require a multifaceted approach.
Evaluating impacts of climate change on future water scarcity in an intensively managed semi-arid region using a coupled model of biophysical processes and water rights

Abstract. In semiarid and arid regions with intensively managed water supplies, water scarcity is a product of interactions between complex biophysical processes and human activities. Evaluating water scarcity under climate change necessitates modeling how these coupled processes interact and redistribute waters in the system under alternative climate conditions. A particular challenge on the climate input lies in adequately capturing the plausible range of variability of future climate change along with central tendencies. This study generates a large ensemble of daily climate realizations by combining a stochastic weather generator, historical climate observations, and statistically downscaled General Circulation Model projections. Three climate change scenario groups, reflecting the historical, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5 conditions, are developed. A modeling framework is built using the Envision alternative futures modeling platform to 1) explicitly capture the spatiotemporally varying irrigation activities as constrained by local water rights; and 2) project water scarcity patterns under climate change. The study area is the Treasure Valley, an irrigation-intensive semi-arid human-environment system. Climate projections for the region show future increases in both precipitation and temperature. The projected increase in temperature has a significant influence on the increase of the allocated and unsatisfied irrigation amount. Projected changes in precipitation produce more modest responses. The scenarios identify spatially distinct areas more sensitive to water scarcity, highlight the importance of climate change as a driver of scarcity, and identify potential shortcomings of the current water management. The approach of creating climate ensembles overcomes deficiencies of using a few or mean values of individual GCM realizations.
The Maze Procedure and Postoperative Pacemakers

Background There is concern that the right atrial lesions of the maze procedure lead to more permanent pacemakers postoperatively and that they provide little therapeutic advantage over left atrial lesions alone. Methods A discussion of the pertinent anatomy related to atrial fibrillation and the performance of the maze procedure, the potential ways that the specialized conduction system could theoretically be damaged by the procedure, non–procedure-related causes for increased postoperative pacemaker requirements, and the basis for the efficacy of the right atrial lesions of the maze procedure are presented. Several factors that can lead to a dysfunctional sinoatrial node preoperatively in patients with atrial fibrillation are also discussed. Results The reasons new permanent pacemakers are required after a maze procedure include the high success rates of the surgery with subsequent unmasking of preoperative sick sinus syndrome, excessive extracardiac dissection that damages the autonomic nerve input to the heart, premature pacemaker implantation for a temporary junctional rhythm immediately postoperatively, surgical error, and patient selection. Conclusions There are numerous reasons why patients need new pacemakers after a maze procedure, but the right atrial lesions of the procedure rarely, if ever, are the cause.
Neutron and Gamma Radiation from a Nitrogen Sphere Surrounding a D-T Neutron Source

We have measured the spectra of neutrons and secondary gamma rays emerging from a liquid-nitrogen sphere of 129.3-cm radius with a 14-MeV neutron source at its center. Time-of-flight techniques wer...
Ecological Modelling as a Tool for Coastal Ecosystem Management

Ecosystem in general refers to a complex natural community made of living resources and their relationship with the natural environment. Ecosystem management, as a much debated concept over the past few decades, was well defined in (1994) as: “It is the managerial actions that humans take on nature with the goals of maintaining ecological integrity above all with other specific goals including maintaining viable populations, ecosystem representation, ecological processes, protecting evolutionary potential of species and accommodating human exploitation of the nature”. (2009) summarized that ecosystem-based-management (EBM) has evolved from a vague principle to a central paradigm underlying living resource policies. Ecosystem-based-management takes into account interactions of ecosystem components and management sectors, thus defining management strategies for entire system instead of individual components of the system. (2009) also pointed out that early ecosystem research and management were dominated by reductionist investigations, and to date, we have come to a consensus that synthesis and integration approaches are necessary to conserve healthy ecosystems and restore impaired ecosystems.
Isozyme variation in taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) from Asia and Oceania

Isozyme variation was studied in 1,417 cultivars and wild forms of taro collected in Asia and Oceania. Seven polymorphic enzyme systems (MDH, IDH, PGI, 6-PGD, ME, SkDH, and ADH) revealed 143 isozyme phenotypes, or zymotypes, each uniquely characterized by the presence or absence of 56 electromorphs. Results showed greater isozyme variation in Asia than in Oceania, with Indonesia being the area of greatest diversity. No correlations were found between zymotypes and morphotypes or ploidy levels (as described by other investigators). Multivariate analyses of the isozyme data indicated that the majority of the Indonesian cultivars were different from the Philippine and Oceanian taro cultivars. Oceanian cultivars constituted a continuum of clusters and are thought to have originated from a narrow genetic base introduced from Indonesia. If taro breeding is to have any future in Oceania, it is important to exchange genotypes to broaden the base of existing breeding programmes.
OVERVIEW OF DIFFUSION IMAGING

Diffusion is a major advance in the continuing evolution of MR imaging. It provides contrasts and characterization between tissues at a cellular level that may imply differences in function as well as framework. With the development of echo-planar imaging (EPImh54) diffusion the quality of the data will be such that clinically relevant information can result, and thus clinical usage of EPI diffusion will increase. Many potential applications of diffusion have not yet been explored.
Animal Models for Schizophrenia

In many ways this was the most difficult chapter to write. Clearly, the group of psychiatric illnesses lumped under the overall term schizophrenia represents a major public health problem. Though it remains a puzzling illness, there have been major advances in our understanding of schizophrenia and in diagnostic conceptualizations.
Stochastic Population Theory: Mathematical Evolution of a Genetical Model

The use of mathematical modeling in characterizing and analyzing stochastic fluctuation phenomena among individuals in natural populations has a long and honorable history dating back to the first quarter of the twentieth century. Indeed, more than sixty years have passed since R. A. Fisher (1922) introduced diffusion theory in his analysis of the dominance ratio in population genetics theory. However, in the last decade, coincident with monumental progress in computational techniques and the introduction of novel ideas from the mathematical theory of probability and stochastic processes, the pace of the evolution of stochastic population theory—the use of mathematical techniques to explain and predict the random behavior of individuals in natural populations—has quickened markedly.
Missed opportunities: Genetic counseling and testing among an ethnically diverse cohort of women with endometrial cancer

Abstract Objectives Lynch syndrome (LS) accounts for the majority of inherited endometrial cancers (EC), and the identification of probands presents a unique opportunity to treat and prevent multiple cancers. The diagnosis of EC can provide the indication for women with specific risk factors to undergo genetic testing (GT). We sought to evaluate genetic counseling referrals (GCR) and subsequent GT rates in an ethnically diverse group of high-risk women. Methods All women diagnosed with EC between 2011 and 2016 were identified. Risk factors for LS including age, family and personal histories of Lynch-related cancers and loss of tumor mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression were identified from laboratory and medical records. Standard two-sided statistical tests were used. Results Of 583 women diagnosed with EC, 184 (31.6%) were found to have at least one high-risk characteristic for LS. Among these high-risk women, 58% were given GCR and resulting in only 35% undergoing GT. Ten of the 65 high-risk women who had GT (15.4%) were diagnosed with Lynch syndrome, and all ten met high-risk criteria. Two women of Asian race had tumors exhibiting retained MMR protein expression despite germline testing demonstrating Lynch syndrome. Conclusions Many high-risk women do not receive GCR despite a high rate of germline mutations among these women. Improving GCR among high-risk women will lead to more subsequent GT to identify more Lynch syndrome families and prevent additional cancers. Among our ethnically diverse cohort, two women diagnosed with LS had retained MMR protein expression. GCR should be offered to women who possess high-risk characteristics despite normal MMR protein expression.
Information Disclosure in Dynamic OTC Markets

This paper studies how mandatory transparency (through TRACE), along with long term incentive of informed dealers, affect market price informativeness, liquidity and welfare in dynamic over-the-counter (OTC) markets. We show public disclosure of additional information about past trades, paradoxically, makes the markets more opaque, by reducing market price informativeness. Thus, surprisingly, the transparency requirements of the U.S. Dodd-Frank Act may make the markets more opaque. However, this market opacity creates liquidity and increases welfare. To enhance financial transparency via improving price informativeness as well as market liquidity and welfare, an effective way is to randomly audit dealers.
Vibration energy harvesting system with coupled bistable modules

Bistable vibration energy harvesters have been used to achieve strong energy harvesting performance over a wide frequency bandwidth. Performance of bistable energy harvesters is dependent on whether the external excitation is large enough to surpass the minimum threshold to high energy, or ‘snap through’ oscillations. Studies have indicated that lowering the potential energy barrier via an auxiliary unit is an effective way to ensure that high energy orbits are achieved. Recent advancements have shown that directly extracting energy from an auxiliary unit used to dynamically lower the potential barrier of a bistable energy harvester can enhance performance. However, there remains an unexplored opportunity for further improvement by incorporating nonlinearity into the auxiliary harvesting element. Thus, to advance the state of the art, this research introduces an energy harvesting system composed of a bistable cantilever harvester magnetically coupled to an auxiliary nonlinear harvesting element. An analysis of the system potential energy indicates that the additional nonlinear characteristics of the coupled harvesting element can enable tailoring of the potential energy profile such that quad-stability, or multi-directional bistability, can be achieved. Investigation of the quasi-static potential energy trajectory of the proposed device indicates that the number of stable states, height of the potential energy barrier, and snap through amplitude may all be tailored through consideration of the effective linear stiffness of the nonlinear harvesting unit. Numerical simulations of the system dynamics indicate that the additional nonlinearity incorporated into the coupled system improves broadband harvesting performance.
Dynamic resolve model: an interpersonal resilience construct

This paper explores interpersonal resilience as a means for groups to navigate uncertainty more effectively. Supported by a study completed over a decade, comprising observations and interviews in unconventional dynamic environments, a model, the dynamic resolve model (DRM) was constructed. The qualitative research method of phenomenology was chosen to analyse 150 interviews representing a diverse audience from the Department of Defense and NGO community. DRM serves as a resource for any group navigating uncertainty. DRM aims to help individuals engage in best practices to strengthen their collaborative capabilities by strengthening interpersonal resilience. DRM is an interpersonal resilience construct connecting observed relational qualities with behavioural patterns of exchange resulting in engagement actions. The study supports research which considers a new paradigm shift from an individualistic overview of the key traits and characteristics of individuals to the observed actions and outcomes of resilient collaborative teams. The study fills a gap in research which considers the complexity of groups that function in heightened emotional states attentive to the techniques that motivate individuals to accept uncertainty and experimentation.
Financial burden of cancer care under the Affordable Care Act: Analysis of MEPS-Experiences with Cancer Survivorship 2011 and 2016.

To examine whether the implementation of Affordable Care Act (ACA) reduced the financial burden associated with cancer care among non-elderly cancer survivors. Using data from the MEPS-Experiences with Cancer Survivorship Survey, we examined whether there was a difference in financial burden associated with cancer care between 2011 (pre-ACA) and 2016 (post-ACA). Two aspects of financial burden were considered: (1) self-reported financial burden, whether having financial difficulties associated with cancer care and (2) high-burden spending, whether total out-of-pocket (OOP) spending incurred in excess of 10% or 20% of family income. Generalized linear regression models were estimated to adjust the OOP expenditures (reported in 2016 US dollar). Our sample included adults aged 18–64 with a confirmed diagnosis of any cancer in 2011 (n = 655) and in 2016 (n = 490). There was no apparent difference in the prevalence of cancer survivors reporting any financial hardship or being with high-burden spending between 2011 and 2016. The mean OOP decreased by $268 (95% CI, − 384 to − 152) after the ACA. However, we found that the mean premium payments increased by $421 (95% CI, 149 to 692) in the same period. The ACA was associated with reduced OOP for health services but increased premium contributions, resulting in no significant impact on perceived financial burden among non-elderly cancer survivors. The financial hardship of cancer survivorship points to the need for the development of provisions that help cancer patients reduce both perceived and materialized burden of cancer care under ongoing health reform.
A Lower Leg Physical Activity Intervention for Individuals With Chronic Venous Leg Ulcers: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Individuals with venous leg ulcers (VLUs) suffer disproportionately with multiple chronic conditions, are often physically deconditioned, and demonstrate high levels of physical inactivity. Objective: The primary objective of this randomized controlled trial was to establish the feasibility of a mobile health (mHealth) physical activity exercise app for individuals with VLUs to improve lower leg function. Methods: In a 6-week study, adults with VLUs were recruited from 2 wound centers in South Carolina, United States, and enrolled if they were aged 18 years or older with impaired functional mobility and an ankle-brachial index between 0.8 and 1.3. Participants were randomized 1:1 to receive evidence-based, phased, nonexertive physical conditioning activities for lower leg function (FOOTFIT) or FOOTFIT+ with an added patient-provider communication feature. The mHealth Conditioning Activities for Lower Leg Function app also provided automated educational and motivational messages and user reports. Foot movement on the VLU-affected leg was tracked by a Bluetooth-enabled triaxial accelerometer. The study was guided by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance framework to assess the feasibility of reach, adherence, acceptability, implementation, and maintenance. Results: A total of 24 patients were recruited, enrolled, and randomized in the study. Most patients reported difficulty following the protocol for exercising and using the accelerometer and mobile phone and did not use the provider contact feature. However, all patients were adherent to the 6-week exercise program more than 85% of the time for duration, whereas 33% (8/24) of patients adhered more than 85% for the frequency of performing the exercises. Across the three exercise levels, adherence did not differ between the two groups. Confidence limits around the difference in proportions ranged from −0.4 to 0.7. Providers in FOOTFIT+ were inconsistent in checking participant progress reports because of lack of time from competing work commitments. The technology became outdated quickly, making maintenance problematic. Participants said they would continue to exercise their foot and legs and liked being able to follow along with the demonstrations of each level of exercise provided through the app. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that despite initial interest in using the app, several components of the program as originally designed had limited acceptability and feasibility. Future refinements should include the use of more modern technology including smaller wearable accelerometers, mobile phones or tablets with larger screens, an app designed with larger graphics, automated reporting for providers, and more engaging user features. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NTC02632695; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02632695
A Community Sharing Market With PV and Energy Storage: An Adaptive Bidding-Based Double-Side Auction Mechanism

This article proposes a double auction-based mechanism that captures the interaction within a community energy sharing market consisting of distributed solar power prosumers and consumers. All agents are assumed to have battery energy storage systems, and can use battery for demand response. Agents can optimize the charging/discharging schedules of their battery systems for community sharing to reduce electricity costs. To determine the double-side auction market spot price, a non-cooperative game is formulated among all participants involved in the community sharing. An iterative algorithm is first designed to clear the market and mitigate the uncertainty in supply and demand. Then, an adaptive pricing strategy is designed to assist agents better estimate the market and predict the future price. A case study with 10 agents is provided to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed community sharing market.
Antimicrobial use monitoring

Antimicrobial use in livestock is under increasing scrutiny by various regulatory, industry, and consumer groups. It is likely that in the future, production systems will be required to document antimicrobial use in order to have access to some supply chains. Regardless of from what direction this requirement comes, the veterinarian is in a unique position to help guide the formation and the application of this "documentation". There are clearly many ways to define, measure, and document antimicrobial use. This project focuses on differentiating measures that would be useful tools for managing antimicrobial use for infectious disease from those that are suitable only for monitoring macrotrends related to use reduction.
Sexual and Gender Minorities (SGM)/(LGBTQ+) Transitional-Age Youth (TAY): Proclaiming Integrity, Legitimacy, and Certainty in the 2020’s

For individuals who identify as sexual and gender minorities (SGMs), making the transition from adolescence to adulthood can be one of the most difficult times in their lives. Compared to their heterosexual, cisgender peers, these youth experience higher rates of depression, suicide, substance abuse, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, homelessness, hate crimes, and parental abuse. As a result of chronic exposure to minority stress, they experience other health disparities as well. Fewer pursue college or post-secondary vocational education, leading to lower wage-earning potential. They have lower grade point averages (GPAs) in high school and attain lower levels of income with higher unemployment rates. This chapter focuses on assessment, treatment, and comorbid issues impacting SGM TAY.
Cannabidiol Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication and Promotes the Host Innate Immune Response

The rapid spread of COVID-19 underscores the need for new treatments. Here we report that cannabidiol (CBD), a compound produced by the cannabis plant, inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection. CBD and its metabolite, 7-OH-CBD, but not congeneric cannabinoids, potently block SARS-CoV-2 replication in lung epithelial cells. CBD acts after cellular infection, inhibiting viral gene expression and reversing many effects of SARS-CoV-2 on host gene transcription. CBD induces interferon expression and up-regulates its antiviral signaling pathway. A cohort of human patients previously taking CBD had significantly lower SARS-CoV-2 infection incidence of up to an order of magnitude relative to matched pairs or the general population. This study highlights CBD, and its active metabolite, 7-OH-CBD, as potential preventative agents and therapeutic treatments for SARS-CoV-2 at early stages of infection.
Decentering whiteness in AIDS memory: Indigent rhetorical criticism and the dead of Hart Island

For over 150 years, Hart Island in New York City has been a burial ground for the city’s indigent and “unclaimed,” over a million dead who because of race, immigration, poverty, and disease were bu...
Regulating Access to Databases Through Antitrust Law: A Missing Perspective in the Database Debate

This paper argues that antitrust law supplements endogenous means with intellectual property law in maintaining the 'access-incentive' balance in databases. It starts from the premise that a trend toward 'TRIPs-plus' rights in databases, whatever its form, is inevitable. The reason is a simple, but compelling one: business needs shape the law. Various endogenous means of database access regulation are explored and contrasted with antitrust law. This paper concludes that the latter offers an alternative better reflecting commercial expectations. However, regulators need to be aware of the limitations of applying antitrust law to a regime delicately tuned with pre-existing endogenous checks as well as the effects of their application on innovation by those spurred on the assurance of monopoly profits. In this regard, antitrust law must prove itself to be capable of sophisticated regulation if its interference in the database industry is to be justified.
Novel protein Callipygian defines the back of migrating cells

Asymmetric protein localization is essential for cell polarity and migration. We report a novel protein, Callipygian (CynA), which localizes to the lagging edge before other proteins and becomes more tightly restricted as cells polarize; additionally, it accumulates in the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis. CynA protein that is tightly localized, or “clustered,” to the cell rear is immobile, but when polarity is disrupted, it disperses throughout the membrane and responds to uniform chemoattractant stimulation by transiently localizing to the cytosol. These behaviors require a pleckstrin homology-domain membrane tether and a WD40 clustering domain, which can also direct other membrane proteins to the back. Fragments of CynA lacking the pleckstrin homology domain, which are normally found in the cytosol, localize to the lagging edge membrane when coexpressed with full-length protein, showing that CynA clustering is mediated by oligomerization. Cells lacking CynA have aberrant lateral protrusions, altered leading-edge morphology, and decreased directional persistence, whereas those overexpressing the protein display exaggerated features of polarity. Consistently, actin polymerization is inhibited at sites of CynA accumulation, thereby restricting protrusions to the opposite edge. We suggest that the mutual antagonism between CynA and regions of responsiveness creates a positive feedback loop that restricts CynA to the rear and contributes to the establishment of the cell axis.
Unified Approach to Multiparticle Production at High Energy

Many models have been proposed for the description of multiparticle production in high energy hadronic collisions1. The physical assumptions underlying the various models often are unrelated or apparently contradictory. Yet approaches as different as the multi-peripheral model and the statistical-hydrodynamic model seem to give partial insights into the nature of the production process. Recently we have proposed2 a covariant transport equation approach which appears to unify many desirable features of the more attractive models. Field theory equations of motion for correlation functions can be cast in a form reminiscent of classical transport theory; in this manner one is led to a natural description of collective motions without making unconvincing hypotheses such as local thermodynamic equilibrium.
Vulnerability in Numbers: Racial Composition of the Electorate, Voter Suppression, and the Voting Rights Act

In Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court rendered one of the most potent antidiscrimination provisions of American law a dead letter: the preclearance regime of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). Shelby County held that the formula determining which jurisdictions are required to obtain federal approval for voting law changes was outdated and offensive to states’ rights. The Court ignored ample evidence of discrimination in the covered jurisdictions, focusing instead on improvements in voter turnout and registration. We present new empirical evidence that the proposal and passage of restrictive voting laws, such as photo identification requirements and reductions of early voting opportunities, are associated with racial factors such as larger African American populations and increases in minority voter turnout. These results are consistent with the interpretation that restrictive voting laws have been pursued in order to suppress Democratic-leaning minority voters, and they are suggestive that racial discrimination is a contributing factor to this type of legislation. The increases in registration and turnout that Shelby County hailed as evidence that preclearance is no longer needed are actually risk factors for potentially discriminatory voting laws. We suggest opportunities for countering discrimination after Shelby County. The evidence we present is relevant to litigation under remaining provisions of the VRA, especially the prohibition on voting laws with a discriminatory effect under Section 2. Finally, we suggest that our findings should inform the Congressional response to Shelby County: a new coverage formula should include the racial characteristics we identify as risk factors.
Effect of tip radius on the incipient plasticity of chromium studied by nanoindentation

The onset of plasticity in Cr was investigated by nanoindentation using indenters with tip radii ranging from 60 to 759 nm. The stress for incipient plasticity was found to increase with decreasing tip radius. The cumulative pop-in probability on load could be described successfully by a combined model over the full range of tip radius, indicating that the incipient plasticity might be triggered either by the homogeneous nucleation of dislocation or by the activation of existing dislocations underneath the indenter.
Mathematical biophysics of conditioning

It is shown that from a somewhat more precise form of the fundamental postulates, used in a previous paper as a starting point for a system of mathematical biophysics of psychological phenomena, a mechanism can be derived, which represents the important features of conditioning.
Cognitive impairments, emotion, stress, and language in schizophrenia.

Language symptoms in schizophrenia are exacerbated by arousal of negative affect; the extent of this effect varies widely among patients. The present study assessed predictors of affective speech reactivity. Based on earlier research, it was expected that speech reactivity would be predicted by a combination of neurocognitive and emotional variables. We assessed patients (n = 50) for baseline depression; neurocognitive functioning in the domains of sustained attention, immediate auditory memory, organizational sequencing, and conceptual sequencing ability; and clarity of speech communication in both stress and non-stress conditions. Twenty-three subject-nominated "significant others" (SOs) also participated in the study, and were assessed for levels of expressed emotion (EE) as an index of relationship stressors. Patients, in turn, rated the subjective stressfulness of being in the presence of their SOs, from which the propensity to perceive interpersonal experiences as stressful was calculated by regressing out EE ratings. As predicted, baseline depression and sensitivity to interpersonal stressors were related to affective reactivity of speech, with stress sensitivity mediating the relationship between depression and speech reactivity. Contrary to expectations, baseline neurocognitive functioning was not related to speech reactivity. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding both schizophrenic language disturbance and stress vulnerability.
Longitudinal Study of Psychological Distress Symptoms in HIV-Infected, School-Aged Children

Despite the growing numbers of HIV-infected school-aged children, we know very little about the mental health status of this group. This longitudinal study examined the frequency of psychological d...
Noninvasive Staging of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: ACCP Evidenced-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (2nd Edition)

Background Correctly staging lung cancer is important because the treatment options and the prognosis differ significantly by stage. Several noninvasive imaging studies including chest CT scanning and positron emission tomography (PET) scanning are available. Understanding the test characteristics of these noninvasive staging studies is critical to decision making. Methods Test characteristics for the noninvasive staging studies were updated from the first iteration of the lung cancer guidelines using systematic searches of the MEDLINE, HealthStar, and Cochrane Library databases up to May 2006, including selected metaanalyses, practice guidelines, and reviews. Study designs and results are summarized in evidence tables. Results The pooled sensitivity and specificity of CT scanning for identifying mediastinal lymph node metastasis were 51% (95% confidence interval [CI], 47 to 54%) and 85% (95% CI, 84 to 88%), respectively, confirming that CT scanning has limited ability either to rule in or exclude mediastinal metastasis. For PET scanning, the pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity for identifying mediastinal metastasis were 74% (95% CI, 69 to 79%) and 85% (95% CI, 82 to 88%), respectively. These findings demonstrate that PET scanning is more accurate than CT scanning. If the clinical evaluation in search of metastatic disease is negative, the likelihood of finding metastasis is low. Conclusions CT scanning of the chest is useful in providing anatomic detail, but the accuracy of chest CT scanning in differentiating benign from malignant lymph nodes in the mediastinum is poor. PET scanning has much better sensitivity and specificity than chest CT scanning for staging lung cancer in the mediastinum, and distant metastatic disease can be detected by PET scanning. With either test, abnormal findings must be confirmed by tissue biopsy to ensure accurate staging.
Retroviral-mediated expression of recombinant Fancc enhances the repopulating ability of Fancc-/- hematopoietic stem cells and decreases the risk of clonal evolution.

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a chromosomal instability disorder characterized by a progressive bone marrow (BM) failure and an increased incidence of myeloid leukemias. Children with FA are currently being enrolled in clinical trials to evaluate the safety of retroviral-mediated gene transfer. Previously, we usedFancc−/− mice to show thatFancc−/− hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have a profound defect in repopulating ability. Here, we examined whether retroviral-mediated gene transfer of recombinantFancc (rFancc) would restore the repopulating ability of Fancc−/− HSC to wild-type levels. Fancc−/− HSCs transduced with a retrovirus encoding rFancc exhibited a repopulating ability that approached wild-type levels. Interestingly, ∼30% of primary recipients (7 of 22) transplanted with uncorrectedFancc−/− cells developed a range of hematopoietic abnormalities including pancytopenia and BM hypoplasia similar to individuals with FA. Hematopoietic abnormalities were detected in only 1 of 22 mice transplanted withFancc−/− cells transduced with a retrovirus encoding rFancc. Moreover, several mice with hematopoietic defects had progenitors that displayed a marked resistance to IFN-γ, TNF-α, and MIP-1α compared to both Fancc−/−progenitors, which are uniquely hypersensitive to these cytokines, and wild-type progenitors. These data are analogous to studies using progenitors from patients with myelodysplasia and provide functional support for clonal evolution in these mice. Collectively, these data show that gene transfer can enhance HSC repopulating ability and suppresses the tendency for clonal evolution. These studies also reveal potential detrimental effects of ex vivo manipulation for untransducedFancc−/− HSCs.
Toward Optimal Bounds in the Congested Clique: Graph Connectivity and MST

We study two fundamental graph problems, Graph Connectivity (GC) and Minimum Spanning Tree (MST), in the well-studied Congested Clique model, and present several new bounds on the time and message complexities of randomized algorithms for these problems. No non-trivial (i.e., super-constant) time lower bounds are known for either of the aforementioned problems; in particular, an important open question is whether or not constant-round algorithms exist for these problems. We make progress toward answering this question by presenting randomized Monte Carlo algorithms for both problems that run in O(log log log n) rounds (where n is the size of the clique). Our results improve by an exponential factor on the long-standing (deterministic) time bound of O(log log n) rounds for these problems due to Lotker et al. (SICOMP 2005). Our algorithms make use of several algorithmic tools including graph sketching, random sampling, and fast sorting.The second contribution of this paper is to present several almost-tight bounds on the message complexity of these problems. Specifically, we show that Ω(n2) messages are needed by any algorithm (including randomized Monte Carlo algorithms, and regardless of the number of rounds) that solves the GC (and hence also the MST) problem if each machine in the Congested Clique has initial knowledge only of itself (the so-called KT0 model). In contrast, if the machines have initial knowledge of their neighbors' IDs (the so-called KT1 model), we present a randomized Monte Carlo algorithm for MST that uses O(n polylog n) messages and runs in O(polylog n) rounds. To complement this, we also present a lower bound in the KT1 model that shows that Ω(n) messages are required by any algorithm that solves GC, regardless of the number of rounds used. Our results are a step toward understanding the power of randomization in the Congested Clique with respect to both time and message complexity.