cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Do container volume, site preparation, and field fertilization affect restoration potential of Wyoming big sagebrush?

Land management practices, invasive species expansion, and changes in the fire regime greatly impact the distribution of native plants in natural areas. Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis), a keystone species in the Great Basin, has seen a 50% reduction in its distribution. For many dryland species, reestablishment efforts have focused on direct seeding but achieved only minor success due to irregular seed germination and poor survival. We investigated the effects of container volume and fertilization on the performance of nursery-grown Wyoming big sagebrush seedlings following outplanting. Additionally, to evaluate the impact of site preparation, one-year-old seedlings were outplanted into tilled and untilled field conditions. Initial seedling size increased with container volume; larger seedlings exhibited significantly higher root collar diameter (RCD) growth than smaller seedlings. As container volume increased from 108 to 251 and 336 cm3, seedling survival on the tilled plot increased from 28 to 44 and 43%, respectively, whereas no influence was observed on the untilled plot (57 to 61, and 60%, respectively). Fertilization reduced seedling survival on tilled (by 25%) and untilled (by 14%) plots. Fertilizer increased RCD growth on the untilled plot but final nutrient status was unaffected. Thus, container volume may influence seedling morphology and optimize establishment, while field fertilization, especially during spring outplanting when planting sites have low moisture availability, may hinder first-year survival.
Evaluation of The First Tee in Promoting Positive Youth Development: Group Comparisons and Longitudinal Trends

Purpose: This manuscript represents the 3rd in a series of articles documenting our longitudinal evaluation of The First Tee, a physical activity-based youth development program that uses golf as a vehicle for teaching life skills and enhancing developmental outcomes. Previous phases of our project: (a) established initial data-based evidence of effectiveness through cross-sectional and qualitative methods (Weiss, Stuntz, Bhalla, Bolter, & Price, 2013), and (b) provided validity and reliability for a measure of life skills transfer in 3 studies using mixed methods (Weiss, Bolter, & Kipp, 2014). The purpose of the present phase was to: (a) compare youth in The First Tee to youth in other activities on life skills transfer and developmental outcomes, and (b) examine change and stability across 3 years in life skills transfer among youth in The First Tee. Method: In Study 1, youth participating in The First Tee (N = 405) and a comparison group (N = 159) completed measures of key constructs. In Study 2, a lon...
Supplementary photovoltaic grid-connection control for damping SSR induced by series capacitive compensation

The series capacitive compensation for high-voltage AC transmission may induce SSR(Sub Syn-chronous Resonance) and affect the stable operation of generator units and power grid. The feasibility of applying the supplementary photovoltaic grid-connection control to damp this SSR is researched. A supplementary SSDC(Sub Synchronous Damping Controller) is designed based on the complex torque coefficient approach,which is added to the main controller of photovoltaic power station to damp this SSR while the stable photovoltaic grid-connection is guaranteed. The stability of power grid and the grid-connection efficiency of new energy are greatly improved. As an example,the simulation based on PSCAD / EMTDC is carried out for the IEEE first benchmark model and the simulative results show that,the effectiveness of SSR restraint by SSDC is better than that by STATCOM.
Phenotypic Plasticity Regulates Candida albicans Interactions and Virulence in the Vertebrate Host

Phenotypic diversity is critical to the lifestyles of many microbial species, enabling rapid responses to changes in environmental conditions. In the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans, cells exhibit heritable switching between two phenotypic states, white and opaque, which yield differences in mating, filamentous growth, and interactions with immune cells in vitro. Here, we addressed the in vivo properties of the two cell states in a zebrafish model of infection. Multiple attributes were compared including the stability of phenotypic states, filamentation, virulence, dissemination, and phagocytosis by immune cells, and phenotypes equated across three different host temperatures. We show that both white and opaque cells can establish a lethal systemic infection. The relative virulence of the two cell types is temperature dependent; virulence is similar at 25°C, but at higher temperatures (30 and 33°C) white cells are significantly more virulent than opaque cells. Despite the difference in virulence, fungal burdens and dissemination are similar between cells in the two states. Additionally, both white and opaque cells exhibit robust filamentation during infection, and mutants unable to filament show decreased virulence, establishing that this program is critical for pathogenesis in both cell states. Interactions between C. albicans cells and immune cells were compared both in vitro and in vivo. Macrophages and neutrophils preferentially phagocytosed white cells over opaque cells in vitro, and neutrophils also showed preferential phagocytosis of white cells in vivo. Together, these studies distinguish the properties of white and opaque cells in a vertebrate host, and establish that the two cell types demonstrate both important similarities and key differences during infection.
Ileocecal Bladder Augmentation in Myelodysplasia

AbstractWe discuss 14 children and adolescents with myelodysplasia who underwent bladder augmentation with the ileocecal segment. The bowel was not detubularized nor was the ileocecal valve intussuscepted. Urodynamic evaluation was performed before and after the procedure in 13 patients with a followup of 1 to 8 years. Postoperative capacity and compliance were normal but cecal contractions occurred in 8 patients despite adequate doses of anticholinergics. Reflux was demonstrated at capacity with a cecal contraction in 4 patients but upper tract dilatation and infection were not clinical problems. Three patients required reoperation for complications owing to ureteroileal stenosis and/or urinary tract calculi. Although the clinical results were satisfactory, detubularized segments of bowel with intussuscepted afferent loop valves to prevent reflux may resolve these problems in the future.
Longevity of Controlled-release Fertilizer Influences the Growth of Bedding Impatiens

Controlled-release fertilizers (CRF) have not been extensively used in floriculture production, perhaps due to lack of grower experience and research-based information with their use in herbaceous plant production. Any information about the correct use of CRF should increase growers’ confidence in using this type of fertilizer. The objective of this research was to compare the growth and quality of bedding impatiens (Impatiens wallerana Hook f. ‘XTREME Scarlet’) when grown with typical water-soluble fertilizer (WSF) and with different combinations of longevity and rates of a single formulation of CRF. The CRF 16-3.9-10 (Osmocote Plus 16-9-12; The Scotts Company, Marysville, OH) consisted of different longevities (3-4, 5-6, 8-9, and 12-14 months) and application rates (1.4, 3.4, 6.8, 10.2 and 13.6 kg per cubic meter). Plants were grown in the greenhouse and consumer evaluations were performed at market maturity. Plant canopy cover, flower cover, and shoot dry weight were also determined. Commercially acceptable plant quality was achieved with CRF application rates between 3.4 - 6.8 kg per cubic meter. At low CRF application rates, the faster release rate (shorter longevities) CRFs produced larger plants (dry weight and leaf canopy cover) with greater flowering potential (flower cover) than slower release rate CRFs. At higher application rates, slower release rates (longer longevities) outperformed the faster release CRFs for the same parameters. CRF-grown plants were smaller that WSF plants when CRF were applied at the lowest rates. No differences in any of the three variables measured were found when plants were grown at a rate of 6.8 kg per cubic meter CRF of any longevity or with WSF. Growers should adjust CRF application rates according to CRF longevity.
MIMO antenna array for wireless local area network in a laptop computer

A concept for MIMO antenna array in a laptop computer, integrated with a display ground plane, is proposed. The proposed MIMO antenna array consists of two same WLAN antennas. Both the two WLAN antennas occupy a small size of 80 mm × 2 mm and are etched on the display ground plane with a distance of 5 mm from the top edge. There is a spacing of 80 mm between the two WLAN antennas to enhance isolation between the antennas. The proposed WLAN MIMO antenna array has simulated isolation of better than 42 dB in all WLAN operation (2.4/5.2/5.8 GHz bands) in this study. Additionally, the antenna efficiencies are better than about 80 and 78%, respectively, in the 2.4 and 5.2/5.8 GHz bands for the two antennas. The proposed MIMO antenna array is characterized by its seamless integration with the display ground plane, good isolation and excellent antenna efficiency.
Power, integrity, and mask – An attempt to disentangle the Chinese face concept

Abstract Using the term face to explain interactional phenomena has been important in language pragmatics since Brown and Levinson (1987) adopted Goffman's (1955) concept in their theory of politeness. Haugh (2013:46) argues that face needs to be theorized it in its own right, apart from im/politeness, and that in order to have a better conceptualization of face, it is essential to draw “from various other emic understandings” to provide new and “under-explored analytical opportunities in the study of interpersonal phenomena”. This paper identifies and explores three distinctive facets entangled in the Chinese face concept that are not fully apparent in Goffman's face conceptualization nor examined in the research on Chinese face: (1) power/favor/relation face – one's social power and connection, (2) moral/honor face – one's dignity and integrity, and (3) mask/image face – one's facade to impress others. Understanding the complex and multifaceted Chinese emic notion will enrich our knowledge of the face conceptualization and provide more effective analytical tools for explaining social and interpersonal interaction in general.
Private Equity Debt Investors

We provide an economic rationale for the expansion of private equity (PE) groups into the business of private debt investing. We argue and show empirically that combining PE with private debt provides dual benefits for the parent entity. On the one hand, in the primary loan market, the parent uses its debt management division as a source of cheap funding for the PE funds’ portfolio companies which boosts the funds’ equity returns. On the other hand, there is information spillover from the PE to the debt division, enabling the debt manager to profitably trade on this information in the secondary loan market. Our results suggest that PE firms with affiliated debt management arms benefit from competitive advantages relative to their single-market peers.
Effect of Substituents on the Bond Strength of Air-Stable Dicyanomethyl Radical Thermochromes

A series of substituted aryl dicyanomethyl radicals were synthesized, and the bonding thermodynamic parameters for self-dimerization were determined from van’t Hoff plots obtained from variable-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. At low temperatures, the radicals dimerize, but the colored, air-stable free radicals return upon heating. Heating and cooling cycles (5–95 °C) can be repeated without radical degradation and with striking thermochromic behavior. We find a linear free energy relationship between the Hammett para substituent parameter and the dimerization equilibrium constant, with para electron-donating substituents leading to a weaker bond and electron-withdrawing substituents leading to stronger bonds, following a captodative effect. Density functional theory investigations [B98D/6-31+G(d,p)] reveal that the dimers prefer a slip-stacked geometry and feature elongated bonds.
Antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides on bovine respiratory pathogen Histophilus somni

Bovine NK-lysins, which are functionally and structurally similar to human granulysin and porcine NK-lysin, are predominantly found in the granules of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and NK-cells. Although antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin has been assessed for several bacterial pathogens, not all the important bacterial pathogens that are involved in the bovine respiratory disease complex have been studied. Therefore the objective of the present study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides on bovine respiratory pathogen Histophilus somni. Four, 30-mer peptides corresponding to the functional region of NK-lysin helices 2 and 3 were synthesized and assessed for antibacterial activity on four bovine pneumonic H. somni isolates. Although there were some differences in the efficiency of bactericidal activity among the NK-lysin peptides at lower concentrations (2-5 μM), all four peptides effectively killed most H. somni isolates at higher concentrations (10-30 μM) as determined by a bacterial killing assay. Confocal microscopic and flow cytometric analysis of Live/Dead Baclight stained H. somni (which were preincubated with NK-lysin peptides) were consistent with the killing assay findings and suggest NK-lysin peptides are bactericidal for H. somni. Among the four peptides, NK2A-derived peptide consistently showed the highest antimicrobial activity against all four H. somni isolates. Electron microscopic examination of H. somni following incubation with NK-lysin revealed extensive cell membrane damage, protrusions of outer membranes, and cytoplasmic content leakage. Taken together, the findings from this study clearly demonstrate the antimicrobial activity of all four bovine NK-lysin-derived peptides against bovine H. somni isolates.
Scalable Manufacturing of Solderable and Stretchable Physiologic Sensing Systems

Methods for microfabrication of solderable and stretchable sensing systems (S4s) and a scaled production of adhesive-integrated active S4s for health monitoring are presented. S4s' excellent solderability is achieved by the sputter-deposited nickel-vanadium and gold pad metal layers and copper interconnection. The donor substrate, which is modified with "PI islands" to become selectively adhesive for the S4s, allows the heterogeneous devices to be integrated with large-area adhesives for packaging. The feasibility for S4-based health monitoring is demonstrated by developing an S4 integrated with a strain gauge and an onboard optical indication circuit. Owing to S4s' compatibility with the standard printed circuit board assembly processes, a variety of commercially available surface mount chip components, such as the wafer level chip scale packages, chip resistors, and light-emitting diodes, can be reflow-soldered onto S4s without modifications, demonstrating the versatile and modular nature of S4s. Tegaderm-integrated S4 respiration sensors are tested for robustness for cyclic deformation, maximum stretchability, durability, and biocompatibility for multiday wear time. The results of the tests and demonstration of the respiration sensing indicate that the adhesive-integrated S4s can provide end users a way for unobtrusive health monitoring.
Flow Network Based Cardiac Motion Tracking Leveraging Learned Feature Matching

We present a novel cardiac motion tracking method where motion is modeled as flow through a network. The motion is subject to physiologically consistent constraints and solved using linear programming. An additional important contribution of our work is the use of a Siamese neural network to generate edge weights that guide the flow through the network. The Siamese network learns to detect and quantify similarity and dissimilarity between pairs of image patches corresponding to the graph nodes. Despite cardiac motion tracking being an inherently spatiotemporal problem, few methods reliably address it as such. Furthermore, many tracking algorithms depend on tedious feature engineering and metric refining. Our approach provides solutions to both of these problems. We benchmark our method against a few other approaches using a synthetic 4D echocardiography dataset and compare the performance of neural network based feature matching with other features. We also present preliminary results on data from 5 canine cases.
A Comparative Analysis of Predictive and Actual Performance of High Performance LEED™ Buildings

There seems to be an implicit, and sometimes explicit, view that human comfort and building performance occurs in separate envelopes. Previous building performance studies (e.g. Elzeyadi 2012, 2015a, b) show that human satisfaction and comfort are multi-faceted and are affected by the fourfold components of the environment in its physical, physiological, psychological, and social attributes. While one can assume that individuals are impacted by the environment in different ways, their general achievement of overall satisfaction as well as how they operate and interact with their building are the result of both the process and product of their environment. The occupants’ overall appraisal of its ambience is based on both how it is currently performing as well as their expectations and predictions of its performance (Preiser et al. 1988).
Responsibility/Threat Overestimation Moderates the Relationship Between Contamination-Based Disgust and Obsessive-Compulsive Concerns About Sexual Orientation.

Disgust has been shown to perform a "disease-avoidance" function in contamination fears. However, no studies have examined the relevance of disgust to obsessive-compulsive (OC) concerns about sexual orientation (e.g., fear of one's sexual orientation transforming against one's will, and compulsive avoidance of same-sex and/or gay or lesbian individuals to prevent that from happening). Therefore, we investigated whether the specific domain of contamination-based disgust (i.e., evoked by the perceived threat of transmission of essences between individuals) predicted OC concerns about sexual orientation, and whether this effect was moderated/amplified by obsessive beliefs, in evaluation of a "sexual orientation transformation-avoidance" function. We recruited 283 self-identified heterosexual college students (152 females, 131 males; mean age = 20.88 years, SD = 3.19) who completed three measures assessing disgust, obsessive beliefs, and OC concerns about sexual orientation. Results showed that contamination-based disgust (β = .17), responsibility/threat overestimation beliefs (β = .15), and their interaction (β = .17) each uniquely predicted OC concerns about sexual orientation, ts = 2.22, 2.50, and 2.90, ps < .05. Post hoc probing indicated that high contamination-based disgust accompanied by strong responsibility/threat overestimation beliefs predicted more severe OC concerns about sexual orientation, β = .48, t = 3.24, p < .001. The present study, therefore, provided preliminary evidence for a "sexual orientation transformation-avoidance" process underlying OC concerns about sexual orientation in heterosexual college students, which is facilitated by contamination-based disgust, and exacerbated by responsibility/threat overestimation beliefs. Treatment for OC concerns about sexual orientation should target such beliefs.
Role of Suspending and Recovery Media in the Survival of Frozen Shigella sonnei

Shigella sonnei was frozen at -20 C in saline, nutrient broth, and milk, and plated, after thawing, upon synthetic medium, nutrient agar, and blood heart infusion agar. There was a difference in the numbers of cells recovered when the frozen and thawed cells were grown on different media. The synthetic medium was unable to recover cells injured by freezing or did so only poorly compared to the complex media. The addition of meat extract, peptone, or Casamino acids to the synthetic medium improved its ability to recover injured cells as measured by bacterial colony counts. This is suggestive of metabolic injury caused by the freezing processes since the cells which survived freezing required an enriched medium for growth. In this paper the term metabolic injury is used to express a change in the nutritional requirements of the organisms which resulted in an increase in growth factor requirements. Freezing the cells in saline resulted in greater injury compared to cells frozen in nutrient broth or milk; this suggested that these suspending agents possessed some protective quality. The metabolic injury increased with an increase in the length of time the cells were held in the frozen state.
Prenatal Organophosphate Pesticide Exposure and Traits Related to Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Population Living in Proximity to Agriculture.

Background: Prenatal exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides has been linked with poorer neurodevelopment and behaviors related to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in previous studies, including...
Speech Production Models as Related to the Concept of Apraxia of Speech

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses relatedness of speech production models to the concept of apraxia of speech. The production of speech is a process in which internal thought is progressively externalized into a series of muscular contractions resulting in a particular acoustic output. In an attempt to increase comprehension of the speech production process and to overcome the complexity that often masks its fundamental nature, two basic methodologies have emerged. One method explains the production of speech through a series of models that either compartmentalizes the process into abstract psychological activities or defines a particular principle characterizing the way speech is facilitated and controlled physiologically. The second methodology used to decrease the complexity of the speech production process involves examining neuropathological conditions resulting in specific motor speech disorders. The investigator employing this approach observes the neuroanatomical location of the lesion and the nature of the speech output associated with it. From this analysis, investigator can make statements not only about the dissolution of speech but also about the basic nature of the speech production process.
Pathology and Classification Of Thyroid Carcinoma

Figure 1 presents a system for classifying thyroid cancer based on differences in the cell of origin of the tumor, the presence of cytologic features of neoplasia, and growth morphology. Medullary cancers arise from the parafollicular C-cells whereas all other thyroid carcinomas arise from follicular epithelium. This explains why medullary thyroid carcinoma is positive by immunohistochemical staining for calcitonin andwhymedullary carcinoma never concentrates radioiodine. The nomenclature for thyroid cancer of follicular epithelial cell origin can be confusing because the term “follicular” is used in three different ways. All thyroid carcinomas other than medullary carcinoma are follicular tumors because they arise from epithelial cells of the thyroid follicle. The term follicular also describes the architectural growth pattern of a tumor, for example, the follicular variant of papillary carcinoma. Finally, follicular carcinoma is a distinct tumor.
Reading the Helix Backwards

Immunochemistry, in its steady expansion, is now accepting the antigenic capacity of the nucleic acids in its stride. Only a few years ago the demonstration that DNA and RNA could be involved in immune reactions was greeted with skepticism; a generation ago, a clear indication that this might be so was considered so preposterous that it was never followed up.
Integrating Probabilistic Reasoning and Statistical Quality Control Techniques for Fault Diagnosis in Hybrid Domains

Bayesian networks, which may be compiled to arithmetic circuits in the interest of speed and predictability, provide a probabilistic method for system fault diagnosis. Currently, there is a limitation in arithmetic circuits in that they can only represent discrete random variables, while important fault types such as drift and offset faults are continuous and induce continuous sensor data. In this paper, we investigate how to handle continuous behavior while using discrete random variables with a small number of states. Central in our approach is the novel integration of a method from statistical quality control, known as cumulative sum (CUSUM), with probabilistic reasoning using static arithmetic circuits compiled from static Bayesian networks. Experimentally, an arithmetic circuit model of the ADAPT Electrical Power System (EPS), a real- world EPS located at the NASA Ames Research Center, is considered. We report on the validation of this approach using PRODIAGNOSE, which had the best performance in three of four industrial track competitions at the International Workshop on Principles of Diagnosis in 2009 and 2010 (DXC-09 and DXC-10). We demonstrate that PRODIAGNOSE, augmented with the CUSUM technique, is successful in diagnosing faults that are small in magnitude (offset faults) or drift linearly from a nominal state (drift faults). In one of these experiments, detection accuracy dramatically improved when CUSUM was used, jumping from 46.15% (CUSUM disabled) to 92.31% (CUSUM enabled).
“Is there a neurologist on this flight?”: An update

Purpose of review Neurologists are being asked to offer their services in response to in-flight medical conditions. This review updates the latest understanding of how neurologists should manage in-flight neurologic emergencies should they be called upon to serve. A review of the existing literature was conducted for sharing of best practices in this unique scenario. Recent findings In-flight neurologic emergencies are on the rise. This article provides a synthesis of current best practices for in-flight emergencies including epidemiology, airline responsibility, available health care equipment on jetliners, legal ramifications of helping, and pathophysiology of why in-flight neurologic emergencies are so common. Summary In-flight neurologic emergencies are common and all physicians are increasingly being asked to respond to in-flight emergencies. Understanding one9s responsibility, available equipment, and how to best prevent these scenarios with one9s own patients may help to make this complex situation more manageable.
When the Personal Vote Is Not Enough: The Failure of Charter Reform in Columbia, South Carolina

The choice of city structure is one of the most important choices that citizens and elected representatives face in local government. While we know a good deal about the macro-level trends in a city structure, we know comparatively less about why residents in individual cities may opt for one structure or another. In this paper, we focus on the unsuccessful 2013 single-issue referendum in Columbia, South Carolina, addressing why, despite support from key players, the city chose not to adopt a strong-mayor form of government. Using precinct-level data, we find support for the personal vote hypothesis. We discover that support for the sitting mayor is a significant predictor of support for reform, although the lack of voter mobilization city-wide may be too much of a factor for reform advocates to overcome. This investigation leads us to a number of conclusions that are relevant for both academics and practitioners who want to understand structural change in local government.
Intravenous Thrombolytic Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke: Results of Large, Randomized Clinical Trials

The FDA approval of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke in June of 1996, created a paradigm change in acute stroke care. Subsequent to the pivotal NINDS rt-PA trial additional large phase II and III clinical trials attempted to expanded the range of patient eligible for rt-PA. The success of recent trials expanded the original 0–3 h time window to 4.5 h in select patients. Additional studies with the goals of providing greater efficacy and safety have investigated other thrombolytic agents, but to date none have demonstrated improvement over rt-PA. Data and secondary analyses from intravenous thrombolytic trials suggest many patient previous excluded from IV rt-PA administration may be considered and experience improvement in symptoms with a favorable safety profile. Ongoing trials continue to determine subgroups of stroke patients who may experience overall benefit from thrombolytic therapy.
A robust kinematic hardening rule for cyclic plasticity with ratchetting effects

A robust kinematic hardening rule is proposed which appropriately blends the deviatoric stress rate rule and the Tseng-Lee rule in order to satisfy both the experimental observations made by Phillips et al. [1]–[5] and the nesting of the yield surface to the limit surface. The work presented in Part I is confined to the theoretical formulation of kinematic hardening rule with limited correlation to experimental results. A more general expression for the plastic modulus is proposed. The expressions proposed by McDowell and by Dafalias can be obtained as a special case of the proposed expression. An additional parameter ζ is introduced that reflects the dependence of the plastic modulus on the angle between the deviatoric stress rate tensor and the direction of the limit backstress relative to the yield backstress.
Excavation and Conservation Recommendations in Handling Human Skeletal Remains: Case Studies from Desert Oases, Cave Shelters, and Permafrost in China and Mongolia

The systematic excavation, long term storage, inventory, and analysis of complete human skeletal remains is a new concept in East Asia. This study examined four problematic cases where there was a demonstrated need for the implementation of conservation techniques. The first case included several naturally mummified skulls from Xinjiang, Province, China. Salt crystals were found to be solidifying on the outer table. The second case involved four naturally mummified cave burials from southwestern Mongolia. Once removed from the dry environment, they began to decompose again. The two last cases were permafrost burials in northern Mongolia. The skeletons were wrapped and stored in a manner which encouraged mold growth. This study will give recommendations for thorough archaeological recovery, cleaning, packaging for transport, reconstruction, and long-term storage of human skeletal remains.
Reverse Engineering Provides Insights on the Evolution of Subgroups A to E Avian Sarcoma and Leukosis Virus Receptor Specificity.

The initial step of retrovirus entry—the interaction between the virus envelope glycoprotein trimer and a cellular receptor—is complex, involving multiple, noncontiguous determinants in both proteins that specify receptor choice, binding affinity and the ability to trigger conformational changes in the viral glycoproteins. Despite the complexity of this interaction, retroviruses have the ability to evolve the structure of their envelope glycoproteins to use a different cellular protein as receptors. The highly homologous subgroup A to E Avian Sarcoma and Leukosis Virus (ASLV) glycoproteins belong to the group of class 1 viral fusion proteins with a two-step triggering mechanism that allows experimental access to intermediate structures during the fusion process. We and others have taken advantage of replication-competent ASLVs and exploited genetic selection strategies to force the ASLVs to naturally evolve and acquire envelope glycoprotein mutations to escape the pressure on virus entry and still yield a functional replicating virus. This approach allows for the simultaneous selection of multiple mutations in multiple functional domains of the envelope glycoprotein that may be required to yield a functional virus. Here, we review the ASLV family and experimental system and the reverse engineering approaches used to understand the evolution of ASLV receptor usage.
Neuroscience for architecture: The evolving science of perceptual meaning

> Besides its traditional reliance on the tacit knowledge of timeless practices of construction, architecture relies largely on theories and findings of other areas of research and knowledge, instead of possessing an independent theoretical foundation of its own. During the past decades, architecture has been viewed from various theoretical perspectives, provided by, for instance, psychology, psychoanalysis, structural linguistics and anthropology as well as deconstructionist and phenomenological philosophies, just to name a few. > > Juhani Pallasmaa (1) Today this sweeping array of theories and perspectives is being expanded again by the disciplines allied under the loosely defined umbrella of neuroscience (2⇓–4). Several families of concepts, paradigms, and methods from the neurosciences appear to be perfectly suitable for investigating what the architect would call the “human response to the built environment.” These overlapping families include systems neuroscience and affective neuroscience, sensorimotor psychophysics and experimental phenomenology, to mention only some of the contenders. It is far from clear, however, which ideas will stick and what shape they will take in the new context. Just as it has happened to many prior imports to architecture, hard-won scientific knowledge may remain a foreign entity within the living body of architecture, supplying occasional metaphor and inspiring freewheeling speculation. Or the sciences may retain their natal rigor and invigorate architectural theory and practice by helping architects to test some old ideas and possibly rid their discipline of unbuttoned preconceptions, some of which had already been subjected to incisive analytical scrutiny (5⇓–7). Against this background of uncertainty and cautious optimism, the new study of architectural affordances by Djebbara et al. (8) is interesting not only because of its scientific merits but also because of the choice of theory and vocabulary it brings with it. Djebbara et al. (8) had human participants walking freely … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: sergei{at}salk.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Baryon masses and axial charges in 1/Nc - ChPT

An analysis is presented of the ground state baryon’s (N and ∆) masses and axial couplings in the combined 1/Nc and chiral expansions. Renormalization and alternative power counting schemes are discussed to one loop (NNLO). An application is made to lattice QCD results for non-strange baryon masses and the nucleon axial coupling as functions of the pion mass. This work represents a brief summary of a more extensive analysis to be presented elsewhere.
Dark Trading Volume and Market Quality: A Natural Experiment

We exploit an exogenous shock to dark trading volume to identify the causal effect of changes in dark trading volume on market quality. Following a 34% reduction in dark trading, the cost of trade (e.g. effective spreads, realized spreads, price impact, and quoted spreads) remain unchanged. We also find limited evidence that prices become less efficient. We show that other variables relating to overall trading activity and how trades are dispersed across lit venues change only modestly compared to the shock to dark trading, and we argue that offsetting effects are unlikely to contaminate the experiment. Our main inference differs significantly from prior studies that conclude increases in dark trading negatively affect market quality. We provide robust evidence that differences in inference cannot be attributed to different stock samples or time periods, but rather are the result of different empirical approaches. Our research highlights the benefit of structured experimentation from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for understanding causal effects in capital markets.
The concept of dialogue in Chinese philosophy

In this discussion of dialogue within Chinese philosophy we are providing the second in a two part series on the place of dialogue in Chinese educational and intellectual history generally. In our ...
Causal Effects of Parent Number Talk on Preschoolers' Number Knowledge.

Individual differences in children's number knowledge arise early and are associated with variation in parents' number talk. However, there exists little experimental evidence of a causal link between parent number talk and children's number knowledge. Parent number talk was manipulated by creating picture books which parents were asked to read with their children every day for 4 weeks. N = 100 two- to four-year olds and their parents were randomly assigned to read either Small Number (1-3), Large Number (4-6), or Control (non-numerical) books. Small Number books were particularly effective in promoting number knowledge relative to the Control books. However, children who began the study further along in their number development also benefited from reading the Large Number Books with their parents.
From Wingspread to CLARITY: a personal trajectory

In the three decades since endocrine disruption was conceptualized at the Wingspread Conference, we have witnessed the growth of this multidisciplinary field and the accumulation of evidence showing the deleterious health effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. It is only within the past decade that, albeit slowly, some changes regarding regulatory measures have taken place. In this Perspective, we address some historical points regarding the advent of the endocrine disruption field and the conceptual changes that endocrine disruption brought about. We also provide our personal recollection of the events triggered by our serendipitous discovery of oestrogenic activity in plastic, a founder event in the field of endocrine disruption. This recollection ends with the CLARITY study as an example of a discordance between 'science for its own sake' and 'regulatory science' and leads us to offer a perspective that could be summarized by the motto attributed to Ludwig Boltzmann: "Nothing is more practical than a good theory".
Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Expert Testicular Cancer Tumor Board Across a Large Integrated Healthcare Delivery System Via Early Case Ascertainment.

PURPOSEIn 2016, Kaiser Permanente Northern California began regionalizing testicular cancer care using population-based tumor board review. This mixed methods evaluation describes implementation ou...
Does reasoning training improve fluid reasoning and academic achievement for children and adolescents? A systematic review.

Abstract BACKGROUND Studies of children and adolescents suggest that reasoning training may improve both reasoning and academic achievement, but evidence and systematic evaluation of this research is limited. Accordingly, this paper provides a systematic review of the literature on reasoning training in order to describe current methods and evaluate their efficacy. METHOD A systematic search identified eleven articles—published between 1996 and 2016—that reported findings from thirteen separate studies of reasoning training effects on fluid reasoning (Gf) and academic achievement in children and adolescents. Specific Gf outcomes examined were analogical, deductive, inductive, nonverbal, and/or relational reasoning ability. Specific academic achievement outcomes examined were math and reading achievement. This paper reviewed studies utilizing both computerized and non-computerized methods of Gf training. FINDINGS Findings from the review show that reasoning training improves Gf (near transfer effects). Although less conclusive, when considered on balance, evidence suggests that reasoning training also improves academic achievement (far transfer effects). CONCLUSIONS Research is needed to parameterize the effects of Gf training on academic achievement, and in particular to identify moderators of training efficacy on academic outcomes. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
CAR T-Cells for Glioblastoma: Current Concepts, Challenges and Future Perspectives

Glioblastoma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor and is associated with a poor prognosis even after multimodal therapy. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have emerged as a promising therapeutic avenue in glioblastoma. CARs incorporate antigen-recognition moieties that endow autologous T cells with specificity against antigens expressed on glioblastoma (e.g., interleukin [IL]-13Rα2, epidermal growth factor receptor variant III [EGFRvIII], and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2]). Compelling antitumor effects of such therapy have been shown in murine glioblastoma models. In humans, 5 phase I/II studies on IL-13Rα2-, EGFRvIII-, and HER2-directed CAR T cells for the treatment of glioblastoma have been published suggesting an acceptable safety profile. However, antitumor effects fell short of expectations in these initial clinical studies. Tumor heterogeneity, antigen loss, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment are among the most important factors to limit the efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy in glioblastoma. Novel target antigens, modification of CAR T-cell design, the combination of CAR T-cell therapy with other therapeutic approaches, but also the use of CAR natural killer cells or CAR macrophages may optimize antitumor effects. Numerous clinical trials studying such approaches are ongoing, as well as several preclinical studies. With an increasing understanding of immune-escape mechanisms of glioblastoma and novel manufacturing techniques for CARs, CAR T cells may provide clinically relevant activity in glioblastoma. This review focuses on the use of CAR T cells in glioblastoma, but also introduces the basic structure, mechanisms of action, and relevant side effects of CAR T cells.
Textile triboelectric nanogenerators for self-powered biomonitoring

Biomonitoring has played an increasingly important role in improving the quality of healthcare in recent years, but limitations in power supply and wearability, as well as the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) have called for the development of a new type of device to provide biomonitoring on a daily basis. While the introduction of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) has begun to solve these issues by providing sustainably powered biomonitoring, textile-based TENGs (tTENGs) take a more pervasive approach by integrating this technology into commonly worn textiles. tTENGs are particularly unique as they offer an inexpensive alternative for biomonitoring; the high breathability, comfort, and scalability inherent to tTENGs' woven structures have made them increasingly convenient for human application. This review begins by highlighting novel material configurations of tTENGs and their advantages for biomonitoring. We then discuss various wearable tTENG devices that have been adapted for constant cardiovascular and respiratory monitoring, pertinent to those suffering from diseases in these organ systems. Transitioning into the biomechanical aspect of the human body, we explore tTENG configurations integrated for upper body and gait motion sensing. At the same time, with many people suffering from sleep disorders, we examine tTENGs that monitor the quality of sleep of an individual. Lastly, on a more molecular level, we examine the application of tTENGs for monitoring biochemical fluctuations, such as sweat. Finally, we discuss the future research directions for the field, in particular regarding personalized healthcare propelled by tTENGs.
Civil Rule 54(b): Seventy-Five and Ready for Retirement

As we commemorate the diamond anniversary of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, this Article takes a critical look at one of the failed Rules: Rule 54(b). Although many commentators have noted difficulties with Rule 54(b), this is the first effort to describe those difficulties comprehensively, analyze their root causes, and offer a workable alternative.When an order resolves a discrete claim in a multi-claim action, Rule 54(b) permits a district court to sever the order for immediate appeal by “expressly determin[ing] that there is no just reason for delay.” The rule was designed to ease the hardship on litigants who would otherwise have to await the conclusion of the entire case to appeal an adverse ruling.But the Rule has spawned seventy-five years of chaos. Appellate courts, in examining their jurisdiction to review an order certified under Rule 54(b), struggle to evaluate whether the order fully adjudicates a discrete and severable claim. They struggle to evaluate what “no just reason for delay” really means. And they struggle to articulate consistent standards for district courts to follow in making the required “express determin[ation].” At the heart of the problem lies a power clash: Rule 54(b) puts the district court in charge of deciding when an appellate court is required to hear an appeal. Not surprisingly, appellate courts often resist. And the resistance often comes only after full briefing and oral argument.It is time to end the struggle. And a better solution exists. This Article advocates the repeal of Rule 54(b) and, in its place, a resort to a discretionary-appeal system to permit trial courts to certify certain orders for immediate appeal and to permit appellate courts to decide whether to hear them.
Dressed to Kill: Manipulating Perceived Social Class Through the Con of Clothing in Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Fiction

The creation of a villain starts with their very appearance. In this chapter, we’ll explore how the dapper antagonist utilizes clothing to bypass class boundaries. We’ll explore three works whose characters rely on their mode of dress: Jay Gatsby of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Dorian Gray of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Heathcliff of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. To accompany our exploration will be two seminal sociological works in performativity: Thorstein Veblen’s The Theory of the Leisure Class and Erving Goffman’s The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.
Considerations on the mechanism of nuclear protein localization in yeast

The past ten years have witnessed tremendous advances in an understanding of how proteins are selectively localized to organelles or the cell exterior (1–5). However, the mechanism by which specific proteins accumulate in the nucleus is relatively poorly understood (6). Until recently, the commonly accepted model for nuclear protein localization has been that all proteins freely diffuse into the nucleus with subsequent retention of nuclear proteins by binding to a non-diffusible substrate (e.g., DNA) (7). The general acceptance of this model is perhaps responsible for the tardiness of recent observations which indicate that nuclear localization may involve more than simple diffusion. A second model, for which evidence is now emerging, is that proteins are selectively translocated across the nuclear envelope. This second model is based on observations that nuclear proteins contain a determinant which identifies them as proteins destined to be taken into the nucleus (8–12). Here I briefly review one such observation.
The Acquisition of Nonreferential Verbal Communication

In his monumental work on language acquisition, Jakobson worked with features of the code, the language structure itself. In other work, he has analyzed other components of communication in a socia...