cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicting leaf area index from scaling principles: corroboration and consequences.

Summary Leaf area index (LAI) is a key biophysical variable in most process-based forest-ecosystem models. However, most such models require LAI as an input, typically obtained from empirical observations. We tested whether scaling principles based on trade-offs between single leaf and canopy properties could be effectively used to model LAI, thereby obviating the need for empirical observations. To do so, we used the process-oriented model, PnET, configured to estimate LAI from these same scaling principles. We derived biologically based LAI predictions (LAIPnET) for the Harvard Forest (Massachusetts, USA) eddy covariance tower site, a predominately mixed deciduous hardwood forest, using PnET, and compared these with a locally observed phenology record and with LAI estimates from both local (ground-based) photosynthetically active radiation transmittance (LAITRANS) and normalized difference vegetation index satellite data (LAINDVI). We generated the LAIPnET trajectory by running the PnET model with meteorological observations from the flux tower as model drivers. We derived LAITRANS from measurements of above- and below-canopy photosynthetically active radiation at the flux tower, and LAINDVI from observations from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) satellite-borne sensor of surface greenness for the 1 km 2 cell containing the flux tower. Over a 5-year period, LAIPnET and LAITRANS values were comparable intra- and interannually, with maximum values differing by less than 0.1 to 0.2 LAI units (m 2 m –2 ). Values of LAINDVI were similar to LAIPnET and LAITRANS in midsummer, but higher LAI values were predicted in the early and late portions of the growing season. In addition, we used the three alternative LAI trajectories in a modified version of the PnET model and compared the resulting outputs of gross primary production (GPP) with GPP estimates from the flux tower for 5 continuous years. The LAIPnET and LAITRANS inputs resulted in a difference of less than 3% in mean annual GPP from 1995 to 1999, and these were within 7 and 9%, respectively, of the annual eddy fluxbased estimates over the same time period. The results indicate that biologically based LAI scaling approaches can closely track temporal changes in a deciduous forest and have potential for spatial and temporal scaling of LAI.
Plasmon Polaritons in 2-D Nanoparticle Arrays

The hybrid plasmonic-electromagnetic modes-or plasmon polaritons-in 2-D square arrays of noncontacting noble-metal nanoparticles are studied via an exactly solvable model. The approach accounts self-consistently for diffractive losses out of the plane and also for the vector nature of the electromagnetic field, and is thus in essence a 3-D theory of the 2-D nanoparticle array. The resulting polarization mixing between modes leads to a coupling between longitudinal and transverse excitation off special directions in the Brillouin zone. This is manifested as warping of the plasmon-polariton dispersion surfaces. Modes with group and phase velocities of opposite signs are observed.
Measurement Error Case Series Models With Application to Infection-Cardiovascular Risk in Older Patients on Dialysis

Infection and cardiovascular disease are leading causes of hospitalization and death in older patients on dialysis. Our recent work found an increase in the relative incidence of cardiovascular outcomes during the ∼ 30 days after infection-related hospitalizations using the case series model, which adjusts for measured and unmeasured baseline confounders. However, a major challenge in modeling/assessing the infection-cardiovascular risk hypothesis is that the exact time of infection, or more generally “exposure,” onsets cannot be ascertained based on hospitalization data. Only imprecise markers of the timing of infection onsets are available. Although there is a large literature on measurement error in the predictors in regression modeling, to date, there is no work on measurement error on the timing of a time-varying exposure to our knowledge. Thus, we propose a new method, the measurement error case series (MECS) models, to account for measurement error in time-varying exposure onsets. We characterized ...
[Phineas Gage, 'Tan' and the importance of case reports].

Introduccion. Las descripciones originales de la lesion frontal de Phineas Gage (1848) y del tumor de crecimiento lento de ?Tan?, el famoso paciente de Broca (1861), son ejemplos de como un sencillo caso clinico puede ensenar valiosas lecciones, algunas de ellas discutidas todavia siglo y medio despues. Desarrollo. En este articulo se revisan y resumen las fuentes originales de estos dos casos primigenios, en Boston y Paris. Se analizan las lecciones que estos dos pacientes dejaron sobre la localizacion de funciones cerebrales y se ubican en el contexto de la moderna medicina basada en evidencias
Chemo-enzymatic asymmetric synthesis of amino acids. Enantioselective hydrolyses of 2-phenyl-oxazolin-5-ones.

Abstract Porcine pancreatic lipase and the lipase of Aspergillus niger catalyze the enantioselective hydrolysis of a series of 4-substituted-2-phenyl-oxazolin-5-ones to yield optically active ( S )-and ( R )-N-benzoyl amino acids respectively.
Passive protection against anthrax by using a high-affinity antitoxin antibody fragment lacking an Fc region

Passive immunization has been successfully employed for protection against bacterial and viral infections for over 100 years. Immunoglobulin Fc regions play a critical role in the clearance of bacterial pathogens by mediating antibody-dependent and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. Here we show that antibody fragments engineered to recognize the protective antigen component of the B. anthracis exotoxin with high affinity and conjugated to polyethylene glycol (PEG) for prolonged circulation half-life confer significant protection against inhalation anthrax despite their lack of Fc regions. The speed and lower manufacturing cost of bacterially expressed PEGylated antibody fragments could provide decisive advantages for anthrax prophylaxis. Importantly, our results suggest that PEGylated antibody fragments may represent a unique approach for mounting a rapid therapeutic response to emerging pathogen infections.
Adaptation of Kriging in daylight modeling for energy simulation

Abstract Kriging is a group of geo-statistical techniques used to interpolate the value of a random field at an unobserved location from discrete observed values at nearby locations. Kriging has been very popular in oceanic research used for predicting the variance of geographical conditions. However, it has been difficult to find a similar application in the built environment. This paper aims to uncover possibilities of using Kriging for built environment studies, specifically focusing on indoor daylight modeling. Currently, most energy simulation tools use algorithms that are based on Daylight Factor (DF) [1] to capture the complexity of daylight behavior. However, DF has limitations in its ability to fully account for realistic daylight conditions. Thus, efficiently integrating the light domain with thermal calculations remains a major hurdle for building energy simulation tools [2] . For this reason, the paper aims to find possibilities of using Kriging for daylight modeling. Kriging will use sample points to predict illuminance values of nearby locations. Kriging will considerably reduce the number of points needed to map indoor light intensity profiles. Furthermore, Kriging will be able to provide a more seamless daylight model for energy simulation tools. This proposed method can produce light distribution, such as illuminance (lux), while obtaining more realistic results than DF and at the same time reduce computational expense through statistical methods. The paper first investigates accuracy to determine whether Kriging modeling can interpolate the profile of illuminance from a select sample of data points. To validate the daylight model used in this paper, real indoor illuminance levels were measured for different days and compared with the daylight simulation model. Further, this paper tests Kriging predictions and compares them with both advanced physics-based light simulation and energy simulation to determine possibilities and limitations of the proposed method. In comparison with RADIANCE, this paper found that the proposed Kriging model was able to predict better than the energy simulation daylight model. The difference between Kriging and RADIANCE was 25.52 lux. The Kriging model showed great promise since it was able to cut the full RADIANCE simulation time in half and proved to be much closer to RADIANCE predictions than other methods.
Fire history reconstruction in grassland ecosystems: amount of charcoal reflects local area burned

Fire is one of the most prevalent disturbances in the Earth system, and its past characteristics can be reconstructed using charcoal particles preserved in depositional environments. Although researchers know that fires produce charcoal particles, interpretation of the quantity or composition of charcoal particles in terms of fire source remains poorly understood. In this study, we used a unique four-year dataset of charcoal deposited in traps from a native tallgrass prairie in mid-North America to test which environmental factors were linked to charcoal measurements on three spatial scales. We investigated small and large charcoal particles commonly used as a proxy of fire activity at different spatial scales, and charcoal morphotypes representing different types of fuel. We found that small (125–250 μm) and large (250 μm–1 mm) particles of charcoal are well-correlated (Spearman correlation = 0.88) and likely reflect the same spatial scale of fire activity in a system with both herbaceous and woody fuels. There was no significant relationship between charcoal pieces and fire parameters <500 m from the traps. Moreover, local area burned (<5 km distance radius from traps) explained the total charcoal amount, and regional burning (200 km radius distance from traps) explained the ratio of non arboreal to total charcoal (NA/T ratio). Charcoal variables, including total charcoal count and NA/T ratio, did not correlate with other fire parameters, vegetation cover, landscape, or climate variables. Thus, in long-term studies that involve fire history reconstructions, total charcoal particles, even of a small size (125–250 μm), could be an indicator of local area burned. Further studies may determine relationships among amount of charcoal recorded, fire intensity, vegetation cover, and climatic parameters.
Cooperation Under the Threat of Expulsion in a Public Goods Experiment

In a public goods experiment with the opportunity to vote to expel members of a group, we found that contributions rose to nearly 100% of endowments with significantly higher efficiency compared with a coexpulsion baseline. Expulsions were strictly of the lowest contributors, and there was an exceptionally strong fall-off in contributions in the last period, when the expulsion threat was unavailable. Our findings support the intuition that the threat of expulsion or ostracism is one device that helps groups to provide public goods.
Using Standardized Patients to Teach Interprofessional Competencies to Dental Students

The aims of this study were to develop, implement, and evaluate a novel interprofessional standardized patient exercise (ISPE) with oral-systemic and interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) components. Dental students and doctor of nursing practice (DNP) students at one U.S. university participated in the simulation, which was primarily designed to test their teamwork skills. In spring 2014, DNP students worked in the dental clinics with dental students under the supervision of nursing and dental faculty members. To test the teamwork outcomes for both groups of students, a standardized patient (SP) scenario was designed to include multiple chronic medical diagnoses and an oral-systemic component. The exercise was filmed for later review. Outcomes measures included SP and student self-evaluations and faculty evaluation of student documentation. The primary outcome of interest from a dental standpoint was faculty evaluation of IPCP competencies derived from the Core Competencies of Interprofessional Collaborative Practice and were deemed to be observable by faculty when viewing the videotaped scenario. Eight teams of students participated with an SP trained in the scenario. Each team consisted of a DNP student, a fourth-year dental student, and a second-year dental student. All eligible students in the DNP class (n=20) and eight students from each dental class (approximately 110 each) participated. The results showed that the teams scored highest on the role/responsibilities subscale, indicating students were respectful of each other's roles and expertise and effectively engaged each other to develop strategies to meet the patient's needs. Scores on the three other subscales (values/ethics, interprofessional communication, and teams/teamwork) were also high. These findings appeared to support IPCP as a method to foster knowledge and respect for other roles and responsibilities, improve appreciation of teamwork, and encourage better communication among health care providers. The ISPE scenario provided an effective way to evaluate IPCP competencies.
Turning points in twentieth-century American psychiatry.

Abstract The author examines four major turning points in twentieth-century American psychiatry, emphasizing the movement during the post-World War II period toward a psychotherapeutic/psychoanalytic approach and the emergence of biological psychiatry, neuroscience, and logical positivism during the 1970s and 1980s. He discusses the impact of Adolf Meyer during the mid-twentieth century and his ongoing influence. The final turning point involves a prediction of a late twentieth-century change, including new directions in nosology, emphasis on combined pharmacotherapeutic/psychotherapeutic treatments, efforts to create alternatives to full inpatient care, better outcome data for psychiatric treatments, and beginning resolution of major boundary problems of current practice.
Muscle-specific loss of Bmal1 leads to disrupted tissue glucose metabolism and systemic glucose homeostasis.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the USA, and disruption of circadian rhythms is gaining recognition as a contributing factor to disease prevalence. This disease is characterized by hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance and symptoms caused by failure to produce and/or respond to insulin. The skeletal muscle is a key insulin-sensitive metabolic tissue, taking up ~80 % of postprandial glucose. To address the role of the skeletal muscle molecular clock to insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, we generated an inducible skeletal muscle-specific Bmal1 −/− mouse (iMSBmal1 −/−). Progressive changes in body composition (decreases in percent fat) were seen in the iMSBmal1 −/− mice from 3 to 12 weeks post-treatment as well as glucose intolerance and non-fasting hyperglycemia. Ex vivo analysis of glucose uptake revealed that the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles did not respond to either insulin or 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide (AICAR) stimulation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses demonstrated a significant decrease in mRNA expression and protein content of the muscle glucose transporter (Glut4). We also found that both mRNA expression and activity of two key rate-limiting enzymes of glycolysis, hexokinase 2 (Hk2) and phosphofructokinase 1 (Pfk1), were significantly reduced in the iMSBmal1 −/− muscle. Lastly, results from metabolomics analyses provided evidence of decreased glycolytic flux and uncovered decreases in some tricarboxylic acid (TCA) intermediates with increases in amino acid levels in the iMSBmal1 −/− muscle. These findings suggest that the muscle is relying predominantly on fat as a fuel with increased protein breakdown to support the TCA cycle. These data support a fundamental role for Bmal1, the endogenous circadian clock, in glucose metabolism in the skeletal muscle. Our findings have implicated altered molecular clock dictating significant changes in altered substrate metabolism in the absence of feeding or activity changes. The changes in body composition in our model also highlight the important role that changes in skeletal muscle carbohydrate, and fat metabolism can play in systemic metabolism.
EBVdb: a data mining system for knowledge discovery in Epstein-Barr virus with applications in T cell immunology and vaccinology

As the first cancer-causing human virus identified, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated in the development of a wide range of B cell lymphoproliferative disorders, a subset of T/NK cell lymphomas, and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders. We made use of the immunological data on EBV available through publications, technical reports, and databases and constructed Epstein-Barr virus T cell Antigen Database (EBVdb). EBVdb contains 2622 curated antigen entries of EBV antigenic proteins, 610 verified T cell epitopes and 26 verified HLA ligands. The data were subject to extensive quality control (redundancy elimination, error detection, and vocabulary consolidation). A set of computational tools for in-depth analysis, such as sequence comparison using BLAST search, multiple alignments of antigens, T cell epitope/HLA ligand visualization, T cell epitope/HLA ligand conservation analysis, and sequence variability analysis, have been integrated within the EBVdb. Predicted Class I and Class II HLA-binding peptides for 15 common HLA alleles are included in this database as putative targets. EBVdb seamlessly integrates curated data and information with tailored analysis tools to facilitate data mining for EBV vaccinology and immunology. EBVdb is a unique data source providing a comprehensive list of EBV antigens and peptides and is publicly available at http://projects.met-hilab.org/ebv/.
The Effect of Exterior and Interior Roof Thermal Radiation on Buildings Cooling Energy

Abstract Residential buildings in Iraq consume 42% of the country's total electricity production. As residential air-conditioning usage increases, so does the demand on the country's electrical power infrastructure resulting in more frequent power cuts and rolling blackouts. This research investigates the effectiveness of applying a reflective roof, radiant barrier and interior radiation control coating to reduce the space cooling loads of Iraqi houses and in turn electricity demand. Findings from this study's preliminary energy simulations indicate that external roof coatings, internal coatings, and radiant barriers can provide a significant reduction in cooling load compared to the typical roof finishes of Iraqi houses therefore potentially reducing the energy demand on the country's energy infrastructure.
Resistin deficiency in mice has no effect on pulmonary responses induced by acute ozone exposure.

Acute exposure to ozone (O3), an air pollutant, causes pulmonary inflammation, airway epithelial desquamation, and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). Pro-inflammatory cytokines—including IL-6 and li...
Ant Assemblages and Co-Occurrence Patterns in Cypress-Tupelo Swamp

While swamps perform valuable functions in coastal ecosystems, terrestrial invertebrates in these fragile habitats are poorly known. The aims of this study were to (1) uncover the ant diversity and functional groups of Cypress-Tupelo swamps; (2) examine the differences of ant assemblages across vertical strata within trees and across tree species within swamps; and (3) determine if the ant mosaic hypothesis applies to observed patterns of arboreal ant distribution. Pitfall traps were set in tree crowns and on trunks to collect the arboreal ants in three swamps in Louisiana. A total of 21 species from 11 genera were collected. Contrary to our hypothesis, ant diversity on trunks was higher than that in the canopy. A multivariate analysis revealed that the canopy and trunk support distinct ant assemblages, whereas ant species composition was not consistently different among the three dominant tree species- bald cypress, water tupelo, and red maples. In addition, evidence of ant mosaic distribution patterns were not detected. Moreover, we did not find dramatic changes of ant diversity or community structure in trees that were infested with invasive red imported fire ants. Our study provides a benchmark to evaluate the effects of disturbances and conservation management in swamp ecosystems.
Characterizing and improving the sensory and hedonic responses to polyphenol-rich aronia berry juice

Abstract Interest in nutrient-rich berry juices is growing, but their high polyphenol levels render them sensorily unappealing. Fifty adults, who were assessed for sensory phenotype and dietary behaviors, provided sensory and palatability ratings of juices from ‘Viking’ aronia berries for each of seven harvest weeks. By peak harvest, juice preference increased two-fold, averaging neither like/dislike. This hedonic shift was associated with: increases in juice sugars paralleling increases in perceived sweetness (maximum = weak); reductions in percent acidity paralleling reductions in sourness (minimum = moderate), astringency (minimum = to just above weak) and bitterness (minimum = just below weak). About 25% of adults liked the aronia juice, including adults who also liked an aqueous citric acid solution (average rating = moderately sour) or those who reported adventurous eating behaviors. Bitter taste phenotype, measured by propylthiouracil or quinine bitterness, failed to explain significant variation in juice sensation or preference. We also collected sensory and preference ratings from juice collected at peak harvest blended with sugar and/or sweet olfactory flavoring (10 ppm ethyl butyrate). Increasing juice sweetness by adding 5% sucrose decreased sourness and improved preference from weak dislike to weak like. Adding sweet olfactory flavoring decreased juice sourness without changing preference. Adding sweet flavoring and 3% sucrose resulted in reduction of sourness and improvements in preference ratings comparable to 5% added sucrose. Neither added sugar nor flavoring blocked juice astringency. In summary, these findings suggest that aronia juice, even from berries picked at peak harvest, appealed to only a few adults (sour likers or adventurous eaters). Although enhanced sweetness, with added sugar and sweet olfactory flavoring, improved aronia juice preference, broader sensory approaches are required to blunt astringency for greater consumer appeal.
Mechanically Transmissable Viruses of Potato

In the early 1900’s farmers, potato breeders, and plant pathologists described problems in potatoes now believed to have been caused by viruses. Terms such as “running out” and “degeneration” were coined to describe the general “loss of vigor,” “loss of stamina,” and “loss of yielding power” associated with tubers harvested from potato cultivars affected by viruses (Krantz and Bisby, 1921; Whipple, 1919). Schulz et al. (1919) and Schulz and Folsom (1920) were able to mechanically transmit a “mosaic dwarf agent,” probably Potato virus Y genus Potyvirus (PVY), but perhaps including Potato virus X genus Potexvirus (PVX), to potato that caused running out. The discovery that several North-American potato cultivars that appeared to be healthy, but were infected with one or more mechanically transmitted viruses, was made by Johnson (1925). He transmitted a virus or viruses latent in potato plants, to several other Solanaceous spp. including tobacco, tomato, and eggplant, which subsequently developed various symptoms including mild mottle, spot-necrosis or ringspot. The virus or one of the viruses he transmitted mechanically eventually came to be known as PVX. Since then, numerous viruses mechanically transmissible to potato have been characterized. Some also have vectors that serve as the principal means of transmission (Table 8.1).
The effect of coated sodium butyrate supplementation in sow and nursery diets on lactation performance and nursery pig growth performance

Abstract Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of coated sodium butyrate (CSB) supplementation to peripartal and lactating sows and nursery pigs on lactation performance and nursery growth performance. In Exp. 1, a total of 43 gestating sows (d 81–92 of gestation) were allotted to 0 (n=15), 500 (n=16), or 1000 (n=12) ppm of CSB supplementation based on breed, parity and body weight (BW), and then fed treatment diets until weaning. In Exp. 2 and 3, a total of 144 weanling pigs (72 pigs for Exp. 2 and 3, respectively) from 0 or 1000 ppm CSB sow treatments in Exp. 1 were allotted within the sow treatment to 0, 500, or 1000 ppm of CSB supplementation in nursery diets based on breed and BW in a split plot design for a 35-d growth study. All pigs in Exp. 2 were injected with ovalbumin at weaning and d 14 postweaning as an immune challenge. In Exp. 1, there were no differences in sow BW, litter size, litter weight, lactation feed intake or milk composition among treatments. However, colostral IgG (P=0.06) and IgA (P=0.09) concentrations tended to increase quadratically as CSB supplementation levels increased. In Exp. 2, pigs from the 1000 ppm CSB sow treatment had greater BW at d 35 (P
Net effects of nitrogen fertilization on the nutritive value and digestibility of oat forages

ABSTRACT Applications of soil amendments containing N are part of routine forage-management strategies for grasses, with a primary goal of increasing forage yield. However, the effects of N fertilization on forage nutritive value, estimates of energy density, and in vitro dry matter or neutral detergent fiber disappearance sometimes have been erratic or inconsistent. Our objectives were to evaluate the effects of N fertilization on the nutritive value of a single cultivar (ForagePlus, Kratz Farms, Slinger, WI) of fall-grown oat fertilized at planting with 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100 kg of N/ha of urea or 2 rates of dairy slurry (42,300 or 84,600 L/ha). Nitrogen fertilization exhibited consistent effects on fiber components; forages fertilized with urea or dairy slurry had greater concentrations of fiber components compared with those harvested from unfertilized check plots (0 kg of N/ha), and fiber concentrations increased linearly with urea fertilization rate. In contrast, concentrations of water-soluble carbohydrates were greatest for unfertilized forages (21.2%), but declined linearly with urea fertilization, exhibiting a minimum of 13.5% at the 80 kg of N/ha urea application rate. Similarly, nonfiber carbohydrates also declined linearly, from 34.8% for unfertilized check plots to a minimum of 24.6% at the 80 kg of N/ha urea application rate. Fertilization with urea resulted in consistent linear increases in crude protein (CP), neutral detergent soluble CP, neutral detergent insoluble CP, and acid detergent insoluble CP; however, the partitioning of CP on the basis of association with specific fiber fractions could not be related to N fertilization when concentrations were expressed on a percentage of CP basis. The summative calculation of energy, expressed as total digestible nutrients was closely related to N fertilization rate during both the 2013 (y = −0.038x + 72.2; R 2 = 0.961) and 2014 (y = −0.040x + 69.2; R 2 = 0.771) production years. Following 30- or 48-h incubations in buffered rumen fluid, in vitro dry matter disappearance was greater for unfertilized forages compared with those fertilized with either urea or dairy slurry, and disappearance declined linearly with urea fertilization rate; however, these responses were not detected for neutral detergent fiber disappearance. Overall, the forage nutritive value of fall-grown oat declined mildly in response to N fertilization, but these responses were not nearly strong enough to offset the advantages obtained by improved forage yields.
Hypoxic behavior in cells under controlled microfluidic environment

Abstract Background Depleted oxygen levels, known as hypoxia, causes considerable changes in the cellular metabolism. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) act as the major protagonist in orchestrating manifold hypoxic responses by escaping cellular degradation mechanisms. These complex and dynamic intracellular responses are significantly dependent on the extracellular environment. In this study, we present a detailed model of a hypoxic cellular microenvironment in a microfluidic setting involving HIF hydroxylation. Methods We have modeled the induction of hypoxia in a microfluidic chip by an unsteady permeation of oxygen from the microchannel through a porous polydimethylsiloxane channel wall. Extracellular and intracellular interactions were modeled with two different mathematical descriptions. Intracellular space is directly coupled to the extracellular environment through uptake and consumption of oxygen and ascorbate similar to cells in vivo. Results Our results indicate a sharp switch in HIF hydroxylation behavior with changing prolyl hydroxylase levels from 0.1 to 4.0 μM. Furthermore, we studied the effects of extracellular ascorbate concentration, using a new model, to predict its accumulation inside the cell over a relevant physiological range. In different hypoxic conditions, the cellular environment showed a significant dependence on oxygen levels in resulting intracellular response. Conclusions Change in hydroxylation behavior and nutrient supplementation can have significant potential in designing novel therapeutic interventions in cancer and ischemia/reperfusion injuries. General significance The hybrid mathematical model can effectively predict intracellular behavior due to external influences providing valuable directions in designing future experiments.
A Randomized Controlled Trial to Improve the Success of Women Assistant Professors

Abstract Background: Given the persistent disparity in the advancement of women compared with men faculty in academic medicine, it is critical to develop effective interventions to enhance women's careers. We carried out a cluster-randomized, multifaceted intervention to improve the success of women assistant professors at a research-intensive medical school. Materials and Methods: Twenty-seven departments/divisions were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups. The three-tiered intervention included components that were aimed at (1) the professional development of women assistant professors, (2) changes at the department/division level through faculty-led task forces, and (3) engagement of institutional leaders. Generalized linear models were used to test associations between assignment and outcomes, adjusting for correlations induced by the clustered design. Results: Academic productivity and work self-efficacy improved significantly over the 3-year trial in both intervention and control grou...
Leveraging Complementary Contributions of Different Workers for Efficient Crowdsourcing of Video Captions

Hearing-impaired people and non-native speakers rely on captions for access to video content, yet most videos remain uncaptioned or have machine-generated captions with high error rates. In this paper, we present the design, implementation and evaluation of BandCaption, a system that combines automatic speech recognition with input from crowd workers to provide a cost-efficient captioning solution for accessible online videos. We consider four stakeholder groups as our source of crowd workers: (i) individuals with hearing impairments, (ii) second-language speakers with low proficiency, (iii) second-language speakers with high proficiency, and (iv) native speakers. Each group has different abilities and incentives, which our workflow leverages. Our findings show that BandCaption enables crowd workers who have different needs and strengths to accomplish micro-tasks and make complementary contributions. Based on our results, we outline opportunities for future research and provide design suggestions to deliver cost-efficient captioning solutions.
Biosynthesis of the Pharmaceutically Important Fungal Ergot Alkaloid Dihydrolysergic Acid Requires a Specialized Allele of cloA .

Ergot alkaloids are specialized fungal metabolites that are important as the bases of several pharmaceuticals. Many ergot alkaloids are derivatives of lysergic acid (LA) and have vasoconstrictive activity, whereas several dihydrolysergic acid (DHLA) derivatives are vasorelaxant. The pathway to LA is established, with the P450 monooxygenase CloA playing a key role in oxidizing its substrate agroclavine to LA. We analyzed the activities of products of cloA alleles from different fungi relative to DHLA biosynthesis by expressing them in a mutant of the fungus Neosartorya fumigata that accumulates festuclavine, the precursor to DHLA. Transformants expressing CloA from Epichloe typhina × Epichloe festucae, which oxidizes agroclavine to LA, failed to oxidize festuclavine to DHLA. In substrate feeding experiments, these same transformants oxidized exogenously supplied agroclavine to LA, indicating that a functional CloA was produced. A genomic clone of cloA from Claviceps africana, a sorghum ergot fungus that produces a DHLA derivative, was cloned and expressed in the festuclavine-accumulating mutant of N. fumigata, but several introns in this genomic clone were not processed properly. Expression of a synthetic intron-free version of C. africanacloA resulted in the accumulation of DHLA as assessed by fluorescence high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In substrate feeding experiments, the C. africana CloA also accepted agroclavine as the substrate, oxidizing it to LA. The data indicate that a specialized allele of cloA is required for DHLA biosynthesis and that the pharmaceutically important compound DHLA can be produced in engineered N. fumigataIMPORTANCE Ergot alkaloids are fungal metabolites that have impacted humankind historically as poisons and more recently as pharmaceuticals used to treat dementia, migraines, and other disorders. Much is known about the biosynthesis of ergot alkaloids that are derived from lysergic acid (LA), but important questions remain about a parallel pathway to ergot alkaloids derived from dihydrolysergic acid (DHLA). DHLA-derived alkaloids have minor structural differences compared to LA-derived alkaloids but can have very different activities. To understand how DHLA is made, we analyzed activities of a key enzyme in the DHLA pathway and found that it differed from its counterpart in the LA pathway. Our data indicate a critical difference between the two pathways and provide a strategy for producing DHLA by modifying a model fungus. The ability to produce DHLA in a model fungus may facilitate synthesis of DHLA-derived pharmaceuticals.
Widowed parenting self-efficacy scale: A new measure

The authors developed and tested a novel measure of parenting self-efficacy specifically for recently widowed parents of dependent-age children. They tested the scale among 244 recently widowed fathers via an open-access web survey. Exploratory factor analysis identified 3 factors: perception of meeting parenting expectations (α = .88), provision of effective discipline (α = .69), and sense of parental burden (α = .69). Scores on the new scale correlated positively with Kansas Parenting Satisfaction and Psychological Adaptation Scale scores, and negatively with CES-D (depression) and TRIG (grief) scale scores. The resulting 9-item Widowed Parenting Self Efficacy Scale is a promising measure for use in research and clinical settings.
Facebook's Acquisition of Whatsapp: The Rise of Intangibles (a)

One of Susan Shaw's interests is investing in the stock market. She has copied some pages of Facebook Inc.'s 2015, 2014, and 2013 financial statements, and the company sure seemed like an investment winner. But as she peruses these financial statements, she notices that in the 2014 financial statements there are some huge differences from the 2013 statement for a number of line items, such as Total Assets, Goodwill, Additional Paid in Capital, Revenue, Net Income, and Net Cash Used in Investing Activities. The reported dollar amounts for many of these items listed on the 2014 balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows, had more than doubled and she wonders if traditional financial statements and reporting conventions were robust and effective in communicating the intricacies and details of deals such as Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp and were all Facebook's assets and enterprise value reflected in its balance sheets. Excerpt UVA-C-2382 Rev. Mar. 31, 2017 Facebook's Acquisition of WhatsApp: The Rise of Intangibles (A) Susan Shaw had a number of diverse interests. In addition to a rising legal career, she loved whitewater rafting, gourmet cooking with friends, Broadway musicals, volunteering at the local homeless shelter, and investing in the stock market. It was the investing pursuit that occupied her attention this cold and rainy Saturday morning. On her desk, she had several pages of Facebook Inc.'s 2015, 2014, and 2013 financial statements that she had had the foresight to print out earlier in the week at the office. She was intrigued with the idea of investing in a company that sure seemed like an investment winner. As she perused the financial statements, her normal starting point for learning more about the performance of a company, the first thing she noticed was that in the 2014 financial statements there were some huge differences from the 2013 statement for a number of line items, including Total Assets, Goodwill, Additional Paid in Capital, Revenue, Net Income, and Net Cash Used in Investing Activities (see Exhibit 1). The reported dollar amounts for many of these items, sprinkled across the 2014 balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows, had more than doubled. “I wonder what's up,” she mused. “I guess I'll need to delve into the details to find out. It sure seems unusual that a company could double in size in just one year—there must have been a merger of some sort.” Indeed, a simple Google search of “Facebook and 2014 mergers” turned up a number of hits. Eight of the first ten search listings referred to the company, WhatsApp Inc. Her interest was piqued, so she poured another cup of coffee and began her methodical review. Facebook, Inc. . . .
Dietary Therapy for Eosinophilic Esophagitis: Elimination and Reintroduction

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a food antigen-mediated disorder of the esophagus characterized by eosinophil predominant inflammation and symptoms of esophageal dysfunction. Dietary antigen elimination induces clinical and histological remission in patients with EoE. The most restrictive of elimination diets (the elemental diet) removes all possible food antigens while empiric elimination diets remove all (or a subset) of food antigens most commonly reported to cause esophageal eosinophilia and food allergies (milk, egg, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, or legumes). Elimination diets are effective treatments for EoE but pose psychosocial and financial challenges to patients and consequently may impair quality of life. Foods that are commonly eliminated, especially milk, are also nutrient-dense and therefore their elimination may result in inadequate nutrient intake or deficiencies without careful diet planning to include nutritionally comparable and safe food substitutes. After remission is achieved with elimination diets, foods can be reintroduced sequentially to identify specific food triggers, but this reintroduction is not standardized. Food elimination and food reintroductions should consider the patient's lifestyle, nutrition needs, and skills and ideally be managed by a team with knowledge of eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders and nutrition.
What is a “Perceptually Well-Defined Individual”? Hintikka’s Views on Perception

Hintikka’s Presentation to the 1967 Oberlin Colloquium, “On the Logic of Perception”,1 seemed an exciting and important paper. Time has supported that impression. The paper itself has affected the form of a number of more recent essays on perception. More than most, this paper has effected a change in the way a major area of philosophy has come to be discussed. Looking back, the thing that now stands out is how very different Hintikka’s discussion of perception was from what standarly appeared then. Hintikka had remarkably little to say about things like “visual constancy”, or Gestalt phenomena, or illusion and hallucination, or of the relation of sense experience to perception, or of how much is directly seen and how much is inferred in perception. Yet these sorts of topics seemed essential to getting at the nature and content of perception. Discussion of topics like these tended to dominate the academic, philosophical literature on perception.
Extra-Adrenal Paraganglion System

The paraganglioma chief cells are neuroectodermal cells that arise from neuroblastic anlage associated with the dorsal roots of the vertebral somites or from primitive cells associated with the cranial nerve ganglia (13). Paraganglionic tissue is highly developed in the fetus and neonate compared to adults. The paraganglionic tissues regress during growth, leaving only residual nests of cells in many sites in adults. These residual nests may give rise to paragangliomas (15,20,44).
Which Comes First? An Examination of Associations and Shared Risk Factors for Eating Disorders and Suicidality

This narrative review evaluates recent literature on the associations between eating disorders and suicidality and discusses potential shared mechanisms that may account for these relationships. Additionally, the review highlights shortcomings with the literature to date and suggests avenues for future research. Individuals with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder experience elevated rates of suicidality compared to the general population. Suicide risk is higher when eating disorders occur with other psychological conditions. Additionally, genetic factors, emotion dysregulation, trauma, stressful life events, and lack of body regard may have roles in the development of both eating disorders and suicidality. Much of the risk for suicidality in eating disorders appears to be driven by comorbid psychopathology and genetic factors. However, the lack of longitudinal research makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the directionality or temporality of these relations; thus, novel methods are needed.
Auditory Midbrain Hypoplasia and Dysmorphology after Prenatal Valproic Acid Exposure

Prenatal exposure to the antiepileptic valproic acid (VPA) is associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in humans and is used as an animal model of ASD. The majority of individuals with ASD exhibit adverse reactions to sensory stimuli and auditory dysfunction. Previous studies of animals exposed to VPA reveal abnormal neuronal responses to sound and mapping of sound frequency in the cerebral cortex and hyperactivation, hypoplasia and abnormal neuronal morphology in the cochlear nuclei (CN) and superior olivary complex (SOC). Herein, we examine the neuronal populations in the lateral lemniscus and inferior colliculus in animals exposed in utero to VPA. We used a combination of morphometric techniques, histochemistry and immunofluorescence to examine the nuclei of the lateral lemniscus (NLL) and the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (CNIC). We found that the VPA exposure resulted in larger neurons in the CNIC and the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus (DNLL). However, we found that there were significantly fewer neurons throughout all nuclei examined in the auditory brainstem of VPA-exposed animals. Additionally, we found significantly fewer calbindin-immunopositive neurons in the DNLL. VPA exposure had no impact on the proportions of perineuronal nets in the NLL or CNIC. Finally, consistent with our observations in the CN and SOC, VPA exposure resulted in fewer dopaminergic terminals in the CNIC. Together, these results indicate that in utero VPA exposure significantly impacts structure and function of nearly the entire central auditory pathway.
Climate Indices, Water Temperature, and Fishing Predict Broad Scale Variation in Fishes on Temperate Reefs

Funding: NG was supported by a National Research Council Fellowship. Acknowledgments: We thank SERFS staff (particularly MARMAP personnel) for data collection and management, as well as numerous volunteers for field work. We also thank the captains and crews of the R/V Palmetto, R/V Savannah, and the NOAA Ships Nancy Foster and Pisces for their assistance and A. Anton and J. Hare for comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.
Target congruence theory and Latino youth victimization

AbstractWhile a number of studies have found that immigrant youth are less likely to engage in delinquency, they are more likely to report victimization. Scholars have traditionally attributed this...
Post-ERCP Pancreatitis

Post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) is the most common complication of ERCP and can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In the post-procedure setting, new-onset epigastric abdominal pain, elevated serum amylase and/or lipase, and characteristic cross-sectional imaging findings are all used to make the diagnosis. PEP results from an inflammatory reaction to pancreatic duct injury thought to be due to increased intraductal pressure and outflow obstruction associated with ERCP. Risk of PEP varies significantly among patients and is defined by multiple patient-, procedural-, and operator-related factors. Once it occurs, PEP management is not different than that of other etiologies of acute pancreatitis. Therefore, prevention measures are critical in PEP and include rectal NSAID administration, guidewire cannulation, aggressive periprocedural IV hydration, and prophylactic pancreatic duct stent placement. Despite these preventive measures, PEP continues to be a significant cause of morbidity and occasionally mortality to patients with multiple risk factors.
Impairing the Microsoft/Nokia Pairing

A writer of computer code, who bought and sold tech company stocks, is asked by one of his friends, who was contemplating buying some Microsoft stock, to help him understand the Microsoft/Nokia deal. Excerpt UVA-C-2386 Rev. Jun. 28, 2017 Impairing the Microsoft/Nokia Pairing While most of Harry Sutton's friends used their recreational time either to play online poker or to follow their favorite band up and down the eastern seaboard, he wrote computer code, loved history trivia, and bought and sold tech company stocks. Before leaving on yet another band-following trek, one of Sutton's friends, who was contemplating buying some Microsoft stock, had asked Sutton to help him understand the Microsoft/Nokia deal. Saga Synopsis The public part of the Microsoft/Nokia saga essentially began with a company press release dated September 3, 2013. In that release, Microsoft announced that it had reached a stock and asset purchase agreement the previous day (Exhibit 1) with Nokia Corporation, one of Finland's flagship companies: . . .
Rethinking the Regulatory Triggers for Prospective Ethics Review.

Under the Common Rule, federally-supported activities involving human participants are presumptively required to undergo prospective ethics review if they are “designed to develop or contribute to ...