cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 426: The Remodeling of HDL-SAA by Macrophage Surface Heparan Sulfate is Necessary for Efficient Cholesterol Efflux

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is an acute-phase protein that circulates associated with high density lipoprotein (HDL) and can replace apoA-I as the predominant apoprotein. SAA can increase HDL’s binding affinity for macrophages and we provide evidence that this targeting process is dependent on cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) and facilitated by at least one of two HS binding sites that we have been previously identified in SAA. Additional studies utilizing various assays including native-PAGE, turbidity, thioflavin T fluorescence and surface plasmon resonance have demonstrated that HDL-SAA binding to HS (or heparin) causes SAA to dissociate from the HDL particle, leaving behind novel HDL species with enhanced cholesterol carrying capacities. In the present study we explore this remodeling phenomenon further and assess its potential importance for cholesterol efflux from macrophages. The chemical disruption of HDL-SAA with chaotropic agents, temperatures below 37°C and lipid oxidation with copper all interfere with HDL-SAA/heparin remodeling. The oxidation of HDL-SAA also significantly reduces its cholesterol efflux potential and SAA’s ability to be converted into AA-amyloid fibrils in cell culture, a process that requires the dissociation of SAA from HDL. Finally, we demonstrate that the removal of cell surface HS chains, by either heparinase treatment or by preventing HS biosynthesis with sodium chlorate, impairs cholesterol efflux rates from macrophages to HDL-SAA. Our interpretation of these findings is that the reduction in HDL-lipid fluidity (low temperatures or conjugated dienes) significantly reduces the ability of HS:SAA interactions to dissociate SAA from HDL. We postulate that HS normally plays an important role in separating SAA from HDL but during chronic inflammatory diseases with elevated lipoprotein oxidation, HDL-SAA species are generated in which SAA is more tightly associated with HDL, thus preventing its dissociation from HDL and impairing atheroprotective functions.
Phase Segregation of PEDOT:PSS on Textile to Produce Materials of >10 A mm−2 Current Carrying Capacity

Conductive textiles with exceptional electrical properties have been prepared by coating the conjugated polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxyphiophene)-polystyrenesulfonate(PEDOT-PSS), on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nonwoven fabrics. Phase segregation from covalent bond formation to surface silica particles generates PEDOT-PSS coated textiles that hold potential for wearable electronics due to the breathability of the fabric, low toxicity, easy processing and lightweight with high current carrying capacity. The conductive textiles were demonstrated for applications such as electrical connections and resistive heating.
Rb Protects B-Lineage Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells From Oxidative Stress and Exhaustion

Abstract 1315 Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematologic malignancy in the United States. Chromosome 13 deletions are found in approximately one half (50%) of all patient samples and is associated with worse outcomes. The retinoblastoma gene ( Rb1 ) has been implicated as a candidate tumor suppressor at 13q14, however, unmutated Rb1 remains expressed from retained alleles in the majority of cases. We sought to explore the role of Rb1 in plasma cells by generating mice with deficiency of Rb1 targeted to late B-cell development. Methods: The Rb family member p107 can compensate for Rb1 function, so we crossed Rb1 Flox/Flox and P107 −/− mouse strains with Cγ1-Cre knock-in mice that express the Cre recombinase specifically in germinal center (GC) B-cells to generate mice with tissue-specific deletion of Rb in germinal center cells (Cg1-Rb-KO), and we aged these mice to assess disease development. Results: In Cg1-Rb-KO mice, we demonstrated the Rb1 locus was successfully recombined in splenic germinal center cells (B220+, GL7+ and IgG1+), as well as in post-germinal center cells (B220-, CD138+). Recombination was also detectable in bone marrow B-cell but not myeloid cell progenitors. Cg1-Rb-KO mice developed normally but became ill starting at 40 weeks of age. Sick mice demonstrated weight loss, hypoplastic spleens, osteopenia and significant lymphopenia. Thorough analysis of bone marrow and spleen hematopoietic progenitor cell subsets by multi-parameter flow cytometry at the time of death revealed dramatic reductions in marrow B-cell (Hardy fractions C-D, from 3.18×10 3 to 40 cells and from 1.4×10 6 to 7.5×10 4 cells respectively), suggesting an effective collapse of the B-cell lineage in mice lacking Rb. Examination of Cg1-Rb-KO mice prior to becoming sick (age 30–35 weeks) demonstrated increased numbers of B-cell progenitors in the bone marrow, consistent with Rb9s known role in cell cycle regulation. Together, our results suggest Cg1-Rb-KO mice develop benign B-cell hyperplasia followed by a lethal collapse of the B-cell lineage. To help explain this B-cell exhaustion phenotype, we measured reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the B-cell of young Cg1-Rb-KO mice. We observed significantly increased ROS in Cg1-Rb-KO mice at baseline and following LPS stimulation ex vivo and in vivo compared to p107-KO control mice, suggesting that B-cells from Cg1-Rb-KO mice have elevated levels of oxidative stress. Conclusion: Rb1 is important for maintenance of B-cell homeostasis and protects B-lineage progenitor cells from oxidative stress and exhaustion. Rb1 deletion was not sufficient for B-cell transformation and additional mutations are likely required for MM development in the context of complete RB1 loss. Disclosures: Vij: Millennium: Speakers Bureau.
MicroRNA-92a is a circadian modulator of neuronal excitability in Drosophila

Many biological and behavioural processes of animals are governed by an endogenous circadian clock, which is dependent on transcriptional regulation. Here we address post-transcriptional regulation and the role of miRNAs in Drosophila circadian rhythms. At least six miRNAs show cycling expression levels within the pigment dispersing factor (PDF) cell-pacemaker neurons; only mir-92a peaks during the night. In vivo calcium monitoring, dynamics of PDF projections, ArcLight, GCaMP6 imaging and sleep assays indicate that mir-92a suppresses neuronal excitability. In addition, mir-92a levels within PDF cells respond to light pulses and also affect the phase shift response. Translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) and in vitro luciferase reporter assay indicate that mir-92a suppresses expression of sirt2, which is homologous to human sir2 and sirt3. sirt2 RNAi also phenocopies mir-92a overexpression. These experiments indicate that sirt2 is a functional mir-92a target and that mir-92a modulates PDF neuronal excitability via suppressing SIRT2 levels in a rhythmic manner.
Abstract P365: Effects of a Health Partner Intervention on Arterial Health

Introduction: Lifestyle modification is effective for cardiovascular disease prevention. Whether lifestyle intervention also preserves vascular health is less clear. Our study examined the role of ...
Density Functional Theory Calculations on Nitrated Boroxines as Possible High Energy-Density Materials

Density functional theory calculations were performed on a series of nitroboroxine molecules ( cyclo -[BO] 3 -[NO 2 ] x H 3- x , x = 1 – 3) to determine their thermodynamic properties and assess them as potential high energy materials. Minimum-energy geometries of four boroxine molecules were determined, along with their normal modes of vibration. Analysis of the energies of the molecules and their possible decomposition and combustion products suggests an energy contact comparable to that of TNT.
Self-calibration technique for three-point intrinsic alignment correlations in weak lensing surveys

The intrinsic alignment (IA) of galaxies has been shown to be a significant barrier to precision cosmic shear measurements. Recently, Zhang proposed a self-calibration technique for the power spectrum to calculate the induced gravitational shear–galaxy intrinsic ellipticity correlation (GI) in weak lensing surveys with photo-z measurements, which is expected to reduce the IA contamination by at least a factor of 10 for currently proposed surveys. We confirm this using an independent analysis and propose an expansion to the self-calibration technique for the bispectrum in order to calculate the dominant IA gravitational shear–gravitational shear–intrinsic ellipticity correlation (GGI) contamination. We first establish an estimator to extract the galaxy density–density–intrinsic ellipticity (ggI) correlation from the galaxy ellipticity–density–density measurement for a photo-z galaxy sample. We then develop a relation between the GGI and ggI bispectra, which allows for the estimation and removal of the GGI correlation from the cosmic shear signal. We explore the performance of these two methods, compare to other possible sources of error, and show that the GGI self-calibration technique can potentially reduce the IA contamination by up to a factor of 5–10 for all but a few bin choices, thus reducing the contamination to the per cent level. The self-calibration is less accurate for adjacent bins, but still allows for a factor of 3 reduction in the IA contamination. The self-calibration thus promises to be an efficient technique to isolate both the two-point and three-point intrinsic alignment signals from weak lensing measurements.
Cytokine and hormonal regulation of bone marrow immune cell Wnt10b expression.

Background & aims Wnt10b is a crucial regulator of bone density through its ability to promote osteoblastogenesis. Parathyroid hormone has been shown to regulate Wnt10b expression in CD8+ T cells. However, the relative expression and other source(s) of Wnt10b in the bone marrow immune cells (BMICs) is unknown. Sex hormones and cytokines such as, estrogen and TNFα are critical regulators of bone physiology but whether they regulate BMIC Wnt10b expression is unclear. To determine the potential regulation of Wnt10b by estrogen and TNFα, we assessed Wnt10b expression by flow cytometry under estrogen- and TNFα-deficient conditions. Methods Effects of TNFα was determined in male and female C57BL/6 wildtype and TNFα knockout mice. Effect of estrogen was investigated 4, 6 and 8 weeks post-surgery in ovariectomized Balb/c mice. Intracellular Wnt10b was detected using goat anti-mouse Wnt10b and a conjugated secondary antibody and analyzed by flow cytometry. Results Wnt10b expression was sex- and lineage-specific. Females had 1.8-fold higher Wnt10b signal compared to males. Percent of Wnt10b+ myeloid cells was higher in females than males (8.9% Vs 5.4%) but Wnt10b+ lymphoid cells was higher in males than females (6.3% Vs 2.5%). TNFα ablation in males increased total BM Wnt10b expression 1.5-fold but significantly reduced the percentage of BM Wnt10b+ CD4+ T cells (65%), CD8+ T cells (59%), dendritic cells (59%), macrophages (56%) and granulocytes (52%). These effects of TNFα on Wnt10b were observed only in males. In contrast to TNFα, estrogen-deficiency had indirect effects on BMIC Wnt10b levels; reducing the average percentage of BM Wnt10b+ CD8+ T cells (25%) and granulocytes (26%) across an 8-week time course. Conclusion Our results demonstrate unique cell type- and sex-dependent effects on BMIC Wnt10b expression. Together, our results reveal myeloid cells in the bone marrow as an important source of Wnt10b under complex hormonal and cytokine regulation.
Measures of Emergency Department Crowding, Odds Ratios, and the Dangers of Making Continuous Data Categorical: Answers to January 2008 Journal Club Questions

Editor’s note: These questions and answers refer to the Pines and Hollander paper on the effect of emergency department crowding on analgesia administration [Ann Emerg Med. 2008; 51:1-5]. Readers should recognize that these are suggested answers and, although it is hoped that they are correct, are by no means comprehensive. There are many other points that could be made about these questions or about the article in general. Questions are rated “novice,” ( ), “intermediate,” ( ), and “advanced” ( ). Readers should also note that Drs. Pines and Hollander shared their data set with us so that we could better illustrate some of the points we make in the answers and, when we found a few inconsequential blemishes in their data set, granted us permission to use these blemishes as teaching points. We acknowledge their generosity and note that the kinds of errors we detected are likely to be found in any large clinical data set.
When Do Lyapunov Functions Exist on Invariant Neighborhoods

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the existence of Lyapunov functions on invariant neighborhoods. The theory of characterization via Lyapunov functions of compact asymptotically stable sets of dynamical systems defined on locally compact metric spaces is essentially complete. Krasovskii extended such characterization of asymptotically stable critical points of differential systems to include the more general situation where a critical point has a neighborhood containing no other complete trajectories. Further notable developments in these directions have been obtained, for example, in for autonomous differential systems and in for dynamical systems on locally compact spaces. In contrast to the situation for asymptotically stable sets, the characterizing Lyapunov functions are generally not available on any invariant neighborhoods of an isolated compact invariant set. The results include results on the existence of tubes and ∞-tubes as neighborhoods of noncritical points that form the basis of the theory of parallelizable dynamical systems.
Preparing Tomorrow's Nurses for Collaborative Quality Care Through Simulation

Abstract Simulations were introduced into a 2nd semester associate degree nursing program as a teaching strategy designed to enhance learning, promote critical thinking, and bridge the gap between theory and practice. Minimizing error, promoting quality care, and establishing teamwork were among the main objectives. Decision making and completion of assignments and activities were shared. Simulation helps nursing students to build communication skills and collaborate characteristics essential to working within the interprofessional team in today's health care climate.
Stochastic Gain Degradation in III–V Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors Due to Single Particle Displacement Damage

As device dimensions decrease, single displacement effects become more important. We measured the gain degradation in III–V heterojunction bipolar transistors due to single particles using a heavy ion microbeam. Two devices with different sizes were irradiated with various ion species ranging from oxygen to gold to study the effect of the irradiation ion mass on gain change. From the single steps in the inverse gain (which is proportional to the number of defects), we calculated cumulative distribution functions to help determine design margins. The displacement process was modeled using the MARLOWE binary collision approximation code. The entire structure of the device was modeled and the defects in the base–emitter junction were counted to be compared with the experimental results. While we found good agreement for the large device, we had to modify our model to reach reasonable agreement for the small device.
Extraction of effective solid-liquid interfacial free energies for full 3D solid crystallites from equilibrium MD simulations.

Molecular dynamics simulations of an embedded atom copper system in the isobaric-isenthalpic ensemble are used to study the effective solid-liquid interfacial free energy of quasi-spherical solid crystals within a liquid. This is within the larger context of molecular dynamics simulations of this system undergoing solidification, where single individually prepared crystallites of different sizes grow until they reach a thermodynamically stable final state. The resulting equilibrium shapes possess the full structural details expected for solids with weakly anisotropic surface free energies (in these cases, ∼5% radial flattening and rounded [111] octahedral faces). The simplifying assumption of sphericity and perfect isotropy leads to an effective interfacial free energy as appearing in the Gibbs-Thomson equation, which we determine to be ∼177 erg/cm2, roughly independent of crystal size for radii in the 50-250 A range. This quantity may be used in atomistically informed models of solidification kinetics for this system.
Mechanotransduction Mechanisms in Mitral Valve Physiology and Disease Pathogenesis

The mitral valve exists in a mechanically demanding environment, with the stress of each cardiac cycle deforming and shearing the native fibroblasts and endothelial cells. Cells and their extracellular matrix exhibit a dynamic reciprocity in the growth and formation of tissue through mechanotransduction and continuously adapt to physical cues in their environment through gene, protein, and cytokine expression. Valve disease is the most common congenital heart defect with watchful waiting and valve replacement surgery the only treatment option. Mitral valve disease (MVD) has been linked to a variety of mechano-active genes ranging from extracellular components, mechanotransductive elements, and cytoplasmic and nuclear transcription factors. Specialized cell receptors, such as adherens junctions, cadherins, integrins, primary cilia, ion channels, caveolae, and the glycocalyx, convert mechanical cues into biochemical responses via a complex of mechanoresponsive elements, shared signaling modalities, and integrated frameworks. Understanding mechanosensing and transduction in mitral valve-specific cells may allow us to discover unique signal transduction pathways between cells and their environment, leading to cell or tissue specific mechanically targeted therapeutics for MVD.
Implementation of cross correlation for energy discrimination on the time-of-flight spectrometer CORELLI

The CORELLI instrument at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a statistical chopper spectrometer designed and optimized to probe complex disorder in crystalline materials through diffuse scattering experiments. On CORELLI, the high efficiency of white-beam Laue diffraction combined with elastic discrimination have enabled an unprecedented data collection rate to obtain both the total and the elastic-only scattering over a large volume of reciprocal space from a single measurement. To achieve this, CORELLI is equipped with a statistical chopper to modulate the incoming neutron beam quasi-randomly, and then the cross-correlation method is applied to reconstruct the elastic component from the scattering data. Details of the implementation of the cross-correlation method on CORELLI are given and its performance is discussed.
Performance of Optimized Wide Pore Superficially Porous Particles for Separation of Proteins and Immunoglobulin G Antibodies.

In this study, we studied the chromatographic performance of this newly developed wide pore superficially porous particles (SPPs) with 3.5 μm particle size and 450 A pore size, for the separation of proteins and Immunoglobulin G antibodies. We studied the selectivity of different phases (C4, SB-C18 and Diphenyl), the effect of temperature, column carryover and column chemical lifetime. We also compared our SPPs with other wide pore SPPs in similar particle sizes and sub 2 µ wide pore totally porous particles by van Deemter studies and gradient separations of proteins and immunoglobulin G antibodies. The results showed that the SPPs containing larger pore size gave better chromatographic performance.
Creating Dynamic Documents with R and Python as a Computational and Visualization Tool for Teaching Differential Equations

The goal of this paper is to promote the use of R and Python as high-level, free, open-source programming environments that can be used as a computational and visualization tool for teaching differ...
Minimization of immunosuppression: transplant immunology.

Abstract Induction of tolerance, which obviates the need for maintenance immunosuppression following organ transplantation remains elusive. In cardiac transplantation, ongoing immunosuppressive therapy is essential to ensure long-term graft survival. Although drug regimens have substantially improved in recent years, their adverse effects continue to cause significant morbidity and affect quality of life. Newer immunosuppressive therapies have been effective at reducing allograft rejection rates in the short term but long term outcomes have changed little in the last two decades. Minimization of immunosuppression requires appreciation of the potential consequence. High risk patients in particular need to be identified and excluded from low intensity immunosuppressive regimens. A variety options exist for lowering of immunosuppression and steroid weaning has now become common practice with about 40% of all cardiac transplant recipients remaining steroid free in the long term. Minimization of calcineurin inhibitor exposure may be achieved with concurrent use of the more potent anti-proliferative agents mycophenolate mofetil and sirolimus. Patients require close monitoring for rejection during weaning. In addition to the conventional clinical parameters which include therapeutic drug monitoring, endomyocardial biopsy and echocardiography, newer techniques for monitoring hold future promise. These include detection of circulating alloantibodies and quantitative measurement of the net state of immunosuppression (Cylex ® ). However, the efficacy of these modalities requires further investigation.
Teens as Teachers in the Garden: Cultivating a Sustainable Model for Teaching Healthy Living

School gardens are an ideal space to deliver a healthy living curriculum, such as nutrition and physical activity education, to elementary school youth. However, public schools often lack the resources and support to establish sustainable garden-based programming. We created the Healthy Living Ambassador program, a collaborative after-school garden program in low-income communities that brought together resources from schools, community programs, and University of California Cooperative Extension. This school garden program featured culturally competent teens as teachers to serve as near-peer educators and mentors to elementary school youth. The program development model incorporated lessons from sustainable community-based health program interventions and essential elements of teens-as-teachers programs. We share the program logic model and discuss the successes and challenges of this program model that we encountered while developing a long-term, maintainable community garden program to teach healthy living.
Taking Stock of Drug Courts: Do They Work?

Although researchers, policymakers, and practitioners alike have long known about the established link between substance abuse and criminal behavior, criminal justice agencies in the United States ...
Strained silacycle-catalyzed asymmetric Diels-alder cycloadditions : the first highly enantioselective silicon Lewis acid catalyst

Abstract The first highly enantioselective silicon Lewis acid catalyst for an asymmetric organic transformation has been developed. The catalyst derives its activity from the strain induced in the silicon center by virtue of being constrained in a five-membered ring. A simple tridentate ligand has been developed and the derived chlorosilane complex catalyzes the Diels–Alder cycloaddition of methacrolein and cyclopentadiene with 94% ee.
Modeling of karst aquifers

Abstract Flow in karst systems can occur in at least three modes: matrix, fracture, and conduits. Matrix flow, or flow in the (primary) intergranular pore space, is laminar and generally accepted to be well described by Darcy's equation. Laminar flow through secondary openings (joints, fissures, faults, and bedding plane partings) also occurs in many carbonate aquifers. Secondary and matrix flows are frequently lumped together, characterized as diffuse flow, and represented using Darcy's equation. Conduit flow occurs through larger pathways, such as open conduits, and may be laminar or turbulent, depending on the conditions. Karst aquifers can be modeled using response function approaches, lumped parameter models, and distributed parameter models. Response-function and lumped-parameter or reservoir models are generally limited to the predictions of spring flows, but can be useful when data are sparse and when the system output can be correlated with input. It is advisable to limit the use of these models to the range of conditions and stages over which the correlations were established. Distributed parameter models can be classified as embedded discrete-conduit models; single-continuum, smeared-conduit models; and dual-continuum models. Current state-of-the-science karst modeling approaches employ distributed parameters and have the ability to simulate laminar flow in the matrix and both laminar and turbulent flow in the conduits under fully saturated and partially saturated hydraulic conditions.
The Role of Flow in Dissemination of Recommendations for Hedonic Products in User-Generated Review Websites

The widely publicized impact of user-generated review (UGR) sites on sales has spawned a large number of studies on user behaviors on UGR sites. These existing studies center on conversions of visi...
The right to paid annual leave as an EU fundamental social right. Comment on Bauer et al.: Joined Cases C-569/16 and C-570/16 Stadt Wuppertal v. Maria Elisabeth Bauer and Volker Willmeroth v. Martina Broßonn, EU:C:2018:871:

This case note examines the judgment of Court of Justice of the European Union delivered in Joined Cases C-569/16 and C-570/16 Stadt Wuppertal v. Maria Elisabeth Bauer and Volker Willmeroth v. Martina Brosonn on 6 November 2018. It engages with the noteworthy aspects of the ruling, such as the horizontal direct effect of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the Charter), the relationship between primary and secondary law in the European Union legal order and the scope of application of the Charter.
No Evidence of Increased Infection Risk with Forced-Air Warming Devices: A Systematic Review.

Introduction Forced-air warming devices have been reported to present a potential risk for surgical site infections (SSIs) and periprosthetic joint infections. Due to a lack of consensus, we reviewed the infection risk of forced-air warming devices. Materials and methods A systematic literature review was performed, evaluating overall infection risk and bacterial load. A total of eight studies reporting outcomes from 1,965 subjects were included. Results and conclusions There is no current evidence in the orthopaedic literature that forced-air warming devices translate to increased SSIs. Accordingly, these devices should continue to be used for the maintenance of intraoperative normothermia.
Plasticity in Motion: Shape-Shifting Lgr5−Cells Initiate Colorectal Cancer Metastasis

Summary In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Fumagalli et al. (2020) employ intravital microscopy of colorectal cancer organoid xenografts to investigate the cell of origin of metastases. While tumor-initiating cells are Lgr5+, most disseminated cancer cells are Lgr5− and seed liver metastases in which Lgr5+ cells then appear, showing that bidirectional plasticity of phenotypic states drives metastasis.
The effect of social odour context on the amount of time male meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, self-groom

Communicational behaviours by individuals provide information for not only the intended target(s) of the signal but any non-target individual(s) that may be nearby. For terrestrial mammals a major form of communication and social information is through odours via scent marking and self-grooming. Self-grooming is a ubiquitous behaviour in mammals with the function thought to primarily be centred on personal care. But it has been found in rodents that self-grooming will occur in the presence of social odours thus potentially serving a communicative role. For example, male meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) self-groom in the presence of a female conspecific odour but not a male conspecific odour. Most studies examining self-grooming as a form of olfactory communication have used single odour donors but in a natural environment individuals will come across complex social odour situations. Therefore, we examined how male meadow voles respond to complex social odours with regards to their self-grooming behaviour. We tested the hypothesis that self-grooming can act as a form of olfactory communication and that male meadow voles will control this behaviour measured by differences in self-grooming rates based on social contexts. Male meadow voles did not show differences in the amount of time spent self-grooming to social odours that contained a female and varying number of rival males (0, 1, 3, or 5) or if the social odour contained an acquainted or novel male. Male meadow voles did self-groom more to a social odour that contained a female and a younger male compared to when the social odour contained a female and older male. Male meadow voles appear to adjust their self-grooming behaviour based on the context of the social information. This may be a strategy that can maximize that individual’s fitness by adjusting how much information is provided to potential rivals and mates.
Partnering with Middle Eastern/Arab American and Latino Immigrant Communities to Increase Participation in Alzheimer's Disease Research.

Purpose: Recruitment and retention of US ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in research continues to pose challenges. The Michigan Center for Contextual Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease (MCCFAD) engages with two underserved immigrant commu­nities in Michigan – Middle Eastern/Arab Americans in metro-Detroit and Latinos in the Grand Rapids area – to recruit and retain two Participant Resource Pools (PRP). Procedures: We adapt an existing commu­nity-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to recruit Middle Eastern/Arab American and Latino adults of all ages for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) research. Using American Commu­nity Survey (2014-2018) data, we compare socio-demographic characteristics of Middle Eastern/Arab Americans and Latinos living in Michigan to our PRPs. Assessment tools and community advisory board feedback identified missteps and culturally sensitive solutions. Main Findings: In the first year of MCCFAD activities, 100 Middle Eastern/ Arab Americans and 117 Latinos joined the MCCFAD PRPs. Comparisons to state-level data showed that PRP participants were on average older and more likely to be female than the Middle Eastern/Arab American and Latino populations in Michigan. Further, Middle Eastern/Arab Americans in the PRP reported higher education levels while Latinos reported lower education levels than their respective statewide populations. Community partnerships/feedback identi­fied the importance of connecting with community leaders, attending to matters of within-group diversity, as well as language and semantics. Conclusion: Partnership with communities to develop culturally targeted and sensitive community health events can fill a signifi­cant gap in addressing ADRD health dispari­ties by establishing sustainable relationships to increase participation in ADRD research. Ethn Dis. 2020;30(Suppl 2):765-774; doi:10.18865/ed.30.S2.765
The Case for Mom and Dad

An extensive and diverse body of research finds that, compared to children continuously living with two parents, married parents, or their own biological parents, children in other family arrangements consistently experience lower emotional wellbeing, physical health and academic achievement. Competing studies have variously attributed this difference to a lack of 1) married parents, 2) two parents, 3) complementary man/woman parents, or 4) family stability, but these possibilities have not previously been studied in combination. To address this question, family structure differences and determinants of child wellbeing (reverse coded to show child distress) were examined using the 2008-2018 National Health Interview Surveys (n=82,635). Separately, adjusted odds ratios (AOR) for child emotional problems were higher with fewer than two parents (AOR 1.42 95% CI 1.27-1.56), unmarried parents (1.46 95% CI 1.31-1.61), unstable parents (1.55 95% CI 1.27-1.76) or fewer than two biological parents (AOR 1.70 95% CI 1.55-2.87 for one biological parent; 4.77 95% CI 3.95-5.77 for no biological parents). When combined in the same model only the lack of joint biological parentage accounted for higher distress, with outcomes significantly worse without the biological father than without the biological mother (Interaction AOR 1.33 95% CI 1.04-1.71). This evidence strongly supports the claim that maximum child development occurs only in the persistent care of both of the child’s own biological parents. Marriage benefits children primarily by ensuring such care. Implications are discussed.
Gaussian Half-Duplex Diamond Networks: Ratio of Capacity the Best Relay Can Achieve

This paper considers Gaussian half-duplex diamond $n$ -relay networks, where a source communicates with a destination by hopping information through one layer of $n$ non-communicating relays that operate in half-duplex. The main focus consists of investigating the following question: What is the contribution of a single relay on the approximate capacity of the entire network? In particular, approximate capacity refers to a quantity that approximates the Shannon capacity within an additive gap which only depends on $n$ , and is independent of the channel parameters. This paper answers the above question by providing a fundamental bound on the ratio between the approximate capacity of the highest-performing single relay and the approximate capacity of the entire network, for any number $n$ . Surprisingly, it is shown that such a ratio guarantee is $f = 1/(2+2\cos (2\pi /(n+2)))$ , that is a sinusoidal function of $n$ , which decreases as $n$ increases. It is also shown that the aforementioned ratio guarantee is tight , i.e., there exist Gaussian half-duplex diamond $n$ -relay networks, where the highest-performing relay has an approximate capacity equal to an $f$ fraction of the approximate capacity of the entire network.
The cost of scientific patronage

Military funding encouraged researchers to think of the ocean as a theater of war rather than a dynamic ecosystem
Implementation and Effectiveness of a Completely Virtual Pathology Rotation for Visiting Medical Students.

OBJECTIVES: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) upended in-person medical education, relocating many activities online. We designed a completely virtual pathology rotation to replace our traditional visiting rotation. METHODS: The virtual away rotation was listed in the Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) and advertised on social media as well as various medical student mailing lists. Nine students were selected to participate in three month-long rotations. The virtual curriculum mirrored our typical in-person clerkship with didactic lectures and daily signout but also included activities exclusive to the virtual rotation such as digitally scanned slide trays and small-group problem-based learning. Anonymous surveys were conducted in which both participants and instructors rated their experiences. RESULTS: Postrotation feedback was overwhelmingly positive from both participants and instructors. Students considered virtual slide sessions as the most effective teaching tool and did not feel hindered overall by lack of in-person experiences. Volunteer trainee instructors indicated the experience improved their teaching and diagnostic skills and expressed interest in teaching future virtual courses. CONCLUSIONS: The success of the virtual away rotation raises consideration for applications beyond the pandemic era and may provide a more level playing field for medical students from underrepresented groups.
Thousands of Hindu Gods – Made in China. Seven Reasons Why India's Manufacturing Competitiveness Lags China's

Despite a supply chain extending 7,367 kilometers, and Chinese labor costs that significantly exceed those in India, thousands of Hindu gods are manufactured in China and shipped to the Indian market, outcompeting local producers. This article asks if China subsidizes its exporters, and identifies seven bottlenecks impeding the competitiveness of Indian manufacturers. India has had a more than 2000 year history of entrepreneurship. Yet, it was only in 2014 that the Modi government launched its “Make-In-India” campaign to further Indian manufacturing and exports. The issue is critical because each year around 20 million Indians attain the age of 18, and most look for jobs. The Modi government needs to do something stronger to avoid turning the vaunted “demographic dividend” into a demographic time-bomb. With rising labor rates in China, and a strengthening Yuan, can (or should) India try to take over from China the mantle of “factory of the world”?
STRUCTURALLY DISTINCT DISINTEGRINS CONTORTROSTATIN AND MULTISQUAMATIN DIFFERENTIALLY REGULATE PLATELET TYROSINE PHOSPHORYLATION

Tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple platelet proteins is regulated by the integrin alpha IIb beta 3. In order to further examine integrin-regulated tyrosine phosphorylation, we have used small Arg-Gly-Asp-containing snake venom proteins (termed disintegrins) that inhibit platelet aggregation to competitively block the agonist-induced binding of fibrinogen to alpha IIb beta 3. One structurally unique disintegrin, contortrostatin (which appears to be a disulfide-linked dimer of 13.5 kDa with two Arg-Gly-Asp sites), was found to trigger signaling events typically mediated by fibrinogen cross-linking of alpha IIb beta 3, as demonstrated by tyrosine phosphorylation of the tyrosine kinase pp72syk and a 140-kDa protein. Contortrostatin and another disintegrin, multisquamatin (a monomer of 5.7 kDa with a single Arg-Gly-Asp site), did not affect thrombin-induced platelet shape change, secretion, or integrin-independent tyrosine phosphorylation; however, they inhibited aggregation and aggregation-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of numerous proteins, including the focal adhesion kinase pp125FAK. Our results suggest that structurally distinct disintegrins have varying effects on tyrosine phosphorylation; while monomeric multisquamatin and dimeric contortrostatin both inhibit aggregation-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation, contortrostatin also possesses a unique functional activity that allows it to activate an intracellular signaling pathway leading to tyrosine phosphorylation. This activity may be involved in the function of this snake venom protein on hemostasis.
Contractual savings, stock, and asset markets

The authors study the relationship between the development of insurance, and contractual savings, (the assets and portfolio composition of pension funds, and life and non-life insurance companies) and the development of stock markets (market capitalization and value traded). Their contribution lies in providing cross-country, and time-series on a hypothesis that is very popular - but had not been substantiated - among supporters of funded pension systems, and insurance in which reserves are largely invested in tradable securities (equities and bonds). The authors present a three-assets model (money, quasi money, and shares) to study the effects of the development of contractual savings (pension funds and life insurance companies) and non-life insurance companies on assets market equilibrium, and on stock market development. They use an unbalanced panel of 21 OECD, and 5 developing countries, and an error components two-stage least squares (EC2SLS) estimator, including a test for endogeneity of these institutional investors. The results support the hypothesis that contractual savings, and non-life insurance companies can be treated as exogenous to the development of stock markets; that contractual savings and non-life insurance companies, as well as their portfolio policies, promote stock market development as measured by stock market capitalization, and value traded as a share of GDP. The results show that stock market capitalization is positively correlated with the return on stocks, the assets of contractual savings and non-life insurance companies, the shares of stocks in the portfolios of contractual savings and non-life insurance companies, and the value traded stocks. Stock market capitalization is negatively correlated with the real interest rate, the real return on money (measured by the inverse of inflation), and stock market volatility. Stock market value traded is positively correlated with the shares of stocks in the portfolios of contractual savings and non-life insurance companies, and the real return on money. It is negatively correlated with the real interest rate. The authors conclude that insurance and contractual savings are powerful instruments for developing stock markets, providing depth and liquidity. Higher liquidity, in turn, further promotes market capitalization.
Anomaly detection and traffic shaping under self-similar aggregated traffic in optical switched networks

The study in traffic analysis has shown that modern network produces traffic streams that are self-similar over several times scales from microseconds to minutes. Simulations studies have demonstrated that self-similarity leads to a larger queueing delays and higher drop rates than the Markovian short range dependence (SRD) traffic. At the same time, the dynamic expansion of applications on modern network gives rise to a fundamental challenge for network monitoring and security. Therefore, it is critical to reduce the degree of second order scaling for better network performance and detects traffic anomalies efficiently. In this paper, we propose an approach, which can capture the traffic anomalies and decrease the degree of long range dependence at the conjunction of the optical packet switching backbone network. In this method, a traffic shaping technique is proposed and a reference model is generated based on the well-behaving traffic anomaly detection. Further, we apply the compensation bursty parameter for smoothing the deviation error caused by burstiness difference existing in the traffic data sets. The simulation results show that our work can decrease the degree of self-similarity and detect the anomaly-behaving traffic efficiently.
LIM+ Challenge Problems by RUE Hyper-Resolution

Our purpose is to discuss a series of experiments proposed by Bledsoe [1] using a general purpose theorem prover, complete for first order logic, based on the resolution principle of Robinson but enhanced by an extended definition of resolution which incorporates the axioms of equality.
Abandoned-baby laws.

In this column, the author examines the current status of abandoned-baby laws in the United States and how it can impact the work of childbirth educators.
Street-Level trust semantics for attribute authentication

The problem of determining whether a receiver may safely accept attributes (e.g., identity, credentials, location) of unknown senders in various online social protocols is a special instance of a more general problem of establishing trust in interactive protocols. We introduce the notion of interactive trust protocols to illustrate the usefulness of social collateral in reducing the inherent trust asymmetry in large classes of online user interactions. We define a social collateral model that allows receivers to accept attributes from unknown senders based on explicit recommendations received from social relations. We use social collateral as a measure of both social relations and "tie strength" among individuals to provide different degrees of accountability when accepting attribute information from unknown senders. Our model is robust in the face of several specific attacks, such as impersonation and tie-strength-amplification attacks. Preliminary experiments with visualization of measured tie strength among users of a social network indicate that the model is usable by ordinary protocol participants.
Assessing Spinal Axon Regeneration and Sprouting in Nogo-, MAG-, and OMgp-Deficient Mice

A central hypothesis for the limited capacity for adult central nervous system (CNS) axons to regenerate is the presence of myelin-derived axon growth inhibitors, the role of which, however, remains poorly understood. We have conducted a comprehensive genetic analysis of the three major myelin inhibitors, Nogo, MAG, and OMgp, in injury-induced axonal growth, including compensatory sprouting of uninjured axons and regeneration of injured axons. While deleting any one inhibitor in mice enhanced sprouting of corticospinal or raphespinal serotonergic axons, there was neither associated behavioral improvement nor a synergistic effect of deleting all three inhibitors. Furthermore, triple-mutant mice failed to exhibit enhanced regeneration of either axonal tract after spinal cord injury. Our data indicate that while Nogo, MAG, and OMgp may modulate axon sprouting, they do not play a central role in CNS axon regeneration failure.
Microflora from the alimentary tract of healthy southern pine beetles, Dendroctonus frontalis (Scolytidae), and their possible relationship to pathogenicity

Abstract The microflora of healthy larvae and adults of the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis , were determined by aseptically excising portions of the fore-, mid-, and hindguts and culturing them on agar. Aerobacter aerogenes, Alcaligenes faecalis , and Serratia marcescens were the principal species of bacteria recovered, and Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. were the principal genera of fungi. Seven of the species recovered were identical with facultative or conditioned pathogens recovered from diseased beetles in other studies.
A New Species of Henneguya (Myxosporidea: Myxobolidae) from the Black Drum Pogonias cromis in Clear Lake, Texas

SYNOPSIS. Henneguya texana n. sp. (Myxosporidea: Myxobolidae) is described from the gill filaments of 2 out of 47 specimens of marine sciaenid fish Pogonias cromis collected from Clear Lake, Texas. The spore body is 7–9 by 6–7 μ (mean 8.1 by 6.7 μ) with a thickness of 4–5 μ (mean 4.7 μ). The 2 fused, tapering caudal processes are 36–59 μ (mean 48.65 μ) long. The parasitized fish were collected in December 1970 and January 1971 were 168 and 482 mm in total length, respectively.
Auroral currents during the magnetic storm of November 8 and 9, 1991: Observations from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite Particle Environment Monitor

The development of the intensity and location of Birkeland currents associated with the magnetic storm of November 8-9, 1991 is reported. Total Birkeland currents exceed 30 MA, more than six times nominal values, indicating Joule heating of about 3 x lO exp 12 W. Birkeland currents below 50 deg, polar cap currents indicative of antisunward convection, and cusp particle signatures of southward IMF all persist at least eight hours into recovery phase of the storm.