cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ras Signaling Is Required for Serum-Induced Hyphal Differentiation in Candida albicans

Serum induces Candida albicans to make a rapid morphological change from the yeast cell form to hyphae. Contrary to the previous reports, we found that serum albumin does not play a critical role in this morphological change. Instead, a filtrate (molecular mass, <1 kDa) devoid of serum albumin induces hyphae. To study genes controlling this response, we have isolated the RAS1 gene from C. albicans by complementation. The Candida Ras1 protein, like Ras1 and Ras2 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, has a long C-terminal extension. Although RAS1 appears to be the only RAS gene present in the C. albicans genome, strains homozygous for a deletion of RAS1 (ras1-2/ras1-3) are viable. The Candida ras1-2/ras1-3 mutant fails to form germ tubes and hyphae in response to serum or to a serum filtrate but does form pseudohyphae. Moreover, strains expressing the dominant active RAS1V13 allele manifest enhanced hyphal growth, whereas those expressing a dominant negative RAS1A16 allele show reduced hyphal growth. These data show that low-molecular-weight molecules in serum induce hyphal differentiation in C. albicans through a Ras-mediated signal transduction pathway.
Re-Creating Street-Level Practice: The Role of Routines, Work Groups, and Team Learning

Ample research documents the ubiquity of routines in street-level practice. Some individual-level and organizational-level research has explored how to break street-level routines, but little has looked at the work group level. Our study observed teams of state child welfare workers over 2.5 years, documenting whether they discarded old routines and learned new ones. Results suggest that team characteristics such as clear direction and reflective behaviors had greater influence on team learning than individual characteristics such as stress level, tenure, and educational level. We suggest that group-level factors be included in future models of what enables the re-creation of street-level practice.
Solarthermal Processing: A Review

Research on solarthermal processing and the need for alternative energy sources have reached the point where efforts to develop some industrial processes and expand research to suggest others are at least desirable, if not imperative. This paper presents a rationale for such an effort, describes the underlying thermodynamics, and summarizes much of the research which has been conducted in the years since the end of World War II. Major emphasis is placed on the work that has been done since the imposition of the 1973 oil embargo and the present.
Emerging Market Macroeconomic Resilience to External Shocks: Today versus Pre–Global Crisis

How resilient are emerging market economies to potentially tougher external conditions, especially if they become prolonged? This paper takes the view that initial economic conditions before the eruption of an adverse external shock matter, and they matter a lot. In particular, the literature shows that policy decisions taken in the pre-crisis period played a major role in explaining a country's performance, in terms of financial stability and economic growth, during the global financial crisis. With that as the starting point, the rest of this essay is organized in two sections. The first identifies the relevant variables that need to be assessed to determine emerging markets' resilience to adverse external shocks. Using a sample of 21 emerging market economies, the values of the identified variables in 2007 (the pre-global financial crisis year) are compared with the respective values at the end of 2014. The second section uses the identified variables to construct an indicator of relative resilience for emerging market economies. Despite some limitations, this indicator identifies how a country ranks against its peers and whether its relative ability to withstand external shocks has increased or decreased since the global financial crisis.
Stomatal Patterning and Guard Cell Differentiation

Gas exchange between plants and the atmosphere takes place through stomata (singular,stoma), which are microscopic valves on the plant epidermis composed of paired guard cells. Stomatal differentiationinvolves a series of asymmetric divisions of precursor cells followed by a single symmetric celldivision that produces terminally differentiated guard cell pairs. Stomatal development emerged as a modelsystem to study how environmental- and cell-cell signals translate into site/orientation of asymmetric celldivision and cell-type differentiation. This chapter focuses on cell-state transition events leading toguard cell differentiation in the model plant Arabidopsis, and cell-cell signaling mechanisms controllingstomatal patterning. Understanding how cell-cycle regulators influence stomatal patterning and differentiationwill advance our knowledge of cell division control in plant development.
Multi-objective POMDPs with lexicographic reward preferences

We propose a model, Lexicographic Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (LPOMDP), which extends POMDPs with lexicographic preferences over multiple value functions. It allows for slack-slightly less-than-optimal values-for higher-priority preferences to facilitate improvement in lower-priority value functions. Many real life situations are naturally captured by LPOMDPs with slack. We consider a semi-autonomous driving scenario in which time spent on the road is minimized, while maximizing time spent driving autonomously. We propose two solutions to LPOMDPs-Lexicographic Value Iteration (LVI) and Lexicographic Point-Based Value Iteration (LPBVI), establishing convergence results and correctness within strong slack bounds. We test the algorithms using real-world road data provided by Open Street Map (OSM) within 10 major cities. Finally, we present GPU-based optimizations for point-based solvers, demonstrating that their application enables us to quickly solve vastly larger LPOMDPs and other variations of POMDPs.
Ito's Dilemma (B)

Mrs. Ito decides to use $100,000 of her retirement funds to play the stock-options market. To understand option pricing better, she asks a seminar instructor qualitative questions about why certain option prices have changed since the first of the year. This case highlights the determinants of option value. In particular, the influence of volatility is demonstrated. See also the B case (UVA-F-0937).
Fullerene Based n-type Organic Thin-Film Transistors

Significant progress has been made in the area of p-type organic field effect transistors while progress in developing n-type materials and devices has been comparatively lacking, a limiting factor in the pursuit to develop complementary organic electronic circuits. Given the need for n-type organic semiconductors we have carried out studies using two different fullerene molecules, C60 and C70. Here, we report mobilities for C60 ranging from 0.02 cm2/Vs up to 0.65 cm2/Vs (depending on channel length), and mobilities from 0.003 cm2/Vs up to 0.066 cm2/Vs for C70. All devices were fabricated with organic films deposited under high vacuum but tested at ambient pressures under nitrogen.
Smart Grid in America and Europe: Past Accomplishments and Future Plans (Part 2)

Smart grid fever is heating up the world, from west to east, from the United States to China, and many places in between. The governments of the European Union (E.U.) and the United States (U.S.) have the most comprehensive and aggressive smart grid implementation programs. A comparison of the overall efforts of the two governments indicates a similar understanding of the smart grid definition, but differing smart grid deployment approaches. The European Commission has focused more on setting goals and developing plans and strategies instead of creating a comprehensive legislative framework. While the U.S. has developed slightly more legislation compared to the E.U., it has focused more on implementing research and development projects via stimulus funds. Given their different approaches, it is therefore unsurprising that with respects to specific topics the E.U. and the U.S. generally have different levels of focus. On one hand, both the E.U. and the U.S. agree that smart meter deployment is a basic requirement of the smart grid, and both are meeting similar challenges like consumer dissatisfaction and privacy concerns. On the other hand, the E.U. has focused on distributed generation and microgrids and the U.S. has focused on creating standards for interoperability and security. The technical aspects also require policy compliments and there is a serious need to address in depth three policy issues: public education, cost recovery of smart grid components, and the labor shortage facing the electric industry in both the E.U. and the U.S. The research and policy topics discussed in this paper are selected due to their long-term importance and the public’s current interests. Nevertheless, this is only the beginning of smart grid deployment efforts worldwide. Due to the multifaceted nature of smart grid deployment the two governments face many more challenges in the days to come.
Abstract WP408: Patent Foramen Ovale in Childhood Arterial Ischemic Stroke: Prevalence and Stroke Recurrence in a Prospective Cohort

Background and Objectives: The role of patent foramen ovale (PFO) in childhood arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) is poorly understood. We aimed to define the prevalence of PFO in children with first A...
Toxicity of Chemical and Microbial Insecticides to Pest and Beneficial Insects on Poled Tomatoes

Multiple applications of insecticides were made to poled tomatoes in three experiments conducted during 1961 and 1962. High dosages of Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis Berliner showed promise for the control of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), and the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hubner), as well as for the prevention of fruit damage by the tomato fruitworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie). As expected, B. thuringiensis did not adequately control the potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), or dipterous leafminers, Liriomyza spp. In one experiment, a reduction in the rate of parasitization of leafminer larvae by two hymenopterous species occurred in B. thuringiensis plots. Sevin® (1-naphthyl N -methylcarbamate) as a dust, and DDT, diazinon, naled and Zectran® (4-dimethylamino-3,5-xylyl methylcarbamate) as sprays provided good control of leafminers, cabbage loopers, and beet armyworms in one of the experiments. Each of these materials also greatly reduced the numbers of adult hymenopterous parasites in the experimental plots. Varying degrees of fair to excellent protection of fruit from tomato fruitworm damage was obtained with these compounds as well as with malathion, toxaphene, and DDT plus toxaphene.
A Tiny New Eocene Ceratomorph and Comments on “Tapiroid” Systematics

The Elderberry Canyon Local Fauna, from the Sheep Pass Formation near Ely, Nevada, is represented by >40 vertebrate taxa, indicating an early Bridgerian (early middle Eocene) Age. More than 30 of the taxa are mammals, including five species of primitive ceratomorphs, one of which is described herein as a new genus and species. Perhaps the smallest perissodactyl known, this new form has nonmolariform premolars, teeth at P1/p1 positions, and no hypoconulid on m3. It is phylogenetically near Hyrachyus and Dilophodon . These genera are close to the origin of Rhinocerotoidea, and are rhinocerotoids if the superfamily is defined by loss of the hypoconulid on m3.
Impact of Feeding by Tomato Fruitworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and Beet Armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), on Processing Tomato Fruit Quality

Artificial infestations of Heliothis zea (Boddie) and Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) were made on three field plantings of processing tomatoes on a weekly basis in 1982 and 1983 to establish the damage relationship between infestations of each species during the season and damage at harvest. Comparisons of damage by both species were made to determine differences by week, level of infestation, and the week × level interaction. Damage was higher in the sampled plots during the season than in plots infested at the same time but sampled for damage at harvest. In general, the amount of damage recorded at harvest was greater as the date of infestation approached the harvest date. Differences in seasonal damage and damage at harvest were observed between weeks, between levels of infestation, and between the week × level interaction for all of the third-instar H. zea larval infestations, but only for the highest infestation levels of third-instar S. exigua . During 1982, when lower infestation levels were used, differences in damage due to timing of damage were not significant, although the general pattern held. During 1983, late instars were used, resulting in less mortality, higher levels of damage, and less variable damage.
Reduced astrocyte viability at physiological temperatures from magnetically activated iron oxide nanoparticles.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) can generate heat when subjected to an alternating magnetic field (AMF). In the European Union, SPIONs actuated by AMF are used in hyperthermia treatment of glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Current data from clinical trials suggest that this therapy improves patient life expectancy, but their effect on healthy brain cells is virtually unknown. Thus, a viability study involving SPIONs subjected to an AMF was carried out on healthy cortical rat astrocytes, the most abundant cell type in the mammalian brain. The cells were cultured with aminosilane- or starch-coated SPIONs with or without application of an AMF. Significant cell death (p < 0.05) was observed only when SPIONs were added to astrocyte cultures and subjected to an AMF. Unexpectedly, the decrease in astrocyte viability was observed at physiological temperatures (34–40 °C) with AMF. A further decrease in astrocyte viability was found only when bulk temperatures exceeded...
Further Studies on Growth-promoting Factor of Exudates.

SummaryThere is present in inflammatory exudates a diffusible growth-promoting factor which can be purified further from concentrated diffusate by precipitation at pH 4.5 with N acetic acid. Repeated injections of the fraction in its present state of purification induce in non-pregnant rabbits conspicuous hyperplasia of epithelial structures as well as a condition in breast tissue simulating that seen in chronic cystic mastitis. A state of irreversibility is established upon termination of a prolonged course of injections of growth-promoting factor of exudates. The enlarged nipples fail to regress in size, though administration of the active material is discontinued. By enzymatic inactivation, evidence is advanced that both nucleotide and peptide structures appear to play a role in biological activity of the growth-promoting factor of exudates.
Target manufacturing – A “grand challenge" for inertial fusion

One of the most significant "grand challenges" for inertial fusion is to develop robust processes capable of manufacturing Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) targets with ignition-quality specifications in large quantities and at low cost. In addition, these DT-filled, cryogenic targets must be rapidly delivered to the center of a target chamber with high placement accuracy, and tracked on their journey into the chamber with high precision to permit steering of the driver beams for the implosion. Plant designs typically are based on repetition rates of 5 to 10 shots per second (∼500,000 targets per day for a 1000MW(e) power plant). Laser fusion designs typically require alignment of the driver beams with the targets at chamber center to ten's of microns. While much progress has been made, reliably fueling an IFE power plant with high-yield, low-cost, targets will remain a significant "grand challenge" of inertial fusion over the next decade.
Will the “Battle of Brands” Undergo a Structural Change? A Case of Generics

The introduction of generics to the U.S. market appears to have launched the retail industry into developing three-tried brand labels. Although it seems certain generics are here to stay in the marketpalce, all of them are not likely to be successful. This study has revealed wide variations in shopper attitude toward various generics.
Mechanical properties of sintered hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate ceramic.

The ultimate values for compressive strength, Young's modulus, and toughness of cylindrical specimens of unitary aspect ratios and uniform grain-size distributions were extrapolated for hydroxyapatite (HAP) to 70 MPa, 9.2 GPa, and 0.36 J cm(-3), and for tricalcium phosphate (TCP), to 315 MPa, 21 GPa, and 2.34 J cm(-3). For total volume porosities of 50%, the corresponding values were determined: for HAP, 9.3 MPa, 1.2 GPa, 0.042 J cm(-3), for TCP, 13 MPa, 1.6 GP, 0.077 J cm(-3). Porosities of HAP specimens ranged from 3%-50%; TCP from 10%-70%. Two pore-size distributions were employed. Exponential dependencies of the mechanical properties were found upon porosity (p < 0.0001). No differences in measured mechanical properties, as determined in compression, could be attributed to pore size. The superiority of TCP increases with density and suggests that a larger or more selective pore-size distribution could be effectively employed in TCP biological implants. This work also suggests the dominant role of secondary calcium phosphates in increasing compressive strengths.
White-Faced Capuchin (Cebus capucinus) Predation on a Nestling Coati (Nasua narica)

attempting to kill a humpback. The orcas may have been simply attempting to obtain mouthfuls of humpback flesh. Alternatively, they might have been testing the humpbacks to single out animals which, perhaps on account of disability, sickness, or age, could then be killed by a greater number of orcas acting cohesively. We would like to thank the other crewmembers of Findrinny for their assistance: Charles Bishop, Kate Bredin, Hannah Clark, Chris Converse, Kathy Lynch, Holly Payne, and Susan Wood. We also thank Lindy Weilgart and an anonymous reviewer for constructive comments on the manuscript. The studies were funded by Ocean Studies Inc. and Canadian Government Contract OSC82-00232. We are particularly grateful to the late Van Alan Clark whose interest and generosity made our work possible. Newfoundland Institute for Cold Ocean Science Contribution No. 55.
Is Autologous Salvaged Blood a Viable Option for Patient Blood Management in Oncologic Surgery

Oncologic surgery is sometimes associated with substantial blood loss, and principles of patient blood management can be applied in the perioperative care of these patients. Although autologous salvaged blood is an option for perioperative blood conservation, it is often not used in oncologic surgery over concern of reinfusing tumor cells and thereby causing tumor dissemination. We reviewed the literature regarding safety and effectiveness of salvaged blood in oncologic surgery. Salvaged blood seems to be comparable to allogeneic blood in terms of safety. Because patients with primary or metastatic cancer are known to have circulating tumor cells in the absence of surgery, the concern of reinfusing malignant cells from the salvaged blood may be overstated. Reinfusion of salvaged blood has not been found to promote tumor dissemination or distant metastases. When used in patients with substantial blood loss, salvaged blood can be cost-effective. Intraoperative salvaged blood may be a useful adjunct to allogeneic blood resources.
The Self Control of Lipid Bilayers

A characteristic of nearly all organisms is their ability to accomodate the fatty acid composition of their lipids to growth temperature (7,8,10,23). The principal biochemical adjustment is an increase in the fraction of low-melting-point fatty acids (usually unsaturates) in lipids synthesized at lower growth temperatures. The obvious physical result of this adjustment is a depression of lipid melting points. Physiologically, the alteration of fatty acid composition tends to maintain constant bilayer fluidity at various growth temperatures (27). Maintainence of membrane fluidity becomes especially important in organisms such as Ackoleplasma laidlawii (15,29) and Escherichia coli (16,21,30), whose membranes can undergo a transition at or just below growth temperature. In such cases, the shift in the fatty acid spectrum at lower growth temperatures is absolutely essential to maintain a functional fluid state. As membranes pass through a transition from high to low temperature they become progressively more crystalline. The increased order can give rise to aberrant behavior, including changes in enzyme kinetics, cell leakage, cessation of cell division, and even cell lysis (16,19,21).
Generalized characteristics uniqueness and regularity of solutions in a hyperbolic system of conservation laws

Abstract Using the method of generalized characteristics, the authors investigate uniqueness and regularity of solutions of the Cauchy problem for a special system of hyperbolic conservation laws, with coinciding shock and rarefaction wave curves, arising in the theory of isotachophoresis.
Stabilized Fiber Optic Sensor for Ultrasound Detection

Fiber optic sensors are emerging as important new tools in the field of nondestructive evaluation (NDE). They offer a number of advantages over sensing elements traditionally used in NDE applications such as resistive foil strain gauges and piezoelectric transducers. The advantages of fiber optic sensors over traditional NDE sensors include: ease of embedding in composite materials, good mechanical interaction between the embedded sensor and the host structure, insensitivity to electrical interference, and fine spatial resolution [1]. Additionally, fiber optic sensors can be configured to detect a variety of fields from large slowly varying thermal and mechanical strains, to ultrasound and acoustic emission. They have shown potential in a variety of material systems such as graphite/epoxy composites [2], titanium matrix composites [3], aluminum [4], and concrete [5]. They have also been embedded in a number of practical structures including airplanes [6][7], buildings [8][9], and dams [10].
A peer review process as part of the implementation of clinical pathways in radiation oncology: Does it improve compliance?

Abstract Purpose Clinical pathways are patient management plans that standardize evidence-based practices to ensure high-quality and cost-effective medical care. Implementation of a pathway is a collaborative process in our network, requiring the active involvement of physicians. This approach promotes acceptance of pathway recommendations, although a peer review process is necessary to ensure compliance and to capture and approve off-pathway selections. We investigated the peer review process and factors associated with time to completion of peer review. Methods and materials Our cancer center implemented radiation oncology pathways for every disease site throughout a large, integrated network. Recommendations are written based upon national guidelines, published literature, and institutional experience with evidence evaluated hierarchically in order of efficacy, toxicity, and then cost. Physicians enter decisions into an online, menu-driven decision support tool that integrates with medical records. Data were collected from the support tool and included the rate of on- and off-pathway selections, peer review decisions performed by disease site directors, and time to complete peer review. Results A total of 6965 treatment decisions were entered in 2015, and 605 (8.7%) were made off-pathway and were subject to peer review. The median time to peer review decision was 2 days (interquartile range, 0.2-6.8). Factors associated with time to peer review decision >48 hours on univariate analysis include disease site ( P P = .066) for radiation therapy modality. There was no difference between recurrent and non-recurrent disease ( P = .267). Multivariable analysis revealed disease site was associated with time to peer review ( P 48 hours. Conclusions Clinical pathways are an integral tool for standardizing evidence-based care throughout our large, integrated network, with 91.3% of all treatment decisions being made as per pathway. The peer review process was feasible, with
Correlations Among Wood Properties and with Growth Rate

If any breeding program for wood properties is to be successful, it is essential to understand how the different characteristics relate to one another. The relationships are usually reported as correlations. There are both phenotypic and genetic correlations reported in the literature. One would think that the two should be similar and they sometimes are. Frequently, however, they are different and, can be very different, as shown for white spruce (Picea glauca) by Yanchuk and Kiss (1992), who found a phenotypic correlation of r = −0.40 between wood density and height growth but observed essentially no genetic correlation. It would be ideal to report only genetic correlations but nearly all values available in the literature are phenotypic correlations. Even more confusing, many references do not state the type of correlation being reported. Thus, in this chapter we are forced to report correlations as found in the literature, assuming that when unstated most are phenotypic. However, when specifically indicated, genetic correlations will be mentioned.
Local policy-making process in China: a case study

AbstractThe previous studies about Chinese policy process give predominant focus in the agenda setting or proposing policy issue stage. There is limited record and analysis on the policymaking process. Once agenda is set, it is government’s responsibility to formulate practical and applicable policy terms. Therefore, a close examination of how local government makes policies is needed. The purpose of this case study is to unveil the basic policymaking process practiced in local Chinese government and also to establish a starting point for further analysis. The question of how and how much citizen participation is involved in the formal and legal day-to-day policy process is answered in this particular case study. Hence, from the purpose, this paper is descriptive to infer the concept of citizen participation in Chinese local government agencies and, if possible, to develop theoretical implications to the formal Chinese local policy process.
Praising twerk: Why aren’t we all shaking our butt?:

‘To twerk is to dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squat stance.’ But twerking is also about redefining whiteness in a queered mill...
Evaluating Hospital Readmission Rates After Discharge From Inpatient Rehabilitation

Abstract Objective To examine facility-level rates of all-cause, unplanned hospital readmissions for 30 days after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs). Design Observational design. Setting Inpatient rehabilitation facilities. Participants Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries (N=567,850 patient-stays). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures The outcome is all-cause, unplanned hospital readmission rates for IRFs. We adapted previous risk-adjustment and statistical approaches used for acute care hospitals to develop a hierarchical logistic regression model that estimates a risk-standardized readmission rate for each IRF. The IRF risk-adjustment model takes into account patient demographic characteristics, hospital diagnoses and procedure codes, function at IRF admission, comorbidities, and prior hospital utilization. We presented national distributions of observed and risk-standardized readmission rates and estimated confidence intervals to make statistical comparisons relative to the national mean. We also analyzed the number of days from IRF discharge until hospital readmission. Results The national observed hospital readmission rate by 30 days postdischarge from IRFs was 13.1%. The mean unadjusted readmission rate for IRFs was 12.4%±3.5%, and the mean risk-standardized readmission rate was 13.1%±0.8%. The C-statistic for our risk-adjustment model was .70. Nearly three-quarters of IRFs (73.4%) had readmission rates that were significantly different from the mean. The mean number of days to readmission was 13.0±8.6 days and varied by rehabilitation diagnosis. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the ability to assess 30-day, all-cause hospital readmission rates postdischarge from IRFs and the ability to discriminate between IRFs with higher- and lower-than-average hospital readmission rates.
Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass Storage Covers to Reduce Ammonia Emissions from Dairy Manure

Manure storages, and in particular those storing digested manure, are a source of ammonia (NH3) emissions. Installing floating manure covers provide resistance to gas transfer from manure storage surface to air and reduces NH3 emissions; however, performance can be limited to durability. Biochar and steam-treated wood have strong potential as manure storage covers as they are capable of repelling water, resistant to microbial degradation, and could be applied to crop acreage. An additional benefit of biochars as a cover is their capability of NH3 sorption trapping TAN (total ammoniacal N) before it is volatilized resulting in further abatement. Installation of permeable manure storage covers is difficult and adding covers with agitators could facilitate implementation. This study measured NH3 emissions from laboratory scale storages of digested manure with raw wood (white birch, Betula papyrifera), steam-treated wood, wood biochar, and corncob biochar covers. Additional treatments included mixing biomass treatments into manure storages to measure the reduction potential of incorporated biomass. All treatments reduced emissions of NH3 from the control by 40 to 96%. The highest NH3 emissions reductions of 96% were achieved with the wood biochar cover. The primary mechanism for treatment was resistance to gas transfer provided by the physical barrier of covers as NH3 sorption did not correspond to reductions. Covering digested manure storages with any of the treatments can reduce NH3 emissions; biochar covers are a more effective barrier to NH3 emissions and are recommended to minimize NH3 manure storage losses.
A new toolset for protein expression and subcellular localization studies in citrus and its application to citrus tristeza virus proteins

Transient gene expression is a powerful tool to study gene function in plants. In citrus, Agrobacterium transformation is the method of choice for transient expression studies, but this method does not work efficiently with many gene constructs, and there is a need for a more robust transient expression system in citrus leaves. Biolistic particle delivery is an alternative to Agrobacterium transformation, and in some plants, such as Arabidopsis, gives higher transformation rates in leaf tissues than Agrobacterium. Here we describe an improved method for gene expression in epidermal cells of citrus leaves, using the Bio-Rad Helios gene-gun. Gene-gun bombardment of GFP-HDEL produced highly efficient gene expression in large number of cells and in different citrus varieties. We show here that transiently expressed proteins have maintained their functions in plants, and this is demonstrated by the subcellular localization of different organelle markers, and by a functional assay of Xanthomonas citri effector AvrGF1. To further expand the available tools for subcellular localization studies in citrus, we also generated a new set of transgenic citrus plants that contain organelle markers labelling the nuclei, actin and endoplasmic reticulum. Using these new tools, we were able to show that the coat protein of citrus tristeza virus localizes to the cytoplasm and nuclei when expressed in epidermal cells fused to GFP. We have optimized a new method for transient expression in citrus leaves, to give highly reproducible and efficient transformation without producing a high level of injury or artifacts to the bombarded tissue. We also generated the first set organelle markers for use in citrus. These fluorescent protein markers label the nucleus and the actin. With these new resources, protein activity and subcellular localization can be studied in citrus rapidly and in high throughput. The handheld gene-gun device can also be used in the grove to deliver therapies for citrus diseases, such as canker and Huanglongbing, into trees.
The Iranian Reform Movement and Political Developments in the Last Quarter of the Twentieth Century

The second chapter reviews the political development that has been underway in Iranian society over the three decades from the late 1970s to the 2000s. It explains political development by considering three different and parallel processes: state-building; the development of political pluralism; and democratization. Although achieving democracy is the goal of a majority of Iranians, it is not clear what kind of democratic regime would be installed and what form it would take: a dual sovereignty, permanent civil disobedience, a unified social movement or another form of a guided democracy.
IL-1 and TNF-α Play a Pivotal Role in the Host Immune Response in a Mouse Model of Staphylococcus aureus-Induced Experimental Brain Abscess

Brain abscesses represent a significant medical problem despite recent advances made in detection and therapy. Using an established Staphylococcus aureus-induced brain abscess model, we have sought to define the functional importance of interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and IL-6 in the host anti-bacterial immune response using cytokine gene knockout (KO) mice. Previous studies from our laboratory revealed that these cytokines are among the main proinflammatory mediators produced during the acute stage of brain abscess development. The results presented here demonstrate that although they share many redundant activities, IL-1 and TNF-alpha are important for containing bacterial infection in evolving brain abscesses as evident by increased mortality and bacterial burdens in IL-1 and TNF-alpha KO mice compared to wild type (WT) animals. In contrast, IL-6 was not found to be a major contributor to the host anti-bacterial immune response. Microarray analysis was used to evaluate the downstream consequences originating from the lack of IL-1 on subsequent proinflammatory mediator expression in brain abscesses from IL-1 KO and WT animals. Although numerous genes were significantly induced following S. aureus infection, only IL-1beta and 2 chemokines, CCL9 (macrophage inflammatory protein-1 gamma/MIP-1gamma) and CXCL13 (B lymphocyte chemoattractant/BLC), were differentially regulated in IL-1 KO versus WT animals. These results suggest that IL-1 and TNF-alpha play a pivotal role during the acute stage of brain abscess development through regulating the ensuing anti-bacterial inflammatory response.
Digestive disease week 2000. American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases

The latest advances in hepatology were presented in oral and poster presentations. In order to cover the varying subspecialties, the sessions were divided into various sections including 'Acute Liver Failure and Artificial Liver Support', 'Biliary Tract and Immunologic Liver Diseases', 'Cellular and Molecular Biology', 'Clinical and Experimental Hepatobiliary Surgery', 'Hepatotoxicity and Cell Death', 'Transport and Biliary Physiology', 'Viral Hepatitis', 'Evaluation and Treatment of Biliary Disease', 'Necrosis/Apoptosis', 'Portal Hypertension', 'Blood Flow and Vascular Disorders of Cirrhosis', 'Liver Transplantation', 'Fibrogenesis', 'Hepatocellular Carcinoma', 'Metabolism and Genetic Disease', and 'Public Policy, Epidemiology and Decision Analysis'. Drug therapy focused on treatments for viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis, and recurrent viral disease following liver transplant. High dose interferon therapy or various combinations of interferon/ribavirin (ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc) therapy seem to offer the best current therapy for chronic HCV. PEGylated interferon (F Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd) offers hope for treatment and histologic improvement in patients with chronic HCV. Following liver transplantation, combination interferon/ribavirin therapy may also find success, but caution with new potent immunosuppressant monoclonal antibodies is advised. For HBV, intramuscular H-BIG (NABI) appears to be effective and less costly than iv H-BIG administration following liver transplantation. Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation may hold promise over conventional ethanol injection therapy for small hepatocellular carcinoma. Autoimmune hepatitis may respond to tacrolimus therapy whereas budesonide therapy did not provide any advantage to prednisone therapy. For primary biliary cirrhosis, eicosapentate and ursodeoxycholic acid may provide benefit to some patients while silymarin from milk thistle did not provide any additional benefit. In primary sclerosing cholangitis, high dose ursodeoxycholic acid may provide benefit. Ursodeoxycholic acid may also provide benefit for mothers with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy by decreasing pruritus, lowering laboratory values and allowing deliveries to occur closer to term.
Recovering tampered regions in encrypted video using POB number system

Abstract Explosive growth in multimedia contents and wide spectrum of facilities provided by the cloud paradigm is attracting the global infrastructure towards it. However, the security and privacy issues of the outsourced content while availing these cloud based services is one of the major concerns. To secure the content, the traditional way is to render the data encrypted prior to outsourcing. However, just encrypting the data does not ensure that the content is intact as there may be attack attempts on the encrypted content. Hence, in this paper, an approach has been proposed to ensure the integrity of the content in the encrypted domain. If any breaches are attempted at the third party cloud service providers which alters the content in the encrypted form, the proposed scheme is able to first detect these tampered regions very accurately at the pixel level and thereafter, is capable of recovering the tampered content in the encrypted domain itself. Further, the overheads of bandwidth transmission are minimized here as the original information, spatial tampering bits, temporal tampering bits as well as the recovery information are compacted very efficiently exploiting the properties of the Permutation Ordered Binary (POB) number system. The scheme has been specifically tested with video contents as they contribute a major portion of the ever increasing multimedia repository. The efficacy of the scheme has been validated by testing against various attack scenarios and the scheme has been found to be performing satisfactorily well.
Drinking water treatment residuals from cyanobacteria bloom-affected areas: Investigation of potential impact on agricultural land application

Abstract In cyanobacteria bloom-affected areas, drinking water treatment processes are optimized to ensure the absence of cyanotoxins in their finished water. A concern about the sludge generated from water treatment has emerged because the removed cyanotoxins and cyanobacteria can get concentrated in the sludge, called water treatment residuals (WTR), and these WTR are often applied on land for beneficial purposes. However, the impact of WTR from bloom-affected areas on the agricultural application and public health is hardly reported. The objective of this study was to characterize bloom-affected WTR by focusing on cyanotoxins, toxin-producing cyanobacteria, microbiomes, and resistome profiles. In addition, the fate of WTR-originated microcystin in crops and soil was examined. WTR samples were obtained from a bloom-affected area in Ohio, USA in November 2017. Cyanotoxins and toxin-producing cyanobacteria were quantified with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and droplet digital PCR, respectively. Microbiome and resistome were determined with Nanopore sequencing. Cyanotoxin concentrations were measured: microcystin (259 μg/kg), saxitoxin (0.16 μg/kg), anatoxin-a (not detected), and β-Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) (575 μg/kg). MC-producing cyanobacteria concentrations were determined: Planktothrix (5.3 × 107 gene copies/g) and Microcystis (3.3 × 103 gene copies/g). Proteobacteria was the most predominant and Planktothrix phage was a remarkably dominant virus in the WTR microbiome. Aminoglycoside resistance was the most abundant class, and antibiotic resistance was found in multiple pathogens (e.g. Mycobacterium). WTR land application was simulated by growing carrots with a mixture of WTR and soil in a greenhouse. At harvest, ~80% of WTR-originated microcystin was found in the soil (83–96 μg/kg) and 5% accumulated in carrots (19–28 μg/kg). This study provides the first insight into the cyanotoxin, microbiome, and resistome profile of bloom-affected WTR. Our finding suggests that careful WTR management is needed for the beneficial use of WTR for protecting agricultural environments, especially soil and groundwater, and food safety.
Work–Family Balance and Tenure Reasonableness: Gender Differences in Faculty Assessment

Perceptions of work–family balance and of the reasonableness of tenure expectations are key faculty retention factors. Using a national job satisfaction survey with 2438 tenure-track assistant prof...
Factors That Govern the Induction of Long-Lived Antibody Responses.

The induction of long-lasting, high-titer antibody responses is critical to the efficacy of many vaccines. The ability to produce durable antibody responses is governed by the generation of the terminally differentiated antibody-secreting B cells known as long-lived plasma cells (LLPCs). Once induced, LLPCs likely persist for decades, providing long-term protection against infection. The factors that control the generation of this important class of B cells are beginning to emerge. In particular, antigens with highly dense, multivalent structures are especially effective. Here we describe some pathogens for which the induction of long-lived antibodies is particularly important, and discuss the basis for the extraordinary ability of multivalent antigens to drive differentiation of naive B cells to LLPCs.
Initial studies on the N-glucosylation of phenobarbital by mouse liver microsomes using a radiochemical high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method.

A method is described for the assay of phenobarbital N-glucosylation using UDP-D-[6-3H)glucose. The radioactive phenobarbital N-glucoside conjugates [(5/R)-PBG, (5S)-PBG] formed during the incubations were resolved from each other and from uncharacterized radioactive products by semipreparative HPLC. The product ratio of the N-glucosides of (5R)-PBG/(5S)-PBG was 2.9 for the crude liver homogenate and 3.0 ± 0.5 for the microsomes. Magnesium was necessary for optimal activity. The K m values for formation of (5R)-PBG, (5S)-PBG, and (5R + 5S)-PBG were 1.55 ± 0.35, 1.27 ± 0.14, and 1.47 ± 0.21 mM, respectively. The Vmax values for formation of (5R)-PBG, (5S)-PBG, and (5R + 5S)-PBG were 1.34 ± 0.05 × 10−6, 0.43 ± 0.01 × 10−6, and 1.77 ± 0.04 × 10−6 µmol/min/mg microso-mal protein, respectively. It was observed that at concentrations greater than 5 mM sodium phenobarbital, inhibition of formation of phenobarbital N-glucosides occurred. The product ratio of (5R)-PBG/(5S)-PBG is comparable to that observed in the urinary excretion studies with the mouse and opposite to that observed in urinary excretion studies in humans.
Distribution of Head Acceleration Events Varies by Position and Play Type in North American Football.

Objective The goal of this pilot study was to evaluate the number of head acceleration events (HAEs) based on position, play type, and starting stance. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Postcollegiate skill development camp during practice sessions and 1 exhibition game. Participants Seventy-eight male adult North American football athletes. Independent variables A position was assigned to each participant, and plays in the exhibition game were separated by play type for analysis. During the exhibition game, video data were used to determine the effects of the starting position ("up" in a 2-point stance or "down" in a 3- or 4-point stance) on the HAEs experienced by players on the offensive line. Main outcome measures Peak linear acceleration and number of HAEs greater than 20 g (g = 9.81 m/s2) were measured using an xPatch (X2 Biosystems, Seattle, WA). Results Four hundred thirty-seven HAEs were recorded during practices and 272 recorded during the exhibition game; 98 and 52 HAEs, the greatest number of HAEs by position in the game, were experienced by the offensive and defensive linemen, respectively. Linebackers and tight ends experienced high percentages of HAEs above 60 g. Offensive line players in a down stance had a higher likelihood of sustaining a HAE than players in an up stance regardless of the type of play (run vs pass). Conclusions Changing the stance of players on the offensive line and reducing the number of full-contact practices will lower HAEs.
A prospective comparison of MRI-planned versus CT-planned radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

312Background: Chronic rectal toxicity significantly decreases the quality of life for men who receive radiotherapy for prostate cancer. The volume of rectum exposed to 70 Gy or more is a validated...
7 – Using Arrays

Publisher Summary This chapter describes creation and efficient usage of arrays for some common arithmetic operations using Interactive Data Language's (IDL) built-in array syntax. IDL programs are generally faster and easier to read when using array operations rather than loops. In addition to standard arithmetic operations with arrays, IDL has a number of built-in functions that can rotate, reverse, reform, rebin, and shift arrays. These functions can be used to carry out most array operations that require loops in Fortran or C. This chapter discusses the following IDL procedures: (1) array-creation functions— an array is a multidimensional, rectangular grid or lattice of variables. The variables in an array can be any IDL variable type, including integers, ﬂoats, strings, and even structures. (2) Index-generation functions (BINDGEN, INDGEN, LINDGEN, L64INDGEN, FINDGEN, DINDGEN, CINDGEN, SINDGEN, MAKE_ARRAY), (3) N_ELEMENTS function, (4) SIZE function, (5) REFORM function and the OVERWRITE keyword, (6) REBIN function and the SAMPLE keyword, (7) REVERSE function, (8) ROTATE function, and (9) SHIFT function.
Emerging Opportunities in Distributed Power Electronics and Battery Integration: Setting the Stage for an Energy Storage Revolution

The quantum improvement of battery technology in terms of cost, performance efficiency, and reliability paves the way for a new electric energy storage revolution. The new storage systems, when coupled with power electronics integration approaches, promise to cause a significant paradigm shift in power electronics technology, broadly expanding its application reach. Safe and reliable integration of photovoltaic (PV) panels, batteries, and power electronics in a single module is a powerful approach for meeting the challenging demands of the distributed solar energy market. Given recent advances in power electronics and battery technologies, one can now economically, reliably, and safely integrate PVs, batteries, electronics, and protection within a single module.