cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biological XAFS at the BioCAT undulator beamline 18ID at the APS

The Biophysics Collaborative Access Team (BioCAT) undulator beam line at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne, IL is a user facility devoted to the study of partially ordered and disordered biological materials by x-ray scattering, diffraction and absorption spectroscopy. Two sagital focussing, double-crystal (Si(111) and Si(400)) monochromators and a 1 m mirror provide monochromatic, horizontally and vertically focussed x-ray beams in the range of 4–35 keV.The small focal spots produced by this optics are well matched to novel XAFS detectors developed by BioCAT: a multilayer analyzer array and Bent Laue crystal based analyzers. Fast on-the-fly scans (~5 s/scan) have been implemented to take full advantage of the high x-ray flux at the Advanced Photon Source. Such fast scans not only allow high throughput but also reduces radiation damage to labile biological samples. A closed-cycle displex cryostat is routinely used for low temperature XAS measurements. For continuous flow and time resolved XAS experiments, a dual syringe stopped-flow system has been implemented.
A Novel Heterodimerization Domain, CRM1, and 14-3-3 Control Subcellular Localization of the MondoA-Mlx Heterocomplex

Among members of the bHLHZip family of transcriptional regulators, MondoA and Mlx have the unique property of cytoplasmic localization. We have proposed that MondoA-Mlx heterodimers accumulate in the nucleus in response to extracellular cues. Our previous work implicated heterodimerization between MondoA and Mlx and a conserved domain in the N terminus of MondoA as important determinants of MondoA-Mlx subcellular localization. MondoA and Mlx share sequence similarity in their bHLHZip domains and C termini. Here we show that for both MondoA and Mlx, this C-terminal domain has cytoplasmic localization activity that is required by the protein monomers to accumulate in the cytoplasm. This C-terminal domain is also a novel dimerization interface that functions independently of the leucine zipper to mediate heterotypic interactions between MondoA and Mlx. Dimerization between MondoA and Mlx inactivates the cytoplasmic localization activity of their C termini and is necessary for the heterocomplex to accumulate in the nucleus. MondoA-Mlx heterodimers, while poised for nuclear entry, are retained in the cytoplasm by conserved domains in the N terminus of MondoA. Mondo conserved regions (MCRs) II and III contribute to cytoplasmic localization of MondoA-Mlx by functioning as a CRM1-dependent nuclear export signal and as a novel binding site for 14-3-3 family members, respectively. We propose that the nuclear accumulation of MondoA and Mlx is a two-step process. First, heterodimerization abolishes the cytoplasmic localization activity of their C termini. Second, an extracellular signal(s) must overcome the cytoplasmic localization function imparted by CRM1 and 14-3-3 binding to the N terminus of MondoA.
Geographic clines of age ratios of Black-throated Blue Warblers (Dendroica caerulescens)

I investigated the age structure of breeding populations of Black-throated Blue Warblers (Dendroica caerulescens) in eastern North America. The proportion of yearling males increases as relative abundance decreases toward the margins of the breeding range. Geographic clines in age structure are hypothesized to correlate with gradients in habitat quality radiating from the Appalachian Mountains, the probable axis of source populations. Data from the southern Appalachians suggest that despotism of older males may impose a ceiling on the proportion of yearlings in saturated high-quality habitats, regardless of local productivity. Populations that exhibit low variance in yearling recruitment and high population densities may fall toward the “source” end of the “source–sink” continuum, and vice versa. It is hypothesized that the regional distribution of source and sink populations of the Black-throated Blue Warbler might closely mirror the prevalence of successful multiple brooding.
TraCter: A tool for candidate traceability link clustering

Automated tracing tools employ information retrieval (IR) methods to recover traceability links between software artifacts. A large body of research is available on the back-end design of such tools, including artifacts indexing and the underlying IR mechanism. In contrast, less attention has been paid to the front-end presentation of the retrieved results. This paper describes TraCter, a result categorization tool with novel search user interfaces. We discuss the key features of TraCter and its potential improvements over previous work.
Fabrication and Evaluation of Carbon Nanotube-Parylene Functional Composite-Films

We present the design, fabrication and mechanical testing results from Parylene-Carbon Nanotube (CNT)-Parylene composite-films. Utilizing SWNT materials as the active layer, we have fabricated flexible devices consisting of 10 mum thick parylene membranes wrapped around active SWNTs. The tensile test results show that parylene-CNT-parylene sandwich has a linear-elastic response up to a strain value of epsiv = 2% and the composite fails at epsivFail= 7.5% strain. The load-unload testing of the sample shows that a very small change in resistance (~1%) was observed when applying a strain ranging from 0% to 2% and the results were repeatable up to 100 times. The resistance of the CNT-parylene film increased 9 fold at failure. Potential applications of this work include interconnect materials for flexible electronics devices.
Salinity Constraints on Subsurface Archaeal Diversity and Methanogenesis in Sedimentary Rock Rich in Organic Matter

The diversity of microorganisms active within sedimentary rocks provides important controls on the geochemistry of many subsurface environments. In particular, biodegradation of organic matter in sedimentary rocks contributes to the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and other elements and strongly impacts the recovery and quality of fossil fuel resources. In this study, archaeal diversity was investigated along a salinity gradient spanning 8 to 3,490 mM Cl− in a subsurface shale rich in CH4 derived from biodegradation of sedimentary hydrocarbons. Shale pore waters collected from wells in the main CH4-producing zone lacked electron acceptors such as O2, NO3−, Fe3+, or SO42−. Acetate was detected only in high-salinity waters, suggesting that acetoclastic methanogenesis is inhibited at Cl− concentrations above ∼1,000 mM. Most-probable-number series revealed differences in methanogen substrate utilization (acetate, trimethylamine, or H2/CO2) associated with chlorinity. The greatest methane production in enrichment cultures was observed for incubations with salinity at or close to the native pore water salinity of the inoculum. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses of archaeal 16S rRNA genes from seven wells indicated that there were links between archaeal communities and pore water salinity. Archaeal clone libraries constructed from sequences from 16S rRNA genes isolated from two wells revealed phylotypes similar to a halophilic methylotrophic Methanohalophilus species and a hydrogenotrophic Methanoplanus species at high salinity and a single phylotype closely related to Methanocorpusculum bavaricum at low salinity. These results show that several distinct communities of methanogens persist in this subsurface, CH4-producing environment and that each community is adapted to particular conditions of salinity and preferential substrate use and each community induces distinct geochemical signatures in shale formation waters.
Isolated diffusion restriction precedes the development of enhancing tumor in a subset of patients with glioblastoma

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Most response criteria for patients with glioblastoma rely on increases in the contrast enhancing abnormality to determine tumor progression. Our aim was to determine retrospectively in patients with glioblastoma whether diffusion restriction can predict the development of new enhancing mass lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the brain MR imaging scans (including DWI and ADC maps) of 208 patients with glioblastoma. Patients with restricted diffusion in or adjacent to the tumor were identified, with further analysis only performed on those patients with low-ADC lesions without enhancement. These patients were followed to determine if new concordant enhancement developed at the site of the low-ADC lesion. A Wilcoxon signed rank test, competing risk analysis, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to compare the mean drop in ADC values, assess enhancement-free survival, and determine overall survival, respectively. RESULTS: In 67 of the 208 patients (32.2%), visibly detectable restricted diffusion was seen during treatment. The study cohort was formed by the 27 patients with low-ADC lesions and no corresponding enhancement. Twenty-three (85.2%) patients developed gadolinium-enhancing tumor at the site of restricted diffusion a median of 3.0 months later (95% CI, 2.6–4.1 months). The mean decrease in ADC was 22.9% from baseline (P CONCLUSIONS: In a subset of patients with glioblastoma, development of a new focus of restricted diffusion during treatment may precede the development of new enhancing tumor.
Time Course and Dose Dependence of Antacid Effect on Urine pH

Daily administration of a proprietary magnesium and aluminum hydroxides suspension, 15 ml four times a day, to normal adult volunteers resulted in a statistically significant increase in urine pH on the 1st day of treatment. The urine pH's on the 2nd and subsequent days of treatment were statistically significantly higher than on the 1st day. A 7.5-ml dose of the antacid suspension, taken four times a day, had only a small and not statistically significant effect on urine pH, while 30 ml four times a day increased urine pH by approximately the same magnitude as the 15-ml doses. The effect of the antacid on urine pH persisted for at least 1 day after discontinuation of dosing.
Cooperation between Rho-GEF Gef2 and its binding partner Nod1 in the regulation of fission yeast cytokinesis

Previous results showed that putative Rho-GEF Gef2 regulates division-site positioning during early cytokinesis in fission yeast. Here Nod1 is identified as a binding partner of Gef2. The two prote...
Cytokine-Induced Modulation of Cardiac Function

Cytokines act in an autocrine and/or paracrine fashion to induce a diverse variety of biological responses. Several cardiac diseases are associated with cytokine activation, and such activation significantly influences several physiologic parameters, including cardiac mechanical function. This review summarizes the current concepts regarding the modulation of myocardial function by cytokines and provides rationale for the sometimes-conflicting results in the literature regarding underlying mechanisms and patterns of dysfunction. Although traditionally considered cardiodepressant mediators, contractile responses are complex and bimodal, with an early response (within minutes) of variable direction, stimulatory or depressant, depending on the ambient physiologic milieu and relative contributions of the underlying signaling pathways that are activated. These pathways include sphingomyelinase-, nitric oxide (NO)-, and phospholipase A2-dependent signaling with resultant combined effects on contraction and the Ca 2+ transient. This is subsequently followed by a profoundly cardiodepressant late response lasting hours to days, depending on the production of secondary mediators and the combined influence of NO generated from inducible NO synthase, reactive oxygen species, and alterations in β-adrenergic receptor signaling. The interrelationships between these pathways and the time-dependence of their activation are important considerations in the evaluation of cytokine-dependent dysfunction during both acute cardiac injury and chronic cardiac pathologies.
Ethnic‐Group Terms

Latin Americans and their descendants abroad have often thought about their identity as an ethnic group. In connection with this, a number of Latin American philosophers and social scientists working in the United States have independently questioned which term, if any, is adequate for reference (and self-reference) to that group. In their attempt to come up with correct answers, they have developed three clearly identifiable views. One is “nihilism,” a view sometimes favored by social scientists, according to which there is no good reason justifying the use of any ethnic-group term ‐ not even those currently popular in the United States such as ‘Hispanic,’ and ‘Latino.’ But nihilism is not widely spread among Latin American philosophers, who have offered several arguments for one or the other of these common terms. As we shall see, proponents of this view have brought into the debate some political and moral arguments that will be discussed here. But there is also an alternative view according to which it doesn’t really matter which terms are used provided that they lack morally objectionable connotations. Not surprisingly, the issues at stake in these debates are of interest not only to Latin Americans and their descendants abroad, but more generally to anyone concerned with semantic and pragmatic analyses of terms for groups of people, including ethnic-, racial-, nationality-, and religious-group terms. By raising the issues about ethnic-group terms that will concern us here, Latin American philosophers can be said to have made an important contribution to the understanding of a sort of term largely ignored in traditional philosophical semantics and political philosophy. We’ll first consider the issue of whether ethnic-group terms should be considered names or predicates. Next, we’ll turn to their semantic properties, reconstructing some of the theories on their meaning and denotation recently advanced by Latin American philosophers. Finally we’ll look closely at normative issues involving the use of ethnic-group terms, and a recent controversy about the use of ‘Hispanics’ and ‘Latinos’ that will bring into consideration the political and moral reasons mentioned above.
Estimation of Traffic Conflict Risk for Merging Vehicles on Highway Merge Section

This study proposed a methodology for estimating rear-end conflict risk of vehicles on freeway merge sections as a probabilistic measure. The methodology consisted of two major components. The first part estimated the merging probability of a vehicle, given its position on a merge lane. Detailed vehicle trajectory data from the Next Generation Simulation program were used to find the underlying probability density function of the merging decision. The second part derived the probabilistic risk of a merging vehicle conflicting with vehicles around it as a function of a surrogate safety measure, namely, modified time-to-collision. These two parts were combined, and an index was proposed to describe the conflict risk of each merging vehicle at each time step. With aggregation of the conflict risk over time and space, a risk map for describing the level of conflict risk could be created. A case study demonstrated the implementation of the proposed method for traffic conflict analysis in detail. The result of this study can be used to evaluate the safety level of merge sections and develop real-time traffic control strategies to reduce conflicts associated with merging traffic.
Strontium isotopic geochemistry of Mississippi Valley-type deposits, East Tennesse: Implications for age and source of mineralizing brines

Strontium isotopic ratios of wall-rock, ore, and gangue minerals from the Mascot-Jefferson City, Copper Ridge, and Sweetwater Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) districts and from the Lost Creek barite deposit in East Tennessee were measured in an effort to determine the age of this mineralization and its relation to the tectonic evolution of the Appalachian orogen. The Lower Ordovician Knox Group, which hosts the MVT mineralization, contains limestones and dolomite karst breccias with 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.70900 to 0.70916 that are similar to those of Early Ordovician sea water. Primary (diagenetic) Knox dolomite, as well as "recrystal-line" dolomite, which formed by later alteration of limestone, exhibits 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.70930 to 0.71024, reflecting varying degrees of contamination by solutions with more radiogenic strontium. 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratios of mineralization in the districts increase in the order Lost Creek, Sweetwater, Copper Ridge, Mascot-Jefferson City and extend to values significantly higher than those of the enclosing rocks. Of the three possible source basins for the MVT brines, the Late Proterozoic Ocoee, Cambrian Luttrell, and Ordovician Sevier basins, the Sevier basin appears to be the only one that could have supplied brines of the appropriate composition at geologically reasonable times. Estimates of the change with time in the isotopic composition of Sevier basin brines indicate that the maximum ages of the Lost Creek, Sweetwater, Copper Ridge, and Mascot-Jefferson City mineralization are 520, 460, 405, and 395 m.y., respectively. Comparison of fluid-inclusion temperatures for the Sweetwater and Mascot-Jefferson City minerlization with the thermal evolution curve for the Sevier basin supports these estimates. These ages suggest that the Lost Creek barite minerlization formed as an exhaltive deposit in the Sevier basin and that the Sweetwater fluorite-barite mineralization formed during the later part of Taconic orogeny. The Copper Ridge and Mascot-Jefferson City minerlization could have formed either prior to or during the Alleghanian orogeny (but prior to deformation of the enclosing rocks), depending on the rate of istopic evolution of the Sevier basin brines.
Not a Tiger but a Dagger: The Larva of Comachara cadburyi and Reassignment of the Genus to Acronictinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Abstract Comachara cadburyi Franclemont has been classified as a sarrothripine (Noctuidae), lithosiine (Arctiidae), and afridine (Nolidae). Larval morphology and behavior indicate a close phylogenetic relationship with Polygrammate hebraeicum Hubner, an acronictine noctuid. The egg and larva of Comachara are described and illustrated with line drawings and scanning electron micrographs. Photographs of last instars of both Comachara and Polygrammate are provided. Larval feeding and pupation habits of C. cadburyi are briefly described and compared with those of Polygrammate. Larvae of both Polygrammate and Comachara exhibit a dramatic coloration change in the last instar, transitioning from a green phase to a mottled, steely gray form. As the color change progresses, the larva ceases feeding and enters a wandering phase, during which it seeks out wood in which to pupate. Interpretation of L group setal homologies on the ninth abdominal segment is briefly addressed. Comachara provides a poignant example of t...
Effect of age on the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in rat liver

The effect of age on the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK; EC 4.1.1.32) was studied using hepatocytes isolated from 6-, 15-, and 26-mo-old-male Fischer 344 rats fasted for 12 h. The activity of PEPCK in hepatocyte extracts decreased 40-50% (P < 0.05) between 6 and 26 mo of age. The age-related decrease in PEPCK activity was paralleled by a similar decrease (P < 0.05) in the level of PEPCK mRNA. Thus the decrease in PEPCK activity appears to arise from a decrease in level of the PEPCK transcript available for translation. The stability, i.e., half-life of PEPCK mRNA in hepatocytes isolated from 6- and 26-mo-old rats was similar; however, the nuclear transcription of PEPCK by hepatocytes isolated from 26-mo-old rats was 44% lower (P < 0.05) than the nuclear transcription of PEPCK by hepatocytes isolated from 6-mo-old rats. Thus the age-related decline in PEPCK mRNA levels in the liver of fasted rats appears to arise from a decrease in the transcription of PEPCK. A significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the activity and mRNA level of PEPCK also was observed with age in kidney tissue isolated from rats fasted for 12 h.
A Realistic Method for Time-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown Reliability Analysis for Advanced Technology Node

This paper proposes a methodology to determine a realistic time-dependent dielectric breakdown failure rate. The in-die constant voltage stress was performed to determine the chip level Weibull shape ( $\beta _{\mathrm{die}})$ and voltage acceleration factor, while a voltage ramp (Vramp) is performed in production line (inline Vramp) to determine the via-to-line and line-to-line spacing distributions. We found that for the chip population with spacing ( $s$ ) smaller than 4 nm, the in-die voltage accelerations based on power-law and sqrt-V models do not lead to a significant difference in the lifetime prediction. For the chips with large spacing, the stress voltage ( $\sim 20$ V) is significantly higher than the operating voltage (1 V). The extrapolation using the power law results in an infinitely long lifetime, which could lead to an overoptimistic reliability prediction. In this paper, a new method is introduced for a more realistic failure rate calculation, which is the superposition of the failure rates of chips with small spacing ( $s nm) and the failure rates of chips with large spacing, by using different voltage acceleration models.
Monoclonal antibodies to human vitamin K-dependent protein S

Monoclonal antibodies to human protein S have been prepared using established hybridoma technology. One antibody was isolated that binds protein S only when Ca2+ is present; others bind antigen equally well in the presence or absence of EDTA. Other antibodies display a diminished affinity for protein S in the presence of EDTA. Purified immunoglobulins from cell lines displaying Ca2+ dependence were immobilized and used to purify protein S from fractions obtained by barium precipitation of citrated plasma, ammonium sulfate fractionation, and chromatography on diethylaminoethanol (DEAE)- Sephadex and dextran sulfate agarose. Essentially homogeneous protein S was isolated from the barium-citrate-adsorbed, 35% ammonium-sulfate- soluble proteins using a totally Ca2+-dependent antibody and EDTA elution. Protein S and several substances of higher mol wt were bound directly from plasma by a partially Ca2+-dependent antibody and were eluted partially with EDTA and NaCl and finally with NaSCN. The largest and most abundant of the high mol wt materials is likely protein S- complement C4b-binding protein complex. The immunoaffinity-isolated protein S was found to be indistinguishable from conventionally isolated protein S in terms of activity, sodium dodecyl sulfate- polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) mobility, and by high- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). These studies establish reagents that can probe the structure of protein S and isolate protein S in its free and complexed forms.
Privacy Law and Regulation: Technologies, Implications, and Solutions

The marked increase in the availability of personally identifiable information in the online environment has made privacy of paramount concern for consumers. Corporations and governments collect, store, and use this information for purposes ranging from the creation of targeted advertisements, to national security. But what rights do consumers have to protect themselves from the collection of their personal information, and how does the law conceptualize privacy in order to assist individuals in keeping their information private? This chapter considers the state of privacy law, from a Western perspective. First, it discusses the law in the United States, examining the constitutional, common law and statutory foundations of privacy in that country. The chapter then turns to privacy law in the European Union, offering a comparative analysis of the differences between EU protections for privacy with that of the US. Finally, the chapter considers the challenges and opportunities for the regulation of data collection and the protection of privacy in the digital environment, and offers suggestions for principles to be included in policies aimed at protecting privacy.
Toward Trusting Therapeutic Relationships — In Favor of the Annual Physical

Continued enthusiasm for annual physicals may be driven by the desire or need to establish and maintain a close, trusting relationship with one's personal physician. We could preserve and enhance the annual visit's benefits by turning it into an annual health review.
The reactive element effect in commercial ODS FeCrAI alloys

Two commercial oxide dispersion strengthened alumina-forming FeCrAl alloys, Inco alloy MA956 and Kanthal alloy APM, were studied in order to look at the effect of reactive elements on their oxidation behaviour. MA956 has a distribution of Y2O3−Al2O3 particles, while APM has a ZrO2—AI2O3 distribution. Isothermal oxidation at 1000°C and 1200°C showed a reduced oxidation rate for both alloys compared to that of an undoped FeCrAl alloy. In short-term cyclic tests at 1200°C, both alloys exhibited excellent scale adhesion. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy with X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, both Y and Zr, respectively, were found to segregate to the oxide grain boundaries and the metal-scale interface after oxidation at 1000°C and 1200°C. These experimental observations are discussed with regard to a new theory to explain the reactive element effect.
Effect of Heat Treatment on Recovery Stress of Fe18Mn5Si8Cr5Ni Alloy

The influence of heat treatment on recovery stress of Fe18Mn5Si8Cr5Ni0.5NbC was studied.The result is:(1) Along with the rise of quenching temperature,and the buildup of recovery stress of the alloy,recovery stress of the alloy is at the best(the greatest recovery stress σ h when heating) and recovery stress of the room temperature σr at around 750℃;(2)The alloy solution at 1100℃×30min and then handling with aging,recovery stress of the alloy is at the best at the aging temperature of 450～600℃(aging time 1h);aging time(aging temperature is 600℃) makes little influence on σ h,and obvious influence on σr,when aging time is 360min,σr reaches its greatest;and then it reduces.
Meanwhile Back at the Ranch: Training Residents in Clinical Preventive Medicine

In view of the current growing interest in prevention as an integral part of health care, it is timely to consider clinical preventive medicine (CPM) training approaches that best prepare physicians to deliver appropriate and effective preventive services. During CPM training, skills residents most need to acquire include methods of counseling on health promotion and techniques for advising patients on reducing health risks by changing disease-promoting behavior. University of Arizona residents in the General Preventive Medicine program receive this training focus at Canyon Ranch, a Tucson health resort and university training site. This training is an important component of the CPM area of emphasis in the residency program. Training emphasizes risk reduction and health promotion with a large volume of patients whose aim is to effect lifestyle changes. Emphasis is placed on acquiring skills in clinical prevention. Counseling and patient education are the primary foci. Evaluation data indicate that residents’ perception of the rotation’s benefit to their education is high, and interest in considering practice in a similar setting is reinforced as a result of the experience. Medical educators in preventive medicine and primary care need to turn their attention to finding appropriate training sites with suitable role models to teach counseling and patient education skills.
Substance Use Disorder in Early Midlife: A National Prospective Study on Health and Well-Being Correlates and Long-Term Predictors:

This study used national multicohort panel data from the Monitoring the Future study (N = 25,536 from senior year classes 1977–1997 followed up to the age of 35 years in 1994–2014) to examine how early midlife (age 35 years) alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cannabis use disorder (CUD) are associated with adolescent and adult sociodemographics and health and well-being risk factors. Survey items adapted from DSM-5 diagnostic criteria were used to identify individuals who (a) showed symptoms consistent with criteria for AUD or CUD at age 35 years, (b) used the substance without qualifying for a disorder (nondisordered users), and (c) abstained from using alcohol or marijuana during the past five years. At age 35 years, the estimated prevalence of past five-year AUD was 28.0%, and that of CUD was 6.1%. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to identify variations in the relative risk of disorder symptoms as a function of sociodemographic characteristics, age 18 educational and social indices and substance use, and age 35 health and satisfaction indices and substance use. In the full models, age 18 binge drinking and marijuana use were found to be among the strongest predictors of age 35 AUD and CUD, respectively. Among age 35 health and well-being indicators, lower overall health, more frequent cognitive difficulties, and lower satisfaction with spouse/partner were consistently associated with greater risks of AUD and CUD. Some evidence was found for a J-shaped association between age 35 AUD or CUD status and health and well-being indices, such that nondisordered users were sometimes better off than both abstainers and those experiencing disorder. Finally, nondisordered cannabis use, but not CUD, was found to be more common in more recent cohorts. Implications are discussed regarding the importance of placing early midlife substance use disorder within the context of both adolescent substance use and adult health and well-being.
Cardiovascular regulation in multiple sclerosis

Traditional assessments of autonomic nervous system function have depended on invasive and complex procedures. Vagal power, which is the respiratory component of heart rate variability (HRV) is an alternative and non-invasive measure for indexing autonomic nervous control of the heart. In the current study, 18 multiple sclerosis (MS) and 20 healthy subjects matched with respect to age, education and intelligence served as subjects. The MS group showed significantly lower vagal power during natural and paced breathing than healthy subjects. Importantly, heart rate did not differ between the two groups. If MS patients exhibit abnormalities in mechanisms mediating cardiac parasympathetic control, the impact on quality of life and vulnerability to adverse cardiac events need to be further evaluated. The results of this study may have implications with respect to the feasibility of using HRV as both a diagnostic and prognostic tool for evaluating parasympathetic nervous system dysfunction and in providing valuable information for developing more effective treatment and rehabilitation strategies.
Media Usage in Hospitals: An Exploratory Study

The primary objective of this study was to explore the strength of association between the degree of media usage and performance measures such as hospital occupancy rate, perceived intensity of competition, hospital size, and other characteristics. A media usage index score ranging from 0 to 24 was developed and differentiated into low, average, and high levels of media usage scores. Cross-tabulations were then run on the categories of media usage and the performance measures and other characteristics.
Effects of aging on single cardiac myocyte function in Fischer 344 x Brown Norway rats

The Fischer 344 x Brown Norway (F344xBN) rat has been demonstrated to have a lower incidence of age-related pathology than other rat strains. Therefore, to elucidate the effects of aging on cardiac...
Exposure to bisphenols and phthalates and association with oxidant stress, insulin resistance, and endothelial dysfunction in children

The health effects of bisphenol A (BPA) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) have been studied extensively in children. The impact of other chemicals in these two classes has not been investigated as fully. We conducted a cross-sectional pilot study of 10–13 y old healthy children. We assessed descriptive, univariable, and multivariable associations of urinary metabolites of bisphenols and phthalates with oxidant stress, insulin resistance, body mass, and endothelial dysfunction. Possible associations with brachial artery distensibility, pulse wave velocity (markers of vascular stiffness), and serum endothelial cell-derived microparticle levels were also assessed. We enrolled 41 participants, 12.1 ± 1.0 y, most of whom were Mexican Americans (42%) or other Hispanics (34%). Increased BPA levels were associated with increased levels of F2-isoprostane (ng/ml) (P = 0.02), with a similar trend for DEHP metabolites. Each log unit increase of high molecular weight (HMW) phthalate metabolites was associated with a 0.550 increase in Homeostatic Model Assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) units (P = 0.019) and altered circulating levels of activated endothelial cell-derived microparticles (% per ml) (P = 0.026). Bisphenol S (BPS), a replacement for BPA, was associated with increased albumin (mg):creatinine (g) ratio (P = 0.04). Metabolites of HMW phthalates were also associated with decreased brachial artery distensibility (P = 0.047). Exposure to bisphenols and phthalates, including a BPA replacement, is associated with increased oxidant stress, insulin resistance, albuminuria, as well as disturbances in vascular function in healthy children.
A Serendipitous Discovery in the Deloitte Digital Collection: A Land-Lover and His Land

ABSTRACT: This paper outlines the serendipitous discovery of a small self-published book that shows that Elijah Watt Sells, one of the founders of the firm Haskins & Sells, was a man of the soil. It also is indicative of the types of digitized materials available at the National Library of the Accounting Profession at The University of Mississippi.
Seeing what is not seen

This paper connects ideas from twentieth century Gestalt psychology, experiments in vision science, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of perception. I propose that when we engage in simple sensorimotor tasks whose successful completion is open, our behavior may be motivated by practical perceptual awareness alone, responding to invariant features of the perceptual field that are invisible to other forms of perceptual awareness. On this view, we see more than we think we see, as evidenced by our skillful bodily behavior.
Socio-Politically Relevant Pedagogy for Immigrant and Refugee Youth.

ABSTRACTIn this article, the authors discuss how one public high school became a site for socio-politically relevant pedagogy for immigrant and refugee youth, building on the concept of culturally relevant pedagogy that has been discussed in educational scholarship (Howard, 2001, 2003; Ladson-Billings, 1994, 1995a, 1995b). By exploring newcomer youth's understandings of their experiences, self-conceptions, and positioning in the global economy, the authors draw on a three-year qualitative case study utilizing ethnographic methods to highlight the key tenets of a socio-politically relevant pedagogy for youth who lead transnational lives. The key tenets proposed include: (1) the cultivation of critical consciousness around global inequalities and transnational migration; (2) the creation of formal and informal avenues for reciprocal learning between families/communities and schools; and (3) support and care for the material conditions of students' and families' lives.
Breast Cancer Treatment in Elderly Patients

Treating breast cancer in the older patient is very complex. Each patient must be evaluated on an individual basis as to their functional reserve, comorbidities, personal wishes, and estimated life expectancy. Further studies are warranted on this rapidly rising population.
Isolated Post-Shunt Metopic Synostosis and Neural Tube Defects

Background Craniosynostosis is an uncommon complication after shunting procedures for congenital hydrocephalus. We report a case of a child with myelomeningocele and normocephaly at the time of birth. She underwent ventricular shunting for Chiari malformation and hydrocephalus at 3 days of age. An immediate postoperative CT scan confirmed all sutures were open. Serial CT scans document an open metopic suture at 2 months, closed metopic suture at 5 months, and trigonocephaly at 11 months with concomitant slit ventricle syndrome, and collapsed lateral and third ventricles. Methods An Ovid MEDLINE search within the dates of 1948 through 2017, using the keywords "synostosis AND shunt" was carried out. A tabulation of all patients and their respective synostosis patterns were recorded. Results We identified 8 case series and 2 case reports during 43 years (1966-2017). Seventy-eight patients with 79 suture synostosis patterns were identified (one patient underwent a second cranial reconstruction for identification of a separate, newly formed synostosis). Eighteen (30.5%) cases were associated with a neural tube defect (NTD). Patients with NTD and secondary craniosynostosis had on average earlier age of shunt placement (P = 0.001), craniosynostosis presentation (P = 0.146), and cranioplasty (P = 0.325) than secondary craniosynostosis patients without NTD. Conclusions Ventricular shunt drainage in treating hydrocephalus rarely may lead to early synostosis and cranial deformity, especially in patients with NTDs. Early shunt placement poses significant risk in patients with NTD. Close follow-up may be necessary to evaluate overdrainage and cranial deformity after shunting procedures.
Physiological Responses to Starvation in Snakes: Low Energy Specialists

Many types of snakes are capable of surviving over a year of complete starvation. The physiological effects of food limitation on snakes can be appreciated both by controlled studies of individuals and wild populations of snakes. Here we summarize morphological, physiological, and biochemical responses to food limitation among several distantly related snake species. Controlled studies revealed that the three traditional phases of fasting (i.e., stress, transition, adaptation), observed among endotherms, may not be clearly differentiated among fasting snakes. Nevertheless, starving snakes exhibited various potentially adaptive strategies for tolerating food limitation including the ability to: (1) reduce resting energy expenditure by entering a hypometabolic state, (2) regulate levels of circulating metabolites, (3) remodel tissues and increase body length, and (4) prioritize mass loss among different organs. Not surprisingly, the magnitude to which different species relied upon these different strategies varied, and was in part correlated with their ecological background and phylogenetic history. Starvation is a part of the natural history of many wild snake populations. Snakes inhabiting islands often experience boom and bust cycles where food is only available seasonally, usually corresponding to unpredictable allochthonous resources from birds that use islands for migratory stopovers and rookeries. Insular snakes have apparently adjusted to limited food supplies by morphological and behavioral modifications and shifting reproductive windows to minimize risk of starvation to mothers and offspring. The overall success of these strategies is evidenced in the comparatively dense population of snakes on many islands. Food available to snakes inhabiting forested areas can be influenced by land management practices (e.g., logging and fire supression) which indirectly affect the health of snake populations. Long-term mark-recapture and radiotelemetry studies reveal dramatic interannual shifts in mean body condition and extended periods of starvation driven by variation in mast crop in a degraded upland oak ecosystem.
Adaptive and platform trials in remote damage control resuscitation

The traditional approach to clinical trial design requires assuming precise values for multiple unknown parameters, resulting in a trial design that is unlikely to perform well if one or more of those assumptions turn out to be incorrect. During conduct of the trial, trial characteristics are often held fixed, even if incoming data suggest that one or more design assumptions were incorrect. This leads to an increased risk of a failed trial. In contrast, an adaptive clinical trial is designed to take advantage of partial, incoming data during the conduct of the trial, modifying key clinical trial characteristics according to prespecified rules, in order to avoid a failed or inconclusive trial, improve statistical efficacy, better treat patients within the trial, or achieve other scientific or ethical goals. The concept of an adaptive trial can be expanded to a platform trial, a clinical trial that is intended to evaluate multiple treatments or combinations of treatments, often for patients with any of a group of related diseases, and to continue beyond the evaluation of any particular treatment. Platform trial design strategies can be applied to the problem of finding the best treatment strategy for patients suffering from posttraumatic hemorrhagic shock. We present the rationale and considerations surrounding adaptive and platform trial design and apply these concepts to the problem of investigating strategies for remote damage control resuscitation.
Individuals Enforcing International Law: The Comparative and Historical Context

Traditionalists view the concept of individuals enforcing international law as an oxymoron, because, they insist, only sovereign states can create or apply international law. Within the United States, defenders of a centralized vision of foreign policy view individual efforts to enforce international law as undermining the constitutional assignment of foreign affairs to the exclusive control of the political branches of the government – the executive branch and Congress. Both of these concerns have been invoked to challenge a series of federal lawsuits seeking damages for violations of international law. Critics charge that such legal actions distort the structure of international law and the balance of power among the branches of our federal government, while threatening to undermine the measured progress of foreign relations, an impact that has been labeled “plaintiff’s diplomacy.” Despite these somewhat apocalyptic claims, however, dozens of such lawsuits have been litigated without any evidence that they have threatened the coherence of international law or U.S. foreign policy. The overblown complaints about human rights litigation overlook the role that individuals have long played in both the enforcement of international law and the development of foreign policy. This article explores the historical role of individuals in international law and foreign affairs, both on the international stage and within the United States and other domestic legal systems. It is important to note that these actions are not extralegal mechanisms. Individuals are not taking the law into their own hands, hunting down perpetrators and subjecting them to popular justice. Rather, each of these actions are lawful, state-sanctioned enforcement mechanisms, through which national and international bodies have empowered individuals to assist in the enforcement of the rights granted to them by international law. In some measure, these mechanisms reflect the recognition that human rights are ultimately too important to be left to the unscrutinized domain of governments and government officials. Pragmatic politicians need to be confronted by citizens who oppose the compromises of power. So-called private attorneys general, proudly practicing “plaintiff’s diplomacy,” are not just an unavoidable nuisance, but rather an essential tool in the protection of basic human rights.
Language, Memory and Remembering: Explorations in Historical Sociolinguistics

This volume explores issues of memory, remembering and language in late colonial India. It is the first systematic historical sociolinguistic study of English private and public citizens who lived in and/or worked for India and the Indian cause from the 1920s to the 1940s. While some of the English have lived as common citizens and were committed to India, their voices and contributions have remained on the margins of Indian collective memory. This book offers microhistorical readings of extended language forms generally underexplored in sociolinguistics (such as letters, telegrams, missives, and oral histories) to reorient facets of individual memories, lives, and endeavours against larger officialised understandings of the past. Using previously unpublished corpus of archival material and interviews with English private citizens from that period, this volume on historical sociolinguistics will be of interest to scholars and researchers of language and linguistics, South Asian studies, post-colonial literary studies, culture studies, and modern history.
Christianity, Origins of

This article is a revision of the previous edition article by L. Woodhead, volume 3, pp. 1770–1773, © 2001, Elsevier Ltd.
Abstract 1397: Quantitative MR imaging measures predict intratumoral molecular heterogeneity in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is primarily driven by mutation in von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) leading to constitutive hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) upregulation promoting angiogenesis. ccRCC is the most aggressive and common histological subtype of kidney cancer. It is characterized by high pathologic and molecular intra-tumor heterogeneity (ITH), a reflection of the genetic branched evolution during the tumor development. The overall molecular complexity in ccRCC may be underestimated with limited tissue samples in percutaneous biopsies. Non-invasive imaging methods that can provide quantitative spatial information on those varying features in the whole tumor may be a valuable tool for predicting tumor progression and therapy outcome. In this work we aim to understand the predictive value of quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) measures of tumor vascularity as a noninvasive tool to identify molecular heterogeneity in ccRCC. In this IRB approved, prospective, HIPAA compliant study, 62 ccRCC patients underwent 3T multi-parametric MRI: T2-weighted (T2W), dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE), and arterial spin labeled (ASL) MRI. All tumors were manually segmented with a region of interest (ROI) drawn on the central slice of the tumor. A grey-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) was constructed for each ROI and Haralick texture features were extracted. After surgery, 182 snap frozen samples from 49 tumors were subjected to RNA extraction, library preparation and mRNA sequencing using established protocols (Admerahealth, NJ). Spearman correlation coefficient between first- and second-order MRI statistics, including Haralick texture features, and gene expression levels were calculated. Gene ontology (GO) analysis was performed to identify the biological pathways associated with imaging features. Entropy, a measure of ITH, was correlated with standard deviation of normalized gene expression levels in multiple samples obtained from the same tumor. False discovery rate (FDR), q-values Citation Format: Durga Udayakumar, Ze Zhang, Durgesh Dwivedi, Yin Xi, Tao Wang, Ananth Madhuranthakam, Payal Kapur, Asghar Hajibeigi, Allison Joyce, Qurratulain Yousuf, Michael Fulkerson, Alberto Diaz de Leon, Matthew Lewis, Jeffrey Cadeddu, Aditya Bagrodia, Vitali Margulis, James Brugarolas, Ivan Pedrosa. Quantitative MR imaging measures predict intratumoral molecular heterogeneity in clear cell renal cell carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1397.