cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Process and implementation of Audio Computer Assisted Self-Interviewing (ACASI) assessments in low resource settings: a case example from Zambia.

Background. Studies from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) indicate that the use of audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) is associated with more accurate reporting of sensitive behaviors (e.g. substance use and sexual risk behaviors) compared with interviewer-administered questionnaires. There is a lack of published information on the process of designing, developing, and implementing ACASI in LMIC. In this paper we describe our experience implementing an ACASI system for use with a population of orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia. Methods. A questionnaire of mental health, substance use, and HIV risk behaviors was converted into an ACASI system, tested in pilot and validity studies, and implemented for use in a randomized controlled trial. Successes, barriers, and challenges associated with each stage in the development and implementation of ACASI are described. Results. We were able to convert a lengthy and complex survey into an ACASI system that was feasible for use in Zambia. Lessons learned include the importance of: (1) piloting the written and electronic versions; (2) proper and extensive training for study assessors to use ACASI and for those doing voice recordings; and (3) attention to logistics such as appropriate space, internet, and power. Conclusions. We found that ACASI was feasible and acceptable in Zambia with proper planning, training, and supervision. Given mounting evidence indicating that ACASI provides more accurate self-report data and immediate data download compared with interview-administered measures, it may be an effective and economical alternative for behavioral health research studies in LMIC.
Triptonide Effectively Inhibits Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling via C-terminal Transactivation Domain of β-catenin.

Abnormal activation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling is implicated in many diseases including cancer. As a result, therapeutic agents that disrupt this signaling pathway have been highly sought after. Triptonide is a key bioactive small molecule identified in a traditional Chinese medicine named Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F., and it has a broad spectrum of biological functions. Here we show that triptonide can effectively inhibit canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling by targeting the downstream C-terminal transcription domain of β-catenin or a nuclear component associated with β-catenin. In addition, triptonide treatment robustly rescued the zebrafish “eyeless” phenotype induced by GSK-3β antagonist 6-bromoindirubin-30-oxime (BIO) for Wnt signaling activation during embryonic gastrulation. Finally, triptonide effectively induced apoptosis of Wnt-dependent cancer cells, supporting the therapeutic potential of triptonide.
Stanislavski’s objectives, given circumstances and magic “if”s through the lens of optimal experience

AbstractActors may recall a feeling of exhilaration during periods of inspired acting; they felt at one with the material, their partners, and the audience. Such a state is referred to in the psychological literature as flow. Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi proposes that flow is a state of highly ordered consciousness in which all psychic energy is focused on the task at hand. Csikszentmihalyi describes elements of flow as including such aspects as a high degree of concentration, focused attention and the pursuit of clear goals. Actors study methodologies in order to purposely place themselves in this state as opposed to it being a happy accident. It is possible that achievement of the flow state may be facilitated by certain techniques that are contained within Konstantin Stanislavski’s system, and that the enhanced performance quality that results from the practice of those techniques actually represents the achievement of flow. In particular, Stanislavski’s focus on objectives, given circumstances, and magic ...
21st century Suikoden: Tattoo reinterpretations of the ‘Water Margin’ as racialized resistance in Chicano Los Angeles

AbstractThis article focuses on tattoo artist Chris Brand’s recent project, 108 Heroes of Los Angeles, as a way to understand how experiences of minoritization are narrated through the racialized geographies and historical specificities of global Los Angeles. Basing his work on the woodblock prints of nineteenth century artist Kuniyoshi, Brand reinvents the heroic figures of the fourteenth century Chinese novel ‘Water Margin’, or Suikoden, in Japanese, by inserting in their place Chicano heroes in the context of 1980s Los Angeles. Brand’s personal and professional experiences have enabled him to develop a visual aesthetics that reflects a particular Angeleno perspective. By combining Chicano black and grey tattooing with Japanese tattooing, Brand’s work highlights the ways in which the Suikoden’s transculturation across space and time function to redefine our understanding of urban topographies of race, the narration of marginality, and the circulating aesthetics of resistance that converge at the intimat...
Love in the Time of Antibiotic Resistance: How Altruism Might Be Our Best Hope

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a serious threat to our health. Our ability to destroy deadly bacteria by using antibiotics have not only improved our lives by curing infections, it also allows us to undertake otherwise dangerous treatments from chemotherapies to invasive surgeries. The emergence of antibiotic resistance, I argue, is a consequence of various iterations of prisoner’s dilemmas. To wit, each participant (from patients to nations) has rational self-interest to pursue a course of action that is suboptimal for all of us. The standard solutions to prisoner’s dilemma look to realign cost-benefit such that individuals’ interests match those of the collective. However, the lack of a global organization to enforce an effective carrot-and-stick system makes it unlikely that we can solve the antibiotic resistance problem this way. I argue that our best chance might be an attempt to teach altruism and convince individuals to act not out of their self-interests.
Protein Kinases and Protein Phosphatases that Regulate Meiotic Maturation in Mouse Oocytes

Oocytes arrest at prophase of meiosis I (MI) and in vivo do not resume meiosis until they receive ovulatory cues. Meiotic resumption entails two rounds of chromosome segregation without an intervening round of DNA replication and an arrest at metaphase of meiosis II (MII); fertilization triggers exit from MII and entry into interphase. During meiotic resumption, there is a burst of protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation that dramatically changes during the course of oocyte meiotic maturation. Many of these phosphorylation and dephosphorylation events are key to regulating meiotic cell cycle arrest and/or progression, chromosome dynamics, and meiotic spindle assembly and disassembly. This review, which is subdivided into sections based upon meiotic cell cycle stages, focuses on the major protein kinases and phosphatases that have defined requirements during meiosis in mouse oocytes and, when possible, connects these regulatory pathways.
Political participation and long-term resilience in pre-Columbian societies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the political participation in pre-Columbian societies to determine empirically if greater local participation in political decision-making provides greater resilience to natural disasters. Design/methodology/approach A cross-cultural analysis of 21 archeologically known societies bracketing the period 100 years prior to and 100 years following 15 catastrophic natural disasters is conducted to identify relationships between political participation and long-term societal resilience. Findings Societies which encourage greater political participation at multiple levels of hierarchy show greater resilience in population, regional organization and communal ritual than societies that restrict political participation. Research limitations/implications The sample employed is small and non-random, and the data are coarse-grained, thus the results must be taken cautiously. However, because the use of archeological information allows for both empirical evaluation of presumed causal relationships and the examination of societies across a range of scales and degrees of political integration, the flaws in the sample and data may be less important than the unique insights provided through the broad and diachronic perspective of archeology. Practical implications The paper’s findings are consistent with current literature on societal resilience and disaster management, specifically those that emphasize local empowerment and the building of social capital as means to increase resilience, and thus serve as an empirical confirmation of those approaches. Originality/value This paper is unique undertaking a systematic cross-cultural analysis of archeological data in order to empirically test whether greater political participation increases long-term societal resilience.
Classification of Twitter Users Who Tweet About E-Cigarettes.

Background: Despite concerns about their health risks, e‑cigarettes have gained popularity in recent years. Concurrent with the recent increase in e‑cigarette use, social media sites such as Twitter have become a common platform for sharing information about e-cigarettes and to promote marketing of e‑cigarettes. Monitoring the trends in e‑cigarette–related social media activity requires timely assessment of the content of posts and the types of users generating the content. However, little is known about the diversity of the types of users responsible for generating e‑cigarette–related content on Twitter. Objective: The aim of this study was to demonstrate a novel methodology for automatically classifying Twitter users who tweet about e‑cigarette–related topics into distinct categories. Methods: We collected approximately 11.5 million e‑cigarette–related tweets posted between November 2014 and October 2016 and obtained a random sample of Twitter users who tweeted about e‑cigarettes. Trained human coders examined the handles’ profiles and manually categorized each as one of the following user types: individual (n=2168), vaper enthusiast (n=334), informed agency (n=622), marketer (n=752), and spammer (n=1021). Next, the Twitter metadata as well as a sample of tweets for each labeled user were gathered, and features that reflect users’ metadata and tweeting behavior were analyzed. Finally, multiple machine learning algorithms were tested to identify a model with the best performance in classifying user types. Results: Using a classification model that included metadata and features associated with tweeting behavior, we were able to predict with relatively high accuracy five different types of Twitter users that tweet about e‑cigarettes (average F1 score=83.3%). Accuracy varied by user type, with F1 scores of individuals, informed agencies, marketers, spammers, and vaper enthusiasts being 91.1%, 84.4%, 81.2%, 79.5%, and 47.1%, respectively. Vaper enthusiasts were the most challenging user type to predict accurately and were commonly misclassified as marketers. The inclusion of additional tweet-derived features that capture tweeting behavior was found to significantly improve the model performance—an overall F1 score gain of 10.6%—beyond metadata features alone. Conclusions: This study provides a method for classifying five different types of users who tweet about e‑cigarettes. Our model achieved high levels of classification performance for most groups, and examining the tweeting behavior was critical in improving the model performance. Results can help identify groups engaged in conversations about e‑cigarettes online to help inform public health surveillance, education, and regulatory efforts. [JMIR Public Health Surveill 2017;3(3):e63]
Asthma Management for the Otolaryngologist

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that will frequently be encountered by otolaryngologists as they manage their patients with upper respiratory diseases. Symptoms such as cough should alert otolaryngologists to consider more broadly the potential role of asthma in the differential diagnosis. It is critical for otolaryngologists to appreciate that patients with allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis will often have asthma, and that many of them may not be diagnosed at the time of presentation. Appropriate diagnosis of the patient with asthma, as well as effective treatment for its symptoms, will improve patient function and enhance quality of life.
Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells Ameliorate Cyclosporine A–Induced Hypertension in Mice

The calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine A (CsA) suppresses the immune system but promotes hypertension, vascular dysfunction, and renal damage. CsA decreases regulatory T cells and this contributes to the development of hypertension. However, CsA's effects on another important regulatory immune cell subset, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), is unknown. We hypothesized that augmenting MDSCs would ameliorate the CsA-induced hypertension and vascular and renal injury and dysfunction and that CsA reduces MDSCs in mice. Daily interleukin-33 treatment, which increased MDSC levels, completely prevented CsA-induced hypertension and vascular and renal toxicity. Adoptive transfer of MDSCs from control mice into CsA-treated mice after hypertension was established dose-dependently reduced blood pressure and vascular and glomerular injury. CsA treatment of aortas and kidneys isolated from control mice for 24 hours decreased relaxation responses and increased inflammation, respectively, and these effects were prevented by the presence of MDSCs. MDSCs also prevented the CsA-induced increase in fibronectin in microvascular and glomerular endothelial cells. Last, CsA dose-dependently reduced the number of MDSCs by inhibiting calcineurin and preventing cell proliferation, as other direct calcineurin signaling pathway inhibitors had the same dose-dependent effect. These data suggest that augmenting MDSCs can reduce the cardiovascular and renal toxicity and hypertension caused by CsA.
Older adult service usage assessment: evidence from two rural samples

The purpose of this study was to assess home and community-based services (HCBS) with regard to recent and future frequency of service utilization, along with overall satisfaction and future percei...
Inequality and inequity in the emergence of conventions

Many societies have norms of equity – that those who make symmetric social contributions deserve symmetric rewards. Despite this, there are widespread patterns of social inequity, especially along ...
First-principles modeling of gallium-oxide and related semiconductors (Conference Presentation)

The unique properties of Ga2O3 and related oxides enable applications as transparent conductors and in power electronics. Ga2O3 has a large band gap (4.8 eV) but can also be highly n-type doped. A thorough understanding of its properties, combined with knowledge of how to control them, is crucial to improving materials quality and enabling further applications. I will show how first-principles modeling, using advanced hybrid functional calculations within density functional theory, can accurately predict band structure [1], properties of point defects [2,3] and impurities [4], and transport [5]. Combining Ga2O3 with In2O3 [6] or Al2O3 allows tuning the atomic and electronic structure. We determine the preferential crystal structures as a function of alloy composition, along with values for band gaps and band alignment. These results provide guidance for incorporating Ga2O3 into devices. Work performed in collaboration with H. Peelaers, J. B. Varley and Y. Kang. [1] H. Peelaers and C.G. Van de Walle, Phys. Status Solidi B 252 (2015), 828. [2] J. B. Varley et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 97 (2010), 142106. [3] J. B. Varley et al., J. Phys. Condens. Matter 23 (2011), 334212. [4] H. Peelaers and C. G. Van de Walle, Phys. Rev. B 94 (2016), 195203. [5] Y. Kang et al., J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 29 (2017), 234001. [6] H. Peelaers et al., Phys. Rev. B 92 (2015), 85206.
Florence as “Paradise Lost”

The city of Florence has been a place of artistic pilgrimage for centuries. This essay discusses late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century British and American interest in Florence and, specifically, two of its masterpieces in Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus as indicative of a melancholic perspective on the Florentine Renaissance as a “Paradise Lost.” The city was ambivalently idealized as an “Earthly Paradise.”
Improving the histogram of oriented gradient feature for threat detection in ground penetrating radar by implementing it as a trainable convolutional neural network

A large number of algorithms have been proposed for automatic buried threat detection (BTD) in ground penetrating radar (GPR) data. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have recently achieved groundbreaking results on many recognition tasks. This success is due, in part, to their ability to automatically infer effective data representations (i.e., features) using training data. This capability however results in a high capacity model (i.e., many free parameters) that is difficult to train, and more prone to overfitting, than models employing hand-crafted feature designs. This drawback is pronounced when training data is relatively scarce, as is the case with GPR BTD. In this work we propose to combine the relative advantages of hand-crafted features, and CNNs, by constructing CNN architectures that closely emulate successful hand-crafted feature designs for GPR BTD. This makes it possible to apply supervised training to traditional hand-crafted features, allowing them to adapt to the unique characteristics of the GPR BTD problem. Simultaneously, this approach yields a much lower capacity CNN model that incorporates substantial prior research knowledge, making the model much easier to train. We demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of this approach by designing a “neural” implementation of the popular histogram of oriented gradient (HOG) feature. The resulting neural HOG (NHOG) implementation is much smaller and easier to train than standard CNN architectures, and achieves superior detection performance compared to the un-trained HOG feature. In theory, neural implementations can be developed for many existing successful GPR BTD algorithms, potentially yielding similar benefits.
Wisdom can be taught: A proof-of-concept study for fostering wisdom in the classroom

Abstract We undertook a short-term longitudinal study to test whether a set of methods common to current theories of wisdom transmission can foster wisdom in students in a measurable way. The three-dimensional wisdom scale (3D-WS) was administered to 131 students in five wisdom-promoting introductory philosophy courses and 176 students in seven introductory philosophy and psychology control courses at the beginning and end of the semester. The experimental group was divided in two (“Wisdom 1” and “Wisdom 2”), and each was taught a distinct curriculum consistent with theories of wisdom education. Results of repeated measures MANOVA showed that over the course of the semester average 3D-WS scores decreased in the control classes, stayed the same in the Wisdom 1 classes, and increased in the Wisdom 2 classes. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a wisdom curriculum has been demonstrated to increase wisdom in a traditional higher education setting.
Mechanics of Micromorphic Continua

The theory of micromorphic continua, developed by Eringen and his co-workers, is recapitulated and extended. Master equations are obtained in the form of integral operators from which all order volume and surface statistical moments are derivable leading to a hierarchy of balance laws. Micropolar and indeterminate couple stress theories are summarized as special cases. The relation to other recent microstructure theories is discussed briefly.
Trigeminal Nerve (Cranial Nerve V)

The trigeminal nerve or cranial nerve V contains sensory from the gasserian ganglion and motor fibers. This nerve has three major branches or divisions, the ophthalmic (V1), maxillary (V2), and mandibular (V3), which supply the eye, deep and superficial structures of the face, and the cranium. The motor component is located in the mandibular division and it supplies mainly the muscles of mastication.
Acoustic Waves in Saturated Sediments

This paper discusses a phenomenological model that describes the propagation of sound waves in saturated sediments. The compressibility and shearing stiffness of the skeletal frame, the compressibility of the fluid, and two major sources of attenuation are included in the model. Attenuation is attributed to two fundamentally different types of energy loss, one resulting from inelasticity of the skeletal frame and the other due to motion of the pore fluid relative to the frame, with each significant in a different frequency range.
Increasing multilingualism in schoolscapes: New scenery and language education policies

In this qualitative research study, we examine changes made in 23 New York City schools that participated in a project for which participating schools were asked to regard bilingualism as a resource in instruction and develop a multilingual linguistic landscape. Findings document efforts made by schools to change their linguistic landscape in ways that recognize students’ many languages and cultures, significant corresponding ideological shifts by school leaders from monolingual to multilingual views of language and language learning, educators’ incorporation of students’ home languages in instruction, and new formal language education policies resulting from these efforts. We document the impact of all of these changes on students and their families and suggest that research on linguistic landscape conducted in schools should consider not only the physical landscape but also its connections to pedagogy, programming, and language policies.
The Language of Logic and Set-Theory

In this chapter we discuss the need for a language more formal than common language to write proofs. We proceed to introduce propositional logic, quantifiers, and the basics of the language of Set Theory, including functions, one-to-one and onto functions, and their use in counting arguments.
Varying Levels of Food Insecurity Associated with Clinically Relevant Depressive Symptoms in U.S. Adults Aged 60 Years and Over: Results from the 2005-2014 National Health and Nutrition Survey.

AbstractFood insecurity refers to restricted or uncertain access to and ineffective utilization of nutritious and safe foods. Although food insecurity is linked to poorer physical health consequenc...
Limitation of the TNO Random Dot Stereo Test for Visual Screening

The value of the Random Dot Stereogram as an effective visual screening device has been emphasized in recent years. We will present evidence that 30 to 60 seconds of arc stereoacuity can be demonst...
C Horizon of the Soil Profile

A RECENT communication by Willimott and Shirlaw1 refers to the C horizon and its absence in soils developed from fluvio-glacial and alluvial deposits near Durham City. These authors use a definition of C horizon as “unconsolidated parent material substantially similar to that from which the solum has developed”. This is the definition of the U.S. Department of Agriculture2, in which the C horizon is described as “weathered parent material” and D includes “any stratum which is not parent material”. It is widely held that such a distinction between unconsolidated and consolidated parent material is difficult to maintain. In the case of a rock and an overlying drift or weathered material derived from similar rock, it has been the practice to describe the latter as parent material and the former as parent rock. Such a differentiation is not universally favoured, but an indexing of these cases as C 1 (unconsolidated parent material) and C 2 (rock, the weathering of which is producing C 1) is preferable to the use of D in this case. D as a symbol is then confined to material not contributing to the overlying solum but influencing it in some way, such as in its moisture relations. This use of C 1 and C 2 is that adopted by Kubiena3.
The evaporation and condensation model with interface tracking

Abstract Interface tracking simulation (ITS) is one of the promising approaches to describe heat transfer of boiling phenomena and their underlying mechanisms. Better understanding and modeling of this process will benefit various engineering systems relying on two-phase heat transfer. The presented research implements, verifies and validates the modeling capability of the evaporation process using a massively parallel unstructured grid flow solver, PHASTA. The verification of the evaporation and condensation model has been performed by comparing the bubble growth rate with analytical solutions. Both pool boiling and flow boiling simulations are performed using this ITS evaporation and condensation model. The bubble nucleation frequency in pool boiling simulation is validated against experimentally-based correlations. The bubble evolution and growth rate are compared with experimental data to validate the model performance under flow boiling condition. The authors propose an innovative ITS based-boiling model which can conduct boiling simulation with 3D unstructured computational mesh. This capability will serve as one of the most important building blocks for high resolution boiling simulation in realistic engineering geometries being developed under the PHASTA simulation framework. Compared to the structured-grid-based solvers, which are challenging to apply to complex engineering geometries, this boiling model implementation is capable of conducting high-resolution boiling simulations in engineering geometries and resolving the detailed hydrodynamics and thermal information for quantities of interest at/around the interface. This approach may help fulfill the numerical data gap between the local physical phenomena and the engineering scale ITS applications in the future.
PLENARY 1 - DEMENTIA PREVENTION AT THE POPULATION LEVEL: MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS

Abstract A compelling and robust body of research suggests that modifiable risk factor reduction could substantially impact risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia. The evidence is strongest for cardiovascular risk factors as well as lifestyle risk factors including both physical and cognitive activity while promising data is also emerging for sleep disorders and traumatic brain injury. Cumulatively, the data supports modifiable risk factor reduction at the population-based level, with increasing evidence for multi-domain interventions. Dr. Yaffe will discuss recent trends in dementia, the latest findings, and the public health implications of these strategies.
Fluorescence-based actin turnover dynamics of stem cells as a profiling method for stem cell functional evolution, heterogeneity and phenotypic lineage parsing.

Abstract Stem cells are widely explored in regenerative medicine as a source to produce diverse cell types. Despite the wide usage of stem cells like mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), there is a lack of robust methods to rapidly discern the phenotypic and functional heterogeneity of stem cells. The organization of actin cytoskeleton has been previously used to discern divergent stem cell differentiation pathways. In this paper, we highlight the versatility of a cell profiling method for actin turnover dynamics. Actin filaments in live stem cells are labeled using SiR-actin, a cell permeable fluorogenic probe, to determine the endogenous actin turnover. Live MSC imaging after days of induction successfully demonstrated lineage specific change in actin turnover. Next, we highlighted the differences in the cellular heterogeneity of actin dynamics during adipogenic or osteogenic MSC differentiation. Next, we applied the method to differentiating iPSCs in culture, and detected a progressive slowdown in actin turnover during differentiation upon stimulation with neural or cardiac media. Finally, as a proof of concept, the actin dynamic profiling was used to isolate MSCs via flow cytometry prior to sorting into three distinct sub-populations with low, intermediate or high actin dynamics. A greater fraction of MSCs with more rapid actin dynamics demonstrated increased inclination for adipogenesis, whereas, slower actin dynamics correlated with increased osteogenesis. Together, these results show that actin turnover can serve as a versatile biomarker to not only track cellular phenotypic heterogeneity but also harvest live cells with potential for differential phenotypic fates.
Visual Read Protocols for Clinicians Analyzing 18F-PI-2620 tau PET/MRI Images

1531 Objectives: Abnormal tau protein is one of the primary pathologies associated with Alzheimer9s Disease (AD). Diagnosing tau pathology in vivo is crucial in disease diagnosis, clinical trial inclusion criteria, and therapy development. The goal of this study was to create and validate a clinical visual rating protocol for 18F-PI2620 and correlate with SUVR and disease. After thorough study of 18F-PI2620 PET/MR images by the authors, a visual read protocol was created with staging based on modified Braak stages. In Braak staging, neurofibrillary tau tangles are present primarily in the transentorhinal and entorhinal cortex in early stages (1e in our protocol), progress to the hippocampus (1h), then to the rest of the medial temporal cortex including lingual and fusiform gyrus (1m), spread to the remaining temporal cortex (2 in our protocol), and lastly impact the neocortex (3 in our protocol), Figure 1. For this work, 2 physicians were blinded to participant demographics, received training on this algorithm, independently viewed the fused non-normalized 18F-PI2620 PET/MR with MRIcron, and staged each participants’ scans according to the this clinical protocol. Tau staging was determined based on visual uptake greater than inferior cerebellar cortex. Participants were rated as positive or negative in each of the stages. Using this protocol for 18F-PI2620, concordance between raters varied from the upper limits of “fair” (Cohen’s k=0.35, p=5.3e-3 for 1h, hippocampal uptake) to “nearly perfect” (k=0.93, p= 1.1e-10 for stage 3, cortical uptake, Supplemental Figure). The raters’ visual categorization significantly correlated with SUVR for each relevant region of interest (p-value of 0.02 to 9e-13). Importantly for clinical trial inclusion/exclusion and disease diagnosis, none of the patients with a non-AD tauopathy disease were rated positively with this protocol by either rater. As tau tracers are being implemented in clinical trials, clinical evaluation is necessary. These tau PET tracers are promising candidates for subjectively quantifying disease burden in vivo clinically, using the modified Braak staging protocols developed here.
Proximate mechanisms and relational history: the interdependence of food transfers in socially housed orang-utans (Pongo abelii)

Animals can transfer food between each other through both competition (theft) and cooperation (sharing). Analysing patterns of food transfers can thus yield valuable insights into animals’ social dynamics, e.g. intragroup competition and cooperation. Previous studies on food transfers in our closest living relatives, the great apes, have mainly focused on ultimate explanations for food sharing and analysed food transfers as independent events with a focus on frequencies and types of transfers. In this study, we focus on the influence of contextual variables and the directly preceding interaction on food transfer attempts. We provided one monopolizable food bag per session (10 sessions each in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016) to orang-utans housed in the same enclosure (N = 12) and coded the subsequent transfers and transfer attempts of food items from the bag (N = 3207). We divided transfer attempts into four different categories (taking, co-feeding, requests, offers) and found comparable frequencies as in previous studies on food sharing in great apes. We present four models that investigate to what extent food transfer attempts influence the subsequent transfer attempt within a dyad with regards to probability of a successful transfer, choice of transfer strategy, time between two transfer attempts and probability of resistance by the food possessor. Our analyses show that characteristics of the previous interactions (e.g. success, resistance by the food possessor) and the current interaction (e.g. being in view of the food possessor, food location) affected both the behaviour of the initiator of a transfer attempt and of the food possessor. These results highlight how the behaviour of orang-utans is influenced by the preceding interaction within a dyad and by several other context-specific cues. This shows that orang-utans keep track of their most recent interaction with the same partner and take that into account towards calibrating their next interactional moves.
A systematic scoping review of post-treatment lifestyle interventions for adult cancer survivors and family members.

Supporting the health of cancer survivors and their families from diagnosis through survivorship is a recognized priority. However, the extent to which health promotion efforts after the completion of acute treatment attend to the needs of adult survivors and families is unclear. This systematic scoping review summarizes the key characteristics of post-treatment lifestyle interventions aiming to improve diet, physical activity, and/or weight-related outcomes for adult cancer survivors and family members. We retrieved relevant studies from six databases using keywords. Studies were appraised for quality and limited to English-language, peer-reviewed journal articles published in or after 2005. A total of 2,376 articles were obtained from the databases; 14 main articles (and 2 supplemental articles) representing 14 unique interventions were retained for our analysis. Most interventions were designed to modify aspects of participant diet and physical activity (in combination) or physical activity alone; cited social cognitive theory as a guiding or interpretative framework; included survivors of multiple cancer types; and were limited to one type of familial relationship (e.g., spouse/partner, sister). Where reported, intervention samples were predominantly White. Few post-treatment interventions concurrently target cancer survivor and family members’ positive lifestyle behaviors. Positive findings highlight the potential for expanding this area of intervention research and increasing understanding of individual and familial factors that contribute to successful post-treatment family interventions. Promoting cancer survivors’ healthy behaviors within the family context could capitalize on existing support networks and improve the health of family members in supportive roles.
Lipopolysaccharide from the commensal microbiota of the breast enhances cancer growth: role of S100A7 and TLR4.

The role of commensal bacterial microbiota in the pathogenesis of human malignancies has been a research field of incomparable progress in recent years. Although breast tissue is commonly assumed to be sterile, recent studies suggest that human breast tissue may contain a bacterial microbiota. In this study, we used an immune-competent orthotopic breast cancer mouse model to explore the existence of a unique and independent bacterial microbiota in breast tumors. We observed some similarities in breast cancer microbiota with skin; however, breast tumor microbiota was mainly enriched with gram-negative bacteria, serving as a primary source of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In addition, dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) treatment in late-stage tumor lesions increased LPS levels in the breast tissue environment. We also discovered an increased expression of S100A7 and low level of TLR4 in late-stage tumors with or without DSS as compared to early-stage tumor lesions. The treatment of breast cancer cells with LPS increased the expression of S100A7 in breast cancer cells in vitro. Furthermore, S100A7 overexpression downregulated TLR4 and upregulated RAGE expression in breast cancer cells. Analysis of human breast cancer samples also highlighted the inverse correlation between S100A7 and TLR4 expression. Overall, these findings suggest that the commensal microbiota of breast tissue may enhance breast tumor burden through a novel LPS/S100A7/TLR4/RAGE signaling axis.
Priority effects among amphibian microbes lead to varying levels of Bd infection

Priority effects in host-associated microbiomes can influence not only community composition and structure, but also community functions, such as disease resistance. However, evidence for these priority effects remains scarce. Past studies suggest that amphibian protection from chytridiomycosis, caused by the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is related to antifungal bacterial composition on host skin. Priority effects in these bacterial communities may influence susceptibility to Bd, but this possibility has not been tested. Using in vitro microcosms, we demonstrated that priority effects can influence interactions among amphibian-associated microbes. We observed strong priority effects irrespective of high antifungal ability such that the Bd-inhibitory potential of two strongly inhibitory bacterial species did not always produce higher levels of Bd-inhibition. This result suggests that interactions may be more complex than previously thought. Additionally, our results suggest that priority effects between commensal and pathogenic taxa can be either facilitatory or inhibitory, with the strength and direction of this effect dependent on the composition of the community. Thus, changes in assembly may lead to varying levels of Bd infection, influencing how we might augment amphibian-associated microbiomes to conserve taxa currently at risk of extinction.
Neighborhood Walkability and Mortality in a Prospective Cohort of Women

Background There is a paucity of prospective cohort studies evaluating neighborhood walkability in relation to the risk of death. Methods We geocoded baseline residential addresses of 13,832 women in the New York University Women's Health Study (NYUWHS) and estimated the Built Environment and Health Neighborhood Walkability Index (BEH-NWI) for each participant circa 1990. The participants were recruited from 1985 to 1991 in New York City and followed for an average of 27 years. We conducted survival analyses using Cox proportional hazards models to assess the association between neighborhood walkability and risk of death from any cause, obesity-related diseases, cardiometabolic diseases, and obesity-related cancers. Results Residing in a neighborhood with a higher neighborhood walkability score was associated with a lower mortality rate. Comparing women in the top versus the lowest walkability tertile, the hazards ratios (and 95% CIs) were 0.96 (0.93-0.99) for all-cause, 0.91 (0.86-0.97) for obesity-related disease, and 0.72 (0.62-0.85) for obesity-related cancer mortality, respectively, adjusting for potential confounders at both the individual and neighborhood level. We found no association between neighborhood walkability and risk of death from cardiometabolic diseases. Results were similar in analyses censoring participants who moved during follow-up, using multiple imputation for missing covariates, and using propensity scores matching women with high and low neighborhood walkability on potential confounders. Exploratory analyses indicate that outdoor walking and average BMI mediated the association between neighborhood walkability and mortality. Conclusion Our findings are consistent with a protective role of neighborhood walkability in obesity-related mortality in women, particularly obesity-related cancer mortality.
Interaction of Aluminum-adjuvanted Recombinant P[4] Protein Antigen With Preservatives: Storage Stability and Backbone Flexibility Studies.

Abstract Eight antimicrobial preservatives used in parenteral multidose formulations (thimerosal, 2-phenoxy ethanol, phenol, benzyl alcohol, m-cresol, chlorobutanol, methyl paraben, propyl paraben) were examined for their effects on the storage stability (4°C, 25°C) of an Alhydrogel® (AH) adjuvanted formulation of the non-replicating rotavirus vaccine (NRRV) recombinant P[4] protein antigen. The stability of AH-adsorbed P[4] was monitored for antigen-antibody binding, conformational stability, and antigen-adjuvant interaction via competitive ELISA, DSC, and SDS-PAGE, respectively. There was an unexpected correlation between increasing storage stability of the AH-adsorbed P[4] and preservative hydrophobicity (log P) (e.g., the parabens and chlorobutanol were least destabilizing). We used hydrogen exchange-mass spectrometry (HX-MS) to better understand the destabilizing effects of temperature and preservative on backbone flexibility of AH-adsorbed P[4]. Thimerosal addition immediately increased the backbone flexibility across much of the AH-adsorbed P[4] protein backbone (except the N-terminal P2 region and residues G17-Y 38 ), and further increase in P[4] backbone flexibility was observed after storage (4°C, 4 weeks). HX-MS analysis of AH-adsorbed P[4] stored for 4 weeks at 25°C revealed structural alterations in some regions of the epitope involved in P[4] specific mAb binding. These combined results are discussed in terms of a generalized workflow for multi-dose vaccine formulation development for recombinant protein antigens.
An Illustration of the Theoretical Relationship between Civil Commitment Standards and Procedures

With the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Addington v. Texas,1 the procedural issue of the required standard of proof in civil commitment cases finally came to the fore. Addington was involuntarily committed by a Texas court for an indefinite period of time. His commitment was upheld by the Texas Supreme Court, which held constitutionally sufficient a “preponderance of the evidence” standard of proof. When his case reached the United States Supreme Court, Addington argued that his committability must be supported by evidence “beyond a reasonable doubt.” The Supreme Court settled on an intermediate standard and accordingly required “clear and convincing” proof of committability.
Three-dimensional structure of the wild-type lac Pribnow promoter DNA in solution. Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance studies and distance geometry calculations.

Abstract The solution structure of a 12 base-pair DNA duplex containing the wt-lac promoter Pribnow sequence TATGTT has been studied by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Proton assignments for the 24 sugar and base residues were obtained from two-dimensional correlated nuclear magnetic resonance and two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect spectra in both 2H2O and H2O, and by two-dimensional relayed coherence transfer nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy experiments. Time-dependent, two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect spectra were used to determine the initial crossrelaxation rates between 212 pairs of assigned protons, leading to 212 interproton distances in the double helix (8 to 9 per nucleotide). These distance constraints, and known bond lengths and angles, were entered into a distance matrix. After smoothing the bounds of the distance matrix, 12 trial matrices within the bounds constraints were independently generated and embedded in three-dimensional space using a distance geometry algorithm, to generate 12 trial structures. These trial structures were then refined until they no longer violated the distance matrix. The resulting structures are very similar at the local base-pair and nearest-neighbor base-pair level, but exhibit increasing variation at more distant and global levels. At the nearest-neighbor level, the A to T step and the G to T step within the Pribnow hexamer, as well as the G to T step preceding the hexamer, all exhibit very low screw pitch, i.e. 5(±6) °. Conversely, the T to G step in the center of the promoter has a large screw pitch (47(±2) °) and the T to G step at the 3′ end of the promoter has a very large screw pitch (60(±3) °). The limitations of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy distance determination of structure are discussed in terms of resolution and spectral overlap of two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect crosspeaks. In the present duplex, the inability to measure several 1′-2′ and 1′-2″ distances resulted in underdetermination of the precise local sugar conformation for seven of the 24 residues, although the spatial position of all sugars was well defined.
Explaining Strained Community-Police Relations in a Racially and Ethnically Homogeneous Community

ABSTRACT A dominant theme in criminological research is that strained community-police relations are influenced by economic, social, and ecological variables that are further highly correlated with interracial prejudice and discrimination. It is difficult to assess the individual contributions of those other variables without controlling for race and ethnicity. There is an obvious need to examine community-police relations in racially and ethnically homogeneous settings to analyze such effects. In this paper, I use ethnographic data gathered in the racially and ethnically homogeneous Caribbean village of Grand Bay, Dominica, during 7 months in 1996 to explain strained community-police relations. The data highlight key ecological, economic, historical, social, and political factors contributing to strained community-police relations. The evidence also shows that, even in this race/ethnic homogeneous setting, constructed notions of prejudice play major roles in strained communitypolice relations. Based on t...
GPER/GPR30 and Components of Store-operated Ca2+ entry

The novel G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER/GPR30) has been found to participate in numerous cardiovascular functions. Store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) is an essential mechanism required for many cell activities. We found that GPER agonist G-1 inhibits SOCE in endothelial cells. Heterologous expression of GPER causes a 40% decrease in the rate of SOCE. GPER antagonist G15 acutely increases rates of SOCE by 16% and when treated chronically, increases total Ca2+ signals by 50% in vascular smooth muscle. Consistently, GPER gene silencing increases SOCE by approximately 50%. In endothelial and ventricular tissues, GPER coimmunoprecipitates with the stromal interaction molecule 1 (Stim1) and the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA), two essential molecular switchers of SOCE. In addition, Stim1 colocalizes with GPER when heterologously expressed in HEK 293 cells. In addition, overexpression of GPER substantially reduces thapsigargin-induced Ca2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum in vascular...