cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Traveling Companions: Women, Trade, and the Early East India Company

While considering the many economic and personal relationships forged in the Indian Ocean during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the friendships and collaborations among European women and their counterparts in Mughal India often remain neglected. In reality these women traveled back and forth between continents, often alongside their husbands, and created new avenues of cultural dialogue and commercial exchange. In particular this essay will examine the interactions of three women: the Armenian Christian maiden later identified as Mariam Khan, who was chosen by the Mughal emperor Jahangir to become the wife of Captain William Hawkins of the East India Company, and two English women, Frances Steele and Mrs. Hudson. Soon after her husband's death on the voyage to England in 1613, Mariam married another East India Company employee, Captain Gabriel Towerson. After a few years in London, she set sail for India in 1617, this time accompanied by Steele and Hudson. Together they formed personal bonds of friendship that also had significant economic and cultural implications, as the English ambassador Sir Thomas Roe discovered. Unlike company merchants, the English women were able to access the zenana quarters of Mughal India, and their acquaintance with Mariam possibly made it easier for them to build vital relationships with daughters and wives of Mughal officials. In so doing they secured privileges for themselves and their husbands, often countering the direct interests of the East India Company.
Sequence-specific 1H, 13C and 15N signal assignments and secondary structure of Archaeoglobus fulgidus SRP19 [4]

Olga N. Pakhomovaa, Yumin Cuia, Christian Zwiebb & Andrew P. Hincka,∗ aDepartment of Biochemistry, Center for Biomolecular Structure Analysis, Allied Health Building/Biochemistry 5.206, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, MC 7760, 7730 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, U.S.A. bDepartment of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, TX 75710, U.S.A.
Analysis of tablet PC based learning experiences in engineering classes

In this poster we present preliminary findings from a large scale initiative to implement Tablet PCs and related software in engineering courses at Virginia Tech. We present assessment data on the effectiveness of Tablets collected using end of semester course exit survey (N=525). The overall satisfaction with the implementation was positive as reflected in survey responses but students also raised several concerns with the Tablet interface and the software used.
Economic Segregation and the Statehouse: An Examination of Economic Residential Segregation and State-Level Social Welfare Expenditures

Over the past 50 years, American cities have experienced deindustrialization, eroding employment opportunities, aging housing stock, crumbling infrastructure, and a decline in population. This has concentrated poverty and wealth in separate and isolated neighborhoods in cities, even as racial segregation has begun to decline (Wilson 1987, 1996; Massey and Denton 1993; Massey et al. 1994; Iceland et al. 2002). While the recent economic downturn has hurt everyone on the economic spectrum, understanding how economic isolation of the poor affects state spending on social welfare programs is important. Indeed, it may be more important now than ever to appreciate how residential patterns influence state expenditures, particularly for social programs, given the fiscal crisis in which states find themselves and the fact that the poor have been hit hardest by the current economic crisis. This paper explores the relationship between levels of economic segregation within states and state expenditures on social welfare programs. I hypothesize that as economic segregation increases, that is to say, as the prosperous and impoverished become less likely to live near one another, state expenditures on social welfare programs decline. Examining this relationship will help to highlight the connection between broad economic trends, residential patterns, and policy outputs, which in turn shape the environments in which citizens engage in the American polity as individual political actors.
Abstract 2904: Docking-based virtual screening of Chk1 inhibitors

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Checkpoint 1 (Chk1), which is required for checkpoint arrest, is activated in response to DNA damage through the ATM/ATR pathway, and plays an essential role in the regulation of the G2/M checkpoint. Inhibition of Chk1 should abrogate this checkpoint in a manner relevant to the treatment of cancer, and may also induce apoptosis. Selective Chk1 inhibitors should also prove useful to study the regulation of the G2/M checkpoint. Several Chk1 inhibitors are already known, including natural products. UCN-01, a Chk1 inhibitor and staurosporine derivative, is undergoing clinical trials as an anticancer agent. A limited number of additional Chk1 inhibitors have been reported; however, a need to identify more drug-like Chk1 inhibitors is clear. This should be facilitated by the structural information available for the Chk1 kinase domain. The first crystal structure of the kinase domain of human Chk1 has been reported at 1.7A resolution in 2000. After that, 46 co-crystal structures of Chk1 and inhibitors have also been solved. This puts docking-based virtual screening of Chk1 inhibitors on firm footing. Molecular docking is a very popular method employed to investigate molecular associations and is particularly useful in the drug discovery arena to study the binding of small molecules (ligands) to macromolecules (receptors). To deal with the binding event in a realistic manner, we took into account the conformational flexibility of the ligand and the flexibility of the receptor. In this work, a large collection of crystallographic structures of Chk1 was employed to determine if multiple-structure docking performs better than single-structure docking. Known ligands were used to test the success of docking in binding mode prediction and virtual screening enrichment factors. A chemical library with more than 60,000 compounds was docked into the selected Chk1 structures, and the top-ranked compounds were then tested in experiments. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2904. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2904
Tapping Soil Survey Information for Rapid Assessment of Sagebrush Ecosystem Resilience and Resistance

On the Ground Emerging applications of ecosystem resilience and resistance concepts in sagebrush ecosystems allow managers to better predict and mitigate impacts of wildfire and invasive annual grasses. Widely available soil survey information can be harnessed to spatially depict and evaluate relative resilience and resistance from regional to site scales. New products and tools illustrate how managers can use soils data to inform rapid risk assessments, determine appropriate management strategies, and prioritize resources to maintain and restore functioning sagebrush ecosystems.
Distribution characteristics of nitrogen and phosphorus in agricultural soil profiles under different landuse

Soil samples in the profile of 0-20 cm,20-40 cm,40-60 cm,60-80 cm and 80-100 cm were collected from forty-four sites in Daxin district,Beijing.Landuse of these sampling sites can be identified as farmland,vegetable land,orchard,grass land and forest.Along the soil depth,soil organic matter(OM),Olsen P,total P,NO3-N and total N decreased and the soil pH increased with the most obvious changes observed at the depth of 20-40 cm.Landuse pattern,especially vegetable growth,significantly affected the surface soil properties.The SOM,Olsen-P,total P,NO3-N and total N were much higher in the surface soils(0-20 cm)from vegetable land than in the other soils.The soil pH for vegetable land was 8.27 compared to the value of 8.01 for the other soils.The difference in soil properties in the deep layer was less affected by the landuse pattern.The content of NO3-N in the soil profile followed the order:vegetable land farmland,orchard,forest grass land.Even in the depth of 80-100 cm,the NO3-N of vegetable land was 18.8 mg kg-1,as much as 175%-389% the other landuse soils in this layer.The distribution of P in the soil profile was different from that of N.The olsen P was mainly accumulated in the soil of 0-20 cm layer.Significant differences in olsen P were observed among the landuses..In the 40-60 cm layer,the Olsen-P in vegetable land soils was as much as 161%-602% the other landuse soil.Such differences were not obvious in the 80-100 cm depth This study indictes that exceeding fertilizer application leads to the accumulation of N and P in the vegetable land soil.They were transported as the forms of NO3-N and Olsen-P to the deeper layers of the soils.Multiple regression analysis showed a linear correlation between the Olsen-P and the total P in different soil profiles.However,no significant correlation existed between the soil OM and total P.The content of NO3-N had linear correlation with the pH,OM and total N.
Effect of Sub-acute Exposure to Melamine on Experimental Animal blood

[Objective] To study the biochemical changes of rat peripheral blood after sub-acute administration of melamine.[Methods]SD rats were administrated with melamine 1 time daily for 28 days. Female and male rats were divided into 1 control group and 3 experimental groups, respectively, with 10 rats in each group. After melamine administration, the peripheral blood was collected and analyzed for biochemical indexes by automatic biochemical analyzer.[Results]It was found that ALT, ALP and LDH activities, creatinine, urea, uric acid, total bilirubin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, calcium, phosphorus all increased significantly in melamine-treated groups, when compared with control group (P0.05 or P0.01). [Conclusion] Melamine has a certain influence on biochemical indexes of rats blood.
Microsurgical resection of pineal region tumors

The extensive variety of possible histologic subtypes makes it imperative to establish a tissue diagnosis in patients with pineal region tumors. Management decisions regarding adjuvant therapy, prognosis, and follow-up strategies vary with the histologic diagnosis. Specialized surgical and stereotactic techniques have evolved to provide the neurosurgeon with an array of safe and effective options for obtaining a tissue diagnosis. Advanced microsurgical techniques combined with improved preoperative management and postoperative critical care methods have made aggressive surgical resection a mainstay of management. Aggressive surgical resection has resulted in excellent long-term prognoses for nearly all patients with benign tumors and a large percentage of patients with malignant tumors. However, pineal region surgery remains fraught with potential pitfalls, and these favorable results are dependent on an advanced level of surgical expertise.
α-SNAP Regulates Dynamic, On-Site Assembly and Calcium Selectivity of Orai1 Channels

Orai1 forms a highly calcium-selective pore of the calcium release activated channel, and α-SNAP is necessary for its function. Here we show that α-SNAP regulates on-site assembly of Orai1 dimers into calcium-selective multimers. We find that Orai1 is a dimer in resting primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts but displays variable stoichiometry in the plasma membrane of store-depleted cells. Remarkably, α-SNAP depletion induces formation of higher-order Orai1 oligomers, which permeate significant levels of sodium via Orai1 channels. Sodium permeation in α-SNAP-deficient cells cannot be corrected by tethering multiple Stim1 domains to Orai1 C-terminal tail, demonstrating that α-SNAP regulates functional assembly and calcium selectivity of Orai1 multimers independently of Stim1 levels. Fluorescence nanoscopy reveals sustained coassociation of α-SNAP with Stim1 and Orai1, and α-SNAP-depleted cells show faster and less constrained mobility of Orai1 within ER-PM junctions, suggesting Orai1 and Stim1 coentrapment without stable contacts. Furthermore, α-SNAP depletion significantly reduces fluorescence resonance energy transfer between Stim1 and Orai1 N-terminus but not C-terminus. Taken together, these data reveal a unique role of α-SNAP in the on-site functional assembly of Orai1 subunits and suggest that this process may, in part, involve enabling crucial low-affinity interactions between Orai1 N-terminus and Stim1.
Immunogenetics and the Mapping of Immunological Functions

Immunological functions and resistance to disease are under partial genetic control. Biomarkers associated with immune responses and disease resistance can be used in genetic selection to enhance innate health in avian species as part of a comprehensive disease control program. This chapter reviews selection for immunological responses and identifies key genes involved in them. Statistical approaches to identify loci and genomic regions associated with immune response and disease resistance are described, along with the important concepts of linkage disequilibrium and population design. Strategies are given for the use of molecular data in genetic selection. Systems biology and functional genomic approaches, including next-generation sequencing and transgenic animals, are presented. Predictions are made about the next wave of “omics” research that will contribute to elucidation of the genetic control of immunological traits and disease resistance.
Defining the Figure of Capable Imagination: ‘The Idea of Order at Key West’, ‘Asides on the Oboe’ and Related Poems

In this chapter, I want to discuss the figure of the poet in several poems, most notably ‘The Idea of Order at Key West’ (1934), and to do so in terms that emphasize the narrative and mimetic possibilities of such a figure. Stevens is responding to the tradition of the romantic bard, but he can no longer embrace the vision that the poet is the acknowledged legislator of the world. What Stevens enacts is the effort of knowing, feeling, and creating.
68-P: HEAT SENSTIVE “INTERFERING FACTOR” MASKS THE POST TRANSPLANT DETECTION OF DE NOVO DONOR SPECIFIC ANTIBODY

Aim Requests for Post transplant monitoring of solid organ transplant recipients is on the increase. Methods for monitoring must be robust and capable of detecting all potential DSAs. One renal and one cardiac recipient, transplanted in 2005 and 2008 respectively, were tested for DSA. Both patients were devoid of HLA Class II antibody at the time of transplant. Methods Post transplant DSA assessments were performed on both patients using LabScreen single antigen bead assays (One Lambda, Inc). Testing for both patients was “for cause”. Interestingly, both patients presented with de novo Class II antibodies. No obvious DSAs were identified for one patient and the second patient showed a possible DSA (only 2 of 5 DQ7 beads positive). Recent studies with pre-transplant sera have demonstrated that IgG DSA may be masked by “interfering factors” such as C1q and/or IgM. Hence, we investigated this possibility. Results Repeat testing of heat-inactivated serum from both patients revealed de novo DSA (DQB1 ∗ 03:01) with MFI values of approx. 15,000 - 20,000. For patient 1, all DQ7 beads became strongly positive. For patient 2, all 5 DQ7 beads were now strongly positive. Interestingly, the non-DSA Class II specificities were still detectable and at similar MFI levels (12,000-21,000) compared to the untreated sample. In supplemental studies, we diluted untreated patient serum (1:10) which also led to the unmasking of DQB1 ∗ 03:01 antibody. Conclusions Collectively, this study demonstrates that “interfering factors” can also mask the detection of donor specific antibodies during post-transplant monitoring. There are numerous times when patients present with symptoms suspicious of antibody mediated rejection but have no detectable DSA although some patients may display 3 rd party HLA specificities. We suggest that sera from such patients be routinely treated to eliminate potential interfering factors that can mask the identification of DSA.
Concurrent surface electromyography and force myography classification during times of prosthetic socket shift and user fatigue.

ObjectiveSurface electromyography has been a long-standing source of signals for control of powered prosthetic devices. By contrast, force myography is a more recent alternative to surface electrom...
Channel estimation for wideband doubly selective UAS channels

Reliable high-speed wireless communication is essential for abundant new unmanned aircraft system's (UAS) applications. While orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has been widely used for wideband communications because of its efficiency and its robustness to multipath propagation, high Doppler shift of UAS channels makes the implementation of OFDM challenging for UAS applications. Doppler shift makes the communication channel to vary with time and therefore, destroys the orthogonality between the subcarriers in OFDM and results in inter carrier interference (ICI). To mitigate ICI, channel state information (CSI) is needed at the receiver. In numerous scenarios, UAS wideband wireless channel is sparse. Therefore, compressed sensing (CS) methods can be implemented for the channel estimation. In this paper, both the sparsity of the delay spread and Doppler shift of the UAS payload communication channel are considered for channel estimation and three major adjustments to a regular CS method are proposed in order to enhance the channel estimation performance for high Doppler shift scenarios of UAS. The proposed modifications take into account the precise frequency domain channel model, the Doppler shift statistics of UAS wireless channels, and the ICI effect of the data on the channel estimation precision. Simulation results indicate that the proposed modifications enhance the channel estimation accuracy considerably for high Doppler shift scenarios.
0166 Mismatch between surveillance of risks and recorded injuries in construction: integration of ergonomics into a comprehensive safety program

Background Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are the most common nonfatal injuries in construction, occurring more frequently in construction than in most other industries. Construction safety programs typically focus on traumatic injuries and rarely address ergonomic hazards. This project presents data from a gap analysis that is driving an ongoing intervention to incorporate MSD prevention into an existing safety program. Methods Using data from three large construction projects, we examined differences in annual injury records for MSD compared to other common hazards (falls, struck by, electrocution), frequency of hazards noted on daily pre-task safety assessment forms (PTSA), and topics presented in weekly safety trainings. Results 26% of recorded injuries were MSD, primarily from lifting, and similar to the proportions from falls (26%) and ”struck bys” (32%). However, only 3 of 152 weekly safety trainings related to lifting. PTSA forms showed that workers commonly recognised and recorded potential hazards from falls (40%), struck bys (47%), and lifting (41%) but rarely recognised other MSD risks such as poor posture (9%). When recognised, adequate hazard controls were usually described for falls (96%) and struck bys (65%), but less often for lifting and other MSD risks (45%). Conclusions Despite having many musculoskeletal injuries, the studied safety program paid little attention to ergonomic training, hazard recognition, and abatement compared to other types of hazards. Our ongoing intervention incorporates ergonomic surveillance, risk assessment, and consistent monitoring of controls into the overall safety management system. Initial results of worksite audits and delivery of the modified program will be presented.
Physical activity classification in free-living conditions using smartphone accelerometer data and exploration of predicted results

Abstract In recent decades, decreasing physical activity has emerged as one of the major issues affecting human health since people increasingly engaged in sedentary behavior in their homes and workplaces. In physical activity research, using GPS trajectories and advanced GIS methods has a potential for greatly enhancing our understanding of the association between objectively measured moderate and vigorous physical activity and physical and social environments. Relying only on objectively measured physical activity intensity, however, ignores the role of different places and types of physical activity on people's health outcomes. The aim of this study is to propose an approach to classifying physical activity in free-living conditions for physical activity research using published smartphone accelerometer data. Random forest and gradient boosting are used to predict jogging, walking, sitting, and standing. Generated training models based on the two classifiers are tested on accelerometer data collected from the smartphones of two subjects in free-living conditions. GPS trajectories with predicted physical activity labels are visually explored on a map to offer new insight on the assessment of the predicted results of daily activities and the identification of any difference in the results between random forest and gradient boosting. The findings of this study indicate that random forest and gradient boosting enable accurate physical activity classification in free-living conditions. GPS trajectories linked with predicted labels on a map assist the visual exploration of the erroneous prediction in daily activities including in-vehicle activities.
Abstract WMP111: Stroke and Alzheimer’s Disease: Shared Mechanisms of Vascular Disruption

Recent evidence suggests that Alzheimer’s disease is a vascular disorder that can be accelerated by ischemic stroke. We propose that the underlying pathophysiology accelerating degenerative changes...
Management of a Cancer Patient with an Intrathecal Drug Delivery System and an Acute Brain Abscess

Surgical-site infection, spinal cord abscess, and catheter tip granuloma are known but rare complications of intrathecal drug delivery systems (IDDS). To date, there are no published cases of brain abscess in a patient with an IDDS. In this study, we report a case of a cancer patient with an IDDS for management of cancer pain who developed a brain abscess with profound mental status changes and clinical management challenges.
A GTPase Cycle Coupled to the Cell Cycle

Ran/TC4, a Ras-related nuclear protein first identified in a human teratocarcinoma eDNA library, is postulated to function in conjunction with another protein, RCC1 (Regulator of Chromosomal Condensation-1), to prevent the initiation of mitosis before the completion of DNA synthesis. RCC1 is a chromatin-associated DNA-binding protein as well as a Ran/TC4-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor. One model for the function of Ran/TC4 and RCC1 is that RCC1 monitors DNA synthesis and maintains Ran/TC4 in a GTP-bound form (Ran/TC4 •GTP) until the completion of DNA synthesis and that Ran/TC4 • GTP in turn inhibits the activation of MPF (Mitosis Promoting Factor). We are testing this model, in which a GTPase cycle is coupled to the cell cycle via MPF by ex-pressing mutant Ran/TC4 proteins in human cells, and by using a Ran/TC4 - [32P]GTP complex as a probe to isolate Ran-interacting proteins.
The contribution of nonmalignant tumors to CNS tumor incidence rates among children in the United States.

Objectives: According the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), the incidence rate of primary malignant central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms among children is about 30 per million person-years. This rate, however, underestimates the true burden of CNS tumors because nonmalignancies are not included in the NCI case reporting system. Intracranial tumors, to an extent regardless of their histological behavior, can have a malignant clinical course and result in a high degree of morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this report is to estimate the contribution that nonmalignant tumors have on the overall incidence of CNS tumors in children. Methods: Population-based data from the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States were analyzed. Included in the analysis were children aged 0–19 years who were diagnosed with a primary CNS tumor from 1990–93 (N=1133). Results: The inclusion of nonmalignancies increased the CNS tumor incidence rate by 28% from 29.4 to 37.6 per million person- years. The increases were 17% for children aged 0–4 years, 17% for children aged 5–9 years, 31% for children aged 10–14 years and 57% for adolescents aged 15–19 years. Differences in patterns between malignant and nonmalignant tumor occurrence by sex, histology, and location were also observed. Conclusion: Because of the potentially profound adverse health effects on children who experience CNS tumors, the systematic collection of both malignancies and nonmalignancies is consistent with the mission of public health surveillance. Without such population-based data, analytic epidemiologic studies to evaluate disease etiology and assess disease consequences are greatly hindered.
Introduction to the Crosstable of Spatial Metadata Standards and Their Scientific and Technical Characteristics

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on introduction to the crosstable of spatial metadata standards and their scientific and technical characteristics. This spatial metadata standards crosstable is intended to distill and summarize a very large and complex amount of scientific information into a comprehendable form. The crosstable can be used very effectively to learn the essential and relevant characteristics of a particular standard by scanning down a column of interest.
Lipids of the Nervous System: Changes with Age, Species Variations, Lipid Class Relationships, and Comparison of Brain to Other Organs

Changes with age of the lipid composition of human and animal brains were investigated. Individuals of the same species were found to differ and fall into one of four groups differing in lipid content. Species differences among animals were small and fungal mycelia were similar to animals. The total amount of lipid in brain and other organs increases during differentiation (i.e. with advancing age) and then, as shown for humans, declines (after 26 years of age). The changes were defined by two forms of graphic analysis. In one, the total amount of lipid, the amount of each lipid class, or sums of various classes were plotted as a function of age. In the other, the amount of one lipid and the sums of various lipids were plotted against total lipid or sums of various lipid classes. The latter plots were used to define the interrelationships of the lipid classes and to provide information necessary to fit lines through points on lipid vs. age plots. During development, some brain lipid classes make up progressively less of the total, whereas the relative amount of other classes increases. Thus, some lipid classes substitute for others. Two general substitution groups were recognized by graphic analysis. In substitution group I, the changes with age consist of an increase of cerebroside, sulfatide, and sphingomyelin with a decrease of phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine. In group II, a decline of phosphatidyl inositol and other acidic lipids is balanced by a rise of phosphatidyl serine. Equations defining the relationship of each lipid class to total lipid of brain and other organs are presented. Equations defining the changes in the total amounts of each lipid class of human brain as a function of age are also presented.
Effect of a Serious Educational Game on Academic and Affective Outcomes for Statistics Instruction

The overuse of lecture-based approaches for instruction in university courses may have limited student access to knowledge, particularly the transfer of complex concepts, such as central limit theo...
Physics of eccentric binary black hole mergers: A numerical relativity perspective

Gravitational wave observations of eccentric binary black hole mergers will provide unequivocal evidence for the formation of these systems through dynamical assembly in dense stellar environments. The study of these astrophysically motivated sources is timely in view of electromagnetic observations, consistent with the existence of stellar mass black holes in the globular cluster M22 and in the galactic center, and the proven detection capabilities of ground-based gravitational wave detectors. In order to get insights into the physics of these objects in the dynamical, strong-field gravity regime, we present a catalog of 89 numerical relativity waveforms that describe binary systems of nonspinning black holes with mass ratios $1\ensuremath{\le}q\ensuremath{\le}10$, and initial eccentricities as high as ${e}_{0}=0.18$ fifteen cycles before merger. We use this catalog to quantify the loss of energy and angular momentum through gravitational radiation, and the astrophysical properties of the black hole remnant, including its final mass and spin, and recoil velocity. We discuss the implications of these results for gravitational wave source modeling, and the design of algorithms to search for and identify eccentric binary black hole mergers in realistic detection scenarios.
Communicating Climate Change Oceanically: Sea Level Rise Information Increases Mitigation, Inundation, and Global Warming Acceptance

Cognitive impediments and global warming’s gradual pace, among other factors, have inhibited some people from detecting climate change’s everyday effects. This results in global warming often being perceived as a non-urgent, non-personal, threat that inhibits larger-scale collective action combatting climate change and public will regarding such action. Extreme weather events that global warming causes or exacerbates (e.g., hurricanes, flooding, heat, and droughts), however, are memorable due to their high emotional, social, and economic costs. Sea level rise is an especially salient American issue, given recent heightened storm surges and the large population-segment who live in or near coastal areas with dangerous flooding risks. In this experiment, we show that providing American participants with U.S-specific information about the economic and/or geographic/cartological effects and risks of sea level rise results in (a) an increased acceptance of oceanic rise as a phenomenon that is concerning and caused by global warming, and (b) an increased acceptance, in general, of global warming’s anthropogenic nature. Communicating sea level rise information also led to (c) a general decrease in nationalism and (d) changes in the perceived effectiveness of mitigation strategies for sea level rise–specifically (d₁) a decrease in the perceived effectiveness of constructing sea walls / dikes and (d₂) an increase in the perceived effectiveness of phasing out fossil fuel usage. Overall, we find that communicating striking information about this oceanic by-product of global warming is an effective way to motivate acceptance and engagement with the issue of climate change in a reasonably broad manner. The experimental findings replicate, extend, and dovetail with prior experiments by our laboratory, bringing up to six the number of brief interventions (i.e., of roughly five or fewer minutes) that have been proven to increase people’s science-normative beliefs about global warming. Our laboratory’s website, HowGlobalWarmingWorks.org, offers samples of these materials, which additionally include surprising statistics, textual and video explanations of global warming’s mechanism, and a contrast of Earth’s temperature rise since the 1880’s versus the U.S. stock market rise since then.
Amyloid-Beta Modulates Low-Threshold Activated Voltage-Gated L-Type Calcium Channels of Arcuate Neuropeptide Y Neurons Leading to Calcium Dysregulation and Hypothalamic Dysfunction

Weight loss is an early manifestation of Alzheimer's disease that can precede the cognitive decline, raising the possibility that amyloid-β (Aβ) disrupts hypothalamic neurons critical for the regulation of body weight. We previously reported that, in young transgenic mice overexpressing mutated amyloid precursor protein (Tg2576), Aβ causes dysfunction in neuropeptide Y (NPY)-expressing hypothalamic arcuate neurons before plaque formation. In this study, we examined whether Aβ causes arcuate NPY neuronal dysfunction by disrupting intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. Here, we found that the L-type Ca2+ channel blocker nimodipine could hyperpolarize the membrane potential, decrease the spontaneous activity, and reduce the intracellular Ca2+ levels in arcuate NPY neurons from Tg2576 brain slices. In these neurons, there was a shift from high to low voltage-threshold activated L-type Ca2+ currents, resulting in increased Ca2+ influx closer to the resting membrane potential, an effect recapitulated by Aβ1-42 and reversed by nimodipine. These low voltage-threshold activated L-type Ca2+ currents were dependent in part on calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and IP3 pathways. Furthermore, the effects on intracellular Ca2+ signaling by both a positive (ghrelin) and negative (leptin) modulator were blunted in these neurons. Nimodipine pretreatment restored the response to ghrelin-mediated feeding in young (3-5 months), but not older (10 months), female Tg2576 mice, suggesting that intracellular Ca2+ dysregulation is only reversible early in Aβ pathology. Collectively, these findings provide evidence for a key role for low-threshold activated voltage gated L-type Ca2+ channels in Aβ-mediated neuronal dysfunction and in the regulation of body weight.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Weight loss is one of the earliest manifestations of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the underlying cellular mechanisms remain unknown. Disruption of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis by amyloid-β is hypothesized to be critical for the early neuronal dysfunction driving AD pathogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that amyloid-β causes a shift from high to low voltage-threshold activated L-type Ca2+ currents in arcuate neuropeptide Y neurons. This leads to increased Ca2+ influx closer to the resting membrane potential, resulting in intracellular Ca2+ dyshomeostasis and neuronal dysfunction, an effect reversible by the L-type Ca2+ channel blocker nimodipine early in amyloid-β pathology. These findings highlight a novel mechanism of amyloid-β-mediated neuronal dysfunction through L-type Ca2+ channels and the importance of these channels in the regulation of body weight.
Cell Autonomous Role of TGFβ and IL-2 Receptor in the In Vivo Generation of CD4 and CD8 Inducible Regulatory T Cells During Graft-Versus-Host Disease,

Abstract 4015 FoxP3 + regulatory T cells (Tregs) suppress graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) while preserving graft-versus-tumor effects, making them an attractive target for GVHD therapy. The donor-derived Treg pool can potentially be derived from expansion of pre-existing natural Tregs (nTregs) or from de novo generation of inducible Tregs (iTregs) from donor conventional T cells (Tconvs) in the transplant recipient. Although the co-adoptive transfer of nTregs or in vitro -derived iTregs has been shown to prevent the development of GVHD, the relative contribution of these two Treg subsets in protection against GVHD has been unclear. To investigate the contribution of the different FoxP3 + Treg subsets, we used a MHC-mismatched mouse model of acute GVHD. Lethally irradiated (500cGy × 2) B6D2F1.SJL (H-2 bxd ) host mice were injected with T cell-depleted bone marrow cells and FACS-sorted Tconvs (WT or Foxp3-deficient) with or without FACS-sorted Tregs of C57BL/6 (H-2 b ) mouse origin. Weight loss in mice receiving Foxp3-deficient Tconvs alone was significantly more pronounced compared to other groups. The presence of either donor-derived nTregs or iTregs alone protected against GVHD-induced weight loss but was suboptimal compared to the presence of both donor-derived nTregs and iTregs. Next, we sought to determine how the donor-derived Treg pool was established during acute GVHD and tracked the appearance of Tregs in the secondary lymphoid organs at different time points post transplant. On Day 8 post GVHD induction, ∼5% of the donor-derived CD4 + T cells in the spleen were FoxP3 + . We found that the Treg pool was comprised equally of donor-derived nTregs and iTregs. Unexpectedly, we found a significant fraction of CD8 + FoxP3 + T cells (1–3% of all CD8 + T cells) in the spleen and in the lymph nodes. These CD8 + FoxP3 + T cells representing ∼70% of the iTreg pool on Day 8 post GVHD induction. These CD8 + FoxP3 + T cells shared phenotypic markers with their CD4 + counterparts and displayed suppressive activity, suggesting that they were bona fide iTregs. Both CD4 + and CD8 + Tregs expanded in vivo with IL-2 treatment and required IL-2 and TGFβ receptor expression for their generation. In summary, we found that donor derived-iTregs are generated during GVHD and contribute to suppression of acute GVHD induced-weight loss. Surprisingly, CD8 + Foxp3 + T cells were a major contributor to the donor derived-iTreg pool after transplantation. The generation of CD8 + and CD4 + iTregs occurred at least in part by a cell autonomous IL-2 and TGFβ receptor-dependent mechanism. Thus, our data suggest that in addition to increasing nTregs, concomitant strategies aimed at enhancing the conversion of donor-derived Tconvs to iTregs for example by engaging the IL-2 and TGFβ signaling pathways might be beneficial for the treatment of GVHD. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Hypoparathyroidism and Quality of Life

Patients with hypoparathyroidism often have many complaints that suggest poor quality of life (QOL). There is a large intra- and interindividual variability in these impairments, which is not clearly explained by the underlying biochemical differences. Formal studies of QOL in this disease are becoming available but do suffer from the lack of disease-specific instruments. Such instruments would be helpful for quantifying the subjective experiences that patients have when on conventional therapy as well as in response to PTH and its analogs. Further studies are also needed to understand the mechanisms of QOL deficits and their relationship to biochemical control.
Desert-Sensitivity and Moral Evaluation

A morality worth endorsing should take desert seriously. In this chapter, Leo Zaibert engages with a very interesting challenge posed by someone who also believes that some form of desert-sensitivity is a necessary component of any plausible moral theory. In Sect. 1, he discusses Shelly Kagan’s view that desert-sensitivity creates a certain indeterminacy in morality. He then explores the ways in which he thinks that Kagan may have missed some significant lessons that we are apt to draw from his argument, particularly in connection with the import of this indeterminacy. And in the last section, a distinction Robert Nozick made (in a different context) is mobilized to distinguish between historical and ahistorical theories. Zaibert suggests that what generates indeterminacy is not quite desert-sensitivity, but more fundamentally a concern with a certain path-dependence, a certain historicity found in some moral theories. A moral theory that is worth endorsing, he claims, should care about the history behind any given moral state of affairs. Moreover, he suggests that there is a sort of indeterminacy that is good to embrace, and that nonutilitarian moral theories are, in fact, better off than their alternatives precisely for being indeterminate in this sense.
Due Date Management Policies

To gain an edge over competitors in an increasingly global and competitive marketplace, companies today need to differentiate themselves not only in cost, but in the overall “value” of the products and the services they offer. As customers demand more and more variety of products, better, cheaper, and faster, an essential value feature for customer acquisition and retention is the ability to quote short and reliable lead times. Reliability is important for customers especially in a business-to-business setting, because it allows them to plan their own operations with more reliability and confidence [67].
Preparatory Data Analysis

Preparatory data analyses (data screening) are conducted before a main analysis to assess the fit between the data and the assumptions of that main analysis. Different main analyses have different assumptions that vary in importance; violation of some assumptions can lead to the wrong inferential conclusion (and a potential failure of replication) while violation of others yields an analysis that is correct as far as it goes, but misses certain additional relationships in the data. Assumptions that are often relevant for continuous variables are normality of sampling distributions, pairwise linearity, absence of outliers and collinearity, independence of errors, and homoscedasticity; these are evaluated by both graphical and statistical methods. When violation is detected, variables are often transformed or an alternative analytic strategy is employed. Relevant issues in the choice of when and how to screen are the level of measurement of the variables, whether the design produces grouped or ungrouped data, whether cases provide a single response or more than one response, and whether the variables themselves or the residuals of analysis are screened. Keywords: assumptions; collinearity; distributions; errors; homoscedasticity; outliers; residuals; screening; transformation
Magnetic activity complexes, thermal relaxation oscillations, and the dynamics of the azimuthal magnetic field of a star

The large amount of magnetic flux cycling through an activity complex in a period of six months suggests that the azimuthal magnetic field in the convective zone of the sun is not less than 3×103 gauss and probably is considerable more. A field of 3 kilogauss or more has the effect of blocking the convective heat transport, producing a cool shadow above the azimuthal field and causing heat to accumulate below. The incremental weight of the cool shadow is sufficient to overpower the magnetic buoyancy, pressing the field against the bottom of the convective zone. The accumulation of heat underneath produces a thermal relaxation oscillation that erupts to the surface at intervals of the order of a week, supplying the intermittent emergence of magnetic flux observed in the activity complex.
Acculturation and health behaviors among international students: A qualitative approach.

The process of acculturation often results in changes in the health behavior of international students. This study employed an open-ended, qualitative approach in an attempt to gain an in-depth understanding of the acculturation process for physical activity, diet, and drinking behavior among international students. Eighteen undergraduate international students (average age 19.20, standard deviation 1.21) were interviewed for 45-60 min. Most of the international students became more physically active after they arrived in the United States. Facilitators included accessibility, weight management, free time, and role modeling. Most international students were unsatisfied with the food on campus. Their strategies for adjusting to this included ordering food from restaurants, visiting supermarkets, and moving off campus. Most international students felt uncomfortable with the drinking culture in the United States, although some of them felt drinking was a good way to socialize with Americans and explore American culture. Colleges and universities should adopt strategies to better help their international students build lifelong healthy behaviors.
The urothelium of a hibernator: the American black bear

The American black bear undergoes a 3–5 month winter hibernation during which time bears do not eat, drink, defecate, or urinate. During hibernation renal function (GFR) is 16–50% of normal but urine is reabsorbed across the urinary bladder (UB) urothelium thus enabling metabolic recycling of all urinary constituents. To elucidate the mechanism(s) whereby urine is reabsorbed, we examined the UBs of five nonhibernating wild bears using light, electron (EM), and confocal immunofluorescent (IF) microscopy–concentrating on two components of the urothelial permeability barrier – the umbrella cell apical membranes and tight junctions (TJ). Bear UB has the same tissue layers (serosa, muscularis, lamina propria, urothelia) and its urothelia has the same cell layers (basal, intermediate, umbrella cells) as other mammalians. By EM, the bear apical membrane demonstrated a typical mammalian scalloped appearance with hinge and plaque regions – the latter containing an asymmetric trilaminar membrane and, on IF, uroplakins Ia, IIIa, and IIIb. The umbrella cell TJs appeared similar to those in other mammals and also contained TJ proteins occludin and claudin - 4, and not claudin –2. Thus, we were unable to demonstrate urothelial apical membrane or TJ differences between active black bears and other mammals. Expression and localization of UT-B, AQP-1 and -3, and Na+, K+-ATPase on bear urothelial membranes was similar to that of other mammals. Similar studies of urothelia of hibernating bears, including evaluation of the apical membrane lipid bilayer and GAGs layer are warranted to elucidate the mechanism(s) whereby hibernating bears reabsorb their daily urine output and thus ensure successful hibernation.
Treatment Recommendations for Clostridium difficile, Treatment Failures, and Impact on Active Diarrheal Days

ISSUE: Much like many health care facilities, the VANJHCS had experienced an increase in the incidence rate of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD). We had gone from an average of 3 cases per month in previous years to as high as .10 cases for one month. Current recommendations to control the spread of CDAD include contact isolation, environmental cleaning, and stopping antibiotics. Oral metronidazole for 14 days is the drug of choice for initial CDAD episode. Oral vancomycin is an option for patients who cannot take or fail treatment with metronidazole. However in a number of the patients it had been noted that they were failing these recommended antibiotic treatments, thus the adequacy of the 14 days treatment regimen was questioned. The treatment failures also are challenging for Infection Control Professionals because this prolongs the need for contact isolation and hospital stay thus increasing hospital cost.
Short-term moisture conditions and the amalgam-PAA-glass ionomer bond.

Abstract The influence of first-day, relative humidity and subsequent, 6-day moisture storage conditions on the shear bond strength of the amalgam-PAA-glass ionomer bond was investigated in a 2×2×2 factorial design. First-day, relative humidity storage conditions were either 100% (100) or 90% (90). Subsequent, 6-day moisture storage conditions were either a continuation of first-day relative humidity (H) or water immersion (W). It was hypothesized that this bond should be quite susceptible to hydrolytic degradation. Twentyfour samples (6 per group) of amalgam-bonded-to-glass ionomer (GA) were prepared by coating (without removal) the initially set glass ionomer surface with 40% PAA for 120 s prior to amalgam condensation. Twenty-four control samples (6 per group) were each made as one solid unit of glass ionomer only (GO), without any adhesive interface. Samples were stored according to the design-dictated first-day relative humidity and subsequent, 6-day moisture storage condition schedules at 37°C and shear-tested at one week. ANOVA revealed significant shear strength differences (p GA, 100>90, and H>W. Significant interactions were found between subsequent, 6-day storage conditions and both sample types and first-day relative humidity conditions. The amalgam-PAA-glass ionomer bond was found to be susceptible to hydrolytic degradation; however, when this bond was sufficiently protected against dehydration, short-term (6-day) water immersion did not have a significant effect on bond strength.