cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular cloning of Ian4: a BCR/ABL-induced gene that encodes an outer membrane mitochondrial protein with GTP-binding activity

Using the representation difference analysis technique, we have identified a novel gene, Ian4, which is preferentially expressed in hematopoietic precursor 32D cells transfected with wild-type versus mutant forms of the Bcr/Abl oncogene. Ian4 expression was undetectable in 32D cells transfected with v-src, oncogenic Ha-ras or v-Abl. Murine Ian4 maps to chromosome 6, 25 cM from the centromere. The Ian4 mRNA contains two open reading frames (ORFs) separated by 5 nt. The first ORF has the potential to encode for a polypeptide of 67 amino acids without apparent homology to known proteins. The second ORF encodes a protein of 301 amino acids with a GTP/ATP-binding site in the N-terminus and a hydrophobic domain in the extreme C-terminus. The IAN-4 protein resides in the mitochondrial outer membrane and the last 20 amino acids are necessary for this localization. The IAN-4 protein has GTP-binding activity and shares sequence homology with a novel family of putative GTP-binding proteins: the immuno-associated nucleotide (IAN) family.
A control allocation approach for energetic swarm control

In this paper, a control allocation approach is developed for energetic swarm control. This new approach allows sliding control of swarm temperature, swarm center position, and swarm potential energy. Since the sliding control problem is highly over-actuated, a control allocation optimization problem can be formulated and solved including input saturation constraints. Application to a group of wheeled mobile robots is used to demonstrate the approach. For this class of systems, a low level trajectory controller based on dynamic feedback linearization is developed in order to improve the trajectory tracking performance of the individual swarm members. Together, these results allow energetic swarm controllers to be developed and applied for mobile robot systems with uncertainty and input saturation constraints.
Consistency of Multidimensional Convex Regression

Convex regression is concerned with computing the best fit of a convex function to a data set of n observations in which the independent variable is (possibly) multidimensional. Such regression problems arise in operations research, economics, and other disciplines in which imposing a convexity constraint on the regression function is natural. This paper studies a least-squares estimator that is computable as the solution of a quadratic program and establishes that it converges almost surely to the “true” function as n → ∞ under modest technical assumptions. In addition to this multidimensional consistency result, we identify the behavior of the estimator when the model is misspecified (so that the “true” function is nonconvex), and we extend the consistency result to settings in which the function must be both convex and nondecreasing (as is needed for consumer preference utility functions).
G-CSF Drives a Posttraumatic Immune Program That Protects the Host from Infection

Traumatic injury is generally considered to have a suppressive effect on the immune system, resulting in increased susceptibility to infection. Paradoxically, we found that thermal injury to the skin induced a robust time-dependent protection of mice from a lethal Klebsiella pneumoniae pulmonary challenge. The protective response was neutrophil dependent and temporally associated with a systemic increase in neutrophils resulting from a reprioritization of hematopoiesis toward myeloid lineages. A prominent and specific activation of STAT3 in the bone marrow preceded the myeloid shift in that compartment, in association with durable increases in STAT3 activating serum cytokines G-CSF and IL-6. Neutralization of the postburn increase in serum G-CSF largely blocked STAT3 activation in marrow cells, reversing the hematopoietic changes and systemic neutrophilia. Daily administration of rG-CSF was sufficient to recapitulate the changes induced by injury including hematopoietic reprioritization and protection from pulmonary challenge with K. pneumoniae. Analysis of posttraumatic gene expression patterns in humans reveals that they are also consistent with a role for G-CSF as a switch that activates innate immune responses and suppresses adaptive immune responses. Our findings suggest that the G-CSF STAT3 axis constitutes a key protective mechanism induced by injury to reduce the risk for posttraumatic infection.
Introduction: Informed Consent in a Communal Culture

In traditional African society, it is a duty to help those who are in need or are sick—family, relatives, and clan, all members of the community. Whoever fails to render such help incurs a reprimand. Despite urbanization and movement of people to cities, this obligation to help has survived in various ways. Community members—family, relatives, and clan—continue to regard it as a duty to take care of a sick member. It has remained an enduring feature of the family in particular and of African society in general. Hence, the sick (the patient) rarely goes unaccompanied to consult the African traditional medicine (ATM) doctor. In some cases, the patient does not have to go at all. Instead, relatives go on the patient’s behalf. Generally, when an adult becomes ill, the head of the family and relevant community members consult among themselves to decide on a common course of action. If, however, the ill person is able, the group will discuss practical matters regarding the situation at hand with this person. Such practical matters may include: which ATM doctor to consult, how to finance treatment, whether the patient will be brought to the ATM doctor’s place, or whether the doctor will be invited to attend to the sick person within the family setting. The decision is reached by consensus. If the consensus is to take the sick person to the ATM doctor’s place, the group will proceed further to decide the following: who will accompany the patient, who will take care of the house as well as the children of both the patient and of those accompanying the patient. Some members of the community (relatives or elders) will sit in with the patient as the ATM doctor is consulted.
Inequality and the Rural Underclass: Government Spending and Policy Responsiveness in California

To what extent does participation by the poor lead to policy responsiveness? Our paper examines the case of rural Latinos in California, a group that has lived in relative poverty for some time, yet has seen increased movements toward political participation (Barreto et al. 2004; Martin et al. 2006). While some have found that participation does not necessarily lead to greater responsiveness by elected officials (e.g. Bartels 2008), the increase in Latino participation poses an important question for those interested in the study of inequality and representation. Therefore, we ask: to what extent have conditions improved for the rural underclass in California? Using data from multiple sources we compare levels of local spending on public services and programs for the rural underclass. We consider whether or not representation of rural Latino constituencies corresponds to adequate access to resources for Latinos in rural California. Our study adds to the literature that focuses on institutional context and its relationship with political attitudes and participation (Jackman 1987; Pantoja and Segura 2003).
Impact of the defoliating moth Hypena opulenta on invasive swallow-worts (Vincetoxicum species) under different light environments

Abstract Black and pale swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum nigrum and Vincetoxicum rossicum, Apocynaceae) are twining vines from Europe that have become invasive in eastern North America. Hypena opulenta (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), a defoliating moth from the Ukraine, has recently been released in Canada and a request for release in the United States is under review. Its potential multivoltinism, and hence repeated defoliation of swallow-worts, combined with low-light levels in an understory environment may be promising for controlling forest infestations of swallow-worts. We conducted a greenhouse study of the impact of larval defoliation on seedlings and mature (flowering) plants of black and pale swallow-wort at different frequencies (once or twice) and degrees of defoliation (50 or 100%-seedlings; three or six larvae per stem-mature plants). Defoliation occurred under two forest light-regimes: low-light conditions typical of deeply-shaded forest habitats and higher light levels representative of a more open canopy or forest edge. Plants grown under higher light conditions were generally larger and produced many more seeds than heavily-shaded plants. One round of complete defoliation by H. opulenta, but not necessarily two, generally reduced biomass and seed production for both species and life stages, except for root mass of mature plants. No mature plants died and little seedling mortality occurred apart from black swallow-wort that had been completely defoliated twice under low light. Pale and black swallow-wort seedlings and mature plants appear to be tolerant of moderate defoliation damage. Complete defoliation repeated within and across years may be needed for suppression of forest infestations of swallow-wort.
Optimized lentiviral transduction of erythroid precursors from healthy adults and patients with myelodysplastic syndromes

Lentivectors, derived from human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1), represent a novel investigational and therapeutic tool for targeting hematopoietic progenitor cells. We describe a new protocol whereby we achieved a highly efficient lentiviral transduction of erythroid precursor cells originating from the bone marrow of healthy adults and patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). CD34(+) stem cells from healthy subjects were cultured with erythropoietin, IL-3 and stem cell factor, and thereby expanded approximately 300-fold. When these cultures were transduced with a lentiviral vector expressing GFP as a reporter gene, 70% glycophorin(+) cells were GFP(+). Although proliferation and levels of transduction were reduced in cultures of CD34(+) stem cells from patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, 50% of glycophorin(+) cells became GFP(+), amongst which 30% were sideroblastic erythroid precursors. This study demonstrates that lentiviral vectors are capable of efficiently transducing MDS precursors and offers new perspectives to investigate the influence of specific genes on normal erythroid differentiation. This may eventually help to correct defects in patients suffering from myelodysplastic syndromes.
Effective Range and Species Specificity of Host Recognition in Adult Alfalfa Weevils, Hypera postica1

A behavioral bioassay was used to determine the maximum range over which visual cues attract aflfalfa weevils, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), to their principle host plant. The range proved to be dependent on the amount of alfalfa used, but in general, a weevil's response did not decline significantly until the alfalfa subtended an angle less than 120° in its visual field. The visual response was also shown to be only moderately host specific; weevils could distinguish alfalfa from periwinkle and Douglas fir branchlets, but could not discriminate between alfalfa and red clover, oats, bluegrass, or beans.
Melatonin Acts in the Brain to Mediate Seasonal Steroid Inhibition of Luteinizing Hormone Secretion in the White-Footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus)

A melatonin-induced supersensitivity of the gonadotropin-secretory system to the negative feedback action of sex steroids is thought to be important to the timing of seasonal reproduction. However, little is known concerning this action of melatonin. In the present study the antigonadal action of melatonin in the anterior hypothalamus (AH) of the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, was used to examine the neuroendocrine mechanism whereby melatonin enhances the sensitivity to sex steroid negative feedback. Mice received a melatonin-containing pellet in the AH for 14 weeks, at which time they were castrated and treated sc with a Silastic testosterone (T) capsule for 3 weeks. At the time of castration, weight of the testes and the concentration of T in the blood of mice with a melatonin pellet were greatly reduced compared to mice with a blank (melatonin-free) implant in the AH (P less than 0.01). In mice treated with melatonin the physiological dose of T significantly reduced the concentrations of LH in blood and pituitary (P less than 0.05). This dose of T, however, had little effect on LH in mice with a blank pellet in the AH. Melatonin in the AH markedly increased the content of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the mediobasal hypothalamus (P less than 0.05) in mice treated with T; however, there was little effect of melatonin and/or T in any other region examined. Melatonin and T had little effect on the contents of immunoreactive beta-endorphin (B-EP) in the hypothalamus, but T alone increased the content of B-EP in the preoptic area. These results are evidence that melatonin and T act in concert to induce the reproductively-quiescent state by suppressing secretion of GnRH from the hypothalamus.
Large scale computational chemistry modeling of the oxidation of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite

Large scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to study the oxidation of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) by hyperthermal atomic oxygen beam (5 eV). Simulations are performed using the ReaxFF classical reactive force field. We present here additional evidence that this method accurately reproduces ab initio derived energies relevant to HOPG oxidation. HOPG is modeled as multilayer graphene and etch-pit formation and evolution is directly simulated through a large number of sequential atomic oxygen collisions. The simulations predict that an oxygen coverage is first established that acts as a precursor to carbon-removal reactions, which ultimately etch wide but shallow pits, as observed in experiments. In quantitative agreement with experiment, the simulations predict the most abundant product species to be O2 (via recombination reactions), followed by CO2, with CO as the least abundant product species. Although recombination occurs all over the graphene sheet, the carbon-removal re...
The Real Race to the Top

History illustrates that U.S. school districts and their constituencies are not passive actors in school reform. The most momentous school reform of the past century was the spread of universal high school education; America came to this system faster than Europe precisely because of competition among local school districts, and property-owning American voters did not want their communities left behind in the race for high school education. The power of bottom-up interest by parents and homeowners is more effective and durable than any of the top-down programs offered by the federal government.
Predicting Summary Quality using Limited Human Input.

We present four experiments with summary evaluation approaches that use little or no human input in the form of model summaries or human judgements. We investigate whether system-produced summaries can be used to improve predictions of summary quality when few or no human summaries are available. We also validate our previous findings that measures of input-summary similarity and input cohesiveness are predictive of summary quality. We analyze the performance of our methods in predicting the human assigned scores for summarization systems from the 2008 and 2009 Text Analysis Conferences. Input-summary similarity metrics obtain correlations of about 0.7 with manual pyramid scores on the TAC ’09 data. Using only a collection of system summaries in place of gold standard, the correlation is 0.9. We also show that properties of input cohesiveness can predict the average system score with good accuracies.
Division Closed Lattice-Ordered Rings

In this note we consider properties of unital lattice-ordered rings that are division closed and characterize unital lattice-ordered algebras that are algebraic and division closed. Extending partial orders to lattice orders that are division closed is also studied. In particular, it is shown that a field is L ∗ if and only if it is O ∗.
Afterword: Where are we now?

Labov recapitulates his view of linguistics when he entered the field in 1961, and what he hoped to achieve. He acknowledges Meyerhoff's stress on the convergence of methods and Coupland's view of the vernacular as an ‘overdetermined’ concept which is simultaneously undervalued. The value of new methods for the study of variation has been tested by their application to other cultures (Gal), to African American Vernacular English (Rickford), and to indigenous and endangered languages (Stanford). Thomas indicates how the Atlas of North American English builds on traditional methods of American dialect geography. Johnstone's account of Labov's approach to narrative links sociolinguistic work to broader areas in the humanities. Cornips and Gregersen see Labov's contribution to general linguistic theory as a joint enterprise in which intuitions and observations form a harmonious database.
Effects of energy development on wetland plants and macroinvertebrate communities in Prairie Pothole Region wetlands

ABSTRACTEnergy production in the Williston Basin, USA, results in the coproduction of highly saline, sodium chloride-dominated water (brine). The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) overlies the northeastern portion of the Williston Basin. Although PPR wetlands span a range of salinity, the dominant salt is sodium sulfate, and salinities are much lower than brine. Introduction of brine to wetlands can result in pronounced water-quality changes; however, the ecological effects of such contamination are poorly understood. We examined the effects of brine contamination on primary productivity, emergent macrophyte tissue chemistry, and invertebrate communities from 10 wetlands in the PPR. Based on a recognized Contamination Index (CI) used to identify brine contamination in the PPR, water-quality samples indicated that six wetlands were uncontaminated while four were contaminated. Across this gradient, we observed a significant decrease in above-ground biomass and a significant increase in tissue chloride concentrat...
Hidden Mobile Terminal Device Discovery in a UWB Environment

A mobile terminal (MT) device detection technique is proposed to enhance UWB / WiMAX interoperability by measuring the low level leakage signal from a WiMAX MT local oscillator (LO). The probabilities of false alarm and missed detection are derived in order to determine the limits of detector sensitivity.
Cataract Surgery: The “New” Glaucoma Procedure?

Cataract surgery is the most common surgery performed in the United States, and many patients who are glaucoma suspects or have glaucoma have cataract surgery. The purpose of this chapter is to review the recent studies on the effect of cataract surgery on intraocular pressure, the mechanism of intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering after cataract surgery, and how to decide between cataract surgery alone or cataract surgery combined with glaucoma surgery when operating on your glaucoma and glaucoma suspect patients.
Go with the Flow

The complications of sickle cell disease are due to sickle vaso-occlusion and hemolytic anemia.1 This multifaceted pathogenesis is initiated by the polymerization of deoxygenated sickle hemoglobin. Polymer-induced erythrocyte injury has downstream effects that include hemolysis, leukocyte–platelet–erythrocyte–endothelial interactions, inflammation, and oxidant-induced tissue damage. Sickle vaso-occlusion is most apparent clinically as an acute painful episode (called a crisis). Fetal hemoglobin inhibits the polymerization of deoxygenated sickle hemoglobin. Persons who inherit the sickle hemoglobin gene as well as a gene that prevents the natural fetal-to-adult hemoglobin switch have approximately one third fetal hemoglobin in all their erythrocytes. They do not have either hemolytic . . .
Social Contexts in Medicine: A Patient-Centered Curriculum Empowering Medical Students to Provide Contextualized Care

Introduction Social Contexts in Medicine (SCIM) is an 18-month program that connects medical students, patients, and physicians for a longitudinal learning experience. SCIM was developed for first-...
Crowd sourcing difficult problems in protein science

Dedicated computing resources are expensive to develop, maintain, and administrate. Frequently, research groups require bursts of computing power, during which progress is still limited by available computing resources. One way to alleviate this bottleneck would be to use additional computing resources. Today, many computing devices remain idle most of the time. Passive volunteer computing exploits this unemployed reserve of computing power by allowing device-owners to donate computing time on their own devices. Another complementary way to alleviate bottlenecks in computing resources is to use more efficient algorithms. Engaging volunteer computing employs human intuition to help solve challenging problems for which efficient algorithms are difficult to develop or unavailable. Designing engaging volunteer computing projects is challenging but can result in high-quality solutions. Here, we highlight four examples.
Transition of care to an adult provider.

Purpose of review The transition from adolescence to young adulthood can be a difficult and overwhelming time. Many adult care providers are unaware of the issues facing adolescents and young adults. Often the focus is on older patients and their problems. Internists, family practitioners and obstetricians and Gynecologists (OBGYNs) typically care for these patients. Often, young adults view their obstetrician and gynecologist as their primary care physician, so reviewing the issues facing this age group is important. Recent findings Lifestyle habits begun in childhood frequently continue throughout life. Adolescence and young adulthood are times when change in these habits may be easier to enforce. Reviewing nutrition, exercise, risky behaviors, preventive health objectives, sexuality and mental health are of utmost importance in the transition of care from a pediatric to an adult provider. Summary The transition from adolescence to young adulthood can be difficult for patients. Knowledge of these issues is crucial to the adult provider caring for these patients. Although visits frequently are short in duration, using screening tools and checklists filled out by the patient prior to the visit may be beneficial.
Simple Harmonic Oscillator: One Dimension

In the case of piecewise constant potentials, solving the Schrodinger equation was relatively easy.
Architectures for Hardware and Software Scalable Multiwavelength Networks

The multiwavelength multihop lightwave network has recently emerged as a viable candidate for a new wide-area telecommunications infrastructure capable of bringing the benefits of high speed multimedia services to large and small users alike. In this paper, we consider the performance of one such network, known as the recursive grid. A unique aspect of this network is its scalability, meaning that as the network grows larger, both the per-user access hardware, and the per-user computational complexity needed to set up new user-to-user end connections, remain constant. Compromised is the overall network utilization efficiency, since sub-optimum routing is always involved. Thus, this network invokes the complexity management principle: when capacity is over-abundant, compromise utilization efficiency for software simplicity. Extensive simulation studies of this network were undertaken for a wide variety of network parameters and a non-uniform population-driven traffic model, and an enormous volume of results have been generated. Based on these results, our overall conclusion is that the recursive grid approach does indeed yield both scalable traffic management algorithms and good utilization efficiency of the network optical resources. Moreover, it appears that the approach effectively exploits the traffic nonuniformities such that the overall efficiency diminishes slowly, if at all, as the number of access stations grows large, re-confirming that the reconfigurable WDM approach based on a scalable architecture is indeed a strong candidate for the future telecom infrastructure.
BLADDER TREATMENT: Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy

The urinary bladder is affected by numerous treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy radiotherapy, photodynamic and laser therapy, and immunotherapy. The literature on therapy for bladder cancer is abundant but tends to offer little information concerning the tissue and cellular manifestations related to treatment. A variety of changes in urothelial cells may be seen on urinary cytology or biopsy. Therapy-associated cytologic abnormalities remain the most common cause of false-positive reports in urothelial cytology. Most pathologic changes are characterized by an exuberant inflammatory reaction, blood vessel abnormalities, and degenerative/regenerative urothelial atypia; none of these findings are diagnostic of the outcome of a specific therapy.
An evaluation of food group intakes by Mexican-American children.

Food group daily servings were examined for 3,436 children who participated in the Mexican-American portion of the 1982-1983 Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). Mean daily servings of 40 foods and food groups were calculated for four age groups: 1 to 2 years, 3 to 5 years, 6 to 11 years, and 12 to 1 7 years. The HHANES food servings data were combined into four major groups and compared with recommended servings for children. Mean daily servings of the milk group exceeded the recommended two to three servings for younger children but were low for teenagers. Meat group servings (including eggs and nuts/ legumes) exceeded the recommended two daily servings for all age groups, whereas bread group intakes averaged 70% to 80% of a recommendation of four servings but only half of a recommendation of six servings. Intakes of fruits and vegetables were lowest, averaging only 33% to 47% of a recommended four servings, or 26% to 38% of a recommended five servings. Servings of all four groups were lowest for teenagers. A dietary score, based on the number of servings from each of the four groups, was developed for each child. Mean dietary scores ranged from 55% (teenagers) to 70% (toddlers and preschoolers) of the recommended score. According to these analyses, dietary guidance for Mexican-American children should focus on increasing intakes of fruits and vegetables and on encouraging more nutritious food choices by teenagers.
The tripartite structure of the undercoat in initial segments of Purkinje cell axons.

The undercoat of the initial axonal segment can be resolved into a three-layered structure. Directly beneath the axolemma lies the layer of granules. Each granule is 75 A in diameter. The granules are arranged in rows that are separated from one another by clear spaces of 75 A in the long axis of the axon and by about 95 A in the transverse plane. Deep to this is a dense lamina about 75 A thick. The third component may be a ridge made up of a web of 50 A filaments forming a continuous spiral winding beneath the dense lamina.
Analysis and Results

Speech of person is characterized using some phonetic features like stylistic impression, phonation, nasality, dynamic of loudness, and flow of speech. Based on these features, the linguistic characteristics of a person in specimen are compared with that of the person in questioned. A conventional method, combined aural and spectrographic method, is used for analysis of speech exemplars. Although analysis is performed equally on all the speech exemplars of all chosen regional dialects, due to limited space, Khariboli and Bhojpuri dialects are selected to discuss the results in this chapter. Bhojpuri dialect is selected randomly, whereas Khariboli is considered as a base language in this study. A prosodic analysis is also performed in order to study the intonation tonal pattern of the dialects. This chapter will go through the details of each method used and the results obtained through it.
RNA markers enable phenotypic test of antibiotic susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae after 10 minutes of ciprofloxacin exposure.

Antimicrobial-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an urgent public-health threat, with continued worldwide incidents of infection and rising resistance to antimicrobials. Traditional culture-based methods for antibiotic susceptibility testing are unacceptably slow (1–2 days), resulting in the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics and the further development and spread of resistance. Critically needed is a rapid antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) that can guide treatment at the point-of-care. Rapid phenotypic approaches using quantification of DNA have been demonstrated for fast-growing organisms (e.g. E. coli) but are challenging for slower-growing pathogens such as N. gonorrhoeae. Here, we investigate the potential of RNA signatures to provide phenotypic responses to antibiotics in N. gonorrhoeae that are faster and greater in magnitude compared with DNA. Using RNA sequencing, we identified antibiotic-responsive transcripts. Significant shifts (>4-fold change) in transcript levels occurred within 5 min of antibiotic exposure. We designed assays for responsive transcripts with the highest abundances and fold changes, and validated gene expression using digital PCR. Using the top two markers (porB and rpmB) we correctly determined the antibiotic susceptibility and resistance of 49 clinical isolates after 10 min exposure to ciprofloxacin. RNA signatures are therefore promising as an approach on which to build rapid AST devices for N. gonorrhoeae at the point-of-care, which is critical for disease management, surveillance, and antibiotic stewardship efforts.
Belowground response of prairie restoration and resiliency to drought

Abstract Agricultural land use is a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystem functions in tallgrass prairies. However, there are proposed bioenergy systems that can use biomass harvested from restored tallgrass prairie, creating a potential free market incentive for landowners to restore prairies. These alternative management practices may alter associated soil microbial communities and their ecosystem services. We examined changes in soil microbial community structure, function, and resiliency to drought following two prairie restorations from row-crop agriculture and through subsequent succession in a fertilized and unfertilized tallgrass prairie. The soil microbial community structure was assessed through amplicon (16S and ITS) sequencing, function through potential extracellular enzyme activity, and resiliency indices were calculated for both microbial diversity measures and extracellular enzyme activity. We hypothesized that 1) distinct soil microbial communities in each management system will continue to develop over time reflecting the extent of divergence between the plant communities, due to the strong selective forces plant communities have on the soil microbiome. 2) Microbial extracellular enzymatic function will continue to diverge between the management systems across sampling years. 3) We will see increased resiliency to drought in the prairies potentially due to the greater diversity in this management system for the microbial and plant community, creating a possible enhancement in functional redundancy. Our experiment demonstrates that soil microbial communities continue to diverge from row-crop agriculture as prairie restoration progresses. Planted prairie bioenergy systems with higher plant diversity supported greater microbial diversity than corn systems. Corn monocultures were less resistant to drought stress, as evidenced by decreased microbial activity and richness. Prairies with increased microbial diversity exhibited increased functional resiliency than corn systems, as measured by cellulose-degrading enzyme activity. Prairies that received nitrogen fertilization maintained high microbial diversity and activity, even under drought. Our study demonstrates that diverse cropping systems may benefit from nitrogen fertilization to confer resiliency to disturbance events. Increasing resiliency, while maintaining productivity, is key to managing alternative crops that are sustainable systems for biofuel uses. Our multi-year study reveals the benefits of long-term experiments for capturing the dynamic range of microbial mediation of soil carbon and nutrients and the importance of resiliency in both developing sustainable management systems and modeling predictive biogeochemical models.
Feeding high oleic acid soybeans in place of conventional soybeans increases milk fat concentration

It is well established in the literature that feeding free vegetable oils rich in oleic acid results in greater milk fat secretion than does feeding linoleic-rich oils. The objectives of these experiments were to analyze the effects of oleic and linoleic acid when fed in the form of full-fat soybeans and the interaction between soybean particle size and fatty acid (FA) profile. Soybeans were included in diets on an iso-ether extract basis and diets were balanced for crude protein using soybean meal. Experiment 1 used 63 cows (28 primiparous, PP; 35 multiparous, MP) housed in a freestall barn with Insentec roughage intake control gates (Marknesse, the Netherlands). Cows were divided into 4 mixed parity groups within the same pen. Two groups were assigned to each of the 2 diets: whole raw Plenish (WP, high oleic; Dupont-Pioneer, Johnston, IA) soybeans or whole raw conventional (WC, high linoleic) soybeans. The MP cows exhibited significantly increased milk fat yield on the WP diet compared with the WC diet. A significantly greater C18 milk FA yield by the MP cows fed WP was observed compared with those fed WC, but no difference was present in the C16 or short-chain FA yield. No effects were seen in the PP cows. Experiment 2 used 20 cows (10 PP, 10 MP) in 2 balanced 5 × 5 Latin squares within parity. Cows received 5 diets: raw WP and WC diets, raw ground Plenish and conventional soybean diets (GP and GC, respectively), and a low fat control. A significant benefit was found for the GP diet compared with the GC diet for milk fat concentration and yield. In experiment 2, no difference was observed between cows fed the WP compared with the WC diet. In experiment 2, cows consuming the Plenish diets produced less milk than when consuming the conventional soybean diets. The soybean diets resulted in significantly more C18 and less <C18 FA compared with the low fat diet. The GP diet resulted in significantly more C18 FA than the GC diet and the ground soybeans resulted in less C16 FA compared with whole soybeans. In both experiments, cows fed the Plenish diets exhibited decreased trans-10 18:1, a FA often increased during milk fat depression, compared with those fed the conventional soybean diets, though differences were not observed in trans-10,cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid. These results indicate that feeding whole soybeans rich in oleic acid may result in some increased milk fat secretion compared with conventional whole soybeans containing high levels of linoleic acid. This advantage is clear for ground high-oleic soybeans compared with ground conventional soybeans.
Applying the Framework as a reflective tool: A teacher learner perspective

If you teach information literacy (IL) according to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, 1 then you have been introduced to terms like knowledge practices, dispositions, and troublesome knowledge. You may have also read several articles debating the Framework (for a quick overview, read Lane Wilkinson’s “The Problem with Threshold Concepts”). 2 Regardless of where teaching librarians stand on the Framework, the discourse surrounding it doesn’t adequately address its potential as a reflective tool (as opposed to addressing student learning alone). This is ironic when considering that, at its core, the Framework’s foundation is based in “critical self-reflection, as crucial to becoming more self-directed in [a] rapidly changing ecosystem.” 3
Reduced Autobiographical Memory Specificity Among Maltreated Preschoolers: The Indirect Effect of Neglect Through Maternal Reminiscing

Maternal reminiscing and preschoolers' (M = 5.00 years, SD = 1.11) autobiographical memory specificity (AMS) were examined among abusive (n = 24), neglecting (n = 78), emotionally maltreating (n = 32), and demographically similar nonmaltreating families (n = 74). Neglect was negatively associated with child AMS and the quantity of maternal elaborations. In a moderated mediation model, neglect was negatively associated with the quantity of maternal elaborations, which was positively associated with AMS when mothers reminisced in a coherent and sensitive manner (i.e., affective quality). In the context of high maternal affective quality, maternal elaborative quantity accounted for reduced AMS among neglected preschoolers. The findings extend observations of reduced AMS to neglected preschoolers and inform theoretical models of autobiographical memory development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Confidence intervals for the difference in the success rates of two treatments in the analysis of correlated binary responses

In clinical studies, we often compare the success rates of two treatment groups where post-treatment responses of subjects within clusters are usually correlated. To estimate the difference between the success rates, interval estimation procedures that do not account for this intraclass correlation are likely inappropriate. To address this issue, we propose three interval procedures by direct extensions of recently proposed methods for independent binary data based on the concepts of design effect and effective sample size used in sample surveys. Each of them is then evaluated with four competing variance estimates. We also extend three existing methods recommended for complex survey data using different weighting schemes required for those three existing methods. An extensive simulation study is conducted for the purposes of evaluating and comparing the performance of the proposed methods in terms of coverage and expected width. The interval estimation procedures are illustrated using three examples in clinical and social science studies. Our analytic arguments and numerical studies suggest that the methods proposed in this work may be useful in clustered data analyses.
Separate Memory-Enhancing Effects of Reward and Strategic Encoding.

Memory encoding for important information can be enhanced both by reward anticipation and by intentional strategies. These effects are hypothesized to depend on distinct neural mechanisms, yet prio...
Growing Healthy Communities Initiative: Transforming the Built Environment to Combat Obesity

A contributing factor to the U.S. national obesity epidemic is the built environment-the physical aspects of a community in which we live, work and engage in our everyday activities. Therefore, modifying the built environment can be a solution to address the epidemic. Such an example is the Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention (ArCOP) Growing Healthy Communities (GHC) initiative. The GHC initiative encourages community health workers, health education specialists, government officials and other stakeholders to embrace community collaboration in efforts to improve built environments by equipping them with resources that increase community access to healthy foods and physical activities to help combat obesity. ArCOP to date has funded 100+ GHC communities in Arkansas. One of the five communities being highlighted by the authors for their GHC efforts includes: the University of Arkansas at Little Rock University District community, in which the authors have contributed to implementing various GHC projects for the residents of this community. The GHC, a state initiative, has implications for national and global use, and it is emerging as an exemplary best practice model. It provides communities with effective strategies to help address the health inequities of obesity, through prevention and intervention measures to improve health behaviors.
Lower cost departures for airlines: Optimal policies under departure metering

Abstract Departure metering is an airport surface management procedure that limits the number of aircraft in the runway queue by holding aircraft either at a predesigned metering area or at gates. Field tests of the procedure have shown significant fuel savings, implying that the procedure can play an important role in the Next Generation Air Transportation System being implemented in the U.S. In this paper we study optimal departure operations at airports in the context of departure metering. More specifically, we develop a stochastic dynamic programming framework for tactical management of pushback operations at gates and for determining the optimal number of aircraft to be directed to the runway queue from the metering areas. We introduce four easy-to-implement departure metering policies, and perform comparative analyses between these practical policies and the numerical-optimization based policies. In addition, from a strategic perspective, we identify optimal capacities for metering areas to be used as part of departure metering implementations. Overall, we find that the annual fuel and operating savings for airlines could be around $1.7 million if our proposed policies are implemented at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Such policies can also be adapted by other airports to improve the overall efficiency of surface traffic management and departure operations.
Comparison of Simulation Models Used in Assessing the Effects of Power-Plant-Induced Mortality on Fish Populations

ABSTRACT This paper compares eight models predicting the impact of power plant operation upon economically important fish species. The review compares the biological rationale behind model equations; parameter values are tabulated and compared. This paper focuses on differences between the models and the effect of these differences on model predictions. In order to expedite the evaluation of the models, generalized model simulators were developed for the young-of-the-year and life-cycle submodels. Criteria used to evaluate model predictions are percent reduction in young-of-the-year and annual loss in yield to the fishery due to plant operation. Major differences affecting model predictions of these impact criteria include the definition of life stages within age class 0, density-dependent or density-independent mortality for larvae and juveniles, density-dependent or density-independent fishing mortality, and the method for computing recruitment of young-of-the-year fish to age class 1. Major differences in parameter values include entrainment factors, total egg production, equilibrium population size, and survival probabilities for the life cycle models. Recommendations are made regarding our preference between model approaches or parameter values when these differ markedly. A suggestion is made for improved model documentation in the future and for increased cross fertilization of modeling ideas and background data and information.
Quantitative proteomic analysis of differentially expressed proteins in Aβ(17-42) treated synaptosomes

Oxidative stress has been associated in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases such as various neurodegenerative disorders, ischemia, and cancer. The brain is susceptible to oxidative stress due to its high content of peroxidizable unsaturated fatty acids, high consumption of oxygen, and elevated levels of free radicals. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) can react with biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, DNA, and RNA, which can lead to oxidative damage, cellular dysfunction, and ultimately cell death. Down syndrome (DS) is caused by trisomy of chromosome 21, a genetic abnormality in which an extra copy of the chromosome is present. DS patients have extensive deposition of Aβ(17-42) peptide, which could contribute to their increased rate of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is consistent with current research. Since AD cannot be properly diagnosed until autopsy, development of a novel Down syndrome model using Aβ(17-42) could be beneficial in determining oxidative stress levels and their relationship to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the earliest form of AD. This work will demonstrate the use of a novel Down Syndrome model and its correlation to oxidative stress. We have found a significant difference between oxidative stress levels in Aβ(17-42) treated synaptosomes and control. By using proteomics, we have also identified several biomarkers including aldehyde dehydrogenase, aldolase, α-enolase, heat shock cognate 71, peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase, and ATP synthase α chain. Our present findings suggest the role of Aβ(17-42) as one of the contributing factors in mediating oxidative stress in DS and AD brain leading to neurodegeneration. This novel DS model may have potential applications as a diagnostic tool to identify biomarkers that may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
Required water temperature in hotel plumbing to control Legionella growth.

Abstract Legionella spp. occurring in hotel hot water systems, in particular Legionella pneumophila, are causing serious pneumonic infections, and water temperature is a key factor to control their occurrence in plumbing systems. We performed a systematic review and meta-analyses of the available evidence on the association between water temperature and Legionella colonization to identify the water temperature in hotel hot water systems required for control of Legionella. Qualitative synthesis and quantitative analysis were performed on 13 studies that met our inclusion criteria to identify the effect of temperature. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve identified 55 °C as a cutoff point for hotel hot water temperature with an Area Under the Curve (AUC) value of 0.914. The odds ratios (OR) for detecting Legionella at temperatures >55 °C compared to lower temperatures from a meta-analysis of three studies was 0.17 [95% CI: 0.11, 0.25], which indicates a strong negative association between temperature and Legionella colonization. A logistic regression on results from multiple studies using both molecular and culture methods found a temperature of 59 °C associated with an 8% probability of detectable Legionella. Only two studies reported sufficiently detailed data to allow a model of concentration vs. temperature to be fit, and this model was not statistically significant. Additional research or more detailed reporting of existing datasets is required to assess if Legionella growth can be limited below particular concentration targets at different temperatures.
Improving Selective Attention for All Students with Coordinative Bal-A-Vis-X Movement Breaks: A Pilot Study.

Brief coordinative movement breaks increase student attention and should be implemented by school-based occupational therapists to support the occupational potential of all students. Inattention is...
Microstructure dependent thermal conductivity measurement of Zircaloy-4 using an extended Raman thermometry method

Abstract In this work, microstructural dependence of thermal conductivity of two polycrystalline zircaloy-4 samples was analyzed by using an extended Raman thermometry method. The thermal conductivity values in examined microstructures were found to vary spatially from 11 to 13 W m−1K−1. These values are in the range reported by other bulk measurements that do not consider spatial distribution. The Kapitza thermal resistance model is shown to describe the measured dependence of thermal conductivity as a function of grain size. Thermal resistance from grain boundaries and inhomogeneities are identified as two potential contributors to the thermal conductivity reduction. Nanoindentation tests were performed to obtain the local elastic modulus distribution in the analyzed samples. The thermal conductivity values increase with elastic modulus increasing in each sample. This result indicates a possibility that at room temperature phonon thermal conductivity makes a non-negligible contribution to the total thermal conductivity in zircaloy-4.