cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adventures and Misadventures in the Genome of Artemia

As this and other recent publications clearly show, Artemia is an exceptionally interesting and useful biological system for a wide variety of experimental studies [1,2]. Among the areas of active research interest are biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, developmental biology, morphology, ecology, and population biology. Much of the research involving Artemia, especially in the areas of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, focusses on developmental aspects. This is a natural outgrowth of the fact that dormant encysted gastrulae are readily available commercially at any time and in large quantity and can be easily raised in the laboratory to produce swimming nauplis larvae. This easily accessible period of development has attracted the attention of quite a few investigators. Despite its short generation time, Artemia has been relatively little studied by classical or genetic means, perhaps owing to the difficulty of generating and isolating mutant strains in comparison with more familiar organisms such as Drosophila and Caenorhabditis. Over the past decade, an increasing number of research groups has begun to explore the molecular genetics of Artemia. As in other areas of investigation, many of these studies are also developmental in nature, aimed at understanding the mechanisms that regulate gene expression during Artemia development.
The challenge of integrating offshore wind power in the U.S. electric grid. Part II: Simulation of electricity market operations

Abstract The purpose of this two-part study is to analyze large penetrations of offshore wind power into a large electric grid, using the case of the grid operated by PJM Interconnection in the northeastern U.S. Part I of the study introduces the wind forecast error model and Part II, this paper, describes Smart-ISO, a simulator of PJM's planning process for generator scheduling, including day-ahead and intermediate-term commitments to energy generators and real-time economic dispatch. Results show that, except in summer, an unconstrained transmission grid can meet the load at five build-out levels spanning 7–70 GW of capacity, with the addition of at most 1–8 GW of reserves. In the summer, the combination of high load and variable winds is challenging. The simulated grid can handle up through build-out level 3 (36 GW of offshore wind capacity), with 8 GW of reserves and without any generation shortage. For comparison, when Smart-ISO is run with perfect forecasts, all five build-out levels, up to 70 GW of wind, can be integrated in all seasons with at most 3 GW of reserves. This reinforces the importance of accurate wind forecasts. At build-out level 3, energy from wind would satisfy between 11 and 20% of the demand for electricity and settlement prices could be reduced by up to 24%, though in the summer peak they could actually increase by up to 6%. CO 2 emissions are reduced by 19–40%, SO 2 emissions by 21–43%, and NO x emissions by 13–37%. This study finds that integrating up to 36 GW of offshore wind is feasible in the PJM grid with today's generation fleet and planning policies, with the addition of 8 GW of reserves. Above that, PJM would require additional investments in fast-ramping gas turbines, storage for smoothing fast-ramping events, and/or other strategies such as demand response.
An Uncommon Cause of Acute Abdominal Pain: Primary Epiploic Appendagitis in the Emergency Setting

In the emergency setting, the diagnosis of benign causes of acute abdominal pain can prevent unnecessary medical interventions. To illustrate this point, we report the case of a 28-year-old man who presented to the emer- gency department with symptoms suggestive of acute diverticulitis. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) established, instead, a diagnosis of primary epiploic appendagitis (PEA), which was managed expectantly. The patient’s symptoms resolved within one week of hospital discharge and he remained free of pain at a five-month phone follow-up. Increased awareness of PEA and its self-limited course can help the emergency physician avoid unnecessary imaging studies and expectantly manage this cause of acute abdominal pain.
The Health Equity Scholars Program: Innovation in the Leaky Pipeline

Despite attempts to increase enrollment of under-represented minorities (URMs: primarily Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American students) in health professional programs, limited progress has been made. Compelling reasons to rectify this situation include equity for URMs, better prepared health professionals when programs are diverse, better quality and access to health care for UMR populations, and the need for diverse talent to tackle difficult questions in health science and health care delivery. However, many students who initiate traditional "pipeline" programs designed to link URMs to professional schools in health professions and the sciences, do not complete them. In addition, program requirements often restrict entry to highly qualified students while not expanding opportunities for promising, but potentially less well-prepared candidates. The current study describes innovations in an undergraduate pipeline program, the Health Equity Scholars Program (HESP) designed to address barriers URMs experience in more traditional programs, and provides evaluative outcomes and qualitative feedback from participants. A primary outcome was timely college graduation. Eighty percent (80%) of participants, both transfer students and first time students, so far achieved this outcome, with 91% on track, compared to the campus average of 42% for all first time students and 58-67% for transfers. Grade point averages also improved (p = 0.056) after program participation. Graduates (94%) were working in health care/human services positions and three were in health-related graduate programs. Creating a more flexible program that admits a broader range of URMs has potential to expand the numbers of URM students interested and prepared to make a contribution to health equity research and clinical care.
Surface isoelectric focusing (sIEF) with carrier ampholyte pH gradient

Isoelectric focusing (IEF) is a powerful tool for amphoteric protein separations because of high sensitivity, bio-compatibility, and reduced complexity compared to chromatography or mechanical separation techniques. IEF miniaturization is attractive because it enables rapid analysis, easier adaptation to point of care applications, and smaller sample demands. However, existing small-scale IEF tools have not yet been able to analyze single protein spots from array libraries, which are ubiquitous in many pharmaceutical discovery and screening protocols. Thus, we introduce an in situ, novel, miniaturized protein analysis approach that we have termed surface isoelectric focusing (sIEF). Low volume printed sIEF gels can be run at length scales of ∼300 μm, utilize ∼0.9 ng of protein with voltages below 10 V. Further, the sIEF device platform is so simple that it can be integrated with protein library arrays to reduce cost; devices demonstrate reusability above 50 uses. An acrylamide monomer solution containing broad-range carrier ampholytes was microprinted with a Nano eNablerTM between micropatterned gold electrodes spaced 300 μm apart on a glass slide. The acrylamide gel was polymerized in situ followed by protein loading via printed diffusional exchange. A pH gradient formed via carrier ampholyte stacking when electrodes were energized; the gradient was verified using ratiometric pH-sensitive FITC/TRITC dyes. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and R-phycoerythrin (R-PE) were utilized both as pI markers and to test sIEF performance as a function of electric field strength and ampholyte concentration. Factors hampering sIEF included cathodic drift and pH gradient compression, but were reduced by co-printing non-ionic Synperonic F-108 surfactant to reduce protein-gel interactions. sIEF gels achieved protein separations in < 10 minutes yielding bands < 50 μm wide with peak capacities of ∼8 and minimum pI differences from 0.12 to 0.14. This new sIEF technique demonstrated comparable focusing at ∼100 times smaller dimensions than any previous IEF. Further, sample volumes required were reduced four orders of magnitude from 20 μL for slab gel IEF to 0.002 μL for sIEF. In summary, sIEF advantages include smaller volumes, reduced power consumption, and microchip surface accessibility to focused bands along with equivalent separation resolutions to prior IEF tools. These attributes position this new technology for rapid, in-situ protein library analysis in clinical and pharmaceutical settings. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Liberalization: How Economic Reforms Consolidated a Bait-and-Switch Male Dominance

Examining the processes of economic liberalization in Russia and Iceland, Johnson explains how the bait-and-switch male dominance came about. In both countries, liberalization in the 1990s created a wheeling-and-dealing economy in which male-dominated elites rewarded those inside their networks with spoils of money and power. This chapter shows how hegemonic masculinity (the masculine ideal for elites) and homosociality (same-sex bonds between men) were essential to the process, even as the formal institutions offered opportunities for women elites. The 2008–2010 global economic crisis, which at first seemed like a critical juncture testing this neoliberal male dominance, especially in Iceland, has consolidated the bait and switch.
The Effect of Pretest Exercise on Baseline Computerized Neurocognitive Test Scores

Background:Baseline neurocognitive assessment plays a critical role in return-to-play decision making following sport-related concussions. Prior studies have assessed the effect of a variety of mod...
Efficient, Adaptable Simulations: A Case Study of a Climate Negotiation Game

Instructors may be reluctant to adopt simulations because of time, labor, or material constraints, or perceived incompatibility with large classes. In fact, simple games can cover multiple key conc...
Growth Hormone Excess and Other Conditions of Overgrowth

Tall stature is characterized by increased height velocity and height greater than 2 SDs than predicted for age and sex. The most common cause of tall stature is familial and should be considered after a detailed history, physical examination, and selected laboratory evaluation has ruled out syndromic and non-syndromic causes of tall stature.
Contribution of Family Relatedness to Neurobehavioral Comorbidities in Idiopathic Childhood Epilepsies.

OBJECTIVES Rates of cognitive, academic and behavioral comorbidities are elevated in children with epilepsy. The contribution of environmental and genetic influences to comorbidity risk is not fully understood. This study investigated children with epilepsy, their unaffected siblings, and controls to determine the presence and extent of risk associated with family relatedness across a range of epilepsy comorbidities. METHODS Participants were 346 children (8-18 years), n=180 with recent-onset epilepsy, their unaffected siblings (n=67), and healthy first-degree cousin controls (n=99). Assessments included: (1) Child Behavior Checklist/6-18 (CBCL), (2) Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), (3) history of education and academic services, and (4) lifetime attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. Analyses consisted of linear mixed effect models for continuous variables, and logistic mixed models for binary variables. RESULTS Differences were detected between the three groups of children across all measures (p<.001). For ADHD, academic problems, and executive dysfunction, children with epilepsy exhibited significantly more problems than unaffected siblings and controls; siblings and controls did not differ statistically significantly from each other. For social competence, children with epilepsy and their unaffected siblings displayed more abnormality compared with controls, with no statistically significant difference between children with epilepsy and unaffected siblings. For behavioral problems, children with epilepsy had more abnormality than siblings and controls, but unaffected siblings also exhibited more abnormalities than controls. CONCLUSIONS The contribution of epilepsy and family relatedness varies across specific neurobehavioral comorbidities. Family relatedness was not significantly associated with rates of ADHD, academic problems and executive dysfunction, but was associated with competence and behavioral problems. (JINS, 2018, 24, 653-661).
Alienation and Identity Maintenance in Quasi-Total Institutions

A great body of work exists within sociology concerning the role and character of total institutions. However, the existing research primarily concerns either seemingly benevolent versions of such institutions or more absolute realizations of total institutions. In this article I explore the alienating and identity-constructing roles of quasi-total institutions by means of qualitative research conducted at an intensive mental health facility for female juvenile offenders. First, I examine the ways in which the physical space is used as ‘critical space’ in identity construction. Second, I investigate how peers can act as cohorts in the continued maintenance of personal identity. Third, I explore the manner by which the failures of the institution can be used as a vehicle of agency for those serving time. Finally, I discuss the ways in which these institutional characteristics might be precursors to, or share institutional characteristics with, more absolute total institutions.
Crystal Structures as Periodic Foams and Vice Versa

There has been a remarkable symbiosis between crystal chemistry and the study of cellular structures such as that of foams. This was already foreshadowed by Kelvin in that the structure, originally proposed by him as the division of space with minimal surface area (and hence as the structure of a minimal energy foam of equal bubbles), also plays a prominent role in his discourse On the Molecular Tactics of a Crystal [2]. The Kelvin structure is, of course, derived from a space-filling packing of truncated octahedra and is better known to the crystal chemist as the framework of the sodalite structure. In this context it is considered the prototype of a series of framework structures built up of packings of simple polyhedra (those with three faces meeting at each vertex) generically known in the case of silicates as clathrasils, but of wide occurrence in crystal chemistry in other contexts as well.
The silphium motif adorning ancient Libyan coinage : Marketing a medicinal plant

The Silphium Motif Adorning Ancient Libyan Coinage: Marketing a Medicinal Plant. Economic Botany 53(2): 133–143, 1999. Ancient texts provide an extensive list of purported medicinal benefits for Cyrenaic silphium but omit reference to this extinct, unidentified species o/Ferula (Umbelliferae) as an aphrodisiac. The plant may have been so regarded since ithyphallic and testicular imagery are evoked via stylized representations of the silphium plant and seed pod on the mintage of Greek Cyrenaica in North Africa. These numismatic motifs play to an imitative principle. Whether by calculation or serendipity, commodity marketing likely drew on more subliminal communications through an association between phallus-like renderings of the plant and apotropaic function and through possible association of the geography of a love philtre with a philosophical product of Cyrene, Aristippus’ uninhibited hedonism. Other circumstantial evidence draws on the writings of Avicenna, who attributed aphrodisiacal qualities to a recognized substitute for Cyrenaic silphium, and to the poetry of Catullus whose art linked silphium to carnal pleasures.
Dopamine1 receptors in rat kidneys identified with 125I-Sch 23982

Dopamine1 receptors were studied in rat kidney using the selective dopamine1 antagonist 125I-labeled Sch 23982. The specific binding of 125I-Sch 23982 (defined by 5 microM Sch 23390) to renal cortical homogenates incubated at room temperature was rapid, saturable with time and ligand concentration, and reversible. Analysis of Rosenthal plots revealed a single class of receptors with an apparent dissociation constant of 12.2 +/- 1.9 nM and maximum receptor density of 1.03 +/- 0.15 pmol/mg protein (n = 6). However, competition experiments with the dopamine1 antagonist Sch 23390 revealed a low- and high-affinity binding site with inhibition constants of 1 x 10(-6) and 1 x 10(-8) M, respectively. The competition experiments were also indicative of dopamine1 receptors with stereoselectivity noted for dopamine1 but not for dopamine2 antagonists. The inhibition constants for dopamine1 antagonists and agonists were two orders of magnitude greater in renal cortical than striatal homogenates. Different buffers affected striatal but not renal cortical binding. Autoradiographic studies revealed 125I-Sch 23982 binding in renal cortical but not medullary tissue. These studies confirm the presence of dopamine1 receptors in the cortex of the rat kidney.
Polynome in der Signalverarbeitung

Es ist ganz erstaunlich, welche zentrale Bedeutung Polynome in der schnellen digitalen Signalverarbeitung besitzen. Zwar kann man viele Algorithmen auch ohne polynomiale Algebra verstehen, aber erst die polynomiale Algebra ermoglicht eine ubersichtliche Zusammenfassung verschiedener Varianten. In diesem Kapitel werden wir anhand der linearen und zyklischen Faltung erkennen, wie nutzlich die polynomiale Algebra in der digitalen Signalverarbeitung ist. Zunachst werden grundlegende Definitionen, die zumeist bereits aus der Schulzeit bekannt sein sollten, wiederholt. Dann werden wir erkennen, das man mit Polynomen ganz ahnlich wie mit den ganzen Zahlen ℤ rechnen kann. Wir werden eine Faktorisierung in irreduzible Faktoren durchfuhren, den grosten gemeinsamen Teiler und das chinesische Reste-Theorem fur Polynome diskutieren.
The Revolution in Progress

The time from September 1925 until about March 1927 was one of the most exciting, productive, and ususual periods in the history of physics. Although not all the significant developments took place there, Copenhagen was very much the nerve center. It was there that new results were continually analyzed and scrutinized, and it was there, strongly influenced by Bohr, that new results were eventually synthesized into a coherent, complete scheme. Thus, Kramers spent his last year in Copenhagen in the midst of this exuberant scientific environment.
Photolyase and cryptochrome blue-light photoreceptors.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the photolyase/cryptochrome blue-light photoreceptor family that encompasses a large group of proteins from all three biological kingdoms. These proteins absorb near-ultraviolet (UV)/blue light and use the light energy to repair far UV-induced DNA damage to reset the circadian clock. The photolyase/cryptochrome family has three members: photolyase (cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer photolyase), (6–4) photolyase, and cryptochrome. Both photolyase and cryptochrome also perform light-independent functions in DNA repair and in generating the molecular circadian clock, respectively. Photolyases are monomeric proteins of 450–550 amino acids and two noncovalently bound cofactors. Escherichia coli (E. coli) photolyase is made up of two well-defined domains: an N terminal α/β domain (residues 1–132) and a C-terminal α-helical domain. Cryptochromes regulate blue-light-dependent growth and development in plants; cryptochromes have now been identified in the nonphotosynthetic bacterium Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae), which has no known photoresponses. Cryptochromes exhibit 20–40% sequence identities to photolyases.
Marine birds and mammals as ecosystem sentinels in and near Distributed Biological Observatory regions: An abbreviated review of published accounts and recommendations for integration to ocean observatories

Abstract Marine birds and mammals can act as sentinels to shifts in ocean ecosystems, due to their (i) reliance on finding aggregated prey for efficient foraging, (ii) need to respond to biophysical signals in support of successful seasonal migrations, and (iii) capacity to reflect changes in marine food webs. Here we present an abbreviated review of recent published accounts of marine bird and mammal responses to biophysical features of the ocean ecosystem in and near sampling regions of the Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO). The review is meant to provide both context for seabird surveys and marine mammal watches conducted in conjunction with DBO sampling and support for the inclusion of marine bird and mammal research, either by direct sampling or collaboration, in the protocols of other ocean observatories. The review is framed by the ocean processes imbedded in the Arctic Marine Pulses conceptual model, with the overarching goal to promote the routine integration of data on marine birds and mammals during the development of marine ecosystem models for Arctic regions.
Neuroimaging of individual differences: A latent variable modeling perspective.

Abstract Neuroimaging data is being increasingly utilized to address questions of individual difference. When examined with task-related fMRI (t-fMRI), individual differences are typically investigated via correlations between the BOLD activation signal at every voxel and a particular behavioral measure. This can be problematic because: 1) correlational designs require evaluation of t-fMRI psychometric properties, yet these are not well understood; and 2) bivariate correlations are severely limited in modeling the complexities of brain-behavior relationships. Analytic tools from psychometric theory such as latent variable modeling (e.g., structural equation modeling) can help simultaneously address both concerns. This review explores the advantages gained from integrating psychometric theory and methods with cognitive neuroscience for the assessment and interpretation of individual differences. The first section provides background on classic and modern psychometric theories and analytics. The second section details current approaches to t-fMRI individual difference analyses and their psychometric limitations. The last section uses data from the Human Connectome Project to provide illustrative examples of how t-fMRI individual differences research can benefit by utilizing latent variable models.
So I am Getting a CT for Small Bowel Obstruction, Do I Need Oral Contrast? IV Contrast?

The diagnosis of small bowel obstruction (SBO) by abdominal computed tomography previously often included both intravenous and oral contrast agents. Recent guidelines suggest that oral contrast agents (gastrografin, barium) are unnecessary, as they significantly delay diagnosis, falsely enhance adjacent bowel wall, and do not provide benefit over air and secreted fluids already in the bowel lumen. The administration of intravenous contrast in suspected SBO is beneficial and allows the provider to assess for bowel wall ischemia.
The PreOp Program: Intensive Preclinical Surgical Exposure is Associated With Increased Medical Student Surgical Interest and Competency.

Objective As medical students' interest in surgical fields wanes, we investigated the impact of a preclinical surgical exposure program on students’ attitudes toward pursuing surgical careers. Design This is a prospective longitudinal study of PreOp, a preclinical rotation-based surgical exposure program for first-year medical students, from 2013 to 2017. Surveys assessed PreOp rotation quality, students’ surgical interest, and students’ self-reported preparedness for the surgical clerkship. Surgery clerkship grades were obtained as a measure of surgical competency and compared to class-wide peers. Match data was collected and compared to class-wide peers as well as historical norms. Setting NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY; tertiary care center. Participants Fifty-four PreOp students from 2013 to 2017. Results Fifty-four PreOp participants were recruited. After completing the PreOp program, 66.7% of PreOp students reported being very likely to apply into a surgical field compared to 29.4% when they started medical school. Ultimately, 71.4% of PreOp students versus 21.7% of non-PreOp class-wide peers matched into surgical fields (p Conclusions Hands-on preclinical surgical exposure was associated with student-reported increased surgical interest that was maintained longitudinally and reflected in significantly increased surgical matches relative to non-PreOp class-wide peers. This study uniquely demonstrates that participation in PreOp was also associated with increased self-reported surgical preparedness and significantly higher surgery clerkship grades relative to overall academic performance.
Invited Paper: Towards Enabling City-Scale Internet of Things – Challenges and Opportunities

A leading contender to network low-power Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices at city-scale are low-power wide-area networks (LP-WANs) which provide communication over large distances with minimal power consumption albeit with small throughput. The sheer scale of deployment and multitude of wireless impairments at such large range opens up a new host of associated challenges and opportunities to enable novel sensing applications. In this paper, we describe our vision for a cloud-based LPWAN infrastructure which enables these capabilities and our work towards solving some of the key challenges associated with such a network. We also highlight the massive opportunity LPWANs provide to enable novel applications which are challenging to deploy using conventional wireless technologies. We finally present our vision of future connected cities and the key role that LP-WANs will have in realizing it.
Sniffer cells for the detection of neural Angiotensin II in vitro

Neuropeptide release in the brain has traditionally been difficult to observe. Existing methods lack temporal and spatial resolution that is consistent with the function and size of neurons. We use cultured “sniffer cells” to improve the temporal and spatial resolution of observing neuropeptide release. Sniffer cells were created by stably transfecting Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells with plasmids encoding the rat angiotensin type 1a receptor and a genetically encoded Ca2+ sensor. Isolated, cultured sniffer cells showed dose-dependent increases in fluorescence in response to exogenously applied angiotensin II and III, but not other common neurotransmitters. Sniffer cells placed on the median preoptic nucleus (a presumptive site of angiotensin release) displayed spontaneous activity and evoked responses to either electrical or optogenetic stimulation of the subfornical organ. Stable sniffer cell lines could be a viable method for detecting neuropeptide release in vitro, while still being able to distinguish differences in neuropeptide concentration.
Abstract 4951: Obesity-induced changes in baseline immune responses to pre-clinical breast cancer

Obesity is known to increase morbidity and mortality in breast cancer patients; however, the immunological contributions to such changes remain incompletely understood. Our long-term goal is to investigate the broad impact of obesity on anti-tumor immunity, with a particular focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying obesity-induced immune alterations and how these alterations may influence the use of immunotherapeutics in breast cancer patients. For our studies, we utilized a diet-induced model of obesity (DIO) in which mice were fed either a high-fat or low-fat diet to generate DIO or age-matched lean controls, respectively. Animals were then challenged with the syngeneic E0771 mammary carcinoma cell line. Tumor outgrowth was quantified by caliper measurements, bioluminescent imaging (BLI) via firefly luciferase-expressing E0771 (E0771-fLUC) cells, and endpoint tumor weights. Whole tumor immunogenetic gene expression profiles were evaluated using nanoString and immune populations were assessed via multi-parameter flow cytometry. All measures of tumor outgrowth reveal that obesity significantly increases primary tumor outgrowth and induces a variety of alterations to the immunogenetic profile. Additionally, obesity significantly alters the frequency of intra-tumoral immune populations, including decreases in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, increases in granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (G-MDSCs) and myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs), and a trending decrease in total CD45+ tumor infiltrating leukocytes. These alterations are specific to the tumor environment, as they are not present in the spleens of tumor-bearing mice. Collectively these data implicate obesity as a causal agent in impairing anti-tumor immune responses to murine mammary tumors. Furthermore, they suggest several cellular candidates for future mechanistic investigations into obesity-induced alterations in breast cancer immunity. Citation Format: Justin Gibson, Prabhakara Nagareddy, Lyse Norian. Obesity-induced changes in baseline immune responses to pre-clinical breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4951.
The Shape of Rings to Come: Systems Approach to Xylem and Phloem Formation in Arabidopsis.

Plants have veins too. As in animals, the plant vasculature facilitates the circulation of water and nutrients across tissues and organs. Unlike animals, it originates from a self-renewing population of meristematic cells forming the (pro)cambium ring within stems, roots, and tree trunks. Local
Sexual Abstinence in the United States: Cohort Trends in Abstaining from Sex While Never Married for U.S. Women Born 1938 to 1983:

In this data visualization, the authors document trends in abstaining from sex while never married for U.S. women born 1938–1939 to 1982–1983. Using data from the six most recent National Surveys o...
Thermoplasma acidophilum: STUDIES ON A PROKARYOTE THAT CONTAINS A HISTONE-LIKE PROTEIN

ABSTRACT Thermoplasma acidophilum is a thermophilic mycoplasma that is unusual among prokaryotic organisms in that it has a histone-like protein associated with its DNA. The protein is tightly bound to the DNA, and is dissociated only in salt concentrations of 0.6 M NaCl or higher, which is well above the intracellular K + concentration (17-125 mM). The contents of the cells are also unusually acidic: pH 5.5. These conditions, at the normal culture temperature of 59°, come close to thermally denaturing the DNA, and can also damage the DNA by hydrolysis. Thus it might be expected that the histone-like protein would function to protect the DNA, but in contrast, in physiological conditions, the histone-like protein does not appear to have a protective effect. Furthermore, although eukaryotic histones can inhibit RNA synthesis by E. coli RNA polymerase, the T. acidophilum protein does not affect the template activity of the DNA.
Which Benchmark is Best at Assessing Fraud Risk When Planning an Audit? The Case for Industry Data

During planning, auditors are required to perform preliminary analytical procedures by looking for unusual or inconsistent relationships between expectations and recorded balances. Auditors use the results of preliminary analytical procedures to assess the risk that the financial statements are materially misstated due to fraud. Via a survey of practicing auditors, we find that auditors rely heavily on prior year balances and relations within the client’s financial data (e.g., comparing current year revenue growth to current year accounts receivable growth) as benchmarks when developing expectations during planning. Auditing standards describe additional benchmarks that are less susceptible to management manipulation, but our survey results indicate that auditors are less apt to employ these benchmarks on their engagements. Our empirical analyses reveal that benchmarks derived from industry data, non-financial measures, and cash flows outperform both prior year balances and relations within the client’s financial data when assessing fraud risk. In particular, we observe that the difference between a company’s revenue growth and the revenue growth of its industry is the best indicator of fraud. When a firm reports revenue growth that substantially exceeds that of its industry, it may be too good to be true and auditors should consider increasing their fraud risk assessments and proceeding with skepticism.
Drug Use and Life Chaos as Potential Factors Contributing to HIV Viral Load among People with Lower Health Literacy.

Lower health literacy is associated with poorer health outcomes in people living with HIV (PLWH), but the explanatory mechanisms for these associations are not well understood. Factors such as drug...
Heritage language maintenance through digital tools in young Macedonian children - an exploratory study

Heritage language maintenance can be very challenging for diaspora communities worldwide. The role of technology on heritage language maintenance has recently started to spark the interest of resea...
Splitting Infinitives, Ending with Prepositions, and Beginning with But

This article tackles three persistent writing myths that can can hamper direct, readable prose. With examples and advice, the article suggests that there are many situations in legal writing when it is okay to split an infinitive, end a sentence with a preposition, and begin a sentence with the conjunction "but."
An Unladylike Profession: American Women War Correspondents in World War I

When the radical writer and suffragist Inez Milholland Boissevain arrived in Italy in 1915 to cover that country’s involvement in the escalating world war, her presence was met with skepticism. As ...
Personhood and After-Birth Abortion

Two Australian ethicists writing in the Journal of Medical Ethics recently ignited controversy by suggesting that infanticide or “after-birth abortion” should be tolerated. Given the contextual background of Kermit Gosnell's prosecution, this paper re-examines the argument for after-birth abortion as advanced by Giubilini and Minerva, and concludes that the authors misunderstand human personhood and fail to justify their own ethical reasoning. The article first reconstructs Giubilini and Minerva's argument and situates it in a philosophical tradition alongside similar arguments for infanticide. The article then critiques Giubilini and Minerva's functionalist account of human personhood and critically analyzes their reasoning. The article concludes by observing that Giubilini and Minerva either prove that infanticide should be legal or that society’s definition of personhood must be reconsidered and abortion, like infanticide, should be illegal.
A Comparative Study of Gameplay of Different Sets of Players in an Engineering Mapping Game

Educators in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field are constantly employing different tools to make the process of education streamlined and fun. The digital gaming platform also called e-gaming platform has evolved as one of the key tools to make STEM education more accessible to students. UNTANGLED III is such an e-gaming platform that is based on STEM concepts and aims to bring in players from all educational backgrounds under a common platform. The data obtained from the game gave us insights on how males and females play the game. It has answered whether there are any significant differences in the gameplay strategies between males and females. The data pertaining to the types of puzzles that players, from both genders, chose and played, was also obtained. Males and females had no stark differences in the strategies that they used in solving the puzzles. They used similar kinds of moves and in fact solved similar kinds of puzzles of similar difficulty levels. During their gameplay sessions, both the males and the females visualized similar patterns in the puzzles as evident in their final solution. The performance of players from both the genders, based on the gameplay data was at par. Suggestions obtained from the current players and outreach events hold the key to increasing the overall participation in the game.
Mortality differences in pulmonary fibrosis among the most populated states in the United States.

Abstract Background Recent studies suggest that the mortality rate of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in the U.S. is decreasing. However, the mortality trends and demographic differences of PF among the states have not been evaluated. Objective To evaluate PF-related mortality rates and trends in the nine most populated states in the U.S. Methods Population-based study using the Multiple Cause of Death Database available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. PF-related deaths were identified using ICD codes. Results From 2004 to 2018, average annual mortality rates ranged from being the lowest in New York (110.8 per 1,000,000) to the highest in North Carolina (195.3 per 1,000,000). The mortality rates showed a decline in the majority of the states and were stable in the other states. The most significant declines were in California and Michigan. The average mortality rates in males were higher than females in all the states (rate ratio ranged from 1.56 in Texas to 1.81 in New York) and the decline in the mortality rates was more pronounced compared to males in most states. The mortality rates in Blacks were lower compared to Whites in all the states (rate ratio ranged from 0.47 in New York to 0.69 in Ohio) and the decline in the mortality rates over the period was more significant than in Whites. Conclusions There is substantial variation in mortality rates and mortality trends between states and different demographics. Further studies are needed to evaluate the environmental factors, diagnostic accuracy, and coding practices contributing to these differences.
Am I getting through? Surveying students on what messages they recall from the first day of STEM classes.

The first day of class helps students learn about what to expect from their instructors and courses. Messaging used by instructors, which varies in content and approach on the first day, shapes classroom social dynamics and can affect subsequent learning in a course. Prior work established the non-content Instructor Talk Framework to describe the language that instructors use to create learning environments, but little is known about the extent to which students detect those messages. In this study, we paired first day classroom observation data with results from student surveys to measure how readily students in introductory STEM courses detect non-content Instructor Talk. To learn more about the instructor and student first day experiences, we studied 11 introductory STEM courses at two different institutions. The classroom observation data were used to characterize course structure and use of non-content Instructor Talk. The data revealed that all instructors spent time discussing their instructional practices, building instructor/student relationships, and sharing strategies for success with their students. After class, we surveyed students about the messages their instructors shared during the first day of class and determined that the majority of students from within each course detected messaging that occurred at a higher frequency. For lower frequency messaging, we identified nuances in what students detected that may help instructors as they plan their first day of class. For instructors who dedicate the first day of class to establishing positive learning environments, these findings provide support that students are detecting the messages. Additionally, this study highlights the importance of instructors prioritizing the messages they deem most important and giving them adequate attention to more effectively reach students. Setting a positive classroom environment on the first day may lead to long-term impacts on student motivation and course retention. These outcomes are relevant for all students, but in particular for students in introductory STEM courses which are often critical prerequisites for being in a major.
A novel hydrophilic interaction chromatography assay characterization of 4-pyridoxic acid, an emergent renal organic anion transporter 1/3 transporter biomarker.

Aim: 4-pyridoxic acid (PDA) has been proposed as an endogenous biomarker for renal organic anion transporter 1/3 (OAT1/3) inhibition. Clinical data are needed to support the proposal. Materials & m...
Prolonged early to middle Holocene drought in the Pacific Northwest inferred from lacustrine carbonate oxygen isotope values and sedimentology

Abstract Sediment-based lake-level reconstructions and the oxygen isotopic composition of lacustrine carbonate (δ18OCO3) provide insight on hydroclimate conditions during the early Holocene in western North America and the Pacific Northwest. There are relatively few such records with decadal temporal resolution, and changes in the isotopic composition of meteoric water potentially obscure the hydroclimate signal (precipitation-evaporation) in lacustrine δ18OCO3 data. Here, we present a Holocene-length drought index developed by combining the δ18OCO3 record from Castor Lake, a closed-basin system located in north-central Washington (USA), with the δ18OCO3 record from Lime Lake, which has an open-basin configuration and is located in northeastern Washington. The lake sediment records are dated using primarily a combination of radiocarbon measurements on terrestrial macrofossils, Pb-210, Cs-137, and tephrochronology. The δ18OCO3 drought index, along with changes in Castor Lake sediment facies, suggest periods of prolonged drought in the Pacific Northwest between 11,200 and 6200 cal yr BP, a finding that is supported by other lacustrine proxy records of lake level and temperature change. Early Holocene drought likely resulted from higher than present summer isolation that promoted longer, hotter summers and greater evaporation. Lower than present winter insolation at this time likely altered the location and/or strength of the westerlies, reducing cold season precipitation/snowpack and intensifying the dry conditions. This study highlights the sensitivity of hydroclimate in an already drought- and fire-prone region to the magnitude and duration of summer warmth and precipitation and snowpack levels during the winter.
Interfaith Marriage in Islam: An Examination of the Legal Theory Behind the Traditional and Reformist Positions

Leo Barajas was a thirty-four-year-old American contractor from Texas working for the U.S. government managing reconstruction projects in Iraq. Though not particularly religious at home, he called on the Almighty often enough during his time in Baghdad. “I had to wake up by faith, sleep by faith and do my job by faith,” he said. In August 2003, Leo met a striking young Iraqi woman named Mariam Ghadeer. In a short time, she had stolen his heart. By the end of 2003, wedding plans were underway. It was not until this time that Mariam told Leo he would have to convert to Islam. Leo refused. After many tears, Mariam concluded, “I guess we can’t get married.” This Note explores the rules in Islam governing marriage, specifically those restricting marriages in which one spouse is non-Muslim. The rules for Muslim women who wish to marry outside the faith are more restrictive than the rules governing Muslim men wishing to marry a non-Muslim. Some modern Islamic scholars and commentators argue that the pluralistic nature of modern society justifies a reevaluation of these rules, and that such action is not precluded by Islamic law. Muslim women, they contend, should have marital choice similar to that of their male counterparts. Many Islamic countries are facing the challenges of modernity and social change. Interfaith marriage is one of many issues currently pitting staunch traditionalists against modern reformists within the Muslim community. The goal of this Note is to identify the sources from which Islamic law is derived and the processes through which it is
The role of color vision in answering the question: why is the sky blue?

Studying electromagnetics is a more gratifying experience when the theory is used to explain easily observed, physical phenomena, such as the blue color of the daytime sky. We show the color that the average observer associates with monochromatic light of a given wavelength. The scattered radiation is greatest at the shorter wavelengths, the blue end of the spectrum, so this is often offered as the reason for the blue sky. However, from these considerations, we could equally well say that the sky is violet. At this point, another factor must enter the argument, and that is the response of the human visual system.
Reits and Market Microstructure: A Comprehensive Analysis of Market Quality

This study analyzes the market quality differences, in terms of liquidity and volatility, between Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and common stocks. The 2008 financial crisis has significantly influenced the market quality for REITs. Our findings reveal intraday patterns indicating a lower liquidity for REITs than other common stocks for the pre-crisis period. This relationship reverses during the post-crisis period with REITs becoming more liquid than non-REITs. We also show that REITs have higher price volatility. Further, we document that post-crisis trading interest in REITs has increased significantly as reflected by increased volume, number of trades and number of quotes.
VALIDITY OF QUESTIONNAIRE INFORMATION ON FREQUENCY OF COITUS

Researchers interviewed 91 women of reproductive age who were married or living with a partner when they enrolled in a prospective study to compare the frequency of coitus on the questionnaire with the frequency on prospective daily record cards (mean 70 days of records). 89% of the women reported a higher frequency of intercourse on the questionnaire than on the prospective records. The mean frequency of intercourse on the questionnaire was 2.5 times/week while the daily record cards indicated a mean of 1.7 times/week--a statistically significant mean difference of .8 times/week (p<.0001). .4 times/week was the mean lowest value for all women and 3.3 times/week was the mean highest frequency. In addition 75% of the women reported no intercourse for a least 1 week. The researchers guessed that the most likely explanation for the overestimate may be that the frequency reported on the questionnaire doe not take into account menstruation illness travel or other conditions that might reduce the frequency of intercourse. When they calculated a frequency of coitus on all days excluding menses however the mean difference was reduced only slightly to .6 times/week. Therefore the researchers could not explain the bulk of the difference. The myriad of potential reasons stated in the article for differences in the 2 sources of intercourse data suggest possible improvements in questionnaire design are needed such as asking about factors that affect their usual intercourse. In addition despite the fact that the differences constitutes an information bias the bias occurs in the same direction and magnitude in all the various subgroups and thus is nondifferential.
Earlier Rather Than Later

Clinicians caring for pregnant adolescents recognize their patients9 risk for having behavioral problems.1 Not all pregnant adolescents, however, experience such problems. In their article in this issue, Elster and colleagues2 reports that young urban mothers who engaged in three or more problem behaviors were more likely than were urban women who reported no problem behaviors to have had a child before they were 19 years of age. The interrelationship of adolescent problem behaviors was originally described approximately 20 years ago by Jessor et al.3,4 High-risk behaviors did cluster and young persons involved in one problem behavior were likely to engage in others (sexual intercourse, marijuana use, and problem drinking).4