cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Investigation of Spelling in the Written Compositions of Students Who Read Braille.

This study examined the spelling skills in the written compositions of 20 students who read braille and offers further evidence that the skills of these students are similar to those of sighted stu...
Emerging Potato Viruses That Confront Regulations

There have been numerous examples where, despite regulatory policies intended to prevent introduction of non-indigenous pathogens, introduction has still occurred. As fewer governmental resources are devoted to regulation of international movement of plant materials, germplasm, etc., and as international trade increases, it is imperative that we understand potato virus biology and dynamics as they relate to the regulatory framework. Case studies of how the regulatory process has functioned can be used to illustrate the scientific and organizational factors that comprise regulatory decisions and actions.
Polarimetric retrievals of cloud droplet number concentrations

Abstract Cloud droplet number concentration (Nd) is an important parameter of liquid clouds and is crucial to understanding aerosol-cloud interactions. It couples boundary layer aerosol composition, size and concentration with cloud reflectivity. It affects cloud evolution, precipitation, radiative forcing, global climate and, through observation, can be used to partially monitor the first indirect effect. With its unique combination of multi-wavelength, multi-angle, total and polarized reflectance measurements, the Research Scanning Polarimeter (RSP) retrieves Nd with relatively few assumptions. The approach involves measuring cloud optical thickness, mean droplet extinction cross-section and cloud physical thickness. Polarimetric observations are capable of measuring the effective variance, or width, of the droplet size distribution. Estimating cloud geometrical thickness is also an important component of the polarimetric Nd retrieval, which is accomplished using polarimetric measurements in a water vapor absorption band to retrieve the amount of in-cloud water vapor and relating this to physical thickness. We highlight the unique abilities and quantify uncertainties of the polarimetric approach. We validate the approach using observational data from the North Atlantic and Marine Ecosystems Study (NAAMES). NAAMES targets specific phases in the seasonal phytoplankton lifecycle and ocean-atmosphere linkages. This study provides an excellent opportunity for the RSP to evaluate its approach of sensing Nd over a range of concentrations and cloud types with in situ measurements from a Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP). The RSP and CDP, along with an array of other instruments, are flown on the NASA C-130 aircraft, which flies in situ and remote sensing legs in sequence. Cloud base heights retrieved by the RSP compare well with those derived in situ (R = 0.83) and by a ceilometer aboard the R.V. Atlantis (R = 0.79). Comparing geometric mean values from 12 science flights throughout the NAAMES-1 and NAAMES-2 campaigns, we find a strong correlation between Nd retrieved by the RSP and CDP (R = 0.96). A linear least squares fit has a slope of 0.92 and an intercept of 0.3 cm−3. Uncertainty in this comparison can be attributed to cloud 3D effects, nonlinear liquid water profiles, multilayered clouds, measurement uncertainty, variation in spatial and temporal sampling, and assumptions used within the method. Radiometric uncertainties of the RSP measurements lead to biases on derived optical thickness and cloud physical thickness, but these biases largely cancel out when deriving Nd for most conditions and geometries. We find that a polarimetric approach to sensing Nd is viable and the RSP is capable of accurately retrieving Nd for a variety of cloud types and meteorological conditions.
Twitter message types, health beliefs, and vaccine attitudes during the 2015 measles outbreak in California.

Background Social media not only provide platforms for the public to obtain information about a disease but also allow them to share their opinions and experiences about it. Methods This study analyzed 3000 tweets systematically selected from over 1 million tweets posted during the 2015 California measles outbreak. Results News updates were the most tweeted messages (41.4%), followed by personal opinions (33.7%), resources (19.4%), personal experiences (2.5%), and questions (1.6%). Susceptibility was the most discussed health belief (21.8%), followed by cues to action (18.9%) and severity (13.0%). Individuals were significantly more likely to discuss severity. Nonprofit organizations were significantly more likely to offer cues to action than other user types, and media were less likely to include cues to action than other user types. Pro-vaccine tweets were more likely to contain links to traditional mainstream media sources such as newspapers and magazines, and anti-vaccine tweets were more likely to link to emerging news websites. Conclusions Understanding who posts what on social media during an infectious disease outbreak allows public health agencies to better assess the public's attitudes, sentiments, and needs in order to provide timely and effective information.
Changing Tides: The Role of Natural and Anthropogenic Factors

Tides are changing worldwide at rates not explained by astronomical forcing. Rather, the observed evolution of tides and other long waves, such as storm surges, is influenced by shelf processes and...
Interaction of the N terminus of ADP-ribosylation factor with the PH domain of the GTPase-activating protein ASAP1 requires phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate

Arf GAP with Src homology 3 domain, ankyrin repeat, and pleckstrin homology (PH) domain 1 (ASAP1) is a multidomain GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF)-type GTPases. ASAP1 affects integrin adhesions, the actin cytoskeleton, and invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. ASAP1's cellular function depends on its highly-regulated and robust ARF GAP activity, requiring both the PH and the ARF GAP domains of ASAP1, and is modulated by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). The mechanistic basis of PIP2-stimulated GAP activity is incompletely understood. Here, we investigated whether PIP2 controls binding of the N-terminal extension of ARF1 to ASAP1's PH domain and thereby regulates its GAP activity. Using [Δ17]ARF1, lacking the N terminus, we found that PIP2 has little effect on ASAP1's activity. A soluble PIP2 analog, dioctanoyl-PIP2 (diC8PIP2), stimulated GAP activity on an N terminus–containing variant, [L8K]ARF1, but only marginally affected activity on [Δ17]ARF1. A peptide comprising residues 2–17 of ARF1 ([2–17]ARF1) inhibited GAP activity, and PIP2-dependently bound to a protein containing the PH domain and a 17-amino acid-long interdomain linker immediately N-terminal to the first β-strand of the PH domain. Point mutations in either the linker or the C-terminal α-helix of the PH domain decreased [2–17]ARF1 binding and GAP activity. Mutations that reduced ARF1 N-terminal binding to the PH domain also reduced the effect of ASAP1 on cellular actin remodeling. Mutations in the ARF N terminus that reduced binding also reduced GAP activity. We conclude that PIP2 regulates binding of ASAP1's PH domain to the ARF1 N terminus, which may partially regulate GAP activity.
Relationship between adherence to diet and physical activity guidelines and self-efficacy among black women with high blood pressure:

Hypertension prevalence is highest among Black women in America. Understanding the relationship between adherence to diet and physical activity using socio-cognitive approaches (e.g. self-efficacy and social support) may be effective approaches in understanding hypertension management. This study found that dietary self-efficacy was associated with dietary adherence, and family social support was associated with both diet and physical activity self-efficacy. Social support mediated the relationship between dietary self-efficacy and dietary adherence. A paradoxical finding emerged where participants in the highest self-efficacy tertile also had higher measured systolic blood pressure. More research is necessary to explore culture-specific factors underlying hypertension treatment management among Black women.
Applying network analysis to the social media communication of the Youth Olympic Games and the Olympic Games

This study examined the social media interactions between online stakeholders and the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and the Olympic Games (OG). The investigation observed what type of users exist as network members within the organisations' social networks (i.e., Twitter), analysed the network structures as they relate to the users engaged with the organisations, and mapped the network members and their online relationships to reveal how the network formations facilitate the social media interactions. Python was used to mine the data and create adjacency metrics and UCINET 6.627 and NetDraw were utilised for analytical procedures and visual representations of the networks. Key findings revealed that for the YOG there has been an evolution with regard to the structure and complexity of the network and that national sport organisations made up one of the key stakeholders for the YOG in comparison to other key stakeholders (e.g., media, Olympians, celebrities) for the OG.
College Athletics and the Tax on Unrelated Business Income: Will ‘Student Athletes’ Still Be Students After the NCAA Changes Its Rules?

This article considers the effects of the California Fair Pay to Play Act—permitting a student athlete at any California college, beginning in 2023, to profit from income generated by the athlete’s “name, image, or likeness”—and the NCAA’s apparent acceptance of that principle on the liability of big-time athletic colleges for the unrelated business income tax (UBIT). College athletic teams historically have not been subject to UBIT because of the pretense that the participants are student athletes. Although the Fair Pay to Play Act and the NCAA’s response might not yet require discarding that pretense, the probable next step—direct compensation by the colleges, beyond scholarships, for participation in athletics—will make characterization of many athletes as “student athletes” untenable.
Management And Outcome Of The Sickle Cell Patients With Febrile Illness: Adherence To The Evidence-Based Guidelines.

Background: Children with sickle cell disease are at increased risk of serious bacterial infection from loss of splenic function, genetic polymorphism, leukocyte adhesion, microvascular occlusion and leaky gut (1, 2) During the last 20 years, the use of penicillin prophylaxis and pneumococcal vaccination has decreased invasive pneumococcal disease. Many citations in the literature show a low incidence of bacteremia ranging from 1.3-16%. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) There seems to be a variation between clinicians with the NHLBI recommendation. (8,9,10) Recently there is an emphasis on the healthy microbiome and adverse effects of antibiotics …
Deep Brain Stimulation Programming Strategies: Segmented Leads, Independent Current Sources and Future Technology

Introduction: Advances in neuromodulation and deep brain stimulation (DBS) technologies have facilitated opportunities for improved clinical benefit and side effect management. However, new technol...
Generation of an atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium diffuse discharge in air by means of a water electrode

The generation and maintenance of large volume, low-temperature, high-pressure plasmas in air remain a formidable challenge. Toward this goal, several methods, which include the use of dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) and the resistive barrier discharge (RBD) have been investigated by our group with some limited success. Here, we report on a promising method that we have been developing in our laboratory: a diffuse, nonthermal discharge, in atmospheric pressure air, generated between a planar disk-shaped metal electrode and a second electrode made of a static volume of water contained in a shallow glass dish. Presently, we have used only tap water as one of the electrodes. However, other liquids with low conductivity could also be used. In this paper, the current-voltage characteristics and gas temperature measurements of the discharge are presented. Potential applications of this atmospheric pressure discharge include decontamination, radiation sources, etc.
Thermal Constraints and Influences on Communication

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the thermal conditions that set limits on the communication among animals or in a more direct way influence the processing of information. It illustrates how behaviors of importance for communication are constrained by environmental and body temperatures. Behaviors are limited by ambient and body temperatures. Animals often select temperature zones within which to carry out activities of individual survival and reproduction. Temperature thus acts as an environmental sink, drawing together individuals sharing particular temperature requirements, imposing diurnal cycles on social interaction, and assuring that interacting individuals exchange messages during periods of the day or night when their body temperature maximizes efficiency of functioning. Environmental temperature gradients act to isolate populations and species, thereby facilitating genetic differentiation. Environmental temperature also imposes constraints on ontogenetic growth and differentiation. The chapter further shows more specific influences of temperature on neural functioning and supports the notion that body temperature variations within the physiological range can substantially influence processes underlying communication.
MHC class I-restricted determinants on the glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 molecule induce spontaneous CTL activity.

CD4 + T cell responses to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65) spontaneously arise in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice before the onset of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and may be critical to the pathogenic process. However, since both CD4 + and CD8 + T cells are involved in autoimmune diabetes, we sought to determine whether GAD65-specific CD8 + T cells were also present in prediabetic NOD mice and contribute to IDDM. To refine the analysis, putative K d -binding determinants that were proximal to previously described dominant Th determinants (206–220 and 524–543) were examined for their ability to elicit cytolytic activity in young NOD mice. Naive NOD spleen cells stimulated with GAD65 peptides 206–214 (p206) and 546–554 (p546) produced IFN-γ and showed Ag-specific CTL responses against targets pulsed with homologous peptide. Conversely, several GAD peptides distal to the Th determinants, and control K d -binding peptides did not induce similar responses. Spontaneous CTL responses to p206 and p546 were mediated by CD8 + T cells that are capable of lysing GAD65-expressing target cells, and p546-specific T cells transferred insulitis to NOD.scid mice. Young NOD mice pretreated with p206 and p546 showed reduced CTL responses to homologous peptides and a delay in the onset of IDDM. Thus, MHC class I-restricted responses to GAD65 may provide an inflammatory focus for the generation of islet-specific pathogenesis and β cell destruction. This report reveals a potential therapeutic role for MHC class I-restricted peptides in treating autoimmune disease and revisits the notion that the CD4- and CD8-inducing determinants on some molecules may benefit from a proximal relationship.
Searching the Human Genome for Snail and Slug with DNA@Home

DNA@Home is a volunteer computing project that aims to use Gibbs Sampling for the identification and location of DNA control signals on full genome-scale datasets. A fault tolerant and asynchronous implementation of Gibbs sampling using the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) was used to identify the location of binding sites of the SNAI1 (Snail) and SNAI2 (Slug) transcription factors across the human genome. Genes regulated by Slug but not Snail, and genes regulated by Snail but not Slug provided two datasets with known motifs. These datasets contained up to 994 DNA sequences which to our knowledge is largest scale use of Gibbs sampling for discovery of binding sites. 1000 parallel sampling walks were used to search for the presence of 1, 2 or 3 possible motifs using small, medium, and full size sets of these sequences. These runs were performed over a period of two months using over 1500 volunteered computing hosts and generated over 2.2 Terabytes of sampling data. High performance computing resources were used for post processing. This paper presents intra and inter walk analyses used to determine walk convergence. The results were validated against current biological knowledge of the Snail and Slug promoter regions and present avenues for further biological study.
Redescription of Dermacentor everestianus Hirst (Acari: Ixodidae), a Parasite of Mammals in Mountains of China and Nepal with Synonymization of D. abaensis Teng and D. birulai Olenev

Abstract: Examination of extensive Dermacentor Koch, 1844 holdings stored in several major tick collections allowed us to re-evaluate the taxonomic content of Dermacentor everestianus Hirst, 1926 and redescribe all of its parasitic stages in detail for the first time. Examination of the type specimens of Dermacentor abaensis Teng, 1963, a species treated as valid by most workers, and Dermacentor birulai Olenev, 1927, a species some recent authors considered as valid, led us to the conclusion that they are junior synonyms of D. everestianus. The relation of D. everestianus with some other species in the genus is questionable and warrants further studies. From possibly sympatric Dermacentor species, the adults of D. everestianus can be distinguished by the following combination of characters: intensive ivory colored ornamentation of conscutum and scutum, absence of brown patches on lateral fields of conscutum in the male, long and narrow dorsal prolongation of spiracular plates, short cornua, short dorsal ...
Heterokaryons of Gibberella zeae formed following hyphal anastomosis or protoplast fusion

Abstract Heterokaryosis in Gibberella zeae varies depending upon the compatibility of the fused strains and the manner in which the strains are fused. Analysis of nutritionally complementing auxotrophic markers in pairings via hyphal anastamoses revealed a nuclear distribution in which heterokaryosis was restricted to anastamosed cells; apical cells remained auxotrophic but both types of nuclei could be recovered from multinucleate macroconidia. A comparable pairing via protoplast fusion yielded, initially, a fusion product in which apical cells were prototrophic and the conidia contained only one nuclear type. Analysis of subcultures of this fusion product, however, revealed a change. As in the heterokaryon generated by hyphal anastomoses, apical cells were auxotrophic and both types of nucleic could be found in the conidia. Heterokaryons could not be established by pairing vegetatively incompatible hyphal cells but the fusion of protoplasts from incompatible cells yielded a slow-growing, prototrophic colony in which conidia resolved only one nuclear type. This nuclear type was different from either of the parental types, and all conidia were capable of growth on minimal medium. The complementing nuclear types were not recovered. Protoplast fusion between vegetatively incompatible strains (G. zeae Types A and B) apparently produced a heteroploid.
Laminar incompressible flow past a class of blunted wedges using the Navier-Stokes equations

Abstract The Navier-Stokes equations are solved, numerically, to determine the symmetric laminar incompressible flow past blunted wedges. Similarity-type variables are used in a coordinate system that comprises the optimal coordinates for the corresponding boundary-layer problem. This formulation leads to better numerical accuracy and produces the correct solution near the leading edge, far downstream and transversely far from the wedge surface. The flow over parabolas, the flat plate, and the verticval wall are obtained as particular cases of the present solutions and compare well with the available results for these problems. The numerical method that converges rapidly to accurate results.
Burying Sergeant Rice: Racial Justice and Native American Rights in the Truman Era

“A disgrace to the State of Iowa”, moaned the Des Moines Register concerning the events that had transpired at Sioux City's Memorial Park Cemetery. On 28 August 1951, mourners had departed after paying their last respects to Sergeant First Class John Raymond Rice, an eleven-year veteran of the United States Army who had been killed in the Korean War, when cemetery officials halted the burial before the casket had entered the earth. Lots at Memorial Park, it turned out, had clauses in their contracts restricting burial to Caucasians, and Rice was Native American, a member of the Winnebago tribe. The insult enraged many Americans, including President Harry S. Truman, who soon arranged for the soldier's burial in Arlington National Cemetery.
"Monomax"-An Approach to the One-Chip TV

Monochrome TV receivers, like portable AM radios, have remained impenetrable to the skills of the linear IC designer - mainly because of very stringent cost requirements and relatively low demands on performance. There is, however, a market demand for a more sophisticated breed of receiver for portable use which is relatively complex when built with discrete components.
A statistical physics approach to nearest neighbor distibution for individuals of finite size

Abstract Analysis of spatial patterns using the classical nearest neighbor distribution is based on geometric points which have no size. For real ecological objects, size constraints the placement of neighbors. Therefore, the implied assumption of the classical approach that the total nearest neighbor area equals the sample area is no longer valid. In this study, the most probable nearest neighbor distribution for circles of any fixed diameter is derived. The results are compared with previous data and models describing the spatial pattern of ant-lion pits.
Feigin-Fuchs bosonization of Lykken parafermions and SU(1,1) Kač-Moody algebras

Abstract We give bosonic representation of Lykken parafermions in terms of a wrong sign boson and a boson with a background charge a la Dotsenko and Fateev. By adding another boson we also obtain bosonic representations of SU(1, 1) Kac-Moody algebra.
Effects of Iron on Optical Properties of Dissolved Organic Matter

Iron is a source of interference in the spectroscopic analysis of dissolved organic matter (DOM); however, its effects on commonly employed ultraviolet and visible (UV–vis) light adsorption and fluorescence measurements are poorly defined. Here, we describe the effects of iron(II) and iron(III) on the UV–vis absorption and fluorescence of solutions containing two DOM fractions and two surface water samples. In each case, regardless of DOM composition, UV–vis absorption increased linearly with increasing iron(III). Correction factors were derived using iron(III) absorption coefficients determined at wavelengths commonly used to characterize DOM. Iron(III) addition increased specific UV absorbances (SUVA) and decreased the absorption ratios (E2:E3) and spectral slope ratios (SR) of DOM samples. Both iron(II) and iron(III) quenched DOM fluorescence at pH 6.7. The degree and region of fluorescence quenching varied with the iron:DOC concentration ratio, DOM composition, and pH. Regions of the fluorescence spec...
Differential function of STAT5 isoforms in head and neck cancer growth control

Up-regulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is critical for the loss of growth control in a variety of human cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Stimulation of EGFR results in activation of mitogenic signaling pathways including Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STATs). Stat5 activation has been primarily demonstrated in hematopoietic malignancies. Gene disruption studies suggest potentially distinct functions of the Stat5 isoforms, Stat5a and Stat5b, which are encoded by two genes closely linked on human chromosome 17. To determine the function of Stat5 in SCCHN growth control, we studied the expression and constitutive activation of Stat5a and Stat5b in normal and transformed human squamous epithelial cells. Increased constitutive activation of Stat5 was detected in transformed compared with normal squamous cells. Blockade of TGF-α or EGFR, abrogated Stat5 activation. Targeting of Stat5b using antisense oligonucleotides inhibited SCCHN growth. In addition, SCCHN cells stably transfected with dominant negative mutant Stat5b failed to proliferate in vitro. In contrast, targeting of Stat5a using either antisense or dominant negative strategies had no effect on cell growth. These results suggest that TGF-α/EGFR-mediated autocrine growth of transformed epithelial cells is dependent on activation of Stat5b but not Stat5a.
Pure Optical Dephasing Dynamics in Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

We report a detailed study of ultrafast exciton dephasing processes in semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes employing a sample highly enriched in a single tube species, the (6,5) tube. Systematic measurements of femtosecond pump–probe, two-pulse photon echo, and three-pulse photon echo peak shift over a broad range of excitation intensities and lattice temperature (from 4.4 to 292 K) enable us to quantify the timescales of pure optical dephasing (T2*), along with exciton–exciton and exciton–phonon scattering, environmental effects as well as spectral diffusion. While the exciton dephasing time (T2) increases from 205 fs at room temperature to 320 fs at 70 K, we found that further decrease of the lattice temperature leads to a shortening of the T2 times. This complex temperature dependence was found to arise from an enhanced relaxation of exciton population at lattice temperatures below 80 K. By quantitatively accounting the contribution from the population relaxation, the corresponding pure optic...
Note: A note on lattice chains and Delannoy numbers

Fix nonnegative integers n"1,...,n"d and let L denote the lattice of integer points (a"1,...,a"d)@?Z^d satisfying 0=
Affinities of certain quinone repellents for detergent-solubilized proteins from Periplanetaamericana antennae

Summary Certain quinones bound with high affinity to a receptor isolated in a detergent-soluble protein fraction from P. americana antennae. The relative affinities of 4 of these quinones were the same as their relative repellent potencies and degrees of induced polarographic half-wave potential shifts in the same proteins. Two other quinones also had high affinities for the receptor, but did not cause shifts in the half-wave potential, nor did they repel the insects. Explanations for the high affinities of certain quinones for the receptor in the absence of behavioral repellency are given.
The effects of phosphate and acidosis on regulated thin-filament velocity in an in vitro motility assay

Muscle fatigue from intense contractile activity is thought to result, in large part, from the accumulation of inorganic phosphate (Pi) and hydrogen ions (H+) acting to directly inhibit the functio...
The organization of anticipatory postural adjustments

Central control of posture is expressed through anticipatory and compensatory postural adjustments. Anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) precede planned postural perturbations and minimize them with anticipatory corrections, while compensatory postural adjustments deal with actual perturbations of balance that occur as a result of suboptimal efficiency of anticipatory corrections. The process of generation of APAs is affected by three major factors: expected magnitude and direction of the perturbation voluntary action associated with the perturbation, and postural task. The results of studies investigating the effect of each of these three major factors on APAs while standing, as well as differences in organization of APAs in individuals with pathology, are discussed.
Differential toxicity of a phenolic glycoside from quaking aspen to Papilio glaucus butterfly subspecies, hybrids and backcrosses.

Papilio glaucus subspecies, hybrids and backcrosses exhibit greatly different abilities to use quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and other members of the Salicaceae as host plants. This study was conducted to test the hypotheses that phenolic glycosides account for the differences in larval performance, and that differential performance is correlated with differential larval esterase activities. To test the hypotheses we conducted first instar survival trials and fourth (penultimate) instar feeding trials with tremulacin, a phenolic glycoside. We also conducted assays of β-glucosidase, esterase, and glutathione transferase activities, using midgut enzyme preparations from fifth instars. First instar survival on the tremulacin treated diet generally improved with a higher proportion of Papilio glaucus canadensis genes in the genotype, although survival in one backcross treatment was surprisingly low. Penultimate instars of P.g. glaucus and P.g. australis fed tremulacin treated black cherry leaves experienced a severe reduction in growth rate relative to larvae fed control leaves. This seriously suppressed growth was partially due to reduced consumption rates and reduced conversion efficiencies, however, approximate digestibility was not affected. In contrast, P. g. canadensis and hybrids showed no differences in growth rates between tremulacin treated and control leaves. Reciprocal backcrosses of hybrids with P. g. glaucus resulted in slightly suppressed growth on treated versus control leaves. The results suggest that after a certain threshold, increased proportions of P. g. glaucus genes resulted in poorer growth performance with tremulacin in the diet. Soluble esterase activities generally increased with the proportion of Papilio glaucus canadensis genes in the genotype, and paralleled overall trends in larval survival and feeding performance. We conclude that phenolic glycosides such as tremulacin are responsible for differential performance of Papilio glaucus subspecies, hybrids and backcrosses fed plants in the Salicaceae, and that detoxification of phenolic glycosides by midgut esterase explains why some Papilio glaucus genotypes can effectively utilize these plants.
Age dependent changes in the LPS induced transcriptome of bovine dermal fibroblasts occurs without major changes in the methylome

By comparing fibroblasts collected from animals at 5-months or 16-months of age we have previously found that the cultures from older animals produce much more IL-8 in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. We now expand this finding by examining whole transcriptome differences in the LPS response between cultures from the same animals at different ages, and also investigate the contribution of DNA methylation to the epigenetic basis for the age-dependent increases in responsiveness. Age-dependent differences in IL-8 production by fibroblasts in response to LPS exposure for 24 h were abolished by pretreatment of cultures with a DNA demethylation agent, 5-aza-2′deoxycytidine (AZA). RNA-Seq analysis of fibroblasts collected from the same individuals at either 5 or 16 months of age and exposed in parallel to LPS for 0, 2, and 8 h revealed a robust response to LPS that was much greater in the cultures from older animals. Pro-inflammatory genes including IL-8, IL-6, TNF-α, and CCL20 (among many other immune associated genes), were more highly expressed (FDR < 0.05) in the 16-month old cultures following LPS exposure. Methylated CpG island recovery assay sequencing (MIRA-Seq) revealed numerous methylation peaks spread across the genome, combined with an overall hypomethylation of gene promoter regions, and a remarkable similarity, except for 20 regions along the genome, between the fibroblasts collected at the two ages from the same animals. The fibroblast pro-inflammatory response to LPS increases dramatically from 5 to 16 months of age within individual animals. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying this process could illuminate the physiological processes by which the innate immune response develops and possibly individual variation in innate immune response arises. In addition, although relatively unchanged by age, our data presents a general overview of the bovine fibroblast methylome as a guide for future studies in cattle epigenetics utilizing this cell type.
Independent Effects of Cyclosporine and Prednisone on Posttransplant Hypercholesterolemia

To clarify the relative influences of cyclosporine (CsA) therapy, corticosteroid therapy, and other clinical variables on posttransplant hypercholesterolemia, total serum cholesterol levels were measured in 107 renal transplant recipients receiving one of three immunosuppression regimens: CsA and azathioprine (AZA) (group I); CsA, AZA, and prednisone (group II); or AZA and prednisone (group III). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that prednisone therapy, CsA therapy, patient age, and pretransplant cholesterol levels correlated independently with posttransplant cholesterol levels at last follow-up (ranging from 13 to 84 months after transplantation). In 32 patients successfully withdrawn from corticosteroid therapy and maintained on AZA and stable doses of CsA, serum cholesterol decreased from 6.55 ± 1.1 mmol/L (253.5 ± 43.1 mg/dL) to 5.27 ± 1.2 mmol/L (203.9 ± 45.6 mg/dL). Results of this analysis indicate that prednisone and CsA are independent factors in the pathogenesis of posttransplant hypercholesterolemia. Complete withdrawal of corticosteroids partially corrects hypercholesterolemia in CsA-treated renal transplant recipients.
An algebraic and predicate logic approach to representation and reasoning in machine design

Abstract Machine elements and systems are represented for use in a design library to support the tasks involved in machine design. Machines are modeled as systems decomposable hierarchically from both the views of structure and behavior. Systems and their decomposed structures are represented algebraically using set and list primitives while behaviors are represented using typed predicate logic. The function, i.e. purpose, of subsystems in a machine system is also represented. Procedures to support design verification, design selection and design synthesis using algebraic and logical transformation rules are presented. The development of the representation scheme and reasoning procedures are illustrated with simple examples from machine design.
Diagnosis and management of congenital vascular rings : a 22-year experience

Between 1968 and 1990, we operatively treated 39 patients (19 boys, 20 girls) with congenital aortic arch anomalies. Median age was 7 months (range, 1.5 months to 23 years). Thirty-seven patients (95%) had respiratory symptoms. Barium swallow was diagnostic in 95%. Right arch with aberrant left subclavian artery and double aortic arch were the most common types (11 each). Treatment of an aortic diverticulum was documented in 19 patients; the aortic diverticulum was excised (9), managed by aortopexy (7), or left in situ (3). Postoperative recovery was rapid, with a median intensive care unit stay of 2 days, time to oral feeding of 1 day, and postoperative time to discharge of 7 days. Two deaths occurred: 1 infant had undergone emergent operation for control of hemorrhage from an aortotracheal fistula due to tracheostomy tube erosion, and the other had multiple associated congenital heart defects. Postoperative complications included bleeding (1), pneumonia (5), and chylothorax (4). One boy had persistent severe symptoms due to an untreated aortic diverticulum and underwent subsequent excision of the aortic diverticulum with complete relief of symptoms. Median length of follow-up was 12.5 months, with at least 97% of survivors completely or nearly completely free of symptoms from the vascular ring. These results suggest that early repair of congenital aortic vascular rings, including fixating or excising an associated serious aortic diverticulum, is safe and effective and allows for normal tracheal growth.
Elemental Groupings Help Children Perceive Cardinality: A Two-Phase Research Study.

Numeration is the heart of contemporary mathematics education. By associating cardinal concepts and numerical symbols with sets of objects, a child is able to relate the real, sensory world to the abstract world of mathematics. Despite understanding the importance of such associations, many mathematics illustrations are ungrouped or grouped in some fashion not readily perceivable. One concern of the authors is that children be provided with mathematical illustrations that enable them to perceive rapidly and meaningfully the cardinality of sets (i.e., identify and interpret the number of objects in a set without having to count).
FEM numerical model analysis of magnetic nanoparticle tumor heating experiments

Iron oxide nanoparticles are currently under investigation as heating agents for hyperthermic treatment of tumors. Major determinants of effective heating include the biodistribution of magnetic materials, the minimum iron oxide loading required to achieve adequate heating, and practically achievable magnetic field strengths. These are inter-related criteria that ultimately determine the practicability of this approach to tumor treatment. Currently, we lack fundamental engineering design criteria that can be used in treatment planning and assessment. Coupling numerical models to experimental studies illuminate the underlying physical processes and can separate physical processes to determine their relative importance. Further, adding thermal damage and cell death process to the models provides valuable perspective on the likelihood of successful treatment. FEM numerical models were applied to increase the understanding of a carefully calibrated series of experiments in mouse mammary carcinoma. The numerical models results indicate that tumor loadings equivalent to approximately 1 mg of Fe 3 O 4 per gram of tumor tissue are required to achieve adequate heating in magnetic field strengths of 34 kA/m (rms) at 160 kHz. Further, the models indicate that direct intratumoral injection of the nanoparticles results in between 1 and 20% uptake in the tissues.
STUDIES IN HUMAN IMMUNIZATION AGAINST INFLUENZA : DURATION OF IMMUNITY INDUCED BY INACTIVE VIRUS.

The administration to human beings of formalin-killed influenza virus, concentrated from allantoic fluid, resulted in a high order of antibody response within 2 weeks after injection. Even after 1 year the great majority of individuals vaccinated had antibody levels considerably above their prevaccination titer for the PR8, Lee, and a current 1943 strain. An investigation of the occurrence of epidemic influenza A in seven widely separated populations, 1 year after vaccination of part of these groups, showed that the attack rate among vaccinated persons was consistently lower than that of control individuals. The average reduction in attack rate was of the order of 35 per cent.
Assessing the in vivo efficacy of biologic antiangiogenic therapies

To review key clinical issues underlying the assessment of in vivo efficacy when using antiangiogenic therapies for cancer treatment. Literature relevant to use of antiangiogenic therapies in cancer was reviewed, with particular emphasis on the assessment of in vivo efficacy of these agents, as well as additional angiogenic factors that could play a role in escape from angiogenesis inhibition. In order to grow and metastasize, tumors need to continually acquire new blood supplies; therefore, therapeutic inhibition of angiogenesis has become a component of anticancer treatment for many tumor types. Bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody directed at vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), has shown activity in combination with chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer. Nevertheless, the use of antiangiogenic therapies remains suboptimal; specifically, optimal dose, duration of therapy, and combination of agents remain unknown. Also, at present, it is not possible to determine which patients are most likely to respond to a given form of antiangiogenic therapy. There has been increased recognition of alternative pathways possibly associated with disease progression in patients undergoing antiangiogenic therapy targeted at VEGF-A. Multiligand-targeted antiangiogenic therapies, such as ziv-aflibercept (formerly known as aflibercept, VEGF Trap), are currently undergoing clinical evaluation. Ziv-aflibercept forms monomeric complexes with VEGF-A, VEGF-B, and PlGF, which have a long half-life, allowing optimization of ziv-aflibercept doses and angiogenic blockage. Although antiangiogenic therapies have increased treatment options for cancer patients, their use is limited by a lack of established and standardized methodology to evaluate their efficacy in vivo. Circulating endothelial cells, hypertension, and several molecular and imaging-based markers have potential for use as biomarkers in these patients and may better define appropriate patient populations.
Modeling the Probability of a Strikeout for a Batter/Pitcher Matchup

We analyze models for predicting the probability of a strikeout for a batter/pitcher matchup in baseball using player descriptors that can be estimated accurately from small samples. We start with the log5 model which has been used extensively for describing matchups in sports. Log5 is a special case of a logit model and we use constrained logistic regression over nearly one million matchup observations to assess the use of the log5 explanatory variables for this application. We also show that a batter/pitcher ground ball rate interaction variable is significant for the prediction of strikeout probability and we provide physical justification for the inclusion of this variable in the model. We quantify the differences among the models and show that batters control the majority of the variance in predicted strikeout rate.
Synthesis and polymerization of the four 1,3‐di(cyano and/or carbomethoxy)‐substituted butadienes

The four 1,3-di(cyano and/or carbomethoxy)-substituted butadienes were synthesized. Their cyclopentadiene adduct precursors and, in one case, an anthracene adduct precursor were synthesized and pyrolyzed at 400–600°C (0.1–1.0 mm) to yield the four new dienes. Two crystalline precursors gave crystalline dienes 1,3-dicyano-1,3-butadiene, mp 79°C, and 1-carbomethoxy-3-cyanobutadiene, mp 45–46°C, in modest yields in small-scale experiments, which were completely characterized by elemental analyses and spectra. The other two liquid precursors produced no isolable or detectable dienes but led directly to polymer. The two crystalline dienes were exceptionally reactive, polymerizing on storage or when deliberately initiated with AIBN, but were moderately stable in solution. All polymers possessed the trans-1,4-structure exclusively. Because of the favorable location of the electronegative substituents for stabilizing the growing radical, these new dienes are the most reactive di-electronegatively substituted butadienes described.
The Electoral College and the election of 2000

Abstract The United States is one of few contemporary democracies that does not choose its chief executive officer through direct popular vote. Rather, the President of the United States is formally chosen by the Electoral College, and a majority of votes in the Electoral College is required to secure election to the Presidency. In 2000, Republican George W. Bush won a 271–266 majority in the Electoral College despite the fact that his opponent, Al Gore, won about half a million more popular votes. The Electoral College system can be conceptualized as a mechanism by which the results of separate elections in each state and, since 1964, the District of Columbia, can be aggregated to produce a nationwide outcome. It has not experienced major reform since 1804, despite the fact that many critics have regarded the system as archaic, outmoded, and essentially undemocratic. Since the early nineteenth century, more than 600 proposed constitutional amendments concerning the Electoral College system have been proposed and debated in Congress. Some would eliminate the Electoral College system altogether and replace it with direct popular vote. Others would retain the Electoral College system but change the way electors are selected or affect the relationships between popular and electoral votes in each state. Because the popular vote in Florida was very close, and because the remaining states were so closely divided, Florida proved to be the pivotal state in the 2000 presidential election. The closeness and controversy surrounding the Florida outcome has renewed efforts on the part of critics to eliminate or reform the system. However, analysis of the 2000 campaign underscores the fact that both sides based decisions concerning their campaign strategies and allocations of human financial resources in an effort to win an electoral college majority, within the constraints of the present system. It is unlikely that there will be sufficient support to overturn or reform the system through constitutional agreement in the foreseeable future.
Evidence for and implications of self-healing pulses of slip in earthquake rupture

Dislocation time histories of models derived from waveforms of seven earthquakes are discussed. In each model, dislocation rise times (the duration of slip for a given point on the fault) are found to be short compared to the overall duration of the earthquake (∼ 10%). However, in many crack-like numerical models of dynamic rupture, the slip duration at a given point is comparable to the overall duration of the rupture; i.e. slip at a given point continues until information is received that the rupture has stopped propagating. Alternative explanations for the discrepancy between the short slip durations used to model waveforms and the long slip durations inferred from dynamic crack models are: (1) the dislocation models are unable to resolve the relatively slow parts of earthquake slip and have seriously underestimated the dislocations for these earthquakes; (2) earthquakes are composed of a sequence of small-dimension (short duration) events that are separated by locked regions (barriers); (3) rupture occurs in a narrow self-healing pulse of slip that travels along the fault surface. Evidence is discussed that suggests that slip durations are indeed short and that the self-healing slip-pulse model is the most appropriate explanation. A qualitative model is presented that produces self-healing slip pulses. The key feature of the model is the assumption that friction on the fault surface is inversely related to the local slip velocity. The model has the following features: high static strength of materials (kilobar range), low static stress drops (in the range of tens of bars), and relatively low frictional stress during slip (less than several hundreds of bars). It is suggested that the reason that the average dislocation scales with fault length is because large-amplitude slip pulses are difficult to stop and hence tend to propagate large distances. This model may explain why seismicity and ambient stress are low along fault segments that have experienced large earthquakes. It also qualitatively explains why the recurrence time for large earthquakes may be irregular.