cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seeding Viral Content: The Role of Message and Network Factors

ABSTRACT Online viral campaigns require a seeding strategy that involves choosing the first-generation consumers to spread a viral message to. Building on social-capital theory and social-network analysis, this research examines key aspects of the seeding strategy by tracking the diffusion of 101 new videos published on YouTube. The results show that the need for a “big-seed” strategy (i.e., using many seed consumers) depends on message quality. Furthermore, one should choose consumers who have strong ties with the advertiser and who also have strong influence on others, rather than simply wider reach. Among seed consumers, they should share a moderate amount of interest overlap instead of being too homogeneous or heterogeneous as a group.
Facile and Effective Post-Production Separation of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Paired Aromatic Molecules: A Molecular Tweezers Approach

As-produced single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are mostly metallic and semiconducting mixtures. The population of semiconducting SWNTs in the as-produced mixtures is generally much higher than that of their metallic counterparts. Therefore, postproduction separation of metallic and semiconducting SWNTs is important to many potential uses of the nanotubes, especially those demanding higher electrical conductivity yet lower optical absorption. Because planar aromatic species are known to have somewhat different interactions with metallic and semiconducting SWNTs, in this work a molecule with a pair of planar aromatic moieties was specifically designed and synthesized to exaggerate the difference in its noncovalent functionalization and solubilization of the two types of nanotubes. As demonstrated, the molecule exhibited significant selectivity toward semiconducting SWNTs in the solubilization to allow the convenient harvesting of bulk metallic and semiconducting fractions in high purities. The results s...
Applications of Multidimensional Item Response Theory Models With Covariates to Longitudinal Test Data

The multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) models with covariates proposed by Haberman and implemented in the mirt program provide a flexible way to analyze data based on item response theory. In this report, we discuss applications of the MIRT models with covariates to longitudinal test data to measure skill differences at the individual and group levels. In particular, we describe the differential item functioning procedure to identify common items with item drift across test occasions, and model selection and evaluation based on model comparison, fit statistics, and skill estimates. A real dataset on algebra tests is used to demonstrate the applications.
Caribbean Coast Guard and Naval Capabilities

Maritime forces of the Caribbean islands include both navies and coast guards. There is considerable variation between these offshore forces with regard to both capabilities and functions. A few can perform a variety of offshore security functions, but none are formidable fighting forces. Most Caribbean states have either neglected the development of meaningful naval and coast-guard capabilities or simply cannot provide them. Moreover, the capabilities of the United States and other external powers engaged in the Caribbean overshadow those of the islands.
Geologic influence on induced seismicity: Constraints from potential field data in Oklahoma

Recent Oklahoma seismicity shows a regional correlation with increased wastewater injection activity, but local variations suggest that some areas are more likely to exhibit induced seismicity than others. We combine geophysical and drill hole data to map subsurface geologic features in the crystalline basement, where most earthquakes are occurring, and examine probable contributing factors. We find that most earthquakes are located where the crystalline basement is likely composed of fractured intrusive or metamorphic rock. Areas with extrusive rock or thick (>4 km) sedimentary cover exhibit little seismicity, even in high injection rate areas, similar to deep sedimentary basins in Michigan and western North Dakota. These differences in seismicity may be due to variations in permeability structure: within intrusive rocks, fluids can become narrowly focused in fractures and faults, causing an increase in local pore fluid pressure, whereas more distributed pore space in sedimentary and extrusive rocks may relax pore fluid pressure.
Notch3 signaling-mediated melanoma–endothelial crosstalk regulates melanoma stem-like cell homeostasis and niche morphogenesis

Melanoma is among the most virulent cancers, owing to its propensity to metastasize and its resistance to current therapies. The treatment failure is largely attributed to tumor heterogeneity, particularly subpopulations possessing stem cell-like properties, ie, melanoma stem-like cells (MSLCs). Evidence indicates that the MSLC phenotype is malleable and may be acquired by non-MSLCs through phenotypic switching upon appropriate stimuli, the so-called 'dynamic stemness'. Since the phenotypic characteristics and functional integrity of MSLCs depend on their vascular niche, using a two-dimensional (2D) melanoma-endothelium co-culture model, where the MSLC niche is recapitulated in vitro, we identified Notch3 signaling pathway as a micro-environmental cue governing MSLC phenotypic plasticity via pathway-specific gene expression arrays. Accordingly, lentiviral shRNA-mediated Notch3 knockdown (KD) in melanoma cell lines exhibiting high levels of endogenous Notch3 led to retarded/abolished tumorigenicity in vivo through both depleting MSLC fractions, evinced by MSLC marker downregulation (eg, CD133 and CD271); and impeding the MSLC niche, corroborated by the attenuated tumor angiogenesis as well as vasculogenic mimicry. In contrast, Notch3 KD affected neither tumor growth nor MSLC subsets in a melanoma cell line with relatively low endogenous Notch3 expression. Thus, Notch3 signaling may facilitate MSLC plasticity and niche morphogenesis in a cell context-dependent manner. Our findings illustrate Notch3 as a molecular switch driving melanoma heterogeneity, and provide the biological rationale for Notch inhibition as a promising therapeutic option.
Materials Research with X-ray Micro-beams at the Advanced Photon Source

X-ray scattering has had a rich and prominent place in the history of materials research. For samples that are large single crystals, X-ray diffraction provides very detailed, high-quality information about the atomic structure of almost every kind. However, most engineering materials are not a large single crystal, but mixtures of materials or a poly-crystalline material. Still, X-ray diffraction using X-ray beams significantly larger than the structures being investigated has produced much excellent information. Examples of this are powder diffraction, texture analysis, strain analysis, etc. While these types of analyses have been very useful in providing a microscopic understanding, they do not provide the microscopic information that we really want. What we really want to have is this useful X-ray diffraction information for every volume element in our sample; not just the diffraction information about small volume elements, but all of the volume elements, exactly where they are in our sample, and how...
Identifying and correcting timing errors at seismic stations in and around Iran

A fundamental component of seismic research is the use of phase arrival times, which are central to event location, Earth model development, and phase identification, as well as derived products. Hence, the accuracy of arrival times is crucial. However, errors in the timing of seismic waveforms and the arrival times based on them may go unidentified by the end user, particularly when seismic data are shared between different organizations. Here, we present a method used to analyze travel‐time residuals for stations in and around Iran to identify time periods that are likely to contain station timing problems. For the 14 stations with the strongest evidence of timing errors lasting one month or longer, timing corrections are proposed to address the problematic time periods. Two additional stations are identified with incorrect locations in the International Registry of Seismograph Stations, and one is found to have erroneously reported arrival times in 2011.
A Commentary on Opportunities for the Genetic Counseling Profession through Genomic Variant Interpretation: Reflections from an Ex-Lab Rat.

The genetic counseling profession continues to expand and respond to the changing landscape of genomic medicine. “Non-traditional” genetic counseling roles have become more commonplace and the transferability of the genetic counselor skill set has been widely acknowledged, particularly in genetic laboratory settings. As these expanding roles continue to mature, all genetic counselors can benefit by learning and adopting clinically relevant skills, such as genomic variant interpretation, which can be applied to direct patient care. These skills can enrich our patients’ understanding of their test results, help ensure quality patient care, and could be useful in positioning genetic counselors as critical members in the medical team as we continue to fully transition into the genomic medicine era.
An inter-layer interconnect BIST solution for monolithic 3D ICs

Monolithic three-dimensional (M3D) integration offers higher-density integration compared to 3D integration based on through-silicon vias. Advances in testing are however needed to screen defects in M3D integration. We propose a built-in self-test solution to target shorts and opens in ILVs. In the proposed solution, scan cells at the interface of two layers are stitched into a twisted-ring counter (TRC) using their functional outputs and ILVs. The interface-register cells launch and capture tests, and a test path consists of ILVs and a multiplexer. We map the problem of minimizing the length of the wires added to stitch the TRC to that of finding a minimum-cost Hamiltonian circuit in a weighted bipartite graph. Since the weighted Hamiltonian circuit problem is NP-Complete, we propose a heuristic algorithm for this problem. Simulation results show that the proposed test solution can detect all opens and shorts.
Lifetime exposure to ultraviolet radiation and the risk of multiple sclerosis in the US radiologic technologists cohort study.

Background:Low exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) from sunlight may be a risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis (MS). Possible pathways may be related to effects on immune system functi...
Ecological Importance of Cutthroat Trout to the Yellowstone Grizzly Bear

The importance of cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) to the Yellowstone grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) has changed over the decades. Early records from the 1930s suggested bears were foraging on cutthroat trout, but studies from the 1950s and 1960s found no evidence of fish use. Bears at that time likely did not use fish because their diets were composed primarily of garbage from park dumps. Following dump closure in the early 1970s, bear use of fish increased and likely peaked in the late-1980s, coinciding with a peak in the cutthroat population in Yellowstone Lake. Researchers estimated that about 44 grizzly bears fished on 61 percent of the 124 tributary streams. Female bears consumed most of the fish but females consuming fish had lower reproductive rates when compared to females not consuming fish. Bear use of fish began to decline as the cutthroat trout population declined as a result of predation from introduced lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Bear use of cutthroat trout was very low in the late 1990s and most fish were consumed by male bears. DNA capture mark recapture studies estimated that 68 individual bears used the area around Yellowstone Lake. Results from a recent study (2007-2009) suggest the number of bears using the area has not changed, but fish are no longer available or consumed by bears. They have shifted their diet to other natural foods including elk calves (Cervus elaphus) in habitat created by the 1988 fires. Demographic studies of the Yellowstone grizzly bear during the decades of the 1980s-2000s suggests this dynamic flux in fish availability and use by grizzly bears did not abate population growth and range expansion.
The Centrally Cholinodeficient Animal as a Model of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)

In the normal animal, any disruption in central cholinergic function is restored swiftly and reversibly. In order to mimic in animals the persistent cholinergic deficiency observed in brains of patients with AD (Davies and Maloney, 1976; Bowen et al., 1976; Boyd et al., 1977; Perry et al., 1977, 1978; Davis and Yamamura, 1978; Sims et al., 1980; Corkin, 1981; Whitehouse et al., 1981; McKinney et al., 1982; Bartus et al., 1982), it is necessary to overcome this efficient regenerative phenomenon.
Remarks on the Accuracy of Some Recent World War II Accounts

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role of the block diagram, called Engima, during World War II. The fact of Allied success in the analytic solution of the Enigma was one of the most closely guarded secrets of World War II. The first credible statement that the Enigma had been successfully mastered by an analytic attack was contained in a book by General Bertrand1 who was associated with the French effort in World War II which was gaining competence in decrypting selected Enigma intercepts just before Vichy, France, was occupied. His book ENIGMA, Ou la Plus Grande Enigma de la Guerre 1939–1945 was published about 1972 but is almost totally unknown, even in the intelligence community. The German crytographers were aware of the fact that the Allies must be reading some Enigma traffic for they knew of the strenuous efforts, even special raids, made from time to time to recover equipment and key lists. The amount and fact of actual reading was, however, carefully protected.
Direct Stiffness Solution for Folded Plates

A solution for the analysis of a prismatic folded plate with arbitrary boundary conditions along the longitudinal joints or folds is presented. A direct stiffness method in matrix form is used with the individual plates taken as structural elements. The imposed conditions may consist of any combination of known joint loads and displacements. The solution yields results for the unknown joint displacements and reactions, as well as values of longitudinal plate stresses, transverse moments, membrane and normal shears, and transverse membrane forces. Application of both the ordinary and the elasticity theory in the development of the element stiffness matrix is given. A computer program written for the IBM 7090 computer is described, and results obtained using ordinary theory and elasticity theory are compared.
Nuclear C*-Algebras

Throughout this book, we have been emphasizing that the theory of operator algebras is non-commutative analysis: non-commutative measure theory, non-commutative integration, non-commutative topology and so on. However, operator algebras are by no means only non-commutative mathematics. The non-commutativity occurs almost everywhere in mathematics. But, the first encounter of the noncommutativity for mathematics students would be through matrix calculations. In fact, the theory of matrices is the mother land of the theory of operator algebras. It offers endless fascination to operator algebraists. Maybe, it is not far from the truth that the theory of matrices should be best understood through operator algebras.
Reduced proximal aortic compliance and elevated wall shear stress after early repair of tetralogy of Fallot

Abstract Objective Patients with tetralogy of Fallot are at risk for late aortic complications due to progressive aortic root dilation and decreased aortic compliance. Early repair normalizes aortic dimensions by preadolescence. It is not known if early repair normalizes aortic wall histology and compliance or reduces late aortic complications. We used 4-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging to determine if children with tetralogy of Fallot repaired in infancy had normal aortic dimensions and to characterize the aortic wall hemodynamic state and luminal flow parameters in these patients. Methods Comprehensive aortic analysis with 4-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 18 patients with tetralogy of Fallot who were repaired in infancy and compared with 18 normal volunteers. Peak systolic and time-averaged wall shear stress, relative area change, and distensibility were evaluated in standardized aortic planes. Qualitative grade scale flow analysis with interactive pathline visualization was used to detect pathologic flow patterns. Results Thoracic aortic dimensions did not differ between groups, and all tetralogy of Fallot aortas were in normal range. In the tetralogy of Fallot group, ascending and descending aortic relative area change and distensibility were significantly reduced, and both peak systolic and time-averaged wall shear stress were elevated throughout the aorta. Supra-physiologic systolic helical formations occurred in the ascending aorta of 14 patients with tetralogy of Fallot (78%) versus 0 controls. Conclusions Despite early repair and normal aortic dimensions, preadolescents and adolescents with tetralogy of Fallot had elevated wall shear stress, increased stiffness, and pathologic systolic flow formations in the proximal aorta. Although early repair normalizes aortic dimensions in childhood, our findings suggest that patients with tetralogy of Fallot remain at risk for late aortic complications.
An Overview of 3GPP Exposed Services for IoT Service Platforms

Besides providing IP-based data pipes to cellular devices, the 3GPP Core Network consists of a rich set of network services and capabilities, such as charging, mobility management, session management, policy enforcement, control plane messaging, reachability management, and control of deep sleep modes. This article presents an overview the 3GPP SCEF Northbound API Interface (T8) standard, which has been specified in 3GPP Release 15 to expose some of the internal network services and capabilities. We first give an overview of the history of the Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF) API exposing function, then provide an overview of the services and capabilities that are exposed by the Northbound APIs along with examples of how the APIs may be used by a services platform.
Civic Education and the Learning Behaviors of Youth in the Online Environment: A Call for Reform

Scholarly discourse in political science and communication studies is replete with empirical evidence lamenting the decline in civic engagement and political participation among adolescents and young adults. Scholars offer a variety of factors contributing to the disengagement of youth from the civic and political process including lack of attention paid to youth by politicians and the political process, the limited experience and a narrow frame of reference of young people in the political process, their aversion to traditional politics, and to poor quality courses and a decline in civic education in schools. Youth frequently lack civic and political knowledge as well as information and communications technology and social skills needed to engage in public life due in large part to the superficial coverage of substantive civic topics in textbooks and concentrating on knowledge level information that focuses on rights to the exclusion of obligations and participation. Civics curriculum often lacks opportunities for young people to embrace and communicate about politics on their own terms and frequently has little connection between the academic presentation of politics and the acquisition of skills that might help develop engaged citizens. Current approaches to civic education are at odds with young people’s experiences of informal participation with their peers in a nonhierarchical network. Traditional civics curriculum often treats subject matter as another academic subject with right or wrong answers arbitrated by the teacher as central authority and students in competition for grades. A growing body of literature discusses the affinity that youth have for Internet use and the possibilities of new media to address disengagement and to enhance new forms of citizenship calling for pedagogical reform in civic education.
The Intellectual Context

This chapter assembles various useful conceptual tools for the study of sovereignty, war, and the intersection of these for states whose capacity for action rarely accords perfectly with their assigned extent in space. Various key perspectives on “war, the state, and the state of war” within fields such as political science, military history, and international relations are summarized and synthesized to establish what it means to say that states exist and that they conduct violent forms of strategic action under the heading of “war.” Following this, John Agnew’s notion of sovereignty regimes is used to add a systemic and spatial dimension to the notion of state warfare, such that the utility of thinking about the locatedness of outwardly directed state violence both in physical place and in social space becomes clear. The chapter concludes by presenting a synthetic model—the “sovereign interstice”—for conducting analyses of this type.
Effects of nitrogen fertilizer application rate on nitrogen use efficiency and grain yield and quality of different rice varieties

To provide scientific basis for reasonable application of nitrogen and create varieties with high N use-efficiency, an experiment was carried out to study the effects of nitrogen fertilizer application rate on grain yield, N use rate and quality of different rice varieties. Four different genotypic rice varieties, Nipponbare, N70, N178 and OM052 were used as tested material and three levels of nitrogen application rate (0, 120, 270 kg·hm-2) were conducted. Urea as nitrogen source was applied as basal (70%) and panicle (30%) fertilizer. The results showed that nitrogen fertilizer could raise yield mainly because of the increased effective panicles and filled grains per panicle. When the N application rate was 120 and 270 kg·hm-2, OM052 had the largest grain yield among four varieties, being 41.1% and 76.8% higher, respectively compared with control. Difference in grain yield among four varieties was due to the difference of nitrogen use efficiency. Under 120 and 270 kg·hm-2 nitrogen levels, Nipponbare had the lowest grain yield and N agronomic efficiency (NAE, 40.90 g·g-1 and 18.56 g·g-1), which was a variety with low N use-efficiency. On the contrary, OM052 had the highest grain yield and NAE (145.9 g·g-1 and 81.24 g·g-1), was a variety with high N use-efficiency. N fertilizer application increased the amylose content and protein content, lengthened gel consistency, reduced chalky kernel, chalkiness, and alkali digestion value. With the increase of N fertilizer application, hot paste viscosity, peak viscosity, consistence viscosity and breakdown viscosity were decreased gradually, and setback viscosity was increased. Correlation analysis showed that the yield and yield components had more significant correlations with appearance quality, cooking and eating quality under low N level. This study confirmed that OM052 was a double high variety with extremely high N agronomic efficiency and yield. Reasonable application of nitrogen fertilizer could significantly increase effective panicles and filled grains per panicle, improve rice quality, and ensure high yield and superior quality simultaneously.
Outsourcing, trade, technology, and greenhouse gas emissions

U.S. output has steadily outpaced the rise in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the past several decades. The decoupling of these two trends represents a decline in aggregate GHG emission intensity. Using recently released national datasets covering industry-specific GHG emissions and shipments, this paper decomposes the relative importance of changes in various channels underlying changes in aggregate GHG emissions in the U.S. from 1997 to 2015: scale or national output growth, cross-sector composition changes, and a technique effect capturing other factors lowering emission intensities within the country’s productive industries. The results demonstrate that reductions in within-sector techniques explain two-thirds, and cross-sector shifting of economic activity towards cleaner industries explains one-third of the increasing gap. Using data on industry exports and imports, this paper further investigates the relative environmental effect of trade on GHG emissions. Together, increased exporting, and importing, of both intermediate and final goods, has corresponded to a relatively small expansion of cleaner sectors and appears to have contributed slightly to the relative expansion of cleaner U.S. industries. In 2015, U.S. imports of intermediate and final goods account for the displacement of roughly 290 million metric tons of U.S. GHG emissions, representing less than 5% of U.S. GHG emissions in the same year.
Botulinum neurotoxin type A: limited proteolysis by endoproteinase Glu-C and alpha-chymotrypsin enhanced following reduction; identification of the cleaved sites and fragments.

Botulinum neurotoxin (NT) serotype A is a ∼150-kDa dichain protein. Posttranslational nicking of the single-chain NT (residues Pro 1–Leu 1295) by the protease(s) endogenous to Clostridium botulinum excises 10 residues, leaving Pro 1–Lys 437 and Ala 448–Leu 1295 in the ∼50-kDa light (L) and ∼100-kDa heavy (H) chains, respectively, connected by a Cys 429–Cys 453 disulfide and noncovalent bonds [Krieglstein et al. (1994), J. Protein Chem.13, 49–57]. The L chain is a metalloprotease, while the amino- and carboxy-terminal halves of the H chain have channel-forming and receptor-binding activities, respectively [Montecucco and Schiavo (1995), Q. Rev. Biophys.28, 423–472]. Endoproteinase Glu-C and α-chymotrypsin were used for controlled digestion at pH 7.4 of the ∼150-kDa dichain NT and the isolated ∼100-kDa H chain (i.e., freed from the L chain) in order to map the cleavage sites and isolate the proteolytic fragments. The dichain NT appeared more resistant to cleavage by endoproteinase Glu-C than the isolated H chain. In contrast, the NT with its disulfide(s) reduced showed rapid digestion of both chains, including a cleavage between Glu 251 and Met 252 (resulting in ∼30- and ∼20-kDa fragments of the L chain) which was not noted unless the NT was reduced. Interestingly, an adjacent bond, Tyr 249–Tyr 250, was noted earlier [DasGupta and Foley (1989), Biochimie71, 1193–1200] to undergo “self-cleavage” following reductive separation of the L chain from the H chain. The site Tyr–Tyr–Glu–Met (residues 249–252) appears to become exposed following reduction of Cys 429–Cys 453 disulfide. Identification of Glu 669–Ile 670 and Tyr 683–Ile 684 as protease-susceptible sites demonstrated for the first time that at least two peptide bonds in the segment of the H chain (residues 659–684), part of which (residues 659–681) is thought to interact with the endosomal membranes and forms channels [Oblatt-Montal et al., (1995), Protein Sci.4, 1490–1497], are exposed on the surface of the NT. Two of the fragments of the H chain we generated and purified by chromatography are suitable for structure–function studies; the ∼85- and ∼45-kDa fragments beginning at residue Leu 544 and Ser 884, respectively (both extend presumably to Leu 1295) contain the channel-forming segment and receptor-binding segments, respectively. In determining partial amino acid sequences of 10 fragments, a total of 149 amino acids in the 1275-residue NT were chemically identified.
In conversation with Bessie Head

Bessie Head’s writing is almost theological—in its articulation of the good and the evil, in its proclamations on the nature of humanity, even in its uncomfortable contradictions. It is fitting, th...
Structural insights into the mechanism of oxidative activation of heme-free H-NOX from Vibrio cholerae

Bacterial heme nitric oxide/oxygen (H-NOX) domains are nitric oxide (NO) or oxygen sensors. This activity is mediated through binding of the ligand to a heme cofactor. However, H-NOX from Vibrio cholerae (Vc H-NOX) can be easily purified in a heme-free state that is capable of reversibly responding to oxidation, suggesting a heme-independent function as a redox sensor. This occurs by oxidation of Cys residues at a zinc-binding site conserved in a subset of H-NOX homologs. Remarkably, zinc is not lost from the protein upon oxidation, although its ligation environment is significantly altered. Using a combination of computational and experimental approaches, we have characterized localized structural changes that accompany the formation of specific disulfide bonds between Cys residues upon oxidation. Furthermore, the larger-scale structural changes accompanying oxidation appear to mimic those changes observed upon NO binding to the heme-bound form. Thus, Vc H-NOX and its homologs may act as both redox and NO sensors by completely separate mechanisms.
Cognitive impairment no dementia and associations with health literacy, self-management skills, and functional health status.

Abstract Objectives To determine the prevalence of cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND) among a diverse, community-based population, and establish associations between CIND and health literacy, chronic disease self-management and functional health status. Methods 863 primary care adults without dementia aged 55–74. Adjusted logistic and linear regressions were used to assess associations between CIND (None, Mild, Moderate/Severe) and outcomes. Results 36 % participants exhibited CIND. It was strongly associated with limited health literacy (Newest Vital Signs: Mild [OR 3.25; 95 % CI 1.93, 5.49], Moderate/Severe [OR 6.45; 95 % CI 3.16, 13.2]; Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults: Mild [OR 3.46; 95 % CI 2.08, 5.75], Moderate/Severe [OR 8.82; 95 % CI 4.87, 16.0]; all p’s Conclusions CIND was prevalent in this cohort, and strongly associated with requisite skills for managing everyday health needs. Practice Implications Attention to subtle declines in chronic disease self-care may assist with CIND identification and care management within this population. When CIND is observed, clinicians should also expect and address difficulties with self-management.
Expression of Tim-3 drives naïve Treg to an effector-like state with enhanced suppressive activity

Abstract Regulatory T cells (Treg) are critical mediators of self-tolerance but can also limit effective anti-tumor immunity. We and others previously reported that 40-60% percent of Treg-infiltrating head and neck cancer (HNC) and other tumors highly express Tim-3, compared with about 5% in lymphoid organs. Tumor-infiltrating Tim-3+ Treg also have enhanced suppressive function and display a more effector-like phenotype. Using a novel mouse model with cell type-specific Tim-3 expression, we show here that expression of Tim-3 by Treg is sufficient to drive Treg to a more effector-like phenotype, resulting in enhanced suppressive activity and increased tumor growth. These findings may help to reconcile previous reports that some Tim-3 antibodies enhance T cell responses in vivo, while expression of Tim-3 has a cell-intrinsic ability to enhance TCR signaling and T cell activation. Thus, we propose that Tim-3 regulates anti-tumor immunity at least in part through enhancement of Treg function. To our knowledge, this is the first example in which expression of a single co-stimulatory molecule is sufficient to drive differentiation of Treg in this manner.
Inlay Versus Onlay Fixation Methods for Proximal Biceps Tenodesis

Pathology of the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT) is a common cause of anterior shoulder pain. Biceps tenodesis has emerged as an excellent surgical option for patients with biceps tendon or biceps anchor labral complex pathology. It maintains the length-tension relationship of the biceps, minimizes the risk for Popeye deformity, and preserves function. Both inlay (typically performed with an interference screw) and onlay (which utilizes a suture anchor or unicortical button) biceps tenodesis procedures have been described as effective surgical treatments.
Cracking the Code of Metabolic Regulation in Biology using Maximum Entropy/Caliber and Reinforcement Learning.

Experimental measurement or computational inference/prediction of the enzyme regulation needed in a metabolic pathway is hard problem. Consequently, regulation is known only for well-studied reactions of central metabolism in a few organisms. In this study, we use statistical thermodynamics and metabolic control theory as a theoretical framework to determine the enzyme activities that are needed to control metabolite concentrations such that they are consistent with experimentally measured values. A reinforcement learning approach is utilized to learn optimal regulation policies that match physiological levels of metabolites while maximizing the entropy production rate and minimizing the work to maintain a steady state. The learning takes a minimal amount of time, and efficient regulation schemes were learned that agree surprisingly well with known regulation. The learning is facilitated by a new approach in which steady state solutions are obtained by convex optimization based on maximum entropy rather than ODE solvers, making the time to solution seconds rather than days. The optimization is based on the Marcelin-De Donder formulation of mass action kinetics, from which rate constants are inferred. Consequently, a full ODE-based, mass action simulation with rate parameters and post-translational regulation is obtained. We demonstrate the process on three pathways in the central metabolism E. coli (gluconeogenesis, glycolysis-TCA, Pentose Phosphate-TCA) that each require different regulation schemes.
Backbonding in Thorium(IV) and Uranium(IV) Diarsenido Complexes with tBuNC and CO

The coordination of tBuNC and CO with the diarsenido complexes (C5 Me5 )2 An(η2 -As2 Mes2 ), An=Th, U, has been investigated. For the first time, a comparison between isostructural complexes of ThIV and UIV has been possible with CO; density functional calculations indicated an appreciable amount of π backbonding that originates from charge transfer from an actinide-arsenic sigma bond. The calculated CO stretching frequencies in the ThIV and UIV diarsenido complexes are consistent with the experimental measurements, both show large shifts to lower frequency. We demonstrate that the π backbonding is crucial to explaining the red shifts of CO frequency upon AnIV complex formation. Interestingly, this interaction essentially correlates to the parallel orientation of π*(C-O) orbitals relative to the An-As bond.
Renal Mass Biopsy

Kidney cancer accounts for 2% of cancer related deaths. Historically, a patient with a solid renal mass would undergo surgery without biopsy given the previously low diagnostic yield of biopsy and the fear of tumor seeding. This led to a high rate of resection for benign masses. With the rising incidence of renal masses discovered on imaging, improvements in biopsy technique and advancements in pathologic evaluation of biopsy samples of renal masses, renal mass biopsy now plays an important role in selected patients with renal masses. Coaxial core needle biopsy is the preferred technique with a low rate of complications and a high diagnostic yield. This article will discuss indications, methods, utility, limitations and complications of renal mass biopsy.
A content-analytic longitudinal study of the drivers for information technology and systems outsourcing

This research addresses the question, what are the key drivers for information technology and systems (ITS) outsourcing? ITS outsourcing drivers are examined in this research in light of several underlying organizational and economic theories in order to generate a comprehensive and enduring ITS outsourcing drivers taxonomy. A preliminary taxonomy has been developed using qualitative content analysis of 49 articles, which has been triangulated using an internal/external drivers model developed from systems-theoretic notions. Quantitative content analysis technique is being used to analyze outsourcing reports publicly available in the PR Newswire database published over the last 11 years to further develop the ITS outsourcing drivers
Influence of Monensin and Lasalocid on Mineral Metabolism and Ruminal Urease Activity in Steers

Growing steers were used in a replicated 3 X 3 Latin square to study the influence of ionophores on mineral metabolism and ruminal urease activity. Treatments consisted of: 1) basal high energy diet; 2) basal plus 33 ppm lasalocid and 3) basal plus 33 ppm monensin. Each period was 33 days and apparent absorption and retention of macrominerals were measured during the last 5 days of each period. Mineral intake during the collection period was not affected by treatment. Both ionophores increased apparent absorption of sodium, magnesium and phosphorus. Retention of magnesium and phosphorus were higher for steers receiving either lasalocid or monensin. Potassium and calcium absorption were not significantly affected by treatment. Serum concentrations of macrominerals were similar for all treatments. Zinc and copper concentrations in serum were higher in animals fed monensin or lasalocid. Steers fed either ionophore had lower concentrations of soluble potassium and calcium in rumen fluid. Both ionophores also decreased ruminal osmolality. Bacterial urease, a nickel-dependent enzyme, was decreased by 28 and 66% in animals that received lasalocid and monensin, respectively. These findings indicate that lasalocid and monensin affect metabolism of certain minerals in ruminants.
Managing geographically distributed teams

Achieving success with geographically distributed teams is all in a day's work for project managers at Tec-Ed, Inc. Tec-Ed is a 15-person consultancy with headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and remote offices in Rochester, New York, and Palo Alto, California. Their small size, team approach to projects, and nationwide client base mean that they typically collaborate with colleagues and clients who live elsewhere. The article summarizes recent published literature on communication in virtual organizations, as well as Tec-Ed's practical experience in managing project teams whose members are in different geographic locations, have different skills and responsibilities, and seldom meet face to face. It reviews how to share corporate culture, gain insight into clients, build trust, and develop the professional synergy that enables efficient cooperation and effective results. It also discusses the challenges facing centralized staff who support remote workers, from troubleshooting unseen hardware and software to keeping corporate archives up-to-date.
Translating Holiness: Forms of Word, Writ and Righteousness

This article reflects theologically on the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the English Bible under the rubric ‘translating holiness’. A first section examines the notion of theology as translation as well as the general challenge of translation: saying the same thing in other words. The second section examines the KJV as an essentially literal, nation-building translation. The final section asks whether translation can be considered a fourth form of the Word of God and suggests that its proper dogmatic location is the triune economy of translation in which the Spirit communicates righteousness, forming Christ through the ministry of the Word.
A rapid paper-based test for quantifying sickle hemoglobin in blood samples from patients with sickle cell disease.

Quantification of sickle hemoglobin (HbS) in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) undergoing hydroxyurea or chronic transfusion therapy is essential to monitoring the effectiveness of these therapies. The clinical monitoring of %HbS using conventional laboratory methods is limited by high per-test costs and long turnaround times usually associated with these methods. Here we demonstrate a simple, rapid, inexpensive paper-based assay capable of quantifying %HbS in blood samples from patients with SCD. A 20 μL droplet of whole blood and hemoglobin solubility buffer was deposited on chromatography paper. The relative color intensities of regions of the resulting blood stain, determined by automated image analysis, are used to estimate %HbS. We compared the paper-based assay with hemoglobin electrophoresis (comparison method) using blood samples from 88 subjects. The test shows high correlation (R2 = 0.86) and strong agreement (standard deviation of difference = 7%HbS) with conventional Hb electrophoresis measurement of %HbS, and closely approximates clinically predicted change in %HbS with transfusion therapy (mean difference 2.6%HbS, n = 5). The paper-based assay can be completed in less than 35 min and has a per-test cost less than $0.25. The assay is accurate across a wide range of HbS levels (10–97%) and hemoglobin concentrations (5.6–12.9 g/dL) and is unaffected by high levels of HbF (up to 80.6%). This study demonstrates the feasibility of the paper-based %HbS assay. The paper-based test could improve clinical care for SCD, particularly in resource-limited settings, by enabling more rapid and less expensive %HbS monitoring. Am. J. Hematol. 90:478–482, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The lung as a filter for microbubbles

A new ultrasonic Doppler device has been used noninvasively over the femoral artery of anesthetized dogs to prove that it can detect carefully calibrated microbubbles of 14--189 micrometers diam when these are infused directly into the aorta. The same evaluated technique has then been employed to detect any bubbles escaping into the arterial system when gas was infused into the venous system either as microbubbles or as a bolus. Results from 18 dogs showed that, under normal conditions, the lungs are a superb filter for bubbles and that any cutoff diameter is less than 22 micrometers. However, bubbles escaped entrapment when the lungs were severely overloaded with gas (20 ml) or were pretreated with a pulmonary vasodilator (aminophylline). The dog preparation and arterial Doppler device appear to be ideal for future studies to determine what other factors might compromise the capability of the lungs to filter microbubbles. Physiological parameters showed dramatic changes when bubbles were detected as escaping into the arterial system by comparison with their effect when retained within the lungs. Changes in respiration profile indicated that they may offer a useful index of the degree of venous embolization and, hence, a warning of impending overload leading to arterial embolization.
Modeling gas dissolution in deepwater oil/gas spills

Gases in deepwater oil/gas spills can lose considerable amounts of the gas phase due to dissolution in water. Gas dissolution has a significant impact on the behavior of the oil/gas jet/plume because of its impact on the buoyancy. A method is presented in this paper for computing gas dissolution that covers a broad range of water depth, from shallow water where gases behave as ideal ones under low pressure to deepwater where gases behave as non-ideal ones under high pressures. The method presented also accounts for the spherical and non-spherical shapes of gas bubbles. The gas dissolution computations are validated by comparing the computed results with observed data from previously conducted laboratory experiments. The gas dissolution computation module is then integrated with a model for underwater oil/gas jets/plumes by Yapa and Zheng [J. Hydraul. Res. 35 (5) (1997) 673]. Scenario simulations are presented to show the impacts of gas dissolution on the behavior of jets/plumes. These scenarios show the impact of dissolution on the behavior of the jet/plume. The comparison of results using ideal gas conditions and non-ideal gas conditions is also shown.
Characterization of exposures among cemented tungsten carbide workers. Part I: Size-fractionated exposures to airborne cobalt and tungsten particles

As many as 30,000 workers in the United States of America are exposed to cemented tungsten carbides (CTC), alloys composed primarily of tungsten carbide and cobalt, which are used in cutting tools. Inhalation of cobalt-containing particles may be sufficient for the development of occupational asthma, whereas tungsten carbide particles in association with cobalt particles are associated with the development of hard metal disease (HMD) and lung cancer. Historical epidemiology and exposure studies of CTC workers often rely only on measures of total airborne cobalt mass concentration. In this study, we characterized cobalt- and tungsten-containing aerosols generated during the production of CTC with emphasis on (1) aerosol "total" mass (n=252 closed-face 37 mm cassette samples) and particle size-selective mass concentrations (n=108 eight-stage cascade impactor samples); (2) particle size distributions; and (3) comparison of exposures obtained using personal cassette and impactor samplers. Total cobalt and tungsten exposures were highest in work areas that handled powders (e.g., powder mixing) and lowest in areas that handled finished product (e.g., grinding). Inhalable, thoracic, and respirable cobalt and tungsten exposures were observed in all work areas, indicating potential for co-exposures to particles capable of getting deposited in the upper airways and alveolar region of the lung. Understanding the risk of CTC-induced adverse health effects may require two exposure regimes: one for asthma and the other for HMD and lung cancer. All sizes of cobalt-containing particles that deposit in the lung and airways have potential to cause asthma, thus a thoracic exposure metric is likely biologically appropriate. Cobalt-tungsten mixtures that deposit in the alveolar region of the lung may potentially cause HMD and lung cancer, thus a respirable exposure metric for both metals is likely biologically appropriate. By characterizing size-selective and co-exposures as well as multiple exposure pathways, this series of papers offer an approach for developing biologically meaningful exposure metrics for use in epidemiology.
On modeling of mechanical property changes during flat rolling of aluminum

Abstract Steady-state rolling of aluminum slabs has been studied with a forming model that assumes rate-dependent plastic flow of the aluminum. Hardening behavior is represented with an internal variable constitutive equation in which parameters are evaluated from independent mechanical property data. Rolling conditions over a broad range of reductions and temperatures were simulated. Computed differences in the resulting property (state) changes and temperature rises are reported. The computed hardness for the lowest temperature simulations are compared to measured yield strengths for rolled aluminum.
Using fluorescence-activated cell sorting followed by fluorescence in situ hybridization to study lineage relationships: the 8;21 translocation is present in neutrophils but not monocytes in a patient with severe congenital neutropenia and a granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-responsive clonal abnormality.

Severe congenital neutropenia (Kostmann syndrome) is a disorder that presents in the neonatal period, but predisposes to leukemia later in life. This report describes a 4-y-old female with a history of severe congenital neutropenia, who developed a clonal abnormality associated with the translocation (7;21;8) (q32;q22;q22) (AML-1/ETO). She had circulating peripheral blasts and bone marrow blast counts as high as 64% when she received recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rG-CSF). Her marrow blasts decreased to 4-20% when rG-CSF was discontinued. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis was performed on bone marrow cell populations sorted by flow cytometry to determine which cell populations had the AML-1/ETO translocation. The translocation was found in mature neutrophils and blasts, but not in monocytes, lymphocytes or stem cells. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the translocation occurred in a neutrophil progenitor, past the point in ontogeny where monocytes and neutrophils separate. The techniques described may be useful in understanding lineage relationships and leukemogenesis in other clonal abnormalities associated with myelodysplasia and leukemia.