cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recent developments in electrochemical detection for microchip capillary electrophoresis

Significant progress in the development of miniaturized microfluidic systems has occurred since their inception over a decade ago. This is primarily due to the numerous advantages of microchip analysis, including the ability to analyze minute samples, speed of analysis, reduced cost and waste, and portability. This review focuses on recent developments in integrating electrochemical (EC) detection with microchip capillary electrophoresis (CE). These detection modes include amperometry, conductimetry, and potentiometry. EC detection is ideal for use with microchip CE systems because it can be easily miniaturized with no diminution in analytical performance. Advances in microchip format, electrode material and design, decoupling of the detector from the separation field, and integration of sample preparation, separation, and detection on-chip are discussed. Microchip CEEC applications for enzyme/immunoassays, clinical and environmental assays, as well as the detection of neurotransmitters are also described.
Radiative forcing of stationary planetary waves

To elucidate the role of solar and long-wave transfers in maintaining stationary planetary waves, the potential vorticity equation appropriate to these disturbances in the middle latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere during winter is solved with realistic radiation physics included in the heating term. A series of model experiments demonstrates the roles of the various optically active constituents in maintaining the stationary planetary waves. Clouds and the net radiative heating tend to amplify stationary planetary wavenumber one by increasing the forcing asymmetry, but destructive interference between radiative heating and other diabatic processes and topography causes the net radiative heating to dampen stationary planetary wavenumber two. In the presence of clouds, water vapor and to a lesser extent carbon dioxide damp the waves by reducing cloud-generated forcing asymmetries, particularly at zonal wavenumber one.
Lipase Catalysis and Its Applications

Lipases have been traditionally defined as enzymes “capable of hydrolyzing esters of oleic acid.”1 The definition of a lipase as a hydrolytic enzyme originated primarily from its physiological function of triglyceride hydrolysis.
Building International Genomics Collaboration for Global Health Security

Genome science and technologies are transforming life sciences globally in many ways and becoming a highly desirable area for international collaboration to strengthen global health. The Genome Science Program at the Los Alamos National Laboratory is leveraging a long history of expertise in genomics research to assist multiple partner nations in advancing their genomics and bioinformatics capabilities. The capability development objectives focus on providing a molecular genomics-based scientific approach for pathogen detection, characterization, and biosurveillance applications. The general approaches include introduction of basic principles in genomics technologies, training on laboratory methodologies and bioinformatic analysis of resulting data, procurement, and installation of next-generation sequencing instruments, establishing bioinformatics software capabilities, and exploring collaborative applications of the genomics capabilities in public health. Genome centers have been established with public health and research institutions in the Republic of Georgia, Kingdom of Jordan, Uganda, and Gabon; broader collaborations in genomics applications have also been developed with research institutions in many other countries.
Religious Identity and Borderless Territoriality in the Coptic e-Diaspora

In recent decades, Coptic Egyptian immigrants have steadily adopted new homelands throughout the world, most significantly in Europe, North America, and Australia. Their efforts perpetuate their religious and cultural identity and connect diaspora communities and experiences to the mother church as well as to the realities of marginalization and persecution of their co-religionists in Egypt. However, relatively little research has been carried out on the virtual or digital presences of diaspora Copts, all the more significant in the wake of the so-called Arab Spring. Focusing on religious identity, this article fills a lacuna by analyzing three case studies of electronic identity mediation and preservation in the Coptic diaspora: (1) the online ecclesiastical-pastoral and educational presence of Bishop Suriel of Melbourne, (2) the spiritual-social-cultural mission of the Los Angeles-based Coptic television station LogosTV, and (3) the global collaborative academic project of the digital Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia. These are part of an emerging electronic Coptic diaspora (e-diaspora)—a form of borderless territoriality—that functions to compensate for the loss of territorial and socio-religious-cultural-political control in Egypt and provide Copts with virtual territorial gains and borderless space for community and consciousness raising.
Transforming Transdisciplinary Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education through Intercultural Education

Early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE) for young children with known or suspected disabilities have explicit definitions and goals as explained in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the DEC Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (2014). However, cultural approaches to early childhood intervention and education have been loosely defined. When discussing culture, professionals often use different terms for the same concept or the same term for different constructs. The purpose of this article is to define intercultural education as it relates to working with families of young children in EI/ECSE. Issues concerning intercultural education with young children and their families also are considered. Suggestions are proposed for how intercultural education can transform and enhance current practices, within a transdisciplinary framework. Finally, suggestions are made for further exploration and research on how intercultural education can be applied to transdisciplinary EI/ECSE.
The nutritional value and extraction of rice protein.

The constituents of rice protein are integrated and rational.Rice proteins take on low irritability and potential healthy functions.The nutrition value,healthy functions and extraction of rice protein are introduced in this paper.
Influence of beta-aminopropionitrile upon development of connective tissue in croton oil pouches.

SummaryPouches from control and test rats fed BAPN were removed after 6, 12, and 18 days. Extraneous material such as collections of leukocytes, fibrin, and areas of hemorrhage were removed before ...
Abstract 1615: Gene expression profile predicts response to smoothened inhibitors in epithelial cancers

The hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway is important for embryonic development as it controls cell fate and proliferation. Deregulation of the HH pathway is linked to the onset and maintenance of multiple cancers. Clinical trials revealed promising effects of targeting the HH pathway with smoothened (Smo) inhibitors, particularly in basal cell carcinomas and medulloblastomas where HH pathway activation occurs. This study sought to uncover a gene signature that would predict response to Smo inhibitors, such as cyclopamine or SANT-1. A panel of 705 human cancer cell lines from diverse epithelial cancers was interrogated for sensitivity to cyclopamine. A subset of cancer cell lines exhibited substantial growth inhibition across a broad array of epithelial cancers. Sensitivity was significantly linked to high Gli1, high cyclin E, and low insulin-like growth factor binding protein 6 (IGFBP6) expression levels (P Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1615. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1615
Personality and Ideology: Empirical Support for Tomkins' Polarity Theory'

La theorie de la polarite (droite-gauche) de S.S. Tomkins fournit une grille pour l'etude de la personnalite et de l'ideologie. Silvan Tomkins suggere qu'il est possible de classer graduellement les personnalites le long d'une «echelle» gauche (humaniste)-droite (normative). Cette dimension n'est pas toujours mise en evidence par les mesures habituelles du liberalisme-conservatisme. L'echelle de polarite de Tomkins mesure les affinites droite-gauche dans un large eventail de domaines. Revue de la litterature sur cet instrument psychometrique
Description of and Access to Electronic Resources (ER) : Transitioning into the Digital Age

SUMMARY Traditional description and access of library materials has undergone a transition for over a decade now as catalogers and librarians as well as information and computer scientists have worked with the challenges to identify and provide access to various types of digital resources such as electronic journals; electronic books and reference resources; electronic government publications, Web sites and databases; and geospatial maps and digitized special collections. Along with the provision of measures to internationalize and accommodate the nature of electronic resources (ER) to Anglo-American cataloging description and standards, catalogers have assessed workflow and technology issues and now look ahead to new ways to describe and catalog resources, i.e., the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) concept model, various metadata schemes, and management tools called electronic resource management systems (ERMS). The goal is to continue to identify, manage, and preserve digital mat...
55: Evaluation of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute EP26-A Guideline: A Protocol for Reagent Lot-to-Lot Verification

Verification of reagent lot performance prior to clinical use is not only good laboratory practice, but a regulatory requirement. Recently, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) published the EP26-A guideline, User Evaluation of Between-Reagent Lot Variation, which provides a protocol for lot-to-lot verification aiming to limit the number of samples required to detect significant changes in test performance due to reagent lot variability. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of EP26-A with our institution’s reagent …
The Design of Fast 1's-complement Adder Base on IEEE754 Standard Floating-point Number

Because the floating-point number of standard IEEE754 is stored and calculated as the format of sign and magnitude in modern computer system,applying 1 's complement arithmetic system is the fastest method to transform floating-point calculation result to sign and magnitude.This fast exponential subtracter of single precision floating-point number and mantissa adder/subtracter is designed based on the look-a- head carry theory and 1's complement arithmetic system that this article applied accordingly.
Psychological Effect of Doula Labor on Primigravida

Objective: To study the psychological effect of Doula labor on primigravida Method: 216 primigravida received Doula labor service and 216 with routine labor were assessed with SCL-90 before and after labor Results: Before labor, the difference of SCL-90 between the two groups had no statistic significance (8 4±2 1/8 7±2 4, t=1 25,P0 05) After that, stratified by ways of labor (natural/Gasser operation) the differences between the two groups were still significant (13 3±3 4/18 6±5 3, t=10 63,P0 05; 15 2±3 8/19 8±6 3, t=4 41, P0 05) Conclusion: Doula labor is helpful to primigravida
Composite modification of LiFePO_4 as cathode material of lithium ion battery

In order to improve the electrochemical performance of LiFePO4,Li0.98M0.02FePO4/C (M=Cr,W)and Li1.03M0.02Fe0.98PO4/C (M=Zr,Ni)were prepared by solid state reaction method.The structure,morphology and electrochemical performance of composite cathode materials were characterized by XRD,SEM,EDX and charge-discharge tests.The results show that the maximum discharge capacities of Li0.98Cr0.02FePO4/C can reach 157.3 mAh/g and the capacity does not fade after several cycles.,the cycling performance of the material keeps excellent at high-current charge-discharge rate,the initial discharging capacity of Li0.98W0.02FePO4/C can reach 130.2 mAh/g and the capacity retention is 97% after 10 cycles.Composite modification can increase the capacity and cycle performances of LiFePO4.
Design and implement of graduate education management system based on three-level B/S mode

Objective To solve the problem of absence of information exchange and management monitoring in the process of graduate education.Methods To develop a graduate education management system based on three-level B/S mode.Results The developed graduate education management system strenghthened the graduate cultivating process institutionalization,improved the work efficiency,promoted the intercommunication of information.Conclusion The graduate education management system implements graduate education management efficiently.
Rebuilding of Combustion Control System for Direct-fired Boilers with Coal Feeder of Non-weighing Type

To solve the problems existing in direct-fired boilers with coal feeder of non-weighing type that auto-burning program can't be implemented due to lack of coal amount signal,a rebuilding scheme according to the ratio of primary air(PA) flow to coal flow based on coal feeder speed was proposed for its combustion control system,which was later on applied to a 500 MW supercritical power unit.Results show that the rebuilt control system can effectively improve the original disorder combustion,and help to raise the boiler efficiency by 0.38% and reduce the house power consumption by 0.16%.This may serve as a reference for rebuilding of similar combustion control systems.
The latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap: a one-stage breast reconstruction.

Breast reconstruction after radical mastectomv can now be accomplished in a reliable, o ne-s tage method using the latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap. Preoperative considerations, operative guidelines, and possible complications are reviewed.
Soil geochemical parameters influencing the spatial distribution of anthrax in Northwest Minnesota, USA

Abstract Bacillus anthracis is the pathogenic bacterium that causes anthrax, which dwells in soils as highly resilient endospores. B. anthracis spore viability in soil is dependent upon environmental conditions, but the soil properties necessary for spore survival are unclear. In this study we used a range of soil geochemical and physical parameters to predict the spatial distribution of B. anthracis in northwest Minnesota, where 64 cases of anthrax in livestock were reported from 2000 to 2013. Two modeling approaches at different spatial scales were used to identify the soil conditions most correlated to known anthrax cases using both statewide and locally collected soil data. Ecological niche models were constructed using the Maximum Entropy (Maxent) approach and included 11 soil parameters as environmental inputs and recorded anthrax cases as known presences. One ecological niche model used soil data and anthrax presences for the entire state while a second model used locally sampled soil data (n = 125) and a subset of anthrax presences, providing a test of spatial scale. In addition, simple logistic regression models using the localized soil data served as an independent measure of variable importance. Maxent model results indicate that at a statewide level, soil calcium and magnesium concentrations, soil pH, and sand content are the most important properties for predicting soil suitability for B. anthracis while at the local level, clay and sand content along with phosphorous and strontium concentrations are most important. These results also show that the spatial scale of analysis is important when considering soil parameters most important for B. anthracis spores. For example, at a broad scale, B. anthracis spores may require Ca-rich soils and an alkaline pH, but may also concentrate in microenvironments with high Sr concentrations. The study is also one of the first ecological niche models that demonstrates the major importance of soil texture for defining the ecological niche of B. anthracis. These results will help improve our understanding of the soil geochemical conditions most suitable for B. anthracis as well as more reliably identify areas where anthrax may be found to focus prevention and remediation efforts.
Adhesion Bonds in Sands at High Pressures

This note summarizes the observed formation of adhesion bonds, during compression tests on clean sand at pressures from 1.0 kg/cm²-140/cm². The soil was a fine sand dredged from the Sacramento River, the same as described elsewhere. Prior to testing the sand had been thoroughly washed between the No. 50 and No. 100 sieves. The individual grains were sound single-minded particles; 50% subangular quartz, 35% subrounded feldspar, and 15% amphibole or pyroxene minerals. A second sand also tested to a limited extent for comparison purposes was the well known Ottawa 20-30 Standard sand with nearly perfectly round quartz grains. All tests were performed on saturated specimens.
Anthranilic Diamide Insecticides Delivered via Multiple Approaches to Control Vegetable Pests: A Case Study in Snap Bean

Many vegetable insect pests are managed using neonicotinoid and pyrethroid insecticides. Unfortunately, these insecticides are toxic to many bees and natural enemies and no longer control some pests that have developed resistance. Anthranilic diamide insecticides provide systemic control of many herbivorous arthropod pests, but exhibit low toxicity to beneficial arthropods and mammals, and may be a promising alternative to neonicotinoids and pyrethroids. Anthranilic diamides may be delivered to vegetable crops via seed, in-furrow, or foliar treatments; therefore, it would be desirable to identify which application method provides high levels of pest control while minimizing the amount of active ingredient. As a case study, chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole applied via the methods listed above were evaluated for managing seedcorn maggot, Delia platura (Meigen) (Diptera: Anthomyiidae), and European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), in snap bean. Chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole delivered as seed and in-furrow treatments reduced D. platura damage to the same level as the standard neonicotinoid seed treatment. Both diamides applied via all three methods significantly reduced O. nubilalis damage, but only the foliar application provided similar control as the standard pyrethroid spray. Results from laboratory bioassays revealed that both diamides applied as seed and in-furrow treatments caused high O. nubilalis neonate mortality up to 44 d after application. While the diamides provided equivalent control of these pests as the neonicotinoid and pyrethroid standards when applied in the same manner, chlorantraniliprole delivered as a seed treatment showed the most promise for managing both pests.
Object spreadsheets: a new computational model for end-user development of data-centric web applications

Spreadsheets offer many advantages as the computational and data-storage engine for applications that are authored by end users. Paradoxically, however, their main failing in this regard is their computational model. Despite being used in almost all cases to represent data that is essentially relational (with some hierarchical structuring), the spreadsheet model treats the two-dimensional grid as largely unstructured, with formulas linking cells in an ad hoc way.This paper reports on a quest to rethink the spreadsheet model. The model we propose supports not only conventional flat tables, but also nested variable-size lists and object references. It includes a formula language suited to the data model and procedures to specify updates.The model has been implemented in a tool called Object Spreadsheets, which is intended for the development of data-centric web applications. We describe several example applications we built using the tool to demonstrate its applicability.
Tolerance or avoidance: drought frequency determines the response of an N2 -fixing tree.

Summary Climate change is increasing drought frequency, which may affect symbiotic N2 fixation (SNF), a process that facilitates ecosystem recovery from disturbance. Here, we assessed the effect of drought frequency on the ecophysiology and SNF rate of a common N2-fixing tree in eastern US forests. We grew Robinia pseudoacacia seedlings under the same mean soil moisture, but with different drought frequency caused by wet–dry cycles of varying periodicity. We found no effect of drought frequency on final biomass or mean SNF rate. However, seedlings responded differently to wet and dry phases depending on drought frequency. Under low-frequency droughts, plants fixed carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) at similar rates during wet and dry phases. Conversely, under high-frequency droughts, plants fixed C and N at low rates during dry phases and at high rates during wet phases. Our findings suggest that R. pseudoacacia growth is resistant to increased drought frequency because it employs two strategies – drought tolerance or drought avoidance, followed by compensation. SNF may play a role in both by supplying N to leaf tissues for acclimation and by facilitating compensatory growth following drought. Our findings point to SNF as a mechanism for plants and ecosystems to cope with drought.
Homeless Young People, Jobs, and a Future Vision: Community Members' Perceptions of the Job Co-op

We report on an empirical study where neighborhood stakeholders' views of the Job Co-op future vision were investigated. Taking on the values of a grassroots service agency, while also drawing on emerging practices of peer-to-peer sharing systems, the Job Co-op matches homeless young people, up to age 30, to suitable jobs and job sponsors. Community members were invited to engage the future vison at a streetfair exhibition, comprising a carnival wheel of barriers and solutions to homelessness for beginning conversations; a storyboard for introducing the design vision; and a questionnaire for eliciting feedback. Qualitative analysis of 71 collected questionnaires explicated the socio-technical design space for addressing the problem of youth, homelessness, and jobs. The method demonstrates the use of exhibition design for constructing a design-oriented social context---for community engagement, for educational outreach, for disseminating research and design possibilities, for conducting research, and for cooperative design.
"R&D investment, International Expansion and Innovation: The Moderating Role of TMT Diversity"

This study investigates the moderating effect of TMT diversity on the relationship between R&D investment, international diversification and firm innovation. Based on a sample of Taiwanese listed m...
Book review: James S. Ormrod and Peter Dickens (Eds) (2016), The Palgrave Handbook of Society, Culture and Outer Space:

James S. Ormrod and Peter Dickens (Eds) (2016), The Palgrave Handbook of Society, Culture and Outer Space. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. 480pp., $216 (Hardcover), ISBN: 978-1-137-36351-0.
A program for young Mothers and Their Babies

A report is given of an informally structured agency that sought to provide practical intervention to help stabilize the lives of mothers and their babies
The Effects of the Expansion of For-Profit Colleges on Student Enrollments and Outcomes at Community Colleges:

This study is the first large-scale examination of the impact of for-profit colleges on the enrollment and outcomes of students at other postsecondary institutions. Using data primarily from the In...
Dynamic absorption in optical pyrometry of hot spots in plastic-bonded triaminotrinitrobenzene

Herein, we demonstrate a methodology for performing optical pyrometry in environments which are disadvantageous for typical pyrometry applications by introducing additional fit parameters to account for absorption or emission which convolutes the thermal spectrum. Emission spectra from a plastic-bonded formulation of triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) shocked by 2–4 km s−1 impacts with Al flyer plates show significant deviations from graybody behavior. To extract reliable temperatures via optical pyrometry, we fit the spectra to a combination of a graybody and either a Gaussian absorption or emission spectrum. We found that the absorption needed to fit the data corresponds well to the known pressure-dependent absorption of TATB and that the absorption model gives temperatures and emissivities in line with other explosives. By contrast, assuming molecular emission gives temperatures too low and emissivities that decrease as more materials react. We conclude that the nonthermal part of the spectrum is dominated by the absorption of unreacted TATB and accurate pyrometry of TATB must either use our graybody plus absorption model or limit the spectral range of observation to above 650 nm.
Treatment for Word Retrieval in Semantic and Logopenic Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia: Immediate and Long-Term Outcomes.

Purpose Recent studies confirm the utility of speech-language intervention in primary progressive aphasia (PPA); however, long-term outcomes, ideal dosage parameters, and relative benefits of inter...
TCT-158 Intracoronary CD34+ Cell Therapy Further Improves 1-Year Left Ventricular Systolic Function in Patients With Concomitant Severe Diffuse Coronary Artery Disease and Preserved Cardiac Performance

Recent studies have shown that intracoronary (IC) administration of peripheral blood derived CD34+ cells improves left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction in the patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and impaired LV function. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the clinical benefit of IC CD34
Scoring Repeated Standardized Tests to Estimate Capacity, Not Just Current Ability

Changes to educational policies have proliferated testing data to include multiple-administration assessments that repeatedly measure student performance over time. Psychometric models—extended for...
Naturhorror and the Weird

This chapter inquires into the many forms of weird aesthetics and horror fiction from a decidedly philosophical point of view. Using Friedrich W. J. Schelling’s nineteenth- century conception of the philosophy of nature (qua Naturphilosophie), Eugene Thacker develops the notion of Naturhorror that merges genre -specific aesthetics and philosophical naturalism. Thacker thus reiterates literary, scientific, and philosophical aspects of this kind of Naturhorror in the words of Algernon Blackwood, Kyoka Izumi, Cailin R. Kiernan, Charles Fort, China Mieville, Vilem Flusser, and H. P. Lovecraft.
Peripheral microvascular serotoninergic signaling is dysregulated in young adults with major depressive disorder

Cutaneous microvascular vasodilatory responsiveness to serotonin was preserved in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the contribution of serotonin reuptake-dependent mechanisms t...
Low-frequency parietal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation reduces fear and anxiety.

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental disorders, with few effective neuropharmacological treatments, making treatments development critical. While noninvasive neuromodulation can successfully treat depression, few treatment targets have been identified specifically for anxiety disorders. Previously, we showed that shock threat increases excitability and connectivity of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS). Here we tested the hypothesis that inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting this region would reduce induced anxiety. Subjects were exposed to neutral, predictable, and unpredictable shock threat, while receiving double-blinded, 1 Hz active or sham IPS rTMS. We used global brain connectivity and electric-field modelling to define the single-subject targets. We assessed subjective anxiety with online ratings and physiological arousal with the startle reflex. Startle stimuli (103 dB white noise) probed fear and anxiety during the predictable (fear-potentiated startle, FPS) and unpredictable (anxiety-potentiated startle, APS) conditions. Active rTMS reduced both FPS and APS relative to both the sham and no stimulation conditions. However, the online anxiety ratings showed no difference between the stimulation conditions. These results were not dependent on the laterality of the stimulation, or the subjects’ perception of the stimulation (i.e. active vs. sham). Results suggest that reducing IPS excitability during shock threat is sufficient to reduce physiological arousal related to both fear and anxiety, and are consistent with our previous research showing hyperexcitability in this region during threat. By extension, these results suggest that 1 Hz parietal stimulation may be an effective treatment for clinical anxiety, warranting future work in anxiety patients.
The Radiologist as Hunger Artist.

OBJECTIVE. Radiologists often think in terms of metaphors drawn from business, politics, and informatics, but literature can offer equally important insights. CONCLUSION. Kafka's short story “A Hun...
Using multivariate adaptive regression splining (MARS) to identify factors affecting the performance of dock-based bikesharing: The case of Chicago’s Divvy system

Abstract This study explores factors contributing to the uneven success of past expansions of dock-based public bikesharing systems, in which middle- and - higher-income neighborhoods have tended to benefit considerably more than poorer neighborhoods. After a review of the differing performance of the three phases of expansion by Chicago's Divvy bikeshare system, this study uses multivariate adaptive regression splining (MARS) to select among more than 100 community- and station-level factors to explain variations in Divvy system usage at the station level. MARS demonstrates that neighborhood racial and ethnic diversity, proportion of condominium units, and job accessibility to public transit are strongly and positively correlated with total annual station trips, whereas percentage unemployed, average distance to Divvy stations, and percentage of residential foreclosures are negatively correlated. Model results are compared with those of earlier studies to foster insights into ways to more accurately predict the use of bikesharing systems across urban neighborhoods.
Delivery and expression of plasmid DNA into cells by a novel non-thermal plasma source.

Abstract Medical applications such as plasma assisted gene transfer is a minimally invasive approach that can substantially reduce potential discomfort of treated area. Atmospheric pressure plasma discharge is an effective approach to deliver plasmid DNA for in vitro and in vivo applications. We investigated plasma assisted delivery in vitro in mouse melanoma cells (B16F10) using a novel surface plasma device, which is operated in air. We evaluated the influence of applied voltage and distance between the surface device and cell monolayer. We found no significant effect on the viability of cells. Highest expression following delivery of a plasmid encoding green fluorescent protein was achieved with an applied voltage of 11.25 kV at a 2 mm distance and 5 s exposure time. To better understand the influence of oxidative damages and stress on cells after plasma delivery, a mRNA expression study was performed. Our results indicated that TNFα mRNA was significantly upregulated. The mRNA response may be attributed to the RONS generated by plasma; however, this mRNA upregulation was not adequate to be reflected in a coordinate protein upregulation. From the results reported here, it is clear that this novel plasma device could be used for plasmid delivery.
The Endgame of Court-Packing

We estimate the size of the U.S. Supreme Court in a world in which the political parties engage in tit-for-tat court-packing. We do so by assuming that the Supreme Court is immediately expanded by four members and that future presidents who court-pack would add enough seats to ensure that a simple majority of justices were appointed by their party. In a series of simulations, we find that median result of repeated partisan court-packing would be to increase the size of the Court to 23 justices within 50 years and to 39 justices within 100 years. We also study the incentives for justices to retire strategically in a world with repeated partisan court-packing and the resulting effects of changes in strategic retirement on the size the Court. We find that court-packing would decrease the incentives for strategic retirement, but we also find that changes in justices’ retirement decisions would have little effect on the eventual size of the Court. By outlining the assumptions required to study this topic and estimating the impact different parameters would have on court expansion, we hope to generate more careful reflection on the potential consequences of this type of judicial reform.
The Evolution and Future of Spinal Drain for Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Repair: A Review.

For decades, spinal drains for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure monitoring and drainage have been used as adjuncts to protect against spinal cord injury resulting from thoracic aortic aneurysm repair. There are many different approaches to placement and management of CSF drains, with no true consensus on best practice. Furthermore, the incidence of complications resulting from spinal drains largely has been stagnant. This review describes the history and rationale behind placement of CSF drains, explore various considerations, techniques, and equipment, and discuss potential considerations for developing more comprehensive protocols.
The surprising evolutionary heritage of the Atlantic walrus as chronicled by the fossil record

Abstract The walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is the last surviving representative of a diverse and successful family of pinnipeds. Walrus fossils are common and are represented by material ranging from complete skeletons to isolated skeletal and tusk fragments. They are typically preserved in inner and middle-shelf depositional environments. Walruses evolved from ‘enaliarctine’ ancestors, although whether they are more closely related to otariids (fur seals and sea lions) or phocids (earless seals) has been a matter of debate. The first walruses belong to a paraphyletic assemblage known as the ‘Imagotariinae’. These walruses were initially small in body size, but reached truly enormous sizes before giving rise to the Dusignathinae (double-tusked walruses) and Odobeninae (true walruses). Odobeninae are remarkable for the development of prominent tusks, specialisation in suction feeding and were the only clade to disperse into the North Atlantic. Several major trends can be observed in walrus evolution including: tooth simplification, acquisition of large body size, increased baculum size, development of tusks, and the development of an intermediate style of aquatic and terrestrial locomotion (ascompared to phocids and otariids). At least two separate dispersals into the North Atlantic from the North Pacific occurred via the Arctic Ocean, with Odobenus likely evolving in the North Pacific. Walruses, including Odobenus, showed a much greater tolerance for warmer climates in the past, which may imply some ability to adapt towards anthropogenic climate change.
Skimmed breast milk for treatment of hypertriglyceridemia in an infant with congenital nephrotic syndrome

Congenital nephrotic syndrome (CNS) is a complex condition that requires multidisciplinary care. Hyperlipidemia is a characteristic feature with elevation of serum cholesterol and triglycerides. Little evidence is available to guide treatment of dyslipidemia in infants with CNS. We describe successful treatment of severe hypertriglyceridemia through dietary changes in a boy with CNS. A 9-day-old boy presented to the emergency department with lower extremity edema caused by deep venous thrombosis. Laboratory evaluation identified hypoalbuminemia, nephrotic-range proteinuria, and a pathogenic variant of the NPHS1 gene. The initial triglyceride concentration of 369 mg/dl increased to 3096 mg/dl by 5 weeks of age, when his diet consisted of breast milk. Refrigerated breast milk was skimmed by removing the top layer after allowing it to separate for 24 h. This process was repeated prior to use. Skimmed breast milk was supplemented with medium-chain triglyceride oil and an infant protein powder. After 2 days, the triglyceride concentration declined to 481 mg/dl and, by day 10, to 148 mg/dl. When breast milk supply decreased, a 1:1 ratio of skimmed maternal breast milk to an elemental, very low-fat formula was utilized. The triglyceride concentration remained below 400 mg/dl for the first year of life, except when skimmed breast milk was not available during hospitalization. Severe hypertriglyceridemia caused by CNS can present in the neonatal period and be difficult to manage. In our patient, skimmed maternal breast milk was successful in reducing the triglyceride concentration and should be considered a therapeutic option for children with hyperlipidemia caused by CNS.
Towards a political economy of Ukraine: by Marko Bojcun, Stuttgart, Ibidem-Verlag, 2020, 352 pp., $40 (pb), ISBN-13: 978-3-8382-1368-2

After the outbreak of the war in Eastern Ukraine in 2014 the country attracted attention from the mainstream global media, as well as from political commentators and social researchers who began to...
Understanding intimate partner violence through its dynamics

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has far-reaching effects. Since the landmark National Crime Victimization Survey of 1992, American society has known the frequency and severity of the abuse experienced by woman at the hands of their intimate partners. In fact, the survey found that more than 2,000 people were murdered by intimate others [1]. One half of all serious injuries seen in women who are treated in emergency departments are the result of battering. Often such injuries involve multiple sites, especially the face, chest, breasts, and abdomen [2].
International Judicial Decisions, Domestic Courts, and the Foreign Affairs Power

On December 10, 2004, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in Medillin v. Dretke. The Court granted certiorari to address two questions: whether American courts were bound by the treaty interpretation in the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Case Concerning Avena and Other Mexican Nationals (Avena) and, if not, whether American courts in any event should defer to the ICJ's treaty interpretation as a matter of comity and in the interest of uniformity. On February 28, 2005, however, the president issued a surprise memorandum order directing state courts to give effect to the ICJ's Avena judgment. On May 23, 2005, the Court dismissed the Medellin writ of certiorari as improvidently granted, explaining that its action was prompted by certain procedural problems with the case unrelated to treaty interpretation. Subsequently, Jose Emesto Medellin, the petitioner, has pursued a petition for habeas corpus in state court, relying both on the judgment of the ICJ in Avena and on President Bush's February memorandum directing state courts to give effect to Avena.Medellin therefore has raised, without resolving, a particularly interesting question: whether the president, acting unilaterally pursuant to his foreign affairs power, can order states to alter their judicial procedures. The issue, while avoided by the justices this time, may well return to the Supreme Court, as the losing party at the state level may be unwilling to acquiesce in its loss.If the Court has to revisit the case, it will face three related issues. The first is whether the ICJ correctly interpreted the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (Consular Convention), the treaty at issue, in Avena and in the case on which Avena principally relied, the LaGrand Case (LaGrand). The second issue relates to that on which certiorari was granted in Medellin: under relevant treaties, what degree of respect is the Supreme Court obliged to accord to the ICJ decisions in Avena and LaGrand. Finally, and most fundamentally, Medellin's reliance on the president's memorandum in his state court habeas corpus action may give the Court an opportunity to consider whether the president's authority over foreign affairs extends to directing a state to reopen a case in which a final judgment has been rendered when the president believes that such an action would serve American foreign policy interests, even if that action is not clearly required by treaty. This issue is particularly interesting not only because it raises important questions about the president's foreign affairs power and federalism, but because the United States, in its amicus brief in Medellin, rightly took the position that the ICJ misinterpreted the Consular Convention and that American courts had, in any event, no obligation to defer to the ICJ's judgment.This article will first detail the facts in this matter, and then address each of the three key issues in turn.
Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the U.S. Economy: A Structural Decomposition Analysis

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the impact of various influences on carbon dioxide emissions. It incorporates methodological refinements of input-output structural decomposition analysis, which is the examination of economic change by means of a set of comparative static variations in key parameters of I-O tables. The analysis is performed using a two-tiered KLEM model, which allows for estimation of substitution and technological change effects within and between input aggregates. The model is used to decompose the sources of change in CO2 emissions in the U.S. over the 1972–82 timeframe using hybrid energy/value tables for the initial and terminal years. Results show the significant effect of substitution within the energy sector and between energy and other inputs as the leading causes of the decline in carbon dioxide emissions.
A case-study of security policy for manual and automated systems

It is argued that predisposed assumptions in security policy models can leave holes in the security aspects of the information systems that are based on them. In particular, information systems based only on the Bell-LaPadula model (D.E. Bell and L.J. LaPadula, 1976) pose potential problems by allowing new threats to be built in them because the policies are incomplete. A comparison of manual and automated systems is used to demonstrate the derivation of the Bell-LaPadula star-property for automated systems and its analog for manual systems. This exercise aids in producing a policy model based on needs and a perspective on the limitations of classical security policy models. >
Cutting Edge: Tyrosine-Independent Transmission of Inhibitory Signals by CTLA-4

CTLA-4 is an important inhibitor of T cell activation. We used Jurkat cells expressing mutants of murine CTLA-4 to study the structural requirements for inhibitory signaling. We find that signals for the inhibition of IL-2 secretion are delivered efficiently by a CTLA-4 mutant in which both cytoplasmic tyrosines have been replaced by phenylalanines. A CTLA-4 mutant that lacks the carboxyl-terminal half of the intracellular domain also retains the ability to inhibit, but deletion of an additional 11 aa completely abrogates that capability. We conclude that delivery of an inhibitory signal requires the membrane-proximal region of the CTLA-4 cytoplasmic domain and does not depend upon the tyrosine phosphorylation of CTLA-4.
Combining equational reasoning

Given a theory T, a set of equations E, and a single equation e, the uniform word problem (UWP) is to determine if E ⇒ e in the theory T. We recall the classic Nelson-Oppen combination result for solving the UWP over combinations of theories and then present a constructive version of this result for equational theories. We present three applications of this constructive variant. First, we use it on the pure theory of equality (TEQ) and arrive at an algorithm for computing congruence closure of a set of ground term equations. Second, we use it on the theory of associativity and commutativity (TAC) and obtain a procedure for computing congruence closure modulo AC. Finally, we use it on the combination theory TEQ ∪ TAC ∪ TPR, where TPR is the theory of polynomial rings, to present a decision procedure for solving the UWP for this combination.
Interacting Effects of Landownership, Land Use, and Endangered Species on Conservation of Southwestern U.S. Rangelands

The contemporary southwestern United States is characterized by fire-adapted ecosystems; large numbers of federally listed threatened and endangered species; a patchwork of federal, state, and private landownership; and a long history of livestock grazing as the predominant land use. I compared eight sites in southern Arizona and New Mexico to assess the interacting effects of these characteristics on conserva- tion practices and outcomes. There was widespread interest and private-sector leadership in restoring fire to southwestern rangelands, and there is a shortage of predictive scientific knowledge about the effects of fire and livestock grazing on threatened and endangered species. It was easier to restore fire to lands that were either privately owned or not grazed, in part because of obstacles created by threatened and endangered species on grazed public lands. Collaborative management facilitated conservation practices and outcomes, and periodic removal of livestock may be necessary for conservation, but permanent livestock exclusion may be counterproductive because of interactions with land-use and landownership patterns.
Gifted African American Women.

This article describes factors affecting the life-span achievement of IS highly accomplished African American women from a national retrospective study of gifted women from diverse ethnic backgroun...
Exchange transfusion in the treatment of severe theophylline poisoning.

Despite its narrow therapeutic index and Food and Drug Administration cautions for its administration in young infants, theophylline remains in widespread use as a respiratory stimulant and bronchodilator in newborns.1 Reports of iatrogenic theophylline poisoning in newborns, particularly premature newborns, continue to appear.2 These occurrences often are associated with life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, seizures, and permanent neurologic injury.3,4 Unfortunately, once theophylline intoxication has occurred, there are few available therapeutic interventions for the small, clinically unstable newborn. Multiple dose activated charcoal, despite its demonstrated safety and efficacy in young infants, can not be administered safely to premature or paralyzed infants.2,5 We report a case of severe theophylline poisoning in a newborn, successfully treated by exchange transfusion with no acute sequelae.
Top Corporate Officers as Board Members: The Impact on Nonprofit Executive Compensation

The apparent weakness in nonprofit executive pay-for-performance links and perceived excessiveness of pay are two key reasons cited by critics demanding greater board action. Agency theorists assert that boards address potentially misaligned managerial incentives by strengthening pay-for-performance links. Hence, if board members are experienced with financial monitoring, then the link between financials-based metrics and executive pay will be stronger. Further, resource dependency theorists purport that nonprofits rely on board members in part to provide scarce and/or specific human capital. Hence, if board members provide expertise in organizational management, then executive pay raises will be smaller. To test these predictions, we identify ‘top corporate officers as board members’ as nonprofit board members who are also named top executives in the SP and smaller changes in pay. These results are economically significant, and robust to possible correlated omitted variables, potential self-selection bias, and two alternative explanations: top corporate officers as board members in small boards or who may be major donors. Our findings highlight how board members playing both oversight and operational roles impact executive pay practices.