cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A comparison of algorithms for terminal-pair reliability

Four algorithms for the terminal-pair-reliability problem are compared. Nelson (1970), Lin (1976), Shooman (1968), and Dotson (1979) algorithms are used in this study. It is shown that the Dotson algorithm is the fastest among the terminal-pair reliability algorithms analyzed. The Dotson algorithm is suited not only for numerical reliability, but for obtaining symbolic expression for the terminal-pair reliability with no additional effort. By modifying the Dotson algorithm the efficiency can be further improved. The modifications to this algorithm are listed and the reliability of the modified Dotson algorithm is computed. >
Lead in archaeological samples: an isotopic study by ICP-MS

Abstract Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been used to measure the concentration and isotopic composition of Pb in archaeological human and animal skeletal remains, soil from a village site of the Omaha tribe (U.S.A.) and cosmetic pigments. Lead concentrations in human bones from the Omaha tribe vary between 4.8 and 2570 μg/g, with younger people having the highest concentrations. Lead concentrations in animal bones from an Omaha village vary between 0.6 and 3.7 μg/g, and those of three soil samples range between 18 and 21 μg/g. Lead concentrations found in human bones from Anasazi (Utah, U.S.A.) and Alta (Peru) populations vary between 0.7 and 3.2 μg/g. Isotope ratios of a reagent grade Pb(NO3)2 solutions were measured by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), as well as by ICP-MS to provide laboratory reference materials. The accuracy of the ICP-MS measurements relative to TIMS for the standard solution were found to be within 0.02–0.31% for206Pb/204Pb, 0.02–0.55% for207Pb/204Pb, and 0.16–0.56% for208Pb/204Pb. The precision of measurements on artifacts was 0.42–0.65% for206Pb/204Pb and 0.41–0.62% for207Pb/204Pb, whereas the precision for the same ratios for the bones was 0.85–1.8 and 0.82–1.67%, respectively. For the cosmetic lead-bearing pigments, a precision of 0.07–0.15% was found for both206Pb/204Pb and207Pb/204Pb ratios. Lead isotope ratios of artifacts give a radiogenic Pb signature, of which are close to signatures from Pb Zn mines of the central U.S. region. Lead isotope ratios of the pigments give non-radiogenic Pb signatures. Lead isotope ratios of the bones differ from those of the artifacts, and although similar in isotopic ratio to the pigments, they are more scattered, suggesting potential mixing of Pb from different regions.
Evaluation of the pharmacokinetics, preclinical and clinical efficacy of pralatrexate for the treatment of T-cell lymphoma.

Introduction: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are a heterogeneous group of T-cell neoplasms. Most patients with PTCL have a poor outcome with conventional therapies and are not cured without stem-cell transplantation. Pralatrexate, a novel antifolate chemotherapeutic agent, was rationally designed to impede folate metabolism by inhibiting dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and to be more efficiently internalized into tumor cells. Pralatrexate is the first drug that is FDA approved for patients with relapsed and refractory PTCL. Areas covered: Pralatrexate has been used as a single agent and in combination with other agents in clinical trials for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease as well as in solid tumors. This review will cover the development of pralatrexate, the pharmacokinetics of pralatrexate, preclinical findings with pralatrexate and clinical studies of pralatrexate in hematologic malignancies. Expert opinion: Pralatrexate has significant activity in vitro, and in early Phase I/II trials...
Public k-12 education as an industrial process: The school as a factory

In this paper we argue that public education in the United States is essentially an industrial process organized to produce a finished product. Rising government spending on public education, and the lack of an established rubric to evaluate school performance or accountability deems our analysis relevant and timely. Viewing education as an industrial process will allow policy-makers to obtain more accurate measures of costs and develop appropriate funding mechanisms. Furthermore, regulators may use managerial accounting concepts, particularly activity based costing, to establish future school performance evaluation rubrics.
Contentious Engagement: Understanding Protest Participation in Latin American Democracies

Why has protest participation seemingly exploded across much of Latin America in recent years? How do individual- and country-level characteristics interact to explain the rise of contentious politics in countries like Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela? I contend that the recent wave of protests in Latin America is the result of trends in community engagement and institutional development across the region’s young democracies. Specifically, I argue that low-quality institutions in democratic regimes push an increasingly large number of civically active Latin Americans toward more radical modes of political participation, as governments’ abilities to deliver on citizens’ expectations fail to match the capacity for mobilization of active democrats. Drawing on cross-national surveys of Latin America, I test this argument, finding that an interactive relationship between community engagement and ineffective political institutions helps explain the recent spike in protest activity in certain cases and the vast differences in protest participation observed throughout the region.
Selective programming of CCR10+ innate lymphoid cells in skin-draining lymph nodes for cutaneous homeostatic regulation

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) 'preferentially' localize into barrier tissues, where they function in tissue protection but can also contribute to inflammatory diseases. The mechanisms that regulate the establishment of ILCs in barrier tissues are poorly understood. Here we found that under steady-state conditions, ILCs in skin-draining lymph nodes (sLNs) were continuously activated to acquire regulatory properties and high expression of the chemokine receptor CCR10 for localization into the skin. CCR10(+) ILCs promoted the homeostasis of skin-resident T cells and, reciprocally, their establishment in the skin required T cell-regulated homeostatic environments. CD207(+) dendritic cells expressing the transcription factor Foxn1 were required for the proper generation of CCR10(+) ILCs. These observations reveal mechanisms that underlie the specific programming and priming of skin-homing CCR10(+) ILCs in the sLNs.
Checks, Balance and Judicial Wizardry: Constitutional Delegation and Congressional Legislation

The Supreme Court has decided a number of cases over the past decade affecting Patents and Copyrights. These are preemptive statutory rights, the creation of which has historically been recognized as exclusively delegated to Congress under in Article I, Section eight, cl.8. The apparent spate of recent cases decided by the court is the catalyst for embarking on taking a renewed and expanded look at how these cases relate to issues and resolutions of the past two centuries. As a starting point, the question is whether these cases represent an atypical level of activity on the part of the court and how is that measure to be determined? Does this level of activity reflect the court assuming a distinct role in separation of powers and checks and balances either by their role in (1) reviewing limitations on the power of Congress to enact the legislation in question (Checks) or (2) by accepting a deferential role relative to the delegated powers of Congress, but performing their constitutional function of facilitating purpose through interpretation, implementation and application to specific cases and controversies statutory language tempered by constitutional purpose (Balance). These and related issues provide an interesting change in perspective if followed over time avoiding the micro, viewing the macro and appreciating the "wizardry" of the court through the past two centuries. Despite, the belief that things are "different" in kind or meaning, one observes, for the most part, that the more things change, the more they remain true to the constants that warrant the creation of these rights with purposeful balance of public benefit and private reward. Despite the passage of almost two centuries, and an occasional blip, digression, or momentary paradigm shift, it can be observed through the recitation of the same, or similar, language and articulation of balance and purpose, that with rare exception, the court has accommodated changes in technology, normative behavior and the role of "intellectual property" in a global order. Table of Contents:I - Introduction and Overview - A spate of cases measured by decisions over time.II - The Catalysts and Challenges of Change: a. Bilskib. KSRIII - Blips paradigm shifts and Paraphraxies:a. A blip: Sony (Without the patent act where are we?)b. A blip correction Grokster: (Bright lines and Safe Harbors)III - Paradigms-Checks and Balances: Eldred - A Challenge for Democratic Institutions.IV - A Snapshot in time - A limited and limiting Perspective:a. Feist, Mazer, Pivot Point and Boisonb. Redux and Conclusion
Interaction of type I and type II corticosteroid receptor stimulation on carcass energy and carcass water

The effects of chronic type I and type II corticosteroid receptor stimulation were examined in adrenalectomized Sprague-Dawley rats to quantify the relative contribution of body energy and body water changes to changes in body weight. Adrenalectomy caused a decrease in both body energy and water. Aldosterone (type I agonist) treatment increased body weight gain and returned energy accretion to the level of sham-operated animals. However, most of the change in body weight (72%) was attributable to a change in body water. The aldosterone-induced increase in body weight gain and carcass water were attenuated by RU-28362 (type II receptor agonist) infusion, suggesting that type II receptor stimulation can antagonize the effect of type I receptor stimulation. Changes in carcass water were paralleled by changes in soluble carcass sodium. Despite alterations in soluble body sodium, no measurable differences in cumulative sodium retention were found. These findings confirm previous studies suggesting an effect of type I receptor stimulation on energy accretion. However, they also caution that changes in body weight cannot be equated with changes in body energy.
Student Response Systems Learning and Engagement in Preservice Teacher Education

This study presents findings from an investigation of student response systems (SRS) in an undergraduate preservice teacher education classroom to investigate the impact of SRS use during lecture o...
Automated 3D digital reconstruction of fiber reinforced polymer composites

A 3D reconstruction system is described that generates digital reconstructions of an aerospace-grade graphite fiber reinforced composite in an accurate and highly automated way using high resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT) imagery. The 3D reconstruction system is based on algorithms from the multi-target tracking literature including a tracker using a global nearest neighbor data association architecture and Kalman filter, along with algorithms for track stitching and smoothing. Additionally, two new algorithms are developed to ensure that none of the virtual fibers in the 3D reconstruction overlap each other. First, is an algorithm for selecting among multiple possible tracks in the case of significant overlap. Second, is an algorithm that solves for an optimal, in the maximum a posteriori sense, adjustment for the virtual fiber locations and radii such that none of the virtual fibers overlap. The 3D reconstruction system is evaluated with X-ray CT data for an AS4/3501-6 graphite/epoxy composite. A representative sub-volume containing 629 fibers across 427 CT images, is used for evaluation. Additional algorithms are developed to manually correct any minor errors in the automatically generated 3D reconstruction leading to a fully accurate 3D reconstruction. In addition to being highly automated, the 3D reconstruction system is readily extensible to larger test specimens and other fiber arrangements.
Heterobimetallic Bismuth−Transition Metal Salicylate Complexes as Molecular Precursors for Ferroelectric Materials. Synthesis and Structure of Bi2M2(sal)4(Hsal)4(OR) 4 (M = Nb, Ta; R = CH2CH3, CH(CH3)2), Bi2Ti3(sal)8(Hsal)2, and Bi2Ti4(OiPr)(sal)10(Hsal) (sal = O2CC6H4-2-O; Hsal = O2CC6H4-2-OH)

The reactions between triphenylbismuth, salicylic acid, and the metal alkoxides M(OCH2CH3)5 (M = Nb, Ta) or Ti{OCH(CH3)2}4 have been investigated under different reaction conditions and in differen...
Seeds of Light, Flowers of Power, Fruits of Change

Ecowomanism focuses on the relationships between humans and nature through a spiritualized lens. Three core principles of ecowomanism are Livingkind (all living things are of a type), Aliveness (life pervades all creation, visible and invisible), and Luminosity (all living things are filled with light and spirit). Ecowomanism makes a unique, spiritually infused, ecological activist praxis possible. Three notable exemplars of this praxis are Sister Chan Khong (who established Sweet Potato Farm in France as part of her mindfulness-based peace activism), Kiran Bedi (who elevated the dignity of prisoners through her beautification of Tihar Jail/Ashram in India), and Wangari Maathai (who conscientized members of the Kenyan military by helping them to see the value of protecting the natural environment and planting trees as part of the Green Belt Movement).
To explore the efficiency of strengthen the scientific research management of university

management workers is concerned on enhancing the efficiency of scientific research management very mach.this paper is to discuss and analyze how to improve the efficiency of management from the four aspects of scientific research,for example:the people-oriented,strengthen the management of innovation,achieve management information,promote the management of personnel's comprehensive quality and so on.
Promoting Adolescent Sexual Health in Youth Programming: Implications of a Positive Youth Development Perspective

Sexual activity may be a part of positive, adaptive youth development, particularly in the later years of adolescence. Through promoting positive youth development (PYD), youth development programs can take an active role in improving adolescent sexual health. In this chapter, we emphasize the positive potential of adolescent sexuality development. We review research regarding the interplay between indicators of PYD and indicators of adolescent sexual behavior and sexual health and research on the role of youth development programs in addressing adolescent sexual health outcomes. We specifically explore the “Big Three” aspects of youth development programs: youth–adult relationships, skill building, and opportunities for leadership. We conclude with additional suggestions for how youth development programs can support both PYD and sexual health in integrated ways, by implementing policies and practices that support queer inclusivity, racial justice, and trauma-informed approaches.
Colon and Rectal Surgical Emergencies

Colon and rectal cancer represents the third most common cancer in the USA. Therefore, emergencies related to colorectal cancer are quite frequent. The most common emergencies related to primary colorectal cancer are perforation and obstruction. There are multiple surgical and nonsurgical methods to address these problems. In addition, there are multiple emergencies that affect the colon which stem from cancers outside the colon. These include severe colitis caused from ischemia, drugs, infection, and neutropenia. Treatment is often conservative in nature, with surgery reserved for extreme cases. Finally, there are multiple anorectal emergencies which are prominent in the cancer patient including but not limited to hemorrhoids, anal fissure, and anorectal abscess.
Active Site-Inhibited rFVIIa (ASIS) Blocks Platelet Adhesion/Aggregation on Intact Endothelium Activated with TNFα and Shiga Toxin-1.

Abstract Human blood flowing over monolayers of endothelial cells (ECs) in vitro under controlled flow conditions constitutes a promising model of blood-EC interactions, especially in a system permitting real-time imaging of single platelets (1 μm resolution or better) and platelet aggregates. We have developed such a model and have used it to study platelet adhesion/aggregation on monolayers of human renal microvascular ECs grown on optically clear vinyl slides and activated with TNFα (20 ng/ml; hr 0 to 22) and Shiga toxin-1 (Stx; 10 pM; hr 18 to 22), in simulation of probable events in the childhood hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Normal donor blood, collected into 4U/ml low MW heparin (dalteparin) and 10 μM mepacrine (platelet, EC, and granulocyte label), was drawn at shear rates of 270–650 sec−1 through a parallel-plate flow chamber for which one wall was one of the above slides. Such shear rates give rise to shear stresses which approximate the 20–25 dynes/cm2 estimated to exist in glomerular arterioles. Platelets, ECs, and granulocytes were imaged in real time using epifluorescence digital videomicroscopy. With activated, but not with control ECs, clusters of platelets deposit on the monolayers in strings (Fig.1, upper right, with flow from top to bottom) superposed upon ECs, for which the cytoplasm is fluorescent. The strings are tethered at the upstream end, as has been observed by others using platelet-rich plasma. Granulocytes, identifiable by size (Fig. 1, upper middle), also adhere to activated ECs. In five paired experiments, monolayer preincubation × 30 min with 50 nM active-site inactivated recombinant factor VIIa (ASIS; courtesy of Dr. Ulla Hedner, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals) largely eliminated the platelet strings, while reducing the number of adherent granulocytes to zero. In control experiments, preincubation of monolayers with 100 nM of a monoclonal antibody directed against human tissue factor similarly largely eliminated both platelet strings and adherent granulocytes. In other control experiments, the use of the above concentration of low MW heparin did not by itself block fibrin formation (by immunostaining) in the boundary region near the slide-blood interface. These findings may be explained on the basis that ASIS both interrupts the tissue factor pathway of coagulation and blocks tissue factor-associated upregulation of endothelial cell E-selectin. ASIS therefore may have promise as a therapy for the prothrombotic and proinflammatory effects of childhood HUS. Studies with the TAB monoclonal antibody and ALEXA 555 are in progress to permit platelet-specific labeling and quantitation of platelet adhesion/aggregation with and without ASIS. Download : Download high-res image (192KB) Download : Download full-size image
Investigation of Engineering Student Engagement and Behaviour in an Online Second-Year Thermal Science Course

This study is an investigation of online engineering undergraduate students' usages of online videos and embedded formative assessments in a second-year thermal science class. The findings from this study indicate that online students use online videos of course lectures in different ways. While some students watch each video only once, some students watch videos multiple times, and answer embedded assessment questions each time. This data can be used to describe student usage patterns and correlate student usage of videos with mastery of course content and academic achievement. The implications of gaining a better understanding of student usage patterns and their correlation with student performance will help engineering instructors who teach in online venues to more effectively use formative assessments and new technologies, as well as help instructors demonstrate the impact of effective study skills and routines for online students.
Stem Cell Therapy for Chronic Pain Management: Review of Uses, Advances, and Adverse Effects.

BACKGROUND This review article outlines the recent advances, uses, and adverse effects of cell-based therapy for chronic pain management. Cell based therapies are gaining increasing ground as novel treatment modalities for a variety of pain pathologies that include, but are not limited to, neuropathic pain and degenerative disc disease. As these treatment modalities become more common practice, we have focused our review to provide pain practitioners and other practicing physicians an understanding of the technology and to summarize key clinical data and existing clinical trials that are being pursued by clinical investigators worldwide. OBJECTIVE Review of stem cell technology and applications in pain management. STUDY DESIGN Narrative review. METHODS The Pubmed NCBI and EMBASE databases was utilized to review published reports of clinical studies reported from 2000 to 2015, and ClinicalTrials.gov (www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/search) search function was used to document ongoing clinical trials [keywords: "chronic pain," "disc pain," "cell therapy," "osteoarthritis," "neuropathic," "stem cell"] currently active and recruiting patients. RESULTS Articles were screened by title, abstract, and full article review. They were then analyzed by specific clinical indications and appropriate data were presented based on critical analysis of those articles. LIMITATIONS More studies looking at the systematic use of stem cells in pain management will be required to draw conclusions about the benefits of the technology. CONCLUSION Though the data from existing studies look promising for the use of stem cells as a novel therapeutic strategy for discogenic pain, neuropathic pain, and osteoarthritis, additional clinical studies will be needed to validate the benefit of the technology for clinical use. However, we hope that this narrative review will help guide pain physicians in making informed decisions for their patients about the potential of cell-based therapy for treating chronic pain conditions.
Risk Management: Challenges and Practice for US Dam and Levee Safety

One of the earliest research efforts on internal erosion was funded by the Government of India in 1895 at Thomason Civil Engineering College, Roorkee (Clibborn, 1902). The research was an effort to understand the 1885 failure of the Khanki Weir and use this information to refine design guidance. This led to early improvements in the analysis and design of defensive measures to prevent piping failures of dams, as well as enabling the prediction of the failure of Narora Weir in 1898. Knowledge of potential design flaws has grown significantly through research and, unfortunately, dam failures. The United States has an aging dam infrastructure, with most dams now beyond their anticipated 50-year economic life. Many of the early dams were designed and constructed prior to adequate knowledge of hydrology, liquefaction, backward erosion piping, dispersive soils, and concentrated leak erosion. While modern dam designs utilize defensive measures to address these concerns, many older dams do not. Dam and levee safety practice in the United States is currently undergoing an evolutionary phase in which risk management practices are seeing wider application in order to help prioritize dam rehabilitation work. The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, US Bureau of Reclamation, and the US Army Corps of Engineers are currently implementing risk-informed methodologies in their dam safety programs, and the US Army Corps of Engineers is currently extending this methodology to their navigation and levee programs. Some key challenges include needed refinements on the topics of: internal erosion evaluation and prediction, hydraulic loading from extreme events and climate change, site characterization uncertainties, combining and portraying risks for complex systems, and seismic load and post-seismic response predictions. While Col. Clibborn helped dam engineers to begin to understand the mechanics of internal erosion in 1895 and its implications to dam design, much work remains to be completed. Future studies will improve risk assessments resulting in higher confidence and improved risk-informed decisions regarding prioritization of dam rehabilitations.
Carbon monoxide in lung cell physiology and disease.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an endogenously produced gas that has gained recognition as a biological signal transduction effector with properties similar, but not identical, to that of nitric oxide (NO...
Qualitative investigation of students' views about experimental physics

In order for students to develop an expertlike understanding of scientific communication, instructors need to emphasize scientific argument rather than formatting in lab reports.
Quantized zero-bias conductance plateau in semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures without topological Majorana zero modes

Recent observations of robust zero-bias quantized conductance plateaus of height $2{e}^{2}/h$ in quantum dot-semiconductor-superconductor nanowire heterostructures have been interpreted as clear evidence for the presence of non-Abelian topologically protected Majorana zero modes (MZMs), since other sources of low-energy conductance are believed to be unable to produce such quantized plateaus. Based on extensive numerical calculations, we show that, in fact, quantized conductance plateaus of height $2{e}^{2}/h$ can also arise as a result of partially separated Andreev bound states (ps-ABSs), in which the component Majorana bound states are somewhat shifted in space without being topological MZMs. As ps-ABSs can form rather generically in the topologically trivial phase, even in the absence of disorder, our results conclusively establish that the observation of quantized conductance plateaus of height $2{e}^{2}/h$ does not represent sufficient evidence for the existence of topologically protected MZMs localized at the opposite ends of a wire.
Surgical Candidacy and Selection Biases in Nonemergent Left Main Stenting: Implications for Observational Studies

Objectives This study sought to characterize reasons for surgical ineligibility in patients undergoing nonemergent unprotected left main (ULM) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and to assess the potential for these reasons to confound comparative effectiveness studies of coronary revascularization. Background Although both PCI and coronary artery bypass graft surgery are treatments for ULM disease, some patients are not eligible for both treatments, which may result in treatment selection biases. Methods In 101 consecutive patients undergoing nonemergent ULM PCI, mixed methods were used to determine the prevalence of treatment selection dictated by surgical ineligibility and to identify the reasons cited for avoiding coronary artery bypass graft surgery. We then determined whether these reasons were captured by the ACC–NCDR (American College of Cardiology–National Cardiovascular Data Registry) Cath-PCI dataset to assess the ability of this registry to account for biases in treatment selection. Finally, the association of surgical eligibility with long-term outcomes after ULM PCI was assessed. Results Treatment selection was dictated by surgical ineligibility in over half the ULM PCI cohort with the majority having reasons for ineligibility not captured by the ACC–NCDR. Surgical ineligibility was a significant predictor of mortality after adjustment for Society of Thoracic Surgeons (hazard ratio [HR]: 5.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2 to 25), EuroSCORE (European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation) (HR: 5.9, 95% CI: 1.3 to 27), or NCDR mortality scores (HR: 6.2, 95% CI: 1.4 to 27). Conclusions Surgical ineligibility dictating treatment selection is common in patients undergoing nonemergent ULM PCI, occurs on the basis of risk factors not captured by the ACC–NCDR, and is independently associated with worse long-term outcomes after adjusting for standard risk scores.
Late aging alters behavioral sensitivity to ethanol in a sex-specific manner in Fischer 344 rats.

Abstract Responsiveness to ethanol (EtOH) differs as a function of age. Adolescent rodents are less sensitive than adults to the sedative effects of EtOH, whereas they show enhanced sensitivity to EtOH-induced social facilitation. Late aging is associated with a natural decline in social behavior and aging-related peculiarities in sensitivity to EtOH have been largely unexplored. Whether there are sex differences in the behavioral response to EtOH during late aging remains unknown. Thus, behavioral responses to EtOH in male and female Fischer (F) 344 rats aged 4–5 months (adult) and 19–20 months (aging) were examined. First, the effects of saline and EtOH (0.5 and 0.75 g/kg) on social interaction were assessed. Social investigation and contact behavior were lower in aging animals and higher in females. Interestingly, in aged females, social contact behavior was increased following a 0.5 g/kg EtOH dose, whereas the same dose suppressed social contact in aged males. Behavioral sensitivity to the sedative effects of 3.0 and 3.5 g/kg EtOH was assessed with the loss of righting reflex (LORR) test. Although latency to LORR did not differ as a function of age or sex, aged rats showed significantly greater LORR duration and significantly lower blood ethanol concentrations (BECs) at regaining of the righting reflex relative to adults. In addition, females had a lower LORR duration, regardless of age; no sex differences were evident in BECs at awakening. In a second experiment, blood ethanol concentrations (BECs) over time were assessed following 0.75, 1.5, and 3.0 g/kg EtOH in 3-, 12-, and 18-month-old male and female F344 rats. Aged rats had higher peak BECs following 3.0 g/kg EtOH, whereas few age or sex differences were apparent at lower doses. Taken together, these data indicate that late aging is associated with altered sensitivity to the social facilitating effects and sedative effects of EtOH.
Revealing S-layer Functions in the Hyperthermophilic Crenarchaeon Sulfolobus islandicus

The crystalline surface layer (S-layer), consisting of two glycoproteins SlaA and SlaB, is considered to be the exclusive component of the cell envelope outside of the cytoplasmic membrane in Sulfolobus species. Although biochemically and structurally characterized, the S-layer in vivo functions remain largely elusive in Archaea. Here, we investigate how the S-layer genes contribute to the S-layer architecture and affect cellular physiology in a crenarchaeal model, Sulfolobus islandicus M.16.4. Electron micrographs of mutant cells lacking slaA or both slaA and slaB confirm the absence of the outermost layer (SlaA), whereas cells with intact, partially, or completely detached SlaA are observed for the ΔslaB mutant. Importantly, we identify a novel S-layer-associated protein M164_1049, which does not functionally replace its homolog SlaB but likely assists SlaB to stabilize SlaA. Additionally, we find that mutants deficient in SlaA form large cell aggregates and the individual cell size varies significantly. The slaB gene deletion also causes noticeable cellular aggregation, but the size of those aggregates is smaller when compared to ΔslaA and ΔslaAB mutants. We further show the ΔslaA mutant cells exhibit more sensitivity to hyperosmotic stress but are not reduced to wild-type cell size. Finally, we demonstrate that the ΔslaA mutant contains aberrant chromosome copy numbers not seen in wild-type cells where the cell cycle is tightly regulated. Together these data suggest that the lack of slaA results in either cell fusion or irregularities in cell division. Our studies provide novel insights into the physiological and cellular functions of the S-layer in Archaea.
Multiple genetic loci define Ca++ utilization by bloodstream malaria parasites.

Bloodstream malaria parasites require Ca++ for their development, but the sites and mechanisms of Ca++ utilization are not well understood. We hypothesized that there may be differences in Ca++ uptake or utilization by genetically distinct lines of P. falciparum. These differences, if identified, may provide insights into molecular mechanisms. Dose response studies with the Ca++ chelator EGTA (ethylene glycol-bis(β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid) revealed stable differences in Ca++ requirement for six geographically divergent parasite lines used in previous genetic crosses, with the largest difference seen between the parents of the HB3 x Dd2 cross. Genetic mapping of Ca++ requirement yielded complex inheritance in 34 progeny clones with a single significant locus on chromosome 7 and possible contributions from other loci. Although encoded by a gene in the significant locus and a proposed Ca++ target, PfCRT (P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter), the primary determinant of clinical resistance to the antimalarial drug chloroquine, does not appear to contribute to this quantitative trait. Stage-specific application of extracellular EGTA also excluded determinants associated with merozoite egress and erythrocyte reinvasion. We have identified differences in Ca++ utilization amongst P. falciparum lines. These differences are under genetic regulation, segregating as a complex trait in genetic cross progeny. Ca++ uptake and utilization throughout the bloodstream asexual cycle of malaria parasites represents an unexplored target for therapeutic intervention.
Lethal Hemorrhagic Disease and Clinical Illness Associated with Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus 1 Are Caused by Primary Infection: Implications for the Detection of Diagnostic Proteins.

Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) can cause lethal hemorrhagic disease in juvenile Asian elephants, both in captivity and in the wild. Most deaths associated with the virus are caused by two chimeric variants of EEHV1 (EEHV1A and EEHV1B), while two other EEHVs endemic within Asian elephants (EEHV4 and EEHV5) have been recognized but cause death less often. Whether lethal EEHV infections are due to primary infection or reactivation of latent virus remains unknown, and knowledge of the anti-EEHV antibody levels in young elephants is limited. To close these gaps, we sought to develop a serologic assay capable of distinguishing among infections with different EEHVs using a luciferase immunoprecipitation system (LIPS) for antibody profiling and a panel of conserved EEHV recombinant proteins and proteins unique to EEHV1. The results showed that elephants dying from EEHV1 hemorrhagic disease or ill from EEHV infection were seronegative for the EEHV species that caused the disease or illness, indicating that the events were associated with primary infection rather than reactivation of latent virus. We also demonstrated that waning of EEHV1-specific antibodies can occur in the first 2 years of life, when a threshold protective level of antibody may be needed to prevent severe EEHV1-related disease. Use of the LIPS assay to identify putative "diagnostic" proteins would be a valuable asset in determining the EEHV immune status of young elephants and responses to candidate EEHV vaccines in the future.IMPORTANCE Whether clinical illness and deaths associated with elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) infection result from primary infection or reactivation of latent virus is a longstanding question in the field. By applying a relatively new assay, the luciferase immunoprecipitation system (LIPS), combined with the genomic sequences of the viruses, we gained the insights and tools needed to resolve this issue. Our EEHV1-specific LIPS assay should be useful for assessing the vulnerability of elephant calves to infection with different EEHVs and evaluating antibody responses to anti-EEHV vaccines. A significant proportion of the Asian elephant population is under some form of human care. Hence, the ability to screen for EEHV immune status in elephant calves should have a major impact on the management of these animals worldwide.
Uncertainty Quantification and Propagation in Computational Materials Science and Simulation-Assisted Materials Design

Significant advances in theory, simulation tools, advanced computing infrastructure, and experimental frameworks have enabled the field of materials science to become increasingly reliant on computer simulations. Theory-grounded computational models provide a better understanding of observed materials phenomena. At the same time, computational tools constitute an important ingredient of any framework that seeks to accelerate the materials development cycle. While simulations keep increasing in sophistication, formal frameworks for the quantification, propagation, and management of their uncertainties are required. Uncertainty analysis is fundamental to any effort to validate and verify simulations, which is often overlooked. Likewise, no simulation-driven materials design effort can be done with any level of robustness without properly accounting for the uncertainty in the predictions derived from the computational models. Here, we review some of the most recent works that have focused on the analysis, quantification, propagation, and management of uncertainty in computational materials science and ICME-based simulation-assisted materials design. Modern concepts of efficient uncertainty quantification and propagation, multi-scale/multi-level uncertainty analysis, model selection as well as model fusion are also discussed. While the topic remains relatively unexplored, there have been significant advances that herald an increased sophistication in the approaches followed for model validation and verification and model-based decision support.
New Challenges for a Normative Theory of Parties and Partisanship

This paper advances normative theorizing about political parties by highlighting concerns arising from recent empirical scholarship on marginal partisanship, affective polarization, and identity co...
Exploratory Analysis of the Impact of an mHealth Medication Adherence Intervention on Tacrolimus Trough Concentration Variability: Post Hoc Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background:Medication nonadherence is a leading cause of late allograft loss in kidney transplantation (KT). Tacrolimus trough coefficient of variation (CV), measured using the coefficient of varia...
More Fun Than Ought to be Graded: Assuring Student Learning in Study Abroad Programs

Study abroad courses provide an excellent opportunity for students to augment their degrees by practical experiences and exposure to new sets of cultural and professional norms and customs. To maximize the utility of such courses, careful planning and execution of itineraries and learning objectives is crucial, while simultaneously allowing students to gather experiences on their own. We highlight lessons learned from a study abroad course with the focus on IT and Data Science, with the aim of enabling other instructors and researchers to set up their own study abroad courses. In addition to a detailed description of planning and management activities, we describe different types of evaluation that can be used to assess a student's participation in such a course. Together with presented lessons learned this article is as a useful resource for educators planning an IT-related study abroad course.
COVID-19 Dashboard Experiences – Lessons learned

Abstract. As of March 2020, Esri Germany administers the Berlin based Robert Koch-Institute official COVID-19 Dashboard (Figure 1). During Esri’s evolvement both, organizational and technical processes have had to be built from scratch. Our objective was to keep society, as well as the disaster response units 24/7 informed about the spatiotemporal patterns of Corona pandemic. To achieve this several challenges had to be overcome. These challenges ranged from data gathering to data dissemination, from the delivery of COVID-19 information to the general public, as well as to the crisis prevention teams, and from the communication to individuals as well as to various specialists such as data journalists. Having a COVID-19 dashboard online results in a lot of publicity to the provider, but also requires a lot of effort to deliver a reliable and sustainable COVID-19 service, as many external decision making processes depend on the dashboard and the data which drives it. This presentation is not only about how we provided this service but will also include a look at the lessons learnt and how we can be best prepared for future spatiotemporal phenomena to help crisis response and perhaps even prevention.
Romantic Biology: Carl Gustav Carus at the Edge of the Modern

Richards describes the contributions of romantic naturalists to the mainstream of late-nineteenth-century biology. He uses as a test case Carl Gustav Carus, a disciple of Oken and Schelling, and a protege of Goethe. Carus was a leading romantic artist and anatomist who empirically demonstrated the vertebral theory of the skull. Ernst Mayr disdained Carus but should have known better. Carus’s life and major works reveal an extraordinary scientist, whose ideas quietly flowed into the main currents of modern biology. His conception of the archetype was appropriated by Richard Owen, without attribution, and became integral to the theory of homology. His notion of the unity of type served as a pillar of Darwinian evolution. Yet, Carus himself could not endorse Darwin’s theory—for aesthetic reasons.
Ring-based electron cooler for high energy beam cooling

An electron-ion collider (EIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory is being proposed as a new discovery machine for the nuclear physics and quantum chromodynamics. The hadron beam cooling plays an important role in the EIC machine to achieve its physics goals. The most challenging is cooling of protons at the highest energy in the EIC. In this paper, we present a possible design of a ring-based electron cooler for the high energy hadron beam cooling. In the proposed approach, the electrons will cool the hadrons while being cooled themselves by radiation damping in the storage ring. For the design of the cooler using the storage ring approach several aspects become very important, including electron ring optics design, chromaticity correction, calculating the dynamic aperture, radiation damping, quantum excitation, and intrabeam scattering. In addition, such effects as beam-beam scattering due to interaction of electrons with hadrons becomes of special concern, and we develop a generalized approach to it. In this paper, we take all of the above effects into the design, and discuss the beam lifetime and instabilities in the ring. A special feature of our design is an effective use of dispersion in the cooling section, both for the ions and electrons, to redistribute the cooling rate between the longitudinal and horizontal planes. Finally, the cooling performance is simulated for proton beam at the top energy of the EIC. Our conclusion is that such ring-based cooler could be a feasible approach to provide required parameters of hadron beam at the top energy of 275 GeV for the EIC.
A new era in functional genomics screens.

The past 25 years of genomics research first revealed which genes are encoded by the human genome and then a detailed catalogue of human genome variation associated with many diseases. Despite this, the function of many genes and gene regulatory elements remains poorly characterized, which limits our ability to apply these insights to human disease. The advent of new CRISPR functional genomics tools allows for scalable and multiplexable characterization of genes and gene regulatory elements encoded by the human genome. These approaches promise to reveal mechanisms of gene function and regulation, and to enable exploration of how genes work together to modulate complex phenotypes. In this Review, Przybyla and Gilbert describe the latest approaches for CRISPR-based functional genomics screens, including the adoption of single-cell transcriptomic read-outs and applications in characterizing the non-coding genome and mapping genetic interactions at scale.
In situ detection of microRNAs146b, 221 and 222 in human carcinoma tissues reveals tumor-type specific expression patterns.

1780 MicroRNAs (miRs) are transcribed from non-protein-encoding genes that regulate the post-transcriptional fate of other, protein-encoding mRNAs. Overexpression of miR146b, miR221 and miR222 has been reported in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC). In the present study, we sought to determine the expression of these miRs at the histological level in thyroid cancer. A total of 87 different archival cancer specimens, including 65 thyroid carcinomas (26 PTC, 25 medullary [MTC], 14 anaplastic [ATC]), were examined on paraffin sections in comparison to matched normal tissues and clinicopathological parameters. The expression of miRs 146b, 221 and 222 was assessed by in situ hybridization (ISH) with cocktails of DIG-labeled oligonucleotide probes complementary to each miR. Semiquantitative RT-PCR for the same targets was performed for a subset of 25 tumor/normal pairs and showed concordant results with ISH in all but one case. In normal epithelia (thyroid, breast, colon, stomach), faint positive cytoplasmic signal of all three miRs was observed in limited cases (10 - 12%) and cells/case (
The contributions of active and passive modes of control during walking over complex terrain

When walking over complex terrain, humans use visual information about the upcoming ground surface layout to exploit the passive physical forces inherent to bipedal locomotion. We previously showed that visual information about potential target footholds for an upcoming step is critical for control during the end of the preceding step. Visual information about target position presented during this critical control phase was sufficient for subjects to accurately step to a target, while the same information presented before or after the critical phase resulted in less accurate foot placement. Although visual information about target position is not essential once the step to that target is initiated, it remains unclear whether humans are capable of using such information to improve stepping accuracy following a perturbation during that step. Reynolds and Day (2005) demonstrated that, when taking a single step, participants rapidly respond to changes in target position while the foot is in flight. However, it is not known whether humans exhibit such active corrections during continuous walking over longer stretches of complex terrain, when locomotion is largely under passive control. In the present study, subjects walked along a path of irregularly spaced targets projected onto the ground while their movements were recorded with motion capture. As subjects approached targets, each target briefly disappeared and then reappeared. On a subset of trials, the location of one of the six targets was perturbed in either a medial-lateral or anterior-posterior direction while invisible. Subjects' responses to the perturbation depended on the timing of visual information during that step. DISCUSSION focuses on the contributions of active control, to respond to perturbations during the swing phase, and passive control, to efficiently adapt the gait cycle to upcoming terrain. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015. Language: en
Understanding Fables in First and Second Languages

Children’s understanding of narrative fables was examined. Students learning two languages (Spanish and English) and monolingual English students in kindergarten through fifth/sixth grades were presented with modified versions of Aesop’s fables. Three tasks, each of which assessed somewhat different aspects of comprehension, were used: retelling the fables, responding to questions about the motives of the fable characters, and extracting a lesson from the fable. Bilingual program participants included students whose primary language is Spanish and students whose primary language is English. All three comprehension tasks provided evidence for transfer of prior knowledge across first and second language inputs. There was also a direct, positive relationship between performance in the first and in the second language. Comparisons with the monolingual students indicated that there was no difference in the developmental course of fable understanding. Discussion focuses on implications for instructional practic...